The city gates rose before them as the afternoon sun cast long shadows across the cobblestone road. Alex and Saeko walked side by side, their boots tired from the mountain path, their clothes still carrying the faint scent of wyvern blood and frost. The guards at the gate recognized them and waved them through with respectful nods. Word traveled fast in this city. Two hunters who cleared a disaster-rank threat were not easily forgotten.
They moved through the streets without hurry. Merchants called out their wares. Children ran between the legs of adults, laughing. Carts rolled past carrying vegetables and bolts of cloth. Life went on as it always did, ordinary and unremarkable. Alex and Saeko walked through it like ghosts, their presence noted but not disturbed. People gave them space. They did not mind.
