Его не звали, но он приперся / They never called, yet he is here: Глава 17

Chapter 17

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 15:03

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Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 15:03

My initial fears, the more I thought about them, the less real they seemed. At first, it had seemed to me that a deadly torrent of Viciousness, a concentration of fleur infected with t Lust Aspect, had swept over the whole of Eternity, leaving only a pitiful percentage of the mortals who had managed to protect their souls alive. But it only seemed that way, to my relief.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 15:08

It's not that the Devils couldn't pull this off. After the level they've already demonstrated, a strategic charm attack that kills the entire population of Eternal doesn't seem unrealistic. No harder than dragging a city into Hell, for that matter. No, the reason my fears are unfounded is trivially no reason for the devils to commit such an act. The main value of any raid on Reality for the Devils has always been, are, and forever will be only souls. And it is desirable to capture these souls relatively intact and unaffected, to then play with them, stretching their corruption for years, decades, and centuries. Rapid destruction and dissolution of these souls in the energy flows of Hell, of course, will also be very pleasant but unprofitable. And I'm not talking about the risk that such many freshly digested souls, who have met their end at once, with a probability approaching absolute, will tear the devils' mouths open. Simply put, they'll burst from overeating. Devils are not Shadows with their absolute insatiability and not Madmen that can defile an almost unlimited number of victims if they are not forced to retreat.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 15:13

Fleur killed only those people who were too close to the rituals, and not intentionally. To use an analogy, these unlucky mortals were like mosquitoes burning from the heat of the lamps. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The main background of the technique created by the Devils, of course, affected all living and animated inhabitants of the Eternal, but it was not too strong even for ordinary people. True, this is while the city has only just begun to drag down into the very Hell. We are no longer in Reality, but we are still far from Hell, no matter how much the creators of the ritual would like it otherwise. The further you go, the deeper the asshole, the stronger the fleur of vile energy, and the harder to escape from the trap or to stop the Eternal from falling into the shithole.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 15:38

Now that the interference with clairvoyance had diminished, if not disappeared, and the mechanisms of the damned shroud had been exposed, I could make at least some assumptions based on something more tangible than a barely perceptible intuition. For example, this, if I may say so, the shroud was indeed some kind of prohibitively complex analog of embroidery, as strange as that might sound. The only difference was that instead of threads, there were connections-events, as well as any other information that could put the devils on the trail. I mean, quite literally, the right hunch could be thought of, arrived at only once. And then you were distracted by the effects of the closed field based on direct control of reality and causality, and the thought simply floated away, slipped away, becoming another thread in the shroud.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 15:41

The highest class of combination of clairvoyance and brainwashing in the most unpleasant manifestation. And all this was seasoned with sacrificial practices of exactly the same, highest order. If the threads were chains of events and conclusions, the basis of the shroud was the souls - their suffering, the most beautiful agony possible, and the uninterrupted ecstasy of the monstrous orgy into which these souls were immersed. It was their whispering that conducted the element of influence on the minds of the seers, letting the threads weave themselves into the shroud while forbidding them to catch those threads by the end.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:33

We had been fucked in the brain for months, including the beautiful me, who fancied myself a second Vanga, only with a dick, and we hadn't noticed anything. I was very offended, in fact, and the fact that the others, much more ready for such tricks of service, also did not notice anything, did not comfort me at all. Because I'd gotten so used to my resilience to everything-anything-possible that such a dumb fiasco drove my self-esteem into about the same place and substance we were now sinking into. Yes, I was able to snag the wrongness, to catch the presence of something rotten and sweet. But I was never able to decipher what I received. And almost, bitch, never counted as an argument!
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Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:36

Anyway, such thoughts-revelations, which nobody hid from me and other interested people, probably out of a desire to show off, were only one of the streams of information that I raked up. Of course, I am interested in the way I was fucked, but it is much more interesting to find a way to escape from the full-fledged pegging by not cute devils. The way, alas, is not being found, though I try.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:40

Running to the edge of the city is not only useless but also harmful. The closer you get to the edge of the barrier, the closer you get to Hell. The most stable areas of space, from where there is at least some chance to jump up, even if it is ghostly, are located right in the center of the city. This selectivity is the result of many factors, including both the actions of the Devils and the influence of the capital's defense systems. Realizing that if the basis of the ritual was located in the center, it would be much more likely to be thwarted, the creatures did not even try to increase the impact there.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:42

In a different situation, such naivety would be fatal. Who would leave a chance for the entire elite of the city, region, and even the empire, to respond to the ritual configuration? Except after all those multiple layers of interference, as well as after disabling almost the entire network of spells that shelters the city.... personally, I don't see a way to save everyone quickly and decisively. Not for myself, not for the Emperor and his retinue, not to mention that no one will allow a peaceful rescue. Right now, elite groups of perverts are conducting all sorts of diversions, while numerous teleportation beams have been falling doom the purple-pink skies like cloths of bleeding flesh, manifesting more and more reinforcements. And that's not even counting those who are summoned by the normal method, as well as those who are lucky enough to be summoned beforehand. And I have a vague suspicion that the creatures will not be restrained by the debuffs of being in reality without maximum support on this day due to the lack of reality. And the divine wrath, which always comes to the heads of the devils who have been a bit delayed in reality, is not present now and is not expected in the near future.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 19:37

Summarizing all of the above and thousands more details that have never been mentioned, we can say only one thing. If the situation could be worse, it is obviously not every day. Since no universe has enough shit to organize such a situation every day.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 19:40

Several types of temporary boosts allow you to jump up by a certain value of characteristics or even temporarily start delivering something that cannot be delivered at your level. Some of them are incompatible with each other, and some of them, on the contrary, enter into synergy, but all of them can be divided into three main groups, from which the necessary subtypes of boosts will be selected afterward.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 19:42

Blessings can easily include both super-powerful commanders or king's buffs and relatively simple magic of standard benefics or spellcasters. A separate line goes divine and priestly miracles, which can both turn a hundred peasants into an analog of a knight's column by the efforts of only one drunken village temple keeper, as well as turn out to be a waste, despite all sorts of sacrifices and financial injections into the pockets of the clergy. The gods are willful, even if they seem to be negotiable, and you never know for what reason they will decide to bestow or punish you. Even my Dreams and Shadows can, given my wish and sick imagination, properly buff a hapless victim... with quite predictable consequences.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 19:45

Rituals include the widest range of influences, temporary and permanent but all of them, one way or another, are characterized by the greatest average duration, as well as the greatest risk for endowment. Sacrificial enhancements are especially characterized by the latter point as well as any other blackness. You can ask the devils. They know a lot about such tricks. Even the ordinary members of the cult were compared to the elites of the thirtieth level tonight. Not all of them would be able to survive the fall of the amplification, but treated with the Viciousness of the sweet Aspect that Lust was known for, the mortals were more than satisfied with their short jihad. Other rituals are much safer, and it is better to ask Tia, not the creatures, but the same Tia, who has experienced many strengthening rituals, but now, obviously, she does not have the resources of the Eternal Forest and a couple of years to prepare the most favorable ritual action.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 19:51

Potions, as well as any enhancement with essences, combine relatively equal proportions of danger to the soul, brain, and body. Many adventurers or mercenaries have been hooked on alchemy, turning into wrecks that can't even breathe without it, even if they are deadly at the peak of their power. Only a few of them made such a step consciously, knowing in advance about the bottlenecks and dangers, while the rest simply ruined their lives, health, and psyche. Yes, and it was quite easy to get question marks in Status from the too-saturated potion, up to almost instant transformation into a creature. And yet, it's the consequences of misguided or excessive infatuation with essences are easiest to reverse without risk to the user. It's certainly easier for me.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 19:54

Besides, alas for me, the alchemical pumping was the only thing I could do at a satisfying level. The rest of my classes, despite their immense coolness and mythicism, cannot be considered support classes. So two out of three options fell out, although I would sincerely like to see what the three mythic buffers, working through ritual, essence, and blessings at the same time, can do. And what if the mythic benefactors are taken as commander-type, planar, and divine at the same time..... I wonder if the trick with the first-level hobbit, knocking down a dragon with one stone fired from a sling, will be repeated in reality? Something tells me that with such a buff it will not only work...

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 20:05

Everyone had potions, and they were individually customized to each of my team's blood, giving maximum boosts to their preferred characteristics or class strengths. Under this kind of overclocking, one could easily add a hundred units to all stats except class stats, and on top of that specialization, aimed not at pure characteristics but at more flexible reinforcement. However, such overclocking is fraught with a lot of trouble. Even with my skills to remove intoxication after such a thing can only dream of.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 20:07

The only pleasant exception was Hestia, whose misty form was just indecently resistant to any negative effects while absorbing any reasonable amount of essence and a fair share of unreasonable amounts. The price for such a feature was a faster washout of buffs from her body as if something was literally pulling my creations out of her, sending them straight into the Mist. I had to divide the potions into portions that she could use if she wanted to. She had no trouble putting a set of vials directly into herself, nor could she distinguish them by touch, opening the right ones.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 20:18

Tia was the exception, not so pleasant. I didn't have the time or a proper lab (including the ever-present Green Tits orcs) to make potion complexes for her as well. No, I had made something comparable or even superior to the elixirs she'd taken earlier, right before her suicidal attack. And, mind you, my potions won't kill her, nor will they interfere too much with side effects, but.... she won't be at her full peak, the peak of what my efforts could turn her into. On the other hand, I can't call her weak. My conscience won't allow it.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 20:20

The last exception, neutral in nature, can be considered Ygra. Because she has potions, and she even knows which ones to drink and in what order for each particular situation. Learning in dreams, despite all its disadvantages, can be indispensable. But even if she realizes that she should drink potions right now because it's coming (the effect of the failed city must somehow affect the world on the other side of the barrier). Luckily she can't get inside. Hell's grip on the swamps where Ygra was hiding didn't reach there, even though they were close to the outskirts of the city. And she shouldn't be here, not with her vulnerabilities to lust and mind control to fight against the devils who embodied lust.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 06:33

We've all adopted the penultimate FUBAR set of compounds. It's not a sure thing that we'll be able to do it quickly, and the last stage of reinforcements is Tia's memorable "all or nothing." I'll be able to get my companions out after the rollback from the aforementioned limit potions, but not if they fall right in the middle of the battle, which is why we leave the strongest compositions for last resort.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 20:11

"Oh, fuck!" That's all Hans can say, trying to catch his breath after a particularly strong-tasting extract from the roots of some strange chamomile that stays in his subspace pocket most of the year. "Ugh, fuck!"

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 06:34

"That's what my father used to say when he ate his own munchies." Taria, on the other hand, drinks in silence because, in her case, I didn't go for flavor either, giving primacy to functionality. "He cooked in such a peculiar way that all these Devils would consider some of it an instrument of torture. And such a stench there was after the meal, when he, well, and us too, if the old drunks agreed to share..."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 06:36

I just shook my head when Losius started another argument with the dancer, whose memories of her childhood home cooking and stomach problems were in critical conflict with his sense of beauty. Losius could use a quarrel with someone right now. His potions increased his connection to Heaven and also served as a good sedative. Even though it was a purely physical effect that he couldn't get rid of (unlike the planar contamination that some of the reagents provoked), it was dangerous, even if effective, to be too calm when working with Heaven. If Taria hadn't started to piss him off, I'd have tried to give him a poke myself so he wouldn't relax.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 06:40

"What's the limit?" Tia, who had drunk her portion of the disgusting drink, didn't even wrinkle her face, and in fact, was rapidly strengthening her consciousness by entering the elven equivalent of battle rage. "And the plan?"

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 20:12

Her vocabulary is still too specific, especially in moments of tension, but with me, she doesn't need to switch to the jargon familiar to human warriors. First of all, I haven't even learned the human list of commands abbreviated in a combat situation. Second, as it was said a hundred times, the boosted third eye, and not the ass, serves as an excellent translator even without additional effort. The range of preparation of the organism for potions is always individual, especially if the potions are also individually adjusted to the organism. Tia got all the necessary data from me in advance, and some of it, like the compatibility of potions with beneficial effects, had to be calculated right at the moment of answering her questions, but here she reinsures herself. If the alchemist turned out to be one of the Leaves in the battle group, then let him control in real time - there was little chance that he had made a mistake. As for the plan of action, the choice of which she gave entirely on my conscience...

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 06:50

"The plan is very vague," I answered, staring at my unopened potion bottles, thinking about an important and dangerous question in this situation. "But I can tell you for a fact that the only way to get through is closer to the center. And I have no idea how I'm going to drag all of you through the Shadow."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 07:19

In normal company, such words from the commander would have caused a slight panic, but we weren't normal, so the comrades reacted sluggishly to the poorly veiled "we're fucked," paying more attention to the potions they were slowly digesting. Hestia didn't react at all, outwardly, for sure.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 07:21

"I know all avenues of escape are blocked, don't I?" The questioning tone in the elf's voice does not show any doubts, though they are bound to appear. "Yes, and you confirmed it earlier."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 07:22

She's right and wrong at the same time. Yes, I can step into the Shadow and enter the real world only within the Eternal because it is still a part of reality. You can't step outside the barrier that reality has merged with. There is only Hell. This truth is true for all users of the plan. Even if one can reach through all the barriers using a monstrous affinity, there is still no escape. It's tricky. Very tricky - even if you can open a breach, it won't take you anywhere, and help won't arrive unless a squad of contracted planar creatures is sitting right next to the edge of reality. Even if they are, and they might be, the summoned creatures will be weakened and won't be able to call their folks for help.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 07:24

In theory.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 20:13

Because I, with a bunch of perks for working with space rifts, a mythical class, and such an affinity with Shadow that I don't even look much like a human without a disguise, am quite capable of breaking through reality deeper. Much deeper, a thousand times deeper, to be frank, despite the enormous demands on concentration and reserve to make the breakthrough itself. And I can step into it, either by myself or in the company. Step in, but not out.
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Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 07:26

The devils do not eat their bread for nothing and know very well about this weakness of their creation, so, being unable to correct this natural vulnerability, they simply perverted it beyond all reason. They know very well how to distort it. It's quite realistic to return after floating in the deep layers of the same Shadow - Tia did, and I dragged her through some very unpleasant landscapes, where even the Overlord is uncomfortable. But again, the structure of the barrier comes into play.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.23 в 07:37

It leaves loopholes only because it is impossible to create such a structure entirely reliable and indestructible, but all the loopholes I have found remain only traps for those who try to use them. The upper layers, the states of other planes, and their stay are encapsulated inside the barrier if the nature of the realm itself allows it. It is possible to call, but the help will be limited, useless, and even harmful. The barrier drags not only the city but also a part of every plane connected with the real world into Hell. And I give you my tooth that if the devils want to, they'll crawl up not only through the real world but also from the side of said stolen sections of the plane. In the set of seduced souls that the devils have at their disposal, there will be some that will lead the saboteurs through the once native dimension, even at the cost of the existence of the soul itself.

Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 09:59

You can break your way in. You can. But now, the barrier will serve as a kind of lens, a fuse, and a launcher at the same time. I can survive being in very deep layers of shadow, yes. But any successful attempt to break through the barrier will a priori lead me deeper, so deep that I can't vouch for the System's presence there. And even if by some miracle I manage to float back, like that always floating substance, without being eaten by the inhabitants or even simply dissolved by being in such an aggressive environment, I will float back after weeks at least, and it is better to bet on months and years. And it would be good if I swam out in Alurei and not in one of the neighboring (or not neighboring at all) worlds!

Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 10:09

You can escape, but only into oblivion - if you don't leave your soul to Hell, you'll give it to your plane. And you will certainly not be able to call for help from reality, which is easier to reach through the barrier than to swim out of such depths, nor to use contracts with familiar creatures because they will be too far from the created breach and will not be willing (if they can at all) to fall to such depths and swim up from below, whether there is a contract there or not.

Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 10:17

Either you're ours or you're nobody's.

Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 10:18

You may escape the fate of our toy, but only at the cost of a fate only slightly less terrible. Come on, mighty mortal, make up your mind. You are strong, for the weak would not make it through this gap. You are mighty, for all your fellow power sources have only scratched the surface at most. This is your path. Take a step. And die in the arms of the one that you called. Or surrender to our mercy, and maybe we will give you not only agony but pleasure, quench your every fantasy, your every lust.

Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 10:20

These poisonous images appeal to those who were able to find the right loophole. No one hid them. Rather they even pushed them forward. The devils had not unreasonably hoped to break the thirst for resistance among those who would try to escape instead of fighting and who had the strength to try. I'm sure they won't be deceived directly because the high-level cultists who accepted the Vice voluntarily are also more than needed by Hell. Those who will fight will fight anyway, but there might be a defector among the strong enough fugitives.

Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 10:26

Shit.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:08

Shit!

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:08

Crap!!!

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:08

They're all over me, they've thought of every option, fucking scumbags! I look, and I don't see a way out. I don't see a way at all. Even if I have a chance to go down that suicidal path, I won't be able to drag even one companion, let alone the whole team. Another choice, another trap, only for those who will not abandon their relatives, friends, or lovers. If there are such naive fools.
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Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 12:29

So far, the only thing I see as a way to shit on the creatures, rather than a chance for salvation, is to try to summon something really strong, taking advantage of the loophole left behind. Not to step forward, but on the contrary, to bait something evil and hungry, ready to kill, including the devils, on the bait in the form of my soul. And even so, I'm sure I just know that there will be a billet for this case, too. It can't help but be.

Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 12:32

Except that the Overlord of Shadows doesn't seem to have to sacrifice himself to order an attack.... or at least point a finger at a possible dinner without becoming one himself (where I send a call, there will be few weak animals and too many strong ones). Anyway, in theory, if I use Armada correctly and run aside in time, I can do it! I can die beautifully and heroically, having previously shit under the enemy's door and spoiling their triumph. It's all so familiar. It brings tears to my eyes!
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Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 12:33

Anyway, the escape is canceled.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:05

What about simply interrupting the ritual and making the city, if not fall back into the real world, at least stop falling? Every ritual has a center, and a ritual this powerful has more than one. They're protected simply because they can't help but protect them, and the troopers thrown in from Hell are concentrated there in the first place so all sorts of smart guys don't get in the way. In theory, if enough key points of the ritual are destroyed, the process of fall can be slowed down or even stopped.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:07

But the defenses of these points were obviously designed for the entire Eternal Guard, all of its elite, all of the summoned and local Heroes, and anyone else with any sort of fighting ability. Our company are toothy bastards and under extremely powerful buffs, but there are only six of us, and we won't make any difference. Especially in the big picture.

Camrad_RIP 17.08.23 в 18:29

However, it was not for nothing that the Devils went to such trouble with many sabotage and direct attacks, deterring or destroying those dangerous to them, was it? Even now, without the use of clairvoyance, I can detect not only the emanations of Hell, not only the signatures of devils arriving in the barrier space but also the centers of distant battles, where people are fighting for their souls in the truest sense of the expression. In such a scenario, a well-coordinated and strong team that no one had even heard of, let alone suspected of having, could be the straw that pierced the camel's back to the heart.

Camrad_RIP 24.08.23 в 12:35