Out of the Divide, Niven and Apollyon approached a small village near the outskirts of the Heavenbound Theocracy’s borders. From afar, they only saw twenty or so small dwellings arrayed around a central plaza with what Niven suspected to be a temple.

All of these structures were made from wood and straw. They were rather basic, but not in a crude way. Rather, there was a rural simplicity in them that gave the ability to see constant use over the years, followed by meticulous repair.

There wasn’t a proper trail, and Niven himself hadn’t followed any paths on the way here. It wasn’t even him who spotted the place; he was only made aware of it by Apollyon after coming close enough. Granted, that ‘close enough’ was hours before even catching any wind of civilization's touch, but Niven was used to its rather outrageous abilities by now.

However, despite these glimpses of its true capabilities, Niven still wasn’t sure how to utilize them for himself. Apollyon had said that they were in a similar vein to using [U][Storage] and [U][Camouflage], but since they were not attached to the System, it was up to him to figure them out.

“This should be a good place to replace your clothing and stock up on other necessities. Those tatters of yours shouldn’t be recognizable as military apparel, but we can never be certain. It’s best not to draw too much attention to yourself,” Apollyon commented. Niven himself wasn't too keen on being labeled a deserter, so it was necessary to play the part of a civilian now that he decided not to return to command.

“Do you think they’ll accept the things we have?” Niven had taken a fair number of coins from the outpost and his compatriots, which he felt rather guilty for, but Apollyon had convinced him that it was better to put them to use.

Money was, at the end of the day, just a measure of one’s ability to mobilize the power of the collective. It meant nothing to dead men. However, he was unsure if these people would accept the ones he had on hand.

This place was so far removed from any larger settlements that they might just rely on barter. It was too close to the Divide for the comfort of most folk, meaning the channels of traveling merchants would likely never pass through these parts. There was nothing for them to gain by venturing into the Divide, after all.

The two powers forbade any and all trade from the other, thus smuggling could only be undertaken by the imprudent or powerful - the successful ones generally only being the latter. And neither would be likely to use this place as a stop.

“It depends on how convincing you are. If not, we can always trade based on the metal content rather than the monetary value. Being so far away from society, they should have a blacksmith or a more basic equivalent,” Apollyon stated.

Niven squinted his eyes at the village. He had better eyesight now compared to before, but it still wasn’t enough to make out the details from this distance. None of the buildings particularly looked like a smithy, nor could he see any smoke that indicated the presence of one, though he ultimately agreed with Apollyon’s assessment. It was unlikely for a self-sufficient settlement of at least ten households to lack a metalworker.

However, even if he was relieved to know he could at least barter, he regretted not storing meat or at least making an effort to skin the game he had hunted along the way.

The meat might have not been quite as palatable, as the things that he killed were only the most hostile of beasts like the sandworms that attacked him, but their unprocessed hides - which he would have no use for - should have been worth something even if he was likely to have completely butchered them due to his lack of skill.

If nothing else, Apollyon should make up for his lack of ability with its sharpness.

He decided that if they were wrong and nothing on him was accepted, he’d come back after bagging an animal. It should be easy enough with his current level, and game was likely universally acceptable in these parts.

“We’ll see when we get there, I suppose,” Niven replied, and then walked out of the forest confidently. He was visibly unarmed, with Apollyon being an inconspicuous glove on his right hand, so it should be easy enough to act as someone non threatening.

Being entirely out in the open, it wasn’t long before someone walked up to him. A gruff, healthy looking young man stopped in front of him and interrogated, “Who are you and what do you want?”

A rather standard question that got straight to the point. Expecting this, Niven replied calmly, “I’m Levin, a traveler. I only wanted to stop by for some supplies. As you can see from my current state, I’m in desperate need of clothing. I have coin if you or anyone else is willing to trade.”

The man scanned him up and down, before asking, “How can you say you’re a traveler without any bags? How did you survive without any weapons out there?”

Niven’s calm expression changed a little at those questions. Indeed, everything he had was stored inside Apollyon. He had been so tunneled on not looking out of place that he had missed the fact that not holding onto anything would be strange in and of itself.

He paused for a moment before thinking of something to say, “I lost them.” He then raised his arms and then patted his damaged leather armor, “Can’t you see my state right now? I had a pretty bad encounter with something dangerous.” To a certain extent, it was the truth. He had indeed encountered a supplicant, someone exceedingly dangerous for him.

Only, he was vague enough that it could be misconstrued to be something else. It was an answer that was remarkably similar to Apollyon, and Niven only noticed that after saying it out loud.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

But his delivery wasn’t particularly good. Or perhaps it was because Apollyon itself never tried to be particularly hidden about its motives, and so this wasn’t the correct situation to employ its tactics. Its lies were an overt kind of half truth.

As such, the person that greeted him didn’t seem particularly convinced. Niven also knew that that was the likely outcome as he reflected upon his mistakes while waiting for the other party’s response. More than anything, he had answered too slowly for it to have seemed natural even if what he said was sound.

“So many problems already. See what I mean about learning to lie? It takes time to transition. It’s rather difficult when you aren’t used to it.” Apollyon smiled.

It wasn’t taking this very seriously, despite Niven’s stress. Though, deep down, Niven also knew that this wasn’t very important, as there was little chance for this to have any lasting consequences. He had come into this knowing he needed the experience and with the understanding that he would likely mess up somewhere along the way.

But it was rather depressing to fail right at the beginning. However, even if he looked like a joke in front of his partner, Niven could only hold his tongue. He wasn’t alone right now, so responding to Apollyon would only make him look like a lunatic in front of this other person. He didn't want to make an even worse first impression.

Although he had tried to learn how to telepathically communicate with it on the way here, his attempts have been thus far unsuccessful.

Although his label of 'suspicious person' was unlikely to come off anytime soon, he didn’t want to add the trait of crazy or deranged into the picture as well. Stacking negative opinion modifiers would make things even more difficult than they already were.

“I’ll believe you for now” The man said. Though his mannerisms spoke otherwise, face and stance looking every bit unconvinced. “Follow me. I’ll lead you to someone else who can talk to you better than I can.”

After saying that, he turned around, but not to the point of completely showing his back to Niven, walking with his face half turned to him as they continued.

Niven knew that this response was warranted.

However, it was already fortunate enough that he wasn’t chased out. But judging by the reception, it was more likely that the man simply wasn’t sure about Niven’s emotional stability and strength. A strong refusal could escalate matters, which shouldn’t be what either of them wanted.

At the very least, Niven had succeeded in presenting himself as a calm person that could be conversed with, which was still a step in the right direction.

Yet, from the fact that the other party didn’t even report his name, Niven could tell that he was rather still unwelcome and he would be facing an uphill battle from here. While he wasn’t any better for saying a pseudonym, at least it was something they could use to get his attention.

As Niven walked into the village, he could see people stop what they were doing and return to their homes. There were a few curious folk that stayed outside and watched, but the majority were more wary. Niven paid them no mind for now. There was no reason to expect a grand welcome, or rather, if that was what he was greeted with, he would instead be unnerved and start thinking about how to leave quickly. After all, if they were unconditionally receptive, more likely than not, he had stepped into some deranged cult.

After only a short while of walking, as the place wasn’t particularly sprawling, they stopped in front of the central building. Up close, Niven was more certain of his suspicions. It wasn't shaped to be like a dwelling, and more like a large room to hold mass. Though there seemed to be chambers off to the side, so it might be able to house guests as well. It was over twice as large as the other buildings around, as well.

Niven looked up and saw a banner with a symbol above the door. It pictured three stalks of wheat in parallel, signifying Fremen, the patron deity of harvest and peasantry.

Seeing it, Niven breathed a sigh of relief. It was recognizable to him. He no longer had to worry about stepping foot into someplace wholly unfamiliar.

Although, he also found it rather strange for someone like a village head to live inside a place of worship. At least, he assumed they were taking him to a head.

Regardless, maybe they also served as this place’s priest. It wasn’t too unheard of for someone to serve dual roles when there aren’t enough people, especially since a village head and priest could both be considered leadership positions. He himself wasn't very versed in rural customs, either so he couldn't be considered one to comment on such things.

The gruff man knocked the door to announce their arrival and then entered without waiting for a response.

They probably know each other well enough to dispense these pleasantries, Niven thought.

He followed along and soon found himself inside. They walked into the mostly empty central room, but there were a few stray tables off to the sides.

Only one of them was occupied by a finely dressed man in priestly garbs. He had an immaculate, almost ethereally so, face that drew one's attention. It was in stark contrast to anyone else Niven had passed by on the way here.

“I’ve brought the visitor, holy one,” the man leading him said. With that, he turned around and left without giving Niven any regard now that he had been delivered.

A holy one?

Niven hadn’t heard of that title before, but it seemed both fitting yet not so much. It was suitable as the person before him had an entirely different air to the people he had crossed.

But that was the issue. The ‘holy one’ seemed entirely out of place for a small village like this. It was either a case of extreme corruption, or…

Knocking Niven out of his thoughts and breaking the awkward silence, the person seated before him spoke, “Ah, please forgive Alim’s curtness. Despite his rough exterior, he’s actually quite shy. I was met with a similar reception a while ago. And… disregard that title they have forced upon me. I am no more divine than you or they. It’s a pleasure to meet you, I am Albern, a wanderer just like you. I am a priest who wishes to see Otho’s domain with mine own two eyes, only stopping here a few days before you.”

“He’s more than you can handle right now. Proceed with caution” Apollyon warned.

Niven tensed up a little. He would have liked to have not heard that. This was a time where ignorance would have helped more than knowledge. Especially because his partner didn't convey in what way he couldn't handle the threat. Was it like the supplicant or the sandworm? Was it the case where he couldn't beat the other party even with Apollyon? That singular warning had completely diverted his attention.

And it seemed like it was something Albern noticed.

“Relax, you need not be so guarded around me. They consider me a good judge of character, which is likely why they led you to me. I believe I am, as well. My eyes have always been quite good, after all.”

“I, like you, am a wanderer without a trail, yet with a goal he must achieve.”

“I, like you, have lost much, yet have gained more.”

Then, Albern paused a few moments before finishing calmly, “And I, like you, am following the observances of a higher power.”

But Niven was anything but calm upon hearing it.