A New Life

Milly POV:

I peek out from the room a bit only to see Atom fight again. Why does it always end like this? Again I feel very helpless. As long as the opponent is human I am powerless, worthless. Unable to even do something as simple as this. I take a look at the guard. Strange, I don't think I have ever seen a guard that wears a helmet and furthermore only a breastplate. The only guards that wear helmets normally wear the full armor. However it is not like I know all the guards here. I have mostly seen them on a distance or the few that know about my existence which are very few. Apparantly this one also knows about me, but I don't remember this one at all.

It doesn't matter now Atom's safety is more important. Why isn't there anything I can do here?! I frantically look around me hoping for an answer.


Guard POV:

Still not biting. The situation is rapidly getting worse. The boy again refuses to take my offer. Milly? Did he name the monster or something? Or did it have a name already? Not that it is important, but it makes me curious about what relation he has with the creature. Is he controlling? Or does he see it as some kind of pet maybe?

The boy again comes at me, reaching for my legs this time. I jump to the side. Luckily the opponent only has a knife. It is only effective when very close. Again with a bit of luck I get out of harm's way, but a small mark is left on my left leg. It is not bad, but it does remind me that he is getting too close. In a reflex I swing the sword in the direction of the boy, hoping he would jump back giving me some space. I still try to give him the idea that I am a capable fighter, however that swing was a bit shaky. It was a basic swing, so maybe he didn't notice that it wasn't perfect. Let's hope for that. To make up for it just in case I start talking again. This way I might be able to solve another problem as well.

"Why won't you let that monster fight for you now? Wouldn't that make this fight a lot easier for you?"

I sweep over the floor as my knife tries to hit its mark. The guard promptly responds as he jumps to the side. He quickly follows it up with an attack of his own. Without thinking, I jump to the side, avoiding his attack while increasing the distance between us. The sliding maneuver is something Imanji thought me. Because it is quite a basic move, Imanji always warned me not to overuse it and only against opponents who have their vital points guarded. Not only that but I also warned me always to expect a follow-up attack. I breathe a sigh of relief as I managed to get out of that unharmed. If he responds like that I might actually stand a chance.

Despite making myself quite clear he suddenly starts up a conversation again. Up till this point, his requests have been pretty straightforward, but this time it is a really odd one. Briefly my eyes shift towards the room we in not too long ago. At the entrance I spot Milly, watching us. It's true that if Milly were to help this could be resolved rather quickly. With what Milly has shown so far, I have no doubt that she can take care of him within seconds. I then turn back at the guard as I go over his options quickly. With all his requests so far, it has been quite obvious that he had ulterior motives. Now however I can't quite see what benefits he would gain. Because of this, I quickly start to recall his past actions and how they to didn't make much sense. He seems to want Milly, so why attack blindly risking killing Milly? He claims he is a guard, so why hasn't he still called reinforcement yet? I assume he wants to win here, so why suggest something that would decrease his chance in that. They are all illogical, making it risking to even consider what he says. Meaning... I should stick to what I was planning and finish this.

That being said I do need some level of surprises to actually stand a chance here. Using that sliding move probably won't do me any favors either. Since we're now facing each other I need a way to create a new element of surprise to get in another shot and hopefully end this. Wait a second... With a flash of inspiration, I dash towards Milly.

"Milly, it's time to get out of there!"

After running up to her, I try to grab her hand in an attempt to run for the direction of the exit, Milly pointed out earlier.

(While running Atom, keeps an eye on the guard and his movements, while reaching for some of the throwing knives I picked up earlier. He makes sure to keep those hidden, within his pockets.)

Guard POV:

The boy doesn't seem to take the bait. That makes this a bit more problematic. I try to think of what to do next. There has to be a way to win this battle. However in an instant the boy turns around and runs towards the girl that was still standing there. He grabs her hand and runs away from me. It is that moment that I notice that some things aren't adding up. He did call for 'Milly' right? I look at the girl again. Does she have what I need then? No matter what is happening I have to stop them. My confusion prevents me from attacking as he turns around which would have been the perfect opportunity. As if I just woke up I then strike out towards the boy who is already out of reach.

They are leaving... They can't be leaving... Everything would be lost if they did...

No this can't be it. I then start to rush towards them as fast as I could. But in that moment I know I lost... My body slowly falls forward. As if it were an eternity I seem to float, before my body finally crashes into the ground. It is only then that I notice that the wound I got from the boy earlier was a bit worse than I expected and more blood can be seen on my leg than before. It isn't by any means a fatal wound or even a very deep one. It was just that I didn't expect it and the sudden rush of pain in my leg caused me to fall down. A very lame end for a very lame battle. I look at the two people in front of me and even though it has no meaning at all I reach out my hand towards them. As if I could grab them from here. If they run away now then what should I do?

Milly POV:

Still hoping this would resolve peacefully Atom suddenly grabs my hand and starts running. It seems like this battle won't end that badly afterall. However as we run I hear the guard's armor making some noise. I turn my head only to see the guard laying on the ground. He then stretches his hand towards us. Is he asking for help?

(If Atom keeps running Milly will stop as she is worried about the guard.)

The plan seems to go way better then I was expecting, as I managed to reach Milly and make a run for it. Lucky for me Milly seems to play along and doesn't struggle, which would have caused some delay in our retreat. The guard, probably not expecting me to make a run for it, seems a bit slow taking everything in. His slow reaction and dumbstruck response initially left me a bit worried, but after no attempt to actually make a move I feel relieved as he now needs to make an effort to catch up. Making sure to keep an eye on the guard, I stash away my knife and then reach out for the throwing knives with my free hand. Expecting the guard to catch up to us, he surprises me as he suddenly trips over his own legs. At first, I was wary, expecting it to be some weird move, but after smashing to the ground that feeling quickly fades.

Now is our chance. I think to myself as I take a quick glance, to our way out. Milly, however, seems to have different plans as she suddenly comes to a stop. A bit confused, I too come to a stop looking back to see why Milly stopped.

"What's wrong Milly?"

I walk up next to her, to look in the direction she is facing. She is definitely watching the guard now on the ground struggling. Even though he looks pretty helpless, I can't help but think this could all be some sort of trap. His leg, however, does seem to turn red, as that must have been the place where my knife connected. I start to wonder if Milly may have had some sort of history with the guard before but know this is not the time to dwell on that. Gently I place my hand on her shoulder before addressing her with a soft and calming voice.

"Let's go, Milly. He will be fine. Other guards will most likely help him out."

Trying to avoid my assumptions about if it could be a trap or not, I try to edge Milly on to move forward. As a sign of good faith, I open my backpack to pull a bandage Milly probably put in. With a nice arc, I toss the bandage in his direction. After that, I turn back to Milly hoping she too can move on.

Guard POV:

I just look at the scene in front of me. In theory I could just stand up and chase them as the wound on my leg isn't that severe, however my legs don't move. It's like my body already gave up. Like my legs turned into a rock I feel heavy. A painful thought also keeps crossing my mind... Maybe this boy doesn't have what I need. Upon hearing the words he says to the girl this seems to become more and more likely.

The girl then suddenly stops and looks at me. Looking in her eyes I know for sure that I am wrong. The boy then throws a bandage towards me. I don't know what to think of that. However this was all one big misunderstanding from the beginning. Meaning I lost... right? Is it really over...?

Then I hear another footstep like I heard before. And then I hear another one... and another. Someone is definitely coming. No it's not just one. It sounds more like a whole army. Why are there this many people in here? Like I am suddenly reawakened, my senses start working again. I look around me only to notice that I can't look through the walls and have no clue where the owners of those footsteps are exactely. Suddenly realizing the pain of losing this battle I stand up again.

"It' s not over yet!"

As quick as I can I rush over to the boy holding my sword ready. It is definitely not looking professional how I am moving the sword but with this momentum I might achieve something. As the boy only holds a small knife this might be enough. As I get closer I swing my sword down until I feel it connects with something. However it is way to hard to be a human body...

Milly POV:

I know I should leave this place for Atom's safety, however Atom's words don't calm me down. I have lived here too long to believe in those words. The guard will be punished or even worsed... As I look at the guard I see him suddenly standing up and as if nothing happened he starts running towards us. The look in his eyes has changed. Knowing this could only end up badly I jump in front of him and put up a barrier. The moment his blade connects with my barrier I feel pushed back a little, but nothing major. It isn't the force of his blade that shook me, instead it is his emotion that flows through his blade, onto the barrier and towards me.

(Like before Atom doesn't hear the footsteps the guard is hearing. However the moment the guard starts screaming he can hear one step from some distance. It seems another person is slowly getting closer. After a few seconds more steps can be heard, a new person seems to be getting closer.

If Atom prevents Milly from jumping in between she will keep trying to do so. In case Atom tries to run the guard will go for Milly. Running away with Milly is not possible as Milly still can't run fast and forcing her to go faster will cause her to fall.)

Making myself ready to leave I stop in my track to take a look back. I notice how Milly apparently hasn't moved yet, still concerned about the soldier lying on the ground. It seems she isn't quite convinced that the guard will be oke, despite the fact that his injuries don't seem life-threatening. Is she being overly sympathetic? Or maybe Milly recognizes this guard, which is why she can't leave him alone? Or is there something else about that I'm missing? Regardless, staying here isn't going to do us both well.

Even though I was kind of expecting it, it catches me by surprise. The guard suddenly gets back to his feet, with his sword in hand. Then, without skipping a beat, he comes charging towards us. I quickly reach out for the throwing knives but Milly seems to be ahead of me. Like she usually does she jumps in between us as if shielding me. Then, as the sword is used, a barrier, much like the ones I've seen before is created, stopping the sword in its track. The guard isn't showing any sign of giving up though. With him quite occupied though I take the opportunity to help out in my own way. Bypassing the boundaries of the barrier I sneak up to the guard from the side. With quite a bit of force, I launch my feet to the side of the guard's abdomen. Armor or not, I hope that the sheer force is enough to at the very least push away from Milly so we can escape.

(If the guard is hit and is push back:
"Let's go, Milly now's our chance. He clearly is out to harm you!"
Telling Milly to retreat as well I hope to see some movement before leaving this place as well)
(If the guard stands firm:
Atom will continue to kick the guard until he gets his attention away from Milly)
(If the guard avoids the attack:
Atom will then raise his knife again, waiting for a potential counter attack)

Milly POV:

While holding back the guard I realize that something has to happen and quick. Not only is this battle going to end badly for at least one person, the other footsteps that are getting closer are unsettling as well. After thinking for a bit I come up with another plan, however the moment I want to use it Atom is moving around me to get to the guard. Making it hard to do anything at all. It is exactely the same as with the chief last time. Atom uses my attempts to stop the fight as openings to attack himself.

So what am I going to do now? I keep my eyes on their movements, I need to find an opening to separate the two, hopefully before anyone gets hurt. Atom wastes no time and rushes towards the guard with his knife ready for action.

Guard POV:

The footsteps in my head become louder every second. The blade connects, however I immediately notice it is not a human being that I hit. My eyes that I closed instinctively before I swung my blade are opened again to find what is blocking it. But to my surprise what I see is not from this world. Even though I heard there was a monster hidden here with magical powers I never had seen it before. Even though I went as far as this, a part of me still didn't believe any of this would be real. The footsteps that completely blocked my hearing a moment ago seem to calm down a bit now that I know this wasn't for nothing. The monster is here after all. The question is just where. Before I can properly find the source I see the boy closing in on me from the corner of my eyes. I try to twist my body, but I noticed him way too late. He ends up hitting my armor, however the impact alone pushes me back. And although armor is protecting me the impact still hurts as I am not used to it. The boy uses the opportunity to run back to the girl while keeping an eye on me, convincing her to follow him. Then he again calls the girl 'Milly' like before. The questions I had earlier are slowly adding up. I was looking for the wrong being. After a short delay I try to run after them, but I stop swiftly as I see another problem coming up.

Milly POV:

After striking only once against the guard's armor Atom returns and tells me to run again. Seeing how eager both of them are to fight, maybe running is for the best after all. Staying might end up worse after all. As I can't find the right words I just nod at Atom's words and run with him. As we run back I can't help but stare to the guard over my shoulder, only to realize that Atom suddenly comes to a halt. I take a look at what it is that stops him, but quickly notice a new guard standing in our way and before we can do anything he yells.

"They are here!"

(In case Atom reacts differently you can change it.)

"Teeeaahh!"

With full force, my kick connects pushing the guard back. I managed to accomplish my goal but I'm not gonna lie. My leg really hurts. The impact against nothing but steel can't be good, I can't help but get down to rub my leg. But I need to hold it for now. I doubt we have much time left to make a run for it. Not burdened with upholding the barrier I yell out to Milly one last time trying to flee. Luckily she seems to agree, though reluctantly. We start running back to the part of the hallway, where Milly said there should be an exit.

"!!"

I come to a direct stop as I see something new appearing in front of me. Guess this was to be expected, I think to myself, quickly wondering what to do next. A new guard seems to have appeared but unlike the other one, this one immediately calls out for others. Like a reflex, I ready my knife again, knowing it probably won't do me much good now. Now that we are surrounding getting real a surprise in, is going to be hard. But... it shouldn't be impossible. I would be best not to make a move until I get a full picture here. I stretch out my free hand in front of Milly, signaling I'm protecting her as well as urging her to move towards the wall along with me. Having them on each opposite side is bad so moving to a place where they can't get from behind is always better. Step by step I aim to get closer towards the one other room that is still open. The one I kicked open in the beginning, as I wait for what else is yet to come.

More guards quickly follow. This is too many. There is no way we can stop them. It also seems that Atom hurt his leg in the attack, as he was rubbing it with his hands, with the other guard just now although I don't know how bad it actually is. I instictively direct my gaze towards that guard, however he seems to have dissapeared. I look around quickly to look for him and not before long I see him speeding towards the end of the hall as if running away from the guards that just came over. Isn't he supposed to be one of them? So why would he run? As I still stand frozen in the spot Atom reaches out his hand towards me. Even now he is still fully determined to get out of here even though this is starting to look really bad. I grab his hand only to be pulled back to the room where we came out of and to hide again. Atom is still fighting and he always seems to know what he has to do. But can we really get out of a situation like this?

The new guard comes closer, but quickly more footsteps can be heard. I can't make out how many guards there are exactely, but there are quite a few. The guards seem to talk about a strategy and as they are all talking through one another it doesn't seem like there is a clear leader, however they seem professional. Quickly they decide to divide and open all doors they see without getting too far for one another so they can back up another guard in case they end up in trouble. I look at Atom to see if he has plan, but quickly look back at the ground as I seem to be only relying on him in these situation and do nothing but cause trouble for him. He shouldn't even have been in this village in the first place...

(There are at first three guards but by the time they start opening doors two more have joined.)

Alright... This isn't looking good for us. Getting closer to the door, I see more and more guards showing up from behind the corner, the road that was supposed to be our exit. With a quick glance I look the other way, to look for the helmet wearing-guard but to my surprise, he is dashing away from us. Though, quite confused, at this point, I can't afford to ponder that guard's decisions now though. How to get out of this mess? Wait a second... that's it! We were surrounded just a moment ago, but now that that helmet wearing guard has left, an opening has been created. If what Milly says is correct and where the group of soldiers is coming from is the exit, it would mean that we would probably only go in further. But, right now, that is still better than dealing with all these guards at once. That helmet wearing one can pose still pose a problem though, but we'll see once we get there.

I turn my head to face Milly, not really hiding my serious expression. So far she hasn't really shown me any signs that she is able to run, so I can't take any chances here. Guess I don't really have a choice.

"... I apologize in advance Milly"

Almost as soon as those words leave my mouth the arm that was stretched out in front of her aims to grab her wrist to pull her close and lift her over my shoulder. (If she doesn't struggle much,) I use my other hand to reach out of my pocket and make a run for it. The sudden acceleration will most likely put them on alert. After taking the first few steps, I make a small jump to turn around and toss one of the throwing knives I had collected at the nearest guard to distract them, before focusing on running away.