Brand and Rosie got up and ate a hearty breakfast. Tommen was there too, getting instructed in his breakfast duties by Lily. Luckily for him there were few of those and he soon joined them with a big plate of his own. Apart from them there had only been two locals there for breakfast, and the other adventurer staying at the inn. Brand couldn’t get much of a read on her as she ate, as she was draped in a dark green cloak and kept her head bowed.
Lily had said the breakfast was on the house for Brand so he had enough energy to take care of Rosie and for Tommen because of the work he was going to do. Rosie naturally got hers for free also.
Tommen seemed in good spirits, despite everything.
“How’s the arm?” Asked Brand.
“Good. Sore.” Tommen told them. “The wound is all good, it just still hurts.” He flexed his forearm before them. There was a big scar where the Thunderkiwi had managed to peck him, but unlike yesterday there was no open gash. “I probably couldn’t use it fully though. The potion is weird like that.”
Brand was impressed and told him so. He knew that potions could do some miraculous things to Databeast damage, but it was still an incredible feat. Although potions accelerated the natural healing of the body, and he’d heard horror stories about broken bones setting wrong, so they weren’t necessarily a cure all.
Not that the low level potion they’d bought would be able to do that, but it was still very useful to have. A broken bone set wrong in the wilderness was usually better than being stuck in the wilderness with a broken bone.
“I’m glad it’s better.” Rosie told him. “I felt awful thinking that I’d got you really injured.”
“I’m sure it won’t be the last time I get hurt.” Tommen laughed.
“Yeah we’ll have to get used to it sooner or later.” Brand agreed. Part of being an adventurer was being good at fighting. But another part of being an adventurer was being able to persevere through the pain, the long nights and the suffering. So far only his fighting had been tested. He hoped that when his resilience was tested it wouldn’t fail him.
“Well hopefully not today.” Lily interjected, as she appeared beside them with a small plate of her own.
“Definitely not. We’ll be safe and effective. Get in the mines, get the silverstars and get out. No messing around.” Brand told her.
“You sure you’ll be okay down there?” Lily asked her daughter while putting her hand on Rosie’s.
“I’ll be okay. A little cavern isn’t going to scare me.” Rosie said.
“You too Brand?” Lily asked.
“I’ve spent the last couple of years down the bottom of a mine. I’m loath to go down there since I only just got out but unfortunately this is going to be second nature to me. You couldn’t find a better escort, except maybe Tommen.” Brand told her.
“Good.” Lily gave him a warm smile.
“Never thought I’d be jealous of someone going down a mine, but I do wish I could join you.” Tommen laughed.
“By the looks of it you’ll be alright in no time. I’ll give you the grand tour of Silverstar Mine in a couple of days.” Brand joked back.
They all finished up with the food and idle banter and Brand and Rosie said their goodbyes and headed towards MacGill’s Item Emporium, where Marius was waiting for them.
“There they are! The two adventurers of legend, ready to delve into the depths of Silverstar Mine for treasure and glory!” Marius exclaimed as they entered. His round purple databeast, Chance, was bouncing on the counter once more.
“Don’t let mum hear you say that!” Rosie giggled. Brand laughed too.
“I’ve got the pickaxes right here. Remember, they’re mostly for mining the silverstars but if you do run into any rock Databeasts then they’re probably the best weapon you’ve got. And Rosie, I’ve got you a little something extra just in case.” Marius said as he handed them the pickaxes, and Rosie a potion.
“That’s far too expensive!” She exclaimed.
“Nonsense. Your mother would have my guts for garters if I didn’t give you one of these. Remember to use it if anything happens. There shouldn’t be any Databeasts worth worrying about, but you ought to be smart.” Marius explained.
The Databeast, Chance, bounced up and down more vigorously on the counter.
“He also wants you to be careful.” Marius told them.
“We will!” Rosie told them, before petting the bouncing creature. They left the emporium and Rosie guided Brand in the direction of Silverstar Mine. It wasn’t far out from the rest of Quartz Creek, but it did occupy its own space by the wall. Nothing was surrounding it and whatever infrastructure had been there was now taken down.
Only a solid iron wall remained in the entrance of the mine, with a door in the centre. Any Databeast would struggle to get out, unless they were smart enough to deal with the relatively complicated lock put in place. It would be simplicity itself for a human, but most Databeasts wouldn’t know where to begin with it.
As such, Rosie and Brand were past it in a flash, locking it behind them. Their head torches lit up the darkness of the mine, a familiar feeling for Brand. A sliver of excitement crept into his mind. Yes he was back in the same-old same-old, back mining through the bowels of the land, but this time as an adventurer! Even what should be familiar to the point of boredom, heading down a cramped and dull mineshaft, was now alive. A Databeast could attack him at any time - and that's what he was here for!
He looked at Rosie. Her smiling face looked back at him, full of excitement as he was. Brand thought the emotion suited her. She was dressed in proper combat fatigues, with the small pickaxe in her hand and the long shafted axe across her back. Given the size of the mine she wasn’t likely to use it, but there were a few larger clearings in there where she could.
Brand questioned it a little, but ultimately understood the decision. If he for some reason couldn’t use his short sword and buckler in an area, he’d still feel much more comfortable with them on him.
“Ready?” He asked her.
“Oh yes. I was up half the night thinking about this.” Rosie told him.
“Really?” Brand was surprised. He was excited when he actually got in the mine, but up until that moment he’d considered it a slog.
“Are you kidding me? Databeast hunting twice in two days? Just take me on excursion already.” She laughed.
“Maybe Tommen could look after the inn for a few months…” Brand joked.
“Don’t fill my head with crazy fantasies now.” She joked back. “Come on. Let's see if we can get a few levels today.”
“A few levels! Now that’s the kind of crazy fantasy I can get behind.” Brand said, drawing his pickaxe like a weapon.
The pair headed down into the mine. Marius had given them the rundown of the place. There was a long main tunnel that split into three large caverns. Each cavern had a tunnel that continued further into the depths of the mines, but those tunnels were sealed off with metal doors similar to the entrance of the mine. Rather than anyone being able to access them, a key was required to venture further into the depths. There were branching paths off the main tunnel, but they didn’t lead anywhere, therefore Rosie and Brand were unlikely to get lost.
It didn’t take long for them to find a Databeast. Brand was well aware of what to look for whilst down the mines, they had it drilled into them often back in Cabletown. As such, the vaguely humanoid piece of rock jutting out of the wall didn’t fool him for a second. Its top reached just above waist height and it had a slightly different consistency than the rest of the stone cavern.
That was a Flintimp for sure, or he was off his rocker.
Brand motioned for Rosie to stay back, then gave it a second thought. Rosie’s whole style was big single hits. This was the perfect target for her. He pointed at the Flintimp, then motioned a big swinging attack. “Full power” he mouthed to her. She looked at him, then back at the Flintimp and her eyes grew a little wider. She looked back at him and nodded.
Full power was indeed what she went for, and an incredible clanging rang out through the mine. Sparks flew and pieces of shattered Flint went flying. A low cry of pain rang out from the Flintimp, its eyes flew open to show bright yellow orbs and sparks flew as it gnashed its sharp teeth together.
The Databeast looked like a humanoid with sharper limbs and a more square head. It turned to Rose and dragged one of its sharp stone arms against the other, bathing her in a shower of sparks. As the bright reaction blinded her it swung both arms forward in an X shape.
Brand had been ready though, and the Flintimp walked straight into the trajectory of his pickaxe. Right where Rosie had hit previously. The first thing a miner learnt was how to swing properly. The second was accuracy. The third was how to look busy, but that was neither here nor there.
The blow finished off the Databeast. And just like that it dissipated into the aether.
A great first start for the adventuring duo. They both absorbed the element, BITs and EXP. It was a fair amount for each. The Flintimp had both earth and fire element, so both Rosie and Brand gained a fair amount of element. Brand had no hope of upgrading his medium rank fire stone any time soon, but the only way he’d ever do it was with thousands of little moments like this. The grind was here, now, and he was living it.
If all of their time was spent like this they’d have a great hunting session. But Brand knew better than to expect that.
“Good work.” Brand told Rosie.
“You too.” She gave back.
He nodded and they continued on. They had resolved to clear the first level of the mine of Databeasts, so they moved cautiously and patiently. This wasn’t an in and out raid, this was a thorough extermination.
Not that it mattered. Databeast eggs would always spawn, and they’d eventually fill with element, transforming into an Instar-stage Databeast. There was no winning against such things permanently. They could defeat everything here but soon enough it would be back full of Databeasts.
For humanity, just existing was a battle without end. Though that was a cause they took up gladly.
So when they encountered the first smaller shaft branching off the larger main shaft they followed it down. It was cramped in there and Brand felt a little boxed in. Rosie was only a little shorter, so she must have felt the same. He went down first. It was likely that if they got into a fight Rosie would have no way to help him out.
Brand’s head torch illuminated the entire tunnel, so when the Pebblegob at the end spotted him and started bouncing towards him it was no surprise.
Despite him being well prepared, he knew it would be a difficult one.
The Pebblegob was little more than a round Databeast with an enormous mouth that took up most of its body. It almost seemed like an Instar-stage Databeast, if not for its expanded size, its highly defined features, and the level of danger it presented. No, Brand knew this was a Juvenile-stage Databeast for sure. He took a good look at the thing gaining momentum on the way towards him with deadly intent.
It had eye cavities but no eyes to speak of, and little chains of linked stones flopped behind him. Those could make for a devastating whip if the Pebblegob decided to twist mid bounce. Its only saving grace for an adventurer was that it wasn’t that large, reaching only around Brand’s knee in height.
Even that wasn’t too bad as that made the Databeast very difficult to hit. Furthermore, its rocky maw could crush bone. Brand had to be careful, so he told Rosie to move back and give him some space. Being able to retreat and keep a safe distance was essential to fighting such a creature.
Unfortunately that was not to be.
Somehow they had attracted the attention of another of the bouncing creatures. It must have followed them down the mine shaft, hunting those who thought themselves the hunters.
Rosie yelled to Brand as she realised she couldn’t back up, and had to face another of the stone mouths hurtling towards her.
Brand couldn’t help her even if he wanted to. And he knew she could hold her own. All he could do now was deal with the one in front of him.
The first step was to arrest its movement. Just as it reached him, Brand turned his pickaxe horizontal and shoved it into the Databeast’s mouth. A hard force met a tougher object as the Pebblegob bit down on the end of the pickaxe. It couldn’t quite swallow it whole and two prongs stuck out of its mouth, making it look like it had tusks. Now that would have been fearsome indeed, Brand mused, but his gambit had worked and the Pebblegob had had its momentum shut down.
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Marius’ pickaxe held up well against the stone jaws clamping down on it, but now Brand had a second issue; trying to get the Databeast to release the pickaxe. He swung the pickaxe as hard as he could in the cramped cavern, straight into the wall beside him. The Databeast was smashed between a rock and a hard object and in all its little wisdom, decided to let go.
Probably the right choice, as Brand would have just bashed it against the wall again and again until its HP drained to zero. Its situation wasn’t as grave as that right now, but it still wasn’t great for the small Databeast. It was a type that relied on momentum and a devastating attack to cripple or defeat its opponents in one.
Now that Brand had stopped that attack, it was mostly a sitting duck. But a cornered Databeast fights the hardest, and Brand wasn’t foolhardy enough to put himself in danger for no reason.
So when he swung, he didn’t over-commit. A sharp, measured strike with the business end of the pickaxe was good enough for him, and it sent rocks flying as he battered the Pebblegob once and then twice. His caution proved to be well-founded, as the Databeast took the power of the second hit and spun with it, whipping his chains of stone round at the adventurer.
The pickaxe turned vertical to block them all, before shoving the Pebblegob back and then hitting it with another well-placed strike. That was enough to bring its HP to zero and soon enough nothing was left of the Databeast as it broke down into its component parts, as all things do.
He had been hearing the sounds of battle and metal on stone ringing out behind him as he fought his own opponent, but at some point it had stopped.
He turned to see Rosie grinning from ear to ear.
“You got it quick then?” Brand asked.
“It ran straight onto my full-force swing.” Rosie confirmed.
“Reckless. But good work.” Brand told her.
“This hunt is going great.” She said. She wasn’t wrong. Brand could see his BITs increase on his digital interface. Between the two Pebblegobs and the Flintimp they’d already made a fairly successful hunt, and they’d barely got going.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Brand said. “Marius’ prediction about two Pebblegobs was right. If I was on my own it could have gone proper badly.”
“He would know. He’s the one who usually clears this floor.” Rosie replied. “Don’t think he has for a while though.”
“All the more EXP for us.” Brand joked.
“I’m not far from level 4.” Rosie said, pleased. Brand was also pleased. Getting her a level higher would be a big boost at this point.
“We’ll get it today then.” Brand cheered her on.
They continued through the mine, thoroughly checking each branching path and clearing it. They defeated several more Databeasts before they reached the main cavern where it split into three paths down.
There they found a surprise though. There were no Databeasts there to face them.
Given how densely populated Silverstar Mine had been up to this point that was quite a surprise. Rosie and Brand checked all around the large open space, but with their limited head torches they weren’t able to really investigate the place. Brand thought he saw a shadow moving quickly out of the corner of his eye but when he turned to look there was nothing.
But no Databeast attacked them. If there had been any there, they almost certainly would have. Brand and Rosie had originally planned to clear that cavern out and take a long rest there, but they both felt unsatisfied with the sudden drop in the progress they had been making.
Brand didn’t want to rest even though he felt he probably should. He was feeling tired, he realised, and was quite irritable. It had been a long day, and why was he getting Rosie to level 4 again? He could be working on his own progress.
So given that he had to do twice the work for half the gain, he’d rather not stick around in the large cavern.
Rosie, who had been cheerful for the most part, seemed to catch his mood. When he had wondered which of the paths to go down, she had snapped at him that they’d decided to go down the leftmost path, then work their way across to the middle and the right.
He had almost felt like saying she could go down that path alone if she was so set on it, but his logic took over and instead he just gruffly grunted in her direction as he headed that way.
She could do what she wanted, he thought.
The first thing they encountered was a Flintimp. This one must have been more sophisticated than the one at the beginning, because they almost walked right into it before it tried to skewer Brand. Luckily he’d had his copper shield, but it really could have gone poorly.
That bad start had set them up for going into a bad fight. Brand and Rosie got in each other's way, almost hit each other, continuously failed to hit big shots against the Databeast. Despite that they did defeat it, but it had showered Brand with sparks a few times and he was fuming. He and Rosie walked in silence, defeating two more Databeasts, a humanoid rock Databeast called a Stonisse that learned Techs early and could cast rocks at them and a second Pebblegob.
Brand realised something was seriously up when she muttered something about becoming level 4 and then rolling her eyes when he offered her congratulations.
He mentioned leaving but she just shrugged him off. Eventually after some back and forth she agreed to leave after they’d cleared the section of the mine they were going down now, one out of the three paths following the large open cavern. They were almost there and Brand didn’t feel like putting up with any more of her arguing so he agreed.
Besides, he wanted to hit some Databeasts. And he wasn’t a million miles away from level 5, which was nice. He wanted to catch that number whilst Tommen was sitting out, although it seemed extremely unlikely.
His levelling speed was insane compared to when he’d just been working away, passively absorbing EXP into his cells through respiration. That was why hard work increased levels more than just sitting around relaxing - a higher work rate led to higher metabolism and cell activity.
Working like a dog had got that done for him previously. And even more so for Tommen. But defeating Databeasts was a different world of levelling, and they were working hard on top of that. He’d probably gained more EXP since leaving Cabletown than he had in the previous year of working.
Level 5 was also the level you could attune your element stone. It was a big milestone for any adventurer, as you could take a Databeast egg within yourself and fuse it with the element stone you’d attuned to create a Databeast that you could summon at your beck and call.
You could fuse an element stone that wasn’t attuned to you with a Databeast egg, but then you’d create a free roaming Databeast, like the ones they had been defeating so far. It would be a waste of valuable element stones and an egg. You wouldn’t get them back by defeating the Databeast either, so the act would be ruthlessly extravagant. So until you’d hit level 5 and attuned the element stone in a lab, you couldn’t get a Databeast of your own. That’s why it was such a big milestone.
The only problem for an adventurer was finding the Databeast egg. Finding one was something that could only really rely on luck.
So the impulse to level drove Brand on, even when he knew something was wrong with him and Rosie. They’d been in such a good mood previously, but now they were annoyed with each other and easily frustrated.
But that same frustration caused him to set aside the reasonable part of his mind, so they continued down the mineshaft they’d been following. Eventually they reached the end of the mine and found the path blocked by a heavyset iron door, indented in the earth.
“That’s just great.” Brand muttered. “We should have just gone back when I said to.”
“Well now we know for a fact that it’s clear. If we hadn’t gone down here you’d just have to go down it again tomorrow.” Rosie said.
“That’s my problem.” Brand told her.
“Well excuse me for actually wanting to go Databeast hunting the one time I get to. You don’t know what it’s like, Mr. Big Shot Adventurer.” Rosie shot back.
“I do know what it’s like, actually. And yeah, since I’m the adventurer here you should be letting me make the decisions.” Brand argued.
“Hey, I came here to help you out. You’d have been crushed to death by Pebblegobs if it weren’t for me. And that Flintimp almost got you earlier. Some adventurer you are.” Rosie said with venom.
“Better than a barmaid playing adventurer because she’s bored at work.” Brand snarled.
“And yet I’m still better than you. No wonder they stopped letting people from Cabletown out on excursion, you guys are just embarrassing yourselves. Stick to mining next time.” Rosie spat back.
Now Brand was getting real hot under the collar. That was his family and friends. Who did she think she was to talk about them like that? “Because Quartz Creek is so great, huh? Some family legacy you’ve got, running the only inn in the village-wide retirement home of Quartz Creek. You know, me and Tommen would have never considered it if it wasn’t so worthless that we thought anyone chasing us would never expect that we’d waste our time coming here.”
Rosie turned to him, proper staring him down now. Brand thought she might reach for her axe. His fingers hovered over his short sword. “You’d have to be pretty worthless to die here then.” She growled.
Her back was against the door to the lower floors of the mine. She didn’t have much space to move. If he locked her down he reckoned he could take her. On the other hand, she specialised in solo combat and one good hit could put him down.
Her head torch moved slightly as she strained to see something. “What’s that behind you?” She asked.
That cemented it in Brand’s mind. She was really going to try him. “If you think I’m falling for that, you’re dafter than I took you for.” He said.
She shot him with a glare that went right through his body. “I’m serious. I thought I saw something move in the shadows.”
Brand had thought he’d seen that earlier also. Suddenly he felt like he’d gained a new sense of clarity. Had he really been thinking about how he’d go about killing Rosie, down here in the darkness? And had she been thinking the same?
He whirled around, searching through the blackness behind him. He started moving forward rapidly, making his way back up the mine. If Rosie was still feeling murderous she’d struggle to hit him, and if his sudden hunch was right then it’d expose it.
There.
There was indeed a flickering in the shadows of something moving rapidly through the darkness. Something fleeing him, just out of sight. He couldn’t tell what, though he had some ideas.
“We need to get out of here, now.” He called behind him.
“What is it?” Rosie asked. She didn’t sound annoyed, though her voice still had a certain edge to it. They had said some nasty things to each other earlier, after all.
“A Databeast messing with us.” Brand told her. “We need to get out and coordinate a proper plan.”
“Gotcha.” She told him.
They moved quickly but warily, and soon they were on the other side of the entrance to the mine without incident. They locked it behind them, then Brand slumped down against it. Rosie joined him, sitting next to him. All of the animosity they’d held towards each other earlier had disappeared, and all that remained was some confusion and a little bit of hurt.
They stayed silent for a few minutes before Rosie spoke. “What happened down there?”
Brand thought over what to say. “I suspect there was some sort of Databeast with a Tech that could manipulate our minds somehow. Making us angry at each other, getting us all heated whilst it stayed in the darkness. Such Databeasts are rare but I’ve heard stories. I should have prepared for this.”
“I just can’t believe it was able to do that. That’s crazy. How do we even beat that thing?” Said Rosie, miserably.
“With some flares we should be able to bring it into the light. Defeating it should be easy. If it could have taken us it would have, instead of hiding back and using Techs.” Brand told her.
“Okay. That works. It’s getting late though. We’ll probably have to do that tomorrow.” Rosie nodded along.
“You’re coming with me tomorrow then?” Brand asked.
“Absolutely!” Rosie exclaimed. “I’m not letting some Databeast control my mind and get away with it. I’m defeating that thing tomorrow. Just don’t tell my mum or Marius. They’d think it’s too dangerous if they knew what happened today.”
“Well if they let you go Databeast hunting today then they should tomorrow…” Brand said, thinking. “Damn! I completely forgot that we were supposed to be looking for silverstars!”
He and Rosie laughed at that.
“Well it works out.” Brand continued. “I’ll just tell Marius we couldn’t see very well in there, so we’ll need the flares to find the silverstars in the darkness.”
“That’s a good idea.” Rosie replied. “I hope Tommen’s done alright today. It shouldn’t have been too difficult for him.”
“He’ll have done alright. Not as good as us though, I’m sure. Apart from the end, we were pretty successful.” Brand said.
“Yes! I hit level 4!” Said Rosie, absolutely beaming. That was the reaction Brand expected, instead of the sullen muttering in the mine. He had half-heartedly offered his congratulations then, so he did it properly now.
“Congrats, honestly. You were a force to be reckoned with before, can’t wait to see you in action now.”
“Thanks.” She smiled. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
They made their way back down to town, getting the supplies they needed from Marius. He was surprised they hadn’t collected all the silverstars today, but seemingly bought the reason for them getting the flares they needed.
They returned to Silverstar Inn, and Lily sung Tommen’s praises for all the help he’d given throughout the day. Brand had known Tommen was a hard worker, so he wasn’t shocked. Tommen had complained about his arm a little, so when Rosie suggested her and Brand go down the mine again the next day whilst Tommen continued to work the inn he accepted it. They all sat down for a big meal together after the regulars had come and gone, and Brand soon excused himself after eating for a bath and an early night. He’d felt exhausted after the day he’d had.
In the night he dreamed that he was confused and disoriented, slowly walking down a long mineshaft into the bowels of the earth forever.
_______
Two Days Prior
Shingle City was a bust, but Harlow was still happy to be there. It was by far the most impressive settlement he'd ever seen, and compared to Cabletown it was absolutely bustling with people. Although there were probably a lot of people from Cabletown that had moved here and the same was likely true of the similarly empty Oxburgh.
Everyone had moved to Shingle City it seemed. Though Harlow had noticed a dearth of children. Perhaps everyone here had moved from the surrounding areas? Shingle City seemed like a giant databeast, dragging in the youth from all around it, continuously supplying itself with the young of the towns around it whilst producing none of its own.
Harlow hadn't really thought much of it before, but the ratio of young to old was much lower in Cabletown to Shingle City.
It was fair to say Cabletown had a lot more elderly than children.
In Shingle City, the most common people you'd see were young men and women. It made the lack of children all the more noticeable. It was like they'd all spawned out of the aether like Databeasts.
Still, Harlow was amazed. He'd seen more Databeasts in his first day than he had his whole life in Cabletown.
There was a certain energy here. Harlow wondered whether it was the first place he’d visited that actually felt alive. It was abuzz with energy and people actually doing things, rather than just trudging through their stodgy lives.
So he was very glad they'd be staying the night there and a little the next day, before moving on. He wanted to soak up every bit of Shingle City that he could get.
That seemed to make Captain Rizzo’s opinion of him even worse. There was no pleasing the irate captain of the guard. His rage seemed to grow every day, and he took it out on Harlow in the form of verbal lashings and physical intimidation. He yelled at Harlow for moving slow. He yelled at Harlow for fighting poorly. He yelled at Harlow for being unable to sleep properly because the gigantic exoskeleton locked onto his janky leg made his favourite sleeping position completely uncomfortable.
All in all, this was Tommens fault. Tommen. Harlow had been given a name to put to the tall boy with dirty blond hair. And now he seemed to think of little but that name. Oh how Harlow hated him. When he walked he hated him. When he fought Databeasts, he hated him. When he tossed and turned at night, he hated him.
Tommen. That was the one that destroyed his leg. Why had he wanted to? Why had he felt the need to do that? Just because Harlow was beating him in a fair fight. Harlow probably wouldn’t have tried to chase Tommen and Brand after they’d let him go. Tommen had no need to take a staff to Harlow’s knee. He’d done it just for the sick pleasure of it.
And Brand. The man who had made him stand there and take it, under the threat of execution. He shivered when he thought of that scene. The young spectre of death hovering behind him, bronze shortsword drawn.
They were both to blame. And as much as Harlow disliked Captain Rizzo, he was the only instrument of revenge Harlow had right now. So he had no choice but to follow him. They would catch the two traitors eventually. There were only so many places they could be and someone must have seen them. If it wasn’t in Oxburgh or Shingle City then it would be in Gazer’s Peak, or Cherry Village, or Ash Baths, or Quartz Creek, or Bowenham, or Renscamp. There was nowhere the two could go that they wouldn’t be found. Harlow would have his revenge.