Town of Gold

By good luck, it didn’t take us long before we found the exit of the mountain.
The moment I set foot outside, my jaw dropped to the ground.
In front of us lay a field of beautiful red flowers, lush green brushes, and tall trees crowned with white leaves.
From their branches they carried fruits resembling apples and pears.
“This… This is beautiful.”
“Right? You are looking at the Elysian Plains. The flowers that bloom here are native to our kingdom. Some people travel the entire world just to get a glimpse of them.”
The view was simply breathtaking.
I wanted to stay here and enjoy the scenery a little bit longer, but Kia urged me to keep a steady pace.
As I moved along the pathway stretching through the plains, I got the impression that I was wandering through the landscape from a fairy tale.
Here and there I saw bunny-like creatures hopping about and birds flying gracefully through the sky, with the wind blowing kindly against my skin.
It felt undeserved that I was able to see something so wonderful after death.
Perhaps that’s why it also felt so fake to me.
A strong gust of wind blew several leaves at my face.
I tried to fend them off, but the leaves didn’t want to cooperate with me.
When I was done, I could hear Kia giggle.
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing. Just, the way you flung your arms around tickled my funny bone.”
I could feel my head turn red out of embarrassment. My heart also skipped a beat, not for the first time today.
“Is this another one of God’s ways to punish me?” I wondered.

After that embarrassing accident, we neared a small wooden bridge.
The bridge was crossing a narrow stream, but I stopped once I noticed what was flowing underneath it.
“Say, Kia, is that lava flowing underneath this bridge?”
She looked surprised at me, like I asked something very stupid.
“You may call it lava, but here we call it Ignis. At this time of year, the Ignis is especially pleasant. You should dip your toes in and try. I promise you will love it.”
“Uhm…no, thanks.”
After we had crossed the bridge, it took us a few more minutes before we finally arrived at Gehenna.
The beautiful town I saw from Sharp Peak was a mere few footsteps away.
However, something felt off.
On that ledge, I was so mesmerized by the town’s internal beauty that I hadn’t paid any mind to the giant brick wall surrounding it.
Once I laid my eyes on this enormous structure, which was easily twenty meters tall, I couldn’t help but feel slightly intimidated by it.
Slightly being an understatement, of course.
We were heading towards the southern gate, which was being guarded by an entire garrison of soldiers.
Their armour was coloured white with golden highlights and shaped in a way I had never seen before.
Their weapons looked just as unusual: swords with split blades, double-ended spears, and circular axes.
I felt awfully tense walking right past them, especially after also spotting the archers standing on top of the wall.
Kia noticed my discomfort and tried to calm my nerves.
“Do not fret. There is nothing to worry about.”
One of the guards made his way towards us.
His armour was shaped slightly differently than the others.
Besides that, he also wore a purple cloak.
He took off his helmet and underneath it appeared the face of a young, good-looking man.
His hair was maple brown, and his eyes were a deep green.
In each ear he wore three earrings, two coloured gold and one silver.
The man didn’t look like the fighter type to me, but I guess you could say the same about Kia.
“Glad seeing you return well, Miss Kia.”
Kia made a small bow and said:
“Thank you for the kind words, Andromedus. May we get permission to enter Gehenna? My guest and I are a bit in a hurry.”
The soldier called Andromedus turned his head towards me, but the look on his face changed into a scornful stare the instant our eyes met.
Furrowing his brow, it seemed that the mere sight of me invoked some kind of deep-seated hatred in him.
“But of course, Milady.”
He turned around and shouted to the people on the wall:
“OPEN THE GATE!”
With a loud racket, the gate slowly opened.
Kia entered the city, to which I followed her.
As I did, I could feel the disapproving stare of Andromedus digging deep into my back.

“Wow!”
I was once again baffled by what I saw, when we made it to the other side.
The town buildings had medieval designs and were ornamented with all sorts of beautifully-handcrafted wooden knick-knacks.
Their windows were shining brilliantly in the sun’s light, almost like they were made from crystals.
The streets were packed with people and stalls selling their wares, which ranged from accessories to groceries.
“Welcome to Gehenna! So, what are your first impressions?”
Kia turned around and looked at me in suspense.
“It looks wonderful!”
“Right! Over the last few years, Gehenna has had quite the makeover. You may not suspect this, but there was a time this town did not look as glamorous as it does now. Come, let us continue.”
I immediately found myself getting distracted by the plethora of stuff being sold here.
As time went by, Kia had to literally drag me with her to get a move on.
She informed me about her people’s customs, traditions, and how this kingdom prospered by trading goods with other nations.
Trading goods creates more connections, more connections means more opportunities to increase wealth, and more wealth means a happier populace.
Ultimately, this kingdom runs on a similar note as most states on Earth do.
At some point, I noticed that people were staring at us.
The expressions on their faces were a mix of shock and condemnation, similar to that of Adromedus.
“Who's that mutt walking behind Lady Kia?”
“What business does he have with her?”
“How dare a stranger follow Lady Kia around in that despicable attire?”
While I tried my best not to pay any mind to their comments, Kia didn’t seem affected in the slightest. Instead, she kept on walking like nothing was going on.
“Uhm, Kia, why is everyone looking at me?”
She turned her head around and answered:
“The people of Gehenna are rather...shy when it comes to talking to outsiders. Please, do not pay it any mind.”
If being shy means calling me filthy, I guess I can’t judge them.
Yet, I get the strong feeling these people just dislike me.

As we arrived at the other end of the street, the large castle I saw back on Sharp Peak awaited us.
Now that I stood in front of it, I became fully aware of how big it truly was.
Turning my head to either side, I could barely tell how wide the building was.
And remember, this building stands at the centre of Gehenna.
For a medieval town, the scale of this place was ridiculously huge.
“We have arrived.”
Seconds passed before I realized what she said.
“WHAAATT! T-This is…”
“This is my house, yes.”
I didn’t think I needed to ask her this, but after sharing this with me, it felt like I had no other choice.
“Kia, who are you?”
“Surely you already know who I am by this point? Granted, I admit that it would be ill-mannered of me not to introduce myself properly. Pay close attention, Shako, for I am going to say this only once. My name is Kia Asaria Sacramentia Unophia Diablo, daughter of His Majesty Azazel Barebaras Armus Unom Diablo III and heir to the throne of Elysium. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”