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[color=gray]Location: Lenkik[/color][/CENTER]

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Having a recently graduated Castigator be assigned to a major city, while very uncommon, wasn't exactly unheard of. In the end, it all depended on the skill and knowledge of the Castigator and if they were deemed as capable of shouldering the burden of being assigned as the Castigator of a major city. While it was general knowledge that minor cities had more frequent 'issues' that might require the presence of a Castigator, the truth behind those was that most issues were rather simple and would normally be solved by common soldiers in bigger cities. On the other hand, whenever a situation appeared where a Castigator’s presence was required in a major city though, normally that meant it was an issue that the soldiers and the local authorities of the entire city weren't capable of dealing with by themselves. In these moments, was where the skill and knowledge of a true Castigator was needed, where they had to show if they were worthy of the honor of being assigned to a major city. In Nellara's case, that major city was Lenkik.

While not nearly as old, historic and big as Arcaeda, Lenkik is still an impressively well built and established city. Behind its tall protective walls, a homage to Arcaeda’s own, famous walls, lies an equally solid and well built city. Taking inspiration from Arcaeda, many aspects of Lenkik mirrors the capital city, such as having a ground, middle, high districts and to some degree, even the overall architecture and design of the city. Due to its size and wealth compared to other minor settlements, the authorities on Lenkik were effective enough to maintain public order to a very satisfactory degree. Thanks to that, the interference of a Castigator wasn’t always required in their nightly… and daily, routines. 
Despíte that, Nellara still enjoyed keeping a tight and strict routine herself. Waking up every day the moment the sun begins going down, Nellara’s night often began with her making sure her armor and appearance were as impeccable as her status and position required it to be. From the gold dye decorating her feathers, the golden lines on her claws and even making sure her armor was immaculately clean and polished. Immediately after that, she would go to the training grounds for a session of training and sparring with the soldiers followed by a walk through the ground and middle districts, or ‘patrolling’, as Nellara herself liked to call. 

Other than the occasional patrols through the most busy districts of Lenkik through the night and even one during the day, Nellara had most of the remaining time to herself after she was done with her routine. Most of this time was spent at her home, a cozy, medium house in the middle district. Unlike some high-officials, which decided to move to the high district as soon as their position allowed them to do so, Nellara was strictly against the idea of doing so herself. Her reasons were not only that she was ill-suited to a life of luxury, but also because it helped her to remind that despite her position of power, she was just another person, much like all the others who went on with their lives and their jobs, keeping the ground and middle districts of Lenkik always busy and moving. 

Thanks to the free time Nellara had, she often tried new hobbies, to pass time. Many of them were forgotten after only a week though. The exceptions to that were reading and, surprisingly enough… cooking. On that particular night, after a harsh training session with the (un)lucky soldiers that were on the training grounds, Nellara decided to try her hand at cooking for herself for the first time. The dish of choice wasn’t a particularly complex one, mainly consisting of roasted roots and a rare steak, well seasoned salt and herbs. Thanks to the detailed instructions that were written in the cooking book she bought, preparing and cooking the meat, until it was perfectly cooked, wasn't difficult at all. On the other hand, it was a bit more complicated to know the exact time when to take out the roots. If they were taken out too soon, they would still be soft and wouldn’t have that delicious, crispy outside. If they were left even for a minute longer in the oven than they needed to be, they would start getting burned, which would ruin their taste. It was exactly at that delicate time, where precise timing, absolute attention and concentration were required that a strange light coming from the outside suddenly interrupted Nellara’s cooking. Immediately running to the window, Nellara saw, shocked as a huge fireball cut through the night sky, followed by the sound of a distant explosion.

[color=d3c28b]“My steak and roasted roots...”[/color] Nellara said with a sigh, turning off the oven before immediately running outside.

In less than 30 minutes, Nellara was already heading to the docks, after requesting a small team of five soldiers to investigate the location where the fireball had landed. According to the position it was heading to, the fastest way for them to get there would be to take a barge and go up the river.

[color=d3c28b]“Do not lower your guards until further orders are given. I will dispatch one soldier from my division to deliver a report about the situation as soon as possible. I want a preliminary report about the situation being made and a messenger ready to be dispatched to Arcaeda once my report arrives in Lenkik!”[/color] Nellara ordered, her voice loud enough for all the soldiers around them to hear, both the ones from her own team and those who would stay guarding the city.

[color=silver]“Yes, Castigator Nellara!”[/color] the soldiers replied in unison as they began assuming defensive positions.

As Nellara boarded the barge, she kept her eyes fixed on the horizon where the fireball was last seen. While its distance meant that it wasn’t an immediate threat to the city of Lenkik, the fact that it had happened close enough for them not only to see, but hear the fireball meant that it was indeed close enough to warrant further investigation from their part. Whether it was the result of magic, some type of weapon or even a natural disaster, Nellara would deal with it accordingly before sending a detailed report to the city of Arcaeda.