Bordertown was never meant to last.
It wasn't a city of legacy, nor a place of progress. It was a living wall made of the people inside.
A buffer between the Kingdom of Vaeloria and the beasts that lurked beyond these very Walls.
It had no grand castle, no great flourishing market, no banners waving in the wind. Just wooden and rotten buildings, worn roads, and a sky that always seemed too empty, waiting for the next blood moon to stain it red.
And in the center of this dead village, there was me, Serena Vaelmont. Baroness of the unwanted, Knight of the forsaken. The last of my bloodline, holding a title that no one envied.
Not that I hated this title, it's just that nobody would like to be in my stead, that's for sure.
I jumped down from the watchtower and started walking towards those gates. I didn't like this routine, but I had to. Especially since the recent reports had been… interesting to say the least.
And there I stood at the gates this morning, watching the horizon as the wind from the forest whipped my rather short silver hair into my face. For once, it didn't carry the stench of decay and blood. Something was missing.
The world outside the walls was silent. Way too silent.
For years, I lived with the same constant noises. The distant howls of beasts, the guttural roars of monsters, the scraping of claws against earth. But right now?
Nothing.
Not a single cry.
Not a single growl.
Not even the voice that comes with the very act of living.
I felt like groaning or punching someone, just to let my frustration out about this situation.
But I had to keep a straight face. If the children would see that even their brave Knight was starting to look frustrated, they'd surely be terrified.
No, as their protector I have to stay steady and make my people feel safe.
So I merely sighed, still looking at the forrest. My breath was visible in the cold morning air. It seems that at least this shitty weather had stayed the same.
But that was nothing I get angry at, there were other, more rushing matters, to think about.
Suddenly I heard footsteps, quiet but they were there.
No, it wasn't just footsteps. It is a marsh that's causing the whole ground to tremble.
And they kept growing louder, until it started sounding like a knight marsh.
Then I saw it.
A massive horde of monsters, around 70 different orcs, trolls and some vampires. They can be considered 'fodder' but in such a large group...
They would be able to overrun this village.
And despite their overwhelming number, they fled in such chaos that they looked less like monsters and more like rabbits running from a wolf.
The reports were true, and this sight only proved it.
The monsters were retreating.
No, if looking at this scene told me something, than that they were fleeing.
And whatever those monsters were fleeing from, I didn't want to face it.