The head connects to the neck. The arms connect to the shoulders. The legs connect to the torso.

It sounded simple, in theory. There weren't even any horns, wings or a tail to attach. Even then, this was more difficult than I'd anticipated.

I began to flex my 'hands', a new formation of molded metal that had been crafted with fingers and joints in mind, based on Sigura's own as a reference. Controlling them with [Telekinesis] was one thing, but moving the 'fingers' to grip objects was difficult. It wasn't that I lacked the ability to apply fine control upon the metal I'd soaked my influence into. Instead, I was finding a fundamental disconnect between what my instincts told me to do, and what my mind told me to do.

I clenched the 'fingers' into a fist. It was the easiest action I'd learned to do, and I'd mastered it quickly. Afterwards, I'd expected to 'master' every other action with just as much ease. I wish I'd been able to see how blind I'd been before I gained so much confidence.

In my old body, the movements of my hands were part of a complete system. A flow of objectives that connected to one another with perfect clarity, leaving no room for confusion or misinterpretation.

I would send the desire to move through my body. Muscles in my arm would move ever so slightly, as if it were a package exchanging hands from one messenger to another. Once it arrived at its destination, I'd be able to move my hand. In theory, the process sounded simple.

Now, it felt as though my instincts were acting against me. When I thought of a hand moving, I pictured the command going through a limb, one that made fine control simple. The 'muscles' would temper the message, allowing everything to flow smoothly, yet... there was no muscle. Instead, I had a direct link from the 'brain' to the 'hand'. Controlling a disembodied hand that instinctively sought out muscles that weren't there with magic felt... incredibly alien.

The strength and dexterity I'd found within a floating mechanical hand differed greatly from anything my old body had ever possessed. I tried to liken it to my old gauntlet, but even then there were differences. It was something I'd need to practice with and adjust to, but as it stood... my movements were unnatural and awkward, something I was becoming painfully aware of.

While Sigura was in the process of sewing something with orange thread and a thin needle in idle peace, I found myself envious of the ease with which she moved. I'd never seen Sigura as much of a craftswoman, especially not compared to my own abilities, and now she was having an easier time of working than I was.

While I'd watched her work with ease, and with how naturally I'd learned to clench the fingers of a mechanical hand, I'd made a mistake. One of the mannequins I'd been attempting to put back together had a puncture wound in the chest, courtesy of my metallic thumb's unnatural grip strength. The loud 'crack' had made Sigura worried, and I'd had to assure it was just... a mistake.

Without real muscles and the ability to judge the 'feel' of the disembodied hand, I'd pressed down far too hard. I should've known not to 'press' as hard on a mannequin as I had on metal, but that was the only real frame of reference I'd had with my [Telekinesis].

I left the damaged mannequin aside, electing to hide it until I had a way to patch up that 'wound'. For now, I wanted to put my attention on those I could reasonably repair.

The rest of the mannequins were sprawled out before me, a collection of bodies damaged from the battle against those Big Tooth thugs. Some had dents in their arms or chests, while others had cracks in the plastic shells that made up their bodies. I'd spent some time collecting shattered shards from the floors of various stores after me and Sigura had returned.

Once again, I felt thankful for whatever God had decided to grant me [Heated Steel]. With it, I could create a thin rod of metal that would serve as a makeshift soldering iron. Running it along the surface of the mannequin, I was beginning to melt the damage closed. Some plates held it in place, while others slipped inside the mannequin's shells, pushing outwards in the hopes of smoothing out the dents.

More than once, my telekinetic clumsiness had caused another break inside the mannequins as the plates pushed a little too hard. I'd expected to feel more upset by the breaks than I was, but... It was a setback, but not one I couldn't overcome. It was manageable. Something I could put together as long as I had all the pieces. It was just a matter of slotting them back together again, like a jigsaw formed of body parts.

Would I be able to repair the floor tiles the same way? They weren't nearly as important as the mannequins my teammates had spent time dressing, but seeing the shattered tiles left a bad feeling in my stomach. It was a part of our base that could be fixed, and one I was intent on-

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

I internally winced. I'd really need to fix that bell before it got on my teammates' nerves. The Gods knew it was already beginning to get on mine.

Thankfully, the number of times the bell tolled hadn't failed to let me know who'd arrived. Six sounds for six feet. I placed some of the repaired mannequins to my right, out of my way as I filled my body with telekinetic force. I rose to my feet, approaching Sigura. She hadn't looked up from her stitching, but the twitch in her ears told me she was more than aware of the noise. I hoped it was a twitch of acknowledgement, and not one of annoyance.

"We're back!" Streiphen exclaimed, barrelling down the hallway towards us.

"[Welcome back, Streiphen,]" I replied. "[How did your expedition go?]"

"Oh... we got some stuff, but we didn't find a good place to get food c-consistently," he told me, looking back over his shoulder. I could see the approaching heat of Fareel's silhouette, even if Toya was invisible to that particular sense. The pair entered my bubble, and I saw the Slime-like man come into view, carrying one large wooden barrel on each shoulder.

"We had to... well... Fareel raided these from a Big Tooth warehouse," the man said with a note of hesitation, crouching down to lay the barrels on the floor.

Sigura grinned ear to ear, looking towards the Fishman Chimera. She held an open palm out to him, one which he promptly slapped, completing the high-five.

"Good work," she told him, pride clear in her voice. "That'll teach them to fuck with us."

If the Fishman's grin was anything to go by, he was as proud as Sigura sounded. The blue Chimera grimaced.

I glanced towards the metal staff on Toya's back, hoping he got some use out of it. The man's face was clouded with apprehension, his eyes locked firmly on the barrels. He took a deep breath, turning away with a shiver as he made his way over to us.

"I didn't think you'd go for a fight, Jiggles," Sigura said, electing to leave the needle and thread aside as she climbed to her feet. "Unless you ripped off your shirt to distract the enemy."

He crossed his arms, clearly unamused by the joke.

"It tore when my body expanded. I... did it without thinking, when I went to defend Streiphen from the guards. I'll... need to find something new to wear," he finished, turning back towards Tyrian's Threads as he stepped into the store.

"We're not made of clothes, but we've got no shortage, either. If you lost your shirt fighting off the enemy, that sounds like a good trade to me," Sigura called out to him, reaching for the twin barrels our teammates had brought back.

She lifted the lid of one up, revealing a barrel full to the brim with clear water. I couldn't imagine that had been easy to carry back, but Toya was stronger than he looked. The second didn't look any lighter, one packed tightly with meats. Sigura's eyes visibly lit up at the sight.

Not just metaphorically, but literally. She took a step backwards, inspecting both barrels with [Insight], her eyes covered with a bright sunset glow.

"Cheapskates," Sigura tsked, crossing her arms as she looked down at both barrels. "I was hoping the barrels would be enchanted or something. We'd be able to do a lot with a stasis barrel, or one that kept things cold."

Streiphen peeked into the barrel with the assorted meats, poking a dark grey finger in. He gingerly tapped a slab of red meat before turning his starry gaze towards Sigura.

"This meat will be okay to eat for a while too! It's salted, so it won't go off. It's safe!"

Sigura leaned down towards the barrel, taking a long sniff from the contents before looking back towards me.

"He's right. This'll be good for a while. Hey Yur, any chance we could use that heater of yours to cook food?"

My awareness turned towards the metal heater. My legs carried me backwards for a moment as I considered it. I hadn't intended to use the heater that way, but...

"[That... should be alright. As long as the meat doesn't fall between the grates on the top,]" I confirmed.

Sigura smiled brightly, her arms reaching into the barrel as she fished around for her food of choice.

"I hope this isn't all just Cow and Goat meat. I would kill for some cooked Salmon," Sigura said, still eagerly digging through the barrel.

"I certainly hope not..." Toya responded dryly. He stepped back into the main corridor with a black button up shirt, one with short sleeves and a folded collar.

"You gonna get in on this too, Jiggles?" Sigura asked, pulling two thin strips of meat free from the barrel.

She made her way over to the heater, strolling along as she licked her lips. I backpedaled towards the artefact, extending my Aera towards it as I activated the rune. I knew Sigura could trigger it with ease, especially given her proficiency with Heat Magic. Still, there was no point in letting the rune deform when I was standing right here, even if it would have only distorted slightly.

"I don't need to eat," Toya responded, watching as Fareel took a narrow strip from the barrel, chomping it down raw.

"I didn't ask if you needed to," Sigura snapped back. "Just because you don't have to doesn't mean you can't. It'll be nice. You're part Slime, right? They eat food too."

Toya opened his mouth to respond. His eyes seemed to narrow as he considered something, glancing back at the open barrel.

"Alright... I'll try some when it's cooked," he decided, bobbing his head.

"That's the spirit!" Sigura smiled with a wide, toothy grin, slapping another two strips of light meat on top of the makeshift grill.

The sound of sizzling meat sent my body shivering. This body wasn't capable of eating, unless I had a hidden mouth tucked away somewhere. I wondered what the meat would taste like when it finished cooking. I'd love to try some... Maybe I could find a way for my metal to simulate taste buds through physical contact. It... wouldn't be the same as eating it, but... maybe it would serve as a decent substitute.

While my teammates crowded around the heater, I went back to work.

My [Telekinesis] seeped out of my physical form, moving into the assorted lumps of metal, my 'hand', and my makeshift soldering iron. I began fixing up the mannequins once again as Streiphen walked over, splitting from the group to glance towards my work in progress.

"Wow!" Streiphen said, his eyes widening as he quickened his pace, looking over the mannequins I'd managed to piece back together. "You fixed these so fast! I thought you could only use your magic on metal stuff!"

"[I can. I did this all through metal,]" I told him, gingerly pushing the damaged mannequin further back. To my relief, it didn't scrape against the floor. "[I didn't control the mannequins themselves.]"

He crouched down next to the mannequins, reaching a hand out towards them. I sent a metal plate forward, moving it in front of him. His hand snapped back, expression twisting in confusion.

"[You shouldn't touch them yet,]" I told him, my heart twisting in my chest. "[They're still very hot. From when I fixed them, I mean. You'll burn your hand.]"

The confusion in his starry eyes cleared up a little, and he relaxed. He nodded, smiling towards the mannequins.

He'd come over to me while the others were speaking around the grill. Even though I was working, I felt an obligation to continue the conversation and entertain him. My panel unhooked itself from my side. A metal plate slid into my compartment, moving under one of the objects Sigura and I had plundered. It was heavier than it should have been, but only because of the enchantment.

"[Streiphen...!]" I said to him, strain seeping into my voice. "[Take this, please!]"

He looked towards me, hurrying to his feet as he rushed towards the plate. His hands snapped out, taking the heavy artefact from the metal. As I returned the plate to its rightful place, he looked down at the-

"Linked Book...?" he murmured. "What's this for?"

His starry eyes moved back and forth over the cover of the leatherbound book. He gingerly pushed it open, looking at the endless sea of empty, lined pages.

"It's an artefact," I told him. "There are more in my mech. The books connect with each other through magic, Streiphen. If you write or draw something on one of the pages, the markings get copied over to the book it's linked with."

Streiphen's eyes widened with amazement as he looked through the empty pages.

"Woah! So... I could talk with someone from really far away with these?" he asked, looking back up at me.

"[Yes. I don't know what the range of the enchantment is, but Linked Books tend to extend rather far,]" I explained.

I'd never used Linked Books before, even if I'd heard about their capabilities. I didn't know what type of magic they used to carry that information back and forth, so I had no real way of judging the distance they'd work with one another.

"That means we could talk to each other even if we're doing different things!" Streiphen exclaimed, smiling brightly.

"[The book is heavy for me to carry, since I need to animate metal to carry it, but for you it would be as light as a regular book. I want you to carry one around when you leave with Toya or any of the others, just in case you get separated and need-]"

Clang!

Everything stopped. Toya froze, while Streiphen and Fareel looked back towards the dark nothingness beyond my bubble with confusion. Sigura rose to her full height, stretching her fingers as her claws snapped out. She rolled her arms, cracking the bones in her shoulders as she stepped away from the cooking meat.

Clang! Clang!

More noise. Did the enemy have three feet...? Or a single enemy with one foot? It was strange. Something I hadn't anticipated. My [Telekinesis] let my work drift to the ground, calling for more of the metal plates within me.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

I could see the intruders now, a nebulous blob of heat approaching our group. When the collection of people hesitantly stepped forward, entering my bubble as blurry silhouettes, I relaxed. I could tell who, or rather, what, they were, from the silhouettes alone.

Sigura raised an eyebrow as the group stepped into my vision. Toya looked towards the people that had walked boldly into our base, confusion seeping into his voice as he rose to his feet.

"Who... Who're all these kids?"

Walking into our vision was a group of children, each garbed in ragged clothing. There wasn't a single one of them not shivering from the winter chill, even if many were wearing blankets as makeshift cloaks. The boy in front was in his mid-teens, one with dark skin, deep red eyes, and pointed ears poking skyward. He had clear apprehension and wariness in those eyes, but his expression was steeled.

"I hadn't expected you to seek us out so quickly," Sigura said with a grin, crossing her arms as she strolled towards them, none of the aggression that I'd seen earlier left in her hands or gait. "Nothin' but kids, too? Didn't think you'd trust us that much."

The shivering of the kids only intensified as Sigura came closer. The dark skinned boy took a hesitant step forward with a single, trembling leg.

"W-we... We're prepared," he told her, eyes raising to meet hers. "We want to be fighters... Real fighters, like the blessed ones. We want you to teach us..."

Sigura's gaze swept over the crowd, meeting each of the children in turn. It was an easy thing to keep track of. Every time she met one of their eyes, their trembling intensified like a localised earthquake.

"Didn't your leader send you here with protection? None of you can use magic at all, can you?" Sigura asked, her eyes glowing as bright and hot as the sun.

"If... If we don't make it back, then there's more food for everyone else," the boy told her. "We d-don't want to live like this anymore. We won't."

"How bold," Sigura drawled, taking another few steps forward. At that distance, she was practically looming over them, her shadow consuming the boy in front. He trembled, yet didn't look away.

"Did you bring anything to trade, then? I told you people I wouldn't train for free."

"We don't have anything to give," the boy told her, clenching his fists. "B-but... when we get better, we'll have things. We'll... we'll pay you back."

Sigura tsked, crouching down with a slow, methodical movement as she met the boy eye to eye. "And if none of you get strong enough to change anything, and all you've done is waste my time? What'll I do then?"

"We will," the boy assured her. "We'll get strong."

I worried about him. He hadn't looked away from Sigura once. Would she see that as a challenge? I could see Toya looking on with a conflicted expression. He was trembling, nearly as much as the kids facing down Sigura. I saw a tender hand in his own as Streiphen offered his support. He looked down at the Chimera child, squeezing back.

Sigura's eyes drifted from the boy to that of those with him. Her eyes hung over one of the younger kids standing behind the teen. As Sigura's bright, glowing eyes met his, he jumped. The teen in the front snapped his arm out, holding it between the frightened boy and the Chimera.

She stared back at the teen for a moment, her expression hard. I was sure he'd look away from Sigura's glare, but... he held firm. For better or worse.

Sigura rose to her feet, climbing out of the crouch. She brought a hand up to the boy, who cringed with fear as her clawed fingers got closer and closer. I saw Toya move to take a step forward.

She ruffled the boy's spiky black hair, grinning madly as she turned around, walking back towards us.

"Yeah. You'll do fine," Sigura said, sticking her hands into her pockets. "Here's the deal. You'll eat with us and answer some questions. You manage that without pissing yourselves, and I'll consider this training session paid in full."

As much as I expected fear, the moment eating was mentioned the children perked up, eyes wide and full of energy. The group hesitantly looked to the older boy in front for confirmation. He clenched both fists, taking a deep breath as he took the first step, leading his group further into our lair.

If I thought anyone present had been about to piss themselves, it was Toya. The man had looked mortified through that whole thing, and now his face contorted with anger as Sigura returned to the heater.

"What was that?" he asked her, his voice a hushed whisper. "You scared them half to death!"

I hadn't seen Toya get as angry as he was now. Not even after Sigura herself had struck him. Streiphen squeezed his hand as Sigura rolled her eyes, sitting down next to the heater.

"This is my business, not yours, Jiggles. You let me do my things how I want, and I'll let you do the same. I wasn't about to waste my time training them if they ran off at the first sign of fear."

The eyes of the children were all drawn to the same place. The heater, and the strips of meat sizzling noisily atop it. Several of them gulped, trying and failing to hold back the sound of their rumbling stomachs. Still, all of them stayed behind the boy in front, who seemed reluctant to approach.

Now, all of us were in clear view.

"I said you had to eat with us, didn't I?" Sigura said, tapping the ground with a finger. "So come over here and sit. If you can't stomach being around me or any of my friends, then you can turn around and leave."

Reflexively, I turned on the pale green light bulbs overhead. It was likely that many of the children didn't have [Darkvision]. Hopefully this would ease their concerns.

Their eyes were all drawn to me. A colossal mech of metal and molded steel. My copper shell shined bright as it caught the light. My long, sharp legs were splayed out around me, now in full view. It only just occurred to me that I should have put the shattered mannequins and my metal tools away. I had my doubts that they were helping to ease the children's spirits. Maybe... maybe the dark had made it easier to approach us, rather than harder.

The eyes of the children drifted between us. From Sigura, to me, to Streiphen, to Toya, and finally to Fareel.

"Are you coming over here or not?" Sigura asked, looking towards the boy in front.

The eyes of my teammates, and of his friends, were all locked on him. He continued forward, only sitting down when he was close to the heater. Some of the children hesitated, but were urged on by their peers. Some held each other's hands, hoping to share the strength needed to sit with a cluster of monsters.

As frightened and wary as the children seemed, Sigura was grinning widely, evidently very pleased by the situation. An inverted mirror of Toya's awkward apprehension.

"If you have something to say, then say it," Sigura said, her eyes locking onto one of the younger boys at the back of the group. The boy was Half Elven, with pale skin, dirty green hair, and a faint glow to his body that made him stand out as looking more... 'real', than his friends. Sharper, more well defined and noticeable.

The dark skinned boy in front looked towards him, nodding decisively. Mustering up the courage, the boy pointed at... me.

"I-i-is... s-s-s-she a C-construct...?" he stammered out, his finger wavering.

"[I'm not a Construct,]" I told him, my voice entering the minds of all present. Judging by the stunned reactions of the children looking around, they hadn't experienced [Telepathy] before. "[I'm not able to move on my own, so I use this... metal suit to carry me around.]"

I didn't know if using the term 'mech' or 'mecha' would mean anything to street urchins. Best to keep the terminology simple, even if one of them did know the term 'Construct'. Had they encountered Golems or Dolls before?

"W-why...?" the young Half Elf asked, looking only slightly less horrified than he did a moment ago. "Do... do y-you h-have bad l-l-legs?"

Another child, a young Nekari girl with bright green eyes and dark orange fur, nodded to herself.

"U-uncle Bojo had bad... bad legs too... Couldn't w-walk very g-good..."

"[Ahh... No, it's not that I have bad legs... I just...]" I tried to find the right words, but none jumped to my aid. How could I-

"Take off the helmet, Yur," Sigura told me, looking up in my direction. "I told 'em they needed to be around us without running off. That means being around you, too. Not just your suit."

I felt apprehensive about the idea, a sentiment that was certainly echoed in Toya's eyes.

"[If you're sure...]" I replied hesitantly, already knowing the answer. Sigura wouldn't have said it if she wasn't positive.

My [Telekinesis] seeped through the metal shell, slowly lifting it off my head. Even without focusing on them, I could see their eyes widening to the size of dinner plates, hear their breath quickening as though they were having a collective heart attack, as all of them looked upon the most monstrous monster of them all.

"She... what...?" the dark skinned boy in front breathed. The rest were stunned into silence. I saw tears beginning to well in the Nekari girl's eyes.

I felt myself squirm and wriggle as the children's eyes were completely fixated on me. The horror in the eyes felt... I... I reached for my [Camouflage] Skill again, hoping against all logic that it would work. Nothing changed.

"Miss Yuri is a really nice person!" Streiphen spoke up, clenching both hands as he held them up in front of his chest. "I know she looks different, but she's a really good person!"

Still wearing his puffy jacket despite the heat, Streiphen took the first step forward in bridging the gap between us. With his starry eyes, long white hair and horn jutting from his forehead, he proudly extended a hand towards the boy sitting at the forefront of the group.

"My name is Streiphen... Streiphen Zenithine! Nice to meet you!"

With a second of hesitation, the boy raised a single shaky hand, clasping it with that of the dark grey skinned Chimera. A firm handshake. The sign of a good business transaction.

"N-nice to meet you," he responded, looking the boy in the eyes. "I'm Uris..."

Right behind Streiphen, another Chimera stepped up to the plate, placing a supportive hand on the horned boy's shoulder.

"I'm Toya Deladare," the blue skinned Chimera told him. "Uh... Nice to meet you... all."

The dark skinned boy, Uris, nodded, glancing at the Chimera's gelatinous hand. Was he wondering if he'd need to shake with everyone? The thought crippled me. If my metallic hand had punctured a plastic mannequin, not even the Gods could have made me trust it with a proper handshake.

"You should all know the rest of us," Sigura called out, eyes on the sizzling meat next to her. "I'm Sigura Brightmane, the brainiac over here is Yuri Scalesmith, and this guy is Fareel," she finished, jerking a thumb in the Fishman's direction. He'd turned away from the children, dipping into the [Tailor's] shop.

"A-are you a-adventurers...?" the green haired boy asked once again.

"No," Sigura growled, her eyes darkening a little as she looked away.

"[Sigura and I used to be, prior to becoming Chimeras,]" I informed them.

"C-c-chimeras?" the Nekari girl muttered, looking towards Uris.

The boy finished his handshake with the smiling Streiphen, freeing the Chimera to introduce himself to others in Uris' group. The boy turned, looking back at the Nekari with confusion in his eyes.

"I... I think..."

"We're monsters," Sigura said, rising to her feet as she leaned against the wall. "I used to be a Half Nekari, and Yur used to be a Half Varani. We were captured by a group of shitty bastards abusing magic and got turned into what we are now."

The Nekari girl looked towards me in sheer belief, breathing heavily. I couldn't imagine how these children must have felt beneath the brave faces they were trying to put on. They were trying their best not to let their fear show, but how did they truly feel?

"What about you?" Sigura asked, her eyes drifting back to Uris' eyes. "Are all of you Castards? Regular orphans?"

Uris bit his bottom lip, giving the Chimera a solemn nod. She... could have phrased that better.

"We're... abandoned Caster's kids... We don't really know anything about our parents... Our old orphanage closed down after the D-disciples came, so... we live with the other homeless people."

The Half Nekari Chimera sniffed, giving the boy a hesitant nod. "Figures. Explains the Boost."

Uris flinched as though he'd been slapped.

"They weren't trying to m-make us sick... But we have the p-potential for strong magic. We didn't have a teacher but we had to... try things. If we don't have magic, we don't... we don't have anything."

Behind the nervous boy, I saw Fareel emerge from the [Tailor's].

He was clothed in his skirt and top hat, joining Streiphen in the introductions as he tried to cheer them up with a dance, sticking his fingers into his mouth to pull his cheeks apart as his face was stretched into goofy, cartoonish expressions.

I'd expected the children to be more afraid than anything, but some of them seemed to relax at the sight. One of them even chuckled from it. Did the children just like him, or was he using a Skill to make himself more charismatic? A jealous part of me hoped he was cheating with a Skill.

"What about your 'leader'? Did he say anything about how to act around me? Around us?" Sigura asked. "Has anyone else come around to your place since we left?"

Uris gave her another hesitant nod.

"We... we're not the only group. There's a lot of homeless people around, but we... have to spread out. Other people check on us from time to time, too... An... adventurer from the Guild came to talk to the elder about... um... safety, and... business stuff."

Sigura's eyes narrowed. I didn't know what 'business stuff' entailed, but I had a strong idea as to what Sigura thought it was.

"And?" she pressed, her voice hard.

"He... told the messenger about you. The, um... 'Cat Monster'. He told him your name after, but that was what he said you looked like..."

Sigura shrugged in response. She seemed to take the given title in stride, which I wasn't surprised about in the slightest.

"We didn't know if you had Epithets, so... he just told him your name."

"Good," Sigura confirmed, nodding. "I told you what I wanted to be called, and you stuck to it. What about impressions? Did he describe what we were like?"

"The elder said he didn't... know what to think about you. He told the adventurer you were... aggressive, but that you didn't hurt anyone unprovoked."

I saw her smile at the implication. I wasn't happy to know that adventurers were being told we were 'aggressive', but it was better than being called dangerous or unstable.

"Vardren told them you were... unhinged, and..."

"Sandaljaw?" Sigura asked, raising an eyebrow.

Uris nodded. "Yeah... the [Archer]. But he was the only person who got badly hurt, and nobody else said anything bad about you. Enta stood up for you though. He said you saved his life..."

I didn't know whether that was strictly true or not. He might have been saved by some of his friends, even if it wouldn't have been cleaner. Still, hearing that adventurers were informed Sigura had saved a life helped to counterbalance the weight sitting firmly in my gut.

The Half Nekari Chimera nodded, not needing clarification on who Uris was talking about, either. The only person she'd really 'saved' was the boy with the burnt arm.

"The elder wanted someone other than them to speak up... He said they were both biased from experience, but... I told the adventurers you were willing to train us."

Sigura gestured for me with a hand, not wanting to interrupt Uris. She pointed at the meat cooking on the heater, turning her hand over to reveal her palm. I sent a flat steel plate over to the heater, slipping it under the meat before flipping it over, causing the sizzling to get louder than before.

"They warned us to be careful, and that the streets were just getting more and more dangerous. The elder said that we could seek you out if we wanted, but that if we didn't come back... They wouldn't be able to risk sending people to find us."

Sigura sighed as the last of the meat was flipped, the sound nearly drowned out by the cooking meat.

"Right... S'pose that's the smart thing to do..." she replied, even if the contorted, irritated frown on her face told me she didn't agree with it. "And the adventurers, they didn't press you any more than that?

Uris shook his head, sneaking a glance at the heater. We must've been chatting for a while now. The food looked nearly cooked. I hoped Sigura knew how long to leave the meat on the heat until they'd be ready to eat. Heh.

"No... They told us they'll look into it. They said we should stay together and off the streets when we can. As if we have a choice," he finished, a note of bitterness seeping into his tone.

Looking at the group, I gathered that the others had managed to calm down the children, somewhat. Fareel had put his regular clothes back on, even if he was demonstrating some of his magic. I was infinitely pleased to see that he was performing some basic Water Magic, and not his usual 'tricks'. He held a [Water Sphere] in one hand, a round ball of water that seemed to hold its shape and consistency as he rolled it up and down his arm.

Streiphen was clapping, a sound that encouraged some of the others to join in. Off to the side, Toya was answering some of the green haired Half Elven boy's questions. He'd struck me as a timid child, but he seemed to be getting deeply invested in whatever conversation they were having.

The sound of sizzling reached its apex. Sigura took a deep breath, letting out a contented sigh as she looked down at the food. With a smile, her gaze turned upwards, glancing towards the kids.

"Foods ready, brats! We'll eat, and get right down to training right afterwards. Just because you're new to this, I won't go easy on you for your first..."

She trailed off as realisation seemed to dawn on her face through her widening eyes. I was silently pleased to say I'd already thought of a solution to the problem she was surely thinking of.

"Yur..." Sigura muttered, looking up past the children and into the darkness.

"[If you're about to say we don't have plates, I'm glad to let you know there were some in the back of the [Butcher's], in the drawer beneath the meathooks. I went looking just before-]"

"I smell cologne," she muttered, interrupting me.

Cologne...? I knew I had no sense of smell, but I doubted these children would-

Clang!

All talk ceased. The children looked towards the entrance, faces contorting with confusion. I deactivated the heater as Sigura snapped her arms out, claws extended. I gingerly slid the plates I'd been holding in wait on a metal plate down onto the ground next to me.

Clang!

A pause.

Clang!

Another.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The delay had been too long for a person stepping down the stairs. Why...?

Heat. Beyond the edge of my [Sensory Zone], I saw them. A pair of figures, both Humanoid in shape, tall enough to be adults. The heat they emitted was that of an average person, rather than the greater heat of an Orc. Yet the shape of their 'blobs', and their gait, was completely unfamiliar to me.

Adventurers? My [Telekinesis] slid into my mech, extending into the plates and nails around me, primed for combat. I'd expected another attack, but not so soon after the last. I was glad that the others were here for backup, this time.

"Woah!" exclaimed a voice, one that echoed down the corridor. A male's voice. Young. "They've got lighting and everything! They're cooking something, too! They've really turned this place into something liveable, huh?"

"Hrr..." another voice growled back, a sound akin to one harshly clearing their throat. "Indeed... But do not forget that we are on the job in an official capacity, now. It is important to leave a good first impression."

"Yeah, yeah," the first voice responded. Streiphen, Toya and Fareel stepped back, moving alongside the children towards Sigura and I. "Weird to see you so uptight, old man. Guess you're worried about being out of practice, huh?"

"Hrrrrrr..." the second voice groaned back.

The pair came into my bubble, bodies revealed in the dim glow of the emerald light.

The first man seemed to be Half Elven, although he didn't have the same 'glow' that the child and others I'd seen had. He was a young adult with a confident, gleaming smile, one with dark, spiky blue hair swept to the right. He moved with his hands tucked into loose black pants pockets, thumbs hanging out of the edges. He wore a white dress shirt, one with golden buttons running down along its length. A dark blue capelet that went down to his elbows sat atop his shoulders, a pair of golden ropes fastening it in place around his collar.

On the man's eyes sat a metallic blue visor, one with a pointed center above his nose, while a pair of sharp looking 'wings' stretched up and out towards his ears. In the center of the visor was a lightly glowing horizontal purple stripe, sandwiched within the metallic blue frame.

The second man was a Roden, one with light grey fur and a hunched walk. He was clothed in a similar cloak, albeit one that went down to his knees. Beneath it was a dark purple shirt with identical golden buttons going down along the center. Just beneath the Ratfolk's snout was a long fu manchu moustache hanging above a long, wispy beard. His eyes were completely obscured by a blue-grey visor, one that was otherwise identical to that of the Half Elf.

I saw no weapons. No armor. No magic prepared and ready for combat.

Despite all of the evidence that proved otherwise, that casual gait... the easy way with which they moved despite being clearly outnumbered and standing before hostile Chimeras, I could tell they knew about us. These people weren't full of bluster like the Orcs. They didn't rely on equipment alone to give off the impression of strength. At a mere glance, I could tell.

These people were dangerous Casters. They were the real deal.