You had never thought that after developing a brilliant scientific and medical career in the capital you would end up in such a backwater as this town.

It seemed that ancient traditions and beliefs were still present here in full measure, living in the minds of its citizens. Folk here wholeheartedly believed in lines, magic bulls, women with clay feet, healing herbs and rat prophets – for you, all this was barbaric fiction. This place seemed to have frozen outside the boundaries of region and time; a unique community, independent in everything except resources. But with your arrival, the trains suddenly stopped coming, and the deficit of supplies (especially food) in Town began to trouble everyone as soon as the third day.

Among all the weirdness, perhaps the biggest mystery for you was the local physician and, as the Kin members called him, menkhu. Whatever that word meant – for you, the steppe language was just an empty sound. Artemy Burakh, with whom your companionship didn't work out right away. You were prejudiced, he was rude. You were snobbish, and he was intolerant. You believed in the future of science, philosophy, fluently spoke Latin – he believed that in modern medicine there were still place for traditional methods of treatment.

In other words, your worldviews didn't coincide. But you were united by a common goal – the preservation of the Town and a need to help its residents, developing a panacea for the Pesk Plague in the process.

You went down to his lair in the basement of one of the factories on the outskirts, now equipped as a makeshift workshop and living space. Getting carried away by the discussion, you didn't notice how you got stuck in one of the rooms – a cramped storage room by the entrance. Pulling the rusty, tight handle of the heavy metal doors more than once and trying to push it open with your shoulders, you realized that you would have to wait for the return of the adopted son of the Haruspex – Sticky – so that he would free you.

But for now, you had to stay here. Together.