James walked out of the tavern to where Chloe guarded the wagon. He felt bad that he had left her alone, even if for only a few minutes, but he had seen no other way to protect their fortune while talking to Damian. In retrospect though, he probably should have simply asked to talk to Damian outside.

"Sorry about that Chloe. Are you ready to go?"

"Can I...can I have some money? I want to buy something."

"Sure" he told her, handing her three silvers. "Just let me know where you want to go."

They toured the city, and James saw that it was like a castle town, with a city of regular townsfolk, a small castle at the back set into one of the mountains, and a few pit mines scattered around. James wondered at the wisdom of this, as anyone with time on their hands could simply tunnel under the castle or under the walls but he guessed that as long as guards inspected the tunnels properly there should be no worries.

Chloe indicated that she wanted to go to a tailor shop, but when they stopped outside she said she wanted to make her purchase without him. James felt a bit happy and a bit sad hearing this, since he enjoyed the girl's company on the road but was also proud of her, feeling a bit like a parent watching their child start to take steps to make their own way in the world. She rejoined him a few minutes later, carrying a simple sack over her small shoulder.

As they toured the city James made a few other purchases of his own, including replenishing their supplies. He made sure to pay in copper and keep everything in the cart hidden under a few blankets, as he had no desire to give anyone an eyeful of what they carried and suddenly turn around to see someone offer him a five finger discount.

At last they made their way towards the city gates. Since it had only been a few hours, they meet Hrauss again, where James thanked him for the information and told him to speak with Damian about his offer. As they made their way out of the Mine of Gothcraks, James felt inspired by what he had seen and the lifestyle the dwarves and other alien residents lived. He could only imagine how his own fortress might look in a year or two, assuming he wasn't back in his own world by then.

They journeyed only a few hours, enough to get some distance away from the city. Setting up camp by the road as the suns began to set, James lost sight of Chloe for several minutes as he began to use some kindling he had stored to make a fire. It was tricky for him using a flint to catch a spark, but after several tried he managed to get a nice small blaze.

"Chloe!" James called out to her, turning to where he had last seen her. "The fire is re-wha!?"

He looked with shock at Chloe. For indeed, the woman was Chloe, but far different than he had last seen her. Her hair was now a shimmering curtain of black, and her horns were slightly longer with a golden-red glow. She was also not dressed as a peasant or slave in a simple loose shift dress but in a normal peasant dress, complete with a laced up vest. She had gone from looking like a young child to a young woman.

"Ch-Chloe?"

She looked down and blushed.

"Yes, it's me."

"What...what happened to you?"

"I am able to change my size. Not all demons can do this, but many of us can."

"So...is this...your real form then?"

"...Yes" she muttered, looking embarrassed.

A brief pause ensued as James collected his thoughts, stunned at her transformation.

"Then why not tell me? Why hide as a little girl, and not reveal yourself before back in the village?"

Chloe felt her throat constrict more than when the iron chains had gripped her tiny neck.

"I was afraid. I was a slave. But then...but then you took care of me. You protected me. And I was scared."

"Scared of what?"

"Scared of what you would think. And scared of...my..."

Tears began to show and slowly tread down her cheeks.

"My elders...they said there was a prophecy."

"What kind of prophecy?"

"That the one who would save our race would buy me."

She dared look up from the ground and saw James looking at her with a conflicted expression. He said nothing. She waited, also saying nothing. At last he rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Inexcusable."

Chloe felt her heart constrict.

"It's inexcusable that people would sell one of their own, if what you are telling me is true. And if it's true, then...then as much as I want to be mad I can't completely blame a young woman for being afraid and feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. Tell me though, is your name really Chloe?"

"It is."

"And what else is true? What's false?"

She collected her thoughts and told him everything. About the Council of Elders, how long conflict with humans and other races had driven them from their ancestral grounds. How a prophecy spoken of her birth and discovering that she had the rare gift to look older or younger had led to her being sold in a desperate hope, only for her to be utterly dismayed when the one who purchased her was a human himself, leading her to hide her identity. When she was finished, James still had an unreadable expression, but there was a sadness or distance in his eyes.

"I see" was all he said. "Let me think on this overnight. We'll talk more tomorrow."

So saying, he brought out a blanket and laid down close to the fire, turning away from her as he prepared to sleep. Hurt by his distance from her, Chloe lay down across the fire and looked over at his back before gazing up at the stars, her heart a turbulent wave of emotions.

The next morning neither of them said anything much. James was still absorbing and adjusting to Chloe's new look as an adult woman and not the small child he had first seen in the village, and she was waiting for him to respond. At last as they ate their breakfast of boiled oats, James put down his bowl and looked at her.

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"Chloe...I've thought about what you said. And I want to ask you to do something."

She nodded, looking at him expectantly. Hope glimmered in her eyes, and she was happy that he hadn't rejected her. His next words made her feel both guilty and hopeful.

"So obviously...well. Let me reword that. If what you said is true, then I can't exactly fault you for having been pressured to take on such a role for a prophecy you may or may not have believed in that your fellow demonfolk forced on you. But you did lie to me, if not directly than by omission. Regardless of how you feel about it. So, I would like to ask that you please fulfill this task you were given."

"What do you mean?"

"Can you return to your people? Bring the demons back with you?"

Chloe felt herself take a shaky breath.

"I'll do it."

"Thank you. That said though, here."

He turned and took something from the cart, bringing her a pouch of coins.

"Let's return to the Mines. There I will buy you a horse and a few supplies. Will that be enough for you to return to them?"

"It will be more than enough. Thank you."

"I'm sorry I cannot accompany you. But if there is anything else you need, just send word. I should be at one of the first mountains at the entrance to this valley."

"Okay."

They quickly returned, where a different guard greeted them. After gaining admittance, James hurriedly made his purchases and both of them were out of the city in less than an hour. Outside the city walls, James saddled the horse for Chloe before turning to face her.

"Chloe..."

He paused, then gave her a hug. She happily hugged him back.

"It will take me a bit of time to get used to...your new form. But the fact that you went through all this, and your courage in finally telling me instead of keeping your secret...thank you for that. It shows that you are a brave woman. I hope I keep getting to see that bravery in the future."

He then released her and turned away before she could say anything, flicking the reins of the keptha without a word and returning the way they had come. With a smile, Chloe slapped her horse, a fierce midnight black stallion that had cost James a pretty penny. With a fierce cry the horse reared back against the rising suns before darting away across the valley, making Chloe feel like the wind as they raced past James and into the mountain range.

James only returned to their campsite, content to wait until the deadline he had given Damian. When that day arrived, he returned again to Gothcraks only to be astonished by what he saw. For waiting for him just outside the city gates were what looked to be over a hundred people, mostly dwarves but also a couple of centaurs, gnomes, a few nagas, even fairies and an elf. Seeing him, Damian raced over on his short legs.

"James!"

"Damian...what's going on here?"

"They all heard about your offer. Some were hesitant to trust a human-no offence-but work in the mines is also drying up as several veins and ore deposits are depleted. Others don't believe that you can teach new crafting techniques and only want to tag along so they can see you fail. A couple might be coming along though to keep an eye on things for Felicia, since the king doesn't want any new threat to his power. Is that...alright?"

"More than alright. Thank you for your honesty" James answered him, thinking gently of Chloe's earlier revelation. "Can I ask you to please write down and detail their expected wages and occupations when you have the time?"

"Already done" the dwarf told him, handing him a scroll.

James opened it and began to look through it.

"And what is their expected cost of living?"

"Well, going to the middle of nowhere, there are going to be some difficulties. It depends on any tax rate and how much you'll charge for anything."

"And security? We want to make sure everyone is safe, after all."

"Hey, Hrauss! Get over here!" Damian yelled over his shoulder.

"Hrauss is here?"

James looked over and saw the sheepish guard walking over to them while scratching his head.

"Hello again sir."

"Hrauss! You're coming?"

"Well, if you'll have me that is."

"Of course! I was just asking Damian about security."

"Well, we have a dozen guards. More can be trained."

"That's good. Thank you for coming with us" James told him, clapping his shoulder. He next turned to face everyone else.

Slyena watched the human chat amicably with the dwarves. Her nervousness at the idea of trusting a human, the ancestral enemy of her naga race was manifested in her dry throat and nervous twitching. After a few moments, he turned and looked at all of them.

"Hello everyone! My name is James! Thank you all for coming! If Damian and Hrauss haven't told you, we are intending to build a fortress near the entrance to the canyon that leads to this city. There will be some rough times ahead, and we probably will spend our first few nights sleeping on the ground. I won't sugarcoat this, we are starting from the ground up, but I believe we have potential if we work together in this. If anyone of you doesn't want to come with us, then please return to the Mine of the Gothcraks. For all of those who wish to accompany us, welcome!"

James turned and got on his cart, sending the keptha back into the canyon that led through the mountains. A few, hearing how rough their accommodations would be chose to stay, but most left with him and began making their way to their new home. And as they began travelling, James wondered where Chloe was, what she was doing, and if she was succeeding at the task he had asked of her.