Leaving town feels weird. The switch from somewhat narrow roads, with possible danger lurking around the next corner or behind every dumpster, to wide open fields, with only a few shrubs, stands of trees and the ever-prevalent irrigation ditches providing any kind of cover is both disturbing and refreshing. Sure, it means that enemies cannot suddenly jump out of their hiding places and pounce on you but it also means that if there are enemies, they see you. They and all their friends see you coming, possibly from miles away.

When the group of five leaves town, it doesn’t take long for them to run into trouble. Or rather, for trouble to spot and run into them. From behind them, out of a narrow alleyway, a group of two Shattered with one of the burning Shattered, a Scorched, emerge, the two Shattered rapidly picking up speed in their pursuit of the five, while the Scorched doesn’t need to follow. It can simply lob viscous globs of fire after them, the flames creating brightly burning pools as they impact the ground.

“Run or fight?” Clarence, one of their front-line fighters asks, looking for direction from their leader, even as James launches an arrow at one of the Shattered, narrowly missing its leg.

“Run,” Hu, their leader, declares, after a quick scan of the surrounding area. No enemies in sight, other than those running at them from town. So far, Shattered and Scorched have not shown interest in chasing people over long distances, hopefully, the pattern will hold true, even out here. A whistling sound cuts through the air, when James shoots again, this time hitting one of the Shattered in the leg.

The five of them fall into a ground-eating lope, not quite sprinting but also not jogging, something in between. It is a pace that they have occasionally used before when they felt that speed was more important than stealth, a pace that gave them the Athletics skill and even some points in it. None of them can endure the pace indefinitely but luckily, they don’t need to. The Scorched lobs a few more globs of fire at them but by the time their lungs scream for air, they have left the Shattered far enough behind them that the creatures gave up.

“Fun,” James grumbles, a little annoyed at the flight. Out here, his bow allows him to strike before any enemy can reach them and he even has unlocked a few skills that enhance his potential further. His only problem is ammunition. The well-made arrows he received from Old Lady Wu, perfectly straight carbon projectiles with sharp, machined metal points are far less effective than the arrows he carved himself, despite the lacking accuracy of his craft. Launching, and losing, two arrows might become a problem in the near future, he only has so many of them.

“No need to get into a fight, if we can avoid it,” Hu reminds him, though he can understand where James comes from. None of them truly know what they are, the strange, almost game-like, situation messes with them all, warps and twists their perception and understanding of reality. What just a few days ago was perfectly normal and common sense is now completely bizarre and suicidal, while the opposite also seems to be true. What used to be considered wrong and immoral turned into the normal and expected. Ordinary office workers putting in their nine-to-five, or craftspeople who worked their normal hours fixing stuff suddenly had to become soldiers, or mercenaries or whatever you wanted to call them. Fighting became necessary, not something you did to improve your physical fitness and self-confidence. No longer were the people preserving everyone's freedom the soldiers who made sure that any war was fought in foreign lands, or the policemen who did their best to keep crime contained and away from ordinary citizens. The state’s monopoly on violence was well and thoroughly broken, or rather, the state was broken, leaving nothing but chaos in its wake. Now, they have to adapt to the chaos, or they will be swept away. They and those few loved ones who survived the night of blue flames.

Their way to Apple Gate Farm turns out to be far longer than expected. They manage to follow the road, at least for a time, but far too often, they have to make detours and sneak through the fields. Only distance and staying hidden keeps them from running into the large, incredibly intimidating beasts that roam the area. They dared to disturb one, the first they encountered, a massive cow. After it started to run at them, shrouded in a red aura with what seemed to be steam shooting from its nostrils, none of them was interested in challenging it. Only a quick dive into a shallow ditch allowed them to escape, the beast not terribly interested in chasing them down and digging them out. It was in that ditch, that they buried any desire to fight these things, at least not without some better weapons.

For Clarence, the whole thing feels bizarre. He remembers the road, remembers driving down here to get some cider for a party just last year. The Apple Gate Cider was delicious but now, they have to walk there, to find out who is still alive. More than once, he woke up in the night, questioning if the whole thing was just one infinitely prolonged nightmare. And if he would truly wake up, if he just pinches himself hard enough.

Now, the trek out to the farm resembles a combat patrol, with danger lurking everywhere. If only he could wake up.

When they reach the farm, they are met with a rather enthusiastic welcome. The people there fled the city and surrounding farms on the day the changes hit and their livestock turned problematic. Instead of docilely waiting to be fed, a vast majority of their previously harmless livestock turned aggressive, driving away humans and stomping to death those amongst their number who turned Shattered. By the time morning had rolled around, and the flames of the night petered out, the newly empowered beasts wrecked the spaces that previously held them in, moving around the old fields with abandon. Attempts to herd them back, or to get them under control, were met with brutal resistance. Without any modern tools or weapons, just the thought to bring a herd of cattle to heel was ludicrous.

And so, the locals gathered on one of the produce farms in the area, Apple Gate Farm, forming a community of about thirty people. Gathering together for safety and protection, in a world that went mad.

When the group of five from the city arrives, it doesn’t take long for the two groups to start comparing notes on the system. What either side has found out is shared, in an effort to understand the bizarre new world everyone finds themselves in. Talk of magic soon spreads, partially spurred by a similar talk the five from the city heard the night before and as time passes, it becomes clear just how much everyone doesn’t know.

It takes hours of discussion and debate, to even nail down points that everyone can agree on. Some details seem to be dependent on the individual and even their preconceived notions in regard to such a system. Various novels and even tropes are suggested as truths, only for calmer heads to prevail and remind the younger generation that, so far, nobody even knows what is unknown, to say nothing about what might be possible in the future. Trying to use and exploit a system without actually knowing if those ideas are even possible is rejected as foolishness and by the end of the day, the five people who came from the city realise they have to stay the night. Simply because otherwise, they’d have to hike through the night, an experience none of them are ready for.

When the next day dawns, the discussion continues for a few hours, interspersed with physical training for those interested. Especially Clarence and Hu are stepping up as trainers, their prior experience and training in Wu’s Gym serving as a reference, all while goodwill is formed and the potential for the two-hundred people who have found shelter at Wu’s Gym to move out into the surrounding area is explored. The people need to leave the city, or disease will sweep through them, sending many more to an early grave.

In the afternoon, the five of them decide to head out, back to the gym. Two people from Apple Gate Farm decide to join them, in order to get a better idea of the situation within the city limits and exchange some ideas with Old Lady Wu and Commander Wong.

Only, they don’t get far. Between the city and the farm, a herd of cattle, easily a hundred strong, maybe even bigger, is peacefully grazing. Peacefully, until the seven people step too close, the moment that happens, multiple cows are moving towards them, shrouded in a red sheen of energy. The experience of the previous day is strong in them and their retreat is swift, even if people will worry about them.

One thing is for certain. Just because the countryside has less Shattered, it isn’t less dangerous. Only differently dangerous. And that carrying a mobile-phone for their entire adult lives has made them too reliant on technology.