Some say that fighting a man is way worse than any monster. This mostly comes from the well-spread stereotype that humans tend to be a lot more cunning and violent than creatures of the wild. However, Surdi did not share such feelings. He fought people before and although it was true that they were a lot more vicious, he didn't feel as afraid then as when facing the Scalder.

The strikes were coming at him from every direction. There was nowhere for him to move because if he did so, he would leave Alma defenseless. He simply stood there, only a meter or so in front of her, on top of the tentacle she was holding down, which gave him at least some advantage of slightly higher ground. His claws dug into the soft body of the Scalder to ensure he wouldn't slip down so easily. There was no room for even blinking. At least seven or eight limbs were trying to strike him. It felt like taking on an entire armed group. And although the magical staff provided by Glavas did help a lot, it didn't do all the work. Normally, there would be no way Surdi would manage to simply block an attack of something so large as the Scalder's tentacles, but the weapon gave him at least a chance. However, there was a slight problem. Some of the force of the impacts still went into Surdi's arms. Normally, this wouldn't be something he'd worry about, but after several seconds of the unrelenting assault, he was starting to feel the pain in his muscles. Slowing down would be dangerous, so he pushed through for as long as he could. His teeth clenched as he tried so hard to keep himself fighting just a little while longer.

"Gotcha!" Glavas suddenly shouted and forced the animal to turn around. A sharp pain shot through its body as the hunter jumped on its back and grabbed the spear.

"I know, I know, this hurts, but I can't just leave it in!" he tried to calm down the creature, knowing far too well, that it couldn't understand him. A scream shook the entire field as Glavas yanked the spear out of the Scalder.

"Hold still you dumbass! Atalapaz!" he managed to shout before sliding down the creature's back. A strange yellow substance shot out of the hunter's palm and quickly covered the bleeding wound, eventually forming a hard crust over it. A certain feeling of relief washed over Glavas. He was never all that good with spells outside of his natural element, so he wasn't sure it would even work. But now that it was done, all he needed was to seal the creature once again. He opened the scroll and the letters on it began to glow.

The Scalder did not understand the meaning of the hunter's actions. All it knew was that it felt pain and was being captured. The reasoning behind it was something that completely eluded the animal's mind. In one final struggle to break free, it shook and waved its limbs around, hoping to at least break free from Alma's grip and run before the scroll would seal its fate.

"Watch out!" Glavas shouted the moment he noticed it. Surdi's body moved to parry a few of the incoming attacks, but his muscles refused to react as fast as before. A massive force of one of the tentacles flung him away and knocked the staff out of its hands.

Glavas' heart skipped a beat. "ALMA! RUN!" he shouted but it was far too late. He watched as she managed to move only a little bit to the side before the tentacles would descend upon her with a terrifying force. The hunter heard a scream like no other. Her scream. A scream that haunted his very soul. His left hand reached for the holster. It would be so easy to kill the Scalder. A quick swap to a fire crystal and he would burn it to a crisp. His hand stopped on the weapon. He was grasping it so firmly but didn't draw it out. All his willpower was now telling him not to abandon his own morality, despite his heart yelling at him the opposite.

Before he could decide what to do, the scroll's power kicked in. The Scalder let out a few angry roars and its body shrank and disappeared into the letters. Glavas quickly rolled the scroll back up, to make sure it wouldn't escape, and then quickly rushed over to Alma. She was lying on the ground, whimpering and clutching her hand. Didn't take long for the young dragon to run over to her as well. The moment he saw her, he knew something serious had happened.

Glavas didn't know what to do. He kept searching his memories for a healing spell or anything that could help, but he couldn't force even a single word out of his mouth.

"MOVE!" the dragon yelled at him, which finally helped snap him out of the shock. "Get the monster to the lake. I'll get help for her! GO!" Surdi didn't wait one moment and picked her up. As much as his arms hurt, he still had enough strength to carry her. After all, she wasn't all that heavy in the first place.

Glavas' attention finally turned to the slightly wiggling scroll in his hand. There was no way to help Alma right now. Surdi was taking her to the city to get some help. If he went with him, it would only be a matter of time before the Scalder would break free. In the middle of the town, there would be casualties. No, that wasn't something that he would let happen. The hunter turned around and broke into a full sprint towards the lake. The arms sprouting from his back reached for his instrument and played a different tune. The moment its notes filled the air, each step Glavas took felt lighter. He had to get to the lake fast enough and then immediately back into the city. There was no time to waste.

The footsteps echoing through the hallway could be heard louder and louder. Doctor Mals slowly got up from the chair in the waiting room. From what he's been told, he was awaiting a storm.

The door burst open with a single kick. A short elf clad in black rushed inside and practically screamed at the elderly dwarf: "Are they here?!"

"Please, calm down, sir." Glavas's pulse spiked when he heard it. The last thing he needed now was some random dude telling him something like that.

"Don't fucking waste my time. Are they here or not? If you don't know, then you are not who I'm looking for. So what is the answer?!"

"They are here," Mals said with a sigh.

"And is she...?"

"Okay?"

"Yeah..."

"Indeed. But I would like to ask you to sit down."

"Don't tell me to sit down. Tell me where she is!"

"I will not do that. There is something I wish to tell you and I need you to listen well. It is your duty as the children's guardian."

"I..." the dwarf raised an eyebrow, giving Glavas one last chance to resolve it reasonably. "Fine. But I need to know if she'll be okay. Or what even happened. I didn't see it. I couldn't do anything! I wouldn't have put her there if I knew, you have to believe me."

"Please. Sit down, and take a deep breath. Your worries are misplaced right now. She is alive and well. Although... there are some things you should know." Glavas sat down on one of the chairs, staring at the doctor with unblinking eyes.

"What is it? What is wrong?"

"Nothing. But a lot could have. Your son is smart."

"My... son?"

"The young dragon. He was running through the streets with her, desperately looking for help, but he didn't ask for a doctor. He specifically asked for a healer. That was a very wise choice. His decision making despite the dire situation is impressive given his age. A doctor wouldn't have been able to fix the damage."

A cold sweat washed over Glavas' forehead. "T-The damage?"

"Yes. I will tell you honestly that you were lucky to find me. And she was lucky to be so quick on her feet. They told me that it happened during the fight with the creature from the lake. Something like that has a lot of power. The girl managed to move out of the way, but her hand got caught in it. Several of her fingers were practically crushed. That is not something you can fix without a mage. Should her brother has taken her to a regular doctor, she would've lost the fingers."

Glavas' head hung down and he covered his face with his hands.

"Do not worry though. That didn't happen. Fortunately, I know a way to fix such injuries. She will heal in time. Although the magic will leave a mark."

"A mark?"

"Yes. Tiny blue scars left by the magic. Similar to when cracked pottery is repaired with molten metal. It's nothing terrible, although you might want to tell her what to expect."

"I see. Thank you. I will pay for your services handsomely. I don't have any money now, but for removing the Scalder from the farm, I should get paid. Then, I can..."

"Please, don't worry about that. If I was doing this for money, I would've turned your children down already. I help those in need. And you look like you can use every penny, honestly."

"Then... will you at least accept this?" Glavas reached into in satchel and handed the dwarf one of the cut crystals he used as ammunition for his gun. Its blue glow reflected nicely against the doctor's white robe. "I know that you dwarves can take the magic from them and use it later, so maybe with it, you can save someone else in the future?"

The healer took the crystal from the hunter's hand. "Thank you. That is very generous of you." Within seconds, the magic from the small object flew into the dwarf's body, leaving behind a worthless rock.

"There is one more thing I need to talk to you about. Or maybe two, in fact," the healer started.

"Will you let me see them only if I'll listen?"

"Yes."

"Then make it quick."

"I shall. What is the girl's power? She walked through my door and shattered it to pieces."

"Oh god... I promise I will pay for it."

"That does not concern me. Terrifying strength and absence of eyes, even though her vision stayed and seemed not to differ from that of a regular person. I want to know what she is."

"A human."

"But?"

"But a soulless one."

"Soulless? No. No way. That is simply impossible. She survived having her soul taken? It would... well, explain so many things, but at the same time... It is just unheard of. And to think that somebody actually wanted to steal her soul... At such a young age, who could've..."

"A demon."

"A demon?"

"Yeah. He took her soul and deafened the boy."

"I see... That is... Oh dear, that is a lot to take in. I know that both soullessness and demons are well-known concepts, but I always thought of them as boogeymen of sorts. Something so rare I would never come across it. I am sorry. I'm sure she had been through a lot. Is the demon still out there?"

Glavas gritted his teeth. "Yes."

"Then I advise you to stay away from it. I know you might want revenge, but that will not get her soul back. It will only further endanger them."

"Noted. Can I see her now?"

"No, I still have more to say."

"Move it then. What is it?"

"It's about the necessary precautions. The girl must not move her fingers until the bones reconnect. I used a cast for that but as I saw, that doesn't really work on her unless she wants it to. Can you keep her from using that unstoppable power for a while?"

"I can."

"Good. Then, I have just one more thing to ask you."

"Shoot."

"Settle down. You can't raise these kids as hunters. They are way too young for that."

"I started younger."

"I don't care. They can't grow up on the road, following a man who earns just enough money to make ends meet. They need a home, love, and care. Especially if they've been through an encounter with a demon."

"I... I can't give them that."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Glavas lifted his gaze towards the ceiling, letting out a loud exhale in the process. "I have been living like this for over a hundred years. I don't know what other life to live. I can't settle down and raise them, educate them, read them bedtime stories. I can barely make sure I stay alive living the way I do. I..." he took a deep breath. "When I first met them, I saved them from this lunatic and his cult. Despite my best efforts though, Surdi still got hurt. Back then, I promised myself I would watch over them and not let anyone do something like that again. And look at me now! I am the one causing them pain. I just... I can't do this. I am not their guardian. And certainly not a parent. I'm just... some random guy."

"I understand. And if that is how you truly feel, wouldn't it perhaps be better to find them a proper home?"

"Heh, yeah, easy for you to say. The girl's power is a magnet for trouble. People want it for themselves. Just imagine it. A child that can open any safe, pass through any barrier, break out of any jail. How am I supposed to find someone who will love them for who they are and not what they are?"

"I would know of a certain place. Are you familiar with a city called Rotler?"

"Rotler? The place where they produce golems?"

"Yes. The founder of that city was a very skilled golemancer who taught the citizens his secrets. Creating those automata is what they are known for and what earns the town a lot of money, making it a very financially stable place, despite its small population. The golems are also used for the protection of the city, so it is very safe. But most importantly, the founder wasn't just a wizard, but also an orphan. His parents were killed in a war. That's why he established one of the biggest orphanages on Ezma in that small town."

"An orphanage? How does that solve my problems?"

"It is known for finding a home for every child that has ever been placed there. They have literally never failed to do so. Their process of choice is known to be very strict and only the best families can pass it. If anyone can help you find a home for them, it's the people in Rotler."

"I don't know."

"Well, how about you just go there and see? You can talk to them and explain the situation. It would also be quite a long trip for the girl to stay out of any danger and heal up."

"Fine. I'll think about it at least. Now, can you finally let me see them?"

The dwarf smiled and went to open the door to his office. The moment he did so, the two younglings ran out.

"Oh thank god. Are you okay? the hunter asked instinctively.

"I have three broken fingers!" Alma exclaimed cheerfully, as if she had just won a trophy, and waved her casted hand through the air.

"Yeah. I've heard. Does it hurt?"

"Nope. That guy is really good," she gave the healer a grin.

"Heh, I am really glad. And you, Surdi?"

[No! Everything hurts!]

"You don't have anything broken! You don't get to complain!" Alma stuck her tongue out at him.

[I literally fought off a giant monster and carried you all the way back to the city. My arms are killing me! And unlike you, I didn't get any painkillers.]

"You're acting like I didn't fight the monster."

[You held one tentacle.]

"And paid the price for it!"

[If you ran sooner, you'd be fine. I would've protected you while you'd escape.]

"If I ran sooner, it would've hurt you!"

[So it's better that you got hurt instead?]

"Guys!" Glavas interrupted the bickering. Their eyes turned to him as they both quieted down, waiting to hear what he had to say. "I am so sorry. This was my fault. I wanted to show you that hunting can be fun and that you can do it, but I terribly misjudged the whole situation. I promise I will never force you to join me on a hunt again."

[You better. I nearly pissed myself! Never again do I want to see another octopus!]

"Yeah, it was terrifying. But we survived, no? That's what's important."

"But you still got hurt. And if you didn't dodge in time and the Scalder hit your head, you'd be..."

"But it didn't! I'm still alive."

"You could've lost your fingers."

"Eh, I've lost more important things." She grinned at the hunted and pointed to her marble-white eyes.

"But..."

"Come on, Glavas. I am fine, really. Just... don't make me do that again, please."

"Right... I won't," he replied but avoided direct eye contact.

The awkward silence was interrupted by a loud croaking of a dragon's stomach.

[Oh, was that loud?] Surdi signed when he saw everyone's eyes turn toward him.

"Hah, I thought you were about to roar for a second. But don't worry, I'm sure we are all hungry. How about we go collect that money we earned and then grab some dinner?" the hunter offered.

"Hell yeah! Payment time!" Alma exclaimed and ran toward the door.

[And what fancy restaurant are you taking us to this time?]

"Well... why don't you two pick? What would you fancy?"

The children ran out of the building and ahead towards the farm, while Glavas stayed back at reduced his walking speed to a casual stroll. His thoughts and concerns kept coming back to the same name: "Rotler."