Falcon’s Bend was the northernmost city in the South-East Province.

The city got its name from the nearly 150-metres-high rocky outcropping that was shaped like the head of a giant falcon. This forested rock formation sheltered the city below from strong northern winds, creating a kind of hidden nook.

Below the outcropping was a wide and deep cove, the perfect spot to build a large port where hundreds of ships traveling along the Lorren could anchor in relative safety.

With lookout posts built atop the nearby hill, allowing for nearly 360-degree visibility of the surrounding region, Falcon’s Bend was all but impossible to catch off-guard as any hostile force could be detected dozens of kilometres away, whether they came by land or by river.

As one of the Rockwell Kingdom’s major cities on the border with the Darr Kingdom, Falcon’s Bend was also home to the Swift Current Legion, one of the nation’s 10 standing Armies and the one with the largest naval force.

With it being the base of the Swift Current Legion, Falcon’s Bend not only had a heavy presence of soldiers, but was also the home of the largest military shipyards in the kingdom.

The essentially unlimited reserve of sturdy timber from the nearby forests allowed numerous giant river ships to be constructed each year to bolster the kingdom’s fleets.

Falcon Bend’s proximity to Torren Ridge, the South-East Province’s largest mining and smithing city, also played a factor in the decision to establish it as a major military production centre.

Between its fortresses and its naval yards, Falcon’s Bend was one of the most heavily fortified positions in the entire Rockwell Kingdom, with most of its population either serving in the military or being related to an active-duty soldier.

This had fostered a disciplined, if not somewhat austere atmosphere within the city, one that was further emphasized by a lack of commerce and trade.

There were plenty of Wild Beasts to be hunted in the forests, and there was never a lack of fish to catch from the Lorren, but staples like wheat and other grains had to be imported from elsewhere as the local soil wasn’t suitable for creating large tracks of farmland.

All-in-all, Falcon’s Bend was a cold, hard city, one that seemed to scream ’solid’ and ’stern’ the moment you gazed upon it.

Flying in low over the northern outcropping, nicknamed Falcon’s Head by the locals, Lucas couldn’t actually make out the details of the city as it was approaching midnight and there was only a faint moonlight shining down from the southern skies.

Of course, there were plenty of torches and Spirit Lamps in both the city and out in the harbour, so it wasn’t like the city was completely dark.

From what Lucas could tell, Falcon’s Bend was quite well organized, though it still suffered from the typical city-planning issues inherent to the Rockwell Kingdom’s level of urban and technological development.

One thing he noted in particular was how the streets seemed to curve and wind in an overly complicated pattern, probably designed that way intentionally to make it harder for invading armies to advance.

Lucas also counted some 30 large ships docked at the harbour, with another 30 or so anchored out in the bay. There may have been more, but it was impossible to tell from the sparse lighting down below.

"I wonder if the convoy has arrived yet," Lucas muttered aloud.

"Were they supposed to be here already?" Vanessa asked, gently tugging Starlight’s reigns as she guided him down towards the bay.

Doing some quick calculations in his head, Lucas nodded, "It’s been a day-and-a-half since they left Crystal Lake, so if nothing went wrong, the convoy should have gotten here several hours ago."

"Hmm..." Vanessa released her Soul Sense and swept the area, checking for a particular Life Aura, but she soon shook her head, "I can’t sense Allie anywhere."

"That’s odd," Lucas frowned, but he didn’t think too much about it, "Maybe they caught some bad winds."

"Could be," Vanessa nodded, "The weather is less predictable around this time of year, especially around the junction between the canal and the Lorren."

Whipping the reigns a bit harder, Vanessa changed course and headed back to the Lord’s Manor where she planned to drop Lucas off before she headed out again.

.....

Touching down at the Manor, Lucas and Vanessa quickly dismounted the latter’s Golden Hawk and were greeted by a pair of very contrasting men.

One of them was a towering wall of muscle, standing some 2.3 metres tall with arms thicker than Vanessa’s legs. He was easily the biggest and burliest person Lucas had ever seen before. In fact, if not for the bright lights of the surrounding Spirit Lamps, the young boy might just have mistaken this giant for an actual bear.

The other man was both short and skinny, his physique even looking somewhat frail while his complexion was so fare it would be easy to assume he was ill.

The oddest thing, however, was it was the tall, muscular man who was wearing fine noble robes, not that they did much to make him look less intimidating, while the skinny fellow was actually dressed in well worn metal armour.

Offering a polite salute, Vanessa flashed a pleasant smile as she greeted the pair, "Count Randolph, General Caldwell, what a surprise. I never expected the two most powerful men in Falcon’s Bend to personally welcome me to the city."

"Cheeky as always, little lass," the burly Count snickered in good humour.

"I see Old Man Gunthar still hasn’t fixed that mischievous side of yours, Young Lady Clark," the thin General followed up with a chuckle.

"Oh, he’s tried," Vanessa laughed happily, clearly well acquainted with this unusual pair.

The trio exchanged a few more words of banter before the lumbering Count asked the obvious question, "So, who’s the kid? Don’t tell me you actually got married and had a son without telling us?!"

"Pft," Vanessa rolled her eyes, "If only I had been so lucky."

"Oh ho?" General Caldwell raised his brow, never having expected such a response from the rebellious granddaughter of his old friend.

Count Randolph was also caught off guard for a moment. He also had a close connection to Vanessa, but this time it was the latter’s mother whom he was acquainted with.

Now somewhat interested, the burly Count took a closer look at this unfamiliar boy, growing more impressed by the second with what he saw.

Even if neither of them was actively releasing their Qi Aura or using their Soul Senses, the scrutinizing gazes of a Complete Peak-Rank Initiate and a Mid-Rank Spirit Adept were not something an ordinary child could normally withstand, yet Lucas just stood there looking completely unphased.

Sure, he had his back straight and wore a formal expression, but the two men could tell that this boy was only doing so because that was the polite thing to do, not because he felt intimidated in the slightest.

Taking the other party’s interest in him as a signal, the boy saluted the two men and introduced himself, "Greetings, Lord Randolph, Lord Caldwell. My name is Lucas. It’s a pleasure to meet you both."

"Hmm...? Well, he’s certain much more polite than you were when you were his age," General Caldwell commented.

"Indeed," Count Randolph nodded, "I still remember the first time your mother brought you here, Little Nessa. You were a few years older than this boy back then, yet the first words out of your mouth were..."

"Stop stop stop!" Vanessa cut in, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.

From the brief conversation that had taken place, Lucas was able to glean that these two men were both friends of Vanessa’s family and had known her since she was a child.

It would be a lie to say Lucas wasn’t interested in hearing stories about Vanessa’s childhood, but he wisely decided not to ask about that in her presence; after all, like all his big sisters, Vanessa was rather quick to use her fist as an educational tool.

After the two men got the laughter out of their systems, Vanessa pouted slightly and explained, "Lucas is teacher’s First Disciple."

""What?"" Both Count Randolph and General Caldwell were taken aback when they heard this, with the latter asking, "General Balfour has finally taken a formal Disciple?"

"En," Vanessa nodded, "Not just one, in fact, but three."

"Really? I hadn’t heard anything about that," the burly Count muttered, his brow knitting slightly.

Celestina accepting formal Disciples was big news, so with all his connections, the Count should have at least caught a rumour about this by now.

"Neither myself, nor my two Junior Sisters have undergone the formal ceremony yet," Lucas chimed in, "Master wanted to do that after we settled in Misty City, so none of us have been widely advertising our status yet."

"I see," General Caldwell nodded, "Well, in any case, congratulations, young lad."

"Indeed," Count Randolph agreed, "In our Rockwell Kingdom, there are few honours higher than becoming Marquess Balfour’s Disciple. Make sure you work hard not to disappoint her."

"Thank you for your advice, Lord Count, Lord General," Lucas bowed slightly, "I won’t let my Master down."