Whenever people saw the beasts, they would call the city guards who in turn asked Lith the reason why he traveled with such dangerous creatures. The laws of the Kingdom protected magical beasts due to their role in keeping the monster population in check, but they were also expected to stay in the wilds.
"Take a good look around, kids. Magic is rare and most people can only use regular means of transportation. For them, even a steed is a luxury." Lith jumped on Onyx's back with Aran and lead Abominus by the bridle along the street.
The Shyf could easily carry them both and once they got down the sidewalk, it took them but a few minutes to reach Xaanx's outer rim. Thanks to the Warp Gate, the city was an important trading hub that allowed the nearby cities to buy products from all around the Kingdom and to sell their own on the global market.
The constant flow of merchandise to and from the Gate provided the city with lots of money and its hotels were booked all year round. Xaanx's roads were paved with perfectly squared grey stone blocks and wide enough to let three carriages pass side by side.
The sidewalks were filled with people of all social classes, each minding their own business. Bordering with the wilds, Xaanx hadn't been built to be beautiful, but to be practical.
Except for the houses that belonged to Nobles and rich merchants, there was no green, only buildings one or two stories high that filled each city block, taking as much space as their owner could afford.
Right below the sidewalk, deep gutters allowed people to empty their chamber pots so that their content would flow into the sewers without making the air reek.
Aran and Leria looked at the noble houses painted with bright colors, finding them in stark contrast with the depressing uniform grey of the rest of the buildings.
"Uncle Lith, why is everyone so sad and why does this place smell so bad?" Leria was used to live in open spaces where people were friendly to each other or at least so it appeared to her naïve eyes.
"This is just what a city looks like. People are too busy making a living to smile. As for the smell, it's just a mix of sweat and body odors. They don't have a bathroom, so they can't wash often." Lith replied.
The kids were shocked seeing the lack of magic of the inhabitants of Xaanx just like Lith opening a Warp Steps from time to time to skip traffic accidents and roadblocks shocked the passers-by.
Riding a magical beast was already unheard of, doing it while also using dimensional magic was something that happened only in the legends.
"What's your destination, Ranger Verhen?" A desk Sergeant with greyed mustache and a weathered face said after giving him the salute, quickly followed by the rest of the military guarding the city entrance.
Even though Lith had been discharged, the army would always consider him one of their own until he gave them a reason to think otherwise.
"We are going to the Teraka mountain range. The little ones need a place where they can practice magic safely while also learning a bit of discipline." Lith kept as vague as he could so that once out of the city wouldn't know where to find him.
He didn't want to waste time being involved with the problems of the city or of one of its nobles.
"Chore magic or real magic?" The Sergeant looked at the two small kids with admiration and a tinge of envy. No one in his family had ever demonstrated any talent for the mystical arts.
"All magic is real magic." Lith weaved his hand, giving a perfect shave to the soldiers that surrounded the magical beasts at the same time. "It's akin to a blade that cannot harm its user but that can deal great harm to those around them if not properly mastered."
A cold shiver ran down the spine of the soldiers as they realized how the only difference between the smooth skin of their necks and a slit throat was Lith's will. Most of them could barely light a fire so they had never considered how dangerous even a magico was.
"Can I borrow a bit of land?" Lith asked, snapping them out of their reverie.
"I beg your pardon?" The Sergeant asked with confusion.
Lith traced a circle in the air with his finger, making a circular trench about three meters wide appear in the ground ten meters away from the guard post.
"Oh, that! As long as you don't dig a tunnel that goes under the city walls, feel free to take whatever you need." He said, sighing with relief. For a moment, the Sergeant had feared that Lith would abuse his authority.
"Thanks, I'll try to bring it back." Lith had the beasts step on the circle as he used earth magic to make it rock solid and air magic to make it float a couple of meters above the ground.
After a few hand signs and a bit of gibberish, the stone platform darted forward, disappearing on the horizon in just a few seconds. The soldiers stared in awe at the now empty space, uncaring for the long line of people waiting to enter or exit Xaanx.
Yet no one complained. They were all lost in daydreams where they could fly as well.
Lith couldn't move as fast as usual due to the weight the spell had to support and to not endanger the kids' lives. He needed to keep the platform steady while surrounding it with an air barrier that kept the dust out and the children in.
"Why didn't you do this earlier, big brother?" Aran dismounted from Onyx and closed in to the protective dome, but got gently pushed back by the air current every time he got too close to the edge.
"Because I would have been forced to compensate for the damage and you can't move this fast inside a city. What if I crashed into something or someone?" Lith replied.
"You repair the things and heal the people with magic." Aran puffed his c.h.e.s.t out with pride while giving what he considered the perfect answer.
"Magic can't fix everything and even though I can heal a wound, does that mean that people would forget about the pain they had to endure because of me? Are you less scared of fire just because even if you get burned magic can take away the scars?"
"No. If someone were to run over Dad's stuff and hurt him, I'd consider them a bad guy." Lith's words made the childish logic crumble and a sudden jolt made Aran lose his footing and fly back.
Only thanks to Onyx catching him on the fly did he not need to experience what would happen if he crashed into the barrier.
'You really are a d.i.c.k.' Solus and Onyx told him in unison via the mind link.
The jolt had been intentional, to teach the kids caution. Lith knew that he couldn't always be there for them and even though his spells were seamless, he didn't like Aran's reckless attitude.
