Dust cloud made it hard to see. But the sound of a heavy weapon heading for Mila’s head was clear enough for her to react. She ducked and jumped to the side to gain distance.

Only then did Mila recognise the attacker. It was a large woman in armour with a warhammer in hand. The brutal yet simple weapon got twirled around effortlessly. The woman’s unkept hair left a wild impression, and her mana pool made Mila feel somewhat helpless.

At this point, Mila was one of the more impressive individuals around when it came to the amount of mana. Sure, it didn’t come close to what Inquisitors had, but she was doing fine.

But this woman had less, and she was… She was more efficient, just like the man she had faced at that guard station. It was depressing to think back to how proud Mila had been of her control and fighting skills.

Thinking further, it was only logical. Despite the knowledge Mila had, she hadn’t been practising for even three months. There clearly were gaps in how she utilised what she had and what she was capable of.

And in the end, Mila’s body was what it was. She couldn’t compete with more developed physiques. So, she had to rely on skill. Which meant more practice. And that she could get plenty in her dreams.

But none of that helped her now. Mila eyed the woman with caution. A direct clash was out of the question. She was a very inconvenient opponent for her. Mila searched for the throwing knives beneath her cloak. Just with six of those, she didn’t feel confident in taking the woman out.

Did they have to retreat? Mila opened her mouth to call out for Isabel to stand down, but it was already too late. Her girl jumped through the settling dust and charged the new opponent.

Mila gritted her teeth. Was it too late? Isabel was already engaging. She looked around, searching for the rest of the enemies. But… There was none. It made her furrow her brows. Where was the rest of that armoured woman’s party? Did she send only this hammer-wielding brute?

Well, there was also the trash beside Mila. The chinless man was scampering away. “Get them, Liton!” He managed to squeeze a surprisingly loud shout.

It did, however, return Mila’s attention to the man. He noticed it, too and let out a desperate wheeze. The sword was still in his hand, while with the other one, he was clutching his wound.

“Die faster, Burt.” Liton returned while receiving an overhead strike from Isabel’s sword with the handle of the hammer.

The man let out another wheeze, this time full of frustration and anger. Mila didn’t care. She flourished her dagger while still searching for Liton’s comrades.

Only, why was this Burt not looking at Mila with hopeless desperation? There was even a bit of a glee in his eyes.

That’s when Mila felt it. Another signature appeared and rapidly closed on to her from above. She threw herself to the side, avoiding the ambush.

Mila continued to retreat while redirecting herself to face the new adversary - a man in a brown cloak that covered his features completely. “Burt…” He whispered while playing with a dagger. “You useless dog. Because you can’t control your emotions, the Maiden escaped.”

“Shut up, Litan,” Burt spat out. “I need a healer. Go tell Laura to send Ugum to help me.”

While the battle between Isabel and Liton raged behind Mila, she didn’t dare to take her attention away from Litan. The man was dangerous. They had to retreat. It was still possible. As long as that armoured woman didn’t come, they could run.

Litan let out a quiet cackle. Even under the hood, Mila could tell he despised Burt. “How unfortunate. It is already too late for you, Burt. My condolences.” He whispered.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Litan!” Burt realised there was no mercy coming from the new arrival. He tried to back away, but before he could, Litan flashed forward, driving his dagger into Burt’s heart.

Immediately after, Litan freed his weapon, turned towards Mila and bowed. “Ah! I apologise for taking your pray.” He still spoke far too silently. His voice was barely audible due to the ongoing fight behind Mila. “Laura despised the man. So did my sister.” He nodded towards Liton.

Mila simply readied herself. She felt bloodlust radiating from the man. “Oh, I do not mind.” She spoke. “But…” Mila continued,” We really have to be on our way now. Isn’t that right, my dear Paladin?” She raised her voice.

“Bussy. Can’t.” Isabel returned with a grunt.

“Ah, how unfortunate.” Litan opened his hands wide. “And I so wished to have a dance with you-”

“Get to the hunt, Litan!” Liton suddenly yelled. “Stop playing around!”

“It is not a play but a proper ritual.” Litan sounded offended. “We are not savages. Not anymore.” He raised his voice for the first time.

“Fight already.” Liton gave an order.

“Ah, such a pain to have a sister like this.” Litan shook his head sadly. “But, now, shall we? Or do you have something else to add?”

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Mila searched for a weakness in the man’s stance. She tightened the grip on her dagger. “Would our dance not be interrupted?” She heard Isabel grunt and then a body hitting the ground. It took most of her will to not turn around to see if Isabel was still standing.

Shortly after, the fighting behind Mila continued. She breathed in relief. Despite knowing Isabel couldn’t be defeated so easily, Mila still worried.

Litan made an exaggerated motion, moving his hand to his chin and tapping on it. “Hmm, hmm…” He pretended to think. It was apparent he didn’t mind wasting time. “Indubitably, it will happen in time. So we must make haste! Before the vultures gather, we must have our moment of bonding!”

Mila wanted to gag. This man was pissing her off. The way he moved was showy and excessive. She suspected the same had been true for the attack she had dodged. Otherwise, Burt wouldn’t have seen it.

And why did he have to whisper? Sure, Mila could hear him, but it was all so pointless. “Paladin.” She inwardly cringed. “Can you handle her?” She weighed the options.

“Probably.” Isabel didn’t sound confident. “Not-” She groaned as a loud sound of impact travelled through the street. “-quickly.”

From the sound of it, Isabel wasn’t out of options just yet. It would be a good experience for her girl, too, Mila decided. And… If she was honest… To become strong, Mila needed to fight strong opponents. It was a pity, but disposing of trash didn’t earn her any real experience and getting abused by an apparition didn’t have the component of danger to it.

This wasn’t the worst chance. “And another one?” She asked again, planning what to do. Isabel grunted a ‘yes.’ Mila resolved herself for what was to come. “So, your leader is not coming then?” She guessed, and the man nodded entirely too enthusiastically.

“It is our hunt. Our God’s decree. Miss Laura will not interfere with our purpose.” Litan fervently explained. Upon mention of his God, he even raised his voice to a proper talking level. “The prey is provided!

And from behind, Liton joined her brother. “The prey is provided!” She yelled. The sounds of the battle behind Mila intensified. “By hunting it, we grow stronger!”

“Stronger!” For the first time, Litan shouted. Immediately after, he moved towards Mila. He ducked close to the ground and obscured his limbs with his cloak. The next moment, Litan started to move towards Mila.

It was slow. Much slower than Mila expected. Her every twitch was captured in Litan’s eyes as he examined the possibilities of their encounter.

A look Mila was familiar with. She imagined she had a similar one while stalking her prey. It was very uncomfortable. But not something unique.

If Litan thought Mila was easy to read, then he was mistaken. Using her own cloak, she lightly jumped to the side, trying to provoke a response. The man didn’t hasten his approach.

It must have looked comical from the side. While Isabel and Liton were engaging in frantic melee, Mila and Litan were hoovering around each other with limbs hidden.

The dichotomy between the encounters was stark. Mila didn’t want to make the first move. Grabbing initiative was certainly a good thing. But blindly attacking wasn’t the only way to do it.

Slowly, Mila kept retreating towards Isabel and Liton. She kept her movements cool and unbothered. It appeared she was being pushed back by Litan.

Every time Litan’s face crept from under the cloak, it had a creepy smile on it. It appeared he believed his pressure was gaining him the upper hand. He was feeling like a hunter.

But, while Mila didn’t have time to look behind her, she still felt where Isabel and Litan were. Her girl shined bright in her senses. And while Isabel was being pushed back, the process was becoming slower and slower.

Judging from the sounds of weapons clashing, Liton was getting impatient by the lack of success with her quick attacks. By Mila’s calculation, it was time the woman tried a heavier approach.

A moment later, a short lull between the clashes appeared. Mila prepared herself. Liton’s heavy strike was directly blocked by Isabel, but she was forced backwards almost a meter.

Litan’s eyes widened as Mila suddenly accelerated backwards. She began turning, and for the first time in a while, her eyes fell on Liton, whose weapon was still extended from landing the blow.

Isabel had already recovered and rushed back. Mila allowed a small smile. Her girl had occupied most of the ferocious woman’s attention, allowing this chance.

With precise movement, Mila launched a knife backwards where Litan was. The man rushed towards her back, trying to prevent her strike against his sister.

The throwing weapon was parried and gave Mila only a moment. Liton’s eyes widened. The woman began to shift her heavy hammer towards Mila, trying to put it between them.

And Liton succeeded. Mila could not make a decisive blow like this. The hammer was a barrier she couldn’t easily bypass. Not with another enemy aiming at her back.

But that wasn’t Mila’s goal. With forcefully shifting her stance, Liton had left herself vulnerable to Isabel, who arrived at the same moment. Mila’s girl crashed into the monster woman and gained the upper hand for the first time.

Seeing the success, Mila grinned. Isabel pushed Liton just far enough back to let Mila pass them without slowing down.

Mila pivoted again. Her eyes fell on her pursuer, who looked at her in surprise. He then looked at Isabel’s open back, unsure of what to do. It was a great chance to strike, but it was a chance given to him by Mila. It was clear he didn’t trust it.

But Litan was too skilled for his own good in this case. He wouldn’t say no to at least heavily injuring one of their opponents. His dagger flashed, and he drove it towards Isabel’s flank.

Mila was already moving towards Litan. She threw another knife, making the man shift away from it and lose balance. His attack still moved forward unimpeded.

Another step closer, and Mila was right behind Isabel. She slashed up at Litan’s attacking arm, aiming at his vein.

Litan gritted his teeth. He didn’t retreat. Before Mila could strike him, he struck Isabel and then froze. His attack had failed to penetrate Isabel’s cloak. The blue fabric was left without even a nick.

It was a moment Litan was frozen too long. Mila’s slash reached his hand, and her attack did manage to cut through the fabric.

But just as Litan’s, Mila’s attack also failed to find purchase. She was sure the man had no vambraces or any other armour covering his arms, so how?

Mila’s attack slid over Litan’s skin as the man hurried to retreat. Her eyes followed his arm, and sure enough. Nothing was covering them under the cloak. But all Mila had managed was a white line over Litan’s wrist.

“Ah…” Litan whispered. “I had hoped to not use this gift of mine.”

Mila’s mind raced. She had hoped Isabel’s impenetrable defence would give her the chance to quickly kill the man, but instead, they had traded secrets.