Ойкумена / Oikumena: Глава 16

Chapter 16. The Grave Robber's Travel Kit

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:10

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Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:10

When you clean a well-treated primary stitch one day and perform an impromptu amputation the next, you can't help but expect bad things from the third day. However, it turned out to be rather... interesting. One might even say exciting.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:10

Early in the morning, Matrisa placed the faithful Saphir at the Apothecary's counter and handed Shena a purse with change chips instead of money. And Santelli ordered Hel to be equipped for the journey, without frills or weaponry, but with dignity. For about two weeks of wandering. There was no need to buy more consumables for the medicine chest. Take only ... For herself, Lena translated the turnover as "Travel Kit".

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:15

And the women went to the market. Perhaps for the first time in all her time in the Gate, Elena found herself in a situation where there was no need to rush anywhere. No list to keep in mind without missing a single item, no heavy basket on her shoulder. But there is an abundance of expectation of something new and interesting.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:15

Strictly speaking, Lena was well aware that she had embarked on an outright adventure. The trip to the Wastelands was a perplexing undertaking in itself, one from which people didn't return regularly. And a raid on the marshes ... more dangerous than that were considered only entries into the coastal caves, where people were swiftly enriched or went missing, with no states in between and a very eloquent proportion.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:23

However, the coming adventure promised dramatic changes in her life, an increase in her social "status," and most importantly, money.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:23

After Charley's stylus the day before had shown Lena the vast world beyond the Wastelands, she was determined to get out of there. Not now, of course, and not even soon. But to get out to a place where there are normal big cities, lots of people, and life doesn't revolve around carts of corpses and Profit.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:25

Someplace where, after all, the dead are buried, or at least burned, rather than fed to the caged Gray Shadows, the farm where spider silk is produced.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:25

Chasing Shena was not easy, especially in Elena's wooden pads. Valkyrie zigzagged between the trading rows, navigating her "equipment" with the ease of an experienced traveler. This ease even created a certain irritation in Lena. The girl suddenly began to think that she could have studied the various nuances of camping life and "road whales" herself. "Somehow, it didn't fit," yes, but that, in any case, was a weak excuse.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:29

To begin with, Shena resolutely dragged her ward past the first three stalls that sold seemingly good stuff for a more than reasonable price. When Lena was (quietly) surprised, the lancer briefly clarified the point: they sold "strjom." Translate it into Russian more accurately Elena could not. Strjom is strjom - equipment, which was sold to inexperienced novices as gold seekers in the Klondike and Alaska, and then returned in various mysterious ways back to the wooden tables under the old tarpaulin tents. And so it went on and on, changing up to three or five or more owners in a row, who had no idea that each other even existed.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:32

After getting past the murky merchants, Shena went headlong into the normal trade. To begin with, Elena became the owner of three pairs of real wool socks, as well as felt insoles. At the same time, the goods were not taken by the girls but set aside so that later the traders would deliver them with a messenger boy. Shena did not pay with money but with special pieces from Matrice's purse, which looked like casino chips or bingo barrels. It was a kind of quick check, which could then be used to get money directly from the apothecary's cash register. In the Wastelands, as a rule, only cash was trusted, but Matrice's word and reputation were worth a lot and were highly valued.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:34

Then it was time for the most important thing - shoes. Elena had hoped for boots but had to make do with shoes just above the ankle. Very good clogs, though, with double soles of thick leather, as thick as a finger. This "style" meant that the boots could continue to be worn without repair after the first layer of soles had worn away. No impregnation made the shoes completely waterproof, but the combination of wraps, socks, and insoles helped keep the feet warm and relatively dry.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:37

Elena felt almost happy. She wanted to change her shoes immediately and finally feel the feet of a normal sole, not a rigid pad. But the girl held back her impulse, trying to seem composed and collected.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:40

After the shoes, Shena moved on to the clothes. Lena was going to insist on linen shirts because she was tired of shivering every time she pulled the prickly wool over her naked body. But she remembered that she didn't buy them for anything, from Matrice's generosity, but on credit, from her future medicine bonus for the hike. So she had to choose not what she wanted but what was "optimal". Wool was more expensive but lasted twice as long as linen. So she had to unobtrusively grit her teeth and agree with Shena's choice. The "tarred one" was quick and unmistakable, right by the eye.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:43

They began with long towels, from which they knitted travel "panties," similar to the Japanese-style loincloths that had so surprised the girl the year before. Pants... that's what Lena hadn't thought of, being used to dresses. Looking at the wide pants with bone oil impregnation, the girl chuckled softly. The fact was that pants were expensive, considerably more expensive than ordinary stockings, and had long since been considered a strictly male accessory in campaigns or war. Therefore, the traditional style required an obligatory codpiece, also for women engaged in men's work. On pants, the codpiece was usually replaced by a flap with frequent small buttons, but it still looked more than unambiguous. One could even say, defiantly, taking into account that local clothes hardly knew any pockets, so the codpiece was used as a purse and generally as a bag for small things, stuffing it to the limit.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:46

Shena looked at her companion with an appraising look. Then at the counter. Then back to Elena. The vendor was squinting contentedly, anticipating a short but intense bargain, without which, as you know, a sale is only half the fun. He was dressed in radical island-style trousers meant to demonstrate wealth and affluence. The island pants were a "tube" suspended from the waist with ties and extra stitching in the middle. The result was neither a skirt with cases for the legs nor pants with sewn-together pant legs. To walk normally, it was necessary to make the trousers as wide as possible, spending a lot of material and thus proving the wealth of the owner.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:48

At last, Shena made her choice. She wondered if she should add booties, but the weather was not conducive to that. The burlap covers were more suitable for cold weather. It would have to do. The purse was lightened by a few more "chips," and the women went on their way.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:56

The leather vests were of no use to Elena, though they suggested some kind of primitive medic's off-load. Later, in the future. But the corset had to be taken, even the men here often wore them - to protect the abdomen and strengthen the lower back in case of carrying heavy loads. At first, the girl wanted to refuse the thing, which cost as much as half a pair of pants, but then she remembered that under the terms of the contract, she would carry all her equipment herself. And changed her mind. Her back would be safer.

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:57

The fortune-teller tried to grab her by the hem, mousing over an old, greasy book and promising to roll out the dice for the pretty girl. As he did so, he repeated rapidly in a shorthand manner, without pause:

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:57

"Shoe, rumen, dish, plate, dark yellow, cuckoo, award, horn!"

Camrad_RIP 15.06.23 в 17:58

Three-dice divination was very common. Each facet and each combination had its name, so the ability to quickly list them was considered a sign of the great skill of the interpreter. Lena wanted to chase the cheat away, but Shena got there first. The fortune-teller received a swift, precise kick just below the kneecap and, with a thin howl, got away. The green-eyed Valkyrie, for some reason, disliked fortune tellers. Well, they, in turn, took the blows as a normal consequence of professional risk

Camrad_RIP 19.06.23 в 07:04

A travel belt, the simplest with no embellishments, no bling, and a buckle of bent iron rod. But it was sturdy and had three small "pouches" for a camp spoon, a folding knife, and a flintlock. A tent-like cape and a wide-brimmed felt hat in case of the "evil sun." In spring, the chance of getting caught in a flash is minimal, but still...

Camrad_RIP 19.06.23 в 07:06

Sheena hesitated for a moment over the counter, where there were goggles - combat goggles, with yellowish contrasting glasses, and bone goggles, with slits to protect the eyes from the stinging rays. But she passed, the prices biting. But a little farther away, she and Lena chose a thick and wide shawl that could be tied like a shemagh, leaving a narrow slit for vision.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 08:23

At last, the purse was almost empty. Only a couple of lonely chips occasionally clattered inside with a mournful clatter. Lena lost track of how many new clothes she would have to try on today. The green-eyed woman also promised to show how to stow her traveling kit in a sort of "ponjaga". And in general, they would all spend the night not at home but according to tradition - together in the barn with a horse and cart. In order to go out in the dark, without waiting for anyone and without risking broken legs and stomachs punctured in the fight on the eve.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 08:27

This attitude toward training was also new to Elena. Santelli did not think to clarify whether the brigade healer on a one-time contract possessed any camping skills. From his point of view, the agreement meant understanding all the risks and agreeing to them. And the brigadier shifted other worries on Shena's shoulders.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 08:28

After a bit more thought, the lancer bought an ordinary sling for a penny. The simplest, made of woven grass ropes. And she said there are plenty of stones everywhere so the healer could train all the way. The sling was supplemented with a long linen cord, a necessary and useful thing. It could be used as a rope, a kindling for the fire, a drying rack for wrappings, and so on.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 09:38

At this point, the list for Elena ended, but the lancewoman was going to buy something for herself and then proceed to the gathering of the mentee and get acquainted with the mysterious "ponjaga." So both women, as Gramps would say, in "vigorous trot" proceeded to the weapons dealers. The gloomy, businesslike armorer turned his attention away from the wet clay mold in which he was using a long narrow spoon to mold simple pewter figures. Without further ado, he sold a broad strip of leather with undergarments. It was a budget version of a gorget, which was laced to the jacket in the area of the trapezius, and to it, in turn, were attached shoulder straps. After hesitating, the lancer added to the gorget gloves, sewn on the back of the hand flat rings like a chain mail. For armor and gloves, Valkyrie already paid for her own purse with a ringing coin.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 09:48

That left the knife-maker. Sheena did not pay him anything; it seemed that there was some old arrangement between them. The spearwoman didn't even look at the merchandise on display and exchanged a few brief words with the craftsman. He nodded and took out a bundle from a simple wooden box. He held it in his outstretched hands as if to show its weight. With his usual dexterity, he unwrapped the rough cloth and held out a brand-new cleaver to Shena, hilted forward.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 09:51

It was an excellent weapon, she must say. Lena was not an expert blacksmith, but she appreciated it. The cleaver was of the usual Gate style, but it was very elaborate and rich. A long strip of metal glinted in the dim spring sunlight on one end with polished steel, and on the other was a corkscrew that curved up and back toward the blunted heel of the blade, forming a brace to protect the hand. The wooden hilt of the two side pads, on the other hand, was nobly darkened, showing the quality of impregnation of linseed oil. The craftsman additionally worked the hilt with a chisel, making frequent oblique grooves on it so the hand would not slip.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 09:57

She put the sack with the gorget and gloves on top of the daggers on the counter. She stepped back a few paces to avoid hitting anyone, swung her weapon to try it out, and caught the sunbeam on her blade, letting it fly into Lena's eyes. She made a couple of simple defenses and then a downward thrust. The lancer's face touched a smile, a very rare guest for her, which, nevertheless, visited the dark-haired woman for the second day in a row. It was as if that smile had taken Shena off ten years at once. And Lena, too, felt the corners of her eyes creep up and back by themselves. She and the lancer looked as if she were the same age as she was now, so old was Shena from her eternal frown and suspicious, frowning gaze.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:02

The green-eyed woman swung her cleaver once more, and Elena shuddered, clasping her hands together on her stomach. Her heart raced, her palms sweating. She realized only now that she remembered the weapon. She'd never seen it before - and yet she distinctly remembered the leaf-shaped blade, longer and lighter than usual, with the corkscrew strap and the dark brown pads.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 08:22

In Shena's hands, the sword from the nightmare of the battle in the cave split the air.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 08:21

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Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 08:14

Without his sword, Charley felt... uncomfortable. Certainly, he was not one of the legendary berserkers of the past, who even slept with their blades in their arms and, when separated from their weapons for an hour, drenched them in their blood. And yet, stripped of his usual weight on his belt or behind his back, he was the least bit nervous.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:15

Brether took his time drinking wine, the lightest. Pink and slightly sweetened. The soldier's mood was completely within the short phrase "we live alone, burn dishes, trash the pub!", which (that is the wording) denied the very idea of economy. Here, in the far corner of the Heterion, the local brothel that combined several faces at once, from tavern to arsenal, it seemed to Charley that he was going nowhere. And beyond the walls of that venerable establishment lay the City, of which the brether had told Hel so eloquently the day before.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:21

Of course, things were quite different... The place was very ordinary, though very neat. And instead of the City, it was a little town with the pathos of the name "Gate". On the other hand, the wine is good, the place is clean enough, and at the top, there is...

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:22

Maitre heard the footsteps beforehand when the possible adversary had just entered. The brether's habitual ear, in parallel with his consciousness, filtered all the noises around like a cloth sieve, and when the overall complex rhythm shook a little, the brether carefully set the glass and checked whether the dagger came out of its sheath easily. And the hammer was on the table as it was, habitually, with the hilt under his left hand. The local law-enforcers were literally mesmerized by the sight of the sword and categorically asked to surrender it to a special weapons chest. But they agreed to turn a blind eye to the clave without question. It always amused Charley that people (with few exceptions) focused all their attention on the blade, seeing the saddle hammer as not so much a frivolous weapon ... rather unsuitable for a quick foot fight in the street or even more so in the house.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:25

The guest walked softly, like a bear, but even the carpets (which were worn but still had some fur) could not hide his footsteps from the sophisticated ear. A silence preceded the footsteps and the silence that greeted the visitor. Charley grinned faintly and slightly ironically. Truly, fate can only be outrun, and not for long. His guest gestured with determination to the curtains, and the brass rings swished up the wooden pole.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:31

For a couple of moments, the fighters stared at each other in silence, and the silence between them seemed like it could have been cut with a saw. An ordinary knife would not have done.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:32

"My respects," Ranyan finally said. "Would you mind if I broke your seclusion for a while?"

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:33

"Charley measured the dignity of what he said on the scale and found the dark-haired fighter to be very polite. Just enough not to appear to be begging, but at the same time not to give rise to a challenge."

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:34

"I would be honored," the gray-haired brether replied in a traditional and noncommittal way. Charley had heard of the number one local routier and had a good idea why he might be here. But he preferred to wait for developments rather than guess.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:35

Ranyan sat down without having to beg. He placed his thin-gloved hands demonstratively, palms down on the octagonal table, just as Santelli had done a few days earlier. Routier showed he wasn't here for a fight. But, of course, Charley didn't believe him since he'd used the same trick many times before. A brether at that level didn't care whether his hand was on the table, on the hilt, or in the as... somewhere else. He knew at a glance that his opponent was at least an equal.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:39

"I am listening with all my attention," the gray-haired fighter hurried things along a bit.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:40

"I wanted to pay my respects to my colleague," Ranyan smiled modestly. His gaze, however, remained impenetrably cold and judgmental. "And to satisfy idle curiosity. People don't often come here... ...not many of us."

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:41

"Men of the blade are everywhere," Charley diplomatically evaded the answer.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:42

"That's right," Ranyan agreed, tilting his head slightly. The long dark strands slid down his collar, framing his narrow, pale face, marked with a stern mustache and beard, like a painter's charcoal canvas.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:44

"But, unfortunately, there are too few activities here for them worthy of our skill," Ranyan did not pull the pig by the ears; he stated the point immediately and clearly. Without crossing the line of politeness. However, he came close to it.

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:45

Charley twitched his mustache, contemplating what he'd expected to hear. Not explicitly, but more than explicitly, "What are you doing here, and do you intend to take my job?"

Camrad_RIP 20.06.23 в 10:45