- Take me to your tavern, I think I'll linger here. - Ni'lim said thoughtfully, glancing at the sky.
The captain of the city guard who watched the door and saw the dark elf come out thought about what the head of the mercenary guild had told her.
But when he heard that she was planning to stay here, Alur frowned, he expected that she would say something completely different.
- What happened to the stufon? - Alur asked cautiously, he saw only one reason for which the dark elf was ready to stay in this city.
The dark elf turned her gaze to Alur, saw the thoughtful look of Ni'lim, the other guards, standing up in the same order, led her to the tavern.
- You can say so, he left the caravan and went to perform tasks. - Answering the captain's question in a thoughtful voice.
The captain stopped when he heard the words of the dark elf, he did not understand why the dark elf did not demand to accompany her to the exit from the city to start searching for the stufon.
- Are you planning on going looking for him? - Surprised asked Alur he did not try to hide his surprise from the behavior of the dark elf.
Ni'lim laughing at the captain's question, from her eyes he noticed tears that rolled down her cheeks.
- Captain, he made his choice and I won't discount his decision. - Having calmed down, Ni'lim answered, observing the surprised expression of other guards.
It was strange for the guards who were used to following the orders of their superiors to see how the professor was calm about the fact that the stufon from the academy went himself to certain death.
Ni'lim looked around the city along the way and enjoyed the warm wind that touched her lightly.
The inhabitants of the city who saw the procession in which they walked were surprised that the city guards accompanied the dark elf.
The captain tried not to pay attention to the words from the crowd that could sow confusion in the minds of other people.
He glanced at Ni'lim, fearing that she might somehow react to the words of local residents, but she did not care.
She continued to examine the city buildings with interest, the streets were not particularly winding, and almost all were rather narrow, along which Ni'lim passed.
As she understood, in this city there was no separation between residential areas and places where people traded or rested.
- Are you surprised by the urban solution? - The captain asked, watching the dark elf, he noticed a change in her facial expressions.
Surprised, Ni'lim looked at the captain, she did not try to hide her surprise from the buildings of the city, but all the same, a representative of the race should be able to recognize her emotions well.
- Yes, in your city there is no separation between residential areas and places where people can relax or trade. - Confirmed Ni'lim, she saw signs on which the names of shops were written.
Many of the buildings they passed had three floors, some four, but there were also one-story buildings made of wood.
In many buildings, lights were on in rooms that were on the second or third floor.
- You are right, unfortunately our city was once a large village in ancient times, caravans from the Abel empire and back passed through it. - The captain answered with a nostalgic voice.
He did not like the history of his city, once his daughter told him this, remembering her, the captain squeezed his hands more tightly.
He was flooded with memories of how his daughter enthusiastically told him how representatives of different races traveled through the city.
How caravans were pulled from the very capital of the abels to the capitals of different kingdoms.
- Do you love the history of your city? Commendable. - Ni'lim said, ignoring the captain's behavior.
Listening to the praise from the dark elf, the captain began to squeeze his hands harder, which caused the gloves to emit a metallic ring, which attracted the attention of the look of the dark elf. Ni'lim saw the captain's face change but did not understand what caused it.
- My daughter loved the history of this city. - The captain replied with pain in his voice.
He understood that the dark elf did not deliberately provoke him to remember his daughter. Trying to distract himself, he began to look around, thinking about how long they would be at the tavern where he could leave the dark elf.
- Has something happened to her? - Ni'lim asked in a sympathetic voice.
She understood that their world was a cruel place in which not everyone lived in abundance, there were diseases and wars, and it was possible to fall under the blow of an angry magician.
- She went to a nearby town when their caravan was attacked by robbers, according to the survivors, they took away all the girls who were pretty. - With pain and anger in his voice, the captain replied.
His face turned grim as he remembered being told this. On that day he served near the city council house, it was a warm sunny day.
The captain listened as the inhabitants of the city communicated with each other as a few birds flew and sang songs he was in a good mood. He remembered that his daughter Auel was returning to the city today from her mother.
Alur was tired of eating in the guards' canteen, as he didn't have time to cook due to duty.
According to his assumption, the daughter will arrive with a caravan in the late afternoon and he will listen with interest as she tells how her mother is doing.
Will watch with laughter as he tells her how he spent this time. But he was pulled out of his thoughts when he noticed that his deputy in the detachment approached him. The captain noticed that the unusually lost face of his assistant began to give him a bad feeling.
His deputy was a light elf, unlike most of his brothers, he was deprived of magical talent and his parents expelled him from the family.
When he came to Midgel's garrison he was lost, overgrown in his eyes there was no spark of life. Alur could not allow that among the guards there was someone lost and immersed in his world.
Thinking about how to refuse a light elf to accept a job, he saw how he looks at the guards talking to each other who had fun while relaxing.
Among them were different representatives of the races, thinking about how strange the light elf looks at other guards Alur decided to ask the light elf why he was not in the kingdom of light elves.
- I would like to clarify with you why you left your homeland? - Asked Alur pretending to fill something.
The light elf looked from the guards back to the captain, and the same lost look appeared in him again.
Many light elves traveled or worked in other kingdoms or empires, but those who did not have enough light elf kingdoms.
- I was exiled, I have no talent for magic. - The light elf replied in an empty voice, looking above the captain's head.
Frowning, Alur heard of such cases when elves, regardless of light or dark, had no talent for magic.
Often such unfortunates chose a path that was condemned in the world, but the elves without a talent for magic did not care, they wanted to get rid of this pain when they did not belong to their race and were considered empty.
- What reason do you have for wanting to join the city guard? - Asked Alur carefully looking at the face of the light elf.
The light elf, frowning, began to look at the walls where the guards were standing together smiling, he understood that this was most likely an attempt to demonstrate to the newcomers that they would get into good company.
But he had nothing to lose already, therefore, smiling bitterly, he looked at the captain sitting in front of him. He saw that the captain had most likely already made his decision, so there was no need to say fine words.
- I want to find a place where they don't look at talent for magic as a defining power. - The light elf answered honestly, he saw how the person in front of him frowned.
He understood that he came here in vain, even among the guards there was no place for him. Sighing and about to rise, he felt a warm hand touch his arm. The surprised light elf looked at the man who was holding out a piece of paper to him.
- This is permission to get equipment in the supply department, but if you can go. - Alur spoke in a calm voice, looking into the eyes of the light elf.
The light elf looked shocked at the captain and then at the sheet, trying to hold back his trembling fingers, he looked at the sheet, fearing that this was just a joke of the captain.
But what was written there was what the captain said. The permission to get equipment for a recruit in the city guards was all filled out except for the name.
Straining at this, he began to think that it was all a joke after all, a twisted joke from the captain to give him hope and then trample it.