Житие Мое / Life of Mine: Часть4 Глава 1

Part four

Camrad_RIP 28.04.23 в 19:21

RUSTLES AND WHISPERS

Camrad_RIP 28.04.23 в 19:22

Life is like a game of billiards. You can't see the hole, you seem to roll by yourself, and then - oop! Yu in......

Camrad_RIP 28.04.23 в 19:32

From a recruit's revelations

Camrad_RIP 28.04.23 в 19:25

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Camrad_RIP 28.04.23 в 19:22

Chapter 1

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Camrad_RIP 28.04.23 в 19:23

I have never been fond of reading the biographies of famous battle mages, but I have heard the opinion that all of them in their careers had an external stimulus. Usually, our kin somehow finds a compromise between their natural instincts and a reasonable opportunity to satisfy them (if they don't get into a big mess the first time) and then achieve a kind of balance with existence.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:02

People get used to everything. Even to the squabbling, pugnacious, vindictive, and heartless black mages, and life gets better sooner or later. But some people are unlucky. Some irresistible flow of circumstances prevents them from settling into a warm nest, prompting a painful and unnatural effort like fighting for power, defending the fatherland, or perfecting the art of black magic. And the point? Instead of something as simple as wanting to be in charge, there appears responsibility for the fate of the nation, taking care of the home front or (perversion, phew, phew!) safety rules. Some twist in the psyche requires the unfortunate to show character in an extremely intricate way, poetically speaking - they hear the voice of Destiny.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:07

Well, no one hears any such voice. It all started quite mundane for me, with a funeral.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:08

A telegram came from home. It was strange since I wasn't expecting any correspondence. Joe had written me twice at the beginning of the summer, asking me to come over, but I had blurted it out, blaming it on a new job. Had he decided to try again?

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:10

The telegram was written without any attempt to save punctuation (my mother must have sent it), and it very neatly announced that Uncle Gordon had died. The funeral was in two days. Not that this event seemed improbable. We are all mortal. It just didn't make sense. Why now? Last summer, the old man had looked pretty chipper, and mages, in general, live a long time. Blacks can't grieve too much, and what's the point? We're all going to be there, sooner or later. Another thing was that I had some plans with my uncle and all of them were to be changed. And here's another thing: Would Chief Harlick agree to tell me what he had promised to find out for me?

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:13

I arrived at work in this philosophical mood, barely answered greetings, and sat down to meditate on my papers. All the drawings had been finished a week before, the calculations had been checked and rechecked, and Carl personally supervised the making of the units, and I was bored and wanted to follow Polak's example of secluding myself somewhere and taking a nap. It must have given the impression of grim detachment from the outside point of view.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:16

"Is something not working?" Johan got worried.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:16

"No," I said, "my uncle died."

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:20

I shouldn't have told him that. White began to peck around me, and in a minute, the whole office knew what had happened. They were more saddened by the death of a stranger than I was by knowing him all my life.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:20

Polak ruled that I had to take immediate leave and go to the funeral. I didn't care about funerals, but I wanted a vacation. It was summer!

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:21

"But how are you here without me?" I should have been worried, at least for appearance's sake.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:22

"Family comes first!" My boss sternly interrupted me. "The model works, it's just a matter of installation, and we'll take care of that."

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:35

Great! And if they fail again, I'll be far away, and I won't get caught in the crossfire.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:36

To get there on time, I had to leave right away. Along the way, it turned out that there was only one ticket left for the Krowhard Express, in a deluxe compartment, for a wild hundred and twenty crowns, but with lunch. I sighed in relief, and the cashier raised an eyebrow in surprise. What's not to understand? Well, if I had grabbed a plane ticket out of greed, then the zombie dog would have had to be left behind in Redstone, and who knows how long the reanimation spells I had cast would have lasted. To come back and find the city quarantined would be... unpleasant.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:37

Max got on the train in no time at all - under the guise of a bale of fur (it's incredible how tightly you can pack an animal when it doesn't fight back), and before the right station, it was enough just to throw it out the window. After packing quickly, I was already on the express train to Krowhard the next morning. I was on time for the funeral, tick to tick.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:38

Again the fog, the empty platform, but something has changed, yes. No one could say that the black mage was dismissive of a relative's death! I adjusted the lapel of a deliberately light, without a single black thread, jacket in this season's fashionable beige and plaid color with a slightly inappropriate bright red tie. Tribute to tradition! Black, as well as white, is not considered mournful in Krowhard. No one bothered with this question before, but in the end, people settled on purple and red. Elegant and practical. In addition, red was a symbol of pure death that was not defiled by the touch of the otherworldly (those who saw the ghoul will understand). But it was not customary to flaunt mourning colors.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:42

The tribute was paid by arranging lavish funerals and taking the deceased's relatives (primarily underage children) into custody; pets (horses, dogs, or cats) also received special rights. And what is typical: if no one argued with the latter, the Krowhard wake served as a favorite cause for jokes. All because the newcomers often confused them with a wedding: externally there is almost no difference, except that the songs are different and there are no sweets on the table. What's so strange about that? Both are events that require the relatives to be somewhat optimistic. I, for example, have always honestly failed to understand the popularity of mourning and grief among the white - tell me, what normal person would like to see their loved ones weeping and tearing at their hair? Only a pervert! What's the point of burying such a person at all...

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:44

Uncle Gordon had no close relatives, at least no one knew about them, and the village alchemist had never kept livestock, so the only thing left on the list was booze. That, in fact, was what I was counting on.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:44

The gloves-wearing steward, imbued with a sense of the moment, carrying a large leather suitcase with small iron wheels onto the platform. I gave him a crown.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:46

"Oh, Thomas!" Mama spluttered. "You so handsome!"

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:47

"Hello," I said modestly, pushing back a smug smile.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:48

Joe scratched at the back of his head, trying to figure out where to put such a fancy suitcase.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:48

"Throw it behind," I decided of his hesitation. "Then I'll use a spell to clean it up."

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:49

The main thing is to keep the appearance until noon, that is, until the time when the guests invited to the funeral are still capable of noticing something. A student's successes do honor his mentor!

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 15:56

The whole valley sent Gordon Ferro off for his last journey. We got there in time for the removal of the body, walked to the cemetery in the morning chill, waited for the clergyman to perform all the rituals necessary for final repose, and threw a pinch of salt on the coffin. I looked like a walking advertisement for the benefits of education and even managed to make a speech of gratitude to my first teacher. They all nodded understandingly and started walking back to the tables set up in the machine yard in the open air. The first songs were sung, someone began to beat a rousing rhythm on a tambourine, and the prettiest girl in the village, the headman's daughter, was holding a pennant symbolizing the black mage's funeral. The street festivities were also part of the tradition: whatever deity now decides the fate of the deceased it must know how many relatives he had benefited and take their opinion into account.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:00

Uncle Gordon's wake was bright: cheer was made and wishes were heard: "Good luck to the old scribbler, wherever he goes," and some, especially the bitter ones, recalled that the old man had gone off to a better world without fixing some important thing (I took note of these - it is considered good form to keep promises from deceased relatives). On the whole, people were optimistic about their uncle's soul and their own future - someone had to replace the deceased alchemist. I was asked to take my place, but the excuse I gave was that I was still learning. The tradition was upheld at its best.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:02

My tablemate described with fascination the mischief Uncle Gordon had gotten himself into when he was a young man. These adventures did not fit with the image of the acrimonious and pedantic alchemist.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:04

"By the way, why was the coffin closed?" I asked.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:05

The neighbor gave a hum:

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:05

"Well, he died suddenly, in the outdoors. The animals ate a little bit of the body."

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:12

Strange. There were always spells around my uncle's house to repel small animals - the alchemist didn't like furry neighbors.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:13

"Where did he die?"

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:13

"They found it over there, behind the workshop!"

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:14

Even more strange. What could he be doing there at all?

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:14

The party would not last until dark - it is customary to spend the night at home in Krowhard. It is another local exotic - everyone drinks, but there are almost no drunkards, otherwise, the next day the funeral could be organized all over again. Thoughts of the otherworldly are very disciplining. The wives slowly led the swaying husbands away, and my tablemate was taken away in a wheelbarrow.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:16

I managed to make it to the end without falling under the bench or getting salad all over myself (I'm not very good at cleaning spells). Apart from me, Joe and the valley headman, an exceptionally proper man for Crowhard, were sober. Naturally, we were approached with requests for help. I caught the moment just in time, so I pretended to go to the toilet and hid behind the outbuildings unnoticed. I did not want to be vomited at the end! I should have waited half an hour to be sure, for example, to walk to the spot where Uncle Gordon had died and find out what had happened to his repelling spells.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:20

There was a pleasant humming noise in my head. The houses on the other side of the valley were bathed in sunlight, but it was already cold and quite dark on the northern slope. Good thing there were no bushes around, or I would have gotten lost in them. There was no way to tell where the old alchemist had died, all the stones looked the same, but the repellent spell was really not felt. Why was that, I wondered. Perhaps that was why my uncle had climbed up here - he didn't usually suffer from a passion for climbing.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:23

I decided to go up the slope a little more and look for seals - the kind of round granite pucks that usually serve as anchors for domestic magic. Guess why granite and not lead, glass, or gold? I couldn't figure it out until Rakshat blurted out, "So they wouldn't steal it." Though, silver and copper are the best at taking spells. Rough stone rounds were found almost immediately, each with runes to repel, which means theoretically, no little creature could approach the alchemist's dwelling and defile his corpse. There could only be one explanation: the circuit wasn't closed somewhere. The line of seals was laid out quite frequently, so the absence of one or two pieces should not have affected the workability of the spell. I was eager to go around the perimeter, but a twinkle of common sense told me that another day would be better.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:24

For example, when there will be more time before sunset because overconfident black mages in Krowhard do not live long. And in general, one should drink less...

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:25

I sighed, marveling at how quickly life in the city had weaned me from caution, and slowly began to make my way back. A warm bed loomed before my eyes. If I sang Joe the song about the poor boy tired from the road, surely he would be willing to take me home in the cart. A wheelbarrow would do as well... I came across two strange-looking men as I neared the house, picking at some junk machinery, but I had eaten and drunk too much to know what they were doing there or why their faces were unfamiliar to me. But is that so? There were a lot of people here. Muttering something like, "Excuse me, folks," I pushed past them, but as soon as the strangers were behind me, it was like my side was stung. What the...? Then my legs buckled, and my limp body collapsed, not on the ground, but in the clinging hands of the couple. I was quickly dragged behind the garage.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:32

"So?" one asked tensely.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:33

"Nothing," said the other as he carefully searched my pockets.

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:34

"Goddamn, it! So why was he snooping around?"

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:37

"Hell know. What are we gonna do? Two in one place is already suspicious, and we don't need cops."

Camrad_RIP 04.05.23 в 16:38