"A witch? Where!" Luna turned the other way, looking for the target but finding nothing. Realizing who they really mean.
"Wait! I'm not the person you think I am!" She started running away as the villagers didn't listen.
"We won't fall for your petty tricks!" Gardening tools used as projectiles flew her way. Thanks to her reflexes, neither she nor the girl on her back were hurt.
She hid in a dark alley, waiting for the villagers to pass. One by one they missed her, letting the girl breathe and assess the situation.
'It seems they have a problem with a witch, but why would they confuse me for her?' She wouldn't be able to find the answer right now, so she pushed that question to the back of her mind.
With a piece of torn cloth next to a trash pile, she disguised herself, hoping she would be able to gather information this way without getting caught.
The village was mostly empty, aside from a few people with torches searching for her; she easily made her way back to the plaza and found the one place that was always open at times like these.
ring ring
Bells chimed as she walked in. "Two, please." Luna said, as she sat down, the barman poured her two pints without even looking her way.
The golden liquid whirled, bubbles escaping and foam overflowing.
She put the sleeping girl at a table next to the window and went back to the counter.
Without a word, the slayer pushed the mug towards one of the drunk locals.
He accepted gladly; the enormous belly jiggled as he chuckled. "And what do you want in exchange?"
Luna pointed towards the sleeping child. "Do you know whose she is? I found her on my way here, but she fell asleep before I could ask."
"Hmm..." He stared hard, trying to make out the shape, his drunken state not helping with it at all. "If my eyes don't deceive me, that would be someone from the orphanage."
She was shocked at how easy it was for him to tell, even when under the influence of alcohol. "I think I misjudged how drunk you are. But thank you a lot.
She bowed and walked towards her table, drinking her own pint.
"No problem, sir! The red ribbon on her arm gave it away."
...
She looked at the red ribbon. There was writing on it: 'Saint James Orphanage... I would have saved fifteen copper if I had checked that beforehand...' She sighed in defeat and grabbed the sleeping girl, heading towards the outskirts of the town.
Luna paid as much attention as possible not to get caught, dodging any villagers patrolling the roads. She was so focused, in fact, that she didn't spot someone following her in the distance.
In Luna's mind it was an easy trip without any hiccups, and she got to the orphanage by midnight.
It was hard to miss the building, as it was one of the biggest in the entire village; it being on the outskirts certainly helped her spot it.
She approached the thick wooden doors and raised her hand.
knock knock
Sounds of slippers scraping against the ground were heard inside, getting closer to the door. After stopping, it was replaced with a sound of a key entering the lock.
The doors creaked slowly as the person inside pushed them open; an elderly lady in pajamas stood there. "How can I help you, miss?" Her voice was very raspy, and her hands were shaky.
"I'm here to bring this child back; can I come in?" She wasn't planning on entering, but the thought of making this older lady lift something as heavy as a child felt cruel.
"Yes... come inside..." She let Luna in but didn't close the door behind her.
The slayer took the tattered clothes off and put the kid on a couch, making sure not to wake her up. "I will be going then." She shook out the dust from her clothes and was about to turn towards the doors.
"Don't move or you will be dead." A calm voice came from behind; Luna could feel the tip of a blade against her back.
The elderly woman fled as fast as she could, which was around the same speed as the average walking pace.
Luna slowly put her hands in the air. "What's going on?" She asked calmly while turning around. The man standing in front of her had a sword in his arms; his hands were shaking slightly as she stared at him.
"We won't let you kidnap children anymore, you monster!" He was about to swing his blade, but the small girl sleeping on the couch stopped him by hugging him tightly.
"Big bro, she is not a witch! She saved me!"
clang
The sound of the sword hitting the floor rang. His hands empty and his mouth wide open.
"You are safe! I was losing my mind searching for you." He embraced her closely, falling to his knees and crying with her in his arms.
"I'm so sorry for misjudging you." The man said while looking at Luna, a stream of tears pouring out.
The fresh slayer exhaled, putting the dagger that was hidden under her sleeves back into its sheath. "Why do all of you think I'm a witch?" She sat down on the couch with her legs crossed, supporting her chin with an arm.
"I will explain in a moment." The man picked up the lost kid and went upstairs, coming down after a while alone.
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Kichot, and I'm one of the workers and orphans here." He bowed to show respect towards the person who saved one of the members of his family.
"Don't mention it." Luna stood up and raised his head. "And my name is Luna, a monster slayer from the Wolf Corp." She took out her identification, proving her claims. "And I'm willing to solve the witch problem if you tell me everything about it."
The slippers scraping sound was heard again as the elderly woman came back. Luna was about to turn her way to introduce herself but was met with an unusual sight.
"You monster, you!" She was equipped with an axe, which she intended to behead Luna with.
"Miss Crawley put the ax down!!" Kichot screamed, scaring the old woman and making her lose balance.
With a swift move, Luna saved her from hitting the ground and grabbed her weapon.
"Thank you?" Miss Crawley didn't know what to make of this situation anymore.
They helped the older lady sit by the table after making sure there were no bruises or wounds.
"She is not the witch that eats children; she is here to help us." The man calmly explained to her. "Now could you please excuse us? We have an important matter to talk about."
Miss Crawley obliged and left the room, heading to her bed. "Good night to both of you."
After Kichot made sure that the older woman had indeed left, "sigh It all started around a month ago..." It was visibly difficult for him to talk about this; his voice cracked, and his arms trembled.
"The children were disappearing one by one. But because we are orphans, we had to fend for ourselves..." His trembling got out of control as he recalled the memories.
His sisters and brothers, whom he promised to protect, disappearing without anything he could do.
"One day... I saw her grabbing a boy playing outside and running towards the forest. I can't sleep because of it!" Kichot stood up with tears in his eyes. His entire body was shaking due to strong emotions.
"What color was her robe? It's very important." The girl stood up and stared at him.
"I don't think she had a robe at all... I'm so sorry, I couldn't help them, and now I can't even help you!" He continued sobbing, too emotional to continue this topic.
Luna slowly walked towards him and hugged him tightly. "It's not your fault; you don't need to beat yourself up over it." She could tell how heavy the guilt inside him was.
"But what if I lose Miss Crawley? Or anyone else..." The fear inside was still lingering, being kept alive with the fuel of horrible memories and nightmares.
"You won't lose anyone." Luna took a step back and turned around. Happily heading towards the doors.
'If she didn't have a robe, then it's a freshman witch; that should be a piece of cake!' The thought of completing her first job filled her with a sense of maturity.
The witches were known for their magic and rituals. Luckily the lower ranks among them, who didn't get a robe yet, were barely above average human in strength.
"Wait! Where are you going? Kichot shouted, making Luna stop.
She put her hands together behind her back and turned towards him.
"Such a silly question. I'm going on a hunt." She vanished into the night.