Chapter 41

Now properly dressed in her armor, Lilith went to her closet to put on her Holy Symbol and Signet Ring. She then drew in a deep breath to calm herself before opening the door and dealing with the Dwarf beyond.

There standing with most of his weight on one leg was Gonald, wearing a sharp looking vest and coat. “Come on Come on, we are on the clock here sister. They need you down at the forges. We have all the metal for the spearheads smelted its just waiting for ya.”

“That's good news. Did you bring a cart to pick me up?” Lilith thought not wanting to slog around in the muddy streets.

“As a matter of fact I did. The Duchess has loaned us out her coach for the day.” He then leaned over looking at the bulk of her tail “So lets try not to break it.”

Lilith rolled her eyes at the implication but soon cheered up. She didn’t have to slide through the mud after all. “That is the best news I have heard so far today.” Lilith said as she patted Gonald on the back as they walked to the castle entrance.

Exiting the castle, the coach was there, stopped only a few feet from the archway. The driver, who was wearing coveralls and a fancy hat, held the door open for them with a worried look. He made a slight grimace as Lilith reached for the door frame and pulled herself inside. The coach tilted and lurched as her feminine body and massive tail found just enough room to be comfortable. Gonald boarded a few seconds later before the driver climbed up to his perch on the front of the coach after closing and securing the door.

Lilith then heard the slap of the rains as the horses began moving, taking them down the Duke’s Way and across the market to the Guild hall and the forges. Gonald looked a little nervous as he didn’t quite know where to put his feet nor his eyes as most the cab was filled with Lilith in one form or an other.

Soon they stopped again and the door opening onto the solid stone pavers that went into the Blacksmith Guild complex as the many smoke stacks from the forges could be seen overhead. Stepping out the coach tilted once again. Lilith went down the included step and down to the entry path moving with her tail only after she had pulled the bulk of her onto solid ground.

Gonald took her directly to one of the forges where the Steel had been stockpiled neither of them taking time to exchange barbs. Entering the smokey room, Lilith was stunned by the shear quantity of steel bars all the same color and quality stacked in a pyramid as if they were pieces of gold bullion. “Well are you ready to get started?” Gonald asked looking at both Lilith and the pile of bars.

“Sure. Can you bring over one of the spearheads I created yesterday?”

“Oh… ahhh they are already affixed to spears.. I will go get one.” Gonald said feeling a bit foolish as he looked around for a set of pliers, a hammer, and hole punch. Leaving with the tools in hand he yelled back. “They are on a cart already I will just be a second.”

The forges were still running hot, Lilith however, walked up to them running her right hand through the intense flames her other hand having the rings. But as she pulled her hand out she noticed something peculiar, the thumbnail on her right hand was black. Looking closer it was very dark and had a scale like texture reminding her of Noodle One. Shaking her head she wondered what to do with her creation.

Was he capable of growing mentally or physically? Was he making a joke when he said he could keep his mouth shut because he could speak with telepathy? Did demons make jokes? Lilith was deep in thought trying to construct a demonic comedy routine in her mind when Gonald returned with the spearhead and cross pin in hand.

“I figured you could save us some time and make the cross pins too.” Gonald said as he stepped over Lilith's tail moving to stand next to the pile of steel bars.

“Sure, put it down on the work bench. Hey, hear me out for a second Gonald I want your opinion on this.” She paused for a second getting a nod from the dwarf. “Two demons walk into a bar. They watch and listen as a man walks up to the bar keep and says ‘I’ll have a tall Amber’. Then one of the demons says ‘Amber? I didn’t know they served humans here?’” Lilith waited with a cocked eye brow looking to Gonald expecting a response but he just stared at her impatience before throwing the parts onto the table.

“I think you had better master blacksmithing first.” He said nodding at the spearhead.

With all the materials and the example present Lilith cast Fabricate and began converting the Steel ingots into steel spearheads and cross pins. The magic worked quickly making a new spearhead every two seconds. After about two minutes Lilith had them stacked in five groups of ten and there were still 7 bars of steel left. She deactivated the spell and turned to Gonald. “It seems you have a fair bit of extra steel to play with.”

“Hey don’t start to tease me with words about playing with steel.” Gonald said pointing a defiant finger at Lilith.

Lilith had already decided to avoid using the terms “forge steel” around the dwarf but now he was adding the word play to the mix… or was he teasing her? “Well they are done. Can I help with the shields or is there anything else that needs my attention?” She asked trying to act as professional as she could. She was used to making drawings and models. Making the actual products was proving to me more fun than she had anticipated.

“This is just what we needed Lilith. We already have the lead counterweights made so the spears were just needing these sharp bits at the end. We have a few more shields to make and then we need to fit the metal skin to about 50 of them later today.” he said giving Lilith a firm pat on the back.

Lilith then offered to use pact magic to finish the shields before lunch figuring the militia would want to at least have an afternoon to practice with them. Gonald of course jumped at the offer mentioning something about a bonus for early delivery. “So how does this work?” Gonald asked.

Taking a step back so the smell of Bar-B-Q brisket didn’t overwhelm her Lilith tapped a finger to her chin for a moment before answering “Just bring me one of the finished shields and as much leather as you have.”

Gonald instead showed Lilith to another workshop across the way which had many craftsmen pounding away at different work stations making shields and leather straps. He then pointed to the pile of finished shields before he told her of the supply closet which apparently had enough leather for 300 of them.

“So I am going to open a pact and you just have to say how many shields you want and where to get the resources. So point at this completed shield then specify that the steel comes from the mountains the wood comes from the forest and the leather comes from the supply closet. That way no ones cows end up missing their skin.” Lilith said pointing at the various objects as she spoke of them.

“Ok I think I can manage that.” Gonald said as he swallowed with a thunk.

Lilith then moved to the center of the room before she spoke in a commanding voice. “The pact is open state what you desire mortal.”

The room was then illuminated by a new red glow as her eyes lit up causing many of the workers to stop their toil and watch. Some in wonder some in terror as the demon began to weave magic with his every word.

“I want 50 shields exactly like this one, made with steel from the mountains, oak from the forest and leather from the supply closet.” Gonald said pointing at the shield, the mountains, the forest and then the closet.

“And what will you give?” Lilith asked looking at Gonald

“50 gold.” He said with a little hesitation

“And I will contribute 40% of my pact energy” she said in a flat tone.

“Agreed.” Gonald said as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

“The pact is complete, your shields shall be made.” Lilith said as she lowered her hands her eyes now closed as if she was looking eltsewhere. Then there was a transparent shimmer on the empty floor space to her right. In a flash of light and mist 50 shields appeared stacked in ten piles of five. As soon as the shields landed with a thunk Lilith too felt a heavy weight on the left side of her chest.

Turning to Gonald Lilith could see an expression of amazement on his face. Several of the craftsman who had all stopped what they were doing came to check the shields in the middle of the room. They were almost man sized going from ankle to shoulder on the humans while they made Gonald look a bit small covering him from head to toe as he held one in his hands to examine it.

“Well that turned out well. Did you know you have a talent for speaking Gonald.” Lilith said with a smile.

“Ya, some times we can’t get him to shut up.” one of the workers said.

“Hey now! Get back to work and finish what you have already started. Then load everything onto the carts, we need to get them delivered to the Barracks. I am sure Sharl won’t mind having a few spares.” Gonald said while pointing a hammer at his craftsmen. “Now for your payment.” Gonald then began patting himself down, looking for something. Eventually he looked a bit worried spinning in a circle checking his jacket as he took it off.

Seeing his confusion Lilith let out a loud cough before reaching into her bust line inside of her armor where she pulled out a leather pouch that seemed to have the fifty gold she was promised.

“Well how did you get that already?” he asked pointing a finger at the coin pouch.

“Magic!” Lilith said with a smile. She then messed up Gonalds hair as his head was at hand level for her before she walked and snaked her way out of the workshop not looking back.

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Now standing in front of the coach, Lilith paused thinking about what she needed to do next. She wanted to tell Sir Tanel and Sharl of their success so they could begin performing drills with the new gear but she also wanted to talk to Wendel and Celeste about making a plan for the battle the next day. Lilith hoped she could find at least one of them with Sir Tanel but would go look for them if she needed to.

Finally deciding on a course of action after the driver had been holding the door open for quite a while, she smiled at him and stepped in. She then sat down before pulling the remaining length of her tail inside.

The ride back was comfortable as the coach had an actual suspension made of iron leaf springs. Having the cabin to herself was also a relief as she stretched out fully as her thoughts began to wander. Lilith took the time to look at the scales on her thumb. The discolored nail had to be a link to her new creation, the patterns were just too similar. Soon she was thinking about Noodle One sitting alone in her closet feeling slightly guilty at the notion.

Arriving at the castle Lilith fist dropped off the purse of gold in her closet being sure to give Noodle One a pat on the head and a few words of encouragement. He actually managed to surprise her. The snake's resting on the clothes hanger rod rather than being on the floor. The rest of him seemed to be hiding amongst her clothes most of him blending in well with her black dress. Then wasting no more time, she closed and locked everything going to see Sir Tanel in the master study.

Approaching the open door, Lilith found both Sir Tanel and Wendel looking at the scrying orb along with Lady Morwen and Kevin. Inside the orb she could see various villages and farms as the group was obviously checking their progress making sure that each had been notified and were taking some action to flee or head to tDaggerford by nightfall.

Not wanting to surprise them the demon knocked politely as she entered. “Sir Tanel, I have finished all that I can at the Blacksmiths Guild for today.”

“What already? What about the shields?” he asked.

“They are all done. Everything is being loaded onto carts as we speak. But before you ask the answer is ‘magic!’.” Lilith said with a big grin on her face as she shook her hands rhythmically with her fingers extended.

“Um.. Yes that is just what we have come to expect from you Lilith. Now if you have time would you mind helping us with something that has just come up?” Sir Tanel asked with a bit of hesitation in his voice.

“Sure but I would like to have breakfast at some point I am actually a bit hungry come to think of it.” Lilith declared placing a hand on her armored hip.

“Oh I am sure Wendel could summon up a few, what did you call them, cheeseburgers if you give him a description.” Kevin said while raising an eyebrow at Lilith.

“Well for now we need help with a bandit situation. With all the food and supplies being moved into the town today a few people have gotten the bright idea to start charging a toll on the road.” Sir Tanel said with a grim expression.

“Yes and when they see the size of some people’s coin purses they are just demanding the whole thing.” Kevin said sounding a bit outraged as his hand gripped the pommel of his sword.

“Well I can head out there if you like but what do you want me to do with the bandits?” Lilith asked as she shrugged with the arm that wasn’t resting on her hip.

“We can’t be lenient on them during times like these. If you witness them levying any tolls or taking any money you may kill them to the man. But we really just want this robbery to stop and for you to recover any gold they have taken. We have been recording a list of victims as they enter town and any recovered funds can be returned to the citizens. So far 50 people have reported being taxed or robbed.” He paused for a second looking for a response to which Lilith nodded. “They are about Five miles north of here on the main road. You can’t miss the line of people and carts that they have stopped.” Sir Tanel shaking his head in disappointment.

“We would normally send the cavalry but we don’t want any of the horses or men getting injured right before they are to fight a battle. Also the bandits might run from fully armored cavalry in any case which would make it difficult to recover the money.” Lady Morwen said seeming a bit embarrassed at the whole situation.

“Its fine, I can leave immediately. Kevin would you like to join me?”

“Yes let me go get some manacles and ready some horses. I will meet you out front.”

“Sounds good. By the way Wendel where is Celeste?”

“She is in the Library copying out more spells from my spellbook and from some of the spell scrolls we have in storage.” he said while pointing a finger over his shoulder

“Well at least someone is having fun. Anyways do you think you can summon something for me? I really do want to try this food from my homeland.” Lilith said licking her lips subconsciously.

With his agreement Lilith quickly explained the ingredients and cooking methods involved in making the perfect bacon cheeseburger. Soon Wendel had conjured up a large platter of them covering one of the desks with that and a few goblets of water. Lilith took her time eating four of them before she carried a fifth out front, where Kevin was waiting for her.

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Out in front of the castle entrance Lilith found Kevin securing something inside the saddlebags on a horse. She walked up to and nudged him with her elbow before offering him the round confection. “Now this is a cheeseburger.” she said as she handed it to Kevin with a big grin on her face.

“Hmm. Its like a sandwich but it smells a lot better. This is from your world?” he asked pointing a finger at the thick sandwich.

“Yep, Wendel did a good job, they even smell better than you do.” she said with a mischievous grin.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“I am glad to hear that.” Kevin confirmed before taking a bite. Doing so his eyes went wide as he took another and then another bite. He then chewed before taking a breath. “That's really good Lilith.” Kevin took two more bites before he seemed to have his fill handing off the remaining third of the burger to a steward. After dusting off his hands he mounted the horse he had been packing earlier. He then looked at Lilith expecting her to mount the other one but instead she began walking down the path toward the Marketplace pushing herself forward 15’ at a time. Realizing his mistake Kevin brought his horse around and began to follow her.

“How fast can you move now? Can you run?” Kevin asked with a sheepish look on his face.

“Its not so much how fast I can run, but rather how far I can jump.” Lilith said before jumping 150’ into the distance and looking back at Kevin.

He quickly smacked the reigns on both sides of his horse which promptly sped up to a gallop. Soon he had caught up to Lilith and was going past her at some speed.

A few more jumps and Lilith was halfway to the Marketplace, but she then stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes met with a strange man. He was dressed in brown robes that were lined with gold and carried a staff made from the branch of a cedar tree. A type of tree Lilith had not seen in this area. But what she was sure no one else could see was that he was walking around town in a fabricated body. A construction of magic. The sheer size and splendor of his real body only apparent to Lilith who could see the ghostly form hanging behind him, hiding in the near ethereal. The old man with white hair and blue eyes was standing still in her path looking directly at her with an expectant expression as if he wanted to start a conversation.

Lilith walked up to the man, her tail leaving a path of smoothed road behind her. Seeing Lilith come to a stop, Kevin pulled back on the rains. His horse soon responded slowing and stopping some distance away before he turned back to try and see what the strange man wanted.

Lilith looked at the spectral form of a Golden Dragon hanging behind the man it moved as if suspended in fluid its tail and wings swishing about exerting very little effort to hold still on the ethereal plane.

While she didn’t want to offend the dragon she did want to confront the brigands on the road before they killed anyone. So she decided to start out with an apology.

“I am sorry. I don’t have time for a long conversation sir. Our citizens are being accosted by bandits as we speak.”

“That is fine but tell me what do you plan to do to those bandits when you find them?” The golden dragon asked.

“If they draw weapons I will most likely kill them. But if they don’t resist I may just chain them up and bring them back to town. My orders were to make an example of them but I don’t think I can slaughter people even if they are criminals.”

“So you are chaotic, willing to disobey your orders to preserve life even if it is unworthy of your mercy.” he said as he tilted his head trying to get a better look at her.

“I suppose you could say that. But I try not to cause trouble on my own.” Lilith said feeling a bit defensive. She had never thought of herself as chaotic but instead as a free thinker. Pondering on that thought a little longer, she realized that a free thinker is exactly how a chaotic good person would describe themselves.

“Then what about that demon you have in your closet?” he asked looking over her shoulder at the castle on the hill.

“He is no more a demon than I am. You can go talk to him too if you like.” Lilith said glibly.

“Very well I will do just that but first tell me who is ruling this land currently. I am having trouble keeping up.” The dragon asked politely as Kevin drew near on his horse hearing the question.

“Sir Tanel is currently serving as regent but my mother will resume her reign at the end of the month. And whats this about another demon in the keep? Kevin asks as he stopped and dismounts his horse.

“Oh, the knight from Neverwinter? I am glad things are working out for him. So sad what happened to his brother. And don’t worry about the demon. I will take care of it soon enough, one way, or another.” The old man bowed then walked around Lilith and Kevin both before he continued up the Ducal way towards the castle not even bothering to look back.

“Who was that? And what was that about a demon in your closet?”

“Kevin why do you like me? Why don’t you look at me and see a demon?”

“I don’t know Lilith. I have been to many places. I have seen creatures that look like nightmares. I have slain beasts that were diseased with their skin falling off. But sadly I have also killed men that were just as horrible on the inside. Twisted things that would pit neighbor against neighbor for their own amusement. However you aren’t like them you treat people the way they treat you. Sometimes you treat them even better. Just like with that old man you treated him with kindness and respect even though we don’t have the time for it. I see a noble heart in you, not just a tail or red eyes.”

“And what if it is more than just a tail what if I get more grotesque and snake like?”

“As long as you are still you I don’t think it will matter.”

“I can’t accept that. There has to be some other reason you are after me. I am not worthy of such affection.”

“Ok maybe there is one more thing I am afraid to admit.” Kevin said giving Lilith a slightly dejected look.

“Hah I knew it. Come on tell me.” she said pointing a single finger at him.

“Well when Wendel told me about you he mentioned how I should be careful because you were as strong as 10 men. I was excited and pursued you because I was desperate to find a partner I wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally hurting in a fit of passion. You see doors aren’t the only things I nearly broke.” Kevin said, his face begining to blush as he spoke.

Lilith let out a muffled laugh at the thought of him and his ‘difficulties’. It was a problem she could relate to but that made it all the more hilarious to her.

“Don’t worry the girl was ok.” Kevin said in a mocking tone before he too started laughing.

“Ok Ok Ok.” Lilith said trying to steady herself and stop laughing. “Now I at least know where we stand Kevin.”

“Is that good?” he asked sheepishly

“Yes very good. You think there is something noble in me. Well I think there is something divine in all of us even that old man or that stupid Dwarf, Gonald.

“So my sweet, are you going to tell me about this demon in your closet?” Kevin asked in a playful tone.

“There is no demon only a telepathic snake. And I am sure that dragon will sort it out. He seemed like the calm and rational type. I don’t know what Sir Tanel was all worried about, honestly.” Lilith said her hand making a dismissive gesture towards the keep.

“Dragon?” Kevin asked in a hushed tone as if she had spoken some forbidden word.

“Ya, now come on, we have bandits to accost.” Lilith said as she smacked Kevin on the butt and teleported ahead landing on the far side of the market closer to the Caravan gate.

Only a minute later they had exited the gate and started heading north on the main road. They passed a steady stream of carts and citizens, some most on horses or carts while some were on foot with only a backpack or satchel. Many of them cheered for Kevin as they saw him ride past at full speed. Lilith had given up trying to move forward using her legs and her tail. They just didn’t work well together at speed. Instead she teleported 150’ at a time on the grass at the side of the road only stopping every few minutes to let her stomach settle.

After a half hours ride and more jumps than she could count, they saw it a traffic jam of carts, horses and desperate people heading south towards the town. And there at the head of that line there were ten men most with weapons slung on their hips or their backs. Two men however had crossbows at the ready currently pointed at the cart that was at the forefront of the line.

Lilith and Kevin stopped short some 500’ away from the road block. Off to the side Lilith hid most of herself in the long grass as Kevin coaxed his horse closer to her.

“Do you want me to go in first and talk to them maybe get them to surround me?” she asked in a hushed tone once he was within earshot.

“Why do you want them to surround you?” he asked sounding surprised.

“Easier to get them all with a spell.”

“Well I don’t want to take any of those cross bow bolts so feel free to work your magic. I can chase down any that try to flee.”

“How chivalrous of you.” Lilith said in mock offense.

“Oh then, how about we go in together?” Kevin suggested

“Fine!”

“Fine!” Kevin replied a bit louder than he intended before he brought his horse back up to a trot. Meanwhile Lilith started jumping only 80’ at a time to keep up with him.

As they approached the bandits, most of the men turned around seeming surprised by traffic coming the other way. The two men ransoming the cart continued going about their business while the rest came over to stand in front of Lilith and Kevin, one of them brandishing a sword while the other held a crossbow at the low ready. There was some discussion from the men many of them pointing at Lilith. Whatever they were discussing it seemed to be settled as one of them spoke up.“Stop there, we are charging a toll today to pay for security on this road.” The bandit with the crossbow said in a loud voice directed at Kevin.

“Come on you aren’t fooling anyone. You are robbing these people. In any case we are the actual security so I am going to have to ask the lot of you to stop your operation and form a line over there.” Lilith said in her most confident and commanding voice.

“Hey Boss we got a couple from town here they want us to stop our ‘operation’.” the Bandit with the sword said while the one with the crossbow brought it up to his shoulder leveling it at her.

“Who said we were a couple?” Lilith asked with as tone of incredulity as the group of ten men began to draw weapons and surround them. The two men holding up the cart also began to turn as Kevin got off his horse and drew his sword. This of course prompted the nearest bandit to charge him hoping to get a swing in before his blade cleared his belt.

Faster than she believed was humanly possible Lilith saw Kevin parry the incoming blow and slice the bandit at the waist and neck only to turn and bring his guard up facing the next closest man.

Realizing just how badly they were surrounded Lilith began casting a spell as most of the eyes were off her and instead looking at their compatriot who was now spurting an unhealthy amount of blood from two grievous wounds as he fell screaming.

[Ho] [Ba] [Va] [Hold person] sounded out as 5 of the bandits were frozen in place unable to move a muscle. Three of the men continued their attack on Kevin while one turned to fire a crossbow bolt at Lilith.

Lilith jumped directly behind the bandit as he fired only to strike him on the side of the head with her gauntleted hand, knocking him out cold. Next she cast fire bolt on one of the men who leveled a crossbow at Kevin. He hadn’t fired yet as he was looking for an opening as the other two engage the swordsman. The bolt of fire landed, her target dropping the crossbow as he fell forward, a smoldering crater in his back.

Kevin blocked the next attack by the closest bandit before he kicked him in the stomach sending him reeling. Then he turned to face the last man who was charging him with a sword that swung from left to right. Kevin hopped back out ranging the blow before he darted in knocking the bandit’s longsword down before he cut upward the brigand’s his head losing its top half at the nose. Turning back to the man recovering from the kick Kevin heard the sound of fire strike a man behind him. Seeing this last man hesitate he spoke to him. “Drop your weapon or suffer the same fate.” as he pointed the tip of his glowing sword at the mans head from 10’ away.

The bandit wisely dropped his sword and Lilith started looking at the carnage they had left behind. It was at this moment she realized that swords were not a very forgiving weapon. They were far messier than guns or spells and they never ran out of ammo. Two more of the bandits that had been approaching with crossbows had lowered before tossing them away completely at the gruesome scene. After a visit to his horse Kevin began placing manacles on the surrendering men securing their hands behind there backs. He then searched them for weapons before sitting them against each other just off the road. Tossing a few found daggers aside he looked at Lilith for a plan of action.

“Put them against the tree.” Lilith said. Apparently the bandits had chosen this spot because of the large shade tree near the road. ‘After all, who wants to rob people while standing in the hot sun’ she thought.

“What about the others?” Kevin asked looking at the five men who were still frozen with pained expressions, their eyes tracking Kevin and Lilith as they walked around them.

“Oh I can move them. Bring the manacles” Lilith said as she picked up the first frozen bandit bringing him closer to the tree. She then pulled his arms back behind him while Kevin began slapping the manacles on.

This continued for a few minutes as the waylayed onlookers began to cheer and start traveling again. As each cart went by there was another shout of praise as Lilith kept moving the still living bandits while Kevin kept searching them and putting the manacles on.

After about two minutes the spell wore off and the bandits began talking and moving again, all except for the one Lilith had knocked out. Seeing as all the bandit were manacled and sitting down near the tree Lilith decided to address them.

“Hey! Listen up. Don’t try to escape or you will just die with a spell in your back. Now which one of you is the leader? I heard someone called boss a minute ago?” Lilith said pointing a finger at each one of the bandits.

“That one.. with the missing head. That's Gavin.” One of the bandits said.

“Gee and I bet he thought ‘I am going to make a killing today’ when he woke up this morning. Huh? What a bright idea you lot had robbing people on the main road.” She said in a mocking tone.

“Ya it was a dumb idea, but we thought the militia would be too busy with the orcs coming and all.”

“Well I finished my work early. Now where is the gold you have been taking?” Lilith barked.

“Its in this chest here.” another bandit said tilting his head towards the other side of the tree.

Sure enough behind the tree was a wooden strongbox with brass fittings on the hinges and corners. Inside Lilith found about 300 gold. She closed it securing the latch before securing it in one of the large saddle bags on the horse. She then looked over the horse before turning back to Kevin asking. “Do you have any rope?”

“No I just brought my armor, weapons, and the manacles how about you fair lady?”

“And you call yourself and adventurer. Fine I’ll just have to make some.” Lilith then began casting Fabricate while moving the gray box through the field of grass. As it moved she gathered the grass and weaved it together forming an every growing length of hempen rope. When she had 50’ of it she brought it back over to her and canceled the spell.

Noticing that they were distracted three of the men decided to run in two different directions.

Lilith dropped the rope near the horse while Kevin took off to chase down the single bandit. This left the two running south for her. In only a few jumps she caught up to the slower of the two lifting him off the ground by grabbing and twisting his clothing in her left fist. She then jumped to the second one and did the same. The third bandit however wasn’t so lucky. There was a cloud of dust in the distance as Kevin had kicked and tripped the shacked man from behind. The swordsman was now helping the criminal back to his feet while giving him a few choice words.

The other bandits however hadn’t moved perhaps motivated by the still bleeding bodies only a few yards away in the mid day sun.

Lilith then jumped back to the tree a brigand in each hand as Kevin and the now dusty bandit returned at a slow walk.

“Now don’t do that again or I am going to start breaking your ankles. Starting with you stinky.”

“Hey! I’m the cleanest one here.” the man complained as Lilith set him down with the others.

Noticing that this man indeed was far from the dirtiest man there, Lilith began to question what her nose was telling her. This man had a particularly unappetizing smell to him like spoiled food. She then got the impression that his soul was tainted in some way. He didn’t smell like food. He smelled like the opposite. Leaning in she sniffed him again some part of her concluding that he was unclaimed by any god and wasn’t worth eating or corrupting. His soul was utterly worthless. Standing back up she scraped her tongue against her top teeth trying to clear her palate before moving back to the horse.

There Lilith picked up the rope as Kevin stood watch over the bandits sword at the ready. She then ran one end through each of the men’s linked arms before tying the ends together behind the tree in a series of knots.

“Now y'all are going to spend the night here. If you are lucky we will send a group of guards out to get you after we are done fighting the orcs. If you are unlucky something else will find you first. So I suggest you stay quiet.”

Kevin then gathered up the weapons lashing what he could to the side of his horse. The much bulkier crossbows were handed off to the next cart that went by with directions to turn them in at the caravan gate.

“What do you want to do with the bodies?” Kevin asked as he continued to secure the other weapons to his horse.

“I can’t be bothered to bury such men. Lets stack em over there on that patch of dirt. We can cremate them burn em to ash.” Lilith said pointing to a patch of gravel that had almost no vegetation on it. She then helped Kevin bring the bodies over jumping with a corpse in hand while he dragged two. It seemed weird to her she had never handled a dead body. Luckily she was carrying the one that wasn’t bleeding, the one with the crater in his back. Searching the bodies they found more coins and a few scraps of paper. They had names mostly. Lilith thought they might be names of people that would take bribes or could be used as fences given the small symbols sketched next to each name.

Not wanting to touch the bleeding bodies too much she put both the papers and the coins into the strongbox and closed it again. Then she cast [Flaming Sphere] and began reducing the corpses to ash. As parts of the deceased began to blow away on the wind Lilith muttered something to herself. “Ashes to Ashes Dust to Dust.” She then drew the sign of the cross on her person and mourned for them just the slightest bit.

Then both her and Kevin began the trek back to town. It took a bit longer as the horse was now carrying weapons and gold. For the most part they talked about mundane things, people, places. A few bits of history from her world. Lilith was still feeling a bit uneasy due to all the blood and gore they had caused. As they traveled she suddenly wanted to ride a horse again, the memory of her errands the other day still fresh in her mind. Eventually they arriving back at around 2 o’clock, dusty tired and utterly exhausted.

They stopped at the gate handing off the strong box and the weapons before they went to the keep and the dining hall inside. With a bedraggled look on their faces they ordered some food. They waited there silently for a second before Lilith began cleaning both of them with prestidigitation. Soon enough they had there food and a table.

As they sat across from each other, Lilith began to talk about the battle with the bandits, the shock of all the blood and gore having faded a bit.

“You know I have never seen a blade move that fast. How did you do that?” Lilith began as she looked over her plate.

“Well I have had a bit of practice. Mother hired the best swordsman in the land, he called himself a sword saint in fact, and he taught me for 8 years.” Kevin said taking a drink of water directly from a pitcher that had been brought over to them.

“And what did he teach you? That seemed a little bit more than just a technique.” she said extending a hand for the same pitcher when he was done.

“He taught me to have faith in my abilities because they were given to me by my god and that as long as I have faith in my god my skill will never fail me.” He paused looking at the confused expression on Lilith’s face before he continued. “It is kind of one step short of being a paladin. My faith powers my attacks and defense rather than my god directly giving me power.”

“Oh and what god is that exactly?” Lilith asked as she took a big bite of a chicken leg.

“Tempus, the god of war.” Kevin noticed she had just taken a bite and wasn’t likely to respond so he elaborated. “You probably have heard things about him but he doesn’t advocate for war at all times. He just wants it be honorable and fought with strength and cunning when it does happen.” Kevin said tripping over a few words as he went.

“Does your mother also pray to him?” Lilith asked thinking that that would fit her to a T.

“Yes, but that’s neither here nor there. The point is, I have studied the teachings of Tempus and those of my mentor and they have served me well.”

“So that's why you didn’t like the idea of being surrounded.”

“Yes it goes against the teachings of Tempus and everyday common sense for that matter.” Kevin waved over the server as they came out of the kitchen with some wine. “But I guess all the rules of battle go out the window when you have magic. What exactly did you do to stun them like that?”

“Hold Person, but I up cast it so that it would hit almost all of them.” Lilith explained.

“Oh ha ha that's exactly what it did. Have you used it before?”

“I haven’t exactly used it before but I have practiced with it after a fashion.” she admitted before taking a few more bites from her lunch.

“I was worried with you being surrounded and all.”

“Come on, you know I wouldn’t want to be surrounded unless it gave me an advantage right?” Lilith decided not to use the Chesty Puller quote instead she tried eating a few of the carrots on her plate. She didn’t really chew them so much as she swallowed the circular cut pieces as Kevin also ate. Having finished off her vegetables she spoke up again. “Besides you drawing your sword and filleting that bandit was a good distraction.” Lilith then went back to finish off the chicken.

“Well it worked. I just hope you have something flashier ready for the orcs tomorrow.” Kevin said as he tilted his head towards Lilith.

“Oh baby, you have no idea.” she said with a wicked grin.

They soon finished their lunch and headed to the Master Study to report their success. Inside they found Sir Tanel and Lady Morwen sitting on the sofa wine glasses in hand. Kevin knocked on the open door to announce their presence. Almost in unison they each put down their wine and stood to greet the weary travelers.

“Kevin dear, you were magnificent I saw the whole thing on the orb.” Lady Morwen said as she went over to hug him.

Lilith took a half step to the side as Kevin stood still almost at attention. Soon she let go of him and instead grasp at both his hands. This finally brought a smile to his face as if some kind of spell had been lifted.

“I missed this.. the real you… It was hard thinking that you had sent me away.”

“I’m sorry to hear that but you remember no one is more proud of you than I am and I always will be.” she said as she squeezed his hands in hers.

“Lilith we got the strangest visitor shortly after you left perhaps you can shed some light on this. He claimed to be a cleric of Torm.” Sir Tanel said as he took a step forward.

“Oh I hope he was polite.” Lilith said with just the faintest hint of a smile at one corner of her mouth.

“He was but he was strange. He said that we had a demon staying in our third guest room. So I explained that you weren’t a demon and that you had in fact taken up the task of defending this town.” Sir Tanel explained walking over to where she was standing next to Kevin and the Duchess.

“Ok then what?” Lilith asked seeming to give Sir Tanel her full attention.

“Then he said that he had already talked to you a ‘lovely lady with red eyes’ but that he still needed to talk to the demon in your closet.” Sir Tanel paused for dramatic effect waiting for a response from her. Lilith swallowed a lump in her throat putting on her best innocent face while not giving a response. “So Lady Morwen let him in while I stood in the hall watching. He opened your closet and then had a very one sided conversation with one of your dresses.” Sir Tanel explained in a deadpan fashion.

Lilith began laughing at this point placing an arm on Kevin’s shoulder to help steady herself. Kevin just stood firm not laughing but still smiling not knowing what to say.

“Once his conversation in the closet was done he left the room seeming to be satisfied but he did ask one last question before he left. He was adamant about knowing who was responsible for helping the false dutchess. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that a cleric was asking about every demon that had been in town. So we told him about Lady Cromm and the necromancer that you saw leaving her hold just yesterday. He didn’t say much in reply, he simply wished blessings upon us and left.” Sir Tanel said trying to figure out why Lilith was laughing so hard.

Lilith was still laughing her face turning a bright red. Even Lady Morwen began to laugh too out of sympathy. She then stood up strait wiping the tears from her eyes before she put a firm hand on Sir Tanel’s shoulder saying “Well I am glad your conversation with the gold dragon went so well. See there was nothing to worry about after all.”

Lady Morwen’s laughter stopped abruptly “That was a….” she tried but couldn’t finish her sentence.

“Your eyes, you could see him just like you saw Pencheska.” Sir Tanel confirmed while holding a hand to his mouth as well.

“Yep!” Lilith said with another laugh.

“But what was he doing talking to your dress?” Lady Morwen asked, looking more confused than ever.

“Who knows?” Lilith said a fresh smile drawing across her face.

“Well if you two had a talk already then I guess things are settled. That is one less thing I have to worry about this day. Oh I almost forgot. What did you do with the bandits?”

“We tied them to a tree they all have manacles but they were tied to the tree with rope. So they could break free with some effort but we told them they would be safer staying quiet.” Kevin said sounding a bit proud of himself.

“And I burned the corpses.” Lilith added.

“Oh, should we pick them up for trial some time tomorrow?”

“Meh, maybe?” Lilith said shaking a hand in the air.

Lilith then asked about Wendel and Celeste finding out that they were both in the tower making preparations for the battle. Specifically they were making scrolls of fireball. She soon excused herself wanting to go join them but made sure to give Kevin a gentle hug first. She didn’t really know why she did that. It just seemed appropriate given what they had been through that day.

Leaving the castle, she cut across the grassy area that her and Celeste had been using as a landing strip. The green field felt nice under her tail, it was a welcome respite compared to the dirt and gravel roads she had been traveling earlier. Lilith pushed herself forward 20’ at a time her legs working quickly to keep up sometimes lifting off the ground completely like she was running on the moon. Once she was closer she jumped to the door greeeting the two guards with a wave. As she was a regular now, they let her in without needing to state her business. Lilith stopped on the first floor entering the laboratory to stare at the black cylinder in the middle of the room. She then said a new curse at Pencheska one she intended to enact herself. “You lascivious bitch, how could you taint the love between a mother and her son. Some day, I will be your end.” Seeing no response from the Demon who could neither see nor hear the world around her, she decided to head up stairs to the library on the second floor where she found her friends.

She was happy to see them of course but she also knew she needed to confess something to them something that couldn’t wait.