“Well, come on, Aly, and don’t go to the lair of the swagger again, I may not be around,” Claude grinned and waved his hand in farewell. - I promise, mister mercenary, in the swamps more than a foot. The mercenary heard the following, to which he once again waved his healthy hand. The right hand still hadn't healed and was quite itchy. Carefully removing the bandage, Claude grimaced in pain, but it was better to be patient than to raise unnecessary questions. Confidently walking along the familiar streets of the city, because he spent a lot of time in Rigva, the guy invariably approached the tavern. There was still a lot of time, so he was in no hurry, there was just a shop of a female alchemist nearby, where he decided to look first. The woman was here, she was sincerely glad to see him, and when she learned that the terrible bobbler was no more, she gave the mercenary another antidote. Of course, he did not refuse such a gift, and having bought a few more bottles of various
We need a guide. he blurted out, causing the mercenary to smile derisively again. - What am I doing here? he replied not very politely. Claude didn't like impudent people, and this teenager acted impudently, as if he owed him something. - My brother and I found out that you are the best mercenary in this village, and we need to get to San Pera, this is in the south. - I know where it is. However, I will disappoint you, I am not a guide and do not do this, especially in San Pere. Only a stupid mercenary will stick his head in there. - Scared?! - in the voice of a teenager, too, there were sad and mocking notes, but Claude was not hurt like that. - I'm not interested. - And what are you interested in? - Boy, I'm a fighter of evil spirits, not a nanny, - the man said wearily, this whole conversation began to tire him. I understand, but we really need help! - the teenager unexpectedly pleaded, discarding all his unnecessary pride. - It doesn't concern me.
It didn't take long to get there, he and Nel didn't get very far. Once again leaving the horse to wait for him in the alley, the young man with a noiseless gait crept to the shed of one of the houses located near the tavern, in which he left the child, who, straining his eyes, peered at the guards who had already calmed down and taken their posts. Claude did not know what this teenager was up to, but he did not even doubt that some kind of stupidity was born in his head. - Went! - he said sharply and grabbed the boy by the shoulder. - Let go! shrieked this misunderstanding, after the deed realizing that they might be heard. And she added more calmly, - let me go, I need to save my brother. - Fool. Your brother is no longer here, but you won’t be able to master these two men, they will twist you and you won’t have time to squeak. - I should! - Fool. - What's the difference to you? Better help! “I’m helping you get out of here, and I still have things to do. Let'
- Thanks. - He whispered, reverently pressing the new thing and not fully believing that this unexpected gift was his. - I'm sorry I broke in. - I understand. Mister mercenary, did you save that unfortunate one after all? the merchant suddenly asked. Claude looked up at him in bewilderment. "What is he talking about?!". Aliy continued. - Well, mister mercenary, the boy who wanted to be executed when we were driving from the swamps, he was helped to escape. - It wasn't me. - Sorry. - Well, I have to go. Farewell, Ali. - Goodbye, mister mercenary. Take care of yourself. Having surprisingly warmly parted with the merchant, Claude went out into the street, where it was already deep night, he wanted to rest, and they still had to save this stupid guy’s brother, but he doubted that they would do anything else that night. Such things were not done in a hurry. Moving away from the merchant’s house, he caught the voices of the owners out of the corner of his ear, probably
When he woke up, it was already late evening outside the window, the sun was steadily sinking towards the horizon, but still illuminating everything around with fading rays and threatening to finally set. It was time to get ready for the mission. A short sleep refreshed him, giving him new strength, but still it felt like someone was staring at him with an unblinking gaze. Daze was in the room, sitting on his bed and looking at the mercenary, but he was not sitting alone. Next to him sat a lanky teenager, in short trousers torn at the bottom and with bare feet. He was wearing a simple shirt, an old shabby wide-brimmed hat covered his head, and a red handkerchief covered his neck. - And what about the collection? Claude muttered displeasedly, finally waking up. He did not like waking up under the gaze of anyone, it was better to spend the night alone. - Waiting for you to sleep. This is Nel. - Introduced a teenager comrade, he, smiling amiably, extended his hand to the man
- I'll go inside alone. - I will go with you! There is my brother. - If you want to see your brother alive, wait here! - I! ... - Another word, I'll whip it and tie it to a tree! - the man threw angrily, what a slow-witted boy. It will be much easier for him to get inside alone than to drag him along. - Daze, Claude is right. We'd better wait here, - Nel unexpectedly supported the mercenary, for which he earned a grateful nod. - Okay, but if you don't come back, we'll act on our own. - Excellent! - threw the mercenary and went to the manhole. For his height, the passage was very narrow, but it was not a problem, the last time it was much worse, because of the traps, it would be good if they were not here, after all, Rigva, not San Pere. Kneeling down and checking whether all the equipment was well fixed, Claude crawled forward, the difficulty of this hole was that he had to crawl at an angle, all the while rising up. Why his head kept clinging to the rough wa
He kept thinking that if he found Caer they would have to look for another way out, but so far everything was going smoothly enough. But he did not find the guy in any of the cells. If his memory served him, then there was another floor with cells, or rather with torture chambers, and Claude really did not want the teenager to be there. Since if he turns out to be weak, there will be no one to save, and he will not lead a feeble-minded animal from here. Unfortunately, the executioners of the Prison Tower knew their job very well. There was even lighting in the form of several weak lamps, which did not particularly illuminate the room, but rather dispersed the darkness. Having conjured over another castle, Claude entered the corridor. Stepping carefully, he moved forward, peering into each cell. He kept thinking that if he found Caer they would have to look for another way out, but so far everything was going smoothly enough. But he did not find the guy in any of the cells. If his memo
- I came for you. I'll open the locks, and we'll leave in silence. - Briefly instructed the captive man. - Thanks. - I'm doing my job. Further, the conversation did not stick, and they were not up to it. Leaving the cell, Claude compared himself with the map. This level was already known to her, but she would have to go the wrong way, which she came. Before moving on, he watched with interest as the teenager made his way along the bodies. The boy was terribly focused, but showed no signs of hysteria or fear. "Strong guy" - respectfully said Claude. It was clear that the guards had time to work with the boy, the clothes were torn in places and did not hide the bruises and abrasions left by the executioner's hand, but since no one came for them, the teenager did not tell about them. In the meantime, they got to the end of the corridor, he did not waste time on the cameras, only in the last cell he saw a plaintive look, he desperately wanted to throw the keys to the prison
The Rancia empire prospered. Those terrible times when the Ransians fearfully expected the birth of their own children are far behind. With the accession to the throne of the new emperor Claude re Tigras the First and Empress Daisyre re Tigras, the people stopped living in fear and excitement. Now every Ransian, human or not, had the same right to life and happiness. The persecution of non-humans stopped, because the ruling family also did not belong to the human race, mixed marriages began to appear more often, and cities grew. Life became calmer, now the imperials were not afraid to travel between cities, risking being in the mouth of some monster. All creatures, of course, did not disappear, but as a result of a number of innovations introduced by Claude from the experience of his mercenary life, they greatly facilitate the fight against these creatures, forced them to go away from human habitation or hide deep in their holes. Man again became the dominant race on the planet, and e
- Oh, those boys. Alita purred as she slid off her man's lap and sat down on Claude's bed. “In general, sweetheart, when we burst into the hall, we only made it to the finale, when you, with completely wild eyes, rushed towards the door until you stretched out on the floor, not having reached us a few steps. And then Alexander quickly stepped forward, ordering that you be lifted and taken to the imperial chambers and called for a doctor, and then he explained to everyone present that according to some ancient law, I don’t know where he dug it up, you become the next emperor, taking the place of the deposed you ruler. We didn't even believe what we heard. You are Claude and the emperor. It sounded kind of unbelievable. And to be honest, they also managed to catch this cold, so they thought it was the result of a fever. But as it turned out, no, they heard right and you were really glorified as the future emperor. He cleverly organized everything here. So even the few dissatisfied witne
- Infections... It's people like me that you call an infection?- Yes. To be honest, I even liked you a little, not often non-humans managed to hide from my eye for so long, and your stupid principles ... naive, frankly childish, but noble, made me smile. However, the fact that you are a monster cannot be changed and you have no other destiny than to die.“It’s like seeing which one of us is a monster.— Ha! Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?“Appearance says nothing about a person. Yes, my eyes and ears are different from human, but there is much less blood on my hands than on yours.- What are you talking about. Turn around. All these people could live if not for you.“My fault for their death is no less than the one who set them on me. At least I was only defending myself, not sending them to their deaths.They died because they were doing their duty.Or because they were left with no choice.This conversation did not lead them anywhere, without bringing clarity or sat
And now only three of them remained, the horses carried the tired mercenaries forward, whipping dust into the air and crumbling the age-old stone into the sand. Two hot streams of steam escaped the air from the wide, nervously quivering nostrils of the driven horses. No one believed that they would catch up with the warrior, only hoping that the emperor would not realize his terrifying plan immediately upon the arrival of his assistant. On the horizon in front of them rose the towers of San Pen, brightening up the dull landscape with each kilometer growing higher and higher, delighting and frightening at the same time. Claude did not know what awaited them in the capital, for the first time he did not have at least some slightly thought-out plan, only one desire to be in time, not to be late, to stop. Inside, everything was shrinking from a bad premonition, but the guy drove away uninvited thoughts. You should never take on a job with a gloomy attitude to its failure, otherwise, every
Leata's voice broke through her rage-clouded consciousness. "Finally!" the guy exhaled, looking at the best thing to do in order to retreat without consequences for his health and life. It was not far to go, the creatures had already almost pressed him to the failure, from which the mercenary was separated by several steps, he needed only a couple of three seconds to get the coveted vial and jump over to the other side. Taking a step back, he seized the sword more comfortably and threw the dagger at the creature closest to him, slashing the blade across the entire expanse available to him and forcing the creatures to retreat a couple of steps. Here are his seconds. Rushing back, he removed the blade with one hand, and with the other he felt for the coveted cork. Which is specially marked so as not to be confused with others. The previous experience of using this remedy in the battle with sectroses taught him decently, but there was no time to sip drop by drop. Let it be what will be.
Aiyana, hurry up. Something is not happening.- One more second. Here it is! - the girl purred enthusiastically, pressing the lever near the capsule, and completely not noticing what was happening around.- We have no time. It's time to go.- Not! Until I find it, I won't leave.- Crap! Is it worth your life?- Yes!Discouraged by the answer, the mercenary fell silent for a few seconds. That's devotion! She could be admired if he and his comrades of life did not depend on her.Tell me what to look for! - finally, unable to stand it, he grunted, finally entering the room and feeling the cold enveloping from all sides.- You don't know the language.But I can see. I'll find it by sight. Show me or we'll all stay here.She did not argue further, obediently showing what symbols she had to find. There were few of them, at most four, of which one was a letter, and the rest resembled modern numbers. It was not even a name, but rather a code. He moved along the nearest shelving unit, running
At Leata's remark, Claude only shook his head, as they approached the ruins, Leatrice became more and more irritable and angry. He did not know what was eating her, most likely she was also afraid. After a quick bite, they hit the road. The sounds that accompanied their breakfast didn't help their appetite, and neither did their conversation. In anticipation of a meeting with the owners of these voices, people unanimously grew gloomy, but walked, carefully looking around. It gradually began to get light around, mischievous rays gently ran across the grass, reflected in drops of dew, flashed on people's weapons, playfully looking into their eyes and blossomed with a gloomy rainbow, reflected from the surface of the lake. The one that Leata called the "Lake of the Dead". For what it received such a name, no one knew, but the assumptions were different. Maybe the ancients drowned their dead in it, or maybe this is due to some mysterious story, since the lake was no different from its cou
- What the hell! cried Claude with a loud splash as he went under the water. The turbulent river picked up its prey with the joy of a small child who discovered in his power a toy he had long desired. The big man was twisted and twisted, sometimes hitting the side of the shell. Water clogged in his mouth, nose, forcing him to spit, smearing haze before his eyes. You can't give up! Claude remembered that he was not alone in the water, but he did not have time to really see the creature that had so cleverly discounted him. However, this did not give a reason to underestimate her. Ripping up the water with powerful strokes, he forced himself to swim up. Thank the Gods, he did not have time to take aside. The shell, like a native, clung to him, dragging him along, trying in vain to pull him under him. The body already almost did not obey him, bound by a terrible cold. Pushing off from the surface of the water, Claude desperately jumped up in an unsuccessful attempt to grab the edge, feeli
— Falcon. Daisyra prompted, following his gaze. For her, this distance was not a problem. - Beautiful.- Yes. And lonely.- How are you!- What did you get?“This is how we met you in that tavern.- When it was. Seems like another life.- Yes. And I'm glad we met.- And I.They had a strange conversation, they seemed to be talking and at the same time not. Pictures of their meeting floated before his eyes, taken apart by the words of the girl, and seeing himself, he looked and did not recognize. Now he was no longer the same person. Claude has changed. Becoming somehow something ... more integral, but still in his chest did not want to melt a tight lump that appeared there in childhood, as if not allowing him to free himself from the cage created by himself.- For me, he is not alone, but strong. Rolk muttered thoughtfully.— Who are you talking about? Caer joined in, also following his eyes sparkling in the rays of the sun, following the bird circling above them.- About both.“We wi