The Orb And The Onslaught {COMPLETE}

Behind The Times

    "Is this it?" Quentin asked after five minutes in Kilmith. 

Florence had to laugh at him, "What were you expecting?" 

"I don't know, I took in everything you said about this place but I thought they might have advanced just a little in the forty or so years it's been." 

    "Excuse me, it hasn't been that long." Florence protested, though truth be told he was probably quite accurate. 

"No but seriously," Quentin continued and gestured around them. "This whole place makes me feel like I stepped back in time hundreds of years." 

    The change of scenery was a shock to the system after being in Saphos Woul for so long. If that Domain was futuristic, then Nuplax was definitely living way back in the past. Nothing in their technology or way of life had changed since Florence was last there. They didn't like change and it had probably been a struggle to get the boats in, unless money was involved then it would have been as simple as passing coins from one palm to another. 

    The worst of the lack of changes were immediately obvious, she could see people begging from where they stood and other slightly better off people walking by without a glance. The streets were dirty and the weather was fairly warm which meant it was summer here and rain would be scarce. A welcome change for the five of them but not for the people of Dorport, especially the ones with little to no money. 

     She turned to Quentin and the cats, "Watch yourselves, there may be a lot of poor people but there are also a lot of opportunists just ready to take advantage of unsuspecting 'tourists'." 

Quentin looked confused and his bad eye looked to be opening now which made the look all the more puzzled. 

"Thieves, there are lots of thieves and pickpockets just waiting to rob you of your valuables. Most are just trying to feed their families but others will take anything they can due to the lack of policing." 

    Quentin's mouth made a small 'o' shape and he checked everything he had was secure in his bag, which he kept a firm hold on. 

The cats nodded their understanding when she looked at them, they were tense and their ears were still pinned back as though they saw the whole Domain as a threat. It was probably a safe assumption to make.  

"So what are we looking for then?" Quentin asked. 

    They made their way across the street and Florence side glanced at him. "We make our way out of Kilmith first, this is most definitely not the worst place in Nuplax. I think we need to find the worst, most desperate town and go from there." 

Quentin looked up and down the street, "Any ideas where that might be?" 

Florence pushed away memories that were trying to resurface, she knew exactly where her mind wanted her to go and she wouldn't let it. 

    "We head North for now, we listen to the rumours and the talk of the towns as we go. Something should stand out, it usually does." 

Quentin looked ready to accept that until he looked around and frowned. "Don't tell me, we're going to have to walk. Because I can't see a Cantercraft or any other vehicle for that matter being caught dead here." 

Florence laughed, "No, I think it's safe to say we won't be seeing anything like that while we're here. If I remember rightly, there's a place to buy transportation nearby." 

    She led the way down the street, surprisingly they weren't approached by anyone. One good thing about Kilmith not changing is that Florence knew where everything was, her memory had served her right and they came upon the place a few minutes later.