Nikadim was very old, and this was striking in many ways. As the years passed, he took less care of himself, his unwashed gray hair looked like a gray washcloth, a long, unkempt beard and many wrinkles on a hard face emphasized the fatigue of faded eyes. At the same time, the old man was very tall, had broad shoulders and a straight back, his voice sounded booming, and his eyes remained clear. Nikadim's head was encircled by a shining golden hoop with a large blue stone in his forehead, bracelets and rings, both precious and iron, and some even made of rare materials - bone, wood, stone, jingled on his hands and fingers. Old tried-and-true jewelry tools hung from a rich belt, chains, medallions, key rings tinkled here and there; in the pockets of the mantle, too, something was constantly rattling and spilling over.“Attornak was going to throw you to someone, but, fortunately, I participated in the assembly of these artifacts and cheated here and there. Now all such a maetha first pas

Four neophyte wizards immediately jumped up to him, who, accepting his works, carried them to the rulers of the Academy.“Allow me to ask, enchantment Tobius,” Gasparda carefully examined the skillful sketches of plants and insects on the pages of the book he got, “where did you meet all these curious specimens unknown to modern magical science?”“In the Savage Land, your might.There was a deathly silence for a few seconds, then the audience buzzed like a disturbed hornet's nest, sometimes surprised, sometimes indignant, sometimes even hysterical.- To order! Gasparda roared. "Have you set foot in the Savage Land, enchantment Thobius?" Did I misheard?No, your power. To roughly round it off, I could say that I lived in the forests of the Wild Land for two years. During this time, my life has been in danger more than twenty thousand times for one reason or another. I suffered three serious illnesses of unknown origin, which I described in treatises, met five species of animals officia

Thobius left the auditorium alone, never having touched Ashari's staff and sword. There were many wizards around, but they all stayed away from him. Alone, he went out into the square. Not far from the main tower, Tobius sat down on a stone bench and looked around at the statues of the founders. It was hard to breathe, the supply of magical powers was almost exhausted. Who would have thought that you would have to give all your best in a demonstration battle!“You surprised everyone quite a bit, enchant Tobius. The magician sat down on the other side of the bench with tired eyes.“Char… Fasileh Samum, right?“Just Fasileh. Since we're both masters now.“Yes… both… your ability to manipulate sand is quite impressive. Most geomancers can't.- Yes, they cannot rely on him, they do not feel in him the firmness they love. Thank you,” Samum smiled, “but this is a mutation of the genome, not an acquired skill. It is impossible to learn this, and therefore, all my merits are divided into two.

That night the wizard slept badly and not for long. Getting up before dark, he put himself in order, dressed, settled accounts with the hosts and went out into the predawn coolness, leading the golems. But the magician went, of course, not to the western city gates and not even to the Pier of Miracles. No, he directed his steps towards the Temple Island, a piece of land standing in the middle of the Mjoln River, which flows through the capital of the Riven kingdom. On the Temple Island, or on the Island de Santa Templorica, as it was also called, stood a temple, huge and majestic, one of the oldest in the Westerreich.Leaving the Bully and the Reaper behind, so that they would not completely deteriorate under the shadow of divine grace, Tobius walked along the bridge of the Twelve Righteous over the waters of a wide river, passing the pedestals of men and women whose good deeds were described on the pages of church textbooks and in the Lives of the Saints. With each step, he more and

“Lovely,” he muttered, “just lovely!”As Tobius continued his manipulations, he whispered a recitative of artefact spells in parallel."What are you doing, you bastard?!"A man in a greasy shirt and with tousled hair fell down from a hatch in the ceiling. His face was smeared with what looked like oil, which dwarves anoint their mechanics, and horror froze in his eyes."Push," Tobius cut him off without being distracted, "an artifact on its last legs." I believe that they took care of it as best they could, but without a professional artefacturer, these are just pathetic attempts. Why didn't you call the master?“So,” the grubby man squeaked, “it’s expensive! We have to walk for three years to save up for one repair! Here I am...But then he will work for fifty years.“So we won’t swim so much!” Here every exit to the sea can end in a wet grave ...- Everything is clear with you. Again, the greed of people and wizards comes out sideways to both. Such a rarity! Jewelry work! The master