---
The demon warrior's piercing gaze swept over the trembling crowd, his eyes glowing faintly with an infernal light. His voice boomed, sharp and unwavering. "Are you wasting our time? Bring them out this instant. They must have passed through here—someone has seen them."
Lith, the unfortunate guard lying crumpled on the ground, whimpered in pain. Blood trickled from his lips as he tried to sit up, his eyes wide with panic. "I swear, mighty one," he pleaded, "we don't know of any intruders! There were no strangers—only... only lost travelers."
The warrior's hulking figure turned, his shadow stretching ominously across the cobblestones. It seemed he might retreat, his muscles tense as if preparing to spring away. But Lith, ever the fool, just had to keep talking.
"They—they were nothing! Just a boy and a woman, probably harmless. I swear!"
