>>6154832“Have you,” You think for a second, “Seen any sight of a Stranger here?” You gesture awkwardly to the cage, “Any at all? Oh, wait- please tell me you are good enough to church to know the common traits of one.”
The old man grunts, “Course I do,” His face gains a strangled look as he looks over himself, a mix of frustration and melancholy, “I look like a man who doesn’t go to church?” Tactfully, you don’t say the obvious answer.
“Never said you didn’t. Now my question?” You say as you move towards the large barn door, cracking it open just enough to let little wisps of fog enter as you hear voices and footsteps from the tunnel.
The little girl, eager to get out of here, runs up ahead of the old man but doesn’t go outside without one of you two going first, “T-the man from earlier was weird, right? T-they all called him a demon e-even though he was nice…” She mumbles while hiding her face between the elder's knee.
He nods as he closes his eyes to better recollect him; someone pounds on the underside of the hatch, “Aye, they brought in a man,” Another bang on the hatch causes your makeshift torch to fall, “t-two men, they brought in two men today. But one of them spoke in a heavy accent and wore strange clothes like the priestess talks about, the kind with a distorted painting of it.”
“Yeah, the girl looked really weird…” The actual girl trails off.
“Strange, the girl looked Strange,” The old man corrects her.
“Y-yeah, strange and kinda like a monster,” Honestly, you’ve always been a bit curious about what would happen if you showed a medieval peasant anime. Maybe that’s what got the Inquisition started in the first place? And after the shit you’ve seen in your past life? Can’t say you could blame them.
“And where did they go? Did the Stranger use his Skill to escape or something?
“Oh, he sure tried,” He coughs, “but pardon me, he may have been a demon only tempting us with deception, but he sure looked to be drying his damned hardest to get us all out.”
“Then where is he now? Since he isn’t here clearly,” You say.
“He kept summoning demonic relics, so the guard he had on him tied his hand together. Was like that until about an hour ago, where they dragged him and the other fellow out to the water, It’s where they take everyone eventually,” Bingo, exactly what you needed to know.
“Know a specific direction?”
“North, away from the town,” The moment he says that you wish the two of them a word of luck and <span class="mu-i">bolt</span>. You’re pretty sure they hesitate for a second, watching you disappear so quickly before they realize the barn itself is starting to burn down. You’re sure they’ll be safe though, probably. Eh, well not really something you can help anymore seeing as you’re just about lost in the fog.
