The walk along the river was nice and leisurely. With the hope of finding a town, it was hard not to push myself to get there as fast as possible, but I knew it would be best to pace myself. I wouldn’t be finding any help if I came charging through the woods like a madman, scaring off everything within a half mile of me. “Slow and steady wins the race,” I reminded myself.
The scenery didn’t make it hard to enjoy myself. It was a beautiful day once again. The sun was high in the sky by now, and the temperature felt like a pleasant sixty five degrees. Somewhat chilly, but that is pretty close to ideal with how far I need to travel. Taking in the sights, I started to inspect things closer. Being chased by a rabid animal didn’t exactly leave me with time for much sightseeing, after all. And with the river beside me, I don’t have to worry about losing my way, so I can let my eyes wander.
Walking by an area with a healthy supply of reeds, I spotted some dragonflies chasing smaller fliers through their small little jungle. What’s weird, though, is that they were about twice as large as any dragonfly I’d ever seen, and they had some quite dazzling coloration. Some had different shades of blue, ranging anywhere from a sky blue, to navy, even cyan! Others were sporting mixed palates, incorporating warmer tones with varying shades of red and orange. It was a captivating sight, watching these colorful insects do their hunting.
As I continued hiking, I couldn’t help but wonder where I could possibly be. I’d never seen such large or colorful dragonflies in any of my travels. Did I get dropped in some almost untouched ecosystem? Maybe I could score some work escorting scientists to research the wildlife in the area, that would be pretty cool. Science teams are always willing to travel to crazy and dangerous places, and hazard pay is quite nice in such areas. Gotta make sure to remember my way back here, I thought. There are many ways to make money in this world, and I’m no stranger to exploiting every method I can.
Caught up in my thoughts, I almost didn’t notice the very welcome scent of smoke wafting to my nose. “Yes! Gotta be getting close, now” I cheered out. At that, I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. I snapped my head in the direction of the shadow and focused intently. Scanning the trees, I can’t immediately spot anything that stands out. Now on edge, I unholstered my pistol and readied it in the direction of the movement, and waited.
After what felt like a good fifteen minutes, but was more likely about thirty seconds, a squirrel scurried up and out from behind a tree. Simultaneously, I realized why I was even able to spot the squirrels playing from the cliff. Much like the dragonflies, this was the largest squirrel I’d ever seen. A whopping three feet long and looking to weigh about ten pounds, the squirrel was also sporting deep crimson fur, covering most of its back, head, and legs. Its chest, paws, and face were all a deep black, like the antlers on the sick deer. It was an incredible sight. And thankfully, unlike the deer, once our eyes locked, the squirrel took off running in the other direction.
Now feeling more than a little silly for being scared by a squirrel, I got back to walking along the river. However, my mind was racing at a mile a minute. That was an entirely new species of squirrel, for sure! Maybe I can look forward to some credit for one of the wildest discoveries in recent history. That kind of attention comes with its downsides, but the notoriety of that kind of recognition comes with far more benefits. With discoveries like these, doors open up. The opportunity this provides might even let me survive my next encounter with my boss. That is, assuming he hasn’t already been killed. Not sure what time it is in NYC right now, but he could already be gone, I thought with a smile.
While I don’t downright hate my boss, I can’t claim to be a fan of his. He pays well, but he can be quite the hardass. Of course, I never make his life easy. I do like to complain sometimes. But what can you expect when I’m expected to just drop everything and risk my life all the time?! Money may solve problems, but it comes with a set of its own. And to stay on the top and keep your fortune in this business, you have to take on quite the list of risks.
As I started to come back to reality, it wasn’t a moment too soon, as I started to be able to catch glimpses of buildings through the forest. As much as I want to be freed from this place, I have to be careful and do some scouting. The space is much more indicative of a small village or camp than an actual town, so a complete stranger just casually strolling in could cause some problems. Upon finding a clearer vantage point, I crouched behind some bushes to take a look.
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What I saw solidified in my mind that this must be Eastern Europe. The architecture looked old, but not worn down. Many of the buildings were styled like medieval cottages, complete with timber framing, wattle and daub, and thatch roofs. Most were single story construction, with large amounts of space between them, leaving them with expansive lawns. Many of these lawns were home to impressive gardens, with a large variety of what looked to be herbs and vegetables. Some were recognizable; tomatoes, lettuce, a few different peppers, rosemary, chives, and peppercorns to name a few. But for every plant I recognized, there were two or three I didn’t.
Bushes with large, green berries. Flowers that were colored in a way that makes them look like they’re on fire. Some kind of vegetable reminiscent of a cucumber, but instead of a deep green, they were neon. So many new things I had never seen. The feeling of unease from the day before started to slowly creep back in. Why is there so much shit I don’t recognize? I’ve been everywhere, I should have found these in stores somewhere at some point, I thought to myself. It felt like I was prone to burst an aneurysm at this rate.
Repositioning for a better look at the village, I settled back down in some more bushes. From this angle, I spotted what looked to be some sort of market square, with a couple people selling various foods or fabrics, nothing too out of the ordinary. That is, if you don’t take into account that they seemed to be trading. No card swipes, no cash, no coins in sight. One man went up to a food stall and traded what looked to be an old and worn down pair of boots for a burlap sack of something. Possibly not the strangest thing for a village of this size, but I’ve never seen trade as the main form of transaction.
Further toward the edge of the village was one of the few two story buildings around, which was the source of the smoke signal I followed here. Getting a little closer, I could smell hints of food coming from that direction. Maybe some sort of restaurant? I assume that should be a safe bet, it appears to be one of the more important buildings in town. And if old boots are a trade commodity, it stands to reason people here don’t have much, so houses don’t need to be large. So, larger buildings for businesses or maybe the wealthier amongst the group, I thought to myself.
The rest of the scouting didn’t turn up much. Mostly just what looked like houses with the occasional business thrown in. The only points of interest were a building housing a water wheel on the river, some sort of tool shop containing a forge, and judging by the wrought iron fence, possibly the mayor’s house or something. The smell of food hanging in the air did make it a little hard to stay focused, but I managed fine in the end.
At the thought of food, my stomach decided to remind me that it was afternoon by now, and I had only eaten half of a ration bar for breakfast, with a pot of water to wash it down. Good to keep you going, but not the most nourishing of meals. Despite my body’s protest, I still needed to find out what I could here before I could make a move. I still hadn’t paid the people much mind, and I needed to find someone who looked like they had some authority. I still had yet to see any form of police or constabulary presence, which was also quite strange.
As I sat there, observing the activity of the little village, a small party walked out of the restaurant. Three guys, average looking, if a bit darker toned than I’d expect in this area. What was bizarre, though, was what they were wearing. Each one of them had on what looked to be a mishmash of different furs, with some leather here and there for bindings and reinforcement in certain areas. On each of their hips, they carried large blades, slightly longer than your average bushwhacker machete, but much narrower, with fine leather sheaths. The furthest member to the left even had a bow and quiver slung over his back. After they stood and discussed something for a little while, they met up with another two similarly dressed and armed men, and took to the woods armed with a few extra bows now.
Some sort of hunting group, maybe? They’re gonna have to get pretty close with those bows to pull off a kill, though. Those things looked weak. Maybe the rabid deer is a problem for the settlement and they’re headed to take it out. That thought brought a small bit of comfort. Being chased by that thing really ruined my first day here, so the thought of the woods being free of that danger was more than welcome.
With another rumble from my stomach, I decided it was time for scouting to be over. I needed food, and I was willing to take the risk of stranger danger for a hot meal. Standing up, I headed for the restaurant. The smell was so tantalizing, and my mouth was watering. Whatever they were cooking, it was likely to be one of the tastiest meals I’ve ever had, after surviving for two days on a single ration. No sooner than I had taken my second step, I suddenly heard rustling in the bushes behind me, coming up fast. Before I could even think, my hand started reaching for my gun and I quickly went to turn around. Instead of turning to face my attacker, though, all I managed was a partial turn before everything went dark.