Anna looked out of the Keep’s tower and into Devil’s Crater. She had been to the Crater nearly every other week. Induca or Malsour coming with her to speed up the travel time between the Aleph hidden teleport pad and the Demon’s home.
Malsour and Fornau had started the basics of the valley, Fornau marking out an area for the city that would rest in the middle of the Crater. Fields had been created. A lumber mill sat in the middle of the North Eastern forest with a number of mines opened.
Homes made of polished stone had been erected near the farms, the hunting forests and the lumber mill.
All of the Keeps had been repaired. Malsour hadn’t covered them with metals as he had done with Alkao’s keep he’d also built an eighth keep to distance them all apart and watch over the surrounding lands.
Unless you knew where the Keeps were they were hard to see, Malsour’s work making them look like part of the cliff they grew from.
Anna used her eyesight to look into the crater, watching as farmers were working their fields.
Fornau had been gracious enough to bless the ground to make sure that it would grow a harvest. He’d gone a little wild in the week he had been there for. He returned to Quindar and his hatchlings, promising to return.
Anna heard a flap of wings, she looked over to see Alkao swoop down towards the balcony she stood on.
He landed easily, walking as soon as he touched down.
He wore simple clothes, caring less about appearance and more about form, the weapons that Dave had given him worn with pride.
“Anna, I did not know that you would be here today,” Alkao said with a smile.
Anna felt a tightness in her chest. Over the Six months since they had started working together they had worked long nights and longer days in making sure that Devil’s crater would be ready for the return of their people and to make sure that their alliance would work.
She had come to see him as not only a brilliant warrior, but a man that understood his wrongs and was looking to do the best by his people.
She saw the stress that wore on them both and they’d become close. Often Anna had thought about becoming even closer. She put her feelings down to the stress weighing on them and pushed her feelings aside.
“I was able to get the day off from raiding,” Anna said.
“One day I hope that you tell me how you get here so fast,” Alkao said.
“Maybe one day,” Anna shrugged, continuing to look out over Devil’s Crater, watching Demi-humans and Demons working together at the lumber mill, checking on the growing orchard and planting fields.
They had been getting reports, sent through the incoming villagers and supporting Demons and Demi-humans on the progress of both sides.
A number of Demons had left the Demon Army as the stigma between warriors and non-warriors was removed.
The Demi-humans had shown them that a farmer was as useful if not more useful than fifty Demons.
They had taken the Demons and turned them from a fighting rabble to a semblance of a military.
Order was created, duels were banned for advancement, medical treatment and fighting tactics were evolved. While on Emerilia six months had passed since Kala and her Demi-humans had started teaching the Demons, it had been nine months on the nameless planet Bob had placed them on.
“It is almost time,” Alkao said after a few minutes.
Anna looked at her friends list, a number of names of her Demi-human friends were there but she couldn’t call them up directly. The distances too great for her private messaging system to reach.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how the Demons have changed,” Anna said.
“So am I,” Alkao paused as if thinking something over. “After they arrive, will you continue to come back?”
He looked to her his face stony, ready for her to say no, but hoping she wouldn’t.
“I will,” Anna said, smiling at his relief.
“Good, my brothers might be good demons, but there is something refreshing about having a female member on the council.”
“I will take that as a compliment,” she laughed moving for the keep’s door. Alkao followed, the command center was rather bare, the Devil’s Crater map had been updated and there were also maps and information off to the side, detailing the advance of the second Demon horde. They had decreased in numbers as they moved towards Devil’s Crater. In-fighting and their constant hunger made them rabid after a few weeks of not killing.
By their rate of advance they would arrive in two months. It didn’t seem that the Dark Lord knew that his rebelling first Demons had already returned to the crater.
Something that Alkao and Anna were going to take advantage of.
Anna and Alkao stepped out front of the keep, looking over the expansive interior. There were just a handful of Demons keeping watch. Alkao had requested villagers and non-warriors first. Giving the warriors more time for training and allowing the Demi-humans to beat more information into the Demon warrior’s heads.
Anna and Alkao stopped at the entrance, Anna checking her interface’s clock.
She looked to the open area once again.
Five hundred Demons and Demi-humans in square formations five wide and ten deep with a leader at the front of every fifty-person group appeared.
Anna’s hand went to her blade at the suddenness of it all and the eerie quiet of the five hundred men and women in front of her.
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A big bear-human walked out of formation and came to stand in front of Alkao and Anna.
“Captain Kal, Prince Alkao, I present the first Regiment. The other regiments are being moved to the different fortresses with their commanders. The rest being placed down within the city. We await your orders,” Kala said.
Anna and Alkao looked out over the forces in front of them they wore a variety of weapons and clothes, looking like a rabble. Yet the way they were formed up, the look in their eyes. It spoke of hardened fighters that had been formed into a singular disciplined fighting force.
“Captain Kala, have two companies remain here to take over duties of the keep. As for the rest, we have a number of fields that need labor,” Alkao said, his eyes flickering to the Battalion behind her.
“As you command,” Kala said, nodding her head slightly, before turning and heading back to her battalion to issue her orders.
A slow hungry smile passed over Alkao’s face, seeing that not one of the Demons looked annoyed or voiced their anger at being used to help on the farms.
“Something funny?” Anna asked.
“No, I’m proud, proud that my people were able to come this far. If they can handle being treated like simple farm hands then they’ll have the discipline in battle to fight together. I thought that two months might not be enough time to get the crater ready. Now I don’t feel so nervous. I feel excited. In two months we’ll show the Dark Lord and his minions the true power of the Demons and Demi-humans,” Alkao looked at her with a proud expression.
Anna turned to watch as four hundred Demons and Demi-humans turned and started marching out of the keep, heading into Devil’s Crater. The other two coming together in a half circle for a quick briefing before they went about their duties. Kala walked back over to Anna and Alkao.
“I was thinking at the rate Bob was going it would be two years before he told you he had us out of ice,” Kala said, clapping forearms with Anna before they brought one another into a deep hug.
They hugged for a moment before pulling away.
“It was only a few days you big complainer,” Anna laughed.
“He didn’t tell you?” Kala asked, scratching her head awkwardly.
“What?” Anna asked.
“Uhh, well we were awake for a month or two before the Demons.”
Anna closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
“Daaa-ad, you damn forgetful gnome!” Anna yelled at the sky.
“So you must be Alkao,” Kala said, ignoring her outburst and clapping wrists with the Demon Prince. One of the few people that were taller than her.
“Captain Kala, I have heard good things from my brothers and so far I have been impressed with how you have turned my Demon Hordes into a true fighting force. I think it is about time we talked about getting them proper weapons and armor,” Alkao said.
“I like him, can we keep him?” Kala looked at Anna who was muttering to herself.
“Kala, he kind of rules this whole place,” Anna said, waving at the Devil’s Crater.
“Seventy percent,” Kala countered. As per their alliance, Alkao was part of the Ruling council which was made up of the Seven Demon princes/princesses and three representatives of the Demi-humans. Anna, Kala and Edwin made up the Demi-humans. Alkao, Malkur, Kino, Lena, Ishox, Efri and Goula made up the Demon side. Lena was Vrexu’s new wife. Both Vrexu and Denar had become Generals, each leading fifty thousand soldiers. Malkur, Efri and Alkao were also Generals, Kala had denied the rank of General but Anna had been named as the sixth general.
“Congratulations are in order!” Alkao said.
“Oh?” Kala asked.
“On your new promotion,” Alkao said.
“Well, I’ve been a Captain for a while now,” Kala said dryly.
“But now you’re a rear admiral, second in command to General Anna.”
Kala looked at her wolf-human friend with a glare.
“Look, you’re the best qualified for it. I don’t know why you didn’t take the damned position already. So shut up and take the second spot,” Anna said.
“Well, you get to go off and deal with other matters! It’ll be like I’m in charge of it eighty percent of the time!”
“Well, it’s a good thing that I have such a competent second-in-command,” Anna said, making it clear that there was no way Kala could get out of this.
Kala snorted, still not happy but going with it.
“Fine.”
“Good, then you can take over talks with Alkao about kit and weapons. I have somewhere I need to be,” Anna said.
“Just saw one another for the first time in centuries and you’re off again?”
“Lots to do, not much time to do it in!” Anna smiled, hugging her friend. “I’ll be back soon enough, then we can start seeing what this lot are capable of.” Anna nodded towards the Demons and Demi-humans.
“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised,” Kala said with a confident smile.
***
“Hmm feel like someone is cursing me,” Bob said as he felt a shiver go down his spine.
“What would make you think that?” The Lord of Water asked as they sat in the mer-capital playing three dimensional chess.
“No reason,” Bob said, making a quick move to move past the comment. “So how are your people liking the mage’s guild and Emerilia in general?”
“I was not sure if Fire would accept my alliance. I also thought that she would have used the power to improve herself. I did not think that she would feed it right into the mana pools of the college and mage’s guild. The more reports I get from my people and I interact with her, the more blinded I realize I was. I knew that we were conditioned from birth to become the Lords and Ladies of the affinity. Yet each of us comes to the task in a different way. Dark and Light crave power over all else. Earth demands respect from all. Air wishes to create mischief while I just wish to see my children thrive as Fire does with her Dragons and those that attend her schools. My anger and drive for more power made me hide under the seas and create the Mer-people. In time it was them that changed me instead of the other way around I didn’t wish for more power, I wished to help them grow,” the Lord of Water moved his piece.
“Checkmate,” he said with a smile.
“What have you been doing down here, playing 3D-chess the entire time?” Bob complained, using the gnome form he’d started using nearly two years ago.
“Among other things,” The Lord of Water smiled. It was hard for him to find a good opponent, Fire was his best by far but Bob was also rather good at the game.
“So what do you think of Fire’s offer?” Bob asked, pushing his king over and admitting defeat.
Water looked thoughtful, tendrils of water moving the pieces back into place.
“Become a teacher within the Mages college? I must say I am interested and after a brief look at what information they have I must say that I am interested to read more of their books.”
“If you are to join the college then you will have to accept the contract. It will bind your power to the mages guild as well as the Mer-people. If you break the contract or in certain circumstances you can claim the power back. With only your personal power you will be surprised at how limited you are. The knowledge the Mage’s guild has will assist you but you will be greatly weakened,” Bob warned.
“It is only recent that I have come to realize how much of a father you are,” The Lord of Water smiled, making the first move.
“Yeah, with some of the biggest and most powerful brats in the universe,” Bob sighed, moving his pieces out.
“I still haven’t decided yet. I would like to but I fear for the safety of my people and my person. Fire takes a great risk with walking across Emerilia. If one of the other Paladins found out where she was, they could kill her. It would be hard but it would also be possible,” the Lord of Water said.
“Well at least you recognize that you can die,” Bob said. “Few in the Pantheon believe such a thing is possible after living for so long.”
“They have never left that Pantheon or their various hidden strongholds. They don’t know the affect their games have on Emerilia to them it is a game. Though recently I have felt new forces at play on Emerilia,” Water said moving his pieces, watching Bob closely.
“Things are changing in a way that even I can’t predict,” Bob said, following up Water’s move.
Water moved his pieces in silence. Bob had given him much to think on.