Free My Path to Magic 2: A Combat Alchemist by Irina Syromyatnikova Page B

spoiling my mood. Typically, the Fund's fellows had to pay the money back by their work at assigned places; sometimes the Fund did not mind getting their loan repaid in cash, but I couldn't count on that. By the way, as soon as I began pondering on that matter, the placidity caused by my necromantic practice vanished immediately. The closer I was to graduation, the more often it was happening. Thus, one Sunday morning I got up for my combat training in my normal spirited mood.
    The sun shone, b irds sang on the island. Lacking my necromantic numbness, I finally realized that I felt profound abomination toward the situation: two seasoned combat mages kicked poor me like a ball and called it "training", and I had nothing to fend off my teachers. I felt like they humiliated me. Enough of this mockery! I pondered what could be done against them. In the presence of two strong opponents, I did not experience any combat ardor and had no desire to commit a painful suicide.
    I worked on defense from an attack with amulets during that class. My task was to determine when my opponent was switching from an assault with a weaving to an amulet-enhanced attack and set up a special screen against it. In case of a breach, which was quite likely as I just learned how to shield myself from a combined blow, I expected a very unpleasant effect: Satal aimed below my waist. What a vindictive bastard!
    If he knew how it would end…
    Seeing how he was about to punish me, I became angry and decided to use one trick: I formed a two-fold shield.  Its first, weaker layer was supposed to passively accept a blow of the hostile magic and dissipate, convincing my opponent of the success of his attack. But then its second layer came into play, strengthening and deflecting the hostile energy after a second delay - when my opponent was not expecting anything more. I confess, at the time I did not think how my trickery could hurt Satal and honestly did not realize the might of the curse I produced. My sophisticated shield, worthy of a master of magic, enhanced and reflected back the energy of Satal's blow, hitting the most vulnerable spot on my teacher's body. Poisonous-green sparks danced with purple flashes, and a beautiful branching lightning discharged below Satal's waist. As the final chord, the river around the island became covered in mist.
    Satal blundered: my trick fooled him, and he was late with his shield. I did not envy my teacher - he had no time to diminish the energy of the kickback. To be fair, he would never hit me if I was not prepared to respond - he was afraid of seriously injuring me. So my counterattack was dishonest. Satal, alive, slowly wiped his face, brilliant from sweat. I really felt guilty, but at the same time I thought I missed a good chance to rid myself of all my problems at once.
    "Hey! What are you doing?" the "corporal" asked us suspiciously, shaking off his own weavings (but without such a dramatic effect).
    Satal could not talk: a senior coordinator with a trembling voice would be a shame for the entire profession.
    "I think we're done for today," I dared to suggest.
    Satal managed to approach me, shook my hand in silence, patted me on the shoulder, and walked toward the pier.
    "You know," Fatun summed up, looking down and digging in the sand with a toe of his boot, "you'd better stay away from duels. Except for a fist fight, maybe."
    I sighed and told the colonel everything that I thought of him in the most simple and easy to understand words. This scoundrel's muzzle became as radiant as a copper basin, and he hastened after his boss.
    Well, they were driving me nuts, they were!

Chapter 6
    "Brilliant …" the senior coordinator moaned, staring at the ceiling with eyes drunk from adrenaline shock.  "Brilliant…And he tinkers with stupid alchemy!"
    A fo rgotten cup of tea cooled on his desk. The dark magician sat in his chair transversely, with his feet almost over the chair's back. He was recalling his last combat