Lafrenia

The encounter with the monkeys had a profound impact on Coriel. Always an opponent of violence, he was stunned by how it manifested in reality. There was nothing heroic or noble about the death of their comrade – he was simply killed by a mob of monkeys, crude parodies of intelligent beings. When he joined the resistance, he envisioned himself healing warriors and bestowing blessings upon them during fierce battles, but there was no "real" battle here – just a horde of primates with sticks. After reciting a prayer for the soul of a man from the most literate nation in the world, Coriel felt relief when he and his squad reached the demons' shelter, thereby giving their comrade's death some meaning. However, the peace did not last long – soon, people came to them, their goal being to bring death and destruction to other intelligent beings who simply differed from them in appearance and lifestyle. His comrades did not remain in debt and began to prepare for battle, shouting threats at the inquisitors. All of this seemed like some kind of absurdity, some kind of theater of the absurd; he wanted to grab his head with his hands, pretend that none of this was happening, close his eyes, and when he opened them, find himself in the lumber mill where he had worked for so many years. But he knew that he couldn't do that. "This is what I signed up for," he thought, "I have to do it. For Her." With force, he made his body stop trembling, although he could not completely stop the trembling in his knees. This time, he was ready to use magic not only to help his comrades but also to harm his enemies. "Forgive me, Mana, for what I am forced to do," he prayed to himself, "but your children need any help I can give them today."