Planet Areana. The Great Forest
First steps and first meetings
Hmm. Two groups of creatures. Some look human, at least from this angle. I didn't get any closer to the scene.
Looks like they were surrounded. Or driven into a trap. Twenty people.
No, they were most likely taken at a campsite or rest stop. Campfires and scattered cooking pots are visible.
They huddled together and organized a defense around the cart. It was pulled by some strange animal, resembling a large lizard with a short tail. Incidentally, it was also covering one of the directions. Apparently, it had been trained to react appropriately in a similar situation. Like our knights' war horses, which gored or bit the enemy, or the war elephants of India, which snatched up attackers with their tusks or trampled them.
There are archers and a few other people standing on the cart, whose actions I can't determine. Warriors have surrounded the cart from below. But for some reason, both those on the cart and the others below are now armed with swords or something resembling spears, only they have tips on both ends. And that's odd, because the archers still have arrows in their quivers. It's noticeable.
It's unclear. They're giving up their advantage in long-range weapons, especially since they have far more archers than the attackers. This would have evened their odds in this battle. A strange choice. Or is there a reason for it?
Judging by the lack of wounds, the battle had only just begun. I heard the echoes of the initial skirmish. Only a few humans and a couple of attacking monsters had clashed. I was just in time for the action to begin.
They're clearly trying to protect those on the cart. The archers are only the last line of defense. They're apparently weaker in close combat, and significantly so. Their weapons and armor are making a difference.
Okay, let's look further.
They're confronted by other creatures, some kind of gorilla-like creatures. Massive. They look very strong. I'll take that as a basis. But their speed is also impressive. They move with a smooth, animal-like gait. Despite their beast-like appearance, they don't look like savages. There are about thirty of them, and at least four or five more are holed up on the opposite side—I couldn't pinpoint them, as there was nothing to give them away other than the stirring of the unusual undergrowth.
"They're obviously trying to hide their presence, but they're keeping the group of people in their circle within their line of sight," I guessed.
It doesn't look like an ambush force. They would have placed archers there, even though there aren't many of them. And they're currently with the main wave. And like humans, their archers don't use their long-range weapons. All the gorillas are armed with large two-handed swords, battleaxes, or something resembling a "morning star." They don't have the overwhelming advantage in weaponry that humans do. Apparently, the shooters are considered archers only because they have bows; otherwise, their weapons and armor are the same as everyone else's.
As I've already noted, everyone is wearing armor of varying quality. The human-like ones have better and more elegant armor, while the gorilla-like ones have cruder armor, but I'm not sure it's of inferior quality. It would simply be awkward for humans to move and fight in such armor.
What else?
"So, what's this strange rope?" I wondered, following the thin string as it flashed against the backdrop of a dark tree trunk. "What the hell is this?"
As soon as I looked closely at it, it became more clearly visible, as if it were emerging, like when a photograph is being developed. It's not there, but I can clearly see it.
I followed its direction in both directions. One ended up right in those very bushes where someone else was presumably sitting. But the second one…
"What is this?" I noticed some barely noticeable dome suspended from this rope.
It definitely wasn't there before. Looking closer, I saw it manifest and cover the entire clearing, where both defenders and attackers were located. The only people not affected were those hiding in the bushes. And, of course, me.
And as soon as this dome appeared, those fighting in the clearing became... I wouldn't say that they were less visible, they were still just as clear and distinct, but I got the impression that I was looking at them through the thinnest glass.
And by the way. When I began examining the dome, I noticed something else. A thin, translucent film enveloped practically everything. Well, more accurately, it was stronger on some, weaker on others, but it was everywhere. On people and creatures, it was significantly brighter, with varying shades; even within the same field (?), it had areas of different colors. It was brightest on those strange people who were with the archers, as was it on the creatures lurking in the bushes.
Plus, the same bright fields (maybe this is the notorious aura) were also on some armor, weapons and something worn by both attackers and defenders.
That's it. There's already plenty of data for analysis. And time is already short.
The reason why bows aren't used inside the dome is presumably clear. It's the dome itself. Everything else is secondary.
Now decide: to help or not.
The jammer (of that very dome) was clearly in the possession of one of the four in the bushes. I didn't want to talk about magic or anything like that, but so far I couldn't think of any other conclusions. And the portal I came through didn't look much like a technical device. Conclusion: as long as the attackers' mages (?) hold that dome, the defenders have no chance.
I witnessed two skirmishes. Even if the humans outscored their opponents in speed and reflexes, it wasn't enough. Especially with such a numerical advantage. The defense combined with the strength of these gorillas outweighed any advantage the humans had over their speed.
Understanding my own kind was somewhat easier than understanding creatures that were completely alien to me, and besides, I didn't have much choice. I'm sure that if the mages wanted to, they would discover me, too, which means they'd be hunting me sooner or later.
I have no advantage, at least not a visible one. My weapons are certainly useless against these gorillas. And here's a squad capable of solving the whole problem on their own, with a little help. So, I need to eliminate the only thing preventing them from taking advantage of their archery advantage.
It's decided. We're working.
I'm crawling in a big circle. I can't move by dashing. There are too many open areas. The trees and bushes here are strange. They look more like giant leaves.
Meanwhile, in the clearing, swordsmen and spearmen were already engaged in combat with the attackers, and for now they were holding off the onslaught. The skillful spearmen were providing the advantage. They were maintaining a reasonable distance for now. But this wouldn't last long; once they were knocked out, it would be a complete melee. And then, only strength, armor, and endurance would be decisive. Humans could rival or match gorillas only on the last point.
Okay. I'm here. Who do we have here?
Hmm. They're not gorilla-like. Well, they are, but they're much smaller. About the same height as humans, but considerably broader in the shoulders than my fellow tribesmen. However, they're still considerably smaller than their brethren.
It was not for nothing, by the way, that I compared them to gorillas; they were very similar even up close.
Four of them. They sit in a semicircle and look toward the clearing. A thread or translucent rope (I still haven't decided what to call it) stretches toward the smallest one. Similar ones extend from the others toward it, but they enter the body, or rather, this very field.
"If I understand everything correctly," I began to evaluate what I saw, "then this small one is the source of the field's emergence, and the other three only support it and transmit energy to it, or whatever is required."
So, here's the plan: small one, then the bigger one. I'll be able to take them down quickly and almost simultaneously. Luckily, they're both nearby, to my left.
Then a step behind them—and the second pair. They can't be given a chance to get up. They're armed no worse than their brethren. And I'm sure they know how to handle weapons. These aren't the times to carry around such toys just for show. But their weapons, in my opinion, are of higher quality, or tailored to them. Especially the little one. Oh well, I'll deal with that later.
Knives in hand. The quality isn't very good, so you need to strike in the most vulnerable areas. In this case, that's the neck. Living with a half-severed head is kind of problematic.
And now – let's go!
A quiet, smooth step forward and alongside the seated people. I was practically behind them. I was moving exactly at their level. No unnecessary movements were required.
A double strike with the arms swinging in different directions. The key is for the blades to slide smoothly off the opponent's vertebrae and not get jammed. The blow is ferocious and is usually delivered with a sword, but if you really try, you can use knives. And it's not very aesthetically pleasing. There will be a lot of bloodshed.
But Petrovich definitely broke me out of fear of her by forcing me to work in the slaughterhouse. It was necessary, as he said, to develop character.
Everything was done perfectly, it seemed to me even a little faster than I practiced a similar strike on dummies.
Another smooth step forward. I need to hurry here. My opponents have already spotted me, but that's not important; this time, clean execution isn't so important. Quickly and sharply, to make it in time.
One knife jams, as I suspected. The other is in my hand. But then I see the nearest gorilla from the clearing rushing at me, axe raised above his head. The remaining blade flies straight for his eye. I tried to catch him in mid-stride. I couldn't miss.
So. Now we urgently need to worry about new weapons.
The corpse of a small one stood before me. I didn't take off the sling with the sword; there was no time. I just pulled out the sword and another, smaller blade.
Retreat quickly behind the nearest tree. That's it, the battle is over for me. We await the outcome. The people must cope now. I saw it clearly.
Everyone has already realized that the strange field, the source of which was a minor mage (it is magic after all; as soon as he removed the source, the field instantly vanished), no longer looms over the clearing. Both. I wonder how?
How did I figure this out? I just noticed that the archers from the carts had started working. Now, at least, I understand why they were so specialized. I've never seen such speed and accuracy. Unless I've actually shot one myself, of course, but I've never worked with bows. I didn't have the money for a good one, so I only worked with what Petrovich had in his arsenal, and he didn't have such exotic weapons for our region.
Just a few seconds—and the archers had knocked out all the enemy archers. Now the front line only had to hold back the onslaught; the archers would do the rest.
But I was wrong. The next, most powerful blow also came from the cart, from one of the archers who had set his bow aside. A strange shroud spread from him, passing through their ranks and then instantly scattering. I barely managed to take cover behind a tree trunk, pressing myself as close to it as possible, as if from the shockwave of some explosive or sonic grenade. And I did the right thing. Because the shroud closed right behind me.
I peer out. The archers are finishing off several of the remaining survivors. What I noticed is that everyone who remained unharmed was carrying some kind of object glowing with a magical aura (is that right?).
Now the swordsmen advanced and methodically moved among the enemies lying before them, finishing off, as I understood it, all those who fell from the blow of that very shroud. After that, they regained control of the clearing, while mages and several archers descended from the cart. Three remained on it and surveyed the surrounding area. The rest, quite casually, began searching the bodies lying on the ground. Only a few people were not involved in this matter. One was giving orders, the archer-mage, and the other mages.
I quietly approach the bodies lying here in the bushes. I remove their weapon slings and put them in my bag. I check their pockets—only the little one had them on his clothes; the others kept everything in small belt pouches—and take all the small items I find for myself. Then I'll figure out what's what. And then I quietly crawl back.
Just in time. One of the men approached the body of the gorilla that was rushing at me.
Uh... I was a bit hasty about the people. I certainly don't recall any humans with ears that were at least slightly pointed at the top. And I don't recall any such cuteness in guys either. This is clearly some young guy, a little older than me.
Meanwhile, this unknown person slowly turns the body over. And suddenly, he abruptly squats down to the ground.
"He noticed my knife" – it's not hard to guess what could have embarrassed him so much and attracted his attention.
"We're not alone!" he suddenly shouts in a strange, singsong language and begins to look around the area.
"Do I understand him?" I was surprised.
The archers sharply raise their weapons, preparing for battle.
Another elf (for they are true elves!) approaches the one searching the body of the enemy I killed. This one was the one giving the orders. This one, while looking just as young, seems considerably older, perhaps because of his more potent aura. While it doesn't glow as brightly as that of the mages or that strange archer, it has just as many different colors within it as they do.
He peers at the body and then looks out into the forest.
"We're not enemies, come out." This is spoken in a completely different language, but I understand it perfectly well.
So what should I do? Although I thought I'd decided to befriend them. But I'll go out and avoid the archers' arrows. At least that way I'll have a chance to escape into the forest, if necessary.
I crawl to the side. And I crawl to the place where I first came out, hearing the echoes of the battle that had begun.
I'll sling the knapsack over my shoulders. Secure it. Weapons would only get in the way with archers like these. So, I'll put it on my sling. It turns out it could be worn either on my belt or over my back. I managed to secure it there. It's easier to move around this way. At least for now. Although, as I saw, most people had their weapons on their belts. I put another sling there and inserted two captured knives. And anyway, all my weapons were captured right now.
Well, that's it, I'm ready to meet.
I creep up to the tree, climb up behind it, hidden by its trunk. And take a small, quiet step to the side, emerging from the tree's shadow.
And just then I come across the gaze of that very archer-mage.
Oh yeah, right, an archer. An archer! A girl looking at me with huge eyes in surprise.
These are elves. I have no doubt about it now.
* * *"Uncle, it's an ambush!" Seleya shouted, jumping out of the carriage.
But it was too late. A magic suppression shield had already been erected over their campsite. And one by one, tarloks began to emerge into the clearing. This meant that somewhere here, there was also a powerful shaman or several shamans.
"Fire!" Keranos, her maternal uncle, commanded the archers already gathered in the center of the clearing.
But something strange happens. The arrows fall, flying just a meter from the shooter.
"An air elemental," Keranos grumbles, turning to his niece and adding, "They have a shaman with them."
"I know," she replies, "they installed a magic suppression shield over us, so we can't help you much."
"Bad," he calmly shakes his head.
It was for his calm and reasonable nature that her uncle was sent to lead their rowdy group of youths. He was to be their curator and also the overseer of the Academy of Magic in the Largot Empire. Some of the youth were to become rangers, the rest mages.
All of Seleya's friends were powerful life mages. That's what they were supposed to do. Her path lay either with the combat faculty or with the dark ones. But she would have preferred the former. However, that would depend on the distribution, or rather, the artifact of distribution.
True, she could forget about that now. They were in deep trouble. How their observer had missed the Tarrlok squad that had gotten so close, she couldn't understand. The only explanation was that the shamans had somehow helped them.
Meanwhile, more and more enemies appear on the clearing.
"Everyone to the wagon!" Keranos ordered. "Mages and archers, up there, the rest, regroup and take up a perimeter defense below at the sides! Spearmen, try to spread out more evenly." After a brief pause, he added, "You're our only hope."
But Seleya saw perfectly well that there wasn't much hope. Without magic, without archers, they wouldn't last even half an hour. However, she said nothing. Why frighten the girls? At least they had hope. And she could see in the boys' eyes that they understood their true situation perfectly well.
The girls had no idea that unless a miracle occurred, they would be killed by the last remaining fighters. Otherwise, a fate far worse than death awaited them. After all, the tarloks hadn't attacked their squad without a reason. They clearly wanted something.
The men would fight to the last. So, they couldn't have been the target. Their squad wasn't carrying any special treasures. Perhaps a little money, but that wasn't worth the effort of preparing such a well-planned ambush. So, the target was either the mages or the women. And in this case, it's the same thing, since the male mages, like everyone else, would fight to the end.
They were lucky it was just a simple rest stop. And they were all still armed and armored. It would have been much worse if the tarloks had attacked them at night.
Although only a fool would part with his armor and weapons for long.
They had a small, almost impossible chance of holding out any longer, and then the shaman, if the Tarrloks who attacked them had only one, simply wouldn't be able to maintain such a powerful field for very long. But if there were several shamans and they were linked by a power chain, they had no chance.
Plus that damned elemental trapped inside the shield. He can't escape.
The shamans themselves don't even have to do anything. He'll do everything for them. He'll disrupt the flight of arrows or simply prevent them from using ranged or thrown weapons. A very clever trap.
The girl had never heard of tarloks acting like this. The hand of someone more cunning and resourceful was palpable here. And Seleya could have sworn that no one but the Irian kingdom was interested in this. Moreover, rumors had long circulated in their principality that the Irians were very interested in the elves and their magic. And they wouldn't object to her fellow tribeswomen. She was no less certain of that. So the girls, including herself, could not be left alive.
And so all the tarloks emerged into the clearing. Thirty of them. All fighters. And they know bows are useless. But for them, close combat is their natural element. They move in a dispersed manner. Clearly experienced warriors.
Seleya prepared for combat. She slung her bow behind her back and picked up one of her uncle's swords, which he had left for her. While Seleya wasn't a particularly skilled swordsman, she was far better than many of those standing beside her. However, she was far from her uncle or her older brother, Ecos, the dream of many of her friends, who was now covering the girls' backs.
Here come the first skirmishes. Short and quick. The Tarrloks probe their defenses and seek out the most vulnerable spots.
For now, her tribesmen are holding off the onslaught, but not for long. They're lucky that Uncle insisted on adding elf spears to the standard weaponry of some of the rangers. Now, it's only thanks to them that they're holding out.
The spearmen took the attackers by surprise.
Seleia grips her sword hilt tensely. She doesn't have the relaxed air of her uncle or brother. Keranos is always so calm. Even now, as he looks death in the eye. She's certain he will die with the same unshakable composure.
The girl was about to jump off the cart to cover the gap in the defenders' line when a surge of power rushed in. At first, Seleya didn't understand what had happened, and only then did it dawn on her. The magic suppression shield, and therefore the air elemental, was gone.
"Archers, fire!" she snaps.
And by his own example, snatching a bow from the bow and nocking an arrow, he shows what needs to be done.
Shot. Shot.
That's it, the enemy has no more archers. Those on the wagon are safe for now; the archers have eliminated their main threat. Swordsmen and spearmen are holding off the remaining Tarlaks.
Realizing this, Seleya tosses her bow aside. It's time to move on. Now they'll understand why she, an elf, should be sent to the combat department. And, entering a meditative trance, she begins to cast a spell.
"Everyone, press close to the cart," she says quietly and calmly.
She can't afford to worry or lose focus, hence her complete calm and relaxation. And hence her rather quiet voice.
But she was heard, and her uncle loudly repeated her order.
Then Seleya creates the complex "Shroud of Power Absorption" spell in her mind. Its strength lies in its mass-effect spell. After setting the radius of the spell, Seleya activates it.
The Tarrloks' fate was sealed. They fell to the ground as if mown down. Only a few had protective amulets capable of resisting the magic of darkness and death. But they were quickly finished off by the archers standing on the cart.
And then the swordsmen, before the enemy had time to recover their composure and regain their strength, scattered among them and quickly finished them off. The boys worked as they'd been trained. Crisp and precise.
Now we can breathe a sigh of relief. Although there should still be a shaman nearby. But he's apparently unconscious, since the shield fell so suddenly. We'll find him later.
Everyone began to descend from the wagon. The boys, following battle tradition, went to collect trophies. Although what valuable could one find among these savages, other than relatively decent weapons? Their troop didn't particularly need them, but for some reason they always did it. And, as Seleya knew, the boys loved to show off such toys. Especially in front of them, the girls. And many of her friends enjoyed it, but Seleya herself saw nothing unusual in it.
True, my uncle didn't lose his head from the euphoria of victory; he wasn't a greenhorn, and so, although they were now relatively safe, he ordered three archers to be left on guard.
"What do you say?" Keranos asked, approaching her.
"Apparently we were lucky; there was only one shaman. And he greatly overestimated his strength. He couldn't drive and then contain the elemental here and maintain the suppression shield at the same time." After a moment's thought, Seleya narrowed her eyes. "He should be somewhere around here, most likely not far from the clearing."
Uncle nodded slowly, about to reply. But they were all distracted by her brother's voice. Ekos was just checking on one of the last Tarlaks and shouted:
"We're not alone here!" He looked warily toward the forest opposite him.
"Did you notice the shaman?" the girl thought, checking the surroundings.
But from the direction her brother was looking, she did not find any creatures endowed with a sufficiently strong and developed magical aura, capable of creating and maintaining such a powerful barrier for at least the few minutes that the battle lasted.
"That's strange," she frowned and looked at Keranos, who had approached the corpse.
He was examining something at his feet. Then, like Ekos, he looked intently toward the forest and spoke in Common Imperial:
"We are not enemies, come out," and he began to wait for at least some kind of reaction.
But nothing happened.
However, after some time, something made Seleya turn sharply back to the other side of the forest.
"Keranos," she called to her uncle, looking at the stranger.
A young human, or chel, as they were also called. Straw-colored hair. Looked like a northerner. Dressed modestly, one might even say poorly. An ordinary face, unremarkable. He carried some kind of weapon, but it was impossible to see. His hands were free. Apparently, he was trying to convey peaceful intentions. But he wore no armor. Only some kind of canvas jacket.
"He's not rich, really. He couldn't even scrape together enough for basic armor. He must be an orphan from the northern aristocracy, otherwise he wouldn't be alone." She didn't sense any other people.
As her father used to say, "Even though they are poor, they will never sell their weapons to anyone and pass them on as an inheritance."
She looked at the guy again.
"And this one's the same, dressed like a ragamuffin, he doesn't even have proper shoes," Seleya noted the human's lack of boots, "but he's careful with his weapons." She looked him over again from head to toe. "Looks like he's heading to the capital, hoping for a better life. Although, judging by everything, he doesn't really have much to lose," the girl decided.
She couldn't understand what he was doing on the forest path. Maybe he was hoping to find something along the way? It seemed he had very little money either .
At that moment, her uncle and Ecos approached her.
"He's at the edge of the clearing," Celia nodded towards the human.
He looked at them with interest and even some curiosity.
"What, he's never seen an elfar?!" the girl was indignant.
But upon closer inspection, she realized: this insolent human hadn't even paid much attention to the men, but was looking mostly at her. Or rather, not even that. He was looking at her ears. Only now did it dawn on the girl. Which was practically a personal insult in their homeland. Look anywhere, even at their chests, but not at the tips of their ears! It's almost like calling them long-eared.
"Calm down," her uncle stopped her, noticing the direction the boy was looking. "He doesn't seem to know our customs. If he's from somewhere on the border, that's entirely possible."
But the girl was already boiling and did not listen to him.
Keranos turned to this stupid northerner, who did not even look at the one speaking to him.
"Thank you for your help," he said in Common Imperial. He finally tore his eyes away from Seleya's ears and nodded slowly.
"We would like to thank you," Keranos continued, although Seleya would rather have shot this stubborn northerner in the head.
He was staring at her again, at least not at her ears. She'd moved behind her brother's back so he wouldn't look at her. But his gaze seemed glued to her.
Her uncle turned and walked over to the cart. He opened one of the chests and took out a purse.
Seleya's eyes widened.
"There are at least a hundred gold coins there!"
However, Keranos had always been renowned for his honesty and fairness, and this man, apparently, had helped them even without knowing whether they would win the fight or not. And that always had to be rewarded.
But his behavior infuriated Seleya. She didn't even understand what had come over her. Although now the boy no longer looked at her, but stood calmly where he had emerged from the forest. Seleya snatched the purse from Keranos as he passed by, took a few steps, and tossed it at the human's feet, saying:
– At least you'll buy new boots.
At first, he didn't understand anything, then he looked down and looked at his shoes. He shrugged calmly and took a step toward his wallet, which had come undone by the throw. He poked at the coins that had fallen out. He glanced at the girl and silently walked across the clearing, under the surprised gaze of their entire squad, toward the corpse Ekos had discovered.
Human pulled his knife out. Just as calmly, he wiped it on the dead man's clothes. He slipped it into some very simple wooden sheath, apparently, and walked back.
"Right now," Seleya chuckled to herself, looking at him.
She desperately wanted this insolent man to grovel before her and collect those golden circles at her feet. She couldn't understand why he irritated her so much. He had forced her to think of him from the very first moment, and that's why she hated herself and him for it.
However, she was mistaken. He approached her.
It turned out that he was quite tall for a guy, even a little taller than her.
From somewhere in the inside pocket of his cheap jacket, he pulled out a small ring. He looked at it, then, smiling, looked her straight in the eye, and, reaching out, dropped it at Seleya's feet. Then he turned and walked into the forest, disappearing behind the trees a few moments later.
* * *Meeting the inhabitants of this world didn't go quite as I'd imagined. You can't be so beautiful and unusual that people can't even take their eyes off you. But the girl apparently simply didn't know that. And that's why she was exactly like that. That's what ruined everything.
It seemed my intrusive attention to her was what infuriated the elf. But no matter how hard I tried to stop looking at her, I still couldn't tear my eyes away.
Apparently, their arrogance is not without reason legendary, or perhaps it's just their feminine nature and a certain bitchiness.
The elven man, clearly the leader of their squad, apparently wanted to somehow thank me for my help, but this beauty snatched the wallet from his hands and threw it at my feet. She even looked at me with such disdain, as if I were some kind of dung beetle and should have been kept in the appropriate place. And what, I wonder, did she dislike about my moccasins? They were perfectly comfortable footwear. Especially since I didn't have any other ones. Oh well.
Out of curiosity, I went over to see what the local money looked like. It turned out to be gold coins. Petrovich was right: it's a timeless currency.
Then I walked across the clearing and took my knife from the corpse. At least it was some memory of Nilych. I wiped it on the corpse's clothes and sheathed it. I decided not to take the second one. I don't know why. This is my tribute to this world. So be it.
Afterwards, I wanted to go back for my wallet. But, seeing the disdainful look and the seemingly superior air of this unusual, fairytale beauty, I changed my mind. I'd do without this money; I didn't know its exchange value anyway. Instead, I walked almost right up to the girl.
The others didn't even get involved in our peculiar argument. Is this just the way things are for them, or are there some rules and laws here too?
I remembered one cute ring with a picture of a fluffy fox with green emeralds as eyes, which accidentally fell out when I was giving the rest of the gifts to Anyuta.
"Her eyes are exactly the same color as this beauty's!" I admired, looking into the girl's eyes.
And so, without much regret, he held it out to her, but instead of giving it to her, he dropped it at her feet.
This is exactly the expression on her face I wanted to see.
After which he turned around and walked into the forest. I don't really need anything from them. They didn't kill me, so that's good. I don't think we'll meet again.
I learned the direction of my next move from their tracks. And there was only one road. I'll follow them; they weren't just going there for nothing. Maybe I need to go that way, too.
And from that brawl, I drew two important conclusions. First: I understood them. And second: I seem to have a little magical ability.
"He, he…" Seleya stood and looked in fury at the place where this savage had disappeared into the forest.
"Lair!" one of the rangers shouted. "Come here, we found something."
The uncle standing next to the girl merely shook his head silently, looking at her, then turned and walked over to the soldiers who had called him. Ekos followed his uncle, casting a mocking glance at his sister.
"What do you have?" asked Keranos.
"Look here," one of them nodded towards the bushes.
A few seconds later the uncle returned to the girl.
"Seleya, come on, I want you to look at this," he said, pulling her along with him.
But she was practically speechless. All she could see was the savage's mocking gaze.
"Seleya," she finally heard a voice addressing her, "look."
And only then did she realize that she was standing in the undergrowth, and in front of her lay four bodies.
"So what?" she asked, still thinking about her own.
"Pull yourself together," Keranos told her sternly, "and look at these tarrloks."
Seleya finally put thoughts of this stupid savage aside and looked at the corpses.
"The High Shaman!" she said, astonished. "And the three elders. But how?!" She looked at her uncle. Even one High Shaman could maintain the field for as long as he wanted, and here there were four of them. "I don't understand." She glanced back at the bodies, then at the clearing.
"And look at this," Ekos pointed to the neck of one of the senior shamans, "does it remind you of anything?"
"Like the northerner?" the girl asked quietly.
"I'm sure of it, at least the one I saw in the body of that tarrlok," he pointed to the clearing, "and this knife have the same handles."
"So it turns out there was no accident. He killed the shamans, and after that, the magic suppression shield fell."
"Did it just dawn on you?" her brother chuckled. "And you were throwing wallets at him."
Keranos, frowning, said quite seriously:
"You insulted him, and he did the same in return, but in his own way." He paused for a moment, considering something. "Let's go." Stepping into the clearing, he commanded the rest of the squad: "There are four more, search them."
The soldiers went to carry out his orders. Keranos headed to the spot where the unknown man had dropped the ring. He looked around, spotted it, and picked it up.
"Wow..." he muttered, handing it over first to Ecos and only then to Selea. "What do you think?"
Both the girl and her brother just shrugged.
Then Keranos, sighing and looking at them, began to explain:
"It was probably the most precious thing he owned. Apparently, his mother's wedding ring. A family heirloom. A very precious one. I'm not sure, of course, but it's either a product of the Pygmy artisans, or the work of the ancients."
"What?!" Ekos was astonished. "Even our prince doesn't have something like that!"
"This boy found your behavior so offensive," the more experienced elfar said, turning to his niece, "that he decided to show you how wrong you were. He simply threw a ring worth thousands of gold pieces in front of you. Apparently, your allusion to his financial situation hit him where it hurt most. Not everyone has money, you should understand that, but everyone has honor. It's just that some follow it, while others prefer to forget it. This one, it seems, does. And he remembers it perfectly." The uncle handed the ring to the girl. "If you leave it here, it will be an even greater insult to the one who saved us and didn't even ask for anything in return. Return it to him the next time we meet, if that ever happens, and apologize!"
Seleya stood with her head down.
"I'm sorry. I didn't think about it," she said quietly. "But he insulted me too," the girl recalled, remembering how it all began.
"Then you should explain to him what his mistake was so that he doesn't do something like that again," her uncle said, smiling.
"Yes," she bowed her head even more, and then wanted to put the ring on her finger so as not to lose it.
"What's wrong?" Keranos stopped her. "Didn't you hear what I said? It's an engagement ring. Think about what you're doing."
The girl twirled the jewelry in her fingers in surprise.
"What's wrong with me? I almost did something so stupid!"
She took the chain off her neck and put the ring on it, now it hung next to the protective amulet.
"What a strange neighborhood," Seleya pointed out, "after all, this wayward human seemed to protect and save us." She looked at the ring again.
"Okay, enough lounging around here," Uncle waved his hand. "We're still a few days away from the border of the Largot Empire. Pegasi should meet us there, and we'll be in the capital in just a day."
Everyone gathered quickly enough. The wounded were already treated by the life mages. And the squad moved on along the highway.
No one noticed how a stealthy figure slipped out of the forest onto the spot where the camp had just been set up. She approached the spot where the uncollected gold coins lay scattered, bent down, and placed them in her purse.
"Why let it go to waste?" said the same northerner, and then disappeared into the forest again.
Caravan from the northThe third day on the forest road"Captain, there's some guy sitting by the road," the young mercenary galloped up to Rehar.
"So what?" he asked.
"It's so strange," the sentry from the front patrol began to explain, "one on the road, practically unarmed."
- Maybe a magician?
- Doesn't look like him. He looks more like a northerner.
- But you said you weren't armed.
"Well, I meant he has no armor, but he's armed. And his clothes... Just look at him!"
"I see," the captain nodded. "Well, let's go and have a look at your forehead."
And they both moved forward. A little further on, the rest of the forward patrol awaited them.
And indeed, a calm young man was sitting on a stone near the road and looking at the approaching combat patrol of five armed men.
"He's definitely a northerner," the old, experienced sergeant commented on the behavior of the young man he'd met. "They don't care how many enemies there are in front of them. There's only one death. That's what they think."
And they and the captain rode up to the young man.
"Hey, traveler, what are you sitting here for? Are you waiting for someone or keeping watch?"
He raised his indifferent eyes to them and simply answered:
"I'm resting. There's a large contingent waiting for you about a mile away. So you better get ready," he said, nodding toward the carefree, advancing contingent.
Then he calmly stood up and, under the astonished glances, turned around and disappeared into the forest.
"What just happened?" the captain asked the old soldier next to him, somewhat dumbfounded.
"Well, I understand he warned us. And with that, he considered his job done," the sergeant replied with a shrug, looking at the soldiers, who had relaxed after the quiet journey.
"Don't you think it would be a good idea to prepare for the meeting?" the captain asked him.
"It certainly won't make things worse," he nodded.
And an hour and forty minutes later they were thanking the northerner with straw-colored hair who had just happened to be on their way.