107
Mila skipped alongside Selma. She had to skip to keep up with the taller golem.
“Really?” Mila’s eyes were wide. “You did that?”
Selma nodded, giggling. “It was so amazing!”
“I hope I can do it, too.”
“You will, sister,” Selma promised, putting a hand on her shoulder. “He liked it, so he’ll wanna do it again.”
Mila’s smile grew wide as she thought about it. She wasn’t sure she’d want to do it in the Security Room, though. That place was a bit dingy.
But she could almost imagine herself wrapped up in his arms while one of her sisters nibbled on her-
She shivered. “I can’t wait.”
“How’s Fedwina going? I haven’t spoken to her much.”
“She’s fine,” Mila said. “She’s a bit clumsy, though. I don’t think she’s used to having a body.”
“She’ll straighten up sooner or later.”
“I know. She asked me to buy her some shirts. She says Milo keeps telling her to wear one.”
“What kind of shirt does she want?”
“She doesn’t know. Just one we think Milo will like.”
Selma grinned mischievously. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
“A tiny lacy little bra?”
“You know it, sister!”
“I think he wants her to wear a shirt, though…”
“Ah,” Selma waved her hand dismissively. “He’s just saying that. We both know what he really wants to see.”
It was Mila’s turn to giggle.
As they walked, they weaved gently through the light morning crowd. People were bustling to and fro. Sellers hawked their wares with loud droning voices that tried to sound enthusiastic while spouting off the same lines they’d been spouting for almost as many years as they’d been alive.
Offering cheaper prices for better quality than their competitors.
The two golems paused at a fruit stand. Tania had taken a liking to mangos, and they were in season. Selma selected a few and carefully tucked them away into her pack which she threw back over her shoulder as they left.
At another stall, they grabbed a few sweet donuts which they happily chomped on as they walked.
“So sweet,” Mila cooed as icing dribbled down her chin.
“Really good.” Selma glanced down. “Do you think Milo would think I’m cute if I got my hair cut short?”
“What? Like a bob?”
“Sorta?” Selma toyed with her long ponytail. “It gets in the way sometimes.”
“You could just cut it a bit shorter. You don’t have to go really short.”
“I thought it might look different, though.” Selma pursed her lips. “You’ve all got nice hair. And I wanted something which makes me look pretty.”
“You already look pretty, though,” Mila said.
“I do?” Selma’s cheeks turned slightly pink. “But I want to make his little heart pop in his chest.”
“I’m sure it does already.”
“Hmm.” Selma dropped her pony tail. “Cerena got her hair cut the other week. Belt was telling me she looks really cute. He hadn’t said that before. I think the change of haircut surprised him enough to actually say something. I want to hear Milo say something like that.”
“You think changing something about ourselves sometimes will make him say things more often?”
“Tania thinks so, too,” Selma said. “And she’s smart about these things.”
“It doesn’t have to be a big thing, does it?”
“Why? What were you thinking?” Selma grinned. “Were you thinking of getting bigger boobs or something?”
“No!” Mila flushed brightly. “Well. Maybe?”
“You don’t need to do that,” Selma said. “I got a feeling Milo’s like the other boys in the Academy. Big, small, or whatever. He doesn’t care. He just likes boobs.”
“Do you think so?” Mila looked down at her chest. “I thought he might like them more if they were bigger.”
“Tania thought the same. She’s always worried hers were too small. But it doesn’t stop him sucking on them.” Selma shrugged. “Also, the other students might talk if we suddenly changed our bodies too much, right?”
Mila nodded. “I guess so. So, we can change our hair.”
“And maybe our nails.”
“And our perfume?”
“He’d have to change that for us, so it wouldn’t be as much of a surprise.”
“Lip color? Fedwina can do that for us through the Customization Options, right?”
“Oooh. Now you’re thinking.” Selma touched her lips. “That Vesna girl always has nice colors on hers. Maybe I can get something like that.”
“She does her cheeks, too, right?”
“We’ll have to talk to Tania,” Selma said. “And Fedwina, too.”
A new smell suddenly made both golems turn.
“You smell that?” Selma asked.
Mila nodded, eyes half-closed. “It smells amazing!”
“Right?” Selma turned to the source, which was a small bakery next to an alley. “Shall we get something nice for Milo?”
“That’s a great idea!” Mila grinned. “I’ll wait outside, though. It looks busy inside.”
“Alright,” Selma nodded, then headed into the bakery.
Mila watched her go, a soft smile on her face.
She was hit without warning.
A heavy body charged into her, flinging her into the alley with a squeal. A squeal which was cut off as someone slapped a hand over her face.
“Shut it!” they hissed. “You make a single blasted sound, and we’ll cut your nose off, you hear me?”
Selma stared up at a man dressed in street clothes. But his face was scarred. His eyes were dead. He had the look of someone who only came alive when he was killing.
Mila gulped and nodded.
“Farren?”
One of the other men stepped up. He had a rope. Behind him, and two more men pushed a small cart into the alley, blocking it off.
They were going to tie her up.
Gag her.
Throw her into the cart.
Then take her away before Selma returned.
A simple plan.
“Now,” he said softly, holding up a small gray stone with one hand. “You see this?”
She nodded, not speaking. Her face was a mask of fear.
“It’s a nullstone. Know what that is?”
She shook her head.
“It’s to stop mages like you from being able to use magic. If you don’t believe me, you can try it. But if you try it again after that, I’ll take that pretty nose. Ain’t no one will ever think you’re pretty again.”
Mila lifted a hand and gasped. “I can’t use magic!”
“See?”
“No,” she said, her eyes glittering. “You don’t understand. I can’t use magic.”
Mila flicked her wrist, and he heard a snikt as, impossibly, a long sharp blade suddenly thrust through her palm.
He stared at the blade in shock, noticing it wasn’t separate from her hand. It was part of it! “What are you-?”
“Happy,” Selma giggled. “I haven’t killed anything in ages!”
And then she moved.
He brought his weight down, but it didn’t stop her. She was strong! Caught by surprise, he could only let out a soft grunt as the blade punched through his throat and up into his brain.
Mila hummed to herself as she rolled free and immediately ducked a swinging blade from the man she thought was called Farren. Scooping up the nullstone, she dropped it into her pocket while aiming a kick at his knee.
She didn’t hold back.
Crunch.
His knee exploded under the full force of her golem-powered body.
His scream was loud, but no one walking past the alley looked to him. It wasn’t that kind of city. Still, someone would call the guard soon, so Mila leapt onto one of the last two men.
The last turned to run, but she unsheathed a dagger Milo had given her and pressed a stud on it. Just to see if it worked.
It worked.
A blast of pure mana shot from the tip of the blade. It tore into the fleeing man’s back, left of center. Blew a hole right through his chest.
Distracted in that moment, she felt a sharp sting and looked down.
The man in front of her had buried a dagger into her belly.
He sneered up at her. “Gotcha.”
“Sure,” Mila said. “You keep telling yourself that, Jack.”
He looked down again, frowning.
“No blood,” he croaked. “What the blasted-?”
She put her hands lightly against both cheeks. Gave them a little squeeze.
“Aww. So adorable when you’re confused, ain’t you?”
Then she twisted.
He died with the sharp crack of bone in his neck.
Turning, she found Farren crawling away, his ruined knee not letting him move fast. He was crying and bleeding. Shards of bone had torn out through his leg.
Mila squatted down next to him and patted his head.
Like he was a puppy.
“I’m a bit disappointed,” she said. “You’ve all been following us all morning. It was so boring. I hoped you’d jump us sooner than that. We gave you so many chances! But then you couldn’t even last more than a few seconds.”
“Please…” He shook his head, face pale and mouth drooling. “Don’t do this. Please don’t… I got… family… I got…”
“Nothing,” she said. “As soon as you tried to hurt Milo, you had nothing.”
She slit his throat and watched the blood run for a few moments before turning away and heading out of the alley. As she reached the alley’s mouth, she found Selma standing there chewing on a cookie.
Without a word, the tall golem handed her a cloak to hide the blood which had splashed down her robes.
“I also got you a cookie,” Selma offered. “They’re good.”
“Thanks, Selma.”
“All good. Everything okay?”
“It’s fine now.”
“Right. Let’s get to Spragg’s before he closes, then.”
Mila nodded. She pulled the cloak tight around her while skipping along beside her sister.
“Mmm,” she said after a while. She took another nibble of the cookie. “These are tasty!”