Creatures of the dark always moved better at night. Under the cloud of black that had enveloped Angelas, Luizitine felt a sense of comfort. Warmth. He wasn't entirely safe, but with the human's visibility diminished, it left them plenty of room to maneuver. Under the cover of darkness, he and his minions blended in almost seamlessly. Especially thanks to Karla providing her illusions to ward off stragglers.

The ghost flew on ahead, exiting the tunnel along with Minion Jeffrey. Only once they both gave the all-clear did Luizitine climb out the opening, emerging from the hole in the streets to an alley that reeked of human waste.

"So far, so good, Lui," Karla said. "A little too easy, actually."

"Stay focused, Minion Karla."

He ushered Gingee forward, the devildog coming out the hole tail first as it continued watching their rear.

"Bark. No trackers, Master. Bark."

"Excellent. Keep your ears open. Minion Gingee."

"Bark."

Considering they were on a stealth mission, it was imperative none of them were caught. Luizitine especially. The last thing he needed was for the human authorities to converge and wipe them out at once. Or worse, for that wizard to show up and ruin everything. He pulled over his hood, migrating through the darkened alleys and past the waste containers humans called trash cans.

The sounds of the night echoed through his ears, all the vehicle cries rising up together. He half-expected Gingee to join the call, but the devildog remained quiet and alert. For one normally so hyperactive, he couldn't help but feel proud. Gingee was treating the mission with the seriousness it truly deserved. For that alone, they deserved a reward of some sort. I'll have to think of something later. In fact, they all deserve rewards for this excursion.

So far, their first mission as a kingdom had gone off without any hinderance to speak of. They hadn't even encountered any nosy bits of wildlife scurrying about.

"We're getting closer now," Jeffrey said. "It's right over here."

Everyone followed as the reptile crept out into the open, the group moving one at a time to cross the empty street. Gingee's ears flicked at the ready, the devildog crossing slowly as Luizitine watched for onlookers. Without buildings to hide them, he had to rely solely on Karla's illusions to keep Gingee out of sight. And they were doing great so-

A scent hit the hellspawn's nostrils. One that immediately drew both his and Gingee's attention.

Blood.

He wasn't sure where it came from, but the scent was unmistakably human. The smell of freshly spilled- He snapped out of his thoughts. As tantalizing as the prospect was, they weren't out hunting. Human contact was to be avoided at all costs. He was just about to tell Gingee as much when the devildog broke free of the trance on their own, pawing at their nose to chase the urge away.

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"Bark. Sorry, Master," Gingee said, arriving back by his side.

Luizitine smiled, patting their head.

You truly are a noble steed, Gingee.

After crossing over, the rest of the journey became a bit less cumbersome, the most difficult portion involving a dead end they had to climb around. Getting down was by far the worst part of it, with the group having to arrange trash bags for them to land somewhat quietly.

"Too bad you guys can't float," Karla said with a smirk.

Luizitine shivered as he got up, stains and crumbs covering his clothes. Even Gingee had to shake peelings off their fur.

"Humans truly are disgusting. Minion Jeffrey, what is our status?"

"We're here."

The reptile gestured ahead.

The spot in question looked no different than any other, an area marked by a flickering light post and weeds growing through the street. But as Luizitine got closer, he could sense faint traces of magic. Holy. This must be it. Gingee gave the area a thorough sniff, their tail waving back and forth as they tried to trace it.

"Bark." The devildog raised their head. "Bark. I can smell two scents that way, master. Bark. There are more this way."

The devildog moved on ahead, continuing to sniff at the floor.

"Excellent. Let's...go..."

Luizitine trailed off when he saw Jeffrey lingering back.

The reptile was kneeling under the light, fingers stroking at the grassy weeds. Gingee and Karla stopped as well, the group halting to watch Jefrey. He didn't even seem to notice. His tongue flicked out, tail brushing against the road. Almost like he was sweeping it. His gaze remained steady. Unmoving. After a few moments, it finally occurred to Luizitne as to why.

You're one of them, aren't you? Why won't you people just leave me alone? Wasn't taking Harley, enough?

Jeffrey finally stood back up.

"Minion Jeffrey?" Luizitine asked. "Is this where Harley fell?"

The lizard gave a small nod of acknowledgment. A painful wound. One the hellspawn knew all too well would remain.

"She's free now."

"Hmm?"

Jeffrey's eyes shut. "She's free now. I should be happy for that."

Despite his words, his voice more than betrayed the ruse.

Gingee lowered their head, both them and Karla coming over to encircle the portion of street. Luizitine lowered his head as well. Though he'd seen what lay on the other side and the man in control of it all, he knew such talk wouldn't be welcome. No, such opinions were better left unsaid. He could only offer his respects like the others. Jeffrey lowered his head as well.

On that day, the Kingdom of Luizitine performed its first burial ceremony together.

***

Gingee pointed ahead.

"Bark. The smells are coming from there, Master."

They all peeked around the corner, a flat gray building surrounded by a grassy plain extending before them. Several vehicles were resting near it, all sporting black colors and crescent-shaped symbols. The same symbols Luizitne recognized from the humans who attacked the junkyard. From that secretary woman.

Jeffrey hissed. "That's them. Those are the ones that took Harley."

Luizitine nodded, his eyes narrowing on the letters stamped across each vehicle.

P.I.B., hmm?

So they were the ones against them. He finally had a name for his enemy.