The Fallen Guest Empire (12)
The scream lasted only about a second.
Mariana had been kicked through a hole in the wall. Despite her panic, she quickly reined in that pointless expenditure of energy and tried to steady herself in midair. At the same time, fleshy vines burst from her body, reaching for anything they could grab to slow her fall.
"Truly worthy of an Awakened One."
Fu Qian watched in admiration, then kicked the hole wider.
The exit was now more open, but the few footholds Mariana had managed to find were suddenly useless, and her acceleration picked up again.
"Ugh—"
Esther was already too stunned to move, and Ben, the Awakened One, hadn't even had time to react. The next moment, Fu Qian had grabbed them both and tossed them into the howling cold wind.
Although they were clearly out in the countryside, this wasn't exactly a prison. At a glance, the grounds around the buildings looked quite pleasant.
Uniform brown walls, neatly arranged flowers and trees, and narrow but level flagstone paths—though they weren't level anymore.
With a heavy thud, Fu Qian landed in a crouch, carrying all three of them. The ground beneath his feet sank into a crater.
Dust billowed as he casually dropped Esther and the other person onto the ground, then looked up.
After being slowed again and again by the fleshy vines, Mariana, who wasn't afraid of heights, had set off first but arrived last. At that moment, she was finally dangling from a sculpture on the outer wall.
"All right, your turn. So, what's the plan?"
Mariana was still visibly agitated, but Fu Qian made no comment on her performance. As promised, he handed over command.
"Go that way... quickly... That was too much noise. They must have noticed