Chapter 124 – Children.

A group of children huddled together in an old house lit only by the moonlight. They stared at a large armored figure standing before them. The oldest child held a dagger, pointing it directly at him.

“Don’t come near! I’ll use it!”

Rusty tilted his head slightly at the boy’s feeble attempt at defiance. The dagger in the child’s hands trembled, the tip wavering as he struggled to hold his ground. His legs were locked in place, frozen with fear.

“ ( •̀ – •́ ) ”

Rusty raised his hands in mock surrender, the motion slow to not scare them. His towering, metallic frame loomed over the children, and for a brief moment, an uneasy silence settled in the ruined lair. Gleam didn’t look too happy but just kept to his shoulder.

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

After a moment of silence, Rusty’s deep voice finally broke the tension. Yet, even though he assured the children he wouldn’t hurt them, they didn’t seem to believe him. The three smaller ones curled up behind the oldest boy, who looked on the verge of tears. To Rusty, this was unfamiliar. He had never really interacted with the young of humanoid races before.

To a monster like him, they were strange beings. They were older than him yet less mature, unable to defend themselves. The moment he was created he was already capable of killing a regular person and other monsters were similar, born to be able to defend themselves.

“Rusty, you’re scaring them. It would be better if you stepped back. Why don’t we examine those two first? See if they’re from the thieves’ guild.”

Alexander, who had once been human, urged Rusty to move away rather than loom over the children and Aburdon nodded in agreement.

“The hero is right. It would be wise to know who we are dealing with.”

“(„• ֊ •„)੭ “

“You’ll take care of it Gleam?”

Gleam hopped down from Rusty’s shoulder and approached the group of children. Her silvery-white body reflected the moonlight, making her shimmer in the dimly lit room. The children stared at her, and the boy instinctively pointed his dagger in her direction. But before he could react further, his eyes widened in surprise. Suddenly, Gleam began wiggling around, performing the little dance she sometimes did when she was happy.

The boy’s grip on the dagger loosened slightly as he watched the strange creature wriggle and twirl. The younger children, who had been cowering moments ago, now peeked over his shoulders with wide, curious eyes. One of them, the smallest girl, hesitantly reached out a hand toward Gleam, her fingers trembling.

“No, don’t touch it! What if it bites you!”

The boy shouted at the youngest in fear that the monster ant would snap her mandibles at her but instead, Gleam continued to wiggle.

“But… Is… is she dancing?”

Rusty, who was now going through the two thug’s belongings nodded and tried to assure the children that everything was fine.

“She does that when she’s happy. Don’t worry, Gleam doesn’t bite and neither will I, so calm yourselves.”

“ (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) “

The children exchanged uncertain glances, but their fear was slowly fading, giving way to curiosity. The smallest girl, emboldened by Gleam’s harmless display and Rusty’s assurance, took a cautious step forward. Gleam wiggled her antennae in response, sensing the shift in their emotions. The girl knelt and gently poked Gleam’s hard, silvery body, her face lighting up with wonder.

The older boy still gripped the dagger, though he didn’t lower it completely. His tense posture eased slightly as his gaze flickered between Rusty and the unconscious men he was patting down on the floor.

“You stopped them…”

“Yes. This is my territory.”

“Your territory?”

The boy repeated Rusty’s words, glancing around the run-down building. It looked even worse than the place the children had been staying before. Everyone assumed it was just an abandoned ruin, destined to collapse in a few years. Rusty straightened from his crouched position, shaking his head as he tossed aside some of the thugs’ belongings while pocketing their coins.

“No thieves’ guild tokens.”

That was good news. It meant he wouldn’t have to deal with the guild. While these two had combat classes, their low levels indicated either a lack of effort or an inability to rise through real combat. Some people with combat classes never pushed themselves to grow stronger. Rusty didn’t understand that mindset. For him, the drive to evolve into the most powerful monster he could was instinctual, an unshakable goal. Yet many feared risking their lives against monsters, and without killing opponents, leveling was impossible.

“They might not have anything identifying them as members of the thieves’ guild, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t. Not everyone carries a token, and they could have been hired by a member to do this. There are many possibilities”

Alexander said, trying to make Rusty understand the situation. While these two men didn’t seem particularly important, their attack could still bring trouble to Rusty’s doorstep in the future.

“Still, you bought this home, so you’re free to deal with anyone who enters without your approval, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Let’s just toss these two out for now. Better not to kill them.”

There were some rules even among thieves. If someone was caught trying to steal another’s loot, the victim had the right to retaliate to protect their property. There were not many rules, and people were free to steal from others, but if they were caught red-handed, retaliation was allowed.

Rusty dragged the unconscious men toward the door, their bodies limp as sacks of grain. The armored figure made no effort to be gentle, letting their heads bump against the uneven floor as he moved. The children flinched with every dull thud, but none dared to speak up. Their fear had lessened, but unease still clung to them like a thick fog.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

With one final heave, Rusty shoved the thugs outside, letting them collapse onto the cold, dirt-covered ground. He didn’t bother locking the door as there wasn’t much left of it to lock. It had been hanging on one hinge, and now there was nothing left to salvage.

The night air was still, aside from the distant sounds of the city’s nightly entertainment districts. Even in a place like this, surrounded by monsters and enemy tribes, people still found time to drink themselves silly and forget their troubles. Rusty dusted off his hands and turned back, his gaze settling once more on the children.

“You should leave.”

His voice was calm but carried a warning.

“This place is mine now.”

The oldest boy tensed again, but his shoulders sagged slightly. He had expected this outcome. There was no kindness in the world for people like them. Still, he had to try.

“There’s nowhere else we can go…”

He muttered, his grip tightening around the worn handle of his dagger before he pointed it down, knowing well that he would not be able to do anything to Rusty.

“They’ll find us if we leave.”

Rusty remained silent, his shiny helmet reflecting the boy’s defiant expression. He understood survival. He understood desperation. And he understood that if he turned them away, they would likely be caught. Maybe worse. If that happened, he might have to deal with someone complaining that he had interfered, making it harder to start his workshop if he had to fend off the local gang.

“Rusty, won’t you reconsider? They’re just children. We should help them—not like you need the other rooms.”