A New Life

The sounds of footsteps are brief and soon come to a halt. Whoever it is that person must have entered a room, which is why it is more difficult to hear anything now. I close my eyes again in an attempt to hear anything, but this time it seems to be in vain. Suddenly I hear Milly whisper something, quite loudly. It probably isn't as I make it out to be as I'm focussing on whatever is happening outside. She mentioned something about someone being in the library. A "He" to be more specific. Considering that the window was barricaded I already suspected someone to enter the library sooner or later. But I'm starting to get curious as to how Milly know about that? After all, she is the that actually triggered such an obvious trap. Not to mention that she hasn't shown much when it comes to thinking ahead. Could she actually have heard it all? With the things, she showed so far I wouldn't put it past her. There's not much time to discuss it though.

She points towards the direction the library is in, after opening the door. I almost get a heart attack as she almost causes the door to smash. Luckily for both of us, she barely manages to avoid it. Yeah... She clearly needs someone to keep an eye on her... After calming myself down I start to wonder why she is pointing in the direction where someone just went. I already checked most of the room in that direction and unfortunately, they didn't provide much. That direction also gives a bigger risk of getting caught. Unsure what Milly is aiming for I decide to follow my instinct on this and go right, hoping to find something in the leftover rooms that could actually help me.

I make way to move to the right before Milly suddenly grabs my hand. She seems to urge me not to go that way, which I would normally respect and follow. Right now things are looking dire and I simply can't afford to take unnecessary chances. I gently free my arms before giving a smile to Milly, trying my best to ease her worries. I then head one of the doors I haven't checked yet.

And then Atom still goes to the right. I try to grab him, but he still wants to go that way. What now?! Luckily he goes into another room giving me a bit of time to come up with a plan. However as I am slightly panicking my mind isn't very clear. I have a few options now. The best would be if I could manage to convince him to still go in the other direction. If that doesn't work I will have to convince him that the two rooms I don't want him to see are not important and that we should walk past them. The problem is that both rooms stand out from the others which might attract Atom's attention. Something within me just wants to scream now as that would probably prevent Atom from finding the rooms as well, however that would be too dangerous.

I look around in the room we are now. It doesn't seem to be in use. There is pretty much nothing in here and like the other room the only window in here is locked. *sign* I can always hope that those two doors are locked... As the spell on my ears is still working I can hear the guard in the library get out. This spell doesn't work for long and I can't cast this spell multiple times in a row, so let's hope it will keep working for a while. I signal to Atom that we should stay here until the guard is gone. Hoping that the guard would come this way to give me a reason to lead Atom the other way I quickly hear those hopes shattering as he goes the other way. I know we can't stay here forever... but it takes me some time after the guard left to tell Atom that. Everything seems safe at the moment and exactely that makes me feel nervous.

"I-it is safe now... But I think we should go the other way."

As I can't come up with an actual reason to go the other way I can't provide Atom with one and hope he doesn't ask me for it.

(In case Atom asks Milly for the reason she will stay quiet and end with saying that she doesn't know why. In case Atom makes his way around the corner he will find many more doors of which two look different from the others. One looks very expensive and contains one lock that is unlocked at the moment. Inside a very luxurious bedroom can be found. There is also a desk which a few books that look like they are more like a decoration than a funtional item and a lit candle can be found there. The other door that is on the other side of the hallways a little to the right of the expensive looking room on the other hand looks very worn down and contains many many locks but like the other room they are all unlocked. If Atom opens this room he will see a stairs going down, however it is very dark in there and there is a smell of blood. Downstairs is one room containing almost nothing except for some empty wooden boxes and there is a lot of dried blood on the ground. Atom will need a lightsource if he wants to go down here as there is no light in the room downstairs. If Atom enters either room Milly will stay close to the door unwilling to get in further while looking clearly nervous. It is worse in the dark room.)

Once again I arrive in a useless room as this one seems empty again. My observation is brief my attention is still aimed for that person walking down the hallways. It seems he hasn't noticed us yet, which is a good thing. I put my ear on the door again and try my best to listen if there is someone approaching this way. After a few moments which in this suspense feel like hours, I still don't hear anything, other than the sound of my own heart, throbbing away.

Probably due to some spell of some sorts, Milly suddenly speaks up again saying it is safe. Just like last time, she seemed to be able to hear what was happening from door away, so maybe she is doing the same now. I, on the other hand, didn't hear anything though. Does that mean he went back the way he came from? Well, either way, it means we are safe... for now. The sense of being in the clear calms me down a bit as I give the room another look. Milly did mention something off again, but for now, I feel like I need to make sure THIS place is safe. I wasn't expecting much after noticing the room was empty at first glance, but it is weird to see that confirmed. There does seem to be a window, but as to be expected it too seems locked.

I then turn back to Milly and the thing she said before, not the mention her urge to lead me back towards the library. Or maybe she isn't necessarily trying to lead in the direction of the library but instead, leading me away from this path. From the very start, she has been trying to lead me away from this village after all. I take out the book Milly gave me just a moment ago.

"Alright Milly, can you please explain a few things for me. You do understand that a lot of weird things have been happening just now alone, and it would put me at ease if you could clarify some things for me. First off, what did you do to change this book? Is this also some sort of magic that you can use? Next, how can tell the coast is clear? Or better yet, how did you now that person entered the library."

I then slowly walk towards Milly before getting on my knee to get a better look into her eyes as I ask my final question.

"Listen Milly, I only here to help you out. So please, tell me what is bothering you whatever it is. There is another reason you don't want me to continue down the hallway right? You can tell me. You may not think so, but I still consider you as a friend, so please let me help you."

Atom doesn't seem to just accept to go back the other way. Why did he have to end up in this place? He then starts to ask me some questions about my powers. I don't really have an explanation. This is just how my powers work. Will that satisfy him though? The look in his eyes seem very tense. Might he be angry with me? Is it a bad thing that I use my powers? I answer him while looking at the ground and every few seconds I change the direction of my gaze while trying to hide that I getting more and more nervous about being here. And now that Atom is getting mad at me it makes it even worse.

"I just shrinked the book with my power and temporarily boosted my hearing, however it won't work for long. I can do pretty much anything I can imaginge with my powers in theory, but every spell costs sort of an energy which prevents me from doing many things at the same time or casting spells that are too big. Although parts of the energy are sealed when I don't have a master like now."

Should I really say that much? It is not like is was meant to be a secret either. I can't think straight at the moment I just need to get Atom out of here no matter what. And as I think that Atom suddenly gets on his knee in front of me, asking me a difficult question.

"W-we just need to get out of here for now. I just doubt that there is an exit over there..."

I don't sound very convincing... But then I do come up with an excuse that isn't completely a lie. I fake a smile while answering hoping that it will sound more convincing that way. (Smile seems forced)

"I-I know there isn't an exit over there because this place is where I got your supplies. I-I thought this big place is bound to have some supplies lying around and I know there is an exit if we go the o-other way."

As I wait for Milly to answer my question I can see she is having difficulties keeping her composure. Her voice seems tense and when I get down on my knees to get a better look at her I notice that she is pushing it. Here answers seem forced but more importantly, something strikes me as off. The information she is giving doesn't seem to add up. Or maybe... it simply does. My mind suddenly goes into a frenzy as it tries to connect some dots.

First of all, Milly mentioned before that she never really got the change to see the outside world before. I would even go as far as to claim that she wasn't even allowed outside of the house that she resided in, considering this towns response after her disappearance. If that is true, why expect this house to have supplies if you have never wandered around before. Much like all the other residents, she must simply know this is the place that holds resources. That would confirm my previous hunch that whoever lives here is responsible for the state of this town, capable of installing such fear without any sort of rebellion. But you need a lot of power to achieve that, right? So where does this person get that from? Sure he seems to own various weapons but that can't be it. That wouldn't be enough power to completely crush the spirit of the citizens. Yes, Milly's power! She just said it herself, that she could do anything with her powers, and I've seen it first-hand when she defeated those wolf before. If you controlled power like that, surely people would think twice before going up against you. Didn't that commanding soldier from yesterday said something about Milly injuries in that they were inflicted by both him AND her master. So it is true that Milly's master is still alive... If he truly controls here just like that soldier did, I can imagine why people would fear him. It all comes full circles as it would explain why she was able to find stuff here quite fast. I've been searching this place for some time, with many rooms being useless. In fact, when it comes to supplies I haven't fond any so far. So how come Milly did it so quick? She must have known this house from the start.

Things are starting to make sense as I let my brain run wild with speculations and assumptions. I try to go way back as I now try my best to figure out why she is still being quite stubborn about her path.

Milly keeps trying her best to get me out of this house as fast as possible, but why? I know that staying here isn't exactly safe, but rushing out of here isn't exactly wise either. She doesn't seem like the type to think ahead like that, but even she should know something like that, right? So, there must be another reason for her wanting to leave, or more importantly wanting 'me' to leave. If this is truly the place where she lives, much like that master of hers, then maybe she has something to hide... Like those scars that soldier mentioned! I did discover one room filled with tools, but most of them didn't seem like appropriate tools to inflict pain, but for more to kill instead. So could that be what Milly is hiding?

Yes! I think I'm on to something. I get back up to my feet as I walk to the door and once again put my ear on the door. This time, more so to signal Milly as if I'm checking if the coast is clear, as I ask her a question while having my gaze stray away.

"Say Milly, this is your village, right? So, is your house nearby? Why didn't you get those supplies from your house? After all, will the owner here be okay with it, if you took its supplies?"

And more difficult questions make their way to my ears. What should I answer this time? I shouldn't make logic errors with my answers or did I already? I actually have no clue anymore what I have said and not... And as Atom is asking me more and more I am getting a bit nervous about what I did and did not tell him.

"N-no this isn't *my* village I-I just live here. My h-h-house...? I-it is somewhere far from here, o-on the other side of the village. I didn't get s-supplies from there because there is nothing at m-my house and this place was big, s-so more chance of finding something, r-right...? I-I heard this house has s-so many supplies that he wouldn't even notice if something was missing that is a-all..."

I have to get out of this situation before I get more questions. I don't want him to notice that my story isn't completely right. I concentrate on my hearing for a little again and notice that there is no one except us close by, so I try to get Atom to move away from the door in a not too rough manner, so I can go out in the hall.

"W-we should talk later. There is no t-time for that now. I-it is safe right now so we can get out."

(In case Milly magages to get out she will try to go back in the direction of the library, but will give in if Atom refuses and still goes the other way. In case Atom stops Milly she will stand still and wait for Atom to speak.)

I guess she really is bad at these sort of things. I guess her demeanor should be enough of an indicator at this point. When it comes to herself she always has been quite distant and tends to change the subject if she can. How could she possibly have found someone willing to talk to her, especially when almost an entire squad was sent after her to find her?

Milly suddenly pushes me aside to go for the door. I get in a slight panic as she suddenly opens the door, but quickly calm down, as I realize she probably heard that nobody is around. Milly is right. There isn't much time for chit-chatting. But like I was expecting she goes in the direction from whence we came.

"I'm sorry Milly, but this is for your own good."

With that I move towards the edge of the hallway, trying to put myself on display for Milly as much as possible. I came here with a goal in mind. I won't leave without completing it. Not only that but if convenient exits are closed off by some individual, chance are that person is expecting us at the more obvious one. I can't afford the risk of a potentially dangerous person getting the jump on me. I need al the advantages I can get and for that, I need more preparation.

As I go around the corner I'm met with even more doors. Great... Just how many rooms does this house have?! I then notice Milly returning as she probably figured out I have no intention of leaving. After acknowledging Milly's presence I take another look at the hall with the many rooms it contains. It doesn't take long for me to notice two doors standing out. One both luxurious and expensive, while the other looks worn down and carved with blood. Seeing the door now in front of me I can't help but stand frozen in place, as I can only imagine what the cause of this may be. I slowly turn to Milly as words slip out of my mouth.

"Please Milly... tell me this isn't your blood?"

It wasn't like I completely didn't think it would happen, but I still feel overwhelmed with fear as Atom ignores me walking this way and goes directly to the place where I least want him to be. I quickly run after him to hope I can stop him, but it is too late, he already noticed. He immediately notices that door... All the fear I was holding back suddenly rushes over me. My body starts to tremble worse than it already does. I have to answer his question. But which answer should I give...?

"N-n-n-no o-of course n-not. I-I have n-never been here b-b-before..."

I can't control my voice anymore. I try to avoid Atom's gaze while also trying to not see any of the two doors. My gaze keeps shifting to find a spot that isn't unpleasant to look at, but this entire house makes my head go crazy...

Wait... What am I thinking? Isn't this like trying to say my previous master were bad people? Why am I thinking such thoughts? I feel even more nauseous now that I realized that. I am just bad mouthing my masters with this behaviour. I feel absolutely terrible. My eyes stop at the ground and are wide open. How can I even think that? My masters were good people. Anything that they did wrong was because of my actions. I have to show that it is a good thing to serve the people here and to begin with that I should tell Atom the truth. Even as I try to change my course of thoughts I feel no better at all. Nothing that I think at the moment feels good. This was the situation that I wanted to avoid most of all. But I have to solve it now. I don't know what Atom will think if I tell the truth. I have no clue what he will do if I tell the truth. While trembling even more than before I grab my hat with one hand and pull it down so I can't see Atom's eyes and he can't see mine.

"Not all of it is mine..."

At first, Milly tries to deny it but after some silence, she speaks up again. Not all of it huh... So I guess I was right. The scars on her arms didn't seem to be THAT old, after all. But to think even the door would be marked by it. Milly pulled her hat down to hide her face after fidgeting around for some time. She says it's not all hers but is that a lie too, in another attempt to distract me? I guess it doesn't really matter if only part of it is hers. The scars Milly carries and this new information is enough for me to confirm my worst scenario that has been haunting my mind. "I see...", is all I manages to say on the matter I still stare at the door. Trembling in anger I try to cool down before making another move. Wise advice I was given which I will never forget. I take a deep breath before going over my options again.

Even though there seem to be many locks, the door doesn't seem to be locked at all. I slowly place my hand on the door before, as I take another deep breath. I then suddenly realize something as I remove my hand from the door and reach my knife. I walk away from the cursed-looking door and move over to the other door that stands out. I can't afford to take any chances and that door could be a trap as well. Whoever looked the window know's we're here, so could be waiting for us there as well. The expensive-looking door seems to be unlocked as well. I slowly open the door with my left hand, while tightly holding on to my knife with the other. Here goes nothing.

(If Milly suddenly speaks up while Atom is opening the door, Atom will push the door open more quickly and then jump to the side to take cover, before carefully checking the room from around the door corner.)

I just keep standing still, waiting for an answer. However no real reaction comes my way. "I see..." what does that reaction mean in this case? Is it something good or bad? Maybe it is just me and the meaning should be really obvious. I shortly look up from under my hat and see Atom putting his hand on the door. Is he going inside?! I feel a shiver going down my spine, however he then walks over to the other door. I want to say something to stop him, but no words come. I can do nothing more then see him opening it and looking inside to see if it is safe.

Luckily it does seem safe. However that seems a bit strange to me. 'He' would never leave his room while leaving it unlocked. I try using my boosted hearing and make sure no one is hiding in the room, but after that the spell stops working. Meaning I can't use it for a while. There shouldn't be many people looking for us as my existence is kept a secret. I doubt 'he' would suddenly decide to tell more people and as this house is very big we shouldn't run into guards too easily. Not that it makes me feel that safe however.

Atom slowly enters the room to investigate, but I can't get my body to move there. I always hated to be close to it and last time I was here it didn't end up well either. Beside 'he' hated having other people into his room at least I should respect that, I think. While waiting outside of the room my eyes move back to the other door, but as if it were instinct I immediately look away again. It is a bad thing to have a reaction like this to this place... I can't do that. I try to look up again and force myself to keep looking at it. I feel like my knees will give way, but I keep forcing myself to look at it as a lot of memories from this place repeat in my mind.

The room as to be expected seems to be quite fancy, considering the other rooms I've been in. A large bed and a desk. Unlike most of the other rooms, a single candle illuminates the room, giving the room a rather odd atmosphere. After a quick inspection, this room also seems to be useless. Other then some books there doesn't seem to be much which I can use. Seeing this room, however, really makes wonder about the dangers this person might give. Considering the tools I've seen stashed away I would have expected the owners to have at least one as well. The chief seemed to be close to this so-called master, so I would have expected this person to also be somewhat of a fighter. I take a second to think as three things quickly come to mind. Either that person is currently carrying whatever item. Or, this "master" can do combat with the aid of an item. Or... but probably unlikely this person isn't a fighter at all. After coming to a conclusion I turn back to the entrance, slightly disappointed as I notice Milly, didn't enter the room with me.

After exiting the room and closing the door behind me I noticed Milly still standing at the bloodied door. She seems to be shaken as all she is really doing is looking at the door. Does she have some sort of trauma, regarding that room? She was quite persistent in trying to prevent me from going here. In fact, didn't Milly mentioned she ran away when we first met? I guess it must be hard to confront this place again. But, in order to overcome it, to face it is the best way. I step towards Milly and gently grab her shoulder in a supporting manner.

"I guess this must be hard for you? Remember Milly, you aren't alone in this. As your friend, I will support you whenever you need it."

A lot did happen here, didn't it. Even now I don't know what I should be doing. As I stare at the door I know that one of my options is coming back here, continuing with what I have been doing for a long time now.

At that moment I feel a hand on my shoulder. The thought of it being 'him' makes me jump. However the touch is much softer as 'his'. I look behind me to see that it is Atom. I quickly look in front of me again. I still don't know what he is thinking about this situation, this place, or about me. I also realize he is another option that I have at the moment. His words still ring in my head. The words he used when he said he wanted to be my next master. I keep getting back to this dilemma. However the problems surrounding it doesn't change.

Atom starts speaking to me after grabbing my shoulder. Hard for me? It shouldn't be. I should be gratefull for this time, right? I can't think straight.

"I-i-it isn't h-hard for m-me. W-why would it be h-hard to see the room where I have been living for the past decades?!"

I immediately hold my hands in front of my mouth and look down while closing my eyes. I messed up this time for real. Atom wasn't supposed to find out about that. Unfortunately as I raised my voice I also created a new problem. From the side we were coming from I can hear the sound of the armor of a guard and as my hearing returned to normal that means Atom can hear it too. The guard is already pretty close by.

After saying my piece I notice Milly looking in my direction for a brief moment before supposedly turning her gaze back at the door. Her hat is hiding her face, but just from the touch of her shoulder, it is clear she isn't feeling herself. She is shaking again. That means I need to step up to support her. After all, I did promise I would be there for her. I turn my attention to the door in front of us, as it looks like the cause of Milly's unrest. Even when I take another look at it, it still looks odd to see a door with that many locks. Wait a second... Milly can use her powers to do various things right!? Did she unlock all of these? Milly suddenly speaks bringing me back to reality.

"Heh, making up excuses isn't really your strong point, is it?"

As I make my comment in an attempt to lighten the mood I realize that Milly keeps revealing pieces of information while trying to cover for something else. She would be pretty bad at keeping secrets. I don't have much to reflect unfortunately as suddenly a noise could be heard from around the corner. Someone coming! Without much thinking, I kick the door in front of me open before grabbing Milly's hand. I then make a run for the door next door quickly getting myself and Milly inside. It almost seems like I'm doing this on a constant basis, that this starts to feel like second nature. I take out my knife before keeping my ear on the door and putting my finger close to mouth before signaling Milly to be quiet. I then stay in place waiting for whoever it was to leave or... to open the door to get ambushed by me.

(in cause Milly's refuses to come along, Atom will stay in front of Milly with his knife in hand waiting for this new person to come)

As the guard gets closer Atom opens the worn down door making me jump back a bit, but before anything he grabs my hand and we both move into the room next to it. I don't really understand why he would do it like that though, but for now I just follow. The 'room' we end up in is very small. We can both stand in it without being pressed together, but we can't move a lot. It is also very dark as there are no lights or windows. To be honest I am not very fond of the darkness even though I should be used to it after all this time. I try to keep my eyes shut as if it would protect me from everything that is happening.

Atom is still pressed against the door he seems to try to think of a good stategy to get rid of the guard I assume like he did every time, but at the same time I am still standing here trembling. He hasn't really reacted to anything I said. I don't know what he is thinking at all. Might he be mad? "Heh, making up excuses isn't really your strong point, is it?" That doesn't sound like a compliment at all, but what did he mean by it? It doesn't make me feel all that good. The situation around me is becoming a bit much for me. I should try to concentrate on something else.

In order to distract myself I try to listen to the guard as well. I can't hear as well as Atom who is pressed against the door, but the armor of the guard isn't that silent luckily. The guard is in the hallways we just came from. However he doesn't seem to be leaving. He walks back and forth a little in front of the area around here. It starts to worry me a bit. Maybe he knows we are here or at least around here?

(The guard is walking back and forth outside of the room.)

I must have misjudged this place as the amount of space here is far less then what I was expecting. And with this place being as dark as it is I can't really make out what this place is either. I am glad to know that whoever was roaming the hallway hasn't noticed us, as that person would have probably opened this door by now. With no light to go on, my vision has become useless, but I quickly feel how my other senses are starting to grow. And at this point, I'm especially relying on sound again. Lucky for me whoever it seems to be wearing metallic clothing, like some sort of armor as it seems to make a lot of noise. I guess I can add that to the part where I'm so lucky as I probably wouldn't have noticed that person if he or she wasn't wearing armor. At the same time, I need to think about some additional plans as well. Having armor means this person is a capable fighter, light that commander from yesterday. If that is the case it would put me at a serious disadvantage in a clean fight. Not only that but if that is similar to the one I saw before, it would make dealing damage to this person even more difficult. For now, I should just wait and hope that he leaves, or enters Milly's room. That should give us an opening for us to regroup.

"..."

It probably felt longer than it actually did, but I'm starting to grow impatient. This person isn't leaving, nor entering the room, at all. Instead, he or she just seems to walk back and forth. Why? By now, the person outside should know someone is here. From what I could hear that person didn't bother to go inside of the room, either because he or she isn't allowed, or because one can see nobody is there. But if that is the case, why not check the other rooms then? In fact why even bother pacing around. What does it add? If that person wanted to lure us out, he or she could have simply walked to generate sound and then stop to imitate leaving the place. Against all urges, I convince myself to stay put as I realize that this place right now gives me the only valuable advantage that I can get right now.

Guard POV:

So what now? I made it this far only to get stuck here. I know for sure the two of them are around here, but where exactly? The best course of action would be to just open all doors until I find them, however that might give them an advantage. Luckily I managed to get the other guards to spread out so I have this place for myself, meaning that the chance of other guards interupting would be small as long as I don't take too long. However as I keep walking back and forth hoping that a convenient answer comes falling from the sky I start to realize that I am wasting time and need to go do something if I want to achieve something here. I need to change things before it is too late. I take a deep breath and as intimidating and confidant as I can I start to speak.

"I know you are there! Show yourself!"

Milly POV:

As it takes very long for the guard to do anything besides walking back and forth I start to hope that he would in the end just walk away and try to convince myself of that. But as I start to relax even a little bit the guard suddenly starts talking and confirms the worsed case scenario. He knows that we are here and he is after us. Does that mean more fighting? Isn't there a way to solve this without fighting? I instictively grab Atom shirts to brace myself, however as I notice it I immediately let go and look the other way, even though it is dark and I can't see his face anyways. For now I just hope that there exists a small chance he didn't notice.

I guess patience is one of the things why I'm not that great in stealth. I hands are almost aching to bust the door open. But I can't! Especially now, I should stay put and prepare for whoever is outside to open the door. I can only rely on the advantage this place can give me. After what feels like ages the person outside suddenly yells out, telling us to reveal ourselves. I small grin appears on my face, as it seems that at the very least we haven't been seen entering this room. After all, I'm fully aware that those words mean that he* 'doesn't' know where we are. Even though I can't be completely sure, it didn't sound like that was directed at us, meaning he's just guessing. If he really knew exactly where we were he probably wouldn't be phrasing it like that.

Suddenly I feel a tug on my clothes, but the feeling quickly leaves. I had my eyes closed since I entered the room but the new sensation causes me to open them. I can see Milly in front of mee, but because the room is barely lit that is about all I can see. Was that Milly just now? It happened soon after the guard spoke out. She probably isn't that fond of staying all cramped up in the dark here. I slowly reach out my hand towards her. In an attempt to rub her head, I'm quickly reminded that she is wearing a big hat. Trying to reassure her I rub over her hat, hoping it would give the same result.

*(I assume the guard is a he? And is something I can distinguish from his voice)

Milly POV:

Not knowing what Atom thinks about my action just now I try to focus on the guard to distract myself, but I soon feel something touching my hat.

"Exishi!"

I quickly notice it has to be Atom. But even if it is Atom I feel a bit restless if someone tries to touch my hat as I don't have particularly fond memories of people touching it. I try to hold it in and accept it. Atom removes his hand after a while without doing anything to my hat. I silently sign of relieve. Now I hope no one heard me say that...

(Her voice is very soft, so even Atom barely hears it. It is impossible for the guard to hear it.)

Guard POV:

No reaction. I was already afraid of that. I need to figure out where they are without giving them a chance to ambush me or escape. That makes it a bad idea to go open doors. I don't really have any experience with these kinds of things. I have no clue what the best course of action would be. Besides I don't know what my opponents are like. I just need them to think I am dangerous. I need them to surrender to me. They don't seem to react to my threat, so I should try something else. Please just show yourselves already before someone else comes here!

"If you give me the monster I will let you escape from this village unharmed."

(The voice sounds male-ish. It can't be said for sure the guard is a man though. Nothing else stands out.)

After petting Milly over her hat, I turn my attention back to the other pressing matter. The guard seems to has stopped moving and is more focussed on finding us, in a direct manner. I'm not quite sure how long we are going to be stuck here, but he doesn't seem to let us go so easily. I close my eyes again, to focus better on hearing what's happening in the hallway. You would think by now more guards would have arrived by now, storming every door to take out the intruder. Yet so far I haven't heard anything that would indicate such. Why!? If this truly was a guard why waste time waiting? I noticed how the guards that were sent out in the forest weren't exactly well coordinated, but you would think that inside this mansion it would be somewhat better. In fact, I'm still quite surprised it took this long to actually encounter someone in the first place.

It doesn't take long before the guard suddenly comes with a proposal. Still referring to Milly as 'monster', huh? Who would take such a proposal? I have nothing once I leave this room and more so, why bother helping a potential problem escape? No, I'll be staying right here. At the very least I can now somewhat dismiss a potential scenario that was haunting the back of my mind. I turn back to Milly as he probably was referring to her after all. I then get on one knee so her face won't be obscured by her hat. Though difficult to see properly because of the lack of light, I give her a reassuring smile, hoping she can at the very see, that I have no intentions of selling her out. I then stretch out my hand to enforce that gesture.

Milly POV:

It luckily doesn't seem like anyone heard me, so that's a relief, but the guard soon comes with a new proposal. Isn't that a good thing? As long as I can get Atom out of here, that alone would be enough. I look at Atom to try and see his reaction, but it is faint because of the darkness. He sits down on one knee in front of me and it seems like he is smiling, however it is difficult to say for sure. Is he telling me that he is content with that proposal? That means he is finally willing to get himself to safety. It does strike me as a bit odd that this is the moment he starts thinking like that instead of like back in the forest a few times. However better late than never. He then stretches his hand probably asking if I accept it. So without thinking much about it I reach out to him. Without any intention I do notice that my hand is shaking a bit again. Why would that be? I have no clue, it probably isn't important. It is not like I understand anything my body does, so this is just one more thing.

Guard POV:

Even now it stays quiet. My nerves start to get the better of me. I just feel that if my next move won't get them out I will have to take a more reckless approach as it shouldn't take any longer for the others to come here. I didn't give them much time in the first place to think about it, but at this point any second feels like an eternity. After waiting a little longer I add another thing.

"As a guard of this place I could get you anything you want, anything at all. Tell me what you want in exchange for the monster."

I still try to sound composed, but I won't be able to keep doing that for much longer. If they don't give in now it is going to give me some real troubles. Time is running out and not knowing exactly when it will run out is killing me even more.

As I stretched out my hand, she seems to accept it. Her hand is shaken though, making me wonder if she actually understood what I meant. Milly misunderstanding the situation isn't exactly a new thing. I move my finger to my mouth to signal her to stay quiet. Regardless if she understood me or not it is vital that we remain silent even now.

It doesn't take long before the guard suddenly yells out again. He must be getting desperate. After all, he hardly waited for me to ponder about the option or respond. Instead, he seems to be promising more and more if I simply comply. However, the ringing sound of "monster" is what starting to piss me off. Milly must have heard that phrase for as long as she can remember, as it doesn't seem to faze her at all. Knowing that is doesn't faze her is probably even worse. Either way, I need to get ready once more. I once again move to the door as I bring out my knife. In his state who know what that guard will do next. Regardless of what that is, I need to be ready for it. Because I only have one shot at this.

Milly POV:

I close my eyes as if to deny reality as Atom takes my hand, but after that nothing happens. I expected him to open the door to show ourselves, however as I open my eyes again I see him holding het finger against his mouth suggesting that I should be quiet. What is he planning? I don't understand anymore. I see him moving around a little only to see him getting his knife again. What does he need that for? Maybe I am mistaken and it is something else? No, I am pretty sure it is a knife or it might be something that I don't know which shape looks like that of a knife. As long as it is this dark I can try to imagine it being something else. I obey Atom for now and stay quiet, waiting for what will happen. I then hear a lot of noise from outside...

Guard POV:

I get more nervous and keep focussing on my surroundings just in case they do come out or in case the guards get here. And right at the moment that I think about the guards I heard something. I was only for a split second but I heard it... a footstep, probably of guards. Are they spying on me in secret? I can't have this happening now. I need to do something now. I already wasted to much time. I should have attacked immediately. I grab the sword that is hanging around me. I have held one before a few times. I should be able to do some basic attacks with it. I take one more breath to calm myself even though it sounds ragged. Pretending it calmed me I start to open any door that I see for now except for the two special doors. After I open a door I immediately attack as well just in case they want to ambush me. I have no idea what I am up against after all, but I won't lose!

(Atom will not hear the footsteps the guard has stated to have heard. The guard will open the door where Atom and Milly are hiding. It will be the third door they hit. The guard wears only a breast plate and a helmet obscuring the face for armor.)

It doesn't take long before the guard finally starts to make its move. I can't deny that I wasn't expecting this, but it still makes me feel quite tense as he is edging closer. He doesn't make much of an effort to mask his footsteps and with my eyes closed, I can definitely hear him getting closer. Wait a second... Getting closer?! Could he really...

As his footsteps are getting louder and louder I finally start to realize the guard is coming this way. Did he know all along we were hiding here? Or is this just stupid luck? My instinct instantly kicks in as the grip on my knife becomes even firmer. The guard then opens the door, as I can see the door move slightly before me standing in between the guard and me. Against my expectations though, I see a sword come in, instead of a person. As quick as I can I use all my weight to push against the door between us, hoping to stun the guard at least momentarily and at the very least prevent the sword from hitting Milly inside this small room. Adrenaline courses through my vines and seeing how this guard has no regards to Milly's safety I quickly spring into action. Getting away from behind the door I try and jump the guard in an attempt to pin him to the ground and remove his weapon.

It gets more and more noisy outside of the door. The guard seems to have given up on trying to talk. But Atom already wanted to give up hiding right? That’s why he reached for my hand right? However Atom seems to be just waiting for the actions of the guard. Shortly after the door swings open. I instinctively move back only to slam into the wall. Atom however reacts quickly and tries to press the door shut. It is only now that I notice that it wasn’t the guard himself that comes in, but that it was his sword that came in first. I look at Atom inmediately to see if he got hit. Luckily it doesn’t seem like that. Now that the door is slightly opened there is a bit of light now.

Atom then suddenly jumps out and faces the guard head on.

Guard POV:

After only three doors I get a reaction. The door gets pushed back. I knew they were around here. Luckily I found them quickly. Now I just need to get rid of the protector.

I hoped that just this attack would be enough. I somewhere knew it wasn’t going to be this easy but I just hoped it would. I quickly pull back the sword and take a battle stance. I might not be able to fight but I know the stances. It should be able to fool others that I can fight. After taking position a seemingly young boy rushes out and without wasting time he rushes towards me. I try to dodge the attack as fast as I can and with mostly luck I manage to do so. I don’t know how long I can keep this up. I immediately take a stance again and look at my opponent. He seems to be armed with a knife. The weapon itself doesn’t seem very dangerous however I shouldn’t underestinate it either. The owner of the weapon I can’t really see how experienced he is, but he seems serious. I take a look back at where he came from. However something seems off...

“I told you if you want to get out unharmed that you just have to hand over the monster to me. Then I will just let you go out, no problem at all.”

In the spur of the moment I tried to jump our attacker, but unfortunately, he managed to get out of the way. Now that I'm finally out of that small room, I squeeze my eyes a bit as I try to adjust to the lighting. I now finally get to take a look at the person who attacked us, even putting Milly in danger. Seeing him now in person brings up a few questions though. He doesn't seem to be like the other guards that were sent out back in the forest. At the same time, he doesn't seem all too similar to that chief either in terms of gear. What's really odd is that this one seems to wear a mask hiding his face. Something no other guard had up until now if you don't count Milly doing. Maybe this is the soldier Milly based her magic thing on. Even so, why the helmet though. Maybe it's not that helmet that is so odd, more everything else this person isn't wearing. After all, though his face may be covered almost everything else seems exposed.

Though he gets into a stance he once again states how I could have given up Milly for my safe retreat.  I can't help myself as a chuckle escapes me, as I reply in a hushed tone.

"After that little stunt of yours, I'm now even less willing to give Milly to the likes of you."

My fear of facing this guy is almost completely overshadowed by my anger towards him as he keeps referring to Milly as a monster. Something these villagers seem to have in common and something that I will simply not accept. I charge at the man and like last time I try a sliding movement in an attempt to swing my knife towards his exposed legs, to get him on the ground.