68 A Waste of Money (1/2)
”While I'm curious why the Crusaders are after you Master, I'm more interested in why no one is coming to see what all the ruckus was about. Your sound ward wouldn't have stopped everything.” The barrier Nikolai lay down earlier only restricted the passage of physical damage and Magic. It couldn't do anything about the vibrations generated by their combat and his Master's initial wards melted as he began his attack.
”Typical. Boy, you have no idea where we are.” Etenani cracked his knuckles and reached for the glass of wine Nikolai poured. ”Even now you lose track of your surroundings.”
”I'm not that bad.”
[Remember the Imperial Catacombs?] Seven lounged against a cupboard Nikolai had repaired. It was one of the first things to shatter in their fight, which also made it the most difficult to put back together. There were still a few scraps missing, turned to ash by Etenani's fire.
”You can't blame that on me. I was given poor directions.” Dark dungeons and tombs of past Emperors were not conducive to accurate path finding. He took several days to return from his 'pilgrimage' to the First Emperor's tomb. ”You know what makes me mad Seven? You actually had a map, yet you watched as I wandered around, misdirected.”
[Lost.] Seven grinned, drinking from a flask retrieved from the Fates knew where. He wasn't interested in wines.
”Master Mages don't get lost.” Nikolai declared, gathering scattered notes onto the table, shaking fingers a stark reminder of the time. He'd delayed his last dose for too long.
”You do.” Etenani chimed in, cheeks already flushed with wine. The old Mage was always a little drunk. Even on his best days. ”Always have. I remember one time in… what was the name of that place? Oh yes, Losotesk. You tried to make a break for it but ended up wandering some Lich's tomb.”
”It wasn't a tomb Master. It was an altar for a Lich's return. And I didn't run away. You sent me into the depths of those ruins to search for food because you lost most of our supplies when we ran away from those necromancers.” When he reflected on his past, Nikolai couldn't help but wonder about his strange apprenticeship. It was only after being drafted and joining the Imperial War College that he learned how Masters were supposed to behave. Too late to save himself, but enough for Jarek to sleep in peace.
”Irregardless, you wander without guidance.” Etenani smacked his lips with delight, eyes glowing at the precious vintage. ”You've become much better at selecting wine though.”
During his apprenticeship, Nikolai would keep a flagon of wine or small cask of liquor on him to sate his Master's thirst. He'd been on the verge of breaking the habit, but the extraordinary Aunt Natalia appeared and satisfying her cravings for alcohol was a task. She required fine vintages and smooth flavours while his Master would drink anything with even a little alcohol in it. Which was why the few bottles secreted in his bags of holding were so valuable.
”That's because it's not meant for you.” Nikolai groaned as the expensive drink trickled down his Master's chin and onto his already stained clothing. ”Must you waste it?”
”Wine's to be enjoyed.” He grunted. ”And what kind of apprentice doesn't prepare nice offerings for their Master?”
”Apprentices who have to pay out of their own pocket. Apprentices who have to drag their drunken Master across half a Principality because he couldn't wait to try a brandy that ended up being poisoned. Apprentices who have to dig through ancient ruins for an entire night because your Fates cursed pendant lights up for a glass of ancient whiskey.” Nikolai was almost shouting by the end, frustrated at how little Etenani had changed. ”Master you're almost a hundred and fifty now! You can't keep going like this.”
”I always knew you cared boy.” Hand against heart, Etenani gazed at him with watery eyes and trembling lips.
”That's disgusting Master.”
Etenani clicked his tongue, slumping back onto the bed. ”You used to fall for that.”
”We somehow lost track…” Nikolai began, only to be interrupted by a cheerful Seven's signs.
[You lost track.]
”Just stop. So where are we supposed to be Master?”
”An inn run by House Gagarin for their agents going into Arkhangelsk. Plenty of shady stuff goes down here. A few muffled thuds isn't enough to even raise an eyebrow. Actually, most of them would sleep through anything in a drunken haze.” Since their disastrous military expedition to Senro, the Gagarin's eyed the Suzdal's like hawks. It wasn't surprising for them to have a place like this in the town.
”Like you.”
”I am not a drunkard.”
Nikolai eyed his Master's clothes, lips twisted in disappointment at the stink of alcohol. ”Then your shirt is awfully fond of the hard stuff.”
Etenani looked down at his clothes in wonder, puzzlement twisting his brow. ”What a waste.” He murmured and Nikolai had the sudden urge to throttle the old man.
With a great sigh, Nikolai studied his trembling fingers for a moment, reading his pocket watch to note down the time. Already delayed by two hours, he pulled a small packet of refined Stardust from his pocket and swallowed it with a grimace.
”I heard about what happened.” Etenani slammed his glass onto the table and gestured for Nikolai to pour more.
”Who told you?” Nikolai closed his eyes for a few seconds as the shaking subsided. He'd pored over Kazimierz' notes, trying to understand the alchemical variations in his version of Stardust. The same Stardust he was now addicted to. There was no denying that Kazimierz was a genius, his creation somehow capable of building a dependency without impairing the target's mental faculties. Nikolai still didn't know how it worked, but following the directions listed in the notes and a short conversation with one of the alchemy experts on the Imperial Mage Council, he refined a small batch to stave off the addiction. Every dose was carefully calculated to wean him from the stuff, but the best estimates of his colleague placed the last dose eighteen to twenty-four months from now.
”You shouldn't have sent your request to the Council if you wanted it kept a secret. Dog-face has loose lips.” Etenani said.
”She's your cousin Master, and an expert in her field.” Master Olga was a peerless scholar who Nikolai respected. She also took his side against his Master in most situations. He would always defend her in return for that. Even if she looked like a sad puppy. Not the cute kind.
”Still looks like a dog.” Etenani echoed his thoughts. ”Now that I'm so close to you I can feel the changes. What's going on with your body? Atavism? No… your ancestors are from the Ekari lineage, but the Aura Grandmasters blood could have responded due to physical interaction with your girl.”