“Humanity was not as diverse back then as it is today,” Ruda continued, pressing the terminal, and slides appeared demonstrating paintings and collections of gemstones forming images of soldiers on a battlefield, with red stones acting as droplets of blood. Another jumble of painted stones depicted an important man in a purple robe, seated on a throne and receiving the bows of his court.
“Carde told me about such things!” Sylvie blurted out. “It’s... what do you call it...” She snapped her fingers. “A mosaic, right?”
“That’s right,” Ruda praised. “Your art teachers will tell you more precisely, but as you can see, despite its antiquity, the appearance that our dear Sylvie has was the only possible one. Of course, I’m generalizing very roughly. People differed in skin type and accepted weight norms.”
“So what happened?” the blue-eyed girl asked, leaning forward on her desk.
“Extinction.” Ruda pursed her lips, stopping Decimus. “About three hundred years ago, a terrible catastrophe occurred, supposedly killing ninety-seven percent of the population of our system and putting our entire species at risk of disappearing.”
In the new photo, full of blur and interference, a wave of fire ran across the surface of their world. The houses that stood against this deadly blue fell, splashing onto the roads in lakes of molten steel. Ruda must have chosen the photos carefully, since Rustam could not see people dying in any of them, but the scenes themselves chilled his soul.
Missiles pierced the heavy thunderclouds and exploded in bright white flashes, creating spheres of destruction that devoured entire areas and caused the land to rise, summoning new mountain formations that immediately disintegrated under the fury of the bombardment. Tentacles of predatory creatures pierced the surface, wrapping themselves around skyscrapers and breaking them. Dissimilar creatures raced along the road, searching for victims or fleeing death. Vast pools of water evaporated, creating the deepest craters.
The images faded, allowing a view of the planet from space. The needles—the habitats—were falling, belching fire and debris from the holes that covered their hulls. Orange, white, and green flashes were visible beneath the atmosphere, devouring entire cities, and Rustam blanched, imagining the damage the spaceships had caused when they crashed downward. No one could have survived that.
Trying to calm himself, he put the nightmares of the past aside and tried to assess the situation more soberly. Obviously, people had survived. He existed. Giant towers jutted out from the planet, resembling spears stuck in. The upper levels of some were entangled in complex square blocks; others burned brightly, shooting arcs of electricity that jumped from one spaceship to another. Many broke and fell, shrouded in flames, back onto the world that had raised them. But not all.
“The tower to the north stands!” Rustam shouted, excitedly breaking the bonds of trepidation that had entangled the group.
“A good… eye,” Ruda creaked, snorting. “An absolutely correct observation, Rustam. The Extinction affected all the countries that were part of the joint defense program, but the catastrophe did not affect several small nations that stood apart.”
“So they survived!” Rustam was delighted.
“I doubt it.” Tsereg tapped her teeth, showing a knocked-out front tooth. “My old man told me how entire cities fell into chaos because they were deprived of access to farms or power sources. Crowds looted shops; guards were busy getting food for their families, ignoring the laws. And here's the whole planet…”
“Right. The change in the atmosphere, the influx of refugees, factories and stations blown up by terrorist sabotage or a feral robot attack, starvation, plus objects falling from the sky—all this put incredible stress on the surviving governments, and only one country from the past has survived to this day: Iterna, the most technologically advanced state in the world today. Thanks to its database, we know so much about the Old World.”
“Carde wouldn’t agree,” Jake said, interrupting his explanation of the terms to his charge.
“Commander Carde himself consults with their archaeological database,” laughed Ney.
“I do not belittle the merits of the researchers, but we must be honest.” Ruda gestured around her. “For example, our cruiser. In the Old World, it was a simple patrol boat.”
“A boat?” Sylvie’s eyes bulged. “It’s huge! Such a colossus would sink in water!”
“That’s why they equipped it with the ability to hover above the surface. We learned this from the Iterna database, and our own scientists developed, and engineers created and tested the engine necessary for this. Perhaps you will see the Iternians; they often visit the Land of the Oath. But more on that next time.” Ruda clapped her hands. “Admit it, who here has never met altered people before?”
Rustam extended his hand, along with Sylvie and many other guys.
“We exorcised mutants.”
“Never saw a single one until we were captured.”
“I always thought that all mutants ate people.”
“Not that far from the truth,” Gosha muttered.
“Far,” Grisha argued. “You’re angry. But you like cusack meat more.”
“Stop reading my mind, brat!” Gosha’s jaws snapped louder than a gunshot.
He stood up from his desk, clenching his fists.
“I can’t read minds...”
“Lay off of Grisha, you rattling freak, or I’ll smash your mug down your throat so you can’t talk anymore,” Tsereg said calmly, turning around in her comfy armchair.
Gosha glared at her, snapping his jaws and stroking the spike on his wrist. The big girl wasn’t scared and cracked her fist, counting on the strength of her thick skin. Rustam started to get up, realizing that he didn’t have an opportunity to stop them. Both struck simultaneously, one suddenly and with completely unexpected dexterity, straightening his arm like a moving piston, and the other bringing down a straight, swift lunge, aimed at the approaching knuckles.
Both fists landed on the black palms, unable to even move the teacher’s hands, hearing the clatter of her hooves only after she found herself between them. The students, out of habit, tensed up, trying to overcome their opponent, then froze, looking at her with apprehension. Ruda let go of their hands, running her finger along the spike on Gosha’s wrist, and glanced back at Ney. Without asking anything, the knight approached and began to cover the spike with a strange liquid from a tube.
“No fighting, kiddies.” Her pointer hit both noses, causing the Malformed to snort derisively. “Tsereg, Gosha didn’t threaten Grisha. It was a misunderstanding. What should you do if you accidentally insult someone, boy?”
“My bad.” Gosha clicked his tongue. “I thought you were one of those. You know, the creeps capable of getting into people’s heads.”
“No, I can’t do anything like that,” the pale boy laughed. “It was just written all over your face at breakfast.”
“Seriously?” Gosha touched his muzzle.
“Tsereg?” Ruda insisted.
“What?” She blinked. “His growths really do knock when he talks. Okay, I was wrong to call him a freak. Not a princess myself. I wanted to provoke him. But he’s strong, and I’m strong! We need to find out who’s better!”
“I don’t mind,” the Malformed supported her, sniffing the result of Ney’s work and poking the spike into his desk. It dented, but the blade left no notch. “Excellent, now no one will accuse me of cheating. Give me a minute, and me and the babe will settle everything...”
“I didn’t know you thought so little of yourself. I hoped you could hold out a little longer,” Decimus interjected.
The head covered in bone growths turned to the gray-skinned boy. Undeterred, Decimus leaned closer.
“I like you, sweet Deci. If you want, we can have a three-way brawl.”
“No fighting in class,” Ruda said sternly.
“We’ll step out,” Decimus suggested, and Gosha and Tsereg burst out laughing.
“And outside the classroom, too. Fighting is pointless and stupid.” She waited until everyone was seated.
You’re the one to talk. Rustam thought, remembering the squelching sound when their unusual guardian’s hoof pierced the slaver’s face.
“A stupid and short-sighted perspective,” Tsereg declared. “You mean I should stand there like a meek mare while my friends and fellow tribesmen are driven into slavery?”
“Hm. Tell me, Tsereg, have you ever heard of the Mad Hatter?” Jake’s mandibles parted in a sly smile.
“No idea who you are talking about.”
“Commander. If you are eager to participate in the lesson, then after the introductory history course, you will be responsible for teaching the children to read while Ney teaches the writing lesson,” Ruda said, returning to her desk.
“Isn’t that your task? I am simply here to protect my ward.” The knight in black armor sat up straight.
“I have full faith in your ability to handle multitasking while I teach a math lesson to those who can read and write.”
“Hey, why are we being punished like this?” Decimus asked.
“You are not wrong,” Ruda ignored him and addressed Tsereg. “Sometimes you need to resist objective evil and not let it flourish by strangling such filth or perish trying. But this path is the path of a soldier, a warrior, or a policeman. Not all of you will follow it, so there is no point in fighting over trifles. However, if your fists are itching, we have a training hall here, and I would not mind playing the role of your sparring partner, if you do not chicken out...”
“Regarding cannibalism,” Ney spoke up. “The Blessed love meat, but we do not indulge in human flesh.”
“But you are not an altered one!” a boy said.
“Really?” He spread his arms, allowing everyone to admire his tall figure. “Then I am good at disguising myself!”
“There are many types of Abnormals...”
“Blessed!” Ney and Jake cried out in unison.
“Then let’s clear the matter right away.” Ruda returned to the head of the class, turning off the terminal. “There are several terms for the altered. “Abnormals”—that’s what they call us in the Iterna. New Breeds—that’s what the Imperials from the east call us. And finally, the Blessed, as we are dubbed in the Land of the Oath. All three terms mean the same thing…”
“But only one is true,” said Jake.
“So choose any one; you won’t go wrong. Commander Jake, I expect your charge to know forty new words by the end of today’s lessons.”
“No problem, I’ve already learned a few from you!” Grisha boasted.
“Wonderful, but they don’t count. The commander has his own program,” Ruda smiled sweetly. “So, class, we’ve gotten a little off topic; let’s get back to it. So why did humanity change? The answer lies in the tragic event I mentioned earlier. In the chaos of the Extinction, thousands of labs released the results of their research, and rare types of weapons, never used in such quantities before, caused irreversible changes not only in the atmosphere but also in parts of humanity. Some were lucky.” She nodded at Decimus. “Our friend comes from a line of Trolls, famous for their ability to heal dangerous wounds as if they were nothing.”
“And long grabbers,” Ney added, causing laughter.
“There is no need to present our evolution as pure honey without vinegar,” Decimus said. “We lost the ability to convey emotions with words or move our faces to create a smile.” He fell silent, closing his mouth tightly and creating a thin line. The boy stretched it with his long fingers. “That’s the only way it works,” he complained.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Some, like our Gosha, have changed in the direction of being more dangerous to outsiders,” Ruda continued.
“But it’s not just that?” Sylvie clarified. “I heard... something. People called the Malformed with fear.”
“We are inhuman creeps,” Gosha declared. “Every Malformed is a ruthless killer and a sadist.”
“Don’t spread stupid superstitions.” Ruda winced. “I personally met representatives of several tribes that came to Stonehelm’s aid. Ordinary people, a little wild and nothing more.”
Gosha snorted, “Wanna claim that none of them raised a paw against a smaller member of the herd? Or tried to eat a piece of human flesh?”
“These are problems stemming from improper upbringing and a worldview born of excessive cruelty, and not inherent vileness. So don’t expect to justify any crimes committed by you and your cronies with your lineage. You have a choice,” Ruda cut in harshly. “Do you think I’m wrong? Are you ready to just bite off a piece of... for example, Rustam?”
Hey! He pricked up his ears, guessing where she was leading. Still, he didn’t enjoy being a potential dinner in the discussion.
“Well... not while he’s alive, no.” The Malformed shrugged. “Maybe bite in a fight, but not for no reason...”
“Okay, I’m not fighting with you,” Rustam told him. “And I definitely taste bitter and unappetizing.”
“How do you know if no one has tried you?” Sylvie teased, eliciting laughter.
“We’ll work on your instincts; don’t you dare give up,” Ruda assured Gosha with a slight smile. “But you brought up another interesting side of the discussion. Instincts. Not all, but many of the Blessed have them heightened. Insectones, for example, build their dwellings extremely narrow and use any surface for movement, not shying away from climbing.”
“Like Cenfus,” Rustam said.
“Exactly. Don’t be surprised by the slight quirks of your new acquaintances; the main thing is that we are all people, despite any rubbish tales of fools.”
Rustam glanced at Gosha and the blue-eyed girl, exchanging a glance with Sylvie. It was difficult to accept that they were all descended from the same species.
“The poison of the past has caused other changes as well,” Ruda continued. “Some of us, Blessed or not, occasionally obtain peculiarities. No one has yet figured out the exact cause of these changes, but certain… lucky ones,” she almost growled the word, “have gained exotic powers, be it a transformation that ignores the limits of the body or mastery of the elements. We will put this topic aside for later. Returning to our cusacks.” She stamped her hoof, causing Ney to roll his eyes. “So what is the crucial difference between Abnormals?”
“Bloodline stability,” Decimus said.
“Cheater! You knew the answer,” Ruda playfully chided him. “Decimus is absolutely right. The union of a Malformed and a Normie, as we call an unaltered human, will always produce a Malformed …”
“Don’t call any of it a union,” Gosha whispered. Rustam turned to look at him. The boy hunched over, staring at the desk, appearing miserable.
“The offspring of an Insectone and a Normie will always be an Insectone. Even if such a child gains slight Normie traits, their offspring will lose them in the next generation. However, such a rule does not apply to all Blessed. I am a Mutant,” Ruda said and pressed another button on the terminal.
Another beam burst from its top, projecting a new picture on the wall. Eight people stood in front of a squat clay hut, with a single entrance leading underground. At the top of the dome was a hole for smoke to escape, and at ground level there were other openings for air. To the left stood a large cattle pen, half filled with well-fed and well-groomed cattle, and to the right, at a distance from the house, was a forge, surrounded by an even layer of sand without a single trace of grass.
Covered in a thick brown natural pelt, and dressed in trousers and a vest of felted gray wool, the father of the family stood over three meters tall, and his squat forehead towered even above the top of Ruda’s head. Small, pig-like red eyes radiated warmth and welcome and were set very close to his flat nose, and spreading horns protruded from the man’s temples. His legs ended in hooves.
Next to him stood the mother of the family, holding a small likeness of the father in her arms, but the baby had no horns, and instead of blood-red diamonds, curious brown eyes stared out from his face. The mother herself had no legs; her torso flowed smoothly into a wide tail, ringed at its end by three rings of pale gray keratinous scales. Similar scales served as the skin of a smiling woman with deep black eyes, dressed in a loose wool robe.
To the right stood a girl of about six, her thumb in her mouth, and real snakes moving on her head, replacing her hair. And next to her, rummaging through her unusual hairdo, stood Ruda, dressed in a blue leather coat and cap, and a silver triangle glittered on her lapel. The entire family was smiling, and the boys, similar in face to their mother and Ruda, were waving their hands at an unknown photographer.
“My family, not long after we moved to the Land of the Oath from our hole.” Ruda introduced them all by name. “Okay, chocolate to whoever guesses where I’m leading, showing you my personal life. Decimus, don’t pull your claw; you’re not playing; you were taught that at school!”
“I know, I know!” Grisha cried. “You were in the police! I saw a similar outfit in the pictures that Jake gave me.”
“Not exactly what I asked, but a promise is a promise.” Ruda threw him a chocolate bar. “Any more daredevils?”
“Are you a Malformed?” Gosha suggested.
“Your mother cheated on her husband!” the blue-eyed girl blurted out.
Ruda tried to hold back her laughter, pressing her hand to her mouth, then threw them the prizes. The snow-white girl immediately ate her bar without removing the wrapper. Gosha lifted the bony growth that served as his eyebrow and threw her his food. Ney caught the projectile, unwrapped it, and divided the chocolate in two, giving half to each of them.
“Dud. I assure you, my parents are very traditional and happily married. Give up?” their teacher chuckled. “By the way, if the portions are too small, don’t be silent...”
“No, no, that’s on me.” Blue Eyes waved her hand. “Because of my power, I can digest any material and stay slim.”
She opened her mouth much wider than her jaws would allow. The resulting maw opened and opened, revealing many fangs that seemed to jump out of her throat, taking their place. Her skin stretched, refusing to crack; her eyes and nose moved to the tip of her upper lip, and when the girl’s mouth became a real passageway, capable of letting a person inside whole, she slammed it shut with a loud pop, under Gosha’s whistles and approving claps.
“Cool,” Sylvie burst out. “Hunger is not a threat to you.”
“Trust me, it’s not fun at all.” The girl massaged the corners of her lips on her shrinking jaw, taking a deep breath and trying not to slurp. “I have no feeling of satiety, and my stomach is always demanding more food, preventing me from sleeping peacefully. And the constant rumbling! Ew.”
“You two were close to the goal but missed a little,” Ruda praised. “Notice how much my entire family look different from each other. I have my dad’s legs and almost nothing from my mother. Why is that? It has to do with genetic inheritance. The child of a Mutant and a Normie will always be closer to a Normie than to a Mutant. The Blessed among the Mutants gradually return to their more familiar features, while such peoples as Trolls, Wolfkins, Insectones, Wyrms, Orais, Purebloods, and many others are more resistant to the mixing of blood.” Ruda’s shoulders twitched. “There is nothing humiliating or respectful about it. It is simply a fact that must be accepted.”
“I have a question.” Rustam extended his hand, and for a second the teacher’s gaze flashed with disgust. It immediately disappeared, and she bowed her head, inviting him to continue. “We were told that you were taking us to the Land of the Oath. What is this, and why did you save us all?”
“I planned to put off this explanation until tomorrow; we have had enough discoveries and shocks today.” Ruda scratched her ear and began furiously pressing the buttons on the terminal. “No trouble, I’ll give you the short version. Humanity did not die out after the Extermination, and in an attempt to establish control and protect itself from bandits, two nations were formed. One of them is called the Reclamation Army. Ruled by a cruel and unprincipled Dynast, this empire devours small nations in its path, imposing its rules and taking away freedoms…”
“It’s not true!” The boy in the front row cried out. He turned to the others. “The Reclamation Army freed my ancestors from the Gilded Horde. Since then, we haven’t even remembered what hunger is, and the slave raids have ceased. The Dynast gave us television, work, pensions, equality, and a future! If it weren’t for them, we would never have insulin, and I would have lost my brother!” He paused, drumming his fingers on the table. “Da and I were captured outside the Outer Lands. We were on an expedition.”
“Like many of us.” Tsereg shrugged. “There’s nothing shameful about it.”
“Perhaps I have too strong an opinion about our eastern acquaintances,” Ruda conceded. “In any case, the Reclamation Army is one of the three most powerful and developed countries in the world. The second country you already know, Iterna. And the third is us, the Land of the Oath. Most of our people believe that the changes to our biology are part of God’s plan, his or her way of helping humanity recover from the terrible tragedy. We didn’t have the formidable weaponry of the Reclamation Army or the industrial capacity and knowledge of Iterna, but by working together and using our various forces, we were able to carve out our corner of the world. As for the second part of your question, it would be cowardly to leave you in the lurch. I am a crusader, and the knights of our orders bring justice to the oppressed and retribution to the oppressors beyond our borders. We cannot save everyone, but we try to be better.”
Ruda stepped aside, allowing the terminal’s projector to create a map on the wall. To the right were vast deserts, fading into a land separated by an incredibly long wall, with occasional rivers and vast grasslands, separated by roads that connected settlements. Not all the details of this territory were clearly visible, and a pale haze hid many regions. Above this part of the image appeared the emblem of a hand pressing its knuckles into a planet. Rustam assumed that this was the empire.
A magnificent tree spread its strong, numerous branches over the country that appeared above. Not a single island of desert or cliff marred the perfection of this territory; many rivers and even—he could not believe his eyes—seas were drawn with perfect precision. Inscriptions appeared above hundreds of dots. He did not know the language, but he was able to guess that they denoted the names of settlements, and their number made the boy think. I did not know that so many people lived in the world! One day I will go there.
On the left side, a familiar cross appeared, located in a circle, hovering over the vast territory of their saviors. If the map didn’t lie, there was another sea to the south of their lands. The land of the Oathtakers was smaller in size than the empire, and there were not such dense settlements on them.
A line appeared, forming a jagged mountain range, dividing the territories of the two rival countries and serving as a natural obstacle. Arrows appeared along it, going west and east.
“What do they mean?” asked Sylvie.
“Trade routes,” answered Ruda. “Our countries have had their differences in the past, but now both the Oathtakers and the Reclamation Army are working together with Iterna to prevent the use of certain types of weapons. The first step of cooperation was followed by a second, then a third, then a fourth, and so on. Nowadays, tourists travel freely between safe countries.”
To the south of the titanic ridge, a mountainous region appeared, dotted with narrow passes leading both to the Land of the Oath and to the vast steppes to the south. Empty lands marked with question marks surrounded this place, and Rustam’s throat tightened.
“Here.” He raised a trembling hand, pointing a finger at the green mountains to the southwest. “My home... our settlement was there. At night, the top of the mountain always shines with a green glow, and the women protect... protected the children inside houses, otherwise they changed. Even on adults, this crap sometimes worked.”
“No. It’s empty now,” Rustam said in a lifeless voice. “Even the animals were taken.”
Not far at all. He didn’t know the exact distance, but it seemed that if he stretched out his hand, he would be back in the village. Only there was no longer any point in it.
“And I was captured here!” The blue-eyed girl shouted excitedly, pointing to the south. “Right on the border with the steppe! Our caravan barely failed to reach the fatties. And I live to the east of the Imperials. I don’t really know them, but my father said that we have an agreement with them. We pay for passage through their lands and sell coral products to the steppe dwellers in exchange for their gold. Our caravan wanted to make a detour through the north to scout out; maybe the locals were also ready to trade, and then that bastard’s wagon rumbled past!” She began to twist the pen in her hands. “The merchants were greedy fools, but I’m different. Thank you for saving me. Can you draw me a map? I’ll get off…”
“No,” said Ruda. “Don’t worry, we’re not kidnapping you. You’ll go with us after the mission…”
“You’ll head west, and I need to go east! My family is worried!”
“Unni.” The woman interrupted her, raising her hand. “Think about it. If you go alone, you risk being caught. Or killed. Neither will ease your family’s worries. But if you come with us, I promise I will personally call the Reclamation Army, explain the situation, and they will send word to your family while you are in the orphanage…”
“How is that supposed to help…”
“You didn’t hear the end!” A slap on the table interrupted her. “The Imperials will pass on the news, and then we will send you back along a safe trade route with an escort. It will take two months, no more. It’ll happen for sure, and it’ll be safe. Our country has mutual assistance treaties with the tyrant of the east. I trust the Reclaimers in this.”
“Sounds like a solid plan,” said Sylvie. “Unni, right? I’m Sylvie. There are only thirty-five days in a month. Seventy will fly by in a flash.”
“Thirty days. In the standard, generally accepted calendar,” Ney told the surprised girl.
“That means it will be even faster.” Gosha grinned, suddenly supporting the idea.
“I can get there myself and much faster.” Unni frowned. “No patrol will notice me.”
“You won’t even be able to touch me or hit me suddenly.” Ruda sighed, bending over to turn off the terminal. “Even though it pains me to admit it, there are bastards in Volnitsa capable of bending me into a horn and not wincing...”
Unni’s hand twitched, sending the pen straight into Ruda’s forehead. Rustam noticed it out of the corner of his eye, not having time to think about it and decide whether it was worth shouting a warning, and the teacher’s finger had already flicked the air, catching and sending the aimed object upward. The pen ricocheted off the ceiling and landed back on the girl’s desk, making a circle in front of her fingers.
“Convinced? You thought you had me, and you did exactly as I wanted.” Ruda smiled at the stony face, disappointment splashing in her eyes. “Don’t be upset; you’ll have chances later. But that brought up another important topic. Guys and girls, there are Abnormals among you... Blessed, I mean, and Normies. Restrain yourselves; try not to offend others or break their bones with an accidental and too strong move...”
She stopped, turning to the door, and a minute later two soldiers entered, bowing to the knights and nodding to their comrades.
“Commander,” the middle-aged woman said. A scar zigzagged across her face, starting at the right temple and ending at the left jaw. “We’ve come to take a Normie named Rustam.”
Ruda’s eyes shot up, assessing him from head to toe. “What have you managed to pull, cretin?” she hissed. “I refuse,” she continued, surprising him. “Whatever crime he committed, the magister personally signed the decree transferring him to my care. The boy has already suffered, and I see no reason for the security service to talk to him without the presence of a guardian or a qualified lawyer representing his interests. If Rustam committed theft or broke anything, I’ll compensate for the damage…”
“He did nothing, Ruda.” Ney joined her. “We watched the gang all night; they were sleeping soundly. Is there a written order?”
Is she seriously protecting me?” Considers me scum and is still on my side? The thought amused Rustam, and he stood up, unsure of what was going on and not wanting to cause trouble for the others or create a scene. If the soldiers just wanted to talk, then he physically could not hide anything due to his insignificance.
“He has not been charged with any crimes,” the soldier said.
“Then this invasion was a mistake and is already over,” Ruda declared in a tone that dismissed all objections.
The soldier remained in place.
“No need to worry, Sariant. Our convoy has come to take Rustam to the magister for a talk.”
She took out a terminal, showing its display to Ruda, whose face had changed. The crusader put her hand on Rustam’s shoulder.
“Brothers, take charge of the further educational process for today. I will accompany my ward to our leader.”
