Nom knew roughly where Onu's camp was, though they would have to deviate from the main path at a town up ahead. Truthfully that was a welcome thought, since the path was disused and not very pleasant. It was high in the hills and increasingly rocky, every step a different angle, waiting to twist a leg.

While Dev kept an eye out for game with his bow, Ahden carried Dev's pack. It didn't look as big on the tall man, though Nom could tell it was a greater load than he was used to.

"How much farther on this road?" Ahden panted. They paused to rest and drink water. "And when are you going to catch anything, Dev?"

"Well, we're making an awful racket clacking around on these rocks. Probably scares anything away," Dev responded.

"There's a lost place up ahead," Nom said. "We leave the path there."

"Is such a place dangerous?" asked Omega.

Nom took off his cloak to cool himself down. "Undoubtedly," he said. He poked his finger through a hole in the cloak and wiggled it on the other side, frowning. "Elocant was dangerous for us, and this town, Luxenta, is far more steeped in darklight. One cannot predict what to expect in a lost place, should one be so unlucky as to stumble into one."

"And we're going there on purpose. Cheerful thought," said Dev.

Nom threw his cloak back on, fished around in his pack and pulled out his spear-head, then attached it to his staff.

"Not making me feel better, Nōm," said Dev.

"Nor I. I suggest you lift Ahden's burden."

Ahden gladly relinquished the great pack and handed his sword to Omega, taking up the bow.

They started off again, Ahden in the lead. Their steps continued to break the silence of the light forest, and Nom was about to suggest Omega try to mask their footfalls when Ahden whispered, "ssst," eliciting silence from them all. He readied tension on his bow. They could hear the birds chirping, insects droning, and a brook somewhere nearby. Ahden bobbed his head and softly side-stepped one leg over the other, trying to peer into the brush. He stood there staring for a long minute while the others grew anxious.

"Nōm," Ahden softly beckoned. Nom padded forward behind Ahden, standing on his tiptoes to align his view with the big man's. He was startled to see another man staring back at them. Nom unconsciously took a step back and tripped over the uneven rocks, flailing and falling onto his side, grunting in pain. Ahden half drew the bow, and Nom heard a thumping clang when Omega let Ahden's sword drop to free her hands, but the man in the brush took no action.

"What is it," hissed Dev, "a deer? Some sort of bear?"

"A man," said Ahden, "maybe one of those dessicated."

"So—not dinner," said Dev, disappointed.

"Greetings," said Ahden more loudly to the unknown man. "We are just passing through. My name is Ahden."

The man stepped out of sight, and they could hear his movements parallel to the path. Nom propped up his spear and pulled himself to standing. The man stepped slightly out of the brush near Omega, and they all pivoted to guard against attack.

The unkempt man was dressed in crudely sewn leathers, stained red with berries or some other simple ingredient. He wore rough, open fronted eyewear made of twisted metal, a weird simulacrum of what seers wore. He was adorned with similarly odd items, including broken or mangled seer goggles. He carried no weapon. While he seemed cognizant of them all, he focused his attention and curiosity on Omega. He sat down cross-legged at the side of the path, and formed circles with his thumbs and forefingers, then connected his hands together by all his fingertips and rested his elbows on his knees. Based on the man's appearance and behavior, Nom guessed the gesture was meant to resemble seer goggles and maybe some sort of darklight.

"Not dessicated," observed Nom.

"He's making me uneasy," said Omega.

"I would say he is simply—worshiping," Nom suggested.

"What god?"

"Not a god; you."

Omega was taken aback. After a moment she said, "Not that a woman doesn't want to be worshipped, but I think we should go."

She started walking, prompting the rest of them into motion. Dev reclaimed the bow and slung it over his pack, Ahden took up his greatsword, and Nom took the sheath off his spear. They walked quickly along the path, and after about thirty feet the man stood up and followed them. A quarter mile down the trail, they spotted two men in the same red garb near the path, collecting herbs. Omega passed, and they repeated the same cross-legged position of the other man, then they stood up to follow. They maintained distance and were unarmed, so the group didn't worry much about them until they looked back, and saw seven zealots trailing them. They picked up their pace, and had stretched their lead by the time they came to a wooden bridge over a rapid creek.

"I see buildings up ahead," said Omega, "and more zealots."

The log bridge was not very well constructed, but serviceable and maintained. The buildings clearly in view were wattle and daub, but some masonry was visible further through the trees. On the other side, a number of people milled about doing simple work, while others stopped and stared at them. Their clothing wasn't all rough leatherwork like the men behind them, but most of it was in varying states of disrepair, and all of it was stained red.

"Welcome to Luxenta, I presume," said Nom, then he started gingerly across the creaking bridge. "When I was here before, there were no occupants." Ahden waited until Nom crossed before following, then Omega crossed, then Dev. As soon as Omega set foot on the other side, the red-clad men and women came closer, but still maintained a respectful distance and an open path through them. Some proceeded to sit cross-legged in their prayer pose. Others held out tokens to Omega expectantly. She smiled politely and waved nervously. This made their faces light up happily. While the crowd murmured amongst itself, still no one talked directly to Nom or the others, and since no one barred their way, the party continued forward past the outlying buildings and into town. No one followed them.

The street was paved with damp cobblestones, and a gutter ran down one side. The buildings sat shoulder to shoulder, the first stories made of stone, supporting wood-frame second stories that protruded and loomed darkly overhead, dripping water on the unwary. Occasional side streets ran up or downhill. The streets were mostly empty, though Nom spotted two or three red-clad zealots cross between buildings far down the street, seemingly going about simple business. They had gone by the time the party approached. Nom poked his head in some of the buildings, but saw no one. The interiors all looked unused, abandoned, or trashed.

They continued another quarter mile down the repetitive empty street before Nom paused. The only sounds he heard were moisture dripping off the buildings and water running down the gutter.

Nom jumped when Dev loudly asked "Where do we pick up the route to Onu's camp?" The sound of his voice rang out in the quiet, hard environment, echoing down the tunnel-like street. The drip-drop of the moist walls continued.

"The Old Road had been trending east. I'm expecting we'll come to a town square here, where we can turn and find a route to the south."

Ahden took a drink from his canteen, then tucked it away and said, "Then let's find it." He led their way down the street. They continued in silence for another half hour, passed a couple small wells, but no major intersections, plazas, or prominent large buildings.

"I thought you said this was a rather small town," said Omega, "It must be very long and narrow."

"You may be right," replied Nom. "Long ago I came from the south and quickly turned west, so we probably bypassed my original route through here. Let us turn at the next opportunity."

They soon came to another similar-looking well in the street, and went uphill to the right. This side street twisted and curved a bit more than the main thoroughfare, and they had to snake through the back alleys a bit, but the slope wasn't too steep and they made good headway. They passed some overgrown gardens, and noticed some broken down workshops. They emerged onto a wide cross-street. Nom saw one of the red zealots in the distance.

"Hey!" Nom called out, "Could we ask your assistance?"

The man paused and looked in their direction, then continued across the street and out of sight. Nom and the party hustled after him, then downhill into the alley he appeared to enter. They saw no-one.

"Not a very helpful cult," Nom muttered. "Kid, maybe next time you do the talking," he said to Omega. "The divine may be more compelling than the ordinary."

They entered a wider area filled with a number tables and chairs, some overturned, probably a pub based on the flagons and barrels strewn about. But the surprising feature was the two men in the beer garden, not wearing red. One sat a long table, staring glumly at his hands. The other sat on the ground against a wall, gazing into the distance. They both wore light armor and swords, and looked emaciated and tired. The one on the ground had several bulging packs and bags near him. He knew the type.

"Successful looters, but foolish or unlucky enough to have entered a lost place," said Nom. "They spent too much time here. Let us not do the same."

"I pity these dessicated," said Ahden, "It's a poor way to go, and sad that we cannot help. Come." He led them back up the alley to the wider street, spotted another ubiquitous well at a small intersection and went up that avenue, then soon emerged onto another street. The sun wasn't yet past noon, but they were getting fatigued, so they rested for a moment to consider their way forward.

"This town is more of a maze than I thought," said Nom. "But we should emerge soon. There were no fortifications around the perimeter, so any route south should get us to where we want."

"I see some more people far down the street," said Omega. "I can ask them for some directions," and she started down the street. Nom grabbed her arm and jerked her to a stop.

"I see no one," he said quietly. "But my eyes are not what they used to be." He looked at Dev and Ahden. They looked down the street, then shook their heads.

"Nothing," said Dev.

"How many, Oa, and of what sort?" asked Ahden, gripping his upright sword tighter.

"Four. They are too far away to make out details, but I don't think they're wearing red. Two seem to be carrying staves. They are just standing there."

"Let's proceed with caution," said Ahden and started down the street. Dev pulled a shield off his pack and they all followed Ahden.

"They've started moving," said Omega, "maybe they noticed us and are retreating."

As they cautiously advanced, Nom responded, "That seems odd. The only people we've seen here ignore us, or are incapable of responding, and creatures of darklight would not likely retreat." He stopped, and the rest halted.

"They stopped moving," Omega said.

"Hmm," Nom said, nervously tapping his jaw with one hand. He looked up and down the street. "Let's see how this plays out: Ahden, Dev, you two advance with some haste. Oa and I will remain and observe." The two young men walked briskly forward, glancing back every so often.

"The group up ahead has split up. I only see two standing there."

"Two there, two here, two in the middle," Nom said under her breath. Ahden and Dev were quite a ways down the street now. Aloud he asked "And what do you see behind us?"

"Oh," she turned. "Two, moving toward us!" she said with some alarm.

Ahden and Dev were out of Nom's sight now.

"Nōm, what do we do?"

Nom waited.

"Nōm! ...oh. That's not good."

Nom looked back behind them and saw Ahden and Dev in the distance, walking toward them. As they neared he could see their astonished expressions. They stopped when they rejoined the other two, and Ahden wordlessly held his arms out in shock. In a flash, Omega reached into her belt and pulled out the small mirror Nom had found at the manor and waved it in front of Ahden's face. It reflected the late morning sun into his eyes.

"Stop it, stop!" Ahden said, annoyed, and held his hand up to block the light.

"We're not revenants," Dev said dryly.

"No, I suppose not," said Nom, almost with disappointment. He pulled Omega's arm down. "That would be easier to deal with. Omega was seeing ourselves in the distance."

Ahden shook his head. "Maybe we went in a circle without knowing it, but what you're suggesting is impossible," he said.

"More impossible than anything else here?" said Omeaga "I know what I saw. I can still see it." She pointed down the street. Then she waved her arms in wide arcs over her head and jumped up and down. "Yep, that's me. Damnit!"

Ahden nodded his head slightly, ceding the point. "So we take the cross streets. We've seen different things in the alleys."

They all gladly headed up the nearest alley, wound around the corners, until they came to a wider area filled with tables and chairs, and two men.

"Well if it isn't our cheerful old friends," Nom said with disappointment. He dropped his backpack, then plopped down in a chair at the long table with the more glum of the two forlorn men. Ahden and Omega joined them. Dev poked around the area while they discussed what to do.

"So that didn't work," observed Ahden. "What do we do now?"

"Take a rest?" offered Omega. "I'm getting tired."

"I don't want to end up resting like these two poor bastards and end up dessicated," said Dev. He had circled the perimeter and was now by the man on the ground. Dev pushed the man's shoulder with his foot.

"I'm not dessicated," said the man flatly.

"Yeaagh!" yelped Dev, and stumbled back. The others stood up, their chairs clattering.

The man didn't move, still staring into space. He unbent one finger to weakly point at the long table, and said "But he is. He is the luckier for it."

Dev had regained his feet with an aggressive stance, but started to relax.

"Who are you?" demanded Ahden.

The man responded, gazing through them, "You were going to rest. What time is it?"

"Late morning?" said Ahden, surprised at the question.

The man sighed. "Yes of course, but how long have you been here? What time is it really? I'd like to know for once before I'm gone."

Nom walked over and squatted in front of the man, holding his spear to steady himself. "Look at me, friend." The man slowly focused on Nom. "You're not gone yet."

"No, not yet. What time is it?"

Nom thought about this, stroking his beard. "Well, we entered town late morning, and we've been walking for many miles, snaking around town, pausing to rest. I'd say it should be late afternoon by now. But it's not."

"Thank you. Soon I'll sleep and know the stars are truly overhead."

"What's your name?"

"I had a name? Yes, I did. What should it be? This town tells me the time, it tells me my name. I am here. I am sitting. I am talking now. King now? No. Keenow. Is my name Keenow?"

"Ok Keenow, stand up." Nom grabbed the man's arm and pulled on his spear to hoist them both up. Nom started to lose his balance from the dead weight until Dev came over and assisted. Nom grabbed a nearby flagon and poured water into it. "Drink this." Most of the water flowed out of Keenow's mouth, but some seemed to go down. He coughed and lightly pushed the cup away.

"That's better, friend," said Nom, smiling. "Since we're apparently approaching evening, tell us: is there a safe place to stay, inside here? We'll share our company and stories." Nom looked at Ahden, who nodded.

Keenow motioned to the pub. "In there's as good as any. Those red Shaman wander through, but don't bother none of us; don't help none of us neither."

"There are more people here?" asked Ahden. Dev and Nom supported Keenow as they all shuffled into the pub's interior. Large exposed wooden structural beams dominated the room, rivaled only by a big central fireplace. The room stretched to the main street, which they could see through several open windows in the front. Most of the furniture was overturned or broken, and they pushed it aside to clear a space for themselves around the fireplace.

Keenow finally answered. "Some are dessicated, most are dead. A few make a new effort to escape once in a great while. I stopped weeks ago."

Ahden and Omega lit a small fire in the fireplace using the meager fuel around, and struggled to get enough heat to go up the chimney. Dev left Keenow with Nom, and grumbled over to the fireplace, nudged the two aside and took over the fire duties.

Ahden began, "Tell us about—"

"Ahden," Nom interrupted, "he needs to be stimulated a bit. Why don't you tell Keenow about our journey."

Ahden nodded, then related their travels from Elocant. As Nom surmised, Keenow became more engaged as Ahden unfolded their story. Soon, Dev had a stew prepared over the fire, and handed out portions with bowls and spoons he found in the pub. They all ate, including the emaciated Keenow, who fell asleep before they could garner any more information from him.

The morning sun still streamed through the windows of the building even though Nom was sure they should be under moonlight. "Hey kid, remember when we were talking on the main trail about seers, specifically the apotropaics I described? Good. Do you think you can disguise our presence here? I don't expect the—what did Keenow call them?—Shaman to bother us, but we are still not in a safe place."

"I can attempt to. I don't know if it will last after I fall asleep." Omega looked at the sunlight reflecting off motes of dust in the air, then added, "If sleep even is possible." She pulled her goggles down around her neck and went about the perimeters of the pub, gesturing to warp the darklight. It looked like she was trying to fold thick, invisible curtains.

Nom said, "Tomorrow we can try to get more out of Keenow, about who else is here, and how he's been trapped."

"Tomorrow, or 'today part two?'" wondered Dev.

"And we can try to corner one of those red Shaman," Ahden said. "Keenow is trapped, but they seem to go in and out. Do you think they are seers themselves? Or if they worship seers, they might help Oa."

"The shaman might expect her to be able to escape on her own," suggested Nom. "But no, they're not seers. They would all be raving mad by now."

"And they certainly wouldn't be so carefree," Omega chimed in. Her task finished, she replaced her goggles and sat down by the fire. "Ok, apo-whatsits done."

"Apotropaics," Nom corrected.

Omega waved her hand as though to say "Whatever."

"That's why people just call them wards," Nom said.

Omega continued her thought about the Shaman, "Seeing darklight is sometimes like looking behind the curtain at a horrific reality. Other times it's like looking behind the curtain, and seeing a calmness when reality seems horrific. Distinguishing that difference is enough to drive you crazy. Ignoring that difference would certainly drive you mad." She laid down on her bedding and stared at the fire.