Настучать в бубен / Hit the tambourine: Глава 4

Chapter 4

Camrad_RIP 01.07.26 в 08:36

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Camrad_RIP 29.06.26 в 13:31

The only reason Furval’s brain and memory hadn’t been subjected to a short-term “format” of events from the past couple of hours—or rather, days—was that Stepan wouldn’t have been able to erase the memory in a way that would be truly undetectable by subsequent scans. Even with the support of de Lomer’s mother and daughter. Even in the absence of resistance. Given the level of paranoia that had risen in society toward mentalists and one specific member of their tribe, background checks in high society had become extremely thorough. They had been thorough before—influential and wealthy people never skimped on their security, including the security of their minds—but now those checks had become even more finely tuned to specific methods and had reached the height of paranoia.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 06:14

All in all, if Furval—or rather, his gifted subordinates—had noticed the erased memories, it would have been sad. But there was no longer any reason to erase them just like that, without even trying to hide it. After all, they were family; they were her own people—Maega simply had no reason to guard her secrets so fiercely that she would ruthlessly brainwash her own brother-in-law.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 06:15

Stepan would have managed if he’d had even a little time and some preparation. He lacked both, but even without them he still had a decent chance—after all, his specialization made a difference. But the problem was that the Earthling wasn’t just tired; he was completely drained and exhausted by the ritual he’d just undergone. The moment Maega finished healing her husband’s jaw, and Furval stopped laughing nervously and somewhat hysterically—mentioning every other word some “Sivila” and how brilliantly that magnificent, big-eared bitch had screwed everyone over—all it would have taken to capture Stepan alive and well would have been a determined tavern waitress with a pillow. She wouldn’t even have had to hit him with the pillow.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 06:17

He remained standing only through a heroic effort of will, sheer stubbornness, and the unobtrusive support of Singha, who suffered the least in this ritual because she played the role of a supportive mediator. She was a sort of outside observer, making sure that the spirit didn’t create holes where it shouldn’t, that other spirits didn’t cause trouble or run off without fulfilling their tasks, and that the overall structure of the call didn’t become distorted. So at that moment, her remaining strength was enough to maintain Ulysses’s induced coma, apply reinforcing spiritual influences on Stepan, and still help Mother. Maega, to be honest, pushed herself even harder, not sparing herself at all, unlike Stepan, who knew his limits.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 06:19

Nevertheless, Stepan couldn’t bring himself to blame the mother for trying with all her might—and beyond—to save her child. In short, he could have taken an oath of silence, but it wouldn’t have been very reliable—almost like a mere verbal promise. That’s an exaggeration, but not too far-fetched for the head of a prestigious trading house. He surely had a whole arsenal of relics and artifacts of varying potency, designed to weaken or nullify oath-binding structures. As for erasing a memory, that, again, would only be possible with a blow to the head with a club—which was exactly what Stepan had promised to do if Furval didn’t stop laughing so loudly and gushing over the queen of the local long-eared Nazis.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 06:22

Singha saved the day. While the discussion was underway, she managed to look deep within herself, partially accepting the reward for her act of saving her own kin. That reward, among other things, also included a clause for “a high-tier artifact created according to a freely formulated request.” A reward roughly like this had given Yula her bracelets, so Singha formulated her request. Without any special effects or flashes in her sensory perception, a small casket appeared right on her lap—somewhere between a stone bowl, the Pensieve from Harry Potter, or a miniature version of the World Cup trophy.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 06:25

According to her, this item was called the “Chalice of the Spoken.” It was a very powerful and, importantly, fast oath-sealer, truly worthy of the high-end price segment of a System shop. Its strength lay not only in the reliability of the oaths it sealed. No, its main strength was its speed and its ability to remain undetectable against the magical background. Usually, when you seal even an ordinary contract, it not only leaves traces on the aura—which gradually fade over the course of hours or days—but also produces an initial burst of energy. If you’re observing someone, it’s not hard to tell that they’ve just undergone a ritual and to determine the type of ritual.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 06:27

That same summons from the ++Sealer and his work required several separate communication channels to avoid letting the whole city—or even a third of the Confederation—know that some kind of magical crap with the prefix “Higher” was going on. In the case of the Chalice, all it took was a single drop of blood inside and reciting aloud an extremely straightforward and very clear oath of silence, leaving no room for interpretation or ambiguity. A flash of crimson-and-white light, the wound on Furval’s healed wrist closing instantly—and that was it; the oath was sealed. And what a solid oath it was! The artifact isn’t exactly sentient; rather, it possesses a sorcerous semblance of a will of its own—wild, yet actively present—that leaves no room for wordplay. The Chalice itself will monitor, first and foremost, the spirit of the agreement, not its letter.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:15

Truly, this toy is on par with—and in many ways even surpasses—not only the storage box Singha had received a short while earlier, but also her cloak. It’s quite possible that neither of these artifacts can hold a candle to the ++Chalice of the Spoken in terms of value or “coolness factor.” Stepan must have really started to lose his mind, but his first thought after learning about the artifact’s capabilities was the desire to pour as much good ale as possible into this cup and get thoroughly drunk. All in all, that’s a perfectly good reason to relax as much as possible, considering that he doesn’t usually drink.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:17

“Thank you, Pann,” Singha said wearily but calmly, handing him his artifact at the same time, entrusting it to his care so that he wouldn’t have to worry about the oath with Furval being broken. “From now on, my uncle’s word is in your hands. Now then...”

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:18

She’s clearly choosing her words carefully, fighting off her own exhaustion; what’s been happening has worn her down too—mentally, physically, spiritually, and magically. Still, she’s holding up noticeably better than she did back then, at the Worm Queen’s abode, demonstrating, if not resilience, then at least a well-established habit of getting herself into all sorts of high-risk shenanigans. You could say she’s developed a habit—where others see horror, nightmares, darkness, and hopelessness, for her it’s just another Tuesday.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:19

Or rather, “Seconday” according to the Confederate calendar, “Freshgrass” according to the Steppe calendar, and “Oirange” according to the Neirat seven-day calendar, which is very heavily based on ritual numerology (and where the days are also counted by the colors of the rainbow). Stepan still hasn’t gotten used to the local calendar, especially since the people here manage to use several of them at the same time. According to the Neirat calendar and ritual tradition, even Stepan himself is gradually beginning to calculate the optimal dates for calls—a rather convenient system once you get the hang of it—but counting days and months by it is sheer torture; the Confederation’s decimal system—inherited from the Island Empire—is simply more convenient and intuitively understandable.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:21

“Now I need to rest,” he admits honestly, struggling to return to reality from his musings on the transience of calendar reforms in another world, fully aware that there’s no point in putting on airs in front of these two gifted individuals—they can see his condition just as clearly as Stepan himself. “I can barely stand on my own two feet. Maega over there is about to pass out—right on top of Urvag, no less. Rest. Meditation. Sorting through the gifts from the Tablet. And then we’ll talk. Oh, and yes, I hope you’ll be able to come up with something to explain today’s events to anyone who dares to ask questions.” Well, those among them who can’t be answered with the classic “go fuck yourself.”

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:24

At that very moment, it became immediately clear that Urvag and Furval were truly brothers—blood brothers and close as could be—because their faces had become completely identical, as if they’d both devoured half a bucket of the finest lemons, and without any tequila to boot. Judging by those faces, the questions they’ll be asked will be entirely logical and complex—and posed in such a way that it’ll be damn near impossible not to answer. Still, they, too, have something to say, for they were within their rights—they were defending their own lives and those of their loved ones. The problem is that for such a powerful ritual performed without permission—even for a holy, higher purpose—they’ll be fleeced for a hefty fine. Even if, deep down, Duke August understands that Urvag and Maega did everything right and just, there’s no harm in squeezing as much as possible out of him. Of course, they won’t squeeze him outright; everything will take the form of polite hints, concessions, and compromises, but that won’t make the process any more pleasant.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:25

Be that as it may, it’s now up to the merchant brothers to save the day, because none of the gifted shamans in this house can be considered capable of acting at the moment—they’ve all been squeezed and drained dry. It’s not even the complexity or cost of the call ritual and the multi-part invocation—it’s the need to pull it off QUICKLY, without regard for possible risks or setbacks. In short, everyone has their own role and their own battle, and on their own turf, even one of these bugs is a worthy opponent for even August de Mont Ros and his entire vast entourage and kin. And there will be two of them.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:28

"Thank you, Pann," Maega said quietly and wearily, yet so sincerely that the earthling felt a little embarrassed, preferring to quickly say goodbye and retreat through the opening in the closet. "My debt keeps growing..."

Camrad_RIP 01.07.26 в 16:14

He didn’t comment on the barely audible phrase—which he’d only caught thanks to his keen perception. From his point of view, leaving Maega alone with her problem or bargaining for her son’s life over the body of a dying man wouldn’t even be despicable or inhuman—no. It simply wasn’t an option to begin with, simply because this world and its morality could go to hell—that’s why. Probably, from the perspective of local morality, he had actually committed a huge blunder and shown shameful weakness by failing to strengthen his position in the face of this unforeseen crisis—but that only made him want to tell the whole world to go to hell even more.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:30

Stepan was finishing his preparations for recovery by relying on some deep-seated reflexes bestowed by the system and its skills, without even attempting to unwrap the gifts his system had showered upon him. If anything, he turned away from them in horror, just so he wouldn’t be crushed right then and there. Three vials of cleansing and restorative alchemy with an extremely gentle effect, followed by several spirits extracted directly from the totems—spirits that would mend his body and restore his depleted life force—the automatic and reflexive activation of the dream spirits, and darkness engulfs him even before his head hits the pillow. He probably even missed the pillow, but the spirits very carefully adjusted their master’s fall.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:37

Contrary to the expectations of all the confusion lurking on the border between wakefulness and slumber, he dreamed of absolutely nothing—only utter darkness, silence, and tranquility. He woke up—not exactly fully recovered, but he no longer wanted to die. Alas, no sooner had he opened his eyes a little wider than he was overwhelmed by the gifts of the Tablet, which, it seemed, had grown tired of waiting for his decision and had resolved to force the development of its bearer. What, had he gotten lazy, lying around in bed, grinning like an idiot, you little shit?! That’s right! Take that, you piece of trash who failed the test!

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:38

Just as on previous occasions, when he was overwhelmed by a flood of system messages, it felt like being struck by an incredibly soft and gentle bag of down. It wasn’t painful or dangerous, but these sensations were undeniably intense and placed an excessive burden on his consciousness. The first things that came to mind were the lines and images associated with the achievements he had earned through his own actions and personal growth. After all, he had reached his limit on his own and stepped slightly beyond it—in several areas of magical development at once.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:42

Received: “Advanced developed methods of fast call,” “Advanced basic methods of tandem simplification of call rituals,” “Master techniques for countering curses,” “Advanced, fundamental methods of deep aura healing based on wild magic.”++

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:44

There is a noticeable increase in affinity with the realms of curses and blessings; perception of external spiritual influences is simplified; damage to the subtle bodies resulting from prolonged overexertion is somewhat reduced; and the likelihood of acquiring knowledge and abilities in the fields of benefic, malefic, combinatorics, and internal energy practices is increased.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:45

Received talents are added to the Player's overall status.

Camrad_RIP 01.07.26 в 16:14

One of the most ambitious sequences of system strings, earned through independent action, which inevitably reminds us that to develop the Bearer of the Tablet of the Soul (tm), one must not only perform meaningful actions, but also carry them out on the verge of a foul, with maximum risk. Stepan is absolutely certain—a thousand out of a hundred—just as certain as he is that he’ll never get an “A” on his exam with Rodislav Gastoldovich Yanin on the first try. He’s certain that if he had a week or two—or better yet, a month or two—to prepare, he could try performing these same healing-type calls himself, without the help of Maega and Singha.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:48

And then, even without sharing his experience with his two fellow members of the call circle, he would have received less recognition from the System than he has now. Because there would have been no intensity—not only magical and spiritual, but also emotional—that frantic drive with which the trio desperately strove to keep up, to outrun death’s bony grip. In short, Stepan, in a way, had found a legal “cheat” to speed up his leveling. Fewer safeguards, reduced quantity and quality of protective barriers, more risk—and just like that, he could achieve a two- or even threefold increase in experience and free knowledge.

Camrad_RIP 04.07.26 в 12:49

Stepan took note of this method, jotted it down in his notebook, and then sincerely, from the bottom of his heart, decided to tell those cheating mechanics to go to hell. He’d had enough of regularly getting himself into some kind of mess, only to have to struggle with all his might to get out of it. Go looking for trouble on his own? Make his own life harder and take on more risks? Maybe he should even try summoning higher spirits all by himself without a protective barrier? Forget it! Maybe he should just cancel the punishment from that demonic bitch right now and demand that she become his mentor in tactics for fighting demons? No, no—he never considered himself particularly smart, but he’d like to believe he isn’t quite that much of a clinical moron either!

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 05:19

With this philosophical thought in mind, the Earthling sank into a state resembling sleep, bordering on a trance, and began to absorb the information packets as they gradually unfolded. This time it was particularly difficult—and not only because he hadn’t quite recovered from the mission to “save Private Ullis.” The diverse nature of the knowledge he had acquired—both refined and entirely new—was also taking its toll. With every new type of knowledge acquired, cascades of synergies became more and more tightly intertwined, making it increasingly difficult to emerge from beneath this deluge of information. In fact, it was only thanks to the system’s own protective mechanisms that he had not yet become merely a meat server—a walking encyclopedia of shamanism devoid of any personality of his own.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 05:22

At this rate, if Stepan ever becomes a truly great shaman—or even an archmage of shamanism, a title that has never before existed in this world (lexically and syntactically, such an individual would be called “God-equal,” but that’s frankly far too immodest, well, in his opinion), every single line—even a single piece of basic knowledge—will send him into meditation for a couple of weeks. However, the boost from a single piece of knowledge—even the most basic one—at that level will be orders of magnitude more powerful than what he gets now from a dozen. Well, that is, if Stepan, with his carefree life, even manages to live long enough to reach the rank of at least a Higher Shaman—let’s say, a magister of classical magic.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 05:24

At first, he was overwhelmed by his rapidly advancing skill in quick calls, which was reaching an advanced developed level. Yet this skill was not—and by no means primarily—a combat skill, even though it had been chosen to support Stepan’s combat development; rather, it was tied to the very foundation of any shaman’s greatest vulnerability. The need for lengthy preparation when performing a call or summoning any entity turned spirit summoners into something like a store-bought pistol. Or an automatic rifle. Even a machine gun, if you had enough strength. But still, with a finite number of rounds—summonings prepared in advance, as well as the spirit homes you carry with you.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 05:32

Summoning the right entity straight into battle—not just calling on a service that’s already been paid for in advance, but actually finding, negotiating with, and summoning it—is practically impossible. Or rather, perhaps it is possible, but by the time such things become accessible and simple, they will no longer be necessary, for there are hundreds of other ways to kill an opponent right here and now. Quick rituals, at their core, were methods for reducing the number of necessary actions and safeguards, allowing one to skip entire clusters of preparatory steps when invoking a particular spirit. Simplifying the invocation, speeding up the response, freeing up the call circle’s resources from unnecessary protection—instead of using resonance-transmission amplifiers—and many other similar things.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 05:34

At his current level of knowledge, Stepan can theoretically summon Strong—and even the most suitable—Senior spirits without a circle at all. He simply needs to assume a meditation posture, go out of his body, and call out to them, and they will come. You form a protective circle with your own will and through the incantations of sorcery, right in the spiritual world; you conduct active bargaining using your personal imagery, and you conclude the deal yourself as well. Yes, it’s a crazy risk that an earthling wouldn't take unless absolutely necessary—though it might be possible to pull off something similar under controlled conditions for training purposes—but the theoretical possibility itself remains; it hasn’t gone anywhere and isn’t going anywhere.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 17:37

Even more fascinating was the new knowledge that had emerged from the body of previous knowledge—the knowledge that came to be known as “advanced basic methods of tandem simplification of the call ceremonial.” This knowledge is even more valuable in terms of pure development point costs, simply because it is more exotic and requires a greater investment of points to unlock. “Simplification of the ceremony” itself refers to the original, prior knowledge: there’s no need for a three-week fast—you can simply skip breakfast in the morning; it’s not necessary to perform the ritual on the new moon; the main thing is that it not be a full moon; instead of a rare mountain flower—now extinct and available only through the system store—you can offer the spirit another mountain flower, but not that one, supplemented with a generous portion of power, and the spirit will accept such an offering without attacking.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 17:40

That is the essence of the simplification of the ritual at its core. That is its power. It is truly powerful because for shamans who lack the System, this knowledge is truly the Holy Grail. Maega herself nearly jumped out of her skin when she tried to buy such tricks from Stepan. Or rather, she was at a loss because she simply had nothing with which to pay for such a treasure, even if she were to forget about her debt and the alliance agreement. But her pride wouldn’t let her simply ask for it—just as it wouldn’t let her accept such a gift for nothing. All she could do was press Sinha, demanding that she quickly branch out into the necessary area of knowledge herself, and then, as family, share it with her mother.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 17:42

But all knowledge has its limitsю Limits that even the most powerful shaman cannot transcend. By distorting the call in one area and pushing it too far in another, one must leave a third area untouched and compensate for the fourth entirely—even if it means making large offerings or pouring in abundant reserves. A single powerful shaman, yes, cannot do it. But that’s not the case if there are several of them working in tandem. Not just a group ritual, which all three mastered to a respectable degree, but a specific working method—not even a single technique or maneuver. One shaman conducts the ritual in one area, the second in another, and the third in a third; as a result, the cost of summoning an elder spirit is even lower than that of summoning a pair of strong ones.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 17:48

Of course, pushing things that far every time is risky, but now Stepan and his two companions are capable of a great deal. This works especially well with spirits that accept not offerings, but sacrifices or vows. The health of a future firstborn child, a ban on using iron forks for four generations to come, the memory of a child’s first laugh, a commitment to, once a year, on the day of the solstice to fuck one’s own mare or stalion (no, this is no joke, although Maega did not say names, for she is still bound by an oath—even though it was her great-great-great-grandmother who made that vow of silence to the warrior who had been healed of the curse).

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 17:50

The ability to immediately remove an unacceptable demand that cannot be removed by other means, to replace it with something else—preferably a one-time gift... for that, any shaman would give anything, right up to a lifetime of loyalty for himself and his grandchildren. Because it will be his great-grandchildren who will have a real chance to make it to the highest league. Among the cohort of ancestral invocations—including those that were successfully restored through the system simply by reading the long-forgotten terms of the deals (forgotten due to the loss of knowledge or the deaths of older female relatives who hadn’t had time to pass on their knowledge)—there was, let’s be frank, a certain darkness. This family didn’t sink into complete darkness, if we don’t count certain female shamans from the distant past, but they certainly knew a thing or two about the darkness. It feels as though every ancient magical lineage—and even those outside of it—knows a thing or two about the darkness.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 17:53

They keep skills on the shelf just in case, yes.

Camrad_RIP 01.07.26 в 18:14

Who knows, let it be so, it will help them sleep more peacefully.

Camrad_RIP 01.07.26 в 18:15

Stepan is practically 100 percent certain that all three shamans received this same knowledge—at the same “advanced basic” level—at the exact same time. So, not today or tomorrow, but eventually, some of the deals that were previously unacceptable will become perfectly feasible to renew and renegotiate. That same higher spirit—one of those whose invocation is accessible—demands, as payment for its work, one member of the generation, in its entirety. Specifically, her life and her gift, but not her soul, and certainly not anything more. Such a devouring will not extend to blood relatives; it will take only the sacrifice—and without pain or suffering—and afterward, it will not only release the soul but also bless it for a new birth.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:22

On several occasions, this entity’s services were actually paid for, usually through a voluntary sacrifice by the grandmother—as the eldest member of the grandmother-mother-daughter triad—and after the birth of her great-granddaughter, the grandmother, now a great-great-grandmother, would rapidly lose her power, because the ancestral contracts no longer sustained her, and some of them even took a portion of her power as payment, so she usually did not live long in this world. As a result, they usually timed such self-sacrifices for the moment when the granddaughter was already pregnant, so that she could still be considered a grandmother.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:22

Ten to fifteen years of slowly fading away as a weak adept—for someone who had once been a powerful master of shamanism—was hardly the best she could have hoped for in her twilight years. And now, as she grows old, her health fails; rejuvenation treatments are of no help, even her gift is fading with age, and her granddaughter carries her own child under her heart—such a sacrifice can be considered her final gift to her daughter and granddaughter, who will in return receive three summonses from such a powerful and multifaceted entity.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:23

That said, it didn’t always happen voluntarily. You can’t take the words out of a song. Maega and Singha didn’t talk a lot about it—which is perfectly understandable—but they didn’t try to hide it either, not from those with whom they had performed call rituals more than once, having opened up to each other far too completely. Sometimes the grandmother was in no hurry to pass on to the other world; at other times, she was even eager to sacrifice her daughter to some summoned evil spirit just to wring out a little more life. On one occasion, the grandmother even sacrificed her own mother—who had decided to kill her granddaughter in a sacrificial ritual, thereby boosting her own power in a single leap to a level nearly surpassing that of the current Maega, albeit at the cost of a destroyed dynasty and her own irreversible infertility.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:25

The base passions of high magic as they are

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:28

The Earthling had the somewhat absurd feeling that Maega had shared this information with him not only as a gesture of trust, but also as a kind of guidance. A reminder that magic—any and all of it—always demands a sacrifice, always presents the gifted with the question of cost. The cost of deeds, actions, and choices—which you will have to make, and for which not you, but your descendants will have to pay.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:28

All in all, the three of them gained some serious knowledge—one of the most valuable kinds from the perspective of local shamans, practically the crown jewel of his status. And it’s a jewel that surprisingly effectively binds him to his shaman allies, for such knowledge can only be fully utilized by working in that very partnership. This is stated quite directly, even in the title of the line they received! And, by the way, this knowledge bound him just as closely—it’s many times easier for a trio to use such a method than for just a pair. In certain aspects, it’s almost an order of magnitude easier.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:35

Secondary synergies resulting from this new knowledge also arose; it was inevitable that they would. Take, for example, the methods of concluding contracts in tandem through spirits, where each party gains the opportunity to reinforce the guarantee of the deal in one way or another. And there are a hundred thousand ways to slip in some kind of nastiness when working in tandem in a ceremonial context. Nastiness, of course, that is predominantly indecent. There are many connections to witchcraft, particularly through shamanism, where you don’t so much weave spells as you use territorial methods to amplify the summoning of spirits. Or you help yourself subjugate a territory (or intercept someone else’s subjugation, or even break it by messing with the territory owner’s mind) by summoning those very same spirits.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:43

I particularly remember an entire technique for working with envolts—one that, for the sake of variety, wasn’t even lewd. In classical puppet magic theory, creating an envolt of an immaterial entity is, to put it mildly, impossible. Or rather, it is possible, but only for entities that are extremely weak compared to the master of envolting; however, the cost of this action is so disproportionate to the benefit that the method exists only as a theoretical possibility and a sort of magical-scientific curiosity—a mental exercise for someone’s mind.

Camrad_RIP 05.07.26 в 20:44

Possible in theory.

Camrad_RIP 01.07.26 в 18:15