Back in the room, I brought up the Fire Ants again, hoping Ibrahim might share something he hadn't mentioned earlier, but he had nothing new to offer.
So I turned to the basic bestiary manuals I had, flipping through them page by page, hoping to find something: an obscure mention, a forgotten footnote. But I came up empty. Not a whisper about creatures like that.
I even searched for similar names that included the word "fire" and pored over every scrap of advice on monsters with hardened defenses. Still nothing, aside from the usual tips: go for the legs, cut whatever could be cut.
After dinner, I prepared my arsenal. Since I wasn't quite sure what I'd need, I packed all the artifacts I had and tossed in a couple of healing potions, just in case.
After that, I went for a leisurely stroll before bed and had already forgotten about the next day's challenge before I even stepped into the park.
The school grounds were unusually quiet, almost eerily empty, and walking through them felt oddly calming. The cool evening air and the occasional unwelcome breeze didn't bother me at all.
It struck me that I liked Kitezh much more when it was empty. If only the teachers would vanish and all the classes were canceled...
My musings were cut short by the sound of footsteps and the faint rustling of leaves. I turned my head and saw the headmaster.
He was walking straight toward me.
I hadn't seen him in quite some time.
He was an odd fellow. It was already evening, dark and quiet, yet he still wandered around in those dark glasses. How on earth did he see where he was going?
I waited patiently as he approached, about to greet him, but he beat me to it.
"Good evening, Maxim."
"Good evening, sir."
"Out for a walk?"
"Yes. I wanted to sit by the lake a bit before calling it a day. By the way, why do you wear sunglasses in the evening?"
"Hm? It's a habit. Been doing it since I was young. I just can't seem to break free from it."
He's lying, Dorian sneered. It's definitely something to do with magic.
"I guessed as much."
"We all have our quirks," the headmaster continued casually. "Like doing heroic deeds..."
What was he talking about? Recently, I hadn't been involved in anything. I'd been keeping a low profile, staying out of trouble.
"Are you referring to those troublemakers Naryshkin and I beat up in Belozersk?"
Orlov looked at me with a smile.
"Among other things. By the way, have you heard about the strange cat that's appeared in our archives? The students say they sometimes see a skeletal feline lurking around the shelves."
"Skeleton cat?" I feigned surprise. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'd love to see such a creature myself."
"Hmm, I see. I thought it might be your handiwork."
"I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, sir," I said confidently, lying through my teeth. "If they're so scared, they can just drain its energy. It's just a walking skeleton."
"That's the problem, though. Most Gifts don't let students work the concept of dissipating necromantic energy. And those who do still can't handle this sneaky beast." Orlov sighed, a hint of regret in his voice.
"Clever little thing, no doubt. Always one step ahead. It's like it has a sixth sense for danger, knowing exactly when to disappear."
I felt a flicker of pride, knowing I had created a troublemaker like Faust. Next time, they would think twice before handing me such a dull, mind-numbing assignment. And if they still didn't get it, I would whip up a necro-crocodile for them.
"Interesting," I said thoughtfully. "What a clever cat."
"Indeed. I wonder where it came from," the headmaster mused, his gaze distant. "But since you don't know..."
By then, we had reached the lake. The water shimmered faintly in the fading light, and we strolled slowly along the quiet shoreline.
"So, you're staying here for the holidays?" Orlov asked.
"That's the plan. Maybe I'll take a walk around Belozersk, but that's about it," I replied.
"Figured as much..." The headmaster nodded slowly. "Actually, I wanted to ask you a favor."
"Yes?"
"Try to break that habit of yours and stay out of trouble, all right?
Most of the staff will be on vacation. Myself included. And without Naryshkin around to keep an eye on you..."
"I'll do my best," I said with a faint smile. "But if Alexey isn't here, I can't go to Belozersk. Looks like I'll be missing out on the Chestnut's famous Christmas cake after all."
"I'm glad to hear you're going to try," Orlov said with a smile, extending his hand. I shook it. "Ah, what the heck. It's the holidays. We'll lift the ban for now. If you behave, we might make it permanent."
"Really? Thank you! That's fantastic!"
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
"If a magical storm suddenly hits and you see a Distortion..."
"I'll run like the wind and tell the teachers. Just like the manual says. Cross my heart and hope to die."
*** As agreed, I met the crew around noon in the parking lot. Vasily and Varvara were already waiting in his car.
"Would you look at that..." Vasily grinned, pulled out his wallet, and handed a crumpled blue five-ruble note to Varvara. "You win."
"You thought I wouldn't show?" I asked as I settled into the back seat.
"Not just you," Varvara said with a sly smile. "We bet on all the newcomers. Almost half of them never show up."
"Interesting," I drawled. I didn't like the idea of being someone's bet. "Since I'm in on your little deal, I suppose that makes me part of the game too."
They both turned to me at once, their expressions flickering with surprise.
"If I'm part of your game, then I want a share of the winnings. Well, here I am. Varvara wins, and so do I."
Ha! That's the spirit, boy, Dorian praised. If I were you, I'd ask for more.
"That's..." Vasily drawled, scratching his cheek. "I don't think that's how that works."
"You're a funny one, Temnikov." Varvara chuckled. "Tell you what.
If you pass the test, I'll get you something nice as a welcome gift. You like sweets, yeah? Next time you order dessert, it's on me."
"Sounds good," I said with a nod.
Vasily started the car, and we set off.
We drove in silence for a while. It wasn't until Belozersk had slipped into the distance that they finally spoke. The briefing was short, mostly just warnings not to push my luck or try to play the hero.
We spent the rest of the ride talking about the Fire Ant. Most of it I had already heard from Ibrahim, and when he spoke, it carried the weight of experience. From these two, it sounded more like confident retellings of something they hadn't faced firsthand. Or at least, that was how it seemed to me.
"What about their shells?" I asked. "Is it true that not all swords can pierce them?"
"That's exactly what we wanted to warn you about," Vasily said.
"And 'pierce' is a relative term. A sword might not go through like a knife through butter, but it's not impossible, as long as you know where to hit.
Wait a second... Where did you even hear about this?"
"Varvara mentioned the creature by name, so I had a full day to prepare. I read up on it online and went through my old books."
"Don't lie, Temnikov," Varvara said sharply. "They don't sell books like that in stores. You won't find that kind of information in the Kitezh archives either, not as a first-year student. I know that for a fact. And people post all kinds of nonsense online."
"Where there's a will, there's a way and all that..."
"Keep in mind I still don't believe you," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "But whatever." She waved a hand, more to brush the thought aside than to end the conversation. "What color is the crystal in your sword?"
"Orange."
"That's tricky," she said, biting her lip thoughtfully. "You're in for a rough ride, Max. If I were you, I'd focus on the joints."
"Got it." I nodded.
Once we had traveled quite far beyond Belozersk, Vasily veered onto a dirt track winding into the forest and drove between the trees.
"Where are we headed?"
"To its lair. It's not far from here," Varvara said. "Local hunters were the ones who raised the alarm. They come here to trap ermine, but that bastard keeps stealing their catch. The officials didn't care, since no one was getting hurt, so the hunters turned to mercenaries, and we were offered a share of the reward. That's why we're here."
"And the monster hunters?"
Varvara just shrugged. Ibrahim answered instead.
"Seasoned hunters usually don't take jobs like this. The pay's too low. We value our time and skills. Jobs like this are for mercenaries or Distortion Guards."
So the Fire Ant was small fry to people like him. Honestly, I hadn't expected anything else, and I'd have been disappointed if it were otherwise.
The car halted near a cluster of wooden cabins. The guys explained they belonged to a group of hunters who'd occasionally come here from Belozersk for a couple of days.
We stepped out and headed into the woods. Seeing that Vasily and Varvara knew exactly where to go, they'd already been here before.
Looks like the hunt won't be interesting. This is a waste of time, Dorian said gloomily after we'd walked for a few minutes. I can barely sense the creature. It probably doesn't have much energy within itself.
Even that six-legged wolf gave off more than this thing.
"We're not here for that," I reminded him. "If I pass this exam, we'll have plenty chances to farm energy for you."
I suppose, he muttered, his voice edged with irritation. The thing's nearby, just so you know.
I activated my sword. Vasily and Varvara followed suit.
"You weren't kidding," Vasily said with a smirk. "You really can sense those things."
"Why would I lie about that?" I replied. "If I'd known you didn't believe me, I'd have bet you ten cakes right then and there, and spent the whole holiday feasting like a king."
In that moment, we approached a vast, gaping hole in the earth.
"Here we are," Varvara said, pulling out a small glass bottle sealed with a rubber stopper.
Pop!
The stopper shot out, releasing a wave of sweet perfume into the air.
The scent was so strong and intoxicating it made my head spin. Vasily and I instinctively pinched our noses shut.
"Damn, Gvozdeva! You should've told me we'd need gas masks!"
Vasily grumbled. "What's that terrible smell?"
"One of my dates gave it to me. For some reason, he thought I was into perfumes." The girl smiled slyly. "As you know, there's no better way to flush out a Fire Ant from its hole than with a sharp, overpowering scent."
She unclenched her hand, and the bottle tumbled noiselessly downward. A few seconds passed, and I could feel the ground beneath my feet begin to shift and stir. Closer and closer...
First came the jaws, massive, serrated, and glistening, emerging from the burrow like a warning. Then followed a vivid yellow head, oversized and gleaming in the fading light.
The ant was roughly the size of a large crocodile, but its presence felt far more unnatural.
It hauled itself out of the hole on thick, powerful legs, though its movements were slow and heavy, as if burdened by its own bulk. Maybe it was the hour. We had caught it at sunset, the worst possible time for a creature like this.
Varvara told me the initiation was meant to demonstrate that I could work effectively as part of a team. It wasn't just about combat skills, but also about coordination and staying calm in the face of danger.
Keeping a clear head wouldn't be the difficult part. What I really wanted was to prove myself.
Of the three of us, I was the only one wielding an orange energy sword. Varvara carried a more formidable red blade, while Vasily held the most powerful of all — a striking blue saber.
Before the ant could fully emerge, Vasily darted in from behind and struck its back with a swift blow, carving a deep groove into its molten chitin shell.
The creature instantly whipped its massive head around and snapped its jaws at the exact spot where he had stood just a moment before.
With a sudden, forceful jerk, the ant burst from the earth and lunged straight at me. I had no choice but to turn and run. A well-timed tactical retreat was still a way to prove myself.
Fortunately, Varvara was there. She struck its enormous, fiery-red backside with her sword, sending acid splashing in all directions. It was a miracle none of it hit her.
The beast let out a piercing squeal and instantly lost interest in me, turning its menacing gaze on Varvara instead.
By then, I had already rushed back. Focusing on its hind legs, I struck first one, then the other, aiming for the joints.
Both strikes paid off. Chunks of flesh flew in all directions as the Fire Ant collapsed onto its belly with a heavy thud. I seized the moment and struck its back, and finally saw for myself what Ibrahim meant by the creature's impenetrable resilience.
My energy sword carved a deep gash into its armor but still didn't break through. That failed strike, and my inability to pierce its defenses, was something I had half expected, yet it still caught me off guard.
If I wanted to face serious monsters, I would need a better sword.
And soon.
Meanwhile, the beast flailed desperately with its remaining legs, trying to make sense of what had just happened, still hoping to strike back.
But it was in vain. Vasily and Varvara closed in from opposite sides and struck at once, overwhelming it.
Vasily made another precise incision, cutting through its tough shell.
Varvara, quick as a flash, severed one of its limbs, and the Fire Ant collapsed onto the grass again, this time in a crumpled heap. Pale liquid began to seep from its wounds, thick as jelly and foul as sewage.
We closed in from all sides, relentlessly trying to finish it off. My blows, admittedly, didn't do much, but I managed to cut off all its legs and antennae. Following the plan I had mapped out in my head for this fight, I struck at everything I could reach with all the precision I could muster.
At last, the Fire Ant twitched a few times and then went still. It didn't explode into sparks, and no magical crystal was left behind.
Just as Dorian already predicted in his typically unhelpfully nonspecific way, this monster wasn't carrying the Curse. It was just an ordinary creature born of the Distortion.
While I was examining it, Vasily reached into his pocket and pulled out several glass vials, slipping on the dark-green gloves we used during alchemy lessons. With careful precision, he began to drain the foul, yellowish acid from the Ant's backside.
"Quite a valuable find," he said, glancing at me with a smirk. "We'll sell each vial for fifty rubles. You'll get your fair share. Too bad Varvara tore it up like that. We could've collected a lot more."
"Oh, excuse me, princess," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "Should I have waited until it took a bite out of Temnikov?"
"Chill out, will you?" Vasily grinned. "You did great. You too, Max.
I'm honestly impressed. Didn't think you had it in you. Figured you'd be halfway up a tree by now."
"I really should've made a bet with you. I could've walked away with those cakes."
"Should've, would've, could've." He chuckled, almost completely filling the third tube when the acid finally ran out. "By the way, there's a reward for the Fire Ant. A hefty two thousand rubles. Ten percent goes to the mercenaries for setting up the deal. So, that leaves us with six hundred rubles each. And on top of that, you get another fifty for the acid."
"Did I pass the exam?"
"With flying colors." Varvara smiled. "As promised, dessert's on me."
"And Naryshkin? You said you'd think about him."
Vasily and Varvara exchanged glances, then he said:
"Actually, we still need to consult with the others, but if you vouch for him..."
"I do."
"Then go ahead and talk to him. Let him decide for himself."
I was on cloud nine the whole ride back. What a start to the holiday week!
But there was still so much to be done. The apartment in Belozersk was at the top of the list. It needed to be furnished properly, and I also had to figure out the heating situation. Winter was just around the corner, and I refused to shiver through it.
Updating my wardrobe came second. I didn't have a single piece of winter clothing here. Not to mention that my boots were too small, squishing my toes. And leaky!
My parents sent me a monthly allowance of fifty rubles, but I doubted that'd last me long. How was I supposed to get by without some side gigs?
Visiting Morok was the third item on my list.
And most importantly, I had a mountain of tasks waiting for me at Tenedom! Alchemy lessons with Lacrimosa, my own experiments, and I definitely needed to check the Book of a Thousand Places. Perhaps new images had appeared on its pages, revealing hidden secrets.
We've got a lot of work to do, my friend, Dorian said, his voice low and laced with amusement. Maybe you're ready to learn more advanced curses. We'll have to add that to our schedule too. He gave a faint chuckle.
After all, it's high time you started putting that talent of yours to proper use.
Of course he had to bring it up now. What could possibly be more important than his lessons?
Still, I had to admit, it did sound intriguing. At least the holidays wouldn't be boring.
END OF BOOK 1