Житие Мое / Life of Mine: Глава 9

Chapter 9

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 13:52

* * *

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 13:52

The Artificers could have burned down half of Redstone and fought protracted battles with NZAMIPS units, but the alchemy lecture started at nine o'clock, and I was on time, though crumpled and sleep-deprived.

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 14:56

The pale autumn sun filled the world with restrained contrasts of warmth and cold, and the golden leaves in the university park set me in a lyrical mood. What would one have to do with black to be drawn to lyricism? Silly question! Almost kill him twice, make him run around town hungry all day, aim a crossbow at him, and glamorize him so that all his magic turns inside out. It's no big deal.

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 14:57

Quarter met me at the gate (was he waiting for me?) and immediately began to pour out the accumulated news. Where does he learn so much since we were drinking together on the third day? By the time I took my seat in the auditorium, I knew what a busy weekend it had been in Redstone. The police had banned a picket in support of Melons, and nothing had happened. Someone set fire to the abandoned shacks on the island at the north end, and Mr. Mayor got burned for about a million crowns. No one would have paid him that money anyway - the place was considered cursed.

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 14:58

There are persistent rumors that the Watchdogs have ransacked the Artificers' nest (of course, the Watchdogs, yeah!) and unearthed such ghastly things there that the police officers refuse to talk about them even in a whisper. The two mutilated bodies that had been caught in the river were probably the work of the same gang, and now the townspeople were wondering whether a third body would turn up. I nodded melancholy and wondered how many tries it would take for some to get it right. They call themself the Artificers. If that's how they always do it, it's no wonder so many people are dead in Nintark.

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:00

"...and the mayor's horse gave birth to a three-legged calf."

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:00

"What?!!"

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:00

"I thought you weren't listening to me."

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:01

It was the arrival of the lecturer that prevented me from beating Quarter half to death. Yes, I'm not in the mood for humor today.

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:01

The lecture was a nightmare. I could not grasp the meaning of the topic. I had to stupidly scribble word for word. Even in the hospital, this had never happened to me. There I was weak but not stupid. My thoughts were mush. My ears were full of absorbent cotton. I could put matches in my eyes. If it turned out that those idiots had blown my brains out, I would devote my life to the extermination of their kind! You can't do that to blacks! At last, I managed to pull myself together, to concentrate on the principles of electric machines, and the lethargy receded.

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:05

It was harder to get rid of Quarter. With his uncharacteristic boredom, Ron followed me to the university cafeteria, where I had to go because I was hungry after yesterday's fasting.

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:06

"Why are you bothering me?"

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:07

I was running out of strength. I wanted to do a hundred unnatural things, just not study. I was dying for another two hours of theory, but I knew if I missed something important, I would hang myself with frustration. Nevertheless, the desire to visit the beer cellar did not leave me. It was like a curse!

Camrad_RIP 15.05.23 в 15:14

"Tom, are you okay?"

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:19

"No, I just drank a lot."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:29

"That was the day before yesterday!" Quarter was taken aback.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:29

"And I took the wrong kind of food. I got poisoned, you know? I puked all day yesterday."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:30

"I'm sorry... You left so suddenly the other day... You usually stay until morning."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:42

It suddenly dawned on me that Quarter must be exhausted with worry. Sweet, but not timely.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:43

"You're so strange! You took the glass out of my hands yourself. What was I supposed to do there till morning?"

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:46

Quarter smiled (as if poisoning is fun) and soon left for his own business. Great, I got one of them off, and then there were the Artificers and the NZAMIPS. Who am I more afraid of?

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:46

Noone!!!

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:47

I shredded the steak furiously, picturing Loran in its place. I didn't give a damn about anyone unhappy, much less dead, but the amount of trouble they'd given me was hard to comprehend.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:49

First, how soon would they think of those three? It is unlikely that the owner of the carriage yard will feel much grief for the offending carriage driver. He will simply cross him off the payroll, and that is all. The two jocks had nothing to do with me at all. How much would the cops know if they got to the boathouse? Something happened, someone died, and you can't tell who or why. True, the fishermen had seen a glimpse of me, and the warden had my address... Well, who was pulling my tongue?! I wondered if the police would be able to make any connection between the island and the barn and the late Artificer, but I had no influence at all and decided to put the matter out of my mind.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:51

Second, I had to find out whether or not I was under the Shackles of Deliverance. If I had the Shackles, I wouldn't be able to touch the Source, and everything that had happened yesterday was a result of a homebrew ritual. The Watchdogs wouldn't be able to stitch me to the case even if they found me. But if I have something on me and it's not the Shackles... Then there's the problem of thirds.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:53

During the break, I went to Rakshat and asked him to let me into the Acquisition room, saying that I wanted to check myself before resuming my studies. He was very understanding and gave me a frame and a spinner to check my concentration. After five minutes of study, I found out a funny thing: I have the Source, but... at times. And not quite the Source, and not quite mine. Out of five calls, at best, two were answered. The power was fluttering about somewhere below the baseboard, but when I concentrated on a simple spell, it surged outward with such force that I barely managed to shut the channel. It would have been insane to do magick in such a state.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:57

There was only one conclusion to be drawn. These crooked monkeys ruined me. Seriously. They didn't kill the magic. They ruined it, pathetic charlatans. What am I supposed to do with that?! Invalid magic is far worse than no magic at all. Out of annoyance I habitually kicked the Source and unexpectedly received a return kick, seasoned with something like indignation. Someone was genuinely expecting me to be grateful and letting me know they were getting bored. What the hell...?

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 07:59

The familiar sensation of an alien presence made my hair stand on end. Oh, my goodness. Is it possible I have a Rustle instead of a Source? How is that possible?

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:01

Hello, skeleton with brown foam...

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:02

The thought of starting the forty days of adventure all over again made me want to kill myself immediately.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:02

Quiet, quiet, don't panic! I've read the book about Rustler, haven't I? It's easy enough to get rid of him, just let me get to the garage... I ran out of the bunker as if I was chased by a hundred ghouls, not paying attention to Rakshat's surprised exclamations and the bewilderment of oncoming students.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:03

Keep moving, don't stop, don't think about where I'm going and why I'm going! Otherwise, this time my eyesight might not be the only thing that's going to fail. I need to get to where my motorcycle is standing.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:04

It was like a "don't think of a white monkey" bet. A normal person would have lost without question, but not a black mage. My mind was dominated by two thoughts: the need to get to the garage and absolute, all-consuming rage.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:05

Who does the undead think he is?! To pester me like that, me! So what if it had not been destroyed in a thousand years, I am ready to make up for that omission. Without the Source. I didn't need magic for those ghouls! The difficulty of the mission will not frighten the black man. I will unleash the full power of technomagic on him! I'll find out what it is, and I'll do it. Perhaps it's the result of self-infliction, but it seemed to get through to him.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:07

I must have looked scary from the outside. They didn't even ask for my ticket on the streetcar, and that's saying a lot. You see, the passenger was hissing and spitting and cursing to himself, and he might as well be a mage. I burst into the garage and immediately clutched at the saddlebag, removed from my motorcycle after the end of the Black Knight. It held my mage's kit, including a large enchanted lamp, harmless to Rustle now that he was inside me. But the lamp had a power source... I began fiercely forging the battery out of the case, trying not to think about what I was doing. The zombie dog watched my efforts skeptically.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:19

There it is!

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:19

My tongue felt a painful prick, and my mouth felt sour. Yes! Now I can talk. In addition to blue light, Rustle doesn't like electricity, so they treat his victims with... um... and we don't need that anymore.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:20

Suddenly there was an emptiness in my head, cold and ringing. Perhaps that's what life after the Shackles is supposed to look like - an apotheosis of loneliness. But, given the alternative, I was only incredibly relieved. As the saying goes, bullshit is learned by comparison.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:21

The first round was mine. Nodding to a puzzled Max, "It's okay!" I grabbed the battery and headed back to the apartment. It didn't make sense to go back to the university, so I would tell him tomorrow that I was sick.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:23

* * *

To reach the NZAMIPS Central Laboratory, cleverly placed in a separate annex, Captain Behr had to cross diagonally across the entire size of the police headquarters. When he was seated on the executive second floor, only two flights of stairs separated him from his target. Once there, Steamtrain felt lucky: waiting in his office, he had had a good night's sleep, unlike everyone else.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:24

Grey with fatigue and ten years older, Satal sat in a relaxation chair, sipping on something that resembled badly brewed tea.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:24

"Good afternoon!" called Steamtrain cautiously.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:25

Coordinator didn't waste any energy on the greeting, but whatever.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:27

"We drew an aura print from the sign, selected fifty candidates from a catalog, and are comparing them now."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:28

"What if he's from out of town?" Ber asked practically. Blacks are usually quite mobile people. They don't like to sit in their garden like whites.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:28

"Then it's bad luck," Satal said indifferently.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:29

"I sent officers to the university and to the local services to ask if the newcomer had shown up. After all, he's an initiated mage; they don't roam around."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:29

"Mm," Coordinator put the cup to his head, "also keep an eye out for any weirdos out there. It's about time."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:30

"What do you mean?"

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 08:30