Dema wasn’t used to Theora pacing at a heightened speed, so she stumbled a bit to keep up with her due to her shorter legs. Eventually, the two found themselves in front of a large inn on the other side of the garden, and entered.

The atmosphere inside was warm, the air thick. It smelled of food — potatoes, baked apple pie, a few herbal spices. The place was filled with people of all ages; apparently the villagers that didn’t bother staying in the garden in the cold used this place as a gathering spot during the darker months.

At the bar was a small man, fairly thin, with long hair, glasses, light skin and a welcoming smile.

Theora looked at Dema, who was pirouetting next to her, checking out every single person in the tavern with a curious, brimming smile. Like a child that had been given its favourite toy. Except to her, the toys were people. Nobody inside seemed wary of her; the guards had been, but that was just because it was their job not to let threats inside. Now that Dema was here, nobody had a reason to be suspicious of her.

Theora turned her gaze to stare at the Innkeeper, unable to make up her mind. Dema didn’t even notice how much she was hesitating. Finally, trying to steel her voice, Theora said, “One room, please. But make sure that it has two different beds.”

That was the best solution she could come up with. Staying in separate rooms seemed like the sensible thing to do, but…

At that moment, Theora realised that they really had no reason at all to stay in the same room. Even sleeping next door, there was no way Dema would pull anything. So, why one room?

She filed that curiosity of her own mind away for later. Instead, she ended up causing Dema to sulk dramatically by asking the barman to provide them with some paper.

“I wanted to steal it,” Dema lamented, sitting at an empty table, a stack and a pen in front of her. 

“I know. That’s why I asked for some before you could. Look, we got it for free, so what’s the matter?”

“The matter’s that it ain’t no fun if it ain’t stolen!” Now, she complained even louder — in fact, so loud, most people around probably heard.

Theora almost laughed. “I need to go now,” she said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, but if I’m late, feel free to just go to bed.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dema grumbled.

The small village called Dusketon contained a total of 86 houses. Over the next few hours, Theora systematically knocked on door after door, with the intended goal of visiting every single home. Each time, she asked a few short questions. Was there any trouble? Did anyone in the house require use of the System to survive? Was any person living in that house currently missing?

It was a small town, with only a few hundred inhabitants, and for most of them, the System turned out to be a mere afterthought. Something they used for their everyday tasks, but few of them actually had the need to access messages immediately. If it was just a few days, they said, everything should be fine.

The sun soon set, and the nightly hours arrived, however, Theora didn’t stop proceeding with her visitations. Even if it meant waking people up, it was important to check on every single person.

She reached house number 56 long past midnight, and was answered there by a woman in her sixties. She had a warm, lopsided smile, was wearing a pink nightgown and seemed vaguely bleary-eyed from sleep. It had taken her a few minutes to answer the knocks. The house smelled of basil and old books.

“Hello dear, how can I help?” she asked, opening the door as wide as possible.

“I’m here to offer assistance in case you need any,” Theora almost croaked. She was not used to talking this much and had strained her voice for hours. “Concerning the System being down.”

“Oh my, you need a cup of tea,” she groaned in an endearing tone and wildly gestured Theora inside.

Theora, however, didn’t oblige. “I still have more homes to visit,” she said.

“Yes, but keep watch of yourself, dear. You can’t help others while you ignore your bodily needs. Come, now. The water in the pot should still be warm enough to infuse a cup of green tea.”

Somehow, Theora found herself unable to refuse, and within just a minute, she sat on an old but sturdy chair in front of a dark oakwood table, surrounded by bookshelves.

“Do you live here alone?” Theora asked, just as the old woman came back with the cup, tea leaves still brewing in a small sieve within.

“No, my grandson’s here with me. Out tonight, though.”

“Where did he go?”

“Left for the woods, I presume. Hunting.”

Theora raised an eyebrow. “Hunting?”

“Yes. Or, levelling, to be more precise. There’s old ruins in the woods. It’s a place that attracts Afterthoughts.”

“I see,” said Theora. It was important not to make that woman panic. “Can you describe to me where it is?”

The woman smiled, and gave a concise description. Leave through the west gate, into the forest, take a few correct turns in the winding path. Theora nodded, edging it into her memory.

If the System had still been online, and if it hadn’t been currently rejecting her, this would have probably caused a side quest to pop-up. That said, if the System was still online, this all wouldn’t be necessary.

“I’m sorry,” Theora said, and got up. “I won’t be able to drink your tea now. I need to leave.”

“Oh? But you only just…”

The woman frowned. She stared at Theora for just a moment, as the pieces seemed to fall into place. “You said the System was down. Didn’t even notice.” A few more seconds passed, and the horror entered her expression. “Oh my god.”

“I will make sure he is safe,” Theora said, and left through the door.