The descent into the tunnel furthered, the lights along the path guiding the party through the once-impenetrable dark. Still hardly a bright, sunny day, visibility had at least increased dramatically. Not only light, but also sound came into earshot the further they got into the tunnel. A station, previously used for boarding trains, was now an inhabited township. A door similar to the one outside in the tunnel blocked off the station from the surface, keeping out the painfully cold winds of the nearing night. The station itself was multi-leveled. Concrete platforms and a large staircase separated the metro into two distinct planes, while wooden construction made it look more liveable. A great number of small shacks, some individual rooms, some larger, were built along the walls and edges of the platforms. Counters were set up near some, others were decorated with scrap signs or other trinkets. A large amount of the wood had a deep, pleasant reddish tone to it, a telltale sign that most of the planks had been harvested from the mutant trees in the western woods. More lights kept the station bright, some electric, others oil.<br/><br/>Viktor unconsciously let out a brief, relieved sigh. Finally, some civilization. He turned his head, intending to look over the injured man in the arms of the giant that followed them, but was instead met with Liliana standing next to him. He listened to her observation, and gave a confirmatory nod. Indeed, it had been a while since his last excursion to Moscow. Most of his business was spent out in the woods, or in smaller surface settlements. The woman's offer was one of extreme generosity by this world's standards, and Viktor's brows raised ever so slightly when she gave it. "That's kind of you. Thanks. Think it's close enough to get that guy some help?" With a hand, he pointed over his shoulder towards Lazarus. The extent of his wounds and the time spent journeying made him doubt they'd be able to get him on his feet immediately, but provided he hadn't died, it was worth a shot to help him out.<br/><br/>Exiting the tunnel, the group was met with one more guard. Viktor paused, waiting patiently as the man looked everyone over. A few seconds worth of appraisal was followed by a nod, to which Viktor shot a thumbs up while he walked past. Some nearby townsfolk were of course watching the newcomers. Curiosity was always refreshed when people came into town, and the strange looks of some of the present company was a point of great interest for many.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>"We came from an outpost to the south of here. Southwest, actually. An old warehouse and some little houses. No real name," Stefan answered. "Bit of a walk from where we are now, and we're closer to where we were going than there, so we won't be going back just now. Right now, we're heading towards our main base of operations." He didn't drop any names just yet, though he did guess that would be a necessity, given the condition of Mikhail's eyes. For now, he just stuck to casual introductions. "I'm Stefan. Circumstances weren't the<span style="font-style: italic">best,</span>but it's fine. Don't let these grumps get to you."<br/><br/>In contrast to the doctor's introduction, some of the others simply responded with grunts, if at all. A few did give names, but weren't exactly being communicative. Stefan just sighed and shook his head. "Please, we were stocked well enough to last months anyway, and that was four days work at most." He scolded, to which one of his guards replied.<br/><br/>"And what if someone gets shot and needed that?" He asked with a touch of annoyed sarcasm.<br/><br/>Stefan's response was immediate and blunt. "Best not get shot. The trees are hardly armed. Provided you don't go blasting each other, then this should be a pleasant hike and nothing more." He was waved off, and instead of goading the guard on, he silently slid his hands into his coat pockets.