Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Четвертая глава

Chapter 4

Camrad_RIP 02.06.21 в 19:35

It was the first really hard fight I'd ever had. I might have been tired in the battle with the goblins and the bear, but I didn't have to think much. Just kick and help yourself with the shadows, that was the arithmetic of the battle. But this time was different, very different.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 06:30

I won the battle with the orcish leader not on the basis of superior ability or characteristics, but solely on my brains. Now, rewinding the course of the battle in my head, I realize that in direct combat I had no chance from the start. The orc had a stupidly higher level, characteristics, skill scores, better weapons, and defense. The only thing he was the least bit inferior to me in was speed and agility, which was easily compensated for by his fighting style and great experience. I survived only through mythical class, but even he could not turn the tide of the fight. I needed to start from a distance - to harass this green-skinned tank with shadow attacks while staying hidden. I could have won with that plan of action, but I, an underage idiot, went for the melee, and I was bound to get screwed.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 06:35

I am proud that I outsmarted my enemy. I managed to create a situation in which extensive battle experience lost out to cunning and resourcefulness. But, again, I pulled out at the expense of shadows, not personal proficiency.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 10:49

I thought about all this while I silently swore and dug my knife out of the dead man's ear, trying not to disturb my ribs. I wasn't exactly a medical man, but I did my first aid course at school, so I could identify the trauma. I'm not sure if it's really a fracture, but I can guarantee a fracture and an extensive hematoma. On Earth, such injuries would have been enough to leave me lying on the ground, howling softly in pain. Now, with my stamina, I'd call my condition tolerable and even limited-capable, though I don't want to disturb the injured parts of my body at all.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 10:56

The knife left the orc's skull with a quiet, but fucking disgusting "clunk," and I tried to wipe off my only weapon because holding it in my hands was unbearable. I had to use the skins of the dead chieftain, which, by the way, were not clean and did not smell of daisies. I did not abandon this venture only because I did not wish to leave my knife at the mercy of fate. There was not only the necessity of the weapon - there were plenty of them lying around - but a kind of attachment specifically to this work of the unknown goblin. He and I had been through so much trouble that to abandon a comrade in need would be shameful of me.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:00

Yeah.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:01

All the cool heroes in the ranobe have their favorite and memorable blades as a minimum of legendary grade artifacts. And I'm the only one who has a shitty goblin craft. Individuality is obvious, bitch!

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:05

As I cleaned my weapon-most of the problem was the hilt-I kept my attention on the sphere of shadows, carefully tracking the actions and movements of the men. And the men themselves, by the way, were moving in my direction. There is no doubt that my actions made some noise, though we fought with the chief in silence. Neither he nor I shook the air with shouts.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:08

In any case, the people - those who could still stand on their feet - wanted to check at least the shooters - because the proud owners of the crappy bows never came out to them, but they stopped shooting. The fact that most of those shooters had been destroyed by me was simply unknown to them.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 11:45

I move carefully away from the defeated orc, find a relatively clear spot, and sit under a tree, hiding just in case. I'll wait for the guests, as they've already noticed a considerable number of dead greenhorns scattered around the forest. It was a live (dead) illustration of the necessity of keeping to formation - if they'd come at me in groups, or at least stayed together, covering their backs, instead of "piling up" in small groups, I'd have had to run away quickly. Of course they made that mistake, because I deliberately kept them from reacting the way they wanted, and only knocked out the stragglers, but they didn't try very hard to stop me, either. Especially orcs, goblins have it in their blood to attack a crowd of one, orcs began to attack me in groups, only after I had time to slash a lot.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 19:18

With each green-skinned corpse they found, the people tensed more and more. I couldn't help but understand them, for in a place like this, far from civilization, it was somehow unlikely to encounter a good savior. But another creature that first cut the attackers, and then can and defenders finish off ... It's easy to believe such crap. Especially for these guys, who certainly knew the dark side of life.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 19:20

There were only four survivors of the battle. No, there were six, but the two wounded remained in the camp while the others went to clean up the mess. It was a sensible decision, though if I decided to go and finish off the wounded, no one would stop me. And not just anyone like me, but anyone who wants to. However, something tells me that these guys will not be too sad about the fate of their remaining comrades.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 20:17

When they reached the final battle site, they all concentrated around the orc's body, completely forgetting to keep an eye on their surroundings. Oh, bad, bad, bad! Who does that? Who does that, huh? I almost wish to kick them all in the ass, but I restrain my impulse, aware of the need to establish communication. It's better not to start a dialogue on a bad note.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 20:19

In the meantime, the four, led by the same combat faggot, began to whisper about something. The wearer of the faggot cloak himself, I might add, was pressing his left hand to his belly, clearly unwilling to move it. Was it broken? Or just dislocated? The rest of the warriors looked far worse: two of the armorers had battered armor, several small wounds on the man without armor, and too fuzzy, blurry movements, indicating concussion. They'd been through a lot.

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 20:36

"Look at that body!" The armorless warrior, apparently of some ranger class, declared. "He had scars all over his body, and his skin is dark with a grayish hue. Look at the size of him! It's not a youngster or a simple greenhead, it's a goddamn chief! They get so many scars by the twentieth level, and his skin doesn't turn gray until his thirties! And he got fucking killed by something."

Camrad_RIP 03.06.21 в 20:39

"Quiet. Don't make any noise." The aristocrat, unlike the nervous "naturalist," spoke softly, but his interlocutor shut up immediately. "Just tell me what killed him."

Camrad_RIP 04.06.21 в 06:44

“I have no idea.” The ranger answered. “There's some kind of skill all over the ground, but I'm sure it was the orc himself that hit. Whoever was messing with him didn't leave any footprints on the ground. At least not enough for me to see.”

Camrad_RIP 04.06.21 в 06:49

“Assassin?” Indifferently, but at the same time tensely asked the commander.

Camrad_RIP 04.06.21 в 06:51

“No, of course they can. Sazan could do that, even though he's a ranger. But a Rogue or Thief would be crushed by such a creature in a single blow. I'd have believed it if he'd been killed instantly, but there was obviously a struggle. And the leader of a full-fledged gang had lost. And the rest of the greenheads were killed by someone, mostly in the back.”

Camrad_RIP 04.06.21 в 06:58

“I see.” The Duelist didn't change his face. “What killed him?”

Camrad_RIP 04.06.21 в 07:05

“Fuck knows.“ It sounded back. “They stuck something in his ear and blew his fuckin' brains out. Maybe a needle or some kind of spike. I've seen Rogues use them. But the fucking wound's too big. I don't know.”

Camrad_RIP 04.06.21 в 07:11

“It was an obsidian goblin knife.” I put my five cents in from under the tree, removing my stealth at the same time as I played with the knife.

Camrad_RIP 04.06.21 в 07:11

The pompous appearance was a four-plus, and I congratulate myself! All four of them flinched, even the duelist, and then turned sharply toward me, drawing their weapons. They did not, thank the torrents, throw themselves into battle, but they looked on apprehensively. Well, that makes sense - I do have something to be afraid of (if you don't praise yourself, no one will).

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 19:37

"I suppose we should be grateful to you for the early warning before the attack, as well as for... all this... " At the last phrase, the aristocrat circled my battlefield with his working hand.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 19:38

And he was the only one who didn't even try to point his sword at me, unlike his comrades. A commendable restraint, I might add. Well, or maybe it's common sense.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 19:38

"Yeah," I answered. "I was walking through the woods, and there were orcs. So I think I'll ask them for directions. And they go straight into a fight. Isn't that a shame?"

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:02

My comment was followed by a slight twitch in his eye, and a muffled chuckle from behind him. Either I was making such a cool joke, or the guys were in post-fight withdrawal mode. I hadn't wondered why I didn't have it in the first place, preferring to attribute my amazing stress tolerance to the title of Hero.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:03

"Is that so?" Clarifies. "Well, that's certainly quite rude of them."

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:04

"Yeah." With all the sincerity I can muster. "They've hurt me right to the heart! I'm to them with an open heart, and they, such bastards, to poke me with spears! Oh, the wicked!"

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:07

"You, I presume, possessed a high enough level and at least a unique class to explain them wrong?" My interlocutor politely inquires.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:07

It's like a fishing rod, about who I am. So I could scratch my ego and brag. Well, that's a little too direct, honestly. Where are the sly and tricky questions, like professional detectives do? Although if he knew how to ask such questions, he probably would not be in such company.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:09

"Why is it unique?" I am offended and indignant. "Three mythical classes, no less!"

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:10

Would you say I'm taking a risk? You would even be right. But the likelihood that they will believe me, or that this guy has the skill to spot a lie, is very slim. In fact, that old trick of "tell the plain truth, no one will believe it" works a lot less often than it's written about in books. Try joking at customs that you're carrying drugs or a bomb, you'll experience a lot of different far from pleasant feelings. But in this case, I decided to take the risk, because my joke looked not like a stupid joke, but like a polite "fuck you" in response to a question about my status.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:12

Seriously, if I understand correctly, the status here is something very intimate and one should be very, very careful when asking questions about it. Especially to a total stranger, whom you see for the first time in your life. In fact, he prompted me to think about it with his extremely veiled question, instead of just asking me about it straight.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:14

Judging by the reaction of the audience, I was right - the laughter from the trio who did not participate in the conversation had become hard to contain. And the aristocrat himself did not even hold back, laughing softly and covering his face with his working hand, finally leaving the sword hanging on his belt alone. After laughing, he immediately backed away:

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:16

"Okay, I admit it was rude of me. I'm sorry, but the situation is too nerve-racking. My name is Losij of House Asterium, the third son of my father if you're interested in such details. May I know your name?"

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:23

I'd like to give a false name, but something tells me that's not a good idea. Especially if there are ways to check the status of an individual. Yes, if someone sees my background, the false name would be my last problem. But I have no doubt that the System can put a new name in place of the old one, and I like being Constantine. Man, what if my name sounds too alien to the locals? It would be dumb to be framed like this, and on the spot.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:24

"Call me Tin, you can't go wrong." I'll compromise by tearing off a big chunk of my name.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:25

I feel like the hero of some shitty fantasy, for fuck's sake! If my name were also Alexander, then it would be a complete coincidence of clichés.
11124

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:26

And that's how we met.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:28

The three behind Losij introduced themselves, too, looking more relaxed and calmly in my direction. The ranger was Hans, and the two warriors were Tex and Gummy (I almost choked and swore I wouldn't use the teddy bear gag). There were still wounded Zerah and Shonsa in the camp, but by the time we returned, Shonsa had already passed away. Too severe a wound, and also in the stomach-maybe it's a good thing he didn't suffer. Personally, I wouldn't have been able to heal myself from such a wound. Unless I threw all my stamina points in, and then prayed to St. Randomius that there would be enough to heal myself.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:30

Despite my outwardly relaxed and silent gut feeling, I don't let any of the people walking beside me out of shadow perception. I don't trust them at all, but I don't want to survive alone anymore. So I risk my health by trying to fit into someone else's company.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:33

I could share the alchemy with the survivors, but their wounds were not so dangerous that their lives depended on it (and in case of conflict they would play in my favor). And there is very little of that alchemy left - most of it crumbled during the battle.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:33

So I had to do the bandaging along with everyone else. I remembered what to do in case of rib injuries relatively well.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:47

I was given normal clothes, from the generosity of the expedition, - quite comfortable and not even stiff - by giving me a spare set of one of the dead men. His build was surprisingly similar to mine, and his clothes, though not as good as my last outfit, were better than the rags that the outfit had become. It was winning by a huge margin!

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:50

I took only two long, crooked daggers, capable of both stabbing and slashing. They might not be enchanted, unlike the goblin one, but the good steel, the normal length of the blade, and the handy grip more than compensated for the lack of weak charms.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:51

The short acquaintance ended with all of us. I mean the ones who could stand on their feet. We began to bury the fallen defenders. The burial was fiery, so we had to carry lots and lots of brushwood. You'd think we wouldn't want to be seen as such a disconcerting factor, but after the whole band of greenskins came after us, they'd already know about us. And it wouldn't hurt to raise morale, because there was panic among the people.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:54

No, they were laughing and joking, happy to have survived, but somehow with some gusto, through sheer force. And when they started piling up the bodies of those with whom they'd trawled the stories yesterday, there was an oppressive silence. I got a chill, too, but somehow not so much. I did not know any of the people here, and I had no sympathy for them either. It was callous, even inhuman in some ways, but I was used to a lot of blood around me.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:55

Experience, for fuck's sake.

Camrad_RIP 07.12.21 в 20:56