Issue #27 RRP $8.95 Rory Douglas Abel Aliette ... - Upgrade Systems

The Case of the Overdressed Man
sulphurous smell grew in intensity and he felt the hairs on his nose itching. There was
a loud pop of displaced air and a familiar voice spoke.
“Dr T and young Nick — how nice.”
“Hello, Golgan,” Nick said with a sigh. He turned to look at the figure in the
pentagram. He was a small, squat man-like creature with large ears and a hooked
nose. He wore a rough brown robe, tied at the waist by a piece of cord. Nick watched
him test the edges of the pentagram, as though pushing against an invisible wall.
The pentagram held — Nick was very thorough. He had first met Golgan when
a pentagram had been broken and the summoned demon had escaped, taking Nick
with him. Only Dr Theosophus’s intervention had enabled him to return to this world
and he had no intention of visiting the demon world again. The experience had
taught Nick one thing though: don’t burgle the house of a magician in the middle of
a summoning.
“Golgan, I need you to find a woman for us,” Dr Theosophus said.
“I guessed as much,” Golgan said, turning the lock of hair over in his stubby little
hands. “So, what’s this woman to you?”
“Just go to Svenson’s house and tell us if she is there and what state she is in,” Dr
Theosophus said, ignoring the lewdness in Golgan’s voice.
“All right!” The small man clicked his fingers and was gone. Moments later, there
was another bang and he returned.
If possible, he looked even more disheveled than before; his robe was singed
round the edges and his hair stood out from his head in all directions.
“Why didn’t you warn me?” he cried out, waving a fist at Dr Theosophus.
“Warn you of what?”
“About the Elektron energy, of course,” Golgan said. “The stuff goes right through
me.”
“Ah. I’d heard that Svenson was experimenting, but didn’t realise that he had come
so far.”
“Well, I can’t go near the place, it’s buzzing with the stuff.”
Dr Theosophus sighed. He raised his wand again and uttered a single word. There
was a gentle pop and the pentagram was empty.
“This new Elektron energy is more of a problem than we thought,” Dr Theosophus
said. “We’d better talk to our client again.”
Nick followed the doctor down the stairs, wondering what they could do. Dr
Theosophus’s services relied on the creatures he summoned; without them he was an
ordinary man and this incident had clearly worried him.
“Now, Mr. Connaught,” Dr Theosophus said as he entered the study. He stopped in
the doorway and Nick looked over his shoulder to see the reason for his surprise.
The study was empty; the guest had gone.
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