-Tale- Volume 3 (Gothic 2)
The sequel will be in the third volume of the :)Links to previous volumes:
-The story
-The Tale- Volume 2
No matter how many stories and stories I read on games... I've never seen anything like it. Usually just stupidly retell what the hero did and dialogues him with other characters. And if the game has passed it is not inert. BUT HERE... read without coming off, though Gothic 2 passed more than once. Sometimes it even became a shame for the fact that I did not find once in the game such plot twists. It is very interesting to know what happened to the hero next... I'm waiting for the sequel.
I want to read the book in print.))
It's time to make a movie! It's a chess.
Nervously scratching his cheek, the hero went to the edge of the bridge and looked down hesitantly. You couldn't see the water. A thick layer of thick fog concealed the bottom of the abyss under it, which made it even more unpleasant. Bubbly and heaving, this fog looked more like steam from boiled water in a pot, than an innocent creature of nature. It's a terrible picture. Especially when you consider that the hero was going to jump into this boiling substance. He stood at the very edge of the monastery bridge in one linen shirt and t deteriorates, holding a belt with weapons and runes, and looked down with such an expression on his face, as if it were today's suicide act.
"You're crazy," Milten said in an unflappable voice, "Innos must have been high when he appointed you to the Chosen Ones."
"Lord, Milten, you're a magician."
"Innos will forgive me when he finds out how his so-called Chosen One died"
"Thoughts are more positive. If that bastard jumped, then I can."
"Come to your senses. This bastard was also a part-time bastard. Although... You're not far from him... Yes you are right. Jump in."
The hero looked at the friend with irony, then fumbled closer to the edge and looked down again with a grain of salt.
"We'd catch up with the others while you're thinking. I decided to jump like that."
Having depicted on his face some semblance of confidence, the hero again turned to Milten. "You follow the others. Meet... I don't know where we'll meet, but I hope it happens."
"Do you want to push?"
"Yes! Just don't... а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а!!!!» ***
All the time before the reception in the town hall the hero spent in the tabrene Of Koragon. It was the only quiet place in town. There were almost no visitors, except for the two drunks sleeping in their plates, who were absolutely us. Koragon, infectiously yawning, monotonously scraped someone's vomit from the table, and the hero, taking the darkest corner, sipped a beer. For some incomprehensible reason, the owner of the tavern once again watered and fed the hero on credit and for all this time has never demanded payment from him.
Something unimaginable was happening on the street at that time. Enraged by the audacious murder of the townspeople were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Particularly daring aimlessly rushed through the streets, covering with a good mat militia, paladins and personally Lord Andre and Hagen, others in a hurry packed chests and bags, not fully understanding where they actually run. Several dozen residents walked through the shopping area and, hesitantly trampled at the barracks, ran away in horror, noticing the patrol coming out of the corner. As for the upper city, lothar's murder was much more so. What they are afraid of when the protection of this part of the city was engaged in royal troops, and by the side was the most guarded personality of the city. It is not known how Lord Hagen treated what happened in Horinis. But the day after the murder from the port quarter rumors spread that all night there was a punitive detachment of paladins, cutting all indiscriminately. Hagen could not be away from all that was happening, because it was believed that the whole city, not only the upper part of it, is under his protection. On the other hand, the measures to eradicate crime that he has taken have hardly been effective. The horrific details of the massacre in the port only further angered and frightened the inhabitants of the city, and this could have led to a riot. Internal unrest at a time when the city could attack on the outside mercenaries Onar or orcs is not a very pleasant prospect.
The hero tried to stay away from it all. After sitting in the tavern until the evening and in order of sneering, he got up from the table, noded with Koragon and headed towards the town hall, where, according to Diego, he was already waiting for Lord Hagen and all his officers.
"Your pass!" - tiredly, but firmly uttered the guard at the gate to the upper city.
"I was assigned an audience with Lord Hagen at six o'clock"
"Come on!"
There was no push in the town hall. Gathering in the main hall all his officers, Lord Hagen with a grimace of the great strategist listened to their reports and suggestions and drew something pencil on the map. Since their last encounter with the hero, he has changed a lot. The ningublic expression on his face, which so clearly betrayed his high position in the city, disappeared; Kiras, decorated with venzels and gold, were replaced with hiking armour, and his thick wiry neck was no longer decorated with women's trinkets and amulets the size of a fist. The place of the old power-hungry tyrant was occupied by a frightened and confused man, who was in a difficult situation, all the responsibility for which lay completely on his shoulders. Leaning over the table and carefully displaying strategic lines on the map, he seemed like a concentrated tactician, but the vapor on his forehead betrayed him. No, he wasn't thinking about the rescue operation right now, and he wasn't assessing his chances. Now he feverishly listed in his brain all the troubles and misfortunes that fell on him and tormented himself with it even more, giving ground to terrible and terrible thoughts and assumptions. He couldn't run now. He could spit on his subordinates, spit on his brother, could at any moment dump on the mainland, but the anger of the king was not much preferable to the massacre with orcs. A desperate situation for a man who has forgotten what war is.
Around the table crowded no less frightened officers led by Lord Andre, who stared tensely into the face of the chief, catching his every word or gesture. They seemed completely helpless. Untrained in brain activity, they relied entirely on Hagen, the savior and god, to protect their skins from all trouble. But in the Lord's voice they did not hear the confidence and calmness they wanted to hear. Exhausted by the long meeting, they stood motionless as monuments and sweated like mules on the arable land, not daring to even scurlic their noses or swipe the drops of sweat from their foreheads.
At the fireplace behind Lord Hagen, leaning against the wall stood Milten and Tengron, and argued about something lively, but noticing the hero, fell silent. Everyone else was silent. As for the kamanda, the officers translated their langious views on the entered.
"Come on, son, take a seat," Hagen said paternally, pointing to the only empty chair next to him.
I'm not going to retell the hero's conversation with Lord Hagen to you. I will only say that it would be quite amusing for a person to listen to him, if he knew how the previous meeting of these two people ended. Naturally, the hero did not forget on whose order he was thrown back into the Rudnik Valley. And Hagen needed people had time to remind of that intrusive boy who was so upset with his stupid requests His Excellency. But now both persistently pretended that nothing had happened and had a nice conversation with each other on an equal footing. The hero told the lord and the officers about his every step taken on the land of Minenthal, told about how daringly he made his way into the castle, about the plight of Garond and his people now. He also mentioned the collapse of the research expedition in the ore mines. The latter seems to have more upset Hagen. And although he was probably already aware of what had happened from the stories of Milten and Tengron, every mention of this fact reduced his mood exponentially. In general, the good half of the city understood that the true purpose of the paladins in Khorenis was not to protect its inhabitants from orcs and mercenaries. The king cared only strategically important ore, in abundance found in the local rock, and not the lives of fellow citizens. It seems that for Lord Hagen the execution of the order was more important than the life of his brother.
"Well," Hagen said in as confident a tone as possible when the hero finished his story, "Circumstances were a little more complicated than I thought at first... However, this does not make our task impossible." For some reason, he nervously bent the edge of the card, then bent back and smoothed. "At the moment, as you know, our biggest problem is the lack of military force. Orcs are stupid and disorganized, but they have an advantage in numbers and our garrison will not be able to cope with them in open combat..."
"Don't forget the dragon, Lord Hagen," Andre added delicately.
"This is unverified information"
"I apologize" - the indignant Milten interjected in the conversation - "Do you want to say that you do not trust the words of the magician of Fire?"
"No, no, of course I do," Hagen replied, "But you, dear magician, could have made a mistake."
"And with what, in your opinion, I could confuse a huge lizard, hovering over my head and spegling flames?" - Milten did not let up.
"As far as I remember, you have previously claimed that you saw only fire. There was no talk of lizards. And the fire and destruction could well have been the result of shelling from the catapult."
"Stop talking nonsense, dear Lord! I think the fact that you do not want to recognize reality and at the same time dare to insult the magician of Fire, is not very pleasant to the Higher circle of the clergy! Let me bow down, sire! I no longer wish to be in your company and listen to this children's babble!"
"How dare you, sucker!!" - Hagen jumped up from his chair and banged his fist on the table - "We'll see whose word will be more weighty in the Higher Circle!"
With force, Milten defiantly left the town hall and slammed the door.
"X-ha! What a brazen, uh!" exclaimed Hagen, sitting back in his chair and rounding the officers in search of understanding. However, he did not find understanding. He knew perfectly well that Milten was right. Yes, he didn't want to believe in the inevitable and that, in fact, the only thing he could do now was just sit and wait.
There was a pause in the hall. The officers continued to stand silently on the rack humbly, only occasionally looking at each other, Lord Hagen musing about something, teasing a brush on the corner of the tablecloth. Tengron, taking advantage of the moment, slipped away from the room unnoticed.
"It couldn't have been a catapult, sire" - the hero broke the silence - "It was never used during the siege. Besides, I dare to confirm the words of the magician Milten. Of course, I have not seen the dragon, but anyone who was lucky enough to survive that night can confidently confirm everything Milten said earlier."
"I trust your words, son," Hagen said, "But... in this situation, we have too little chance of winning. I can't risk everything. I have no authority or desire to do so."
"If you will, there is one way out." Yes, it was exactly the moment the hero had been waiting for for so long. The moment when Hagen will be ready to agree to any offer that can save his skin.
"What?"
"Remember ancient scriptures"
"The Scriptures? How do you know about them?"
"I didn't read them myself. However, a powerful magician told me the legend that when the kingdom is threatened and the earth is burned by hundreds of flames, there will be the Chosen One, a man who can subdue Beliar's servants... It's kind of like that. I don't remember exactly."
"You mean the legend of the Eye of Innos"?
"Exactly"
"Don't you want to say that you are the Chosen One?" asked Hagen with a smile, "And in general... What kind of powerful magician are you talking about?"
"Unfortunately, I can't divulge his name. However, according to him, the person who has studied the scriptures will find clues in it that will leave no doubt in my words."
The smile came off Hagen's face. With the movement of his hand, he ordered the assembled officers to leave the hall and waited for everyone to come out, got up from his chair and went to the window. "I think I know what kind of magician you're talking about" - He bent the curtain and stared out the window - "Only he could tell you this legend... I also know which guild he belongs to... The magicians of fire and water consider this manuscript a fake. And only because it was found in ancient temples relatively recently and quite by chance by some pathetic treasure hunter. But they don't understand anything. Since the beginning of the centuries, we have honored Innos's amulet, but we had no idea what it was for. And then there is this manuscript... Only paladins and black magicians recognized its authenticity. All the others are just orthodox fanatics. Of course, we honor the dogma laid in the scriptures hundreds and thousands of years ago, but not all the secrets of the ancients have yet to be revealed before our eyes. The magicians don't want to understand that." Hagen moved away from the window and sat down again in his chair. "You are right, there are words in the scripture that point to the events that have started now in Horinis. There are also a few words that are related to you with the so-called Chosen Ones. But can I trust you with such a valuable relic? I don't really know anything about you. And I don't have much respect for black magicians."
"For me, the words of the magician were as unexpected as for you now. And at first, I didn't believe that I could go the way of the Chosen One either. I don't believe it anymore. But in our situation you do not have to choose. All I want is your order, sire."
Hagen was silent. He had a lot to think about. Another responsible decision and another term of hard labor for the wrong choice (if he will live to this point). On the other hand, he was well aware that no matter how stupid this decision was, he could not find more adequate. "It's good. I'll sign a paper for you right now. Innos's eye is kept in the monastery of the fire magicians not far from here. The chief there is Master Pirocar, one of Mirtana's most powerful magicians and one of the most stubborn too. He's a bad character, so you're going to have to get ready for the conversation. Meanwhile, there's a royal seal on the order sheet I'll give you. This means that Pirocar is forced to obey under the fear of death. However... Magicians, as you know, are quite proud people and the presses for them are not always indisputable."
"I can handle it, sire"
From the town hall the hero came out in high spirits. At last, his mission has moved from a dead point. Although Innos's amulet was not yet in his hands, talking to the supreme magician did not seem an impossible task for him. After all, when there is no way to agree, there is always an opportunity to steal. He regretted only one thing: that he had not done it before, when he was a novice in the monastery... Oh, Innos!!! But he's still there!!! .... "Yes, the conversation with Pirocar will be a little more difficult. I hope they are not supposed to quarter for escaping from the monastery."
The hero's reflections were interrupted by Milten's voice: "I think you managed to fool this fool." After he left the town hall noisily, the magician waited for the hero at the main gate of the city.
"Why didn't you tell me where the amulet was stored?"
"Because I knew what you would do in this case. I'm a magician, my friend, not an accomplice to criminals. Let's take you to the convent. Let's try to smear your black soul in front of Pirocar. You're the main thing to keep quiet and don't shake anything extra. I'll talk."
"So for sure"
All the way the friends chatted on different topics. We remembered the past days, talked about how the city has changed in recent times, about how much shit will fall out of Hagen's head, if it is cut in half (this topic was started by an angry Milten), and much more about something. From Milten, the hero learned that Horn on arrival in the city was also on his way to the mercenary camp with a firm decision to join Onar. Diego was seen in the upper city, where he took advantage of Hagen's location and began to return his property, which had been taken away on the orders of the former governor. Milten, according to him, intended to remain in the service in the monastery and thoroughly study the local library. In general, the whole "five" again dispersed on different sides of the barricades.
Fayette, whom a group of miners had worked so hard to get to the city, died just before the arrival of the hero in the town hall.
The road to the monastery was completely safe. Thanks to the acquaintance with Cassia, the hero gained immunity to local robber gangs, and wild animals in this area have long interrupted those who risked to leave the city (though not all of them were lucky). In addition, recently there was a Horn, so that the robbers and the beast for a long time will be liquid to pude away from this road.
Behind the unhurried conversation, the hero and Milten did not notice how they approached the sacred grove, behind which they were waiting for the monastery bridge and an unpleasant conversation with Pirocar.
"Haha! Do you remember that velai story, ah!?"
"Yeah, it was sultry stuff! They say the baron was furious when he found out!"
"X-ha! That's a soft word!"
Suddenly, a smile came off Milten's face. He stopped abruptly and with his hand detained the hero.
"What happened?" the hero asked half-whisper and was alarmed.
"Sverdna" - Milten said in fear and gave from behind the staff. There were drops of sweat on his forehead, and his hand mechanically reached out to the runes on his belt.
"What?"
"The grove is desecrated by murder." And he pointed to the side of the chapel, where on the steps, his head down lay the bloodied body of Isgarot, a magician, whom the hero met when he first went to the monastery. The fat magician was lying in a pool of his own blood. Pupils of his eyes rolled, and his tongue as something foreign fell out of his mouth. It also seemed strange that the numerous fireflies that lit the chapel in the dark forest disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if they were not an affinity. How can you not believe in the desecrated sanctity of the grove.
The hero slowly pulled the sword out of the legs and approached the corpse. The poor man's robe was burned near his chest. "Magic ... I hate it, B.I., magic", - the hero declared with disgust and covered the magician's eyelids with his palm.
"The magic of the dark, " Milten said, and removed the staff behind his back , "They are no longer here. We're late."
"Who could it be?"
"I have no idea... But in any case, this "someone" went to the monastery. Let's step up, mate. I hope nothing irreparable has happened yet." And Milten hurriedly strode towards the monastery. The hero, without removing the sword in the sheath, followed him.
Man, no words, read recently, now I'm looking forward to just waiting for the sequel, except for the great description in the head does not come to mind, the author of baaals, thank you!!!
On the site in front of the monastery restlessly crowded novices, waving in the dark torches like sentinels on the towers. Interrupting each other, they shouted something indistinctly, pointing at the bridge, and clutched at their heads, reclining and offering prayers to their god. According to the charter of the monastery, it is possible to release novices outside the gate only with the permission of the magician Parlan, so such a picture further justified Milten's suspicions. Seeing two silhouettes on the bridge, the novices immediately fell silent, and one of them even grabbed the battle staff, threateningly putting it in front of him.
"Welcome, magician!" one of them said when he recognized Milten. He folded his arms on his chest and bowed his head. The hero remembered him. It was Agon, the son of the governor, who for some reason enjoyed the authority of these poor people in the society. "What brought you and your companion to the abode at such a sad time for her?"
"What happened? And what the hell are you doing outside the monastery?!" One of the novices silently staggered to the gate.
"A terrible thing happened, dear magician. Our main relic was treacherously stolen from the monastery. Taking advantage of the fact that all the magicians were asleep, driven by a sense of profit, one of the novices made his way into the cathedral, stole the holy artifact and fled." Milten clearly heard the hero behind him loudly swallow saliva. During the conversation, he tried not to glow in front of former colleagues, and when he heard the words of Agon, almost collapsed on the spot.
"What's the stupidity?" cried Milten, "How could a novice go unnoticed outside the gate?! Where was the guard?"
"The fact is that the thief was just a guard, a shepherd. I was coming back from the city when I saw him running out of the monastery. He was rushing at me like a burnt-out, and when we met him, he jumped down the bridge." And the novice depicted a parabolic movement with his hand.
"%??and your "$" in "!!!" - could not stand the hero, throwing the sword on the stone floor - "H.r. do not catch it that %%"!!!".
Slightly dumbfounded Aegon took two steps back, fearing a burst of inadequacy from Milten's dangerous companion. "Several magicians went in pursuit," he said as if making excuses, "A small mountain river flows into the lake under the monastery. On it the criminal could swim to the road to the pyramids. The Magicians ran around through the Dead Harpy. However," he added, "It is unlikely that he could have survived such a fall. Most likely crashed on the water."
Milten looked sympathetically at the hero and spread his arms. He stood staring at the floor with frantic eyes, and seemed ready to pounce now on anyone who would say a word. Milten even thought he could hear his teeth grinding. What was the hero thinking at that moment? I tried to think about a flower meadow and my mother's pies, but a solid blackbird climbed into my head. "You have one main relic in the monastery, right?" he asked without a drop of hope in his voice, calming down a little.
"Uh... Well, in general, yes" - still cautiously looking at the hero, replied the novice.
"Yeah.... I see... It's an amulet, yes.... "Eye of Innos," right?"
Aegon glanced at Milten. That nod to the head made it clear that for this psychopath amulet is not a secret.
"Yes, sir, it's The Eye of Innos.
"And he was kidnapped, right?"
«... That's what happened."
There was a pause. The hero continued to stand still, dropping his eyes to the floor, the rest were silent, not understanding why the news of the disappearance on this strange person had more effect than on them.
The pause was interrupted by Milten: "We need to talk to Pirocar urgently"
"To hell with Pirocar!" - suddenly the hero revived and, unfastening his belt with the sock, threw him to the ground - "I'm going after him"
"Don't lose your head. You're not going to jump, are you?"
"That's what I'm going to do" - continuing to unbutton the leather straps on the lats confidently said the hero - "I just now got one very unpleasant thought, Milten. From the very beginning, as soon as I left the tower of Xardas, I was haunted by failures everywhere. One for... one" - unable to cope with the strap on the spitter, he with force tore it off - "At first I thought it was banal bad luck. However, even the last loser can not have as many black stripes in life as I have. And now I realized that it is not Innos who sends all these misfortunes on my head. No, not Innos. Some other forces, but not Innos." - Kirasa with a noise banged on the stones - "That unknown killer who brutally killed the guard at the gate to the Rudinsky Valley, remember? I know who he is... More precisely, I do not know who he is, but I know what other dirty tricks he was involved in" - pulling off his chain shirt, the hero turned to Agon - "When you ran into him on the bridge, he did not seem strange to you?"
"Strange? I don't know, I don't know. If jumping from this bridge is not strange, it was perfectly normal" - the novice said.
"Remember, Milten, I was talking about that creepy man that Dexter told me about before she jumped into a cliff?... I think he was the one who worked here. This novice wasn't a thief at all. He was a puppet in the hands of this unknown maniac. He's following in my footsteps, or rather he's ahead of me. He can't directly influence me, but he can do it with the hands of others. And if he's ahead of me, then my job is to catch up with him."
"I didn't understand anything from what you said. Are you feeling okay?"
The hero hardly pulled off his second boot, got up, adjusted his shirt and headed to the edge of the bridge with confident and quick pace.
"Stop!" shouted Milten after him, "Take my runes. Even if you survive the fall, you won't live much longer without armor."
"Your stones will only pull me to the bottom. Besides, I hate magic and I can't use it."
"I used to know how to do it, so you can do it now," Milten said firmly, and handed over a belt with a sword and runes into the hero's hands.
Nervously scratching his cheek, the hero went to the edge of the bridge and looked down hesitantly. You couldn't see the water...
The author posted his novel on this site: http://zhurnal.lib.ru
That's my only piece of advice. You write well.
P.S. I'm interested... And who will the hero be in the end? I think I was going to the magician, but somehow I can't believe that such a sawie would be a magician. More like a mercenary.
Poor GG in the game he was more modest.
It's a pity that the Gothic wasn't translated according to your novel. It would be funnier... You go to the guard and he's a mate... Dreams of dreams...
Schatten
So when do we wait for the sequel? :D
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Schatten FAN
That's what I'm surprised about... That's on Gota 2 so many mods and no man can make a mod for the appearance in the chorinis of a musical group, it would be fun - rammstein on the market square.
A question to the author. Will you describe the Easters in the story? Did SIP GG walk and come across? You can draw another line of storytelling. Like a time machine (I'm about the rusty body of the machine).
Vault-Boy, don't confuse the writer with your thoughts!
Schatten, when will we shoot the film? Where is it?