CHAPTER 1 - City of Cairn
The old coachman of a long wagon lifted up the curtains behind him to inform his passengers that they have reached their destination. Inside his long wagon pulled by three horses, neatly arranged merchandise from different rural areas, and several passengers sitting near the other end of the wagon could be found. These are people he met along the road who asked for his service, transportation specifically, under the appropriate price.
"Thank you for the journey kind sir!" The first passenger to hop out is a young man wearing a long leather coat with a sword hanging on his left hip.
After giving the coachman a bow and showing his gratitude, he strode ahead to enter the city. However, he was held back by the guards who were conducting an inspection on everyone who wishes to enter.
"We are conducting simple inspections on everyone who enters, and we request that you comply obediently, otherwise we won't allow your entrance."
There are two guards in front of him, the first one who just spoke, is a middle aged guard clearly experienced in handling this activity. The other person is a young guard who seems to be training under the middle aged guard.
"Inspect his coat, unsheathe his sword, and check his bag" The middle aged guard issued a set of instructions that the young guard followed accordingly.
"Skinning knife, pouch of coins... A roll of fabric, book, preserved food, sticks." The young guard gave a weird glance on the owner of the inspected items who watches everything with intrigue written on his face before declaring that he passed the inspection and is granted entrance.
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The small inconvenience didn't last long under the meticulous work of the guards, though it could be attributed to how little amount of items there is to be inspected. The young man took a peek at the long wagon he rode prior still going under inspection before he continued his halted steps. Everything looks so vibrant in his eyes with the place resembling a whole new world compared to the place he came from. The paths are fully paved, the infastructures are large enough to welcome a lot of people going inside and out, a wide variety of products are being sold by the peddlers left and right, and countless people are to behold in his sight. He reached an open plaza while wandering wherever his feet would take him to and along the way, he managed to know that the city is in the middle of a festival.
...
Lights started to brighten up the city at the arrival of nightfall. Although not necessarily as bright as the sunlight, it still paints a new picture for his sight. The place where he came from only has the moon to rely on for paths to be illuminated in the night, and even then, it's not enough to give vision as clear as the lanterns does in this place. He's a long way from home, he was the first passenger of that long wagon which ventured to different rural towns for a few months before finally reaching this city named Cairn.
A wave of fatigue came crashing down on him, and a place that conveniently welcomed him is a small alley several steps away which doesn't get illuminated as much as the other places do. The noise doesn't matter, it wasn't much time after sitting in a corner that he drifted into sleep without much thought about his vulnerability and surroundings.
[Author's Corner - "I felt my need to sle-"]