?


    [E, Halime, Tal, N and Maeve''s POV]


    The five girls enjoyed the food E had cooked, savoring every bite. Nplimented her cooking skills and expressed her enthusiasm, saying that once they were back on Draconia, she would treat them all to a meal she cooked herself.


    Following that, the girls continued the journey through the forest until they were a few miles away from the fortress. Once N was further away, she left the trees behind and sprinted across thendscape.


    The other four girls sat on her back while scanning their surroundings as Halimemented, "Will we be sneaking into Novgorod City?"


    "Yes, that''s why we have the disguise rings, but I''m not sure if they will work anymore," E answered while scanning the grasnds.


    They passed by viges and towns that dotted thendscape, but the deeper they went into Verdantia, the more build-up areas they encountered. N was growing tired, and Maeve pointed at a distant mountain, "Go there! We can rest for a while."


    N nodded before veering to the right and headed toward the mountains as a spell mmed into the spot they were just in. Halime and E stiffened but looked up only to see three eagles swooping.


    Tal pushed Halime out of the way as the monster grabbed the silver-haired elf in its talon before flying off. The girls screamed out, but Maevemented, "That rider is stupid; watch what she does."


    As the orange-haired girl spoke, an explosion reverberated through the air, followed by a harrowing screech of pain. All eyes turned to witness a shimmering silver glow as the mixed- elf transformed into her dragon form and unleashed havoc upon the Novgorod Eagles.


    E spotted Tal pursuing a fleeing Eagle Rider, swiftly seizing them in her jaws and ripping them in half. Blood cascaded down, painting a grim tableau, until the silver dragon descended and resumed her human form.


    With a sheepish grin, shended gracefully on N''s back. "Sorry about that, girls. I tend to work up an appetite in dragon form."


    Amidughter, the lioness quickened, and the surroundings blurred into a rush until a city appeared in the distance. E pointed, dering, "That''s a Church of Light City. We keep going until we spot the golden domes of Novgorod City."


    N nodded in understanding. She began the ascent as they approached the mountain, navigating the steep path until they reached a ledge offering a perfect view of the sprawling grasnds below.


    Maeve and E set up a lean-to against the rock wall while Halime and N set up their sleeping areas. Tal was looking over the edge and saw hundreds of torch lights in the forest below. She smiled as her instincts kicked in.


    She turned back to the girls, "I''m going hunting. Will be back in a few hours," she said before jumping off the ledge.


    ***


    [Tal''s POV]


    Tal slid down the mountainside, bow in hand, and as she reached the bottom, she cast her tribe''s camouge spell, "Leafstep."


    The spell cloaked her movements as she leaped into the trees, darting silently across the branches. She approached the first cluster of torches and spotted a gathering of Novgorodian soldiers in a clearing, their attention scanning the surroundings.


    Perched on the nearest tree, Tal crouched low, observing the group below. Twenty men and women were scattered around, unaware of her presence. She heard themining overhead.


    "Why is the emperor listening to the Pope? He''s the one who started this conflict," remarked


    one man.


    A deep woman''s voice cut through the conversation, dering, "The White Dragon''s wives are on Verdantia. They''ve already killed hundreds of our soldiers and fanatics, they razed a fortress. Of course, the emperor would want to capture them."


    "How are we meant to find them? The wives have a massive lion monster and a dragon on their side. They could be far away by now," Another man said.


    The woman scolded the man, prompting her to chuckle. The soldiers moved on as her target appeared, leaving one behind. Once the soldier was sufficiently distant, she leaped down and approached swiftly.


    Her short sword was out instantly, pressing against the man''s throat as she demanded, "How many soldiers are here?"


    The man attempted to shift, but Tal tightened her grip, making him gulp nervously before he answered, "Three thousand."


    "Thank you, human," she uttered before swiftly drawing her de across his throat, letting the lifeless body fall to the ground.


    Tal melted into the bushes as the soldiers rushed in, stunned by the sudden loss of one of their own. She observed from a few feet away, moving silently across the branches until she spotted another soldier at the rear.


    With lethal precision, she leaped from the branch, driving her spear into the woman''s face. She swiftly evaded detection as the other soldiers spun around in rm. Tal was like a ghost, attacking from the darkness before vanishing again.


    After an hour of this, Tal got an idea and started kidnapping the remaining soldiers and stringing them up so theirrades could find them. She found it hrious when hearing the enemy''s screams.


    Tal went around the forest terrorizing the Novgorod soldiers while leaving a few alive to tell other people what had happened there. She made herself seem like a devil so that the people who came after them would be wary.


    ***


    [Back to the girls]


    E stood on the ledge overlooking the forest they had escaped into. For the past couple of hours, she watched as the torches slowly went dark as Tal killed many of them, causing her to grow shocked at her skill.


    N approached her from behind while speaking, "I didn''t realize Tali is skilled in the forest. I would hate to fight her inside one."''


    "She was brought up in a ce like this. Tal is skilled and powerful in her own right, but now she''s a dragon. It''spletely different," E said.


    Just as her words left her mouth, arge silver fire could be seen, "It looks like she just used her breath," Halimemented.


    "Stupid elf will burn down the forest while hunting," N said with a giggle.


    "Let''s get some rest. We have a long day tomorrow," E said to them all.


    They all nodded before settling down, but the half-elf waited for her friend, who appeared an hourter covered in sweat due to climbing the mountain. When E saw Tal, she smiled


    and helped her up.


    "Get some sleep, Tali," E said. "We will be leaving at sunrise."


    ***


    [The Church of Lights POV]


    "What do you mean they got away? How do you lose five girls when the eagles chase them?" Jeremiah''s voice echoed through the talisman.


    Jeremiah, addressing the Novgorodian Eagle Commander assigned by the emperor, received a frustrated reply. "They''re formidable, my Lord. They''ve in dozens of my eagles and


    hundreds of foot soldiers. Our Demi-Gods are upied battling Underrealm Monsters,


    leaving us stretched thin."


    When the Pope heard this, he sighed before replying, "Return to the barracks to rest,mander. I will send the Battle Sisters after them."


    "Yes, My Lord," the Eagle Commander cut the connection.


    Jeremiah went to work writing orders for the soldiers his daughter Lysandra Volkovitch led,


    which was recently created by church fanatics. After finishing that, he called out, "Justin!


    Come in here now, boy."


    A young boy rushed into the room as the Pope spoke while handing over the order he just wrote, "Take this to my daughter and make sure she gets it."


    Justin took the papers before bowing. Then he left the room and rushed through the church until he stopped short when he spotted the Pope''s daughter. She was a sinful, curvy older woman with wavy burgundy hair and beautiful green eyes.


    Every man and some woman fancied the warrior priestess who was well known on the Verdantia Continent. Justin shook his head and rushed over to her. Lysandra turned around and spoke in a heavy Russian ent, "What do you want, boy?"


    Lysandra gulped but handed over Pope''s orders, "Here, My Lady."


    She took the paper and waved off Justin. As she read through its contents, she thought, ''Damn,


    the old man wants me to hunt Al-Maseeh At-Tinyan''s wives. May the Fireheart Goddess bless my


    passage forward.''


    Afterward, Lysandra headed to her mother''s office. It took her just ten minutes to arrive, and upon entering, she saw her aunt Catherine sitting with her mother. When the grey-haired woman noticed her, she smiled warmly.


    "My dear Lysa. What brings you here? Missing your lovely aunt, I presume?" "Still as vein as ever, Aunty," Lysandra smiled before turning to Natalia, "''Mama, Father wants me to hunt down Al-Maseeh At-Tinyan''s wives, but if I do, the boy will hold a


    grudge."


    Natalia was about to reply, but Catherine interrupted, "Lure your forces into a secluded ce, and I''ll kill them all. It will get rid of one of those old man''s power bases. We can say you were


    lost in the fight."


    Lysandra''s eyebrows shot up in shock as she retorted, "What would that aplish?"


    "You will earn the White Dragon''s favor along with his girls, which is important to our


    family''s ns," Catherine revealed.


    Natalia and Lysandra looked at the grey-haired woman, who smirked at them before talking, "Youdies won''t be disappointed and won''t have much stress."''


    They were confused, but they ignored her cryptic words and started to organize a n to deal


    with the Battle Sisters.