- When you find Keirin, go to the city, I will try to delay the wyvern and give you the opportunity to leave. - Ru'El said in a heavy voice, these words made his chest ache. - Remember I love you Auel.
Heading to the exit from the tent, he stopped listening to the sobs that were coming from behind him; he needed to hold the wyvern and to do this, cut off all emotions and feelings.
Coming out of the tent and looking around in search of the sound of Ru'El's wings, he saw a wyvern approaching in the distance, with each flap of its wings it became closer until it hovered over the camp.
The light elf did not understand wyverns except for the knowledge that they were a younger race of dragons and were stupider and that they were supposed to breathe fire.
While she was descending, he saw the strange black color of the wyvern, frowning even more under his helmet and clutching the shield in his hand, he waited for the wyvern to start breathing fire.
The wyvern let out a roar that made Ru'El take one step back, but instead of attacking with fire, the wyvern sank to the ground, lying on the ground.
The shocked light elf looked at the wyvern, which did not notice him standing in front of him. Did the robbers have a wyvern that they were able to tame, or maybe this was once its lair, but why did it return only now?
Ru'El was at a loss until he saw a figure jump from the wyvern and stand in front of her head. Even more unable to understand who he was facing, the light elf looked at the unknown person with apprehension.
Standing in front of him with the left side of his face badly burned, thanks to the right side of his face, Ru'El realized that in front of him was a half-elf, the look of red-orange eyes that looked at the light elf made him shudder.
Was this really a half-elf? At that moment, he completely forgot about Trea, from the way Keirin and Auel described him, he was completely unlike him.
- Where is Keirin? - The voice of a stranger was heard; the light elf felt the power emanating from the speaker.
Without waiting for an answer from Ru'El, the stranger began to calmly walk towards him. Having collected his thoughts, the light elf took the sword out of its sheath and, hiding behind his shield, pointed the tip at the stranger, who, seeing Ru'El's behavior, only grinned.
- If you tell me where she is, you will die quickly. - The stranger turned to the light elf, and after finishing, he released fluctuationsof magic.
City guards were trained to resist the fluctuations of magic because of their work, their opponents could be both mages and mortals.
They were trained to both resist and suppress fluctuations through attacks; most magicians could not release fluctuations and fight, and having experience in detaining magicians, the light elf did not notice how he ended up on his knees, breathing heavily.
He felt sweat dripping under his helmet and armor, and the hands in which the sword and shield were lowered; all attempts to raise them stopped because the hands did not obey him and trembled like he himself.
The girl ran through the camp to the tent where Keirin was, it was painful for her to leave Ru'El alone, she understood that she could not help him in anything but would only get in the way.
It was quiet in the camp; not a single girl was visible along her path; she didn't know whether it was good or bad that she didn't come across anyone.
Approaching the tent, she saw the figure of a light elf who stood next to her and looked in the direction from where the girl was running. Keirin's wary face showed that, like Ru'El, she heard the sounds of wings that were approaching the camp.
- Wyvern, we need to gather the girls and escape from the camp. - Auel said hesitantly, stopping next to the light elf. - Ru'El stayed to hold off the wyvern and give us the opportunity to escape.
A thoughtfulness flashed through the eyes of the light elf, glancing at the weapon that Trey had left before leaving the camp.
Unlike Ru'El, she knew that if the wyvern decided to attack, then the fight in the forest with it would cost them even more lives of those they saved.
- Take the girls into the forest, leave those who cannot walk, they will be a hindrance to you. - Keirin said with difficulty, taking out the weapon created by Trey and handing it over to Auel, who still did not understand. - And I'll help hold back the wyvern until you go further.
As she spoke, the light elf heard fluctuations in magic from the side from which Auel had come running.
Her face began to change from incomprehension to surprise, she remembered such hesitation, but it was possessed by Trey, who had not yet returned. Keirin clearly heard the sounds of wings and she doubted that the half-elf had learned to fly.
- Plans have changed, you go to the girls, if you hear the sounds of battle, run towards the city. - Keirin turned in a stern voice to the girl who was holding the weapon and looking from the side where Ru'El remained and to the light elf.
She saw how Keirin's face changed as if she felt something, at that moment the girl remembered how much weaker she was than Ru'El and Keirin.
The light elf, heading in the direction from where the girl had come running, looked back at the frozen Auel with a weapon in her hands.
- Why are you up Auel? Run to the girls, don't let them leave the tent, and if there is the sound of battle, take them out of the forest towards the city! - Keirin addressed the girl in a loud voice, bringing her out of her confusion.
Startled by the loud voice of the light elf, the girl ran towards the tent where the girls remained. Having made sure that Auel ran to carry out her orders, Keirin frowned and headed towards the fluctuation of magic.
The closer she came, the more she felt the desire to stop and turn back, clutching the sword in her hands, feeling the hilt dig into her hand, she continued walking.
Her fast steps gradually became slower and her breathing became more labored, she felt sweat accumulating on her body under the armor.
She did not hear the battle that was about to take place between the wyvern and the light elf who remained. Did the silence mean that Ru'El was unable to resist the wyvern and died?
Shaking her head, Keirin rejected this possibility; the fact that Ru'El did not possess magic did not deprive him of the opportunity to resist the wyvern.
The familiar fluctuation of magic haunted Keirin, she pondered the possible reasons why Trey's magic fluctuations were in the camp, but not finding a single reason.
She felt how she approached the center of the fluctuation, she had to get out from behind the tent that was blocking the road.
- Your silence will not give you a quick death, robber. - A familiar voice was heard, and upon hearing it, Keirin froze before going towards the voice. - First, my magic will drain all your life and magical power, and when you are weak, you will know that death was a blessing for you.
Coming to her senses, the light elf walked towards the voice and what she saw overwhelmed her; Trey stood in front of her, but part of his face was disfigured; there was no hair on his head and his eye color changed to red-yellow.
Behind him lay a black wyvern that looked with interest at Keirin who had come out. The girl remembered that strange dream in which the goddess Ges was and what she saw was transported to the camp where a light elf in armor was kneeling in front of Trey.
- Trey? - Not believing herself and what she saw, Keirin said in a quiet voice. - Is this really you?
Hearing the familiar voice, Trey turned his gaze towards the light elf, from the look of which she saw that there were no emotions or feelings in them.
The incident that happened with the owner of the caravan Duhain then she also did not recognize Trey until it was all over.
- You're alive, which means I made it in time before he attacked you. - Trey addressed her in a cold voice while continuing to stand over Ru'El.
Shifting her gaze from Trey to the light elf, the girl began to understand what had happened. When the half-elf left the camp, Ru'El was not there and when he returned he saw the light elf and decided that one of the robbers had survived.
- He is not a robber, he came here to save Auel. Do you remember the girl you talked to before you left? - Keirin said worriedly, she had hope that Trey's behavior was caused by a possible threat to her and the girls. - Look at his armor, he's from the Migen city guard.
Frowning, Trey looked down at the armor of the light elf kneeling in front of him. Gradually, the half-elf's gaze began to change and the fluctuations in magic began to go away until they disappeared completely.
Glancing at the wyvern, which unexpectedly for Keirin began to rise into the air and disappeared into the distance.
The light elf was on the alert, examining Trey, she felt that he had changed not only in appearance but also in his behavior.
The light elf continued to kneel, fearing that the half-elf would perceive his behavior as a threat, he waited until they addressed him.
- What happened to you Trey? - Keirin asked him carefully, slowly approaching him.
A thoughtful expression ran across the half-elf's face, blinking several times and looking at the girl, a slight smile appeared on his face, which disappeared as he watched that the light elf was afraid of him.
- I found what we were looking for and even more, we went to the tent and shared the news. - Trey addressed the girl; there was warmth in his voice. - Sorry for mistaking you for a robber, I didn't expect to see anyone here other than girls.
Trey extended his hand to the kneeling man, there was no threat or coldness in his voice. Ru'El, trying to overcome the trembling, raised his hand and, holding the one extended by Trey, rose from the ground with the accompanying sound of metal.
Having made sure that the guard was on his feet, Trey headed towards Keirin, who was still looking with fear at the half-elf approaching her.
- Oh yes, you don't have to worry about defense, the wyvern will look after the camp, you can rest. - Turning to the guard, the half-elf said and turning again, heading towards one of the tents, Keirin followed him in silence at a distance.
Heading after Trey, the girl turned towards the standing Ru'El who was looking in their direction, a bitter smile appeared on her face.
- Don't stop, go calm down Auel, she's in the tent with the other girls. - She turned to the standing Ru'El, who heard everything that Keirin told him. - And tell her that Trey is back.
Listening to the retreating steps of the half-elf and Keirin, the light elf began to come to his senses, putting his sword in its sheath and raising his shield; his body still did not obey him.
His hands were still shaking from the experience, as was the sweat that began to become more and more unpleasant under the armor, thinking about what had happened, Ru'El tried to assess the difference between Tray and the other magicians he had encountered, but all the magicians looked no more than children.
Lost in conjecture about who the half-elf really was and where he got so much power, the light elf walked towards where the girls with Auel should have been.
He was worried about the possibility that he and Auel would have to hide in other kingdoms and empires, but the main thing was that they were together, a smile appeared on his face, remembering the girl for whom he left the city.
Approaching the tent where the girls were supposed to be, Ru'El could not hear any noises that the girls usually made; it was unusually quiet.
Frowning and pondering the possibility that Auel decided to take the girls into the forest, the light elf pulled back the entrance to the tent and saw how all the girls huddled together and looked with fear at the entrance to the tent, and in front of them stood Auel, who was holding one of the strange weapons in her hands. was in the camp.
Always when he looked at these weapons, the light elf felt the fear that rose in him, his attempts to find out more about these weapons ended with Keirin saying that Trey created them before leaving and said nothing more.
Auel's wary gaze began to soften when she recognized the newcomer, she tried to look behind him, but she could not see anything.
- Everything is fine, there is no danger, Tray arrived on the wyvern. - Ru'El addressed the girls in an unusually quiet voice. - He and Keirin went to share the news and most likely they will soon go to the city.
It was clear how the girls looked at each other in surprise; many had a lost expression as the light elf spoke. If earlier returning back to family seemed like a distant possibility, now it could happen soon.
Tears began to roll down Auel's face, lowering the sword and throwing it to the ground, she ran up and hugged the surprisedly frozen Ru'El, who, trying not to hurt the girl, carefully hugged her.