There were some basic rules for any adventurer descending into Vybor. Among them: always be prepared for the unexpected, maintain constant awareness of your surroundings, and never — under any circumstances — make enough noise to become the center of attention. The reason was simple.
Vybor was dark. It's true that the magmar flowing like rivers of lava, and the glowing veins scattered everywhere, gave the environment an acceptable level of brightness. But most of the creatures living there hadn't evolved to rely on sight as their main hunting tool — there simply wasn't enough light for that.
On the other hand, Vybor's beings had extremely heightened hearing. That was the main reason Kolya had always opposed the idea of building a gate there. The very thought of intentionally making noise seemed insane — and would certainly be enough to take lives needlessly.
Vladislav Dragomir, however, gave Kolya some peace of mind. His overwhelming strength was, in itself, a guarantee. For everyone, the probability of an enemy showing up was low — and if one did, it wouldn't be right at the beginning, preventing the construction. Most likely, that would only happen at the end, when most of the work was already done.
"Guys, they're coming. We already knew this was inevitable. Standard formation!"
Of course, the possibility of nothing happening was virtually zero — and Kuzma knew it. So when the screams of the Simargl echoed through the wide but muffled cave, no one was surprised.
"Damn… we're probably going to be attacked by a queen."
Even in the worst-case scenarios, Kuzma believed they were unlikely to encounter a whole pack of Simargl. These bipedal creatures, with long, curved limbs, were mostly weak enemies — at least when acting alone. They weren't as weak as the Upyr, but also rarely deadly individually. The real problem was something else: in the lower levels, the Simargl stopped moving alone. Because they were aggressive and unsociable creatures, they needed a link to unite the group — a control core capable of keeping the pack cohesive.
This link was extremely rare for several reasons. However, when it did appear, there was one inescapable constant: it was always a queen. The real problem was that Simargl queens weren't just stronger than their peers — they were also much more intelligent. And that one factor alone often made them more feared than adult Leshiy. After all, an intelligent creature, when in a group, could employ precise tactics, choose its victims carefully, and coldly exploit the weaknesses of smaller groups.
"They probably hid from Vladislav when they realized they couldn't face him… but I think now they've built up the courage."
Ekaterina and the others were positioned in the rear, protecting the blacksmiths. A few meters ahead, dozens of bipedal creatures watched them… in absolute silence.
"Must be at least forty of them,"
Andrei muttered, nervous. His eyes were fixed on his wife. As the group's only tank, he knew the responsibility of holding off the initial assault would fall on him and Laika, his bear. But not even he was sure if he could hold back that many creatures — at least, not all at once.
"Don't worry. You won't be alone. Come on, Ashen."
Nikolai stepped forward, putting away his bow. He knew that, in that kind of confrontation, there wouldn't be enough line of sight to make his arrows shine.
"Kid, stay behind me and try to stop whatever gets past us, let's try to form three lines. Where are the Moranas?"
Kuzma asked, looking at Daria, visibly irritated.
The creatures weren't hiding their intent to attack. And worse: they seemed to be waiting for something. This behavior unsettled the group, which was still trying to understand the situation. The blacksmiths, watching from afar, were frightened — but Svetlana's shouts pulled them back to reality, forcing them to keep working. The gate had to be finished.
"Apparently, the Moranas are fighting too… against some Leshiy. This was probably the opportunity the queen was waiting for."
The pieces started to fall into place. Daria, the only one in the group with scrying magic, was watching what was happening on the other side of the partially opened gate.
"So that bitch even thought of this…"
The conclusion was inevitable: this wasn't an impulsive attack — it was a strategy. And it could only have come from a queen.
"How can they be this intelligent?"
Nikolai murmured. He and Ashen were tense. The creatures still remained motionless, but they were so close you could hear the sound of their breathing… and see the drool dripping onto the floor.
"Honestly, I knew they were smart, but not this smart."
Kuzma didn't have much to say in the face of what he was seeing. Even though he had been descending into Vybor for years, they had rarely explored such deep levels — which made it even harder to find creatures like these acting in groups. However, the more he observed, the more he understood: they were the same creatures from the upper levels — but the decision to form packs made them far more dangerous. Collective intelligence created strategies he would never have imagined.
Thinking of it that way, it made sense. Creatures considered weak, managing to survive in such deep levels… they had to have some kind of advantage. And now, Kuzma could see — for the first time — what those advantages were.
"Stay alert on the flanks. They're waiting for something. We need to find out what."
The creatures seemed to be guided by something or someone. Even though they were starving, even though they were tense, they didn't attack. It was as if they were waiting for a command. Everyone started scanning the surroundings, trying to figure out what was happening — until finally, it was Nikolai who noticed:
"Look to the right… there are some over there."
Hidden in the darkness, six creatures were crawling through the shadows, trying to get close to the blacksmiths, who were still working — focused and unaware of the danger.
"Damn… they want to start with the blacksmiths, not us."
Kuzma's realization was swift, and the shock obvious. The creatures' intelligence was so advanced that they had created a central distraction while launching an ambush from the side.
"Leave them to me. I've got this."
Without waiting for a reply, Nikolai and Ashen moved forward. The creatures were too close to the blacksmiths. Shouting would be dangerous — it could trigger the attack. So, Nikolai acted in silence.
But the moment he moved toward the flanks to intercept the Simargl, a high-pitched scream cut through Vybor's darkness — and all the creatures began to charge in a frenzy.
"Shit… I won't make it."
Nikolai's heart was racing. As he separated from the group, the attack had begun.
"Dammit, dammit… Ashen, we need to do it."
Running beside his master, Ashen looked agitated, but didn't hesitate. Silently, he drew closer to Nikolai, who now moved forward with determination to intercept the six Simargl charging at the group of blacksmiths.
As the blacksmiths, finally alarmed, realized the enemy was far too close, they began to flee desperately toward the opposite flank. The screams echoed, terrifying everyone, but unfortunately Svetlana was too close to the chaos. She fell to the ground and tried to protect herself, curling up, as the others ran over her without noticing.
When everything finally quieted, Svetlana opened her eyes — only to be met with the sight of six creatures, claws raised, ready to impale her. On instinct, she shut her eyes again, paralyzed by fear. Even Lev, her bear, huddled beside her, closed his eyes — seized by a primal instinct of terror.
A second later, she felt nothing but the air slicing around her… and then, silence.
When she opened her eyes again, the sight stunned her: the same six creatures now lay on the ground — headless. Blood spurted and spread across the uneven ground, touching her leg. But she didn't care.
A few meters away, a figure stood tall: a broad-shouldered man with long hair graying at the tips, and a colossal scythe in his hands. The blade of the weapon dripped with blood and fur, still vibrating from the impact. A kind of subtle aura seemed to make the man's garments sway gently, even as he remained motionless.
When he finally turned his face, Svetlana was even more surprised. First, because it was one of the most beautiful faces she had ever seen. Second… because she recognized him.
"Nikolai?"
"Are you alright?"
Nikolai had managed to arrive in time, but there was no room for conversation — he only needed to know if his acquaintance was safe. When Svetlana, still stunned, nodded in confirmation, he said nothing more. He simply turned and launched himself back toward his group, who were now facing real trouble against the enemy.
His metal leg creaked with every hurried step. It was clear it hadn't been made for this kind of charge, but it didn't matter. It would have to endure. No one would die that day.
While Nikolai struggled to stabilize the situation and return to his group, Andrei was transforming into a gigantic beast, using his own body to hold back several creatures that tried to bite him — without success. Laika, his bear, was having a harder time. Despite visible wounds, he retaliated with fury, claiming lives with powerful blows.
Kuzma had to be agile and versatile. He didn't have the brute strength of a brown tamer, but did what he could to hold the front line. Gerasim, his black bear, wasn't suited for direct confrontations either, so he stayed beside Daria, shielding her from an enemy that had broken through the defense.
Daria was casting a large-scale spell, focused, while Ekaterina — at her side — used small but effective spells. Ekaterina's goal was time. She needed to buy it. She created ice spears and, with the aid of a wind spell, launched them with precision. Alone, they weren't lethal against an alert Simargl, but could easily eliminate distracted enemies.
While Gerasim endured a creature's bite, one of those spears pierced the enemy's side. The scream of pain was brief — it was already dead. Unfortunately, before it fell, the bite had caused real damage to the small bear, who cried out in agony from the wound.
Even without stopping her incantation, Daria noticed the blow. Kira — her small white bear — let out a breath of green magical energy that flew toward Gerasim. The cry ceased. Healing magic was rare and imperfect, but for Daria, it was her most valuable spell. The small bears exchanged glances. Gerasim was slowly recovering, and with a slight nod, he thanked his companion. She stood. And waited for the next enemy.
The battle was becoming even harder. The massive number of creatures tried to surround them from all sides. Kuzma knew that if they were encircled, they'd be done for — after all, his sister and Ekaterina weren't skilled in close combat.
Andrei already had many wounds across his body, as did Laika. The mutilated bodies around them made it clear the blood spilled hadn't been in vain. However, the enemies didn't seem to fear the edge of Andrei's blade, nor the weight of Laika's paws.
Andrei was panting. Amid the chaos, he didn't notice when one of the creatures managed to slip through the defensive line. Unlike the others, which charged toward the seemingly defenseless women, this one chose to attack from Andrei's flank — aiming for his ribs.
Ekaterina and Daria didn't notice the movement; they were desperately focused on providing magical support to Kuzma, who lacked Andrei's resilience. But the moment the scream of pain tore through the air, Ekaterina turned — and saw the creature sinking its teeth into her husband's side.
"Love… NO!"
In desperation, Ekaterina unleashed a flurry of ice spears at the enemies around them. Several bodies collapsed to the ground, impaled, but the effort took its toll. She dropped to her knees, exhausted, as she watched Andrei struggle to pull the creature's teeth out of his ribcage. It was clear the wound was serious — and needed urgent care.
Unfortunately, even after wiping out the nearby enemies, new ones kept appearing without end. Gasping, Andrei raised his eyes and looked at his wife, a crimson smile on his lips. They looked at each other for just a few seconds, but everything was said in that moment.
Ekaterina brought her hand to her mouth and whispered, barely audibly:
"No… please, no…"