It’s only a couple of hours past midnight by the time the patrol finishes its duties and returns to home base, with you in tow. Slinking behind all of you, perhaps a half dozen meters back and from the shadows, Noir follows along.

Though these people seem mostly trustworthy, the both of you decide that it’s better to hide her existence from them for now. Particularly the fact that she’s psionic, as well as your traveling companion.

Slivers of the future flash in your mind as your Foresight very feebly attempts to guide you, but at least it’s enough to help you make your decision easier to make. And they tell you that remaining low-key is the best path forward.

All of you follow the road northwest, at least until it splits sharply northwards. And it’s there at that northern split where the next township resides - the one you were planning to search ealier. Though you’ll have to drop the scavenging portion of the plan.

You immediately note that this place doesn’t have any kind of defenses at all. No barriers, no street blockages, no nothing. There’s not much security, except for a half dozen pairs of people patrolling at all times.

This perhaps could be reasonable, considering where they are. They certainly don’t have to deal with everything that the Watch had to, such as daily Crazed attacks or Crag incursions.

And this town is just slightly larger than the last. According to the sign welcoming you in, it had a population of 207 before the world had ended. This place is tiny to you, perhaps a fraction of a block back in the city.

But in this day and age, everything’s the same and everyone’s in ruins.

A quick pulse of your Scan reveals perhaps about a quarter of that remaining now, not including the guards. Most of them are clustered in an area in the center of town, sleeping rather soundly. Notably, you’re able to pick out two or three psions from the group as well.

Of course, you’re unable to tell just how strong their psionic energies are - right now they’re moving and flowing to the beat of their dreams. Once they’re awake, they’ll definitely know you’re here. There’s no hiding from other psions - but you can tamp down your energies and mask them.

By capping yourself temporarily, you could give off the impression that you’re far less capable than you really are. Not like you have anything to hide - you’d simply rather avoid calling attention to yourself and fly low.

Especially if Carl is anywhere near you.

You don’t even have to ask Noir to follow suit - you sense her presence diminish vastly as she too goes into stealth mode. Thankfully, your Network keeps you two connected.

Other than the people, the buildings around you seem mostly fine. There’s a few here that have been destroyed by crystalline spikes, just like in the previous township. Most buildings have been abandoned or looted, with every bit of resource drawn closer towards the center.

The streets are also rather overgrown with weeds peeking out from cracked cobble and concrete. Thick lengths of ivy have certainly burst their way through the ground and up numerous building facades. Some have been cut into, if only to get at the entrance behind.

There are zero street lights - for traffic or otherwise. At least, not the electric kind you’re used to seeing. Street corners are littered with all kinds of the usual signs, from stops to cautions and everything in between. You assume they were enough to deal with traffic back in the day. You can’t even imagine there being traffic here.

There are also street lamps, but you’re certain none of them are electric. The fact that they’re on, glowing softly, and flickering lightly tells you that they’re gas powered. You seriously didn’t think these existed any longer, but here they are proving you wrong.

Of course, not all of them are on - only the ones closest to the Town Square have been activated. As a whole, they emit a soft glow leading you and your party towards the center.

All in all, the town seems quaint and quiet just like the last one. It must have been idyllic to live in before the world stopped. Or hey, it’s very likely still idyllic to live in even now. Why else would there still be so many living here, right?

“Got a nice place out here,” you say.

“We try and do well for ourselves,” Frank replies.

“You don’t get attacked much do you? ‘Coz we did where I came from.”

“You said the City, right?” asks Janet. “We do get the occasional visitors from the city. Don’t usually end well, though.”

She makes quotes in the air with her fingers as she says ‘visitors’. The forefront of her mind is filled with images of men wearing cheap fatigues and sports pads. Although they’re shabbily dressed, they are lightly armored. In her imagination, they also have large weapons - guns and swords and axes.

“Yeah, we sometimes get gangers at our doorstep,” Frank adds. “They say they’re from the city, but I’m not so sure.”

“Gangers?” you ask. “What, like street rats or something?”

The image that Frank conjures up is similar to Janet’s, except their weapons are actually more reasonable - bats and makeshift clubs and machetes and so on. The occasional rifle or pistol.

Both their memories are relatively different from each other, but you assume the truth is somewhere in between. Together, they remind you of those people testing those frequencies on those Crags in the mall.

“Wait, I think I know who you’re talking about,” you continue, answering your own question. “And yeah, they’re not from the city, but somewhere close to it.”

“City or not don’t matter anyway,” interjects Carl. “They tried to get at us, so we shot ‘em in return to get ‘em outta our town. Keep coming back by anyhow.”

“And we’ll keep downing ‘em to show ‘em we mean business,” says Frank.

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

“You kill them?” you ask. “Doesn’t that make a mess?”

“Only one or two, just enough to get ‘em to stop getting closer,” Frank tells you. “Usually more than enough every time. They usually run off with their dead, back to wherever they came from. Best for everyone involved.”

“What do they even want?”

“Who even damn cares?” interjects Carl.

“First time they demanded half the township’s food,” says Janet. “Surrounded them with all our guards, then threw ‘em out right after. I don’t think they’d ever seen so many guns before, they were all wide-eyed.”

“What about Crazed?” you ask.

“A what now?” Steve butts in.

“Crazed. Uh. A wild psionic that kills people using their powers. They’re uh, a bit like a rabid dog.”

“Nothin’ like that,” Frank answers. “At least not yet. I’d heard of ‘em at least. Random trader here and there would talk about them, sometimes. Heard they’re a real problem in the cities.”

“That’s good, you wouldn’t wanna deal with them,” you say.

“You’re right, I don’t. But that’s what Joel and Trish are for. Well, Joel anyway. He’s the Telekinetic I think it’s called. Trish just does card readings and other horseshit. But she can almost usually tell when someone’s gonna attack. Anyway, it’s them two that’s tasked with dealing with things like that. If it ever comes up.”

The whole group eventually comes to Town Square, which is like most of the rest of the town itself. The streets are the most beautifully cobbled here, and all converge into a large circle at the very center of the Square. There’s a fountain in the middle of it all, though it clearly hasn’t run in years.

Numerous shops line both the east and west sides of the square, most of which are for various sundries and groceries. There’s a tool shop, a bookstore, and a bakery all in a row. Plenty others, too, but you’re not exactly all that interested in them.

Houses line the southern edge, where you emerge from. In fact, almost every building between the entrance to now has been housing. Only now, they’re actually occupied.

On the northern side of the Square sits a rather majestic Town Hall. Not only is it the largest building around, but also the most kept and most maintained. Its front is supported and decorated by four white pillars, which adds significantly to the stately atmosphere.

You don’t particularly feel overawed by such a building, but you can sense its presence affect the people around you. Frank, Carl, Janet, Steve - all seem to have their fatigue lift slightly, along with their worries. The very sight of it lightens them.

All of you stop at the bottom of the steps, as though to regroup one final time. Frank in particular turns to the other three with a deeply thankful look on his face.

“Great work tonight, all of you,” he tells them. “Make sure to register whatever scavenge with Miss Kate’s ledger, or we’re all in trouble in the morning. Afterwards, no need to find me for a check out. Just tag your time and get some rest.”

Everyone congratulates each other for a good patrol, then they head up into Town Hall. They even greet you good night before they part ways. Well, not Carl. He gives you the side eye before heading off.

Frank then leads you to the northeastern corner of the Square, towards what looks to be a rather cozy two-story lodge.

It honestly looks like one of the other houses at the southern end of town, except somewhat larger. Practically a mansion in comparison. But instead of a grand entrance into a larger home, there’s a rather large and comfortable reception area.

There’s a large leather couch in the center, with a number of single seats facing and flanking it. All face towards the center, where a coffee table sits.

Off to the side, just to the left of the entrance is a reception desk, though no-one’s exactly manning it.

Most surfaces are relatively dusty, though some have been disturbed. You imagine someone had wiped them as though to use that section of table or couch for whatever they needed to. The far corners certainly have dust piled up, though where you’re walking now seems relatively well-worn.

“Any visitors we get usually stay here,” says Frank. “Traders and Nomads, mostly. Certainly a nice luxury for someone like yourself, no doubt.”

“Definitely been a while since I’ve laid my head on an actual pillow, if that’s what you mean,” you reply.

“Yeah, I’d say that counts.”

Frank shows you to your room - it’s on the first floor and closest to the entrance. The door to it isn’t exactly locked, and he just opens it up unimpeded.

“Can stay here as long as you’re doing your trading,” he says. “Same as the others, I suppose.”

“You get a lot of people coming in to trade?” you ask.

“A couple regulars - we trade with some folks a dozen klicks noreast. But there’s also a couple irregulars - folks like you. I’d say, I dunno, every few months or so?”

“So, pretty good, then.”

“Pretty good, yeah. Listen, Nomad, you mind staying here and not walking around town? At least, not until after you’ve talked with the Mayor. You’re new to the town and all, and it’d be strange for the others to suddenly have you there, if you know what I mean.”

“I get it, no problem. Can I at least walk around in here? Or maybe around the Square?”

“In here’s not a problem - pretty sure no-one else is staying the night right now. The Town Square… I dunno. Best just wait for the Mayor.”

You nod in compliance. It’s night out, you’re new and no-one knows who you are. Best avoid any incidents.

“I’ll come back by prolly late morning to pick you up,” Frank says as he heads out. “See ya then.”

He gives you a wave as he walks away, out of the inn and into the night.

You shut the door to your room, though you note that it doesn’t have a lock. The only thing it has is a privacy bar, which you hook shut. You quickly walk over to the windows opposite the door and open them up to get a slight breeze going.

The room itself is somewhat musty, and looks pretty much like any motel would. There’s a relatively stiff bed in one corner that’s been well folded and prepared. If not for a thin layer of dust, the sheets would be perfectly clean.

Opposite the bed is a small desk with a wooden chair tucked under it. Next to the desk is a long and voluminous chest of drawers. There’s nothing in them except for a practically untouched old book in the bottom.

It’s religious, so it’s useless to you and you leave it where it is.

Off to the side near the door is a small washroom with a stand-up shower, toilet, and sink. There’s a nicely folded towel on a rack, but sadly no travel size soaps or shampoo. Of course, there’s no water either. Not that you’re expecting it anyway.

You’re tempted to take a seat, but you’re hardly tired. Your body right now is primed to still be hiking and has plenty of energy left for the day. Instead, you sigh out loud then unload your burden layer after layer. By the end, you have a pile of your things on the dresser, covered up nicely by your poncho and conical hat.

As you do so, Noir hops in through the open window, and then immediately up on the bed. You can sense her purr in satisfaction, most likely due to how comfortable the bed is for her.

This place is quiet, she tells you. Think we can trust them?

They haven’t seemed to want to kill us so far, you reply. Should be good enough proof for now, no?

Was the same with the Chimera.

Fair point... You find anything out there?

Nothing at all. But I haven’t exactly started looking, either. Just got the lay of the town.

Keep on it, but I don’t think we’ve got much to worry about regardless. I’m thinking we stay here a day or two, see what we can trade for water. Or maybe find a source of water. Then we move on.