Inhabitant Star Bantour, Gater Empire, Osmenti Town, Gaterion Calendar Year 327.
These past few days were very hectic for the Osmenti Town's residents. They were already one day away from the annual bandit attack, and they prepared the best they could for the imminent assault. They couldn't help but be nervous and jumpy, fearing for the worst. The previous years' attacks proved to be harder to defend against with each year passing being harder than the last.
The most nervous and afraid of the residents were of course the guards stationed at the wall; a structure solid as it gets with thick logs of wood placed next to each other surrounding the town. Its width was large enough for two people to move along its top, reinforced in its inside with a mixture of stones and clay.
Their feelings were justified as every year for a couple of them now, a few guards up on the wall would surely lose their lives by the bandits' attack.
The stress and fear of the imminent battle made many of them lose their cool multiple times and start shouting at the others next to them for any simple reason that might tick them off.
Such an instance of shouting was happening right now, a few hours before the evening came. It started off as an accidental bump between two patrolling guards and escalated to a heated argument about the bandit's attack involving almost all the guards situated at the north gate.
The shouting and curses went on, right up until a veteran, still dedicated to his role as a guard, spotted a lone figure closing the distance towards them. He immediately shouted at his colleagues to stop what they were doing and assume their positions atop the wall.
Their nerves tight and fear skyrocketing, they watched with trembling hands, weapons gripped, and bows drawn as the lone figure continued walking, unfazed by their demonstration of readiness.
When the figure came closer, the guards were shocked. They could not make out the details of its face no matter how much they tried to focus their vision. Through its general form they could at least discern it was a male. He was wearing normal clothes just like any fellow citizen of theirs would, but he was clearly a stranger to them. In addition, his overall physique could only be described as perfect for their race standards with no apparent flaws to be detected.
As this stranger stopped right in front of their gate, still having the same calmness as when he walked to them with full of confidence in his steps, he looked up at them with his undefined facial features.
His unworldly stare was unsettling to say the least. It spooked them so much a chill was created at the back of their spines. One of their bow wielding colleagues even lost his grip on the string from his body's reaction to the stare. The loaded arrow flew through the air and landed right next to the stranger.
The arrow's landing scared the brains out of the guards watching, fearing of the mysterious figure's possible retaliation. Seeing him unflinching even from that, instead of making them relieved made them more worried than ever.
The stranger didn't say anything; demanding or requesting nothing of them. Unsure of how to proceed against him, they waited for their commanding officers to handle it.
The captain and vice-captain of the guards were on the same boat as their troops, but as the decision making and orders givers, the pressure on their shoulders was many times heavier. They too were unsure of how to deal with the unsettling stranger and eventually their overwhelming pressure decided for them.
They took turns shouting their questions to the stranger, such as about his origins, his reason for coming there and more, with an obvious sharp, borderline hysteric tone to their voices. After running out of questions to ask they stayed silent, but so did the stranger. He never opened his mouth and didn't answer a single of their questions. He just stood there at the same place, watching them with his unsettling gaze.
The captain and vice-captain couldn't make heads or tails about this situation the stranger imposed on them. In their desperation they began a conversation of one trying to persuade the other of the harmless attitude of the stranger, or that he wasn't related to the bandits and there was not any harm in letting him inside, while also persuading themselves with their own arguments.
Finally defeated by the absurdity the presence of the stranger brought before them and his disturbing gaze, they decided to do a hail Mary and just open the gate for him.
Seeing the stranger go past the gate and away from them was the best time of all the guards' lives, feeling so relieved and light they could even float if they wanted.
The stranger walked through the town passing by many citizens who in return gauged at him in their stupor. He was the perfect mix of physical superiority and otherworldly aura. His hazy facial features were both disturbing and mysterious at the same time. They kept staring at him as he walked, incapable of withdrawing their gazes.
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A few minutes later, the stranger was seen entering the main road of the town, where the shops and peddlers behind their wooden booths were selling their wares, shouting to attract customers. Although he still attracted significant attention, it wasn't to an outrageous degree like before. Now he only gave the vague feeling of someone unknown to them, a new face in town.
Although the annual bandits attack was imminent, it didn't stop the merchants and shopkeepers from wanting to sell their products and wares. The businesses were running just like any other day.
The shopkeepers and peddlers who saw him pass by shouted at him to sell him their varying items, offering him fresh fruits picked earlier that day, expensive jewelry, weapons for self-defense and more. But their offers fell on deaf ears, prompting them to abandon that customer and look for others.