- I'm Claude - a free mercenary. In your places aisle. - The man introduced himself, confidently looking at the owner of the house. - I wanted to ask you to stay for this night, with dinner and bed, and of course not for free.The man thoughtfully scratched his chin without taking his eyes off the guest, trying to see in his face only he knows what.- My name is Eli. You can even stay overnight for free. There are rarely guests in our area, especially mercenaries."Nice to meet you," Claude replied politely, bowing his head slightly. Something strained him in this stranger, although he did nothing suspicious, and intuition was already calling and pushing him in the other direction from this house. But he didn’t want to go anywhere, he was very tired, so advising to be on guard himself, he followed Eli.Inside, the house was not very different from hundreds of others he had seen before. The same walls, windows, wooden furniture, household items, only a huge full-length mirror hanging o
- This is electricity, - the man said almost in syllables, not particularly accustomed to such complex words. - We inherited this miracle from our ancestors.- Unusual. - Only the guy could pronounce, continuing to follow the lights.- There is almost no such thing left in the world, perhaps only with us. - Showed off the local landmark Eli, proudly examining his transformed home.As Claude was forced to admit, he liked such a festively transformed village, almost nothing like the gray, wretched village he had come to during the day, but he still did not want to stay here.- Welcome to our dance in your honor, Claude. - Eli announced a little pathetically and with an inviting gesture circled the square, where the entire population of the village had gathered. People all as one, with poor faces and thin figures, walked around the clearing, some in groups, some alone, but invariably looking at the guest. Claude was not flattered by such attention, but it was not unusual either. This oft
- It's your fault, - the guy grunted angrily in her ear, pulling out another throwing knife hidden in a sheath on his back with his free hand. He hesitated only a second, his hand did not flinch as the thin blade entered the man's chest and he collapsed like a mowed down man, hiding in the grass.Oglaia's body shook with silent sobs, but she was unable to speak, held by the mercenary's hand. Already moving away from the village, carefully watching that they were not pursued.Stop crying, it's your own fault. But if you are obedient and lead to Vogra, without a tail, you can save your father. Although I'm sure you won't be killed that easily. Anger didn't want to leave him. "Why is the girl such a fool, forcing him to attack another non-human," - he understood that these people were not monsters, but the same as him, only preferring isolation.- You're lying ... - the captive croaked, finding the strength to speak.- Not. I have never lied to you.- But why?- You started it all by you
The man stood amazed at the unexpectedly warm welcome of the girl, and the rest of the companions stood unable to hide the happy smiles that lit up their faces. "Has he really become so dear to them!" - the guy was surprised, in no way able to get used to the idea that someone could worry so much about him. No, of course, they worried about him before, and waited, as if without it, but so much, as if he were not just an acquaintance, an accidental fellow traveler, but a real friend. Uncertainly embracing the fragile, trembling shoulders, he suddenly, somehow confused, lightly patted the girl on the shoulder, wanting to comfort her. But she burst into tears only more than before. Finally confused about what to do, the guy just froze, hugging Daisy and no longer making attempts to console her. Only occasionally listening to how through soft sobs she muttered fragmentary phrases,- We thought... you were dead... we were looking... you... we...Finally weeping, she pulled away, punching
- Do you take water from Vogra? - Claude interrupted the narrator.“Yeah,” the man said, and continued. - However, these were the first signs. Then it got worse, the sick began to develop a rash, weakness, and the worst thing was that nothing helped. This attack has already begun to collect its victims. - At these words, a bitter warehouse lay on the forehead of a warrior who was not at all indifferent to what was happening with his compatriots.- And it won't work! - Claude severely cut off, making the rest of the interlocutors shudder, - since your illness comes from here! he proclaimed, pointing his finger at the calm waters of the Vogra. A wide full-flowing river that has absorbed a considerable number of mountain streams, pacified their proud disposition, and released them further in their calm waters.Are you sure, Claude?- Why do you think so?Rolk and Aren exclaimed in chorus, looking with surprise and disbelief at such serene water.- Yes I am sure. You yourself sniff, from
They walked mostly in silence, the conversation did not stick in any way, starting and fading without having time to gain momentum. Alita and Rolk did not seem to notice anyone or anything at all, absorbed in each other, which made them even a little envious. After all, in the place of a friend could be Claude, who himself refused the attention of a woman. Although in this decision he was unshakable. He did not want a closer relationship, except for those that had already been established between them, and Daisyra was still very small for this. She and her brother did not fit into their company at all, looking like snotty children, fragile and defenseless. Only Claude already knew what these children could be capable of when they found themselves in a dangerous situation. He liked this feature of the guys, not to lose their heads in times of danger, with such a feature they would not be lost in this rather cruel world.It was already not the first hour of the journey, and the landscap
After walking a few meters, he stopped out of sight of the monster, whose visibility of vision reduced its range, and sank to the ground. The further path will have to be crawled. This mode of transportation was not convenient. Since the grass fell behind the collar, tickled the chin, pricked the bare stomach, when the jacket was pulled up, from an awkward movement. It was difficult to breathe under the rag, and the stench made me want to constantly sneeze and rub my eyes, which never stopped watering. Yes, and the constant flapping of huge wings overhead strained. He heard screams of pain and the sounds of falling bodies heard from the side or above him, but the most infuriating thing about his plan was that he did not see at all what was happening above him. He had only to rely on his comrades and crawl, crawl. What he did. Slowly, but getting closer to the goal.He drew the sword from the sheath even when he was flattened on the ground, trying to merge with the grass, but now the p
Staying here was tantamount to suicide, the fire was everywhere, burning. Sparks rained down, threatening to set fire to clothes. Everything seemed to be on fire, every part of his long-suffering body was engulfed in flames, although he understood that this only seemed to be due to the heat surrounding him. There was no desire to fight, but Claude was not used to giving up so quickly, if he had given up so easily, he would have died long ago, but he wanted to live. Slightly rising, he tried to crawl away, hissing from the pain in the burnt palms, which did not escape the meeting with the flames, but nothing came of it. The weight pressing down on him from above seriously pressed him to the surface, not allowing him to budge. "I won't die here!" - the guy growled, feeling how bright flowers begin to bloom before his eyes, blooming with a lack of oxygen, and the nasty darkness is already clouding his consciousness. He wanted so badly to give up and let himself fall asleep. Shaking h