As I left the guildhouse leaving the bustling energy into the empty square was unnerving. The streets had grown more desolate lately. People were boarding up their houses, stocking up food, and isolating themselves for the coming monster wave.
Idiots.
If the monsters made it over the wall, it was everyone's death. The monsters in the Emerald Expanse were enough to ensure people traveled in caravans for protection. But the monsters beyond the wall were more than just physically superior, they had the intelligence to back it up.
No boarded window nor walled abode would stop the beasts from beyond the wall; should they make it here, only a teleportation circle would offer safety through escape for a select few..
I slowly began to hear more and more people, the bustling of merchants still selling their product. It also meant that I was getting close to the center of the city, where we initially arrived.
The smell of poultice, blood, and sweat filled the air. All the medical tents that had covered the grounds when we were first here were gone, replaced by giant hovels and tents for those displaced with nowhere to call home.
It was chaos, without organization. Thousands piled on top of one another. And in these thousands, there had to be at least one teacher. Most people who came from this portal came from Tifan Gate, a city built into the wall itself.
Not that those cities still stood, from the last I saw of Tifan's Gate, not much would be left of the wall anywhere. I felt a pang, despite being far from my true home, Tifan's Gate provided me with a new beginning, one completely self-sufficient. All the five cities on the wall, each led by a general appointed by their accomplishments during the Great Expedition, grew their own food, trained their own armies, and thrived in their own cultures. Only with the cities was the wall livable. And now they likely all stand in ruins.
I looked around, it was hard to see anyone in this mess. But there were those with sharper eyes than mine, who would know of where to search for the right sorts of people. A hand darted for my coin purse. There they were. I caught the wrist and twisted hard enough to make the goblin girl squeal.
She couldn't have been more than ten. Her ribs pressed against her skin, yellow eyes wide with terror. Two boys flanked her with rocks clutched in their little fists.
"Watch it." I drew a knife and pressed the flat edge under her chin. Her ears pinned back. "By law I should cut your hand clean off. Or your throat."
The smallest boy dropped his rock with a clatter. "Take mine! I told her to do it!"
"No!" The girl whined. "It was me!"
By the gods. Dramatic little thieves, already ready to martyr themselves. I rolled my eyes and hauled the girl up by the scruff. She weighed less than my crossbow.
"Come here." I directed my gaze towards the boys, still gripping the girl.
The boys trembled as they approached. The larger one closed his eyes for a second, then held out one of his hands. "Here. Take it."
I stared at him, then barked out a short laugh. "You've got guts, brat. I like that." I shoved the knife back into its sheath and set the girl down. All three froze, unsure of what came next.
"Three mistakes," I said, squatting down to eye level. "First, don't steal from people wearing daggers, armor, and a crossbow. If they don't catch you, they'll track you. Second, don't do it on an empty street. Crowds are cover, use that to your advantage. Third, don't stick your whole damn hand inside the purse. Brush past them, cut the bottom and take what you need. A few coins, not the whole pouch. Understand?"
Blank stares. I slipped a knife out from my boot and pressed it into the boy's hand. His eyes went wide.
"Got it?"
He nodded slowly.
"Good kid. I helped you out, now help me. I'm looking for a scholar, someone who teaches. Do you know of any in the area?"
The kids looked cautiously at one another, hesitating. These brats, I just helped them. The youngest one piped up, "There's one by river cliffs. He teaches letters."
"Perfect." I flicked a shilling to them. Enough to feed them, not enough for the other hungry refugees to kill them for. "Coin for some hard work."
The oldest stared at the coin then at me. "Why?"
"I used to know a kid like you. And I know what happens when they get caught by someone who doesn't bother with lessons." My rib never did heal right after that one brute. I turned and began walking towards the cliffs on the other side of the camp. "If you all need food, or a place to sleep, there is a safehouse to the north of the Vanguard Guild House in the Western District."
There were no words spoken, just the patter of feet on stone as the goblins dived back into the mess of tents and homeless. Hopefully they wouldn't die in the coming days.
I pushed through the cluttered streets until the cliffs split the city before me, the river churning below, feeding water into the stone channels that kept the city alive. Following its edge, I came upon a gathering. Ragged children sat cross-legged, bored teenagers hovered at the rim, and even a few weary adults lingered in the half-circle. All eyes fixed on the figure upon a weathered stone.
He was a drakeon, his scales a deep red, horns sweeping back like carved obsidian, his narrow yellow pupils cutting across the crowd. A son of the Holy Empire. It had been years since I'd seen one.