Part 4. Silver doe.
Lan ran quickly and chaotically, but fortunately the residents avoided touching people. They, however, quickly oriented themselves in what was happening and tried to catch her. They met one such group in the process. The statue turned out to be beautiful and as if alive. Sofia, who ran faster than many athletes in spite of her dress, was on par with Forlie, who was trying hard to get her attention:
- She... runs... to the port," he said, breathless, estimating the animal's route.
- Well, I need salt and carrots," the Succubus said, accelerating.
Forlie is far behind. When he looked around, he saw that Steve, who preferred to walk, was following him quickly. Forlie slowed down and waited for his brother.
- And what was our plan? - He asked.
- We needed salt and carrots, or whatever deer were eating.
Steve looked around and confidently approached one of the houses. It seems that before the fallow deer it was a tailor's workshop. As she ran, she hit the façade, and the whole building collapsed under her weight. In front of the workshop, right on the pavement (also silver) sat some grandfather with a box. Steve came up to him and pulled a couple of carrots out of the box. The grandfather didn't even budge, continuing to look at the silver boulder in front of him.
- Bill Door, a tailor, loves cats and, for some reason, carrots," Steve explained. - I think there's salt in port.
Forlie was about to run, but his brother held him by the shoulder:
- You won't catch up with Lan, no matter how hard you try. Demons too. Teleporting now is pure suicide. So get used to being late and let's go see where the remodeling is going.
The city was rather morally damaged - while walking, they counted only five collapsed houses, with a dozen new statues, and in some places already demolished the bridge. They managed to get to the port in time for the most interesting thing. Lan, having exhausted herself in order, stood quietly near the pier, while Sophia with a bar of salt in her hand approached her very carefully. And then some genius decided to throw a net. The net touched the fallow deer, instantly turned into silver and broke to pieces.
A second of shaky balance continued. Forlie thought it would all go away. But then the doe made a limit in the air, snapped off and jumped over the ships.
The port was packed with ships almost entirely - they were standing extremely tight, literally side by side. Hundreds of different ships: tall galleons, barks, sloops, and pin axes - in short, the whole sea bestiaries. It was on them that the frightened animal ran.
Silver is not too floating metal, moreover it is very heavy. Lan wasn't turning the ships as a whole, just parts, but there was plenty of room for it. The hull deformed the ships into pieces; they fell, crashing dozens of ships at a time, silver poles, which used to be masts; they crumbled, crushing small ships, silver boxes and barrels. And all this went on and on, without the fallow deer, plunging the entire harbor into chaos.
The animal itself made a semicircle and jumped out nearby. Sofia gave Forlie the salt and pointed to the fallow deer:
- Lure her and I'll finish the rune - she must disappear.
Forlie moved forward uncertainly, holding the "gifts" on his outstretched arms. Not knowing how to attract attention, he began to snap his tongue and shake his tongue a little, as if he were going to juggle. Lan looked at him with one eye, then with another, then again first and uncertainly stepped towards him, smelled and gently licked the salt. Forlie froze in confusion, fearing to get his hands really golden.
The embankment under the deer was already becoming silver and began to move quietly into the water, but the treats remained normal. While she was eating carrots, Sophia came up to her, staying out of sight, and quickly fixed the rune. The fallow deer had time to twitch, but immediately melted. In front of them was a chalky rune, with a silver figure inside.
Steve approached them with an expression of deep thoughtfulness. He looked away into the harbor.
- Mark's great fleet, which had sailed all over the world, was the dream of any pirate..." He said, as if he were a storyteller in a fairy tale, and suddenly laughed loudly. - Completely destroyed by a deer!
- Lanyu," Forlie corrected him as he joined the contemplation.
It suddenly occurred to him that the deal with Balael was no longer the worst thing that had happened to them.
And the situation changed radically in the five minutes since the pogrom began. The sailors, instead of saving themselves or their cargo, competed to get more silver out before the authorities arrived. Some teamed up and used improvised means to raise truly huge boulders.
- It seems to be your heart's content," Sofia distracted them, who cared nothing about what was going on. - It says directly on it that he is the mayor.
A fat old man in an old-fashioned suit was approaching them, accompanied by a couple of secretaries. The mayor of the city looked as angry as a troubled hive; all those who tried to climb to him with questions, he just pushed him away. He had already found his purpose. But when he approached his brothers, he stood at a loss as a man trying to say a dozen different phrases at the same time. Steve jerked ahead, preparing to take the hit, but Sophia grew up in front of him.
- A failed experiment, Mr. Mayor, I'm sure the result completely compensates for any consequences," she said, smiling at the sweetest of smiles.
The mayor made a few movements as if chewing something and squeezing it out:
- And who are you?
- I'm Stephen's wife, what happened was my fault, I just wanted new earrings with a horseshoe! - The prettiest smile was accompanied by puppy eyes and modestly folded pens.
The mayor froze like a bug, not knowing what to do. His eyes spun wildly.
- Forgive me, I won't do it again," continued the succubus pressure. - Honestly, honestly!
- X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x...
I think the mayor tried to say "okay," but he just swallowed his tongue. Without squeezing out the right word, he turned on his heels and went away. He was followed by a pack of people who did not get silver, but wanted it very much.
- Thank you," Forlie thanked her. - You saved us.
- You pulled her in, you saved her," Sofia shrugged. - Full self-service.
She looked at Steve for a few moments, and then Steve nodded gratefully.
- Khe-khee," they politely coughed from somewhere below.
There was an extraordinarily hairy subject, about knee tall, wearing a black suit and legs.
- Clean House - Light Faces, hiring housekeepers, I'm Costa, did you want to make a contract? - He asked a lot of questions and started to enumerate them.
- Cleaning, laundry, pest and parasite control, cattle care. Three gold pieces per month, and I'm yours. I warn at once - cooking for a fee.
- We agree," Steve said, by handing him the nearest silver cobblestone. - Twenty years' worth of payment in advance, in advance.
Costa had a busy look at the stone, smelled it and even tried it on his teeth.
- It will do. Where did you say your house was?