Pumped Out!
While Isa took a dragon carriage to the main gate of the kingdom, a thought occurred to her. She might've taken the job to save her ass, but she didn't consider that she also needed to locate the 3rd princess.
The only detail mentioned about 'The Psycho Witch' was that she was rescued from the forest's heart with her limbs partially torn off, before the heart's dark energy contaminated her, driving her insane.
Since then, she started ruthlessly hunting humans and experimenting on them, going as far as to hang their mutilated body parts on the kingdom's gates.
A chill ran down on Isa's spine, making her shift on her seat.
She might as well get on the good side of the villainesses for now. Maybe if she could save Veronica, the woman wouldn't turn out to be a heartless Psycho in the future.
Right, Isa had to get to her before her personal Regal Knight led her to the depth of the forest's heart.
Cause, that Knight was a traitor, directly working under Prince Maximus to sabotage the demon kingdom in order for the humans to establish their dominance over other kingdoms.
That also caused the financial distress of the demon kingdom, leading Queen Lilith to seek a contract with the Dragon kingdom.
Prince Maximus having caught of this only intended to distrupt their alliance somehow, thus releasing mutated Voragoth Thrasher into the forest.
His plan was for his guards to rescue only the Dragon Princess, leaving the demon princess to suffer a fatal attack.
Unfortunately, Veronica's Regal Knight would lead her to the forest's heart before leaving her all alone to fight high-ranking monsters made out of pure dark energy.
[New Map Acquired]
The system dinged.
[Quest Location has been marked, click to view]
Isa raised her eye brows at the system. She opened the hologram before clicking on the map icon.
"Woah...I knew I would have some kind of advantage because of the open-world game system but this made it more easy."
Isa laughed like a toddler, squealing on her seat.
"I might as well check what I got from the previous quest."
She went to the rewards menu and claimed it without looking much surprised.
"Another 5-star huh. Guess I'll only be hoarding them throughout the story." She shrugged, nonchalantly.
[Item Name: Nexus Of Aegis
Type: 5-star Composite Shield
Details: An ancient shield that received the God's blessing due to the maker's pure intentions to protect her child in the future.
Enchanments:
#Can add up the DEF of 10 extra shields
Stats: When charged to full, releases a lethal shock wave of mana, however its wave lenth can be controlled at wearer's need]
"Damn, doesn't look like a shield though." Isa murmured, taking a good look at the vambrace like structure.
It was a sleek, forearm-mounted artifact. Crafted from a lightweight, obsidian-hued alloy, it wrapped around Isa's forearm like a second skin.
The surface was etched with faintly glowing, runic circuitry that pulsed with a soft, azure luminescence. A central hexagonal crystal was embedded in the device.
Isa curiously tapped on the crystal and a hologram screen appeared.
[DEF: 1500
Charge: 0%
Slot 1: Empty
Slot 2: Empty
...
...
...
Slot 10: Empty]
"I can equip 10 more individual shields here?!"
Isa was amused, suddenly greatful to the system for rewarding her with such a powerful item. Isa was unsure of her survivility earlier, however it seemed the system too wanted her alive.
"Uhh but how do I activate it...right mana...um but how do I use mana or something?"
She paused, then slowly moved her hand to her right chest, where the mana core was believed to reside. With a deep breath, the wary woman envisioned drawing energy from her mana core to the Nexus of Aegis on her left hand.
A wide, golden rectangular hologram sprang vertically from the vambrace, like a lightsaber igniting. The sudden burst startled Isa, making her gasp.
The vambrace forming a large riot/ballistic shield, it attached to Isa's forearm with an invisible link, weightless despite its size.
Being hesitant yet intrigued, Isa touched it. The transparent shield felt undoubtedly solid.
"Now that's cool as hell."
She also discovered, it changed forms according to the amount of mana she channeled to it.
With her overall DEF being 2595, a sudden burst of confidence took over her.
Isa soon exited the dragon carriage and rushed toward the forest, the hologram map fully extended, guiding her to the princess's location which advanced more to the forest's heart with time.
◇◇◇
The heart of the forest never rested. Various viscous sounds echoing through it always kept out the visitors.
Though, the lovely chirping of the birds may distract someone, leading to a temporary peace of mind, it was merely but the calm before the storm.
Veronica remembered a mysterious bard being invited to the Regal palace. One of the many verses performed that day which stuck to her was,
"Beware the rose's velvet bloom, my love, for its petals hide thorns beneath; like a siren's song on a moonlit sea, beauty may mask a treacherous reef."
The princess reminisced, walking hand in hand with her Regal Knight. She was a bit confused as to why this particular verse peaked in her mind at that very moment.
"Are you certain this is the path, Javi?" Veronica asked, looking around the forest that seemed to have darkened a bit, moreover it was chillingly quiet.
Javi turned to face her before tilting his head, flashing his brilliant smile that matched his beauty, clear reason as to why she fell for him.
"Fear not, Princess. I am as familiar with the place as the back of my hand." He replied before taking her hand and pecking it.
A tint of blush appeared on her cheek as she looked away.
"I expressly instructed you to abstain from such conduct in public. You ought to direct your efforts toward devising a solution. How utterly improper..." She mumbled, still not meeting the knight's eyes.
"We find ourselves alone at present, you see." He gently said, squeezing her hand.
"Moreover, I assure you, I am well acquainted with our destination." His enigmatic tone, didn't reach Veronica's ears as she was too busy in composing herself.
With minutes passing by Veronica's heart quickened as the forest grew denser. The air turned heavy, thick with an unnatural chill that clung to her skin.
The area was replaced by an eerie silence broken only by the occasional snap of a twig or a distant, guttural growl.
Her grip tightened on the hilt of her sword, a slender blade forged by the finest demon smiths, its edge glinting faintly in the dim light.
"Javi, something's not right," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the rustle of leaves.
Her eyes darted around, scanning the shadows that seemed to writhe in the corners of her vision.
"Are you certain you are not mistaking the path, considering we have lingered here for some time?"
Javi's smile didn't waver, but there was a flicker in his emerald eyes—something cold, calculating.
"You are merely on edge, Princess. The Forest of Noman beguiles the mind with its tricks. Remain near, and we shall fare well."
His tone was smooth, reassuring, but it did little to ease the knot forming in Veronica's chest. She nodded, though her instincts screamed otherwise.
Her mana reserves were limited, allowing only a handful of earth spells before exhaustion set in. Up to now, she had mostly used mana to craft potions in her lab.
Yet, through years of dedicated training, she sharpened her swordsmanship. Should danger arise, she trusted she could stand her ground—or so she hoped.
The first sign of trouble came as a low, rumbling growl that vibrated through the ground. Veronica froze, her blade half-drawn.
"Did you hear—" Before she could finish, the underbrush exploded.
A hulking beast lunged from the shadows. It stood on four muscular legs, its body covered in jagged, obsidian-like scales that shimmered with an unnatural sheen. Its maw gaped wide, revealing rows of serrated teeth, and its six glowing eyes fixed on Veronica with predatory hunger.
A Darkspawn Wraith, born from the heart's currupt energy and one of the most ferocious predators who resided deep inside the forest's heart.
"How?! We are at the heart?!" Veronica shouted, fully drawing her sword as she sidestepped the creature's charge.
Her blade flashed, slicing through the air and carving a shallow gash across the beast's flank. It roared, a sound that shook the trees, and swung a massive claw toward her.
Javi was already moving, his own sword drawn, but his strikes seemed half-hearted, more for show than effect.
"Stay sharp, Princess!" he called, his voice oddly detached as he parried a glancing blow from the creature.
Veronica barely registered his words, her focus consumed by the Wraith's relentless assault. Another beast emerged from the opposite side, smaller but faster, its spider-like legs skittering across the ground.
Its barbed tail whipped toward Veronica, forcing her to dive to the side. She rolled, springing to her feet with her sword raised, and drove it into the creature's side.
Black ichor sprayed, burning her skin where it splattered, but she clenched her teeth and pressed forward.
Instantly, the wraith's claw was plunged toward her again as she blocked it with exceptional force. However, another one of the small ones attacked her from the side.
Right then earth spikes emerged and peirced through the monster's head as dark ichor gushed out.
Veronica huffed before creating another large earth spike right between the Wraith and her struggling sword. The wide spike emerged from the ground and peirced its vulnerable abdomen.
It roared in pain and Veronica instantly slashed its throat before kicking it.
Her breathing quickened as she felt almosy out of mana. She wasn't built for elemental combat, and these creatures were unnaturally aggressive, their movements erratic and fueled by something darker than instinct.
The monsters kept coming.
Javi's silhouette flickered in her peripheral vision, retreating a few steps.
"Hold them off, Veronica! I'll find an opening!" he shouted, but his voice was farther away than it should've been.
She risked a glance at him but a Wraith seized the moment, its claw raking across her arm. Pain flared, hot and sharp, as blood welled from the wound.
She staggered back, her sword arm trembling but still raised.
"Javi, where are you?!" No answer came.
Four smaller creatures lunged from both sides, their barbed tail grazing her thigh as she twisted away. Her legs buckled under the strain, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Four large earth spikes formed and instantly peiced through them, ripping them apart. A giant spherical of concentrated earth manifested before her and was thrown at the visibly last Wraith that stood the ground.
Its body crushed underneath the earth boulder.
Veronica scrunched her face in pain before taking out a healing potion from her pouch. She drank it in one gulp before instantly, springing up on her feet.
"I have to find Javi—
Another Darkspawn Wraith emerged roaring, larger than the first, its eyes glowing with a sickly green light.
Despite its bulky body, it was a face inch away from Veronica in a blink of an eye. The demon princess, with her last bits of usable mana created an earth shield between them.
However, its claws broke through the shield and launched Veronica to the ground. Her blade escaping her grasp, her body skidding on the ground before rolling away a good distance from the monster.
Blood splattered out from her mouth as her heart burned.
She couldn't use her mana anymore, she'd instantly die and her sword laid far away, out of her reach. However, she needed to find Javi.
In the end, as the monster lunged with great speed, she thought of opening her 1st gate which might give her enormous amount of mana for now but eventually, would shatter her core.
The silhouette who had been leisurely sitting on a nearby tree and watching the exciting fight unfold, finally decided to make their move.
As the Wraith lunged forward like a rhino, a golden flash appeared before Veronica, wielding an unusual vambrace shield.
A tall woman with short black hair, clad in a red long coat, stood firm, absorbing the Wraith's full impact without budging. A golden light gathered in her palm before she struck the creature's chest.
In an instant, the Wraith burst apart, its innards scattering. Raising her vambrace, the woman shielded Veronica and herself from the searing ichor
"Tsk, I wanted to put a hole through its chest, why did it explode?" The woman mumbled, seeming a bit busy with her thoughts.
"Heh who cares. At least I got a 1000 XP."
Veronica's bloody coughs pulled her out of her thoughts. The woman quickly turned around and kneeled on one knee in front of the princess before examining her.
Her hands hovered over Veronica.
"Heal." She chanted.
Like a miracle, Veronica's body instantly healed. She widened her eyes on the advanced healing magic of the mysterious woman.
Suddenly, her guards were high up. This woman felt very powerful to the young princess.
"Reveal your identity this instant." Veronica ordered, her hand clenching tightly, ready to open her 1st gate if threatened.
It seemed the other woman noticed the hostile tone of the princess. Her eyes softened as she bowed down.
"I'm Isadora, a wondering Demon. I was sent by our Queen's order to rescue you." Isadora said with amenity.
TO BE CONTINUED...