Селеста / Сelesta: Глава 14

Chapter 14

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 14:37

"...How old were you?"

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 14:46

"Sixteen."

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:00

Medea snorted incredulously:

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:01

"You're lying to me. Even the descendants of the high aristocracy were admitted to the university at nineteen, everyone knows that."

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:02

Hustin did not react to the accusation of lying. He calmly began to explain:

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:02

"I have a talent for magic... had. The quality of interaction with Sources is almost comparable to the true ones. In our family were often born healers, all the Blue Mountains came to my great-grandmother for treatment. But it's a tradition: the eldest son stays in the village, while the younger ones try their luck down in the valleys. My third cousin became a chief engineer at the metallurgical plant of Vashy in his time, but he never lost contact with his family and came often. He noticed my abilities, began to give me textbooks, and encouraged my father all the time: he said that the boy should not waste his time in the countryside, let him study. Of course, his father was at one with him, it was flattering for anyone to have a wizard in his family. When I was sixteen, they brought me to Taleya and sent me to take my exams with a fake high school diploma."

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:07

"Why were the documents faked?"

Camrad_RIP 13.01.22 в 17:09

"I'm a commoner," he shrugged. "It's rare for anyone to enter the University without a noble rank unless the rich tradesmen used to send their children to school. My uncle had a good friend who taught here, and he promised to help me get in if I passed my exams. But he was going to go to Belar next year for five years, so we were in a hurry."

Camrad_RIP 14.01.22 в 16:02

"Did you enroll?"

Camrad_RIP 14.01.22 в 16:03

"Mm-hmm. I don't know how my uncle's friend pulled it off. The papers were considered anonymously. My test score came in the first place." Hustin sighed. "Then it was revealed that if I had any divine blood in my veins, it was only the size of a cat's little finger, and I was moved to the bottom of the list. But they didn't dare kick me out altogether, though; they accepted me into the general training department."

Camrad_RIP 14.01.22 в 16:09

"I think you're lying," Medea said firmly.

Camrad_RIP 14.01.22 в 16:09

"No one believes me," the newbee explained phlegmatically. "I'm used to it."

Camrad_RIP 14.01.22 в 16:10

The woman felt an acute urge to claw at her companion's face. The men around her always tried to brag about their accomplishments - she was used to hearing admirers brag profusely about imaginary and real victories. Her new companion and apprentice behaved very differently. And yet he liked Medea, a lot, she felt! The boy could not hide his feelings at all and clearly sympathized with the beautiful mentor.

Camrad_RIP 18.01.22 в 19:10

However, his awkward compliments made her want to cry more often than to laugh.

Camrad_RIP 18.01.22 в 19:10

Medea frankly admitted to herself that she was not entirely unprejudiced concerning Hustin. So what if the man - or former man - had a right to his "points"? In the old days, she would have easily justified her dislike, and the boy would have been guilty, too. Now it was the prolonged communication with Celesta that got in the way. Her friend had always soberly assessed the situation, carefully weighed the facts of her life, forming a clear and accurate picture of her surroundings. Medea had inevitably learned from her the ability to remain honest with herself.

Camrad_RIP 18.01.22 в 19:12

Celesta kept her promise: she really did dump the newcomer's training on Medea. Both yesterday, refusing to escort Hustin to his designated hiding place, and today, personally engaged in communication with the poor informants. She stopped by once, handed out a pack of dinirs with a brief admonition to buy blood, along with advice to study the main passages in the sewers, and that was it. There was logic in her actions. Celesta had no intention of introducing the young man to either the Morvanites or the most valuable agents. It was all the more too early for him to know about the existence of common business with Richard or Holiness. So while Medea chatted with Hustin, trying to get as much information out of him as she could and just hoping to determine what to expect from the boy, the short undead shook up the beggarly quarters. Celesta began to look for a suitable candidate for the role of innkeeper.

Camrad_RIP 18.01.22 в 19:15

"Then the Plague broke out, and transportation stopped," the young man reminded us after a short silence. "We tried to get home, but it was no use. It was a long walk. There are madmen all around, mages are being killed, beasts have broken free and mutated, the dead are rising... Well, my father thought a little, consulted with the elders, and decided to fortify in the city. There was food and shelter nearby, and if things got really bad, he could steal a boat from the port and sail to the islands. Of course, life there was not easy, but it was better than death. It was hard at first: we fought with bandits and desperados every day, then we got hold of a weapon, fortified ourselves, and the surrounding gangs stopped bothering us. It seemed to get better. Nine months later the first cholera epidemic broke out, three of our children died. I recalled everything I knew from my grandmother - I saved the grown-ups, but I couldn't save the little ones. They were too weak."

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:03

He was silent, reliving an old failure. Medea, too, was silent. She remembered the epidemic by the death of her patron, a middle-ranking gang leader, and the long line of men who wanted the former ringleader's inheritance. His woman served as a sort of "transferable prize". Each new chieftain would rape her first, sometimes giving her to his closest associates to use. She was suffering for three months, and then she was lucky enough to be killed.

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:04

"Well, when the Duke began to restore order, we supported him. Not at once, of course: he abandoned people in a difficult time. We thought for a long time. After all, we decided - better bad power than no power at all. Besides, the Duke was put on his post by the gods - whom to follow if not him? His reputation was tarnished, but maybe there was no other way to act. In short, we came under his hand. My father was now head of the blacksmiths, Karva's uncle was a foreman in the guard, and my older brother was in charge of a crew of workers in the port. So that's how it is."

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:06

Medea grinned dryly. Thanks to the powerful support of the clan, the boy didn't realize how lucky he was. His family was settling in just fine now - three men in positions to employ the others, to support and protect the women, the children. She had to stop to deal with the rage that came over her. Why, why did she have to go on that damned tour?!

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:07

"Mistress Medea." Hustin rubbed his neck hesitantly. The young undead uses the gestures they've become accustomed to from their past lives, the stinginess of movement and emotion comes later. "What are we waiting for?"

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:09

The ghoul looked at her companion:

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:10

"Are you hungry?"

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:10

"Well... yeah. I didn't ask anyone for blood yesterday, so..."

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:11

"That's fine. So, what are we doing here?" Medea waved her hand gracefully around, her voice deep with the melodious intonations of a storyteller: "Always and everywhere there are strong and weak, high and low, noblemen and commoners. It is also true that there are the strong among the weak and the weak among the strong. Here, in this wasteland, live the lowest of human society - the weakest of the weak! Even slaves are better protected than these wretches, for for the death of a slave the murderer would have to answer to the Duke. The locals, on the other hand, are deprived of everything. Cripples, drunkards, desperate weaklings, just unfortunate losers who have found no place in the new life, but do not dare to end it." The woman glanced at the stunned companion, then finished in a casual tone: "Many of them would sell their blood to a hungry ghoul for a little slumber."

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:13

She pulled a bottle of murky, translucent liquid from the folds of her hoodie, which Hustin could scarcely identify as "whitewash". His family disapproved of the use of drugs, even the lightest ones, and they only drank beer on holidays. The young man hesitated. As he saw it, blood given willingly had to be paid for in kind, and drugs did not qualify as "kindness". At the same time, the local beggars did not belong to his clan - there was nothing to worry about.

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 12:26

"Why not with money?"

Camrad_RIP 20.01.22 в 15:14

"They'll drink it up. But before they drank it up, they were bound to blab about the source of their income. We used to feed in the nicer quarters and pay in dinars, but we couldn't keep it a secret for long: the rumors would spread anyway. We had to find replacements. The beggars themselves were careful to stay out of sight of the authorities, socializing in their small circle, ready to sell their souls for drugs - they were just perfect. Moreover, no one looks after them, they are not included in any communities, and if one or two of them are missing, no one will notice. Of course, we still have connections among the poor in the community, but they are much fewer, and it is more correct to call them agents than donors."

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 12:29

The meeting place, by the tacit agreement of both parties, had been a vacant lot not far from the hiding-place of the poor. There were several exits to the sewers and enough piles of garbage for the ghouls to escape, and the beggars were attracted by the short distance to the house. Initially, the girls themselves fished out customers in the neighborhood, intimidated them, gave them a taste of a diluted drink, and promised them more for an appropriate fee. Gradually the need for an "advertising campaign" disappeared, and today Medea was sure that they would meet at least one sufferer. Drug addicts would sometimes stand guard on the vacant lot 24 hours a day.

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 12:31

"Let's go, there's the first one sitting there."

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 12:32

The ragamuffin was a disgusting sight, even by Taleja's liberal standards. A certain seal of doom lay across the city's inhabitants, and few were able to escape it. Most preferred to walk with their backs bowed. That smaller stratum of active people who continued to fight for existence and did not fall into despair gradually worked their way into the new elite. Tarrasch, Fakasius, Richard worked hard, looking for ways to enrich themselves, rather than sitting around bitterly whining about their broken lives. That's why they lived relatively well. Here, in the wasteland, the elements were just the opposite. Desperate people who lacked something to continue their struggle for existence - some merit.

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 12:33

Rottentooth Rho was one of the first to trade some of his blood for a bottle of cheap vodka. In the old days he wouldn't have picked it up, but now... All the money he occasionally earned was spent on booze. Food could be found - stealing a piece of fish in the port, rummaging through the dregs at the back of taverns, sometimes managing to moonlight or steal. Not much, of course, but it was enough to live on. Booze, on the other hand, was almost impossible to come by. Before, the beggars tried to brew their weak brew and ended up fighting. In short, when a ghoul named Celeste frightened him half to death and offered a trade, Rottentooth didn't hesitate long.

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 12:36

"Hello, Rottentooth," Medea smiled sweetly as she approached.

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 17:10

"Greetings, Mistress, greetings," the drunkard lingered, squinting warily at her companion. However, it was the girl who got most of the attention. Ever since he had drunkenly suggested that the beautiful girl should "fool around together," Rho had been wary of her. "I see you didn't come alone tonight, did you?"

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 17:12

"It's Hustin, he'll come by once in a while. Did you wash your hand?"

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 17:12

"Of course! Everything as it should be - we know the customs!"

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 17:13

Rottentooth nimbly pulled back the sleeve of a woman's robe over the other rags and revealed his left arm. The scrubbed area at the bend of the elbow stood out sharply against the dirt and stench of the rest of the skin. The undead, especially the hungry ones, rarely paid attention to the cleanliness of their victims, but they couldn't ignore the stench of the slum dwellers. The girls didn't want to sink their fangs into "such things".

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 17:50

"Excellent. Hustin, please."

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 17:50

"Uh... what do you mean?"

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 17:51

"Simple. You fix the hand so you don't accidentally tear a vein, and drink until you're full." Medea turned to the ragamuffin and explained, "Young, recently risen. Tell the others that there will be three of us coming in now."

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 18:03

"Well, why don't you pay extra for the risk?" Rotten Tooth grinned ingratiatingly. "He's a big man - he'll take a lot at once."

Camrad_RIP 25.01.22 в 09:53

"Let's see. Hustin?"

Camrad_RIP 25.01.22 в 09:53

The young ghoul stared at the scene with eyes round with amazement. In his mind, the living dead must pounce from the shadows on lonely passersby, greedily sucking the last drops of blood from their stunned victims. More than once he had seen and buried the consequences of such attacks, and later, when he grew stronger, he fought off the attacks of the city's ghouls along with the other men of his clan. He and all his acquaintances had two feelings at the sight of the living dead: fear and hatred. People either fled or defended themselves. What they didn't do was dance around in impatience:

Camrad_RIP 21.01.22 в 18:12

"Hurry up, sir! I'm thirsty!"

Camrad_RIP 25.01.22 в 09:52

There was a contemptuous grimace on Medea's face. She was irritated by Rotten Tooth's drunkenness, by Hustin's inexplicably slow pace, by Celesta's assignment, and, in the end, by the hunger that was rising from within her. She hadn't had time to refuel yesterday, so today her thirst was slowly beginning to cloud her mind. What is he waiting for?

Camrad_RIP 22.01.22 в 07:26

"Hurry up, Hustin."

Camrad_RIP 25.01.22 в 09:52

The boy shook his head dumbfoundedly, hesitated, and with a swift movement bit into the quivering Rho's vein. There was silence for a while, interrupted occasionally by squelching noises. Medea stepped aside for fear of succumbing to temptation. The man paled little by little, but showed no excitement - it was not the first time he had shared blood. Finally, with visible regret, Hustin broke away from his arm, which the ragamuffin immediately nimbly pulled over with a filthy rag. Medea, who had returned, handed him the bottle:

Camrad_RIP 25.01.22 в 09:52

"Take it."

Camrad_RIP 14.01.22 в 15:58

"Thank you very much, mistress." Rottentooth sat up without trying to get up and bowed. "How about a bonus?"

Camrad_RIP 14.01.22 в 15:59