Селеста / Сelesta: Глава 5

Chapter 5

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 16:04

The word "kaav" means something between an accumulator and a symbol of sacred power. Andrew could not find an exact translation for this and many other terms, though he tried. Reading the books revealed an interesting pattern: he used words that had an acceptable analog in Russian without hesitation, while local idioms were more difficult. For example, the expression "dead man's hand" meant not a severed limb of a corpse, but a hopeless job, which he did not immediately understand.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 16:17

Other problems appeared in the use of specific terminology from books. The girls got to the trashed library, which did have some useful literature. Not much, and some of the books were missing pages, but, as the saying goes, a stone will become bread without bread. By this time Celeste had learned to read reasonably well. Alarika attributed this to her waking memory, but the Earthling blamed it on her habit of processing large flows of information. The alphabet is simple, with only thirty-one letters, the hard sign is represented by writing two symbols together under the line, and there is no "shh" sound in Salvian. In short, reading was easy to learn, but the writing was much worse because of the lack of practice.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 17:58

Now every evening the girls went to the ruined house, carefully covering their tracks. A kind of thirst for destruction possessed the people. If they had known the books existed, they would have burned them. The same was true of Carlon. The priest only tolerated religious literature; art, as he saw it, had to serve purely religious purposes. So they had to be careful, literally one leaf at a time, to pick up the papers that were swollen with damp, falling apart, then hide them in the cellar.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 18:08

Celesta found a sturdy box of plastic-like material, put the trophies in it, and then covered it with garbage in the far corner. The rats couldn't get to it; it was too dark for humans. They tried to read the most interesting and useful books, which were in a tolerable condition, on the spot. More precisely, Celesta read, immediately overwhelming her friend with a hail of questions. The purpose was twofold: to gain new knowledge, which, with any luck, would be useful in the future, and to keep Alarika from slipping into black melancholy. The beauty could not recover from her outburst of anger, at times overwhelmed by apathy. At the same time Andrew distracted himself, feeling that if he begins to think about his fate, he immediately broke.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 18:14

By the way, they went back to that abandoned house by the road, looked around the street. The body of the woman killed by the soldiers was gone. Too much time had passed, the beasts and marauders had taken everything of value, destroying traces along the way. It was not even possible to clarify the fate of the soldiers - whether they survived that night or not. The pool of dried blood could not answer that question, it was located where Celesta had last seen the victim. Logically, a person would have been seriously injured by a sound of that magnitude-at the very least, the soldiers' eardrums would have burst. People might have come to their senses after a while, or there might have been one survivor among them who helped his friends. Or perhaps the corpses had been dragged away and hidden by bandits, flattered by the quality of their weapons and armor. The Duke was good at arming his servants.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 18:38

The need to keep an eye on the priest was annoying. He didn't seem to be doing anything, acting as usual, but every time the girls left the monastery, they noticed... you couldn't call it following. It was just that one of the ghouls suddenly had the idea to follow in the same direction they were going. They had to hide... which wasn't much of a problem: their kin didn't care about them, by and large.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 18:42

Andrew regretted the confrontation with Carlon. The priest was intelligent, educated, had a certain charisma, was distinguished by his strength of will and personal courage, and cared for those he considered his own. His sense of duty was combined with a certain kindness in his management of the undead colony. Unfortunately, the obvious positive qualities were more than outweighed by religious fanaticism that reached the point of insanity. A few cautious conversations revealed a complete aversion to anything that differed from proclaimed dogma; faith became everything to the priest. Could he have gone mad after the disaster? Without knowing his past, it was impossible to give an unequivocal answer, but looking around, recalling the familiar ghouls, the earthling admitted: in the atmosphere of general chaos, anyone could go crazy. Even the most stable one. Andrew doubted his mental health - let alone other people's brains?

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 18:45

In short, having achieved nothing, but bringing new suspicions to her head, the younger undead began to avoid contact with her senior brother. Instead, she went to the borders of the monastery grounds more often, looking for three possible shelters where she could wait out the day, if necessary. Together. Artak had finally descended, looking aggressive and spending all his free time in the temple. Probably angry about the "stolen" Alarika. Gunn, too, was sinking deeper into himself every night, and he was becoming more difficult to communicate with, and the other undeads had been of no interest from the start. They were nothing but a burden. So there was no point in dragging them along.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 18:48

Cruel? Only a saint would give his last piece of bread to the first person he met, only to starve himself to death. Andrew was no saint and was not about to become one.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 18:50

However, Carlon had no doubts about his chosenness. He sometimes wondered why the Lord looked to him, but he consoled himself with the thought that the deity knew better. His mental picture of the world was simple and logical and allowed him to see almost every event as a manifestation of a higher power.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 18:53

The unexpected appearance of a ghoul who had lost her memory was no exception. At first, the priest saw it as a good sign. He was well aware of the shortcomings of the bulk of his flock and understood their inability to serve as instruments of the divine will. The monastery's limit was isolated acts of intimidation-they could do no more. The newcomer pleased him pleasantly with her sobriety and the serenity with which she accepted her fate; moreover, the girl rose on a particular night. The goddess Celeste had long been considered the patroness of enterprises involving danger and unavoidable pain, which in the circumstances very accurately described the everyday life of any rebel. Moreover, unlike her two sisters, the Dark Mother was directly responsible for the "setting" of events, weaving the fates of different people into a single knot. So the priest christened the young girl with a certain trepidation, hoping ... no, believing in her unusual purpose.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:01

Perhaps he shouldn't have let Celesta socialize with the wench too often? He had once, just before the plague, watched Alarika perform at one of the receptions to which he had been invited because of his high status. At first sight, the young singer shocked him with her promiscuity. As time passed, the priest thought there must be more to her than a promiscuous desire to enjoy life, otherwise, the Lord would not have allowed the wench to be reborn. But apparently, that something was buried too deep: Alarika would not accept her destiny.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:04

No. From the beginning, Celesta had not shown the zeal to serve. Carlon convinced himself in vain that the girl's strange coldness was due to a loss of memory and that he would soon have a pure-minded assistant. With each passing day, he watched uneasily the newcomer's growing influence on Alarika, and he did not like the consequences. The girl, seemingly finally broken - though he didn't even use that word in his mind, preferring to think "guided to the true path" - was getting out of control.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:08

He must do something.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:08

"My brother." The priest chose a narrow room in the temple, to the right of the altar, as the place for the conversation. This used to be the place where the ritual objects were kept. Now, alas, most of the valuables had been desecrated or destroyed. But the room has one advantage that has remained unchanged since ancient times, and that is good acoustics. Even the subtle hearing of the undead made it impossible to overhear the conversation, while the quietest sounds arising in the temple penetrated the room perfectly. Besides, Artak felt certain awe from the sense of being close to the mysteries of the cult, becoming especially suggestible at such moments. A useful quality.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:14

/"My spirit is filled with sorrow. Our Lord's will is being done without due zeal. Look: the coming of his kingdom is certain, the signs and portents given can only be interpreted in one way! Brother against brother, madmen fights among themselves in the ruins of deserted cities, clawing out every last morsel of meat. Pestilence and smoothness, death and chaos rule the world! So why has the prophecy not yet been fulfilled? Why has the Lord not yet appeared in all his glory, seated on his dark throne, to judge the wicked mankind? A stern but fair tribunal?"

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:23

Could it be that in his mercy he gives a chance to those who have lost their minds? Spared the wretched? No. The fields are overgrown with grass, wild beasts attack the few survivors, monstrous monsters multiply night after night. It is agony. The God of Darkness is patient, but his patience is at an end. Therefore we, his faithful servants, are called to alleviate the suffering of the emerging world, to hasten the departure of the rotten mortal race. We should not be seen as evil, for our mission is good, though bloody. Just as the surgeon removes the diseased organ to save the whole organism, so we cleanse the face of the planet of a race that has lost its supreme law.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:28

"The truth is, my brother, that there is too much humanity left in us. Don't let our bodies, which need blood and can't bear the fierce glow of the sun, confuse you. All this is external, unimportant. We still think like humans, we think in the same categories and concepts, good and evil for us are still determined by the attitudes we received in childhood. But this is not the way!

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:33

/We went through the second birth, purified. Our souls were in the embrace of darkness, where the Overlord evaluated and weighed them, choosing them out of thousands of similar ones. From now on, only the fulfillment of his designs shall be good for us, all that hinders the attainment of the good purpose shall be mercilessly destroyed. We are different now. This is the test they gave us - to see how soon everyone who rises will accept the changing nature. Embrace your new nature, unite with the demon that nests within, or cast it aside in an attempt to live as before, following the dogmas that lead to a dead-end! It's up to you. It depends on your choice what you will be in the kingdom to come: a sinner doomed to torment - or a master tasting the caresses of the dark maidens!?

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:34

"I see your efforts, brother. You are sincere... What cannot be said of the others! They are lazy and careless. But that's half the trouble. Some have deliberately turned away from their destined path. They are too weak for the honor bestowed upon them, and they long for their former life of sin. As much as it pains me to say, the two unwise daughters stubbornly resist their chosen destiny. They lack the zeal of true faith but are more than enough stubborn and prideful. They are unwilling to follow their duty. Especially Celesta, my mistake and disappointment. I had hoped that in time she would come to the right conclusions and gladly fall at the feet of our Lord, showering gratitude on him, but Celeste won't heed my words. Moreover, silly Alarika has succumbed to her promises. You don't talk to her much anymore, do you?"

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:39

"Yes, senior brother," Artak nodded spellbound.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:40

"Your friend's soul is in danger... We have to help them see that we are right. Do you agree with me?"

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:40

"Yes, senior brother! - Artak looked with doglike devotion at... the pack master? "Say: what should I do?!"

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:42

Andrew had recently come to the unpleasant conclusion that he knew nothing of life in the city. No matter how you look at it, ghouls nested on the outskirts and did not dare to get close to the port or the Duke's castle, which had become the natural centers of Taleya. The guards did not allow it. A rough hierarchy of forces looked simple enough.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:44

At the top were the rulers of the city, who concentrated in their hands both the management of the troops - guards and navy - and the control of the food supply. Whatever they could procure, catch, or grow was first sent to the huge warehouses at the far end of the port, and only then was distributed among the people. The warehouses were guarded as carefully as the castle. It is not known if any factions existed in the duke's territory, but if they did, they were firmly controlled by the guards and used by them as an auxiliary force. For example, they 'volunteered' to participate in hunting expeditions, cleanup operations, and the like.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:45

There were no large gangs left in the district, capable of competing with the city government: they were exterminated. There were a couple of "field commanders" who had about a hundred men under their command, but they preferred to be friends with the higher-ups. Quite a natural desire, for those who tried to pursue an independent policy and claim to leadership, had by this time been killed. As Andrew surmised, in time they would get rid of the rest, too, when they ceased to act as a deterrent buffer. There are still a dozen smaller groups in the vicinity, not so fortunate.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:51

These gangs are needed now. They fight among themselves, seek out and bring valuable booty to trade, take the first blow from roaming creatures, and serve as a source of information. In other words, they function as a prelude, keeping the Duke in the loop while keeping his soldiers safe. Some of the gangs were rumored to have some sort of contract to guard the villages under construction and had moved there. The outskirts of the city belonged to the marauders, who banded together in groups of up to a dozen men.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:53

That is, in fact, all. The informants among the victims did not tell us anything about the internal management structure of the city, or about the system of distribution and circulation of goods. But they did give us some useful names of people who were engaged in illegal buying of all kinds of junk. In the future, connections with criminals might come in handy - there was no point in the ghoul going to official authorities. They also reported a rumor that was of particular value to Andrew. One mortally frightened ragamuffin swore that one or more true wizards of the high aristocracy had survived the Plague in the Duke's Palace and had even retained some of their powers. How much truth there was in that rumor was unknown, but for now, it was the only thread that offered any hope of returning home.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 19:57

The girls were returning after a successful hunt, glancing around. It was much easier for the undead to move about the city than a living man with hot blood in his veins, but there were plenty of dangers. The mood, however, was good. Two of the men had been able to replenish their energy today, and they hadn't even had to exert themselves: the prey had come to them by itself. Neither Celeste nor Alarika could identify what the two men had used, nor could they detect the scent emanating from their victims, but they offered no resistance. They grinned wryly at the women who burst out of the darkness, kicked them in the head with a stone, and lay down across the room. Perhaps the substances in their blood worked on the Ghouls, for the first time since being transferred into the half-dead body of Andrew, released oppressive tension, and he did not feel cornered beast. He relaxed.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 20:02

Fortune the Bitch loves such moments.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 20:04

Artak was looming in the small courtyard in front of the monastery, and he sprang to his feet at Alarika's arrival and moved briskly toward her. He glanced at Celeste angrily but said nothing to her. He turned to the older girl. Apparently, he decided to finally clarify his relationship with his former lover.

Camrad_RIP 03.01.22 в 20:08

"Could we have a word?" Another look away. "In private."

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 07:43

"Of course," Alarika nodded. She, too, was tired of the uncertainty, so she smiled soothingly in answer to her friend's unasked question. "You can wait in my cell if you like and read the Sacred Scrolls. They are on the table."

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 07:44

"Ok."

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 07:44

Artak glanced at Celesta as she moved away, then, unable to hear her footsteps, turned abruptly. He had been meaning to talk to his beloved, who had suddenly grown cold toward him. However, the painter, deep in his heart, recognized the artificiality of their relationship, based more on a shared past and similar interests than on sincere feelings. They got together not because they loved each other. They were both people of art who could talk about things in common, they knew several people from their lives together, and they even used the same phrases. In short, they had a lot to remember.

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 07:49

From their first meeting, they were instinctively attracted to each other, and the shared bed was a mere sign of sympathy, nothing more. Both man and woman hoped to find support in each other, looking for support in the new cruel world. Unfortunately, Alarika did not immediately realize how much her friend depended on religion. At first, his talk of the end of the world had seemed commonplace to her: she had heard it everywhere for the past two years. Perhaps she herself would have become a faithful follower of Carlon had she not been repulsed by the priest's coldness.

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 07:51

Some degree of exaltation, heightened sensitivity is peculiar to all creators. The ability to express emotion goes hand in hand with delicate mental organization and heightened intuition. Why Alarika recoiled from her lover's mentor she could not tell herself. She couldn't trust him, that's all. At some point, at an invisible and insensible crossroads of destiny, Carlon had made a mistake - a small, insignificant one. He threw, unknowingly, an extra grain on the other side of the scale.

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 07:53

Sometimes a glance, not even a word, is enough for two beings to become enemies.

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 07:54

The first insolence had turned out to be her punishment. Three nights in a cell without blood, three nights filled with growing pain. And the grisly realization of the prickly truth: Artak wasn't going to help her. Every night he came and heatedly explained how wrong she had done, fiercely convinced her of her mentor's rightness, urged her to repent, to apologize. She broke down, begged for mercy. She was released, she rebelled again - and wept again in the stone cell, sucking her blood in a vain attempt to stifle her hunger.

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 07:56

Whenever the girl emerged from her confinement, Artak cared for her. He escorted her to the hunt, restrained her attempts to pounce on a knowingly strong adversary, brought her caught and stunned prey. Then helped her get to her cell, scolding her incomprehension. Why does she disobey her senior brother's orders? After all, he wished only good for her. As ruthless as Artak was with men, performing "cleansing" with the efficiency of a machine without a shadow of a doubt, so tenderly and diligently did he care for his wounded friend.

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:09

He liked to feel strong and wise.

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:11

"You are avoiding me."

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:11

"Is that so?" Alarika fluttered her eyelashes in surprise. "I thought you didn't want to see me."

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:12

"Don't be silly. Every time I come near you, you're in a hurry."

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:12

"Yes? I wasn't rushing anywhere tonight. And what did you say to me?"

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:13

"You know there will be a sacrifice tomorrow!" Artak was indignant. "The senior brother has instructed me to find a gang of suitable size. It is a great honor to choose whose turn it is to enter the realm of Darkness!"

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:16

The woman sighed, hunched over as if under an invisible weight.

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:16

"Exactly..." Her voice sounded strangely quiet compared to the previous words. "You always have time for Carlon."

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:17

"Of course. What else could it be?" the undead wondered. "The Master himself says, from his mouth, that his orders must be obeyed without delay. Or do you still stand there questioning his words? Alarika, how much longer?! It pains me to see you endanger your own soul."

Camrad_RIP 04.01.22 в 08:18