Skill-Eater: Prison World Saga-Chapter 169: Reveal

The next morning, Earl and Dialla called the crew in for a private meeting. They had already heard the broad strokes from Trapper, but they wanted the other hunters to add their own observations. After the team shared the full account of their journey, including what they’d witnessed from the Titan’s Nose, the mayor used her authority to set up another town-wide meeting later that evening.

After he left City Hall, Edge spent the rest of the morning walking through the settlement. He was enjoying his day off, with no agenda other than taking it easy and unwinding from his back-to-back ordeals. He ran a few laps around the ring roads and ate a late lunch at the Pioneer. Then he spent a few hours listening to a group of street performers, who were playing music that he had grown up with back on Earth. While he was there, he eavesdropped on a group of people who were speculating about Warren's disappearance. Most of them believed that the manslayer had run into a monster while hunting on the plains, and everyone was glad that he was gone.

He made his way over to the public green a few minutes before sunset. Once again, the whole town was spread out across the grass—eager to hear what Dialla had to say.

For the second time in his new life, Edge found himself engulfed by a crowd. There was tension in the air, along with a fair amount of curiosity and excitement. Tonight, the mayor was going to tell everyone what Trapper’s crew had learned about their situation, along with the other teams she had sent out to survey the boundaries of the biome.

He didn’t know how people were going to take the news that in addition to being isolated from the other settlements, they had been transported to an unexplored part of the planet—surrounded by monsters and beasts that were far more powerful than their old neighbors. A situation that was only going to grow more dangerous over time.

Edge thought that Dialla had made the right call. The residents of Puppet Town needed to hear the truth sooner rather than later. To begin preparing themselves as best they could before trouble came knocking at their door. The world had changed in the wake of the anomaly, and the tourists of Ord needed to complete their own transformation—becoming pioneers and settlers of a dangerous magical planet, instead of mere sightseers and thrill seekers.

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The crowd grew louder when Dialla took the stage, then quieted down when she walked up to the microphone. The mayor looked completely exhausted, like she hadn’t slept in days. But there was a strength to her, a bottomless well of resolve, that left no doubt as to why she had been chosen to lead the town.

“Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming. There’s a lot to go over, so please bear with me and hold your questions until the end. Tonight’s announcement is vitally important, so I’m going to spare the pleasantries and plunge right into the heart of the matter. There was some debate about whether we should tell you this now, but you have a right to know the full extent of what we’re up against. Try to stay calm as I share the news, then we will discuss our options moving forward.

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“As you know, the surface of Ord was remade during the disaster. Bits and pieces of the planet were shuffled around, and all forms of long-range communication and transportation have ground to a halt. We thought that some slices of the frontier had been inserted into the Ivory Plains, but that isn’t what happened after all.”

There was a wave of murmurs at this announcement. Then everyone leaned in to hear the rest—so quiet that Edge could hear the wind blowing between the buildings.

“My friends, I am here to tell you that what our survey teams discovered goes far beyond what we were expecting. Instead of being altered, the entire Ivory Plains biome has been moved to the opposite side of Ord. We’re standing neck deep in the frontier, surrounded by uncharted territory on all sides. They are all mid-to-high-threat biomes as far as we can tell, and there isn’t another settlement or a wardens’ stronghold within two hundred miles of Puppet Town.”

To his surprise, the crowd remained dead silent—shocked beyond words as Dialla unveiled the full scope of their plight.

“Until we can reestablish contact with the factions, we’re on our own. Cut off from all forms of assistance. Whatever problems arise in the days ahead, we can’t count on anyone pulling our bacon out of the fire. No matter what dangers arrive at our doorstep, and there are sure to be many, we must deal with them ourselves from now on.

“If we are going to survive, we must accelerate the changes we’ve begun over the last few weeks. Grow strong enough to face the monsters, men, and beasts that are coming as surely as the rising tide. Before they arrive in full force, we must become self-sufficient. Powerful enough that no one will try to take what’s ours, and to protect the people we love.”

The crowd listened spellbound—caught up in the passion of Dialla’s words. “Make no mistake, the danger is real. We’ve all sensed a storm gathering along the horizon. That it was only a matter of time before it began blowing our way. Soon, that stormfront will break over our heads. If we aren’t ready before the rain begins to fall, none of us are going to survive.

“That’s the bad news. The good news is that we aren’t going to take it lying down. The sheriff and I, along with the leaders of the hunting, crafting, and merchant communities, have come up with a plan, and there is a vital role to play for each and every one of you. I’m going to hand the microphone over to them now. Please listen closely and think about how you want to contribute to our efforts. How you want to live in the new age that is dawning before our eyes.”

At that point, everyone started talking at once—fear and confusion writ clear on their faces. They settled down when Earl took the stage to make a pitch for bolstering the peacekeeper’s ranks and establishing a town militia.

Edge listened with one ear as the settlement’s leaders laid out their proposals. He would help however he could, but for now his role was clear. If another big bad appeared to threaten the town, then Trapper’s crew would head into the field and bring it down.

It was reassuring that Puppet Town had a plan, but he couldn’t help but wonder how many of them would live to see it through.

Edge already knew deep in his bones that before things got better for the settlers of Ord, they were going to get a whole lot worse.