The neon blue snakes tore across the black grass, leaving a trail of unearthed dirt behind them.

  With the wave of my hand, I shot out a wall of chaotically charged water. It smashed into the ground and popped up, covered in dirt and electricity.

  The snakes went flying and rained down as chunks of neon blue meat. But those that fell were quickly replaced by more.

  I fired another wall of chaotically charged water.

  Fuooom!

  “You’re wasting Ouro on the masses,” the dragon said.

  I smirked.

  Oh yeah, got any other ideas then?

  “Hold out your palm and extend a ball of water into a whip. Then charge the whip with chaos as you kite the crawlers.”

  And then what?

  “You control your breathing to recycle the ambient Ouro,” the dragon further explained. “That way maintaining the whip won’t drain your core.”

  Well, that’s just genius.

  I slowed my mount as I rounded my whip in the air. Then, I brought my whip down with a crack and swept it across the black field and into the nightcrawlers.

  The chaotic whip tore through the creatures with ease. The sounds of their bodies popped in the air as they were brutally ripped apart.

  I controlled my breaths as I allowed the momentum of each strike to carry into the next. Swipe after swipe the creatures were wiped out.

  But more filled the ranks. They didn’t seem to be intelligent but they were determined. Still, after about the tenth swipe they began to thin out.

  And by the fifteenth, they seemed to stop altogether.

  “Looks like they’re giving up,” I noted. “I don’t hear any clicking anymore either.”

  “Indeed.”

  My mount slowed to a trot as it panted. I pulled its head and summoned a water ball for it to drink from.

  It lapped up the water before it shook its head.

  I dispelled the water ball and looked up to see a settlement in the distance. Another outpost.

  Perfect. I’ll stop here and load up on supplies tonight and head out in the morning.

  As I approached the gate I saw two guards in a watchtower.

  They looked down at me and their eyes widened. “Why are you out tonight?” One asked.

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  “And how are you still alive?” The other asked.

  “I’m a human noble,” I replied as I looked up to them. “Lafayette Dumica Tide. Son of Lillith.”

  “A human noble…” one orc mused with the stroke of his chin. “…that explains why you’re alive I guess. Still, we cannot open the gates.”

  I smirked. “That’s fine, can I come in?”

  The orc blinked. “I just said—“

  The other orc shook his head at his partner before he turned to me. “If you can get in without us opening the gate, sure.”

  Say no more.

  I dropped from my mount and spanked its ass. I expected it to run, but it turned to face me and chirped angrily.

  I tilted my head. “Go on, get.”

  It refused and pressed against my side.

  “Fine, stay here then.”

  I shoved it aside and launched myself over the wall with a blast of water.

  I landed on the other side of the wall with a hard thud.

  The orcs turned around and blinked with dropped jaws. I ignored them and stepped into the buzz of the outpost.

  As I navigated through the crowd I spotted the market hall. A place where merchants gathered and set up tents to sell their wares.

  I entered the hall with a few items on my mind.

  A bag.

  Clothes.

  And tools.

  Plus some food.

  I approached the first stall, one run by a four-armed demon woman. Her eyes lit up as she saw me approach.

  She sat cross-legged on a colorful rug and was surrounded by clothes, bags, and shoes.

  Most of it looked stolen, dirty, and used.

  But beggars can’t be choosers.

  “Welcome, welcome my friend.” She waved me forward with two hands and a wide smile. “What can I do for you? What do you need?”

  She used her other two hands to raise and sort through items.

  “I need a satchel and clothes. Clothes that’ll survive a long trek north.”

  The woman hummed as she looked me up and down. Then with a smile she reached for several items.

  “Yes, yes, I have what you need here.” She brought forward a heavy leather satchel and black robes with a hood. She also showed pants, a tunic, and worn boots.

  “How much?” I asked.

  The woman let out another hum as she focused on my coin purse. “Five silvers.”

  “Five?”

  She nodded. “These items are of the highest quality. You won’t get a better price than this.”

  I chuckled as I stepped forward. The woman sensed my shift in demeanor and tensed. I stopped right in front of her and leaned close.

  Right against her ear.

  “Listen, I don't mind paying you a little extra. But if you try to fleece me again I will just rob you.”

  I grabbed the side of her face. It was rough to the touch. I pressed my lips against her sharp ear. “And if you try to stop me, I’ll just kill you. And if the guards come, I’ll kill them too. And anyone else who gets between you and me.”

  I gently massaged her chin as I pulled away just enough to look into her big, green eyes.

  “Understand?”

  The woman stared at me for a long and silent second. Then she swallowed. “You don’t scare me, but… You have shed new light upon the situation.” She forced a confident smile.

  “Two silvers.”

  I released her chin and reached into my purse.

  “Much better.”

  I exchanged the money with the woman and stripped right in front of her. She watched me as I got dressed in the new clothes she picked.

  When I was done I resembled something of an assassin from one of those games I played back in my old life.

  “How do I look?” I spread my arms out in front of the woman and looked down at her.

  The woman nervously fumbled with her rug as she took in my new appearance. “You look dashing, my friend. May your enemies never see you coming.”

  I laughed. “Thanks, may you sell enough wares to stop fleecing folks.” I tossed her another copper before walking away.

  After dealing with her, I went to another vendor to stock up on food.

  Dried and salted meat, hardened bread, and stolen canned goods from the federation. I also stopped by a blacksmith and brought a few tools.

  Things like knives and metal hooks.

  Once I was stocked up on supplies I made my way back towards the wall and vaulted over it again.

  As I landed on the other side I heard footsteps and a familiar chirp. When I turned the fox-like creature from earlier raced towards me.

  It pressed its nose against my chest and nearly knocked me over. I raised a hand to the side of its head and pushed it back.

  “You’re a stubborn creature. You know that.”

  It chirped again as it wagged its tail.

  A long sigh escaped me as I scratched its fur. Hard to believe the most loyal person I’ve come across is a dog and a fox I stole.

  Though I guess it makes sense.

  Animals aren’t as complicated as humans are.

  “Boy, haven’t you learned your lesson?” The dragon purred. “Attachments are a weakness.”

  I nodded. They are a weakness, but there’s no point in turning this creature away. It wants to be with me and I’ll let it.

  Besides there’s no point in turning away a free ride.

  I reached into my satchel and fed it. Then, as the creature looked, I looked underneath its belly.

  Female.

  Alright then, I’ll name her Elise.

  I climbed onto Elise’s back and pressed my heel against her side. She trotted forward as she chewed on her snack.

  — — —

  I continued my journey north. I slept in a settlement in the morning and took to the roads at night.

  People looked at me like I was insane but the beasts that attacked at night really weren’t much to write home about when you could easily blast them apart.

  Anyway, I made it out of the demon continent and into the split peninsula. It was a large landmass that housed a few more demon countries.

  But these countries were more developed compared to the ones on the demon continent.

  Also it wasn’t fully connected to the demon continent, there were only a few bridges over a large river.

  And instead of orcs being the dominant species, it was regular demons.

  The kinds with black skin and glowing markings.

  As I reached the bridge I was stopped by two demons draped in tan robes. They were armed with long rifles that had Ouro crystals in their centers.

  “Gik to’ga.” One of them said as he held out a hand. I raised an eyebrow, it sounded like the demon tongue but at the same time, it didn’t.

  It must be a different dialect or something.