The town appeared just before sunset.
After hours of traveling through the strange forests near the Nevada border, the sight of walls, smoke, and human voices almost felt unreal. The settlement stretched across the remains of an old desert town, protected by reinforced barricades made from stone, scrap metal, and old vehicles welded together.
Gardens grew between buildings.
Windmills turned slowly near the outskirts.
Compared to the wasteland outside, it looked alive.
But the moment Ren saw the people gathered near the center square, he knew something was wrong.
Lines.
Organized lines.
Men separated from women.
Children gathered near several transport wagons under armed guard.
Blue and white banners hung from rooftops, each marked with symbols resembling ancient Greek patterns. Armed men wearing white cloaks and bronze armor pieces walked through the crowd with rifles and curved blades strapped to their sides.
None of the townspeople looked willing.
Cal frowned immediately.
"…That's bad."
Jonah nodded once.
"Yes."
Isaac stood quietly beside them near the tree line, his flock of lightning sheep gathered calmly around him. Tiny sparks crackled through their wool as they grazed near the edge of the forest.
One of the armed men shouted something in Greek near the center of town.
Several civilians were shoved into different groups.
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"What are they doing?"
Isaac's expression hardened slightly.
"Collecting."
That single word made Ren's stomach tighten.
Near the middle of town, a raised platform had been built from stacked cargo crates and metal sheets.
And standing above everyone else was the man clearly in charge.
He looked young, maybe early thirties, with sharp features and neatly styled dark hair. His white and gold coat flowed behind him dramatically while blue fabric wrapped around one arm like ceremonial cloth.
Wing-shaped symbols decorated his chest and shoulders.
And behind him…
Ren saw the outline.
A faint glow shaped like winged sandals and flowing wind.
A legend.
The man smiled confidently as he addressed the frightened townspeople below.
"You should feel honored," he announced loudly.
His voice carried effortlessly across the square.
"Most people in this broken world die nameless and forgotten. But you…"
He spread his arms proudly.
"You have been chosen."
Some of the armed men nodded reverently.
The townspeople remained silent.
The man continued pacing across the platform like a performer on stage.
"My name is Grekos."
Cal quietly muttered under his breath.
"Of course it is."
Ren almost laughed.
Grekos touched the symbol on his chest proudly.
"I carry the legend of Hermes himself. Messenger of Olympus. God of civilization, trade, speed, and divine order."
As he spoke, wind swirled faintly around his boots.
Just enough to show off.
Ren immediately disliked him.
A lot.
Grekos smiled wider at the fearful reactions below him.
"While the weak fought and died after the collapse, our people endured. Hidden. Preserved. Guided by the blood of Greece itself."
One older woman in the crowd shouted angrily.
"You're kidnapping people!"
Several armed guards moved toward her immediately, but Grekos raised a hand dramatically.
"No," he said smoothly.
"We are saving them."
Ren rolled his eyes.
"Yep. Cult."
Isaac remained silent beside them.
Grekos continued speaking proudly.
"The reborn Greek order grows stronger every year. Soon the old nations of the world will kneel before true civilization once again."
The crowd looked terrified rather than inspired.
Grekos either didn't notice or didn't care.
"The women and girls will be relocated to protected settlements."
Several frightened cries rose from the crowd.
"The men and older boys," Grekos continued calmly, "will travel overseas to aid in construction, military expansion, and labor."
Ren's expression darkened instantly.
One of the civilians shouted.
"That's slavery!"
Grekos sighed dramatically like he was tired of explaining obvious things to children.
"You misunderstand your purpose."
He walked slowly along the edge of the platform.
"The strong guide the weak. That is the natural order of the world."
The outline behind him brightened slightly as wind spiraled around his cloak.
"Hermes himself carried the messages of the gods. Through his blessing, I now carry the future of mankind."
Ren muttered quietly.
"He really likes hearing himself talk."
Cal nodded.
"Unbelievably."
Isaac finally spoke again.
"The Greek empire across the ocean does not openly practice this."
Ren glanced at him.
"So these guys are rogue?"
"In a sense," Isaac replied. "Most people in Greece do not even know this cult exists."
Mara watched the scene carefully.
"They hide behind the empire's name."
"Yes."
Below, armed lackeys continued separating civilians into groups. Some families were trying desperately to stay together only to be forced apart.
Children cried.
Men shouted.
Anyone resisting was beaten down quickly.
Ren's jaw tightened.
He hated watching this.
Near the western side of town, several large river boats waited near the docks. Crates were already being loaded aboard while groups of restrained men were marched toward them under guard.
Elise's voice dropped lower.
"They've done this before."
Jonah nodded once.
"Too organized not to."
Ren spotted another group of armed men dragging several younger children away from the main square toward a smaller building near the edge of town.
One little boy tried pulling free.
A guard struck him hard enough to knock him to the ground.
Ren immediately stepped forward.
Jonah caught his shoulder.
"Not yet."
Ren clenched his jaw.
"…Yeah."
Isaac looked toward the children quietly.
"The town cannot defend itself," he said. "Most settlements near the border are already struggling against the wildlife."
"That explains why nobody stopped them," Cal said.
Grekos raised his hands dramatically again on the platform.
"You should feel gratitude. The secret order of Hermes offers purpose to those abandoned by the world."
Ren whispered.
"If he says one more dramatic thing I'm shooting the stage."
Cal snorted.
Mara hid a small smile.
Isaac adjusted the wooden staff resting across his shoulders.
"My path ends here."
Ren looked toward him.
"You leaving?"
Isaac nodded once.
"My flock does not enter crowded places."
Ren studied him carefully.
The shepherd still seemed far too calm.
Too observant.
Like he understood more than he was saying.
The lightning sheep gathered around him naturally as he began backing slowly toward the forest edge.
"You did not meet me," Isaac said calmly.
Ren blinked.
"…That's suspicious."
Isaac smiled faintly.
"Good luck."
Then he disappeared back into the glowing woods alongside the flock.
Almost silently.
Like the forest itself hid him.
Ren stared after him for a moment.
"That man definitely has something insane going on."
"Yes," Mara agreed quietly.
"But right now…"
She looked toward the children being dragged away.
"We focus on them."
Jonah nodded once.
"Quietly."
The group moved along the edge of town, staying hidden behind old walls and abandoned vehicles overtaken by roots and vines.
The guards reached the small building with the children.
One unlocked the door while another shoved the frightened kids inside.
Ren counted four guards total.
Elise moved first.
One moment the rear guard stood watching the street.
The next he vanished silently into shadow.
Ren drew instantly.
Probability shifted.
He fired once.
The bullet curved around the second guard's rifle and slammed directly into his shoulder, spinning him to the ground before he could shout.
Jonah rushed the third guard head-on and smashed him against the wall hard enough to knock him unconscious instantly.
Cal painted in the air with both hands.
A glowing bird formed from streaks of paint and slammed into the fourth guard, pinning him face-first into the dirt.
The entire fight lasted seconds.
Ren approached the wounded guard calmly.
"You yell and Elise gets creative."
The man immediately shut up.
Smart decision.
Mara opened the building door carefully.
Inside, nearly a dozen children huddled together in fear.
Some cried quietly.
Others just stared.
The older boy near the front stepped protectively in front of the younger children when Ren entered.
Ren lowered his revolver slightly.
"Relax," he said. "We're not with the cult."
The children still looked terrified.
Cal crouched beside them carefully.
"You're safe."
One little girl wiped tears from her face.
"They took our parents."
Ren felt anger twist in his chest.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "We saw."
The older boy pointed toward the docks.
"They're putting the men on the boats."
Another child spoke softly.
"They said they're taking them across the ocean."
"To Greece," the older boy whispered bitterly.
Elise appeared beside the doorway again.
"More guards are moving through town."
Jonah looked toward the center square.
Grekos still stood above the crowd, speaking proudly about destiny and divine order while terrified families were ripped apart below him.
Ren slowly spun his revolver once before gripping it tightly.
"Well," he said quietly.
"I think we just found out what kind of town Nevada really is."