Хроники Аскета: Вторжение / The Ascet Chronicles: Invasion: Глава 6

Chapter 6

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:00

At eight o'clock in the morning, our three groups stood at the entrance to the Nest. Our group will go first; inside the Nest, we will always choose the rightmost passage, our task is to delineate the boundaries of the first tier. Two teams, Executor and Wicked, will climb into the labyrinth and cover for each other at all times.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:01

I checked my gear one last time. The uniform consisted of a lightweight material unknown to me, capable of withstanding acid, it fits tightly with thick-soled boots and gloves, and a gas mask concealed my face beneath the helmet. The research section developed special gear after fighters began dying from corrosive spits or poisonous gases. The group was armed with machine guns with some kind of special bullets, one flamethrower, pistols, and, for the three of us, short swords. There were at least four grenades on each belt. I'm not sure all that would be enough to survive...

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:02

"Ascet!" The Student's voice distracted me from my gloomy thoughts, and I was only now surprised to notice the cold sweat crawling down my back. "Make the signs."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:03

I nodded in response.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:04

"Come closer to me. Try not to move too far away - the longer the distance, the harder it is to keep up the sign."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:04

The Dust Helmet was considered more difficult to do, so I started with it. I was able to create the matrix fairly easily, and then attach it to Student and Hawk, but it was more difficult to tie the mark to the auras of the new fighters I was unfamiliar with. Eventually, the connection was secured, and I activated the sign.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:05

"What the hell?!" The older of the soldiers, Slava, said, "It's like they put a sack over my head."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:09

"At least you won't attack us now." Hawk alluded to instances where outsiders had subjugated fighters and force them to attack their comrades.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:10

I thought it necessary to clarify:

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:10

"Not really. The sign can be broken through, it's just hard to do. In any case, I will sense someone else's attack beforehand."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:11

Putting on the Air Wall was much easier, and within a minute Hawk was inside the Nest. I staggered a little at the entrance, hesitant to take the first step, but the trembling of the signs made me sway forward. For a brief moment, as the thin invisible film passed through my body, terror gripped me, and my legs gave out. A gentle nudge from Student chased away the sticky feeling of fear. I nodded appreciatively.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:12

Strangely enough, when I entered the tunnel, I felt better. I didn't feel as disgusted as I had the last time, and that was a good thing. Maybe the Dust Helmet had helped, maybe I knew what to expect this time, and I was not alone. Anyway, the tension was gone.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:13

"Ascet, condition?"

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:14

"The signs are working, but the Hawk has gone too far, the Wall can't cover it. The shell is seventy-seven." The Dust Helmet took ten units of potential, the Wall seven. I originally had ninety-two, but the shell had grown over the past five months or so as a result of my training. I was also able to use less energy to create signs.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:15

"Hawk, come back."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:16

The narrow passage began to widen: now we can walk two in a row without ducking. Ahead of them are Hawk and Ruslan, a fighter with a flamethrower.

Suddenly Hawk stops:

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:17

"Stranger, ten meters, 12 o'clock."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:18

Ruslan stared ahead, though he knew it was useless - the visibility in the Nest was no more than three or four meters. I sensed someone approaching me, but I couldn't say anything specific: the signs made it hard to concentrate. Suddenly there was a strange sound, and the Wall shuddered from the lump of slime that had hit it. Hawk dropped to one knee in a swift, fluid motion and began firing his machine gun. The stranger's presence immediately weakened. Student commanded us to move forward - we walk, carefully avoiding the steaming puddle. After a few paces, we bump into the tattered corpse of the alien - a small ball twenty centimeters in diameter with a narrow tube sticking out from the front. Ruslan used a thin stream of fire to set the creature on fire.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:20

The ceiling of the tunnel suddenly moved back, the walls widened, and now we were walking down a corridor eight meters wide and six meters high. At least, that's what my senses told me.

Suddenly the Student ordered us to stop:

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:21

"Hawk, spot on the wall, 2 o'clock two meters ahead."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:22

Hawk took a long look at the faintly visible light bulge - it hardly stood out against the dark red background.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:22

"Nothing. It's clean."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:22

"Ascet?"

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:23

"Nothing. I'm holding signs." Hawk has always been more sensitive than me, and now that I'm concentrating on the signs, even more so.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:24

The student nodded. He stood for a moment longer, scanning the stain, then raised his machine gun and fired a long burst. The stain twitched, a sense of an alien presence emerged in place of the previously smooth background, then the alien who had peeled away from the wall tried to jump at us. He didn't make it: Ruslan shot him down with a flamethrower.

Hawk scolded:

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:25

"Fuck! He hid! You saw him hide!"

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:25

"Take it easy." Student's calm voice soothed Hawk slightly. "We've known before that some creatures can hide their presence, and that's why Ascet is holding up the Wall. Enough of this nonsense, let's move on."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:26

I noticed the next creature. To be more precise, I didn't so much notice it as feel its presence when something began to press against the Dust Helmet.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:27

"Stop. Alien."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:27

"Where?" The whole team began to turn their heads. Even Student and Hawk, though why would they?

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:29

"I'm trying to feel it."

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:29

Where, where is the source? The creature's aura was undetectable, so it was either too far away or well hidden. I had to slip my consciousness into the mental space.

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:53

Scientists have assigned this sonorous term to a strange state of mind in which the human spirit supposedly found itself in a certain space in which there was no place for a substance. However, some researchers have argued that this place really exists, and is not an artificially created projection by our subconscious mind. Being in the mental, one can easily notice any manifestations of spiritual activity. The reflections of human emotions, some cult objects, active signs - here it was also possible to communicate with the echoes of the souls of the dead, who for some reason had not dispersed with the death of the body, but had fixed themselves near their graves or favorite things. According to the rumors that came to me, scientists call the discovery of the mental "a link between knowledge of philosophy and religion".

Camrad_RIP 10.02.22 в 20:58

The consciousness of the alien shone brightly: it was clearly visible - but what to do next? The notions of sides of the world are abstract here, and I wouldn't be able to explain to the others where the alien was. In the meantime, it seemed to notice my presence and threw a glowing tentacle in my direction - to check for intruders. I reacted more instinctively than consciously. I gathered my fear of aliens, my hatred, my pain, exposing all that was dark in me, and made it my weapon. Emotion is power: no need to waste it. More, stronger!

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:36

And then I threw the resulting sloppy lump at the stranger.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:36

When I returned to the normal level of perception, the first thing I asked was:

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:39

"Did you get it?" I didn't want to go back into the mental space - my head hurt a lot. It was good that the pressure on the sign was gone.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:39

"There was some spike in the side aisle - we'll check it out now."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:42

In the middle of the passage lay a stranger. There was no sign of damage to its body, but it was certainly dying: its aura was fading right in front of our eyes. When Hawk put a couple of bullets in him, the body didn't even twitch.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:43

"How did you kill him?"

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:43

"Burned out the brains. I didn't expect it to work - I just wanted to dismantle the protection."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:44

We had no trouble wiping out the four strangers before we came upon the second-level jumper. This creature, with its powerful hind legs, could travel dozens of meters in a single leap, its narrow head with its bony growths piercing through the human body. We were saved by two things: the Air Wall, which I'd been holding on to the whole time, and Student's reaction. The first jump breached the Wall, and the creature ignored the machine-gun fire and was preparing to jump a second time when Student weaved a fireball at lightning speed and put it in the jumper's face.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:46

After the jumper, the group walked another fifty paces before we noticed the marks people had left on the walls of the corridor. So, since we had walked about three and a half kilometers, it turned out that the tier was a little over a kilometer in diameter. Actually, it's strange: the area of the tiers increased with depth - the lower the tier, the larger the area. A kilometer in a straight line is too much for a two-tiered Nest, rather it is characteristic of three tiers. Apparently, the scientists got it right: the Nest is really going to expand. If it hasn't already expanded.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:48

It's impossible to describe what a relief it is to come to the surface. The normal air is intoxicating, my eyes rest on the soft green tones, I just want to sit on the ground and enjoy the peace. The wild tension is released, my eyes slip on their own...

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:49

"Ascet," I turned my head to Student, "you have blood all over your face."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:49

I ran my hand over my face, and it was indeed blood. It was probably the backlash from a broken Wall, as it often happened at the beginning of training.

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:50

"Where are the rest?"

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:50

"They haven't come out yet. It's harder for them: they're looking for a passageway."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:51

"I'm going to go clean up - if they come out, call me."

Camrad_RIP 11.02.22 в 17:51