It was a city of metal. Tubes and metal contraptions were everywhere in this city. There was no sky only the cavern ceiling. Towering crystals were everywhere inside this massive area. There were men and women with different skins and appearance.
They are called Demons. They are creatures who unfortunately received the blessings of the dark. The Moon favored them and they were given superhuman physic and abilities that most humans would only dream of having.
These people were busy walking towards their location. They had this gloomy gait that it was hard for any one of them to smile upon each other. They do not have that much happiness with how they are.
They are people that were born in the dark. Their history has been grim and depressive and only through these metal instruments that they are able to continue living. The barren land did not give them anything to offer other than the flock of rabid animals and monsters infesting the barren land. These animals are carnivorous and in a land where crops rarely grow, it was not hard to imagine that they would end up like that.
Humans call them as demons based on their own perceptions. But in truth, they are just Barren-Landers who had their own culture and set of mind. They are not beast like the humans believe them to be and they are as rational as they could be. The whole Barren Land was a nation of demons that spans an entire continent.
The demons have two types of habitats. Massive complex cavern cities and Villages were those aspiring to be warriors are trained in the horrible conditions of the Barren Lands. Above the barren land, there's a miasma that does nothing good for non-humans. The demons are able to live because their bodies have long adapted and they possess endurance that are far better than the humans.
The city likes this one is where the common barren-lander lives. These are demons that could not handle the miasma that surrounds the whole of the barren lands. They are people who could only crawl their chest when the symptoms of the miasma inflame their bodies. They could only scream and despair when this recurring pain inflames their body.
They are usually placed upon a square area filled with mats and tents. In this place, they are placed and watched over by the healer barren-lander and are taken care off until they are able to continue on. This sort of pain happens to them every single week without exception. These normal beings could only endure this pain and dream of a day that such pain would not occur any longer.
They know that such a dream is far and that the humans who could not accept them would surely trouble them until the day they are gone from this world. In their eyes, there was a certain figure that keeps them safe and that figure is the Overlord of the Demons or the Leader of the Barren Landers - the Kind and Magnificent Estrus and the one man that keeps the Inner Land Humans at bay.
Although he leads the demons and their figure. He's only the guardian and the Overseer of the Barren-Lander is Elise Nostrum of the Fairy Kin. She handles the situation of the barren-lander while the Overlord Estrus keeps the humans at bay.
Estrus and Elise are the prime leaders of the Barren-Landers. Most of the demons idolize the true figures that keep them safe from the humans that they fear as evil. In the eyes of these demons, the humans are the devils. It may be different for the humans but in truth, they are just a race that seeks peace for their own benefit.
It is hardwired for any reasonable being to seek better conditions for themselves. The demons, no, the barren-landers have always tried to communicate with the humans for peace. But the humans only fear them and their powers. The humans were insecure beings that could not handle their own inferiority and they are paranoid to the point that they doubt the Barren-Landers of the Barren Land.
This leads to years of conflict that seems to have no end. The inner-landers of the fertile lands would invade the barren-land in hopes they will be able to know the topography of the land and produce a map that would fare them better. They could not comprehend that the Barren-Land is a nation of states. Each and single one of these explores are actively trying to cross the borders of the barren land, therefore, they killed without mercy. The Barren-Landers were simply doing what the humans are doing to their own kind.
In fact, the demons do this to the races of the fertile lands. They simply protect their homeland and make it safe and these invaders are treating them as monsters with no rationale. How could they take it simply and allow the humans to trampled upon them like a mindless beast?
The Barren Land is a nation of demons and they shall not live in fear of the fertile ones that dare to threaten their barren homeland. How could they stand still? How could they endure the sufferings of a land that is not kind to them? Still, they dare to continue on living and protecting the land because no matter how dangerous it was. The Barren Land is still a nation that belongs to them. No matter how hard the Barren Land is to them they still think that Home is Home no matter what it may be.
The Barren Land is sick and she's always put down by the natural occurrence that happens to this land, yet she keeps bouncing up and still. Their ancestors have lived enduring in hopes that one day they are able to enjoy the joy of a fresh wind and a fertile land to plow without fear of the miasma that threatens their body and gives them suffering and pain. They've understood that the humans will not accept their difference. Thus why should they understand people who are inferior in strength to them? Power is power and if they have enough of it then they can have the fertile lands for themselves.
In a street where light from the crystal above seems to seep. Adey the Porter saunters with his hands inside his pocket. A building where it was made of iron stood and he entered inside. Two guards noticed Adey and let him through without any trouble.
It was a room of metal. Every part of the room was metal. Each and single one of the furniture is made of pale wood. A woman with reddish skin nodded gently at Adey the Porter who sidled towards another smaller room. Adey the Porter raised his head up a little and gaze at the pale skin man whose irises were glowing red.
"Adey, how goes the miasma above?" said the man.
"Dedra, the miasma has no stop but I've fixed the ventilation system. The air has been kept safe by the old one's machines that have been working us well for years."
"Aye," said Dedra. "It has done us good and it has not failed in protecting us. Telos City has always been the luckiest of the cavern cities of our land."
"I see. So how're the people around the city?" Adey said.
"Same. Suffering and always screaming at the end of the week. We are rather lucky that we do not have their ailments."
"I wish it would stop," said Adey with his eyes troubled. "When will this suffering for us barren-lander ever stop?"
Dedra sneered, "Tell that to the inner-landers who treats us like evil. If they would only accept our offerings of peace then maybe we will own a plot of land. But that would be unrealistic despite how large the inner lands is. Think of it as a great migration that would move a million of our brethren to their land. Do you think that the humans will be okay with that?"
"No," he answered. "It would not be seen as other than an invasion. Most of us are intimidating and we are not easily accepted by them."
Dedra looked at him, "You have a pale white skin and a hair colored like a moon. If you ignore the long ears then you would be human-like or you could be mistaken as an elf."
"True. The inner-landers ignore me most of the time. Still, I wonder if they could ever agree to have trade instead."
"We already tried that, Adey," said Dedra. "We brought the goods from the Inner-Lands and most of it became useless the moment they arrive at our cities and villages. Their goods stay in their own lands which are quite unfortunate for us."
Adey folded his arms, "It's a shame that all we can do is go at war with the sons and daughter of the light. Having peace for the world would be good."
"Pipe dream," said Dedra. "You should not dream that such thing will ever happen. We have tried for years and there's no difference. Light and Darkness cannot co-exist therefore we can only go to war."
Adey nodded. "The old one's machines are still a mystery to us. Those long barreled machines are peculiar and we do not know their purpose other than that they might have used it to fire long projectiles. There's also that one machine that has wheels on them. How do they run and function?"
"These machines are beyond us, Adey," said Dedra. "All we know is that a man that is centuries beyond us created these machines and brought asunder to the barren lands. That the barren lands were once a place of fertility and that a bright flash of light destroyed most of it."
"He who became death; the destroyer of our land," said Adey. "I wonder if he didn't mess up our land."
"Then we wouldn't be experiencing this daily suffering. It matters not anyway, the deed has been done and there is no escape from this land other than death or invading the inner-land."
Adey pulled a chair and sat down. "What a waste of kin. Still, do you really think that the Overlord of Demons could destroy the Inner-Lands if we are at our end?"
"Who knows?" said Dedra with a cold look on his face. "That 'thing' allows us to burn their lands but we cannot use it. It is said that Overlord is the only being who knows what to do with that thing."
"I see," Adey nodded. "Their's a major development along the cavern cities and they said that those weapons can be used. We have discovered a way to recreate the weapons but magic is still far superior and some of us are immune to the projectiles launched by these weapons."
Dedra glanced at the parcel. "A weapon that could kill with a careful shot in the head. It is powerful and we could use it. Sadly, we cannot mass-produce them and let those fools carry them outside the world. It would end badly."
"Aye, we cannot let them have a glimpse of this technology. The Overlord himself warns that we must not carry them outside of the cities and that the villagers outside the cities are to use their old weapons without question."
"Not even a crossbow?"
"Human weapons are not loved by them. Besides, some of us can create a fire on our hands naturally and regenerate easily. Why would need such weapons?"
"Certainly, but I believe that it could be used by those that do not have any power. Range weaponry is highly favored after all."
"I would love to but the Overlord does not permit it, Adey."
Adey took the parcel. He placed it on a metal-like tube that he carried behind his waist. He took the tube and placed it inside his bag. Dedra closed his fists and opened it. His eyes wandered for a while before landing back to Adey.
"Adey, do you think that Tania of Obsidian died?"
"Who knows?" Adey held his arms up. "I have no clue on what her fate is. She was close to conquering the Outer Lands but it seems like there was a being that was able to masterfully subdue her."
"I see."
Adey stood up. He turned towards the door.
"I'll see you, Dedra. I have a job to do in Hail Village."
"Good luck, Adey. Return alive and well."
Adey gestured and went out of the door. Dedra's eyes went back to his table.