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THE OUTLAND 91
I never found out the correct name of the boat - in response to my question, the translator gave out some kind of furious word - a nightmare of a xenologist. Tya… Tlalo… Lta… In short, let there be a trimaran. Floats, net, mast and rudder, nothing more."Are you going to hit me in the head again?" I grumbled as I climbed into the net. The interpreter translated my words to the captain, who burst into a satisfied laugh.- He says that if the master insists, then please. But the location of the temple island is no secret, people flock there from all over the archipelago.- But, perhaps, the Amri village is a secret? I can probably get from the temple to the village.“Master can try. - The interpreter translated. - Right now. Where is the village?The captain gestured with his hand to one endless water to the horizon. - The northern channel reaches the daytime crossing in the widest part, there are no landmarks if you do not know them. Is that the stars and the position of the sun. -
THE OUTLAND 92
The spider wants me to achieve the same result, but at the same time not lose the ability to think on the battlefield. I suppose I will need a thinker just for the correct counteraction to various magical and priestly attacks.- Sir, wake up. - The old man called, slowly knocking out the receiver. “Temple Island is already on the horizon.- I didn't sleep. I replied, pulling myself out of my thoughts with difficulty. Scenes from the prophecy revolved in my head, Sabaf and Okama, Thomas' stasis and Rick's slippery earth. The answer lay on the surface, but no matter how hard I struggled, I could not get it.He turned in the direction where the translator had waved his hand - from the sunny side, a temple island was approaching, as if cut in half by a huge sword. The side closest to us was a gentle rise, overgrown with grass and trees, here and there you could see small buildings of a clearly religious persuasion on man-made terraces. And on the far side, separated by an abyss, stretched
THE OUTLAND 93
Two hours later, I was sitting in the guest quarters, washed to a creak, dressed in a good outfit, obviously gathering dust in a chest for every fireman, well-fed and angry.Why are you angry? Yes, damn it, for a whole host of reasons! You can start, for example, with an old translator who burst into my room with happy tears in his eyes:- Master, master! News has arrived from the village! - The old man ran up to me and hugged me with an amazing hug for such years - my ribs almost cracked.- Well, great. Wonderful. And why do I need to know? I asked carefully, making sure that there was a heavy, immovable table between us.- Sir, news from the granddaughter! Today the spirits have named a new number of the tribe - my number.— Eh… What?- I will become a great-grandfather! The old man announced happily.- Congratulations! And ... - He does not want to say that that red-skinned beauty who visited me just before sailing ...- Thank you, Mr. I thought it would not work, the lord needs so
THE OUTLAND 94
- Not. Everywhere only scattered references.- Well. I suppose this is because the truth is not very convenient for either the old or the new gods. You see, the younger gods know the power of the nameless, it is not a myth for them, but a real threat - as it once was for the older ones. And we are talking not only about the divine couple, who were driven out of the occupied lands, but also the elder seven as a whole.- Nameless? What side is he here?- So that it is not a name or some kind of title. The nameless one may not be a person at all, that's why he is nameless. This is the answer of the world if something goes very wrong. For example, if one scoops too much from the Font or the power of a sleeping person, if the natural order of things is violated, the nameless one appears.- Wait. But at the moment when the first gods appeared, there was no nameless one!- Did not have. Only everyone is silent that not seven people came to the Kupel, but six. The Nameless One appeared the mo
THE OUTLAND 95
Perhaps one of the nicest things about religion, from my point of view, is that going from a devout believer to an atheist is actually a breeze. It is enough just to stand before your god. When you know that the object of your prayers does not sit somewhere in the heights, controlling the fate of the whole world, but rather sits on the edge of the fountain and, waving his arms, arguing about something with another god, you involuntarily stop believing. For how to believe in something about the existence of which you know absolutely exactly, saw it with your own eyes, and so on.Complex issue. But it seems that the same Spider Astrix did not care about worship at all, he turned out to have other goals, other values. Ware, even before his sleep, preferred to raise children in a house on an island, and not pretend to be an evil uncle on a cloud. Yes, they should be like that, if you approach the issue with the utmost honesty. Thoroughly mundane, solid, once people, and now they have beco
THE OUTLAND 96
— And die at every meeting with Thomas and other avatars. Ware interrupted.- Why would you?“You spoke so confidently about your plans that for a second I even believed that you were fully aware of the consequences, ready to constantly run and hide.- Who are you hiding from? Why would?"The spider didn't tell you?"Astrix chuckled.“He’s been hinted at so many times today… I’m afraid if he doesn’t guess everything himself, I’ll be very disappointed in him.”Me too, my enemy.Both gods gave me a sympathetic look, and I felt like an idiot. Once again, it's time to start getting used to it.Yes, of course! Enemy! Okay, I'm sorry that I was a little tired, upset, plus I was shocked by the old man's statement that the Amri village would soon be replenished, and I was involved in this.But now it's time to start thinking! A blind priest, acolytes, in the end, Warcraft himself… They all knew, they saw the mark of the Enemy on me — another god, despite the fact that I didn’t praise Astrix a
THE OUTLAND 97
The old priest, beside himself with happiness, unmistakably found my shoulder and laid his withered palm:- My boy. My boy…” he repeated, looking past me and smiling. “I’ve been going to this for so long, I’ve been waiting for so long ... Will I really be present at the awakening of Warcraft!”“Well, well, father,” I embarrassedly looked away, although it was clear that there was no eye contact at all, “I came here for this, remember? “Yes, but the act of awakening is an act of good will. You yourself must call God to our world, home, no one has the right to force you. And you may not want to.— Yes, I understood everything.“Come, I will take you to your chambers so that you clear your thoughts and leave a letter to the executor.” - The old man let go of my shoulder and, turning around, trotted to the corridor leading to the guest wing.- Soul ... What?“Of course, there are far fewer servants of the couple now than fifty years ago, and we will not be able to hold a holiday worthy o
THE OUTLAND 98
"Rob, don't sleep! Now is your way out!"“The Stranger calls for Warcraft, we call for Warcraft!” The amazingly strong and clear voice of the blind priest easily interrupted both the muttering of the novices and even the hum of the wormhole. - Wake up!— The Stranger is calling. The hall immediately became crowded from the feeling of some irresistible force, similar to the one that crushed me to the ground under the gaze of the bone dragon. Psychic attack? - Wake up. I muttered.We are a slave, we have no name. We have always waited for the return of the one who will give us strength and purpose, arm us with knowledge and lead us forward, burn cities and build our temples on their ruins. We are a slave, we have no history.Somewhere I have already heard this."Rob, then everything is behind you," whispered in consciousness again."Vessel of the Void and Unbreakable Bonds. Did you know from the beginning?!""Of course I did, you bastard! Do you think you just got those abilities just