The burning hot wind that comes from the Badlands is somewhat cooled by the pools of water that we built so that we could have drinking water and fish to eat.
The knight's powerful bodies along with their near indestructible armor and weapons made digging through the hot sand and hard rock a walk in the park.
Unfortunately, no one stopped to consider something that for whatever reason never became an issue until we arrived, and if it had been a problem it had been a long time ago that no one remembers it anymore.
The creatures of this world are used to living next to monsters, meaning that they are used to fighting for their lives every day, so if those monsters aren't around anymore then the animals become the monsters.
A massive sea serpent jumps from one of the pools and enters another, the ground shakes as the snake hits the rock that keeps the water from draining into the ground.
It's hard to believe that those giant snakes were once regular-sized Eels.
The city behind me is defended by every kind of gun and explosive that we could build and a few that we only managed to build by giving the Dwarfs enough gold that they had no choice but to agree.
It is a fortress that keeps our people safe from everything in this world and the only thing that reminds us of what we lost by coming here.
The city has electricity, so it has lights to keep away the darkness of night, plumbing so everyone has clean drinking water, and a working sewer system that doesn't throw all of the filth into the river that we made.
As I look at the adventurers that walk past me I can't help but feel envy of their smiling faces. How long has it been since I felt the same? How long has it been since I smiled that way?
Behind me is our city the last great lib=ne of Human civilization, in front of me are the pools that we built and filled with seawater and fish, and beyond that are the wastelands that the green skins call home.
I find a rock that's both big enough and strong enough that I can sit on it and it won't break under the weight of my armor, it shouldn't be long, soon the tide will come and the area will flood, and most of the giant fish will be washed into the sea and if we are lucky some of the small ones will be left.
My job, or better said, the job I gave myself is to see how far the flood waters go. It is there that I will dig the hole where the city will expand, it's hard to believe that despite how dangerous the fish are, they are what keeps us alive and what we use to trade with the Border Prince's.
I can feel the cold sea water touching my armored boot, I'm forced to ignore the relieving touch of the cold water, as it won't take long for the entire area to be filled with water and I will be dragged to sea.
I start to walk but I'm soon forced to run as the tide grows and the sea pushes deeper into the land, some of the pools have already disappeared and others can barely be seen.
The walls around the city are both thick and high enough that it isn't in any danger of being destroyed but I won't be able to return to it until the ground dries up again.
I find the adventurers who had passed me earlier and notice their panicked expressions, either they forgot what day it was or thought that they could put enough distance between themselves and the pools before the tide came.
I'm forced to carry each of the men in one of my arms while the woman who is with them rides on my back. I keep my distance from the water but I make sure to stay close enough so that I don't make the mistake, of marking an area after the water goes back.
The sound of flapping wings forces me to run faster, the presence of the giant fish has attracted the attention of the creatures that hunt them. So I have no choice but to find a place to hide, unless a dragon, a giant bird, or a griffin decides I'm a good choice for a snack.
I can hear the cannons of the city, meaning that they are either fighting the giant fish or one of the monsters that came too close to the city.
The sounds of something loudly hitting the water tell's me that the monsters have started their hunt and that it's only a matter of time before I can't see the city anymore.
The round is wide and flat so there isn't any place for me to hide, so I have no choice but to keep on running and I only stop when I don't hear anything anymore, unfortunately, that means that I went too far and am going to have to go back.
I place the adventurers down and say my goodbyes, they offer me to join them in their travels, but I refuse, the city needs to grow, even if it means that we have to build another city so that it doesn't become overcrowded.
I can see the orks and ogres pulling a giant eel out of the water while the eel eats and crushes several of them while trying to escape. Some of the monsters notice me but choose to ignore me, as the food and fight in front of them is something far more attractive to them.
I find an empty spot where nothing is attacking and where no one of the giant fish are gathered, and I watch as the water moves back and forth. I stand in the same place for hours, my hand on the hilt of my sword in case something decides to attack me. What that thing is I don't know, but I will kill it before it kills me.
I can't help but wonder how is it, that despite the chaos around me, there is still a small place where peace can exist. The city that houses everything we have lost, is fighting for its right to exist in a world that rejects it.
The pools that we created to feed us and the job that we created to give us a reason to do anything are being attacked by the creatures that neither give nor care about why we created them or why they are there.