— Claude! - a joyful cry reached the ear and he was almost knocked down by two happy teenagers, clasping the taken aback mercenary from both sides.The cane, which fell out of his hands, fell with a ringing thud on the parquet, where it remained lying.- Alive. Daisyra muttered happily, rubbing tears down her face, although, as the young man noticed, her hands were also bandaged, but they obeyed her better than his. This pleased, so the executioner did not work hard on her, he managed to do it.- Alive, kitty. - Ronk joyfully embraced him, holding under the elbow, staggering Claude, whose legs still let him down, unable to withstand the weight of two happy children. - You look shabby.- I feel the same way. - Claude did not argue, he decided not to mention the bandages that braided his entire body.“We were worried,” Alita, waiting for her turn, kissed him, slowly releasing him from her embrace.He was squeezed and hugged, and Claude stood and happily looked at his fri
When they finally set out on a campaign, everyone perked up for a long time looking forward to this event. The horses proudly walked, carrying riders, and Nel moved especially briskly, delighted with the long-awaited meeting with the owner.Their small detachment moved slowly through the streets of the capital, led by Claude and Leatrice, slightly protruding forward. Then there were Caer with Daisyra and a girl they did not know, the envoy of the emperor. In general, it was a strange person who avoided Claude and Daisy, and now and then throwing frightened, wary glances in their direction. She looked no more than twenty-two years old, but Claude could have been mistaken, since the woman was very petite, and the huge glasses that covered half of her face, because of the wide rim, which big blue eyes looked out, only knocked down. Thick blond hair fell in a thick braid on her back, and even the taken ones reached her waist. She was dressed in a simple way, in a field jacket and trousers
- We'd love to meet you. The man chuckled sarcastically as he stirred the fire. The hood was lowered, revealing his cat eyes to everyone present.Are you all nonhumans? Ayana suddenly decided on the question, not taking her frightened gaze off Claude's face.- Not at all. Rolk and Kaer, ordinary people.- But why? ... - she did not have time to finish her thought, interrupted by Caer.- We are friends! - the guy shouted, indignant at such a division and not yet accustomed to this side of life. To which the girl only threw a strange indescribable look at him, clearly remaining unconvinced.“Now that we are more or less familiar, Leatrice, can you tell me where we are heading and why exactly?”“You don't need to know that.- If I ask, then it is necessary. I have to imagine what we are looking for and where, in order to understand what danger may await us.To which Leata thoughtfully turned the blade of grass and threw it into the fire, looked at Claude.“We are heading to the south of
- We must hurry! the woman stubbornly stubbornly almost fell out of the saddle herself. No matter how hardy they were, but such a pace was difficult for everyone, and especially for Ayana and Daisyra. Fairly lagging behind, but silently following.Claude did not know how long they would still ride at such a pace, as if all the demons of this world were chasing after them, when suddenly Ayana's horse, having stumbled on the next stone, began to slowly fall to the ground. He saw how desperately the girl clutched at the reins, trying to keep from falling and help her stand on her feet, but how could she compete with a strong animal. The horse suddenly jerked sharply, throwing the rider out of the saddle, and disappeared into the steppe. Stunned, not expecting this from her steed, the woman looked around dumbfounded, clutching her bruised side and barely holding back her tears, looking after the departing detachment.- Leata stop! - Unable to stand the mercenary shouted, sharply turning a
- You have to dig here. he said softly and leaned over the pile.The ground was soft, wet and heavy. It was easy to rake it, but constantly dipping your hands into its insides was not very pleasant. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted how two small hands joined nearby, but said nothing. The anger that arose in the first minutes of their fall did not go anywhere, demanding an exit. But he knew that if he fell for her, it would only get worse. She will either run away or shut up. "And why is she so afraid of nonhumans?!"Things went smoothly, the mound of land became smaller and smaller, dividing into two of its fellows, and the one that belonged to Claude grew twice as fast. The bite wound hurt, but he paid no attention to this, continuing to dig deeper and deeper into the ground, so that it began to seem that he would soon dig a tunnel himself no worse than the local krous. He didn't know how long they'd dug like this when his fingers suddenly found the fabric. Grasping the discove
Not though they got up from the ground and went on. Again they were surrounded by tunnels, tunnels, tunnels, pressing down on them with their tightness and darkness. Sometimes roots seeped through the earthen walls, making it clear that they were no longer far from the surface. It pleased, but not really. They never found a way out, but the chance to meet a krous on the contrary has greatly increased. However, Claude did not lose hope to miss him. After all, it was clearly clear that this part of the underground labyrinth was older, and it is possible that the owner no longer visits it.All this time, Ayana thoughtlessly wearily trudged behind, barely moving her legs and invariably lagging behind. Why did he even have to grab her by the hand, dragging her along with him. Why did she nervously twitch, but did not take her hand away. It was easier to walk that way. However, Claude understood that even this would not help them and they would have to stop for the night, and there was almo
- There's nowhere else to go! Ayana voiced the obvious, but Claude didn't answer, he needed to focus on the upcoming fight.“Ayana, you will stay here with your things. Use the bag as a shield if the monster passes through me. However, if possible, try to stay as far away as possible. I'll step forward a little and take the fight."He will kill you!""I'm not that easy to kill!" - the mercenary grinned at her words, throwing off the bag."Shut up and don't scream!"With these words, he went towards the monster rushing towards them. I didn’t have to go far, the patter of paws was already clearly felt, from the severity of which the soil vibrated under my feet. Freezing, Claude tightened his grip on the sword and prepared to attack, the main thing is not to miss the moment. The place he chose was not a good one, but here the tunnel turned sideways. So it turned out that he was in ambush, not visible to the enemy. It's just that the crus does not need to be seen. Now they both relied on
- There's nowhere else to go! Ayana voiced the obvious, but Claude didn't answer, he needed to focus on the upcoming fight.“Ayana, you will stay here with your things. Use the bag as a shield if the monster passes through me. However, if possible, try to stay as far away as possible. I'll step forward a little and take the fight."He will kill you!""I'm not that easy to kill!" - the mercenary grinned at her words, throwing off the bag."Shut up and don't scream!"With these words, he went towards the monster rushing towards them. I didn’t have to go far, the patter of paws was already clearly felt, from the severity of which the soil vibrated under my feet. Freezing, Claude tightened his grip on the sword and prepared to attack, the main thing is not to miss the moment. The place he chose was not a good one, but here the tunnel turned sideways. So it turned out that he was in ambush, not visible to the enemy. It's just that the crus does not need to be seen. Now they both relied on