"Can we even eat all this?" Krai asked.
Lushi kept her eyes fixed straight ahead on the muddy path. "Actually, this is far from enough."
At the absolute edge of the residential zone, a massive, half-destroyed mansion loomed in the shadows of the gray afternoon. The roof sagged heavily in the middle, missing hundreds of shingles.
Huge holes gaped openly in the rotted wooden walls. If a rainstorm hit tonight, the water would pour straight inside without any resistance. It was less of a house and more of a decaying wooden skeleton.
Stepping through the shattered front doorway, the air grew instantly warmer. The stench of packed dirt and unwashed clothes hit Krai's nose.
Suddenly, a deafening roar of tiny voices erupted from the dark interior.
Dozens of younger children rushed toward the group. There had to be at least a hundred of them swarming the main hall. They were tiny, mostly skin and bones, dressed in dirty rags that barely held together. They rushed the doorway like a tidal wave.
"It's Lushi!" several little girls shouted. They threw their thin arms around Lushi's waist and hugged her tightly.
"We got lucky, so we came home early," Lize said. She handed her heavy bag of bread to a much taller boy standing nearby.
Beside Krai, Siti tilted her head to the side. "We usually take three to seven days hunting out in the deep woods. Today, it only took a few hours. The animals are usually very hard to find."
"That was strange, though," Lushi interrupted. She patted one of the little girls gently on the head. "It was almost like the deer and the frogs were drawn right to us."
"I noticed that too," Lize said. She turned her head and stared directly at Krai's face. "I guess we are just really lucky today. Maybe it is because of the sky-man."
"Ehh...?" Krai let out a weak noise.
Lushi turned to look at him. She swept her hand across the crowded, noisy room. "These children are all abandoned. Just like us."
The realization finally clicked together in Krai's exhausted mind. They were not hunting to get rich or grow strong. They were hunting beasts in the woods just to feed this massive horde of starving kids living in a broken house.
A tiny boy with dirt smeared across his hollow cheeks tugged heavily on Lushi's sleeve. He pointed a dirty finger right at Krai.
"Lushi, who is he?"
In the center of the cramped, drafty hall, Lushi locked her sharp gaze on the shivering boy. The chaotic chatter of the orphans died instantly as dozens of hollow eyes shifted directly to Krai.
Lushi stepped through the sea of children and stopped just inches from his muddy boots. She rested her chin perfectly between her right thumb and index finger, looking at him from head to toe with heavy suspicion. She leaned forward until her nose almost brushed against his.
"Newbie, who in the world are you?" Lushi asked.
"Ehh...?" Krai squeaked.
Siti popped up right behind Lushi's shoulder. She flashed a wide, deeply unsettling smile. "I am really curious too."
"Hai, Hai. Tell us," Lize agreed lazily. She brushed a stray clump of dirt from her pink hair.
From the back of the group, Ruke practically vibrated with restless energy. He pointed a dirty finger straight at the bulky canvas bag tied to Krai's waist. "Do you have a magic sword in there?"
"Umu," Anz grunted.
Under the crushing weight of their combined stares, Krai swallowed hard. He opened his mouth to invent a harmless lie.
Before a single sound left his dry throat, a sudden, sharp heat flared against his skin. The heavy metal ring on his right index finger slightly glowed with a blue light.