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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
The Verge Of An Empire 66
I literally vomited with hatred, and I said a lot of things that I did not want to say. A lot of things I shouldn't have said even to myself. And it was especially disgusting because I spoke the truth. It makes no sense to shame Meskiah, she will not shed tears of repentance, for this is how the world works, the strong dictate, the weak obey. This is wrong, wrong, because there are too few strong and too many weak in the world, but the vicious circle of pain, revenge and hatred is indestructible, and we, Meskian thanes, must preserve the greatness of the greatest of powers. Mesquia is above all, even if we are all complete bastards and scoundrels in the end. This is our ... military imperialism.“Smug hypocrite,” Zinkara said quietly. - Freak. You... you will know. I was a teacher before, and I will be one now. For you. Only I will not teach alchemy, but compassion. You asked me to put us in each other's shoes? Well, I will not just make you imagine, I will make you experience! Tonigh
The Verge Of An Empire 67
When I escaped from the building of the old town hall, its insides were already licked by tongues of fire. This could be seen from the reflections dancing in some of the windows. The flame escaped from the ground up, where there is more air, more food!The alchemist pulled away from me considerably, but I didn't have to catch up with him. He stood on the square in front of the town hall. He was waiting for me among the crystal pillars. On the right hand of my enemy is put on a pata [ Pata (puddha) - an oriental straight sword with a blade coming out of a hard gauntlet that protects the hand from the wrist to the elbow.], He kept his left hand inside a bag hanging from his shoulder.“I met your cannibal. Bravo! Even my pot would not have cooked such a stew! Manguda! I didn't think I'd ever be able to see such an incredible creature!- Makhtar is not a creature, - the alchemist answered quietly, - and not a cannibal. Usually. He is my true friend and colleague, who has supported and p
The Verge Of An Empire 68
“It's safe here, master. You can come in.And I went. Sometimes it seems to me that if I had not had military experience behind me, I would have turned gray and died after the very first year of work as the supreme interrogator. Mesquia was drowning in corpses, and there was no count for them! Over the past 24 hours, I have already seen several dozen dead, and after all, most people and even tenkris, having lived their lives, can hardly count three or four dead! Here again, going into the room, I came across a mountain of corpses! All are osh-zan-kai officers, all in armor and some even with weapons. Upon closer examination, I noticed that the vast majority of the dead show the so-called "lightning signs", tree-like stripes resembling a complex burn, blackened or pink. Also, parts of the metal armor are fused together in places by incredibly strong heat!“The mage did it,” I concluded.- Master?“They were struck by lightning, Sebastina. Do you smell?- Ash and bleach.“Yes, burnt fle
The Verge Of An Empire 69
It would be a strategic mistake to overexert the soldiers before a possible battle, so I softened the load as best I could. Fortunately for me, Gatus Virze appeared next to me, my personal adjutant in the past. Avian from the subspecies of axipiti. These Avians are noticeably smaller than the Aquili aristocrats, but are also true warriors of their people, desperate and fearless. Gatus had a flat, triangular head with dark orange eyes, a predatory beak, and black and white plumage. Goshawk. Of all the adjutants that I had, this fellow distinguished himself not only by his amazing vitality, but also by his exceptional talent as an organizer. From his piercing cry, even the most arrogant and lazy lups began to move faster. It was Virze who took charge of the erection of the barricades and immediately distributed more than five hundred soldiers allocated to him into nine teams,While everyone was bustling about, I, with the tenacity of a true interrogator, pulled out of Incival the detail
The Verge Of An Empire 70
I look at the people running, watching how in the distance, driven by the news of a terrible defeat, the crowds of Maldese turn and go back. Doing what I asked them to do without bloodshed just recently.- Do not finish off wounded opponents. Collect our dead and transport them over the bridge. Provide immediate assistance to wounded soldiers. Combat-ready fifteen minutes of rest, then loading! The night is not over yet, warriors! The battles for Starkrar are still on!While my orders were carried out, I stood over the canal and examined my palm. My hand is covered with stinking, thickened blood, but I gripped the hilt of the saber so tightly that my palm remained clean.“You are smeared with the blood of lesser creatures, master. Shall I give you a handkerchief?- Look at yourself.“Very true point, master.Footsteps were heard behind.- Hard?- To me? - Incival leaned on the stone railing and somehow childishly, stupidly spat into the dark water. - Not really. My back hurts, the gen
The Verge Of An Empire 71
“The boy el'Moria, the boy el'Calypsa, and the fidget el'Fayenfas. Dead man, outcast and slob. How much time do we have, el'Moria?- Enough to put all the emphasis. But first, with the greatest respect, Your Majesty, transports with my soldiers are waiting at the gates, many of them are wounded, others need rest, and they will again be ready for battle.- Here! The most powerful ruler of the world looked at his junior heirs. “This is how a real commander should think, Your Highnesses!” Look at his face, swollen, cut, smeared with blood. He needs a doctor, but he takes care of his soldiers. Warriors follow people like him, as if they were their own fathers, and you? Rearrange the figures on the game board, study the characteristics of weapons, alloys, alchemical formulas, the psychology of your future soldiers, but you will never be able to win their trust until you yourself lead them on the battlefield and share your share of suffering in one lunette!“Your Majesty, we believe that th