"[color=97c16a]And how about you, lad? You don't strike me as much of a frontiersman. What are you hoping to find out here?[/color]"

Jay blinked, opened his mouth to answer, and hesitated. 'Myself', while honest, sounded almost sarcastic compared to the tale Rish told. 'My memories' might make him think he'd be useless. 'The reason I was out here' begged for far more detail that Jay could give at this time. There was one answer left.

"[color=fff79a]The key to this book.[/color]" With that, he produced the tome he'd studied in the wagon to no avail. He picked up his pace a bit to show Rish the open book and its odd text. "[color=fff79a]It's definitely ciphered, but I can't tell if it's written in a common language or something more specialized. The book came from somewhere out here - I think I'll be able to translate it through whatever I find here.[/color]" It was the best and most detailed answer he could give. He tucked the book back once he was satisfied Rish had seen enough.

He tried to keep the quicker walking pace up as they traveled, a mistake he realized when he focused more on the settlement than the path at his feet and missed a brief dip in the road. Were it not for one of his companions, he likely would've fallen and twisted his ankle. He gave a brief "[color=fff79a]Thank you[/color]" before carrying on, a little slower and more cautiously. The two women had their clothes tear, and Jay wished he'd thought to bring a sewing kit. Burt was getting scratched up too. He could offer the spare set of clothes to makebandages, but that was all he had.

The settlement walls loomed into view and with them came new scents. Wet lumber burning was concerning - had a house caught on fire? Surely people didn't [i]try[/i] to burn wet wood. It was still quiet, though. Surely a house burning would raise some kind of alarm. Then came a second smell, both foreign and familiar at the same time. Something raw and meaty burning. His stomach heaved, but he kept down the bile. What worried him was the gate - forced open, not left open. He stepped into the village warily, withdrawing the grimoire once more. He hadn't lied to Rish, he did need to find out how to translate it. But, part of it he had, and he was confident in its power, especially for such a situation like this. If any hostiles were around, he wouldn't be able to kill them, but he might be able to buy time for everyone.