Getting a reference Letter with maybe some secret code inside, shows they really see my place as a secure and maybe even sought after refuge. I really do not want more children. While it is nice to see them smile and I often eat lunch with them on the same table, there is a limit on how many people can be put into my Domain.
Whatever, I am right now raising over the Library more Rooms. Can be the Children Wing, when it is ready. While the older children are working as all kind of servants the really young ones will be educated and shown how to dust around the Castle. Nothing too straining, just keep the place clean after yourselves.
Snow is happy, like hyped on sugar. More playmates for her. Need to think of connecting the fourth floor with their wing later. Do you never get tired by all the Children around you Snow? We are coming close to a hive made out of children, if we keep this up!
Already some of the Children which were not going last time are ready to come with us. Especially as they finally notice the writings on the wall… in blood.
The readying of all the weapons and armors but not enough Men should give them time to think, especially as there are no halflings living in this World and those cheap armors are rather too slim for bulky dwarfs.
With this I have a new mission and a headache, even if I do not even have a head… Well Ava is courteous enough to lend it to me, wish he wasn’t…
…
While Katie waits with our children in the Inn we bring the ones who changed their minds back to our Lost Village. Not much I can do but assure them I am not messing with them and we are going the right way. Maybe they would have been more at ease, if Katie would be with them, but no dice, she can not walk a hundred Kilometers every day just cause. I am High Human and Snow is… Snow. We can, but Katie can’t.
Bringing them back right into the Castle the other children welcome them and now I am eight heads richer. More heads for headaches, but Snow is smiling.
We did not even wait for it to get Morning, we just walk back in the middle of the Night. More Towns need to be scoured for Children. Man, that sounds wrong!
…
“So Sister Annette send you. For her to tell this proposal I am both shocked and torn. The children really need to be saved, but we can not just throw them into the inner Cities, as they are even more filled than us.”
Imagine. The richer Cities have more Orphans. Who would have guessed? Yes, I am cranky. We fill the Castle with a hundred children and have not even a clue of how long they might be staying. I do not believe a Minute, they will take them back, after being fed and well off.
“That is why she made the proposal. I understand, that you might not want to give your children to strangers. We will just leave and pretend as if nothing happened.”
“No, No! We are glad you would be willing to help us. Especially with the time we are in right now. Some children… Some are already drafted and can not leave anymore. The time is rather dire. While they just took mostly for the ones who are having a chance to survive, next spring might be the search for… disposable workforce.”
She seems rather sad. So the able boys close to men are trained in battle, for they would later make good Mercenaries but for now they do not need the bait and toys, as it would cost them too much food.
How delightful the whole of Telk is. And you all are sure slavery is uncommon here? It sounds like more of an age thing, than being someones property in my ears.
…
Fifty two… That is the count of Children just from Kilt… Fifty Void damned two… Yes I am cranky! If we go to Malek we will have even more Children and that is the biggest City of them all!
Two more Tender have been with us for now, Isabelle and Karen. I really hope they keep them in check. Stupid Snow is grinning from ear to ear. Those kids are a responsibility and not playmates! Ugh, I can not be angry at Snow for long.
Suddenly there are Bells heard. Really loud bells and they are coming from Belk, as we are close to the city. Early Wave alarm. Seems some Monster could not wait any longer, as I see the mixed ball of frenzied beasts between the Trees.
Sadly we are not far enough for us to be in the safety of the city walls, as everyone can be seen panicky rushing into the now wide gates before closing them again.
Luckily, I have a bad day.
“Snow, can you protect the children? I need to vent a bit.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah I can do that? Why do you need to vent Null?”
“Just some stress I accumulated, be right back.”
“Sir Ava! Please do not abandon us! We trusted you!”
I am abandoning Nobody! I. Just. Need. To. Vent!
…
First time I used Ava with full power. About fifty Monsters are strewn across, I can not count them, as they are mostly in pieces… or melted… or charred into unrecognizable chunks…
For now I have a bit more peace of mind and can now think better. While the archers on the walls are just decoration, I collect things I might be able to use. Cores, blood samples, body parts.
“You made a mess!”
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Yes, Snow I know. I just overdid it a bit. At least I feel better. Why are you here and not with… Oh, everyone is here too, but further away. Am I that scary? I do not even have a bit of blood on my armor… Maybe that is scary in itself, but my reflexes are fast and Alpha can cut really smooth.
“I might have overdid it, but now I feel better.”
“Is that so? Well then that is fine. Are we going home now?”
“Sure.”
While thinking that someone comes to us.
“You! State your Name and Affiliation!”
Nice welcoming of the one, who just cleaned up for you. Do I have to pay a toll for saving your hide too?
“Ava. Lord Null of the Lost Village. Ask Blue Ice and they will explain. I am going now.”
“Wait, we need to first check your credentials!”
“Not interested.”
And with that we just walk away. He might want to use more force to persuade me, but I just cut a rock Bear in half while dodging a blade Deer. So we go the rest of the way and vanish in the Forest with our full retinue.
…
While the Children and new Caretakers are getting comfortable I am in the study. The whole Monster wave was crazy. No, I do not mean myself being a tornado of gore, I mean they seriously did not care about anything.
They just attacked like there is no backing off or retreat. It was not even desperation just… rage. What is a Monster stampede anyways? How come they just breed like crazy and then just decide to ram themselves against a human Wall to die a worthless death?
There has to be a reason. I need to get to the bottom of it. Maybe I should go out as a Monster and look around? No, I was never accepted as a Monster between the Forest Monsters.
Still I should watch out and look for signs. Maybe there is something I can understand from their behavior and maybe I should check the Miasma inside the Forest.
…
“Malek is still there. We need to go there!”
Snow… We have so many children already. More and the Servants floor will be halfway filled.
“Do we have to?”
“Yes! You saw the Monsters already getting angry at something. I do not want to see an Orphan getting eaten.”
Me too, but it will happen one way or the other as not all… maybe I should not explain that to her, she would want to cleanse the Forest.
“...Understood. I just write the last few results of checking the Miasma and we can go.”
“By the way, what did you find out?”
“The Miasma is seriously strange. It is more aligned and has more working intent as chaotic one. Either something is deliberately pulling the Miasma into such a state, or there might be a phenomenon on this World, that makes it a natural occurrence. My money is on… I don’t know…”
“So… Nothing?”
“Not nothing in the broad sense. With the way the Miasma moves I can predict next time, if there is a Stampede…”
“And we can gather more Children earlier?”
“...no Snow, we can maybe find a way to stop the Stampede from forming.”
“Aw…”
Snow, do you really need thousands of playmates? I know you are rather energetic, but the Castle is already filled with so many people running here and there and waving and smiling… Well okay, it is way more livelier now and maybe I can also smile, when I hear happy laughter… I am not making a good point here, am I?
…
While on our trip many eyes are on us. You go crazy once and suddenly all of the people want to tell everyone where you go and what you are doing. One even comes directly to us.
“Lord Null? I am Richard. The Blue Ice would like to express their thanks for eliminating the small horde. While they were busy, they could not be at the front themselves and are glad you made an impact. If you want you can come for a visit to Halk before you go further?”
“Sorry, we are only walking through.”
“Information has been heard, you are collecting children? Might we know what you are trying to achieve?”
So nosy. I do not need to answer anything, but Snow did answer before I could.
“We just protect them from you using them in the stampede. Clean your own mess and do not use children!”
Snow, that might just be some Information for them to use against us. Well whatever, if they really try to force us to move with children as bargaining chip I eradicate them. I finally have a better grip on that Void Slime body I taken over. Might be trying it out on them, if they do not play ball.
“Might you be interested in helping us out? You could save those children directly?”
“Robert was your name?”
“No Richard.”
“Listen Richard. If you try to threaten us into working with Blue Ice, you might first ask them what happened to the last one, who tried to threaten us. Do not think they will safe you from me. We are going now.”
“I didn’t mean to thre…”
“We are going! Bye!”
And that was it. Maybe the people think of me as some kind of soldier for hire. I am not and will only help if I want to.
While walking Snow nudges me.
“Maybe we could help? If we help, less people will be hurt?”
“Snow… If we do what they want just to help every Orphan, they will try to exploit that weakness. What would you do, if they say we need to go to war with another Country or they will use the children as Soldiers?”
“I would bite them!”
“But if they say it more subtly like now, you would help them. If they know how to talk to you and insinuate there might be hurt Children otherwise, they would have a way to control you. Do not get me wrong, I think it is really nice of you to care for the Orphans, but the more you want to help, the more they might try to exploit that. We are already doing too much.”
“You think we should not help those poor boys and girls?”
“We should, but should be more subtle. Donations was a great thing, but now we collect them and bring them to our Domain. This will be seen by all of the others and will be looked into.”
“More subtle… I really do not understand this.”
She is still confused about the real World. Action and reaction. She might be too much of a child for now, even if she looks grown up.