Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Глава 10

Cha[ter 10

Camrad_RIP 13.12.21 в 21:29

I answered the question without even turning around or raising my head. Well, you know, just to keep the conversation going with a polite interlocutor. Because as long as they're talking to us, nobody's going to tear us to pieces, eat our hearts and livers, feed our souls to some demons, raise the undead out of us, and a thousand other good things that a high-class undead person talking to us might as well do.

Camrad_RIP 13.12.21 в 21:58

Why the highest?

Camrad_RIP 13.12.21 в 21:59

No one else, as far as I know, is unable to make polite conversation. I think that's what Hans said when we first began our journey through the dark tunnels. No, there is a lot of higher undead who can't - or won't - speak at all. But it's like the old quote about gays and fagots - not all high-class undead talk, but all talking undead are high-class.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 04:43

I did not doubt that the creature above us was capable of wiping the floor not only with us but also with the creature from the pond, all at the same time, without getting too tired. The crushing sensation of the stranger's presence almost knocked me to the floor. Hans and Losij couldn't keep their feet. It was a miracle I didn't fall to my knees. In the presence of this monster, without any clairvoyance, I could sense antiquity and ashes, thousands of deaths, and thousands of years gone by.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 04:47

So I was all for a conversation with such a prominent person, as long as I didn't have to fight him.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 04:48

"Understand and forgive?" I quote a phrase I've heard somewhere, while simultaneously shifting my gaze to my interlocutor.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 04:52

It looked much nicer than the water dweller - like an ordinary ghost, dressed in a heavy ghostly robe, wrapped in ghostly chains. The creature had a very interesting face, too-there were no eyes, no nose, no ears. But it had a mouth, and an impressive one, more like a maw. It was half a headlong, with several rows of needle-like teeth, and no lips. It was as if someone had first cut the head open like an apple, then stuck sharp needles in the incision points, and then sewed it all together with a harsh thread. And all this with slight transparency of ghostly flesh, only adding to the creepiness of the overall picture.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 04:54

Even though the creature's appearance did not evoke overwhelming revulsion, along with infernal terror, it was still incredibly alien. The sinister valley effect in all its glory.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 04:57

"Maybe I should give you some gold for the journey, and teleport you to the inhabited lands. Since you're such good guests, why not?" He didn't seem to be at all annoyed by my phrase, and it even added a little cheerfulness to his voice.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 04:58

"Would you?" Against my will, I lit up with hope for a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Maybe it would be the notorious "good dark wizard", who in many isekai works is just waiting to share his wisdom, knowledge, and wealth with a lucky isekai, who, no doubt, won his heart by the absence of fear and incredible impudence, for which such as he usually kills with a special cynicism.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:00

"No, of course not. - Immediately my dreams were crushed into ashes, and I prepared to die with dignity, or, better yet, to escape from here. By "with dignity," I mean "with no suffer," not an epic battle, in case you were curious. "However, I'm sure you have ways of solving your problems without an armed conflict with me."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:02

The last phrase brought back hope for the best, making me quickly and decisively come to full readiness for anything. They might give me a quest to find a thousand elven virgins, and I'm not ready!

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:04

With a quiet rustle, the aura of the powerful undead that pressed on my body and brain vanished, and the ghost itself disappeared from all but the visual spectrum. It was as if I were standing in front of some cunning hologram, rather than the most dangerous creature I'd ever seen in my life. I tried unsuccessfully to sense the monster with the shadow sphere, but all I found was nothing.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:05

And behind me, my companions were gradually coming to their senses, able to move again, not just tremble with fear. I bet my share of the gold against the paltry copper that it was not only a feeling of raw power but also some incomprehensible skill. I want very much to turn back to my comrades, but I can't afford to lose sight of the monster patiently waiting for them to join in the conversation.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:06

"Why is there so much shit in this world that just wants to put a bunch of crap in my head?" Losij, white as chalk, asks rhetorically, looking directly at our interlocutor and, apparently, also the captor. Hans is silent at all, only glancing around hysterically as if he is looking for ways out in advance.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:07

I didn't answer, silently continuing to watch and activate my Gaze to understand the nature of the creature hovering before me. I was expecting something creepy, causing my hair to turn gray and my pants to turn yellow-brown, but, to my surprise, I was wrong. The Gaze showed the creature in exactly the same form as in reality, only even more transparent and ghostly. And something tells me it's still an illusion, hidden beneath some kind of disguise that would deceive even a novice Lord of the Shadows.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:09

"So, I suppose you've come to your senses?" The creature asked again, keeping its polite, almost lively tone. But its mouth remained perfectly still, and the words seemed to come from all corners at once.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:13

"Not much." I am answering for everyone at once, ready to move from conversation to action at any moment. "I would be very pleased to hear from you the way in which we can resolve our situation, as you put it, without conflict"

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:15

I had outdone myself in elegant language, I might as well start teaching etiquette. I have to remember to wash my mouth with soap and water, or, better yet, with alcohol, to burn out all the remaining particles of mannerism.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:16

"Oh, it's very simple!" It answered immediately, almost clapping its hands. I would have believed the sincere joy in its voice if it hadn't been for the unmoving face that was pointed right at us, despite the lack of eyes. "Behind me, in the corner of this hall, is a teleportation mechanism capable of sending a man to the frontier of the human kingdoms. I can't be 100% sure, because I've never been there myself, and it's been a long time, but if you believe the data I get from the artifact, that's how it's going to be. At least you will be able to get out of the forest."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:20

"So far, everything looks too good to be true." I don't let myself relax for even a second. "What's the trick?"

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:25

The guys behind me were breathing heavily, but they stayed out of the conversation. Either they gave me complete leadership in this negotiation, or they are too shy to even talk to this piece of shit.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:25

"Oh, there's a trick, how could there not be?" Now it's starting to reek of creepiness again. "If you want me to let you use this thing, you'll have to defeat several of the my constructs. It's not hard, is it?"

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:27

A second of silence, and then my nervousness takes its toll.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:27

"What the fuck do you need it for?"

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:28

Strangely enough, it's ignored my rudeness again, and even answered the question I asked. It seemed to me, to be honest, that the creature had expected such a reaction in the first place.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:31

"Do you, alive, have you any idea how boring it is to be here alone? Day after day, year after year, century after century. Any company, even as unpleasant as living humans, will be extremely interesting to me, and any entertainment will be remembered for many decades. It's simple, alive, it's all very simple. Boredom is the worst enemy of the immortal."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:32

And you know, gentlemen, from this heartfelt speech, spoken with longing and even a little bit of grief, soaked through with sarcasm and anticipation of at least some kind of spectacle... This speech made me feel completely craxy and swept away all the shorelines.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:33

"Don't give me a [bleep]!" I could have sworn my comrades and even the ghost itself flinched at the harsh shriek. "You're fucking undead! What fucking pacts with the living? If you wanted to have fun, you'd certainly have found a much more fun way to torture the mortals who entered your chambers, instead of holding some fucking contest. I fucking want to know the real reason why you haven't killed us yet, why you're even talking to us."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:34

Now all the ostentatious cordiality and tranquility of the man - and I'm sure he was once a male - was gone like a cobweb caught in a vacuum cleaner. The savage hatred of the undead hit him with a pounding fist, mingled tightly with impotent rage.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:34

"You're asking for trouble, alive." Still, the monster spoke softly, not even attempting to attack me, which only served to convince me that I was right.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:36

"I don't think so." I grinned so that my smile threatened to get wider than my interlocutor's. "If I'm still alive, then somehow you can't attack us. Directly. As if you needed permission to fight us, or to set your creatures upon us. So I'll say it again: what's your reason, transparent?"

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:38

I thought for a moment that he was going to attack me, tear me to pieces. There was enough hatred in him to take out an entire platoon of angry marines. But he didn't, instead, he nearly roared back, his voice still coming from every direction, changing from almost childlike and crystal-clear to a hoarse bass, a high female squeal, and a thousand other variations.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:39

"Damn you all! Priest, hateful, vile, vile True Priest, be he forever forgotten and buried, Kaarea! The God of trades and competitions was never strong, I left his servant for last, a strong soul, strong would be undead, I hate, I hate, I hate!!! He did something to the whole dungeon, vile, vile, vile priest! I can't leave it, I can't, hundreds of years have passed, I can't, damn them all!!! I can't, I can't, I can't kill you, devour you, devour you alive, I can't! Only offer a contest and only one in which you have a chance to win. I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!!"

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:40

Now I believe it, I really do. Even if he lied about the fact that he can only set against us those whom we have at least a theoretical chance of defeating, he did not lie about the impossibility of attacking us. We're still alive, aren't we?

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:41

"Then why are we even standing here?" Almost laughing. "We can just leave, and you have no right to stop us, do you? That's why you lure us by the portal, promising a lot, just to get formal permission. And "a chance to win" can also be interpreted differently. The ratio of one to one hundred, for example, also fits into this framework."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:42

The creature stopped moving at all, like a frozen image on a computer, becoming a completely static and motionless image, a monument to itself. And again the monster spoke, but now there were no feelings or emotions in its voice, only the age-old calm and indifference of something that had long since died. Somehow it was more frightening than the inhuman anger radiating into space:

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:46

"You won't leave. You can't. I can't stop you from leaving, but I'll collapse and block all the passages except the one that leads to the central reservoir. And there it will make no difference whether you fight my puppets or the Necroshogot you awakened. This is my place, my fortress, and only I decide when it can be left."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:47

The attentive look in his absent eyes didn't leave me from the very beginning of his answer. I also realized that if this thing ever got free, my destruction would be somewhere near the top of his kill bill. Maybe not number one, but definitely in the top ten.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:48

Jokes and speculation aside, the unpleasant reality is that he fucked us. I don't even doubt that this thing can really block our path. Maybe it doesn't have the power to hunt us down with the undead, but it can break the tunnels. He sounded too sure about that. And yes, I refuse on principle to consider that shit as a man, no matter what it thinks of itself.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:49

"Okay." I try to add more doom to my voice, and then hide it as best I can. "Bring out your rubber dolls, see what we can do with them."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:56

He did, opening a secret passage right in the wall, through which the opponents, who he thought were fair enough to give us a chance, entered the hall. Yeah, one in a hundred, you're not wrong.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 05:56

"Tin, Hans." From behind me spoke, almost forgotten Losij. "Know that I am proud to have known you, and to have fought alongside you. Those were probably the worst, but most exciting days of my life."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 06:03

"Uh-huh, mate. You acted like an asshole at times, and you dress like a queer, and you, Tin, are a secret bastard but know this, men, you are the coolest fellows I've ever met." Only Hans can combine a touching farewell and the communication style of a medieval gopnik.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 06:11

"Okay." I interrupt the flow of pathos, which, according to all canons, should be followed by a heroic death. "You see that one over there, the one on the far left? Well, you can tell him fairy tales, dance, and give him an asshole, or anything else you can think of, but you take care of him. I'll take care of the rest."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 06:12

My finger was indeed pointing at the farthest opponent, a heavily-armored dead dude who was a troll even before he became undead. The huge carcass was extremely heavily armored, but, as my clairvoyance suggested, it was still very clumsy for its thirtieth level.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 06:20

I was left with two smaller but more dangerous creatures for dessert: a huge eight-armed cadaver without any armor, but with a blade in each limb, some piece of fat on column-like legs and without a head, but with a huge mouth on its belly - also a level thirtieth. And then there was Him. A fucking, nearly three-foot-tall dead knight of level thirty-nine, between the slits of his armor I could easily see a gray mist filled with green sparks.

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 06:21

Isn't that a fuck up?

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 06:22

"So generous, my honored one... Tin, I addressed you correctly, didn't I?" With a pallid, almost childlike voice sang the ghost that hovered above us, again intangible and completely disappearing from my perception. "What heroic self-sacrifice, what a proud death! I am inexpressibly proud to have met such a person! It's just..."

Camrad_RIP 14.12.21 в 06:30