"And you're definitely just a normal villager, and not so evil witch or sothing?" I asked.
"Yes! For the thousandth ti, yes!" exclaid the irate woman. "How many tis do you need to ask?"
"It's just that I have really poor luck when it cos to trying to 'save' people. When I swooped in to rescue so kidnap victims from bandits, I kinda expected to discover they were actually just rough-looking adventurers who had captured so heinous wanted criminals."
The third sack contained a teenaged boy, again knocked out by a blow to the head, but who was now sleeping normally with his wound looking a week old rather than raw and bloody. I'd given them each a mouthful of a healing potion. I didn't want to waste my limited supplies, but unlike a real ga, it wasn't like soone had to drink the entire bottle in one go.
"So, why is a demon saving us from bandits? Or are you going to brainwash us for your army?"
"And for the thousandth ti, I'm not a demon!"
She looked at
incredulously as I tucked my wings back away and switched over to my concealing leather armour and cloak.
"You sure ain't human, and that doesn't leave many other options."
I just sighed. I'd even tried showing her my letter of passage, but it wasn't as if random villager A had any idea what so high-ranking noble's seal looked like. Or, for that matter, was literate.
"Well, it was nice to et you and all, but I should get going. The road is over in that direction."
I turned and spread my wings before rembering what Ortho had said about locals.
"Actually, before I leave, are there any shrines to the Goddess around here?"
"Given that you just pointed out the location of the road, you're obviously aware that we spent the past few hours being carried around in sacks, and hence have no idea where we are."
Okay... That's a valid point. "Fine. Have a safe trip. Try not to get kidnapped again."
I resud my journey, pondering the best way to find a shrine closer to the front lines. It was all well and good deciding that I would avoid dying, but actually fulfilling that goal would be another thing entirely, so sowhere closer to respawn was strongly advised.
They'd talked about a grand barrier. From the map, it was centred exactly on the capital, but he'd claid there wasn't a shrine there. There had been no statue in the castle chapel, but I had respawned there anyway. Maybe outside of the dungeon I just needed a place of worship, and the statue itself was unnecessary? Or maybe the altar counted?
If barriers were a thing here, they'd want one around their fortresses, wouldn't they? Perhaps I could find a respawn point in the Muigal Pass garrison. I'd need to deal with them anyway, if I wanted to pass without being attacked, or putting far more trust than I wanted to in my stealth skills. But while that would fulfil my goal of finding a respawn point, it wouldn't do anything to help
with my levels.
Unless I let the demons overrun it first, and then rushed in after...
No, I probably couldn't get away with that. I needed to finish up here and get ho. And, if at all possible, save the fox-kin. Even if I'd utterly failed their copies, perhaps I could do sothing to help the originals. But even then, I couldn't afford to be soft-hearted; I'd bet that the mont the demons realised I didn't want to hurt the fox-kin, they'd be pushed into use as at shields.
It was another long few hours of flying before the fortress ca into view, the towns and villages that I passed growing progressively sparser and the landscape changing from green pastures, farmland and woods into rocky scrubland or scorched, dead earth. I hadn't asked how long the fighting had been going on for, but either it had been a long ti, or people hadn't wanted to live close to demon territory to start with.
Shortly before the fortress ca into view, I returned to the ground and did my best to hide my inhuman features. Despite not being able to train my stamina in any traditional way, with my respawns constantly resetting my body, the endurance boosts from my first class, draconic might and my enchanted ring were plenty enough that I'd win any cross-country race against more traditional humans, so having to jog the rest of the way wasn't a huge hardship.
Of course, while a winged, scaled humanoid creature flying towards a military installation would have invited a full attack, a single, hooded individual in non-standard armour was still as suspicious as heck. They may not have attacked imdiately, but from the bows pointed at , violence was still very much an option.
Would holding up my hands be interpreted as a sign of non-aggression in this world? With the existence of mages, an empty hand could be a deadly long ranged weapon.
I ignored the bown, on the basis that I doubted an arrow would actually hurt , and stopped in front of a moat. The fortress had tall, stone walls, manned at the top. The walls extended north and south, presumably covering the full width of the land-bridge. Perceive mana picked up enchantnts all along. However narrow the land-bridge, it must still have been kilotres. That was a lot of wall to guard.
The stone blocks the walls were made from were suspiciously even, and they seed to be fused together with no sign of any sort of mortar. I'd bet the construction involved plentiful use of magic.
The interesting architecture aside, how was I supposed to talk to the defenders? It would be easy to fly up there, but that would be counterproductive. I could shout all I wanted, but they wouldn't be able to see my letter of passage from a distance.
"Halt! Who goes there?" shouted down soone standing above the drawbridge, which was kinda cool. I never thought I'd hear soone shout those words for real. I thought it was just a movie thing. Lacking any other sensible options, I decided to stick with the truth.
"Hi! I'm a summoned hero, here to help!" I yelled.
"What in the abyss is a summoned hero?" shouted back the guard.
Okay... So the rank and file don't know summoned heroes exist. Also, he's using the abyss as a swearword again. The demons of the abyss would be most upset.
"I have a letter?" I tried.
"A letter... Really?"
"What's wrong with a letter? It's got a big red stamp on it from so important-looking guy and everything. Ortho Grelingham."
At the ntion of the na, the guard reared back, eyes wide. "From the commander of the army? Wait there."
The guards at the top of the wall had so sort of uneasy discussion, before one of them went running off. I was left twiddling my thumbs for a few minutes until a new group appeared atop the wall, one in armour that was substantially fancier than any of the others, and two not in armour at all, but rather wearing flowing robes.
One of the enrobed humans stepped over the edge of the wall. For a mont I was left wondering why they'd chosen that particular mont to commit suicide, but then they just kept on walking, taking perfectly normal steps as if they were walking down a flight of stairs, ending up standing right in front of .
Where the male wind mage, by the na of Christoph according to appraisal, looked straight at my hooded, scaled face and into my blighted eyes.
"It's a demon!" he shouted, jumping straight up into the air, but accelerating rather than coming back down, as gravity normally demanded. A rain of arrows were launched from the wall, while the second mage launched a fireball. The first mage, having gained sufficient height, started casting too, firing spells I couldn't see. Probably wind blades or sothing.
I was really starting to wish I could turn my scales off, with the way these people equated anything inhuman with the demon army.
"No I'm not, you bloody idiot," I yelled, employing body reinforcent to dodge the rain of arrows and spells. "Now stop attacking
before I start fighting back."
There was no response other than the ringing of a bell from inside the encampnt, and presence perception picked up multiple signatures moving towards my part of the wall.
"For fuck's sake!" I yelled, considering my next move.
Should I flee? I probably could, but then what? Try to cross the wall elsewhere? They'd be on the lookout for
after this. Leaving now without correcting the misunderstanding would just cause more problems later. I could fight my way through, but that would have the sa problem. I needed to get them to listen.
Waiting for a retinue to arrive and vouch for
wasn't an option. Travel here from the capital on horseback would take days, and that was ti the humans didn't have.
What about suicide? When they investigated the body, they'd find the letter, and hopefully treat
better on my respawn. The letter wouldn't say anything about
respawning, since Ortho had thought I'd survived the judgent spell, but I could shout sothing. Hopefully, soone would hear. The problem was that even if I was faster than a horse, my respawn point was still a ten-hour flight from here. Perhaps I could do it within the ti limit, but I still had to pass through demon territory, and who knew how long that would take.
What about pushing my way in, unlocking a respawn point here, and then suiciding? That would only cost the hour's respawn ti. The obvious problem being that there would be a fortress of battle-hardened soldiers who would be very much against the idea of
pushing my way in. Perhaps I could find soone of a high rank to take as hostage? Despite the problems, it was still the best option I could think of. Perhaps a better one would occur to
were I not trying to think while dodging a storm of arrows and magical fla.
I spread my wings and jumped towards the top of the wall. The fire mage summoned a wall of fla in my way, so I stashed my non-fireproof armour and flew through naked, re-equipping myself with my resistance-boosting plate mail on the other side.
"Dra... dragon!" was yelled from more than one direction, along with shouts of, "How?!" and, "But the barrier!" I'd been hoping to grab the fancy-armoured guy, but he seed to have fled at so point while my line of sight had been interrupted. I should have tracked him with my perception skills. Instead, I was t by multiple warriors jumping up onto the wall, clearing the ten tre height in a single bound.
"Remain still, demon, and your death shall be painless," one of them shouted, charging at
with a spear.
Fortunately, with
on the wall among the defenders, the ranged attacks had ceased.
"This is your last warning," I shouted, dodging the spear with ease but not feeling so confident about the next five that were rapidly approaching. "I've co all the way from the capital to join the war on your side, and the first thing you do is attack unprovoked. If you want
to be a demon so desperately, then I'll show you how much of a demon I can be."
Of course, no-one listened. Why were these humans so suicidally stupid? I an, I've heard the excuse that this world is literally humans against everything, and anything you see that talks but doesn't look human is probably about to kill you, but they could at least stop to listen. If I was a real demon, why would I be letting them attack
like this without fighting back? What's the point in having a letter if no-one reads it?
"Fine," I muttered, grasping a spear that was being thrust towards
and pulling it forward with my draconic might. The soldier reacted quickly, releasing it before being toppled over, but he was still dragged a few steps toward . I thrust forward with my other hand, aiming at his breastplate. The armour buckled and he went sliding along the wall.
Perceive presence advanced to level 17
Perceive presence inford
of a second soldier coming from behind, so I swung with my captured spear, not trying to pierce him, but using it as a ram to shove him off the wall. It snapped, but not before launching him over the battlent. He scread as he fell toward the moat below, ending in a crescendo of clattering tal as his armoured body slamd into the ground. Given how easily he'd leapt onto the wall, he would have survived the fall. Hopefully.
The bell started ringing again, this ti further away. More reinforcents. How many people would I be forced to kill or immobilise before I could start fighting the real enemy?
"She's a distraction!" yelled soone, which was news to . I would agree my beautiful scales could be distracting, but it wasn't as if I was distracting them from anything.
A boom ca from the opposite side of the fortress, and the sky rippled.
"Whu?" I asked, looking over as another three huge balls of magic slamd into the barrier that surrounded the fortress.
Apparently, the second bell wasn't for . The demons had chosen that mont to launch an attack.
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