Millicent was in worse shape than Tarnished remembered.
She should have been a valiant warrior, but now she was too weak even to stand. Her long burgundy hair hung in disarray, and her right arm had been cleanly severed at the shoulder, its stump wrapped in dirty, yellowed bandages. Her left leg had turned an unnatural purplish red, clearly ravaged by Scarlet Rot as well. The girl's face was paper-white, her forehead beaded with cold sweat, and every breath trembled with pain.
Hearing footsteps draw closer, Millicent barely managed to raise her head. Her eyes were a lovely amber, but now they were as dull as dust-covered glass.
"Who...?" Her voice was hoarse and faint, almost vanishing into the air.
"My name is Tarnished. I'm a Tarnished." Tarnished crouched before her, trying to bring his eyes level with hers.
Millicent curled up and shuffled backward, trying to put some distance between them, but her weakness made the movement clumsy. "Whoever you are... you'd better stay away from me. I'll bring you misfortune..."
"Don't worry. I'm here to help you."
Tarnished took the fully repaired Unalloyed Gold Needle from inside his clothes and held it before Millicent. A soft golden glow shimmered around the needle in the dim church, and her pupils widened slightly.
"This is...?"
"The Unalloyed Gold Needle. It can suppress Scarlet Rot," Tarnished explained. "Insert it into your body, and it'll stop the rot from spreading."
Millicent shook her head with a bitter smile, her burgundy hair trembling with the movement. "It's no use... the rot has already eaten into my organs. Over the years, I've tried countless remedies, but none..."
"Give it a try," Tarnished said firmly. "Things can't get any worse anyway, can they?"
Those words silenced Millicent. After a moment, she nodded gently. "...All right.