Along the mountain trail to the valley where Xuberanth lay hidden, a 5 man adventurers party strolled along leasurely. Walking in the center of the loose formation and gazing down at the forest below, was a girl dressed in black.

Lisa puffed on the long thin cylinder while she controlled the small sparks within, flaring it up with her magic then putting it out continuously. Brock had introduced her to the elegant and thin empire style smoking pipe. Lisa thought it looked a bit like a wand, if not for the hole where the tobacco went in.

Elves did not smoke, and Vorna had protested vehemently when Brock had brought out the pipe in a drunken stupor, exclaiming that smoking always calmed him down, so she should try it too.

She'd been very upset that day, but it was as he said. For some reason, smoking calmed her. It felt almost natural. She wondered if that was because she was a demon and demons loved fire, atleast according to the ancient tales.

Caia had made the best of it by teaching her a method to start fire, control it, and extinguish it and she had practiced tirelessly ever since.

Lisa wanted him to come back, though she continued to put up a strong front for the adventurers she was travelling with. They'd been kind enough to escort her, and Caia was even teaching her magic and getting her enrolled.

Caia had teleported them to a known vantage point close to Xuberanth, so they had effectively skipped most of the journey over land. Getting to experience teleportation magic for herself was really neat. However, Lisa was pretty sure the reason they were doing all of that was Shu. Somehow it had to have something to do with him, right? The moment that Shu had stepped into her life, it was as though everything suddenly revolved around him and he didn't even notice it.

To have the world at her beck and call like him, to walk the lands free of concerns, just drifting and laughing and smoking her pipe. What would that feel like, she wondered.

She wanted to be like that. To be in control. That was why practicing with the fire in the pipe felt so good. She was in control of the whole process, she was the master, not a slave but the master.

The gentle rolling rhythm of it flaring up then dying down, and the smoke rising lazily towards the blue sky, settled her into a relaxed yet focused state of mind. It somehow gave her peace even though Shu was gone.

It was possible, she could do it. Before the pool, the invasion, the kidnapping and the damn slavers, she had been a headstrong princess. She had ordered servants, dominated the room with her presence as people jumped to obey her.

She could return to that, but she was sure it would not be exactly the same as back then. She would never be able to erase the scars in her heart, but she could take them and use them to become stronger. Shu had showed her the way. All she had to do was walk.

To stand on her own two feet, these were the first steps.

”Do something about that already, she's like a smoke signal. Any bandit with the [hawkeyes] skill would see that thin trail of smoke and single us out.” Brock said, furrowing his brows and thumbing at Lisa, who walked leasurely beside Caia, immersed in practicing her fire magic manipulation.

”Oh so it's too much smoke for you now is it?” Caia said, smiling over at Brock. ”You should've thought of that before you gave her the pipe. I find the aroma of the Azurean Kairo leaf rather pleasant actually.” Caia continued.

”But she's a frickin kid! And she is smoking that pipe like an old man. It's scaring me a little bit.” Brock continued. Lisa looked over at Brock. The huge man swung his arms vigorously as he walked.

”Well you were the one w ho gave it to me, so you can't really complain can you?” Lisa said, smiling lazily, a feeling of cozy relaxation filling her body. Brock cursed under his breath, which almost made Lisa giggle. These people were not bad, and she was in an unusually good mood today. The sky was like a pure and clean ocean towards which her thin trail of pipe smoke curled and the pines below were like a sea of green, stretching out before her eyes.

A memory stirred within her from the first day as a free girl. With distant eyes, Shu had gazed out at such a forest too, and smiled. She thought she was beginning to understand him a little better, and it felt like she was getting closer to her goal.

”You think I can handle a fireball now?” She asked suddenly. She had been wanting to try it for ages now, but Caia forbid her from attempting it. ”You need more practice.” Caia replied. Those words were about to drive her mad. It was always the same reply. Need more practice, need more practice.

Huh? She saw something move down in the forest, because she had been staring down in a daze, the periphery of her unfocused gaze had locked onto something. Yes, there was definitely something down there. She quickly put out the pipe, storing it within the folds of her clothes.

”What's that?” she asked, pointing to where she'd seen the strange sight.

Caia turned, squinting down at the forest, but eventually shrugged. ”I can't see anything unusual about the forest down there. Trevor?” The quiet ranger stepped forward. He apparently had a skill called [Hawkeyes] that he could use like a telescope to zoom in on distant targets.

Trevor stood still to concentrate, focusing his gaze on the forest. ”Looks like some nobles wanted to take a shortcut, bandits or outlaws or some such are attacking them.” Trevor reported.

”Slavers?” Caia and Brock asked in unison, their eyes shining with something. "Dunno," Trevor said. "I don't see a cage, but they may be operating independantly of the transport parties."

Lisa too, felt her heartbeat quicken. Biting her lip, she looked over at Caia. ”Let's go, quick!” ”We will go, but you must hide while we take care of the bandits. Can't risk you getting hurt.” Caia said.

”And why not? They're just bandits, you guys are supposed to be strong, right?” Lisa said. ”What if a stray arrow hits you?” Caia continued. ”If you get hurt then---”

”I'll protect her.” Fiona said suddenly. ”She's been learning magic earnestly. Since you're the one that taught her, you must've noticed it right? She's a damn fast learner, not just another kid. She deserves this." Fiona finished, grinning at Lisa.

A warm feeling spread throughout her small chest and she couldn't help but smile in return, then her eyes hardened.

"Let's go, they're fighting." Lisa said, flexing her fingers. Perhaps she would get to use [fireball] after all? Caia couldn't very well prevent her if it was in self-defense, could she?

Fiona grabbed Lisa, flinging her onto her back. "Hold on kid, we're jumping." Lisa's eyes widened a little, but she trusted that these guys knew what they were doing. They were, after all, an A-rank adventurers party from the most famous guild in the world.

"Understood." She replied, clamping her small body tight around Fiona as she stepped forward to the edge of the cliff. Already, her mind spun with the possibilities.

Bandits, slavers, outlaws, murderers. She would show them. All her pain, the pain of those four years, the pain of being cursed, she would bloody show them all.

Fiona flung herself off the cliff and Lisa's stomach did flipflops as a whooshing sensation blasted her straight on. Then she felt mana flowing from Caia in a steady stream.

"O winds of grace, carry us along." She said and Lisa felt like she was being buffeted by the winds. She couldn't hear anything because of the mighty whoosh, and she felt a little perturbed that her skirt flipped and flapped about wildly.

Well, if the bandits saw her panties, perhaps it would distract them and help with the fight. Shu had seemed very out of it when she tried out the tactic on him.

"Dance, dance and flow." Caia continued, and Lisa felt like invisible hands grasped her, guiding her down, down down in a measured, controlled manner.

As the 6 people descended from the sky in a roar of whipping winds, the bandits looked up and pointed. One guy who was squaring off against a guard in livery wielding a sword, got distracted long enough for the guardsman to stick him a good one. Lisa cringed as the rapier went straight into the bandits eye-socket with a wet squishy thud.

Then they were down. Lisa leapt from Fiona's back as the woman pulled her shield and then her sword, taking a defensive stance infront of Lisa.

"What the fuck!" One of the bandits yelled, pointing at the Ouroboros party thad had taken up a formation around Lisa. Vorna raised two hands towards the sky.

"[Holy Circle], weaken my foes, strengthen my allies." She said and golden light shone from her hands for a moment before a bubble sprung up around them.

Lisa could see about a dozen enemies as the golden light washed over her and the rest of Ouroboros, even the 3 remaining guards and the noblewoman were showered by the golden light.

Brock yelled a mighty battlecry, throwing himself at the bandits as if shot from a catapult. He landed in the middle of 4 bandits and roared as the bandits faces contorted in shocked expressions of utter fear.

Brock spun like a whirlwind. One incredibly fast swing of his massive axe cleaving them apart, blood spurting from their severed torsos as the seperated bodyparts fell to the ground. Lisa felt like she was going to hurl.

Trevors hands flashed and another three bandits, including their screaming leader fell, arrows through their eye sockets.

"Oh shit Oh shit, what the fuck is this!?" A man screamed, diving behind a tree to take cover.

Caia raised a hand towards the fleeing bandits and blue lines of lightning crackled around her hand like a mini storm. "Fulgoris Luminai, slay mine enemies. "[Lightning Strike!]" She said and bolts of lightning tore from her outstretched hand with a deafening thunderclap, destroying the cover of trees and tearing through the remaining bandits like they were made of forming doe.

The lightning leapt from Caia to the bandits and back several times, frying the spasming, paralyzed bodies and turning them into unrecognizable black lumps of smoking flesh.

Lisa shivered at that image of Caia, an elegant elven hand still lightly poised. Lisa would have never thought that the normally gentle Caia would have such vicious attacking magic, but she should've known better.

She briefly wondered whether or not Shu could also do things like that. Caia... that woman was amazing after all. She had not been wrong in choosing to follow her lead and journey to Xuberanth.

Silence settled over the battlefield, and the golden light gradually faded. One of the guardsmen, the one that had stabbed a bandit in the eye, staggered towards Caia holding his side. "Are you injured?" Vorna asked, quickly stepping forward to provide priestly ministrations. The man shrugged. "Just a fleshwound. Really, thanks. You guys saved our asses big time."

"Mind your manners." A woman's shrill voice rang out. Lisa spotted the woman strutting up to stand beside the man. She wore a long, purple dress with elegant wide sleeves and silvery embroidery. She had two huge sapphire earrings too. Lisa thought this woman had to have alot of money. Maybe she was one of those conceited nobles, a slave owner. Lisa frowned. She couldn't quite view nobles in the same light as before she had been a slave.

"R-right," The man said, bowing with a grunt and a pale face. The man was clearly in pain and forcing himself.

He looked like he would keel over any moment now, but somehow the man still held on to his consciousness, even if by a thin straw. The odd lengths that these guards go to in order to please their undeserving overlords. It was disgusting.

Lisa felt something dark inside, contempt. She was almost glad she couldn't be considered a noble of high society any longer. Almost.

"This is the Lady Veluria Luitgarde, duchess of the drafting isles and the Azurean province of Kelmstead, and I am Paul, a guard." He gritted his teeth, forcing the words out. The lady in purple, Lady Veluria, inclined her head. "I'm grateful for the rescue. Truthfully I thought I'd meet my end in this place." She said, waving a hand self importantly at the carriage as she stuck her nose into the sky as though it would pierce the heavens.

"Are you injured?" Vorna repeated, her eyes still resting on the wobbly guard holding his bleeding side. " Of course you are, come here." Paul grunted, taking a step forward before finally collapsing to the ground. Lisa could see now, how blood seeped from a wound in the mans side and she looked worriedly up at Vorna.

"Will he be ok?" She asked, walking over to stand beside Vorna as she put her hands on the unconscious man.

"No worries my child. [Holy Light]." Golden light flowed from Vornas fingers directly into the mans chest, and Lisa thought she heard a strange pop before the man sighed and seemed to relax.

"He'll sleep now, and will be all better soon, don't worry." Lisa crossed her arms, glancing over at the dismembered and burnt bandit corpses. Did Vorna think her such a weak child that she couldn't even handle an injured man? Well, they didn't know that her real age was 16.

She looked like a small 10 year old, more like 9 or 8 since her form was diminutive at the best of times and positively tiny at the worst. Standing next to Brock was like standing next to a mountain for her. Not that Lisa really minded her height. She definitely, definitely didn't care about her height. Not at all. Hmpf.

Lady Veluria harumphed at having been passed over. If Vorna wasn't a high ranking adventurer, maybe the woman would somehow punish her perceived impudence.

"Yes well, it's good that Paul will be fine. He's a nice guard." Veluria said in a tone that clearly indicated she didn't really give a shit. Lisa decided to pay the annoying lady no more mind.

The Lady's shrill and piercing voice got on her nerves, so she slipped past Vorna intending to go check on the people in the carriage. No one stopped her.

With a glance behind, Lisa could see that Caia was now talking to the shrill, now hysterical and arm-flailing creature in purple. Lisa was glad she didn't have to deal with that thing.

She knocked on the side of the carriage door. "Uhm, hello? It's fine to come out now." Lisa said. "No! Scary!" A girls muffled voice said. "Can you open up? the bandits are gone now." Lisa tried again.

"I don't believe you! Where's mom? Oh gosh don't tell me she's-". "Lisa grasped the handle of the carriage door and pulled it open. Why hadn't they locked it?

The girl on the other side gasped in surprise, shrinking back from Lisa. She ignored her alarm and stepped up into the carriage. "See? I'm fine. Your mother is outside talking with the adventurers, so calm down." Lisa said, attempting to calm the panicky little girl.

The girl wore an elaborate white dress and hugged her knees as she looked up at Lisa with pale blue eyes. She was very light skinned, with a heart-shaped mouth and long blonde locks. A look that was sure to steal the hearts of many men in the future. Lisa's ordinary appearance was both a blessing and a curse, she thought.

The girl shook and her lips trembled as she cried.

Lisa approached slowly, bending down and hugging the other girl close. "There there. It's fine now. Your mom is fine. Shh." Lisa whispered into the girls ear, and she cried, collapsing into Lisa and clinging to her. Trust had been obtained way too easily. "Aaaah, I thought I was gonna die. The bandits, the bandits killed Kinu..."

Lisa stayed like that with the girl for awhile until she had calmed down, then asked.

"What's your name? Mine's Athelisa, you can call me Lisa for short." The noble girl looked up at Lisa with red eyes. "I'm Cloelia Luitgarde." She said. Her voice was hoarse from crying.

Suddenly, Cloelia's eyes widened. "Yo-you... horns? What?" Shit, Lisa almost facepalmed. She had completely forgotten about that. Walking with the adventurers, Lisa had no need to hide her horns, so she'd kind of forgotten about them.

What would happen now? Surely Caia's group would come to her rescue if they attacked, right? Paul was incapacitated, but there were other guards. Lisa's heart clenched at the thought of blacking out and then waking up in captivity inside one of those filthy cages again. She'd had that nightmare for too long now.

Cloelia surprised Lisa by reaching a small trembling hand towards her horns. She froze.

What was Cloelia going to do to her? Tentatively, Cloelia reached out a hand and ever so gently, prodded Lisa's horns. ”Uhum, they feel kind of funny. Almost like they're the real thing. ” Lisa frowned. ”They are.” She said simply.

There was no need to deceive this girl since she had Caia's group on her side. Even if they tried something, there was no way they could succeed. ”N-no, no way. They're real? But how?” Cloelia cocked her head as if there was something odd that she couldn't figure out.

”What do you mean how? They grew soon after I was born, similar to when babies grow teeth. You understand?” Lisa sat back in the seat opposite Cloelia, crossing her arms infront of her chest. ”I don't see why you have to be so surprised about it.” Lisa said.

”Bu-but you're supposed to be a sla-slave...” Cloelia said, her voice growing silent and tiny.

”I was. But before that, I was free. I wasn't born a slave, you know?” Cloelia frowned as if there was something she couldn't understand. From the outside, she looked to be the same age as her, but Lisa had a few years up on this girl. To think that she had been nearly as young as this girl when she became a slave...

Lisa crinkled her nose in disgust at the thought, but Cloelia seemed to misunderstand something.

Quickly, she raised both her hands, flapping them frantically in the air. ”Oh No. No no no. I didn't mean it like that. Only... just...” She seemed to deflate, falling back down into the seat. After a short silence, Cloelia muttered. ”I'm sorry.” Lisa, who had certainly not expected this, raised an eyebrow, which prompted the jittery noble girl to proceed. ”I-I mean... thanks. Sorry. Ugh, I don't know anymore!” Cloelia shouted, throwing herself back in the seat, her face flushing with frustration.

”What's wrong?” Lisa asked.

”I don't understand anything anymore! Mom said, she said that slaves are slaves. Demons are bad and evil, but make good slaves. I don't....”Cloelia said.

Ah so that was the source of the girls confusion. If the shrill creature, who went by the name of Veluria, was this girls mother, it was a miracle that she was like this and not a horribly conceited bitch. Still, it may just be a matter of time for her.

”Don't pity me!” Cloelia shouted suddenly. Lisa started and her heart did a thump thump in her chest. Then she frowned. ”I wasn't?” She said, confused at the sudden outburst. This girl was more difficult than Lisa had originally thought. Perhaps she was her mothers daughter after all.

”No, those sad eyes don't deceive me. You were definitely pitying me. I hate those eyes!” Cloelie gritted her teeth. Lisa sighed. ”Whatever, since you're fine I should be going. Caia should be done with the shrill crea- I mean your mother right about now. Farewell.”

Lisa turned to leave, but before she had even taken two steps she was grabbed from behind and pulled strongly into the plushy carriage seat next to Cloelia. When Lisa turned around with an annoyed frown, she was greeted by a strangely sincere little face. It was odd to see such a serious expression on a kid... then again she shouldn't be saying that, given how she looked.

”How are you like that?” Cloelia asked, staring unblinkingly at Lisa. Close! Too close! Lisa put a hand on Cloelia's shoulder and gently pushed her away.

”Like what?” She asked, now more calmly.

”Like... so amazing. I was so afraid when the bandits attacked, but you... you were out there with them. You watched them fight and everything. And I just... I just hid in here...” Cloelia said quietly, looking down as tears once more re-emerged in her eyes.

Lisa coughed suddenly, then waved her hand. ”No no. I'm not like that.” Again the frown of confusion returned to little Cloelia's face. She was kind of amusing.

”I didn't even get to use fireball on them. Ouroboros is just too strong.” Lisa grumbled.

She could finally somewhat let go of her tension, relaxing back into the plushie folds of the incredibly soft seats. She wondered what they were made of to be so soft. It felt like she was being sucked into the seat, and also a little bit like she was floating on fluffy clouds. A very strange sensation.

Cloelia turned wide, amazed eyes to her once more. ”You can use fireball?” Lisa nodded. She was sure she could pull it off. Caia was too cautious. Speaking of which, she grinned at the stunned Cloelia girl and pulled out the empire smoking pipe. ”Huh?” Cloelia exclaimed.

”Look.” Lisa told her, holding up a finger. She whispered [flame] under her breath, and a small fire lit on her fingertip. Cloelia's eyes were as big as saucers as she gawked at her.

”Wow, demonkin sure are amazing... I think I can understand sis a little better now.” Cloelia said.

The tobacco within the pipe ignited, and Lisa puffed contentedly on the stick-like object. She could get used to this. This plushie, super soft seat and the lovely smoke. Cloelia eyed her weirdly, which made Lisa laugh out loud before smoke caught in her throat and made her cough.

Her cheeks weren't hot. They definitely weren't red hot.