Chapter 10

***Era***

The furnishings in Era's room were always austere and clean. A hard bed, a chest, a lectern, a table, and two benches. A magic teapot (the most expensive thing in the room) was steaming on the table. Era even used candles, as opposed to the other enchantress. In general, she was a bit weird for a spellcaster. She liked to read standing up, avoided using magic without real need, and never bragged about her achievements.

At the time of Daimon's arrival, she was rereading an old favorite book, 'The Unseen in the Obvious'. Of course, it was not the original, written in ancient times. A retelling of the retelling and so ten times, many times translated. Nevertheless, the ideas contained there were still fresh and relevant.

Upon learning of the leader's decision, Era was surprised and annoyed.

"Daimon, you can see that this man is hiding something. I don't understand how you can trust him with our lives."

"Era, you are exaggerating. I've learned a lot from our quest with Lias, too. Remember what we talked about at the goblin camp? When we find a new healer, we'll work on easier quests. And if there's something wrong with him, we'll just say goodbye on a friendly note."

They'd been talking about it for half an hour. Daimon suggested that weird guy Taler works with them. Era didn't like the idea very much, and she spoke up right away. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful for the cure, she just doubted that Taler was driven by pure nobility. His manner of speech, his demeanor, his appearance - everything about him indicated a man unaccustomed to the roughs of camping. And, just as importantly, Ere had seen the way he looked at her, and she didn't feel the slightest sympathy in return. It didn't take a genius to see what kind of trouble that could cause on a quest.

"Well, let's say he can do it. He's still kind of a shady guy, something's wrong with him. How can I rely on someone I don't trust? How can you rely on someone you don't trust?"

"I'm not relying on him yet. I want to see him in action. You know, I'm sure after two or three missions everything will fall into place. And if you're right, we have nothing to lose. And if I'm right, we have a lot to gain. Look at how we used to work out with Bryce. You hated him back then," Daimon smiled.

That was the plain truth. Bryce was outright disliked at first, for many reasons. Extremely dubious sexual interests, duplicity, a complete lack of tact, cruelty, and heartlessness. Nevertheless, after a while, he turned out to be one of the most reliable friends in the world.

"It's impossible to argue with you. Just keep in mind that I don't like this idea."

"I'll keep that in mind, and you try to control yourself. Deal?"

"It's a deal. Have you found a job yet?"

"Yeah, we're going out in a couple of days. The Plains of Katze, there are a couple of places where problems are looming."

"What kind of problems?"

"It seems that there is another unrecognized genius of necromancy who has lost his mind. An assignment for a small landlord from the outskirts of Katze."

"Oh, and you said something easier to start with. Why'd you taken the job? You know how landlords pay."

"I know. But I think there won't be a problem with payment, believe me."

"Okay. But Bryce will tell you a lot.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry. Just be ready to go out the day after tomorrow."

Daimon saluted her jokingly and left. Era tried to go back to the book, but the letters scattered before her, her mind occupied with other thoughts.

She may not like this Taler guy, but he's already on the team, at least for the next assignment. She doesn't want any trouble, which means she has to work at it, too. Don't create the conditions for a fight, don't offend him. And if this guy has a crush on her, she needs to make it clear before he imagines God knows what. Of course, somewhere inside it was nice to know that she had an admirer. And, of course, it didn't mean that she could afford to keep her hopes up.

Working for a landlord was totally uninspiring, and if she hadn't known Daimon, she wouldn't have taken it. Minor nobles with tiny estates weren't rich. Two or three villages, sometimes hunting grounds, very rarely some sort of mine or sawmill. And yet they treat non-nobles, commoners, as trash. They don't care how much stronger, smarter, or richer you are. They always consider themselves superior and more important, simply by descent. And that's why they sometimes allow themselves to do stupid things, such as not paying their bills.

The minor nobles saw nothing wrong with paying only partially, or not paying at all. And it takes some time for them to understand why they should not do so. Sometimes it took up to six months before they realized what a guild's blacklist is. Monsters don't care how noble you are, they care whether you can fight back or not. Adventurers, monster-slaying professionals, were cheaper than maintaining a regular army. A lot cheaper. And more reliable. Much, much more reliable.

Monsters are always very good at sensing weakness. Once you don't fight back, you're screwed. And the silly nobleman has to ask the Guild to solve their problems again. And the moment of truth comes - the Guild remembers its debtors very well. Do you want to solve your monster problem? Easy. Pay the debt, the forfeit, and the full prepayment. The Guild bosses have no heart; they don't care about pleas. If they don't get their payment, they will watch indifferently as you are torn apart, or as your town dies out from the plague.

But for an adventurer who had been cheated of payment, there was no joy in retribution. Money is money, and the Guild compensated only part of it until it received full payment. That's not counting the cases where adventurers were killed quietly so they wouldn't have to pay. All in all, working for the minor nobles was an extremely thankless and risky business.

All these thoughts prevented her from concentrating on the book. In fact, that was why she avoided all disturbance during the rest period after her assignments. Practicing meditation, searching for new knowledge between the lines of old books, taking personal notes, arranging impressions, required complete peace and quiet. Only close friends could get away with intruding on her personal space. And yet, an entire evening and night were wasted.

Era sighed heavily, wrapped her cloak around her, and went out for a walk to get some tea. Maybe the fresh evening air would bring back some peace of mind.

***Talik***

After the 'aptitude test,' it didn't take long for Talik to formalize his adventurer status. It was a standard questionnaire of several sheets, mostly indicating where to look for him if anything happens, and specifying whether he was wanted, and if so, where and for what reason. The paper was quite interesting, strange to the touch, like velvet. The polite lady at the front desk, Mory, said that this paper changes color if you write down false information. Talik wasn't sure if it did, but just in case (magic, after all) he made all the points honestly, albeit loosely.

After issuing him a copper badge (a fancy plate, the same touch as paper) with his personal information, Daimon invited him in for a word. Talik liked this guy in general - very intelligent, good at sensing moods, had dignity, and showed respect for other people's opinions. But most importantly, he understood very well what he wanted and how to achieve it to mutual advantage. Talik rarely met such people in the game, and never in real life.

Daimon asked him to join the team. Actually, it went a little against Talik's plans. He wanted to meet some really strong guys. However, Daimon had gracefully convinced him that it was worth a try. A Copper healer isn't likely to be called up to strong teams right away. Starting from scratch, working with other copper and iron ranks would be too long, and not everyone would be easy to work with. And in general, it would be useful to see what an adventurer's 'work' looks like beforehand, under optimal conditions.

Not the last thing that convinced Talik was Era. Her image was firmly lodged in his soul, and he longed for at least a normal relationship. There was a kind of sad irony in that. In the Dawn City, he would have had to point a finger, and any pretty girl would have been honored to be with him. And yet he'd fallen for a girl who could barely contain her dislike for him.

Daimon somehow mystically understood what Talik was thinking, and told him honestly that nothing would work with Era. He hinted at Era's personal dislike of men in an intimate way, and Talik knew exactly what he meant. She was the one who had been abused by two dozen of Akuro's soldiers.

But still... Still. He wanted at least a friendship. For now.

Bryce didn't show up, but Talik wasn't too worried about that yet. He doubted very much that this guy was going to screw him and disappear with the money. And even if something like that did happen, the loss of two bars of gold wasn't a high price to pay for a lousy test. By the standards of the guild's treasury, of course. It only took forty Yggdrassil coins for the bars. And just in case, Talik still had the money taken from Akuro's gang in his stash. Quite a lot of silver and some gold.

There was no problem at all in locating lodging - the guild building had rooms for rent. The prices were steep by local standards, but Daimon willingly paid for a room for the night, and Talik went to his apartment in the morning after his tour of the city.

The room was not at all impressive after the palace and the temple, but there was a kind of ineffable comfort here. It was a small room, with a minimum of furniture, smelling of wood, straw, and clean cloth. The window lets in light, but he couldn't see anything through it.

As Talik approached it, he realized what was wrong. Instead of glass in the faceted frame, it was some kind of translucent leather.

It must be what's called a bull bubble. It's cool, there's no smell at all.

He opened the window. The sounds of the city at night entered the room in a soft wave. The sound of the wind, sometimes the flapping of birds' wings, distant scolding, the hubbub of a nearby alleyway, drunken singing, the sound of footsteps, the clatter of hooves. Against the rapidly darkening sky, there was light in the silhouettes of houses in some places, and in the streets, the lights of lanterns were illuminated. The view was mysterious and very beautiful.

"Spy, are you here?"

"Yes, Your Holiness," the elf appeared in the corner of the room, near the wooden door, and bowed.

"Watch where Daimon went. If to Era, listen to what the conversation is about, then come back, tell me all details."

"It will be done, Your Holiness."

Spy was gone, and Talik couldn't tell if he had any remorse. He should have - it was an invasion of privacy, after all. In fact, there was only a very faint feeling that it was better not to do so, simply because it was indecent. Commanding the elf was also somehow easy to get into the habit.

Well, he doesn't see anything unnatural in it himself. Why should I suffer?

Observing the view from the window, he spoke through [message] to the inhabitants of the Palace. There was no notable news.

Wilhelm, mercilessly exploiting Marius's undead as brute slave labor. He was building a road through crevices in the mountains. Talik had recently suggested that he think of something with permanent roads; after all, they are here for a very long time, and it is stupid to travel by portals alone. The 'King' became enthusiastic, calculated a resource estimate, and squeezed out permission to use the undead. Talik appreciated the idea if there was a landslide or some shit, no regret for the undead. Perfect discipline and no fatigue like real robots. The work went according to plan, and in a couple of weeks, we could expect the first 'highway' to be completed.

Talik doubted how Marius himself would feel about having his subordinates snatched away from him, but the lich didn't seem to care at all. He was interested in something else entirely at the moment. Namely, experiments on prisoners. As he said, Talik would soon receive a detailed report on the work he had done. Lias, from his point of view, was not exactly a star in the sky yet, but he had prospects. Talik decided that as long as the lich was into something nonthreatening, so be it. He felt a little guilty for the bandits, but his conscience was silent.

Illadria reported the results of the gryphon breeding - three pairs had already formed and could be expected to breed, one more was in question.

The idea of trying to breed reanimated gryphons had recently occurred to Talik, to his shame. He should have thought of it right away, but better late than never. If gryphons could be bred and tamed, they would be a good substitute for conventional aviation. Sending small shipments, ferrying agents, scouting - the value of air transport is inestimable.

Draga cheerfully reported that she had gained some prestige in 'her' branch of the Guild, and her rank had already been promoted to silver. That counted as a very quick career, considering she'd been in the Guild less than a week. Now she was just on another mission - to find and destroy an insolent ogre troll on the border of the Tob Forest. There had been no attempts at contact from the powers that be, but Talik was sure it was only a matter of time.

The news from Warboss was a little depressing. The Orcs were bored without war. Not that disturbances were brewing, no. But in general, the uncertainty of the future created tension. They got a little respite rather by accident, thanks to the idea with Akuro.

The former gang leader spent all day in an improvised 'ring' with the orcish youth. He was a little more advanced than the 'kids,' according to Warboss, but no more. But his example gave the chief a bright idea. And now orcs had a new amusement - some semblance of tournaments. All in the Orcish way, without tenderness, with only one condition - not to death. Everything else was easily resolved through spells and regeneration potions. Potions were brewed on the spot, from renewable resources (boar blood and some other crap). They were weak, but for their level, fine.

Nevertheless, their energy had to be channeled into something specific. And obviously not in the construction...

Talik lay back on the bed and exhaled. He liked the role of 'remote director' better than being the center of attention. Spy respectfully appeared in the room and reported Daimon's conversation with Era.

"I am deeply offended by their irreverence, Your Holiness," the elf concluded. "I believe it is necessary to set them in their place."

"Let it be as it is for now," Talik replied.

This attitude made him cringe, but, in all honesty, it was quite justified. He decided that time would show.

"By the way, Spy, do you ever sleep at all?"

"Yes, Your Holiness. All stalkers have a limited need for sleep. Usually half an hour four times each twenty-four hours."

"Is it enough?" Talik marveled.

"Quite so, Your Holiness. In a busy environment, sleep can be neglected altogether."

Talik only hummed. He didn't feel much need for sleep himself, either, and slept more out of habit. And that's not to say that he slept, more like dozed off.

The evening turned into night, and he got bored. Without the Internet, social networks, forums, and other things, he just didn't know what to do. In the usual game world, he had long been farming, raiding, or cheerfully fighting in PvP locations. Now, like a fantasy, but there is nothing to do but lie on a hard bed. After thinking for a while, he went down to the common room. At least there was some life going on there, at least to hear what they were talking about. Maybe he could hang out with someone.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

Isaac Bardon, head of the adventurer's guild of E-Rantel, was about to finish his business for the day and was surprised by the late visit. A girl from the receptionist's office came through the door, bowing, holding a wooden pencil case.

"Oh, it's you, Mory. What do you want at a time like this?"

"Mr. Isaac, I apologize for this late visit, but the case seems important."

Bardon made an inviting gesture, and Mory walked over to the table.

"Look at this."

With that, she removed two intricately cut stones from the pencil case. Bardon stared at them incredulously.

"Are those sensory stones? What happened to it? As far as I remember, it's supposed to be transparent."

"Yes, Mr. Isaac. A new man registered with the Guild today, claiming his role as a healer. I ran tests on his skills and activated the stones. They have completely lost transparency, a testament to the third rank of magic. But it's been a few hours now, and the translucency still hasn't returned. I decided to report back to you, just in case."

"Hmm. That's it," Bardon said thoughtfully. "You're good to come and tell me about it."

Bardon took the warm, almost hot stones in his hand and thought. Mory probably just didn't know it, but a total loss of transparency is not the third rank. It is rank three or higher, and judging by the temperature of the stones, perhaps even higher than rank four. Very few people could use the magic of such power, and there were only three of them in E-Rantel.

"Where does this man come from?"

"Here are his forms, Mr. Isaac. He is staying in the guild rooms."

Bardon took the sheets of enchantment paper from her hands and read them. Nothing specific.

'Where are you from? From a country so far away that its name doesn't tell you anything.' It's on the verge of boorishness, although the answer is acceptable.

'Why did you decide to become an adventurer? I want to meet the strongest adventurers in the world.' And not a word about money

'Are you afraid of death? Yes, I wouldn't want to die.' Uncommonly honest.

'Have you ever broken the laws of a Kingdom, Empire, or Theocracy? No' Not a common occurrence. The answer was perfectly true, judging by the paper, which meant that the candidate did not even have a tomato stolen drunk on his conscience.

'Are you a wanted man in any of the countries of the continent? If so, I am not aware of it.'

And all the answers are in that order. Subtle, vague, but completely truthful.

"A stranger with no roots here, who uses powerful healing magic, and has never been seen anywhere before... Yeah, that's weird. Has he found a partner yet or several?"

"Yes, Mr. Isaac. He was accepted as a member of the Immortal Hope, the leader, Daimon."

"I remember these guys, capable. Mory, if he asks for help or information, do what you can, and then give me the details of the case. Feel free to refer him directly to me if the matter is beyond your competence."

"I got it, Director.

Maury bowed and walked out. Bardon pondered, looking at the questionnaires. It was probably because of this kid that the minor official of the gatehouse had thrown a tantrum on him today.

Novice adventurers appeared all the time. Children of peasants, mercenaries, bandits who decided to legitimize their affairs, children of impoverished aristocratic families, former criminals. Mortality, especially in the copper and gold ranks, was very high, but this did not affect the popularity of this occupation. The guild always had a good selection of candidates, not everyone was accepted. There were quite a few criteria, including hidden ones. The Guild needed reliable, fearless fighters and spellcasters. Weak or crooked ones were not needed.

Talented prodigies were very rare, and as a rule, they already had some track record. At least it was not a problem to find information about them. But with this healer, it was obvious that there was no way to find out. But with the talent he showed, it was no problem at all.

There could be two problems. The first is that he could, in theory, be an envoy of the Theocracy. Technically, the Guild was outside politics, but who cares about formalities when it comes to real power. So, agents of all three great states infiltrated the ranks of the adventurers with enviable consistency. They never rose above the rank of silver, so no harm was done. Unless the Guild arranged so that the agent could only receive assignments within the borders of his homeland.

Could the Theocracy has sent an agent here with at least rank four magic? In theory, yes. In practice, such training is a disgrace to any spy. He literally shouted 'pay attention to me' with his behavior.

And if it was not an agent of the theocrats, another problem arose. A talented newcomer, potentially one of the best healers in the region, or even the country, the Church would try to get its hands on. The Church was bound to try. This had to be avoided by all means. The Church has a lot to offer, but the Guild has a few trumps, too.

And the old guild branch head was also bothered by a certain coincidence. The guild used magic [messages] for coordination. Not very reliable and very expensive, but the ability to exchange data quickly was worth it.

During the past week, four more fairly notable figures have entered the guild within the Kingdom. Three were fine defensive-type fighters, spear and shield oriented, in extremely good armor. They were probably ex-soldiers, but from what army? Theocrats and Imperials relied on straight swords to arm the regular army. Professional mercenaries from those places followed the same trend. The kingdom of Re-Esties used spears, but only in a tight phalanx formation. Very long spears that could not be used with a shield.

The fourth notable figure was the adventurous newcomer who showed up in E-Pespel. A warrior, a swordswoman. According to the head of the place, an extremely self-confident woman with truly exceptional equipment. On her first day, she had a big fight with some of the higher-ranked warriors. As a result of the scandal, she playfully beat the gold-ranked team to a pulp. With an ordinary wooden stick.

And now a talented newbie comes to his city, too, from far away places. There's a reason for all this. Bardon tapped his fingertips thoughtfully on the paper.

"Well, let's see how you perform, adventurer Taler. It's interesting, to say the least."

***Era***

"As she left her room, Era was about to walk to the familiar shop that sold herbs and tinctures. She had been buying tea there for the past couple of years. Her relationship with the shopkeeper, an elderly, snarky old man, allowed her to stop by at odd hours."

As usual, Grandpa sold her not only a handful of expensive tea but also a bunch of funny tales from his youth. The visit dragged on until midnight, but she didn't mind. There was a beauty in long conversations with the old man. Any worries or problems receded into the background as she listened to the herbalist's tales. He never repeated himself once during their acquaintance, and he never pestered her about her life. He was a perfect companion.

When she returned to her room, she saw a new member of the team in the nearly empty room, lit only by the fireplace and a couple of candles. He was sitting there, staring at the fire and slurping something hot out of a cup.

Era thought about it. It wasn't a bad time to get to know him, to set boundaries, to find common ground. Not that she wanted to get to know him at all. But he happened to be her mate for the next mission. And making contact, clarifying boundaries, would be better before they performed. On the way to E-Rantel, they never really talked.

She walked toward the table where Thaler was sitting. He turned his attention to the approaching girl and raised his hand in greeting.

"Yo."

"Hi. It's strange to see a sober man in a drinking hall at midnight," she smiled neutrally.

"I was bored, I thought I might meet someone or hear something interesting. But all the decent people turned out to be asleep long ago. I don't feel like sleeping anyway, so I'm bored here."

There was an awkward pause. Era just couldn't find the right topic to start a conversation. After half a minute of staring at the fire in the fireplace together, she decided to start right away with what interested her.

"Daimon invited you to join the team, and we'll have to rely on each other for a while. I trust our leader, but I don't know you at all. Why did you decide to join us?"

"You're very direct..." Taler hesitated. "Okay. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't going to join the group. I had other plans. It was only after I talked to Daimon that I realized I didn't know anything about what was going on here. So he offered to join the team, temporarily. I thought, why not? At least I'd get to see what was going on."

"That's how. And you are very sure of yourself." Era smiled politely. "I don't think you realize how hard and risky our work is."

"I don't want to start an empty argument, the decision has been made, and time will judge. You don't like me. Can you tell me why?"

"I realize that sounds rude, I apologize for saying so. It's not that I don't like you. There was a guy who traveled with us before you... He was hopeful and didn't know what was what. He was very confident, too, at first. Then we had a lot of problems. It was a very bad experience for me."

Taler smiled wryly.

"At least it's honest."

"Do you already know what kind of work we have to do?"

"Something about the undead in the east. You probably already know, I'm not from here and don't know much about geography. Can you give me any details?"

"Yes. The Plains of Katze. Cursed lands the size of a small country. No one in their right mind would go inland. The territories bordering the outskirts of these plains are constantly under threat."

"And that's where we have to capture the crazy sorcerer? Won't he die on his own, even without our help?"

"It's good if he dies. But I wouldn't count on such luck. We'll probably have to make a good run around the outskirts of the plains, looking for where he's entrenched."

"What if it's not on the outskirts?"

"If not on the fringes, it's an assignment for teams much stronger than ours."

"I see. Actually, you know, I'm a little surprised - why do these plains still exist? I mean, why haven't they all been piled on top of them from different directions and cleaned up once and for all?"

"Oh, this topic is often discussed. The answer is simple - it would require the leaders of all three countries to agree and cooperate. This is impossible, each of them thinks he is the smartest and will surely betray the others in order to keep his army. Everyone understands this."

"Why doesn't the Guild do it? From what I know, it might have the power to do something like that. Well, at least seriously reduce the cursed area."

"The Guild can, but only if it is paid. And the sum for such an order would be unaffordable even for Emperor Baharut. Especially since the Plains of Katze is the most secure border there is. If it weren't for them, the Empire would surely have clashed with the Theocracy by now. Anyway, the Plains of Katze are as we know them for a bunch of reasons."

"I already want to look at them."

"And there's not much to see. Dead lowlands, constant fog, easy to get lost. Well, at least that's how it is on the outskirts."

"I see. Any advice for a beginner, about these plains?"

"Advice?" Era was surprised. Taler wasn't starting to make such a bad impression in general, and now he wasn't shy about asking for advice. "Take a change of clothes, write a will, and grow eyes on the back of your head."

"I can't promise about the eyes in the back of my head, but I'll try to do the rest," he grinned and got up from the table. "Thanks for the conversation. I'm going to try to get some sleep."

Era followed his example.

"Bryce should be here tomorrow morning to give you the proceeds for the gold."

"I'll wait. Good night."

"Good night."

Era went to her room with much less of a burden of doubt. She still didn't trust Taler, but she had fewer worries. Though that self-confidence... Well, worst-case scenario, he will die there.

The goblin squad waited patiently for their prey. They'd been tracking their prey for a week. Cunning, cautious prey that hid well. Not good enough for the chief hunter of the village. The chief hunter had been able to find the trails the cunning elf walked. And now the goblins were waiting. Today, tomorrow, or some other day, the prey would surely pass through here.

Each hunter dreamed of catching an elf. There were very few elves, and they hardly ever appeared in the Forest of Tob. Only very desperate fugitives from the lands of men. Such prey is a great honor and respect of the whole tribe. Elves live very long under the knife of a shaman, very long screaming. The gods like it. And then there is enough meat for all the men to taste.

And if you are very lucky, there will be other elves. A woman with a child, for example, or a wounded friend. It would be a great feast. There has been no two-legged prey for a long time, none at all. People with borders learn quickly, and they don't go through the woods alone.

The prey finally appeared. He emerged from the bushes, looked around, climbed deftly up a tall tree. He sat there, scribbling something in a book. He got down from the tree and ducked into the ravine in front of the pond.

The chief hunter gave the signal, it was time. At once the bushes rustled, and several hunters threw spears at his feet. From the other side of the trail, a thin net of weights was thrown. The prey was doomed.

Waiting for Bryce before going out was a good idea. He brought a weighty purse of gold and silver, for a total of fifty gold pieces. Bryce watched with a chuckle as Talik counted the coins.

"You don't trust me, I respect that."

"I just want to understand how much money I have. What's the point of checking if I don't know the prices or the rates? Anyway, you helped me out, thanks. What do I owe you for your efforts?"

"Two golds, I already took. We're a team now, though. Do you want it back? - He rolled the shiny coin meaningfully over his fingers.

"Let them stay with you," Talik smiled. "I can add one more if you help me with something."

"Really? And who should disappear?" Bryce grinned. "I warn you right away, I don't take on ministers or children."

"It's much simpler than that. I need someone who knows the city. I'm going for a walk, and I don't want to pester passersby with questions."

"I know something about the city. A coin? It's a deal."

The city seemed big when Talik drove into it. But after a couple of hours, he realized that it wasn't. The city was tiny in the sense of a megalopolis resident, a few kilometers from wall to wall.

There was a lot to see, though. Even in such a relatively small area, there were a lot of interesting things to see. There was room for all sorts of contrasts. The luxuriantly decorated palace of the mayor was literally a kilometer away from the impossibly miserable slums. A bustling marketplace buzzed with life one street away from the majestic (by local standards) temple. Vile basement taverns, expensive establishments for noble gentlemen, brothels, grim barracks, apartment buildings, huge storefronts, and blank alley walls. All this managed for generations to fit and coexist within the city walls.

Bryce turned out to be a connoisseur of dubious entertainment and knew every joint in E-Rantel. Gambling dunks, smoking houses, places where they served 'something more interesting than booze'. As he passed by another joint, Talik noticed the half-dressed girls wearing something like collars. He realized, after a closer look, that they were more like tattoos.

"Bryce, what's that on their necks?"

"Oh, you haven't seen it before? These are slave tags. Evidence of belonging."

"Slaves?" This was the first time Talik had ever seen such savagery in person. "You mean they are slaves?"

"Yeah."

"I heard slavery was abolished, no?"

"Oh, Taler-san, your naivete is something. Do you see the collars on them?"

"No, but..."

"That's it. What do you do to the owner of the shop? In any court of law, he will say that they are not slaves, but hired girls, for example. And try to prove otherwise."

"So at this point, they can just walk away?"

"Where? To the judge, the tag means nothing. But to anyone who understands it, it means someone's slave. Decent people won't have anything to do with them, and non-decent people... You know what I mean."

"How is it that a man becomes a slave? Yesterday he was free, and tomorrow he is caught, tagged, and that's it?"

Well, not exactly like that, but in general almost. Caught, taken to another city, for example, and that's it. No friends, no relatives. Or parents can sell the child out of hopelessness, or they can take him away for debts. There are all kinds of cases. Although, usually, they do not live long anyway. Drugs, violent clients. Some commit suicide, but that's rare.

Talik was shocked.

"And what, no one resists?"

"You are like a child, Taler-san. Who would allow a slave to resist?"

"Why ask? Stabbed and fled, no?"

"Oh, you have heard some interesting tales. For the very attempt to show will, for a slanted look, there is a punishment. As severe as the owner's imagination allows. One way or another, everyone breaks down. Believe me, any talk of resistance is empty."

"It's hard for me to imagine something like that."

"Don't you have slavery in your homeland?"

"Huh...some call it that, but it's not all that brutal. There is always a choice as to which master to serve."

"What do you mean? A slave is a slave because he has no right to choose anything."

"You probably wouldn't understand... In my country, only someone who wants to be a slave can be a slave, so to speak. Trying to force someone to work against their will is the surest way to jail or even the grave. That's not how the law works in our land."

"Good places, it must be."

"Just yesterday I would have disagreed with you."

Talik looked back at the girls. Fifteen or seventeen at most. If the fate that Bryce had described awaited them... It was too unfair, there was no way Talik could just accept that and not try to do something. Of course, that didn't mean he'd rush right in to save everyone and everything. It was tempting, but it wouldn't do much to change the big picture if he started trashing brothels. And then what to do with those whom he helped in the heat of the moment. He can'! guard them for the rest of his life. need a better idea.

"So, you're not up to the heroic task of rescuing poor maidens?" Bryce squinted his eyes sarcastically.

"I really want to, but... I don't know the best way to set it up yet."

"Ha, I like your confidence. But you know, not all of these slave girls are so unhappy. Some of them generally live better lives than they used to."

"What do you mean?"

"They don't starve, they don't get sick, they sleep in warmth, and they wear nice clothes. Yes, the work is not sweet and there is no freedom, but believe me, not everyone would like to return to their villages. To give birth every year in poverty, to plow in the fields for the rest of their lives, to constantly wait for bandits or monsters to raid, to crawl on all fours in front of every generous turkey. Where things really suck is on the estates of the nobility. But you'll never get there, so just forget it. You'll get used to it."

Talik thought about objecting but didn't. He certainly wasn't going to 'get used to' what he considered barbaric and criminal. But it didn't seem to make any sense to argue with Bryce about it. The man had been born and raised here, and for him, this was the normal order of things.

The mood for walking was gone altogether. Fantasy reality was becoming less and less romantic. He said goodbye to Bryce, who was about to drag him to the 'best place in town, you'll love it,' and went back to his room, preparing to be bored for the rest of the day. And as it turned out, pretty just in time.

[message]

"Prophet, pardon the intrusion, there is important news."

"What's up, Illadria?"

"One of the low-level scouts in the outer forest is attacked, wounded, and carried somewhere. Stalker-watcher, according to your order, does not interfere."

"Who attacked? Levels, numbers, race?"

"Goblins, a gang of 22 creatures. Levels 10 to 19. It was an ambush."

"I'll be very interested to know how they managed to arrange that. But later. Right now, let the stalker see where they take ours. If there's a threat to life, have him take it back and let the strongest escape, and then hunt him down."

"Shall I send a punishment squad?"

"No, the orcs will take care of that. You will help them with the transport to the site."

"I dare not question your orders, Prophet. But why don't you let the elves teach them a lesson for their insolence?"

"Because I want to keep the presence of combat-ready elves a secret for now. Be prepared to intervene personally, but only as a last resort."

"Got it, Prophet."

[message]

"Warboss, I need your warriors."

"At any moment, Prophet! Where should they be and whom should they kill?"

The chief hunter was terribly angry. Ogres had come to the village. Huge, strong, and greedy masters of this part of the forest. When they came, they always took what they wanted. Food, knives, bling, skins. Anything they liked. Sometimes they took the warriors of the tribe with them, for war with the trolls from another area. Always humiliated, beaten, and mocked.

The ogres had a short conversation. Anything they don't like, they whack it with the club. There was a goblin, and now there's a bloody puddle.

The chief hunter realized as he approached that something was wrong. The hidden village had always been very quiet, but now it was noisy. Far beyond the rough palisades came growls, thumps, screeches, and guttural laughter.

He could not go and hide, it would destroy his authority. And the prey might die without suffering, it was impossible - the gods would be angry. So the party did enter the village, and the hunch was confirmed - the ogres had shown up. The middle of the village was torn down and trampled, the fatheads had built a fire from the rubble of the tree, and the tents were sitting on, like mats.

Of course, they immediately spotted the prey. And, of course, they immediately took it for themselves. One of the hunters got angry and tried to push the raking hands away from the prey, and immediately got hit in the head with a club. And so did two others who had done nothing.

The head hunter was furious, but he kept his cool. This was not the kind of situation where a little goblin could do anything. Gritting his teeth, he watched in silence as the bound elf was rolled into a clay lump. No shaman's knife, no favor of the gods, no tasty meat. All taken by the ogres.

The only hope was that the elf was not alone in the forest. The head hunter was already figuring out how to find his campsite. It would be good if there was a woman there. And he wouldn't drag his new prey into the village at once. First, he would make sure there were no evil guests.

He was the first to spot the new guests, even before they broke through the fences the ogres had breached. They looked a lot like goblins, only twice as big and fleshier. The first guest launched an axe at the head ogre. The goblin could barely keep track of the heavy iron.

The axe crunched into the ogre leader's chest nearly two-thirds of the way through with a juicy crunch. He goggled, coughed, and looked around incredulously. The rest of the ogres froze, stunned by such insolence.

And the new guests wasted no time at all. While the ogres were trying to figure out who had the nerve to run into the forest owners, several of the new guests had already reached them.

And the axes and clubs danced. The ogres roared in a frenzy that tore down the tents that were still standing. The guests weren't far behind. They turned out to be surprisingly agile, quick, dodging their clubs and hacking, hacking, hacking back.

Not everyone was able to dodge the bludgeoning, and some of them got hit. One of the guests was knocked aside almost immediately. And that's when the goblin got really scared. The two-meter tall, broken body, with its arm sagging and its bones sticking out, stood up and laughed. With a scary, wild laugh. And rushed back into the fight. As the green lunatic took another swing with his club, he grabbed her with his good arm and bared his teeth to the ogre's wrist. And he died, still laughing.

The guests were amused by the wounds. They had fun fighting to the death.

To the hell with all this, though the goblin. It's time to run. But it turned out that the guests weren't just having fun with the ogres.

The hunter's eyes were filled with carnage. There were many of them, and they were chopping goblins to pieces all over the village. In some places the buildings were ablaze, the smoke smoky, the barking laughter and desperate shouting coming from all sides. In less than a minute the village was a blazing massacre.

The goblin tried to escape, and he almost succeeded. Under cover of greasy smoke, he crawled through the ruined tents, through the garbage pits, between the piles of bones to the wall where the coveted breach was. He made it outside the ruined village and sprinted away, but he could only take a few steps.

A sharp pain pierced his leg, and the goblin fell. He pulled out a bone knife hidden under the rags and tried to roll over. The pain was so intense that the goblin couldn't stand it and screamed. In spite of his unruly limbs, he was able to twist himself around to see what was wrong.

There was an axe sticking out of the leg, in the back of the knee. From the hilt, a thin rope ran backward somewhere. Just as the goblin spotted it, the rope tightened. The pain darkened his eyes, and he didn't keep track of the moment when the two-meter tall axe wielder was beside him, pressing his fingers hard against the thin neck.

"And where are we sneaking off to?"