The ninja woman had slipped her arm through his, clinging to him like they were lovers.

"He's not causing you any trouble, is he?" she asked Oswald.

A dozen conclusions hit him all at once. The first was the obvious one: this was a setup. Somehow she had tracked him even after he'd scrubbed off the mark, and now he was standing in the middle of a trap, surrounded by Bastion soldiers.

His instinct screamed to move, to bolt. Standing still meant catching an arrow in the back.

"No, everything's fine," Oswald replied with the salesman's smile of a used-car dealer.

"What's he doing buying things from you?" she snapped.

Oswald gave a polite little cough, ready to answer, but the ninja woman grabbed his bow tie before he could.

"Weapons?!" Her glare flicked to the stalls. "He's here again with those insane ideas?"

She turned on him.

"First it's your eye, then what? Your life? Don't you value it? What about me? What about what we're trying to build together?"

Her hand whipped across his face before he could react. The slap cracked loud enough to turn heads, and he froze, not from pain, but from the sheer humiliation.

She stormed off, sobbing dramatically, and for one surreal moment the world stopped. Every stare burned into him, sharp with judgment. He didn't need to look around to know who they'd cast as the villain of the scene.

"S-sir, it's not right to let a woman walk away in tears," Oswald offered sympathetically.

"Clearly she loves you. Don't put her through this," added a guard who had stepped closer. "No need to risk your neck in the Wild Zone."

"You're right," he muttered, forcing some mock sincerity into his voice before rushing off. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"It's quite all right," Oswald assured him with that same smile.

He slipped into the crowd, walking fast, weaving through strangers while his senses stayed sharp. If an archer had him in their sights, he needed cover.

What the hell just happened?

The thought gnawed at him as he moved between stalls, watching for the slightest hint of a trap.

"Oh, darling. I'm so glad you came after me."

Her voice again. She reappeared at his side as if she'd never left, clinging to his arm, face bright with a smile and not a trace of tears. His eyes swept the crowd instantly, one hand ready for any sudden move from her.

She flicked open a folding fan, hiding her lips, and whispered, "You'd better come with me… what's your name again?"

"Bruce Wayne," he answered dryly, walking beside her.

She snapped the fan shut and gave him a look. "Hmm… funny, I thought my boyfriend's name was Luke." Her voice dropped as she leaned closer, lips hovering far too near his.

He pulled back, but she kept her grip locked on his arm. He opened his refined perception field, scanning for hostile intent in the press of the crowd. She knew exactly who he was.

"I'm not with Bartholomew," she murmured, hiding her mouth again behind the fan.

They moved together through the marketplace, her hold like iron. He tugged at his arm, but she was deceptively strong. If he tried to wrench free with force, it would draw unwanted eyes instantly.

"Who are you," he whispered back, "and what do you want?"

She pointed toward a stall.

"Look, darling, how about buying me a piece of fruit?" Her fan tipped playfully in the vendor's direction.

"There are plenty of fruits in the Wild Zone you could pick yourself, sweetheart," he answered with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Oh, love, but I want this one so badly. You really should spoil your girlfriend. What do you think, mister vendor?"

"You ought to listen to the lady," the man replied, grinning.

"He's terrible at dates," she added, pouting like some theater diva.

He forced a smile. The only thing he wanted to sink his teeth into was her jugular.

"Sweetheart, why don't you let go of my arm? I'll grab something from my pack to trade. That way I can buy you as many fruits as you want."

She snapped open her fan and flashed a sly smile. "Oh, my dear. Don't worry, I already took something from your pack for you."

She handed the vendor a glass bottle.

That thieving bitch!

"A glass bottle! Worth far more than a few pieces of fruit," the vendor said, surprised, accepting it eagerly.

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"But my love is feeling generous today. We'll just take one fruit." She sank her teeth into a crisp apple, then turned and held it toward him. "Want a bite, darling?"

"No, sweetheart," he replied, lips stretching into another fake smile.

"He's so shy," she told the vendor, giggling.

"Have a fine day, you two," the man said, tipping his hat.

They moved on through the marketplace, she happily chewing her apple as though this were some carefree stroll. His mind raced. Every instinct told him she was leading him into a trap.

"I think our little date's been long enough, darling," he muttered through a smile. "And if this is an ambush, don't think you'll walk away unscathed."

She only smiled, crunching into her apple.

"How deep did you go into that fortress?" she asked under her breath. "Did you make it to the end of the… second mechanism?"

She leaned closer. "I want out of this tutorial too," she whispered. "And I'm not with Bartholomew."

Releasing his arm, she walked a few steps ahead, then turned back with a smile.

"So, my dear, will you abandon me now, or shall we continue our date and reach an arrangement that benefits us both?"

He froze, weighing her words. She clearly knew the secrets of the tutorial. She had to know Bastion was hiding one of the mechanisms, and that he had already activated it. She wasn't remotely trustworthy, but she might be useful.

"What do you know?" he asked.

She lifted her fan to hide her grin. "Keep walking with me. This isn't the place for such a… spicy conversation." She gave him a playful wink.

He sighed inwardly, then followed.

***

They kept walking through the marketplace until the noise faded, slipping into side streets that pulled them farther from Bastion's center. She stayed a few paces ahead, silent, never once glancing over her shoulder. He stayed on edge, ready to bolt at the smallest hint of betrayal. If she tried anything, or if someone else appeared, he'd run without hesitation, chaos be damned.

When they reached a deserted street, she sat casually on the rim of a crumbling fountain.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Barbara Gordon," she answered with a smile.

"Cute."

She flicked her fan open and waved it lazily at her face.

"The real question is how you found me. How did you track me?" That thought gnawed at him more than anything else.

"I know you destroyed the mark I left on you," she said. "I can't see it anymore, after all."

"Then how did you find me near Bastion? Don't tell me it was coincidence, it wasn't."

She shrugged. "I have my sources. That's all."

He didn't like that answer one bit.

"The mark was just a distraction," she continued, "and also a test. I wanted to see how well you understood mana control. I have other ways of finding the people I'm after."

"A test?"

She stood. "What matters isn't that. It's the mechanism. Did you make it as far as you could?"

He hesitated, weighing his response.

"From the look on your face, probably yes. If you reached the door, then you saw it for yourself, it can't be passed. Believe me, I've tried more times than I care to admit. That door is sealed by the tutorial. The only way to open it is if…"

"…if the event is completed by killing the Warden Captain," he finished.

She nodded. "Now we're talking about the real subject."

She settled back on the fountain, studying her fingernails like this was nothing more than idle gossip. "You can believe me or not, but I'm not with Bartholomew. I want out of this tutorial just like you do."

"How did you know where to find me the first time?" he pressed.

"As I said, I have my sources. And honestly, it wasn't hard to figure out. Your name's all over Bastion. People call you the 'Angelica Killer.' She was beloved… by everyone. Including me." Her eyes locked onto his, serious now.

He studied her. "If I were the one who killed Angelica, you wouldn't be sitting here talking to me."

She went back to examining her nails. "I'm not buying Bartholomew's story. And the only supposed eyewitness is someone who ran to his side. I've got my reasons to doubt. Besides, maybe I am lying right now, stringing you along just so I can use you, then stab you in the back later in the name of revenge. Who knows? Let's just stick to business."

He tried to read her, her expressions, her tells, but she gave nothing away.

"What do you actually want?"

"Isn't it obvious? I need all the help I can get to clear the second fortress, and I want whatever intel you've got about the far side of the barrier at the edge of the Wild Zone. Especially whether or not you've found the third mechanism."

He narrowed his eyes. "Answer me this. If you went far enough into the second fortress to see those monsters, then you must've dealt with at least a few Midnight Wardens. You're clearly strong. So why didn't you just take an arm from one of them and open the gate beyond the barrier?"

Another shrug. "Why would I go to all that trouble? The mechanisms have to be activated in order. What good would it do me to risk my neck just to peek at the third one? And why would I throw myself into danger for the sake of people who are too comfortable sitting around here? You went there and came back alive. Do you really think someone like me could wander in alone, just for the fun of leveling up or spying on the third mechanism?"

He didn't answer.

"You'd have to be an idiot to walk into a place like that. If I can't even beat the Midnight Warden Captain, why in the world would I try stepping into something even worse?"

She fluttered her fan again. "Of course I want out. But alive. Only an idiot dives headfirst into the abyss without a plan. I've gathered a few people who are also eager to escape this place. So tell me, Batman, want to join the Justice League?"

He paused. "How many people are we talking about?"

"Me and my shadow," she replied with a smile. Her tone hardened. "The problem is your timing couldn't be worse. I'm still searching for the others. I lost them."

Luke's brow creased, but he held his tongue.

"And on top of that," she went on, "I've been busy keeping an eye on Bastion's more dangerous players, protecting a few others, finding the ones who went missing…" She let the words hang, her eyes narrowing slightly. "And now, here you are. I didn't plan for this."

Her fan snapped shut. "So for now, stay hidden until I at least know where the others are. Once that happens, I'll show up and give you a few tasks."

"Tasks?"

"Or," she tilted her head, "you could come with me right now to a safehouse and stay locked up there for a while."

"Absolutely not." Luke's voice was firm. "I don't trust strangers. Learned that early."

"Neither do I," she said lightly. "So at least we agree on something. Just stay put for now, and I'll find you when I can."

"And how exactly would you find me again?"

"I have my sources." Her half-smile lingered.

"Sources? What sources?" His brow furrowed, but when he turned back, she was gone.

Luke scanned the empty street. No sound. No shadow. No trace. As if she'd never been there at all.

And once again, she vanished, taking the answers, the plans, and my patience with her.

"Just like goddamn Batman," Artemis muttered.

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