Chapter 4

Bree sat happily in the back of a wagon, her staff currently in ring mode. As it was a reasonably bright day, Bree had her hood on her head to keep her eyes in some shade. Acting as the horse was Orion, sitting in the Driver's seat, and Directing him was Daisy; Winnie was circling them from above, and because Manfred was in charge of feeding everyone, Winnie had assigned Boris to the team. The Liger Man was hard at work looking out at the forest, trying to spot anything he and his husband could use for ingredients.

"Blueberry bush," he noted. Winnie looked to the spot he had pointed out. She was connected to everyone telepathically and was crafting a map with magic, marking everything they encountered with great detail.

"I've added it; we'll send some of the Axol-lights out when we return,"

"That name still feels wrong," Bree muttered. Sensing his moment to shine, Boris turned to Bree and held out his hand dramatically.

"I was just thinking the same thing, Lady Bree," He declared, "How about we call them Axol-Mights!"

"You fool," Winnie said in his head. "You have to ask her if you can give your opinion! You can't just blurt out an idea and expect her to…"

"Why, that's a fantastic name," Bree cheered, punctuating her sentence with a couple of claps. "Axol-Mights is perfect!" Winnie nearly froze in the sky.

"A Test!" She realized, "Oh, how foolish, her complaints were a test! Boris, I must apologize for my foolishness,"

"No worries," Boris responded proudly before looking to Bree with confidence, "You already had that name picked out, right?" he asked confidently. "It's clear you were just waiting for one of us to realize it to prove we can think outside the box,"

"How very clever of you," Bree said, lying as best she could to "I'm surprised it took so long to be honest,"

"How pathetic of me," Winnie said sadly, "Overlooking something so obvious, I must make amends for my failure as soon as I can," While Boris basked in his glory, Orion's ears perked.

"Orion smells the scent of humans," he called out. Daisy readied herself to draw her blade upon her master's command.

"Lady Winnie, we are not yet at the Human Settlement, nor are we closing in on the road; please be advised they will most likely try something underhanded in an attempt to gain the advantage should they be looking for a fight," Before they could advance with caution Bree jumped out of the Carriage, using her floating spell she hovered in the air for a moment before shooting off in the direction of what sounded to be a battle, not one to leave strangers to die if she could help it.

"Quick, follow our Mistress," Daisy commanded.

"Orion follows best of all!" Orion replied before running in the direction Bree had gone off in.

Bree came to a stop and found three humans in fighting gear battling what looked to be a small Forest Giant, small for a Giant at least; it slammed its arms into the ground and attempted to crush the three humans, a Younger-looking Man with Black hair holding Twin knives, an Older Gentleman with a Katana, and a woman brandishing a Greatsword with a Fiery red mane of hair.

"Stand strong," The woman said as she braced herself, "It has our scent; we can't let it get away again," The woman rushed it and dodged the Giant's long arms, slashing at his Legs, the slash barely leaving a red mark against his skin. The Man with the Katana ran forward and jumped back as the Giant swung at him, swinging at its arms with the same results the woman had had. The One with the Knives made no sign of running at the creature and instead backed away, fear in his eyes.

"Doren, Stand your ground," The woman barked out. The man with the knives stopped running, and Bree smiled. Though afraid and angry, he ran at the Giant screaming, throwing his knives at it to no avail. He slid to a stop and tried to turn and run, only for his momentum and attempted turn to combine into a fall.

"Oh, that's no good," Bree said as she appeared beside him and kicked him out of the Giants attack path while dodging it herself. Bree moved across the ground and came to a rest next to the woman, staring at her in stunned silence.

"I hope you don't mind, but the fact that he was willing to try was enough to make me intervene," Bree smiled. The woman looked shocked but stood her ground as the Giant screamed.

"Thank you," The woman said curtly, "But this beast has killed 12 of my best men; I can't let a wandering stranger lose her life after saving the life of one of my own,"

"Oh no," Bree chuckled. "I'm not going to fight him; I have a giant cat to do that for me." As soon as Bree finished speaking, a large shadow burst forth from the forest, and Orion cried out his war cry.

"Orion is best fighter of all," he declared. The Giant turned and was greeted by Orion's front paws slamming into his face, knocking him into the trees on impact. Upon landing, Orion got onto his front paws and held up his front ones, giving him the vague appearance of a massive bear. "Orion defeats all who dare attack Mistress Bree," as the Giant pulled himself up, Daisy and Boris arrived.

"Apologies, My Lady," Daisy said with a bow, "But Orion has destroyed the Carriage,"

"Yeah, none of my followers take me getting swung at lightly, but Orion was already bounding towards me, so I knew he'd strike first," the woman and her two men backed away from Orion.

"What an odd group of creatures!" she noted before looking at Bree. What even are you?

"Why, that is our Lord," Winnie said as she landed behind the woman, "Mistress Bree," The woman looked at Winnie for a moment before Bree spoke up and stole her attention.

"And what might your name be?" She asked politely.

"I am Jaden, the lead protector of Greenwater," She Replied, Standing at attention and hitting her chest with a fist. "This is good; if this monster lady and her minions help us, we might have a fighting chance,"

"Boris," Bree called out casually, "would you take care of that Giant," There was a moment of silence before Boris turned to her.

"Me, Ma'am?" he asked with a tinge of fear.

"Oh, Don't worry; I have absolute confidence that you can easily beat that beast all on your own,"

"Then have no fear," Boris declared, any sense of fear gone, "Your confidence in me alone is all the power I need!" The elderly human helped Doren to his feet and looked at Boris.

"He must be a powerful fighter," The old man muttered as he stroked his mustache, "To entrust him to fight a Feral Giant all alone shows a great amount of trust,"

"Stop yammering and help me up, Olu," Doren demanded as the old man picked him up.

Boris walked towards the Giant and held up his fists in preparation.

"Is he so confident he doesn't need his weapon?" Jaden asked

"Hmm? Oh, Boris doesn't use weapons," Bree shrugged, "unless you count his hands, that is," The Giant looked down at Boris and yowled; Bree, having Universal Translation, decided it was best not to repeat the Ville's words the Giant threw at Boris.

"My oh my," Boris licked his lips. "How would you like to be a part of my next masterpiece," Boris ran at the Giant, who responded with a punch. Boris quickly jumped over his arm and landed on it, running up the length of it. He swung his hands up and grasped them in each other before slamming them into Grogan's shoulder. With an echoing crack, his fist broke through the Giant's skin, mussels, and bone. And just like that, Boris severed the arm with one blow.

The Giant screamed in pain as Boris grabbed the Severed arm. It turned into pure Grey light before dissolving into nothing as Boris stored it in his inventory.

"Thank you," Boris said as the Giant fell, covering the bloody wound that had once been its arm. "My Mistress loves trying new and exotic foods, and I can tell from the smell of your blood that once you've been skinned and properly cleaned, your meat will taste exquisite, jerky, burgers, oh, the things I'll make," The Giant visibly struggled to stand back up. Once back on his feet, He turned towards the trees, trying to run. Boris didn't bother chasing him as Winnie's wings began glowing, and she shot in front of the Giant with a disgusted look.

"Mistress Bree did not excuse you, beast," she said simply before swinging her wings forward and sending out a blast of wind that pushed the Giant backward with enough force to lose his footing.

As he was flying backward, Boris jumped, his hands clenched together again, as he dropped and swung his fists into the Giant's neck, cleanly decapitating it. The body became pure gray light, and after a moment, Boris landed as the Giant's head hit the ground and rolled to a stop. Boris stood proud as Daisy and Orion clapped for him.

"Very well done," Bree said happily before turning to Jaden. "Now then, I don't suppose you could tell us where this Greenwater place is, could you?" Jaden took a moment to reply before tuning to Bree.

"I would be delighted to," She said, a tinge of fear evident in her voice. Bree decided to overlook Jaden's fear; since Bree had a handful of powerful monsters about to march towards her home, she felt the fear understandable. "Greenwater is a place where Monsters and Humans live together peacefully, so you and your friends should receive the utmost respect,"

"Very well then," Bree replied casually. So long as you give your word that the town's people will be respectful, then all should go well."

Bree made her way to Orion to give him his pets as a reward for a job well done, while Jaden made her way to Doren and Olu.

"What now, boss?" Doren asked as he looked at Bree's group and watched everyone join in on giving Orion scritches. I doubt we can take most, if not any, of the larger monsters, but if we took out the bug-eyed lady, then maybe…" Doren's train of thought was cut off when Olu smacked him upside the head.

"You will do no such thing," He said sternly, "To return saving our lives with plans of betrayal is unthinkable,"

"But they're monsters," Doren growled, "Powerful monsters at that! We can't just-"

"This is why I hate training newbies from Ironfell," Jaden groaned inwardly before speaking aloud. Just shut up and follow me, and remember you're a Greenwater Protection Squad member now. We only fight those who threaten Greenwater, and so far as I can see, Ms.Bree and her monsters just helped us kill that threat." Doren said something under his breath. Olu heard his murmurs and responded by smackin' him again.

"It would seem the one you saved personally wants you dead," Winnie said irritably. "The other two seem to recognize your greatness and are repeatedly smacking him. Want me to end him for you, my lady?"

"If he tries to kill me, you're welcome to off him," Bree said simply, "Until then, just ignore him,"

"Understood," Winnie confirmed with a bow.

"Orion, grab that Giant's head; if they have no use for it past proof of the kill, I'm sure I can think of something,"

"Orion carries best of all," Orion declared as he got on his hind legs and picked up the head, throwing it over his shoulder and using the tuft of hair atop the Giant's head to carry it.

"Please do lead on," Bree said as she walked towards the three humans. The three led the way, and Bree followed, with only one question nagging at her mind: "Are my eyes really that big?"

The group's walk through the forest was short. They quickly found a paved walkway less than half a Kilometer from where they had fought the Giant. The three humans led the way, with all her followers trailing behind Bree.

Doren looked back at them; Bree smiled and waved at him when Daisy spoke up.

"Wherever it is we are going, it's not the place we were originally going to," She said as she looked around, "Our destination was due east; we're currently going southeast,"

"All good," Bree said with a shrug, secretly jealous Daisy seemed to know what direction she was facing at all times, "A village is a village, so long as we can get some meat samples and identify where they came from, we should be good to start sending out hunting parties,"

"Did you hear that?" Doren demanded, "They're looking for meat samples, they're going to attack, we must strike first,"

"Fool," Olu said simply. "If that was their goal, then we are all the meat samples they would need. They must be new to the area. Maybe settlers from across the Lunar Sea who don't know what kind of animal is readily available and what is low in population. Maybe we should offer a map with a few good hunting and gathering spots marked as thanks?"

"Of course," Winnie realized, easily overhearing the humans talk. "That is what the map was for; while Mistress Bree may not need a map, the Axol-Mights would so they could hunt and gather in the area,"

"I don't like the look of the bird," Doren muttered, "It's up to something,"

"Doren," Jaden said in a calm but irritated tone, "stop trying to think of a way to pick a fight with a group of monsters that saved your ass, then killed the beast that was thoroughly kicking it in the first place," Olu punctuated Jaden's statement with a slap to the back of Doren's head.

"I agree; stop trying to get us all killed; I plan to die of old age, thank you very much," The group walked on in silence for around twenty minutes before the town of Greenwater came into sight.

Bree figured the name must have come from the lake next to the town, the water glistening an oddly pretty yet venomous-looking shade of green.

"I do hope you don't mind me asking," Bree looked at the lake curiously as she spoke, "But why is the water green?"

"About fifty or so years ago, the King and his men came down here and turned it green with a magical artifact, something about tourism; all it achieved was making people think the water was poisonous or cursed. In the end, the King cut his losses and sold the town off to the town's local hero, Gregory Belin. We are now a tiny private nation, and we accept anyone cast out of their homelands, within reason."

"Like young Doren here," Olu said, patting him hard. "Fool that he is, I'm sure he'll find a place, assuming he can get over his bias against monsters,"

"There is no bias," Doren replied confidently, "Monsters only live to serve or die; a Powerful Monster should serve a Powerful human master, not a de-formed bug-eyed hag who can't even find her way out of the woods,"

"My, how very rude," Bree noted merrily, "And you even went out of your way to mock my eyes," She chuckled, "I shan't make the mistake of saving you again,"

"I had that Giant right where I wanted it," Doren shot back, "And I bet that Harpy of yours was using some spell to increase your speed, just like when she used magic to blast the Giant back, so don't pretend like you're anything but a weak little lady surrounded by strong monsters,"

"Olu, could you smack him again for me?" Bree asked politely. He said nothing and obliged with a slap. "Thank you," Bree continued walking calmly but could feel the anger from her followers building up at Doren's words. "Don't mind him; he's not worthy of your time," she informed them.

"I am aware, my Lady," Winnie replied, "I will not kill him unless he attempts to kill you, just as you told me,"

"Right," Daisy, Boris, and Orion all confirmed. Upon approaching the town, they found a handful of humans and Monsters standing guard along the road. The monsters in question mostly seemed to be Human-like animals.

"Commander Jaden has returned," one of them called out. The line split, and an elder-looking Lion Man approached them. His mane was nearly all gray, and he wore simple maroon robes with a dark brown sash wrapped around his chest vertically and around his waist. He held a wooden walking stick and walked with a noticeable left leg limp.

"Heavy casualties, I see," he sighed as he looked at the three returning members of a twelve-man feral hunting team. Has the Feral Giant at least been taken care of?" Orion stepped forward in response. Many of the guards drew their weapons as he walked up the Lion. Orion flung the head of the Giant over his shoulders and onto the ground.

"Orion delivers best of all," He declared proudly before turning away, flopping back onto all fours, and taking his place behind Bree.

"Wonderful," The Lion said, "And you brought company, passing visitors I hope; I doubt even we can care for a cat that big,"

"Visiting settlers," Jaden replied, "We believe they have set up camp not too far from here.

"About three hours away," Bree said as she looked up at the sky, "maybe less since we stopped to fight that Giant,"

"I thank you," The Lion said with a half bow that looked like it hurt, even if only a little; Bree returned his polite gesture with her own, "I am Gregory Belin,"

"And I am Bree," Upon giving her name, she heard a scoff and looked at Doren irritably, her patience with him wearing thinner by the moment.

"How can we trust this chick if she won't even give us her last name,"

"I have no First, last, or middle name," Bree replied, "Where I come from, we have a single name, and the name that belongs to me is Bree,"

"Yeah, right," Doren said as he pointed at her in accusation, "This bug-eyed lady controls four stronger monsters, two of them strong enough to fight a Giant, one of unknown strength, and another that could easily have killed it in one blow!"

Belin looked at Bree in thought, "One blow?" he asked, "I would love to meet the fellow with that strength,"

"Oh, that was Boris," Bree said as Boris walked forward and stood before Belin in silence.

"A Liger?" he asked with a shine in his eye. I've never seen one in person before; what a rare treat. Do tell Mr.Boris, since you have the might to back your words up, do you vouch for Ms.Bree?"

"Mistress Bree is my master," Boris said firmly, "I only attacked the Giant because she asked me to dispose of it; my might is her might,"

"Well then, I fail to see the problem," Belin decided, "From the sounds of it if Ms.Bree here wanted to, she would just have her friends end us," Belin looked like he wanted to bow but after a side glance at him left leg chose to speak politely, "Allow me to welcome you all to Greenwater formally,"

"Why thank you," Bree said, bowing to him, her followers following suit.

"Any creature who shows Mistress Bree the respect she is due is a creature of taste," Winnie gave Doren a side glace of disgust as she spoke, fully convinced not being allowed to kill him was nothing more than her Mistress testing her patience, she just had to wait.

"Oh, how rude," Bree said after a moment. I should introduce everyone." Doren walked away from them in irritation as she began doing just that and disappeared into the town.

"That boy is trouble," Olu said once Doren was gone.

"I thought you said he had great promise," Bree questioned with a sly smile.

"He does," Jaden confirmed. "But skill doesn't excuse a life motto of 'I'm justified in being a jerk if I don't like them,' and since he doesn't like any non-human races..."

"That's pathetic," Bree responded blandly, "Olu, would you be willing to show Boris around your town? I couldn't help but notice you overheard why we were out and about in the woods to begin with,"

"Happily," Olu smiled, "Come, Sir Boris. I'll show you the meat, see if we can't get the location of some hunting grounds, and maybe look into getting a trade route going." Boris bowed to Bree before leaving with Olu, smiling at being promoted from Mr. to Sir.

"Winnie, I know you are none too fond of other people, so feel free to continue your aerial sweep and finish making that map,"

"Thank you, my lady," Winnie replied before opening her wings and taking flight.

"Daisy, you and Orion will be with me," Bree said happily.

"Orion, best companion of all," Orion said proudly.

"My actions will be my praise," Daisy replied as she and Orion took their places on either side of their Mistress. Belin and Jaden motioned the guards away, and the two led Bree and her two companions into the town to show them around.

Just as Bree entered the town, Doren went to a building near the lake and knocked twice, counting to three and knocking four more times. The door opened, and he walked into an empty room.

"That fool Belin had just let several powerful monsters into our town," He snarled as he stormed across the empty room. "I warned them all this day would come; this is exactly why King Odren sent us here! This town is a disease that must be culled from the land before it can allowed to spread,"

Doren looked at a lone flag resting in front of a makeshift throne: the Insignia for Odren's Kingdom, a black flag with a white triangle. Inside the triangle, a human hand was crushing a bone. "Monsters are only fit to serve; anyone who thinks otherwise must be purged along with any monster too weak to serve a purpose,"

Doren grinned. "I shall give that Bree woman an opportunity; when she answers me, the attack begins," He wrote something down on a scroll and crushed it; the scroll turned to ash in his hand, and the message was sent out to his men undercover in the town. "they will aim several enslavement spells at the Liger. Should Bree decline to bow before me and give me command of her servants, as I know she will, I'll just kill her. And then take that Liger as my servant,"

Doren's grin grew wide as he imagined Boris bowing to him, "With him, we will take this town with ease, and all these worthless creatures will finally be serving their purpose; once the monsters are in our control, we can move on and kill the humans, their weak ideals are a poison and must be culled,"

Doren laughed as he sat on the throne. "This town will be mine before the day ends,"

Bree and Daisy sat at a booth. Behind them, Orion was busy being fawned over by the locals. Giant cats were ordinary in certain parts of the world but were usually very hostile and dangerous, comparable to bears as far as she could tell. Hence, the opportunity to pet a tame one was a rare treat. Orion was enjoying the attention.

Next to Bree were Jaden and Belin. All four of them were waiting to be served the village specialty, Green Meat Surprise. Bree had expected something like a bowl of green soup with meat chunks; instead, she was given a basket with an assortment of Green Crustacean legs.

"Crab legs," she realized with a smile, "how fun." Daisy looked at it and picked it up as well.

"What odd-looking food!" she said, excited to have her first taste of meat. The two copied Jaden and Belin as they broke open the shell with their hands, showing they were stronger than typical humans as they ignored the tools most would use to open the shells.

Upon cracking the shells open, Bree and Daisy took a bite, and their eyes lit up.

"So good!" Bree cheered with glee, "Even better than normal crab legs!" Belin laughed as Daisy said nothing and began ravenous devouring her food, using her teeth to break the shell. "Orion, you must come try these,"

"Orion tries new things best of all," Orion declared as he bounded to his Mistress. "Orion loves seafood," He added when he saw what he had been called to try. While Bree enjoyed some quality time with her minions and two hospitable hosts, she overlooked Doren as he approached them, waiting for his hidden allies to get to their places before he allowed Bree to surrender her forces.

Not too far down the shopping district, Olu showed Boris the kind of meats they had readily available.

"Mistress Bree simply wanted me to look, not purchase; she gave me no coin either way," Boris informed his guide.

"I see," Olu replied, "Well, either way, I'm sure she wouldn't mind If I bought you some of our city's famous Green Crabs as a thank-you present for saving a few strangers; the lake is overpopulated with the little water spiders so I bet we can feed your entire little group,"

"Oh goodness no, we have several more mouths to feed back home, and they never want the same thing; your offer is generous, and I'll happily accept, but Orion and Silver are typically the only ones who eat seafood, Although Mistress Bree did have crab last night,"

"Sounds like quite the hassle for your cooks," Olu noted.

"Oh, no worries. My husband Manfred and I are more than capable of feeding everyone three meals a day," Olu looked at Boris oddly for a moment before pointing at him in confusion.

"You're the cook?" He asked, "A skilled fighter and a cook, your master must be proud,"

"Oh heavens no," Boris said with a laugh. I am one of my Mistress's weakest Subordinates," Olu stared blankly at the news that the creature who could effortlessly kill a Giant with his bare hands was considered weak by his peers.

"I don't suppose I could join you on your trip home?" He asked, "To see such power in person would be a dream come true; I might even get to meet my match in a duel for the first time in decades,"

"It is Mistress Bree's home; you will have to ask Mistress Bree if she will allow you to accompany us,"

"I think I'll do just that," Olu decided, neither he nor Boris aware that the people around them in the shop were waiting for Doren to confront Bree.

Doren walked towards Bree as she and Belin spoke of the two nations that bordered Green Water on either side. Doren was now wearing a cloak to hide his clothing.

"Bree," he called out loudly. I require your attention. I demand you come to me at once, you bug-eyed freak." Bree's smile dissipated for a moment before she shook her head.

"I'm starting to get a little self conscious about my eye size" She decided as she got up and walked to him, Orion and Daisy glaring at him in silence as Jaden and Belin got out of their seats and followed Bree, neither looking pleased with Doren's outcry.

"Doren," Belin said as he stroked the part of his mane that stretched out to his chin and made a fabulous grey beard, "we have talked about this. If this behavior doesn't stop, you will be cast out from your place in the protectors and assigned to work elsewhere," Doren simply smiled and ripped the cloak off, the symbol of Odren's kingdom on his chest as he wore a white uniform with blue shoulder pads, metal gauntlets, armored pant, and a belt with a sheathed sword.

"You dare?" Jaden demanded in outrage, "You dare walk around wearing that bastard Odren's symbol,"

"Odren?" Bree scratched at her cheek, lost in thought for a moment. I feel like I've heard that name before." Bree attempted to place the name when Doren drew a short sword from his hip and pointed it at her.

"Kneel before me and swear to serve me till your final breath," He demanded, "Or face a swift death," Doren's smug smile made Bree laugh.

"Oh my, that might be the most pathetic offer I've ever received," she said, laughing as Doren pointed his sword at her. She expected him to swing it, but instead, it began glowing as a red circle appeared around the blade, and a much larger one etched itself into the ground around her. Bree looked down and scratched her cheek again with a smile. "Hm," she noted before being engulfed in a torrent of blood-red flames. Jaden looked on in horror while Belin jumped away from the fire and took a hefty fall.

"Dammit," Jaden grit her teeth. "You son of a bitch," She made the draw the greatsword on her back, and Doren simply pointed his sword at her. But before he could activate his spell, his sword was nearly smacked out of his hand. He took several steps back as Daisy held her Dadao in a defensive stance while Orion chose to fight the fire with a wooden bar stool.

"Fool," Doren held his hand out dramatically as he spoke. Your master is dead. Kneel to me, the one who ended her, and rejoice that you'll finally serve someone worthy of commanding power." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a shine of magic in the direction Boris had been. "Perfect," he smiled smugly. "With him as my pawn, I'll wipe the floor with them all." Doren swung his sword, and Daisy blocked it.

"You hold your weapon like you're afraid of it," Daisy noted, remembering Annie scolding her for the very same reason during their training lesson the previous night, "Your stance lacks the skill and poise one needs to wield a short sword, And that's coming from a creature that only learned to fight yesterday,"

Daisy swung at him; his limp posture and weak thrusts gave away that he had not trained to fight with the weapon he was using, only to use the spell placed upon it. "You should have used a weapon you could handle properly or trained more with the one you currently wield," She noted as she continued to test her new sword skills and attempted to disarm him without touching anything other than his sword.

"Fool, it matters not; soon you'll all-" The sound of ripping flesh and pain stopped Doren as a sword cut into his back; he fell forward and screamed before turning, flinging his sword at dead space, Olu standing well out of swords to reach behind him, flicking the blood off his sword.

"For someone so sure that they are worthy of commanding power, you sure don't take in your surroundings well," Olu mocked as he held his sword at the ready. "I was able to walk right past you, and your opponent is just playing with you,"

"Disarming an opponent means you can claim the sword as your own, so long as you don't disarm them cheaply," Daisy said confidently, "My new friend Annie told me that when she helped me train last night. She also told me Mistress Bree collects weapons; I will take that sword and present it to her as a gift!"

"You weak-minded beast," Doren spat back. "Your master is dead; give up and-" Doren got cut off again when Jaden ran past Daisy and socked him square in the eye, sending him to the ground and causing him to drop his sword.

"Olu is right, it's important to keep your surrounding in check when in a fight with multiple people, you are far from worthy to command an single monster, much less an army of them." Doren crawled back a little, but when his enemies stood their ground instead of advancing, he quickly rearmed himself and returned to his feet.

"Says the fools that let me get back up, let me guess your pitiful honor wouldn't let you-"

"Negative," Olu said, cutting him off as he sheathed his blade. "We are pissed you betrayed us, but we have injured and degraded you; this fight now belongs to Ms.Daisy to help her honor her fallen master," Daisy smiled and swung her sword; Doren barely dodged, and his sword began glowing again as it shot a torrent of flames out, Daisy took cover while Olu and Jaden retreated from the blood red flames that started to lick at the land while Doren laughed.

"Who needs to fight with a sword when you can smother your enemies in flames? it worked on that stupid bug-eyed bitch you called a master, didn't it?" Daisy quickly moved around the building and came out on the other side, Doren still laughing as he set the building she had run behind ablaze; Daisy held her sword as though she was about to slash downward, and it began glowing, copies of her blade appeared around her, and lighting began arching between them.

"Hey, dumbass," She screamed, getting his attention, "Sword Storm!" She swung down, and the blades all shot at Doren with varying degrees of speed; he rushed to the side and would have easily dodged the blades but ended up running into his flames; he let out a screech and flailed wildly in pain as he tried to stomp out the magical flames, hitting one of Daisy's duplicate blade with his sword and getting blasted with a bolt of lightning. The sudden electrocution sent him flying and his sword was sent flying. Daisy held up her free hand and caught the sword by the blade without so much as nicking herself.

"Who's a fool now?" She asked with a grin. Doren attempted to stand up, the hand he had been holding his sword with blackened and burned beyond usability, while his right leg was blistered and burned. He held out his other hand, and the sword shot back to him, much to Daisy's displeasure. "Hey, I won that fair and square!"

"Die!" Doren spat back as he pointed it at her; before it could activate, Boris called out.

"From the top rope," And Landed next to Doren, Boris had his hands clasped together and smacked them down on Doren's elbow, slicing his arm clean in half. Doren screamed out in agony as Boris ignored him and took the blade from his severed arm, throwing the arm back at Doren as he handed Daisy the sword.

"Here you go, Mistress Bree will love it,"

"Impossible," Doren said as he fought through the pain and stood up, barely keeping his weight on the burned leg as he used his blacked hand to cover his stump, "You should be-"

" Under your control?" Boris asked with a noticeable air of being insulted. "As if I would let anyone other than Mistress Bree tell me what to do," Boris passed for a moment and looked shifty before letting out a hard breath and adding in a quieter tone, "Well, maybe Manfred, but only when we're alone."

"Spicy," Orion called out, waving a set of burnt sticks that had once been a stool when his ears perked. "Oh," Orion jumped away from the flames and ran to Doren, opening his mouth. Dorne screamed and begged for aid as Orion picked him up and carried him to the flames.

"Put me down," Doren demanded, using his one remaining good foot to kick at Orion as he carried him to the flames; instead of throwing him in like Doren thought he was planning to do, he dropped him.

"Here you go," He said proudly. "Orion retrieves best of all,"

"You idiot, your worthless master-" Doren fell silent when Bree began laughing from within his wall of flames; the red fire turned white and was sucked into the blade at the tip of Bree's staff; she stood laughing, her clothes not even slightly charred from the attack.

"My, my, my," Bree said, smiling at Doren as she swung her staff around for a moment, "I do apologize, but I was having so much fun watching you get your ass handed to you I just couldn't bear to let you know I was alive, I knew the look on your face when I came out would be hilarious, and I just wanted to wait until it seemed you where at your lowest," Bree sighed as Doren tried to back away from her.

"Look at me," She said, her playful voice gone as she stared at him with a frown. "I took time out of my day to save you, and this is how you repay my kindness,"

"It…I…King Odren was controlling me. Yeah! yeah, I was being used as a puppet, but losing my arm snapped me out of it." The desperation in his face was too much for Bree.

"I sincerely hate you," Bree decided sweetly.

"We could work together," Bree watched with a soft smile as Doren struggled to get onto his knees, "Together, we could rule over all monster kind; with my brains and your magic, we could be an unstoppable team. I a shining beacon of Human Superiority, and you a shining beacon that even those with deformities have a purpose,"

"That only made me hate you more," Bree replied. "Frankly, it's impressive," Bree took her hood off, and Doren, Olu, Jaden, and even Belin, who had been unable to pick himself up after his fall, looked at her in silence as she showed off her ears. "I'm an elf, and my eyes are beautiful,"

"Ah," Olu nodded slowly. "That explains how someone like Boris could be considered weak amongst your ranks,"

"You're joking," Jaden looked at Boris, who gave her a peace sign.

"Yup," Boris confirmed, sticking his tongue out playfully, "I'm just a cook,"

"Incredible," Belin cried out so loudly that it startled Bree. She turned to him and saw him staring at her in awe. "I never would have dreamed in a million years that I might one day be blessed with the presence of an actual Elf." Bree looked down at Doren, who was screaming for his followers to come and aid him. No one came, as Boris had immediately butchered them all for insulting Bree with their attempts to enslave him.

Bree walked over to Belin, who looked like he could die happy just by being allowed to look her in the eyes.

"I like this town," Bree decided. "I think I'll move my home here," Belin's eyes looked as though they might shoot out of their sockets.

"You…you want to live here!?" he asked. "You would allow us such an honor!?" Bree smiled, looked down at him, and offered him her hand to shake.

"Swear your fealty to me, promise on your soul to serve me, and I will do that and more." Not being able to stand, Belin placed one hand on the ground and used the other to shake Bree's hand.

"I gladly swear my fealty to you, Lord Bree, and Swear on my soul to serve you dutifully until the end of my days,"

"Wonderful," Bree said as the hand she used to shake Belins began glowing. "Now then, let's fix you up,"

"Wha?" Belin managed to ask before turning into light.

"Maximize size," Bree declared. "assign basic skills, Strength four, speed four, Raw Hide one, Lionheart two, Long-Lived two," Olu and Jaden watched in awe as Belin increased in size slightly; his mane grew out, his body became muscular, and just like that he stopped glowing. The Elder Lion had become a buff Lion in the prime of his youth. Belin looked at his hands and cracked the ground as he got up, Bree letting go of his hands and backing off so he could enjoy his new body properly.

"I'm young again," he declared, his eyes shining as he flexed and tore the upper part of his robe and sash to shreds, showing his abs to the world. Thank you, Ms...NO! Lord Bree, for returning me to my prime. I will gladly serve you with all my might, no matter how weak it might be compared to the rest of your followers!"

"Don't be silly," Bree chuckled. "I wouldn't let someone serving under me be weaker than Boris,"

"It's true," Boris said, eyeing Belin's body with a smile. "You could easily flatten me in a fight now," Belin said nothing, realizing he could move his leg without pain for the first time in decades. Bree walked over to Olu and Jaden and smiled as Belin hopped on one leg.

"How about you two?" She asked, "You allowed Daisy to 'avenge me,' so I also owe you thanks. Will you swear your fealty and promise to serve me on your soul? If you don't wish to, I promise I won't take your jobs from you when I take over the town, although I won't offer this again,"

Jaden looked taken aback, but Olu bowed without hesitation, clearly unwilling to let the older man pass her by such a large margin she bowed to.

"I swear my Fealty to you, Lord Bree," they said in unison. And swear on my soul to serve you until the day I die," Bree held out her hand, and the duo began glowing.

"Maximize size, equip basic skills," Bree pointed to Olu. "Master of the Sword four, Sonic Speed seven, Eyes of Time one, Long-lived five," Bree turned to Jaden. "Master of flames two, Resistance to heat seven, Dragons Blood three." Bree put her hand down, and they stopped glowing. Unlike Belin, they had no noticeable changes at first glance. Much to Bree's surprise, Olu's hair didn't change color, and his age also seemed to stay the same.

"I used Long-lived five on you," Bree noted in disbelief, "that's the highest that skill can go for humans, and you look exactly the same,"

"I noticed," Olu said as he bowed to Bree, "I probably only had a few years left; it seems I have more time to serve you than I thought I would get; thank you," Bree turned to Jaden, and took a step back, Jaden looked the same, but her eyes were bright red with lizard-like pupils, and each breath was visible, as though she was cold,"

"Oh dear, maybe level three Dragons Blood was a little too much," Bree chuckled nervously; having never had any Human NPC and her only in-game character being the one she currently was, Olu and Jaden had been her unwilling test subjects to see what might happen if Humans where given high-level skills, "Now don't panic or anything, but if you train too hard you may lose your humanity and become a Dragonling,"

"Fine by me," Jaden replied as she clenched her fist.

"Oh, before I forget, Daisy, you had a gift, did you not?" Daisy, who had been waiting patiently to the side, rushed to Bree and presented her with Doren's sword; Bree tapped it and absorbed the enchantment, destroying the sword in the process, much to Daisy's shock.

"I thought you liked unique swords," She said with a little crack to her voice, looking like she might cry, "I am so sorry for offering you such a worthless item that it broke just from your presence," Bree lightly patted Daisy's head.

"No worries. That sword was indeed plain, but the enchantment was something I didn't have; thanks to you, I can use it to power up a weapon worthy of having it, and speaking of worthy weapons," Bree turned to Olu and Jaden, "Do either of those swords hold any sentiment to you?"

"Yes," Olu replied instantly. "My master passed this sword on to me before she died; It would be a stain on my honor to disregard it,"

"No," Jaden shrugged, "I looted this from my old adventure team when we...parted ways, Frankly I doubt it could cut butter,"

"Olu you may keep your sword, Jaden give me yours," Jaden handed her Greatsword to Bree and it turned to white light and was sucked into her staff.

"Do you want a great sword, or is there another weapon you'd prefer?"

"When I was a student at the Pandoran Schol of Magicraft and Learning, I trained with a Chain mace and Shield," Jaden sighed as she thought back to easier times, "But after graduation, I was never able to find a good set and ended up stuck with whatever I could find when I started working as an adventurer,"

"Heavens no, if you're best with a Chain mace and Shield," Bree moved her hand and reached into her inventory, pulling out a Mace and letting it go; the Mace floated in the air as Bree pulled out a large shield, one Jaden could easily use to hide her entire body behind, Bree held up her staff and enchanted them both with the enchantment Daisy had just given her before handing them to Jaden.

"Then a Chain mace and Sheild you shall have, the mace obey's your will," Bree said as she added a few enchantments to make the weapon and shield sturdier, "Comand it to become a chain mace, and it will; you can also shot the end out like a Cannonball, and with the fire enchantments and abilities I've given you, you'll be an eternal flame no one can burn out in no time, I bet you'll be making water-proof fire within a month,"

While Bree was giving her new subordinates her attention, Doren had gotten to his feet and attempted to flee while she was distracted, only for Orion to stand in his path, Belin cracking his knuckles angrily at him as he approached.

"I welcomed you to my town," Belin's voice shook with rage as he approached, "Let you live here, help you move in, and you have the audacity to betray me for the bastard sack of lard that constantly tries to claim our deal is no longer valid because he doesn't want it to be; if I weren't under oath to Lord Bree I would…"

"So long as you don't kill him feel free to kick his ass," Bree responded with a wave before talking to Olu about the origins of his sword; Belin did not hesitate and decked Doren in the face, he fell back, and Orion greeted him with a roundhouse kick him into a nearby wall.

"Orion kicks best of all," He declared proudly.

"I must agree," Belin replied with a hearty laugh, "You must show me how to do that sometime," Orion looked at Belin for a moment.

"Ok!" Orion declared as he began to roundhouse kick the air. "Do as Orion does!" Belin watched as Orion roundhoused kicked nothing and attempted to emulate him. As Belin tried to master the art of the roundhouse kick, Doren attempted to pick himself up again, but the pain from his leg told him Orion had broken his last good limb with his kick.

"Dammit," He said, slamming his burnt fist into the ground, having lost all feeling in it."This is all wrong; this was my time to shine!" He began crying as he hit the earth with his remaining arm, "I can't lose like this; I have to win," Doren looked over to Bree and smiled as he held up his burnt arm and charged magic. "Yes…yes, a soul link; now you'll have to serve and obey!"

Doren smiled at his brilliance as the chains shot out at Bree, who didn't respond. They hit her back and proceeded to shatter. "No! No, I will win!" Doren attempted and failed again; he charged the magic a third time, anger burning in his eyes when a white blast of energy hit his arm and sliced it off. He looked at his lost arm in silence, no longer feeling the pain. He still screamed at it and flailed around like a fish on the ground. Winnie landed next to Bree.

"Quiet the power move, Ma'am," Winnie said with a chuckle, getting her master's attention. "Pretending you didn't see that attack,"

"What attack," Bree asked, sincerely failing to notice Doren attempting to soul-link with her.

"But of course," Winnie replied with a shake of her head. "He is so pathetic you didn't even notice him," Winnie looked at Doren as he realized from the look on Bree's face that she was being truthful. "That is how utterly pathetic you are," Winnie said as she walked towards him, her wings glowing as she charged up her attack. "If not for your persistence whines for attention, Mistress wouldn't even know you existed," Bree looked at the man lying on the ground and then chuckled.

"I…I actually can't remember his name," She realized with a chuckle. "How sad, Winnie; I promised you could kill him if he tried to kill me. Do as you wish," Winnie raised her wing, and the pitiful creature screamed again.

"No, Please, I'll do anything; I'll serve you loyalty; I'll even betray Kind Odren; just don't, Ki…" Winnie kicked him in the face. He rolled over onto his back, her clawed feet slicing up his face.

"This is for daring to insult Mistress Bree's beautiful eyes," She said venomously before slicing her wing through the air and receiving her gift for patience.

"Oh," Orion said upon noticing Winnie was here. "That dude died,"

"Yeah," Belin said, having been listening to Winnie and Bree "Shame, I seem to have forgotten his name," Winnie smiled at his remark.

"I think you and I will be getting along fine," She decided "Mistress Bree it is over, would you like me to continue making the map?"

"No," Bree decided. "Listen up, you are all to stay and guard this town, as it is now mine to control. Winnie, you are to accompany me back home; we will be moving everything here at once," Bree smiled as she looked out at the Green Lake. "I've come to rather enjoy the scenery,"