The core ring was separated from the outer ring, but still, due to various reasons and tasks that needed to be carried out, people steadily flocked in and out.
More specifically, every single individual who wanted to enter the core ring needed to pass by an outpost embedded into the very walls separating the rings.
There, they’d be thoroughly searched, questioned, then vetted. After that, depending on the results, they’d be kept there for anywhere from a couple of minutes to a dozen hours.
After that, they were either let in or imprisoned. There was no in between. The longer one was detained within the outpost, the more likely they were to be imprisoned on charges of possible treason or terrorism.
The Guardian Knights were strict.
...
In front of the outpost, a grand wooden structure embedded into the gold-grey stone of the wall, a long line could be seen, mostly made up of political figures or warriors of high importance.
The line was mostly silent, a thin layer of tension perating through the air. But with the presence of the looming Knights—hulking warriors hidden beneath heavy armours of ivory and gold—nothing could be done.
Each wielded tall, sharp glaives that reeked of the blood of those who had previously tried anything out of line.
Uriel was in that line.
’Well, this’ll take a couple hours.’
And it did.
Ti passed, the sun making its way across the radiant blue skies above as the hours trickled by and the line slowly diminished.
Eventually, it was Uriel’s turn. He entered the outpost and was guided across a dozen corridors, going down a couple of floors before he eventually stepped through a door and arrived within a small office.
The office was truly simple; a desk, a small window, and a stack of docunts behind which a man silently worked, scribbling away without uttering a word.
Uriel couldn’t see the man clearly behind the stack of docunts, but even if he could, all he’d be able to see would be his pulsating green eyes, as he was hidden behind thick gold guardian robes.
The man threw him a glance. "Sit."
Uriel smiled and did as told. He sat down and got comfortable, his smile widening as he crossed his arms over his chest.
The guardian’s gaze sharpened upon noticing the oddity. He saw hundreds, thousands of people every day, and was used to all of them being nervous beyond belief.
The small few who weren’t were all notorious figures across the wildlands. But the boy didn’t ring a bell.
’Strange...’ He put his feather pen down, then with a wave of his hand, cleared the table free of docunts, storing them away.
Now, nothing but a desk stood in between them.
"What do you seek in the Core Ring?" the man asked slowly.
He didn’t know why, but his senses began to quiver and pri, just like they did before he jumped into the thick lines of beasts that regularly sward their city.
For so reason, he was on edge.
Uriel didn’t imdiately answer, spending a couple of minutes deeply observing the man, then panning his gaze across the room.
Eventually, his gaze settled back on the guardian.
"What do I seek?" Uriel spoke at last. "I ask myself the sa question."
"What is there to gain, if not ascendance, when one reaches out for the Spire?" he asked.
The Guardian fell silent, and all tension within his body lted away, replaced by sothing... dangerous.
His erald gaze sharpened, and beneath his robes, Uriel could feel him smiling.
"You... want to ascend the Spire?"
Uriel shrugged. "Maybe, who knows? That is why I ask."
"Good sir, why don’t you tell what I can do while in your so heavily guarded inner ring, hm?"
He leaned back in the wooden chair he sat on. "I like to weigh all my options before I make my choices."
"So I don’t make mistakes I may regret. So I don’t act in a manner that may be seen as foolish."
He smiled. "I’m sure you understand, yes?"
The Guardian exhaled a deep breath, then leaned back in his chair as well. ’This kid...’
"I understand," he said. "I assu you don’t hail from Kael?"
"You seem uninford."
Uriel nodded. "I unfortunately am not from this beautiful city. I wish I was, in total truth. The people here seem nice."
"Much nicer than where you co from, aye?" the Guardian asked.
Uriel’s smile turned into a toothy grin. "Mhm."
"Much nicer."
Then silence settled.
They basked in it, neither emitting any aether whatsoever, one with his expression hidden away—only his unreadable erald eyes visible—and the other smiling like a madman, far too relaxed given the situation.
Eventually, the guardian shook his head, and the tension eased once more.
"The Core Ring mainly serves as a hub for any political matters. If you have a ssage, information, a claim to make, or anything of the like, you co here."
"There is also a list of tasks you may peruse through, and if you’re able to fulfil any one of them, you’ll be rewarded. We mostly ask for specific beast and horror corpses, but the demands are various."
He paused. "If you pay enough, you may also leave a request here. That is it."
"Ascending the Spire is forbidden," he said slowly. "And prisoner visits are not allowed," he added, this ti even slower.
"At all?" Uriel tilted his head, feigning confusion.
"At all," the Guardian repeated. "No visits are allowed, and—"
His erald eyes blazed with Will.
"—any attempt to ascend the Spire will have you imprisoned, then executed."
Uriel didn’t seem very threatened, though. Instead, he pouted and shook his head.
"Well, that’s a bumr. I don’t want to be executed."
Uriel leaned forward, and the Guardian suddenly jerked, a blade instantly materialising in his grasp.
Seeing this, Uriel smiled. "Why so serious, sir?"
"There’s no need to be so tense."
His words only unsettled the Guardian more. His grip over his blade tightened, and he swallowed hard, and—
"Because I, unfortunately, think it might be too late."
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