Once I got closer to the gates, the city looked a lot less grand than it had looked as at a distance it also smelled quite foul; sure this city will bring me nothing but joy I thought to myself sarcastically. When I got even closer to the city I could see that the farms weren’t doing great, first of all the crops where shriveled up and looking a sickly pale color, and the people themselves looked closer to dry raisins than wine. The walls themselves also looked didn’t look as grand and intimidating up close they looked more half-finished and like the rest of the place more than a bit dirty.

But instead of loitering around outside I decided to get through the gates in the hopes that the outside was the only place that was shriveled in and filthy, as I approached the gates I saw a small group of guards and a rough line of people, some with big four wheeled wagons in front of the guards. As I approached the line a bit mystified at the display of force at the gates, an older gentlemen looking like he was used to hard labor turned around and said to me.

"hey! You look new here hmm? Oh why your face says it all, the line is here for the guards to check goods coming in and out of the city, wouldn’t want anybody to carry any contraband" he said it a shrill voice like he badly needed water, despite his shriveled up condition he was actually smiling ever so brightly, he seemed nice so I decided to chat with him for a little while with him while waiting in line, he was surprisingly nice but I didn’t actually learn anything of real value he kept contradicting himself and talking in circles the only thing I actually learned was that his name was Ben, I chalked the strange speak up to him being old.

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A little while later when Ben and I had finally reached the front of the line the guards in front looked me up and down for a few seconds and then one said "two bronze rings" in an authoritative voice, so I opened my purse and saw that I had 6 bronze rings on my person I wondered where the four other rings had gone I didn’t see anyone looking like a pickpocket around I was about to ask Ben if he had seen any but the guard interrupted "so? We don’t have all day" so I quickly handed him the rings. As I walked past the gate leading I saw the huge dome in greater detail it wasn’t made out of pure gold it looked like marble lined with gold the road in front of me looked like it went on forever and led directly towards the marble dome. As my stomach grumbled I began walking down the infinite looking street as I did I counted my remaining rings and wondered what to do next. When I opened my purse i noticed that i only had three bronze rings I pondered where the fourth ring had gone; I had in the meantime decided to look for a market to find some food.

(Note to self-add in a description of the sounds and guards)