Нова Проспект / Nova Prospect: Dark City (Цири)

Dark City (Ciri)

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:44

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Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:44

Run. Away from the metal man and the deadly griffin. The image of Novigrad loomed before her eyes, the docks smelling of fresh fish and cheap ale, but the city was slipping away, distorted and distant.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:47

The invisible waves that permeated the metallic world distorted time and space. The forces Ciri had been born to control were unwilling to obey her as if she were back in Bonarte's chains. //"Novigrad!" Ciri thrashed against the invisible barrier. She was helplessly suffocating in the green abyss of the Betweenworlds, woven from the weightless particles of creation.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:52

Avallac'h had warned her of the danger of being suspended between worlds, disorientation, and the panic that invariably followed. The more Ciri tried to breach the wall, the sooner she would be spotted by those who followed in her wake. Vain strokes on space will leave dents in it, along which the hunter in iron armor will come like a hound on a bloody trail.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:58

Ciri stopped resisting and let the river of time throw her ashore - onto the stone floor of the cold dungeon, illuminated by an unnatural orange light. Her body was pierced with pain from the sharp impact against the stone. Ciri suppressed a groan with a tremendous effort of will, for fear of attracting the attention of the dungeon creatures.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:48

She was lying on an oblong stone island with black hollows on either side. As her eyes adjusted to the strange light, Ciri could see majestic marble columns painted with black characters in an alphabet she didn't recognize.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:48

A haggard man with tangled hair was half-reclining against one of the columns in an unnatural, tortured pose. Ciri's appearance out of nowhere did not affect him. He continued to stare at the same point with glazed eyes, as if in a magical trance.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:50

Ciri approached him cautiously, sword at the ready. The stranger raised his cloudy eyes to her.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:50

"I believe in our Lord, Govinda," he said doomedly, staring into the void.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:51

Ciri covered her mouth with her hand in surprise. The stranger was speaking a common language. The paths of Destiny are mysterious. She had managed to escape from the iron cage! The thought cheered Ciri up, and she squatted down beside the unfortunate man. Who or what is keeping him here?

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:51

The man must have gone feral from hunger and gloom, forgetting everything but his faith.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:51

"Where are we? Is there a way out of here?" Ciri asked and immediately chastised herself for her rash question. If the stranger had known the answer, he wouldn't be lying at the stone column.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:52

"There's no way out," he confirmed her guess, turning away from the stone column. "Time is a flat circle."

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:52

Ciri had barely had time to think about this mysterious phrase when a muffled, rapidly rising rumble came from far away. She jumped up, peering into the darkness of the chasms. The emptiness of the corridors was gaping blackness - that was where the approaching sound was coming from. Only a very large and monstrously fast creature could make such a noise. Its blinding yellow eyes were already glinting in the darkness.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:53

"Hide!" She shouted to the stranger, but he didn't move, only sighed heavily.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:54

The iron worm burst into the dungeon with a wild rumble, making Ciri cringe in horror. Her sword seemed a useless piece of iron against this abomination.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:55

"Zbavicela Square. The next station is Central," said a lifeless voice from everywhere. She was unable to digest the nonsense, but she froze, clutching her sword tightly in her hands.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:55

The worm opened its gaping jaws, a bright light hitting her eyes. The pendulum, like in Caer Morhen. Rolling to the side to dodge the first blow. When she looked directly into the monster's mouth, Ciri saw the red upholstered chairs.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:51

A mirage. She blinked, trying to calm her frantically beating heart.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:52

Not a mirage. Ciri sank to the ground. It was not in her plans to fight an unequal battle with the chairs.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:52

"You'd better use the weed because chemistry makes you sick," the stranger summarized her fight with the worm.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:56

The worm was not a creature. It was some sort of mechanism used by metalmen. For whatever purpose. Ciri felt like a silly little girl again. A feeling that had plagued her back in the royal court.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:57

Avallac'h's warning that in other worlds one must first analyze the situation and only then act had once passed her ears. So it was only now that Ciri realized that the iron bird was hardly a griffin-otherwise the metal man would not have been so calm.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 15:59

An elderly man in a neat coat and polished shoes stepped out of the worm's mouth - Ciri didn't know what to call the creature, so she continued to call it that. At first glance, he looked like a normal flesh-and-blood man, but Ciri kept her eyes open.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 16:00

The man looked at her and the man lying by the column with a grimace of ill-concealed disgust and strode quickly away down the stairs she had not seen before. Ciri immediately followed the man. The man glanced around unpleasantly, holding his valise, and nervously quickened his pace.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 16:02

The blindingly bright morning light hit his face, revealing a strange city like a disturbing dream. Elongated-shaped buildings, glittering inscriptions, huge paintings of screaming, bright colors like vials of poisonous potions. They were painted right on the buildings. The clattering and clanking of the kaleidoscope of iron machinery, of people dressed in colorful clothes made Ciri feel slightly nauseous.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 16:03

The sensation brought her back to her childhood - to the fair in Cintra on the feast of Belletain, her birthday. Ciri rode the huge festive swings, swing after swing until she could no longer stand upright. Kalanthe had only nodded her shoulder when the girl had complained to her in the palace about her persistent dizziness, noting that this was the princess's first lesson in cause and effect. The queen had a way of making Ciri feel like the most unintelligent creature in all of Cintra with a glance.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 16:10

The city was teeming with people, they were everywhere, loud, hurrying, and extremely discontented with their surroundings. Iron wagons rushed so fast that they made the ground shake and mechanical birds hovered around the sky-high buildings.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 16:11

Even so, Ciri stood out amid such diversity, armed with a sword and dressed far too warmly. Though the city was hotter than the desert, Ciri was surprised to note that the few Zerrikan women she'd seen were dressed more modestly than the local women. She'd never seen a townswoman wear pantaloons and bare stomachs.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 16:12

She felt a nasty look on her back. Two young men with heads shaved on the sides like those of the Redans, who were blowing puffs of smoke from metal pipes, were looking at her sword and grinning unkindly.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 16:13

"Hey, baby, that's a hell of a sword you got there," one of them said mockingly. "Will you fight my dragon?"

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:49

Young idlers are the same in all worlds. Ciri lifted her chin wrinkled her nose in disdain and walked away. Without the slightest idea of what to do next, she walked toward the building that reminded her most of her hometown, a low mansion of yellowed marble with the inscription "Warsaw Central Library.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:49

Avallaс'h had told her in one of his endless tedious lectures that in all existing worlds, people organized similar hierarchies. In any society, there are social strata - nobles, mages, priests. Tsiri has already met a priest, and now she needs to find someone who knows about portals and traveling through worlds. To her great displeasure, Ciri had to admit that only a mage could help her.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:04

The world went to her side for the first time. A huge, at least three arshins long, projection of a sorceress on a tall building made Ciri stop. The woman had an exquisite face without a single visible flaw, a fancy hairstyle, and a garment with a standing collar like Philippa Eilhart's. An aura of haughty calm left no doubt that she belonged to the upper class.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:05

The woman smiled charmingly at Ciri and opened her mouth, but no voice was heard. None of the passersby paid attention to the magical projection or showed the slightest interest in what the sorceress had to say. Was the illusion meant for her alone?

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:53

The sorceress, as if aware that Ciri couldn't hear her, manifested the inscription on the projection: ++"Expo-2025, Shanghai-Warsaw. Welcome to the new world!".

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:55

How could she have known of her arrival? Ciri's heart beat faster with fear that she had been discovered so quickly by the tracks in the interworld.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:56

"Thank you. Who are you?" Ciri addressed the stranger, trying to be as polite as possible.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:56

The projection went black. Had she said something wrong, breaking local unspoken etiquette? Weird as hell, the local people!

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:59

Passersby gave her leering glances.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 12:48

"Kurwa, do you have to stand in the middle of the road?!" Ciri felt an elbow in her rib, not strong, but tangible.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 18:02

The people of this world were as vile as the Nilfgaardians. Ciri glared at the insolent man, but he had already disappeared into the crowd.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 18:04

Tsiri thought she should find a tavern first - to quench her thirst and look around at the locals, find the friendliest among them, and try to ask about the world she found herself in. Ciri walked down the cobblestone streets, trying to stay away from the iron wagons flying by.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 18:05

After a couple of miles, Ciri came to a disappointing conclusion: none of the many buildings looked like taverns, markets, or churches. They were all stone towers, majestic towers that looked like twin brothers. Ciri tried to enter one of them, but a guard immediately blocked her way, demanding a pass. Not wanting to get in trouble with the authorities so quickly, Ciri obediently returned to the street.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 18:05

The cacophony of sounds and the blazing sun made it hard to concentrate, and thirst and fatigue took over. From time to time, Ciri noticed townspeople taking small bottles out of iron cabinets. One of them stood near the library building.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 18:06

Ciri could see that people were repeating the same motion: putting their hand to the cabinet, sometimes kicking it - and pulling a bottle of liquid from the bottom of the cabinet. But when Ciri tried to do the same thing herself, the cabinet refused to give her what she wanted, even after a dozen kicks.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 18:00

This was a world of laws she could not comprehend. Annoyed, Ciri leaned back against the wall of the library, frantically wondering what she should do next. Where in this world would she find food and shelter? Someone who could help her?

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 18:01

The sorceress tried to tell her something, but the projection was interrupted. If there was anywhere to learn how to find local mages, it would be from their less magically talented counterparts, the librarians. Ciri sighed heavily, squared her shoulders, and tried to enter the building.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 18:02

The brute at the entrance to the buildings stopped her, casting a questioning glance at the sword. Ciri found the demand to leave her weapon at the entrance to the temple of knowledge fair.

Camrad_RIP 08.03.24 в 17:59