It was the village where Luna was supposed to stop on her way to town to pick up a disguise. Baldric noticed that it was a small village with only a dozen houses and that the majority of the residents were elderly.

All the able bodied men and women seemed to have been moved on or drafted, Baldric thought to himself, and I bet on the latter.

The village also had no wanted posters on the walls of the houses that he could see, so it was safe to assume they did not have any idea who they were. They arrived at a farm home at the edge of the village, and the elderly couple welcomed them inside. They prepared for them quite a spread of smoked meats, boiled eggs, and boiled oats, which was a feast for all of them.

Everyone dug in that they all forgot their manners, but the elderly couple did not mind. In fact, the old woman, whose name was Katie, even gave Elizabeth and Annie glasses of fruit juice. After their meal, the sympathetic old couple offered them all a chance to bathe, which they accepted.

As Annie and the child cleaned first, Baldric gave them a whole pouch filled with gold coins.

"This is far too much." Stephen said to him.

"Believe me, it’s not enough." Baldric insisted.

"We can’t accept this." Katie tried to give the pouch back.

"How about this then, since you won’t accept this, I would like to purchase your food and any supplies you can spare. Food, drinks, clothes, anything we can use for our journey north, I’ll buy it."

The old couple looked at each other and agreed. "You know, if its supplies you want, then we have a neighbour who runs the village shop. She might not have much, but she can give you more than we can."

"I’m finished." Elizabeth emerged into the living room with her hair still wet and she was wearing the clothes Katie had given her. The old woman smiled as she saw the dress she was wearing fit Elizabeth perfectly. Katie then got a towel and dried the child’s hair, which she enjoyed. Willow and Shiny joined them as well, and the cub shook off his wet fur near everyone.

"What do you say, Elizabeth?" Baldric said once Katie finished drying her hair.

"Thank you very much, ma’am." Elizabeth gave her a proper bow and a curtsy. Katie beamed at her gesture.

"You know what Stephen." Baldric said to the old man. "I’ll take you up on that offer. How close is the village shop?"

"Not far. Just down the street."

"Can I come?" Elizabeth said.

"Absolutely not, I’ll just be buying a few supplies. You stay here and stay safe." She frowned at his reply.

"Don’t worry." Stephen said. "Everyone here is friendly and it is only a short distance."

"Please? I won’t even speak, promise."

Baldric groaned.

"Fine. But behave the entire time."

After Baldric got a quick shower, he, Stephen, and Elizabeth went to the village shop. It was a small shop with basic supplies run by an elderly lady. When she saw Elizabeth, her face lit up.

"Ah Stephen!" The old woman greeted them, "Oh my! Who is this?" She walked around the counter and approached them.

"They are family friends who are just visiting."

"Really? She looks just like-" Stephen interrupted the shopkeeper by clearing his throat.

"Greta, my friends were simply looking for supplies for their trip. Can you help them?"

Baldric pretty much cleaned her store as they shopped and even paid the shop owner in gold coins that were far more than the amount he owed. The elderly lady was so grateful that she gave Elizabeth a whole jar of lollipops, which the child eagerly accepted and began snacking on right away. Stephen hurriedly grabbed Baldric and Elizabeth after looking out the window.

"Hide quickly!" He pushed them towards a large cabinet that fit them both. "Stay still and don’t make a sound." Stephen addressed both of them, but especially Elizabeth. The old man then shut the cabinet door, trapping both Baldric and Elizabeth inside.

Silvus soldiers stormed into the shop as soon as the cabinet doors closed. They began to intimidate Stephen as well as the elderly shopkeeper. They took food, supplies, and even went to the register and stole all of the money. When the soldiers saw the gold coins Baldric used to pay, they whistled.

"Well. Looks like you have been holding back on us Greta." One of the soldiers said as he inspected the coins. "Looks like profits have been good for you this week. You got any more?"

"Please, that’s all I have." But they did not believe her.

"Search her! Strip her down!" The soldiers approached the elderly woman, but Stephen stood in their way.

"Please, she has given you everything. There is no need for this!"

Stephen was knocked down when one of the soldiers struck him square in the jaw. When the old man fell, Baldric even heard a crack. Elizabeth clenched her fist and gritted her teeth in rage. She wanted to scream, but Baldric grabbed her and covered her mouth, so she didn't make a sound.

When the soldiers couldn't find anything else on the old woman's person, they wrecked the shop, destroying shelves and counters in search of more valuables. When they were finished, they left without even looking at the crumpled old man on the floor.

The moment the door closed, Baldric and Elizabeth got out and immediately helped the two elders. Greta was crying as she helped Stephen, who winced in pain. Elizabeth’s hand began to glow, but Baldric stopped her.

"Not yet. Later, Later." He whispered.

Outside, they could hear more pleading and men shouting. Elizabeth looked out the window and saw soldiers raiding everyone's homes, taking whatever they could. Then she noticed another elderly couple being beaten across the street while another child, younger than her, was being separated from them. Elizabeth trembled with rage.

"Ma’am." Baldric said as they tried to move Stephen. "We need a stiff board to move him very carefully so we don’t risk any more injuries to him. Elizabeth, I need you to-"

Baldric looked around, and she was gone, and the door had just closed.

Oh shi-

=0o0=

The soldiers dragged a little girl, who wailed loudly as she struggled to return to her grandparents.

"Please spare her please! We'll give you anything! Please!" The child's grandmother begged, but all she got was the butt of a rifle aimed directly at her jaw. The elderly woman collapsed unconscious on the ground, while the child in the soldier's arms cried even louder.

"This is a lesson!" The soldier yelled out loud to the onlookers and for everyone else to hear. "This is what happens if you don’t pay your protec-"

The soldier was struck in the back of the head with a large rock.

He turned around to see a golden blonde haired little girl standing defiantly, and he felt blood trickling down his head. Elizabeth's hands began to glow as the soldiers approached her, and the soldiers were forced to stop by someone from behind her.

"Go inside Elizabeth. I will handle this." Baldric urged her to go back into the shop. "Help Stephen and Greta inside. They need you." She ran inside while Baldric stepped forward.

"Afternoon, gentlemen." Baldric said as he counted the soldiers in his head. "You have to forgive my niece; her mother raised her with a strong sense of justice." The soldiers all aimed their guns at him, and one of them stepped forward.

"Hitting a soldier is an executable offense." The soldier matched Baldric’s stance. "Your niece has to come with us."

"If we are talking about offenses, then aren’t you guilty of violating the law as well? Unless in a time of national conflict, enlisted soldiers are not authorized to acquire any civilian-owned property. And I have not received any word from high command that we are in any state of war." Baldric matched their threats.

"You’re a Silvus Officer?"

"Yes I am. Captain Leonard Triferus, Second in Command of the Silvus Ninth Eastern Legion." His bluff worked as some of the soldiers looked shaken. "How about you all? What company are you all from and who is your commanding officer?" None of the soldiers answered.

"I see. So you all are just pretending to be soldiers. Now that is an executable offense. Not to mention extortion, theft, and assault." Baldric whistled. "That’s a triple slam right there."

"What’s a Silvus officer doing all the way out here?" The leader tried to save face, but Baldric smiled.

"Well. I was enjoying the countryside." Baldric placed his hand on his holster, which the soldiers picked up on, putting them on alert. "Unwinding, visiting family and all that. Then what do I see? I see cowardly, worthless animals attacking innocent people trying to make a decent living out here in the countryside."

"Cowards. You know what, It doesn’t matter if you’re a freaking captain, a general, or the damn emperor of Silvus. We have you outnumbered."

"Really?" Baldric whistled.

A man fell from the rooftops, as Annie emerged, armed with a steel pipe. From the end of the street, Sylvie came around the corner, dragging with her two unconscious soldiers, which she dropped on the ground. Willow also came out in his feral form and intimidated the soldiers with his enormous size.

"What do you plan here, Captain?" Their leader said as he realized that they may be outmatched when a GEA centaur and a malicious beast emerged. "You plan to be the new caretaker of this town?"

"Heavens no, that’s a bit below our pay grade." Baldric chuckled, "But I am in the mood for a little cleaning." His hand rested on his pistol.

"You do know that if something happens to us here, our friends will come and kill everyone in this useless patch of dirt." Baldric laughed at the soldiers' words.

"When your friends come here, we’ll clean them out too."

Baldric knew that he had only a few bullets left and all of them were Luna’s freeze bullets. He counted fifteen soldiers, six in front of him and the other nine, somewhere in the buildings, no doubt using the civilians as cover. Only he and Sylvie have any weapons, while Annie and Willow can only fight up close.

This is going to be one hell of a fight.