Chapter 5: The Magic Fortress

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The dark towering castle stood in the center of the plains like a fierce behemoth, its mottled, disjointed gate gaping like the beast's vast maw, motionlessly looming in the distance. It was a conjoined castle with one main and two secondary structures, all constructed of green strip stone, with the seven-meter-tall city wall fanning out in a chevron pattern, and the castle doors precisely at the point of the arrowhead.

Above the door, a blurred bronze emblem had been so corroded by verdigris that its image was unclear, but one could still faintly make out the snarling bear head. Because of many years of weathering, the exterior of the city wall seemed somewhat dilapidated, giving the impression that it had been a long time since anyone had visited this place.