Ойкумена / Oikumena: Глава 27

Chapter 27 When the bell strikes

Camrad_RIP 09.02.24 в 15:44

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Camrad_RIP 09.02.24 в 15:44

"We can't go over the bridge," noted one of the mercenaries, pointing to a cavalry post.

Camrad_RIP 09.02.24 в 15:52

Apparently, in anticipation of the night's riots, the city authorities had decided to take control of the main thoroughfares. The bridge, where the Shopkeepers and Craftsmen had fought yesterday, was guarded by a group of two or three "spears," totaling a dozen and a half warriors. The post was purely temporary, with a couple of carts, a tent spread out on the sidewalk, and a large roaster. It seemed to have been set up in a hurry, but the warriors seemed alert, and their armor was still on. Singles and small unarmed groups were let through more or less freely, but the rest were turned away without explanations or disputations. The few boatmen who had ventured out to the fishery rejoiced in life and profit. The people wailed. The micro-garrison stood like a wall and did not even seem to take bribes. Although the latter was understandable, it was not appropriate for the nobles to take small coins. The Emperor paid for the guard's non-holiday [1] service in such a way that even the high-born hubris hid in his purse, occasionally yipping for order.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 15:42

"I'll try to make a deal," Brether decided.

Camrad_RIP 09.02.24 в 15:52

The armed group, and such an unusual one at that, was noticed from afar, and the guards were visibly tense. The senior gendarme [2] even puts on his ringed hood. Ranjan raised his hand, slowing the company down. For half a minute, the two squads stared at each other gloomily and unfriendly. No one wanted to fight, and it was clear it was too early for open combat. Ranjan looked up at the pale sun, which was visible through the gaps between the roofs. He clenched his jaw to stone jowls. His servant stood under his left arm, ready to draw his sword.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 15:50

"They won't let us through. Better by the river," Cadfal advised succinctly and obviously.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 15:51

"There is no time."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 15:51

Indeed, the ferry had finally left for the opposite shore, and there were no boats left at all. Obviously, few people risked to earn money and wander at night, and even in such a situation. It would probably not be possible to cross in one go.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 15:58

"Time is not worth fighting the Emperor's knights," Brother Cadfal seemed to have finally taken on the tasks of the voice of reason. And that surprised Elena, for it was Ranjan the Plague who had been considered the paragon of the cold-blooded professional in the Wastelands. Now, the always grim and always poised master looked more like a character from the tale of the coal in his scrotum. Something was wrong here.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 15:59

The Brether's hesitation did not seem to go unnoticed. Several of the squires began to check crossbows, twist bolts, and generally demonstrate their readiness for the escalation. The horses, basking under their quilted blankets, looked on and sipped at the warmed broth to strengthen their joints.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:01

"Wait," one of the mercenaries raised his hand warningly. "Listen!"

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:01

First came the Sound, and it hit the quiet neighborhood like a shockwave from a movie, drowning out and pushing all other noises in front of it. A ringing, grave silence spread out in circles, preceding the Sound, as if the very nature of the City had fallen fearfully silent, listening. Only the warhorses rumbled as one, anxiously stretching their necks and shifting their hoofs nervously as if the Sound were familiar to these animals. In an instant, the entire squad at the post forgot about the group of mercenaries and turned toward the opposite end of the bridge.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:24

"Wow," said Rapist. "I thought stomping was not about the capitals."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:25

It sounded more like the rustling of the legs of a thousand-foot caterpillar, only huge and shod with metal. Or like the rushing surf of leaden waves chiseling granite over and over. Deafeningly, coherently, with a clang at odds, which was so numerous that it formed itself into a separate rhythm and lay on top of the rustle of the thousand-legged caterpillar.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:28

A crowd, Elena realized. A large crowd, at least a few dozen people, maybe a hundred or two, coming fast, keeping pace, approaching from the other side of the river. Judging by the way Ranjan's mercenaries looked at each other and the way the outposts fidgeted, that told them something. And while the woman was thinking, the rumbling noise was joined by a drumming sound like drums, only sharper and more dry and shrill. Voices could be heard shouting something one-word, not in the common tongue. It all sounded commanding and organized.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 07:23

"There they are," Cadfal pointed, but everyone had already seen them.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 07:23

Elena waited for the pilgrims she had met the day before to come out from the corner of the building. She was wrong; they were not monks. A column - really like a caterpillar - of highland infantry was advancing to the square in front of the bridge. Four men in a row, all as one in typical highland style, that is, with pigtails halfway down their faces and huge knotted belts on their bellies.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 07:38

It must be said that each individual Highlander seemed very funny. Laughing at the unwashed savages became an old habit in the City. Because of their pigtails, they were compared to women, and the tradition of wearing stockings together with intricately tied sashes created a characteristic and absolutely unmasculine image of a fat-bellied parody of a warrior. Not without reason, the type of evil and stupid highlander became nominal, played thousands of times by comedians throughout the Ecumene as a counterbalance to the noble knight, perfect in body and soul. They laughed, of course, behind their eyes because, face to face, one could get a dagger in the stomach and become shorter with a laughing tongue.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 07:42

And the amazing thing is... at the moment, the "chickens" were not fun at all, not even by half a finger. Especially since most of them had pulled on at least long-sleeved quilted jackets with ringed inserts, and the first ranks wore plate armor of varying degrees of completeness, it changed the silhouettes. But at the same time, the Highlanders were not intimidating, not yet, anyway. Rather, they gave an impression similar to a monk's procession. Everything was wrong and unnatural. In general, where did the infantry on the streets of the capital come from? Not a representative detachment, not a private guard of some Bonom or rich merchant, but a full-fledged detachment, at least now in the field under a hail of arrows and cavalry attack. Even through the dull stupor that had seized Elena, a spark of curiosity broke through. What does it all mean, and what to expect?

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 19:24

"Drink," Ranjan advised again. "You'll fall down now."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 07:43

Elena pulled out the cork and took a sip of the phosphorescent elixir. The liquid was as tasteless as water, and instead of quenching her thirst, it dried her mouth. There was no surge of energy.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:29

The column, meanwhile, was moving forward without slowing down. The impression of a huge caterpillar was strengthened by the "bristles" - ardent weapons carried by almost every fighter. Mostly halberds, some other ominous hooks, scythes on the shaft. But there were almost no ordinary long spears. Probably, they were not considered practical in the city. The long spears were carried not vertically to the sky but on the shoulders, at an angle, which made the millipede look like a very long porcupine with its needles down. The question with drums became clearer - instead of drums, they were pounded with large hammers, similar to massage hammers, on tubular bones, taken, judging by their size, from dinosaurs. The bones cracked dryly and shrilly as if split in a fire.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 07:44

"I don't see any standards," said Cadfal, surprised. "They're coming naked like a bunch of rabble. There should be at least two, the Blood Moon and the banner of a Prince or Tukhum."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:30

"To a 'bad' and dishonorable fight they go," one of the mercenaries showed knowledge of the matter.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 19:26

"Is that allowed?" Elena asked at first and then realized the elixir was starting to take effect. It didn't make her feel any better, but her mind was a little clearer.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 19:30

"Allowed. The regiment lowers its banners and shows that it fights without any rules. They don't take prisoners, don't take ransom, don't keep their word, babies into the fire, pregnant women to the stake. They make "pigs" out of other's wounded."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 19:31

The feet stepped in rhythm, the bone drums sounded in rhythm, and even the steel hedgehog above their heads swayed rhythmically, rolling in waves from their heads to the last rows. Without any apparent command, the squad "sounded off," the soldiers began to exhale something like "Whoo!" in time with their steps. Tension rose, thickened. Looking around, Elena noticed there was no one else left by the river. The infantry, Ranjan's group in the distance, and the gendarmes with their "spears" at their post. Everyone. Even a couple of the remaining boats had sailed closer to the middle. The others had gone downstream.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 19:33

"Who would go into battle like that?" Elena muttered to herself, but she was heard and answered:

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 19:32

"Blood feud, family to family, clan to clan. Or money, but the kind you can't imagine."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:31

The gendarmes finally realized the infantry seemed to have no intention of stopping. While the squires were hurriedly preparing the horses, the knights quickly conferring. Elena's mind was clearing, fatigue washed out of her body, and only thirst tormented her. The woman watched, mesmerized by what was happening, and on the bridge, it seemed a real battle was brewing, the second in her life.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 20:03

The infantry did not stop or even slow down. A curt command came over their heads, and the formation changed. From the side, she could not see properly, but it looked as if the column had rearranged itself on the move, widening to five men or more in front, from parapet to parapet. Another command and the soldiers moved to a quicker step, and the muttering changed, and instead of the old "Whoo!" there was a distinctive two-tone repetition of "Tu-Khum!!!". Apparently, it was more suitable for fast movement.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 20:07

The gendarmes stood in an outstretched wedge, the most armored in front, two more behind and a little to the side, the rest in the third echelon. On the flanks, at the entrance to the bridge, the archers took up positions, two or three with crossbows, the others with bows almost as tall as a man, if not bigger, and with a clear asymmetry - about two-thirds of the total length was on the upper part.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 20:08

Her consciousness "floated" as if she had fainted. Elena squeezed her eyes shut and twisted her head, rubbing her ears to make the blood rush to her head. Literally, in a couple of moments, everything went away. There was only excessive contrast of vision, as in video clips from the nineties, all bluish, without transition of colors. The moon, already competing with the setting sun, is silvery white, like metal, red-hot to the next stage after red. It hurt to even look at it. The torches lit above the column and the brazier at the post are coal red as if blown with oxygen. And the sky seems black, though in fact it is still only gray, sunset.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 20:11

There was something wrong with my head, too; the bitter experiences were distant, blurred, as if "here" and "then" were separated not by an hour but by years. The pain subsided, turning to a slight sadness, like a memory of school years. If that was the effect of the elixir, Elena had nothing against it and wanted to stock up on more.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 20:25

"Tu-Khum!!!" dozens of voices shouted as one man and the column rushed across the bridge, trampling like a herd of elephants shod with ringing steel.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.24 в 16:37

The gendarmes, for their part, wasted no words in warning. Apparently, the cavalrymen assumed that if an armed crowd stepped on the bridge, they knew exactly what they wanted and what the consequences would be. If the infantry walked like a huge piston, filling the bridge like toothpaste - the neck of a tube, the cavalry moved like a steel nail. There was not enough space for full acceleration, but the cavalry had time to gain a decent speed.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 20:35

"They march nice," Rapist said in a low voice, and there was more than mere admiration in his voice. They were the words of a man who'd long ago lost something he wouldn't want back in his right mind, but deep down, he retained a longing and lust. Elena was convinced that the unpleasant grandfather had been a soldier, too.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:04

She remembered how easily the knights had swept through the crowd. Obviously, it wouldn't be that easy here, however... There was no time to think about the "however"... The drums struck particularly loudly, changing the rhythm, and the column stopped. The process was not instantaneous. It took two or three seconds for everyone to comply with the command, and the formation was slightly disrupted, but because of this pause, the purposefulness and coherence of the organized multitude of soldiers seemed even more impressive. The column aligned and somehow thickened as if each soldier had become closer to his comrades. The huge "porcupine" stood upright, weapons above the formation, like needles ready for battle or the bristles of a meow before a hunter's rush. The front ranks ducked or knelt, halberds held out in front of them.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:05

"Well, here we go..." exhaled behind her.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:06

The crossbowmen and archers fired first. At once, as if on command, which Elena probably didn't hear. At such a distance and on such a large target, it was impossible to miss. The question was who would be protected by armor and who would be unlucky. A moment later, a steel nail with a solid acceleration flew into the dense mass of infantry, shattering the halberds. It was so loud that Elena almost covered her ears. The metallic clang went walking between the banks, echoing off the walls of houses with tightly closed shutters - it seemed that none of the surrounding inhabitants wanted to get a stray arrow through the window.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:08

The column jerked and fell back. Apparently, the first two ranks fell at once, but the tight formation held. With minimal delay-no more than a heartbeat-the raised halberds of the next ranks came down, working like steel flails, poking sparks out of steel armor. Along with the iron rumble, a single, horrifying scream rose to the darkening sky. People were screaming, and the wounded beasts were screaming terribly - in a very human way. One of the horses reared up, flailing its front legs. A precise blow with a hoof threw the halberdier over the parapet, and with a shriek, he fell into the cold water and went straight to the bottom. The infantry fiercely hammered the gendarmes and tried to cut the horses' legs with scythes. The horsemen fiercely fought back, crossing in all directions with axes and maces. There was a hum like a good forge. The wounded and dying howled, the destriers roared, but everyone else fought in silence. Not a single shout, not a single curse, not even a "tu-khum".

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:19

The archers fired a second volley, seemingly hitting someone. The gendarme on the left flank was pressed against the fence and pelted with frequent blows. Some small pieces of armor and jewelry flew off, but the steel resisted. Finally, a lucky halberdier hit the helmet, tearing off the long, bird's-beak-like visor. From this distance, it was unclear whether the helmet was penetrated or not, but the warrior in the saddle flailed like a puppet and dropped his arms, dropping his polearm. Then, he was swept off his horse, following the drowned infantryman.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:27

"The gold coins are sinking," the Bretheran servant said sadly, and those were the first words Elena heard him say.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:36

"It won't be lost," said the rather sociable Cadfal philosophically. "The armor is heavy, so it went straight to the bottom. Then they'll come back and get it with nets."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:38

"The water is icy," Swordsman's skepticism was slow to dissipate. "And the current."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:38

"For such an armor," Cadfal snorted. "They would risk it. The water has subsided, the current is weak, and won't carry them far."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 07:46

The Redeemer and the servant were having a silent argument about whether it made sense to employ locals to trawl the bottom for a small penny. In the meantime, the fast-moving battle had come to an end. The cavalry could not shoot down the infantry but got bogged down in the melee, where each knight had a dozen halberds. The second was felled together with his horse, the third was knocked out of the saddle, and the freed destrier, with a wild roar, thrashed his hooves as if avenging his defeated master. Only now did the foot soldiers begin to shout with undisguised triumph. When the fourth fell, the two remaining cavalrymen tried to save themselves by withdrawing from the battle. One miraculously managed to turn his horse around in the middle of the bridge, among the corpses, on horseshoes slipping in blood. He ran away as if he were being chased by all the devils of hell, leaving his squires at his post. The second one hesitated and was dragged to the ground with hooks. Battle hammers flashed. Judging by the heart-rending screams and tinny scraping, the armor played against its owner, not allowing him to die too quickly. The horse was the last to fall, and the bridge was free.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:43

The "Spears," who had not participated in the battle, fired a third volley, but somehow weakly, disjointedly, and without enthusiasm. The column of steel moved forward like a horde of ants crawling over the bodies of beetles bitten to death. There was a commotion among the squires and riflemen at the post, some fleeing at once, some firing once more, and fleeing afterward. The bravest tried to stop his colleagues but to no avail. Shouting some curses after the cowards, he shook his iron-gloved fist and then, after a short hesitation, turned around and walked towards the steel caterpillar. He was alone, wielding a two-handed poleax that resembled a hybrid of an axe and an ahlspiess.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:45

"What a fool," one of the mercenaries said. Rapist and Cadfal shook their heads in silent agreement. After a few moments, however, the skinny spearman added. "It's a pity. He was a brave warrior."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.24 в 21:46