The dividing line between in the city and outside isn’t as marked as I expect. It’s midmorning as we reach it, and other than the ‘wear and tear’ on the building, nothing really changes. Shops are open, people go about their business. There is a ‘shabbiness’ to how they are dressed, but again, nothing that is all that different from some of the neighborhood we’ve crossed to get here.

The clearest sign is the sign on the side of the building stating that we’re leaving Indianapolis and entering the wilderness. It’s been there a while.

Like I said, other than that, there’s no sign we’re stepped outside the city. The shops we step in sell stuff locally made, and except for the food, it all looks decent. Helen even buys a dress here.

The food’s basic. Being outside the city, they aren’t connected to its commerce network, which makes trade more difficult. Goods have to be transported, instead of being moved within the city’s inventory once it enters it. It also makes getting access to food stuff difficult. Unless an establishment manages to hit the requirements for a Travel Inn, which I expect isn’t easy with this low wilderness level, there’s nowhere here with an integrated inventory that preserves food.

That means they can’t grow all that much, and they make food geared toward easy preservation. The food we eat there is good, just basic. Which, after months on the road, isn’t what I want.

They aren’t as quick to jump on the jerky I’m offering as I expect, but over the morning of going from one food shop to the other, I unload all but one stack of it. I barely make a hundred dollars from that.

By noon, we’ve moved around enough, the area is under construction and beyond it there’s nothing but grass. I’m also not confident how I’d get back to the city proper from here, and the rats I notice are much too large.

“I think we’ve ventured far enough,” Brandon says, watching the workers.

“I don’t know,” Helen replies dryly. “We could venture beyond civilization and return you to the wild, where you belong.”

“We’re already in the wild.”

“Oh, no wonder you’re eyeing the wildlife then. Looking to find someone to settle down with? Raise a bunch of little troublemakers and unleash them on people?”

“Children,” I warn.

“I think that’s the sign we should head back,” Silver says.

“Yeah. So I can send them to their respective rooms without dinner or something. Any of you kept track of the way back?”

Brandon points to the plain, visible through the partially constructed buildings. “That’s the wilderness.” He turns his back to it and points forward. “Which means the city it in that direction.”

I roll my eyes. “I meant more the roads we took and know are safe. That doesn’t look like a good place to walk through.” It’s nowhere near as bad as Detroit, but the buildings in that direction aren’t inviting. Got to wonder why they’re building more here, instead of somewhere the neighbor won’t look at you like you’re their next meal.

He grins. “Scared?”

“Brandon, I’ve been lured into areas just like that too often at this point. I’m not scared, but I’ve learned to have healthy respect for them.”

Silver squeezes my arm. “But you aren’t being lured into it this time, and you aren’t going alone.”

I accept the comfort and we set out, but the trepidation doesn’t leave. It even increases as we enter a section that suffered a fire at some point and hasn’t been rebuilt.

And it’s justified when, as we reach the center, people step around the still standing buildings at the periphery. A lot of people. Enough that I’m worried, even knowing Helen and Brandon are much higher level than us, and the whole of them don’t look like more than street thugs, if even that. Some look too young to be part of this.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

There’s just so many of them.

“Did you know this was going to happen?” I demand.

“Nope.” He grins. “Can’t say that I mind, though.”

“Of course, you don’t,” Helen grumbles.

“Okay,” I say. “The plan is that we rush ahead and go through, then we keep going until we enter the city. If they follow us that far, the guards and deal with them.”

“We can take them,” Brandon, unsurprisingly, says.

“I don’t care. The odds are these guys are after the bounty. I’m not giving one of them a change to slip a poisoned knife into me just so you can have fun bashing heads. Bash those you can as we run through them. Helen, anything you can do to get them out of our way?”

“On this scale, any magic I’ll use is deadly.”

“Then, we run and fight as needed.” I take off.

I see the problem well before we’re close enough to do anything about it. There are just too many of them and they have the time to mass before us. I shoulder the first ones out of my way, and easily enough dodge hits, but then I’m hitting a wall of people and I lose enough of my momentum Bob and Weave stops having an effect, then I’m not running, and then I have to shove people away so I have space to fight.

The hits I receive don’t register beyond causing my health bar to flash, but so many hits that I eventually notice some of it is missing. “They’re going to wear us down! Brandon, can you shove through?”

“Not that strong.”

Instead of hitting, I grab and throw people out of my way, but there’s more behind them. And if I try to peer beyond, they take advantage of my distraction and pile up on me.

The Strength of the Underdog buff appears before I realize I hear Silver playing. A glance over my shoulder is all I can afford, and it shows her playing, Helen at her side zapping anyone trying to reach them, but she looks worried. Otherwise, I see that while most of our opposition is in front, there’s enough at all the accesses they can block us long enough for the others to reinforce them. They aren’t letting us get out of this.

Even with the boost, my problem quickly changes from my very slowly dropping health to my rapidly dropping stamina. I’m going to exhaust myself before we’re through.

The music stops, and I’m pushed back a few steps before I punch and shove enough of them away I can look over my shoulder. Silver looks panicked, even if Helen’s still keeping anyone away from them. I can’t make out the exchange, but it doesn’t look to be helping.

Then I need to focus on my fight.

Stamina potions. I need to get stamina potions.

I really need to stop figuring out what I need as I need it.

The music starts again, and I relax slightly. Silver overcame whatever scared her. The buff doesn’t reappear, but I don’t have time to worry about it.

Then I notice the music has a different tone to it. One I’ve never heard her play. It’s harsh. It’s still music, but there’s a rawness to it, and anger, and heat that… no. I’m feeling the heat around me. I can even see the air shimmering.

“Brandon! Retreat!”

I make it halfway to Silver and Helen. Silver looks frantic as she plays, her bow moving so fast I barely make it out. Her face drips with sweat.

Then, I’m in the air. The heat and sound of the detonation catches up to me. I crash down, force myself to my feet, and look at the result of whatever that was.

Brandon sits up, his clothing charred. He didn’t make it as far as I did. Of our attackers, not one is standing, a few’s clothing is on fire. The explosion was too strong for the fire to survive.

I turn to ready myself for the rest to attack, but they’re running off. I release the breath. I turn to thank Silver for saving our asses, but as I see Helen holding her, Brandon picks up some kid by the neck and winds back.

“Brandon, stop!” When I reach him I grab his arm; for the little good it’s going to do if he decides to carry through with it.

“He was part of this,” he snarls.

The kid’s got his arm over his face and I look away quickly when I see he pissed himself.

“He’s just a kid. He doesn’t even look old enough to have a class.”

“You think that matters? I don’t teach him a lesson, and he’s going to be back. But with better armor, better weapons. Better allies.”

I almost let go of his arm. He’s not wrong. All being nice gets me is a knife in the back. A solid punch, and this kid knows not to mess with us ever again.

“Don’t,” I tell him. “I don’t care if he comes back and tries this again. I don’t want us to be the kind of people how kick those weaker than us just because they got dragged into something they didn’t understand.”

Brandon’s laugh scares me slightly. “Us? You don’t want us to be like that? Just who the fuck do you think I am, Dennis?”

“You don’t have to be like that if you don’t want to, Brandon.”

I don’t think I’d seen him as angry before as when he looks at me. Instead of speaking, he shoves the kid away.

“Whatever happen’s on you, Dennis.” He easily pulls his arm out of my hand and heads for Helen and Silver.

I look at the terrified kid, trying to think of something to say. Some warning that he might take seriously. But Brandon’s right. The kid’s going to do whatever he wants. I join them and we leave this battlefield.