Path book 1 Igor

"There, a ship crashed into a city... and I can no longer feel almost all the inhabitants after that."

"It sucks! Do you think they're dead?"

"I don't know-w-w!" I'm howling with grief, my brother is hugging me to him.

"Hush, hush, Little Fox. Until we see them dead, we consider them alive. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Zer gut! Help me" My brother, leaning on me, tries to get up, but his legs part and he falls back to the ground. Cursing, I cast a healing spell on him. It doesn't fucking help. My brother is still reeling.

"Damn it. So the reckoning has come."

"What kind of payback, Leshka? What is the payback for?"

"For his strength, speed, and desire to sell his life more expensively."

I stare at my brother uncomprehendingly.

"I thought it would work... but no. You guys will have to continue without me. Find them, Igor — they're walking along the river through the forest, and I've taken these freaks with me."

"What's going to happen, Leshka? What's wrong with you?" I'm starting to prepare the stasis.

"Do you know what bioforsage is?"

"No, I don't know. What's it?"

"A special technique that temporarily enhances all the parameters of a fighter: strength, speed, reaction. It is used by troops in crisis situations. But you have to pay for everything — the law of conservation of energy has not yet been abolished."

"And you, wounded, used it? You're crazy!" I threw the healing once more.

"I didn't know you were around. He was preparing for death... It's not that I used it at all. I've used bioforsage twice in a row, and it seems like I'm going to stay here.

My brother starts to fall to the side, I grab him and hold him in a sitting position. Alexey turns on the toolbox and quickly types something without looking.

"Igor, turn on the omny-tool — I'll reset the location of the shelter for you, and take the key card out of my pocket."

The omny-tool beeps, informing about the reception of information. I look at my brother, and his face is rapidly paling.

"Leshka, you're not going to die, are you? Tell me it's not like that!"

"The key card, Igor."

I pull out a key card from the breast pocket of his uniform, a black rectangle with two magnetic stripes.

Password: "Chronos", Igor, remember! His brother's breathing becomes ragged, his gaze dims, but his feelings are calm with a slight touch of regret.

I throw a stasis field at him and go look for a first aid kit from the pirates. He'll last a couple of hours, and then I hope our doctors will take him to the regenerator. At this time, the cat is rummaging through the bushes and finishing off the wounded.

I approach the body of the leader — behind his back, on the armor, the mercenary has a standard wearable box with ammunition. I snap the magnetic grip and the box is in my hands. It's heavy, it's disgusting! I pull the box away from the dead mercenary and open it. The lock protection is so-so, it will only protect you from a child. Lina can open such a lock with her eyes closed in five seconds. Lina! I squeeze my eyes shut, tears flowing through my closed eyelids. "The bastards! I hate it! in the box: a universal army first aid kit with an automatic diagnostic unit, a Turian combat knife, a flask — judging by the smell, whiskey is in it.... Why does he need three liters of whiskey at the exit?! A plastic container filled with cylinders of thermal clip cassettes and some kind of heavy metal case.

I pack a Turian knife, a case with thermal clips, and a strange metal box in my backpack. I search the corpse's belt and take away a plastic box with metal powder from it. I may have a spare one, but I'm sure I'll need both.

"Go ahead, Igor, we need to find Azanti and Nasar!" I tell myself.

I turn my brother over on his back, carefully lay my legs, put my hands on my chest and put the rifle under them. The wind ruffles his overgrown bangs of dark brown hair, and his gray eyes are calm. I cover them with my palm.

"Goodbye," Alyosha, my hands are shaking, I'm shaking all over.

After hanging Bars and taking it out of combat mode, I remove the unused first-aid kit. I turn on the SOS signal on the omny-tool for my brother. Our guys will pick it up.

I've been running along the edge of the trees for half an hour now. Suddenly, one of the seals in the village goes out. I reach for my own, trying to figure out who?.. Denis! No, no, no!!!

I'm lying on the rocks, gasping for air mixed with tears. Somehow gathering my feelings, I get up and continue to go to my friends. Ahead, a couple of kilometers away, there is a bend overgrown with forest.

I feel reasonable acquaintances there. The river is deep below, about fifteen meters away. A wave of wild fear comes from the bend, after which one of the mental markers goes out. It's dark in my eyes, but there's no pain anymore... Just like there's no more connection to Nasar. Only Azanti continues to be filled with wild fear, turning into animal horror.

"Bars is all but the Azanti enemy to kill."

The cat takes off. Screams are heard. I, having switched back to combat mode, am worthy of the mantis from the back. I'm shooting two Batarians like in a shooting gallery. Finally, only Azanti remains alive.

Grab the carbine on your back and run to the clearing. Azanti looks around in horror. There are pieces of clothes on her, and shoes are lying next to her. Those things. I arrived on time. I go over and turn over the corpse of the dark-haired mercenary. There's a standard boxing game behind him. I open it without removing it, take out another metal case, a new first-aid kit, and (oh, joy!) a three-liter flask of water. I take a couple of big sips. My canteen showed the bottom an hour ago and I'm terribly thirsty. Well, I wish I could run fifteen kilos. Azanti! Azanti, how are you?! Where is your unique? And where... where is Nasar? I was just scared when that bastard started undressing me. This big guy went into the bushes and threw his shoes in the same place, and my backpack — there's food and sleeping bags in it.

A bloody cat crawls out of the bushes. There's blood all over his face. The eyes squint quite a bit. Tinplate and this is our cute little Barsik. Bars is exiting combat mode. — I pour the bottom of the flask on the cat, he purrs quite a lot and starts licking his fur. I give Ginny a drink, then the cat.

I walk through the bushes, pick up my unik and boots with a backpack, and return. I help Gina get dressed, give her my spare underwear, and put on her shoes. I sit down, leaning against the log where the Batarians were sitting.

"Azanti, where is Nasar?"

The friend closes her eyes, tears flow from her eyes.

"He... he jumped off, Igor. Over there, into the cliff..."

"What?!" like a somnambulist, I approach the cliff, holding on to the branches of a bush, I look out — at a depth of fifteen meters, from the edge of the river stream, I see the figure of Nasar lying. I understand that falling from the height of a five-story building is most likely fatal — even for a Turian, with his stronger bones.

"She shot two of them. When they caught up with us and surrounded us, they promised to skin him. So he jumped off," Azanti says, choking with tears.

"Igor, where's Alyosha? Have you seen him?"

I walk away from the cliff and sit next to Azanti.

"He's in a coma, honey.... The pirates almost got killed, back at the serpentine."

Azanti begins to cry out loud, choking with tears. She loved Leshka even though she was a Batarian and he was a human being. I hug her, hold her close, and soothe her. Intuition is persistently pressing — we must urgently leave here.

"Azanti, can you walk? We need to get out of here!" Yes, I don't even have a concussion.

We get ready and go to the serpentine in the company of the redhead. We need to get to the other side of the Rattlesnake.

I turn around at the top and see Alyosha lying in the rocks.

"Is that Alyosha?" a friend's voice sounded.

"Yes, honey, I hope our people will be able to save him."

"And you're going to leave him?!"

"Azanti, I love my brother! But now I'm going to save you."

"You said yourself that the pirates need you alive."

"But you don't. And I'd rather slit my throat than surrender to these creatures. May the Spirits not leave us."

"They won't leave," she whispers.

I'm squatting by the bridge and twisting the rope as fast as I can — one has already been loosened, it remains to tighten the second. Anyone walking on the bridge risks falling into the river when the cables come loose. I hope this someone won't be alone!

"I see movement at the serpentine! There's someone coming, and there's a lot of them, Igor," says Azanti, who is sitting with binoculars.

My hands are working even faster, and my gut tells me it's time to stop. I get up, grab Azanti's hand, and run as fast as we can to the turnoff to the plateau. There, behind the rocks, there will be a good position: it's six hundred meters to the bridge, and about seven hundred meters to the path on the other bank. Because of the rocks, the entire bend of the river is clearly visible, which is one and a half kilometers. The red-haired one, fluffing his tail, rushes after him. I order him to hide behind the boulders. I hope I can put down everyone who comes here. The pirates don't have snipers, and an assault rifle or, even more so, a shotgun at such a distance is useless, just shooting into the sky. Al might have been able to get somewhere else, but it's unlikely that the pirates have someone like our Hartman.

Azanti climbs into the sleeping bag with binoculars, while I, breathing like a cornered horse, begin to arrange our position.

"Igor, how are you?"

"It sucks... I've already run forty kilometers today," I say, breathing heavily. I'll catch my breath now, and we'll prepare the position."

"Why don't we leave?"

"If we don't make it, they'll catch up. This is the only place where we have an advantage. If they can cross, we'll be overwhelmed by numbers." Damn, my back hurts. I turn my fucking head, the red wings are cutting. We should leave everyone and leave. Freak out somewhere in caves. They are nearby.

"But you're a magician, aren't you?"

"I'm just a name now, not a magician.... I might have enough for a couple of powerful impacts, and that's it. But they won't let me produce them. Pinned down with fire — and amba. So, Azanti, our salvation lies in distance. If we can keep the bastards on the other side, we'll win. If not, then you and I are finished.... Here's what, my dear, take the binoculars, and you'll give me target directions, just like you did at the shooting range. Ok?

"Of course, Igor! I..."

"I know — the best number two, right?"

"Yeah!"

I roll out my sleeping bag and lie down in it myself — the fabric will hide the heat signature. I cut off a few branches from the bushes around and put them in front of the bed. Ginny gets into her sleeping bag and peers through the binoculars at the other shore.

"Is visibility okay, Jin?"

"Everything is great. Are you ready?"

"Ready. We wait. Bars stealth mode, stay behind the rocks."

A few minutes later, we see the pirates running. Most of them have a haggard look and streaks of sweat on their faces. Only one, dressed in medium armor, looks good, his face is hidden behind a closed helmet. Hmm, and the pirate didn't adapt... but he looks cheerful, despite the fact that it's hard to run in battered armor. Although the armor dissipates heat well, it's unpleasant to have a closed air cycle. And the sidekick is usually all wet by the end of the fight. I look at him through the scope — he starts to get nervous and goes behind the pirates, hiding behind them. Strong, the creature — he sensed me!

"Igor, this big guy... it's like he's out for a walk. Everyone else next to him is like mongrels next to a Polkan."

"Yeah. Cerberus, probably — there are rumors that these freaks are turning their people into cyborgs. This one is probably already half a mashin... or even more than half."

"What a horror!"

"They're going to climb the bridge now. As soon as the cables come loose, I'll take off the ones on the bridge, and then I'm waiting for your targeting instructions. Ok?"

"That's right, Commander sir!"

I laugh softly. Azanti just glares at me in response.

The pirates climbed onto the bridge, six of them, walking one after the other, holding onto the railing. They passed through the middle and began to approach our shore. I unfold my wings. I don't feel sorry for pirates. When Azanti looks into my eyes, excitement is replaced by cold detachment. For all her gentleness, she is as much a child of Mendoir as I am. Today, enemies from the other side of the river killed her mother, friends, friend, and tried to rape her. My friend, an artist, doesn't move a muscle when she gives me goals. There will be no humans or Batarians for her, they are all enemies and must be destroyed. Without pity or doubt.

The cables are unhooked, the bridge is sagging and warping. Two pirates, screaming, fly into the river from a nine-meter height. The others grab onto the remaining cables with their hands, and I, as in a shooting gallery, shoot off all those hanging, one by one. Bamm, bamm, bamm, bamm! And they, deafening the abyss with heart-rending screams, fall down. You, gentlemen in armor, are not going to get out of our icy river at all....

The pirates on the shore run away in panic behind the stones and start firing towards the stones near the bridge. Apparently, the echo distorted the sound — and it seemed to them that we were there.

I hear from Azanti:

"The target is at two o'clock, seven hundred and forty, behind the gray stone. Wind: twelve, headwind. Excess: twenty."

I'm getting ready... bam! And a pink cloud tells me about the hit.

"At thirteen, in boulders, eight hundred. Wind: eleven, oncoming right. Excess: nineteen."

Transferring the marker... bam! The carbine nudges my shoulder, and the pirate buries his face in the rocks.