He was met with a large gate that was painted a sharp white, a constant against the atmosphere that surrounded them. From the outside, the small town looked empty.
Severin felt as if he could smell the despair that pressed heavily against everything. "This is Sector Delta."
Anansi nodded. "Yes. Come, let’s enter; I want to eat."
"I thought you just ate in the wasteland?"
"That’s just for survival. Come, I’ll treat you for getting me a good story in a while."
Severin followed him. They walked toward the gate when he turned to look back.
The carriage was gone, but that wasn’t what caught his attention. Everything apart from where the land toward the gate started was swallowed by deep, rolling darkness.
There was nothing like wasteland. Sector Delta was like an island surrounded by the dark, the sun made for only the city.
"Don’t mind that; it’s always been like that. Come, follow me."
They entered, and immediately it was as if a seal was removed as different noises and smells assaulted him. He stopped at the gate to take in what he saw.
Sector Delta reminded Severin of the epic movies he watched back on Earth with an open market: stalls that sold different things and an overcrowded stream of people, the pushing and pulling.
"What the..."
Anansi nodded. "This is the market, and it’s one of the neutral places in this city. It’s put directly in front of the gate so that people who are coming in can enjoy its neutrality before doing anything stupid."
Severin could see the logic behind that.
They walked in the middle of the crowd, and Severin couldn’t help but look around.
Different things that he did not understand or had seen before were on display for sale. But two things were common enough: food and weapons.
Every corner sold those.
Different smells of food, most of them he’d never seen before or would have thought could smell as nice as they did.
"The people here are only concerned with eating and surviving, so weapons and food."
"There are a lot of interesting artifacts and weapons," Severin said.
"Yes. There’s a big ruin in the middle of the city; it’s also the most dangerous place. But if you’re lucky, you’ll get something good."
Severin nodded. Maybe he should visit the place when he was done with his business. He honestly wished that the author had explored Sector Delta so that he could just take advantage.
"I don’t see any gold coins or silver," Severin pointed out.
"Here, you pay and bargain with anything. It depends on what the seller considers as valuable to them. Some might want you to do some work for them.
"You can owe them different levels of favor or just bring something they want."
"That seems chaotic."
Anansi shrugged. "It works."
Severin couldn’t deny that. With all the chaos, there was still order. "I wonder if that has to do with this place being a neutral place and everyone just doesn’t want to end up pissing off every other person."
"Come, we’ll eat here."
Anansi dragged him to the side, and they entered what seemed to be a tavern. It wasn’t that big, and almost all the tables were already taken.
Anansi strode forward and went to the bar area to speak with the keeper while Severin picked their table.
The place he wanted to sit, overlooking the door and everything else, was already taken. So he was forced to pick among the remaining.
He studied the people sitting and eating. They all looked normal, ordinary, but they were most likely like Anansi, who could keep what was inside him hidden.
"I wonder how many of them are monsters."
Anansi brought them food, four plates: three for him, one for Severin. "It seems food is going to get even more expensive again."
"Again?"
The food was some kind of meat broth and bread. It was actually simpler than Severin expected, but then again, he promised himself not to investigate the meat.
"Yes. There’s been a sharp decline in food through the years, and it’s getting worse lately. Soon, food might be the currency," Anansi said as he dug in.
"You don’t sound worried," Severin said, not touching the food.
Although they were speaking freely, their voices didn’t leave their sides. Anansi made sure of it.
Anansi shrugged. "Until those that remain in the whole Sector Delta and its surroundings could be counted by hands, I really don’t have any reasons to be worried about food."
Severin raised his brows.
Anansi was telling him plainly that he was among the top of the food chain.
Not bad.
"What did you pay for this?" Severin pointed at the food.
Anansi stopped eating and, looking up, frowned slightly. "I’m really curious about the world you came from. You’re so cautious about everything, as if someone or something is out to get you and might appear suddenly."
Severin stiffened. He had realized he had a habit like that. He nodded his head. He would have to change that; it wouldn’t do if he was so easily read.
But.
To have a habit like that. Severin didn’t realize his whole body had turned into something that’s constantly looking for someone to poke at it.
Anansi shrugged. "I once did something for the owner. I’m entitled to four plates from him every day, as long as the place is open."
Severin finally pulled it close and took a bite. "Not bad."
It was surprisingly not bad; the meat was tender, and the flavor perfect. It briefly crossed his mind about the type of food he was eating, but he quickly pushed it away.
They ate in silence, and Severin used the opportunity to study more of the people there. It was why he knew that the person making his way to their table had just come into the tavern.
The person had the appearance of a young man with warm brown eyes and a bright smile. He stopped beside their table and bowed with a flourish. "You are welcome, my fellow Earthling. How is Earth?"