[Pudding steps forward and the gesturing hand comes down fast - onto the ground. The creature stands stock-still for a moment, as tense as a coiled spring.

It speaks again, guttural and jumbled, less focused on being understood as that masked face remains fixated on Pudding even though the speech more directly addresses Cao Pi's response.]

D̶̮͖̈a̷̛̝͋n̷̺̎̚g̴̠̯͒̐e̸͈͆́r̸̳͔̆ò̸̤̔ȕ̶̧̱s̶͈͈̋͑ ̶͓͓̿̓t̶̡͘h̵̠̓͌i̵̗͝s̵̺̎͆

I̷t̶ ̵g̴r̶o̷w̶s̶,̸ ̶i̵t̷ ̷d̸e̷m̸a̸n̵d̴s̴

̵i̸t̵ ̴w̶i̶l̴l̸ ̸f̵i̴n̷d̴ ̶y̶o̸u̴ ̶w̵h̴e̷n̷ ̶y̵o̵u̶ ̶a̸r̴e̸ ̴w̸e̷a̴k̶ ̷a̷n̵d̴ ̶t̵h̷e̴y̶ ̵w̴i̶l̷l̶ ̸a̶l̶l̶s̴̥͉̞̄i̴̥̟̗̍̂n̵̛̗͓͖̈́̊k̴̻̻̯͋ ̶̃̄͂͜t̶͙̣͎̊̀̇e̷̼̩͊͑͂é̴̯́ţ̵̬̏̿h̸̥̳͕̾́ ̴̧̛̯͉̆͛ì̸̘͈͒ṇ̸̮̠̐͊̑ṭ̵̹̽̈̚ó̵͉͋ ̷̖͔͒f̸͕̉̓̀l̴̳̆̎̽e̸̍͗͘͜s̶̤̠̋͛ḣ̵̰͉̊̌͜ ̸͚̼̮͂͆͘a̷̠͇̍͋̊ņ̶̙̱̒ḍ̴̐̾͆ ̴̪̪͔͂n̷͔̼͎̾͑̕o̴͎͗t̷̼͕͆̑̇ḧ̶̼͙͓́̏̐ị̴̠͗̾͛ń̶̻͎̾͐g̷̥͍̘͗̕ ̴͉͗̀y̶̼̏̾͘o̷̘̼͒̋ų̶̟̩̔ ̷̢̠̼̅̀d̴͚͗ȯ̶̢̪͈͘̕ ̴̖̥̮̕̕ẘ̸̫̻̦ḯ̸̙͝͝l̵̻̂̿l̵̡̠̈́ ̷͕̿̚i̵̖͛͑ẗ̶̗̘́ ̵̤̅̐͗s̴͈̊̈́̌ẗ̵̨́̊o̵͖͌̿p̸̠̬̽̾

̶͕̦̱͍͇͖͌̊̿̓̔̿͒͆͛̕B̷̫͇͗̿Ů̶̢̨̗̱͍̲͎̜̫̘͔̯͚͑̒͜T̶̛͚̪̣̹̭̫̂̂̈́͊͝ͅ

̷s̶o̵m̸e̷ ̷o̵f̷ ̷u̴s̷ ̵d̵o̸ ̶n̷o̸t̸ ̴h̷e̴e̷d̴ ̴t̷h̶i̵s̵ ̴d̵e̷m̴a̵n̷d̵,̵ ̷w̵i̷l̵l̶ ̷n̸o̷t̶ ̵s̷i̵n̶g̵ ̸e̶y̵e̶s̷b̶͔̈ĺ̶̥o̵̙̿o̴̧̓d̵̹͘-̵̯̋s̷͒͜ơ̴͇ṇ̸͒g̶͈̉

̶̨͂m̷͚̎a̷̰̾n̵̖̐y̸̬̿-̶͓̓e̶͖͗ȳ̵̟e̶͚̓ŝ̴̖ ̷̝̃c̵̜͑ȯ̶͓m̵̨̔ë̵͖́ ̷̫͠f̶͔̽õ̵̭r̶̛̪ ̷̧̏ṷ̷̀s̷͚̚ ̵̜͊t̴̳͒o̴̧͑ő̷̮ ̷̦̇t̵̰̕h̶̗͛e̸̖͠n̴̪͌
̶̦͂
̷͚͐ý̵̫o̵͙̍u̷͚͌ ̵̰̎u̸͓̎n̵̛̤d̶͍̀ḛ̸͝r̶͍̋s̴̹͂t̸͊ͅa̷͓̓n̷̙͂d̵̥̈́?̷͔̾

[The clawed fingers of both hands flex as the green-eyed creature stares directly into Pudding's third eye.]