Moyan Lubaw was in his residence when he heard the news.
The elite Pintados that was supposed to rendezvous with the lady enchantress returned back to the village the day before . He was told about the possibility of an Emperor class demon present in the area. He doesn't know what an emperor class demon is. He haven't even seen a real demon yet.
Eversince then, Moyan Lubaw has been busy together with the family head Kuban Pasimo to reinforce their security. Everyone on the village are already expecting the demons to attack them in a couple of days. They now only hope that the lady enchantress would arrive soon, together with the reinforcements from the Royal city.
Just then when recieved a news that their neighboring village was buring. The news came from merchants that was travelling on the road on the way to that village, only to find it burning. Those merchants had no choice but to go in his village instead.
Moyan Lubaw immediately sent a 10-member Timawa class warriors to ride on horses to see and confirm the news. He haven't heard anything from them yet. He was worried.
The neighboring village was now burning. He doesn't have any details about the news and he was also expecting a demonic attack soon.
"Ancestors, please watch over us." Moyan Lubaw muttered.
-----
About 40 kilometers north, A convoy of 3 carriages were moving along at the edge of a rocky coast line.
The convoy belongs to the lady enchantress of the Green. She was seating inside the second carriage. Her name is Marikit Luywal Hati. A noble born enchantress.
"Lady Mistress, if i may, why did we leave in such a hurry?" Her apprentice suddenly asked.
The lady enchantress was by the window, looking out at the beautiful sea. She rarely travels at the outskirts of the Royal City's domain. Travelling to the outskirt villages may be tiring, but a view to the sea was rather calming to her. Sitting beside her was her niece and personal apprentice.
"Leiya, Do you think that we really need the protection of the Pintados?" The lady enchantress said, taking a look at her apprentice and back again to the sea.
"I...I don't know. I heard that our mission in this village is to hold off a demonic attack. Maybe the Pintados were to be our escorts." Leiya answered softly.
"So, you think that we were sent to protect that small village because we are too strong. But we are too weak to protect ourselves? So we require the those barbaric Pintados around?" The lady enchantress said, raising her eyebrows.
Leiya didn't talk back. She had been under the personal guidance of her aunt since her childhood. She was very much aware of how strong her aunt is.
"Listen Leiya. Our enchanter's guild had a long history of rivalry with the Pintados's Headquarters for favors and resources. That remote village asked for an enchanter. They asked for me specifically. Why would the Pintados want the mission too. It's simple, they just want to flex their strenght." The lady enchantress explained.
Her apprentice nodded.
"This is your first actual taste of real combat against demons. Just never leave my side and you will learn a lot of things."
Her apprentice nodded again silently.
The lady enchantress was told 2 week ago that demons will attack a small village on this remote part of the Royal domain. It was expected that the demons will come from the forest. That's why they asked for her to go. Her magic vein specializes on forest manipulation. It will be an easy job for her.
She knows that 50 Pintados elite warrior were sent beforehand to assist the village in any way before her arrival, and those 50 Pintados will stand as her personal shield on the duration of her stay. She was fine with that as she also needed muscles to help prepare her rituals.
Then last night she suddenly recieved a Royal order and told her that some changes were made. The 10-member group of Pintados that were assigned to rendezvous with her convoy suddenly encountered an emperor class demon and has to return back to the village.
The Royal order said that, she, the lady enchantress of the Green has to delay herself and wait for a few hundred Pintados to escort her, and around 500 will also be sent as reinforcements.
That alone was really suspicious.
The lady enchantress can't help herself but feel insulted.
Does the higher ups in the Pintados headquarters think that she was a fool?
The group that was tasked to meet with her suddenly encountered an emperor class demon on the way, but that demon did not attack? The demon allowed a 10-member elite ranked Pintados to attack it and just let them retreat and report back?
That was utterly absurd.
She had more than 2 decades of experience in fighting the demons. Those emperor class demons were only a thing of the legends. Demons are only strong with their weapons from hell. They are nothing before her magic.
For all she know, this was just another cheap scheme from the Pintados Headquarters to takeover the task and gain more praise from the Royal clan.
On the first rays of sunlight, She ordered her already prepared convoy to move forward.
Aside from her and her direct apprentice, She has 15 more combat-capable enchanters with her. They are all her personal hand-assistants. As a noble enchantress, they will only take orders from her.
Marikit Luywal Hati was in deep thought when her carriage suddeny stopped moving. She peered outside to see what's going on.
A enchanter quickly run to her side. She is one of her hand-assistants. "Lady mistress, we spotted a ship anchored near the shore about 3 kilometers in front of us." she said, handing over a monocular telescope.
Marikit Luywal Hati, stepped outside her carriage and took the telescope from the woman.
"I recognize that flag. That's a demon's ship." She said after a while.
"We believe so too, lady mistress. what should we do? do we engage them?" Her hand-assistant asked.
Marikit Luywal Hati thought for a while and then answered. "Yes, we will engage them."
She walked forward and gathered everyone around here.
"There are 17 of us enchantresses here. There is a demon ship ahead of us. And by my estimates, that could house up to 50 demons." She announced.
Everyone of her hand-assistants has already experienced battle with demons. The only one who was inexperienced was her direct apprentice, her niece. Leiya Luywal Hati. She was the second daughter of her Brother. As a loving aunt, she made Leiya her direct apprentice and trained her from childhood. She has just come of age this spring and was eager to put all her training in real action. She could see the excited look in the eyes of her niece.
"Those demons might be the same demons that will attack that remote village a few days from now. If we destroy them all here now, we will be spared the few days of travel and we might be on our way back to the Royal city tomorrow." Marikit Luywal Hati said again, encouraging the crowd around her.
They were all nodding and murmuring in agreement.
"We will head straight to the woods and make preparations there." She said again.
After announcing her plan, The went back to inside their carriages and started moving again.
-----
'This is it! My first real battle against Demons.' Leiya thought to herself.
Her whole family were all enchanters. From her earliest ancestors up to her. Their family was promoted to nobility by generations after generations of warfare against the demons. Her father and her first brother met their death on the battlefield when she was still a little girl. Since then, She has been in the care of her aunt, the lady enchantress of the Green. All Leiya's education and training was for the goal of avenging her father and first brother's death. Now that day has finally come.
"It's okey to feel a little anxious Leiya, just don't stray too far from me and you will be safe." Her aunt beside her noticed her silence.
"No, lady mistress, i'm not anxious at all. I am excited." Leiya quickly answered back.
She doesn't want be treated as a child anymore. She already has come of age. A real battle is all she needs now to prove everyone that she can stand on her own feet.
Her aunt looked at her in silence and then nodded. "It's good that you're not anxious." she said.
'I'm really not.' Leiya thought to herself.
They arrived on the road that overlooks the ship. between them is about a kilometer and a half of dense forest.
"We will engage the demons here." Leiya heard her aunt said in a loud voice and ordered their carriages to be hid and covered by a concealment prism.
They walked into the tree line.
"Leiya, i want you and the others to set up the altar, we will try to call upon the spirit guardian of the Greenmist right now.
Leiya nodded hurriedly.
Her aunt earned he title 'the Lady enchantress of the Green' because she was able to summon the guardian spirit of the Greenmist. That spirit produces a thick fog that covers a large area, reducing the demon's sight. With the thick mist and her magic capable of controlling the forest, Slaughtering the demons in this area will not be so hard.
Leiya took her time arranging sets of orbs and gems to the ground, She has done this a lot of time during her training, but this is real battle now. She can't make any mistake.
Summoning the spirit guardian of the Greenmist required three sets of identical altars, and each altars requires 5 enchanters to set up.
One of the hand-assistants run back to them after scouting the demon's position.
"they are coming. Around 70 or 80 of them." She said, trying to catch her breath.
"So my estimate was off. I thought there would be only around 50 of them in that ship." Marikit Luywal Hati nodded
"It doesn't matter, finish the altars. They will all be annihilated here today." She said again and continued her own preparation.
Leiya focused on what she was doing. After about 5 minutes, a soft hum sounded. The summoning altars are all ready.
Marikit Luywal Hati nodded and went to the center altar and started chanting.
Leiya assumed her position and move forward. She is to protect the lady enchantress while she was in the midst of calling the guardian spirit.
Her aunt will not be able to move while in this state. When the spirit guardian of the greenmist was summoned, Marikit Luywal Hati's consciousness will take over the the spirit guardian. She will then be able too see everywhere and controll all the trees that is covered by the greenmist. She can talk and give direction to her group. She will be everywhere where the greenmist covers.
The only downside is that while her consciousness is in the spirit guardian of Greenmist, Her physical body will be vulnerable.
That's why it will be Leiya's job to protect her aunt, the lady enchantresses' body.
"They entered the trees." They heard the voice of the lady enchantress in the air.
'It's starting.' Leiya tightly gripped her fist and look sharply forward.
A few minutes later, she could hear a distant shouts of the demons. The sound of trees slamming their big branches to the ground, and the sound of sharp thunders that the demon's weapon produce.
Leiya stayed in her position. Her job was to protect the lady enchantresses' body.
"I need five hand assistants to move forward. Prepare low tiered containment prisms." The voice of the lady enchantress whispered in the air again.
Five of the five hand-assistants on standby rushed forward.
'I wish i get a chance to fight.' Leiya sighed.
Her aunt, The lady enchantress was really strong, just a few minutes into the battle and she was already asking for containment prisms. That means she had already immobilized and neutralized a number of demons, ready for capture.
She was thinking about rushing forward too, and join the battle when she heard a loud crack of thunder in the sky.
It was the sound of the demon's weapons but this time it was hundred times louder. The demons can manipulate fire, thunder and lightining.
She heard the loud crash of thunder again, then it was repeated once more.
Leiya also noticed that a cloud of dust will rise from the top of the trees after each sound of loud thunder.
More loud crash of thunder was heard and it seemed to get closer and closed to her position.
"Lady mistress! can you hear me! " Leiya shouted to the air,
Her aunt didn't reply.
More loud thunder came and a fire was started to spread.