Evening meeting.

Shipbuilding has made it possible to make a huge step forward in the development of human society. Thanks to these large boats, it became possible to begin exploring new, previously unknown lands, as well as to make a breakthrough in science and medicine. There was no limit to people's joy and surprise when they first learned about the existence of other continents with their own states, peoples and customs. Trade between them was set up so quickly that foreign goodies appeared on the benches within a month after the conclusion of the world peace agreement. However, despite all the achievements, it turned out not to advance as far as we wanted in the study of the world ocean. To this day, there are discoveries of new lands that conceal a lot of the unknown.

To explore new lands, it was decided to organize a special guild of adventurers-explorers, but there were not so many who wanted to join it. The fear of the unknown of those places was so great that some even began to gather in groups and hold mass marches against the royal palace, so that it completely isolated unexplored continents. In their opinion, they were a danger to all mankind. Although this did not give any results, the king still could not ignore his residents, so he issued a decree on the payment of an additional bag of gold to those who decided to go to new lands. Taking into account this bonus and the sale of materials collected there, hunting trophies, the adventurer has become the most popular profession in recent months.

- And then I cut off this wild boar forester's head with just one blow! Hey, Klim, pour me another beer!

- Yes, now!

When the working day comes to an end, ordinary workers are more likely to rush to the taverns to spend the money they earned. All of them had been working in mines or forests almost all their lives, so they looked big and frightening. If you look closely, you can see how some blond kid runs between the broad shoulders and backs, holding a large jug of liquid in his hands. Unlike them, Klim did not have high physical abilities, so he was forced to work as a waiter in a tavern to earn his own food. Today there was an unusual smile on his face, and his movements seemed a little more cheerful than usual. The reason for this was the boyfriend's lover, with whom he had a date in the evening.

- Okay, guys, come on. Tomorrow I have to go to the sawmill again, so today I have to get a good night's sleep.

- What a bore. See you tomorrow, then.

When the two men said goodbye and shook hands, one of them started to get up from the table, but suddenly someone bumped into his back. Turning around, he saw a kid holding a jug of booze, whose face was twisted with fear. A little more and the whole floor would have been flooded with expensive calvados, and he would have had to pay for it all. But since Klim was quite agile due to his small body, everything turned out to be only a little scared. In order to apologize for the collision, he raised his head and met the gaze of the intimidating man.

- Hey, Klim, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't notice you. – Although he looked scary, however, surprisingly, his words went against the image. More precisely, not exactly him, but all the people around the guy were actually quite kind.

- It's nothing, everything's fine. You left the payment for the drinks and food on the table, didn't you?

- Yes, as usual. Tell the old man that his stuff is unusually tasty today. Okay, I'm off.

Nodding goodbye, Klim looked after the guest, and then turned his gaze to the table at which he was sitting. As he said, there were several copper coins on it, along with an empty plate and a half-full mug. After carefully placing the pitcher of booze at the bar, the guy returned to pick up the plan and clean up the dirty dishes. And so the rest of the evening passed until it finally got dark on the street. When the last customer finally went home, he decided to help the tavern owner clean up the main hall. Wiping the table of bread crumbs, the old man turned his gaze to his assistant, who was pushing chairs.

- Klim, have you already found another job?

- No, they haven't taken me anywhere yet. Everyone says I'm too weak for physical labor, that's why it's so hard. I'll go to the post office tomorrow afternoon, they're recruiting postmen there now.

- That's how. I think I'll close the tavern next week, so hurry up. I don't want to leave you without a job and money.

- Yes, I will try to deal with this as soon as possible.

After cleaning the room, the tavern owner handed the guy a weekly fee and let him go home. It was already pitch dark outside, and only the light from a few lanterns illuminated the deserted road. Magic stones were installed in them, which were charged during the day and emitted a glow at night. It was very convenient, however, because of their high cost, they were rarely placed anywhere. After walking a little along the houses, Klim turned into a dark alley to shorten the road. Anyone else in his place would have tried to avoid such paths, but it was here that he felt confident.

"Oh, I've been working a little longer than usual today. I need to speed up if I want to get to the church on time and not make her wait for me.

Stretching his shoulders and legs, the guy abruptly plunged into darkness. Swiftly rushing deep into the alley, he overcame obstacles using various techniques, thanks to which even a sharp staircase down was not an obstacle for him. Having made a high jump, he managed to jump all the steps at once without any problems and did not even slow down when landing. When the light from the lantern appeared a little further away, Klim sped up to instantly run across the street from one alley to another. Two knights passing by were surprised when someone rushed past them.

- It was Klim, wasn't it? The knight asked, scratching his head and looking into the alley that the guy had just run into.

- Of course it's him. Who else would be running around like that at such a time.

Because of his short stature and small body, he managed to sneak into places where others might have some problems. It is no exaggeration to say that it was in running that Klim was better than the others. Since childhood, he had to run away from abusers and every time he did it better. No matter what insidious plans they came up with, the guy's brain always worked faster while running, and he got out of trouble almost unscathed.

- Here... to the left!

Turning sharply towards the exit to the main street, Klim saw a bright orange glow ahead. The most illuminated building in the city was the church, around which the most lanterns were placed. This was the place his beloved had chosen so that they could see each other's faces. When he reached the end of the alley, he slowed down and calmly approached one of the pillars with a magic stone. Suddenly, a familiar angelic voice rang out behind him, which made him turn around sharply. Coming out of the darkness, her face was slowly illuminated by hanging lamps. She was a fair-haired girl with eyes as green as emeralds. With a sigh of relief, she smiled and affectionately called the guy's name.

- Klim, good evening. I'm glad you made it without incident. I'm sorry you had to come all the way from the tavern. It's just that my parents don't let me go far from home.

- Ah... hello. It's not a big deal. It's a good thing they let you come here at all. – At the sight of the girl, the guy got excited, which was not when he ran here. It seemed to him that during the run he would be able to tune in to meet her, but this did not happen. With every word she said, he had to look away so as not to show her his embarrassed face.

- Haha, and in truth. How are you doing? When we went for a walk last time, I thought you didn't look well.

- Yes, I hardly slept that night, but everything is fine.

There was silence around, which was occasionally interrupted by distant conversations of the guards. Standing under the dim glow of the lantern, Klim tried to come up with a topic for conversation, which all flew out of his head at the sight of her. Colleen looked like an ordinary girl, but few people knew that she was the daughter of a lower aristocrat. Her father was a merchant in the past, and after buying the status, he opened a perfume shop, thereby supporting him to this day. Once again, looking at the girl, the guy looked away from her, to which she only smiled sweetly.

- Maybe we should take a walk for a while?

- Yes, come on.