Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Глава 23

Chapter 23

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 14:17

There was silence for several minutes, as the comrades-in-arms processed the news. It's one thing when your commander just casually swears at the System (blasphemously, by local standards) and its creators to the third and forty-third generation. It is quite another experience to see what kind of tricks the System occasionally throws at the blasphemer. And this to me in principle was still normal, because I scored a lot of awards in addition to the " squeezed", earning no less than my comrades.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 14:18

But for them, such a gap in awards was quite shocking. For the local people, the titles received for their deeds are a kind of holy cow, and the realization that you may not be given the award you deserve, hurts them. I exaggerate, of course, especially since the phenomenon of diminishing rewards for titles is well known here - if a crowd of guards, servants, and protectors helps you get a title, then the reward will be very close to zero. But to call my actions in the Stone not fair enough in terms of danger... let's just say it would be an understatement.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 14:20

However, the last thing I needed was a pity for myself, so I quickly and decisively interrupted the indignation of those around me by demanding that they brag about their achievements. I did not ask them to drop their status - it was an intimate request. I had never demanded such a step from them before, and now I'm not going to. If they want to, they will tell me themselves, and if they do not want to, why should I force them? They will know their class abilities far better than I do, but that is not even the point. They will understand their skills in a way that I never could.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 15:24

Shadow can't look at Sky, Flame can't understand the Wind, and that's it. Even if I get the full Status of my companions, it will still be only blank lines of description. Clairvoyance can help here, but where I will have to understand through my third eye, for the same Losius everything will be clear and understandable as obvious.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:17

So I didn't even try and limited myself to a completely different formulation - just to tell me what they had already achieved, and in what direction they would develop themselves next. It was Losius who answered first.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:18

"I took the second rank of the Chosen of the Sky, although the result was somewhat unexpected." The nobleman began to boast calmly and sedately. "I was given a full-fledged defensive skill, the Sky Shield. By the looks of things, that would be my greatest asset in the future, working with barriers and forcefields based on the energies of Sky. My second skill is the Sky Palm: attack-healing, as strange as that may sound. I'm not going to use it on you, Tin, though, no offense taken."

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:36

"None was taken, I wouldn't let myself." I snorted in response to my friend's tentative apology. "Considering the crap that's saturated me, I can only be cured from life by the power of the sky. Don't you regret training a Chosen One instead of a Duelist, by the way? It doesn't really fit your fighting style, does it?"

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:38

"I regretted it a little, but it was the right choice." Losius didn't think for nearly a second, having made up his mind beforehand. "The Duelist's abilities are good, but no more, and clinging to them would only widen the gap between me and the owners of more powerful classes. Especially since the combination of palm, shield, and dueling leap will allow such that my enemies will be surprised, probably for the last time in their lives. Exactly what I've been dreaming of since my first class - the ability not just to maneuver quickly, but also to make powerful penetrating attacks. A duelist is forced to seek vulnerability by striking at weak points, such as joints, veins, and body parts uncovered by armor. And if it's not just the blade that strikes the vulnerable point, but the storm of energy that comes off it... You know how it is, Tin."

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:39

The highly detailed and detailed explanation did not cause internal rejection. In many ways I preferred similar battle tactics, taking advantage of the versatility of the mythical class. After all, I too can maneuver very quickly and hit painfully, immediately retreating. I can't help but wonder who it was that Losius picked up this style from, and why he decided to go in this direction. Not because of me alone, of course, but my influence played its part.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:52

"Don't overdo with the Sky, my friend." I surprise myself by the seriousness with which I say these words. "I don't want to scare you or change your mind, but if there's one thing I know about this world, it's about the Realms. And they are always deadly, despite first impressions. Just remember that if you relax, scoop up too much, or make a mistake, you will be charged immediately and without delay."

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:53

To my surprise, the aristocrat was not surprised and did not object, although the power of Sky itself, unlike the Shadow, is very popular among the people.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:19

"I know." My companion said grimly, like a cutoff. "Several times I felt that if I looked up too far, I would... drown in the sky, or something. I can't, to my shame, put into words what I've experienced, but Sky... it's too easy to stay there forever, just not wanting to go back down."

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:54

It is surprisingly succinct, I must admit, but it is in the spirit of how I described my feelings about the realms. It is always like that with them: you can't explain anything without imagery and a lot of metaphors, no matter how hard you try, because you have to manipulate very elusive and intangible concepts.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:55

"Then all I can wish you is a lot of luck and nerves of steel." I shifted back to my cheerful tone, suppressing the urge to somehow taunt the poor guy. "If you ever need to practice your light and good skills on the vile and evil adepts of the Shadow, I'm always at your service. That is if we get out of this swamp."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 18:52

"Don't spoil!" I couldn't even make out which of the three of them had shouted it first, though it certainly didn't suit Lósius, for he was a higher class.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 18:54

What was funny was the silence of the rest of the company during our conversation. They listened attentively, but were silent, although usually when we all sit down together to talk, we talk to everyone at once. But this was just a model teacher-student dialogue, where I act as the evil teacher, and the rest played the role of sitting at their desks students, doomed to go to the blackboard one by one. If you think about it, I can give a lot of advice about their classes, both because I know more about the realms than any other academic advisory board, and also because I have clairvoyance, which will allow me to understand something that I can't pay attention to. Let them still know more about their classes than I do, but where they know, I can guess.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 18:58

"All right, if it's all clear with you, I'll find something to say, too." Hans, squinting and averting his gaze, was a little insecure. "Here's the thing, Tin, I'll tell you, I messed up. It's the kind of thing that would make a draftee beat him with a sergeant's baton until he'd cough up blood."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:23

The gloomy and dissatisfied face of the tracker convinced me that he was not joking in his self-deprecation. Even with my clairvoyance (it was reflexive, honestly) I could not see where the old soldier had made a mistake. He certainly hadn't left any traces that could lead to us, or they would have found us before this conversation at the almost smoke-free fireplace.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:24

"Could you be more specific?" Taria couldn't help herself. "So we know what we're going to screw with?"

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:26

"Shut the hell up, you little brat!" Hans growled though he lost some of his grim fatalism. Which was exactly what the girl wanted. "Anyway, here's the thing. I could have got us all out of the chase. Or I could have if I'd known better. I pumped Search for the Path, still had to invest the award from the title, not to keep it, as what a woodpecker. Second rank and all, yes."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:30

"Hans, I respect you immensely, and I assure you in advance that I will not blame you for anything." He was interrupted by Losius. "I can swear it on my family name, but no more mysterious pauses, no more innuendo? Seriously, Hans, if there's a problem or trouble, the sooner we know about it, the sooner we can get it over with."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:35

"The Search for the Path at rank five allows you not only to walk alone on the trail but to drag along with you. If I'd been smart enough to give up all my gifts at once, I could have gotten us all to the swamps in twenty-four hours while I was drunk on potions. I wouldn't swear on blood, of course, but I could, with a bit of luck. What can I say? I didn't think, I didn't think, and now we're under the radar, like the thugs in the woods on a raid."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:41

The silence didn't last long, though it was dead - the prospect was appreciated by everyone present, who had been well acquainted with Hans' skills earlier. It was trail walking that allowed him to cover a hundred meters in one step without a blink, even though I had to treat him later. If he didn't get himself into trouble, he could move through the wilderness in some special way, so that we could cover great distances in the same number of steps he took. From the confused explanations of the pathfinder, who was never known for his ability to speak in complicated metaphorical sentences, we understood that there were difficulties of his own. Not every trail was visible, not every path could be stepped on, not all of them led to where you needed to go, and some of them might not be willing to let the walker go. But huskies aside, Hans could, with luck, cover great distances in a short time.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:44

The key factor was that he couldn't take anyone else with him, no matter how hard he tried. Before, he couldn't. And now, having closed the first rank to the top, and seemingly even taking the first point in the second rank, he could drag a few along with him. And if he had done that earlier, we wouldn't be sitting in a swamp now, hiding and lurking, but we would have been able to safely escape. Or at least more reliably than we are now.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:48

"That's bullshit, Hans." I almost laughed when I answered, and then I couldn't take it anymore and started giggling. "No, no offense, I appreciate the gusto, but please listen to me. Oh, man!"

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:48

Silently, I took the flask that Taria had slipped to me, soaking my throat. After a few seconds of trying to organize my thoughts, I finally found the words I needed to say.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 19:07

"Hans, I certainly believe that you could take us out. I really do. I mean it." A deep breath and another sip from the flask. "But. Just think. A newly learned skill, an alchemical intoxication, a large group of people, and a swamp ogre that weighs a little more than a man. And all of them need to be put on this "path" of yours, on the first try, I note. Set them up, walk them, and lead them back out. You know, that idea seems kind of lame, even to me. I mean, I've done crazier stupid things than that, but right now I'm glad I didn't have to participate in this one. Because luck goes with fools and lunatics, not clinical degenerates."

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 19:04

There were a few seconds of silence, during which we all thought about what I'd said, and then the charm of the moment was defeated by Taria's remark that she should definitely drink a mute potion.

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 19:01

"It was beautifully put, it brought tears to my eyes." And before we all responded in an even more witty style, she continued. "Hans, calm the fuck down! We're alive, we're not in chains, and we have every chance of saving our asses. Whether you could have gotten us out or not is a matter of the past, of the unfulfilled. And you don't regret the unfulfilled."

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 19:02

Now the silence was even more complete - the kind of thought one would expect from Losius, with reservations from myself, but no one expected to hear philosophical arguments from Taria, not even she herself, it seemed.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.22 в 19:50

"In the name of the Sun and the Sisters in Heaven! Why are you staring at me? Do you think that if I'm a lowlife like me, I can't think straight?" The indignation in her voice was barely feigned, but given her skill at faking it, the very "almost" that could be picked up meant the girl was struggling to contain her laughter.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 18:59

"I beg your pardon." Losius seems to have bought it, though he's supposed to intrigue and play with words like a gambler with a deck. "My silence was not meant to insult you or point out your origins."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 19:00

"Shut up, white handy, just shut up." Taria, to whom listening to such long speeches made her ears bleed. "It said so it's said, especially since we'd gone off topic."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 19:02

"Which brings us back to the same question." I intervene myself, extinguishing the remnants of a possible conflict. "The question, I remind you, is very simple: what do we do now?"

Camrad_RIP 20.08.22 в 19:01

Further discussions become more organized, reminiscent more of a corporate meeting than an ordinary get-together. Evil fucking Corporation and I don't mean Disney.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:19

The plan was straightforward - as long as Hans had mastered his class ability, he needed to practice a little and get us all through the swamps and woods in a way that would waste less time but be very far from possible pursuers or just barricade units. Not that it was difficult, but it was painful and dangerous - each day of delay here increased the risk that another search ritual would find our hiding place. Or, just as likely, we would be found by physical means, just by combing through the swamp. We weren't that far away, and, given the number of people who would get here, our disclosure was a matter of statistics. Ygra's lair isn't a panacea, after all.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:21

The only thing that saves us is that having moved the elite units here, the Crown guys probably won't risk running a lot of ordinary fighters and trackers down here in the same way. It's one thing to waste the resource of the Shoeless Eye on the elite, in the very first and most important hours, when the hope of catching the slipping bastards by the tail is higher than ever. It would be a very different conversation to burn out an artifact for the sake of a couple of hundred simple servicemen, fit only for the aforementioned scouring of the territory. They can be thrown close to the city portal, but to the Whitewater and the Stone (the remains of it), they will move on foot, albeit pumping horses with alchemy. For now, most of those who occupy us now are the guards, jaegers, and even civilian hunters who have been herded out of Whitewater. The latter is particularly noteworthy and shows how desperate our opponents are - hello from the progressively returning clairvoyance.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:28

We must have been sent to the devils in their minds by now - no one in their right mind would assume that we were sitting just a few feet away from their greedy and clingy clutches. The soldiers would have to look not for us, but for the traces we left behind or any other clues. And also, of course, to create a semblance of a stormy search, so that there would be something to say to His Majesty, in response to unpleasant questions. Whoever was in charge of the Stone's security was very close to the gallows now, unless they could think of something better to execute him. The heads of those involved would also be rolling, and so every dog, at this moment, was carefully creating the appearance of impetuous action, hoping that they would get away with fright or at least a demotion.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:31

It's ironic, but it's those kinds of random searchers who have a much better chance of catching us than the wise top specialists who have probably already overlooked our positions.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 12:28

The decision was unanimous: we recover, then go deep into the swamps with the help of Ygra, and only then do we let Hans practice his abilities a little. If he looks at me with honest eyes and says, "I can handle this mission, I can lead you, brothers and sisters, then we will risk using the trails. If he thinks that it would be too demanding to drag us all through in terms of reserve, concentration, or the load on the thin body, or anything else, then we will continue the same method, crossing the swamp and coming out closer to the wilderness.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 12:29

Unfortunately, Whitewater, though it was a deep province, was much closer to the center of the continent than to the edge of the wilderness. I would have to wander through the woods and ravines, fearing even to go to the village for a bite: it was not certain that they would find such a clue, or that they would find it quickly, but they would look for it. And Melareth has clairvoyants. We can relax only when we go deeper into the wilderness, away from the watchful eye of the secret office, where we can camp, rest for a while, and only then return to civilization, having made a huge and dangerous detour through uncharted territories.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 12:31

The same excuse I was going to use. Only now applied in reality. By the way, this way of throwing off our tails was indeed considered very popular, and we could not help but be suspicious that we had decided to act in this way. But this is where another trick comes in - the professionalism we displayed. Doing a "dive into oblivion," as poetically called in Melareth, escape from the chase through the Frontier, would be logical for ordinary brigands or unreliable elements fleeing from the state. Well, also for the much over-knowing mercenaries used by the secret services blindly.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:37

Ordinary mercenaries, common brigands, despicable fugitives could not have done to the Stone what we did. Simply because such powers and equipment, such levels and awareness, do not and cannot be found in loners. The professionals of the highest class working here must have their base, their superiors, and their channels of support. They will blame the neighboring countries, the powerful Guilds, or even some very distant competitors who have decided to begin the gradual expansion of influence on foreign territory. They'll blame anyone except the gang of loners and the fugitive Hero at the head of this circus!

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:52

Undoubtedly, they will work out any, even the most idiotic versions, but "working out any versions" and "giving them the same priority" is, as they say in Odessa, two big differences. If we are not foolish enough to get caught by pure chance, and if Lady Luck does not turn her gorgeous ass to us, we will get out of the trap alive, healthy, and even stealing the bait.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:55

There is a plan, the only thing left is to execute it.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:58

The full recovery went even faster than expected - once the shadow control was safe again, I began to reflexively feed myself with realm energy. For a mere human, death, madness, and reincarnation are guaranteed, but with my concentration and absorption limits, I could meditate with so much shadow energy in my body that anyone else would be torn to shreds. I never imagined that I could get so much out of risking my own ass all the time.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 16:59

After getting the extra booster, my body was in perfect shape in a matter of hours, and in a couple of days, even my thinner body had recovered. I was sitting on pins and needles the whole time (or rather, from the moment I noticed the reflexive boost), fearing a breakdown or something else bad. I recovered, calming myself a little - the Shadow wasn't safer, but it wasn't more dangerous, either.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 17:36

To be honest, I was ready to climb the wall: it wasn't even forced idleness or helplessness that irritated me, but the realization that time kept flowing away into nothing, and the noose around my neck was getting tighter and tighter. Conversations with the team and even with a smarter Ygra helped distract me, but the nervous mood could not remove completely. Although, I must admit, talking to Ygra was a very good distraction, and no, not for the boobs, although those too. It was just that it was wild for me to hear almost meaningful sentences and questions from a three-meter tall stool. ++++

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 17:38

Ygra was rapidly mastering the concepts that were difficult for her to grasp before. If I hadn't been in such a state, I would have even studied with her in my dreams, but I didn't take any chances. The Ogre, however, was doing just fine: she had mastered the concept of time, learned to ask about things she didn't understand, and even got the idea of names. The latter, alas, in her way.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.22 в 17:40