Sal Viento was larger than it appeared from the outside, streets winding between buildings that mixed practical architecture with hints of artistry. Lanterns hung at intervals, casting warm light that pushed back the encroaching darkness as night settled fully over the settlement.
I walked slowly, deliberately, my enhanced perception taking in everything. The way people moved, how they interacted, what they wore and carried. Learning through observation, piecing together the social fabric of this world one detail at a time.
Most people had animal features of some kind. Ears, tails, horns, scales. The diversity was striking, suggesting either different species or some kind of genetic variation I didn't understand yet. Some carried visible signs of infection, those dark crystalline growths I had seen earlier. Others looked healthy but gave the infected a wide berth, subtle hostility evident in their body language.
Segregation without official policy. Fear manifesting as social distance.
I found a small market still open despite the late hour, vendors selling food and supplies to workers returning from day jobs. I approached one selling grilled meat skewers, the smell reminding me that this body still needed to eat even if the urgency was reduced.
"Two skewers."
I said to the vendor, a woman with rabbit ears and tired eyes.
She looked me over, noting my lack of animal features with barely concealed curiosity.
"Six LMD."
I paid, accepted the food, and took a bite. The meat was well seasoned, protein that my body immediately recognized and processed. Good enough.
"You're new."
The vendor observed, her tone neutral but probing.
"Just arrived today."
"From where?"
A question I couldn't answer honestly.
"East. Been traveling for a while."
Vague enough to be meaningless, specific enough to sound legitimate. The vendor accepted it with a nod.
"Lot of travelers lately. Most running from something. Reunion's been active in the eastern regions, burning settlements, recruiting infected by force."
Reunion again. That word kept appearing, always with negative connotations.
"What's Reunion?"
The vendor's eyes widened slightly at my ignorance.
"You really are new. Reunion's an infected rights movement, except they use violence instead of politics. Started with good intentions, maybe, but now they're just terrorists. Attacking cities, killing uninfected, trying to start a war."
Conflict between infected and uninfected. The god's words taking concrete form.
"They active around here?"
"Not yet, thankfully. But people are scared. That's why the checkpoint's so strict lately."
I nodded, filing the information away. Reunion was a major faction, violent, focused on infected rights through force. Important to know.
I finished eating and continued exploring, asking careful questions when opportunities arose. I learned about Originium, the crystalline substance that caused infection and powered technology. About Catastrophes, natural disasters that forced civilization to build mobile cities. About the various nations and their relationships, complex political landscapes I barely understood.
Hours passed as I gathered information, building a mental map of this world piece by piece.
Then the notification appeared.
[New Mission Available: Rhodes Island Contact]
[Objective: Locate and make contact with a Rhodes Island operator in Sal Viento]
[Reward: 2 Gacha Tickets]
[Time Limit: 48 Hours]
[Accept: Yes/No]
Rhodes Island. Another term I didn't recognize, but the system clearly considered it important.
I accepted the mission mentally, and additional information appeared.
[Rhodes Island is a pharmaceutical company and paramilitary organization focused on treating Oripathy and mediating conflicts between infected and uninfected. They operate globally and maintain neutrality in most political disputes.]
A pharmaceutical company with military capabilities. Interesting. And they treated the infection, which explained why the system wanted me to contact them.
But finding a specific person in an unfamiliar settlement at night seemed inefficient. Better to wait until morning when more people were active.
I searched for lodging, eventually finding a small inn near the market district. The owner, a man with dog ears and a weathered face, quoted me fifty LMD for a single night.
I paid and received a key to a room on the second floor.
The space was small but clean, containing a bed, a washbasin, and a window overlooking the street. Spartan accommodations, but adequate.
I removed my jacket and tanto, setting them within easy reach, then sat on the bed and closed my eyes. Not to sleep, exactly, but to process everything I had learned.
This world was harsher than I expected. Disease as a driving social force, cities that moved to avoid disasters, conflicts born from fear and desperation. The kind of environment where survival required both strength and adaptability.
Good thing I had both.
Eventually, I did sleep, lightly and with awareness maintained through training. If anything approached my room with hostile intent, I would know.
Nothing did.
Morning arrived with pale sunlight filtering through the window. I rose, washed, dressed, and prepared for the day ahead.
Finding a Rhodes Island operator in a settlement this size would require asking around or stumbling across them through luck. Either way, I needed to be visible, active, engaged with the community.
I left the inn and returned to the market district, now bustling with morning activity. Vendors set up stalls, workers began their routines, and the settlement came alive with purpose.
I approached several people asking about work, odd jobs that would give me both income and opportunities to meet people. Most directed me to a board near the settlement's administrative building where jobs were posted publicly.
The board was covered in notices, some official and some handwritten. I scanned them quickly, my enhanced perception processing information faster than normal.
Guard duty. Cargo transport. Equipment repair. Hunting requests for meat and materials.
The hunting jobs caught my attention. Working outside the settlement would let me test my combat abilities in a controlled environment while earning money.
I took one of the notices, a request for five units of beast meat from the surrounding forest, and brought it to the administrative building.
A clerk, a woman with bird features and spectacles, processed the request quickly.
"You're taking the hunting commission? Do you have experience?"
"Enough."
She looked skeptical but stamped the notice anyway.
"Return with the meat by evening for payment. Fifty LMD per unit, two hundred fifty total."
I nodded and left, heading toward the settlement's northern exit where the forest began.
The guards at the gate waved me through after confirming I had taken an official commission. Apparently, hunters were common enough not to warrant suspicion.
Once in the forest, I moved with purpose, my survival instinct guiding me toward areas where animals would likely gather. Water sources, clearings with edible plants, sheltered areas away from main paths.
I found my first target within thirty minutes. A creature that looked like a deer but larger, with thicker hide and more aggressive behavior. It spotted me and charged immediately, no flight instinct whatsoever.
My Mystic Eyes activated automatically, tracing lines across its body. I drew my tanto in a single smooth motion and waited.
The creature closed the distance in seconds. I stepped aside at the last moment, blade flashing along one of the death lines I had identified.
The cut was perfect, precise, severing something fundamental. The creature collapsed mid stride, dead before it hit the ground.
I stared at it for a moment, processing how easy that had been. The Mystic Eyes made killing almost trivial if you understood how to use them. No need for extended combat or overwhelming force. Just knowledge and precision.
It felt dangerous. Not the killing itself, but how simple it was. How casual. Shiki's memories whispered warnings about becoming too comfortable with death, about losing the weight that should come with ending life.
I would need to be careful. Power without restraint led to monstrosity.
I field dressed the creature using the tanto, my body's muscle memory guiding actions I had never personally performed. Within minutes, I had processed the meat into portable units, storing them carefully.
Four more to go.
I continued hunting, taking down creatures with the same precise efficiency. Each kill reinforced my understanding of the Mystic Eyes, taught me new applications and limitations. By the time I had five units of meat, the sun had climbed toward its zenith.
I started back toward Sal Viento, supplies secured and mission complete.
That was when I heard footsteps approaching quickly, accompanied by slightly labored breathing.
My danger sense pulsed gently, warning of approach rather than threat. I turned to see a figure jogging toward me, one hand raised in greeting.
A woman, young, with white hair tied in a ponytail and vulpine features suggesting fox ancestry. She wore practical clothing with medical symbols visible on her armband, and she looked slightly out of breath as she caught up to me.
"Hold on! Wait just a moment!"
She called out, slowing to a stop a few meters away and taking a moment to catch her breath.
"Phew. Sorry about that. I saw you heading back and wanted to catch you before you reached the settlement."
I waited, saying nothing, letting her explain herself.
She straightened up, adjusting her medical bag and giving me an apologetic smile.
"I'm Sussurro. Medic with Rhodes Island. We run a small medical station here in Sal Viento."
Rhodes Island. The mission's objective, introducing herself directly.
My emotional intelligence parsed her body language. Slightly embarrassed about running after me, but determined. Professional concern mixed with genuine friendliness. Not suspicious, just thorough.
"Shiki."
I offered simply.
"Shiki. Right."
She nodded, pulling out a small notebook and checking something.
"You arrived yesterday, took a hunting commission this morning, and you're heading back now. That's... actually really fast work for someone new to the area."
She looked at the meat I carried, then back at me.
"Look, I know this might seem random, but it's my job to do basic health checks on new arrivals. Oripathy spreads easily, especially in areas with high Originium exposure, and early detection is really important."
She held up her hands quickly.
"Not mandatory! You don't have to if you don't want to. But it's free, it takes maybe ten minutes, and it could literally save your life."
Her concern felt genuine, not procedural. She actually cared about this, about making sure people were healthy and safe.
"Is everyone this persistent?"
Sussurro laughed, a slightly embarrassed sound.
"Probably not? But I take my job seriously. You always have patients who ignore the doctor's orders, but I can't just ignore someone who might need help."
She pulled out a card and offered it to me.
"The medical station is in the southern district. We're open until evening today. Even if you don't think you need a check up, stop by anyway. Please?"
The last word carried genuine plea, the request of someone who worried about strangers for a living.
I accepted the card, noting the address and simple map.
"I'll consider it."
"That's all I can ask for."
Sussurro smiled, relieved.
"Oh, also, if you're planning to stay in Sal Viento for a while and you're looking for work, Rhodes Island sometimes hires local contractors. Especially people who can handle themselves in dangerous situations."
She gestured at my tanto and the hunting results.
"You clearly qualify. The pay is decent and the work is... well, it's meaningful. Helping people, protecting settlements, that sort of thing."
A job offer, wrapped in friendly conversation. Professional networking from someone who seemed genuinely invested in helping both her organization and the people around her.
"I might be interested."
"Great! Then definitely stop by the station. We can talk more about opportunities."
She glanced at the sky, checking the sun's position, then back at me with slight concern.
"I should let you get back. You probably want to deliver that meat before it spoils in the heat. But..."
She hesitated, then seemed to make a decision.
"There's a bar in the western district. The Rusty Anchor. I usually go there after my shift ends, around eight tonight. If you want to talk more about work opportunities, or just... I don't know, chat with someone who's also relatively new to town, find me there?"
The invitation felt genuine, not calculated. She was reaching out as a person, not just as a Rhodes Island representative.
"Maybe."
"Good enough!"
Sussurro smiled warmly.
"And seriously, don't skip that health check. I worry about these things even when I'm off duty. It's a terrible habit."
She waved and headed back toward the settlement, leaving me alone in the forest once more.
I watched her go, processing the encounter. Sussurro was earnest, dedicated, the kind of medical professional who took her responsibilities seriously but remained approachable. Working with Rhodes Island would give me resources and information, connections that could prove valuable.
I returned to Sal Viento and delivered the meat to the administrative building. The clerk inspected it, confirmed quality, and paid me two hundred fifty LMD as promised.
"Good work."
She said, genuine approval in her tone.
"If you're interested in more hunting commissions, check back tomorrow. We post new requests every morning."
I thanked her and left, my immediate financial concerns resolved.
The rest of the afternoon stretched ahead, hours to kill before the evening meeting with Sussurro. I explored the settlement more thoroughly, mapping streets and noting important locations. Guard posts. Supply depots. Defensive positions that might matter if violence came to this place.
While walking through the eastern district, I noticed someone watching me from outside what looked like the settlement's main administrative center.
A man, older, with salt and pepper hair and the bearing of someone accustomed to authority. He wore practical clothing but carried himself like a leader, like someone who had built something from nothing and defended it against all threats.
He approached directly, no hesitation or subtlety.
"You're the new hunter who brought in five units this morning."
Not a question. A statement seeking confirmation.
"That's correct."
"Impressive time. Most hunters need a full day for that quota, especially ones working alone."
He studied me openly, assessing.
"I'm Marcus. I run this settlement."
The leader, then. The person who decided policy and handled problems.
"Shiki."
"Shiki."
He repeated, testing the name.
"You handle yourself well. The guards mentioned you went into the forest alone and came back efficiently. We need capable people here."
He gestured for me to walk with him, and I fell into step beside him.
"Sal Viento's small. Isolated. We're too far from major cities to get regular support, and too close to unstable regions to feel truly safe. Reunion's been pushing east, and eventually they might notice us."
He looked at me directly.
"When that happens, we'll need every capable fighter we can get. Interested in contract security work if it comes to that?"
A job offer. Or a loyalty test. Possibly both.
"Depends on the terms."
"Fair answer."
We stopped near the settlement's central square.
"Think about it. I could use someone like you on the security force. Contract work, flexible, good pay. You'd be helping people who can't help themselves."
He pulled out a card and handed it to me.
"My office is in the administrative center. Come find me if you're interested."
I accepted the card just as a new notification appeared in my vision.
[Emergency Mission Available: The Approaching Storm]
[Objective: A Reunion scout team will attack Sal Viento in 72 hours. Survive the attack and eliminate at least 10 Reunion soldiers.]
[Reward: 5 Gacha Tickets]
[Bonus Objective: Prevent civilian casualties]
[Bonus Reward: Legendary Gacha Ticket]
[Accept: Yes/No]
[WARNING: This mission is mandatory. Refusal will result in system penalty.]
My danger sense flared sharply, confirming the threat even before I finished reading.
Seventy two hours. Three days before Reunion attacked this settlement.
Marcus had no idea how prophetic his words were. Eventually they might notice us. Except eventually was three days away, and I was the only one who knew.
I accepted the mission mentally, the notification fading.
Marcus noticed my brief distraction.
"Something on your mind?"
"Just thinking about your offer."
He nodded, accepting the deflection.
"Take your time. But don't take too long. Things change fast around here."
He had no idea how right he was.
Marcus returned to his duties, and I stood alone in the square with knowledge that weighed heavy.