Soon after their return, a chance to talk with the leaders of this approaching army was presented. A messenger came to them, bringing an invitation to discuss terms of surrendering.

“I'll give it to them; they’re real cocky”, said Keela, passing the parchment over to Saphielle.

Her advisor wore an outfit unbecoming of her; well-fitted leather armor, an elegant bow and quiver strapped over her shoulder. Her hair was tied simply but efficiently and Keela couldn’t help but notice the tan colored cloak hanging off her back as she tapped the back of the parchment with her fingers.

“This is a stupid taunt”, said Velka, who wore her full set of armor; a tan set of clothes sitting underneath as well.

“Let’s use the opportunity to taunt them right back then”, added Keela, pulling a cloak over her head to hide her horns.

Donning all her rings but the demonic one -- which she kept close -- she had a full set of black leather armor under her white flowy cloak. Her hair was tied with a black ribbon, hidden underneath the hood. Looking into a mirror, she couldn’t help but ponder out loud.

“Looks like I lost the color in my other eye too”, she said, pulling down on her eyelid.

“At least you know why now. Try to respect your limits this time”, said Velka, mocking her with a smile.

“Passing my limits got us an army so I’m okay with that discoloration if it means saving my country.”

“How noble.”

Throwing the parchment on the table, Saphielle interrupted their bickering.

“It says they’re off the hill at the start of the Al-Qayum desert. Should we head there before they get impatient and use it as an excuse to attack right away?” she said, laying back against her chair.

“I suppose”, replied Keela, tightening the royal sigil buckle on her cape, getting up from her chair.

Without wasting time, she opened a rectangular portal -- a technique she had mastered recently -- nearby said hill, showing a bustling military camp on the other side, few eyes turning towards the source confusedly. As the trio walked out and asked to be led to the command tent, handing out the invitation for those who doubted, they were led through until they arrived at a simple red tent. It was big but not grandiose, two guards sitting by the entrance. As they entered, Raymond was sitting there, behind a simple desk that sat on a rug to avoid the sand. He smiled, his smile showing more mockery than the warmness it used to have. The three sat in front in the provided chairs and as they sat, Keela fiddled with the silver ring, the incrusted ruby given by the demon prince shining softly in the torchlight.

“So, shall we discuss the terms of your surrender?” said Raymond, a disgusting cocky grin slapped across his face.

“We didn’t come here to surrender. We came to tell you what is going to happen”, replied Keela, staring him straight in the eye.

“What happened to your eyes, your majesty? I thought one of them was still green.”

“A lot happened.”

Upon saying it, she lowered her cowl, showing her horns and hair, wiping the grin off Raymond’s face.

“I came to tell you that not only are we going to fight back, we’re going to fight back until either we wipe all of you out or we all die, and then I’ll take care of you last when you can finally look at your defeat. And then, maybe then, I’ll be gracious enough to send you to meet with your son and your wife”, said Keela, smiling back at him, her fangs reflecting a small amount of light.

“How dare you? I will not sit idly and--” started Raymond, veins nearly bursting on his temple.

“Very easily, Raymond. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to prove that your king is a better puppet than a ruler.”

Following her statement, she opened a portal, jumping in with her two companions before Raymond could call the guard to seize her. The three of them dropped in front of the ravine, facing towards the army that stood far off in the distance, now starting to march towards them.

“I’d say we have about half an hour. Shall we then?” said Keela, putting on her ring.

Before anything else was said, Saphielle grabbed the two of them and jumped, landing on an invisible platform 100ft up in the air, giving them an overview of the battlefield.

“I never knew you had a wind affinity”, said Velka, looking at Saphielle.

“How do you think I stopped that crossbow bolt? With my sheer willpower?” replied Saphielle, lashing out in her nervousness.

Interrupting the two of them, Keela focused, pouring mana into the ring. It drank and drank her mana, sapping her fast. A headache rose, sharply enough to make her fall to her knees, getting caught by Velka as safety. The ring finally stopped draining and a low rumbling could be heard all across the desert, small clouds of dust rising here and there.

“Don’t panic, but you may have gained three more inches of horns”, said Velka, poking at the horns that twirled backwards, slightly curving down.

“I knew there had to be a trick”, said Keela, getting back on her feet.

Before her, the ravine sprawled from horizon to horizon, as much a scar as it ever was. The first one to notice something happening was Saphielle, who pointed to the side of the ravine as a black clawed hand grabbed the side and a fiend crawled over, followed by more and more. The troops crawled out of the dark ravine, lining up in divisions under the command of platoon leaders who crawled out of the sand, their horns adorned in gold. After fifteen minutes, an army 150,000 strong stood before her, divided neatly and in formation, awaiting orders. There were caster divisions, cavalry that rode on skeletal hellhounds, armored platoons who could probably take the impact of a meteor in formation, archer divisions and infantry, all neatly ordered.

“Velka, take the lead, I’m going to take five minutes”, said Keela, straightening herself and looking over at the mass that marched towards them, an army likely 300,000 strong.

“Saphielle, carry my voice, will you?” said Velka, getting a nod from Saphielle who concentrated, the wind carrying Velka’s words.

She focused for a second and started speaking in demonic, the troops perking up and listening.

“Your enemy is approaching. Only their leader may live, do as you will with the rest. I have no doubt you will come out victorious. Now troops, march!”

Following the order, the entire mass of fiends and demons started marching forward, headed towards the humans, unaware of their incoming fate. The sun was cresting the line, casting long shadows, night falling soon as the torches started lighting up on the opposite side. The commanding trio started moving forward with the army, nervously following the incoming bloodbath. The last bit of sunlight was escaping as the two armies came to fight, the presence of demons unnerving most humans; most of which had never seen a demon.

Watching the fight, which was mostly one sided, Keela couldn’t help but notice a flanking unit cresting the dune to their right. Elbowing Velka softly to catch her attention, she pointed to it.

“Should we go ourselves for that one?” she asked, looking at Saphielle for approbation.

“Sure, I don’t think it should pose an issue. That’s a small troop meant to catch commanders off guard”, replied Saphielle, grabbing her bow and resting an arrow against the string.

“Alright we’ll be back then.”

Opening a messy portal out of hurried necessity, Keela jumped in with Velka, landing in the middle of the troop from above. She channeled mana to make claws like she had used against the demon and started attacking, Velka choosing to stick to fireballs and geysers of molten sand. The two of them stuck close, the troop dwindling by the second. Within the minute, the troop was gone, caught off guard by the very commanders they meant to sneak on. As Keela took a breather, a thwack sounded behind her, the last breath of a soldier escaping. Turning around, she saw a soldier that hadn’t died, an arrow firmly lodged in their neck. Picking up the arrow, she quickly teleported back to Saphielle with Velka, handing her the arrow as she landed on the air platform.

“Thank you for the save”, she said, looking about the fight.

“Thank you for my arrow”, replied Saphielle, wiping off the blood from the arrow and putting it back in her quiver.

“So, are you going to tell us why we didn’t know about both of these skills?”

“Well, for one, neither of them are very useful in my day to day work.”

“And where does the skill with the bow come from? I was easily a mile away.”

“I used to be in a special operations squadron. That’s as much as I’ll be willing to divulge.”

Silence falling on the three of them again, only the clashing of metal against metal remained.