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

Chapter 5

Camrad_RIP 08.12.21 в 20:39

The drums beat in the night, you can run or you can fight.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:01

In all seriousness, the inevitable doom was coming to us. We were slowly and steadily being driven in and surrounded like bloody wolves on a hunt. The only route that seemed to be open was the river, but I sensed with every fiber of my cowardly soul that it was a trap. Judging by the flashes of my butt-sense, something was floating there now, and I didn't mean something that wasn't drowning at all, like shit. It was more about the cousins of the miracle fish I had seen on the first day of my arrival in the wondrous new world.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:04

That left us with two options. Option one was to sit back and get our asses ready to be developed by a bunch of niggers... or no, a bunch of other colored folks. The green ones. Maybe we'll even have one last drink if Hans ain't already got his bottle of brew. Option two is to try and breakthrough one of the cordons by breaking out of the trap. Considering my class, I have a good chance of crawling through on my own, if I'm careful enough and don't go to any trouble for the crumbs of experience. I'll have to leave my companions behind, but I don't have to worry about that, do I? Wouldn't I?

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:23

A suddenly awakened conscience attacked with the force of a bullterrier clutching at my balls, appealing to my heroic feelings and species solidarity. My conscience was cynically dismissed, killed, and dismembered, but I still decided to breakthrough together. It was just until the moment when, for me personally, the danger did not become critical.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:25

We were silent on the way, not heading in the same direction along the river: they must have put out the toughest of the hounds there. Nor did we go back the way we'd come, assuming that there would be too many enemies to push through. Like, true idiots, we went straight into the woods, with a slight incline to the side, to start the fight at what was supposed to be the biggest weakness of the encirclement circle.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:30

We were all walking quietly enough because Losij has a high score of dexterity characteristic as all swordsman classes, and Hans is a jaeger by class. And there's nothing to say about me. After all, I can tell you all about me. So the seemingly insane idea had a good chance of working out. Besides, it was the perfect moment to reveal some of my capabilities to my unwilling companions and see how they would react.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:35

And if I don't like this reaction, the moment to get rid of them will be extremely good. The main thing is not to leave them alive, because otherwise, the green ones might find out about my capabilities, which is not at all pleasant, uninspiring, and exciting.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:43

I have no idea how many of the local savages are shamans, but judging by the fact that I've never met one in all my wanderings, not very many. What are the chances that we might come across at least one of them, naturally, with a retinue and guards, just by sheer luck? Naturally, they were almost zero, so the theory of probability played in our favor, which is why there was no "one" shaman in the squad we met. Because, bitch, how I hate my fucking luck, there were two of them!

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:44

It was lucky that I was constantly watching through the shadow sphere, so I noticed an unusual, strange shadow from above almost immediately. What's more, that shadow was headed in the direction of my not-so-hidden companions, without me noticing it. And trivial logic told me that even if this thing wasn't attacking, it would at least alert everyone else to their location.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 05:45

It was the perfect moment to make a quiet exit, leaving a tasty and painful bait for the main force to lunge at. All I had to do was to turn around and walk away, leaving these guys in my memory as another stepping stone I had to step on to survive.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 09:16

With a sigh and a quiet (I mouthed it with my lips alone) swear, I speed up and dash toward the enemies we'd already spotted a little away from us. At the same time, I wrap a shadow around the translucent cloud of air, causing it to freeze. And after that, I wish my shadow would damage the intangible enemy. A throbbing pain erupted in my head, and a good chunk of energy went into the void, but it was as if the spirit was... No, not torn or destroyed. He was first badly burned and then literally dragged inside the shadow, which became for a moment something greater and far deeper than a mere shadow.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 09:18

I didn't expect such a great effect, I admit. So the shadows are very effective against intangible enemies? I'll have to look into farming all sorts of ghosts and spirits, now that the opportunity has arisen.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 09:23

By the time I got to the stage, the Greens had not only realized that someone had destroyed their spirit. They were preparing to greet that someone with bread and salt. I was also sure, for some reason, that the two goblin drummers had to be among the first to be taken out, so they wouldn't drum any bad things.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 09:25

However, drummers will only go to the other world after the death of mages. I have no idea exactly how their classes work, and I don't have time to evaluate their levels, but I'm not going to underestimate the danger of a full-fledged mage. And if there are two mages at once, then don't even think about it.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 09:29

The two shamans (or were they mages?) were both orcs, which was no surprise. Both were very old - one was just old and hunched over, and the other was a real fossil, not sure how he was still alive. "The younger one," by the way, was visibly staggering, and blood was streaming from his nose, pouring into the feathers and knuckles on his necklace. I'm betting that the death of the spirit-watcher had hit the savage who had summoned it hard. The other, the old man, was fully operational, and the tip of the knotted staff in his decrepit hand glowed dead-blue.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 09:30

The pursuers were already in position, putting the caster in the center of the formation and leaving the tallest and best-armed orcs at the edges. The goblins, on the other hand, played the role of an incessant shouting outer ring that had to take the first blow. Against warriors this tactic would work like a Swiss watch. The assassins might have been able to get the mages, but they couldn't retreat.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 10:59

But the heroic isekai had his aces, and there was no point in keeping it, waiting for the right moment. Today the rest of my companions and I would either break through the barriers and evade the chase, or die and go to the soup of some green faggots. I would have thrown my stats around, too, if I didn't feel I could do as I did. And I could do it quite easily!

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 11:01

Well, let's start.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 11:04

I quickly run up the tree and immediately jump from the top right into the center of the formation, fervently hoping that my plan will still be successful and not suicidal.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 11:06

The moment I landed, I attacked the far more dangerous old man, literally slashing into his back with two shadow-enhanced daggers. I was hitting with overpowering, just in case, there was some kind of magical protection. Something was indeed there as if the air had thickened at the points of impact, but if the steel slowed a bit, the shadow barrier did not even notice, literally breaking the shaman into two unequal halves, easily tearing his gray-haired head off.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 11:08

The others had just started to react when I threw one of my daggers at the second shaman. I thought I'd just run him over with a shadow, since my throwing skills were not at all impressive, but, to my surprise, I hit him right in the neck. I was aiming for the torso, but it was even better - the orc, still reeling from the break with the watcher-spirit, began to collapse slowly and sadly on his back, sprinkling a fountain of blood on the ground.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 11:25

Before everyone around me realized what had happened, I managed to slash my sharp shadow ribbons twice (I had to let the second one out just from my hand, which was a bit more difficult) in all directions. One strike at knee level, the second at neck level. The emptiness habitually began to creep up to my heart, but the bottom of my reserves was still very far away, but the screaming wounded and the silently falling dead not only added to my experience but also broke the greenskins' formation, causing them a second of confusion - under the cover of falling bodies and bloodstreams I went back into stealth.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 11:54

Первоначальный план состоял в том, чтобы оттеснить себя тенями, но неважное сотрудничество с орком дало мне отличный шанс сохранить энергию для более позднего боя.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 11:55

I slipped between the sweaty, smelly, muscular bodies of the orcs, feeling like a radical Islamist at a party of aggressive homosexual niggers. Sincerely, but silently, I thanked fate for choosing improved coordination, for in combination with the shadow sphere it made it possible to build a perfect escape route right through the rushing crowd of bastards.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 11:57

Alas, there is no perfection in this world, so I had to kill three goblins at once, and there was no way around them. I was one step away from breaking out of the encirclement, but it didn't change the essence of the problem. I realized that I had been spotted and could no longer hide. Without turning back, I pierced the two goblin drummers with my shadow spike, spoiling their drums at the same time. The moment their own shadows merged into one and pierced through them, a sincere and almost human astonishment flashed across their faces.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 15:55

The crowd of foes screaming something profane didn't even notice their loss, trying to attack me when I fell out of the stealth. I had to retreat in a beautiful and unnaturally long jump, combined with a backward somersault. And no shadows, just high stats.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:00

I was followed by the furthest orc, who had applied some sort of dash ability and blasted the goblins in front of him like pins (more like minced meat). Alas for him, he was no match for the deceased chieftain, so his spurt, though extremely fast even for me, was easily discernible, and it wasn't too hard to predict the endpoint.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:03

In fact, his fight ended with his life on that dash, for I adjusted my flight slightly with the shadow, so that he landed not on my ribs, but on the dagger and obsidian knife in front of me. The quality steel of the dagger creaked nastily, but it held, but not the ribs and the orc's heart. It didn't kill him, at least not completely, but he didn't have time to hit him with the club, and he got his throat cut open and two eyes knocked out.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:06

And I had to dodge three blows at once - a stone ax, a long dart, almost a spear, and another club. There were enough orcs who had gotten their first classes and had mastered basic abilities. Their darts scattered the goblins just the same, but, unlike the most impatient, they had the good sense not to pounce. After finishing their dash a few meters away from me, they attacked with normal attacks, forcing me to waste time on defense and lose the initiative, allowing the remaining goblins to come close for a friendly embrace with an isekai.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:27

The trio was used to fighting together, at least without getting in each other's way. But the timing of their attacks was much worse, which was why my good, good attempt to turn me into a kebab had ended badly. Waiting for a pause in my series of attacks, I twisted my shadowy blade like a cobra attacker and knocked out the eyes of the spearman as the most dangerous. After that, I yanked my screaming foe toward me, putting his head under the ax and his back under the club.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:29

The chief hadn't even slowed down in a similar situation, but they were of a lower rank. No, they didn't yell "what have I done," for they didn't care for their tribesman (or so I had not noticed), but they had to freeze in surprise. Two swift dagger strikes pierced the liver and heart of the bearer of the club, and another quickly created shadow ribbon blew the head off the last of the enemies standing beside me. In the few seconds I'd spent on them, the others who wanted my meat were almost there, but almost.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:30

I almost without a problem going into stealth, already planning a run into the back of the cannibals who were too keen on catching me, as my shadow perception was interrupted by the recall of the "young" shaman I had forgotten about. The reminder came in the form of a big, watermelon-sized ball of lightning, with an orcish face emerging from it, that suddenly flashed over me.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:33

My sense of danger howled like a castrated cat, and my ass began to break the world record in brick production for ten years, all within a few seconds. Honestly, if there was anything in my guts, I'd shit my pants! I don't know how that shit fooled my gut, but I didn't feel the usual buildup of danger - it just appeared, making my anus shrink to the size of the eye of a needle.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:35

I did the rest on reflexes and a sort of hunch, rather than thinking it through. And that was a good thing because if I had tried to think about the depths of the vat of shit that had opened before me, it would have fried me to a crispy crust. Still, reflexes are a great thing, aren't they?

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:36

Without even trying to distract me by the bastards preparing to make a colander of me, I lift my own shadow off the ground, stretch it out, and cover myself with it like a blanket. At the same time, I pull the shadows of all the goblins approaching me, the shadows of the tree branches, and any shadows at all, merging them into one and covering myself with a second layer.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:38

I put in a tremendous amount of energy, nearly exhausted trying to pump so much energy at once, but still ended up creating my shadow cocoon in less than two seconds.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:40

And then Hell descended on my location, literally incinerating only the foes who had run up and were already swinging, not having time to even think about what was going on, let alone try to save their skins.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:41

A moment stretched for ages.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:41

And then it felt like a cannonball had crashed into me, making me grit my teeth with a wild, nerve-grinding pain. It was as if they had put me in the electric chair and started shaking me with millions of volts of uninterrupted love and kindness! The only reason I didn't scream like a bitch was because all my concentration was going to hold on to the remnants of the cocoon that was still saving me from an unenviable fate.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:44

At a certain moment, the shadows could no longer hold their shape, but the spirit blow was exhausted, too. My body was both very empty - barely a fifth of its reserve - and very painful. Pain pulsed through my entire body, almost making me weep with helplessness. My cramped muscles refused to straighten, so I lay curled up on the cold ground like an embryo. I could not say how long it lasted, but probably not long, because I was brought to my senses by a fierce shoulder braking, performed by a swearing like three and a half Hans (or one Warrant Officer) Losij:

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:46

"...in! Tin, love you with a mountain giant and a dozen spears in all your holes! Get up, get up! There's no time to lie down!" It took me a long time to realize the words of the yelling guy, but when I did, I immediately started trying to move my buttocks.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 16:47

With difficulty, I straighten up and look around me. My battlefield looks like a Sith training ground - a pile of torn, burnt, and still slightly sparkling corpses, the vegetation completely scorched throughout the small clearing... and intact foliage where I lay. Whatever the blow was, I managed to resist it.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 17:07

Fuck!

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 17:07

Bitch!

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 17:07

It seems the unkilled orc somehow summoned a truly powerful spirit. He had to have mortgaged his soul and asshole to be regularly fucked by the pus-filled fantasy miscarriages of the worst perverts! Apparently, the green deer-fucker decided that his reputation does not allow him to die alone, and wanted to go to the other world with a decent escort. He did not kill me, thank God, Cthulhu, Amon-Ra, and the holy tits, but he killed all of his tribesmen, and at the same time set up a gorgeous illumination for the whole forest, as if he were inviting the other hunters in for a light.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 17:14

But why "as if"?

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 17:14

Surely quite deliberately inviting. *long cursing of experienced 2chaner:*

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 17:16

"I'm fine." My voice is hoarse, like that of a smoky convict with every lung disease in the world. "I sensed a spirit spying on you, so I decided to hit ahead of the time. I killed both the shamans and was about to retreat when the dying beast summoned some unimaginable shit. It only struck once, but I barely survived."

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 17:18

I share what happened with the listeners, giving them a small credit for running to my aid instead of leaving me here to die alone. To be perfectly honest, I expected the exact opposite.

Camrad_RIP 09.12.21 в 17:20