Some time later I was lounging in our tent with Lucy. We were clean and I told her about my encounter during the battle.

“How do you fight a cloud of smoke? Can you eat it? Inhale it? Capture it in a bottle?” She asked.

“I am not sure what would happen if you eat or inhale parts of it. I guess inhaling might be bad. Worst case the creature can damage your lungs or suffocate you. I would be less worried about the stomach. Capturing it in a container might work. As for damaging it…” I pondered that. “You know, it really depends on what sort of magic is used. But some spells or magic weapons might still work. I think lightning could do a decent job. Hm. Maybe you could solidify it with ice.”

“What about dispersing it with wind? Could you harm the creature if you blow the smoke in different directions?” Lucy wondered.

“You know, that could work. Depends on how far you blow it.” I said.

“My ladies, sorry for disturbing you.” Lily said as she entered the tent. “King Dalroc sent word about a meeting with the duke who governs the city. He invites you to join him.”

“Sure. I am wondering how he will react.” I said as I got up.

“He should be thanking us. We saved the city after all.” Lucy pointed out.

“He might not see it that way. He might think of us as invaders.” Lily cautioned. “But Iris says he is a reasonable man.”

“We should bring her. Did Dalroc mention something about the size of our group?” I asked.

“He did not.” Lily replied.

“Ok, fetch Iris. The four of us should be fine. Since this is about diplomacy we will leave Shani in the camp.” I reasoned.

“A little bit of slaughter can help you with diplomacy.” Lucy said.

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I looked at her. “Really?”

She snickered.

We met the king at the command tent.

“Ah, Amaya, Lucy, thank you for joining us! I have just informed queen Lilith of the invitation. Duke Witmore invited us to dine with him.” He said.

“Do you think it could be a trap?” I asked.

“Unlikely. While I would expect such moves from the Inquisition we are dealing with the actual Empire here. Their morals are questionable but they have never fallen so low as to ambush someone during a peaceful meal.” Dalroc said.

“I agree with his assessment.” Iris added. “I have met the duke in the past. He is not the sort of man who would try to assassinate you during dinner.”

“He would be a fool to attack us.” Lilith said.

“You are joining us?” I asked.

“Indeed. I was considering dealing with the paladin but he can wait. Erin and I will join those negotiations.” She smiled.

Clearly she had something planned. Maybe she wanted to establish her cult in the city.

“When are we going?” Lucy asked.

“We shall leave in half an hour.” Dalroc replied.

It was a soldier who came to escort us into the city. His eyes grew wide when he saw the demons in our party.

“I… Are… Are those with you?” He stammered.

“This is lady Lilith, queen of the succubi. Her maid Erin. And this is Lily, the maid of the archfey Amaya and kitsune Lucy. Disrespect them at your own peril.” Dalroc said while pointing at the people he introduced.

The soldier was smart enough to bow. “My apologies! I meant no disrespect!” He was also sweating and clearly overwhelmed with the situation.

“My lady is merciful. You will be forgiven, this time.” Erin said.

I did feel bad for the man. But I suppose Lilith had a reputation to maintain. For a demon lord she was pretty easy-going to be honest.

The duke provided carriages for us. There was even a small honour guard. Certainly a nice gesture. As the wagon moved through the city I could see signs of the siege. Some projectiles were not stopped by the walls. A few buildings were ruined. The streets were mostly empty. The few people we saw looked scared.

“The true devastation will be in the fields.” Iris mentioned. “They will have raided the villages, taken their food, conscripted the people…”

“At least we have stopped them from doing further damage.” I consoled her.

“True. But it is always the regular people who suffer the most. I became a soldier to protect them…”

“And you are now doing more for them than you did as a soldier. I know you had good intentions but the Empire was never worth protecting.” Lucy said.

“I know. Thank you, my lady.” Iris responded.

We arrived at the duke’s mansion. It was certainly big but did not compare to all the palaces I had been to in this world. A bunch of knights stood at attention to welcome us.

Behind them was an older man. While he still had some muscles his short hair had turned grey. There was a scar over his left eye, which looked dull. The right eye was blue and watched us with interest. The man looked like he was a veteran who had seen combat. The pretty clothes he wore to greet us looked out of place.

“I am duke Witmore, welcome to my home.” He greeted us. His good eye studied the demons among us. He tensed. His right hand almost went towards his belt but he stopped himself.

“King Dalroc, why don’t you introduce your… companions.” He said.