Eira woke up before the sun had risen, the excitement of the day ahead already coursing through her veins. She had always dreamt of joining Lady Leora's army and becoming a warrior. Her mother had told her stories of the brave women who had fought for their village against the monsters that roamed the nearby forests and mountains, and Eira had grown up idolizing them. She had been training in secret for years, honing her skills with a sword and bow, and now, finally, she had a chance to prove herself.
She dressed quickly, pulling on her armor and strapping her sword and bow to her back. She was careful not to wake her younger sister, who was still sleeping soundly in their small cottage. Eira didn't want to worry her family by telling them where she was going. They were simple farmers, and they wouldn't understand her burning desire to fight for their village's safety.
As she made her way towards the village square, she saw the other soldiers gathering, all of them looking grim and determined. Lady Leora, the village's noblewoman and commander of the army, was already there, barking orders at her soldiers. She was a tall woman with fiery red hair and piercing green eyes, and Eira had always been in awe of her.
Eira approached Lady Leora nervously, her heart pounding in her chest. She steeled herself, and said, "Lady Leora, I know I am just a young girl, but I have tried to train for years and I am ready to fight for our village's safety. Please, let me join the raid today."
Lady Leora looked her up and down, assessing her carefully. "You have courage, I'll give you that," she said. "But this is not a game, Eira. The monsters we face are dangerous, and they won't hesitate to kill you."
"I know, Lady Leora," Eira said, trying to keep her voice steady. "But I am willing to take that risk. The people here are my family! Please, give me a chance."
Lady Leora looked at her for a moment longer, then nodded. "Very well. You can join the raid today. But you will follow my orders without question, and you will stay close to the other soldiers at all times. Understood?"
Eira nodded eagerly, her heart singing with joy. She was going to be a warrior.
The soldiers set off soon after, marching towards the forest with grim determination. Eira kept close to Lady Leora, watching her every move and trying to learn as much as she could. They reached the edge of the forest just as the sun began to rise, and Lady Leora signaled for them to stop.
"Listen up," she said, addressing the soldiers. "We don't know what we're going to face in there. Be on your guard at all times and stay close to your comrades. We are going to search for any monsters we can find and take them out. Understood?"
The soldiers nodded, their faces serious. Eira felt a thrill of excitement run through her. This was what she had been waiting for.
As they entered the forest, the air grew cooler, and the light grew dimmer. Eira felt a chill run down her spine as she imagined the monsters lurking in the shadows. But she was determined not to show her fear. She gripped her sword tightly and kept her eyes peeled, searching for any signs of danger.
They walked for what felt like hours, the tension in the air growing with each passing moment. Eira saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she spun around, raising her bow. But it was just a squirrel, scampering away from them. The team leader that was supervising her and some other recruited villages shot her a disapproving look, and Eira felt her face flush with embarrassment.
Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the bushes ahead of them. Lady Leora signaled for them to halt, and the soldiers readied their weapons. Eira felt her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to see what was coming.
Out of the bushes emerged a pack of goblins, their twisted faces snarling as they charged towards the soldiers. Eira felt a surge of adrenaline as she put her bow away and drew her sword. The Team Leader had signaled for them to do so and prepare, more goblins then rushes out of the sides of the nearby brush and slammed into the side of the soldiers.
The soldiers engaged the goblins in combat, and Eira found herself fighting side by side with Lady Leora and her retainers. She watched in awe as the noblewoman dispatched goblins left and right with ease, her sword flashing in the dim light. Eira tried to keep up, using her training to dodge and parry the goblin's attacks.
As Eira clashed swords with a particularly vicious goblin, she felt a surge of energy coursing through her body. It was like all the worries of combat had disappeared. Her blade felt light in her hand as she slammed it down against the goblin's shoddy sword. The blades clashed and the goblin was shoved back in surprise. Either brought the blade up and down on the goblin, a feeling of pure triumph overcoming her.
As the last of the goblins were cut down, the team leaders then went around and took tally while the priests from the backline came up to heal those that had been injured. Lady Leora walked over to the team leader who was leading our group, it was now that I got a look at the person leading us. He wore a steel helmet that had a face guard and hid his face. His voice sounded young though, 'Maybe in his twenties?' Eira thought, wondering how he had ranked up so fast. He reported that there were no casualties and Eira turned to see the other five that had joined around the same time as her were all out of breath and wide eyed. Eira recognized them as young teens from the southern part of the village. She wondered if she herself looked similar as she caught her breath.
They all had survived the first encounter but there was plenty to go. Each team leader reported in and everyone began their journey through the forest. The entire forest would be swept of monsters and magic barriers renewed just outside the outer edge of the forest.
"I can do this" Eira muttered to herself as she followed after her team leader.