Time's Mistress

First level, defeated

Iris and her siblings watched and listened as the terrain started to change. The trees started to thin out and become charred and twisted. The ground became black from the blood of the demons and humans that have died on it. And then they sensed them. The presence of demons that were in disguise. They got released into the beautiful landscape, causing everything they touched to whither. This is their first test. To bring the flower back to her after defeating a demon wearing the skin of another creature. They are tricky creatures and can disguise themselves as animals.

During the early stages of the war, they would be hidden in the bodies of humans in control who had weak wills. Then, they would cause chaos in the world. The only good thing was, at least for Iris, that once the demons entered the body and took over, the human soul was gone from that body. So it was even easier to kill them, and she did so with little regret because they were no longer the humans that worshipped her. She looked to her siblings as the wind picked up in front of them, throwing around ash and dirt.

"The first contact is about to be made." She smirked as they nodded at her. "We will really see what these soldiers are made of today."

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The small group of five stopped as they met the river. The woman Sim looked at the water, and her eyes grew wide as she spoke to the others.

"The water is no longer clear. It has been tainted. There is blood and ash washing down it." They all looked to where she pointed before they heard a rustling in the brush. They watched as the leaves started to wilt and turn black. They twisted and dried up before falling. Out from the brush walked a creature. It had short brown fur and a fluffy long tail. It's black beady eyes looked them over. Its nose twitched before another one appeared behind it. They looked on. Jan felt chills race through his spine as he saw the eyes of one of them flicker in color. They reminded him of demon eyes.

He put his arms out and made everyone take a step backward. "I don't know what manner of creature this is, but it's not safe." He watched it. "It looks like a little demon. I say we kill them now so we can finish this." Everyone was silent for a moment before they agreed. The other woman from the group pulled out her bow and arrow and aimed.

"If we don't know what it is, it is better to not get too close." She pulled back and released her arrow. It hit its mark, killing the possessed animal instantly. The one behind it looked on in anger. They heard it growl, and it's back hiked up with its brown fur standing high. The creature started to morph and grew. The group jumped into action. The woman released another arrow that barely missed. The animal managed to drag itself away just in time for the arrow to land a deadly blow. It's ill portioned body looking uncomfortable. Its tail dragged on the ground as its head started to grow. The two teeth that had barely been protruding from its mouth grew and formed two needle-like blades. Its eyes turned red as its legs and its body started to grow. The claws dug into the ground. The fur of its body started to grow and become unruly, to the point of an almost matted state. The group ran to get into different positions while the demonic creature changed its shape. Jan gestured to the two other men, and they drew their weapons in stealth. The women hid in what was left of the brush. They also had their weapons drawn and waiting. They the long snort of the creature twist as it sniffed the air and started to look around. It dragged its paws on the ground as if they weighed too much to hold up. Its body started to grow to finally catch up to its size. It stood on two legs but remained hunched over.

The breathing of it was exaggerated as the body moved up and down with force. In that moment, the wind picked up. The creature caught the scent of one of the guys and launched itself directly to him. It was faster than any of them had expected. It landed where he had previously stood as he barely managed to drop and roll away in time. Sim throw a knife at its back while the other woman releases an arrow. They both hit their mark as the creature howled in pain. The men took that moment to attack. Jan pulled his sword and swiped at the legs. He managed to cut halfway through the ankle before his sword got stuck. One of the other men, with brown hair and blue eyes, struck the creature in the neck. It grabbed him by the throat in mid swing.

Its long claws curled around his neck as it started to pierce his skin. The smell of burning flesh filled the air as it leaked poison through the claws. He clinched his teeth in pain. The third man with blond hair and brown eyes managed to stab it directly where its heart should have been in the chest. It roared in anger at the attack. Finally, the two women revealed themselves to land the final blow on the creature. It released a bone-chilling howl before it fell over. Black blood stained the ground around them as they all panted. Jan looked at the man who had gotten the small punctures in his neck.

"Are you okay, Howl? That looks like some pretty nasty marks." He nodded with a smile.

"The fuckers hurt like hell, but I'll be fine. I will get aide once we reach the finish." Jan smiled. They nodded.

"Do you need help walking back, brother?" The men asked.

"No, I should be fine, Luna. But I'll let you know if that changes." She nodded. They all laughed.

"Well, that was a close one." The blonde haired man said. "The triplets were almost twins." Luna hit the man.

"Don't kid like that, Louis. If you put that luck on us, I'll punish you myself." He laughed.

"I was only kidding, Luna. Besides, we can't be the twins of the soldiers. Jan and Sim already have that covered." He looked at them. "Besides, three is better than two." They all chuckled.

"Well, at this moment, five is better than 3 big heads. But let's go before we run into more of those demons. I'm ready to finish this test for the day." They all nodded. But before leaving, they took back their weapons. After the last weapon was pulled out, the body began to twitch and seizure. They stepped back before the hideous body just disappeared in a burst of golden smoke. In its place was a blue orb. It was crystal clear. They noticed a second one that was by where they killed the first creature. They looked at each other.

"Do you guys think that we should take these with us?" Sim asked in question. They remained silent for a moment.

"This may be part of the test to please her majesty. I think that we should take them back to her." They thought before Louis walked over and picked them up.

"They are warm to the touch and so smooth. I will hold onto them until we return." They nodded as he put them in his pack that he always carried.

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The group of five returned to the starting point to see the three royals sitting where they left them. They looked around to see an empty field. They were the first ones to return. They saw Iris smile at them as they approached her with heads bowed.

"I see that you five are the first to return." They nodded at her as they presented the flowers. She smiked at them in gratitude before taking them. They saw as she closed her eyes and clasped the flowers in her hand. She inhaled, and they gasped as the flowers slowly disappeared, turning into golden energy that they could see. The energy entered back into her body as she breathed. It was only a matter of a couple of seconds, but it was amazing to watch. She opened her eyes as they swirled with those three colors before returning to the normal two different colored ones.

"You five have done well, and as a reward, tomorrow, you five will have an advantage over the rest." They nodded with prideful smiles on their faces.

"Um, your highness," Luna asked cautiously. She nodded at her to speak. " My brother Howl got his neck injured. I was wondering if it was possible for you to heal him." She looked at him as he shuffled his feet.

"Of course I can, kid. Come Howl, I will fix it." He nodded and stepped forward. "Move your head up." He did as instructed. She put two fingers on one of the claw marks. They started to glow as a warmth invaded Howl's body. He sighed in relief and relaxation as she pulled her hand away, smiling.

"Oh, and your highness, I almost forgot." Louis pulled the two orbs out of the pack. "We collected these from the demons that we slayed. We brought them back as a gift to you."

Iris's expression lit up. This group was definitely giving her high hopes. They had returned two jewels of her power. She patted his head, causing the tall man to blush profusely. This group was definitely interesting, and she couldn't wait to see what the next three floors had in store for them. She took them gently and slid them into her pocket. If this group were going to be the ones that ended becoming her elites, she would give them a gift at the end of the tower. It felt like what she meant to do.

"Thank you for your consideration, twins, and triplets. I will not forget your kindness and hard work. Now go and relax until the day is over." They nodded and walked to sit behind the royal siblings. They were beat, it was good that it was over.

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In all, one hundred and thirty had managed to pass the first level. Luckily, all 200 had managed to get to the flowers. But they didn't make it back in time when encountering the demonic creatures. So, no one would get their military position revoked by being kicked out. There was some serious retraining that was to be done, though. But out of everyone, only the first five that had returned had given her the flowers and also returned with the gifts that were the tiny jewels of her power.

All exited the tower, and the chains and locks were back on the door, sealing it closed until she opened it again. Tomorrow would be another day. The next test would be a little harder, one of the strategies and brains. Muscle was good, but that's not the only thing that makes a great soldier. It is also the thinking on feet. Tomorrow was going to be even better.