Border City had always been a city in no man's land, predating the demarcation of lands. It is strategically located on the imaginary line dividing the Luvet Kingdom to the west and the Amkesh Kingdom to the east on the Central Continent. Originally built as a gathering place for adventurers exploring the Forest of Lost Dreams for resources, the city rapidly expanded in size and population, evolving into a central trade hub for people across the continent.
This growth stirred the ambitions of the reigning monarchs, leading to prolonged conflicts over the control of the city. After many years of warfare and frequent changes in rulership, a compromise was reached to jointly govern the city. Both kingdoms agreed to appoint a neutral entity, trustworthy and unaffiliated with either kingdom, to serve as the city lord. An elf, known for their nature-loving and pacifist tendencies, was chosen for this role. Elves, predominantly pure mages and healers, were seen as ideal candidates for maintaining neutrality and fairness.
To prevent corruption, each appointed city lord served only for a few years before a new leader was chosen. Despite elves' good nature, humans, known for their inherent mistrust, enforced this rotation system to ensure integrity in governance.
As the city continued to grow, its proximity to the Forest of Lost Dreams to the south became a concern. To protect against potential monster and beast attacks, a large garrison was constructed along the border of both kingdoms. This garrison also became the focal point for the adventurers guild, resembling a town dedicated to housing soldiers, knights, and adventurers.
In recent times, however, there has been an increase in monster and beast attacks, primarily targeting the Luvet Kingdom side of the border and extending to the routes leading to and from Border City. With rising casualties among stationed knights and adventurers, many adventurers have retreated into the safety of the city, leaving only the knights and soldiers to defend against the attacks.
Despite efforts to hire additional adventurers, the city's defences remained inadequate. This led the acting city lord to request reinforcements from both kingdoms. The Luvet Kingdom, through Duke Zane, dispatched more soldiers and knights to manage the outbreaks, while the Amkesh Kingdom, less affected by the attacks, sent only a few reinforcements.
As a last resort, Duke Zane sent his son to act as his liaison and investigate the cause of the outbreaks. Previous investigations had yielded no concrete results on the outskirts of the forest, and venturing deeper posed significant risks to knights and adventurers. The hope was that the Duke's son might uncover the mystery behind the increased monster activity and help restore peace to Border City.
.....
As evening approached, Caleb and his party could see the Border City in the distance. To their far right of the city in the distance was the garrison. Caleb appreciated the size and beauty of the city even from this distance. Zooming in on the garrison, he observed how the wall of the garrison stretched as far as the eye could see. It was impressive, to say the least.
Due to the size of the continent, the forest covers a massive territory that hasn't been completely explored yet. Maybe, some powerful mages have ventured a lot deeper than the average, but with the danger level increasing the deeper one went, that was unlikely.
When they reached the gates, the guards did not proceed to stop and verify their identities as they had received word of the arrival of their party by the end of the day. The gates were also almost empty of people as travelling had become a bit scary. Only those capable were able to afford the use of teleportation.
Inside the city, Caleb was awed by how the city was structured and the layout made way for carriages and pedestrians. Stores and homes lined up the streets with people of all races going about their daily lives. Some paid attention to their caravan to see what the commotion was about.
The city had many of its high-end buildings clustered around the centre and as they approached, he noticed this detail. 'Well, it's to be expected.' he mused. The ride to the manor owned by Duke Zane took a little over an hour and by the time they arrived, the sun was already over the horizon.
'That must be the city hall,' Caleb noticed the large building a little over a kilometre from their estate. It was strategically placed in the centre of the city and on the borderline while their estate fell in the territory of the Luvet Kingdom.
Caleb dismounted his horse and left it to the care of the servants who waited for their arrival. The manor was a three-story building with high windows. The manor boasted a facade of shimmering white marble, intricately carved with motifs of mythical creatures and swirling vines. Towering spires rose majestically into the sky, each adorned with colourful banners that fluttered in the gentle breeze, signalling the estate's noble heritage.
Surrounding the manor were lush gardens filled with vibrant flowers that bloomed year-round, thanks to a magical enchantment. Pathways lined with luminescent stones lead visitors through the gardens, where fountains whispered secrets and statues of ancient mages stood sentinel.
'No bad. Not bad at all.' He appreciated the grandeur of the manor. Although not as big as the main estate back home, it had its own charm.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get inside," Elina called out to Caleb. Coming out of his thoughts he followed her inside with Sean right behind. Inside the manor also came with its own splendour.
The Great Hall was a vast chamber with a ceiling that seemed to stretch into infinity. Crystal chandeliers cast a warm glow over the polished oak floors, while tapestries depicting legendary battles and serene landscapes hang from the walls.
"What do you think? I bet it looks new to you," Elina engaged Caleb in conversation as they made their way through the hallways. "Not gonna lie. It's beautiful. But why so large if it's only going to be used only a few days every year?"
"You don't expect the duke to be housed in a small place, do you?" Elina said in response. Indeed, as a noble house, they cannot be seen as anything less. Caleb nodded in understanding, although he expected as such.
They made their way to one of the receiving rooms where they would discuss their next course of action, in particular, the incident with the mercenaries.