Тейлор Поттер и философский виал / Taylor Potter and the Philosophical Vial: Глава 13. Меч Героя

Chapter 13. The Hero's Sword
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Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 13:05

The videos, as expected, showed Lisa and Victoria in some room. Taylor didn't rule out the possibility that it was all fake or edited, but... that face? If Lisa's blow hadn't finished off the sender, then his anger at Granger was understandable. But at the same time, with such resources, he could have retrieved the Hero's sword himself, right?

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 13:05

"What is the Hero's sword?" Taylor asked.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 13:06

An icon in the corner of the screen indicated no network, and Taylor turned to look at the Wormwarts. How, then, had the message been transmitted? Or had it been pre-posted?

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 14:27

"You're a Herofindor student!" Amy suddenly giggled, then stopped herself. "Sorry, that was inappropriate. It's just... oh yeah, sorry again. Anyway, that's the Hero's thing, one of the Founders. Alexandria fought barehanded, Legend shot lasers, Eidolon summoned powers, and the Hero had a sword. A pistol, a cannon, a jetpack — he was supposedly a universal Tinkerer, the first and only one, the one who could build anything.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 14:28

"Okay, so where is this sword now?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 14:31

Taylor privately thought that their "enemy" was a little crazy to have kidnapped Lisa, who could have been the one to tell her where the sword was. Amy merely spread her arms and shrugged.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:18

"The sword is somewhere in Wormwarts. Otherwise, the enemy wouldn't have made such demands," Taylor began to reason, deciding to approach the whole thing like a Quidditch match, only with an unknown enemy. "He has access to Wormwarts' electronic systems, although it's possible only locally, like Lisa. He doesn't have access to the sword. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked us. What might be accessible to us, but inaccessible to... whom?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 16:58

"Don't you think it was Malfoy?" Amy asked unexpectedly. "He could very well have kidnapped them, especially since Lisa is a first-generation cape, and as an Eidolonian student, he has no access to Herofindor."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 16:59

"He was able to kidnap two students, but couldn't get into our tower?" Taylor asked thoughtfully. "That doesn't add up. And you think he'd wait six months to get revenge for what happened at the match? What kind of revenge is that?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:19

"Well, maybe they'll disband Herofindor without the Hero's sword?" Amy scratched her head. "I don't know."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 16:59

"The sword is a weapon, Hero is Herofindor, so we need Professor McGonagall," Taylor concluded.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:00

"The Hero's Sword?" Hannah McGonagall asked. "Yes, he made it shortly before his death, before the Second World War, together with Headmistress Dumbledore."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:02

“Oh, we really wanted to see the relic of the Founder of our House,” Taylor sighed with almost genuine disappointment.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:05

"Ask Headmistress Dumbledore, Miss Potter," Hannah smiled unexpectedly, "I don't think she'll refuse you."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:05

Taylor looked after Hannah with a puzzled expression, as if trying to count the spots on her camouflage uniform.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:06

"What does this mean? She won't refuse me."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:46

"Well, you, it's..."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:46

"What? Talk!"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:45

She grabbed Amy by the shoulders, shook her, pressed her against the wall, and then immediately let go, taking a step back.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:20

"Sorry," Taylor said dryly. "Let's go."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:20

"W-where?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:06

"To Headmistress Dumbledore."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:20

"But there... in the letter... don't ask for help," Amy's voice became even weaker, like the quiet rustling of leaves.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:32

"If our ill-wisher thinks that we will get everything ourselves, then he is an even bigger idiot than one can imagine."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:36

"Idiot?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:07

“Of course,” Taylor replied confidently.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:07

She didn't explain all that moment with faces, or the fact that the enemy, with considerable power at his disposal, had used it for something trivial. A personal vendetta against Taylor? Most likely. The Dimension of Secrets, Headmistress Dumbledore, Taylor herself, supposedly having defeated the Dark One — it all didn't quite fit, but it did fit into a certain pattern. So Taylor had discarded Malfoy as an enemy; everything again hinged on the Dark One, but why and for what purpose, Potter didn't understand. Perhaps Lisa could have completed the pattern, and that may be exactly what she was doing, trying to solve the mystery alone. And she got caught alone, whereas as a team they would have fought back!

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 20:07

"And our enemy is not Malfoy," Taylor added.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:08

They exited the Herofindor wing and crossed the park, dodging sprinklers on the lawns. Taylor added to her "army," collecting several thousand insects under her clothes. It was incredibly disgusting and unpleasant, but for the sake of the team... Taylor decided not to waste effort on the wording, sticking with a simple "for the sake of the team and Lisa." It was unclear why the Dark One needed Victoria, but right now play the first round and retrieving the Hero's sword was more important.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 19:44

Dumbledore's tower, standing separately, was no less secure than Snape's quarters, and Taylor's attempt to send a strike force of ants and spiders there to retrieve the sword failed immediately. An attempt to short-circuit the wires and pick the locks mechanically from the inside, using beetles, also failed. A fake Dumbledore's face and body, with Amy's help, also failed; passwords, retinal prints, and fingerprints were needed.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 18:59

"If it were that easy to get into the Headmistress's tower, we wouldn't be the first," Amy sat down next to Taylor, trying to cheer her up.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 18:58

Taylor leaned back, pressing herself against the trunk of a pine tree, as if seeking strength. The tower, a hundred meters away, remained as impenetrable as it had been three hours ago. Time passed, evening approached, and there was no result, and this depressed Taylor, driving her to despair. The range of her power grew and did not weaken; the insects in the park were in a state of constant agitation, but it was of no help. Something had to be done, but what? They had been preparing for the breach of Snape's premises for two months, and Lisa had done half the work—at least, she had told them what to do and how to do it—and this was only the Head of Eidolon! The Headmistress's Tower was undoubtedly better protected, and it wouldn't be so easy to breach it, would it?

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 18:39

Desperation welled up inside Taylor, and something was crumbling, breaking inside her. Suddenly, she understood how the tower was constructed, how it functioned, what its defenses depended on.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 18:38

"Tablet," she said, holding out her hand to Amy.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 18:35

"What?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 18:30

“I need your tablet,” Taylor said through gritted teeth.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 18:30

The urge to hack the tower was akin to the urge to pee, and Taylor was now, figuratively speaking, shifting impatiently from foot to foot outside the door. Taylor knew she needed Amy's tablet to successfully evade detection by Wormwarts' systems. Snatching it from Weasley's hands, she pounded on the screen with both hands, as if trying to break it. Amy watched silently, and Taylor knew Amy was afraid of her, as she clearly saw the Dark One's powers awakening. Fear, anxiety, care, lust — Amy's brain had been warped by the impact, and Taylor now clearly saw cause and effect, knew how everything could be changed if she gained the necessary power.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 18:35

And Taylor also knew what was happening to her.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:20

"Come on," she said a minute later, when the door to Dumbledore's Tower opened.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:19

"But..."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:19

"The cameras are recording something else, Fortuna is gone, and the Hero's sword is in her office," Taylor said.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:14

"But how..."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:14

"You know the answer, Amy, but do you want to say it out loud?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:14

Taylor walked quickly and confidently, and she heard Amy following her, raising her hand.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:15

“It’s early,” Potter answered dispassionately.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:15

"And then it will be too late!"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:15

"Maybe, but do you want to save Lisa?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:16

"Not too much," Amy grumbled from behind, still lowering her hand.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:17

"It's because your mind is distorted and clouded," Taylor felt herself changing, becoming stronger, faster, and smarter, as new, previously unknown knowledge and skills flowed into her. "This can be fixed. Do you want it?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.26 в 17:18