We arrive at the town before nightfall. Unlike Kasa village, which is in the open, this town is protected with seven-foot stone walls surrounding the whole town. Torches lined the walls providing warm light. It also has two heavy steel gates with dozens of standing armed guards. Few of the guards are patrolling the top of the walls with solemn faces.

Even though it's my first time coming here, I was not surprised because I heard some stories about this town from visiting-merchants in our village.

What surprised me is the heavy atmosphere. A long queue of people is being questioned before anyone can enter the town.

Curious as I am, Alab asked an old man at the end of the line. The old man looks about 65 to 70 years old with balding head. He is wearing simple yet clean clothes. The old man spoke in a hushed tone making it hard for me to understand what he said. He also keeps on glancing around, making sure no one is eavesdropping. After five minutes, Alab thanked the old man and walked towards me with a worried face.

"Did something bad happened?" I asked.

He got closer before answering with a hushed voice. "it seems strange things are happening in the surrounding towns and villages. Ferocious animals the locals call Aswang suddenly appeared, terrorizing the surrounding places. People are also starting to disappear all of a sudden with no trace to be found. And.... Ahm.. "

"And what?" I urged, noticing his hesitation.

"Strange individuals are also roaming around town and villages, hunting for someone. People are getting scared."

"So the town officials are tightening the security to calm the people?" I interrupted.

"Yes. The town officials ordered to deny entry towards suspicious individuals."

I suspect as much. "Did that grandpa said anything else?"

"That's it, he only heard it from a friend of his, so he only knows that much."

"We may be directly involved in these strange happenings," I whispered.

Alab gave me a slight nod agreeing with my suspicion.

This security posed a problem; the town officials likely have an idea of what's those creatures are hunting. I might be overthinking this, but It's also not common for young people our age to travel on our own. The guards might deem us as suspicious.

As if reading my mind Alab gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; I have already taken care of it. I convinced that grandpa to pretend that we are with him. If it's not enough, we use gold coins to persuade the guards."

"What did you say to convince him?"

"I said that we are orphans looking for work. He took pity on us, so he agreed."

"We do look pitiful with our ragged clothes. And it has been a long time since we bathe." I respond.

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So that's how, with Alab's quick thinking, we entered the town together with grandpa Felipe. Granpa Felipe is a carpenter of this town. He just came back from visiting his son in a nearby village. That's also the reason why he agreed to pose as our grandpa because Alab reminds him of his grandson. Our entry went smooth since grandpa Felipe was familiar with some of the guards.

As soon as we entered, Alab and I are greeted with a fantastic sight. As expected, this town is more organized and advance than our remote village. Buildings are built higher and are made of stones and bricks. The streets are bustling with people with several carriages ferrying people. An assortment of shops and establishments can be found.

Noticing our amazed faces, grandpa Felipe chuckled. "Is it your first here at Duyan town?"

We answered with a nod. "Actually, we came from a remote village..."

"Oh, that explains it. I understand your amazement, but in reality, Duyan can be barely classified as a town."

"Why is that?" I asked doubtfully.

"Duyan town was said to be built as the first line of defense against dangerous creatures from Dorsum mountains, a long time ago. That's why it was built with stone walls and fortified gates. However, it has long lost its purpose. That's why it was abandoned. It was only dozens of decades ago when people from surrounding villages occupied this town."

"I still don't understand why it is barely classified as a town," I questioned.

"Granpa Felipe, how can a place considered a Town?" Alab added.

Granpa Felipe laughed loudly. "Youngsters are surely curious. I'll first answer Alab's question. I think it depends on the size, population, wealth, and other factors. I said that Duyan is barely a town because it lacks the wealth to be considered a town. Duyan is indeed built beautifully, but it doesn't have its own natural resources since the surrounding land is mostly barren. Duyan is highly dependent on merchants and other towns for food and other necessities. And the worst part is, Duyan is too far from other towns." Granpa answers our questions patiently.

We asked more questions as we walk towards the center of town. We found out that towns are classified into three ranks; third, second, and first tiered. Duyan is a third-tier town which also at the lowest level. And as grandpa Felipe said: "Compared to the higher tiered towns, Duyan is not as incredible as you think.".

"Are their higher classification after the first-tier town?" I asked him.

"Yes, after towns are cities which are also ranked into three. I've never been to a city before, so I'm not sure how to compare it with a first-tier town. Higher than a city is the capital city. I only heard it from a merchant, so I'm not even sure of its existence."

"Anyway, since you're new in town, you can stay at my house for the night." Granpa Felipe offered kindly.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but we have to decline," I replied politely. Alab was surprised by my answer and gave me a questioning look, but I only smiled at him.

"If that's your decision, I won't convince you otherwise. Okay, this is where we part. Be careful; towns are a dangerous place full of malicious people."

"Yes, will be careful." Alab tried giving him money to thank him, but he refused with a smile. We gave our thanks and waved him goodbye.

"He reminds me of grandma Lola. What a very kind-hearted man." I sighed.

"Then why did you refused his offer." Alab inquired.

"I have my reasons. You just need to trust me."

"Okay, but before anything else, we should get a place to stay for the time being."

"An inn is fine as long as it's safe from prying eyes."

It took us half-hour to find an inexpensive inn. It is located in a reclusive part of town, which is perfect for our privacy. We took one room with two beds and a personal bathroom.

We ordered some simple food for dinner in our room. Alab appetite seems really good because he ate a lot.

But for me, before eating, I decided to take a bath first. It was refreshing since it has been few days since I took a bath. After taking a bath, I washed my clothes and put on the last clean pair I could pack during our escape. When I got out of the bathroom, I found Alab already asleep on the bed.

"Such a hopeless little bro," I muttered to myself with a smile.