Night had fully settled by the time Femi turned into a quieter corner of the street. Lantern light from the main road barely reached here, leaving the stone path wrapped in soft shadows. She walked at an easy pace, a small smile resting on her lips.
The slime on her shoulder had fallen asleep, its body gently rising and falling. Gojo rested against her back without any support but by himself. In her arms Aara shifted slightly his small fingers gripping her sleeve.
She lifted him up a little, bringing him closer to her face. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
"Are you getting cuter every day?" she whispered.
"I just want to look at you all the time."
Aara responded with a quiet laugh, a soft sound that made her heart tighten. She hugged him close resting her cheek against his head.
"Gojo," she said lightly, "don't you think my son is the cutest?"
There was a brief pause.
"Yes…" Gojo replied.
She let out a happy sound and started hopping lightly as she walked.
"With this money and the materials, I can find a better place to live first. Then I can bu—"
She stopped.
Her foot froze mid-step.
Gojo spoke at the same time. "What happene—"
Both of them went silent.
Femi's smile disappeared. Her eyes sharpened, scanning the darkness around them. The air here felt colder, heavier and there was just silence.
She shifted Aara securely into one arm. With the other she grabbed Gojo and pulled him in front of her.
Her gaze moved from one shadow to another, corners of buildings, narrow alleys, rooftops barely visible above.
'Someone is here.'
She lowered her hand slightly and released Gojo.
He dropped, but before hitting the ground, he shot forward, then sharply upward, then twisted back and down in a sudden arc.
The sound came next.
A wet, dull stab echoed through the alley.
Then—
"Gah—!"
A short, broken scream cut through the night.
Something fell heavily against the stone ground, followed by frantic scrambling that quickly went quiet.
Gojo hovered back toward Femi, his blade faintly darkened.
She didn't relax.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the darkness, body tense, Aara held close against her chest as she listened for any other movement.
The silence returned.
Then she clicked her tongue.
"I know there are more of you," she said, her voice low and cold.
"Just come out. I can sense your presence."
For a second, nothing happened.
Then the air broke.
Figures burst out from the darkness all at once—rooftops, alley mouths, behind crates and walls. Boots struck stone as men landed around her in a rough circle. Their faces were hidden behind dark cloth masks, only their eyes visible. Leather armor clung close to their bodies, dyed black and brown, made for moving quietly at night. Short blades, clubs, and crossbows flashed in the lantern glow.
Someone screamed as they jumped, trying to drown her senses with noise.
Femi looked up slowly.
"Attacking a lone mother walking home," she said flatly. "Some men you all are."
She shifted Aara higher against her chest, his small hand gripping her collar. The slime stirred on her shoulder, waking with a soft wobble.
"Gojo.." she spoke in a cold tone.
'Protect him first.' she said in her mind.
'Got it.' Gojo replied.
The first attacker rushed in from her left, blade aimed low. Femi stepped forward instead of back. Gojo flashed from her hand, moving in a insane speed. Steel met steel, sparks bursting as she deflected the strike with a single handed swing. The man staggered, shocked by the force.
Before he could recover, the slime stretched, its body flattening and snapping forward like a whip. It wrapped around the man's ankle, yanking hard. He fell with a shout, crashing face first into the stone.
Another attacker lunged from behind.
"Wind, Burst Step."
Air exploded beneath her feet. She vanished from where she stood, reappearing a few steps away as the blade cut through empty space. The sudden movement sent pain through her legs, but she ignored it.
Gojo spun freely now. He shot forward slicing cleanly through a crossbow, then reversed direction midair to strike the man holding it across the shoulder. The attacker screamed and collapsed.
Two more rushed her together.
She lowered her stance, holding Aara tighter. "Wind—Condensed Flow."
The air around her arm compressed, visible like heat haze. She punched forward.
The force didn't hit them, it threw them. Both men were launched backward as if struck by an invisible wall, slamming into a building with bone rattling force.
Her breathing grew heavier as she spoke.
"You all are not fast enough."
A bolt whistled toward her head.
She twisted her body just enough for it to graze past her cheek. The slime reacted instantly, jumping off her shoulder and swelling in size midair. The next bolt sank into its body and stopped, stuck inside the gelatinous mass, cracking the slime's body,
"You are helping too?," she murmured.
The slime bounced once, then slammed itself down onto the shooter's face. The man screamed, flailing blindly as the creature clung to him, muffling his voice.
A club struck her side.
Pain bloomed sharp and hot. She stumbled, teeth grinding together, but she didn't fall. Gojo snapped back to her hand as she turned and slashed upward. The blade cut deep enough to make the man recoil, dropping his weapon.
She followed with a kick, enhanced by wind, sending him rolling across the ground.
Another blade cut toward her back.
She raised her arm and whispered, "Wind Sheath."
Air wrapped around her like a thin layer of armor. The blade scraped through it, slowed, then stopped just short of her skin. She twisted and struck with the pommel of Gojo, knocking the man unconscious.
Her chest burned now. Her arm shook.
Aara made a small sound, startled.
"Shh shhh it's ok!," she whispered without looking down. "Mama's here."
Three attackers charged at once trying to overwhelm her.
Gojo flew from her grip, spinning violently. "Not today!"
"Wind, Spiral Line."
The air twisted into cutting currents. The men were lifted off their feet, spun and thrown apart like dolls. One hit the ground and didn't get back up. Another crawled weakly before going still.
The last one tried to run.
The slime bounced after him, stretched wide, and slapped into his back with a wet thud, sending him face first into the ground where his head hit it hard.
Silence fell.
Femi stood there, shoulders rising and falling, surrounded by bodies groaning or unmoving. Her legs trembled, but she stayed upright.
Gojo floated back to her side. "You okay?"
She nodded once, though sweat ran down her temple.
She looked around slowly making sure no one else was hiding.
Then she spoke, her voice steady despite her breathing.
"They came looking for easy prey," she said.
She looked down at Aara, who had calmed, his eyes half closed again.
"Too bad they didn't know the strength of a mother."
Gojo spin around her and said.
"Yes yes don't forget about me!"
The slime jumped with a happy wobble.
Femi looked at him and said.
"Looks like he can be more than a toy for Aara."
Gojo went closer to the slime and said.
"Good job! I didn't knew you were this brave when I saw you running for the life back in the dungeon."
Femi started walking and said.
"Urghh I'm tired I just want to go home and eat something."