My Girlfriend’s a Demon Incarnate!

The knight's eyes darted between William and Elen, then finally to Nell. The girl's smile widened, her sharp teeth gleaming in the torchlight. "But we can't leave the mine unguarded," Elen said, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "We'll have to take someone with us."

"What do you mean, Mommy? I'm here. You can leave me here to take care of our house," Nell insisted as she tugged at Elen's arms.

"No, sweetheart, it's not safe for you to be alone. And we can't take you with us to fight a Chimera," Elen said as she ruffled Nell's hair. "But I have an idea."

"What's that?" William asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elen turned to the knight. "Do you have any trustworthy people who can stay behind and guard our home while we're gone?"

The knight nodded. "We have a few who are skilled in defending houses. They'll keep your home safe and hidden from prying eyes."

"Good," William said firmly. "Send them to us tomorrow. We'll leave at first light to deal with your problem. The only question we have right now is where's Stone Haven?"

The knight pointed in the direction. "It's a three-day journey from here. But I assure you, the road is safe. We'll provide you with horses and supplies for the journey."

"Horses?" Elen thought. As a demon fugitive, she hadn't tried riding a horse since she had come back to life before her previous time as a human. Even then, though horses were available to humans and their allies like elves, she hadn't really ridden one considering her new state of being.

The knight nodded. "The fastest in the village. They're not much, but they're loyal."

"What my sweet Elen means is that we don't ride them." Will insisted. "You need the skill Horseback Rider for that."

The knight looked confused. "But, my lord, horses are a common means of transportation. Surely you know how to ride?"

Will shook his head no. So did Elen. They had never taken the time to learn that skill.

"Well, then, we will provide you with a carriage," the knight offered.

Elen nodded her thanks and William grunted in agreement. They had no desire to learn to ride in their present condition, and a carriage would allow them to travel in relative comfort without being seen.

The next day, the knight from Stonehaven arrived with two strong horses and a well-maintained carriage. The villagers who accompanied him were a mixture of young adults, eager to prove their worth to the new lords of the mine. They had brought supplies and a map showing the route to the village. The driver was a grizzled veteran named Tom, who assured them he knew the roads like the back of his hand.

"I'm more interested in the person you promised would guard our home." Will admitted as he spoke with the knight from the other day. He had just taken a walk to see who had come, but had not yet said which person would stay to guard their dungeon.

The knight nodded. "Ah, yes. I've brought someone with me who I believe will serve your needs perfectly. He is one of our most reliable villagers, and he has been instructed to keep your secret. Brandis!"

At the knight's command, the villagers parted for a woman with blue eyes, dark skin, and pointed elf ears. She was barely taller than William and had an orange ponytail that swung over her shoulder and down to her buttocks. Will gasped when he saw her chest, which was several times larger than Elen's and almost spilled over an iron breastplate held together by leather straps. Her lower body was clad in a small red skirt that reached to her thighs, and she wore hard leather sandals. A long spear lay strapped to her back.

"Will..." Elen growled as she punched him in the shoulder.

"She's so hot," he said aloud.

Elen glared at him. "Your daughter is standing right here, William."

Nell, however, stood there as shocked as William. "Daddy, can I grow up to be as pretty as her?" She pointed at Brandis.

Elen rolled her eyes. "You're a demon goblin, darling. You're already pretty in your own way."

Brandis, the dark elf woman, stepped forward with a firm grip on her spear as she pulled it from her back. "I am Brandis of Stonehaven. I will guard your home with my life," she declared, bowing slightly before standing straight. "I am a hunter of the wanderer class group, so I can set traps around your home as long as I have the means and am particularly lucky." As she slammed the butt of the spear down, Will noticed that her chest swayed slightly under her armor.

William, still lost in his ogling, took a moment to compose himself. "Welcome, Brandis. We're counting on you," he said, his voice trembling.

"I understand, but you should know that I am a relatively young dark elf. I'm someone who used to be human before the Terra Morte world system changed the Earth into what we see now," Brandis explained, leaning on her spear.

"Does that mean you're only thirty years old at most?" Elen asked with a raised eyebrow. It was common knowledge that Terra Morte had only existed in its current form for the past thirty years. The original game had a lifespan of six years, and within that year, both William and Elen had created characters and played the game, until on New Year's Eve of that year, the game merged with reality and ruined the world.

Brandis nodded, her eyes meeting Elen's. "Yes. I was one of the last humans on Earth before I turned into an elf when the system took over." She paused, her gaze lingering on Elen and William. "But that is a story for another day. For now, I am ready to serve and protect."

"A lot of elves are much older than you, and honestly don't look anything like you," William added with a grin as he crossed his arms.

"I, um, matured quickly compared to other elves. I'm, well, only twenty compared to them. The female elves and the dark elves, like me, get to live long lives, but only a few take on my mature figure so early. I kind of see it as a curse, because if I am lucky, I might look like this for a thousand years, but it comes with its own hassles." Brandis whimpered with a deep breath on her lips.

"That's all well and good, but we have a Chimera to deal with," Elen pointed out before herding them all onto the carriage.

Their journey began as Brandis explained that the monster lives in a forest where it has poisoned a lake used by both the nearby humans of the quarry town of Stone Haven and the dark elves of this forest. It sleeps at the base of an old stone tower, killing most creatures that attempt to attack it.

The trip to Stonehaven was tense, with Elen and William whispering about their plan to deal with the Chimera. Nell, on the other hand, was thrilled to be out of the mines for the first time since her birth. She stared out of the carriage window, her eyes wide as she took in the sights of Terra Morte's unspoiled wilderness.

"And you should know, the reason we asked for your help is because the creature is level 15." The knight with Brandis explained as she sat with him on a blue cushion across from the family.

"A level 15 monster is extremely dangerous," William noted, rubbing his forehead. In this world, the most powerful humans on the surface of the planet were all around level 40. A group taking on a level 8 monster required three party members, while a level 12 monster required six party members, and this addition of three extra fighters for every four levels of difference meant that challenging creatures with enough people became more difficult. This meant that the village could not muster 9 capable warriors to do the job.

"But we are not ordinary people," Elen said with a grin. "We are the Dungeon Conqueror and his family."

"We're only level four and five, dear. We're working against a ten-level difference between us and that beast," Will explained as he glared at his wife.

"But we also have the power of a princess!" Nell exclaimed, jumping in her seat.

"You will not fight, Nell." Will and Elen said in unison as they each grabbed one of her arms.

Nell pouted, "But I want to play with the big bad monster. I'm sure I can make his head explode." She meant using a technique called Mind's Eye, which unfortunately only allowed her to read people's minds for three minutes. She had this skill, Travel Step, Earth Mastery, and Blood Eater at level 4.

"Nell, you can't just fight a level 15 monster. It's not a playground," Elen said sternly, tightening her grip on her daughter's arm.

"But I'm a goblin princess! I'm supposed to be powerful," Nell protested, her voice a mix of excitement and frustration.

"How about this... Should we defeat the monster without dying ourselves, we'll let you eat it with your Blood Eater skill?" William told her as he loosened his grip.

Nell's eyes lit up. "Really? Can I?"

"If we don't die," Elen said with a sigh. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need a good strategy to take down this chimera first."

Brandis crossed her legs, saying, "I won't be there to help fight it since you asked me to guard your home during this battle, but I can try to make traps around the forest to slow it down."

As she finished speaking, Elen coughed because of Brandis' skirt riding up her thighs more than usual, exposing her white panties. "Brandis, dear... Check your skirt," Elen warned her as she gazed down at them with her stern brown eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Brandis blushed, quickly pulling her skirt down. "Thanks for the warning, Elen. I guess I'm a bit too excited to show off my... uh... trapping skills."

"You're certainly trapping me in a strange situation," Will denoted as he tried to look away.

"I'm extra sorry, but I have heard you wanted servants or perhaps a concubine for our home," Elen answered in a muffled tone.

"It's not what you think, darling," William said, his cheeks flushing slightly. "It's for the good of the mine and the village. We need more hands to keep everything running smoothly."

"What's a concubine?" Nell pondered aloud in a chirpy voice.

William groaned, "It's like a wife, but not really, and we don't need one of those."

"I'd be happy to provide one," Brandis said, raising her hand.

"We're not looking for another wife, Brandis," Elen said with a raised brow.

"But I'm not looking to marry," Brandis clarified. "I'm just offering my service, as you requested. I heard your husband was looking for servants and a concubine."

"She's correct on that," the male knight interjected, having been quiet before now because of the startling turn in the conversation. "I informed the villagers of this as such. There are a few ladies you know lined up to become servants or helpers."

The carriage grew quiet, with William's cheeks reddening even more than Elen gave him a knowing look. He coughed awkwardly. "Well, uh, yes. That's what I meant. Nothing else."

Elen smirked. "We'll talk about that later, dear. For now, let's focus on the chimera."

The carriage pulled into Stonehaven as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over the cobblestone streets. The villagers lined up, their faces etched with relief and hope at the sight of their newfound heroes. The carriage later took Brandis and returned to the mine, taking Nell with her, as agreed, to prepare the traps there and defend the place but before she left she gave a few to William and Elen to show them how they needed to get set.

"But why can't I go, Mommy?" Nell's voice was a mixture of excitement and confusion as she watched her parents discuss their upcoming journey with the Knight of Stonehaven in the carriage.

"Nell, you're not ready to face such a monster," Elen said, a hint of concern in her eyes. "It's too dangerous for you."

Nell's pout deepened, but she nodded in understanding. "Fine. But I want to see the monster after you defeat it."

"We promised to let you eat it," William told her.

"But I want to see it first!"

"We will let you," Elen said as she rubbed her daughter's forehead. Those were the last words they said to her before they parted from her and stepped out of the carriage in Stone Haven, a town similar to their valley mine filled with large boulders, but different in the houses scattered among them. Beyond this area was the forest, lake, and tower area where the Chimera had made its home to the wrath of these townsfolk and the dark elves who hunted in those woods.

The villagers of Stonehaven were a hardy bunch, their faces lined with sweat and dirt from working in the quarry. They had suffered from the Chimera's raids and the subsequent poisoning of their water source. The mayor, a burly man with a thick beard, approached William and Elen with a map rolled up in his hand.

"You must be the demon woman and her husband who were called to take care of this beast. I'm Mayor Anton." The bearded man said. He was extremely short, being a dwarf.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mayor," William said and extended his hand. Elen was a little less pleasant as she scowled at being called a wench.

"Call me Will and her Elen. Now, where is this Chimera you want us to deal with?" Will said, trying to move things along here.

Mayor Anton unfolded the map and pointed to a spot in the dense forest. "Here. It's been wreaking havoc for weeks. We can't hunt in the forest, and our crops outside the excavation area here in town are failing because of the contaminated water from the lake." His voice was desperate.