And so Oria struck down the Great Demon, though her flesh was torn to tatters.
The demon's poison blood seeped into her wounds and she perished, though her victory was entire.
Psalm of Oria 34:25
"...Aria Nullsong," you say after a second.
"Pleasure to meet you, miss." the gawky guard says cheerfully.
"No doubt," you agree, nodding sagely. Your shapeshifted body was, of course, a marvellous example of a pathetic species;
short reasonably sized and lithe of limb. Rather than your normal iron-hard scales and fearsome horns, there was smooth pale skin, soft and dimpling to the touch. Your long hair is a bloody red, tied into an enormous high ponytail that cascades down your back, with bangs framing a heart-shaped face. Your narrow emerald eyes (well, you think – not like you've seen them yourself) are lined with kohl, in the style you remember last time you spent any real time among humans that weren't clad in armour and trying to kill you.
Overall, it's the opposite of what a foolish human might expect a demon queen to look like.
The guard, however, just looks nonplussed for a second before he lets out a confused laugh. Ysila makes an irritated noise, but doesn't say anything.
"Right! Well, it's nice you see you back, Miss Sommer, Miss Ysila, and welcome, Miss Nightsong."
He starts to move back, but then stops and turns back to the wagon.
"Oh! Be careful if you're planning to go into the woods." The young man looks around furtively as if expecting foes to leap out of the undergrowth and assault him, the motion causing his oversized helmet to slip down over his eyes. He adjusts his helmet with one hand. "There's rumours there's all sorts of bad things in the woods. Bandits and monsters, and even..." he lowers his voice, "
Demons," he hisses.
"Oh no," you say in your most convincing tone of dismay.
"Oh! Don't worry, miss," the guard tries to reassure you. "Even if there are, they wouldn't come near town." He puffs up a scrawny chest as much as he could. "If they did come near town, I'd show them what's what."
You carefully swallow your expression of disbelief and say nothing.
The Hero glances in your direction. You shrug almost imperceptibly, and she inclines her head slightly. You never had time this cycle to infiltrate forces this far into the human lands. It's not impossible one of your generals had, however, or they were even wild demons not under your leadership – if they even exist, and it's not just human fear-mongering.
"Well, even if there are demons, I can't imagine they'd be tougher than the Demon Queen." Verana says easily. "Has Lord Durvell done anything about it?"
Sam begins to shake his head, remembers his helmet and terminates the motion. "No, miss. Some of them holy knights in the temple went out looking, but they didn't manage to find anything beyond a few tracks."
"Well, something to deal with in the future," the Hero says, and after an exchange of goodbyes the carriage begins rattling once more down the road. The iron-shod wheels clatter on the cobbles of the street, and the Hero heaves a happy sigh. At your glance, she grins self-consciously.
"I never expected to be back so soon."
Ysila, for her part, has been looking between the two of you with an increasingly irate expression.
"Ver!" She bursts out. "We come back, and there
just happens to be rumours of demons in the woods?" She waves an angry arm in your direction. "You really trust it to play fair?"
"I'm giving her a chance," the Hero answers calmly even as you bristle. "Just like I gave you one."
"That's-" Ysila spits before she sighs. The two women look gazes for a long moment, an unspoken conversation between them. Some of the heat goes out her expression, and she runs a hand through her dark hair. "That's no fair, Ver. Fine."
The Hero smiles, but before she says anything else the carriage comes to a halt. She glances out the window, looking pleased.
"We're here. Come on."
With almost excessive haste, she swings open the door and is out. Following, you find yourself in front of a stone building, little different from the others on the street. The Hero's already unloading the luggage – mostly alchemical equipment for you, the Hero's armour and the various knick-knacks and legendary artefacts she collected in her journey, and the mage's staff belonging to Ysila. The carriage begins rolling off, leaving the three of you on the street. The cathedral looms nearby, and over the tops of the buildings you can see the two towers – one round, one square – on the hills cradling the town.
As the Hero pushes open the – apparently unlocked – door, Ysila speaks up.
"Hey, Ver, I'm going to go to the tower. I'll see you tomorrow. Unless you want me to..."
"It's fine. I'll see you in the morning, right?"
With one last suspicious glance at you, she waves to the Hero and begins heading off down the street towards the mage's tower. For her part, the Hero steps inside.
Inside, the building is… empty. It reminds you of many of the rooms of your Citadel – bare walls with little else. Empty shelves are thick with dust, and particles dance upon the air, thrown up by the sudden airflow. The light is dim, and for a moment you marvel at how awful human night vision is. No wonder they feared the dark so much.
"Ah, so dusty," she mutters as she walks through a hall with the confidence of long years of familairilty, even in the dark. With little else to do, you follow.
"There's a couple of empty rooms… no one else has lived here but me for a while, so there's plenty of space. You do alchemy, right? Maybe one can be your," she waves her hands vaguely, "Alchemy place."
You give her a look. "Laboratory?"
"That's the one."
She leads you into what was obviously a kitchen. The hearth is cold and empty, and the Hero grunts as she forces open a shutter to let in light. She turns to you and nods.
"Right! Well, we're here. I'll set your room up later. For now, though – what say you to looking around the town? I can show you about!"
[] Accept the Hero's offer to look around the town
You will, of course, be immediately strongly associated with the Hero, but perhaps her presence will open doors that will otherwise be barred.
[] Refuse the Hero's offer; explore around yourself openly.
You don't need the Hero to hold your hand and guide you about! You're not friends.
[] Refuse the Hero's offer; explore around yourself secretly.
As if most of these humans would even notice you, if you didn't want them to. You'll see what you what to see without them being the wiser.
