Ойкумена / Oikumena: Глава 15

Chapter 15. "The Big World"

Camrad_RIP 12.06.23 в 16:10

* * *

Camrad_RIP 12.06.23 в 16:09

Evening creeps up unnoticed...

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:12

Charles thought how much of a cliché it is, the time of day or the year that "creeps up unnoticed". Every aspiring wordsmith incorporates it into his poetry or fiction, thinking he is original and high in style. On the other hand, how else could it be said? If the evening really creeps up. And it does so "unnoticed".

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:13

After a brief conversation with the foreman and his partner, culminating in an agreement (but not a handshake, which marks the final agreement), Matrice offered the guest a spare room on the second floor of the house, just above the Apothecary, next to the journeymen's quarters. The first night is free of charge as a token of goodwill. Charles, of course, most politely declined, referring to his principles and his father's precepts. And he paid a reasonable price, three pennies a day. Judging by the eyes of the foreman and the apothecary, he was right, for the free stuff always ended up costing the most. The wisest thing would have been to decline the offer for a day, but the prospect of spending the night on the innkeeper's bench again, half-eyed, with the dagger in his hand, was depressing. Well, as the great Ogoyo used to say, life is a reasonable compromise between the desirable and the achievable.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:16

Maitre set aside the table, which, in the city's fashion, was fastened directly to the wall on a copper hinge and secured by a chain with a hook. Very convenient. When you needed it, you put it down. When it wasn't needed, you put it back. Charles laid his weapon on the table and, at last, removed his cloak, which smelled of the acrid fumes of the slate fires. With a groan, he pulled his boots off, untied the footcloth, and wiggled his achingly battered toes. The floor was thoroughly swept, and he went barefoot, squinting with pleasure. It felt good! Almost like jogging in the morning dew, known to cure feet better than any healer.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:21

He had to hand the clothes over to the laundresses before the smell of sweat soaked into the dense fabric turned into a stale stench that gave away the stench of a homeless hobo. He had to buy some new clothes before the shirt began to fall apart on his body, had to... he had... Only it was all worth pennies or even coins. He and Brigadier Santelie hadn't struck a deal yet, so there was no point in asking for an advance.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:23

There was a knock on the door, quite loudly, but somehow not very confidently, as if the visitor doubted whether he should visit.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:27

"Come in," Charley invited, pushing back the deadbolt and mechanically running his palm over the hilt of the dagger on his belt. It's unlikely that a visiting brether was here to be murdered or robbed, but it could happen. Maitre himself had caught people off guard more than once who thought that since they were under the roof, in a house full of hosts and servants, they had nothing to fear.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:29

The door opened almost without creaking - no oil was spared in the hinges, and that spoke well of Matrice's house and her wealth. At the threshold - without stepping over - froze, eyes downcast, was Matrice's apprentice, who was to play the role of brigade healer in the coming venture. A rather tall girl in a plain - obviously off-the-shoulder - dress and a headscarf, tied in the manner of a turban, carefully hiding her hair. In her hand, Hel - a strange name for a woman - was holding a small basket covered with a cloth.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:32

"Come in," the brether repeated with the lightest note of impatience. The brether was tired and intended to retire for the night, but before he went to bed, on a real bed, however narrow, under a warm hide, he would ponder the offer of Santelli for a while longer. Or rather to decide definitively whether the offer was worth the coins it was offered for. The pay was not bad. Not great, but very, very reasonable. In a big city, that's what you'd pay for an assault on a middle-class merchant, escorted by a retinue of over ten men in chain mail and military helmets. And by the standards of the Wastelands, as far as Charley was concerned, it was a royal offer.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:35

However ...

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:35

It was these "however" that the brether intended to think about thoughtfully, without haste, and the apprentice got in the way.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:38

Hel (no, who thought of naming the girl after the demon in Erdeg's entourage, the lord of the Underworld?) stepped over the low threshold. Her wooden "hooves" tapped with each step. The girl did not look up and generally had a modest, pious appearance. However, the usual for villagers subservience to the man with a weapon in her was not felt. Neither was she willing to please a man in bed in any way she could for a few pennies. No, the girl had not come to make money.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:41

"I'm listening," Charley tried to be polite. Or at least appear to be.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:42

"Here..." Still, without raising her eyes, Hel removed the rag from the basket and pulled out a vial of clear liquid. It's big enough, about half the size of a normal camping pot. "I think you could use it."

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:43

"What's in there?" Charley, of course, did not think to pick up the strange gift. He knew the trick with the exploding elixir well, though he didn't use it, considering it beneath his dignity. And unreliable.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:44

Hel finally looked up. She looked not eye to eye, but just below her interlocutor's chin, that is, quite freely and at the same time without defiance. Her eyes were dark. Instead of answering, the apprentice silently ran her finger along the edge of her lower eyelid.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:45

"So noticeable?" asked Charley grimly after a brief pause.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:46

"Just a little," Hel responded. "Barely."

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:47

"And yet noticeable," grinned the brether just as gloomily.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:48

"I've been selling tinctures from... this, long enough," the apprentice also allowed herself a smile, but a very modest one, barely. "I'm used to seeing."

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:49

"I see," Charley sighed. Not particularly friendly, though, and not angry. He took the vial and twirled it in his fingers with a skeptical and even slightly suspicious look. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:51

"Drink," advised Hel exhaustively.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:52

Now she looked directly into the fencer's eyes, making sure that her initial diagnosis was correct. Charley's whites were flushed, like the eyes of a man who hadn't slept in a long time and was exhausted from the arduous journey. But only the discerning eye could see that the red threads of inflamed blood vessels were folded into a thin crescent that curved around the lower edge of his pupil. Barely noticeable on the right eye and slightly more distinct on the left.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:53

"Do you inhale, or do you drink?" clarified the apprentice.

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:54

"I drink," the brether said through gritted teeth. And, though the apprentice was not interested, he explained briefly. "Old wounds. It hurts."

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:57

"Drink," Hel repeated. "Every time you come to your senses ... afterwards. Keep a mug of water beforehand, not cold, dilute five drops in it and drink slowly, in small sips. After taking a little lie down and do not rush with food, the tincture should work."

Camrad_RIP 13.06.23 в 19:58

"What's in it for me?"

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:03

"Those who 'drink' often suffer from stomach congestion, throat constriction, and intestinal concerns," Charley noticed how freely Hel operated with challenging, medicinal words. "The infusion will alleviate all that."

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:09

"Really..." Charley raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:09

"Yes. Verified," Hel smiled again. "It's a very marketable commodity... And proven."

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:10

"Well..." the brether glanced at her questioningly, looking for a catch. He couldn't find one, so he put the vial on the table next to the battle hammer, deciding he'd deal with it at his leisure. Later. "Thank you. How much?"

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:11

Hel lowered her eyes and did something like a crouch. Charley noted that the girl was clearly not of noble birth, but also not of the common people. Her movement was... Exquisite enough, like a good actress, and not a fairground, but from the real theater.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:12

"It's a gift," Hel unexpectedly reported. "But ... I would be very grateful if you could tell me something.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:15

"What, exactly?" Charley instantly pulled himself up and lowered his hand again as if to hold it casually to the dagger.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:17

The apprentice sighed, as if gathering her strength.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:17

"Tell me about the world," the girl asked. "About the outside," she made a broad gesture with her hand around an imaginary semi-circle.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:33

"Uh..." the brether was confused for a few moments. Then he finally understood. And he smiled broadly.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:34

"All right," he agreed. "But you will do me a favor in return. Tell me how life works here on the Wastelands. And how is mining the famous ... Profit."

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 07:39

"Deal," Hel returned the smile.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 09:53

"There's only one chair," Charley thought for a moment. "Let's sit on the bed... This, of course, will not oblige you in any way," he hastened to assure the girl.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 09:54

"Oh, yes, of course," Hel modestly shrugged and then quite busily retrieved the wax tablet from the basket. "Let's get started."

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 09:55

From the outside, it might seem strange that after more than a year in the new world, Elena had very little idea of life outside the Wastelands. But in fact, it was normal and easy to explain if you take into account her surroundings and the specifics of the conditional Middle Ages. And the fact that Lena was simply afraid to make special inquiries and gathered information in bits and pieces, by isolated clauses, so as not to give away her alien origins.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 09:57

The vast majority of the inhabitants of the desert lands were illiterate and came from the "lower classes". That is, the very people for whom time ended at the memories of their elders, and space was beyond the line of sight and the nearest fair town. In addition, the Wasteland was also a destination for the dysfunctional, lost to the rest of the world, often with the heavy burden of multiple crimes behind them.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 09:58

Listening to their terse mutterings about their former life, correlating them to the life of the Wastelands, Lena formed a picture of a small "compact" world, which long ago fell into decline, and so remained to this day in the stable position of the protracted "dark ages". And of the times of former greatness remained only the ruins of cyclopean buildings and legends of the "Four Kingdoms" and the great Empire. A golden age that tragically ended.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 09:59

And now Lena was listening to Maitre Charley with her mouth hanging open. The girl was lucky - the hired fighter seemed to have received a fairly decent education, including a good knowledge of history. Brether, apparently, took the girl for an uneducated but curious burgher with an inquisitive mind and told her slowly, thoroughly, in simple, understandable words, accompanying the lecture with short notes and diagrams on the wax tablet.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 10:00

To begin with, Lena realized that the world was not an island or a small continent as she was used to imagining it. Intelligent life here spread out over the expanse of a huge continent, which was called the Ecumene. The word was quite different, of course, but Lena could not find a better analog for the definition, which included three roots and was interpreted simultaneously as home, a place to live (in a broad sense, including fields, water, and everything else necessary for survival), a primordial source of life, and even a cradle.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 10:02

As Charley drew the rough outlines of the Ecumene on the dark wax, Lena was overwhelmed by a persistent sense of deja vu. The continent reminded her very much of the map from "Conduit and Swambrania," a great and, unfortunately, now almost forgotten book that Grandfather loved madly and knew almost by heart. Only unlike the Swambran world, oriented strictly from south to north, the trident of Ecumene was pointing downward and sideways to the southwest. On the left side, a bay like a narrow sea was deeply embedded in the body of the continent. On the right was a huge freshwater lake, with access to the ocean, and larger than the great lakes of North America combined, according to Lena's calculations. In the center of the continent, mountain ranges were grouped, which were crossed by a grid and turned the relief of the Ecumen into a kind of cone with descents from the mountains to the shores of the ocean.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 10:05

Once, a state called the "Old Empire" united the known world under its rule and held it for more than a millennium (maybe longer, Charley's knowledge of ancient history was regrettably poor). However, a terrible thing happened - a cataclysm that destroyed the Empire in a matter of hours, wiping out the foundation of its existence. That is advanced magic, which provided everything from abundant agriculture to communication and bureaucratic workflow. The great state fell, scattered along the borders of the protectorates, which, in turn, split into even smaller formations. This happened more than a quarter of a millennium ago, 293 years to be exact. In the intervening time, the population recovered relatively (but only relatively, since "natural" agriculture yielded significantly fewer provisions), and the new life was more or less settled.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 10:07