86. The Goblin Princess and Demoness. [Bonus]
[Fangoria Kingdom - Frostwood, Northern Continent ]
As she flew through the city, a short girl beamed with pride at the machine she had designed and built for the royal goblin army.
It bore a vague resemblance to a certain dwarven flying machine from a tabletop RPG on Earth.
The royal guard was in hot pursuit, but she paid them no heed. Looking back with a massive grin, she laughed as they shouted at her.
"Princess Zephyra, halt the Skywing now under the order of the King!" they commanded.
"Hahahaha, catch me if you can," she taunted as she continued to soar through the air.
Turning her attention back to the machine, she began fiddling with some buttons.
Suddenly, she smashed down a big red one, and the machine shot forward like a rocket.
With a burst of speed, Zephyra shot herself out of the city and headed towards the tundra to test her invention.
Flying over towns and villages, Zephyra's goggles alerted her to a horde of Snowfangs heading towards the nearest village.
She slowed down and flicked some buttons, causing two small, cannon-like weapons to appear on the sides of her Skywing, she smiled.
"Hahahah! Take this, you white beasts!" she exclaimed.
Zephyra pressed down two buttons on the handles, and mana blasts started shooting out of the Skywing, tearing into some of the beasts and ripping them apart.
She sped past them, quickly turned around, and shot even more until the beasts turned tail and ran.
Landing the Skywing, she climbed out to examine her handiwork before mumbling to herself.
"The upgrades worked, and the mana tanks are holding up well. But I could make it a bit more comfortable for the common soldier."
Nodding her head, Zephyra jumped back into the Skywing, and her pointy ears picked up the sound of older machines coming from behind her.
As she started up her own machine, she pressed down the mana ignition button and shot off, deciding to test out the Skywing at the frontline.
She quickly outran the city guards, and soon arrived at the Goblin-Human frontline. She came to a stop and observed what was happening.
The humans fired a volley of magic attacks while the goblin mages shielded the foot troops. Suddenly, a horn was blown, and the goblins charged forward.
Zephyra shot forward, peppering the human forces with mana blasts, causing their frontline to panic.
She pulled away and prepared to attack again, but had to retreat when magic flew towards the Skywing.
Quickly maneuvering out of the way of the spells, she decided to return to the capital to face her father's punishment.
Zephyra flew back to Fanghold City, and as she drew closer, she spotted the Skywings belonging to the royal guards. An hour had passed since she left.
They circled her as she got closer and told her not to speed off again.
''Princess don't speed up anymore, the king wants to see you.''
She nodded her head and followed them back, landing her Skywing in the barracks.
Once she was done with that the royal guards escorted her to a carriage.
Zephyra sat in the carriage and looked out the window gazing out at the bustling city.
The sun had started setting, casting a warm glow over Fanghold City.
As she looked around, she could see goblins, dwarves, elves, and humans all bustling about their business, going to and fro.
The streets were lined with shops, each one displaying its wares in the windows.
There were all manner of fantastical inventions on display. The air was thick with the sound of machinery, the hiss of steam, and the clatter of metal.
Zephyra watched as a group of goblin merchants set up their stalls in the market square, haggling with customers over the price of their wares.
A troupe of elven musicians played on a street corner, their haunting melodies could be heard through the carriage windows.
She smiled as she watched a group of children playing a game of tag, darting in and out of the crowds.
They didn't seem to care about the differences in their races, they were just having fun.
The carriage carried on bringing her closer to her punishment but Zephyra accepted that when she first decided to test the Skywing she built.
As she was staring out the window, she noticed streams of air rushing westwards.
[Avidia, Southern Continent]
A red-skinned demon girl stood on a raiding ship alongside her father, Aamon, who towered seven feet tall.
Aamon turned to her and spoke in a deep, gravelly but gentle voice.
"Nemeia, during this raid, we need to collect food for the upcoming winter, when the crops won't grow. You must stay with your guards if we get separated."
She nodded in understanding.
"Yes, Baba, I'll stay with the guards during the raid."
The tall, red-skinned demon nodded as he turned around to address the rest of the crew.
"Brave warriors, our need for food is greater than ever before. Let us prioritize this above all else. The elves have clearly prepared themselves for battle, so we must be ready for a glorious fight. Get ready to show them our strength!"
The ship crashed into the shore with a deafening thud, sending waves of water splashing up onto the deck.
Nemeia and her father, both dressed in leather armor and armed with swords and shields, stood at the front of the ship, ready to charge into battle.
As soon as the ship hit the shore, they leaped off the deck and charged toward the waiting soldiers.
Her heart pounded with excitement and fear as she ran towards the enemy lines, her father at her side.
The soldiers were waiting for them, their weapons at the ready, but the girl and her father were prepared for this moment.
"Fire!" her father shouted.
The demons in the back cast dark magic at the defenders, throwing the defensive line into chaos as the demons crashed into them.
She swiftly dodged an axe swing and plunged her blade into the elf's neck, moving on to her next target as she cut down more elves.
The demons managed to push the elves back from the beach, and even more, demons poured onto the beach, joining the battle from the flanks.
Hours passed as the demons emerged victorious.
Nemeia stood there, breathing heavily as she cleaned her blade on a dead elf's clothes. She sheathed it and searched for her father, spotting him talking to some of the chiefs.
Walking over to her father she stopped not far away. The conversation between her father and the chiefs looked animated.
After a few moments, her father said a few words to all the other men and women, quieting them down.
He explained something to them, and they all nodded before separating.
As Nemeia's father turned around, he smiled upon seeing her and approached her.
Aamon greeted his daughter with a smile.
''My darling daughter, how was your fight? I lost you not long after we charged,'' he said.
Nemeia nodded her head and replied.
"It was good. The training helped a lot. I feel a little tired, but I'm fine."
Aamon smiled as he patted her head.
"Go get some rest. The first raiding groups have already left, and we're leaving next. I'll come to get you when we do."
She smiled and said, "Thank you, Baba."
Turning on her heels, she went and plopped down under a tree.
As she sat under the tree, watching the sun in the sky, Nemeia noticed streams of the world's mana rushing to the west.
Wondering what was happening, she continued watching.
Nemeia shook her head, trying to clear the drowsiness from her mind. She turned her attention to the horizon, where a fleet of ships was approaching.
With a loud crash, they slammed into the beach, and warriors began pouring out of them, searching for her father.
As Nemeia watched, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.
Hours passed by, and Nemeia was jolted awake by her father's urgent voice.
"Wake up, Nemeia! We're under attack!"
She jumped to her feet, instantly alert and ready for battle. Her father smiled at her as he spoke.
"Just like your mother. Come on, girl! We have work to do."
As the elves approached, Nemeia and her father sprinted toward them, quickly organizing their defense. Nemeia unsheathed her sword, ready for battle.
An elf rushed forward, swinging his weapon at Nemeia. She blocked the attack with her shield and swiftly countered with a stab of her own.
Jumping back, she quickly cast shadow blast at three more elves charging toward her. The blast hit them with full force, sending them hurtling backward.
As another elf attacked, Nemeia raised her sword to deflect the blow.
Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, but Nemeia quickly struck the elf with the bottom of her shield, hearing a satisfying crack.
She finished him off with a swift slash of her sword.