One of the villagers stepped forward, his voice filled with desperation. "Please, we can't spare any more food for your protection. We really can't."
"That's right," another added. "We haven't even harvested this year's crops yet. We're living off hunting and foraging now—there's nothing left to give."
"Please, don't take our children. Our village is already doomed; we can't lose anyone else!" another elder begged, his voice cracking.
To the villagers, what Gultong saw as help seemed more like an excuse for the pirates to extort them for protection money.
"No, you misunderstand..." Gultong started to explain, but Lyra cut him off sharply.
"When are we eating?" she asked, her voice slicing through the tension.
With a casual, almost lazy motion, she sat down at the table, as if she were royalty awaiting a feast.
Helion, one of the pirates, chimed in with mock annoyance. "Yeah, do you plan to starve us or what?"
