The Arrival

The City of Gloria.

They could see it in the distance, the high walls beckoning them forward.

"We're finally here!" Timothy's voice held no sarcasm this time, instead it was awe. "After all this time, we've finally arrived!"

Han nodded, "At long last."

It took far longer than he expected, several days spent sleeping on the uncomfortable cart, but it had been worth it.

They were really here.

The sight of the sprawling high walls was enough to make one feel dwarfed as they rode even closer. Their cart stopped outside of one of the available gates of the city. There were several carts and carriages as well, they were one of the last ones to join the queue, Old Man Joe Light looked back at them and guffawed.

"There's a line! It'll take a bit of time before we actually get inside the City." He must have enjoyed the look of grimace in their face. There were at least thirty groups waiting to be let in.

Timothy shook his head and decided to fuss over his bag. Han didn't bother asking what he could possibly be poring his attention over for—he tapped his finger on the rough wood.

After all, In a video game, this would have been clearly skipped. Han held back a sigh. The other days prior, he had decided to play Races: Online via its mobile version, but even until now, it seemed to be slow and real to life.

Travelling was an arduous task when all they had was a cart and a pair of mules.

"What brings you here, selling wares in the farmer's market?" One of the people in front of them called over to them. They were riding a wagon, much like theirs.

Old Man Joe Light greeted back. "Why, yes indeed! All the way from Rockfall village at that." 

The man was around his forties, he rubbed his moustache. "That's quite far, mister! Wouldn't it have been more convenient to sell your crops in a village or town nearer?"

"This old geezer still likes to sightsee every now and then, it's not everyday you get to step into the Capital."

The man laughed, "You're right, that's a good idea. I should do some of that, perhaps bring my own kids here."

Timothy looked up, "We're not exactly his—"

"Grandchildren these days." Old Man Joe Light shook his head.

Han wondered why they had to lie to an unknowing traveller, although he had a feeling on why it had to happen… it was still iffy.

"Is that so? Must be why there's not a lot of resemblance."

Old Man Joe Light laughed, "You should—"

The sound of thundering hooves roared, a carriage moved past them in a rush.

"Is someone cutting in line?" Timothy raised his head. His brows were knotted together while a frown adorned his face in his usual dour expression at the sight of the carriage now in the distance. "That's not fair!"

It seemed as usual, this guy was complaining of the injustice. It was almost nostalgic when Han thought about this guy being unhappy about him being a [ Hero ]. He didn't even have the class!

The man in front of them shook his head, "It can't be helped, be it high-classed and rich [ Merchants ] or [ Nobles ], they have a way of getting past without much of a blink of an eye."

"Ah, and the poor folks like us have to wait under the harsh heat of the sun." Old Man Joe Light chimed in with a sigh of his own, fanning his straw hat over his face. "Plus the [ Guardsmen ] are taking their time to let us in with all the security."

There was something nagging him though, nobility or not—why would they be rushing that fast? That carriage had nearly run over a person in the distance too! He sighed and scratched his back absentmindedly, time passing slowly for him.

"What's with that look on your face, dimwit?" Timothy seemed to have recovered from his awe of the city.

Han shrugged, "Wondering what could possibly make a carriage that fast."

"A [ Spell ] or a [ Skill ], what else?" Timothy snickered at him.

Old Man Joe Light coughed. "Or an [ Enhancer ] tinkering with the carriage. Made it as light as a feather—" 

"Even if you had tinkered with the carriage, a horse can only move at a certain speed, old man." 

Somehow, the two didn't really manage to get along well and Han didn't have the slightest clue why. Instead, he decided to wait it out.

This time, the man in front of them cleared their throat. "Since it seems we're all heading in the same direction, how about we grab some lunch? I know this good tavern—"

"My apologies, sonny." Old Man Joe Light held his hat down. "I'd love to converse over a tankard or two but I also have to drop off the boys, these two young men are being left here for some apprenticeship."

"Ah! That's quite lucky! It's quite easier to level up your [ Class ] while working under a [ Master ]." The man agreed with a chuckle. "I used to be a [ Laborer ] under a [ Carpenter ]. Well, goodluck to you boys!"

"Thank you, Mister!" Han bowed his head, Timothy doing the same.

Soon enough, they were heralded into the gates. There were a couple of [ Guardsmen ] stationed there, and from the looks of it, they were utterly bored as they began to ask questions.

It was one of those that asked what their business was in the city, what was inside the cart and other confirmation to ensure that they weren't letting criminals or dangerous people in. 

Old Man Joe Light was more than happy to answer the questions—until one of the [ Guardsmen] held up a red pendant.

They had an unamused expression on their face. "Old man, you seem to be lying about your destination in the city although everything is checking out with you heading over to the market with the crates." 

One of his companions carried a large spear, poking the butt of it over the crate. "I don't think there's any illegal or illicit items!"

"Back in my day, you guys didn't have those lie-detecting artifacts! Anybody could come in and go as they pleased! It was a gathering from all across the continent!" The old man had the nerve to grumble.

It was beginning to bite them in the back, this little charade of theirs.