“Are you keeping the hammer?” Mila asked while rummaging through a chest full of various pieces of clothing. Everything but the underwear had to be discarded. And even then, she smelled of soot and singed hair.

They were currently in one of the evacuated buildings, looking for a replacement for Mila’s lost set of clothes. The fire was spreading. And fast. Hopefully, the military will interfere before the whole city goes to hell.

“I guess…” Isabel replied, sounding absentminded.

Mila glanced at her girl. Isabel was checking out her barely dressed body. But now that she had no mask, it was clear she wasn’t in the mood. It was more of a reflex. “Come here?” Mila opened her arms.

And Isabel obediently did. She put the hammer on the ground and wrapped her arms around Mila. “Thanks.” She buried her face into Mila’s crown. “...Smells like ash…”

“How sweet.” Mila dryly noted. She gently caressed Isabel’s cheek before slipping out of her girl’s grasp. “Now, let me get dressed.”

“Yeah…” Isabel picked up the hammer again. “Mila?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did they choose to die?”

Mila wished she had a good answer. “They… They had strong beliefs. They hunted people, Isabel. They were ready to become prey themselves.”

Granted, it was only a guess. But Mila believed it was close to the truth.

“That’s so bullshit…” Isabel lifted the hammer. It was a weapon meant to be used with both hands. Isabel wasn’t quite ready to use it with one, but she tried. “Heavy. She made it look easy.”

“Liton was a great fighter. Very skilled and brave.” Mila gave praise where due.

“Her brother, too.” Isabel nodded. She changed the grip on the hammer. It was a rough tool of war. The head was blunt on both sides. It was a weapon made purely to destroy by smashing, with no elegance at all.

And while Mila agreed that Litan had a lot of praiseworthy qualities, she struggled to voice them. “If only he didn’t shout out his moves.” She finally mumbled, then added. “But yes, he was powerful too.” Her search for something wearable finally bore fruits.

“Yeah…”

Mila hurried to dress in the brown tunic and simple pants. Unfortunately, there was no cloak to ‘borrow’. “How do I look?” She presented herself.

“Cute…” Isabel still had trouble focusing on anything else but her thoughts. Albeit, Mila’s new garb did return more light to her eyes.

“While flattering, that was not what I was looking for.” Mila double-checked her appearance. She looked like a simple girl, one you could find in any village. It would do. “Let’s go.” She pushed Isabel out of the room, then the building.

The fire was raging. People were slowly returning to the area to try and stop it from spreading.

No one paid attention to Mila and Isabel as they waded through the crow towards one of the entrances into Naran’s tunnels. Isabel had hidden her mask and taken off her eye-catching cloak, while Mila had changed everything about her appearance.

It didn’t take long for them to find the building Isabel had used before to exit the tunnel system. They both found their way towards the basement. This particular house would likely soon be gone. The fire was quickly moving in this direction.

On their way down, they found people hiding in the corners. Upon their warning, they hesitantly headed up to see the situation outside. It was all they could do for them.

Finally, they both landed back into the tunnels. The darkness embraced them, finally letting them feel safe. Before Isabel could move, Mila grabbed her hand. “Come here.” She nestled against her girl’s chest. “So?”

Isabel planted a gentle kiss on Mila’s head. “I hate it.” She then spoke. “They could have lived.”

“It was what they chose. While I don’t necessarily agree, it is not a bad way to go.”

But Isabel already knew that. “Yes, but… Why? I don’t get it.” Before Mila could try to answer, she continued. “Was it their beliefs? Did they sacrifice themselves to their god?”

“Perhaps.” Mila supposed. “We can only speculate.”

“Is it all it takes? To be a fanatic?” Isabel struggled to understand.

And Mila did get it. “Isabel. You have to remember. Gods are a reality. And Litan was blessed. They… They would never have died in any other way. Either this, or… They would stand on top of a mountain of bodies.”

“Same as us, huh?” Isabel let out a morbid laugh.

“Well, not necessarily. We aren’t aiming to hunt down people.” Mila reasoned. “But yes, at this point, it will be either us or them.” She looked up. “Or, if we are lucky, they will find someone else to bother. The Inquisitors surely have better things to do than chase us around the world.”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Right…” Isabel pulled Mila closer. “You still smell like sooth.”

“Yes. I need a bath.” Mila agreed. Isabel’s tight hug also reminded her of the many bruises she had received. “But first, a healer. I hope those two who patched me up before are not too busy. We still have much to do.”

“Is it bad?” Isabel loosened her arms.

Mila shook her head. “It is not. But it is hard to walk. And breathe. Hmm, actually, I do feel somewhat weak… If only there was a dependable girl with strong arms. A girl who could carry the poor me to a healer.”

“You want me to carry you?” Despite her complaints, Isabel still kept her face buried in Mila’s hair.

“Well, it doesn’t have to be you.” Mila pushed Isabel away. “I am sure there is someone who could help me down this way.” She theatrically swayed while taking steps.

And immediately, Mila was swept off her feet and picked up by Isabel. “I know you are joking, but it’s not funny.” She grumbled. “And it’s not easy with the hammer in hand.”

“Ah, I do apologise. You know humour is not my strong point.” And neither making Isabel laugh was her goal. Mila just wanted to distract her girl from the depressing thoughts.

And Mila had succeeded.

“There is no need for anyone else if you have me,” Isabel grumbled while taking swift steps. “If you want, I’ll never let you go.”

“How very romantic, if unpractical.” Mila wrapped her hands around Isabel’s neck and pulled herself up for a gentle kiss. Her girl had taken strides in not getting easily embarrassed.

After it was done, they both fell into a contemplative silence. Mila did try to raise a topic or two. But Isabel kept defaulting back into a brooding mood.

Isabel quickly found the way towards the healers. As they closed the place, they encountered more and more people. And a good chunk was injured.

Some - heavily.

It became clear Mila's fears had become a reality. The formidable woman had let her subordinates hunt for them both while the main force had assaulted the tunnels.

The fight was still ongoing. There was a steady stream of people with various degrees of injuries. And from what they learnt, these were the lucky ones.

A pudgy man Isabel knew joined them as they stopped to wait in line to get into the healer's room.

“We are losing.” He grimly announced. “We only managed to slow them down by throwing bodies at them. Even collapsing the tunnels on their heads only unconvinced them. They have a goddamn earth mage in the party.” He spat on the ground.

Mila nudged Isabel to ask more.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.” The pudgy man slumped against the wall. The torch above his head crackled with sparks. He looked up at the source of light. “Not only that. They always know where our traps are. All our attacks are deflected. Sometimes, they cast spells. We are just thugs, man. We can’t deal with that shit.”

Isabel frowned. “Where are they heading?”

“Don’t know. The damn murderers appear to just walk straight.”

“As in, towards the central chamber.” Mila guessed.

“Yeah.” The pudgy man slid down the wall and sat on the ground. “At this point, we will have to let them take the centre.”

“And Naran?” Isabel wanted to know.

While Isabel’s friend shrugged, a woman standing behind them knew. “Boss is still yelling at the diggers. There isn’t much progress with the new path.” She inserted.

“Ah! Isabel! Mila!” Cecilia’s voice interrupted their conversation. The woman was rushing down the tunnel. “Are you two injured?”

“Mila needs a refresher.” Isabel avoided giving a straight answer.

“Do you?” Seeing Mila nod, Cecilia rushed past them into the healer's room. A moment later, she was back. “You can go in.”

There was immediate shouting and complaining. Many of those present were bleeding out. There were broken bones, missing appendages, large gashes and more.

But…

“They are strong. We need them.” Cecilia yelled over the chaos. Her words did have an effect as the people around begrudgingly accepted the strong had priority.

It didn’t quite sit well with Mila. She mouthed to Cecilia that she wasn’t hurt that bad.

The woman leaned closer to them. “No, go in. It will be quick and, if possible… I know it’s a lot to ask, but we need help. And as the day goes on, it will get worse.”

“Carry me in, Isabel.” Mila suddenly ordered. It was true that Naran owed them. A lot. She was quickly hoisted inside the emergency room, where one of the healers did a quick check-up.

In the end, all Mila received was a small dose of healing magic and a potion that would help with her internal injuries. She thanked them for the help and left the room full of suffering.

The healers were running ragged. They wouldn’t be able to help all who needed them. But they could make sure no one who got here died. And that was more than the rest of the city could say.

“Hey, Mila. What about Andrew?” Isabel carried Mila towards where Kanna and Vatim were hiding. She wanted to know if they were alright.

After a quick estimation, Mila spoke. “He should be here soon.”

“Won’t he run into trouble?” Isabel was worried.

“He is not that foolish.” Mila disagreed. “Besides, Helly will come with him. And she is the trouble. I guess it would be more accurate to say he won’t run into more trouble.”

“You are not helping, Mila.” Isabel sighed. “Can you walk?” She was still carrying Mila.

“No. My legs still hurt.” Mila looked away. It wasn’t wrong. The potion had helped, but there still was a noticeable sourness she had to fight against. “And I am just stating the truth.”

“I can’t carry you everywhere.”

“Just a while ago, you said you could.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Isabel started to squeeze Mila. “I better make sure I don’t drop you.” She continued to pull the smaller girl closer and closer.

“Stop, that is not comfortable.” Mila squirmed. She was firmly pressed against Isabel’s breasts now. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was too constricting. It didn’t help that the Hammer’s handle Isabel was holding was now pressing against Mila’s back. “Okay, okay, I give.” She slipped out of Isabel’s hands.

“Ah…”

“Don’t look so disappointed when it was you who asked for it.” Mila humphed and matched ahead. “Let’s go see our temporary companions. We still have much to do.”

“I shouldn’t have let go of you.” Isabel followed.

Mila just shrugged. In the end, she had succeeded. Isabel’s mood had improved somewhat.