Edgefort

As we approached the gates, there was a crowd awaiting us. I could see some of the town guardsmen wrangling the crowd back into an orderly line, goods scattered all over the cobblestone road.

"What happened here?" I asked aloud.

"There was a slight panic when we rushed out." Marcus answered. "Drawing attention to you may have exacerbated the situation."

"Huh." Chad grunted and pushed to the front of our procession.

"ORDER!" He bellowed, spooking the donkey and all the pack animals in the crowd, and deafening everyone else. The area was pin drop silent as everyone turned to face him.

"Get yourselves in a line or no one gets in the town!" He ordered.

The crowd then hurriedly rearranged itself and some of the guardsmen ran up to us.

"Captain, you came back just in time. We've been having a hard time with everyone in a panic." One of the guards panted out.

"Hmm. That means you all need more training." Chad responded causing all the soldiers to flinch.

"Keep up the good work Francis." Marcus said. "Report."

As the guardsman gave off his report, we proceeded slowly down the stone road into the town. The crowd kept a wide berth from us, gawking as we passed. I could hear their excited whispering about the boar.

Eventually we passed by them and arrived at the gate. It was a very large stone gate, big enough for carriages and wagons to enter and exit simultaneously. The gates and walls were probably over thirty feet high, with fifty feet high guard towers strategically positioned throughout the walls.

Outside the gate entrance, a contingent of twenty guards stood at the ready. They saluted as we approached, banging their hands to their chest. In the town I could see another crowd looking curiously at us and a line of people waiting to leave.

"Well then Sir John, I'm afraid we must part ways for now." Marcus said. "If you'd like, we can purchase the boar from you. I assure you we'll give you a fair price."

"I'd be happy to sell the boar to you, Sir Marcus." I agreed.

I dropped the boar onto the ground; it made a loud thud, shocking the crowd and releasing another wave of conversations. The captain then picked up the boar single handedly.

"Oh! It is quite hefty." He commented.

He made it look like he was picking up a gallon of milk.

"Well then Sir John, please come by the barracks later. We'll assess the boar and then pay you for it when you come by." Marcus said.

"Before you go Sir Marcus, can you tell me where the Adventurer's Guild is? I'd like to perform my finding." I said.

"Oh, my apologies, Sir John, I'd forgotten that this is your first visit to our town. If you'd like, I can send you with a guardsman. They can lead you there and then to the barracks for your payment." Marcus said.

I agreed with his suggestion. I bid farewell to the forester with a promise to visit his home if I were ever near it and the procession dispersed.

My guide was the guard, Francis. Turns out he was Marcus' assistant and student. He led me to the Adventurer's guild, which was towards the center of the town.

"The nobles and upper-class commoners live in the area as well." He explained. "They love having the guild there because they can see all the adventurers that visit. The Earl's residence is in the center most position of the town. It has a fifteen-foot wall surrounding it and is patrolled by the guard."

He continued to fill me in on the details of the town. Evidently the town was a square. We had just entered through the eastern gate which was mostly used by farmers and villagers in the surrounding area.

The southern gate was the most heavily trafficked. The southern road led out towards the rest of the country; therefore, the gate was constantly dealing with merchants and travelers.

The northern gate and western gate led to the Magic Forest. As a result, those gates had the largest guard presence.

Additionally, he warned me of the different sectors of the town.

"Towards the most northern part lies the slums. With the guard presence so high there, due to the Forest, there aren't too many crimes, but you can never be too careful."

"Between the slums and the center of the town, is the red-light district. The closer you get to the center, the more expensive the services are and the more beautiful the servers." He explained with a wink at the end.

"Towards the west lies the craftsman district. They make many things but are unlikely to sell anything to you unless you want something custom."

"The east is where most of the working populace lives. It also has food stuffs, butcher shops and the like; it also has the farmer's market."

"The south has most of the shops and inns. By law it is where the craftsmen and merchants will sell their wares. Like I said earlier, you won't really be able to buy anything from the craftsman district, the law is why." He explained.

As he started discussing the various laws of the town, I gazed at my surroundings.

The houses we passed by at the gate were all wooden but sturdy. As we progressed, however, the buildings looked more and more impressive.

Just as the buildings improved, so did the attire of the people we passed by. From basic linen clothing to more luxurious attire, the gradience of wealth was startling.

Me and my basic clothing and lack of shoes, made me stand out like a beggar in a fashion show.

The stares of the passersby followed us as we went. No one seemed to hold me in too much contempt, yet.

We slowly approached a simple two-story stone building, and I could feel the eyes of every person around watching us.

I was tempted to strip and give them a dose of "Like What You See" but thought better of it. Francis may not have mentioned public indecency as a crime, but I imagine it was, and making everyone around start fucking like rabbits probably wouldn't fly either, probably.

"This is the adventurer's guild. I'll wait here until you're finished, Sir John, and then I can guide you back to the barracks." Francis said.

"You don't want to just wait inside?" I asked.

"Uh… no." He replied, then leaned into me to whisper. "If I go with you, then the minute I'm on my own, everyone will ask what I know or saw. Best for me not to get involved."

He glanced around and then straightened.

I nodded my head in understanding and entered the Adventurer's Guild.