[Hecate, Maeve, Nefertiti and Talila's POV]
The four girls continued their journey through the forest while watching their surroundings. They had just lost some marines to a nasty pitfall trap. Hecate took point as she used her moon magic to scan the ground, finding dozens of traps all over their path.
Talila had her bow ready while Maeve protected the rear as the marines circled them. While traveling through the forest, the two pink eagles returned to Nefertiti, letting out a few squawks and informing her of everything they knew.
Nefertiti nodded before talking to the others. "There are a lot of monsters between us and the swamp we need to reach, but they don't seem too strong."
Everyone nodded and continued through the dense foliage, only to see more trees blocking the way. Maeve and Talila had to use their swords to cut their way through until they ran into a group of goblins fighting cannibals.
When the girls spotted them, they didn't even wait. They started attacking the monsters without mercy and cut them down before continuing through the forest, only to have the atmosphere change.
Nefertiti stopped and spoke to Talila, "Can you scout ahead? It's getting dark, and we must set up camp and the protection runes."
Following that, she told the Marines commander, who agreed with her judgment and ordered the soldiers to set up their tents around the queens for protection. Afterward, Talila vanished into the forest while everyone else secured the camp.
The succubus walked around the edge and cast dozens of security runes to prevent the monster from approaching. The large group took ten minutes to set everything up and another ten to secure everything.
Afterward, Maeve and Hecate started a fire to make dinner as Nefertiti joined them. The orange-haired girl asked in a concerned voice, "Will Tali be alright?"
Hecate nodded with a smile. "Yes, she grew up in a forest like this, so she knows how to move through it unseen."
Maeve smiled, and the three began preparing a meal. Nefertiti pulled some meat and bread from her storage ring and placed them over the fire to make toasted meat sandwiches, a recipe Archer had shown them a while back.Updated chapters at novelhall.com
While they were cooking, Talila suddenly emerged from a bush, startling Maeve and making her jump. This elicited a round of giggles from Nefertiti and Hecate. Once everyone settled down, the four girls sat around the fire and ate while the Dragon Marines stood guard at the camp's perimeter.
Once the camp was secured, the girls filed into the tent, which was the size of a small house Nefertiti got from Archer when she returned to the Zenia Empire. All four of them found a place to get comfortable and soon fell asleep.
The following morning, they awoke to screams and shouts, causing them to rush outside only to see the Dragon Marines fighting with Wild Humans. They joined the fight as Maeve cut down three enemies charged at them.
Talila was already letting her mana arrows loose, killing many Wild Humans that breached the Marines's shield wall. At the same time, Nefertiti and Hecate used their magic to protect as many soldiers as possible.
It was chaos because hundreds of Wild Humans and monsters were attacking them from all directions. The Dragon Marines were falling one by one, which forced Maeve to react and shore up the defenses, but it would last too long.
with Archer."
"Why do you think that?" Maeve asked, curiosity piqued.
"Because strange things always seem to happen around him. When Archer met Tiamat starts courting a goddess! Who does that? But somehow, the dragon goddess seems to adore him in
return."
Talila and Maeve giggled before something dropped in front of them with a crash, causing Nefertiti to cast Arcane Shield to protect them. That's when a shadow covered them before Hecate appeared with a smile.
"Got the Nevader Tree, ladies. It was hanging out by a lake, and I just snatched it up," the
moon elf explained.
After extracting the monster's heart, Hecate looked at them and said, "Let's get moving. We need to head for the Verdantia Continent for the Holy Leaf."
They all nodded and headed out of the forest, chatting animatedly about Hecate's newfound powers and wondering if other girls had experienced similar transformations when Ella told Nefertiti about Leira's, Sera's, Halime's, and Nala's Primal forms.
Nefertiti grew excited about their newfound strength. In turn, she shared with Ella about Hecate's dragon form, which stunned the half-elf. She sent her two pink birds into the sky, instructing them to scout for any monster swarms on their way back to the Landing Crafts. The dense forest proved a constant nuisance, with branches whipping against them, prompting Maeve to hack a path through the underbrush. As they ventured further away from the center, the frequency of monster attacks increased.
However, their combined skills and unwavering teamwork allowed them to repel each assault effectively. When the sun dipped below the horizon, Hecate took to the air, carrying the group above the forest canopy.
While they soared through the twilight sky, the two pink birds returned, their excited squawks informing Nefertiti that they were only a few miles from the beach. Hecate found a mountain ledge and touched down before curling up.
Maeve, Nefertiti, and Talila slid off her back, landing softly on the ground. The succubus looked up and questioned, "Are you not joining us in the tent?"
"No," the moon elf's deep voice responded. "I want to feel the wind while relaxing, Nefi."
"Okay," Nefertiti replied with a smile. "I'll bring out some food once we've cooked."
"Thank you."
The three girls walked into the tent, which Hecate had handed over and Maeve had set up easily. Once inside, Talila and Nefertiti began preparing a meal together, cooking up a hearty
bowl of meat stew.