20 I'm not a charity

Since she was a girl, it was only proper to let Illysa the use of the hut to bathe and change her dirty rags. Meanwhile, the two men were stuck outside, surrounded by Julian's beloved belongings that were due for execution at the Inquisitor's hands.

He sighed, forlorn, and reclined back on the trunk he was sitting atop. Leonel was glaring holes into the Blueiron armor wrapped around the Doctor's legs, his big hands clumsy with removing the contraption that trapped Julian's lame limb.

"You can stop looking at me like I'm a piece of meat already," Julian hummed, "Are you really that angry that she came to find you for help? Was it not enough to reject her request?"

"I'm not a charity," Leonel bit out as he yanked over the top latch with a little too much force. Julian jolted from the sudden spike of pain, sitting back up and curling forward.

"Careful!"

"I am!" Leonel grumbled.

After the Blueiron armor overheated, the joints had stiffed from all the leaking mana and magic that rolled off the contraption. Julian needed to get better parts and reconfigure the damned thing.

Leonel's movements paused before he slowly put his big paws back around the armor and caressed the latch that hinged around the knee.

"That girl's the cause of all of our current problems," Leonel hissed.

"Care you explain that? Clearly, please. I'm deficient with intelligence and require the mighty Inquisitor to explain things to me in layman's terms. If you please," Julian whistled, trying to appear casual and unaffected despite the sharp burn of pain shooting up and down his right leg. A part of him was screaming like a child to just cut the whole limb off.

But he was interested in this Illysa girl now, and the identity of the one knows as the Ferryman.

Leonel rolled his eyes, but the Julian's self-deprecating begging was not completely ineffective against him. "People keep trying me like some sort of charity service. All because I've helped out a few mages here and there along the way."

Julian listened to the young man's words clearly, making sure to nitpick all his choice of words.

For one, what did Leonel mean by along the way? Along the way to what?

And for an Inquisitor that went out his way to help mages was just too strange. He still had yet to understand Leonel's chosen career path in the first place.

Julian said nothing and waiting with uncharacteristic silence, waiting for the Inquisitor to continue. "Somehow, that lead some idiots to believe that I was some sort of vigilante. A secret ally to magic-wielding folk that ushered them to safety. Nonsense." Leonel spat. Despite the rising tone of annoyance, he kept his touch gentle when he slid the armor off of Julian's leg.

"So that's why they call you the Ferryman," Julian nodded, slowly piecing together the chaotic narrative that surrounded this strange fellow and the events that chased him from the nearby town of Fauster. It cleared up a few things but there were still many questions yet unanswered. Julian supposed that he would just have to nag Leonel about it later.

"That's right." Leonel grimaced as he got up and handed Julian his walking stick. "It's not like I'd choose such a stupid name for himself."

Julian accepted his cane but remained seated. There was yet some time before he had to stand back up. His leg did not need any more abuse. "Why not? It's absolutely adorable. Then again, you yourself aren't a very adorable person so I can see why you'd gripe. Imagine the poor little old ladies thinking that the cute Ferryman was some sweet and lovely heroic boy, when in fact he's just a giant brute!"

"Shut up," Leonel chided with narrowing eyes but he found that he couldn't refute the Doctor either. It was true that rumors about him painted him in a light much too different than reality. People would just be disappointed by his true character.

Before Julian was able to come up with something witty, the door creaked open and a blond head poked out.

Illysa's hair was still a little damp, her wide golden eyes blinked innocently at them with a slightly flushed face. "Um…" She slowly stepped out.

Clean of grime and mud, she was a lot more lovely, easy on the eyes even donned in a set of Julian's clothes. Her blond hair was shiny in its vibrancy and hung down to the small of her back. She was a slight girl, still in the middle of blooming into adulthood with a petite face and long lanky limbs.

Luckily, it meant that she could fit in some of Julian's clothes. Dressed in a man's shirt and trousers, she stepped outside. "Thank you for helping me out," she bowed gracefully to the Doctor.

Julian raised a brow. Someone being polite and thankful to him! Imagine that. A playful smirk stretched his lips, "Don't thank me yet. So tell me, girl, what exactly happened to you in the first place?"

Nervously, the girl reached up to fix her hair. She shot shy glances at Leonel, who only glared at her menacingly. She fiddled with her fingers but tried to keep her back straight when she spoke, "Perhaps you've heard news about an innate mage in Fauster of recent…"

"Who is yourself," Julian hummed with a nod, "I've gathered that much."

"Right," she breathed. "Even though I managed to escape, my mother-- my step-mother didn't. She was the one who…" He looked cautiously up at Leonel.

The Inquisitor rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Anderina, second wife of your father. She's the one that wanted to buy me out like I'm some cheap mercenary or something."

The girl bristled at his barbed tone, "She was trying to help me! Aside from Anderina…no one else cared."

"If it wasn't for me diverting their attention then you'd be dead. In fact. I almost died because of you." Leonel accused. "I wasn't even able to return to collect my payment."

Julian contemplated what the Inquisitor said. If the reason why he was found half-dead in the forest was in Illysa's defense then how did he get the injury on his abdomen? That had clearly been caused by magic.

Illysa's face flushed, her expression sobered. She lowered her head in shame, nodding slightly, "Thank you. I'm grateful"

"You better be. I had to clash swords with my own. Wouldn't doubt there's a bounty on my head for I've done."

The girl blinked at him. "There wasn't a bounty when I left. I don't think they know about you…They just think there was a random mercenary that helped me."

Leonel clicked his teeth with a deep frown. The one he crossed swords with was Inquisitor Nathaire, a woman with a fervent devout nature who cared about the Divine Light above all else. If there wasn't yet word of his misdoings then perhaps she said wanted to say a few words to him. He wasn't looking forward to that encounter.

Julian laughed, and cut into the conversation, "Okay big guy, we get your complaints. There, there." Since he was still sitting he could only slap Leonel on the thigh, which earned him an annoying hiss in return.

Ignoring the pointed glare, Julian tilted his head toward the girl, marveling at the power that swirled in her eyes. He used to have eyes like that once upon a time himself. "I have a few questions if you don't mind, darling."

She nodded.