Outside the broken house, we stood – the mysterious kid sitting on his knees, head bowed, and ears flattened against his head.

“You can stand up.” I spoke.

He slowly raised his head and looked at me, his eyes red and puffy. Valeriana shot me a look. I convinced her to wait earlier, but she refused to listen any further. Getting on her knees, she cradled the sobbing mess to her chest as he cried into her chest. I was close, my hand holding the dagger on my belt.

A child in the middle of an abandoned village that's rumored to be overrun by monsters.

Yeah, it’s just as bad as it sounds. So, bait, a shapeshifter, or, God forbid, some magical parasite.

I kept my eyes on his small frame. A few tense minutes later, they finally separated, Valeriana shaking her head in disapproval.

“So… what’s your name?” She asked gently.

“W-wolf.” He mumbled.

“And what were you doing here Wolf?”

“I uuh-” He stuttered, his eyes darting about. “I- I’m lost. Yeah.”

“Are you here alone, Wolf?” I asked.

“Yes.”

However, a quick scan begged to differ. Three different masses were circling us. My eyes narrowed at the nervous kid. “Tell your friends to come out, Wolf – before they end up hurting themselves.”

He gulped. “What friends s-sir? I’m here by myself.”

Valeriana stood up and approached a nearby bush. I was about to warn her when the kid beat me to it.

“STOP!” He shouted. “You can’t!” He tried to move, but I stopped him with the butt of my spear.

A mace came crashing down; Valeriana effortlessly moved to the side, completely missing her. The assailant was another child with a slightly larger frame. Slowly the two other ambushers stepped forward, both holding a different weapon.

“Hey, kiddo.” I called out to Wolf and gestured to my pendant. “Do you know what this means?” He nodded. “So, you know there is no way you’re winning a fight.” He nodded again, starting to tear up. “Alright, how about you go grab your friends so we can clear up this misunderstanding?”

With a final nervous nod, he wiped his face off and walked towards the little wannabe bandits. “And don’t try running away, please.” His steps faltered. “We’re just going to talk.”

Reaching the armed newcomers, he stood behind them as they made an effort to separate the two of us. With all four children standing close, I could take a closer look at them. The first and shortest one Wolf had, unsurprisingly, wolf-like features and another boy sharing his kinship. The last two were a tall, lanky kid resembling a mouse, and finally, their supposed leader standing at the forefront – a tall girl with two large white ears. They were all clad in torn armor and furnishing worn and rusted weapons.

Scrubbing the memory of a certain Rabbitkin from my mind, I folded my hands. “How about you put those down? I doubt you could be faster than her.”

Valeriana frowned. “Stop it, Edward.” She put her hands flat on her hips. “Now come on, what are your names?” None of them spoke, so she tried. “I already know Wolf, so… what about you?” She looked at the other Wolfkin.

“Red.” He muttered.

“Tiger.” Followed the Mouse.

The girl stared back, refusing to participate, so Wolf decided to chip in. “She’s Cassy.” The teenager glared at him.

“Well, you can all call me Sis.” She stated with a smile which Wolf weakly mirrored. “And this here is, Edward.” The smile died down.

Silence fell as their hands tightened around their weapons. Valeriana hastily spoke. “We heard it’s very dangerous. How come you’re here by yourselves?”

Wolf glanced at the Bunny first before speaking. “We umm… live here.”

“But don’t monsters wander here?” Valeriana worriedly asked.

“They do, sometimes, but we manage to hide.” He answered, scratching his tangled hair.

“Isn’t that dangerous? Why do you stay here?” Met with silence, she added. “How about you come with-”

“WE are not going anywhere.” The Rabbitkin interjected. “We’ve been here for years, and we’re doing just fine. We don’t need your help.”

Valeriana shot her a questioning look, doubting her words. Judging by how skinny they were, it was unlikely they were doing too well.

“Why not?” I finally spoke.

After a slight pause, she answered. “We can’t.”

“Alright.” I shrugged. They all turned to me, surprised. “What?” I asked

Wolf hesitantly questioned. “You’re not taking us?”

“Take you where?” I replied as I slung my spear over my shoulder. “To be honest, I couldn’t care less.” Met with Valeriana’s deep frown, I whispered. “We know nothing about their situation. If you want to help them, figure out why they’re living out here. They seem to like you more anyway.”

“Are there any more of your friends hiding here?” I asked aloud. Wolf shook his head. “Alright then, I’ll be back in a bit.”

I strolled around the village, checking for movement every once in a while. Something about the land here was different, and not just the dry soil and wet air. The connection I made felt different, alien to even the bizarre forest; however, I could not figure out what.

I continued my walk alongside the coastline. I could, assuming I got enough mana, raise walls encompassing the area – my very own little fort. I don’t know what I would need it for, but some protection never hurt.

A few more ideas popped as I enjoyed the slow walk and the slightly salty air. It was a shame the waters were uninviting. I walked back to the group; however, I was met with a peculiar scene.

The young girl was on her knees, panting, balancing herself on a rusty short sword; Valeriana above, head raised with a smug smile.

“What’s going on?” I asked, stepping closer to the gloating swordswoman.

“We had a little spar.” She smirked

“How-” The girl wheezed. “How are you so strong!?”

“Training, of course.” Answered Valeriana. “Are you done?”

“Yeah.” I spoke. “We can go whenever you’re finished.”

“And?”

“It’s perfect. I’ll pass by the bank to finalize everything.”

Valeriana’s smile widened. Saying her goodbyes, we left; however, instead of going to the city – we headed back into the forest. Turns out she did more than just beat them down, getting them to open up a bit. They had been hunting small game, but as of late, the forest had not been generous.

“You’re really excited, huh.” I noted as a tail swung furiously.

“Yes!” She cheered before casting me a suspicious look, the nervous limb halting. “You’re really buying it, aren’t you?”

“Yup.” I answered, and the motion resumed. “Is there a particular reason you’re going this far to help them?”

“Because they need it.” She replied simply. “I sparred with Cassy, one of their strongest. They wouldn’t have stood a chance against the monster we hunted earlier. So I want to make sure they can survive first.” A silly smile spread across her face. “And I always wanted a little sister.”

We walked back to the spot where we hunted the boar. Thankfully, it was still there, whole and unmoving. Again we returned to the wonder children, now increased in numbers for a total of ten, all with different features.

Two of the older ones stepped forward and carried the carcass. The Bunny kid said her thanks, and we went our way, Valeriana back to the inn and I to the bank – the Pig employee nervously accepting me inside. I was given a specific item to buy at night, overpriced to the amount I wished to ‘deposit’.

That was all. The following day I had a property to my name and almost two hundred gold coins safely stored in my storage. I headed to the guild by myself, my party member saying she had something to take care of; however, requesting a quest on the west side – near the village.

I picked a few quest notices and greeted my dear friend Owen. The old Goat scowled my way but said nothing. I think I’m growing on him now; he only mutters a jab every now and then.

Returning back to the inn, I asked, gesturing to the two bloated bags. “What is this?”

“It’s for the kids.” A smile tugged her lips. “Hana helped make them.” Seeing as I didn’t share her enthusiasm, she dumped them on me. “Come on, load ‘em up.”

With a sigh, I stored both. The shop’s description was unnecessary; I could tell they were filled to the brim with candy.

The quest was much smoother than the last. The monster was some weird hybrid between a bear and a rodent, a very odd combination. Before the sun reached its midpoint, we were done, already on our way west.

“Edward.” Valeriana called my name. “I want you to help them too.”

I waited for the tingling sensation of the seal, but nothing came. “That didn’t sound like an order.”

“It’s not.” She replied. “I won’t force you to do it. I don’t think I have to.”

I mulled over her words. “So, what do you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. I can train them, make sure they have something to eat, but that’s it. I don’t know what else to do.”

“Neither do I.”

“You can figure it out.” She stated.

“So, what? We’re opening up an orphanage?”

She shrugged.

“Alright, I’ll see what I can do.” Her ears perked up. “Do you know of some way to ensure secrecy?” I paused. “Besides a slave seal.”

“An oath, probably.” She replied. “If you swear on Lugardana’s name and break your word – the goddess’s wrath will befall you.”

“But that only punishes you afterward, not stop you from talking in the first place.”

“Yeah. I don’t know.”

Arriving at my newly owned property with two bags in hand, we found it suspiciously empty. Valeriana looked worried, anxious they might have vacated after yesterday. However, her worries were unfounded. Not long after, a whistle echoed through, and tiny figures emerged from inside the broken houses.

Rubbing the sleep out of their eyes, twenty small figures stood outside. Some were younger than others, but almost all were unarmed, save for a few. Three teens and the Bunny girl stood warily at the front, the rest of the children behind them.

The girl spoke, cutting through the tense atmosphere. “Thank you for the boar – it was delicious.” Inclining her head.

Valeriana smiled. “I’m glad you managed to butcher it. I had no idea how.”

“It’s easy. I can show you if you want.” She replied, causing Valeriana’s smile to widen.

One of the boys coughed, and the Bunny asked. “How can we help you?”

“We have some news for you.” Valeriana replied. “Edward.”

“Right.” I said. “Well, there is no reason to beat around the bush. Yesterday, I was here checking out this piece of land, and now, I’m the proud owner of this little dump.”

“W-what!?” They puzzled. “You can’t!” Cried the Bunny.

“I can, and I did. I have the papers right here.” I tapped my pocket. “Now, I was planning on tearing everything down and starting over.” I paused. “How long have you been living here for?”

“Three years.” One of the older ones replied, his voice laced in despair.

“That’s a long time.” I rubbed my stubbly chin, committing to my role. “Well, the good news is that my lovely companion here persuaded me otherwise.” Hope blossomed on their faces. “As long as you follow a few simple rules, you can continue living here.”

Through gritted teeth, the Bunny asked. “And what would those be?”

“Nothing extreme, I assure you.” I should have gotten a pipe and a monocle. “Staying out of a few areas, keeping my identity a secret… that’s about it for now.”

“What if we refuse?” A few weapons rose.

“Then I’ll go grab some guards and get you evicted. You would be trespassing on my land.”

They didn’t like my answer, but they did not snap back – instead, asked. “Can we have some time to think it over?”

“Sure.” I replied. “Let me know your decision.”

I walked up to a nearby boulder and sat down, Valeriana following with an unamused expression.

“Was that really necessary?” she asked.

“I don’t know.” I chuckled. “But now, I’m the evil villain, and you’re the righteous hero keeping me in check and earning their trust.”

She sighed. The small council was still coming to a decision; the children behind them worried at their leaders' rising voices. Separating from the main group, three kids approached us; Wolf, the mouse, and the other wolf.

“Hello, Sir, Miss.” Wolf greeted.

“Hello Wolf, how are you doing?” Valeriana smiled back.

“I’m great.” He replied with a weak smile. “Thank you for the meat. It was great.”

“No problem. There will be more in the future too.” She stated.

We fell into silence as all three of them stood in place. There was something they wished to ask but were too afraid to do so.

“Sorry about yesterday, kiddo.” I apologized, unfaithful to my villainy persona. “The area was supposed to be vacant, so I thought you might be a shapeshifter.”

“Are there really monsters that can shapeshift?” He asked, tensing.

“Of course.” I lied; I had no idea if that was true. “They’re very, very rare, though. So, you have nothing to worry about.” He relaxed a bit but shot his friends some wary glances. “By the way, your Sis here has something for you.”

Ignoring the offended look, I watched as she reached into the bag and presented him with a small yellow cube. Accepting the piece of candy without a second thought, he popped it into his mouth as his face melted into a delighted expression.

Soon after, the four-member council stood alone; the rest of their subjects around Valeriana, cheerfully stuffing their faces. Legs folded, my head resting on my palm, I waited for the inevitable decision to come.