Chapter 14

Crystal ducks underneath a branch that was at her height as the horse walked up the path, the uneven ground making the horse tilt side to side.

"We can barely see where we're going! The horses are going to trip." Rayth says, "Crystal I know you're determined to go through, but if any demons show up, we'll be able to take care of them! Please let's stop!"

Crystal looks back at him before looking forward, it had gotten really dark and her horse had already struggled with its footing a few times, frowning to herself she wondered if that would be wise. Sniffing the air, she caught the smell of Ogres, and the smell of human blood nearby.

"We can stop." She says simply, and Rayth sighs in relief. Crystal pulled the horse to a stop at a small clearing in the trees, and hopped off.

"It feels so good to finally be off the horses." Neca groans as she hops off before tying her horse up, "Thank you."

"Yeah..." Crystal gets off her horse and ties it up to a tree, "You all set up a fire, I'll go search the area for danger."

"Okay. Be safe." Rayth says as El'gon comes up with sticks, and they watch Crystal disappear into the darkness.

She knew the smell of human blood was close, she just had to follow it. Slowing her pace as the smell got stronger, she pulls Tatsuka out. The Ogre's were responsible for the smell of human blood, since their scent was strong here as well.

Breaching from the trees, she crouches down as she notices the ogre camp, counting in her head.

1... 3... 5... 7 ogres. Including the leader who will be the strongest. Where is the human? 

Crystal looks and notices a small girl in a cage, nodding to herself, she gets up. Approaching the camp confidently, one of the Ogre's catch her scent as she approaches.

"Oh? Look what we have here, a half-demon!" The Ogre shouts, "Time to have ourselves a half-demon feast!" He charges at Crystal with a mace, but as he approached, Crystal slashed him in half with Tatsuka.

"You bastard!" The other ogres each run up to her, but she slashes each of them effortlessly as she proceeds to get closer to the leader.

"3.... 4... 5..." Crystal counts out loud, "6..." 

"Who do you think you are killing my men?! I'll have you for breakfast!" The Leader loomed over Crystal, and she looks up at him before jumping out of the way of his mace.

"My name's Crystal." She says before cutting his head off, his blood spewing everywhere before she kicks his body to fall backwards. Turning her head towards the cage, she huffs, "You alive?"

The small girl lifts up, tears on her face, "Y-Yes!"

"You're safe now." Crystal says simply, getting the keys off the leader and walking over to the cage, unlocking it, "You hurt?"

"They cut my legs so I couldn't run." Crystal nods before scooping the girl up in her arms.

"Where do you live?"

"I don't... live anywhere. I'm an orphan."

"I see. I'll take you to Heartfalls orphanage." Crystal says as she starts the walk back to the camp, as she steps into the light of the campfire they look at her.

"Whoa! Who's that?" Neca asks, "She looks hurt!"

"I smelled an ogres camp nearby. They've apparently caught her and they cut her legs so she couldn't run." Crystal sets the girl down before getting into her pouch, "Let me see your legs."

"T-Thank you." The small girl says, Rayth scoots up next to her.

"What's your name?"

"Lilly." Crystal freezes in her movements to wrap the girl's legs in bandages, she knew that name. She took a sniff, and looks at the girl, suddenly she realized that the girl looked familiar. Her long silver hair, and her deep blue eyes. 

"Crystal?" Rayth says softly, "You going to finish dressing the wound?"

"Oh... Yeah." Crystal looks back at what she was doing, "So... you're an orphan?"

"Yes."

"We'll drop her off at the orphanage in Heartfalls." Crystal tightens the bandages before getting up and sitting against a tree a bit away from the fire. Closing her eyes, she holds Tatsuka against herself.

"It must have been scary having a bunch of ogres kidnap you." El'gon says gently, "Want some food?"

"Y-Yes please." El'gon nods and gives her a big piece of deer jerky, "T-Thank you!"

The group all finished their dinner before curling up into blankets to sleep against the trees, Rayth having taken solace in the fact Crystal would be awake in seconds if anything happened.

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Information Available for Public Knowledge:

Omose Shigorati is the ruling demon of Araylian. Underneath her are the 6 disciples of her power. Thiatra, The Lightning Demon. Horiri, The Lord Of Owl Demons. Azuli, the Water Demon. Sumia, the Fire Demon. Ikekira, The Ogre demon, and lastly, Kusa the Demon Ferret. It is said that Omose has direct mind control over each of her disciples, while they all exhibit their own wills, some believe they were made of the same flesh.