A young man with a fresh, youthful face, dressed in a suit of aristocratic finery with exaggerated frills and a top hat, tried to push his way into the Lower City but was promptly stopped by a burly guard.
“Not so fast, lad,” the guard grunted, his hand pressing firmly against the young man’s chest. “Everyone must pass the trial by fire before they can enter.”
“My name is Alfred Montmorency,” the young man declared with a haughty tilt of his chin, “A member of the noble Montmorency family from the southern plains. I demand you let me in immediately. I refuse to be subject to such ridiculous rules! Besides, how dare you halt me in my tracks? You are nothing but a mere guard in this forsaken frontier, while I am a Montmorency. Your job is to obey me, not stand in my way. I suggest you move aside unless you want to face the wrath of my family!”
Just as Alfred’s haughty words died down, a stern voice echoed through the crowd, cutting through the growing murmurs like a hot knife through butter. “You dare threaten my guard? Apologize right this instant!”
A tall and imposing man with a squared jawline and high cheekbones, which were accentuated by a neatly-trimmed beard, walked through the bustling crowd gathered at the station and stopped in front of Alfred.
The onlookers recognized him as Marshall.
Marshall had golden-brown hair that was slicked back, revealing piercing, slate-grey eyes that held a hard, no-nonsense glint as he stared at Alfred. Marshall was dressed in a crisp black uniform that hugged his muscular physique. A gleaming insignia, featuring black thunderbolts, was proudly displayed on his chest, marking him as the leader of the Lower City guards. He was 198 cm tall, and his presence was as intimidating as a roaring bear. He towered over the arrogant youth menacingly, his sturdy figure casting an imposing shadow over the arrogant aristocrat.
Alfred found himself involuntarily flinching under Marshall’s intense gaze.
However, the public spectacle of his humiliation was like a searing brand on his pride. Not even in his worst nightmares had he imagined being put in such a position, much less being compelled to apologize to a guard, someone he deemed below his social standing.
‘I hate this!’
This blow to his ego, this piercing needle to his inflated self-importance, left a sour taste in his mouth.
The heated whispering of the crowd and the smirks on the faces of the onlookers were like salt rubbed into his wounds, intensifying his humiliation. Rage bubbled up within him, his blood simmering, his heartbeat pounding in his ears like a war drum. His hands balled into tight fists at his sides as he struggled to keep his composure.
Faced with such embarrassment, the veneer of aristocratic refinement peeled away, revealing the raw defiance beneath. With gritted teeth and his face distorted with rage, Alfred retorted, “I won’t apologize to a lowly bastard!” His voice, though shaky with indignation, echoed defiantly through the silence that had fallen over the crowd.
As soon as the words left Alfred’s mouth, Marshall’s face turned steely. The stern but collected demeanor he had maintained till now vanished, replaced by a glacial coldness that was far more chilling.
Pa!
Before anyone had a chance to react, Marshall’s sturdy hand whipped through the air, connecting with Alfred’s cheek in a deafening slap that echoed around the station. 𝒩𝑂𝗏𝗅xt.𝓒𝓞𝑀
Swoosh!
Alfred, taken completely by surprise, was sent flying backward, his body a blundering mess as it crashed into the crowd, causing his top hat to be knocked askew.
The aftermath of the slap was immediate and stark. Alfred’s high cheekbone bloomed with an alarming shade of red that was rapidly spreading across his face, a distinct handprint forming amidst the swelling skin. A few of his teeth, dislodged by the strength of the slap, clattered onto the cobblestones, their white contrast sharply against the gray stones, marking the spot where his pride had been brutally trampled upon.
Overwhelmed by the stinging pain, tears involuntarily streamed down Alfred’s face, pooling at his jaw before dripping onto his expensive clothes, staining them. He clutched his assaulted cheek, his fingers trembling as they skimmed over the swollen, heated skin.
“You dare raise your hand against a Montmorency!” In between his sobs of pain and the shocked gasps of the crowd, Alfred managed to cry out, his voice high and filled with disbelief. His words were slurred, muffled by his swelling lips, but the outrage in his voice was unmistakable.
“Even if you were a Stroud or a distant relative of the queen, I would’ve dared to straighten you out! This is the Northern Frontier. We live by the rules of the Thunderspears.” Marshall retorted as he glared at the arrogant noble.
Alfred looked away, unable to meet Marshall’s piercing gaze. His shoulders sagged and his whole demeanor screamed defeat as the reality of this situation was too harsh for him to bear.
Marshall didn’t spare him another glance, his gaze instead sweeping across the crowd gathered in the station. “Insult my guards, and you’ll end up like this miscreant. And drill this into your minds – This is the Northern Frontier. Not your home! Your noble lineage, status, the depth of your coffers, or the extent of your influence elsewhere means nothing here!
“In the Northern Frontier, what you are capable of is all that matters. Your accomplishments define you. Prove that you have what it takes to live amongst us, and you will be welcomed. Otherwise, you can fuck off to where you came from.”
His words were simple, a stark reflection of the land they stood on – the Northern Frontier.
It was a land where status was meaningless.
It wss a land where capability was king, and it was a brutal, raw reality far removed from the societal structures Alfred was used to.
“And how do we prove ourselves worthy to live amongst the northerners?” Val asked Marshall.
Marshall turned his attention to Val and spoke.
“To enter the frontier, you must first pass the trial by fire. The trial is simple – each of you will be assigned a target to eliminate in the Verdant Deepwood. You will have an entire day to hunt it down. After you complete your task, you need to return to the station within the 24 hours time limit and show me your trophy. After I verify that you’ve completed the trial, you will be granted entry into the Northern Frontier’s Lower City.”