Готовый перевод Тейлор Поттер и философский виал / Taylor Potter and the Philosophical Vial: Глава 6. Квиддич

Chapter 6. Quidditch
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November 7, 2022, Wormwarts

Saturday dawned clear and crisp, her breath steaming, and Taylor blew frequently on her hands as she walked to the pitch where the first Quidditch match of the year would be held. Two months of intense training, but Taylor had other things on her mind. The students seemed to have calmed down over the past week, but a certain fear and wariness, a defiance mingled with a desire to attack first before it was too late, lingered in their looks and attitudes. Wormwarts had always seemed a wonderful, magical place to Taylor, a true home, but now the atmosphere there reminded her of the Dursleys' house.

And it was very offensive, to be honest.

The professors said nothing about the Dimension of Secrets; their attitude toward Taylor hadn't changed, and that was a small comfort. A small one. She needed to focus; she needed to concentrate on Quidditch, but Taylor couldn't; her thoughts kept slipping and wandering. Even the reminder that defeating Eidolorin could very well restore her favor with the students and the familiar atmosphere of wonder at Wormwarts didn't help.

"Okay, I won't give you a long speech; all of this was discussed at every training session," Carlos exhaled a puff of steam. "It's going to be a tough match, and everyone will have to give it their all!"

"They're coming," said Eric Weasley.

Herofindor's team turned, a barely audible sigh escaping Wood's lips. Eidolorin's team, in a wedge formation, flew toward the center of the field. Fully enclosed, gleaming armor, helmets, the finest Tinker gear money could buy, and that's not counting the Eidolorin students' own superpowers!

"And here I am again, Ethan Lee, the ever-present commentator!" the Weasley twins' friend's voice boomed over the field. "As we can see, Team Eidolorin has prepared seriously this year, or rather, spent a huge amount, thanks to Richard Malfoy, father of the new Eidolorin Tactician, Max Malfoy! The system informs me that these are lightweight, civilian versions of the tactical combat suits used by special forces during urban operations, known as the Nimbus 2000s. They're a bit outdated, of course, but still, Herofindor will have a tough time today. But as last year's champions, they have a points bonus that could buy them something unexpected, not to mention the fact that the new Eidolorin Tactician is still inexperienced, unlike the famous Taylor Potter, the Girl Who..."

A cough echoed across the field, followed by the sound of a blow.

"Otherwise, the teams remain unchanged!" Ethan continued cheerfully. "The team captains, Justin Flint and Carlos Wood, shake hands, and Madam Jamie Hooch steps forward! The Captains and Tacticians have one minute to enter the base configuration, and... aha! Taylor Potter is using insects to press all the buttons at once! What the hell is she doing? Herofindor will obviously be playing defensively. Did Potter really order a fortified fortress for herself?"

"Teams, retreat to your bases!" Jamie Hooch commanded.

"What will the weather generator bring us?" Ethan continued babbling. "Wow! Now that's truly unexpected..."

Taylor, half-listening to Ethan, agreed that this was indeed "unexpected." The weather generator gave out "warm rain," cloudless sunshine, and occasional strong gusts of wind. Everything seemed within normal limits, but the map selection system also predicted "Geyser Valley." The terrain around them shifted, a ring of cliffs encircling a vast valley filled with geysers. The largest of them, as if signaling the start of battle, ejected a jet of water a couple of meters thick, which shattered against the force field dome and scattered across the field. Water above, water below, and open space, at least for those flying.

It wasn't that it was entirely disadvantageous for Herofindor; after all, they knew Eidolorin would have Tinker armor, and the current configuration of the battlefield was precisely what was pushing Eidolorin to attack.

"Spread out," Taylor commanded, "Dennis at base, Browbeat cover him, the rest of you take off, hide and wait.

The valley was thick with rocks and trees, and Taylor charged forward, toward the center, following her plan as she went, fleshing it out along the way. The departure of Eidolorin's entire team in their Tinker suits could only mean one thing: countering Taylor's insects, and this, in fact, was part of Herofindor's strategy for the match. As she ran, Taylor automatically checked her equipment and directed the insects toward Eidolorin's team. Several dozen flies entered from behind the last of the suits, and immediately there was a cracking sound, the insects falling dead. Warm rain pounded from above, and Taylor ran, scanning the valley with insects, pondering luring tactics.

"Work from the center!" she ordered, taking cover behind a huge rock near the central geyser.

"They've taken off," the comm system carried Carlos's voice. "Six!"

"Crystal, Dean - flanking approach, simulating a breakthrough to the base," Taylor immediately responded.

She peered out carefully. Team Eidolorin had split into pairs, synchronized, and coordinated. The suits gave the opponents another advantage: it was unclear who was where, at least until they used their superpowers. In this regard, Team Eidolorin seemed to be at a disadvantage because of their armor; it hindered most of the team, but Taylor and Carlos, when discussing the upcoming match, unanimously agreed that this hindrance was imaginary. Herofindor would have to defeat the suits first, and only then Team Eidolorin itself, which automatically meant there would be no quick snitch.

"Carlos - Crystal, Eric - Dean, I'll handle the middle two," Taylor commanded.

Two suits were already flying toward her, as if they'd seen her—though why as if? They probably had! Eidolorin had done his best to shield themselves from Taylor's insects, and that could also be turned to her advantage. The main thing was to time the releases correctly.

"So, as we see, Eidolorin's team has split up! The players have converged two-on-two on the edges, and the third pair is flying unhindered down the center of the field, but not as fast as they could. Could Herofindor have hidden their base in the center? No! They're hunting Herofindor's Tactician, and now Taylor Potter is at a serious disadvantage! As we've already seen, the Nimbus suits are equipped with insect protection, but young Potter has repeatedly demonstrated her knack for cunning tricks, so what has she come up with this time? The suits have split up; unfortunately, Eidolorin forgot to label them, so I'm forced to call them all suits, but I think we won't have long to find out who's hiding in each of them," Ethan Lee rattled off, spitting out words like a machine gun.

A crash and a thud echoed across the field, and Ethan's voice carried over it.

Wow! Did you see that? Eric and Crystal Weasley simultaneously deployed force fields, redirecting the geysers at the Eidolorin suits in the center! What a blow! The jets of water hurl the suits at each other, and the central Eidolorin pair are defeated, the suits fall... no, it can't be! Taylor Potter had stretched out her web in advance, and one of the suits deflects slightly as it falls, right under the new jet! The geyser throws the suit twenty meters into the air, and... Herofindor goes on the defensive! The Eidolorin pairs on the edges of the field rush to attack. Dean Johnson tries to cover his partner, Eric Weasley, but in vain, his charges shatter without a trace, and Dean takes a blast right in the chest! Medical robots emerge onto the field, wow, Carlos Wood, he's on a roll today! He manages to knock one of the suits down, but wait, what is that? Ghosts burst out of the suit and hold it down, so it was a battle between two captains! Wood fends off the second suit, holds the line, fights, loses his helmet, and Crystal Weasley comes to his aid! Perhaps all is not lost for Herofindor. In midfield, Taylor Potter is fighting on par with his teammates. Such skill with a baton!

Taylor, soaked from head to toe by the geyser blasts and waves from above, raced toward the fallen suit, simultaneously sending fresh waves of insects from her supplies to support the others. Covering, obscuring vision, stretching webs, clinging to and jamming joints—there's always something to be done, even when it seems impossible. The second suit, hit by the geysers, remained aloft despite the impact, and Taylor was almost certain it was Uber Pucey. Two months of training weren't enough to keep up; it required natural superpowers, and Uber, capable of learning any skill in minutes, had just that.

The suit, lying in a broken heap among the rocks, opened, and L33t Montague jumped out, confirming Taylor's suspicions about Uber. The two on the left, who had defeated Dean, were Dorothy and Jeff, and on the right were Justin and Max.

"Max Malfoy is next to Carlos," Taylor said, grabbing her baton. "Everyone, start retreating!"

L33t was a Tinker and had his own gadgets, but Taylor had a baton and insects. Dodging a bolt, she struck L33t in the kneecap, then in the stomach, then swung again, hitting his elbow, then his collarbone, a jab to his solar plexus, and then immediately followed up with another blow to his other knee. She dodged Uber's aerial attacks and, spinning, knocked L33t out cold with a blow to the back of the head. It wasn't that Taylor had gotten any better with the baton; she'd simply come up with a new trick: she'd plant the insects in vulnerable areas like joints, and that was it, the baton seemed to find its target on its own.

Uber attacked from above, pressing hard, and Taylor jumped and spun, dodging shots and charges, all the while keeping an eye on the battlefield. Rain and geysers washed away her insects, but Taylor, only half-blind, was still constantly feeding new insects onto the battlefield (thus luring Eidolorin into a new trap, but so far unsuccessfully).

The team, as well as Taylor herself, slowly retreated towards Herofindor's base.

"A hail of missiles rains down on Eric Weasley! Eric tries to block the attacks from both sides with his force fields, but the Eidolorin players aren't backing down!" Ethan almost shouted.

It's worth noting that everything was visible from the stands, and the match was also broadcast on huge screens. Now, beyond the force field covering the Quidditch pitch, the spectators were rioting and going wild. If not for the public address system, Ethan wouldn't have been heard ten feet away.

"Eidolorin has gone into overdrive! Attacks are coming from all sides, lasers and fire, traps and force grabs — the Eidolorin suits are truly multifunctional! And the Herofindor team finds themselves at a grave disadvantage, pushed away from the center and… Eric Weasley's defense can't hold! Crystal grabs him and carries him to the side, leaving Carlos Wood and Taylor Potter alone against five Eidolorin players! But what's going on? What's happening on the field? The Weasley twins have scattered and are racing toward the Eidolorin rear. Have they really found the base? The Eidolorin players are oblivious to Weasley's advance, Carlos Wood is fighting with all his might, Taylor is running—oh, that was clever! A rock thrown by Browbeat Bell knocks one of the opponents down, and he's caught in a geyser. What a lift! But what's that? The suit is accelerating, oh no! What a blow! Crystal Weasley is slammed into the ground, Eric rushes to his sister's aid, and is sent flying! The suit exploded, the Weasley twins are incapacitated, and medical robots are already racing to their aid! Dorothy Derek — it was Dorothy Derek, and the suit's systems ejected her beforehand. Dorothy tries to get up... but no, she's falling. Herofindor has lost two players, and Eidolorin one! The intensity is incredible, and the battle, you could say, has only just begun!"

The detour with the Weasley twins, an attempt to weaken the Eidolorin's overwhelming pressure, had failed, and Taylor was now retreating hastily across the wet and slippery rocks, skillfully maneuvering the insects, exposing them to attacks, luring Uber behind her into a Browbit attack. Two suits were bearing down on Carlos, while a third, likely Jeff's, lunged at Taylor, coming from the left and firing lasers. The suit gave way, several rips appeared on her sides and arms, and water was seeping into Taylor's eyes, mouth, ears, and nose, spreading throughout her body and squishing into her shoes.

Wood was still holding on thanks to his powers, but they were beating him and shooting at him; he no longer even tried to attack, only dodging and defending himself. Running past a pre-set trap, Taylor kicked out a prop… her foot slipped, and Taylor did the splits, feeling her body and suit crack. She planned to roll the rock into the geyser, creating a makeshift cannon. Browbeat had everything prepared, but now Taylor had failed. She tried to strike again, but Über swooped in, grabbing her and crushing her with the suit's massive arms.

There was a crunch and a pop, streams of oil spreading across Taylor's body, and she flew out of the grip like a cork from a bottle, flipping deftly in the air and landing relatively successfully. All she did was roll across the rocks and hit her entire body three times.

She got up, got on all fours, trying to come to her senses.

"One of the Eidolorin players pounces on Browbeat Bell, and they clash, hand-to-hand, telekinesis versus the might of servos! Bell clutches his throat and coughs… oh, that was Jeff Bowl in the suit, clever, so clever! Carlos Wood is thrown back, and… a geyser knocks him out of bounds! Eidolorin, losing two players, destroyed Herofindor's team!" Ethan yelled furiously. "A very brutal match, I can't remember its equal in the last three years, but now… no, Herofindor is not going to give up! Taylor Potter stands and draws her baton, gesturing with her left hand towards Eidolorin, calling them to her. The insects behind her repeat the gesture, and it must be said, Potter has some ba… courage! Eidolorin has four players left in Tinker suits, not counting the Protector at the base, and now all four are rushing to attack, wasting no time!

Taylor's insects burned, tore apart, blew away, and killed, while she ran and jumped with all her might, dodging and trying to survive, trying to reach the Base. In fact, this was the original, nay, the main plan devised by Carlos and Taylor. Retreat, give in, weaken the pressure, and make false breakthroughs toward Eidolorin's Base, luring their team in. So that Eidolorin's team would get into a frenzy, fighting, and not monitoring the suit's sensors and gauges.

Taylor would have been happy to place the traps elsewhere, but the chosen location didn't allow it. Only here, near the base, could she reliably conceal the suppression system that would turn the Eidolorin suits into scrap metal. That system had consumed all her points, and now Taylor couldn't lead the Eidolorin team to it, not to mention the fact that she was the only one left. And Dennis was right there with Flag!

Taylor stood, breathing heavily and clutching the stub of her baton, while four suits hung above her, surrounding her from all sides and cutting off her escape. They raised their mechanical arms, aiming their weapons at Taylor, and she, stubbornly gritting her teeth, prepared to leap to the side. A few seconds to gain! That's when a jetpack would come in handy! And then the visor of one of the helmets slid aside.

"Don't go anywhere, Potter!" shouted a beaming Max Malfoy.

Taylor felt her blood turn to ice. That phrase… Tinker suits… Eidolorin… could this be possible? Then the air filled with the crackling sound of lightning, and she lost consciousness.

"The Eidolorin players, using a volumetric stun gun, defeat Taylor Potter, who falls to the ground, motionless! Now it's... o-cough-cough-o-o-o," Ethan wheezed and coughed, as if Potter had sent another bug down his throat.

The stands, which had just been raging, fell silent and froze. Everyone froze, even Eidolorin's team.

"In a flash of lightning, Dean Sprout's battle tree appears on the field!" Ethan yelled, as if no one had seen what was happening. "It's grabbing with its branches! Eidolorin is shocked. No, they're fighting. Oh, such flashes, so, one of the suits has broken free, no, the tree knocks it down with a well-aimed blow from its root! It's moving... no, it's taking root and swinging! One of the suits is damaged, yes, the branches have crushed it, and what a throw! The tinker ball slams into the force field, almost crushing it! I can't believe it, no one in the stands can, that they allowed Herofindor to do something like this!"

Ethan's voice was drowned out by howling sirens, and a triple force field dome covered the stands, while the protection over the Quidditch pitch simultaneously vanished. Turrets were deployed along the perimeter, and from the direction of Wormwarts itself, drones were already flying, split into dozens. A barrage of laser beams and plasma rained down on the war tree, which, having lost interest in the two Eidolorin players still in its branches, began to defend itself. The lower branches grabbed rocks and hurled them at the turrets, while the upper ones tried to grab and drop down the drones, redirecting the flying discs at their fellows.

"I can't believe the tree is fighting back!" Ethan yelled, jumping up and down. "The professors appear on the battlefield. Ray Sprout leads a platoon of fighting bushes, McGonagall fires something twice her size, Professor Sinistra assists them! One of the Eidolorin players breaks through to them, and... he's knocked down by a huge rock, knocking down Professor Sprout and the bushes!"

Turrets and drones were failing; the hail of missiles and bullets, lasers, and plasma weakened visibly. The war tree had lost a third of its branches, but that was all; it was diligently and quickly growing new ones, digging its roots deeper into the ground, attacking from behind, and pulling Wormwarts' robots closer. The elfs bustled about, mounting plasma throwers on the stands.

The stands, initially motionless, then exploded. The students pounded on the domes, rushing to help, but the triple protection of the force fields still held, and above all this, the thunderous voice of Ethan Lee was heard.

"And now the last Eidolorin suit is crushed, oh no, Max Malfoy is snapping back, huge metal spears are shooting out of the ground, the tree is crushing them like grass, I can't believe my eyes, Dean Sprout did an excellent job, if this thing learns to walk, then no one will be able to stand against it, except maybe the flying Movers, and even then, who said that trees can't fly?"

Ethan seemed completely out of breath, blurting out that sentence in one breath, but no, a second later, he was babbling again, describing the progress of the fight with the tree. Three heavy tanks were already slowly creeping up from the direction of Wormwarts, aiming their barrels and extending their enormous steel blades, surrounded by swirling gray clouds of disintegration fields.

"I'm scared," Amy hid her face in Lisa's chest and muttered the words somewhere in the area of ​​Granger's solar plexus.

"You're a cape," Lisa gently stroked her friend's red hair. "You should know how to fight."

BOOM!! Another dozen drones, flattened into a Tinker lump, crashed into the force field but couldn't penetrate it, and were thrown off somewhere below. Taylor was also somewhere there, among the roots, and Lisa couldn't see, but she desperately hoped that Potter was still alive.

"Don't worry, if anything happens, you'll just cure them all," Lisa whispered.

“Yes,” Amy whispered without raising her head.

DADAH! With a crash, the combat tree began to topple over, collapsing onto the force fields covering the stands, its branches lashing helplessly against an invisible barrier, and falling, crushing several elfs.

"We've won! The match's over!" Ethan's voice echoed across the field.
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Переводчики: Camrad_RIP