Kole threw the hood of his cloak over his head, his features partially hidden in its recesses, and continued on toward the town. Before long, Kole was standing before the town walls. He looked up, estimating them to be nearly 10 meters tall. Made of roughly hewn trees, it looked as if the trees had been planted that way, tended and trimmed until they had all grown into each other.
It was a marvelous sight. If one didn't look closely, your eyes would trick you into believing it was one seamless wall. A three meter tall and wide opening was visible in the center of the wall. Peeking out at the top was a metal gate that presumably dropped down to secure the entrance. Kole was abruptly pulled away from his admiring when a man and woman in leather armor walked up to him, their hands on the pommels of the swords at their waists.
"State your business traveler." The woman said, her hand tightening on her sword.
Kole thought for a moment. "I'm looking for work. I was hoping that I may find it here."
The man and woman looked at each other quietly for a few moments, which gave Kole time to study the two. The man was about 6' tall, near the same height as himself. He was muscular with broad shoulders. He looked to be in his mid thirties, lines and wrinkles starting to form on his face. Blue eyes and short black hair made his clean-shaven face strikingly attractive.
The woman was about a head shorter than the men. Her long blonde hair framed her starp cheekbones, full lips, and dark green eyes. She wasn't as muscular as her companion, but you could see she was very fit, her curves were in all the right places. The way she held herself displayed her confidence. It looked as if she was in charge here, as the man stood slightly further away from him than she, and had so far made no move to speak.
The woman nodded to herself and spoke. "We can take you to speak with the Chief, but you must hand over your weapon before we will allow you inside."
Kole realized only now that at some point in their short communication that he had begun to grip the handle of his hunting knife tightly. He sheepishly pulled it from the sheath and handed it over to the woman's outstretched hand handle first.
"Lead the way."
Kole trailed the pair through the gate and got his first look at the town. It was much bigger than he had imagined. Most of the buildings were two or more stories, some made of a sort of brick, some made of wood. They looked to be well made, pleasing to the eye. Many people could be seen moving about their day. Kids ran laughing in the streets. Other creatures that Kole couldn't find the words for frolicked with the children. Wooden carts could be seen being dragged along the streets by a mix of people and horses.
The two gatekeepers led him deeper into the center of the town. They finally reached an unassuming single story home situated between much larger buildings. The woman knocked on the door. After a few moments she heard what Kole assumed was permission to enter, because she opened the door and gestured for him to enter. He stepped through the door, the man and woman following behind and remaining at the door.
Looking around, he observed that the house was smaller than he imagined from outside. It was all one room. He could see a roughly made wooden bed with an even more worn blanket covering it. There was a pot hanging over a fireplace with steam rising from it. A simple table with a handful of chairs around it. And in the back, facing the front door, was a long desk, with a man sitting behind it. He was currently scribbling on sheaf's of paper, dipping a pen into a bottle of ink every few lines.
The man looked to be a little older than the male guard, with a neatly trimmed beard and long brown hair that reached his shoulders. He wore a white tunic that formed to his body quite well. As the door shut behind them, the Chief looked up from his papers. His eyes passed over the male guard and Kole to land on the woman. He smiled warmly.
"Ah, Sylvia, what brings you here at this hour. I don't believe yours and Argen shift has ended as of yet."
Sylvia gestured toward Kole, "A traveler has come seeking work." She stepped forward and handed his knife to the Chief. "I thought it best to bring him to speak with you."
The Chief nodded as he observed the craftsmanship of the knife in his hands. "Return to your post. I can take it from here."
Sylvia and Argen nodded their heads and without a word exited the home.
The chief rose from behind his desk, coming around to stand in front of Kole. He held out the knife to Kole and smiled apologetically.
"I apologize for Sylvia. She can be a bit wary of strangers. You may call me Chief or Stephen. May I ask you who you may be?'
"My name is Kole" he said as he put the knife back in its sheath. He also decided that now was a good time to remove his hood.
Stephen leaned back against his desk and studied him. "Well, Kole, what kind of work are you looking for? I'm sure we can find something for you if you are looking to stick around. If not, we could still find something for you temporarily."
Kole took a couple of minutes to collect his thoughts before he spoke. Stephen waited patiently.
"I don't know if I will settle here permanently, but I feel that for now, it would be best to remain here for the time being."
Kole had thought it through moments before, but he hadn't decided until he read through his notifications. Specifically, his quests tab in his System. He had Seen that there had been a few new quests regarding this town that would keep him here for a while if he chose to do them.
Stephen looked at him closely, scrutinizing his face before getting another big grin. "Excellent. Well then, first things first. Let's set you up with a place to lay your head. How does that sound?"