On waking to start another day of work, the residents of one particular Human Kingdom village that bordered the Demonkin Nation were greeted by a breathtakingly glamorous tall woman, whose very distinctive cackle filled the morning air.
“Keh heh heh heh!” she chortled. “So who’s the leader of this place?” The woman cut an unusual figure by herself, but the five thuggish-looking men in shades and sporting Mohican-style haircuts following her were even weirder sights for the villagers.
“Yo, so this is the place we’re gonna take over, is it?” one of the men said.
Another hooted darkly. “Man, this village’ll be perfect for ambushes.”
“Hells yeah! Can’t wait to go buck wild around here!” screeched a third.
It went without saying that these comments from the suspicious-looking Mohawks spooked the villagers into thinking they were going to be the targets of the banditry implied, and in spite of her beauty, Mera exuded an overwhelmingly threatening aura that scared the villagers even stiffer. Realizing that she needed to defuse the situation quickly, Mera pulled out a sealed envelope and flashed it at the villagers.
“Relax, babes,” she said with a friendly chuckle. “We’re not here to hurt you. In fact, me and the Mohawks you see behind me are the best friends you’ll ever have. We’re here on the orders of Queen Lilith, so could you please go fetch your village chief or whatever so I can give this to him?”
“Oh, um, sure! Right away!” a male villager replied, before making a beeline for the village chief’s house at top speed. The villagers had no way of verifying what Mera was saying was true, but given how intimidating she was, they decided it was just best to do what she said. A few minutes later, someone that looked like he might be the chief arrived to deal with all the commotion. Although he was past middle age, he still appeared well-built and robust enough to work in the fields.
Mera cackled softly. “Are you the chief of this village?”
“I am,” the chief replied. “And might I inquire as to who you are?”
“Your ruler has ordered us to provide emergency military assistance to this village, hun,” Mera explained. “We’re associates of the Great Witch of the Tower. Here’s the letter containing the royal decree. You can go ahead and read it, by the way.”
“Thank you, madam,” the chief acknowledged, timidly taking the letter from her. He perused the message, which seemed simple and to the point, and perhaps more importantly, backed up Mera’s claim.
We have reason to believe soldiers from the Demonkin Nation are going to cross the border and attack your village, the letter read. By my authority as Queen Lilith, ruler of the Human Kingdom, the residents are hereby ordered to evacuate the village and to follow all instructions given to them by the liaison named Mera. As your queen, I assure you that you will be compensated for any loss of property, and that you will be provided with food, clothing, and shelter while you are away from your homes.
The chief was completely befuddled by the message. “Um, excuse me, madam, but are you sure everything written in here is true? First of all, this seems to imply that Princess Lilith is now queen. Isn’t her father still the governing monarch?”
Mera guffawed. “I guess the news hasn’t reached this neck of the woods yet, huh?” She collected herself and gave the village chief a quick rundown of recent events.
“A summit was held at the Principality of the Nine, and it was there that Princess Lilith was officially named queen after winning a vote held by the other nations, dearie,” she explained. “But the demonkin haven’t taken too kindly to the fact that Queen Lilith has replaced her father, so they’re preparing to launch a series of incursions across the border. We’ve been sent out here to provide you with protection from those raids, as you just read in that letter, sugar.”
Mera’s synopsis caused a buzz to break out among the rest of the villagers who had also gathered to listen. By this point, the village chief was sweating so much, he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his forehead. But he was not completely convinced of the need for him and his people to abandon the village.
“W-We’re honored that you have come to help us, madam,” the chief said. “But this order is so abrupt. It hardly gives us any time to prepare. We have women, children, and sick folk who would be much too weak to make the kind of journey being suggested. And since this is such a remote village, we won’t survive if we can’t manage our crops and livestock. I don’t see any way in which we can comply with this order.”
“Look, hun, the letter said you’ll be fully compensated for any loss to your properties. That includes harvests and livestock,” Mera insisted. “The Great Witch herself guarantees you will be back in the same position once this whole thing blows over, so you can be assured of it. Oh, and another thing, darling: everyone here will be relocated to your destination in a flash using a teleportation item. Over there, you’ll find all of your basic needs taken care of, and there’ll even be entertainment. And if there are any sick or injured people who need help...” Mera turned to the red-haired Mohawk leader behind her. “You’re up.”
“Right you are, Ms. Mera!” he replied. “Okay, boys, show ’em if ya got ’em!”
The Mohawks reached into their bags, but instead of pulling out weapons like the villagers were all expecting, they produced premium-grade healing potions. The elixirs were all products from Light’s Unlimited Gacha cards, and they were far more potent than even the highest-quality potion available up on the surface. However, the Mohawks holding up the potions were licking their lips a little too enthusiastically.
“Wahoo! So who do we got who’s injured here?” one of the Mohawks shouted. “This’ll put ’em outta their misery real quick!”
“Yo, look at their faces!” another Mohawk pointed out. “They must be stoked to be gettin’ the good stuff!”
“It’s just what the doctor ordered, and everyone’s gonna get it!” crowed a third.