Brent stared out over the muddy trench wall that encircled Glory fortress. Covered in dirt and grime, the thousand year old fortress was anything but glorious. It stood north of the eastern war front between The Empire and the Klorians. Propped directly against the northern mountains which extended to the west, a strategic spot to hold.

Long ago, the fortress started as a mining town that eventually birthed immense natural wealth, which has long since been depleted. Over the years, both sides have traded this particular fortress dozens of times in hopes to gain territorial advantage against the other. Almost a tragedy once one saw what the mechanisms of war did to the landscape. To the south rolled hills as far as the eye can see, sparse patches of grass fed with the blood of ancestors and dirt pounded flat from the stomps of battle. Brent recognized this similar sight dozens of times throughout his tour of the eastern border, a man made disease festering vast expanses of land.

Stretching with his arms fully extended, the familiar sounds of officers shouting drill commands filled Brent's ears. He hated every minute of this place. The smell alone drove him crazy as sweat and shit mixed into the air. Tired of standing upright in full gear all day, Brent simply tossed his helmet aside, sitting down onto a pile of dirt. There hasn't been an attack on the fortress in months and every scout has returned with no meaningful reports. He tilted his head full of brown hair back into the mud wall, closing his eyes for a power nap. Even with three more weeks of guard duty, his service to the Empire wouldn't end for another year, then he would be transferred to another similar fortress for another similar guard duty assignment. Initially roped in by his brother Stiggs's success, Brent joined the imperial army long ago hoping for grand results, a hope which never came.

After hours of the mundane, the defense bell rang throughout the compound, men running everywhere. Brent immediately perked up and gathered his helmet for the upcoming battle. Flashes of elemental magic and sounds of swords colliding could be heard due east in another trench.

"Form up you slags! We push to help our fellow men," an officer not much older than himself commanded.

Climbing over the trench wall, Brent found his fellow brothers in arms lining up to stampede into the fray. Imperial training taught him to push back the gripping anxiety, but failed to reign in the flooding adrenaline. He quickly joined a position one row back from the front and took out his sword for the clash ahead.

"Rise to your potential! We are imperial soldiers! Charge!" a voice shouted.

"AAAHHHHHHHH!" A roar from the line boosted moral as every soldier started throwing one foot in front of the other.

Approximately twenty feet from the east trench, Brent could see people fighting tooth and nail. Large balls of flame started streaking across, pounding into their lines and burning flesh in the process. They screeched an unnatural pitch, before exploding into a reign of molten slag. Mages were the number one source of death, and the enemy was definitely not holding back.

The initial confrontation with the enemy was the worst. A pike six meters long impaled the man in front of Brent leaving a wide view of the chaotic battlefield. To his left, an enemy mage was carving his way through, as well as to the right, soldiers were bashing and stabbing each other every chance they got. Lives were taken as fast as they were put forth, two hordes of men and women throwing everything and anything they had.

A wise man once told him that combat was the most exhilarating thing known to man, yet over the years, Brent has realized his father was no wiser than the man he is today. While his father fought for the thrill, he fought for the prize thereafter. Do not all men want prestige? Do not all men want recognition? These questions were as rhetorical as they were natural.

"PUSH THEM BACK FOR THE EMPIRE!" A mana infused shout boomed across the warzone.

Brent pressed forward knocking an enemy pike out of the way. A swift slash cut one man's left hand off at the wrist while another sliced the inner right thigh. Cries of pain and torment surrounded him, but his trained mind filtered it out. Breathing heavily, he continued onward stabbing and swinging until he had gathered a considerable body count. A loud cheer of fighting spirit uplifted his energy as he realized that many of his brothers and sisters were watching his performance. While drunk on praise from his allies, Brent attacked with renewed energy reaping more and more lives. Eventually, he found himself two men deep into enemy lines deflecting attacks and countering with blows of his own.

Noticing the closest enemies clear a path, a man across from him dressed in vibrant blue leather armor locked eyes with him. A giant feathered mohawk graced the man's head with red warpaint smeared across his face. Mana heavily leaked through the man’s pores, as if it longed to do his bidding. Brent seized up and slowly backed away knowing full well the man was a mage, suggesting a battle he would rather not get into.

Dodging right, an icicle the size of a bird shot through the air impaling the man behind Brent. Frosty mist still lingered in the air, temperatures dropping a few degrees. Before he could regain his footing, the mage was upon him, too close for escape. A fist to the right shoulder staggered Brent's ability to lift his sword, throwing his momentum awry. Burning sensations flared throughout his shoulder until it became completely numb. Clutching his shoulder, frost rapidly emanated from the point of contact as he drew in mana from the air to counteract the effects. Before allowing him to recover, the mage followed up with a leg sweep to Brent's left foot knocking him down and causing yet another source of frost to invade.

Knowing full well the man above was playing with him, Brent closed his eyes and reminisced back to the days his family got together under the sun for picnics. He regretted following in his older brothers footsteps, a path to glory they said. All he wanted was approval, something that his brother was showered in with every step taken.

Ever since he was little, his life wasn’t his own. His parents suffocated his freedom, denied access to the mistakes his older brother grew from. In such a controlled environment, he never bloomed. Although he resented how they raised him, blame could not be so easily be pinned, for he still loved his father and mother. It was no contest to say he was also to blame, wallowing in self-pity most days instead of fighting back.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The mage took one last look before forming a large shard of ice, jagged ends with a smooth body surface. With a wave of his hand, the shard ingrained itself deep into Brent's nearly frozen body, finishing the job. The surrounding imperial soldiers, ripe with fear, turned and ran for their lives.

Brent will never find the approval he sought out. For now, he was just a corpse in a sea of dead men.

0---0

The aches and pains in my legs, lower back, and shoulders dissolved away as the camp's healer works her magic. This past month I've been nothing but a punching bag for Moon during our training. Ever since the first day we met, Moon had been sticking to me like white on rice, never letting me out of her sight. I wish I could say it was because of me, unfortunately, after getting to know her better, it's safe to say she has some deep seated issues lingering within her mind. There are times when she'll crawl into my bed for comfort and hold me tight for hours on end.

"Have you tried fighting back at all?" Scatterwisp chuckled and handed me a glass of refreshing water.

"Nope. I don't want to tick off the demon more than possible."

I took a big gulp and sighed deeply.

"HELLO. I'm sitting right here! Not to mention, you are literally part demon." Moon gave her signature pout with puffed cheeks and glared at me from atop another bed not three feet away.

"Thank you for healing me Scatterwisp. I'll bring a couple chocolate pudding cups next time," I said while ignoring Moon altogether.

Scatterwisp nodded with a smile; she then shuffled off to help other patients. Scatterwisp and I have become good friends due to Moon's excessive use of force during daily exercise sessions. I hopped off the examination bed and exited the medical lodge despite the large amount of verbal insults flying my way, rubbing my arms hard to relieve the tenderness that comes with healing magic.

"We have the rest of the day off. What would you like to do?"

While her eyes lit up, Moon's frown flipped one-eighty at the mention of free time. "Let's go swimming! We can invite Leaf and Stillrock to come too!"

As if she had forgotten why she was mad in the first place, Moon skipped away to find the others, bubbly as can be. Jogging to keep up, Moon headed directly for the cabins which housed all of our classmates. Most days she would never try to do such a thing, but apparently the hate Moon received only applied during training. Knocking on the door with a big bang, voices could be heard inside scrambling to answer. The door abruptly swung open while one Leaf and one Cherry stood at attention.

"Hi Leaf! Hi Cherry! Me and Esried are going to the lake. Would you two like to come along?"

"Oh my spirit Moon! We thought you were the Warden. Last time we got a knock like that we were punished for ‘uncleanliness’."

Leaf took a deep breath in a sigh of relief.

"Sure Moon. We would love to come along," Cherry said from behind Leaf.

Our group grew by two as we headed to the next cabin holding Stillrock and Swiftbreeze. Outside Swiftbreeze was sitting in a meditative position; her hair changing colors rapidly.

"Hey Breezy girl. You're getting really good at that."

Leaf moved in for a hug, eyeing the Swiftbreeze's chest.

"Ughh. I can only change it to one color at a time. If I want to use it for camouflage then I need to be able to change it to multiple colors simultaneously."

Swiftbreeze hopped up to return the hug, giving Leaf exactly what she wanted and a little bit extra.

"Well, come take a break. We are all going to the lake for some fun. Where is Stillrock? The more the merrier."

"I'm down to go, but Stillrock left with a few of his buddies to do whatever guys do."

"How come they didn't invite Esried?" Moon interjected.

"Because they don't want you tagging along. We all know wherever Esried goes you follow," Swiftbreeze replied.

"Yeah, you two are practically married already," Leaf stated while nodding as if it were fact.

"NO! You guys can be so stupid sometimes."

Immediately Moon stormed off toward the lake, stomping with each step.

"Better go comfort your wife. Fufufu," Leaf teased.

I shrugged and started walking in Moon's direction. Previous Esried would have snapped back with a snide remark, but ever since arriving at this camp I've been unnaturally calmer. A warm bed, good food, and people that actually care about me has made drastic changes to me. Most days I would choose to do things with reckless abandon, such as pickpocketing or conning. Now I weigh my choices as if my life has value. To be honest, it's a nice feeling and I'm a little afraid to lose it.

After a while, the group reached the lake and took in the beautiful view. The sun reflected off the twinkling crystal clear water. Large tree covered mountains sat in the back, protecting the area from harsh winds. In the middle was an island of protruding rock, a centerpiece that brought it all together.

Squealing in delight, Leaf threw her sleeveless shirt into the air bouncing side to side. Cherry followed suit and suddenly started unbuttoning her own shirt, kicking off her pants too. One silver and three blonde haired female elves are nearly down to their bras and panties.

Lightly attempting to avert my eyes from the four women stripping down to their undergarments, my lower region was hit by a wave of heat. I actually talked to Scatterwisp about my urges which have been compiling ever since Moon's snuggle sessions. Apparently, demons have low fertility rates and that means biology gave us a stronger libido to balance it out. The good thing was that I'm only half demon meaning only half the struggle, but Scatterwisp also told me that it's only going to get more potent over time.

Moon eventually found a rock to dive from, going head first into the refreshing water. Her body weaved like a fish blasting from one side of the shore to the other. In a wild splash of steps, both Leaf and Cherry ran into the lake holding hands. Each one kicking water at the other trying to soak one another. All while Swiftbreeze lay front down on a nearby large rock for a nice sunbath, exaggerating curves in all the right places.

A smiling Moon waved wildy to me from atop a rock formation in the middle of the lake, attempting to get my attention. I sit down on the shore waving back, relishing in the moment of everybody just being happy.

I can't say this is what i'll want forever, but right now this is exactly where I want to be.