Interlude 3 - Magic

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- It's about time you called me, Neo. Seriously, just half an hour ago I was on a sea day, where there was certainly no communication. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to resurface," the Boss greeted me as soon as I called him. And I guess I did get lucky, if Edmunds was to be believed.

- Good day to you, too, Chief," I said, thinking about the wording of my request, "My team and I have determined that magic is involved, but we have a problem. We need an expert in local magic, but we just don't have one. Can you give us a clue?

- Magic, so... Hmm, I suspected something like that, but since you need an expert, it must be serious. Well, I can give you two options," the boss began to say, in a slightly thoughtful tone, "The first option is the famous magician Zatanna Zattara, who is actually a magician. Her help would be quite difficult to get, and threatening the government could cause serious repercussions. However, she is a simple person, and may agree to help you for nothing. But the second option...

At this point, the boss hesitated for a moment, as if wondering if I should even talk about it, but he sighed heavily and continued.

- ... is a private detective named John Constantine, a rather ambiguous person, who, however, will help you just for money. Yes and he has more knowledge, so he will definitely tell you everything you need to know. Find him through your skills or through our superiors. I definitely remember that he's a detective, and now somewhere in America. However, if you don't find him, you can go to the first identity, it will be much easier to find.

- That makes things a lot easier. I was already afraid I'd have to go round every gypsy in the state if you don't know anything," I joked.

- Ahahahahahaha, you're good. Already learning how to make jokes. Okay, time for me to take another dive. And of course I have a cool satellite phone that won't be bugged, but I can't take it with me, so don't try to call again. I probably won't pick up, so there's no time to waste," the Chief said.

- Goodbye, then, Boss," I said, switching off the call and sinking into thought. So, we even have two options. Interesting, very interesting.

But judging by the way the boss spoke about this Konstantin, that one is obviously a professional, and someone like a mercenary, so it's better to find him first. And character is a small thing to endure.

But first we have to find him. After the last attack, Uther senses some kind of danger and is in a hurry. He went to all the murder sites but found nothing and only erased the seals. But he told me those seals were too old for him to erase them properly.

And the surviving witnesses don't remember the killer's face, not even his physique, just a blurred silhouette followed by pain, and that's it. On the one hand, we've made minimal progress, but on the other hand, we've moved on.

Plus, I suspect the witnesses discovered the maniac because of Uther's actions in erasing the seal. Because according to them, they heard a bright flash of light and a cry of pain, to which they immediately rushed. And already there they were attacked.That's already good, and now it's time to start searching for Constantine, and at the same time it will still need to remember to get some sleep, so as not to be half dead the next day.

A few hours later.

- Yeah, it was hard to find him. He didn't stand out at all, even though he had a relatively unusual name. And you could say I was lucky again. A strange series of improbable coincidences sounds like so much, really. But so far everything is within the realm of the explainable.

Constantine should be in a small town in our state right now, so it shouldn't take long to get to him. I left Uther, who was still tracking the assassin, out of the way for now, and took only one of the Assassins who had originally accompanied us in the shadows.

And there was already a driver waiting for me at the exit of our temporary headquarters in Washington, all that was left was to get there. Getting into the car, I decided to still take a little nap, it was at least an hour drive for sure, so I had a chance to rest.

When I woke up, the car had already stopped and the driver called out to me. Great, I even became a little more awake, although now I only want to sleep more. Alright then...

Getting out of the car and stretching a little, I immediately moved towards the small building where Konstantin was supposed to live. Walking to the first floor, I went to the door and rang the bell.

A minute of waiting and I rang the bell again, hearing no answer, I knocked the door louder, and again silence. Is he not home, that's a bit unfortunate. What should I do then, sit and wait for him here.

But just as I was thinking about my next move, the next door on the floor opened and a woman of about twenty-five came out.

- Are you looking for John? - she asked me.

- Yes, I'm looking for Detective John Constantine," I answered, looking around for her.

- He should be hanging out in a bar nearby right now. Just walk out of the building and take a left down the street until you see a brightly coloured sign that says 'Bar'. He's usually either there or at home," she told me. And the girl obviously knew the mage well.

- Fine, thank you for your help," I said, heading out of the building.

- And if you find him, tell him he owes me two months' rent. If he doesn't pay in the next few days, I'll evict him," she said after me.

Yeah, well, I guess things aren't going so well for John. But that's okay. It's good for me. I mean, if he can help us out, he'll get a good deal. I hope the boss wasn't lying about him and that he's the right man for us.

I got out of the car and went into the bar. There weren't many people inside, and I looked around at all of them at once, but only one person interested me. A blond-haired man with stubble in an old trench coat, who was sitting behind the bar with a tired expression on his face and drinking something obviously alcoholic.

I calmly walked over and sat next to him, asking the bartender to pour me something mildly alcoholic. Taking a couple of sips and grimacing slightly at the vile taste, I turned to the mage.

- You're John Constantine, aren't you? - I asked him.

- Depends on who's asking," he replied, not taking his eyes off his drink.

- A rich client who needs your services," I said.

- Now that's interesting. So what do you need from me? - Already turned to me and began to examine, he said.

- We have a case, connected with the supernatural, in which you could help, - I told him, pulling out a folder with a case.

- What kind of case? And what makes you think I know about this kind of thing? - John asked, squinting.

- You were recommended to me by a very distinguished man, praising your abilities and your challenging nature," I told him without going into details.

- I would very much like to ask what this person is, but apparently I will not get an answer. So what is the essence of my work? - He said with a tired sigh, to which I simply handed him our artist's sketch of a pentagram.

- What's this? Heh, it's just a regular sixth pentacle of the moon, just slightly modified. It can't do any harm, except for the incessant rain, - said Konstantin calmly.

- But that's only one of the seals. Besides, they were all painted with the blood of living people before they were sacrificed," I told him, and instantly saw the change in his face. He immediately became much more serious and focused.

- Bad... we need to go somewhere else, more private," Constantine said as she paid the bartender. I also threw a couple of dollars on the counter, and rushed off after John.

- 'We can talk in my car. If you agree to help us, we can do it on the way, - I said, chasing John and pointing to the car.

- Okay, let's go," the man replied to me.

We walked quickly and got into the car. I signalled to the driver and he drove off immediately, closing the partition between us.

- You really are not an easy man... but maybe I'll find out who I'll be working with after all," Konstantin said as he looked round the car.

- Ahem, I think that's a good place to start. My name is Thomas Anderson, or Neo. I'm an agent of the Argent Squad, United States government," I said, pulling out my squad badge.- Well, yes, the government... Haaaaah, I've already agreed," John said in a less than cheerful tone.

- Did you have a bad experience with the government? - I asked him.

- Well, you could say that," he replied without going into details.

- Okay, here are all the other seals found at the crime scenes," I said, pulling documents from a hidden compartment in the car. There were not only seals, but also information about the case.

- So that's it... By the way, how much exactly will you pay me? - he asked me. Here the boss said to just offer him more, so that he would definitely agree.

- If you do not fight, then twenty thousand, and if you do, then forty thousand... Will you be satisfied with this amount? - I asked him.

- Very generous, I like it, - John said with a smile, and then he opened the folder and immediately began to examine the symbols, - But I don't like this one.

- What is it? - I asked him.

- I think we're dealing with a powerful demon, but we need to see everything to be sure," he said, still examining the documents.

He watched for a few minutes, his expression changing from indifference to frowning very often, until it became extremely wary, and at the same time concerned.

- I can definitely tell you that the situation is not good. This fanatic is trying to summon a demon far stronger than he can handle, and he's doing all the rituals to do it. And if he succeeds, we'll have an unrestricted Duke of Hell, Crozell," he said.

Well, I guess it's going to be more complicated than that. However, we have Uther, and Constantine himself, as well as Assassin. Though it would be even better if we just didn't allow the summoning...

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