Chapter 30: A Town Drowned
George was clearly nervous now that they were getting close to the town. He checked his gear twice and walked around the camp multiple times just to fight his anxiety.
"We should reach Three Lakes in two hours," he said. "The terrain ahead is clearer."
Reidar re-summoned his Sprites since the time limit was ending. They had many fights during the day. Not enough for the others to finally get to level 1, but many nonetheless.
They were all worn out.
"Stay close," Reidar said. "We don’t know what we’ll find."
The forest thinned out just as George said it would. Oaks that looked ancient but couldn’t have been more than a couple of weeks old finally gave way to open grassland. Walking got easier, but the group’s nerves—especially George’s—only seemed to tighten with every step.
"There used to be a wooden sign here," he said, stopping beside a splintered post. "Welcome to Three Lakes. Population 2,847."
The sign was gone. Only the broken post remained, surrounded by churned earth where something large had uprooted the structure, and with vines covering most of it.
"The road should be just ahead," George said.
They crested a small hill, and Three Lakes spread before them in the valley below.
George stopped dead.
"Oh God, no."
The town was in ruins. Buildings sank into piles of rubble and bent metal. Streets were cracked and split, with vegetation growing through the gaps. The three lakes that gave the town its name had expanded into a single massive body of water that seemed endless. It was barely possible to see the other side of the bank.
"Marie..." George paused for a moment. "Our house was right there." He pointed towards the flooded section of the distant town. "Where all that water is now."
Reidar put a hand on the older man’s shoulder. "We don’t know if she is dead. Maybe she wasn’t home when the changes were made."
George shook his head. "Look at it. Nobody could have survived that."
The destruction was extensive. Whatever had hit Three Lakes had been thorough. Buildings hadn’t just collapsed—they had been torn apart and scattered all over the place. Cars were overturned and crushed. Power lines hung in tangled masses.
Not everything was wrecked, though. The west side of town was still mostly standing, even if plants were pushing through cracks everywhere. A handful of houses looked okay, just a little beat up. A few shops were still upright too; their windows were busted, but the buildings themselves were ok and holding strong.
That was exactly where Linda had pointed. "There are still some buildings standing. People might have taken shelter there."
That gave some hope to George.
"We have to check," Reidar said.
George nodded, though he didn’t seem too sure things were looking good.
The group descended the hill toward the ruins. Reidar’s sprites returned with agitated chittering that made him frown.
"What is it?" Linda asked. Although she too now understood that when the Sprites acted like that, it meant something was ahead.
"They found something," Reidar said. "Monsters in the town."
George gripped his metal pipe tighter. "How many?"
"I can’t say for sure, but there’s enough to put the sprites on edge."
They approached the first standing house, a two-story structure with a collapsed porch. The windows were boarded up from the inside, suggesting someone had tried to fortify it.
<Maybe they are inside.>
Mike pointed toward movement in the distance. "There. Near that collapsed building."
Rift-sprites emerged from behind rubble piles and damaged structures. Not just a few—dozens of them. They moved through the ruins like scavenging rats, searching through debris.
–Ember Rift-Sprite—Level 2–
–Stone Rift-Sprite – Level 1–
–Aqua Rift-Sprite – Level 3–
–Wind Rift-Sprite–Level 1–
–Ember Rift-Sprite – Level 4–
–Stone Rift-Sprite – Level 2–
Reidar stared at the floating text above each creature’s head. The levels were far lower than anything he’d seen in days, and that was great for George and the others.
"They’re weak," he said, surprise clear in his voice.
"Do you think we might be able to kill them?" Frank asked.
"Look at their levels. Most are level one through three. A few level fours. Nothing higher. This is your chance to get to level five. You killed far stronger monsters, although you had my help."
"At least something good for once," Margaret said.
"It’s surely unexpected," Reidar said, nodding. "The monsters we’ve been fighting have been getting stronger every day. These look like they’re from the first day."
More sprites appeared from different areas of the town. They moved in small groups, chittering to each other as they searched through wreckage.
"I count at least a hundred," Sarah said.
"Maybe two hundred," Mike added.
The number was too high for the others, but Reidar had faced worse. There were still plenty of them around, especially considering that with this level of disparity, he would simply one-shot them.
"They’re weak enough," Reidar said, glancing at the others. "Each of you could probably take down a dozen on your own."
"Why are they so weak?" Margaret asked.
Reidar thought about the situation.
<It might be...>
"I’m not sure about this, but maybe proximity to human settlements affects monsters. Or maybe something about towns keeps them from growing stronger."
"Like what?" George asked.
"I don’t know. Maybe the system protects populated areas somehow. Or maybe the monsters that come to towns are different from the ones that spawn in the wilderness."
"I think I know the reason," Sarah said.
"Then?" Frank had an impatient look on his face.
"Well, it might be because the monsters are getting stronger because of mana, but if they aren’t, maybe it’s because the humans are... sort of... getting it instead of them?"
"It makes sense," Reidar said. "It would explain why the monsters in the wilderness are stronger, while those here are weaker." There was a serious look on Reidar’s face. "What I’m worried about is that it is not the monsters who are mutating here, but the humans."
"Maybe leveling up is a way to channel that mana, or it’s something that makes us more resistant to mutations," Sarah said.
"Maybe."
"Guys, stop thinking about these things and look." Linda pointed toward a group of sprites near them. "They’re definitely trying to get inside that building. I think there might be humans there."
Reidar had seen this kind of behavior already. Both when he found Sarah and the others and when he was at his own Gas station.
"They’re looking for survivors," Mike said.
"Or bodies," Frank added.
"We need to save them," Reidar said.
"Are you sure?" Frank didn’t like the idea. "If we go around saving whoever we find, we might die."
Margaret nodded. "While it’s true, it’s also a chance to get stronger. Besides, if we don’t help people, we will just end up being the only ones around, and being this few people surely is not going to be a great idea."
Reidar nodded. "Don’t worry. I’ve handled groups like this plenty of times. We won’t take any colossal risks, but you’ve got to get as many kills as you can. Even weak monsters can get dangerous in big numbers—so our best bet is to take them out in the shortest amount of time."
He studied the town layout. The sprites were spread throughout the ruins, but they congregated most heavily around the flooded areas. They also showed particular interest in some of the buildings — the ones still standing at least.
"They’re probably drawn to places where people might have sheltered," he said. "We will start with this building."
He summoned his full squad of Rift-Sprites. The level thirteen creatures materialized and awaited his orders.
"Scout the town perimeter," he told them. "Report back on monster concentrations and any signs of human activity."
The summons scattered, moving with far more coordination than their wild counterparts. Reidar watched them disappear into the ruins.