Highland

Highland

Excerpt from Rediscovered

By Denise Cooper

This place makes me sick... The bandits here are similar to the vicious ones found on other parts of Nalcott Island. I wonder if they all underwent some kind of training to achieve such uniformity in their actions and mentality. Disasters always push humanity to the extremes... This used to be a relatively large settlement in the lower reaches of the Iron River. The torn posters and scattered books hint at a once vibrant cultural life. The rich spirits of humanity here were gradually driven mad by the Stardust contamination, leading to suicide or the harming of others. The bandits showed no mercy, recklessly destroying everything and using this place as mere food storage. They're outsiders who seized the high ground, and perhaps even abducted surviving residents in the process. This was the horrifying scene we witnessed when we infiltrated the place at night, except... there were no other survivors and just... bandits firing at us. Fortunately, we weren't unarmed survivors. After a fierce battle, we finally managed to escape. Human settlements in the wilderness can easily lull people into a false sense of security, potentially leading them into even greater danger. Severe Stardust contamination, however, can keep survivors out in the first place, making it safer.