The ranger station stood sturdy in a small clearing at the mountain's base, right below the dam. It was built from stone and wood, with clean lines and solid construction, clearly made by machinery, not by survivors just scraping by.
Martin held the door open for Reidar. "Our infirmary and the vendor are both here. Mara, our healer, and Morv'axil... well, you'll see."
"Is he a Thalassari?"
Martin's eyebrows rose in surprise before he gave a slow nod. "You've met one before. I should have guessed, coming from another settlement."
"I have. Don't worry," Reidar said. "Dealing with an alien is a far cry from putting down a feral monster. Strange as their existence is for us, they're traders, not predators."
He kept his face calm, but the memory of Keth'moran's strange eyes and all those heavy secrets still got to him. Martin's clasp on Reidar's shoulder broke the brief silence. "I can't thank you enough. You've given us a real chance."
He turned to a young man sharpening a spear near the doorway. "Find Lena. Tell her I need her."
The man nodded and left without a word. Minutes later, a woman entered. Her eyes, sharp and assessing, scanned Reidar before settling on Martin. She was on Level 45.
Reidar's confidence wavered for the first time in weeks, a cold knot twisting in his gut as he stared at the woman. Level 45 wasn't just a number; it was a challenge to every bit of pride he'd carried since leaving Three Lakes.
He'd believed his unique trait and summoned army made him a deviation, an unusual force in this ruined world. Yet here stood Martin's obvious second-in-command, and she dwarfed his own hard-won level 37.
His mind raced, trying to figure out the arithmetic of such power disparity. How many monsters had she slain? What grinding campaigns had she experienced?
The people of Havenwood were strong, but most were still around level 30. Her strength wasn't just high; it was an anomaly.
<She must have a trait too.>
"Lena," Martin said. "This is Reidar. He'll be with us for the next week. Please show him to his quarters."
Lena's eyes held steady, yet it was clear she resented escorting newcomers. "Naturally."
Martin offered a brief smile. "If you'll excuse me, there are defenses to oversee." He left, the door clicking shut behind him.
Lena stood still with an unreadable expression, then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke. "This way."
The corridor Lena was leading Reidar into was narrow, and there were different kinds of scents inside, most of which Reidar couldn't even discern.
Lena moved without making a sound. <She is good… I bet she is an assassin using video games logic, otherwise her ability wouldn't make sense.>
To Reidar, she might as well not have been there at all. If he hadn't seen her, he wouldn't have even known she was around.
Reidar studied her. She wasn't just high leveled, which pointed at her being strong. She was also smart. The subtle twitches on her face told Reidar she didn't like the idea of having to do what she was currently doing, but she had been smart enough to understand Martin's intentions without him not even talking. Reidar was an opportunity she couldn't let go.
He got the feeling she didn't care about people, only results. She was the kind who'd do whatever it took to get the job done, no matter who got hurt.
<That would explain why she is so high-level.>
Reidar wasn't far from the truth.
"This is the main hall," Lena said, gesturing to a large room with a long table. "We usually meet here when we need to make decisions. The armory is through that door. No one goes in without Martin's or my say-so."
Reidar gave a nod. The whole place felt practical and bare-bones, every corner set up for staying alive. They walked by a bunch of smaller rooms, a mess hall, storage spaces crammed with boxes, and a barracks lined with plain cots.
Lena stopped before a door marked with a crude green cross. "Infirmary." She pushed it open without knocking.
Inside, a man and a woman stood close, their conversation halting the moment the door swung open. The woman had brown hair pulled into a messy bun and a stained apron over her clothes. She offered a tired smile. The man looked pragmatic and had calloused hands. He took a half-step back when Lena and Reidar entered. He kept his expression neutral, but Reidar noticed traces of agitation.
"Lena," the woman said, her voice warm but edged with exhaustion. "And you must be the new arrival."
"Reidar Miller," he said.
"Aaron," the man offered with a curt nod.
The woman wiped her hands on a cloth. "Mara. I patch everyone back together. We had heard about you already. One of the guards you saved at the wall couldn't stop talking about the man who commanded a monster army."
"How'd he get here before me?" Reidar asked. The fight had just ended.
Mara gave a slight, weary shrug. "When you can mend a broken leg in minutes, logistics get a lot simpler. Mystical powers tend to warp your sense of the possible, and I bet Martin took his time before bringing you here. We couldn't possibly make the injured wait, right?"
Reidar glanced at the row of cots, most now empty. "How bad was the situation today?"
"Thanks to you, it was nothing too serious," Mara said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "A few deep gashes, a couple of broken bones. We patched everyone up."
"That explains why you look so tired," Reidar said.
The healing effort must've drained her mana badly, leaving her with that hollowed-out look that comes from pushing yourself too far to fix others.
Mara gave a dry chuckle. "It's not polite to tell a woman she looks tired."
"My apologies," Reidar said, offering a slight, respectful nod. "I didn't mean any offense."
"Don't worry about it," Aaron interjected, while Mara gave him a dirty look. "Around here, that 'hollowed-out look' is usually a badge of honor. It means someone pushed their limits for the sake of the town."
"It is not just around here," Reidar said, thinking about those he left at the Three Lakes.
"Speaking of which," Aaron said. "I handle the Smiths. I'm an engineer by trade, and if your gear needs mending, my workshop's your best bet."
"Appreciate it," Reidar said. He noted the way Lena's eyes lingered on the two of them, but he dismissed it.
They'd been deep in their own talk before he and the weird woman entered. Her looks were probably just wanting to get back to the place tour.
"We're done here," Lena said. She turned and walked out. Reidar offered a last nod to Mara and Aaron before following her back into the dim hall. The tour, it seemed, was far from over.