Mrs. Fera put on her best victim face, and she gave the doctor a look of worry and concern.

"It's.... it's terrible, Doctor Kraven! A monster!! A monster has attacked the orphanage!! I.... I...."

Mrs. Fera faked some tears, and held out her hand, which was fingerless.

"He did this to me.... but that isn't what I'm worried about!! He took the children!!! He kidnapped them, and took them away to the mineshaft!! I tried to stop him, but this is how I ended up.... it was horrible! I couldn't do a thing! I.... can't imagine how much they are suffering right now!! That thing.... it has probably already killed at least a few of them! But we have to save the ones who are still alive! Every second is precious!! Please, Doctor! Will you help me?"

The doctor was stunned, but shook his head to recollect himself.

"That is.... please calm down, Mrs. Fera. Let me take care of your hand first, and I will listen to your story afterwords, once you have cleared your thoughts. Please, come into the room over here."

Mrs. Fera, who was pretending to shiver in distress- though it wasn't difficult with the overwhelming pain she felt in her hand- walked over to the patient room, where she sat down on a bed and Doctor Kraven began to apply some tonics on her hand before bandaging up the stubs where her fingers once were.

He did not have access to anything so elegant as a healing potion. Those were not commonly used by normal doctors- only by those who were excessively experimental, as the ones who used such magical items were considered to be witches or warlocks.

At one point in the Empires history, witch hunts were a common occurrence. The complete elimination of those who used magic, potions, or other strange practices was an everyday occurrence.

However, due to the recent policies of Percius IV, magic practices were at least made legal. Prejudice and suspicion towards such practices were still commonplace, and as such not many people of the Empire were eager to study magic. Many doctors stuck to commonplace medicines and herbal remedies, keeping to physical practices. Dr. Kraven was one of these people, however he was not doing this out of a suspicion towards magic. Rather, he wanted to try to find new remedies without having to rely on magic.

He viewed magic as somewhat of a 'cheat' to go straight to a solution, while skipping vital steps and effort, and since using magic was not easily reproducible, he would rather use standard methods.

If he somehow discovered how to make a potion which could heal, then it would require magical energy to produce. This energy was extremely rare to find in people. Only the most powerful of mercenaries would be able to train their magic to reach the level of potency to produce a weak potion. Furthermore, Kraven had no aptitude with magic, so there was no point in him studying it.

These mercenaries who had reached the level of being able to use magic were already rare enough, however the ones at a level for their magic to be usable in potions were even rarer.

It was something which Dr. Kraven would never consider practical, based on the available resources. It was better for him to use herbs and other more standard medicinal practices to heal his patients, even if it would take longer to heal and required more effort overall.

After bandaging up Mrs. Fera's hand, Dr. Kraven turned to her with a serious look, and asked calmly.

"Mrs. Fera, have you collected your thoughts? Could you recount to me exactly what happened last night?", he asked.

"I believe so. I will start from the beginning."

Mrs. Fera told a one sided tale of the events of the previous day.

"I came home after the meeting yesterday, which I am sure you attended, to find my beautiful children. How much I love and care for each and every one of their shining faces. They welcomed me home with smiles and laughter, something which heals my soul of anything which troubles me. But... all of a sudden, this.... thing appeared. It looked like a spider, but it stood on two legs, and wielded all sorts of tools and weapons, and even had something on its back that looked like a giant sack to hold items in."

The doctor seemed to be taking notes, and nodded for Mrs. Fera to go on.

"This monster spoke with intelligence, but it was nothing more than a vile beast.... it threatened to consume the children, and ran off after it attacked and ensnared me, with the children in hand.... there was also another monster which seemed to be hiding within the bag that it wore on it's back... I am not sure if it was something which submitted to it, or if it was yet another monster, but either way there are likely two of them. It burns my heart knowing that the children are in that mineshaft as we speak, likely being taken apart, bit by bit!! Please, Doctor! I plan on spreading the news, and encouraging a militia to save the children from that thing, and kill it! It poses a great threat to our town if we allow it to lurk there, either way. Will you not take up arms against it?"

The doctor patiently listened, and when he looked up from his notepad, he had a drawing of the beast which Mrs. Fera had described.

It was rough, but it resembled Coran based on a description she gave him.

"Is this what it looked like?"

"Why, yes... it looks just like that."

"I see.... well, I will do everything I can. I am not typically a fighter.... but...."

The doctor walked over to a storage room, and took out a bow that had been stored away for years.

"I can't ignore a patient in need. I will consider these children to be my patients, and currently they have been plagued by that beast. I would like to take part in it's eradication."

"Thank you, Doctor!"

"This is merely my duty as a doctor, to help patients in need."

"I would like to head over to the Senator's home immediately, to call a meeting of people so that we may rise up and take the monster by surprise tonight. Can you prepare for then?"

"Of course."

Mrs. Fera thanked the Doctor once more, and then left the building, grateful.

'One person down.'

----

Mrs. Fera headed through the town, over to the home of the Senator. The guards at the front were surprised at her sudden visit, especially given that she had just been here yesterday.

"Mrs. Fera? Is there something you need? You were just here the other day."

"I need to speak with the Senator immediately. This is an urgent matter."

"I understand. Please go ahead."

The guards led her once again inside the home of the Senator, where he seemed to be awaiting the arrival of a guest.

"Mrs. Fera? To be back so soon.... has there been some sort of change to our deal we recently struck? Or something else?"

"Senator, something terrible has happened."

Mrs. Fera held up her bandaged hand.

"My goodness! What on earth could have happened to put your hand in that condition!?"

"A monster has attacked the orphanage, and kidnapped the children."

"A.... A monster, you say!?!?"

Mrs. Fera pulled out the drawing which was made by the Doctor, showing it to the Senator.

"This thing attacked my orphanage. Senator, is it possible that there has been some sort of breach at the wall? If monsters are roaming freely about the Empire, this could be a great deal of trouble not only for us, but for the entire country."

"My goodness.... how could this have happened? I have only received a single odd report. Let me take a look...."

The Senator began to dig through a pile of paperwork, before he pulled out a report.

On it was a stamp, which was the seal of Tirius, the Legion Commander of the 3rd Legion of the Empire.

Unraveling the report, the Senator read it aloud to Mrs. Fera, who listened patiently.

"This report was written according to one of the soldiers who happened to be on patrol. 'I was walking along the wall, patrolling as usual, when all of a sudden I came across a field of bodies. It was a horrible sight. Their heads were cleanly cut off from the men, as if it was done using an extremely sharp blade or a thin wire.

There were around 100 men who seemed to have been one sidedly slaughtered, however only the men on the wall were attacked. The units beyond the wall were completely unharmed, and there were even units freely walking about, along with many in tents which were set up around the area.

This would suggest that the attack was a hit and run, done by some beast which appeared, and was able to use some sort of strange ranged slicing technique, before disappearing into the brush, back into the monster realm. This is most concerning, as it means that there exists a group of monsters within close proximity to the wall, who are not only strong enough to kill hundreds of people quickly and quietly, while not alerting nearby units, but who's appearances and features are currently unknown, due to their quick appearance and disappearance.

It is almost certain that the monsters did not enter the Empire, however further attacks of this manner will weaken, and eventually wear down the men of the border patrol. A strengthening of the wall security is highly recommended to try to gain more information on these monsters, and prepare for any further attacks.'

As per the suggestion of this soldier, wall security will be the main focus on the 3rd Legion from this day on, and we will allocate half of our men at any given time to positions on the wall. They will work in 12 hour shifts, and then proceed to switch with the other half of the men when their respective shifts are over.

-Legion Commander Tirius"

The Senator finished reading the letter, which was written by Tirius, and sent to not only every Senator, but also to the standing Emperor himself, Percius V.

"This happened just yesterday, and only recently did I receive this letter."

"Can this be a coincidence?", Mrs. Fera wondered. "This doesn't exactly sound like the work of this monster. As far as I know, he had no capabilities of flight, nor did he attack in the manner described here. I can't find any connection between the events, however the only thing I think we can conclude is that the monsters seem to be getting bold, and attacking more often than before..."

The Senator furred his brow.

"I heard that the heroes are being awakened as we speak.... does this also mean that the antiheroes have been awakened, and might be influencing monsters to attack?"

Mrs. Fera gasped at the possibility of this.

"This... is entirely possible.... how terrifying these times are..."

"Indeed... I can only hope that the heroes will arrive soon, as a result of the efforts of our great Emperor."

"Of course. But, regarding this monster, we must deal with it ourselves for now. Senator, I have come here with a suggestion."

"A suggestion?"

"As you know, the children have been kidnapped. Time is of the utmost importance. The more time that passes, the less likely it will be for the children to remain alive. It is my duty as the head of the orphanage to save them from this thing, and so I have come to ask for permission to gather the people, and form a militia to attack and defeat this monster which has taken up residence in the abandoned mineshaft."

"I see... well, it would be extremely troublesome in many ways to not allow you to do so. After all, I don't want to be known as the man who prevented his people from saving a group of kidnapped orphans from a monster."

"Of course."

"Furthermore, there could be further consequences of not doing so.... if the headmaster of such an orphanage suffers the trauma of having all her children killed off, I am sure her contributions to this Senate will decrease, and I will have to raise the taxes once more on the people.... that would be very bad for publicity..."

"Indeed...."

"Then, I will support you with everything I have. Of course, any malnourishment or bad condition which the children who have been kidnapped have suffered from would be due to the horrible treatment of this beast, correct?"

"Of course. What else could it be?"

"There is no other possible reason for the children to be in such a state."

Mrs. Fera and the Senator once more set off for the plaza, and the Senator ordered the guards to go around gathering the people of the village once more.

----

Gathered once more around the plaza were the citizens of Porta. Every man, woman, and child was present. Veronica of course was also present, as well as Dr. Kraven, who was aware of the reason behind this gathering.

Veronica wondered to herself what this could be about.

Just yesterday, the Senator and Mrs. Fera seemed to strike some sort of corrupt bargain, completely ignoring her letter about the treatment of the children. Just what were they up to now? Attendance was not mandatory, but information was the key to winning any battle, and so for Veronica to not come would be the same as ignoring something vital, which could lead to her downfall if she wasn't careful. As such, she came to listen to see what was going on.

Many other people were gathered as well, as Veronica stood in the back of the crowd. As a matter of fact, there were not any people that she knew aside from a few farmers who weren't present.

This showed how popular Mrs. Fera was, as it was advertised that Mrs. Fera had an urgent piece of news for the people of the village.

Many were wondering if their tax breaks were about to be canceled. Others wondered if they would get a further reduction.

Others still had no idea what this could be about. Veronica of course, was one of these.

The Senator stood forward with a grim face.

"People of Porta. There has been a terrible tragedy in the outskirts of our town, where the orphanage lies. After hearing about this tragedy, I know that it is my duty as Senator to do something about it, and so I have called you all here today- in cooperation with Mrs. Fera, who has been most effected by this tragedy. I know that it must pain her to even speak of it, but it is best if you hear what has happened from her own mouth."

The Senator then gave the stand over to Mrs. Fera, who seemed torn with worry and concern. She walked up with worry covering her face.

"My good people.... a monster has attacked the orphanage. I do not know how or why, but somehow a monster must have made it into the Empire, and attacked the orphanage."

Mrs. Fera raised up her hand, covered in bandages. Holding her face, she began to cry crocodile tears as she spoke.

"As you can see, I was injured trying to protect the children from the monster, but it was too powerful for me to overtake! It took pleasure as it trapped me in a net, and toyed with me, only to kidnap the children of this town!! It pains me to even be here, rather than running out to fight with that monster once more, but I am but a weak old woman! I lack the strength to fight against such a beast, and I implore the help of the people of this town! Men of this village, will you all fight for me? Will you come to arms, and save the children of this town?? Or will you simply allow these orphans to die in the hands of that beast!? Posters have been printed, and should be spread around the town of what the monster looks like. Please take a look around you."

When people looked around, they saw a wanted poster which had the rough drawing of Coran, posted on various buildings and boards.

"My goodness..."

"This is scary.... this thing has breached the walls...."

"How did it get here to Porta?"

"Did it come here by some sea route, and make its way all the way over?"

"How intelligent would it have to be to do something like that?"

"Would a spider even be able to do that?"

"The poor children...."

"I can't let those children sit there in the hands of such a beast!"

"They are probably all terrified out of their minds!! It is our duty to save them!!"

"Of course we will lend you our arms, Mrs. Fera!!!"

'Of course, the only reason I will do this is because Mrs. Fera gave us all these tax breaks.'

'If I don't take part, people will probably see me as heartless.'

'I will be ridiculed as a coward who didn't even fight to save the innocent children.'

'I suppose I can stay at the back, and if things get rough I will make a run for it. At least I can say I went, and nobody will be able to call me out for anything this way.'

While none of the people truly cared about the orphans, they all acted as if they were ready to save them, shouting out in furious rage.

"We must kill that beast!!! It has kidnapped these innocent children!!!"

"If we allow such a beast to live, then we are nothing more than beasts ourselves!!!!"

"For the sake of our families, we have to get rid of that monster!!!"

Many of the men of the town were riled up to fight, and Mrs. Fera faked some tears of gratitude.

"Thank you, everyone! Thank you so much! I... I can only hope that the children are alright, and that we are not too late! Please, go home and prepare yourselves for the fight! Meet here at 7 tonight, and anyone who shows up will then attack the lair which the monster had made!"

Many of the men began shouting things like, "Of course, Mrs. Fera!", and "Anything for the children!!".

Mrs. Fera stepped down from the pedestal, and the crowd dispersed.

Veronica however, ran home.

She ran, faster than anyone else.

Her heart beat with adrenaline, and she was unable to think straight.

How could everyone be taking this so lightly?

Meeting up at 7? It was only noon right now!

Wasn't every second precious? Couldn't another live be taken with each moment that passed?

Veronica knew from this that Mrs. Fera did not actually value the lives of the children as anything more than the salvage of property.

However, she had to do something.

Now.

There was no time to lose.

Veronica ran to her home.

'I... the children.... no.... they have been kidnapped by a monster? Is this some sort of plot by Mrs. Fera? Is this something to ensnare me? I... I don't know. Even if it is, I can't ignore this. I have to see for myself.... I have to do something....'

Her logical side was telling her that she was about to be caught in a web of lies.

That she should instead wait and see what happened.

But her heart could not agree with that.

Veronica had always believed herself to be heartless.

She always thought that she had the capacity to fearlessly use others to her advantage, and coldly cut people off, throwing them into the pit of despair.

But knowing that the children were faced with a literal monster, she was unable to cast aside her emotions, and she rushed to save them, without any thought to the consequences.