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THE OUTLAND 151
It's all about the rough stone sculptures carved by an unknown master, facing the sea - heartless time has hewn the stones so well that it is already impossible to make out who is carved - men, women, gods - and yet the petroglyphs deeply carved on the soles of abstract figures remained readable .“Okama ordered to pay the road,” I read without surprise. “He ordered to collect taxes from the people in money and iron ingots, and took every tenth from the lands in order to make an incomparable warrior. Brotherly blood was shed here for the first time, and only the most faithful, we're going west!"- Smells like Ware. the girl muttered, looking warily at the shapeless stone figure. "The elemental isn't here?"- Not.- Good. She unfolded the map, traced a new route with her fingernail. “We can’t get to the mesa from here, but if we go along the coast, we can get to the ridge and the pass.- No supplies.We only need two days. she cut. “I don't intend to live here for six months.Without a
THE OUTLAND 152
No, I'm not against smiles, especially when performed by a beautiful girl, but ... It's somehow strange to smile like that out of the blue. Unusual, unusual. We don’t have the mentality to smile with or without it, it’s immediately clear that “Alien War” was still made by foreigners - if the development had remained in Edik’s hands, and the heroes wouldn’t have thrown positive emotions like fish eggs, they would have stood with complex, harsh persons. And all in essence. Unsociable, unfriendly, gloomy Russians, yes."You don't like that I smile?" - The girl immediately extinguished her smile, turned away to the sea.- I like it, but ... You know, everything that I have ever read or watched teaches me that only the closest and dearest person can smile like that. Understand?“But you are my closest and dearest person. Agnis frowned in confusion. “Father was tried and hanged for what he did to Chief Dex, you left the village and disappeared without a trace. And I don't know anyone else.
THE OUTLAND 153
“Nothing,” I thought encouragingly, “you'll get used to it.Finally, she controlled herself, calmed down, the monologue ended - and a plastic tape slowly crawled out of the printer against the wall with a report on the project she had just been working on. She finally opened her eyes.- Good morning. I winked, meeting her gaze. - Today is a particularly interesting world?- Well no. She was embarrassed, blushed again, but desperately looked straight ahead. - Just a world in which everything works on the technologies of variability. Quantum-punk, as the inhabitants themselves call it.- But…- You're right. She faked a smile. - The development was carried out by a company that previously produced only virtual brothels, so there is too much ... specific.“So we don’t let you?”- Of course we won't! - She blushed even more, as only redheads can, and I did not ask again what it was connected with. - Such games are prohibited!She probably happened to be in a couple of, as she put it, "spe
THE OUTLAND 154
I glanced at the timer - according to his testimony, I had been working here for two and a half hours, although subjectively, of course, it seemed much more. But nothing, now there is no hurry, now we ... Ignoring the scattering of lines and commas, I leaned my shoulder on the boulder that I liked, braced my legs, sat down - and gritting my teeth from the weight, I pushed with all my might. One time, two, three. He was not here, he could not gain a foothold on something, shake it, shake it.- And - time! And - two! Startled, the boulder swayed. - And three!Yielding to my efforts, the stone nevertheless started to move, fell forward. I barely managed to get out from under the falling debris - and right there behind me, with a barely audible sigh, the ceiling settled.— Yes to you! I spat. “Damn builders, couldn’t they have done it right?!A pile of dirt, sand and clay looked mockingly at me, as if these two and a half hours of work had never happened! Just in case, I even looked close
THE OUTLAND 155
Another jump. Four meters down, six more left. With a running start, it was probably possible to fly over - but not balancing on one leg with a heavy brick on the backs. So turn for three hours - there the bot found another cobblestone with the sun half-hidden by yellowed grass.Turning at ten o'clock - three stones in a row, located so close that you can just go from one to another."Ooda retya," the elemental underfoot worried.— Ik. I answered him sternly.Two more meters down. There are four left. And the planner showed that somehow I would have to flap my wings and fly three meters forward! Oh well. It is clear that they were made for people. Although…"Level…"Shut up.Trying on by eye, I pushed the brick up and forward away from me with all my might. The heavy stone did not fly far - a meter and a half and landed on the surface of the earth with a frightening roar.— Ik.Taking a wider step, I stepped onto the island that appeared, from there to the last stone, and a moment lat
THE OUTLAND 156
In general, I was not even surprised when the feeder spat out a new headline from admirers of the avatar of humanity. Another god from the Younger Pantheon has died. Chandr, under whose wing they gathered the bulk of new players - southern latitudes, mild climate, not the most biting monsters. Well, who did he hurt? What mighty creature mowed down the entire pantheon? - the topikstarter asked with woeful bewilderment, and in the comments, of course, trolls of all stripes frolicked.The second most popular news unexpectedly turned out to be a debriefing with a deliberately spoiler name: "Chaos Academy raid wipe", in which a brave seven daredevils with blue-white-blue coats of arms and one rich "car" advanced against a strong raid boss, but slightly overestimated their own capabilities . Experienced fighters, all with the prestige classes of breters and nobles, none below the fiftieth level, have been swinging and collecting things with maximum characteristics for the whole month accord
THE OUTLAND 157
The fel knights themselves looked as if the weapon could not harm them at all - but one of them hesitated, and was immediately cut to the waist by a giant rusty two-handed weapon along with armor ... And then he got up - the wound healed, first on the body, and a moment later and on a cuirass!- Here you have to tinker. I grumbled, wondering where to start.Probably from skeletons. Of course, they can then try to get up, but with broken bones, there is little danger from them. Then the hounds, and after them we will deal with the Filth. Don't care about zombies.- You won't have to! Removing the familiar vial from her belt, the girl swung it hard and threw it into the thick of the battle.Inaudibly behind the noise of the battle, glass crunched - it seems that none of the combatants noticed this - and immediately the girl was nearby, hugged her shoulders, pulled down.- Lie down!And then it SHUTTER!A huge tongue of flame struck first at the level of heads, blooming like a flower, an
THE OUTLAND 158
And I wouldn't leave it, but, I'm afraid, even with the slander of a Chernobog, I won't be able to get anything vital from this colossus. Just because he doesn't have anything vital, damn it! Well, I will cut off his back and arms, mark him - for a long time I won’t roll like that! A tired warrior will definitely make a mistake that will cost him his health and life, and for several minutes now we have been swinging weapons at speeds exceeding all human capabilities.Kick, roll, kick, dodge. Corrida against a metal bull. Slipping, hitting, another scratch on the giant's shoulder. Torro, torro!The beak got stuck in the bronze and hung, and I flew back, receiving a crushing punch to the face.“Fight,” boomed the bronze.Fight. How? How? Fists? Or, it is ridiculous to say, a club? What can she do against metal?I rolled across the floor, dodging a heavy foot descending, jumped up, out of hopelessness, grabbed a club, glowing no worse than the crystals with the essences of the younger pa