I Told You Once, And I Told You Twice, I AM Maxwell!

Chapter 2: The Maniac and The Murderer of Humans and Spirits

Milla cursed as she pulled herself out of the water. She was soaked to the bone and her hair felt ridiculously heavy, considering how long it was.

"Ugh! I should've cut my hair..." she complained as she wrung it out. Water splattered to the ground, creating a bigger puddle that leaked back into the water way. If she didn't tie it up, her wet hair would hinder her movements. Sighing, she dug a hair clip from her pocket and gathered all of her hair together to clip it up. Once the clip was secure, she tugged at her soaking uniform with a frown.

"At least it's not as bad as getting rid of monsters. I'd rather be dunked in water any day..." she muttered as she stripped the boring uniform off. Underneath, she was already wearing her casual clothes; a light pink top that stopped at her midriff, a simple light green, short-sleeved jacket, a pair of light brown gloves reaching to her elbows, a skirt that matched her top (and surprisingly easy to move in), and brown boots that passed her knees. They weren't dry for sure, but she knew she could speed up the process if she got rid of the ridiculous uniform. She sighed as she re-strapped her sword to her side.

"Milla!" Called a voice on the other side. She looked up to see another soldier with a spear. If he wasn't wearing a helmet, she wouldn't be able to recognize them. Luckily, she recognized the voice. It was her teammate. "I heard an explosion, what happened?!" 

"Marc! Tell the others to be on a look out for an intruder! Someone broken in through here." she called out. She left out the fact that it was actually a child that broke in. "I'll cover this area!" 

"Right, thanks, Milla!" Marc responded as he hurried back to the entrance. Milla took a moment to watch him before heading into the water drain.

Not even a few minutes later, she came to a sudden stop. A Rashugal soldier was slumped against the wall with his spear not too far from him. Milla didn't recognize him, but she went over to him and checked his pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief when she felt a faint beat.

"Hey, you alright?" Milla asked as she shook the man's shoulder. She only received a groan as and answer. Grimacing, she stood up, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get much of an answer out of him. She took note of the faint burn mark on the soldier's uniform, easily telling her who did it. "No way...don't tell me that child did this..."

Shaking her head, she quickly hurried down the hall. If that child really did do this then they were in serious trouble. It was apparent that he was good in Spirit Artes. He was able to knock out a soldier without killing him with that much fire, and that made it strange to her. Why didn't he kill the soldier? Heck, the boy didn't look any older than thirteen and yet he could control his Arte to such a degree...!

Milla wasted no time as she made her way to the main building. She didn't bother to stop for any of the fallen soldiers, already knowing that the boy didn't kill them. She reached a ladder and calmly made her way into the main building. When she popped her head out of the hole, she didn't see the boy anywhere. In fact, it was like there was no trace of him at all. There was no water on the golden floors or...anything.

...Or the boy didn't get here yet.

"Lowell? What are you doing over there?" asked a nearby voice. Milla pulled herself up and spotted the owner of the voice on the second floor.

"Have you seen someone unusual pass by?" Milla asked, placing a hand on her hip. The soldier above her shook his armored head.

"No, but I got the message from a member of your team that someone got in. All of us are on high alert." he said. "What happened to your uniform?"

"I took an early shower." was her only answer as she resumed her duty to patrol the enormous hall. If the boy didn't arrive here yet, then she would be prepared to meet him....and hopefully get him out before he gets caught for trespassing. Milla kept her hand on her sword as she passed by a few other soldiers guarding the area. She didn't particularly have one place she had to patrol, so she decided to guard the second floor, just to keep herself moving. She was still a bit damp, so movement was good for her. It would help her to not catch a cold, if anything.