Follow the rabbits lead...

Vylorun speaks up, trying to calm down the guard: "It's just me, Vylorun, a humble creature of god. I've been here many times before. This is my friend, Jerome. We need to find a ferry to cross the river. We are peaceful travelers and mean no harm."

You stand nervously behind Vylorun, your fingers occasionally straying to your Glock 19. His assurances don't quell the unease you feel, especially given Vylorun's odd behavior.

The guard seems to be easing up, slowly lowering his crossbow. "Fine, come in. But be quick about it. The high priest is not too fond of outsiders."

As you both enter the settlement, you note the starkness of the buildings and the stiffness of the people's expressions. It's clear that this place has seen its fair share of hardships and isn't swift to trust strangers.

You and Vylorun are accompanied by a group of armed guards - four tough-looking guys. Three of them are with crossbows, the fourth is holding a worn and slightly rusty pump-action shotgun, on the metal of which your eye notices the barely noticeable, half-erased inscription “Browning”. Probably this guy with a pump-action shotgun is the leader of this small detachment.

These guards are dressed in dirty grayish robes with white symbols in the chest area. The symbols are triangles with a cross in the middle.

The guards take a significant portion of your supplies and your water as payment for allowing you and your friend into this settlement.

You watch this with regret.

You'll probably have to find a way to resupply soon. Otherwise, hunger and thirst will not take long to arrive.

However, it is also easy for you to guess that being indignant and bargaining in this situation are only ways to increase the number of problems.

Vylorun looks at your dejected expression with a knowing look and whispers to you: “It’s okay, Jerome. These are the rules here. We were lucky that they allowed us to pass and did not shoot at us. Now, we will have to pay for the right of passage and the right to use the ferry ... "

After collecting the fee, the leader of the guards looks at you and your companion with a contemptuous glance.

This glance makes you feel uneasy.

It’s strange: it’s as if you are guilty of something... something oppressive and overwhelming... something inescapable and something that makes you feel your own insignificance...

The leader of the group of guards succinctly says in a hoarse and deep voice, addressing Vylorun: “You know where to go. You have already been to our settlement before.”

Your friend nods.

After this, a group of guards leaves, taking with them a significant part of your supplies.

So now you and Vylorun must board the ferry.

You are walking along the streets of this settlement. Your gaze wanders over the many huts that are made from the remains of ancient ruins and various additional primitive materials.

Local inhabitants avoid you. For some reason they try to stay away from you and Vylorun. At the sight of you, children dressed in tattered rags immediately run inside the huts. The women, each wearing a long floor-length skirt, look at you fearfully with an expression of fear and... disgust. The men see you and your friend off with looks filled with contempt. A couple of times you see people just… spitting in the direction you’re walking.

You look at Vylorun blankly.

He says quietly: “Please, not now... Chatting can harm us... All questions later. Now we need to take the ferry and cross the river.”

So you both keep walking.

In the center of this small settlement (the local population probably numbers about a couple hundred people) is that tall building that you noticed from afar. This building looks the most impressive, clean and reliable of all the buildings in this settlement.

Your companion says: “Sacred Chapel... The center of this settlement and the place that gave its name to this entire settlement. The one who rules in this place lives exactly there..."

You ask: “Who is this?”

Vylorun responds nervously, glancing briefly at the locals who are watching you move through the streets: “We shouldn’t discuss this now...”

Indeed, there is logic in your friend’s words - now you just need to cross the big river. For this you need a ferry. You don't need additional problems.

But the curiosity in your mind never goes away.

Why do all the locals look at you like you're disgusting?

Even as you make your way towards the ferry, you can't shake the feeling that there's something more beneath the surface here, something that has caused Vylorun's sudden nerves and the settlement's secretive atmosphere. And you're not sure if it's a danger that you should confront or a mystery worth unraveling.

Vylorun, sensing your unease, takes your hand reassuringly. "Trust me, Jerome. I wouldn't lead us into danger. And besides, there's something about this place that makes me feel like there's more to uncover. Let's focus on finding the ferry and see what happens next."

As you both approach the ferry, you notice a peculiar symbol etched onto the side of the boat. It resembles a stylized eye within a triangle, an emblem you've only seen in ancient texts and legends. You can't shake the feeling that this symbol might hold the key to understanding the strange atmosphere surrounding the settlement.

The ferryman, a grizzled old man with a patch over one eye, sizes you both up before agreeing to take you across the river. As the boat sets off, you can't help but feel like you're embarking on a journey that will take you far beyond the simple act of crossing a river.

Throughout the voyage, you and Vylorun exchange furtive glances, both contemplating the symbol and the strange events that have unfolded. You can't help but wonder if there's more to this journey than meets the eye as you cross the river.