Abasdarhon's Castle

Approaching Axoth, Maylin saw what had been a battlefield just yesterday. Corpses of soldiers from Lafir and Tsutarr lay everywhere. The soldiers of Tsutarr wore strange collars. Among the dead, warriors from some of the republic's legions were occasionally visible. As they advanced, the number of corpses increased, and eventually, they were replaced by skeletons. It seemed as if their skin, muscles, and other organs had disappeared in an instant, leaving only bones. At the same time, their clothes, armor, and weapons were intact. Maylin also noticed that here and there, on the ground, lay black, shiny spheres in the sun, about the size of an adult's fist. Almost reaching the city, she saw a destroyed camp and a large black sphere, approximately 2 meters in diameter. Next to it lay the skeleton of a huge griffin. Not far from it, skeleton workers were bustling about, loading the remains of fallen warriors onto a cart. And there was more than one such cart.

Almost reaching the city gates, the girl saw the flag of the Republic, Axoth, and the flag of the Dead Heads, the IX Legion, on one of the towers. Three guards stood at the gates, wearing the armor of this legion. One of them had his entire face covered with a tattoo resembling a skull; he sat on a barrel and gazed thoughtfully at the sky. The other wore a mask made from a human skull; he stood still, with his arms folded across his chest, staring straight ahead. The third looked like an ordinary man, but with a rifle on his back. He was talking to a girl who was standing near the city gates. A large box stood next to her.

-- Rich, extravagant, and stupid, that's my client. I'll do my best.

- Excellent. You're free to go, - after these words, Modain left the room, as always, without saying goodbye.