All was quiet on the enemy stronghold. Not even much movement from inside, according to Gingee. One of many perks of its transformation into a devildog. Their sense of hearing was so strong they’d catch a bird taking flight if they focused hard enough. And despite its less…experienced nature, Gingee had learned to stay focused.

“Bark. The bad woman’s talking to someone. She sounds angry. Bark.”

“Any idea what they’re saying?” Karla asked.

“Bark. The bad woman talks funny. Gingee can’t understand.”

“We still appreciate the effort, Minion Gingee.” Luizitine stroked the devildog’s head, Gingee’s tail wagging in appreciation.

So far their reconnaissance efforts had gone off without a hitch. No signs of pursuit. No brushes with contact. And Karla's illusions were doing great work. Though it was a bit odd to see so many illusionary creatures scattered about the streets of Angelas, the woman named Felissa Green hadn't looked too deeply into their structure. In fact, she'd retreated inside not long after spotting the small army.

“We can have Karla survey the building at a later date," he said. "For now, keep listening.”

“Bark. Yes, master.”

Gingee focused back on the PIB building.

Considering they'd moved to intelligence gathering, Luizitine knew now was as good a time as any to take stock of the situation. Talking on the move had been too dangerous, but with their position secured, he could finally address the major point of curiosity that had been plaguing his mind.

“Say, Minion Karla,” Luizitine said. “I must ask. Why of all illusions did you choose...the cats?”

Karla shrugged. “Eh, l I figured it’d cause the most fuss without being too weird. I mean who's gonna question a bunch of cats showing up?”

“I would," Jeffrey said, raising his hand.

“And that’s why you’re the rookie. Never underestimate a human’s love for furry critters. Right, Gin?”

"Bark?"

Luizitine shrugged. He couldn’t exactly argue with that logic. From what he’d seen of the web, humans did have a particular weakness for small creatures. Rabbits. Canines. Felines, especially. Even assuming some did scrutinize them further, he doubted they'd see through the illusion. And the way Karla's cats stayed out of reach wasn't too far from how normal felines acted in the internet videos. Perhaps with less yowling, but that may have simply been for entertainment purposes.

“Bark. The bad woman’s coming out again.”

They all huddled together, peaking around the corner as the PIB’s entrance opened yet again. But Green wasn't wearing the same PIB uniform this time around. He noticed the change almost instantly. The jet black sleeves peeking underneath. The sword sheathed at her side. The projectile launcher she'd equipped a holster for. Green had been dressed the same when they'd first met at the junkyard. Was she going out on a mission? A patrol of some sort? Her projectile launcher was raised and steady.

“Wait. Is she coming this way?” Jeffrey asked.

Green walked past the cats, their yowls and cries disregarded.

“Minion Karla," Luizitne said. "Your illusions are active, correct?”

“Uh. Yeah. You see the cats don’t you?”

Green began to run, still ignoring the illusions. A few even stood in her path, nearly getting trampled in the process. But she kept running, projectile launcher trained ahead. In their direction...

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“She’s ignoring the cats,” Jeffrey said.

Her eyes shined like the moon.

"Perhaps we-"

A shot whizzed past them, making the entire group leap apart. A second was soon to follow.

“Holy-“

“Bark!”

“Dammit! Scatter!”

More shots rang out as they broke away from their position, running in the opposite direction to the secretary woman. Their investigation had only begun, and they'd already made contact. Luizitine cursed, looking back to see the woman trailing right behind them.

"Karla, disappear! Gingee, with me!"

“Bark!”

He jumped on the devildog’s back just as Karla dropped through the ground, fading to who knew where. With her gone, the illusions didn't remain. He could hear the cascade of meows fade one by one. But that was the last of his concerns. Jeffrey was still running, but he slowed down so Gingee could catch up. More shots firing in rapid succession reminded them they had to move quickly. Fighting Green was out of the question in this ever-failing stealth mission.

"Uh, boss," Jeffrey said. "We're not losing her."

"Bark. Bad woman is really fast."

Luizitine turned around to see the human still trailing behind. Her body shimmered with holy light. An augmentation? Dammit! So it's not just the wizard's power. He reached over, transforming his hand briefly to claw out sections of building. Metal pieces came flying out behind them, Luzitine taking full advantage of the human's incessant architecture. The many ladders to help them reach high structures. The ventilation machines and steaming pipes. The gates protecting the hovering balconies. Anything they passed became ammunition to slow Green down.

And it was working. She even stopped to run around the many broken sections.

"We're losing her," Jeffrey said.

“Bark. Should we head to tunnels, master?”

Felissa was quickly becoming a spec in the distance. As they climbed around the dead-end, he stopped hearing her projectile launcher. Luizitine smiled.

“Yes, Gingee. Our escape routes should be s-“

"BARK!"

Gingee suddenly seized up, Luizittine's senses lighting up in warning. Jeffrey was running past, but he stopped in his tracks. The sensation lasted only seconds for Luzitine, but Gingee remained locked in place.

“Gingee!”

The devildog's eyes darted about, but the rest of it was stationary. They were completely frozen.

“Bark! M-master. I can’t move.”

He climbed off, the hellspawn's gaze falling to his steed's feet. A glowing cross inscribed with runes lay at his companion's feet. A paralysis charm. One that would have been more than powerful enough to lock both Gingee and Karla if she'd been present. Too powerful for a normal human. He seized up, instincts shouting in warning.

“Look out!”

A weight fell from the sky, crashing into the ground as Luizitine came flying into Jeffrey. The two tumbled away, someone cursing as they rolled to safety.

“Dammit. This one’s got good reflexes.”

Luiztine groaned, rubbing his head as he checked over Jeffrey. Though a bit shaken, the reptile was intact. As was Gingee, their companion still as a statue. But any relief he felt over that vanished when he saw the small frame of a human. One he quickly looked away from, grabbing a nearby piece of driftwood and freezing it to his face. With the stealth mission a failure, preserving his identity became top priority, Though it didn't make for the best mask, it would have to do.

“I don’t think that’s a demon,” another voice came. “It doesn’t look like one. Sir, would you happen to be possessed?”

The second was male, his tan face and dark hair a similar shade to his own. He had the same purple uniform as Green had worn in the stronghold, though he was lacking in a few features. Namely, his was a tad lighter with brown trimmings. He looked nothing like the woman at his side.

“Hey guy, is there a ghost inside you?" she asked. "If there is, you might wanna give us a sign or something.”

A cursory glance revealed the woman's lack of projectile launchers. Or a sword, for that matter. Her only weapon was a wooden bat she had resting atop her shoulders. Her bright yellow hair and dark blue eyes were a stark contrast to her friend. As were the casual garments she wore, only her shirt being purple.

“Bark. Master.”

The woman looked over to Gingee, smiling at the struggling devildog.

“Master? Oh, so you’re just a lackey?”

Her gaze fell on the both of them, the woman raising her bat to point forward. Right past Luizitine.

“You," she said. "You’re the demon in charge here, right, lizard guy?”

Jeffrey glared back at her, hissing a warning.