Larkin walked down the trail through the night. He felt completely incapable of even contemplating rest; images of the tiny bodies of the children lurked inside his thoughts. He kept moving in an attempt to keep them at bay.

  It was all very well telling himself that he’d work to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future. That didn’t change what had already happened.

  He tried to rationalise things. Telling himself that this couldn’t be a common incident, at least. The Wards that Squrl had mentioned were supposed to keep monsters away, after all.

  Maybe this was all to do with the powerful monsters that had attacked the others from Earth?

  But that just led to Larkin thinking about the fire to the west.

  He was sure that there was no coincidence that the five had been heading in that direction. But that didn’t answer the why of any of it.

  Why had Soas come to Earth, and why had he chosen those five?

  Larkin knew that it could be envy at not being chosen himself, but he didn’t really understand why there was anything special about the five. Sure, Bill was a muscular guy, but hardly the biggest ever. And Melody was popular and pretty, but weren’t there girls like her in every school?

  Cyril and Patricia made even less sense; nerds and geeks surely weren’t special? He guessed that Alexis was less usual, but it still wasn’t like keen, journalistically-minded teens were super rare, either.

  And, regardless, how did any of that matter in Systemia?

  After a while, Larkin realised that he was deliberately obsessing over that question. It might be frustrating and confusing and a bit of a blow to his ego, but it was certainly better than thinking about what he’d seen in that cave.

  He was distantly aware of the sky getting lighter over time too, but it was only when he caught sight of a horizontal line of glimmering light ahead of him that he realised the sun was creeping over the horizon.

  It’s dawn. He thought numbly. I walked the entire night.

  Larkin slowly came to a stop for a moment, simply to enjoy the view. The rising sun was reflected off the pale blue water of a vast expanse of water. Motes of light in the water gave the whole great volume a mystical quality to it.

  What did Krystan call it? He thought. The Sea of Arguil?

  It was certainly a pretty sight, and one that helped to calm his internal storms for a while. It was only reluctantly that he dragged his attention away to look at what was closer around him.

  The trail that he was on reached a larger road that ran only a short distance from the shoreline. And it was a proper road, as he discovered when he crossed it. A tightly packed earthen slope which had cobblestones laid down, and there was even a slight curve with gutterings running on either side.

  But, impressive infrastructure compared to what he’d walked on previously as it was, Larkin was far more interested in the water.

  Being so close to the sea, and having the pale morning light on him, reminded Larkin about how absolutely he stank. His shirt was splattered with the filthy ichor of the monster. And his trainers were still covered in bog juice.

  Without any sense of embarrassment, Larkin stripped off right by the road and waded into the sea water. Even without soap he felt amazingly clean afterwards.

  That done, he decided that his shirt and jeans were a lost cause but carefully folded and stored his other dirty clothes into his bag. That left his shoes, which were pretty manky to put it mildly. But he didn’t have any others, so forced himself to keep them.

  The fresh clothes he wore felt heavenly in comparison, and Larkin rewarded himself further by munching on some of the remaining monster jerky as he turned to the north and began to trek along the road that way.

  There was a nice breeze coming in from the sea, bringing with it the distinct smell of salt. He felt his good move keep up even when there was a prolonged drizzle.

  And if I ignore the squelching noises whenever I take a step.

  He spotted a few boats out on the water. They didn’t seem super technologically advanced - at least as far as he could tell with his zero knowledge of boats - with each having a single sail that billowed impressively in the wind.

  After an hour or so of walking, Larkin came across the first of the fishing villages. It was only eight houses, and they were actually clustered along the road rather than on the coast, but they had a short pier so he felt it still counted.

  Much like the inland villagers, the children loitering around inside squealed when they saw him approach, and women paused in their chores to regard him. But Larkin just nodded at the closest and kept walking.

  The horrors of the previous day had faded somewhat, but he still didn’t feel up to speaking to anyone right now.

  The day continued most like that. The road continued to gently curve to align with the coast, the rain eventually lifted and became fitfully sunny. And he passed several more villagers, all similar to the first.

  Before he even really knew it Larkin found that the sun was well on its descent past the horizon and the day was coming to an end. He had, again, walked the whole time without much food or drink.

  And he now actually felt that lack of subsistence. His stomach rumbled as though triggered by his realisation.

  Fortunately though, he saw another village just up ahead. This one was noticeably bigger than the others; maybe as many as a hundred cottages and other buildings. Probably due to the fact that this settlement sat at the junction where the coastal road was met by a smaller road coming from the west.

  There was even a large building that clearly served as some mixture of tavern, inn, and stable. Larkin allowed himself to be drawn in by the sound of music and laughter. The owner was a pleasantly smiling man who didn’t look unduly perturbed by Larkin’s weapon and only mildly aggrieved at the state of Larkin’s footwear.

  And for one of the large bronze-looking coins that Helia had insisted he had, the tavern keeper ushered him to a room on the top floor and promised him that the food would be following. He even left Larkin with eight much smaller bronze coins.

  Pennies, Larkin realised as he stared down at them. He wasn’t entirely sure how he knew, but figured it must be due to the one of the Skills that he’d gotten when he arrived in Systemia.

  The pennies were dinky little things, and also looked pretty chipped and battered. There were various profiles crudely cast into the metal, accompanied by some writing - but all of them were far too faded for him to make out the words.

  And I don’t really care, he thought to himself.

  He put the coins into his backpack, along with the larger ones. Which, he vaguely knew, somehow, were called Thrones.

  As the tavern keeper has promised, food soon arrived: a bread trencher with some slab of meat with thick gravy accompanied by some, somewhat hard, vegetables. All washed down with a tankard of water - though Larkin had to again send away some beer.

  After that, Larkin thoroughly enjoyed a proper bath that the owner ran for him. That meant that he finally found out how to get hot water from the magical contraption that passed for a bath.

  And aren’t I an idiot? He thought as the man operated the machinery.

  You were, apparently, meant to fill the tub with the cold water by pulling the blue level first and then, only when it was full, pull the red lever which quickly heated the water up.

  Well, at least I know now. He thought ruefully as he saw where he’d been going wrong.

  The water was merrily steaming by the time Larkin climbed in. But, thanks to his Endurance, it felt pleasant rather than scalding as he sat down with a contented sigh.

  So, clean and with a full stomach, Larkin went to bed. Where he fell asleep almost immediately.

  He woke up the next morning feeling instantly awake. From the thin light coming through the shuttered window it was dawn. But, after a moment’s thought, he burrowed back amidst the bedding and stayed there for another hour. Sleep might not be possible but it still felt great to be cozy in bed, as though this world didn’t hold countless dangers just waiting to strike.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  It was eventually the noises of people moving around downstairs and from outside his window that got Larkin out of bed. And that led to him traipsing downstairs where he was given a large bowl of porridge.

  He decided as he ate that today would be a slower day. Maybe he’d end up heading further north in the afternoon, maybe he wouldn’t. But it wasn’t as though Krystan had given him a deadline for delivering his message. And besides, he felt that after his twenty four hour walking session he wasn’t exactly behind schedule.

  Larkin wandered around the village after breakfast. The place wasn’t really comparable to anything he was used to from back on Earth, but the settlement was much bigger and busier than the other places he’d gone through.

  And just across from the inn, on an open area of grassland, were five traders with stalls out. He brought himself a couple of loose tunics to make up for the shirt he’d lost to monster-blood, and then after a brief hesitation also purchased a pair of knee-high leather boots.

  That meant that he had to break out a second Throne coin. But he was still given change from that too.

  Helia was right that I needed some coins, he concluded as he changed into the new boots as soon as he handed over the money.

  They fit pretty well, and they didn’t stink or squelch!

  Larkin was trying to haggle with a grey-haired man over the price of some bread and cheese when he saw a man coming rushing through the square. There was an air of desperation to him that seemed more than just someone running late on an errand.

  He ignored the vendor as he peered after the runner as he reached one of the old geezers chatting off to one side.

  Wonder what that’s about, he thought, before turning back to the seller.

  Or the cheat, as Larkin thought of him, given that he wanted four pennies for just a loaf of bread and a small packet of cheese. Larkin managed to get him down to two pennies but, given that his stay at the inn - including meals - only cost him twelve pennies he still felt like he was ripped off.

  With all the new purchases either worn or safely tucked away, Larkin thought about what to do next. The idea of another night at the inn was greatly appealing but he was undecided.

  “... must contact the Guild!”

  The agitated words drifted over to Larkin. He wasn’t the only one to look over, though he was the only one who reacted from this end of the square. He saw that the old folks had surrounded the panting man who’d come running earlier.

  “... a threat to us all.” Another bent-backed old man said. “And with that disturbing sight two days ago, too.”

  Larkin’s gaze fixed on the younger man, who looked both tense and unhappy as the others talked. Or, he realised with a slight chill, it was more accurate to say that he looked frightened. Petrified, even.

  He moved closer, not even bothering to hide his interest.

  “Forget about whatever’s happening in the capital.” One irritated elder told the others. “By the Six, it’s not as though the folks in Haugar give a bit of notice of us. We need to focus on ourselves.”

  The same old man suddenly noticed Larkin’s approach and gave him an intimidating glare.

  “Ho there, this is a private conversation. What do you want?”

  Larkin paused as the eyes of the group turned to him, then assayed a smile.

  “I heard you say something about the Guild.” He said. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  That led to a lot of babbling, though Larkin was looking straight at the younger man who suddenly seemed more interested.

  “Are you from the Guild?” The wrinkly apparent spokesman for the group said.

  To which Larkin shook his head.

  “But I am a Classbearer.” He quickly added. “What’s the problem?”

  The others still looked uncertain, but the younger man spoke up.

  “Strange new monsters have appeared.” He said. “They’ve attacked Red Oak, and they seem to be targeting the Wardstone!”

  The man hadn’t kept his voice down, and Larkin saw everyone else in the little square jolt and spin around at hearing the news. From the grouchy looks that the prune-faced men gave the younger one, they’d seen the same.

  “It needs investigating.” The older spokesman said. “We were going to send a message to the Guild in Gavlim.”

  To people they could trust, his face told Larkin. But it was again the younger man who objected.

  “How long will that take?” He asked. “I can get this Classbearer there today!”

  He sent Larkin a suddenly doubtful look.

  “That is, if you still want to go?”

  Larkin was hardly going to say no now.

  “Sure, let’s deal with this.”

  And since he actually had all his things with him they set off immediately. He was surprised by the pace that the other guy - Robiery, he hurriedly introduced himself as - set. Especially when he learned that he’d started out late last night.

  “We first heard stories about something in the woods around Red Oak three days ago.” Robiery told him. “One of the trappers went missing and the men went up to investigate. Found nothing but some blood stains.”

  The village was walking ahead so Larkin couldn’t see his face, but could hear the shudder in his voice.

  “We got that story from old Travis, who goes back and forth trading bits and bots. But then we didn’t hear anything for a day. A few of us went over there to see if they were okay. And what we saw, well it weren’t no Human.”

  Larkin decided to speak up then, rather than let the other guy get too caught up in his recollections.

  “What are they, these monsters?” He asked.

  “They’re giant flying bugs.” Came the reply. “I saw a bunch of different sizes, and there are some with vicious stabbers on ‘em.”

  He gave another shudder.

  “We headed back to Willow as fast as we could, and I headed this way straight after we told everyone to hunker down.”

  Larkin couldn't say that bugs were the sort of thing that he was usually bothered with. But it didn’t sound like these could easily be swatted, either. Thinking of the shortsword that was his sole weapon, he started to worry about them staying out of his range.

  Maybe they'd be able to spit acid or something, he thought sourly. That would be terrific.

  But Larkin didn’t want to back down without even trying. He might not be the best person for the job, but he was confident that he’d do better than some random villagers.

  Robiery had them hurrying west on the road for hours, passing through three little villages without stopping. Such was the man’s urgency that Larkin had to force him to stop for fifteen minutes so that they could have a brief lunch before continuing.

  And it was just as the sky was starting to darken that he turned Larkin north on one of the many little trails that spiralled off from the main road.

  There was no way that Larkin would have known to go this route if the villager wasn’t with him. There didn’t seem to be any signs of the sort that he was used to, that was for sure.

  Larkin had the vague sense that accurate maps were quite recent in Earth’s history. So he doubted that Systemia was advanced in that area, either.

  But I could be getting that totally wrong, he admitted. Maybe there's some kind of magical map that updates automatically, who knows?

  His random internal meanderings came to an end as he spotted distant thatched roofs.

  “Is this your village?” He asked Robiery as he came to a stop behind the man, who was squinting up the path.

  “Yeah, this is Willow.” He grunted back. “But something’s wrong…”

  Larkin agreed with that; things certainly seemed odd. Despite it being solidly dusk right now, there wasn’t any trace of light in the village ahead, nor any sound.

  “Do you have a lightstone?” He asked Robiery, regretting that there hadn’t been any carried by the traders from earlier.

  A feeling that was compounded when the villager shook his head.

  “Nevermind, then.” Larkin said, pushing aside his concerns as he drew his sword. “Stay behind me.”

  Larkin tried to sound confident, even though he could feel his heart beating faster. His Calm Mind Skill meant that he wasn’t getting too freaked out, but he could definitely still feel nerves.

  He felt the creeping approach of his Fighter Class, whispering that they could handle anything that might be approaching. But it was easy enough to push that thought away.

  I want to be me, he thought, not some murder hobo.

  He walked down the trail, keeping his head revolving as he approached the first of the cottages. There was no sound of life from within, and seemed completely empty when he opened the door and cautiously looked inside.

  Larkin had a thought whether the door not being looked meant anything, until he saw that there was no bolt on the inside. Either the villagers didn’t think they needed to lock their doors, or they just couldn’t afford the extra security.

  I’ve heard that’s still the case in rural places back home, he thought. Still sounds weird to me, though.

  His uneasy feelings of being watched only grew as he led Robiery to the middle of the village.

  There really seems to be no one around, Larkin thought. And isn’t that odd.

  The other places he’d gone past had seemed full of life; dogs, children, and adults creating a background of noise. All of which was conspicuously absent here.

  He saw Robiery suddenly move to one of the cottages, sticking his head inside and then slowly heading over to him.

  “My family is gone, too.” He quietly confirmed.

  This all didn’t seem good at all.

  “Is there any place nearby that people might run to if there’s trouble?” He asked, but then cut off Robiery’s response with a raised hand as he suddenly heard something.

  There was a muffled clicking sound from the roof of one of the nearby cottages, which then sounded from others around them. And then there was a brief buzzing from a cottage that they’d gone past.

  It only lasted for just a heartbeat before stopping. But Larkin was drawing his sword, even before the sound started again, but this time from all around them.

  And this time it didn’t stop.

  Instead it built into a deafening crescendo as dark shapes started to rise from the tops of the cottages surrounding them.