Chapter 376: Job gets caught.

Zyra let out a painful, heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. A cold weight sank straight into her stomach. "Oh, great. People are losing their homes and dying because some power-hungry lunatic is throwing a tantrum over some rumor!" The thought did not sit well with her. "This unhinged hellcat has lost her damn mind," she muttered. When they returned home, she would have to berate Etania and Tessi for being the driving forces behind this madness.

"It’s not all bad. My husband...Tobias was a monster." Nina admitted bitterly, shaking her head. "I gave him up to the guards before he could hand over the security footage he recorded of you and your beasts back at Twigs Blue Crossing."

Zyra raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You did good. Thank you at least we still have an element of surprise."

"We are all doing whatever we can to protect you," Nina said simply. "The people of Hollomgad are ready to follow you now, Divine Maiden. Everyone here_ and in the surrounding territories, is ready to fight for you. That is... if Julia doesn’t wipe us all out first. Nobody wants to follow a tyrannical divine maiden. This is proof enough that Trinity must be put down like a rabid dog."

Nina was not sure if she believed in her own words. All she cared about was making Zyra believe they were on the same side. At the same time, Julia had to believe she was a law obeying citizen, willing to bend at the Sanctum’s command. Only then, would she survive.

Zyra’s eyes narrowed, a cold smile touching her lips. "Don’t worry about Julia. I’m going to wipe her out first. But wait..." Zyra looked around the surprisingly quiet city. "I thought there would be way more Sanctum guards here than what we found. Where is the rest of their main army?"

"They aren’t here," Nina replied. "They’re all over at Twigs Blue Crossing."

Hunter and Zyra instantly snapped their heads toward each other, exchanging a sharp glance before looking back at Nina.

"Why Twigs Blue Crossing?" Hunter asked.

"I overheard the guards talking," Nina explained, leaning in. "A man from that town sold you out. He ran straight to Trinity and reported everything about the true divine maiden. So, Julia took the entire main force and marched over to crush you. Twigs Blue Crossing was the first town to fall in this war."

Hunter adjusted his gear, a dark look on his face. "Well. Now we know exactly where our next stop is."

Zyra turned around and snapped her fingers at Taylor. "Taylor! Dump the stash."

Taylor stepped forward, unzipping a small, ordinary-looking leather backpack. He unbuckled the top, tilted it upside down, and suddenly a mountain of weapons poured out of the tiny bag, piling up high on the street.

Nina’s jaw literally hit the floor. She stared at the tiny backpack, then at the mountain of dangerous weapons, completely speechless. "How... how did all of that fit inside a bag the size of a loaf of bread?!"

"Beast pocket magic," Zyra said with a shrug. "Listen, Nina. You and your people need to gear up and hold down the territory. We can’t stay to protect you because we have to tackle the root of this problem. I will leave a shield around the town for now. The sanctum guards will not be able to get in, but none of you will be able to leave either."

Nina walked over to the pile, picking up a rifle. She inspected the sleek metal frame, a newfound fire lighting up in her eyes. If what Zyra said was true, then her spine didn’t need to bend anymore.

As long as Zyra kept Trinity of the Wild lands, that was enough. Hollomgad belonged to her son. It was her husband, and family’s lifework.

"Don’t worry about us anymore, Divine Maiden," Nina said, slapping a fresh magazine into the rifle with a loud, confident click. "Now that we have these, and now that we know you’re fighting for us_ we’ll give those Sanctum bastards a real nightmare if they ever come back."

Zyra smirked, turning back toward the beast trucks. "That’s what I like to hear."

The system had already provided the x shield, similar to the one that encompassed Beast city, only a cheaper version. As long as the town was not attacked by ten beast kings, then it was safe.

After accomplishing what they had come to do, they set out for Twigs Blue Crossing.

******

That same night, Job was deep asleep, dreaming that his daughter Myra had become a divine maiden. The youngest, most prestigious divine maiden in the history of new earth! She was wearing white shiny silk robes, standing on a glowing white cloud, and tossing high grade energy stones at him.

"Father," she said, her voice echoing like a holy bell. "You will never have to work a day in your life again! I will be divine maiden soon and we can start our own clan."

Jacob was just about to reach out and catch a big resonance stone when a cold, raspy voice violently shattered his dream.

"Do not make a sound."

Job opened his eyes. The stones vanished. The glowing white cloud disappeared. Instead, there was a very real, very cold, and very sharp piece of steel pressed directly against his neck. It was so sharp that when he simply tried to swallow his own saliva, he felt a tiny prick of pain.

Oh, fuck!, Jacob thought, staring dead-eyed at the morning sky. We’ve been made.

He didn’t dare move his head. He only darted his eyes around like a frantic crab. To his left, Sheila was frozen mid-snore, a giant sword pressed against her collarbone. To his right, lay their dead half life beasts. His eyes continued to dart around and he realized that they had been completely surrounded by the Sanctum people.

Last night, after finally tracking down the Sanctum’s secret headquarters at Twigs Blue Crossing, Job’s group had decided to hide in the nearby forest. They were supposed to keep watch and wait for news about Zyra. But then Job suggested that they sleep in turns.

It was Fungus’ turn to keep watch, but judging from his stiff body on the ground, he was already dead.

Among the Sanctum guards, was Candy. She squinted at Job, leaning in so close he could smell the faint scent of garlic on her breath.

"I know this one..." Candy said, pointing a slender finger at his nose. "He’s Zyra’s uncle! He must know where she is."

Job almost choked. "Wait! Sister! Lady! Let’s talk about this reasonably!" he squeaked, keeping his neck as flat as a wooden board. "First of all, I am just her distant uncle! The kind of uncle who only gets invited to dinners when there is a wedding or a funeral. I don’t know where my niece is!"

"Liar!" a heavily armored guard grunted, pressing the knife a millimeter closer. "Talk, or we start slicing!"

"Hey, hey, watch the edge!" Job shrieked softly. "My skin is sensitive! Look at me, do I look like a mastermind to you? I fell asleep on a pile of wet leaves while on enemy watch! Does that sound like the action of a dangerous rebel like Zyra? I am looking for her as well because I was paid to do so."

Sheila whispered, "He’s actually telling the truth." If they had to give up the mayor in order to save themselves, they would do so.