The sounds of the city washed over Reivyn as he walked along the main road of Willowan. The Outer City was densely packed like any other major city he had been to, but the buildings, even the ones of the lowest rung of society, were very high quality. The Outer City managed to give off a rustic charm at the same time that it was a bustling metropolis.
The streets were wide and easily accommodated multiple wagons and horses, but it left room for the pedestrians to easily get around as well. One thing that Reivyn had never noticed in a city before, though, was three specialty lanes on the main road. On either edge of the road was a lane designed for children and for low-Tier Classers, both large enough for their families to walk safely without getting smashed by high-Tier Classers rushing about. In the center of the road was a double lane designed especially for Runners.
Even though Reivyn was Tier 2 and should have technically been relegated to the low-Tier lane, his Stats basically put him in the Tier 4 range. One thing he noted, though, was that even though his Perception was high enough to easily see and react to the few Runners he saw traversing the center lanes, he would be lying to himself if he thought he could keep up with them.
There's no way that someone who's just a Runner would be a Tier 5 or have a considerably higher Dexterity Stat than me, Reivyn thought. Their Classes must have some amazing Class Skills to allow them to sprint around so quickly and see where they're going.
The trio strolled along the main road on the right-hand side. The road was divided by the center lane to allow for easier transportation to keep the flow of traffic moving in a consistent direction. It hadn't been necessary for any of the other major cities Reivyn had been to, but the cities he had been to in Drallo weren't major cities, and The Capital of Garoq didn't really count.
The buildings on either side of the main road were mainly commercial, but there wasn't any kind of strict zoning laws or anything. Houses could be seen interspersed with commerce, and there were blacksmiths and other workshops as well. Even though it was the Outer City, Reivyn could tell just from looking at the people working at the workshops that they were high-quality establishments.
"Only the best or luckiest get the chance to secure a spot on the main road," Kefira said, noticing Reivyn's attention. "Some of the workshops out here in the Outer City on the main road are even better than the ones that can be found in the more secluded places of the Inner City. That's not to say that there aren't 'hidden masters in either place who like the quiet, but it's generally understood that you won't go wrong purchasing from a place on the main street."
Reivyn nodded his head at the explanation. He had guessed as much. The sounds of faint cheering reached his ears as they kept walking, and it grew louder and louder until he spotted a larger, enclosed building on the corner of a major intersection. The sounds were clearly coming from within.
"What's that?" Reivyn nodded his head toward the building.
"That's what I was telling you about before," Kefira said. "It's a branch of the Striker's Guild. They have smaller venues all over the Outer City, and the ones in the Inner City are a bit larger. The Championship is held in a stadium near the center of the Inner City.
"The people who fight in these outer branches are generally lower Level people with the right kind of Class for the sport, or they're Adventurer's who simply have the necessary Skills. They're typically considered amateurs. The fighting stages are protected by rings that suppress people to have the same Stats, but it doesn't do anything for the Skills.
"Someone of a lower Level with the right kind of Class, like Pugilists, will be able to have the right Skill Levels to go against a higher Level Adventurer with the same Skills. After all, Adventurers don't typically focus too heavily on their non-lethal combat Skills.
"The branches in the Inner City are where you'll find the true professionals, people with Tier 4 Classes specialized in non-lethal fighting. I want to say that the current champion's Class is Iron Bone Scrapper. He was lucky enough to be born with a great talent for the Metal Affinity."
"Huh, I'd never really considered a combat-oriented Lifestyle Class before, but it makes sense," Reivyn said. "If dancing and music are legitimate forms of entertainment with corresponding Classes, why can't fighting have a corresponding entertainment Class? I know you mentioned there was an entire industry built around it before, but hearing the specifics makes it clearer in my mind."
"It would be a waste of time to go check out one of these amateur matches," Kefira said. "That's not to denigrate the people trying to make it in the Striker's Guild, but your Level and Skill would make watching it boring. The only thing you would get out of it is watching how the support team works, but you can watch that in the professional league as well as in the Inner City."
"It's definitely something to check out."
They continued on their way, heading deeper into the city toward another set of walls separating the Inner from the Outer. Reivyn wasn't wearing his pin so as not to stick out in the crowd too much and draw unwanted attention, but just to show it to the gate guards to gain entry. It wasn't that people were necessarily kept out of the Inner City, but there was still an inspection. It was unlikely one of the guards would recognize Kefira or Serilla, and it just made more sense for Reivyn to use his token surreptitiously to skip the line.
The three companions passed by several other Striker's Guild branches on their way, and Reivyn spied even further down some of the other larger roads. It was apparently a booming, popular business. There were no Arenas where life and death matches happened in the Outer City. There was only one Arena, and it was located in the Inner City near the center, just like the stadium for the major Striker matches.
"Halt! Get in line for inspection," a guard in heavy armor held his hand up as Reivyn walked to the open gate leading to the Inner City with Kefira and Serilla in tow. The gear that the man wore was the same as that of the border security. It wasn't as high quality as the expeditionary forces under Kayzor, but it was still high-quality heavy armor.
Reivyn fished out his token and handed it over to the guard. The man held it up to his face, and his eyebrows shot up with recognition. He immediately handed it back like a hot potato and waved the three of them through.
"Sorry for the delay, sir," the man said, sweat beading his brow.
"No worries," Reivyn patted him on the shoulder as he passed.
"Hey! Why do they get to skip the line?" One of the people waiting for his turn shouted out. It was understandable that he would suspect Reivyn of bribing the guard, as those that didn't have to wait were either known people, or they had a visible token on display. Nobody else had gone in the same way Reivyn had without openly showing their qualifications.
The guard glanced at Reivyn, seeking advice on whether Reivyn wanted to disclose his status. Reivyn gave a slight shake of his head.
"They're residents," the guard replied curtly. "Why, you got a problem?"
The man didn't back down in the face of the aggressive demeanor of the guard. Instead, he grew even more agitated, convinced something fishy was going on. He took a step forward, though not too far, as he didn't want to lose his place in line.
"Yeah, I got a problem. The Imperial Family advocates fairness, and here you are openly taking bribes. Call your captain over here, and let's see what he has to say about it."
The guard took a threatening step forward, but Reivyn put his hand on the man's arm, stopping him in place.
"It's not that big of a deal," Reivyn said. "Go ahead and call your captain over."
"But he's taking up your valuable time, sir," the guard whispered.
"I'm not in a hurry, and he has a point. If the Imperial Family advocates fairness, then we have a duty to allay his concerns."
"Alright, it's up to you."
The guard motioned for someone standing near a door leading into an office built into the wall. The other guards had heard what was going on, so he didn't need any instruction on what to do, and he disappeared inside. It only took a moment until another man came out with a captain's insignia. He first walked up to the irate pedestrian.
"What can I do for you?" The captain asked in a polite tone. Getting called out to handle a situation didn't seem to put him in a bad mood, and Reivyn suspected it was a common enough occurrence.
"I suspect your guards are taking bribes and letting smugglers, or who knows what, into the Inner City," the angry man exclaimed loudly.
"I assure you, if that's the case, those involved will be arrested and punished according to the law."
The captain turned toward Reivyn and the gate guard that had waved them through, and he gave a "this guy" kind of expression as he walked up. Reivyn didn't wait for the guard to explain himself, and he simply handed over his token to the captain. The reaction of the captain was identical to the guard, and after handing the token back quickly, he gave a small bow.
"Sorry for the delay, sir. I'll handle this." He turned back to the complainant and motioned him over. "Come over here for a second, sir. I assure you that you won't lose your place in line."
The man frowned as he stepped out of line and walked over to the captain. The captain turned his body and pulled out a piece of paper with a list written on it, and he motioned for the man to stand beside him where he could show him the paper. The captain whispered in a low enough voice that those in line couldn't hear what was being said, but Reivyn could hear it clearly.
"See here," he pointed to something on the paper, "that man and those ladies are what this indicates. They're on official business, and the guard just said they were residents so as not to spread the word around. He just showed the guard the token to prove his status is all."
The complaining man looked up in astonishment at Reivyn, Kefira, and Serilla.
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know."
"It's fine," Reivyn smiled. "You just wanted to be treated fairly. I can respect that."
"If that's all?" The captain asked the civilian.
"Yes, of course, of course," the man waved his hands profusely before turning around and getting back in his place.
The captain nodded to Reivyn and retreated back into his office. Several of the other civilians leaned forward to whisper to the chief complainant to find out what he had discovered, but so far he was keeping his mouth shut.
"What was it that the captain showed the man?" Reivyn turned back to the guard.
"If I'm guessing correctly, he showed him a list of military personnel, dignitaries, special envoys, and diplomats. As to what, specifically, he told him you are, I don't know."
"Fair enough. Have a good day," Reivyn turned and headed through the wall once again.
"You too, sir. Ladies," the guard called after them.
"You handled that appropriately," Kefira said. "I'm glad you didn't take the arrogant option and choose not to explain anything. You gave me and my family some face by waiting like that."
"Even if I was a jerk, I wouldn't do it with you standing right next to me," Reivyn chuckled.
"Eh, good point."
The three continued into the Inner City, and Reivyn noticed a considerable change right away. If he would have had to guess how the city was structured, he would have said that the buildings would be denser the closer one got to the center, but that wasn't the case. The Outer City had been extremely packed, but the Inner City was dominated by individual buildings with large yards and courtyards. Some blocks were entire individual compounds.
That wasn't to say that there weren't any closely packed buildings, but the blocks that were built that way were few and far between. It was much more open in the Inner City, and the foot traffic was considerably less.
That wasn't the only difference. The Outer City was mostly flat, and there were only a few parks and fountains. The Inner City had rolling hills, and there were even some small wooded areas in addition to parks, fountains, and statues. Reivyn could feel the wealth of the Inner City inhabitants.
"The city wasn't always like this," Kefira suddenly said. "The Outer City was originally the outskirts for those that couldn't afford to move inside the walls. As the city grew and became more prosperous over time, however, the second wall was built. We don't have a community of people living outside of the walls like a lot of other Imperial Capitals do, but that's not to say there isn't a poorer area. It's just located in a different part of the Outer City that we didn't pass by."
Reivyn inspected everything around the main road as he had in the Outer City. It was clear to see that the industry and commerce of the Inner City were a step up from that of the Outer City, and the patrolling guards were clearly members of the military whereas the guards in the Outer City had been closer to a militia. They had still been outfitted with high-quality gear, but Reivyn could tell at a glance that the few patrols he spotted in the Inner City were more professional and higher Skilled.
There wasn't nearly as much noise pollution in the Inner City, and Reivyn could hear the sounds of nature as they walked along the road. He could see blacksmiths and other craftsmen, but there was no noise ringing out from their shops.
Probably some sort of noise-canceling Mana barrier or some such, Reivyn surmised. I wonder if there's a law prohibiting it in the Inner City? Now that I think about it, the walls probably have something similar as I didn't notice the sounds of the Outer City reaching in here after we had passed through.
Despite the Inner City having less population than the Outer City, the area was considerably larger. It took them twice as long to traverse the distance from the wall to the Imperial Palace grounds as it had to reach the Inner City upon entering the outer walls. They walked over several smaller hills until they reached the base of a much larger one, and Reivyn could see the palace sparkling atop it. Up close it was much more dazzling than it had been when he had spied it outside of the city walls.
The guards protecting the entry to the palace were some of the largest men Reivyn had ever seen, and they gave off an air of contained violence. Reivyn looked them up and down, noting their clearly magical arms and armor, and he threw a Sense Threat at one of them.
[??: Tier 5 Level ??]
[Danger Level: Fatal]
The man that Reivyn inspected turned to face him and glared at Reivyn, but his eyes landed on Kefira almost immediately, and he straightened back up and offered a salute.
"Welcome back, Princess!" He shouted. The other guard immediately saluted as well, but he didn't add his voice to the greeting.
"Sorry about my Liaison, here," Kefira patted Reivyn on the back. The first guard's eyes flickered to Reivyn in surprise. "He's new to the area and didn't mean any harm."
"No, no, no Princess. It's my honor to gain the attention of the Imperial Liaison," the guard hurriedly denied any apology from Kefira.
"Well, I'll apologize for myself, then," Reivyn stepped forward and gave a short bow. "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just genuinely curious. I hope you don't take offense."
The guard seriously eyed Reivyn up and down before nodding his head.
"Apology accepted Imperial Liaison. A word of advice, don't use any Inspect Skills on anyone in the Imperial Palace. Even if they don't show it, they'll know it."
"Point taken. Thank you."
Kefira smiled at both of the guards as she led the way into the palace, Reivyn and Serilla trailing behind. Kefira had been content to let Reivyn take the lead up to this point, but it would be strange for those in the palace to see her following behind someone unknown. This was her home, and she knew everyone here, but none of them knew who Reivyn was.
Reivyn pulled out his token and secured it in place. There was no reason to hide anything anymore. They had just wanted to walk through the capital in peace without drawing attention, but now everyone they ran into would know exactly who Kefira and Serilla were.
"I'm going to go meet my parents," Kefira said. "Serilla, take Reivyn to my quarters, and then come find me." She turned to Reivyn. "I'll tell my parents about my adventures and meeting you first instead of just showing up with a strange man right away."
"Fair enough," Reivyn nodded.
Kefira strode ahead into the interior of the palace, and Serilla led him down a side corridor. The palace wasn't just one large building, but it was instead a huge compound in the center of the city atop the largest hill. Serilla led him to a side door leading into the interior of the compound, and Reivyn could see several smaller buildings that were obviously quarters for the Imperial Family and other nobles attached to them.
The buildings were only smaller relative to the main building of the palace that they had already walked through, and they were made of the same base material and high standards of architecture. Serilla walked down a luxurious path, passing several of the houses until they reached Kefira's. There was a wall separating each abode, and they all had multiple buildings in their own little compounds.
Serilla pointed to a smaller building on the right after entering the yard.
"That will be your quarters," she said. "The center building is Kefira's main chambers. We can wait for her there."
"Do you live in the same building as Kefira, or one of these other buildings?" Reivyn asked.
There were four buildings in total within the compound. There was a gazebo and a tiny stream within the main yard, and Reivyn could see a garden around the back.
"Technically, as a noble attached to the Imperial Family, I have my own compound, but as a lady in waiting for Kefira, I live with her in her home."
"I see."
Serilla led him into the main building, and there were several maids waiting in the foyer. Reivyn looked around and noticed that it was an open concept in the entryway with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the second story. There was a curved staircase leading up to an interior balcony. It reminded him of the headquarters building in the barracks in Magron, though there wasn't a military feel to it. The colors and lighting had a sort of feminine charm to them.
The maids curtseyed to Serilla, greeting her as they entered, and they eyed Reivyn curiously. Serilla nodded back to them, greeting them by name and introducing Reivyn as Kefira's Imperial Liaison before leading him into a side sitting room.
"You can wait here until we either come back or someone fetches you," Serilla said. "I don't know if Kefira's parents are going to want to meet you right away or not, but I would assume they will if I were you."
"Thanks," Reivyn said.
Serilla nodded and immediately left once more. A maid entered the room and placed a cup of tea on a table for Reivyn, and he thanked her. The maid left to go back to whatever she had been doing, and Reivyn found himself alone. He shrugged and took a seat, reaching for the tea to take a sip.
I wonder if Kefira's mother is anywhere close to as scary as they kept portraying her. Reivyn thought, sipping the tea. No pressure. Just going to meet the ordinary parents of my ordinary girlfriend who happen to be ordinary Imperial monarchs. What could go wrong?