"Who attacked us? Did the Empire dare? The Emperor practically swore he wouldn't shed brotherly blood!" I tried to grasp the most pressing question.
"Who else could it be? It's not like aliens started shooting rockets at us! The empty-headed liar spouted fairytales. He said Crimea was Ukrainian land and they had no claims on it! And now look how it turned out. Their army crossed the border and is rushing towards our capital at full speed. Damn them, they called us brothers," the man spat, anger flashing in his eyes.
"Why did they stop the rescue operation?" I continued my inquiries.
"There isn't enough heavy equipment for the whole city. They're using it to clear the rubble of some shopping center. They're trying to reach the basement, hoping there are survivors. Our hospital building was old, made of panels. The concrete slabs collapsed like a house of cards during the explosion. The chances of surviving in such a pancake are zero. They lifted the blocks with a crane this morning, found no one alive, and moved the equipment to a more important location. They cleared the smaller debris overnight, as much as they could."
"What a nightmare! Thank you for the information, sir. I need to go. I have to check on my friends, I didn't take my phone with me," I said goodbye to the talkative man and headed towards my dormitory.
The road was familiar. It wasn't the first time I had to get here, but it seemed like it would be the last. Even in the better pre-war years, hospitals were only closing down. Well, except for one, the Children's Hospital of the Future, for which the whole country was raising funds! They've been building it for ten years, but the foundation is already there!
image [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/LRGN1SthDPqRbLwABMa69fQOZEP_NvnYr1jMDh3abfvJEIzEkG8_fbWSz6JMIJtgBdw2B06igGPXjCQ8WAPsxpRKMdabFyqfIxH9vGriSMtAxtnw3orM_0ZUxHNDVjlpYggBnCn6IEvSuO1yJgvVgAI]
Lost in such gloomy thoughts, I didn't notice how I reached the more crowded streets. A clear girl's voice brought me out of my reverie.
"Can I take a picture with you?" asked a young, dark-haired girl, turning towards me.
"Are you talking to me?" I even looked around to make sure there wasn't some celebrity nearby who this lovely creature wanted to photograph.
"You, you," the young beauty replied, blushing and smiling. "You have such a cool mage costume, like you're coming from a movie set. It must be expensive?"
"Costume? Yes, probably expensive," I paused for a moment, wondering if I should reveal the truth about the nature of my clothes, but decided to keep it vague. "I got it as a starting bonus in the game. The role-playing club has its own wardrobe for such occasions."
"Cool!" The girl's eyes lit up with the excitement of a predator sensing prey. "How do I get there? Do you have to pay large membership fees?"
"Membership fees?" I hesitated for a second, trying to come up with an answer. "Not that big, but if something happens, they can skin you alive. There's a war going on now, we were all sent home. I doubt you'll be able to join."
"Too bad," the girl said disappointedly. "But I can still take a picture, right?"
"A picture? No problem, but you can help me in return," I came up with a way to speed up my movement around the city, as it would soon be dark. "Lend me eight hryvnias for the metro, my wallet is in my everyday clothes, and I was mistakenly dropped off too far from home."
"Oh, of course, I'll lend it to you! Maybe I should call you a taxi?" my interlocutor started taking out a notebook, pen, and phone from her purse.
"No, I'm afraid my scholarship won't be enough to pay for a taxi during wartime. They probably charge triple the fare now and only serve long-distance trips for those who want to leave the country."
"Oh, you're right," the girl's face fell, and she started writing something in her notebook, then, tearing out a sheet, handed it with a twenty to me. "I'm Yulia, and this is in case you want to return the debt."
"Thank you! You saved me!" I smiled inwardly at this original way of getting acquainted and continued, "My name is Alex. I'll be busy for a couple of weeks, you know, the war and all, and I still don't know if all my friends and acquaintances are alive, but then I'll definitely invite you for a delicious pizza and pay you back!"
After a short photo shoot, with a random passerby as the photographer, we said goodbye to Yulia, and I, in high spirits, headed towards the nearest metro station.
Catching the curious glances of passersby, I reached my dormitory relatively calmly in just half an hour. Thank goodness, no one else dared to offer me a photo shoot, although I saw such a desire in the eyes of a small group of students my age, but they never dared to offer a photo as a keepsake, and continued their journey on the train when I got off.
The dormitory building of the medical university, where I am a second-year student, greeted me with bustle and noise. Two students were packing and loading their belongings into cars, with their parents actively helping them. Carefully bypassing this procession, I headed to my room, which I shared with a friend.
And in the room, which, by the way, was open, there was also an active collection of things going on.
"Alex?" came the voice of a surprised and pale American. "You're alive?!"
"I told you for the third time - you won't see me dead, Joe!" I laughed. "I won't give you my half of the room even after death!"
"Phew, you devil, you're alive," the brown-haired man hugged me tightly. "Even the devil himself won't take you. I still can't get used to your adventures. They told me you were hit by a rocket and died, but just in case you showed up - I called that cop friend of yours."
"Yeah, I'll do that, but tomorrow. Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, you know, home," sighed the only guy I can confidently call a friend. "My father called this morning and said if I don't come immediately, he'll disinherit me! And my mom is worried…"
"I see," I sighed heavily. "It's strange that they didn't take you out of here earlier, even when your president recalled the ambassadors and called on all Americans to leave the country a week ago."
"You know they tried," my friend replied, "but back then I convinced my mom, she's Ukrainian herself and didn't believe in a full-scale war. You'd better tell me yourself how you survived and where you got such a cool outfit. I knew you were interested in magic, but this is the first time I'm hearing you're a role-player."
"You better sit down, it's a long story," I thought for a bit and decided to reveal part of the truth to my friend and tell him at least about the system. "Do you have time before your train leaves?"
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"Yes, the train is only at one in the morning, but I was thinking of waiting for it at the station so I wouldn't have to travel through the city at night," Jonathan replied, sitting down in a chair.
"...So that's the story. I survived in the last seconds, and even then, I swallowed water and almost died. Here, catch," I took the equipment coin with the dagger inside out of the ring and handed it to my friend. "It might save your life one day. I'm not offering rings, there are corpses in them, and by the time you reach your America, the system might become known and they might check the contents at the airport."
"I understand, I'm not an idiot." The American shuddered at the mention of corpses. "So what do I do with this coin?"
"Mentally wish to release the weapon from it. It's not working? Let me see," I took the coin back.
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image [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/5bHxCPLBh6Q1mYjBK455y4ylFRWuY6wpTOSL01d4zygZMfGzfvfMiQC2_9N3hBRgILNmsUHnm-omRtM0AWNItaF-mJCGzXTZbPZGYMZz8i4gnubcsi54Ekp1x2oALCuDZh3VRpg5vwfPk9omqNJQhgM] image [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/pdH5PdMXaA1gwiyz0_EvXHIZFx1or3vUm1YI6PFvurN_HatNuomHjfTQMhxEp6M58XGR_MOrlSmJC_UYXMR0PNsLa57i5z3oC0OaLveGwQSMHPTU7A7V8qp7LABxkQLGwmF3Qs1GbczQtFx3soWXo0E]
Equipment Coin
(Contains)
Boarding Dagger "Sea Fang"
Description:
This system-forged dirk, crafted from high-quality tempered steel, was once wielded by sea wolves in close-quarters combat upon the decks of ships. Its keen blade and well-balanced grip make it a deadly weapon in the hands of a skilled fighter. It is said that a fragment of its former owner's spirit still resides within!
Properties:
* Rare System Weapon. Allows the absorption of a victim's soul essence, transferring 50% of the harvested energy to the weapon's wielder.
* Possessed artifact. The dagger contains an energy structure that saturates it with power.
* "Backstab" Enchantment. The dirk houses the embedded enchantment "Backstab," instantly teleporting the wielder behind the nearest player. Uses: 3/3. Spell regeneration speed depends on the amount of mana present within the artifact.
* Self-Repair. The weapon can regenerate while housed within the coin. The regeneration speed depends on the severity of damage and the amount of XP directed into the coin.
Artifact Rank:
Rare (E)
Materials:
Tempered steel, wood, leather
Weight:
0.9 kg.
Do you wish to release the equipment?
Yes / No
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At first, I thought the dagger was broken and could only be extracted from the coin after it was repaired, but in my hands, the dagger was released from the coin at my first wish. It seems that coins only work in the hands of a player. Maybe that's for the best.
"Real magic! To be honest, I didn't believe you right away," said my "best" friend, "but damn it! This is clearly not a trick!"
"Yeah. Unfortunately, it's not a trick. Wait a minute, I'll get the flask and bag - you try to use them, and take the coin with the dagger, you might need it if you become a player," I said, giving the coin with the weapon to John and started taking the bag and flask out of the spatial ring.
Surprisingly, the guy was able to use the bag and flask, but he couldn't return them to the coin. Well, it will be a gift for him in memory of his adventures in Ukraine and of me. I didn't mind giving these things to my friend - they could save his life, and I still had some left. We hid the coins from these items in my spare wallet, among other coins. I also gave it to John.
After sitting a little longer and packing Jonathan's other things into his new bag, we went down to the taxi that had arrived.
"Alex, you know, keep an eye on my scooter, I won't be taking it to America anyway, and you'll need it," Joe handed me the keys to his scooter as he got into the taxi.
"Thank you, friend. I hope this war ends soon and we'll meet again," I hugged my friend goodbye.
"Definitely. You, you know, if anything happens - come to me in America, you'll stay with me for the first time, we'll get you into our university as an exchange student."
"Thank you, John, but you know, running away is... not my thing."
Seeing off my friend's departing taxi and waving goodbye, I headed back to the dormitory.
Going up to my room, the first thing I noticed was 100 dollars lying on my table and a small note "I won't take it back, I'll block the transfer, don't even try."
"Damn Copperfield, when did he have time? And he accused me of tricks," I whispered with a sad smile. "Well, I won't return it. This amount is two monthly scholarships for me, and for him, it's just pocket money given by his parents for a week."
But I simply don't have time to be sad. I need to calculate a new ritual and purchase materials for it. I'll leave the search for a "victim" for the magical action for tomorrow morning, there should be a good market that day and there will be a choice.
But first, I need to regain my strength. It's unknown when the system will remember me again, and I'm without energy with a bunch of bruises and scratches. Opening the closet with a key hidden under the floorboard, I moved the false partition and took out my spare phone and silver-plated dagger from the secret compartment, putting the strange magic rings in their place. The shelf creaked from the strain but held up, they used to make quality furniture.
The twin brother of the knife I took out of the closet is currently somewhere in the police station's evidence locker, waiting for me to pick it up. But I'll talk to the police tomorrow, and for now, I need inert prana for more effective strength recovery. And I'm going to find it in the nearest park.
When I reached the first green spaces, which began two streets from our dormitory, the sun was just setting below the horizon. Our city is beautiful, especially at sunset. The old buildings, the bright red rays of the setting sun, the play of shadows among the famous chestnuts - all together, it created an atmosphere of peace, tranquility, and some kind of mysterious, unearthly beauty.
Usually filled with young people, the park was deserted today. Some were afraid of new arrivals from the clumsy enemy who shoots wherever they please, some were packing their things and leaving the capital, and some were simply following the enemy's movements on the Internet and filling glass bottles with incendiary mixture.
The first "victims" that caught my eye were not suitable. You can't take prana from the same donor too often, otherwise, they will die. Going deeper into the park, I finally found the perfect client. A young oak was breaking through the thicket and stretching towards the sky with its luxurious crown. Just what I need! For a young tree, a small outflow of prana will only stimulate its defense mechanisms and make the tree grow strong and healthy.
Sticking the knife into the base of the tree trunk, closer to the roots, I began to slowly draw out the plant's unyielding inert prana, drop by drop. Simply letting it flow through my channels instead of my own is a reliable but painful way to commit suicide. First, you need to wrap it in a thin layer of your own energy so as not to allow contact with the walls of the channels, and then let it circulate in circles throughout the body, not allowing it to reach the heart. This technique was taught to my first teacher by a forest elf ranger when he healed his daughter. And the teacher told me.
"Oh. A sleepless and unforgettable night of pain is now guaranteed for me," I whispered, "but the result is worth it, by morning my prana reserve will be full, and my body will be fully restored under the influence of metamorphosis."
On the way back, I turned on my phone and transferred some money from my main accounts to my spare credit card. Three hundred dollars should be enough for tomorrow. It hurts to spend an amount I could live on for six months, but a person's life depends on it.
Returning to my room, I opened my laptop and started searching for and ordering items for the ritual - large crystals of quartz, amethyst, and obsidian, colloidal silver and poor-quality silver powder, as well as an artificial blood substitute and saline solution. Expensive, but in Babylon, a similar set cost a thousand times more, although such complications were not necessary there - I made do with fresh demon blood, which was plentiful, or specially purchased magical creatures if the former was not suitable for some reason.
I sat at the computer until midnight, and then meditated until morning, restraining groans of pain from the circulation of harsh prana through my channels. I managed to fall asleep only at four in the morning, when the prana was finally assimilated. But I wasn't allowed to sleep for long.