WHERE IS OUR LEVEL UP?
When Tiberius decided to help his mercenary companion participate in the rescue of the elf girl, he imagined their morning outing quite differently. Of course, the wizard assumed it would be risky, that he might have to use a couple of his own spells, that there would be some minor unforeseen circumstances, causing them to be a little delayed. In any case, he planned to return to the ship before breakfast, while the wealthy townspeople were still dreaming sweet dreams in their beds. But what happened next, Tiberius couldn't have dreamed of even in his worst nightmares. One moment: and there he is, standing in front of the counter, splattered with the blood of the blacksmith, whom the "rescued" slave is striking again and again. The next: and armed Hysteria are already attacking and hacking each other to pieces. A terrible roar, screams of rage, pain, and despair, blood, so much blood.
Tiberius lost all control, he simply couldn't assess the situation rationally. When his companions began to greedily collect valuable items from the counters, he followed their example without hesitation. Money and wealth, which, as he himself proudly declared, Tiberius did not need, suddenly became his goal, for which he was ready to risk his own life. And he didn't even know how to shoot from these damn crossbows!
And then the Hysteria burst into the store. The whole plan, which he had agreed to, which seemed so perfect, collapsed in practice in just a couple of minutes. And he didn't blame anyone of his companions or that slave, no. He blamed himself. He blamed himself for not being able to protect himself from danger, for not being able to foresee all possible circumstances and factors. It's one thing to boast about it, comfortably settled by the fireplace in his small house, and quite another to remain calm in the face of death, when only by a lucky chance and with the help of friends you don't breathe your last from the blow of a two-handed sword.
When it was all over and the battle was over, Tiberius was as if in a fog. Later, when he came to his senses in his cabin, everything that had happened would seem to him like a strange dream. But now he was determined in his actions. It took him only a moment to order the resurrected to burn the shop to the ground. He didn't even think about the consequences, he just did the first thing that came to his mind. And now they were running, running away quickly, all covered in blood, their own and others', accompanying the invisible elf girl, laden with various weapons and paying absolutely no attention to anything happening around them (at least Tiberius), heading towards the ship, as if it were now their only home, an impregnable Fortress, reaching which meant salvation.
The mage barely remembered how they made it through this journey unnoticed. Or maybe the opposite, but it didn't matter now. Now he was surprised to find himself sitting in Tanasia's cabin with Raveling and that elf girl. It seems that his acquaintance casually went to the arena, and they were left here to watch over the rescued one. Suddenly, Tiberius felt terribly tired. His eyes were heavy, his head was spinning, he didn't even have the strength to move. Sighing tiredly, the mage sat down on the bunk and stared blankly at the crack in the floor. "I need to wait for Tanasia. And then... I'll... rest."