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The Verge Of An Empire 58
‘My thane, we have found something.The new headquarters was a semi-basement pub on the easternmost edge of Koposhilka, where it borders the Lowlands. It is foolish, of course, to gather in a public place, but this pub, dirty, dark and greasy, has never received a worthy audience. On the other hand, there are more than enough murky personalities, and it does not seem strange to anyone that a company of four or six gentlemen in discreet clothes diligently does not attract attention to themselves.Mrs. Wayne, with some disgust, sank into the offered chair and briefly exchanged glances with Torsh. They have been together for a long time, so there is nothing strange in wordless communication. An envelope lay on the table.“We intercepted a courier on his way to the Palace of Justice with a report.– Is that how? Hope the courier didn't get hurt.Of course, I understand and accept the inevitability of accompanying losses, but I do not love them with all my heart. If you can save someone's
The Verge Of An Empire 59
- Bree, I certainly understand that you love to listen to your voice ... in the sense that you see something that we do not see, but you know what they call those who see what others do not see?“Genius, I guess.- And so too.“Come to think of it, the Maldese have a Sankarishma, a god that is kind but strict. He does not coddle his children, he punishes the disobedient without pity and mercy, a god with an outstretched hand, a god who seeks. On the other side, there is Kalvishshiani, an evil god who goes by the name of the Child Eater. He has twelve avatars, human forms, in which he walks the world, sowing evil. The Tales of the Voices of Discord says that when Kalvishshiani almost started a worldwide war by walking among people in twelve disguises and quarreling them, Sankarishma bound him with golden chains and allowed him to be in only one avatar at a time. And it so happened that Kalvishshiani could appear to people in the form of only one person, but at the same time he was forc
The Verge Of An Empire 60
- And the smell...- Will be eliminated. Come on, I want to see how it works!Still, the passion of the inventor and naturalist is the fundamental traits of his character, and they interrupt any other impulses. I ordered Tuzz to be unbound and brought to a vertical position. Two burly agents, a man and a lups, gripped him tightly, twisting their arms.“Oh, you vile creature! Bitch! Shit-eater tattered! Here, wait, wait for me! Let me just get to you, and I'll pull it so hard that you won't jump off!“Tuzz, be a smart man, shut up.“I should have thought for myself that you weren’t dead, you fucking hero of a fucking empire!” Such freaks do not die at once!Are you sure you're ready for this? Incival asked me.I took the cup from him and, firmly grasping the back of the criminal's head, pressed his muzzle into the clay mass.“Oh you…” he yelled, freeing himself."The print must be clear," Inch said excitedly, accepting the bowl.- Enough?- Yes, in a minute it will be possible to turn
The Verge Of An Empire 61
Looks speak louder than words, but looks alone were not enough for him.- Down with the Emperor! Down with his puppet Parliament and his stupid dogs he set against you! Down with slave existence! Down with Messiah! If you support me, then, I swear, no one will ever dare to look askance at you, and your pockets will never be empty! Support me, and from the bottom of the world you will rise to its top! Down with the Emperor!- Down with! - He was supported by several voices.Luckily for me, the bosses of the Night Folk were not the ones who could simply succumb to the charms of a skilled orator. They were not the ones who yelled "down" when they were required to, so the support turned out to be scanty.“Go against the Emperor,” Duts Tadpole grunted, “but he’s in a quarrel with his head!” Personally, I went from here, open the doors!“I don’t remember if I said,” the mask wearer turned to Duts, “but the conditions that I set are as follows: either with me or not at all. If you haven't fi
The Verge Of An Empire 62
"Thane el'Moria?"'Yes, Thane el'Calypsa?'– In addition to my personal involvement, you mentioned a certain special contribution. What is meant by this?- Hair.- I'm sorry, what?- Your white hair. I have long dreamed of shaving you bald, just for fun, but I never imagined that I would actually have to persuade you to do this. Do you agree? I would shave myself, but, alas, the color is not the same.- It's not a question. Do you have a razor?“They will give it to you in the next room. There is already a mirror there. So Mork?The decision was given to him with great difficulty, and this is understandable, because I forced the aviac not only to go against everything that he bravely defended, to betray everything that he sacredly believed in, but also to agree to a very dubious one from the point of view of the simplest humanity ... or aviation, deed.- Messiah above all. But then I resign.“Me too,” I nodded. - Already decided. So I ask you to start preparing. You have a night, and
The Verge Of An Empire 63
At Trombpike a rider overtook me with a report from Torsh. The senior agent asks you to arrive at Amshir Square in Erzenvik as soon as possible. The blocking of the bridges has been of little use in containing the rebellion, as agents have already been distributed to all the northern and eastern parts of the city and are creating unrest everywhere. Erzenvik is a zone of secondary interest, a too prosperous area and too law-abiding residents.I arrived as soon as I could quickly, the coats of arms protected me from searches at the posts and, for the time being, from the agitated masses of subjects. Along the way, they pelted me with insults and curses, but for now they kept stones and rotten vegetables in reserve. We met in an alley between two streets leading to the square, where the crowd was thundering, demanding to be let through. Servants of power, constables with clubs and tower shields, stood in the way of the people. Behind them rose a shiny hillock of a light Uzh model armored
The Verge Of An Empire 64
– How do you like it?My friend's voice struck me as inappropriately joyful. He walked, holding in his hands something that I, as a military man, could not help but recognize as a weapon. A grotesque weapon assembled from many parts, shining with copper, nickel, with small blinking lights screwed into the body, and bundles of insulated wires stretching from the weapon itself to the dorsal backpack-generator. Yes, I recognized the generator in this thing by the characteristic hum and discharges of electricity running between the two antennas sticking out of it. It's hard to imagine how heavy this generator must be! However, it is just tiny compared to ordinary colossus, weighing tons!“How do you like my electric gun, huh?”“This thing looks like a hand-held antenna with bulbs.- In principle ... In principle, it is!- Have you tried it?- I'm going to!- And the spine does not crack? Is that the generator behind you?Inch shrugged.- Yes, it is heavy, but do not hesitate, when I final
The Verge Of An Empire 65
“…demonic spawn from the Darkness. The gas retains its properties for only about ten to fifteen seconds when in contact with oxygen, and then disintegrates.- You're not dumb.“Amazing insight for the chief counterintelligence officer of this vast country,” Zinkara chuckled.– Magic?- Alchemy! When will you fools realize that alchemy can open as many roads as magic, if not more!The Maldese opened his mouth wide, showing me something black, shiny, like a vile, swollen leech, clinging to the human oral cavity. It took me a few seconds to recognize this language.“Living alchemical matter?”“Bravo, Thane el'Moria!I was whipped by the whip of his contempt. Gross feeling.Behind me, there was a creak of rusty hinges, and I felt something huge penetrate the stone room. I smelled the smell of wine and onions, and then the carcass of Makhtar Ali, wrapped in the dimensionless tunic of a Tartsar infantry officer, heavily invaded my field of vision. He leaned over to Zinkar's ear and spoke qu