Chapter 118 (2/2)

Almost against his will, Randidly grinned. Had he really gotten so spoiled in the months he had lived with the system…? Although he didn’t learn much from the father who was absent most of his life, he did remember one of the few visits the man made to him and his mom.

It was recently after his parents divorced, and Randidly was still young at that point. Randidly had asked his father why he had to live in this new, tiny apartment with his mother now, without him.

His father looked at him with his calculating grey eyes, and asked. “If I let you live with me, how will you compensate me?”

Randidly just stared dumbly at him.

His father shook his head, almost sadly. “Your mother and her weird fucking names… listen to me, little R, what’s worth having is worth working for. Never ask for handouts.” Then his father straightened and left.

Randidly trembled slightly. He wasn’t sure why he remembered that man just now, but it wasn’t a pleasant feeling. He hadn’t thought about them much, since he left his mother to her string of boyfriends, refusing to return the once a year calls on his birthday from his father. That family was dead to him.

But still, he felt a pang in his heart. Because his new family, too, was probably-

Squeezing his eyes shut, Randidly cut off that train of thought. What he needed now was strength. To find anyone… who might still be alive. To protect the things he held dear.

And he would only get that through work.

After taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of the sunrise, Randidly turned, walking towards the training area. It would be another long day, but Randidly needed it. Because his current self…. Wasn’t enough. He craved more.

****

Mrs. Hamilton tapped on the table with perfect measure, almost like a metronome. The rest of the figures around the table, Regina, Glendel, Daniel, Clarissa, and Sam, stood still, frowning at their respective fingers. Glendel had just reported the strange situation of the other village, as well as Alana and Decklan could figure it.

Donny and Dozer were both absent, going to clear the dungeons next to old Turtletown and Donnyton respectively. Now that Turtletown had fallen, and most of its people slowly drifted over to Donnyton after realizing their previous town had fallen, monsters spewing from that location were becoming a serious problem for the trade route they planned on establishing to Franksburg.

Mrs. Hamilton’s tapping stopped. “...Best to wait it out, huh. They should be able to take care of themselves over there.”

Everyone else was silent. After a long moment, Glendel spoke. “The children don’t appear to be in any danger…”

“But their mother…” Sam muttered, his arms folded.

Mrs. Hamilton sighed. Regina straightened and said, “I agree with Mrs. Hamilton. This is diplomacy. Delicacy and tact is important here.”

“Even when they aren’t bothering with it at all?” Daniel muttered, and he was rewarded with glares from Sam and Regina.

Smiling, Mrs. Hamilton added. “...and their continued presence allows them to intimately become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of our sister village.”

The others mulled this over for a short while. “In other news… how is the Adventurer’s Guild building?” Mrs. Hamilton asked.

Daniel’s eyes came alive. “It’s extraordinary! Not only does it provide quests, but it also appears that there is a function similar to what Nul could provide, with skill trials. Though unfortunately, the selection is much more bland, but as more missions are completed, the building grows, and more options should be unlocked…”

“In addition,” Clarissa added with a grin, glancing at Daniel. “After the building was created, we have seen a higher incidence of Yellow named monsters, which seem to be related to quests. Often these are quite a bit stronger than normal monsters in the area, but you seem to need to accomplish a series of prerequisites to fight them, or to barge directly into the area they are using as a lair. Nothing bad has happened thus far, but… some of them are quite near to the village limits-”

“But their bodies are excellent for parts,” Sam interjected, smiling slightly.

A bang rang out, dragging everyone’s attention back to the center of the table, where Glendel sat. He looked up at them all, pleadingly. “You are really alright with this? Just letting those children stay over there? They didn’t seem to mean us harm exactly, but… Could we at least ask them to return the children…?”

After a long moment, Mrs. Hamilton nodded. “...Actually, that’s a good idea. I’m sad I didn’t think of it. They will likely refuse, and it will make them think they have a negotiation advantage.”

Glendel blinked. “They will refuse…?”

Mrs. Hamilton checked the sun, and stood to go. “Yes, but that’s not the real reason that it wouldn’t work. She will refuse to return, too.”

****

“I don’t want to go back,” Kiersty said with exaggerated patience, before Hess even had a chance to respond. Adults needed to be treated very delicately sometimes.

Devan and Decklan’s squads were about to go out and help with the monster problem that Kith Klark was dealing with, but Decklan had taken the time to ask that Kiersty and Nathan be allowed to return to Donnyton.

“After all, there is still a bit more to do here,” Kiersty added, then calmly walked out the door. Right as she arrived, Bert appeared, gravely opening the door for her and giving her a small bow. She smiled at him, pleased. She quite liked this turtle man that gave her cider and snuck her treats all the time.

And in addition, she didn’t have a bedtime over here. Why would she ever go back to Donnyton?

Scared and intimidated, Nathan, as always, was dragged out by virtue of unwillingness to lose proximity with his sister. He looked so scared that Kiersty almost felt bad. But then she shook her head, steeling her resolve. After all, there was a lot of work to do. This wasn’t the time to be selfish.

Arbor had barely gotten his roots into the soil here. There was still much to do, and lately, Kiersty had felt that her growth had become somewhat stagnant. She needed a new activity to distract her and keep her entertained.

It was time to evangelize.