Avesta ch 3 1-2

The desert stretches as far as the eye can see.

A rough, empty landscape consisting only of red sand and randomly scattered rocks resembling rare scales.
At the moment, the morning passes at noon, however, due to the thick cloud cover, twilight reigns around. Nevertheless, it is not going to rain, and only the raging wind near the ground shows its power, raising clouds of red dust and taking away fragments of the landscape.

It cannot be denied that this land is exhausted. You could even say that it resembles the dead body of a huge animal.
Moreover, everything is just that.

Star of the Dragonhands Zahhak ... The planet of four huge continents, separated by narrow stripes of the ocean, from space resembles a broken lump of mud. It is unlikely that anyone would believe that two hundred years ago it was covered with lush greenery.

I recall the story of a chicken that laid golden eggs. The stupid man, angry that the mysterious bird gives him only one treasure per day, wanted to look into her gut and killed her. A similar tragedy happened here ... no, the tragedy is much worse.

One man killed the starry spirit, which was the source of all blessings, devoured him and appropriated his wealth and strength. In other words, he usurped his throne as a new starry spirit and doomed the rest to unimaginable deprivations for the sake of their own well-being. He ridiculed the argument that greed leads to death, as ridiculous useless cattle, but because the bacchanalia of his reign continues to this day.

The sixth king of evil, Kaihosru. It is he who rules this planet of exploitation and tyranny.

Cases when vicious star spirits become kings of evil are not so rare. If the celestial body, the representative of the strongest "race" in the universe, acquires evil will, then the awarding of the status of king of evil to him is indeed quite expected. Even in the current composition, the first king of evil, Farn, and the fifth king of evil, Mashyan, are suitable for this description.
And let Kaihosru not be a star spirit from birth, this does not make him inferior. Even now, a man who has taken absolutely everything from his predecessor is not inferior in strength to purebred star spirits. Moreover, precisely because he is not purebred, he is inherent in a special perversion.

From its very birth, star spirits are supposed to protect their planet and its inhabitants. The degree of intervention and methods may vary, but no one will intentionally deplete their possessions.
This is tantamount to suicide, and it goes without saying that any intelligent life form considers such a terrible taboo.

However, Kaihosru is not like that. For him, the planet is not so much its own body as an ornament, such as the shell of a hermit crab. In other words, a trophy in every sense of the word, riches to be spent.

Even if they are sweet to his heart, he is not going to cherish them forever, and if they suddenly come to an end, he simply moves to another planet and there begins to ruin again - a surprisingly far-sighted way of thinking. From the point of view of Kayhosru, his possessions are limited to him and his environment, and therefore he does not think about what will happen to his homeland after he leaves her.

Simply put, this is a real robbery. His “work” will be completed only when the wealth is over and he sees the bottom of the treasury. The fact that he continues to squeeze all the juices from this planet for two hundred years now only shows how rich she was.
And at the same time, this clearly demonstrates the full degree of greed of the king of evil, appropriating any values ​​to himself to the last crumbs.

The fertile lands that once flourished in the arms of a golden star dragon are now drying out in the balance of death in the jaws of the greedy serpent.
The vitality of the planet is already coming to an end, but the king of evil does not pay attention to it. He just continues to squeeze it to the last drop of blood with a merciless rule, which as if as a gift demands even her dying moan.

And even if he does not commit direct acts of destruction, rather, as if he was pulling a silk noose around his neck, his atrocities know no boundaries and do not leave the ground for the generation of even the slightest signs of hope.
Resistance will not do anything. The inhabitants of the dragon's remains, with the exception of the Daevas standing at the top with the evil king, were deprived of pride and dignity and were doomed to live in hunger.

Death is inevitable, and you won’t have to wait long for it. Everyone knows about their fate - and yet they are trying to hold out even for a moment longer ... Even now, here and there you can see the following sight.

Among the clouds of red dust dancing on the sand, a huge lizard, capable of swallowing a horse at a time, and a proportional insect resembling a scorpion, are trying to devour each other. Two large predators, considering the desert their territory, did not have to go for a direct collision, but now, a step away from starvation, they are devoid of any semblance of reason. A flock of carrion birds outlines the skies on black wings, uttering an ominous cry in anticipation of an opportunity to feast on.

Countless losers in this struggle for survival are scattered across this dehydrated wasteland. All of them were nibbled to the last piece of meat, without leaving even internal organs - even every bone was cracked. Such a miserable sight can no longer be called a corpse, except perhaps scraps. Among them are many of those that once belonged to people.

It is this fate that awaits the refugees that here and there they leave their homes. Permanent drought leaves no hope for a decent harvest, but the so-called tax is levied without condescension. All the freedom of choice that they are given is to die at home or on the run. One has only to look around, and you can see how even now, waist-deep in the sand, several groups here and there continue their hopeless outcome. Their future can take shape in only three different ways: to fall down without strength from hunger, to be eaten by an accidental beast, or to be killed by soldiers of their tyrannical ruler.

On this planet, all military forces, administration and production are in the hands of the Drujvans. There are no Daevas among the soldiers and small officials on the ground, however, even the lower representatives of evil in the eyes of ordinary Ashavans are the embodiment of despairing vice and cruelty.
The shameless fiends that rape women, kill children, and even root out any growth, do not feel a bit of compassion, as if all this goes without saying. All that is in their hearts is the desire to push around with ashavans and the fear of incurring the wrath of the king of evil.

If you try to shed light on the logic of these cowardly, reptiles, and therefore cruel demons, it will most likely turn out that they consider ordinary people a race of slaves that can only dig in the mud and exist for the fun and enrichment of their masters. Miserable worms, even lower than cattle - if they run away from their “duties”, no matter how insignificant they are, they do not deserve forgiveness.

And therefore they kill. True to their status as Drujvants, according to the command of the Avesta instinct.

They diligently patrol the desert on bipedal dinosaurs specially bred for the war, chasing the refugees they found and leaving no one alive. They consider their goal to be sophisticated fanaticism over unarmed victims, spilling rivers of blood with pride and the name of King Kaihosru on their lips.

As if considering it a sacred ritual that feeds the earth.
Staining the red sands is even brighter with the scarlet color of the dying lives.

It is impossible to look at the unfolding tragedy without tears, but refugees continue to stagger ahead with a frantic gait - perhaps because the constant deprivation even took away their ability to flee, not to resist. Even when their heads fly off their shoulders next to them, even when spears pierce people next to them, they just look with dead eyes into the void in front of them, not stopping walking until the last moment of their lives.

Lurking in a haze horizon. Only fragmentary rumors speak of a paradise that exists far beyond the borders of this wasteland, and yet for the refugees without any hope, it was he who became the last place they could go.
However, their destination is not a mirage at all. Somewhere a hundred kilometers ahead is actually one of the eighteen oases of the star of the dragon remains.

Only there you can find a clear lake, which looks completely inappropriate on this scorched earth, around which wide streets lie in circles. In the midst of it, a magnificent tower rises dazzling in its luxury, and together with its reflection on the surface of the lake it gives the impression of a gem that without any hesitation declares its splendor.

Arzang Crystal Palace ... The greatest of all the local cities ruled by the daeva in direct submission to the evil king.

Therefore, it is not surprising that all the crops collected in nearby villages are brought here. In this sense, the desire of refugees to reach Arzang can be called justified. After all, food is available only here, and their only chance to be saved now, when they suffer from mortal hunger, is to get to the palace and get alms.

However, in Arzang, exactly the same hell awaits them.

At first glance, the streets seem cleaned to a shine, but if you step back from the main street at least a step, and in the alleys there will be refugees from the wastelands who are still crowding together, replenishing the mountains of the dead from hunger.
They are occupied with the fact that they follow the minimum hygiene, taking off clothes from their dead neighbors, putting them on carts and throwing them outside the city. The only way they can get their pathetic crumbs of food, and even this work they can do only in the dark, so that they are not noticed. Once an occasional official sees them at work, they are immediately executed without mercy for desecrating the beauty of the city.

They are not allowed to even bury the dead with dignity and pray for them, and even as Ashawans they cannot sink to cannibalism, it is difficult to say how long they can hold on. In the end, nothing gives the ruling class of Arzang so much joy as mocking the weak and observing their degradation.

In other words, in a city, outside the city, circumstances are such that until you belong to the privileged class, only despair awaits you. Even if refugees nevertheless achieve their goal, their situation will not change in any way - or even become worse.

Absorbed in gluttony and pleasure, the Drujvants - and the Ashavans, who know only the constant tyranny.
The obvious contrast of light and shadow, which today is clearly demonstrated in the very center of the crystal palace.

Not mocking the people choking from hunger below, but not paying attention to them at all.
There the difference, greater than between heaven and earth, surpasses even the most insane assumptions.

The area of ​​the top floor of the tower is so large that it could easily fit a small village. And all this huge open space is nothing more than a single bathtub.
Moreover, it is not filled with water at all. In an amount that would be enough for a medium-sized pond, fragrant so much that your head goes round, high-quality wine, the cost of a handful of which would be enough to buy a whole house.

At the edge of this pool, having dipped into it knee-deep only his legs, with a distant look sits a naked girl who will not give more than eighteen. She occupies this floor in splendid isolation, and although there is a goblet in her hands, she has no interest in the lake of wine that has spread out before her. Even though it is equivalent to all the juices squeezed from the surrounding villages, for her its value lies only in washing its feet. Therefore, of course, the next day it will be completely replaced with a new one. She does not even think about sending the discarded wine to the lower class.

In contrast to this blasphemous excess, the girl laps up a drop of noble alcohol specially given to her by the master. She is saddened only by the fact that he is coming to an end, and she sighs now and then, as if this is her fate here the most unenviable. Sometimes she takes a piece of meat or fruit from a nearby pile, slightly bites it, quietly complains of a bad taste, and spits it out.

Embodied insolence, bordering on dementia, which does not scare any divine punishment. Outwardly, she is beautiful, like a nymph, but the sinister aura emanating to her can belong only to the daeva.

And this is quite natural, for this girl is the seventeenth concubine of the evil king Kaihosru ... the ruler of Arzang, Crystal Princess Nadia.

Oasis of the Star of the Dragon Remains are important locations that Kaihosru, who has become a celestial spirit, visits from time to time. These are places of power that are called dragon holes, and when the king of evil descends on them, the gifts of the planet take shape.
The lands around dragonholes continue to thrive until their vitality is drunk to the bottom. Because these oases can be called gifts that Kaihosru made to his beloved women.

Eighteen cities are eighteen concubines. Each of them is given the name of a gem, and by the difference in their radiance, any outside observer can see a strict hierarchy of favor.

Nadia was awarded seventeenth place, a crystal ... Simply put, she is nothing more than a lover of low rank, and this makes her nervous.
The king is late with his visit. Very soon, the gifts will come to an end. Is he tired of her?

If we assume that it is, then this does not suit her. Indeed, Nadia is still young, and she did not serve as a concubine for thirty years.

However, she still does not believe that she is inferior in some way to superior lovers. And in her beauty, and in her bedding skills, and in the cruelty so beloved by the king, Nadia is absolutely sure, considering them ideal and upscale. She has no doubt that when Kaihosru visits these lands again, he will be satisfied with the state of affairs of Arzang and her body, and she will immediately fly up a dozen positions up.

But at the moment this is not destined to come true ... because she can only wait, and it is very annoying to her.

Nadia decides that in order to pacify the tantrums rising inside the waves, from the next day she will kill ten thousand plebeians every sunrise. She does not know that in a few days she will exterminate all the ashavans living in her possessions, and this is not interesting to her.
In the end, she doesn’t care if even on this earth she alone survives. Kaihosru was given to her by Arzang, and therefore she has every right to dispose of it at her discretion, and if she receives favor from him, then countless riches will never be long in coming.

Save nothing, squandering freely. Swim in luxury, as if in the ocean.

The order of the great Kaihosru to revel in greed is the only truth, and for Nadia nothing else exists.
Because she is not going to linger. He recalls that most of all the king hates stinginess, and in one gulp drinks dragon water, which he has so far stretched for so long.

The liquid containing the concentrated spirit of the planet gives such happiness that an ordinary man from one drop could lose his mind. Even such a high-ranking daeva as Nadia cannot avoid intoxication with a similar manner of drinking. In the worst case, it is possible that it injures her for life.

However, she does not think about it at all. Rather, he does not consider such a risk to be such a probable problem.
The feast will never end, and she is promised only greatness. After all, it was she who loved the king of evil more than anyone, and swore allegiance to him so that he loved her.

Alcohol scatters her body, and the porcelain-white skin begins to redden, emitting an enchanting scent. Sensing a moral upsurge, Nadia goes down to the pool and begins to amuse herself, bursting with a loud laugh.
She rakes in both hands the crimson wine and sprays her head with it, demonstrating the enjoyment of her whole appearance. She licks her lips, and fangs are visible in the corners of her mouth, which begin to grow with a creak.

The meat. She lacks meat. She wants a man. I want to master it.

Even the whirlpool of hunger and lust rising inside seemed to her lovely, and both her eyes lit up in a hot golden color. This gives her an outward resemblance to a demoness, but at the same time she captivates many men; the temptation of a siren that promises only death.

She is beauty, debauchery and evil.
Ominous like a crystal, and brilliant like a quagmire.

Nadia is sure that such a way of life is impeccable for both the cousin of the vicious dragon and the concubine of the evil king. He wholeheartedly believes that it can even be called pure, sincere.
And therefore, she will probably be answered in the near future. Let's say right now.
The hopes and prayers of the dreaming girl were fulfilled exactly according to her expectations.

“I see you have fun, Nadia.”


A voice shakes the crystal palace, resounding throughout Arzang.
In his loud intonation is heard the courageous and pompous character of the monarch.
In addition, the weight of a powerful entity is felt in him. Let the emotions expressed by him be called nothing more than love, the difference between him and his subordinates is so great that she can only poison a commoner.

The shining rainbow-colored scales of hegemony reveals itself like a stream of golden magma.

She instills despair in the ashavans, the Drujvants are intoxicated, however, both sides are awestruck before her - it is not necessary to say who possesses such a dignity.
This is the dragon's voice of the one who is actually the god of this planet, the evil king Kaihosru.

“Kaihosru, the light of my eyes!”

Suddenly turning Nadia with all her appearance expresses joy and runs to the source of the voice. She forgot all manner of manners, but only because her king is not worried about such trifles. On the contrary, reckless flirting will please him much more, especially since Nadia’s feelings are absolutely sincere.
She is indeed in ecstasy and religious ecstasy. With all his nature, he shows: "That's how much I love you."

“There is no forgiveness to you, the vile traitor ... How could you leave me alone?”
- Sorry. I haven’t forgotten about you. Just a little thing.

Nadia grabs the neck of the statue of a huge amethyst dragon and voluptuously rubs against it. Continuously flowing from his mouth, the wine washes the seventeenth concubine, while she playfully portrays jealousy.
In other words, Kaihosru is present here only as a voice transmitted through a semiprecious dragon. His body is still in another place, and this is not a full visit.

Of course, Nadia understands this and therefore, with all her might demonstrates her resentment. She is really glad to hear his voice, but this is not enough for her.
He claims that he wants him, wants to share a bed with him.

“What could be more important than meeting me?” Are you in love with another girl again?
- And you are quick-witted. But don't worry. There is no mistake in my actions.
“I understand that, and yet ...”

Another rival ... In her soul, Nadia is annoyed, but at the same time excited by this news. She understands that if order is the usual way for Ashawans, then for the Drujvans it is struggle and careerism. She does not think for a moment about losing her post, and if she has to fight for it, in battle or in bed, she will not show weakness.

Need to kill the plebeians soon. This weak-willed rabble is to blame for the fact that he did not live up to the hopes of his king, and if she destroys their ranks, this will not be counted for her sin.

“What a sweet creature you are, Nadia.” I always liked that about you.

It seems that the king of evil felt her bursting thirst for blood, and sarcastic notes sounded in his voice. Kaihosru gently continues, as if calming his concubine.

- After all, I myself was once one of the rabble. To take, devour, rise up - in our world all this is very important, you know. Greed is the true virtue.
- Understand. And so I decided to color these lands for your sake. Please witness this personally. I’m sure that it’s my Arzang who will better than any other satisfy your preferences.

Nadia languidly closes her eyes and as if whispers to her distant interlocutor in the ear. A paradise of atrocities in which there is no end to blood, tears and suffering of the Ashavans, and the Drujvants experience the limits of debauchery. The most beautiful sight on the whole planet extends where the eye grabs.
It was she who created it, and all this - only in the name of love and loyalty to Kaihosra. Therefore, it cannot be such that the king is not enthusiastic about it.
At least, Nadia so sincerely believes ...

- Hm, sure. I'm sure it means ...

Kaihosru continues to speak softly and softly, but something has changed. Nadia notices this and raises her face, but cannot understand what caused her concern.
He still loves her and flirts with her. There can be no mistake in this, but then why is it so throwing her into a sweat? The eyes of the king of evil carved from amethyst look at his concubine, their gleam pierces her through.

- If I involuntarily showed rudeness ...
- Don’t worry. You don’t have to bother with this. You have nothing to worry about anymore.

He seemed to praise her for the work done, but does it so coldly that anxiety only gets stronger.
Breathing harder. Words are stuck in my throat. The gentle presence of the king has not changed a bit, but the cold throughout her body seems to grab her by the very heart.
Like a frog under the gaze of a snake. No, a bug under the gaze of a dragon. Soon she notices that she cannot lift a finger ... "Really, it can’t be," Nadia tries to scream, but is unable to make a sound.

Her face, reflected in the crystal dragon, turns into the same crystal. Hair, nails, skin, bones ... All this becomes not an organism, but a mineral.
With a loud crash, as if a daeva by the name of Nadia never existed, her nature is replaced by a gemstone sculpture executed in her form.

“I don't care if you’re sure of me or not.” If you decide to play your own will or play too much, I will forgive you. I have granted you this privilege. You serve as my representatives, and it is your responsibility to waste my wealth. Is not it?

A moment before the final transformation into a crystal, Nadia manages to look back at what she has done.
However, she still does not understand what is happening. In her hardening brain, only one question revolves: “Why?”.

I love you. Because I wanted you to love me, recognize me, because I reveled in my evil. The Avesta followed to the very end, following the path that the daeva should follow ... Is it not so?

So why, why didn’t it work for me?
I do not understand. I do not understand. I do not understand. I do not understand!..

“I hate stinginess.” Just like I hate wasting. My property should be like me and gnaw my wealth to the last bone. Do not waste lives that you can still use. This is treason to your master, Nadia.

His name is the king of evil Kaihosru. God is the star of the dragon remains, which can be called the planet itself.
Therefore, without exception, everything that is on Zahhak is the property of a vicious dragon. Even the smallest flea has no right to die without the permission of the king.
Every drop of blood, every dying scream, the smallest crumbs of the soul must be squeezed without a trace. And until this is done, they must neither die nor be killed.
Greed and deceit, destiny that does not let anyone go until he turns into nothing. No, he appropriates even the void remaining at the end.

“That's what you misunderstood.” I didn’t lie when I said that I liked you, but you were a little carried away. I am taking Arzang to myself.

Nadia finally turns into a crystal even before she hears the king’s verdict, literally becoming a precious princess. And this does not end there.
Echoing from heaven, or perhaps coming from the bowels of the planet, the dragon voice Kaihosru is heard by everyone who is in Arzang and its environs. The trial is not over yet.

The ignoramuses that boldly wasted the wealth of their king without thinking about their value. To desecrate the planet is like mindless cattle, which does not even realize the true meaning of the words “revel in luxury” - a grave sin.
Therefore, the king of evil informs them that he will charge them due.

- Get a new life. Decorate my palace.

A moment - and all the Drujvants of Arzang change their appearance.
Someone becomes gold, someone sapphire. Like their former ruler Nadia, they all turn into precious stones and metals.
Then it starts to rain. For the first time in a long time, so long that there is no one to remember whether this happened at all. The earth is irrigated with moisture, welcoming the gracious gift of heaven.

The remaining Ashavans can only frantically observe this. All those who belittled them disappeared at once, and the crystal palace turned into a deserted treasury. This means that it will not be difficult to pick up the provisions stored in it, and under the magical rain, flowers begin to bloom before our eyes. Now, primitive farming is probably possible here.
You could say they were saved at the last moment. For them, this is nothing short of awesome luck.

Nevertheless, there is no joy on the faces of the ashavans. They are not discouraged by sudden salvation; they are afraid because they know how deep the darkness is that awaits them in the future.

They were left alive.
What for? Of course, only then to exploit again.
In order to create even more severe hell. Death was taken from them in order to fill their days with infinitely long agony. There will be no easy way - they are given hope, which leads only to despair, they are played with life and death.

The king of evil Kaihosru.
The absolute evil that rules the remains of a star looks at them, as if enjoying a comedy.
Dragon eyes shine with joy, and greedy fangs are laid bare in a smile, while he nudges them: "What's the matter, dance!"

Man is weak. Even knowing that momentary joy would later turn into repeated suffering, he still reaches out to salvation. Can not help but cling to it.
What are these vicious emotions. Each of them condemns himself, and yet is not able to restrain a sigh of relief. Not able to hold back current tears.
Kaihosru continues to push them forward. The mixed feelings of insects, understanding their role of ownership, and mockery of their souls bring him so much joy that he can not resist.

- Pray, desire, chant a miracle. Want salvation - squeeze your life dry. You can not? It's not my business.

In these parts the lot of vicious serpent reigns. Take, defile, love, desire.

- I will decide how much you live. Do not dare to die. Do not think that you can leave.

Everyone understands that now a miracle can come only from the outside. However, even the willpower that is needed to believe in such things, they are already deprived.

2
Needless to say, teleportation is extremely convenient, and we cannot find a more indispensable gift in our work.
However, this does not mean that she is capable of anything. Of course, we cannot move anywhere and anytime: she has the appropriate rules.

When teleporting between stars, it is first necessary that Vohu Mana plot a route. In other words, you need to know where exactly on a particular planet the signal for help came from, and then he prepares the door for us in exact coordinates - otherwise we cannot reach our destination.
What follows is the appointment of envoys. The Yazat feathers received an order from His Majesty, the appropriate program is laid, and those are allowed to go along the laid route.

Without these two conditions, interstellar teleportation is impossible, and even if you try to carry it out, it will end only in a waste of feathers. In the worst case, you can get lost in space, and no one dares to risk it, whatever one may say.
Personally, it seems quite logical to me that such a convenient and powerful gift is designed just so that it cannot be used recklessly. The planet you have been to before can be visited again at any time, and yet we are obliged to report this both before and after departure. It is also necessary that the route was not closed, so still it cannot be said that we can do this when we want.

These are the basics that remain true when teleporting within the same planet.
You can only move to where you have been before, or to the point that is visible at the time of teleportation.

Therefore, on the planets that we visit for the first time, it is reasonable to use local means of transportation until we get comfortable.
In this regard, our current situation is extremely mundane. For two days and two nights we have been shaking in a covered cart.

- Ah, so zapadlo-oh. How much moro-oki, like a back pain, um.

Samluk lies on the floor of an already tight wagon and whines, waving his arms and legs. I don’t keep counting the time she does it, but her complaints continue all this time.

- Yes, shut up you already. Let this fishing stop, no strength. She herself agreed that now this is the best option.

And all this time Fer was watching and chastising her. I have long realized that this is useless, and abandoned all attempts to calm her down, so if you think about it, he characterizes him as well as a diligent and honest person.
Even if he again switched to “you” with her and speaks of his very bad mood.

“And in general, are you a rookie or who?” After all, she herself had only recently considered such travels to be the order of things, but she was already accustomed to scattering gifts. Not anyhow negligence, but you yourself are not ashamed?
- So it’s so-so, but it’s so fast to get used to the good ... I can do something?

Well, you can understand her. Samluk has a very straightforward character, and in such cases it is difficult to keep in check. In fact, both I and Fer in my soul consider this a total mess.

“And in general, I just can’t understand why we will go so far as complete fools.” Uncle Vohu Mana couldn’t throw us somewhere closer to the goal?
“Wohu Mana is asexual, Samluk.” He is not an uncle or aunt, not a grandfather or grandmother.

My responsibilities include correcting the errors of colleagues, and I calmly correct it. However, Samluk does not hear me.

- If not for this caravan passing by, we would have turned into raisins there. Of course, I heard that he’s been sleeping for twenty years, but he’s definitely not fooling around? Or did his majesty give a blunder?
“... Hey, you would finish.”

Fer with a frantic look lowers his voice. He has enough of his own stress, and it is probably difficult for him to restrain him for so long. If they start fighting here, this will cause inconvenience to the owners of the caravan, and this may interfere with our mission, which means I must stop them.

“There is not much time left to endure, Samluk. I understand your discontent, but the actions of the stellar spirit and His Majesty always have their own meaning. You should be more respectful.
“Then what are they thinking?”
- Suppose ... they want us to understand the state of affairs on the planet. The facts are such that in just two days you have already lost all patience. For you this is a private matter, is not it?
“... Well, that’s also true.” It's not like that in the holy kingdom.

Samluk snorts in disgust. There is nothing to talk about the holy kingdom, but even in comparison with its homeland, local conditions are extremely difficult.

Only the wasteland extends from edge to edge, and with the exception of the wind that cleans everything around you, nothing can be seen that could be called signs of life. As a tongue that has already been to many planets, I can say that this land is indescribably thirsty.
Even on deserted and icy planets you can always feel the breath of life, adapted to such conditions. Conversely, the planets are designed so that similar creatures live on them. Their vector is directed towards life by default, and this remains true even for deserted planets.

However, this star is undoubtedly moving to death. Not because her due term is coming to an end, but because every moment all her blessings are taken away from her for selfish purposes, because of which she dries up and rolls into the abyss.

A landscape where anyone can understand at a glance: he has no future.
A land where such tyranny is free to perpetrate any cruelty that comes to mind.
Star of the Dragon Remains Zahhak.

“We are at the side of the king of evil.” No wonder.

Fera's gloomy whisper is filled with barely restrained indignation. Ultimately, the general bad mood, including mine, is probably exactly what this comes down to.

It is unlikely that there will be a poison that will not feel righteous anger when looking at this planet. The sixth king of evil, who usurped the place of starry spirit, intends to gobble up all the riches he reaches.
I knew about it in words, but hearing is one thing, and seeing with my own eyes is another. Compared with other kings of evil, he kills less, so his degree of danger is low ... And how could I confidently say such nonsense?

- Therefore, we should be grateful for such a meeting. Even on this planet, there are those who are ready to help strangers like us. Is it not true that knowing that good has not died yet warms the soul?
- OK OK. Stop lecturing to read.

Samluk resentfully flips to the other side. Her childish manner makes me smile, and Fer only sighs.

- I do not quite agree with Quinn, but looking for the positive side is much more productive. We came across a rather large caravan, so it was lucky that Zurvan was traveling in another cart. You yourself probably already understood what kind of a bastard he was.
- Oh, quiet you. Do not remind him, for the sake of the Avesta.

In the head of muttered Samluk muttering, previous events are already reproduced, accompanied by swearing at their culprit.
That day in the holy kingdom, Zurvan asked ... no, rather, forced us to accompany him, and in this fact there is nothing reprehensible. It is natural for the Yazat to provide their body to defeat evil, and in this sense no one was going to resist.

In the end, even if you have to work in the same team with unpleasant people, personal opinion fades into the background, and even into the background. This is especially true for me and my device, but even Fer and Samluk understand that there is nothing more important than the task.

So it’s not this that makes them angry, but the fact that Zurvan is obviously not serious about this. Even if you close your eyes to his many liberties, it does not even show a minimal desire to successfully complete the task.

For example, when we arrived on the planet, Zurvan did not spend feathers. Since teleporting several people is enough for one person to use the pen and the rest to touch it, usually the strongest member of the squad pays for the move - in this case, Zurvan.

This is considered the responsibility of a superior officer, since there is no particular sense in the waste of subordinates. And yet he neglected this responsibility - despite the fact that he had many more feathers than ours.
Moreover, it is likely that he simply decided to play on our nerves. I can’t imagine what prompts him to do this, but Zurvan likes to feel the discontent of his subordinates. As a result, I used the pen on his orders, but the main problem was that he said Samluk, who objected to this to the last.

Like, "wimps like you are still no longer good for anything" ...

There is a limit to all rudeness.
It was very difficult to calm the raging Samluk, and I can’t even describe the anger from the realization that the expression “improvised material” Zurvan literally uses.

The complete lack of will to cooperate. Marsarion is also not disposed towards teamwork, but Zurvan destroys it intentionally.
Moreover, we still do not know what our task is. His Majesty only ordered us to obey Zurvan, but he simply said that we would understand everything on the spot, and did not initiate us into details.

Reading thoughts also yielded no results. It seems that for all the long time of our acquaintance with him, Zurvan learned to put a smoke screen on his heart. Even now, in the four carts behind us, he carelessly has fun and thinks about completely irrelevant things.
With a few women, how to say it, then yes ... I'm glad that they have fun, but to be honest, I want to send him to the forefathers.

Marsarion has not yet finished restoring his feathers, and therefore will join us later. There is no doubt that after his arrival it will be even more difficult for us to get along, so it’s not worth saying that this is a great success. But we are already at the limit of our forces.

- Gentlemen, we are going to stop for dinner. A cave is visible ahead, and in it we will just be able to hide from the wind.
- Oh good. In this case, we will see that everything is calm around.

Our endless moaning is interrupted by the coachman's voice, and we look up in his direction. Since you cannot rely on Zurvan in this, we had to interrogate the locals, and as a result we learned what exactly happened in these neighborhoods.
The mighty daeva and his subordinates, who ruled these lands, incurred the wrath of the evil king and were executed. The result was a kind of temporary lull.

Of course, this cannot be called a full-fledged world, but it is still much better than the previous state of affairs, and people take the opportunity to restore their lifestyle.
Obviously, sooner or later a new daeva will be appointed, but the owners of the caravan say that we need to live today ... Their words are full of optimism, but a slight shadow is visible in their smiles, as if they regret or are ashamed of what was said.

These are the faces of people who are afraid to experience hope.
The faces of those who believed in salvation, but who were betrayed over and over again.

They are full of mournful, bashful emotions. Therefore, our task for sure is to reveal to them our miracle. We need to let them know that it’s too early to give up - not in words, but in deed.

In this I believe with all my might.

- So, now we have a chance? One of the leaders of the opponents is dead, we strike at this gap, and broads!
- Fool, do not be so naive. Now Kaihosru, even the entire sacred kingdom will not immediately defeat.

After dinner, we sat around the fire, a little further from the caravan, to discuss our near future.
As you can see, for the most part, opinions were divided between decisive Samluk and cautious Fer. I’m somewhere between them.

In addition to the vague requirement to follow the mission, we don’t know too much, which means that setting goals unreasonably is dangerous ... This logic is understandable, but only because too many questions remain unanswered.

“Quinn, what do you think?”
- Let me think ... First of all, you are right, and this is really our chance. We cannot miss him, and His Majesty must have sent us here precisely because he intends to use it.

However, at the same time, I think that Fer is also right, no matter how offensive it is to admit.

“Nevertheless, we are dealing with the king of evil, especially with the starry spirit ... Perhaps he is inferior to his father, and yet this is not the enemy with whom we can rely on chance.”
- That's it. His Majesty has already dealt with the Workshop of Destruction and clearly does not make naive plans. Defeat the evil king with such a small squad? A funny joke, this is simply impossible.
“Then what does he want from us?” What can we do for the local poor? If you do not beat the enemy leader, then what?
“About that ... I can only guess, but ...”

The cornered Fer suddenly loses his recent confidence, looks away and mumbles quietly.

“Maybe we're here for a bit of a hindrance or sabotage.” Build fortifications so that the resulting gap is not closed. So she, at least, can be used in the future.
- That is, we are required to lay the foundation? So that we ourselves become a wedge in this land?
“At least I think so.” And you are not, Quinn?
- From what. For the most part, I agree with you. That's just ...

If you argue sensibly, Fer is right, but there are still a few inconsistencies that prevent me from agreeing with him quietly.
Specifically, the case is in the selected composition of persons. None of us are completely predisposed to sabotage.

- Since we cannot win in a direct clash with Kaihosru, we should assume that we should lay our foundation from the shadows. It will be best if the enemy does not even notice any deviations from the norm.

And even if this is impossible, it is necessary to maintain a position in which the enemy can only think: “Something goes wrong all together.” In other words, any unnecessary attention should be avoided.

- Turn around and tell us what you think about the composition of our squad?

In response, Fer frowns, and Samluk turns his eyes to the void. Looks like we're all thinking the same thing.

- If only the three of us were here, you could try, but ...
- Marsarion ... is not capable of this, I am sure.
“Yes, and Zurvan too.” He is still a moron.

Not to mention the fact that initially this task was entrusted to them two.
Because of this, I do not understand anything. Circumstances are as if banal field work is required of us, but the main characters are too outstanding.
Of course, I do not doubt his Majesty’s decision at all, but someone like me cannot understand him.

“So it remains only to make Zurvan put everything out? .. What can I do, I’ll go to him.”

With these words, Samluk sighs and reluctantly rises to his feet. I think whether to stop her, and I look at Fera, but he only shakes his head silently.
Since we have come this far, it’s better to let them at least once quarrel properly. Squeeze out all the pus at once.
Fera’s thoughts come down to something like this, and now he wants me to stay alert. In the end, no matter how worried we are, we can only observe ...

I'm already beginning to pray that the situation does not get out of hand, when suddenly voiced voiced girlish voices.

- Hey, stand! .. Finally appeared, Zurvan!

Zurvan decorously descends from the cart, accompanied by five to six girls in defiant clothes of dancers. The traces of lipstick on his cheeks and chest are scarlet.
At the sight of this, Fer clicks his tongue, I grab my head in my hands, and Samluk loses his composure.

- Oh, you cattle, right now I will kill, seriously! It concerns you too, finish wobbling, or I will hang you upside down, mean girls!

The dancers screech away. Zurvan, with a lascivious air, runs after them, shouting "Everything is fine, do not be afraid" and the like.

- Is he building a sultan-tyrant from himself?

You can’t say better. In my heart, I am ready to subscribe to every word of Fera, and Samluk, meanwhile, is already shaking with anger.

- M ... What a scumbag ... There is no strength to endure, now you will get from me!
- Ah? Why are you so crazy, jealous?
- But who needs you, moron piece!

True to the word, Samluk takes his hand away like a whip, and grabs Zurvan by the breast. Then he brings his face so close that they almost collide with their foreheads, and continues to pour curses literally into him.

- What, are you running up ?! Himself builds himself out of what, and then only does what is played! What kind of jerk are you after that, if you are of no use as a goat’s milk!
“Well, why so rude?” This is also an important work of the defender of the weak and destitute.

Zurvan ignores the threat, like a willow in the wind, and shows his cheek.
Frankly demonstrates the trace of a kiss, as if it were a medal.

- The cats are so worried that they simply have no strength. It’s the duty of every man to somehow reassure them, right?
“There is nothing for me to hang noodles on my ears, Lovelace the damn.” Obviously, you just decided to have fun!
“Well, yes, and what's wrong with that?” If a man is bored, then a woman with him. It works the other way around, so come on, smile.

With these words, Zurvan puts his fingers to the corners of Samluk's mouth and lifts them up.
Either he does not understand the hints, or he is too brave, but he does not at all take into account the true intentions of Samluk, on whose furious face the smile looks out of place.

“Okay, I understand what you want to say.” So defiantly going to the left is not good, and in general is more suitable for the Drujvant, right?
- Bol ... Oh no! So that's how it is, but I wanted to ask you about the task ...
- Hey, Quinn.

The sudden sound of my name makes me jerk. Continuing to ignore any attempts by Samluk to speak with him, Zurvan turns his head in my direction and smiles unkindly.

“You know, right?” What am I a decent man?
- What?..

What was he talking about? I don’t understand and don’t want to understand him, but right now his consciousness is wide open, and I realize how exactly he is going to use me.

- Tell them at the same time. That's an order.
“Yes, but after all ...”

I hesitate, not rushing to answer.
Zurvan is a special person, albeit not in the same sense as Marsarion. And character, and style, and this "distinctive feature" of it.

Indeed, I know about her, but do I really need to do this? I definitely have to say this?
Samluk and Fer look at me, puzzled, and I silently pray for their help, almost on my knees.

I beg, for heaven’s sake, stop him. Say that you are not indifferent to his nightly activity, even if someone cancels this request. Protect me from this most vulgar, worst of men and change my priority.

“I repeat, this is an order.”

However, my pleas remain unanswered, and I remain a toy in the unkind hands of vice.
I try to resist and lower my gaze to at least hide my face, and speak in a voice that resembles a mosquito squeak.

“Zurvan, well ... can't.”
- What?
“Quinn, what are you talking about?” Explain.

Samluk and Fer lean forward with their whole bodies and nag me.
Do not ask, do not demand anything from me. Don’t be interested in pretending to be some vital information, both of you.
And now, for some reason, the caravans began to get closer ...

- I can not hear louder!
- I say!..

Well, you're a corpse. You are a dead man, Zurvan.

- He does not get up! In this sense, it is good for nothing! Sexual relations, copulation, love joys, childbearing - nothing can! He is the eternal virgin!

Harshly, as if in spirit, I obey the order and put everything in such a way that even a complete fool would understand everything. I had to.
Giggling dancers. Caravans with pity in the eyes.
Why did I deserve such a fate? What has I done so unforgivable in the past? Is there really no justice in the world? No miracle? I feel something very important inside me crumble to dust.

- P-wait, if you know such a thing about him ...
- Not at all!

Do not even think about it, Samluk. Don't blush, Fer. I swear, nothing connects me with this beast, he just chats about all sorts of irrelevant things, and sooner or later for our long acquaintance with him ...
Stop, stop laughing, Zurvan!

- In general, such things. Since you now know that I am a supporter of platonic love, you can go to the point.

Zurvan takes Samluk off his hand, drives away curious onlookers and calls me with a frivolous whistle.
You need to pay him at least once, on the verge of breaking the Vow. With such thoughts, I turn my eyes to him, when I suddenly notice that Zurvan’s manners changed at once.

Echidna’s smile has not disappeared, but her gleam has become much more dangerous and colder; it almost feels a thirst for blood.
He does not pay attention to how confused me by a sudden change, and his consciousness informs me of the "case."

“Don't say a word. Kaihosru sees and hears us all the time. ”

- A!..

“Consider that the enemy knows everything that happened from the moment we got to this planet. We can’t talk carelessly about everything. ”

I can only listen with a subtle shock.
We did not think about this at all, and I am sharply aware of what fools we were.
Our adversary is the starry spirit, the sixth king of evil. And this is its territory, the Star of the Dragon Remains.
We are all the same in his belly. There is no doubt that he immediately learns about any action of strangers in all details.

“This time the main role is assigned not to me and not to Marsarion. We must support someone who entered here five years ago. Frankly, we are doing a distraction. ”

Zurvan continues, not even giving the opportunity to recover from the previous shock. I somehow turn my attention to the new message and ponder its content.
Support? And besides a distracting maneuver? It turns out that we need to act as defiantly as possible so that the enemy does not notice this spy?
As a sabotage that requires support for the main attack, not a bit of our modest staff really looks reasonable, and we cannot disagree with this choice.

But can't Kaihosru recognize this foreign object as well as us? No matter how skillful this spy may be, it is hard to imagine that he managed to avoid the dragon eye of the evil king for five years in a row.
However, my question here was answered.

“Armagh made her way here. You may be a rookie, but at least you’ve probably heard rumors about her. ”

Samluk and Fer do not hear the “voice”, and therefore they look at me with an incomprehensible look, but they will have to wait, a little later I will explain everything to them. First I need to understand our situation.

Armagh ... Zurvan is right, I know this name.

This is the last of those five who have known for themselves the defeat of twenty years ago and survived to this day. In addition, her military merits are not inferior to Magsarion or Zurvan.
Perhaps the number of those killed to her is small, but all her victims were exceptionally large. Of all the ills of the present sacred kingdom, only she managed to defeat several Daevas of the first rank.

“Armagh will become a new concubine. All this time she was waiting for this opportunity. ”

Owner of the ability to confuse the perception of good and evil by Avesta. The assassin, which causes a kind of man-made fall gate, disguises itself as the Drujwanta and penetrates into the very bosom of the Daevas.

This is a yazata named Arma.