The Former Demon Queen Versus the Skullcrusher Warband Part Three

"My lady, please do not push yourself any further!" Gustav suddenly shouted in her head, his voice sounding worried.

"You might very well die."

The warning from her familiar instantly stopped Mary in her tracks. If she utilized the void skill again under her current condition, her heart might pump too much blood to her brain, killing her instantly.

None of this would have been an issue if she could simply transform into her full demonic self. Her body would have acclimated to her powers properly. But alas, that was not the situation she currently found herself in.

While Lydia was still distracted, Mary reached into the bag of oil containers she had set aside earlier and grabbed a few jars from inside. Then she hurled them as hard as she could up into the sky, one after another, tossing them as far and as high as she could until the bag was nearly half empty.

It would take a while before they came back down. That should buy her enough time without relying on her void skill for a third time in a row , and risking her life.

"Mary, I don't see anything—"

"Oh no, Miss Lydia, look!"

When Lydia turned back around, she was horrified to find the bag of oils nearly empty.

"What happened, Mary?!"

"I think I accidentally dropped some of them while running earlier with you," Mary confessed, lying to the girl.

"How? But the bag is tied tight! How did it...?"

"I don't know, but I need to go back and get them."

"Are you crazy? There are orcs everywhere. Wait... what are you...? Mary! Come back here!"

The elven woman tried to stop her, but Mary had already taken off in a short sprint. When she rounded the corner, that's when she burst into her full speed, albeit only ten percent of it.

She moved so fast, nearly no living thing could see her. In the blink of an eye, she went back to that shop she had picked up those two frying pans from and grabbed some more—at least twelve of them. Even at a fraction of her usual sprint, her movements were already pushing the limits of what her human body could handle.

Shooting back towards the battlefield, she jumped onto a nearby cart and launched herself upward to the roof of a shop. And then, circling the orcs from above like a whirlwind, she began leaping from rooftop to rooftop around the ring of houses surrounding the square, flinging the frying pans with great intensity, each one finding its mark below.

One by one, the orcs dropped, the kitchen appliances slamming into the back of their skulls, knocking them out cold. Some of the frying pans may have had a little too much power behind them, doing a little more damage to some orcs than most, but it would be nothing they wouldn't be able to heal from.

Seeing what was happening to their comrades, what little remained of the initial force soon turned tail with their commander, choosing instead to flee rather than continue fighting.

Mary stopped to stand on top of a roof, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight.

She glanced over at the oil bottles she had thrown upwards to buy herself some time. They had only begun to fall back down.

Right on cue.

She leaped across two roofs, jumping back and forth as she caught them.

When she returned to Lydia's side, back on the ground, she was surprised to find the girl standing out in the open, looking down at the unconscious bodies of the orcs. Gustav remained tightly clung to her chest, as if the girl was worried he might try to run again.

Mary's entire body was shaking, especially her legs, from all the strain she had put herself through. She forced herself to stand steady, not wanting to show weakness.

"Oh m-my, what happened?" Mary asked, smiling nervously and pretending to be none the wiser. She carried the bag of oil containers, stuffed the few she had pulled out earlier to perform her little stunt, then she slung it back across her shoulder.

"I'm not sure," Lydia whispered, still gazing down at the orcs. "They were standing there one moment threatening the knights, and the next moment, they just—dropped."

Mary looked around and found the local militia just as astonished as everyone else at what had happened. Frying pans were everywhere, littering the streets.

Did I overdo it? Mary thought.

But she had just wanted to help. If she hadn't done something, a lot more people would have been injured. The place was already ruined as it was.

"Let's not linger," Lydia said. "Come on, Mary, we should head back to the others. My god, look how you're shaking like a leaf. The bandits really scared you too, huh?"

"Oh, ah... yeah."

The trio began making their way back to the Adventurer's Guild. However, in that very moment...

"Stop him!" one of the guards shouted, pointing at an orc who was trying to run out of the market.

Mary was surprised. She had either missed an orc, or one of the bandits she had knocked out earlier must have recovered, and was now trying to make a break for it. It didn't concern her though, since it was only one, and the guards would most likely take care of it.

But when the orc reached the front gate, he briefly stopped, grabbed a large oak table, and hurled it in the direction of the knights.

Luckily, both guards were able to jump out of the way in time, narrowly missing being struck by the table. However, the large piece of furniture now came hurtling towards the trio, Mary, Gustav, and Lydia.

They couldn't get out of the way fast enough. Well, Mary could have, but she wouldn't be able to move Lydia out of the way in fear of breaking her bones in the process.

She had no choice.

Upon impact, the table instantly splintered into a million toothpicks.

The market fell silent following the loud crash. The commander and her squad turned, wide-eyed in horror. Lydia had already closed her eyes, thinking she was done for. When she opened them, she found Mary standing in front of her, arm extended in a fist, having simply punched and shattered the table before it could do any harm.

The people at the guild thinking she had quick reflexes was one thing, but how was she going to even begin to explain this?