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

Prologue

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:49

Adepts of the Moon Path are quite rare birds. Both because of the difficulty of obtaining such a class, and because not many people want to get it. Even if they have the opportunity. Lunar Wanderers are practically useless in combat - the absolute lack of normal combat abilities is rarely taken positively. Yes, a strong and well-developed wanderer has many trump cards up his sleeve, allowing him to defend against spells and arrows, scare away evil spirits and monsters, and most importantly, retreat even in the most hopeless situation. The only thing is that it's hard to live up to the level where these abilities are revealed... problematic, to say the least.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:50

Asmius was one of the few who had been trained for this role since childhood. Ridiculously impoverished over the past few generations, his family took advantage of the information in their archives and the Moon Shrine deep within their domain. The little boy was dedicated to the Wanderer from his earliest childhood. Of course, the servants of the younger moons are inferior to those of the Night's Guest, but they have their tricks, and many are willing to break their backs for them. Come to think of it, Asmius's parents were not wrong, for the class of their second son and the money and promised services he received from his current position paid off, interrupting, or at least postponing for many years, the family crisis that was brewing.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:51

Right now their company was using the most famous and well-publicized trick in the wanderer's arsenal: the Moonwalk. To be able to travel across the kingdom in a few hours without disturbing the unwieldy and carefully monitored stationary teleporters is a very valuable opportunity. Especially when you consider the fact that there was no normal teleport in Kraj, and the available one was fraught with danger. Up to and including being transported in parts, for there were cases.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:53

Varij reasonably suspected that his superiors had requested the assistance of one of the kingdom's best teleporters not out of risk, but only out of a desire to make their visit to the borderlands as abrupt as possible. He would have stressed Ser Darius too, but the only portalist of his rank in the kingdom could send far more powerful people than a single senior interrogator. Besides, Asmius owed Ser Pharans a lot of favors, so he had to silently shift the schedule and arrange a path for their group.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:54

Arranged.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:54

And Varij silently followed his master, habitually guarding his back.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:56

As they emerged from the moonlit archway right in the middle of the central square of Kraj, Lawrence Pharans was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the surrounding guards reacted to their appearance. They hadn't even fully manifested themselves in the real world yet, and they already had two dozen crossbows pointed at them, while the commander of those crossbowmen was yelling into the communicating amulet for help.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:56

This is the Frontier, always watchful here, and after the recent events, even more so! Even though the official administration has tried... Not to gloss over, but to understate the problems caused by the cult, while at the same time taking credit for them, but the Secret Watch also had its own informants. Even within the ranks of the Adventurers' Guild, which, oddly enough, also remained officially silent.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:57

"Identify yourself immediately!" The tallest of the guards, the one flaunting level twenty-one, growled audibly. "And don't make any sudden moves, we're edgy!"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 16:58

Protocol, of course, wasn't followed, but that's the way it is in the Frontier - efficiency is valued far more than strict adherence to formality. Given how quickly the guards had reacted to their arrival, Lawrence was prepared to let such a little thing pass his ears. Unless the guard himself was going to get in the way.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:00

Instead of answering, he steps forward, slowly and carefully, so as not to provoke firing, displaying his service medallion. A gold medallion with red stones, the mere sight of which makes the impudent guard choke on another phrase and much more politely utter another, in a somewhat apologetic tone.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:00

He looked again at the man who had come forward with a new look, assessing the sight that had unfolded. His clothes are modest but expensive and, importantly, practical; his noble features are well-groomed; his fingers are thin, clearly used to gripping a quill but not a blade; his back is straight as a pole; and he is perfectly calm, confident of his superiority and safety.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:01

"I can't help but check, you understand." He had no particular piety, but whether it was the result of courage or stupidity, Lawrence did not yet know.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:02

"Perform your duties, officer." He said just that, not the slightest bit worried.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:02

The guards behind him would have time to protect him from an accidental blow anyway, and if they didn't, it would only mean that the military units, not the interrogators, would come to town. No such thing was needed - the officer's amulet of identification confirmed the authenticity of the badge. It's possible to fake such a thing, of course, but it's too complicated and risky... And to solve such problems is not in his competence, a mere guardian.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:03

"Now, if you will kindly show us to your Burgomaster's house." As always the inquirer said calmly and kindly. "It may be nighttime, but I think he will forgive us our intrusion and interrupted sleep."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:04

I'm sure he would, with all that authority. That's about as much as a guard could answer if he wanted trouble on his head, but he was not at all deceived by the seemingly calm and benevolence of a secret-watch official. Not for nothing at all, for Ser Pharrance could be called anything but soft.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:05

Half an hour later, a thunderous knock sounded on the gate of the burgomaster's private mansion.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:06

"What do you think, Bastian?" Lawrence inquired, questioning his personal errand boy and probably his apprentice. "About the whole situation, not just the conversation with the Lord Superintendent?"

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:12

The young man following in Lawrence's footsteps, barely eighteen years old, was sophisticated, too, but much less impressive. He tried to be like his teacher and idol in everything he did, but he didn't always succeed. However, he was kept in the team not for his ability to present himself beautifully in front of the audience, but for his uncommon intelligence and rare class.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:13

"He wasn't lying, though he was trying to be coy about it." The boy started to answer immediately, losing all his subservience and becoming a focused and resolute young man. "Especially after a few remarks on your part. But... But if he was telling the truth, we should have a proper talk with the elite wing of the Adventurers' Guild. If anyone's not telling the truth, it's them. What kind of report is that anyway? 'The guild's battle threesome, supported by a top-notch outsider,' are just words about nothing. The third-party must be found out, for its presence is obvious even now, without further investigation."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:15

"Words about nothing... Bastian, you've probably never been to a social gathering, nor have you read the tax returns for the gold squandered in the middle of nowhere." For the first time, there was a smile on the interrogator's face. "Bale was the epitome of sincerity, as were the adventurers' reports. As to the latter, I think you're right, though not entirely. It's worth going in, if only because they're clearly looking forward to it, wanting to talk face to face."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:16

"But why, mentor?" What he liked about the young prodigy was the ease with which he acknowledged his mistakes and retreated when defeated. In the future, he would be a truly dangerous adversary, loyal to everyone and no one but himself and his teacher. In fact, the boy's character was also one of the reasons Lawrence approached him rather than one of the hundreds of other candidates.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:17

"Apparently, they have something they wouldn't trust to paper. It's too early to judge; we'd better get some sleep. We can't take them by surprise, not like Bale, no matter how early we get there."

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:17

So they went to the best hotel in town. They were followed by the rest of the inquirer's retinue, carefully guarding their superiors and quietly discussing the possibility of spending the next few days off in local establishments of various kinds. The usual working environment.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:18

The epic class of the Master Interrogator, further enhanced by the legendary (albeit the lowest facet of legend) class of the Great Detective, is a real power from which almost nothing is hidden. Lawrence did not consider himself one of the best experts in the secret watch for nothing. The only thing that kept him from removing the prefix "one of" was a relatively low level thirty-one - the legendary class was just beginning to develop, and he desperately lacked experience in using it.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:22

On the other hand, even if he were the best, the secret watch is not only detectives. So the achievement would not turn out to be so great either. Lawrence himself didn't care about such trifles, for since childhood he had not cared about anyone who was not his ally or his subordinate. That same childhood goal had long been at the top of his list of priorities in life.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:24

Returning to the advantages of the classroom, Lawrence had not without difficulty, but he was reconstructing the full picture of the carnage that had occurred in Kraj. First of all, a picture of the interference of the very third party that even his young apprentice had guessed.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:25

The fact that the cult had been kicked out into the world, and that it had been compromised and weakened before the final battle was fought, no one was hiding the fact. It's hard to hide a deformed mutant pinned to the wall, hanging in the middle of the living room of the city's chief smuggler and the mayor's kin. The latter, however, was of little concern to the inquirer, for he had not come here for the petty sins of those in power. This, however, did not prevent him from taking the proposed "gift," especially since the patrons of a couple of relatives had already made a similar, but larger, the gift to his immediate superiors.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:27

A Cult.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:27

A Thugs.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:27

The Adventurers.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:27

Thr Guards.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:28

And someone else, who had managed to set them all together and remained virtually unnoticed. Someone whose goals he couldn't understand even in his wildest conjecture, and he was beginning to feel some discomfort in his lower back. If one of the other worldlings had read his mind now, he would have commented on the situation with a reference to a burnt butt, but alas, he was not here.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:31

That's why the legendary detective sat over a pile of papers, not even thinking about going for a break. In any situation, you have to look for someone who would benefit from what was happening, but right now he could not find that someone.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:31

At first, he thought of the same smugglers - they were the ones who ended up losing all the competition in the criminal sphere and becoming even more entrenched in the city. And the mayor had rid himself of most of the few but troublesome nobles. It would seem - here they are, if not the culprits, then at least those who ordered it!

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:32

Except that the Burgomaster, his tame head of the shadow guild, and all their closest associates with any power or influence knew nothing of what was going on. It was beginning to look as if this dance with the cultists had been raised by pure accident...

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:33

Only it wasn't an accident that dropped the cultist's body at Bale's house.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:33

It was no accident that destroyed an inconspicuous store, leaving a whole bunch of bodies of fighters guarding it and, judging by the report of the senior city ritualist, destroying one of the centers of power of the cult.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:34

And it was certainly no accident that wore the mask, taking part in the final battle for Kraj and, in doing so, destroying the base of the creature whose name his retinue is right now searching for.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:35

Every single one of the adventurers he'd interviewed was convinced that the fighter who had intervened in the battle could not possibly be human. Lawrence was now inclined to think of an elite emissary from the Order of the Last Covenant, for the style of battle described by the witnesses was generally very similar to the way the witches fought. But the consequences of this emissary's actions...

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:36

If Kraj ceased to exist as a result of his intervention, then Farens would not even question the authenticity of his version, but someone of the covenants, deliberately helping the Kingdom of Melaret, deliberately saving civilians? If he seriously suggested such a thing in his report, he would be sent to the healers without even reading to the end.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:37

And the description from two of the three participants of the final battle between the unknown creature and the abomination in charge of the cult was eloquent to the extreme.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:38

Only questions and no answers.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:38

In such a situation, the only thing to do was to ask the others, which was exactly what he needed his retinue to do.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:39

Lacia was a commoner through and through - the daughter of a common clerk from a mediocre frontier town. He wouldn't have agreed for any money to bring a commoner near him (primarily because of the inevitable rumors) if it weren't for her class. Though the Librarian class was rare, it was in fact much rarer than other epic classes, on a par with legendary ones. To obtain such a class one must not only give up any combat effectiveness but also have a highly unusual character.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:40

But there are a lot of benefits from them.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:40

A librarian, in addition to various and not very useful little things, can register himself in any book repository of the world, and then read the volumes there at any time and in any place. Traditionally, holders of this class are tied to the country's main library. Lacia could at any time read any book that was stored in the Main Library, which is called the Royal Library. In fact, it had been founded by the second king of Melareth at the dawn of the nation's founding.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:41

Of course, to gain access to the forbidden sections, Lacia herself had to get, pardon the pun, the right of access. The more sections available for reading, the more experience the librarian gets. At twenty-eight, the girl already had the twenty-third level, which spoke a lot - the librarian's grind is one of the slowest.

Camrad_RIP 24.01.22 в 17:43