After a minute of walking, Aqua's eyes picked up on an outline of a settlement that stretched to the size of a small town.
However, instead of the artificial houses, the roots of the World Tree itself bent and broke to house a race of its protectors.
The small village had no walls and was easily visible to anyone passing through the forest. While for most it would have been foolish to abandon the artificial barricades that were walls, for Vilas, it was not so.
Instead, the forest itself was a wall for them, and Lesh acted as their powerful guardian.
Her eyes glowed for a moment. "Considering their power, I doubt they need Lesh at all," Aqua muttered to herself while walking.
In her eyes, each of the creatures was on par with Rolan's power, without the darkness surrounding them, of course.
Hundred on par with Rolan, impressive. They and Lesh were the most powerful entities other than certain powerhouses she had witnessed since coming to the new world.
It did not take long for Aqua to step into the town. Despite being inhabited by an intelligent race, it was difficult to differentiate it from the forest.
The moment her presence was noticed, all one hundred Vilas flew with immense speed toward her, surrounding her in almost an instant.
Her eyes darted left to right, observing each creature.
They had pointed ears like elves, yet their frame was two heads shorter than Aqua herself, and the white of their eyes was colored black.
Their Monarch wings left behind a faint glimmer, bringing life wherever the dust fell.
Each of them was armed with a spear larger than themselves.
In front of Aqua stood a Vila leader, her hair long and orange, and her eyes blazing gold.
The wings were of amber, and an elegant white silk dress fluttered in the wind. On top of her head stood a circle of flowers, yet despite her image being of a soft girl, her stare threatened to set Aqua on fire.
"Corruptor! Stop where you are, or you will burn!" She barked the order, an aura of blazing light surrounding her.
Another Vila conjured a gravity orb, attempting to pressure Aqua to her knees, yet as it failed to even make her budge, the pink-haired girl merely stepped back with her eyes wide.
The leader gestured to the remaining Vilas, and each of them pointed their spear at her.
Aqua chuckled and raised her arms non threatingly. "I am an ally, I have come to aid the world soul of this world on request of the world soul, Sun God."
The leader eyed her up and down. "Lies, our mother did not appoint a new champion."
Aqua shrugged. "I never said I was this world's champion, did I?"
The fiery-headed Vila glared at her. "Prove it."
Aqua smiled. "Take a closer look, I bear the mark of Sun God, the World Soul that had sent me to aid you."
The Vila's spear disappeared, and she stepped closer, despite the protests of her comrades.
"One wrong move and you die, understood?" The leader questioned.
Of course. Aqua nodded, smiling.
The leader, satisfied with the response, stepped a mere step away from Aqua. She placed her hand on her right eye.
In an instant, the Leader dropped onto her knees, panting and barely conscious.
"What did you do!" The Vilas were prepared to strike, but they were quickly stopped by their leader.
"Stop, she is not lying."
The collapsed leader then tilted her head up, forcing herself to the kneeling position. "Forgive us for the hostile welcome," she said. "We have had attacks conducted by the corrupting forces, and even some of our warriors have been taken from us."
The beast's soldiers got past Lesh? She looked around the village, while at first sight everything seemed peaceful, the signs of fighting were clearly visible.
The scorch marks and the twilight rot oozed over the rot.
Her gaze then fell onto the fiery Vila. "Please stand up."
The leader nodded before quickly pushing herself up. She stretched her hand forward and grinned. "Name is Poludnitza, an honor to meet you, Champion."
Aqua chuckled and grabbed her hand and shook it. "I am Aqua, the Crimson Magister. The honor is all mine."
"To think that there are other champions other than our Empress, I am glad I didn't kill you," She said, giving Aqua a sly wink.
After a moment of silence, Poludnitza turned to the rest of the villagers. "Everyone, the coast is clear. Get back to the restoration of our village. I need to speak to the champion."
In an instant, Vilas returned to their duty, except for one. She turned to the pink-haired Vila. "You, come with us, you can attend to our guest."
The girl nervously walked over, her wings fluttering. "I… It's an honor, champion. Forgive me for using my gravity magic on you!" She shouted while bowing so deeply that Aqua almost thought the girl was gonna fold into herself.
Aqua approached and placed her hand on top of Vila's head. "It is fine, I understand that your duty is to protect this place from any corruption."
The girl immediately regained her composure at the words and hit her chest. "Of course, I am a great protector, Katarina. I will be honored to attend to you during your stay here, Lady Aqua!"
"Thank you, Katarina," Aqua said, smiling.
The smile made the girl blush a little. "If you were a man, I could have made the stay even more comfortable for you, alas, I will try my best!"
She is very cute. Aqua chuckled.
Poludnitza glared at Katarnia. "Katarina, if you have finished fawning over the champion, we need to head out to my home and discuss the champion's purpose."
"Yes, ma'am! At Once!"
The pink Vila flew next to Poludnitza, closely followed by Aqua.
After a minute of walking, the trio passed into a root formation that acted as Poludnitza's home.
The vegetation formed the furniture, and the windows were merely a hole left by the root.
Poludnitza smiled, and with a flick of her wrist, the world tree's roots changed and formed a pair of chairs and a table. "Please take a seat."
Aqua nodded and quickly took a seat.
Poludnitza turned her gaze toward the pink Vila. "Katarina, prepare some tea for us. I will talk to Aqua."
With a quick salute, the girl disappeared, leaving the two to talk in private.
Poludnitza leaned closer, her wings fluttering nervously. "Tell me everything. We did not expect an appearance of the champion."