They walked deeper into the tunnels. The flickering rusted lamps provided barely enough light. Streni kept an eye for ambushes, even with the guards' oath. She jumped as a drop of water splashed on her face, and scowled while wiping it away. They continued downwards, the air becoming humid as puddles started to appear. Rishja seemingly without thinking, jumped into one, coating both of them in dirty water. He looked sheepish as she stared at him. She smiled, and stomped into the tiny pool as well, creating a much bigger splash. He had a twitchy smile on his face again, but a smile nonetheless.

They carried on until emerging into an underground ravine… and a settlement. There were multiple levels to the place, walkways on each one that stretched with the cavern into the distance. On each level there were lights of many different colors, bathing the scene in a confusing and almost abstract way. There were stalls everywhere and people of all kinds, Cani, Ferre, a few Goblins – Crow people? She had never heard of them before. They were selling everything from practical to absurd: Shoes, armor, statues? Paintings, – blood? She paused on the substantial queue of people who wanted to buy blood. She moved on, and saw many more bizarre wares. Rishja was huddled against her; his eyes were wide, straining to take everything in. She spotted Osia struggling to hold Pebbles back from running face first into the crowds.

They walked over, just as the Assassin was smacking the brat around the head. She frowned. “Need some help?” Osia just shot her a glare. The boy finally calmed down and they all looked around together. “So… what should we do? What is this place?”

Osia shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe we should explore?” They decided to do just that, and headed further in; The kids goggling at the sights.

Rishja stopped suddenly, drawing her attention. There was a Cani girl begging for scraps. She glanced at him, and saw his eyes had a recognisable blankness. “Come on.” She dragged him forward, the boy pulling back. She turned, looking him in the eyes. “It’ll be fine. I’m going to help.” He was hesitant, but gave in. Osia and Pebbles were watching curiously.

She stepped up to the girl, and knelt down. “Hello there. What do you need? Food? Money?” The Cani openly gawked at her, before just nodding vigorously. She chuckled. “Well, how much do you need?” and started pulling food out from her dimensional storage. The child’s eyes widened even further, but she didn’t tell her to stop. She kept glancing up at her worriedly, and eventually Streni frowned, causing the girl to shrink. “Do you need to feed more than just yourself?” The girl slowly nodded, and Streni picked up the food she dropped. “Well, you better take me to them.”

The girl hurriedly led them through the crowd, until they got to a darker section of the ravine. The Cani slipped through a crack in the wall, which was a little more difficult for her. When she popped out on the other side, she hurriedly moved her wheezing to the corner and let the others come in. The girl was still waiting eagerly, so they followed her around the bend and into her home. It was a hovel, unsurprisingly, and there were children everywhere. They wrestled, and played, or just sat talking. It would have been a relatively nice image if they weren’t all so thin. She stepped forward as the girl let out a weak howl, drawing the attention of all the children. They stopped and stared at Streni. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she found a cleanish table of sorts, and dropped half of her food there. Eyes immediately widened and they raced, flew, or leapt across ground towards her. She stepped aside, watching them devouring it. She observed their home again. My gosh, the construction is bad, but it’s also…so dirty. She shook her head and checked on them, before heading out. Rishja was watching the others with a smile, and she leaned down to whisper in his ear. “I am going to buy some cleaning supplies, you are welcome to stay here, if you wish.”

His head twisted to her, and he blinked a few times before… “Yes.”

An hour later, she returned ready to clean. The children looked up as she entered, a few tails starting to wag. She grinned at them, but didn’t do anything else but walk over to the biggest patch of dirt, and start to scrub. She swore she could hear the jaws dropping to the floor, and maybe the quiet giggles of Rishja. For the next several hours, she got lost in the repetitive motions, until, “Why are you cleaning?”

She felt the urge to turn, but pushed it aside. “Because it’s dirty, and unhealthy for you to live in it.”

There was a snort. “I’m pretty sure there are a lot of things that are unhealthy here.”

Streni nodded, trying to think of something to say and realised that she had nothing. she shrugged. “I guess this is all I can really do at the moment for all of you.” The truth left her feeling a little lighter, and she doubled down on a nasty stain.

There was a moment of quiet, before the female voice croaked, “It won’t change anything in the end, don't bother.”

Streni paused, trying to think of a reply to that. An image flashed in her mind. An angel with a loving smile, holding her.

She put the cloth down and turned, seeing the Cani girl who had been begging. She kneeled down, and hugged her. The Cani stiffened, her fur rising, and a growl bubbled from her throat. “Shush now, none of that. You need this.” They remained as they were, but didn’t pull away. She started patting their back, and after a few seconds a tiny burp sounded from her mouth. She snickered, leaning back to regard the embarrassed looking Cani. She then returned to cleaning, this time with a partner.

Time passed, and she provided some more food for the children. Some of them began moving to their beds, while others were just waking up. She blinked, and turned to the Cani girl, whose name she’d learnt as Umishi. “Are some of you nocturnal?”

The girl shrugged. “Yeah, it means we can try and get money all the time.”

Streni nodded, a little hesitantly. “What is this place by the way? We…” She stopped when she realised that Osia wasn't around anymore. “...came across here by accident.”

Umish rubbed her dark-gray snout. “This is Onista, it’s a trading town, run by one of the Merchant lords.”

“Really? I thought all the Merchant lords were…” she shook her head.

“He’s the only one to rise that isn’t a human, yes.”

“...Right.”

“It’s one of the only known places where any race can come to.”

She cocked her head. “Any?”

Umishi gave a sound of affirmation “The Merchant Lord makes everyone useful. You can get stuff here that you’d never find anywhere else.”

Streni looked over at the children of all kinds: Crows, Goblins, Kobolds, Insects. How strange it was to her, that she ended up here.

“And you have…no one to look out for you?”

“We look out for ourselves.”

She stared. “Well, that’s going to change.”

A month went by, and Streni had begun to settle in. She looked for work wherever she could, and made enough money to support the children, barely. But, she was doing it. She would sometimes see Osia, and quite often saw Pebbles. They found a little Goblin community here.

Streni was uncertain if she was going to stay, but she felt that she couldn’t leave the kids. One day, she was walking back, when she found Ghori, one of the Crows, which she discovered was called a Cawn; he was unconscious and broken, hiding behind a box in an alley. With a gasp, she knelt down, and picked him up gently, quickly taking him to a healer. She paid with all of her money for him to be fully healed. When the mage had finished fixing him, he woke up, and cried into her arms, making weak noises.

“Who did this to you?” She hissed.

“Some Ferre… the man wouldn’t let me buy food so I stole it, and snuck pay-pay-payment…” He broke down into sobs, and she patted him gently on the head. A tense knot formed in her chest.

She took calming breaths, and murmured into his little ear. “I’ll deal with this.” Then she quietly asked him a few more questions, about who it was, where they worked and such. Once she knew, she took him back and cared for him for the rest of the day. She began to prepare. She asked the kids to eavesdrop, and with some hesitation, had asked them to steal. I'm no longer apart of his Will. My destiny is my own. Then, the hardest thing of all, she started working for the scum. Three weeks, of constant suppression, and cordial treatment; all so she could one day sneak a book he'd been hiding under a floorboard in her storage ring. But, she did it, without trouble too; she was ready.

She arrived in front of the shop which had beaten one of her children. Feeling the powerful burn in her heart, she opened the door, causing a bell to ring.

“Ah, Miss Streni! Come for more work have you?” A black Ferre grinned at her, revealing sharp chipped teeth. His ears twitched excitedly.

“Not quite, Mr Yunst. I heard you wouldn’t sell to one of my children?

His face became confused, before souring, like he’d sniffed bad milk. “Ah, that Cawn was one of yours then? You really should stop raising thieves Miss Streni.”

She froze, clenching her fists. “You had no reason to kick him out, nor did you have to try and cripple him!”

His pupils narrowed. “Oh, I see. I had every right. That little brat stole from me, all of those beggars are just a drain on our resources. And cripple him? I did no such thing, the child is clearly lying.”

She glowered ignoring his last statement. “That is interesting, I wonder what the Merchant Lord’s views are on things that are a ‘drain on resources’? Do you think I should tell the guards about your tax evasion?”

He rolled his eyes. “And how will you prove that, Miss Streni?”

“Well with this, I imagine” She pulled out a thick padlocked book, causing the shopkeeper to freeze.

The Cat man visibly swallowed “Do you really think that I would write down crimes?”

She tapped her chin. "Well, maybe if you were paying someone else, like-"

"SSHH" He hissed at her, glancing around nervously. "How do you know that person? You're not allowed to mention them!"

She grinned maliciously. "Never you mind. Now, If you do not provide me with food to feed the children for the rest of the year, and recompense my child, I will tell the guards how to open this book.”

“You don’t kno-”

She flicked the book causally open, the padlock providing no resistance. "I spent my time working for you wisely, Mr Yunst."

His fur was starting to glisten. “Miss Streni surely you wouldn’t… if you hand that in…I’ll be-”

“Fucked, yes?”

He paid up.

When she came back, the children were flabbergasted. They had a feast, for the first time in…ever, actually. They were raucous, running about the place, and playing just as children their age should, without feeling like the world was going to end. She smiled, and paused as she noticed something. There was a feeling in her chest, a lightness, looseness – she'd never experienced such a thing, and whatever it was, it was good. As she watched them, she finally came to a decision, one that felt like it was made months ago.

‘Ding’ You have unlocked the Class [Mother of Outcasts].

In all societies, there are the ones ignored, spitted upon and left unloved. You found them, and wondered why no one else was doing anything. You have everything they need; Will you stay?

Yes.