The rich tropical forests of Maruvia were proving to be quite a nuisance for Astri. The jungles carried many shadows, giving cover to Maruvians and other Nightshade members so that the soldiers of the Queen were constantly shifting about in a paranoid manner. Several of the humans wore the odd looking goggles that the general knew would help them see better in the dark, but Astri refused to wear them herself. It was for the same reason she continued to wear her light amount of armour instead of the foolish looking grass camouflage the humans wore as well; they were a bother and would only hinder her performance in combat. Besides, her Multi-purpose Computerised Unit, MCU, altered her vision to adjust to the darkness, so she didn’t need them regardless.
Star walked alongside her, the only nakmen in their troupe. Both stood out, him with purple fur and her in purple and silver armour, but the generals walked confidently through the forests in search of the Nightshade members. The group was a gathering of rebellious citizens of different races who fought against the Queen in hopes of freeing Mehaki. As of late the group had been making a name for themselves to the point that the Queen had actually halted twenty-five year assault on Drafueo to crush the alliance. Nightshade was jointly led by an aerubim magician and a feisty basteline rumoured to be called Liahan which it struck Astri as odd that a basteline actually fought, but even more so that she had heard the name before though she couldn’t recall from where.
A report of Nightshade being in Maruvia was the reason Astri and Star were now leading a squad of almost a hundred soldiers through the dense rainforests in search of the seemingly invisible army. Frogs and birds of bright hues flitted about through the thin beams of sunlight that filtered through the thick canopy. Occasionally, Astri thought she saw a flash of a jungle cat skimming through the trees. Though the general normally dismissed the animals, she also felt a bit wary since any one of them could be a Krant in the animal form.
“Damn, it’s humid in here,” Star grumbled as he tripped over some plant. Taking a glance at her brother, Astri noticed how his fur was dripping with perspiration and knew that he was suffering due to his long fur.
A nearby root snagged onto her cape and she gave a slight tug to free it. They had spent days searching through the jungle with no sign of any threat so far, and the general would have been relieved to at least have some sort of action. It was better than trekking through the miserable rainforest, sweating beneath her armour and getting scratched on the abdomen and limbs by intruding branches.
Her wish was granted when a sharp crack like thunder sounded behind. Astri turned sharply and glared at a soldier who was sheepishly trying to hide his smoking gun, but before she could reprimand him, chaos descended.
Arrows rained down on them from the treetops, instantly killing several of her men before they could even blink. One of the arrows lodged into the shoulder plate of Astri while another struck her brother in his side. Both grunted in pain, but instead of nursing their injuries or even searching for cover, they tended to their army who was frantically shooting in different directions.
“Idiots, dive for cover,” Star barked out, since he had the loudest voice of the both of them. Astri smirked, since she was thinking nearly the same thing, but he finished her thought process by adding, “Aim for the trees, morons. That’s where the arrows are coming from!”
Thankfully the soldiers were disciplined enough to adhere to Star’s commands and it was only then that the generals also searched for cover, though a few more arrows found their way into their skin. Thankfully, none were fatal, and as soon as they pulled the arrows out, Astri chanted, “Ettlan injound curid,” which cured both her and her brother’s injuries.
The battle raged for only a few minutes, before there was a bright flash of green magic and a young woman stepped forward boldly. The soldiers immediately began to aim for her, but their bullets seemed unable to penetrate through her defenses, and the army seemed at a loss of what to do.
“Well, at least they have some good looking mages,” Star muttered, and despite the seriousness of the situation, Astri chuckled. She looked at the young magician, and silently agreed with her brother, for she had beautiful light brown hair that trailed past her shoulders, a somewhat tanned complexion, and gorgeous almost hazel eyes that were brought out by the magician’s red and gold robes.
“Pity we’ll have to defeat her,” commented Astri, with a half grin on her face as she watched the magician easily disarm her soldiers. The aerubim warrior strayed her hand to where her own weapon was, a deadly enchanted blade named after the blood garnet in the pommel.
“Yes, pity,” her brother agreed, flattening his ears in distaste.
Seeing how reluctant he was, she once again chuckled dryly and said, “I’ll take care of it.”
Murmuring a small spell so that she wouldn’t get hit by any sort of projectile, Astri made herself plainly visible to the magician, though she kept Blood Garnet sheathed as she confronted the other. Upon closer inspection, she realised that the other was also an aerubim, determined by the magnificent golden band with jade and amethysts on her right wrist. This also led to the assumption that this was one of the leaders to Nightshade.
A flicker of fear flashed in the younger aerubim’s pretty eyes as Astri towered over her, but to her credit she remained where she was and returned the warrior’s calm expression with a glare of her own. A sudden hushed silence surrounded them; even the insects ceased their buzzing and everybody watched tensely as the two leaders faced off. “General Astri.”
Giving a small smirk in response, Astri began to act her role as an evil general for the sake of the armies surrounding her. “Now is not the opportune moment to exchange pleasantries,” she said in a soft voice, giving a cold sneer. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”
The magician glowered at Astri and clenched her small fists. A flurry of green magic surrounded her for a moment before shooting towards the general. Astri nimbly stepped to the side to avoid the blow, though she was impressed that the younger aerubim was able to control magic without having to use the words of their ancestors. Barking out a few words, the general pointed towards her opponent, sending a beam of violet magic, but that was swiftly dispelled.
A shower of purple and green sparked through the rainforest, missing their targets and rebounding off the thick trees. Soldiers tried their best to avoid the duelists’ spells, but occasionally one of them would get hit and knocked unconscious, since aerubim magic could not be used to kill. Despite her obvious youth, the other aerubim was able to hold her own against Astri.
There was a slight pause as the younger magician stopped for a brief respite. Tiny beads of sweat started forming on her brow and by the way that she tried hard to breathe, Astri assumed that she was unaccustomed to battle and how magic could easily drain one’s energy. For a moment the general thought of finishing the battle once and for all, but before she could summon the power, the aerubim spoke up.
“Why do you do this?” The young woman’s voice was soft but not quite as much as Astri’s nor as confident since it was laced with anxiety.
Lowering her hand so that it matched the other in hanging limply by her side, Astri looked blankly at the other. “Come again?”
“Why are you so evil?” the young aerubim exclaimed, which earned both a snort and an icy smirk from Astri. “Mehaki deserves to be free, not run by cruel people like you and Saundra!”
“Ah, yes,” Astri answered, shrugging and crossing her arms against her chest, careful that her gauntlets didn’t cut into the exposed parts of her skin. Her wavy dark brown hair fell over across her shoulders and her arms as she continued to bear her eyes into the eyes of the other aerubim. “Forgive me; I was under the impression that you were free.” Making sure to keep up her act she continued by saying, “You were the foolish ones to decide to resist the Queen.”
“Free!” the woman exclaimed incredulously, glaring at Astri in an indignant manner that almost amused the general. “We have no freedoms! We can only do what you or Saundra tells us to do! Well no more!” Astri watched with mild interest as the aerubim slowly spread her arms out slightly and another swirl of green magic surrounded her. “Mehaki will be free from you, General Astri, and from Queen Saundra!”
Sighing slightly and resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Astri lowered her arms once again and stared at the young leader. It was by no means the first time she had heard similar threats nor was she foolish to believe that it would be the last time. “Pretty colour display, but I hope you don’t believe to defeat me,” she replied in the arrogant way that the Queen would. “I am undefeated in combat and I will crush you as I have crushed those who dared to resist me. You stand no chance against me.”
The young girl frowned slightly, but instead of replying, unleashed the spell that she was holding. The magic split just before it could hit Astri which confused the warrior.
Behind you! Star’s voice came in her mind, and Astri only had enough time to brace herself before a powerful blow hit her in the back, nearly paralyzing the warrior and engulfing her in a world of pain.
It was the mere fact that Astri remained standing and did not shout out that the younger magician stepped back frightened. Though the warrior was in terrible agony, she kept her expression as neutral as possible and continued the act in order to intimidate her. Forcing out a dark laugh, she replied in an even softer voice, “Is that the best you have, little sorcerer? Surely you can do better.”
The young woman continued to stare at the general, eyes wide in panic. Even the surrounding soldiers stared in shock and confusion that she was still alive. Pain continued to clutch at Astri’s spine, but she tried her best to ignore it as she continued the facade. “You amuse me, and for that I shall be merciful. Flee while I am still in a good mood, or I will destroy you all where you stand.”
After a second of hesitation, the young aerubim said in a soft, trembling voice, “You will meet your match, General Astri. Just wait.”
Scowling deeply and forcing on a sadistic smile, Astri responded in a dry tone, “I’m terrified.”
The two remained staring for a long time, and as pain continued to lance through the aerubim warrior, her temper began to rise but at last the young magician teleported away. Guessing from the lack of rustling leaves, Astri also assumed that she teleported her army away, but since she needed the excuse to be alone, she turned to her army and barked out, “Scout the land. Make sure no one is left.”
“And if you find survivors, you know what to do,” Star added, his deep voice significantly louder than hers.
As soon as the army dispersed, Astri swore violently and leaned against a nearby tree, ignoring the ants and insects that bustled on the bark. Closing her eyes, she waited several minutes for the pain to go away, and still it stung horribly down the length of her back; though she wore a cape, she only wore a half breastplate so the lower half of her torso was unprotected, nor did she have enough time to prepare the MCU.
“Are you okay?” Star asked in a concern manner, rubbing his sweaty head against her hand.
Astri opened her eyes and looked down at her anxious brother, giving a pained smile. “I’ll be fine. I underestimated her is all.”
“Well, you certainly put on a good show,” Star chuckled, though there was still a worried glint in his indigo eyes. “Now everyone is more intimidated by you.”
“Ah yes, I must keep my reputation as a vicious warlord, no?” Astri answered wryly, shaking her head in a slow manner. At last the pain was starting to ebb away, so she stood up straight and said, “Call the soldiers back. We still have an army to relocate and some more beautiful scenery to witness.”
A wicked grin spread on the nakmen’s face and he lashed his tail to the side, accidentally setting a nearby leaf on fire, though the damp air quickly put it out. “Yes, can’t miss out on the scenery. It’s the reason we’re here.”
“But of course,” Astri agreed, wearing a grin on her face as well as the two made preparations to continue their uncomfortable search through the jungle.
