As they came to the walls and entire city was a lot more massive than Micheal had realized. The guards watched them as they approached, and Micheal saw archers and huge weapons of war pointing down from the tops of the ramparts.
As they got closer the guards remained still, and Micheal slowed down his pace. Was there some sort of ID they had to show? Something? The goddess pulled ahead of him, and Micheal sat back and watched. The guards let her through, and she turned back, looking at him expectantly. Right. She probably was here before he got here. He followed in after her and the sound of her heels clacking on the drawbridge.
Directly by the gate was a guardhouse with some more men in armor surrounded by wooden houses with thatched roofs and open shutters. Farm animals, children and their mothers, and men carrying tools of their trade moved about, kicking up the dust on the ground. Micheal heard the clanging of what he guessed was a smith working metal, and saw some run down looking shops, a tavern, and a well or two sprinkled between the very similar looking wooden homes.
As he walked by, people stared at him, making Micheal uncomfortable. He wasn't used to getting much attention, and the only time people really looked at him was when they were making an order at BurgerFries, and sometimes even then people wouldn't look at him, choosing to stare at their phones instead. It must be the clothes, he thought to himself.
He looked down at himself quickly, things had been moving so fast he hadn't really taken a second to see what items he had. Black leather boots, a black coat, black pants, and a black shirt. All comfortable material. At his waist there was a black leather belt with a sheathed sword. Nice. He would definitely have to check that out later.
"Inventory" Micheal muttered under his breath.
[Inventory]
[Gold: 100
[Leather boots: Ordinary boots.
[Leather coat: Ordinary coat.
[Leather belt: Ordinary belt.
[Black pants: Ordinary pants.
[Sword of the Season: Increases sword skills by 1% every time you use them. Can pay 50 mana to control plant life for up to 1 minute.
Sword of the season? Well it would definitely help with training that's for sure. But what the hell was that second ability? Micheal could see how that would be useful, using vines to grow and wrap around the enemy, or make a barrier to block with, or make a weapon, but seriously? And 50 mana? That was half of his max right now for only 1 minute of control. Things kept getting more disappointing by the second. How fast did his mana or health even recover by the way?
He moved towards the shop, but felt a light hand on his arm. The goddess gently directed him to keep walking, people still staring at both of them now.
"I want to go to the shop, see if there's any gear." Micheal protested.
The goddess kept walking, guiding him along. "There are better shops in the city, on the outskirts there isn't much worth buying." He took another quick look around. She was right.
They eventually came to a second gate after they had passed the fields that were being worked by men, women, and children dressed in cheap but sturdy looking clothing. The guards let them through, and Micheal was almost blinded by the gold and white of the buildings in the inner city. Marble and gold leaf and paved roads were everywhere he looked. People wore white robes and gold jewelry, and he saw men with gold armor with swords with visors up walking around. There was a market that was selling fruits, vegetables, and livestock. Most of the sellers looked like they were from the outskirts. Further in the market were hand crafted pieces of jewelry, cloth, sculptures, you name it. It seemed to stretch on forever. Even up here, people were still staring at him. It was making him really uneasy.
As they walked, he locked eyes with a handsome man with black hair, blue eyes, and wearing a black coat. He looked away quickly, and so did the man. Then it hit him. He stopped and looked at the man again. The man stared back at him from the mirror he had just passed in one of the stalls. No wonder everyone was staring, he looked like a freaking movie star. If only his powers were like those in the movies, and those had been a let down so far. Maybe he was just average looking in this world? But so far he hadn't seen anyone close to looking like he now did. He shrugged and kept walking.
In between the stalls there was suddenly a massive building that looked like a pantheon. White marble pillars stretched up to support a golden roof. Looking down from the roof was man with in a red robe with red wings and a serious expression. In one hand he held a black flail and in the other he held a set of scales. His hair and eyes seemed to be made of flame. Micheal stopped and stared. Was this a temple of some kind? To a god of justice perhaps?
The goddess noticed him staring and spoke. "This temple is to the Archangel Gedeon, Angel of Wrath. He is said to punish the wicked and enforce justice. His followers gather here to pray for vengeance, justice, and to make offerings."
Micheal looked a little while longer. The temple was huge, and he was tempted to go inside, but before he could ask, the goddess spoke again. "We have an appointment with the King, we shouldn't be late."
An appointment with the King?! "Wait, you can't be serious, I don't know anything or anybody here!" Micheal didn't know the norms of this place, much less how to behave in a palace or in front of a king.
They kept walking, the goddess not turning back. "Just kneel when everyone else does, and do as you are told. If you speak, choose your words wisely, and try not to do anything rash." She gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Micheal swallowed. Fuck. This was it then. What did the King even want with him? Maybe he could get something to help him fight against this other champion? Whatever, the goddess had clearly set this up and she seemed to want him to defeat this other champion, so it should be fine. Right?
He was so lost in thought he didn't notice that they had come to the front of a massive wall with archers towers interspersed at regular intervals. The wall was even bigger than that outside the city, and instead of large weapons on the wall were figures wearing robes of gold. Mages? Sorcerers? There were more guards out front, and their armor gleamed in the sunlight. He waited for the goddess to walk though then first. She waited, and a man in a golden robe came out of the gate to meet them. He made a motion with his hands, and then the guards motioned for them to come in. They walked inside, and the gate closed behind them.