The ship's deck was relatively large enough to fit everyone. It smelt like salt and raw fish, yet no one seemed to really care as they'd finally found the hope of survival.

Ryn knelt beside the railing as waves caused the ship to bob up and down in a gentle rhythm.

Amelia sat with her back against it, her face a bit pale from the blood lost but overall fine. Her legs were bare from the knee down now, bandages already darkened where blood had soaked through earlier wrappings. The splinters were worse up close.

"Tell me before you pull," she said quietly.

"I will," Ryn replied.

He placed two fingers against her calf and let his Essence flow.

Cold spread outward like a soft, white mist that encompassed and wrapped around her leg with care.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

The first splinter came free with a wet sound. Amelia flinched hard, teeth biting down on his shirt sleeve as she wrapped her arms around him.

Ryn didn't look away. He focused on the wound, on keeping his breathing even as he worked piece by piece.

One splinter. Then another.

Her knuckles whitened against the blanket. Sweat beaded along her temple.

"You can stop," she said at one point, voice tight. "If it's too much—"

"It's not," Ryn said.

It was a lie.

Continuous control of Essence along with regulating temperatures so he didn't flash-freeze her leg was a task that took everything out of him.

Nonetheless, he had to succeed, at least remove it until she could get proper care.

When the last piece came free, Amelia sagged back against the railing, letting her arms go free, breath shaking but steady.

Ryn wrapped the wounds carefully, hands practiced as he secured the bandages with clean cloth taken from the ship's stores.

She looked at him for a long moment.

"The Ryn I know wouldn't know how to do all of this," Amelia teased.

Ryn paused.

"…I've learned a lot," he replied.

Even without clarification, she already knew where.

The ship lurched slightly as it adjusted course.

He finished tying the last bandage and leaned back on his heels, the tension finally draining from his shoulders. Her breath went back to normal as the pain subsided.

"Get some rest," he said. "I'll be nearby."

She gave a faint smile. "You always say that."

Before he could answer, he heard footsteps coming their way.

"She stable?" Hadrik asked.

"For now," Ryn said.

The dwarf nodded. "Good."

He hesitated, then added, "We'll be making port soon. Not Khaz Vordun proper—outer city. Far side of the empire."

Ryn looked up.

"How soon?"

The dwarf squinted ahead, eyes narrowed as if trying to pierce the mist by force alone.

"Depends on how stubborn this fog is," he replied. "But we're close. Close enough that I can feel the current changing."

Ryn rose and stepped beside him.

For a moment, there was nothing, just the same blank wall of gray pressing in from all sides, swallowing both sound and distance.

Then the fog thinned, like an invisible hand that pulled the whole curtain apart, and Ryn was finally able to see it.

Land.

It rose from the sea in dark, jagged layers, stone cliffs stacked upon one another. At first glance, one could mistake it as a mountain…

But it was sharper, more deliberate, like spires risen from the ground, built and lasted through the centuries.

Ryn didn't know what he was expecting, maybe a harbor?

It wasn't even close.

His breath slowed.

The city loomed overhead, rising in dense, vertical layers. Smoke drifted upward from countless vents and chimneys, dark lines staining the low sky.

"So this is Moran," Ryn murmured.

Hadrik looked over. "How do you know that?"

Ryn shrugged, dodging the question, before Hadrik let the moment pass by.

"But aye. One of our smaller cities," Hadrik huffed beside him.

Ryn didn't look away. "Small."

Amelia shifted behind them, having pushed herself closer to the railing. She followed his gaze, eyes narrowing slightly as she took in the sheer scale of the city.

"…Grandal's about the same size," she said after a moment.

"Is it now, lad? I overestimated the humans then," Hadrik let out a snort.

The ship pressed onward, dwarfed by the scale of what waited ahead. Even from the water, Moran felt closed off—uninviting at first glance.

Ryn was almost sure this place would hold more problems than they were ready to solve at this time.

After a few hours, they'd finally made it, indicated by a small groan from the hull as an anchor was dropped.

Thick ropes were thrown first, looping around iron posts embedded deep into the dock. The moment the vessel settled, movement erupted along the pier. Dwarves poured in from both sides, already aware of the situation that happened at sea.

Ryn helped Amelia to her feet as the gangplank was lowered. The moment they stepped onto solid ground, the noise dipped just a little.

Eyes turned.

The dwarves slowed as they took in the two humans. A few murmurs passed between them, quick and low. Some looked away immediately, as if unsure whether staring would be rude or suspicious. Others lingered a heartbeat too long.

Ryn felt it then.

They weren't unwelcomed per se, more like… unexpected, like a creature said to be extinct that you happened to see.

Hadrik stepped forward before the moment could stretch any further.

"Easy," he called out. "They're with me."

The dwarves resumed their work, though the glances didn't stop entirely.

Hadrik turned to Ryn. "You'll want somewhere quiet," he said. "Close by. No questions asked."

Ryn nodded. "An inn?"

"Aye," Hadrik replied, already gesturing inland. "There's one just off the docks. Keeps to itself. Owner knows better than to pry."

He paused, then added, lower, "City's on edge. Best not to give folk reasons to talk."

Ryn understood.

As they moved away from the ship, the weight of Moran pressed in around them. The whole city was built out of stone, that much was clear now, yet streets were narrow.

He heaved Amelia up his back and began to follow Hadrik.

The inn was tucked between two stone blocks just off the main dockway. If Hadrik hadn't led them here, Ryn would've never expected this place to be an inn.

Inside, it was dim, warm, and quiet.

The owner didn't ask questions.

Ryn drew his pouch from his Dimensional Ring, placed a few coins on the counter, and within seconds they were on their way up.

The room itself was small but clean, the stone walls holding in heat far better than the open deck had. Ryn set Amelia down carefully on the bed, easing her weight off his back.

She sighed the moment she lay flat.

"See?" she murmured. "Already better."

Ryn didn't smile.

"You should rest," he said. "I'll stay."

Amelia turned her head just enough to look at him. "No."

He frowned. "Amelia—"

"You've done what you can here," she continued, voice steady despite the fatigue tugging at it. "Staying won't help either of us."

Ryn hesitated.

She reached out and caught his sleeve.

"Find the others," she said. "And while you're at it… listen. Ask questions. This place doesn't feel right."

"You noticed too?" Ryn replied.

She nodded, looking out at the only window that led outside.

He exhaled slowly.

"…You're sure?"

She nodded. "I'll be fine after some rest. I promise."

Ryn stood there a moment longer, then nodded once.

"Lock the door," he said.

She smiled faintly.

"I will."

Ryn stepped back into the corridor, the door closing softly behind him.

At least the one immediate problem was solved, now he had one more to go.

The streets narrowed the farther Ryn moved from the docks. He finally understood that being a human meant hitting his head every two seconds on random signs and architecture.

Ryn really appreciated [Limited Foresight] as a combat ability, but missed having [Enhanced Senses] as a passive ability. He was tempted to activate it just to traverse the city but thought better than to waste his MP.

People were everywhere.

And somehow, no one was available.

Ryn stopped the first dwarf he saw unloading crates near a side alley.

"Have you seen other humans recently?" he said. "Two men, one woman."

The dwarf barely looked up. "Didn't see 'em."

Ryn tried another. Then another.

All came up with similar responses.

Some shook their heads. Some shrugged. A few didn't stop walking at all.

By the fourth attempt, Ryn caught the pattern. Conversations died the moment he approached.

He adjusted his approach.

"Shipwreck survivors," he said to an older dwarf seated outside a workshop, hammer resting idle in his lap. "Pulled in from the sea."

"Have you seen them?"

The dwarf's grip tightened around the handle.

"...Haven't," the man said. "No one'd be stupid enough to go out to sea."

"Cept' for that bum, Hadrik."

What?

Ryn thought about what the dwarf said.

"No one'd be stupid enough to go out to sea."

Ryn stood there, frowning.

Did they know about the sea?

About the creatures? About the Evernight corruption?

His thoughts were cut off immediately, as a distinct sound filled the whole city.

A bell, going back and forth. At first Ryn thought it was just to indicate the time, such as noon.

But from the reaction of the city…that didn't seem to be the case.

The dwarf in front of him stood immediately, abandoning his hammer and bolted into his house.

"Wait," Ryn said. "What's going on?"

The dwarf didn't answer.

The door slammed shut, bolts sliding into place from the inside. Ryn even heard the slight jingle of several locks on said door.

He turned to see the rest of the area.

Shutters began to close—one, then another, then several at once.

The dwarf across the street abandoned his cart and ran, disappearing into a side passage.

Ryn stood alone in the middle of it.

"What…" he murmured.

Then, he felt it. The slight rumbling coming from the ground. A chill ran up his spine.

He had a hunch of what was happening, only the sounds of several could make such rumbling.

A Stampede.

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