Siegfried retracted the spikes jutting from his ribs, and the enforcer's lifeless body dropped to the ground. Ryden let out a shaky breath, knowing how close he came to death this time, and Haylee had collapsed in a heap, unconscious from the blow to her chin.

The female enforcer stared at Siegfried's bloody chest, her expression nondescriptive.

The air was tense between the former guardsman and the auburn-haired woman.

Until Ryden laughed with relief. The high-pitched sound was contagious enough that even Sieg had a hard time keeping his death stare. The enforcer openly cracked a smile and sheathed her sword.

"Thank you, lady," Ryden panted, holding his stomach, "I really thought I'd bite the dust this time."

As always, his smile was honest and handsome, eliciting a slight blush from the woman. She had a rather plain face and seemed to be in her mid-thirties.

"My name is Ryden, and I suppose you already know the bloody beefcake here," he joked while walking over to Siegfried.

"Uh, hi— I'm Sally," the enforcer replied, seemingly thrown off by the healer's nonchalant attitude.

Sieg rolled his eyes and waved Ryden off as the physician wanted to check on him. "Get to Haylee first. I can stop most of the bleeding myself until then." Ryden nodded, walking over to the unconscious cat-girl.

"She's fine— no concussion," he declared. "She will stay out for a bit. Better to let her body wake from itself. Now sit down and let me heal you before you lose any more blood," Ryden commanded.

Sieg knew better than to argue with his companion, even if he rather had Ryden conserve his energy. Many a question roamed through his mind, but ultimately it all came down to the same point. He frowned at the female enforcer and uttered a single word, "Why?".

Sally's eyes softened as she switched her focus to Ryden. "Because of him," she declared. "Because saving a man like him will give my death purpose," she said with finality.

"That sounds as if your life was already forfeit," Ryden intercepted. "You can still go back to your squad. No one will hear what happened today— not from us."

The enforcer gave him a strained smile. "I wish it was that easy, Ryden. But there is a reason you hardly ever hear of a rogue enforcer." She fidgeted a bit under Siegfried's piercing gaze. "Those who carry Akali's gift cannot easily hide the truth from each other." When the healer shot her a quizzical look, she elaborated, "we can feel to a degree if the other is outright lying to us. It's not perfect— we can still evade giving clear statements if we are not under suspicion. But if my squad leader asks if I know anything about Damon's absence, she will dig the truth out of me." Ryden furrowed his brow, but Siegfried snorted with contempt.

"So what?" the warrior asked, agitated. "You expect us to believe you're the tragic martyr, sacrificing herself for the common folk? How long have you worked as an enforcer?" he asked heatedly. "How many innocent people did you slay, and how many more suffered from your lies?" Siegfried's voice rose higher as he stood, opening partly healed cuts again.

"I expect nothing!" Sally shouted back. "You asked me a question— I answered!"

But the former guardsman was too riled up to back down. "How were you even able to live all those years, knowing what you—"

"Enough!" Ryden roared at the top of his lungs. The sudden outburst of the usually lax healer shocked even Siegfried into silence as Ryden stepped between them, facing the still bloody warrior. "I'm sure you have enough reasons to hate the Red Brigade, but if it weren't for Sally, that other enforcer would have cut my head off," Ryden barked, the vein on his temple pulsing as he clenched his jaws.

"She literally risked her life to save another's. And all she gets for it is scorn and mockery," he continued, stabbing his finger at Sieg's chest. "I thought you were supposed to change things for the better in the city. You have an opportunity right in front of your eyes. A way to gain knowledge to save your people."

Siegfried sucked in a sharp breath as he stared at Ryden. His muscles tensed, pumping fresh blood off his wounds. He wanted to argue back but could not get a word in.

"You did not think of helping the 'common folk' either," Ryden accused, his voice turning bitter. "You only craved to hurt those that hurt you in turn. I consented to aid you because your goal was noble," he stated, stepping away once more. "But your actions are not."

Sally stood awkwardly to the side— her own anger forgotten while the two friends fought about her. It filled her with immense reassurance that the man she knew as The Healer was everything she hoped for him to be. While she had knowingly sealed her fate, the sense of accomplishment settled like a blanket above dread and fear. "I'll leave you two alone. I also have much to think of," she addressed Ryden.

"Sally," Ryden called out quickly, "please do come back soon. If you can't return to your squad, you can still come with us. We can think of a way to hide your identity, and I'll do my best to keep you safe. That’s the least I can do," he said with sincerity. Sally nodded with a smile that conveyed nothing but gratitude and slowly walked away.

Siegfried sunk to his knees and closed his eyes. The throbbing pain of his reopened wounds quickly wore him out, and exhaustion calmed his anger. Silence filled the emotional rift between him and Ryden.

The healer got to work wordlessly, and Siegfried welcomed the tingling sensation of his wounds closing at supernatural speed. The pain quickly dulled as nerves connected and flesh mended. When Sieg opened his eyes, Ryden was sitting in front of him, waiting for the warrior to make his case.

"You were right. I let anger cloud my judgment in the wrong moment," Siegfried admitted. "But I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me either, Ryden. I am not above hurting others for revenge— far from it," he intoned with a scowl. "Neither did I venture on this journey to help all the people in the City of Nemeah." He took a calming breath, ordering his thoughts before he continued. "I am no hero, as I always try to tell Haylee. I only ever wanted to keep those I love safe, and if I can save others along the way, I love to do that. But the reason I left the city for this impossible undergoing is solely to protect the handful of people I call friends and family. It just aligns with Eurydike's goal to create a better future for everyone else."

Ryden's gaze bore into Siegfried for another moment before a small smile formed on his lips. "Thanks for your sincerity, Sieg. I won't ask you to lay down your life for any strangers. As you said, your own goals align with the right cause, and that's enough for me. I just ask that you put innocent lives before revenge— not to abstain from it."

Sieg grunted in acknowledgement as he rose to his feet. He offered his hand to Ryden, who took it without hesitation. "I know that antagonising Sally will just hurt my chances to fight the Red Brigade and create a space for me and mine to live. Thanks for stopping me when I lost control."

Before Ryden could reply, Haylee groaned awake groggily. He silently thanked the creator that she awoke before Sally came back. It would be far easier to explain everything and smooth the way for their meeting.

††† Sally †††

Sally still roamed a random path, deeply buried in her thoughts. She had followed Damon intending to kill Ryden. Saving him had hardly been a possibility in her mind. Had she thought Damon Pride on fair terms, she would have undeniably lost, and Ryden would have died anyway. Alas, Siegfried was much more dangerous than they anticipated. The opportunity revealed itself, and Sally took it. She thought she had made her peace with the consequences. And then Ryden went ahead and gave her another way out. Not that it would save her for long, but still— her life would go on. The jumble of emotions made it hard to think every through with a clear mind, so she decided to stop pondering uselessly. Apparently, there would be time for that later, she thought with a smile.

Steeling her nerves, the enforcer made her way back to, hopefully, reach an accord with Siegfried. Sally's conviction wavered slightly when there were not two but three pair of eyes focused on her. Siegfried's ominous, odd-coloured gaze alone was already heavy enough. Alas, there was another glare full of enmity directed at her now. And being a feline hybrid, the girl had likely suffered even worse under the Red Brigade.

For a tense moment, everyone just stared at each other. Until Ryden stepped in front, wearing a slightly nervous smile.

"Sally, this is Haylee," he introduced the cat-girl.

"Uhm, nice to meet you… I hope," Sally went first.

Haylee closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Hi, Sally. The boys told me what happened after I was knocked out," she explained. "Thanks for saving our lives."

"You're very welcome," Sally responded in a chipper voice. Although the cat-girl seemed apprehensive, her words felt honest. "I have to admit that I never felt so free in my life. Even if that life might be a short one now, I don't regret it," Sally spoke her mind honestly in turn.

"Sally, the three of us have discussed that part while you were away," Ryden intermitted. "We would like to offer you a chance to come with us. We can't stay here anyway, now that we know there is still a first-class enforcer searching for us."

Sally furred her brow, contemplating the offer. Her gaze swept over the trio and stopped at Siegfried.

Perceiving the cause of her hesitancy, Siegfried walked up to her.

"I apologise for my earlier outburst," the warrior said and bowed his head slightly. When he looked up to Sally once more, he found her in a state of shock, mouth agape. Haylee snorted, and even Siegfried had to chuckle lightly. "Yes, I'm not above admitting my fault," he joked with a small smile staying on his lips. "I've had a lot of pent-up frustrations with the Red Brigade and no outlet. You didn't deserve to be that outlet, and for that, I apologise." He offered his hand for a shake. "I would welcome you travelling with us."

The female enforcer took his hand with a bright, toothy smile. "Then I would be honoured to accompany you all. I take it you have already settled on a destination?" Sally asked.

"Yes, we actually have," Ryden replied with a sheepish look at the enforcer. "Keeping both of our goals in mind, as well as the threat of a first-class enforcer—"

"Oh c'mon, Ryden, just spit it out already," Haylee chided. She straightened her posture and observed Sally with daring eyes. "We're heading for Victor's Bounty."

"Victor's Bounty?" Sally parroted, taking a step backwards. "Ryden, this is one of the few places that no enforcer could ever put a foot in!"

"Let me explain, Sally," Ryden interposed quickly, holding up his palms in a placating gesture. "I've never been inside myself, but I know how they operate. Their method of identification is simpler than you might think. To get access, you just have to prove that you're some species of hybrid or an ability holder."

"Well, that makes sense. Alkali's gift is shielding us from those changes," Sally confirmed. "But the same counts for me. And even if word of my betrayal gets back to Nemeah, losing my powers will not make me anything else but human." Siegfried raised a brow but decided to ask his questions later.

"It doesn't have to," Ryden retook the word. "My plan is for us to pose as a group of three regenerators and a feline humanoid. I just have to touch you anywhere while you cut yourself, and the wound will heal."

Sally took a few minutes to mull over it. Ryden's proposal was still risky, but she couldn't come up with a better option either. Not with Jenna hunting them. And if it worked out, they would be safe from the Red Brigade and unspectacular enough not to catch the attention of the stronger denizens of the place.

"Fine, I agree this could be a working short-term solution to keep ourselves alive," Sally intoned. "It also has the added benefit that the way there will lead through the territory that was assigned to Damon. If we're quick, we'll be though before my squad leader knows. But what will you do afterwards? You mentioned two goals."

"We can fill you in on the way. As you said, we should be quick now," Ryden concluded, and the party set out for a long hike through the forest.