The caravan stayed around where they were for the next ten days. One of the reasons being, is that they needed to spend time acclimating the eighty-three goblin children into the goblin portion of caravan group.

So it was also decided that, with some of the more imposing terrain ahead of them. That Flannik, along with Seshat, Creeping Ivy, a few of their respective students each, and Crystaria: whom, along with Flannik. Decided to use the rough terrain and down time, to teach a few more people how to use sign-language as magic.

While it was normally Seshat’s job to be the primary teacher for those who wanted to learn goblin or other things. Greed took up the roll with a couple of his mates, while the others were busy.

On the second day Athena had gotten her strength back. She then went out to look for Stubs and Willow, to confer with them their intentions about joining the army. Willow told her she would as long as they were, but that before she committed to it, that she was going to join Creeping Ivy’s medical group to learn about healing.

Stubbs was concerned about joining ahead of her, but Willow reassured him that it would be alright. That she would prefer it if he went in first, to keep Athena company.

Though reluctant to part, he did as she bid. Then the two of them, Athena and Stubs, sought out Lirania, to ask to join the army regiment.

This was once again, another shocking thing to hear from Athena for Crystaria, who fretted non-stop about her safety. To which Athena assured her that it was her choice, that this was what she wanted to do; to protect people.

Now it was eight days later for Crystaria, and she was in a funk. While she was enjoying her time learning to cast and experiment with magic. She was also seriously missing her friend, whom she hadn’t be able to see for quite some time.

Any interaction with Athena was always in passing, and any time they were both in camp. Athena was always with her own group of goblins and orcs from the army.

This made Crystaria reluctant to just barge in and talk with her. She didn’t want to come across as clingy. And she also didn’t want to cause more trouble for her.

She had talked with Artemis a day or so after the trial. To which Artemis conferred to her: that Athena was being beset by rumors that how she had gotten her role in the first place was do to Artemis and Crystaria; which was why that incident came to a head to begin with.

This made Crystaria even more wary of her interactions with Athena. For while she wanted nothing more then to hangout with her. She knew it wasn’t the right time or place while they were traveling.

Just a bit more. Crystaria told herself. Once we get to the Graggoremire plain… Once we build our new homes and establish our new country… Then! Then I ask her.

After that first incident with the large scavenger clan. It had been pretty smooth sailing from there. Despite set backs, they estimated that they were already head if schedule.

After another ten days of travel, they came across another two clans of goblins, both of which decided to leave to travel for mount Graggoremire, with the hopes of joining the Pinnacle Goblin clan. These groups were vastly smaller then the scavenger clan they had previously encountered. Whereas that clan had numbered in the hundreds. These smaller settlements barely rounded fifty, the smaller of the two being only thirty-eight.

Flannik theorized. That while their group was larger now, then when the orcs traveled through here. They were making better time with the fact that they were clearing the forest and making a path that was easier to traverse.

He also commented that with an easier way to cast magic and with no need for subtle actions on their part, they were free to just keep moving forwards, without the need for extra caution.

Crystaria agree with him, at the least on the latter half.

It was about five days of more traveling that they came to another problem.

It was mostly that they pace they were going at was working against them. They realized that everyone was tired. They were also going to be soon running low on food. They weren’t there yet. But Crystaria decided that now was about as good as time as any to establish an outpost.

So they stopped their caravan for five days to resupply before they made any move forwards.

Crystaria used this opportunity to cut trees down from their path, to bring then back to make a “small” outpost shelter, as she called it.

“You call this small?!” Artemis argued with Crystaria after she looked at the enormous log mansion that stood in the middle of the forest now.

“What?! This is small! This only has like, twenty odd small rooms! That is not even going to fit everyone here! Heck! Even with the large opened entry hall! If we squeezed everyone we could in here. I doubt we would be able to sleep more than two-hundred!” Crystaria defended.

She had used some of the bags of cement they had taken with them to mortar up the walls of this log cabin she constructed.

“It is as tall as five orcs standing on top of each other! Damnations Crysta! This must be at least be at least twenty yalms tall!” Artemis groused.

Crystaria just shrugged.

“I figured if we’re going to be spending a few days here. We may as well have a place that is nice to stay in. You know we planned for this remember? We were going to establish outposts along the way, so the journey to and from Graggoremire mountain is quite so daunting?”

“Yes! But we also discussed that it would be things like small huts for resting, for any travelers who came through here! Not a giant building made of logs!” Artemis said flabbergasted.

“Ah, Details, Details! Besides! Someone might eventually take up residence here and make it into something.” Crystaria imagined.

“Like what?” Artemis questioned.

“Like an inn maybe? Or maybe a tavern!” Crystaria thought out loud, more than conversing with Artemis.

“And what in the name of the Dark God is an inn? Or a tavern for that matter?”

Crystaria looked at Artemis incredulously for a moment.

“What?! Why are you looking at this one like that for?!” Artemis groused.

It took a moment for Crystaria to put the pieces together. She realized, that of  course the goblins of recent years, or maybe never for that matter. Had never once used the words tavern or inn before to describe something.

“Huh?…” She went back to staring at the building. “Never mind… maybe not…”

“*TSK* I swear! If this is another one of those “human” things, Artemis is going to!-“

“General!” Called someone from to their left.

Artemis and Crystaria turned to towards the voice to see Amethyst running over to them.

“You’ll never believe it! It is a huge!-“

“Ranger! Report to us like your supposed to! How many times does Artemis have to tell you? RAAGH!” Artemis growled at her.

“*AHEM* Sorry General,” She apologized meekly. “This one was just so excited! We found an old path way about five or six alms head of here. Once we clear the path a little to it. It looks like it goes on for a while. We’re exploring it now, but it looks like it goes for alms and alms!”

“Ah! That must be the pathway the orcs mentioned that they took when they first got here. Strange? Artemis didn’t think we would find it this soon…” Artemis pondered skeptically.

“Ah ha! And also, also! It is near a river! So it will provide lots of fish and water to drink.”

“Well! Reassuring news all around then!” Crystaria chimed in on what Amethyst was raving about.

“It sure is Crysta!”

“Are you on duty private?” Artemis asked Amethyst.

“Yes?… why?” She responded.

“They why is hell are you addressing the Demon Lord casually!” Artemis berated.

“Artemis… don’t be such a stickler.” Crystaria chided.

“Yeah! Crysta is more than just a Demon Lord! She is are friend!” Amethyst agreed.

“Both of you! Stop being so silly! Only Artemis can be this silly whenever she wants!” Artemis jested with false anger.

This caused Amethyst and Crystaria to giggle at Artemis antics.

Artemis smiled motherly at Amethyst before reaching over and rubbing her head.

“Good job. Tell the rest of your squad private that I am proud of you guy.”

Amethyst looked up at Artemis’s face in disbelief at her praise. While she was happy about it; it was something that didn’t come often.

She saluted across her chest.

“Yes ma’am!” Before she turned about face and scampered off.

Crystaria smiled at her departing figure.

“She is a great kid.” She commented.

Artemis scoffed.

“Kid? She is a fully grown adult you know? She is already twelve.”

“… Still a child in my book.” Crystaria thought aloud.

“BAH! That way of thinking is weird to apply to goblins, you realize that right?” Artemis chided.

“Yeah… I know… but old conceptions that you hold onto for awhile are hard to move past.”

Artemis looks down at Crystaria with a wane smile.

“You know my offspring is only seventeen summers old this year, right?”

She loved to see the tips of her ears, along with right around Crystaria’s eyes, go from a mossy green, to a redish-brown color

“Yeah…” Crystaria replied as she reached up to sooth her face from the heat that rose in her cheeks. “…I know…”

“You don’t think of her as a kid, do you?” She asked coyly.

“No!” Crystaria waved her hands in-front of her. “Not at all! … er… I mean… I see her as young! But I don’t look at her as naive with no experience……..” Crystaria looked away. She played with the tips of her fingers for a long time. “Do you think I might be to old for her?”

“HA! You? Old? Hahahaha!” Artemis laughed at her silly question.

Crystaria just chose to glare playfully at her.

“Despite my diminutive size. I am not at all young.” She confirmed.

“Really? Older then fifty-six summers are you?” Artemis said in comparison to her own age. “Should mating someone twelve summers older than yourself make be to much between each other.”

“…Twelve… No… but is twenty-one?”

Artemis had to bite her lip at that. She looked down at Crystaria in astonishment.

“ twenty-one? As in the gap between?”

“…yeah…”

“I see… Is that why you hesitate?”

“……… It was one of them…”

“You have more than one?” She gently probes.

“… Artemis… I don’t want you to be made for what I am about to say…”

“Artemis promises that she will only be mad if she thinks you deserve it!”

Crystaria snorts at her backhanded promise, but feels oddly reassured at the same time.

“Another thing holding me back, was that I wasn’t even sure I wanted to stay here; as in, I had still wanted to return to Earth Artemis: my home world.”

“Aaahhhh! Yeah… Artemis would see why that might upset some to hear… but you said was? does this mean?…” Artemis hesitated to hope to lead on Crystaria.

“…Yeah…” She answers breathily. “I have more resolved myself to stay. I think she is worth it.”

Artemis forced a caring smile onto her face while looking at the Demon Lord.

“That is good to hear. For many reasons. Artemis and her mates couldn’t think of a better person. All are literally lesser if you ask people!” She quipped.

“…… Well… this is where you might want to remember your promise.” She warned Artemis. “I hate myself Arty… I really hate what I am.”

“…Artemis is scared to ask-“

“I hate being a goblin Artemis!” Crystaria interrupted her through a quiet hiss in her direction. She looks back down at her hands which were trembling as she explains. “Even after all this time Artemis. I don’t feel right in this body. It makes me feel… for the lack of a better term. Yucky… wrong even.”

Artemis felt herself grow angry for a second, but the Demon Lord held up a hand.

“This isn’t actually about me being a goblin; I can’t say I like it. But it has nothing to do with me hating goblins.”

Artemis took a breath before she said anything she might regret.

“Then what is it?” She firmly asked.

“It’s that I am not human anymore… honestly? If I could have been here on this planet, and still been in my human form. I would have still helped you guys with everything up to now. Heck! I am almost sure that everything would have been the same, minus me being angry with my own reflection.”

“So you’re saying that if you were something similar to one of the alliance’s races? You would have been fine with everything?” Artemis questioned.

“No… maybe the closest thing would have been the elves… but I think I would have hated it just the same… Artemis… …the only way to explain it, is like being in mud soaked clothes all day, while also being covered in mud from head-to-toe; nothing feels right, it all feels to different. The worst part is. Is that nothing has yet to wash that feeling off of me: I have gotten used to it… but I suspect that it never will.”

Artemis smiled sympathetically at the young at heart Demon Lord. She got to one knee, then pulled her into a hug, embracing her into her bosom. She rested her chin on top of Crystaria’s head.

“There there, sweet child. Artemis is here… No matter what Crysta: Artemis and her family will always love you, just the way you are, even if you don’t like you, yourself.” She said soothingly.

“………..” Crystaria said nothing, out of risk that she might cry. She just leaned her head against Artemis’s clavicle. “……Thank you Arty…..” She whispered in a strained voice.

After a minute of embracing. Artemis quickly stands, detangling herself from Crystaria.

“Now?! Why don’t you show Artemis around this mansion you have built, while you explain what a “tavern” is.”

Crystaria couldn’t help but giggle at Artemis’s quick change in antics.

Oh Arty. Never change. She thought to herself.

“I would be delighted.” She made a flourishing pose, stepping out of Artemis way. “Right this way madam.”

“Cheeky brat!” This earned Crystaria a slap to the exposed back of her head now that she was bowing.

————————————————-

After a week of resting in the mansion, letting people rotate in-and-out of sleeping in there. They were then on the move again.

The goblin kids they had picked up from the scavenger village were adapting surprisingly well, against most peoples’ skepticism. They quickly picked up Seshat’s, and on occasion, Greeds, lessons in proper goblin primer, (English), rather well.

This was a boon to Crystaria, as it helped to reaffirm her point that education should be started early, because kids learned basics more easily than adults.

About a day after leaving the mansion, they were on the trial that the rangers had discovered.

The trial itself was also a boon. Well worn paths that were cut into the large Graggoremire forest. It was at least able to fit two of their cart lengths side-by-side close to each, but not comfortably. But the lack of having to stop constantly and clear a path or area out was a big stress relief for the group as a whole.

They did end up clearing some areas along the path, mostly for ease of setting campsites, and also to make jutting path towards the river while it was in sight.

Along with the long rest period they had. They also took the time to gather more supplies for the rest of the journey.

The rangers reported back eventually stating that the path made its way almost to the edge of the forest. But then started going the wrong direction.

This didn’t bother the group in their plans as a whole. So they just continued forward.

The pathway was also further confirmed by Hush, Breeze, Lirania and Flannik. Though the latter two stated that they didn’t find the pathway until it was to late to make use of it. That was why they took longer to arrive then Fraggrim’s clan: Hush and Breeze’s father.

It was about four days into their journey onto the path that they ran into one of their first major incidents since the start of the journey.

“You! Trespassers! Leave now!” Shouted a goblin dressed in a large amounts if bones and leather armor. He also had with him, a large number of goblins  half surrounding their caravan.

No one was actually intimidated by what looked like about a thousand armed goblins surrounding them. They had that almost triple in number for rangers, with almost but not nearly double that thousand in just orcs alone.

With a force if nearly five-thousand almost everyone in the caravan thought of this as some sort of an annoyance, rather than a danger.

Five of the counsel members came up to greet the goblin clan that was barring their way.

“Greetings! How are you this fine day?” Crystaria asked cheerfully.

“Why is this child speaking to this great one?! Do you not know who this one is?!”

Crystaria had to take a breath to calm herself after what he said about her.

“Actually no! We don’t care to-“

“Silence small pathetic child! You are speaking to the great and powerful Green Gob! Leader of the clan Hidden in the Forest!”

Crystaria once again had to take a deep breath, just to remain calm. When she let it out, it sounded as if she was growling.

“Look!” She shouted at Green Gob. “We mean your clan no harm we are only passing-“

“THIS ONE WILL SPEAK WHEN SPOKEN TO SMALL CHILD! SO GREEN GOB HAS SPOKEN!”

“Alright… I am done. Flannik.” She called.

“Yes Demon Lord.” He said loud enough for Green Gob to hear.

“D-D-D-… D-De-De….. De-De-Demon Lord?!” Green Gob spoke aloud in astonishment. His fear so palpable, that the rest of his group also started to tremble in fear.

“I am going to do what I have been practicing.” She warned him.

Flannik only raised an eyebrow at her.

“Do you think you can achieve it this time?”

“I am pretty confident right now. But if I can’t, I thought I may as well give you guys a heads up.”

“Very well.” With that, Flannik took cautions step back from the Demon Lord.

“W-W-W-Wait! Let us take about this!” Green Gob tried to reason.

“Sorry.” Crystaria lamented. “That time has passed.” She raised her hand so that her palm was facing Green Gob.

Crystaria closed her eyes while taking a deep breath. She then concentrated on her surroundings.

Then she released it.

Her aura, ripe with anger, spread like a living serpent on the ground as it slithered towards the goblins lining the trees surrounding them. It looked like a hazy mirage of black smoke with red lighting crackling through it. Its quick spreading actions quickly moved from Crystaria all around her, in all directions.

It crawled and made its way up towards the throats off all the goblins hiding in the trees around them. This then made it very hard for them to suck in a lung full of air. Causing some to choke and fall on their knees.

Crystaria’s concentration wasn’t perfect. While she did her best, her aura still slithered around some her own allies, trying to get to the other goblins as fast as it could; some of it at their feet, some across their chests. But for the most part it left them alone. Which pleased Crystaria that she was finally getting the hang of this.

She didn’t even need to open her eyes anymore to see those who were around her. The aura painting a clear, if not a choppy black-and-white photo of everything it touched

It was a weird thing. While she couldn’t focus on all the images at once. She could also comprehend them all at the same time. It was like looking at a top down view in a real world setting, rather then a game. While she knew every character image on the screen, she couldn’t focus to look at every face of every single one of them at once. She was able to tell who-was-who just based on who her aura was passing by or over though.

She was also able to move over everything, finding every single goblin that was hiding within the trees.

Once they had a sufficient taste of her aura, she released it.

All at once, a few of the goblins that she had restricted that she release had outright fell over from just the sheer intensity of her aura. Even some of her people fell because they had not been prepared, even though she wasn’t attacking them directly.

So of the goblins she had used her aura on had fainted, others just fell down, a lot of them release their bowels, but every single one of them were trembling in fear.

Crystaria lowered her hand, opening her eyes to look at the leader Green Gob.

“Are you ready to talk now?” She asked him politely.

He wet his leather breeches at the sound of her voice while he sat there in fear of her.

He jumped up, then kneeled down with this head touching the ground in-front of him.

“PLEASE! DO NOT HURT THIS ONE!” Green Gob cried in desperation. All of his followers who were still able to stand followed suit.

Crystaria smiled. She was very pleased at his turn in attitude.

Afterwards, they brought the trembling leader of the goblin clan into their midst. Words were exchanged. Deals were offered. With Green Gob more than happy to join their expedition’s caravan.

So Crystaria offered to help them bring their whole clan into their caravan along with anything they could bring for traveling.

They set up camp there for three days, while some more wagons were being built.

After which, the expedition was on the move again.

Not long after that. About another two days later, they had their first dangerous encounter.

————————————————-

“RRRRRAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

“M-M-M-Monster!” An orc guard shouted in fear as a large beast jumped from the woods on the cart he was attending.

It swiped at him with its powerful lizard like claws eviscerating him with one strike, sending him tumbling away.

Goblins not armed not trained started running for their lives, while those who were, took up arms to try and defend against this ferocious beast.

Crystaria, who was far off into the front of the caravan, clearing out more path for them to follow. Heard the sound of a disturbance from far down the line.

“What is?-“ Flannik started to ask her.

But she was already gone in a puff of kicked up dust by the time he got those words out.

Crystaria ran back towards the noise, it becoming clearer that something was attacking them the closer she got to the action.

When she arrived, she saw the creature standing on top of a smashed wooden cart. Bodies inside the cart, bodies surrounding the cart.

She look at the beast, getting a solid look at it for the first time.

It looked much like the ancient mythos legend.

A large firm body twice the size as for oxen.

Wings of an eagle.

Furious dragon’s claws on its front legs.

Back feet with cloven hooves.

The head of a lion.

With a head of a goat on its back.

A viper as a tail.

  

A Chimera.

  

But despite its horrid facade blood dripping from its fangs and teeth, along with bits of flesh caught in its claws.

All Crystaria could see and focus on were the bodies.

Her heart shattering.

They were dead.

They were all dead.

  

“RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH—EEEGHH?!”

 

 

All at once, the people scrambling had come to a stop. Everyone who was now in a panic were now petrified with fear.

But not from the beast.

The beast itself, which was in the middle of a fierce roar, had also gone silent at the pressure emanating around them.

Everyone was frozen into place. All eyes left the beast that was terrorizing them to focus on what their instincts perceived as the larger threat.

Crystaria sauntered forwards towards the beast. Walking towards it with single-minded determination.

The beasts attention was locked on the creature coming towards it. For the first time in its like, the beast trembled in fear of death.

The monster before its eyes was nothing but a swirling mass of black clouds that crackled with blood red lighting. With shadowy elongated appendages. Its eyes burning like red fire, as it stalked it. The eyes of the monster staring at the beast were not that hunger; but that if rage and murder.

It knew that this was the most dangerous animal it had ever seen in its entire life.

It needed to escape.

It needed to run!

Just as its muscles were able to move once more. In the time that it blinked, the monster was in-front of it.

 

 

“YOUR NOT GOING ANYWHERE”

  

 

The beast reared back, trying desperately to escape.

The monster in-front of it lifted an oily black appendage.

The next blink the beast took, the world had appeared as if it was upside down and falling.

 

Huh?

 

The Chimera’s Lions head landed about ten feet away from where Crystaria now stood in-front of the now decapitated corpse. Blood sprayed from the hole where its head used to be, raining down all over her.

Its body being came unstable in death. Its muscles losing the strength to keep it standing.

Crystaria grew fiercely angry again, as she saw that it was about to crash into the bodies underneath it.

She jumps up while kicking out with her foot, straight into the creatures chest.

The front half of the creature exploded into a visceral shower of blood and organs. Its lower half was sent sailing back into the woods, end-over-end, crashing through multiple trees until it landed somewhere far off into the distance.

By the time it had come to a stop, blood was still raining down around Crystaria.

Crystaria slowly turned around to look at the people behind her.

Many had fainted.

Some others were now kneeling, trembling in fear while praying for their lives.

The few soldiers that remained upright, were now pointing their weapons at her. In irrational fear that she was going to attack them next.

That is right. Crystaria thought to herself. I am the real monster here. As she stared down at her blood soaked hands.

“CRYSTA!”

She heard a voice call out to her.

She turned to look at the voice.

She saw her friends had finally come. The look of worry etched deep on their faces

“Are you alright?!” Athena yelled as she dropped her short sword and should to run to her friend.

“ATHENA!” Crystaria cried out. She ran slowly towards her friend with open arms.

Athena bent down, lifting her blood soaked friend off of the ground.

“Oh by the Dark God Crystaria. What happened?” Athena asked gently.

“Their- *HIC* -Their!- *HIC* -Their all dead!- *HIC* -ATHENA! Wwwaaaaaaa-!” She then was unable to hold back. Crystaria broke down into a sob. Crying her broken heart out into Athena’s offered shoulder.

————————————————-

In the aftermath that followed. It was assessed that over thirty-nine people had lost their lives during the beast’s attack.

Seven orcs.

Thirty-two goblins. Fifteen of which were children no older than eight.

It was deduced that the monster, which Crystaria identified as a chimera, attacked the wagon that was least guarded, that had the smallest prey inside.

Seven of the fifteen children were from the scavenger clan, the eight other children were from families of goblins within the caravan. They had also adopted the children that were riding inside that with their own.

A total of sixteen families lost a loved one, one way or another.

Crystaria decided that they would bury the remains of everyone here, making a site dedicated to them.

The caravan spent ten days in mourning.

Crystaria visited the memorial she carved out of a large boulder she found. Placing it next to their graves.

She spent everyday from sunrise to sunset at their graves weeping.

Many of the victims’ families thanked Crystaria for what she had done. Showering her with thanks for being there to protect those she could. They also thank her in no small part for the large area she cleared out, building an almost impressive makeshift village out of the wood she personally cleared.

But there were a few that didn’t.

They spewed hateful things at her. Cursing her name. Blaming her for being to slow. Questioning whether she was the right choice for Demon Lord.

She said nothing against these people. She told them she was sorry. That they were right.

Athena came by almost everyday to check on her friend. On this last day she berated her.

“Are you really going to blame yourself every time someone is hurt or die Crystaria?! There was nothing anyone could have done to prevent this!” She tried to reason.

“…I know…”

“Then why are you behaving like this?!” Athena argued.

“…… Because… If I try to do more… then this… I am going to break down… Again…” She looked up at Athena’s face. Her face wet with tears.

“I know… better than anyone! That nothing I did. Nothing I do. And not a thing  I could have done differently. Will ever bring these people back!” She wheezed with a strained voice of tears. “But God damn it Athena! This is the only thing I can do! That takes away any sort of the pain I am feeling right now!……” She then turned back to look at the memorial one last time.

Athena looked down at her friend, who was staring at the stone plaque, with a look of someone asking for some sort of forgiveness, and receiving none.

Crystaria stood up. Walked over to the memorial. Put her forehead on it while whispering, “I’m sorry.” Before turning around and walking back to the departing caravan.

“Crysta…” Athena gently called to her friend.

“… Athena…” Crystaria stopped moving when she was called out. “We haven’t seen each other or hung-out in awhile.” She commented.

“Yeah… I-“

“But I am going to need a few days more to myself… if that is okay…” Crystaria   Told her without waiting for her to respond.

Athena felt choked up at her friend pushing her away like this. But she knew that Crysta needed some time with this.

“Yeah… let me know when you want to go hangout some time… Maybe go hunting?” Then Athena winced at how insensitive that was. “I mean-“

“It’s fine… I would love too!” Crystaria told her. “So in like three days from now?

Athena smiled gently at that.

“Sure Crysta. Whatever you want…” She assured her. 

“Thanks Athena…” With that they parted ways.

————————————————-

An air of melancholy hung in the air for days after the caravan departed. Some of the families that lost their loved ones, decided to stay behind and let live near the memorial village.

With that incident, they were back to being just on schedule to arrive at the Orc’s tribes of Graggoremire plains.

They estimated that they were about nine days or so away from the village. With that news ahead of them, the camps jovial atmosphere returned in new heights.

Crystaria for her part was mostly back to herself. Athena had kept her word. They had hung-out together in a much needed time to bound over the hardships they both were going through.

Athena complained to Crystaria of all the harsh training she was going through, but loving it.

Crystaria chuckled at her juxtapose plight.

She shared how the leadership roles were going. How the counsel was doing better at making decision that didn’t need her impute at every major juncture.

It was four days later after recieving the news that they were nine days away, that they had finally cleared the tree-lines, making it into the Graggoremire plains proper.

Windswept grasslands that stretched as far as the eye could see. Forests surrounding every side of the plains. Herds of animals that Crystaria had never seen before, grazing in large numbers in the tall grass.

“Wow!” She said amazed.

“Yeah! You can say that again!” Lirania said slightly behind her. Crystaria looked back at her to see her close her eyes, taking a deep breath. “AH! It is good to be home!” She told her.

“Home…” Crystaria heart pinged at the word. “Yeah… home… This is going to be our new home now.” She thought aloud sagely on this.

Lirania then patted her on the back.

“Then let me welcome you first Demon Lord! To your new home!” She said cheerfully.

“Great!… thanks…” She said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

This is going to be a long five days to get to their village. She thought to herself.