ã€ŠWorld&#x27; s End Campfireã€‹


 Prologue: Worlds End Campfire

    Three figures sat, surrounded by darkness. Three sat, warmed by the dying embers of the final star. The last of their kind, the divine, the infernal, and the mortal.

    All waiting for the universe to end.

    The three of them sat, floating in the void of space, unwilling to make a sound. Perhaps it was their way of honouring the dead. Perhaps they were simply given over to despair, for all of them knew, with absolute certainty, that they were doomed. The star could burn but for a hundred days more. They, too, were destined to be devoured by the darkness.

    After what seemed like an eternity, one of the figures stirred. Slowly, almost reverently, he stood to his full height, his cape like an inky mist that swirled around his body. His silver horns shone brightly even in the fading starlight, his imperious gaze swept across his companions, and, in a voice deep enough to rattle bones, he said,

    ¡°Fuck me, you lot are depressing.¡±

    At the end of the world, in the final days before the curtain falls, the only sound that broke the silence that seemed almost sacred was the indignant sputtering of a woman clad in white.

    ¡°I beg your pardon?!¡± the woman said, in a voice that would have commanded utmost reverence, were it not breaking with indignation.

    ¡°You prissy holy types thick or something? I said you¡¯re depressing. Dreary. Looking at you all makes me want to just throw myself into the darkness and get it over with. That get through your goddamn skull?¡± The demon conjured a cigarette with a snap of his fingers, which he lit on the final star.

    ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed, you damned-¡±

    ¡°Not an insult in my case, but points for trying.¡±

    ¡°-you utter bastard-,¡± the woman spoke with the full brunt of her divine authority, which in her prime would have annihilated any that incurred her wrath, ¡°-The final war destroyed everything! There is nothing left for us! We are at the end of all Creation!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, so?¡± The demon reattached the arm the had been blasted away by the power of her divine word, and then he resumed smoking his cigarette, blowing smoke whichever way he pleased,

    ¡°So? What do you mean so?! Have you not heard a single thing I said?¡± The woman finally stood, standing eye to eye with the demon. Her flawless skin, features that evoked the marble statues of long dead goddesses, and billowing white gown stood at odds with the demon¡¯s brutish demeanour.

    In the face of this divine ire, the likes of which mortals sacrificed entire nations to appease, the demon breathed deeply. And then blew a cloud of smoke in the goddess¡¯s face.

    ¡°I heard you. I just don¡¯t see why I should give a shit.¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Wha-?!¡±

    ¡°Like you said, world¡¯s gone. I was there, I saw it happen. And we are all gonna die, no ifs or buts about it. Doesn¡¯t mean I want to spend the last few days of my life like I¡¯m at a goddamn funeral. Ain¡¯t that right lil¡¯ missy?¡± The demon¡¯s gaze fell upon the last of the survivors, a small figure, no bigger than a child, wrapped in a tattered brown robe which concealed everything. The hood that covered that figure¡¯s head rustled almost imperceptibly.

    ¡°See, she agrees with me.¡±

    ¡°That was just the wind!¡±

    ¡°Wind. In space. Right.¡±

    ¡°Shut up. How do you even know that¡¯s a she?¡±

    ¡°Well now you¡¯ve gone and hurt the poor girl¡¯s feelings. And I thought your kind were all about saving poor lost lambs and shit like that.¡± said the demon.

    ¡°You seem to be mistaking me for some other god.¡± the goddess said in a low voice, her fists audibly cracking as she clenched them. ¡°I¡¯d advise you not to do so again.¡± She stared at demon, who returned her gaze with ease.

    ¡°Regardless of whether or not I agree with you, it¡¯s not as if we can do anything other than wait for the end. The least we can do is face our death with whatever grace and dignity we can muster. Which, apparently for a certain member of our company of an avernal persuasion, is none.¡±

    ¡°Suuuuree, nothing¡¯s more fucking dignified than gazing oh so mournfully at a dying star Maybe we should also let a single tear roll slowly down our cheeks as we drown ourselves in our fucking pity! That sounds real fucking graceful!¡± The goddess could not meet the demon¡¯s fierce gaze. ¡°Fuck that noise. I ain¡¯t dying like a dog, and I reckon you ain¡¯t so keen on that either.¡± The goddess said nothing. The demon¡¯s gaze fell upon the cloaked bundle, then upon the dwindling star, and he smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea.¡± the demon¡¯s smile widened into a full toothed grin. ¡°Since we¡¯ve already got a mortal here, how about we do that thing always happens when three of our kind meet? Even back to when our two races were created by the wishes of the third?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean-!¡±

    ¡°Yes! We tell stories of our greatest exploi- what¡¯s with that look?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, nothing at all.¡± The goddess breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly smothered the power that had been welling up from within her. ¡°Stories, though? You don¡¯t seem the type to dwell on sentimentality.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s either that or that other traditional thing that happens when demons and gods meet each other.¡± The demon lazily cracked his fists. ¡°Personally? I¡¯d go with option one, and only because I¡¯m so damn tired of fighting.¡±

    ¡°I can see your point demon, but this feels somewhat lacking in gravita-¡±

    ¡°P-please¡­¡± It was a voice that was barely a whisper, barely a sound, so quiet was it that one could not tell its gender. Both the goddess and the demon turned towards the cloaked bundle.

    It was quivering, a vision of weakness in stark contrast to the overwhelming power of those that gazed upon it. Yet it¡¯s tiny voice was more than enough to make these titans pause. Its hood slowly turned towards the goddess. ¡°P-please¡­¡± it pleaded once more, its tiny voice cracking with the effort of speech.

    ¡°I suppose our oldest tradition is indeed a fitting curtain call¡­¡± the goddess sat down, beneath her weary tone, one could almost hear the ghost of a smile. ¡°Very well, demon. I accept your proposal.¡±

    ¡°Knew you¡¯d come around. So my story starts during the 3<sup>rd</sup> up-¡±

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± The goddess wagged her finger in the demon¡¯s face. ¡°Not so fast. If we are to do this, we shall do this properly. The divine always go first, as tradition dictates. Surely, even you infernals are aware of this?¡±

    ¡°¡­Fine. Do whatever you want.¡±

    ¡°That I shall. This story, greatest of all my great deeds, is a tale of misery and woe, of heartbreak and betrayal, of-¡±

    ¡°Fuck¡¯s sake, get on with it already!¡±

    ¡°You know, for a demon you really have no taste for dramatics. Very well.¡± The goddess gathered the last of her powers and with a wave of her hand, a moving image slowly began to form,

    ¡°This is a story of how I regained my lost glory. I shall call it:

    "The Goddess of the Stream"

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 1: Look on My Works Ye Mighty

    There once was a time when I was feared, for my wrath brought ruin to entire civilizations. From the greenest soldier to the most esteemed general, all who practised the art of war knew my name and paid me tribute, for my favour ensured victory, my displeasure, ruin. Mortals worshiped me as the Lady of Strategy, Mistress of War, Luna Invicta: The Moon Indomitable. Many tales have been written about me, many hymns sung in honour of my glory.

    ¡°Good evening, citizens and plebs, subs and freeloaders!¡± I said, smiling brightly at the webcam as I began my usual spiel, ¡°To another night of watching me horribly fail at Mythalia Online!¡±

    This is not of those tales.

    ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯d have never touched this game again due to my absolutely abysmal performance yesterday. But¡­¡± I sighed as dramatically as I could. ¡°The people have spoken, and LadyAstair is nothing if not a gracious hostess.¡± I winked at the webcam for maximum effect.

    Queen A too humble lololol

    Salt must flow

    Time to git gud

    Dying simulator again for Ladytrash

    And the chat goes wild. How predictable. I put on my best smile, and began another night of streaming.

    ¡°Ooh that¡¯s quite the ambush you have there, Mr.Ganker, shame that it¡¯s going to waste~¡±

    ¡°-It seems our team¡¯s falling behind, well not to worry, our carry will come online any second now¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­And I just got one shotted. Again. This makes death number thirteen for those keeping score at home.¡±

    ¡°¡­Thanks for resubbing Mr.RavenWing, here¡¯s to another year! Well looks like that¡¯s all the time we have for today. My lovely citizens, and not quite as lovely plebs,¡± I laughed and winked, letting my viewers know that it was in good fun, ¡°thank you once again for watching LadyAstair¡¯s Game Stream, ¡¯til next time!¡± I closed the stream,

    ¡°You miserable bunch of ingrates.¡±

    And immediately slumped on my chair, cursing the world and all within it.

    I glanced at my phone, surrounded by day old take-out boxes. My thumb dialed the number through muscle memory, and I made the call.

    ¡°That¡¯ll be $12.99, ma¡¯am.¡± said the youth in front of me. I felt his eyes on me, even as I fumbled in my pockets for my wallet. I wonder what he¡¯s thinking? Did he have any inkling that this woman in front of him, with her black hair in a messy bun and dressed only in an oversized shirt, this woman who barely reached his shoulders was once goddess of an entire empire?

    ¡°I¡¯d just like to confirm, this was made specifically for me, correct?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re paying extra for ma¡¯am. Like always.¡±

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I gave him his money with a generous tip. I closed the door on him before he could reply.

    I gazed at box in my hand, the stench of over fried rice was overpowering, and I knew that the taste would be even worse. This box in my hand contained a crude facsimile of Qin cuisine, seemingly constructed from so vague a memory that only the most overpowering flavours remained, that of soy sauce and oil. Luckily for me, I didn¡¯t need to eat to survive.

    I set the rapidly cooling cardboard box on my table, and reached out with my essence. A faint glimmer of satisfaction, an obligatory tribute, but a tribute nonetheless. A meal made for me, and only for me by a cook who, deservedly or not, took pride in his craft. It wasn¡¯t much of an offering, just barely enough to make up for the faith I lost sustaining my existence for the day.

    The computer screen glowed dimly in the darkness of my room, surrounded by boxes of takeout filled with uneaten food. If only my ancient worshipers could see me now, in this temple I built from scraps and refuse. But it was still my temple. And I was still a goddess.

    I sank into my well worn chair, and gathered all the scraps of belief that my ersatz followers gave me, all the half-hearted praise, shallow admiration, and a glimmer of genuine adoration. It was barely enough to sustain my existence for another month, and that¡¯s if I did nothing with it. Six thousand gods damned viewers, and that was all I could muster.

    I focused my mind towards that pale light of true belief. ¡°Ugh, Mr. XxXRavenWing342XxX, by the seven hills your name is ridiculous.¡± I focused my mind on that pale light of true belief, ¡°Still you are faithful, and have been for quite a while.¡± I cast my mind into the Thoughtstream, felt my connection to the Domain of Battle, and created a decree. ¡°May you triumph over your next adversary, whoever or whatever it may be.¡±

    It was a small miracle, something that you might not even notice was made possible with divine intervention, but it was all I could do. My existence that was assured for a month will now only last for half the time.

    I closed my eyes, willing the world to disappear, wishing that I could sink into the cold embrace of this gods forsaken earth. All in all, it was a typical Thursday night¡¯s stream.

    ¡°You okay, sis?¡±

    Her voice that was like a melodious bird song. Though dressed plainly, just a blouse and shorts, she was anything but. Flawless, fair skin, long blonde hair which, even in my dim fluorescent lighting, shone with a soft glow that framed her perfect body like a halo. A face whose piercing blue eyes and overwhelming beauty commanded both worship and fear; a beauty the could start wars, and actually did, lifetimes ago. Nothing less from the goddess of both beauty and war.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Good evening to you too, Vanafreya.¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s called me that in centuries, Lulu.¡± She let out a sigh and sat down beside me. I smelled her perfume, Collection No. 6: La Belle Frey, she only wore that for special occasions.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯m no one then, dear sister.¡± I turned my back to her, kept my gaze on my monitor.

    ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s up? You¡¯re not usually this snippy before fall.¡±

    ¡°Nothing is ¡®up¡¯, Vanafrey-¡±

    ¡°Bullshit.¡± She forcefully swivelled my chair and made me face her. ¡°You only ever call me ¡®dear sister¡¯ when you¡¯re miserable, and we¡¯re nowhere near December. So either you¡¯re starting your annual sulkfest, like, nine months early, or something is up. So talk.¡± Her intense gaze softened.

    ¡°Please? For me?¡± And my resistance crumbles as she pulls out her greatest weapon, the puppy dog eyes.

    ¡°Am I really so predictable?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve been together for over 300 years now, I kinda learned to pick this stuff up.¡± she smiles playfully, ¡°It also helps that my pantheon¡¯s trickster was way better than yours. I¡¯ve had a lot of practice picking out lies.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let Hydrargyrus hear you say that.¡± Despite myself, I couldn¡¯t help but smile, which quickly soured as I remembered the night¡¯s indignities.

    ¡°Why am I reduced to this, Vanafreya?¡± I said, ¡°Performing like an animal, picking up whatever scraps of faith I could find from an audience indolents so far removed from any form of virtue that to call them worms roiling in mud would be a disservice. Both to the worms. And the mud.¡± My monitor¡¯s screen cracked in the face of my divine word. My armrests bent under the weight of my grip.

    ¡°Would you look at that?¡± I said, even as my vision blurred and an unpleasant hotness dripped down my cheek. ¡°Is this all I am now, Vanafreya? A goddess so impotent, so forgotten that my divine word can¡¯t even destroy this?¡± I know I should be stopping, but my words poured freely, ¡°Invicta, Ha! What a farce. The unconquerable goddess knows nothing but defeat!¡±

    ¡°Lulu¡­¡±

    ¡°Damn him, Vanafreya.¡± Tears flowed freely from my eyes no matter how hard I tried to stop them. ¡°If he hadn¡¯t stolen my followers from me, if I¡¯d just destroyed his cult when I had the chance! Damn him! Damn El!¡±

    Vanafreya stood there in silence, my words seemingly echoing within the room still. With great care, she place a hand on my shoulder. The warmth of her hand squeezed my heart with an icy grip.

    ¡°Lulu¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I know what it¡¯s like to have El destroy everything you hold dear, all of our kind do.¡±

    I remained silent. I knew what was coming next.

    ¡°But it¡¯s been roughly two millennia since he stole your followers, and around eight hundred years since he stole mine. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to tell you this, but he¡¯s absolutely crushed us, all of us. To the point that his ludicrous power grab for the Domain of Divinity actually worked. Hell, most mortals think he¡¯s the only god around, to the point that his name is actually the word for god in a lot of mortal languages. And, as much as I hate it, those mortals are right. Mostly, anyway¡­¡±

    ¡°And your point is?¡±

    ¡°That its been too long for you to still be this hung up about that. And you aren¡¯t. At least, not most of the time.¡± She looked at the cracked screen, and her eyes widened as she understood.

    ¡°How little did you get?¡±

    ¡°I fail to see how that¡¯s any of your business.¡±

    ¡°That bad, huh?¡±

    ¡°Hmph.¡± I turned my back to her and focused on the screen, and the cracks began to disappear. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll be fine. I simply have to stream again tomorrow as opposed to next week.¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow? But isn¡¯t tomorrow Amane¡¯s big anniversary celebration?¡±

    ¡°You knew¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve only been stressing about it for the past week.¡± She sighed. ¡°FantastiCon¡¯s also tomorrow, you know, you probably won¡¯t even break five hundred viewers with that much competition.¡±

    ¡°I am aware, Vanafreya.¡± I said through gritted teeth. I needed to concentrate, unless I wanted the screen to shatter once again.

    ¡°Lulu¡­¡± She fell silent, but only for a moment. She looked at me, took a deep breath, and spoke once more, ¡°I could give you some of my faith-¡±

    My monitor exploded into a thousand pieces.

    ¡°Leave.¡±

    ¡°Lulu, I-¡±

    ¡°How dare you.¡± I stood and faced her. She still towered over me. She was looking down on me. How dare she.

    ¡°I have never been more insulted, and by my own sister no less!¡± My nails drew blood as they dug into my skin.

    ¡°Lulu I just want to help you!¡±

    ¡°Oh. is that what I am to you, now? Something to feel sorry for? Yet another one of your little pet causes? Is that it Valerie Frey?!¡±

    ¡°Lulu, you know that¡¯s not what I-¡±

    I took ouy my phone, and in a few seconds, pulled up an article. Vanafreya¡¯s smiling face graced dominated the screen, underneath, the title read, ¡°Valerie Frey to donate half her salary from movie deal to charity.¡±

    ¡°Oh look at Ms. Valerie Frey, world famous actress, so kind, so gentle, so adored. In her infinite mercy, she saw fit to take in a wretch such as me!¡±

    ¡°Lulu, you¡¯re not being fair!¡±

    ¡°Oh praise her, the arbiter of justice, the giver of charity! Praise her for seeing fit to give shelter to a failure so miserable she must be spoon fed her own gods damned faith! Praise and glory be to Vanafreya, Flower of the Underworld, Last of the Northern Gods!¡±

    Silence. The look of absolute shock on her face made me realize what I had just said.

    ¡°Vanafreya, I-¡± She held a hand out, silencing me.

    ¡°Lulu-¡± She had to pause, her voice was shaking uncontrollably. ¡°I-, I-¡± She grit her teeth, eyes shining with barely held back tears.

    ¡°I should go!¡±

    ¡°Vanafreya wait-!¡±

    She was gone. I¡¯d driven her away. Just like I always do.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry.¡±

    My words were my only company in this cold, empty room.

    She¡¯d left early the following day, before I could talk to her. I knew that it was because she had to promote her new movie at FantastiCon. I knew that. I kept repeating it in my mind, attempting to drown out the voice whose words were soft, but cut deeply.

    On a whim, I opened my phone and checked Matsuri-hime¡¯s channel, knowing all the while that Vanafreya would be right. Sure enough, her viewer count was well into the hundred thousands, and a fair bit of my regulars were among them. Streaming today would be completely futile, even if I still had my monitor.

    The doorbell rang. Strange, Vanafreya isn¡¯t supposed to come back until much later.

    A shiver ran up my spine as I saw what awaited me when I opened the door. The man towered over me, his dispassionate gaze and his relaxed yet imposing posture, spoke of a man who cared nothing of what others thought of him. Which made sense, considering what he wore. His ensemble was a burlesque mix of aristocratic and garish; a double breasted suit paired with a cape that reached his ankles, sensible dress slacks and shoes that made his top hat look even more conspicuous. It was all tied together by a cane covered in intricate spiral patterns and studded with tiny pyramids along its base, too ornate to be used for walking, yet far too gaudy to ever be used in high society. His clothes were so ludicrous in of themselves that the fact that, with the exception of the red lining in his cape, the entirety of it was jet black seemed almost an afterthought. Almost.

    Anyone else dressed in this utterly bizarre costume would¡¯ve been uncomfortable, ashamed even, and rightfully so, but not this man. He wore it with such ease that it seemed like a second skin. This man, whose high born features and complexion marked him as a descendant of the sun kings of Aegyptus, held himself with such effortless, thoughtless pride that it was like that ancient kingdom never fell to me, or to El. I knew what he was, this man for whom shame is as foreign a concept as good fashion sense. His kind were unmistakable to people like me.

    ¡°You lost? FantastiCon¡¯s a few blocks away, just head east, can¡¯t miss it.¡± I closed the door on the creepy cosplayer before he recognized me and asked for an autograph.

    ¡°Oh no, I think I¡¯m right where I want to be, Ms. Luna Invicta.¡±

    Huh. Guess I was way off.

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 2: The First God

    I froze, my hand nearly crushing the door knob. His eyes twinkled with mirth, like he was a cat toying with his prey.

    ¡°Who-¡±

    ¡°Someone whose words you might find¡­ interesting.¡± He drew out that last word, tasting each it, enjoying how each syllable made me squirm.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°You should invite me in, little girl.¡± he said, his cruel smile never leaving his lips, ¡°You¡¯ll want my knowledge to be forbidden to all but you. Trust me.¡±

    ¡°And what if I don¡¯t?¡± I steeled myself and met his eye.

    ¡°Even a has-been, two-bit ¡®goddess¡¯ whose faithful sheep can be counted on one hand,¡± he stifled a chuckle even as I grit my teeth, ¡°even if this territory isn¡¯t even yours, you¡¯re still capable of denying me entry into this domus.¡± There was a malevolent twinkle in his eye as he continued speaking. ¡°That is, if I don¡¯t force the issue. And I won¡¯t. A pathetic existence like yourself is nowhere near worth my time.¡±

    ¡°I have half a mind to destroy you, right here and now.¡±

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be the worst idea you¡¯ve had, little Miss Kinslayer.¡±

    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± The ground shook, my eyes shone with blinding light as I brought all my power to bear. ¡°Insolent insect, Though you know my name, it seems you know not who you speak to. I shall-¡±

    ¡°Smite me with all of your divine fury?¡± He should¡¯ve been cowed, afraid even. Instead he just stood there, his damn smile never fading. ¡°Go ahead. And after you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll just have to explain to Vanafreya why her precious sister used up all her faith in one afternoon and left her all alone. Just like all the others.¡±

    The fire in my eyes died out, the power I¡¯d been gathering fizzled out. I couldn¡¯t meet his gaze.

    ¡°Why are you here? Just to mock me?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re starving for faith.¡± he said. ¡°I happen to know how to remedy that. Reminding you of your failures is simply me mixing business with pleasure. An unfortunate habit of mine, my apologies.¡± he said in a tone of voice that was anything but apologetic.

    ¡°But that¡¯s impossible.¡±

    ¡°You trade in miracles, you of all people should know that nothing is ever truly impossible.¡±

    ¡°Tell me!¡± He looked at me as if I was stupid. He gestured towards the door.

    ¡°Fine, come in.¡±

    ¡°Do it properly, little girl.¡±

    ¡°Tsk. I, Luna Invicta, hereby invite you into my domus. May no harm befall you while you are my guest, so long as you do no harm yourself.¡±

    ¡°Was that so hard? I accept.¡± he said, striding in without care or courtesy.

    ¡°Do you know anything about the First God?¡± the man asked, sitting down on the most comfortable chair in Vanafreya¡¯s living room.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead. Long dead.¡± I said, I clenched my fists as I looked him straight in the eye. ¡°You would do well to not speak ill of him, or else.¡± His eyes merely twinkled with renewed amusement.

    I¡¯m not talking about En. Hell, I¡¯m not even talking about Kaos or any of his spawn. The First God predates all of them, for the First God predates the concept of divinity itself.¡±

    What on earth?

    ¡°I see I finally caught your attention.¡± he said. ¡°Make yourself comfortable, the tale of the First God is a long one.¡±

    Whenever mankind has yearned for an explanation yet found none, whenever the teeming masses saw patterns where there were none, whenever these insignificant creatures desired control over an untamed world, that¡¯s when gods were born. Terrible at times, but merciful in others. Master of whatever Domain they were assigned. But most of all, gods, goddesses, all the assorted divinities, were themselves fashioned in human image. The universe was vast, cold, impersonal. What better way to deny your own insignificance than to impose a human face on an inhuman universe? A human will that will acknowledge and love you, even bend the laws of reality itself for you, so long as it is worshiped and loved in return?Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Of course, you are acutely aware of what you are, Luna Invicta. But I say this in order to remind you of what makes a god a god.

    A god is worshipped. A god provides explanations. A god provides control.

    And a god destroys those deemed unworthy.

    Imagine, if you will, humanity at its infancy. Just a few hundred years since the dawn of sentience, when humanity was still confined to one continent. To one village. These humans were young, naive, and they had no concept of the divine.

    Alas, none can remain idyllic forever, for these humans eventually yearned to explore beyond their boundaries, to set sail upon the great blue sea and settle upon new lands. Yearning soon evolved into will, and will into action, and within a decade, ships capable of withstanding the ravages of the ocean were built, and the first expedition into the great unknown was well underway.

    If only it were that simple.

    As the first boats began to leave the shore, a great calamity from the heavens struck them down. A decade of hopes and dreams, wiped out in an instant by heavenly fire.

    Imagine what it must have felt like, to have spent all that time on one goal only to have it mercilessly destroyed, to see your neighbours be torn to pieces by an inscrutable force, to have the frailty you were so blissfully unaware of be shown in such stark relief. For everything to have been for nothing, all because of a cosmic mistake.

    The survivors could not comprehend it, refused to understand that their struggle was meaningless. They demanded an explanation. They yearned for something that would justify this absurd injustice. They hoped for a reason for their despair.

    In a crater filled with blasted wood and flesh so savaged it bore no resemblance to its former humanity, they found their answer. Resting at the centre of the carnage was a rapidly cooling meteorite.

    It was quite amusing, comical even, that such an insignificant thing would inspire such awe among those who saw it. Meteorites were so mundane that even the humans of this age, unparalleled masters of valuing the worthless, find them so utterly banal that they no longer name the vast majority of these celestial debris. But the first humans only saw an object that fell from the heavens. An object that, seemingly on a whim, killed with a power so overwhelming as to be incomprehensible.

    The first humans did not have any gods. They did not know how to worship. They were so young as to not know what reverence felt like. But as the meteorite was burned into their memories, they learned quickly.

    The meteorite became a subject of awe. And from that awe came comfort. It must have acted with reason, the would be explorers must have angered it in some way, it would be absurd otherwise. And if the great destroyer had reason, then it could be reasoned with, appeased so that it may never destroy again, and perhaps persuaded to grant a boon.

    So it was that the meteorite was revered. So it was that it was eventually worshiped. And so it was that an an unthinking, unfeeling rock was forever burned into humanity¡¯s collective consciousness as the Ideal of Divinity. So it was that godhood was defined thus forevermore.

    Thus was the First God born.

    The first humans eventually did set sail, the meteorite only delayed their voyage by another hundred years, but when they did they took their god with them, carving out pieces of that rock, treasuring it, feeling that their god was protecting them as they ventured into parts unknown. And so, the First God was fragmented, scattered across the globe, and with the passage of time, eventually forgotten, and the scattered children of mankind invented newer, more powerful gods to take its place.

    But the First God still lives, if only indirectly. For all the myriad gods and goddesses, even the so-called Almighty El, are mere variations on the maxims that the First God taught to the first humans. A god is worshipped. A god is powerful. A god smites the unworthy and rewards the faithful.

    A god brings order and meaning to an otherwise absurd and unfeeling universe.

    The man in black had finished talking, but his words seemed to continue to echo within me. He had to be lying. There was just no way that this was true. But the way his fox-like grin never faltered told me otherwise.

    ¡°Th-this is all well and good.¡± I said, composing myself to the best of my ability, ¡°But I don¡¯t see how this is relevant.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re quite slow, aren¡¯t we?¡± he said, coolly gazing at me as he idly twirled his cane. ¡°The First God never actually became a living deity, the feelings that it inspired, and thus the faith that poured into it, were too primal, too pure, to ever coalesce into an identity. But that also means that it is still worshiped.¡±

    He stood to his full height and gazed down on me, his expression one of utter glee.

    ¡°The First God is a god in the most basic sense of the word and its shadow indelibly stains humanity¡¯s collective memory. As such, whenever a prayer is uttered, whenever something is revered, whenever any human puts faith in someone or something, that human is, in fact, praying to the First God.¡±

    The entirety of the world seemed to fall away. The only things that existed were me and him. He started drumming his fingers on his cane, each soft thump a thunder clap in this frozen moment.

    ¡°Remember when I said that the First God was scattered throughout the world? Those fragments eventually succumbed to the ravages of time. Space rock is still space rock, no matter how divine. All of it¡¯s gone now.¡±

    ¡°Well, all but one.¡±

    He chuckled as a strangled gasp escaped my lips. My mouth kept moving, but I had no words. I couldn¡¯t think. My mind just stopped.

    ¡°The totality of human faith; past, present, and future, up for grabs. That relevant enough for you?¡±

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 3: Butterflys Wing

    I sat still, staring at the space where the man in black once sat. He left as quickly as he¡¯d come, whistling without care as if he didn¡¯t understand the magnitude of what he¡¯d just told me. An illusion which was shattered when he looked back for a moment and said,

    ¡°You¡¯d best not dilly-dally, little girl. You¡¯re not the only one who seeks the First God¡¯s corpse.¡±

    And then I was alone once more, in a house so quiet that I could hear just how quickly my heart was racing. My vision blurred, my legs gave out, I let out a breath that I didn¡¯t know I was holding.

    What the hell? What the absolute hell am I supposed to do now?

    My chest tightened, my breathing came out in gasps. I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowed the bile that quickly rising to my throat.

    Calm down. I need to calm down.

    An eon passed between every second, an infinity between each strangled breath. Time had no meaning, the only thing that mattered was the knowledge that weighed upon me. This must have been what Junogloris felt, when the heavens rested upon his shoulders all those years ago.

    I don¡¯t know how long it took before I was able to think clearly again. The sun, which had been high in the sky when the man in black spoke his piece, was now lazily setting on the horizon. I¡¯d missed an entire day¡¯s worth of streaming, which my dwindling stores of faith could not afford.

    I could go on that quest, hunt down the corpse of a cargo cult god. A god that nobody seemed to know about, save for a man who made Hydrargyrus, shameless patron of thieves and liars, seem pleasant and trustworthy. For all I know, the man could¡¯ve been one of El¡¯s messengers in disguise. I could search forever, and find nothing. Where would I even start looking?

    I should forget about this, go back to streaming. Continue performing for whatever scraps of faith I can. For an audience that is as fickle and capricious as the wind. Continue fighting desperately, even as I march to my inevitable demise. Luna Invicta, who ruled the greatest empire on earth, dying like a worthless dog.

    I looked towards my shattered monitor, my cracked reflection staring back at me. I staggered towards my computer, went into my room, and closed the door. The setting sun painted everything a deep crimson. I closed my eyes, sighed deeply, and drew upon the my meagre stores of faith, and decreed the monitor¡¯s repair. It was trivial, so small that it didn¡¯t even deserve to be called a miracle. And it still took almost everything out of me. By the time the monitor was fully repaired, I had used up so much faith that I only had enough to continue existing for three days. Even if healing and craftsmanship were outside of my Domain, I did not expect it to take this much out of me. The monitor gleamed, good as new, in the middle of a messy room dyed in the dying light of day.

    I turned on my computer, preparing to stream once more. In the corner of the screen I saw Matsuri-hime¡¯s viewer count. It had actually gone up since I last looked at it. She was able to draw those numbers even while FantastiCon was streaming multiple panels on multiple channels. Going up against her would be suicide, not streaming today would be the same.

    The walls were closing in, I had to do something.

    I could hear the man in black¡¯s voice echo within me, his gleeful words like tendrils of desire, finding each and every crack within me, infecting me with the cruellest feeling of all.

    ¡°What if he was telling the truth? What if I can finally be free?¡±

    In spite of myself, I began to hope.

    A small laugh escaped from my lips as I collapsed on my chair. I closed my eyes to Matsuri-hime¡¯s ever rising viewer count.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯d finally gone insane.¡± I said. I called upon the scant remaining faith within me, and I made my decision.

    ¡°-and that¡¯s why I won¡¯t be able to stream quite as regularly for a while. Don¡¯t fret though, my lovely citizens and plebs~.¡± I did a light chuckle and flashed my rote, winning smile. ¡°I¡¯ve got something that¡¯ll tide you over. That¡¯s right, be on the lookout for LadyAstair¡¯s Travel Vlog series, coming soon! Who knows, I might even do a livestream, if I can. That about covers everything. This has been a LadyAstair Game Stream update, ¡®til next ti-¡±

    ¡°Lulu, can I come in?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to edit that out.¡± I stopped the recording and turned to face the door. Vanafreya stood at the threshold, wearing a fashionable red dress which she must have worn while promoting her new movie. She looked dishevelled, worn down by a non-stop gauntlet of interviews, Q-and-As, autograph signings and who knows what else. Yet she showed no weakness, only resolve, and all of it was focused on me. She strode in, her expression a mask of steel, and stood before me, commanding my attention in a way that only a goddess in her prime can. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a small stirring of pride, even as withered under her solemn gaze.

    ¡°Lulu¡­¡± she said. For a moment, it felt as though she¡¯d leave it there, that I¡¯d be spared. But we both knew that she¡¯d never do that.

    ¡°Lulu,¡± she said, all hesitation gone from her voice, ¡°what are you planning?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this? Well, this is just a video updating my view-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t. Just¡­ don¡¯t.¡± she said. The silence between us was deafening. It would take all my cunning to wriggle my way out of this.

    ¡°As always, you see right through me, Vanafreya.¡± I said. ¡°Last night was, for lack of better word, an epiphany. I have been a burden for you Vanafreya, and I refuse to be one any longer. I¡¯m planning on striking out on my own. That whole travel vlog business is just a way to quickly amass enough faith to tide me over until I find a permanent place to call home.¡±

    I shook my head, and put on my best bittersweet smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not telling you sooner Vanafreya. And, well¡­¡± I let a tiny stream of tears leak from my eyes, just enough to not be overblown, ¡°Thank you. Thank you for letting me stay with you all these years. I could¡¯ve never asked for a better sister.¡±

    ¡°You know Lulu, you¡¯re right.¡± Vanafreya said. ¡°I do always see right through you.¡± She snapped her fingers, and my door slammed shut. No amount of self-control could stop her hands from shaking in anger. ¡°Tell me the truth.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Vanafreya, I just told yo-¡±

    ¡°Why did you tap into the Thoughtstream three hours ago?!¡±

    I froze. How did she¡­ but I made sure to hide my entry!

    ¡°This is my domus, Lulu, my place of power.¡± she said, as if she read my thoughts. ¡°Nothing happens in here without me knowing. Just as I know that you started talking to yourself in the afternoon. And that you collapsed. For five goddamn hours!¡± She was crying freely now.

    Gone was the goddess passing judgment upon me. In her place stood that scared girl I found on that ash covered battlefield, all those years ago. The young goddess from a frozen land who I would one day call my sister.

    That vision disappeared as quickly as it had come, and she gazed at me with righteous fury. ¡°So I¡¯m gonna ask again. What. Are you. Planning. Luna Invicta?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t move. I was an ant faced before a yawning chasm fathoms deep, I didn¡¯t have a choice. I told her everything.

    To call the expression that Vanafreya wore one of shock would be to do it a severe injustice. Vanafreya looked as if someone had told her that the sky had been pink, and had always been pink, and that her eyes had simply been deceived her entire life. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, the goddess of beauty¡¯s impression of a particularly gormless goldfish.

    ¡°So¡­¡± she said, finally finding her voice after a painfully long three minutes, ¡°This man in black¡­ you sure you weren¡¯t just hallucinating?¡±

    ¡°Quite sure.¡±

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t even detect him, even while he was in my domus.¡± she muttered to herself, her brow scrunching in worry. A worry that I was beginning to share. Even one of El¡¯s messengers would not have escaped Vanafreya¡¯s attention while within her domus. What exactly was he?

    ¡°And the reason you tapped into the Thoughtstream was?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t exactly tell me where the fragment was.¡± I said. ¡°But I thought to myself, if the fragment really was siphoning and storing huge amounts of faith, then I had a way of looking for it. I simply had to look within the Thoughtstream.¡±

    Vanafreya¡¯s eyes widened as she understood what I did. The Thoughtstream, what others would call humanity¡¯s collective unconscious. A vast maelstrom of thoughts, emotions, and, of course, faith, that blanketed the globe wherever humans may be found. A secondary, invisible world of ideas, from which the divine and the infernal were born.

    ¡°I simply had to look at places around the world with abnormally large concentrations of faith. I ruled out all the places where it made sense for faith to be gathered, which narrowed it down to around six places.¡± I was a bit disappointed that I had to do that, no storming my old empire and personally retaking my throne from El for me. At least at first. ¡°The plan was to go those places first and, if they prove to be fruitless, widen the net.¡±

    ¡°You mean go to Rome.¡± she said, her face grim.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not the first place I would check. Probably.¡± I didn¡¯t even believe that for one bit, there was no way I was convincing Vanafreya.

    Vanafreya closed her eyes, deep in thought. When she opened them again, I could see the same unwavering conviction that ripped the truth from my lips. As much as I admired that resolve¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡±

    ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡±

    ¡­I had to deny it.

    ¡°Wha-! Lulu, I-!¡± I held out my hand, stopping her indignant speech.

    ¡°This is why I didn¡¯t want to tell you, I knew you¡¯d react this way.¡± I had to match her indomitable will with my own. ¡°Please listen Vanafreya. You can¡¯t come. This hunt requires the utmost subtlety, otherwise I risk drawing the eye of jealous gods. Or worse, El¡¯s messengers.¡± I sighed deeply. ¡°And nothing attracts attention more than an A-lister like you, Vanafreya.¡±

    Vanafreya went silent. She knew I was right. No amount of protestation would change the fact that she was too famous for her own good. She should accept her defeat any second now.

    ¡°Lulu¡­¡± she balled her hands into fist and grit her teeth. A second passed, then two. Finally she spoke once more.

    ¡°I¡¯m giving you some of my faith.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°I said I¡¯m giving you some of my faith.¡± she said, her voice completely even.

    ¡°Vanafreya.¡± I said, I could feel my face heating up as I began to shake. ¡°I may not be as strong as I used to be, but I am not some vulgar peasant reliant on your charity. I am Luna Invicta, and you would do well to reme-¡±

    A sharp sound echoed, interrupted me. Silence fell quickly, my words died in my mouth as I struggled to comprehend what had just happened. I felt the sting as I gingerly touched my cheek. Vanafreya had just slapped me.

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°You dare-!¡±

    ¡°Shut up shut up SHUT UP!¡± Vanafreya screamed at me. ¡°For once in your life SHUT UP! How much faith did it take just to tap into the Thoughtstream?! How long were you in there trying to find what you were looking for, bleeding faith into the aether with every second? I¡¯d be surprised if you have any to last you until tomorrow. Hell, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d last another goddamn hour!¡±

    ¡°I can get m-¡±

    ¡°I SAID SHUT UP! You¡¯ve got no idea don¡¯t you? You¡¯re too caught up in being big bad Luna Invicta that you¡¯ve got no idea how much I want to help you!¡±

    ¡°A-are you pitying me?!¡±

    ¡°GODSDAMNIT LULU, I¡¯M NOT! I just-!¡± Her voice broke under the strain of her emotion. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to die too.¡±

    All of my words left me, the fire within me instantly extinguished. What did she just say?

    ¡°Everyone I know. My entire family. My entire pantheon. Everyone I¡¯ve loved. They¡¯re all dead. I¡¯ve already lost everyone else Lulu. I can¡¯t lose you too.¡±

    Vanafreya had abandoned all pretense of dignity or restraint. She was openly sobbing, but beneath her tears was a weariness. A resignation. She was weeping, not just because of those she¡¯d already lost, but because she knew that she was surely going to lose me.

    I was Luna Invicta, Lady of Strategy, Mistress of War, The Undefeated Moon. But in the face of this miserable display, I was less than nothing. I was a worm so foul that I was not fit to even crawl upon the dirt.

    ¡°I-¡± My tongue ceased to move. All my reasons crumbled like ash. The only thing I could say was, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Vanafreya.¡±

    ¡°You can be sorry by swallowing your pride and just accepting my fucking faith already, you moron.¡± she said, wiping tears from her eyes and cracking a crooked smile.

    What else was there to say? Even though I hated it, I did it for her.

    ¡°Take it back.¡±

    ¡°Nope.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious, Vanafreya!¡±

    ¡°Too late~¡± she said with a playful smile.

    ¡°The thousand years worth of faith is bad enough, but this?¡± I pointed at the five thousand dollar silver beast of a laptop that, along with a matching high end video camera, I found waiting for me when I opened my door. ¡°It¡¯s too much, I can¡¯t accept this!¡±

    ¡°You can and you will. ¡®Sides, how else are you gonna stream? Or film your travel vlog? Don¡¯t tell me you were planning on using your phone?¡±

    ¡°Vanafreya¡­¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯ll make you feel better, consider it a loan. With zero interest. Payable by regularly streaming while you¡¯re away, and fully forgiven when you¡¯re back.¡±

    I sighed, defeated. There was no convincing her, not after what happened last night. I gingerly took the laptop and camera and placed them, with utmost care, into my tyrian purple backpack.

    ¡°Fine. But mark my words, I will pay you back for this.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m counting on it.¡± Vanafreya said. Her smile faded, replaced with solemnity. Before I could even react, she¡¯d begun hugging me tightly, desperately. ¡°You better come back alive, okay?¡±

    ¡°Since when have I ever let a debt go unpaid?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I swear, on my name and on my honour, that I will be victorious.¡± I said. My voice was sure, steady, but inside I was anything but. I wanted to back out, to disregard this whole venture for the absurdity that it was. But I know that I can do so no longer. The die have been cast.

    It took everything I had, but I broke our embrace. Vanafreya¡¯s gaze was mournful, and I had no doubt that mine was as well. I looked towards the open door, the sunlight was so bright that all I could see was white. I took one last look at my sister.

    ¡°Goodbye, Vanafreya. And thank you. For everything.¡±

    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like we won¡¯t be meeting again, right? Now get outta here, you¡¯ve got a dead god to find.¡± she said, even as she tried her best, I could see sadness threatening to break through.

    I turned away, I didn¡¯t want to see her cry, I couldn¡¯t afford to break down now. I pushed those thoughts away, and began to walk forward. Onward, to my future.

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 4: Best Laid Plans

    ¡°Number 32, calling number 32.¡±

    I looked at my ticket stub, even though I already knew that it wasn¡¯t my number. Behind me, a man who seemed like he was as wide as I was tall snorted loudly as he laughed at something on his phone. The smell of cigarettes stained the stale air, the acrid smoke a welcome diversion from the stink of sweat and fast food that was all I could smell earlier. I looked for something, anything, to make the time go by faster. No such luck, only pale green tiles and human indolence as far as the eye can see. Bastard didn¡¯t even have a clock.

    ¡°Calling number 33, number three three.¡± the bored receptionist said, idly filing her fingernails. I looked at my stub again, it still said number 50. By the seven hills, this was so frustrating.

    It had only dawned on me once I¡¯d walked a fair distance away from Vanafreya¡¯s home. For all of my soul searching, for all of my planning, I had missed something crucial. Namely, though I knew where I had to go, I didn¡¯t actually have a means of going there. Streaming wasn¡¯t exactly a profitable venture (unless you¡¯re Matsuri-hime), and my bank account couldn¡¯t to handle an international flight, let alone six. And I wasn¡¯t about go crawling back to Vanafreya, she¡¯d probably give me something ludicrous, like a private jet, and I¡¯d already taken enough as is. Fortunately, I knew someone close by who could solve my problems. Unfortunately¡­

    ¡°Number 33, last chance for number 33.¡± the receptionist lazily looked around, idly chewing on who knows what. She shrugged her shoulders and typed on her keyboard in a flurry of motion. ¡°Number 31, calling Number 31.¡±

    All right, I don¡¯t have to take this. I stormed over to the receptionist¡¯s desk. Before I was able to talk, she held out a finger.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, please take a seat and wait for your number to be called. Thank you and have a nice day.¡± she said with weary lethargy that assured me that this spiel had seen an inordinate amount of use.

    ¡°I need to speak with your boss. It¡¯s urgent.¡± I said through gritted teeth. She was testing my patience, but it was beneath me to let her affect me.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am please take a seat and wait for your number to be called.¡± She didn¡¯t even look up.

    ¡°Just tell your boss that Luna¡¯s here to see him, all right?¡± She looked up at me, her dull grey eyes sizing me up.

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I don¡¯t know who you think you¡¯re fooling, but Gary¡¯s appointments with Ms. Luna are usually set after hours.¡± she said. She muttered the words ¡°and for good reason¡± and ¡°fucking pervert¡± in the direction of her boss¡¯s office.

    What the hell had he been up to since I last saw him? And why did he choose one of- of those with the same name as I did? Wait a second, could he be¡­

    ¡°Ma¡¯am? Ma¡¯am? Are you okay? Do you need a glass of water?¡± A hint of worry had actually crept up on her voice.

    ¡°Tell him his sister¡¯s here to see him, okay?¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I don¡¯t care what kinda sick fucking shit you and Gary have going on-¡±

    ¡°Now see here, you-!¡±

    ¡°Lindsey, can you keep it down? I¡¯m kind off in the middle of some- Oh.¡± The man stood in front of the now open office door.

    ¡°Hey, Gary, someone here to see you. Says she¡¯s your sister.¡± said Lindsey, the receptionist, sarcasm practically oozing from every word.

    ¡°Lindsey.¡± said the man, looking at me with surprise. ¡°Kindly clear my schedule for the next hour.¡±

    ¡°Next time, can you not schedule one of your dates during business hours? It¡¯s kind off a bad look.¡± she said even as she began typing on her computer.

    ¡°Thank you Lindsey, that will be all.¡±

    ¡°Just saying.¡±

    ¡°That. Will be. All.¡± said the man, as he led me into his office.

    If the reception area was unadorned to the point of austerity, my brother¡¯s office was the exact opposite. Countless decorations plastered his walls and adorned his shelves. Faded blue hockey team pennants coexisted with glass trophies engraved with awards naming him ¡°Number One in Customer Satisfaction¡±, with an asterisk so tiny as to be nearly invisible. Red velvet curtains clashed horribly with an emerald sofa that was overstuffed to the point of comedy. All these, much like the man with his long oily hair tied into a ponytail and his cheap suit barely fitting his slim frame, exemplified an aesthetic that could only be described as a plebeian¡¯s idea of class. An impression that was I damn sure he carefully cultivated.

    The people who would think this display was impressive would be easy marks, and the others who saw how tacky it was would think of my brother as a common huckster, they¡¯d be too busy congratulating themselves over seeing through the ruse that they wouldn¡¯t realize when he gutted them like fish.

    I had to admire his genius, even if I hated how slimy and dishonourable it was with every fibre of my being. The grey haired god before me, in his ill fitting suit that drew attention away from his expensive golden watch, was someone who¡¯d perfected the art of the con. He was the patron of liars, thieves, and, oddly enough, travellers. He was¡­

    ¡°Hydrargyrus. I need your help.¡±

    ¡°¡®How¡¯ve you been Hydrargyrus? Business treating you well?¡¯, ¡®Oh, I¡¯m just fine, Luna! Thanks for asking!¡¯ Y¡¯know, like a normal person would. After not seeing someone for over half a millenium.¡± he said in a ridiculous falsetto that sounded nothing like me. He lit a cigarette and blew the smoke directly in my face.

    ¡°Hydrargyrus, I don¡¯t have time for this.¡±

    ¡°No one¡¯s even called me that in forever. y¡¯know? It¡¯s Gary now. Gary Russell. And I think Old Gary doesn¡¯t have to take any of your sass, lil¡¯ sis.¡± He leaned back, putting his grimy penny loafers up on the desk, and continued smoking without a care.

    ¡°I know I¡¯m not in a position to make demands-¡±

    ¡°In the same way that the ocean is a little wet, sure.¡±

    ¡°-bastard-, but I wouldn¡¯t come to you without ample reason.¡± Mostly because dealing with you is about as pleasant as lying in bed with a den of irate vipers. ¡°So if you¡¯d please just hear me out. I would be forever grateful.¡± You complete and utter ass.

    He dropped his cigarette and looked at me, his face one of shock.

    ¡°I must be getting old. I could¡¯ve sworn that I just heard you beg for something.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not begging per se¡­¡± I said, but he was already well into one of his speeches.

    ¡°Imagine, the great and powerful Luna Invicta, goddess of war and mistress of the moon. Undefeated in battle, to whom all glory flows. Imagine that proud goddess, that paragon of might, asking me, little old me, for something? Weak old Hydrargyrus who was, oh how¡¯d you put it again?¡± said Hydrargyrus as he melodramatically placed his hand upon his chin and pretended to think. ¡°Oh, I remember! I was a ¡®charlatan whose words were as worthless as his deeds were base. A man whose being was so fundamentally vulgar as to sicken me with his very presence.¡¯¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    He chuckled to himself. ¡°You always did have a way with words, lil¡¯ sis.¡± he said, producing another cigarette from his pocket. ¡°There¡¯s no way that someone like that would ever lower herself to ask, nay, beg me for help. Isn¡¯t there?¡±

    I kept my silence. His face lit up with glee.

    ¡°Ahahaha! This is rich! This is way too rich!¡± He had to stop, so strong was his mirth that he couldn¡¯t continue talking. He loudly banged on his desk, all pretensions of dignity gone. ¡°I don¡¯t know which is funnier, that you, of all people, would willingly come to me, or that you¡¯d actually thought that I¡¯d listen to you! Ahahaha! Seven hills, this is too much!¡± He¡¯d actually fallen from his chair, and was now rolling on the floor, laughing so hard that I was afraid his face would split in half. Or was it that I wanted it to?

    ¡°Are you done?¡±

    ¡°Hold on, let me check.¡± he let out a few giggles more and straightened himself out. ¡°Okay, yeah. I¡¯m done.¡± He sat at his desk, idly drumming his fingers. Seconds passed, his laughter still echoing in my mind.

    ¡°So¡­ why are you still here?¡± he asked, the steady tapping of his fingers on his desk like a particularly annoying woodpecker, ¡°Can¡¯t you take a hint? Get out.¡±

    ¡°Hydrargyrus¡­¡± It would be so easy just wring his stupid little throat, just one broken neck, that¡¯s all I need. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not asking you to do this for free.¡±

    ¡°Oh really?¡± He was like a snake who had just found a hapless mouse. ¡°I don¡¯t think you have anything that¡¯ll really convince me. I¡¯d love for you to prove me wrong. But that¡¯s going to be really unlikely now, isn¡¯t it, Ms. LadyAstair?¡±

    Of course he¡¯d know about that. It would be just like him to enjoy watching me die inside on stream.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about money.¡±

    ¡°Obviously. Look at you. You look like one you¡¯re in one of those commercials for one of those cheap-ass travel agencies, what with the tacky backpack and those grungy ass clothes. And I should know, I own a cheap-ass travel agency. Come to think of it, that¡¯s probably why you¡¯re here.¡± He looked deep in thought for a few moments, then that devilish grin. ¡°All right, you have my curiosity. What do you want me to do for you?¡±

    ¡°Six tickets, all expenses paid, and your protection.¡±

    ¡°Beg pardon?¡±

    ¡°Six tickets, all expense paid, to any destination of my choosing, to be determined as I go. And your protection as Patron of Travellers. I want a guarantee that I¡¯ll be safe for as long as I¡¯m in transit.¡±

    ¡°And you call me greedy¡­¡± He shook his head in disbelief. ¡°So long as we¡¯re dreaming things, would you like for your seats to be first class as well?¡±

    ¡°I mean that¡¯d be nice-¡±

    ¡°It ain¡¯t gonna happen, lil¡¯ sis!¡± he said. ¡°¡®Sides, what¡¯d you even need my protection for in the first place? Oh I see, that¡¯s just you playing hard ball, huh? Classic negotiation tactic, ask for the ludicrous and haggle it down to the things that you actually want. Nice try, but it ain¡¯t gonna work¡­ on¡­¡± His eyes widened with realization when he saw that was not budging.

    ¡°By Lupa, you¡¯re actually serious.¡± he said as he slumped on his chair. ¡°I¡¯m not even gonna ask what you need my protection for, there¡¯s no way this deal¡¯s happening. Nothing you have will be enough for what you¡¯re asking.¡±

    ¡°Five hundred years worth of faith.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±

    ¡°Did I stutter?¡± I said, staring him down.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m so easily bought out? Get real. Your offer might seem huge to you, but I make that much per decade. Two if I¡¯m really hurting.¡± He met my gaze with one of his own, his expression dead serious. ¡°You¡¯re still hanging around that Northern bimbo, right? You probably wouldn¡¯t have to try to hard if you wanted to scam her.¡±

    ¡°Do not talk about my sister that way!¡± I said, my temper flared and I drew upon my power. How dare he sully her name like that. How dare he- oh. His smile was wider than ever. I¡¯ve made a terrible mistake.

    ¡°You¡¯re still calling that Northerner your sister, huh? If only Metia could see you now.¡± he said, triumph clear in his voice. ¡°I had a feeling that faith you had wasn¡¯t originally yours. And you¡¯ve proven it, that power you just showed felt unmistakably foreign. Wintry, even.¡± His delight was almost palpable now. He got me. I knew what he was, what he was capable of, and he still got me.

    ¡°Interesting, that. Not everyone would give that much faith for free, not even if they had loads to spare. She must really like you. Such a poor judge of character.¡±

    ¡°Please, just leave her out of this.¡± I said. I was defeated, but I¡¯ll be damned if I let him drag her into this mess.

    ¡°Six tickets, and my protection it is!¡± he said, rubbing his hands together. ¡°But I don¡¯t want your faith. That ship has sailed. I want Valerie Frey.¡±

    ¡°Hydrargyrus!¡±

    ¡°To star in my commercials, attend meet and greets, and generally be my agency¡¯s brand ambassador. For about three or so years¡­ What are you looking at me like that for?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Sorry, I thought you were going to ask her to do something¡­¡± I coughed, my cheeks red. ¡°¡­else. Something shameful.¡±

    ¡°What do you me- Oh hell, no! Come on, no!¡± he said as I shot him a questioning glance. ¡°Why¡¯d you even think that?¡±

    ¡°Well, there was this talk about a Ms. Luna¡­¡±

    ¡°Those were all completely consensual and anyone who says otherwise is a filthy liar!¡± he said, his composure completely gone. ¡°Where would you even- Lindsey. it had to be Lindsey. If you weren¡¯t so damn good at what you do, I swear¡­¡±

    I cleared my throat loudly, trying to bring our conversation back on track, and away from all of that¡­ unpleasantness.

    ¡°You know that she¡¯ll never agree to this. Vanafreya, I mean. She¡¯s at the height of her career, shilling for your two-bit agency would be an indelible stain on her reputation.¡±

    ¡°Oh I know she won¡¯t listen if I were to ask her. But what about if it was you who asked? The one person she unconditionally gave a thousand years worth of faith to? Oh, I knew exactly how much you had from the very beginning, by the way. Trying to shortchange me while we¡¯re in my domus is kind of dumb. Real dumb.¡±

    ¡°Even then- Even if I were to ask her, there¡¯s no guarantee that she¡¯ll say yes.¡± I said, with words that rang hollow even to me. There are no guarantees true, but Vanafreya has always been kind to me. And that kindness is one that I didn¡¯t want to exploit any more than I have.

    ¡°Well then, I guess you¡¯ll just have to try extra hard.¡± he said. He held out his hand. ¡°Six tickets and my protection, for a favour; you doing your utmost to convince Valerie Frey to become my brand ambassador.¡±

    ¡°Just for three years?¡±

    ¡°Not a day more.¡± he said. ¡°Also, I reserve the right to cancel this deal whenever I wish. That way you don¡¯t get any bright ideas, like booking a ticket to Antarctica just ¡®cause, or deliberately trying to harm yourself while in transit. Capisce?¡±

    ¡°Unlike you, I engage all of my deals in good faith.¡± I tried to shake his hand, only for him to pull it back at the last minute.

    ¡°One last thing. One final price. Otherwise this deal¡¯s off.¡± his eyes twinkled with impish delight. ¡°Say I¡¯m better than you.¡±

    ¡°What.¡±

    ¡°Say. Out loud. That I. Am. Better. Than. You.¡± he said.

    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±

    ¡°Man, if only you¡¯d said surely, I¡¯d have pulled out the ¡®Shirley¡¯ routine. Classic. But, yeah. I¡¯m serious. Say, with your words, that you, Luna Invicta, lost to me, Hydrargyrus. And as such, by definition, I. Am. Better than you.¡±

    ¡°I never figured that you¡¯d be this petty.¡±

    ¡°Clock¡¯s a-ticking, LadyAstair~. Chop chop, I don¡¯t have all day.¡± he began waving the fingers on his hand, flaunting his win right in my face. Much as I wanted to just break his arm and look elsewhere, what other choice did I have.

    I took a deep breath, and through gritted teeth, I said,

    ¡°Hydrargyrus, you are-¡±

    ¡°-a worthless excuse of a god and if I had the time, energy, and resources, I would devote all of them to stomping out all your statues, icons, and any and all mentions of your name, so that you¡¯ll slowly starve to death as you¡¯re denied faith. And when you start fading away into the aether, I will appear before you and laugh right in your smug little face, and everyone will celebrate as the world becomes a brighter place without you in it, you miserable blight upon all that is righteous and pure!¡±

    The other passengers stared at me, and then went back to whatever it was they were doing. I grumbled as I fastened my seat belt.

    Bastard didn¡¯t even get me a first class seat. I was in economy. Not even premium economy, an oxymoron if there ever was one, but economy. There was barely any leg room, the seat smelled vaguely of vomit, and the only thing that I could see in front of me was a broken LCD screen. All in all, my flight to Brazil was promising to be a miserable experience. At least I had a window seat.

    ¡°A friendly reminder to all that, in order to not disturb our passengers while they sleep, all windows must remain closed for the duration of the flight. Thank you and have a good night!¡±

    Gods damn it!

    In the darkness, illuminated solely by the soft glow of emergency strip lighting, the rest of the plane slept. I, however, was completely awake. I can¡¯t believe I was actually going on this insane journey. The dull drone of the plane¡¯s engines did nothing to help my nerves. What could be awaiting me in Rio? And what had I gotten Vanafreya into? Questions for later, right now I had to plan my approach.

    ¡°Excuse me, you look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere before?¡± The blonde woman wrapped in a blanket next to me tapped me on the shoulder. Her piercing blue eyes stared at my face, gauging me.

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± I turned away, only to stop as her grip on my shoulder tightened like a vise.

    ¡°My mistake. I¡¯ve killed so many of your kind that you all start blending together.¡± Her eyes began to glow bright gold, her blanket burned away, revealing an immaculate white robe that billowed in the non-existent wind. I saw then that she wasn¡¯t resting on her seat, she was floating inches from it. As if she was too pure to touch an impure world. Upon her forehead burned a name that I knew too well. A name that I hated beyond anything else in this world.

    ¡°Greetings, pagan filth.¡± said the messenger of El, a halo of light began to surround her head. ¡°Prepare to die.¡±

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 5: Silence

    ¡°Oh dam-!¡± I tried to break free of her iron grip, but then she spoke. One soft word that cut through the din of the engines with chilling clarity.

    I froze. I felt immense pressure on everything, my arms, my legs. My heartbeat slowed to a crawl, I couldn¡¯t breathe, my vision wavered. The messenger¡¯s presence overpower my own. She drew a dagger from within her robe. I was locked in place, frozen like a fly in an amber of the messenger¡¯s overwhelming aura.

    ¡°I am a messenger of The Divine Will. In His Holy Name, I proclaim your sentence.¡± Her dagger¡¯s blade darkened into deepest midnight. I felt a primal sickness emanating from that blade, as if its steel was the very embodiment of death itself.

    I willed every single fibre of my being to move. To no avail, her aura had seeped so far into me, stifling my anima, the energy of my divine soul, that I couldn¡¯t even draw upon my reserves of faith. Was I really going to die like this? My journey ended before it was begun? Strangled sounds emerged from my throat as I struggled even to speak.

    ¡°May He, whose mercy encompasses those who oppose Him, grant you peace.¡± She thrust her dagger at my throat.

    Where it shattered on impact.

    ¡°Wha-?¡± Her eyes widened in disbelief. In her shock her aura wavered, slightly, almost imperceptibly, but it was enough. I seized upon that one moment her grip on my anima loosened and drew upon my faith, fed my aura, and in one massive burst, purged her presence from within me.

    I could move again. It felt like my body was made of lead, but I could move again. I tapped into the Domain of Battle, and swung a fist that would¡¯ve felled ten men.

    She jumped back, gracefully landing on the aisle. Her immaculate face was contorted by a sneer of utmost contempt.

    ¡°So you actually begged for protection from one of those false idols, you filthy pagan.¡± She spat those words with so much venom that I felt her hatred permeate throughout her aura. ¡°No matter.¡± She drew several daggers, shorter than the ones she used earlier. ¡°None are stronger than Him. You will fall.¡±

    I barely had enough time to move out of the way as she threw those daggers at me. I ducked low, grabbed my backpack from under the chair, and rolled my way into the aisle. By the time I stood she was already gone, disappeared into the shadows.

    Something hit my lower back, where my kidneys were. Behind me I saw one of her daggers fall to the floor, making no sound as it did. I looked to my seat, and saw twelve daggers embedded into the wall where my head was. I didn¡¯t hear those striking the wall either. I couldn¡¯t hear anything at all. Not the plane¡¯s engines, not the air conditioning, not even the breathing of my fellow passengers.

    I swiftly scanned my surroundings. The people were still there and, from the steady rising and falling of their chests, I could see that they were still breathing. None of them were awake, even the ones that I¡¯d seen eating dinner were slumped over, half-chewed food spilling from their mouths. One of the effects of the messenger¡¯s aura, I assume.

    I couldn¡¯t see where she was, it was as if she¡¯d melted into the shadows themselves. And I couldn¡¯t sense where she was, because all I could sense was her; the entire plane was so thick with her presence that it was impossible to pinpoint where she was based on aura alone. As absurd as it was, the messenger had seemingly turned this plane into her domus with just one word.

    A brief flash of steel, a feeling like I¡¯d just been punched in several places, and three daggers aimed at my heart, throat, and lungs soundlessly fell to the ground. Hydrargyrus¡¯s protection was still holding, but it could only do so much. Even if I drew upon my authority over the Domain of Battle, it wouldn¡¯t do much to protect me and would only delay the inevitable.

    I was the Mistress of War, Patroness of Warriors and Soldiers, undefeated in combat. But this wasn¡¯t the field of battle. She stuck to the shadows, took away her enemy¡¯s ability to fight back, and her techniques emphasized killing as quickly and as efficiently as possible. This was no honourable battle, this was an assassination.

    She appeared before me in a flash. Before I could react, I was already in midair, my legs swept out from beneath me. I landed on the floor, and the she drove a lightning wreathed fist directly into my sternum. Sharp pain pierced my side, I tasted blood as as I felt one of my ribs crack. I moved to push her away, but she was already gone, disappeared into the shadows once again.

    Hydrargyrus was no longer in his prime, and his protection was beginning to fail. It couldn¡¯t completely safeguard me against a blow that strong, a blow filled with that much faith. Worse, it was beginning to waver even against her thrown daggers. It was only a matter of time before she wears me down and kills me. I couldn¡¯t just stand here and keep playing her game. I don¡¯t know how, but I had to draw her out.

    -Your posturing disgraces you, messenger.- I said. It was so disconcerting, how I couldn¡¯t hear myself talk, ¨C And it fools no one. How can you claim to be an agent of El¡¯s will, when he¡¯s too divided to even think coherently? ¨C

    Another brief flash of steel, and I was brought to my knees as I felt heavy blows land on all of my vitals. I saw that one of the daggers had a drop of blood staining its tip. It had broken skin, but only just.

    ¡°Do not blaspheme.¡± I heard her voice echo throughout the entire cabin, masking its location. I guess it was foolish to hope that she didn¡¯t think of that. ¡°All I do, I do in His Name. If I act, it is only because He wills it.¡±

    I needed something to defend myself with. But I had nothing, the only thing I had was¡­ the backpack. It was just large enough to cover my torso. Most importantly, it, and everything in it, was mine.

    Yes. This could work. The only question was whether or not I could do it without her noticing. Not like I had a choice.

    -Do you expect me to believe that?- I said, even as I tapped into the Domain of Battle and invoked my authority, while firmly keeping my backpack, and its contents, in my mind¡¯s eye, -That El¡¯s myriad personae have once again united as one consciousness? Even while his followers continue to divide their worship across a multitude of divergent identities? I may have lost my power, messenger, but I did not lose my mind.-

    I felt her anger flare through her aura, and it gave me enough time to react. I brought my backpack up to meet the daggers that flew towards my heart and they were repelled, sent back the way they came. I turned around instantly, and managed to block the daggers that were sent toward my spine. My backpack held strong, its cheap fabric withstanding the messenger¡¯s steel. I can¡¯t believe that worked.

    ¡°You even had your patron turn your backpack into a relic? Just what kind of idol did you sell your soul to, pagan?¡± Her surprise was palpable, but my relief even more so.

    I had a hunch that my initial impression was wrong, this plane had not actually turned into her domus. Her aura was just so strong and so stifling that it felt like that was the case. It was a risky gamble, if I had misjudged the situation, she would have sense what I was doing to my backpack and instantly disrupted the process, robbing me of my one weapon against her. But the gamble paid off, now I could fight back. Against someone who commanded so much faith that her aura was strong enough to be mistaken for a domus. Survival was never easily won.

    Wait a minute, didn¡¯t she just say my idol blessed my backpack? She couldn¡¯t possibly¡­

    -Do you not know who I am?-

    ¡°Who you are is irrelevant. What matters is that He decreed your death. It is not my place to question. Only to act.¡± Unbelievable. Have I really fallen so far that even the messengers of El didn¡¯t recognize me?

    -You know the first part of battle is knowing your enemy, right?-

    ¡°Indeed. But this is no battle, and I see no enemy. Only a dog begging to be put down.¡± I didn¡¯t even need to feel her aura, the smugness radiated from each syllable spoken.

    -That hurts.- I shifted into a defensive stance, placing my backpack behind me. -It¡¯s been quite long since I¡¯ve had the chance to teach someone the fundamentals of combat. I¡¯ll take great pleasure in making sure that these lessons are ones you won¡¯t ever forget.- I modified my stance a bit, made it less effective, and waited for her attack.

    ¡°Big words from a dog who begs for protection from a false god.¡±

    -About as false as yours is, I would think.- I said, and braced for impact.

    I felt a gust of wind as she appeared in front of me, aiming to strike at the opening in my defences. An opening which I knew was there.

    She still managed to land a hit on my chest, several more ribs cracked at that. The pain was excruciating, but I had to power through. I caught her arm at the wrist and, using the momentum from her blow, pulled her to the floor behind me, without loosening my grip. I felt her arm pop out of its socket. Her agonized screaming resounded throughout the cabin.

    -Lesson one, underestimate your opponents at your own peril.- I said, as I placed my foot directly on her shoulder, bracing her arm against my leg, and twisted. I saw her elbow bend unnaturally, If I could hear anything other than her voice I¡¯d have lost my appetite for several days.

    -Lesson two, always attacking someone¡¯s weak points makes you predictable. Variety is key.- She forced herself to her knees, tried to wrench herself away, pulling at her broken arm. When I felt her pull with all her might, I let go.

    Her own strength worked against her, and she found herself face first in the ground once again. When she turned, I was ready. I smashed my foot down on her chest, feeling the slight sinking that told me that I¡¯d just broken several of her ribs.

    My opponent was an assassin, all of her techniques were focused on killing as quickly as possible. As such, she always aimed for my vitals first, with my heart being her priority target. Barring that, she exploited any opening in my defences, any weakness in my stance. Combined with her ability to cloak her presence, it was brutally effective, no one could defend from an attack that could come from any direction, no defence was absolutely perfect.

    Which is why I decided to do something that would¡¯ve been horrifically stupid in any other circumstance; I left a hole in my defences. Not so big as to be blindingly obvious, but big enough that it¡¯d be impossible for me to defend from attacks coming at that angle. That way, even if I couldn¡¯t avoid her attack, I at least knew precisely where she¡¯d be coming from, and have enough time to react. It was a risk, if she¡¯d broken through my protection at that point, or if she hadn¡¯t taken the bait, then I would¡¯ve been back at square one. But it paid off.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    -And last, but most certainly not least, lesson three.- I opened my backpack and took out my weapon. The silver rectangle, shining in the plane¡¯s emergency lighting, was like a guillotine¡¯s blade.

    -Do your homework.- I drove my laptop¡¯s edge into her throat with as much force as I could muster. Her eyes bugged out, a strangled, gurgling sound escaped her lips as I crushed her windpipe and severed her spine. Her head lolled to the side, lifeless, blood leaked from her lips and pooled on the floor. I had won.

    I collapsed, breathing freely for the first time since the battle started. That was far more difficult than I¡¯d expected. It¡¯s as if I was a support at minute one, and I just got ganked by a carry with end-game stats and items¡­

    By the seven hills, I¡¯ve done way too much streaming.

    I looked at the messenger¡¯s corpse. She wasn¡¯t moving, she wasn¡¯t even breathing. Sounds should return any minute now. Any minute now. Any min- Was her aura actually growing stronger?

    An invisible force slammed into me, sending me flying several feet backwards. I looked up, and saw that the messenger had started floating in mid-air, her body contorting unnaturally, as if every single muscle in her body decided to seize up at once, over and over again, in an absurd mockery of human form and motion. Her head lolled forward, then as if being manipulated by an amateur puppeteer, it slowly rose to look at me.

    Undying hatred burned in her eyes. Quite literally, I could smell her eyeballs boiling with the amount of energy she was releasing. Her broken arm twitched, and inky black lines began to constrict it, forcibly straightening it out and holding it in place.

    ¡°To think that I am forced to use this on a mere pagan¡­¡± My hair stood on end as I felt the sheer amount of energy that thrummed within her aura. Blood began to leak from her eyes as she spoke, ¡°You should feel honoured, scum. Only the demon lords have ever warranted my true power. Before now.¡± I felt shockwaves of energy emanate from her body, even as I saw her limp arm blacken and shrivel.

    -Your bravado fools no one, least of all yourself.- I said. I grabbed my backpack and held it in front of me while holding my laptop to the side, like I was some sort of modern day gladiator. -Had you opened with this, I might have been worried. But, as it stands, I¡¯ve broken your body too much for it to withstand the power you¡¯re outputting. Cease this foolishness at once, and I promise to end your life quickly.-

    ¡°AHAHA-¡± a wet gurgle drowned out the rest of her laughter. Her face split wide with a manic grin, her teeth stained dark red. Rivulets of blood flowed freely from her eyes and the sides of her mouth, the scarlet ichor tainting her once immaculate robe.

    ¡°You should have listened to your own lessons, pagan!¡± Her bloodshot eyes seethed with frenzied malice. ¡°I am the messenger of His Divine Word, She Who Bears The Gift of Silence. I swear upon His Name that you will never again see the light of day!¡±

    Her aura intensified, and the darkness grew deeper. The last I could see were her eyes glinting with cruel anticipation. And then, nothing.

    I was robbed of sight, as well as of sound. I could feel her presence worming its way into me once again. Tendrils of deathly cold seized upon my anima and threatened to rob me of my strength. Her aura had intensified to a point that each movement felt like I was forcing my way through wet cement.

    A massive blow from nowhere sent me flying. Then another. Then another. I feebly raised my backpack in one direction, only to be struck in another. I tried to catch her with the same trick, but I couldn¡¯t see her coming, my movements were slowed, I couldn¡¯t react in time. I felt her strike my solar plexus, but she was gone before I could grab on to her. In my desperate groping in the sightless dark, I¡¯d overextended my reach, and was rewarded with a strike that used my own imbalance to drive me, face-first, into the ground.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, pagan?¡± I swiped my laptop in front of me as I tried to stand up. To no avail. Her fist collided with the back of my skull and bashed my head into the ground once more. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to teach me a lesson?¡±

    A knee into my abdomen, taste of iron in my mouth.

    I hit the roof, fell to the floor. ¡°Where¡¯s your bravado now? Where are your worthless words?¡± Gripped my lapels, lifting me several feet of the ground.

    Smelled blood in front of me, felt her hot breath on my skin. ¡°Has your blasphemous tongue finally fallen silent?¡±

    I spat in her face.

    She threw me to the side. Pain shot from everywhere where I landed. I fell to my knees, coughed up more blood. I imagine she must be looking down on me. Smug satisfaction written on her face.

    They all looked down me. On that bloodstained battlefield. Among the corpses of my brethren. Him atop his throne. Surrounded by his messengers. Him looking down, his eyes never meeting mine. I can never forgive him. Him. He took everything from me. Him. El.

    El.

    EL!

    I gasped for breath, braced against the seats, stood up. I can not die here. I will not die here. Not to one of his. Not again. Never again.

    ¡°What¡¯s this? Another attempt at resistance? Pathetic.¡± She grabbed me and rammed me through several seats, pinning me against the wall. ¡°You are a resilient pagan, I¡¯ll give you that. But you only delay the inevitable, your body will break in due time.¡±

    -Same as¡­ you-

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    -Should have killed me already ten times over¡­ Can¡¯t¡­ body too weak¡­ Only matter of time¡­ before breakdown¡­-

    ¡°Such a shame it won¡¯t be enough to save you.¡± She slammed her arm against my neck, and slowly started crushing my throat. ¡°Goodbye pagan. Before you fade, tell whoever gave you protection to come find me. I¡¯d love to add an idol to my kills.¡±

    Everything was going dark. Her voice was muffling. No matter how I struggled, I couldn¡¯t break free. This was the end.

    Spots of white to my left drew my eye.

    Huh. The window must¡¯ve been jostled open by our fight. City lights below us. The giant statue of El¡¯s avatar with its arms spread wide. welcoming me to Rio de Janeiro. One final insult, before I die. I felt myself slipping away.

    I¡¯m sorry Vanafreya.

    Pale moonlight caressed my cheeks, calling me home to the aether.

    My eyes shot wide open. I could see. The inside of the plane was still pitch black, but I could see out the window.

    In the night sky shone the soft light of my salvation.

    ¡°Wha-?¡± The messenger said, as I begun to push back on her arm. The full moon showered me in its gentle radiance, I reached out to it, to its form within the Thoughtstream. To the Domain I held the most power in.

    ¡°Impossible! What are you?!¡± I stood within the inky darkness, undaunted. I poured more faith into my connection to the Moon, and I began to glow with a blinding light. My wounds healed in an instant, her overwhelming aura was instantly purged from within me, and I felt myself overflow with power.

    ¡°You said you wanted to add a god to your kills?¡± I said, breaking her spell of silence with my divine word. My voice thrummed with energy that I had not felt in a long time. ¡°Well, here I am, come get me!¡±

    ¡°You-! Know your place, pagan filth!¡± I felt her begin her charge, to swiftly attack me from the cover of darkness.

    But I was faster.

    With one thought, every window in our cabin flew open. My moonlight flooded in, its beams scouring the darkness and purging her aura. The oppressive silence was gone, replaced by calm serenity as the moon gently illuminated all. Even the messenger, who I now saw stood in the aisle, was speechless.

    I moved forward, only to stop when I felt a wetness to my side. Splintered plastic and broken glass intermingled with pulped flesh and shattered bone. When she¡¯d slammed me into the wall, she must not have cared what was in between. Or who. Collateral damage was an unavoidable in any battle, they didn¡¯t deserve this. This wasn¡¯t their war, they had nothing to do with this. I dragged them into it.

    I looked away.

    ¡°When I said you should¡¯ve done your homework, this is exactly why. Had you known who I was, you would never have made the mistake of fighting me at night. Let alone while the moon was full.¡± I stood before my opponent, every bit the goddess that I am. To her credit, she refused to cower.

    Now that she had no shadows to hide in, I could see the full extent of the damage she had done to her body. Her arms had been burnt to a crisp, a consequence of overcharging them with power, one of her eyes was simply gone, and her legs looked as if they¡¯d been broken in several places from overexertion. Her insides must have been worse, no one, not even me, could output that much power while as injured as she was without grossly damaging their anima. The only reason she was still moving was the inky black strings that constricted each of her limbs, reinforcing them and allowing for a grotesque mockery of motion. She was essentially a flesh marionette, one who had to pull her own strings.

    Still her spirit held through, and, with unerring speed, she pulled several of her daggers and threw them at me. Where they bounced harmlessly off of my backpack.

    ¡°Had you known who I was, you would¡¯ve realized that these were no mere relics.¡± I held my laptop and backpack aloft. ¡°These objects are mine, completely mine, and I linked them inextricably to the Domain of Battle, my Domain. These are now the symbols of my divine authority. These are my regalia.¡± She threw a wild haymaker at me, and I caught her wrist with my laptop. ¡°Granted, I would¡¯ve picked something less¡­ well, this¡­ but I had to make do.¡± I bashed her with my backpack, sending her stumbling backwards. Still she stood her ground.

    ¡°Blasphemous¡­ idol! You will not break me!¡± She lunged at me with all her might.

    ¡°You still don¡¯t have any idea who I am, do you?¡± She froze in midair, caught like a fly in a web of moonlight. ¡°Allow me to enlighten you. I am the one who ruled over the greatest empire humanity has ever known. I am the one who rightfully holds the throne that your master stole. I am the Lady of Strategy, Mistress of Battle. The Moon Indomitable. I am Luna Invicta, goddess of war and the moon incarnate, and I say kneel.¡± With that, beams of light severed everything below her knees.

    Agonized screams resounded throughout cabin as I unceremoniously dropped her. Pools of blood stained the plane¡¯s upholstery. It was a good thing that the effects of her aura were lingering for everyone else, otherwise I don¡¯t know how I¡¯d be able to explain this away. She crawled towards me, desperately trying to reach me, to do whatever harm she could.

    ¡°Stop it.¡± I said, I held her in place once again. ¡°It¡¯s over. You lost.¡±

    ¡°No. No no no no no!¡± She struggled against her bindings, the effort causing her blood to spray out of stumps that were once her legs. ¡°I can¡¯t fail! I mustn¡¯t fail! I must not displease Him! I must do as He wills!¡±

    ¡°El¡¯s not willing anything, messenger.¡± I said. ¡°He hasn¡¯t for decades. And he likely never will, ever again.¡±

    ¡°Foolish idol. So powerful, yet so blind. I pity you in your ignorance of His Divine Majesty.¡± she said. ¡°He came back to us, idol. And He, in His infinite wisdom, saw fit to entrust me with your death, personally.¡±

    ¡°Somehow, I highly doubt that.¡± I said. Though it seems that she¡¯s not lying. Or, at least, she thinks she isn¡¯t. One of El¡¯s personae must be performing a power grab, and managed to convince this poor soul that he was El reborn. Pitiful.

    ¡°He gave me this task, idol. And I will not fail. Even if it means my death, I gladly give my life in service to His Will.¡±

    I felt a sudden surge of of power coming from her. Something so massive that she couldn¡¯t possibly sustain her form with it. She couldn¡¯t possibly be thinking of doing that, isn¡¯t she?

    ¡°You¡­ Are you converting your anima into energy?! You can¡¯t seriously be considering sacrificing your soul just to kill me!¡±

    ¡°By His Will, I am born. By His Will, I shall die. My life, my soul, my everything, I offer it all, in service to His glory.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re insane! This plane is filled with people, most of whom are probably followers of El!¡±

    ¡°The sinful shall be judged, the righteous shall see paradise. He shall know his own.¡± she said, even as her form started to vibrate uncontrollably. Pieces of her skin began to flake off, beams of light shining brightly where they once were.

    This was bad. Someone spending their anima accesses power far beyond what they¡¯re capable off, at the cost of permanently destroying bits of their soul. The more of their anima they spent, the stronger the energy released. No one was ever crazy enough to use all of their soul at once, until now. At the rate she was going, she¡¯d let out a blast that would be so powerful that I wouldn¡¯t be able to defend against it, even as I am right now. Even if I were to kill her, she¡¯d already spent enough of her anima that it would just set her off prematurely, still having enough force to kill me instantly.

    There was nowhere to go. I was trapped in an enclosed space with a lunatic who would sacrifice even herself in order to ensure my death. Unless¡­

    ¡°I am the messenger of His Divine Word, She Who Bears the Gift of Silence.¡± she said with a serene smile. ¡°I am no more than His instrument, and with this sacrifice, my purpose is fulfilled.¡±

    I picked her up,and ran for the emergency exit. I sent out my will throughout the plane¡¯s interior, and came back with nothing. Of course there¡¯d be no parachutes. Of course it was never going to be that easy.

    She was beginning to glow white now, I had to make a choice. Open the door mid-flight, endanger the passengers, and possibly die? Or stay in the plane, wait for her to explode, and definitely die, along with everybody else?

    The choice was simple. Didn¡¯t mean I had to like it.

    ¡°If I survive this, Hydrargyrus is going to murder me.¡± I said. I enhanced my strength as much as I could, and forced the exit open.

    I was immediately sucked out of the plane, holding on to my regalia for dear life. I drew upon my faith, drew upon my connection to the moon, drew upon anything, everything, even the remaining dregs of Hydrargyrus¡¯s protection, and reinforced my body.

    Before me, the messenger saw what had happened, and simply closed her eyes. I felt the final surge of faith from her and I pushed her away. I put up my backpack to shield myself, pouring as much power into my regalia as I could muster.

    ¡°His Will be done.¡±

    There was blinding light, deafening sound, and then the shockwave slammed into me, rattling me to my very core. Everything was spinning, the rush of air threw me around as I fell to earth, all I could hear was a high pitched whine, all I could see was the endless sky. It was taking everything I had to stay conscious.

    So I didn¡¯t.

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 6: Echo

    The scent of grass freshly stained by dew. A brilliant tapestry of lavender and orange above me, as the sun and moon paint the sky with the symphony of their conflict, as darkest night yields to brightest day. Footsteps to my right, I turn my head, dandelion petals gently caress my cheeks as I look upwards.

    ¡°Enjoying yourself in my territory, little goddess?¡± It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen her, even in here her face is enshrouded by the mists of lost memory. Yet, I remember her voice as clearly as ever.

    I felt myself speak, my words tinged with shame at having been found.

    ¡°Oh no, please don¡¯t apologize. I don¡¯t mind. Anyone who can appreciate the simple beauties of the dawn is welcome to stay, as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡± she said as she laid down next to me.

    No words needed to be spoken. Time stood still on that grassy hill. The crisp spring wind sang a gentle melody of rustled grass. An elegy for the defeated night, a hymn for the triumphant day. Under the fading stars, our silence seemed almost sacred, to speak would have caused this moment to disappear forever. But I had to, it was only polite after all.

    ¡°My name?¡± the woman¡¯s smile softened. She looked far off into the horizon, gazing wistfully at the morning star.

    ¡°Just call me Astair. Everyone else does.¡±

    My eyes shot wide open. A dream. My cheeks were wet and my chest felt heavy. Or maybe a nightmare.

    I stood up, and immediately fell back to the ground as my legs instantly gave out. Each and every muscle in my body was simultaneously on fire and frozen solid. I¡¯d say I was experiencing horrendous amounts of pain, but that would¡¯ve been inaccurate. Everything was pain, the me part of that equation had become almost nonexistent. On the bright side, me being in agony meant that there was still a me to be agonized. Against all rhyme and reason, I¡¯d somehow managed to survive.

    ¡°Ha¡­haha¡­haha-! Oh it hurts to laugh¡­¡± I said. I sank down into the ground, took it all in. I¡¯m still alive. I¡¯m still breathing. Even after I had a messenger sent after me, I was still living.

    ¡°Ha! Send all the messengers you want, El! Maybe some them might slow me down!¡± I said. My battered bones might have made that seem like a lie, but I just survived falling of an airplane, after nearly getting the full power of a messenger¡¯s soul.

    At this moment, when I could barely move and my body felt like it was one giant bruise, I truly felt like the Moon Indomitable. No one could stop me from seeing this journey through. This journey¡­

    ¡°Hold on¡­¡± I looked around and saw nothing but lush greenery. Trees towered over me, they would have blotted out the sunlight completely had there not been a giant hole in the canopy. A hole that, judging by the broken branches and still burning leaves surrounding me, I must have made when I landed here, along with the crater that I was currently in. Unseen insects filled the air with their cacophonous buzzing, with none of the sounds of the city that usually drowned them out.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is Rio¡­¡±

    *

    The sun was setting on the horizon when I was finally healed enough to stand. First things first, I looked at my backpack, checked its contents. Miraculously, they were still intact. Slight scuffing being the only proof that my backpack had borne the force of an explosion that could level cities. I pressed the power button, the silvery glow of my laptop¡¯s screen a beacon in this swiftly darkening forest. They were both unscathed. Even my camera was still working. The benefits of sanctifying my equipment, even if the blessing was done haphazardly. That was good news, at least.

    The problem I now had was everything else. I was nowhere near Rio, and, I had no idea where I was. Though, by the untamed wilderness before me, the humidity so thick it felt almost smothering, and the constant presence of dark clouds threatening to burst with rain, it would be safe to assume that I¡¯d landed somewhere in the Amazon rainforest. Which wasn¡¯t too bad, it was where I was planning on going after I¡¯d touched down in Rio, but I¡¯d expected to come here fully prepared, with perhaps a guide, or several. As it stands, I didn¡¯t even have a map.

    There was also the matter that, if I was correct and this was the Amazon, I¡¯d just withstood an explosion that was powerful enough to launch me several thousand kilometres away. Coupled with sanctifying three items to regalia levels and using the Thoughtstream to call upon my connection to the moon, and I¡¯d be surprised if I hadn¡¯t blown through a substantial amount of the faith last night. I looked deep within me, and felt what was once the roaring blaze in my anima dwindle to small bonfire. 800 years wiped in an instant. And I was just one night in.

    I was alone, exhausted, nearly powerless and completely lost. To make matters worse, I swear I could feel unseen eyes watching my every move. This seemed almost hopeless, an insurmountable obstacle presented itself before me. And it wasn¡¯t even the first. This must have been what Junogloris felt like, when he undertook the twelve labours that would immortalize his name. Here¡¯s hoping that mine are not as numerous as his.

    The sky rumbled, and I felt the first few drops of rain fall on my head. I could think about my next move later. For now I had to find shelter.

    *

    The roar of thunder robbed the night of its peace. Rain fell with such strength as if to beat the forest into submission, and the whirling winds stole warmth from wherever it touched. The cave that I¡¯d made my sanctuary served to be anything but. The mildew covered stone could do nothing to protect me from the storm¡¯s chilling touch, and the odour of rotting flesh and excreta emanating from deeper within seemed to me a punishment for disturbing these rocks¡¯ thousand years of solitude. I looked at the pile of wood that I¡¯d gathered, too wet to start a fire without resorting to my faith, and I could not afford to spend it on such frivolity. All in all, this was a pretty miserable night, and it was about to get worse.

    ¡°All right, let¡¯s get this over with¡­¡± I said, as I set up the twigs and branches as a makeshift tripod. I placed my camera on that shaky pyramid of wood, and pressed record.

    ¡°Hello my lovely citizens and plebs, to day one of LadyAstair¡¯s Travel Vlog!¡± I said. I could feel my smile straining as I noticed that my voice had taken on a slightly manic edge. ¡°Now you might be asking yourselves, ¡®What is LadyAstair doing inside a cave?¡¯ Good question!¡± Lightning cracked, turning the darkness within the cave into blinding light, which hopefully hid whatever demented expression I had on. Hopefully¡­

    ¡°You see, it all started when I looked at my finances and realized something. Namely, that, after flying here to Brazil, I didn¡¯t have enough money to go on any of the guided tours. No offence to you, my lovely citizens, but streaming doesn¡¯t bring in that much money.¡± Unless you¡¯re Matsuri-hime. ¡°But then I started asking myself, ¡®is taking a guided tour really the best way to experience the Amazon?¡¯ I say nay! And not just because I couldn¡¯t afford to otherwise!¡± I took on the most inspiring pose I could muster while shivering inside this gods forsaken cave. ¡°Note to self, put inspiring music here. Also, edit this out.¡±

    ¡°So, I decided to just jump right in. Carpe diem as they say. By the way, guess which idiot didn¡¯t know that the ¡®rain¡¯ part in ¡®rainforest¡¯ wasn¡¯t metaphorical? That¡¯s right-!¡± The untamed wind gusted into my cave, bringing with it drops of rain, which then proceeded to utterly soak me. ¡°-this idiot right here!¡±

    ¡°Long story short, I¡¯ll have to take shelter in here for¡­ well,¡± I looked outside, the unending sheets of rain was an impenetrable curtain, ¡°the foreseeable future, it seems. Great.¡±

    ¡°¡¯Well anyway, this¡¯ll surely be all worth it; a once in a lifetime, utterly unique experience. One that you guys will get to share with me. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Anywho, this was just a quick little status update, kind of setting the stage if you will, the rest of this vlog will have more stuff happening in it, I promise. Ciao for now!¡± I turned off the camera, and immediately collapsed, into the cold, unfeeling rock. All I could hear was the storm. All I could feel was the cold as my wet clothes clung to my skin, leeching any warmth that I might have had.

    ¡°Who knows what tomorrow will bring, hah! What nonsense.¡± I said to no one in particular, as I laid there in the dark, shivering, wet, and alone. Tomorrow brings nothing but a slow march to an undignified end. And it will continue to do so until I find what I need.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    There would be time to plan. For now, I needed to rest. Beset on all sides by the uncaring elements, far from any place I could call home, I closed my eyes, and let the darkness take me.

    *

    It was the smells that stayed with you, long after it was over. The heat of the blasted lands might scorch your skin for minutes, and the sight of your comrades¡¯ broken bodies might haunt you for decades. But it was the stench of blood stained metal, of the indignity of bowels moved by fear, the distinctive scent of burning flesh and bone that clung to your soul, buried itself deep, and never let you go.

    I crawled forward, exposed bones scrape across the dirt of the battlefield, I felt the golden arrows dig themselves deeper into my back as I moved. Inch by bloody inch I dragged myself forward. I needed to. I had to.

    The faint aroma of an early spring morning was gone. Only blood and iron remained.

    I tried to speak, but my words were drowned by blood. I tried to reach out, but my arms were too burdened by the weight of my failure.

    A finger to my lips, and she spoke.

    Her words echoed within me. Damning me forever more.

    *

    I woke with a start, nearly hitting my head on the cave wall. The sun was shining, and the fresh scent of the forest after rain drifted pleasantly throughout, suppressing even the vile odour that came from deeper within the cave. It was a scene straight out of a travel commercial, (a classy one, not one of Hydrargyrus¡¯s), a picture perfect representation of serenity. Why, then, did I feel so damn miserable? Why now, of all times, am I remembering that thrice damned battlefield?

    I shook my head, forcefully clearing my thoughts even as the morning sun¡¯s rays gently cascaded throughout my cave¡¯s walls. Dwelling on the past would do me no good; not now, not ever.

    I needed to collect my thoughts, find a path to victory, or at least the first steps towards it. The only resources I have are my backpack, my laptop, my camera, and my phone. Most of which have lost much of their utility, with me being in the middle of a forest with neither electricity nor a phone signal. I could try to go into the Thoughtstream once more, but that would cause me to hemorrhage faith, even if I were to limit my search to just within this forest. Not to mention that doing so would be like placing a gigantic, blazing flare, revealing where I was to everyone who could sense aura within a radius of at least several kilometres. The eyes that I felt on me yesterday may be gone, but something tells me that they¡¯re simply hiding, waiting for me to reveal myself.

    If only there was a way to have another source of faith at my disposal. A source of faith that would mask my aura¡¯s signature, it¡¯s distinctive feel. It didn¡¯t even need to last that long, just three seconds would be enough. But, short of Vanafreya magically descending from the sky, I didn¡¯t have anything so convenient. Or did I?

    I heard the forest erupt to life, the various calls of its inhabitants filling the air in a cacophonous symphony. An idea slowly formed in my head. It was a long shot, but it might work. I gathered my still moist sticks, put them in my backpack, and set off towards the forest.

    *

    ¡°Day two of LadyAstair¡¯s travel vlog.¡± I said in a low whisper as I silently crept within the shadows. ¡°Storm¡¯s over, and now we can see rainforest in all its glory. Isn¡¯t it beautiful, you guys? With all of the¡­ greenery?¡± I mentally kicked myself at that. Whatever, I¡¯ll just add flashy graphics and obnoxious music over it or something. Maybe a few jump cuts for effect.

    I held the camera in my hand, surveying lake in front of me, its crystal clear surface sparkling in the midday sun. ¡°Nature¡¯s so great, you guys. You really have to experience it for yourself, really makes sleeping in a cave completely worth.¡± I nearly laughed at that.

    I used the zoom function on my camera, looking for any signs of my quarry. A faint rustling, then a flash of brown. Found you.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s about it for today, my lovely citizens. Wouldn¡¯t want to disturb the animals. Ciao.¡± I quickly closed my video camera as a wild boar approached the lake. Its fur bristled, and it looked in my direction. Seconds passed, the boar¡¯s breathing was all I could hear, its razor sharp tusks moving with each heavy snort. Finally, it lowered its head and proceeded to drink.

    With its guard down, I struck.

    I took the camera in my hand and threw it as hard as I could. It sailed in a graceful arc towards my quarry, and struck the boar with enough force to send it flying. The boar struggled to get to its feet, to fight back, but I was quicker. Before it could recover, I was already on top of it, and, with laptop in hand, I began to rain blows on it. Squeals intermingled with the fleshy thwacks of faith reinforced plastic repeatedly hitting its skull. The iron scent of blood assaulted my nostrils, its thrashing legs eventually grew limp, and the boar¡¯s head fell to its side, eyes dull, unseeing.

    I dragged the corpse to my former hiding place. If I had enhanced my strength, I could¡¯ve given the boar a merciful death, but that would¡¯ve defeated the purpose of this whole exercise.

    ¡°Be at peace, boar. Though your passing was marred by cruelty,it was for a higher purpose.¡± I told its corpse. I dropped it right next to the pile of sticks that I¡¯d set up beforehand. I touched one from the pile. Not dry, but dry enough. Good, on to step two.

    I took two of the sticks, placed one on the ground, placed the other in between my palms, and started rubbing my hands as quickly as possible, attempting to start a fire with nothing but friction. It was tortuously slow, and my palms had long since passed the point of pain and had grown numb, but after what felt like an eternity, saw the tiniest wisps of smoke drifting from my makeshift tinder. I kept at it, until, when the sun had begun to sink in the horizon, my labours produced a roaring flame. Onward to step three.

    ¡°Blood and flesh, bone and sinew. Death, the payment for strengh renewed.¡± I threw the boar¡¯s corpse into the flames. ¡°I offer this sacrifice to me, Luna Invicta.¡± As soon as the white smoke drifted towards me, I felt a rush of power, but only barely.

    Sacrifices were traditionally prepared meticulously, with only the blood, fat, and bone being burned as an offering to one of the divine. Couple that with the fact that I was making an offering from myself to myself, and what I did was barely a proper ritual; it evoked just enough of the sacrifices of old that it was recognized as such by the Thoughtstream by only the slimmest of margins. As it stands, it only granted me a sliver of additional energy, tainted by the boar¡¯s essence as its life was converted to faith. Not much to work with, but it was enough.

    I closed my eyes, grabbed hold of the boar¡¯s essence, and let my being delve into the Thoughstream.

    One second.

    Bleeding on all sides. Surrounded in the whirling maelstrom. I feel my anima leeching out into the aether. My very being dissolving, the idea that was me wishing to return to the unconscious.

    Two seconds.

    Foreign thoughts enter into my mind. The ideas of the ground, the sky, the trees overwhelm me. The concept of standing, the concept of existing, the concept of being, multiplied by the untold millions of things that surrounded me. Insects like dots, animals like torches, my own essence a blazing lighthouse. All I could see was the light of life, and it was blinding.

    Three seconds.

    I focused on myself, reinforced my identity. I am me, my thoughts are my own, I am separate, I am whole. Faith and will intermingled, defining who I am, insulating my essence from the Thoughtstream, stopping the bleeding, if only for a moment.

    Four seconds.

    With my essence, my very nature, yearning to return to the aether, I grabbed hold of the faith that I needed, and set out a searching pulse. 10 metres. 100 metres. 200 metres, still no response. 300 metres. 400 metres, more of me was lost, I could hold for but a second more. 500 met-

    There! The pulse finally found a source of faith 500 metres due north. The one that I¡¯d been looking for. Even with my mind otherwise occupied, I felt my shoulders relax. All was not lost, I had a way forward. I could- hold on¡­ Did the source just get closer? 450 metres, then 400 in less than the span of second, and it was dropping fast, zeroing in on me.

    I pulled out of the Thoughtstream as quickly as I could. In my hurry, I managed to leave bits of my faith behind, but I could worry about that later. I scrambled to grab my backpack, and I ran.

    I was foolish. It was born of desperation, but it was foolishness all the same. The only reason that I¡¯d used my faith like a sonar, sending out a searching pulse and waiting for a response, was to conserve what I had. Had I just decided to delve fully into the Thoughtstream, expand my consciousness within it as I¡¯d done while I was in Vanafreya¡¯s domus, I would have lost a greater amount of faith, but I wouldn¡¯t have caught the attention of whatever it was that was now coming for me.

    As I ran, I heard the sound of trees being torn apart, the earth beneath me shuddered, and gales of cutting wind heralded its arrival. I cursed the circumstances that forced me into this. Of course it was unbelievably hopeful to think that the source of faith within the Amazon would be the First God¡¯s corpse. Of course that was hope that crossed the border of optimism into the realm of naivete. Now I had to face something which possessed such overwhelming force that even the ancient trees of the Amazon couldn¡¯t slow it down.

    What had I awakened? Something that could command this much power, that was worshipped to this degree¡­ It could only be one of the Ancient Ones, one that somehow escaped imprisonment by my kind, or extermination by El. I had just called upon my death. But it¡¯s not going to take me down without a fight.

    I brought my backpack in front of me, poured faith into it, and braced for impact.

    I felt a blast of wind as it stopped before me. I gripped my laptop, ready to fight.

    The sun had not fully set, I wouldn¡¯t be able to call upon the moon for power. The odds of me winning are slim.

    It didn¡¯t attack me yet. Seconds passed like hours, the only thing I could hear was my heartbeat. I reinforced my body, found the strength within my legs, and sprang forth, aiming to bash it with my backpack, to strike the first blow. To survive.

    ¡°Mistress Luna Invicta?¡±

    I stopped, and looked at the man before me.

    He was tall, even at my full height I only barely reached his chest. In his right hand he held a roughly hewn club that was easily as long as I was high. Long scraggly hair, and an equally unkempt beard should have made him look like a savage. But, though he was clad only in a lion¡¯s skin, his chiselled physique and sun bronzed complexion told me that the man who stood before me was far beyond the limits of nobility and savagery. The man before me held himself with a natural charisma that told me that he was a hero among heroes, a god among men. As befitting of he to whom all heroes are judged against.

    ¡°Junogloris?¡± I could barely believe my eyes. ¡°Is that really you?¡±

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 7: Glory

    Junogloris¡¯s cave was not much to look at but, compared to mine, it was practically a palace. A bed made of wood, leather, and bone stood on the far east side. Opposite it was a table of roughly carved stone, upon which rested a massive bow, one whose bowstring was thicker than my arm, and whose arrows were better described as feathered harpoons. A tanning rack lay on the far end of the cave, resting upon the massive pile of rocks that cut off access to the cave¡¯s inner sanctum. Bones and skulls of various animals were pinned to the walls, arranged in what I can only assume is an attempt at artistry. He¡¯d even dug a fire pit in the middle of his room.

    ¡°Would you care to eat, Mistress Luna?¡± Junogloris said. He reached for the boar that was roasting over the blazing fire. He tore an entire leg off, his hand unburnt by the flame, the pleasant aroma of freshly cooked pork filled the cave. Juices dripped unto the cave floor, fat glistened in the dancing flames as he offered the leg to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m a goddess, Junogloris. I don¡¯t need to eat.¡±

    ¡°I am well aware.¡± he said, still holding the leg up to my face.

    Oh, what the hell. I grabbed the leg, and bit into it. My eyes shot wide open. By the gods, it was even tastier than it looked. A symphony of flavour filled my mouth, just the right amount of char to give it smokiness without bitterness, perfectly moist meat that fell apart in your mouth, and¡­ was that salt? Where would he even get that here? Do I even care?

    ¡°It is good to see you, Mistress Luna. Friendly faces are hard to come by, here more so than others.¡± he said, bringing me back to reality. The bone in my hand had been stripped clean.

    ¡°L-Likewise.¡± I said. I felt my face heat up as I tossed the bone to the side. The flickering flames danced wildly in the darkness of the cavern, painting our faces with a shifting medley of light and shadow.

    ¡°How long have you been hiding here, anyway? The last time I saw you was-¡±

    The scent of burning flesh, the sound of agony as eternal life was cut short. The messenger¡¯s sword blazed with the flame of judgment, annihilating all in its path.

    I shook my head, willing the memories to go away. My sharp breaths was all I could hear. My eyes met Junogloris¡¯s, his downcast eyes betrayed his sorrow.

    ¡°Since the Battle for the New World.¡± he said, gaze distant. He picked at the leg in his hand, idly throwing scraps of meat into the fire.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t even heard of you since then. Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been hiding here for the past 500 years?¡±

    ¡°We lost, Mistress Luna. What else needs to be said? El¡¯s grasp chokes the New World, his messengers roam the skies wherever his followers reside. It is only in the forests untouched by man that we remain safely beyond his reach.¡±

    ¡°500 years ago, I¡¯d have called you a coward.¡± I laid down on the dirt. Motes of dust floated by, seemingly suspended in the moonbeams that filtered in from the cave¡¯s entrance.

    ¡°Indeed you did. I believe your exact words were ¡®that I should have worn the skin of a dog if I wanted to live like one¡¯.¡± he said with a wistful smile, which soon faded as his gaze grew distant.

    ¡°More¡¯s the pity. We did all we could, fought til our bodies could move no more, bled until our very souls ran dry. All for naught.¡± He tossed the boar¡¯s leg away, his eyes were locked on the flickering flames, but he saw nothing but the past. ¡°I am but a shadow, Mistress Luna. A pathetic existence whom glory rightfully shuns.¡±

    He slumped down, and, with a sigh that bore the weight of centuries, tore another piece from the roasting boar. Never had I seen him so defeated before. Humanity¡¯s most revered hero, such was his fame that the power he wielded was like that of the Ancient Ones. He whose deeds, whose labours, so impressed divine and mortal alike that he was granted the ultimate reward, a place among the divines, not as a servant, but as an equal.

    To see the greatest of us reduced to so lowly an existence stirred something in me, and, before I knew it,

    ¡°What if I told you it wasn¡¯t over?¡±

    I said something I could never take back.

    Neither of us dared to move, neither of us could breathe, the dancing shadows of the flickering flames were the only proof that time was still flowing. Junogloris stared at me. His face inscrutable, yet his gaze bored into me, silently urging me to continue.

    It was the height of foolishness, the very embodiment of folly. Knowledge of the First God was dangerous, and the less that knew about my quest, the better. Yet something about Junogloris made me falter.

    It wasn¡¯t pity, nothing so insulting. But to see his sorry state, knowing who he once was, and knowing that I could give him a chance, no matter how small, of reclaiming the glory of yesteryear. That instead of the miserable shell of a man before me, he could be Junogloris once more¡­

    I told him everything.

    ¡°That is quite the tale, Mistress Luna¡­¡± Junogloris said. The once delicious boar was now a charred husk, and the flames that cooked it now nothing more than faintly glowing coals.

    ¡°This man of Aegyptus¡­ Are you certain that he speaks truthfully?¡±

    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to say no¡­¡± I said, even as I felt a chill crawl up my spine at the memory of his smile.

    ¡°You play a dangerous game, Mistress Luna.¡± said Junogloris, his face grim. ¡°One whose odds are monumentally stacked against you.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± I said. ¡°But I don¡¯t have a choice. Not anymore, not when I¡¯ve already killed a Messenger of El.¡±

    ¡°Indeed.¡± He shook his head in disbelief. ¡°I knew that it was only a matter of time before one of us sought to wage war upon El once again. But I never expected that it would be you.¡±

    ¡°Are you calling me a coward, Child of Thunder?¡±Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Only if I were as foolish as brother Ultor as to mistake prudence for cowardice,¡± he looked into the starlit sky, eyes misty, face forlorn, ¡°and a death wish for bravery.¡±

    The night wind gently blew into our cave, its light touch caused the remnants of our bonfire to crumble, the once stalwart wood now mere ashes swept away into oblivion.

    ¡°And here I thought that you¡¯d understand.¡± I said, he looked at me with with a smile that strained under the weight of memory.

    ¡°The wages of war are nothing more than misery and death, cloaked in a thin veneer of fleeting glory.¡± He said, even as he failed to meet my gaze. ¡°I have more than had my fill, and I thought that you would have been the same.¡±

    ¡°So, I guess asking you to join me¡­¡±

    ¡°Is out of the question. I apologize Madame Luna, but I cannot be of service to you. Not for this. Not against El.¡±

    Silence. Nothing more needed to be said.

    Clouds gathered, and the brilliant tapestry of the cosmos was shrouded in darkness.

    The early morning sunlight streamed into Junogloris¡¯s musty cave, the cheery calls of carefree birds a cruel injustice in light of what happened the night before.

    ¡°Just head north until you find yourself upon the river bed. Once there, then simply follow the water¡¯s flow, you shall no doubt return to the world of man in less than three days¡¯ time.¡±

    I began to step out into the wilderness; each leaden foot fall a resolution. I felt the weight on my shoulders almost forcing me back, my backpack heavy with chunks of pork wrapped crudely in leaves. His last gift to me.

    ¡°I guess this is goodbye then.¡±

    ¡°Madame Luna, wait.¡± he said. Though my back was turned, the silence was more than enough for me to know the turmoil that raged within him. Taking a deep breath, he spoke with measured tones.

    ¡°For what its worth, I do not think the blame lies with you. I¡¯m sure none of us do.¡±

    ¡°Junogloris, I-¡± I choked on words that needed to be said. Words that would immediately change his mind. Words that would lay bare the extent of my failure.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said, biting my tongue. ¡°And for what it¡¯s worth, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a coward. Not for this.¡±

    ¡°My thanks. Though my hospitality may have been lacking for one such as you, please remember that you shall always be an honoured guest, should you ever find yourself in these woods once again.¡±

    ¡°Farewell, Moon Indomitable, may your light never falter.¡±

    I¡¯m being watched.

    It has been three hours since I left Junogloris¡¯s cave, three hours of moving through the underbrush, intentionally going towards thick masses of greenery, hiding my route as much as I possibly could. Yet I still felt eyes on me. The same eyes that I¡¯ve felt since I woke up here.

    But they were different from before. What once was a mild feeling that I could have easily mistaken for paranoia, now the gaze upon me was unmistakable. Palpable.

    Predatory.

    ¡°There¡¯s no sense in hiding, show yourself.¡± I said, even as I drew my laptop from my bag.

    I heard the shaking of tree branches, the almost imperceptible rustling of leaves in the thicket before me. And then-

    ¡°Uwaaaahhh!!!¡±

    I heard a snap and a loud crash as my pursuer fell from a tree right in front of me.

    ¡°Ow ow ow¡­ Jeez, I don¡¯t get paid enough for this.¡± My vaguely familiar stalker said to herself. Where have I seen her before?

    The mousy looking girl, wiry black hair laden with twigs and branches, looked at me and breathed a sigh of relief. She rushed towards me, only to stumble on an exposed root.

    ¡°Um¡­ you okay? Do you need help or something?¡± I said, looking her over. She looked up, glasses miraculously unharmed from her fall.

    ¡°Um yeah, yeah, totes fine. I don¡¯t need help, you need help! Um, er¡­ I mean, not like that but, y¡¯know-¡± Her words threatened to dissolve into inelegant blubbering if I didn¡¯t do something.

    ¡°Slow down. Deep breaths.¡± I said, even as I looked at her panicked form. Surely this couldn¡¯t be the person following me, right? Nothing about her seemed the least bit threatening, from her outfit that looked more suited to sightseeing than exploring, to her constant furtive gazes, like a particularly nervous squirrel.

    ¡°Right, right. Deep breaths, one two, one two.¡±

    Several awkward minutes passed. I cleared my throat.

    ¡°Oh right!¡± she said with a start, ¡°So um, yeah, I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t remember me, and that¡¯s okay! Totes understandable! I wouldn¡¯t remember me too!¡±

    So I have seen her before. I gazed intently at her face, studying each contour.

    ¡°Um ,can you, kinda¡­ oh this is embarassing¡­¡± she developed a sudden intense interest in her boots as I continued looking her over. Until it clicked. She wasn¡¯t wearing glasses before, but I have seen her before.

    ¡°Lindsey? My brother¡¯s receptionist?¡± I could scarcely believe what I¡¯d just said.

    ¡°Right! Wow, someone finally remembered my name¡­ Focus Lindsey!¡± She slapped her face with both palms to psych herself up.

    ¡°Right, so, like, I said I¡¯m here to help you. Or rescue you more like.¡±

    ¡°And he sent you as opposed to someone qualified because¡­ Why exactly?¡±

    ¡°Hey, rude! I¡¯m totes qualified.¡±

    Somehow, I highly doubt that. Then again she did make it all the way here without help. ¡°Anyways, your brother can¡¯t exactly go all like ¡®hello police, my sister¡¯s missing somewhere in the amazon rainforest¡¯ and have them be all like, ¡®sure no prob¡¯. ¡®Sides, pretty sure you gods wouldn¡¯t want mortals involved, what with the whole in hiding thing you guys have going.¡±

    ¡°So you know about us then.¡±

    ¡°Like, yeah, no duh. Why else would I be here?¡±

    ¡°Fair. But how are you supposed to be my rescue?¡± I asked. ¡°More to the point, why should I trust you? My agreement with my brother doesn¡¯t include this, and he¡¯s not exactly one to go above and beyond.¡±

    ¡°Maybe boss man just changed his mind? You gods are totes fickle and all, and Haidragairus is one of the most unpredictable, right?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Well then, I guess I shouldn¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth. Lead the way.¡± I said. Everything made sense now.

    ¡°Sweet! Let me just-¡±

    ¡°One last thing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah-¡±

    I felt my laptop slice through the empty air where her head had been. She fell on her back, her eyes wide with shock.

    ¡°Who are you, and who sent you?¡±

    ¡°W-w-what the fuck, lady?! Are you insane?¡± She said even as she scrambled backwards, a perfect picture of fear.

    ¡°Maybe, or maybe I¡¯m just foolish. That would certainly explain why I almost fell for your tricks.¡±

    ¡°What tricks? I told you- eep!¡± a deep gash along the ground where her feet were.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s best you cut the charade, assassin. It¡¯s embarrassing. For both of us.¡± I said as I moved my backpack into shield position.

    ¡°I admit you almost had me going. Thing is you messed up on two fronts. Firstly, you never once bothered to hide your bloodlust while you were stalking me. Secondly-¡±

    A gust of wind blew past me with enough force to nearly bowl me over. The sound of splintering wood and shattering earth filled the air, as did massive plumes of dust from the explosion in front of me. When the air cleared, the tree in front of me was just gone, replaced by a crater, with a harpoon sized arrow embedded in it¡¯s centre.

    ¡°His name is pronounced H¨¹drag¨¹rus, a fact you would be aware of if he was the one who tasked you with this mission.¡± I turned towards the voice, scarcely believing my eyes.

    ¡°Junogloris? But why? I thought-¡±

    ¡°So long as you are within these woods, you are my guest. And it would be remiss of me to allow my guests to be murdered under my watch, now is it?¡± he said, even as he nocked another enormous arrow. ¡°Now on your guard, our foe yet lives.¡±

    Clap clap clap clap.

    I looked up and saw my would be assassin perched upon a tree branch, lazily clapping her hands and regarding the both of us with idle amusement.

    ¡°Ha! Of all the things to give the game away, had to be that, eh?¡± she spoke, her accent reverting from its affected New World to an unmistakable working class Brittania. ¡°¡¯s what I get for leaving all my revision to the last minute, ain¡¯t it?¡±

    She leapt from the branch and landed daintily on her feet.

    ¡°Guess I won¡¯t be needing these anymore.¡± She took her glasses off and broke them in half. She seemed to shimmer in the sunlight and then everything about her changed. Long black hair turned into a brilliant white pixie cut, her unassuming clothing became a long trench coat, jet black military boots, and a dark green bulletproof vest. A semi-automatic pistol gleamed from within its holster, and a knife so curved it resembled a fish hook was strapped to her belt, it¡¯s metal blade marred by a series of dark brown splotches.

    ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Luna Inwicta.¡± she said, rolling her tongue on my name, pronouncing it as properly as possible as if to mock me. Her emerald eyes gleamed with raw hunger.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a bit of fun, shall we?¡±

 Goddess of the Stream Chapter 8: Soldier of Fortune

    Junogloris and I leapt to opposite sides, and not a moment to soon. In less than a second, ten bullets embedded themselves in the tree behind me. I felt a searing pain in my ear as a sickening warmth dripped down the side of my cheek.

    I looked up. Saw her smirking, her thumb resting lightly on her fingers, poised to snap.

    I felt the telltale feeling of a spell being cast, that unmistakable sensation of shock as mana travelling through air briefly passed through you.

    Time seemed to slow as I looked in the direction in which her spell travelled. Wood crackled as I saw the bullets embedded within glow bright green.

    I moved to cover myself with my backpack, but it was too late. The explosion slammed into me, its destructive power sending me flying towards my adversary. I landed mere inches from her feet.

    The world spun, the ringing in my ears wouldn¡¯t stop. I tried to stand, but my legs merely screamed with agony, twin shards of wood digging further into my flesh the more I tried to scramble to my feet.

    ¡°Tsk, tsk tsk.¡± I looked up, and saw my enemy shaking her head. ¡°And to think that I was looking forward to a good fight. Oh, well, can¡¯t always have what we want, eh?¡± She aimed her gun at me, her finger mere inches away from the trigger.

    There was a sound like thunder, and a great gust of wind and dirt as the earth gave way to an overwhelming force.

    ¡°Do not forget, you savage wench-¡± Junogloris said as he withdrew his fist from the crater where our enemy used to be, ¡°-that you face me as well. And so long as I draw breath, you shall not lay another finger on her.¡±

    I looked up, just in time to see our enemy land on her feet, doing a pirouette as if to mock us further.

    ¡°Well well well! Pardon me, Mr. Knight in Shining Armour!¡± She said, as she ejected a spent magazine from the bottom of her handgun¡¯s grip, the black metal sinking into the pliant earth below.

    ¡°But words? Cheapest things in the world, ain¡¯t it?¡± She said as she drew a new magazine from within her trench coat and idly twirled it in her hand. ¡°I wonder¡­ Can you fight me and protect her at the same time?¡±

    She slammed the magazine into her gun, the harsh scraping of metal on metal serving as their starting bell.

    Junogloris moved with blinding speed, easily covering the several metres of distance between them in one bound, and in less than a second, threw a punch that could shatter stone.

    His fist was moving so quickly that no mere human could hope to see it, let alone dodge. And yet she did, effortlessly, weaving to the side, her face mere inches from Junogloris¡¯s fist, and, with the momentum of her dodge, drives a fist crackling with energy directly into Junogloris¡¯s side. She grinned wildly at the deafening sound of impact, and brought her gun to bear. But no sooner had she aimed it at me that Junogloris¡¯s arm swung down at her head like an executioner¡¯s axe. An axe which cut into nothing but air, as our adversary somersaulted backwards with effortless grace.

    And so it continued; Junogloris pursued his enemy wherever she fled. The sound barrier was broken with every blow, every movement, yet the enemy was able to not only dodge, but attack at the same time. Wherever Junogloris struck, he was always a split second too late, the only victims of his wrath were the trees that surrounded their battlefield, which were felled by even a glancing blow from his fists.

    Junogloris wielded strength which transcended human capability, no ordinary human could ever hope to live for more than a second if they faced him. Yet his opponent not only survived, she thrived. The fluidity of her movement, the flexibility in which she adapted to each odd angle that Junogloris came at by twisting her body, cartwheeling at one moment, ducking underneath an outstretch arm the next. Supple yet firm, always moving, but at the same time perfectly centred, an expression of absolute ecstasy never disappearing from her face.

    I knew then that she was not a soldier, nor was she an assassin, not just. She was an artist, a virtuoso, one who has honed her art on countless battlefields and reached heights that few can even comprehend and fewer still can achieve, certainly no mere human, whose mortality curtails any from ever reaching the realm of the gods through skill alone.

    And yet that was what she was, nothing more than a human, a human whose ability is undeniable.

    It was a meeting between overwhelming strength and peerless technique. One a stormy sea, the other a captain masterfully sailing over even the most treacherous waves. And it didn¡¯t take being the goddess of battle to realize that Junogloris was losing.

    I knew what I had to do. I took deep breaths, calmed myself as much as possible, grit my teeth. Gripped the wooden shards piercing my legs. And ripped them out.

    Agony. Everything was agony. My vision clouded. Blood spurted from newly gaping holes. Can¡¯t scream. Can¡¯t distract Junogloris. My mind clouded over. Ringing in my ears. Felt my teeth crack under the strain. Had to focus. Cannot falter.

    ¡°Well love, much as I enjoy dancing with you, and trust me, I do¨C¡± I felt the desire oozing from those final two syllables. ¡°-Boss doesn¡¯t pay by the hour, the bloody cheapskate, so I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d have to cut this short.¡± My hair stood on end as I felt pour a large amount of mana into one burst. A brutal sound of impact, the sickening sound of splintering bone. I saw Junogloris brought to his knees, coughing blood and pieces of his now perforated lung.

    ¡°Cheers, love.¡± She pointed her gun at his head. ¡°When you get to hell, tell the devil that she still owes me that beer.¡±

    ¡°Tell her yourself.¡±

    The shards of bloodied wood flew towards their target, crackling with the energy that I imbued them with. I saw them make impact, hitting her square in the chest, or so I thought.

    Mere moments later, she was spinning in mid-air, my wooden bullets moving past her, losing almost none of their momentum, their force only stopped when they split a distant tree in two.

    I had to act quickly. My legs felt like they had become fire itself, but I ran forward nonetheless. As she finished her spin and began to land, I was already by Junogloris¡¯s side.

    ¡°Hit the ground. Hard as you can.¡± I said through gritted teeth.

    She was about to recover from her impromptu gymnastics, a second¡¯s hesitation meant death. Junogloris, steel in his eyes, let loose a primal roar and, though I heard the painful creaking of bone rubbing against shattered bone, he drew upon his strength and slammed both fists straight down.

    The wind howled and the earth screamed in anguish, the force of his blow felled every tree in sight. I was nearly blown away, had he not caught me in his arms. Our adversary was not so lucky, she had not regained her footing before Junogloris¡¯s attack, and was sent flying.

    However, the way her body moved elegantly even as she flew, riding the shockwave instead of being swept away, meant that this was far from the end of our battle.

    ¡°Regroup. Now!¡± I yelled, and Junogloris understood. He carried me across his shoulder and fled to the edge of what was now a clearing, and hid ourselves within the shadows of the forest.

    ¡°Milady, your wounds¡­¡± he said, glancing at the still bleeding holes in my legs, looking away as if the pain was his.

    ¡°I apologize. For all my strength, I could not-¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t, Junogloris. It¡¯s not your fault.¡± I held out a hand, silencing whatever retort he might have had. ¡°She was too far beyond you, old friend. No offence, but I doubt you could¡¯ve beaten her even without me distracting you.¡±

    ¡°But I-¡±

    ¡°Misplaced blame solves nothing. The best thing we can do right now is work together. Trust me, neither of us are taking her on alone,¡± I gestured at our wounds, ¡°especially as we are now.¡±

    ¡°Aw stop. You¡¯re making me blush~!¡±

    We both froze at the sound of her voice echoing throughout the woods. I quickly glanced at the clearing. Thankfully she was still there, nonchalantly twirling her gun. An emerald haze surrounded her head, concentrated mostly in her ears and mouth.

    ¡°Really love what you¡¯d done to the place, too.¡± she said, letting out a whistle as she surveyed her surroundings. ¡°Now we¡¯ve got ourselves a right proper arena!¡± Her eyes lazily roamed the edge of the clearing, but I could see that her gaze was sharp.

    ¡°Now all I need is someone to share it with.¡± she said, ¡°So why don¡¯t you just come on out, eh? No use in delaying the inevitable, ain¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Mistress Luna, I think it would be wise to-¡±

    ¡°And don¡¯t even think about running away, love.¡± she said. ¡°Or delaying until the moon rises.¡± She reached into her trench coat and pulled out a thin white crystal, and though the midday sun shone brightly upon us, it paled in comparison to the radiance that the crystal exuded. ¡°I use this and BAM! Everything within a hundred kilometre radius is gone. Except for me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing.¡± I said, even as the massive amounts of faith radiating from the crystal made me shiver.

    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. Question is, can you take that chance?¡± she said. I remained silent.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t think so.¡± she said as she hid the crystal once again. She resumed her search, the green haze began to thicken around her eyes. So it would seem that though she could hear every word, she couldn¡¯t pinpoint our location on sound alone.

    ¡°It¡¯s not adding up¡­¡±

    ¡°You say something, mate?¡±

    ¡°Everything about you is off.¡± I said. ¡°That hearing spell you¡¯re using is one of the absolute basics, no master worth his salt would neglect teaching it to one of his apprentices. Yet you¡¯ve cast it like an amateur, like someone reinventing the wheel from grainy photographs and missing several vital parts in the process.¡± I snapped off a branch and threw it to my side. It struck a tree far to the left. The leaves rustling was almost imperceptible, then ten sharp cracks echoed as she emptied her gun. She sped to the tree which she¡¯d shot, only to realize that she¡¯d been fooled. She unloaded her spent magazine, the black steel bar sinking into the soft soil.

    ¡°Parts such as emulating directional sound.¡± I said.

    ¡°You got me! I¡¯m just some amateur sorcere-¡±

    ¡°I said that you cast like an amateur, but the strength of the enchantments on your bullets and vest say otherwise. Not to mention that the glamour you wore earlier was enough to fool even me, a goddess.¡±

    ¡°Yeesh mate, haven¡¯t heard anyone call illusion magic ¡®glamour¡¯ in forever.¡± she said, even a she loaded another magazine into her gun. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m pretty sure the last person to say that to me was that fairy queen broad.¡±

    The fairy queen?!

    ¡°That¡¯s impossible. Morgana¡¯s been dead for almost 200 years now.¡± I muttered. Junogloris¡¯s eyes grew wide at this.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°She was all ¡®remove your glamour, knave!¡¯ and ¡®what treachery is this?¡¯ and then pssshh.¡± She put her gun to her head and mimed a grotesque mock execution. ¡°Never even knew what hit her.¡±

    I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Cold sweat ran down my spine as the implications became clear.

    ¡°A self-taught magus skilled enough to fool and murder the strongest of the Fae, existing in a time where all the great mage guilds and their stock of grimoires have been destroyed, all the teachers who could¡¯ve taught you long since hunted down by El¡¯s inquisitors, an age where the art of magic has faded from human memory¡­¡± By the look of shock on Junogloris¡¯s face, I could tell that he understood. This woman that we faced¡­

    ¡°Just how long have you been alive?!¡±

    ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. It¡¯s not polite to ask a lady her age, you know.¡± she said, cheerfully clapping her hands all the while. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d meet anyone who¡¯d figure it out, especially not one of you arrogant god types, what with you always looking down on us ¡®mere humans¡¯ and all. By the way-¡±

    Ten staccato beats resounded, but this time I felt the impacts reverberate from the tree that we were hiding behind.

    ¡°Thanks for that tip about directional sound.¡± She said with a grin. Time slowed to a crawl as I saw her bring her fingers together, my life ended by one snap.

    Junogloris moved, the earth quaked beneath as he firmly planted his feet.

    Her fingers snapping were the only thing I could hear. The wood began to glow a blinding green.

    His fist travelled so quickly it seemed to almost blur. A cone of wind surrounded his arm, the shockwaves threatened to bowl me over, the sound of his fist rending the air was like thunder. And thunder-

    Wood splintered. Junogloris let loose a primal roar as his fist made contact.

    -is always followed by lightning.

    With one blow the tree became a thunderbolt, the embodiment of divine wrath hurled at all blasphemy. Our enemy¡¯s eyes grew wide as the missile hurtled towards her, ready to explode.

    She crouched low, mere moments before the tree hit her, her hair ruffled, grazed by bark.

    She was a coiled spring, ready to pounce as soon as the tree was safely behind her. She began to speak, perhaps to mock us once more.

    That was when she saw that Junogloris had already knocked a harpoon like arrow on his bow, and was drawing it with all his might.

    The arrow loosed rent air and earth alike. Deep furrows were carved into the ground, dirt flew obscuring all sight, and whirlwinds followed in the wake of this arrow of destiny.

    She leapt to the side, easily dodging, but as her gaze followed the arrow, her eyes widened with grim realization.

    The arrow wasn¡¯t aimed at her.

    As it struck the glowing tree that was still in midair, I finally understood. Junogloris fought her, saw first hand the nigh superhuman reflexes honed through centuries of battle. He knew as well as I did that a direct assault was useless, she would dodge and parry any attack, and use the brief amounts of recovery between strikes to let loose her own offensive. It was a fighting style born of necessity, as no matter how long she¡¯d been fighting, she was still only human, and no human could meet attacks from beings like us head on. But her style, though near flawless in one on one combat, had a glaring weakness.

    The tree exploded with the combined force of her spell and Junogloris¡¯s arrow. She had yet to land on the ground, yet to recover. The blast consumed everything in a brilliant flash of emerald light. Junogloris shielded me as shards of white hot wood burst forth, the projectiles shattering upon the lion skin that he wore.

    The recovery periods that our opponent exploited were in themselves her downfall. No amount of training or magical enhancement could truly eliminate the split second needed to reorient yourself after dodging. Bait a dodge and hit her during that one brief moment of vulnerability, and she was done.

    I was about to congratulate Junogloris but as the of the explosion faded, I saw something truly unbelievable.

    Her trench coat crackled with green energy. Ethereal emerald runes glowed dimly and faded from existence.

    Her expression was one of utter glee, even as she flew like a bullet fired from a gun.

    She¡¯d survived, and had used the explosion to launch herself towards us.

    ¡°You crazy motherfu- eep!¡± Junogloris cut me off by hefting me on his shoulders. With one leap he was gone, mere seconds before our enemy landed where we once were.

    She stood, expelling her spent magazine. Opposite her, we landed in the clearing, all forms of stealth rendered useless by her improved hearing spell. Our gazes met, her face like chiselled rock. Then a crack in her stony visage. And her stoic facade crumbled as her face split into a wide gleeful smile.

    ¡°AHAHAHAHAHA!¡±

    For the first time since we¡¯d started fighting, I heard no mockery in her voice. Yet, though her laughter was sincere, I felt nothing but tension within me.

    ¡°Brilliant! Utterly brilliant!¡± she said wiping away tears from her eyes. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see the day that someone would be able to get a good hit in, much less break through my wards.¡± She drew another magazine from within her trench coat, twirled it in her hands.

    ¡°And I thought that this would be boring! Shows what I know, eh?¡± She savagely rammed the magazine into her gun. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had a right proper fight. Please, both of you, show me more.¡±

    And then everything clicked.

    ¡°Junogloris. Set me down.¡± I said, and he obeyed. I took a deep breath, ignored the pain in my legs, and spoke clearly.

    ¡°You there-¡±

    ¡°¡®Sup?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no assassin, aren¡¯t you?¡± I said. She merely smiled at me, and gestured at me to continue.

    ¡°Three days.¡± I said. Junogloris looked at me quizzically but he remained silent. ¡°I felt your eyes on me for three days. Junogloris only found me yesterday, and I was paralyzed for most of the first day I was here. You could have killed me anytime you wanted. Yet you chose not to. I now understand why.¡±

    It was so obvious, I can¡¯t believe it never occurred to me.

    ¡°An assassin would¡¯ve ended me by now. A soldier wouldn¡¯t take the time to talk. You¡¯re something greater. You¡¯re someone who, in a different place, in a different time, would¡¯ve been one of my most favoured champions.¡±

    ¡°Fat chance of that.¡±

    ¡°Peerless warrior,¡± I said. ¡°Would you honour us with your name?¡±

    ¡°Ha! All that for my name? Yeesh, you ancient types really need to get your head out of your ass.¡± she said, though from her blush she was clearly flattered. ¡°Sucks that nobody remembers my original name though, me included. Just call me Tabitha, Tabby if you¡¯re feeling lazy.¡±

    ¡°And might I be correct in assuming, Miss Tabitha, that you won¡¯t attack us until we¡¯re ready to fight?¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s a given now, yeah.¡± she said. ¡°To a point. I won¡¯t wait around until the moon rises for starters.¡±

    ¡°Those terms are acceptable.¡± I closed my eyes drawing deep into my connection to the Domain of Battle.

    ¡°Stand, ye weary warriors, let your pain be your strength.¡± I began my proclamation, each word bristling with power. The agony in my legs disappeared, and I felt renewed. Tabitha whistled, impressed but not threatened.

    Well you haven¡¯t seen anything yet, you Brittanian bitch.

    ¡°May your strikes be swift, may your blows be sure. May all weapons break against you, may all spells falter.¡± Junogloris was standing now, all pain from the previous forgotten.

    ¡°The Goddess of War promises victory! The Mistress of Battle heralds your defeat! By my name of Luna Invicta, we shall be triumphant!¡± Faith cloaked us, permeating our bodies, giving us strength leagues beyond what we had before. With renewed conviction, I let loose my soul¡¯s warcry.

    ¡°VICTORY OR DEATH!¡±

    ¡°NOW THIS IS MORE LIKE IT!¡± she shouted. She ripped her trench coat off of her body, exposing arms whose chiselled muscles and faded scars told a history of relentless battle, and threw it in the space between us.

    The fluttering fabric drifted in between us, floating as if in slow motion.

    Then it landed.

    The deafening thud was like a starting pistol. The cratered earth beneath the deceptively heavy coat an unspoken message. She was now taking us seriously.

    We sped forward, meeting in the middle of our ersatz ring. Junogloris swung so quickly that not even I could see his fist move. Our enemy dodged, but as she charged magic to her fist, I was already there, swinging my laptop at her. I made contact, briefly, only to see her spin clockwise, redirecting most of the force of the blow, the same trick that she¡¯d used to survive my wooden missiles.

    As she spun, she drew her gun, began to point it at me, but Junogloris had already switched places with me, and he punched the ground, dirt obscuring our formation.

    Bullets flew wildly, the few that managed to hit us stopped by my blessing. She was in midair, having been sent flying by Junogloris¡¯s attack. I looked at Junogloris, and he understood.

    As she began to land, I hopped unto Junogloris¡¯s shoulder, and jumped after her, slashing at her with my laptop.

    She didn¡¯t have any time to recover, to counter my attack.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± She brought her gun up, and as I was about to take her head off, ejected the magazine directly in my face.

    It was a moment¡¯s distraction, not enough for her to load her gun and shoot me. She didn¡¯t need to.

    With her free hand, she withdrew the wickedly curved dagger from her belt, and slashed at me.

    Blood splattered, but it wasn¡¯t mine. Junogloris was there, shielding me with is body, and her dagger had sliced clean through every protection, from my blessing to his impenetrable lion skin.

    ¡°You¡­ will not¡­ touch her!¡± Junogloris withdrew one of his arrows, and slashed at her, ripping her bulletproof vest in half. She fell backwards, but then turned that fall into a somersault.

    ¡°This is the best fight I¡¯ve had in ages! Literally ages!¡± she said, as she charged at us again, dagger in hand.

    Junogloris¡¯s arm lay limp, useless. Blood trickled steadily from his massive wound. He won¡¯t last long, not even with my blessing. Taking her on myself was suicidal, blessing or no.

    I didn¡¯t want to do this. I had too little faith as it was, and it wasn¡¯t even guaranteed to work. But I had to use my trump card.

    ¡°Warrior, your Goddess commands you to stop!¡±

    ¡°?!¡±

    She stood stock still, muscles twitching, an expression of utter befuddlement on her face.

    I fell to my knees, relieved.

    ¡°Thanks for acknowledging that you were a warrior, Tabitha.¡± I said, grinning. ¡°Warriors just so happened to fall under my sphere of influence.¡±

    It would never have worked if she did not think of herself as such, and even then it¡¯s effects would have been diminished if she did not accept the label when I told her what she was. But she did.

    I saw slight movement in her left arm. She was already beginning to break free. Despite myself I couldn¡¯t help but begrudgingly admire her willpower. It took immense amounts of faith to issue a commandment upon an unwilling mortal, doubly so if said mortal wasn¡¯t one of yours. Still, it should have held her for at least three minutes, instead of this. I had to act quickly.

    I was about to stride forward, but what I saw made me pause. She was still smiling.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what all that warrior nonsense was about, eh?¡± she said, even she struggled to speak due to my commandment, ¡°Clever. But I didn¡¯t survive this long by falling to just ¡®clever¡¯.¡± She grinned savagely, and her eyes began to glow a bright green.

    I had to get to her, chop her head off before my commandment was broken. I moved forward-

    -and immediately fell.

    ¡°What?¡±

    Strength left my legs and I was forced to my knees. Unbearable pressure forced me lower, it felt as if the very atmosphere was attempting to crush me. I fought against it, but the same pressure that bore upon me also seeped into my body, leaching whatever strength I still had. I heard a crash, and saw that Junogloris had also succumbed to whatever this was.

    ¡°How¡­?¡± I lost feeling in my arms, and fell to the ground. It was then that I saw it. The once black metal bar that was now glowing a sickly green.

    I mustered the last of my energy. Looked to the places where she¡¯d been.

    South.

    East.

    West.

    And finally North directly in front of me.

    Each cardinal direction had a faintly glowing pinprick of light. A spent magazine. One which she enchanted beforehand.

    She played us like fools.

    ¡°Ah, much better.¡± I felt my grip on her disappear. She strode towards me. She flipped me on my back, and sat on top of me. The cold steel of her dagger dug into my throat with each breath.

    ¡°This usually the part where you beg for mercy.¡± she said ¡°But warrior types aren¡¯t usually the ones to do that, right?¡± She chuckled softly at her own joke. I closed my eyes. Drew upon the last of my strength.

    And spat in her face.

    ¡°Cute.¡± she said, completely deadpan as she wiped my spit with her free hand. I glared at her, putting as much venom into my gaze as I can muster.

    ¡°You¡¯ll never take my pride from me, you mercenary bitch. Do your worst.¡±

    ¡°Riiiighhtt.¡± she said, thoroughly unimpressed. I felt her press the dagger harder, the searing pain telling me that she¡¯d drawn blood.

    I closed my eyes, averting them from her face. Thought back to my most precious sister. Let my last thoughts be of you. Of both of you.

    ¡°Hmm.¡±

    A tender wetness flowing down my cheek. The fact that I could still feel meant that I was still alive. Why wasn¡¯t I dead yet?

    ¡°Oh, what the hell.¡± she said. I felt her loosen her grip on her dagger.

    ¡°Luna Invicta. Before you die, tell me something. Why even do this? This entire dead god business?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why-¡±

    ¡°Just answer the question.¡±

    ¡°She did it for glory, you barbarian wench. Something your craven self could never hope to comprehend.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, you see, I thought that. But then, what kind of glory hound starts crying when she¡¯s about to die?¡±

    I opened my eyes, and could see her coolly sizing me up, her analytical gaze seemed to bore into my very soul.

    ¡°So again, why?¡±

    ¡°Because I-¡± I wanted to reclaim my place. I wanted to overthrow El. I wanted revenge.

    I tried to muster the flame of hatred within me, only to feel nothing. A vast chasm within me that my fury hid, but never filled.

    No. That was wrong. With my life hanging by a thread, I couldn¡¯t lie to myself any longer.

    ¡°I¡¯m sick. I¡¯m sick of being powerless.¡± I said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fade away. I just want to-¡±

    I just wanted to be me again.

    ¡°Hmm. And how many people are you willing to sacrifice for your ambition?¡± she leaned in closer to me, eyes never leaving mine.

    I couldn¡¯t talk. I didn¡¯t know the answer.

    ¡°How many people were on that plane, Luna Invicta? How many did you kill?¡±

    The pressure on my throat was back. Instinct told me to choose my words carefully, to be diplomatic. But deep down, I knew that any falsehood would be worthless.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t want them to die.¡± I said. ¡°When the Messenger blew herself up, I tried to minimize the casualties. I tried to make it so that the least amount of people would be caught in the blast.¡±

    ¡°And why did you do that?¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡±

    The smell of carnage. Spilled blood stained the air with the sickening smell of iron. The stench of my comrades final indignity. Burning flesh.

    ¡°Because nobody deserves to die, not like that. Not because of me.¡±

    ¡°I seem to recall the gods of your pantheon commanding mortals to die in their wars. Punishing humans for the pettiest things imaginable. Playing with our lives like we were nothing more than toys for your amusement.¡±

    And it was true. I couldn¡¯t meet her eyes. But what I said still stands.

    ¡°All right. I guess that¡¯s all I¡¯ll get from you.¡± She drew her dagger back, the silver blade like that of a guillotine. I closed my eyes, and waited for the end.

    And waited.

    And waited.

    I opened my eyes again, dumbfounded. I saw her smiling.

    She snapped her fingers, and the pressure disappeared. I felt strength return to my body.

    I looked up, and saw her outstretched hand, an offering of peace.

    ¡°On your feet, Luna Invicta. You and I have work to do.¡±

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 9: Spider

    ¡°I don¡¯t have all day, mate.¡± she said. I stared at her hand, still outstretched, and said the only thing that could be said.

    ¡°What.¡±

    She sighed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t go anywhere, all right? Heh.¡±

    ¡°Bite me.¡± I said, but she was already walking away, whistling completely out of tune.

    By the sound it made when it fell, her coat must have weighed at least twenty kilos. Yet she picked it up and put it on like it was nothing. She reached into the depths of her coat, rummaging for what seemed like ages.

    ¡°Just how many pockets do you have in that thing?¡± I asked, but she just ignored me.

    ¡°Ah, there they are.¡± She pulled out two small, corked vials. The thick bubbling liquid within glowed a sickly red.

    Satisfied, she walked back to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m damn sure that stunt you pulled earlier cost you a lot of faith. I¡¯d say you burned through at least 100 years worth. Probably more.¡± she said. My silence was all the confirmation she needed.

    ¡°Here, drink this.¡± Minutes passed as I stared incredulously at her. She sighed deeply. ¡°Look, mate, if I wanted you dead, you¡¯d be dead. Drink the bloody potion.¡±

    I took the offered vial and, with great effort, removed the stopper and gulped it down.

    ¡°Ghk!¡± I doubled over, clutching my stomach. My throat was on fire, my insides felt like molten lava. My hands clawed at the soil, grasping at anything to take my mind away. Tears flowed freely. I begged for the sweet release of death.

    And then, it was gone.

    ¡°Probably should¡¯ve told you to drink that slowly.¡± Tabitha said. ¡°My ba-¡± She was cut off by my hands, going directly for her throat.

    ¡°YOU ABSOLUTE BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME? WHA-¡± She coughed, then pointed at my legs. My legs which were no longer bleeding.

    ¡°Wha?¡± She crumpled to the ground as I let her go. I lifted my leg up, expecting pain, yet none came. Though my pants were still torn, my wounds were completely healed. More than that, I was feeling strangely energized. Like I¡¯d just received worship from an entire temple¡¯s worth of fanatics. I felt faith blazing within me, not quite to the level that Vanafreya gave, but close enough as to be alarming.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, by the way.¡± she coughed out. She breezily dusted herself off, even as I stared at her in disbelief.

    ¡°What. On earth. Was that?¡± I said.

    ¡°A show of good faith?¡± she offered with a shrug.

    ¡°You infuriating- No potion should¡¯ve been able to do what that thing did! You can¡¯t just bottle faith like that!¡±

    ¡°I just did.¡±

    ¡°I KNOW! Just like how you just so happen to casually be hundreds of years old while still being completely human! Just impossibility upon impossibility upon gods damned impossibility! WHAT EVEN ARE YOU?!¡± I screamed at the top of my lungs at the sheer absurdity of it all.

    ¡°You done?¡± She asked, completely deadpan in the face of my more than justified outrage. She took a deep breath.

    ¡°I really don¡¯t think it¡¯s that important,¡± she spoke in a tone one would reserve for a particularly trying toddler, ¡°But if it makes you feel any better, I¡¯ll tell you¡­ later. After we start working together.¡±

    ¡°And what makes you think I¡¯ll do that?¡± I said, glaring at her all the while.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Simple. The only reason you¡¯re still breathing is because I decided that you¡¯re more useful to me alive than dead.¡± she said. ¡°I can change my mind, you know. It¡¯d be easy.¡±

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure you can¡¯t go on without me.¡± she said. She held out a finger, silencing whatever rebuttal I had. ¡°Tell me, Luna Invicta, how were you planning on leaving the Amazon? Just following the river until you reach civilization? Can you really afford to waste that much time? And what about what¡¯s next? How are you planning on travelling while the boss man¡¯s minions are out in full force? I mean, look at you.¡± she gestured at my torn pants and dirt encrusted purple shirt, ¡°Something tells me you don¡¯t have the funds to hire private boats, much less planes. Your only option is to go commercial. And if you¡¯d be willing to risk even more innocent lives for your petty crusade, well¡­¡± She stroked her dagger¡¯s handle, her caresses as warm as her gaze was chilling.

    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal; either you work with me, or I gut you like a fish. Your choice, ain¡¯t it?¡± She held a hand out once again, a friendly smile on her face.

    Though the midday sun was high, I felt nothing but smothering cold.

    ¡°You are utterly insane.¡± I said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s a no on the whole ¡®gutting you¡¯ then?¡± she said with a smirk.

    ¡°Fuck you.¡± I said, even as I grasped her hand. And though she shook my hand with vigour, I felt nothing but stiffness in my own.

    ¡°Knew you¡¯d come around.¡± she turned her gaze to Junogloris, who was still lying, face down, where he collapsed. ¡°How about you, love?¡± Junogloris raised his head, defiance clear in his eyes, his honour forbidding him from surrendering, even if it meant his death.

    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± she said. ¡°Although, I guess all that nonsense about Lulu here-¡± That name felt so wrong coming from her, ¡°-being under your protection was just that, nonsense.¡±

    I saw his expression falter, and so did Tabitha. She moved in for the kill.

    ¡°Can you trust me to not stab her in the back when she least expects it?¡± she said, walking towards Junogloris¡¯s prone body with the vial in hand. ¡°Could you honestly expect her to survive whatever the hell I have planned? After all¡­¡± she smirks at me, and spoke in an earsplitting falsetto, ¡°I am utterly insane~¡±

    ¡°That sounds nothing like me and you know it.¡±

    ¡°Enough words, you silver tongued witch.¡± said Junogloris. ¡°I swore to protect her while she is still my guest, that has not changed. Give me your potion.¡±

    ¡°You honour types are so easy, honestly.¡± Tabitha said, giving him the vial. ¡°Drink that slowly, all right? We¡¯re strapped for time as is, we really can¡¯t afford another ten minutes of thrashing, like Lulu here.¡±

    ¡°I was out for ten minutes?¡±

    ¡°Eh, give or take.¡± By the seven hills, what was in that thing?

    Junogloris drank it all in one gulp. He kept his eyes on Tabitha, even as his muscles began to convulse, even as sweat flowed freely. Even as his breathing became ragged, even as he grit his teeth so hard that the cracked, he never lost control, until, after what seemed like an eternity, the potion finished its work. He stood to his full height, and defiantly spat blood in front of Tabitha.

    ¡°Woooow. You put yourself through a totally avoidable hell just to prove a point. I¡¯m sooo impressed.¡± she said, completely deadpan. She began the most sarcastic clap one could ever hear.

    ¡°Mistress Luna,¡± Junogloris said, turning his back to Tabitha, ¡°I have never doubted your judgment before, I will not doubt you now. So long as you remain here, I am your shield.¡±

    ¡°Junogloris, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said, unable to meet his gaze. ¡°You should never have been involved in this.¡±

    ¡°If I were to ignore the call of glory when it is right in front of me, then I have truly abandoned my honour.¡± he said.

    ¡°Says the guy who¡¯s been in hiding for at least several centuries.¡± said Tabitha. Junogloris turned to her, his fury would have caused even demons to cower, Tabitha simply returned his gaze with a dispassionate glance. A glance that said she was merely stating facts, whether Junogloris takes it as judgment is on him.

    ¡°Yeah, I was listening in on your heart to heart last night.¡± she said, with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯d have thought that would¡¯ve been enough self-pity for multiple goddamn lifetimes, but, eh.¡±

    ¡°Listen here you-¡± I began, but she cut me off instantly.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have all the time for Shakespeare in the Park, or whatever the hell this is, later.¡± she said, ¡°Right now, we¡¯ve got other, more important things to worry about, all right?¡±

    I wanted to make her eat her words, right then and there, but I held back. It took almost everything I had, but I bit my tongue.

    ¡°Very well.¡± I said, focusing my attention on my profoundly irritating ally, ¡°What is it, exactly, that you have planned?¡±

    In response, Tabitha reached into her coat and pulled out a crystal, the same brilliant crystal that she threatened me with earlier.

    ¡°You were right, you know. This isn¡¯t a bomb. It¡¯s a beacon.¡± she said. The crystal began to shine even brighter as she poured her magic into it.

    ¡°Boss man gave me three days to hunt you down. If I didn¡¯t contact him after that, he was planning on burning this entire forest to the ground.¡± she said as the crystal began to emit a high pitched whine. ¡°He also didn¡¯t want a repeat of the plane thing, and told me to only use the beacon between twelve and three in the afternoon. Which ends in about¡­¡± With her free hand, she reached inside her coat and pulled out pocket watch. ¡°¡­three minutes.¡±

    The air was filled with static, there was so much energy that it felt like I was being crushed by immense pressure.

    The crystal shattered, sending a massive pillar of light into the sky, parting the clouds like the divine hand of the gods.

    ¡°My advice? Hide, and wait for my signal.¡±

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 10: Flies

    I barely had time to realize what had just happened before I was manhandled by Junogloris, who sped off into the forest once again.

    ¡°Of all the unbelievable, stupid, gods damned- ARGH!¡±

    ¡°Mistress Luna-¡±

    ¡°And she didn¡¯t even tell us what the signal is! How on earth are we supposed to wait for a signal if we don¡¯t even know what it is?!¡±

    ¡°Mistress Luna!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Pardon my disrespect, but it would be best to hold your tongue.¡± he said, his gaze focused on the field ahead of us, ¡°His messengers are about to make their entrance.¡±

    No sooner had he said that that I felt a wave of faith crash into me, nearly overwhelming my anima. The space in front of Tabitha rippled like a placid lake disturbed by a hurricane.

    And then, they arrived.

    I felt their presence before I even saw them, their overwhelming aura like the sun, blotting out all other presences within at least several kilometres, even my own. Twenty of them floated where there once was empty space, and even more were materializing from behind Tabitha, surrounding her in a sea of gold and white. The symbols on their foreheads shifted with each second, but I knew what they meant. Blazing on their foreheads, in every language known to man, was the name of their master.

    Rage grew within me, but it was held back by something even stronger. I could hear my heart beating like a war drum as I understood what I had just witnessed.

    ¡°They travelled from within the Thoughtstream¡­¡± I said, my mouth dry. ¡°Their devotion to El must be absolute¡­¡± Junogloris grunted in agreement, but the fear in his eyes told me that he knew what the other possibility was. That they could freely travel within the Thoughtstream, not by force of will, but by magnitude of power. The possibility that the messengers before us each had an anima so robust that they could weather the essence draining effects of the Thoughtstream like it was nothing.

    ¡°All of this for little ol¡¯ me? You shouldn¡¯t have~¡± I heard Tabitha¡¯s voice clearly, I saw thin, almost ephemeral wisps of green flickering in her mouth. The messengers simply stared at her, surveying the remnants of our battle.

    ¡°So where¡¯s Lacan?¡± asked Tabitha, which drew immediate hateful glares from all present.

    ¡°Your Lord, in His wisdom, gave you a name to address Him by, so that you may not blaspheme by uttering His true name with your filthy mortal tongue.¡± hissed the messenger closest to her, ¡°This does not give you licence to take it in vain, vile apostate.¡±

    ¡°Meh. I¡¯ve been called worse, by better.¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Save your bullshit for someone who cares, Remy-¡±

    ¡°I am He Who Is His Divine Thunder, you blasphemous heathen!¡± said the messenger.

    ¡°And I am She Who Could Not Give Less of A Shit.¡± said Tabitha. ¡°Answer the damn question.¡±

    ¡°He should not be troubled with meeting with filth.¡± said the messenger, indignation clear in his voice. ¡°We are more than enough for the likes of you.¡±

    ¡°He knows that the contract clearly states that he pays me personally? That if he didn¡¯t I get five times what was originally offered, yeah?¡± said Tabitha.

    The messenger simply remained silent.

    So she had been planning on luring her employer (Lacan, was it?) here from the very beginning? Just what is she thinking?

    ¡°And what of you? Though I see a forest ravaged by battle, I see no body before me.¡± the messenger said, looking at Tabitha with utter contempt. ¡°Tell me apostate, where is Luna Invicta?¡±

    There was as sound like thunder, and the space to the Tabitha¡¯s side visibly cracked. All eyes were drawn to that impossibility as a pair of grotesquely burned fingers forced their way through. It was like witnessing a corpse dig its way out of its grave. And it was a corpse that I knew too well.

    ¡°Sister.¡± the messenger said, a look of concern on her face as he looked at the quivering, misshapen mess before her. ¡°You should not have come.¡±

    She was a far cry from the other messengers assembled. Her entire body was covered in horrible burns, her once beautiful face now disfigured beyond recognition. She had lost an eye, her nose was nothing more than a hole in her face, and the right half of her scalp was gone, exposing bone that had been burnt an ugly shade of grey. Her hands had shrivelled up, nothing more than brown twigs, and her body was worse off. She looked like a tree starved by drought and ravaged by disease. Yet she still crawled on her stump legs, inching closer to Tabitha like a maggot squirming towards a corpse.

    ¡°Luna¡­¡± said the messenger I¡¯d fought. ¡°Where is¡­ Luna¡­?!¡±

    ¡°Impossible.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but speak at the absurdity in front of me. No one should have been able to survive using the entirety of their anima as a weapon. She should have disintegrated, the idea that was her dissipated into the Thoughtstream. Her will must be beyond comprehension to keep herself together even after expending her very soul like that.

    ¡°Luna!¡± she gasped out, her voice like a death rattle. ¡°Where¡­ is¡­ she?!¡±

    ¡°Sister, please!¡± said the messenger, Remy I believe was what Tabitha called him. ¡°You need to recover! Let us handle this.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not something you recover from, ain¡¯t it?¡± Tabitha said, eyeing the quivering mess in front of her. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re barely holding on as is.¡±

    ¡°Will not die. Can not die. Not before. Mission. Luna!¡±

    ¡°Nice to see you haven¡¯t changed, Silencer.¡± said Tabitha.

    ¡°I¡­ am¡­ She Who-¡± she stopped, coughing so violently that it sounded like she was breaking her ribs with each hacking fit.

    ¡°Sister¡­¡± Remy said, His soft gaze turned to hardest steel when he brought them upon Tabitha. ¡°I will not ask again, mercenary. Where is the goddess Luna Invicta?¡±

    ¡°In a moment.¡± said Tabitha. She crouched down to the Silencer¡¯s level, her emerald eyes boring into her opposites dull blue.

    ¡°You are in no position to be-¡±

    ¡°Tell me, Silencer. How many people were on that plane?¡± said Tabitha, her voice was still cheery, but her expression was anything but.

    ¡°What?¡± a confused expression was on what was left of her face.

    ¡°I fail to see how this is important.¡± said Remy.

    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t. And I suppose none of you know how many people call this forest home, right? Or how many more depend upon it to live? The forest Lacan threatened to burn down if he didn¡¯t find his precious goddess?¡± Though her tone remained even, even I could see that the tension between them was rising.

    ¡°Stop wasting our time with frivolities, mercenary.¡± said Remy, even as the circle of messengers that surrounded Tabitha grew tighter. ¡°Get to the point, and give us the god-!¡±

    There was a flash of steel. A splatter of red.

    And the rest of her words were drowned in a sea of scarlet.

    ¡°Funny you should say that.¡± said Tabitha, her dagger dripping with fresh blood. Remy¡¯s hands flew to his throat, desperate to close the gaping wound, his life flowing freely, staining his immaculate robe a deep crimson.

    The messengers stood dumbfounded, paralyzed by the sheer audacity of what had just happened. Which Tabitha took advantage of.

    In one swift motion, Tabitha plunged her dagger deep into Remy¡¯s belly until only the hilt remained above flesh. Remy coughed up blood, splattering on Tabitha¡¯s face, yet she didn¡¯t flinch. With a grunt of exertion, she forced her dagger upwards, slicing through flesh like it was air, straight into Remy¡¯s sternum.

    Remy¡¯s belly split wide open in a shower of blood and guts, a shower that Tabitha made no effort in evading. Tabitha withdrew her dagger, its crescent blade now a deep red, and Remy¡¯s lifeless corpse fell to the ground.

    Tabitha looked at the stunned onlookers, and said with a wolfish grin,

    ¡°Get some.¡±

    I¡¯m guessing that was the signal.

    The messengers roared in fury and Junogloris and I both knew that retreat became an impossibility. We burst out of our hiding places and charged into the fray.

    Junogloris loosed one of his arrows into the centre of the fray, skewering a messenger as it attempted to take Tabitha¡¯s head. I looked to Junogloris, and he understood. He grabbed me and, with all his might, threw me directly into the field.

    ¡°You!¡± I heard the Silencer gasp out.

    ¡°So nice of you to join me, Lulu~¡± said Tabitha, even as her wicked dagger sliced a messenger¡¯s arm clean off. His agonized screams amplified when Tabitha proceeded to gut him like she did Remy.

    ¡°Not like I had a choice.¡± I swung my backpack to block a beam of searing light. In the brief moment of respite, I unzipped my backpack and, with a flash of silver, broke a messenger¡¯s arm.

    ¡°I¡¯d ask if you had any idea of what you¡¯d just done, but something tells me that I really don¡¯t want to know the answer to that question.¡± I said, as I covered her back, warding off blasts of cold, flame, and wind with my backpack.

    ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± Tabitha said, she leapt back as a messenger jabbed at her with a lance, and before the messenger could draw back, she gripped the lance¡¯s shaft and pulled the messenger in, directly into the waiting embrace of her bloodstained dagger.

    A shower of blood and gore erupted from the slain messenger as Tabitha gutted her quarry once again. I have a sinking suspicion that she¡¯s doing this on purpose. But to what end?

    ¡°Why are you-?¡± A storm of arrows interrupted my thoughts, impaling the two messengers behind us before they could attack.

    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± yelled Junogloris from afar as he knocked another set of arrows, ¡°We can only hold out for so long, cast your spell and hold these vermin in place already!¡±

    ¡°Oh sure, just cast a spell, freeze everyone, like it¡¯s that eas-!¡± She was interrupted by the cutting edge of a golden sword, one she only barely managed to dodge, its blinding edge grazing her cheek and drawing blood. Her knife had shot out, aiming to kill the offending messenger, but he had already retreated, behind a solid defensive line of at least ten shields that shone brighter than the sun.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Tabitha clicked her tongue in irritation, as she readied her dagger once again. And though her stance was solid, her dodges became just the slightest bit slower, her attacks a millisecond more sluggish. She was getting tired.

    ¡°Really don¡¯t need you distracting me right now.¡± Tabitha growled out, even as she barely managed to get out harm¡¯s way once again. She looked pointedly at me, ¡°Mind telling him why using that spell would be less than useless?¡±

    ¡°Honestly, I was wondering that myself.¡± I said, as my makeshift shield deflected a warhammer¡¯s crushing blow. I silently muttered a small blessing for the three of us, even as I know that it wouldn¡¯t be enough.

    ¡°And the two of you are how old, again?¡± she asked, her strength renewed, she unloaded her gun at the messengers¡¯ defenses, the bullets embedding themselves within the golden shields. With a snap of her fingers, the shields shattered, what once was protection a storm of razor sharp metal.

    Or at least it should have been, had the broken shards not dissolved into golden motes of light the moment they made contact with the enemy. We, however were not so lucky.

    ¡°Move!¡± I pushed Tabitha to the ground and brought my shield up, just in time. Bits of empyrean metal pelted me like the world¡¯s sharpest hail storm, shredding my pants, cutting through my shirt, every unshielded part of me put through a rain of shrapnel. But my guard held. Through a vermilion mist, I stood unbowed.

    I held my backpack up and drew my laptop in my free hand. Looking like a child playing the soldier, yet none who saw me would ever doubt my prowess.

    ¡°You look ridiculous.¡± said Tabitha, rolling her eyes even as she loaded her gun.

    Almost none.

    ¡°I can¡¯t keep this up, Tabitha. Use that spell now!¡±

    ¡°Oh for-, It won¡¯t work, okay?! That ¡®spell¡¯-¡± I¡¯m pretty sure she would have done air quotes if her hands had not been occupied, ¡°works by draining my target¡¯s mana, or faith in this case, and replacing it with my own, essentially hijacking your internal leylines and flooding them with foreign energy, get it now?¡± My confusion must have shown clearly on my face, because she just sighed.

    ¡°Taking mana away from someone doesn¡¯t make it just vanish, it has to go somewhere. And that somewhere has to be able to contain whatever¡¯s in it, otherwise, well¡­ Ever been in the centre of a massive explosion?¡±

    ¡°I have, actually. Four days ago.¡±

    ¡°Right. Imagine that, multiplied by at least four, more likely ten.¡± she said.

    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­¡±

    ¡°My mana siphons could handle the two of you easily. It can¡¯t handle even a third of one of them.¡± she said. ¡°No worries, though, I don¡¯t need that to put these buggers down.¡±

    ¡°Right.¡± I said, completely deadpan, ¡°The fact that you¡¯re covered in blood and almost out of breath inspires so much confidence.¡±

    ¡°it should!¡± she said cheerily, as she shucked off her coat and began to wield it like a matador¡¯s cape.

    The messengers surrounded us in a sea of blades, a maw of razor teeth that only a madman would attempt to meet head on. So it came as no surprise that our resident madwoman did exactly that, surging forth with utter glee. She was the wind, flowing effortlessly in between gaps in the messengers¡¯ offense, always just a millimetre away from death, all blows glancing, all cuts mere nicks. All the while, that savage smile never left her face.

    ¡°All right you bloody bastards, who wants to die?¡±

    ¡°Enough of this!¡± yelled one of the messengers, his crimson hair as fiery as his rage. ¡°We will suffer this indignity no longer!¡± His aura flared, outshining even that of his brethren, and he lunged at Tabitha, twin blades in hand.

    ¡°This is for my brothers!¡± he screamed, and he slashed at Tabitha so quickly that it seemed that his swords had become light itself. Twin crimson comets flew across space, aiming to take Tabitha¡¯s head. And only managing to cut off a few strands of hair.

    ¡°So nice of you to volunteer!¡± Tabitha said, crouched low on the ground, a coiled spring, ready to strike. She burst forth, directly at the crimson haired messenger, who instantly took shifted his stance; one blade raised, parallel to his body blocking any incoming blows, and another beneath his raised arm, parallel to the ground, tensed and ready to cut down any who would dare to attack him head on. A stance chosen for its flexibility, ready to take on whatever attack Tabitha chose to do next. Or so I thought.

    Tabitha¡¯s leapt towards the messenger. The messenger¡¯s blade was like a bullet fired from its chamber, flying with blinding speeds even as his guard remained solid. Tabitha, for all her skill, could never have broken through his simultaneous attack and defence. So she didn¡¯t.

    The blade sliced through empty air. The anticipated attack never came, with one solid stomp, Tabitha had forcefully stopped her charge mere millimetres from the messenger¡¯s range, but also far from her own. Wasting no time, she used the same foot that had so savagely stopped her forward motion to pivot to the left with enough force that she should have torn her knee from its socket. And with that momentum she took the coat that was still in her hands, and threw it at her foe.

    The messenger slashed at the thrown coat, slicing it in half¡­ is what should have happened. Instead, the blade seemed to sink into the coat¡¯s fabric underlining, like it had breached water¡¯s surface, without going through the coat itself.

    ¡°Wha-¡± the messenger had swung with all his fury, and was unable to pull back before the coat fell on top of him. And in an instant, he too disappeared into the depths of Tabitha¡¯s trenchcoat.

    All eyes were on the coat as it fluttered to the ground. None of us believing our own senses. Even the angered messengers could only stare in disbelief, utterly shocked at the impossibility what we had just witnessed. We stood rooted in place, the battle forgotten momentarily.

    A moment that Tabitha took advantage of.

    Her hands now free, she drew her gun and with practised grace, fired.

    To say that she killed them would do her a disservice, for in order to kill something requires effort, deliberation, a sense of struggle. Of which Tabitha had none.

    Nine bullets. Nine headshots. Nine explosions of bone and blood. In less time than it took to draw breath, Tabitha had slaughtered nine of El¡¯s most powerful servants.

    And then there were five.

    Tabitha calmly walked towards her coat, and none of the remaining messengers dared to stop her. What once was a united front was now thrown in disarray. Gazes that once held fury now held nothing but fear. For her part, Tabitha donned her coat once more, slowly putting it on one arm at a time, drawing out each laborious motion, each ruffle of fabric an unspoken challenge, a challenge which none dared accept.

    Tabitha stood there, drenched in the blood of her enemies, looking every bit the madwoman that she was. Her gaze lazily swept across the remaining five, and she said, with a tone that could freeze fire,

    ¡°This is the part where you lot run.¡±

    And run they did. The air shimmered so wildly that it felt like I was looking through water as the messengers made their exit, but not before shooting one last withering glare at the three of us.

    ¡°Well that¡¯s done then.¡± Tabitha said walking back to me, even as we just gaped at her. ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°What. In the world. Are you.¡± I said, my eyes glued to her impossible coat.

    ¡°This again? I told you, I¡¯ll tell you late-¡±

    ¡°No!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°I said no! Gods damn it no! This is just too much!¡± I screamed at her, no longer caring how I looked in front of Junogloris. ¡°The inexplicable longevity I can let slide. The faith potions were pushing it, but this?!¡± I gestured wildly at her trench coat. ¡°This is just absurd! No, no longer! I demand an explanation or this alliance is off!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not exactly in a position to be making demands, yeah?¡± she said. I stood my ground.

    ¡°Well all right then.¡± she said. She sighed deeply, and, before I could even register what had happened, she had already drawn her dagger and thrown it in my direction.

    ¡°GYAAAAHHH!!!¡±

    To my surprise, that scream didn¡¯t come from me. I looked behind me, at the source of burbling screams that seemed to drown in equal parts of agony and blood.

    ¡°I¡¯m only doing this so that you¡¯ll shut up, all right?¡± said Tabitha, even as she walked nonchalantly towards the screaming, writhing Silencer, whom she had just impaled on a tree.

    ¡°Wha-?¡±

    ¡°We only have time for three questions. Make it quick.¡± she said.

    ¡°Are- Do you honestly expect me to ask questions while you¡¯re in the middle of slaughtering yet another messenger? Have you lost your mind?¡±

    ¡°Yes, and no. Probably? Maybe.¡± she said. She grabbed the hilt of her dagger and buried it deeper into the Silencer¡¯s stomach, showering her once more with ichor. ¡°Two questions left, and only because I¡¯m being nice enough to only count that as one.¡±

    ¡°Heretics¡­ vile apostates. Accursed traito-!¡± her words died in her mouth as Tabitha slowly brought her dagger higher, cutting through divine flesh like it was nothing, the curved blade keeping the Silencer in place, like a slab of meat hanging from a butcher¡¯s¡­

    My eyes widened as I finally realized the extent of my erstwhile ally¡¯s depravity.

    ¡°That dagger of yours¡­ It was never meant for combat.¡± I said. She just smiled serenely, even as she plunged the blade even deeper into the Silencer¡¯s belly.

    ¡°A blade that curved actively gets in the way of thrusting techniques, and slashing is limited to parts of the blade that aren¡¯t pointed towards you. Even then, bending metal by that much should make it so that only a relatively small portion of your blade should have a cutting edge. No blacksmith worth his salt would design a dagger that unwieldy. Which means-¡±

    ¡°What she wields is not an instrument of war.¡± said Junogloris as realization dawned on him as well. ¡°That bloodthirsty blade was forged not for a swordsman, but for a butcher.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a meat hook with a crudely forged hilt and crossguard.¡± I said. Tabitha¡¯s smile grew wider as she slowly, excruciatingly, pushed the dagger upwards, splitting the Silencer¡¯s belly open and covering Tabitha in a shower of blood and viscera. Even as the Silencer screamed in agony, Tabitha gestured at me to continue.

    ¡°But no mere meat hook should¡¯ve been able to harm Junogloris, let alone slice through a messenger¡¯s defences so easily. Then I noticed something. The way you fought, the way you never shied away from blood but in fact revelled in it, literally bathed in it even¡­ And your inexplicable age. It reminded me of an old Yamato legend.¡± I said, even as I felt the bile rising to my throat at the implication. Even Junogloris had become pale. ¡°The numbers change with each retelling, some say it¡¯s a hundred, others a thousand, I¡¯ve even heard it go up to six billion, but the story remains the same; bathe in the blood of myriad demons, and you yourself will become a demon. So I guess my first question-¡±

    ¡°Second question.¡± she quipped.

    ¡°My FIRST question, is this; just how much blood have you shed?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Heh.¡± she turned to me, leaving the Silencer impaled on the tree, ¡°Let me set one thing straight, sure you can translate youkai as ¡®demon¡¯, but that¡¯s pretty inaccurate. I mean, if I could only kill demons instead of the rest of you, I¡¯d have never made it to year one hundred. To answer your question though? Honestly, mate? No idea. I stopped keeping score after a thousand.¡± With that said, she gripped her dagger¡¯s handle and ripped it out of the Silencer, brutally maiming her in the process.

    A dagger that has slaughtered so much of my kind, their last memories of being disembowelled,, their fear, their anger, their despair indelibly staining that accursed blade. A blade that has slain so many of the supernatural, soaked in blood brimming with power, that its become a relic in its own right, bringing death to the deathless on an ideal level; disregarding all defences, no matter how strong.

    ¡°You turned common steel into a relic that rejects the very idea of divinity, a weapon that kills on the level of concepts, through nothing more than sheer, unending carnage.¡±

    ¡°Well when you put it like that, it sounds kinda horrible, ain¡¯t it?¡± She sheathed her dagger, and began walking towards me, only to be stopped by a hand the weakly grasped at her leg.

    ¡°You just don¡¯t when to quit, do you?¡± she said, as she looked down upon the Silencer, who returned her gaze with one of pure, seething hatred.

    The Silencer pulled herself forward, slowly, labouriously. All of us stood frozen, unable to tear our eyes away from that sorry sight. But though her guts trailed behind her, though she scraped herself on the ground so hard that bits of flesh clung to the grass behind her, though each millimetre of movement brought pain unending, still she moved forward.

    ¡°Foul¡­ traitor¡­ Pagan filth¡­¡± she forced each word out, her rage the only thing keeping her going. ¡°Your deaths¡­ My pain, my slain brethren¡­ My Lord will repay you sevenfold.¡±

    ¡°You know, I¡¯m actually impressed that you¡¯re holding on this long. You really should stop though. That much hatred, and with that level of intensity? You might find yourself birthing a new demon.¡± Tabitha unsheathed her dagger once more, and pressed it unto the Silencer¡¯s throat. ¡°Can¡¯t have that running rampant in the Amazon, now can we?¡±

    ¡°You fools have sinned against Him¡­ His armies shall blot out the sun, and they will hunt you down before the day¡¯s end.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m counting on it. Why do you think I let some of your guys live?¡±

    Wait, what?

    ¡°Your pride shall be your downfall, traitor.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll see. Ciao!¡± Tabitha said, the curved hook resting on the Silencer¡¯s neck and brutally ripped her head from her shoulders. The Silencer¡¯s final expression was frozen on her face, and though she died in pain, I could tell from her hateful smile that she died delighted that we would soon be following her.

    ¡°What was that about El¡¯s armies hunting us down?¡± I asked, staring straight at Tabitha.

    ¡°Is that gonna be your third question or-¡±

    ¡°Seven Hills, woman, just answer the damn question!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡± she said, and she took the Silencer¡¯s head and shoved it inside her coat, where it disappeared. She looked at me, expecting another outburst, but that casual impossibility was less important now. Not with the grim feeling that gripped my spine with icy fingers.

    ¡°It¡¯s exactly what you heard.¡± she said, even as she reached into her coat once more. ¡°Those dudes I let go? I did that so they could tell their boss what I just did.¡± She pulled out a jet black rifle, easily twice the length of her arm, and by the size of its magazine and length of its barrel, it was modified to take on entire armies before being needing to be reloaded. Armies that were always at a considerable distance. Like, say, if the army was one that flew.

    ¡°After all, why stop at just a few, when I could make it literally rain blood, right?¡± she said.

    The temperature rose by several degrees. I felt the distinct tingling of large amounts of faith being expended, and the clouds above us parted in a circle with the sun at its centre. It was like the sky had become the eye of God, and we were the focus of its baleful stare.

    Then a deafening sound like thunder, and a massive crack split the heavens in two.

    ¡°Told you we didn¡¯t have time.¡±

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 11: Firestorm

    Tabitha¡¯s gaze never left the yawning tear in reality. She aimed her rifle at that chasm in the sky, ready to loose a storm of bullets at whatever lay within the swirling darkness of the Thoughtstream.

    Her manic smile threatened to split her face. Then it retreated to her cheeks. Then it disappeared completely as she saw the full extent of the wrath she had called upon us.

    ¡°Move!¡±

    I barely had time to think, Tabitha was manhandling me, throwing me to the ground several metres away. Junogloris started speaking-

    Then everything went to hell.

    Blinding light. Storm winds. The unmistakable acrid smell of burning soil. An invisible force slammed into me, only Junogloris catching me kept me from being launched skyward.

    I looked at the spot where I was. But there was nothing. No trees, no grass, no mud, no earth. All that was left was a crater several metres wide, hundreds of metres deep. its insides perfectly smoothed. Lined with still glowing glass. Glass that used to be dirt.

    I looked to the sky, gazed upon whatever dreadful thing could wield such horrific power.

    It was enormous, easily twice the size of a mountain. A brilliant white globe, feathery wings as large as skyscrapers sprouted from each cardinal direction, flapping in perfect harmony. On each wingtip was an equally gigantic flaming wheel, spinning furiously, its spokes spitting sparks with each frenetic rotation. And on its surface were a myriad blood shot eyes, each the size of a lake. Upon each one burned the ever shifting name of El.

    And every single one of those eyes was trained on us.

    The world shook, my vision swam. All I could hear was my heart racing. One of the galgalim. Whoever this Lacan was had actually sent a galgalim.

    A great roar resounded, and from the tear in reality spilled a multitude of messengers, easily numbering in the thousands. Each one held a bow, string taught, golden arrow pointed directly at us.

    ¡°The bloody hell are you gawking at? Get down!¡± Tabitha screamed, even as she aimed her rifle at that army that blotted out the sun.

    The winds howled as thousands of arrows were loosed. The deafening staccato beat of gunfire answered the call. The evergreen was transformed into a sea of gold and red, blood fell freely from the heavens above. The arrows buried themselves deep, burning whatever they struck, the divine wrath of heaven punishing this land that dared shelter the enemies of El.

    Junogloris moved nimbly while he carried me, like water through burning reeds, whatever arrows he couldn¡¯t dodge breaking against his skin. Never relenting in his desire to protect me.

    Then the sea of messengers parted, and the baleful eyes of the galgalim beheld us once more.

    It¡¯s eyes glowed like a second sun.

    The telltale noise of the galgalim¡¯s fury resounded, a rattling bass so deep and so loud it caused bones to quiver.

    Junogloris tensed, Tabitha was already jumping away.

    The ground Junogloris stood on glowed white.

    Junogloris leapt.

    And from where we stood erupted a massive pillar of flame. All I could see was fire. All I could feel was heat. All I could smell was ash.

    The flames connected land and sky, and nothing in its path survived, not trees, not clouds, not stone.

    And then it was gone. Leaving nothing more than a crater in its wake.

    But there was no rest to be had, for the messengers had converged once more, loosing their arrows in a rain of annihilation.

    ¡°Quick, follow me.¡± Tabitha said, running to the north, firing backwards haphazardly at the unrelenting swarm of messengers. Junogloris, with me in tow, closed the distance between us in bound.

    ¡°Behold the doom your pride has wrought upon us, savage.¡± Junogloris glared at her with as much hate as he could muster.

    ¡°Shove it, mate.¡± she said, even as she dodged yet another stream of arrows. ¡°And I ain¡¯t out of plans yet.¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, the savage¡¯s ingenuity. The same clarity of mind that called one of the Many Eyed Ones on our heads. Forgive me if I am less than reassured.¡±

    ¡°I said shove it.¡± she said, reloading her gun, firing it at the multitude, which began to part once more. The galgalim came into view. Tabitha gripped her spent magazine.

    ¡°Cover your eyes.¡± the magazine glowed bright emerald green, and she threw it as far as she could, straight into the space between us and the galgalim.

    An explosion, even with my eyes closed the brightness threatened to blind me. The unmistakable smell of gunpowder and soot assaulted my nostrils. As well as a something that I couldn¡¯t quite place. Blood? No. The air was thick with that stench. Something similar. Iron fillings?

    ¡°You can open them now, mate.¡± Tabitha said. As soon as I did, my eyes immediately burned, assaulted by the cloud we were in. We were in a smokescreen, and from the smell and the excruciating stinging in my eyes, I had a feeling I knew how she accomplished this on such short notice.

    ¡°Seriously.¡± I said. ¡°Deconstructing that magazine and then blowing it up, all without any alkahest? You¡¯re a terrible alchemist too?¡±

    ¡°Is now really the ti- Terrible?! You take that back!¡±

    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m no Trismegistos, but this is a really inefficient deconstruction, something that dense should¡¯ve made a cloud twice as big.¡±

    ¡°Well excuse me for only having finished the intro course. Friggin¡¯ Academy¡¯s a bunch of elitist bellends.¡± she said, even though we both know that accomplishing deconstruction without any alkahest was something even experienced alchemists struggle with.

    ¡°Begging your pardon, Mistress Luna, but I believe more pressing matters are at hand?¡± said Junogloris.

    ¡°Right, I bought us about three minutes, five max. Ready to hear my plan yet?¡± said Tabitha.

    ¡°What plan? How could you possibly have a plan for this? Do you not know what that thing in the sky is?¡± I said.

    ¡°Mate-¡±

    ¡°Because I don¡¯t think you do. That¡¯s a galgalim, something so powerful that one of them could fight an Ancient One to a standstill. Four of those could-¡±

    Stench of blood so thick it should overpower all else. The cries of lives so cruelly cut short. The radiance of the Empyrean turned night into hellish day.

    ¡°You alright there, mate?¡± I waved her away. Found my bearings.

    ¡°We can¡¯t kill that thing. We can¡¯t even fight it. So unless your plan involves somehow opening a portal to the Underworld and then somehow convincing one of the Ancient Ones to fight for us, I fail to see how any plan you have would work out.¡±

    ¡°Who said anything about killing it?¡± she said with a smirk.

    ¡°Wha-¡±

    ¡°Mate, I hunt gods and demons and bathe in their blood. Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m crazy.¡±

    ¡°Pretty sure it does.¡±

    ¡°Fair.¡± she said. ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m stupid. We¡¯re not fighting that thing. I have a boat docked north of here, about thirty minutes away, less if Lion boy-¡±

    ¡°I beg your pardon?!¡±

    ¡°-carries both of us all the way.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s your big plan? Instead of dying in a forest, we die on a boat?¡± I said.

    Tabitha sighed deeply, muttering something that I couldn¡¯t hear, but I had a feeling that it was something less than charitable about my mental faculties.

    ¡°Alright let me spell it out for you. What¡¯s that thing made out off?¡±

    ¡°The Many Eyed Ones are flesh and bone, savage. But their hides are many times more resilient than the stone walls of a fortress. Unless your boat has weaponry that can level a city-¡±

    ¡°Right, whatever.¡± Tabitha said. ¡°And did you notice that, unlike any of its other friends, that thing never left its hole? Even if that would make it way easier to target us? Hell, it doesn¡¯t even have to leave the Thoughtstream for too long. It could just flap its wings at us, and our little sanctuary would be gone, and we¡¯d be dead by now. Yet it didn¡¯t. You getting it yet?¡±

    ¡°I fail to see-¡±

    ¡°Junogloris, we¡¯re going with her plan.¡± I said.

    ¡°Mistress Luna?¡±

    ¡°Finally! Let¡¯s-¡± I gripped her shoulder as hard as I could.

    ¡°This plan of yours rests on a lot of assumptions. If it fails, you can be damn sure I¡¯m killing you before I die.¡±

    ¡°Eh. I¡¯d love to see you try.¡± she said, licking her lips.

    ¡°Mistress Luna-¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to trust her Junogloris. By the seven hills, I don¡¯t either. But at least trust in me.¡±

    ¡°¡­Very well. For your sake, Mistress Luna, and for no one else.¡± He knelt down, offering his shoulders. ¡°Come along then, savage, I shall be your steed.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do-¡±

    ¡°Any sign of treachery, and I throw you to the Many Eyed One, am I understood?¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell, what¡¯d I do to deserve all this hate?¡± I simply stared at her as she alighted on Junogloris¡¯s shoulders. He wrapped his arms around me, carrying me as delicately as he could.

    ¡°Look lively.¡± Tabitha said. The smoke began to clear, the galgalim¡¯s eyes sinister glow cut through the thinning smog.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    The ground beneath us glowed a blinding white, but Junogloris was already gone covering in seconds what would have taken me and Tabitha several minutes.

    Tabitha faced backwards, her rifle freshly reloaded, slaughtering any and all of the messengers that stood against us.

    I was muttering blessing after blessing, burning through the stockpile of faith that Tabitha had given me. Arrows missed their mark, bullets found theirs, and both Junogloris and Tabitha moved and reacted at speeds that saw the limits of human capability as merely strongly worded suggestions.

    And so was a northward streak carved deep into the Amazon, the verdant greenery burnt to the ground wherever we went, replaced with a sickening trail of dripping red and burning gold. Finally we reached where the river met the sea. It was there that we saw our salvation.

    I recognized it as one of the engines of war from the past century, a PT boat. But only barely. It¡¯s hull was covered in rust, the paint that would have covered it had long since been stripped away by the merciless sea, leaving the boat a washed out dull grey. There was no weaponry to be found on deck, and on top of the bridge was a garishly out of place, bright green satellite dish, which from the large blots of metal at its base, seemed to have been hastily welded on. This boat, which looked barely large enough to house four people, had the words L¡¯Etoilepainted on its bow in eye catching emerald green, the only thing on that ship that seemed like it was made in the last decade.

    ¡°Tabitha?¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Remember what I said about killing you before I died?¡±

    ¡°Look mate, she may not look much-¡±

    ¡°Understatement of the gods damned century, right there.¡±

    ¡°But Ol Star¡¯s been through worse than this. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±

    As if on cue, the sky before us shattered, revealing the massive chasm in which the galgalim lay, its many eyes gleaming with barely restrained power.

    Time slowed to a crawl. The galgalim stood between us and Tabitha¡¯s boat.

    The telltale feeling of pressure and electricity, as the galgalim unleashed its power. We would never make it in time.

    The rattling roar was all I could hear.

    Behind us, an army of messengers, their divine arrows cut off all retreat.

    A second to react. A second between life and death.

    Junogloris¡¯s eyes hardened with resolve.

    ¡°Junogloris, wha-?¡±

    The ground beneath us cracked, and winds like a hurricane billowed as he leapt forwards, directly in the path of the galgalim¡¯s fury.

    I felt indescribable heat, the air that surrounded us seemed ready to ignite.

    And then Junogloris twisted his body, his bones creaking with effort, turning his back towards the galgalim.

    And he threw the two of us at Tabitha¡¯s boat.

    The deafening sound of the explosion was all I could hear. The unmistakable smell of burning flesh assaulted my nostrils. The explosion slammed me into the boat¡¯s deck with a force that should have split it in two, but didn¡¯t so much as scratch the floor.

    I looked up, and saw Tabitha descending gracefully, rolling as soon as she hit the deck and dispersing the force of her landing.

    ¡°You might want to move to the side.¡± she said, her eyes fixed behind me. I turned around-

    And was immediately blown backwards as a flaming meteor crashed mere centimetres in front of me.

    ¡°JUNOGLORIS!¡±

    All I could smell was burnt flesh. His still burning form consumed my sight.

    I ran. I stumbled. I stood up again. The pain wasn¡¯t important. Nothing mattered but getting to his side.

    ¡°Please¡­¡± I could barely see, my vision was clouded over with tears. ¡°Please. Not you too.¡±

    ¡°Mistress¡­ Luna?¡±

    He shifted. Looked at me. His gaze was clear. My own shaking hands grasped his.

    ¡°Junoglo-!¡± My words were drowned by sobs. Then by laughter. Seven hills, I must look like such a wreck.

    ¡°Mistress Luna¡­ This is unbecoming of you.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡± I said, smiling through the tears. I offered him my shoulder.

    ¡°Mistress¡­ To have broken this body in my service. I am undeserving of-¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± I said. And I forced his arm on my shoulder, lifted him up, and headed towards Tabitha.

    Only to be stopped as a barrage of golden arrows cut off our path.

    Oh right. The messengers.

    ¡°Mistress Luna, stand behind me. I¡¯ll-!¡± He sucked air through gritted teeth. The burnt flesh of his legs cracked under the strain of just standing up.

    His lion skin, that nigh impregnable defence, was gone, burnt away by the galgalim¡¯s wrathful stare, and though it bore the brunt of the flames, Junogloris could not escape unscathed. Vast areas of his back were scorched, his bow and arrows reduced to charcoal, and his right arm was rendered useless, too burned to even twitch, much less move.

    ¡°Quick, in here!¡± said Tabitha, pointing towards the ship¡¯s bridge. We scrambled towards the open door, even as arrows descended upon us. I could hear Junogloris¡¯s laboured breathing, the arrows that should¡¯ve broken upon his skin sinking into it. He was getting weaker.

    We couldn¡¯t dodge, and the suppressing fire from Tabitha¡¯¡¯s rifles could only do so much. By the time we got to the safety of the bridge, Junogloris was barely standing, golden arrows shining brilliantly even as they dug deeper into his flesh with each movement.

    ¡°Tabitha.¡± I said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I know.¡± she said, as she started going over the ship¡¯s instruments, swiftly flipping switches, various flashing lights turned from red to green.

    ¡°Savage. Whatever your plan is. Do it now.¡± Junogloris said. Tabitha didn¡¯t look back, but her movements became more frantic, even as the steady beat of arrows embedding themselves into the ship grew louder.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± Tabitha looked at one of the screens in front of her. ¡°Anchor¡¯s taking it¡¯s sweet time. 30 seconds before we can leave.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t have that kind of time, Tabitha!¡±

    ¡°Heh.¡± she grinned wildly, her eyes shone with a manic gleam that spoke of bottomless bloodlust. ¡°Watch the bridge for me. When that light goes green-¡± she pointed at a slowly blinking large red light, ¡°-gun the engines.¡±

    She rushed outside. She effortlessly weaved in between arrows. She was like a dancer, and her partner was death itself. Always just a centimetre away. Only ever tearing fabric, never flesh.

    The red light kept blinking.

    The smile never left her face.

    She dropped her rifle, and ran for the ship¡¯s bow. Green wisps of energy gathered around her legs.

    And she jumped.

    The boat shook violently, nearly capsizing due to that. She was like a comet, headed straight into that mass of messengers numerous enough to blot out the sun.

    They moved out of the way, like a clouds parting before a ray of sunshine.

    But not all of them moved fast enough.

    She crashed into one of the messengers, and held on for dear life. The rest of the messenger¡¯s comrades turned towards her, but they could not shoot, for fear of hitting their own.

    Tabitha drew her dagger.

    In a flash of silver and red, the messenger she held onto was eviscerated. The messenger fell, but Tabitha had already leapt away, on to her next victim.

    The sky above us turned into whirling maelstrom of red, white, and gold. The messengers began to shoot wildly at the interloper in their midst. Tabitha always one step ahead. The water below us began to fill with bodies, ocean blue mixed with deep crimson.

    Then, the telltale bass rung, and reality once again shattered. The chasm appeared, now aimed directly at our ship. The galgalim¡¯s roar was all that could be heard.

    The light turned green.

    I grabbed the lever, helpfully labelled, though somewhat crassly, as ¡°engine shit¡±, and pushed it as far as it could go.

    The engines screamed as they came to life, Junogloris and I were nearly thrown backwards as the ship nearly left the water.

    I could¡¯ve sworn I heard Tabitha laughing her head off.

    The cloud of messengers followed us, obscuring the galgalim¡¯s line of sight. And Tabitha followed along with them, leaping from messenger to messenger, killing all who stood in her way.

    Our ship surged forward, increasing the distance between us and the galgalim. Tabitha reached the messenger close to us, and, with one final explosion of magic, kicked off from her unwilling unwilling perch.

    Blood, flesh, and bone trailed in her wake as the messenger was reduced to pulp by the force of her leap. The ship nearly capsized as she made her landing, rolling all the way towards the bridge door.

    ¡°Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about!¡± she said as she ran towards us, taking the helm from me, her gaze flitting frantically from monitor to monitor, to the windows outside.

    The cloud of messengers continued to keep chase, but the galgalim remained in its chasm. Glowing eyes stared at us with unfathomable hate.

    Arrows rained from the sky, but our little ship was moving to quickly, and with Tabitha at the helm, the messengers had no chance in hell of hitting us. Their only hope was the galgalim, but¡­

    The shore became ever more distant, and the galgalim remained stationary. Slowly, the crack in reality closed, all the while the galgalim¡¯s gaze never left our ship.

    ¡°What¡¯d I tell you?¡± said Tabitha, grinning wildly. I could only stare at her.

    ¡°We almost died, you crazy bitch!¡±

    ¡°Ah don¡¯t get your knickers in a knot, Lulu. Everything turned out fine.¡±

    ¡°How are you so certain¡­¡± Junogloris said, even as he slumped down, his wounds finally catching up to him.

    ¡°Want to tell him, or should I?¡± Tabitha said, even as she started rummaging within her coat.

    ¡°Junogloris, the galgalim won¡¯t be able to chase us. Not this far. I can assure you that at least.¡±

    ¡°Mistress Luna?¡±

    ¡°Lulu, be a dear and take over for me, will you?¡± Tabitha said. She walked towards Junogloris, leaving the boat to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m running low on the elixir, you¡¯ll have to settle for just enhanced regeneration, at least until we resupply.¡± she said, even as she produced a bottle filled with viscous, sickly green liquid. ¡°Tell me, love, ever heard of the Square Cube law?¡±

    ¡°Do not presume to fool me with meaningless babble, sav-!¡± Words died in pain as Tabitha brusquely massaged the liquid into his burnt arm.

    ¡°Tabitha¡¯s words aren¡¯t nonsense.¡± I said, steering the boat as best as I could. The boat rebelled against me very step of the way, its wheel groaning and scraping with each laboured turn. By the seven hills, how did she do this so effortlessly?

    ¡°When a thing gets larger, it also gets heavier. But in different proportions.¡± Tabitha said, ripping out one of the many arrows sticking out of Junogloris¡¯s back. A pained hiss escaped his grit teeth as Tabitha poured the liquid into the hole she made. ¡°For example, if you double the size of something, you quadruple the surface area, and you octuple the corresponding volume. Increases and decreases in size follow that principle, with the surface area of something increasing by the square of the size multiplier, and its volume increasing by the cube. Square, cube. Know what I¡¯m saying?¡±

    We both looked at her like she¡¯d grown a second head.

    ¡°What?¡± she said, even as we both continued to stare at her. ¡°I¡¯m several hundred years old, mate. You try living that long without picking up a thing or two.¡±

    ¡°I fail to see how¡ª¡°

    ¡°You thick or something? Lulu knew what the plan was, and she got it way quicker than you did.¡±

    ¡°What she meant to say,¡± I said, even as the swarm of messengers grew ever distant, ¡°Is that something as gargantuan as the galgalim would be immensely heavy in real space.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯d be way too huge to support its own weight. Especially when you told me it was still made of flesh.¡± she said. ¡°An increase in volume brings with it an increase in mass, and by extension, weight. But the surface area of the bones and fleshy bits supporting that weight wouldn¡¯t be nearly enough to support that, having only increased by a square. Ever noticed why it never stepped out of that portal?¡±

    ¡°Its own enormity would have been its executioner.¡± said Junogloris, eyes wide. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. El freely used the Many Eyed Ones before.¡±

    ¡°The world has changed, Junogloris.¡± I said. ¡°Faith doesn¡¯t come easily, and the Thoughtstream no longer bleeds into reality as it once did.¡±

    ¡°Which brings us to my brilliant plan.¡± Tabitha said. ¡°That thing could only ever target us by ripping open holes in reality into the Thoughtstream. So if we could run to some place where the Thoughtstream wouldn¡¯t be present, or at least not present enough to allow that thing to continue defying the laws of physics, then it wouldn¡¯t be able to follow.¡±

    ¡°And the only place where the web of human thought grows that thin is one wherein humanity is nonexistent.¡± Junogloris said. ¡°The ocean.¡±

    ¡°And he finally gets it! Great job, we¡¯re all proud of you!¡±

    ¡°Do not test me savage.¡± Junogloris glared at her.

    ¡°Eh, whatever. You¡¯ll come around. Now just lie down for a day and you¡¯ll be fine. Probably.¡± Tabitha said.

    ¡°So, we¡¯ve escaped, barely. What now?¡± I said.

    ¡°Now?¡±

    She suddenly slid next to me, I feel blood dripping on what remained of my clothes. She reached at me, our arms intertwining, my breathing quickened, my blood froze. I could feel her hot breath caress the back of my neck as she drew closer, the pommel of her dagger digging into my back. She reached out.

    And flipped the switch marked autopilot.

    ¡°Now we go below deck, we get absolutely plastered, and we call it a day, yeah?¡± she said.

    ¡°Wha-¡±

    ¡°Ha! Should¡¯ve seen your face.¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Relax, if wanted to kill you-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d be dead already, yeah, I get it.¡± I said.

    ¡°I was going to say I¡¯d give you a bit of time to prepare, give me a better fight than last time.¡± she said with a shrug. ¡°But yeah, pretty much, ain¡¯t it? So what do you say, how about we-¡±

    Her pants pocket started blaring really obnoxious music, all meaningless, heavily distorted guitar riffs and rapping with neither rhyme nor rhythm. Or sense.

    ¡°Just a minute, I have to take this.¡±

    ¡°Your ringtone¡¯s nu-metal?¡±

    ¡°Shh.¡± she said. ¡°Good afternoon, sir or madam, you¡¯ve reached- Oh. It¡¯s you.¡± her expression immediately soured. ¡°Uh-huh. Oh really? Well tell you what, you weren¡¯t there at the meet, so I¡¯d say we¡¯re even in terms of betrayal, yeah?¡± She covered the receiver and said, ¡°The nerve of some people, right?¡±

    ¡°Wow, no, really?¡± she said, sarcasm practically oozing from every syllable, ¡°No, you listen here Lacan, you send your bloody goons at me, send as many as you like. And once they die like the rest, I¡¯m coming for you. Know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Really? Well all right then.¡± Tabitha said. She pointed the phone at me, ¡°Lacan wants to have a word with you.¡±

    The pretender to El¡¯s throne? What could he possibly wish to discuss?

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    DIE.

    Strength left my legs. My heart nearly stopped. Black spots blotted out my vision. My anima nearly flickered out of existence. It felt like my nerves were replaced with icy tendrils, snuffing out all warmth.

    I fell.

    And was immediately caught by Tabitha.

    ¡°Ha! Nice try, jackass! Did you really think I wouldn¡¯t ward my phone against Divine Proclamations? I¡¯m honestly insulted.¡± she said into the phone she snatched from me. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you Lacan. Very soon, I hope. Cheers!¡± She threw the phone on the ground and stomped on it.

    I stared at the phone, broken glass and sparking circuitry stared back.

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡± Tabitha asked.

    ¡°How much of the Divine Proclamation was blocked by your phone?¡±

    ¡°Oh, enough that he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything drastic. I¡¯d say around ninety percent, eighty-five if I¡¯m being generous.¡±

    Eighty five percent. A single word Proclamation was able to nearly kill me over a phone line at around less than a fifth of its power.

    Lupa¡¯s tits, what did I get myself into?

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 12: Adrift

    The scent of lavender. Blades of grass waved with the wind¡¯s caress. The sun shone brightly in the middle of the sky, the heat should have been oppressive, but right here, right now, it felt more like an invisible blanket. Lulling me to sleep.

    ¡°Here again, I see?¡±

    In the sweltering summer heat, she smelled like the first day of spring.

    I rose to my feet, but in my haste, I stumbled just as quickly. I looked up, and she was smiling at me. But there was no malice beneath that smile, only mirth.

    ¡°No need to stand on ceremony on my account, little goddess.¡± she said. ¡°You are welcome here, Luna Invicta. I don¡¯t recall ever taking that back.¡±

    She knows my name? Then she¡­

    ¡°Yes. I know why you¡¯re here.¡± Though her smile never left her face, her gaze seemed to soften. ¡°But it can wait, yes? Let¡¯s just stay here a little while longer.¡±

    We both looked at the deep blue sky, clouds slowly drifting away, carried by the zephyrs to parts unknown.

    I wanted to stay here. Just laying down, right next to her. Freeze this moment in time and just live here forever.

    But this could never last. I already know how it ends.

    I rose to my feet and met her gaze. I held out my hand and introduced myself properly. Not as the child laying on a grassy meadow. But-

    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s no escaping it.¡± she said as she took my hand with her own. Her grip was firm.

    ¡°Very well, Herald of the Western Mountain. Let us speak of war.¡±

    My eyes shoot open. I look at the unfamiliar ceiling above me, the tacky chandelier waving about like a pendulum. I brushed away the wetness in my cheek.

    ¡°Another dream, huh.¡± I spoke to no one in particular.

    My voice resounded throughout the confines of this room, which was quite spacious. All the comforts of home were here, from a dresser with an overly ornate mirror, to a queen sized bed with scarlet silken sheets. There was even a wooden shelf filled with books. Anatomy and You: A Primer, So You Wanna be a Sailor?, Blade Works Monthly, and¡­ The Essential Melville?

    Huh. Never figured Tabitha would be much of a reader. Her tastes leave much to be desired though.

    I stood quickly, only to stumble as my entire room seemed to wobble. Oh right. With how big my quarters were, I had completely forgotten that I was still at sea.

    I laid back down, the glass diamonds of the chandelier twinkling in the electric moonlight streaming from my LCD window, and my thoughts drifted back to what had happened earlier.

    *

    The midday sun shone brightly upon the sparkling ocean. The salty sea spray our boat left in its wake was enough to wash away the iron stench of our pitched battle. Well, almost.

    ¡°And that should do it.¡± Tabitha said flipped switches on the ship¡¯s dashboard. Each movement, each rustle of clothing splattered a new coat of stains all over her boat¡¯s instruments.

    Tabitha was still absolutely covered in blood. Her once white hair now an ugly shade of crimson, her coat was like a sponge overburdened with water, steadily releasing droplets into an ever expanding pool at her feet. A pool that was steadily making its way towards me.

    ¡°-una? Oi, Lulu? You still with us, mate?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°You seem a bit rattled.¡± she said, getting closer, the scent of blood beginning to rot assaulting me. She was dangerously close to dripping all over my favourite top. What remained of it anyway.

    ¡°Take your clothes off.¡± I said.

    ¡°At least take me out to dinner first.¡± she said.

    ¡°Obviously not what I meant, you thrice damned-¡±

    ¡°Ladies. Well, lady and savage-¡± said Junogloris, still leaning in the corner where we left him.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be your savage anytime, love.¡± Tabitha said, as she fluttered her eyes at Junogloris. He looked like he was about to vomit at the mere thought.

    ¡°We were trying to kill each other but a few hours ago.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± She said in a husky whisper. Was- was she actually purring?

    ¡°By the seven hills, I cannot be bothered. Mistress Luna.¡± Junogloris turned his gaze to me. ¡°I do not wish to be rude but I think it would be best that I recovered in a bed.¡±

    ¡°Right, and I¡¯ve got a bed below deck, multiple in fact.¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Now how about we open that there door and just go, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Not before you take off your clothes.¡± I said.

    ¡°Look, mate. I¡¯m not into that, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Women?¡±

    ¡°Dumpy virgins.¡±

    ¡°Wha-?! I¡¯ll have you know that hymns have been sung about my beauty! HYMNS!¡±

    ¡°And no comment about the virgin thing, I see.¡± Tabitha said with a smirk. ¡°Tells me everything I need to know, ain¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Oh you unbelievab-!¡±

    ¡°Mistress Luna.¡± said Junogloris, averting his gaze. ¡°Please do not debase yourself.¡±

    My cheeks grew hot.

    ¡°Right.¡± I looked Tabitha squarely in the eyes. ¡°Listen, Tabitha. This boat looks barely big enough to hold all three of us. I¡¯m sure the deck below is cramped beyond belief. I am not, under any circumstances, getting messenger blood all over me. So, for the last time, take off your thrice damned clothes.¡±

    ¡°Oh is that what it was?¡± said Tabitha. ¡°No worries, mate. There¡¯ll be more than enough space below for us. So come on already, there¡¯s several bottles of beer below deck with my name on it.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the day.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s relevant, how, exactly?¡± she said.

    ¡°Fine. But If any of that gets on me, I swear.¡±

    ¡°Oh you won¡¯t have to worry about that. Trust me, mate.¡± She walked towards the door that connected the bridge to the boat¡¯s interior.

    Junogloris looked at me. I simply shrugged. Tabitha might be full of surprises, but there was no way she was-

    Tabitha opened the door.

    Junogloris and I stared.

    And stared.

    And stared.

    It felt like my brain had frozen. I refused to believe that what I was seeing was real.

    ¡®Well what are you two waiting for? Get in.¡± Tabitha said.

    *

    ¡°What. The.¡±

    Junogloris vomited blood.

    ¡°Oh yeah, my bad. Really should¡¯ve told you that regen potions have a fair bit of a kick to them. Especially when you use that much.¡± she said, seemingly oblivious to the impossibility that we were in.

    ¡°Explain. Now.¡± I said.

    ¡°I just told you that he needs bed res-¡±

    ¡°Not about that, you utter maniac! Explain this!¡± I said waving my arms around when I really shouldn¡¯t be able to.

    ¡°It is what it is, ain¡¯t it? You wanted space? You got it.¡±

    I stared at her. Then at the light fixtures that belonged more on a luxury liner than whatever this boat was. Then at the hallway with glossy, lacquered wood panelling. A hallway that seemed to stretch infinitely into the horizon.

    Tabitha had pulled yet another impossibility. The boat we were on? It was bigger on the inside. Much bigger.

    Tabitha shifted her weight to her other leg. She crossed her arms at me, and stared down at me. I crossed mine right back at her.

    ¡°You gave me your word, mercenary.¡± I said.

    ¡°Tsk, Fine.¡± she said. ¡°But first let¡¯s take care of Lion boy, yeah? He¡¯s not looking to well.¡±

    I looked to my shoulder, and saw that Junogloris had long since passed out.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Let¡¯s take him to the infirmary, yeah?¡±

    ¡°The interior¡¯s large enough to have a dedicated infirmary? Just how big is it?¡±

    ¡°Easily the size of an aircraft carrier.¡±

    ¡°What the fu-¡±

    *

    I watched over Junogloris as he slept. Draped in several of the infirmary¡¯s sterile white blankets, he looked less like a warrior of legend and more like a child. That he was lying on a makeshift bed made of pillows did nothing to take away from that image.

    ¡°And the infirmary is officially out of pillows.¡± Tabitha said as she shoved one more under Junogloris¡¯s left foot.

    I looked over at the infirmary, twenty or so completely functional beds lay in view, none of which could even hope to fit Junogloris.

    ¡°Bloody hell, why¡¯d you have to be so goddamn huge¡­¡± she said as she made her way towards a desk and sat there. Not on the chair the desk came with, but literally on the desk, scattering reams of paper as she did.

    ¡°Talk.¡± I said.

    ¡°Straight to the point as ever.¡± she said. She picked up a sheet of paper and a pen and started doodling. ¡°Ever heard of a bag of holding?¡±

    ¡°I have.¡±

    ¡°Well there you go-¡±

    ¡°And I also know that they¡¯re completely fictional.¡± I said. ¡°I may not be a mage, but neither am I a fool, Tabitha. I know what the first law of magic is.¡±

    ¡°The more natural laws you break, the greater the mana cost.¡± she muttered, not even deigning to look up from her paper.

    ¡°Never actually heard it put that way before, but yes. Creating matter from mana is relatively simple, you¡¯re only violating conservation of mass, and even then, there¡¯s a clear conversion of energy for matter, though much less than what it would normally take. But creating space from nothing, forcing that space into a tiny container without compressing it, or destroying said container, and then maintaining that space indefinitely? That would require more magic than there exists on this Earth. The only way to pull that off was if this ship¡¯s interior was located within the more malleable space of the Thoughtstream. And since I¡¯m not currently hemorrhaging anima from every orifice, that¡¯s obviously not the case. No more lies, Tabitha.¡± I said.

    ¡°It¡¯s a fair cop.¡± her pen stopped, and she met my gaze with her own. ¡°Tell me, Luna, what do you know about dimensions?¡±

    I tilted my head. Did she mean those things found in science fiction? Because I¡¯ve played a few of those on stream-

    ¡°Let me stop you right there, mate.¡± she said, an amused expression on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t mean parallel worlds or any of that bollocks. I mean physical dimensions. Like height, width, so on.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of them.¡±

    ¡°So I don¡¯t have to explain that we live in three dimensions, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Four. You forgot time.¡± I said.

    ¡°Hm. Fine let¡¯s go with that.¡± she then held up her piece of paper. On it was scrawled one word: ¡°2D.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s say we have a theoretical space that only exists in two dimensions, represented by this sheet.¡± she said. ¡°As it is, the only place that two dimensional objects can exist on this sheet is right here.¡± She pointed at the paper¡¯s surface.

    ¡°However.¡± she reached into her coat and pulled out an orange. ¡°What if an extra-dimensional object, were to, say, warp this 2D space?¡± With that she wrapped the paper around the orange.

    ¡°From an outsider¡¯s perspective, the space looks completely bonkers, but from the perspective of the objects within said space-¡± she pointed at what could be seen of the scrawled 2D ¡°-things haven¡¯t really changed all that much, yeah? They¡¯re still existing on that space, it¡¯s the space that has been compacted a bit. But the distortion creates a sort of space in its own, yeah? Or at least it reveals the underside of the space that the objects are on.¡±

    ¡°Also,¡± she took her pen and drew an ordinary dot on the crumpled paper, ¡°Adding new objects after the fact doesn¡¯t distort said objects. So long as the space is stable, that is.¡±

    ¡°Now see what happens if I do something like this.¡± She took a fresh piece of paper, and tore a strip from it. She eyed the strip carefully, then twisted it in the middle, took both ends of the strip, and joined them together in a loop.

    ¡°Watch carefully.¡± She took her pen, and began drawing a line on the surface of the looping strip. Her pen deftly glided over the looping surface, until it stopped where it began. She then unfurled the loop, and showed me both sides of the paper.

    Without ever lifting her pen, she had managed to draw a line on both sides.

    ¡°And voila.¡± she said. ¡°What you just saw me make was a M?bius Strip, a shape that has one single, continuous surface, no undersides to be found.¡±

    I stared at her, wide eyed. The insides of my mouth felt drier than surface of the sun. Surely she can¡¯t be suggesting-

    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it.¡± she said. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, we may only live on four dimensional space, but what¡¯s to say that 4D¡¯s all there is?¡±

    ¡°Dimensions beyond the fourth are just theore-¡±

    ¡°Not anymore, Lulu.¡± she said with a smirk. ¡°You see, you were right. Creating space from nothing? That¡¯s beyond me, beyond anyone, really. But creating an object in the fifth dimension, taking hold of the edges of a particular region of four dimensional space, warping it around that fifth dimensional object to increase the amount of usable space, then contorting that space so that it has one continuous ¡®surface¡¯? Still not easy, hell it took me centuries to pull off. But it¡¯s doable, ain¡¯t it? Oh yeah, and you want to know the best part? Unlike 2D, you can fold 4D space into way more efficient shapes than just M?bius strip. Like, hundreds of times more.¡±

    Madness. This was utter madness. This woman spoke of things that would break the minds of lesser men with a complete lack of care.

    ¡°Our senses are built for three dimensional space. The fifth dimension should have been incomprehensible to you.¡± I said.

    ¡°What can I say, I¡¯m just that good.¡± she said, as she slowly stood up.

    ¡°Taking hold of the edges of space using magic. The amount of precise control you¡¯d have to have over your mana output¡­¡±

    ¡°Like I said. That good.¡± she said with a strained smile.

    ¡°And you said you¡¯ve been working on this for centuries. But theories about dimensions beyond the third and fourth have only been around since the 20<sup>th</sup> century. How did you-?¡±

    ¡°Well now, girl¡¯s gotta have her secrets.¡± She idly shifted her weight on each leg, her impatience clear. ¡°Now how about I show you to your room? You should find clothes around your size in the closet. You can ask me about my coat tomorrow, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Hold on, I completely forgot about tha-!¡±

    *

    And so here I was, staring at a chandelier faintly glowing in electric moonlight. Seven hills, what a day this has been. It¡¯s going to take a lot of wine to take the edge off at the very least¡­

    I stood up from my bed with renewed resolve. Tabitha may have forgotten her offer, but I haven¡¯t.

    I opened the closet. No. Too drab. Too fancy. Not my colour. Why would she even have this?

    Oh. Ohhh. This is good.

    I took off what was left of my old clothes and slipped into my new ones, a tasteful purple hoodie emblazoned with a golden crescent moon, as well as some comfortable jeans.

    ¡°Hopefully she has something better than beer.¡±

    *

    This was a mistake.

    I was pretty sure I¡¯ve passed that light fixture multiple times by now. Tabitha said that this boat, no, this ship had an interior as large as that of an aircraft carrier, and my aching feet feel inclined to believe her.

    I had been wandering for at least half an hour now, feebly feeling my way in the darkness of this seafaring labyrinth, and of the many rooms I had wandered into, not one of them resembled a cafeteria. I did stumble upon a vending machine though, a shame that I didn¡¯t have any money on me, on account of barely surviving a plane explosion. And an assassination turned fight to the death. Twice. And a galgalim.

    By the seven hills, if I survive this, Hydrargyrus is going to murder me. And if he doesn¡¯t, Vanafreya certainly will.

    I could just see it now, the triumphant Luna Invicta, wielding the power of all the gods that humanity has ever dreamt of, annihilated by Vanafreya¡¯s ultimate weapon; her puppy dog eyes.

    In spite of myself, I couldn¡¯t help but a smile. How long has it been since I last saw her? Three days? It felt so much longer.

    As for why Tabitha has a vending machine, I decided not to question it. I¡¯m pretty sure the answer would be something patently absurd, like that vending machine dispensing philosopher¡¯s stones and other assorted relics through some mindbending application of magic, or prodigious use of violence. Likely both. I¡¯ve had enough of that for one day, thank you very much.

    Hm? A faint light in the distance, a beacon to guide me out of this gods forsaken maze.

    The light streamed from a door barely cracked open. A wooden sign was on the floor, and from the rusty, bent nail in the middle of the door, it would seem that it had fallen off. Someone must have slammed this door, and then simply forgot to check if it was properly closed. I picked up the sign. ¡°Captain¡¯s Quarters¡±? Must be Tabitha¡¯s room. I should leave-

    A sickening squelch stopped me in my tracks. In the silence of the ship, all I could hear was heavy breathing from within Tabitha¡¯s room. What exactly was she doing in there? I leaned in close, peered into the door.

    Tabitha was sitting down on her bed in nothing but an athletic bra and shorts, the jet black, form fitting fabric a stark contrast to her pale, sweat covered skin. She must have taken a shower some time ago, no trace of blood could be seen on her. Her body was laid bare, and it told the story of her eternal battlefield.

    Countless scars marred her otherwise flawless skin; some deep, some shallow; some long winding gashes, others precise indentations, each a mark of triumph over blades, over guns, over every weapon known to humanity. Her muscles rippled with each movement, and I could tell, even from where I was standing, that they were rock solid, but never to the point of obstructing her motion.

    Tabitha¡¯s form was slim, lithe, graceful; but it still oozed strength. Her body was unmistakably forged in the crucible of war, she was, without a doubt, the pinnacle of martial might.

    Another pained breath escaped from her clenched teeth, Tabitha squinted in pain as her molars cracked against the strip of leather that she was biting down on. Sweat poured profusely down her neck, drenching the sheets which she sat upon.

    Her legs were surrounded in ethereal, emerald strings, holding them in place. The stench of blood mixed with sweat. I followed Tabitha¡¯s gaze. Down to her shins.

    A shard of sharp, white bone jutted out from each gaping hole in her leg. Spongy, exposed marrow spurted blood, a grotesque mockery of a water fountain.

    Tabitha breathed deeply. Closed her eyes tightly. Her left hand reached over to her right shoulder, which I now saw was hanging limply, too far to her side to still be in its socket. Emerald threads of magic materialized, holding her shoulder in place.

    In one vicious motion, she shoved her arm back in.

    A squelch and a pop, the sound of bone forcibly grinding against bone.

    My hands flew to my mouth, trying to stifle my gasp.

    ¡°¡­¡± Tabitha tilted her head slightly. Maybe she didn¡¯t hear me?

    ¡°Take a picture, mate. It¡¯ll last longer.¡± she said, even as she spat out a wad of blood and spit. So much for that.

    I slowly opened the door, the light from her room engulfed me as we stood face to face.

    ¡°Told you we¡¯d run out of elixir.¡± she said, as she rotated her shoulder, the sound of cracking bones was all I could hear. ¡°Have to heal the old fashioned way.¡±

    She held a hand out, and from her dresser flew a green potion, the same colour as the one she used on Junogloris.

    I could feel her gaze boring into me, her smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. I looked away.

    I realize where she¡¯d gotten those injuries. For all her peerless skill, no matter how much long lived she was, Tabitha was still human.

    And no human could jump as far as she did earlier and expect to continue walking afterwards. No amount of rolling can completely mitigate the damage of being thrown by Junogloris towards the unforgiving surface of this ship.

    ¡°You know-¡± Tabitha began, even as a pained hiss escaped her lips as the threads holding her legs in place tightened. ¡°- my legs are right busted. Even if I were to puppeteer them using these-¡±, she gestured at the threads, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to move nearly as quickly as earlier. And would you look at that! I don¡¯t have my guns on me, or my dagger.¡± She uncorked the green bottle. I continued to stare at the ground.

    ¡°What are you planning on doing, Luna Invicta?¡±

    My heartbeat threatened shatter my ribs. All I could hear was my breathing. All I could smell was salt and iron. My hands clenched and unclenched, fingernails digging deep enough to draw blood.

    Seconds passed. I stood stock still.

    I heard Tabitha sigh.

    ¡°Guess that answers that, then.¡± I looked up, and saw that she had gone back to work. She gingerly pressed on the exposed bone on her left leg. I heard her take a deep breath and then-

    She savagely shoved the bone back in.

    Tabitha gripped the edges of her bed hard enough to crack the bed frame. Blood was now freely leaking from her mouth as even more of her teeth shattered. Muffled screams escaped from her throat. Emerald threads held her leg in place, aligning bone with broken bone. She hurriedly poured the green potion over her wound, and the threads enclosed it completely, her leg looked like it had been caught by an emerald spider.

    In the dead of night, Tabitha suffered.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t take it back. The word had slipped out unbidden.

    ¡°Why?¡± I said once more.

    Through a curtain of dishevelled hair, through sweat and tears, Tabitha¡¯s steel gaze held me in place. Daring me to continue.

    ¡°If you¡¯d just sacrificed us to the messengers, you could¡¯ve escaped easily. You¡¯d still be hunted down by Lacan, you¡¯d still get your constant supply of divine blood. But instead you do this. Why? To what end?¡± I asked, my voice broke with each syllable I forced out. ¡°Why go this far?¡¯

    Tabitha looked me dead in the eyes. And then she simply smiled.

    ¡°Figure it out yourself, yeah?¡±

    The door slammed in my face. In the darkness of the ship, all I could hear was Tabitha¡¯s agonized breathing.

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 13: Course Correction

    ¡°Greetings, my lovely citizens and plebs, and welcome to another episode of LadyAstair¡¯s travel vlog! As you can see, we¡¯re out of the Amazon and we¡¯re-¡± I froze. All I could do was stare at the camera lens.

    With a deep breath, I reached for the camera and closed it, the bright red record light fading into oblivion. That¡¯s, what, the fifth take I¡¯ve ruined today?

    I laid on bed, staring at the chandelier lit in artificial sunlight. My eyes began to water, but I willed them open. Every time they closed; I saw things that I would rather not see. Not again.

    THUD THUD THUD.

    Arrhythmic pounding woke me from my reverie. The blows that landed on my door held so much force that I swore I could hear the wood creaking in disapproval.

    ¡°Oi, food¡¯s on!¡± Tabitha said, her voice muffled by her constant attack on my poor door.

    I stood up, smoothed my hoodie, and answered the door.

    ¡°You look like shite, mate.¡± Tabitha said.

    ¡°Good morning to you too, Tabitha.¡± I said, not even bothering to look at her.

    ¡°It¡¯s noon.¡±

    ¡°Is it now? I didn¡¯t notice.¡± I said. Tabitha looked me over, and then shrugged.

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s lunch time, let¡¯s go for a bite, yeah?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a goddess, Tabitha. I don¡¯t need to eat.¡±

    ¡°Well, I also didn¡¯t need to spend an hour preparing food, but I did. You wouldn¡¯t want my hospitality to go to waste, yeah?¡± she said. I looked at her through bleary eyes. By the seven hills, I do not have the strength.

    ¡°Fine, lead the way.¡±

    *

    ¡°Mistress Luna, to have you join us is a pleasure.¡± said Junogloris, seated at a bench much too small for him. I began to return his greeting, only to stop when I saw him.

    Junogloris was currently swaddled in the blankets we left him in, covering his massive body in what I can only assume is an attempt at making a toga. A poor attempt at that, the multitude of sheets bunching up along his shoulders while leaving uncovered things that should be kept hidden in polite company. Or any company at all. Coupled with how he gingerly sat at a bench clearly too small for him, and Junogloris looked less like a hero of legend and more like an extra in a college comedy.

    ¡°Is something the matter?¡± Junogloris said, seemingly oblivious to how ridiculous he looked. Tabitha simply sighed.

    ¡°Look mate, I tried to tell him. But he was all, ¡®I would never wear these barbarian garments¡¯ this, and ¡®cease your savage prattling¡¯ that¡­¡±

    ¡°My current attire draws its lineage from the long and proud tradition of our great empire.¡± Junogloris said, his head held high. ¡°Though the material is¡­ lacking, I have no doubt in my mind that Mistress Luna and I are of the same mind as to the superiority of this over your barbarian cloth.¡±

    Tabitha glanced at me, looked me over, staring pointedly at my hoodie and pants. Then her gaze returned to Junogloris, daring him to make a sound.

    ¡°Well, what do you say, Mistress Luna?¡± Tabitha said, rolling her Rs almost as much she rolled her eyes, ¡°Want me to whip you up a toga from some blankets too?¡±

    I looked at her with as much weariness as I could muster. She grinned at me, that same grin that she always had when she thinks she¡¯s won.

    ¡°Can we not? Right now?¡± I said, as I took my seat.

    ¡°Indeed. Mistress Luna has no need for a toga. Women of her stature would wear a stola-¡±

    ¡°Junogloris.¡±

    ¡°Oh, pardon me.¡± Junogloris said. ¡°The Lady of War would, of course, settle for no less than a full lorica-¡±

    ¡°Tabitha, can we have some of that food now? Please?¡± I said. Tabitha, for her part, was barely holding back her laughter.

    ¡°Ha! Sure thing. Bear in mind, this is going to be barbarian cuisine, yeah? You sure your imperial sensibilities can-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±

    ¡°Aw, you¡¯re no fun.¡±

    *

    The rich smell of beef wafted from the cast iron pot in front of us. The silvery tendrils of smoke caused mouths to water wherever it went, a promise of a culinary experience that was the height of decadence. The rich, savoury sauce, whose thickness spoke of hours of expert ministration, glistened off of perfectly seared chunks of meat. Meat which looked so tender that it felt as though even a mere gust of wind would tear it apart. Chunks of carrot and onion, crudely cut, gifted their aroma to the already intoxicating steam, and promised to do the same for the stew¡¯s flavour.

    In front of us, in all its simple, yet extravagant glory, was beef bourguignon.

    ¡°Well, go ahead. Dig in.¡± Tabitha said, as she handed me a plate with a simple foil wrapped baked potato. Junogloris looked at the stew, no doubt refusing to believe that Gallian cuisine would ever compare to that of the Empire, even as all of his senses made convincing cases otherwise. For my part, I ladled a generous portion for myself, and took a bite.

    Flavours exploded inside my mouth. Every time my teeth sunk into the meat, juices flowed freely, the savoury notes dancing delightfully upon my tongue. The red wine sauce was cooked to perfection, each bite of meat and vegetable seemed to drown out all sensation but taste. The interplay of the stinging sweetness of onions, the aromatic flavour of carrot that satisfied both taste and smell simultaneously, and the heavenly tenderness of the meat was all too much. It was as if someone had plucked the Ideal of Decadence from the Thoughtstream, and served it to us.

    ¡°I¡¯d ask if you liked it, but seems as though I don¡¯t have to, yeah?¡± Tabitha said, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she gestured at my plate. The plate that, with the exemption of a few streaks of deep burgundy, was utterly cleaned out. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, even Junogloris was looking away, his plate similarly ravaged.

    I met Tabitha¡¯s eyes. I couldn¡¯t have her lord this over me. She already had too much. I can¡¯t let her-

    Tabitha¡¯s exposed bones. Blood flowing freely as her teeth shattered under the weight of her pain.

    ¡°Figure it out yourself, yeah?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t meet her gaze. Tabitha¡¯s head tilted quizzically.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°I said, thank you. This meal was delicious.¡± I said, as I ladled another serving unto my plate.

    Tabitha¡¯s grin lost some of its playfulness. I saw her study me, her sharp eyes stripping me bare.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± she said in measured tones. For a moment, it seemed as though she was about to say more. But then the levity returned to her face.

    ¡°Best eat up, mate. You¡¯ll need that energy for later.¡±

    *

    ¡°Right, let¡¯s talk plans.¡± Tabitha said, as a large screen began to descend from the ceiling. We were no longer in the cafeteria, rather we were in what Tabitha called, the ¡°War Room.¡± A rather ostentatious name for a room with just a circular conference table, a world map, and assorted projectors and screens all connected to a desktop whose enormous, boxy CPU spoke of both the system¡¯s age and utility. Truth be told, I had wanted to discuss our next steps in the cafeteria to save time, but Tabitha had insisted. Apparently, she barely got to use the War Room, as it were.

    ¡°First things first, supplies.¡± Tabitha reached into her coat and pulled out a sheet of paper. ¡°As you all know, I¡¯ve recently run out of elixir, fighting the angels-¡±

    ¡°Messengers.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call them angels. Call them messengers.¡± I said. Tabitha¡¯s brow furrowed as she looked at me.

    ¡°You having a laugh, mate?¡±

    ¡°No. We¡¯re not calling the messengers of El angels. Not while I¡¯m here.¡± I said. Tabitha sighed deeply.

    ¡°Look mate, I didn¡¯t go around forcing you to, say, call me La Belle Mercenaire whenever you called me a warrior, yeah? Why not just stick with angel?¡±

    ¡°La Belle.¡± I scoffed at that. ¡°As if I¡¯d ever¡­¡± Hold on. The implication behind her words finally hit me.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re Gallian?¡± Tabitha simply looked at me like I had said something exceptionally foolish.

    ¡°No mate. The only reason I¡¯ve been speaking French this entire time was because I felt like it, yeah?¡± she said, rolling her eyes at me. ¡°Of course I¡¯m bloody French, you twat. You thick or something?¡±

    Oh. Oh dear. This is quite the embarrassment.

    ¡°I¡­ haven¡¯t actually been hearing French¡­¡± I said, the heat in my cheeks unbearable.

    ¡°Come again?¡±

    ¡°The divinity are beings birthed from pure thought, savage.¡± Junogloris said, folding his arms. ¡°As such, we intrinsically understand all forms of human speech, and they, us. When we hear barbarians prattle in their nonsense, it is automatically translated for us into a more civilized tongue, though the translation does preserve the idiosyncrasies of the speaker. As such, for both me and Mistress Luna, you speak not the savage language of the Gauls. Rather, Latin, though of a more plebeian dialect than Miss-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing English this entire time.¡± I said, my cheeks redder than ever.

    ¡°Mistress Luna?!¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯ve been speaking English as well. I haven¡¯t actually spoken Latin in several centuries.¡± I said, my voice a barely audible murmur. Junogloris¡¯s eyes looked like they were about to pop from their sockets.

    ¡°And I¡¯ve been suppressing the auto translating part of my speech for several years now.¡± Couldn¡¯t have my audience hear different languages for different people on stream after all, I¡¯d have instantly blown my cover.

    Silence followed. The only thing that I could hear was Tabitha, her pursed lips doing nothing to stop her from giggling.

    ¡°Sooo¡­¡± Tabitha said, sliding up to me. ¡°You were able to hear French when I said La Belle, yeah?¡±

    ¡°It translates intent, not actual speech.¡± I said. ¡°And proper nouns almost never get translated in full, unless you think of it in terms of the word it translates to, not in terms of it being a name for something. And even then there are exceptions.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the reason I¡¯ve never heard you call yourself Unconquered Moon yeah?¡± she said. ¡°So what do I sound like in English? Probably like someone from New York, eh?¡±

    ¡°Brittanian, actually.¡± I said. Tabitha¡¯s smile disappeared, and I delivered one final barb, ¡°Working class, to be precise.¡±

    ¡°Oh now that¡¯s just bloody perfect, ain¡¯t it?¡± Tabitha sat down in a huff. ¡°Of all the things to sound like, it had to be British, yeah? It¡¯s ¡®cause my accent¡¯s not Parisian, ain¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what got to you?¡±

    ¡°Nothing wrong with sounding working class, mate.¡± she said with a shrug.

    ¡°If we could return to the matter at hand¡­¡± I heard Junogloris murmur.

    ¡°Agreed. Let us never speak of this again.¡± I said. Tabitha grinned at us; I had a feeling she was about to completely ignore me. I decided to get ahead of that.

    ¡°The reason I want you to call them messengers is that the word ¡®angel¡¯ has evolved to imply benevolence.¡± I said. ¡°Benefactors from heaven. The absolute good, slayers of all that are evil. All that utter bullshit.¡± I looked over at Junogloris, who was now staring at the ground. He was trying his best to hide it, but I could still see his shoulders shaking, the nervous clenching and unclenching of his hands.

    ¡°They took everything from me, Tabitha. Them and El. And I would die before I think of those thrice damned things as anything other than the monsters that they are.¡±

    Tabitha looked at the both of us, her ever present toothy grin nowhere to be found. She sighed deeply.

    ¡°Fine. Messenger it is.¡± she said.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I said. Tabitha simply clicked her tongue in annoyance.

    ¡°Where were we again? Right, plans.¡± Tabitha picked up the sheet and began to look over it. ¡°As I was saying, we really need to go for a resupply ASAP. Home base is just a few days away-¡±

    ¡°Unacceptable.¡± I said.

    ¡°Is that right? Do tell.¡± Tabitha said.

    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to lose days to a detour, Tabitha.¡± I said. ¡°This Lacan, he¡¯s obviously after the same thing we are, and he both has an army, and a much quicker way of moving about than we do. We¡¯re at enough of a disadvantage as is. I suggest we move towards the next faith anomaly before the messengers do.¡±

    ¡°Look mate, in case you haven¡¯t noticed, we barely got out by the skin of our teeth, yeah?¡±

    ¡°And whose fault was that again?¡±

    ¡°Fair.¡± Tabitha crossed her arms at me, tried to stare me down. ¡°Right, how about when the two of you tried to take me down? Or when Silencer nearly ended your little quest? Face it, Luna. Rushing this? Might as well kill yourself now, save us all the trouble, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Mistress Luna. Though it pains me deeply. I find myself in agreement with the savage.¡± Junogloris said. ¡°We may have crossed that proverbial river, but our path forward is still ours to make. Let us make our course a wise one, shall we?¡±

    Two against one. But I couldn¡¯t lose. Not with so much at stake.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. The anomalies are too far apart. If we don¡¯t chart a course as efficiently and as quickly as possible-¡±

    ¡°Hold on a second, yeah?¡± Tabitha said even as she rummaged within her coat. When her hand emerged from that impossible depth, it was clutching a small sphere, barely larger than a fingernail. One which was simultaneously glossy, but at the same time seemed so dark that staring at it seemed to drain all light from within this room.

    She threw it at me, and I barely had time to catch it in me hand. It felt cool, light. But no sooner had I caught it that an immense pressure within my head, like my mind was being crushed by a vise. It felt as if my thoughts were being drawn in, siphoned into the depths of this thing.

    ¡°Just focus on the memory of what you saw when you plunged into the Thoughtstream, yeah?¡± she said, and I proceeded to do just that, it was all I focus on, a purpose to hold on to, even as the sphere threatened to consume all cognition.

    It couldn¡¯t have been more than a few seconds, but fighting the pull of this sphere made it seem like an eternity. Eventually, the orb was surrounded in green light, it slowly floated away, drifting to the centre of the room.

    Then a beam of light burst from within that floating orb, so blinding that it shone brighter than even the florescent lighting of the War Room.

    In the middle of the room, projected into our table, was a map of the world, reproduced exactly from my memories. And on that map glowed a network of bright dots, some large, some small, some barely visible, others as bright as the sun. Each connected to the other, creating a giant web of will that covered the globe in its entirety. The Thoughtstream.

    Tabitha hurriedly grabbed the world map from the wall and laid it on the table, the image from the sphere acting as an overlay. She took a pen, and began to make marks on the anomalies, places where the fires of faith blazed brightly where they shouldn¡¯t.

    ¡°So, the Amazon Rainforest, the Great Victoria Desert in Australia, an island of the coast of Greenland, the middle of Antarctica, The Himalayas, and¡­ Hold on, what¡¯s this?¡± Tabitha asked, pointing at a region in the ocean that was bereft of even the faintest glimmer of light.

    ¡°That¡¯s nothing.¡± I said. ¡°Or even if it¡¯s something, it¡¯s irrelevant, we¡¯re looking for places with too much faith, not too little.¡±

    ¡°Fair.¡± Tabitha still marked it on her map, probably for when we¡¯ve finished our partnership. I silently apologize for who or what might have made that region their sanctuary.

    ¡°So the final anomaly is¡­ Well now.¡± Tabitha¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You sure this is right? Off the coast of Madagascar?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡± I said.

    ¡°Around seventeen degrees south, fifty-six degrees east?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, probably? Is this going somewhere?¡±

    ¡°Mate, you¡¯re in luck. That¡¯s where my home base is at. We could do a supply run, and cross an anomaly off of your list, yeah? Sound good?¡±

    ¡°Or, we could immediately discount that, and move on to the rest. I have no doubt that if you have the First God¡¯s corpse, we wouldn¡¯t be talking right now.¡±

    ¡°Fair. Then how about this. I have something that¡¯ll protect you from Lacan¡¯s Proclamations, so you don¡¯t keel over instantly when we meet him face to face.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°And, I¡¯ll even throw in something else to sweeten the pot.¡± Tabitha said, drawing nearer to me, until all I could see was her wolfish grin.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the Luna Gladius.¡± she said.

    My eyes shoot wide open. I frantically searched Tabitha¡¯s face for a sign, any sign, that she was bluffing.

    ¡°Impossible¡­¡± I heard myself murmur. My mouth was dry, and I could barely breathe. The Luna Gladius, the Sword of Conquest. Symbol of my authority. My true Regalia, lost since the battle for the New World¡­ Did she really-

    ¡°You better believe I have it, Lulu.¡± Tabitha said, a cocky smile on her face. ¡°Among other things. Lots of other things. My base is a bloody lighthouse in the Thoughtstream, ain¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you-¡±

    ¡°Someone kept interrupting me, is why.¡± she said. She skipped over to the computer, and pressed a key. The screen in front of us blazed to life. And on it were hundreds upon hundreds of the greatest treasures known to my kind.

    ¡°My base is filled with all the relics I¡¯ve taken from my kills. That a good enough reason for us to go?¡±

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 14: Messenger

    ¡°Well? What¡¯ll it be, mate?¡± Tabitha said, though that infuriating glint in her eyes told me that she knew damn well what my answer was.

    ¡°Aw don¡¯t look so miffed. Tell you what, we¡¯ll get in and out as quickly as possible, we¡¯ll be there about a day, two days max, yeah?¡±

    ¡°And you intend to move a large number of relics within that time, how exactly?¡± I said. Tabitha simply smiled at me.

    ¡°Well you did want to ask me about my coat, yeah? How about we kill two birds with one stone?¡±

    *

    One word came to mind as I gazed upon the massive vault door before us, ¡°Steel¡±. Indeed, the thing before me seemed to embody that concept so thoroughly that to attempt to describe it in any other way would be both a grave insult, and utterly futile, for if one were to behold this door, no other words would come to mind. Such was the purity of its purpose. Metal bolts, each the size of my fist, jutted out from the top and the bottom, securing horizontal strips of metal that in turn held the door in place. The door seemed like it was at least as thick as a man was wide, and thousands of times more durable. This door, which seemed so impregnable that it could refuse passage from even Junogloris, was marked, in garish, neon green paint, as the Armoury.

    And it was currently slowly being bent forward, each new centimetre of movement punctuated by a hollow thudding sound that was so loud it seemed to come from all directions at once.

    ¡°Oh. I completely forgot about that.¡± Tabitha said, sheepishly sliding to the side, where a keypad was located. I heard a muffled cry from behind the door, followed by an even more savage beating, as whatever lay behind that door grew even angrier at hearing our voices.

    ¡°Tabitha¡­¡± I gazed pointedly at her, and she kept her eyes on the keypad. ¡°Please tell me that¡¯s not who I think it is¡­¡±

    ¡°You want me to lie to you, mate?¡±

    ¡°Tabitha¡­¡±

    ¡°You lot might want to stand back; he¡¯s going to be pretty pissed off when he comes out.¡± Tabitha said, even as she entered her code.

    I reached into my backpack and prepared my weapon. I heard the harsh sound of metal scraping against metal as what must have been unseen steel rods retracted from the door. With a loud hiss and a rush of pressurized air, the door slowly swung forward. Junogloris¡¯s posture visibly shifted, his body like a taut spring, ready to explode into combat at a moment¡¯s notice.

    His crimson hair in disarray. His twin blades gripped so tightly that their silvery hilts protested against his strength. The evershifting name of El upon his forehead flickered erratically, and his wild gaze held nothing but fury.

    Before us was a messenger of El. The same one who was swallowed by Tabitha¡¯s trench coat.

    His eyes drifted erratically, scanning each and every inch of the room, until they landed on Tabitha. He moved forward, swords drawn. Junogloris and I readied ourselves. None of us willing to make the first move, none of us foolish enough to lower our guard for one sec-

    ¡°Hey Cam. How¡¯ve you been?¡± Tabitha said as she strode forwards, putting herself in between us and the messenger.

    ¡°I have been. Inside that God damn room. With a God damn severed head. For thirty-six God damn hours.¡± he said. Tabitha just laughed sheepishly.

    ¡°Sorry, kinda forgot about you. Crazy day, yeah?¡±

    ¡°What. THE. FUCK CONTESSA?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s actually Tabitha no-¡±

    ¡°I DON¡¯T GIVE A SHIT! Of all the- GAH!¡± The messenger threw his swords to the ground, and proceeded to bang his head against the wall, a move which caused the entire ship to shudder.

    Junogloris and I looked at each other, then at the messenger who was still swearing up a storm. Then slowly our gazes drifted to Tabitha, who merely shrugged.

    ¡°Mates, meet Cam-¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s He Who Is His Divine Anger-¡±

    ¡°Cam.¡± said Tabitha, rolling her eyes. ¡°My man on the inside.¡±

    ¡°You have a messenger working for you? Seriously?¡± I said. For his part, Junogloris remained silent, the tension never leaving his body. The messenger, Cam as Tabitha called him, scoffed.

    ¡°Man, I wish I was working for her. Then I¡¯d actually get paid. Nah, I just owe Contessa a few favours. And you just had to pick now to cash ¡®em in, huh?¡±

    ¡°Piss off, Cam.¡±

    ¡°And her slaughtering your kind by the hundreds doesn¡¯t bother you at all? Or that she might come after you next?¡± I said, even as I lowered my laptop.

    ¡°You¡¯re working with her, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cam said. ¡°¡®Sides, I¡¯d like to see her try to kill me again, who knows, maybe this time she¡¯ll actually be able to scratch me.¡±

    ¡°Lulu, I¡¯m hurt.¡± Tabitha said as she slid next to me, ¡°I don¡¯t kill every single divinity I get my hands on. Just the ones that deserve to die.¡±

    ¡°And it just so happens that category includes the majority of us, doesn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Your words, not mine.¡± she said with a grin. ¡°How about we continue our talk inside the armoury? You too, Cam.¡±

    ¡°How about you go fuck yourself, Contessa?¡±

    ¡°Chill out, love. I¡¯ll keep the door open this time, yeah?¡± Cam simply stared at her.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll hide Silencer¡¯s head. Happy?¡±

    ¡°No. Now get off my back-¡±

    ¡°There are a few things that have piqued my curiosity, messenger.¡± Junogloris moved forward, his massive frame made Cam look like a child by comparison. ¡°I insist that you join us for the time being.¡±

    *

    Rows upon rows of black metal gleamed under the harsh florescent lighting. Firearms of every imaginable size and purpose cast their shadow against the north wall¡¯s peeling paint, from a silver nine millimetre, to a standard military issue automatic rifle, to an utterly massive automatic shotgun. I even saw the unmistakable, elongated barrels of a minigun, and its motor was no doubt hidden somewhere among the veritable mountain of ammo boxes that lay across the wall to the east.

    To the west was a collection of glass vials and flasks, each filled with differently coloured liquid, making it so that the case they were in looked as if it contained an artist¡¯s paints. However, no painter¡¯s tools would ever glow like these liquids did, nor would sparks of ethereal power dance across mere coloured oil. These were potions, high quality ones at that. I noticed that four vials were missing, undoubtedly the ones that we used yesterday.

    Scattered across the floor were different objects, I saw that mind draining orb lying haphazardly at our feet, and I had no doubt that every seemingly innocuous thing in this room was in some way deadly.

    This room was an arsenal of the ages. As much of a testament to Tabitha¡¯s blood-soaked history as the scars that covered her body.

    ¡°Soooo are you going to ask about my coat or-¡± Tabitha looked at me, here eyes gleaming with barely contained glee. I sighed.

    ¡°Your coat acts as a portal into your armoury. I get it.¡±

    ¡°Well yeah, but aren¡¯t you curious as to how I bypassed-¡±

    ¡°Instead of brute forcing a spell that would reduce distance, you probably just opened two holes into the fifth dimension, one that leads to here, and one in your coat, and bridged them, bypassing the distance requirement altogether. You essentially created a wormhole in your coat.¡±

    ¡°But how did I-¡±

    ¡°You probably have both a summoning spell built into the wormhole, thus allowing you to always take whatever you need out, and a semipermeable magical barrier at the entrance and exit of your wormhole. That way, the only things that go through are things that you specify. That way, you¡¯re not constantly transporting yourself here whenever you wear your coat.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. But shouldn¡¯t you be at least a bit-¡± Tabitha said.

    ¡°Look, in the brief time that I¡¯ve known you, you¡¯ve shattered my world at least thrice. You pretty much peaked with the whole knowledge of the fifth dimension-¡±

    ¡°Fifth dimension? I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t follow.¡± Junogloris said.

    ¡°-as well as being able to warp the fabric of space-¡±

    ¡°Beg pardon?!¡±

    ¡°I should be shocked, but this sort of insanity is pretty much par for the course for you, Tabitha.¡± I said, as I sat down, carefully clearing the clutter as I did.

    ¡°Well take the fun out of everything, why don¡¯t you.¡± Tabitha said as she sat down. Cam looked at the both of us, his face the very definition of amusement.

    ¡°It took Helena, what, five days to just roll with it?¡± he said, looking to Tabitha for confirmation. She simply grunted. ¡°Grats, Luna Invicta, you just set the record for fastest to BNCB.¡±

    ¡°BN what now?¡±

    ¡°Being Numb to Contessa¡¯s Bullshit.¡± he said, smiling. ¡°By the way, I won¡¯t be joining you guys on the floor.¡± He gestured at his feet, which still refused to touch the ground. ¡°We should probably get started.¡±

    ¡°Right. You see, I was going to spend a good few minutes watching Lulu go absolutely mental about my coat. But since I can¡¯t have nice things, we¡¯ll cut this short. You know how we¡¯re going to transfer relics into the ship now, yeah?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re going to shove them all into your coat.¡± I said. ¡°Like an uncultured graverobber¡±.

    ¡°Right. We¡¯re don-¡±

    ¡°A moment of your time, messenger.¡± Junogloris said. Cam raised an eyebrow, and he gestured at Junogloris to continue.

    ¡°You were created with for the explicit purpose of serving El. Your brethren bled and died by the hundreds yesterday in service to that vile usurper. Yet you willingly throw your lot in with this bloodthirsty savage. Why should we trust you, when you would betray even your creator for, what was it, ¡®a few favours¡¯? More to the point, why should I let any servant of El live? What¡¯s stopping me from killing you where you stand?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s funny. You, a washed-up demigod of a dead faith against me? Ha!¡±

    ¡°Watch your tongue, Cam. If Junogloris fights, he won¡¯t do it alone.¡± I said.

    ¡°And if any of you lot fight in here, I¡¯m gutting you all like fish, got that?¡± Tabitha said.

    ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s relevant. Yeah, I serve the One True God-¡±

    ¡°I said watch it, messenger.¡±

    ¡°-but that doesn¡¯t really matter now, does it? He hasn¡¯t been around for 300 years now, and His personae aren¡¯t coming together anytime soon, especially not with how the war¡¯s been going.¡±

    Junogloris stood still. His eyes wide, his gaze never leaving the messenger.

    ¡°Say that again.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s supposed be all hush-hush, but the Empyrean¡¯s at war, and the Heavenly Host are divided¡­ into several factions¡­¡± Cam¡¯s eyes widened as he finally understood.

    ¡°You mean you didn¡¯t know? Were you living under a rock for 300 years?¡±

    ¡°Mistress Luna?¡±

    ¡°I thought you knew.¡± I said. There was simply no way for him to have been unaware. When it happened, all of the surviving divinities felt the ripples throughout the Thoughtstream. It was so great that even a few humans felt something was amiss on that fateful night.

    ¡°How could this have happened? Our armies fell in the New World, who else could have bested him?¡±

    ¡°No one but himself, Junogloris. El¡¯s pride was his own undoing.¡±

    ¡°Turns out that turning yourself into the Ideal of Divinity and convincing humanity that you¡¯re the only game around had a few side effects, yeah?¡± said Tabitha. ¡°See, we humans? Really diverse lot, ain¡¯t we? Put three of us in a room together, and you¡¯ll have six different tiffs. Doubly so when it comes to gods and all that bollocks. Used to be that those ideas became separate divinities, but when El went and said that the only god around was him, and he made sure that no other gods could be born wherever his reign was, well, suddenly all those different ideas get applied to him and only him, yeah? And since he both reigned over the Domain of Divinity, and was also its Ideal¡­ Well, the question wasn¡¯t why El fragmented. It was why he didn¡¯t fragment sooner.¡±

    ¡°The differing ideas on what El was supposed to be caused him to split into myriad personae, aspects of him that represented a point of view, and who also inherited but a fraction of his power.¡± I said. ¡°Last I checked, there were around at least a hundred prominent ones, though I have no doubt that an uncountable number of them exist. But the unified El is gone, and short of the personae being reconciled through an agreement of all of El¡¯s flock, he¡¯s never coming back.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, actually, not even then.¡± Cam said. ¡°At least, not anymore. You see, the thing about wars? They tend to leave a lot of people less than healthy, if you catch my drift. I know for a fact that the Dio persona¡¯s been slain, and there are rumours that Yeshua¡¯s and Incarna¡¯s armies have been routed. And once the Thoughtstream records you as dead, even if it¡¯s only a tiny fraction of your true glory, you stay that way. Rest assured, pagans, the One True God is gone. You won. I¡¯m just trying to make sure I survive in this God forsaken world.¡±

    Cam¡¯s words were without venom, but they were like daggers within me. I could only imagine what they were doing to Junogloris.

    ¡°All our sacrifice, all the comrades we lost, every single drop of blood we bled on that blasted land. It was all for naught?¡± Junogloris¡¯s voice grew louder. He stood to his full height. ¡°That I have hid in shame for 500 years in vain? That the glory of avenging myself upon our most hated foe, even that is denied to me?¡±

    ¡°In short? Yeah.¡± Cam said, all trace of cheerfulness gone from him. His gaze was cold as it turned towards Junogloris.

    ¡°Deal with it.¡±

    Silence reigned. I couldn¡¯t bear to keep looking at him, any words I could speak rang hollow even as I thought of them.

    All I could hear was the sound of Junogloris¡¯s harried breathing. All I could see in my mind¡¯s eye was his face. A furrowed brow. Pursed lips. Eyes that have lost their way. And, hidden beneath it all, tears.

    He turned away from us, and ran.

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 15: Nostos

    Flames covered the land. Thick black smoke rose from burning bodies, some still alive, writhing in agony. The four great messengers escorted their master across this abbatoir. That flaming sword consumed my vision. The sound of wings, all I could hear-

    ¡°Oi, Luna. You still with us?¡±

    My eyes shoot open. In front of me are Tabitha and Cam. Junogloris was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°You okay there, Invicta?¡± Cam said. ¡°You don¡¯t look too hot.¡±

    ¡°Understatement of the bloody century.¡± Tabitha said. ¡°You look even worse than yesterday, mate.¡±

    ¡°I can assure you, I¡¯m fine.¡± I said, even as my vision started to waver. I shook my head, willed myself awake. I must have let down my guard, closed my eyes for a few seconds at most.

    Tabitha raised an eyebrow. Seconds passed in painful silence.

    ¡°Well, whatever.¡± she said. ¡°Right, Cam, the plan¡¯s clear, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Sure. I go back to the boss man, pretend I escaped, keep feeding you info, yada yada yada.¡± he said. ¡°This isn¡¯t my first rodeo, Contessa.¡±

    ¡°Right, then. This makes this easier.¡± Tabitha said, grinning.

    There was a blur of motion, a flash of silver, then crimson.

    ¡°Escaping without getting a bit roughed up would be a bit suspect, yeah?¡± Tabitha said, even as she returned her dagger to its sheath.

    Twitching and lying in a pool of blood was Cam¡¯s right arm. He looked at it. Then at the stump where his arm used to be. Cam drew a deep breath, and let it out in a weary sigh.

    ¡°You could¡¯ve at least aimed for my offhand.¡± he said. His left arm glowed a bright orange, and he placed it on the ragged stump. The sickening smell burning flesh assaulted my senses.

    ¡°Fair. Now off you go-¡±

    ¡°Just one more thing.¡± Cam said. ¡°Give me my sister¡¯s head back.¡±

    ¡°Sorry love, no sale.¡±

    ¡°Come on, Contessa. She doesn¡¯t deserve this-¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure at least a plane¡¯s worth of people would disagree with you there, Cam.¡± Tabitha said. Cam grew silent. ¡°¡®Sides, angel parts? Very hard to come by, know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°¡­Fine, how about a trade. My arm for her head.¡±

    ¡°Gonna have to try harder, love-¡±

    ¡°-And I¡¯ll owe you one more favour. Deal?¡± Cam said. Tabitha smiled, plunged her hand into the depths of her trench coat, and pulled out the Silencer¡¯s head. Three days dead and no signs of decay, that final hate filled grin still frozen on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡± Tabitha said, as she handed the Silencer¡¯s head over. ¡°Now get out of here before I change my mind, yeah?¡±

    Cam¡¯s gaze fell on me. He looked as if he wanted so say something, but he shook his head. He headed for the exit, his footfalls echoing in the ship¡¯s hallways. Just as he passed the final doorway,

    ¡°Godspeed, Invicta.¡±

    And then he was gone.

    *

    ¡°And that concludes Day 3 of LadyAstair¡¯s Travel Vlogs. Hopefully I¡¯ll find some time to stream in the near future, probably when I finally upload these vlogs~. ¡®Til then, stay strong my lovely citizens and pleb-¡±

    ¡°The hell are you on about?¡±

    I looked behind me to find Tabitha, staring pointedly at me. Guess that¡¯s another take ruined.

    ¡°Good evening, Tabitha. To what do I owe this¡­ Well, I wouldn¡¯t call it pleasure or anything similar-¡±

    ¡°Shut it, mate.¡± she said. She looked over at the still recording video camera, and then back at me. Her piercing gaze felt like it was peeling away every layer of defence.

    ¡°This is for your streaming shite, yeah?¡± she said. She cleared her throat.

    ¡°Hi everybody, LadyAstair¡¯s ship captain speaking!¡± she said, though I could hardly believe it was her. She¡¯d lost the Brittanian tinge to her tongue, replacing it with the lilting, vapid tones of a New World youth. Her posture was relaxed, and her smile showed no malice. She was the very picture of a nonthreatening, if spoiled, rich girl.

    ¡°LadyAstair¡¯s been so cool and stuff, she¡¯s been telling me all about her travelling and stuff and I¡¯m like ¡®Wow¡¯! Anyways, hopefully she lets me drop in for, more like, cameos and stuff! I¡¯d totes love to be on, like videos, maybe I¡¯ll even play some games on her stream, ya know? Ta-ta~!¡± She winked and blew a sickening sweet kiss.

    ¡°You can edit out the part where I barge in, yeah?¡± she said, her voice returning to its normal, rough register. I simply stared at her.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s not like this is the first time you¡¯ve seen me put on a show.¡±

    ¡°You spoke English earlier, right?¡±

    ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m thick or something?¡±

    ¡°Why are you here, Tabitha? We¡¯re still at least a day away-¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been sleeping at all, have you?¡± she said, her arms crossed.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s any of your-¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t have you passing out on me, Lulu. Not while you¡¯re watching my back.¡± She said even as she pulled something out of her coat.

    Held in her hands, dangling from a simple white cord, was a medallion made of the darkest metal I¡¯ve ever seen. It was as if someone had taken the tapestry of midnight and woven it into metal serpents that coiled into each other, encircling towards the centre; an obsidian spiral that seemed to twist and writhe at the edge of my vision.

    ¡°Wear this. Should take care of any nightmares you have, yeah?¡± she said.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Beg pardon?¡±

    ¡°I said no, Tabitha.¡± I stood quickly to confront her, only to stumble as the world grew hazy. I held on to the bed, eyes squeezed shut, even as the everything started to swirl, even as bile threatened to spill from my throat.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking.¡± she said.

    ¡°I will not owe you any favours, Ta-¡± I lost all sense of balance, and fell, face first, unto my room¡¯s unforgiving floor.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t owe me as is, yeah?¡± she said. She lowered herself until we were eye to eye. ¡°Listen, I wasn¡¯t going to dangle this over your head, but if you insist, no skin off my nose. How about I cash this favour in right here and now, yeah?¡±

    She grasped my hand with her own, forced that talisman into my open palm.

    ¡°Lion boy¡¯s not left his room since yesterday. Go and have a chat with him, won¡¯t you? I¡¯d do it myself, but something tells me it¡¯ll end in a massive row, yeah?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s it? No horrific wounds inflicted on my person? No suicide missions infiltrating the forces of enemy gods?¡±

    ¡°Why, do you want there to be?¡± she said. I simply stared at her. She sighed deeply.

    ¡°Look, mate. I know I¡¯m not the most trustworthy sort-¡±

    ¡°You literally just chopped off an ally¡¯s arm without a second thought.¡±

    ¡°- But you can rest assured-¡±

    ¡°And then you used that same arm as a bargaining chip.¡±

    ¡°Bloody hell, you going to let me finish or what?¡± she said. I remained silent.

    ¡°We¡¯re on the same team, Lulu. And as long as that¡¯s still a thing, I¡¯ve got your back as long as you have mine. Now take the bloody pendant and put it around your bloody neck or I¡¯ll bloody do it for you, yeah?¡±

    I could find no trace of playfulness in her voice, that ever present manic gleam in her gaze gone. Just plain annoyance, but that harshness softened around the edges with a certain weariness, a certain familiar resignation.

    ¡°You going to stare at me all day, or what?¡± she said.

    My eyes fell upon the pendant in my hands, and though it was light, I still felt its weight.

    I met Tabitha¡¯s gaze with mine, and I slowly put the pendant on. I stood, made my way towards the door, only to stop as a hand fell on my shoulder.

    ¡°Easy there, Lulu. Do it after you get some shut eye, yeah?¡± Tabitha stood, and just as quickly as she came, she was gone.

    It was the best night¡¯s sleep I¡¯ve had in days.

    *

    ¡°Junogloris, I¡¯m coming in.¡± I said as I crossed the threshold into the infirmary. According to Tabitha, though she offered Junogloris a room, he had refused to even consider sleeping in one of Tabitha¡¯s beds, something which she didn¡¯t bother elaborating upon, though I did hear her mumble something less than kind about Junogloris¡¯s parentage. As such, the infirmary had been transformed into a makeshift bedroom, the pile of pillows at the centre not having been moved in the past two days.

    Junogloris was sitting in one of the infirmary¡¯s beds, its flimsy metal frame thoroughly warped by Junogloris¡¯s weight, so much so that he looked as if he was sitting not on a bed, but on a throne, with each the two raised halves serving as crude armrests.

    ¡°Junogloris?¡± I approached him, but it seems as though he didn¡¯t notice me, his gaze was fixed on the LCD screen that served as the infirmary¡¯s sole window to the outside. Even filtered through a camera¡¯s lens, the breaking of the dawn¡¯s deep streaks of purple and orange still put even the greatest painters to shame. The morning star softly shone, the herald of night¡¯s passing.

    ¡°Quite the sight is it not, Mistress Luna?¡± Junogloris said, his eyes never leaving the screen. ¡°The celestial spheres are unerring in their duty, Sol rises as assuredly as it did a millennia ago, even with its rightful master gone.¡±

    The steady rising and falling of his chest the only indication that time was still moving.

    ¡°Mistress Luna, though I have hidden in shame for the past five centuries, even as I saw El¡¯s grip on the New World tighten, even as the memory of our decimation gripped my heart and never let go. I held out hope that one day, one glorious day, we would rise again. That our banner shall once again fly proudly, that we will take our rightful place as masters of the world. Or so I thought.¡±

    He turned to face me. I saw that his eyes were red.

    ¡°When that messenger said those words, I should have felt righteous anger, nothing more. But instead, I felt¡­¡± He swallowed audibly, his eyes took on a melancholic shine. ¡°Relief. That I wouldn¡¯t have to face El in all his terrible might once more.¡±

    He sighed deeply, and averted his gaze from mine.

    ¡°What right do I have to call myself your ally, Mistress Luna? What right do I even have to continue? When I have betrayed even the thing I held the most dear? When I have shunned all virtue? And for what? For cowardice? If the Honoured Father could see me now, he would strike me down with his divine lightning, and, truth be told, I would not fight back."

    Though he towered over me, he seemed ever so small. A tiny speck of a man, one who was willing himself to disappear, to free himself from the burden of existing.

    ¡°Junogloris, I¡­¡±

    What could I say? What words can I speak, what false assurances can fall from my lips? Could I bring myself to sully the pride of one who was once the greatest among us? One whose fame still echoes throughout the world? One whose name is synonymous with the word ¡°hero¡±?

    I gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°Junogloris, I can¡¯t promise you anything.¡± I said. ¡°But once we find the First God, everything will change. We won¡¯t ever have to live under his boot heel ever again. We¡¯ll be proper gods again, we¡¯ll-¡±

    We¡¯ll be able to wash away the sins of the past? Did I really believe that?

    I shook my head. Steeled my resolve.

    ¡°Junogloris. If you will not believe in yourself, please believe in me. I want you by my side.¡±

    Junogloris looked at me. His gaze was weary, but beneath all of it was something else. I felt the telltale tingling within my anima, the sign that someone, somewhere, was placing their full faith in the Goddess of Victory.

    ¡°Mistress Luna.¡± He stood to his full height, squared his shoulders, and immediately knelt before me. ¡°I wavered once. Never again. I swear, wherever this quest may take us, I shall be your sword and shield. We will find the First God, no matter the cost.¡±

    It was unthinkable, Junogloris, greatest of all heroes, was dedicating himself to my service. Formally declaring his intention to be my Champion, my representative in the mortal realm, just one step removed from being my Avatar. I should be happy about this, ecstatic even, only my Honoured Father, chief among the gods, could claim to have had Junogloris as his champion. And yet¡­

    My hands felt like lead, my heart was like drum, with each breath, it felt as if a small part of me escaped into the ether.

    ¡°Are you s-¡± My words died in my throat when I saw his expression. His eyes burned with renewed passion, steady breath drawn with renewed determination. His gaze pleaded at me, begging me to give him purpose.

    I placed my hands on his shoulders, drew upon my authority, and gave him my blessing.

    ¡°Arise, my Champion of the Moon.¡± I said, and with those words, I felt the bond between us form, something which I have not felt in over several centuries. I could watch over him wherever he went, give him strength whenever he needed it, see through his eyes if need be. He now wielded a portion of my power as his own, could call upon the moon as his guide and guardian, draw forth power and skill from the Domain of Battle in times of peril, though not as well as I could.

    Truly, I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Junogloris was one of my own.

    ¡°Thank you, my goddess. I swear upon my life that I shall see your quest fulfilled.¡±

    By the seven hills, what have I done?

    *

    ¡°You¡¯re looking chipper.¡± Tabitha said, looking at Junogloris. He chuckled, and smiled at me.

    ¡°Ohohoho~!¡± Tabitha slid up to me, a conspiratorial grin on her face. ¡°I guess you really talked it out yesterday, yeah? Betcha talked for hours and hours, know what I mean?¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that.¡± I said, even as I felt my cheeks redden. Tabitha simply laughed.

    ¡°Sure it wasn¡¯t. Now look sharp, we¡¯re here.¡± We looked towards the horizon, the constant billowing of oceanic winds made standing on the deck nigh impossible.

    In the distance, casting its twisted metal shadow, was an oil rig. It¡¯s four concrete pillars covered in barnacles and creeping seaweed. The skeletal steel that once was a testament to human engineering now long bent by wind and bleached by sunlight, a broken mockery of its former glory.

    ¡°Silent alarm¡¯s been triggered.¡± Tabitha said, as she looked at a tablet in her hands. ¡°Someone¡¯s been poking around, probably one of El¡¯s goons. Let¡¯s show them how we deal with trespassers, yeah?¡¯

    Junogloris nodded, his gaze never leaving our destination. I breathed deeply, the salt sea air filling my lungs.

    So it begins.

    *

    ¡°You know, when you said we were going to your base of operations, I was expecting something more¡­ Well¡­¡±

    I gestured at the dingy concrete walls, stained a myriad ugly shades of brown by mildew and rats¡¯ excreta, or at least, I hope it was made by rats. Flickering lights brought headaches to any who would be foolish enough to open their eyes for more than a few seconds, and the still, musty air was like an overwhelming blanket of moisture, an icy humidity that seeped into your bones, chilling you from the inside out. This was less the home of a heavily armed mercenary, and more the setting for a low rent horror game, complete with a silvery fog that seeped in from the cracks in the wall. At least it was spacious.

    ¡°Yeah, I kinda spent everything on the ship.¡± she said, gun in one hand, dagger in the other. Her eyes darted back and forth, scanning every corner of the room. The telltale green wisps of energy surrounded her head.

    ¡°You remember the plan, yeah?¡±

    ¡°In as much as it can be called a plan.¡± I said, my back to her, covering her six.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see you coming up with anything better, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Mostly because your ¡®plan¡¯ as it were, was so utterly nonsensical that I couldn¡¯t believe what was hearing.¡± I said. I rounded the corner, keeping my back to the wall. Seriously, go in as a group, and murder everything we come across was less of a plan and more of a case of mass hysteria.

    Or being a party in an RPG. Either or.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find that I¡¯m not alone in this, isn¡¯t that right, Junogloris?¡± I said. No response. I suppose he¡¯d grow tired of our bickering eventually. I turned to look at him.

    Only to find no one behind me. Nothing but fog.

    I hurriedly turned forwards, only to be met with fog so thick that it obscured all else, not even the concrete walls remained visible.

    I looked to the left. Nothing. I yelled out. No response. I tried to peer into my connection to Junogloris, but I was met with nothing but white noise.

    ¡°Amazing, isn¡¯t it? Many a child of man has killed for a glimpse of what I offer.¡± Someone spoke behind me, her voice was so beautiful, so melodic, that each syllable seemed it like it was sung instead of spoken. Yet that same voice gripped my heart, nearly stopped it from beating.

    I turned slowly, to face whatever had captured me so easily.

    A few metres away from me, the only thing that wasn¡¯t obscured by fog as thick as clouds, was a verdant meadow, with flowers of every season in full bloom, wherein I found someone sitting upon a log covered in bright red, spotted toadstools.

    Long silvery hair that reached her ankles, a silvery dress made entirely from a material so ethereal it left nothing to the imagination. She may as well have worn air itself. Her skin so pale as to almost be entirely white, her face, so perfect as to be uncanny. Each dainty eyebrow too flawless, her cheekbones too sculpted, her emerald green eyes far too cruel to be human.

    I knew then, that what I faced was no messenger. This was something different, far more fickle but no less dangerous, one of the Fae.

    ¡°You must be Luna Invicta.¡± said the Leanan Sidhe. ¡°We have much to talk about.¡±

 Goddess of the Stream, Chapter 16: Shapes in the Mist

    ¡°Peace, goddess,¡± the Leanan Sidhe said, her gaze fixed on the silver laptop in my hands. ¡°I simply wish to talk. For now.¡±

    Her easy-going smile was at odds with the coldly calculating glare she fixed me. My hair stood on end at the amount of magic that was radiating from her.

    Just as the divinities were ideas made flesh, the fae were the natural energies of the planet, its ambient mana, given form. The weakest fae was equivalent to a journeyman mage, and from how easily she¡¯d isolated me from my companions, this Leanan Sidhe was in no way weak.

    ¡°Forgive me if I¡¯m less than reassured.¡± I said, my grip on my weapon tight, ¡°Or am I supposed to believe that one of the fae would spirit me away from my companions just to have a chat?¡±

    ¡°¡®Spirit away¡¯, that takes me back.¡± she said with a chuckle. ¡°You don¡¯t exactly have a choice in the matter, now do you?¡±

    ¡°Watch it, Leanan Sidhe. You may be fae, but I am still a goddess.¡±

    ¡°Indeed you are. And indeed I am. And yet here we are.¡± She leaned forward, her hands clasped. ¡°Both traitors to our kind.¡±

    ¡°Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Only those truly without shame can ignore the anguished cries of the countless lives taken by that eternally stained blade. And to what end? The power of the First God? Is that cargo cult ¡®deity¡¯ truly worth spitting on the graves of your brethren? Tell me, Luna Invicta, how can you live with yourself, knowing that you¡¯re willingly working with the Butcher of the Sacred Glen?¡±

    Her gaze held me in place. Any words I had died before they left my throat.

    ¡°Or perhaps this is merely out of convenience?¡± the Leanan Sidhe said, her eyebrow raised. ¡°Well it doesn¡¯t matter either way. The Pretender has given me leave to deal with you as I see fit, and I would rather not spill more blood than is necessary, yes?¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re working for Lacan as well?¡±

    ¡°Nothing so crass.¡± she said. ¡°We simply want the same thing done, the Butcher dead, and you out of the way.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know which is more surprising, that one of El¡¯s Personae would hire a fae, or that one of your kind would consider working for him. Your condemnations ring hollow, Leanan Sidhe, when you yourself would ally with El. Or have you forgotten the carnage wrought by his messengers whenever they found one of your sanctuaries?¡±

    Though her expression remained steady, the mist around me grew thicker, her aura surged with renewed power. Slowly, she stood to her full height.

    ¡°As I¡¯ve said, we are both traitors to our kind.¡± she said, the mana pouring forth from her gripped my anima and threatened to smother my very essence. ¡°And as soon as justice is done, I will be joining my kin in death. But the Butcher is proving to be quite the handful.¡± Her eyes narrowed, a slight smirk appearing at the corner of her cheeks. ¡°Which brings me to here. Goddess of the Moon, I¡¯m offering you something that very few ever get. A second chance.¡±

    Smoky white tendrils snaked around me.

    ¡°The Pretender only wishes for the Butcher¡¯s death. Let justice be done, and before I die, I will ask him to stop hunting you.¡±

    ¡°And you seriously think I¡¯ll fall for that?¡± I said.

    ¡°Your alternative is facing me. Your power is diminished, you are a goddess in name only, Luna Invicta. And I am still very much a fae.¡± she said. The mist swirling around me grew cold, seeping into my bones and chilling my blood.

    I met her gaze with my own. My grip on my weapon tightened.

    ¡°Indeed you are, Leanan Sidhe. A fae through and through-¡±

    I shot forth like lightning, my silver cudgel making contact with her delicate neck.

    ¡°-as arrogant as your kind have ever been.¡± I said, separating her head from her shoulders.

    Even as her head sailed into the distance, her expression remained unchanged.

    ¡°A poor choice.¡±

    The meadow turned pale, the log she sat upon grew insubstantial. Wisps of smoke rose from the now transparent flowers. Her headless body fell, the entire tableau dissolving into silvery mist soon after. A decoy. Of course it was never going to be that easy.

    ¡°Rest assured, I shall not be like the Butcher. I will end you swiftly.¡± Her voice came from everywhere, and nowhere.

    ¡°You¡¯ll find that I¡¯m not so easily put down, Leanan Sidhe.¡± I said, even as I reinforced my body, drew upon my authority as the Mistress of Battle.

    The mist rippled, I felt an unmistakable eagerness in her aura. A challenge issued.

    My gaze swept over everything in front of me. Nothing but mist. I tried to feel her aura, find out where she hid herself. Nothing.

    Every single muscle in my body was taut, ready to explode at a moment¡¯s notice. Every instinct screamed that something was about to happen.

    A slight shifting to my left. A brief gust of wind.

    I was already leaping to the right when it struck.

    Shock waves rippled from the point of impact, slamming into me and sweeping me away.

    The mist surrounding my enemy was blown away by his strength.

    My heart beat was all I could hear when I saw him.

    Golden hair that flowed past his shoulders. Muscles that rippled with power beneath bronzed skin. Piercing blue eyes that regarded me as nothing more than an insect. The crimson armour lined in gold. The fact that El¡¯s name did not burn upon his forehead.

    A messenger so renowned, so powerful, that his title was known in equal measure as El¡¯s name. So much so that it no longer translates into English for me, and is instead treated as his name, and his alone.

    ¡°Mikha-El.¡± I could barely believe the words that escaped from my lips.

    The leader of El¡¯s armies was here. The absolute strongest of the Four Great Messengers had come to kill me.

    ¡°El¡¯s greatest general, sent to kill me? I¡¯m flattered.¡± I said, even as the words scraped themselves against my bone dry throat. ¡°Tell me, messenger, how long has it been since you¡¯ve deigned to sully your own hands with blood?¡±

    He looked at me. He rotated his shoulders, stretched his muscles, each minute movement brought with it sickening pops of bone.

    ¡°Speechless? That¡¯s a first.¡± I said. I held out my backpack in front of me, my laptop held in my other hand, adopting as much of a defensive stance as I could muster. ¡°Every single assassin sent after me seemed to love the sound of their voice after-¡±

    ¡°Pathetic.¡±

    His voice was low, his tone, dark. His speech was like staring into a bottomless well in the dead of midnight.

    ¡°Just as worthless as before.¡± he said.

    My legs tensed, it took everything I had to stop me from leaping at him. The laptop creaked, protesting at the strength of my grip, even as my ersatz shield wavered.

    I couldn¡¯t rush him. No matter how much I wanted to bash his head in, I couldn¡¯t rush him.

    He had no such qualms.

    Steady peals of thunder resounded, each heavy footfall shook the world. Mist parted in droves, fleeing from the comet of violence that soared towards me.

    A split second decision. Primal instinct overcame pride.

    A deafening crash, the sound of shattering stone mere millimetres above my head. Billowing mist assaulted me, along with something else. Sand?

    I looked up from where I was crouching. Mikha-El¡¯s fist seemed to disappear into nothingness, swallowed by the swirling fog.

    His gaze drifted down to me.

    My legs moved on their own, leaping backward with all my might.

    Only to slam me against something hard almost immediately.

    A dullness at the back of my head, the world swam in front of me. Needles stabbing my shoulder whenever I moved told me I had broken something. I looked behind me. Still nothing but mist as far as the eye could see. My hands flew forwards, stopping when they met something cold and unyielding. An invisible wall?

    Bursts of wind billowed. I turned. Saw his fist about to take my head. My arms moved, shielding me with my backpack. I poured as much faith as I could. Called upon the Domain of Battle. Anything to limit the damage he could do. Knowing that it wouldn¡¯t make a difference.

    His fist made contact. And was blown away, repelled completely.

    ¡°Wha-?¡±

    I didn¡¯t have time to gawk, he was already pulling his arm back from the invisible wall.

    I swung with my weapon, the laptop that, even if it had been turned into my Regalia, should have done minimal damage.

    I made contact with his elbow. There was no sound of flesh tearing, no sound his arm being rent asunder. But his flesh folded against the edge of my laptop, and the brief tremor I felt before he drew back meant that I had broken through solid bone.

    ¡°Mikha-El leapt backwards, his arm hanging uselessly to his side. I looked at him, my weapon hand frozen were I had left it. The silvery laptop glittered with freshly spilled blood.

    I faced him, stood as tall as I could.

    ¡°It would appear that time has been more unkind to you than it has been to me, messenger. Such a pity, I was hoping for a challenge.¡± I said. I moved forward on shaky legs. Mikha-El simply tilted his head, unmindful of his impossibly broken arm.

    Each step I made was held back by indecision. One moment he was moving at speeds far greater than two hundred years ago, the next he completely succumbs to attacks that even Rafa-El, weakest of the four, would have laughed off. Something was off.

    ¡°Your pride is hollow.¡± Though his mouth moved, the rest of his face was completely still.

    ¡°What would you know about pride, you lapdog of El?¡± I said.

    His eyes stared blankly at me, his posture completely relaxed.

    ¡°The past remains past. You can never be made whole.¡±

    ¡°What did you just say?¡±

    ¡°Your sins will follow you forever. Not even death will absolve you, Kinslayer.¡±

    ¡°ENOUGH!¡±

    All I could see was him. Muscles protested as I pushed them to their limit. Anima flared as I burned through my faith. I leapt forward, the full fury of the Domain of Battle behind me.

    I was a sword. The embodiment of a goddess¡¯s fury. A silver blade that would annihilate him. I would crush him. Reduce him to nothing. Destroy him. I would wipe him from this earth.

    I let loose a strike that nearly tore muscle from bone. And I missed.

    He had already leapt backwards. The mist surrounded him, hiding his form from view.

    ¡°COWARD!¡± I screamed into the void. ¡°SHOW YOURSELF! ANSWER FOR WHAT YOU¡¯VE DONE!¡±

    I swung wildly at the mist, but they did not part. I ran forwards, but he was nowhere to be found. I closed my eyes, tried to feel his aura, but nothing but the Leanan Sidhe¡¯s remained. I kept running, only to run headfirst into yet another invisible wall. Mikha-El was gone.

    I fell to my knees. I pounded the ground, my blows doing nothing to lighten the weight on my shoulders.

    How dare he. How dare he sully those memories with his vulgar tongue. How dare he condemn me. He had no right. He-

    I heard footfalls behind me. Not heavy, like Mikha-El¡¯s was. But lighter, softer. I stood and turned to face my adversary.

    Hair as black as the new moon. A crown made of interlocking golden vines, terminating in eight peaks that seemed to grasp the heavens themselves. A complexion gently kissed by the desert sun, peeking out from wherever her deep blue, silken dress failed to cover her lithe, graceful form. A beauty that entire nations have killed and died for. Amber eyes regarded me with nothing but hatred.

    My hands lost all strength. My weapons fell at my side.

    ¡°No¡­¡± My voice was no louder than a whisper.

    ¡°Ashtari?¡±

    I spoke her name for the first time in 500 years.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Her hand drifted outwards, pointed at me. Her stare pierced my soul.

    ¡°Murderer¡­¡±

    A raspy whisper as loud as a hammer¡¯s fall.

    ¡°I- It wasn¡¯t- No¡­¡±

    ¡°You killed me.¡± she said.

    I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t tear myself away from her gaze.

    ¡°You killed us all!¡± Her eyes grew wide, her mouth split wide in vicious snarl.

    ¡°I-¡± I couldn¡¯t speak. The world shimmered. A hot wetness steadily dripped from my cheeks. My hands won¡¯t stop shaking.

    The purest distillation of white hot rage erupted as she screamed.

    I couldn¡¯t move.

    She leapt at me, hand outstretched, aimed directly at me.

    I couldn¡¯t move.

    She was mere centimetres from me. A second between life and death. One more moment before judgment is finally passed on me.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve died instead.¡± I heard her say.

    Her fingers found my stomach. Buried themselves deep.

    Pain. All was pain. Blossoming heat spread from my abdomen. The dull taste of iron flooded my mouth. Her hand twisted inside me. Agony. My very existence was agony.

    The buried hand within me saw me as anathema. I felt pure rejection from that hand, a repudiation of the very concept of me. The cold hardness within at the centre of that swirling maelstrom of agony was death.

    Blood spilled from my mouth, splattering all over her face. My legs felt numb. Staying on my feet took all my strength.

    She pulled her hand out, forcing me to my knees. Deep red flowed freely. Everything was going dark. My arms wobbled. I couldn¡¯t keep going on.

    Silver glittered at the edge of my vision. My laptop, being swallowed up by the flowing sea of red.

    I can¡¯t lose you too.

    The fog in my mind cleared. My eyes shot open. Every nerve in my body protested. The blood gushed forth from my open wound. But I forced myself forward.

    I rose to my feet. I gazed upon the phantom from my past. Though my knees wobbled, I never fell. Though my hands shook, my grip on Vanafreya¡¯s gift never faltered.

    With a primal roar, I swung my laptop at her. Ashtari did not move. I made contact; my blow struck with killing force.

    Only for her to spin on her heels, dispersing most of my strength. With the force of her spin, she swung a balled fist.

    Impact. A sickening crack echoed within my skull. Fresh pain blossomed at the back of my head. Nausea. My face slamming down, blood dripped from my broken nose. But I will not fall. I cannot fall.

    I forced my legs up. Everything in front of me lost focus, but I did not. My life seeped out from me, my once purple hoodie dyed by several splotches of deepest crimson. Pain threatened to overwhelm all thought. But I did not allow myself to fall.

    I looked up, but Ashtari was already gone, consumed by the mist.

    Strength left me. I collapsed face first, into the cold, unforgiving ground. I pushed against mist covered floor, forced myself to lie on my back. Blood freely gushed from the gaping hole in my abdomen.

    I don¡¯t know how much time I had until either of them came back. I gripped the edges of my hoodie, tore as wide a strip as I could, tied it around my waist, strangled screams escaped from grinding teeth as I wound the cloth as tightly as possible. Blood finally stopped flowing out of me. I finally had time to think.

    Things weren¡¯t adding up. Fighting Mikha-El should have been a death sentence, and him being here at all didn¡¯t make any sense. Cam told me that there was a war in the Empyrean; there was no way that one of the four would prioritize me over that, nor would any of them ever take deign to work with a fae.

    Then there was Ashtari.

    I squeezed my eyes shut, banished the emotions that threatened to burst forth. I can¡¯t fall apart now.

    She shouldn¡¯t have been here. No matter how much I wanted her to, she couldn¡¯t have been here. No matter how hard I begged, even if I still saw her smile whenever I closed my eyes, even if I still felt the warmth of her hand in mine, she was never coming back to me. These same hands made sure of that.

    On that flame wreathed abattoir, I felt her grow cold. 500 years ago, I saw the goddess Ashtari die.

    I used precious strength to wipe away flowing tears. Sobs left my lips freely. I was without dignity. I was undeserving of pride.

    ¡°To see one of the divine weeping like an infant. What was it that you saw, I wonder?¡±

    The Leanan Sidhe¡¯s voice echoed within the mist. Though I had no way of seeing her, I could almost guarantee that her too perfect face was contorted into a sneer.

    ¡°Worry not, Luna Invicta. Your pain shall be over soon.¡±

    My breathing was shallow. My insides felt like they were on fire. I stood slowly, even as my legs lost all sensation, supporting myself on the invisible wall in front of me.

    ¡°Leanan Sidhe¡­¡± I said. My hair was matted by dried blood. My stomach covered in a band of rapidly darkening cloth. I could barely keep myself from falling over.

    ¡°The mist cannot hide you from me forever. When I find you, I will hurt you. You will beg me for death, and I will deny you.¡± I spat out a wad of blood, flesh, and bile. ¡°And when the time comes that you can suffer no more, I will have Tabitha gut you, and you will hang from the bow of her ship by your own entrails.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡± I heard her chuckle. ¡°Good luck.¡±

    I was alone once more. And even as my vision began to blur, I knew, with utter certainty, that I was going to kill her.

    ¡°Brave warrior, may your burden be lightened, may your pain subside.¡± I drew upon the reserves of faith, unmindful of the cost. ¡°Your wounds are fleeting, your glory eternal. The goddess of war promises victory.¡±

    It was like a flame had been lit within me, the purging fire scorched my veins and gave me strength enough to move. The skin above my wounds closed, though the damage remained, I was not the goddess of healing after all. By my estimates, this haphazard blessing bought me thirty minutes at best. It would have to do.

    Mikha-El¡¯s inexplicable weakness, Ashtari¡¯s impossible resurrection, and the words of the Leanan Sidhe.

    Mikha-El instantly fell to me, almost as if he¡¯d already submitted to my authority before we met.

    Ashtari¡¯s hand that effortlessly slid into my flesh, the hand that felt cold and hard while it was inside me, almost as if it was made not of flesh, but out of metal. The way she naturally pirouetted when I struck, almost as if her entire fighting style was based upon dodging.

    A flash of recognition, it all made sense. I wasn¡¯t spirited away, I was still at the oil rig. This mist that surrounded me was a field of glamour which controlled the senses of those within. I¡¯d been fighting Tabitha and Junogloris this entire time.

    Palm met forehead in disbelief. It was so obvious, if I actually thought about it. But now that I knew what she was doing, how on earth was I going to counter it?

    I felt the cold cement in my palm, though I could not see it. Junogloris¡¯s fist disappearing in the swirling mist, Tabitha¡¯s dagger in my belly. I closed my eyes, searched for Junogloris, I still saw nothing but white. It would seem that the glamour clouded sight and hearing, but not touch.

    There was no way I was overpowering her glamour, not in the state I was in. But not even the strongest illusions could completely sever a goddess¡¯s connection to her champion. Nor could it sever my connection to other things. There was a way to overcome her glamour.

    I took a deep breath. Focused solely upon my connection to the moon. There, to the southwest, a shining beacon of light. My salvation.

    Hand in front of me, I ran towards that silvery glow. Whenever I felt a wall, I ran parallel to it, never letting my hand leave its surface until I felt the telltale edges of a corner.

    Precious minutes passed as I ran blindly. But I was finally in front of my goal. I ran my fingers along the mist shrouded barrier ahead of me. Cold, colder than concrete. Distinctly sleek, smooth. I lightly tapped it, feeling the reverberation throughout the entire structure. No doubt about it, this was a steel door, not unlike the one in Tabitha¡¯s ship.

    ¡°Worthless dregs.¡±

    I turned towards that sound. Before me, Junogloris stood, still shrouded in Mikha-El¡¯s form. Who was it that he saw in front of him? What could drive him to attack me with all his strength?

    The illusion of Mikha-El stood unmoving. No traces of his previous wounds could be seen. The Leanan Sidhe was definitely baiting me into attacking my champion. I decided to oblige her.

    I moved as nimbly as I could.

    Junogloris swung, but it was slow enough that it was easy to dodge. I ducked underneath his fist, gently placed a palm on his wrist.

    A moment¡¯s contact. A moment where our connection was bridged. One chance to send a message before the Leanan Sidhe could interfere. With a burst of faith, I sent out one thought.

    Junogloris¡¯s other fist shot out, as swift as a bullet and a hundred times deadlier. A second¡¯s misstep meant annihilation.

    The shock wave swept me aside, a few of my ribs were definitely cracked, even as his fist passed mere inches from my body, and buried itself into the door behind me.

    I closed my eyes. My mind focused on that shining beacon of hope.

    I held out my hand.

    A bolt of lightning flew towards me, now unhindered by the steel door. I clasped it in my hand, and I was made whole.

    Power surged into me, one that I had not felt in half a millenia.

    ¡°Shine forth.¡±

    It was not a searing brightness, but the calm of moonlight that burst forth from the blade in my hand. The moon¡¯s gentle beams washed over us, purging us of the Leanan Sidhe¡¯s influence. I swung my blade, and the mist was purged.

    ¡°My goddess?¡±

    His right arm was broken at the elbow. His makeshift toga was in tatters. Slashes, some shallow, some deep, covered his entire body. But he still stood strong.

    ¡°Forgive me, Mistress Luna.¡± he said, kneeling before me. ¡°I do not deserve to call myself your champion.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡±

    ¡°But-¡±

    ¡°Junogloris. Whatever it was that you saw, I understand.¡± I said. I stepped forward, only to fall.

    ¡°Mistress Luna, you are hurt!¡± he said, even as he caught me.

    ¡°Not as much as that Leanan Sidhe is going to be.¡± I said. I looked at the sword I still held in my hand.

    A full three quarters of the blade was missing, and what remained longer held an edge. The pearl that decorated the pommel had long lost its sheen, the crimson leather on its hilt now the same colour as the rust that ate away at the crescent shaped guard. Still, with the blade made of ethereal moonlight that extended from that well worn steel, the Luna Gladius shone with all of its former glory.

    My regalia. A symbol of my authority over my empire and my Domains, and one of the most famous swords in all of existence, with only that Brittanian king¡¯s blade being its superior.

    I drank in the faith that radiated from my regalia. Replenishing my stores as much as I could, taking as much as my body could handle. Once I had my fill, there was plenty left to spare.

    ¡°Such a shame that I never had authority over the Domain of Healing.¡± I said. ¡°But this will do for now.¡±

    The Leanan Sidhe might have used glamour at a scale that would make mortal magi faint, but I was Mistress of the Moon. Long has humanity associated that celestial sphere with the Domains of Madness and Illusion, so much so that one of the words for insanity originally meant being under the influence of the moon; lunacy. My true regalia by my side, rendering myself and others immune was child¡¯s play.

    ¡°Come, Junogloris. Let us repay the Leanan Sidhe¡¯s hospitality a hundredfold.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± he said. He lifted me unto his shoulders, and we set of, my blade of moonlight cutting through any and all illusion.

    *

    I heard the screams before I even saw her. Her snow white hair clung tightly to her skin, sweat and blood freely intermingled, never getting the chance to dry. Her left arm hung limply at her side, while her right held her dagger in a reverse grip, wildly swinging at the mist. A single bloodshot eye was all she could see out of, the cut above her eyebrow drowned the other in an unceasing red curtain. Myriad shallow slashes adorned her body, each one bleeding only slightly. On her feet, dozens of shattered vials, attempts at healing frustrated by her adversary.

    ¡°To think that I once feared you, butcher.¡± the Leanan Sidhe said, a few metres away from her, sitting upon a column of solid mist. With a snap of her fingers, the mist surrounding Tabitha became a weapon.

    A solid blast of wind hit Tabitha squarely in the chest. Tabitha spun, rode out a majority of the force. But she could not negate it all. She swung in front of her, cutting through nothing but air. Air that turned razor sharp as she pulled back, covering her arm in a hundred tiny wounds.

    ¡°To think that the great Marie, the one who set our sanctuary aflame, would die such a pathetic death.¡± the Leanan Sidhe said. Another snap of her fingers. Another attack.

    Tabitha couldn¡¯t dodge an attack she can¡¯t see or even sense. The best she could do was minimize the damage. But she was just human. Each wound was beginning to add up, as she was now, the Leanan Sidhe could easily finish her.

    ¡°Stay away!¡± Tabitha swung at a phantom only she could see. ¡°STAY AWAY!¡±

    ¡°What ghosts have come back to haunt you, I wonder?¡± the Leanan Sidhe had abandoned all composure, her lips curled in cruel satisfaction. ¡°You will not die quickly, human. I will shatter your mind. I will carve each and every sin upon your body.¡±

    A death by a thousand cuts.

    ¡°Please¡­ no more¡­¡± Tabitha fell to her knees. Her dagger clattered uselessly as she dropped it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ It¡¯s all my fault¡­ It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± No more words left her lips. Only the blubbering of a spirit broken. Only the anguished weeping of one haunted by the past.

    ¡°Finished already? No, Marie. We¡¯ve only just begun.¡±

    ¡°Mistress Luna. The fae appears to have nothing but the savage¡¯s suffering in mind.¡±

    ¡°I know.¡± I readied my sword.

    ¡°Perhaps it would be best to leave them be?¡±

    ¡°Wha-?¡±

    ¡°Her loyalty as changing as the wind, her methods both dishonourable and destructive to both friend and foe.¡± Junogloris said. ¡°It is not a matter of if, but of when, she will prove to be an obstacle.¡±

    ¡°Junogloris.¡±

    ¡°Your quest is paramount, my goddess. Let us leave the savage to her fate. Her ship will sail just as well under our flag.¡±

    ¡°It would be best if we were to make haste. The Leanan Sidhe¡¯s blood price will not be unsatisfied for long-¡±

    ¡°Set me down.¡± I said.

    ¡°Mistress Luna?¡±

    ¡°Now, champion.¡±

    He gently lowered me to the ground. I held my sword aloft, gathered as much power as I could, and swung.

    A searing crescent beam shot forth, annihilating all in its wake. The sound of rending rock and air would have alerted anyone to its arrival, unless, of course, her focus was elsewhere.

    The Leanan Sidhe turned. Her eyes widened with shock. Instinct took over, forcing her to leap to the side, saving her from being decapitated. But only just.

    ¡°GYAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!¡±

    Blood covered Tabitha as the Leanan Sidhe was cleft in two.

    ¡°Light shine forth.¡± The cleansing moon beams bathed Tabitha in their gentle glow.

    ¡°Junogloris, I know you mean well. Which is why I¡¯m going to pretend that you never actually suggested anything of that sort. And you never will again, understood?¡±

    ¡°Very well. I am your sword and shield, my goddess.¡±

    We made our way towards Tabitha, who had begun to open her eyes. Her hand immediately flew towards her dagger.

    ¡°Easy, Tabitha. It¡¯s us.¡± I said.

    ¡°Wha- who¡­?¡±

    ¡°Luna Invicta and Junogloris.¡± I said, gently laying my hand on top of her dagger.

    ¡°Lu¡­na?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Whatever you saw, it¡¯s over.¡±

    Her one open eye shimmered. She coughed loudly, turning her back towards us.

    ¡°¡­The bloody hell¡­ took you so long?¡±

    ¡°In my defence, someone did try to eviscerate me earlier.¡±

    ¡°Figured it was you¡­¡± she sat up, she gripped her shoulders as hardly as she could, but that did not stop them from shaking. ¡°Divine blood feels different than¡­¡± She squeezed her eyes shut, let out a shuddering breath.

    ¡°Well whatever. So! Who do I have to thank for this warm bloody welcome?¡±

    A drowning gasp answered her question.

    She was lying in pool of her own blood, her entrails hanging from her torso like vines. Half of her spine jutted out, split open, glistening marrow thoroughly exposed. Yet the constant gasping and eyes filled with hatred told us that she, impossibly, still alive. But not for long.

    ¡°Ah.¡± Tabitha said. She stood, dagger in hand.

    The mist around us began to disperse, revealing the crimson stained concrete underneath. In the distance to the northeast was a steel door with a fist sized hole at its centre. Tabitha¡¯s relic room, more than likely.

    ¡°This is why I hate the ones that get away.¡± she tossed two green vials toward us, and quaffed the one in her hand. ¡°They always come back with a plan to kill you, yeah?¡±

    ¡°Butcher¡­¡± the Leanan Sidhe gasped out. ¡°Destroyer of our sanctuary¡­ Do you even remember¡­ the lives you¡¯ve taken? Do you even know the names of those you¡¯ve¡­ slaughtered?¡±

    ¡°You know, funny thing about that. I actually do. It¡¯s been, what, 200 years, yeah? Isn¡¯t that right, Aoife?¡± she said. ¡°What, cat got your tongue? Let me ask you something then. Do you remember Johannes?¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­ blabbering about¡­¡±

    ¡°How about little Madeline? Or the Hoffmans? Are any of these names ringing any bells?¡±

    ¡°Why would¡­¡±

    ¡°Twenty people in total, disappearing just before harvest time. A hundred people starved because of that, half of the village. And of those twenty? Only five returned, and the stories they told, of how they were toyed with by your kind, then discarded without care as soon as you¡¯ve had your fill. Johannes M¨¹ller was your plaything for an entire year, Aoife. His village was the one that hired me.¡± she said, pressing her dagger¡¯s cruel edge to the Leanan Sidhe¡¯s throat.

    ¡°Want to know what¡¯s funny? That village was the tenth one to hire me in that decade. Was number one thousand for that entire century.¡± Though Tabitha smiled, it did not reach her eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got no right to talk about lives and revenge, Aoife. None of you do.¡±

    ¡°You killed everyone I loved¡­ Marie.¡± the Leanan Sidhe spoke even as blood filled her lungs. ¡°You took my home away from me¡­ I swear. I will not die. Not until justice is done.¡±

    ¡°Cool. Justice is about to be done right now, with me taking your head, yeah?¡±

    ¡°I swear! You will not leave here alive! I will have my revenge, Marie! YOU WILL NOT KILL ME HERE!¡± Sheer hatred allowed her to cling to the living. But it was no use.

    Hate.

    A wave of emotion flooded into me.

    Hate.

    A choking black miasma gripped at my anima.

    Why did you kill me? You destroyed my home. I was innocent! Kill her! We did nothing! Whywhyhwhywhywhywhywhywhywhy!

    KILL HER.

    A gust of wind that came from the relic room. The sound of flesh being pierced by steel.

    Tabitha had dodged in time, but she wasn¡¯t the target.

    The Leanan Sidhe had been impaled by a jet black sword. But her hateful stare never left Tabitha.

    More relics flew out of the hole in her door. A bow and arrow of glittering gold, a necklace of lapis lazuli, silver bangles covered in glowing runic script. These and much more flew towards the Leanan Sidhe¡¯s form, only my attachment to my regalia stopped the Luna Gladius from joining them.

    ¡°Oh. Oh dear.¡± Tabitha¡¯s face fell as she understood what was happening.

    ¡°Tabitha. Tell me. How did you come about those relics again?¡±

    ¡°Mate, I think we both know the answer to that.¡± she said, as she leapt back to our side, gun in hand.

    Relics torn from their owners during Tabitha¡¯s killing sprees. Their last thoughts imprinted upon objects of unimaginable power, their lingering resentment laying hidden for centuries. A focal point of intense, dark emotion as both trigger and magnet. From a being whose power dwarfs many mortal magi.

    The Leanan Sidhe¡¯s flesh dissolved into black sludge, devouring the many relics flying towards her body. Twin flames burst forth from where her eyes should be. Her face split open as she let loose an ear-splitting scream, the immense aura of absolute rage forced me to my knees. Two ebony horns formed at the top of her head.

    In front of my eyes, a new demon was born.