The first thing Vale noticed were the carriages—maybe thirty of them—heavily guarded by soldiers in the Athrimir Clan's heavy armor. The fronts were covered in leather, but he could see something glowing faintly inside.
Then they passed, and he forgot about them. His attention was drawn to the Borderland itself. Clusters of battered buildings stretched before him, places that should have been abandoned, yet people lingered around them. They were arranged like a village or a city block, but chaos reigned.
Merchants had set up wherever they could: on the ground, on roofs, anywhere there was space. They encouraged buyers to climb connected ladders. They sold everything—potions, enchanted tools, ruin weapons, livestock, raw food. Street food swarmed with flies, but nobody seemed to care.
The closer they got, the louder it became, and then the smell hit him. Vale took in the people too. Everyone carried a weapon, hands rarely straying from it. Their eyes darted constantly, scanning everything with suspicion.
When they reached the small village, the guards shifted their black cloaks to reveal bright red underneath. People immediately parted for them.
"That village is for people who joined no faction here in the Borderland. It's a neutral place… of sorts," the lead guard said. Vale didn't bother looking at him as they passed. He ordered them out of the cage, and Vale was glad, since being in the sun had made it unbearably hot.
The guard hesitated, sighed, muttered to himself, then raised his voice. "Look, I'm supposed to tell you how the Borderland is set up just so you don't die before you're actually useful."
Vale looked up at him, mostly disinterested, but listened anyway as they began walking. The ground was cracked and dry, sparse with vegetation.
The lead guard gestured back toward the village fading behind them, then forward at the land ahead. Small clusters of abandoned buildings dotted the expanse. "All this is called the Outskirts. It's where the Flagbearers have their fortresses. Considered the safest place in the Borderland, but nowhere here is truly safe. Monsters might be hiding anywhere. All those buildings? Ruins. Already looted and sacked."
He paused, noting their blank expressions, then rubbed his nose. "Do you know what ruins are?"
Vale did. He didn't answer. Opening his mouth felt like too much effort, and besides, he figured he shouldn't involve himself. He was going to die here anyway.
The boy shook his head, wide-eyed, while the woman kept mumbling.
"Ruins are created around Rifts," the lead guard went on. "They usually look like abandoned buildings, tombs, or other important places warped here by the time-space distortions of the Rift. Ruins are filled with treasures, enchanted tools, natural resources—but that's not what you need to worry about.
"Ruins also have their own monsters, which can't leave. But monsters from the Rift? They can go anywhere, and they're usually stronger. Don't worry, you won't be going into active ruins… maybe only those already cleared.
"The problem is that Rift monsters are always drawn to ruins for some reason."
He paused, letting it sink in. The boy barely breathed, eyes shining. Vale scanned the land flatly. He already knew most of this. He'd even seen a Rift before, small and strictly maintained by the Clan.
"After the Outskirts," he continued, "you'll reach the Barrens. That's the real deal. Monsters roam freely there, and ruins can appear at any time. The Flagbearers are always on the lookout so they can claim them."
The boy swallowed hard. "What's a Flagbearer?"
"It's who. Commanders. Each runs things here, though their policies differ. Each is trying to find a way to close the Rift."
"Doesn't the Athrimir Clan have a Lord Commander here?" a raspy voice asked.
Vale froze mid-step. It took him a moment to realize it was his own voice.
The lead guard raised an eyebrow. "They did, but he died, and they never replaced him. Anyway, you all belong to Flagbearer Steelclaw. This is one of his territories, though he has some ruins in the Barrens too."
The ground softened slightly, though not by much, and began to slope uphill. Finally, they caught sight of the Steelclaw Alliance fortress.
Thick, high stone walls rose in the distance, painted red in places. Towers topped with red flags rose above them, men standing ready with arrows and swords. Vale could make out the gate, though they weren't heading straight for it.
The lead guard led them toward a smaller building beside the fortress—a tall rectangle with a simple roof.
He paused a few feet away, tilting his head as if listening. "Good. She's around. Go meet her in that building. Welcome to the Borderland."