Everyone was here to celebrate my departure. They were just that excited for me to be gone.

Jokes aside, I had spent the entire past month cooped up at home. I’d already said my goodbyes a million times over. There was no need for more words.

I hugged my parents, many tears were shed.

I hugged Granuel, and continued to cry as he did the same, making many promises about the future.

“Yes, yes. We’ll destroy it all someday. It’ll be fun. So stay brave until then, okay? Be good.”

“Mmhmm! Yes!”

I hugged Angerly, and she ended up lifting me high as I clung to her shoulders. We bawled until the tears dried up.

I hugged Therick, and there was resolve in the gesture. An unspoken understanding. We will meet again.

I hugged Moonwash…

“Wait, aren’t you coming with me?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh! Then why are we hugging too!?”

“Do you not want to hug me?”

The question was asked innocently, I knew she was genuinely curious. I also knew that while not readily apparent, there were definite emotions underlying her words and actions.

I embraced her tighter.

“Ow.”

“It’s fine.”

“It hurts.”

“Sssshhhhhh.”

“Ow.”

Once that was over, I could delay myself no longer.

I stuffed myself inside a big sack.

…

“Stop! STOP!”

I screeched from within my confines. Everyone took that opportunity to tickle me, and it was not funny!

“GRRRAAAHHHHHHH!!!” I roared out. Woe be they who ridicule a demon! My laughter joined their own, and I was happy for our final farewell to be this, rather than the prior tears.

Soon, I felt myself be picked up like a sack of potatoes, because I was indeed a sack of potatoes right now. I adjusted my hood, and the mask I had put on, just in case I was inadvertently revealed. It was a harder task than it sounded, to do in such a cramped and claustrophobic space. I had to wiggle like a fucking worm.

“Well, see ya, suckers!” Luine hefted me over her shoulder, I could feel her waving at the others. “I have to make… a delivery!”

~~~

I was carried by Luine like a sack of potatoes, because that’s what I had become. From human to demon to a sack of potatoes, my evolutions were a gift that just kept on giving!

Three sets of footsteps walked across the town, Baston was the last person to join this little procession of ours. The people I took with me were the ones with the best senses, who could potentially intervene if necessary. I felt bad for my parents who always wanted me around, but it was time I left the nest and soared!

Eventually we boarded one of the elevators of the tree wall, and I heard the enthusiastic chatter that was characteristic of the place!

“Yellow Alert! Yellow Alert!”

“Get down!!”

I heard their shouts, and I was put down for a moment, as Luine participated in all the festivities. It was unfair. I wanted to fight too. I had new Mutations to test out!

Patience, patience. I’ll get to do it later. But it’s best I don’t get spotted right now. Even though I think we’re being too paranoid. Why couldn’t I have just gone for the classic oversized and overly suspicious black cloak? No one will suspect a thing!

The excitement died down, we boarded another elevator, and went down.

“For a New Grandera.” I heard our supposed chauffeur say.

“Yes.” Luine replied tersely.

That probably meant something, New Grandera was the name of the resistance in the southern rainforests who have now declared themselves as one single sovereign entity.

But I’m sure it’s just a coincidence! I chanted happily in my mind. I didn’t really care if it was or not.

We landed, left behind the town, and scurried about. I couldn’t see shit, but I knew there was some climbing and some grumbling, and then the shaking that was only natural of a carriage.

This was going to be a long journey.

~~~

Ow, ow, ow, ow…

And here I thought wagon rides could not get any worse. Why did they just leave me on the floor!? This is misconduct of the highest level! Undemonlike!

At least the ones pulling the wagon were centaurs. It’s more steady than it would’ve otherwise been, if only because they knew what they were doing. That was fine so long as they liked what they were doing, instead of being subtly pushed into the role by a million different cuts.

~~~

Moonwash was using me as a pillow.

…

Eh. Whatever. I didn’t mind.

~~~

Moonwash was using me as a pillow.

While the carriage was still moving.

Her head hammered repeatedly into my guts.

Now I did mind! Getoffmee!!!!

But I must not blow my cover.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Maybe a little whiff of menace mana to jolt her away?

~~~

We stopped by a town, and I immediately ran for the window once I was allowed outside the confines of the room we paid for.

It was the town of Fergosis. Not quite as wealthy as Latarus, and it even had to be completely rebuilt in recent decades, but at least it had a proper stone wall. As much as I loved our tree wall, especially the community within, it was definitely some frivolous bullshit. Or at the very least, there should’ve been a proper wall after it. Just like here. The immediate forest was also patrolled by belfegors and others, giving much of the same benefits, albeit with less of the dedicated traps and defenses that we had back home.

Okay. Ours is cooler, and I quite honestly prefer it. But still. If I were in charge then I’d have the trees, and then a thick if shorter wall…

Luine came back after a time, carrying with her a bucket and some towels. It wasn’t a bath, but goddamn did it feel nice to get a chance to wind down.

~~~

We joined a caravan, there were more people now. I could hear the adventurers boasting and preaching as they guarded and escorted us to our destination. Truly a very strange sight.

Well, not sight, since I couldn’t see shit from my sack. Though I was at least freed during the nights, to eat and to… handle my business.

Shit. Shitting. That’s the business.

I managed to sneak a few peeks outside, through holes in the tarps. The trees were taller now, animals and monsters abound. The Mountain Wall loomed larger, we drew closer towards our destination.

~~~

The caravan was attacked, and I shivered… in barely contained envy! I wanted to fight too, but here I was, stuck here, in order to hide what I was. Something that I was more than proud of!

There had been a stream of occasional attacks of course, from lone monsters, wolf packs, and even bandits. But this one was big. I heard the snarls, and Moonwash helpfully informed me what we were up against.

“Barkbarks.”

They looked like a cross between dogs and a grasshopper, with oversized heads, jaws that would never let go, and very good jumping power. Barkbarks weren’t actually that strong, at least not individually, but the big problem with them was that they were swarm monsters, hence the need for all hands on deck.

Except mine.

Luine had already left, Baston protected us from the few that got through, and Moonwash even got to kill a few of her own!

I stewed in dissatisfaction, growing steadily more resentful of the people who forced me to hide. I was proud of who I was goddamn it, and I hated being made to feel like my horns were something to be ashamed of.

~~~

I stretched in freedom, as we had successfully shaken off the caravan.

I was decked out in almost full plate armor, a new piece that Moonwash rushed to make just before our departure from Latarus. There were a few gaps in the pure fantastreel armor to allow for my mana to escape faster. Not that it was strictly necessary, mana only marginally interacted with the physical world and my armor did not hinder my own magic that much. I didn’t know how it knew, but it did. Likely some soul-related bullshit.

I wore an oversized hood that concealed my horns. My horns were also covered by a gem-like material that made it look like the horns atop my head were but an implement of my helm, not that there were actual horns underneath. Of course, this rendered the function of my demonic horns almost unusable, because that was how focuses worked for magic. It was to be ‘open to the world’ and not concealed, whatever that meant. I knew for a fact that being underground did not hinder with casting at all.

Moonwash truly did a phenomenal job with my new gear, now made completely of fantastreel, and I loved every piece of it.

Perhaps my precautions to hide were paranoid at this point, our two centaur escorts were evidently part of the resistance and New Grandera. I knew because they talked about it while I was within earshot, and they even revealed that Luine was affiliated with them in some way. They really should not have let that slip, but I was not a person at the time, instead a bag of potatoes. It was very easy to fade from people's perceptions if one were a mere inanimate sack.

I didn’t really want to get involved with this whole New Grandera thing. Movements like that, nations even more so, were not to be trusted. Never fully, at the very least. I would only deal with them, when I had the power to back it up.

Baston suddenly stood up in alarm, his head swiveling every which way within the wagon. Luine did the same, peering out of the carriage to gander at the world beyond.

“Vladmonkes.”

The same species Salaire’s battle coat was from. I peeked outside myself, seeing pristine white fur peeking out of the underbrush. A monster widely regarded as dangerous, with fearsome durability, and the tendency to travel in groups.

My body prepared for battle, as did our escorts. The centaurs let go of the wagon and brandished their halberds, the two of them over level 20. But will it be enough?

Will I get the chance to finally shine!?

Luine did not wait for the enemies to attack. She dashed away from the dirt road and into the treeline, angry monkey shrieks resounding from within shortly.

“Get out now!” Baston jumped out of the wagon carrying a wild nature staff, and I and Moonwash followed. The centaur couple also readied themselves for a fight, taking defensive positions.

Vladmonkes ran towards us. The majority came from the right side of the road where Luine was, but some of them came from the left as well. The larger mass of enemies were being successfully held back and distracted by Luine as she spread death upon their ranks.

The vladmonkes were built for attrition, their fur able to soak in blood, especially their own, in order to grow tougher. But that did not matter when Luine just stabbed deep enough to kill them with one strike!

Monsters from the left assaulted our position, and Baston allowed the two centaurs to hold back the tide. I waited tensely for a chance to strike, but I knew better than to force it.

The centaurs were eventually overwhelmed, and some began to spill through the gaps. They met a vladmonke over the level of 20, and it survived their initial strikes, making the subsequent attacks all the tougher as its fur took to the color of red.

The stream of vladmonkes coming towards us staggered to a stop, restrained by numerous vines. Baston slammed the butt of his staff on the ground, and a great number of the enemies died as multiple roots stabbed at each one. They aimed for the parts that were not yet wet with blood.l

More enemies came, from both directions now as Luine couldn’t entirely keep her side of the battle in check. Baston worked hard to kill the vladmonkes and help our centaur escorts survive, but more and more of the monkeys took on a redder color, making them tougher and harder to kill.

It looked like I’d get my wish after all.

Moonwash shot a gout of flame, white hot, and enough to distort the very air. One vladmonke immediately died, a charred husk, and four more were in dire straits, screaming as they ran around in pain and confusion.

My friend kept up the assault, but her next attacks weren’t quite as strong, though still enough to cause a good amount of damage without resulting in very much bleeding.

The first vladmonke finally reached me, below the level of ten and badly singed, furless on the right side. I slashed in its weak side, cutting off the head in one menace-enhanced stroke.

Another vladmonke followed amid the chaos of the battle that remained ever-present around me. I focused on my enemy, similarly leveled to myself, and slashed it across the neck with another exertion of menace magic. The force wasn’t enough to behead the creature, but its throat was leaking out blood rapidly, and the animal was liable to choke on its own liquids at any moment.

I kicked it away, and fended off a few more strikes until it exhausted itself and fell over dead.

More of the vladmonkes followed, and I had a hard time denying them distance because of their willingness to take the hits, and how small cuts were ill-advised. I used what I could of my footwork, I activated my demon eyes, and used my menacing aura. That gave them enough pause, and I winded up for only the big attacks in order to take them out as quickly as possible.

Monkey heads flew, and the pressure on us lessened. I helped Moonwash pry away the two that had clung to her shield and were banging on it. I shot menace bolts into the both of them, which was enough to halt their movements for a moment. One was obedient enough to get beheaded, but the other resisted, its skin already dyed red.

The monster very quickly became able to move again. It suffered under the assaults of both me and moonwash, but its own punches were very heavy, putting the both of us off balance. This one was close to level 20, and I needed, wanted, something extra.

The feeling of a blade parting through flesh.

To destroy an opponent’s most trusted defenses.

The humiliation of defeat.

Menace-aspected mana covered my sword, and I activated the magic. I slashed again, and this time the sword bit deep into my enemy’s shoulder. The magic worked, the sword’s power was enhanced, and all that practice paid off.

I wasted no time repeating the same trick, squeezing out all that I could of my new demonic evolution, in both body and magic. The vladmonke’s blood spilled from several deep cuts, and its fur could not save from the draining of its life, no matter how tough it had managed to become in those final moments.

I breathed hard and my arm shook from the exertion beyond my capabilities. Baston quickly covered for us again once their number had sufficiently diminished, earning me a well-needed break for my regen heart to do the rest.

The battle concluded soon after. I only managed to pick off a few of the weaker ones that got through, but the strongest of the monsters never reached us. Baston and Luine, even the centaurs, made sure of that.

Way to kill the fun. Boo.