"Excuse Shani, she is a storm… well, a bloodstorm elemental. She is also my court elemental and she will not harm you." I tried to calm them.

"I am also the Wrath!" Shani added.

"She is that too, I suppose." I agreed with the smug elemental.

"Blood is really good for your skin! I mean look, you are a bit pale. As a High Queen you should really shine! Imagine if you get some red on there! It also intimidates enemies!" Shani said, rather enthusiastically.

"Maybe we should not discuss the benefits of blood right now…" I said.

"Ohhh, should I prepare a presentation for later? With samples?" Shani asked.

"Maybe that is not the best idea…" I replied.

"Boooo!" Shani complained and pouted.

"Anyway, my apologies. High Queen Maeve, you are welcome in my town! I hope you will enjoy your stay. Your First Shadow Liandra is at the castle. We have prepared a welcoming feast for you! Why don't you follow me?" I tried to put them at ease and sound welcoming. I also put a lot of effort into making my aura feel nice. Lucy added her power to it but I mostly felt mischievous amusement from her.

"Thank you for the warm welcome." Maeve replied, while glancing at Shani. "I am unfamiliar with a bloodstorm elemental."

"Shani helped us slay Mantus. She was a normal elemental storm lord back then. During the fight there were a lot of demons and a lot of blood. She became fascinated with it, I suppose. Hm. I guess there might have been some blood involved in the ritual making her a court elemental." I mused, then I looked at Lucy and shrugged. "Sometimes people just evolve."

"It's an Amaya thing, don't worry about it." Lucy added, while hitting me with her fluffy tails.

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While the guards were still tense and the queen did not look entirely comfortable, it was not a complete disaster. There had been no violence, no shouts and Maeve was still smiling. I wanted to have a good relationship with the Dominion so I was a bit nervous. In the end I had spent quite a bit of time preparing for the meeting.

I also noticed that the High Queen had a horse and we were on foot. Should I have brought a horse myself? Then again, a horse was not the most useful mount. I could become a panther and run faster myself.

I guess I could just walk next to her. I was not bothered if she was higher up. I simply began leading her towards the castle. While doing so I introduced her to the others. Iris, Minerva, Kira…

"You are a storm dragon, Lady Kira?" Maeve asked.

"Indeed. You do not have to call me a lady, though." Kira replied.

"Why have you joined Lady Amaya, if I might ask?"

"We met in Iron Rock. I investigated her train project and we decided that our cooperation would be beneficial." Kira replied.

"You have gathered an interesting group, Lady Amaya. A demon lord, a dragon, a kitsune,..." Maeve commented.

"I sure met some interesting people. It also shows you how similar we all are. I think working together will be really beneficial. Just wait till we get hell tourism going!" I replied.

"I am not sure if most people would want to visit hell." Maeve replied, cautiously.

"It does have a bit of a reputation. But you should try their hot springs and exotic foods." I replied.

"Not everyone is as much into food as you are." Lucy teased.

"I am not so sure. Food has always been a great motivator for travel. That and visiting exotic places. We just have to ensure it is safe. I guess we might have to deal with the potential ancient demon lord threat before we really focus on tourism." I replied.

Maeve looked alarmed. "Ancient demon lord threat?"

"Ah. You see, I have elevated Lilith, power wise. She is now in her third aura stage and amongst the most powerful of demon lords. That has shifted the balance of power in hell. Also, the portal is kind of a valuable commodity. Since the situation is new there have not been any major moves yet but we expect some trouble. Of course, between myself, Lilith and Lucy we are a major force that they can't simply take head on. Kira is now with us as well, as are our maid knights. The dryad grove is growing in power and the ritual will extend more of it into hell. We are fortifying our territory too. Further, we are allied with Lady Izanami." I explained.

"That is alarming…" Maeve said.

"I will ensure that the portal is well guarded and the Dominion is safe. Further, our activities here led to Ashmedai pulling back from his incursion into the former Empire. He still has demons there and his cult remains but he is now focused on hell again." I replied.

Maeve contemplated that.

"Yeah, don't worry. After your shadow elf slipped through Amaya has spent a lot of time on new defenses." Lucy said.

"I think we should have that conversation after dinner. Also, maybe with Liandra being present."

"I am unsure what my servant did but I will apologize for…" Maeve began but I interrupted her.

"Don't worry, we sorted it out. Hopefully there won't be any further spying between us but we can discuss this later. First, we are at the castle! Let's enjoy dinner!" I said.

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