Ведомый / Follower: Эпилог: «Мальчик и Милфа»

Epilogue: "Boy and Milf"

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:30

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Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:31

Igor woke up.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:31

And Igor was also shocked.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:31

First of all, of course, solely because he had woken up at all. Falling on the blood-soaked floor in the middle of the broken auditorium, he had almost resigned himself to the fact that he would never get up again. Well, simply because there was no one to pull him out, unless you counted Elizaveta Albertovna, who had fucked him beautifully, and literally. No, she could have saved him, even though he had a vague idea of how exactly to drag his unconscious body out of there, but then he would not consider her a conniving and mean bitch when he woke up. And he does think, and he remembers, he certainly hasn't forgotten the secrets of his own memory revealed to him... or he has, but he thinks he has. The paranoid thought was firmly lodged in his head, and he dutifully gave in to it for a few minutes, telling himself not to overreact. It was much easier not to play with the partial shift in emphasis, but to erase it all, making him an obedient boy again.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:01

As he listened to himself, he realized that he was lying on his bed in the very same backup apartment from which he and the traitor had left for what was almost their last mission. The air was cold, but not icy; his ears were caressed by the barely audible rustling of something roasting on the stove through the two massive doors, and his body felt like clean clothes. Though the body itself wasn't exactly clean. When he opened his eyes and looked at his palms, he could see blood on his fingers, as if he'd tried to wipe them with a damp cloth but hadn't quite gotten it right. Yeah, he'd used up all the radiance and passed out, so there was dirt on his body. He remembered sharply those touches to the bitch-like creature, and then he wanted to wash off everything that could be washed off. Even with skin, if it would help to calm down and forget about the experience. It seemed somewhat ironic that he had little to no experience of actual rape from the adult woman who had tricked him, but the usual skin to skin touching with the creature made him feel a bit defiled.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:03

Mental twists, no doubt.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:04

He stood silently on his feet, not even wobbling, and reflexively felt his Vessels, three of which were still empty, but not so ultimatum. Another day or two of bed rest and they would be back to normal, the consequences seemingly avoided. He immediately used the remaining four Vessels, spending two of them on five layers of protection, as well as active shine. It wasn't that he was expecting a fight; it was easier to slaughter him asleep, but alas, he could no longer blindly put his back to a man who had become a stranger. Igor involuntarily suppressed his fear, wary of leaving this cozy room, reminding himself that he needed a shower, even if an icy one, for he wished to wash away the remnants of dirt from himself. Or remains. The thought of clean water gave him strength, renewed his resolve, and chased away the sprouts of cowardice.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:06

Such a good feeling and lightness in his body, combined with a seemingly heightened sense, mobility, and a sense of his own power, made him glance at the Steps scale.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:07

Step: 1 [992/1000]

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:31

Closed Protective Charm: 49/100

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:32

Shine of Combat Unity: 72/100

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:32

This battle had given him quite a boost! He would have been surprised, though, given the deadliness of the creature and its Step. Then again, he was five hundred percent sure that the mere presence of the Name added an experience multiplier to any of the creatures. He had not received those eight units of the scale, most likely only because he had turned off and could not consciously absorb any significant amount of rainbow mist. The picture of the received stream of images was completed by something else, more voluminous and, let's say, alien, which came not from inside, like a status-list, but from somewhere outside. Something reminded him, and not remotely, of the very VOICE that had informed him of the dark omens on the very first night of the Other Side's arrival.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:08

You are marked by the Deed: Crossing out the Name

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:32

How much does the Name mean to those who were deprived of it and managed to find it, managed to chew it out, or beat out the Right? The Name is more than Everything, for the Name is you yourself, who has managed to become something you could not have imagined to be. Names are reflected in the Other Side and the roots of the Tree, Names distinguish those truly close to Greatness among the myriads of empty destinies. In the same measure, they doom the Descended to Greatness. Doomed or Exalted? Either way, one of the younger and only recently dog-clad Daughters of Bitches countless times of the accursed Mother of Bitches has had her last meal by your will and your power.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:11

Mark of Feat acquired (Essence Modification)...

Camrad_RIP 21.04.25 в 11:33

Igor analyzed these images several times, not immediately reaching the reward. There was power in the images, there was Mystery, and he noticed, not without surprise, how the Steps scale jerked upwards in his attempts to realize what was hidden behind these words and images. He backed away immediately, realizing that the mystery hidden in Mark would not go anywhere on its own, that he would have to absorb and digest it. One layer of reward on top of the granted Modification of the very elite segment. Even if his new Step was at zero, he would be able to close its scale just by those words full of mystical mystery. He would receive another part of the well-deserved reward, the last part, when he broke through to the second Step, but he had not yet fully realized the reward and therefore did not know what would be given to him when he broke through. But when he got to the evaluation and analysis of the free Modification, for the first time since waking up, he allowed himself a very pleased and somewhat anticipatory smile.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:14

Smile, striding towards the door - the urge to wash away the grime, and not just the physical grime, was only getting stronger by the second.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 16:14

The door creaked horribly, but he wasn't going to quietly hide and sneak around. No fucking way! He entered the shower calm and confident, not looking into the kitchen, though he realized she couldn't have missed his awakening. Given her capabilities, Elizaveta Albertovna should have sensed his awakening without needing to see or hear. The water was cold, just icy and a little rusty, especially at first, but it was water. And the protection helped him cope with the cold, though the sensation of the shower was strange, because he could feel the texture of the water passing through the protection, but not its temperature. It was as if the very concept of coldness or hotness was simply cut off by the closed line of the barrier. It didn't stop him from washing off the dirt of the battle.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 09:56

He got dressed in a thick terry robe, which was too big for him, and went into the kitchen, receiving a polite nod from Elizaveta Albertovna, who immediately began to serve him a portion. She was hitting on the sore, insidious, because he wanted to eat up to the point of squealing, as if the body was digesting itself in the process of recovery. And the dish itself - egg with crumbled sausage, herbs, tomato, and grated cheese, fried in a basket made of a piece of bread, from which the crumbs were cut out, knocking the base of the dish into the resulting “basket”. Something similar was prepared by his mother in his distant childhood, and afterward by his aunt, because they learned to cook in the same house. It wasn't his favorite dish, but definitely in his top five. For a few long seconds, he thought about whether to spit and leave or try to rip the bitch's head off, but hunger won out.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 15:37

A knife, a fork, a primitive salad garnish, and complete silence. He wasn't afraid to eat the food she had prepared. His shine would protect him from poison, and the protection would be able to block the poison right in his stomach, given his current level of Understanding. The portions, by the way, are very respectable; they both want to eat very much, because while he was lying in a blackout, Elizabeth Albertovna also reached the first Step, having passed the zero mark. He wondered if she was supposed to be rewarded too. Let him hate to admit her involvement in his feat, but she had dealt the final blow, no matter how it went. These heavy thoughts did not prevent him from eating and keeping gloomy silence, but, to his shame, when the food was condemned, he was the first not to endure it, and in a tone full of resentful anger, he spoke the obvious truth:

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 15:39

"We need to talk, Elizaveta Albertovna." And there was something in his tone that, for a second, a fraction of a second, the unshakable calm of his interlocutor, if not cracked, was slightly shaken.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 18:01

"This is a fact that is hard to argue with." She answers in an even tone, shaking a glass of grape juice, because there is no alcohol of any kind on the table. "This conversation is really important.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 18:02

"I want to kill you on the spot, to be honest." Igor does not threaten, which is typical, but simply states a fact that is obvious to him, but this time, not even a shadow of fear flashed across Elizaveta Albertovna's face.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 18:02

"I can't agree with that desire, but I recognize that there are decent reasons for it." The smooth and fluent lawyer speak didn't annoy him, but it did irritate him a little, and he would have liked to get more emotion in return. "I'm judicious about my chances in a direct confrontation, so I'm not going to humiliate myself by trying to resist. However, if it's your will, I'd like to suggest alternatives that don't involve my funeral. If there are any."

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 15:42

And she wasn't afraid, even if she clearly understood that Igor wasn't lying. Even if she could read his feelings instead of his thoughts, she wouldn't notice the falsity. He really wanted to kill her, just to shut her up forever and never remember her existence again, to get out of the apartment, out of the city, maybe even out of the country. He always wanted to see the beaches of Spain. If only to find more finances for them, and even taking into account the fact that sitting in front of him clearly has full pockets of cash, figuratively speaking, because that cash is in a separate purse, not in her pockets, moving closer to the warm seas will require a lot of investment. He doesn't know what he's experiencing, he doesn't know whether to kill her or not, so much so that part of him is tempted to flip a coin and decide the final result by its flip.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 15:44

“I want to kill you, that's a yes.” He repeats, never coming to a decision, never deciding to cut the scene off right at one second. “But I realize the other thing as well. I shouldn't want this. If anything, I shouldn't be awake at all, and if I am, I shouldn't remember anything dangerous to you. Except here I am. Thinking about killing you. And you're acting like a fucking ice-cold lady and you haven't even fucking apologized! Well, unless you count breakfast as an apology. How'd you manage to get me up in time, by the way?”

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 15:46

"I'll start at the end, I guess. I could sense the minds around me, and over the weeks of practice, I'd learned to distinguish between a mind in something like a medically induced coma and a mind just sleeping, about to wake up." Still no trace of apprehension or even remorse, nothing at all, like water off a goose. "As for apologizing. I won't be a hypocrite, and what can I say? Oh, I'm sorry, Igor, I didn't mean it, and I'm sorry. Well, I did mean it, and I did it. And I don't regret what I did. It's just. It's just that even I still have something like an atavism of conscience. I died out there on that board they tied me to. I've already buried myself, and I'm almost at peace with it. I... hell, I'll tell you, I'd stab the victim if I were you. Even if I didn't have the excuse you had. Just because I wanted to live, even an ugly life like a dead dog in human form."

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:22

She finished the grape juice in a gulp and, under his silent gaze, pulled a half-empty bottle of martini from the collapsing kitchen cabinet, pouring herself a full glass with slightly trembling hands. Not so much from fear as from some strange anger, not at herself, but at the world and the circumstances. The woman caught his gaze and poured him a drink, too, but it was a smaller portion for him. She drank the drink as if it were water, which was understandable. Even without experimental confirmation, Igor was sure that at the current stage, he could drink vodka as well as Vas-Vas. Not the Tablet of Shine, which purifies poisons, but a Step, which makes the body more perfect, would save her.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:23

"You know, when you covered me, I just couldn't. I watched you shut down from overexertion. I'd already taken a drop of blood from you so I could get into your dreams and rewire your brain, and then I just couldn't. I wanted to, really. You don't know how much you wanted to." If she's trying to justify herself, she's not doing a very good job, but she doesn't need to; she seems to think she's above trying to justify herself. "So she decided to surrender to mercy, so to speak. At the same time, to buy back my life or even forgiveness of my actions."

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:25

"Buy it back with what? With money?" The venomous sarcasm in Igor's tone would be enough to wipe out the entire population of stray dogs in the city and the surrounding area, even if they resisted. "I don't give a shit about money, Aunt Lisa, don't you know that! I didn't give a shit the first time we met and I don't give a shit now! I fucking trusted you! And you betrayed me, stabbed me in the back, and raped me for dessert!"

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:27

For the first time, a shadow of guilt flickered in her expression, not guilt, but a slight discomfort, as if she'd really done something wrong. Well, forgetting to wash the dishes, not returning a borrowed hundred, or even scratching his car while parking, if Igor had a car. And even these fleeting traces of the workings of the vestige of conscience she mentioned disappeared as soon as he finished speaking. They disappeared, replaced by the same skepticism that made me want to punch him in the face, but with his amplification from the shine, it wouldn't fracture his skull, it would blow it the fuck away.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:29

"Igor, I'm about to be as frank as I've been with anyone in the last twenty years. And I'm really ashamed of myself for... not holding back. My tastes had never been very specific, and I hadn't been attracted to young boys before my exaltation." The explanation was completely out of place, but Igor calmed down, just too embarrassed to listen to it to get angry. "But when you got caught in my web... I didn't intend to have any intimacy with you, believe me, but when I saw you, strong and deadly, but completely in my power. I'll be honest, it blew my mind in ways I didn't expect. I had planned to subdue you and make you an obedient assistant, and I was honestly not going to harm you. Unlike my last team, you didn't try to rob me, kill me, or anything worse to turn you into a vegetable unable to live without my direct orders."

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:32

Igor, who had noted in passing a detail about Elizaveta Albertovna's relationship with her past team, was not even boiling; he was almost laughing at the situation. It was as if the bitch sitting in front of him didn't realize that her words didn't help him stop wishing her death! However, some small part of him even admired the other's insolence, thickly mixed with extreme self-control and cold-bloodedness of some alligator's level. It was as if she were deliberately pissing him off, but she stopped just short of the point at which he would spit and try to kill her.

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:33

"So, yes, my guilt is undeniable, and so is the fact that you will have every right to demand everything from me, up to and including your life. I knew it when I dragged you through the city, when I didn't leave you when my protection wore out, when I waited for you to wake up." It was getting through to her, getting through to her, making her bargain for her life, even if indirectly and not directly, mentioning all the good things she'd done to him, but even that stopped when she smiled a slightly ironic smile at Igor. "I'm guilty. I acted like a jerk. I don't argue. I don't argue with almost anything. But when you talk about rape... Igor, I can read minds and memories. I know perfectly well that you didn't just like it, that you would have agreed to everything I suggested if I had just asked...."

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:37

"But I didn't agree!" Igor interrupts her already blatant twisting of the facts, gets up from the table, leaving deep furrows on it with his shining white fingers, blushing with anger at the fact that she tried to justify herself in this. "And you didn't ask! You're a very beautiful woman and you got it out of my head how I fucking jerked off to your image with pleasure, but you didn't ask! You didn't offer! You just took it for granted! You really don't see the problem with that? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Bitch, even if you bewitched me and fucked me, I might fall for your tits! You couldn't have known, you got inside my head! You'd just have to ask, wouldn't you? Why ask when you can take? I've been helping you! I trusted you!"

Camrad_RIP 09.05.25 в 16:39

Exhausted, he simply falls back onto the chair and looks at the ceiling. He didn't even want to cry, he just wanted to leave, anywhere. It's unpleasant when those you trust betray you, who helped you so many times before, and didn't betray you. It's just that before this, help didn't cost her anything cardinal or vital; it allowed her to be good, without suffering any particular inconveniences. But as soon as the benefit from the blow to the exposed back exceeded the "norms of decency", then it all started. But she didn't abandon him there, she didn't start to brainwash him again, did she? It seems like it was even in the calculation, huh? Only some kind of rotten calculator turns out. Igor doesn't like such shitty mathematics, worse than a sudden test in algebra at school.

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 11:57

"Well... I can't find any objections to what was said." Elizaveta Albertovna says quietly and a little lost, and for some reason, it seems to Igor that she either hadn't thought in this plane before, or, more likely, thought that Igor thought in the same plane as she did. "Probably, I should apologize for this. And also voice the options for what will happen next."

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:27

Turning his tired gaze to his interlocutor, Igor expressed not even interest, but rather expectation, achieving in response that Elizaveta Albertovna pulled a small bag towards herself, taking out several sheets of paper covered with writing, a stack of cash, and a small pencil case, from which she took out a couple of clearly mystical objects. On top lay an iron shiv, already emptied of the embedded shine, the length of a kitchen knife.

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:31

"Option one has already been announced and does not need any additions." Again, in a dry and businesslike tone, with a minimum of real emotions. "As I already said, I will not resist, I will only ask you to do without experiments in mastering the torture business. It is still better than what awaited me without your help. In the bag, there is cash, several passwords to crypto wallets, as well as detailed instructions on how to leave the city. While you were sleeping, my contact got in touch, and now either we or you alone will be taken and delivered to Moscow without unnecessary questions. You may not believe the latter, but no one will stop you from leaving on your own. You will just have to stand in line for evacuation, and they will take you wherever they have to. Also hidden in the pouch are four Mystery items, as that thing in our heads calls them. I advise you to look at them right now."

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:35

Igor obeyed silently, immediately assessing what had fallen into his hands. The first artifact, albeit in triplicate, was an advanced version of the Shroud. A sort of thread rolled into a ball, which completely muffled even the most powerful etheric vibrations, hiding not just the presence of the Exalted One nearby, but even active training or ritual actions. This miracle was called the Line of Deafness, and it worked for more than a hundred planetary years after it was activated, although it did not move to a new place and was damaged when trying to remove it. And it was also damaged by active reflection and damping of etheric vibrations, so the real duration of its work would be calculated in a couple of years, not centuries. Using the ball is simple - you just need to unwind it and leave the thread in all corners of the room, as if creating a closed three-dimensional figure with bases in the walls, ceiling, and floor. Igor, by the way, felt a certain synergy between this thread and his protection. He was sure that the closure of the Tablet would be able to enhance the effect of the external Mystery.

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:47

The second artifact... it was something much more serious, and the young man understood that for this he was ready not only to kill her, but also to seriously think about forgiving her. This thing looked like ordinary chalk, two pieces of chalk, to be more precise, which were connected together with a dull copper ring. This chalk was called the Door Drawer, and this name was extremely appropriate. One side draws a door, or to be more precise, just a closed quadrangle, in one place, and the other draws it in another place. Then, having emptied at least five Vessels, this door can be opened, connecting two points in space. The transition lasts about a minute and a half, and everyone who passes through it must pay another Vessel for each of their Steps... or wait for someone to pay for it.

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:49

Igor, by the way, noted the fact that Elizaveta Albertovna herself would not be able to use this thing, although she would clearly want to. Even if she was given a similar feat mark, which would allow her to close the first Step and step onto the second without any extra effort, she would have enough charges to open the passage, but not pay for it for herself. However, if we are being completely honest, no one would stop her from finding another Exalted One among the refugees and brainwashing him or her in order to have a protector and guide.

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:51

"One of its ends is shorter and shows signs of friction." The young man looks at her questioningly, deliberately not touching on the topic of whether he will decide to kill her or not.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 18:03

"Yes, that's right." She points towards the pantry next to the kitchen. "The blank for the transition is there, but it can be erased. It will just eat up an equal amount of resources from the other side of the Drawer. I was a little discouraged by the prospects that opened up and couldn't resist checking. One way or another, my life is in your hands, and what we've obtained can be easily appropriated."

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:53

"Other options." There is still no decision, he does not know where to stop, and this clearly gets on the nerves of the woman who senses his emotions even through his defense. She tries to either appease him or move him to pity.

Camrad_RIP 08.05.25 в 18:08

"Option two: we simply part ways like ships in the open sea." She shrugs, as if she is voicing something self-evident, and what she has voiced is truly obvious. "You are free to use my help, or you are free to try to get out of here yourself. You are free to take any of the listed values, as well as demand large financial investments. It is only now that I cannot empty the bank account for obvious reasons. After that, we disappear from each other's lives and do not remember why we decided to disappear. I will add on my own behalf that I will be ready to restore our cooperation at any moment, and not only because your Gift is so useful for my development."

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:55

Igor didn't even chuckle, although he appreciated the way the question was put and the seemingly sincere words, the sincere readiness for any outcome. However, how could he know how much sincerity there was in the intentions she voiced and declared? That's right - he had no way of knowing, because he still didn't have the ability to read minds, and it was not a fact that he would ever have it. Wrong Lot, alas, wrong specialization.

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:56

"The third way is to simply return to cooperation, but now without... my usual methods of persuasion." Seeing the endless mountain of skepticism in the eyes of her interlocutor, she raises her hands in a conciliatory manner, putting them out with palms away from herself, as if fencing herself off from possible reflections. "I understand perfectly well that you have no way to check my kindness and truthfulness. And I certainly will not promise not to use my abilities on someone else because, excuse me, you are worthy of my trust, and not temporary allies. But I will approve of any reasonable measure of reinsurance... and the very fact that we are having this conversation, it seems to me, gives a tiny credit of trust."

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:58

"Very tiny." He corrects his interlocutor, but also agrees with her, and also remembers his own thoughts and intentions. "I won’t hide the fact that I am interested in group work myself, but I don’t trust you... and why am I still on formal terms with you?"

Camrad_RIP 10.05.25 в 13:59