The rain slowed down to a little drip as Kaito reached the top of the hill. Down in a small valley between old rocks that were falling apart Kaito saw the first signs of people living there since everything changed. He saw a group of buildings that were put together from old metal, bent wood and parts of old ships. Lights were shining in the dark. They were not very bright. The air was cold and wet. It made everything look blue. Smoke was coming out of the chimneys. It smelled like something was burning, but also like something was rotten. The smoke carried the smell of burned meat and wet dirt. Kaito saw all of this as he looked down at the village and it made him feel curious, about the people who lived there.

  There was a sign at the edge of the path. It was half stuck in the mud. The letters on the sign were peeling off. The sign at the edge of the path said something, in these peeling letters:

  Rusthaven Outpost – Population: Fluctuating

  No Credit. No Mercy. Pay Up Front.

  Kaito let out a snort. That was one thing Kaito thought, at least these people were being honest, with him.

  His stomach was growling again it was louder than the thunder that was away. The 1,500 ? felt heavy in the pouch but he had no idea what things cost in this place. He needed to know how much food cost and what it would take to get a place to stay. He also wanted a weapon to protect himself. The 1,500 ? was not going to do him good if he did not know what to do with it. He needed to find out more, about this place before he started spending the 1,500 ? or people might think he was rich and try to hurt him.

  Kaito pulled his damaged hide cloak tighter. Went down the slippery path. His feet were still bare. They sank into the cold mud. The settlement did not have any gates. It just had a space, between two shacks that were leaning to one side. A man was standing there wearing leather armor that had patches on it. He was guarding the space. He looked very bored. The man was leaning on a spear that had an jagged piece of scrap metal on the end. He looked at Kaito like he was a dog that did not have a home.

  "Is that a new person being transferred here?" the guard said in a voice.

  Kaito nodded once. There is no point, in lying.

  “Debt or voluntary?”

  “Debt.”

  The guard laughed it was an ugly sound. He said "Figures you are a crawler?"

  Kaito thought about the rusted pole and the Rustwisps. He said "Something, like that."

  The man said to me "Keep your head down because Rusthaven eats meat. He jerked his thumb toward the center of the town.

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  The market square is that way.

  If you are looking for a place to stay the inn is called the Anchor.

  It has the beds but the worst stew.

  You should watch your pouch because people might try to steal from you.

  Rusthaven is not a place so you have to be careful and remember Rusthaven eats fresh meat."

  Kaito walked away quietly without saying anything. He just slipped past. That was it. Kaito did not look back. Say another word to anyone.

  The streets were really narrow alleys. They were full of mud and really messy. There were lanterns hanging everywhere. Sometimes you would see a glowing crystal stuck in the wall. People were around but you could hardly see them because they were all wearing hoods. They looked like shadows. Some people were trying to sell things to each other. A woman was sitting there sharpening her knives on a stone. A kid he could not have been more than ten years old was trying to sell some old nails. Everyone looked really tired. Hurt. The streets were full of people who had been through a lot. Nobody was happy. Everybody had something to protect themselves with. The woman had her knives. The kid had his nails. Nobody was smiling. The people of the streets were, about survival. The streets were a place to live.

  He got to the market square. It was a circle with stalls all around it. The stalls had torn roofs. The people selling things were calling out what they had in voices. They had dried monster meat, weird drinks, in bottles old knives that were bent and bunches of prickly plants. Kaitos Appraisal skill was working on its own. Noticed a few things:

  This Dried Ironjaw Strip is really useful. The Dried Ironjaw Strip restores 20 HP over 10 minutes. Also the Dried Ironjaw Strip gives you a boost of 5 Stamina.

  【Value: 80 ?】

  The mans mouth watered. He had money for a few strips of food maybe even a waterskin to drink from. But the food was not the thing the man needed. The man needed information, about what was going on.

  The man walked up to a stall. An older woman was sitting there. She had a leather patch over one of her eyes. The woman was selling bags and small bottles. She was also selling information. There was a sign that said so. The sign said Whispers & Wares – 50 ? per secret. This sign made it clear that the woman was selling secrets for 50 ? each. The woman had a lot of things, for sale at her stall, including these secrets.

  The woman said to the boy "What are you looking for?" in a voice.

  Kaito spoke softly. "I want to know about the debt. What is the deal, with these nodes and installments? Is there a way for me to pay off the debt faster? I mean the debt can I pay the debt sooner?"

  She took a look, at him and then she leaned in close. "Fifty" she said.

  The man gave her 50 coins from the pouch. A dull copper coin fell into her hand. She put the coin in her pocket without looking at it. The money was 50 coins.

  Debt is like a chain that Layer 0 uses to keep people like you in a spot. There are these things called nodes that act like collection points. They make you do the things they want. You have to pay them back a little at a time. You also have to buy time. The interest, on your debt goes up every month unless you can pay off nodes or find someone called a Debt Broker. A Debt Broker is someone who buys some of your debt. They do this because they want you to do something for them or because they want you to take on a risk job. This can be very dangerous. It can also help you pay off your debt faster. Debt is a problem and Debt Brokers can help with debt but you have to be careful.

  “Debt Broker?”

  There are some people around. One of them is in town tonight his name is Shade. Shade is usually at the Anchor after it gets dark. People say Shade has jobs that he wants done like going after animals that're hard to find or breaking into old ruins that nobody uses anymore or even getting money from people who did not pay what they owed. She touched her eye patch. If you do something to Shade you will lose a lot more, than just your money.

  Kaito swallowed. He asked if there was anything.

  For free? That sounds too good to be true. You have to watch out for the things that are hidden the things that're not what they seem. Not all monsters are animals some of them can walk on two legs, like people. Watch the shadows because that is where the real monsters are.

  She turned away, from the person and that was the end of the conversation. The conversation was now.

  Kaito bought three Ironjaw strips. That cost him 240 ?. He also bought a battered tin cup for 20 ?. Kaito ate one of the Ironjaw strips in an alley. It was salty and tough. It helped with the empty feeling, in his stomach. The Ironjaw strip also made Kaitos health a little better. Now Kaito has 1,190 ? left. That does not seem like a lot of money to him. The Ironjaw strips and the battered tin cup were expensive. Kaito is worried that he will run out of money soon. Kaito has two Ironjaw strips left. He hopes they will last him for a while.

  Night fell fast. Lanterns flared brighter, casting long shadows. Kaito made his way to the Crooked Anchor: a two-story hulk of