Chapter 39: Exploring Limits.
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Brenna felt like her face had been permanently fixed into a flabbergasted expression.

              Everything she was seeing was more advanced than anything else she had see before in her life.

         

Anywhere for that matter!

       

Now that it was in the middle of the day and she wasn’t being dragged around, tied to a pole with her head stuck slightly in one position.

She could now see the buildings that were as tall as some of the ancient trees back in Alva Elof. Their structure was solid; not a crack or stone out of place. Some buildings didn’t even have stones to begin with, they just looked like one solid piece.

             

And most unbelievably. Was that there was glass in every window of the buildings they were passing by.

            

There were small buildings too. But mostly these were buildings of business. Most homes had been replaced with large housing apartments.

The roads that lined the Demon Lord’s village—

        

No… city…

          

         

This was definitely a CITY!

          

       

She honestly couldn’t believe this had once been an orc village at one point.

                 She had heard the Demon Lord throw out the term city as she described their society. But she also thought that, Crystaria might have just been exaggerating, or just not be familiar with the elven language.

             

“How is it that we didn’t see any of this on the outside?!” Brenna wondered aloud.

Oglran chuckled as she walked beside her.

“That’s mostly because of R.I.M.  Which is also known as: the Research, Institute, of Magic. They preform lots of experiments there in regards to the Demon Lord’s new form of magic.”

            

“New form?!” Brenna was just starting to get this sinking feeling, that even if Brenna had come with the entire force from the elven community. That it would only, at best, just slow down the Demon Lord if they attacked.

“That’s right.” Oglran affirmed. “The Demon Lord, along with the help of our Shaman Chief, discovered that, knowing the ancient language and scripts were pointless. They used this new form of magic to make enchantments. Then they implemented these enchantments that line our city’s walls: and those enchants make it so that people from the outside, only see a standard looking orc village.”

“But that would!- No! Wait! You guys can cast without the ancient language?!— NO! Even before that! You guys have the lost technique of enchantment?! How?! I thought that the fae were the only ones who were capable to enchant things anymore?!”

“Ah-ah-AH!” Oglran held up a finger and wagged it at the elf Commander. “We’re allowed to tell you things about society; Even show you how them. But we were also told not to tell you how they work. The only way to learn our secrets, is to join our nation.”

“Nation?! Join it?! HA!” Brenna let out a bark of a laugh. “What kind of light race member would be caught living here?”

“We have had a few immigrants. Not many. But we also are not advertising our location, or just handing out invitations to every light races member we can find just yet. We are, as of right now, are sending invitations to the other dark god races: now that we have a city mostly established.”

               

“You make it sound like you were waiting to invite other dark god races. Why wait?”

“It was mostly a cautionary thing.” Oglran comments off handedly. “We, the orcs, have accepted Crystaria as the Demon Lord, even though she has a goblin’s form. But the Devilkin? The Minotaurs? Heck! Even the Dark Elves?! We’ve been worried about sending invitations to even them as well. Crystaria decided to improve the city so that, when we finally did send invitations. That they would see our improvement, and not immediately take hostile actions against her or our city. In her own words: “I want to make sure, I have the bigger stick to smack them with, before I welcome them with a handshake.” or something to that effect.” Oglran trailed off as they drew closer to their destination.

             

Brenna was so distracted by what the orc was saying, that she didn’t even notice that they were now standing in-front of a large building.

        

Well… large by comparison to regular homes back at Alva Elof… nothing is going to seem quite as large or as impressive once I get home I bet.

“This building here, at the edge of our town, next to the plains and river is the paper making factory.”

            

Sure enough, here it was… Brenna stared disbelieving at the supposed paper factory. Once word gets out about this; that paper it is a dark race product, all of the dark hells with break loose. I can see the edicts from the empire now… “Paper is a sin! Anyone caught with this supposed unholy artifact of the dark races will be punishment by hanging.” Stuck up tyrants.

Oglran lead the way inside the building, followed behind Brenna. As they walked through the doors, they instantly, after taking a look at the operations of the facility, knew what the primary source of paper was made from.

        

“Wait… is the ingredients to make paper is grass?!” Brenna questioned Oglran.

“One of the ingredients sure. But once again, I am not suppose to share with you-“

              

“Commander!” A voice shouted off to the side them.

               

Brenna and Oglran both turned to look in the directions of the voice. There they saw two of her soldiers jogging towards her, with their handler on their tails behind them.

“Private Hertha, Private Selby, I see you found your way here as well?”

“Are you kidding Commander?!” Hertha questioned her superior incredulously. “We’re getting to see how paper is made! PAPER! How?! It’s just!- It was made here! In the middle of the dark races! By orcs and goblins, of all things!”

“Easy soldier. Don’t forget where you are. No telling if or who may know what your saying.” Brenna told her with a jab of her thumb towards Olgran, who was just smirking at Hertha.

     

“Ah! Sorry! I umm…”

       

“That is okay. I’ve always been under the assumption that you elves are just the happy going lucky, tree loving fanatics. So it’s only fair to assume you people think us orcs are ruthless barbarians.” Oglran teases with a shrug of her shoulders.

       

Hertha’s face turns bright red with both embarrassment and frustration. Because she had been thoroughly out played by an orc.

“Hahahaha!” Her counter part laughed next to her before slapping her on the back. “Lighten up soldier! She doesn’t seem mad, more like amused by our ignorance.” Selby looks at Oglran with a critical eye. “I dare say, that if there wasn’t such animosity between all of our races, we might very well start officially trading with the orcs next, much like the beastkin.” He suggested.

      

Oglran raised an eyebrow towards the elf in front of her.

“That is very progress thinking there, what was it again? Selby? was it?”

      

“Yes ma’am! Private first class Selby.” The elf saluted he a hand above his brow.

“Ah!”

“What?”

 But Oglran shook her head.

“Nothing soldier. Just saw something that reminded me of something.”

“Ah! Okay.”

Brenna rolled her eyes at the pleasantries being thrown around.

“This is all very well and impressive, Oglran.” Brenna cut in impatiently. “But this wasn’t my only destination I wished to visit today.” She then raised an open palm towards her men. “And it seems that some of my soldiers have already come to investigate this place already, so I’ll just leave the investigation to them.”

Oglran just nodded her head at Brenna’s logic.

          

“Sounds reasonable.” She then looked past them towards the other two behind her soldier. “How has it been going? Anything you couldn’t answer for them?” She asked the orc and goblin walking with Brenna’s soldiers.

The goblin made a casual pose with his hands behind his head.

“Not really ,boss man. They’ve been doin’ great.” Said the masked individual. “They are taking to the sights and such, like a rakson to a grassy field.”

The orc standing next to him biffed the goblin on the back of his head with the palm of his hand.

“They have been no trouble ma’am. This one, on the other hand. Has been trying to lead them all over to different food sights so that we can do nothing but eat all day.”

“S-Shut up! Don’t tell her that!”

     

Everyone in the group laughed at their antics. Including Brenna.

       

Brenna had just realized what the Demon Lord was doing here right now. She wasn’t sending them out with guards to protect them. She wasn’t letting Brenna or her people spy on them.

She is intentionally showing us how they live; she is trying to beatify her city; her nation: Instead of how it was demonized by the rest of the light races.

        

Brenna was conflicted at this.

        

On the one hand, it was a good thing that everyone was getting along with each other. On the other, this denounced everything the Gods of Light teaches about the races of the Dark God…… But is that really so bad? that the Dark Races weren’t the malicious evil creatures that, the Gods of Light wrote in their teachings? 

Maybe it was just the fact that, this Demon Lord seemed determined to win the war by means other than fighting… that she was trying to stop racist behavior and segregation… I mean! Look at all of this! Brenna thought as she took a look around the facility. The goblins in this society would be proof enough for most scholars, that the dark races are not as they’re portrayed in the Gods of Light’s teachings.

        

At the least… not anymore… Brenna conceded.

        

Brenna’s thoughts were swirling through all of this the entire time while they were saying their goodbyes to her soldiers in the paper making facilities.

       

As they were walking, she felt Oglran’s eyes staring at her face while they traveled on the “Sidewalk.” As Oglran had called it.

     

“Is something bothering you?” Oglran finally asked the downtrodden elf Commander.

       

“…There is… But how do I explain it with out you getting mad though?”

Oglran shrugged.

“You don’t. We will just have to work through it.”

            

Brenna thought that was a tad naive. But she supposed a direct method might be the fastest route to resolving things.

“I have all of these… thoughts; upbringings if you will: That taught me everything I thought I knew about the Dark Races.” Brenna told her. She spotted a family of four: two older goblins holding hands enjoying a stroll, while walking down the “sidewalk” with their children in front of them.

“”Goblins are mindless creatures… Orcs are bloodthirsty warmongering savages”… Nothing fits the things I’ve seen anymore; none of this is what I have seen or been taught…”

Olgran nodded.

“And it probably wouldn’t have been a couple years ago.” Oglran told Brenna. “Let me tell you a small bit of history, that will maybe help clear some things up in your mind.”

       

Brenna just nod her head without speaking.

          

“Our previous Warchief, Gragnueok, son of Gragnar. Was probably one of the single most impressive Warchief’s in orcish history. He was the one who united all the surrounding orc tribes of the Graggoremire plains into one village.”

“Gragnar! As in, the general of the late Demon Lord’s army?!”

“Oh! Know your history do you?” Oglran spoke with an impressed tone at the fact that the Commander knew what she was talking about.

“I WAS IN IT!” Brenna shouted indignantly. “I’m a hundred and eighty-three years old! I was there at the final battle when Demon Lord Urvein, led her armies to push against our forces!” Brenna growled in anger. “It is also one of my most decorative battles of my career! I was nothing but a small time captain, leading her forces on a charge to intercept the charging armies about to attack our mage supporter! It was nothing short of a miracle at the time, that the Demon Lord was slayed by the Hero of Light at the time! Otherwise, we would have lost the entire region of Gnomeris Hills. The gnomes of today are still trying to recover from their losses!” She told her vehemently.

“I have seen the horrors of war! The bloody battles that took place! The horrible aftermath of taking care of the victims. Watching some die before any assistance could be given to them… So yes! I know of Gragnar. I had seen him with my own two eyes.”

Oglran’s eyes were wide at what she had just heard.

“Wow! Didn’t even know we had a living legend with us, and for whatever it’s worth. I am sorry for your losses.”

     

Brenna harrumphed before crossing her arms.

“It doesn’t matter now. Sorries won’t bring back the dead. We won that battle, It’s over. Let’s move on.”

          

Oglran nodded her head.

“Agreed.”

“If I am not mistaken. You were, in the process of trying to tell me, about some history you were saying?” Brenna reminded smugly as she tried to change the subject.

“Ah! But I am almost certain you won’t know this: our late Warchief, was the first to unite the whole of the Graggoremire plains orc tribes. This was significant, because it played a role in our current Demon Lord’s succession of becoming the leader here.” They made their way across the street that was busy with traffic if carts and wagons.

“The thing is, or that you have to know. Is that our former Warchief was actually very compassionate, despite his moniker. His dream was to receive the Demon Lord’s powers, so that he build a utopia of sorts. He wanted to do it in an orcish sort of way, of course. Conquering the other races into submission.”

*SCOFF* Typical orc.” Brenna mocked.

“Right?” Olgran agreed without missing a beat or getting upset at the commander’s obvious dig. “Anyways. His plan was, that he would go and take over the other races leaderships, all of them; Including the light races. Basically doing it one at a time, with a small team of elite soldiers. Something small and strong; something quick and fast that no nation would be able to predict nor defend against, unless they knew we were coming before hand.”

    

“Sounds a little naive if you ask me…” Brenna stated.

      

“At the time? It was revolutionary. Now though? I can see your point.” Oglran conceded. “But that is really besides the point. He lost a one-on-one duel against the Demon Lord without her actually even trying.”

“Wait? You’re telling me? That this supposed, greatest Warchief of all time, couldn’t even beat the current Demon Lord? Is she that powerful?” Brenna asked cautiously.

“It was not about her strength. I was down from an injury during most of the battling. So, most of what I know is only second hand accounts. But the Demon Lord, for almost all of their fight. Didn’t lift a single finger against him. It wasn’t until he was basically already dead that she delivered the killing blow.”

“Wait? Already dead? What do you mean?”

      

“…Do you know of orcish blood-rage?”

“Oh yeah… that is some scary shit!” Brenna had to shudder just thinking about it.

        

“So, apparently. The Demon Lord fought our Warchief; our strongest Warchief, mind you. And without attacking him once, letting him attack her the entire time he was in his blood-rage, until he had burnt all of his blood using it.”

      

Brenna couldn’t imagine what that fight must have been like.

         

“But ironically, they both fought for the same ideals; but they both just had different means to go about achieving it. Our Warchief, thought there was no way for the races to live peacefully, except by force. The Demon Lord, Crystaria, believes that peace can be achieved by diplomacy.”

       

Brenna had to scoff at that.

“That is so foolish. No one is going to just lay down their arms just because she asks them to.”

“Ah! But that is what she is hoping to achieve. To end the fighting; to create a new nation. One that does not discriminate against race or creed.”

“It’s still naive of her to think she can stop all the fighting with words alone.”

To Brenna’s surprise, Olgran nodded her head too.

“I think so too. Or at least, I thought so.” She told Brenna. “But the Demon Lord is, well… isn’t exactly the same as she was back on the mountain when we all met her there. She is a little colder now, bit more mature in the way things work in our world now, if you will.”

                   “I think she still has some more growing to do though. She still believes in talking first, but she also realizes the importance of might as well.”

        

Oglran looked back at Brenna.

“If she didn’t, she would have gotten rid of our weapons or armies in favor of tools.”

“So, she is still keeping you guys trained for combat?” Brenna commented on this fact that Olgran had brought up.

“Ha! More than that! She has recruited more goblins and orcs from throughout the region near us. Before the Demon Lord came. Our village was two-million orcs strong.” Olgran smirked, as she watched the Commanderms eyes widened. “With an army of two-hundred-thousand strong soldiers, most of them men.”

          

Brenna was almost scared to ask the unanswered implication of what Olgran hadn’t said yet.

       

“And now?”

“Now? We are at nearly five-million civilians, with over three-hundred-thousand troops.”

           

        

Brenna paused where she was walking. Oglran sensing the elf’s charge, had stopped as well to look back at her.

            

Three…. Hundred…. Thousand….

          

She thought about Alva Elof and the surrounding towns and territories. That on a good year or by draft, that her nation might scrap together two-hundred-thousand, amongst their nearly eight million populous.

“How?! How has she gotten so many, so quickly?! Didn’t you just say that she was an advocating peace? Why is-“

              

“I also said, that she believe other will is only shake hands; IF, she is holding the bigger stick.”

             

Brenna folded her arms while scowling at the orc.

“So it is a case of, “take my hand and live, or be beaten by my stick” is it?”

           

Oglran shock her head.

“If that is what you think, then it is obvious you don’t know the Demon Lord well enough yet.”

“I don’t want to get cozy with the Demon Lord.” Brenna quipped in refusal.

Oglran just shrugged her shoulders.

               

“Maybe not, but I suspect you will, I think. And once that happens, you will be just like the rest of us.”

“And how is that?!” She shouted at Oglran implication.

           

Oglran just smirked at her, before turning to continue walking down the sidewalk.       

        

“…Willing and wanting to serve her…”

           

Brenna huffed her annoyance at what the orc suggested.

“Willing and wanting, my ass!” She whispered to herself.

           

       

It was about twenty minutes later, along with some stops to allow Oglran to rest her feet. That they found themselves in front of an odd, shorter and stockier looking building. At least, in comparison to the other buildings.

             It was wider and long stretches of rectangular segments, that led down the area it was located.

       

“Is this your academy of magic?” Brenna wondered as she studied its irregular shape.

“Hahaha! No! This,” Oglran pointed with a hand towards the buildings face. Which had words in both goblin, orc, and a few other languages.

“Is the Crystalline School for children.”

                 

Brenna had to double-take from sign she read, back to Oglran.

“This is a school. A whole school, just for children?!” Brenna looked back at the building in astonishment.

     

It was as large as Fort Vidar!

      

“Yeah… I brought you here for three reasons… four if you count the two separately.”

Brenna looked at her with a skeptical eye.

“Is this some sort of trick?” Brenna questioned skeptically. “Just so you know. I don’t do well with children.”

Oglran gave Brenna a shocked expression along with a distraught gasp.

           

“I can’t believe you said that to a pregnant woman!” She dramatically.

Brenna’s eyes also had gone wide at her faux-pas.

“Shit! I didn’t mean it like that!” Brenna backpedaled, as she realized what she had said. “I just meant that! I- I am really bad with kids! I just don’t know how to interact.”

       

This brought out a laugh from Oglran. Which made Brenna confused.

            

“Relax Princess. I was just teasing you. I know not everyone likes kids. But I couldn’t help but try and get you with what you just said.”

Brenna turned bright red before crossing her arms over her chest.

“Is this the Dark races plan now?! Kill us off one-by-one by embarrassing ourselves to death! I am really sick of being teased… this is like, the ninth time today…” Brenna grumbled while crossing her arms.

        

“Hahaha! Come on soldier! Lighten up!” Oglran told her with a slap on the back. “Come and meet some kids! I know you will be welcomed.”

Brenna marched behind Oglran as she made her way up the short flight of stairs that connected the entrance of the school to the sidewalk.

          

      

“So! This is the school the Demon Lord designed.” Oglran exclaimed enthusiastically, as they walked down the halls.

“…………………” Brenna eyed it as she walked through it. Long hallways with doors that led to classrooms on either side if it. The doors had small windows into the classrooms.

The halls and rooms themselves had more of those infernal bright lights that shined from the ceiling.

She glanced inside to see a medley of orc and or goblin children learning things.

       

Maths? Languages? Is that history from the dark races perspective? Boy! Wouldn’t scholar Edwin want to be a fly on the wall for these lectures.

        

“Pretty egotistical, I have to say;” Brenna commented. “to name a school you’ve had built after yourself.” Brenna commented on the school’s name.

And for the umpteenth time that day, what Brenna had said in spite. Ended up producing the opposite reaction she was expecting, as she heard Oglran laugh aloud.

        

“Actually?!” Olgran interjected with a smirk. “She built it herself; And she didn’t name it: We did. It was the first veto the counsel has ever passed against the Demon Lord’s decision.” 

Brenna’s steps stuttered as they were walking. And she had to reach for the wall next to her to steady herself, from the shock she had just received from what Olgran had just told her.

         

There is a lot to unpack with what she just said… I’ll think about it later. She decided, before she started walking again.

          

They came around a corner to another room, with a bunch of much younger children, than the previous rooms they had passed.  If she had to guess, these were about one to three years old.

        

But then again, the goblin children make it hard to tell amongst the others.

        

Oglran tapped on the door waving her hand at the orc on the other side of the door through the small window. Who was currently entertaining the children within the room.

The woman on the other side smiled before saying something to the children in there.

From what she could only, just barely make out through the window. Was the orc inside was coming towards them, with two little goblins in-tow.

       

“Shirana!” Olgran cried happily in greetings towards the other orc.

“Oglran!” They hugged almost as of they were good friends.

“How are my the kids doing?” Olgran asked as they separated.

“Oh good, good! You know how they are! Being as rambunctious as ever!” They then shared a laugh.

Brenna watched on at their display of camaraderie missing like two to three words they were saying, because Olgran and the other woman been speaking in orcish.

       

“Here to get the kids already?”

But Oglran shook her head.

“Nope, here to show off and be a mom.” She jabbed a thumb towards Brenna. “I wanted her to see them.”

“OH!” The other orc startled by whom she was just realizing who was there with Olgran. “Oh my! Is this the person your in charge of looking after?” Shirana asked her.

“Yes, this is her. I just came to show off the school and brag about my, darling children.” Oglran gushed to the other woman.

           

This produced a sigh out of Shirana.

“Of course you did. You always do…” She lamented.

“Hey! I am allowed, alright! They are my beautiful babies!”

“Yeah yeah! You moms always do; and especially you two moms! You guys are always bragging about your kids!”

“*PFFT* You’ll understand once you have some of your own one day.” Oglran defended. Oglran then turned back to Brenna.

          

“This is my; Cindy and our other mate’s childrens’ school teacher: Shirana.” Oglran introduced to Brenna. “You don’t speak orcish, right?”

“Just a few words.” Brenna informed her. She looked at the smartly dressed orc, who was wearing some sort of slim fitting skirt that had a man’s coat to it. “A nice day, to you meet.” Brenna said confidently.

       

This caused both women to let a surprised *PFFT*, at Brenna’s attempt at greeting Shirana in orcish.

Brenna for the tenth time, at least by her count. Brenna felt her face go red in embarrassment.

        

“Look! Orcish isn’t my strongest language! My human is second to none though!”

“Oh!” Shirana exclaimed in surprise at what she said, then began whispering something into Oglran’s ear. Which just made Oglran have to hold herself up by the wall with her hand as support from laughing to much.

“Hahahaha! She just asked me,— to- to ask YOU! Ahhahaha! If you would be willing to teach some of the children human! Hahahaha!”

          

“You can stop that anytime you know-“ Brenna began complaining, but was cut off.

      

“”Momma?”” Came the sound of twin sounding voices from behind Shirana.

        

They all turned to look at the new set of goblin twins that came up from behind Shirana.

“Hey my sweet darlings!” Olgran got down as low as she was able, with her arms spread toward the children. “Come and give momma a hug!”

The two tiny goblins with patches of dark and light brown skin, coloring their normally green toned skin.

They also had muddy-blond hair.

Oglran hugged them to her chest. She smiled contently, just holding and kissing their foreheads as if they were the only ones that existed in the world right now.

            She final pulled back after a minute of a loving embrace to peer at her children.

“Have the two of you been good?”

“”Yes!”” They told her.

“Good! I am not sure what I would have done if I had to tell you mother you weren’t.” She warned them playfully.

“”We weren’t! We were good! We were good!”” They swore.

“I’m glad then.” Oglran looked over to look at her charge. “Let me introduce you two to someone.” She told her children.

The two little children looked over towards Brenna for the first time since they came out of the room.

One had brown eyes, the other, had greenish-brown.

“This is the person momma is looking after: she is an elf.”

           

The one with greenish-brown eyes looked back at their mother.

“Like from the stories!”

“That is right! Just like from the stories!” She told him proudly.

He looked back at Brenna.

“”WOW!~””

        

Okay… it has got to be a crime to be this cute… especially goblins…

          

Brenna could follow most of what was being said to and by the children at this point.

I need to practice orcish more… I can’t believe children. Goblin children at that, are better at it than me.

       

Oglran smiled brightly at Brenna as she began her introductions.

“This one,” She shifted the one in her left arm first; the one with green eyes. “Is Cogran.” He smiled shyly as he waved at Brenna. “And this one Caylan.”

The little girl goblin was staring up at her with a wondrous look on her face.

          

Light Gods! Stop! Just!… Stop being….. so FUCKING CUTE!

     

“”Hello.”” They said in unison to Brenna.

“Umm…” She raised her hand to wave at them. “Hi.”

     

Good recovery there Brenna.

Thanks me!

          

She berated herself on her lack of communication skills towards children.

Thankfully Oglran took mercy on her. She let out a small chuckle before saying.

“Alright my little bundles of joy! Momma has to go back to work soon. So you said hi to Brenna here, say good bye to her as well. I have to take her to other places.”

“Aaawww! But mommy!” The two small children clung tightly to their mother. “”Take us with you.””

Brenna watched this touching seen as she saw that Oglran was moments before breaking down along with her now sniffling children.

“A-actually!” Brenna spoke up. “B-before we go… why don’t you… Umm? tell? Show? Your? Friends? To me?” Brenna said to them in an unsure broken orcish.

Oglran’s eye were wide at the elf Commander’s offer, while the other two were looking at her with wide, excited eyes, that had pools of unshed tears in them.

“”REALLY?””

      

UGH! Dying!… from… cuteness…

          

“…Yes…” Brenna said in a strained voice.

       

I am going to regret this aren’t I?

The children look towards their mother. Who looked down at them with a loving smile.

“Well? What do you two say to Brenna?” She encouraged.

They looked at each other before nodding and turning to Brenna.

        

“”THANK YOU!”” They shouted happily.

        

AGH! That is it! I’m dead.

“Well then! Let’s go inside and introduce ourselves to your class.”

They threw their hands up into the air.

“”YAY!””

        

The three women and two children then walk into the classroom filled with young children.

As they stepped into the room with a bunch of tiny faces staring up at her, Brenna thought to herself.

      

Yup! Regretting it!

         

————————————————-

               

About an two hours later, as the kids were laying down for a nap. After being  wound up from being excited at actually seeing a real elf, Brenna and Oglran were finally able to leave.

“I thought it wasn’t going to end!….” Brenna said looking drained.

Oglran herself gave only a subdued chuckle.

“Yeah… a few is great, a roomful is… wow! I don’t know how Shirana does it. She has my respect, more so than any soldier.”

       

Brenna nodded along in agreement.

Oglran stopped Brenna with a hand to her shoulder.

Brenna looked at the hand on her shoulder, then the woman attached to it.

“Thank you…” Oglran said in a strained voice. “You didn’t have to do that!… but the fact that you did! Along with that you don’t like kids, it just!-… *HIC* means a lot!” She said as tears poured out the side of her eyes. “Damn hormones!”

Brenna gave a chuckle before laying a hand on top of Oglran’s that was on her shoulder. Giving it a light assuring squeeze.

“No problem. It was fun… Terrifying! Don’t want to do it again! But fun…” Brenna told her honestly.

The brought something of a chuckle and a sob out of Oglran.

“Still! Thank you so much! To those kids! It probably meant a lot to them; and to Shirana and I as well.”

          

Brenna thought back to the kids she had seen in the room. And she was just too curious to not ask.

“Those kids… were they all?”

“Yes…” Oglran nodded in confirmation. “They are all mixed between either orcs and goblins one way or another.”

Brenna nodded at what she just heard.

“I Knew it… is there a reason for them being separated like this?”

        

“……For their safety…..” Oglran confessed.

     

“People are threatening them?!”

Typical Dark races mentality. Brenna thought.

But Oglran shook her head.

“Yes and no.” She took a shuddering breath before speaking. “To make a long explanation short: we are separating them, just incase there might be people who would do them harm for such a reason… we are also making sure that older kids, or kids that know these children’s origins, don’t do things like tease or bully them. This wasn’t something we would have thought of ourselves… but the Demon Lord thought of it, claimed that it could and does happen elsewhere, so it might happen to them… that’s why we are taking this… precautions, so to speak… so we don’t run into something that could happen to these children, before they’re able to defend themselves or understand that they aren’t anything to be ridiculed for.”

          

“…Wow… that is… pretty smart, especially since this is probably some of the first instance I have ever seen of a goblin-and-orc child being raised before.”

“Ours too… if there was ever a mix of races before… the elders would always…….” More tears leaked from Oglran’s eyes as she explained.

“Yeah… us too…” Brenna thought lamentingly on a friend whose son was half human.

“I’m also scared out of my mind for them.”

“Why?”

“I-… It wasn’t until afterwards, when we told the Demon Lord that Cindy was pregnant, that we found out that… that having kids between races… might be the same or worse as having them between family!” Oglran said with a strained voice.

Not really understanding what Olgran was implying she asked.

“……Why is that bad exactly?”

         

Oglran look at her with a weird expression at first, then her expression shifted as if she remembered something.

“Right… you wouldn’t know: The Demon Lord has forbidden members of close relationships to having children together. This is to prevent something, what she calls in her language, genetic disorder.”

“What the hell is genetic disorder?”

“From what I understand of it. It is the reason why some people are born who if cut, can’t stop bleeding. Or they might have a part of their bodies that are deformed or they seems stupider than other people.”


            

Brenna sucked in a breath at this.

That can’t be true… can it? Surely the Gods of Light would have warned us of something like that were true.

After Oglran had cleared her eyes of tears, she suggested to Brenna.

“It’s almost lunch time. *SNIFF* Let’s go through the courtyard of this school, then go out to eat. Then I will show you the magic academy.”

“Alright, that sounds good.” Brenna agreed with a reassuring smile.

They then made their way to the center of the school to visit the courtyard.

What Brenna saw there that day took her breath away.

            

“W-W-W-W—What is that?!” She nearly screeched as she saw the huge chunk of metal, that was slightly obelisk in shape.

            

Oglran looked from Brenna, to what she was staring at. Then pointed at it lazily.

“Do you mean the memorial stone?”

    

“MEMORIAL?! STONE?!” She said in a nearly panicked state.

        

“Yes?… This is the stone the Demon Lord had carved the names of all our soldiers who fought and died in the battle of mount Graggoremire, when our two races collied.” Oglran looked at the stone in reminiscence. “It is truly beautiful-“

“Waste of resources!” The elf shouted, interrupting the orc.

“Okay… I have been patient for a lot of things with you, Brenna. And I even thanked you just a moment ago. But don’t you think what you’ve just said this time, isn’t a bit too much?!” Oglran scolded her firmly.

          

Brenna looked at Oglran like she had grown a second head.

“Not when it concerns the most precious metal on all of Alstaria!” She said as she pointed at the stone in frustration.

“…………” It took a long time for what Brenna was saying to catch up with what she was suggesting.

         

Oglran lifted a hand to point lazily at what she thought was just a regular stone.

“Are you telling me? THAT!” She over emphasized. “Is mythril?”

       

“YES!” Brenna shouted. “That is exactly, what that is!”

“Huh?….” She turned to look at the memorial. “Bet Crystaria will be surprised to hear what that actually is.” She murmured casually.

“Is this some sort of joke to you?!” Brenna shouted in almost a hysteric fashion.

“Oh calm your tits!” Oglran told Brenna in exasperation. “What’s done is done. This was what I wanted to show you anyways.”

       

“To show off you can just waste mythril?!” Brenna exclaimed in shock.

        

“… to show off that the Demon Lord, cared about peoples lives so much. That during the aftermath of the battle of Mount Graggoremire. She had gone to find a stone of appropriate size to carve her then, still enemies names, into stone with her bare hands and claws.”

        

“………………………….” Brenna was shocked by what she just heard, but for all the wrong reasons.

        

“Bare hands…. And claws……” She squeaked.

Oglran nodded.

“That is right.” She looked towards the stone with pride. “Carried this huge stone down from the mountain in like less than ten hours I think she told us.”

“There……. Is……. mythril…….. in mount……. Graggoremire………”

“Brenna… I hate to say it, but I think you’re missing the point.”

“Oh! I am missing something alright! My fucking sanity! GGAAAAHHHH!!!” Brenna growled in frustration.

“Nothing makes sense anymore!”

Oglran just laughed at Brenna’s familiar sounding plight.

“Yeah… Crystaria tends to have that effect on people.”

           

———————————————

              

They were now heading towards the magic academy.

“How you doing? Still feeling up for this?” Oglran asked her companion, who for her part, was looking like she had been dragged through a long fight after a night of drinking.

            

Brenna snorted.

“……I’ll live, despite the Demon Lord driving me crazy…”

“Ha! Get used to it! She doesn’t have an off switch.” Oglran only half teasing.

“Great…” Brenna said with the enthusiasm of one being dragged off to his guillotine.

“Cheer up! You’re about to see how and learn how we do magic.” She reminded Brenna.

“Is it going to change the very foundations of all I know?”

“Well?….”

“I knew it…” Brenna groused morosely before letting out a sigh. “*SIGH* …Let’s just get this over with. I just want to go have dinner, a bath, and my bed. This day can go to the darkest of hells…” She grumbled.

         

The were walking up to, yet another building, that Brenna could only describe as grandiosely large, with a large field surrounding its base. The building itself had a base that had fourteen sides to it. Each side had a sort of building extending from it, at the center of the base was a large tower like structure. With many more off shooting towers attached to itself.

          

This honestly puts the mage tower I’d seen at the human empire to shame. And that thing was plated with gold, jewels and precious metals, it also stood a hundreds of yalms tall.

            

As they walked in through the gates that surrounded the complex, Brenna noticed that there were several people here looking as if they were casting magic without chanting.

She saw rocks and water levitating. Things being moved by wind. Things being conjured out of thin air. Sights she would have expected from master archmages.

        

Not… tiny, weird looking goblins and orcs…

         

She had stopped walking as she saw most of what she wanted to see already.

I’m done… I’ve got a headache…

At that point, Brenna just turned around and started walking away.

“Hey? Where are you going? Didn’t you wish to see the academy?” Oglran asked in worry.

        

“Nope. I am sure at least one of my group will explore it… I really don’t have the patience or the tolerance to see anything more than what I already, FUCKING, have…” She said sounding on the verge of tears.

     

Gods! What is wrong with me?

      

Worse still Oglran looked at her with pity.

        

Don’t look at me like you understand! Don’t you do it! That just makes it worse!

            

“Okay,” Oglran said. “Let’s get you back to your room.”

Brenna snorted quietly as she thought about going back to that room.

         

Never has going back to a prison hold sounded like such a reprieve until today.

        

About two hours later, after catching a cart to ride them back, to the “hotel” she was staying at. It was just about dinner time when they arrived.

“So my replacement should be here by your room tonight. If you need anything, talk to them.” Oglran told Brenna.

“Your not coming inside?”

          

“Nah! I’m going to have the guy that took us here take me home.” Oglran stepped towards Brenna before enveloping her into a surprisingly gentle hug. Which only made Brenna stiffen from the contact.

“A word of advice.” Oglran whispered into her ear. “Take kindness where you can get it. We’ve all had three years to get used to Crystaria’s bazaar eccentric behavior, or the outlandish things she does.”

She then pulled back to look at Brenna’s grimacing face.

“Cheer up, get some rest. It will get easier, trust me.”

            

“….Thanks Oglran…” Brenna said to her, ever so reluctantly. “…For everything today. It was almost bearable, even with you.”

Oglran gave her a smile of pity.

“And I will take that as a complement. Good night.”

“…Night...”

         

Left in the main floor of this “hotel” she was being kept. She wondered if she could just escape right this moment, since she had been left all alone.

         

No one is watching. She just left me here by myself. She thought. But then shook her head.

        

I can’t leave my men… and I still have things I need to know. And now I have questions… SO~ many questions for the Demon Lord.

……

……….

…………….

Fuck it!

I am going to bed to sleep this off.

Brenna took the magical box that took her to the floor her room was on. Was she stepped out of the box. She saw a few goblins down the hallway, stationed by the doors.

Two of them she thought were in front if hers.

As she got closer to the door, she realized their were two in front of her door.

             

Oh Light Gods… what is it now?! She complained in thought.

           

“Ah! Welcome back.” Said a hooded goblin to her that was near her door. “Did you enjoy the sights?”

“It was… overwhelming… to say the least.”

“Hahaha! Yeah! I guess it could be! can’t it?!” They just shrugged their shoulders. “We’re a bit used to everything here, as we have lived here while everything was being built, or the changes were being made. So, you eventually just learn to accept the crazy changes as they come.”

“None of that bothers you?!” Brenna asked bewildered.

      

The two goblins shared a look before looking back at her.

          

“Not really,” Said the other hood figure, with an effeminate voice. “Maybe in the beginning it did, but we’ve just gotten used to it after a while; it’s not like any of the new things the Demon Lord introduces to us, is harmful or hard to learn. So when we see something new, we just tend to go, “ah! Okay!” then move on with our lives.”

“That seems crazy!” Brenna exclaimed at their easy going acceptance.

They shrugged at her.

“This is our normal.” The first one answered.

“Ugh! Whatever. May I get inside my room?” She asked the goblins standing in-front of her.

“Ah! Before you leave to go in there.” The female one reached inside her uniform to pull out an envelope.

      

Which was also made of paper. Nice. She thought sarcastically

        

“This is from the Demon Lord. She said this is something you might want to know.” The second goblin looked at the first. “Okay Wade, take care!” Then started walking away.

“Thanks! Good night Amethyst.” He told her as she was walking away.

The goblin named Wade then stepped to the side.

“Enjoy your sleep. Have a goodnight’s rest.” He told Brenna.

“Thanks… you to I guess?”

“Thanks!” He told her with a genuine pleased emotion from her concerning words.

As the door closed behind her, she saw that the light shining in her room was bright from the weird light in the ceiling.

      

Is there a way to turn that- oh!

     

She saw to her right was a switch with a piece of paper stuck to it. With the elvish word for light scrawled on it.

How considerate of them.

In a strange sense though, this only made her angry.

Why the fuck are they so nice! Why?! They are supposed to be putrid evil little demonic beings that should be wiped off the face of Alstaria!

She thought as she was breathing heavily.

But as her breathing came under control, she thought back on the day. How much labor she had seen the goblins doing. How much work had gone into this city. How it was maintained. The dedication she briefly saw at the academy. The children learning, playing.

just… being… normal children…

If I was back home, and I ordered to attack this city now? Could I do it?

            

………………………..

           

She couldn’t answer that.

She looked down at the letter in her hand.

It had what she thought was her name scrawled on it.

       

She wrote it in her goblin script… why?

        

She opened the letter. After skimming it, she was frozen with fear.

Inside was a letter detailing the movements of every single one of her soldiers. The details of where they had gone, who they were with, who was with who,

Everything. They were watching us the entire time. I guess that makes sense… they literally had guards, or “guides”, as she called them. Follow us around all day. Of course they knew where and what we did.

But as she read farther down the page. She realized something that shook her to her core.

Four out of the thirteen of her men, had met up with and reported their findings to her Lieutenant first.

Frank.

Ingrid.

Einar.

Olaf.

        

Her fingers tightened on the paper.

This wasn’t proof. But it does show who is loyal to whom though.

She loosened her grip on the papers before laying them down on the table.

Tomorrow… I will deal with this tomorrow. For now, I need to sleep.

She moved to her bed flopping face down onto the pillow.

Shoot…

I forgot…

To turn…

Off the light…

…….*SNORE*……..

20