"The Power of the Unfulfilled" by Max Fry, summary Automatic translate

Max Fry’s work was created in 1998. This book is a collection of two detective stories about Secret Investigation officers, in which the protagonist must confront unimaginable magical threats. The plot develops the themes of the inevitable price for any miracle and the impossibility of cheating death. Sir Max encounters the resurrected master of an ancient order and investigates a series of horrific deaths among prisoners. Both stories are united by the theme of power spiraling out of control and the dire consequences of careless actions.

This text is part of the renowned literary cycle "Labyrinths of Echo." The series contains numerous fantastic investigative stories, including "The Outsider," "Volunteers of Eternity," "The Chatty Dead," and "The Labyrinth of Menin." This book is traditionally considered the fourth volume of this series.

The Return of Ugurbado

Sir Max is haunted by disturbing dreams. He dreams of a long walk through the completely deserted streets of Echo. In the dream, the living dead reproach the detective, claiming that Max ignored an important warning. In the morning, Juffin Hally explains in detail the nature of these dark visions. The dreams are caused by the return of the ancient mage Ugurbado. Sir Kofa captures Ugurbado’s servant, and the detectives discover the enemy’s hideout. This former master of the Order of the Water Crow discovered the other side of the Heart of the World. The dangerous sorcerer endured unimaginable trials in the ocean depths. There, Ugurbado gained a unique immortality and acquired a mysterious double. If the mage is killed, he will immediately be resurrected elsewhere. Moreover, the sorcerer will gain all the powers of his executioner.

Hoping to clarify the situation, Max travels to Loiso Pondokhwa’s magical prison. The renowned prisoner resides on a hot desert world. He readily shares details about his ambitious colleague’s past. It turns out that Ugurbado has strived for absolute power his entire life, switching orders from one to another. Then Juffin and Max attempt to stop the villain on the Dark Side. The Great Kettarian attacks first. Juffin Halli easily kills his enemy in the guise of a dwarf and a giant. The powerful mage makes a fatal mistake. This is precisely what Ugurbado wanted. He longed to fall at the hands of a powerful adversary. A massive urban catastrophe occurs. A terrible epidemic of the ancient disease anavuaina breaks out in the capital. The townspeople rapidly weaken, their bodies literally turning into puddles of slime. The skeletons of the victims litter the streets.

Max selflessly rushes to the rescue. With his Mortal Balls, he heals some of the capital’s residents right on the streets. With a single use of magic, the detective can save around five dozen people. Unfortunately, this isn’t enough for the vast metropolis. Sir Shurf Lonli-Lokli and the other mages are barely able to contain their panic. Soon, the detective realizes the true reason for his failures. The mage Ugurbado can only be destroyed by creatures without magical power. Sir Maba Kaloh points the way. Juffin Hally revives the skeletal corpses. Max leads this eerie, undead retinue, wrapped in a curtain, to the Dark Side. There, he orders the skeletons to tear Ugurbado to pieces. The sorcerer dies completely, as his killers are already dead.

Max sends the skeletons to another world as a reward for their service. The ancient curse of the Anavuaina immediately lifts. The city gradually returns to normal. Amidst his victory, Max learns of a personal tragedy. His beloved girlfriend, Tehhi, has left the capital. She fled the inevitable infection and has become a disembodied spirit forever. Max communicates with Tehhi’s ghost in the city of his dreams, near Kettari. The girl sadly bids him farewell. The exhausted detective falls asleep in the mountain cable car. The wise Mahi Ainti helps him return safely. At home, Juffin gives Max a terrifying artifact — King Myonin’s diary, the text of which changes each time he reads it.

Gugland marshes

Some time later, another strange event occurs. The ghost of the deceased prisoner Juba Chebobargo appears in Sir Melifaro’s bedroom. The apparition cracks dirty jokes and makes caustic comments about the outraged detective’s personal life. Sir Melifaro angrily annihilates the insolent man. In the morning, colleagues discuss this incident seriously in Juffin’s office. Disturbing facts come to light. Suspicious mass escapes have been reported from the Nunda penal prison. Frequent unexplained deaths of prisoners also occur there. Juba’s ghost had been wandering the city long before the date of his official escape. The reports from local prison authorities appear plausible, but the actual statistics are alarming. Juffin sends Max and Numminorikh to distant Gugland.

The detectives travel a long way in a government car through dense forests and fog. Along the way, Numminorikh learns to control the cumbersome vehicle with his mind alone. The friends cross the mysterious glowing sands of the Gulf of Gugland. Upon arrival, Max behaves like an insolent and lazy city official. He deliberately tries to lull the local authorities into a false sense of security by demanding a hearty dinner and a soft bed. That night, Max interrogates the prison healer, Kirola Tahha, using the Death Ball. The guilt of the second medic is revealed. They secretly visit Glenke Muana. The healer suddenly dies due to a pre-cast magical spell. The protective magic mercilessly triggers the attempt to reveal the secret. Glenke’s head and arm literally explode before the astonished detective’s eyes.

Sir Max resolutely heads to the chambers of Commandant Kapuk Andaguma. The secret investigator unhesitatingly uses the Death Ball on the prison warden. The high-ranking official submits completely to Max’s will. Max orders the commandant to show him the surrounding swamps. The investigator then sends his loyal Numminorich to wait in the safe city of Avalat. Left alone with the prisoner, Max orders Andaguma to drown himself in the swamp for the evil he has committed. Kapuk Andaguma meekly steps into the bottomless quagmire. Max himself accidentally becomes lost in the endless swamp. Hostile swamp spirits rob him of his willpower and memory. He falls into the icy mud and nearly drowns.

Melamori Blimm unexpectedly comes to his aid in the form of a giant stormbird. The girl is physically on the distant continent of Arvaroch, but her spirit easily crosses the vast distance. Melamori heroically saves the freezing Max. The detective asks her to materialize. The girl falls asleep in her bird’s nest and is miraculously transported to Max in a human body. The rescued Max and Melamori spend several days together on a lonely swamp hummock. They enjoy each other’s company and eat hot provisions from the Rift Between the Worlds. The local sheriff, Tumata Bonti, finally finds the lovers with the help of forest gnomes. It turns out that the worried Numminorikh organized the rescue expedition just in time.

Sir Max returns to Nunda. The detective descends into the gloomy dungeons of the penal prison. He rides a small train along the rails of an abandoned transport system. Magister Nuflin himself assists him in operating the train remotely. Upon arrival, the terrible truth about the missing people is revealed. The vile commandant regularly handed over prisoners to the vampires of the Order of the Long Path. The ancient mages, led by Magister Nanka Yok, required human blood to sustain their fading lives. In exchange for regularly delivering victims, the official received empty promises of personal immortality. Max has a frank conversation with Nanka Yok in the underground residence.

The Master calmly explains his order’s motives. The immortal beings had absolutely no desire to kill innocent people. They genuinely considered criminals suitable prey. Max takes the group of vampires to the Dark Side. There, he opens an unstable portal between worlds through the Humgata Corridor. The detective leaves the immortal beings forever on Rhinestone Street in East Berlin. There, the ancient vampires will be able to begin a new life far from Echo. Max returns to Numminorich with the help of cunning magic. The friends drive home in a car along the long, deserted roads of Gugland. Sir Max reports the mission’s complete success to a surprised Juffin and goes to bed.