Настучать в бубен / Hit the tambourine: Глава 15_2

When he reached the shore, he ordered the Memory Eater to remove the stupor from the crew, and concealed himself, as well as the pile of bodies visible from the boat, with an illusory canopy, spending another contract that, again, would have to be restored later. An hour later, when the boat was finally out of sight and there was no risk of attracting the crew's attention, he began to drag the corpses away irritably and as quickly as possible. Stepan had prudently swam out to a small but dense and dense grove, where he had even once had his own guardian spirit. His footprints remained in the spirit imprint, but old, aged years and years ago.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 16:51

He wouldn't make self-propelled zombies out of corpses again, even though he could. It would require strength and the summoning of new contracts, and he had used up his old ones. It was easier and more economical to plant another spirit in himself and carry the dead himself. The young man was glad that he hadn't got himself a metaphorical toad, which would have definitely crushed him in response to the fact that he completely ignored all the amulets and artifacts of enemy mages, even wands or protective amulets. What's the matter with that? He didn't even take gold out of his hidden pockets, he just didn't see the need given the availability of the system store. And they didn't take any special riches with them, because why take them with you if you plan to take them yourself, from those who stand in your way?

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 16:53

Only after he had finished with the relocation and wiped off all the traces on the one-and-a-half-meter sandy spit of the wild beach Stepan began to prepare the ritual. He didn't want to call that dark nature thing, but the spirit had accepted sacrifices favorably in the past, especially if he didn't ask for anything in return. He still wouldn't risk activating that Oak Leaf until the balls were in claws, but it was one thing to call to battle, and quite another to ask for gifts, and for those gifts for which you weren't going to ask for anything in return. Again, he will definitely put the defense, and the mark of roots will strengthen the spiritual echo at the expense of the mark of passions which will affect the likelihood of attack.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 16:57

Reducing that probability.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 16:58

Probably.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 16:58

Stepan really wanted to believe that.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 16:58

It was frustrating that he couldn't use the replenishment, but he couldn't wait five days for a meta-skill refresh. Such a wait would only lead to the corpses becoming stale, a less valuable gift, or even insulting. But no, the latter is definitely not the case, as this shit is too decaying and decomposing to be to her liking. The problem is different. The death of such a powerful mage may well be already known. It must be known, if he, like those Krellbs, has the right amulet, which monitors the state of health. Could it be that right now, one of the patrons of Vizardius the Eel is rushing to the city's necromancer-spiritualist, asking to summon the spirit of the deceased to answer questions? No, no, no, no, and no, Stepan would not wait five days in the company of slowly rotting corpses. He wanted to finish it all as soon as possible.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 18:52

Everything was ready before lunchtime, right at the moment when another ship, very, very similar to the Beadle, especially the rear part of it, and even in the daytime similar. And the observing spirits pointed out three bright auras at once, matching the full-fledged adepts of magic trying to hide. No comparison with Eel or even his apprentice, more like a mid to low bar, but still an impressively excessive number of gifted aboard a simple merchant ship. So one of the three was the captainess with murky connections and high patrons, and the other two were the adepts she'd been given to reinforce her. The shaman raised the spirits higher into the sky, making them as inconspicuous as possible. The crew walked carefully, someone from the mages had created and all three of them regularly monitored the signaling network, including the bottom.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 18:58

They passed without noticing anything, but Stepan postponed the ritual until noon, and then, after thinking about it, until nighttime. It wasn't very clever to call a dark spirit at midday, whether you had a root mark or not. However, another outburst of emotion played a part in his procrastination. The assignment from the Autogoddess appeared on time. Stepan, of course, suspected that this Theresa was nicknamed “the Pike” for a reason, and he himself had almost died because of her indirect influence, but this just emotions. The assignment suggested the following action: to put suggestions and persuasions, which will lead the captain to the idea to reward especially distinguished members of the crew with especially nice awards for their dicks - an excellent and quite obviously-normal idea. Successfully tied the sail rigging - grope the captain's tits, took on extra duty - the captain will help to relieve tension with a hand, distinguished yourself in the reflection of boarding - all the holes and slits of the captain's body are at your or yours, if there are many distinguished, disposal. A full-fledged average assignment, and even with such rewards that bitter tears came to his eyes when he pressed the refusal.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 19:01

Or is it just the sun's rays that started hitting his eyes?

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 19:02

Having covered the already stacked bodies with a stasis field supported by seven alternating spirits, and carefully stepping over the drawn lines of the ritual, he stepped aside, sat down under a tree, banished ticks and other biting critters, sat in a restorative-meditative pose, and began to deal with what the System had bestowed upon him for the battle. First of all, the shaman accepted the level increase, wincing at the phantom sensations of another gift from the Autogoddess that ran through his body with caressing touches. Who would have doubted that Milf, had raised the level of something not useful? Certainly not Stepan, no, he had no such doubts long ago.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 13:58

This time, Her attention was paid to meta-skills, namely “ lecherous development”, which became “lecherous development IV”, amplified to the maximum at the current characteristics indicators. The result was significant: just as moving from a two to a three gave a qualitative and extremely powerful leap in effectiveness, so too did moving to the next stage support this trend. Even more weighty increases in experience from any debauchery, that own, that provoked by their skills, as well as increased rewards for “special mini-assignments” with the need to conduct some specified sexual practice. And, most importantly - the ability to once every three days once and for all raise any of the fucked up women one unit of characteristic of his choice (of course, if the woman is outwardly sympathetic to the hero-lover). Okay, if she's just ungifted or weakly gifted, it's not a big deal, but a master or a magister in a skirt will jump in and won't get off. If Stepan didn't already have a system endowment of characteristics, he would be fucked up, but he just raised his eyebrows. Well, this gift wasn't the craziest thing the Autogoddess had ever done.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 14:22

Stepan would have liked to invest a talent point in spiritual dialog, bringing it to the limit allowed by his stats up to advanced mastery. He wanted to, but didn't, because it could be so intense that it would take him until the next morning to recover. But, as a dubious consolation, the next increase in dialog and call practice will be available only after gaining at least twenty-one units of Spirit and sixteen units of Sensitivity. A gentle hint from the System, saying that it won't happen easily. And also hinting at the development of new areas of shamanism, or even not just shamanism. Not to say he's directly so against it, more just glad, but still a little offended. He wanted everything at once, and to bring pizza, with double cheese, even with pineapple. For the sake of remembering the Earth, the young man was ready to do even such a thing. In all seriousness, he was well aware of how overfed he was. Besides, didn't he plan, and for quite a long time, to change the direction of development, striving not only upward, but also sideways? Now he was left with no choice. Even with medium-ranked assignments or adventures that kept happening despite his attempts to avoid them, it would take him a long time to reach the next level of characteristics.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 14:56

The two meta-skill points given by the Autogoddess were easily learned. Meta-skills are always easily learned, but they don't bring much joy. Only another tired exhalation, with which Stepan got up from the ground, walked to a leafless tree on which buds had not even swollen yet, strengthened himself with a small spirit, and for three minutes beat that tree with his fists as hard as he could. The knuckles on the reinforced hands were not hurt, but the tree lost some of its bark and sagged inward a little. It was good that he had thought to muffle the sounds, or his boxing sparring against the still-living log would have woken the whole forest.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 14:57

The improvement of the elite meta-skill was quite obvious: “small system endowment of characteristics” became “ minor system endowment of characteristics”. The maximum attribute increase did not increase too much, reaching twelve units, but the minimum attribute increase rose to four units. The rate of renewal of this blessing did not increase, being the same calendar month, but there was a sudden synergy: a fifty percent chance that the charge will not be spent if you apply the gift on a woman right at the moment of intimacy, but only if it is the type of intimacy specified in the mini-quest from the lecherous development. All this was well within the development of the Autogoddess' gifts, Stepan, to be honest, had expected something much more shocking and overwhelming.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 14:59

Well, he did.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 15:42

His second elite meta-skill was indeed elite, so cool that it opened up a new column of his status showing the shaman's available “Deals”. And no, it wasn't about a new subtype of contracts with spirits or other entities, not even contracts with demonic entities, no. This status column was for completed deals with Liarat si Merrinal herself, the Lady of Gifts and the Giver of Gifts, a loyal servant of Innelas Innelay. The meta-skill was called “accepting a system deal with a patron (Liarat si Merrinal, Lady of Gifts and Gift-giving, faithful servant of Innelas Innelay)” and was not pumpable by any means, immediately being given in its maximum configuration. And, it should be said, reading the terms of the proposed deals, Stepan caught himself thinking that he was almost ready to agree to these terms simply out of greed, which made him even more annoyed.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 16:12

The essence of the skill is that the user of the System gives his patroness a certain power over himself for a certain time, in return receiving some rewards, both at the time of acceptance, the deal and on its closure. Eternal bargains, which have eternal influence, were not yet available, but, said the help, they can be added with the growth of levels or other changes in the Status of the character. The Deals are always finite. Their number is added with level growth in a random way, but it may well happen the player will fulfill them all and close them if he sets such a goal. And then either wait for new handouts or enjoy what you already have.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 16:24

At the moment there were three separate and independent deals available, although you could only execute them one at a time. Learning about each of them caused a fierce desire to get up and once again torture the tree with punches. Stepan read the statements of the certificate, listened to the shades of images, and with every second he was boiling more and more. As his namesake would say now: “At this moment my ass could be confused with the Astronomicon, so it's burning!” - and Stepan Normal was closer than ever to creating the Astronomicon. Three deals, three offers, three titles, “Cute and Innocent”, “Sweet Attraction” and “Big and Soft”, for closing each of the three you can get three free talents and two stat points, and, importantly, without any risk or labor, it was separately noted. Getting under the deal could not cause a life or health-threatening situation, only Stepan's pride would suffer if he decided to agree to such a thing.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 16:26

The first deal, first of all, will rejuvenate the already youthful-looking and not aged outwardly since the moment of arrival. However, his youthful appearance and the absence of even a hint of mustache and beard were most likely only a consequence of the “blessings of health and long life”, nothing more. After the deal, he would look like himself for the next three months, but in his teens, fourteen or fifteen years old. As a bonus, he will be able to keep this appearance even after the deal is closed, and aging will be slowed down again even more than it was slowed down before by the accepted properties and magical gift. This in itself is not a bad thing. Even if being a small gifted brat in the conditions of this world would attract a lot of attention and probable problems, for three talents and two characteristics Stepan would go for it at a run and ask for more. Young age? It was better to be young, healthy, and strong than weak, old, and sick - that was a truism.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 16:29

The problem was that this deal was not limited to rejuvenation alone. The will of the insidious Autogoddess would literally erase from the mind the very concept of any form of intimacy, all experience, all knowledge, and even the very concept of sex or at least handwork. A sweet and innocent boy will still be excited by what is happening to him, by the sight of beautiful girls and women, but will not really understand what is so strange is happening to him and what are these unknown feelings. As if at once you turn into an offspring from an incredibly strict monastery with a vow of celibacy and a complete ban on all shameful, and one where all of the above prohibitions are really observed. Again, it's only for three months, but three talents and two points, you can be patient. It could, but She, the Lady of All Milfs, did not stop there again.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 16:35

The fact that even if the “innocence” of the deal maker is “lost” does not cancel the fact that the memories of how innocence was lost and everything learned in the process will disappear in the morning, will seem like a blurry and obscene dream without clear pictures. Okay, that's not the worst thing either, especially since no one is ordering innocence to be lost at all..... because they don't have to. A twist of fate, similar to the one that already hangs in his status under “Special” allows him to violate the theory of probability in a particularly vulgar way. Something similar will be applied to the bargainer. On Stepan, who is under the effect of the Deal, all sorts of lecherous girls, ladies, and moms will fall from all sides, wanting to seduce the boy and teach him bad things. The boy with no experience in countering seduction and dazing from a completely new sensation. In such a situation, it is very easy to suddenly find yourself declassified, leaked all the information about yourself and the System, as well as signed a dozen contracts, and successfully married some smart lady.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 16:40

Ah, stop, a slip. It will not be possible to tell about the system, the same influence of fate (for the time of stay under the deal), which will allow this topic in any intimate and not-so-intimate interrogation to bypass. And if not, some quite plausible legend-explanation will come out of subconsciousness. The joke about a harsh grandfather who brought up his grandson to be a senior shaman at such a young age will be brought to its logical conclusion. Ha-ha, very funny, Your Milfeischestvo, but Stepan didn't want to laugh or smile. He didn't want to, because he knew for a fact that he would still agree to such a deal, he would just sit in the deepest corner of the forest, running away from women as if from fire. For three talents and two stat points!

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 19:55

The only thing is that the memory of the deal itself and its terms is blown away from the person who made it first and necessarily. Even looking at the status and seeing there a line with the deal and its description, the person who made it will simply not pay attention to it, immediately forgetting after reading it. No, there may still be a chance to break the Autogoddess, say, to migrate to some maximally remote hole, where the nearest village is just three months away, and then accept the deal, forget about everything, and start thinking about why he came here in the first place. But, remembering the property of fate manipulation, and also knowing the vicious character of the Autogoddess, right there, at the same second, he would fall into the Underworld, and exactly into the personal bath of some drow matriarch.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 19:56

The other deals differed a little in details but were about the same problems with missing solutions. Sweet Attraction also erased the memory of itself but did not change his appearance, acting a little differently, but for six months at a time. On the one who accepted this deal, there will be random and irresistible desires to lick the pussy of the same random women, any, from the well-known, to just flashed in the crowd, just always beautiful and desirable. This desire will seem absolutely natural and will not cause a single question about the reasons for such desires. A desire and that's it. A mighty shaman has the right to have fun as he wants and not think about any nonsense. As a bonus - the very distortion of fate, thanks to which it will always be possible in one way or another to bewitch, seduce, or banal coax your target and get the opportunity to work with your tongue.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 16:42

And, importantly, in moments of such compulsion, Stepan would not want anything else, neither normal sex, nor to touch the tits, nor even to undress himself. Just lick, cum without touching himself, maybe several times in a row, and then correct the victim's memory, if at all necessary, say goodbye, and be it. The effect can come once a week or several times a day, that's why it's random. The exact same thought of being able to activate the deal in the middle of some local Sahara desert ran into a similar problem with probability. He'd probably just meet a bunch of hot ladies right the next day without leaving the desert. There's not half a word or half an image about it in the reference, but if the Autogoddess didn't provide for such a trick, Stepan would eat his necklace.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 16:46

Big and Soft of all three deals might have seemed the most innocuous option. Erasing the memory of the deal, a five-month time limit, and the effect on the mind of the receiver. Roughly speaking and describing everything as briefly as possible: the loss of will in the presence of big-breasted women, and the bigger her breasts, the harder it is to say no, even if she demands something on the level of “sign this contract, drink this potion and put on this collar”. Fulfillment of any request seems right, and correct, even if you subconsciously realize the wrongness of what is happening, you can not resist and do not want to. Oh yes, so Stepan was not bored, all met titty seductresses will instinctively see and understand his weakness. And they will not see anything strange in it, they will set up the necessary purpose of logical conclusions. From simple “the boy likes boobs, but he thinks with a different head,” to “apparently, he once put in his head bookmarks, which he did not know about, but now they will be used by me”. And, of course, the unspecified in the help, but obligatory to be there is a tweak in the probability of meeting a bustier bust bearer in any random situation.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:26

Stepan involuntarily imagined how events would have developed if he had met Truda - who had already left him morally scarred and lowered his faith in humanity - while under the effect of this Deal.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:28

He imagined it.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:28

Stand up.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:29

He went and beat the tree some more.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:29

To distract himself from the urge to shout to the heavens that the heavens were holding him for someone else, Stepan sat down again in a meditative position and accepted the last of the list of awards he had received. Raising a single random knowledge, given his already highly branched Status, could take a very long time, especially when raising an already developed talent. Stepan had good reason to believe that one of the least developed blocks of knowledge would be promoted, simply because it was standard practice for the System, the regular System, not the Autogoddess' gifts - he had noticed this pattern more than once.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:30

He's not wrong now, characteristically.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:31

Received: “advanced fundamentals of spiritual bargaining and contractual agreements with otherworldly entities”.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 17:01

The acquired talent is added to the overall Player status.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 17:01

It was definitely not a useless load, which pleased Stepan. Learning a useful and necessary block of knowledge not only increased the shaman's overall efficiency but also helped to calm his nerves after another of Milf's pranks. Damn it! At this rate, he would have to get a magical analog of sedative, otherwise he wouldn't have the nerves to endure all this without changing his class to Berserker, or even changing his race to Demon of Wrath. Jokes were jokes, but every fucking time he was almost ready to accept reality, to come to terms with the whims of the world, the Autogoddess would pull a new trick and he'd flash his ass again as if he had a fuel and lubricant factory in his ass, no other way.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:48

Contracts, as such, were part of a great deal of other knowledge, beginning even with basic call practice. Now the knowledge of contracts had become deeper and more complete. Revealed ways of making stronger, more reliable, more difficult to deceive and break, ways of summoning very specific spirits of deals, including some that were quite cunning. Most of all, agent work, which provided for such games with meanings, turning an ordinary contract into a death trap or a beacon for powerful subjugating and cursing influence by rearranging a couple of commas in the contract, if it was written on paper, or a couple of images in the stream, if the contract was made with a spirit, pleased him the most.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:51

Interesting types of healer spirits that can roll back healing if some part of the deal is not fulfilled, combat spirits that forcibly enforce a contract to prevent escape or evasion, and curses activated by a certain condition, like crossing a door on the wrong foot or trying to sleep with your feet facing north. Very powerful contract spirits for summoning, as well as creating complex contract anchors using multiple type spirits with similar aspects. Without multiplicity of awareness, the latter trick is much harder to pull off, but even with it, it's not a common task. Territory contracts, act on the principle of authority over one territory, imposing rules on visitors at the expense of that authority. From a simple prohibition to litter, be rude, and cut the throat of a sleeping landlord, to those things for which the throat can be cut. To give part of the aura to feed the spirits and anal virginity, not seeing in what is happening nothing strange, for example. Of course, it takes a long time and effort to prepare such a trap, especially against someone gifted and strong, but the very fact of the possibility contributes to the desire to see such a contractor with a second smile on his neck.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:54

Making deals over very considerable distances, using various relays, and ways to save forces in such relays. Totem contracts and contract totems, the creation of full servers to handle multiple oaths of all sorts, and the ability to manipulate parts of the whole within a limited framework. Someone made a contract to supply candle wicks and someone else to sell their beautiful daughter into slavery, but is it so impossible to swap two recipients if the contract was made on the same totem? A whole host of ways to create contracts that affect the mind or body, that make you feel love or pleasure for certain things or for certain individuals. Plenty of ways to turn any aural contact, not necessarily even of a sexual nature, into a basis for further dealing. The ability to hide a contractual influence inside a sly or not-so-sly curse, along the lines of “if you were able to break the curse, you're now obligated to do the following”. The longer Stepan learned his new knowledge, the more he realized that contract types of magical influences, whether shamanic or not, were inherently very sneaky things. They can be used for something good and useful, but there are many more ways to do something immoral or bad with them. And Stepan valued this knowledge many times more. It showed not only how to do a mean thing, but also how to avoid it, and if he could not avoid it - to break it.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 18:01

On its own, the advanced basics wouldn't give too much, but not when combined with the knowledge and properties already in place, latching onto each of them and opening up from new angles. Yes, initially this knowledge was tuned to spirits, to working with them, to making stronger and more reliable contracts, maybe with a double bottom or an attempt to remove that double bottom. But the same agency work admirably almost doubled the pool of knowledge, stretching the information block to the inhabitants of Reality, too. Especially the denizens of Reality. This only proves once again how much the work of secret agents is actually full of all kinds of dishonor, blood, and betrayals, not like in James Bond movies.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 20:01

By the time the young man regained consciousness, the last rays of the sun were hiding behind the horizon. The pair of strong spirit suppressors that were supposed to cut off the pile of corpses from the spirit world and prevent their location from being sought by magical means were silent. No one seemed to have tried to summon the shadows of the previously living to ask about the circumstances of their last battle, but he didn't want to delay any further. He had already condemned himself to another hike through bushwhacks, swamps, and other wildernesses, and there was no reason to increase the risk that he would have to run from the search parties of unknown individuals in these bushwhacks.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:37

Now, though, having had another mental catharsis, and having extinguished the butt that had been burning brightly since that unnecessary battle on the ship, he was fully prepared to perform the ritual. The usual fatigue and desire for sleep that followed the increase in knowledge was now gone. He was very lucky in that three of the four status increases were meta-skills in nature. The mood, Stepan was ready to repeat this several times, was not so much uplifted as reached a balance. The Autogoddess's teasing had scorched another portion of his nerves, causing a fit of rage and burnout, and become just another detail of his already frantic existence. The young man was in a calm so deep that he seemed to himself an unbreakable rock in the storm of the world around him. The impression was deceptive and dangerous, but at the same time surprisingly soothing and peaceful.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 17:36

From the ritual, he expected all sorts of insidious shenanigans or just an attempt to take Stepan and devour him when summoned. For this purpose he had prepared a powerful protective circle, a couple of decoys, which the creature would chase in the first place, and also one funny river spirit, which, if he jumped into the water would take Stepan many kilometers away in a couple of seconds carrying him to other waters of a mighty river. However, not necessarily the same one he had jumped into originally, but that's the details. The barrier, deceptions, and the reinforcing spirit planted in his body should be enough to make it possible for him to win five seconds. In the five seconds, it would take to dive into the water and escape the wrathful entity. Still, Stepan suspected that the Old Root he was summoning was an entity either at the top of the elder hierarchy or, more likely a full-fledged Higher One.

Camrad_RIP 31.07.24 в 15:41

The ritual was so normal and trouble-free that the young man suspected it was compensation from Fate itself for the “successful” outcome of his river sailing trip. The spirit came, appeared at the shaman's call, which had become noticeably stronger, evaluated both his spiritual marks and his increased power, evaluated lazily, calmly, and indifferently. Stepan physically felt how in the depths of this entity there were thoughts full of life and death at the same time, choosing, evaluating, and understanding. They came to the conclusion that it would not be possible to quickly kill the one who had called him, perhaps that was why he had been spared earlier, to leave him to grow, to call him again and again, until the one who had been called decided to take everything. The shaman sensed this readiness, this eternal and fleeting tranquility, in the heavy air filled with the stale odor of decaying leaves, in the tree roots that stirred under the cover of the frozen ground, in the rustling wind that played with the long-fallen leaves.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 16:49

The spirit evaluated him, weighed him, and recognized him as not light enough to devour with a guarantee and prevent him from escaping from his prepared position. And so, the spirit, as indifferent as before, neither disappointed nor delighted, neither angry nor good-natured, only absolutely calm in its being... accepted his offering. The frozen ground fell down, revealing a huge pit in which an indescribably horrible, disgusting, and at the same time attractive and beautiful mass of mushrooms, moss, roots, and dead leaves was moving. In that movement could be seen jaws and hands, fangs and claws, which in a few moments took all the sacrificial flesh to the last drop, taking back under the ground and away from the phenomenon colossal hole-mouth, leaving just a wide hole half a meter deep. Apparently, he had just witnessed the partial manifestation of a small portion of the summoned spirit.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 18:14

The aura of the grove had changed, become very different, more sinister, and heavy, as if it were too alive, yet constantly in the process of dying. Now, he was sure, even on the clearest of days, the place would remain in semi-darkness for decades to come, the trees would always look bushy, wild, untended, and old. But not the slightest trace of devoured bodies and flesh, either auric or physical, could be found here. The spirit left, calmly and without emotion as it expressed the last image, reaching for a strange dry leaf lying on the ground nearby, but slightly away from the escape route. The image it sent was succinct and almost identical to the one it had sounded last time, exactly the same frightening and impassioned...

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 17:32

call

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 14:45

I'll be

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 14:45

...as it had sounded in a similar situation before, in that ritual a few hours away from Fantrelle. Only today and now the sacrifice was not alive, but much more abundant and massive, and the sacrificer himself had become unequivocally stronger and more competent while remaining cautious. Now there was a certain addition in the images, a clarification that the one who came to the call would not touch the one who called, only him, but would take all those near him. The young man still had no intention of calling a creature of such power other than to die handsomely and in good company, but he still wouldn't throw the leaf away. Only now he promised himself not just to carry it at the bottom of his backpack but also to put it in some kind of insulating container. The strength and attention of the higher spirit in this leaf was still as tiny as before, but it was bigger than before. Stepan did not want to keep such a thing outside the protected perimeter and without supervision, because no contract of the spirit with the shaman does not bind, no one would forbid him to strike suddenly and meanly. Well, except for the fact that it was not profitable for him and he would spend more energy than he would gain from devouring the shaman.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 17:35

The Earthman, of course, will not test this theory.

Camrad_RIP 30.07.24 в 17:33