The gates of Riviera, the capital city of the Kingdom of the Bear, were almost always crowded by people who wanted to exit or enter. Not everybody was invited—a strict law prohibited beggars and loiters from crossing the gates, so they gathered near, showing off their limb stumps, scars and pustules.
They were just a part of the usual crowd. Peddlers peddled, traders argued about tax, guards bullied farmers for the nonexistent toll they had to pay to enter.
Shouts of alarm traveled through such a crowd like waves.
People split like water before the carriage that traveled down the road. The vehicle was nothing out of the ordinary, but it could've been a bucket on wheels, and people still would've scattered from its way. Because it wasn't carried by horses, but by a single monstrous beast.
If you like this story, check out my new one for the current WPC (LitRPG) - Dungeon of the Legendary Dreamer! <3