Lizzy softly grumbled to herself. Even though they had just come from a whole adventure as a whole team, she hated it when the whole guild wasn't together for some action. Though we did have to team up with other guilds... she thought to herself with a sigh. She liked the other guilds; there was no question about that. But she wanted to do some girls-only stuff. Or should I say Queens-only stuff? Lizzy smirked to herself. Bleh. Lana's basically Lana in the game; even I have trouble remembering it's actually Sean half the time, she mused.

“Still, that's an interesting trio we sent out... aren't they basically a love-triangle?” Derwydd said softly as they followed the sounds of battle. He was with her and Healina, while the others had gone to another location with some of Derwydd's guild to help another fight.

“Don't say that in front of Ari, though!” his girlfriend returned.

“Bleh. Even Anhe gave you-know-who a valentine this year... but Mary's definitely had her eyes on him for a long time.” Lizzy remarked. “Still, it's not like anything's gonna happen, you know. Ari and Lana, and their real selves; they're inseparable.”

“I know, I know.” Derwydd returned.

“Do you?” Lizzy gave him a dubious look.

“If you're going that direction, don't forget Joanna,” Healina shrugged.

“Ugh. That chick is a whole 'nother case.” her friend replied immediately.

“Don't we all know it,” Derwydd grinned. “You're right, though. Mary's more considerate about her feelings.”

“Dang right.” Lizzy nodded.

A fireball landed in front of them. They jumped back just in time, and a few members of an enemy guild known as The Mumblers emerged from hiding. Lizzy held up her halberd, a smile of glee upon her face as Healina readied her battle-summoning and Derwydd initiated his transition to werebear.

“Looks like you guys picked the short straw tonight!” Lizzy crowed.

***

On another side of the map, Lysandra, Anhe, and Belle had gotten separated from Peaches and her guild members. Belle was on Anhe's shoulder, and Anhe was on Lysandra's back, the other girl having gone werewolf a few minutes ago when they had been ambushed by an ally guild of the King-Priests, Serpentine Flames. Right now they were leading a party of that guild deeper into the wilder parts of the region towards one of their own outposts.

“This is the trapped one, right?” Belle asked.

“I am sure of it! I helped Lana set it up when we first came out here,” Anhe nodded. “We set up an awful lot of traps around it!” she said with a smug grin.

“Well I don't see us getting caught by those dawdling ditzes back there, but it's nice to make certain of it all the same!” Belle smiled.

“Hrrgh! Now there's one in front of us!” Lysandra growled.

“Eh?” Anhe looked ahead, seeing a figure standing there in the road. He had short black hair, the bangs of which fell over the left side of his face, and he wore a set of dark-blue leather armor. Lysandra halted, and Anhe got off her back while Belle took to the air.

“This scent... Venomheart!” Lysandra said with another growl.

“Cobra, at your service.” the man said in a calm tone as several large cobra-like serpents came to his side.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“You want to be of service to me? Then just up and walk away, or let yourself be killed!” the werewolf girl retorted.

“No-can-do! I've got to pay you back for that voyage, you see, and I hear a couple of my friends have it out for Lana because of some other screw-up. So I have to go back to them with some good news, don't I?” Cobra said with a grin.

Lysandra let loose with her infamous howl, Howl of the Void. The animal-tamer froze, his face contorting with anger. Lysandra could almost hear him mentally berating himself for his oversight in forgetting who she was while Belle readied a spell for their next set of visitors coming up behind them. Anhe powered them up with a couple of auras, and Lysandra herself strode calmly and unnervingly towards the unlucky man.

“For a beast-tamer, you are stupid to forget you're dealing with a beast as your enemy!” she said mockingly. An irate gurgle of sound came from his lips as she drew out her sword, lopping off his head and sending him back to a spawn point as his serpents scattered. “One down!” Lysandra grinned.

“Thirteen to go,” Belle added. “Don't howl them to death yet! I have something special I want to try on them!”

“Sure,” her partner nodded.

“I will use an empowerment aura for spells and enchantments, then!” Anhe said.

“Thanks, kiddo!” Belle smiled, and when the others were in range she cast Fairy Madness on them; some of them acted drunkenly, some of them acted plain out silly, and others began turning on their fellows. “Whee! It worked!”

“Still,” Lysandra said as she shifted back to human form, adjusting her top, “For someone from Venomheart, he was a pushover... and apparently Lana was able to sneak up on the ones at the Torching Mount without a hitch.”

“They've been underestimating us a bit, but they'll probably start getting more serious with us from now on.” Belle observed. “I bet that guy actually had some sort of anti-werebeast skill, if he'd only thought about it instead of summoning up snakes right off the bat.”

“That was definitely a good on his part,” the other nodded back.

“Kyaaa-hahahahahahaha-hahahh!!” a maniacal voice sounded out with laughter, and the three girls immediately formed a back-to-back triangle for defense. Another figure in black and blue armor that completely obscured them fell down from a nearby tree, landing like a cat. “That's why you need to waaaiiit, Cobra! But it's no problem! Hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo-haahh! Venomy will take care of them for you!!” a man's voice emanated from the new arrival.

“Great, another Venomheart member... and a psycho,” Lysandra sighed heavily.

“Non non non! I prefer the term 'psyched'!! Whaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-hahh!” the reply came.

“And a wise-arse, too.” Belle softly grimaced.

“Looks like an assassin... tch, should've stayed wolf!”

“Change back! Belle and I will distract him for you!” Anhe said, charging ahead with the pixie-girl at her side.

“Right!” Lysandra said as she shifted back to wolf while they kept him busy.

He could hit neither of them, and he seemed to get more bonkers every time he failed to do so. Anhe, on the other hand, had given him at least three good whacks with her staff, and Belle had put a dizzy spell on him. Lysandra, observing him a moment more, decided on a different howl. When she had used it, he began scampering away like a rabbit at full speed--which was considerable.

“Must be a half-elf,” Lysandra remarked as she again resumed her human form, sighing as she adjusted her top again. “Why do I bother with it...”

“Now, now,” Belle grinned.

“I know, I know.” the other smiled. “Wouldn't want people to think I'm part of that guild.”

“What guild is that?” Anhe wondered. Lysandra whispered some words in her ear, and the younger girl blushed crimson.

“Stop scaring the kiddos, babe.” Belle said, flicking her partner on the nose. “We've got some more fighting ahead of us; and that--Venomy, was it?--he'll be coming back, I bet.”

“You're right. Come on, cutie, let's go.” Lysandra said, patting Anhe on the back.

I hope she is just joking with me, Anhe thought bemusedly as they headed towards a plume of smoke rising in the distance. After all, it would be very difficult to do a lot of the things in this game in that state, she mused as her cheeks colored again. The sound of a battle-horn then came from the direction of the smoke.

“Recognize it?” Belle asked.

“Sounds like Valiant Maidens. Let's go!” Lysandra said, and the three of them picked up the pace as they made for the next scene of battle.