BSI Chapter 283: City Approach
Chapter 283: City Approach
Violet and Luna crested a hill as the followed the worn dirt path, before them sprawled a large river with cultivated fields lining its banks.
The river extended off into the distance its trail however being hidden behind the walls of the city that loomed ahead.
With walls that stood 50 meters tall and cast from solid granite. Whilst it did not hold the same majesty as the city walls of Craigkieth that nearly doubled the height of this city, it was still an impressive sight to behold.
The small figures of guards could be seen moving back and forth across the wall whilst farmers could be seen tending the fields along the river bank.
The dirt path that the girls had been following since they left the metal forest of Seelclaw 2 days ago soon merged into a much better paved path the circled the city itself.
They had approached from the east and were thus witnessing the grand gates that provided enterance into the city as a whole. A short line of people and carriages could be seen entering the gates after they had been checked by the guards there.
It was also here that the girls got their first look at a practice that caused the hackles of both girls to rise in agitation as they remembered the stories told by Susan.
Slaves.
Mostly consisting of beastkin although they did spot a couple of human slaves. They followed behind their masters or sat in the drivers set of carriages, all of them identifiable by the thick metal collar that hung around their necks.
"I know we had been expecting to see it, but hearing about it and actually seeing it makes all the difference. How can they resort to treating others like that?" Violet fumed, she was not against killing, but enslaving held no appeal to her.
The act of taking a life was a necessity, but claiming ownership over a life and then forcing them to do you bidding... no that was something that Violet could never except. It went against her very nature as not only a dragon but the wild dragon.
This revulsion to the act was shared by Luna, someone who had been a enlightened from birth held a much different association to freedom than Violet, nevertheless she still shared the distaste for the act of slavery.
Still despite how strongly they may feel about the act, they understood that they needed to keep their emotions in check. They couldn’t afford to act rashly for fear of bringing too much trouble down on their heads. After all they had a goal this time for entering the city.
Their discussion with Steelclaw had taken some time, the great wolf had shared a wealth of knowledge with the two girls about the surrounding area. From the location of human settlements to some of the most notable factors surrounding the nearby city.
And the fact that truly caught their attention was the mention of a so called ’dragon farm’.
The idea made Violet rage, she had wanted to rush out and slaughter anyone even remotely related to the practice, it was only thanks to Luna ministrations then she managed to reign in her fury. Still she knew that that place had to go.
It was just a matter of how she would go about that which stood in her way.
Steelclaw had informed them about the presence of at least one sovereign within the city, likely either the ruler or their personal guardian. That same sovereign had also been seen visiting the dragon farm a few times so it was assumed that it was under their protection.
So that became the goal of heir journey into Sonantis city. They needed to identify the sovereign, learn about the dragon farm, potentially scout it out to learn more about what defenses lay within. Lastly and perhaps most importantly, they needed to identify and slaughter any of the powerful people that perpetrated the acts of slavery and abuse.
It was quite the list of goals, but a set of goals that both girls felt quite strongly about.
Plus they had the hidden benefit of being able to call upon their very own sovereign for when the true fighting would take place.
For now though they simply had to enter into the city, and so they continued walking down the path leading towards the tall gates.
They had prepared for this in an unusual way, at least for Violet it felt unusual. Instead of preparing themselves for combat or anything else, Luna had suggested that they take a different approach when entering the city.
That approach being dress to impress.
With the apparent low status of beastkin in the city their very appearance may cause them issues upon arrival. Whilst they could quite easily squash most issues coming their way with their power alone, why not try and use another factor that they had at their disposal, that of wealth.
For if their was one thing that Violet had in abundance it was wealth. She still held literal mountains of coins within her expansive storage item, that coupled with some truly wonderous outfits and accessories would allow the two of them to dress up in such a way so as to advertise their wealth and potentially prevent any issue from appearing too soon.
Or at least that was the reasoning that Luna provided to Violet that morning.
Secretly she did also have a secondary goal, that being to allow Luna to dress Violet up in the prettiest dress that she could find within her collection. That goal had been a roaring success.
Violet wore a beautiful deep purple dress that extended down to mid calf, a slit on the right side rose up to just below her hip allowing both ease of movement and a lovely view of her smooth pale pink skin below.
Through the dress golden threads wove intricate patterns through the outfit adding a level of class that was missing in her usual choices. She also wore a necklace with a large amethyst that rested at the top of her partially exposed cleavage, whilst on her fingers she wore a couple of new rings adorned with sparkling gems.
The dress was mostly backless to allow her wings to be proudly exposed, additionally, golden rings adorned her horns whilst her hands were left exposed to chowcase her purple scales that extended up to her elbow.
As for Luna she too had chosen to dress up for the occasion, she wore a light blue dress that chowed little skin yet hugged her curves, an inconspicuous hole in the back allowed her fluffy white tail to wag happily behind her. She too was adorned in jewellery, sticking to white gold bands that matched her hair.
Together the two of them exuded beauty and class. That coupled with the innate confidence born from their strength caused them to turn heads as they approached the gates.
Even the haughty nobles and rich merchants seeking enterance could not help but gaze at the two exotic beauties with stunned expressions.
The didn’t bother with the queue that had formed at the gate, instead walking straight up to the guards with steady steps, acting as if the gazes of those around them did not effect them at all.
The guard that they approached straightened himself up unconsciously, knowing that the people in front of him were people of import even if he had never heard or seen them before.
"G-greeting my ladies, welcome to Sonantis city. T-the enterance fee is 10 bronze coins." He stuttered over his words, hardly able to keep his gaze from wandering to places that it shouldn’t.
Violet took a single step closer, the guard involuntarily gulping as she did so. She handed the man a single silver coin, far exceeding the basic rate for entry given that a silver was worth 100 bronze coins.
"Why thank you, would you be so kind as to direct me and my companion here towards the best inn in town please?" He voice came out sliky smooth causing the poor guard to flush slightly before he managed to regain his composure somewhat.
He hurriedly accepted both the coin and then directed them on how to locate the best inns which were located within the middle ring, close to the boundary with the inner ring.
With a small smile Violet thanked the guard and proceeded to walk straight into the city, not sparing him or anyone else present a second glance as the two beasts breezed into the city.
The outer ring of the city lacked any grand buildings, instead the main road that led them deeper in was lined with shops of various types. The streets were busy with people, mostly consisting of humans although they did spot a few beastkin walking about.
Those rare beastkin however were split between two camps. The first was the apparent free citizens, they without fail wore basic clothing whilst looking both thin and weak. Clearly the kingdom did not hold them in very high esteem.
The second camp was the one that infuriated the girls, even when they hid their distance for it. That being the slaves, they wore rags at best, following behind their masters with downtrodden eyes that held no hope.
Violet found her own eyes flashing with powerful emotions as she coolly observed the scene, resolving in her heart once again to fix this broken kingdom with whatever means necessary.