At the center of Asher City was a magnificent mansion. With walls as white as snow and made with exceptionally bright crystals, the mansion was the very epitome of luxury. But its beauty wasn't vain, for the walls were made with White Stones, a material so dense and strong that even steel would find it hard-pressed to leave a dent on this solid stone. However, it was extremely difficult to process, so it wasn't easy for a person to use such rare and precious materials to build an entire home. Yet this building was made entirely of White Stones, making it much more valuable than the most expensive weapons known to this world. As if having such strong materials as building materials wasn't enough, there were guards placed strategically on the walls and around the house. Each of them had imposing auras, and the bloodlust in their eyes wasn't faked at all. They were clearly veterans of war; people who had experienced the harshness of being on the frontlines and had returned not only as survivors, but as heroes.
This fortress of a mansion was the home of the City Lord, and that was why it was so heavily protected. The seemingly over the top investments in fortifying this one building made sense since this was the home of the most important person in the city.
"This is indeed worthy of being the home of the City Lord," a man wearing a white mask sighed from atop a magnificent looking horse. The horse had a red mane and powerful leg muscles that allowed it to travel at speeds that would leave many other creatures in its dust.
"Yes. I would expect nothing less from the leader of this great city." A man in a black mask very identical to the white mask said. He was also seated on a horse; a horse that shared a lot of resemblance to the one the white masked man was riding.
"This place is several times bigger than the Orange Team's mansion," a third person spoke up. This person was the last of the entourage, which was made up of three people in total. The voice was melodious and feminine, unlike the first two which had the deep notes belonging to the male gender. However, just like the other two, she was also wearing a mask which concealed her facial features. Her mask was not white or black, but green, a color that complemented her beautiful green eyes perfectly. She also rode on a Red Maned Horse.
"Those people…"
"Are they the White Mask and the Black Mask?"
"I think that they are. Who else would dare put on such masks in Asher City when their team is up against our Black Team next?"
"What are they doing in front of the City Lord's mansion?"
"I don't know. Maybe they are just on tour?"
"I doubt that. They have been focusing on the mansion for some time now. But that's not the most interesting thing."
"What is the most interesting thing?"
"Who is that with them? She wasn't part of the competition."
"That's true. From the build, it looks like that's a woman. I wonder where she came from."
"Well if you are brave enough go and ask them."
"Not a chance in hell. They are our enemies now that they are facing the Black Team next. There is no way I would get close to our enemies."
"You are speaking as though you can get close to them just because you want to."
The men and woman in the mask were Mane, Lam, and Lily. Just like Mane said to Hildegarde, he was here to see the City Lord. He wanted to know more about the Black Dragon Of The East – and The Citadel.
"We are really attracting attention," Lily who was wearing the blue mask said bitterly.
"Yes. That's because we are now considered competitors in the Grand Tourney. Naturally the people of this city would treat us like we are some special existences. We are now celebrities I guess." Mane was wearing the same mask he wore when he was presented to the people of Asher City just a day ago – the black mask.
"But we had no choice than to come here with this getup," Lam, the man in the white mask – the very same one he had worn yesterday – said. Mane and Lily nodded at his words. It was true that they had no other option than to put these masks on to appear here. Although it was true that if they hadn't worn the masks, no one would have known who they were and they wouldn't have attracted so much attention, that was a disadvantage for what they had left the mansion to do. They needed to be known to accomplish their mission.
"If we appear before the City Lord's mansion as unknown people, we will be turned away. After all, one must imagine that there are many stray men and women trying to see the City Lord every day. If we come with the status of commoners, we would also be shooed away. And we cannot make a ruckus in some else's city." Mane said.
"Why are you explaining this to the twins? Don't they already know this?" Hildegarde asked rhetorically. Naturally, Mane did what he did best. He ignored her.
"You can ignore me all you want. It wouldn't change the fact that you just wasted your saliva explaining to the twins something that they already know." Hildegarde continued with her jabbering, and Mane wished that he could pull her off his shoulder and hold his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.
Slowly, the trio rode their Red Maned Horses over to the gate of the large mansion. There were four gate guards. Three of them were Animal Hunters, and one was a Thrasher. A pretty impressive line-up admittedly. But when one considered that they were the guards of the City Lord, their strengths didn't seem all that impressive.
"Halt! This is the mansion of the City Lord of Asher City. Please state your names and purpose." Once they got close enough, the Thrasher stopped them. He had an uncomfortable expression on his face as he addressed them. That was because he also recognised the masks that Mane and Lam wore. And that was why he didn't sack them right away but asked for them to reveal their identities and purpose.
"Unfortunately we cannot reveal our names or our purpose" Mane shook his head and said. His words caused the faces of the guards to turn ugly, but they endured the anger that was building up in them and only watched the trio coldly. Their auras turned a bit oppressive, a natural reaction to what they felt was disrespect to their City Lord.
"Easy Roxanne," Mane calmed down Roxanne who was getting fidgety from the auras of the guards. Lam and Lily also stroked their horses and tried to calm them down.
"There is no need to feel offended. You just need to tell the City Lord that those he invited some days ago have come to honour his invitation early." Mane understood why the guards were displeased, but their request was something he couldn't accede to. He could neither give the guards their names, nor state their purpose. For both subjects were too sensitive to discuss in public. He hoped that they would take his words seriously though.
"Please wait a minute," luckily for Mane, the Thrasher's facial expression changed into a more somber one when he heard Mane's last few statements. He whispered something into the ears of one of the guards, and the man run into the mansion with haste. It seems that the Thrasher was staying behind for security reasons. It was a known fact that the teams remaining – both the Black and Orange Teams – didn't have people below the Thrasher level. Although Mane and Lam hadn't fought before, that level was expected of them. So he was staying behind to stop them if they tried anything funny. Unfortunately, even if they did, he wouldn't be able to stop them at all.
"You are really worried about this situation Sutton," a beautiful woman stood behind a man who was seated on a stool, and slowly massaged his neck and shoulders. The man groaned in pleasure and relief, yet his eyebrows were still furrowed in worry.
"I am. Anything related to the Black Dragon Of The East isn't good news for us." The man called Sutton closed his eyes and said. The woman behind him nodded her head understandingly. They remained in that position, talking about several trivialities to get their minds off the topic none of them was comfortable discussing. However, their cute little chat didn't last for long. A burly guard announced his intrusion and came in to report something to the City Lord.
"The Black Mask and White Mask from the Orange Team are here. They said they have an invitation from you."
"Oh? They came earlier than planned. Let them in. Show them to the Guest Reception Hall" The City Lord was actually called Sutton, and his wife was the one giving him the neck and shoulder massage. Her name was Anna.
"Who did?" Anna asked curiously.
"The boys I told you about. The ones that joined the Orange Team." Sutton replied. Although Mane and Lam wore a mask that day at the stadium, the City Lord was able to recognize them instantly. And so did Mira. It was mainly because Sutton and his daughter knew that Mane and Lam were affiliated to the Orange Team that they were able to easily match their builds and voices to the same teens they met outside the Enchanted Forest that day. Naturally, Anna as his wife, knew everything about these people. And that was because her husband didn't keep anything hidden from them.
"Is it safe? People who are able to deal with Apex Monkeys and are on the side of our enemies should not be so easily trusted." Anna stated with cold eyes. Her logic was sound, and her husband would have agreed with her if not for the message he received from Mane that day.
"I doubt they belong to The Citadel yet. They aren't from the place, otherwise they wouldn't be able to compete. And one of them informed me that they were just allies for the Grand Tourney. In fact, he wanted to know more about them. The fact that he didn't ask them, but came to us instead shows that he isn't planning to 'ply his trade with them'" the City Lord reasoned.
"I understand. But you should be careful. As long as they sleep in the same house as our enemies, they are potential enemies." His wife advised intelligently.
"I would listen to you Anna. You should come with me. You are a brilliant woman. With you there I would be more at ease." City Lord Sutton suggested. Many people didn't know this because it wasn't common knowledge, but most of his decisions were made based on his wife's intelligent advises. She was a brilliant analyst and observer, and the fact that people didn't know this made them underestimate her; something that they always ended up regretting.
"Okay. Honestly, I would also be much more relieved if I was there by your side. Besides, it would give me a chance to see these wonder kids you spoke so highly of." Anna agreed.
"Great. Let's go then. Our guests are waiting"