The lack of buildings, vegetation, and the abundance of curses allowed anyone, even those without a bond, to scan through the town. This is how they survived the lunar patrols as it was impossible to sneak up on them with no one noticing, and yet Henzo not only exited the only tall house but also covered a mile within a minute. That is if he had to escape one's line of sight.
"That girl and her lies." Mary frowned.
"I don't lie," Debbie startled Mary, popping up from behind.
"Of course not! When do you ever..." Mary rolled her eyes so hard they almost disappeared into her skull.
"I did not lie," Debbie corrected her previous statement.
"Yes... Henzo carried three soldiers, jumped from the second floor, landed outside the compound, covered all traces of his superhuman strength, then covered a mile... all within five minutes," Mary's glare bore into Debbie's throat, making her stutter.
"Well... If you put it that way!"
"You there!" Mary's yell stopped a teenager dead in his tracks. "Where is everyone?"
"We're heading to the meeting you organized," he replied in a shaky voice.
"Rephrase," Mary demanded with a low, almost bestial roar.
"Ric's meeting," he corrected without missing a beat.
"Wait there, I will join you," Mary ordered, then turned her glare toward Debbie one last time before leaving her to reflect on herself.
———<>|*|<>———
Ric had already depleted his reserves to boost Henzo for the round trip of the errand. He planned to manipulate the gullible citizens of Hope, but with Mary in the mix, he sought a fail-proof plan.
"How did you overextend yourself again?" Ric inquired.
Henzo explained the absurd scenes that had transpired multiple times already, yet even for the umpteenth time, they made little sense. "Ha-ha!" Ric nodded along. "Now, once again, and this time make more sense, will you?!"
"We have little time, young man," an old man urged.
Ric spared him a fleeting glance before turning back to Henzo for a better explanation. "You might not... But I have all the time in the world," he scoffed.
"Not what I meant, child. You know who could be here at any moment," he warned.
Ric replenished Henzo's stamina, enough for him to limp along. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the old man while summoning others to carry the carcasses.
With all eyes fixed on Ric, he addressed the people. They all hoped to dive right into the plan, fearing Mary's wrath, yet Ric took this opportunity to express his frustration.
"What the heck is wrong with you people?"
"You have to be more specific," the old man said. The crowd agreed with a nod and stared at Ric.
"The little toothless one..."
"Kids," Henzo added.
"... Call her mom. The slimy, bent-over mothballs..."
"Geezers—Erm—old people."
"... Call her daughter. And people her age call her sister. How in Lucifer's name does that even work?"
"Maybe we should save that question for when we have more time," Henzo said, elbowing Ric in the ribs and prompting a yelp.
"Once mom's here, you won't be having such a huge crowd," he urged.
YOU ARE READING
Demon King
FantasyGood has never won over evil. At least for the people of Saint. Now fate has pitied and spun its wheel, dragging a stranger into their lands. A villain who stood at the pinnacle of evil. When all hope is lost, you remove a thorn with a thorn and Fat...
