Alice kicked her legs half-heartedly; she didn't want to hit an innocent in the face. The only person who deserved her wrath was getting farther and farther away from her reach with every loping step Angelica took. Alice sighed. At least the wind was nice on her face, blowing her hair out of the way.

Alice tilted her head to stare up at Angelica's face. At the angle she was situated in, it was difficult to see more of Angelica's features other than her chin. Yet even with the lack of vision, the tightness in Angelica's shoulders and the way she pounded the street with each step were more than enough to inform Alice that Angelica was pissed off to the extreme.

Alice stifled a sigh, her chest constrained against Angelica's arm. The hard-as-rock muscles were beginning to dig into her stomach, ripples of pain spreading through her body. Alice tried holding her breath as much as possible to lessen the ache.

As they traversed the streets, Alice noticed the other dwarves along with the occasional ducks giving Angelica a wide berth. It could have been a result of her presence, as Alice didn't think a 12-year-old human rolled up under one's arm was a normal sight, but Alice doubted it. The worried glances the other dwarves shot their way weren't directed at her, but on Angelica's face.

What had Blanche called her? The 'Groundbreaker?' It appeared Angelica had quite the reputation in her own village, and not one that seemed particularly positive either.

As the steady stream of people started to die out and patches of space were available, Alice was able to see more of the village. It seemed like Angelica was bringing her into the seedier side of the village, with shadows slinking along huts and dark alleyways stretching out of view. Overturned crates spilled out gutted fishes, whose stench coated the entire area. The dwarves here were more rugged and vicious, scars lining their bodies and twirling daggers around their fingers. A lone duck was sheltered in the shadows, pointed beak aimed threateningly at the duo.

Many of them turned to observe the new entries and Alice saw more than a few of their eyes lit up in excitement when they spotted her, but they hastily shuffled back when Angelica growled. Alice squirmed in Angelica's grasp, now trying to get closer to Angelica's side.

It was clear that if she was left alone here, they would butcher Alice before she could take a single step back to Blanche. As untrustworthy as Angelica seemed, she was still Blanche's sister and the only person here who had any stake in keeping Alice alive.

Angelica entered a haggard-looking hut, with cracks forming all over the exterior and the clay foundations turning into wet sludge. No tassels were present here, with a firm door blocking the way instead. Angelica slammed her fist into the wood. The door shook, but it held. Angelica leaned closer, baring her teeth, and said, "Open up, I have a package to deliver!"

At the ominous words, the back of Alice's neck prickled. 'Package?' She would be offended if a mountain-load of fear hadn't been dumped into her systems just now. Nothing good ever came out of being called a package!

Something shuffled on the other side of the door and Alice heard chains rattling against each other. Metal scraped the wood and then a clicking noise permeated the air, before the door was pulled open just a crack. A bright green eye filled the small space, zooming in on Angelica. "What is it?" a raspy voice demanded to know.

It took a moment for Alice to realize she was getting moved, her senses stunted from being in the same position for so long. Angelica grabbed Alice by her armpits and held her a safe distance in front of her, like she was a particularly smelly dog. "This girl is Blanche's apprentice. I need you to keep her safe until he's ready to leave," Angelica said.

Alice nearly broke her neck in her haste to turn her head. She settled for turning it half-way, just barely catching a glimpse of Angelica's curled lips. A chill ran down Alice’s spine. Angelica couldn't leave Alice here, she had promised Blanche to take care of her!

Alice paled as she cast her mind back and recalled the series of events. To her knowledge, Blanche had never told Angelica she needed to keep Alice with her, just to take her out of the pharmacy. Was this Blanche's plan all along? Alice flapped her arms, trying desperately to break free.

The lone eye narrowed, scouring Alice's body from top to bottom. "Fine. Did the fool say for how long?" the voice asked.

"A couple of days, at most. If she ever becomes a handful, you can have her take the kids to the Juggarntorn." Angelica casually said. Alice bit her lips. Don't speak for me!, she wanted to scream. In reality, she held her tongue. Angelica could crush Alice's biceps by tightening her grip.

The eye bobbed up and down as presumably, the head nodded. "I'll do that, then. Drop her," the voice ordered, the eye vanishing from view as its owner slunk back into the safety of the hut.

Angelica complied and let go. Alice barely had time to stop flailing before she hit the ground, nearing falling to her knees from the sudden drop. Straightening her legs, she contemplated making a run for it, quickly weighing the odds of survival. Angelica took the choice out of her grasp by shoving her on the back.

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Alice stumbled forward, pushing open the door and hitting the floor. As she pushed herself back up, she noticed the light on the floor quickly vanishing. Scrambling to her feet, she turned to find Angelica closing the door.

Alice frantically made a run for it, her palm smacking against the door just as it clicked shut. Running her hand over the knob, a sob nearly tore itself out of her chest as she realized she was stuck.

The sound of something hitting the floor filled the enclosed area and Alice ceased her struggles. Breath coming out in sharp exhales, Alice remained still. If she turned around, there was sure to be something behind her. At the same time, keeping her back to them left her completely defenseless. Steeling her nerves, Alice slowly rotated her body, the beating of her heart against her ribcage filling her ears. Once she was facing the other side, carefully, Alice slid open her eyes.

The first thought that flashed through her mind was, that's a lot of kids. There had to be a dozen on the low end, all crowded on the far side of the room. The second thing she took note of was that they were all terrified–wide eyes, quivering lips, clinging to each other for support.

Just then, it occurred to Alice that while she was scared of being in an unknown place, they were equally as terrified because a strange creature had found herself in their home. And they were only kids as well. Shame surged through her body, weakening the heart-pounding fear that dominated her mind only seconds prior. Alice relaxed her body, the fists she had subconsciously made uncurling.

"Don't bother the kids, understand?" the same voice said. Hidden slightly behind the group of kids, blending in with the gray background, was an ancient dwarf. She had a severe hunchback, and most of her body was covered with a brown, tattered cloak. A hood was over her head, casting her face in shadows. However, the single green eye loomed out of the darkness, promising death if Alice dared to harm the kids.

A sense of deja-vu washed over Alice; the way her eye peered out from the shadows resembled the Devil to an uncanny degree. Almost on a whim, Alice widened her stance again, but the subdued cries from the children halted her movement. Alice shook her head. Obviously, this lady was vastly different from the creature. Now that she took another look, the only thing she saw was a scared old lady, trying her best to protect the children that had been entrusted to her.

"S-sorry," Alice murmured, lowering her head. What was she thinking of, trying to start a fight with a group of children? The old lady snorted and turned her back onto Alice. She didn't think it was possible but Alice felt even worse.

The old lady was clearly doing something in the shadows; the sound of jars clinking against each other and a mortar being smashed down was evidence of that. A bit of interest stirred to life within Alice, but she held back from approaching the old lady. She had already made such a big mess, she didn't need to cause any more trouble.

Alice was planning on standing in front of the door until the old lady gave a signal for her to move, but instead, it was the children who acted first. With her head still facing down, Alice couldn't see the children anymore. She heard their footsteps but passed it off as them moving around the hut. It was only when a tiny head popped into her peripheral vision that she looked up, unable to hold back her curiosity.

One of the dwarven children had approached her, a male with sunflower-yellow hair. As Alice watched with wide eyes, unsure of what to do, he cautiously reached out. Alice made herself remain as still as possible, even going as far as to halt her breathing in case it spooked the child off.

His finger touched her apron and he yanked his hand back like he'd been shocked. Alice's blood ran cold, especially when the old lady stopped her tasks. Alice could feel the old lady's gaze leveled on her, but her focus was entirely on the young boy.

After a few seconds passed, the boy tried again, reaching out with his hand. This time, his fingers wrapped around her apron and he leaned in, looking up at her with wide eyes. Alice exhaled, feeling like a spell had been cast over her. The singular attention directed her way by a child, the way he held her clothes like it was a fragile treasure, the pure innocence in his eyes…

Then, like something went off in their minds, all the other children rushed forward and the spell was broken. Alice shrieked as she was overwhelmed by the masses, losing her balance and toppling onto her butt. Her head hit the door, rattling her brain, and she instinctively lifted an arm to check for blood, only for somebody to latch onto her arm.

Legs kicked at her body, hands groped all over her clothes, she was head-butted several times, her vision was covered by a stomach, and some of them kept crawling over her body. It was one of the most terrifying experiences of Alice's life.

Eventually, the old lady whistled. At the sharp noise, the children immediately moved off of Alice's body, forming a single-file line in front of the old lady. She faced them, holding a jar in her hand, revealing what she had been working on. Taking a spoon, she began feeding the children a mysterious brew of brown soup and diced-up fruit. Like a factory line, once somebody was stuffed, they moved to the back of the line for the next person to be fed. This was repeated until the children were satisfied, after which they ran into a hidden doorway Alice hadn't seen when she walked in.

After placing the empty jar onto a table and dropping the spoon inside, the old lady approached Alice and helped her up. "Looks like the children like you," she commented. Alice nodded slowly, still trying to recover from the after-effects of being ambushed by children.

"Yeeeeeeeah," Alice murmured, finally taking the time to prod at the back of her head. She winced when a bolt of pain spliced through her brain, but when she pulled her hand back, there weren't any signs of blood on her fingers. "That was a bit. . . .chaotic."

"Hm. It's a good sign for you, though," the old lady said. Alice glanced at her questioningly. She smirked, showing a jagged fang. "It means I can't get rid of you by cooking you in a stew."

Alice chuckled awkwardly. "That's funny. . . . .heh heh. . . ." Her uneasy giggling trailed off when the old lady didn't give a response. "That was a joke, right?"

"What? No, I was being serious. Call me Tamara, Blanche's apprentice. And follow me, I bet that lazy brat didn't even begin teaching you magic. Making me do all the work, honestly. You'll just have to sit in with the children and learn," Tamara grumbled, shuffling into the other room. Alice watched her go, mouth hanging open.

Was it too late to run back to the one dwarf who didn't want to kill her?

//New Quest received! [Save the Damned Children!]

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