While waiting for their reinforcement to arrive, they continued their way toward the home of their newfound enemy. Descending into the deepest part of the jungle, they traveled for half an hour before Lia signaled to stop.
"We are getting close, around a kilometer towards the north, north-west. Sion, how good is your invisibility spell?"
"I improved it. The only question is, would they notice me… they specialize in light-based spells and have their own version of it."
"Let's risk it!" Lia whispered, giving him a small coin, "If you are discovered, crush it, and we will rush in! If you can, try to spy on them and place this somewhere hidden. I can hone in on it and teleport in."
"Roger." He nodded, taking it away before literally disappearing.
When reaching it, the village was shabby at best, as if those living here only saw what a house should look like from drawings and tried imitating it from memory. The wooden structures were like soggy boxes, left out in the rain or weird triangles, with skewed edges and circles that were drawn with very shaky hands. They were not appropriately cut and made out of twigs, broken logs, and wood that was easily found lying on the jungle's ground. The thing that tied them together was either vine or some kind of straw, not actual rope or anything more stable… a simple knock would be enough to blow them away.
"What the…" Sion asked himself, sneaking closer, watching a group of 40 or 50 kids being rowdy and arguing over their unconscious fellow's body.
It was clear that they were squabbling about the fact she was almost caught. One part of the village shouted that by bringing her back, they would lead the 'big ones' here, while the other party said she was Melody, their group's sole leader, and of course, they would save her.
"Well, at least one side has a brain… the other has a heart." Sion thought to himself, getting closer and closer, quickly sneaking inside amidst the rowdy argument. "They are certainly not kids…"
He was racking his brain, trying to figure out what they may be, and then it clicked. There was an ancient magical beast species called Faery. They were supposedly magical butterflies with extraordinary healing powers and a close connection to nature. Although the species went extinct, there were beast folk descendants… called fairies. They were low in number, believed to be gone extinct just the same, eradicated in the Dark Ages.
"Well… I suppose not. If they are fairies… they have no wings and can't fly, it seems. Maybe they devolved or further diluted their bloodline?"
Studying their bodies, they looked like kids with a colorful mix of hair and eye pigments. All of them were lean, athletic, and, in all honesty, acted like kids too. The moment their argument reached a tipping point, one of them kicked the side of her opponent's house, making it collapse at once. This was the start of a giant brawl as they began teleporting around, hitting, kicking, and biting the others while ensuring their 'houses' were demolished the same way.
"They are savages…" Sion couldn't help but gulp and watch in awe, noticing how much they enjoyed the pure destruction and chaos.
When they finally broke into a fight, both sides were having the fun of their life. The moment they managed to hurt the other or make their homes crumble, the pure joy in their eyes was scary already. He couldn't help but think if they were under the influence of the Undead or not. Necromancers, worshippers of the dead, people who were brainwashed to spread their influence and convince people to willingly join their side, used to sow chaos in cities and towns. There are many historical records of them trying to convert people to their cause and make them start a rebellion that always ended in bloodshed.
In the end, he hid Lia's coin under rubble at the roots of a tree and retreated to a safe distance, watching them, studying the group. He was no longer sure they were fairies. The tales said they were kind and hospitable people. Looking at them now, they were anything but that. Their fight subsided only an hour later, and now, all of them being bruised and battered, began to collect the parts of their ruined homes, trying to rebuild them around and up on the trees with very little success. Mainly because they were constantly trying and stealing each others' logs and twigs just for… fun.
When the one Lia knocked out, named Melody, woke up, she felt a bit dazed. Still, seeing the chaos, she jumped in with great vigor, resulting in another chaos-filled event where her staunch followers started sabotaging the others' houses just to be annoying. Just to make them angry and have a laugh at their expense.
"What a bunch of imps!" Sion groaned before leaving, unnoticed by the villagers.
…
….
……
"What are our plans?" Louise asked as the group had an impromptu strategy meeting, crouching beside each other while Sion drew the village's layout into the dirt with a twig.
"The Misfits are on their way. They should be here in an hour." Aurora wrote, receiving their message. "20 people are coming in the first wave. 15 more are en route from different missions; they will need more time to arrive."
"Good." Lia nodded, satisfied by their quick response. "Aurora, you are going to organize them when they arrive! We are going set up a circle around their village and strike in the depth of night!"
"Yes!" She saluted eagerly.
"Louise!"
"Yes!" She yelled, surprised but ready.
"Your proficiency lies in healing spells, yes?"
"Since then, I also picked up some offensive ones!" She saluted, remembering the day in the Egg Hunt, where only she 'survived.'
"Can you share mana?" Lia asked, deadly serious.
"Err… well… kinda. Healing spells are not as good at rejuvenating the body in that way… It would be extremely inefficient, Boss!"
"No matter! I just need you to keep me from freezing and also feed me with enough mana. Use potions if must!"
"What are you planning?" Sion and Simbad asked in unison.
"I will teleport in with Louise and lock down the village with a wide area of spell! I will place it under a dome of ice; anyone who tries to leave will be frozen solid."
"You can bring people with you?" Aurora asked, surprised.
"I think." Lia nodded, making Lousie turn a shade whiter but didn't object. Even if it sounded scary, she trusted her leader. "Simbad!"
"Yes?" He asked, ready for his part.
"You are coming with us too. It is not that far away; I should be able to move in with you two at my side! I want someone who can protect us if they start attacking! Sion, you should patrol the area the moment my prison is up! Capture anyone who managed to sneak out!"
"Wouldn't they be turned into ice?" He asked, a bit surprised.
"I want to make sure! I never tried anything like this, so… Things can go wrong..." Lia grinned but was too eager to miss something like this.
"If you say so." He shrugged but was somehow sure that Lia would pull it off.
"Get ready!" Lia said, sitting down, meditating to store power for the upcoming ambush. "I need you all to be focused!"
…
….
……
Nothing could've prepared Louise for what it was like traveling through No-Space. If not for Lia's surprisingly gentle blue flames wrapping around their personal defenses, she thought her soul would have slipped out from her body the moment it happened. She swore she saw her own head coming out of her chest. Simbad looked much more collected and focused, but in his eyes, she also saw the same primal fear the moment they stepped into it. Luckily, it was a very short journey; Lia only took four steps with them, holding the two by their hands before they reentered reality. The violet clouds of No-Space were gone, and they stood at the foot of the tree where Sion hid Lia's coin.
Louise wanted to say something but quickly held her words back, realizing they were no longer alone. Loud snoring filled the village, while on the trees' barks, golden, glowing flowers were blooming, lighting up the home of the fairies. Clearly, they did not like the darkness and were afraid of falling asleep without any light source around them. Yet… despite that, none stayed awake as a guard as she searched with her eyes.
"Oh…" She flinched, noticing a few 'guards,' wearing barely anything, sitting on higher-growing branches, leaning against each other, sleeping with their mouths open and drooling down on themselves.
"Follow me!" Lia signed, and they started sneaking into the center of the village, tiptoeing around and above the snoring girls and boys, sleeping on the ground or hanging from branches in their makeshift homes.
"What a mess…" Simbad signed with his hand, and Louise nodded, barely believing there was another species like them.
"This will do." Lia stopped, looking around the unsuspecting tribe, picking out both her swords and inserting them into the ground. "Simbad, protect us…" She whispered, and then her full power burst open like a volcano blowing its top.
The ground they were standing on very quickly turned into ice, spreading at lightning speed in all directions. Lia's blue flames surrounded her body, painting her in a ghostly image, while a dome of blue fire appeared around the village, cutting off many of the treetops and freezing them into icicles.
"Hya?! Monster! Ghost!" Many fairies shrieked when they were woken up by the cold, panicking after seeing Lia and the blue fire trapping them.
Some of them howled in pain because the moment they stood from the ground, their naked skin was still frozen to it, tearing it off in big chunks. Those who slept on the trees were not any different; some got frozen to it so strongly they couldn't move.
"It's the woman!" The golden-haired fairy, Melody, shrieked, pointing at Lia, "Flee!"
"We can't!" Another replied, on the verge of crying.
Hearing them, Lia couldn't help but grin even while concentrating on her spell, half-kneeling, holding her swords firmly. She was not simply freezing the area around them; she cut them off from No-Space. They could only leave after she allowed them to teleport... and why would she do that?
"Attack her!" Melody looked around, ordering her followers, but Simbad was already prepared.
With a hand gesture, he surrounded themselves in a violet bubble of light, deflecting the fairies' attacks to their horror. Soon the whole tribe was trying to shower them with the deadly, invisible beams, doing their best to break through.
"Here!" Louise said, holding out a mana potion, but it was not for Lia, who looked completely fine, but for Simbad, who was spending a tremendous amount of energy. After helping him drink it, she knew it was getting too difficult to withstand this many, and they had to do something. "Stop it!" She roared, but the fairies were not listening, only increasing their effort.
She suddenly remembered how it was, back in the Academy, back in the Egg Hunt. How it was she who survived only in that 'battle.' Nobody really died, even if it was nothing but a test; it still left a deep impression on her. These people, even if looking like a child, were trying to kill them. With Simbad focusing on defense, she had to do something.
"They are… dangerous." She said, raising a hand and holding her wrist, a golden bracelet, where her artifact was hanging from. Her face turned serious and determined, and focusing on her most potent attacking spell, she aimed at one of the closes fairies, a young-looking boy.
"Hurry…" Simbad groaned, and Louise fired her spell.
A bright flash of light blinded the fairies, many of them turning their heads away, stopping their attacks at once, giving breathing room for Simbad. He didn't hesitate to swallow a pill that refilled his mana immediately, sending it into overdrive. It was no time to simply rely on potions before reactivating his shields around them… but it seemed like they may not need it anymore.
Many of the fairies were staring, their mouths trembling, unable to believe what had happened. One of theirs was lying on the ground, eyes wide open, without any light in it anymore. His whole chest was blown apart, leaving a fist-sized hole on his body, staining the ground with his slightly glowing red blood.
"Kyaaaaah?!"
Lousie couldn't tell where the cry came from, but utter panic broke out between their ranks. They began to scatter, no matter where but just ran as far away as possible. All of them were crying; some fell over, unconscious, while the rest peed themselves before collapsing, begging not to be hurt, without the energy to escape.
"Good job…" Simbad breathed, letting her muscles relax a little.
"Well… I am glad they are cowards." She murmured, feeling a bit conflicted and guilty, but it quickly disappeared when hearing Simbad continue his words.
"Keep vigilant! If that body stands back up… we have all the proof we need."
While waiting for their reinforcement to arrive, they continued their way toward the home of their newfound enemy. Descending into the deepest part of the jungle, they traveled for half an hour before Lia signaled to stop.
"We are getting close, around a kilometer towards the north, north-west. Sion, how good is your invisibility spell?"
"I improved it. The only question is, would they notice me… they specialize in light-based spells and have their own version of it."
"Let's risk it!" Lia whispered, giving him a small coin, "If you are discovered, crush it, and we will rush in! If you can, try to spy on them and place this somewhere hidden. I can hone in on it and teleport in."
"Roger." He nodded, taking it away before literally disappearing.
When reaching it, the village was shabby at best, as if those living here only saw what a house should look like from drawings and tried imitating it from memory. The wooden structures were like soggy boxes, left out in the rain or weird triangles, with skewed edges and circles that were drawn with very shaky hands. They were not appropriately cut and made out of twigs, broken logs, and wood that was easily found lying on the jungle's ground. The thing that tied them together was either vine or some kind of straw, not actual rope or anything more stable… a simple knock would be enough to blow them away.
"What the…" Sion asked himself, sneaking closer, watching a group of 40 or 50 kids being rowdy and arguing over their unconscious fellow's body.
It was clear that they were squabbling about the fact she was almost caught. One part of the village shouted that by bringing her back, they would lead the 'big ones' here, while the other party said she was Melody, their group's sole leader, and of course, they would save her.
"Well, at least one side has a brain… the other has a heart." Sion thought to himself, getting closer and closer, quickly sneaking inside amidst the rowdy argument. "They are certainly not kids…"
He was racking his brain, trying to figure out what they may be, and then it clicked. There was an ancient magical beast species called Faery. They were supposedly magical butterflies with extraordinary healing powers and a close connection to nature. Although the species went extinct, there were beast folk descendants… called fairies. They were low in number, believed to be gone extinct just the same, eradicated in the Dark Ages.
"Well… I suppose not. If they are fairies… they have no wings and can't fly, it seems. Maybe they devolved or further diluted their bloodline?"
Studying their bodies, they looked like kids with a colorful mix of hair and eye pigments. All of them were lean, athletic, and, in all honesty, acted like kids too. The moment their argument reached a tipping point, one of them kicked the side of her opponent's house, making it collapse at once. This was the start of a giant brawl as they began teleporting around, hitting, kicking, and biting the others while ensuring their 'houses' were demolished the same way.
"They are savages…" Sion couldn't help but gulp and watch in awe, noticing how much they enjoyed the pure destruction and chaos.
When they finally broke into a fight, both sides were having the fun of their life. The moment they managed to hurt the other or make their homes crumble, the pure joy in their eyes was scary already. He couldn't help but think if they were under the influence of the Undead or not. Necromancers, worshippers of the dead, people who were brainwashed to spread their influence and convince people to willingly join their side, used to sow chaos in cities and towns. There are many historical records of them trying to convert people to their cause and make them start a rebellion that always ended in bloodshed.
In the end, he hid Lia's coin under rubble at the roots of a tree and retreated to a safe distance, watching them, studying the group. He was no longer sure they were fairies. The tales said they were kind and hospitable people. Looking at them now, they were anything but that. Their fight subsided only an hour later, and now, all of them being bruised and battered, began to collect the parts of their ruined homes, trying to rebuild them around and up on the trees with very little success. Mainly because they were constantly trying and stealing each others' logs and twigs just for… fun.
When the one Lia knocked out, named Melody, woke up, she felt a bit dazed. Still, seeing the chaos, she jumped in with great vigor, resulting in another chaos-filled event where her staunch followers started sabotaging the others' houses just to be annoying. Just to make them angry and have a laugh at their expense.
"What a bunch of imps!" Sion groaned before leaving, unnoticed by the villagers.
…
….
……
"What are our plans?" Louise asked as the group had an impromptu strategy meeting, crouching beside each other while Sion drew the village's layout into the dirt with a twig.
"The Misfits are on their way. They should be here in an hour." Aurora wrote, receiving their message. "20 people are coming in the first wave. 15 more are en route from different missions; they will need more time to arrive."
"Good." Lia nodded, satisfied by their quick response. "Aurora, you are going to organize them when they arrive! We are going set up a circle around their village and strike in the depth of night!"
"Yes!" She saluted eagerly.
"Louise!"
"Yes!" She yelled, surprised but ready.
"Your proficiency lies in healing spells, yes?"
"Since then, I also picked up some offensive ones!" She saluted, remembering the day in the Egg Hunt, where only she 'survived.'
"Can you share mana?" Lia asked, deadly serious.
"Err… well… kinda. Healing spells are not as good at rejuvenating the body in that way… It would be extremely inefficient, Boss!"
"No matter! I just need you to keep me from freezing and also feed me with enough mana. Use potions if must!"
"What are you planning?" Sion and Simbad asked in unison.
"I will teleport in with Louise and lock down the village with a wide area of spell! I will place it under a dome of ice; anyone who tries to leave will be frozen solid."
"You can bring people with you?" Aurora asked, surprised.
"I think." Lia nodded, making Lousie turn a shade whiter but didn't object. Even if it sounded scary, she trusted her leader. "Simbad!"
"Yes?" He asked, ready for his part.
"You are coming with us too. It is not that far away; I should be able to move in with you two at my side! I want someone who can protect us if they start attacking! Sion, you should patrol the area the moment my prison is up! Capture anyone who managed to sneak out!"
"Wouldn't they be turned into ice?" He asked, a bit surprised.
"I want to make sure! I never tried anything like this, so… Things can go wrong..." Lia grinned but was too eager to miss something like this.
"If you say so." He shrugged but was somehow sure that Lia would pull it off.
"Get ready!" Lia said, sitting down, meditating to store power for the upcoming ambush. "I need you all to be focused!"
…
….
……
Nothing could've prepared Louise for what it was like traveling through No-Space. If not for Lia's surprisingly gentle blue flames wrapping around their personal defenses, she thought her soul would have slipped out from her body the moment it happened. She swore she saw her own head coming out of her chest. Simbad looked much more collected and focused, but in his eyes, she also saw the same primal fear the moment they stepped into it. Luckily, it was a very short journey; Lia only took four steps with them, holding the two by their hands before they reentered reality. The violet clouds of No-Space were gone, and they stood at the foot of the tree where Sion hid Lia's coin.
Louise wanted to say something but quickly held her words back, realizing they were no longer alone. Loud snoring filled the village, while on the trees' barks, golden, glowing flowers were blooming, lighting up the home of the fairies. Clearly, they did not like the darkness and were afraid of falling asleep without any light source around them. Yet… despite that, none stayed awake as a guard as she searched with her eyes.
"Oh…" She flinched, noticing a few 'guards,' wearing barely anything, sitting on higher-growing branches, leaning against each other, sleeping with their mouths open and drooling down on themselves.
"Follow me!" Lia signed, and they started sneaking into the center of the village, tiptoeing around and above the snoring girls and boys, sleeping on the ground or hanging from branches in their makeshift homes.
"What a mess…" Simbad signed with his hand, and Louise nodded, barely believing there was another species like them.
"This will do." Lia stopped, looking around the unsuspecting tribe, picking out both her swords and inserting them into the ground. "Simbad, protect us…" She whispered, and then her full power burst open like a volcano blowing its top.
The ground they were standing on very quickly turned into ice, spreading at lightning speed in all directions. Lia's blue flames surrounded her body, painting her in a ghostly image, while a dome of blue fire appeared around the village, cutting off many of the treetops and freezing them into icicles.
"Hya?! Monster! Ghost!" Many fairies shrieked when they were woken up by the cold, panicking after seeing Lia and the blue fire trapping them.
Some of them howled in pain because the moment they stood from the ground, their naked skin was still frozen to it, tearing it off in big chunks. Those who slept on the trees were not any different; some got frozen to it so strongly they couldn't move.
"It's the woman!" The golden-haired fairy, Melody, shrieked, pointing at Lia, "Flee!"
"We can't!" Another replied, on the verge of crying.
Hearing them, Lia couldn't help but grin even while concentrating on her spell, half-kneeling, holding her swords firmly. She was not simply freezing the area around them; she cut them off from No-Space. They could only leave after she allowed them to teleport... and why would she do that?
"Attack her!" Melody looked around, ordering her followers, but Simbad was already prepared.
With a hand gesture, he surrounded themselves in a violet bubble of light, deflecting the fairies' attacks to their horror. Soon the whole tribe was trying to shower them with the deadly, invisible beams, doing their best to break through.
"Here!" Louise said, holding out a mana potion, but it was not for Lia, who looked completely fine, but for Simbad, who was spending a tremendous amount of energy. After helping him drink it, she knew it was getting too difficult to withstand this many, and they had to do something. "Stop it!" She roared, but the fairies were not listening, only increasing their effort.
She suddenly remembered how it was, back in the Academy, back in the Egg Hunt. How it was she who survived only in that 'battle.' Nobody really died, even if it was nothing but a test; it still left a deep impression on her. These people, even if looking like a child, were trying to kill them. With Simbad focusing on defense, she had to do something.
"They are… dangerous." She said, raising a hand and holding her wrist, a golden bracelet, where her artifact was hanging from. Her face turned serious and determined, and focusing on her most potent attacking spell, she aimed at one of the closes fairies, a young-looking boy.
"Hurry…" Simbad groaned, and Louise fired her spell.
A bright flash of light blinded the fairies, many of them turning their heads away, stopping their attacks at once, giving breathing room for Simbad. He didn't hesitate to swallow a pill that refilled his mana immediately, sending it into overdrive. It was no time to simply rely on potions before reactivating his shields around them… but it seemed like they may not need it anymore.
Many of the fairies were staring, their mouths trembling, unable to believe what had happened. One of theirs was lying on the ground, eyes wide open, without any light in it anymore. His whole chest was blown apart, leaving a fist-sized hole on his body, staining the ground with his slightly glowing red blood.
"Kyaaaaah?!"
Lousie couldn't tell where the cry came from, but utter panic broke out between their ranks. They began to scatter, no matter where but just ran as far away as possible. All of them were crying; some fell over, unconscious, while the rest peed themselves before collapsing, begging not to be hurt, without the energy to escape.
"Good job…" Simbad breathed, letting her muscles relax a little.
"Well… I am glad they are cowards." She murmured, feeling a bit conflicted and guilty, but it quickly disappeared when hearing Simbad continue his words.
"Keep vigilant! If that body stands back up… we have all the proof we need."
