Taming Beasts in a Ruined World

The city of Amestris stretched before them — a sprawling labyrinth of stone and smoke, its walls gleaming faintly beneath the pale morning sun. For most, it was a place of opportunity, a city said to be built on the bones of dreams.

But for Liyi Yi, it felt more like a test of endurance.

She stood in the shadow of a tall clocktower, her eyes tracing the narrow streets winding into the heart of the city. Behind her trailed more than five hundred people — families, children, the old and infirm — all of them looking to her for direction.

They had followed her across ruined lands and monster-haunted valleys, believing that Amestris would offer them a new beginning.

Now, after days of searching, she was beginning to wonder if she'd led them only to another form of suffering.

"Young host," murmured Carson, the tall man beside her, his voice low so the others wouldn't hear, "we've been searching for days. There's nowhere left to stay within the city walls."

He hesitated, then added, "Perhaps… perhaps we should set camp outside the gates for now."

Liyi Yi's brow furrowed. "Outside the city?"

Her gaze drifted toward the towering outer walls. Beyond them lay the slum quarter — the Fringe. A place where the light of the city dimmed and the rule of law was as thin as paper.

"It isn't safe," she said softly.

Carson's expression was grim. "Neither is wandering like this."

He was right, and she knew it. The people were exhausted. Their supplies — meager to begin with — were almost gone. If they didn't find shelter soon, hunger and sickness would finish what the wilderness hadn't.

Liyi Yi exhaled slowly. "I thought Amestris would welcome us," she admitted. "I thought bringing five hundred new workers and craftsmen would count for something."

She smiled bitterly. "Seems I was too naive."

Here, refugees were not guests but burdens. No one cared for where they'd come from — only what they could pay. And Liyi Yi had nothing left to offer except her name, which carried no weight in this city.

Carson tried again, his tone respectful. "If we keep looking inside the walls, we'll waste our strength. Let me find a spot outside for the people to rest. You, at least, should stay within the city."

Liyi Yi turned to him sharply. "No."

"Young host—"

"I'll live where my people live," she said, cutting him off. Her voice was gentle, but her eyes were resolute. "If I stay behind these walls while they suffer in the mud, what kind of leader would I be?"

Carson sighed. He had served her father before her — and he saw now the same stubborn honor that had once defined the old lord. "As you wish."

"Come," she said quietly. "Let's find a place to begin again."

The streets of Amestris were crowded with merchants shouting prices, carts creaking under sacks of grain, and blacksmiths hammering sparks into the morning air.

Liyi Yi walked with purpose, her cloak pulled tight around her. Carson followed a step behind, his eyes scanning for trouble.

"Carson," she asked after a while, "what kind of work could we even do here?"

He looked around — butcher stalls, water shops, weapon forges, cloth merchants — each one bustling and already well-staffed. "Work is scarce. Hunting would be best," he said. "It's what we know."

"Hunting…" She frowned. "Do we even have that option here?"

Amestris was a city of hunters, yes — but its hunting grounds were claimed by guilds and teams guarded fiercely by Tier VI warriors. Strangers who entered uninvited were often found the next day, their bodies dumped at the city's edge.

"If we go hunting, we'll be competing with those guilds," she said. "And losing."

Carson had no answer. He was strong, a Tier V, but even he couldn't stand against the guilds of Amestris.

"Then," she said after a pause, "we find other work. For now."

She stopped before a modest shop — bolts of cloth hanging from the windows, dyed in vibrant hues. Taking a breath, she stepped inside.

A young clerk looked up from behind the counter, smiling professionally. "Welcome, honored guest. What sort of fabric do you require today? We carry haircloth from intermediate beasts — durable enough to stop a blade under Tier III."

Liyi Yi gave an awkward smile. "Actually, I'm here to ask if you're hiring."

The clerk blinked, his polite expression faltering. "Ah… I see. One moment."

He looked her up and down — not unkindly, but calculatingly — then shook his head. "I'm sorry. The shop doesn't need new staff."

There was a flicker of fear in his eyes, the kind that came from jealousy rather than malice. He worried his master might take too much interest in a woman as beautiful as Liyi Yi.

"I understand," she said softly. "Thank you for your time."

She left the shop with a faint smile, though her hands trembled slightly.

Carson waited outside. "No luck?"

She shook her head. "Let's try another."

They visited a butcher's stall next, then a smithy, then a tea house. Each gave the same answer — some curt, some apologetic, some laced with unwelcome insinuation.

By the tenth rejection, Liyi Yi's composure was fraying.

Carson clenched his fists but said nothing. He'd seen too many eyes follow her with intentions that had nothing to do with employment.

When they were turned away from yet another shop, he murmured, "Young host, perhaps we should stop for now."

Liyi Yi's shoulders sagged. "Yes… perhaps."

As they walked back through the busy streets, she felt the weight of every step. In the Tenth-Floor City, she had grown up surrounded by her clan's wealth and influence. There had been servants, land, security — and pride.

Here, she was nothing.

Just another wanderer searching for work.

By the time they reached the city gates, dusk was settling. The guards didn't even glance at them as they passed into the outer lands. The air grew colder, and the noise of the city faded into a dull hum behind the walls.

Beyond lay a sprawl of tents, shanties, and the skeletal remains of old buildings — the Fringe.

The smell hit first: smoke, rot, and the faint metallic tang of despair.

The people here were thin, their faces drawn and eyes hollow. Some sat silently by the roadside, staring at nothing. Others reached out weakly as Liyi Yi passed, murmuring for food or work.

She didn't speak. Compassion alone couldn't feed them, and she barely had enough to feed her own.

Carson led her toward the far edge of the slum, where her followers had begun pitching shelters made from animal hides and salvaged wood. The flicker of firelight reflected off dozens of weary faces — men, women, and children working together with grim determination.

When they saw her approach, they straightened, hope sparking briefly in their eyes.

"Young host!" someone called. "Will we live here now? When can we move into the city?"

Voices rose, echoing the same questions.

Liyi Yi lifted a hand, and silence fell gradually.

"This is only temporary," she said, forcing a calm she didn't feel. "Once we have the means, once we earn enough, we'll move inside. I promise."

The words steadied them. A few even smiled.

"Then we'll just have to work harder!" one man laughed, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"We'll hunt!" another declared. "Amestris won't know what hit it."

Laughter spread through the camp — thin and tired, but real. Hope, however fragile, had returned.

Liyi Yi smiled faintly, though her heart ached. They still believe me, she thought. Even when I barely believe myself.

She turned away, staring into the firelight. The warmth didn't reach her.

---

Carson stood beside her, silent for a long time. Finally, he said, "Don't lose heart, young host. We've survived worse. Tomorrow, I'll take a team to the hills. There must be wild game nearby."

She looked at him — at the steady strength in his eyes — and managed a small nod. "Thank you, Carson."

He inclined his head respectfully. "It's my duty."

But as he walked away to organize the hunters, Liyi Yi remained by the fire, watching the flames dance in the night wind.

For the first time in her life, she truly understood what it meant to build something from nothing — the loneliness, the doubt, and the relentless grind of survival.

Here in Amestris, power meant nothing without a place to stand.

And as the stars shimmered faintly above the city walls, Liyi Yi made a silent vow:

She would find that place — not just for herself, but for every soul who had followed her this far.