The next day I woke up to a shrill blast. Groggy, I woke up and threw on some clothes. I went over to the window and pulled open the curtains. I was greeted by a parade, there were horns and people walking and celebrating. On a large float, there was Amber, clad in nice clothes and waving to everyone.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJRbBDiB6F
She rounded a corner and disappeared from view. I went downstairs to find Traya dressed and by the door. “What’s the commotion?” I asked her.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9txVjn5sm
“No idea, but I suppose that girl of yours is at the center of it.” She replied.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRNcqxSd3i
“She’s not my girl,” I protested. Speaking of which, Amber never came back here yesterday. What was she up to? “Let’s find Amber.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdFomMaTMA
“Gotcha Silvi.” She opened the door. “Let’s go.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbHAuIW9ymV
I followed her outside. Greeted by the watchers of the parade, we followed the float to the town center, where Amber jumped down from her perch and came to shake people’s hands. The tribe looked incredibly happy, their faces shining with pure joy. “Amber!” I called out.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9E0OLoUO2L
Hearing me, she looked up. “Master!” She shouted, and started making her way to me. Upon reaching me, she hugged me. “What are you doing?” I asked.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVGLIaGVKz
“The tribesmen asked me to do this last night. I hope it was alright.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6THkJBl0o
I grinned. “Alright? I guess it is. I’m just surprised.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8zsedvjuk
“Thank you, master!”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GCIPW4cSe
Traya sighed behind me as Amber moved to greet more people. “Don’t let it get to her head…”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtRzStE6V8
“I won’t.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuyTCga7jl
We waited until the commotion died down. But while waiting, Elzi came and approached us.
“Your Majesty, the Head Priest, and the chieftain will come and see you now.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVJ1SAuJe1
“Right now?”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡav0hXcLD0G
“Right now.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXCY3On52l6
“Um, okay. C’mon Traya.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeitJRNAke
We followed Elzi to a large building behind the cathedral. The architecture of the demonkin was a lot more advanced than the humans. The buildings resembled late medieval to early renaissance buildings.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69CkbXRvdm
We went inside and were led to a room in the back. It had a large round table that was surrounded by many demonkin. They all were part of the Mahillia tribe. Elzi beckoned to a man in a priest robe that was gaudier than others. “This is the head priest, Valentine.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkQoQNlJEu
The man bowed, she then went on to introduce the 9 other archpriests of the tribe. Finally, a man in more practical clothing introduced himself as the chieftain. The chieftain was named Akram, and very young looking.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIYCHyTSbGt
I smiled at everybody and greeted them with a positive attitude. The priests and the chieftain looked at me with keen interest. “I am Valentine, head priest of the church of Mahillia.” Valentine said, “The Mahillia have waited for the arrival of our god for a long time. Thank you for summoning Lord Amber, not only that but you did it so easily. As the hero of magic, you really know how to use your powers.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIl4TG0rnJ
“Thank you,”453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbOLEbYAW5
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9NAJikt4r
“Might I ask one thing,” He said.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTjJovYShz
“Sure,”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bjKZEynXQ
“As Lord Amber’s master, what do you plan on doing with her?”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY16pCVT7NP
“Oh, well I guess I just want her to teach me magic and the like. She’s a pretty reliable companion and a nice person. Although she drives me crazy, she’s pretty useful.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3tkOSvJsE
“Perhaps I shall phrase my question better. I am glad you value our lord, but as her superior, you have access to her power. Will you abuse it?”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7oktDecps
“I see,” I said, getting what he said. “I don’t plan on abusing it, I seek only the security and prosperity of my nation. If anything threatens that, then I will use Amber’s power.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEscKBx1EB
“I see, well we better not make you our enemy,” Said Akram, “As the chieftain of my tribe, I officially welcome you as one of our own.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaLpG90QKe
The head priest bowed his head, “I as well, it is an honor to see you as a member.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2E78ENbY2
I raised my eyebrows. “Wait, what do you mean? Do I have obligations or something like that? I’m all for joining your tribe, it's amazing, but what does that entail?”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2bl9ELqTo
“Oh ho ho,” The chieftain chuckled, “Nothing much, we just recognize you as demonkin, hopefully that’s alright with you.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEdTcia9f7
“I mean, yes it's fine. It would be weird to be Amber’s master and not be part of her tribe I guess.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt28l2hRVby
“Very well, now everything is taken care of, there is only one thing that I am worried about.” Akram said.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzNQlR7yfl
“What’s that?” I asked.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtA4zvpmcBM
“The other tribes, it has been centuries since the patron gods of our tribes have been called to earth. The tribes all agreed that summoning the aboriginals was supposed to be a collective decision. Due to the high cost of summoning and the power of the aboriginal demons, as much as we love them, the chieftains of the tribes agreed that the demons must be summoned sparingly.”
“It is beyond our control for humans or other species to summon demons so we also agreed that if that were to happen, then the demon summoning would be valid, and the tribe may meet their patron.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwZgEP8bfH
“The problem with you is that… You look like one of us, which is a good thing. But the other tribes may think we carried out the summoning ritual without their consent, and with no sacrifice. This might change the balance of power. If the other tribes learn that the aboriginals can be summoned without sacrifice, they’ll do it despite the risks. They will claim and justify anything. It might turn out to be a terrible calamity.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9YSsPP6ZI
“I see…” I said again, understanding.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqcZE9Xeue
“We must take you to the next tribal gathering next week. Perhaps if we explain the situation we can avoid bad questions and steer clear of this mess.” The chieftain said.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JWhocqDGR
The head priest nodded, “Not a word must leave this room,” he said to the archpriests.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxwDXnIgvJ
One of the priests, a girl in her late twenties, looked a little pained. I was worried about her expression.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1JJkejtBoQ
“I am sorry, but we ask you to stay a little longer, is that okay?” the chieftain asked.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8B6grzXYxi
“It's fine, as long as it doesn’t take too long.” I said.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMLz5Jskwz
“Thank you, I know this is no way to treat royalty…”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqfsKIRmua
“Nonsense, I mean, I’m still getting used to being one.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTWNZUc8TE
“You are one interesting royal…” The chieftain said, “You don’t act like human royalty, you really are strange….”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3NAW8qwDj
“Thanks I guess, I mean, I didn’t grow up around here. Maybe that’s why I didn’t get the same mindset as other humans.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexgkRNgHUb
“Hmm,” The chieftain said, his intelligent eyes looking thoughtful.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNSRgyoL4b
I smiled warily, “Is that all?”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxa9IRi7r9
“Oh yes,” The head priest said, “I'm sorry to keep you here so long.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAFztTk0NG
“No it's okay…” I wouldn’t have cut it short if it weren’t for the chieftain’s gaze. He looked scary. I had to keep an eye on him.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzSTJmQz0K
I left the chamber with Traya following behind me. “Whew,” I said, “That chieftain freaked me out.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VUzQYPBys
“Hmmm?” Traya remarked, “Oh right, I mean, sure. By the way, you said you didn't grow up here a lot. If you didn't grow up in the mass of man or demonkin, where did you?”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNTGDy9iAc9
“Uh,” I said. I knew not to reveal the fact that I was from another world, I knew that might attract the world god’s attention. But the people here would also not believe me. “I’m from a distant land. I received an unexpected patron and got his blessing to come here.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWD4MzVIKW0
“Patron? Like what?”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HXaL5FVRz
“A deity of sorts…”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpzZQI9OLd
“Hmmmm,” I could tell Traya wasn’t satisfied, but she decided to leave it for now.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaRjZflQQZ
“Let’s find Amber and tell her the news. Then we should send a letter to Razana.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCugPLbCb3
Traya nodded. We did that, then went around exploring and introducing ourselves.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSGqCHfyXAB
The priests had given us identification, so our introductions went smoothly. Most everybody greeted us with kindness. Many of them saw that I had only unlocked Kinetic hair as my sole demonification derivative skill and taught me how to use a few others.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEy7vq9xCIn
I learned a skill called monster sentience. Demonkin could control monsters, this skill made humans wary of them and they often discriminated against demonkin for this reason. Monster sentience was the ability to give intelligence to a monster and recruit it as a familiar. The orc lord I fought earlier was an example of a familiar gone rogue due to either the master releasing it, or dying.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIFydWwxHz
I asked who would have released a beast like that, and got one answer. “Stygia Tribe.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvqK7pF0PU
The Stygia tribe worshiped the Black Demon. The black demon was dark and powerful. Although Amber had given me the idea that he wasn’t as bad as the stories say, at least, not as bad as a demon can get, the tribe that followed them exhibited signs of being heretics, or irrational thinking?
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCnniU7EZM
The Sygia tribe had apparently mastered the art of collecting monsters. As practice, many younger Stygians tamed monsters and then released them. As a result, many rogue familiars existed. These rogue familiars were intelligent enough to either stow away on ships to the other continents or recruit marine animals to go to other continents.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSDy8czWxa5
“That seems like a huge problem…” I said, the shopkeeper I was talking to was a young demonkin girl. Demonkin lived a long time, averaging about 400 years, but some of the others could live till 500 years. However, they matured at the same rate as humans, demi-humans, and other species. So the demonkin I was talking to must have been young.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGwUokrCwR
“Of course it is, while we can all control monsters, rogue familiars still cause problems when set loose. They can mess up supply chains and drive out other monsters and animals from the area. But the tribes can’t do anything about it, the Stygians hold too much power.”
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcX8Xh7Zbkn
“Hmm” The conversation led me to try to study a bit more about the tribal power structures.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RCGbHzYyp
My studies at the tribal library led me to understand the different tribes. First of all, while we say the 16 demonkin tribes, there were only 12 that held territory. The Pink, Beige, Brown, and Violet tribes had all lost territories or been absorbed into another tribe at one point or another.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnY3D6haYEc
They were represented in the tribal convention, but those who were now part of other tribes were represented by the tribes they were now part of. The ones without territory were allowed to observe, but were given no vote. At the very least, they would be heard.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hEwwDHCaI
The tribes without territory usually wandered the land, and were nomadic The Beige tribe had actually never held land and were originally nomadic. The Brown tribe were the developed nomads, as most of the Pink tribe was part of the Red tribe and the Violet tribe had mostly incorporated into the Purple tribe.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDILArxpy8W
Therefore, there were only 12 votes for the tribes. The tribes were given autonomy to handle internal and external affairs to the extent that the affairs had to with themselves. The affairs that were about all the tribes and affected the future of the tribes were to be decided in a council of chiefs from all the tribes. Each tribe was given one vote, and that would be respected.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5AqLHKHCI
The Mahillia tribe, or the Yellow tribe was one of the 5 primaries. These were the tribes of Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Orange. These tribes traditionally had similar views and aligned themselves with each other. Chieftain Akram said that they’d most certainly support Amber being here without fuss and my incorporation into the Mahillia tribe. The other tribes included the Purple tribe, which was the largest tribe that allied itself with the Grey tribe. Finally there were the Gold and Silver tribes who aligned in opposition of the White and Black tribes.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkmvV6rbBB
The metal tribes (Gold and Silver) had a long history of fighting with the Polar tribes (White and Black). The demons of those respective tribes have long since fought with each other for dominance for eons. Amber said that the demonic realm was often thrown into chaos from their constant fighting. The golden demon was rumored to be the strongest, but since every demon only had so much mana, meaning they could only compile and expend a finite amount, with no hopes of growth, the Gold demon was simply the most experienced. The other demons (Silver, White, and Black) were more than capable of giving him a challenge.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcTEanOq9fc
The house we were staying at was provided for by the tribe, so we had no living expenses. The only difference was currency. The entire mass of man followed the Gold Cafonat standard. Cafonats were the coins minted by the dwarves, they were often just referred to by their metals (Gold, Silver, etc.). The demonkin used something called the Tribal Coin, or Tribals for short. They were minted by the Grey tribe, or Ferrous tribe. The Ferrous tribe was capable of handling metals the best and had the leading smiths and craftsmen among the demonkin.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJXAoj307p
The Ferrous Demonkin were said to rival dwarves in skill. I had only Cafonats on me, so I humbly asked the Chieftain to exchange them for Tribals. Tribals were made of a metal called Trenorite. Trenorite could only be mined in the Ferrous Tribe’s land and only the Ferrous tribe knew of the secret to handling it.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeR6QoViWfl
I bought several souvenirs for Razana, Herbert, and Jana back home. It was quite nice immersing myself in the culture of the Mahillia tribe. Amber had settled down and started joining me and Traya on our daily adventures. “So, what’s up with the tribe?” I asked her one night.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6GPnXkBJ5
“Hmmm? Oh nothing much.” She said quickly.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuu3AncNoKF
With Amber around me, I noticed people acted a lot differently. At first I thought it was because Amber was their patron deity but then I noticed them eyeing me. I knew I looked like them and was unfamiliar, and Traya’s human- like looks were not often seen around these parts, but I had already introduced myself.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJF2TJqvewo
Amber had come back to me three days after my visit. Since my meeting with the Chieftain and the Head Priest, I had not seen Elzi or the other leaders of the tribe at all. I noticed people whispering to each other and being secretive I had no idea what was going on.
453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAyaWEAJKd
It was only until the Tribal Gathering where my questions would be answered. 453Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsYG4LVzQq3
