Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Глава 20

Chapter 20

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:11

For once, my subconscious anticipation of the coming fuck-up did not come true. I mean, there had been some narrow moments, but they had, the miracle of miracles, been resolved relatively peacefully, without the tensions and the conflict that had led to the destruction of the city. All it took was a little patience, a little money, and a little luck. The latter especially came in handy, for without it everything would have been much more boring and long, and perhaps bloodier.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:24

It was clairvoyance, not the shadow sphere, that helped me the most in finding a house for sale. I had to find a good place to work with alchemical reagents, not to draw a map of the area. At the same time, not too expensive - so that I could pay without problems, without cheaters and scammers, without annoying neighbors and a dozen other "without" - this is a task for a clairvoyant. I even forgave this skill for regular and completely unnecessary insights, so it helped me in my search.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:26

It was precognition that easily identified the lies and innuendos at the moment when they wanted to cheat me by simply pocketing the money and selling me a flat lot instead of a house. It was also easy to find all the tweaked and painted cracks and chips that could have caused the house to fall apart at any moment. In the latter case, that's why it was sold.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:27

Another place was simply and uncomplicatedly cursed - I could see clearly in my Gaze the threads of spells embedded in the walls and foundations. The threads were pulling energy from everyone in the cursed house, like some kind of sickening ivy. A couple of hours, or even twenty-four hours, wouldn't do much damage, but a permanent residence would burn out the occupants in a matter of months. In principle, I could buy the house, since I could exorcise the curse with shadows, or with purely alchemical methods, like the negator. Except the sale price was the same as a new house, and there was no discount. Makes sense. Sell the room for a newbie, and there, until he understands, until he begins to understand, then no one to scratch his ass. And if he dies, so generally awesome - then exactly the problems do not even appear.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:29

And the seller knew for sure that the house was "bad," even though he didn't do an official appraisal. Well, if he didn't care about my life, then I didn't care about his either. No, no, I didn't kill him, there were witnesses. I just left without even giving a reason, saying only that the place did not suit me, because it is too far from the market (also true). Already a kilometer away from home, managed to grab his leg with a shadow while the jerk went down the stairs. I did not understand whether he only broke his hip joint or his spine, but in any case, it was a worthy reward for his efforts.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:35

A few other houses didn't fit, for a much more trivial and legally irrelevant reason: they were either too shitty, too small (I couldn't put a lab there), or too expensive. Actually, my money would have been enough even for a fairly decent mansion in rich neighborhoods, but I didn't want to spend it on something that would already paint me with a target the size of this very house. A modest dwelling that could house a workshop would suffice for my initial purposes.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:36

It's worth a separate article to recall of a few guys who tried to rob me - if he's buying a house, he should have the gold with him, and he was alone, even unaccompanied. It's a sin not to take advantage of such a chance, especially for such honest fellows. As I understand it, the practice is quite popular and well established - there are a lot of newcomers, and many come here with a lot of money. All three attempts failed miserably.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:37

I simply walked away from the first group, having spotted them beforehand, and listened to their intentions through the shadows. I would have also killed them, but that would have been too suspicious, and it would have been clear to everyone who had sent them to the ancestors. I hid from the second group too, especially since they, like the first, planned to just squeeze the money. That did not excuse them at all, but it also diminished the desire to kill. I simply marked them in my memory, promising myself revenge, and then took off in the opposite direction.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:41

But the third group, set upon by the owner of the apartment for sale himself, I had the good conscience to meet them in the alley, where I wrung their necks. They went just to kill, and did this evil thing (I mean murdering a buyer) is not the first time. Either they were very lucky (it's easy to see a pattern, such as clients regularly dying to buy your house), or they bribed someone. Black realtors, really.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:43

I stacked the bodies neatly in a corner, swearing to myself that after a couple of months I'd come back for the owner of the place. He did not work for the thieves' guilds, for they did not like to kill unnecessarily - the charge was quite different, as was the reaction of the guards to unnecessary corpses. He wouldn't run to the guards or the thieves' bosses to complain. He'd rather lay low. That's where I'll meet him.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:44

A suitable house was found on a whim - even the owner himself was not yet sure if he was selling the building. It was a rather old and dilapidated place, from which almost all but the most cumbersome furniture had been removed, but it was quite sturdy. Its proximity to the market, its fairly decent neighborhood, and its lack of problematic neighbors easily tilted my opinion in the right direction.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:47

The house itself belonged to the seller's brother. That brother was no adventurer but sometimes went into the woods to get his loot. And recently his wife had died, having accidentally fallen into a cellar and broken her neck. He had no children, and he grieved for the loss too heavily and selflessly (at least, he did not feel sorry for himself in his sadness). As a result of his condition, he began to go deeper and deeper into unknown lands, either seeking death or tickling his nerves. At first, everything was normal - the levels were growing, dripping money. Until he ran into a too toothy monster. Up to the city, he somehow crawled, but they could not cure him: too far gone the effect of the poison on the claws of the monster and had already begun sepsis. It was a shitty death, to tell you the truth, especially after he did come out to people.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:49

That's how it happens.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:49

The seller had his own house, bigger than this one, and no adult children to live in the place yet. So he agreed to the sale with a light heart. Seven gold and fifty silver coins are quite normal payments. At first, he wanted ten, but I managed to objectively prove to him that for ten gold pieces the house would sell to middlemen, but he would get at best half that amount.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:51

And I can go.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:52

The deal with the potter was certified the same day, inviting an official solicitor from the magistrate to do the job. He was as official as his incredibly official position was, he certified all the documents and questioned me about my plans for the place. He even checked my permission to sell potions (I was worried that the old geezer was going to screw it up), and then he went on his way. It was only then that I could breathe, for his seriousness and complete lack of humor were making me sick to my stomach. Official fucking face!

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:53

The contented man, who could now double the size of his china shop and hire a couple of journeymen, offered to wash it all down. And he was even completely sincere, rather than intending to steal from me by getting me drunk to the point of complete inadequacy. I could hardly refuse, for there was too much to do and too much to spend.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:56

Apparently, the rumor that I still had money to set up the lab was started by someone. And the fact that I had no patron yet, for that very evening I had already been attempted to be robbed. I kicked a figure through the window in the face and broke something, but he survived and even crawled away.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:56

I have a feeling I'm in for some fun days.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 17:57

The next week was spent feverishly fixing up my home-I had normal furniture, but I didn't have the rest of the standard utensils. I had to buy some. A couple more times they tried to rob me. They followed me, noticed that I always stayed close to the guards, and stepped aside.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:03

The house was broken into only once. The idea of lubricating the outside of the window frames and door handles with a powerful contact laxative was very successful. Twice, however, I almost got into it myself. I had to go to the Shadow because it proved that not only did my body become ghostly there, but it also neutralized the poisons.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:16

First, the removal of the mental effects.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:16

Now there is also the neutralization of poisons.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:17

Isn't that too many unmentioned properties in the system logs for a single skill?

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:21

In any case, after a couple of attempts to break into my mansion again did not try, although I was so prepared!

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:23

The alchemical equipment cost me almost nine gold pieces, even though I didn't buy the top-of-the-line stuff. The point is that I didn't need most of the more cumbersome equipment. The mythic class allowed me to make potions literally with my bare hands, which is available only to the coolest dudes from the alchemical art. Yes, it would be much easier with professional equipment, but, from a practical point of view, it would be better for me to get used to working only with my hands. I have this suspicion, which is also justified, that I will have to run away with a bare backside, throwing behind my back all the hard-earned money, more than once.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:25

But it is still necessary to buy equipment, both for the sake of conspiracy and for its mastery. Just because I prefer not to use it does not mean that I have the right not to know how to use it.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:25

Several different-sized cauldrons, a set of retorts and a huge number of glass containers, a couple of alchemical burners, and even a quite normal distillation cube. At the very least, I could make the moonshine if I got in a really bad mood.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:33

The materials could be bought at the market, but there I would only find second-rate and tied-down crap because everything really valuable is deposited in the guild's storerooms. The only ones who could buy materials there were those who had received practice permits, but the prices were steep. So the majority of unaffiliated alchemists buy directly from gatherers, miners, and adventurers. The first two are often the latter as well, so in one way or another, but with a guild of legalized thugs in the service of the crown, I have to work. And I planned to go out into the field to kill monsters undercover, to level up, and to gather reagents.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:37

In working with private individuals, as in the other world, the main thing is to find a bona fide and reliable supplier, not a cunning scoundrel or just an unreliable dickhead. It's a challenge, but I'm not eager to find one. In any case, I didn't come to town to pursue a career as a trader of my products. I came here to develop my alchemical and dreamwalking skills, to level up on forest monsters, to get used to the world around me, and simply to take a little break from the f*cking shit that's fallen on my head.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:41

So even if there's no profit to be made from the trade, I'll live happily ever after until the money runs out. And then I'll either leave here, or I'll rob the magistrate and, again, leave here. That's the way I am, I can do it.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:42

That night, thirteen days after my arrival in the city, I finally decided to go to see the poor and unhappy lonely woman whom I had dared to heartlessly leave alone. But seriously, I was getting really worried about Ygra, so it was worth spending at least a day with her.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:45

Therefore, I set alchemical traps around the house, and only after they have been fixed do I begin to pack for the exit. By the way, the skill called trap-making was awarded to me, apparently, on the basis of the cumulative merits. I glanced around the room once more, so that I would not forget where and what I had placed, and then I left the house.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:47

The traps ranged from the relatively harmless and humiliating "shitholes" at the entrances and exits to the deadly and far better camouflaged fragile vials, which contained a volatile and very poisonous mixture. And it disintegrated quickly in the air, so as not to poison oneself or one's neighbors.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:48

Still, it was a nice house, even if it was cheap. The entrance hall, which I was going to turn into a sales counter, and the main room, which had the fate of a warehouse and storage for reagents, were on the first floor. A small kitchen, with its stove, though it had not been stoked for a long time, and two rooms were on the second floor. One room for me, one for the lab - it was very well ventilated, so the acrid odors wouldn't accumulate.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:49

Hm.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:50

How do the local neighbors feel about the alchemists next door? They might shit under the door if it stinks a lot, or even some kind of volatile poison comes out.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 18:54

Speaking of shitting, the latrine was on the first floor and led to the local sewer system. The old, even ancient network of pipes and tunnels was the typical catacomb tunnels whose absence I mentioned in Ostmark. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get into that shit for any money. The only thing I needed was shitdemons to make me happy.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 20:09

In a fit of paranoia, I also planted a toxic slurry in the toilet. Just in case something bad decided to come out of there while I was out of the house.

Camrad_RIP 26.12.21 в 20:10

I made my way to the forest, which reminded me of the forest where I had been thrown into the new world, without any difficulty, not even shadow-stepping. The only thing that sufficed was stealth and an open gate, through which another hunting party was just exiting. I saw a dozen well-equipped and menacing-looking men, loaded with weapons and other equipment so tightly that they could not even scratch themselves without cutting themselves. I slipped out with them and began to accelerate slowly, moving out of the sight of the guards standing guard. I only noticed that here they were more paranoid than on the other side, more in number and higher in level.

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:25

In general, the Kraj (or Edge) is a very peculiar city, combining in an odd way the features of a giant brothel, a military unit, and a trading hub. I could easily estimate the level of local crime myself, and from my own experience. The number of paramilitary units was also striking, as were the more than a dozen different markets scattered throughout the city. In fact, the place was already in uncharted lands - for a few days' journeys from here, people controlled only roads and few settlements. Yes, the days and years when villages were routinely slaughtered by monster raids were long gone, but the danger remained. And the city itself was located on the maps in such a way that resembled the tip of a blade stuck in a white patch of unexplored territory. A forward base of reconnaissance, gathering the most valuable spoils.

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:30

A couple of generations would pass and the surrounding lands would become almost safe, a couple more, and the city itself would gradually wither away, and the line marking the territory of the monsters would move forward a little. And everything will go in a circle - first the first settlements, more like military camps and fortified forts, then those of them that survive will become cities, and eventually, a new Edge will appear. Such was the case, for example, with Ostmark, which was once a haven for all the adventurers and cutthroats of the region.

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:31

I'll tell you, it's fascinating geopolitics. A kind of aggressive, but very unhurried expansion, now and then rolling back when the next legendary chupacabra is awakened and hungry, after which there is no living in a certain area, and the area for a long time, if not forever, is marked red. With the obligatory note "stay out of it - it'll kill you.

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:35

My thoughts did not prevent me from scanning the surrounding beauty, trying to find among the innumerable shadows and silhouettes the only signature that interested me. The Ygra was unwilling to be found, which made me a little nervous. But I found three goblin camps. Is there some kind of honey in this place? Yes, yes, honey, my clairvoyance told me.

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:36

The same problem of human meat: for goblins (to a lesser extent for orcs) it not only helps to gain levels and even stats (limited and up to a certain limit) of eaten, but also is the toughest drug. Once a goblin tastes human meat, he will never give it up, striving to get more and more. Sometimes this desire is even inherited by their offspring. Warriors from dozens of neighboring tribes come here. The number of tribes in the area is enormous, far greater than in the places I've been. There would have been more, but they just didn't have enough to eat.

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:40

Does this mean there's always a sluggish war going on here?

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:40

It turns out that it is.

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:41

I was almost tempted to go and slaughter one of the goblin settlements (or is it fortifications?), but that's when they were saved by Ygra's appearance on the radar. Solidarity of all the greens, or what?

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:49

Ygra was eating, chewing melancholically on the leg of some kind of monster. Judging by the remains, it was some kind of magically-affected bear. It was comparable in size to the prehistoric beast I had once killed, but it had just been eaten. My appearance was greeted with unprecedented enthusiasm, and I, taught by bitter experience, was at once ready to leap into the shadows.

Camrad_RIP 27.12.21 в 11:57