“So now what?” asked Daisy. “All that hard work for nothing!”


    It had been about fifteen minutes since the group went into the catacombs, only to come back empty handed.


    “Well we can’t just leave now,” said Lensa, looking at her father in concern. “It’s close enough to still animate the dead, so everyone here is still in trouble while it’s out there.”


    “And we’ll have to double back if we don’t grab it now,” mumbled Ecole.


    Lensa and Xerica both looked at her with a glare which she casually shrugged off.


    “It looks like we don’t have a choice,” said Tommy.


    Artyom was surprised when the hero turned to Xerica and put a hand on her shoulder.


    “Sorry we won’t get to visit your old school yet, I know you were looking forward to it. But that’s what being a hero is all about, and I promise we’ll spend an extra long time there after all this, just for you!”


    The redhead’s despondent mood gave way, and she flashed him an appreciative smile.


    “Right,” said Tommy with a resolute nod. “Where do we start looking?”


    All eyes went to Lensa, the resident expert, and she began to look nervous under everyone’s gazes. “I-I don’t really know, but I’m sure the goddess will help. I’ll start praying and hope she shows us the way soon.”


    Lensa made her way towards the door that led to the church’s main hall. As she reached for its knob, the door shot open and almost hit her in the face. The lavender haired girl jumped back a step just in time to avoid getting hit and had her staff raised as another priestess walked through.


    “Oh!” she said, taking a step back herself, which caused her shoulder-length black hair to lightly bob. “I didn’t know we were having guests.”


    “S-sister Elery!” shouted Lensa as she raised her arms and ran at the woman.


    The other priestess could only let out the beginnings of a surprised cry before Lensa was on her, wrapping her in a bear hug.


    “I can’t believe it’s you, it’s been so long!” exclaimed the lavender haired cleric as she buried her face into the other woman’s shoulder.


    “Ah, Sister Elery! My daughter and the fine young folks she is travelling with saved us!”


    “That’s wonderful!” she said, absentmindedly returning the hug and patting Lensa’s back. A second later, she frowned. “Saved us from what, exactly?”


    “The, uh… undead,” said Tommy. “They were attacking the town and we fought them off.”


    “There was an attack on the town?! Thank the goddess we’re all still safe, you truly must have been sent by her to protect us.”


    “It’s what we do,” said Tommy with a wide smile. “That and collect pieces of the goddess’ armor. Have you seen one here?”


    “Hold on, if you’re collecting those, then you must be the hero!” she exclaimed.


    “That’s right! I’m Tommy, pleasure to meet you!”


    “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Tommy.”


    “Sister Elery here is like a mother to me,” said Lensa, disengaging from her hug and taking a step back. “She helped raise me alongside my father.”


    “By the way Lensa, Tommy,” began the priestess. “If you’re not too busy, could I ask you a favor?”


    “Sure, what is it?”


    “I run the nearby orphanage, and the kids there have been having a really hard time lately, especially with how many new children we’ve recently taken in from across the kingdom. Could you stop by for a little while to meet with them? I’m sure it’ll lift everyone’s spirits.”


    “Meeting my fans? Of course!” said Tommy, visibly beaming.


    “All of you are welcome to come along too,” said Sister Elery. “The more the merrier!”


    The older priest stood up and nodded at the group. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. While you’re there, I’ll look into finding a place for you all to stay.”


    As the rest of the group wordlessly followed this new priestess, Artyom felt a pit open up in his stomach.


    Many new kids? He was almost certain of why that was the case.


    Artyom closed his eyes and remembered the fires that swept across Freeacres, and the bodies that littered the floors of crumbling buildings. The victims were mainly adults, but that just meant they would have left plenty of children behind.


    Would some of the newly minted orphans from Freeacres be here? What would they say if they saw Artyom?


    “Would they forgive me for running?”Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Neitra was the first to look behind her and see the man from Earth falling behind.


    The others followed suit after a moment.


    “Hey Artyom, is everything alright?” asked Tommy.


    “Hey,” the man from Earth began. “Maybe I’m not that good of a fit to join you all for this one.”


    “How come? You’re part of the team now!”


    “I only joined today, and I haven’t done anything particularly heroic the kids would appreciate.”


    “So? You will eventually, and the kids can all brag about meeting you before you were popular! Besides, you saved me a ton of time by completing the test so that means I’ll be able to beat the Dark Lord and save the kingdom all the sooner.”


    Something about Tommy’s easygoing smile put Artyom at peace. He was able to nod with some sincerity. “I’ve saved lives here, in Freeacres after the attack and with the kobolds. I’ve done the right thing at least somewhat, so I think I can face the music if fate decides to play me a tune.”


    The group followed Sister Elery out of the church onto the single brick path that led into town. It was surrounded by a wide field of grass on either side that extended as far as the eye could see on the left and all the way to an oceanside cliff on the right.


    After about two hundred feet, they reached the first few buildings at the outskirts of the town proper, which soon made way for even more roads and structures. The sounds of humble civilization filled the party’s ears just after, the sounds of footsteps and talking barely beating out the distant roar of ocean waves as they made their way through a market.


    Stalls were offering fresh fish and vegetables, cotton and linen fabric, and some even miscellaneous trinkets that reminded Artyom of gift shops from back on Earth. Most of the townsfolk were gathered around the first two types of stalls, while the few obvious out-of-towners hawked the latter.


    Past that were homes. They started off as apartments, followed by single resident houses, and finally concluded with large, luxurious cabins. Just past these, however, was their destination; the orphanage.


    Rather than a single building, the orphanage was defined by a large, fenced-off plot of land containing several buildings. As the group passed through the open wrought iron gate, Artyom couldn’t help but feel a shiver go up his spine. This whole place, with its dark exterior and drably painted buildings, reminded him of a Charles Dickens’ novel. Not that he ever read any, but they were iconic for their dour Victorian atmospheres and miserable children protagonists, which felt very fitting for here.


    This was still supposedly a Fairytale world so he hoped this place was nothing like those stories.


    But the oppressive feeling was still there on a primal level.


    Even Tommy visibly flinched as he walked through the gates, and he hadn’t shown any fear of life or death combat yet.


    “These are the orphanage grounds,” began Sister Elery, seemingly unbothered by the creepy vibes. “They used to belong to a Duke before the Duchy capital was moved elsewhere, and rather than keep it as a spare home, he decided to give it to the church to be used as an orphanage! How kind!”


    “They could’ve at least put on a fresh coat of paint,” whispered Daisy.


    “I don’t think it’s been painted since it was given away,” replied Ecole.


    Sister Elery either ignored or didn’t hear the two and continued walking. “The children should all be gathered in the common room at this time, so let me lead you there.”


    They entered the main building, a mansion that dwarfed even the largest of the surrounding cabins, and passed through a foyer into an expansive room that could fit half of the grassy fields by the church inside.


    What would likely have been a living room in its past life had kept its purpose. Several dozen children of varying ages talked and mingled with each other inside, either standing or sitting on the many faded regal couches and chairs placed about. A few even sat on the floor while playing some simple board or card games with decks and pieces Artyom didn’t recognize.


    “Children!” exclaimed Sister Elery as she ran to the front of the room. “Before we eat lunch, I wanted to introduce you all to a very special guest, I want you to treat him with your utmost politeness.”


    “Yeees, Sister Elery,” they all said in unison.


    “Very good! I want you all to meet the Chosen Hero and his party! He’s come all the way here on his quest and has made time to visit you all!”


    Like an army of puppies at the mention of the word “treat,” all of the kids immediately ran up to the group with bright eyes and a deluge of excited screams from their lips.


    “It’s actually the hero!” “He’s so cool!” “Everyone''s hair is so colorful, how do they do that?!” “That other guy looks too old.”


    “Children, children!” shouted Sister Elery in a stern tone that shocked the kids out of their uncontrollable excitement. “Don’t crowd around him, he can start by answering your questions one at a time, and then you can all spend time with him after lunch. You will be eating with us in a minute, won’t you?”


    “Sure!” exclaimed Tommy at the mention of quick and convenient food. “Bring on the questions!”


    One of the girls in the back was the first to raise her hand amongst her peers and the hero picked her out. Rather than blurt out what was on her mind, a sudden shyness gripped her tongue as she slowly mumbled out her question. “Umm, Mr. Hero… are you going to defeat the Dark Lord?”


    “Of course! It’s why I was chosen!” said Tommy with a confident smile.


    The next person to raise their hand was an older boy, likely in his early teens, judging by the sudden growth spurt and squeaky voice. “How did you get so strong? Is there anything I can do to be like that too?”


    “Hmm, I mostly just have the goddess’ blessings to thank for that, but I run around a lot and fight tons of monsters, so if you have a sword make sure to swing that around a lot!”


    While the boy looked happy, Sister Elery glared at Tommy.


    He caught the look from his peripheral vision and blanched, quickly adding “But make sure it’s a wooden or training sword, and don’t swing it at others!”


    The third person called was an older teenager, likely fifteen or sixteen. While the others were generally shy or excited, this one gave off a different kind of air that made Artyom’s stomach knot as if he was witnessing an impending car crash.


    “Hey, hero,” this older boy said, putting an uncomfortable emphasis on Tommy’s title. “Have you ever been to Portolus?”


    “Huh? I’ve never heard of that town, where is it?”


    His eyes grew a shade darker. “It’s out of the way and pretty boring, so I don’t blame you for not knowing. But it got really famous two months ago, I’m surprised you still haven’t heard of it.”


    “Oh cool! What’s it famous for?”


    “Getting attacked by the Dark Lord and just about everyone getting killed.” The teen had dropped all pretense and was actively glaring at Tommy now.


    Everyone in the room stared at him in shock, but unable to say anything. Even Sister Elery, with her stern demeanor, was only able to stutter the beginnings of a response after being caught blindsided.


    “Where were you when everyone I knew died to the Dark Lord’s army?!” he shouted. “My friends, neighbors, my parents! Where were you?!”