Быть Гладу и Хладу / There will be Hunger and Cold: 9.

9. It’s so convenient to consider everyone around you as bloodthirsty degenerates, if only because you rarely get disappointed!

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 10:51

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Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 10:51

If some artist of outstanding skill set out to paint a picture that embodied the phrase "tense silence", then Ilya and old Ryuk could well be used as models. And the resulting drawing would be immediately entered into the registers of the Paris Chamber of Weights and Measures and the lists of cultural heritage under the auspices of the once again reformed UNESCO, no less. Ilya was as sure of this as he was that the earthly Sun rises in the East, that Rick Barley will not take the championship this year, and that builds for the Executioner-healer are a real perversion and cannot be viable under normal conditions. In general, he was very, almost ironcladly sure of this, as much as a mortal and weak little man can be sure of his rightness.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:06

The earthling didn't think about what Ryuk was thinking. The old man wasn't behaving at all like a third-stage Sage or any other Gifted should. There was no point in running. No point in hoping for resurrection either. It wouldn't be hard for the owner of such a class and such an eye to find his respawn point and meet him right there at the beginning of a new cycle. The standard first-stage mechanics of hiding the respawn point wouldn't help at all here. Fight? Even funnier, stop joking like that. Having fully developed all his talents, having managed to snatch a couple of additional ones, having found the necessary places of power and altars in the depths of specific gaps, and having equipped himself with an enhanced set of class relics, sharpened in defense and resistance, he could. He could survive the first blow and run away to a certain distance before the second one killed him.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:08

This is the whole point of ranks and the reason why people rush to advance in them. No matter how much you pumped up at the current level, no matter how much essence you put into yourself, no matter what experience you gained, the next level will have a colossal advantage. Even if you are fighting against mediocrity, who pump up the bare minimum of talents and immediately jump up. Even if the enemy does not have a fraction of your experience. Unique individuals like Echidna or Wellington can go head-to-head with such a “noob of a higher rank”, as far as the concept of “noob” is applicable to such individuals, and then survive and even win. But these are unique individuals. And even they preferred not to repeat such battles again. He, the winner of the Lottery and the Great Patience, has the potential to become another unique individual.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:14

To become in the distant future, sweet and full of success, and not right now. And therefore, the battle with the third stage in the place of his power, and even outside that place, for Ilya is like an attempt by a mouse under the starting engine of a space shuttle to deflect the jet exhaust of the main engine with its breath. You will die in the same way, only you will also make the killer laugh with your attempts to resist. That is why the earthling does not try to fight or even bargain, but silently awaits the decision. The most disgusting feeling of powerlessness, you would not wish this on anyone. Ryuk will offer bargaining, if he wishes, and Ilya will find what to pay with. He knows very well how greedy the Sages are for knowledge. Sages who are able to enlighten the opponent sitting opposite them with a glance literally instantly, without requiring consent or long explanations about who he is.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:28

The only question is, did Ryuk develop his talents towards reading the mysteries of souls? That is, the kind that allows him to see not only properties, mutations, skills, knowledge, vessels, and all that, but also the most secret thing a diver has. His Marks. If he sees them, then it’s both good and bad – good because you have to be completely finished to cut the goose with the golden eggs, bad because after such a coming out, the golden cage and a probable attempt to carve a feature on the altar are practically guaranteed. But whether he sees the features or not also determines the construction of the dialogue, and this is a very important point that Ilya would like to know in advance.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:50

But who knows what he wanted there?

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:50

The old man is silent, and so is the diver. The raging Wendigo is struggling in the depths of self-control. The aroma of roasted and cooling duck teases the nose. It seemed like an eternity had passed, but in fact, the old man, cosplaying a motionless mannequin, remained in the pause for no longer than thirty seconds. And only then did he freeze, wearily massaging his temples with his long fingers, blackened by the ingrained burnt honey. He can be proud of himself, because to cause a migraine in a creature of such a level, you know, you have to try very hard. Even a whole holy nine of well-coordinated divers with the support of a commander of the second step will not succeed. Unless, of course, the old man is not pretending to have a migraine. But why would he? The tired and somehow surprisingly non-threatening look of the only unclosed eye looks calmly and a little sadly, but this does not make Ryuk any less of a threat.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:54

"Who do you serve, stranger?" This is one of those questions where an incorrect answer immediately leads to an early end to the game session. "Answer."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:55

No pressure on the mind or will. This is clearly not so much a manifestation of politeness as a test of someone else's intelligence. Will he start lying or will he understand that he is being read? Will he dodge, which is also very obvious, or will he prefer to speak the truth? Earthlings who are in a solitary dive and are not bound by loyalty to the community are taught in such situations not to show off, playing the partisan during interrogation by the Gestapo, but simply to answer the truth. Because a normal interrogation will still expose you, only it will be painful, long, and unpleasant. Especially if there is nothing serious behind you, and therefore the Seekers or Interrogators who exposed you will tyrannize you even more. Why did this moron resist? It means he is now lying.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 11:57

However, being fair, they often torture and break even those who do not hide anything, purely out of love for art, very respected among the natives. And not only the natives, frankly speaking. Not only among them. In the end, there was no reason to hide the answer. Another thing is that it is difficult to give such an answer so that it is believed. If Ilya now honestly says that he does not serve anyone, except for that asshole who is reflected in the mirror, then his answer will be immediately called into question. The earthling did not want to cause doubts in the person sitting opposite him to the point of mild panic. Fortunately, in numerous instructions, regulations, and codes on Earth, if not everything, then a lot was provided, including the answer to such a question.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 12:10

"The Assembly of the United Humankind of the Earth is represented by the United Europe." The answer is maximally truthful, because formally he, being a citizen of the said Europe, formally is subordinate and accountable to its rulers, no sense of lies will indicate otherwise. "And to himself, of course."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 12:11

"And where is your Hunger on this list, I would like to know?" Still in the same dull and indifferent tone, he didn’t even ask, because the intonation was wrong, Old Ryuk simply said, and then raised his open palm, ordering silence. "Stop, hungry one, don’t answer. I’m trying to collect my thoughts. They, you know, always run away from me, hide in the nooks and crannies of my tired head. I will be extremely brief and just as honest. I will ask questions, and you will answer them. You won’t be able to lie, I’ll tell you right away. If I don’t like the answers, you will die. If you twitch, you will die. If you just make me angry, you will die. I am an old, sick man; I can’t get angry, it makes my hair fall out."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 12:36

Ilya involuntarily glanced sideways at the luxurious bald spot almost covering the entire crown, framed by a thin ring of brittle gray hair that had not known either washing or combing for a long, long time. If you believe what was said, then the old man had experienced even too much anger and rage, but, as it seemed to Ilya, the bald spot significantly underestimated the scale of that anger. Instead of words, he only nods, not even trying to dodge or bargain; here, it is clear to the naked eye that an attempt at bargaining will lead to the activation of an armed eye. Instead of an eye, the old man places a bare palm on the table, and under it, signs flash as if applied in black and blue ink, forming thin concentric circles crossed by ritual lines.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 12:58

Ilya notes, not without irritation, that he cannot name the exact specification of the ritual, but he can clearly identify the "Chalice of Balance", six steps of the talent, which serves as the basis for a whole galaxy of "pure" rituals, strengthening and "balancing" them, allowing them to work more effectively and without being tied to reagents, season, weather and the position of magical currents. In fact, a full-fledged replacement for another class, so many options for using this talent alone are opened. And in combination with the flashing blackness of the "Last Copybook" and the clearly activated "Retention of Contemplation", even Ilya, with his diploma and list of qualifications, will not undertake to believe that the old man twisted and added to the figure that appeared in one instant. All three talents can only be taken at the third level; only retention is available from the second in some builds.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:00

While the earthling is assessing the small miracle that is being performed before him without any special effects at all, a huge weight falls on his shoulders, as if chained to the spot. The breath in his chest freezes and becomes warm, as if the lines spreading throughout this dilapidated dining room have heated the world around, forbade the Cald to manifest itself even inside Ilya's lungs, let alone outside. The body weakens, becoming as strong and tenacious as a human's, then the extra feelings that are heightened by his class nature fall. Even the mad Hunger, strengthened by a special herb, fades into the background, almost dying under the pressure of the black lines and the shining blue sign of that script that is written in a language close to the Mechanism itself.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:04

If he wanted to impress, he impressed to the utmost; another diver would have pleased the old man with wet pants, and the locals would have fallen ill with a massive heart attack. A complete class blockade! Without a ritual hall, without a couple of weeks of preparation, without additional affectors and relics, without even a retinue of henchmen! And is he really a third level? Or should he be addressed not as "honorable", but as "your excellency" or even "your majesty"? Either he is not just a three, but a three that has reached the limit of its talents, most of them, and is developing into an extremely unusual build, or he is still a four, just young and not yet fledged, as for a four. Ilya did not even know which of the answer options got on his nerves more than the others.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:06

"State your name." The order sounds, echoes in his ears and vibrates in his bones, as if each ritual line that entwined his body, seemingly growing into the flesh that had become normal again, and not frozen, duplicated these words, amplified them, made the answer to them obligatory, which made it unrealistic to even think about lying or silence. "Why are you here?"

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:18

Very good question.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:18

Because he's an idiot, that's why.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:18

But this answer is hardly suitable.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:18

"A lilac gladiolus." Ilya’s answer puts him on extremely thin ice, even thinner than now, but it’s better to immediately indicate his ability to lie even under such pressure than to wait for the moment when the old man himself understands, and he will understand, he can’t help but understand. "I came to eat the best duck a la Corona on the whole of Ridge."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:20

The look became even more icy, and the lines of the ritual seemed to dig into the body with a multitude of sharp threads, threatening to cut through the flesh, the aura, and the soul itself. Although, okay, if he also knows the methods of destroying divers, then Ilya is just going home. He doesn’t play like that. There was no blood on the weightless threads, although the pain was hellish, and not even intentionally, as it seems to him, but from the slight shock with which the old man perceived the frankly false and intentionally “funny” answer. It is worth giving him credit; he immediately regained control over the ritual and his composure, too, if he ever lost it. And good, because the troika that lost its composure, holding Ilya in such a compromising position, is of no use in this situation.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:22

"Explain yourself." It's good that he doesn't have to explain about his clothes and his entry into the wrong neighborhood, but somehow, he doesn't find such awesome analogies funny at all.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:25

As I have already said, self-control has always been my strongest side. - Hoarsely, barely breathing from the pressure of the ritual on the whole essence, Ilya speaks. - I cannot lie so as to deceive. But I can not answer. Even under the Chalice and Copybook at once.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:49

"I heard." No, well, there is definitely a spiritual affinity with the cool kids of the kept agglomerations, it would even be funny if it weren't so scary, and the grandfather added in normal words, not with orders that dug into the depths of the aura. "Then answer normally, I'll adjust the circle. Ahem... So, the questions are as follows..."

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:50

And so it went. Ilya was turned inside out. A couple of times, blood vessels in his body and brain burst, and his heart stopped twice. And his brains were leaking out of his ears, but this was not a consequence of the ritual. No. Rather, his attempts to understand what was happening. The old asshole did not ask anything about what he knew, how he could be useful, or how he could pay off. But he repeatedly, literally twenty-seven times in various formulations, asked again whether Ilya was working for certain individuals. He even knew a couple of these individuals from the memory of the Twin, because it is hard not to know the name of the ruler of the Crown, whose mug has been cast on the outlines of coins for the second century, or the name of the house that rules Ridge in the name of the Crown.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:52

Just as attentively, that is, twenty-seven questions in different wording, he tried to get to the bottom of whether the stranger-Hungry wanted to devour little Lishka. In response to twenty-six negative answers and the twenty-seventh, according to which Ilya only wanted to give the annoying little thing a spanking, the old man even became embarrassed and said in a somewhat lost tone that yes, he should have. Or rather, he pretended to be embarrassed, and he said it in a lost tone. Very attentively, he listened to Ilya's detailed explanations of how exactly he figured out the talent of the interlocutor and his approximate rank. And if the mistake with the fabric of the bandage was met only with an annoyed movement of the corner of the lips, then he seemed to be a little ashamed of the remark about the blood of the copper-skinned bull and the methods of washing it. The emotion seemed very sincere, real, almost the only one of this kind since the beginning of the conversation. But there was not a single question about the same strange boxes or possible pursuers, although Ilya was ready to tell everything, seeing no reason to keep the secret at the cost of life or injury.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 08:38

Hundreds of questions were about whether Ilya had eaten people, whether he was going to eat them. The honest answer, that only in case of extreme necessity and a matter of life or death, clearly did not please the old man, but he acknowledged its validity. Whether he was going to hand over Ryuk to the closest guards, secret guards, the rulers of Lazybones, the Crown Chancellery, and all other individuals. He considered his greatest success to be that he managed to explain to the old man that he would not hand him over and did not plan to; neither torture nor mental interrogation would help, just as they had not helped now. Because the old man would definitely like to erase a couple of weeks of memories from his interlocutor, but even with his abilities, the maximum he would get would be temporary amnesia. But Ilya understood perfectly well that ordinary executioners and interrogation experts would kill him once, but Ryuk, disappointed with the situation, could kill him completely.

Camrad_RIP 21.08.25 в 13:55

Still, Ilya's mind also recovers from any suggestions, including amnesia and those inflicted by the higher rituals of either the Supreme Inker or the Essence-Drawer. Of course, it might have seemed to Ilya that it was easy for a person of such caliber to deceive a naive earthling, but somewhere by the middle of the interrogation, a clear feeling formed that he would live. Perhaps poorly and for a short time, but not because he would be finished off right here or sold to someone else. The old man with a sad and tired look in his only eye seemed to be interested in nothing at all, except whether Ilya was going to rat him out or eat his orphan charges. It seemed so qualitatively that the earthling was almost ready to believe that the old man really cared about them, like an ordinary candy merchant, and not a fucking machine of all-knowing death on the third level.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 08:40

Ilya was even more surprised by the attitude to his answers. In the sense that the old man could not help but ask how exactly Ilya remained sane after eating the special seasoning. And the earthling only said that, if possible, he would not like to answer this question. Of course, he would have answered and knew that he would answer, but here it was necessary to show at least some bone in the spine, without immediately starting to pour out all the secrets ... and he did not interrogate him further. Or rather, they did, but the old man only clarified whether this stabilization of the psyche was some kind of particularly asshole assembly based on the "Face of the Devoured" or another similar talent. And having heard an unambiguous answer, as well as a couple of confirmations, he completely abandoned this topic, continuing the interrogation, or rather, already finishing it.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 08:41

"We haven't seen strangers under our sky for fifty years." He drawls thoughtfully, fingering the invisible black threads of the copybook, weaving something out of them and then unweaving them. "They quickly ended last time. And the time before that. And before that, they didn't stain our world for long, if you don't count that fool who burned for three years in the sacrificial brazier on the main square of Crown. But you, it seems, are not from that foreign land I heard about... and you have preserved yourself. Somehow. I'd like to cut you open, gut you properly... but what good would that do me? Get out."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 08:43

The last phrase was combined with a barely noticeable movement of the wrist, after which the crushing power instantly disappeared, the lines and signs disappeared, the weakness that had gripped the body went away, returning the feeling of one's power. Again, the flesh freezes, again the Cald settles in the lungs, again he becomes a Wendigo, and not just a man or even a cockroach under the already lowering fly swatter. Or a slipper. In any case, such an abrupt change of topic, especially considering the last phrase about the autopsy of isekai, knocked him off track a little. The earthling, stretching his hands aching from the returning influx of magic, decided to ask how exactly to understand what was said. Otherwise, he will understand incorrectly, and he will be, damn it, happy for the rest of his short life, and then for three more of them.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 08:47

"Leave the city, honorable sir? Or the Ridge?" The question is really important, as is the need to carry out this “get out as fast as possible” as fast as possible. "One way or another, I can only thank you for your hospitality and mercy..."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 08:49

"Get out of my house! I don’t want to see you here! And I don’t want to see you near Lishka. And I don’t want to see you at all!" He seemed to switch gears, returning to the same manner of an eccentric madman with which he had previously covered himself, only now it no longer irritates him, but scares the shit out of him. "I don’t give a damn about you, understand!? I don’t give a damn about the whole world, except for what’s left! I don’t want to see any of you, and you especially! Run from here, or I’ll call the guards... ahem... or I’ll kick you out myself! I’ll kick you out with these legs! What are you still doing here, huh!?"

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 08:51

"I'm running away already." Ilya answered, bringing his body into combat mode and thinking about running through the wall, breaking through it with himself, at the same time suppressing the completely idiotic desire to "joke" by asking for a full list of his orphan charges, so to speak, to know exactly who not to approach. "Good evening to you..."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:14

He finished the last sentence already near the door, still not believing in his luck and fortune, which allowed him to get out of this shit. At the same time, however, he curses this luck and fortune, because it was their efforts that got him into this shit in the first place. Fuck, it’s not a fact that the ruler of Lazy has the third level, and here, motherfucker, is a crazy gingerbread man selling candies! It even sounds so idiotic that Ilya looks at the Mechanism over and over again, checking his single FaFo unit, because no one can screw up like that. This is precisely an accident, which has nothing to do with FaFo and was formed purely empirically. Or he gives up and doesn’t play anymore... oh yeah, such an option is not provided in Broken, abandoning the character for a couple of years will not work, what a trap!

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:39

And it's not a fact that he really managed to get out of this, because there is always the possibility that kind grandfather Ryuk will change his mind, that the circumstances will change somehow, and all that. Generally speaking, after this polite conversation, adrenaline replaced Ilya's blood, and its excess almost flowed out through his pants. So for now, he was not going to do anything except go to his inn, which, to Ilya's indescribable happiness, is very far from the home of the venerable Ryuk, and then think a lot. And regret. Regret that he cannot get drunk on regular alcohol, and he does not have money for the kind that will affect not just a Diver, but a real Wendigo.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:42

And there are no connections either.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:44

Unless...

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:44

"What are you thinking about, hungry stranger!?" He didn’t think about it; the pause there was less than a split second, but you can’t hide such a pause from the Sage of the third level. "Should I pull answers out of you again or what!? I’ll pull, I’ll pull so hard that you won’t be able to pull yourself back out, you beast!"

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:45

"That I want to get drunk." The earthling answered honestly, suppressing the desire to respond with Seryoga's favorite quote, which is "pull your anus, dog." "And that I won't find the kind of drink that will get me anywhere. And it's scary and stupid to ask you."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:46

Well, at least some compensation for the probable death and guaranteed problems in the near future. The old man, apparently without any pretense, choked on his exhalation and tried to clear his throat for a good ten seconds, and then stared at Ilya as if he had said it on purpose so that old Ryuk would choke. Ilya, in response to the now silent question, simply shrugged his shoulders, answering the obvious and completely honest:

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:47

"Today I have said goodbye to life several times in a row, all of them at once." He explains the obvious, but perhaps unnoticeable to the old man. "It is difficult to refrain from regretting that I interfered."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:48

"You only survived because you interfered." The corner of his lips twitched, and again it seemed to Ilya that this emotion was real. The old man jerked his hand, as if brushing off annoying midges. "If Lishka had perished under the hoof of the copper creature, I would have dug up the entire city, I would have found you, too. Believe me, I would have asked with all due diligence."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:49

The Earthling felt, for the umpteenth time in a short period, that he had frozen on the brink of death, that the old man had changed his mind at the last moment, stopped the blow. Risky words. It was risky to say them so bluntly, but to lie or to keep silent was even riskier. He could have tried to soften the wording; he knew how not to deceive, but to skirt around such an interrogation, but he did not. He was not sure of success, and he very much wanted to understand certain points, some of which the old bastard's answer had clarified, adding even more questions. The bastard chewed his lips, dry and cracked, as if deciding something important, before opening his lips again, voicing another wonderful thing.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:08

"Don't leave the city yet. Don't go far." He immediately corrected himself, not even letting the first sentence fade. "I remember that you made a deal with the traders to do piecework, so do it. But don't do it too far from the walls. I might want to ask you a question or two in the next nine. If you're already far away by then, I'll be upset. And who knows, maybe I'll shake up the old days and find you."

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:06

The Earthling didn't even say anything. He silently put his hand to his heart and bowed, leaving the damn house and, with great difficulty, adopting the gait, manners, and facial expression characteristic of his chosen image. He exhaled only when he reached his inn, locked himself in the room, without even having had dinner, and, exhausted, fell onto the bed. His gaze was directed at the greasy and, most likely, never-washed ceiling since its construction, thinking about the great and the not-so-great. The sudden and terrible meeting ended as well as it could have ended. Someone else, perhaps more naive or not having studied the Broken World in more detail, could have really believed in this "well". But Ilya was not a naive youth with a burning heart, and Ryuk himself still overacted in certain moments. Not enough to reveal his true intentions, but enough to notice their presence.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:04

Whatever they may be.

Camrad_RIP 22.08.25 в 09:49