It was troublesome. Mila reached beneath her cloak and prepared her throwing knives. The cold metal gave her surety of prevailing.

Up ahead, there was a longer stretch of road without any decent hiding places. Mila didn’t want to use it.

The road was not only open but also had a pub on. As Mila moved closer to the spot, she heard some rowdy voices reach through the silence of the night. Drunks were definitely plaguing the street.

The possibility of guards being there was also decently high.

And yet, Mila was heading there. She needed to lure her target out where she could make her move. Despite everything, the street could serve that purpose. She didn’t know the city well enough to search for anything better.

It was possible that the addition of other people would mess with that person’s tracking abilities. It could make them make a mistake, but Mila didn’t count on it.

Having someone know where you were was an unfair advantage. Of course, it went both ways. Mila checked for her unwanted companion to see if anything had changed.

The person was still there. Mila straightened her cloak and slipped her throwing knives in her palms while doing so.

The next step was to walk towards the pub and past the drunkards. Mila stepped on the street and headed towards the pub. A few people were hanging in front of it, making noise. They didn’t appear to be too drunk and just having a good time.

Mila crossed the street, trying to gain enough distance to pull her stalker in the open, even if for a moment. It would be enough to strike.

And the damn pursuer slipped off her radar. Mila didn’t let it show, but she was nervous. Should she have rushed them before?

As Mila passed by the drunkards, she felt the presence return. It wasn’t the spot she had envisioned, but after a few more steps, Mila finally saw a chance.

A shadow appeared on one of the roofs, just barely distinguishable from the night sky. If Mila didn’t know it was there, she would have missed it.

The drunken men said something, but Mila didn’t listen. Her mana circulated through her body, the newly acquired portion she had gotten from Nolman making a welcoming change.

Mila pretended to stumble. The distance was about 9 meters. She had practised enough.

There was laughter behind her as Mila twisted her body, throwing the first kife, then reached for a new one, but it was only to mask the flick of her other arm's wrist.

A second throw followed right after the first. Mila pivoted on her feet and launched herself towards her target. The third throw was just as instant.

There were exclamations behind her, which Mila once again ignored.

The shadow swayed, avoiding the first throw. But the second one caught them by surprise, forcing the stalker into an unfavourable position.

The third throw should have injured the person, but Mila had erred in her aim, barely missing the person’s chest.

Mila forced mana into her legs and made a series of jumps, first on a fence, then against a wall and finally on a roof next to the building where the stalker was.

At that point, Mila launched the fourth throw, followed by the fifth.

The shadowy figure scrambled to dodge to the side, managing to evade both of them, but as Mila threw her sixth knife, the shrunken distance finally made her land a hit.

Beneath, there were calls for guards, and more people seemed to be waking up in the surroundings, making it clear that Mila had to run.

But before that, she jumped over the gap between buildings. Mila pulled out the seventh knife and-

With full strength, Mila forced herself backwards to where she had jumped from. Her target changed, and she aimed at the new arrival. The throw didn’t have an effect, as the new person slapped the knife out of the air effortlessly.

The calls for guards intensified. Mila eyed the new person with caution. Whoever it was, they appeared to be dangerous. The baggy, dark clothes made it impossible to distinguish any details of their gender or appearance. The same was true for the first stalker as well.

“We mean no harm!” Suddenly, the first person talked in a surprisingly young woman’s voice.

The second arrival stilled for a moment as if unsure how to proceed.

Mila meanwhile stopped her assault and prepared for escape. She was at a disadvantage here. The new person was impressive. The mana pool he had indicated that he likely had a plethora of methods at his disposal. Or that he could use it to increase his body’s performance by a large degree.

Both of those spelt trouble for Mila. She prepared her last three throwing knives and grabbed one of her daggers.

“She is the girl from Obron’s. That short one.” The woman whispered to her companion.

“And?” A deep man’s voice answered.

Mila’s mind raced. They had recognised her. There was also no way for her to get rid of these two. Not quietly and not now.

“Not a place to speak.” The woman replied.

Beneath them, a cacophony of noises announced the arrival of law reinforcement. Mila didn’t risk looking away from the duo and started to take careful steps away from them.

“We need their aid.” The woman insisted. “You know that.”

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“Not the plan.” The man replied. “Too many uncertainties.” His answers were short, and he lowered his stance as if ready to pounce.

“She killed Nolman.” The woman informed and let the words hang in the air for a moment.

Mila took another step back. Informing Silinth was a must. Hanna also had to know they were being targeted. Her date with Isabel was at peril.

The man studied Mila for a second before relaxing his pose. “We must talk.” He announced and pointed to the side. “There. About a hundred meters should be enough.”

“No,” Mila simply stated. It was too dangerous. The only reason she was still listening was because they were more powerful than her and knew where she lived.

“Didn’t think so.” The man’s voice had a wry undertone. “We can’t talk here. We will send a letter to Obron’s residence with an address you can return the message. You can decide on a meeting place. It has to be done.” He quickly explained, leaving an unspoken threat hanging in the air.

And then they simply left.

Mila didn’t stay either. She heard some people pointing at the rooftops, explaining what they had witnessed.

At full speed, Mila dashed away. At first over the rooftops, then through courtyards and finally between alleys. Her course vaguely approached her staying place.

Through it all, Mila kept her senses sharp. She feared new dangers would arise, but no matter how she searched, it appeared she had been left to be.

Finally, Mila was out of breath. She had arrived back home. After checking for any unwanted eyes, she slipped over the wall surrounding the courtyard and finally took a breather.

After a minute of simply standing, Mila headed for Silinth’s room. She had to warn him first. The man, despite all his faults, had managed to stay alive for so long. He would be able to help her.

Upon reaching the doors, Mila knocked. This time, she didn’t barge right in. She was still reeling from her failures.

Once again, Mila was reminded just how weak and insignificant she was in the grand scheme of things.

But now Mila knew there was a shortcut to moving forward. A horrid and bloodthirsty one, but a way nonetheless.

The doors opened, revealing squinting Silinth. The stench of alcohol was still clinging to his body. “What is it?”

“Trouble.” Mila’s reply was short. “We must get Hanna as well. Can you set up something to warn if there is a breach of the perimeter around the premises?”

“I can.” Silinth suddenly was alert before slipping into a haze. He looked around as his lips formed a smile.

“Silinth?” Mila was worried.

But the man quickly regained his bearings. Silinth rubbed his eyes and was back to his usual brooding self. “Right. I can, but nothing serious. It’s not the temples that got you spooked, I assume.” When Mila shook her head, he continued. “Yeah, so nothing serious. Anything too big would attract those dogs to this place.”

Mila felt safe in her assumption that her encounter wasn’t something the Temples were responsible for.

These people tried to remain hidden, and the Temples did not need to do that. And if they had watched the Obron’s complex closely, there would be suspicions about where their group had come from.

No, this was something else. And they wanted to talk.

“Where is Morn?” Mila realised the man was missing.

“He headed out earlier,” SIlinth explained. “Now, let's go. I’ll see what I can do.”

They headed towards Hanna’s workroom. The woman had made it a habit to spend the nights there despite Harry’s grumbling.

Mila sighed. What to say to Isabel? They had already agreed on a date. It wasn’t like what Mila had done changed their situation drastically. Those people still had targeted this place, them included.

But now the focus was on her. Wouldn’t that mean it was dangerous for Mila to leave these premises? But the date…

Furthermore…

Mila studied Silinth’s condition.

The other experiment had been left unfinished. Perhaps for the best. But it meant it had to be done on the fly during the temple raid.

Should they postpone it?

“Can you contact Morn? Give him a message?” Mila tried.

But Silinth shook his head. “No. Not when I don’t know his exact position.” There was another slight swing in his emotions as he started to grumble to himself.

When Silinth caught himself doing it, he stopped and then started to weave a spell that soon covered the courtyard and homes.

No, the raid couldn’t wait either. With Silinth starting to slip so often, it had to be done soon.

And what then?

The date with Isabel was the last chance to spend their time together in peace before losing this place's safety.

A beautiful memory before the storm.

They would become vagabonds once again after the Temples focused their attention towards this city.

But it wasn’t all lost just yet.

They arrived at Hanna’s room and banged on the doors. The woman was still awake, judging by the light escaping beneath the doors.

“What?” Hanna threw the doors open. “Did something happen to you?” She studied Silinth with worry.

“I’ll explain.” Mila pushed inside, with Silinth following.

After they sat down, Mila started to explain what had transpired through the first part of the night. Her speech was concise and direct - it didn’t take long for her to finish.

“You killed Nolman?” Hanna found it hard to believe. “I- I did not expect that.” She looked at Mila as if seeing her for the first time.

“He was a cowardly traitor.” Mila felt no remorse.

“I am not saying you shouldn’t have, just that-” Hanna searched for words. “Just that I didn’t expect you to do it.”

“Don’t let Mila’s looks fool you. I already told you that.” Silinth yawned.

“What can we do now?” Mila ignored the walking pollution sitting next to her.

“I don’t know,” Hanna admitted. “My bribes won’t be enough to get enough protection from the city.”

“Any ideas of what they would want from you?” Mila tried.

“Maybe drugs? Help with smuggling. Information. Healing. Something else?” Hanna helplessly guessed. “I don’t know. Normally, in situations like these, we would ask for help of the Temple or higher standing officers, but as it is…” She looked at both of them.

Mila nodded. So, their position was reactive. The new group held most of the cards, leaving them with little choice.

“Shouldn’t we leave?” Silinth easily suggested.

Hanna looked at him with horror. “You are not in a condition to leave!” She exclaimed. “Even your involvement in Mila’s plan should be revoked!”

“Yes, it would be wise to leave.” Mila actually agreed with Silinth. But she had to get rid of the man while she still could. “But I have to get what I need from that temple.” She stated instead, not allowing any disagreements.

“Someone just stopped before the main entrance.” Silinth suddenly spoke. “They didn’t enter. It was probably that message they promised to deliver.

“Then we better see what they want.” Mila stood up. “There is no time to waste.”

After all, the main objective had to be achieved.

Isabel would have her date!