Vlad upon seeing the gates of the city looks more relived. Mark can understand this feeling because of how superst.i.tious Vlad seems to be about his changes and how Vlad is one step closer to going back to Brambleton. Mark also has an odd feeling of suspicion about the city. It is almost 10am by the position of the sun but there are still people waiting in such a long line outside the gates. To Mark, it would be more understandable if the sun had just rose and the gate was not open yet but a lot of the morning has pa.s.sed already. Vlad notices this narrowed eye look from Mark and decides to explain a little more about the city and the sight before them. For the second-time Mark has known him, Vlad is unusually talkative and seems to have a sense of pride about the city near his home village as if he was one of the ones who had helped build it or manage it.Vlad starts by explaining where most of the people waiting are from and what they do for a living. "The majority of the people in line ahead of us are farmers or merchants. Many small communities and families live around the city for both safety in numbers and protection. The soil around the city for many miles is much more fertile because of the city importing most of their food from other villages like Brambleton and being a major center of trade for the Green Kingdom." Vlad goes on to explain the difficulties and hardships the people outside the city face. Many of these people die to wild beasts or invading armies from other kingdoms but it is still safer than living closer to Ever Wood Forest. The many mutant beasts in places like Ever Wood Forest or even larger creatures on various Mountains Ranges makes places farther from cities and the center of the kingdoms more and more dangerous. Vlad happily explains how Brambleton is protected by unusual groups of mutant brambles than hide their small village from mutant beasts which makes their village safer.
As Vlad waxes on about Stone City and how safe and prosperous it is, Mark is calmly nodding his head. Vlad continues explaining many different miscellaneous details and gossips from the last time he traveled here with Mark listening carefully.
Mark hopes some of this new information will give way to finding the illusive "Doctor"s City" he supposed to find or even a Master level or higher doctor to apprentice himself to and thus escape the mandatory training period. The group of two gradually take their two carts under Vlad"s excellent control to the back of the line in front of the gates as it slowly creeps forward. Many despairing looks from the poorer farmers and pensive glances and low muttering resound from the smaller merchants who have been traveling to Stone City in hopes of making a profit. All together this makes for a dismal atmosphere much to the indifference of the guards stationed at the gates of city. This is especially apparent when Mark and Vlad seem to be chatting and listening cheerfully when they finally approach the gates for their turn of inspection.
The guards here are paid very little and thus have a lack of respect for their job at the gates. Most of the guards have high aspirations like working for a high-profile character like the Duke or a n.o.ble when they first start as a guard. These dreams quickly give way to reality as only the most talented and connected of guards can take these lofty positions. This leads to less talented and connected guard becoming more and more disillusioned with many taking mid-level roles until you get to the guards responsible for the gates.
In any normal high ranking city or capital, the gate guards are treated very fairly since they are in an important position because of the possibility of invading armies. Stone city on the other hand is surrounded by wildlands such as Mountains and the humungous Ever Wood Forest. This set of circ.u.mstances mean that only the worst type of guards guard the gates and are responsible for letting the low leveled citizens enter. Because of the lower pay and qualifications in the job, many guards abuse their power and demand bribes and other unsavory tactics to make up for their "apparent" loss.
These gate guards are exactly like described and are used to throwing their weight around when surrounded by the low ranked farmers and merchants. When they see such happy and nonchalant people arriving such as Vlad and Mark they get a dark look in their eyes like it is Mark and Vlad"s fault for their sad state of life. The overweight guard on the right loudly yells, with an utter silence following from the surrounding people watching anxiously.
"HALT" "WHO ARE YOU TO INSULT THE MAJESTY OF STONE CITY?!"