Страж Империи / Guardian of the Empire: 1

Chapter 1
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Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 18:22

"All in all, you were lucky, Tier Steini, simply lucky," Tier Svots concluded. "Garot is a master of his dirty craft and has never made such mistakes before." Un-Tarch paused for a moment, apparently remembering something, and then continued: "Although if you think about it, the list of his victims consists mainly of people, let's say, incapable of putting up serious resistance: merchants and businessmen of all stripes. That's probably where he got himself into trouble, overestimating his capabilities."

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 18:30

"Yeah, he doesn't look like a real professional," I agreed, recalling the details of the nighttime fight with this half-baked killer. "He's not very good with a knife... And anyway... You could say he only gets by on speed."

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:16

“Before, he relied more on his other talent – ​​his ability to enter his victim’s house completely unnoticed,” the Un-Tarkh noted and suggested: “But here, it seems, he was too hasty, miscalculated something… He alarmed you prematurely and allowed you to meet him fully armed.”

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:17

"Yes, it's probably all because of the rush," I agreed, feigning a thoughtful expression. I omitted to mention that the assassin hadn't made a single mistake. And if the watchful imp hadn't woken me up... I most likely would have woken up with my throat slit from ear to ear.

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:17

"You got lucky..." repeated Tier Svots, casting a thoughtful glance at me. "Someone was very lucky that our smugglers got nervous and acted stupid in their haste. If only they'd thought it through and found people more serious than Garoth... We have craftsmen no worse than those in the capital... That would have been a disaster for you, Tier Steini." And he asked sternly: "And why all this?"

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:18

"Because I didn't report my investigation to you... After all, no one would have needed to eliminate me if I weren't the only person who knew all the details of this case..." I drawled dejectedly, having long ago memorized what the Un-Tarkh wanted to explain to me. Our conversation had returned to the same topic for the tenth time. It was as if the head of the Ostmor branch of the Security Service was trying to instill in me a conditioned reflex: to report to him every single thing I might even think of doing.

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:20

"Exactly!" the Un-Tarkh nodded approvingly, reassured by my compliance.

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:20

I sighed and cast a distasteful glance at the imp sprawled on the table. He immediately turned his snout away and spread his paws, as if to say, //"What?!"

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:21

Although it was precisely because of this scoundrel that I was almost killed by a hired killer... And yet, just three months ago, when I arrived at the separate Ostmor customs post, nothing foreshadowed such troubles...

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:22

//"So, did you make a quick buck? Eh, smuggler-catching specialist?" I couldn't resist a venomous jab.

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:23

//“And I'm to blame for the fact that your smugglers are such idiots?! They have no idea how these things are done, but they all rush in there anyway!” the demon snorted indignantly. “It's a sacred duty to share your income with the customs officers!”

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:23

I sighed again. It was my own fault, too. I should have taken this matter more seriously, not just seen it as a way to relieve boredom. And I shouldn't have doubted that the demon knew smugglers better than me... Now I'd lost a bet on him... Although... What choice did I have? When that wildly seductive bitch Caitlin keeps appearing everywhere...

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:24

Oh, I remember...

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:24

* * *

Camrad_RIP 21.10.25 в 19:22

Back then, on that ill-fated day, I immediately believed As-Tarkh Bachur that there were no smugglers at the separate Ostmor customs post. Although absolutely everything pointed to the fact that my appointment here was a sophisticated act of revenge on the part of the Secret Service leadership, and that I had simply been exiled to these backwaters. And it wasn't just me — everyone seemed to think so: the openly smirking un-tarkh Svots, and the Ostmor guards, who were told about the important task I had been sent here to perform. It was fortunate that at that moment I had no way of reaching Grass-Tarkh Luarier with a weapon in my hands. Otherwise, I would have been executed for the murder of a high-ranking imperial official. And one committed with particular cruelty at that.

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:17

I was so angry and indignant back then... It's impossible to describe. My former boss immediately stepped aside, and I had to take care of customs matters right away. Standing on the pier, by the silver arch covered in scarlet runes, I just gritted my teeth, looking at the endless stream of dirty, foul-smelling creatures called sheep. I wanted so badly to kill someone...

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:20

But by the time the heavy ferry had unloaded, I had calmed down a little. And the guards who had been standing nearby had stopped quietly mocking me and smirking. They must have gotten tired of it. Their foreman, after discussing something with the sergeant behind my back, came up and asked:

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:20

"So, Tier Steini, you will also be one of the guards?"

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:23

"Uh-huh," I confirmed. I pulled a couple of my badges out from behind my jacket collar for all to see. Then I extended my hand to the East Sea guard and introduced myself properly: "Senior Foreman Karridan Steini."

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:25

"Gothard Delaney, foreman," the head of the unit manning the customs post shook my hand. He narrowed his eyes slyly. "So what brought you here, brother?"

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:25

"For services to the Empire," I grumbled, barely restraining myself from swearing at the head of the First Department of the Secret Service. I explained to the now-elderly guard with a bushy mustache and a whitish mark from an old burn on his right cheek: "I recently proved myself in a high-profile smuggling case."

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:29

"So you weren't sent here for some misdeed?" The Ostmor foreman stared at me in amazement. "But if so, then why? You couldn't find smugglers here even with a lantern! They wouldn't be fools to try to sneak something illegal under the Arch!"

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:15

"The bosses know best," I diplomatically evaded the question, unwilling to admit that this appointment was truly exile for misconduct. Better to let my subordinates think what they want than openly smirk behind my back. Why should I ruin my mood for the next six months?

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:16

"No, wait," Gothard shook his head vigorously. "Wait. We need to sort this all out..." He frowned at me. "So what does that mean? They sent you here to check on us? To see if we're doing our job properly here, and then report back?"

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:19

"No, nothing of the sort, I'm not tasked with checking you out," I reassured the foreman. But I still kept quiet about the real reasons for my presence here.

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:32

"Then why the hell did they send you here?" Gothard glared at me incredulously. "It's not like for catching smugglers, after all!"

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:36

"Why not?" I played along with my interlocutor. "I was given explicit orders to stop the smuggling of goods through this post. Which means the authorities have reason to believe there are problems with the legality of goods being transported across the border here..."

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:38

"Oh, come on, that's nonsense!" The foreman waved it off and pointed to the fenced-in pier, which could only be reached by passing under a tall silver arch. "Look for yourself - it's impossible to sneak anything past the Stiarch here without being noticed!"

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:39

"Well, I don't know..." I assumed a thoughtful look. "But somehow they manage to smuggle contraband..."

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:41

The foreman spat in frustration and was about to offer a few more compelling arguments to prove my assumptions wrong, but then the stream of sheep disembarking from the ferry dried up. And then the owners of this flock appeared – dusty and sunburned steppe dwellers, almost black. And all of them, one after the other, were short and skinny. And their horses were the same – small and unimpressive. No match for our horses.

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 18:51

Ignoring me, an elderly steppe dweller stepped forward, dressed quite decently compared to the other drovers. He turned his head, surveying the delegation greeting him, and then, somewhat bewildered, addressed the Ess-Tarkh:

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 19:31

"Tier Bachour?"

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:31

"That's it, I'm done,“ he said with a smile, raising his hands and nodding toward me. ”Now you can talk to Mr. Steini."

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 19:32

"Oh, that's too bad..." The cattle breeder was genuinely upset. "Why are you leaving? You're leaving such a good place... Everyone here envies you - you sit around doing nothing and get paid good money..."

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 07:21

"If you had to sit here for a couple of years without leaving, I would see whether that money would make you happy or not," the Ess-Tarkh said angrily.

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 07:19

But the elderly steppe dweller had already lost interest in the former customs post chief and did not answer him. He began to look at me closely, and then, having decided something for himself, said:

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 19:33

"Write down a thousand and four hundred sheep for me. I'll pay the tax."

Camrad_RIP 27.10.25 в 19:33

"Gotthard, who's supposed to count the sheep?" I suddenly realized, looking around at the constantly moving mass of sheep.

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:31

"Why bother counting them?" he widened his eyes. "They told you - one thousand four hundred heads! Write it down like that."

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:32

“And what if…” I hesitated and glanced sideways at the steppe dweller.

Camrad_RIP 22.10.25 в 14:32

"And even if that's the case, it's no big deal," the foreman correctly understood the reason for my hesitation. "So the treasury might miss out on a couple of coppers in customs duties, but that's nothing. Counting these animals correctly is a real problem. Now, in the summer, it's not so bad, they're driving the sheep a little, but what happens here in the fall... Anyway, the treasury decided it's easier to give the herders a little indulgence than to send good accountants and organize accurate accounting here. So don't worry - everything's fine. The steppe dwellers - they know what they're doing too; they won't cheat by more than a dozen or so animals."

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 12:51

“Well, okay, if that’s the case, then that’s the case,” I sighed and looked at Un-Tarkh Svots, who confirmed with a nod the veracity of the foreman’s words.

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 12:53

"All paperwork is certified in the office," clerk Netvor immediately interjected. "Come on, Mr. Steini, I'll show you what to fill out and how."

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 12:54

“Yes, let’s go,” I agreed, beckoning the steppe dweller to follow me.

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 12:54

"Steini, once you've sorted this out, come to the tavern," the foreman said after me. "Let's talk..."

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 12:55

“Okay,” I answered as I walked.

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 12:55

"I think I'll go pack my things," Ess-Tarkh Bachur informed us, rubbing his hands excitedly, seeing that we didn't need his presence. He practically ran to gather his belongings.

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 12:58

We leisurely entered the customs building, and the clerk immediately began teaching me how to fill out the necessary documents correctly. Settling down on a chair near the desk, Tier Netvor began pointing at the papers and explaining:

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 13:21

"Take this declaration from the stack, check its number... it should be in order... write down the name..." Pausing, he looked questioningly at the cattle breeder.

Camrad_RIP 28.10.25 в 13:25