Year 765 Crawlers Sing

That’s what she wanted to feel, so it was strange when she still felt the pain of something missing. This wasn’t it, this couldn’t truly be her home....

Anukrin wanted to make sure she knew that very well, because after she had those conflicted feelings, someone barged in the front door without knocking. A young man, around maybe his fifteenth birth-moon, charged right in and faced them all. His hair was cropped haphazardly on his temples, leaving a mess of straight black hair on top of his head. He really didn’t look menacing, cheeks full of his youth and youth blemishes around his face. He might’ve been slender and meek underneath that giant gray cloak of his. The only glaring concern was the new twisting tattoo that ebbed on his young face; it was a corkscrew insignia going from the bottom of his right eye all the way past his exposed neck. A mark was still fresh, redness formed around the edges.

The tattooed lad glared at each face till he found the Vicar. The boy commanded, “I need to speak to ya...outside.”

“Oh...alright.” Vicar had no fear in his posture, he got up and walked behind the tattooed lad right out the door in complete silence.

It was Grace Risa who showed every emotion. This time she had tears in her eyes. “What have they done to my poor, Ranko?”

“Big brother Ranko...” Mumbled a few of the children. Rhea wasn’t part of this adopted household for long, obviously never learning of the identity of the tattooed lad. She did find it strange that whenever Vicar Jal went to town for some supplies he would always come back with a gray hooded figure. This figure only helped bring the supplies to the door and leave before the old man could thank him. Rhea felt too out of the link to ever ask about the identity of the individual, but based on the way they all sulked, suggested a few things.

Rhea had to do something; it was the least she could do for them. So, she got up and searched for the stairs to the hatch ignoring every question sent her way. She wasn’t ready to give them answers if she was wrong to be concerned. She climbed the steps and closed the hatch behind her, moving towards the edge of the roof and listened to the conversation between the Vicar and the long-lost child.

“Ranko...you look gaunt. Have they been feeding you?” Vicar asked right away, with hands laced behind him. Based on how tight his shoulders were, he was fighting every urge to hug the boy.

“I’m fine, Vicar. They’re my real family...” The boy forced this out, hiding his face away from the Vicar. Struggling to keep a tough appearance, something about the way the boy struggled suggests that he was lying through his teeth.

“I...know that your mother and father were part of this gang. But Ranko, you don’t have to force yourself to be with those people. Come back home, we can find another way to keep you saf-”

“Shut it old man.” The boy turned towards the Vicar, dark eyes hot with anger and pointing a knife to the center of Vicar Jal’s chest. The only way to tell that the boy wasn’t going to act on it is the way his hand shook, ” I’m here to inform yas that this is the last time ya will ever see me again! Don’t come looking, don’t even mutter my name! It’s better this way!”

“Oh...Ranko-” Vicar looked just as ready to cry just like the Grace. Neither could ever be able to keep such a demand.

“There is no Ranko.” The boy pushed the old man, making him fall to the ground. For a split second the boy looked guilty, but he stuffed it just as quickly as he stuffed away the knife. He left the old man on the ground, vanishing in the alleyways.

Rhea hopped off from the rooftop and ran towards the Vicar. The intention was to help him up, and the Vicar didn’t take her offering hand. He just sat there in shock, “The town wasn’t good enough apparently. They took Ranko too...”

“Who?” Rhea knelt next to him, peering at his body for any injuries. When she saw nothing, she failed to recognize the true injury here. The vicar was in a lot of pain emotionally, it was obvious by the tears that welled up in his button eyes.

“The Death Twister Gang...they took our Ranko...”

Rhea learned that gangs can be just as terrible as slavers. Gangs are disloyal, and they bleed a town dry if the Chimera Empire ignores them. Exactly what she had been taught in the last weeks, this town currently has a serious case of gang empowerment. They ruled the very corners of this poor town and dried out the finances, controlled the market, and even delegated the rules. There was nothing the Chimera Knights could do, and some of them were bribed to keep silent.

There was nothing that the locals could do to stop them. Rhea mulled over her options. If she does nothing, this orphanage is at risk of being targeted. Who is to say that the gang won’t enlist any more children?

However, getting involved meant that she would be back at square one. Her notoriety will rise, meaning that she will be chased around again, then she truly has no choice but to move to the next town. Who is to say the next town would be any better?

What is more important?

You know better.

Her naysayer mind prodded her thoughts like the times before, her lonely life had birthed this inner monologue in her that kept her from feeling too lonely. Sometimes pretending that it is her father or mother speaking out, making sure she always does the right thing.

Or at least as close as the right thing as possible since it didn’t abstain her from harming terrible people.

“Vicar...” Her hand reached for the man’s shaking shoulder, pulling him out of whatever mental spiral he was in. Her silver eyes burned with conviction, and the reckless smile reached her face. She didn’t have a good plan, but that didn’t matter to her, just that she wanted to clarify this to the distraught holy man. “Ranko will be back!”

“Rhea...what do you mean?”

“Go get some rest.” Rhea dismissed his prying, helping him up to his feet now. “It is as you state every morning, the gods ordained the future...Ranko will be in your future.”

Or engulf me in the earth for assuming, Chemuk.