The closer we came to the drawbridge, the fewer buildings we saw and the more soldiers appeared. Our traveling is being watched by a mult.i.tude of guards. They must think we're up to no good. Fortunately, we're not surrounded by only guards. There are some adventurers that I saw at the guild hall earlier that seem to be returning from their quests. Some were fine while some had cuts and scratches on them. I hope I return like the former and not the latter.

Unfortunately for me, my traveling companion seemed to be incapable of reading the mood of the situation.

"Kenji, Kenji! Isn't this exciting? I've never been outside of the city before! We get to go and kill monsters and be heroes like in those story books! Have you ever been outside of the city before? What's it like? Are there big scary monsters?"

"I've never been outside of the city before either. Would you calm down? We have a long day ahead of us and we need to sustain our energy. I don't know about you, but I've never been in a battle before with monsters."

"Me either but that doesn't mean I'm not excited about it!"

I simply scowled at him and let bygones be bygones. We had finally reached the gate to the drawbridge after some time. As we approached the drawbridge we were stopped by what appeared to be a guard.

"Woah there. Who are you two? I've never seen you around here before."

"Can't you tell by my magnificent robes and my regal features? I am mmph-!"

I quickly covered Tael's mouth before he could spout out more nonsense. I instead elected to speak for the both of us.

"We're adventurers. We're going to be monster slaying."

"Adventurers, eh? If you're really adventurers then you ought to have that one spell cast on you. Show me and I'll let you pa.s.s."

Since it was requested, I took my hands off of Tael's mouth so he could speak the command word.

"MMMPH! H-hey don't steal my thunder, man! Now my cool intro is ruined!"

"Shut up and do what he said. Status."

My screen appeared in front of me. After a moment, Tael reluctantly followed suit. The guard proceeded to take a look at the screens and nodded his head a few times.

"Hmm… I see. Well, everyone needs to level up at some point I suppose. Good on you two for taking the initiative."

"I have a few questions if you don't mind me asking."

"I don't have a problem."

"I heard that this drawbridge closes, is this true?"

"Yes. This drawbridge closes at 10 P.M. every night and opens at 5 A.M. the next morning. I don't care if you're the emperor, you're not getting in until 5 A.M."

"Alright. Why is the drawbridge closed at 10 P.M.?"

"Some monsters become more active at night. They try to find a good place to huddle down in and a walled city is like a buffet to them."

"What monsters should we expect?"

"Goblins, slimes, wolves, maybe a zombie. Urik says he saw a skeleton once."

"This might sound naive, but if people get trapped outside, do you send out rescue parties?"

"No. You're on your own the second you step outside these walls."

"I see…"

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet now, are you?"

"N-no I'm not!"

"You know what? Maybe I should practice my spells some more…"

I saw Tael slowly begin to sidle away as I grabbed his robe forcefully.

"Haha! You kids are a riot. Alright, stay safe out there."

"Yes sir. I plan to return tomorrow."

"Always plan for the dawn! Stay safe on your travels."

"Likewise."

With that, I dragged a reluctant Tael with me outside of the gate and over the drawbridge. We have left the city of Ruks and begun our first adventure.