Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 99

Chapter 99 – Mayoral Concerns

Dannet Darkhand, Lord Mayor of Crystalshield, did not get called to the walls every time someone approached the city. That much should be obvious to anyone who knew the demands upon his time, and how much work he put in to ensure the city remained free and stable. However, there were times, like when the inquisition party rode from Eclana not long ago, that his presence above the gates was required.

Like when a fucking dragon was approaching the walls from the Bikar road, along with a pair of wagons, the largest hellhound he’d ever seen, and several outriders. That went well beyond the level of ‘unusual’ or ‘concerning’. It went straight to ‘terrifying’.

Dannet considered the situation as he looked through the spyglass. He knew that dragons weren’t unbeatable. Especially a Tier 2 Lesser Dragon, like this one looked from the size. However, most of the Guard were only Level 30 or so, with some exceptions being Level 40, and the Militia were mostly Level 20. They could kill a Lesser Dragon, but it would be bloody work.

Assuming that the dragon got through the shield projected by the Crystalshield Tower, of course. Or used the beam attack it offered them. Of course, there was some question whether it would even work in the first place. Few enough Tier 2 creatures ever tested the barrier, and fewer experienced the beam, but there was a big difference between a Tier 2 Human and a Tier 2 Lesser Dragon. After all, dragons were not feared just because they were strong, physically, but also for their magical might and intelligence. He wouldn’t underestimate one approaching the city so openly. Especially one in such a strange mixed company.

“Sir,” Captain Jaketta said beside him, looking through her own spyglass. “Look at the wagons, and the outriders.”

Dannet cursed his foolishness under his breath. He hadn’t even bothered looking at the wagons or anything else. He was too busy watching the dragon. Which, honestly, was not something he could blame himself for. The dragon was the most imposing element of the party approaching them, after all.

Other than the Lesser Dragon (Frost, by the scales), there was a hellhound the size of a horse, probably Tier 2, and six riders on horseback. The front wagon had a team of draft horses pulling it, and an elf driving. Looked like one of the merchants that made regular runs between Crystalshield and Eshiari. Trade in that direction had slowed since the bandits moved in, so it was good to see another merchant coming in.

The second wagon had a team of undead oxen pulling it. Not exactly normal, but he knew that the magic items to call on such beasts were fairly common in Dascora, on the other side of Bikar. The elven woman driving it had the longer ears and softly glowing eyes of a High Elf, meaning either really good parentage, or she was Tier 2. Probably the latter, given the company.

The others… Human, maybe High Human woman riding next to the first cart. Looked like two guns holstered at her hips, with a rifle slung across her back. Some kind of ranged attacker class, perhaps? Definitely looked like an adventurer, despite her ‘assets’, which looked enticing even through the spyglass.

An angel on another horse. Actual angel. No clue whether she was Tier 1 or 2. No obvious weapons. Probably a caster class.

Three High Human women, he could tell by the bearing, but they had demonic horns and claws on their fingers. Some kind of mixed ancestry? One had a pair of swords, maybe fighter base. Second had daggers, probably rogue base. The third had a scepter tucked into her belt. He didn’t know the exact make, but it looked like it belonged to a healer-type.

The last… was definitely a demon. Or at least a half-breed who ascended at Tier 2. The wings and horns made that much obvious. Sword and shield. Probably a defender type, then.

Dannet drew in a breath. “That… is a very odd group. A lot of Tier 2s, there. From the Dragon dungeon across the border?”

“Like as not,” Jaketta nodded. “One of the few places on the continent to break through without a truly obscene amount of killing. Might be where the dragon came from, too. I hear that sometimes the Drakes come in elemental variants, other than just fire. Not impossible someone managed to slip a [Slave Collar] on one, or used a Beast Tamer skill to tame it. If it hit Tier with the tamer, then it would have become a Lesser Dragon.”

“Never heard of a Beast Tamer or Slave Master being ballsy enough to go into the Dragonskull Caves, though. And few groups would be willing to take that added risk. Bad enough with a common Wolf, but Drakes definitely aren’t the type to just let you make a play like that. Which means they had to find some way to subdue a Drake without killing it long enough for the process to go through.”

“Which says more than a little about the adventurers accompanying the creature,” Jaketta grimaced. “My Lord, I must caution that, if they enter the city and turn hostile, the damage before the Guard and the Militia can put them down will be… extensive.”

“How extensive?”

“Without knowing their levels and classes, hard to say. But, at the very least, we’ll lose at least a district. Worst case, everything between the outer wall and the Crystalshield Tower will be ruined. The Tower is made of Tier 4 crystal, even if the machinery inside is mostly Tier 1 or 2, so it will survive, but we have very few aerial combatants, and at least three of that party can fly, if you include the dragon. And I would not for a second believe that high-level adventurers don’t have ways to fly, or at least get out of danger.”

“So, if we’re going to confront them about anything, we do it outside the gate, and if anything happens in the city, we work on de-escalation and containment, rather than directly dealing with them,” Dannet nodded. While he didn’t particularly care for that course of action, there was precedent for what to do when dealing with higher-Tier visitors. Usually, those visitors came from Meskaele or other areas of the Southern Continent, but the point was there was, at least some kind of general procedure that they could fall back on. Small comfort that it was, it did help settle his mind as the caravan grew closer.

When they were just out of bow shot, Dannet used the [Mayor’s Speech] skill to project his voice out, making it easily heard. A secondary effect of the skill was that it allowed him to hear a direct response to his speech, as if they were standing next to him. Very useful for town halls, or calling out from the city walls.

“Who approaches Crystalshield in such a unique company?”

The merchant in the front wagon looked to the human woman riding next to him on her horse, and they shared a couple words, before the merchant looked back up at him. “Ayen Uriharice, Level 32 Merchant and Merchant. With me are adventurers out of Windwater Towne in Dascora by way of Eshiari, and survivors rescued from the bandits.”

Dannet’s eyes went wide. The goblins had been a constant source of trouble, over the years. Constant, but manageable. Their den was technically in Bikar, but too far from their normal defenses. The fortress of Bonerot sat into the side of Graymount, and was far too well-defended to take out without either an army, or a force of elites. Regular cullings of the goblins in the woods by Bikar and the Crystalshield Militia kept them to a nuisance, which adventurers guarding caravans could deal with.

The bandits, on the other hand? They had been a true terror. Came out of nowhere, far higher-leveled than anyone in the Guard. They’d attacked six caravans confirmed, who knew how many others. Killed most of those they came across. The few survivors who escaped said they also took prisoners as slaves.

Some of the Crystalshield adventurers had tried escorting the merchants, but they’d failed. The Adventurers Guild put out a bounty on the bandits, paid from the Guildmaster’s own pockets, after his daughter, Libbe, a promising Earth Sorceress, was captured in one of the attacks. The problem was that they had not yet discovered where their lair was.

He glanced to Jaketta, and spoke a command. “Send a runner to Guildmaster Whitguard at the Guild. Have him meet us at the gates.” He did not wait for her response, but turned towards the closer of the two towers flanking the gate, and the stairs.

“By your command, my Lord.” Jaketta said, before barking commands to the nearby Messenger. When she caught up to Dannet at the foot of the stairs, she asked, softly, “You plan on going out there, my Lord?”

“When Alein arrives, yes. This is too important a matter not to see to, and if they have news of Libbe, one way or another, I’d rather Alein hear it directly, and as privately as possible. And I’d prefer you by my side, as well, Jaketta.”

“Don’t suppose I can convince the Lord Mayor of the city to stay in his city, and not go out chatting with a group that has an actual Dragon, Angel, and Hellhound out in the open as part of their forces, can I?”

He shook his head. “As you said, if fighting breaks out in the city, then it could take the better part of the city with it before we win. If we win. With this, even if the worst happens, they can close the gates, and hope the shield holds. The important thing is that Crystalshield survives.”

Jaketta nodded slowly, and stepped aside to give orders to the men manning the gates. If she was going to go out on a potentially suicidal social call with her Lord, then she would at least see to it that the men knew what to do if things went bad. After all, the important thing was that Crystalshield survived.

Alein Whitguard came running up to the gate at full speed. Not even winded, despite the distance from the city center, a testament to his abilities as a Level 40 Fighter. Dannet frowned slightly, the knowledge that, if they had a whole company of men like Alein, they would have been able to deal with the bandits long ago souring his mood. But he shook his head to clear his thoughts as the Guildmaster fervently looked him in the eye.

“Is what the runner said true? The bandits are finally dealt with?”

Dannet placed a hand on his old friend’s shoulder. “That’s what these adventurers claim. We will see if they have the heads you requested as proof or not. But they are clearly powerful, given there’s a Lesser Dragon walking along side them. I want to hear their story before letting them through the shield. And…” he paused, “if there’s news of Libbe, I would like my friend to hear it with as few witnesses as possible.”

Alein’s breath hitched at that, his shoulders tightened, then released. He just nodded, once, his voice heavy. “Thank you, Dannet. Thank you. Even if it… even if it is the worst, just knowing will help.”

Dannet nodded, and clapped his friend on the shoulder once more, as Captain Jaketta returned to him. She saluted, as she always did when doing things officially. “They’ve been informed, my Lord. The gate guards know their duty.”

“Very well, then,” Dannet said, firmly, and just loud enough so that the Guards around them could hear him clearly. “Guildmaster, Captain, let us venture forth, and see to these newcomers and their claims. Open the gate!”