Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Глава 3

Chapter 3

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 09:04

When we made the decision, we all ran towards the enemy, loudly demanding from the vile slave-traders to come out to fight fair and not so fair... If you believe this, I pity you, and I am a little offended by your opinion of my intelligence. Breaking into such a crowd, and even in a fortified position, is far more dangerous than going up against an army of orcs. And while the possibilities of escape are always open to me (unless, of course, there's some legendary creature there, which with my life doesn't sound so incredible), my comrades-in-arms, if surrounded, can only die with a battle cry on their lips in a pompous manner.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 19:51

But this isn't the WH40k to work on pure pathos and hatred, so to hell with those options. Instead of rash decisions, we went on interrogating Tarija's subordinates. Only this time we were no longer asking about general provisions, but only about their camp, numbers, and surprises prepared just in case. Not much would be told to mere blades, that's understandable, but in such a close bond some information would leak out, even to the lower ranks. And under the influence of my bandit's ability, the bastards remembered everything they'd ever seen or heard.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 19:53

And I didn't like the whole thing at all, to say the least. You can't compare an army of orcs that relies on numbers and high characteristics with humans. First of all, not even all of the orcs are the tenth level, let alone goblins. Secondly, the decisive strength of our opponents will be discipline and equipment - the guys were the elite of the underworld, trained for joint action, and not much inferior to a full army. Good armor, weapons, some amulets and alchemy, and, hell, a general coherence that wouldn't let you panic or dumb down.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:14

The final chord of this song was the high-level fighters in the mix. Six high-level, rare classes and obscure abilities at once is a good reason to think, even for me. Even if I can kill them all, it would require a slow and methodical approach, not a banzai attack in the style of a classic isekai. There are too many of them, which would make me waste my energy and slow down. After that, it would be an elite attack, which would force me to make a run for it, if not kill me on the spot.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:16

No, no, I am confident in my victory even now, but making that victory quick, decisive, and bloodless for my team is a task of a different level of difficulty, one that is better not to touch offhand. Proper preparation will get rid of the main risks, and it will not have much of a consequence other than wasted time.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:22

The brainwashed criminals can be brought back to their post, and at the same time, they can be turned into time bombs, while we should think about possible courses of action. Not just me alone, but the whole company! That same Hans was more useful during the interrogation than I was, for he knew exactly what to ask them to get the answers we needed.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:23

Regarding my own plans...

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:24

The most important thing I realized from the start was that I had to be much more careful about using the summoning of the lesser Shadows. All because of the fucking swamp! Honestly, these swamps are nothing but trouble - the swamps, the mud, the stench, the Ygra, and now this! The crux of the problem is that swamps often bring in all sorts of rubbish, most often not very tangible. Not surprising when you consider how many slaves (waste material) are buried forever in its bottomless mire. But because of that danger, the whole camp was pretty good at fighting creatures that didn't have a tangible body: the lower undead spirits (not to be confused with ordinary spirits!) and the occasional ghost.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:27

The camp was surrounded by a not-so-bad stationary protective circuit, powered by a small altar and set up with a ritual that tied the magical dome firmly to the right piece of land. Most of the undead souls were smeared against the barrier, and the barrier was recharged with the remains of the essence of the absorbed undead. And if that didn't work, the bandits had enough enchanted weapons, amulets, and arrows with silver-plated tips. Not that they had as many of these supplies as other monster hunters, but a certain minimum was given to each and every one.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:28

Shadows, to be honest, are no match for the undead, not at all. And even the most primitive creatures summoned by my will would be far more dangerous because of their different and far more advanced instincts and high stealth. But they will not be opposed by defenseless orcs and goblins, which is depressing.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:29

The second problem was dreams, or rather Dreams, or even more accurately, their proper use. In theory, I could just drive them all crazy, then chew popcorn and watch the carnage. I might even get some experience. Except that it would take up more than one full reserve, and more than one night. No matter how fast I speed up time in my dreams, no matter how much I have to wriggle around, I can't process a crowd like this quickly. Not at my current skill level.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:30

It turns out that I have to choose between two options - to attack the elite, but seriously, or to have minimal impact on the main stratum of fighters. There is also a third option, such as "spend saved talent points", but it's not even greed, it's pride that strangles me. If I even before the fight with the legendary creature saved - because the retard - then now there is no threat. Just don't get me wrong - I can't imagine how badly I'd have to be unlucky to die in a fight like that. Even if they had been many times stronger, I could have escaped and even taken my companions away.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:31

And if I could see no other way to deal with the enemy without losses on our part except for the distribution of talents! But I can see these ways, both by logic and by clairvoyance! So I don't want to waste my accumulated power unless it's absolutely necessary.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:32

But I promised myself that, after this mess, I would bring the shadow class up to rank three - it was high time, and you can never have too much combat power. Maybe I'd also take alchemy and dream walking to the second rank. But in the case of the dreamwalker, I'm sure I'll get the second rank myself after I've done what I wanted to do.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:33

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Luckily, my reaction was enough to cover the two of us in a veil of silence, preserving the anonymity of our stay in these woods, despite the best efforts of the happy-as-a-child Tarija.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:36

After our interrogation had been completed, and the prisoners themselves had received a whole set of commands into their subconscious, returning to the interrupted watch, we moved forward to our camp. Or rather, at first I did run to the slave-traders hideout to assess the protection of their abode in person, but then we headed back.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:34

By the way, I was beginning to seriously suspect that Tarija had other subjugating powers besides her bust, or there was no way I could explain how she'd convinced me to carry her back in my arms. No, logically I understand that I had to get back to the horses I'd left behind, and the girl herself was already barely on her feet, but damn it! She really had me fooled!

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:41

As a result, I not only had to put up with a woman clinging to me in all her forms (and I'm no iron man!) but also the laughing glances of Hans and Losij running beside me. It was the running, for we had decided to let our bones warm up with a little jog. The only people who could hear us were the same sentinels, and they would not have noticed us, even if we had danced the bottom breakdance next to them.

Camrad_RIP 28.01.22 в 20:43

But making a sharp springboard by climbing a tree and jumping into our camp with a very long jump was probably not a good idea. I thought I'd scare the bugger into not being so pleased, but she seems just like speed. I wonder if she likes to scream in bed, too, or only when she falls from a height.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 07:58

"That's the way it is, gentlemen and comrades." To summarize my half-hour lecture on "what to do and who to fight. "I plan to attack the ordinary fighters with some of the easier ones, and then think about the elite freaks."

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 07:59

"Hmm. I am personally confident in your power - if anything happens, you will destroy the leaders of this gang, especially if you hit them suddenly." After a moment's silence, Losij takes the word. "But I'd like to know the limit of what you're going to do to the outlaws. Just make them twitchy and sleepless? Turn them into drooling madmen? Make them fight each other?"

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:01

I chuckled softly, in response to such confidence in my abilities. No, I can do all of the above, but not in a couple of days! I will have to cut back on the sturgeon a little bit before I am considered the embodiment of world awesomeness and the big brother of Morpheus himself.
T.N.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:00

For the last two options you listed I just don't have the time, and even if I did, it would be easier to beat them in the real world. What I want to do... Let's just say I'm going to awaken their lingering fears and anxieties. Of course, they have long ceased to fear blood and death, long ago hardened against everyone and everything, long accustomed to fight, albeit by their, outlaw, rules. And I will make sure that for one battle they will all remember how they felt their first time on the battlefield, how their first enemy died, how they scrubbed the blood from their hands. In this battle, they would once again be the same newcomers, just caught up in the meat grinder. The panic, the confusion, the collateral damage, would all be just a consequence of what I had done.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:14

After such a long tirade, I involuntarily reach for the flask to soak my throat. The rest of my companions are silent, not out of shock or respect, because after our training together in sleep, such techniques are not as surprising as they were in the beginning. They're just figuring out how my attack will affect the pattern of the battle to come.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:39

"I see! So we'll have to cut running chickens, not full-fledged fighters. That's a good thing, too." Hans sums it up, snatching a flask of wine from me as well. "What about their elite? Who, whom, and how?"

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:40

There were a total of six high-level opponents, as I said before. Actually, a ten, but they almost never all get together, so there's only six of them now. Unpleasant numbers, unpleasant classes, and unpleasant people who could use a dose or two of life-giving euthanasia. It is in our power to ensure the cessation of their vitality, but the battle plan for this must be properly polished.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:03

I considered the thirty-third level Brether, whose second class was the Phantom, to be the biggest threat. While I'd already seen and killed brethers, the criminal and untidy version of duelists, during my adventures in Ostmark, the Phantom bothered me. The epic class of obscure purpose evoked a feeling of emptiness and a kind of unsteadiness, as if one were not looking at a human being, but at some balloon ready to burst at any moment. I could clearly sense that this guy had only just begun to learn his new class, but the threat from him was the strongest. It was also pretty muffled, indicative of his ability to hide from insight. He's still no match for me, especially if I'm ambush him, but for the rest of us...

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:05

On the second line, I'll put the owner of the highest level in the camp, the thirty-fifth. The purely magical classes of Aeromancer and Rare Grade Electromage were not the most impressive, but I could have sworn that this geezer put all his stats into magical power, which caused reasonable apprehension. If one of those strikes, even I'll be in trouble, even if I manage to fall into Shadow, and there won't even be ashes left of my team.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:05

The clairvoyant told me that he would only be able to hit like that a few times before he was left with very little energy and that the blows themselves would not be prepared quickly. Given his low physique and general old age, it is better to hit the ugly grandfather before the fight begins, so that there would be no force majeure.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:41

The third place in the top of our enemies I'll probably give to another mage. Mage of Death and Preacher of Death at level twenty-seven. The rare and epic classes, which, judging by their names, have a lot of synergy with each other, made him a very dangerous man. He was too menacing, with the certainty that it was as easy to kill him as it was to die at his hand. He has enormous attacking power but little defense - it's almost like a glass cannon. The man, skinny as a skeleton and pale as a moth, was a very unpleasant character.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:06

On the fourth line sits a Brigand and a Butcher (not to be confused with a Craftsman) at level thirtieth. A common and rare class, high dexterity and weapon skills, vast experience, and inhuman cruelty. No kidding, metaphysically speaking, he reeked of blood and death like a slaughterhouse, and the Gaze showed him black from the blood splatter that covered him. I had to consciously turn off my clairvoyance to avoid drowning in the floods of visions. Blood, betrayal, torture, blood, abomination, lust for profit, blood, torture, and more blood - it seemed he was these concepts himself. It was even strange that a man with such a past hadn't mutated into some demonic bullshit at all. If he hadn't been kicked out of Hell for his brutality, he certainly would have fit in with the demonic company without the slightest problem. They would have accepted him as one of their own.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:08

I'll give the fifth line to the mage with the class of Malefic at level twenty-four. The young guy wasn't nearly as dangerous, but he had a collection of bling that protected him from the vicissitudes of his environment. He got into bad company and went downhill - this brat may not have been more violent than the Butcher, but he wanted to be.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:09

I gave the last line to the second-highest level man in the camp, even though he wasn't a fighter. The Mentalist and Slavemancer, two rare classes, didn't make him dangerous in combat, but you should kill him at least for his profession. And because he's still a pretty high-level bastard, he can be a real pain in the ass - a Mentalist can also give a pure combat class a lot of trouble from behind other people's backs. So fuck the risks!

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:10

"What do you think about the order of priority?" I ask my comrades-in-arms. "Which of them should we rid the world of first?"

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:42

"The magician, of course!" Hans answered without thinking for a second as if he were quoting a memorized cheat sheet. "The slow wizards are often the most dangerous. Only the wizard!"

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:43

But Losij is silent, gesturing for us to be silent, too, with a concentrated expression on his face and clearly trying to remember some important, or seemingly important, detail.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:44

"The Preacher must be killed not just first among the elite, but first in general." At last, he answers with a sudden frown. "I remembered them from the stories of Cadijs, my middle brother. He is a great lover of eradicating Evil, for his inquisitorial class obliges him. He has almost cut off contact with his family, especially since he joined his precious order, but he still told me a lot."

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 07:57

I stepped sharply on the foot of Tarija, who was about to quip about the long introduction and the reluctance to talk about the case. I don't need clairvoyance to know how Losij would react to such a taunt, especially if the taunt is directed at his family.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:45

I'm sorry, I was carried away by the river of reflection. - He immediately understood her mood. - The Preachers of Death are able to sense death within a certain radius of themselves. I mean, when they get a class, they have it. So if we don't want to kindly inform him of our attack, we'll have to cut off his life from the start.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:47

In my mind, I give myself a plus sign for the idea of raising the issue in general discussion, otherwise, it might not be funny at all, but very unpleasant.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:47

"This is very important information, Losij, in fact, critically important." I don't mind expressing my thoughts. "I could have gotten myself into trouble and set you up if I hadn't known about it. What about the others?"

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:48

Losij answered again, but his answer was not as useful as the previous one, although it was not useless at all. In any case, information is never superfluous.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:48

One of the classes I was offered at level twenty-five was exactly Phantom. From what the System revealed, I understand that this class focuses on dexterity and has spatial and magical skills. I won't say much else, except that I support Hans in saying that a mage should be killed before he launches an attack.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 08:12

I silently write down what I said in my imaginary notebook, and then I turn to the feisty Tarija, who was annoyed by her own uselessness during the discussion that was going on. In response to a silent question on my part, she calmly replied:

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:49

"Malefic."

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 07:55

A question mark seemed to appear above my head, as did everyone else's. Not that I didn't approve of that opinion, but I didn't understand at all, why exactly? Tarija immediately answered what she thought about it.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:49

"If he has a bunch of protective bling, he could be a problem that would be hard to kill. And his relative weakness will make the asshole immediately run away in terror, dropping his pants. Killing a protected and yet fleeing one would be problematic."

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:50

She seemed to be on the point, forcing me to think about ways to prevent escape, but I could feel with my ass that she had not said everything that was in her heart. Fortunately, she didn't get too impatient, but she gave up the main reason for her suggestion at once.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:51

I also hate cocksuckers who think a title gives them the right to slaughter everyone around them like cattle. That's it.

Camrad_RIP 29.01.22 в 09:51