Albern eyed down the hooded figure.
"Is that a S-S-Smurf!"
"Hey Nixin, what's the deal with that blue person with the cloak?"
[Why ask me]
[Hmph]
[I heard somewhere that when humans have traces of demon blood, they can take on... different looks]
"So we're related!"
[We're a race, pal, nice try though]
"Wait, so you're a demon too?"
[Who knows, maybe I'm just your mind playing tricks on you Ooooo~ hee hee hee~]
He chuckled, then put his arms behind his head.
"Witch huh?... I got a bad feeling about this."
Back to the ground below...
"Her curses have spread! You wicked creature, what do you have to say for yourself?" the bald man with the robes exclaims with a grand voice.
She doesn't respond.
"This cannot continue," he declared, as murmurs of agreement ripple through the crowd.
He turned sharply and pointed at the woman with the fat a---well, the generous rump. Her unguarded boobs bounced a little as she wasn't expecting to be in the spotlight again and was in the middle of fixing her outfit.
"You! What is your name?"
"Y-Yes? Huh? Oh, uh... Chira."
"Madam Chira, tell us, what has this vixen done to you?"
Chira blushed at the ground, pulling her clothes tighter to her body
"There is nothing to be ashamed of. As long as you pray to God every day, he shall offer you his everlasting protection."
"Uh. She sent her... blackened, BLOOD THIRSTY minions into my body"
A wave of gasps infects the crowd.
"Disgusting." "Vile witch." "Reprehensible."
Chira leaned inwards, grasping at her arms and scratching her skin.
"Ah, I can still feel them now! It itches, all over."
Meanwhile, Albern watched from the sky, disappointed in her second-rate acting.
"Little liar," he pronounced, but then he thought about it for a little while.
"Maybe she isn't acting."
"To be fair, if I thought there was some massive spider crawling in my clothes, I'd probably act the same."
Suddenly, another voice, much younger, from across the other side of the circle chimed in, spurred on by Chira's moment.
"Eeeek!"
The crowd turns to her.
"I felt it too! Biting at my flesh, pulling my hair, whispering strange things in my ear."
Albern clicked his tongue, looking plainly at his new supposed victim.
But then, following in her friend's footsteps, the girl standing next to her also decided to join the blame train.
"Yes, yes, it burns. Oh, how it burns, I feel it in my soul, I cannot concentrate through the pain."
[+ 20 Exp]
"Wait, that counts?" Albern asked
"The chick with the fat @$$ is debatable.""But those brats are definitely lying."
"I guess I did indirectly cause distress. Kinda."
The bald man in the centre wrinkled his nose, his expression one of genuine revulsion.
"You see! You see it now, don't you?"
"What do you have to say for yourself, devil?" He questions, pointing the wooden club towards the hooded figure.
Albern chuckled as there was a literal little red devil hovering above their heads if they ever bothered to look up.
But everyone's attention remained stuck at the centre as all of a sudden a voice emerged from the darkened hood.
"Do as you wish."
It was deep, mature and harmonic... in a way that almost felt ethereal. But there was something else too, a faint hoarseness, like her voice sat at the edge of breaking
The man with the club sneered.
"This thing! Is this all the strength that this foolish creature can muster? Pathetic, I see you for what you are."
"a mere trickster."
Albern's eyebrow twitched as Nixin decided to voice his reaction.
[Hey! Let's kill this guy]
"Slow down, man," he said, as he started to rub his chin.
"Buuut, with that said."
"I don't mind knocking him down a few pegs."
Back on the floor, the man continues his tirade.
"You have been tolerated for far too long."
"No more."
"Repent and tremble... before the might of God!" He shouts as he steps towards the hooded figure, raising his club.
"Yeeeeeeeek!"
Randomly, the young girl who lied after Chira's segment screams once again. Making all the villagers turn to look at her.
"I-I truly felt it; it bit at my neck..."
This time she wasn't lying. She takes her hand from her neck to retrieve a small drop of blood.
"Have you no mercy? even now yo-" The bald man starts.
But he stops as he notices that the witch is now facing his direction, seemingly looking directly at him.
He scoffs.
"Accept your punishment," he says as he tries to raise the club once more.
"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
That sound didn't come from the bald man or anyone in the crowd but instead from a voice directly in his ear, making him straighten his posture, his spine arching backwards.
"Who!? What was that!?" He exclaims, looking around in all directions. Then he exhales.
"The devil's minion... You've come for me next?!"
"Yeeeeeessssss hee hee hee."
Murmurs and gasps arise from the crowd.
The bald man loosens his shoulders, closes his eyes and claps his hands together with the wooden club in between.
"Oh, heavenly father, banish this terrible evil that has invaded my body."
"Oh, heavenly father, banish this terrible evil that has invaded my body," it echoes.
"You! Dare to mimic me?" The man bellowed, indignation seeping into his voice.
"Ha, do you really think God will appreciate you praying with the bat you used to beat a defenceless woman?"
The man's chest puffed out, eyes burning with self-righteousness.
"Of course! You shall make your case for your master, but I see through it all! She is the devil's wh*re! and you, her pet."
"I don't even know this chick, but sure keep making shit up, you delusional geezer. Maybe one day god will answer your prayers"
"Cease your babble filth, and face me!"
Then everything went silent. He scanned around, but could only take note of everyone's faces in the crowd as they all held their breath in anticipation. Even Chira stood up, holding her chest, intensely staring at the encounter. In the end, he got no response, so he turned back to the witch.
"Hmph, to get rid of the roots is to kill the weeds," he said, raising his club for the final time.
"Return to the depths of-"
"..."
CLACK.
The club dropped to the floor, surprising everyone, even the witch tilted her head up to look at him.
He stood there with an open hand.
Then his expression scrunched up. He trembled as his skin turned completely grey, with buckets of sweat pouring down his face.
"H-hell," he finished his sentence with a high-pitched voice, causing confusion in the hearts of the onlookers.
Finally, he dropped to his knees, back bent over, as he shakily moved both hands to clutch at his nether region.
[+10 Exp]