The harpy woman watched, her gaze wide and eager, and when the blue lightning sparks danced in Iris's eyes, she screeched in delight. Mocha interpreted her enthusiastic chatter. ‘Yes, yes! We must help the queen! She needs you.’

Iris narrowed her eyes, her gaze still flickering with the traces of her magic. “Where is the queen?”

The harpy woman chattered and Mocha translated, her voice grave. ‘She attacks the evil elf, it is a sure death, but she must! She must! Too many have been killed. Too many taken.’

Akane, in her dire fox form, watched the exchange with a low growl rumbling from her throat.

Iris's heart sank.

They were no longer going on a recon mission; they were stepping into the middle of a war.

“Are you okay to go? Can you show us where the queen is attacking? We don't know where the Marauder Prince is.” Iris's voice was steady, holding onto her resolve.

Nodding, the harpy woman stood, stretching her wings and giving a few tentative flaps. However, as she began to move towards the tent entrance, Mocha interjected, her nickering carrying a sense of urgency. 'Wait! We can't fly!'

The harpy paused, looking back with a huff. But after a moment, she nodded.

Iris looked at Bree who was watching with wide eyes, clearly not understanding any of it except the terran’s side. “Get the others together and ready. We need to leave soon, apparently, the harpy queen is going to be attacking the Marauder Prince soon, and they know it’s suicide. They’ll need our help.”

Bree nodded and rushed out of the tent. Akane caught Iris’s eye and gave her a slight nod before she too dashed around them and out of the tent.

Iris glanced at the harpy, moving to hold the flap open for her before she gestured with her head to the exit.

The harpy gave her a searching look and seemingly made up her mind on something and walked outside with slow, hesitant movements.

As Iris emerged from the tent, everyone was already moving. Gryff was holding a pike and conversing with Bree before he handed her his spear. The man examined the pike for a moment, getting a feel for its weight before he hefted the new weapon to his shoulder.

While Laken prepared the owlbear’s saddle, Kaira came and handed Iris a bowl.

With eggs.

A sense of unease washed over her. Iris glanced at the harpy and down at her eggs. “This isn’t…”

Kaira snorted. “No! Oh gods, Iris. Why was that your first thought?”

“Well, uh,” Iris started. She didn’t really have an answer for that… “Nevermind.”

Iris allowed herself a quick bite of food and a sip of water and her stomach churned almost immediately with anticipation but she forced herself to eat, knowing they needed all their strength for what lay ahead.

The high elf just shook her cute head before walking away and gathering her own gear. She picked up a couple of small axes and strapped them to her back before grabbing her sword and shield and rolling her shoulders.

When she finished, she grabbed her bow and her quiver of arrows, along with two more pilfered from the camp, and attached them securely to either side of Mocha’s saddle. The act was a familiar, almost soothing routine that helped her focus, and she talked quietly to her friend as she made sure her armor was nice and taut.

As she turned back to look at her party, she noticed them all waiting for her word. Their faces reflected the seriousness of what lay ahead, their focus held an unwavering determination in their eyes.

With a nod, Iris signaled that it was time.

The harpy woman, now their unexpected guide, flapped her wings once before taking to the sky. Akane darted after her, keeping the bird woman in sight.

Despite her earlier fears, she flew confidently and kept low enough to lead them through the dense forest.

The party moved out and followed the harpy woman.

Iris turned and gave the camp one last look, wondering how long it would be before the forest reclaimed it, before she led Mocha into the forest.

Following the harpy through the thick woods, the daylight was slowly becoming brighter, causing the forest to become increasingly hot and sticky. Sweat trickled down Iris's back and forehead.

Let’s not even talk about what’s going on under my chest armor.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

She couldn’t wait for the cool bath she would take once they returned to civilization.

Maybe with Kaira…

She blushed.

Shaking her head, she forced those thoughts out.

Now was not the time to be distracted, they had a quest to carry out.

The trek through the forest was rather uneventful, other than a few small animals darting in and out of the underbrush. The sound of their movement, although tiny, echoed in the dense forest and constantly kept everyone on edge.

After several kilometers of walking, they reached another harpy camp.

It was barren.

But at least it did not seem like it had been cleared out by the poachers.

Their guide landed gracefully beside them, her face filled with an urgency that Mocha translated. 'They are gone, gone. Queen has called all to war.'

Iris could see the worry lines etching deeper into the harpy's face, her eyes glassy.

She nodded at the harpy, her voice filled with determination. “Lead the way.”

With a swift nod, their harpy guide took off again, her wings creating a gust of wind that blew leaves around them.

Akane gave Iris a long look before bolting after the harpy, her red tails disappearing into the greenery.

Turning back to the others, Iris saw Kaira walking up to her. The elf gave her a pat on the shoulder and a reassuring nod before heading after the others. Iris took a moment to compose herself before joining them.

✦ ✦ ✦

After two relentless hours of trekking through the forest, the piercing screech of their harpy guide sliced through the stifling humidity. It was a sound that immediately set Iris's senses on high alert, her every instinct recognizing it as a warning.

Like storm clouds manifesting in a clear sky, two more harpies emerged from the foliage, their feathered bodies blurring through the dense trees. They swooped down, their talons glinting menacingly in the dappled sunlight. Iris felt her heart tighten as she took in their aggressive stance, their eyes sharp and focused on the party.

In response to the impending threat, Iris invoked her [Arcane Capability], her muscles flexing as a surge of power rippled through her. It was like a jolt of electricity, causing her hair to stand on end as she channeled mana into her body. Her hand instinctively moved to call upon [Rushing Winds], the spell that would bolster her speed and agility.

If a fight was coming, she would be prepared.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party reacted with equal promptness.

Kaira raised her shield and hefted her sword, the curved steel glinting in the sunlight while Gryff readied the pike with a determined grimace etched on his face. Laken already had an arrow nocked and pulled taut on his bowstring, his sharp eyes trained on the harpies, while Bree stepped in front of Iris with a shield raised and spear angled upward.

Just as Iris braced for an attack, their guide landed in front of the party, her wings flaring out as she screeched a sequence of sharp and staccato sounds.

The two new harpies paused mid-flight, their wings fluttering as they hovered in place.

It was as if the very forest held its breath as an intense exchange unfolded–or at least Iris’s party as the two landed and an intense exchange unfolded, the screeches and squawks echoing through the otherwise silent woods.

Iris watched tensely, her adrenaline pumping as Mocha translated their conversation next to her.

Eventually, it seemed their guide's words had some effect.

Mocha’s nickering carried a tone of amusement, 'They're arguing about us. Oh, the one that likes us just called you the lightning goddess come to help them. They...'

The intensity in the harpies' eyes faded slightly, and their wings lowered in a less aggressive stance.

Mocha paused as the two turned to look at Iris, their eyes widening in recognition. 'Yup, they're convinced.'

Her friend nudged her, prompting Iris to hoist herself onto Mocha’s back without protest. Secure in the saddle, the group continued on with the two additions flying above as the group below moved at a brisk pace toward where the fighting was occurring.

The further they ventured, the more devastating the evidence of the ongoing war became. The forest, once teeming with the songs of birds and rustling of leaves, was now eerily silent, the air thick with an undercurrent of dread.

Then the first tangible sign of the battle came into view; a ruined encampment, where the remnants of a poacher's camp lay in ruin.

Iris could only gawk at the sight.

Massive stones and gnarled vines seemed to have sprung from nowhere, crushing tents and equipment beneath their weight.

The ground was a grim mosaic of fallen bodies, harpies and poachers alike strewn haphazardly in the aftermath of what must have been a fierce confrontation.

Her [Danger Sense] hummed slightly, but not urgently. She wasn’t sure what it was, but she knew something was off.

Iris grabbed her bow and took a deep breath before she reached into her quiver and nocked an arrow onto the bowstring, her fingers brushing against the fletching with familiar ease.

With a mental command, she used her [Mana Conduit] spell, focusing a surge of mana into her weapon so that it would easily channel her magic through it.

At the same time, she cast [Static Discharge] into the arrow, watching as raw electricity crackled along the shaft with an eerie glow.

With the magic-infused arrow at the ready, Iris scanned the ruined camp from astride Mocha, gently nudging her friend forward. Akane, in her dire-fox form, prowled ahead of the group, her ears pricked and alert for any danger.

Kaira, Bree, and Gryff formed the center of the group, their weapons at the ready as they spread out slightly and moved through the camp.

At the rear, Laken riding his owlbear, guarded their flank as the two companions searched for any threats with sharp and vigilant eyes.

Their progress through the devastated camp was cautious and deliberate as they stepped around large stones and withered or burnt vines, the crunch of leaves, the flapping of wings above them, and the rustle of armor were the only sounds in the tense silence.

Which was, of course, the moment the buzzing of her [Danger Sense] went wild.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.