Lafrenia

The Refite outpost, lost in the depths of the forest, was a gloomy and unwelcoming place, in stark contrast to the trading center in Medivi. The flags of Refite, adorned with pomp and luxury, which decorated the walls of Vladlena, here hung listlessly from the fortifications, faded and looking more like old rags than majestic banners. Ashur wanted to leave as soon as possible, but something held him back. As he looked around, he saw soldiers drag a young Nymph into the guardhouse, apparently having angered them in some way. And then he wondered – if life is almost worthless in this wilderness, how much is freedom worth here? Absolutely nothing, zero – or maybe just a few well-chosen words? Ashur had to spend some time convincing the commander that keeping the prisoner was impractical and would only cause him and his soldiers more trouble. Perhaps the arguments convinced the major, or perhaps he simply didn't want to get involved in Ashur's lengthy reasoning and decided to just get rid of all these annoying foreigners. Be that as it may, the Nymph was released on the condition that she would forever abandon the idea of harming the Refite soldiers. Pijma, as she called herself, swore in gratitude to repay the merchant with loyal service – he did not refuse, although a dark thought crossed his mind that with this decision, the pointy-eared girl was exchanging her freedom for an ugly death. The return journey did not promise peace – someone's greedy eyes followed their movements from behind the branches. In the darkest corner of the forest realm, a cunning ambush awaited the group – demonic bandits were ready to strike. These enemies were smarter than mindless monkeys, and instead of mindless aggression, they offered a deal – money and supplies in exchange for passage. Naturally, the group of Airlys was not satisfied with this, and they were going to bravely fight. But everything went wrong. The soldiers sent with them by the major were scattered like dolls, and then the first Coriel fell to the ground, gasping and spraying blood, while the attacks of the group barely scratched the demons' skin. Airlys stopped it in time – a little more, and their far-reaching plans regarding Eolia could be forgotten, ironically, at the behest of the very inhabitants of Eolia, for whom they had gathered together. These demons were only concerned with their own well-being, and they didn't care about noble initiatives – when there is nothing to eat, nothing to heal with, and nowhere to go, all morals and some queen no longer matter, which means you can go all out. Like many other items of the group members, the ring of the Federation trade guild went to pay for the passage – the only material reminder for Ashur of why he was here. He wasn't too worried about the loss – the guild would compensate everything when he returned and announced his success, and he remembered his mission anyway. But the fact of the incident made him think – perhaps the demons who had allowed themselves to sink so low did not deserve compassion and support, and they should be swept out of Eolia with a broom, as Ditlind and Refite suggested? Returning to the city and settling accounts with Milorada, the group breathed a sigh of relief – despite everything, the mission was completed, and they were finally safe. But for someone, something was still happening – a guard handed Ashur a letter and quickly disappeared before he could ask what was what. Slightly alarmed, Ashur reads the letter. now it turns out that the letter is infected with the Eolian plague