Тейлор Поттер и философский виал / Taylor Potter and the Philosophical Vial: Глава 15. Провалившийся план

Chapter 15. The Failed Plan
* * *

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 16:35

The sword missed the target by a mere ten centimeters, frozen in midair, as was Professor Lockhart himself. One of the Endbringers, a woman—an angel five meters tall—held Niceguy in place with her arm outstretched, humming wordlessly.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 17:58

"The Endbringers are programmed to prevent any attack on me," the man said softly, "and the last person I expected to attack was you, Professor Lockhart."

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 20:58

"That's why Jack sent me!" Niceguy managed to flip the sword in his hand, and its blade seemed to cut through invisible bonds.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 20:59

Breaking free from the grip of the angel woman, Lockhart launched into a new attack, shouting.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 20:59

"You shouldn't have made Jack angry!"

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 21:00

"Jack, I see, is a real joker," the man grinned, without moving from his spot.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 21:01

A bubble with barely visible gray walls formed around Lockhart, and Professor Niceguy slowed, as if stumbling into thick syrup. His swing continued, and the Hero's sword advanced, as if cutting a path through for Lockhart, but very, very slowly. And with every second in the bubble, the professor aged noticeably, to the horror of Taylor, who watched it all unfold. By the time the Hero's sword touched the gray wall and cut through, the professor had transformed into not just a very old man, but a man who had somehow miraculously managed to survive, to reach somewhere beyond old age. Then the bubble burst, the miracle ended, and Professor Niceguy, tumbling to the cave floor, died instantly. From his hand, which now resembled the limb of a fresh mummy, rolled the rusty, tarnished cylinder of the sword, thudded a couple of times against the stones, and stopped.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 21:02

"You were close, friend," the Dark One said, looking down at Lockhart's aged body, "but still not close enough, and not quite friend enough. Now that the pleasantries are over, let's get down to business. But first..."

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 18:33

His hand shot up, and he found himself wrapped in glowing force fields instead of clothing. At the same wave, one of the Endbringers separated from the crowd. A two-headed wolf with the body of an elephant approached the Dark One and stood beside him. Fire erupted from one mouth, and cold wafted from the other.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 21:03

“Guard,” the Dark One ordered, pointing at Wormwarts’s students.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 18:34

Then he turned and drew a horizontal line in the air with his hand, ripping the fabric of reality, revealing a portal slit there, twitching and sparking, as if from an excess of energy. He grunted with satisfaction and moved his hands as if he were about to rip someone's mouth apart... and nothing happened. The force-field clothing vanished, and the man looked at his hands, as if hoping to read the answer there.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 21:05

"He's lost his powers!" Lisa shouted.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 21:05

How? Taylor glanced at Amy and realized she hadn't been mistaken about the reason. Amy had already run up to Victoria, trying to lift her and drag her toward the portal. The two-headed wolf-elephant leaped forward, blocking the portal with its bulk, and growled, baring its jaws. Fire and ice struck in both directions, cutting off the path to the side. The only clear path was back, deeper into the cave, to where the eighteen Endbringers stood motionless, awaiting commands.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 07:08

"Lisa, help Amy!" Taylor shouted, jumping forward.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 07:08

She leaped, snatching up the Hero's sword, releasing its telescopic baton—blade. The sword unfolded slowly, as if rusted from the years spent with Professor Niceguy in the time acceleration field. There was no time to think, and a cloud of insects flew out of Taylor's suit, rushing toward the wolf's eyes, trying to blind him. Taylor activated the sword as she ran and kicked a rock, sending it flying. The blinding and sound trick didn't quite work, but the wolf was distracted for a split second, and the Hero's sword sliced ​​diagonally through his paw. Taylor immediately fell, rolling across the rocks, dodging the blow from the other paw.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 07:50

The rest of the Endbringers stood their ground, not intending to interfere.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 07:50

"You need to hit its core!" Granger shouted from somewhere in the distance.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 07:51

No, she was close. Taylor realized she was deaf or shell-shocked; the sounds were coming from behind a thick wall. Another lash of the tail caught her, throwing her back, almost into the Dark One. He was kneeling, his hands buried in his head, as if trying to draw out his superpowers, flip a switch, and revive what Amy had shut off.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 08:11

"I need help!" Taylor cried out in desperation.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 08:10

She lashed out and lunged, dove and dodged, struck, even grazed the wolf a few times, but the wounds healed as if nothing had happened. Taylor lacked speed and numbers; if she had at least a couple of swarms to create decoys, there might have been some hope.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 08:12

However... at least the other Endbringers didn't interfere, thanks for that!

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 08:13

"The portal is closing!" Lisa's voice was heard.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 08:12

The crack was indeed crackling and closing, like a mouth trying to snap shut. Taylor even jerked toward the Dark One, intending to yank the power out of him, but then stopped. Even if she managed to suck the power back, what would she do with it? How would she control it? How long had it taken the Dark One to gain such control? By the time Taylor got the hang of it — even with Lisa's help! — they'd all die of hunger and thirst! Especially since with the Endbringer on her tail, she wouldn't be able to absorb the power, no matter what.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 16:33

So what? So she has to defeat the Endbringer before the portal closes!

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 11:50

"Run to the portal!!" Taylor screamed, charging forward.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 11:51

Distract the Endbringer, engage him in combat! She was going to sacrifice herself anyway, so what difference did it make? Something glittering flew past, catching the blow of a wolf's paw, and Taylor managed to close in on the Endbringer. Victoria, having regained her composure, grabbed the tail and fought it, keeping it from reaching Potter, and Taylor seized her chance. The Hero's Sword slammed into the Endbringer's heart, cutting through its body like a knife through butter.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 16:31

"More!" Lisa screamed from behind.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 16:32

Taylor felt her friends try to run away, but the Dark One pounced on them, grabbed their legs, and wouldn't let them go.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 16:32

"Help them!" Taylor shouted to Victoria.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 16:32

The sword whistled and spun in her hands, Taylor wielding it like a baton. The wolf no longer attempted to attack, retreating, whining pitifully. It tried once with ice and fire, but Taylor merely leaped aside, and the Endbringer wounded itself. Slicing off its right front paw, Taylor returned and continued slicing at the wolf's chest and stomach. Victoria threw the Dark One back with a punch, and a battering ram of water launched by one of the Endbringers shattered without a trace against her shining shield. Grabbing Lisa and Amy, Victoria rushed toward Taylor like a rocket, skimming over the rocks and glittering in the gloom.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 20:36

"To the portal, fly to the portal!" Taylor screamed, stabbing the wolf.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 18:45

And this time she succeeded; the Hero's sword, ripping through the wolf's body, reached its core. To Taylor, it looked like a heart—huge, pulsating, smooth—and only a second later did she realize it wasn't a heart pulsing, but rather that her vision was blurring, blurred by fatigue, sweat, and adrenaline. As soon as she realized and exposed the core, Taylor's strength vanished, as if it had never been there. The sensation of insects vanished, and her focus on the task vanished. Victoria collapsed onto the rocks, rolling along with Lisa and Amy toward the wolf, who bared his jaws, roaring with pain and rage.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 19:07

"Don't touch my friends!" Taylor leaped up, forgetting everything, pushing off from Victoria's shoulder and soaring into the air.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 20:32

In a leap, she plunged the Hero's sword up to the hilt into the Endbringerr's core, which was already beginning to close over with a protective film of tissue and muscle. The wolf howled and fell, nearly crushing Taylor, and the power returned as if it had never left.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 20:33

Lisa screamed incoherently through her bloody mouth.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:57

Desperation and hope spurred Taylor on. She understood her friend and sprinted toward the portal with all her might. Victoria, grabbing Lisa and Amy again, butted Taylor in the back, throwing her into the now-shimmering, vanishing crack of the portal. The four of them flew out and rolled across the rocks, adding to their wounds and bruises. Something crunched loudly, and Taylor felt a stabbing pain, her right arm ceasing to obey.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:45

Granger shouted.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:58

A wave of flame erupted from the portal, sweeping away everything in its path. Taylor felt her hair curl at the tips as it burned, and she pressed herself even harder against the stone. Her back was burning, pain shot up her arm, keeping her from losing consciousness, and everything was swimming before her eyes. Blinking, Taylor realized she'd lost her glasses somewhere, and now she could barely see anything, couldn't sense the insects around her—in other words, she was practically blind. Still, she managed to make out a huge paw pushing through the portal's crack, pushing it open, but she didn't have time to do anything.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:49

The portal collapsed, cutting off the paw.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:50

Lisa's tired and relieved cry was heard.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:58

A cool hand rested on Taylor's forehead, and suddenly she felt easy and calm, the pain and fatigue gone. Then her senses returned, and her vision returned to normal. Amy, who had already managed to heal Lisa, merely smiled at her friend. Victoria fluttered about the cave's vaults, jabbing her fist at the molten rocks and cursing.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 11:53

"Where's the exit?" she shouted from above.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 18:35

"Yes, why aren't we in Wormwarts?" Taylor asked, surprised.

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 11:53

"This...," Lisa waved her hand in the air, "remained cautious until the very end. He decided not to take any risks and release the Endbringers outside of Wormwarts."

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:51

She grabbed her head, rubbed her temples, and added.

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 18:43

"Or maybe he simply couldn’t open it any further and decided to save energy."

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 20:36

"What?" Taylor frowned. "Wait! Flitwick and Dumbledore saw traces of Endbringers from the Dimension of Secrets, back in Wormwarts, back in the fall! Although if the virus was forcing him, and the Dark One himself wanted to conserve energy, hm…"

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:52

"My head's about to explode, but you'll definitely tell me later," Lisa leaned back against the stone with a sigh and closed her eyes. "I don't know what you exchanged there, but it seems the Dark One has taken all of your Dark One powers except your natural one."

Camrad_RIP 26.01.26 в 18:44

"It's wonderful!" Amy, unlike her friends, was beaming and happy. "And this… power cancellation… it washed away everything foreign!"

Camrad_RIP 27.01.26 в 18:56