Capítulo 34: Hotel
"Don't worry too much, you just need to restore some of the energy lines before they finally spread, pump it with mana, and it will be as good as new, after all, this construct was designed for sharp pumping, unlike the cylinder. - A moment of silence for the fallen hero was interrupted by a cynical phrase of the sorceress.
It's not fair, I've already started to prepare a solemn speech. We would have buried him with all honors in the park to the sound of cannon fire, a monument would have been erected, and this is such a bummer...
"What about the cylinder?
"Now it's just a simple rag with scraps of runes. Easier to create a new one than to restore this one. - The enchantress set the useless headdress aside, picking up the fluffy prop.
"Look, do you have to power the spatial pocket so weirdly? Through the rabbit?" I carefully watched all the manipulations of the girl, who put the animal belly up and started drawing strange symbols with reddish energy right in the air, hovering for a couple of seconds, they were hidden in the artifact's carcass.
"It was done right. This thing was meant to be a backup power source, but someone used it in the wrong place. And the cylinder was not designed to hold people inside, at most a couple of swords, a trio of juggling balls, a folding bouquet of flowers and a rabbit. In such a mode the spatial pocket could work for a couple of years, but when a healthy man was stuffed into it, it began to work to exhaustion, pulling mana from all available sources. Just so you know: the expenditure of magical energy per cubic centimeter of volume grows exponentially! That's it. - The last symbol soaked into the prop's fur, and it twitched its paws to roll over.
"Mr. Fluffy!" Harley immediately tried to grab the animal.
"ZEERF!" This time the sorceress didn't limit herself to the illusion school and hit my beloved with all her might. The blonde froze on one leg, unable to even blink. - I hope you don't need to be frozen. - Zatanna looked at me with her brown eyes.
"Don't. - I took a step back with my hands up. - Why don't you take the spell off her?
"Let her rest, it's good for her. - The sorceress put the rabbit next to her and started stroking it. - Since I'm going to explain you the basics of magic anyway, remember the most important rule of a wizard: never, under any circumstances, touch the things of another wizard without permission... And even with permission you shouldn't, if you don't trust him completely. Understood?
I nodded vigorously, so to speak, for myself and for Harley, who was not yet in a position to respond.
"This," the illusionist raised the animated construct to her eye level, and it stretched amusingly into a fluffy wiener, "is a complex animated artifact designed to store energy and charge magical items. Now, I specifically switched it to collecting mana, and it would have drained your source of magic instantly, since you have absolutely no control over it. - Zatanna said, looking closely at the frozen blonde. - And such a sudden drain of energy is not good for the body, turning the magical aura into shreds. I hope you understand. EVOM. - The black-haired girl put the rabbit on her lap and started stroking it again, while I had to gently pick up Harley, not letting her fall.
"Greedy," the harlequin muttered quietly, standing beside me.
"Ahem... I always thought energy storage artifacts should be in the form of some kind of crystal glowing with a mysterious light or I don't know... Look more mystical?
"That's right, but charging these things requires contact with the user's aura or a magical source, so I created a rabbit: to pet and charge it at the same time, and as a prop for performances is suitable.
Eh, she's not only a wizard, she's also a girl. I doubt very much that maintaining the simulation of the construct's life doesn't consume any of the magic it's supposed to store.
My gaze fell on the useless cylinder. Okay, I want a spatial pocket, at least one liter, so I can stuff hero clothes and a cane or some other stuff inside. I wonder if it can be customized? But it's not worth it, the words of the sorceress about not touching other people's magical things resonated in my soul, but how could I get an apprentice?
"Okay. - The sorceress clapped her hands, getting our attention. - I'll be expecting you in three days, on November twenty-first, at the Shadow Peak, located at 12 Jefferson Street. Just walk over to where the mansion should theoretically be, and it will appear... Though illusion spells shouldn't be a problem for you.
Well, as far as I understand, various morlocks have a bad effect on people with a less than adequate perception of reality. But why?
Noticing my questioning look, the magician decided to clarify her position:
"You can't cover the basics of magic in a couple hours, so I'll have to make time for you.
"Yay, we're going to be wizards!" The blonde exclaimed happily, hugging me.
"Will you come to Gotham for us?" Not that I'm against it, but it's just that things are looking up.
"Uh, no, of course not. It's just that my world tour is coming to an end, and I want to rest for a couple weeks before the new one, and an old acquaintance in town needs a visit. By the way, don't get too excited, from what I've seen, your powers are barely enough for a simple illusion, and I'm not going to teach you spells, but I'm planning to tell you about magical safety, so that you won't foolishly become victims in a dark ritual.
"I see... It was nice to meet you, but we should probably get going. - I decided to wrap up the conversation, as the sorceress was obviously not in the best mood after the destruction of one artifact and the complete discharge of the second. If my guesses are correct, the rabbit contained an emergency reserve, which logically should contain at least one volume of the illusionist's entire magical reserve, but after today's events it was completely used up. By the way, here's another reason to visit the mansion where the dragon's vein is located: more convenient recharging of the rabbit.
After changing into casual clothes and saying goodbye to Zatanna, we went outside and slowly made our way towards the center of town, we had nowhere to go in a hurry, so why not take a walk?
Somewhere in the distance, the sirens of service vehicles sounded, rushing to eliminate the consequences of the heroic artistry, a cargo helicopter flew overhead, probably carrying equipment for researching the traces of the brawl. Eh, not enough hybrid created by them. Initiative idiots with impressive resources... If they don't watch out, they'll do some shit again, but let the man in the tights handle it now. I told him about NedoDumsday, so there's a small hope that Clark will figure out how to destroy the remains of the alien ship, which are lying in the center of the city. Although maybe the city leadership and the military will evaluate the consequences of the battle and order to move the whole thing somewhere away from Metropolis, and if it's impossible for them, they could have asked a flying superhero by putting an ad in the newspaper long ago. And as for how to organize a trial, more like a farce, they can do it, but as for asking to do something sensible, their authority is everything. Isn't that crazy? Even in Gotham they've got a big lantern on the roof of the police department, and officially! They could have done something like that here a long time ago.
A small convoy with a military van rushed past us. It was a good thing that Superman had given us a ride, because I wouldn't have wanted to wade through the alleys, and it wasn't certain that we'd have been able to break out of the cordon, given that the fight had been going on for quite a while, and my cane was in disrepair.
While we were walking, I decided to think about how I could make it up to the sorceress. Of course, the future lectures on magical safety - it's undoubtedly cool, because it's unlikely that such valuable knowledge can be found in a regular library, but I would still like to master magic at least at the minimum level. The same illusions will be a great help if used correctly, and if I manage to persuade a brown-eyed beauty for a master class on creating a spatial pocket... Mnyam. Besides, I'll gradually increase my magic reserve even without the use of free points as soon as Ivy returns from her trip, which means I'll be able to use not only illusions, but also something more serious.
After visualizing some options for future pumping, a lustful smile appeared on my face.
Ah, I got a nice payoff for helping out with the hybrid. Status.
[The first beginning (the body): 78
The second beginning (prana): 15
The third beginning (astral): 8
The fourth beginning (core): 12
The fifth beginning (spirit): 25
The sixth beginning (reason): 44
Seventh Beginning (magic): 6
Eighth beginning (immortality): blocked
The ninth beginning (divine): blocked.
Free points: 173]
I noticed a line with a spirit that made it to the level of a normal person of this world. Cool, but what am I supposed to do with a bunch of free points? I have absolutely no desire to pour them into any of the beginnings, as well as to distribute them evenly, simply because I do not fully understand how it all functions, and the short help does not help at all to determine the choice. And I'm still coping with everything on my own, especially since I have some doubts that even if I put everything I have into the first beginning, I would be able to compete with even a weakened Doomsday. Maybe the enchantress library will have something on the subject, but this question brings me back to the beginning of my thoughts...
"Harley, how do you make it up to a girl?" If you can't think of anything that makes sense, you'll have to go to an expert.
"A trip to Disneyland and great sex. - She gripped my hand tighter. - Or we could just have sex. When did you guys do something wrong?
"I meant in front of Zee. Still, we really screwed up a complicated artifact.
"Well, I don't see anything wrong with my option.
"Sunshine, I'm serious.
"Eh, if you put it that way, then give her a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. Essentially, useless stuff, but if you don't know the person's tastes, this choice looks optimal. - The girl thought for a moment. - Unless, of course, she was severely allergic to the whole affair.
"Hmm... Flowers she normally accepted from fans, but I didn't see candy among the gifts...
In principle, my assistant is right about timeless classics, but I really wanted to please the enchantress, and not to get away with the banal.
Hmm, and in the comics, Bats was friends with her as a kid. Maybe that's the old acquaintance the illusionist was referring to.
It's decided, in Gotham it will be necessary to contact Mouse and find out the girl's tastes. The most interesting thing is that the Dark Knight may be aware of her preferences even if they don't know each other, because Bruce is paranoid and always tried to find out the maximum information about his surroundings, and a strong sorceress living nearby is worth the effort. I wondered what it would say about me, especially after I'd been taken in.
***
Somewhere in Gotham there was a hiccup, and then a silent muttering from a disgruntled Batman, who had been brought to the city by Kryptonian airlines, suddenly dumped in some dirty alley. The man knew who to thank for this setup, so he was sure to find a way to return the favor when the time came.
***
Thinking about a possible gift, I really hoped that it would not be some rare gemstone, but something more down-to-earth, like a discount on the purchase of clothes in the store "swimsuits and stockings", although under such a peculiar choice I can only think of a sex store.
Eh, until I get the money from Strange, I can't think about serious purchases, except for the purchase of everything necessary to create a game studio, but thirty thousand should be enough for that. Especially the idea for the next game I have long been in my head and it is a simple Tower Defense. This genre is perfect for the ubiquitous smartphones and personal computers. There is no point in trying for something more, because the development can be done by a maximum of three people, whom I trust completely. Besides, it is realistic to get a patent on this concept, which means that we can temporarily release an exclusive thing, gathering all the cream.
"Here you go, Mr. J. - Harley's phrase snapped me out of my contemplative state. Night had long since fallen on the city, and with it came the nightlife. Fortunately, Metropolis wasn't Gotham, where a lot of scum hit the streets at dusk, so we'd made it to the...
"A love hotel?" I was surprised to read the sign above the main entrance. I thought such things were common in Japan, not in the States.
"Well yes, a night costs about the same as in a regular hotel, the reviews of this place are good. Moreover, there is no point in going to the train station anyway, because the trains don't run. - My assistant gave logical arguments. That's the only thing that's suspicious. I looked once more at the eye-catching neon red sign, and then at the blonde girl who was pressed up against me, her eyes filled with endless adoration.
Huh, I think I understand what Harley is subtly trying to imply to me.
I picked up the squeaky blonde in my arms and approached the central doors of the building, which, as I approached, slid open at the expense of automation.
The receptionist didn't recognize us at first, but you have to show your ID when you check into a place like this, so the girl behind the counter was a little surprised when she realized who had visited her. Fortunately, she was a real professional, so in five minutes Harley and I were at the door of the room, which for some reason the hotel employee had recommended too strongly, promising that we wouldn't regret it.
"I hope it's the coolest bed in town, otherwise I don't know what I paid two hundred bucks for... - Without letting go of the charming assistant's hand, I stepped into the room, kicking open the door.
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