Raksha stood patiently in the queue, behind a few other travelers and merchants waiting to get into the city gates. A few merchants in front of him talked quietly with each other, their voices too low to properly make out the words, but the rest of the early morning crowd stood or sat in wagons silently, the sacred hour of the morning hard to disturb.

A few of the people around Raksha eyed him blankly, more out of boredom than curiosity. Some of the younger kids whispered and pointed, but most minded their own business. Raksha ignored the stares with practiced ease. He knew he stood out.

The first rays of sun finally peaked over the horizon, blessing the lands with its light. The land the city was built on was more swamp than dry ground, but the city had stubbornly dug in, ignoring the pests of the marsh and forging woman’s will onto the resistant nature. Around the city entrance were pastures and farmlands that the peasants worked, well organized and well cared for. Raksha briefly wondered how many earth mages it had taken to reform the terrain from uninhabitable muck into semi-fertile fields, and how much it took to maintain it. He knew there would always be a demand for earth mages in this city.

The cost to build and maintain this place must have been astronomical, but the good reason it had been done, building a veritable city in the middle of humid, swampy, plague filled marshes, far away from the more civilized parts of the county.

It was part of the reason why he had come here.

As the sun rose, the guards at the gate opened the door with a crank of chains and gears. The line hushed and formed an orderly raw, as if they all had done this a hundred times. Raksha lost a few places in the queue due to clever positioning of the veterans around him, but chose to let it go. It was hardly worth it to make trouble.

Soon enough, he was gestured forward by a female guard. A sword was at her side, but she wielded her bureaucratic papers in her with skill.

He moved forward and she gave him a once over before speaking.

“Who are you traveling with?”

“I am traveling alone.”

The guard paused at that and then added while making a note, “Dangerous for a man your age to travel alone. Where are you heading from?”

“I come from the capital, and I can take care of myself.”

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The guard snorted at his response and peered up at him, eyeing his face. “Why is a member of the imperial slave corps away from the capital? You know that runaway slaves are to be killed on sight.”

Raksha grimaced and pointed to his right cheek where a siegel of the slave corps stamp was branded. “This one means I am a slave.” He then pointed to his left cheek where the imperial siegel had been branded. “This one means I served my sentence and have been freed. I am free to go wherever I please now.”

The guard then peered closely at his two cheeks curiously. “I’ve never seen a member of the slave corp freed.” she commented.

Rasksha shifted and then answered. “I worked hard.”

The guard frowned at him, giving him a suspicious look. “And so what, a newly freed slave travels to the opposite end of the province? Where did you get the funds for that?”

Annoyed now, Raksha pointed at his left cheek again and asked, “Does this look fresh to you? I’ve been freed for five years.”

Scowling at him, and eyeing the brand for another second, the guard sighed and asked. “And what are you planning on doing in our city? We don’t treat criminals kindly out here.” She gave him an unkind smile, “We're liable to add you to our own slave corps. It's much harsher than the imperial one, I am sure”

Rolling his eyes, Raksha replied, “I am here for dungeon delving, of course. Why else would anybody be out here? And no, I won't be breaking any laws while I am here. Five years a slave was more than enough.”

The guard gave him an incredulous look. “Of course you are dungeon delving, you would have experience with that.” Then her face tuend cruel, “we both know the only way you survived the imperial slave corps was by giving your seed out to any girl who would protect you, so don’t bother lying to me. That armor you're wearing may look good, but it won’t save you from the monsters. The brothel’s up main street, you can look for a position there. They are always looking for additional bodies, their real dungeon delvers can be rough at times. A slave corps whore like you would fit in perfect there.”

Raksha bristled at the words and gave the woman a glare, but didn’t respond to the provocation. Looking disappointed, the woman continued in a more professional voice, “What is your name? And are you bringing any wares into the city? Besides yourself?”

Ignoring the comment, Raksha dropped the bag off his shoulder and opened the drawstrings. “My name is Raksha, no family name. I have a few beast cores I plan on selling inside, if I need to. Other than that, no.” He pulled out two walnut sized cores and one larger one beside it.

The guard leaned forward with a scowl as she examined them. “Where the hell did you get beast cores? Two lesser and one medium grade at that.”

“Delving.” Raksha replied blandly.

The guard shot him a glare but then looked back at her notes. “That will be two silver pieces for entry with those kinds of goods.”

It was an overcharge, but not an egregious one, so Raksha provided the sum without complaint. The guard looked at the coin as if they might be counterfeit, but eventually made one final note and stepped aside. Behind Raksha, the line had grown impatient.

“Welcome to Delnin City!” the guard proclaimed patronizingly. “Maybe I’ll see you at the brothel tonight,” She added with a grin.

“I doubt it,” Raksha replied, tying up his sack and hoisting it over his back again. “I’d charge more than you could afford.”

He didn’t listen to her reply, but marched on into the city.