While Aether was busy creating a new way to generate revenue for Him—ahem… for the Empire, of course!
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Meanwhile, back in the Zephyra Empire…
“We cannot infiltrate without killing them,” Liora whispered, her sharp eyes scanning the entrance of the Wood-Elf Tribe. The area was heavily guarded, warriors standing at attention, their movements crisp and vigilant…. as if something happening!
Aria, standing beside her, frowned, her gaze fixed on the guards. They seemed far more alert than usual as if expecting something—or someone.
‘Something is definitely going on inside…’ she mused, her fingers instinctively tightened before her eyes shifted to the massive tree trunks driven into the earth, forming an impenetrable barrier around the village.
“Should we just get rid of them?” Liora asked, a dangerous smirk playing on her lips. Her claws elongated ever so slightly, her excitement barely concealed.
Aria shot her a sideways glance before shaking her head, “Aether specifically told us to do this quietly,” she reminded her. “If we alert them, they’ll send word to Alaric, and we can’t afford to lose any advantage. This has to be clean and silent.”
Liora sighed dramatically, rubbing her forehead. “Ugh, fine. But that means you need to come up with a better plan. So? Got anything?” She turned to Aria, who was still observing the trunks, deep in thought.
A slow smirk spread across Aria’s lips. “Actually… I do,” she said, stepping away from the entrance.
Liora followed her as they moved toward an isolated area near the massive tree trunks.
Aria summoned her bow, her fingers deftly pulling an arrow from her quiver. She pointed toward the upper edge of the trunk and let the arrow fly.
Thud!
Aria turned to Liora with a playful wink. “Bye, Bye!!”
ZZZzzzzppppppppp!!
In an instant, the compact bow’s wheels spun, activating the mechanism as the thread attached to the arrow yanked Aria upward. She shot into the air, her body twisting gracefully before she landed effortlessly atop the trunk. Without hesitation, she leaped down into the village.
Liora’s lips twitched in amusement. “Tch. Like mother, like daughter,” she muttered before her hands shifted into sharp claws and… she crawled up the trunk!!
Like a tiger!
Meanwhile…
Thud!
Aria landed smoothly on the ground but immediately tensed. The village was… eerily empty. No voices, no movement—just silence…. And yet, the outside had been crawling with guards.
Why?
Her brows furrowed, ‘Why would they fortify the entrance but leave the inside so… deserted?’
Thud!
Liora landed beside her, her nose wrinkling in disgust. “Something’s definitely wrong,” she muttered. She inhaled deeply, her tail flicking with unease. “The air reeks… Blood. And not fresh blood—this is old, rotting…”
Aria’s expression darkened. She had been to the Wood-Elf village before, back when she had dealings with Alaric. She knew exactly where the Village Elder—or rather, the Wood-Elf Tribe’s king—would be.
“We’re moving,”
Liora nodded, and the two proceeded forward, their steps silent.
Just as they were making their way through the eerie silence, two sets of glowing, pupil-less eyes emerged from the darkness, watching their every move.
Oblivious to the hidden gaze, Aria and Liora continued until they reached a massive tent. A lone soldier stood guard outside.
Liora’s claws flexed. “I say we finish him off before he becomes a problem,” she suggested, cracking her knuckles.
Aria smirked. “No need for the mess.”
Without another word, she nocked a dull arrow and let it fly.
Thwack!
The soldier collapsed before he even knew what hit him.
Aria blew a stray lock of hair from her face, “Too easy.”
Liora snorted, “Showoff.”
Without wasting time, they slipped into the tent—only to halt in their tracks.
The scene before them was horrific.
Dark blood coated the floors, the walls, and the very fabric of the tent… It was everywhere, the thick metallic stench clinging to the air. But what was more disturbing—
There were no bodies!
No flesh!!
Nothing!
Just blood!
Aria’s grip tightened on her bow. “What the hell happened here…?” she murmured, every instinct screaming at her to be on high alert.
Liora sniffed the air again, slowly advancing through the bloodstained ground. Her eyes narrowed as she turned toward a darkened corner of the tent.
“I smell… someone,” she whispered, her voice laced with suspicion. She followed the scent, her movements deliberate, until she reached the far end of the space.
And there—huddled in the shadows—was an old man.
His frail body trembled, his hands coated in crimson—not the darkened blood splattered across the area, but fresh, vivid red.
Aria’s eyes narrowed, “Elder?”
The old man flinched violently at the sound of her voice before his head snapped up. His wide, terrified eyes locked onto her.
“Y-Your Majesty? M-MAJESTY!!” he stammered, and before they could react, he scrambled toward Aria’s feet, his bony fingers clawing at her boots.
Liora’s hand shot out, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground with disturbing ease. Her expression was cold, dangerous. “Talk,” she ordered, her grip tightening. “Where is everyone?”
The old man wheezed, struggling against her hold. “I-Ia… arrhh…” His age and Liora’s strength rendered him barely capable of forming words.
Liora scoffed. “Pathetic. Can’t even speak properly?” Her claws extended, gleaming under the dim light.
The elder’s pupils shrank in terror. His gaze darted to Aria, pleading for mercy.
She merely looked away.
And in that moment, realization hit him like a blade to the gut.
He had fucked up.
Summoning whatever strength he had left, he gasped out a single word—
“I… M… Monsters!!!!”
Thud!
Liora released him, letting him crumple to the blood-soaked ground. He gasped for air, clutching his throat, but Aria wasted no time.
“Monsters?” she repeated, her tone sharp. “What do you mean?”
The old man took a trembling breath before stammering, “A-Alaric… he betrayed us… H-he used us! He d-destro—”
Before he could finish, a sudden, agonizing scream pierced the air.
“ARRRRRHHHH!!”
The chilling, bloodcurdling cry echoed from outside the tent.
Aria and Liora immediately stiffened, exchanging sharp glances before Liora grabbed the old man’s frail arm, yanking him up like a ragged doll. Without a second thought, they stormed out of the tent.
But as soon as they stepped outside, they were met with an eerie, disturbing sight.
That one soldier who was knocked out by Aria was not there… instead, just dark blood!
The old man’s face drained of all colour, his lips quivering as his wide, fear-stricken eyes darted around. He gasped out, “W-We need to hide! O-Otherwise, they will—”
The old man’s face turned to dread, “W-We need to hide o-otherwise they will–“
“ARRRRRRRHHH!!”
“N-NOO!!”
BOOM!
CHUCCKK!!
The sickening crunch of bone and flesh followed another gut-wrenching scream.
Liora and Aria wasted no time. Ignoring the old man’s panicked pleas, they sprinted toward the source of the commotion, the elder dragged helplessly behind them like he weighed nothing.
“N-No! Please! We need to run!!” The old man thrashed in Liora’s grip, his desperation growing with every step. “T-They got out! The village… i-it’s ruined!! Everything is going to be destroyed! We have to escape before it spreads!!”
Neither of them listened.
As they reached the source… the village entrance—the very spot that had been heavily guarded just moments ago—they skidded to a halt.
There was no one!
Not a single guard.
Only deep, dark pools of blood soaking into the earth.
Aria’s heart pounded as she gripped her bow tightly. “Where the hell is everyone?” Her voice was low, tense. She raised an arrow, her body stiff with caution.
“P-Please… let me go…” The old man whimpered, his body trembling violently. “I-I need to hide… I-I…”
Liora ignored his pathetic cries, her multicoloured eyes burning with frustration. “What the hell is going on here?” she growled, her claws flexing. She could feel it—something was horribly…. horribly wrong!
But she couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
“Tell us!!” She shouted!
The old man swallowed hard, his head snapping in all directions as if expecting something to lunge at him at any moment. “T-Those things… They’re monsters… Monsters created by Alaric!”
Liora’s claws dug into his arm, her patience wearing dangerously thin. “Monsters? What the hell do you mean ‘created’?”
“Monsters created by Alaric?” Aria frowned deeply, “Why would he do—” Her sentence was abruptly cut off when her eyes widened in shock.
From behind Liora, the massive, pulsating body of a monstrous elf emerged, its gnarled teeth aiming straight for her neck.
Sssshhhh!!!
Thud!!
BAM!!!
In an instant, Aria’s bowstring was released with deadly accuracy, sending the arrow straight into the monster’s chest. It blasted backwards, crumpling into the dirt.
“That was close…” Aria exhaled a sigh of relief, shaking her head, “S-sig—”
“Indeed,” Liora replied coolly who was standing close!
A small frown crossed Aria’s face as she turned…. she was shocked to see, Liora’s claws sinking into the neck of another elf-monster that had been sneaking up behind her.
The creature let out a strangled screech before going still.
Aria’s eyes went wide as she recognized the monster’s face. “Wait… wasn’t he the one guarding the tent?”
Liora’s gaze hardened as she glanced down at the monster’s lifeless form. “Yeah, he was also guarding the entrance. What the hell happened to them?” she muttered, tossing the body to the ground with disgust before glaring at the old man.
“I-I told you!” the old man cried out, his voice trembling with fear. “They… they turned into monsters! Alaric did this to them!” His wide eyes watched as the lifeless bodies of the monsters turned to dust.
Both Aria and Liora were taken aback by that!
“What in the Arcane name….?” Aria murmured, bewildered. “When did Alaric come here—”
“Watch out!” Liora suddenly shouted, her voice full of urgency as she swiped at a new monster that appeared out of nowhere… She spun toward the sky, her sharp gaze narrowing as she saw the creatures clinging to the trunk walls. Their twisted, sneering faces were locked onto their targets, and they leapt toward the two women without hesitation.
Before the monsters could even hit the ground, a familiar sound filled the air:
Ssshhhh!
Thud!
Ssshhhh!
Thud!
Ssshhhh!
Thud!
Ssshhhh!
Thud!
An arrow storm rained down, each one striking the monsters with unerring precision, pinning them to the trunks. The creatures screeched in agony before their bodies crumbled into dust.
Aria and Liora turned toward the source of the barrage…. Their eyes widened as they saw Maelona standing tall, her arm outstretched as she shoved an arrow into the monster elf’s neck, causing the creature to twitch violently before it slowly disintegrated into ash.
Maelona’s face was a mask of fury as she muttered through clenched teeth, “This time… I won’t let our Empire be defiled by these disgusting monsters.”