World Witout Wizards: Guard

I didn't understand. Where were the charges of the attempted murder of me? Why was that missing? Most likely, this accusation was replaced by more serious crime, since the life of a warlock is more important than the life of a son of a village blacksmith. It seemed unfair that the crime against me was simply left out.

"Well? Have you seen it?"

"Yeah. What about the charges? I think they are incomplete."

"Don't even think about it. Too much thinking is harmful in our line of work. You just have to trust the magic MESSAGES. If they seem suspicious to you, it's none of your business. Deal with it later. Each of us has sinned. The most important rule is not to blame your colleagues and partners."

I glanced at the guard, and he didn't even turn away, he just grinned insolently.

Tren'ya Polozoob

45 years old

Black guard

Charges: hidden, not enough reputation

"Well, have you read it?"

"Well, I see almost nothing. It says I don't have enough reputation."

"That's what I'm talking about. You can't read the information about your partners. They say you have to be a commander to see the MESSAGES of your subordinates. But I don't believe it. My reputation is seven points. I wish you could see that."

"How can I earn a reputation? I have a mission that will increase my reputation by one stat point."

"That's very rare. Usually, only copper coins are given for the task. So, it's important to the magic or to you. Anyway, stop talking. Let's get your girlfriend out."

The bars of the dungeon creaked as Tren'ya went inside and began to detach the chains, removing them from the hooks in the walls.

The girl m.o.a.n.e.d with every movement. She didn't seem to have the strength to scream. Lysandra looked terrible. A normal person probably would have died after these wounds and beatings.

"Hey, are you going to help me or not?" Polozoob protested. "It's hard to carry the iron!"

"Yes, of course." I hurriedly ran into the cell and almost fell, tripping over an iron wedge."

"Motherf.u.c.ker!"

"Oh. You can swear," the guard laughed, "Watch your step. Take the chain off and let's get her out."

I removed the chains obediently and held them in my hand. They didn't seem heavy to me and I didn't understand why Tren'ya had complained. Perhaps his armor weighed a lot - about 22 pounds, not to mention the heavy shield hanging behind. It weighed about fifteen pounds. If all his armor were forged into nails, they would be enough to build a house.

"Get up! Follow me, sc.u.m!" he shouted at the girl, Tren'ya kicked her under her a.s.s with the steel-bound boot. She howled and rose to her feet. I saw bloody footprints. The marks of wh.i.p.s and blows were terrible. Damn it, I wouldn't have survived a beating like that.

The first part of the task completed: you took the criminal;

The next part: to go to the River village, deliver the girl to the court

The Black guard walked to the door of the dungeon without looking back. He yanked her chains so hard that Lyska almost fell to the ground, then she stumbled forward and hit her face on his shield. However, Tren'ya seemed not to notice. I had no choice but to follow, carrying the remaining chains.

When we went upstairs, Oulsast, his concubines and the second guard were gone. Tren'ya wasn't surprised by this. He just went on the way to our destination, never deviating and slowing down. His speed wasn't the most impressive, but I appreciated his smooth movements. It was clear that he had fought against nomads and hordes of orcs on these roads many times. The villagers curiously stared at us. When I looked into their eyes, they lowered their heads or turned away. I soon understood why. The Black guard's abilities were truly amazing. As soon as I looked at any of them, I saw their name, age, abilities, and occupation. All children or teenagers had a note that they could not yet be responsible for their actions. But the a.d.u.l.ts…

Debauchery. Petty theft. Gambling. Drunkenness. Almost everyone had the MESSAGES reporting their misdemeanors. The fines were different: usually a couple of copper or silver coins. One of the residents, a former sailor, was guilty of domestic violence and fraud.

As soon as I looked intently at the tavern owner, he took a step back, smiled and waved his hand in a friendly way as if nothing had happened. Ironically, Tren'ya waved back.

"Shouldn't we arrest him?"

"Who? Lavishdrunker? Are you crazy? Have you seen a sign that says ARREST URGENTLY?"

"No, what is that?"

"Well, I don't know how to explain it. You'll see a red stick with a drop of blood at the bottom. If a person doesn't have such an icon in the MESSAGE, you don't need to take him into custody. Otherwise, there would be no inhabitants left in the village. Everyone would be arrested or flogged. On top of that, Lavishdrunker always gives out free food and beer. Isn't he awesome?"

"Yes," I lied, not knowing what he was talking about. It was dangerous to argue with Tren'ya, he could beat people up without any consequences. I realized that the magic showed all crimes, but not all offenses were punishable. If punishment was necessary, magic itself told you so.

We left the village, a small and cozy street turned into a rocky trail with a few wheel tracks. The road to the River village wasn't the busiest one. Only pekiners and militias took it. It was far from the Baron's castle and the main frontier post. Looking at the map, I realized that we were gradually coming out of the familiar terrain; and then the desert area stretched around. The road wasn't very long— it took us only five or six hours.

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the walk would have been beautiful, if not for the chained criminal, barely dragging her feet.

Polozoob began to whistle some simple melody. It turned out surprisingly well, only Lyska clenched from his whistles, as if she was being beaten with wh.i.p.s. I didn't dare ask why, as it wasn't difficult to guess.

Tren'ya was a guard; apparently, he had been present at her torture or might have tortured her himself. I was a guardian, too. I was hoping I wouldn't have to be involved in torture.

Perception check

Base 0

Bonus -1

Dice Roll 3

Requirement 3

Failure

Something rustled in the bushes. It might have been a hare or a groundhog. It didn't matter. Although it would be nice to bring home some meat. I wished I brought a short bow. My long sword wasn't designed for hunting. Anyway, carrying a carcass back and forth was problematic.

"Listen, buddy," Tren'ya said cheerfully. "You are of elvish origin. Why did you decide to choose our profession?"

"I'm a half-elf. Does it really matter?"

"Oh, I've totally forgotten." The eared creatures don't obey the HAND. Only the sea elves are in contact with the Empire and appoint warlocks as mayors.

"By the way, what is the Forest of a Thousand Nightmares in Elvish language? They say no soldier came back alive from here."

"It's something like 'Alinel'," I recalled the name from my mother's bedtime stories.

"Al..l.l..l….n... ugh! Screw it!" the guard swore, "It's unpronounceable. So, what are you going to tell me about the elves?"

"I don't know. Mom does not communicate with other elven relatives. No one advised me to become a guard. I just…"

"I know. The half-bloods become a.d.u.l.ts only at fifty years old, and you — thirty years earlier. That was unexpected, wasn't it?" Polozoob laughed and his armor creaked.

Repelling an Attack Check

Base +2

Bonus -1

Dice Roll 1

Requirement 2

Success

Then something unexpected happened. I didn't know how to act. I didn't even really see what was going on. I intuitively raised up my hands with the chain, and a small but very sharp stone hit the iron.

We were attacked by a hail of these primitive shells from behind the bushes. Polozoob acted quickly. He pulled the shield from his back with one movement and covered us both.

"Oh, those bastards, they were watching us. Keep your head down. Wait for the stoning to stop," Tren'ya commanded. In three minutes, the sound of rocks banging against his shield really stopped.

"Well, now they're going to have a hand-to-hand fight. Buddy, you're going to have to defend yourself now. Although you can hide behind my back. Just stay out of my way."