Chapter III: Mindful Malice

  “YOUR UNHOLINESS!”

  “HIDE! Hide!...”

  …

  …

  …

  “Ssssh-hush!...”

  “They're back!...”

  “They mustn't know that we're here….”

  “Quit squirming around!.... Ssshhh!...”

  “We should finish up!... Quick!...”

  “Hold it tightly… feel it..”

  “There… gently now… gently…”

  “Wait!... I can feel it… Uuugh…”

  “Stop moving!... Please… They'll see us!...”

  “Nooo… Not like that!...”

  “Uuugh… your fingers…”

  “Not there!... Stop!... Move it riiiight… here…”

  “There… that's better!... Aaaahh… Uuugh…”

  “IT'S STUCK!!!”

  “Sssssshh… I told you to be quiet!... They'll notice us…”

  “Pull it out! Pull it out!...”

  “Wait!…”

  “Ugh!... It slipped out… wait… there…”

  “Hold that position… do you feel it?...”

  …

  …

  ….. “There… aaah… I can feel it again…”

  “It feels soft… hurry… it's slipping out of my…”

  “Aaaah... there it is…”

  “Let's go together!... Fast! Hurry!... One…”

  “Two… Ugh!...”

  “Three!... PULL!”

  “AAAAAH!...”

  “UUUUGH!...”

  “HEY!!?! WHO GOES THERE!?”

  Shining an “Orb of Illuminescence”, one of the villagers who were on night-watch, patrolling the perimeters, stopped as he noticed a sound coming from the direction where Shae and Gertrude were at.

  “I SAID, WHO GOES THERE!?”

  …

  …

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

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  “Get your spear ready!..”

  Whispered the second villager.

  Two villagers carefully creeped towards the direction of the sound that they heard while another villager stood back, ready to notify the others that were on guard duty, to sound the alarm.

  …

  …

  “Hoot - hoot… Hoot - hoot…”

  “Meeooow… purrr.. meow…”

  …

  ….

  …..

  “Pfffft-hahahahaha!” The two villagers started laughing as they threw some stones to where they thought the animals were.

  “ME-OUCH!” Crack! Snap! Rustle!

  The rustle of leaves and the snap of breaking branches echoed through the air as unseen animals hurriedly fled into the shadows.

  “Hey! Marcus! It's nothing!... Just some dumb cat or something… hahaha!” The first villager signaled out a shout to Marcus – the third villager who stood back.

  “Okay… you guys sure it isn't another goblin scout? Those filthy bastards are getting smarter day by day!...” Marcus asked while he extended his neck to get a better view.

  “Yep! I'm absolutely sure! Don't be such a worry-wart… goblins do get smarter through experience, yes! But not smart enough to imitate a cat's sound. It even purred! Hahahahaha” Said the third villager as they headed back to the village entrance.

  …In a clearing, somewhere in the Forest of Mischief, Shae sat down beside the bonfire that they created, watching Gertrude poke some dried branches and leaves with a twig, trying to get them engulfed in the Netherflame that she cast.

  “Mmmmm… Oouchies!... Why can't we just attack them!? It won't even take a second to bring them down!.. Grrrrrrr…” Shae groaned while scratching the bump on her head.

  Gertrude avoided answering Shae's questions on purpose.

  “Hey you're a cat, remember?” Gertrude teased.

  “Oh… yeah, I forgot… Mrrrawr! Hiiisss-ks-ks-ks! Nyaaaa!” Shae playfully stood on all fours and ran around in circles before pouncing on Gertrude.

  “Hahahahaha! You're funny my Liege!” Gertrude laughed while throwing the half-burnt twig into the dark flame.

  “Okay, enough with the jokes… they hurt you know!” – referring to physical pain. “Let's see if they fit you! Your Fluffiness, aren't you cold?” Gertrude added.

  “All that freaking trouble for some clothes!? We should've just taken their village instead!” Shae snapped while violently tapping her feet on the ground.

  “And attract the attention of the Capital's Adventurers, the Royal Knights and those four douche-bags that almost killed us? Nu-uh… Just put on the darn clothes, Milady!” Gertrude exclaimed.

  With a frown on her face, Shae grabbed the dirty clothes from Gertrude and fluffed them out, sending a cloud of dust and soil debris into the air. She proceeded to fit them, she noticed that it was still dirty and did a gentle shake to dislodge more of the accumulated dirt.

  “Hey! It fits! You shouldn't have buried them, look how nasty they are!... You should've hung them in a tree somewhere… Plus! Do you know how many holes we've dug up? Huuuh?! FOURTEEN! Fourteen freaking holes! That's why they noticed us in the first place!” Shae blurted out sarcastically.

  Gertrude taps the ground with his fingers as he responds. “What troubles me more is the fact that they believed it.. They believed we were animals… What more is I spoke to them telepathically – referring to the “owl sounds”. Anyway… before you take some rest, let's talk about our next steps…”

  ZzzzzZzzz…. Nyaaw… purrr… zZzzz… zZzzz…

  Seeing Shae’s relaxed expression as she slept, Gertrude quickly sprang from the juvenile mammoth leaf he had been sitting on, dragging it over to cover Shae.

  “Rest well my queen… rest well…” Gertrude whispered as he climbed on Shae and kept watch for the night.

  “Mmnng-huuup yaaaaawn!” Shae stretched and sat up, her senses immediately jolted awake by the mouthwatering aroma of freshly grilled meat. "Whoa! That smells awesome!" she exclaimed, hopping to her feet and heading over to see what Gertrude was cooking.

  “Your Laziness, finally! Rise and shine!” Gertrude greeted Shae as he switched and turned some makeshift skewers. “I know you're starving, dig in! The ones on your left are already done.”

  Shae hastily plucked out a skewer out of the ground and dug into what seems to be a horned rabbit. “Om-nom-nom… I haven't eaten anything since yesterday… nyaarm-nom-om…”

  "Grrrowl..." Shae's stomach rumbled in dissatisfaction, still longing for more despite what she'd just eaten. “More! More!”

  “Steady now Milady!... You might get a tummy ache if you eat that fast. Gertrude noted softly as he offered two more skewers to Shae.

  As the young demon lord had her fill, Gertrude discussed their plans for the day.

  “Your Unholiness, by hook or by crook, we need to find a place to stay, we can't keep camping in this rancid forest… Not just for shelter but a place where we could gather our forces, regain our powers and eventually, rebuild our fortress.” Gertrude asserted.

  “AGREED! Now Gertrude, onwards, MARCH!!! Plunder that village for your queen! Lay waste to those that deny our existence! Make it known that the Demon Lord Vestredes has been reborn once again! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Shae commanded as she pumped her fist in the air.

  Gertrude spoke with articulation. “Your Impatientnesses… as much as I want to, we can't at the moment. Give me some time to regain our lost strength. One step at a time, slowly but surely. I promise you Milady, we shall have our revenge. For now, follow my lead. There's land that I took interest in. On my way, before I found the village where I “borrowed” your clothes, there's a plot of land sitting just beyond the hills, far from the path that humans take. The land is wide and plump with fertile soil. Beside it, a small forest that nestles a river which stretches into a lake. That is where we should build our base.”

  “If it's so great, why aren't any humans using it?” Shae asked.

  “In the forest, at the back of the lake, sits a cave. Goblins made it their lair. The goblin's lair is menial compared to what the lake houses. While doing a little bit of reconnaissance, I've heard from the village elders that a mysterious creature lives in it. It guards the lake and made a pact with the goblins to protect them from harm. In return the goblins offered it virgins and newborns twice a year. It seems like the goblins even worship this creature and made it their god. No human would dare to come close to that place. It will suit our needs. That place would be perfect for us! But first! We should shroud our presence by blending in with the humans! Build a reputation that makes us seem like we are harmless, weak and incompetent. Conceal our intentions and secretly plan our redemption! I can't do the deed myself, Your Benevolence… humans would stone me to death upon sight, I'd be hunted down without a doubt… but you! With all the filthiness, ugliness, wretched, weak, disgusting, eye-sore of an appearance that you now have, my queen would fit just right in, PERFECTLY!” Gertrude explains.

  “HOW DARE YOU COMMAND YOUR…” Shae irritatingly sputtered out.

  “Hush my queen! You have no choice. Do it for the fallen, for our redemption!” Gertrude sternly interrupted.

  “FIIIIINE!... I guess I have no choice but to deal with it myself…”

  With her chest protruding outwards, head held high, hands gripped tightly on her waist and a proud smile, alternatively, two fingers gesturing a standing position, with the thumb and ring finger steadily laid on the knuckles, dorsal side of the hand protruded forward and wrist held high, the two agreed and set out to fulfill their quest. All for the glory of the Demon Lord Vestresdes.

  “Your Ugliness! My Liege! Wait!” Gertrude exalted. “Give me a second to cast “Stealth” on myself, there… Now, remember what I told you! Act normal! DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT!!! – Just suddenly kill anyone who upsets you. Don't use any magic or cast any skills in front of them. Don't randomly laugh maniacally. Watch your words, think first before you speak… And act weak! Just follow the story we made up! Look sad! Don't worry, I'm right here with you. Let me stay on top of your head, it’ll be a good vantage point for us. I'll support you telepathically, give you answers to questions you don't know… so chiiiill… Now!... Breathe iiiin…. HOLD!... aaaand… Breathe out… there you go! Ready?” For one last time, Gertrude briefed her on the situation with a calm yet firm tone.

  “Fu-waaah!... Shae let out a deep breath that seemingly emptied her lungs. “Okay… Let's go and get this done…”

  “On the count of three! One!... TwooOo!... and-a-half-THREE!”

  “NYAAAAAAA! – HAAAAAALP! ANYBODY! PLEASE!”

  Gertrude exerted himself as Shae shouted in turn.