Malt slung the bundle of linen over his shoulder, making sure it and the contents within wouldn’t rustle too much during travel.

Nadia stood in the doorframe, examining his and Niko’s shared room with slight disdain.

“...you could at least tidy up once in a while, y’know? God knows what’s hiding in all this mess.”

A nervous smile spread across his face, “I suppose you have a point.” He tidied up his outfit, fastening his belt and making sure every buckle and button was fitted correctly so as not to impede his movement.

Nadia tilted her head questioningly, “You’re being awfully thorough today. What, nervous or something?”

“Thought I should tidy up a bit, I haven’t met this friend of yours yet after all.”

She eyed him suspiciously. Unlike her brother, she was strangely perceptive. She could pick up social cues and little details that would fly over most people’s heads.

But seeing as she wasn’t all that afraid of him, it could safely be assumed that she still didn’t know about the things he’d been doing in the night.

“...well, I guess I’ll leave it at that. Ready?”

“Yeah, just about. You?”

She placed her hands on her hip, “Why would I be standing here rushing you if I wasn’t?”

A chuckle escaped his nose, “Guess you’ve got a point.”

From there they set off. He felt a little awkward as he walked through the village, which wasn’t all that surprising considering the amount of gear he had tucked around his body and under his clothing.

He began to get the sense that maybe he’d overprepared. Packing for every possibility wasn’t always practical after all. But an uneasy feeling had planted itself inside his mind, wriggling uncomfortably ever since the news that he’d received that morning.

And as he would soon find out, that strange sense of unease was completely justified.

***

Nadia had led him outside the village’s borders, traversing through dense, wild woodland as easily as if she were making her way down a well paved road.

Although a vast majority of the community lived near or around the town square, a select few families and individuals found it more comfortable to live within the vast and untouched wilderness.

There are some inconveniences with living alone within the forest though, the biggest being that there would be a relatively short, but still inconvenient, commute whenever one wanted to trade or socialize with the rest of the community.

Beyond that, there was also the ever looming threat of wild beasts and with it, the fear of being further away from help if an emergency does arise.

Yet despite this, the benefits outweigh the detriments for some.

The few blacksmiths of the village need an area where the noise won’t inconvenience anyone. There obviously aren’t any ore deposits within the village, and so miners often build their homes near caves sprinkling the forest.

Of course there are those that simply enjoy the silence and tranquility, these people decide to live in seclusion because they genuinely prefer it over the busy atmosphere of the town square.

Nadia’s friend is not one of these people.

Turning around to make sure that Malt was keeping pace, Nadia asked a question that had been on her mind for quite a while.

“By the way, since when did you get into sewing?”

“Ah, well I just thought it looked interesting, y’know?”

A sigh escaped her lips, “You don’t have to lie, I more or less know what’s going on already.”

“...was it that obvious?”

A dry smirk crossed her lips, “Pretty much, yeah.”

Over the course of the past few weeks, her attitude towards him had grown rougher. Not that he minded though, it was obvious from the start that her personality was much more straightforward than her polite facade had tried to suggest.

She suddenly grew silent. Without turning around, she rubbed the back of her neck.

“...I bet my mom asked you to do some pretty unreasonable things, but if there really is trouble, can you run?”

“Huh?”

She sighed, “Pavel’s a pain in the ass, but he’s been a pain in the ass my whole life, so I can deal with him. Plus, it would be bad if you got into some trouble within a month of arriving here, wouldn’t it?”

She didn’t give enough time for him to answer.

“Exactly, so if that asshole shows up, you can just go.”

Malt opened his mouth, ready to refute nearly everything she had just said. Yet in the end, he swallowed it all, a smile forming on his face.

“You make it seem like I came with you just because your mom asked me to.”

She couldn’t come up with a smart reply that time. Suddenly, she started off again, trekking faster than before.

“...I see.”

With a smile still on his face, he quickened his pace as well.

What he said was true, he did in fact actually have a purpose in learning how to sew.

His coat of gambeson had gone through a gross amount of wear. This, coupled with the fact that it wasn’t exactly in pristine condition when he’d...commandeered it during the night raid, meant that it was damaged to the point where just replacing it would be preferable to trying to mend it.

Of course, he wouldn’t dare tell her that now.

But another, more dire problem loomed.

It was clear that at some point in the near future, he’d need to confront this Pavel person. Of course “confront,” is simply a nicer word for fight, at least in his dictionary.

Ignoring the actual process of doing so, killing him was also an option. Although at that point and time, there were simply too many risks associated with it.

There might be families that rely on either him or his connection with his father, for example. Malt needed a better grasp on how his theoretical, and “accidental” death would affect the community.

Thus he needed to know his personality, his relationships with the rest of the village, what he contributes in an economic and emotional sense, and much, much more.

Yet on the other hand, he was on a timer.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Pavel would grow more and more and more bold.

In that regard (and in that regard only), the village was similar to the military.

A rowdy greenhorn will break more and more rules until someone, whether it be an officer or a more experienced soldier, puts him in his place.

But as far as he could tell, there wasn’t a single person in the community that would risk the safety of their family to set Pavel straight.

So he needed to prepare to “intervene” by the time that Pavel decided to cross the line. No, it would be preferable if he could do so even before he crossed the line. Prevention is always better than a cure, after all.

But to do this, he still needed to gather information.

Luckily for him, he was currently traveling with someone who seemed to know quite a lot about the guy. He just needed to be subtle with his questioning.

“So, uh, nice weather we’re having right?”

“You want to know more about Pavel, don’t you”

Shit.

Having been immediately found out, he slumped his shoulders and sighed.

“...may I ask how you knew so quickly?”

She held up a finger,

“One, you always go completely quiet when you’re planning something.” She held up another finger, “and two, you always click your tongue a bunch whenever you’re frustrated.”

“...damn, am I really that easy to read?”

A triumphant smile spread across her face.

“You’d be surprised.”

After that, she went silent. She’d come to a conclusion a few seconds later.

“Well, I guess there’s no harm telling you a bit. You’ve heard about the chief hunter right?”

“Yeah, he’s the guy who leads all the other boys hunting right?”

She shook her head, “Wrong. That’s actually his brother. The real chief hunter got gored by a monster hog a few years ago, so he doesn’t actually hunt anymore. Teaches hunting techniques to the young ones or whatever.”

“...wait, so doesn’t that mean that Pavel should be the one leading now? He should be old enough.”

Her face became irritated again.

“You’re right, he supposed to. But he’s always off doing god knows what with god knows who all day. He still acts all high and mighty though, because he’s ‘the only person that’s not a little bitch’ in the village, according to him.”

“So he takes advantage of all the privileges and throws the responsibility to everyone else huh? What a shithead.”

“My thoughts exactly. Anyway because of this, no one really liked him. Like ever. Even when Niko and I were still kids he…well, he...”

Even without seeing her face, the remorse in her voice was thick. Whatever had happened, it clearly still affected her.

He reached out to grab her shoulder, but hesitated. He brought his hand back to his side, clearing his throat.

“You don’t need to finish that thought.”

She mustered a weak smile, “Yeah let’s leave it at that. Well bottom line is, he’s the reason why I and a lot of girls in the village don’t like men.”

Hearing this, he was glad that he’d stopped himself earlier.

Nadia however, upon realizing that he’d gone silent, felt obligated to clarify something.

She waved him off, “Nah you’re fine. In fact, I’d even say you’re too submissive.”

He raised one brow, “How so?”

“I dunno, you just kind of agree with everything. You’re kind of a...what’s it called, a pushover? No that’s a bit too far…”

He chuckled wryly, “I prefer the term easygoing.”

She averted her eyes in an overexaggerated manner,

“Okay bud, whatever helps you sleep better at night.”

They both chuckled at the exchange. A bit of fun and laughter goes a long way, by the time they’d stopped teasing each other (or rather, Malt being one sidedly teased), they’d arrived in front of a quaint little cottage.

It was situated in a little clearing surrounded by large, twisted oaks and dense brush. In fact he doubted that he could even spot the place unless he was within a few yards of it.

Other than its slightly dubious location, the house was neat and homey. The cottage itself was a little crudely made, but it was without a doubt sturdy and reliable.

But what really caught his eye was the front door. Similarly, it was well made and undoubtedly sturdy, but almost to an alarming degree.

Unlike most doors in the village that were simply made with wooden planks, with some of the more well off houses having steel strips as reinforcement, this door had more metal on it than he’d seen on entire houses. He couldn’t imagine how expensive it must’ve been to commission.

It was a door very obviously meant to keep things out.

Nadia walked up to the door and knocked on one of the rare wooden areas.

“Mari, it’s me.”

After she’d said this, footsteps could be heard approaching the door. The sounds of clanking steel quickly followed, and alarmingly didn’t stop for a few seconds.

A muffled, out of breath voice called from the other side.

“Give me a second, Nadi!”

After several more seconds, the door finally creaked open.

On the other side was a girl with short blonde hair. She wore a plain, but quite nicely made long dress. Had she not been leaning on the doorknob, struggling for breath, she might’ve given off a gentle vibe.

“Sorry about that Nadi, I haven’t oiled the locks in a while.”

“...sounds rough.”

Wiping her brow with the back of her hand, she beckoned them, or rather, just Nadia, inside.

“Well nevermind that. Come in, I’ll prepare some tea-”

She and Malt locked eyes. Almost immediately, the girl retreated behind the massive door, exposing just enough of one eye to see.

“Nadia, who’s this guy?”

Her voice had turned into an almost whisper yell, as if he couldn’t hear her if she spoke like that.

Nadia sighed, yet her face was mildly amused.

“This is Malt. He’s a bit of an idiot, but he’s not dangerous.”

“Oi.”

The girl, presumably Mari, furrowed her brows.

“...well I suppose being stupid’s better than being shifty…”

“Now hold on just a second, I haven’t even introduced myse-”

“Even if he was clever, he’s too much of a pushover to try anything, so can he come in?”

“...well if you say so, Nadi.”

Slowly, she pushed the massive door open again. Her eyes still tracked Malt cautiously.

“You can come in, but don’t even think about trying anything. Got it, Mr. Pushover?”

“Could this be revenge? What did I do wrong?”

Nadia gave him a light slap on the back, passing him by and entering the cottage.

“Try not sweat to the little things, okay Mr. Pushover?”

They both disappeared into the cottage.

But just before the sounds of their footsteps faded, he heard one set of them quickly return.

Mari popped her head back out once again.

“And lock the door behind you. You can do that much right, Mr. pushover?”

“I-, uh, well I mean…”

His shoulders slumped,

“Yes ma’am.”