The man with sunken cheeks who guided Mila pointed at the Guard Command Post. “There. Third window from the left.”

They were strolling through the streets, passing the building. Lipe - the man who looked perpetually starved, was pretending to be her guardian, transporting her home.

Despite the hour, the streets were still busy. Less so around the place where the City’s Guards gathered, but even then. Here, there were no beggars. But the worry in the passing faces was still noticeable.

Less so on the soldier faces. Those were stationed nearby, according to Lipe. Even though Mila had not been in the city for more than a day, she still could tell there was animosity between the City’s Guards and the Military.

They constantly exchanged glares and insults. Mila also saw one of the soldiers purposefully bump into one of the guards and push him over. There were reinforcements from both sides immediately, and it didn’t turn into a brawl only because a Captain happened to pass by. He quickly whipped his boys into order and sent them back to the barracks.

“Is it going to be less crowded later?” Mila asked. She memorised the surroundings and tried to find the best approach. There were a couple of entrances she could use. There were no actual obstacles to her picking a door and entering.

While there was a guard here and there to hear out people who came here with complaints, they didn’t actually keep the building safe.

Unfortunately, the three-story building was standing alone in the middle of the area, with no other places next to it. Mila couldn’t just jump from roof to roof and infiltrate that way. Naran had also ruled out entering from beneath through the tunnel system. She had to do it the classical way - through the doors, as the windows had metal bars in front of them. Or at least for the first two floors they had. She wasn’t confident enough to climb to the third one without anyone noticing.

“It will,” Lipe affirmed. “But there are patrols throughout the night.” He guided her to the left to see the back of the target building.

“I see. Unfortunate.”

This was why Mila had insisted Isabel stayed back. She watched the cloudy sky and calculated how much time she had. Barging or sneaking in seemed like a bad idea. She needed a distraction. “And these guards are paid to keep your… kind safe, aren't they?”

Lipe frowned. “I don’t like what you are implying.”

“Oh, don’t play coy. I am talking about your criminal activities.” Mila was not deterred.

“Not everyone has their hands dirty, young miss.” Lipe suspiciously cleaned his palms against his pants. “Some of us just have auxiliary roles.”

“So are they?”

After cursing under his breath, Lipe responded. “Yes. If there is a trouble in one of the protected, guards will come running.”

“Do we know by whom?” Mila had seen enough. They had been here for a while now. There was nothing new she could learn, so she turned towards their next goal.

“Everyone.” Lipe spat on the walkway, then quickly apologised to a guard who glared at him. “Some have paid more than others.”

“And Mister Brandy is among them.” Mila summarised.

“Oh, yeah. Judging by how shameless Brandy can be, he is definitely paying a lot. Huh, what’s wrong?”

Mila frowned as she glanced at one of the rooftops. “I saw someone I know, and he is not happy.” She eluded.

‘Not happy’ was an understatement. Mr Crow’s glare was almost physical in its intensity. The bird released a gurgling noise full of anger before taking off from the ledge. He glided down as Mila took a turn into a more remote street.

A moment later, Mr Crow landed on Mila’s shoulder. His claws dug into it, and he immediately started to complain and peck her head.

“What’s this?” Lipe was startled.

Mila willingly suffered the wrath of the young creature. “It wasn’t my fault.” It was getting annoying. She received a chirp of disbelief. “Truly, I left you both only for a short while.”

Mr Crow screeched in her ear, letting Mila know what he thought about her excuse.

“Should I be worried?” Lipe watched the bird continuously attack Mila.

“No, he is our friend's partner. Mr Crow is just unsatisfied… That I only came now?” She tried to guess. The bird chirped in frustration, adding more and more grievances to the list. “...Among other things. Now, show me where Mr Brandy is. I have some things to discuss with the man.”

“What kind of things?” Lipe was not informed of Mila’s plans for the night.

“Important things. Mr Crow, you will want to listen as well. After all, this has to do with how we will get Andrew out of his predicament.”

Mr Crow was not convinced. Still, he calmed down somewhat, and while he continued to show his displeasure by grumbling in Mila’s ear, he stopped his pecking.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

The rest of the way to Brandy’s compound was spent in Mila explaining in a whisper to Mr Crow what they had been up to. But no matter how she tried, the bird was adamant about blaming her for their fallings. He refused to believe it was Andrew’s fault he was arrested.

Or Mila thought the damn bird thought that way. She felt confident enough. Between a ghost in her brain and an angry feather ball, she was getting better and better at interpreting the wordless communications.

Lipe was content to just show the way. For almost twenty minutes, they waded through the streets. The more they walked, the worse the surroundings became. Not just once, Mila was forced to step around a person trying to sleep on the walkway. As she passed alleys, she could see desperate eyes looking back, fearing they would intrude on their fragile peace.

Every hole large enough for a person to fit in was seemingly taken. From time to time, a group of thugs would strut by, intimidating everyone with derogatory remarks and casual violence.

A nightly breeze tried to clean the streets of the stench futilely. At least the temperature had dropped to something tolerable. Mila was growing impatient. Mostly from Mr Crow’s insistence, they should act.

But they didn’t have to walk much longer. The area changed as burnt buildings and devastation took over from dilapidated and crooked properties. Isabel’s work, no doubt.

Here, there was even more suffering. Newly homeless people tolled in the ruins, trying to recover any remaining valuables, memorabilia, or just a blanket to cover themselves from the ruthless world.

Quiet sobs and laments filled the corners of this street. Even the occasional brute was keeping silent to not disturb the smothering presence of sorrow.

And finally, Mila’s eyes fell on a building that reminded her of a prison. She scrutinised the blackened walls in the darkness. They were foreboding and dreary. She recognised the place from Isabel’s words.

But it was not the place from which Brandy ruled his pathetic realm. No, his compound was a little further. Just enough away from the place of suffering to not hear the cries of those less fortunate.

“Here.” Lipe led Mila past the wooden walls. Much less imposing than those at the slave factory but still enough to keep the rabble away.

Mr Crow glared at the guards standing at the gates. Mila shushed the volatile bird. She could spot a series of buildings behind the walls. They were noticeably better looking than those around.

But contrary to the place Andrew was held, this one was much more easily accessible. The walls were only a couple of meters high. The surrounding rooftops allowed Mila an easy way inside, if barely.

And all of these surrounding places were likely run by Brandy’s men as well. Mila could hear jarring laughter from inside them. Brutal-looking men and women walked in and out of some of them. Sometimes, they had a company. Pitiful-looking and dressed people were pulled inside these buildings for the nightly company.

A strong waft of alcohol spread with the passing wind. A barrel of beverage was rolled inside one of the houses to the cheers of recipients. They celebrated and laughed. Sang and danced.

Then, they were past the area. Lipe wiped his sweat away. “I don’t like it here.” He explained.

Mila didn’t either. Even if she had seen only a little, she understood why Isabel wanted Brandy dead. These people did not care for anyone but themselves. Soon, they were back where just a crumb of bread was considered an invaluable treasure.

“So, what now?” Lipe wanted to know. He nervously glanced back to see if anyone was following.

Of course, there was. Mila had noticed them right from the start. When they passed one of the roaming groups, a couple of people had split off of it.

Mila had to agree with the would-be robber assessment. They did look like an easy target. With the diminished appearance of Lipe and her short stature, they were easy pickings in the eyes of Brandy’s people. And they weren't dressed too shabby, which was likely the deciding factor.

Seeing her companion twitch in fear, Mila could only shake her head in disappointment. “Why were you chosen to accompany me?” She steered the man towards a quieter corner. The pursuers quickened their step. They saw Lipe notice them and wanted to act before their targets could run.

Lipe almost stumbled on a flat ground. “B-because I am disposable…” He confessed. And I know how to run away.”

“Then do that. I don’t need you for the following.” Mila dismissed him and slipped into the shadow of a wooden pillar holding a balcony. She planned to use Lipe to distract the pursuers. Mr Crow jumped in the air and began circling above their heads.

“W-what?” Lipe’s eyes widened. He looked at the two men gaining on him and broke into a sprint.

The two thugs followed after Lipe. Mila heard one of them ask about the girl and where she went. The other just told the first to forget about her.

Mila found her trusty dagger under her cloak. Naran had been so kind to offer her a blacksmith service. The dagger had grown dull from the use, but now it was as sharp as ever.

In addition, Mila had taken a new set of throwing knives from the generous gang leader. Granted, Naran didn’t know she had. But even if he did, she doubted he would object.

As the first man passed, Mila prepared her strike. He didn’t even glance her way, too busy keeping up with Lipe. The second man followed right after and took the last step of his life.

Mila didn’t try to be subtle. Her aim here was to raise hell, to have most city guards flock towards this area and leave their bases empty.

For that, Mila would be ruthless. She raised her hand and brought it down right into the clueless man’s neck, killing him instantly. Not even a strangled sound escaped his mouth to warn his friend.

Then, Mila followed the first man. Lipe had already vanished, leaving her current prey confused and vulnerable. It didn’t take any effort for her to repeat the previous feet.

Mila watched dispassionately as the corpse collapsed before her. She looked around. People were staring before they started to back up. They fled the scene, not willing to be the next victim.

Whether they were running from Mila or from Brandy’s revenge was up to debate.

Mila cleaned her dagger and stepped inside the long shadows that the night cast. The messy architecture of the street made it easy for her to scale to scale the walls. There were no standards here, just what people could do with limited resources.

With a practised step, Mila vaulted over a gap between two buildings. Brandy’s compound was now within reach. She gathered her mana and used all of her skills to keep herself unnoticeable.

Above Mila’s head, an impatient call hurried her. She studied the situation within the yard. There were guards, but they were not attentive. Servants were walking here and there, but they did not matter.

Lastly, Mila extended her senses to see if there was anyone dangerous. She tasted the air and allowed a vicious grin. There were a few signatures that responded to her scan. Nothing too dangerous.

If there was no one stronger deeper inside the compound, Mila would not even break a sweat.