It took several nights of travel for Jabari and Kandy to come across their first town. In the dark, the pair could only make out a few dozen houses made of sandstone and clay, with colorful fabrics hanging from windows and doorways to provide shade from the relentless sun during the day. Strangely enough, the town was completely unprotected.

It wasn't that the town was abandoned—as they neared the town center, thanks to the light of a few torches and the moonlight, Kandy could see a few kids running around a sizable well. There were even several adults strolling about or performing chores. But there were no fences around the town, no guards patrolling, not even a wayward warrior strolling through, save for Jabari and Kandy themselves..

So, it was without any trouble that Jabari's massive form, carrying an equally massive traveling pack on his back, and Kandy, who was covered in black cloth from head to toe, were able to enter the town without trouble.

"What's going on here? Why's everyone so…relaxed?" Kandy asked.

"This town is a special place," Jabari responded. "Some say it is a holy land, a place protected by the Crow God himself. Others say it is a cursed land. That is what they say.

"What it really is, is a place where weary travelers like us can wet our tongues and enjoy a cool bed when the heat is at its worst. And when we have drunk our fill and rested to satisfaction, we move on."

Kandy nodded. "So it's like a… travel station?"

"Of sorts, yes. But it is more than that.” Jabari motioned toward the well in the town’s center. “Legends say that its well is connected to an underground lake with healing properties. Many come here seeking cures for their ailments.”

Kandy furrowed his brow. "Then if the water is so special, why is the town so small? And that still doesn't explain why everything's so relaxed. Wouldn't someone want to take over and monopolize the well?"

It was with absolute certainty that Kandy knew that if his father had heard of such a goldmine, his Mountain Dagger Bandits would have seized the well the very next day.

Jabari's expression seemed a bit stiff as he explained, "Those who are not native to this land and stay here for too long… they die in strange ways. Similarly, those who have tried to harm those native to this land find tragic ends. Entire empires have fallen after laying claim to the underground lake."

"After centuries and millennia of such happenings, not even the most foolhardy warlord is willing to cause any trouble here."

Jabari and Kandy wandered the small town, searching for an inn where they could bathe and rest their weary bodies. The streets were quiet, with only a handful of people milling about.

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Kandy approached a woman carrying a basket of bread and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, could you point us to the nearest inn?"

The woman barely even glanced at him. "We don't have an inn here. Travelers have an area outside the town, on the west side."

Jabari stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean? We have been traveling for days and need a proper place to rest."

The woman shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not possible. Outsiders must stay in the designated area."

Jabari stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. "We understand your town has its traditions, but surely you can make an exception for two weary travelers."

The woman's expression hardened. "I'm sorry, but those are the rules. If you don't like them, you're free to continue on your way. Let me be clear. You are not welcome here."

Kandy opened his mouth to argue, but Jabari placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go, Kandy. Do not cause trouble here."

"Fine. Let's just go to this designated area and set up camp."

As they walked away from the town, Kandy muttered under his breath, "I can't believe they're treating us like this. We're not some kind of disease."

"You do look rather diseased, with how covered up you are," Jabari quipped.

"Was that a joke?"

"Indeed."

Despite his joke, Jabari was clearly quite frustrated as well. "It seems that the townsfolk have become quite arrogant."

It didn't take long for them to find the designated area, a barren stretch of flat land filled with all sorts of temporary shelters. Despite how populated it was, though, Kandy couldn't spot a single amenity. Not a single place to get food or water. Not even an outhouse.

What it did have, though, was a sleazy-looking man whose teeth gleamed brightly in the moonlight. This man approached Jabari and Kandy, his hands rubbing each other at such speeds that Kandy was rather surprised that the man's skin hadn't burned off from friction.

"Greetings, kind travelers. You must pay the daily fee to stay on our land, lest the holy land's protection…" The man's voice trailed off as his eyes glinted expectantly.

Jabari wordlessly turned and presented his Crow's Mark toward the man. In response, the man took a few steps away and grabbed a torch that had been driven into the ground.

He then returned with the torch and held it towards Jabari's Crow's Mark. With the illumination, the man was able to see the impressive mark.

With disappointment clear in his voice, the man said, "Glory to the Crow God. You need not pay, esteemed warrior."

He turned toward Kandy, who, even under the torch's light, was just a mass of black cloth and a straw hat. "However, unless your friend is similarly honorable, he will have to pay."

Kandy removed enough of the cloth around his fake Crow’s Mark to show it to the man, but when the latter saw how faded it was, he snorted and reached a hand out for payment.

Jabari handed a ring-like object to the greasy man. After a brief examination of the ring’s shape and make, the man stepped back and motioned the two forward.

The two made their way to the edge of the camp and picked a clean spot to set up camp.

As they set up their tents, Kandy leaned toward Jabari and whispered, "I hate this place. Everyone here is just so…blagh!"

"I agree, but it would be unwise of us to lose ourselves to anger. We will stay here for a day and leave at sunset."

After unwrapping himself from the black cloth, Kandy snuggled into his sleeping bag and grumbled to himself, "I came face to face with Karasu himself and all he did was teleport me to this damned oven of a planet. What is some dumb superstitious curse going to do to me?"

After a small pause, he muttered, "What was that damned bird thinking anyway, that I'd sweat myself to death?"

A few moments later, Kandy crawled out of his sleeping bag and laid on top of it instead.

"Yeah, the damned crow just might be right."