Ведомый / Follower: 8.

9.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 09:41

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Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 09:41

Igor woke up. His mood was, if not excellent, then good. He slept pleasantly and softly, but when he opened his eyes, he saw the classic "unknown ceiling". He could just climb into a huge combat humanoid robot, save the world, kill a walking giant shit mastering unscientific tricks with controlling force fields along the way. Oh, stop. He was already doing it, only without the mecha, exclusively on his own. Stupid thoughts did not prevent him from getting up from the couch, assessing the outerwear folded next to him, and the fact that he was wearing only boxer shorts and a warm T-shirt. It seemed that yesterday, after the ritual, he was not just knocked out, but completely knocked out to hell, if he did not have enough strength even to crawl to his apartment. The young man sincerely hoped he did not snore, otherwise, it would be awkward.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 08:35

"Are you awake? Then get up and go have breakfast, we have a lot to discuss." Elizaveta Albertovna looked into the living room, already fully dressed in home pants and a sweatshirt, and she moved freely, as if she had not been wounded in the side, so that it was unclear whether she would survive until the morning. "Food delivery has become much more expensive, but it is still work, so we will not have breakfast with just an empty coffee. Bread and salt, young man."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 08:48

Igor did not argue. He waited until the woman's head disappeared behind the door, then quickly got dressed and stomped into the kitchen. Elizaveta Albertovna's apartment was originally a two-bedroom apartment and was later connected to a neighboring one-bedroom apartment, so there was enough space here. The kitchen was large, light, and cold. The radiators barely heated, and the water in the tap clearly did not flow at full pressure. However, fresh and still hot croissants were not cooked here, but delivered. They ate in silence, shooting each other wary glances, keeping their thoughts to themselves. The guy did not know what Elizaveta Albertovna was thinking, and he simply took a wait-and-see attitude, because he had nothing to say, only to offer cooperation, but he was sure the woman herself wanted the same.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 13:34

"Okay, the silence has dragged on, so I'll start first." Her voice is still a little hoarse, and there is too little color on her face. She has not fully recovered. "My condition is not ideal now, but it does not threaten my health. I would ask you to perform your ritual again, but later, closer to the evening. Just then, the last fragments of those temporary Vessels will be absorbed and dissolved. Now, about the reward for the hero. I will say right away that I am not going to skimp, so I am ready to thank you financially for any reasonable amount. You know the code to the safe. But, I believe, it is much more important for us to discuss the prospects for further action. We both know each other, you grew up before my eyes, and I am quite willing to help Lyudmila's son on his thorny path in life. Given our, um, new realities, it would not be superfluous to begin to overcome the challenges of difficult changes together."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 13:36

The official language in her speech was a little confusing, but even a small child could get the gist of it, so Igor could only nod in agreement. Having a person you can trust with your back and who you know for sure won't stab you in the back is an important and very necessary step in leveling up. Without a party, he's not a super-specialist, just a loner, well-protected, but doomed to die. Ideally, of course, he'd introduce Elizaveta Albertovna to Vas-Vas and Evgene, then there would be four of them, and it would be much easier to fight. He'd just like to find out the opinion of Evgene and Elizaveta Albertovna herself, and also find the combat bum, or at least his remains.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 13:40

"Well, I wouldn't mind some cash. My own reserves are getting low." He answers carefully, calculating how much to ask for and how much of what he asks for will be given. "As for joint development, I'm all for it. My class, that is, the Lot, is not very good in direct combat, but it perfectly complements other people's attacks. I can strengthen the defense and attack of allies, and also, if I bother, add a temporary Vessel with an additional effect. Well, you've already seen and experienced the latter. I don't want to impose myself, but if we want to work together, it would be nice to know what you can do yourself."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 14:43

Judging by her facial expression, she wasn't offended. She simply nodded in a businesslike manner and began to explain. It turned out that Elizaveta Albertovna was even less fortunate than Igor in terms of combat power, because where he was a support character, she was a pure sensor with a bit of weakening control. She had told him this yesterday, but now she explained it in more detail. Well, not the strongest archetype, yes, but still better than its absence. At least by having her own three Vessels, on which you can hang a combat Shine, for example.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 14:49

Igor also cautiously shared the fact that he has contact with at least one allied and fairly reliable Exalted, and at the same time, with a little more doubt, told about the effect of one of his Gifts. The one that accelerates the development of Tablets not only for him, but for his allies. She will notice it anyway, and sooner rather than later. In turn, Elizabeth told about her Gifts, one of which added an additional Patch and thus gave her a good potential for expanding her arsenal. Igor, for example, even envied a little, since only three abilities were clearly not enough to effectively build a build. But he is not the one to complain about bad Gifts, because his couple plays for the long haul, and the further along the Steps the fatter the profit and the more satisfying the buns.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 15:11

"In general, I will not hide the fact that I started talking about the Patches for a reason." Her tone is businesslike and calm. It is always like that with her, which involuntarily calms and sets the young man up for a businesslike approach. "If you have a Lantern, preferably a Dim one, I will gladly buy it. I do not deny that you have every reason not to want to give up such a valuable trophy, saving it for subsequent resale or for yourself, who will open a new Patch in the future, but I will try to properly compensate for the expenses."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 15:14

Igor involuntarily thought, following with his gaze the hand of Elizaveta Albertovna, who was running her fingers along the collar of her sweatshirt, as if she was about to move her palm down, outlining her lush chest... blushing and looking away, he met her calm and confident gaze, slightly embarrassed at this. And having met her, he finished his thought and began to get up from the table, pushing back his chair.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 15:15

"No problem. I'll just go down and bring it." He says, trying to get a display of emotion, not satisfaction or gratitude, but mild surprise and even a little shock, which he greeted with a cheerful and carefree smile. "Which option do you prefer - a Bone or a Spirit? I have both. Consider it my payment for this breakfast."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 15:16

Elizabeth looked at him in bewilderment, then at her own hands, as if trying to find something in them, and then massaged her temples a little tiredly. The young man had the strange impression that something in their conversation had gone wrong and that she was a little confused. Well, how confused? Confused and pulled herself together, because she wouldn't be a lawyer with a huge fee if it were easy to throw her off track for a long time.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 15:18

"O-o-o-okay, I didn't expect that." He doesn't know what was more in her tone, gratitude or some disapproval. "I was ready to bargain, to present arguments, different payment types... You are generous, Igor, very generous. But here's what I'll tell you, my partner. Be careful with this generosity. I am grateful to you and your actions benefit me, but try to understand a simple truth in the future and now. And it lies in the fact that you gave me a considerable value for nothing, which can hardly be valued in money. I am not against your gift, no, but... try to value this gift as much as I do. Otherwise, I even feel awkward somehow, I admit."

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 05:32

Igor only chuckled, receiving a slight shadow of reproach in response in a stern look, which made him choke on a laugh, promising, they say, not to give anything without bargaining next time, even to her personally, always demanding payment in return. The woman only nodded patronizingly, as if to say, the boy has learned his lesson, well done, take a candy from the vase. The candies, by the way, were delicious, chocolate with caramel, melting in the mouth. Grabbing another handful of goodies, he went down to the empty apartment, pulling out a Spirit Lantern from a hiding place. Why spirit? According to Elizaveta Albertovna, in the last battle, she acutely realized the need for a more complete combat skill, so she concentrated her efforts on acquiring it.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 05:34

Igor intended to undergo the evolution of not only the Step, which had reached a thousand, but also two of the three Tablets, which had reached the coveted hundred after the skirmish with the rag creature. He also wrote to Evgeny, in a roundabout way, proposing a further alliance with another individual, but had not yet received an answer. After talking a little more with Elizaveta Albertovna, drinking some very tasty tea with basil, and politely declining the offer to undergo a breakthrough in development in her apartment, he returned to his mansion. The woman also intended to undergo the acceptance of the Tablet, but first, she needed to go to the city on her own business. The young man would have offered her his shroud for camouflage, but, alas, it had become attached only to him, and transferring it into the wrong hands would not play a role. For her, the polyhedron would remain a cold and useless piece of incomprehensible matter, nothing more.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 05:36

Left to himself, he cheerfully whistling a catchy tune, prepared a platform for increasing understanding, lay down on his back, and then turned his attention to his essence. A brief moment, during which he manages to cast an internal glance at all the existing scales.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 14:15

Minor Protective Charm: 99/100

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 09:41

Minor Combat Shine: 99/100

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 09:42

Light Touch of Primordial Powers: Grant Fragile Chalice and Bodily Might: 69/100

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:06

A brief moment when something ephemeral, frozen on the edge of consciousness, suddenly shifts a little further.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 09:42

Minor Protective Charm: 100/100

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 09:42

It is similar and unlike the previous evolution, first of all because the acquisition of the effect for a hundred units of the scale was incredibly easy, even easier than the previous one, as if it should have happened a long time ago, but he was just stalling for time. But after, after something else, something more important began. The Tablet, which had reached the limit of a hundred units of knowledge, seemed to vibrate. Its poorly lubricated gears began to grind. The essence of the Charm, the desire to protect and shield oneself from something, from evil, from danger, from the world itself, at that moment became much clearer, much more distinct. Igor suddenly began to realize the sacrament, the wondrous mystery of the primordial Knowledge that formed the Tablet.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 06:29

As if the scale filled with Knowledge is burning in a fire, his experiments, combinations, and constant attempts to slightly expand the boundaries of the effective use of the Tablet are ablaze in it. These hundred units of the scale are burning and shining, giving that very "light" that the Lantern used to produce. Giving, allowing to see more and to step there, beyond the Tablet, where the endless Spiral spins, where the drops of Rain that pours upwards are ablaze, where the cold abomination of the Other Side is trying to devour the roots of the eternal and endless Tree, and evil ancient fairies are jumping from one drop to another, eating not the worlds promised to the cold lake, but those who inhabit them. This light is supplemented by the radiance that his Gift emits, simplifying, simplifying the step forward by an order of magnitude. Simplifying and then allowing this step to be taken.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 06:31

Protection that separates Igor and the world, which makes it a small world inside a larger world. The essence is the thirst for solitude and inviolability, the protection of a warm hearth and strong walls. A small world, the basis of which is a person and his idea of ​​himself, a simple concept, but even more reliable, deep, like the Abyss itself, inseparable from him and inseparable from him. Igor opens his eyes, looking at the ceiling with empty pupils that have shrunk into small dots, looks, but sees something completely different, sees and, finally, understands.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 07:29

Tablet: Closed Protective Charm

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 09:42

Understanding: 0/100

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:06

Foundation: Spirit

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:07

Brightness: Shining

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:07

Effect (Dim): Creates a protective layer of stable energy that passively protects against minor physical harm, but can burn out in a single burst, reflecting a single significant physical harm, or lesser energy harm. Applied to oneself or a target, depleting one of the Vessels for ten minutes, or for half that time if applied to oneself. Lasts a little over two hours, and cannot be applied to a target more than once.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:08

Effect (dim): allows you to apply an additional protection on top of the first, up to three layers, where each subsequent layer of the protection is activated immediately after the destruction of the previous one, taking on the remains of the attack, as well as shuffling and changing the order of the applied protections. At the moment of the protection's disintegration, it additionally absorbs a significant attack impulse, disintegrating along with the attack. Allows you to adjust the Charm's protection, significantly increasing protection from the selected type of physical or energy damage, at the cost of some weakening of all other types of resistance. Lasts a little over three hours, and the countdown exists only for the top layer of protections. The cost of Vessels and their restoration remained unchanged.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:10

Effect (dim): increases the number of layers of protection to five, allowing them to arbitrarily and automatically swap places with each other, exposing the one that is best suited to reflect a specific type of aggressive impact to attack. Each layer of protection can grant one moment of near-absolute invulnerability at the moment of disintegration, absorbing any one-time attack and returning part of it to the one who dealt the blow that destroyed the protection. Allows protections to be placed on inanimate objects, but the effectiveness of the protection in this case is equal to about a third of the total power. Expands the range of Charm settings, allowing it to be adapted even to very exotic types of attacks, without weakening the overall defense, but only strengthening the specified resistance. Lasts a little over three hours, and the time countdown exists only for the top layer of the protection. The cost of Vessels and their restoration remains unchanged.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:13

Effect (shining): allows you to cast a charm effect in the form of a closed figure, covering a whole group of targets and a certain area around it at once, while putting in one additional Vessel. Allows you to cast a charm on a territory under the same conditions, if it is outlined by walls, natural barriers, or just a drawn line. Basic and advanced closed charm cuts off the energy, information, and etheric background, significantly hiding the target from scanning effects, mystical search, and some other effects. When casting a charm on yourself, only one Vessel is emptied; repeated casting of charm layers does not empty new Vessels, as long as at least one of the charms is standing. When casting a charm on another target again, there is a high, but not guaranteed, chance to cast the next layer of the charm without emptying the Vessel. A charm cast on oneself does not dissipate over time; protections cast on other targets dissipate after approximately twenty hours, while the time count only applies to the top layer of the protection.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:15

Effect (shining): [will be revealed upon mastering 75 units of understanding]

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:16

Effect (shining): [will be revealed upon mastering 85 units of understanding]

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:17

Effect (shining): [will be revealed upon full understanding of the Tablet]

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:17

// Protect me, guard me, keep me, save me, don't leave me...

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:16

To say that Igor was pleasantly surprised would be a considerable understatement. He had, of course, expected explosive growth with each subsequent disclosure of the effect, but not to this extent. The actual double breakthrough turned an already extremely dangerous ability into a real imba, dammit! Thanks to the third reinforcement, he was now able to accept armor-piercing shots from a tank on the protection without any problems at all, simply because after a couple of shots, the tank would smash itself against his active, so to speak, defense. The ability to strengthen inanimate targets was not so useful, but, obviously, this effect was necessary for the evolution into the shining version. And there was also an automatic and active defense, which shuffled the protections in the most advantageous way for Igor in passive mode, thanks to which even the most sudden blow would be accepted by the layer of defense that best resists this blow. Or resists it at least somehow. As for the flexibility of settings and filters, of course, we will have to check it further, because there is work there from here until summer, but he is already in pleasant anticipation.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 15:25

But where he was delighted with the third effect of dim brightness, even the first of the shining effects left some kind of joyful hysteria, no less. He doesn't care about the ability to strengthen the territory or cover the whole group. He doesn't care about the general strengthening of the protection, thanks to which he, as it seemed reasonable, could stop being afraid of small arms in general. He doesn't even care about the ability to camouflage himself and others without using a Shroud. And to camouflage not only from the standard illumination of the spiral, which reacts to the power of the Other Side, but also from full-fledged scanning abilities! he doesn't care anyway. Something else is important - the layers of protection stopped falling off Igor on their own, and he can now protect himself almost endlessly, if he has enough concentration for constant activation of the protection.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 14:27

The Vessel needs to be emptied only to the very first layer, and then... with the current level of protection, with the ability to not waste Vessels on new and new layers of protection... damn, he can literally walk under artillery fire, a minefield and burning ground at the same time and not scratch his ear! One layer gone? So who cares, he will instantly restore it for free! The difference in power between the Dim and Shining grades of the Tablet turned out to be simply incomparable. For a moment, he even felt sorry that he had not initially accepted the completely fading Tablet. However, from the depths of his soul, there immediately came an understanding, a clear awareness that he was wrong. Because yes, the Tablets that are developed from scratch undoubtedly have many side effects that make them more flexible and more individually tuned to the Exalted. But such Tablets are still noticeably, by about thirty percent, if you decipher the images, weaker than the original Tablet of equal brightness.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 14:31

So it is possible and necessary to increase the existing brightness, but when choosing between a brighter and a less bright Lantern, it is better to use a brighter one. Because the resulting Tablet of the initially shining grade will be noticeably stronger and more conceptual, if you like, than grown from low brightness. The acquisition of individual effects for such a bright Tablet is a matter of time. They will simply be initially indicated in the primary description, or become something like self-evident effects. For example, even if he received his closed Charm already at shining brightness, he would still be able to carry out flexible adjustments and impose its effects on inanimate targets, just these skills would be included in the "starter package".

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 14:40

Against the background of such strengthening, the desire to undergo a similar evolution for the second spirit Tablet became almost unbearable. Igor had to force himself to get up, drink some water, and stretch a little before lying on the mattress in the middle of the floor again. It was cold, by the way, because the batteries had successfully lost the rest of their heat during his voyage in the Empyrean of Mysteries. The heating in the city failed. But every story has a beginning and an end. His preparation had them too. Without trying to explore the new properties of the Charm, he knew that he would be stuck for at least a couple of days. The young man lay down and began to work on the Shine, already anticipating new joys. And also experiencing jitters, because even though he had overcome this obstacle without much effort, and not only completed the comprehension of the Tablet, but also led it through a full-fledged evolution, but that was then. It was necessary to repeat it for an encore. In case of a mistake, he understood, the Tablet would remain in a Dim state, just with a third additional effect.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 15:13

In theory, confirmed by vague images of the help, this is not an absolute failure, quite the opposite. Under normal conditions, you usually close the Tablet to the limit, then look for a way to develop it to a new rank. You look for suitable prey or something like that, you look for some secrets, or accumulate Knowledge in order to reconfigure your ability to something new. It's just that he, as the possessor of two very high-quality synergistic Gifts, which one was tempted to call cheating, got a little greedy. And if we're being honest, he got greedy not "a little", but really greedy.

Camrad_RIP 22.04.25 в 15:40

Tablet: Shine of Combat Unity

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 09:43

Understanding: 0/100

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:17

Foundation: Spirit

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 19:17

Brightness: Shining

Camrad_RIP 20.04.25 в 12:39

Effect (dim): Creates a stable aura of the Light Aspect around the target, passively reducing negative effects and area effects, and strengthening every hit or offensive action of the target with the used Aspect. Cast on self or target, draining one of the Vessels for ten minutes, automatically blocking one of the Vessels of either the wearer of the effect or its creator. The effect is powered by the blocked vessel and cannot be dispelled simply by the passage of time as long as the creator of the effect and the target remain conscious.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 10:58

Effect (Dim): Allows you to easily channel the Aspect of Light's aura through a ranged weapon or attack with pure Aspect energy at close range. The buff applied by Shine now protects not only from negative effects, but also from physical or energy-altered poisons, allows you to do without breathing, and cleanses your body of diseases. Allows you to instantly break the Shine effect on yourself or a target, releasing a greatly increased amount of Shine at once, damaging selected targets or everything in the area, at the cost of emptying the Vessel that supports the effect for about an hour and a half.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 10:59