Настучать в бубен / Hit the tambourine: Глава 5-2

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Camrad_RIP 12.10.26 в 11:23

Stepan sat down with a groan, pulling the iron mask off his face—one that bore no resemblance to the one he usually wore during dangerous kamla rituals. Singha carefully took the mask from his hands, holding out a bowl of restorative brew in return. Maega had completed another cycle of spiritual interventions, directing a whole small pack of spirits that prevented his body from overheating due to the use of an artifact that was not exactly safe for his health.

Camrad_RIP 12.10.26 в 12:08

"That’s it. They fell for it. I’m certain they were taken in by the trick with the mentalist lizard. It wasn’t for nothing that I mimicked the manner of thought-speech and fine-tuned the overall shaping of the images." And all because the jerk—who was actually killed by Stepan but, through the hands of his slave, had recently offended one of the important lizard-merchants—chose not to check whether they’d pay him back or run off to their jungle, since he had no way of verifying it, and so he went with the harsh option. "It’s even a bit of a shame that we won’t be able to retrieve that gold without drawing attention to ourselves."

Camrad_RIP 12.10.26 в 12:26

The idea of some top-tier lizardman mage who went berserk over how his compatriot, partner, relative, lover, or illegitimate offspring was treated—and then set out to exact revenge—turned out to be quite a workable concept. Obviously, an individual of this caliber wouldn’t go anywhere in person, but he could get in touch with those whom the green-skinned asshole had wronged. He’d contact them through an intermediary, then offer his services, compensating for some of the lost assets through payment for his services while simultaneously exacting revenge. Without appearing in person, acting through a series of artifacts and amulets, perhaps even using local dragon-worshippers as agents. This is so very much in the spirit of the lizardfolk that Urvag, in his own words, would have been inclined to believe it himself if someone had approached him in a similar manner.

Camrad_RIP 12.10.26 в 12:32

That old fart—aka Ricard the Polite—who acted as a go-between, did a stellar job, earning himself a bonus and moving the search for his relatives significantly higher on the list of “not the most urgent, but still urgent” tasks. Fortunately, he’d played a similar role before; he had connections with the lizardfolk and had even secured similar contracts a few times. His role was to bring the parties together—not to guarantee the deal or its success—but he did have experience. That’s exactly how it played out here. A certain lizard paid him to pass on an offer to a certain party that had a reason to dislike a specific green steppe dweller. Ricard recalled everything he knew about that individual, found those whom that individual had really annoyed, and then brought the two sides together.

Camrad_RIP 12.10.26 в 12:35

So the transfer to Atslant will take place soon, and those gold coins and gold nuggets will be waiting for whoever says the code phrase and claims the reward from the bearer’s locker. That gold will be waiting for its moment—which, obviously, will be a very, very long time. Perhaps, if Stepan ever does become an archmage of shamanism, he’ll stop by and claim it—but not before then.

Camrad_RIP 13.10.26 в 07:06

All in all, the entire operation—delivering the mask-related resonator orbs through the spirit world, making contact with the traitor who was able to plant the orbs and the potion where needed, then dealing with the branded slave girl, eliminating the orc, and getting the girl out—took just four days. The Polite spent another four days ensuring the parties reached an agreement. A textbook “cloak-and-dagger” operation, even though he had to work under the guise of a classic mind mage—which is why he bought that fucking mask. She bought it. Singha, not him—to be honest, greed would’ve crushed him. It’s a very specialized item that allows one to emulate advanced mentalist techniques through direct control of the spiritual body, as performed by a shaman, but it certainly lets you do it well.

Camrad_RIP 13.10.26 в 07:08

Let’s say, for example, they destroyed a unique portal-type relic—and they destroyed it at a time that immediately cast suspicion on a certain shaman and her daughter, along with her husband, who’d completely lost his mind. And it all seemed to be within the rules, but some of the allies—or the allies of those allies—to put it mildly, didn’t understand. And they might express this “failure to understand” so vividly that things will get very grim and uncomfortable. Then the allies go straight to the husband—not the shaman, since she has a terrible temper—and ask him just how far off the rails he’s gone, what they should tell their partners, and whether Urvag is willing to compensate for the losses.

Camrad_RIP 13.10.26 в 07:11

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Camrad_RIP 12.10.26 в 12:35

Give the weak an extra shove.

Camrad_RIP 13.10.26 в 07:18

And join forces with the strong.

Camrad_RIP 13.10.26 в 07:19