Walking down the sidewalk with a fresh kebob in his hand, Mac took in the pleasant atmosphere of the village at night.
Although Regnad village was a major center of commerce for the region, the village had done everything it could to ensure that it retained its peace and quiet.
The size of the village was not much bigger than that of any other village in the surrounding area, despite the constant pressure from the Capital to increase its size to that of a city. The government had a strong desire to see the village support a wider variety of trade and commerce.
The population, at 1,047 according to the last census, also fit the size of the village just fine.
While the streets gradually turned to bare earth the further away one got from the village center, all the houses and stores lining the streets stood in stark contrast; well kept and spaced apart amply. Trees and greenery mingled with the scents of rural life that lingered on the wind thanks to the surrounding livestock and cultivated fields. All in all, it was the realized ideal of those that lived there. A picturesque, self-sustained community.
If you discounted the massive, stone Selection Academy that had been forced upon them by the Capital, that is.
The massive building that was basically a castle had been constructed in the center of the town decades ago, forcing many unhappy people to relocate their homes and businesses to the village outskirts, all in accordance with a decree that was sent down by the Capital after the Star Order had been officially recognized as a new government entity. At the same time, the village had been gifted massive perimeter walls to protect the capital’s investment as well as a larger guard force to man them. The not-so-subtle message behind the gesture wasn’t missed by the villagers, but, since the added security wasn’t a bad thing, they had simply lowered their heads and adapted.
Now, as Mac enjoyed the taste of his freshly cooked dinner and made his way to his destination, he was able to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere that decades of bullheaded stubbornness had brought to fruition. Mac released a gloomy sigh as he wolfed down another bite of the tasty dish in his hands, sadness visible in his expression despite the tranquility around him.
‘Peace never lasts.’
Stopping at a street corner a short walk from the village center, not too far from where the cobbled stone ended, Mac finished his meal and tossed the kebob stick into a conveniently placed burn bin before turning to look at the person who was sitting on a low wall nearby; their eyes fixed on a certain house that was slowly becoming blocked by a crowd of curious neighbors.
“Enjoy your nice, relaxing stroll around the village?” a soft female voice asked from behind a plain brown mask, the mask seemingly carved from some sort of hardwood. A few strands of blonde hair framed the mask while the rest was situated in a loose bun on top of the masked woman’s head, but, other than that, no other identifying features could be gathered from her masked and cloaked attire.
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“Oh, yeah. Nothing like the smell of burning trash and animal shit to calm the nerves. The kebob was good though, you should’ve gotten one.”
The woman shook her head, “Noo, thank you. Something about eating food that was probably some kid’s pet an hour ago creeps me out.”
Mac rolled his eyes and laughed lightly at his partner, “Come on, Taylor. This is the sort of thing we’re here for. Pushing boundaries, experiencing the unknown, eating our way through every menu we see!”
“Ha! That’s what you’re here for, fatty. I’m just here because someone had to make sure that we get the data they need while you walk around playing adventure food critic.”
“Touche,” Mac said, an exaggerated look of betrayal on his face as he patted his flat, happy stomach, “So, everything going well with the two extras we’re supposed to be bringing with us?”
Taylor shook her head, her masked face turning back towards the house she had been keeping an eye on, “Honestly, I don’t know. Everything seemed to be going well until the girl decided to break curfew and head to her family’s home. The guy followed her here, but that’s where it gets weird.”
Mac raised an eyebrow, “How so?”
The woman uncrossed her arms and pointed a finger down the street, “As soon as the girl came around the corner, she bolted. Like, zero to a hundred. It was bizarre. To make it even weirder, the look on her face was pure terror. I thought at first something might’ve happened between her and the guy, but, when she bolted, he looked just as confused as me,” Taylor tilted her chin towards the crowded gate ahead, “There was a bunch of screaming and crying a minute ago that drew out all the neighbors, but I haven’t gone to check it out yet.”
“Aww, waiting on me?”
Taylor stood up and gave Mac a soft shove in feigned annoyance, “No, you dolt, because it would go against common sense if a random Warrior showed up to investigate without any beacons being activated. Our job is just to escort a bunch of people to the capital. I’ll leave the bug discoveries and side quest generation to the actual Alpha testers.”
“Speak of the devil,” Mac reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal coin with a symbol engraved on both sides. The symbol on the coin was of a five-point star shining rays of light down onto a sword wielding man below.
As the two Warriors looked on, the coin, which had been giving off a large amount of heat, began humming with energy as one of the star’s five points, the one facing away from Mac, started shining with a bright light. Turning his body to the side to get a better look, the illumination on the coin rotated with him, shifting to a point on the star so that it was still aimed in the same direction as before; directly towards the crowded house down the street.
“Looks like one of them activated their beacon even though they’re out past curfew. What do you think?”
Taylor shrugged her shoulders and said with a nonchalant attitude, “Only one way to find out.”
Taking a few steps forward, she vanished, leaving Mac standing on the sidewalk awkwardly holding his hand out like a bum. A passing villager looked at him with an understanding look.
Putting the still glowing coin back in his pocket, Mac threw his hood up before turning around and walking in the direction of the town gates.
“Good luck.”