The City of Sylphadim

“NEXT!” the guard called, beneath the open gates of a massive stone wall. He was clad in a polished set of plate armor, bearing a halberd with a red plume, and the heraldry of a great tree emblazoned on his tabard.

After Cerys and Amelia managed to pry me from Xana’s grip, we made our way to the city. It took us about an hour of walking, plus a few minutes of standing in queue. Even in the VIP line for high-ranking adventurers, the city gates sure were busy.

“Good evening, Ferdinand,” Amelia greeted him. They seem acquainted.

“Ah, the Thorns!” he replied. “Back from a quest? How’d it go out there?”

“We failed,” came Amelia’s blunt response.

“Oh…” said the guard, scratching his helmet. “Well, I’m glad you’re safe and sound. There will be second chances as long as you’re alive, so don’t let it get to ya.”

Words of wisdom. Amen, compadre.

“By the way, what’s with the bird?” he asked, his eyes glowing with magic as he looked at me over Cerys’ shoulder. An appraisal spell, most likely.

“He’s my familiar,” Cerys explained. “The expedition went poorly, but we didn’t return empty-handed. Quite a catch, isn’t he?”

“He is!” the guard said, gawking at me as Cerys scratched under my neck. “That’s a lot of magic he’s got. You’ll want to report to the Guild about taming it, or Godwin will throw a tantrum.”

“Getting old hasn’t helped his temperament,” Cerys laughed, ignoring Xana as she was quietly fuming next to us. “Get your hands off him,” the catgirl wanted to say.

“To be fair, I can’t blame him,” the guard replied. “Adventurers come in all kinds of flavors, so he has to be strict,” he continued, before softening his tone. “In any case, I’m glad you’re alright, Thorns. Welcome home.”

And so we crossed the gates, into the city of Sylphadim.

* * *

THIS ISN’T MY FIRST RODEO HERE. I spied on the city aplenty when I was in the forest, so I have a good grasp of its layout, its vibes, and its general workings.

All in all, Sylphadim is a bustling settlement, with at least a hundred thousand inhabitants. It’s tiny compared to a metropolis on Earth, of course, but it’s orders of magnitude larger than any other towns in the area.

The smaller villages I found had 50 to 100 people, while larger towns ranged from a thousand to ten thousand at most. That makes the Capital over ten times the size of the next largest town, and it shows.

A massive stone wall surrounds the settlement, 20 meters tall and 5 meters thick, and another wall defends the noble quarter atop a large hill. Furthermore, a huge river runs across the city, defended on both access points by colossal iron gates and towers.

Hundreds of guards patrol the streets, in groups of two or three, many of them spellcasters. By the looks of it, using magic is a must to be a knight, and non-spellcasters are limited to be squires, or simple men-at-arms.

Also, there are scores of adventurers, mages, and more. Though not as numerous as the guards, armed individuals like Amelia and the others are common. Out of every ten people, at least one of them is armed. It really goes to show how different this world is, compared to Earth.

“Let’s go to Olfira’s,” Xana suggested, pulling on Cerys’ sleeve.

“Really?” she replied. “The clothes she sells are too girlish. Shouldn’t we go to Miss Georgina’s instead?”

“Yes, please,” I stepped in. Telepathically, of course.

Before we entered town, we agreed to do some shopping for me. I need clothes, shoes, and other personal effects. Fortunately, the cultist I killed left us plenty of gold, so I won’t be a nuisance to the girls.

“Ehh?” Xana objected. “But Olfira sells cookies!”

“Yes,” Amelia agreed. “Cookies and pink clothes. We’re going to Georgina.”

“Oh, come on!” Xana insisted, but to no avail.

Fortunately, Cerys and Amelia had my back.

* * *

AN HOUR LATER, the girls and I walked out of the shop with a brand new set of clothes. The owner, Georgina, looked at me funny, but she gave Cerys special permission to go inside with her pet. I swear on my life, I’m leaving a 1-star review one day.

Anyway, Amelia’s build is similar to mine, so she tried out the clothes for me. We had to buy unisex, to avoid raising eyebrows. Amelia and the others are quite popular in town, so if she bought several male outfits, the gossip would fly.

Thankfully, now I have three sets of clothes, two sets of pajamas, and a pair of shoes. The latter might not fit me well, but we’ll adjust them if it comes to it.

Now for our next stop: food… or so I thought.

The girls stopped at a cookie stand to cheer up Xana, but other than that, they didn’t buy anything, even though there were plenty of food vendors nearby.

“We’re not having dinner?” I asked, my belly grumbling. All I’ve eaten since I got here is meat, meat, and more meat. There’s nothing wrong with being a carnivore, of course, but I’m getting tired of eating nothing but dragon or wild game.

“We are,” Cerys replied, keeping her voice low. “There’s plenty of food left in our bags. Our cooking might be different from what you’re used to, but I hope you’ll like it.”

Ohhh, right.

The girls have bags of holding. At a glance, they don’t appear to be carrying much in the way of baggage, but that's because everything is stored in a dimensional space. Looks like food is no exception.

“We’re almost home,” Amelia noted.

Currently, we’re in a part of town called the Guilder’s Ward. It’s the place where affluent commoners live, such as influential merchants, artisans, and high-ranking guild members. It’s just outside the noble district, serving as a buffer to the market. This way, the nobles have a nice view just beyond the inner wall, without having to mix with the common rabble.

And there in the distance lies a beautiful house, two stories tall, teeming with floral motifs. The wooden beams look like they’re made out of a living tree, not mere lumber. The building is dotted with thorns and flowers alike, but at no point does it look overgrown. On the contrary, it’s been meticulously maintained.

Truly, the house they’ve got here is breathtaking, even by Earth’s standards.

“And here we are,” said Xana, her chest swelling with pride.

“Home, sweet home,” Cerys continued.

Then, Amelia turned to me over Cerys’ shoulder.

“Welcome, John… to the Briar Hall.”