Chapter 39: Welcome to Oakridge

{Diana}

Diana hated this part. The arrival. The wide-eyed stares of the villagers. The hope in their faces.

Hope she might have to crush later.

“Angels! Look, angels are here!”

A crowd formed as Diana and the others touched down in Oakridge’s central square. Children pointed and gasped. Adults whispered prayers of thanks. An older man with a white beard and fine clothes, probably the village elder, stepped forward.

“Blessed be the divine! We prayed for salvation, and Eternia has answered!”

Diana kept her face neutral as Mara stepped forward to meet him.

“I am Sister Mara of the Compassion Order. We’ve come to help Oakridge with its… problem.”

The elder’s smile faltered.

“Then you know about the disappearances?”

“We do,” Mara said. “Can you tell us more?”

As the elder described the missing villagers. Twelve over the past month, taken at night with no witnesses. Diana scanned the crowd. Fear. It was always the same. These people were terrified, hiding behind forced smiles and relief that angels had arrived.

Diana had seen this before. Too many times.

Her gaze drifted to Grace, who stood awkwardly to the side, looking small in her white angel robes. The kid was in over her head. They all were, probably.

“Sister Diana,” Mara’s voice snapped her back to attention. “I need you to scout the perimeter. See if there’s any immediate threat.”

“On it,” Diana replied, grateful for the excuse to leave the crowd behind.

She spread her wings and took off, ignoring the “oohs” and “aahs” from the villagers. Grace’s words from earlier echoed in her mind.

A corrupted aura. Cold air that only Grace could feel.

If there really was a corrupted angel involved with these demons…

[Fuck. Not again.]

Diana flew in a wide circle around the village, scanning the forests and hills. Nothing at first, just the usual landscape. She expanded her search, flying lower over the trees.

There. Movement in a small clearing about a mile from the village. Diana tucked her wings and dropped down for a closer look, landing silently in the upper branches of a tall oak.

Five demons. Lesser ones, just as the reports had said. As usual, they looked like stretched-out humans, with razor sharp teeth, obsidian black skin and a red, or sometimes purple aura around them. They moved with jerky, unnatural motions, circling something on the ground.

Diana leaned forward to see better.

A deer carcass. The demons were feeding, tearing the animal apart with clawed hands. But they weren’t eating randomly. They were… taking turns? One would step back to let another feed.

[Sure feels like demons are more organized these days.]

That wasn’t normal. Lesser demons were usually solitary scavengers, fighting over scraps. These were cooperating like a pack.

Which meant something was controlling them.

Diana narrowed her eyes, scanning the area for any sign of a larger demon, corrupted angel, or worse, a primal. Nothing she could see, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

One of the demons suddenly looked up, sniffing the air. Diana held perfectly still. It couldn’t sense her at this distance, could it?

The demon growled something to the others. They abandoned their meal and moved into the trees, heading away from the village.

Diana should follow them. Find their lair. Maybe even take a few out while they were separated from whatever was controlling them.

She put her hand on her sword’s hilt.

Her hand trembled.

[No. Not now.]

She clenched her fist, trying to stop the shaking. Images flashed through her mind, her team torn apart, villagers screaming, a massive shadow with glowing eyes…

Diana closed her eyes, forcing the memories back.

She opened her eyes again. The demons were gone, disappeared into the thick forest. Going after them alone would be stupid anyway. Better to report back and make a plan.

That’s what she told herself, at least.

—

{Grace}

Grace had never seen humans look at her with such… reverence.

An older woman kept touching the hem of her robe when she thought Grace wasn’t looking. Children stared with wide eyes. A young man actually bowed every time she glanced his way.

[This is so weird. Last month I was just like them. Worrying about turnip harvests and whether the cute blacksmith’s daughter would notice me.]

“They’ve put us in the mayor’s house,” Alia announced, bouncing up to Grace. “You should see it—it has four bedrooms! Fancy for a village like this.”

“Where is the mayor?” Grace asked.

“Missing. One of the first taken.”

“Oh.”

Mara had organized things quickly. She was examining sick villagers in the town hall, her giant breasts nearly smacking patients in the face every time she bent over. They probably wouldn’t mind that. Meanwhile, Zephyr was already… boosting morale with some of the local militia. Mostly just through listening to them talk, hugging, and, uh… A kiss here or there.

“What should I be doing?” Grace asked, feeling useless.

“Waiting for Diana to come back,” Alia said. “If there are demons nearby, you’ll need to help beat them up.” She paused. “Or, you know, actually kill them. Since you can do that.”

As they walked through the village, Grace noticed something strange floating in her vision. A semi-transparent bar labeled:

Morale: 20/100

[What is this now?]

「Village Interface Activated」

「The Morale Bar tracks the overall spiritual energy of the village. When Morale reaches 100, the area will become Angelic Territory, naturally repelling demonic energy for a period of time.」

Grace blinked.

[So… it’s like a progress indicator for our mission?]

Correct. Morale increases through three primary methods:

「Bravery: Defeating demons and protecting villagers (+2-5 per action)」

「Compassion: Healing the sick and injured (+1-3 per person)」

「Love: Intimate connections that spark joy and hope (+1-3 per encounter)」

[Wait, so every time Zephyr… with a villager… the bar goes up?]

Correct. The Sisters of Love provide an essential service.

Grace’s face heated.

[And the System is just… keeping track of all this?]

It is the most efficient way to monitor mission progress.

[That’s… thorough.]

The village was small but well-kept. People went about their business, but there was tension in every movement, fearful glances toward the forest.

Grace spotted Zephyr through the inn window, chatting with a group of young men and women. They were laughing at something she’d said.

The Morale bar ticked up slightly to 21/100.

[So that counts too? Just making people laugh?]

Joy is a form of Love. The stronger the emotional connection, the greater the Morale increase.

Grace wandered over to the town hall where Mara was treating a young girl with a cough. Her hands glowed blue as she pressed them to the child’s chest.

“Breathe deep,” Mara instructed. “That’s it.”

The girl took a shuddering breath, then another, clearer one. Her mother burst into tears.

“Thank you, blessed angel,” she sobbed. “Thank you.”

The Morale bar ticked up to 22/100.

“It’s what I’m here for,” Mara said, smiling. She looked up and saw Grace. “Ah, Grace. Come to help?”

“I still don’t know much about healing yet,” Grace admitted. “But, I could try.”

“That would be lovely. Watch.”

As Grace observed Mara work, she noticed a faint blue glow surrounding the people Mara healed, lingering after she’d moved on.

By the time Mara finished with her patients, the Morale bar had climbed to 27/100. People were smiling more. Even the air felt a little warmer.

A shadow passed overhead. Diana was back.

Grace stepped outside just as Diana landed in the square. Her face was grim.

“Well?” Mara asked, joining Grace.

“Demons. Five of them, about a mile east. Lesser ones, but they’re working together.”

“Working together?” Mara’s brow furrowed. “That’s not normal.”

“No shit,” Diana muttered. “They’re organized. Taking turns feeding, moving as a group.”

“Did you see anything else?” Grace asked, thinking of the corrupted aura she’d spotted earlier.

Diana glanced at her sharply.

“No. But something else is probably out there. They’re too coordinated.”

“Did you engage them?” Mara asked.

Diana’s jaw tightened.

“No. Thought it better to report back first. Make a plan.”

Grace noticed Diana’s hand twitch slightly.

Was she… nervous?

“Good decision,” Mara nodded. “No sense rushing in alone.”

“Are they heading toward the village?” Alia asked, joining them.

Diana shook her head.

“Moving away, actually. We probably have a couple days before they circle back.”

“Then we have time to prepare,” Mara said. “Diana, you and Grace will train the local militia—anyone who can hold a weapon. Alia, Zephyr, continue with morale. I’ll finish treating the sick.”

The group dispersed.

The air felt colder again, just for a moment.

It almost felt like being watched. And Grace wasn’t sure they had as much time as Diana thought.

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