Upon seeing Isabel, the boy trembled again and bowed deeply. His mouth formed the words ‘Paladin’, ‘Justice’, ‘Inviolable’ - not in that order. He wasn’t as subtle as he thought he was.

Isabel heard him saying that and frowned, not too pleased her alias had survived the fall of Stilag. She sighed and then grabbed Mila’s free hand and leaned on the shorter girl.

“We shall head back,” Mila pulled the boy along, matching his fastest speed. “This is Marius.” She introduced. “And this is Isabel. And I am Mila.”

She had decided to use their real names - hoping it would stop the boy from using the cursed names Viola had spread around.

“As you wish,” Marius held his head low.

“Not as we wish,” Mila did another check of the boy’s body, noticing some bruises unrelated to the gruelling travel he had gone through. “Those are our names.”

“Of course,” The boy froze in indecision. “Uh.. Miss Maid-” He shut his mouth. “Miss Mila?” He finished, then waited for a punishment.

“Just Mila is fine,” She rubbed the boy’s palm with her finger. “And I am not the Maiden you speak of. Neither is Isabel the Paladin.” Mila didn’t want to be referred by that terrible name.

“As you wish,” Marius obeyed, his body still twitching every time Mila moved her limbs.

There was nothing Mila could do. Wounds like these took time to heal. She would entrust the boy to Mortimer and hope the man could handle three kids at the same time.

With that, the conversation died down. Mila tried to get information out of the boy a couple more times. And he did answer honestly, if briefly.

Marius was almost allergic to explaining anything in more than a sentence. It was likely a lesson beaten into him over years of servitude.

Mila learned the boy was twelve and not a slave. He was allowed to meet his parents for a few weeks every year. They had sent him to one of Tordgo’s officials to learn and serve. And he had done just that.

For four years, Marius ‘learnt’ how to use the sword from his previous master - a renowned swordmaster, according to Marius’s parents.

But he had never been tested by any of the temples. Marius’s magical potential was left to rot, clearly showing this ‘renowned swordmaster’ had no intentions of properly teaching the boy. His fate was to be a servant for years to come.

Which was a waste. Mila observed the boy’s latent talent again while mulling over how much to tell him about it. She wagered he could become strong. Probably not quite at the Inquisitor level, but formidable nevertheless.

It all depended on how the boy was taught. It would take time, but once Marius grew up, he could aid them. They did need allies and…

Mila dismissed the thought. She was not a teacher. And there was no one else who could do it. The boy would be left with Mortimer, and that’s it.

Except…

Where would that even be?

Would a safe place with a good teacher even exist in this corner of the world? Maybe only the…

And that was an option. The Sages. The seekers of knowledge would likely appreciate the boy. And if they did… Perhaps she could also arrange a good home for Mortimer, Vatim and Kanna.

It was worth considering. Despite her hatred for the bald assassin, Mila felt like this option had a lot of merits.

Only…

How would she even contact them?

The Sages had been quite confident Mila could find them. They likely intended it as another test to see if she was worthy. And normally, she wouldn’t entertain their foolishness.

But Mila did not know what to do about her group at all. All of her current goals seemed to be vague - barely ideas. She needed more.

Would the Sages really make for the worst of allies?

Isabel squeezed Mila’s hand. “...worried…” She asked, feeling her girlfriend’s racing thoughts.

“Yes, but it is not about that,” Mila glanced at the boy who kept staring at his feet, not daring to look upon his new comrades. It wasn’t the best idea to speak of a secretive organisation to a boy she had just picked up. “I will tell you later,” She muttered.

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“But for now,” Mila spoke louder. “I have to check the surroundings.” She pulled the boy’s hand and handed it to Isabel. “Listen to Isabel, okay?” She paused, realising her girl couldn’t exactly speak. “Don’t be trouble.”

The boy trembled and hurried to nod, making Mila realise she had been too straightforward. Her rough phrase had scared him.

Once again, Mila realised how far removed she was from how people usually acted. She was better than this. She could be gentler.

There even was proof. Isabel could verify Mila could be kind and caring. It was just that… Mila didn’t care about other people like she did for Isabel.

Maybe it was something worth changing - at least for occasions like these.

But for now, Mila nodded towards Isabel before leaving. She wanted to make sure there were no pursuers. Marius revealed his dead Master had defeated a party of hunters and suffered deadly wounds for it.

It was a good start, but there were always more hunters. Mila would mask their passing and make a few fake trails, just in case.

While an easy job, it still took time. Mila shot to the treetops occasionally, checking the surroundings and letting the evening wind ruffle her hair.

Once again, Mila saw camps being made. There were just a couple she could see, but they were there. She doubted they were made by the hunters.

No. Those were people who would die tonight.

And she would do nothing about it. Her eyes focused on one of the camps, noticing the smoke being disturbed and then snuffed out.

Part of her knew the lives there had been smothered out along with the fire. And Mila turned away.

This wasn’t the time to act based on emotions.

Mila paused, realising her first motion had been to go and help. It was mixed with bloodlust and pragmatic acknowledgement that she had to kill as many of the pursuers as possible. It would increase their own chances of escaping.

But the wish to help was there. It was part of who Mila was, and it made her glad. It proved she was taking steps towards not being a detached monster who evaluated everything by its worth to her own survival.

With that, Mila returned to Isabel and the boy. They were close to Mortimer and the other two kids. She wanted to be there when they met, knowing Isabel would have trouble explaining the boy’s presence.

Her return was welcomed with a hug and a deterrent bow. Mila rubbed Isabel’s back, then looked at Marius. “We are about to meet the rest of our group. I know you have gone through a lot. So have they. I trust you will get along.”

Isabel’s pinch in her side reminded Mila to be gentler. “...tone…” She whispered.

“Right,” Mila faced the boy properly. “I hope you can get along.” She corrected herself, letting her voice become a little warmer.

“...better…” Isabel approved. “...but…”

“I know,” Mila elbowed her girl while extending her hand towards the boy. She noticed he tried to keep a distance from them while looking only at their feet. “Come, Marius. We have to go.” She glanced at Isabel, who gave a thumbs up.

Their arrival was met with relief. And the introduction of the new member was awkward. Marius simply kept bowing his head while the others were too tired to speak more than a few words.

Mila explained what had happened, then showed them the way towards a more secluded spot a bit on the side. The trees and bushes were thicker there, hiding a small clearance in the middle where a tree had fallen.

There was enough space to lay down. It wouldn’t be comfortable, but it was the best they could get. Mila observed the group trying to flatten out the ground and find extra leaves for make-shift beds.

Isabel sat down next to Mila, leaning on her shoulder. “...scout…” She asked, nodding off.

“I will,” Mila wasn’t eager either. She just wanted to lie down with Isabel and sleep. And wake up next to each other. “Soon…” She was reluctant to leave.

Isabel didn’t ask her to either. She nodded, her breathing evening out. “...stay…” Her eyes fell shut. “...safe…” She breathed out, already asleep.

Mila didn’t move for a while, enjoying the warmth on her side. She listened to her girl’s breathing, letting it soothe her heart.

Despite the rough sleeping conditions, the rest of the party had also fallen asleep. Even Marius, despite his hesitating to rest before Mila did.

Finally, Mila prepared to leave as well. She gently laid Isabel on the prepared leaves. After giving her girl a kiss on the forehead, she stretched.

The autumn air tickled her nose. Mila looked up at the sky, peeking through the canopy.

Clouds were gathering, threatening the world with rain. Mila shuddered, not looking forward to it. Her body was sturdy now, but unpleasant things were still unpleasant.

Reluctantly, Mila stepped into the bushes. She left after one last lingering glance at Isabel’s peaceful face.

While she needed to scout the surroundings, Mila also wanted to work on her stealth capabilities. They had failed her too many times just a couple days ago.

Not just that, Mila had seen people who were simply better at what she prided herself in. It ate at her confidence.

Now that she had a serviceable grasp on her icicle, Mila felt it was time to work on her strongest aspect - her sneakiness.

It would take time and thought. Mila wasn’t quite sure how it would play out. She had ideas - a lot of them.

But her dream lives had not been exactly forthcoming with giving her assassin experiences.

Perhaps she could ask the Old Ghost?

Mila shot through the forest, considering the idea.

It would likely involve her spending a long time away from Isabel, and she didn’t know if she was ready for that at the moment.

For now, Mila decided to try it by herself. All she needed was to become undetectable and invisible.

How hard could that be?