Roxana Horstin stood upon southwestern wall, watching the waves crash on the rocks below her. There were attempts to reclaim the sea, but waves of monsters made it impossible here. Some powerful monsters can rise during the waves.

A heavy exhale escapes her before she turns around to take in the city. A vain grab of the surface. Hundreds of thousands died fighting to take and hold this peninsula long enough to build these walls. There are several kingdoms and republics to the north and west. This city is the crown of the Gustav Empire.

Homes for the wealthiest within private landscapes. Shops, forges, warehouses, and many massive buildings of the Imperial Palace grounds. Rustic reds of exteriors contrast with the greens of all the surrounding plants. The emerald green water of the Plocco Canal had been a large share of her family’s wealth. Enchanted powered boats hauled food and goods between the city and their neighbors to the northeast.

With the setting sun, a bitter laugh escaped from her as the sun slid from the city and vanished below the wall. The capital city has fallen into darkness behind her. Her eyes focused, and any mirth was absent from her.

“How fitting.” Her quiet voice chased out by a sigh. She adjusted the bow’s strap so it was lower on her back. The attention and care she paid the bow was long drilled into her by her late father. The class unlocks and early levels were thanks to his connections.

“What is so fitting about exile?” Her servant spoke up beside her.

“The sun sets on opportunities missed, but always rises tomorrow in a new dawn.” Without looking at him, she quoted a speech from the founding emperor.

“That crazy fool understood the value of the surface and refused to give it up! You could learn something from that!” His anger slipped beyond his usual control.

“Emperor Gustova also had tens of thousands of people to feed and shelter. The dungeon is where all the actual powers are. I want a seat.” She moved inside the tower and began descending. Her assistant followed afterwards.

“Lady Roxana, I beg you, apologize to the Magistrate and give them the core.” Never ceasing downward, they spoke, trying to ignore the unpleasant vibration from the magic powered arrays packed in the center of the tall tower.

“I don’t want to stay here, Yokan. That core is priceless! I won’t hand it over for the pittance they offered. It isn’t even for sale! Why are we going over this again?” She grew frustrated, Yokan fell silent, and just followed his mistress.

Her fist tightened as she remembered the pompous Imperial Mage. He demanded her family’s most prized possession at a ridiculous discount. When the Magistrate ordered the sale of the core, she had lost her temper and thrown one of her shoes at his smug face.

Despite being a minor noble family, they were skilled enchanters. Nobles enjoyed a certain level of exclusion from enforcement of this rule, but it was illegal to refuse a Magistrate’s orders. The noble families would never accept being forced to sell their family treasures. Assaulting a Magistrate was not to be swept aside.

They reached the bottom of the tower and she passed between the pair of guards that fell a meter behind them. They did not serve her house.

“I will leave you as manager of the canal boats. My brother should be able to handle most last minute enchantment changes. I will send you the enchanted cores when you need them from me.” Seeing his scrunched face, she sighs slowly. “The family invested quite heavily in my skill growth and exiling me is the easiest way to hurt our business.”

“That’s why you should just give them the core. Then you can make their lives miserable and stay out of the dungeon!” Without fail his advice is always the fool’s trap, even after 8 years.

“No matter how superior or powerful someone else may be, the more powerful and superior equipment can tip the scales. If I give them the core, they will waste it on a staff or another gate.” She injected a click of her teeth in displeasure. “That core is never leaving my possession.”

Finally reaching their carriage, she turns to him before stepping inside. She removes the bow from her back and puts it inside the carriage.

“Enough debate. Prepare my estate for my departure. There is not much time.” Yokan bowed with his palm up before his face, held a moment, then walked swiftly to his own seat on the back. Roxana enters the carriage to take her seat.

The driver closed the door, raised the steps, and climbed up to his place to drive it forward. The ride was silent and tense for Roxana. Her thoughts circling around the obvious and brazen push to cause problems. They were meddling where they had no right.

Despite the praise for her archery, it was not her passion. Her eyes drifted to the bow, and they followed the subtle flow of weak mana in the bow. It was made by her grandfather long ago, but she knew she was ahead of him at her age.

They reached her home on the edges of the noble estates. The gates parted silently under the manipulations of the guards. She gave the senior guard on her left a wave as they passed. He raised his right hand to his heart, then turned his palm down to salute her return.

Maybe it was childish of her, but she had always loved the Imperial Soldiers. Sure, her guards were mostly all cadets, but their captain was an experienced captain who went on many deployments in the dungeon. They served faithfully, and she would miss seeing them off before graduation.

Once parked at the entrance for her, she exited the carriage and headed inside without delay, her staff waiting to take her outer coat and boats. Once slipped into a pair of sandals, she spoke with her staff for a few minutes to ensure they understood what was about to happen.

Satisfied, she headed down the hallway to her private study. The door was ordinary by all appearances, except for the handle was a small cup attached in its place. She took off her necklace, she placed the gold emblem of the necklace into the cup.

Her eyes closed with her hand over the cup, she filled it with a small amount of mana, and the door popped open inward, lights turning on beyond it. She quickly puts the necklace back on and enters the room, ensuring the door is shut behind her. Her eyes locked on the bookcase behind the large study desk at the far end.

“Best ensure these are safe first.”

The next day, as the sun rose over the eastern wall and washed the city in light, a contingent of 20 soldiers marched behind their commander on a horse. Their brilliant orange fur plumed helmets distinguishing them from standard troops. Their armor and weapons emanate power from their dense enhancements.

In lock-step they marched up to the front of Horstin estate. The captain dismounted his horse as a soldier came forward to take the reins. Four other soldiers fell in behind their captain in twos, then they marched to the gates. Without hesitation, the gates were opened.

Roxana stood next to her carriages, one for her and the other few belongings she was bringing. There was no point in hauling more than her essential equipment and personal items. The exile was only for her, her family would maintain the rest.

He stood before her in their eternally crisp fashion. The captain spoke in a calm, but carrying tone.

“Baroness Roxana Horstin, daughter of the late Baron Richard Horstin, is hereby sentenced to exile from the capital city of Guston to the frontier colony of Hijol for ten years. You are to report to Marque Vurt Rizengord and provide services unto the colony for your crime against the throne, by order of the Magistrate Hollister Luffin.”

One soldier stepped forward, presenting the scroll of parchment with the formally signed order of banishment and forced service. On one hand, living in a colony city was incredibly dangerous, but on the other, far better than hard labor in the deep dungeon mines.

“I accept the judgement and orders of the Magistrate. I have prepared my estate and personal affairs. I present myself as ordered.” The captain’s professional attitude says nothing other than duty to service as his troops form up pairs, two in front, two behind, with the captain standing up front.

She sighed quietly to herself, Roxana climbed into her carriage and they set off from the West Gate. It was rather embarrassing to be led through the streets with armed escorts and out of the city, but fighting for it wouldn’t help her situation. She took in the sights as they passed through the luxury market.

Her father had shown her the bad and good of the Empire so she would know how to help steer towards a just and true future. A future where prosperity is a matter of merit rather than schemes for money or power. Even he laughed, calling it an impossible goal to chase forever.

Too quickly, the shops fell away to a wide lane. On the other side stood the Tordal Gate Plaza walls, which protected a staging area for those traveling to and from the gate. The southern entrance was for gate traffic and a door to the east for those accompanying others to the gate. Those arriving from the gate can regroup on the north side before taking one of the exits.

As the carriage entered the plaza, a brilliant white light flashed across the space. There was only a deployment of 100 soldiers waiting for them, a group of about a dozen officers, and a well dressed civilian with the air of a noble’s servant.

Without waiting for her, the soldiers began their march through the gateway to the distant colony city. They banished her to this city only because it was next on the schedule to be opened. To her, they were sending her into the lap of future wealth.

When at last her turn to go through came, an apparent servant approached her carriage and knocked.

“Please come in.” She called loud enough to be heard outside. The man gave a small nod of having heard, then opened the door, and climbed inside. He took a seat opposite of hers.

“Greetings Lady Roxana, I am Norris Gorren, Steward of the Rizengord Estate. I came ahead as my master wished to relay information with you quickly.”

“Thank you Sir Norris. What issue is so pressing to warrant such haste?”

“Straight to it then, yes. My lady, as you know, Hijol is a frontier city. We are sorely lacking in high grade enchanted equipment to provide the proper security for the city. The instant my master heard you were being sent, he was hoping that the nature of your visit would not affect your willingness.”

“I understand. I am happy to serve the Empire regardless of where I might be. You can let your master know I will serve with my full ability.” The confirmation seemed to settle the man’s anxious mind. She had not noticed it before, but its absence was striking in how relaxed he became.

“Excellent. He will be most pleased. The monsters around Hijol have been increasingly pressuring our defenses. We only have so many Imperial soldiers to use. The city has grown to the point the guard needs more equipment.”

Construction of a city from the dungeon was a massive project that took decades of hard labor. The effort of creating a vein free area large enough to stage the starting operation alone took years. Each city was a huge investment, but they almost always paid back in steady streams of high level troops, mana infused resources, metals, and most importantly to Roxana, cores.

The gate washed over them, leaving them quite uncomfortable, but safe on the other side. The warm sun lit air was replaced by the dim blue light of a rough cavern. The scaffolding lined the entire area with hundreds of mages, shifting the stone and dirt, compacting it down or clearing it away. The light coming from a single source above.

“Sir Norris, I wish to inquire about being allowed to hunt monsters when I have time.” He turned his head to meet her eyes.

“While Lord Rizengord will have to permit that, I do not see it being an issue. He is aware of your archer class level. We need all the help we can get. We recently discovered an expanse at the edge of the second strata. However, it is quite a distance.”

“Edge of the strata? That is unusual. Which does it fit under?” She slid forward slightly in her seat.

“The report suggested it was a first strata jungle, but the floor is covered in a bank of shadow mana. We are in need of more armor to protect mercenaries and soldiers from the higher mana concentrations.” She leaned back as he finished, and brought her hand to chin and tapped it lightly.

“I understand. I can help with this. I can use my own hunts to test the enchants.” Norris closed his eyes and held them, as if suppressing an emotional response.

“That might be an efficient way to solve more than one issue. The sooner we have more equipment to protect us from mana sickness, the further out we can thin the monster population.” They discussed the needs more as they went.

Around the gate itself was a small collection of buildings that were only a few years old, but covered in layers of dust from all the shifting and shaping. The soldiers continued their march out of the travel gate square towards a more open area outside the building group. Her escorts led her to the largest building in the city.

“Here we are.” Norris spoke up again finally. “Lord Rizengord wishes to speak with you in more detail about what he needs from you. Please do not hesitate to let me know if you need anything else while you are here.” With that, he bowed slightly from his seat, then promptly left once the carriage had come to a halt.

Roxana followed slowly after him, smoothing her travel coat as she looked around. A mix of construction and dirty work site, but it was a clear sign of a growing town. Dozens of people walked the streets with hand carts, yelling what they had for sale.

Parties of mercenaries were perhaps the most common group other than Imperial soldiers. Their dress was unique, wearing various types of armors and carrying different weapons. They all were exhausted, but they wore satisfied looks.

The cold damp felt most unpleasant to her, but she was long accustomed to delving from a young age. Still though, her new home will need some extensive enchanting. Her mind worked through what she needed as she walked up the front steps.

The first steps on a very long path.