The Hero Should've Known Better

Chapter 14: Clarek

"Confidential," the Hero said, cutting him off.

Clarek blinked. "Aight. You better pay the rail manager good money to keep his mouth shut."

"No point," Junil replied. "Everyone on board saw it. The news is gonna spread like rats in a grain silo."

Ronn leaned in to whisper to Junil. "Regardless, they will be unaware of the motives. Our true objectives will remain obscured."

"Obscured? You think that's the thing I'm concerned about?" Junil hissed, under her breath. "You see yourself apprehending the Demon Lord's sister. Everyone else saw you attacking a defenseless Demonfolk girl! How do you think people will perceive this?"

"They have done nothing nor said anything so far," the Hero retorted.

"That's because you're the Hero. Of course they won't, not immediately... This isn't good for your image!"

"My image is irrelevant to the outcome of the mission."

Junil gave a loud sigh, realizing that he was not going to budge on this position. So she decided to just drop the conversation.

"As we have time to burn, I have a few questions to ask," Ronn continued. His voice was at a regular volume again.

"Questions about...?"

"Demonfolk anatomy. You are a medical student, correct?"

"Yeah, I am. And I know a few things, so go ahead."

Ronn nodded. "I recall you once said the Demonfolk have good balance. Why did she stumble, regardless of that?"

Junil blinked. "Well, yeah they have good balance. That's because of the tail. But the tail doesn't help much when they lose their footing and plunge into a ravine."

She turned over onto her side. "That, and she was Manic, too. I know a fair deal about their Manic phase, but we don't know everything."

"Do tell me more," Ronn insisted.

The Healer glanced up at them. There was a slight pout on her face. "You've fought them before. Shouldn't you know?"

"I know how to fight a Manic Demonfolk, but I've never studied the intricacies of their Manic state-of-being before. Would you be so kind as to teach me?"

Letting out a breath, Junil placed a hand on her forehead and rubbed the sweat off.

"Alright, so... They're mostly incomplete theories, ones we've carried over from Humans to re-apply to the Demonfolk. So a lot of this is... new, especially considering that the Demonfolk haven't been too cooperative in studies."

"Tell me what you do know, though."

"Well, I'll use an analogy. In times when you felt threatened or knew a battle was coming up, you've felt anxious before, right?"

"I would not say 'anxious'. Rather, I feel as though my limbs are bursting with energy before a fight, even if I felt physically exhausted otherwise."

"Yes, that. It's an incomplete theory, but our bodies store and use up stimulants as energy. When you feel nervous, your body is getting ready to use them. It's called the 'flight-or-fight response'."

"Yes."

"The Demonfolk, in theory, are very similar to that. Except, since they're usually physically stronger than humans, not as much can threaten an individual Demonfolk compared to a human, right? So they might not have a need for it."

"Yes."

"Except for cases where something terrifying comes in that can actually threaten them. In those cases, a little injection of energy won't really help. So, instead of injecting energy, it's some type of... well, we're not sure what it is that does it. But it speeds up their body's healing, blood clotting, reaction speeds... everything across the books go up. Not only that, but the skin on their arms and legs toughen, their nails and hair grow quicker, and a second layer of teeth temporarily emerges from behind their main set."