The axe slammed into the door, and in an instant pieces of wood flew sideways. Gotrek smiled evilly at him, revealing a few teeth that had fallen out of his mouth.

"This is what you humans have made up shoddy things," Gotrek said.

"I suggest you open the door while it's still there," Felix shouted.

"Wait," said the trembling voice, "I bought it from Jorgen the carpenter!" “

The latch was removed, and when it was opened, there stood a tall, thin old man, with a dejected face under his sparse white hair, holding a sturdy wooden stick in one hand, and behind him was an old woman, holding a candle that flickered in a tea-pot.

"Sir, you don't need to use weapons. We just need to stay here for one night. Felix said.

"And wine," cried the dwarf.

"And the wine," Felix agreed.

"A lot of wine," Gotrek said. Felix looked at the old man and shrugged helplessly.

Inside the inn, there is a low communal lounge area. The bar counter is a wooden plank placed on two buckets. In the corner were three men in armor, looking like traveling merchants, watching them warily. All three drew their daggers, their faces unreadable in the shadows, but they could tell they were worried.

The innkeeper pushed them both in, and then closed the latch again. "Do you have any money to pay, Mr. Professor?" He asked nervously. Felix notices that the boss's Adam's apple is moving.

"I'm not a professor, I'm a poet," he said, pulling out a few remaining gold coins from his shriveled pocket. "But I can afford it."

"Food," said Gautrek, "and drink." ”

Then the old woman burst into tears. Felix looked at her.

"This old woman is really embarrassing," Mr. Gotrek said.

The boss nodded. "Our Gantt is missing, on a night like this."

"Bring me wine," said Gotrek. The boss turned and left.

Gotrek stood up and clumsily walked over to where the vendors were sitting. They watched him warily.

"Have any of you ever seen a black carriage with four black horses?" Gautrek asked.

"Have you seen that black carriage?" One of the vendors asked, with a palpable fear in his words.

"Have you seen it? That stinky guy almost ran me over. ”

One of them gasped. Felix heard the spoon falling. He saw the boss bend down to pick it up and start pouring it again.

"You're in luck," said one of the fattest and richest-looking vendors. "Some say the carriage was driven by a demon. I've heard that it passes by here every year on mystical nights. Some say that the cart was carrying a child who had been taken captive from Aldolph to be sacrificed in the place of the Black Stone Circle. ”

Gotrek looked at the vendor with interest. Felix didn't like the rhythm.

"Of course, that's just a legend." The vendor said.

"No, sir," cried the boss. "Every year we hear the roar of it as it passes by. Two years ago, Gantt spied through this and saw the black carriage you were talking about. ”

At the mention of Gantt's name, the old woman began to cry again. The boss brought stew and two large glasses of wine.

"Give my companion a beer, too," Gotrek said. The boss went to pour the wine again.

"Who is Gantt?" When the boss returned, Felix asked. The old woman was crying again.

"Serve the wine again," Gotrek said. The boss looked at the two empty cups in surprise.

"Drink mine," Felix said. "Boss, who is Gantt?"

"Why does the old woman cry when we mention it?" Gotrek asked, wiping his mouth with his mud-stained arm.

"Gantt is our son, he went out to chop wood this afternoon and hasn't come back yet."

"Gantt is a good boy," said the old woman, crying. "How can we survive without him?"

"Maybe he's lost in the jungle?"

"No way," said the boss. "Gantt was very familiar with the surrounding woods. He should have been home a few hours ago. I'm afraid the witch has taken him captive as a sacrifice. ”

"It's like Lauter Hortmann's daughter, Ingrid," said the fat vendor. The boss glared at him fiercely.

"I don't want to hear gossip about my son's fiancée," he said.

"Let him say," Gotrek said. The vendor had a look of gratitude on his face.

"The same thing happened last year in the town of Hartzroch, not far from this road." The hostess, Hortman, goes to check on the room of her young daughter, Ingrid, just as the sun is setting. She heard a loud bang from there. When I went to see it, I found that the girl was gone, she had been abducted from the bed by mysterious magical powers, and the door was still locked. The next day, we heard shouts and found Ingrid. She was very weak and had bruises all over her body. ”

The vendor looked at them and made sure they all heard. "You asked her what happened?" Felix asked.

"Yes, sir. She was supposed to have been kidnapped by the demons in the jungle and taken to the Darkstone Ring. There was a group of witches and evil creatures in the woods. When they were about to sacrifice her, Ingrid called out Sigmar's name, broke free from them, and escaped. They didn't find her later. ”

"That's lucky," Felix said with a dry laugh.

"This is no joke, Mr. Professor. We went to that place afterwards and did find messy footprints on the ground, including human, beast, and cloven-hoofed demons. And on the altar there was a baby about a year old whose internal organs had been brutally dug up. ”

"Cloven-hoofed demons?" Gotrek asked. Felix didn't like the way he looked suddenly interested. The vendor nodded.

"I don't die on a night like this," said the vendor. "Even if you give me all Aldolphe's gold."

"It's a hero-friendly mission," Gotrek said, looking meaningfully at Felix. Felix was shocked.

"You're not going to say—"

"What better task for a Troll Butcher than to challenge a demon on the Demon's Holy Night? It would be a resounding death. ”

"It's stupid war death," Felix grumbled in a low voice.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You'll follow, won't you?" Gotrek said in a coercive tone. He was rubbing the blade of the axe with his thumb again. Felix noticed that his thumb was bleeding again.

Felex nodded slowly. "Walk the talk"

Gotrek slapped him the back, which made Felix think his ribs were going to break.

"Sometimes, humans, I think you need to have dwarven blood. Of course, no ancient race will deign to intermarry with you. “

He walked back to the beer glass with a firm step.

"Of course," Felix said, glaring at his back. Felix felt for his chain mail in his backpack and noticed that the innkeeper and his wife, as well as the vendor, were all looking at him. There was awe in their eyes. Gotrek sat by the fire, sipping beer and muttering in dwarven language.

"You don't really want to go with him, do you?" The fat vendor whispered. Felix nodded.

"Why?"

"He saved my life, and I owe him." Felix thought it would be better not to raise the scene where Trek saved him at the time.

"I rescued this man from the Emperor's iron horse," Gotrek shouted. Felix cursed to himself as he continued to wear chain mail: this troll butcher not only has the ears of a beast, but also has a beast's brain.

"Yes, this man also thought it wise to convey the will of the people to the emperor through petitions and demonstrations. Carl Franz the Elder responded, and it was clear that a cavalry charge was used. ”

Several vendors were so frightened that they leaned back.

"Rioters." Felix heard a mutter. He felt his face flush.

"The window tax is already a grossly unfair tax, with one silver coin levied on every window. And to make matters worse, all the rich people sealed the windows with bricks, but Aldolph's militia went all over and over to knock holes in the huts of the poor. We owe it to the people to ask for their lives. ”

"There have been announcements offering a reward for the arrest of the rioters," the vendor said. "The bounty is a lot."

Felix glared at him. "Of course, the charge of the Imperial Knight is no match for the axe of my companion," he said. "A tragic killing, the scene was full of flesh and blood. He was standing on top of a pile of corpses! ”

"They called in the archers," Gotrik said. "We fled to the back alley. Being shot to death by something far away is not a glorious way to die. “

The fat trader looked at Felix, then Gautrek, then his own companion. "Wise people stay away from politics," he said to the vendor who had just mentioned the bounty, and looked at Felix. "Not offended, sir."

"It's okay," Felix said. "You're right."

"Riot or not," said the old woman, "may Sigmar bless you, if you can bring our little Gantt back." ”

"He's not too small, Lise," said the boss. "He's a sturdy young man. I also hope that you will bring my son back. I'm old, and I need him to chop wood, nail horseshoes, and carry barrels......"

"I can feel your concern as parents, sir," Felix interrupted, putting his fur hat on his head.

Gotrek stood up, looked at him, and patted him on the chest with his large, strong hand. "The armor is for women and girls," he said.

"I'd better put it on, Gautrek. After all, I've taken the oath, but if I don't bring your deeds back......"

"You're right, human. Remember, that's not all you have to say. He turned to his boss. How do I get to Blackstone Circle? ”

Felix felt his mouth dry. He tried his best not to keep his hands from shaking.

"There's a trail that forks off from this road, and I'll take you to the junction."

"Good," Gotrek said. "This is a great opportunity not to be missed. Tonight I will be cleared of my sins, and I will stand in the Iron Halls with my ancestors. This is the will of the patriarch Grungni. ”

He clenched his right hand and made a strange gesture in front of his chest. "Come on, human, let's go."

He strode out the door.

Felix picked up his bags. At the door, the old woman stopped him and pressed something into his hand. "Please, sir," she said. "Take this, it's the Sigma Amulet. It will bless you with peace and well. My little Gantt was wearing the same one. ”

Felix was about to say that the amulet must have blessed her son, but the old woman's face had a look of fear, worry, and hope, which made it difficult for him to speak. He was touched. "I'll do my best, ma'am."

Outside the inn, the sky was bright in the moon's magical green light. Felix opened his hand, and inside was a small hammer necklace. He shrugged and put it on himself. Gotrek and the boss had already started walking along the road. He could only run to keep up.

"What do you think it will be, human?" Gotrek said, bending over to look at the ground. In front of them, the road leads to the town of Hattz and Bogenhafen. Felix near the odogram on the side of the road. He hoped that the boss had returned safely.

"There are traces," he said. "It's north."

"Good, human. Here are the traces of the carriage, and they followed the trail north to the Black Stone Circle. ”

"Is it the black carriage?" Felix said.

"I hope so, what a glorious night that my prayer was answered. Here's your chance to atone for your sins, to take revenge on the pig who nearly crushed me to death. Gautrek laughed, but Felix could feel the dwarf's change: he seemed a little nervous, as if he was worried that he wouldn't be able to get his wish when he was dying. There are a lot of words from Gautrek.

"A carriage? Could it be a nobleman in such a car, human? How corrupt is your human empire? ”

Felix shook his head. "I don't know, maybe there will be a noble lord. It is likely that it is also a local, and it is rumored that the corrosion of chaos is serious in such a remote place. ”

Gotrek shook his head, looking a little disappointed for the first time. "I'm really sorry for the stupidity of you humans. It's terrible that corruption is so great that your rulers have gone to the dark. ”

"Not everybody," Felix said angrily. "It is true that there are people who seek simple and direct power or the pleasures of the flesh, but these people are in the minority. Most human beings still have strong beliefs. Moreover, your ancient race is not pure. I've heard that there are also armies among you dwarves who are obsessed with devastating power. ”

Gotrek let out an angry growl and spat on the ground. Felix gripped the hilt of his sword hard, thinking to himself that he might have gone too far.

"You're right," Gotrek said, his voice low and cold. "This kind of thing, we don't like to talk about it. We've declared war on those stinky guys you mentioned forever. ”

"It's the same with us. We have witch hunters and laws. Felix shook his head.

"You humans don't understand, they're weak, they're decadent, they're far from war. Ignorance of the evil forces in the depths of the world is gradually corrupting our entire world. Witch hunters? Hum! He spat on the ground again. Law? There is only one way to deal with chaos. He waved his tomahawk meaningfully.