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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
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- The Verge Of An Empire
Epilogue
In the evening of the same day, when the carpenter's hammers continued to rattle throughout the capital, I sat opposite the Emperor and told him everything I knew about the past crisis. Although not all, of course. I left out some details, I didn't say a word about John Darksad, or Zolan el'Cha, or who and what helped me set up a forgery to start a riot, I didn't say how exactly I was connected with the first enemy of the empire, in my retelling, he was simply the Persistent, who broke into our world and wanted to crush the great Meskian Empire. If the Emperor knew I was lying, he never showed it. After all, during our conversation with Authurn di'Anshwar, he was near death and could not hear everything that we said to each other.“Thus, after all of the above, I tender my resignation and express my readiness to accept any punishment that Your Majesty deems appropriate.”I laid out a sheet of petition on the tabletop.Hmm, punishment? the Emperor drawled. “Hmm, what punishment should
- The Verge Of An Empire
83
- Hurt.- Sorry…“It hurts to see what an ungrateful and stupid young man my son's son has grown up to be. Boy, I am a great black-tongued, I do not die from a wounded perishable blade, I forge perishable blades myself!With these words, he tore the sword out of his stomach, causing the purulent masses to flow out, and let out a loud roaring scream! His appearance changed dramatically and almost instantly, his clothes dissolved, his whole body acquired a matte black color, dozens of thin tentacles appeared instead of legs, forming something like a long skirt, huge black wings opened behind him, from which numerous eyes looked, his arms lengthened and received the second elbow, instead of fingers, terrible blades jingled on them, and a white bone mask without eyes and nose, but with a wide, toothy mouth, covered his face. A large wound on the stomach that was supposed to kill a person was quickly healed on this monster!“Look what you got me into. Are you satisfied now? I had to uncove
- The Verge Of An Empire
82
“I was forced, Brian. Even my spell can be removed, and the puppets, although they are not able to act on their own, see and understand everything.“You destroyed him, and at the same time you tried to kill Tromgar el'Rumar to protect yourself from possible testimony from the grave.- It's like that.“I still don’t understand why you stole Yaro Wolfeld’s body from Volchie. Is it really just to abuse him for the last time and turn him into a vile running piece of carrion?- A burst of inspiration. A particle of chaos in an ordered stream of consciousness. Besides, I was hoping to set you on another false trail.“Using charmed Lups soldiers from the missing battalion?”- Exactly. They did not stand out on Volchie, and lups are by nature a close-knit people, they do not suspect their own.- I understand ... In principle, if the execution of a grandiose plan was perfect, you would have succeeded. You removed your creature from the statue before the statue reached the museum, and all this
- The Verge Of An Empire
81
“You were right, cousin. As always.“See the skinny shadows walking in front of the front door?- The enemy was spotted in the amount of fifteen combat units.“These are Asmoderians, immortal creatures from the Darkness. They are very fast and strong, and they also have weapons that destroy any armor, stone, metal, wood.“My task is to attack and distract while you get inside.– There may be more, and even your car does not guarantee you victory.“I fight to fight, not to win, cousin.Chapadeau rushed across the square turned into a battlefield, took out the front gate with a kick and opened fire. The Asmoderians scattered like frightened water striders, but they weren't frightened!- Now!Sebastina made a dizzying leap and ran forward. The shooting stopped, a huge iron fist grabbed me and threw me forward like some kind of ball, and the maid caught me!- Run, cousin!The last thing I saw before I ran into the palace hall was the figure of a steel giant, plastered with skinny black bo
- The Verge Of An Empire
80
The tashshar's horseback ride turned out to be a surprisingly convenient and fast way to get around. Skinny looking and very hard to the touch, these furry monsters have long, strong legs. They rushed at great speed, made long jumps and easily maneuvered in the stream of evil spirits flowing through the streets. Smaller monsters did not stick to the tashshars, they had an order to get out and add new oil to the subdued fire of terror, and they breathed it, they breathed the will of their master! Every few seconds I looked up and peered into the darkness above our heads, expecting that the ceiling of the cave, invisible to me, would crack from a hail of artillery shells and multi-ton slabs would bury us under them! We broke out of the city and began to break through the tunnels filled with evil spirits, up into the predawn winter night, and hope even began to arise in me, that we will have time to get out when the whole world went crazy at once and a grandiose roar knocked us down! The
- The Verge Of An Empire
79
It ended abruptly. The Tashshars simply crushed the Asmoderians in bulk, crushed them and deprived them of their heads. After that, the bodies of the invincible guardsmen literally evaporated. The armor was empty and scattered in many segments, swords fell to the floor. The crazy spree is over. It seems that one of the survivors addressed me. Some kind of lups with a crazy muzzle. Simon was saying something, but I didn't hear them. I was snapped out of my stupor by the sight of Arren el'Calyps writhing on the floor. Raising my saber as I ran, I struck with all my might at his arm, chopping it off at the elbow. Noble silver blood spattered, and the severed forearm literally in a few moments turned into a piece of fetid meat exuding poisonous pus.- Bandage him! Calculate the personnel, provide assistance to the wounded, if any! Don't touch the dead! Rest… I… Perform!Sebastina was already seated next to Incival.- Is he alive?- Yes, master. But it is very difficult for him, as far as
- The Verge Of An Empire
78
He sighed heavily and sadly.“Listen, boy, I will go against my rules and extend my hand to you one more time. You have come a long way, you were able to find me and you were not afraid to come here, taking only a maid. This is worthy of encouragement. I extend my hand to you again and say, join me! The next morning will be the first morning of the new age! And this century will belong to me! On the ruins of old Mescia, I will build the palaces of a new empire, and, what the hell is not joking, you will sit on its throne!"Are you offering me the imperial crown?"“That little thing doesn't matter, my boy. I offer you the whole world!- Interesting.- You deserve it! Believe me, I know that in all this rotten aristocracy there will never be as much grandeur and dignity as there is in one of your fingers! Help me today, and tomorrow your path to the top of the world will begin! This is not the ravings of a madman and not a sweet lie, this is my promise to you! Get close and...- No.- W
- The Verge Of An Empire
77
We moved through the streets of the ancient city, expecting danger from every shadow. And there are many, many shadows! Tower, castle, palace or temple, whatever it was, the building seemed incredibly majestic and hung over us the closer we got. We soon approached the first crater.“The impact came at an angle of twenty-five degrees, demolished two houses, left a furrow, and went out right here.- What could hit like that? Spell? The stone is melted.The Emperor did it.- What?!- I saw something like that. Traces of destruction. Huge. And this sand under our feet - it is everywhere - not sand. It is the ashes of hundreds of thousands of living beings whose bodies have decayed over the past ages. This is Meskiah, thanes and gentlemen.“You mean the same city, el'Moria?”“The city that gave the name to our empire. The city that became the first letter in the new history. The Emperor came here and swept from south to north like a hurricane, demonstrating the power of his Voices. He dest
- The Verge Of An Empire
76
Gantsaros remained himself, ruthless and purposeful, the one who steps over the corpses, grinding them into mincemeat, and opens fire on any moving target. I see his receding back and a plume of hot steam, white as milk in this cold and bitter night. And I have no doubt that the royalists have put an end to it. For some time, the new weapon will show its power, and the number of victims will exceed tens of thousands, total extermination. Then the time limit will be released, and the surviving prisoners will appear. Mesquia's new weapons will prove to all countries of the world that their armies are outdated. We will remind you again how powerful we are. And we will make them remember how ruthless we can be to our own people. What will we do with them if they dare to anger us?“Truly… The Emperor is prudent and ruthless as always… Now I understand why the threat of rebellion did not frighten him. Moon, have mercy on us.I looked at the creator of these new war machines and felt his del
