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THE OUTLAND 61
Usually the path to the scaffold is long and thorny. You have to ruin too many people's lives, break too many laws. But here, in this rough, primitive world, everything is much simpler - one unfounded accusation, one unoccupied inquisitor, ready to interrogate an innocent one for the sake of statistics ... The cane system in all its glory.How was it in our humane and merciful history? Fortunately, the Inquisition did not get to Mother Russia, although there were enough masters of shoulder cases here. But, I remember, innocence was determined by sewing a person into a bag and throwing him into the water; if he swims out, he is guilty and is obliged to be betrayed by the purifying flame, if he drowns, then he is not guilty. The logic is amazing. "Hey, what are you going to do to me?" I asked an elderly sword-wielding swordsman I already knew.- Shut up, sorcerer. "He didn't turn to me," he muttered. “If I had my way, I would shred you into cabbages on the spot. But the Great Church is
THE OUTLAND 62
And only in my head was: “Bastards! Creatures. Reptiles." In the rhythm of stopped breathing, in time with the crossbar creaking under the blows of the wind above your head ...“So the sorcerer doesn’t want to repent. Well, then, of course, you will not see any merciful death. Master Rick, go ahead. - Augusto snapped his fingers, and the chain slipped from my feet, pulled into the ground, leaving no trace.“And they want to hang me for something like that,” I smiled bitterly. - Hypocrites. Maybe go to church?- Now. Hey, somebody bring the box. The paladin commanded. He went behind me, slightly loosened the rope that was tightening my wrists between the shoulder blades and, after unwinding a few turns, threw a free piece of barbed rope around my neck.Right hand to left...- Hey, don't sleep! Another blow from my gauntlet fist knocked my focus away. “You must be conscious when you die, otherwise…”Otherwise, I will not scream, I will not break down and I will not fall into hysterics,
THE OUTLAND 63
Something crunched in my side from the blow, the water burned with cold, clogged my nose and ears, but now I was glad about that too. Pain means you're still alive. It means that it did not end ingloriously under the lustful glances of the hooting crowd up there. It's just that one more item has been added to my list of quests issued to myself, a few more names have appeared.Master Rick, brother Augusto. One day I will come for you.I went like a stone to the bottom, writhing and unraveling the rope pulling my arms back. The impact on the water knocked the air out of my lungs, but my legitimate two minutes still remained. You just need to hurry before the hemp gets wet, making the knots unravelable. The counterweight wheel flew past me, slowly turning, silently hit the stones at the bottom and froze, gleaming in the rays of the sun breaking through the water column.I need you, my dear. My talisman of salvation - first from death on the gallows, then from drowning. Pushing off with
THE OUTLAND 64
- Froze, gas to the ring! - Accepted.— Antaeus, did you change weapons?- Yes, I found some fart. Antaeus lightly waved the rifle complex. - Cover Faye. Fey, to the elevator.- There is! - The fighters barked and, half-bending behind the armored boxes, they ran to the far wall of the hall.Bad restrictions, invented by who knows who and why, finally fell - all other things being equal, my motley, diverse company was still much better equipped and learned. In any case, it never occurred to anyone to stand at full height or lean out from behind cover without first securing a grenade or distracting fire from the flanks. The fighters of the Conquista outnumbered us, but under such conditions, the victory of the national team became only a matter of time.So in the end it happened - the barking shots of antediluvian gunpowder weapons fell silent, the oppressive impression of someone else's presence disappeared ... The elevator doors slammed shut, and Fey ascended fifty meters up - to th
THE OUTLAND 65
Antey is a psycho, that's for sure. No, I certainly could not make such a decision with a tip - and he was waiting for my answer here and now. And this is when I don’t know more than half of the team by name!“I need time to think. I shook my head. “Of course, we are all here like to stick our heads in the devil’s mouth, but ten of us against the whole planet ...- Don't think too long. Antaeus grinned as he finished his beer in one gulp. “Conquista will start counting casualties and sites, and with the KSC, it’s a matter of several hours to understand that it was not possible to take the Far Search base.“Okay, I understand you.Save the game. Go out. Unlike Tlally, where time doesn't care about you, Far Search could still be paused, figured out what was what. It definitely shouldn't have been hot. What was to be done was to visit my wet magician under the bridge. Moreover, the units on the clock have changed to zero, the time of the game session in the CV should already be reset. Ho
THE OUTLAND 66
Soon the familiar crossroads leading to the summer residence appeared. Farther. In principle, if you continue in the same spirit, this trip can become quite safe. No. Pah-pah-pah, so as not to jinx it. It's better to increase my vigilance too and pray that the session does not expire until I get to the right point.Here to the right.I started getting to know the area. About a week ago, a corpse truck was supposed to pass here, carrying an unlucky miner hitman. Hmmm, it's funny to even hear that. But let's hope that the corpse was not eaten by scavengers, not dragged away into the forest by some predators, and so on. Because if it turns out that someone carnivorous is grazing there, I’m in big trouble, because I still haven’t raised a single level, I haven’t armed myself with anything, and of all my abilities, I’ve only had a distraction that didn’t work twice. Not a magician, but a laughing stock.Here again to the right.The night forest was filled with sounds, smells and sensations
THE OUTLAND 67
No, most definitely, this place was not at all reserved exclusively for my deceased miner as a last resort. Take, for example, the sweetish smell of decomposition that reigns over the clearing - even in the darkness of the night it became obvious that ... ahem ... Thomas had enough waste, and for some reason the Great Church did not consider it necessary to start a separate cemetery for storing victims. Fools. I don’t think that Thomas and his comrades were completely stupid and uneducated - in the end, anyone would not be trusted with the title of the first governor of Khaang on earth. I should, in theory, understand that the restless ghoul has an unpleasant habit of rising and roaming around until the paladins take it away, or stick to some cemetery under the command of a lich. And from here, it seems, all such restless livestock had already dispersed - the clearing breathed dead peace. But, you know, you yourself know who takes care of someone who is safe. Just in case, breaking
THE OUTLAND 68
Yes, don't panic! This is simply the next step in the evolution of the most ordinary skeleton. Okay, two skeletons at once. The mace did very well with them, but where is that mace now? And my class, to put it mildly, is not hand-to-hand at all! Again, negative thinking. Once again - I'm not unarmed, I can fight back if I follow her movements. And if I break at least one paw, I can run away! Hounds, though undead, are extremely slow to regenerate limbs.But the lich... The hound is always a faithful companion of the dead man who raised it. If I hear any creepy sounds like laughter or whispers, I spit on the hound and its attacks, and immediately rush into the forest! Lich is almost impossible to deal with.Another jump, another roll to the side. The hound grinned mockingly and trotted to the side, trying to outflank me. Attacked the wrong one! Another leap and I simply stepped aside, slamming the stick into the creature's backbone. There was a characteristic crunch, the creature lost