Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Глава 24

Chapter 24

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 16:53

A fairy tale speaking fast, but it is not a quick thing to do a job. Especially if this case turned out to be the elimination of an obscure, but directly reeking of all sorts of chthonic creepiness cult, nesting very close to the top of the city's elite. There is something to sweat over, something to twist out the contents of the stomach, and there are plenty of things to arrange beautiful and spectacular exterminatus, a lot of.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:26

Believe me, for I have spent the last three weeks gathering information about the cult, and I can hardly keep myself from acting rashly. With equal frequency, ten times a day I wanted to flee the city in terror, or, on the contrary, to rush into battle, ignoring all the possible consequences. In any case, I looked very sleep-deprived and discontented, for I had to work in the laboratory and the shop, even though most of the trading was done by Grandfather and his little helper. I just told them that I had found an interesting theory that I was testing right now. And the fact that I'm either asleep or absent upstairs, it doesn't matter. As long as you keep your mouth shut, everything else remains the same.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:29

If the old man suspected something bad, he did not comment, and from his dreams and clairvoyant clues I was sure that he would not be the first to run to the guards, and the children would explain the need not to talk to them. They understood the latter even without him. I've already told you that they are a clever couple, for their age.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:30

I was concentrating entirely on uncovering the fun-loving circle of no-fun interests that had stretched its tentacles very far into the guts of this city. Joking aside, I now realize how dangerous these fellows are, and not just in combat. I must digress here and briefly recount what I know so that you can get a sense of the stench of the shit in which the whole Kraj and its people are caught up.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:31

The base of the cult consisted almost entirely of members of the criminal and mercantile apparatus, even though the biggest shots belonged to the administrative apparatus or the few "upper-class and noble," of which there were very few here and without any cults. Most of those who cooperated with the cult appeared to be untainted at all, or almost untainted by their strange magic. So, smudges and traces of nastiness, but their dreams were either almost peaceful, or there were only distant features of what had devoured and digested poor Dajua in less than a miserable month.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:33

In fact, in nine cases out of ten, the cult recruited not with black crap, but with trivial money, threats, bribes, and favors. They didn't consider it a cult, either. It was more like another gang that was corrupting the shadowy traffic in the Kraj. Those who knew a little more considered them a kind of private club for the very, very best, where ordinary guys from the street are not allowed. All kinds of forbidden entertainment, smoking mixtures, illicit perversions, and other trappings of a secret society.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:34

That's how most of the noble fell into their net. First just drinking and talking, then girls and orgies, then the orgies become bloody, and then you serve the cult without even realizing when it went wrong. Where exactly and at what stage the shitty parasite, which all the "full-fledged" members of this society carry within them without exception, was planted, I never understood, but, I suppose, somewhere near the beginning.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:36

Separately, I would like to point out that my theory about meat puppets being simply controlled did not work out - they are still independent thinking beings, even though their thinking is very peculiar. And their obedience to their new masters is also beyond belief. I've seen a lot of shit, including the sacrifice of their loved ones, followed by the obligatory meal of their still agonizing bodies. Yes, yes, these guys are really into sex and cannibalism - you could say that those are their two main themes.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:37

Being a mere observer, not intervening even when these creatures in human form began to do outright guro, was a surprisingly difficult task. Fortunately, I was still aware that by rushing into battle without being prepared for it, I risked saving one batch of victims, only to kill many more. It also helped that my clairvoyance was silent, not trying to feed me information about those who were killed or tortured, so that they remained extras to me, mere strangers who were just unlucky.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:46

Only sometimes, watching another life and Status go out, I felt strangely bitter. Not the overpowering guilt I felt for the lives I hadn't saved, no. Rather, the realization that the world had given me some shit again.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:47

I've been communicating with Ygra exclusively through dreams, which isn't a good thing, either - I'd like to get a little more training in the woods, accumulate a few more levels, get some more upgrades, distribute at least some free ability points at last... There's a lot to do, but I've put it off for the sake of destroying the city's rotten scum as soon as possible.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:48

The ogre herself, however, did not grieve, merrily killing an ever-increasing number of green-skinned and other monsters to zero. It wasn't working, of course, but she was trying hard. At the same time, she stayed out of trouble, retreating whenever she suspected she had a serious opponent who could rival her in a direct fight. She had only been furred a couple of times - a giant bear, strengthened by some kind of spirit that had possessed him, and a very lucky lightning strike from a shaman who would not die alone. But those scratches healed even faster than she could start her meal.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:50

Much more dangerous was the encounter between the swamp ogres and their forest kin. Fortunately, the average monsters of the rare grade could not seriously compete with the far more advanced and dangerous Ygra, who even outnumbered them in level. And not only in level - the height, weight, and arm length of the forest ogres were inferior to the swamp ogres, although this did not coincide with Ygra's because of her new appearance. She was too much like them... graceful.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:51

If there hadn't been four of them at once, there would have been no danger at all, but there was nothing she could do about it. All the more so if the huntress thought she was strong enough for this battle, she was sure of victory. She twisted the first (literally!) head off the ambush, pushed the headless carcass into the second, charged the third in the forehead with her severed head, dodged a blow from the fourth, and ripped his throat open with her bare hands. The last one would have recovered (the regeneration of ordinary ogres is considerably inferior to that of Ygra, but not that much), but not in time - he lost his head, too.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:55

What followed was a rather long game of fetching, during which the ogres were regularly injured, but not enough to destroy them, and the monsters themselves could not catch an opponent too nimble for them. Actually, Ygra herself would have preferred in another situation to kill one, even at the cost of wounds, and then wait for recovery and finish off the last one, but here she managed almost for the first time in combat to use the granted abilities. I must say that they really were very useful.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 18:05

The one who was getting the hardest hit was finally slowed down by the paralytic pheromones in his blood and skin, literally shutting down his main punching arm, allowing him to be knocked to the ground first with a well-placed log, and then break through his skull with an instant attack.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 18:09

The last one she simply dodged, not even trying to attack. In a short time, the almost beastly (even Ygra is an intellectual next to it) mind fell out of combat mode, and then the pheromones that hit the head and the enchanting body did their job. The creature didn't seem to start pouncing on the ogre at all for the kill. Then the monster was so full of it that it was, here, just a guess, about to wonk. A guess, because as soon as it stopped, Ygra slid behind the unresisting fellow and, folding its arms in a boat, tore out its still-beating heart, which it ate immediately.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:18

The latter is some kind of tribal custom regarding the defeated enemy, and the whole foursome was perceived by her as kinsmen, even if from another tribe, and in general some kind of flawed.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:18

Well, at least someone had it easy and simple, without a lot of sleepless nights, the agony of conscience, and trying to brew a week's supply of goods in two hours, and then have time to take a nap.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 18:09

If you think I have no other way of solving the problem than to put up a lone battle against an entire organization, then you think very poorly of me. In the course of my observations, I have noticed that the gang, the pinnacle of which is the cultists, has its own enemies and detractors. As among the administrative apparatus, dissatisfied with a couple of very tasty orders and contracts, stolen from under their noses, and among the criminals, who are the new and very dangerous competitor did not like. And then there is the adventurer guild, among which there are almost no cultists (although there are enough of the fatted teams and loners).

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:46

The small number of affected adventurers can be explained very simply - they have regular and very detailed inspections there. But the adventurous fellows who wander into uncharted lands often bring with them... stuff. I suppose I should at least make contact with them in terms of exchanging information. I should talk to a few of the authorities, too, and give them tips and pointers.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:47

Of course I'm not going to go to them and show them what I know - that would be stupid and shortsighted. But sneaking into their house, waking them up with a polite stab of the dagger in their throat, and then handing over the notes I had accumulated and asking them to look around a bit might do the trick.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:48

The same Burgomaster is on the list of priority targets for informing, but there is already a problem of communication with officials. For me, as a Hero, it is better to stay away from these guys. My main problem was not the inability to inform anyone, but rather the lack of evidence.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:49

The Cultists were thoughtful guys and killed relatively little. And those who were killed... Most of them were either slaves (the slave market wasn't big here, but it was there), or some lowlifes that no one would look for. Those whose disappearance could not be staged quietly were passed off as suicides or faked accidents, or even simply staged a rivalry war (the latter was especially applicable in the illegal sphere, where such a war really goes on).

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:50

Cover your asses from all directions, you freaks!

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:50

But any tricky ass defense can be pierced by a fairly sharp crossbow bolt. And the role of the bolt belongs to beloved, incomparable, and humble me. Especially humble.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:52

I had long ago realized that the bodies of the most "advanced" members of the cult were lumps of flesh. I could see that when I watched the old clerk with worms crawling under his skin, so it wasn't a revelation. It would only help me to determine the involvement of certain individuals in such an unpleasant organization, and it would be easier for me many times over.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:52

As I mentioned before, the number of cultists is relatively small. About two hundred of them were completely devoured by the black abomination, digested by it, and regurgitated back as something else. A similar number were infected by the filth, but still far from complete digestion. These had already revealed some information about their employers, but not to the fullest extent. And another five hundred or so were mere power bulls and controlled allies who had either been bought for gold or taken by the gills with dirt or all of these together. They had no idea what the cult was or what it was all about.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:54

A significant number, but far from fatal, when you consider that the guard alone has three thousand blades (what did you expect, being so close to the wilderness?), it is also worth adding the regularly swelling (and thinning) ranks of adventurers, permanent teams of mercenaries and security guards and other armed men.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:56

Yes, the gang was the strongest criminal organization in the city, and they were rapidly taking over the competition, but they weren't all-powerful. The biggest of the nocturnal organizations, backed by the mayor himself, and holding most of the smuggling in their gloves, for instance, didn't worry much. Yes, they had fewer men, but they could harness a great many of their allied blades. Just give them a signal!

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:57

That's why the Cultists didn't touch the smugglers directly, preferring to send agents to them, gradually seizing control without direct conflict. The others, on the contrary, preferred to crush and slaughter, and at the same time to gain prestige. The few temples were ignored by them, which made me regret the absence of a cleric in the party.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:58

As about the absence of a party at all.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:58

But back to the point of mutations.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:58

So, the stronger the influence on the individual, the weirder he is. Literally. The very best are left with nothing but skin, under which it is not clear what is hiding, but certainly nothing good. But even the "rank and file" fighters have something to brag about in the circus of freaks, as I have long since become sure.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:01

Take for example their fighters, the Bulls. Their backs were too wide, showing serious scoliosis and twisted muscles, the very sight of which made me nauseous. I had the chance to watch a few of them get dressed up, and I didn't need any vomiting after that. That's why they all walk around with their clothes closed.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:03

Another guy, plowing for a big trade guild, had an upside-down body. It was as if someone had taken his head, turned it a hundred and eighty degrees, and left it there. Where there used to be a face, there was now the back of his head. He also has joints that bend both ways, which allows him to walk properly without arousing suspicion. He never takes off his scarf in public, so that no one could see Adam's apple on the back of his head, and his clothes are extremely closed to hide the shape of his torso.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:04

How about the old fence who has another pair of hands on his belly. Really hands - baby hands, small and fragile, hiding in the fat folds on his belly. I don't know what purpose they are for, if not for beauty, but it must be convenient to scratch your balls with them. Or to conjure some kind of spell, for Gaze showed the cellar in which this individual traded, literally filled with black crap up to his knees. And it wasn't just a drip of filth, but a full-fledged resident enchantment, albeit of an incomprehensible nature, like everything else associated with that filth.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:05

I also remember a couple of twin girls who were turned into Siamese twins by their kind parents, under the guidance of kindly cultists. Now they change every day - one walks in their arms, hiding under the hem of a dress, and the other. And the result is a surprisingly peculiar girl. Like a playing card from a deck - stitched at waist level. A separate topic worth considering is how they manage to regularly show both daughters in public, only one at a time. So far, the girls have not gone any further than a suspicion of a quarrel. And there is no quarrel there - they were eating the guts of that tramp in a very friendly way, without the slightest negativity toward each other.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:07

Solshay's assistant, on the other hand, was almost unaffected, except for the strange calloused growths along his spine, but his problem was different. He needed teeth, and regularly.Every day he needed to "take a pill" in the form of someone else's teeth. I don't know what would happen otherwise, but obviously nothing good. I even wondered how exactly these teeth were delivered to him and from whom they were taken beforehand.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:08

I was also pleased with a few elite and not-so-elite whores (I will never go to brothels at this rate again, for I will shit myself with fear!). These too had almost no external mutations, or even none at all, without any almost. It's logical - if they're going to be twisted, there's no way they're going to be able to do their job. I was able to see one of them, though, when she started brushing her teeth.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:09

The second set.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:09

Below.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:10

Bitch.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 21:59

I got phantom pains from such a spectacle! Whatever the source of their transformations was, it was sick in the head, even if it had no head at all. What a fucking mess it's a world and its inhabitants!

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:12

I did not understand what the other erotic workers were rewarded with, although they left no less black marks than their disfigured colleagues. Maybe it was something with their internal organs, or the need to eat human flesh, like the pills. My imagination immediately drew pictures of exactly what kind of human waste a whore could feed on, without anyone noticing. Then it drew a picture with the second set of biters, and I started having phantom pains again.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:13

One of the most memorable was a teenager, fat as a boar, who was dragged into the cult by his parents, who had already been recruited earlier if we are to believe the comparative analysis with the help of clairvoyance. Whose past was first covered by the veil, the first to be devoured - it's simple. But getting back to the fat kid... Anyway, he's hollow. Like a bottle or, given his size, a can. It looks huge, but in fact, it's just leather and a light bone frame. Inside this peculiar container, cultists often carry all sorts of contraband and other nonsense. And if there's no contraband, he keeps heads in there. Ordinary bird heads with slimy wings made of human skin.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:14

And they are flying.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:15

They fly out.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:15

A whole swarm, a semi-intelligent, and predatory pack.

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 22:15