The day before, Rosario, Stefan and Franziska arrived from the northwest, following an old highway that led towards the last town on the eastern side of the highland: Spiez. Further east, the presence of behemoth trees and monsters was so high that no other human settlement existed.

However, instead of going into town, they looked for a smaller road that led to the Valley of the Simme, where they had expected to find crystals. Now, as they drove back onto the highway, they headed east, hoping to reach Spiez before their vehicle broke down. Going back west wasn’t an option, as the last city they passed was almost a day’s drive away and, in the current state of the camper, it would take them much longer if the vehicle didn’t leave them stranded before.

By the time they reached the highway, it wasn’t that late in the afternoon yet the sun almost reached the western mountaintops. They were now in the region known as the Highland; a flat extension of land surrounded by mountains. The town they expected to reach was by the shore of one of its two lakes, although from the road they couldn’t see anything but forest, and the old highway was barely a one lane of broken asphalt, with segments filled in with dirt and gravel to make it usable. The once leveled road was now wavy, but considering how far away they were from any major settlement, it was fortunate the locals kept it so well. Rosario wasn’t sure they could have made it through a rougher terrain without their vehicle overheating.

Soon they began spotting ruins of buildings and factories in the surrounding forest, a sign they were now close to Spiez. Or so they hoped. 

“I’ve been thinking about this a bit more,” said Rosario. “Once we arrive, I’m going to say we’re there to sell our crystals and to repair our vehicle. We won’t say a word about the monsters we saw in the forest to anyone, only to the leaders of the town.” The siblings looked at her, confused. “I don’t know how this place is organized; if they have a council, a chief, or a mayor, but the thing is, we will only break the news to them.”

“Why?”

“Because people sometimes panic when there is something bad about to happen, and they end up doing more harm to themselves and others. We may accidentally spread rumors, and that can get out of hand fast. It could also be they’ve dealt with these monsters before and we’re worrying about nothing, but even so, I don’t want us to cause unnecessary alarm.” The siblings didn’t seem convinced. “Don’t worry, if we see that it’s necessary, we’ll tell everyone. Okay?”

They nodded and drove in silence for a moment.

“What about the people who were feeding the monster?” asked Franziska. “Do you think they’re from the same town we’re going?”

“Yeah, what if they’re there, recognize us, and want to attack us again?” added Stefan.

“They wouldn’t attack us inside the town, right?” responded Franziska, but still looked at Rosario for confirmation.

“I agree with Franzi. I think we’ll be safe there. Still, we should be careful--“

Rosario was interrupted by Franziska pointing ahead. “Look! The road’s blocked!”

Not far ahead, there was an overpass now turned into a gate, cutting off the road. Behind it was a guard post reinforced with metal plates. Rosario brought the vehicle to a halt, and as she saw the door of the building open, she stepped out and waved her arms.

“Hey! Please don’t come any closer. We’re crystal hunters,” she warned. “We’re looking for the town of Spiez.”

“You found it!” announced a man from behind the fence. “Store your crystals and you’re welcome to come in.” 

Over the next minutes, Rosario and the children placed all the processed and raw crystals they had, as well as the bullets for Rosario’s weapon and the projectiles for Stefan’s slingshot, inside a thick metal container that looked like it could have been, at one point, used to transport dangerous materials. They then removed all crystals from their hair and accessories, as well as changing into clothes that didn’t have any sewn into them, and placed them inside a second similar vessel.

Only after double checking the camper for stray crystals or traces of dust, did Rosario descend from the vehicle and walk towards the gate. Stefan hopped into the driver’s seat and waited for her signal to drive closer to the gate.

As they watched her walk away, the siblings noticed a metallic fence topped with barbed wire that ran near the road, just behind the first line of bushes and trees.

“What are those?” said Franziska, pointing at a series of large glassy rings placed at regular intervals along the fence. They emitted a bluish glow, and upon closer inspection, it was noticeable the vegetation immediately around them was dry.

Stefan looked at them, noticing a series of cables attached to a mechanism in the center of each ring. “They look like some variation of expansive crystal dust bombs.” He pondered for a moment; that type of defensive system required a considerable amount of crystal to work and was extremely dangerous, even when not active. Its sole presence in that area suggested the town wasn’t close, and this had to be some sort of defensive perimeter that surrounded it. Thinking about it, a series of crystal weapons with extensive area effect sounded like an ideal option to deal with large numbers of monsters. Maybe they’ve had monsters swarming in before.

Meanwhile, Rosario waited for the gate to open and saw a tall woman around her age now waiting next to the cabin; she wore mismatched protective gear that made her look like an improvised security guard, although her demeanor showed enough confidence to cast away any doubt. Still from a distance, Rosario spoke to the woman, not expecting her to move from her place.

“We’re looking for this town’s crystal hunter’s association.”

“None,” the woman responded and started advancing towards her. The answer did not surprise Rosario; crystal hunters were valuable and few enough, so risking it this far out in the fringe was unnecessary. “But we have a coterie of crystalsmiths. If you’re looking to trade, they may give you a good price. I can get you there.” She stopped at a short distance and extended her hand. Rosario hesitated. “Don’t worry, I’m quite resistant. Not enough to be a hunter or a smith, but enough to be comfortable around you, in case you forgot to take a crystal from your fancy hairdo. I’m Leonie, by the way.”

The comment caught Rosario by surprise; she did like to braid her long dark hair into complicated styles. She accepted her handshake.

“I’m Rosario. I’m here with my apprentices.” The gate was now open and Leonie whistled to the camper, which produced another plume of smoke as Stefan drove it closer. “Thanks for letting us visit.”

“It’s us who thank you for coming. Few hunters come by, and we normally have to buy the raw stuff from other towns.”

Past the gate, the camper stopped and Leonie switched her attention to it; the gray van had the typical yellow and red warning signs of crystals on all sides, and after a quick inspection, she looked at Stefan in the eyes.

“Where is your driver’s license, young man?” she asked; Stefan gave her a puzzled look and the two women laughed. “Guess the joke doesn’t land anymore.”

Stefan suddenly remembered what Rosario had told him once, about the time before the Collapse, when vehicles were common and people were required to have a minimum age and pass some sort of skills test to be allowed to drive. He wished they still had a test; he would show them his driving skills. Rosario noticed his realization and gave him an apologetic smile.

“So, what happened to your wheels?” continued Leonie, looking at the broken windshield with a serious expression.

“We were attacked. Crystals are becoming hard to come by these days, without going deep inside infested forest. We were lucky we could get away.”

“That’s terrible! It’s unfortunate how stealing has become the easier option,” responded Leonie, her eyes still fixed on the damage.

Rosario couldn’t tell if the woman believed her story or not. Crystal hunters, as well as their complimentary profession, crystalsmiths, were important to society and quite respected. Even more: an attempt to harm a hunter was often severely punished, and a place where hunters were treated unfairly risked being blacklisted by fellow hunters, who could refuse to sell them crystals, threatening this way their safety. Still, what Rosario had said about crystals becoming harder to find was true; for the past decade, monster plants had become more common while new behemoths were harder to come by, but crystals were still needed to ensure humanity’s survival against monsters.

Thankfully, Leonie didn’t inquire any further.

“That’s our other reason for stopping by; do you think someone here could repair our van?”

Leonie, who in the meantime had opened the hood and was peeking inside, shrugged. “Looks like the cooling system and the power distribution are busted. We have a good repair team and it could be worth asking them. Anyway, if your vehicle still runs, you can follow me into town.”

*****