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THE OUTLAND 69
Just a boy of about thirteen in a once white, but now rather gray shirt smeared with grass juice and knee-length short pants, barefoot, disheveled. In his hands is about the same stick as the one that the hound had just gnawed. What is he doing here? To the nearest village stomp and stomp.- Guy, leave immediately, it's dangerous here!I wanted to say this, I even opened my mouth, but what happened next happened too quickly - he somehow instantly appeared next to me, hit the staff with a force with a stick, knocking it out of my hands. He buzzed somehow offended, flew to the ground, and I fell to the ground, feeling that for some reason there was absolutely no strength left."Attention, severe blood loss detected! You should get enough sleep and food! Attention, necrotic infection detected! You should see a doctor or get enough sleep!"Thanks, very timely.- Wait here! - The boy shouted and rushed out of sight to the hound, with the same crazy speed, turning into a blur during the mov
THE OUTLAND 70
“It's just,” I began, choosing my words carefully, “I've only seen this before with fighters in a special condition.Combat trance. Or frenzy, if you like.- I'm not a fighter. The boy looked away. - I'm just good at something. Can you get out on the road on your own? I would like to get here. - To the road?No. The victory over the hound, the return of the decoration - all this does not cancel the fact of the hunt for me. And in my current state, I suppose even a lame chicken will defeat me. - Clear. Well, what should I do with you? You can’t leave here, you yourself will definitely die ...The guy was thinking, and out of the corner of my eye I caught some movement in the seemingly disordered dump of bones. Where a dozen skeletons lay, something moved, forcing them to turn, to line up in some common figure.- What is it? I interrupted, pointing impolitely at the skeletons.- It? That's what you did, motherfucker!— Yes, what have I done?Yes, cleaning is cancelled. — The boy hurri
THE OUTLAND 71
- Well, sorcerer, how do you like my home? - Zhdan with a satisfied look looked around the only whole room left in the place of the ruins. Well, as a whole - relatively, of course. All four walls are in place, and as a roof, he dragged spruce branches, which protect well both from rain and from possible frosts. Otherwise, it was really quite comfortable here - a cleanly scraped table, littered with scrolls, the floor was covered with rugs, even glass remained in the window, and in the corner there was a kind of fireplace with a chimney leading to the roof. Well settled, nothing to say.- I like. – I answered without trembling. “But tell me, please, why did you bring me here?” “What, should I have left you to be eaten by a knuckle?” The guy winked. "Or let the staff eat you?"- Of course not. By the way, I never thanked you for...- Oh, it's empty. He waved it off. “I couldn’t leave a man in trouble. Somehow this is not good. But honesty for honesty. Come on, you first tell me how you
THE OUTLAND 72
“Dar… No, not like that. The spider gives not some kind of speed, but a whole doctrine about what is happening in your body, how to control it, and how to use not only your own or divine powers, but also ... - Zhdan cut himself off and looked suspiciously in my direction. “So are you, sorcerer—I don’t feel Warkart’s emanations from you. Why do you need his trifle? Are you looking for Okama's invulnerability? His powers? You know everything has a price, and if you don't pray to Warcarth, the price will be even higher for you.- I thought about it. I confessed. “Just when the hound attacked me. All artifacts obviously draw from somewhere ... let's call it a working resource. That is, they, in essence, represent a kind of magical mechanism with an energy source located ... Here I got stuck, and then a hound attacked me. - Clear. Well, sorcerer, congratulations - you have reached a level of your mind inaccessible to khaang hangers-on. Almost understood how their jewelry works. Nearly.-
THE OUTLAND 73
Yeah.I clearly imagined with what expression the last priest of the Spider would meet me - it must be understood, far from being a herbivore - and with a sigh I abandoned this idea. And what can I find here? Christmas tree birches still at the very least resemble the earthly ones familiar to me, like those that have sprouted through the asphalt in sleeping areas, but what about the berries? What can I find with my no level of herbalism? Now, when I pick up a full handful of some raven's eye or a wolf's bast, then my savior will rejoice."Why did I even agree to this stupid hunt? Isn't Zhdan, as a hospitable host, not obliged to greet the guest, set the table, feed and drink ..."The forest will answer me with another contemptuous chuckle. No, this is where you have to think. Understand causes, effects and logical chains. First, the food I'm getting is unlikely to be marbled beef or shrimp rolls. Most likely, I will not find anything but vipers and rats here. But if Zhdan offered me
THE OUTLAND 74
- Not hazing, but discipline. - Zhdan said instructively. - Look to your right - there should be a salt shaker on the table.“Yes, you have everything here, as far as I can see. Where does the recluse have such wealth?- From corpses. Zhdan answered shortly. Salt, money, weapons."But don't you want to go public?"- Why?- Well I do not know. Find new followers, for example. Expand the teachings of the Spider.- I do not want. I myself will definitely not die until this new trash is overturned into the ocean, I will be able to fight back. And as you can see, the novice was sent to me by the Spider himself when he considered that there was a need for this.“So the Spider sent me.- Exactly.Oh, and a sly look! No, Zhdan looked like anything - mischievous, funny, relaxed - but not like a religious fanatic.Do you believe in Spider yourself?- And what to believe in him? He visits every day. When the red stone was brought to the clearing, he warned that the undead would try to take it fo
THE OUTLAND 75
Returning to the game the next day, I hardly kept a strong word and froze - it turned out that I was standing in the water, and at my feet teeming with vipers. "So I played it," I thought. "Thank you all, let's start over."Or not? There was something strange in everything that was happening - the snakes purposefully crawled, but did not hiss and did not show other signs of aggression. It was like they didn't notice me. And why?I raised my translucent hands to my face - the right one, wrapped in some kind of rag, and the left one, which, it seems, is needed by someone just like that, wounded. Someone - I mean, it's me. Well, the me that stayed in the game while the other me went offline and waited for the session to reset. Very confusing, right? One way or another, even in this absence of mine, the thaumaturge did not sit idly by — the skill of averting eyes rose to five units, boiling blood to three, but the mask remained as it was zero. It looks like the mage only used the skills
THE OUTLAND 76
So I made a contribution, first in the guildmaster's office, and a little later - in the already familiar trap room. And here I am again in a bare room, the only decoration of which was a fresco with Okama, cheerfully brandishing a club.“Hello, hello, dear visitor. - Rolled out to meet Uncle Kornus. - How can I and my library be useful?“The story of the Nameless One, the prophecies of his return, the Church of the Spider.- Wow! Kornus admired. “Outside of this stronghold, you would no doubt be burned at the stake just asking about such books. But luckily we can help you.— Historical section.Have you been to our library before? Kornus was surprised. But I don't remember you! And, believe me, I certainly would not forget the person of your ... complexion.- Long story. - I waved it off.- Well, that's good. The director looked at me strangely. I will send a librarian to you, wait.It evaporated, and I turned to the Yum Nak mural. Okama's eye was already glowing red, which meant he