I let out a long sigh as I focus on the group of kids that I saved from the tusked bears in the caverns. Of course, this would happen. That's just my luck. Naturally, I have to assume they've snuck in with the crowd. I mean, the guards wouldn't let kids at that age into the dungeon, would they? Then again, they don't seem to be too happy about having to enter it either. I hear some complaints from Yasmin that I barely register as I watch the kids reach a dead-end. Luckily, she's only complaining about the guards having a rough time now that they're running into multiple golems at a time instead of singles. So, nothing I need to pay attention to for now. I focus on the kids as an idea hits me.

Well, this could be fun. I open a few new passages behind them and wait for their reactions. They look like they're going to make a run for it as if they're afraid of what might come out of my newly opened path. But a few of the braver or more foolish kids convince the others to take the passage I opened for them. As I watch them slowly make their way through the maze, I quickly realize that they're actually quite good at sneaking around.

They move between the golems without getting caught, using the walls, abandoned buildings, and debris as cover. I can clearly see from their expressions that they're simultaneously terrified and excited about being here. Something about that doesn't sit right with me. Logically speaking, after their experience with the tusked bear, they shouldn't have any motivation for entering a dungeon. I guess this is something that will need a personal touch for me to get to the bottom of this.

"Forgive me, my lord," I say with a solemn expression as I turn to face Davic and bow. "It seems a situation is unfolding that requires my personal attention. If you require anything while I'm gone, just ask for it and I'll hear you."

"That's fine. You may leave. We'll remain here and continue to observe how things develop." Davic replies with a careless wave of his hand.

That's when I notice the hostile gazes of the guards next to him. It's pure hatred for no good reason, and it makes my skin crawl. I flash them a cold smile before I jump off the edge of the platform.

I'm pretty quick to grow footholds out the side of the tower I created to jump down toward the buildings. It doesn't take long for me to manipulate my body to create the fastest route possible to the kids.

Hmm, so far so good. A group of farmers fighting a golem don't even notice me when I pass by overhead, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Looks like they're still avoiding a fight. Which is pretty smart of them, but I just realized that's another thing that tipped me off that something is wrong. Everyone is here to fight my golems and gain mana. If they're not fighting, there's nothing for them to gain. So, why are they here?

I guess I'll find out soon enough. After all, their luck is about to run out. I hear their screams from just up ahead. Yep, they rounded a corner into a corridor with no cover and five golems. Of course, they would be spotted. The kids are running full pelt toward a corner, so I decide to let them run. As I drop down from my position above, I send a mental order to my warriors to slow down and let the kids gain some ground on them.

"Get out of there. This way," I yell to them as they enter my sight after rounding another corner.

I smile as I watch them flee in my direction. I'm actually kind of enjoying myself. I should probably scold myself for orchestrating this just to manipulate these kids into trusting me more. But, I have to admit, my curiosity about their situation has gotten the better of me. Oh, I can see their grateful expressions now that they've realized it's me. Luckily, I didn't forget to cover the lower half of my face with the mask I used before.

Poor kids, they look like they're about to cry. I can't tell if it's from fear of my golems, the joy of being rescued, or because they've got to see me again. I mentally shrug as I raise a hand and turn the rocky ground into spikes that impale my warrior golems chasing them. My heart bleeds a little at the mana I'll have to spend repairing them, but it's not as though it's an actual loss since it'll recover on its own.

"So, it was you five I heard screaming. What are you doing here?" I ask as the kids collapse wheezing while staring in awe at the wreckage of my golems.

"Our parents," The rat warbeast girl starts after regaining her senses. "They're poor. They thought this dungeon was a good chance for us to grow stronger. That way we could help out in the fields more."

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I frown at this explanation. Judging by their ashamed expressions, it's probably the truth. I clench my hands in frustration. Why would adults endanger their kids like this?

"Why didn't you just come to the cavern and leave later? There was no need to enter the dungeon if you didn't want to."

The kids all look at each other with pensive expressions, clearly not wanting to say whatever they're thinking. I sigh as I realize this is probably part of the adults' plan. So, what do they hope to gain from this? The kids seem to be going out of their way to hide the other motives from me, and they don't want me to find out what they are. But, I can only think of one reason that comes to mind. If their families are that poor, then it's not unreasonable to assume they want to get rid of any extra mouths to feed. Especially if they can't pull their weight around the farms. I run the back of my head as I stare at them.

"Well, since I've found you it'll probably be best if we stick together," I say with a frown as I look at the wreckage. Am I really going to do this? "If you want, I'll help you fight the golems."

The kids all jump up and down as I say that, looking like they're about to start crying. Their reactions are kind of annoying, but I remind myself that they're not exactly surrounded by dependable adults in their daily lives.

"Now, I have one condition," I say as I raise a finger in front of my face, making sure they can see it. "If you promise to follow my orders, no matter what they are, then I'll help you get stronger."

"What's the catch?" the rat warbeast girl asks with a suspicious expression.

"I want to make a deal," I say with a smile. "If I train you five, then you'll promise to stay out of trouble from here on out. No more sneaking out of the village and use what you learn to help others in need. Agree to my deal, and I'll keep you from harm. Now, do we have a deal or not?"

I stare at them and smile, which causes the kids to all look at each other. It's the rat warbeast girl who steps forward and nods, her tail swishing back and forth.

"Deal. We'll do it."

"Good." I nod. "Now, it looks like you lot are pretty strong. So, first, we're going to try and see how well you can hold your own in combat."

The kids all stare at me in shock as if I just told them their parents died. I guess they weren't expecting me to say that. Of course, they don't look strong at all, but a bit of encouragement can make all the difference. I think it's about time I had another talk with them about their expectations of a dungeon. If I can train these kids, then I may be able to start turning this into a training ground for others too. A proper one. I'm pretty sure I can learn more about the kind of dungeon I should be for Davic's request by having a hands-on approach here.

Now that they've agreed, I finally realize something. I never did get their names. After some brief introductions, I go through their names one by one to remember them. The rat warbeast girl is Rafi. The orc boy's name is Glem. Then, there's the dark elf boy, Dryma. The elf girl is called Alaya, and finally, the quiet boy is apparently a hill troll named Bo. He's still the same height as the other kids, but they say he'll grow quite large once he comes of age. I'm more interested in his greyish-green skin and round head.

But I shrug it off. A lot has changed from the few memories I still have intact. In those memories, I see nothing but humans. Hmm, despite his age, Bo's muscles are quite thick. It might be best to have him up front when they take on the golems. Rafi is definitely the most agile and sneaky of the lot, so she should hang around the edges of any battle and look for openings to deal a serious blow. As for the other three, well, I can test them in different ways to find what they're best at.

I lead the kids forward at a brisk pace to ensure the golems catch up with us. Thankfully, I was able to prepare a little in advance. I lead them to one of the abandoned buildings that are clustered together toward the middle of the maze. It was probably a workshop of some sort, but I couldn't be sure. Before we enter the building, I raise stone walls and add two extra floors with stone in the high-ceilinged building before I seal all but one of the entrances.

"This is your training ground now," I say as I raise a stone wall outside that looks like a large barrier. "It'll take me a bit of time but I'll set it up with different terrains for you to practice with. So long as you take this seriously, it'll all be here for you to use. I'll set up a couple of rooms you can use to rest in while training in the dungeon."

I smile at the kids, who stare in awe at my new additions to the maze. Their jaws are hanging open as they watch me.

"Well, if you're going to fight the golems then I can't let you do it unprepared. Hmm, give me a moment." I connect with the materials in my workshop and fuse some wood and stone together after reshaping them.

But, how do I get these things here without raising suspicion? Ah, that could work. I manipulate the ground to swallow the items up and push them through the ground to this location. With a flourish of my hands, to pretend I'm casting a spell, the metal floor parts as a stone chest rises from the ground. I smile at their gasps from my showmanship as I flip the lid open.

"Come here," I say to the kids as I reach inside the chest. "These are for you."

I begin passing out the crude weapons and armor to the kids. They seem impressed, but it's nothing special. Some hammers and spears with shafts of wood that have been fused to stone heads and tips. The armor was a bit harder since they're basically wooden boards to protect their front and back attached over the shoulder area with straight stone rods. It's clunky, and horrible looking, I know. But, it's not bad for my first time attempting something like this. I guess I can add experimenting with this sort of thing to my to-do list.