~Day 151~

I had one goal for today. That one singular goal was to finish the rest of Alvirs satchels. However, before I could even begin my work I became distracted. Far off, in front of our boat, we could all see the Demon Continent. We were close, close enough that Gials believed we would reach it by the end of the day. Of course, we'd then have to travel down its giant river to reach Krazakon, so we weren't there yet.

To think we're so close, however, It's a feeling I don't think I'll ever get used to. The first step taken into an unfamiliar land. After admiring the view for a while longer, I turned to head back inside. Before I could, however, I spotted Venya leaning against the railing looking down. It's been a rare sight so far, so I decided to see what was up.

"You alright?" I asked as I stood myself next to the Frogwoman. Venya turned to me and let out a melancholy sigh. "That bad huh?" I chuckled.

Venya shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." She replied. "It's just, we've got so little time till..." Venya shook her head. "Ah ignore me, f*ckin' childish sh*t anyway." She dismissed herself.

I smiled sadly at her. From the way she said that it was a little obvious what she meant. "You're sad about parting?" I asked her tilting my head.

Venya turned away from me as her cheeks turned red. "See I knew ya'd make fun of me." She pouted.

I patted her shoulder trying to look her in the eye. "I swear I'm not." I said trying to assure her. The stubborn woman kept looking away from me. "Do you want to hang out today?" I asked her. I still had time to finish those satchels, even if I did have to finish them on the road.

Venya hesitantly turned back to face me. "That would be alright." She replied nodding her head.

I patted her back. "So what do you want to do?" I asked her with a big grin.

Venya thought for a moment, but it didn't take her long to decide what she wanted to do. "We've got to find out what Alka knits." She almost jumped for joy at the idea.

I nodded my head, fully in agreement. This was very important. We had to find out what Alka knitted before Venya left our party, so why not do so today? It can't be that hard.

We set off on our mission, following Alka wherever she went. The ship wasn't that large, but Alvir and I were. So it was a little difficult for us to follow her. Venya, however, was fast and small. So she took the center point.

Even so, after most of the day had passed we still didn't know what Alka knitted. I don't really know what we hoped would happen by following her anyway. It's not like there would be any guarantee that she would knit today. I think we were more hoping we would hear her talking about it to someone.

To be honest, that wasn't really the most important thing today, it was more about making Venya happy and she seemed to enjoy herself a lot. She doesn't like showing she cares, that much is obvious. I don't know if that's just the way she is or if it's some trauma, but I think today helped us get a little closer. Sisters should get along right?

We decided to give up, for today at least and go get some dinner. Neither one of us had eaten anything today, so we both were starving. As we sat down in the mess hall, however, Alka sat with us. I exchanged glances with Venya. Were we in trouble? "Did you need something Alka?" I asked the calm Orc.

Alka took a sip from the mug of water she had by her side. "I know you both have been following me today and I know why." She stated.

I looked around feeling a bit awkward. "Are you angry?" Venya asked Alka who was sitting next to her.

Alkas expression changed to confusion for just a moment. "Why would I be upset? I am just confused as to why you did not just ask me." She stated.

Venya tilted her head seemingly confused. "You would have just told us?" I asked the Orc.

Alka nodded. "Of course. I haven't been hiding it."

Venya became even more confused. I felt a little confused too. "But you avoided it the other day. You said we were getting off topic." I retorted.

Alka seemed a little taken aback. "We were getting off topic." The Orc seemed genuinely confused.

After a few seconds of silence, Venya burst out laughing followed shortly by me. Alka was clearly unaware of why we were laughing. To think that was her genuine reason, it was just like her. I quickly calmed my breathing, I suppose I might as well ask now. "So what do you knit?" I asked her.

Alka stopped eating her food and reached into her robe, with a smooth motion she pulled out a very small hat. "I knit hats for small Monsters." She said bluntly.

I blinked a few times and struggled to find any words. I could see Venyas mouth opening and closing as she tried to wrap her head around it. "You... Adorabl- Hats?" She managed to force out, I could almost see the steam rising out of the holes she has for ears. "Why?" She finished.

Alka placed the hat back in her robe. As she looked at us her expression softened somewhat. "Back when I was a child, in the mountains our Warband called home. A lot of the wild monsters around us would get very cold in the winter. As a Shaman, I felt affection towards them. So I wanted to help keep them warm." An almost smile appeared on her face as she spoke. "I was terrible at most things, but my mother taught me how to knit. So for years, I would knit any monsters I could hats." She took a deep breath a sad look appearing in her eye. "After what happened... Well, I only carried it on as a reminder of how it used to be for all of us left." She replied.

I felt a little guilty. Venya and I just wanted to know because we thought it would be something amazing to find out. Now that I know the reason, I feel bad. Especially since I'm the one who killed Ekri, I feel as though I've only hurt this woman. "I'm sorry, Alka." I apologized bowing my head.

Alka shook her head. "I believe I know why you apologize, Dryad. And once again I wish to tell you, I bear you no grudge." She replied eyes filled with Wisdom.

I nodded my head, even if she said that I couldn't help feeling this way. In Orc terms Alka was not actually very old, so for her to suffer this much and still be so filled with wisdom and patience is incredible. I know a certain few that could learn a lot from her, a certain Tree Child to be exact.

After dinner Venya and I made our way outside, it was quiet with only a few mages around and the occasional sailer. Since we were so close to land we didn't need as many mages about. "Well, we know now." Venya sighed as we walked.

I mulled over the conversation in my head. "I kind of wish we didn't know." I replied sighing.

Venya smiled sadly. "I know what you mean. People always have more sh*t to deal with than you think." She paused looking out towards the land. "Look at that." She said almost in awe.

We were sailing alongside the continent now. To our right, we could clearly make out the vast sand dunes and trees dotted around the coast. It was hard to realize the sheer scale of the Demons Continent, but even being up close doesn't do it justice.

Venya let out a sigh leaning against the rail. "You know it won't be the last time we see each other." I told her.

Venya nodded her head limply. "I know. It's just. I was used to being on my own, then everything with you happened and I started to think people ain't so bad." She shrugged. "Ah f*ck it I've always been a bit of a loner." She grinned.

I laughed patting her back. "I guess that's positive thinking?" I replied. Venya let out a slight snort of laughter.

We both stayed out a little longer, passing by a small dock that had two older looking Demons doing some sort of late night fishing. Finally, after passing by a small village, we headed inside.

It was funny to think that our first view of Demon on the Demon Continent was two old men fishing. I don't know what I expect to see from a Continent fighting off a rebellion, but I can't say it was that.

~Day 152~

When I woke up, I expected us to be making port already. Or at least nearly there, instead I was woken by the entire ship rocking. Since I experienced something similar the last time I was on a ship, it was safe to say I was panicking. I woke Alvir up and rushed outside brandishing Skullcrusher.

However as soon as I arrived on deck, I lowered my stance and blinked a few times, a little stunned by what was in front of me. Standing in the middle of the deck surrounded by the weary crew was a ten foot Mushman. It had a blue helmet and a pale blue body.

Without missing a beat the Mushman walked up to me and kissed my forehead, before backing up a few paces. I looked around confused for an explanation. Turning my head behind me I could see Odwiff and Gial. I pointed at the Mushman. "Did it just kiss me?" I asked them. They all nodded their heads slowly. I looked back at the Mushman then back at the other behind me. "Why did he kiss me?" I asked them.

"I was hoping you could tell us lass!" Odwiff retorted. I guess they know as little as I do.

Gial hesitantly walked up to the giant Mushman and patted it's side. The Mushman made a quite squeak, but seemed to enjoy it. "Well, whatever it's here for it don't seem to have hostile intentions." Gial shrugged.

"I would agree." Alka said walking over to us. "It seems to hold great interest in Ellena though." Alka turned to me. "Do you have any idea why this may be?" She asked.

I closed my eyes thinking. "I mean, Mushmen have always liked me at least a little. Maybe because I was born one?" I shrugged.

Alka seemed a little surprised. "You were born a Mushman? I suppose that would explain the hair and many other things." She replied. "Still I do not believe that would invoke that sort of reaction from a Mushman." The Orc looked at me. "Perhaps it has something to do with you being a Pillar? Was Venya not surrounded by Frogs in her dungeon as you have told me?" She asked.

I furrowed my brow. "So you think that our Auras attract our birth species to us?" I asked her. The Shaman nodded. "If that's the case then how come this is the first time a Mushman got so close to me?"

Alka looked at the large mushroom. "That's a Coral Mushman. They live in the corals around the Demon Continent, in general monsters from the Demon continent are more aggressive, more confident. The Coral Mushmen are no exception." She saw my worried expression. "I don't mean they're an aggressive breed, they're just very confident. I've heard they often sit with fishermen on the coast." She told us.

I looked at the Mushman. I've thought about it before, but I guess that confirms it almost. "I guess that wouldn't be so bad." I muttered to myself. I can't complain about Mushmen loving me even if is a little strange.

"That might also explain them." Gial sighed pointing past the giant Mushman. I peeked around and saw a lot of warriors peaking over the edge of the ship. Curious I ran over to join them. Down below in the water was about twenty more Coral Mushmen. They were swimming in front of the ships forcing us to move slower. "They must be attracted to you too." Gial commented scratching his head.

I looked back up at Gial. "They're making us go slower." I stated.

Gial nodded. "They most certainly are." He rubbed his tired eyes. "It won't be much of a delay, we'll probably arrive in the early hours of tomorrow morning." He looked over at the crew. "Y'ALL HEAR THAT? WE'RE GONNA BE MAKING LAND EARLY, ALL OF Y'ALL BEST GET TO SLEEP EARLY!" He shouted orders at the crew.

It was the first time I'd heard Gial shout like that. I have a feeling this delay had irritated him a little, which I hadn't seem from the usually calm Elf. I guess I had another day to kill on the ship.

Since I didn't get to do it yesterday I decided to finish the satchels I was making for Alvir. The giant Mushman sat outside the door on the deck happily waiting for me to finish my work.

I felt a bit bad for it, but it didn't seem to mind. Especially as it was getting a lot of attention from the crew, it's not every day you see a big mushroom. I finished all my work quite early and went back outside. Alvir played with the Mushman whilst I sat with Venya and Odwiff to eat dinner. It seemed like the Mushman didn't mind a bit of roughhousing from Alvir, which was good for that Wolf.

The rest of the day passed by peacefully and incredibly slowly, the occasional bit of excitement we got was from when we passed a Demon town or boat. The Demons looked at the Elves with quite a bit of hostility, but none openly attacked us. It's easy to forget the Elves were also made to raid these shores a little too.

Just as Gial told us too, we all headed to bed quite early. The Mushman kissed my head again before bounding back into the ocean. Before I went to bed I made sure to pack anything I needed to ready for tomorrow, including getting Alvirs harness ready for a test run.

It was certainly an odd day, that must have been the highest evolved Mushman I'd ever met, it must have been quite intelligent as it seemed to respond to us talking, yet it was just as affectionate as the smaller ones.

I wonder if we'll get to say goodbye before we leave tomorrow. it's strange, going back to traveling. Especially without Verros. That reminds me, I still haven't decided what I'm going to do. To help the queen against the rebellion and risk Verros' life, or to do nothing and risk not having the Demons help against Levias. It's not a decision I can ever make lightly.

~Day 153~

I was certain we were supposed to arrive by now, yet when I woke up it was daylight. It had to still be morning, but it was definitely daylight. If we'd arrived, why did no one fetch me? I put on my clothing and made my way to the deck.

We had arrived, the ship was definitely in the dock, I wonder why no one woke me? I looked out on the town of Krazakon, the place that had been my destination for many weeks. The architecture was curious, each building looked like it was built out of a sandy stone. There were a few that looked like any building from the central continent, but most had tall blunt-headed spires. The doorways and windows were open with no sign of glass or actual doors.

This must have been Demon architecture, it was different, yet oddly beautiful. Still I have to wonder if open doorways is a good idea, doesn't that just invite thieves in? After I had finished taking in the sight of this curious town I looked down to the dock. Odwiff and Wrok were moving supplies to the dock along with a few warriors. A little further up I spotted Alka and Gial who seemed to be talking to a rather serious looking guard. I could spot several townspeople eyeing up our partly suspiciously.

I saw the guard Alka and Gial were talking to shake his head at something before walking away. Gial looked a bit disappointed so I decided to see what was up. I made my way past Odwiff and Wrok who greeted me in both their own ways and walked up to where the other two were. "So we're here?" I asked them.

Gial turned looking a little surprised. "Oh, sorry little missy. We thought we'd let you and Miss Venya get yur beauty sleep." He apologized rubbing the sweat from his brow.

I crossed my arms, so they let us sleep in? "Uhuh. So what was that all about." I said motioning towards the clearly disgruntled guard.

Gial became sheepish before sighing. "Now about that. We have good news and bad news." He grumbled. I raised my brows but said nothing. "The good news is that ain't told us to leave and they ain't killin' us on sight." He told me.

"The unfortunate news is that we're not allowed to leave until the Demon Lord in charge of this territory arrives." Alka finished for him.

I sighed sitting down on a nearby barrel. "So we're stuck here. For how long?" I asked.

Gial rubbed his brow. "Well let's see here. Assuming they get a messenger on horseback, the Demon Lord should hear of our arrival in about half a day, but with ordinary travel, it takes a little longer." He shrugged.

"Sooo?" I asked encouraging the Elf to give me a number.

Gial smirked. "I don't know missy, I ain't-a learned man, but my guess is tomorrow morning. Probably late morning." He replied.

Tomorrow morning? Why does it always seem to be tomorrow morning lately, it feels like somethings trying to slow me down I swear! "I guess we're killing the rest of the day here then?" I asked them.

Gial scratched his head. "We'll have to see about that." A nervous chuckle escaped the Elfs lips.

"The Demons aren't too fond of foreigners on the best day, even in port trading towns like this one they at most tolerate their presence. So they're doubly not fond of us." She told me.

I folded my arms. "So what does that mean exactly? They don't seem to be kicking us out." I asked them.

Gial took a glance at the town. "They ain't hateful enough to kick off their port, but the chances of lettin' us in their inns or taverns." He shook his head. "I'm not sure we can make it happen.

I kissed my teeth, it would have been nice to sleep in a real bed again. "It's not like spending one more night on the ships going to kill us." I tried to hide my disappointment.

Gial showed me his usual cheeky smirk before ruffling my hair. "Don't worry yet missy. I reckon there's gotta be at least one inn owner round here willin' to give us a chance." The Elf tried to reassure me. Gial took a deep breath before clapping his hands. "Well, I suppose we'd best be off then." He tipped his hat. "Be back soon ma'am."

I waved him off. "Best of luck you two." I said smiling. I watched the two wander down the plank receiving more than one unhappy look. I really do feel sorry for the two of them, as the representatives of their people they have a lot on their plates to deal with.

I didn't want to waste the morning, so I decided to help the other moving our supplies. Even if this town didn't want us, we would still need the supplies on our journey through the rest of their land. I also explained the situation to the others.

After a few boxes had been moved, Venya finally woke up, meaning I had to explain our situation to her too. She decided that she wanted to bathe in the water whilst we waited. I couldn't blame her, the heat made me want to do the same thing.

When she got down there, however, I heard a startled yelp. I jumped off the dock to see what the commotion was. "Oh hey, Ellena." Venya said, surrounded by Mushmen.

A whole group of them in fact, Coral Mushmen, probably the ones from yesterday including the big one. Once again before I could do anything, it waddled over and kissed my forehead. I shook my head snapping out of my confusion. "How long have you been down here?" I asked the large one hoping it was smart enough to reply in some way.

The Mushman narrowed it's brows, before looking up at the sun and nodding its head. "Since dawn?" I tried to figure out what it meant. It thought for a moment then nodded its head. So I guess that's confirmation that this one is smart. "How come?" I carried on my line of questioning. The mushroom tilted its head looking confused before kissing my forehead again. I pointed at myself. "For me? Again?" The Mushman nodded its head with a big cute smile.

"Aren't you popular." I heard Venya mumble with a small Mushling parked on top of her head.

I smirked at the slightly jealous Venya before turning back to the Mushmen. "You don't have to stay down here you know? You can sit on the dock if you want." I told the Mushman. It's face immediately lit up as let out a pleasant squeak. "Although you have to behave, we have a lot of work to do." I warned it. The oversized mushroom nodded its head. I don't know why I warned it to be honest, it didn't cause any problems yesterday so I think it's well behaved.

I found my way back up to the dock to carry on helping Odwiff and the others, the giant Mushman right behind me. Oddly enough the other Mushmen can't seem to come on land, I always thought they were a land species, but I guess there are acceptions to every rule.

Our new friend sat and watched us work for well over an hour without a fuss. Now we were actually here, we were really starting to feel the heat. Most of the men had taken their tops off at this point. I myself had taken my jacket and accessories off. Alvir had joined Venya in the water so neither of them was having as big an issue as the rest of us.

After another thirty minutes past, I heard a familiar voice call out to me. "Lady Ellena?" I turned my head quickly, I knew that voice, but where from?

Behind me stood a large old man covered in scars and a woman whom I recognized. "Kuuli?" I asked her. The woman struck up a big grin before nodding. I turned my head to the old man. "Which must mean, Bear?" I asked the man. He gave me a firm nod, a reaction that confirmed it.

Kuuli gripped my shoulder. "By the God's Ellena, I barely recognized you!" She exclaimed whilst looking up at my head. "You've got antlers." She giggled as she poked them.

I lent in and gave her a one-armed hug. "You look a little different too." I told her. "Did you get a tan?" I asked her.

She looked at us and made a vague shoulder shrug. "Might've done." She replied in a sarcastic voice.

"Lass, you mind introducin' us ta yer friends?" Odwiff came to stand next to me looking up at the two humans. Wrok and a few warriors followed behind him.

Kuuli inched her chin and nodded her head. "Likewise. Although." Kuuli strained to look behind me. "I'm guessing there are many other things you want to discuss too." She observed.

I looked around at Odwiff, them back to Kuuli before nodding my head and letting out a sigh. "You could say that." I replied with a nervous chuckle. "This may take a while." I told them motioning them to sit down on nearby crates.

The two obliged along with Odwiff and Wrok who sat near me. Then, I proceeded to tell them all I could about what had happened up to this point. I left out details that didn't matter obviously, but I also left out anything related to the Light Elves. Even now, it was possible they could be listening. It was impossible to tell with those damned Elves.

I introduced the two groups to each other too, Odwiff seemed quite insistent on wanting to meet Hawkwood for some reason. I get the feeling he wants to see if he can approve of our relationship. Not that we're in one yet.

After we had finished talking, Tuuli lent backward on the barrel she was sitting on and let out a long breath. "And I thought we'd been through a lot." She chuckled.

Oh, of course, I had completely forgotten, but unlike us, they would have had no way of avoiding the krakens corruption on the way here. On top of that, they must have been on the Demon Continent for a least a little while. "How about on your end? How was... Your journey?" I asked Kuuli.

Kuuli showed me a sad smile. "Well, it could have been worse. We lost three more soldiers on the way here. Then there was Lason..." She sighed.

I widened my eyes. Lason, I remember him. Don't tell me him too? "He's dead?" I asked feeling disheartened.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Oh no, no no no!" Kuuli shook her head eyebrows raised. "He just got heavily injured. I mean, nothing compared to Verros by the sounds of it, but he's one leg down." She told me.

I felt a sense of relief, I didn't know him well, however, he was kind to us. "That's good to hear. He didn't go to the capital with Avalas and Hawkwood did he?" I asked it seems as though that might be a little dangerous.

The soldier shook her head. "No, he's resting at the local Lords capital. We were supposed to get him on the way up to the Demon Capital after picking you up." She answered.

So they're here to pick me up? I was wondering what they were doing in this town. I don't quite understand something though. "The local Lords capital? Lords have their own capitals?" I asked tilting my head.

Kuuli nodded. "I suppose you wouldn't know this, but yeah. The Demon Continent is such a large place that quite a few of the Demon Lords have territory essentially the size of a small kingdom. So it is governed as such, the higher ranking lords often even have several other lords serving under them." She replied almost like a tutor.

From what I remember the Demon Continent is larger than the central continent, and that has several kingdoms on it. I never thought about how one kingdom would manage on such a large scale.

Bear lent forwards. "So how about you?" He asked. I looked towards him confused.

"He means how was your journey. Did you suffer any casualties on the way here?" She asked me, her face filled with sympathy. That only made me feel guilty though.

I let out a sigh before shaking my head. The two gave me a confused look. With Gial off looking for inns, I had to explain the Dark Elves method for avoiding the corruption. Gial and I discussed it beforehand, we already had planned to tell the Demon Queen, so he reluctantly agreed to tell a few select human kingdoms too. After I was done Kuul and Bear exchanged a concerned look.

Kuul scratched the back of her head. "I can't help but feel as though you feel guilty about this." She sighed.

I looked to the floor in front of me. "We didn't lose anyone, yet you lost so many." I replied, my voice quiet.

"And thanks to what you've told us, we probably won't lose anyone again." Kuuli leant down to look me in the eyes. "You didn't kill those men Ellena. If you want to blame anyone blame the Kraken." She grinned.

A chuckle escaped my lips. What she said wasn't wrong, but I still couldn't help feeling some guilt. "Thank you." I replied with the best smile I could muster.

We sat talking for a few more hours. When it was nearing evening, Gial and Alka came back. Despite the hostility of the town we managed to secure room for our crew through three different inns.

After introductions were made, we all found the closest tavern that would have us and drank. We still had work tomorrow, we'd have to meet this Demon Lord that Gial seems a little afraid of. So thanks to that, no one was allowed to knock themselves out drinking, but it was a good time nonetheless.

Before it got too late, Alvir and I headed for my room. Above anything else, it was nice to be sleeping in a real bed again. It was also nice to know, that at least most of the crew I got to know all those weeks ago survived.

~Day 154~

I was woken by banging on my door, a little groggy from the previous nights drinking, it took me a little while to rise. The light outside implied that it was already getting to late morning. Whoever had been banging on my door left in a hurry, I heard the muffled sound of Odwiffs door being knocked to.

I'm guessing it was Alka who sent her people to wake us all up, that can only mean that the local Demon Lord was soon to arrive if she hadn't already. I swiftly raised Alvir from his own slumber and we rushed out. As I burst out the door of the inn I saw a small group of our people looking in the direction of the Towns entrance. Around them quite a few guards stood as well as civilians, waiting for their lord to arrive.

At the very front of our pack was Alka, Gial and oddly enough Venya. Who seemed to be an early riser for once. I made my way through the crowd to arrive at their sides. "Is she here?" I asked them.

Gial near jumped out of his skin as I spoke. He turned to face me, laughing nervously at my puzzled expression. "Heh. Sorry miss. Is just that I find this particular Demon Lord a tad difficult to get along with." He seemed to be rolling his whip around in his right hand. Perhaps a nervous twitch?

Alka seemed to want to sigh but held it in. "You must greet her as the Dark Elf representative." She insisted.

Gial seemed to be sweating a little more than this heat would cause. It was unusual for Gial to be so unsettled, what exactly is this Demon Lord we're about to meet like to make him like this? I understand we have to meet her, but I can't help but feel worried.

I looked ahead of us, come to think of it why is this Demon arriving at this time? "I thought she would have been later. " I commented. Surely they would have stopped in the middle of the night to rest and sleep.

Alka shook her head. "She arrived at her mansion on the outskirts of this town last night, it would seem she is quite fast." She replied. I turned back to look at Gial who wore a resigned expression. He must have given up on running, the firm grip of Alkas hand on his shoulder saw to that.

Turning my attention back to the gate, I could hear the sound of an approaching carriage. A party of around twenty soldiers armed with long green bladed swords came into sight. Their armor covered the bare minimum but still looked like it could take a lot of hits. Oddly enough, every one of them seemed to be muscular men approaching middle age. On top of the thin armor and loose cloth, it was a sight that rather satisfied me.

Following closely behind was the carriage I heard. It was being pulled by two green scaled Lizard monsters. I don't quite know what they were, but they both had two heads each. The carriage itself was an oddity, it had no roof and quite small walls. The decoration to it was minimum other than four roaring lizard heads on each corner. However, it was clearly made from expensive materials.

It was, however, important to note that neither of these things was the most interesting thing about the carriage. The most interesting thing was the woman inside. She must have stood almost seven foot tall, shorter than me but taller than any human I'd ever seen. Her body was large, her belly round and plump and yet somehow healthy looking. On her head sat four horns, two long and two shorter. They were green and interwoven with each other until they reach their respective ends.

Her eyes were golden with a green shimmer around the edge, they seemed to sparkle in the sunlight. Finally, her curled hair rested on her head and shoulders, it was colored an almost otherworldly black.

Finally, my eyes landed on her clothing. A long sloping dark green dress that seemed to wrap around her body and arms covered in segmented black armor reaching from her shoulder pads to her wrists.

This woman was clearly no ordinary Demon Lord. There was something about her presence, something about her bizarre yet intimidating appearance that made that clear. I caught a glimpse of Gial taking a deep gulp in the corner of my eye.

As her green guards spread out around twenty food ahead of us, her carriage also halted. Her eyes began to scan the faces in the front row of our group. It felt like she could see my deepest weaknesses just from looking at me. As her eyes reached Gial a large smile spread across her face. Then, as soon as I blinked she disappeared.

"Handsome Gial. My men didn't inform me you were one of my guests." I felt my skin tingle as out of nowhere the Demon Lords large body seemed to suddenly appear holding Gials chin. I saw a dust cloud dissipate behind her. So that means, she moved there? It wasn't some sort of teleportation magic, she just... Moved. "Have you finally come to accept my offer." The Demon spoke again. Her voice was soft and soothing, but with a clear noble accent.

I have no idea how she could move so quickly, I looked over to Venya who held her mouth open wide just as shocked as I was. If even Venya failed to see her, then just how fast is she. "Lady Cadiz Larelkan I presume?" Alka began bringing the Demons attention to her. "My name is Alka, I represen-" Before Alka could go any further, the Demon I now know is called Cadiz placed her finger on the Orcs lips.

Alka almost went cross-eyed as she lent her head back. Lady Cadiz drew in close to Alkas face. "Duchess." She said gently.

Alka tried to shake her head. "I doot wnderstand." She muffled.

The Lady Cadiz took her finger away. "Duchess, not 'Lady' darling. I much prefer my official title. Makes me seem even more important that I already am." She bragged with a swish as she turned her head away. No one said anything, we all stood in stunned silence at the bizarre meeting going on in front of us. Cadiz furrowed her well groomed brow and turned her head back to Alka. "Well carry on then my dear, I don't have all day." She urged Alka.

Alka, who was clearly not used to this sort of treatment blinked. "Uh. Yes. As I was saying lad- Duchess Cadiz. My name is Alka and I am the representative of the Orcs. It's clear you know Gial, he is here to represent the Elves." Alka finished regaining her composure.

Cadiz, who had been inspecting her nails whilst Alka spoke nodded her head. "Yes. My Guards explained my you're here." She turned to face us an almost sinister smile cropping up on her face. "It's good that you came my dears, truly a noble gesture, but you ruined quite a few towns along our coast. There are many who don't want you here despite your intentions." Her eyes seemed to be glowing. "Your lives may be in even more danger than you thought on this continent." Her grin spread further.

Every soldier stood around me felt the same cold shiver spread down their spine, it was similar to the feeling the Light Elves gave me but much more primal. I could see those around me break out in a cold sweat, unable to move from their place. This woman was superior to us. My very bones screamed it. I slowly began to reach for the mace on my back before I glanced to my side and saw Gial perfectly composed. He released a loud sigh. "She won't harm us. She just thinks it's funny." He pinched his nose. I don't know how he knows this strange and scary woman, I don't really think I want to know.

The heavy atmosphere disappeared and Cadiz let out an elegant chuckle. "Oh Gial darling, you know me too well. Perhaps you should be my husband rather than my guard." She rubbed up against the clearly distraught Elf before turning back to face us. "He is correct, none of you have anything to fear from me. It was just a little... Test shall we say." The large Demon Lords eyes seem to focus on me.

I took a small step back. I'm not usually scared of much, but this woman worried me. I hadn't soon as blinked when she appeared right in front of me. "You can tell a lot about the strength of a person when you threaten them." She told me grabbing my chin. "I channeled a good portion of my power into your little army and you were the only one strong enough to withstand it and reach for your weapon." She held my cheeks between her hands and brought my face down to be level with hers. "Were you the one that eliminated that pesky Ekri Elvesbane for me?" I saw Alkas eyes twitch a little as Cadiz mention Ekri. I nodded my head to answer the woman, surprisingly her grip wasn't that strong. She let go and looked me up and down. "A Dryad hmm? One with particularly high strength perhaps surpassing my own?" She tilted her head. "No matter. Your name darling?" She asked. Well, it was more of a demand really.

"Uh. Ellena." I replied a little dumbfounded. Am I stronger than her? I'm definitely not faster I know that much.

Cadiz took her hand away from my face smiling. "Well, Ellena. Welcome to the Demon Continent." She said to me. As soon as she spoke she reappeared in front of our group. "Welcome to you all." She addressed us all with her arms outstretched.

Gial looked around sighing and stepped out of the crowd. "So I take it we're free to travel to the Demon Capital." He asked looking up at the woman.

The smile disappeared from Duchess Cadiz face, she waved her hand at Gial seemingly annoyed. "Yes, yes. I'll even escort your group to the edge of my territory. Although beyond that I can't guarantee your safety." She told us.

Alka stepped forward. "You're already helping us more than we expected us by escorting us across your land. Anymore we couldn't ask for." She replied bowing lightly.

Cadiz patted Alkas head like she was a child. "What a good polite girl you are." She then quickly turned around jumping back on to her carriage. "Now my dears. Come meet me here when you're ready to leave. I have a book with me so no rush." She said with a beaming smile before looking down at said book.

I turned my head to look at Gial who in turn looked at me. I gave him a look that said who is this woman, Alka did the same. Gial sighed. "I'll explain in a moment." He said before ordering his men to prepare to leave. Alka did the same to her people.

Then Gial proceeded to tell us how he knew this woman and who she was. Apparently, he met her on his journies quite a few years back, found himself in a small mercenary group that was desperate for members. So desperate that they accepted a Dark Elf. Cadiz asked them to take out a pack of Black Wolves that were causing trouble for one of her villages.

She took an immediate interest in Gial. She has a big thing for guys like him, quite similar to me. Although oddly enough I never found Gial too good looking. Certainly easy on the eyes, but not on the level of Hawkwood.

So after he had completed the request with the rest of the mercenaries, Cadiz constantly bombarded him with job offers right up until he left the Demon Continent. I wonder if she did the same with Hawkwood, or is he a little too old to get her offers?

As for Cadiz herself, she has a thing for middle-aged men, Lizards and the color green in general. Her speed is considered the greatest of all the Demon Lords and has earned her a reputation as one of the most feared warriors on the Demon Continent.

Gial told us that surprisingly she was very loyal to the Demon Queen, or at least seemed to be. She always spoke well of her and would visit the Demon Capital on many an occasion to converse with the Queen.

So whilst we have no proof, it's likely Cadiz is not one of the rebels. Still, you can never be too careful, it's impossible to tell what a woman like her is thinking. Even if her loyalty is true, there can be no doubt she's a bit of a schemer.

We gathered everyone up who wasn't present and explained the situation. Venya was a bit worried about Cadizes love of Lizards, but I think she'll be alright. She's a Frog more than a Lizard. She told us she'd stick with us until we left Cadizes territory.

It took only a few hours for us to gather all of our supplies. Half of the Orcs and Dark Elves were staying behind on the ship. Venya, Alvir, Odwiff, possibly Wrok and I will be staying a while, however, Alka and Gial are only here to apologize really. So they're having the ship stay docked for a month or two. I just think those staying behind might get a little bored.

Bear and Kuuli were joining us to the capital and picking Lason up on the way, he had recovered to the point that it was safe to transport him in a wagon. They told me Lord Avalas would probably have completed his business here by now, but since they took so long and suffered so much to get here, they will probably stay a while.

We were all ready to depart, but a few surprised gasps and mutterings behind me made quite a few of us stop. Turning around, I could see the giant Mushman standing right next to me. It had a sad look in its eyes and let out a somber squeak. It's clear it didn't want me to go.

I looked at the big Mushman then turned to look at those behind me, Gial shrugged his shoulders. "Demon Continents a hot, dry place. He's a highly evolved fella, but a Coral Mushman out there?" He shook his head. "I don't know if it would work."

I turned back to the Mushman. "See big guy? It would be tough out there, you'll have to stay here." I said patting its forehead. The giant Mushman looked at the ground for a moment, then looked back up at me.

"MEEP!" It squeaked definitely. The Mushman then marched past me to the head of the group and narrowed its eyes. It then turned around nodded its head.

I turned to look at Gial again, he smirked. "The fella thinks he can do it let's give him a chance." He replied.

I rolled my eyes, I guess we can't stop it if it wants to, but this is going to be difficult. I heard Cadiz chuckling in her carriage. "A Grand Coral Mushman hmm? This is an interesting little group.~" She grinned mischievously. I get the feeling her and Lord Avalas get on well.

So with our new friend ready, we set off out of the front gate. Immediately outside I could see the difference between the coast and what's further inland. The few strange trees dotting the outside of the walls quickly gave way into a long stretch of nothing as far as the horizon. The only sights were a few rocks and a cliff edge to the east. There was also the path laid out in front of us almost obscured by the desert. It seemed to be made out of a dark rock.

Gial told me it was Daemonstone, an easy to move rock found only in the southern parts of the Demon Continent. They use it so they can still spot the path even after a sandstorm. So it is both cheap to use and stands out.

We walked until night. I was quite thankful when night first came around as the day was boiling, everyone stripped down to the minimum clothing to still be decent. Including me. Cadiz gave us all water regularly, she had a Mage well versed with water in her retinue who she had trained to find water springs below the surface. He could pull it up out of the ground and give us an almost endless supply. The Mushman used a lot unsurprisingly, but it seemed to be mostly okay.

I thought we would carry on well into the night at the rate we were going, however, Cadiz told us to stop and set up camp before darkness truly set in. Gial agreed and our group began to set fires and set up a few quick tents. We were also told to put back on all our clothes.

I soon found out why. The heat slowly turned to cold. At night it turns out, deserts are very very cold. I huddled up next to a fire by Alvir, Odwiff, Venya and our new Mushman friend. Poor Alvir suffered the most I believe, the harness I gave him worked perfectly, so much so that a lot of our party gave him things to carry. So not only did he have his coat in that heat, but also a bunch of heavy bags to boil him down. I said I would take them off, but he didn't seem that bothered, Alvirs tough and loves to make others happy, but I do worry about him. Surely this is too much for him?

So far my first day of traveling through the desert wasn't exactly what I'd call pleasant, however, one thing I can say is that it was beautiful. The snaking sand dunes, the sheer rocky cliffs, the occasional bit of wildlife we saw. It's huge, it's spare and it's mesmerizing. Honestly, if we didn't have the path to follow I don't know how we would figure out where we are.

Making sure we were wrapped up warm for the night we were told to sleep early to avoid waking in the heat of the day. Tomorrow we would stop by Cadizes capital and stock up for the rest of the journey.

~Day 155~

I woke up with an odd feeling of weight on my body, lots of little weights in fact. They didn't hurt, but there was definitely something there. As I slowly opened my eyes the first thing I noticed was the pre-dawn sky. The second thing I noticed was the army of sandy Brown Mushmen standing around me or lying on me. I blinked a few times and slowly sat up.

A few Mushmen fell off my torso and sat back up to look at me. To be true, this was a very unusual predicament I'm in. Why am I suddenly being swarmed by Mushmen. First the Coral Mushman now this army. Mushmen have always seemed to like me in this life. Being a Pillar has some odd benefits.

"Mmmhp!" I heard a muffled yelling at my side. I turned my head, dreading to think what was making such a sound. On the other side of my tent, I spotted a hand jutting out of a pile of slimy lumps covered in sand. After a few seconds, a small head burst out of the pile gasping for air. It was Venya and she appeared to be under a pile of frogs...

"Sand frogs?" I said tilting my head and turning away from the impossible sight. "I didn't even know there were Sand Frogs." I scratched my chin then turned back to Venya. "What's the point of Sand Frogs?" I asked her folding my arms.

Venya stared at me disbelieve in her eyes. "I have no idea Ellena, but I have to question why that was your first thought." She replied exacerbated.

I nodded my head slamming my fist into my hand. "Oh right yeah. Why are they drowning you?" I said smiling.

Venya raised her eyebrows. "That is the more appropriate question, but once again. I just don't know Ellena." She sighed. "What about you. You're surrounded by Mushrooms." She exclaimed.

I looked down at the Mushmen then back to Venya and shrugged. "I did notice." I replied.

Venya fell to the ground face first. After a few second she lifted her head lightly. "B*tch, are you doing this on purpose?" She asked me.

Pulling my hand back up to my chin I began rubbing it thoughtfully. Then after a short while, I waved my hand in the air. "So so." I replied a grin on my face.

Venya let out a long sigh. "Well I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, I'm f*ckin' terrified." She pulled herself away from the pile of frogs sitting up near me. The Frogs ran over and sat on her lap making almost purring sounds as they rubbed their heads against her. "This is bizarre." She whimpered.

I began stroking the head of a nearby Mushman as I looked at her. "What's there to be scared off? Some of the weakest Monsters are affectionate towards us, so what?" I replied patting another. "Besides, we know the reason." I finished.

Venya looked like she was contemplating something for a moment, then sighed and began stretching her arm. "I know, it's just that I never got this whilst in the Dungeon and I was surrounded by Frogs." She pondered. "D'you think it has something to do with the Demon Continent?" She asked me.

I furrowed my brow. Certainly, no Mushman has paid this much attention to me anywhere else, but could it really be that? "If so then that means something or someone is affecting our Pillars aura right?" I asked Venya. She showed an agreeing face. "Then maybe we'll be able to get answers here." I said, feeling hopeful.

As we felt the heat begin to crawl into our tent we cleaned up our items sprawled around it and prepared to move, our little followers not losing interest. Before we were finished Odwiff opened the tent flap. "Are ye lasses ready ye-" He began before blinking a few times. He looked between the Mushmen and the Frogs and reared his head back slightly looking up at us. "I didnae' even know there were Sand Frogs." He said.

Venya let out a loud sigh whilst I burst out into laughter. So far, despite the heat, this journey was off to a better start than I thought it would be. We set off quickly, many of our group confused by the new tagalongs, including the Coral Mushman, who was holding up surprisingly well in the heat but seemed utterly confused by the others.

We didn't encounter much else before Cadizes capital came into view; a few travelers and a patrol on the search for bandits, which we luckily had not run into. We didn't really need to rest as we had only been walking for a few hours, but I still wanted to stay at this place for as long as possible. The large red-brown walls did nothing to hide the slowly rising city behind it. It seems as though it was built on a hill with each level of the city placed higher up it. At the tip was a set of five towers, four with a bridge leading to a corner of the city. The final headed east to a tall built castle sitting slightly outside of the city walls. It held it's own walls that seemed even thicker than the city.

This was Iridiz, or 'The Red Beacon' as it is apparently called commonly. The sunlight and moonlight reflected off large windows on the center towers making it visible from long distances. A beacon to those lost in the desert. It's a nice thought, but truth be told it can't even be seen from most of Cadizes territory apparently.

We planned to only stay the day, which in a way was a shame, this city on its own is even larger than Phoenix, which does make me wonder how large is the Demon Capital? Cadiz did say this is one of the larger cities on the Demon Continent.

The guards at the front gate let us in without any hesitation, we were being led by their Lord. Even so, they did give us a few odd glances, especially towards the Mushmen and Frogs who we had to leave outside. It would be mayhem if they had free range of the city. They seemed quite obedient all things considered, neither species is particularly smart and yet they sat by quietly.

As soon as we stepped through the gate quite a few of us began to stare in wonder, large towering buildings and stairs everywhere, this was different to anything I was used to. Then there was the variety of the inhabitants, each door was built slightly larger than any I'd seen the humans build.

Whilst most of our party were free to wander, Gial, Alka, Bear, Kuuli and I were told to follow Cadiz to her castle. Wrok chose to join us and Cadiz didn't seem to have any complaints and Odwiff decided to accompany us too. I gave Venya some money to go buy some actual clothes for herself as her rags were giving us a lot of stares. Of course, Alvir followed me too, but Cadizes guards seemed wary of a giant wolf.

It was quite a trek to reach the towers since they were sitting on the tip of the hill they were actually quite a bit smaller than they seemed from far away. Even so, I saw no stairs when we reached inside, in fact, I couldn't see anyway of getting up at all, not even a ladder. Since this was the tower of the castle, there were not too many Demons inside, a few noble looking folk and a number of guards was about it. The entire tower seemed to be lit up by a huge hole in the roof spanning half of the width of the tower.

I looked over at Gial who gave me a concerned look as Cadiz led up to the center of the room. We all stood in a circle as the woman nodded her head to guard in a small golden colored box with a large lever. After pulling the lever the ground around us began to shake.

Then as a small panic spread through my body we began to rise. I spotted Gial grasp his hat. "Woah there!" He exclaimed. I see, so this is a lift? They were commonplace in Ein, but to see one here. What's more, I can't see what's lifting us, it must be beneath us.

Turning I could see Cadiz resting on her hand with a disappointed expression. "How boring. Not a single one of you screamed." She sighed.

Odwiff let out a hearty laugh. "You put a Dwarf on a Dwarven Lift and expect him ta' scream?" He carried on chuckling to himself.

So it's Dwarven? Well, that would explain why Odwiff didn't panic, but what about the others? Alvir doesn't panic at anything, Wrok and Alka are to composed to show it on their faces and Gial has traveled most of his life and seen a lot of things. Sorry Cadiz, you're going to be disappointed with our group. Although I am surprised neither Bear nor Kuuli was panicking.

Kuuli noticed me looking at her, she turned away a blank look on her face. "This isn't our first time riding it." She said, not needing to go in to any more detail than that.

We reached the top and began our walk across the bridge. It was a very long bridge and there were plenty of roofed rest areas along it. Guards were positioned at far equal points along it. It was hard to believe that this wasn't a Kingdoms capital. I'd never seen such a grand city before, at least not in this world.

"So how come you have a Dwarven Lift in ya city? Those aren't exactly common outside of the Dwarven Cities." He asked Cadiz.

Cadiz waved her hand. "My chief architect is a Dwarf. She always preferred Demon architecture, so when she came to the Demon Continent looking for work I happily hired her. Talent is more important than race darling." She smiled.

I see, I thought she only hired handsome middle-aged men though. Kind of disappointed, I've been enjoying the eye candy since I got here. Obviously, most of her soldiers aren't that though, just her private guards.

When we reached the castle Cadiz introduced us to her members of staff, including the architect. Odwiff took an interest in what else she's 'Dwarvened up' in Iridiz so they wandered off on their own. Meanwhile, Alka and Gial left to talk to Cadiz about the best way to get to the capital. That left the rest of us to go and visit Lason, Wrok didn't have anything to do so he joined us too.

We were brought to his bedchamber, which was more luxury than I'd ever want. He sat happily in bed being fed soup by a rather buxom maid. When we arrived in the room he turned his head towards us and his face lit up. "Is that the Lady Ellena?" He asked happily.

I nodded my head a smile on my face. "It's good to see you again Lason." I replied.

Lason sat up and ushered the maid away. "I would get up, but that's still physically impossible for me right now." He joked. He then looked me up and down. "You've got horns." I nodded in reply. "And an Orc?" He questioned looking past my shoulder.

I turned to look at Wrok then stuttered. Sitting down in an armchair next to his bed I slapped my knees lightly. "There's a lot to tell you." I said looking him in the eye.

After another lengthy conversation, Lason was caught up with Kuuli and Bear. We stayed and chatted for a little while longer, Lason was looking forward to coming with us. I was a little concerned, he couldn't even get out of his bed.

A butler came by to point us to the dining hall in which we would be eating, it was a quiet enough dinner despite the massive size of the table. Other than us Cadiz only had one other guest by the looks of it. A rather shady looking man with sharp features, although to call someone shady just because of how they look. I feel as though I'm being a little mean.

The man didn't stay for long, he seemed to be on official business and in a bit of a hurry as he only lightly nodded at us. At least he was polite.

We ended up eating and drinking the rest of the night away, Odwiff stuck very close to the architect. I thought maybe he was finally moving on from his wife, but he didn't seem romantically or sexually interested in this Dwarf girl. He just seemed to be happy to have another Dwarf around.

After dinner we were all sent to our rather luxurious rooms, we passed a few guards and servants, but that was it. For such a large castle it was rather empty. Or are most castles like this. All the size seems a bit pointless really.

The bed was large enough to fit Alvir and I comfortably, so we both fell asleep quite fast. The more I see of this city, the more I wonder. If this is what a lords castle is like, what is the Queens like? Do I even want to know?

I thought back on our past few days. A lot had happened, we've only been here three days and we already had a few new traveling companions. Even if most of them are Mushmen or Frogs. We still have a long way to go and I for one am excited about it.

[Name: Ellena Orcsbane]

[Age: 154 Days]

[Species: Arbor Ferrous, Dryad]

[Height: 7'-6"]

[Sex: Female]

[Title/s: Kin of Ellephwen, Wolfmother, Slayer.]

{Level: 47]

[Health: 45195/45195]

[Mana: 7581/7581]

[Stamina: 34389/34462]

[Hunger: 34450/34462]

[Attack: 30518]

[Defence: 53842 + 22000]

[Magic Attack: 8427]

[Magic Defence: 16469]

[Skills:

[Pain Resistance lvl 10 (Max)]            [Poison Resistance lvl 8]               [Mind Resistance lvl 2]

[Venom Resistance lvl 8]                    [Lightning Resistance lvl 5 ]          [Paralysis Resistance lvl 4]

[Night vision lvl 10 (max)]                  [Amplified Vision lvl 9]                   [{Mushroom Helmet lvl 71}]

[tough stomach lvl 8]                         [Unarmed Combat Expert lvl 9]   [Polearm Expert lvl 4]

[Demifoot lvl 10]                                 [Warriors Heart lvl 48]                   [Warriors Will lvl 35]

[Warriors Strength lvl 41]                  [Greater Regeneration lvl 8]         [Guardian lvl 10 (Max)]

[Dryads Charm lvl 16]                        [Skinning lvl 5]                                 [Tanning lvl 4]

[Leatherworking lvl 7]                        [Carving lvl 3]                                  [Earth Magic lvl 9]

[{Wolfmother lvl 13}]                         [{Pillars Aura lvl 11}]Up!