Ойкумена / Oikumena: Гава 1

Part 1

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 13:30

The science of pain

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 13:31

Chapter 1

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 13:30

Vagrant

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 13:31

* * *

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 13:31

On the narrow door, which was made of old, wood-eaten boards, there was a green metal plate with a ring on the hinge, a handle, and a hammer at the same time. The ring had not been cleaned in at least a couple of years, probably longer. Elena took a step back and looked around again. The house looked more like an old, abandoned fortress, or rather a small fortress. Least of all a school for a successful fencer.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 13:33

The woman looked back toward the Street of Free Blades, where rope and wax torches were already being lit on lampposts. They turn on the night lights early here! Elena breathed in the damp odor of the nearby river, an amber that mixed the richest tones of dead meat and other garbage in bizarre proportions. She had to make up her mind. I didn't want to make up my mind. Now, at the end of a long and arduous journey, Elena felt timid, as if before an exam for which she was barely ready. She had a strong feeling that nothing good was waiting for her at the door. Nothing at all.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 13:34

Biting her lip, the woman tapped the ring against the plate. It came out weak and pathetic, partly because of the weak hesitant blow, partly because the ring had not been used for a long time. It was literally glued to the hinge because of the street dust cemented by dampness. Biting down even harder, not nearly bloody enough, Lena pounded again as hard as she could. This time it came out loud enough. And nothing happened.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 13:37

There was a rustle behind her, like a mouse in the corner running through dry leaves. Lena turned around just fast enough to see several wiggly little heads scurrying for cover, retracting like snails into their shells. Looks like some kids keeping an eye out for an uninvited guest. Elena stood half-turned toward the door and remembered there are no children there. There are small adults who have to grow up as fast as possible and pull the work burden along with the big ones in the daily struggle for existence. By the way, this same struggle Elena now leads by herself and in complete solitude. The dagger under her sleeve on her left forearm seemed to heat up by itself, but the woman was freezing with nervous anticipation. She had imagined meeting with the fencer in many different ways, but not like this.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:12

A new clang of the ring. The greenish flakes hit the flat stone pad that replaced the house's porch, so this time, the metal sounded loud and clear.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:15

Knock, knock, knock.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:15

Once again, nothing happened. Elena waited patiently. The sun was setting, long, dark shadows lingered on the street, and a cold breeze was perceptible. Her back, the back of her neck, her whole skin, the woman could feel the hidden glances from every crevice, every bitch hole. She was being watched very carefully, so Elena was glad her leather purse was safely hidden under her cloak and did not bother anyone's eyes.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:35

At last, there was a noise behind the door, faintly identifiable because of the thickness of the boards but indicative of some life on the other side. With a loud bang, a small window at the level of Lena's collarbones, covered with frequent bars, opened. The window looked more like a loophole than anything else, and the distance between the bars was just right to allow a crossbow arrow to pass through. Lena swallowed, realizing how open and vulnerable she was now.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:36

"What do you want?" A muffled question came from inside. The voice was inexpressive, like a leaf that had been lying on the damp earth and had lost all color, as well as the webs between the veins.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:38

Elena leaned lower so the answer didn't go any further than the bars.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:39

"I'm looking for Mr. Figueredo, nicknamed The Draftsman," she said.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:39

The pause lasted about half a minute, maybe longer.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:47

"Why?" asked the colorless, invisible man grudgingly and suspiciously.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:47

Elena hesitated, going over her options for an answer. All her fantasies about this conversation, one way or another, revolved around a personal meeting with the unknown Draftsman. A conversation with a void that could be locked at any moment was not envisioned, and the woman had no idea what to say here.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:48

"I was sent by Vincent Mongayard." She decided to go straight to the point.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:49

Again the pause, but ... now there seemed to be a grudging suspicion thickening on the other side of the window.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:50

"I don't know anything about that," the voice said, and the loophole shut with a clang. The deadbolt rattled, and Lena stood before the door as if it were an impregnable castle.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:51

"Uh ..." she stretched out, unable to believe that this was the end of it and there were no more listeners.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:51

"Damn you!" said Elena, already with much more expression.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:57

The evening was creeping up faster and more frankly. The lantern light was already decisively beating the fading sun, and in a few minutes, the huge pale moon would appear from behind the high rooftops. Elena clearly realized that the chances of spending the first night in the City on the street were not illusory. One could even say, very great. And it was scary without exaggeration, given the stares that crawled over her body like tentacles. Lena physically felt how invisible observers were measuring and weighing the profit to be gained from her.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 14:59

And this is a damn near affluent neighborhood, but what's going on in the local slums and ghettos? And how was she going to distinguish between the local neighborhoods? Now the woman realized it wasn't wise to go into the City at night. First, she should have found a shelter in the suburbs and made a few trial trips to the capital to see what and how it was organized here.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:07

But it was too late for regrets now. Elena gritted her teeth and pounded the ring as hard as she could. The flap opened much faster this time. And, if I may say so, much more viciously. The tirade from inside matched it:

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:08

"Get out of here before you get an arrow in your belly."

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:08

Instead of answering, Elena tapped Charley's dagger against the grate so the invisible squabbler could see the distinctive hilt without a guard and the faceted blade in the translucent bone scabbard. There was a strange sound from within, and then came another act of silence, which seemed to have become an unhealthy tradition in the protracted conversation. Just when Elena had already decided it wasn't working either, the unlocked lock rattled. The door opened barely, no wider than the palm of her hand, unexpectedly quiet on the well-oiled hinges.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:11

"Come in," muttered from the darkness.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:11

Elena threw off the ponjaga, grabbed her bag, which looked like a long, open pillowcase, and sidled through the door, exhaling to keep from getting stuck. She slipped her dagger behind her belt.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:16

"Put the load in the corner. Follow me," the dark figure ordered grudgingly, locking the door carefully. Before the window slammed shut, Elena caught a glimpse of the "castle" owner's face, or rather, a set of features, poorly visible in the dim light. Solid angles and straight lines, folded into something extremely grouchy, marked by an enduring stamp of angry discontent.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:18

It wasn't easy to walk. She had to move practically by feel. After a short corridor that smelled of well-aged mold, a room of indeterminate volume opened up. More like a hall, judging by the echo of footsteps. A mechanism creaked as if a spring were being wound up, and a bluish light flickered in the darkness, growing stronger and spreading rays of a familiar blue hue. A lamp with a moonlight crystal, an expensive item, but seemingly very old, on its last breath. A remnant of former luxury, she supposes. The dark silhouette stood on tiptoe - the owner of the house was two palms taller than Elena, which made him very tall by local criteria - and hung the lamp on a chain. The woman looked around quickly.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:21

Not a room, but a hall, and clearly a training hall... at least it had been once, long ago. It was large, so two or even three pairs of fighters could train there without interfering with each other. The floor was tiled in white squares with black veins. But no, the veins turned out to be something similar to ... Elena didn't know the name of the method of decoration, when the colored wire, copper, silver, or even gold, was pinned into grooves scratched into the armor so that a bright, contrasting pattern or drawing was created. Here the grooves were scraped directly into the stone and filled with some black mass. Time had rubbed off the drawings, but they were still quite recognizable - several circles of different diameters with lines inside, like on a compass.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:23

The wooden walls had also darkened from time to almost black, and along the one on his right hand were goats that held a meager inventory - a short spear with a disproportionately long tip in the shape of an isosceles triangle, a few straight one-handed swords of varying lengths, a heavy palash sword like the one Kai carried. A pair of typically Brether sabers, similar to Charley's weapons. Sticks and poles. The rest was probably hidden in a large chest looked more like a coffin.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:25

The opposite - left - wall was surprisingly reminiscent of a shooting gallery, with wooden slates of Elena's height with outlines of human figures painted in different colors. It seemed to be a kind of iconography with outlines of vulnerable places and variants of attacks with different weapons. It was proposed to hit just a man, as well as a fighter in relatively light armor and finally heavy armor. The largest rectangle was made of cloth, and four long double-edged arrows, which formed an octagonal star, glowed with thin red lines on the cloth. Two more lines crossed the resulting figure horizontally, above and below the center line. Each ray was numbered and marked with its sign. In the center of the hall stood, slightly tilted, a wooden dummy, cracked and thoroughly battered. The mannequin had once apparently rotated on a wheel-shaped platform. Now, the mechanism was jammed even to Elena's uninformed eye.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:28

The third wall, directly opposite the doorway, had once been a single large window, more like an exit to the terrace, but now it was covered by large shutters, shrivelled and propped up with poles for good measure. The poles looked like exercise equipment that had been put to better use.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:28

The room bore the mark of abandonment, most of the shells were covered with a layer of undisturbed dust, and the colors were hidden beneath layers of cobwebs. Only the corner next to the chest of drawers, where there was a bedstead, looked more or less habitable. A red terra-cotta night pot lay defiantly on its side, a lone eye winking in blue paint at the cracked bottom.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:30

"Identify yourself."

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:30

Now Elena could finally get a closer look at the owner of the dilapidated dwelling. He was, as mentioned above, tall even by the standards of her world, and by local standards, he would probably have been considered a giant if he hadn't been painfully thin, on the verge of emaciation. So much so that his clothes - a sleeveless camisole over a linen shirt, mournfully black and repeatedly darned - hung from his skinny fleshy bones like rags on a scarecrow. His face was shaven, and his hair was loose to his shoulders and pulled back into a long ponytail, tied with a string so that the ends hung down over his shoulders. His hair was snowy white. Not like ordinary gray hair but more like some specific form of albinism. From under his bushy eyebrows glittered small eyes as round as an owl's.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:38

This scarecrow looked about as much like a wise mentor-fencer as a girl looked like a knight. But it fit Charleiy's description well: an evil man who hated the human race and wanted the human race to know it.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:39

"Name," the white-haired man repeated angrily.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:49

"He..." the woman hesitated, remembering in time that calling herself by a name from the Wastelands was not a good idea right now.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:50

"Vandera," she improvised quickly.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:51

"A stranger?" snorted the Draftsman, surveying the uninvited guest from head to toe and in reverse order. "A wanderer. Well, that suits you."

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:52

// Look at yourself, you dusty scarecrow," Elena thought but kept silent.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:54

"Give it to me," the Draftsman held out his hand imperiously. The woman hesitated for a few moments, then put the dagger into a palm that looked unpleasantly like a bald spider with long legs.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:56

"Yes, it's a familiar piece. It has many lives to its credit, Though under a weaker hand, Vensan preferred the claw," Figueredo twirled the weapon, squinting critically. He glanced at his companion. "Took it off a corpse?"

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:57

"It's a gift," Vandera cut off dryly.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:58

"Yeah," the Draftsman snorted skeptically.

Camrad_RIP 03.08.23 в 15:59