Around the Bonfire II

"Took it off one of the elven commanders during the clean-up. Figured it was only fair, seeing as he wasn't using it anymore."

The others chuckled at that, and Xaren raised an eyebrow, impressed. The elven rune hammer was clearly a fine weapon for someone below level 100, its intricate design and magical runes still pulsing faintly even after its former owner's death.

"Not bad," Xaren said with a slight nod. "That'll probably serve you better than your last one."

"Damn right, it will."

Kravok puffed out his chest with pride, holding the hammer aloft.

"This thing's enchanted—hits harder than my old one, and it can probably smash through anything these elves throw at us."

He had tested it with the remaining elves he could catch after acquiring it so he was sure of its performance.

The conversation shifted again, moving between light-hearted banter and talk of the battle. The mood was lively, with demons exchanging stories of the day's combat, when the topic of conversation fell onto Xaren.

One of the other demons, a wiry figure with dark, ashen skin and glowing green eyes, leaned toward Xaren, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

"So, Xaren," the demon began, his voice laced with interest, "how'd you manage to get noticed by the rest of the demons? You're new, right? From the batch that just arrived."

Xaren didn't know how this guy found out about that. There were thousands of demons in each batch and there was no way this guy could say he knew them all.

Perhaps sensing Xaren's unspoken question, the demon further explained.

"I've got a Partial-Appraisal skill, so it lets me see stuff like titles and one's number of skills."

"Ohh," Xaren murmured, understanding now. It made sense he figured out since Xaren had the 'Unranked Newborn Demon' title. The word Newborn was key here.

Xaren took a swig from the flask and wiped his mouth before answering.

"Yeah, I'm new. Only got pulled out of the newborn zone recently."

He didn't know what the official name for the Hatching Grounds he was in was called, so he just used the words Floch had used a few days ago.

"Did you guys have a vortex? The one that sucked up everyone beyond the barrier and spat everyone out on a battlefield?" Xaren asked, curious.

The demons around him all nodded, some grumbling about how disorienting it had been.

"Yeah, I was stuck holding onto a tree, trying not to get dragged into the damn thing."

A faint smile crept onto Xaren's face as he recalled the moment, thinking of how comical he might have looked.

"A Mid-rank demon saw me dangling there, barely holding on. Guess he thought it was funny enough to keep me around," he added with a small shrug.

There was a brief silence, and then the demons around the fire erupted in laughter. Kravok slapped his knee, nearly dropping his new rune hammer in the process.

"You're a funny one, Xaren!" One of the demons shouted, shaking his head.

"I thought I was the only one scared of that thing! Damn near thought we were all gonna get swallowed up!" Another demon chimed in.

Xaren just wore a wry smile as he gave his justification. "I wasn't scared, just… cautious. That's all."

"Cautious, huh? Sure, we'll call it that." Snickered another demon in response. But his tone quickly changed as he continued speaking.

"But truth be told, that vortex was a nightmare for all of us. I don't think anyone here didn't feel their heart skip a beat when they saw it coming."

The mood shifted to something more reflective, and Xaren took the chance to ask a question that had been on his mind.

"How long have you all been here, anyway? How long since you got pulled out of the newborn zone?"

Kravok was the first to respond, leaning back and taking a swig from his own flask.

"According to the calendar in the barracks, six months now, give or take. Got pulled out of the zone and dumped here to fight for the fortresses. Been killing elves and taking names ever since."

A few others nodded, chiming in.

"Same here. Six months. Before that, I had no idea how long I spent in the newborn zone. That place is hell. Literally," one of the demons grumbled with a gruff voice.

"Oh, I was counting my days so mine's around a year. Some other guy told me he was there for six months before he got pulled out. Guess it depends on which part of the zone you start in," another demon added.

Xaren listened, quietly piecing together their experiences.

It seemed there was no fixed time for how long demons remained in the newborn zone. Some had spent a full year there, fighting for survival against other newborns, while others had only been there for a much shorter time.

"So, it's different for everyone, depending on where they start," Xaren murmured to himself, but loud enough for the others to hear. "That explains why some of you seem a lot more experienced."

Kravok nodded, taking another swig of his drink as he replied.

"Yeah. The zone isn't just one place, after all. There are many zones scattered across different worlds, I hear.

Some of us start in the easier areas, but others get dropped right into the thick of it. You learn quickly, or you die. Simple as that."

The fire crackled in the background as the demons shared their experiences of the newborn zone, talking about the battles they fought and the enemies they had faced—other newborns and monsters.

Some spoke of monstrous creatures that roamed the deeper parts of the zone, while others reminisced about the desperate alliances they had learned to form with other demons just to survive.

Xaren listened intently, absorbing the stories when Carack's voice suddenly cut through the conversation.

"You know, it won't be long now before we all promote. We're close. REAL close to becoming Low-Ranked Demons."

His words, quiet, unlike his usual loudness, attracted everyone's attention.

There was a murmur of agreement, and the mood around the fire became a bit more serious. For unranked demons, the prospect of promoting to Low-Rank was a monumental step.

Going Over Level 100 and gaining a 'Rank' equated to greater power, higher status, and more freedom.

"We've fought long and hard for it. Once we reach Low-Rank, things will change. We'll be stronger, faster—better."

Six months wasn't exactly a long time, but it shouldn't be forgotten that besides the time spent in the newborn zone, six months was all the time these demons had lived till now.

"But until then...."

Kravok interjected before Carack could finish, swirling the wine in his mug.

"We just keep doing what we do. Fight. Survive. And grow stronger."

As the meat sizzled and the scent of victory lingered in the air, they talked about more random things—about future battles, past victories, and what they hoped to achieve once they promoted to the Low Rank.

The talk about Low Ranks reminded Xaren of something that gnawed at him ever since he discovered why the vortex had hurled them onto the battlefield.

He waited for a lull in the conversation, then cleared his throat and began asking the question he'd been mulling over for a while.

"Hey, you guys know how we all got sucked into that vortex and dumped straight into the middle of the battlefield?"

The group turned to look at him, nodding or grunting in acknowledgement and Xaren continued.

"Well, there was like... a brief lull before I actually got dropped into the fight. Not sure if it was the same for you guys."

Carack, the fire demon with flames flickering at the tips of his horns, leaned back, his sharp teeth gleaming in the firelight as he spoke.

"Nah, I got dumped right into the middle of it.

I was confused as hell at first, but seeing as I'd been fighting for a year already, I just took out my weapon and fought anything that didn't look like me."

Another demon, the lean, wiry one, snickered.

"You saying we all look like you, Carack? Got that same busted face?"

A round of laughter erupted from the group, and another chimed in, pointing at Carack's face.

"No one's ugly mug looks like yours, that's for sure!"

The banter carried on for a bit, with demons tossing light jabs at each other, but one of them eventually raised his hand.

"Hey, I think Xaren was trying to ask something important here," he said.

They turned back to Xaren, who just chuckled at the sudden shift in focus. He waved it off and continued.

"Yeah, no worries. Anyway, like I was saying… we all got dumped into the fight, right? And it was pretty much 'fight or die.'

But here's what I've been thinking. What about the demons that aren't born fighters?"

He paused for a moment, making sure everyone was listening.

"You know, the ones with skills that aren't exactly suited for combat. Like, they could be good at making weapons or potions…hell, even rune blades like mine or the hammer Kravok's wielding now."