Visit the demon lands

The next morning after a quickie with Cassiopeia you showed her the shield and sword that now had a palpable demonic aura to them.

"Ohh it got worse... why?"

"I had a conversation with Cygnus..."

Cassiopeia shot the bird demon an angry glare which caused her wings to fly open and her whole body began to shake. You noticed a staff in Cass's hands and she looked ready to do something violent to her friend.

"Wait... it's ok... I decided... I would like to see your homelands... specifically I want to see how humans are treated there." You said stepping between them.

Cygnus was holding her hands up in surrender. Cass continued glaring for another minute before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Ok... but I want it on the record that it wasn't my idea to turn you against the humans."

"I thought that was your entire plan from the start?"

"Ohhh I knew you would do it eventually, you are a good person after all. As long as I was with you, you would see that demons were just people too... what I mean is that I didn't want to **** it like this."

"You are that sure what I see will convince me?"

"How could it not... " She seemed genuinely confused.

With that your group changed direction. Surprisingly the amount of monsters encounters diminished the closer you got to the border. Not only the number… after a while they stopped attacking completely. After passing a minotaur that just waved you finally spoke up.

"What's going on?"

"You aren't very human anymore." Cygnus said sheepishly.

"Sorry hon..." Cass gave you a hug. "They can sense a human soul... you don't have much human magic left in you so... they don't see you that way anymore.”

"Monsters are all male, they can only breed with humans, so they only really attack in hopes of finding... well you get it."

You nodded, trying to get used to the idea of not being human.

"If it helps you were always more celestial than human in the first place... more like the goddess then either a demon or human."

Not entirely sure if that thought was reassuring or not, you kept walking. Trying desperately to not think too much about what you are were or what you might become. After much traveling with the only danger being your own turbulent thoughts, you came to the border. This was contested land but your escorts had good intel and choose a good place to cross.

Luck was with you as you were intercepted by a demon patrol before a human one could arrive and they hurried you to their forward base. There was some banter about sneaking humans over, and “Yet another defector!” The women took pride in getting people out of the kingdom and only saw you as another refugee. That and another notch on their belt for successful recoveries.

Once passed the wall of the base, you felt a mixture of awe and trepidation at the sight before you. The forward base stretched out in a wide arc, with demons of all shapes and sizes gathered around. You knew already they would all be females, well hermaphrodites... but seeing so many in person was another thing entirely.

Some were more human like Cass and Cygnus while others had the bestial features of large, fearsome predators like wolves or bears. Their eyes are filled not with hate but with hope. Some who do recognize your face are definitely scared of you, but most seeing you with two of the generals and wearing the black armor see your arrival as a good sign.

You spent the afternoon exploring the demon encampment, observing their interactions with one another. The main command tent was a large, sturdy structure made of thick animal hides, reinforced with wooden poles and sturdy ropes. It is situated near the rear of the encampment, while scattered throughout the camp are smaller tents and shelters, constructed in a similar manor. There are a number of watchtowers and a cleared area for training.

Near the center of the camp, there is a communal fire pit where the soldiers gather to share meals and stories. The flames from the pit dance and flicker, casting a warm glow across the faces of the creatures and you see some are sharing their bodies as well.

As you explored and watched, Cas and Cygnus stayed quiet. Cassiopeia in particular didn't want to influence you and she must have convinced Cygnus to do the same. When you finally turned to them you found another demon standing with them. She was in full plate armor with only her head and wings uncovered. She had emerald green skin and fiery red hair. Her eyes burned yellow and you could see them narrow as she addressed you.

"Welcome to my base Parsa. We have prepared a tent for you and your companions. There is food if you want it and you have full run of the place. However, I expect there to be no ****. As per the generals' orders I have not issued any commands about you, the women here only know that the hero is among them as that gossip has been flying since you first got here. They know you are in the company of two generals." It came out as practiced, like she had been waiting to say this for a while.

"Thank you, it is important that Parsa sees how our people behave naturally... I don't want to put on a play for her." Cass responded.

"I can't say I understand, but my soldiers are good people. I trust them."

"We will take a carriage in the morning."

"To where?"

"Not that you can't send word to all possible locations... but I would prefer if they didn't know we were coming. Again... my hope is she can observe things in an unbiased way."

The commander looked displeased but saluted before walking away.

"Maybe an invisibility spell?" Cygnus proposed.

"Thought of that... if detected it will look like an ambush or ****..."

Shrugging your group grabbed some food with the soldiers. Like was promised, they seemed good natured and friendly, but you could see some were hesitant. They were guarded and glanced at you when ever they thought you weren't looking. After an hour of this your group headed to your assigned tent. It was large and well-appointed as was fitting for a demon general... but there were two with you and only one bed.

You had been thinking about letting Cygnus join you and Cass for a while so this could be the right opportunity. Or of course you could just sleep tonight.