The Order of Architects (Book 7): A Portal Progression Fantasy Series, page 18
“I agree with Alexander,” he concurred. “If the truth were to come out, we’d all get court martialed. Or worse.”
Brusilov, who had thus far enthusiastically supported Kornilov’s idea, now seemed skeptical.
“Perhaps you’re right. We pledged allegiance to the emperor. Acting without his knowledge… That’d be a step too far.”
Sensing that support for his plan was waning, Kornilov tried to offer a counterargument.
“Well, then, let’s give them financial support. That’d allow them to bolster their army and buy weapons, ammo, and provisions.”
“Good idea,” replied Potyomkin, nodding. “That’s definitely something we can do. But we can’t provide them with a large lump sum from the outset — we’ll have to pay it gradually so as not to attract any attention.”
Once the meeting had ended, Potyomkin and Kerensky were left alone in the office.
“Well, Nikolai,” the defense minister began, reclining wearily in his chair, “what do you think? Do we have a chance?”
“We’ve always got a chance,” replied Security Chief Kerensky, lighting a cigarette. “Albeit a small one.”
“And all because of that goddamn marriage!” exclaimed Potyomkin angrily.
“Yeah, that Dynastic wedding could have brought lasting peace. But… it wasn’t to be.”
“I still can’t believe what the emperor’s younger brother did,” remarked Potyomkin, shaking his head. “Refusing to marry the Austrian president’s daughter… It was political suicide!”
“Rumor has it he was in love with someone else. A plain girl from a noble Dynasty. And he refused to marry the Austrian princess on the grounds that he wasn’t going to live with someone who didn’t even speak Russian.”
“Goddamn romantic bastard!” Potyomkin said with a wry chuckle. “Except that romantic bastard could have cost us the war.”
“The Austrians have taken offense. They regard it as an insult. And now they’re out for revenge. Liechtenstein is only the first step. I fear they may not stop at that. Their real goal is the Russian Empire.”
“You think they’re going to attack the Empire?” Potyomkin asked, looking over at his colleague incredulously.
“We can’t rule it out,” replied Kerensky with a serious nod. “They want revenge for the humiliation we caused them. When it comes down to it, they’ve got the second strongest army in Europe, after Prussia. And Prussia would be more than happy to watch us burn.”
“This is bad,” remarked Potyomkin solemnly. “Very bad.”
* * *
Five days flew by in the blink of an eye. That’s how long I spent hard at work down at Konstruktor’s base. My crew worked around the clock, carrying out my orders, while I used my magic to create piles of the construction materials that were necessary for bringing my plans to fruition.
On this occasion, we decided to approach the matter slightly differently, however. Instead of erecting entire structures at the border, we developed a system of modular sections — walls, towers, gun emplacements, and so on. They could be quickly assembled at the required locations like a toy building set. That would minimize the manpower required, while also allowing us not only to save time but also to hide the true scale of our project from prying eyes.
Finally, everything was ready. Count Volynsky and I agreed on a date and time.
And so, “X-Day” arrived — the day on which we were to move out to the border and erect the fortifications.
I took almost my entire guard regiment with me and equipped them with cutting-edge equipment in the form of upgraded assault rifles and artifact-based body armor. Just in case, I also took some Lightnings with me — the miniature Thor’s Hammers that I’d made and that had proved so effective in testing.
This approach wasn’t just unorthodox — it was highly dangerous. I wasn’t entirely convinced that even Count Volynsky’s army would be able to protect us if the Austrians attacked us with full force.
“Volynsky promised to help, of course,” I thought as I watched our convoy, which consisted of dozens of trucks loaded with construction modules, slowly progress along the serpentine mountain trail. “But better to be safe than sorry.”
We stopped a few miles from the border and covered our trucks in camouflage netting. The dense forest concealed us well from prying eyes. However, we also had a good view over the valley where we were planning to construct the fortifications. Armed to the teeth, my guardsmen took up defensive positions and awaited orders.
Everything was quiet at the border.
“Where’s Volynsky?” asked Grimrock. “He promised to be here at 8 a.m. It’s now 7:55.”
“Patience, Uncle Kirill, patience,” I replied with a chuckle. “I’m sure he won’t let us down.
And indeed, precisely a minute later, we could hear the dull rumble of engines coming from the west. Two armored vehicles appeared over the hill. They hurtled towards us at quite a speed, kicking up plumes of dust in their wake. The vehicles were rather unusual — they bore no distinguishing markings, and their bodies were covered in thick armor that looked like the scales of some kind of prehistoric creature.
The first of the vehicles braked sharply and came to a stop a few yards from me. The door swung open, and out stepped… Count Svyatoslav Volynsky himself, dressed in combat fatigues. Instead of an elderly man, he looked like an experienced soldier, ready for battle.
“Hello there, Theodore!” he said calmly. “I see you’re all ready to get to work. Your men can start building. We’ll cover them.”
I walked over to him and shook his hand.
“The problem is that we might get bombed from the direction of Austria-Hungary at any moment,” I told him. “I don’t want to leave my crew vulnerable to attack.”
“Don’t worry,” the count hastened to reassure me. “The Austrian artillery won’t be doing any of that today.”
And to confirm his words, a whole fleet of at least forty helicopters appeared in the sky. They flew low, their rotors kicking up clouds of dust in their wake. Shrouded in gray smoke, they quickly reached the border and began firing on the Austro-Hungarian positions. The rockets they launched exploded with a deafening rumble when they hit the ground, leaving clouds of dust and smoke in their wake.
Next, Count Volynsky’s artillery joined the battle. It was hidden in the forest and well camouflaged, but it was incredibly accurate and powerful. The rounds their guns fired rained down onto Austro-Hungarian territory, turning it into a hellscape. The air rumbled with seemingly endless blasts, the earth shook, and the sky was obscured by the smoke from the explosions. Volynsky just watched everything that was going on with cool composure.
Having been caught off guard, the Austrians were unable to mount an organized counteroffensive. Their guns had been destroyed even before they could open fire.
I commanded my crew to get to work. My builders hurried over to our trucks and began unloading the construction modules. Next, they spread out over the whole area like a swarm of bees and began installing the modules for the future fortifications. They worked with incredible speed, something that had been honed to a tee by many hours of training.
I monitored the building process and used my Gift to speed up construction and fix any flaws. Walls rose up right before our very eyes, turning the place into a true fortress.
After we’d been working for several hours, Grimrock walked up behind me.
“We’ve got a problem, Theodore,” he said. “The Austrians are moving to attack.”
“How many of them are there?” I asked.
“A lot,” Grimrock replied. “Our scouting reports suggest there are at least a thousand men. And about fifty tanks. They’re coming right for us.”
I bit my lip. The situation was critical. The fortifications weren’t finished yet, and we were vulnerable.
“Engage their forces, Uncle Kirill. I’ll take care of the tanks. They won’t reach us.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, my guardsmen took up position and began shooting from range at the approaching Austrians.
I, meanwhile, laid my hands on the ground and focused on the surrounding area. Deep crevices began to appear where the enemy tanks were advancing. The earth cracked and parted, forming impassable obstacles.
“I think the count might have overdone it,” I thought as I looked up and saw the sky filled with smoke from the explosions, bright flashes from the volleys of gunfire, and light from the tracer rounds. “If the Austrians don’t attack us after this, there probably isn’t going to be a war at all.”
Chapter 13
AS GRIMROCK HAD REPORTED, the Austrians were attacking with full force. Their forwardmost tanks, which had guns protruding menacingly in all directions, came right at us, evidently convinced of their own invulnerability. But I was prepared for that.
The earth beneath my hands began to vibrate as it responded to every pulse of my magic. I sensed the ground splitting apart to form deep crevices right underneath the Austrian tanks. The heavy vehicles fell into my traps like toys. The tanks that followed behind tried to brake and turn around to find some way out, but new crevices formed wherever they went. The valley had literally become a huge trap.
Though confused, their infantry sought to continue the attack. They marched around the stranded tanks, but at that point, Volynsky’s helicopters arrived on the scene. A hail of rockets and bullets rained down from the heavens. The Austrians, however, maintained their composure and took out a couple of the choppers using a man-portable air defense system.
The situation on the battlefield grew increasingly tense.
The Austrian air force appeared in the sky. Their fighter jets flew in from the direction of the sun and began firing rockets at Volynsky’s helicopters. A few more of the choppers, unable to release thermal decoys in time, fell from the sky in balls of flame. The remaining aircraft, having launched their decoys, descended sharply and flew off, using the terrain for protection.
The count, who was standing next to me, clenched his fists nervously.
“Goddammit,” he muttered. “I didn’t expect them to be this quick off the mark. The Austrian air force… And where did they get so many ground-attack aircraft from?!” He looked over at me with some concern. “Seems we’ve got problems, Theodore. Those ground-attack planes are being covered by their fighter jets and are heading right for our positions! And we don’t have any anti-aircraft guns to deal with them.”
“Uncle Kirill!” I shouted over the rumble of explosions. “Pass me the Lightning! Fast!”
Grimrock didn’t quite get why I needed it, but he nonetheless handed me the small metal cylinder. I grabbed it, activated it, took aim, and fired into the sky. Using my magic to direct the round, I sent it flying straight into one of the attack planes. There was an almighty explosion, and the plane was blown to smithereens and came crashing down to earth.
“One more!” I shouted to Grimrock.
Without asking any questions, he handed me a second cylinder. I repeated my little trick, and another fighter jet turned into a ball of flame.
The remaining planes, evidently dumbfounded by this turn of events, hastened to retreat. Finding themselves without air support, the Austrian tanks began to turn around, trying to get out of the strike zone. Their infantry, who had by now succumbed to panic, also began to flee blindly.
“Whew… That was a close one,” I sighed.
Count Volynsky looked at me in astonishment.
“I must say, Theodore, that was… impressive!” he said, shaking his head in shock. “Is that another invention of yours? That… what did you call it… ‘Lightning’?”
“Yes,” I replied, smiling. “It’s a small modification of a pretty well-known gun.”
“I mean, with a weapon like that, you hardly need protecting!” remarked Volynsky, looking curiously at the Lightning that I was holding.
“Well, I can’t stay here forever,” I said with a shrug. “I’ve got other matters to attend to.”
“Theodore, is there any chance you might be willing to… share the blueprints of that… er… device? My engineers could put it into production.”
“With all due respect, Count,” I replied, “I’m still figuring you out.”
I ordered my crew to continue erecting the fortifications. My builders got to work without delay.
Count Volynsky, meanwhile, having left a few squads with us for protection, came over to bid me farewell.
“Thank you for your help,” I said to him as he was leaving. “By the way, when will your son have time for me to fit his second prosthesis?”
“Victor can come to you whenever you’re free,” the count replied.
“I’ll be free this evening. Tell him to come over.”
“Excellent! I’ll pass that on to him.”
Volynsky departed, and I surveyed the battlefield, which was strewn with bits of Austrian tank. I yawned wearily.
“I think I’m going to get some rest, Uncle Kirill,” I told Grimrock. “Contact me if anything comes up.”
Without waiting for him to reply, I walked over to my car in order to head home. I needed to get some sleep before Victor came over. After all, fitting a prosthesis isn’t the simplest of tasks, and it requires a great deal of concentration.
Having returned home, I went immediately to the workshop that I’d fitted out in my estate itself. Despite how tired I was, I was eager to finish working on Victor’s second prosthesis. Using my magic, I quickly prepared the metal parts and polished them until they were gleaming. Every single component in the prosthesis had been carefully designed and imbued with my energy. I wove fine threads of magic runes into the metal to increase its strength and give it special properties.
When I finished working, I felt a wave of fatigue wash over me. I’d used up a colossal amount of energy in recent days. I leaned against the wall, closed my eyes, and tried to regenerate my power.
“Dammit…” I thought. “My reserves of magic might be steadily growing, but they’re still not big enough. I need to find ways to speed that process up, and fast.”
I went upstairs, took a shower, and collapsed on my bed. I fell asleep instantly.
It was evening when I awoke, and it was already dark outside. I looked out of the window and noticed that Victor’s car was approaching at that very moment. I headed downstairs to meet him. Victor looked substantially better than the last time I’d seen him. There was a fire in his eyes, and a faint smile played across his face.
“Good evening, Mr. Babylonian!” he said, stretching out his new hand to me. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Hi there, Victor!” I replied. “Come into my workshop. There’s something we need to do.”
Victor eagerly followed me.
“So, are you ready to have your second prosthesis fitted?” I began when we entered the workshop.
“Yeah,” Victor replied with a nod. “I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
“Good. Then take a seat. We’ll get started.”
Victor sat down on a chair, and I opened the case containing the prosthesis and took it out. It was identical to his first prosthesis — it was just as light and strong and was covered in the same synthetic skin, which was indistinguishable from real skin.
The fitting process was a lengthy and painstaking task. First, I applied a special compound to the area around the amputation that would not only kill the pain and desensitize the skin but would also stimulate tissue regeneration. Then, I carefully attached the prosthesis to Victor’s nerve endings using the finest of surgical implements.
Victor didn’t even shudder or make a sound. He just frowned slightly when I began inserting the attachments into his flesh. Every single wire had to be correctly connected; otherwise, the prosthesis simply wouldn’t work.
“Hang on in there, Victor,” I said. “The most painful bit is over.”
He nodded and gritted his teeth.
Having fitted the attachments, I got started on the next step — connecting them to his nervous system. I used my magic to carefully join them onto his nerve endings. Once that was done, I meticulously calibrated the prosthesis. I needed to synchronize it with Victor’s nervous system so that he could control it as if it were his own arm. That was the most complex and time-consuming part.
But, eventually, it was all done.
“Try moving your fingers,” I said.
Victor closed his eyes and concentrated… and the fingers on his new hand began to move. Slowly at first, but then more confidently. Victor clenched and unclenched his fist and rotated his wrist. His face broke into a delighted smile.
“It works!” he exclaimed. “I can feel it! I can move it!”
Victor suddenly got up and hugged me with both arms. I could feel his body shaking as he wept. He quickly wiped away the tears using the back of his new hand and looked at me with an expression of profound gratitude.
“Mr. Babylonian,” he said, his voice trembling, “you can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve done for me! I… I thought I’d never be able to feel my arms again. It was… unbearable!”
I clapped him on the shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. I sensed in his words a distinct feeling of joy at being able to move his arms again, but also a pain and desperation that he had kept hidden for so long.”
“It’s all good now, Victor. You’re healthy again.”
“The thing is,” he explained, “my wounds… were caused by magic. No healers were able to help me! However much I paid them…”
I remarked to myself that I had indeed detected the distinct presence of Death magic on his body. Wounds like that don’t just heal by themselves. They can only be treated by very powerful Gifted Ones who control dark magic.
“Who were you fighting?” I inquired.
“The Ottoman Empire,” Victor replied.
I had read in the news that the situation between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire had been extremely tense recently. The Ottomans had blocked off the Bosphorus Strait, and there had been constant clashes at the border. People were saying that it was going to lead to war. I realized that Liechtenstein’s problems were the last thing on the Russian Empire’s mind right now. And that made me sad.
