“We wield our power not for our own gain, but to serve as examples for all men.”

- Artorius Veltaan, Founder of the Second Order of the Lion

Eadric didn’t have any real experience with large cities. The largest town he’d ever been to in the north had been Winter Hearth, the principal town that had provided for the needs of the Third Order’s central keep. It had approximately five thousand souls living in it and had been considered one of the largest settlements of the area. The city of Kanlin on the other hand, had at least half a million people, over a hundred times that size, with that number growing even larger when one considered the farms, homesteads, and villages that were within only a few miles of Kanlin’s walls. Luckily, he had two advantages to navigate the large city: His excellent sense of direction and his access to the First Bond in order to enhance his sense of smell. These two things in conjunction allowed him to make mental notes on where he was in the city and begin to slowly get a feel for it.

The immediate outside of Castle Kanlin itself was mostly surrounded by the richest areas of the city, the manors of nobles and rich merchants, as well as restaurants and inns catering to the elite that were visiting the city. Once one went beyond that inner circle, they were met by the ring of the city where most common folk made their living, a great deal of tenements and small homes making up the majority of living conditions. This was where most of the skilled tradesmen lived. Smiths, carpenters, bakers, millers, cobblers and various other professions. Even the slums of the city, while unavoidable, were nicer than Eadric’s studies would have indicated. The streets were clean and well patrolled, and he saw few beggars or urchins. When he asked a guard about it, he was regaled by tales of the generosity of King Artorius and how he’d tried to make sure all his citizens were as healthy and happy as possible with various programs and laws to improve their lives, things that his son Arthur was making sure were kept in place, despite some of the outrage from the nobility.

He’d gotten more than a few curious looks for being out after dark asking these sorts of questions, but most of the suspicious looks had faded when they’d seen his uniform. After that it was either salutes or stares of awe at one of the fabled Beast Knights.

Using his enhanced senses, he quickly identified a place in the central ring of the city that smelled absolutely delicious, like fresh baked bread, roasting meat, and good ale. Finding it was simply a matter of following the nose to a respectable looking tavern, the black iron sign outside of it proudly proclaiming it as the Dancing Dragon, complete with a rendition of the fire breathing sort of dragon (as opposed to the dragonfly that was the First Order’s sigil) proudly holding a tankard in each hand. Striding in, he immediately took note of the merry interior, dozens of patrons packed in at various tables and booths, a large bar set into the back wall alongside a door that led to a kitchen, judging by the smell. He spotted mainly locals, but also more than a few people wearing the uniform of the Twelve Orders.

Eadric made his way to the bar and placed a few coins on the counter. “A drink, please. Northern if you got it.”

The barkeep, a tall man with the deep tan of a Panthalassian and a few days of stubble, gave him a cheerful grin. “We’ve got ales, beers, and wines of all sorts! How about a dark stout or are you in the mood for something lighter?” His accent was completely different from what Eadric had been expecting, not even close to anything he’d heard before.

“A stout sounds perfect.” Eadric returned the grin, having not expected any kind of familiar variety in the new city.

The barkeep made the coins disappear and replaced them with a pewter tankard filled with dark frothy beer. Eadric took a sip and was pleased to find the strong bitter flavor that he hadn’t been able to enjoy for some months. “That’s good stuff. How do you get this down here in the south?”

“Ah, I keep in touch with a lot of brewers around the city and a few of them are originally from up north.” The barkeep explained, running a rag across the surface of the bar to keep it gleaming. “Ya need some food in ya too? Got a nice stew tonight.”

“Sounds wonderful.” Eadric replied eagerly, feeling his stomach begin to rumble with hunger.

“Go find yourself a seat then my friend, I’ll send one of the gals over with the food in a moment.” The barkeep gestured out toward the crowded room. “You’re a new face, so they’ll know who to look for.”

“Many thanks,” Eadric dipped his head and slid another small coin across the counter which the barkeep once again made vanish with surprising speed.

He looked around the crowded room and began to duck and weave, looking for an open space. He would hate to intrude on a group already looking to be in fine spirits, but there just weren't many seats to go around. Finally, he found a mostly abandoned bench, a single young man Eadric’s junior that wore the uniform of a Beast Knight drinking from a tankard of his own. There seemed to be an invisible barrier keeping others from approaching too closely, which struck Eadric as odd. The young man didn’t appear anymore dangerous or even unkind, very ordinary, smaller than average if anything. He made his way over and sat across from the young man.

“Good evening, friend.” Eadric called over the general bustle of the tavern. “Mind if I take this seat?”

The man turned to Eadric and that revealed the probable reason for people’s avoidance: The left side of his face was a mass of scars, turning what might have been a perfectly friendly face into a glowering nightmare. He had dark hair and tanned skin, though bore the features of a Phechios native. His accent was that of Central Phechios, the lands between the southern realms and that of the northern wastes. “Fine by me, though you won’t do your reputation much good sitting with someone like me.” He said by way of greeting.

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“You’re a fellow Beast Knight, I don’t see why that might be a problem.” Eadric chuckled and sat down. “Eadric of the Third Order.”

The man eyed him for a moment, then shook his head. “Vandos.” He took a sip of his drink. “You’re new to Kanlin, aren’t you?”

“Aye. Arrived earlier today.” Eadric confirmed.

“Yeah, you look like it. Still bright eyed and ready to go fight monsters.” Vandos chuckled. “I remember being like that.”

“You can’t be much older than I am.” Eadric pointed out. “You talk like some old veteran.”

Vandos snorted and shrugged. “I’ve only had my bond less than a year, but I’ve already seen my fair share of death and mayhem.”

“Things are really that bad out there? Even with the White Hill weakened?” Eadric asked, worry leaking into his voice. It seemed Beast Knights were needed now more than ever…

Vandos shook his head. “Things are good, relatively. Just… It was better when all the Orders were here. More monsters, sure, but also more Knights, far, far more.”

“I got to see my Founder fight once.” Eadric said, mind going back to that day. “Led a several dozen other Wolf Knights against hundreds of monsters. Slaughtered them all, every last one of them. Seeing them fight together like that… It sure was a sight.”

“Yeah, I got to see mine do the same once.” Vandos grunted, taking a swig of his drink. “Only she fought alone and there were at least a thousand of them. Tore right through them.”

“Ah, Shark Knight then? I’ve heard that the First Hunter is an incredibly skilled warrior.” Eadric complimented.

Vandos opened his mouth to reply when a fist suddenly slammed into the table, causing the tavern’s noise to die quickly. A tall man wearing the uniform of a novitiate stared down at Vandos, eyes narrowed and bloodshot from drink. “I thought,” he grated out, “that we told you we don’t want your kind in here.” Behind him loomed three other novitiates, all of them rather large. They towered over the smaller Vandos with a sort of menace that made all of Eadric’s instincts flare with outrage.

Vandos bared his teeth and Eadric’s other instincts, those of pure survival, began to send waves of panic. “And I thought I told you that I could care less what a few weaklings think of me.”

The large man went to speak, but Eadric held up a placating hand. “Peace, friend. We are all members of the Orders, there’s no need for this. We’ve got good drink and good food, so why don’t we just stick to our parts of the tavern, eh?”

The large man glared at Eadric for a moment, eyes falling upon the small pin that marked him as a member of the Third Order. “You aren’t one of his kind, so why the hells are you around him?”

Eadric frowned. “I have no qualms about the Tenth Order, indeed, I admire their work.”

The man scoffed at the words, but a small, quavering voice spoke up. “Excuse me, sirs, but I brought your food.” Eadric glanced over to see one of the tavern girls holding a tray bearing two bowls of steaming stew and an extra tankard of what Vandos appeared to be drinking. The poor girl was practically shaking from the threat of potential violence in the air.

Vandos’ eyes softened and he beckoned her forward. “Many thanks.” He handed her a few coins. “Go tell Kayoki that I’m sorry, eh?”

The girl nodded and began to move away, but was almost casually shoved aside by the antagonistic novitiate. “C’mon lads, let's get out of this cesspit. If they serve his kind, we obviously don’t want to be here.”

Eadric felt his own anger rising, but Vandos put a restraining hand on his shoulder even as he stood. “Thank you, Eadric, but this is my issue.” He grinned at the leader of the pack and the air of waiting violence returned. “Look, Delan, you’ve been a pain in the neck for weeks now. So I’m gonna give you this once chance to apologize to the lady and then clear out, or I’m going to put you through the wall.”

The leader, Delan, spat at his feet in reply. His eyes took on a slightly golden sheen and fur began to appear at the edges of his neck. Lion Knight. “Make me, you murderous bastard.” He growled. “There’s four of us and one of you.” The others began to transform in a similar manner.

Vandos’ grin became sharp and vicious, his hair gained a streak of white, his eyes darkened, black fur began to appear on his arms and neck, and something shifted beneath his skin. “Four times zero is still zero, or do they not teach you these things where you’re from?”

Delan let out a roar of fury, the sound having gained the edge of an animal’s, fist flying for Vandos’ face. The younger man took a single step back and allowed it to pass a hair from his nose. This might have been less impressive, except Eadric knew that one of the perks of a Lion Knight's Bond was increased strength and speed. Then in one motion filled with incredible power, Vandos struck the Lion Knight in the chest with an open palm, sending him sprawling across the room.

Vandos glanced back at Eadric and gave him a grin that had gained an edge of savage enjoyment. “Sorry to disappoint, but I’m no Shark Knight: I’m a Badger.”