Ezzie said.

Ezzie said, sounding frustrated for the first time.

I pulled up my current numbers:

Renown

Current level: Unknown.

Progress to Unheralded: 350/2000

I’d actually made a little bit of progress, and the idea of giving up the Renown I’d already bled for felt pretty awful.

Ezzie said.

The little girl I’d rescued was staring up at me. She had bright blue eyes, brown, shoulder-length hair, and her face was smeared with dirt. She tugged on my tunic and raised her hands again, asking to be picked up again.

Flynn—that was her name, the one the girl reminded me of. A sweet little six-year-old who’d broken her ankle on a scavenging run gone awry. We’d taken turns carrying her around the hideout for three months, until it became clear that her bones hadn’t set right, and that no amount of strengthening the muscles that remained would let her walk again. We’d built her a carrying device so she could get some fresh air from time to time.

She’d loved us for that, obviously. And we’d loved it, too—the rig meant we could bring her on scavenging runs, and an extra pair of eyes and ears were priceless. She couldn’t run, sure, but that wasn’t exactly a drawback.

Because if your scav crew stumbled across an android patrol, outrunning the droids wasn’t something you even considered; it just wasn’t possible. No, getting out alive was solely dependent upon your ability to outrun your friends.

I looked to the raiders, to the girl who was still pleading to be picked up. Not here, not again. Not without trying, at the very least. I owed Flynn that much. And so, so much more.

“Yo, asshole!” one of the raiders said. The one who had spoken stepped up behind one of the others and mimed stabbing him in the back.

The stabbed raider flopped onto his stomach and rolled about in the grass, pretending to die in wildly over-dramatic fashion. “Oy ow, that smarts quite a bit!” he said, just before he went still.

The raiders shared a laugh and trotted back up the hill. The one who had spoken offered a curt little wave as he went, and I returned it.

Ezzie said.

I shook my head.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

<...Oh,> Ezzie said.

I scooped the little girl back up into my arms.

The little girl drew back in my arms and looked me right in the eyes. “Thank you.” She buried her face in my neck.

Ezzie said.

I led the three kids into the village from there, which was entirely undefended. I made it into the town square before the first kid bolted, running right into his mother’s arms with no small amount of wailing. The other kid drifted away in the same fashion and soon the narrow streets were lined with sobbing villagers and shouts were ringing out all over the place.

I tried to set the little girl I was still holding down onto the street so she could scamper off too, but she clamped down on my neck, and I didn’t want to hurt her by yanking her free.

Ezzie said.

{Lizzie Holden} (Level 2 Humanoid) (NPC)

HP: 100/100

Ezzie said.

I walked down the road, the girl in tow. One of the reunited families watched me pass, their eyes wet with tears.

I said.

I checked the nearest kid I’d saved.

{Village Child} (Level 2 Humanoid) (Mindless)

HP: 50/50

I said. Was that why she’d felt somehow different from the rest? I’d assumed it was just my memories of Flynn that made her seem more real than the others.

I ignored the jibe. How many deaths had this little girl gone through, then? How many times had she been torn apart in that dark, damp cave? How many of those deaths was Ezzie responsible for, let alone the greater population of Pilots?

That last bit reminded me of something, and I was eager to change the subject, to think about literally anything else.

Ezzie said.

I said, not really following that last bit.

As Ezzie had said, the Mayor’s home was nothing special: just a slightly larger hut that seemed better taken care of than most. We started through the grassy front yard, and a curvy woman came running out of the house, screaming at the top of her lungs.

The little girl kicked and wriggled in my arms, trying to get free, so I set her down and she met what could only have been her mother halfway.

Her father—a short man in worn leather clothing—joined them in the front yard a few moments later. He motioned me over, and as soon as I was within arm’s reach he grabbed me by both of my shoulders.

“You don’t understand what this means to us,” he said. “I…we heard that she’d been taken, and we’d hoped, but.” He swallowed, hard. He had his daughter’s eyes: blue, watery, bright. “We don’t have much here, but small towns don’t forget a favor like this. Thank you, stranger.” He released me and turned back to his daughter.

Quest complete: Safe Passage!

You have been awarded 200 Experience and 200 Renown.

Congratulations! You have been awarded a Personal Estate!

Hidden Objective Complete: Finish both {Safe Passage} and {Faster Now!} without losing a single child.

You have been awarded an additional 200 Experience!

The villagers of Hillcrest have sent a {Mystery Box} to your Personal Estate!

The Mayor of Hillcrest has sent a {Building Token} to your Personal Estate!