Mud was thrown onto Donovan's face. It was smeared further on his face, then his hands and feet, masking Donovan's once fair skin. He grimaced at the unwelcome mud that covered him, all the while Kalika watched the unexpected piece of entertainment unfold.
"Is… Is this necessary?" Donovan questioned.
"Yes," Bjorn affirmed for the fifth time in a row. "You want to blend in as much as you can. The last thing we need is for another Succubus to kidnap you."
"R…Right…"
"Apart from that, it's unheard of for humans to be here in the pit. It's better to play the part than to draw attention to ourselves."
Kalika continued to watch from the sidelines as Bjorn smeared the mud on Donovan's face, putting in the last touches.
"There," Bjorn said. "All done."
Bjorn brought up a bowl for Donovan to see his clear reflection. He stuttered, seeing how he looked. "This looks horrible…"
"Here, wear these, too." Bjorn handed a crudely crafted mask with horns affixed to them, and another with a skirt that held a demon's tail wrapped around it.
"Those Trents came in handy for those parts. I have a few more pieces that you're welcome to use if you ever need them."
"I'm fine. Thank you." Donovan took them in hand, curiously looking over them. It didn't take long for him to realize the idea behind the attire. He adjusted the leather skirt around his waist. As the final touch, he placed the mask around his face, tying the string to the back of his head.
"How do I look?" He asked.
Bjorn examined him thoroughly. Up and down. "Hold on." Bjorn grabbed Donovan's head, pulling it forward.
"Hey! Hey! What are you-"
"There." Bjorn released Donovan, draping a newly black cloth over the back of his head. "Now it's fixed. It's not the best, but it should work."
Donovan turned to Kalika. "How do I look, Kalika?"
Kalika stared at him for a moment, looking him up and down. "You look like some savage or barbarian…"
"Better a savage than a human," Bjorn noted. Bjorn passed Dononvan the bag full of some of the animals Kalika had hunted down.
"Remember, Donovan, try not to talk out loud. And let Kalika do the communicating. As much as I'd prefer to come, I'd draw too much attention there in Berg. In there is a natural trade hub where they sell things from above and here in the pit."
Bjorn turned to Kalika. "
"I already know. And why are you speaking that way?"
"You said you could speak our tongue, didn't you?"
"
Seeing Kalika's piercing Gaze, Donovan stepped up. "Well, this part of your dream you have to speak that way, otherwise… err… You're dream might get a little weirder?" Donovan was irked at what he just said. "Your dream might get weird? What kind of reason is that!"
"Hmmm… I guess you're right." Kalika backed off, rolling her eyes.
Donovan stood in shock, although Kalika couldn't see it.
"Y-you can talk to me normally, Kalika," Donovan said, raising his hand.
"Okay… Fine. Let's just go." Kalika grabbed a bag of her own and departed from the camp.
Donovan raced by Kalika's side, leaving Bjorn to guard the camp.
"Just remember what you're going for, and if you can get a cart, do it," Bjorn called.
********
Donovan felt relieved not having to lug Bjorn around on his handcrafted sled. Despite this welcome change, he couldn't help but feel squeamish as he followed the path up to the fortified town. "A town full of demons… I wonder if they're all just ruthless barbarians. And the very pinnacle of evil, like the General said…"
He glanced at Kalika and saw that she was maintaining a calm demeanor; it was as if she didn't care about anything at all. Donovan straightened his posture and steeled his heart. He even tightened his fist, calming himself down.
"Alright, if worse comes to worst, we'll fight our way out like those other times… Here's to hoping everything goes well. "
Soon, they came to a large gate operated by two red demon guards, both with horns fixed to the side of their heads, pointing in different directions. They wore armor eerily similar to the ones he had seen when the Demon King captured him.
"
"
The guards slowly glanced at each other, then at both Donovan and Kalika with a scrutinizing gaze. Seeing no issue, they opened the gate. "
"
As the gate opened, it unveiled itself—a small, lively town with a vast market offering a wide range of items.
Demons of different sizes bartered amongst each other, selling various goods and novelties.
The stalls were draped in a variety of fabrics and colors, showcasing their unique wares for all to see.
From the fruits and vegetables originating from the surface that they called exotic, to weapons and apparel, available for purchase. It was the very definition of a bustling trade city. But what was most shocking was that most of the demons had dressed more modestly than Donovan expected. Most were either crudely sewn garments or something that he'd seen in his local town.
The expectations of a chaotic or authoritarian-like society shattered before Donovan. There was an allure that drew Donovan in, His curiosity piquing to the highest it's been. a chaotic town that
Just then, he noticed Kalika. He saw that she shook, her eyes twitching. Her breathing hastened. It looked like a wave of nausea struck her as she wrenched her fingers and shook more violently.
"< What's wrong with you?>" One of the Guards asked.
"This is bad!"
Kalika shot a glare, but before she could move, Donovan stepped in, grabbing her hands. He peeked out from his mask just enough for only her to see him.
He broke into a whisper. "Kalika. Get a hold of yourself. We'll go in and get out fast. So just… please settle down…"
Listening to his words, Kalika slowly calmed herself. "There's… so many of them," She muttered.
"I know, just stay close to me and stay low. The less attention, the better."
"Fine."
"
Donovan returned to his disguise and slowly pulled Kalika along.
As they entered, Kalika shot a glare at him, leaving him to scoff.
"
"Ignore him." Donovan quickly whispered.
Reluctantly, Kalika followed Donovan's lead. To their surprise, the demons around them started shooting glances and glares. They could feel a sense of ire and resentment in the gazes. It was clear that there must be history between these so-called savages and the demons of this town.
Donovan did his best to ignore this unwanted attention. He and Kalika pushed through and as they did, they felt a few tails whip their legs, with some sharper and more painful than others. He pushed past the crowds of demons searching and scanning the stalls around for anything with decent clothing.
While searching around he saw that some of the stalls were stationed next to stone buildings with wooden roofs that slanted a single direction. The roofs of these buildings looked especially new and similar to some of the houses he's seen in his own country.
Despite his growing curiosity, Donovan turned his focus back to the objective on hand. He scanned around more but found that most of the stalls were tuning to those that sold weapons and knives of the demon blade variety. It was like that was the only kind of weapon to even exist in this world.
"Hey, Donovan." Kalika called.
"Hmm?" Donvoan glanced at her direction and saw that she pointed to a stand full of fancy-looking apparel.
A blue-skinned demon operating the stall leaned back in their chair, staring into space. They had eyebrows with a sharp edge that pointed up, and their horns were short and curled up from their forehead.
Looking back at Kalika, Donovan traced her gaze to a pair of more modest purple attire suited for women. The only problem is that they looked expensive to purchase. But at a closer inspection the demon seemed to also sell more modest and potentially more affordable attire.
"You wanna check it out?" Donovan asked, keeping his voice low.
"C- can you do it?"
"K…Kalika, you do remember that I can't speak the demon's tongue, right?"
Kalika growled irritably and pouted. She didn't seem to want to approach the stall, forcing Donovan to pull Kalika along,
Despite the shallow resistance she gave, she was brought to the stand where they garnered the merchant's attention. "
Donovanquickly glanced around and pointed to a gray one-piece garment that had laces.Kalika sighed and
Reluctantly spoke up. "
Tracing her gaze, the merchant looked at the piece in question.
"
Kalika relayed the information to Donovn, who checked the crystals. "The last I counted, we had a hundred and twelve. This'll take over a third of what we have."
Donovan then remembered the animals they were given. "Maybe we could use some of this to help. But first…" Donovan continued looking through the stall, finding more clothing that he and Kalika could wear. With all the given clothing they pointed out, Donovan whispered to Kalika the plan to barter with the fur and crystals.
Kalika couldn't see much of a point in trying. Regardless, she followed Donovan's lead as he slammed the bag of fresh meat and another bag of pelts that hadn't yet been used.
The merchant's eyes widened at the sight of such a vast trove of meat and skins. "
"
"Huh?"
Both Donovan and Kalika were caught off guard by the demon's sudden outburst.
"Did he just agree or did he…"
The merchant demon gazed at the skin as if it were a pure treasure trove of goods. He took the first pelt, unfurling it and revealing a blonde golden pelt. "
"W…What…? He seems so excited…" Donovan was absolutely at a loss. He turned to Kalika, who was pondering to herself.
"Maybe, I shouldn't have killed that weird monster after all." She muttered.
Donovan came close and whispered to Kalika. "Hey Kalika, since when did you hunt these animals?"
"Hm? Oh. I hunted them the other day when I wanted to be alone. I just gave them to Bjorn when I came back. It looks like the demon likes it, since he just agreed to our deal."
"Crap, Now I feel like we overplayed our hand. Damn it Bjorn! Why didn't you tell me these were valuable!"
********
Bjorn Sneezed. He rubbed his nose and glanced around. "That's weird. Could've sworn I heard my name just now…probably just my imagination."
He closed his eyes to go back to napping.
********
The Merchant eyed the goods. It felt impossible to go back on the deal now. The last thing Donovan wanted was to piss off a demon. "At least we didn't include any crystals… but still. Well actually. Maybe he could help us…"
Donovan pulled Kalika back to a whisper. She nodded, understanding.
Kalika turned back to the merchant, who was now feeling the black pelt. "
The merchant glanced at Kalika for a moment. He thought to himself for a moment before answering. "
"
"
"
"
Kalika's ears perked, and she turned her gaze to the two demon men talking and listened in more intently.
"
"
The two laughed heartily. Kalika, however, felt nauseated just listening to the two. Her eyes narrowed as she snaked his name from her mouth with a hint of anger. "Rakon…",
"
"
"
The merchant glanced back into his stall. Unexpectedly, he tossed a black hooded robe to Kalika. It had soft, black fur that could be easily cuddled with. "
"
The merchant simply nodded, keeping a straight face. ""
"
Donovan grabbed the other empty bag from the merchant and departed in the direction of the cooking supply stall, alongside Kalika.
As she was led through the crowd of demons. Kalika looked back at the new robe, almost tempted to put it on. She just as quickly tossed the idea aside, grumbling to herself.
********
Just outside the city, a blue demon with his bare chest and a white painted face overlooked a guarded entry point at Bergs gate. Over a hundred other demons waited in anticipation. Smirks and sinister grins flooded the crowd of savagely dressed demons,
The smile of the war-painted leader grew even wider as he saw a ball of fire enter the air. He aimed his hands at the gates and guards, and slowly manifested a large ball of fire.
One of the guards immediately took notice. "
A ball of fire engulfed the two guards and the entire gate. Breaking into the town.
The demon residents inside immediately took notice.
The alarms sounded off as the small army of savage, tribe-like demons arrived.
"