The door of the Black Harpoon shut behind Elias with a dull thud.
The cold met him immediately. A sharp inland wind carried the bite of salt through the streets, stirring the fog that had settled low over the town. He pulled his coat tighter around himself, adjusting to the silence that followed him now that the hum of the tavern had been left behind.
For a long moment, he simply stood there, taking in the quiet.
A woman walked ahead of him, her shoulders hunched against the chill, arms curled tightly around herself. She moved unevenly, her steps slightly off-balance as she weaved along the cobblestone street. Too much to drink.
Elias let out a slow breath, stretching his back. His limbs were still stiff from the train ride, from the long hours spent in transit with little room to move.
A thought flickered across his mind, unbidden.
He had actually made it.
For months, his journey had felt like a moving target—ships, cars, trains, schedules, delays, each step leading to another. But now, there was nowhere left to go.
Dunwich's Reach. The edge of the world.
A wry smile tugged at his lips. He didn't let himself dwell on it.
He stepped forward, hands sliding into his coat pockets as he started down the same road as the woman ahead.
Her posture shifted.
She wasn't looking back, but something in the way she moved had changed. Her steps quickened—not by much, but enough for Elias to notice.
He didn't rush.
He matched her pace, slow and sure.
The uneven road worked against her. She stumbled on an upturned cobblestone, nearly losing her footing. She caught herself just in time, muttering something under her breath, too slurred to make out.
Elias closed the distance between them. "Are you alright, madam? Do you need any assistance?"
She spun around too fast.
The sudden movement nearly sent her toppling over, but she steadied herself, dark eyes narrowing as she took him in.
"Stay away from me," she snapped. "I know who you are."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"I doubt that," he said. "But I'd love to hear your theory."
She pointed a wavering finger at him, her arm trembling slightly from either the cold or the alcohol.
"You think I'm an easy target," she hissed. "I know what you want. It's always the same thing. You won't get it from me. Stand back, you."
Her accent was thick, rural. It clashed with the sluggish way she carried herself.
Elias let out a slow exhale, watching her carefully.
"I just happen to be walking down the same road as you," he said evenly. "If you want me to leave you alone, consider it done."
She hesitated, but the glare stayed. "I saw you with him."
Elias blinked.
It took a second for her meaning to settle.
Greaves.
"I owed him a drink," he said smoothly. "Some of us actually pay for our drinks." He winked at her.
For a second, she said nothing. Then, to his mild surprise, she let out a sharp laugh—cut short as if it had surprised even her.
"I like you," she admitted. Her gaze flickered away, and when she spoke again, her voice was lower, less sure. "But not him. He's bad news."
Elias took note.
"I like you too," he said, shifting his weight. "How about you give me your name, and we set up a date?"
She squinted at him, scrutinizing his face as though trying to decide whether he was serious.
Then her expression changed.
"Are you with them?"
Elias kept his posture relaxed, but he held her gaze.
"I work alone."
The answer seemed to satisfy her. "My name's Madeline Palmer. But everyone calls me Maddie."
Elias dipped his head slightly. "Nice to meet you, Maddie. You can call me Eli."
Maddie gave him a slow smile, but there was something unreadable behind her eyes.
He wasn't going to get anything more out of her tonight. She was unpredictable in her current state—too drunk to be useful.
He pulled back, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Let's talk tomorrow. At the bar."
Maddie didn't protest. She only nodded.
Elias turned away, letting the conversation end on his terms.
He walked deeper into the streets of Dunwich's Reach.
The town had an eerie stillness to it, not the kind that came with sleep, but the kind that came with absence. The streets were uneven, curling toward the sea, sloping downward into the thickening fog.
He passed by the marketplace. Empty stalls lined the square, abandoned for the night, the scent of fish and damp wood still lingering in the air.
Further in the distance, a towering shape loomed in the dark. Deepwell Extractions.
Even with the fog, the mining facility was impossible to miss. It sat just beyond the town like a predator watching from the shadows, its industrial skeleton barely visible against the night sky.
Elias kept walking.
Eventually, he reached the cliffs.
The sea stretched far beyond the land, black and unbroken, its surface shifting beneath the moon's silver glow. The air here felt heavier. Thick with salt and something else.
The hills beyond Dunwich rose like silent sentinels, their jagged forms cutting against the sky. And in the distance, barely visible, stood a lighthouse. A lone structure against the void.
Elias let the silence settle around him.
He had made it.
Months of travel. Countless miles crossed. And now, he was finally here.
Most people saw Dunwich's Reach as a place to be forgotten. A dead town. A mistake carved into the cliffs.
Elias saw something else.
This wasn't the end of the world.
It was the start of something bigger.