Over the course of the next two days, I continued traveling north, making a slight turn to the west once I reached another city. There was no name for it on the map the System saved, but I managed to find an old, rusted sign that read “Harris-” It was clear there was more to the name, but the paint had long faded, leaving only that much to be deciphered. This fitted more with the reality of the world now. Finding anything useful, like back at Lake Ennis, felt like a rare stroke of luck.

I gave the area a wide berth since {Predatory Sense} was warning me about something in the remains of the city. It probably wasn’t an Eater, though, as I saw no tracks or any sign of their presence. On the contrary, the fact that there was an abundance of animals around suggested it wasn’t one of those monsters. Typically, everything fled when an Eater appeared.

Afterward, I kept following the road through the woods, eventually taking a road that led to the northwest. The entire second day was spent walking this path. There were several moments when I worried I’d have to sleep out in the open, as the few houses I came across on that stretch of road were either completely collapsed or so unstable that a heavy rain could bring them down.

The previous day hadn’t been much better. While I’d encountered more houses than I’d expected, none of them was serviceable. Which worried me greatly, especially considering how long I would go without seeing any structures at all. And then there was the issue with some of the roads, twisting and turning unnecessarily, seemingly leading nowhere, only to straighten out again. Sure, you could argue that they followed the curves of the mountains or avoided steep elevation, but wasn’t the old world supposed to be capable of drilling through mountains? Didn’t they have planes and machines to make going up and down an incline easier? Why couldn’t they just build a straight road here?

The weather suddenly started to grow cold. But I paid no mind. Pops, did say that the further someone went north, the colder it would become.

Still, when the sun began to set on the second day, I finally reached a village that seemed intact. And not just that, but there were people moving about. From a distance, it didn’t seem like they were living in fear. Most places constantly under threat of attack had some signs of trouble. Advanced scouts, walls to protect them, watchtowers. Yet, there was nothing here. Just open spaces where people would gather.

My eyesight was much better than I expected, as I was able to see all that from a very long distance. Being able to watch people moving from the other side of a nearby river. One that was about 3 km [1.8 mile] away. But what really caught my eye was the ground. Starting from the bridge that allowed one to cross the river, there was snow. Small amounts at first, but it seemed to reach waist height in the village.

How could a place have such a stark difference in temperature like that? While approaching, I kept trying to come up with theories about what could be the cause of this. It was one thing to say that it rained on one spot and not on the other. But going from a thin layer of ice to a full blow wall of snow in a few kilometers [miles] was excessive.

[User’s idea of trading for warmer clothes was unexpectedly helpful.]

“Unexpected, my ass. I knew I’d need warmer clothes. I just didn’t think I’d need them this soon.”

[Exactly. User did not expect to find a use for the coat so soon.]

I was about to respond when a massive woman intercepted me, stepping out of the forest silently and directly into my path. She wore fur pants, fur shoes, a fur shirt, a fur jacket, and even fur vambraces. Each piece was made from different animals, judging by the unique patterns and colors. Despite her bulky clothing, her muscular build was evident. It wasn’t the kind of muscle someone trained to achieve, nor the kind you’d get from a physically demanding job. This was something else entirely.

Her long blond hair was tied into a thick braid that reached the middle of her back. Her face was sharp, with a small nose and mouth, and a few scars marked her cheeks. By their size, shape, and direction, they were didn’t happen all at once. But what stood out most were her piercing blue eyes. They were so sharp and cold that they reminded me of arctic ice, even though I’d never seen the Arctic.

“Who are you?” the woman asked, her voice strong but not threatening.

I hesitated for a moment. Part of me wanted to lie, but I didn’t want to spend my life going by some fake name again. I tried that once, and that end up badly. Why not be honest this time? Worst that can happen is I run away again, “I’m Cassandra. A traveler. Who are you?”

“Astrid. Protector of Cardwell. Like it or not.”

“They’re forcing you to protect them?” I frowned, wondering if this place was another problematic settlement.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“No.”

I blinked, unsure how to respond. After a few awkward moments of silence, I asked, “So, can I keep going?”

“Are you going to hurt anyone?”

“Not unless they try to hurt me.”

Astrid gave a nod of approval. “Steal from anyone?”

“Only their hearts,” I smiled, though her lack of reaction made me quickly add, “Not literally.”

She paused, thinking, then nodded again. “Are you going to bring any trouble?”

“I don’t think so. But if I do, it won’t be on purpose.” I didn’t think the System itself would cause problems, though l had no control over what happened if I decide to give it to someone else.

“Astrid!” someone shouted from the village. A figure rushed toward us, crossing the snow at a surprising speed. It wasn’t supernatural, but definitely fast, the kind of movement that came from skill and practice rather than any system-induced ability, “Please tell me you’re not harassing anyone,” a man in his late forties asked as he approached us. He wore thick clothes and had a look of mild exasperation.

“I am not,” Astrid replied bluntly.

The man, not entirely convinced, turned to me, “Is she causing you any trouble?”

I shook my head, “No, not at all. She was just asking who I was and what I’m doing here. Makes sense to have a protector.”

The man let out a long sigh, “Astrid, we’ve talked about this. You can’t go around telling people you’re our protector. Everyone in the village agreed. We don’t need one.”

“I know. But you’re wrong,” Astrid replied matter-of-factly.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose, “Okay, fine. I’m not saying you are our protector, but did you clear this person?” Astrid simply nodded, allowing him to continue, “Okay, then. Hi, I’m Francis. And you are?”

“I’m Cassandra, a traveler.”

“A traveler? That’s rare these days.”

“If it helps, I do have a sob story about how I lost my home and family. It ends with me deciding it’s not worth it to stay around waiting to die, so I left.” It was easier to stick to the same story. There was less chance of tripping up later. And, technically, I wasn’t lying.

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Francis said, clearly uncomfortable with my short tale.

“Don’t worry. I’ve come to terms with most of it.”

He nodded, looking relieved. “That’s good. Dwelling on the past isn’t very helpful these days.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well then, come, let’s get you settled in.” He turned to Astrid. “You should come too. We’re having carrot soup for dinner.”

“Thank you,” Astrid nodded, and the two of them began walking back toward the village.

“That’s it? I can stay for a bit? You’re not going to ask if I have anything to trade or if I can help in any way?” I frowned, their friendliness setting off some internal alarms.

“Of course. Our food supplies aren’t an issue right now. If you’re staying longer, we might ask for some help, but for just a day? We can handle it,” Francis said with a broad smile.

I was still a little wary, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, “I appreciate it. A warm welcome wasn’t exactly on the list of things I was expecting.”

Francis chuckled. “I can imagine. Whenever we send people out to trade, they get a much frostier reception. That’s exactly why we try to be warmer here. The weather is cold enough for all of us already.”

“Yeah, I was wondering about that. Do you know why it’s so cold here?”

“The mines,” Astrid said.

Francis shook his head, sighing, “Here we go again. We don’t know why it’s so cold here. Astrid thinks it’s something to do with the mines, but we have no proof.”

“There’s an ice devil in there,” Astrid continued firmly.

I turned to her, frowning. “An ice devil?”

“Don’t listen to her,” Francis interrupted, “Unfortunately, her dad passed away a few years back. He got lost in the mines and was injured badly before making it back. In his final days, he was delirious and started talking about ice monsters. Feverish ramblings, that’s all.”

Astrid remained silent, not defending herself, as if she was used to people telling her story for her. I wasn’t thrilled with the explanation, bu either. It felt very gossipy.

“I see…” I decided ignore my feelings for now. Causing trouble in a new village before getting the lay of the land wasn’t a good idea. “Did you send anyone to check? I know mutated animals exist. Maybe it’s some strange variant?”

“Please don’t encourage her,” Francis said, his voice strained. “We did send a group to check the mines, but all they found were a couple of bears. During his last days, Astrid’s father had an infection and a high fever. He couldn’t distinguish reality from his imagination.”

“My father wasn’t a liar. He saw an ice devil,” Astrid said calmly.

“I’m sorry, Astrid. You’re right. He didn’t lie. He truly believed he saw an ice devil. But he was delirious, and we can’t rely on everything someone says when they’re in that state,” Francis explained, before quickly turning to me to change the subject. “But enough of that. A traveler, huh? Where are you from? I bet you’ve got some amazing stories.”

“I used to live in a small, hidden village. Then we got attacked by Eaters, and I started traveling. I came from the south, not that I’m from there, I just started heading north when I left.”

“My condolences,” Astrid said softly.

“Good God, you were attacked by Eaters? That must’ve been horrible. We’ve never seen an Eater around these parts,” Francis said, gesturing to a house in the middle of the square. “That’s my house. Come on in, everyone will be excited to meet you. You know how my children love you, Astrid.”

“Hang on, you’ve never seen an Eater? I noticed a few old tracks on the way here that seemed suspicious,” I said, surprised. Less than a day ago, I did hear the telltale noise of metal grinding against metal.

“No, no. We’ve never had an Eater around. Maybe we’re just lucky,” Francis said as he opened his door, shouting inside, “Honey, I’m home!”

His screaming for no reason went against everything I’d ever learned about survival, yet here he was, thriving with a family of five. As I mulled over the strange situation, Astrid stepped inside, and the system chimed in.

[User Cassandra, System has information to share. User is currently near the vicinity of a dungeon.]