Long Rest [2]

    After the failure at the Rosenarms' shop, Robert sold all the other trophies for a much more profitable price. After all, twenty-six charisma points greatly influence dealings with traders! If, of course, they have feelings and a soul, and the mage suspected that Anya lacked those, well, or why didn't anything affect her at all!? And Robert found the next squad member in prison. Glen snored loudly and continuously, as only dwarves can, lying on the wet cold stone floor in a damp cell, and apparently, nothing bothered him at all. Robert sighed heavily:

- Drunken brawl?

- Drunken brawl, - confirmed the guard with a bruise under his eye. Well, apparently, this time Glen was against it when the law enforcers tried to isolate him once again. Robert reached for his purse to pay the advance for his comrade, but the guard stopped him. - This time it's twenty silver. He attacked a law enforcer. It's actually a serious crime!

- Yes, sir, I understand. - The mage obediently replied, taking out the money. - Here's the deposit, and here's five more on top. I really hope this helps you forget today's incident, and we can part as friends.

- Oh, no problem at all! - the guard cheerfully replied, no longer so concerned about his injury. "Wishing you all the best, sir, and good luck with your work!

    Robert bid farewell to the pleased guard and, lifting the snoring dwarf's body onto his shoulders, left the establishment. And though he had to pay almost twice the usual amount, the man wasn't upset because he paid for Glen out of Glen's share. Then, from behind the mage, came a drunken muttering:

- Fight me...

- No. You're dead drunk. Even a baby could beat you up right now.

- You're the b-baby! Hic! Wanna bet... Wanna bet I can walk to that house on my own without falling? And if I run... I win... Oopsie. If I – yes, then you'll fight me. Deal?

- Deal.

- Hehehe, gotcha, stupid humie! - the dwarf exclaimed joyfully. All the drunkenness seemed to have left him as if it had never been there. Glen jumped off Robert's back and, with unprecedented speed, rushed towards the house, eager to finally win the bet and get the promised fight.

- He's doing well... - Robert muttered, calmly watching the approaching gnome. He folded his hands into a magical gesture and uttered, - [Earth Chains].

    Ropes of earth burst from the ground, grabbing Glen by one leg and causing him to fall face-first into the mud. Robert summed up:

- You lost.

- That's unfair! You cheated! You're a ratfolk, not a human!

- Oh, come on, we didn't have any rules anyway, so I didn't break anything. Since you lost, listen up. Until the end of the day, you won't drink alcohol, pick fights, or cast any other shadow on our squad. Clear?

- That's heartless, you piece of...

- Hey, I won, and my word is law, - reminded Robert, well aware of dwarven traditions. Glen was left only to sulk. He couldn't violate the outcome of a fair contest; it would disgrace all his ancestors, and it was better to die right away, so the berserker had nothing left but to sulk and yell insults at the human. Finally, having neutralized the dwarf, Robert went to the last member of the squad.

    From early morning, Lia had been bustling around the house, never stopping for a second. She vividly described every moment of the past few days to her father, acting out the roles and using colorful language:

- ...and then, that paladin boy, you remember, in my squad, the little blond human? So, this paladin boy, he shouts, 'GOBLINS, THEY'RE IN THE TREES, JOHNNY!' It was hilarious! We didn't even have anyone named Johnny among us. Well, humans, you know, they're a bit silly. And then the goblins started jumping on us, but we still had to go and go all the way to their nest, can you imagine!? So they're jumping, and then Robert, our leader, the earth mage, quite handsome, he even pretends to be upset when I pluck out his white hair, so he... Oh, Robert, hi, what are you doing here? Come on in! Throw your clothes here, come on in, don't be shy! Sit down, come on, quickly, I'll make you tea, I just had some leaves, I picked them on the way to the cave. This is my dad, yeah. Dad, this is Robert, you know, the one I told you about, high-level. Why are you silent, say something, huh? So aloof. Don't you like it?

- Everything is very delicious, I like it, - Robert finally managed to say, seizing a moment to interject while the elf translated his breath for the next stream of thoughts. He didn't really want to come in, let alone drink tea, but he wasn't given much of a choice. Sitting here, at the table right in front of her father was... uncomfortable. The mage examined Lia's father while she continued to describe every passing second. Sitting across from him was an elegant, handsome, tall elf. He was dressed in clean, beautiful sky-blue clothes, his hair, a little reddish, fell below his shoulders, and his expressionless absent gaze gazed indifferently out the window. Every time Robert saw him, he was struck by one detail in the elf's appearance: wrinkles. Not that the mage often observed elves, but this was the only elf with wrinkles, and it was scary to imagine how many years this creature... Suddenly, the elf turned to Robert and smiled:

- Thank you... for watching over my daughter... She's so cheerful and lively around you... When she comes home, she never stops talking for a second...

- Oh, no, it's she who watches over us. Your daughter is a wonderful girl and a powerful wizard. If not for her, the goblins in that tunnel would have crushed us already.

- Hey-hey-hey! - Lia shouted. - Spoilers! Spoilers! I haven't gotten to that part yet, so hush!

- Okay-okay. But haven't you thought of being a bit, I don't know, quieter? Your dad can't even get a word in!

- No... - the elf interjected, smiling more tenderly. - Let her speak... I like hearing her voice... It's so much like her mother's... Liavangarayl was always such a noisy girl... It brings me joy... I don't like... Silence...

    Robert looked questioningly at Lia and saw her perpetual joyful smile falter slightly, yielding for a moment to another, darker emotion. But any trace of it vanished in a second, and the girl continued her endless cheerful chatter under her father's calm silent smile.

    The mage could only leave the house after almost an hour. Despite all the walking and work he did throughout the day, he wasn't as tired as he was here. Although... Listening to Lia's beautiful voice was... pleasant. Maybe he could do it again next time. Besides, her father must have been lonely spending whole days at home while his daughter was out killing monsters. And besides her, no one ever visited the elf, as he didn't socialize with anyone in the city and generally seemed passive.

    After finishing with the group's tasks in general and each of his companions "except for Vasily," Robert corrected himself, "Sorry, Vasya, I love you, but not enough to ride for hours on a cart in one direction. And that's if anyone even agrees to give us a lift..." So, having dealt with all the business within the nearest radius, the adventurer finally could attend to his own affairs. He arrived at the outskirts of the city where construction was in full swing, men bustling about, their muscular bodies glistening with sweat. Some carried stones and planks, others assembled them, joining everything with some sticky substance, while others measured distances with their strides.

- Good day, lady! - Robert greeted them in a hearty, military-style voice. In response, a discordant chorus of male greetings sounded. Several particularly strong men immediately approached the adventurer, starting to clarify the details of the construction. After answering everyone, Robert finally finished with the conversations and could rest. He took off his outerwear, grabbed another block of stone, and, with heavy panting, carried it to its place.

    Robert himself was out of place. He had only come to this city two years ago, and when he realized he liked it here, he decided that living forever in a tavern was impossible and began building his own house. And for the past year, he had been going on adventures to accumulate the necessary sum, and now, the house was being built. It was growing before his eyes, and although the mage was strong, he wasn't particularly physically fit. Still, he contributed to his home's construction, and it made his heart rejoice despite the hard work. And it was labor that didn't require him to take anyone's life... If Robert could do anything as well as killing, maybe his family would be with him now... But the mage pushed away those thoughts, diving headfirst into his work. It wasn't a luxury he enjoyed often, as he would have to go back underground and fight again tomorrow. And kill.