At the Gates

The sky was ablaze with the fire of the afternoon sun. Tyrak wiped the sweat off his forehead and glanced into the distance at Ellwich City. No change appeared in his expression as his eyes took in the stone and white-washed walls of towering height surrounding the enormous city. He found it only natural for urban areas in the Albrorian Empire to possess such grandeur, especially since he had spent the first ten years of his life in the capital.

Tyrak continued moving forward with Tamara while following the crowds heading into the city. Soon enough, he noticed that the city gates were wide open, and he could see inside the walls. A tremendous number of people were going on about their own lives within the city boundaries.

Withdrawing his sight, Tyrak swept his gaze around the gate area. Many carriages were moving in and out of the city while carrying sacks filled to the brim on their carts. Most likely, those carriages belonged to the merchants, the usual suspects who routinely transported goods in and out of prosperous cities. Tyrak continued looking around. He noticed that the guards at the gate numbered in the hundreds. They were all fully geared, with their combat armor exuding a lustrous black sheen in the afternoon sun. Moreover, the bows, swords, or spears in their hands looked quite menacing, forcing everyone moving in and out of the city to follow the rules strictly.

"It's almost our turn," Tamara said from the side. "Since we're not registered citizens of the Albrorian Empire, let's head to the side gate on the far right. That's the only inlet for non-citizens and unregistered city residents. We'll have to pay an entrance fee of one gold coin before entering the city."

Tyrak nodded. Of course, he was born in Albroria, the capital of the Albrorian Empire. But ever since becoming a slave, he had lost all his rights as a citizen. He could only swallow his unwillingness and pay the one gold coin before gaining the right to enter the city.

A short while later, it was almost Tyrak and Tamara's turn to go through the required procedures and enter the gates. But before them, the over seven feet tall warrior that had previously caught Tyrak's attention had to go through the same motions.

The giant of a man still carried his large axe in one hand while his other hand held on to the enormous gunny sack thrown over his shoulder. A wide grin outlined his angular face, making him seem comical as he stepped forward to greet the guards on duty.

"Big Clay! You're back here to cause trouble!" One of the guards exclaimed after noticing the giant.

"Guard brothers!" The giant rumbled while maintaining his wide grin. "I came back with many gains from the hunt this time around. I will surely pay the entrance fee after selling the hides and the beast meat. Let me enter first."

"No way!" The guard said with narrowed eyes. "The previous three times, you said the same thing, and we allowed you to enter. In the end, you failed to pay. When the supervisor discovered your illegal entry, we had to gather resources as gate guards and pay the fine. This time we're not making the same mistake again. Either pay the fee or go and process your citizenship papers first before entering the city."

When the giant heard the declaration, he placed his axe to the side before putting his meaty hand around the guard. Then, he initiated a long verbal exchange with the guards as he tried to show them his side of things. He was really trying his best to gain entry into the city, albeit with inappropriate means.

At first, Tyrak just watched the exchange patiently from the back. But as the guards and the giant man continued arguing, he, at some point, grew tired of the spectacle. He had gone through a lot over the past twenty-four hours and then covered fifty-plus miles on a horse before reaching Ellwich City. He yearned to enter the city as soon as possible. That way, he would finally reward himself with a long-awaited meal and then enjoy some good hours of rest. But by the look of things, he wouldn't be able to achieve his wish anytime soon. That was because the giant man before him in the line was taking forever to go through the gate procedures.

"What should we do?" Tyrak quietly asked Tamara. "Instead of delaying here, should we pay for him?"

Tamara glanced at him oddly and shrugged. "Do as you wish. The money is yours."

Tyrak smiled ruefully and stepped towards the guards on duty. "Excuse me, misters!" He called out politely. "Could you please work on our entry procedures first before continuing your negotiations with the gentleman there?" His voice was humble since he wished to avoid aggravating the guards and the giant.

As soon as Tyrak's voice sounded, the giant and four armored guards in the vicinity turned to glance at him. But it wasn't just them. Even most people waiting in line to enter the gates stared at him with odd expressions. It was as if he had just done something absurd.

Tyrak was stunned by their behavior. But he remained steadfast and looked at the guard on duty. "Well..." He asked.

A guard beside the one working on the giant narrowed his eyes and swept them past Tamara's body. He looked Tyrak in the eye and said, "You have a beautiful wife. Are you both citizens?"

"No," Tyrak replied, feeling confused. "That's why I'm at this gate. And this is not..."

"Just a moment..." The guard interrupted. "Are you a noble or a delegate from another empire?"

"No," Tyrak said. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Simple!" The guard said with annoyance. "If you are not a noble or a delegate, why should we do you any special favors? Get back in line and wait for your turn." The guard tried to whip Tyrak with his spear. Besides, judging by the momentum of the attack, the guard was intent on knocking Tyrak back by a few yards and possibly injuring him.

Tyrak was baffled by the guard's unreasonable response. He couldn't comprehend why a person would attack him for no reason. But he still reacted instinctively and caught the spear with just one hand. Moreover, the attack didn't cause him to flinch or step back. He just stood there rooted in place like a century-old tree as he glared at the guard with annoyance.

"What! he stopped the attack..." A few warriors, watching from nearby, let out surprised sounds while others whistled.

"Spencer is a grandmaster warrior. But he failed to push back a teenage kid! He should be ashamed of himself."

"I don't think it's Spencer's fault. He might be annoying, but he is still a mighty grandmaster warrior. I think the issue is with the kid. He's quite powerful."

"If the kid could stop an attack from a grandmaster warrior with such ease, could he be a legend?" Someone gasped.

"Legend, your sister!" Another person cursed. "Do you think legends are vegetables that can be found everywhere? Spencer didn't use even one percent of his strength while swinging that spear. That must be why the kid could stop it effortlessly..."

The people around spoke in hushed tones. But even then, Tyrak's recently enhanced auditory senses allowed him to hear the conversations clearly. He ignored all the whispers and stared daggers at the guard who had attacked him.

"Why did you attack me?" He asked while maintaining a firm grip on the guard's spear.

"Because I wanted to." The guard narrowed his eyes and applied some force, eager to withdraw the spear from Tyrak's grip. His well-toned biceps wriggled and expanded, but he still couldn't retrieve the weapon. It was soon clear to all that he was much weaker than Tyrak, at least with regard to arm and grip strength.

"This kid is strong. He's much stronger than Spencer."

"What a monster! Could he really be a legend warrior?"

"That might be the case..."

The hushed discussion around the place turned more heated. More and more people were gaping at Tyrak with surprise.

In the meantime, the expression of the guard who had tried to whip Tyrak flickered ever so slightly. He took a deep breath and applied even more force to recover the spear. But just then, Tyrak suddenly released his grip on the weapon. As such, the guard could only tumble backward with his excessive momentum before falling on his ass.

Some of the warriors waiting in line chuckled while others whistled. They were clearly taking pleasure in others' misfortune.

Tyrak ignored the guard on the ground and swept his scorching gaze around the place. The other guards shuddered and dared not to meet his eyes.

Tamara had already informed Tyrak that his strength was similar to that of an advanced-stage apprentice warlock. With such might, Tyrak could even give legend-level warriors and rangers a run for their money just with his fists. He was definitely at the top of the pyramid in the Albrorian Empire, and only those fabled warlocks from distant lands could threaten him. So, why would he allow a gate guard to bully him when he possessed such power?

"Can you let us enter now?" He asked the guard processing the entries.

"Who are you?" The guard asked.

Tyrak didn't answer but first summoned Tamara to his side with a simple wave. Then, he returned his gaze to the guard and said, "We're just travelers hoping to spend some time in Ellwich City before continuing our journey. Are we not allowed?" Tyrak stared at the guard with an 'I'll beat you if you say something improper' expression.

The guard swallowed hard. "Of course, you're allowed. Pay two gold coins, and you can both enter."

Tyrak grinned. He fished out the already prepared three gold coins from his pocket and handed them to the guard. "Here you go. The extra coin is for this brother here." He pointed at the over seven feet tall man.

The guard's eyes flashed with a trace of surprise, but he still nodded. "Okay, you can enter. Make sure you don't create any chaos in the city. Otherwise, the city guard will not let you off."

Tyrak nodded without saying anything else. He nodded to Tamara, and they both started walking towards the gate. Just as he was about to reach the wide-open entrance, he caught sight of the over seven feet giant grinning at him.

"Kid, you're strong. You're almost as strong as me." The giant gave Tyrak a thumbs-up.

Tyrak looked at the man oddly but didn't say anything. His sharp senses could pick up a threatening aura emanating from the giant's body. He was definitely different from all the other weak-ass warriors around the gate.

"Thanks for the gold coin," the giant continued, the broad grin ever present on his face. "People call me Big Clay, by the way. If you find time, you can look for me at the Devil's Pub. I'll gladly pay you back with interest."

Tyrak nodded at the man and kept the words in mind. Without saying anything, he turned around and walked into the gates with Tamara. He was finally entering one of the cities of the Albrorian Empire for the first time in seven years. He was feeling quite excited.

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