Chương 10: Eve of Battle

Tyralith, The Elven Witch of Pride, hovered high in the air above the caravan. She used her [Farsight] spell to gaze upon the majesty of her queen. Her eyes penetrated through the window of the carriage. The mistress is so cute like this. Her elven form is delectable. Only, I wish she'd keep her eyes that same burning red. The blue-eyed elf admired her mistress's form. Every part of her elegant body spoke deeply to Tyralith's tainted heart. I will show you that I am the most worthy of your time, Mistress.

I am the one who deserves all of your attention. It can only be me, so stop looking at Rela and gaze upon my visage. Her blue eyes started glowing, her witch hat shaking with the magic vibrations in the air. Mana hummed and whistled in front of her. Her deep black staff, inlaid with blue bat insignias with a gorged pale moon, started spinning in the air. Blue streaks of light whirled around it, turning red when she changed the composition of the magic.

She gazed down at monsters in the forest, hiding in their makeshift homes. You lowly ants will become fodder for Her reputation. [Frenzy] and a touch of [Madness]. The red magic descended like small beams of red light, piercing into the monster's minds. The two spells intertwined and created the perfect concoction to drive them to insanity. Goblins, orcs, and a couple of ogres rampaged through the forest, cutting towards the convoy. Tyralith smiled, her staff still spinning in the air.

No, this is simply not enough for Her Majesty. More, I need more. The elven witch remembered the queen telling her not to go overboard, but a little splash of demonic power was needed. Yes, for what is a rampage without a bit of demon meddling? A splash of impish magic to make them imagine the mind of a plotting fiend.

"Hahaha, Ah, Mistress, everything is for You. This world will know Elise Shadowspill and tremble like the ants they are. Her grand design will triumph over even the gods and bring me to nirvana." Lava bubbled around her staff, flowing down it, and spilling onto the ground behind the monsters. Circles with pentagrams melted into the earth and formed a summoning spell.

"[Summoning: Lesser Imps]." Red creatures arose from the dark soil wearing black, tattered pants and pointed red shoes like those of clowns. They laughed manically, sharp teeth grinning with delirium. A small obsidian horn rose from the center of their heads, curving downwards at the end as if pointing to the underworld. A black pentagram shone on their slightly protruding bellies, and their hands, with sharp black claws at the end, gripped small wands of different makes.

"Go forth minions. Attack the caravan from the rear of the monsters. Form the rear guard, and use all of your power to try and destroy them. Let the scorching flames of hell fire turn your enemies to dust." A squeaky voice sounded in her head, grating on her ears. It had the undertone of a bug, a bee buzzing in her mind like the red wings flapping on their backs.

"We shall annihilate them, Your Excellency. All of them will be turned to ash, and it will adorn your alchemy lab." Tyralith grinned and chuckled. Try as hard as you want, foolish prideful demons. Your Pride doesn't even measure up to a lowly dragon, but you sure bark like loud hell dogs at night. Ignorant slaves, you traipse upon unfamiliar land and wish death upon what you know not. This will be your downfall.

"Yes, Pride without power is merely arrogance." /// Elise watched Heinkel's hell dog hop into action, but it was too late. He tried to reroute it, but he's already getting mated.

"Checkmate," Esmeralda said. Heinkel groaned and slumped backwards in his seat.

"Aren't you already too good at this game? I didn't expect you to sacrifice your rook like that. I'd be curious to see what a game between you and Lady Emerald would look like."

"Please, I can already sense that she would beat me handily. Aside from her likely having played for much longer, elves also live for extensive periods of time." She turned her attention to Elise.

"How old are you?"

"You should know not to ask a lady that question. It's bad manners. Besides, I've already forgotten." The sanguine queen stared out the window, feeling magical vibrations in the air. So, she's already gotten started? I really hope she is not going too crazy. Esmeralda seemed to pick up on the hum of magic in the air, and her light blue eyes flickered towards outside of the carriage. She opened the stagecoach slit behind her head and spoke to the driver.

"Call for them to stop the convoy. Monsters are approaching." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Not bad for someone of low level. Perhaps it is that golden cross she keeps? It simmered with a faint light around her neck and echoed with holy magic. It was supposed to be the natural enemy of undead, yet here Elise was, sitting with calm poise. A loud whistle sounded from their driver, and the caravan ground to a halt.

The voices of guards and adventurers outside permeated in the air. It was a cacophony of tones mingling together. Shouts of monster attacks ringed in the air. The feline on the opposite side twitched her ears, tuning them towards the forest. Elise smiled wryly and tapped on Rela's thigh with a couple of fingers.

"That elven witch definitely went too far." Rela's reaction was different from what Elise had expected. Instead of a flash of irritation or anger, she grinned widely, and her purple eyes sparkled.

"Does that mean a punishment is in order, My Lady?"

"We will speak of that when this ends. For now, let us see how the humans handle this." Their driver hopped off of his platform and pulled their door open.

"Please, get ready, and protect the baron." Esmeralda nodded.

"We will do what we must. Have we received word of how many there are?" Sweat dripped down the man's brow, and he clenched his teeth.

"There is a whole troop of goblins. The scouts reported orcs and a pair of ogres. We must be vigilant." The nun's brow wrinkled.

"Why now of all times?" She placed a hand on her chin and narrowed her eyes briefly at Elise. After a moment, she shook her head and breathed a sigh.

"We will prepare for the worst. The five of us will keep close watch over the central carriages. We'll need to speak with the baron and protect him at all cost. With this many people, we should not suffer many casualties, but I surmise that this is no coincidence. Someone is behind these monsters." She stepped down from the carriage first and offered her hand to the cat girl.

"I really hope the rest of my party will be okay. If they look like they're struggling, I might be unable to contain myself." Esmeralda gave a smile and placed a hand on the cat kin's shoulder.

"You needn't worry about that. I am certain that even if it were only Lady Emerald, the baron will be fine." Then, she gave a small wink.

"If anything happens, I will say it was my idea." Heinkel groaned and placed the chess board down on the seat.

"I had hoped this wouldn't happen while I was here. This is why I prefer to go on solo adventures!"

"Hey," Kaila said, "if we make it out of this alive, I might give you a kiss, you know?" Heinkel's face reddened. He clenched his hand into a fist and shook it.

"There is only so much teasing a man can take." The cat girl pouted and turned away, her voice becoming a shy whisper.

"I meant it." Elise rolled her eyes from their display, sucking the board back into her inventory. Speaking of sucking, I am growing peckish again. When this whole thing is over, I might ask for another pint of blood from Rela's stash. She remembered the taste fondly as she climbed down from the stagecoach's peg. Her boots dug into the muddy soil not far from a river. The sound of rushing water was barely registered beneath the shouts of people readying themselves for the worst.

Her maid climbed down after her and leaned against the sanguine queen. She lowered her voice to a whisper also, playing a cadence of sweet words to the ear.

"Maybe after this is over, Lady Shadowspill would also like a kiss from me? Would only the cheek be okay?" Elise's undead heart throbbed in her chest for a moment, but she swallowed and stilled her emotions.

"Don't make such jokes right now, Rela. We're in the moment of spectacle, so we need to focus on acting."

"Of course, My Lady. I merely spoke out of turn. I will be more careful in the future." She says that, but her grin definitely doesn't read that way. I need to strengthen my resolve against beautiful women, or I might be swallowed by a different kind of abyss. She shook her head and straightened her rogue outfit. The voice inside of her head resurfaced, whispering that all would be fine no matter what kind of carnal pleasures she indulged in.

There was a certain untold excitement from the idea of letting herself go to the feeling of ecstasy. Two flowers sharing a dark night together would undoubtedly be the ideal photo of romance, captured beneath the stars. But as soon as those thoughts infiltrated a part of her mind, she pushed them down. No, I am the ruler of Death, not some queen who relishes in the desires of her followers. I will give them what they want, but I will do everything by my own will. Any other kind of desires can wait their turn.

She turned her attention towards Baron Edmon who looked down at her specifically while stepping out of his carriage. He was much less panicked than the surroundings. He twirled his thin black mustache and let his eyes roam over Elise's elven body, stopping at her pointed ears. A nearby guard bowed and pressed a hand to his plate-armored chest.

"My Lord, everyone has been given their orders, and those you requested are prepared to defend you at all costs."

"Excellent," Edmon said with a small smile towards his guard.

"With an escort of this size, we should be fine. Besides, if they penetrate beyond our initial defense, we always have Esmeralda. A couple of rogue monsters is nothing for esteemed silver ranked adventurers, right?" The nun clasped the cross to her chest before answering.

"You were wise to prepare so many for this trip, especially after your knight went missing." She paused for a moment, her lips curling down.

"Though, this may not be a trifling matter. Demons are involved. I can sense them."

"Demons, you say?" The lord asked with a hint of skepticism behind his eyes.

"We've seen no hide nor tail of them in a while. If there are demons involved, you should be able to handle it. Isn't that right, Esmeralda Evencrest?" The way he said those last words hummed with a meaning unfamiliar to Elise. I guess she was hiding her full identity after all. Esmeralda frowned, gripping her cross tighter.

"You know I abandoned that name when I joined the Order. Don't bring it up again, unless you want me to abandon you in your hour of need." Baron Edmon laughed heartily and took a black pipe from the butler standing next to him. A small spark of fire hovered over his nearby butler's gloved finger, and he pressed it into the tobacco. The baron took a hit and blew grey smoke into the air.

"There is no need to be so serious, darling." Rela whispered into Elise's ear.

"This human, he makes me even more agitated than the others. Should I end his life a bit early?" Before Elise could answer, an explosion sounded behind them. The battle is underway.