The moon slowly dipped below the horizon and with it, the last vestiges of twilight. An encroaching crimson glow slowly diffused into the thick clouds making them appear a rosy pink. The scattered light gently fell across the land illuminating the rolling mists that rose throughout the night. As the sun rose higher, streams of light began to clip the peaks of Lore Forest scattering the light into the canopy. When the sun inched further into the sky, it illuminated the emergent layer of the forest with an intense glow forcing the light down to the forest floor. The fresh light landed across four sleeping bodies, stirring them from their slumber.

Lapis slowly opened her eyes. She righted herself and stretched her arms above her head while taking in her surroundings. Near her, the fire which was brilliantly burning last night was now a smoldering pile of embers. The surrounding stone walls appeared to be still emitting the heat they absorbed throughout the night keeping their inner circle a modest temperature. As she stretched her legs, Lapis notice stirring on the other side of the camp. Her eyes met with Sahib who quickly hid his face back into Allison's chest. The sight drove a small smile across Lapis' face and her desire to tease the poor boy somehow rose slightly. As if to interrupt her playtime, Zirco entered their camp with refined pelts in his hand. After a quick study, Lapis could make out the vague shape of clothing from the pelts.

"Clothing?"

"Yes, My Lord. This one has only managed to refine enough for Ms. Walker and Mr. Soas though. My deepest apologies."

"It is fine. They need it more anyhow. Did you manage food for them?"

"Yes, My Lord. The smoked meat from last night should be ready for traveling."

"Good. Prepare breakfast."

Lapis stood up to stretch her limbs further while looking at the rest of the group. Across from her, Allison was still sleeping with Sahib acting as a full body pillow. The young boy was obviously awake, but appeared too nervous to move around without his big sister. Beside her, Hiiro was sitting on the ground with his back resting against one of the raised walls. She could hear his slow breaths from her position and figured he'd wake up soon enough since the sunlight is starting to peak more directly into their camp now.

Twisting her back, she observed Zirco as he started the fire once more raising the embers into a full fledged campfire. He utilized three flattened stones as supports for a flat stone that was cleaned off in the stream nearby. As the fire heated the stone up, he dropped a variety of vegetables onto the stone and mixed in some strips of meat that were preserved overnight. Zirco heated the stone slowly to avoid any heat stress keeping the rock from fracturing during the cooking process. As the stone slowly heated, the smell of sizzling vegetables and meat mixed with strange seeds he found in the forest enticed the noses of everyone still asleep stirring them from their sleep.

As the other members slowly awoke, Lapis called to them as she tried starting the day.

"It is time for a bath. I will heat the water for us. We will do the same order as last night."

Each member only nodded in reply as their minds spun up. The cool morning was hardly noticeable inside the camp but the steam escaping from the bath rolled out the exit of the structure creating an artificial fog. Submerging herself in the bath, Lapis woke herself up fully and observed Allison and Sahib as they leisurely entered in behind her. Extruding a long sigh, the three enjoyed the early morning soak. Beside her, Allison started a conversation.

"I figure da two of us can head out after breakfast. I think I saw some basic clothes earlier... Were they for us?"

"I will give you some self defense and hunting gear before you head out. Relax for now, we'll talk more in a bit."

"Mmmm."

The two woman exited the bath in toe with Sahib not five minutes later. Ignoring the morning bath, Hiiro helped distribute the food into thick green leaves before partaking in his own portion. The group ate their meal surprised at the slight flavor Zirco managed to imbue into it. After she finished her meal, Lapis took to the forest exploring it lightly and collecting various solid and flexible materials. In her mind, she estimated the distance between their current location and Torise City. During her teleport, it should have placed them closer to it than where she met team Satyr, but she decided to include a safety margin in case she misjudged the target transport location.

Lapis returned to the camp with a green fiber in toe and various sticks. Her other hand held a leaf curled up with stones of various shapes laid inside. She sat down near Allison who had dawned the pelt clothing and explained the various weapons.

"I have included six wooden spears, two fire starter kits, and eight sharpened throwing rocks. With your abilities as an archer and hero, you should be able to easily hunt the animals here for food during your travels. I would like to include four daggers as well, but..."

Lapis glanced towards Sahib who avoided eye contact. A somewhat worried smile plastered her face drawing Allison out.

"Sahib can handle da daggers fine. He is just shy right now. This boy can't seem to hunt or kill unless he recognizes it as an enemy."

"Oh? Can I take that to mean I'm not an enemy anymore?"

Not expecting such a cheerful reply, Allison smiled awkwardly while nodding her head. She watched as Lapis took a stone in hand and felt a pulse of mana emanate from her. As if it were precut, the stone block fell apart leaving a solid dagger with a shallow hilt behind. Lapis handed the dagger over for inspection and showed a look of satisfaction at the surprise Sahib had. She repeated the process creating three more daggers and used a vine to link them together for easy carrying.

The two were dressed in white pelt with black spots evoking a natural hunter vibe. The clothing covered their legs and torso enough where a random passerby wouldn't consider them under dressed. They performed a last check of their equipment before setting off South.

"I'll see you next time, Lapis."

"Good luck you two. Remember to keep the sun to your left in the morning and on your right in the afternoon. You should arrive in Torise City within five days at the earliest and seven at the latest. Look for rising smoke and follow streams downhill if you become completely lost. You should find some civilization."

"Thanks Hiiro."

"..."

The young boy ran up to Lapis and Hiiro giving them a quick hug before escaping behind Allison once more. Lapis gave her final parting words before the two groups split apart and headed their own way.

***

After traveling nearly 16 miles North of their camp, Lapis halted herself in place. They maintained a moderate pace and used bodily enhancements only to cross difficult portions of the terrain.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No, I figured it is just about time we explore a bit and see what lives here."

Lapis scoured the area with her sights ensuring plenty of space was available before overlaying her imagination across the scene. Thick mana rolled off the surface of her body spreading across the ground. The light blue fog filled a 20 meter circle of even thickness surrounding them. She appeared to measure once more and, satisfied with the range, invoked her magic. The fog slowly ate away at shrubbery and leaves that covered the forest floor. The dissolved matter covered the ground as a fine layer of dust and when Hiiro thought she was simply clearing the area out, he felt the ground ungulate gentle below him. The ground rippled once, twice, thrice before the small mounds that stuck out from the, otherwise flat, surface disappeared. Surprise graced his face and he realized the ground they stood on was now flattened almost perfectly. Lapis moved around to inspect the results while chatting idly.

"We need to make some clothing for ourself as well. I realize my sense of modesty is probably less than your average Human, but even I know first impressions matter."

Seemingly satisfied with the flattened ring, Lapis closed her eyes and a thin layer of mana pulsed out from her in all directions. Hiiro felt a tinge of irritation for some reason causing him to deliver a questioning look to the woman responsible.

"What did you just do?"

"I have provoked any nearby creatures."

Her bright smile only drove his irritation further but the various rumblings and snarls sourced from the forest refocused his mind.

"We seriously need to talk about this teamwork thing later."

He readied himself with the makeshift club Lapis created earlier. From behind him, a four legged beast broke through the shrubbery in frenzy and leaped at Hiiro in its confusion. Rolling across the softened dirt, Hiiro swung the club against the side of the beast's neck with a resounding crack. The creature dropped to the ground rolling over itself repeatedly when another similar creature charged as well. Lapis quickly intercepted the feral beast faking movement towards the side before leaping above it. She swiped her hand across the creature's neck slicing it cleanly off. Before the headless creature even had a chance to fall, a winged beast covered in black fur with large ears swooped down at the unguarded Fairy. Before it could make contact, a large rod protruded from its chest and impaled it against a tree near the edge of the encampment. Zirco quickly moved to finish the creature off using his bare hands to tear the thin skinned membrane on its wings disabling it completely. Three wolves carrying similar pelts to what Zirco brought back the night before leaped from the thickets targeting Hiiro who just recovered his stance from the initial fight. Rather than allow them the initiative, Hiiro kicked off racing towards one of the three wolves.

The snarling beast snapped at an after image when he quickly sidestepped the first bite and moved next to his head. Without mercy, Hiiro drove his knee straight into the throat of the beast blocking its airway before using its body as a structure to kick off from. Leaping through the air, the two other wolves tried to instantly follow up but one was struck straight in the face by the thrown club shattering its skull and taking it down permanently. Dodging the corpse of its companion, the final wolf kicked off attempting to snatch Hiiro from mid air in its jaws. Utilizing his spin from the thrown club, Hiiro caught the wolf's mouth merely inches from his face. The wolf slammed Hiiro into the ground snarling and snapping at him while Hiiro struggled to hold back the large skull as much as he could. The beast pushed him along the ground trying to overpower him but made the mistake of changing tactics. It backed off momentarily to bring a paw up to swipe with and taking advantage of that, Hiiro righted himself and quickly drove his hand straight into the chest of the beast.

As he raised himself gasping for air at the near death sentence, Hiiro's eyes fell to a pile of corpses collected by Lapis and Zirco that easily surpassed 20 beasts. The small tinge of disappointment filled his heart for a second knowing he was completely out performed. Little did he know, he just single handedly took down four rank A monsters and would receive renown if he brought their proof of subjugation back to town with him. It was unfortunate he knew nothing about the ecology of the world nor their rankings, though even if he knew, it might not have changed anything.

Hiiro approached Lapis and Zirco who were starting to separate the corpses into usable for clothing vs food and potential weapons. His thin robe was now covered in drool and blood from the previous slaughters. To his surprise, Lapis didn't escape the blood spray either and her entire front torso was practically drenched in it. He slipped a small smile at her after seeing the chagrin look stuck to her face. The small girl defied her size mercilessly tossing beasts almost twice her mass across the arena in spite. As he approached, he could hear her mumbling while occasionally kicking a corpse.

"Stupid... Freaking suicidal... Wannabe hunter..."

Hiiro just left her alone in her rant hopefully preserving some of her dignity and moved to Zirco's side.

"What do you think? Is there enough for clothing and food?"

Although it was rhetorical, he used it as conversation starter.

"Yes. this one thinks it's plenty, though this one is not sure my lord meant to call such a number of beasts."

"She didn't mean to? Is there a problem with her?"

Hiiro quickly became serious hearing the servants impression.

"This one believes my lord has not yet adjusted to the abilities of the Fairy race. Perhaps with more time..."

"What a ridiculous being. Too powerful to adjust her own mana output just because she applied a limiter to herself..."

He left Zirco's side as the Demon had already started skinning and draining the blood of the monsters and moved to chat with Lapis.

"Oi. Kid."

He caught a fist that flew straight for his face. There was a surprising amount of power behind it.

"Do not call me that."

"Considering you used a magic you couldn't properly control, I'd say it fits fine."

"..."

Lapis retracted her fist and turned to face the mob of creatures they just defeated with a slight blush.

"I am not use to being limited in strength. I accidentally used a little too much but, it wont happen again. During the cast, I managed to cut back a bit after noticing I put in too much."

Hiiro surveyed the sight. With the corpse being organized, he could tell a bit more accurately how many beasts they actually fought off and his estimates were around 45 if you include the smaller ones.

"This is what you call cutting back? Well, whatever. We needed the fur anyhow. Do you plan on ridding yourself of that blood?"

Lapis glanced down at herself seemingly for the first time and realized she was covered in blood. The entire sight smelled of iron and she had thought the sticky sensation was simply sweat mixed into the ultra thin cloth. The realization appeared to hit her pride once more considering she simply sighed and went to form another small bath off to the side. Hiiro maintained a subtle smile as he watched her saunter off for her project. He returned his attention to Zirco who already had six of the creatures skinned and hanging from rods impaled into the ground.

Hiiro studied the creatures dangling for a moment before looking to pile of bodies that have yet to be stripped of their skin. While some of the animals bore a resemblance to animals back on Earth, he couldn't find any that he could directly identify. Curiously, he glanced at Zirco who was utilizing his sharpened nails to gut the beasts and strip them of their skin.

"Zirco, do you recognize any of these monsters?"

The Demon took a moment to think about the question and he scanned the pile before nodding slightly.

"This one doesn't recognize any of them. They are close enough that this one was able to make educated guesses when skinning and cooking. Animal biology doesn't change too drastically in this ones experience."

A shiver rolled down Hiiro's back as he realized how close they could have come to eating poison last night and this morning. All it really took was for one monster to have a toxic gland they knew nothing about and they would have cooked it straight into the meat. As if reading his mind through his facial expressions, Zirco quickly followed up.

"There are clear indicators for poison and toxic organs. As long as those organs are not damaged, the animal itself should be safe to eat. To be sure, this one tests each article of food prior to serving it to my Lord."

Hiiro retreated internally at the man's declaration. He certainly had no issues with Lapis enacting her revenge, but this was something that seemed to go beyond your standard average. He reminded himself not to get onto her bad side when she suddenly called out for him.

"Hiiro! The bath is ready. Quickly clean yourself so we can keep moving."

She passed by him rounding to his backside and pushed him forward through the door of the bath house. Her drenched state revealed she already bathed and once he was out of sight, she moved quickly to Zirco's side.

"Have you found anything nearby that counters the info we got?"

"No, my lord. As far as this one can tell, we are inside a forest as described and I was able to see signs of civilization far North into the distance."

"I see... I should thank that group next time we meet them then. Do you think you can manage clothing from this material?"

"Yes, my Lord. The wolves will make a fine dress for you and a fabric made from the winged creatures will provide for myself and Hiiro without issue."

Lapis glanced at the creatures laid on the ground and memorized their characteristics. Rather than losing control of her mana as she told Hiiro, these creatures had a higher attunement to mana than she expected. Their increased sensitivity allowed them to be affected from a further distance than her magic was suppose to call them from. She took the lesson to heart.

***

Profectus City held a unique position amongst the various nations and individuals. For those defending themselves against the Demons, Profectus represented the first defensive point where they held the greatest advantage over the Demons as it acted as a natural bottleneck. For the Demons, Profectus blockaded the only direct connection between their territory and any other landmass. Historians claim Profectus was built on blood as the Beastmen, Humans, Elves, and Fairies all worked together to push back and hold a forward defensive line until it was completed. The resulting city was designed first and foremost as a castle with a frontal bulwark that spanned the short edge where the Demon nation connected. Behind the bulwark, a secondary wall with a rampart stretch the length and was connected to a primary entrance that doubled as a command and control station.

As the years passed, relations between each allied nation slowly crumbled until their alliance became more of a non-aggression treaty. With their pride on the line, each nation refused to work together officially and maintain Profectus with either supplies or troops. Various guild masters who stayed in Profectus noticed the decaying state of the once powerful looking walls and in some locations, the dilapidated first wall could hardly hold itself up, much less sustain an attack. Years passed and an unspoken role was handed over to each Mayor and Guild Master who occupied Profectus. That rule, though unspoken, resounded throughout the streets and every citizen of Profectus that was aware of it would summarize it as 'Only Heroes join Profectus.'

With time, the lack of overt support from the nations slowly undermined Profectus not only as a defensive linchpin, but also in its attachment to those who were suppose to support it. Fearing the worst, the city itself revamped how it worked and began attracting powerful adventurers, mercenaries, and criminals to help maintain its defense. Adventurers who fought on the front line and took high level quests quickly were held at the heights of heroes and respected by their peers. Mercenaries always found war and money when the city called upon them to help defend. Criminals were given pardon for even the most heinous of crimes if they performed well enough in the war. The combination of these various power houses turned Profectus into a pseudo nation on its own with its own rules. Overseeing all of these rambunctious elements is the city Mayor and Guild Leader, each in charge of a different task. The city Mayor held charge of all administrative and legal duties while the Guild Master managed defense and planning.

Aria Sugimoto was rushing down the long corridor of her mansion; her nightgown rippling against the various evenly spaced bars supporting her railing. An alarm was piercing the air and she could hear the city waking up rapidly beating even the first rays of sunlight. Aria raced to the end of the hair meeting a maid servant at the stairs. The maid held a bundle of clothes and was out of breath from sprinting to meet with her. A smile crossed Aria's face at sight of her servants trying so hard. She grabbed the clothing and made her way down stairs as fast as she could while yelling orders to the servants waiting in the lobby.

"Get the horses ready!"

"I've one waiting out front Countess Sugimoto. God speed."

Aria quickly ran past the bowing butler leaping through the door and pouncing onto an awaiting horse. She held the bundle of clothes in one arm and the reigns in the other. The horse was well trained and raced along without much encouraging from Aria resulting in a short 3 minute trip at full trot to the bottom of a set of stairs. Aria leaped off the horse tossing the reigns to a worker nearby and quickly made her way up the stairs along with others arriving in similar fashion. The smooth arrival and transition of each member clearly showed the group practiced such events often. Aria raced through the pair of large twin doors opened by workers and quickly broke through a final ingress.

Before Aria, a group of individuals were talking pragmatically around a central round table with an enlarged map of Profectus and its surrounding lands. Their focus this time in particular was on the land near the frontal bulwark. Each member was lightly dressed showing their situation being similar to Aria. She quickly descended the 4 steps and rounded the short railing that blocked her path to arrive near the members. Her arrival was announced by another worker, but no one in particular digressed from their discussions. Unlike royalty or other nobles, Aria wasn't the slightest bit insulted considering she knew the situation took precedent. She scanned the members around the table until she found the one member who was still dressed in Profectus military attire. He was the commander on shift and the one who issued the alert to the city. Reaching his side, she quickly got his attention and started to dawn a dress over her night gown at the same time.

"Report. What's happening?"

The man quickly noticed her attire, but his battle hardened attitude simply glossed over it and went straight to business directing what bit of her attention he could to the map.

"Countess Sugimoto, a group of adventurers were rescued from the front gate about 30 minutes ago. They were on quest protecting some miners in the North Eastern quarry. During their trip back, they ran into a detached force of Demons and were assaulted. Only three of the adventurers survived. The miners were simply too slow to escape and one adventurer died on site. We were too late with medical assistance."

"How do you know it was a detachment? Is there any chance they simply got caught out by a patrol group?"

"The adventurers were a well known B ranked team. They should be able to handle any scouts sent out. The wounds we found on them suggested a particularly nasty magic as well. If they are scouts, it's the first time we've seen such hostile ones."

"Have you sent out scouts of our own?"

"Yes. I had four teams leave out almost 20 minutes ago. I gave them flares just in case, but we should know soon how bad the situ-..."

The middle aged commander halted his speech midway as a red light streamed through the window. The rosy hue cast across every face in the venue yet the blood drained from every face watching it. Outside the castle, all work halted and the city stood in silence. Even children were taught the meaning of flares. Blue was for exercises, yellow was for scouts, green with for push back, white was for retreat and then there was red. Red stood for assault. In this particular instance it could only mean one thing.

"The Demons are launching a full scale assault!? Son of a bitch!"

The Commander slammed his fist against the table at the terrible news.

"I've sent some runnas to all dem adventurers in the city. Those who saw that flare should also come running. The magic messengers were done launched as well. We need only hold out til reinforcements come."

The Guild Master of Profectus arrived in the room still dressed in his night gown. The old man was nearing retirement yet his elderly features lent a form of calmness to those near him. He calmly stood his ground and continued to issue orders.

"All ya still sleep walkin, go get yo-selves dressed."

The man slowly lowered himself down the stairs and made his way over to Aria.

"Little Sugimoto, how is yo morning?"

His slight hiss from a missing front tooth gave him an windy accent as he spoke.

"I'm not little anymore, Mr. Redford. Do you think we can hold on for reinforcements?"

"We have to. There are 11 thousand people relying on our ability to slap some sense into those Demons."

The castle shook lightly drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Outside the window, large explosions near the flare origins started to bloom from the ground. A brief moment of sadness drifted across the room as everyone understood the fate of the scouts. Breaking the silence, a young adventurer entered from the main door.

"Mr. Redford! We're good to go! Most of the teams are ready for orders and quests to be issued!"

"Settle down young'un. I'll be there in a moment. Little Sugimoto, take care. I leave the logistics in your very capable hands."

Mr. Redford tensed up and offered a salute to the woman before displaying and uncanny nimbleness back to the exit. He mounted a horse moments later and took off for the mid section between the ramparts and bulwark where more than 40 teams mixed with mercenaries, adventurers, and criminals stood together as one force ready to defend Profectus.

Arriving on scene, Mr. Redford began initiating one of the many stratagems he devised over the years in preparation for such an assault. He knew there was less support over the years and the city was more or less working with only its fighting force unless an emergency happened. He strategized knowing they would always be disadvantaged and luckily, this situation landed perfectly into one of their training plans.

By his count, 46 teams were currently available for deployment with others trickling in slowly. He split the current company into three primary roles with the defensive role consuming 30 of the 46 teams. 10 further teams were selected for their skills in relation to guerrilla warfare and the final six were aligned against communications. The defensive teams quickly climbed the outer wall taking tactful positions that make best use of their range. Heavy set teams and advanced fighters moved out in front of the wall maintaining a proper distance from the maximum range of their wall support.

Each team quickly moved out after being assigned their position and the bustling courtyard slowly emptied. From beyond the gatehouse a surviving scout sprinted with tattered clothing and missing a lower arm wrapped in bandages. Seeing the young scout, Mr. Redford dismissed the current messengers surrounding him and gave the man his full attention.

"Report."

"Sir! They front line is coming! They going all out this time! We was able to make a General leading them."

"Cool your thoughts son. Did you identify which General?"

"No... We got attacked from bombardment magic before sneaking a good look. I didn't see him myself, but Juan made me think General Zannon or General Larkas was there... Oh God, Juan..."

The man slowly broke down now that the adrenaline was wearing off and his mind slowly began functioning again. Seeing his state, Mr. Redford gestured for a messenger to take the man to the medic's tent. As the messenger supported the man to the tents, Mr. Redford's gaze was locked onto the small pool of blood where the man was previously standing. His thoughts entirely on strategies to buy time. Two messengers approached him from the side.

"Guild Master..." "Mr. Redford..."

"Warm up, men. It's going to be a busy war. Bring me teams 2, 4 and 5 from the guerrilla detachment."

"Sir!"

One of the messengers ran off to collect the people in question while Mr. Redford was drawing lines into the ground with a stick he found nearby. The second messenger followed his scribbles in curiosity, understanding partial bits of it but not fully cognizant of the entire design. As time passed, and Mr. Redford reached the end of his drawing, 16 people came up to greet him.

"Old man, I'm told you got a job for us."

"Damn straight. Look down, I don't have time to explain this more then once in detail so listen carefully."

***

Aria Sugimoto just finished properly getting dressed now that the initial emergency meeting was over. Their military response was already decided and Mr. Redford had already moved out to start directing troops. Feeling the tension in the air, she felt it was her turn to kick things into gear. The real world scenario gave her special rights not normally afforded to her position. She fully intended to make use of the situation. In particular, she intended to make use of special clauses that allowed her to declare traitor or desertion upon anyone as long as she had the evidence to prove it. Although her primary focus will be on supplying the war, she fully intend to utilize the opportunity to rid Profectus of its more diseased residents that the law was unable to touch.

Often times, nobles would send subtle jabs at her position as Mayor. Her official duties were entirely paperwork based and revolved around logistics and legalities yet, as is the case in the inner cities, nobles always believed themselves to be exempt from such things. More than once, Aria attempted to hold Nobles to the law when they withheld resources during emergencies. Many of them would engage in illegal activities taking advantage of the confusion amongst the civilians. Some of the more horrible ones would kidnap women and children off the street only to blame the Demons for abducting them later on. In general, she was disgusted with half of them and they knew it.

Unfortunately, the power of Mayor was less than that of Noble and any legal actions she attempted were essentially swept under the rug almost every time. She became far better at identifying such activities and investigating, yet her results rarely bore fruit. Many times an attempt on her life was served to the criminal community, yet her policies to protect criminals and offer a means to repent reasonably gave her high standing in the criminal world, much to the dismay of the requesters. Such is the dismal situation of Aria being forced to work with Nobles she knows to be corrupt yet can't get rid of, and for the Nobles who clearly detest her being capable of only petty jabs and nothing further.

Aria returned to the meeting room only to encounter 12 Nobles standing around the main table. They were each dressed in complex attire suiting one fed silver in their youth. It was clear they took their sweet time dressing and arriving on site. Her inner frustration held itself down and she moved with confidence to the table.

These 12 Nobles are the primary culprits she was attempting to take down. They represented the City Defense Council and dabbled in both the Mayoral duties and the Adventurer Guild's duties. In a nut shell, they stuck their fingers wherever they could trying to manipulate the situation to their favor as much as possible as often as possible. They commonly manipulated the spread of soldiers around various parts of town where suddenly a missing person report would show up days later. In her efforts to find evidence, she was able to link each act directly back to each one of these corrupted Nobles, but she was never able to find hard evidence against them since they were careful enough to cover for each other and destroy any evidence left behind, often times that included witnesses.

Each of the 12 Nobles directed their attention to their 'precious' mayor. The self assigned leader of their group, Marquess Tabor spoke up first while holding a sarcastic smile across his face.

"Countess Sugimoto, what a pleasure for you to finally grace us with your presence."

The Marquess held a lanky figure and his overly powerful perfume steeped the room in its entirety. The gaudy clothes rustled with his every movement and his exaggerated gestures drew unneeded attention to his overly thin arms.

"I had prior arrangements. Where are you at with the civilian redistribution?"

Rather than Marquess Tabor, one of his lackeys, Marquess Webb answered with a matter of fact tone instead.

"Evacuation orders were issued in the city and the local Knights are out guiding the civilians to the encampments."

Aria sharpened her eyes at the comment. In reality, he essentially just admitted to moving the Knights from where she placed them earlier. Such a blatant move... There is bound to be a missing report from a newly created blind spot within the next few days. She held back her anger and pressed on.

"Have them guide properly, we don't want losses like last time. How about food? What's the current distribution plan?"

"We can only do so much when Demons kill people off randomly."

Marquess Webb cracked a sly response. His overweight stature leaned against the table and he had propped his chin atop his hand. Even from where she stood, Aria could hear the man breathing heavily just to sustain his massive physique. Beside him, Earl Tucket tossed a small stack of documents onto the table. The man was well dressed and his eloquence obvious. If not for the reports she received from various investigators, she wouldn't have been able to link this man to the various illegal slave trade rings operating just outside of the city.

"Rations are being distributed similar to how we accomplished it last time. Considering the scale of battle however, I took the liberty to ration the meals to once a day."

"I agree with that. The last thing we need is to be victim of a two front assault with the Demons and hunger. Is weapon distribution working fine? I know we were short on supplies last time."

Stepping forward this time was Marchioness Farrar. In the public spotlight, she commanded most metallurgy shops in Profectus and provided up most efforts to support the war to the point of donating her own private arsenal. Privately of course, the situation was anything but sane. In her desk, amongst the many investigative reports were pictures, testimonies and reports depicting the cruelest of hobbies. Her connections to the metallurgy shops enabled her easy access to various chains, whips, hooks, knives and other disturbing choices for torture. Of the corruption in this room, she was by far the most sinister. Her attitude in public was one of amicability though and her pleasant voice disarmed those who might sense the blood lust hanging around her.

"Still short. I've asked the shops to spin up production, but Profectus simply lacks the facilities for mass production of weapons. I'm placed an import notice as well, however they won't arrive for another week earliest."

"That'll be too late... Commandeer the gear of Knights guiding the civilians. Give them a blue scarf to help identify them to the public. We'll use their equipment as emergency backups if the time arises."

Marquess Webb straightened up almost instantly in rebuttal.

"That's a insult to the Knights!"

"A true Knight is there for the public. They should know by now that Profectus isn't the Capital. If they can't accept it, they can leave. We don't have time for those unwilling to support this city."

Aria fiercely glared at the Marquess forcing him back slightly. She held her gaze for a few seconds before continuing on. They were at war after all, properly functioning logistics were a requirement. She resumed her checklist hitting every major section. Each reply brought with it feelings of disgust when the reports of each section lead inevitably came to mind.

Maintaining as much of a regal attitude as she could, Aria divvied up further work with slight errors in the paperwork. Each error, should the section lead take advantage of it, would be enough to criminally try them without legal prudence. She watched as each member left the room at their own pace carrying the documents in hand. Turning her gaze to the man still standing before her, she questioned him clearly disgusted.

"Marquess Tabor... Is there still anything you need for me?"

"Countess Aria. I've yet to hear your response to my proposal."

"Do you think now is the time for this? There's a horde of Demons literally over the bend."

"I'd wager this is the perfect time."

"How?! We're out numbered, underpowered and ill equipped to fight a war. Marriage should be at the bottom of your priorities!"

At her vehement response, the Marquess clearly showed disinterest across his face spinning around as if to dismiss the very idea a threat was approaching.

"Our army is powerful enough. We'll push them back like we always do. It's not the first time this has happened."

"You're insane! There are better uses of my time, if you'll excuse me."

The Marquess quickly spun back around and grasped her arm tightly causing her minor pain. When she looked back into his eyes, she hesitated when the slight light of insanity glared back.

"You can't blame me for being aggressive."

"Free me."

He came closer tightening his grip.

"I said let me go!"

He yanked her arm dragging her face close to him. Moving near her ear, he silently whispered to her where no other member in the room could hear.

"If you think any of us will fall for your petty tricks, you'll be sorely mistaken. Don't underestimate me woman. I was onto you from the beginning. Those investigators are probably counting passengers in the other world by now. You will be mine. A mere Countess has no room to complain to a Marquess."

"..."

The Marquess pushed her from his grasp knocking her against the side of the rail. He ignored her entirely as he walked out of the office, his papers still stacked on the table. Her emotions ran hot for a moment and she collided her fist against the railing.

[Months of planning... Dammit!]

***

Time passes and dawn breaks across the land. A moving shadow slowly consumed the terrain belching dust and debris behind it. The sun rose slightly higher illuminating the shadow, yet details would still be difficult to make out. The shadow was a writhing mass that seemingly advanced under its own will. Occasionally, a small patch of it would break off to speed ahead but then later return to the pack. Each departure and reception only fueled the machine further.

Amongst the many forms compiling the shadow, a few carriages drawn by large six legged creatures with tusks sprouting from their heads were mixed into the back. The brightening day casted light across the carriages reflecting gold and red hues. Behind those carriages, wooden platforms stacked with raw meat were pulled on sleds. Each sled could easily feed a small portion of the army. A long trail of sleds with their own defensive forces pursued the lead pack. Any General looking down upon the sight could link the trail to a provisions supply train.

Amongst the many carriages, one in particular stood out with a golden trim, six wheels and large flag hanging from each side. The banner held a small dragon on it and four pairs of powerful pitch black horses drew it across the fields. Inside that carriage which was large enough to house upwards of 30 people, two Demons were entangled upon each other. Various fluids stained the carpet beneath them but the freshest spread itself slowly through the countless fibers, its viscous nature pulling them together and solidifying them in place a few minutes later. The Demon released the other from its embrace dropping it to the floor. A smile a satisfaction across its face and blood red eyes gleaming brightly through the brief lapses in the curtain. The light that fell across him revealed a pair of upper and lower fangs and hair long enough to ride down his bare chest to his hips. The Demon ignored the cold and chose to remain without a shirt even though his breath fogged on every exhale. The man stood and kicked aside the corpse of the Demon beside him.

The Demon swept aside the front curtain of the carriage and moved to where the driver seat would normally be situated. Rather than a driver seat, a large empty platform held itself firm with railing surrounding it. The Demon stood upon the platform taking in the icy wind and inhaling deeply. He invoked an amplification magic before commanding the horde before him.

"My minions! Tonight we dine on flesh! Tonight we bathe in blood! Tonight, tonight we win this war!"

The horde responded with ear splitting roars. They broke the peak of the final hill separating them from Profectus and accelerated down the hill. The carriage halted its run at the crest of the hill and the Demon watched as his army sprinted straight towards the first defensive line of Profectus. From his perspective, he scanned the front line defending against him. He saw a front line consisting of nearly 160 men with support units perched atop the wall. The adventurers capable of powerful magics were in the middle of kneading massive amounts of mana. He could feel the range of their abilities for the most part though the odd placement of the troops concerned him slightly.

This Demon General led a truly ferocious army. Unlike other Demon Generals who maintained a standing army of intelligent Demons, his preference swerved towards mindless summons. Ever single one of the 6 thousand shadow creatures plummeting down the hill were summoned by him. The mindless creatures followed only his orders and consumed anything in their path without regard to each other or themselves. This trait of theirs was their greatest strength and they rarely failed him. In the past, his Demon Lord prevented him from launching full scale assaults against the city in favor of poking and torturing them to death. Perhaps that was why his face in anger contorted slightly.

Three massive blast waves surfed up the hill tearing past him. Reflected in his eyes were two colossal, merged, molten craters and surrounding it, hundreds of his injured horde. In less than a blink of an eye, nearly 1500 minions were simply erased. The trait that he thought made them the strongest clearly backfired for the first time. He sent a mental command to the shadows still descending to continue the raid. They quickly dispersed, spreading out as they ran while a select few began to consume the injured shadows that survived the explosion. Every chunk of a wounded shadow's flesh like exterior that was severed seemed to engorge and strengthen the shadows cannibalizing it. They consumed and bulked up as if converting their peer's strength into their own. After cannibalizing their injured, the General was still disappointed at their strength and ordered the newly strengthened shadows to start consuming even more of their peers.

As the shadows continued their descent, they finally entered the last funnel connecting to Profectus. After ordering his shadows to spread out upon immediate exit, the Demon General refocused into the distance and observed the start of the war.

***

Lapis side vaulted across a branch followed by a quick tumble under a fallen tree. Behind her, Hiiro mirrored her movements attempting to maintain the short distance between them. Each dodge, hop and twist slowly took Lapis further from him until he lost her from his view completely. Unsure where to go next and with the thick shrubbery blocking his far views, he halted in his spot and focused on restoring his stamina.

"You held on longer that time. Summoned Heroes are quite the extraordinary beings to improve that quickly."

The Demon-cum-fairy brushed aside a thicket with a smile on her face. As far as Hiiro could tell, she wasn't out of breath and she hadn't even broken a sweat yet. A budding frustration nibbled at his pride. After starting their walk early in the morning, he asked Lapis, while expecting a 'no', to train him and she oddly agreed spouting something along the lines of 'We might get lax without a mental and physical exertion of some sort.' Admittedly, he was hoping more for combat training and not this free running nonsense. Neither of them was using magic to empower their body and technically, she was a woman so he had thought he'd have a natural advantage. Hiiro's now wishing he could go back in time and slap the stupidity from his past self's mind.

"Are you okay?"

Her face distorted with worry at his awkward silence. He caught his breath before replying to her along with a shaking head.

"No, it's fine. I'm fine. My pride is just dented somewhat."

The wry smile broke across Lapis' face.

"You are a Human. Human's have their own strengths. I am... was a Demon. We also have our own strengths. You will soon catch up and even surpass me as it is the nature of your species."

At her somewhat disheartened reply irked him, Hiiro pushed further.

"Just because you look like a Fairy doesn't make you one. We both know that shell's brittle. What's a Demon's strength anyhow? I can't remember ever hearing about that..."

Lapis raised her hand to him with three fingers out. She slowly clenched a finger down while counting off.

"Three points. First, although I was technically a Demon in our previous world, my mana signature is far too different from the native Demons here. As such, they are Demons and I am instead something else entirely compared to them. As for Zirco, he is oddly similar to the Demons here... I think it was because I adjusted him while we were already in this world, even if time was frozen. He took on the mana signature of this world because of them. Second point. Although this shell is brittle, I must not return to my original form if I can help it. Just as I am training you, you are training me. I have been controlling my mana more properly to meet the level that Elf had of this species. Final point. A Demon specializes in magic. I am quite fit only because I trained it. This is about the peak of my physical capabilities when not reinforced with magic though. As a Human, you should be capable of far more. Your species is known to be quite average at everything."

"I don't know how I feel about being called average."

Hiiro stretched his arms and hopped on his legs a few times to help the blood flow. His legs, which were exhausted moments ago, had already started restoring themselves to peak shape along with his stamina. Given a couple more minutes, he felt he'd be back in near perfect shape. As his breath stabilized and he cooled off somewhat with the chilled surroundings, a slight chill ran up his spine.

"Average is good. You have no true weakness. If you ever fight a Demon and they outclass you entirely, limit their ability to use magic and you will hold a massive advantage. Though... I am not sure how accurate that advice is in this world yet. There are other species I have never seen before and their mana signatures are entirely different from what I know."

"Average is good, huh? Well... Thanks then, I guess... I'm ready to start again whenever you are."

"Already...?"

"Getting tired?"

"No... I am just... surprised. I feel as if an hour of training for you is similar to a nearly a day for a normal Human. Intriguing..."

"I'll say it now, but you can't experiment on me."

"I-I-I never had such a t-thought!"

Her crimson face rotated quickly away from him. Obvious. Too obvious...

[Eh...? Seriously...?]

He was surprised for a moment until he remembered she was originally a researcher type. He felt a chill ride his spine once again, though he somehow knew it wasn't the fault of the environment this time. Deciding not to pursue the issue further, Hiiro kicked off the training once more.

"Whatever... it doesn't matter. Let's pick it back up."

No response. Hiiro followed her focused gaze noticing something was wrong. Above the tree tops, they could make out a large plume of smoke rising rapidly. Moments later, they both felt a gust whistle past them, cutting through the forest trees. He saw her nose twitch slightly and focused his senses...

"Blood...?"

Lapis spoke before him, but she sounded incredibly unsure of her own answer. The scent was too faint for him to make out, but he trusted the senses of the previous Demon Lord to be far more accurate than his.

"Is it faded?"

"No. It is clearly in the air, but it smells more like the gust pushed the blood of an older kill this way."

"Cant you smell anything about that explosion?"

"Such as?"

Hiiro took a moment to figure out the best way of describing the various ways explosions could be created back on Earth and how each method left a residue of some sort with many of them leaving behind a resulting smell.

"Oh, I see. Similar to how a flint strike smells different from a lightning strike."

"Precisely."

He watched her take a moment, closing her eyes and focusing her senses. From her small body, a small pulse of mana emitted and the markings on her butterfly like wings glowed slightly. She opened her eyes which now held small flickering lights reflecting against themselves. Her expression turned serious.

"Magic. A moderate grade, wide area magic. There is no odd smell to it besides your normal burning fire but I can feel at least three distinct mana sources, so it might have been a single assault from three different invokers... Zirco!"

A Demon plummeted from the sky driving his knee into the ground on landing. He remained kneeled in front of her with his head down even as he spoke.

"My Lord, this one answers your call."

"What is happening in the distance? Why did you not inform me?"

Her voice carried a threatening tone and the Demon's body reacted strongly to it. For the first time, Hiiro realized the Demon was literally bound to Lapis entirely. His will. His body. His spirit and most likely, even his mana were all under absolute control of Lapis. The mere act of her questioning his loyalty drove the slave known as Zirco into perfect submission. With his life on the line, Zirco replied calmly, though Hiiro could feel an odd sort of shame mixed into it. It was as if the creature was a slave even subconsciously to her. No, Hiiro was certain that was exactly the case.

"My Lord. This one saw an explosion far into the distance but was unable to see further details. By this one's estimation, we would be able to arrive at the site within two days if we continued at our leisurely pace. As for why I failed to inform you... This one apologizes more profusely. This one had thought the training of Hiiro Sakamoto took precedence over a remote event that we had no control over."

"... I understand. Rise."

The Demon rose from the ground leaving a mold of his knee dug into the ground. He returned to his standing position but remained in place as if a stone.

"Learn from this event. Information is invaluable and it is not your choice to decide if unusual events are important or not. Return to the sky and try to obtain a clearer view of the site. We will place training on hold and hurry forward. Is that fine?"

Lapis cocked her head slightly to the side as she directed the question at Hiiro. He nodded quickly in return. Even Hiiro was aware something was obviously out of place if three different users were required to launch such a powerful magic. Lapis and Hiiro kneaded a small amount of mana and invoked a physical enhancement of sorts on themselves. A single nod between them once more and they leapt off the forest floor into the canopy springing from limb to limb.

"I hope they were just competing whose magic was stronger..."

Hiiro saw a mocking sneer cross Lapis' face.

"I felt further mana sources a moment ago. I suggest you abandon that hope."

The two accelerated their pace further dropping their original two day prediction down to hours.

***

Mr. Redmon stood atop the first stone curtain wall overlooking the battle field. His initial strike at the enemy killed a rather nice sized chunk of the army and successfully diverted the horde into two distinct directions. The shadow monsters crawled across the ground in a nearly frantic style as if they lacked the caution a normal beast of living creature would. The lack of caution only assisted the old Guild Master with his strategies though. Monsters diverted along the right side of the molten crater were being picked off rapidly via pitfall traps and long range sniping. Of the 30 teams on the field, only 10 of them were focused on defending the right field. With between five to six members per team, he estimated the 50 + strong teams should be capable of holding back any of the shadows that broke through the traps and sniping. He allowed five teams to back them up only under emergency situations.

His true concern was the left side of the field. Although the bulk of the teams fell to this side, he was unsure it was enough. They had yet to see the end of the horde cresting the distant hill even though they were under assault from at least three thousand beasts already. Much of his strategy relied on hit and run tactics, but they have yet to implement them. He repeatedly reminded himself to be patient as he watched the first of the horde reach the first line of defenders.

Leaping mid run, the shadows cared not for their safety. The adventurers and mercenaries, who held years of experience working together as a team, held their positions allowing a small amount of the monsters to slip through their defense. Their orders were to engage every other monster they could while the team behind them would pick off any monsters that turned around and attempted to engage them from behind. This thinning of the horde allowed the front line to ignore the stress of letting monsters slip past them and focus entirely on their own fights.

Monsters that slipped through the first line of defense kept their aggressive sprint and ran straight for the second line defenders who were hardly 30 meters behind the first. The second line defenders utilized a similar strategy to the first line, though they worked in two man teams. Unlike the first line defenders who were made up of individuals with thick steel armor, large shields and wide swords, the second defense line focused more heavily on agility and teamwork. Rogues and swordsman defended each others back while dispatching shadow creatures either in single hit fashion or with a combination of strikes. Behind them, thieves and assassins employed their quick footwork and tricky combat styles to support any team that appeared to be pressured.

The three line defense appeared to be holding for now, but Mr. Redmon understood it was only a temporary measure. With enough numbers, any strategy is useless and so he turned to face the men and women to his side. Humans, Elves, and Fairies were sitting cross legged and appeared as if they were sleeping to an untrained eye. He knew otherwise though as he could feel the mana being consumed rapidly from the surroundings. These invokers were the linchpin in his strategy. Without them, they would have to fight nonstop and without break against an unknown swarm of shadow Demons. He returned his focus to the battlefield watching the creatures to the slightest deviation.

Nearly thirty minutes passed since the two forced clashed and Mr. Redmon was unable to see any change in the enemy forces. He grunted lightly in displeasure and rose a hand to the sky. From his hand, he invoked a large fireball that floated slowly into the sky before simply disappearing. It was no mistake though, the old man confirmed a response seeing glints of light in the far distance.

Along the left side of the divide, multiple teams made up of criminals and mercenaries moved under cover. They were positioned ahead of time and were told to ignore any monsters near them and maintain their position. They saw a large fireball rise up into the sky signaling their part of the strategy. Nodding to each other, the group split apart with the first team moving rapidly deeper into the forest and then climbed North up a near cliff face. Once they reached the top of the cliff, they were able to see down the other side of the hill in question. At the unexpected numbers in front of them, they halted their movements entirely.

"Old man's plan ain't gonna work against these numbers."

"Yeah... Let's go."

Minutes later, Mr. Redmon was the unfortunate recipient of the bad news. He was hoping to taking the Demon General's head behind the scenes or at least undermine the assault and force a retreat. He re-tasked the guerrilla troops and merged them into the two defensive sides. His only hope for lasting through the extended battle rests on the group of invokers to his side. In his caution, he peered across the molten pit and as the flames and rock started to cool, he was able to make out shadows consuming each other through the heat waves. He felt a small bead of sweat budding across his forehead.