The two arrived at the gates of the city, of which Cyrus' vision was immediately full of the sight of massive walls that he estimated were at least 180 ft tall made up of strong graying stone, with massive circular segments on the two corners. The scale of the wall made Cyrus feel as if he were merely an ant while also slowly instilling into him something that every single citizen of the Empire felt: Pride. The walls were not only a practical application of engineering and magic, but it was also a statement of Imperial power. For the more informed, however, it also represented a past full of hardship and suffering as a fledgling nation slowly built itself outwards whilst fighting hordes of unending monstrosities, reclaiming the land for humanity one step at a time. A past that from time to time came back to haunt the Empire, noted Cyrus as he thought of the war that the old head guardsman at Fimbria had talked of while also noticing how the wall showed obvious signs of careful maintenance… as if the threat they once protected against could come back at any moment.
"Outside threats such as the hordes of Brutum that once threatened these lands; while they are not too much of a problem in the modern day, the threat always lay above the heads of all… these walls are a reminder of a far darker time indeed" thought Cyrus, recalling his readings.
Within the impressive wall in front of them were two large gates that instead of opening from the side were instead opened from above, raising and dropping massive steel doors that had multiple layers if required. Cyrus recalled that this type of gate was often referred to a portcullis as he was looking at the larger opening which was full of a line of people that were slowly entering or exiting the city, each having to either show a document of citizenship or be subject to a searching and toll to enter the city.
While on the second smaller gate were a few caravans slowly approaching, no doubt on a fast track to the various merchant families, guilds, and federations of the city. Fauve and Cyrus bypassed the larger line walking directly to the small gate. As they approached the gate, moving past the small but still sizable groups of slow moving caravans heading in, they came to a small stone building that was next to the gate of which there was an identical one mirrored on the other side. On top of which was a canopy where a group of archers could be seen, eyeing the incoming people for any signs of trouble. When Cyrus looked at the building itself with his sense, he could curiously detect a large unnatural flow of essence contained within. On the side of the stone building facing the road was an opening of which a man was sitting behind surrounded by various writing tools and stacks of bound paper.
When the two had walked up to him he looked up and said,
"Identification"
To which Fauve simply handed him a metallic plate with his credentials on it. The man behind the counter had a slight reaction to the information contained within in saying,
"Approved, enjoy your stay sir" said the man, more respectful than before.
With that the two bypassed the stone building and headed through the gate. As they walked Cyrus thought,
"Seems a bit too…pathetic? The level of security for a city of this size is a bit lacking indeed…"
As they walked through the opening, Cyrus curiously looked around him marveling at the thickness of the walls. While they were just walking through the gate, it took them a few moments as the thickness of the walls seemed to exceed 30 ft. Not only that but carved into the side of the gate walkway were what looked to be verandas on both the left and right side, above him were also small steel grates that Cyrus could not figure out the purpose of. Curious, he manipulated his still rather infantile sense over them to which gave him a quick shock.
A cold sweat formed on Cyrus' back as he realized the true reason for why the security seemed lax,
"The feeling I get from all around, its like having a knife aimed at my back at all times. Not only that but I can plainly detect other people directing their senses directly at me, not even bothering to conceal themselves. Both elite warriors and mages merely dedicated to guarding the gate, now that is what I had expected of the Empire."
Fauve looked over with a smirk as he saw Cyrus' slightly changing facial expressions as they walked through and exited the walkway, guessing as to the plight he was undergoing.
"Nothing is as it initially seems in the Empire. It is always a safe bet to never underestimate it, even if it shows an apparent weakness. You don't become this massive and prosperous by being weak you know, hahaha" ended Fauve with his signature laugh, tinged in heavy sadistic enjoyment of Cyrus' folly.
Nevertheless, the two had now officially entered the city, no, the capitol of the southern region.
"Welcome Cyrus, to Urbem Meridianam. Although everyone just calls it Meridianam." With a dramatic gesture, Fauve welcomed Cyrus to the city in silent congratulations for having finally reached his long-awaited destination.