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    <texts>
  	<comics 
		id="comics_1" 
		comicsTitle="Outcast" 
	  	storyText="Long before I was born War of Mages brings lot of sorrow. Then those mages who were left concluded a peace. They swore to wash away their guilt by brining happiness to mere mortals and making their inmost wishes come true. Since they had lived in the Soaring Castle. And I am the one of them..._next_I've been an outcast all my life. The elder sorcerers tried not to notice me; those who were the same age despised me openly. Igness and her friends started bullying me openly by calling me half-blooded after my father had got expelled. Does the fact that my mother was a common woman have to mean that I am a monster?_next_I didn't have family or friends that is why I have devoted all my life to studying of magic. I had to work hard and it was just owing to my diligence and discipline that I could go through the whole process of studying. And now I should prove that I also have a right to be among them."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_2" 
		comicsTitle="Provocation" 
	  	storyText="Today Archimagician proclaimed that he is looking for successor. Anyone can participate in a contest that will start in three days. Igness did not lose her chance to mock at me and proposed me as a participant. I was so lost that I could not say anything back. _next_What do I do now? Among such powerful sorcerers I will be a laughing-stock. Probably I should turn down this proposal tomorrow."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_3" 
		comicsTitle="Unexpected invasion" 
	  	storyText="While I was not at home, my house got invaded by a stranger. He made himself at home, sat down in front of the table while his face was covered by a hood. The stranger said I should take part in the contest and he promised to help me. _next_He pointed me at a place on my map where one of the ancient relics was supposed to lie hidden. Then he left. I don't trust him wholeheartedly but what if this is my one and only chance to get rid of the humiliation?"
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_4" 
		comicsTitle="Ñontest" 
	  	storyText="Today the beginning of the contest was announced. I decided to participate still. There are nine other sorcerers besides me on the list. Among them there is of course Igness. She is a favorite. It is only Richard who can compete with her. Handsome and arrogant as he is, he is absorbed in studying the basics of magic. _next_Many of the girls are in love with him but he does not care for them. The only exception he makes is for Igness: sometimes they have heated arguments about something. I have once heard them being called an ideal couple. To all appearances they are worth each other."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_5" 
		comicsTitle="A strange again" 
	  	storyText="This strange in a hood came again. He showed me one more place on the map where the relics can be hidden. _next_Why is he trying to help me? What does he want in return? I don't know anything about him. He is just being silent when I ask him about something. Can I trust him?"
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_6" 
		comicsTitle="An accident" 
	  	storyText="A very strong wind was blowing all night long; my little house was swaying like a bird's feather. When I was flying other the foothills in the morning, I saw that somebody's house what lying in ruins. The flinders were scattered around, the crystal in the basement of the house had cracked. _next_Not far from the house I found Richard, he was lying unconscious. I did my best to drag him over to the bed and bandage his wounds. Richard was delirious, said something about the Forerunners and the magic field. How did he get into my land? I'll ask him when he comes to his senses. "
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_7" 
		comicsTitle="Unasked advice" 
	  	storyText="I am already getting used to the visits of the stranger though I don't know his name yet. He told me about a new relic that was hidden in the ruins of an ancient tower. When he saw Richard, he advised me to show the door to this magician as soon as he got better, and concentrate on the contest. _next_Though I did not like his didactic manner of speech, I have to admit that he is right. This handsome guy Richard has nothing to do with my place, and my things at the contest has got worse since he appeared here."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_8" 
		comicsTitle="Magnet" 
	  	storyText="Richard has not yet come to his senses. He even looks handsome without his usual arrogant grimace. I have found some research papers at his place that contain information about some special object – Magnet. _next_I could not understand everything in these papers but the whole thing was very bold. Richard's talents arouse my admiration; he is a very talented sorcerer. It is sad that he cannot participate any longer."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_9" 
		comicsTitle="Ingratitude" 
	  	storyText="It would have been better if he had stayed unconscious. The only thing he does is swears and talks back. Am I to blame that he had broken his house and got stuck at my place? _next_It is very hard for me to participate in the contest and take care of him at the same time. Doesn't he notice how tired I get? Ungrateful arrogant jerk!"
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_10" 
		comicsTitle="Richard's story" 
	  	storyText="Looks like Richard feels bad because of his behavior. He begged my pardon. When I told him about my bad luck at the contest he tried to calm me down and said that he believed in me. I was so grateful to him. _next_He told me about that mysterious object Magnet. It turned out to be one more relic that was hidden between the mountains in my land. When Richard was flying to get it, his house was lifted up by a strong blast of wind and thrown on the rocks. He showed me this place on the map."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_11" 
		comicsTitle="Marvelous supper" 
	  	storyText="Richard is finally healthy again. He was busy with his house all day long and in the evening he cooked a marvelous dinner. While we had dinner, Richard told me that to win this contest was not the most important for him. All his life he had been dreaming about becoming Magic Magister. _next_Then we chatted about many different things. Richard was funny copying Archimagician and participants of the contest, I hadn't laughed like this for a long time. It was first time in a long while that I felt really happy."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_12" 
		comicsTitle="Loneliness" 
	  	storyText="Today Richard is gone. When I woke up I could not see that he had left any note for me. His things were also gone. Without him the house got empty and gloomy. _next_It was the first time since my father left that I felt so lonely. I understand why he has left like this. This is because I am a half-blooded outcast. Why does he need my friendship?"
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_13" 
		comicsTitle="Quarrel" 
	  	storyText="This stranger has begun to interfere with my life. He has tried to persuade me the whole morning not to fall for Richard and control my feelings better. We had a quarrel. I don't know why but I was defending the sorcerer. _next_It was clear that the stranger got vexed because of it, but still he showed me where one more relics of the Forerunners were hidden. But what do I feel for Richard? Have I fallen in love with him? What can this love give me?"
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_14" 
		comicsTitle="Fancy-ball" 
	  	storyText="Today all the participants of the contest were called in to the magistrate of the Soaring Castle to make the preliminary conclusions. Earlier I could not even dream of coming up to the middle of the contest table. _next_In the evening there was a fancy-ball. A young magician wearing a mask looking like Richard a little asked me for a dance. We were circling round the hall to beautiful music. _next_But all the charm was gone when Igness approached us. Tonight her mockery was even more biting than ever. All the other magicians gathered around and were watching us with curiosity. I tried to rebuff but was not so successful. _next_I was ready to burn with shame under this volley of gibes when my partner saved me by leading Igness away from me. But before she was gone she said to me ''I'll take revenge''. _next_What will she take revenge for? Is it really because of Richard and the feelings that he has for me? I wish it could be the case!"
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_15" 
		comicsTitle="The last visit" 
	  	storyText="It looks like today the stranger has visited me for the last time. We had a serious quarrel when he started to blame my misfortune at the contest on Richard and then told me that Richard and Igness had got engaged. _next_I was so shocked by the news and I bluntly told my guest that I didn't believe any single word he had said and that I didn't want to see him ever again. He stood up and went away. He left the folded map on the table on which the place with the relic had been marked. He will never come again."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_16" 
		comicsTitle="Pandora's box" 
	  	storyText="This morning I woke up with a feeling that some disaster had happened. When I went out on the balcony, I noticed someone's house fly up from the foothills and head towards the country's border. My heart sank when I looked around the scenery. _next_It was as if the towns were covered by a cloud of misfortunes, and the cloud grew bigger and bigger. I hurried to the place where the mysterious house flew from. When I landed, I saw an open Pandora's Box which was fraught with all the human misfortunes and troubles... _next_Certainly Igness had kept her word and took revenge. I have no idea what to do now. Even Archimagician cannot cope with Pandora's Box alone. And I was absolutely alone and could not count on anybody. I will at least try to prevent the cloud from spreading."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_17" 
		comicsTitle="The Letter" 
	  	storyText="I was lying on the bed, totally exhausted, when I heard a light knock on the window. I saw a white pigeon sitting on the ledge; it had a note attached to its leg. It was Richard's hand! He got to know what misfortune had happened to me and was on his way to help me, accompanied by other sorcerers. _next_Richard was warning me that it would be very hard, but I had to cope and pull through till they arrive. My heart had almost jumped out of my chest when I read that Richard admired my courage and looked forward to seeing me. This letter of his gave me strength. I pulled myself together and got started."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_18" 
		comicsTitle="Father" 
	  	storyText="When I woke up, I saw a familiar half-face of the stranger in a hood. Though we have recently quarreled a lot, I was glad to see him. In a burst of joy I gave him a hug and got to see his face for a split second. _next_I was hit by a guess, was it really him? When I pulled back his hood, I saw my father. He got older and more round-shouldered, but the same fire was burning in his eyes. Father told me about his wanderings and how he found the places where the relics were buried using his old notes. _next_I had to find the last and the strongest of them – ''The Tip of the Titans''. Despite the ban on using the magic, father decided to help me. But I had to hurry, the cloud will soon spread itself on the neighboring countries, and everything will be lost."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_19" 
		comicsTitle="Long-awaited help" 
	  	storyText="My father and I fought with that cloud for two days. I was ready to drop, so tired I was, but the cloud continued to grow, covering town after town. When it seemed to me that it was hopeless, I saw a small white spot in the sky. _next_After half an hour that spot turned out to be the house of Archimagician, and together with it the  houses of some more sorcerers came flying, including Richard's. My country was safe! After short greetings I was told that Igness had disappeared after the story about Pandora's Box was unveiled. _next_We gathered at Archimagician's place and began to work out the action plan. In the heat of discussion we did not notice at first that the air in the far end of the room got thicker, and the fugitive emerged. Igness looked pale and drawn, without her usual arrogant expression. _next_Her eyes fixed on the floor, she said in a low voice that she regretted what she had done, begged my pardon and was willing to straighten things up. Everyone looked at me. I was torn by different feelings, but I said in the end: ''OK, she can help.''"
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="comics_20" 
		comicsTitle="Celebration" 
	  	storyText="The hardest part was to close the Box. Near it everyone felt so miserable that even powerful sorcerers were sobbing and sank to the ground unable to come closer to it. It was just me and Archimagician who managed to come close enough to shut the Box's cover. _next_Maybe it was thanks to my parentage or because I had lately acquired a certain core that no misfortune could break. I remember vaguely someone's strong arms carry me into the house and people meeting us in the Soaring Castle shouting ''Aliona! Aliona!''. _next_When I woke up on the next day, I saw Richard talking to my father. They looked very different, but they were alike in a way. Richard turned to me and said: ''Good morning, dear! Get up!'' When I asked about his engagement to Igness, my father confessed that he had said that to protect me, and that he was sorry. _next_I felt so happy that I was afraid to move so as not to scare off this feeling. At last after all these years everything was fine with me. We took each other's hands and went to the main hall."
	/>

   	<comics 
		id="victory" 
		comicsTitle="Credits" 
	  	storyText="	
	GAME DESIGNER:     Vlad Zhilyaev
	LEAD ARTIST:      Max Kazakov
	PROGRAMMER:       Oleg Khodko
	ARTIST:           Vitaliy Shushko
	ANIMATOR: 	  Evgeny Hapugin
	ARTIST:           Evgeny Soldatov
	ARTIST:           Vyacheslav Panarin
	QA:           	Anastasia Nosova
	QA: 	      	Ilona Svitina
	QA: 	      	Larisa Lukina
	QA: 		Alexandra Lozovskaya"
/>


</texts>
