Lith’s eyes were brimming with mana, but not because he was angry. He was staring at the steaming plates in front of him with Life Vision to make sure no one had spat in his food or beverage.
There was only a brief time window before saliva became invisible even to his magical perception. The waitress had no idea what was happening, so the scene made her quiver.
“I’ll take that one, thanks.” He said to a second waitress as he switched the tray she was carrying with the one in front of him. Lith had ordered the house specials because it made it much easier to replace them without notice.
“Tell whoever ‘spiced’ my food that they need a Healer fast, or they will not live long enough to see Spring. I advise throwing away the stuff on that tray, if you don’t want to spread the disease.” Lith lied through his teeth.
Not even he could diagnose something from saliva, but those present had no way to know that. Panic spread inside the tavern as a terrified yell came from the kitchen right before the service entrance was slammed by someone who was in a great hurry.
The tavern’s patrons looked at their plates like they had been served live rats. Many of them started to hold their bellies while fear and self-suggestion made them feel sick one after the other.
“I’m sorry, are you also a Healer?” Asked a pretty waitress who looked like she had just dined on rusty nails. She was a redhead with a lot of freckles on her face and a nice figure.
“Depends. Can you afford one?” Lith loved it when his plans came together and hated his meals being interrupted. His voice oozed sarcasm and annoyance.
“I’m just a waitress.” She replied.
“Then I’m just a Ranger.” Lith’s smile was as sweet as an unripe lemon. Soon he was the only one still inside the tavern.
‘That was a low blow.’ Solus thought. Her reprimand lacked conviction since she liked unwarranted hostility even less than Lith’s antics. She couldn’t understand how the very people he was about to risk his life for could treat him like that.
‘All is fair in love and beer.’ Lith filled his glass with a second pint and left the money on the counter. He was many things, but not a thief.
He had just finished his meal when a sadly familiar voice came from behind him.
“Was that really necessary?” Baroness Enja was the ruler of the lands surrounding Maekosh. She was a middle aged woman with long blonde hair braided into a single tress which almost reached her waist.
She had sharp features that together with several wrinkles and her ice blue eyes gave her the stern expression of an eternally disgruntled monarch.
“You have to be a little more specific than that, your Ladyship.” He stood up calmly before giving her a small bow.
“The tavern keeper is a certified idiot, but sending him to the dungeon after taking all the keys with you is overreacting.” She was still unaware of the fake pandemic spreading throughout her city while they were talking.
“Is it? It was a group of foreign merchants looking for shelter that spotted the warg and gave you the time to call for help. I’m a foreigner too, and I’m going to put my life on the line for every certified idiot who lives here.
“I don’t ask for gratitude since I’m just doing my job, but your citizens could at least treat me with the respect this uniform deserves instead of like a thief.”
“Real heroes don’t ask for recognition, medals, or rewards. They just do the right thing because it’s what heroes do.” The Baroness’ voice was as sour as Lith’s.
“Well, your Ladyship, when you find one, I’m sure they will be glad to help. Meanwhile, as long as my services are required, I’ll be this city’s judge, executioner, jury, executioner, warden, and, when necessary, its executioner.”
Lith Warped to the western wall, where according to the witnesses, the pack of warg was supposed to arrive. Warg were another one of the Fallen races.
They were wolf-like creatures that legends said descended from a tribe of hunters who had been cursed by the wolf god for killing one of their cubs. Taken individually, each one of them was as strong as a magical beast.
It made them dangerous, but alchemical tools and the protection offered by the city walls would be enough to decimate them if that was all they were capable of. Unlike real magical beasts, monsters were not intelligent creatures.
They were unable to coordinate their attacks nor to exploit their enemy’s defenses’ weak points. The larger a pack of warg, the stronger it was. They were able to share their life force, their mana, and even their wounds.
According to the bestiary Lith kept in Soluspedia, a pack with enough members could employ some animal tricks, like their intelligence also grew with their number. The Baroness had asked Lith to kill them in front of the city walls instead of hunting them in the wild for several reasons.
The most important one was that she hoped that by witnessing the Ranger’s actions, her people would stop being so arrogant. It wasn’t only Lith that was fed up with their attitude, but also the merchants and the Mage Association.
Without merchants, Maekosh would turn back into being a poor city. Without mages, the city would always be dependant on the army for its protection.
The second most important reason was that otherwise no one, her included, would have trusted the Ranger to do his job properly. After how they had treated him during his first visit, the Baroness had been surprised to see him arrive so quickly instead of making up an excuse or giving priority to another city.
Lith was unaware of her worries and if he learned the truth about her odd request he would simply not care. His success streak as a Ranger was the only thing that mattered to him.
So far, his services to the army and the Crown had been well compensated with money, resources, and connections. His policy had always been to follow his job through as long as he was paid.
The complaints of the inhabitants of Maekosh were just white noise in his ears
‘I don’t like this one bit.’ Lith thought while scouting the city’s surroundings from a turret.
‘It’s already odd that the merchant caravan spotted the warg without being attacked, but what really baffles me is what’s taking them so long to reach the city. I checked the map, there are no settlements between the place they were spotted and Maekosh. There’s nothing that should have delayed their arrival this long.’
Solus had no answers to offer. Their knowledge about their opponent was limited to what the book said, and bestiaries were written by survivors or based on their stories. The bestiary provided by the army was much more detailed than the old one they possessed, but Lith didn’t trust it.
Not after what had happened with the orcs.
He stood watch for a few hours, using Accumulation to refine his core while he waited together with the city guards for the incoming attack. The setting sun blinded the watchers looking at the horizon, while its rays reflected on the snow blinded those checking the ground.
It was only then that the attack began.
