"Not now," Gabriel whispered, barely moving his lips, as if sensing the anger of his subordinates.
He shot them a warning look, giving a subtle shake of his head. They were deep in enemy territory, surrounded by dozens of bandits. Starting a fight here would be suicide—and it would doom every innocent here to the bandits’ retaliation. They had to bide their time.
"Fucking bastards!" BrawlerX muttered.
"Chill, they’re just NPCs," SniperBowLegend commented.
Gabriel spared him a glance but said nothing. How was he going to convince them these people were just as real as they were?
"Come on, let’s get moving."
As the abused laborer was dragged away by two trembling refugees, the group cautiously moved further into the camp.
The ground was uneven and littered with trash—broken bottles, spoiled food scraps, even splinters of wood from smashed crates. Every few steps, Gabriel had to watch that he didn’t trip on some discarded debris or, worse, a half-buried bone whose origin he didn’t want to guess.
People moved with their heads down, avoiding eye contact. Most of the non-bandits were gaunt and dressed in filthy, tattered clothes. Many had bruises or fresh cuts, signs of frequent punishment.
A few children with hollow eyes peeked out from behind torn canvas tents, only to duck away fearfully whenever a bandit passed by.
"This place is hell on earth," Ragnarok99 murmured, his earlier humor gone. Gabriel could only agree inwardly. Smoke from multiple cooking fires filled the air, casting a hazy gloom over everything.
Distantly, someone was coughing wetly—perhaps sick and untreated. Over that, Gabriel caught the faint sound of a woman crying, before a gruff voice barked at her to shut up.
They had no clear destination inside the camp. The guards at the gate hadn’t given any instructions on where newcomers should go, and asking too many questions could draw unwanted attention. So Gabriel led them on a meandering path, trying to appear busy but not conspicuous.
They walked past rows of tents pressed against the inner side of the wooden wall. Many shelters were patched together from old tarps and scavenged plastic sheets.
"Dammit, this place and the slums—I don’t know which is more luxurious," BrawlerX whispered.
"The slums don’t have people beating them, obviously," Bunny rolled her eyes.
Gabriel kept a calm expression. Having seen cruelties far worse than this, he didn’t react the same way these sheltered earthlings did.
As they passed one tent, a pair of eyes glinted from the darkness within—someone hiding, watching silently. He couldn’t tell if it was fear or curiosity.
Suddenly, a small voice piped up from somewhere to their left.
"Psst! Over here."
Gabriel halted, subtly motioning for the others to stay alert.
In the shadow between two leaning shacks, a petite figure called out to them with a frantic wave.
Narrowing his eyes, he considered the risk—it could be a trap, a child being used as bait. But as the figure stepped out, he saw it was just a little girl.
She looked no older than ten. Her face was smeared with dirt, and her tangled dark hair clung in messy strands.
The oversized coat she wore had so many holes it was practically a net, and her bare feet were caked in mud.
Despite her rough condition, her eyes were bright and alert. She glanced around nervously, then whispered urgently, "You new guys, come quickly. You shouldn’t be out in the open doing nothing."
Gabriel was slightly confused, wondering why she was being so kind.
Out here, one should prioritize themselves before anyone else. Although she was just a child, it was still suspicious.
At that moment, they all sensed the furtive glances some bandits were throwing their way. Loitering newcomers might attract suspicion or aggression soon. Whatever her reasons, the girl was offering them an escape from prying eyes.
Ragnarok99 gave a slight shrug, as if to say, Might as well.
Gabriel relented and stepped toward the girl. "Lead the way," he said quietly.
She flashed them a quick, gap-toothed smile before slipping back between the shacks. They followed, ducking under a sheet of rusty metal that hung low like an awning.
The path led into a narrow alley made of broken wood and junk leaning against each other. It was so tight that BrawlerX and Ragnarok99 had to turn sideways to squeeze through.
Gabriel noticed how carefully the girl moved. She was light on her feet, almost soundless, like someone used to hiding. Twice she stopped and raised her hand for silence.
The first time, a pair of drunken bandits stumbled past, shouting at each other. The group hugged the wall while the girl pressed a finger to her lips until the danger was gone.
The second time, another bandit walked by with a torch. They froze in the shadows until he passed.
Only after both close calls did she continue, leading them deeper into the camp.
At last, they stepped into a small open space behind a collapsed building that might once have been a storehouse. The area was cut off from the main paths by piles of rubble, giving it some privacy.
In one corner stood a tiny shelter made of cracked boards and cloth scraps. The girl pointed them toward it and walked straight ahead, as if this place had always been hers.
"This is where I stay," she explained softly. She lifted a frayed blanket that served as a curtain over the entrance. "It’s not much, but... you can hide here for the night. Better than sleeping out there where the bad men roam."
Inside, the space was cramped and humble, but at least it was dry. Gabriel had to duck his head to step in. The interior smelled of old straw and smoke.
A thin sleeping mat lay against one wall, with a surprisingly neat blanket folded at its foot.
In the center, on a flat stone, a stub of candle provided a faint orange glow.
There was a small clay bowl and cup, a wooden spoon, and a bundle of what looked like wild roots or tubers in the corner. It was everything the girl had in the world, arranged carefully in a space barely big enough for two adults to lie down side by side.