Kaida’s yellow eyes swept over the crowd. She was bored. Her gaze landed on Li Yu. Li Yu held his breath while keeping his expression flat. Kaida stopped.

  She looked him up and down.

  She saw a man of average height. Lean muscle, not bulky. A face that was decent looking but not manly. It lacked the rugged brutality she preferred.

  She squinted at him, sensing... something. A new scent. But it was faint.

  "You," Kaida said while pointing at him. Her voice was a low rumble that vibrated in Li Yu’s chest.

  Li Yu looked up and met her gaze respectfully but not fearfully. "My Lady?"

  "You are new," she stated.

  "Just arrived today," Li Yu said. "Looking for work."

  Kaida snorted. She looked at his arms that were hidden under his sleeves.

  "Too small," she muttered and dismissed him instantly. "You'd break in a day."

  She turned away, losing interest as quickly as she had found it. She gestured to her massive Orc concubine. "Come, Gorn. I want to visit the arena. I feel like watching something bleed."

  The Orc grinned as his tusks glinted. "As you wish, Mistress."

  The procession moved on. Li Yu let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

  'Thank the heavens for having specific tastes,' Li Yu thought. 'Being called "too small" has never been such a compliment.'

  He watched her go and noted the deference the other demons showed her. It wasn't just fear; it was respect. In this place, size matters.

  With the ruler gone, the market relaxed.

  Li Yu moved toward a shop that seemed to sell travel supplies. It was run by a Spider Kin, a creature with a humanoid torso atop a bulbous arachnid body. She was knitting a net with six hands while talking to a customer.

  It was odd to see, usually the beasts were either a beast or transformed into a human. At least from what he had experienced. Thoughts of Si Luo returned to this mind. However, it seemed that here there were species that had traits of both naturally.

  ‘Perhaps a human and a spider beast had a baby?’ Li Yu thought curiously. His mind quickly returned to the task at hand.

  "I need a map," Li Yu said while approaching the counter. "Specifically of the surrounding regions. I need to know where the Dust Lands are."

  The Spider Kin stopped knitting. Her multiple black eyes focused on him.

  "Maps are expensive," she hissed. "Knowledge is power after all."

  "I have cores," Li Yu said. He pulled out and placed several cores down on the table.

  The Spider Kin’s eyes moved towards the cores. She took three of them with a speed that blurred.

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  "That is enough. A fine map for a fine customer," she said.

  She produced a scroll made of cured beast skin. Li Yu unrolled it.

  It was crude, drawn using charcoal or similar and blood ink, but it served his purpose. It showed Obsidian Hollow in the center. A large barren area was marked as the Dust Lands. Far to the west were symbols indicating the major cities of the Infernal Court but they were vague. To the east, jagged lines and skulls marked the border with the Beast Nations. Once again vague.

  "The East looks lively," Li Yu commented while pointing to the skulls.

  "The war," the Spider Kin clicked. "The Beast Warlords are pushing hard. They say Warlord Thrax has moved his warband into this sector. He wants the mines."

  "Thrax?"

  "A Rhino Kin," she explained. "Big. Mean. Skin like enchanted steel. He thinks the Infernal Court is weak because they rely on more than just their physical might to fight. He prefers... stomping."

  Li Yu rolled up the map. "Good to know."

  He turned to leave.

  BOOM.

  The ground jumped. It wasn't the rhythmic thud of industry. It was an impact. The jars on the Spider Kin’s shelves rattled. Dust fell from the ceiling.

  Outside the noise of the market vanished and was replaced by a sudden and terrifying silence.

  Then, the screams started.

  "ATTACK!" Someone roared from the gate. "THE BEASTS! THEY'RE OUTSIDE!"

  Li Yu rushed out of the shop.

  He looked toward the main gate. Through the ribcage archway he could see the sky to the East was darkening. Not with clouds but with dust. A massive cloud of red dust was rolling toward the town and was kicked up by thousands of heavy feet.

  And leading the charge, smashing against the outer perimeter defenses, was a monster.

  He was colossal. He was a humanoid rhinoceros clad in crude, heavy plate armor made from metal. He wielded a hammer almost the same size as he was.

  Warlord Thrax. As if summoned by the mention of his name. He roared, a sound that shook the entire town.

  "KAIDA!" Thrax bellowed as his voice echoing over the walls. "COME OUT AND DIE! I WANT YOUR ORE!"

  Behind him a tide of beasts surged against the formation barriers protecting the town.

  There were War Boars that were being ridden by goblins. There were Thunder Birds diving from the sky to smash against the shields. There were massive Dire Bears tearing at the earth.

  Obsidian Hollow erupted into chaos.

  The market dissolved. The Magma Elemental shopkeeper roared and prepared fireballs. The Thorn Kin grew massive vines to block the street entrances. The humans scrambled for cover and drew their weapons to defend their lives.

  Li Yu stood in the middle of the street with the map clutched in his hand.

  "Well," Li Yu muttered, watching the defensive runes on the gate flare as Thrax hammered them. "That escalated quickly."

  He saw a flash of crimson motion on the rooftops. Lady Kaida was running across the spires, her white hair flying, her massive sword drawn. She was laughing.

  "THRAX!" Kaida roared as she was leaping from the highest spire to meet the Warlord outside the walls. "You ugly cow! I will make you beg under me tonight!"

  She landed outside with a shockwave that shook the foundations of the town. The two titans collided in the wasteland outside the gates. Thrax was over twice the size of Kaida but size didn’t determine strength.

  CRASH.

  The shockwave flattened trees a mile away. Li Yu shielded his eyes from the dust.

  'This realm,' Li Yu thought with a spark of adrenaline lighting up his veins. 'It really doesn't believe in a quiet afternoon.'

  He looked at the chaos. The main fight was outside but the beast army was large. The armies stopped fighting though. Everyone turned and watched the fight between the two commanders.

  Everyone knew that the real battle was there. Whoever won that fight would win this battle. It didn’t matter how the smaller battles went. Similarly to watching kids fight after school, a large circle around them was formed.

  Some of the more brave ones were taking bets on who would win. The citizens didn’t really seem to care too much. It seemed like this was a common afternoon for them. Rulers can change at a drop of a hat and someone else would be in charge.