Conrad soon appeared from the shadows, walking over to Ellie with the same gentle smile on his face that he always wore. Ellie looked around at all of the newcomers, still shaken by the demon's gruesome death. By a woman and a man, both appearing out of no where. This was all too much for the girl, and having her Master here was definitely a comfort. She turned to him, her voice quiet.<br/><br/>"My lord, what's going on here? I-I go to get some wood for the fire and I stumble upon an angel, a real angel! And then, all these demons come and they die just as quickly, and... And you were there. Why was that? Why were yo--"<br/><br/>Conrad raised a hand for silence, his smile starting to strain from his growing irritation. Ellie gulped and quickly bit her tongue, not saying another word. She knew Conrad and he was usually very passive and gentle, and it was rare to see him get frustrated. He spoke, his tone even.<br/><br/>"Ellie... I need you to do a favor for me."<br/><br/>Ellie frowned, "A favor?" It was usual for her to complete tasks for him but... This was just odd.<br/><br/>He nodded, bringing the girl closer. "You have to act as if you never saw me here, understand? I. Was. Never. Here."<br/><br/>Ellie nodded slowly, noticing that his face was more serious now.<br/><br/>"And I want you to join this group. Become friends with them, laugh and talk with them. Journey with them."<br/><br/>Ellie looked dumbstruck, jumping to her defense, "But master! Why can't we just go home, end this trip now?! We have no business with the demons, or the angels or--"<br/><br/>He smiled. And then he started laughing. It turned sick, almost sinister. Ellie stayed silent once more, scared now, "Oh we're more involved than you think, Ellie. This is going to be good for me. Good for us. Just do as I say and the demons won't hurt you. Understand?"<br/><br/>Oh she definitely understood. And it all made sense now. Conrad had struck a deal with the demons. One that would probably make things worse... Not better. But she couldn't disobey him, not even one little bit. If she did it was back to her old life, not one of learning and great experiences. And she didn't want that. She finally nodded, "Yes... I understand."<br/><br/>He smiled once more, patting her head. "Very good. Now you become friends with them, journey with them, all of that. I want you to lead them to the gorge not so far from here. The one with all of the dead trees around it. Lead them there and then we can go back home. Together." He chuckled once more, "Or even better, to King Xerxes' castle. We'll be safe, I promise."<br/><br/>Ellie nodded slowly once again, frightful, but willing. Conrad saw this and was pleased, knowing how much being with him meant to her. He took advantage of it and made her his puppet. By having her do this, his hands weren't going to be bloodied, and he would still get the credit for it. Magnificent! Truly magnificent! His plan had worked and everything was falling in place. "Now, go." He said, taking her head in his hands and placing a kiss on her forehead. "Go and be with your... Friends." And with that, he slunk away, disappearing in the shadows once more. Ellie gulped and watched him leave, turning to the others cautiously.<br/><br/>She then made her way over to them, twiddling with her fingers and looking at the ground. Lost in her thoughts of betrayal.