Chapter 117 - Come Meet My Friends!

"So, what do we do first?" Yrag asked.

"First you need to call in your generals and let them know the war is over and that humanity is now their friends." Zell said.

"Maximus!" Yrag yelled out.

Within moments of the yell Maximus ran through the door and bowed down at Yrag's feet. "Yes, my lord? What can I do for you?"

"Maximus, as it turns out the hero that has vexed us so is actually my beloved grandfather and he has freed me from the grasp of the gods." Yrag explained. "Rely it to all the troops that demon kind will no longer be spat upon, we shall live in peace with our human neighbors."

"Sire, if I may." Maximus said. "Such a thing is a challenging thing for us to swallow, the humans have treated us so poorly for so long. I doubt many would find it in their heart to forgive as quickly as you have. Also, what promise do we have that humans would honor such an arrangement? Their kind is void of honor and are but a blight on this land. Does your grandfather not see the wisdom in their demise?"

"No Maximus." Yrag said. "Just because we could kill the humans, doesn't mean we should. Sure, they are brutish, uneducated, and racist, but that does not mean that they deserve to have their life snuffed from their bodies. They think of us the same as we think of them, and this will be a hard transition for both our races. But we must make the first move, to show them that we are capable of compassion."

"I will handle the hearts of men." Zell said. "Do not worry about them."

"So, the dragons have come to our aid." Maximus said. "Thank you, mighty dragon, I can sense your might. I am sure the humans will follow your power."

"Right, I look different now." Zell laughed.

"Maximus, this dragon is my grandfather, the hero that we have been fighting." Yrag explained.

"What?!" Maximus yelled out.

"Yes, and I am glad you did not lie to me." Zell said. "I would have hated to show my grandson my anger. He has always known me to be kind and gentle. I am glad you did not make me change his opinion of me."

"Yes, as I said your mother was being well taken care of." Maximus said. "So, if you are handling the humans, I suppose there is little to fear. Humans have always responded to strength, and you are radiating it from every pore. If you tell them to jump, I am sure their response will be how high. We might actually have a peace for the first time in history."

"Yes, I will ensure that we do." Zell said.

"So please relay those orders." Yrag said. "I am counting on you to put down any dissent amongst our troops. Have them begin preparing the citizens to move. They will be returning to their old villages now that it is safe for them to do so."

"I will do as you command my lord." Maximus said with a bow and began to leave the room.

"One more thing, Maximus." Yrag said. "Do not question my orders again. I will forgive you this one time out of respect for my grandfather's wish for peace, but if you ever question me again, I will have you stripped of your rank and turn you into a dirt farmer."

"Sire!" Maximus yelled with a bow and left.

"Poor Maximus." Zell laughed. "It seems everyone is always threatening that guy. Last time I spoke with him I told him he would have wished for death if he betrayed me." Zell laughed a little more. "So, would you like to come with me? I would love to introduce you to all of my friends I have met here. I am sure they will be glad to meet you."

"Sure." Yrag said. "I have always been curious, but I never left the castle so that my skill would stay in effect, and I could get stronger."

"What skill is that?" Zell asked.

"Whenever someone who is loyal to me gains experience near me, I also gain the experience, but it is multiplied four-fold." Yrag explained.

"That is some impressive skill." Zell said. "Is that how you got to level one million?"

"Yes, I have had all of my citizens working hard on leveling up." Yrag said.

"The goddess that sent me started me off at level two million if you can believe it." Zell said.

"Two million?! You were born at level two million?!" Yrag yelled. "Then why did you let your sister claim to be a hero? You could have flexed your muscle right from the start!"

"I didn't have my memories." Zell explained. "As a small child I worried about being different and standing out. I didn't want people to think of me as some sort of freak of nature and I had no idea what level I was because my status screen was broken."

"I see." Yrag said. "Must have been rough for you grandpa."

"It wasn't too bad." Zell said. "I made some good friends along the way. Let's go there now." Zell formed a portal to Neuval. "Jump through the portal and I will follow after you."

Yrag did as Zell instructed and found himself instantly transported to Neuval. Zell followed closely behind him. They entered the throne room through the portal and were greeted by Kaitlyn and Elenore who had been awaiting Zell's return.

"Welcome home my son." Elenore said. "I see you have brought Yrag with you. See I told you that you and my son would get along fine."

"More than you know." Yrag replied.

"Yes, as it turns out Yrag here is my grandson from my past life." Zell explained.

"What?!" Kaitlyn yelled out. "Your grandson?! The demon lord was your grandson?!"

"Yes." Zell said. "Come now, that's not the craziest thing that has happened to us."

"I guess you are right." Kaitlyn said. "It is still mind boggling."

"So, what happened to the evil queen?" Yrag asked, looking around the room.

"I don't know." Zell said. "She must have known I was coming somehow and ran away."

"Let's find out then shall we." Yrag said. "I have had some spies set up recording stones in various rooms of this castle. We couldn't watch from whatever spell she was casting, but the device should have still recorded everything." Yrag rubbed along the walls and pulled off a tiny pebble that was unnoticeably placed inside of a grove on the wall.. "Here it is, let's find out together."