Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Глава 19

Chapter 19

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 20:52

Came.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:09

Made it.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:09

And left.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:09

That's how it would be...

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:10

... If only I were smart enough not to look for trouble on my own, as long as they didn't hurry to fall on my head. One of these days I'm going to get in a lot of trouble, I can tell you for sure. I felt as if I had a big awl in the back of my mind that would start twisting my caution on its base if the prospect of fun coming up.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:11

During the operation I was in a state of wild tension, expecting at any moment another nasty thing that would make me save my skin again, chopping everything that moved and cursing loudly. But nothing happened, except the first tavern brawl I encountered. A very, you know, clichéd tavern brawl, but outside the tavern itself. In my humble opinion, moving the epic battle outside the four walls only added colorfulness to the spectacle.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:13

I should have passed it by, but my troll nature kicked in, and I decided to make a small joke. It was at this point that I almost got myself into trouble, only to be pulled out by the same wand of stealth. Anyway, that's not what we're talking about now, but a little bit about something else. So, the fight.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:14

The heated and ruthless battle involved two large groups and loners who did not affect the overall statistics. The squads of brave warriors were represented by heavily intoxicated hunters and artisans, steadfastly holding back the attacks of generally drunken guards. Despite the numerical superiority of non-combatants, the presence of full combat experience and leather armor greatly helped the defenders of the homeland, despite the much higher degree of alcohol in the blood.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:15

Especially bad was some young guy in his twenties, who had had his face smashed into a toothless panda, but had not been given enough kicks to knock him out once and for the rest of the morning. Therefore, the brave warrior got up on trembling legs, and then with a staggering gait went to bring kindness to the masses. He would walk to the next kick, punch, bump, slap, poke, or beer mug that came to his head. To be honest, I felt pity for the guy - such courage and such fighting spirit must be properly rewarded, otherwise, something is deeply wrong with this world.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:17

That's when I started to act.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:17

Now, of course, I realize that I was stupid, but on the other hand, I managed to get a lot out of my idiocy, so I'm even a little at a loss as to how I feel about my behavior.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:18

Let us back up, however, to the story.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:18

At first, I wished for a trivial wrap of my shadow around the boy under his clothes, which should have allowed me to control his body as if it were a game character. Any hussars who wished to make a rainbow-colored joke could go to hell, for I was not myself.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:21

I was even beginning to get something, at least enough to block the blows received by the future hero of the whole village, but no more. And the control was out of the question - the weak pumping did not allow me to overpower the reflex resistance of a man who did not shit himself out of fear only because he had a couple of drops of blood in his alcohol. To pump more energy was a murder attempt, for such a concentration of shadow would surely cripple the poor man, as liquid nitrogen poured down his throat.

Camrad_RIP 25.12.21 в 21:29

After kicking the haphazardly twitching body for a while, the two guards tossed him into some cellar, where they left him to regain consciousness. His morning promised to be terribly painful and filled with the shame of defeat. Luckily, a factor of chance in my person intervened, after which we could count the successful transformation of the banal and textbook tavern brawl into a fucking farce.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:23

My attempt to raise the drunkard's body was unsuccessful - I couldn't control such a puppet properly. It wasn't even that I couldn't gather enough strength because the drunkard's body was tired, it was the lack of skill. Then I let go of the shadow in anger, making it normal and flat, and then on bare instinct I put in a good quarter of my reserve, but not by squeezing the world, turning the shadow into a hungry breach, but as if pulling it to my position.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:24

It was like an icy needle was sticking in my head, drilling into my not-so-smart brain, making me think that I was even dumber than Ygra at times. And then it was as if I began to feel this particular shadow... a different kind of feeling. It wasn't the usual sense of control and volume that shadow blades, whips, and other forms bestowed on me. Nor was it a full-fledged Shadow, possessing its own mind and evil will, hungry and thirsty. I could feel the thing being grabbed as if it were a piece of wispy, easy-to-tear fabric, something unspeakably thin, like a spider web wrapped around my arm.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:27

Again my instincts kicked in, helping me where my brain failed. I reached for the shadow again and simply wrapped it around me, covering myself with it, feeling that my every movement could suddenly tear the thing off, tear it to shreds, and bring it back to where it had been taken from.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:27

Rejecting the new sensations, I open my status and see a new message indicating that I have taken the first point in a long-forgotten ability. I didn't even remember it, because the usual shadow steps, whose grinding I preferred to do, were enough for a constant spend of the reserve. The system message almost made me howl in despair and punch my face in the face with an enormous, Canadian sequoia-like facepalm. If only I had known about these prospects of use, I would have just put a spare point in it, without the slightest regret for the lost stock.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:29

Stealing of the Shadow: 1/7

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:30

Allows, with a significant waste of reserve, to take someone else's shadow, thereby taking the form of the stolen one; with high concentration allows you to pass off someone else's shadow as your own, deceiving weak status assessment abilities; with a sudden movement, the stolen shadow can unfold; with excessive use of shadow manipulation, the shadow can unfold; under the influence of enemy skills, the shadow is likely to unfold.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:31

That's a lot of text, considering how little information was given at the first rank of other abilities. The bad thing is that, in this case, most of what's written is solely about the weaknesses of my disguise. But damn it, Carl! I have a normal disguise! Even before I came out of the goblin woods, I had one! I didn't know what the hell I was doing when I could have just put on a disguise and not bothered with the whole status-reading thing. Now I knew exactly what I was going to be grinding for in the near future, not giving a damn about anything else.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:32

Perhaps I should also thank the poor and battered fighter, who helped me to acquire such a useful tool. For example, by giving him a reputation and taking revenge on the guards who had beaten him (and a couple of "comrades" had kicked him, too). This cannot be forgiven, there is no way to forgive it.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:36

Carefully, trying not to damage the cobwebs of the alien appearance I was wearing, I descended from the roof and climbed into the nearest window. The owner of the room is also busy watching the fight (just looking out another window). I slowly walk over to the water barrel, where I see my reflection. Or rather, not my reflection at all.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:43

A smashed face, battered teeth, bruised eyes and a mangled nose, a swollen and puffy face... Yeah, my donor had fought a hell of a war. I was a lot more worried, though, because the reflection was not completely static. Now and then, it would let in some interference, and then my real face would look out of it. A flash of intuition drives another nail into my already migraine-crippled head, making me realize that such interference is only seen in reflections. An undocumented weakness of my ability. Just as the undescribed power of my teleport allows me to discard the effects of all sorts of brainiac things, shadow stealing doesn't completely hide reflections. Or rather, only at the initial level, and then it will be much cooler, even without clairvoyance I have no doubt.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:46

I went back into hiding again, without exposing myself to the owner of the room, who was passionately commenting on the fight. I climbed out of the window and crept toward the same closet where the beaten and defeated owner of my appearance now lay. It's time for a rumble!
T.N.https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d8/e0/2f/d8e02f46b8cd363b3bfd43a0b3b60bc7.jpg

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:50

After all, I had to take part in an inn brawl, like a decent isekai, didn't I? And it must be so that it would be remembered for years, if not generations, by the regulars of that tavern!

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:51

I sneaked into the closet and covered my double with some bales and baskets that were stored there. I saw to it that he did not suffocate under their weight. It was crucial to my plan that my deception not be discovered by any living soul. Having finished my preparations, I crunched my knuckles, then removed the stealth effect and stepped outside, flashing my injuries like a sparking transformer box.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:55

It's time for heroic deeds.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:55

"Hey, bitches!" I'm trying hard to imitate the absence of half of my teeth. "It's time to fuck you up!"

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 05:57

Alas, the crowd paid almost no attention to my appearance. Or even almost none at all. The guards had already put most of their opponents to rest, and almost without loss of their own, and they paid no attention to the degenerate who had risen to his feet in some incomprehensible way. A big mistake.
https://i.imgflip.com/21e77d.gif.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:02

I approach the outermost guard, who is already stretching his fists, glaring unkindly at me. I can't act at full speed, just for fear of blowing the damn cloak, but even my artificially low speed doesn't prevent my reaction and perception from preparing a picture of the battle in advance. And I can still move much faster than my opponents, even with such a sudden handicap.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:03

I dodge a blow to the ear, and then hit my opponent in the chin with my forehead, somehow managing to reduce the force of the attack and not kill the guard, limiting myself to a fractured jaw. It's all right, the rest of them will be a lot worse off.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:36

The others had finally taken notice of me, attacking me in groups of four, no doubt to avenge their fallen comrades-in-arms. The four of them were also taken down by me. I spent strictly one punch on each of them, though I had to take a few kicks for blocks. With my endurance and strength, it felt like they were just trying to tickle me.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:38

Quite quickly it became clear to those around me that there was a dramatic change in this fight, which threatened their teeth with considerable thinning. I had no choice but to play the part, continuing the one-actor theater that I had created with my own efforts.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:39

"You can't stop me, mortals!" And hit with hands, feet, head, elbows, knees, and once even my own ass in a fall with a twist.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:40

Fighting in this state was hellishly difficult - too powerful a blow to me could tear the canopy stretched over me, as could my own attacks. But my opponents, unlike the good me, were not about to restrain their talents. And they didn't come up one at a time, either, trying to pile on, topple me to the ground, and stomp me to the ground.I had to maneuver desperately, to keep myself from being surrounded, to demonstrate Matrix-style evasions, and at the same time to keep my disguise on, not forgetting to insert the next "humorous" shout. The last one, I think, was the most difficult.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:42

"Beat him up, boys!"

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:42

Dodge, arch my back, and slap him in the face on the backswing. A slap isn't a fist to the eye, but it's even better with my performance. I watch distractedly as a few teeth fly out of the knocked-out man's mouth, and then have to block several attacks from his colleagues.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:58

"He's fucking crazy, man!"

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 06:58

I grab the jerk by the arm and, after giving him a kick in the butt, force him to make a little pile-up with two other comrades eager to scratch their limbs against me.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:02

"Why did you pour for this fa**ot?"

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:03

You'll answer for that faggot, you scumbag!

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:03

I bend sharply and, in one motion, tear a boot off the just knocked out, fat man, and throw it into the forehead of the talkative observer. Why the fuck is he standing there, calling names, but not getting into the fight himself? I don't know about the concussion, but the bump on his forehead is just gorgeous, as is the footprint on his face. Well, when he regains consciousness, he'll find it.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:15

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! Bitch, it hurts so bad, **** *** ***** ***** ***** *****!!!

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:23

And what did you want, my dear, when you reached for your knife, eh? Here you are, darling, a dislocated limb fracture, and be glad it wasn't your neck. It's just that I'm under a pseudonym today, so I can't comfort the likes of you forever.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:24

I tossed up some flowerpot that stood near the entrance to the tavern (someone's pet cactus, maybe?), and then kicked it in the direction of someone's head. I overextended myself, however, barely keeping the image on me. I had to retreat briefly under the enemy's onslaught, so as not to ruin the whole show.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:27

"What the fuck are you doing? It's a pot, not a fucking ball!" The highest-ranking dude, almost two meters tall and, oddly enough, almost sober, commented.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:33

"Sport is life!" I responded to his complaint and kicked him in the muscles of his supporting leg, causing him to cramp up, then finished him off with an open palm to the forehead. It sounded like I had struck a bell!

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 07:34