Chapter 25: Drance City

A few dozen feet in front of them was the entrance gate. It was fairly large, about 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide.

Outside of it, there looked to be some guards holding the post. They were checking everyone's identification who was entering the city.

The line was long, with close to 20 or so people in it. Some were riding horses, and others had their carriages pulled by the horses instead.

A few were riding unique beasts, and about half were on foot.

Tyr also noticed that mostly, everyone seemed to wear medieval-like clothing.

'Hmm... from the way Hanzo described Subworld, it's so vast that the cultures and lands on each new continent are like different planets. It seems like this one is more old-style.' He didn't feel any sort of way about this.

Hanzo got out of his vehicle, turning it back into a ring. He turned, "Oi... get off that thing." He said to Tyr.

"Rudra?" Tyr said as he hopped off. "Why?"

"Before we actually get into the line, we shouldn't get arrested first..."

Tyr was a bit confused by this, but he decided to listen anyway.

'Rudra... enter Infinite Domain.' Tyr said this as though it was natrual, but it was his first time using the Sub-spell.

Without hesitation or delay, the tiger answered: 'Yes, master!'

A purple void opened up underneath the beast, sucking it in instantly before closing up.

'Hmm, that's pretty cool.' Tyr thought to himself.

Rudra was transported to a forest-like biome similar to Gitran. With a smile on his face, he sprinted into the jungle and began to hunt.

Tyr followed Hanzo to the end of the line.

"Is it illegal to have a pet that's a predator or something?" Tyr questioned, slightly confused.

"No, but you are a newcomer here. If those guards have their undies too far up their crack today and feel threatened by anything you do, they can place you under temporary arrest. I'd rather avoid that."

Tyr snickered slightly on hearing this.

"How stupid... I should have freedom of expression!"

Hanzo turned, sizing Tyr up and down with an eyebrow raised, "Freedom of what? Some people don't even have any freedom at all here."

"What?"

"Don't worry... you'll see soon enough."

The line slowly became shorter and shorter. Hanzo kept looking at the sun as it had nearly waned over the horizon by now.

A line formed behind them as well by this point.

A robed figure accidentally stepped on the back of Tyr's foot, causing him to turn around.

"Oh! My apologies brother. My eyesight isn't great these days." A rough voice said from underneath the thick, brown robe.

A few scoffs and mocking laughs came from a couple more robed individuals in the back.

Tyr squinted his eyes, 'These guys... are they making fun of me or something? I dealt with that too much in my past to let it slide again. If you let one drop through the crack, the ocean will come asking to get in the next day.'

Tyr nearly turned fully around, but Hanzo placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Oi! Stop wasting time. Come on, it's our turn." He said, walking in front.

Tyr sucked his top teeth in slight annoyance but decided to ignore the few figures for now. However, Tyr did note the black coloration of the long hair sticking out of the robe of the man behind him, along with a black tattoo of a snake on the outside of his palm.

'In case I ever meet him again. I probably won't, but who knows...'

Tyr turned and followed Hanzo to where the guards were.

They were both middle-aged men with slight beer bellies. One had a liquor stain running down his chest and iron armor.

Both of them held long iron spears, one--the bearded guy--walking forward as he said: "A price of 25 coppers to get in!" He spoke in a drunken voice.

There was a slight pause where Hanzo didn't say anything.

Tyr thought something was wrong. He felt the awkwardness in the air as the guard stopped moping around and actually scanned the face of who he was talking to.

Tyr saw the guard's eyes widen and his mind quickly sober up. His expression grew near horrified in a fraction of a second.

*SLAP*

The guard's head slammed onto the floor, bouncing off of it like a bowling ball.

A few in the line behind them gasped in astonishment.

Tyr furrowed his brows, 'What the fuck!?' He said inwardly.

He then saw Hanzo clenching his jaw: "I keep telling you to stop drinking on the job. Beasts will inevitably attack sooner or later. I don't even know why they put you slobs on such an important job."

Hanzo walked forward, stepping over the now unconscious bearded guard.

Tyr paused for a second before tip-toeing across the man as well.

The second guard quickly ran to Hanzo: "I apologize deeply for this inconvenience! I-I--"

"Shut up," Hanzo exclaimed, leaving the guard panting in distress as he walked past him.

After the two of them entered the city gates, Tyr walked up to Hanzo and hurriedly asked: "What the hell was that? Why did you get so mad all of a sudden?"

"I just wanted to teach them a lesson. They are stubborn learners..."

"You weren't mad? I would argue against that."

"I slapped him so that they would ignore you, you fool. You think they would just let some random hobo into this city through the front gates without any background information checks?"

"Ahhh... now that makes sense."

It didn't take them long to enter the main streets of Drance. The place was packed, to say the least.

It was teeming with life, bustling with people and activity at every corner.

The streets buzzed with energy, shop vendors shouting their sales pitches, and the rich aroma of food mingled with the smoky scent of coal wafting through the air.

Children darted past Tyr's legs, their laughter ringing out as they narrowly avoided tripping him.

Dozens of people moved alongside and against him, a sea of bodies flowing through the streets. Carts and carriages, each pulled by various unique beasts, added to the vibrant chaos.

The landscape was far different from anything Tyr was used to or had imagined. The houses bore a resemblance to medieval structures but with an otherworldly twist.

Many were crafted from intricately carved stone, while others featured unusual, rounded shapes that seemed to defy traditional architectural norms.

Triangular roofs with ornate carvings were common, yet some buildings stood out with their unique, cylindrical designs and sloping, curved roofs.

The juxtaposition of familiar medieval elements and fantastical, alien architecture created a visually stunning and surreal environment.

As they delved deeper into the heart of Drance, the scene grew even more intense.

The real bustling streets were a cove of tightly packed buildings on the sides of a spacious street, with taverns, brothels, street shops, and food stations crammed together in a chaotic yet captivating jumble.

The cacophony of voices, clattering dishes, and the occasional burst of laughter created a symphony of urban life that was both overwhelming and exhilarating.

Out of nowhere, Hanzo stopped. Tyr had been looking around in surprise and didn't notice, so he bumped into him.

"Oh, my bad." He backed up, "Why'd you stop?"

Hanzo turned, "I need to go. Ask some questions and head to the Hunter's Guild. I'm sure you can make it there without getting fucked over. You don't look too gullible. And worst case scenario, at least you will get some character development."

"Huh?"

"It's called Skyfall Hunter's Guild. It's a bar, tavern, and hotel all in one. I'll get in contact with you again when... the times are right I guess."

"What the fuck? What does that mean?" Before Tyr could get a grasp on what Hanzo was trying to say, he dashed up onto a random roof and disappeared into the distance.

And so, Tyr was left alone in the middle of this crazy city.

Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.