Averon stopped. Everyone, noticing the young sli halt, stopped as well.
He turned and spotted the tree demon hiding behind a tree. The demon trembled, realizing they had spotted him.
Demon fell down as he backed away hastily. He noticed Lily had spotted him long ago.
"Catch him, Gilro," Averon ordered.
The nearest Hobgoblin, Gilro, rushed toward the plant demon.
The child demon crawled backward, not even able to stand up with his shaking limbs.
Gilro lifted him up and held him in his arms.
"Leave …" The cute tree demon squird and thrashed his body in Gilro's arms—but it was useless against the strong grip. He couldn't break free.
Gilro brought the plant demon to the young sli and placed him on the ground.
The plant demon shut his eyes and scread, "Don't harm ! I'm too small to eat!"
His tears flowed down from closed eyes, and his body was trembling as he hugged himself tightly.
Lily poked his big leaf with her index finger and muttered, "He is cute."
Her actions made the tree demon scream, "No… Don't eat ."
Everyone's eyes twitched. She coughed and moved back, noticing everyone's odd looks.
"It's okay, he is adorable," Averon waved his hand. 'She sure likes anyone that is small and cute.'
Averon placed his index finger on his lips, signalling everyone to stay put.
The kid kept crying and screaming for a few minutes.
Then he opened his right eye sneakily, noticing he hadn't been eaten yet.
He spotted Averon, Elder Sli, Mama Sli, Lily, and Little Sli riding on Wolf#1, forming a circle around him.
He shut his eye instantly but stayed calm, noting they weren't eating. He slowly opened his eyes and took a proper glance at everyone.
He stopped on Lily as his eyes widened. He stood as if injected with a flood of energy.
He rushed to her and hugged her legs—he was too small, reaching only up to Lily's mid-thigh.
She was a plant demon as well, and he felt instinctively close to her by nature.
Raising his head, he asked softly, "Senior, help … You are a plant demon like us, aren't you? Like , aren't you?"
Before Lily could reply, his eyes watered. "You will, right?"
'Interesting.' Averon mused, sensing the kid's power. 'Despite being so small, he is very powerful.'
The plant demon was far superior to Little Sli and the other slis in power, except for Mama Sli and Elder Nobara.
"Okay, I'll help you out," Lily nodded with a smile and cast "Demonic Recovery!"
A black light fell on the tree demon and healed him as the green liquid stopped flowing from his body.
"What happened?" Averon asked, glancing at the tree demon.
However, the plant demon turned his head away in the other direction and gave no response.
He hugged Lily's leg more tightly as the young sli moved close to him.
Averon signalled to Lily, who asked the sa question. "What happened? And who are you?"
The plant demon replied bitterly, "I'm Plitur… Goat demons attacked our village and ate Mama, Papa, and the others. I escaped only by luck."
He continued while stamring, "A few days ago…"
---
A few days ago.
The plant demon Plitur was playing with his fellow demon kids in the village—a village of huts made from leaves and wood.
Those who were playing with him were similar to him, except for their facial features, body shape, and genders of male and female.
They looked like human children, except for being covered in one big leaf all around, with wooden bodies and having leaves on their heads instead of hair.
Plitur chased after a butterfly, yelling, "Whoever catches this first will be the winner!"
Just as he was close to catching it— Thud!
Boom! Heavy smoke filled the area.
"Kids, run!" A loud scream echoed throughout the village.
"Village lord?" Plitur swallowed and glanced back.
Smoke started to fill the area.
He rushed toward a large tree nearby and cast "Plant Fusion!"
He turned into an orb of green light and fused with the tree's trunk.
On the sa trunk, two eyes manifested—similar to Plitur's.
He glanced nervously as every plant demon scread and scattered in every direction, panicking. So fell, getting flipped over rocks.
He held his breath as—Whoosh!
"Leave !"
"Who are you?"
"…"
A few of his friends were tied up with brown vines that appeared from the smoke and dragged them inside.
Crunch! Crack!
Bone-cracking and eating sounds echoed as the plant demon's eyes teared up.
Thud!
A brown goat with half-ter-long white horns—one ter tall and half a ter wide, with a muscular body—entered Plitur's vision.
Plant demons who were running increased their speed; those who had fallen to the ground just tried to crawl away.
The goat demon's presence made them forget about standing.
He grinned widely as a gleam of red light flashed in his eyes.
"Not bad. Tree demons are good food. Very nutritious." He said, licking blood off his lips.
He chewed slowly, savoring the taste, "Fresh… much better than dried leaves."
"Let's catch a few more for the others." A soft, gentle voice followed—but her words were chilling.
Another goat appeared from the smoke. She was similar to the brown goat except for the yellow fur.
"Let's take them all," the brown goat demon hissed.
"It's been a while since we had such delicious food," the yellow goat demon smiled.
They both cast "Demonic Bind!"
Dark vines erupted from the ground and bound all the plant demons who were escaping and crawling.
"Please leave us."
"We plants don't kill anyone."
"Don't eat us."
The goat demons held the other ends of the vines with their mouths and pulled the tree demons, who were screaming despite being bound.
They took them along as they walked away.
Just a few steps later, the yellow demon spat, "They are too noisy."
She cast "Demonic Bind!"
Vines rose again, and this ti the mouths of the plant demons were sealed.
"Finally so peace," she sighed.
"Indeed," the brown goat nodded.
He suddenly narrowed his eyes and turned toward the tree where Plitur was watching, biting his lips, as teardrops fell from his eyes.
Plitur shut his eyes, noticing the brown goat demon's action. His heart thumped hard, almost beating out of his chest.
Whoosh! The brown goat flashed in front of him.
The brown goat glanced at a teardrop on the ground and narrowed his eyes.
He raised his head and examined the tree.
"Where are you hiding?" He barked.
Plitur held his breath; his eyes widened. He didn't dare move a muscle.
The brown goat demon roared, "If you co out now, it will be a painless death."
The yellow goat demon waved her hoof and scoffed, "It's just one demon. It won't affect us. Let's leave."
The brown goat demon puffed as smoke emitted from his nose.
He cast "Demonic Slam!"
His horns glowed with demonic force as he slamd them into the tree, breaking the trunk in two.
Thud!
The broken trunk fell on the ground.
"I think it should be dead now," the brown goat nodded with a smile as he pulled the tied-up plant demons.
Boom!
The two goat demons left swiftly, flaring with demonic force.
After a few hours, Plitur appeared out, from the broken tree trunk and coughed up green liquid.
He was bleeding green liquid from multiple areas. The brown goat's attack had injured him as well.
It was because of the goat demon's weak attack and the tree trunk's protection that he was still alive.
Plitur walked while biting his lips. His body ached with each step he took.
"Mom! Dad! Is anyone alive?!" He scread.
He winced with each step but held on.
He took slow, small steps. "Soone should be alive," he muttered, clenching his fists.
Just a mont later, he fell to the ground, his vision blacked out.
After a few hours, the smoke finally disappeared.
Plitur finally regained his consciousness. He grunted with each movent.
He stood up and moved deeper into the village, forcing himself through even such simple actions.
He stopped as he finally noticed the reason behind the smoke. With the smoke gone, he could finally take a good look.
Everything from the center of the village had been turned to a crisp, black, burnt area.
The huts were razed to the ground, burnt down entirely, a large burn mark scorched into the earth. The plants nearby had t the sa fate.
The entire village was silent. No voices.
No footsteps.
Only the sll of burned.
"Mom! Dad!" He scread and fell to his knees. He finally understood—his parents, friends, and even the village were destroyed.
Tip! Tip!
Water drops fell on his head as rain began to fall.
---
Back to the present.
Hearing of the destruction caused by the goat demons, Lily narrowed her eyes as blue ice spread from her body. Demonic force leaked out from her.
Everyone hugged themselves, shivering.
They moved back from her.
"Calm down," Averon said softly, taking a deep breath.
Lily took a deep breath, and the chill stopped spreading.
"Let's take revenge for you," Averon said, narrowing his eyes.
Plitur didn't turn his head away like before. He stared into Averon's eyes—as if he wanted to know whether he was speaking the truth.
Plitur clenched his small wooden fists. He only wanted revenge.
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