Ethan walked down the muddy path. He had already changed out of his snowy coat and into his gray and lighter-weight cloak. The gates of the small town were closed when he approached, and two guards stood by them.

“Halt traveler,” said the taller guard. “We are closed to all business for the foreseeable future. Return from whence you came.”

“I was away that might be the case and that is why I am here. This is my identification.” Ethan took out a small badge from his cloak. The guard's faces changed when he presented the badge.

“What are you doing here my lord? What can we do for you?”

“I am here to escort everyone from here into the mountains so that you can be housed at a residence of the Elders. They have decided it would be best for you to move out before the undead army reaches us and have allocated a place for you to stay.”

“Follow us in. We will show you to the town mayor. He will be better with these matters than us.”

The shorter guard opened the gate and let them inside and Ethan looked around. All of the shops in the square were closed up and the windows of the houses were also locked up. No one was In the streets except for a few guards that were on patrol. Ethan was led up the dirt path to a two-story house with a balcony and patio.

The guards knocked on the door and a servant opened the door.

“What is it. The mayor is not to be disturbed. This better not be another stupid request.”

“No. We have brought a guest from..”

“Great you let in someone …”

The guard cut him off. “As I was saying. This guest is from the Kings Research Group. He knows the Elders of the mountains and they have agreed to help up.”

“Very well. Follow me.”

Ethan followed the mayor’s servant this time and was led to the mayor’s office on the first floor where he waited. The mayor didn’t take long to arrive when Ethan began repeating the same information. The mayor double-checked the badge twice and listened to his story intensely.

“I and the people of the town sincerely thank you for coming. I have a single communication crystal I have been using to get info on where the undead are in relation to our town and it doesn’t look good. We had hoped that the number of undead sent to our town would be small, but that was just blind faith. We had considered sending some of our people into the mountains to live and forage, but not all of our people can survive the weather or have problems that could make it difficult to stay there. Regardless, I will have everyone in the town begin packing up. I believe I have an old map of the trails somewhere around here. Is there anything else that you need?”

“I would just like to know how long it will take for you to begin the hike up the mountain?”

“That will probably take until tomorrow morning at the latest. Some of them may not want to leave or will try and delay until later in the day. I will make sure everything gets done as soon as possible. For now, I can have Gerald show you to one of the extra rooms in the house.”

“Thank you.”

Ethan was led by Gerald into one of the bedrooms on the second floor. He threw down his bag and sat on the bed.

“Let me know if you need anything, sir. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Of course.”

-------

Word of leaving soon spread to every people within the town. Responses were mixed and feelings grew as their fellow man started to follow the orders of the guards.

“You can’t just have us pack and leave our homes like we are vagrants. The mayor promised that you could protect us.”

“Orders have changed, and we will continue to protect you. If you follow along,” said the guard stoically.

“What about the older people?” asked a second townsperson.

“They will be joining us as well in any way we can help to transport them. Our focus however is the women and children of the village. Please keep packing. I have my own family to check on as well and I would rather not waste my time arguing with you.”

“I would like to meet with the mayor then if you won’t help us. The undead army wasn’t supposed to be here so soon. I don’t see why we can’t wait until we know they will be here. Who knows maybe they will skip over us like some of the other outlying towns and villages.”

“We don’t know what will happen but going into the mountains is the best option we have,” said the guard. “I won’t force you to go but you may end up as a slave in either life or death if you stay. The upside I suppose is that anything the others leave here will be your for the taking and maybe you will be able to protect your life with it. You have until tomorrow afternoon to decide and join the last group of people.”

“Then go. We don’t want you here anymore.”

The townspeople still grumbled as the guard left. At the gates, the local merchant group and workers started loading cargo and preparing the carts as well as other inspections. The guards worked to maintain order when needed but otherwise became a laborer like much of the other townsfolk that found themselves loitering around.

The horses were also fed extra because space was going to be limited. Most of the citizens gathered only the essentials needed to survive along with a few personal items. Others found places to hide their most valuable items in the hopes of being able to retrieve them in the future.

------

Ethan woke up early in the morning. The rest had been a nice break from the constancy of travel he had been experiencing. To start the day, he checks through his bag and personal items before heading downstairs. The sun still wasn’t quite up yet so no one in the house was out of their rooms yet.

Ethan stepped outside into the cold air and looked around.

‘Soon this place will be turned into a ghost town if they are lucky. The undead have no need for most of the materials here too they will burn and destroy everything just to spite the people who live here. I need to get something to eat and then head out to my next location. Several farms serve this town and have people that could join in the journey with the others up the mountain. It is sad to see the farmland disappear, but their talents in growing food and herbs for medicine could be useful elsewhere.’

Ethan turned around and returned inside in search of Gerald. The sun had started peeking through the windows of the main room. Seated on one side was Gerald in a chair eating a meal.

“Mr. Gerald can you help me find some more food. The room was quite nice and enjoyable.”

“Of course, sir. I’m glad it was to your liking. I’ll bring some over from the kitchen.” He set down his food and left to go to the kitchen. Ethan sat down in one of the open seats in the room and waited. Gerald came out quickly with a warm bowl of food. Ethan tried a taste before continuing the conversation.

“I will be setting off soon. About the time the first group leaves in the morning. I want to thank you and the mayor for your hospitality. As is my mission I will check on the surrounding farms and areas for other people to join you on your journey. Treat them well and do not fight. The Elders will provide enough resources for you all for at least a while before you get settled into the mountains and understand the realities of living there.

“Though let me give you a word of warning to pass on to the mayor. The Elders will be nice to a point. They have their own goals and ambitions. They are helping because they chose to. Not because they are human like us. Whatever you do not make them angry.”

Ethan picked his food back up and began eating once more. Gerald looked at him a bit differently than before. He paused and thought about what he had said before also returning to his food. Once Ethan was done eating he put his bowl in the kitchen and began packing up.

There wasn’t much for him to do in that regard. Looking through his bag he found that it still had everything still in it. There was a variety of books and papers from his research and the libraries that were now gone, travel rations also sat in the bottom of the bag with his mana-powered ship.

‘I should grab a horse if I can, but I shouldn’t be too overbearing with their hospitality. The ship will have to be used another time.’

Ethan swung the bag over his shoulder and headed out the door. He nodded to Gerald on the way out of the house and started his walk to the farms.

The sun was now rising as he left. People were walking about and making conversation with one another as they prepared to leave. Some had stayed up overnight to make sure many of the goods were prepared for travel. Out of a restaurant people were filing in and eating their fill with all of the excess food that they couldn’t take with them.

Some still protested in the streets, but most had given up on trying to change things. Ethan eventually ignored the people around him and made his way to his next destination. He still had much work to do.