Быть Гладу и Хладу / There will be Hunger and Cold: 16. У меня такое чувство, будто я убил дочь папиной подруги

16. I feel like I killed my dad's friend's daughter.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:16

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Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:16

They say that a real magical library must be top secret, hidden in an interdimensional fold, protected by powerful creatures and fierce guards. It must hold a bunch of secrets and have a big name to boot. The Great Repository, the Forbidden Library, the Eternal Lists, or something else equally pompous and incomprehensible. Alas, such establishments do exist in the Broken World, and in no small number, but certainly not in Lazy. And thank the Dead Gods, of course, that it's not in Lazy, because otherwise it would be better to start making plans to infiltrate such an establishment only after you become at least a well-trained infiltrator of step two, or even three.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:22

It's better not to go into other places without an invitation, even if you are Five.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:23

And in others even with an invitation.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:24

No, no, Lazy City Archive was a simpler place, and defensive paranoia was hardly considered a serious matter there. Frankly, Ilya could have obtained the information he needed without any disguise at all, through diplomacy and a few bribes to mid-level officials. He was interested in those shelves, which, while likely classified, weren't too strictly so, if they were classified at all. The problem for the Earthman was that he needed it not in a couple of weeks, but right now, without questions, delays, or lengthy persuasion. He wanted everything ready today by lunch, or at least no later than this evening.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:27

He couldn't get that through legal means, not as quickly as he needed, because in the case of important people with high self-esteem, gold could easily buy the necessary decision. But even gold wouldn't be enough to buy someone's speed in making those decisions; that's not how local affairs are done, traditions, you see. Moreover, this feeling is common to Earth, the Broken, and a host of other worlds. And so Ilya walked to the archives in someone else's skin, feeling it itch and tingle all over him. Feeling how this skin longed to tell, tell, tell of who it had once been, and to make this new flesh its own.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:31

By the way, this is the main danger of such ritual objects, created from other people's lives, preserving other people's class characteristics. The Maniac is unlikely to be able to resurrect from his removed skin, at least not on the first step, but what about turning the carrier into a mad imitator who sincerely believes himself to be the resurrected Maniac? This happens much more often. Sometimes, such people are even treated. It seems that the girls from Aurora of Enlightened Knowledge posted a very good build for the Sage and a couple for the priestly classes, focused on stabilizing and treating such high-risk patients. Their community is small, but the ruling quartet is considered, albeit controversially, to be the best healers among earthlings in general, including even the fifth level.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:34

This is largely because there is simply no specialized healer among the Fives; even Simon White is more focused on healing himself than others.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:35

Fortunately, he personally didn't care about these attempts to get inside his head. He was much more concerned about the quality of his disguise. Old Ryuk removed the Maniac's skin quickly and without the proper ritual component, hastily and without most of the reinforcing elements. This craft, despite all his skill and the coolness of the relic, would hardly have lasted even a couple of weeks, and now it would only last for at least three nights. First, the skin was damaged by the flow of power from the Abyss, shrinking it completely, and then Ilya was forced to change his state and appearance to a suitable one. It was too much of a burden, even for such an interesting relic. If the garment of life songs had been made more simply, or if it had not been made by Ryuk, they would not have survived the first adventure.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 16:48

The Abyss perfectly devours the subtle magic of any kind, disrupts settings, and breaks the well-oiled mechanisms of the same sensory fields, but here subtlety was additionally covered by a framework of foreign life force. Viscous, sticky, not yet completely cooled, not yet realizing that it is dead, and therefore, Ilya still preserved his incognito, despite everything. Taking another risk and exposing himself to a stream of aggressive energy would definitely be unnecessary, but if everything goes according to plan, it won't be necessary at all. Alas, there were too many “ifs” in this plan, too many variables that had to coincide in his favor. The plan was doomed to fail, and all that remained was to cherish the vain hope that this failure would begin as late as possible.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:00

"Good morning, Tiets, you're early today." A dignified, plump old man, dressed in a seemingly modest but actually quite expensive waistcoat, met Ilya inside the very archive where he'd passed by the unresponsive security and scanning systems, if there even were any. "What happened to your plans of not showing up before noon?"

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:05

"I need to get to the archives; they woke me up at dawn, I didn't even have time to breathe." His voice is hoarse, raspy, not exactly like his own, but hardly entirely in keeping with the original voice of the esteemed Tiets. "And my throat, too. Ahem!"

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:05

Ilya spoke less, so that there would be no reason to catch him out on his different manner of speech or ignorance of details. At the same time, he added a tone of wild irritation and fatigue, so as not to be caught out because he did not know the name of the person he was talking to. Most likely, this was one of the local bosses, perhaps even Lazy's chief steward or the Keeper of Papers and Ink, who was just the right age. This individual's heart seemed normal, but incredibly healthy, bursting with life, like that of a twenty-year-old track and field athlete who knew nothing about harmful chemicals. And his breathing, skin condition, and joint movements were also very youthful. His heightened attention catches such little things on the fly.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:11

"Come on, don't play the victim. You used to be at work barely able to stand on your feet." That's not surprising, because in the Broken One, they didn't know about labor codes and safety regulations at work. "The smell of wine coming from you was so strong that I would get drunk just walking past your wing. What do you want to look for?"

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:14

"Review the weather anomaly archive. – Ilya knows for a fact that such records are kept in every major city; he knows from Twin's memory, because the original Elijah was friends with a couple of clerks and a rather asshole attorney's assistant. "Deeper. Ahem! Very deep."

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:15

“You seem to be in an unusually accommodating mood today, Ties.” It was evident that Ilya had not fully embraced his role. He should have been more vocal and expressive in his indignation. "You're not even trying to complain to me about how they give you tasks outside of working hours. I'd ask what you're doing there... but you'll try to beg me for helpers, won't you? I'll send them over after lunch. Lucica and Michal. They fought again for Daddy's attention. They need to be given some punishment, you know, something that will get through to them. In the meantime, if it's not too urgent, you can look for what you asked for, but not too... not too much, in general. Just don't snore, or I'll skin you myself, just like they skin me."

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 07:33

The earthling shrugs so as not to provoke a deeper conversation and real suspicion, rather than a playful dialogue. Whoever this old man is, he has an excellent relationship with Ilya's mask, clearly better than the usual boss-subordinate relationship. Quickly, but without rushing, the earthling walks forward, diving into the darkness and silence of the shelves filled with dusty scrolls and stacks of paper. The very fact that dust still collects here, rather than being disintegrated by magical amulet systems, speaks louder than anything else about the fact that this place is out of commission.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 07:48

Finding the right shelves, carefully avoiding potential colleagues, turned out to be not too difficult. The total volume of the entire archive barely exceeded the area of a parquet soccer hall multiplied by two or even three, not counting the corridors between the individual rooms and the division into three separate floors with low ceilings. In these corridors, it was easy to avoid potential interlocutors and not touch the magical systems. Moreover, these systems seemed to be more domestic than signaling. There were also signs with inscriptions, thanks to which he found the storage he needed almost immediately. He didn't have to go around.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 08:41

It was dreary and empty here. He had to light the amulets himself because there were no lamps or torches in the archive, which was overflowing with papers. It might seem strange that there were so many records here, given the archive's immense size. No kidding, it was the third largest building in the city, after the town hall and the temple complex, even slightly smaller than the mayor's estate. However, this strangeness quickly disappeared when one remembered the main purpose of Lazy's existence — the accumulation of gifts from the Ridge and the cataloging of everything that was brought here from smaller and more modest cities.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 10:27

Calculating everything, including taxes, with the possibility of taking a fair percentage and a little extra on top! This was the reward given to the city that had remained “neutrally loyal” after the failed rebellion. Or rather, it was not so much a reward as a final confirmation of this right, multiplied by the preferences it already has. Obviously, the city and its owners were already very powerful at that time, since they were able to ask for such a thing and were forced to give it to them. Yes, under constant supervision, yes, under the control of all kinds of observers, but Lazy survived the war without losses, only gaining. And paper, specifically paper, not parchment or papyrus, was produced very actively in this part of the Broken, with no skimping on production.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 10:36

To Ilya's immense relief, what he was looking for was not stored in the sealed parts of the archive where money was kept. Instead, it was located in the historical section devoted to weather anomalies in the Ridge. Storms like the one currently raging over the city occurred regularly and constantly. Moreover, they followed a very clear pattern, albeit with an extremely complex curve. Therefore, all particularly powerful blizzards and similar conditions of crazy weather were recorded here so that later, based on them, a new cycle of weather-magical anomalies could be predicted.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 10:50

Not like now. No. Natural anomalies, anomalous even against the backdrop of the very special conditions of the Dead Man's Ridge. The kind where villages are covered with four meters of snow overnight, and cities are turned into ice sculptures, among which are the frozen statues of those who met their last night within the city walls, huddling until the very end by the hearths, where even the flames had frozen. Yes, yes, such things happened on the Ridge, to the point that most of the Ridge had to be repopulated. Catalogs are kept largely in order to predict such “drops in the curve” in advance and either strengthen protection from the weather to the maximum or evacuate the most valuable and distinguished personnel. It was precisely these records that Ilya set out to find, and he even knew the approximate date, about five years before the start of that very rebellion and right up to the rebellion itself.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 10:53

It's the most golden time!

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 10:53

He found nothing in other cities, but Lazy, as already mentioned, was not only a rich city, but also one with history, old, almost ancient, one of the oldest in the Ridge. It was also the only one that had not been looted or burned. The rebellious duke and his men, sensing certain defeat, burned everything that could be of value and that they could reach. The archives were burned first, largely in the hope of getting lost in the ensuing chaos and concealing their involvement in the rebellion. Not the duke himself or his close associates, but rather the minor figures, who, in the absence of evidence, could easily be overlooked and, once found, “not noticed.”

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 11:05

Rummaging through crumbling scrolls, ledgers, and simple letters, the earthling thanked all the Dead for the fact that their theurgical adverbs did not change over time, just like the universal language, which in ancient times was the universal theurgy of local history. A prayer to all the gods at once. That is why the linguistic drift over centuries, millennia, and entire eras was moderate. Reading all this was not so difficult; the handwriting of the authors of the records caused many more problems. Here, only about five people in the village know how to write well, and neat handwriting is considered a very difficult and rare skill, with an asterisk. More often than not, the same petty officials, who had no patrons and did not seek high positions, simply invested themselves in “Neat Handwriting,” one of the few weak talents available to the ungifted.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 11:39

The diver paid no attention to the sounds around him, did not move more than necessary, and did not even breathe, it seemed. The lights had long since dimmed, barely glowing in the semi-darkness, but with his eyesight, he could read even in the dark. Read, search, and compare, finally finding exactly what he had hoped to see. Nothing was found in the main ledgers devoted to weather anomalies. Just emptiness, as if the pages had been neatly torn out. This hinted at the answer because they tore out the records of one specific decade, and only in one region. So he rummaged through letters and personal messages, hoping to see what was missing.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 12:18

And he was right. Whoever cleaned out the ledger saw no reason to be overly secretive and didn't bother to cover up the smaller traces. And now, years and years later, Ilya could afford a wicked, triumphant smile that stretched the skin on someone else's face unpleasantly. He could smile, baring his even, healthy teeth, as he pored over the rather crumpled letter, most of the ink on which had completely faded. Without his keen Eye for detail, he would have struggled to restore this text, but he hadn't acquired this talent for nothing, had he?

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 13:22

\\...writes to His Excellency, humble... and expressing in every way immeasurable respect... the headman of the prospector's settlement of Rusty... the seventh day of the ten-day period... a wondrous marvel and a wondrous miracle... six men went to the fires... everyone heard the whisper inviting them into the snow... a common prayer and the drinking of wine blessed by the temple... lightning flashed like green... the steel in horseshoes and nails grew red-hot...

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 13:23

However, some characteristic moments are indicated here, even if he has to speculate about some of them himself. He really didn't want to rely on guesswork, even if his intuition, an attribute of the Veil and Mystery, persistently pushes him toward this guess. He wanted clear summaries, detailed calculations, and schematic reports, but the Broken World taught him well to bring his desires down to a common denominator. So, what else is there? Well, for example, this travel log of a merchant caravan carrying nothing more and nothing less than highly valuable iron ore, purchased in a dozen settlements in the region of interest to Ilya.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 18:06

\\...lost six, two at once, then... after... a lot of nonsense, drinking tonic instead of water... and along with the water... I close my eyes and... voices and... green in my pupils, but I used to have brown eyes... it weakens with distance... we didn't turn back... straight to Prorzhavy... they took it well... may the granaries not run dry...

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 18:07

The journal itself has also been cleaned up, but only the general and main part of it, while the entries concerning losses along the way, the very ones that are later presented to relatives with or without payment for the deceased, have not been checked through by anyone. This is where negligence comes in. It is not a matter of interrupting the reports of the village elders that the neighbor is a witch, and because of her witchcraft, no one has boner or has boner only for the witch herself. It would literally take a couple of pages to scribble in the same book, but no, it takes time to read everything that has been written. Or at least to perceive it with a special talent.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 18:11

He found another piece of evidence simply out of a desire to be a little more certain. He found another merchant in the records, but this one was a state merchant, operating under the Crown's coat of arms. Everything there had been completely whitewashed, as if nothing had happened during those months. They left the starting point and arrived at their destination, and between these two points, there was a month and a half of complete silence, not a single entry. However, in the invoices for spent consumables, amulets, and alchemical potions, something else was found.

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 18:12

\\...vials of pure emerald – wasted...

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:16

\\...two bottles of smoke of pleasure remained, rolled behind the wall, otherwise they would have been exhaled too... NO, INSTEAD OF HAPPY GRASS, THE GUYS' BRAINS WERE FLOWING INSTEAD OF TEARS...

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:16

\\...all the amulets based on the Big Gor's designs are dead, some have burned out, and need recharging and updating...

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:17

...or I'll quit and go to Gehenna, either to the southern borders or to the senior shit cleaner, I won't go into this icy whoredom again, Sir Vastelli...\\

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:18

Ilya smiles so broadly that the mask on his face begins to crack, and not just figuratively. It takes him two deep, meditative breaths with ragged, divided exhalations to calm down. Calm down and quietly, without saying goodbye to anyone, move towards the exit, trying to attract as little attention as possible, especially from those who might recognize his current mask. That is, again, everyone. Inside, everything was trembling with an impatient desire to act, to move from waiting mode to implementing the chosen strategy. And this even though Ilya himself did not know what his strategy was, there were too many variables of different kinds!

Camrad_RIP 17.12.25 в 19:06

Perhaps that was why he couldn't leave quietly. Although there was no more convenient route for him anyway. The meeting was inevitable. The same respectable-looking uncle who had been so kind to Tietz, promising him two assistants, emerged from another passageway like a jack-in-the-box. He emerged and then pointed an accusing finger at his subordinate, feigning indignation that the latter had dared not to appreciate someone else's kindness and had not only asked for help but also decided to take off while no one was looking. That's not how things are done, because this is the city archives, for fuck's sake, not wolf shit, you need to understand.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 06:57

“And if you, Tietz, try to disregard my favor once again, I personally promise to leave you and Marvits alone together, and you will receive no further assistance from me.” Judging by how angry this guy was at that moment, the threat was probably one that would have scared the original Tietz to wet his pants, but Ilya just looked again at the signatures of the strangers' hearts, making sure there were no unnecessary witnesses here. “What are you doing...?”

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 06:59

A burst of full speed, which, thanks to a bunch of synergistic elements and the absence of stabilizing talents, was comparable to that of the gifted ones who had developed closer to the end of the first stage. A burst, followed by a blow to the defense that flared up around the body of the unnamed man. Even two such defenses, or rather two and a half, one standard, from a simple amulet around his neck, and another half from a bracelet on his arm, which unsuccessfully attempted to slow down the kinetic momentum of his frozen body. The third defense was surprising in its unusualness, as well as its obvious expense and exoticism. The embroidery on the collar, the runic patterns woven into the fabric, burned out at once, trying to curse the evil-minded and reward the attacker with unbearable pain.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 10:20

They clearly ordered it from a very talented craftsman. From a ritualist, of course. That's their specialty. There are a number of talents for embroidery and a full-fledged advanced class of Taylor. Alas, he didn't even have to test his psyche with someone else's pain. To create such embroidery, one must ritually torture those who will give their agony to the attacker. The entire impulse of the ritual was consumed by natural protection from magic in general and curses in particular. The neck of the now deceased worker's patron cracked like a dry branch, and even an additional drink of life force did not help. The asshole's heart was overflowing with life; no wonder he seemed so young. It's not hard to guess where these two know each other from. Similar symptoms gave away the user of the same rejuvenating practices as Tiec himself, only more experienced.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 13:12

His body was limp, but his heart was beating rapidly, pumping life and blood, striving to trigger reactive regeneration of the damage. For the first time since the beginning of his career as a diver, Ilya sees an ungifted individual so charged with all kinds of mysticism. This is not a village admirer of the Miller, here you can clearly see years and years of practice, investments of other people's lives, his own money, and general connections. It's not a fact, by the way, that the freak won't come to his senses if he is simply left alone. More precisely, it is a fact that he won't, but only because of Ilya's caution, as he pushes the corpse back into the office with a slight movement.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 14:21

Inside, a visitor stands up, distinguished by the same arrangement of coats of arms on his clothing as the burgomaster's personal men, whom he killed not long ago. Not gifted, even to the extent that this boar can boast, he died even faster. One throw of the dagger, which pierced his eye cleanly, was enough. He was aiming for the throat, but the man successfully ducked, jerking away. Both bodies lay side by side, almost embracing each other. The dagger, snatched from the “patron's” belt, enchanted for sharpness and strength, as well as ceremonially expensive to the point of indecency, opened the regenerating throat, pierced the heart and liver, and then released the intestines.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 15:27

Overkill, yes. Even such misticism user would be enough just one thing, especially a heart, but here Ilya's reflexes kicked in. They drilled such patterns of behavior into him when eliminating regenerators or those blessed with life, almost with sticks. If in a virtual simulation, then literally with sticks, because there was no risk of injury, disability, or a lawsuit for the unlawful use of physical punishment against the applicant. It is also worth noting that the sensations from such kicks are not much different from the real thing, especially if the virtual simulation equipment is good. London Uni kept only the best, regularly updating it, of course.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 16:47

Tap.

Camrad_RIP 16.12.25 в 17:33

Wiping the blood from his hands with someone else's handkerchief and carefully examining the heart signatures, the earthling moved toward the exit again. He encountered no more corpses on his way. Escaping from the dusty and unpleasant confines of the archive, he quickly crossed to the neighboring street, stood near a street food vendor, checking to see if anyone was following him, mechanically grabbed a purchased flatbread wrapped around minced meat, not entirely rat meat, but partly goat meat, and then finally left the dangerous area of the city. He moved toward the place of further contact with Magnus and company, pushing through the intensifying storm.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 17:43

The storm arose again thanks to the efforts of their diving colleague, because he and Josek, who had not quite recovered from his beatings, had just damaged another part of the city's defensive perimeter. And if last time he and Justine had only quickly and carelessly damaged the defensive perimeter around the walls, now everything was much more fun. They had to destroy one of the three central obelisks that supported most of the city's pure and not-so-pure rituals. Those obelisks were so old that they were almost older than the city itself. In fact, they didn't destroy them, as they are multi-ton blocks imbued with magic, which even the second level cannot break immediately, and Magnus is not an Architect after all.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 18:26

No, the pair of “combat brothers,” Ilya understood the reference to one of the most reckless and hyped small communities of the earthly Forum and laughed, but Yozek was clearly perplexed, only removing the web of spells, rituals, and enchantments superimposed on those obelisks. But the losses were still bound to be colossal, no less than those from the destruction of the central altar and the wave of the Abyss across the entire neighborhood. Without the known keys to defense, which would allow them to approach without raising the alarm and without triggering any of the combat rituals, they would have died there. More precisely, without these keys and a complete dossier on all those who might be waiting for them there, they would not have ventured near the obelisk.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 18:56

Every self-respecting earthling diver, when assured in the style of “you are strong, you can do it,” should always respond with “I am smart, I will not take it on.” And if he does not do so, then he is shit, not a diver, because only a sound assessment of one's strengths and minimization of risks allows one to survive in the long run. Not everyone around us is like Simon White or Mesmericls, who get a kick out of tasks that are more difficult and impossible. Caution is not the lot of the brave, but at least of those who survive.

Camrad_RIP 21.12.25 в 18:58