The place to go would be Malek. Sadly I have no way to travel fast to this city, so I need either rest or make a stop in another City. Kilt is not an option for right now, so it needs to be Halk. I just hope the uprising is starting to slow down.

With my new and improved armor, it should be possible to stay out of danger, but I still take with me healing moss and a potion.

This potion is the rest I have from my research by the way. Nothing to be done, as I can not cheat my way into new ones. The ingredients need to be balanced in a way I still do not understand. By putting it back together the potions resemble the earlier potion, but it is not holding together. The Miasma dissipates, different ingredients react with each other and start clumping, and afterwards it got rancid.

There was something I lost, when taking it apart like when I lose every memory inside the living beings. Something fades away, but I can not fathom what.

Back to the topic, I put my Items I want to sell inside my backpack and start my journey to Halk.

…

It is snowing. I should have known Winter is coming, but where is it in my Domain? Not only is it not snowing it is still rather warm. Only at night is a bit of frost visible.

And I thought I was in a climate, where Snow does not fall. Should have sorted the minds of all the things for Information about that, but if you do not search for it, you will not find it.

I should be able to still harvest food. It is really strange for this to be the case, but is a positive. In a few months even the fruit trees will be ready. Mana is one heck of a fertilizer.

…

The signs are not good. Halk is barricaded and entering is only allowed by trusted personal and accomplished traders. It is multiple months already, but still chaos, shows how bad the whole rule by local Mage is. I bet some Mage infiltrated and locked the whole city down to have time for breaking the seals of some stash he desperately wants.

If greed is involved even Mages start losing their minds. Mistrust and gaining Power is a real struggle for them, but as they might have already send the quota of their taxes to the City Arcana, no one cares what happens here.

Right now I rest in the temporary outpost made by Mercenaries, who need to find special ingredients. Fungi or other dangerous Materials can bring good Money, but are life threatening. Either they are in dangerous places, or are themselves dangerous. Mostly both.

The price to stay in this ramshackle shelter is one silver. Haggling did nothing, so I have no choice. Those people must make a killing for just giving a place to rest secure from danger…

…

The next day I was pleasantly surprised to found nothing happening while ‘sleeping’. At least they are honest and do not steal more than with their price gouging.

Rations I will not buy from here. I might be wealthy, but that is straight up robbery. The next area to go will be more inward of Telk. I want to go around Kilt and maybe look for Information brokers for more recent happenings.

Traveling inward shows the temperature is even colder. Woods hold temperature it seems, or is it the Mana/Miasma inside?

The worst thing is, I see some broken houses. Farmers seem to be robbed by bandits, as the Guards are hunkering down inside Halk. They are useless, when they do not have the support of their Mages it seems.

…

Crying is heard from the broken down House. It is not burned down, so at least that is a plus, but seems ransacked completely. By knocking the sobbing stops right away.

“Who is it!”

Rather aggressive, but I can understand why.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Names Ava. I was passing through and saw the broken down House.”

“Go away! We do not have anything anymore!”

“I do need Information, so I would pay for that.”

“We know nothing of worth!”

“Yes you do. I want to know how dangerous this place got, before traveling further. I can pay.”

“…”

Well the whispers show at least them thinking about it.

“Do you have food?”

“Not much, but I can pay in food for Information. Otherwise I can pay with Copper.”

“No, we take food. The money will just get stolen again.”

Pulling something heavy from behind the door, the door opens a small gap.

“You at least do not look like the bandits.”

“As I said, I just travel through.”

Slowly the door got opened wider. The Man looks haggard and has a nasty looking bandage around his left cheek. Behind him two boys protecting a big but also haggard woman. Maybe their Mother.

“You are alone?”

“Yes, I do not mingle good with other Mercenaries.”

“Really dumb idea around here. Come in and show the food.”

Well it seems it is working. What I have with me are berries, boiled grasswalker, a few of the first eggs those lazy chickens finally deign to lay, and other edible plants. I have some radishes with me but obviously I can not give them these, as they are way to high in Mana… or can I? It would be a nice experiment.

...nah, maybe someday but not right now.

…

“The longer Halk is closed, the bolder the Bandits got. No one is safe right now outside. If you want to stay save you have to pay those bloodsuckers in the small outpost your monthly earnings to stay one night. The whole area is starting to become a lawless region.”

“I can not understand why this place is that chaotic. Would no one from Arcana do something about this?”

He grimaces.

“They would, if it were any other Season. Right now the Fields are barren, so no food or money is made. As we are right at the dark Forest and the Fungal Mountain, this place is the least needed area. Farms can be plowed again, farmers can be reassigned… we are left to fend for ourselves.”

The Woman starts bawling again. Her sons care for her, as she seems extreme unstable.

“Can’t you just leave?”

“Where to? We have nothing anymore, the cities do not need us and our last hope is for Halk to finally open up again.”

Really sad. How hard must be their life right now. Staying means death but having nowhere to go.

“How strong are the Bandits?”

“Strong. They banded together and are now half an army. Twenty, maybe thirty men strong and look for more and more to steal around here.”

“What can they even steal anymore?”

That was the wrong question it seems. The woman broke and cries even more, their sons hold her tight, but she is shivering all over.

“I apologize for my Wife. The time before the last time they came they took… they took our daughter.”

Oh, I understand now. This is rather horrifying.

“Any hope for rescue?”

“No… No, they brought they back last time they came… We… we buried her body… what was left of it at least.”

The man is crying now too. How horrible are the happenings right now?

…

“Open up old man! We know you are still here!”

The Bandits are back. I stayed for a while, even if the Farmer told me to go, before they came back.

“I have nothing anymore! You took everything!”

“You have a Wife! She might be ugly, but your good one already broke, so she will do!”

Okay, those guys really want not things, they just want to make people feel despair. I would pity them for how sick and broken they are, but they do not deserve any sympathy.