Windfire Town

When Fate first set foot in Windfire Town, the scorching sun was already high overhead. He straightened his black mage's robe, torn by branches and brambles, and nervously eyed this little town, famous throughout the Yalan Continent. He lingered for a long while, but still didn't dare go in.

He watched all sorts of people milling about in Windfire Town. Sweating profusely, Fate felt uneasy, but he simply couldn't bring himself to go in.

"I'm a noble mage, the esteemed Mage Fate, who passed the Magic Guild's official examination! How did I end up in this sorry state?"

Fate's eyes grew moist.

Baron Hank was a minor noble from Floro City, on the western border of the Lans Empire. Three years earlier, just after Fate passed the Magic Guild's examination, Baron Hank had offered him a position. Fate was clever. He knew perfectly well how far he could go in magic. Rather than follow an earl or a marquis only to be gradually looked down on and eventually discarded, he figured he was better off serving a lower-ranking baron. At least his status and standing would remain secure.

Just as Fate had expected, Baron Hank hadn't thought his momentary enthusiasm would actually lead him to hire a young mage as his retainer. Hank treated Fate even more warmly than his own son, eager to share everything he owned with him. But the esteemed baron soon regretted it. The mage he had regarded so highly had made no progress in magic in three years and was still stuck at the beginner level.

As it turned out, Fate hadn't been shy about taking advantage of Baron Hank. One night, Hank got drunk and woke in the middle of the night needing to relieve himself. One part of his body was feeling rather vigorous, and he suddenly remembered that the young mistress he'd bought six months earlier was still waiting for him. Excited, he hurried over, only to discover his mage retainer in bed with her, faithfully performing the duties and obligations Baron Hank himself had forgotten.

Baron Hank was a man with some fire in him, and he flew into a rage. He didn't want to execute a mage who had passed the Magic Guild's examination, but he had every right to dismiss his own retainer. And so Fate hastily pulled on his trousers and was driven out of the Baron's Mansion that very night.

As the first mage on the continent ever to be dismissed—and by a minor baron, no less—Fate couldn't bear to stay in the Lans Empire. He decided to try his luck in Windfire Town.

Windfire Town's unique location had made it a place unlike any other. To the north stretched an endless desert, where fierce winds whipped up sandstorms all year round. The notorious Geryon Giants and eccentric Dwarves lived there. Neither of these races was particularly friendly or hospitable toward humans, as the human skulls the Geryon Giants used as drinking vessels—occasionally brought back from the desert—made clear.

To the south lay the vast Falling Moon Mountains. Countless magical beasts lurked there, from the outskirts to the heart of the range, making it an extremely dangerous place. Even the Golden Lion Knights of the Baolong Empire, said to be the strongest force on the Yalan Continent, wouldn't dare claim they could venture deep into the Falling Moon Mountains. To the east and west of Windfire Town stood the mighty Baolong Empire and the Lans Empire, pinning the little town in the wilderness between them.

The stretch of land between the edge of the desert and the Falling Moon Mountains was called the Windfire Plains, and Windfire Town was the only human settlement of any size across the entire plain. The Falling Moon Mountains teemed with magical beasts, while the desert was dotted with countless gold mines. Those two things alone were enough to draw human adventurers to Windfire Town in droves. Besides them, the region was scattered with native tribes of all sizes, people who had rejected civilization and still lived primitive lives, eating raw flesh and drinking blood. They stubbornly believed this way of life would grant them greater strength.

This unique location had left Windfire Town between the spheres of influence of the two empires, yet under neither one's jurisdiction. And with the empires having been at peace for more than a century, Windfire Town, the first place travelers reached, had grown into a sizeable town.

Thieves, mercenaries, wanted criminals, adventurers, commoners, and merchants crowded into the little town. With no laws to restrain them and no officers or soldiers to govern it, Windfire Town had become the most chaotic region on the Yalan Continent.

The two empires had always turned a blind eye to the place, largely because Windfire Town was a trade hub linking the Baolong Empire and the Lans Empire. Even the best-prepared merchant caravans had to stop and restock in this little town during the long journey along thousands of miles of rough roads. The people who lived in Windfire Town understood this well, so they didn't dare target the large merchant caravans belonging to their powerful overlords.

The small caravans were the unlucky ones. Most of them were robbed of everything, and the disheveled—or even naked—beggars wandering the streets of Windfire Town were usually the unfortunate merchants who had passed through.

But the lure of profit kept these small caravans coming in an endless stream. Along with the adventuring parties that hunted magical beasts, they brought prosperity to Windfire Town and kept business booming for its major mercenary companies and guilds.

Of course, living conditions here were nowhere near as good as in a proper city. Most people who lived here had little choice, and few powerful people were willing to stay in such a small place.

After peering around outside the town for a long while, Fate was so hungry he was starting to feel faint. At last, he couldn't hold back any longer and walked in.

"Damn it, you're asking for death!"

Fate had just entered Windfire Town along a road wide enough for three carriages to travel abreast when an angry shout came from the roadside. He jumped and hurried over to see what was happening.

A tall, broad-shouldered man stood there, his face full of rage as he held a heavily made-up woman in his arms. He was cursing at a thin, squint-eyed man nearby. A flash of cold light flickered in his hand, and the thin man's arm was severed at the shoulder. He let out a scream and collapsed to the ground.

"Where'd you crawl out from, you bastard? Tired of living, stealing my wallet?" The burly man put away his knife and cursed with a grin. The woman in his arms traced circles on his chest, giggling as her face powder shook loose. Excitement gleamed in her eyes.

The man put away his knife and glanced proudly around the street. Then he spat, put his arm around the woman, and went into the tavern beside them.

Watching the thief lie on the ground and groan as blood poured from his wound, Fate felt a little sorry for him. But just as he hesitated over whether to go and help, a group of beggars crouching against the wall darted over and surrounded the thief. In the blink of an eye, they ran back to the wall and lounged in the sun.

The thief was left lying right where he'd fallen, not a stitch of clothing on him. The beggars hadn't even left him his underwear.

Fate shivered. He didn't dare get involved in other people's business, so he lowered his head and walked on.

The bustling crowds were mostly made up of people with rough-looking faces, giving the place an added air of menace. Shops of all kinds lined both sides of the road: blacksmiths, apothecaries, taverns, brothels, and mercenary guilds of every size. Stalls along the roadside sold magical beast hides and bones, Vitality Pills, Magic Scent Potion, and all sorts of other wares. The town had everything any other city did—and more.

As Fate crept past the entrance to a small mercenary guild, he spotted a notice hanging there: Reward: two gold coins for breaking Xiaoshan's leg on West Street.

Many people passed the guild, but no one so much as glanced at the notice. Fate had thought about asking for more details, but after mulling it over for a while, he sighed and walked away.

If those two gold coins were easy to earn, the notice wouldn't have been hanging there for so long. It had even yellowed with age.

The smell of food and wine drifted through the town. Starving, Fate rubbed his empty stomach and felt his flat, empty pockets. He paced up and down the main street in the center of Windfire Town seven or eight times, but still couldn't come up with a plan.

"Eat and run?"

The thought had barely crossed Fate's mind when he dismissed it.

During those seven or eight trips, he'd seen two brawls, three one-on-one fights, and a murder. Some of the fighters had different ranks, and one had even been a mid-level mage. Seeing how quickly and powerfully other people could cast spells, Fate wouldn't have dared cause trouble here even if he'd had two lives.

Wandering aimlessly to the edge of town, Fate noticed a group of children crouching beneath a huge tree by the roadside. Without really thinking about it, he wandered over.

"Lisa saw the Xenomorph chasing her and ran in fright along a passage formed by the ribs of a gigantic magical beast skeleton. The Xenomorph was right behind her. Then an unfathomable chasm suddenly appeared ahead, leaving Lisa with nowhere to run. In desperation, she dove beneath a huge metal thing near the cliff's edge. It was enormous, weighing at least ten thousand pounds! The Xenomorph caught up and tried to bite Lisa with its jaws and metal tail, but it couldn't reach her. Enraged, it rammed the metal thing with its body and reached out with its powerful foreclaws, trying to shove it aside. Xenomorphs were fearsome, and this one was strong. It nearly toppled the huge metal thing in no time at all. Lisa was about to be done for!"

"Whoa..."

The children's eyes widened, and they all gasped. The timid ones had gone pale.

Fate looked over curiously. A boy of about thirteen or fourteen sat in the middle of the group. He was handsome and refined, with especially lively eyes. At that moment, he wore an inscrutable expression as he told his story.

"Just then, the Yautja appeared! He leaped more than ten meters into the air, deftly twisted around midair, and drove the spear in his hand straight through the Xenomorph's head. The Xenomorph let out a pained howl and leaped aside. Lisa had finally escaped danger."

"Long live the Yautja!"

The dozen or so children listening cheered as one, their little faces beaming with delight.

"Don't celebrate too soon." The black-haired, dark-eyed boy looked mysterious as he continued, "How could the Xenomorph die so easily? It grabbed the spear in its head with its claws and snapped it, then struggled to charge again. This was when Lisa's cleverness came into play. She saw that the huge metal thing was creaking and about to fall into the chasm, so she quickly looped the thick iron chain on the Xenomorph around it. She wasn't strong enough to pull the Xenomorph, of course. The Yautja understood what she meant and hurried over to help. Working together, they finally secured the chain to the metal thing. The huge metal thing was about to drag the Xenomorph into the chasm, and Lisa had just begun to relax when she suddenly saw the Xenomorph's sharp tailbone pierce through the Yautja's chest..."

"Ah..." The children listening to the story gasped.

The storyteller continued, "Even after piercing the Yautja, the Xenomorph wasn't satisfied. It opened its bloody maw and brought it close to the Yautja's head, trying to stab through his skull with its powerful tongue. Lisa was terrified and desperate. She grabbed a shovel and pried at the support holding up the metal thing. Before the Xenomorph could strike with its tongue, the huge metal thing lost its support and came crashing down, dragging the Xenomorph into the chasm. When Lisa went to check on the Yautja, he died before he could say a word."

"How could the Yautja not dodge? He knew magic, didn't he?"

"Yeah, and he had all those powerful weapons. He'd killed so many Xenomorphs. How could he die at the end?"

"Idiot, didn't you hear Brother Shan? This wasn't an ordinary Xenomorph. It was a queen."

"What a shame. The Yautja died."

The children were both thrilled and sorry for him, arguing excitedly over one another.

"Xiaoshan, get back here and do some work!"

A voice like a clap of thunder rang out from the roadside restaurant. A woman as massive as a Violent Bear strode out and shouted, "You little brats, get home!"

The children were clearly afraid of the fat woman. With a buzz of activity, they scattered.

Only then did the storyteller stand up. He looked at Fate curiously and asked, "I've never seen you before. Are you new here?"

Fate was still wondering what kind of magical beast this "Xenomorph" was, and what this "Yautja" who knew magic could be. Hearing the boy's question, he didn't dare let his guard down. He pulled himself together and said, "That's right. I just arrived in Windfire Town. You may call me the esteemed Mage Fate."

"Mage?" The boy raised an eyebrow and studied Fate with his lively eyes. Then he smiled. "I don't see anything esteemed about you."

There were no good people in Windfire Town. Even though the other party was only a child, Fate was annoyed but didn't dare get angry. He could only force an awkward laugh, hunch his shoulders, and start to walk away.

"Come with me, esteemed Mr. Mage. I'll buy you a meal and ask you a few questions."

At that, Fate immediately perked up and turned to follow the boy toward the tavern, where delicious aromas wafted out.