Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

Daena spat sand out of her mouth as she dragged herself to her feet, glaring at the endless stretch of desert around them. The blazing sun beat down mercilessly, reflecting off the golden dunes and creating an oppressive heat that could bake bread.

Nyssara, looking as poised as ever despite the circumstances, dusted off her midnight robes. Her silver hair gleamed in the sunlight, making her look far too elegant for their current predicament. "Well," she said with a faint smirk, "this is… charming."

"Charming?" Daena snapped, her voice dripping with venom. "We're in the middle of nowhere, teleported by that overgrown infernal banshee masquerading as a sovereign, surrounded by more monsters than I care to count. Charming isn't the word I'd use, Nyssara."

Nyssara arched a perfectly sculpted brow. "I was being diplomatic."

"Well, stop it. Diplomacy doesn't help when we're ankle-deep in sand and despair." Daena kicked at the ground for emphasis, only for her boot to sink further into the loose sand. She growled, yanking it free with difficulty.

As if to mock her further, the ground began to rumble, and a low, guttural growl echoed through the dunes. Daena and Nyssara exchanged a glance before looking toward the source of the noise.

"Oh, for the love of the Abyss," Daena groaned as a massive sand wyrm erupted from the dunes, its chitinous body glittering under the sun, its maw full of jagged, dripping teeth.

Nyssara sighed, drawing her staff from the air with an elegant flourish. "Well, at least we won't be bored."

"Bored?" Daena growled, summoning her magic as purple flames danced across her hands. "I'll give you bored!" She hurled a fireball at the creature, which dodged with alarming speed for something so large. "Damn thing thinks it's a ballerina," she muttered.

The wyrm retaliated, lunging forward with a shriek that sent sand flying in every direction. Nyssara spun her staff, conjuring a shimmering barrier that deflected the attack, though the force of it sent both women stumbling back.

"Watch it, Daena," Nyssara said, her tone infuriatingly calm. "We need to be strategic about this."

"Oh, I'll show you strategic," Daena retorted, her flames intensifying. She charged forward, landing a solid punch to the wyrm's side. The flames spread across its exoskeleton, sizzling loudly as the creature screeched in pain.

"Subtle," Nyssara remarked dryly, unleashing a wave of icy spikes that sprouted from the sand, impaling the creature's lower body. "Perhaps next time, announce your plans to the entire desert."

"Oh, shove it," Daena snapped, dodging a swing from the wyrm's tail.

The battle raged on, the two women exchanging quips as they worked in tandem to bring the massive creature down. Eventually, the wyrm collapsed with a deafening thud, its body half-buried in the sand.

Daena wiped sweat from her brow, her violet eyes blazing with annoyance. "One down, a million to go."

Nyssara smirked, looking irritatingly composed as always. "Perhaps this is the universe's way of reminding you to be more pleasant. Clearly, you've angered something."

Daena shot her a withering glare. "If you don't stop talking, I will throw you to the next monster we see."

"Oh, Daena, you wound me." Nyssara chuckled, brushing sand off her robes. "Now, let's find some shade before the desert decides to swallow us whole again."

The two trudged onward, their bickering keeping the oppressive silence at bay. Around them, the desert seemed alive, whispering secrets on the wind and hiding dangers beneath the sand.

Daena paused, narrowing her eyes at the horizon. "Do you hear that?"

Nyssara tilted her head, her sharp ears picking up the faint sound of chittering. "More company, it seems."

"I hate this place," Daena muttered, summoning her flames once more.

As the next wave of monstrosities crested the dunes a horde of spindly, insect-like creatures with glowing eyes and venomous stingers Daena couldn't help but laugh bitterly.

"Just another day in paradise," she said, charging into battle once again. Read latest stories on empire

Daena kicked over a pile of chitinous remains with a grunt, sending one of the insectoid creature's legs tumbling across the sand. Her hair, usually pristine, clung to her face in a damp mess, and her violet eyes burned with irritation.

"Any more friends?" she growled, glancing around the endless expanse of dunes.

Nyssara leaned casually against her staff, the very image of elegance despite their circumstances. Not a speck of blood or ichor had managed to mar her robes. She inspected her nails, utterly unbothered by their latest battle. "If there are, they'll find us soon enough. We seem to be the main attraction out here."

Daena groaned, running a hand down her face. "We're getting nowhere. We can't keep wandering aimlessly through this oversized sandbox!"

Nyssara nodded thoughtfully, gazing out at the shimmering horizon. "You're right. We need to regroup. Perhaps we can contact Verida and get her to send reinforcements."

"Finally, a good idea from you," Daena said, clapping her hands together. "Let's get to it."

The two demon queens sat down in the sand, Daena summoning a glowing, circular glyph etched with intricate runes. The air around them shimmered as magic pulsed from her fingertips. The glyph expanded, forming a glowing red sphere in the air before them.

Nyssara tilted her head. "You're sure that's the right incantation? It looks... wobbly."

Daena scowled. "Don't start with me, Nyssara. I could cast this in my sleep. Just let me concentrate."

The sphere flickered, a faint hum emanating from it as Daena focused harder. "Verida, you red-skinned overachiever, answer me," she muttered under her breath.

Nyssara smirked. "Very professional."

"Do you want to try? Because I'd be happy to—"

Before Daena could finish, the sphere wavered and sputtered out like a dying flame. Silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint hiss of wind sweeping across the dunes.

"Well, that's not promising," Nyssara said, folding her arms.

Daena let out a frustrated growl, slamming her fist into the sand. "She's not answering! Either she's too busy, or this cursed desert is interfering with the signal."

Nyssara sat down gracefully beside her, resting her chin on her hand. "Or she's ignoring us. I wouldn't blame her, considering your delightful tone."

Daena shot her a glare. "Not helping, Nyssara. Not. Helping."

"I'm just saying," Nyssara replied, her lilac eyes twinkling with mischief, "if you called me like that, I'd let you stew too."

"By all means, take over," Daena snapped, gesturing to the empty space where the sphere had vanished. "Let's see your perfect little royal incantation get through."

Nyssara sighed, raising her hand and conjuring her own glyph a refined, midnight-blue design that pulsed faintly with starlight. It hummed gently as it coalesced into a shimmering portal-like form.

"Verida, darling, if you can hear me," Nyssara began in a silky tone, "we seem to have found ourselves in a bit of a predicament. Could you kindly assist?"

The glyph sputtered, flickering violently before dissolving into thin air.

Nyssara frowned delicately. "Well. That's inconvenient."

Daena threw her hands up. "What did I say? It's this damn place. It's cutting us off. We're stuck out here with no backup, no supplies, and no way to tell Verida or the others where we are!"

Nyssara raised a brow. "A fine summation of our predicament. Shall we get moving, then?"

"And go where?" Daena retorted. "We've got no bearings, no map, no—"

A low rumble interrupted her tirade. Both women froze, their senses immediately on high alert.

"Don't tell me," Daena muttered, standing slowly. "Another one?"

Nyssara tilted her head, listening intently. "It's faint... but it's coming closer."

The ground beneath them trembled slightly, sending a ripple through the loose sand.

Daena cursed under her breath, her flames sparking to life around her fists. "Of course. Because things weren't bad enough already."

Nyssara sighed, adjusting her grip on her staff. "Well, at least we won't have time to dwell on our lack of communication."

"Shut up and get ready," Daena growled as the rumble intensified, signaling the approach of yet another monstrosity.