Kushala wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at, and from the way the creature was looking back at him; the feeling was very much mutual. This strange, feathered, winged human held Pluck by the beak, while it yelled obscenities at him. Usually, he would have laughed it off and left Pluck to his fate, but something about the situation rubbed him the wrong way.

"Pluck," Kushala ignored the feathered human, "where did you find this… thing?"

The creature glared up at him, probably thinking that he would be forced to address her eventually. Pluck however, knocked the talons from his beak, before straightening back out as he sat himself down. Pluck started, "This is Lowen, the griffon, she was my… mountain mate…"

"You mated with this thing?", Kushala chuckled, "I always thought you were an odd one, but to interbreed with a…"

"NO!", Both Elder and mamono roared. They looked to each other uncomfortably, before Pluck explained, "Mate in this case is more of ah… term for ah… thing you share territory with."

Rolling her eyes at Pluck's inability to explain simple concepts. Lowen decided to step in, "We shared the mountain we lived on, and often eat together. Now that, that's out of the way. How about we get down to business."

"And what business would I have with you, little thing?", Kushala had to turn his head to glare at her.

"My name is Lowen, Dragon! Use it.", She growled, "Gods… fine, I'll just come out with it. You two need to stop killing humans, now!"

Kushala looked to Pluck, who only shrugged in a 'I do what you say, and I'm just as lost as you are' way. The elder of the Elder Dragons looked down on the mamono standing defiantly before him in what could only be called baffled amusement. He smirked, "It's adorable that you think you can tell us what to do, but being cute won't get you too far. How about this: I and Pluck here, will keep killing humans until they submit every last piece of high-quality scrap metal they have, and then we'll stop. How does that sound?"

Rage burned in Lowen's eyes as she stomped up to Kushala, "How about this: I kick your rusty, scaly ass back to Dragonia, and you never come back! How does that sound to you?!"

Pluck had expected rage, he had expected fury unparalleled, he had expected Kushala to simply bite down on Lowen's head and end her then and there. He did not expect Kushala to laugh; a laugh so joyous that it almost got him to join in with how contagious it was. The griffon in between them could only gawk as Kushala reared back his head and howled with laughter, despite currently sitting on top of a squirming human and valkyrie.

As he came down from his laughing fit, Kushala looked Lowen dead in the eye, and said, "You are by far the most precious thing I have ever laid my eye on."

Lowen could only blink in astonishment. Not sure if she should be furious with Kushala for his dismissal of her, or furious with Kushala for not caring for the humans as mamono should.

"I will grant you, your request, little Lowen.", Kushala grinned, "For amusing me in such a display. I and Pluck will do our best to NOT kill the humans, who get in our way."

The griffon stared up at the dragon, not sure if she understood what was going on. She looked to Pluck, as if to ask him if this was actually happening, and found some comfort in the fact that he was just as confused as she was. She turned back to Kushala, who had lifted his tail to allow the hero and valkyrie to free themselves.

"The human and the valkyrie will grant us entrance to Les-cat-ie.", Kushala explained, "The human is valued as the leader's kin. The winged human is seen as an 'angel'. Would you happen to know what that is, Lowen?"

The two of them were remarkably unharmed, though both appeared irritated that they had to sleep with a heavy metal tail lying on their back. The human had bright purple hair like the king and used to be equipped in the Order's blessed armor. Now she only had rags and the remains of the cloth part of her armor to cover her modesty. The valkryie wasn't much different, but had long blonde hair and only had her blue dress to cover herself. Both were fair skinned, and doing their best to get rid of the knots in their backs.

Lowen crossed her arms beneath her breast, "You don't know what an angel is?", Kushala and Pluck looked to one another and both shook their heads, "You two have been rampaging through Order territory and you don't even know who you're dealing with?"

Pluck tried defending himself, "I'll be honest; I don't even know what you are exactly. You appear human, but you also have feathers and wings. You say you're a mamono, but that doesn't mean anything either. What exactly are you, and what are they?"

Lowen's frustration lessened as her gaze moved from Pluck to Kushala, who seemed to be just as confused, 'They really don't know, do they? Pluck says he and kushala are male, and then they claim that they even don't know who the Order are.'

"Okay," She grumbled, "but I have questions of my own."

"Feel free to ask as many questions as you like.", Kushala almost gave off a fatherly aura, "You've already proven yourself to be a better talker than my kin. Pluck gets really quiet whenever I even try to start..."

She too began tuning out the old dragon as they began making their way to Lescatie. She knew it to be one of the more prominent cities in the Order, but she had never really had to deal with them before. Not many humans, especially heroes like the idea of tangling with a griffon after all. Based on how the human and valkryie kept glancing back at each of them in fear, she was right to assume that.

"Are you two really male?", She asked.

Kushala and Pluck looked at her in confusion. Kushala nodded, "We are indeed male… Is that truly so odd to you?"

"Male mamono don't exist…", She started.

"And we are not mamono.", Pluck interrupted with a grumble, "You haven't properly explained that yet."

"I told you already.", She punched him in the shoulder, "Mamono are monsters, and you dragons are monsters therefore mamono. Maybe you two hit your heads on something and just forgot."

"Hmm, If there aren't any males," Kushala eyed her wearily, "then how does your kind mate? Do you do what those Negigante do? Do you shed your offspring from your feathers?"

"I'm not going to talk to about childbirth," Lowen punched Kushala, but recoiled from the harder, sharper scales, "but if you HAVE to know; we find human men and take them as our mates."

Both dragons and the Order members recoiled. Kushala grimaced, "Humans for mates… disgusting."

"What are you talking about?!", Lowen was about to hit him again, but had learned her lesson the first time around, "Have you two been bashing your heads against the rock you were living under since the rise of the Demon Lord, or are you two that clueless?"

"Well," Pluck thought aloud, "I usually live on very tall rocks. But I don't understand how your species can continue by mating with… humans. Are you sure there's no males…"

"Males do not exist!", Lowen stomped, "You two cannot be MALE!"

A brief silence fell over them. The human and valkryie were doing their best to not look like they were interested in the conversation, while the Elders looked to one another in astonishment. Kushala wasn't sure what was bothering the griffon, but tried to remedy the situation anyways, "We are male, we just…"

"Prove it!", Lowen scowled, "Prove to me that everything I know is a lie!"

"How?", Pluck asked.

"I don't know!", Lowen turned her anger towards him, "Show me your supposed dick or something!"

Pluck looked at her like she was asking him the impossible, "It only comes out during mating season."

"What? Why?", Lowen stared up at him.

"It… it isn't," Pluck mumbled, "it's not aerodynamic... I don't really fly well with it out."

She could only gawk at him, before turning to Kushala, "What about you?"

"It's safely stored away," Kushala chuckled, "and it's not coming out anytime soon."

"Then I don't believe you!"

-0-

"And this is the church, it is connected to the castle, but the peasantry are only allowed to enter through the front gate.", Wilmarina presented the illustrious gilded building before him.

Dawn could only marvel at the beautiful architecture. Golden etchings lined each of the pillars, naming the heroes of old, and those who died in service to the Chief God. From the outside, Dawn watched the people of Lescatie make their way into the central church beneath the golden archway. The higher members of society walked in from the palace, while the poorer citizens marched in from the streets. From what he could see, there were two floors to the church: The bottom floor had pews for the poor to sit, while the rich were given individual chairs as they watched from the second floor.

His eyes scanned the crowd, "Do your people go to worship every day, or is today a special occasion?"

"Today is Prayer Day.", Wilmarina beamed in pride, "Every Sunday is Prayer Day."

One of the vagrants in the crowd shouted, "And you don't want to skip out on Prayer Day."

"Oh, you missed your bible? Don't worry this one's on me.", One of the fathers handed a vagrant a spare copy.

"Oh, your friend can't make Prayer Day because he's in coma from severe head trauma?", Dawn overheard another pair.

"I literally do not give a shit! Get that shitter up here, now!", The same preacher reprimanded, "I don't care if there are monsters bashing at the gates! I'm giving you to the count of five to go get him, to pray to our lord and savior. If you don't come back within the hour. I'm going to burn his house to the ground, and place that blasphemous pagan on a pyre!"

Dawn felt his stomach churn, 'And they do this every Sunday?'

"PRAYER DAY IS THE BEST GODDAMN DAY!", A dark skinned, wiry, homeless man sprinted into the church, and began slurping holy water from the fountains lining the walls. Before being hauled off by one the guards to the slowly filling pews.

"Who is he?", Dawn leaned out to get a better look at the stranger. For some unknown reason, he felt an odd sense of familiarity with the kook.

"Oh, that's just Seth.", Wilmarina smiled and waved to Sasha's group as they made their way into the church's halls.

"I see.", Dawn paused to wave to the children as well, "Are you going to join them as well?"

"Heroes are exempt from their obligations to Prayer Day.", Wilmarina turned to the hunter, "It is stated that the royalty and heroes have already proved their loyalty to the Chief God through their dedication. I however will be assisting you today, instead of joining my fellow faithful."

"I see," Dawn nodded, "and what was the reason for keeping my companions at the gate again?"

"As most of the guards will be at the church, we won't be able ensure the safety of the city with them following you around.", Wilmarina clarified.

Dawn nodded hesitantly, and began making his way to the castle proper. He whispered, "You are aware that they won't do anything, right? Half of them would rather not be here in the first place."

Wilmarina's smile disappeared, "I understand that, but only myself, mimil, Sasha, and Elt trust them enough to know they won't hurt anyone. I believe your monster companions are different from the rest, but the people, and more importantly the king, still have their reservations."

"I see," Dawn waved to the guard, who then began opening the expansive castle doors, "and we are to speak with the king first, before we go to the dungeon?"

"Indeed, hunter, I'll lead the way.", Wilmarina began to lead him into the castle before they were called out too.

"Mind if I join you Hero Noscrim?", Drell came up beside them, "I'm off duty and I can't join the rest in prayer. You don't mind if I tag along, do you?"

Wilmarina paused mid-step, "Well… I suppose you could join us Sir Augustus. Do you mind, hunter?"

Dawn looked to the old man, a flash of red shown across his eyes, and his smile seemed to be strained. His eyes narrowed beneath his helm as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. He nodded hesitantly, but said nothing else. He would be keeping an eye on this man.

-0-

Ace sat in the soft grass.

Mia sat beside him.

And Tatsuo sat on his other side.

So, why were Estrid and Shizuka arguing with the castle's knight captain, instead of sitting in the grass. They were sitting in the grass, but a moment ago, so why were they making everything so horribly loud. Ace wanted to enjoy the change of pace. For once he wasn't teaching Mia in a rumbling wagon, for once he wasn't fighting some random monster, for once he wasn't wasting his time walking around a city full of foreign people.

Ace hummed, 'Am I the foreigner? I'm not from here… I'm not from this world… Am I an alien? Why am I sitting in the grass when I could be in my hammock… Oh yeah, Mia… Why did I kiss Mia? Why did I like kissing Mia? Why am I thinking about Mia right now? Oh yeah, Mia broke down in the orphanage... Still need to talk to her about that… I'll do it later.'

"Hey Ace," Mia nuzzled, "can you go break up those three. They look like they're going to start fighting each other."

Ace glanced at his First Stinger and hummed, 'Should I stop the fight? It's not like anyone's gonna get hurt… Though it would be nice to have some silence… Then again Estrid and Shizuka were acting antsy from the beginning… I don't think I'll stop them... Don't care right now.'

"I'll take care of it.", Tatsuo sighed after dusting himself off.

Tatsuo left his longtime friend to intervene in the potentially dangerous argument between the Order knight captain and the mamono. Said knight captain was currently bearing a halberd in a threatening manner. She was your average sized woman with mid length dark grey hair, and relatively little armor. The chef mused, 'How is that armor supposed to protect her? I've technically seen hunters, guys and gals alike wear less, but that armor had at least covered their vital areas.'

"We have done nothing to Elt!", Shizuka growled.

"Then explain this, she-beast!", Mersé Dascaros, the knight captain, wildly flailed the confused form of Elt. Said young man had woken up late this morning, and reported for duty much later than he was used too. Mersé had found this odd as he was one of her top subordinates, and had him tested after he explained that he spent the night around the hunter and his companions.

"We found Demonic Energy." She growled, "And how do you think a soldier of the Order could possibly have your kind's filth on them, huh? If monsters, the only monsters that aren't shackled in the dungeon, molested him. Now tell me… What did you do?"

"I think this is just some big misunderstanding." Tatsuo popped up in between them.

"Yeah, they didn't do anything, captain.", Elt struggled, "We didn't even shake hands… uh claws?"

Mersé's hateful gaze fell on the werecat and then moved to the other mamono as she set Elt back on his feet, despite being shorter than him. She grumbled, "Then where did the corruption come from, cat?"

"Uh," the chef tapped his chin, "Elt, were you with the group fighting against the hellhounds?"

"No.", Elt shuffled away from Mersé as her gaze returned to him.

"Well…", Tatsuo nodded to himself, "I did make his dinner last night. Could that…"

The chef found himself cut short as Mersé had picked him up by his throat. One handed too; it was definitely new for the felyne. He waved to Estrid and Shizuka to tell them not to retaliate. The hero held him up to her face, "And you poisoned him?"

"No," he reached up to pull himself up as she wasn't actually choking him, due to his feather weight, "I only used the ingredients that where at the orphanage… Can you put me down, you're not actually choking me."

She dropped him, "Okay, so you didn't do anything… Elt said you didn't do anything. Then where could it have come from."

Her anger seemingly subsiding as she glared at the mamono. Estrid helped Tatsuo up and asked, "You said there were mamono in the dungeon. Are their more mamono in the city besides the hellhounds we brought in?"

"Yes, there are," Mersé paused, thinking about whether or not to tell the monsters, "we had a succubus attack one our guards, and then two other green ones just fell out of the air."

"Fell out of the air?", Tatsuo quirked a brow, "Was there a place for them to fall from, or was it just out of thin air?"

"Thin air?", Mersé frowned, "Yeah, now that I think about it, they really did just suddenly appear out of nowhere… Does that happen where you're come from, cat?"

"No, but it happens here.", Tatsuo felt a light drizzle as storm clouds came over head, "Monsters from our world must've fell through a rift. Where are they now? What did they look like?"

-0-

Wilmarina led them further into the castle, passing the throne room in their travel to the western wing. Drell took in his surroundings with great interest, while Dawn watched the old soldier from the side. His helmet allowed him to focus on the man beside him, without being too inconspicuous.

With each passing moment, he was able to take note of the old man's quirks and mannerisms. For one, he tended to walk with hands behind his back, and his chest puffed out. It was a different way of walking and the hunter wasn't too familiar with it, but it was something he could probably ignore as odd posturing. The man's eyes were what drawn the hunter in; they tended to flash red, for but a moment, and then back to their usual brown whenever they passed another guard. He also tended to walk beside himself, rather than Wilmarina, the hero.

"Drell?", Dawn said without turning to look at him.

The old soldier turned to face him, with another flash, before answering, "What do you need Sir Hunter?"

Dawn's eyes narrowed in suspicion and whispered, "Are your eyes red?"

The color drained from the Drell's face to the extent that it was near purely white. A fact, Dawn would be making a note of. He grumbled, trying to gather himself and spoke in an oddly feminine tone before his normal voice returned, "Yes, yes… I wear contacts. They are a type of eye wear that go on top of the eyes… I got them, while I was out on a crusade from a passing trader."

"I see.", Dawn nodded, but not satisfied.

"Are red eyes uncommon in your world, hunter?", Drell whispered as Wilmarina started taking notice of their conversation.

"Yes.", He said simply.

"How could you tell?", He shuffled uncomfortably.

"They bleed through whenever you start focusing on something, usually people."

They continued walking in silence, a silence that seemed to eat at the hero. Her relief came in the form of the portly king waiting impatiently in front of the door at the end of the hall. She called out, "Your Highness, I have brought the hunter, and Sir Augustus has decided to join us as well."

"Good, good," Castor grumbled as they came to a halt before him. He waved away the old soldier, and beckoned the hunter and Wilmarina closer. He continued, "Sir Augustus, you will need to wait outside for the time being. I need to speak with the hunter and Hero Noscrim in private."

"Of course, Your Highness.", He bowed before turning away to act as their guard.

"Come in quickly!", Castor beckoned them into the room as he unlocked the door.

It was a bedroom.

A large bedroom, yes, but a bedroom was not what Dawn expected. At the center of the room was a queen-sized bed with a woman with long purple hair, like Castor's, laying at the center of it. Said king had come to stand by the bed, looking down on the woman.

Wilmarina was the first to speak, "What do you need, Your Highness?"

Castor grimaced and ignored the hero, before turning to Dawn, "Hunter come here, I want you to see her."

Dawn passed by Wilmarina, his gaze moving to her and then to the woman in the bed. She was beautiful, to say the least. She had light green eyes, her face was flushed, and her skin although without blemishes, had a sickly thinness to it. The king moved her dark purple hair from her forehead causing her to squirm lightly in her bed. He said, "Hunter, feel her forehead."

Dawn stared down at the young woman, a thousand questions ran through his mind, but he decided on doing as he was told. He carefully pressed his fingertips to her forehead, feeling the intense heat she was giving off. He blinked and took his hand back, "She's on fire."

"Indeed, Hunter.", Castor moved to stand beside Dawn as he continued, "This is Francisca Mistel Lescatie, my fourth and youngest daughter. She has been… sickly since birth. Barren and incapable of communing with the gods unlike the rest of my children. She is by all means a disgrace to the Lescatie name, and if she were not a member of the crown; she would have died shortly after birth. Death nips at her heels even today."

Castor pointed out the window to another beautiful woman with pointed ear, chalk white skin, that was wearing a loose black dress. She sat weeping to herself on top of the castle's parapet. Her black tears and white eyes turned to them, and then to the city. Her weeping only grew more intense, though Dawn had yet to hear a sound come from her.

"A banshee.", Dawn realized, "They serve Hel, your people's god of the afterlife, correct?"

"Yes, Hunter," Castor moved to stand in front of him, "that is correct, but I did not have you brought here to have your knowledge examined… Hero Miltie reported that your 'Healing Horn' returns the strength to all who hears its song. I want to see if it will give my daughter the strength to live, for but awhile longer. I had just found a proper suiter… one who cares not for the health of their bride."

Dawn felt his anger rise with the man before him, but he would suppress the urge to maim him. His gaze fell to the honestly pathetic form of the fourth princess. There were tears running down her cheeks, but she made no plea as she had been incapable of speaking for the past month. He knew the Healing Horn could only heal flesh wounds and perhaps minor internal bleeding, and that it was not a proper medical tool.

He knew the horn would do nothing for her, but perhaps something else could. A potion with specifically impressive restorative properties. He reached into his pouch and felt the touch of the kelbi horn case. He hesitated. This particular potion was by far the most difficult potion to create, and he wouldn't be finding any kelbi around here to make another one. His gaze return to the sickly Francisca beside him.

She did not deserve to die, let alone be denied treatment that could very well save her life. It would also bolster relations between the Order and the Hunter's Guild if word got out that a hunter had saved the life of one of their princesses. But did he want that? The Order has left him wanting in regard to their morals and the way they run their kingdoms. He knew they believed what they were doing is right, but after everything he has seen thus far. Could he really forge an alliance with a power that was against the very reason the Guild was created in the first place?

'I could just save her and tell His Immenseness to keep the Order within striking distance.', Dawn settled and grasped the potion, "I believe that the Healing Horn will have little effect."

Castors expression soured, "Can we at least try? She's useless as is."

'I do hope her suitor isn't anything like you.', Dawn presented the potion to the king, "This is an Ancient Potion; it is far more powerful than the song a Healing Horn, and their use has saved my life on more than one occasion."

"A potion.", The king observed, "What does it do?"

"It will heal wounds and bring the person who drinks it to the peak of their health.", Dawn glanced at Francisca's frail form, "Your 'daughter' won't recover from whatever ails her, but it should give her more than enough time for you to find a proper solution."

"Just give her the potion.", Castor dismissed him.

Sighing his frustration away, Dawn turned to the silent princess. She sobbed in silence, the tears staining her face actually provided some needed moisture. He hoped it would help. He lifted her head ever so slightly and uncorked the horn, "You need to drink it one go… can you do that?"

She gave a strained nod, before opening her mouth. He held the flat of the horn to her mouth and began pouring in the potion. She gagged for a moment, not used to drinking something that wasn't water, but she eventually settled. He lifted it higher for the rest to pour forth, and slowly but surely her sickness was replaced with health.

With the last swallow, she mumbled with the last of her strength, before falling asleep. He didn't hear exactly what she said, but he could barely make out a thank you.

"Why is she sleeping?", Castor pushed the hunter aside.

"I don't know," Dawn recorked the horn and placed it back in his pouch, "I'm not a physician. If I had to guess; she isn't used to feeling relatively healthy, and her body put herself to sleep to reorientate itself."

"She looks… better," Castor glared at the hunter, "you may take your leave Hunter. I no longer have need of you."

Dawn hesitated, his gaze never leaving the sleep princess, and the question of who was following him still needed an answer. For now, he nodded to Wilmarina and gesturing for her to lead the way. She opened the door to see Drell speaking with one of the female guards, who then proceeded to shoe her away when the duo came up beside him.

"Ready to head for the dungeon?", The old soldier asked.

-0-

Miranda forced the male soldier to the ground as she mounted him. That was his place, beneath her, like the rest of her sisters. Now that both Bonnie and Rachel were gone, she took charge whenever Alpha had to go report in with their slyph commander, Ala. So now it was just her the triplets and the usually absent Elizbeth. The only one trying to avoid looking at her was the female soldier tied to the tree.

"You know you're not supposed to do that without Alpha's permission.", Elizabeth noted.

"I'm the Alpha right now!", Miranda forced another thrust with an audible groan from the man beneath her, "And I thought I ordered you to shut your fucking mouth, Liz!"

The triplets frowned in unison before turning away, and collectively pulling their second youngest sister away from their fourth's view. They came to a stop when they could no longer hear the sounds of their currently eldest sister and the human. Cera, Blaire, and Ursula circled Elizabeth as they sat her down on a fallen log.

"Elizabeth, we need you to go get Alpha.", Cera began.

"Miranda can't keep doing this to us.", Blaire continued.

"You are our fastest," Ursula finished, "you can reach her before she leaves the base camp."

"Alpha said we were to stay here.", She argued, "The invasions supposed to happen soon, right?"

"We'll be fine," Cera started, "we make sure to capture as many men as possible."

Blaire nodded, "You are too young to be helpful in capturing Order soldiers."

"We'll save one for you," Ursula agreed, "we won't let Miranda or anyone else touch him."

"Fine," she shot to her feet, "you three better keep your promises though."

-0-

The dungeon was a surprise, he had expected it to be filthy and possibly rat infested, but it was by far the cleanest prison he had ever seen. He could condemn the Order for many things, but cleanliness and, the somewhat obviously, order they managed to maintain was impressive. It was Drell that had taken the lead this time around, considering that he was one of the soldiers to bring the mamono down there in the first place.

"They should be in corridor C, just down the hall.", Drell said as they passed what Dawn thinks was corridor A and B.

Most of the cells were empty, and from what he had seen so far; he could tell that they made a conscious effort to keep humans in A and B, with men taking the cells in A and women in B. So, it only made sense to keep mamono separated in another corridor altogether.

"How many prisoners are down here?", Dawn asked.

"Five men, one woman, and about six monsters.", Drell answered.

"I see," they made the turn down corridor C, "but we only brought in three mamono. Are there others?"

"Yes, we caught a kunoichi a couple of days ago, and two odd looking monsters were found at the scene.", Wilmarina decided to step into the conversation.

They came to stop in front of three cells, and to Dawn's shock there were two Shakalaka children dancing in their steel bared cell. He recognized them too, "How did you two get down here! Moga village is full bodies of water away from here!"

"Cha-cha tell Kayamba that big strong mask hides in Heaven's Mount," Kayamba wailed, "Cha-cha made Kayamba walk there. Big Mistake! STUPID Lagiacrus pushed Kayamba through swirly hole. Stupid Cha-cha FAULT!"

"Cha-cha know masks in high mountain," Cha-cha pushed his friend, "Kayamba dumb! Kayamba fight Lagaicrus because Kayamba dumb! Cha-cha follow Kayamba to save Kayamba!"

Kayamba gasped, "Cha-cha LIES! Kayamba is honorable hunter. Kayamba attack Lagiacrus because Cha-cha touch Lagizcrus egg! CHA-CHA FAULT!"

Kayamba then proceed to smack Cha-cha across the mask. Cha-cha then proceeded to punch Kayamba on the stomach. The two of them then proceeded to start fighting each other despite the onlookers. Drell was about to tell them off, but Dawn waved him away.

"Can you open their cell, Wilmarina," Dawn asked, "they're harmless… to us anyways."

"Are you sure?", Wilmarina asked, "These two were found with the monster that was going to attack the queen."

"Then we're releasing them after the interrogation. I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding.", Dawn said, leaving no room for disagreement.

The hunter's gaze shifted from the rough housing Lynians to the hellhounds waiting patiently in the cell beside them. The smallest one, clearly the youngest, wore a red cloak. She looked exactly like the mamono he had ran into during his return to Wicker. She had short hair, in comparison to the other hellhounds beside her, and stared up at him in an oddly affectionate manner. It bothered him.

The other two were almost identical, save for the scars lining their body, courtesy of Ace's halberd. Both had long wild hair, neither were found wanting when it came to their more feminine features, and they both shared the same look of apprehension for the hunter. A look that told him that they were curious, but also cautious when it came to him. They gave the other two humans a look of fear as well as respect. Mostly the former for the hero, and the latter for the soldier.

He took a seat on the floor with one leg outstretched and the other bent close to him, with one elbow on his closer knee, and the other hand supporting him from behind. Trying his best to look relaxed, he asked himself, "Alright… where should we begin?"

This action seemed to surprise them, as they turned to each other with looks of shock. The middle one with the most scars tentatively answered, "We are willing to answer whatever questions you have for us, Hunter."

"Why?", Dawn asked.

"Why what?", She asked again.

"Why are you willing to answer my questions?", He tilted his head to the side, "I haven't even asked anything yet, and you're so forth coming. Why is that?"

"Well…"

The oldest of them continued for her, "We don't have anything to hide Hunter. If you have a question then we'll answer it, and that is all there is to it."

"I see," he nodded, unconvinced, "then… Let's start with who sent you."

"We are members of Druella's Legion," the youngest answered, "we were sent… sent to… sent to capture you, as Lady Druella wanted to speak with you, and maybe meet this… Hunter's… Hunter's Guild of yours."

She was nervous, that much was clear, but she also seemed to be the most honest so far. He nodded, "Well I do need to speak with this 'Lady Druella'…", That statement seemed to bother Wilmarina.

"You can't seriously mean to speak with the Demon Lord's fourth, Dawn!", The hero fell to his level, "That devil is responsible for the destruction of at least a dozen Order strongholds! Why in the world would you speak with her."

Though surprised that Wilmarina had actually referred to him by name. The hunter did not flinch, "I need to speak with her for the same reasons I came to Lescatie in the first place, and only after alerting Druella, and by proxy the Demon Lord, can I properly begin working on my expedition's main goal."

"How do you know she won't lie to you Hunter," Drell cut in, "she's a monster after all. She'll use whatever she can to manipulate and control you."

"Yes," Wilmarina flailed her hand in thanks, "she'll lie and plot and… I don't know. She'll do everything in her power to show you that she's the one in the right. She wields Demonic Energy and good honest people as you would your sword!"

Humming to himself the hunter took off his helmet to make sure he would get his point across. He began, "Have you ever heard the phrase that history is written by the victor?", Both hero and soldier hesitated before shaking their heads, "It means that the world will know the past through the eyes of the conqueror, and that their wrong doings will fade from memory... Well, I believe that today is tomorrows history… and if we are to properly record history to the upmost accuracy, then we must invest time into both sides. Study their faults and their benefits, and then we record what we know to be true."

"Dawn," she said his name again, "I understand that you do not know Druella, but you need to trust me… She will do everything in her power to manipulate you and the guild."

"We will continue this later, Wilmarina.", Dawn conceded, and turned to the mamono staring at them, "Next question: What is the goal of the Extremist Faction?"

The eldest responded, "To show humanity the love we mamono wish to share with them."

"Define love."

The demand confused the hellhounds, as well as the hero and soldier. The hellhounds weren't sure exactly what he meant, so their eldest once again asked him to clarify, "What do you mean?"

"I want to know how your faction view love. All I know is that your people will often attack humans and then force yourselves onto them.", Dawn clarified, "I will repeat myself… Define love."

The youngest was first to speak, but could only stammer out a couple of mumbled words. Their second eldest stopped her, before she embarrassed herself any further, "We love humans, Hunter. We also love you, the Order, and every other human by extension. We will force you and the rest of humanity to accept our love if we must."

"Why do you love me?"

Again, the mamono could only stare at him in confusion. Drell gave the hunter a weary look when he thought he wasn't looking. Their youngest answered, "Why wouldn't we love you? You are human, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am human," Dawn pressed his palm to his chest, "but I'm not from this world. I am not the same kind of human… nor am I a part of the same humanity that your people love."

They were about to voice their disagreement, but the hero had beat them to punch with a question of her own, "Dawn… Hunter, I have a question for you as well."

"Go ahead."

"Are you blessed in anyway?", Wilmarina sat down beside him.

"No," Dawn smirked, "the gods of my world don't manifest themselves through champions and heroes. My strength is natural, if above average, in my world."

"I see.", Wilmarina cupped her chin in thought.

"You're starting to sound like me.", Dawn nudged her in the side with a smirk, earning an embarrassed blush from the young hero. He turned back to the hellhounds, "Does my being from another world change anything?"

"You feel different," the cloaked mamono nodded, "you give off a different feeling… Like the hero, but not divine… like an incubus but not demonic.", Her eyes widened as the hunter began to focus on her, "Not in a bad way, or anything! Just different… a good different."

"But you can tell from a glance that I'm not like everyone else?", Dawn asked.

"Yes sir.", The youngest nodded, getting weird looks from her fellow mamono.

"Alright," Dawn smirked, "where can I find Druella?"

And with that last question, the torches lining the walls were suddenly extinguished, leaving them all in the dark. The burning flames that sprouted from the hellhounds were their only source of light, until Wilmarina summoned a floating ball of Divine Energy to brighten the area. The Shakalaka had stopped fighting, the mamono were confused, and the sleeping kunoichi as well as Drell were gone.

"It is good to know that the man from another world has taken interest in myself.", Dawn as well as Wilmarina shot to their feet as the feminine voice rang out.

"I take it you are Druella?", Dawn asked.

"Yes, I am," the voice sounded from behind them, "I've been observing you for about a day now, well personally at least."

The hunter as well as Wilmarina looked to each other, before moving to stand back-to-back. The hero yelled out, "So is Drell an illusion of yours, or a puppet?!"

"Oh, Drell was never real to begin with," Dawn sighted the distant red, "just another name… another face to get me close to you, dear Noscrim. I have plans for you, and the rest of your order…"

"The Knights of the Ice Flower will destroy you!", She yelled out in defiance.

"I'm sure they will." A soft giggle came from beside her she began moving to back and away from it. Her hand glanced the cuff keeping the hellhounds in their cell, freeing them. The voice passed them again, "See! You already performing exactly how I want you to."

They both turned to see the lilim flinging the cell door open, with a kunoichi by her side. Her silky white hair and wings obscured their vision for a moment before she fully turned to them. Her red eyes flashed with lust, "It was lovely meeting you two, and I do hope to see you again. I would love to hear the end of that story of yours, Hunter.", The thunderous sound of destruction drew their attention elsewhere. She smiled, "The invasion will have to begin today. Unfortunate is it not? Sasha really did want to save her children."

"What?!", Dawn turned to her, shocked.

"Ta-ta!", Druella waved at them as the kunoichi completed her ritual, and they faded from sight as they were taken elsewhere.

Another quake knocked them from their shock. Dawn cleaved the cell holding the Shakalaka children, and then broke into a sprint, "We need to get to the surface, now!"

Wilmarina shook herself, and followed after the hunter. Sasha Fullmoon and the children of the orphanage were the only thing on her mind. The pitter patter of Cha-cha and Kayamba following after her only continued to remind her.

-0-

"You would think these humans would learn their lesson sooner or later!", Pluck roared as he shot another gathering of soldiers with his Dragon shot. Though most of the energy was replaced with the purple substance that had been slowly converting his wings' exhaust.

"Just don't kill any of them… They're setting up a cannon to your right!", Lowen yelled over the rushing winds siphoning in and out of the Elder Dragon's vents.

Lowen was currently sitting on top of Pluck's back as he continued to wreak havoc on the slowly building militia. Pointing the Valstrax in the direction the soldiers were gathering. While Kushala dealt with the heroes, and four mamono in the distance. She was glad that they were at least trying to be less destructive, but every now and then she would see a soldier get eviscerated by random debris.

"I can't see Kushala!", The griffon patted Pluck's back, "What's going on with him!"

Pluck unleashed another barrage of Dragon shot, before glancing Kushala's way. The natural rain storm the rusted Elder generated made it harder for Pluck to see him, but his eyes were used to peering down from incredible heights.

Kushala was dealing with a horned human wielding a hammer, two felyne-human hybrids, a fluffy serpent with the upper half of a human, and they were being support by what looked like a wyvernian using a bow and a human with a halberd.

Kushala had recovered significantly from their first meeting, so he didn't worry much about his kin. Pluck turned back to the humans slowly amassing forces, but something else caught his eye. A massive horde of mamono as Lowen had described. The oddly shaped human monsters charged into the main gates, while the guards desperately moved to stop the flow of bodies.

"He's fine," Pluck turned to look at the griffon on his back, "what going on over there?"

Lowen struggled against the storm, but managed to peer at the gates. Her eyes widening in shock, "Pluck we need to get out of here! Druella's attacking Lescatie!"

"Who's Druella?"

"That would be me, dear.", The voice drew the dragon's gaze to the lilim gently hovering above him, "You're quite a big one aren't you."

AN: Just to let everyone know; I want to make the chapters longer, but less frequent. So they'll be around six and a half to eight thousand words instead of around the five thousand the beginning chapters were. Which means chapters will be taking longer.

I also plan to take a break from writing for a week or two after the next chapter.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and the story to come.