Zerakhea drove the steamwagon with steady hands, barely reacting as its wheels rolled over the uneven road, the occasional bumps doing little more than gently rocking the vehicle. Her fingers tapped idly against the steering wheel.
"It's like driving a car," she hummed to herself. "Just with a tiny bit less handling."
She leaned back in her seat, only to pause as she felt something damp against her clothes. Reaching behind herself, she glanced at her fingertips.
"Hm. Didn't get all the blood off."
The road eventually split at a crossroads. Zerakhea slowed the steamwagon before reaching behind her and sliding open the small wooden panel separating the driver's seat from the passenger compartment.
"Which way do I drive you?" she asked.
The sudden sound of her voice made everyone inside flinch.
Two women instinctively pulled their children closer, while one remained where she was, flinching along with them but having no one to hold onto herself. After a moment of uneasy silence, she hesitantly stood and leaned toward the opening just enough to see her.
"G-go left," she answered quietly, her voice trembling.
The moment the words left her mouth, she quickly sat back down, unwilling to look at the woman they had all just watched tear someone's arm off with effortless ease.
Zerakhea simply nodded and turned the steering wheel, guiding the steamwagon onto the left road.
She left the panel open.
"What is your name?" she asked.
The woman blinked, realizing the question had been directed specifically at her.
"Kania," she answered, barely above a whisper. For a moment, she wondered if Zerakhea had even heard her over the steady chugging of the steam engine.
"Kania," Zerakhea repeated, hearing her clearly. "An interesting name."
The Demon Lord kept her eyes on the road.
"You're braver than the others."
The words were spoken matter-of-factly, without praise or mockery, even though everyone in the back heard them. The other women instinctively huddled even closer together with their children.
"I... I s-suppose I am," Kania replied after a moment, unable to think of anything else to say.
"Are you alone?" Zerakhea asked as she eased the steamwagon over a rough stretch of road. "None of the children seem to be yours, nor do you appear related to the other women."
Kania lowered her head.
"Yes... I'm alone." Her voice caught in her throat. "Everyone I k-knew... everyone..." She sniffed, tears beginning to gather in her eyes before she finally whispered, "I'm alone."
Zerakhea didn't answer.
She simply continued driving.
For a long while, the only sounds inside the steamwagon were the rhythmic hum of the steam engine, the soft rattling of the carriage over the road, and the occasional creak of its wooden frame. Under different circumstances, it might even have felt... cozy.
But not after what they had all been through.
Without warning, the steamwagon rolled to a stop.
"Stay inside, all of you," Zerakhea ordered as she slid the panel shut before stepping out of the driver's seat.
Inside the carriage, the sudden halt left its passengers exchanging uneasy looks. No one spoke. They had no idea why they had stopped, and none of them wanted to find out.
Outside, Zerakhea calmly surveyed the road ahead.
A group of demons stood across it, blocking the way. The moment they recognized who had stepped out of the steamwagon, confusion spread across their faces. One of them, a tall demon with curved horns and bony features, cautiously approached her.
"Lady Zerakhea," it said, lowering its head respectfully. "What are you doing here? Were you not deployed further away?"
Its gaze shifted toward the steamwagon.
"And what is this vehicle you're traveling in?"
It took another cautious sniff.
"I smell people inside it."
Zerakhea glanced back at the steamwagon for only a moment before looking at the demon again.
"Are you questioning me?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
The horned demon immediately shrank back.
Behind it, the other demons instinctively began putting distance between themselves and her.
"N-no, Lady Zerakhea!" it blurted out, raising its bony hands in surrender. "I simply wanted to know why you were here. Nothing more!"
Zerakhea walked toward it at an unhurried pace until she was standing directly in front of the trembling demon, forcing it to look up at her.
"Make way for me," she said. "Then tell the Demon Lord you serve that I will not be joining the invasion until my personal crusade is complete." Her blue eyes remained fixed on the demon. "Is that understood?"
The demon nodded so rapidly it looked as though its head might come off.
"Y-yes! I'll relay the message! Please, be on your way, Lady Zerakhea!"
The moment she said nothing else, it turned and fled as fast as its rabbit-like humanoid legs could carry it, the other demons scattering with it to clear the road.
Zerakhea watched them disappear before calmly climbing back into the steamwagon.
The engine rumbled back to life, and the vehicle continued forward once more.
After she brought these women where they needed to be, she would head straight for the target of her personal crusade.
"Ambrose."