Gerry ate the small loaf of bread with relish and finished his meal with more water from the stream. “I don’t think I have ever had bread taste so delicious,” he said.

“You must have been hungry,” said Drew. “Mom’s a fine baker, but nothing great.”

“I was hungry, but I have imposed too much and offended you too many times. If you could direct me to the nearest settlement I can be on my way.”

“Not so fast,” said Drew. “We are heading towards Gillgrist—or as you called it, the nearest settlement. We might as well walk together. You will just have to work harder not to offend.” As she was talking Coglan picked up the bag, his knife still in hand.

As they left the pond Drew lead the way down a small trail, and Coglan took up the rear. They walked in silence for a few minutes until it grew uncomfortable.

“What’s Gillgrist like?” asked Gerry, breaking the quiet.

“It’s a small village. First people spawned there about ten years ago. Upper Abattoir, the largest town in the area is across the lake. It’s maybe twenty years old. Nice place to grow up, but almost nobody ever leaves.”

“Sounds nice. Peaceful,” said Gerry.

“It sure is that,” said Drew as she led them out of the woods into a grassy plain.

Below were neatly laid out fields of growing wheat and corn. Below that was a village with a short stone wall. Below that was the lake. That must be Gillgrist, Gerry thought. Gerry could make out the other side, across the lake from Gillgrist, but could not make out either end of the lake.

“That’s a nice view” said Gerry as they walked down the sloped

“In all it’s glory,” said Drew.

“Let’s get there already then. Stop dawdling. ” said Coglan.

“Sure… said Drew “So, anyway, you must have travelled quite a long way, if you just came through the looking glass yesterday. I don’t know of any nearby spawn points other that Gillgrist and Upper and Lower Abattoir. And those are across Lake Tubor.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“I didn’t stop much, and while I don’t know how I know it, but on open ground a person can walk 50km a day. About the distance from Sydney to Campbelltown.” said Gerry as the path turned into a well-worn dirt path by the fields.

“I don’t know where those places are,” said Drew crossing her arms across her chest. “I’m just familiar with this world.”

“We’re second gen,” said Coglan.

“Oh,” said Gerry. “I didn’t mean any offence.”

“She’s sensitive,” said Coglan.

Drew stopped. “Am not. We are just more settled and without the weird memories that the first genners have.” Drew paused. “Sorry about that. There are not many of us, and we stick out a little bit. Mom and Dad were some of the earliest Travellers to come through.”

“Didn’t pipe up to get you to stop, Drew.” said Coglan without stopping walking.

“Dad helped found Gillgrist,” said Drew. “Soon after they discovered people spawned there. Came over from Lower Abattoir with Mom. He saw that the river would be good for a mill and that the land was good for crops and help set up the farming community around here. He’s important.”

“You have a one up on me for certain. I don’t’ know how anything works around here. All I know if I got a bunch of skills soon after I came over, but they have been slowing down since. I have not got a single skill point today.”

“Oh, you’ll get used to that,” said Coglan walking backwards down the pater ahead of them and keeping them moving forward.

“What do you mean?” asked Gerry.

“He means that when you immigrants get here,” said Drew pointing, “you all think there are an unlimited number of skills you can get. There’s not. You get twelve skills.” said Drew. “That’s it. A lot of having kids here is apparently trying to get them to pick up the right skills and avoiding the bad ones.”

“Like [Stubbornness] right Drew?” asked Coglan from down the path.

“Oh, you’re still here,” said Drew?

Coglan stuck his tongue out at her and blew a raspberry.

“You can raise skills 3 points each and then that’s it,” said Drew.

“That’s it?” asked Gerry. He suddenly worried that he had wasted a lot of the skills that he had the chance to learn. He had almost nothing that he thought would be useful in a city, other than maybe perception and patience.

“Unless you level,” said Coglan.

“Unless you level,” said Drew. “But you don’t want to do that. Nobody wants to level. It’s never worth it. You get what, a little more [stubbornness] to or a little more expertise to your [poaching skill]?

“Not fair,” said Coglan coming out and standing on the path now.

“As Mom always says, ‘Turnabout is fair play,’” said Drew.

Drew stopped in the middle of the road before a wide opening in the wall of the city. “We arrive at last. The beautiful town of Gillgrist.”