Селеста / Сelesta: Глава 9

Chapter 9

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 11:14

The ghoul stared intently at the departing men. As was to be expected, Richard again drove the party across the border, this time taking five of them with him. Appetite comes with food, doesn't it, gentlemen? Medea will lead the party back. Celeste remembered the surprise and understated contentment with which the bandit had listened to the news, and she grimly grinned - the ringleader is frightened of her. Well, let it remain so. Thus, she did not answer his questions, she got off with a phrase about the urgent matters and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:00

She had been to the local sewer on one of her last hikes and had marked out some good spots for a day's rest. Today she wanted to make herself comfortable. Walk a little further and she would find herself at the first houses with inhabitants. The government had wisely planned the placement of its subjects, making good use of all available resources. In the former gardens and parks that once surrounded the duke's castle, the land was plowed up and peasants were settled there, ordered to grow edible plants. Some of the newborn horticulturists practiced their trade in the small enclaves that encircled the port and provided fresh food mostly for the guards.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:02

It was rumored that the harvests were not particularly great, but they helped diversify the boring fish table and provided the necessary vitamins. Further afield, the houses became poorer, people's clothes more often looked like rags, and the local proletariat lived here. The livelihood of the poor came from paying for street clearing and construction work organized by the government, as well as various kinds of wage labor in the port and surrounding neighborhoods. Celesta had not yet made it this far, knew from stories that the artisans and craftsmen settled in the former warehouses, on the far side. If she imagined the port as a semicircle facing east, then the guards' barracks would be at the ends, the officials' and officers' houses would be at the top, the forges and other industries would be in the middle, and the newly emerging slums with their seedy establishments would be at the bottom.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:23

However, they are called slums for nothing. To the ghouls accustomed to the permissiveness and cruelty of the Pit, this neighborhood seemed relatively respectable. At least the streets were patrolled by guards.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:26

The most perspective seemed to be the locations of the villages of the poor. A lot of ruins, neglected by the city administration, tired indifferent people, not interested in the problems of others, the general atmosphere of hopelessness allowed to remain unnoticed for a long time. All that was needed was to find a good shelter, preferably underground and with several exits to the surface.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:48

Getting comfortable in a long pipe and pressing the exit with a heavy piece of stone - a man can't move it, the ghoul can hardly move it - Andrew shifted his thoughts from tomorrow's plans to Medea. Will she be able to handle it? Alone her friend can bypass any patrols, she has even more experience than Celeste, but to lead a bunch of people she had not yet. Besides, the porters weren't very nice, and they might take advantage of a woman's beauty. If there were perverts who raped the dead, they might as well go for the undead. One hope for Richard and his greed, coupled with a sense of self-preservation: the ringleader must know what kind of hell his life would become if something happened to Medea.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:50

Celeste's hopeless assumptions were confirmed, and Medea had removed the veil from her face and was now shining with a white smile. What a splendid thing she had done to feed herself yesterday morning! The blood had not yet been absorbed by her system, and the ghoul looked like a normal human woman, though she looked a little pale. Her fangs didn't even protrude. Richard seemed completely fascinated by his beautiful companion, as did all his subordinates, who looked at the new guide with a slightly glazed look.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:53

Medea sighed and extinguished the torch:

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:53

"Alas, Lord Richard, we must move on. Your men have rested and recovered their strength, and the guards are just leaving their post. Do you see a faint glow that way? That's the patrollers leaving. The replacements occupy the building opposite, so they can't see the alley we're going down. But just in case, I'll check to see if any of the old patrols are still there. If you'll excuse me..."

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 12:55

"Of course, Lady Medea," was all the bandit had time to say after the girl flew away.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 13:21

As soon as the girl stepped back, the smile disappeared from her face, giving way to a frown. There was more than enough reason to feel uncomfortable. She was not used to being the center of attention for a long time. And the stares on her were annoying. In the monastery, Medea communicated only with her kind, after the escape her only interlocutor for a long time was Celesta, so a large number of strangers around was unnerving. Besides, they were men, after all... In the time since the disaster, she had learned to fear them. And to use them, of course.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 13:23

Her heart gnawed with anxiety for her friend. Celeste always took on the most difficult cases, as if forgetting that Medea was older, more experienced, and, perhaps, stronger. True, the younger one always gets the job done, I'll give her that. But she was taking a much greater risk today than she had before, even running away from Carlon seemed less dangerous. What if she got spotted? Or no suitable shelter for the day's sleep? We should have gone together, Richard would have endured a few extra nights. While one searched for prey, the other explored the area, or walked together, looking out for each other.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 13:25

No, she needed to be a hero!

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 13:26

Typical male stubbornness.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 13:26

Sometimes from behind the mask of the young girl looked out someone alien, strong, knowledgeable. He had his logic, incomprehensible to Medea, counted only on himself, did not believe in luck, and did not make mistakes. The one she mentally called by the strange name of "Andrew" seldom appeared when a serious decision had to be made. He acted with cold detachment, outside the criteria of cruelty or mercy, based on his notions of good and evil.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 13:50

It was frightening and appealing.

Camrad_RIP 06.01.22 в 13:51

The slender ghoul paused for a moment, looking around. There were no people to be sensed. The sounds are far away in the night, the slight clinking of ammunition is sometimes heard a hundred paces away. No ambushes are completely silent. Men want to move, to straighten their clothes, to scratch themselves. After all, humans need air, and they breathe loudly. It's easier for the undead in that regard. Local guards got used to being on duty and relaxed, no one dragged the goods through the control perimeter a long time ago, and if they did, they "didn't notice". Soon the situation would change. Today, Richard gossiped that there were serious people in the city who were ready to play on their own. Minor officials who consider themselves undeservedly disadvantaged by the new power, leaders of small port gangs who want to live a little better than they were allowed. They want to trade with the townships outside Taleнa and are willing to go to great lengths for the chance to make money.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 11:30

The girl sat a little longer, listening, and then hurried back confidently. The passageway was clear, she could go. Leading the stumbling bandits, picking out the best parts of the road, flirting nicely with the leader, making him brag about his exploits. To fish out and memorize information to pass on to Celesta later. The smallest details can be an invaluable aid if her friend decides to talk to the other leaders of the gangs. Or, more precisely, when she does. You can't rely on Richard alone: he's too slippery, and he might just die by accident.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 11:33

"Please follow me," Medea chanted, emerging quietly from the darkness. "I suppose if we hurry, we'll reach the places you know in an hour, Mr. Richard."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 11:33

"That would be nice. I can't even believe how smoothly things are going," the bandit grinned.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:12

"Don't jinx it," the guide superstitiously pinched her fingers together. "It's not over yet."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:13

"Excuse me. Although, frankly, it was much harder to walk last time."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:14

"Yes, Celeste told me about that ridiculous incident with the catcher grass and the new route. You got lucky."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:15

"Yes..." Richard paused, and then asked cautiously, "I hope I'll have the pleasure of meeting you again next time? In seven days, say?"

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:15

"I can't say anything in particular. My friend is supposed to get some information today, maybe talk to some people. Our plans depend on these meetings."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:25

"Are you helping many people?"

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:26

The answer to this question was prepared in advance, so the ghoul lied confidently:

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:27

"Mostly, we deliver letters or trade-in confidential information. Sometimes we take it through the Pit or search for a strictly defined object, a book. I can't give you any names if you'll excuse me."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 12:41

"Who needs books nowadays? Burn them all. If it hadn't been for the wizards and their damned experiments, none of this," he held his hand over the ruined city, "would have happened. The Duke would never have let them live there. That's the kind of kin you should stay away from."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:04

The squad supported the leader with a consonant hum.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:07

"Nowadays, agronomy books and chemistry textbooks are in demand: magic doesn't work," Medea dodged out and deftly shifted the conversation. "I used to think the talk about the wizards living in the fortress was just gossip. No one has ever seen them."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:19

"I saw them, once. I was hired to guard a caravan in one of the villages, where a detachment of guards was rounding up monsters. The mage helped the centurion point out where the lairs were located."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:20

The story turned out a little crumpled because the interlocutor belonged to the same "monster". But the girl wanted to hear the details:

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:21

"That's it? No mighty spells that tear enemies apart, or scorch entire miles to the point of being a glass roller?"

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:29

"Not at all, lady," the bandit grinned contemptuously. "He even uses a torch. The magic is gone."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:35

**It's hard to tell," Medea thought. - The mage could sense monsters. Carlon, the damned bastard, could do something, too. She said nothing out loud and continued on her way. There was no point in being distracted. It would be a shame to run into a patrol near the end of the path.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:37

At the moment when Medea was peacefully saying goodbye to the bandit, carefully hiding her fangs, Celesta was hanging upside down on the third-floor ledge. It wasn't from a good life - she'd climbed to the height in an attempt to hide from a group of poor people who had suddenly decided to pay their attention to a well-preserved house. They were looking for wood. The other valuables had been stolen by looters long ago. Last winter they had used everything from wood to smoldering sheets of plastic for fuel, so the chances of finding firewood now were slim. Neither, it seemed, did the men, for they showed no enthusiasm.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:42

Oddly enough, some useful items were found. After grabbing a few pipes, some murky gray plates dug out of the walls, a roll of roofing felt or similar material, and a few other small things, most of the group left. There was one kid left, stubbornly continuing to search the attic and studiously avoiding the eyes of the other searchers. She wondered why?. She couldn't see him, but she could hear the noise and muffled cursing, given off by the brittle teenage voice. In Celesta's opinion, it was a bad time for the guy to show up.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 13:55

Aside from the obvious fact that he might have noticed her, his presence greatly irritated her sense of hunger. The ghoul had last hunted the night before last and had been on rats ever since, a substitute that didn't help much. She was hungrier and hungrier with each passing hour. She'd hoped to be more resilient, planning to hold out until tomorrow night and catch her prey beyond the patrol line with Medea, but she seemed to have overestimated her limits. Tomorrow would be too late.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:05

After thinking a little more, she concluded: the situation must be taken advantage of. Fate itself gave her a source of information - a stunted, well, you can't win at everything - and a way to replenish her energy. The boy very well decided to linger, it is only necessary to frame the acquaintance so that the conversation and the subsequent feeding went on the script imposed by the girl. In other words, quietly and without unnecessary traces.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:07

If she had been in familiar terrain, she would have acted simply by stunning her prey, tying her up, and dragging her to a secluded corner, where she would have asked her questions without fear. Now she would have to "gut" her captive on the spot, listening to the sounds of the night every minute in case any of the adults wanted to return. No suitable place for her interrogation: she wasn't going to risk the few shelters she had. But the object of interest was fortunate - physically weak, and male. Men are easier to work with, their actions are mostly logical and predictable. A woman, on the other hand, can do anything, so she should be watched more carefully.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:14

She rolled over deftly, caught her hands on the ledge, pulled herself up, and silently jumped onto the balcony. The building looked rather tall for this place. The formal, fancy style and the furnishings still intact made it look as if it might have been an office or something similar. The boy was now on the fourth, top floor. Celesta steered steadily toward the noise he was making. She didn't foresee any trouble catching him. The lad was probably unarmed, using some dimly glowing rotting thing instead of a torch, and didn't look very sturdy either. Like most teenagers, there wasn't enough to eat.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:18

It all happened quickly. One, and a dark shadow grows behind the bent boy's back. Two - an unknown force snatches the stick from him, gripping his throat tightly at the same time. Three - the weakly trembling body is pressed against the wall. Tightly pinned, unable to break free. Caught just now tried to resist, but it is too late. The horrible grinning mouth approached the face, glistening with bloody glare ghoul eyes darted around the victim's widened eyes. His breath was ragged, his throat tightened by a cold hand, panic choking his will and driving him to hysterics.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:22

The monster easily ripped the boy off the floor and lightly pressed his back against the wall. It relaxed the hand, let him breathe in precious air, squeezed again, and hissed right into his ear:

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:27

"If you start to fidget, I'll kill you. Got it!"

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:29

There was so much power in her voice that the very thought of resistance vanished. The boy sank into submission. Celeste had recently noticed that if you looked a victim in the eye while simultaneously trying to mentally suppress its will, most of the people caught became sluggish and obedient for a while. Sometimes it worked, sometimes not. If it was possible to distress oneself enough, to act confidently, without a drop of doubt, to press the will as a single powerful press, then the attempt was always successful. What accounted for the unexpected skill - accumulated practical experience on the part of psychology or a natural gift - she was still undecided. Absolutely everything could be expected from an undead body, so she did not reject both options.

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:33

"What's your name? Answer."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:33

"Laskash."

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:33

"What are you doing here, Laskash?"

Camrad_RIP 07.01.22 в 14:34