Mister Gevalier kindly allowed Marzio to stay in his cart. Gustav made a rather positive impression on the young man: a funny man, a little atypical in appearance and demeanor, but through his painfully eccentric manner of speaking, quite adequate and logical speech sounded. Sitting comfortably on the chest, throwing his belongings behind his back, so that it was more convenient to lie down, Marzio listened to interesting stories of the merchant who was talking about difficult days. From his words, Marzio learned that the influence of Genoa and Pisa is rapidly spreading to Lombardy and Bologna, the Order of the Hospitallers was urgently sent to the wild Balkans in order to eradicate some unprecedented evil spirits, the kingdom of Romania is in a deep crisis after the invasion of the Volga nomads, Liechtenstein sent half the army to the east, there are rumors that several packs of demons have appeared in the Veneto, which are already being hunted. Also, Gevalier told about the distant country of Ireland, with merchants from which he recently conducted business. Under the sweet speeches of the merchant, Marzio did not even notice how twilight had fallen: the blue-gray fields and meadows of Bologna were floating behind the dense fabric of the cart, crickets were singing, and the moon was peeking out from behind the clouds. Marzio fell asleep to the rocking of the cart, the fresh breeze, and the fatigue and pain that came over him. The same thing was done by Gustav, who himself did not notice how he fell asleep, sprawled on the largest chest.

The ordeal that happened during the day knocked the young man out of strength. His body began to ache with renewed vigour, but Marzio did not notice it – his sleep was too deep. But even in the realm of Morpheus, he had no peace: the past day flashed in his subconscious in disconnected pictures, broken echoes and blurred images. The purple fog obscured the young man's consciousness, exhausting his already damaged mind with its images, which awakened old memories and horror in Marzio.

It is unclear after how many hours of restless sleep, Marzio began to see quite distinct images. Through the purple smoke, the outlines of the city appeared: a city square in the twilight of the evening, in the centre of which a plentiful table was laid, filled with all sorts of dishes, at which both ordinary people and wealthier citizens were sitting. There was a real feast with laughter, dancing and songs, but the atmosphere was not at all suitable for the holiday: the city was grey and looked like as if empty, some remnants and stubs of food were lying on the pavement mixed with faeces, and corpses lay next to them. Many bodies were scattered chaotically or in piles on the city road. Their disfigured bodies spoke of one thing – the plague. The plague was raging in the city, while people were feasting near this horror. Marzio stood apart from this nightmare next to the house, the outlines of which he could not see, but at the same time, he clearly felt the warm hand of his mother, who was squeezing his right child's palm. He was about to look at it, but then a cart came out of the darkness, on which a gloomy coachman was sitting. It was moving empty and, stopping in the middle of the square, the coachman jumped off it and went to a large pile of corpses. Marzio was able to get a better look at him: he was a heavyset Negro who had started loading his cart with corpses. He had a lot of strength because he skilfully used a shovel to scatter the bodies. A flock of crows suddenly descended from the sky with a wild cry. They were afraid to fly up to people, but they felt like masters in the rest of the city: they pecked at bodies, leftovers and rummaged in the garbage. Unable to look at this, Marzio turned away and looked at his mother: she was staring at the square with horror in her eyes, she was wearing a mask, and she was wearing a work apron in which she treated people. Then Marzio realized that he was only waist-high to her, and memories from his childhood cleared up in his memory. He wanted to ask his mother what was going on here, but then a figure appeared out of the fog behind her. It was a tall man dressed in the costume of a plague doctor: smoke was wavering from his beak, and he himself was walking with a theatrical gait to the centre of the square. In his left hand he held a large black bag, and in his right was a thin metal object that Marzio could not see. The man reached the centre of the square, where the Negro had already loaded his cart with corpses and was about to leave. The feasters saw the plague doctor and began to invite him to the table. The man only hollowly laughed at this, then he looked around the entire square and loudly said:

'All this has already happened!'

Then he fixed his look on Marzio and his mother, and the crows rushed into the sky with a wild cry.

At that moment, Marzio woke up. He was awakened by a strong push of the cart, which was still continuing its movement. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around: Marzio was still lying on the chest, his things were safe next to him, bright and warm sunlight peeked out from behind the fabric, the air smelled of herbs and wood. Monsieur Gevalier was no longer asleep, he was sitting cross-legged in his place and reading a book, rocking the toe of his foot. Marzio sat down on the chest, and the forgotten pain of yesterday spread throughout his body immediately.

'Good morning, young man. Are you feeling all right?'

'Good morning, monsieur. Yes, in full, but something is wrong?'

'Nothing, it's just because you were sleeping so soundly for a moment I thought you might have died an hour ago.'

'Not at all, monsieur.'

'Well, never mind. By the way, we have already entered Ravenna.'

'Yes?' Marzio peered through the crack and saw the narrow streets.

'We will soon arrive at a tavern,' Gustave Gevalier continued.

'There we will settle down, and then the caravan will go to the main square, where we will trade.'

'How long will it take?'

'Two days, then we will go to Ferrara, along the way we will stop in the city, Argenta,' Marzio thought about it: he did not want to stay in Bologna for a long time if now the Scarlet Order is rampaging in it. He realized that he needed to get to Ferrara as quickly as possible, and from there it would only be necessary to cross the Veneto border.

'All right,' said Marzio, 'what are you reading?' he decided to ask to change the subject.

'Oh! This is a guidebook written by a famous merchant. It tells about the routes of his journey with notes about the profit he received and interesting events. This is a real treasure for merchants. Many people think that a merchant can be called a shopkeeper, but this is not so. A merchant is a travelling person who paves and uses trade routes for profitable exchange, and these shopkeepers who dare to call themselves merchants can't go further than the city square.'

'But Mr Chiesa also owns shops,' Marzio asked.

'Chiesa has aged, Marzio. When he was young, he travelled half the world and even hit the jackpot in the last war of Liechtenstein. Old age chained him to one city. That's why he opened the shops, but you're representing Chiesa on this trip, so you can still call him a merchant.'

'I see,' he drawled in response.

'Now I want to discuss one detail with you.'

'Which one?' Marzio asked excitedly. It flashed through his mind that his mother was a witch, and he had escaped from prison and did not look very good.

'You've been riding in my carriage since yesterday.' Gevalier said calmly.

'Yes,' said Marzio, uncomprehendingly.

'So, this is my personal transport, and if I forgive you this night, then you will have to spend the next trip somewhere else.' Looking into Marzio's eyes, said to Gevallier.

'I understand, but what are my options?'

'Well, you can negotiate with one of the merchants, but most of the places are occupied or filled with goods. The caravan guards won't even look at you.'

'And what should I do?' asked Marzio cautiously

'You can buy this place.' Gustav replied calmly.

'Excuse me?' Marzio raised an eyebrow.

'The place where you sit in my carriage,' without showing a drop of emotion, the merchant replied.

'And how much will it cost me?' the young man said even more carefully, descending to a whisper.

'Well, let's say two silver coins a day,' the merchant replied with a smile. Marzio wanted to refuse, but if the merchant was not lying to him, then this is the only way for him not to drag behind the wagons on his own two feet.

'Maybe one silver and eighty bronze,' Marzio decided to bargain.

'Three,' the tenant snapped.

'I'll settle for two,' Marzio replied smartly, taking out the coins.

'That's the deal,' the happy man sang to him. After some time of silence, Gevalier spoke:

'And you are not bad, but you need to understand in what situation it is worth haggling. You can count, but you're a long way from being a merchant. My advice to you: try to buy something in the city and sell it more expensive in the next one. This book can help you to choose a needed good,' he turned the «Merchant's Guide» in his hands, 'And I'll even give it to you for free, it's still useless if you can't read.'

After finishing the conversation, Marzio decided what he would do in the city. He wanted to buy cumin, fennel and nutmeg at the market, as he found out that such spices are in short supply in the next city and if they are sold in limited batches, you can earn money. Knowledgeable merchants specifically did not bring these spices there in the right amount, knowing that they are very important for cooking local delicacies, and the main craft in Argent is cooking.

After a few minutes, the caravan stopped. Monsieur Gevalier looked out of the cart and then beckoned to Marzio with his hand. The young man jumped out onto the light-lit pavement, where people were already beginning to crowd. The caravan stopped in front of a large four-story building, on which "Tavern" was written in large letters. The house was clearly an ancient building, only specially restored for current purposes. Marzio noticed that the tavern looked directly at the main square of the city, which was visible not far away. The domes of churches were visible above the houses, but among them, Marzio noticed several rather strange-looking ones. Merchants were unloading their belongings, arguing and shouting at each other. Marzio realized that he also needed to get a job somewhere: he could have tried to sit quietly for these two days and not show it so that God forbid he would not run into the knights, but the money from Giovani was unlikely to be enough for the entire trip, which meant that he had to take care of earnings and food right now. Aunt Margaret gave him some food, but it will only last for two days. To begin with, it was necessary to take care of the overnight stay and belongings.

'Monsieur, Gevalier. Where can I leave my things?'

'You can leave it in the carriage, you paid me for a seat.'

'Thank you, Mr Gevalier,' the man waved his hand and went to organize a parking lot.

A great commotion, in which Marzio was clearly superfluous, began. Firstly, he decided to get a job in a tavern, and then go to a fair for goods. He went up to the small granite porch and opened the massive wooden doors. A large room immediately opened up in front of him: opposite the exit, there was a long counter, behind which, apparently, the owner of the establishment was standing, and behind him, there were several cabinets in which there were various containers, but most of all massive barrels stood out. There was a row of chairs in front of the counter, and at the far end, there were two doors separated by this very counter. To the right of the counter, behind a thick wall, there was a powerful staircase leading up. Also on the right was a long corridor that ended in a door. To the left is a large hall filled with tables and chairs. At the far wall, level with the middle of the hall, there was a large fireplace. At the very end of the hall, there was a staircase leading to the second floor. Marzio immediately went to the owner's counter:

'Hello, how much will lunch cost in this institution?' Marzio asked politely.

'For a plate of soup, a piece of bread and a barrel,' an interrupted old man looked at the boy, 'a barrel of cider, will cost you 60 bronze.'

'And how much will it cost to spend a night in the inn?'

'Hmm, 'the owner thought, 'the thing is, boy, that we have merchants staying here, and they have already rented all the rooms. Because of this, we have no seats at all.'

'I see,' Marzio drawled, sensing something was wrong.

'But fortunately for you, we have an attic, and if you do not disdain, you can stay there. It will only cost you 40 bronze coins per night.'

'All right, I'll take lunch and a room in the attic,' said Marzio, holding out one silver.

'Agh, 'the owner coughed maliciously, 'the room will be ready by the evening,' the innkeeper continued no less maliciously, 'Wait, I'll give you lunch now.'

A few minutes later, Marzio received his portion and sat down at the nearest empty table, since there were quite enough of them. After dinner, Marzio went to the market to buy those spices that Monsieur Gevalier had mentioned.

When he went out into the street, he was surprised, because all the carts had already disappeared from the street. At first, Marzio was a little scared, but then he realized that they had moved to the square, where he was actually going.

Making his way through the honest people, under the beckoning of merchants, Marzio began to ply between the shops, looking at all the variety of goods. It seemed that everything was here: carpets, clothes and armour, peasant utensils, ready-made food and products. There was a festive atmosphere, that's what a fair is like. Remembering the conversation with Gevalier, he went to look for cumin, fennel and nutmeg. After wandering around the square, he literally found a shop by the smell, around which a bunch of people were crowding and furiously haggling.

From the conversations, it became clear that a fat merchant with big ears was wearing a bright tunic of the eastern cover, decorated with intricate gilded letters and weaves, on whose head shone a black velvet cap trimmed with dark sable fur. He was the owner of all this fragrance and traded in parallel with several richly dressed people. After listening for a while and realizing that the merchant would not just sell the necessary spices, Marzio decided to go on the other side and got involved in the conversation:

'How much for a bag of vigna?' the owner heard the question, but ignored it, as he was busy fighting with rich merchants for spices. Marzio decided to annoy the Merchant while he was busy.

'I'll take the bag for a gold one,' the merchant looked at the crowd, trying to understand where such an absurd offer comes from because for 1 gold you can buy three bags of beans. This was so much higher than the market value. Marzio, on the other hand, looked away and gave no sign. At this time, the rich attacked the merchant, and he again got involved in a skirmish.

'Two gold pieces for a bag of vigna,' the merchant grunted, and without delay said.

'I sell vigna for three gold pieces,' to which silence hung in the crowd for a second, everyone thought that the old man had gone mad. After all, he recently reduced the price of three gold pieces for a small bag of muscat. The merchant with his eyes wide open looked around trying to find the source of all his troubles.'

'Who is buying?'

'I am,' Marzio replied loudly. After that, the merchant finally saw a Boy about 16 years old and calmed down. Twisting his nose and smiling, he continued,

'Young man, and how many bags do you want for this price?' All the attention of the crowd turned to Marzio.

'Three!' answered Marzio loudly.

'And will the young man have so much money with him?' the owner doubted, to which Marzio jingled a weighty bag. The merchant determined that there were at least 7 gold coins in it, and stopped doubting the buyer's solvency.

'Boy, come to your senses, don't let this rascal fool you,' someone from the crowd intervened.

'So, are you taking it?' The old man asked, smiling.

'Yes, if you give me a couple of bags of cumin for 5 gold,' the merchant thought about it and realized what this guy wanted to achieve. Cumin costs 2 gold per bag, fennel costs three, and the most expensive muscat costs 4. And they were four times smaller than a bag of beans. The price of muscat has already fallen to three gold pieces under the pressure of the crowd, and such an offer can be used.

'All right, young man, I'm Moshe, the merchant of the Guild, and what's your name?'

'It's Marzio, Mr. Moshe.'

'I am ready to give you cumin for 5 gold, and if you need fennel for 4.'

'I take a bag of cumin and two bags of fennel with the three bags of vigna.'

'It is a pleasure to have business with you. Do you want me to give you the bags or to deliver them somewhere?'

'Put them by the wagon of the head of the Gevalier caravan,' lit up with a radiant smile, said Marzio, handing over the money. Holding the bag in his hand, the merchant thought about it, but nodded and accepted the money.

'Izya! Ship the goods to this honourable young man! After Marzio victorious departed, and Moshe raised the price of nutmeg and fennel, arrogantly arguing with the phrase, 'Young man can afford such expenses for such a valuable commodity, and you want to rob me buying for a ridiculous amount.'

All the joke was in the fact that Marzio paid a total of 7 gold, receiving three bags of beans for free.

Marzio returned to the tavern, since there was nothing to do in the near future: Gevalier was selling at the fair, it was boring and stuffy in the carriage, but it would be nice to have good lunch. This time, Marzio ordered a better meal: two fried chicken legs with a plate of pea porridge and a mug of apple cider. Marzio didn't want to waste his food supplies yet – they might come in handy. He was cool about food – for him now it was only a vital necessity, not a pleasure. However, it was impossible to call him unassuming: Alessia cooked beautiful and delicious dishes at home, so he still knew some sense in dishes. But thinking about it made him sad, making him remember home.

After finishing the meal, Marzio decided to focus on reading to cool his exhausted mind. However, he remembered that he wanted to learn more about any ways of earning money. The innkeeper talked a lot about «dirty» work: to drag something, to bring it, but they gave very little for it, and it took too much effort. Marzio said that he was a good shot with a crossbow and that he could read and write, but no one needed arrows of «this level», but the innkeeper advised him to contact the abbey in the city or the merchants' guild right away. The young man had already decided to follow his advice, but at the door he was called by a stranger who had been drinking all the time at the innkeeper's counter.

'Hey, guy, wait!' it was a thin man, a little untidy looking and with a thin stubble. He did not cause disgust, but a certain suspicion still appeared in Marzio.

'What do you want,' the young man asked dryly.

'I've heard that you shoot a crossbow and can read, is that right?'

'Let's say so.'

'Huh, listen, why do you have to hunch over boring books of saints, if you can earn much more and much more interesting,' Marzio looked at the man incredulously.

'And how is that?' the man looked around and whispered.

'Searching for artefacts of the ancients...'

'Ancients! Marzio asked a little louder.'

'Be quiet! Don't you know that this is forbidden? In short, listen here: in a couple of hours a group of people will come here – these are my diggers friends. They are engaged in the search for relics of antiquity. It's forbidden, yes, but if everything is done without noise outside the city, then it's okay. Anyway, if you want to join us, then come to our table. You'll see me.'

'And how much can you earn?'

'Huh, and you will learn this from our leader, if you are not afraid, of course. Okay, see you soon, kid!'

With these words, the stranger went back into the hall, leaving Marzio in thoughts. On the one hand, he was dealing with artefacts, but on the other hand, going out of town with unfamiliar types sounds very stupid. However, Marzio did not make hasty conclusions and decided to wait for the scheduled time for interest. For the time being, he decided to read a little in the Gevalier carriage, so as not to stray far from the tavern.

The noisy bazaar did not prevent Marzio from reading the book of Gevalier, which absorbed him completely. Thanks to this work, he learned the economic map of northern Italy, as well as trade routes by land and by sea, and much more. This information was immediately deposited in the head of the young man, who knew that he would certainly use it in due time. Thus, he spent two hours studying the book, after which he returned to the tavern.

There were a few more people, so Marzio did not immediately find a muddy company at one large table. If it hadn't been for the stranger who waved at Marzio, the young man would have been looking for them for a long time. Indeed, they did not arouse any suspicion: they looked like ordinary hard workers, looking more like miners or bricklayers. There were eight of them in total – seven men and one girl. Marzio already knew one, but the other six evoked vague feelings. One of them was larger than the others: his broad shoulders could fit two men, he was dressed in a ragged grey cloak, a brown tunic, under which it was impossible to hide a strong body, his face was square and elongated, especially a powerful chin stood out. His week-old stubble and dirty black hair, which hung in curls, said that he was a man from the commoners. His face was clearly not aristocratic. The other man had a thick brown beard and was quite strong in appearance. A special feature of him was a scar that cut his face into two parts along a curve. He was dressed in a light brown tunic, from under which a chain mail was visible. The third was much smaller than the other two: he had stubble, his nose was clearly deformed, apparently as a result of a blow, and he was dressed in a dark green cape that covered the whole figure. The fourth of them was the darkest: he had practically no hair on his head. He was dressed in torn and soiled robes, but this apparently did not bother him. The fifth was a big fellow with red hair and hairy hands that were lying on the table. He was dressed in a white tunic. The sixth was, perhaps, the smallest of all the others: he was dressed in a green cape similar to the third. His face was much cleaner than the others, but his face was in a way unpleasant. Among this rabble there was also a girl: far over twenty years old, dressed in working clothes, just like the one that craftsmen had, her breasts were clearly visible under it. The oval face could be called cute. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. That's what Marzio noticed at first glance.

'Sit down, young man,' said the bearded man with the scar. Marzio calmly sat down in one of the empty seats.

'So, this is the shooter you were talking about, Macassino?'

'Yes, that's him,' said the stranger, whom Marzio had already seen.

'Well, well... Then it's nice to meet you, young man. I am Harry, the commander of these free people. What's your name?'

'Marzio,' he said dryly.

'So what kind of free people?' Harry grinned.

'These are these dear citizens. We are engaged in free part-time work being: movers, labourers, watchmen and hunters, and in general everything that is possible. We've heard about a kid who is rumoured to be able to read and even owns a crossbow. We were interested because there is an interesting job planned here, which you may also like.'

Marzio frowned. He was not flattered by Harry's words.

'What kind of job?' Marzio asked.

'You wait for now. First, we need to find out if you can really read. Take it!' he handed Marzio two yellow sheets: one was quite clearly written about the blacksmith shop in the city of Monaco and about all the services that it provides, but the second sheet introduced Marzio into a little confusion. The paper was very old: Marzio saw a few quite understandable faded phrases on it, but the rest were unknown to him.

'Well, what is written on them?' Harry asked.

Marzio easily read the first sheet, but on the second he could only voice a few phrases that formed an incomprehensible text: «Caution! High risk ... requires ... access ... D-6 and higher. Enter only to ... necessary... security measures». When Marzio voiced all the words, Harry grinned again.

'Not bad. Indeed, he did not lie. You don't have to worry about the last sheet – there are few people who can read it all.'

'And what is it?' the young man asked.

'This paper belongs ancients.' Harry whispered.

'The ancients?!' Marzio asked in the same whisper, surprised.

'Yes. We found it in the ruins deep underground.'

'But it's forbidden!'

'Yes, so what?' Harry smiled.

'Okay!' He said with a normal voice at this time, 'consider that you have passed the test, and now we must let you in on the situation. You see, the local farmers are very worried about wild boars and all sorts of creatures that live northwest of here in the ruins. The local guards do not want or fear to go to the ruins, so the folk call people to overcome this pack. Everyone who knows how to handle weapons is accepted, but there is one small addition here. You see, we are not so much interested in the meagre reward for killing wild animals, but in the ruins themselves. My team and I have been doing this for a long time: we have been climbing through abandoned cities and finding relics there, which we sell. It is a dangerous and ignoble business, but sometimes it is very profitable. Now let's talk about you. You see, in some buildings, there are old inscriptions that can be read. An old friend of mine once entered one of these rooms, where there were many inscriptions, and died. Another friend of mine, also a dead man, could read and warn the first about the danger, but he did not listen to him. Now I have concluded that we need to find competent people. Unfortunately, of all our company, only I and Sherika can read. Therefore, for the next campaign, we need another competent person. I understand your doubt, Marzio, but I can give you my word as a soldier that we are not bandits. Judge for yourself: you are beneficial to us alive and well, rather than dead and robbed. Moreover, besides the crossbow, which we have not seen yet, there is nothing to take from you.'

Marzio clenched his jaw and stared at Harry in silence.

'Here's the plan: we are going to beat all sorts of evil spirits with a big pack. I warn you – we will face demons.'

'Demons?' Marzio exclaimed.

'Yes. We have experience in dealing with them, and you will only need to cover us from a position. But I will continue. So, after we have killed all the creatures, there will be an opportunity to get inside the abandoned city of the ancients, where we will be able to get hold of artefacts that we will sell, and we will divide the jackpot fairly. What do you think?'

Marzio was silent. He was thinking about what he should do. Whether these people are a gang of bandits or looters.

'I understand your distrust. But take a closer look, where else we may find another literate person in this damned city, and even with a weapon? The monks will not approach the ruins for a mile. We offer you a clean income. Gold that you won't earn in any of the libraries. If you refuse, then keep in mind that you will not tell anyone about our conversation. Otherwise, we'll break your neck. Well, so what? Will you come with us to the ruins and get your gold, or will you earn pennies in a stuffy library? It's up to you.

Marzio thought: on the one hand, he could not earn much in the city, and the artefacts themselves are quite expensive on the black market. Moreover, he had already dealt with relics and would be able to understand them. Harry's words were logical, but Marzio's suspicions remained.

'And how much can I earn?' Marzio asked.

'It already depends on the success of our campaign. Bigger is better. But keep in mind that you should not take everything, because you will not be able to carry it, or you will be killed with this good. It is better to take one, but expensive. Well, so what? Will you join our team as a crossbowman and reader?

Marzio was in no hurry to answer.

'Come on, boy,' Sherika began.

'There are many amazing discoveries you can make for yourself. It's better than sitting in one place, isn't it? Do you want me to make a gift for you? she smiled maliciously.'

'What about the Order?' Marzio asked, trying not to notice Sherika.

'I've heard that the Scarlet Knights are already scouring the country in search of heretics. Won't we fall under suspicion?'

'It's not scary!' said Harry.

'We have a cover – hunting. So, we can get away with it. We are vigilant and cunning enough not to get caught. As I understand by the phrase «we», you have already made a decision, haven't you?'

Everyone was looking at Marzio. Unable to withstand the tension and cursing to himself, he replied:

'Yes, I agree.'

'That's nice!' Harry smiled.

'Pay silver for the entry.'

'What?!'

'Every member of our squad pays membership fees, so please.'

Reluctantly, Marzio tossed Harry a silver coin.

'Great. Now, Marzio, you're officially in the digger team.'

'In which team?'

'Diggers. This is a very old English word that means "diggers". In principle, this is what we are doing, digging in the ruins. Now let me introduce you to our team. This big guy's name is Merino – he is our main physical strength. This milady, as you understand, is called Sherika – she is our primary on the records, but she is also not bad in a battle. This gentleman in green is called Amato – he is our tracker. The guy who found you is Makassino, and those two: the one is dark-skinned, the other is small, Fabo and Hironomo. And the red-haired one is Cesare.

'Nice to meet you.' said Marzio.

'Hey, boss, how about beer?' Fabo turned to Harry.

'Now we are talking,' the man replied.

For the next hour, Marzio sat in a group of drinking and eating people who did not restrict in their expressions. Personally, Marzio was fed, and where would the appetite come from in such a company. They tried hard to pour beer into him, but he refused, arguing that he still had to shoot. Harry explained their tradition of eating before a sortie as if it was their last time. During the meal, he also explained to Marzio their plan of action: at three o'clock they would meet at the northern gate, where all the hunters gather, and from there they would go in a crowd to the ruins where the animals hated by the farmers had settled. The creatures or demons were a pack of wild boars that had to be killed. Rats, cockroaches and crabs can also be found in the ruins, which also pose a threat. But the most dangerous and creepy are goblins, who usually live in dungeons.

Marzio understood everything and decided to leave the noisy company to feast on their own while he was collecting the necessary things.

In the carriage, he took out his crossbow and a quiver with bolts, then he thought that it would be nice to take some more artefacts of his mother with him, it was the "eternal lantern" and the "holy Geiger's mechanism" or "Geiger's box" – that was a legal device, which had been used mainly by monks, who determined the taint with its help. According to the holy father's words "Satan can send misfortunes to people: polluting the soil, water and air. But against the demonic force, the holy Apostle Geiger invented a mechanism by which you can determine the danger." He hid them well in his clothes.

He warned Gevalier about his campaign. The man reacted coolly, but Marzio had no time to pay attention to it – he ran to the north gate. He had to walk through the city streets for a long time, but the city wall was already shown in the distance.

A small crowd of motley people crowded at the city gates. All of them were armed, mostly with anything they got: someone was holding pitchforks, sickles and stakes, others had axes and clubs. There were a few more or less well-trained people among them, but even against their background, Harry's group looked much more intimidating. The team leader was dressed in clothes lined with large plates, with a laminar skirt design. A massive two-handed sword with a wavy-shaped blade called a Flamberg was behind his back. The peculiarity of the sword was that a seemingly straight sword, thanks to the bends, could concentrate all the force of the blow on one swing, which was pretty useful to overcome hard surfaces and inflict deadly blows, each of which left almost non-healing wounds, thanks to the master sharpening of the blade. Then followed Sherika in a quilted doublet, which was able to protect from the bites of forest denizens and arrows, the legs were covered with pantyhose emphasizing the slimness. Armed with a longbow and two quivers of arrows, the shield maiden was extremely poorly protected. She was followed by the others dressed in quilted jackets, each carrying an axe and a round shield in their hands, except for Amato, who armed himself with a long straight sword. Marzio came up to them:

'And here's our shooter,' said Harry.

'He didn't lie about the crossbow – good.'

Harry gave Marzio an assessing look and continued:

'Well, at the very least, but it was worth expecting. Okay, your task is to stay behind, stay out of the way, clearly obey the rules and cover us. I hope you know how to shoot, don't you?

It sounded like a kind of mockery, so Marzio just frowned.

'Get ready! We're going!' the guard exclaimed here.

The whole crowd huddled in one heap near the speaker.

'So, listen here!' continued the one.

'Your task is to kill a pack of wild boars that eats crops. Their lair is located near the ruins of the ancients - beware of them! There is information that goblins live in the dungeons, and they are clearly too tough for you. This is the order's concern.

The guard appraised the crowd and knit his brows.

'You just need to bring the head of these creatures, as proof of the complete work. The money will be given to you after the hunt. Is everything clear? Then let's go!

The guards opened the big city gates, letting the crowd out.

The rabble marched down the road in a bunch, talking loudly and cursing along the way. Marzio followed with the diggers.

Their way was to the north. Right at the city gate, an ancient moat ended, into which residents dumped their waste. This very moat led to the ancient ruins that stood near the coast of the Adriatic Sea. On the way, Marzio was told about them in detail. The ancient ruins of Ravenna are a large area of half-submerged ruins that are densely forested, so it is difficult to tell at first glance about their significance. Someone said that it was part of ancient Ravenna, and someone claimed that it was a completely separate city – so these ruins were huge. In the hills in front of the ruins, among the lawns and shallow lakes, wild boars lived, which were simple wild animals. But the "goblins" living in the dungeons of the ruins were a great danger. "Goblins" are one of the subspecies of demons: semi-intelligent creatures, a bit like humans. But these are not the most dangerous spawn of demons. Even more dangerous are the "rat-wolves": large animals similar to wolves, but in a perversely ugly form. There are also "undead": humanoid creatures with animal habits. They are a bit similar to "goblins", but the former completely lacks a hint of intelligence. There are many types of demons, but so far only these have been found in northern Italy.

The group was moving in parallel to the channel. There was a smell of stagnant water and mud. The view was depressing, no one knew why the ancients built it in the city, but the remains of the masonry are still preserved, so they had obviously been built for centuries. Many other ruins could be found around: overgrown foundations of buildings, remnants of a road, strange columns from which strange iron pins protruded, piles of rubble that merged with the ground, and so on. Marzio as a child used to climb the safe ruins in the vicinity of Forli, but he had never seen such a scale before.

They passed through the undergrowth between the canal and the surrounding fields of Ravenna and came to a dense forest. It was a kind of border with ruins at a distance of eight thousand steps from the walls of the city. Then the old road went into the thicket. From the depths of the forest, the wind drove fallen leaves and a hum that made the rabble tense up. Some began to whisper, and others to pray. It is no wonder that the peasants were afraid of the ruins, and it was not about religion, but about the banal danger that awaited them.

'What, are you scared, cowards!?' one of the crowd shouted.

'Well, stay here, and we'll get all the loot!'

It was one of the more or less decently trained men. He was wearing chain mail with a tunic, and in his hands, he held a rusty shield and a sword. Two more men followed him: one in a worn leather jacket and the other in a brown hoodie. These people walked straight into the thicket of the forest without fear.

The crowd murmured and followed. Harry's group remained at the back of the crowd.

'Stay close to us, Marzio,' ​Harry said softly.

They entered the forest. Hundred-year-old trees hid the blue sky, and the wind blowing right in the face threw leaves and tripe at people. After walking a few hundred meters, people noticed the tracks of animals. It was stripped bark, pits, droppings and hoofprints. In summer, wild boars stock up on fat for the winter, so now the flock is actively saturated. Hunters did not accidentally choose such a time and weather: they were going against the wind, which means it will be more difficult for animals to smell them. In addition, now the boars had to rest in a secluded place: in a ditch or ravine so that it would be possible to attack from advantageous positions. The outlines of houses also appeared among the trees, for here they are better preserved.

A few minutes later, the pack came to the edge of the forest. There were still traces of a fork in the road on it. By agreement, the people formed a chain and moved to the left. Marzio was walking behind Harry's group. Then they went deeper into the forest again, walking a few hundred meters more. Soon they came to a clearing thickly overgrown with bushes. Ahead stretched a copse, beyond which the opposite bank of the canal could be seen. People began to make their way on their haunches, trying not to make unnecessary sounds. The wind was still blowing in their direction. Marzio was told to find a suitable tree that he could climb. There was a fairly solid oak tree with powerful branches in that very copse.

Talking in whispers, a group of people slowly approached the copse. Two people were sent to investigate. They returned a few minutes later, saying that there was a large ravine behind the copse, in which they noticed wild boars. Everyone prepared for the fight. Marzio was sent ahead to take a comfortable position in a tree. Trying to move quickly and quietly, Marzio reached the oak tree and with an effort climbed onto one powerful branch, from which he had a view of the ravine. It was a really big area, almost at the canal itself. Among the mud and bushes, carcasses of wild boars could be seen, which, apparently, were dozing in the sun. The wind was strong enough in the open so that the animals did not smell the approach of danger.

Marzio got prepared to fire. He had done a good job with a crossbow on targets and small animals, but he didn't know how to deal with large and fast prey yet. Once he was comfortable, he loaded his weapon and waited. Meanwhile, the hunters had already entered the undergrowth and disguised themselves in the bushes. Marzio could see them talking inaudibly as his body began to go numb. After a few minutes, the people split into groups. Harry and his men ended up next to the Marzio tree. Sherika jumped up on a tree with deft moves and said in a barely audible whisper:

'Shoot on command, and then choose the targets yourself.

She jumped down noiselessly and disappeared into the grass. Marzio waited anxiously. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his hands shook a little. The boars were sleeping peacefully in the ravine, not making any movements.

Five minutes passed, and none of the boars made even a move. Marzio tensed. From his height, he saw several people descend into the ravine and began to slowly approach the goal. Anxious seconds reverberated in the heart. It became difficult for Marzio to breathe, but then one of the hunters rose to his full height and shouted:

'Basta! The boars are dead!'

'The dead?' Marzio didn't believe it right away.

People began to approach the carcasses. As it turned out, the boars showed no signs of life

Several people were examining the corpses. Marzio was in no hurry to get down from the tree. He could hear the phrases;

'Someone has already worked for us'

'It must be a predator'

'Anyway, the reward is still for us.'

But then something black flashed in the ravine.

Marzio took a closer look: there were several animals in the bushes, much smaller than wild boars, more suitable for a dog. The young man was about to shout to the others, but then the farthest hunter shouted:

'Pungers!'

People stirred. Immediately everyone ran out of the copse into the ravine. About six strange creatures were approaching them. Marzio could not see them in detail, but he saw their outlines: they were dog-like creatures, with black fur with a long neck and a round head. They were brisk, jumping closer to the hunters. Marzio started aiming, but the targets were too fast. A battle ensued.

One of the creatures jumped up to the hunter and knocked the weapon out of his hands. The man jumped back a meter and was about to run, but then it jumped up to him, standing on its hind legs, and clung to the victim's head. At the same time, the man was screaming heart-rendingly. Marzio was about to shoot, but then another hunter struck at the demon. The creature jumped back, releasing the man, or rather his torso – a fountain of blood burst out of the neck. The hunter struck down the dodgy creature with two movements, while other pungers were tearing people apart. Marzio fired a few more shots at the demons, but they were off target. Finally, he managed to aim for one demon tearing the hunter. The young man had enough time to concentrate, so he easily killed the creature. The enthusiasm increased a little, so Marzio began to shoot at the demons more restrained and accurately.

There was a massacre in the ravine: the demons easily tore up the peasants, but they had to tinker with the mercenaries. The monsters made terrible noises, moving like lightning among the bushes. Soon people managed to kill six creatures, but then more than a dozen demons came running from the distant forest. The hunters, having suffered heavy losses, grouped together, and Marzio continued to sit alone in a tree. The peasants could do little against the agile demons. Harry's team killed the most. Marzio managed to shoot a couple more pungers, but that was the end of the fight. The ravine was littered with corpses: everyone died except Harry's mercenaries.

When the whole thing finally calmed down, Marzio climbed down from his tree and headed into the ravine. It was not a pleasant sight: the dead were disfigured by the claws and teeth of demons, but the monsters themselves caused more disgust. Marzio managed to get a closer look at them: the body resembled a dog's, but the tail resembled a rat's - completely bald. The neck was slightly elongated, and on the round head, instead of the usual dog's mouth, there was something similar to the mouth of a leech, only more enlarged. Small round eyes, on the sides of the head and nose - somehow resembled a dog. There were no ears, or rather they were, but not so clearly expressed. The creatures brutally gnawed all the peasants; those who had at least some protection still had chances, but others were torn apart like bags. Marzio ran up to Harry's group. They looked battered, but they were all on their feet.

'And here's our shooter!' shouted Harry, seeing Marzio

'From now on shoot better if you want to live'

'Damn pungers!' Sherika swore.

'Vile creatures! It would be better if there were wild boars'

'Yeah,' Amato began.

'Who would have thought that our lovely name would want to eat wild boars. I don't even know if it's a good thing that we came across them here, and not in the ruins'

'Anyway,' said Harry.

'We killed two birds with one stone: wild boars and pungers. Now it will be safer to go further'

'Ha! Huh, and how nicely we got rid of the peasant ballast!' said Makassino.

'Now you don't have to create stories about mature boars!'

He laughed softly. Marzio, listening to all this, studied the unprecedented creatures intently.

'How did you like demons, Marzio? I suppose this is your first meeting?' Harry addressed him.

'Yes. I've never seen such filth!' Marzio kicked the demon he had shot.

'Piece of cake! You should have seen what monsters we saw at Milan, oh!'

Here several human figures appeared from the forest. Marzio noticed them too late when they were already coming out to the ravine, but Harry's mercenaries showed no signs of alertness.'

'And here are our trackers!' Amato said.

Five men were approaching them, dressed in green cloaks like Amato's, and armed with short swords in scabbards and bows on their backs.

'Harry, I'm sorry we couldn't warn you!' said one of the trackers.

'We came across Pungers in the city, but we couldn't do anything when they grappled with wild boars. We could only help the boars a little.'

'Are these all the demons in the neighbourhood?' Harry asked.

'No. We have seen a den of Crayfish in the east, and rat-wolves with cockroaches roam in the ruins. We also discovered the goblin city.'

'The city!?'

'Yes. All signs point to this, but we can easily bypass this place.'

'Okay, I see... Well, well ...,' Harry turned to his group.

'This is where the real work begins, guys! We killed only a part of pungers, so there is still a chance to meet with these leeches. However, our target is in the north and it is stainless steel that lies waiting for us. By the way, guys' he turned to the trackers.

'This is our new guy, Marzio. He will be in your squad.'

The trackers looked at Marzio, but said nothing.

'Okay, it's time to go out!'

The group moved on, leaving the battlefield behind them. Marzio always had his crossbow ready now. There were still enough bolts left, so it gave him some confidence. The party moved quickly into the depths of the forest: the trackers were in front, and the diggers were behind. Soon they came to an open clearing right next to the canal. The view from here was stunning: the skeletons of ancient ships, which were made of metal and had no masts, stuck out in the murky water. Strange structures towered above the treetops, resembling the hands of a dead man reaching into the sky. All this dead beauty penetrated deep into the soul of Marzio, and he was stunned. Marzio's gaping mouth was shouted by Amato.

'What, you like it too?' he asked, winking.

'I also can't imagine how the ancients swam on these rusty barrels. They can't stay on the water, they're drowning!'

The squad was moving on. On the way, Marzio noticed large crayfish swimming in the canal. He had read about them in books – they are huge, in comparison with other crustaceans, animals that live in reservoirs and do not pose a particular threat to people if you do not enter their territory. For about ten minutes, the trackers led the diggers north. They already moved significantly away from the borders of the city, which means that the "forbidden" zone for Christians had already begun here.

They found themselves on a hillock where the borders of the forest ended. In front of them was a hilly area overgrown with bushes. Even from here, it was clear that the remains of buildings were hiding under the hills, and somewhere the buildings were preserved in relatively good condition. Among the general background, large ruins stood out at the opposite end of the valley. Their scale could even be compared with the fortress walls.

'Our goal is those big ruins. It seems that a warehouse with stainless steel has been preserved in the dungeons, but it is sealed, but we have a device of the ancients with which we will open it,' said one of the trackers.

Everything that happened next flashed by in an instant for Marzio. The group jumped off a wooded hillock and ran due north. There was either earth or rocks under his feet, and it was only there that Marzio could understand that these were not hills, but in fact only earth-covered piles of rubble from destroyed buildings. Diggers ran briskly through the open area, passing dense bushes and even whole walls and pillars of buildings. The size of the valley was at least a kilometre, which made Marzio marvel at the scale of the ancient city. Along the way, several large rats flashed by next to them.

After a short sprint, the diggers found themselves again under the shade of trees near the walls of the giant ruins. In front of them was a large entrance to the ruins. The trackers took torches out of the bags and lit them. But then the young man pulled out his luminary from his bosom and demonstrated his abilities. This was approved by the diggers.

People entered the blackening bosom of the ruins, and the blackness swallowed them up. At first, Marzio was not used to the darkness, but then his eyes began to catch individual fragments in the thick blackness: walls overgrown with weeds, ancient cars, unknown purpose and any garbage. The group was moving right along the corridor, the floor of which consisted of pure earth. On the way, Marzio noticed several closed doors that were a third overgrown with earth. After a few minutes of walking along the corridor, they began to come out to the light. The diggers found themselves on the threshold of a large hall: its roof was destroyed, and sunlight poured from it onto the floor, illuminating ancient devices: machines, cranes, ladders, scaffolding, incomprehensible machines, and in the centre of the hall there was a hollow that divided it in half.

'We need to go over there!' said one of the diggers, pointing to the back entrance on the opposite side.

People were about to move again, but then several rat-wolves appeared on the roof. The demons, seeing the people below, howled and began to descend the plants hanging from the roof.

'Devils, they found us even here!' Harry said.

'To fight!'

About seven rat-wolves briskly descended to the stone floor of the hall and rushed to the diggers. Marzio put down his torch and prepared to shoot. The trackers had already taken out their bows and opened fire on the demons. Marzio managed to shoot one rat-wolf and began to reload the crossbow in a panic. Meanwhile, a battle ensued in which people emerged victoriously, but then one of the rat-wolves stood up on its hind legs and howled. Marzio had already reloaded his weapon and, without hesitation, shot at the demon, piercing his head with a bolt. However, several more rat-wolves have already begun to descend to his call. Diggers fought the creatures as best they could, but dodgy animals were sometimes stronger than people. Marzio watched in horror as he reloaded the crossbow once again, as demons bit into limbs, cut flesh with claws, and people plunged their blades into their torso in response.

Before Marzio's eyes, the rat-wolves killed two trackers from Luka's squad, but fortunately, these were the only losses. Fabo and Hironomo were only wounded. Sherika treated their wounds with wine and transported them, while Luka wailed over the lost people. Marzio was able to get a closer look at the rat-wolves: these demons looked like wolves, but with rat hair and an oblong head with a nasty, big rat mouth and red beady eyes.

'Come on! They may still come. Harry said, and the squad moved on.'

As soon as they began to go down to the centre of the hall, Marzio's device of Geiger began to crack with each step more and more.

'What is it?' Sherika asked.

'So this is the holy Geiger's device!' Luka exclaimed.

'So we won't get through here...,' said Harry.

'That's weird,' Luka continued.

'And my device does not react in any way. Where did you get this one, Marzio?'

'Not the time! We need to find another way,' Harry interrupted them.

'Over there!' Sherika pointed to a small passage in one wall.

'Well, let's try...'

They went inside the small room. Lighting their way, the diggers made their way one by one through the narrow corridors. Rusty pipes hung on the walls, and moss grew. Along the way, they met a couple of giant cockroaches and large rats, but nothing more serious. In one of the large rooms, one of the trackers suddenly fell through the floor. He fell so quickly that no one had time to realize. Since he failed with the torch, the diggers were able to see that he landed directly on the rebar, so he did not survive.

'That's it, Marzio,' Amato said.

'In our work, you can die not even from the paws of some creature...'

After a few more minutes of wandering through the damp corridors, the diggers got out into a dusty room. After looking around, they realized that there was no danger nearby, and then they separated. During his search, Marzio came across a large plan of the building, in which he was able to orient himself. He called the others over to demonstrate the find. Soon they were able to find the cherished room with the charming inscription "warehouse".

'Yeah... So here it is,' Harry said.

The diggers began to knock down the door, which they eventually did.

They went inside: it was a large room, lined with iron shelves and shelves, on which lay a lot of boxes, in which there were all sorts of dusty junk. The diggers scattered around the room and began to rummage through this garbage. So a lot of time has passed. Marzio stood to watch with another tracker until Harry called him. He handed him an incomprehensible box, on which the inscriptions were preserved.

'What does it say here?' Marzio began to sort out the barely preserved inscriptions. As luck would have it, they were written in small print, and the young man made an effort to make it out. Many of the words were not whole, and the meaning of others he did not understand at all. However, he was able to make out the key: "stainless steel".

'Here it is!' Harry was delighted.

The diggers picked up various junk from the shelves and moved out of the room. They wanted to return by the same route but found that on the other side the rat-wolves were already eating the bodies of their dead comrades.

'There's no way through!' Harry began.

'If they call their relatives again, they will tear us apart in that valley. We need to go around.'

'I saw that there is a courtyard here..., ' Luka began.

'It will lead us to the canal.'

'Great, then let's go to them. We need to get out of here.'

The diggers wandered a little more through the almost overgrown corridors until they came to the exit to the green area.

It was a small open space between large ruins. The soil consisted of earth and pieces of rubble, through which grass grew. People began to slowly make their way along the wall of ruins in a westerly direction - closer to the canal. Having cut through the thickets, they came to an open area where part of the old road remained, and in the distance, the outlines of the canal and the opposite shore could be seen. The diggers had only to get on this very road and keep heading south to get to Ravenna, but it was not there. As soon as they came out of the thicket, then in a moment, there was a howl of rat-wolves, who began to get out of the bushes and the nearest ruins.

'Well, we did it,' Harry mumbled.

Meanwhile, the rat-wolves were approaching the diggers, grinning and growling. These demons were joined by several more Pungers. Marzio's heart began to beat faster, he prepared to shoot, realizing that if one of the demons approached him, he would have no choice but to demonstrate his dagger, which he knew how to handle not as skilfully as with a crossbow. There was only hope for the rest of the diggers, who would divert the blow to themselves. So it developed at first: Harry's people skilfully cut the approaching creatures, and Marzio shot from the bushes at all the arriving demons. But the idyll, if it could be called so, did not last long: one of them clung to Fabo's neck, who tried to throw him off, but then the rat-wolf fell on him, and there was no more the swarthy Fabo. Then they bit through the leg of Hironomo, whom Harry tried to save, but it was too late – he had already been torn apart by three rat-wolves at once. Apparently, the creatures realized that in a fair fight they could not defeat the diggers, so they began to pile on one in a crowd.

After that, the last of Luke's trackers, who had spent all his arrows and fought back with a short sword, fell to the afterlife. Marzio tried to help him, very successfully getting right into the mouth of the rat-wolf, who was going to grab the tracker's head, but there was nothing to fix, and this digger was torn apart by demons. Marzio was reloading his crossbow as fast as possible, trying to stay close to Cesare, who was fighting off the approaching creatures. Fortunately, no more monsters arrived, but there were a lot of those who remained. At some point, Marzio turned out to be unprotected by Cesare, who was finishing off a very lively rat-wolf, and another one attacked the young man. The creature knocked the young man down and scratched his clothes with its claws, trying to cling with its terrible and fetid mouth to Marzio's body. It is not known what would have happened next if Cesare had not hurried to help him. The red digger knocked the creature off Marzio and finished it off with a couple of punches. The young man had just managed to raise his crossbow when suddenly he noticed that another rat-wolf jumped on Cesare's back and clung to his head.

The crossbow wasn't loaded, so Marzio grabbed his dagger and plunged it into the demon's head. The creature let Cesare's bloody head go and screamed in a nasty voice. After delivering a few more stabbing blows to the monster, Marzio bent over Cesare, who had fallen on his face. Alas, instead of the back of the digger's head there was a bloody mess. Then the young man was pulled by the shoulder – it was Harry.

'Run!' he shouted at Marzio's face.

He only now realized that all the demons had been killed, that at the same time the Moccasins had also been killed. Marzio grabbed his crossbow and ran as fast as he could with the survivors, who only managed to grab bags of artefacts from their dead comrades.

They ran very fast, jumping over hillocks and running around bushes. Marzio could hear the rustling and scream of demons behind them. However, it is difficult to understand whether the persecution was difficult. He didn't want to turn around.

'We have stirred up the anthill!' Luka shouted to everyone at once.

'Shut up and run!' Harry snapped at him.

When they reached the city walls, the diggers caught their breath. Marzio had never run so long and so fast. The guards who came up were stunned by the hunters' story, in which there was a significant amount of truth about pungers, but with a few additions. This was enough to make them believe and even more so that this rumour immediately spread by onlookers all over the city. Of course, they were not given an award, but this did not particularly upset the diggers.

Returning to the tavern, the group decided to celebrate the success of the case and remember the fallen comrades. In it, they heard rumours that the mayor had sent a messenger to the knights to clean up the lair. This made Marzio wary.

'Don't worry!' Harry said.

'Tomorrow we will not be here anymore – we are going to Argenta at dawn to sell our goods there.'

'Do you have any trouble with the knights?' Marzio asked Sherica.

'I could say so.'

'What did you do to them?'

'It wasn't me, who did something to them, they did something to me. Simply put, I got caught studying artefacts.'

'Oh, brother! You're wild!' Harry slapped Marzio on the back, causing him to choke on his cider.

'The knights will skin you alive if they find out you're here.' Amato added.

'That's nothing, tomorrow we will be gone, and I have already heard from the townspeople about our inglorious death in the forest, ha-ha!' said Luka.

The diggers drank and laughed, but Marzio was not up to it. Too much had happened during the day, and even though he didn't know those hunters well, he felt sorry for the dead, especially since he had seen too many deaths today. There was a confidence in his young soul that this limit would soon be exceeded, with such a life. It was normal for diggers to die in skirmishes, and the time is such that no one is sure about tomorrow.

After getting drunk, the diggers began, apparently, to make a habit for them, burning through all the money, referring to the fact that tomorrow they will earn twice as much in Argent. Marzio left them, taking the keys to his attic from the innkeeper, he went upstairs. The young man was dead tired and the only thing he wanted was to sleep. In the attic, he found his room - a cubbyhole a few meters long with a miserable cot, a window with a view of the fairground, from which moonlight poured, and a table next to the bed under the window.

Marzio closed the door behind him, took off his boots and fell on the cot. He put the bag and quiver beside his head and wrapped his arms around the crossbow. In less than a minute, the young man fell into a sound sleep, forgetting for a few short hours the whole litigation of the world.