"Guess I can't say which, never been to the Hells or the Abyss," the elf responds dryly, as they move. Not far to their right, they see a fork in the road that leads up into down, likely a main road used by traders and the sort.

Walking into the village, they find it a gloomy vision. The homes are old, with peeling paint and poorly kept porches, and their owners pointedly shut the blinds or close the shutters whenever Kellon's eyes drift their way. Many have the look of old money that has dried up, homes that at one time must have been quite nice. While the road outside of the village was little more than dirt, the streets inside are gravel. Some patches are missing or filled with holes, leaving the streets bumpy and uncomfortable to walk on.

"A-a- aaaahaaaagh!"

Their walking is interrupted by a sound from the north, as they arrive at a four way intersection. The sound of a very small boy crying. Up the road, they can see two human children in the middle of the road, in front of a particularly tall, thin and worn down brick row house with cobwebs on the windows and eaves. The boy is sitting on the ground crying, with a cloth doll clutched in his little hands. A hooded jacket is bundled up around him and shrouds his crying face, save for the tears streaming down his cheeks. An older girl is kneeling next to him, trying to shush and comfort him. She is wearing a high-collared cloak.

The girl looks up, hearing the clunk of Kellon's hammer against his shell as he walks. "H-hello?" She looks at the two of them in awe. "What are you? Can you help us?" She points at the tall scarecrow of a house. "Please! There's a monster in our house!" The boy stops crying and looks up at Kellon uncertainly.

On either side of the house are abandoned homes, their doors and windows boarded up. A gated portico on the ground floor of the indicated home hangs open, its rusty gate creaking in the wind. Next to the gate is a water damaged copper plaque with a family name that Kellon has trouble making out.

In spite of her condition, the elf doesn't seem to hesitate before going over to try and calm the children. "Where are your parents? Did they just leave you out here? Easy, easy." She squats down and holds up her hands, making sure not to reach for them and set the boy off again. "It's dangerous to be outside right now, can we talk inside?"

"Mama and papa keep the monster trap in basement," the boy answers with a slight lisp, between a gap in his two front teeth.

"We're not going back inside until the monster is gone," the girl insists, hugging her presumed little brother tighter against her leg.