Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Глава 5

Chapter 5
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Camrad_RIP 07.05.23 в 12:06

Tavimark was a much busier place than the memorable Arenam, at least because of its size and its location at the crossroads of three major trade routes - two overland and one inland. Within the walls of a rather old city, standing on the ruins of a very ancient structure, there was enough of all kinds of interests, intrigue, and the intertwining of other people's plans. It was perhaps a textbook example of a fantasy city where a true Isekai could easily find a thousand ways to get involved in his adventure.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:22

The Imperial Aristocracy and the Old Families, the Merchant Houses of the Golden Hundred and their competitors with less influence on the power structures but superior in number, Guards and Shadow Guilds, often not much different from each other, loan sharks and bankers, personal squads of free mercenaries, who are free only on paper, but in fact at least serve someone... And that is just what was on the surface!

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:23

Two small Magical Guilds, one of which was more like a union of craftsmen in all of Tavimark, and the other was an intellectual club of fans of collecting all kinds of knowledge. Far from always harmless, it's worth clarifying. These, too, were guys of understanding and simplicity, even though no one would call them kind, even in their blindest and most naïve dreams. And what to do with three black-magic cults at once, feeling quite at ease in the human swamp?

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:25

The three did not know about each other, though at least two of them were very hostile to each other. The two dark gods, the Pain Eater and the Misery Contemplator, though in fact brothers, couldn't stand each other, and their clerics bled each other at every opportunity. The third cult, serving and worshipping Hell, an aspect of Despair, to be more precise, hated the world and each other at the same time in a completely tolerant manner.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:27

The only people who knew of the existence of all three secret religious communities of lovers of cutting virgins on altars were the employees of the local branch of the Eyes, the Head of which had been sitting in Tavimark for three decades. That's why he almost manually allowed all three cults to emerge and grow stronger, covering them up at first and encouraging promising cadres to fall into heresy. In a year or two or three, you'll be able to swoop down and get a long-awaited transfer to the capital... or at least away from here. . Especially if the situation is set up so that one of the victims of the cult will be the heir of the largest businessman and third in the Council of Old Families Tavimark, who very unfortunate offended a distant relative of an old comrade of the Head of Eyes.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:29

No, no, there's not enough resentment or "favor" to cover the costs and risks, but the guy really pissed off the gray-haired husband, and his company was very unfortunate, almost a third tainted by association with cult members. Two of the three. His death will just be a convenient enough lever to start a massive investigation, under which the autopsy of all three boils will not look strange or suspicious. Nothing personal, just business, right?

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:31

Going down a little lower, you could see whole neighborhoods of slums, among which their business and sorrows were flowing. And in this pile of homeless people lived several creatures who only pretended to be human. Possessed by intangible entities, the homeless men occasionally took a bite out of humanity, increasingly losing their human form. Sometimes they were found and killed, whether by guards, adventurers, or slum dwellers themselves. And sometimes, they simply disappeared, going their separate ways. Or disappeared somewhere below.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:32

The catacombs under the city were, for one thing, very vast. There were such expanses that entire armies could get lost, which even happened once. It is said that the march of the forged boots of the forty-third armored heavy infantry corps can be heard on the quietest nights, especially if one lives in the lower town, where the catacombs come closest to the surface. It is believed that once you hear this sound, it is impossible to forget because the measured march of a long-gone military unit drives the faint of heart into madness. And it will call and call you until your last day into the tightness and stench of the old corridors and underground drains.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:33

Some even went to that call.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:35

Only they didn't come back.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:36

Second, the catacombs were tried to be locked up and sealed in every way possible. Because the same shadow brotherhood liked to use the "subway," without being caught by the guards and, more importantly, by the private guards of those they decided to pinch. They equipped their bases only in the uppermost tiers, and even then, there were not permanent bases but warehouses of illegal products and camps for pumping new meat.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 09:37

In addition to the legends, the tunnels were home to some very tangible monsters and beasts. Closer to the surface and the sun, even quite tolerably dangerous, suitable for developing skills and raising levels. Among Tavimark's adventurers, they no longer even accepted those who held Underground or Tunnel Rat classes unless they agreed to be tested with a truth potion that they were not a bandit spy. Too many holders of such archetypes were in glorious Tavimark.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 12:09

But even the reckless bandits, the almost completely converted possessed, and ruthless cultists didn't risk going really deep. Where the roar of the march was truly deafening and maddening. No one was, after all, willing to meet the lost soldiers and answer their request to show them the way back. And no one was even more willing to find what these soldiers were guarding. Because there, in the darkness, is something for which the unfortunate lancers had long ago been sent to these catacombs.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:07

This something was defeated but not finished, only sealed. And the seals are still strong, and in the magistrate, in the residence of the Eyes, and the Houses of Tavimark's nobility, there are still amulets carefully tuned to receive very special signals that will warn if the seals fail in strength. After all, the few elite survivors of the massacre, like the locking team of ritualists, knew exactly how the locked essence would strike and what fate would befall the not-so-necessary and not-so-useful armored infantry of the breach.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:10

Every chest needs Security.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 12:11

Every door needs a Guard.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 12:11

Every feat needs a Hero.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 12:12

Every creature needs a Pray.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 12:12

The nearest window in the portal network will be open only by the end of the month, at best, and for all comers at once, not just single travelers. It was a coincidence that this was the year that the relocation stone nearly overheated, figuratively speaking. Too greedy mage responsible for the work of this particular piece of transport artifact decided to send a few more travelers and cargo at one time. In his excuse, they did so quite often in the capital because the number of maximum loads and transported weight written in the instructions and charts are always intentionally underestimated to give more room for maneuvering. In wartime, a network of teleporters can carry many times the number of everything than in times of peace.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 12:14

Alas, the damsel - a damsel in her forties with the appearance of Shapokljack 111 - had forgotten that she was now not in the capital but in Tavimark. And here, by the way, were sent exactly those artifacts which the enterprising guys from Eternal almost burned out with their entrepreneurialism, even though according to the invoices, these stones are almost new. They can accept other people's transport quite well, but if you overstress the right areas yourself...

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:13

In general, the damsel received a severe reprimand, a conversation with the Emperor's Eye, the relief of a lifetime of an accumulated financial cushion to full transparency and not quite an honorable retirement, and Tavimark almost fell out of the teleportation network until the fall. Well, with any luck, until late midsummer.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:16

In short, my plans to travel quickly to the Eternal so I could work there instead of driving across the Empire of the Ages failed. I would have to sit and wait because, by the time we got to Redsmald, the nearest city with a working teleport network, we would have already waited twice for an open "window".

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:17

So we'll wait.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:18

Tavimark is not very interesting for Adventurers. There are too few lucrative contracts for them here. Guarding the caravans and traders is quite a good job for the Mercenary Guild, which is sharpened to work inside the different states. These guys are used to fighting not monsters and beasts but people in all their diversity. And they chase robbers just as well, but cheaper. This is not to say the adventurers can not compete with them, no. Rather, they do not want to. For them, the frontier areas, or a few "hotbeds" of all sorts of monsters and other filth, were far more profitable than the routine work of a guard or caravan driver.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:30

However, their Branch was here. And a job for a real adventurer, so the local branch was not poor, not poor at all. From the regular sweeping of neighborhoods of wandering creepiness to helping rich men and women get pumped up. Yes, strange as it may seem, there are always plenty of normal mentors among adventurers. And pumping on monsters causes less negativity than pumping on brigands or even in gladiator pits. That's just killing romantics of knife and axe - easy, but purposefully get on them level - is considered bad form.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:34

Our merry band of five high-class but not elite guys without a department badge did not cause a stir, but certainly a mild interest. Actually, getting a badge is not necessary at all, but it is more profitable in the long run. I mean, yes, you have to pay the guild a percentage, but unlike in my home world's tax office, if you get screwed over, it's not just your problem anymore. Yeah, not always fast and not always willingly, but the guild stands up for its members and punches the cheeky ones in the face. And they can give so that even the aristocracy, despite their pride and connections in all circles, is forced to pay honestly in most cases.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:37

Getting back to us. We didn't look like the standard Guild material. Most of those who joined came as green newcomers, just beginning to move up the ladder of power. To such people, a Guild there was much to give and much to take from them. Already established teams, often with a clientele and reputation of their own, didn't join the Guild very often. The Guild squeezed them economically simply by squeezing contracts and avoiding physical confrontation, but it did not add to their love for one another. There were few free adventurers left in the settled territories since most had either joined the Guild or moved closer to the Frontier.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:42

Our desire for tokens did not surprise anyone. But it wasn't common either. However, when they learned that we were just planning to take a break from the quarry and rest on civilized land, their interest was immediately lost. The picture is familiar - to take a badge so the guards do not question where we came from. Not all of the adventurers were citizens of the Empire of the Ages, so we are not the first, nor will we be the last.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:55

Spies, by the way, are very like to be sent in this way. For that reason, adventurers without a contract secured by an oath in the temple of some deity were not allowed to do anything really interesting. Even the tried and true adventurers were not allowed, making a clear distinction between the Guild's power over the Frontier and its lack of power over the center of the Empire.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 14:57

For us, getting a badge not only gave us a good cover story but also saved us a lot of attention. Or rather, not so. We would attract attention anyway, but it would be much clearer and easier, not as dangerous. Just five "newcomers" wish to settle in the Empire at the expense of guild service. All you need to know is to fulfill the minimum number of contracts so as not to lose your membership, and you can count on citizenship in a few years.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 15:14

On the one hand, this registration is a noticeable trace, giving a possible lead to those who will look for us. And they will, don't I know myself? The problem is that I want to get into the Eternal Library anyway, and that's a place you can't just jump into. And before I try to set up another Stone, it's a lot easier for me to get in legally. Yes, a simple adventurer, even a very rich one, will be allowed into such a place only with huge reservations, but they will let him in.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 15:15

Kostik is modest. Even a stay in the common reading rooms, where nothing really serious and secret is kept, will give him a lot. At the very least, it will allow him to get a good look at the defense systems from the inside. I doubt it will help much, but even a minimum is better than nothing. Who better than me to know about working in an environment with minimal chance of success?

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 15:16

The only thing that upset me about all this was the need to quickly and decisively correct the memory of those who had already communicated with us, learning our names. Names that would have been a nasty clue if they'd been looking for us in every way possible, including clairvoyance and trivial witness interviews. There wasn't much to correct - yes, we let ourselves be remembered by many, but it was a fleeting memory. Like, there were guys like that, partying and drinking, celebrating a successful raid, but that was a long time ago and didn't directly affect me. So it turned out that in their minds there was no resistance at all to my manipulations.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 15:25

The few who remembered us well had to be given special attention, but, really, replacing the five names in their memory with completely different names was no feat of Hercules. Making people forget our names, not people, but the walls of houses and the paving stones was a much harder task. I even honestly tried to make the arena wind lose our names, but it turned out to be too much for my level, even if I worked without reassurance. On the other hand, if there were a seer of such caliber somewhere that could elicit the answer even from such an amorphous and intangible concept, he would not be stopped by such tricks.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 15:26

The most problematic part was the erasure of physical traces. Very few people wrote down our names and signs on paper - who needed us there anyway? - But there were about five of them. Almost all of them were members of the same caravan that had brought us to Tavimark. Well, I had to either intercept control over the sleepers and blot the names out of the records or leave a behavioral bomb to blot them out themselves and put in a new one. I think I got it right, so we were ready for the adventurer's guild office.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 15:27

"There is nothing criminal or impossible in your plans. I dare say." The young official accepting our applications chirped sweetly. "But I hasten to clarify that the guild will gladly buy any relics or ancient scrolls you have without forcing you to bother searching for them yourself. In libraries throughout the Empire, our representatives have very high discounts and credentials. This is by no means pressure, but simply information that I bring to your attention."

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 15:29

She doesn't lie, even in a small way. The situation where a lucky bunch of adventurers were able to find some old records or other information, straight from the wilderness, and then try to see if the information is a gold mine... Let's just say it's not new at all. The main thing is to make sure that something outright scary and dangerous hasn't been brought in from the wilderness. But that's what scanning artifacts and road-trophy guards are for. The guild serpent, smiling sweetly at Locius, who was now checking in, was almost telling us directly that we weren't the only ones who were so crafty. And that if our find turns out to be dangerous, it might as well be taken away for later destruction. Or "destruction".

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 15:44

And we got a hard dick, not a pass to the Eternal Library through a guild order. Unless we can prove that our intentions to join are perfectly sincere. Because people who try to use the guild's name for their own purposes or to get favors aren't welcome here. If we first secure our wishes with a few fat contracts... or a lot of not-so-fat contracts, then we can talk in a different tone.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 16:47

By the way, she wasn't even going to press us for the information we'd be looking for in the library. Simply because they take a ton of such secrets out of the Frontier and a little more than that. Later, of course, they'll try to buy us out for next to nothing when we realize that we can search for a very long time to no avail, but that's for later. And even if they don't - most of the experts on ancient relics and old burial grounds work closely with the Guild of Adventurers, or with the Crown.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 16:51

But the Adventurers charge less.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 16:52

On second thought, it was Losius who was chosen as the leader of our five. Although, after a closer look, you could tell that one particular isekai was more important than the other. We abstained from buying and registering our own official name, like Cool Peppers, by general vote. Not a rare situation where the "peaceful" leader is not appointed a combat commander and generally the most important Chief Boss, but the one who has the best speaking skills and experience in high society. It is much easier to communicate with all sorts of noble assholes without being distracted by the problems of etiquette and hierarchy.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 16:57

"You know, man, your company is acting too hastily." It's nice-looking Losius who gets interviewed and checked in by the pretty maiden. Grim Hans gets a bald and unshaven old man who smelled like fried onions. "Otherwise, I would have suspected you of being some kind of spy. Seriously, though! A group of five well-coordinated free fighters who want to be part of the Guild and want to get to the Capital. I don't give a shit about the Sisters if that's not suspicious! But you act so stupid and defiantly for spies that you can't help but be believed.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 17:01

He was not so wrong in his suspicions, which no one was in any hurry to tell him. It surprised me a great deal, but I had never realized that the Adventurers' Guild could be such an ideal cover for cloak-and-dagger games. But the locals guessed what made us suspicious a priori. But all their paranoia proved useless, simply because no one would expect that spy-saboteurs who spoke directly about their interest in the Eternal Library were actually planning to break into or even storm that very library. Because, you'd have to be, well, a damn idiot to do that.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 17:08

That is, such people, do occur, and it is from such straightforward and cunning and invented all kinds of preventive measures, such as the need for special permits and lengthy inspections, but still, such impudence is hardly expected from us. It's just that they haven't had a real Kostya yet!

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 17:09

"You know, Raida, I have several acquaintances in the capital who work with the mysteries of antiquity." The young, sultry, dark-skinned, curly-haired macho man was pouring forth, almost harassing a politely smiling Hestia. "If you wish, I can facilitate your meeting... gratuitously, of course. For the sake of such beauty, no vulgar innuendo, don't even think, I'm ready to take the Sister out of the sky! All the more..."

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 17:11

Among the Guild's receptionists and other HR, many had either interrogative, negotiation, or analytical classes. The Guild hired them willingly (and not only the Guild), and the very specifics of their work required very distinctive class skills that ordinary warriors do not have. But there were others among them, more narrowly sharpened and often not working directly in the "personnel department" so that nothing could be proved.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 17:14

This guy was just an unusual-grade Negotiator, but I can bet my daggers that he has some specific skills and perks. In the future, at level twenty-five, this type is guaranteed to take either the Tempter, the Gigolo, or even the Intriguer. Hestia, for example, is handled very professionally and unobtrusively, not using active magic at all. If I hadn't been watching him from the sidelines, I wouldn't have even noticed his actions... if it weren't for the clairvoyant clues.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 17:16

Our misty maiden was tightly wrapped in her organic disguise and covered with Creation-treated shadow theft, so the scanners under the floor and wall panels showed only what they were originally intended to show them. I could see no hostile intent or anything like it, and in the end, I had to admit that this guy was trying to put our teammate into a light trance, not out of malice, but only out of love for art and a desire to get into her pants.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 17:17

Pretty risky, but much less than it might seem. There are no really serious influences that could be considered an attempt at mental control. Or rather, he didn't. Hestia is naturally inactive and taciturn, and she became even more taciturn after she changed her essence. Apparently, this local Casanova had mistaken the sedentary nature, the slight stiffness of her movements, and the slightly lost expression on her face for signs of increased suggestibility. I mean, he now thought that he had almost put Hestia - or rather, excuse me, Raida - into that very trance.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.23 в 17:29