After getting enough information out of the grandmother and grandson as they could, Eriladar let them go to get some rest, and then they found somewhere to settle down for the night.
Unwilling to enter one of the empty houses, they searched for an inn or somewhere to spend the night. It didn't take long to explore the area, and they soon found a big, abandoned building that had many rooms they could select from. They said farewell to each other at the entrance to their rooms, then went in and there was a stillness in the hallway that was left unbroken.
Nox closed the door to the room and took a deep breath in. It had all been nonstop since the incident at the bookshop and he hadn't had the chance to have a proper rest. But now he was on his own and away from all the hubbub, he had a moment to calm his emotions and think over everything that had happened.
The one he most worried about, however, was Faye. They hadn't known each other long, but from the moment he had laid his eyes on her outside the bookshop, he had felt a connection with her. This made him decide to talk to the female NPC and get to know her. However, prior to them being able to have a meaningful discussion, the bug had appeared in the shop and transported him to a place outside of the game world.
Regret always hung over him, but he could not get back to Archeline and Faye, so he had to tag along with the others and wait to find out if it was possible to return to the game. Despite the constant war between regret and hope, he stayed quietly alongside Ashlyn and didn't fret about it.
Forgetting about that for now, Nox went to the window to pull the curtains closed and something about the fog made him pause for a moment. Nox looked at the fog, deep in thought, as he ruminated over what made their group different from those in the village that had disappeared and if it had anything to do with the fog or the masked people who had shown up out of the blue. And why had some villagers been left behind?
What made the masked people take some but not the others? From what he had seen of the grandmother and grandson, there was nothing special about them. And just as he was thinking this over, something flashed by in the fog and entered the shop across from the inn.
Nox furrowed his brows and watched the shop for any further movement, but none came. Turning away from the window, he strode to the door and exited the room. Inwardly, he questioned why anyone would take the chance and go out when the night had grown so late since there was something suspect and dangerous about the fog.
Even if that was the case, he couldn't let anything pass by that could be a potential clue that could tell them what had happened to the villagers.
☽
With heavy breaths, the thin man scavenged through the shop and tried to grab anything that wasn't rotten or inedible. He had been waiting all day for the evening and for the visitors to leave the streets so he could run to the shop and get everything he needed. Since the villagers started disappearing, life in the village had been dismal and it was getting harder to live day-to-day life as he had done so before.
The evening was the only time it felt safest to go outside. At first, he didn't dare to when the masked men were wandering the village and the fog appeared, but after they left, he felt it was a good time to leave his home. Supplies would only last so long and he wouldn't survive if he didn't gather up his courage and go to the shops.
He quickly gathered everything he needed and shoved it into the bag hanging off his shoulder. Then, with a racing heart, he ran to the shop's entrance and yanked the door open before sprinting outside. He was just over the threshold when a forceful hand grabbed his arm, making him stumble and almost collapse to the ground.
He had to lift his head to look at the person who had a tight hold on his arm. The man was tall and imposing, with dark hair and crimson eyes that peered down at the one still in his grasp. Taking in the frightful sight, his heart almost seized in his chest and he almost fainted on the spot.
The man was more terrifying than the masked men and he started struggling, trying to free his arm and get far away from the man as far as he could.
And before Nox could even say anything, the man pleaded, "please let me go! I saw nothing and I know nothing! I just want to go home." The man was almost crying, and he had to work hard to stay upright.
Nox saw the man's struggles and let go. He felt a little disappointed with himself and thought back to when he was in the dungeon and how frightened the players had been when they first saw him. His appearance was something he couldn't change, nor could he have gone against the demands written into his data, so living life with his normal demeanour was impossible.
Still ruminating on the past, Nox tried to soften his tone and said, "sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. I saw you enter the shop and just wanted to ask you some questions."
The man heard his gentle voice and calmed down a little. This seemed to be the case of looking rough on the outside but being soft on the inside. He was still shaking and his voice even more so when he replied, "o-okay."
He had no choice but to follow Nox back to the inn.