I wandered the streets of Hiver Town, holding a mug of alcohol, stumbling on the uneven road.

The streets were growing more and more deserted. Uman had prepped me on a suggested route. Thanks to our earlier tour of the town, he seemed to have a sense of the areas that would become more dangerous at night.

Uman had insisted that I shouldn’t expect to be kidnapped tonight. Being kidnapped, he stressed, took patience. If not tonight, we could wander the outskirts of the town tomorrow, and plan on returning late in the evening. The most important thing was to not act or look suspicious, or too scary.

It wouldn’t do to intentionally walk down dark alleys, either. It took something a little more subtle than that, Uman had said.

After what felt like hours, they finally found me.

I turned a corner and there they were. Four masked and cloaked men, not showing an inch of skin. Two held swords, one held a bow with an arrow nocked and pointing at me. The third had nothing in his hands, but he moved fluidly behind me to cut off my escape.

I fumbled to draw my cheap sword, but the weaponless man punched my arm, and then jabbed his fingers into my neck. It felt like he was hitting pressure points, and my vision greyed a little.

With my Physical Defense as high as it was, if something could make my vision grey, it would probably be enough to knock the average person out.

I let my body collapse to the ground. Then, I felt something hard strike the back of my head.

“Sturdy little fucker,” were the last words I heard before I saw darkness.

I woke up to the feeling of motion, and the sound of creaking wheels. Rather than move myself, I focused on my senses.

I could feel the familiar weight of my bead necklace on my chest, and my Interdimensional Pouch still hung on my belt.

I could hear light breathing around me. Cracking my eyes open slightly, I saw that I was lying next to several bodies—likely unconscious as well.

There was very little light where we were. We seemed to be in some kind of a covered cart, judging by the consistent and rocky forward motion and absence of light.

My hands and feet were tied, and I had no idea where my cheap sword was.

I settled in for a long, chilly ride.

It was a testament to my own exhaustion that I fell asleep several times in that bumpy cart.

When I heard the sound of gates opening, I thought I had almost arrived. But then, to my surprise, about ten minutes later, I felt the distinct tingling sensation and then temporary absence of all my senses that indicated that I was traveling through a Teleportation Circle.

This seemed unnecessarily complicated. But it made me glad I had chosen to be kidnapped.

Only a few minutes after teleporting, my captors finally uncovered the cart and I felt a gust of freezing wind blow towards me.

It was still dark outside, but the stars and the moon provided enough light that I was able to see my surroundings clearly.

I was in a Schema Town built up on the edge of a mountain. It was the smallest town I had seen so far—I could only make out three buildings, and the walls were tall, but they didn’t claim much ground. There was snow all around us—either we were at a high enough elevation, or far enough north, or both.

The stars were clearer than I had ever seen them, and the freezing gust of air that entered the cart was some of the freshest air I had ever breathed.

“Up and out!” One of my captors shouted, gruffly, whacking the nearest prisoner with the flat of his sword.

It wasn’t really the most considerate command, all things considered. We were tied up, hands and legs.

We managed to stumble our way out of the cart and we faced our captors.

“Welcome to the middle of fucking nowhere,” the skinniest man said, waving a sword wildly for emphasis. He had a nasally voice and he was trembling, despite the heavy coat he wore. “You’re here to mine interesting things from this mountain.” The man held up a handful of Mana Beads and gems. “It’s simple. The more you find inside the mountain, the more food and supplies you get in return.”

The man sneered at us. “There’s one catch. There’s this poisonous gas inside the mountain.” He held up a vial. “This is the antidote. You need to take one of these each day—if not, you lose strength, and eventually, you will die. Out of the generosity of our hearts, we will give each of you one day’s antidote, a pickaxe, and a warm jacket. It’s up to you to earn your keep after that. If you die down there, it’s no skin off our backs. Any questions?” It was clearly a taunt—our captors were already leading us towards a gaping hole in the mountain.

I stopped walking, and raised my hand.

Everyone froze, and stared at me.

“I have a question,” I asked, feeling fury rise inside me, and excitement, at finding my family soon.

I let my bindings fall to my feet, and I drew the Vampiric Blade from my pouch. “I am looking for a brother and sister, Petra and Justin Novak. One is 18, and one is 26. If you tell me where they are, I might let you guys live.”

The moment I drew my sword, two arrows flew towards me from the distance.

I was already burning Agility, and I started moving, but I was too late to escape the first arrow.

The arrow sunk into my side, and I felt true pain for the first time in the last week.

Every other time I’d been hurt, there had been a pain threshold, thanks to Samantha. Things hurt, but not this much. Even when I had been an inch from death, I hadn’t been in this much pain.

I was still moving when the arrow hit my side, and as my stride grew longer, I felt my side stretching and burning even more.

I winced, and flinched, and then another arrow struck my chest. I felt the arrow nick a rib, and then dig deeper into my body.

My chest burned. I was still moving towards the skinny, nasally man, and as I breathed, I flinched again, cringing, at the burning pain.

I realized, belatedly, that I should have put more mana into Physical Defense.

I didn’t have Samantha’s timing, and I was making too many mistakes.

I put even more mana into Agility and Physical Defense.

The next moment, I had my blade to the neck of the skinny nasally man, and both his wrists gripped in one hand.

I twisted so his body was in between me and where one of the arrows had come from.

I heard a sharp pop come from the man’s wrists, and the skinny man cried in pain.

I was immediately tempted to lighten my grip on his hands, but I hardened my heart. I needed answers.

“Petra and Justin. Where are they?”

“I-I don’t know—“

Even as the man I was holding stammered, the other captors nearby attacked.

I blocked an incoming blade with my sword, and then I felt the strange, sharp jabs around my body at various pressure points.

Fortunately, my Physical Defense was high enough that it was nothing but a tickle.

I spun towards the man who was jabbing me, raising my blade, to strike, and then froze, in shock, and I watched my blade travel directly through his torso.

Two halves of the man’s body fell to the ground, and I caught his eyes, frozen in shock, before his torso fell face down into the ground.

I felt myself panicking, hyperventilating. I hadn’t meant to kill him. I didn’t want more blood on my hands. I didn’t think—I never thought my blade would actually slice directly through.

Samantha’s kind voice, but snide words, interrupted my thoughts.

Glancing away from the dead body, I flinched and retracted my hand, just as the swordsman’s blade sliced down at my left wrist, which had been holding both of the skinny captor’s hands behind his back.

The skinny captor stumbled away, and I felt a searing pain on my forearm.

Another arrow flew towards me the moment the skinny guy left my grip, but I was ready for it. I was already moving, targeting the other swordsman.

I grabbed the swordsman’s right wrist, boosted my Strength, and then squeezed until I heard his wrist crack.

It had been an accident the first time, but it should work as a way to incapacitate the man.

The skinny guy was running away, towards the biggest building.

“Petra and Justin,” I growled at the remaining swordsman. “Where are they?”

The swordsman grunted in pain. “In the mines, dumbass.”

Feeling sick to my stomach, I squeezed his other wrist until it popped as well. I saw two more archers running towards the biggest building in the area.

There was probably a Teleportation Circle, there.

I didn’t have the heart or energy to stop them.

I glanced behind me, at the shocked faces of the three remaining captives. Two were just teenagers, a boy and a girl shivering next to each other, and the third was a middle aged woman.

I slit their bindings with my knife, and I frog-marched the swordsman towards the biggest building.

The building was built like a warehouse, and it didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to notice that the cart tracks in the snow led directly towards it.

Entering the building, I noticed the Teleportation Circle front and center. Most of the space was taken up by crates of supplies—I could make out coats, firewood, pickaxes, and the like.

I led the swordsman up a flight of stairs, finding an empty, cozy room with a roaring fireplace, thick fur rugs. The room had a slanted ceiling, and through a frosty window I could see a view of the tiny town. I could see the wagon, and next to the wagon a dark, gaping hole in the mountainside.

Built into the wall, was an empty safe, with the door wide open.

Most importantly, there was a podium, holding a Town Control Crystal. Walking over to the Control Crystal, I placed my hand on it and claimed the town for myself after a brief wait.

Congratulations! You have become the District Mayor of Veyrier Town. +1 to your two highest stats when you are fighting in your District.

Once I had full access to the town system, I immediately set the Teleportation Circle to reject all incoming travel, and to leave all departures as “pending” until approved by me. I also surveyed the information on every building inside the town.

I frowned immediately, noticing in the blueprints provided that this building had a jail underground.

The basement was a dimly lit prison. The cells were built out of a sturdy, seamless stone, with doors made out of a dark, thick wood.

“Petra! Justin!” I called out the moment I entered the cells, but I didn’t have much hope.

I opened each cell, but they were all empty.

I tossed the swordsman into one of the open cells. “How many other people are in this town?”

“Just us,” the swordsman whimpered. “The boss and the others already left. There’s no one left, except for the prisoners in the mine.”

I would need to verify that, first, before I searched for Petra and Justin in the mine.

I was aching to find Justin and Petra. But there were some things I knew I had to do first. Secure the area. Loot the kidnappers. Have the former captives wait by the Teleportation Circle in case Petra and Justin come out of the mine. Then, I will be ready.

I would finally find my family.