《Lament of the Fallen》


 Prologue - part 1

    A wave of sadness rushed over her as she surveyed the devastation. Ash and soot from the dying fires were floating in the air towards her, but somehow seemed to avoid where she was standing. She could hear a small crashing sound as one of the still standing buildings gave up its struggle and collapsed. The village had been a large one, with maybe three thousand inhabitants, almost enough to be called a town. It had been a farming village that probably didn¡¯t even have weapons beyond those used for hunting. Until a year ago, the people of the village had lived in peace and harmony with its neighbors.


    Then there were the bodies. Some of them had been charred beyond recognition by the flames, while others had been hacked to pieces by frenzied people not accustomed to wielding weapons. Few unlucky ones had been made into an example. What remained of them was hung on the smoldering ruins of the gate of this poor village; a gate that had most likely not been closed for hundreds of years. She wondered idly if it was even capable of closing, with rust corroding the hinges. Now the inhabitants of the village would never know. The attackers had been thorough and not a single person was spared. The purge had been complete.


    ¡®Is this what happens when the so called forces of good win?¡¯ She thought sadly, and not for the first time. This was not the first time she had come upon the remains left behind by the purge. She had seen similar sights too many times already, and she was always too late to help. She¡¯d walk among the wreckage and use her magic enhanced senses to try and find survivors. She so desperately wanted to find survivors, but she never did. One thing the angels were good at was leading these purges.


    The former inhabitants of the village were a race of demi-humans. Part of their ancestry was human, but they were unfortunate in that they also had demon blood in their veins. This didn¡¯t really show much, the only differences were different shaped pupils and some individuals with stronger demon heritage growing a pair of leathery wings or horns. They were some of the most peaceful inhabitants of this world, which already was a backwater planet that had not seen real war in eons. They barely qualified as demons but that barely was enough for the forces of ¡®good¡¯ that were reveling drunk in the sweet taste of victory.


    As she tried futilely to find survivors, she remembered what had led to this carnage. The War in Heavens had raged for uncountable eons, claiming countless lives on all sides. Powerful individuals came and went, and if you asked anyone taking part, they would tell you that the war would rage on forever. What had tipped the balance had started as a rather harmless experiment. Harmless experiment that had resulted in something that no one could have imagined possible. The thirteen hells had been destroyed, taking the armies of Fallen, demons and devils with them. The four sided war had suddenly become three sided and the balance of power had been broken.


    The demons and angels had always been the two sides most eager to carry on with the war, while the two other sides mostly just observed, only taking part when their own interest were threatened by the flames of war. There had been some alliances but those had lasted mostly for short periods of time. With the destruction of their arch-nemesis, the forces of ¡®goodness¡¯ and ¡®order¡¯ had decided to take advantage by making sure the demons never rose up again. Their solution had been the complete eradication of demons on any world within their reach.


    They angels called it the Holy Purge. Their armies scoured all the worlds they controlled for any beings which could be classified as demons and eradicated them. On worlds where they didn¡¯t hold enough power to bring in their own troops, they sent some of their angels to preach the ¡®evils¡¯ of demonic races, inciting the populace to do the dirty work for them. The angels always had their representatives present to cast the first stone, to fire the first arrow and to draw the first blood. This incited the mob into a frenzy, allowing them to let their bestial natures take over.


    The result was what she saw around her. Peaceful communities destroyed for no other reason than having the wrong ancestors. She shed a small tear for the dead and wished them better luck in their next lives. She also felt the rush of guilt washing over her. ¡®This is my fault.¡¯ She thought.


    Trying to find survivors was her way of trying to find redemption. There was a reason she always arrived late. What would she do if she did arrive in time? Should she kill the mob that was whipped into a murderous frenzy? Just pushing them away would only lead to more resentment and they would be back once she was gone. It wasn¡¯t the fault of the mob, not really. How could a group of inexperienced and powerless peasants resist the honeyed words of the angels and their preachers? She suspected the mob might even be under a spell. They weren¡¯t exactly innocent, but it was not really their fault either, at least not enough to deserve death. Even if she did lead the demons away from here, they would be hunted down mercilessly by the angels. One or two people she could protect, but thousands?


    So she arrived late, hoping to find survivors. Unfortunately the angels had access to same detection spells she used, and the purge was always complete. ¡°Nothing this time either.¡± She mumbled as if talking to herself.


    Suddenly an androgynous voice coming from her chest answered. ¡°I can¡¯t detect any mana or ki either. As magical beings, they should have enough natural mana in their bodies for me to detect even untrained children. I understand that you feel responsible, but you can¡¯t keep doing this to yourself. I can see it¡¯s breaking your heart. You¡¯re simply torturing yourself at this point. You did not cause this atrocity!¡±


    ¡°I have to keep going! Even if I can save just one, then the pain will be worth it. Please, I don¡¯t care which deity of this world is listening, just let me save one!¡± Her desperate plea echoed among the ruins of the village.


    Either because her yell stirred something, or because her pleas reached one of the local deities, she could hear a faint cry of a child coming from somewhere in the ruins. ¡°What in the name of¡­?¡± She mumbled.


    The androgynous voice hurriedly replied. ¡°I still can¡¯t detect anything. A village like this should not have the spells to block my detection. This should not be possible.¡±


    She started running towards the direction where she though she heard the faint cry coming from. ¡°Try searching for souls instead. Some of the souls of the dead should still be lingering around, but you should be able to tell the difference between a living soul and a dead one.¡±


    The androgynous voice took its time to reply, and she could not hear the cry anymore. ¡°I got something. That half collapsed building to your left. It¡¯s hazy as if shrouded by something, but I think I could sense a living soul inside.¡± The voice finally replied.


    She had left the detection spells to the androgynous voice simply because that wasn¡¯t her specialty and the owner of the voice was very good at it. As she rushed into the house and used her magic to support the crumbling building, she came into a fairly large room with a body in the center of the floor. The body belonged to an old and disfigured woman. The body had not been disfigured by the attackers; rather they were old wounds from a long life. The woman had been killed with one strike to the heart, by an angel¡¯s blade judging by the wound.


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    She looked around the room but couldn¡¯t find any sign of the child whose voice she had heard. ¡°I need a little help here.¡±


    ¡°Give me a second.¡± The androgynous voice replied. ¡°Whoa! Whoever hid the child did a great job of it. I had to forcefully break the spell. Look under the floor next to the corpse.¡±


    She rushed next to the body of the old woman. Now that she knew where to look, she could see some of the blood running unnaturally towards something under the floor. As she removed the floorboards, she could finally see a small bundle soaked in the old woman¡¯s blood slightly twitching, making the faintest breathing sounds. The baby had been hidden for a while, and would have died in hours if she had not come along.


    She fed some of her magic to the baby, trying to heal any wounds and diseases, and to provide the baby with some strength. Once she was certain the baby had enough strength to survive for a while, she laid a finger on the baby¡¯s forehead and delved inside the baby with her senses, trying to find if there was any damage she had missed. She withdrew her senses as if in recoil almost immediately. ¡°What is going on here?¡±


    She used some gentle air magic to clear some of the blood off the baby and looked stunned for a moment. This baby clearly didn¡¯t belong in this village. The foxlike face and white fur of the baby became clear once the blood and soot was removed. There were no races like this baby on this world. She looked at the magical symbols around the hiding place of the baby. The symbols were carved into the stone walls of the small cubbyhole. This was not something created in a hurry just before the attack, and the spells were foreign to this world. She recognized them though.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The androgynous voice asked, clearly confused by her reaction.


    ¡°Give me a few seconds to piece this together.¡± She replied, while staring thoughtfully at the symbols.


    Suddenly she turned towards the corpse of the old woman, and turned it around to get a better look. The old woman had hidden it well with magic, but she was clearly not a demi-human. This was a pureblood devil. The woman had lost her right arm at some point, cleanly cut off at the shoulder. There were numerous old but already healed battle scars on her body, and the woman had managed to lose an eye at some point in the past.


    ¡°They usually had a tattooed insignia on their right shoulder, but this one has lost that shoulder. By design I suspect.¡± She mumbled to herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re not thinking..?¡± The androgynous voice asked, clearly knowing where she was going with this thought.


    ¡°One way to find out.¡± She replied, putting a finger on the woman¡¯s forehead delving inside the corpse. Delving dead bodies was not a pleasant experience, but she knew what she was looking for, and found it immediately. There it was, a dormant magical insignia inscribed on the now dead heart of the old woman. A magical insignia that said a lot about the old woman¡¯s origins.


    ¡°Is she really¡­?¡± The androgynous voice asked with trepidation.


    ¡°Yes. She was once a member of the Hounds of War, the elite unit serving the thirteen hells.¡± She replied, still trying to piece together what was going on.


    ¡°What was one of the Hounds doing in a backwater place like this? I thought all their members died either when the thirteen hells were destroyed, or during the first years of the purge. One would think the angels would make a priority out of hunting them down.¡± The androgynous voice wondered.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with this baby.¡± She replied quietly.


    ¡°The baby? Why would one of the Hounds care about a baby? I would understand if she was the child of one of the lords of the hells, but the hells fell several years ago and that baby can¡¯t be more than a few months old.¡± The androgynous voice questioned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the reason. When I delved the baby, I noticed a few weird things. Firstly, there¡¯s a reason why we didn¡¯t detect any mana from her. She¡¯s a psion, and thus has no mana or ki. Secondly, I couldn¡¯t determine her race.¡± She replied thoughtfully.


    The more she thought about it, the more certain she became that the old Hound was here to protect and hide the baby. There seemed to be no other purpose to hide in such a remote world, and the Hound seemed like she died without a fight, simply trying to avoid anything happening to the baby. That was not normal behavior for the elite unit that had claimed countless lives during the war, innocent and otherwise.


    ¡°A psion? Well that explains it, I suppose. Psions use their own form of power instead of mana or ki, which would make her hard to detect. Psions are extremely rare, but that hardly qualifies as something important enough for perhaps the last Hound to sacrifice her life over. The baby looks like a fox demon of sorts though, so I have no idea what kind of trouble you could have with recognizing her race?¡± The androgynous voice replied with slight confusion in its voice.


    ¡°She may look like a fox demon on the outside, but that¡¯s not what I sensed inside her. She seemed like a mix of several races. I could detect at least five for certain, but I suspect there¡¯s more. Those five are simply the dominant ones.  It didn¡¯t seem like a natural mix from breeding either. Someone made her that way on purpose. The only reason she looks like a fox demon of some kind is because the other races are still dormant inside of her.¡± She explained her vague feelings. It was difficult to delve a psion, because the psionic power naturally repelled the delving. She could force it, but that would hurt the child.


    ¡°Someone made her like that? What other races are inside her? And perhaps more importantly, for what purpose?¡± The androgynous voice questioned.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost certain that someone went through a lot of time and effort to make her as she is. Time, effort and a lot of power. As long as the other races remain dormant, I can¡¯t identify them without being too forceful, and that could kill the baby. As for the purpose, your guess is as good as mine.¡± She replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to keep her aren¡¯t you? Not that I mind, but the angels already dislike you. Harboring a few demons is one thing, but this will surely piss them off if they find out.¡± The androgynous voice pointed out.


    ¡°I asked for a survivor, and now we have one. I¡¯m not going to throw her away after searching through all those fields of carnage and genocide. Whatever her origin may be, it is not her fault, and I wouldn¡¯t be any better than those fanatical angels if I threw her away.¡± She felt some hope. Maybe this child would offer her a small chance at redemption.

 Prologue - part 2

    As Selvaria stepped through the gateway, a feeling of safety washed over her. She looked at the sleeping bundle in her arms. She had managed to bring the baby back to good health on the way, although there hadn¡¯t really been anything wrong with the baby beyond malnourishment and being exhausted. The baby had been hidden for a while but was fundamentally healthy.


    Selvaria hoped that the baby had not seen anything too gruesome and that she would forget anything that she had seen or heard. That seemed unlikely though, as the minds of psions worked differently than normal children. They understood more, and forgot less. They would also mature earlier and faster, given the chance and proper stimulus. Nevertheless she hoped the baby¡¯s mind was still too young to remember.


    Now what to do? They were relatively safe here, as this was a pocket dimension created by Selvaria, and thus was wholly under her control. It was connected to the outside by the gateway she had come through, and there was no other way to enter. The only other way to exit would require a lengthy magical ceremony. She looked at her home. It was a relatively large building with narrow pathways connecting to many other gateways that allowed access to other parts of the pocket dimension. She wasn¡¯t the only inhabitant, but she was someone that kept the others safe.


    ¡°Home sweet home.¡± The androgynous voice came from her chest. Selvaria gave a small chuckle as she pulled a small silver colored pendant from beneath her blouse.


    ¡°So what are you going to do with the baby? I¡¯ve never known you to be the motherly type. You could give her to be raised by one of your little pet projects.¡± The pendant hummed a bit as the androgynous voice asked the question, indicating that the voice was coming from the pendant.


    ¡°While that is a possibility, I think I need to do it myself. If she ever wants to leave this place, she needs to be trained or the angels will easily hunt her down. The people I¡¯ve saved are all good people, but the reason I had to save them in the first place, was that they didn¡¯t have the power or the skill to protect themselves. Most of them didn¡¯t want to learn either.¡± Selvaria replied a little frustrated.


    This pocket dimension housed an entire planet, albeit a small one, and a small sun. Selvaria was one of the few mages powerful enough to create something like it. She also had a habit of rescuing women and girls that were in desperate situation. Women that weren¡¯t able to protect themselves, no home and no safe haven. Some of them had been slaves, some were forced to work as prostitutes, and some were simply beaten and battered to a point where they had already given up on life.


    Selvaria helped these women, and brought them to this pocket dimension to heal mentally and physically. Some left after they found their bearings, and she tried to give them a new start in a better place, while most stayed. There was no danger here, simply peace and quiet, and that was what most of these women needed the most.


    These women of various races formed villages and communities, farming their own food and hunting game. Selvaria would provide for them, but the women saw self-sufficiency as a form of healing. Something to regain their own place in the universe. Since men were most often the cause of the trouble Selvaria had saved them from, there were no men here. That was part of the reason why some chose to leave. These women would be able to help the baby grow, and would most likely welcome the presence of a child, but they would not be able to provide her with the skills she would need to survive outside this safe haven. Unlike the other women, the baby was a demon and would be hunted again.


    ¡°Can you do it? I mean, you are a powerful mage, and you aren¡¯t a stranger to warrior skills, but that¡¯s different from raising a psion.¡± The voice from the pendant asked.


    ¡°One would think you¡¯d know better than to underestimate me at this point. I wasn¡¯t one of the top teachers and researchers of the Assembly for nothing. I¡¯ve trained a couple of psions before, and I know the methods they need to use to increase their power.¡± Selvaria replied a little insulted.


    The Assembly was the third of the four factions involved in The War in Heavens. While the thirteen hells commanded those with demonic blood in their veins, and the angels of Paradisia commanded those with the blood of angels, the Assembly accepted members of any race with enough power to qualify. It was the most diverse of the four factions.


    ¡°Then we return to my original point. You¡¯re not exactly motherly. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯ll die at some point because you got lost in some research or another and forgot to feed her.¡± The voice pointed out.


    ¡°I resent that implication!¡± Selvaria huffed. The voice was right though. She did have the habit of forgetting everything else while lost in the intricate problems that research presented. That was one of the reasons why she did it. That all-consuming focus allowed her to get away from the guilt that plagued her. It was also one of the reasons why the women she protected had wanted to become self-sufficient. They knew they¡¯d starve otherwise.


    ¡°Maybe you should at least invite one or two of the women to live with you. They can help with the baby, while you can handle the training. I doubt you¡¯re keen on changing diapers either.¡± The voice said with barely concealed mirth.


    ¡°Fine! Have it your way. If I¡¯m such a bad parent, maybe I do need help! It¡¯s obvious the poor me can¡¯t handle raising a child, after all I¡¯m only smart enough to be the best researcher in the whole Assembly! The simple act of raising a child is naturally beyond my abilities!¡± She huffed sarcastically. She did follow the advice though.


    ¡°What shall we call the baby? I doubt she¡¯d be happy if we just use baby, hey, you, child and dammit when we talk to her.¡± The voice asked, trying to change the subject a bit, as it knew it had won that debate.


    ¡°We¡¯ll name her Haydee. I always found that name beautiful, and it doesn¡¯t sound too demonic.¡± Selvaria sighed.


    ¡°Dee or DeeDee it is then.¡± The voice said with finality, already solidifying the nicknames.


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    The next few years were full of surprises to Selvaria. She was happy and sad to discover that Dee had indeed inherited the typical psion penchant for having a much better understanding much earlier than normal children. Dee absorbed information like a sponge, even if she didn¡¯t talk much. Selvaria could see the light of understanding in her golden feline eyes even when she was only few months old. As soon as Dee could manage it, she would prop herself up in a sitting position against a stack of books or something similar, and simply observed what Selvaria was doing. At first the girl had a look of confusion on her foxlike features, but soon it turned into understanding and curiosity.


    Selvaria developed a habit of giving small explanations on whatever she was doing, and Dee seemed to understand and learn. While normal babies would either sleep most of the time, or stare at anything brightly colored, Dee could spend hours doing nothing but watching Selvaria work. Not that she was completely unlike normal babies in the fact that she too spent a lot of time asleep, but Dee seemed all too happy to forgo sleep if there was something interesting to observe.


    She was almost excessively easy as a baby too. She never cried except to announce that it was time to provide some food, or to inform others of a mess she had made. Dee seemed to get some odd enjoyment from only announcing the aforementioned mess, when only Selvaria was there to deal with it. Apparently she realized that it made Selvaria uncomfortable, and was teasing her in a very basic way. She didn¡¯t have anything against the women that were glad to help, but Selvaria was special.


    When it came to her race, Haydee looked like a mix between a kitsune and a high ranking Rakshasa Rani. Normal rakshasa were magical feline demons with humanoid bodies and heads of lions and tigers. Sometimes their bodies were covered in fur, sometimes not depending on the particular type. Rakshasa Rani or Raja, depending on gender, were in general much stronger and powerful, and had four arms instead of two. Rakshasa usually possessed wicked intelligence, and were among the most dangerous mages and warriors among the various demons races. It made sense that whoever had been part of making Haydee had used a Rakshasa Rani as a base for further changes, since the race provided a strong base for almost anything.


    Despite Selvaria¡¯s attempts, she had not managed to discover anything further about changes made to Haydee, and would most likely be unsuccessful until those changes came out of dormancy. Currently Haydee looked like a Rakshasa Rani, except with the head of a fox instead of a lion or tiger, her body covered in snow white fur and she had a pair of fluffy little tails waving behind her wherever she moved. A year after starting her life with Selvaria, Dee seemed to discover a way to make her extra pair of arms appear and disappear at will, to the amusement of her and the intelligent pendant that had befriended the little girl.


    Selvaria suspected that Dee would be able to change her form further once she got older, as that was one of the natural abilities of kitsune, and she suspected that that was one of the reasons someone had decided to use a little bit of kitsune to make Dee. Psions were different to mages and warriors in that they couldn¡¯t generate mana or ki, and as such could use neither magic nor the techniques of the warriors.


    However, they could use what were considered the inherent racial abilities of their own race, which in some cases bordered on magic. In that case they consumed their psionic power instead of mana as the fuel. Kitsune had the racial ability to change their form, and the more powerful kitsune could even control fire. The most powerful nine-tailed foxes could even rival elementals spirits of fire when it came to controlling that particular element.


    If Dee would end up with those abilities, then that would make Selvaria even more interested in what else lay in her heritage. The pendant shared the same curiosity, but it also found the adventures of the little girl strangely fascinating. The pendant had grown a little tired of Selvaria who berated herself over the deaths of so many innocent people, and found the company of the girl filled with childlike curiosity a refreshing change of pace.


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    This lead to the two becoming friends almost immediately after Dee learned to express herself. She wasn¡¯t exactly talkative, even after it became obvious that she had learned to speak several months before she actually said her first words in the company of others. However, the pendant was able to read her moods and thoughts fairly easily, and Dee was good at expressing her thoughts with small gestures and complicated looks. Even Selvaria gave a small shudder when she once became the subject of a look that dripped both sarcasm and pity, after making a silly mistake and trying to justify it with an excuse that immediately died on her lips. Dee had then calmly pointed out the right bottle to use in the alchemical experiment, instead of the similar looking one that had dissolved on the table.


    Dee had seemed to take real interest in Selvaria¡¯s experiments, especially those that had something to do with alchemy, whether it was potions and elixirs or poisons. Selvaria could see the gears turning in Dee¡¯s head as she observed the experiments, but considered her too young to seriously learn the skills required. After all, the line between a strengthening elixir and a poison was very thin, and any mistake could lead to her death, as Dee didn¡¯t have the power to protect herself from mistakes like the one Selvaria had made earlier.


    Selvaria had started to train Dee¡¯s psionic abilities as soon as she knew the child could understand and follow instructions, as she knew the importance of early development for psions. As she often had to leave on trips outside the pocket dimension, partially due to her work and partially to find other survivors like Dee, she focused on training Dee in the ways to form a good foundation and ways to independently train her power further in Selvaria¡¯s absence.


    Selvaria also knew there was a possibility that one day she might not be able to return, at which point it was important that Dee would be able to train by herself. It didn¡¯t matter if Dee had a particular psionic skill or ability, as long as she was able to use her power to strengthen herself and cultivate further with confidence. The clever girl would figure out the specifics on her own. Just in case, she made several manuals and guidebooks for Dee and stored them within the silvery pendant that was now carried around by the girl.


    The only problem in their otherwise happy life was that Dee could remember what had happened before Selvaria picked her up. Initially she had lacked the context to really understand what had happened, but Selvaria could see the understanding dawning in her eyes, as Dee read books on various subjects that filled in the pieces that had been missing. Reading was among the first things Selvaria had taught the girl, as that allowed her to learn many things on her own while Selvaria was otherwise engaged. Dee found stories and pictures describing angels and wars in the books and connected those terms with what had happened to her as a baby. The pendant had to finally give a more accurate explanation to her, just to stop Dee from forming the wrong idea about what had happened.


    ¡°I know there was a war of some kind, and the winged beings I remember won. But why would they attack the village? Did we offend them in some way?¡± Dee asked, talking abnormally long as she was agitated.


    ¡°Not specifically no. The angels just wanted to make sure that demons would never again rise to threaten them. There were also grudges built over the long war, which they are now taking out on people that aren¡¯t really a threat. They all lost friends in the war, and now they are expressing their pain and frustration in the wrong way.¡± The voice tried to soften the effect a bit, not really detailing all the reasons that could lead to genocide like that.


    ¡°The books said the angels were supposed to be good and righteous! These are not the actions of someone good!¡± Dee yelled in tears forming in her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. This might be a bit hard to understand, but the books often confuse light and order with good, and darkness and chaos with evil. It is not that simple. People are not that simple. Everyone has some goodness and some evil in them. The important part is, which part of your nature will you follow? Those people that attacked your village might be good most of the time, but allowed their evil natures take over. The consequences you know.¡± The pendant tried to explain. Sometimes it was hard to judge how much Dee would understand, as sometimes she seemed almost like an adult, and sometimes like the little child she looked like.


    ¡°And the angels were the ones that brought those evil natures out.¡± Dee mumbled to herself. The pendant knew it should say something, but it couldn¡¯t deny the girl¡¯s words. The angels had gone too far, and the pendant wouldn¡¯t be able to blame Dee if she ended up hating the angels for it. Even if some day she decided to seek revenge, that revenge would be fairly justified. Especially since there was no law to judge the angels for their actions. The real worry was if that revenge would consume the girl, and where that revenge would finally lead her. The path of revenge could be cold and lonely, and could create even more victims and grudges.


    After that, both the pendant and Selvaria could see a shadow in Dee¡¯s eyes whenever the subject of the lessons had something to do with angels and the people and beings that served them. There was a trace of anger and hate in Dee¡¯s heart. It was this hate that finally triggered one of the heritages lying dormant inside of her small body.


    That day Dee had been particularly angry as the lesson had touched on the so called virtues of the angels, and the life under their rule. In a rare burst of emotion she had chosen to run out of the house instead taking it out of Selvaria. As she ran outside, she had fallen down some stairs and gotten injured. Suddenly she saw red, and could remember nothing of what had happened afterwards. As Selvaria had found her, she had almost thought that a monster had managed to sneak into the pocket dimension, but had seen the pendant hanging on Dee¡¯s neck, still trying to calm her down.


    Selvaria had used her magic to hold Dee in place and study her in more detail. Haydee had changed shape, partially to recover from the injury and partially to vent out her bottled emotions. Now she had the fierce features of a wolf in a humanoid shape, strange muscles showed on her small frame and a kind of madness and bloodlust gleamed in her eyes.


    ¡°A werewolf heritage of some kind?¡± The pendant asked almost calmly, now that Dee was slowly starting to calm down.


    ¡°Yes and no. How much do you know of the different types of werewolves?¡± Selvaria asked more intrigued than worried.


    ¡°Not much, you know that. Knowledge is not my specialty. I know there are several types but that¡¯s about it.¡± The pendant said.


    Selvaria sighed a bit. ¡°There are roughly three types separated by their type of transformation. First type is what is often called the werebeast-type. It¡¯s basically a humanoid with features from a wolf. Some more powerful ones grow fur on parts of their body, enlarged canines and claws, while the weaker ones only get some minor features. This type is where the name werewolf comes from. At the other end of the spectrum we have those that transform fully into a wolf. The stronger they are, the bigger and meaner they are. The third type is a bit harder to explain.¡±


    She gathered her thoughts for a moment. ¡°The third type is called Beowulf. They somewhat retain a humanoid shape while taking the features of a wolf-like being. They are fully covered in tough fur like wolves but they have the two hands and feet of humanoids. Beowulf are superior to other werewolves in almost every way, and are made for war. If they can retain their sanity, a Beowulf will have all the speed, strength and toughness of a werewolf and more to boot, but they¡¯re capable of wielding weapons and lack many of the weaknesses that most werewolves have. If they can retain their sanity that is. They tend to go berserk every time they turn until they learn control. It seems our little beast doesn¡¯t have that ability, at least for now.¡±


    ¡°So basically they are kind of like the pureblood vampires of the werewolf world?¡± The pendant asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad comparison, except the Beowulf aren¡¯t really the ancestors of werewolves. They are more like a more evolved form instead. It¡¯ll be interesting to see if there are any changes when she turns back.¡± Selvaria said with some interest. This development really intrigued her as a researcher.


    When she finally turned back an hour later, they could see that the effect on Dee¡¯s looks had been fairly minor. Some of her features were a little sharper, but that¡¯s about it. Selvaria tried a couple of experiments while Dee was unconscious. Dee¡¯s canines grew and sharpened when stimulated and the claws on her hands did the same. She also tried making a small wound on Dee¡¯s skin which healed immediately, so it looked like the regeneration ability of the Beowulf was retained even in her normal form, though maybe not to the same level. That would become useful and was most likely the purpose of using that particular race in creating Dee. Psions had more trouble healing themselves than mages and warriors, which was one of the things that balanced their versatile nature, so a regenerative ability would be very useful.


    ----------


    Author''s note: I wanted to point out that the capitalization of races is deliberate. If the name is a broad term that holds several types of sub races under it, it is not capitalized. Example: kitsune. There are many different kinds of fox demons all under the the term kitsune. Beowulf or Rakshasa Rani only refer to a single type, hence the capitalization. Another example: elf versus High Elf. On that note, if anyone wants to see a picture of what I imagine Beowulf to look like, here you can see an example, except you know female in Dee''s case:


    http://www.deviantart.com/art/White-werewolf-324078183</a>

 Prologue - part 3 final part

    Selvaria, Dee and the pendant managed to live rather peacefully until the beginning of the fifth year since Haydee¡¯s arrival. Dee had done great in her training, and seemed to have great promise when it came to detection and concealment abilities. As psions were so rare, very few mages and warriors had put effort into developing ways to detect them, and there were always ways around those detection methods. As such, a psion already had a head start when it came to concealment.


    At first it would seem foolish to ignore a threat like that, but in the end it came down to numbers. Anyone could train ki, qi, kei or whatever a particular region of the universe or the world called the internal strength used by most warriors. While anyone could theoretically train in the use of ki, only the elite had the proper methods and talent to truly cultivate their strength. Even so, warriors were the most numerous when it came to powerful individuals.


    Mages were much rarer. Again, theoretically anyone could gather enough mana to cast at least the basic spells, but the sad fact was that the path of a mage required a great deal of aptitude to really succeed. That was before one even considered elemental affinities, which were something that not everyone possessed. Without affinities, the mage would find no success. To top it all off, the basics of Ki were much easier to pick up when compared to the myriad ways to utilize mana. Self-taught warriors were a rarity, but it happened often enough to not raise too many eyebrows. Mages had to be either ludicrously lucky, or they had to have a teacher. As a result, there were a thousand warriors for every decent mage.


    Psions were even more of a rarity. Even counting in the rare few races that were all born psionic, you would be lucky to find a single untrained psion for every ten thousand mages. As such, the odds of being attacked and killed by a psion were so miniscule that it was simply uneconomical to spend too much time developing ways to detect psionic energy, especially when one considered that these detection methods could always be countered in various ways.


    Dee also showed terrific proficiency when it came to finding hiding places in locations were there seemed to be none, great ability in moving and acting in a way that she was just out of the direct eyesight of your opponent, ability to move stealthily and the clarity of mind to act and seem innocent if someone actually managed see you. ¡°Pay no attention to me; I¡¯m just one face among many. Someone you have seen a hundred times, and thus no longer a threat.¡± Was the way Selvaria described the feeling she got when Dee managed to sneak up on her for the hundredth time.


    This last ability was greatly assisted by her psionic abilities, where she used her power to exude an aura of familiarity. If one wasn¡¯t paying attention one hundred percent, then their eyes would simply slide across her, as if she wasn¡¯t even there. Partly as a result of this, Selvaria spent a lot of time and effort honing Dee¡¯s abilities to observation and detection. It would be embarrassing to be beaten by the same ability you excelled in. Additionally, when fighting mages one of the most important abilities was to be able to sense and read the flow of mana. When a mage wanted to attack you, he or she would first gather the mana in a focused location, before sending the attack out towards the enemy. By reading the mana, you could tell what type the attack would be and how much power was put behind it. Serious attacks could be avoided, while faints could be deflected or blocked. Reading mana would also help to detect people and beings, as well as non-living threats like magical traps.


    Dee didn¡¯t have the ability to use mana, but her observational skills were excellent, and her ability to read mana got better the more spells she saw in action. Similarly to mana, one could read the internal flow of ki, to anticipate attacks and gauge their strength and seriousness. Dee¡¯s ability at reading ki was not as good as with reading mana, though that was in large part because unlike with mana, Selvaria didn¡¯t make for a very good training target as her ki abilities were too obvious, even if they were effective. This would be an ability she would need to train more in the future.


    ¡°She¡¯d make for a pretty good thief or a scout.¡± The pendant said one day, while they were observing Dee going through series of magical and non-magical traps, obstacles and hidden doors. It was a gauntlet that Selvaria re-created every day in a different form and level of challenge.


    ¡°That or an assassin.¡± Selvaria mumbled in a quiet voice. She was a little disturbed by Dee¡¯s ability sneak up on her. She had faced assassins her whole life, but this little girl could¡¯ve killed her a hundred times over had she wanted to.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope not. Even I¡¯m having trouble keeping track of her nowadays, and that¡¯s my specialty.¡± The pendant also voiced in apprehension.


    Their peaceful time became threatened one day when Selvaria heard that she would be getting visitors. The angels had tried to make contact with her several times before this, but she had rebuffed them every time. This time the one coming was one of the archangels, the leader of their ruling council himself. Lord Empyrean was the second most powerful of all the angels of Paradisia, only second to their Executor, the chosen champion and war-leader. As the Archangel of Order, he was one of the leading forces behind the purge of demons. He was not someone you could easily deny if he wanted a meeting.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably better if Dee isn¡¯t here when Empyrean comes. She isn¡¯t exactly stable when it comes to angels, and it would be pretty bad if she picked a fight with one of the archangels.¡± The pendant said.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll have one of women you saved take her to their village for a few days. She¡¯s been asking to go for a few days now, so that should distract her.¡± Selvaria decided.


    -----


    ¡°Lady Selvaria. As beautiful as always.¡± The compliment was rather bland coming from a man more beautiful than her. Aside from the large golden wings, the Archangel of Order had very little masculine about him. If you had to use one word to describe him, that word would be gorgeous. If you were into the pretty boy type that is. The soft skin and face gave the illusion of vulnerability, and the shining long black hair would make any woman grit their teeth in envy. If one would assume him to be weak because of his looks though, one would be making a terrible mistake.


    Selvaria on the other hand one might described as ok looking. Her silver hair hung straight down her back, and while her face had beauty and wasn¡¯t marred by imperfections, she also looked very stern and emotionless. While she could be describes as well endowed, she did her best to hide her ¡®assets¡¯ under her clothing, preferring to be remembered as serious but brilliant instead of beautiful.


    ¡°Lord Empyrean. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company? If I¡¯m not mistaken, the angels have attempted to form relations with me before, but I¡¯m fairly certain that I¡¯ve made my disinterest in politics and power-play quite clear.¡± Selvaria replied, skipping over most of the formalities, as the two were sitting down in the lounge.


    The gorgeous angel let out a small chuckle. ¡°You might be disinterested; however the powers that be are interested in you. Your actions have garnered everyone¡¯s interest, and can you blame them? Your technique was instrumental in the destruction of the thirteen hells. That carries consequences. As long as we don¡¯t know everything about the technique used, everyone will be worried it might be used against someone else.¡±


    The angel was correct. It had been Selvaria¡¯s experiment that had led to the destruction of the demons, and the subsequent purge. ¡°I think I know enough about your consequences. I find your genocide an affront to everything decent, and your actions despicable. I was never in the faction of the Assembly that held a pro-angel stance, and your actions have only made sure that I never will. I do not oppose you, do not expect me to support you either.¡±


    The Assembly held the largest gathering of powerful individuals of the four factions embroiled in the war as a consequence of accepting members from all races with enough power. As a result though, the opinions of the Assembly were divided drastically, and whenever the Assembly was gathered it was common to see individuals come to blows. As a result, the Assembly was divided into factions, and it wasn¡¯t unheard of for one faction to end up on one side of the battle while another faction was on the other side. Naturally some of the factions were supportive of the angels, but Selvaria was not a part of those factions.


    While Empyrean was making a supposedly clever quip about Selvaria¡¯s actions not supporting her words, the pendant sent her a silent but urgent message. ¡®Look there, at the ceiling behind him!¡¯ As Selvaria hid her look, she was shocked to see Dee creeping closer to the angel, using some of her power to stay attached to the ceiling. The only reason Selvaria even managed to see her, was because she had gotten used to her tricks, and Dee wasn¡¯t specifically trying to hide from her.


    ¡®Oh no!¡¯ Selvaria managed to think, before Dee slashed her claws towards the archangel. Empyrean however wasn¡¯t one of the most powerful angels for nothing, and managed to detect and avoid the strike just in time, mostly because his strength allowed him to move so much faster than the young girl. In the end there wasn¡¯t even any real danger to the angel even if Dee had managed to finish her strike, since she didn¡¯t even have the power to do real damage. However, she did manage to make a small nick on the bridge of his wing, and lodge a pair of feathers loose.


    There wasn¡¯t even any real coming from the wound, simply the skin had been broken. Empyrean however was furious. ¡°You would try to assassinate me in your home! Have you no shame!¡± He yelled as he gathered his power to strike at the child in front of him.


    ¡°That¡¯s about enough from both of you!¡± Selvaria¡¯s words carried her power and the authority she commanded within her own domain, suppressing Empyrean¡¯s gathering power. Within her own pocket space, she was the ruler.


    ¡°You! I told you to go to the village, and you decided to disobey me, regardless of the consequences your choice might bring. I know the grudge that you carry, but striking at a guest in my house is not something I will allow!¡± Selvaria yelled at Dee, who managed to look contrite. This was the first time Selvaria was really angry at her, and as such it was even more shocking.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    She rounded on the shocked looking angel. ¡°And you! You come into my house to make insinuations and veiled threats. After your actions, it should be no wonder to you than anyone with even a smidgen of demon blood might want to strike at you no matter where you are. You dare enact genocide and then come here to rub it in everyone¡¯s face! Well I¡¯m not interested! You can leave, and you don¡¯t need to come back!¡±


    ¡°This is far from over.¡± The usually beautiful angel had an ugly grimace on his face as he turned to leave.


    -----


    After she had made sure Dee understood the gravity of her mistake, Selvaria gave her a small kiss and put her to bed. In a real act of contrition, Dee had called Selvaria mother for the first time, which still brought tears to her eyes, as she sat down in the lounge considering their next actions.


    ¡°The angels will come for her. They might have ignored her presence here otherwise, but now that she dared to strike at Empyrean, they will come after her even at the risk of rousing your ire.¡± The pendant said, stating the realities of the situation.


    ¡°I know. And I will not be able to stop them. I can protect myself, but I can¡¯t protect her and the others. Especially if they come when I¡¯m not here. I can¡¯t ignore the rest of the universe for the time it takes for her to live her life. I wouldn¡¯t want to hold her prisoner here either.¡± She said in a sad voice.


    ¡°We both know what must be done.¡± The pendant said in a quiet voice.


    ¡°She just called me mother for the first time. How can I send her away?¡± Selvaria sobbed quietly.


    ¡°You will send her away because that will keep her alive, because that¡¯s what¡¯s best for her.¡± The pendant was quiet for a while. ¡°And I will go with her.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure old friend? You know that if an item like you changes owners you will lose your current identity and memories. You will most likely be dormant for years before your new consciousness can emerge.¡± The reason why such rules applied to intelligent items like the pendant was to prevent them from carrying grudges and going against their new owners. The sad fact was that such items were often pried from the cold dead fingers of their previous owners.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. We¡¯ve been together for a thousand years, and I don¡¯t¡¯ regret it, but it is time for me to move on. You know as well as I do that I¡¯m part of her legacy after what happened with the thirteen hells. It is only right that she will carry me in the future. Besides, one of us has to look after the little idiot.¡± The pendant said in a melancholic voice.


    ¡°I will miss you.¡± Selvaria said simply. The pendant had kept her company for a thousand years after all.


    ¡°And I hope we will meet again. Even if I won¡¯t remember you, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be just as annoyed by you.¡± The pendant tried cracking a joke, but failed as its voice also broke in sadness.


    --------


    During the next week Selvaria contacted one of her old friends that could look after Dee in a place where the angels could not follow. She also stored some gifts for Dee inside the pendant along with the training manuals that were already there. One of the pendant¡¯s abilities was to function as a dimensional storage, although with the pendant going dormant Dee wouldn¡¯t able to access any of the contents for several years. As the transfer circle was finished, she sat Dee down to explain things to her.


    Unsurprisingly Haydee understood the reason why she had to leave immediately, although it made her sad beyond belief. Releasing their hug she looked up at Selvaria, while the circle sprang to life, she simply said. ¡°I will miss you forever mother. We will meet again.¡± And then she was gone.


    As Selvaria collapsed on the floor crying, she could only mutter. ¡°I will miss you too darling. Though I suspect your next visit here might be less friendly as you find out about my part in the demise of your people.¡±


    Once she managed to recover a bit, she removed any trace of the transfer circle, so that no one would be able to discover Dee¡¯s destination. Transfer magic like that was one way anyway, as the dimensional pocket could not be a destination for such spells. Then she prepared herself as she waited for the response from the angels. She only had to wait for few days until Empyrean returned with an escort of Seraph guards. The elite warrior angels kept guard as the archangel approached.


    ¡°Empyrean, you¡¯re back. Rather forcefully and where you aren¡¯t wanted I might add.¡± Selvaria said calmly.


    ¡°Oh you can drop the act. You know why I¡¯m here. Even if that little pet of yours hadn¡¯t done anything, we would still be where we are now. I¡¯ll just take extra pleasure in killing that little snit while you¡¯re forced to watch.¡± Empyrean replied with a malicious smile.


    ¡°Rather poor behavior from someone who is supposed to represent ¡®good¡¯. I assume you¡¯re after the power from the thirteen hells?¡± Selvaria asked calmly.


    ¡°Does it look like I care about the opinions of a demon lover like you? And yes, one of the things I¡¯m here for is the power you siphoned off while the hells died.¡± He replied.


    One of the most important abilities needed to become really strong in this universe, was the ability to siphon off some of the power of the beings you killed. The better you were at this ability, the bigger portion of your enemy¡¯s strength you could siphon. This ability was called Sengir, and all the most powerful beings had some level of skill at this ability. Normally you could gain only a very small fraction of the power, but depending on the method used to kill your enemy, the most powerful Sengir users could top off at about one fifth of the power. This ability was one of the main reasons why The War in Heaven had gone on for so long. Even for an average Sengir user one dead enemy might not amount to much, but a million? That would make a world of difference. All the people involved had an incentive to keep the battle going just to gain more strength.


    ¡°I know your ability at Sengir isn¡¯t the best, and the method you used was probably non-optimal to say the least, but the power you siphoned from collapsing the hells must be enough to shake the foundations of the universe. Where is it? What have you done with it?¡± Empyrean demanded, getting impatient.


    ¡°Pretty gutsy of you to come into my dimensional space and make demands. Not afraid I¡¯ll use that power against you?¡± Selvaria asked savoring the moment before the arrogant angel would realize he was too late.


    ¡°Oh, I already know you can¡¯t use that power. I felt it last time I was here. You have chosen not to make that power your own for some reason, which tells me you have it stored somewhere. You¡¯d need to absorb the power before using it against me, and I don¡¯t plan on giving you the chance. Now answer me.¡± Now he was getting angry in addition to impatient.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Mneventh? It was mostly his ability that we used to destroy the hells anyway.¡± Selvaria kept savoring the moment a little more.


    ¡°I doubt the dragon aspect of anti-magic would be able to use Sengir. In fact, he might be the only one of the big players who can¡¯t. It¡¯s also the only thing that keeps that bastard from getting completely out of hand.¡± Empyrean laughed a bit thinking that he had trapped Selvaria.


    Mneventh was one of the leaders of the fourth faction in the war, the Eternal Dragonflight. Selvaria was friends with Mneventh and had been studying the possibility of turning the magical nature of demons against them using his power as the aspect. They had both been stunned as the spell had worked much better than they could have possibly imagined, as their experiment had started a chain reaction and the thirteen hells imploded under their own power. Empyrean was right that Selvaria had siphoned off an enormous amount of power, and she also knew the angels were worried that the same method could be used against Paradisia. The home of the angels was just as dependent on magic as the thirteen hells after all.


    ¡°Well unfortunately for you, you are too late. Both the power you seek and the target of your torture fantasies are now beyond your reach.¡± Selvaria had a satisfied smile as she said it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t toy with me woman. What did you do?¡± Empyrean was suddenly a little panicked. There was another reason he was so desperate to gain that power.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it. I sent them both to the one place where you will never find them. One of the few places where your kind are not welcome and where even demons can find for refuge.¡± Selvaria was now grinning openly.


    ¡°What did you do? Don¡¯t tell me¡­the Pantheon of Heroes?¡± Empyrean shuddered as he mentioned the name of the one place where beings even more powerful than the factions involved in the war had gathered. It was a place created by beings sick of the war and didn¡¯t tolerate interference by the four factions. As they too were seeking a release from the war, they would also now welcome some of the demons running from the angels.


    Selvaria leaned forward to whisper in his ear. ¡°Exactly. Good luck with that you genocidal freak!¡±


    ¡°You fool! You have doomed us all! This is why you should pay more attention to matters outside of your little hidey-hole!¡± Empyrean yelled.


    ¡°Oh I know. You¡¯re talking about the vision the Archangel of Destiny had. You of all people should know those visions don¡¯t always come true, and even if this one did, after your actions I don¡¯t really mind. If that power from the thirteen hells really leads to the demise of you feathered freaks, then I won¡¯t lose sleep over it. You¡¯ve brought it upon yourself. Now leave, or I will make you leave. Even without that power I can still fight all of you within my own space. I might not win, but I can make damn sure there will be no other winners either.¡± She said in a whisper that carried all of her malice at the angels for their actions. She surprised even herself when it came to the depth of her hatred.


    Empyrean looked at Selvaria. ¡°You might have power in this space, but outside you¡¯re nothing. I will have all the ways into and out of your hidey-hole sealed forever. This place will be isolated from the rest of the universe. Good luck spending the rest of your life explaining to your pets why they can never leave this place.¡± The angel growled while storming out, followed by the ominous laughter of Selvaria that held just a smidgen of madness.


    ----------


    Author''s Note: Thus we come to the end of the prologue, and the real story can begin in chapter 1.

 Chapter 1

    Author''s note: Here we go, the start of a new story. To those that are new, I say welcome and I hope you will enjoy, to those that read my previous work, I say welcome back! Those that have read my work before should know to expect a release schedule of about 1 chapter every three-ish days, and I''ll try to keep to that here too. That said, I will take a hard line on this story where the chapters come out when they are good and ready. I won''t rush them. I''ve got a bit of a buffer built up though, so for now this should hold true.


    On a separate note. After the end of this chapter untill the start of chapter 5, there is a bit darker section. I want to point out that this section will not be representative of the work''s tone as a whole, and it gets lighter right after. That part is necessary for setting the scene though, and I like what I did with it. So those that dislike darker parts, I''d recommend storing a few chapters until then and then reading all of them at once. There is a reason this work is not tagged as tragedy.


    After all that, I hope you''ll enjoy and on with the show!


    ----------


    As Haydee appeared through the portal, all she could see were buildings and people. The platform for incoming portals was a raised dais on a little hill, so it afforded her a pretty decent view in all directions. Everywhere her sight landed all that could be seen were buildings and people of various races. Dee had read a tiny bit about architecture, and though her knowledge was limited the view seemed decidedly odd.


    It was not that the buildings were weird, but that there was no uniformity among them. Graceful wooden and screen doored pagodas were built right next to rundown and ramshackle sandstone blocks that barely qualified as houses. On one side she could see what looked like the grounds of a temple surrounded by a park, and on the other was something that could only be described as a cathedral. Not a very big one, but the design was there.


    As more and more people passed through the portals, Dee was gently but firmly pushed to the side by the wave of travelers. Both the travelers and the people in the city were a stunning array of various races. There were elves, faeries, humans, naga and even few demons in the mix. Just with a quick glance, Dee counted over a hundred races within the range she could see. Some Dee could sense were beings that had only taken a humanoid form, either to hide or because their real forms would be too large to navigate the streets without trouble. She was pretty sure she could sense the presence of a dragon coming from one person that had come through the portals and disappeared into the city.


    The most numerous people in this area seemed to be from various beast races. They ran the full range from werebeasts that were basically human or elven but with beast-like features, such as ears and tails, to demi-humans like that looked much like Dee herself, where they were humanoid in shape but looked more like beasts standing on two legs instead of humans. Though in Dee¡¯s case, she wasn¡¯t actually a demi-human, she simply looked like one. The lines between the definitions of races had always been blurry, since two beings could look almost the same, but have nothing in common when it came to their ancestry or abilities. Dee herself was perhaps the most extreme example of this.


    As she waited on the edge of the dais, Dee suddenly realized that mother had not given her very good instructions when it came to deciding what to do after stepping out of the portal. That was very typical of Selvaria. As long as she knew what was supposed to happen, she also assumed everybody else knew as well. Normally Dee would be able to figure things out after some thought, but this time things were not as simple. Selvaria had handled all the arrangements and never bothered to explain anything to her.  She didn¡¯t even know where she was. Not to mention the city, she didn¡¯t even know which world this was.


    The only thing she knew was that someone was supposed to pick her up, but she had no idea how she was supposed to identify the right person. Or more importantly, how that person was supposed to identify her. Was she waiting for a man or a woman? Or maybe something in between? Genders weren¡¯t all that clear to some races. Speaking of races, which race was the person she was expecting? When were they supposed to arrive? What was she supposed to do in the meantime? Next time she met Selvaria she¡¯d definitely slip something into one of her experiments and have it blow up as revenge!


    Hours slipped by as Dee sat and waited. She expected night to fall as the sun was setting, but to her surprise a second sun rose up on the sky. ¡®So a world with multiple suns?¡¯ She thought to herself. There were guards monitoring the platform, and they had noticed Dee sitting around. Finally one of them approached.


    ¡°Hey little girl. Are you waiting for someone?¡± The female weretiger asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to yes.¡± Dee answered politely. The people here seemed to use the same common language that Selvaria had taught her. Apparently it was the most commonly used language in the universe.


    ¡°Who are you waiting for? Maybe we can help?¡± The guard asked. They couldn¡¯t have children loitering around the dais. Even though Dee wasn¡¯t taking much space, there was the possibility of her being a pickpocket or something similar. It would ease the minds of the guards if they could get her to leave.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. Mother sent me through the portal and told me to wait for someone, but she didn¡¯t explain who. She can be a little scatterbrained sometimes.¡± She replied, still remaining polite. Dee could sense the suspicion in the guard, even if the offer of help was genuine.


    ¡°I see.¡± The face of the guard darkened. Another suspicion had arisen inside the guard. Sometimes parents who didn¡¯t have the means to provide for their children abandoned them near the portal stations in the hopes of someone picking them up. There was also a sense of finality in the act, because once the child disappeared through the portals, he or she would be almost impossible to find. This particular Gate had incoming and outgoing portals from different worlds and wasn¡¯t exactly the most common location for such things, but it wouldn¡¯t be the first time. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t have you stay here any longer. This is not a place for children to spend time in.¡± The guard continued.


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. Besides, I¡¯m getting hungry, and it seems whoever was supposed to be here couldn¡¯t make it. Thank you for your patience.¡± Dee replied, and started moving off the dais.


    She wasn¡¯t lying when she said she was getting hungry. One of the problems with a growing body was the constant need for nutrition. Even if the guard did not come to shoo her off, she would have been forced to go and find some food quite soon anyway. The issue was, how was she going to find food? Mother might have packed some supplies inside the pendant, but as the pendant changed owners, it had turned dormant and become a tattoo invisible under the fur on her chest. Dee would not be able to access anything inside until the pendant came out of the dormant state, and who knew how long that would take.


    She had gotten familiar with the concept of money, and realized the usefulness of such a thing to facilitate trade. However, she had never seen any and certainly didn¡¯t have any either. As she walked the street, her observations told her that it was unlikely that any of the people selling food on various stalls along the street would simply give the products for free. She could try stealing some as her stealth skills would make that rather easy, but that seemed like a rather dangerous way to take her first steps in this new world. Making enemies on the first day seemed like a bad idea.


    The next possibility was to either hunt, or to work for some food. The problem was that even though she might have the skills required to do some simple jobs, it was unlikely that anyone would believe her. Also, she needed the food now, not after she was done working. As she didn¡¯t know anyone here, there was also the possibility of being taken advantage of. Dee was not na?ve enough to think that people were above such things. That left hunting, but she had seen nothing but city around her from the dais. She had done some basic hunting in the pocket dimension mother had created to get used to her abilities, but there was no game inside the city.


    Maybe she should try to find a higher place to see just how big this city was? The highest point she had seen from the dais was the pagoda in the nearby temple. She started to rapidly move towards the temple, darting around the people that barely even registered her passing. As she reached the park surrounding the temple, she noticed several monks going around tending to the plants. There was also a group of monks practicing some kind of movement on a large open ground between the buildings. Dee wasn¡¯t sure if the movement was supposed to be some kind of synchronized dance or a form of unarmed combat. If it was the former, then it wasn¡¯t all that pretty, and if it was the latter, then it wasn¡¯t very effective. Maybe they were simply stretching and practicing balance? That seemed the most likely option.


    As she got closer to the large pagoda, one of the monks spoke to her. ¡°Greetings little sister. What brings you to our temple?¡± The monk said while giving a small polite bow.


    Dee returned the bow before replying. ¡°Greetings¡­brother? Would it be a problem if I took a look from the top of this building? I¡¯m trying to find something.¡±


    The monk gave a small smile. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t damage anything, then it is fine. Don¡¯t enter any of the doors inside, as the people within don¡¯t like being disturbed. Should I accompany you?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± She hurriedly replied, and started scaling the outside of the pagoda, seemingly without any trouble.


    ¡°There are stairs inside.¡± The monk mumbled with a complicated look.


    As she reached the very pinnacle of the pagoda, she started searching through her surroundings. The pagoda was not only tall, but also situated in an elevated place, so she had an unobstructed view all around her. And everywhere she looked, the only thing she could see was more city. Even while enhancing her eyes with her psionic power, the only thing different was a huge gray mass barely visible in the distance, in a direction she decided to call north for now. The mass could either be a mountain range growing straight out of the city, or it was the biggest wall she had ever even read about. She wasn¡¯t exactly an expert, but were cities supposed to be this big?


    She descended the pagoda even more confused than she had been before. As she landed next to the same monk as before, the monk could tell that Dee had not found what she was looking for. ¡°Tell me about it little sister. Maybe I can help.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was looking for a way out of the city, but it seems this place is bigger than I thought.¡± Dee answered half in thought.


    ¡°A way out of¡­you¡¯re a new arrival to the Pantheon aren¡¯t you?¡± The monk asked in a sudden realization.


    ¡°What gave me a way?¡± Dee asked wryly.


    ¡°Well, if you had spent any real time here, you¡¯d know there¡¯s no way to see outside the city. We¡¯re in the twelfth circle, rather close to the edge of the eleventh circle. If you started walking now, it would take you a thousand years to walk to the edge of the city. Though why you would want to exit the city is beyond me.¡± The monk explained with a smile.


    ¡°A thousand...how big is this place?!¡± Dee asked in shock.


    ¡°Well, I might as well tell you the basics since you¡¯re a newcomer. The Pantheon of Heroes is a world as big as five normal stars. The world is divided into two cities, with one city covering a quarter of the planet¡¯s surface, with a grand wilderness between the cities that are situated on the opposite sides of the world. You are now in the city of Day, while the other is the city of Night. Both cities are divided into thirteen circles, with the more powerful beings, societies, guilds and familia closer to the center.¡± The monk explained, giving Dee the basic rundown.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°So we¡¯re rather close to the edge of the city, and it would still take me a thousand years to walk out?¡± Dee asked in shock. Now it started to dawn on her, why mother had said the angels wouldn¡¯t be able to find her here.


    ¡°Assuming you kept up the pace and didn¡¯t stop to sleep.¡± The monk smiled. ¡°That said, I still have no idea why you would want to go into the wilderness.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking of hunting for food.¡± Dee mumbled still half in daze.


    ¡°Hunting? I wouldn¡¯t recommend doing that in the grand wilderness. There are mostly just monsters of all sorts making their home in there. If you wanted to hunt, then I would recommend going to the southern section of the city. The southern section contains many forests and open areas with plentiful game animals. Our eastern section has something similar in the seventh circle, but I doubt you could kill anything there, as even the wild animals are rather powerful. There¡¯s a chance to meet some game animals between the inhabited areas, but they are rather rarer than in other worlds.


    Although I say that our city covers a quarter of the planet, my meaning of the word city might be a bit different to yours. Even though we call it a city, there are separate countries and even empires within the walls; mostly in places some race has claimed an area for their settlement. There¡¯s even a large ocean in both cities. The reason you can¡¯t see the edge of the inhabited area surrounding us is because the people crowd around the teleportation gates for obvious reasons. I suppose you could find some game if you get outside the inhabited area, but I doubt there is any in close proximity. Why do you want to go hunting though?¡± The monk asked in confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry, and I have no money to buy food. Hunting is something I can do, so¡­¡± Dee¡¯s voice trailed off.


    ¡°Oh right, I keep forgetting that you¡¯re not from around here. Most stores take both money and power as payment. Even if you¡¯re weak, you should be able to eke out enough power to not die of hunger.¡± The monk said as understanding dawned on him again.


    ¡°Power? How does that work as currency?¡± Dee asked, getting even more confused.


    ¡°Well, all work and items require either power or labor to produce. They require either physical work in the form of labor, or magical power to at least ease the work. Most crops are grown with the help of magic for example, and most items require power either to produce or to work better in the form of enchantments and so on. Even work that strictly speaking doesn¡¯t require power is made easier by it. Many jobs are performed by magitech, and that requires power to run.


    You can earn money with your work, or you can make your power do the work for you. A day¡¯s worth of mana represents a day¡¯s worth of work as well. As such, it can also work as a form of compensation. Nearly every store in Pantheon has ways to store power to be used later, so power can be used as currency. Most people prefer to use physical currency, but there are always people that would rather use power to pay instead.¡± The monk explained.


    ¡°Two questions. How is power as currency quantified? I mean people don¡¯t have same amounts of power so there shouldn¡¯t be a single amount for day¡¯s worth of generated of mana. And what about people with no mana? I¡¯m not a mage.¡± Dee asked, the explanation¡¯s bringing even more questions.


    ¡°Power is power after it is stored, no matter the form. Mana, ki, I¡¯ve even heard of priests using the power gained from their gods as currency. Once you send your mana or ki into the storage device, it transforms simply into power. As for quantifying it, there¡¯s a standard measure in place. A normal human¡¯s full amount of mana is valued equal to a day¡¯s work. The storing devices themselves will announce the gold value of the deposited amount of power. As the production of those devices is heavily controlled and monitored by powers that be, the measures are the same.¡± The monk looked towards the funny moving monks in the yard and continued. ¡°Now, I¡¯d love to tell you more, but I have to get back to my training. Take care little sister.¡±


    ¡°Take care.¡± Dee mumbled back. There was something that confused her a bit about the explanation. The monk had mentioned something about taking a whole day to recharge their power, but wasn¡¯t everyone¡¯s ability to recover different? Dee herself only needed few hours to fully recharge even if her powers were completely drained. Would this not lead to a very unbalanced economy? Well, from everything she had read before, economy wasn¡¯t something fair in the first place.


    ¡®Time to find some food.¡¯ She thought as she took a final look at the weird stretching exercise of the monks. It had started looking more aggressive now.


    -----


    As Dee walked down the street while munching on a fruit, she considered the price of the food she had eaten. She had eaten her fill and then some, and while the price had not been cheap in currency, it would only take her about thirty minutes to regain the lost power. Was this world going to be ok, or was she herself just weird? She would later on discover that the reason the economy of this world worked just fine was because the more powerful beings usually resided in the inner circles where the prices were adjusted to the average power level of that area, and the consumption of said power was much higher as the goods and devices consumed more power to produce and use.


    She had been a little worried that her psionic power would not serve as payment, as the monk had not mentioned anything about psions, but that worry had been wasted. Power was indeed power no matter the form. Now with her food secured, what she needed now was lodgings and information. She could probably pay for lodging in a way similar to how she had paid for the food, assuming they would rent a room to a young child like her. The real problem was information. She had to decide what to do now, but she couldn¡¯t make any informed decisions without gathering enough information. Plans would be cruddy plans if you had no information to base them on.


    As she walked towards what she assumed to be an inn of sorts, she came across a group that seemed to be gambling in a game of some kind involving cards. She observed the game from behind the backs of the people for a while before coming to some conclusions. First of all, two of the people present were clearly losing, and more than a little desperate. Secondly, the other people gathered were working together to fleece the two. They were clearly cheating, but since they never cheated for themselves, but instead for the benefit of their comrades, it was a little harder to detect. A little harder, but not really that difficult.


    Dee harrumphed. ¡°This is such a scam. Well, if you don¡¯t have the perception and knowledge to avoid it, you can only blame yourself.¡± Her voice was rather quiet, not really meant to be heard by anyone else, alas that was not to be.


    One of the people being scammed as well as one of the people doing the scamming came from races with particularly good hearing. ¡°What did you just say?!¡± One of the people being scammed suddenly asked with a raised voice.


    ¡°Get ¡®er! Get the girl!¡± The scammer who had heard her words yelled. The surrounding people were part of a rather large gang operating in the area and they were used to following such commands. Several of the gathered people started moving towards Dee.


    Dee could see the situation deteriorating quickly, and decided to quickly leave the scene. Unfortunately for her, she didn¡¯t know the area and didn¡¯t have the necessary experience to know not to run into the back alleys. She would¡¯ve been better off trying to find people and slipping into a crowd, but she was thinking only of trying to use her abilities at concealment combined with her speed to run away, and didn¡¯t consider the possibility of running into a dead-end after taking only two turns.


    ¡°Well, well, well. What do we have here? A nosy brat meddling in things that aren¡¯t her concern. Now what shall we do about this?¡± A man¡¯s voice came from behind her.


    Dee let out a growl. This would not end well. She had gotten a look at the people pursuing her, and there were quite a few of them. Even if she was able to defeat any single person thanks to her psionic power, beating them all seemed rather unlikely, especially considering the difference in size and strength.


    -----


    A man with a human¡¯s appearance dressed in black long coat and a rimmed black hat was returning from his business with the local gangs. His eyes were covered with round glasses that had such dark lenses that they could almost be called sunglasses. His forehead was covered in a frown as he cursed his bad luck. The business had been rather bad. The gangs were able to acquire many of the products that he required and didn¡¯t dare to ask too high a price, but none of the products had been very high quality. They met the minimum specifications but only barely, and he didn¡¯t have much hope for them.


    His attention was drawn by a commotion coming from the back alleys, as he heard several screams of pain and some incoherent growls. Did the gangs corner some beast going berserk? Pure curiosity drew him towards the back alley, as he just wanted to get his mind off the business earlier and he also knew there was nothing in the twelfth circle that could hurt him. As he got a better look at what was going on, he could see that the walls of the alley were covered in blood and guts, and five gang members were pressing down something that looked like an adolescent Beowulf.


    The Beowulf looked badly hurt, but was in much better condition than some of the gang members, whose blood and guts were now decorating the walls. That was about to change soon though. ¡°Halt. Explain.¡± The man in black said in a calm voice that brook no resistance from the gang members.


    The boss of this little group recognized the black clad man. ¡°Lord Malik! This little bitch interfered in our business and we chased her to this alley to teach her a lesson about meddling. Who knew the little bitch would turn out to be a werewolf of all things. She used some strange power and managed to gut three of our brothers. We were about to return the favor. With her being able to regenerate and all, this might turn into a long and gruesome lesson.¡± The boss said grimly.


    ¡®Weird power?¡¯ Malik thought to himself and reached towards the wild creature with his mind. When he sensed psionic power, he immediately drew his mind back. ¡®Can my luck really be this good?¡¯ He thought happily.


    ¡°I will take her.¡± Malik said simply.


    ¡°Lord Malik, I know you buy children from us, but we have plenty of them gathered at the headquarters. I don¡¯t know what you need them for, and frankly it¡¯s better if we don¡¯t, but you should not need this one. She killed three of our brothers and wounded others. We need to make an example of her.¡± The gang boss tried to convince Malik.


    His attempts made it clear that the man was a low ranking boss at best; otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be as foolish as try to argue with Malik. ¡°You idiot. Quality is more important than quantity.¡± Malik waved his hand rendering the werewolf girl unconscious, and surrounding her with a magical shield that pushed the gang members away. ¡°Not that it makes a difference.¡±


    As he walked towards the mouth of the alley, with the magical cocoon surrounding the girl floating after him, the gang members were about to stop him until he spoke again. ¡°Zabaniya. Kill everyone here, and everyone that might have seen, heard or detected any of what happened here. No one is to know of her existence.¡±


    After he finished, several individuals covered in black clothes appeared seemingly from nowhere, and started their grim work.


    As he walked away after stowing the cocoon in his dimensional bracelet, Malik gave a wide smile. ¡®Master Sabbah should be pleased with my little gift. She¡¯s exactly what master has been looking for.¡¯

 Chapter 2

    A/N: I just wanted to point out that this is the dark chapter. The next one is already lighter, though hardly chipper. On another note, this might be the longest chapter I''ve written so far.


    ----------


    A very proper looking gentleman was standing before a pair of ornamental doors. He spent a moment to gather his thoughts and wits, while combing his hand through his dark hair before announcing his presence with a soft knock. There was no answer but the door opened by itself, letting the man inside. The room was decorated with a lot of expensive and unique art, while most of the floors were covered in pillows used for sitting. Most of the furniture was intricately carved noble wood. After verifying the position of the master of the room, he went on one knee, with his eyes closed, waiting for his master to acknowledge his presence.


    After few minutes his master¡¯s deep voice could be heard. ¡°Rise Asahim, and state your business.¡±


    Asahim rose and took a look at his master Hassan-i-Sabbah. Master was playing a game of Qadesh, while on the other side of the game board was an opponent that could only be described as an indistinct gathering of air. Asahim wasn¡¯t sure if the opponent was an air elemental, or if the opponent was simply using magic to keep his identity a secret. The latter one would be a useless effort against the master¡¯s skill of course. Master was just about to take his turn and Asahim didn¡¯t want to interrupt, but he couldn¡¯t delay either.


    ¡°Master, Lord Malik has sent word. He has found someone that matches your specifications.¡± Asahim said in a quiet voice.


    Asahim was shocked to see his master¡¯s hand freeze in the air for a moment, giving an almost imperceptible shudder that could¡¯ve been from excitement. Master finished placing his piece on the board, and gave a small wave with his hand, dismissing the indistinct form of his opponent. This again shocked Asahim. The news was important enough to make master interrupt his game?


    ¡°Have you confirmed this?¡± Master asked now looking straight at Asahim.


    ¡°To the best of my ability.¡± He replied, which caused a raised eye-brow from master, prompting him to continue.


    ¡°The specifications mentioned by master are all present, but there are¡­discrepancies.¡± He hurried to explain.


    ¡°Elaborate.¡± Master said simply.


    ¡°The individual in question is less than five years old, exceeding the boundaries set by master. She is a psion as specified and has high level regenerative abilities just as specified, due to her heritage as a Beowulf.¡± Asahim started listing things off.


    ¡°A Beowulf? Excellent, that will fit our purposes perfectly. Their regenerative abilities are among the best, losing only to trolls and elementals that have access to concentrated mass of their own element to repair themselves. The specific type of regeneration also makes the individual in question easier to work on. You mentioned discrepancies?¡± The master asked, prompting Asahim to continue.


    ¡°Indeed, this is where it gets a little weird. Despite being so young, the child seems to already have psionic power matching a class 2 psion. Someone has definitely trained her foundations well, as she seems to be able to regenerate her pool of power in a matter of hours, which makes her rank only barely below master on that front. Her heritage beyond being a Beowulf is unclear and I was unable to fully figure it out. Her base race seems to be a mix formed mostly of a Rakshasa Rani while she also has a strong influence of a kitsune. There also seem to be other things mixed in that are still dormant.¡± Asahim explained, his voice betraying some uncertainty.


    Master Sabbah thought for a while, obviously trying to consider all possibilities. ¡°So. We have found a project that someone else has already started. The training suggests a good master, who might or might not be looking for her. Luckily the one responsible for creating her is most likely not going to come looking after her.¡±


    ¡°Master?¡± Asahim inquired with slight confusion.


    ¡°The combination of races suggests a demonic origin, as all the races mentioned so far are ones that are counted among the demonic races. I think we have stumbled upon one of the abandoned projects of the now destroyed thirteen hells. The timing fits relatively well too. I think the purge might have set her loose, and her master picked her up somewhere and brought her here to keep her out of the hands of Paradisia. How they got separated again is a mystery, but I don¡¯t think it will cause us problems. I assume Malik made sure no one knows that we have her?¡± The master asked an obvious question, and didn¡¯t really expect an answer. Lord Malik was one of the smarter underlings they had.


    The master continued. ¡°Have Malik watch over her, and work as her handler. We¡¯ll start working on her immediately. This might work even better than I had hoped for. Not only does she meet my specifications, she exceeds them and most likely by a lot.¡±


    Asahim had rarely seen his master smile like this. The only times he¡¯d seen that smile before was when one of masters enemies fell under his blade. ¡°Master, can I ask a question?¡±


    ¡°With news like this, how could I not share some of the happiness? Speak.¡± The master replied almost jovially.


    ¡°Why someone like her?¡± The Zabaniya were the most notorious and effective group of assassins in the entirety of Pantheon. They often trained and used child assassins, but master¡¯s desire to find someone like the specimen they had now found went beyond that. He wasn¡¯t interested in normal child operatives since their effectiveness was limited, but had spent a lot of time both searching and preparing for a specimen like this.


    ¡°I assume I don¡¯t need to explain the psion part?¡± Master asked a little rhetorically.


    ¡°I can think of two obvious reasons. Firstly their ability to avoid detection and secondly their improved intelligence.¡± Asahim answered immediately.


    ¡°As usual, you are half correct but also half wrong. Not that I¡¯m too surprised since the amount of proper psions is so small, so your mistake is understandable. Psions are great for avoiding detection, but that¡¯s only part of it. What makes their powers so useful is their versatility. They can have the close combat prowess of warriors and can rain death from afar well enough to rival mages. Of course such versatility has its limits. Mages for example are able to do much more than just throw bigger and bigger fireballs. Mages can create things than can last for millennia, while you will not see a psion do anything like that. Of course, the psions have their own advantages, but I digress.


    As for improved intelligence you¡¯re not wrong but you¡¯re missing something. The mind of a psion works faster than others and they have a better memory, but that¡¯s only as useful as the person using that ability. That doesn¡¯t mean they can make the right decisions. That is something that comes with experience, age and instinct. What makes them useful is their ability to learn quickly. It might take you years to absorb the necessary knowledge to make good decision, while it would take days or weeks for them.


    But you¡¯re not entirely wrong either. Their versatile toolkits and quick minds are what make them dangerous in our line of work, when combined with their ability avoid most detection. How about the part about regenerative abilities? Have you figured that part out yet?¡± Master asked, ending his little lecture. He could get a little heated at times something caught his attention. On the plus side, this also drove him into perfecting whatever caught his eye.


    Asahim gave a small but nasty smile. ¡°I¡¯m guessing were going to rebuild her.¡±


    ¡°Almost right. We aren¡¯t going to just rebuild her; we¡¯re going to upgrade her. We¡¯re going to forge her into our little masterpiece. We¡¯re going to take up the work someone has already started and improve upon it, forging her into a blade we can point at enemies that we normally couldn¡¯t touch. I am too obvious of a blade myself, so instead we¡¯re going to forge a hidden weapon that we can pull out when necessary, and deny even having afterwards. And of course we wanted a child so we can start the forging process early.¡± Master replied.


    Asahim was already considering all the plans he had seen master make, and could already see the direction this was going. His smile widened a little. He did not envy the future that little child had waiting for her.


    ----------


    Haydee watched from her cell as another kid was taken out to be disposed of. This one was clearly still alive, but as often happened here, the child had given up. The child¡¯s vacant eyes stared unfocused at the walls. It was clear that there was nothing going on behind those eyes anymore. Judging by the appearance, this one was a male human, but sometimes it was hard to tell in this place. It was often more dangerous to be female in this place, so some changed their looks and behavior to appear male.


    On rare occasion there was a master or a guard that took a fancy to kids. It was not very common but it happened. It was hard to avoid completely in a facility like this, which was filled with children of various races in training. The place was also filled with people of dubious moral character. Girls were in more danger than boys, but not by much. There were sickos who diddled both boys and girls, as well as those who simply preferred boys. None of those types lasted very long though.


    Oh, the other guards and masters wouldn¡¯t do anything; they knew they didn¡¯t have to. When you train children in the arts of dealing death, diddling them was bound to end badly sooner or later. That lead to the second way kids broke in this place. Someone pushed them too far and snap! A burst of rage ending in bloodshed. Even the strongest masters were vulnerable in situations like that, and the kids were taught to play dirty.


    Interestingly, the masters and guards didn¡¯t even punish the kids that managed to kill such people, provided that those kids didn¡¯t go on a rampage afterwards. Dee¡¯s theory on the thoughts of the other masters was that if a master got sloppy enough to be killed by one of the kids, then that master deserved to die and the other masters would simply enjoy it. It resulted in an instant promotion to everyone below that person and one potential threat gone for everyone above him.


    In general the masters didn¡¯t punish you for killing their own. This was a school for assassins after all and killing one of the masters showed your ability. They did however punish you for getting caught, mostly because that result would be the same on real jobs as well. Simply killing your target was not enough, it was perhaps even more important to get away without being discovered. Of course, all that didn¡¯t do much for the kids that the bastard had diddled before one finally snapped.


    Dee considered herself lucky in that respect. Masters and guards into kids were rare enough, but someone who was into females and whatever furry being Dee was supposed to be, at the same time? That¡¯s like finding a needle in a very nasty pile of scum. There had been one that had tried to approach Dee, but that person changed his mind very fast after she showed a snout full of very sharp teeth and hands with claws that would make birds of prey jealous, as well as the willingness to use them.


    That master had lasted only a week in this place. Apparently he had wide tastes, but wasn¡¯t very good at discerning his targets. The kids weren¡¯t the only ones that had a high death toll in this place. Only the strong would surface from this nest of vipers and became proper members of the assassin order. Even the masters of this place were considered to be acolytes. Good enough to teach and do missions in the lesser circles, but not good enough to deserve a full place in the order.


    Despite her luck with the scum of this place, Dee¡¯s luck was not as strong in other places. She had been in this hellhole for about five years now, and most of that time was spent in excruciating pain. The odd part was that none of the other kids went through quite the same treatment, though Dee knew the reason for that. At least one of the reasons. Unlike her, the others didn¡¯t have her regenerative abilities. Still, someone really seemed to have a bone to pick with her.


    The training was the easy part. She was already skilled with chemicals thanks to observing mother for so long, which mostly excused her from lessons involving alchemy, although she still learned some things. Unsurprisingly the alchemy lessons focused on poisons. She also knew better ways of cultivating her power, although her insistence on building her strength slowly and steadily earned her several beatings and even floggings. She was also skilled in stealth and camouflage. Surprisingly the masters didn¡¯t have too many complaints on that department, mostly just being content at teaching some little tricks to blend in and to avoid certain mistakes that usually required experience to weed out.


    The hardest part of the training, and what most often left her bruised and bleeding, was the weapons training and unarmed combat training. It wasn¡¯t that she wasn¡¯t a quick study, she could beat most of the masters at this point actually, it was that whenever she reached a level that they required of her, they raised the stakes and made things even harder. ¡°Oh you can beat a master in unarmed combat? Well now you get to fight two, and still return bloody. Oh you can beat two with daggers? Well congratulations, now you get to fight four unarmed.¡± and so on. She had once considered not doing her best since she wound up beaten black and blue anyway, but the look on the master¡¯s face had made it obvious that the result would be even worse.


    The masters were big believers in beating the lessons into their students. They showed how to do something and then forced you to use it in a real combat situation. If you didn¡¯t learn that parry or that method of deflecting with that precise angle immediately, you got hit by an attack that could have been parried or deflected with the move shown before. And then you got hit again, and again, and again. You either learned, or you got carried back to your bunk beaten black and blue. Or you did learn and got beaten anyway for being too slow.


    Most kids couldn¡¯t handle it and became apathetic like the kid that got carried away just now. Then they got discarded. It had occurred to Dee to also give up and just lie down and die, but that just wasn¡¯t in her nature. Eventually there would be an opportunity to get out of all this. Also the beatings didn¡¯t so much make her despair as they made her angry and vengeful. And she did get some small measure of revenge against some of the masters on occasion, when they underestimated her. She had killed her fair share of the masters, disguising them as training accidents.


    Dee learned fast, but unlike the others, it wasn¡¯t enough that she learned the move. She also had to be able to adapt the move into different situations, and come up with variations by herself to defend against new attacks. That was too much for her as well. But she did learn eventually, and next time she needed the extra variations, she had already figured them out while regenerating. Or she got pummeled again. Both happened just as often, but every time she did eventually get there, and she never made the same mistake twice. The masters may have been brutal but they were very effective.


    The combat training wasn¡¯t the worst part though. All the children got beaten bloody, although her case was even more intense. What made things really hard was the part that was reserved just for her alone. It seemed the scientists and researchers had set their eyes on Dee in particular. Almost immediately after she had been brought here, they had started making changes to her body, both surgically and magically or often at the same time. That wasn¡¯t the bad part. Even Dee could tell that the changes were generally positive, although the exact extent of the changes was still a mystery to her. No, the problem was that she had to be awake and conscious during the process.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The reason they operated on her specifically, was because healing magic would return things back to how they were before, removing most of the work done by the researchers. The explanation for that was that you couldn¡¯t really aim healing magic precisely enough, unless the healer was a real expert beyond the rejects found here. If healing magic was capable of fixing the person, it was usually a sort of an all or nothing deal. So if someone were to cut you open and carve magical runes on your ribs, the symbols would be considered an anomaly and be healed as well. Regeneration of her Beowulf heritage worked similar, except it was even more aggressive. However, it could be controlled to an extent. The only way to do that was when one consciously suppressed that portion of the regeneration, and you had to be fully aware and awake to do that.


    After the first time an operation had failed, the man leading the whole effort, a guy the others called Lord Malik, had told Dee that they would simply repeat the process until it worked, so she better get it under control unless she wanted it to continue forever. The thought of going through such pain without anything to alleviate it was too much for Dee, and she had almost given up, driven insane by the pain. Even now the question of her sanity was open to some interpretation. She thought she was relatively sane, but then again so did every other person who lost their sanity, right?


    Luckily, during the second operation she stumbled on a solution. Psions had the ability to separate their conscious mind from their bodies, leaving only the animal part behind. She didn¡¯t really feel the pain, she was simply aware of it. It was like she only kept a toe of her consciousness within her body while the rest of her observed from the outside. The animal part of her still screamed and attempted to trash out of the restraints, but that was partially an act. She needed some of the pain to trigger the transformation to her werewolf form and thus boost her regeneration, because she couldn¡¯t control the transformation herself. Thus she had to feel at least a small portion of the pain.


    She also had to suffer a little of it because that was required to control the regeneration in order to avoid undoing the work the researchers and scientists did. The order was also big on causing pain to their acolytes. According to them, the acolytes had to learn to ignore all pain in case they were ever captured and interrogated. So the animal part of her screamed to keep up the act even if her conscious mind calmly observed the process. On the plus side, that saved her from the training against interrogations since they were already causing her more pain than any interrogator would.


    The operations went on for about four and a half years, though there were some significant stretches of time between operations as they let the previous changes settle in while they planned for the next one. It had become obvious to Dee that whoever was planning these operations was playing the long game. They exchanged immediate gains for the good of the long term result, as most of the changes were things that would only show their full effect with time, instead of a boost of power right now.


    While the body of a psion could not gather mana or ki, that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t utilize either. Most of the bones in her body were now decorated with elaborate magical runes that absorbed minute traces of power from the surroundings and used it to strengthen those bones. The important words were minute amounts and used. If the power gathered was too much, then that gathering of power would make her ability to avoid spells that detect mana and magic useless.


    For the same reason the power was used right away to strengthen her, instead of storing it. Stored mana could be detected, but bones that had been reinforced with the help of mana could not because they weren¡¯t actually magical. They were still just bones, even if in time they would grow in sturdiness to rival dragons. In a similar fashion, those same runes gathered ki and used that to reinforce her organs and muscles.


    An added benefit was that because her body stored neither of those energies, she could use her psionic powers to strengthen herself normally, as any psion could. That was one of the only abilities she had learned as a psion. This added effect was mostly thanks to the powers being complementary instead of trying to do the same thing. The changes made by the operations rebuilt her, while her psionic power empowered her. At least that was the theory. She might have a powerful body in a dozen to a hundred years, but for now she wasn¡¯t that different from the other children.


    The one operation she hated the most was the one done to improve her fur and skin. The bastards pretending to be scientists mixed the blood of various beings that had fur strong enough to rival darksteel and had her submerge in the combined fluid. One of the mages among them would use magic to make sure she wouldn¡¯t drown in the liquid as she screamed. As for the reason for the screaming, to get the best effect out of the liquid, it had to be heated to a point of boiling.


    The mess was also quite stunning afterwards as she flailed in desperation. It took Dee days to get all the blood out of her fur, despite the fact that one of the things the organization didn¡¯t skimp on was cleanliness. Cleanliness kept your body odor under control, and stopped the spread of diseases. The masters had no problem beating the kids to death but losing them to disease was a waste of resources and everyone¡¯s time. It might also have something to do with the fact that the masters had very sharp sense of smell, as that was important for an assassin.


    The end results of the experiments on her fur were interesting though. The fur didn¡¯t turn rough or coarse; in fact it was almost the opposite. Her fur had never been as soft and silky smooth as this, which would make many noble demi-humans and werebeasts jealous. The experiments weren¡¯t for cosmetic effect though. The real effect came out as she infused her fur with her psionic power.


    With the power consumption being a bit too much for her current level, it was more effective to only enhance the point of impact just before she got hit. That problem would lessen in the future because her powers would increase while the consumption would not. It wasn¡¯t exactly an equal to plate armor, but that too would improve with time. As with many of the changes, it was something with great potential but wouldn¡¯t do much if she didn¡¯t utilize it correctly. So it would be up to her how useful the end result would actually be, as the effects grew along with her own powers.


    They also worked on her claws and teeth, although the assumption would be that she would use either a weapon or poison in the future. You should always be prepared to fight unarmed, even though an assassin who was unarmed was a failed assassin. You always had something in store and hidden for surprising situations, or you used items in the surroundings as a weapon. A good assassin would be able to turn everyday items into weapons. A really good assassin wouldn¡¯t need to. Dee¡¯s claws and teeth were a good enough so that she would never truly be unarmed.


    The easiest part of the whole process were the drugs and chemicals. The researchers liked to feed several kinds of rather powerful drugs to the kids to speed up their development and increase their power. Many of these drugs were rather dangerous, but they were effective. These weren¡¯t the types of drugs that altered the users mind, but the type that increased growth and development or other such positive effects.


    Of course they usually also had negative effects that damaged the user¡¯s body, but Dee¡¯s regenerative abilities countered those. As a result, the scientists could use even more dangerous pills and chemicals and those sometimes knocked her out for days, or left her foaming at the mouth. The good side was that she was left alone during those times. The downside was that most of the positive effects were countered as well because she couldn¡¯t stop her regeneration from erasing the effects.


    As she pondered about the past, Dee suddenly realized that it was about time Malik had another mission for her. Even before the operations had been finished, Malik had been assigning her on missions whenever she wasn¡¯t too bloody and twitching in pain to move, or training with the various masters gathered here. For about the last six months, the operations had stopped and her training was winding down. At least the training given by other masters besides Malik. It was rather embarrassing for the masters to be trashed by a nine-year-old, and the masters besides Malik were getting trashed most of the time now.


    Malik himself never fought Dee. Instead he brought her to the full members of Zabaniya, and had her fight them instead, offering advice and corrections from the side whenever she eventually got beaten to a pulp. The worst part was that it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t have the skill. She was just too far behind physically when fighting against fully grown opponents that were stronger, faster and had more experience. The point though was to learn how to fight against opponents superior to herself. She was taught how to gain victory from the jaws of a hopeless situation, to use her head and to use clever strategy. Against more experienced foes however, that was easier said than done.


    She spent much of her time on missions now, and the portion of the time spent on them was increasing. At first, this was another area where she had a lot to learn from Malik who worked as her handler, but here she proved the extent of her devious mind. Soon Malik only asked for reports and provided alternatives that Dee might not have considered. Naturally as the organization was focused on assassinations, that was also the main focus of her missions. There were some instances of information gathering for other active members, but most of the time when she was sent out, someone ended up dead.


    During her time being held by the Zabaniya, she had taken the life of over hundred targets. She had lost the exact count a long time ago, so it might be a closer to two hundred by now. Most of them were cases of assassinating a single person, but sometimes the targets were given in groups. At first the tally included some guards and the occasional family member, but nowadays Dee prided herself in her ability to take out her targets and no one else.


    Sometimes she felt that she had lost something important as she no longer felt sorrow while taking the life of another person, but at the same time she felt that there should be more to it. Some of it was because she could rationalize things to herself. Many of the targets, though not all, were not good people. Most of them deserved to die. You have to really earn the hatred of someone to force them to seek out the services of Zabaniya, which didn¡¯t come cheap. This usually meant that you were a very bad person, but sometimes it also meant that you were a person of principle that made a stand against the wrong people. Dee also rationalized that if it wasn¡¯t her, then it would simply mean that someone else would be sent, and that someone might not make it as painless and might target their family as well.


    That was only a part of it though. Some of it must have been her nature as a demon. Despite years spent being raised by Selvaria, she was not at her very core a good person. Perhaps not an evil one, despite all that she had done in the order, but not a good one either. Demons weren¡¯t all bad, and many races of demons were as normal as any other humanoids, a mix of good and bad. However, the races making up Dee¡¯s heritage were not among those demons. Most members of the races that were used to create her had a penchant for violence and death. Not all of them of course, no race is entirely evil, but a majority of them.


    There was also a certain numbing effect in seeing that much death and suffering. Not just those that she caused, but also the death and suffering of the other children in the order. The order also had their ways of encouraging this numbing. Only the strong ones would survive seeing their compatriots and friends die around them. They would pit the children against each other in a fight to the death. Usually the first time you killed someone was the hardest, but the order forced the issue when two kids entered the ring, and only one of them walked out, now having performed the first difficult kill. If the kids refused to do it, both of them were killed. As one could imagine, the order went through a lot of kids, but with a planet and a pair of cities this huge, there was no shortage of ¡®products¡¯.


    For Dee, this first kill had actually been one of the easiest. She suspected that it wasn¡¯t an accident that her opponent had been an Archon, a race of lesser wingless angels. Normally people would have trouble killing angels and their sub races, but for Dee it was all too easy. All she had to do was to remember the destroyed village where Selvaria had found her as a baby. The order usually also made sure that the first few mission targets were palatable. No innocents or children, just the scum of the Pantheon. Child assassins weren¡¯t very good at taking out high value targets anyway. That would come later if they survived long enough.


    Although she didn¡¯t feel much when taking the life of another anymore, that didn¡¯t mean she was emotionless. One of the worst parts of being among the Zabaniya was the loneliness. There was no point in making friends with the children because they would very soon either die or betray you. The masters were also out of the questions as they would take that as a sign of weakness. Spending five years without meaningful friendly contact was excruciatingly painful for Dee. On the nights she wasn¡¯t either unconscious or in too much pain to think, she often silently cried herself to sleep while remembering the soft touch of Selvaria and the kind words of the pendant.


    A telltale clack of shoes on the stone floor took Dee out of her thoughts again. It was easy to recognize the owner of these steps. The weight, pace and confident attitude matched Malik. No one else could be as carefree in this den of murderers, where even a child could take your life. The familiar form of the black dressed man appeared at the door. ¡°Time to work Wraith. I think you¡¯ll like this one.¡±


    Oh right, the bastards had given her a new name. You left your old name and identity behind when coming to this place. You earned a new name with your actions. Wraith was the name given to her, due to her ability to slip into anywhere she chose, and only kill the designated target and no one else. An arbiter of death that no walls could stop.


    They had tried Furball, but four dead trainers, two dead scientists and one dead full rank Zabaniya had convinced them to come up with something better. Malik had been rather amused when the enraged Dee had torn the Zabaniya to pieces with a surprise attack after their usual training session had ended and the man¡¯s guard was down. Apparently her handler seeing the whole thing didn¡¯t count as getting caught for the purposes of punishment.


    The names were something that could not be revealed even under torture. As the enemies of Zabaniya would really like to get their hands on certain people to exact revenge, the order did something that Dee wasn¡¯t able to recognize when the names were officially given. It had to be a spell of some kind, but Dee couldn¡¯t tell any details. In any case, none of the members were able to reveal the person behind any of the names even if they wanted to. And they didn¡¯t want to because they knew the Zabaniya would hunt them down and kill them slowly if they did.


    ¡®Time to reap another life.¡¯ Dee thought glumly.

 Chapter 3

    A/N: Mel is equal to a meter in case someone wonders. I refuse to use the imperial system, but meter sounds wonky, so mels it is. I¡¯m sure you can figure out centimel, millimel, kilomel and so on.


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    As Malik and Dee stepped through the portal, she could recognize their destination as the eight circle in the city of Night, mostly thanks to the signs and names of stores. The big placard at the end of the dais announcing the location as being in the west section of the eight circle also kind of helped. There was a more precise location mentioned, but she had never bothered to learn the exact way the two cities divided the areas. It would be useful knowledge for an assassin, but she honestly didn¡¯t want to know too much about her targets, in case she ever managed to get away from the order.


    Zabaniya worked in all circles below the fourth in both cities, but most of their targets were in the city of the Night. Dee suspected this was partly because of the heavier presence of opposing organizations in the city of the Day. She didn¡¯t know where the order had its headquarters, but she had a sneaking suspicion that it might be found in the city of the Day, simply to spite their enemies. From what she had learned, the order would like to also do business in the fourth circle and above, but all the inhabitants and communities were too powerful to oppose. Even if the order managed to complete missions there, the result would be the ire of beings that they could not afford to piss off.


    For Dee, it was her first time in the eight circle. It was doubtful that she could really go against the strongest people in this area in a fair fight, but that¡¯s not what assassinations were about. The difficulty of her missions had also been going up steadily, and this was just the most obvious sign of that. If the pace kept up, sooner or later she would get a target assigned that she wasn¡¯t able to take down, so it was somewhat of a race which of two things happened first. Either she¡¯d figure a way to escape Zabaniya¡¯s grasp, or she¡¯d get killed by one of her targets.


    ¡°Eight circle? Aren¡¯t we getting a little ahead of ourselves? I¡¯m pretty sure I was the only one of the children from our little den operating in the ninth circle, and now you¡¯re bringing me to the eight?¡± Dee asked Malik with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°We felt that you should be able to deal with this mission. We actually have three targets for you this time. Two of them should be rather simple, while the third one might need some work. You¡¯ve been given a full week to deal with the third one, so there¡¯s no need to rush. Take your time with this one. We have some ideas that you can use to infiltrate the grounds, while the rest is up to you. We think you¡¯re especially suited for this target due to his nature.¡± Malik replied with waving away Dee¡¯s protest.


    ¡°His nature?¡± Dee asked while her eyebrow kept twitching, and she gave Malik a scorching look of disapproval. They didn¡¯t assign him a sick twist who liked furry kids, did they?


    He gave a small chuckle as he understood where Dee¡¯s mind was headed. ¡°Not the nature of the target per se. The community the target belongs to works with unfortunate children. Fair amount of people get killed in the eight circle, as it is seen as something of a dividing line between mediocrity and real power. Those that get above the eight circle are recognized as powerful, while those below are considered trash. As a result, there is a fair amount of orphans that get left behind in the eight circle.


    The temples and some of the permanent organizations run orphanages, but the kids are always in need of some help, food and experience. The community of our main target likes to hire those kids for various kinds of work, and often rewards them with food and clothing. Some work inside their compound from time to time. That should be an easy way to get inside for you.¡± Malik said while grinning. Despite getting taller, Dee still looked like a kid.


    ¡°So how did a philanthropic person like that piss someone off badly enough to get a target painted on his back?¡± Dee didn¡¯t like targeting good people, especially those that worked with kids. They reminded her a little of Selvaria.


    ¡°The usual. He¡¯s stepped on the toes of some wrong people. It¡¯s hard to do business in the Night city without pissing someone off. Unfortunately for him, this time he pissed off people with ties to us. You should be careful. Their facilities are all warded to detect poison and heavy use of power. They¡¯re smartly not targeting mana or ki specifically, just build-up of power, so even you need to be careful. You can¡¯t use too much power. Oh, and they like having guards everywhere. So there¡¯s that too.¡± Malik said with a small sigh, which made Dee curious. Usually the man would be almost gleeful presenting her with a challenge.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling that I¡¯m not the first person to try this? Malik, I need to know if they¡¯re aware of being targeted!¡± Dee demanded with a sudden realization.


    Malik gave a small grimace. ¡°One of our low ranking Zabaniya was assigned to this job before. It was his first real assignment after being made a full member of the order. He managed to obfuscate the target a bit before dying miserably. They aren¡¯t sure if we were after them, or the people visiting them at the time it happened. I would assume though that they¡¯re at least somewhat vigilant.¡±


    ¡°Great. And instead of sending a real assassin, you leave it to me to clear the mess. Just give me the information that you have prepared.¡± One thing you had to admit about the order, they were good at gathering and preparing information. As she read though the gathered information, several ideas and possibilities popped up straight away. She¡¯d ruminate on this a bit while she handled the other two targets.


    ----------


    Three days later, Dee walked out of the manor of the third target wearing what looked a lot like simple servants clothes. There was even a gap at the back of the skirt for her two tails. ¡°Candy?¡± Dee asked Malik while handing him something in a wrapper. Malik knew better than to eat anything given by Dee. The girl was way too good with poisons. He simply slipped the thing into his pocket, so that he could get rid of it later.


    ¡°You¡¯re done? I don¡¯t see any big commotion yet.¡± Malik asked looking at the manor from a safe distance.


    ¡°It will get busy later. We might not want to be here when it happens, as they¡¯ll probably round up everyone for questioning. I can give a proper debrief once we get away from here. I think I¡¯ve earned some proper food for a change.¡± She said rubbing her stomach. The food at the den was enough to keep you going, but wasn¡¯t exactly great when it came to taste.


    Malik gave a wry smile and lead them to a caf¨¦ a few kilomels away from the mansion. They got a private booth, and Malik cast a spell to ensure their privacy. ¡°Alright, explain. I¡¯m a little curious about how you handled things this time. You usually prefer a stealthy approach so this one was something a little new to you. You rarely utilize your age, unlike the rest of the kids.¡± One of the main reasons the Zabaniya trained such small kids for low level jobs was because no one suspected such young children until it was too late. This allowed them to easily approach their targets, though they often had trouble getting away after the deed was done.


    ¡°Well the first part went pretty much as you expected. The community was hosting a fair sized party to entertain some of their allied groups. They hired some of the kids to help with setting the venue and with the catering. That would be food and drinks in case you weren¡¯t aware.¡± Dee liked to make little jabs at Malik. She was bitter at him for all the pain she had suffered, but she couldn¡¯t attack him directly. Also she wasn¡¯t fond of these debriefs since they forced her to talk more than she wanted to.


    Because this world was filled with such powerful individuals, the people liked to band together in communities, groups, guilds and ¡®families¡¯. Some rallied behind a common cause, some rallied around their race and family, some gathered because of friendships, while some were brought together by money. There were also some rarities like Zabaniya, where the members were gathered by force and coercion. These groups then tried to gather power, people, resources, money and connections that would help them get closer to the center of the two cities. The more powerful and influential a group was, the closer to the center they could make their residence. Very few individuals had the power to single handedly make their residence in the inner circles. One could visit the inner circles, within some limitations, but residence was different.


    Malik simply smiled and waved his hand to have Dee continue. ¡°The idea was to reward the kids with proper clothing, as you can see, and they could also eat the remaining food left over from the party. As the food was rather high quality and the clothes weren¡¯t bad, this was a pretty decent offer. The kids could also observe the process of social gatherings and maybe even catch the eye of some people. I slipped in among the kids they hired. That gave me a rather free access to the place for the day.¡±


    They had to stop talking for a moment as their order came in. A rather cute fae girl was working as the waitress, and gave Malik a charming smile while placing down the orders. As the girl left, Dee couldn¡¯t stop herself. ¡°Oh dear, that girl really has no taste. For her sake, I hope she didn¡¯t manage to rouse your interest.¡±


    Malik replied calmly. ¡°A little too young for my tastes. Besides, I¡¯m pretty sure she thought you were my daughter. She might be the type that likes single fathers.¡±


    Dee snorted in distaste. Although it wasn¡¯t uncommon to see humans with mixed race children, she herself didn¡¯t have even a hint of human heritage showing. ¡°Don¡¯t make my food taste bad with jokes like that. Anyway, with access like that, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to set our target up for poisoning.¡±


    Malik¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°You of all people poisoned the food at a party? I find that very unlikely. I might do something like that since I don¡¯t really care about random casualties, but you? Also wouldn¡¯t that be caught by the poison detection spells?¡±


    ¡°Who said anything about putting the poison in the food? Besides, the definition of poison is so relative. When used separately some ingredients are just spices, but when digested together¡­¡± Dee let the rest hang in the air.


    ¡°You used Bloodpetal and Gillyroot? Ok, now you got me interested. Elaborate.¡± Malik asked suddenly much more intent.


    ¡°I covered a fork with Bloodpetal extract. It¡¯s tasteless and odorless, so it would not be discovered. Then I used a bit of sleight of hand to switch the fork with the one our target would use.¡± Dee gave a small demonstration by making her spoon disappear and re-appear. ¡°No need to use any powers for something that simple. I then added Gillyroot to one of the foods that I knew our target really liked and was served to everyone, thanks to your briefing for that tidbit, and left once I noticed that the target sat in the correct place and used the fork I had prepared. Since Gillyroot is just a nice tasting but rather rare spice, the rest of the guests and the guy testing all foods for poison with magic wouldn¡¯t feel or detect anything. Thanks for forgetting to mention that guy by the way.¡± She said with quite a bit of sarcasm.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite welcome.¡± Malik said with a straight face. The poison tester was actually news to him too. There was a large difference between generalist poison detection spells over a large area and a dedicated tester. Apparently the target society had taken more precautions than he had thought.


    Dee continued, completely ignoring Malik. ¡°Anyway, since neither of those substances is poisonous by itself, and only highly poisonous when they combine inside his body, the detection spells didn¡¯t react. The poison takes a few hours to take effect, and by the time the effect is noticeable, you¡¯d need a high ranked cleric to cure the poison. Something you know to be pretty rare in these parts. I then decided to leave before the commotion got started.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that result in suspicion towards you? One of the kids leaving without receiving her reward.¡± Malik asked with a frown.


    ¡°It would if I left voluntarily, so to speak. I made a mistake on purpose and broke some dishes. They revoked my reward and tossed me out as punishment. I did some crying and apologizing, and created a sob story about my ¡®sick brother¡¯. They let me keep the clothes and even gave me some candy to take with me. The woman was really rather nice about it. She simply couldn¡¯t have me break any more dishes and had to give me some punishment. I used that commotion to slip the Gillyroot into the food. Now I¡¯ll be the last person they¡¯ll suspect, since I wasn¡¯t even there when it all happened, and they wouldn¡¯t think I could set it up so much beforehand. Sometimes the best way to hide is to stick out and be too obvious.¡± Dee explained between mouthfuls of food.


    ¡°Good job. You seem rather blas¨¦ about the whole thing though. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed your dislike of targeting people like him.¡± Malik pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that things won¡¯t go as our client would want them to, even though I completed my mission. I got to spend some time monitoring the people of that community. They¡¯re rather passionate, and the target wasn¡¯t among the strongest people within the community. Most likely this will only enrage them and make them drive the target¡¯s agendas even harder, making him a martyr. Whoever ordered this hit really didn¡¯t know their target¡¯s community all that well.¡± Dee explained simply.


    Malik shrugged. ¡°Makes no difference to us. We only do work that we get paid for. This might even bring more business our way. Wouldn¡¯t it be interesting if the community you were just in hired you to retaliate?¡±


    ¡°That would be rather ironic, but they didn¡¯t seem the type. More likely they¡¯ll just storm in wrecking their opposition with direct force. From the information you gave me, it shouldn''t be too hard to guess who paid for the hit. This is really good by the way.¡± Dee said pointing at her food.


    ¡°What was the name of that community by the way?¡± Malik asked with no real interest.


    ¡°Stop pretending like you don¡¯t remember. Your memory is almost as good as mine. The name was Silver Stars.¡± She replied with equal lack of interest.


    ----------


    The wide room had several important looking and dignified people seated around a sturdy wood table. They seemed to range from warriors wearing full armor to mages and priestesses in their light and official garb. All of them had serious looks on their faces as they discussed the likely reason they had been called here. There seemed to be several guesses and theories, but they all seemed to revolve around a certain group of assassins.


    They all quieted as a powerful looking man in ornamental full plate armor entered the room and took his place at the head of the table. The man clearly had some experience on him, but his short golden beard and hair didn¡¯t have a single trace of grey in them, and the pointed ears showing slightly from under his hair gave the reason why. For elves, age only brought gravitas. He cut an imposing figure with his wide shoulders and powerful build, while his eyes showed his intelligence and experience. Elves usually didn¡¯t grow a beard, so it was even more striking on his face. He had the lithe and balanced movement that combined his elven heritage with years of hard training.


    ¡°Honored guests, my apologies for making you wait. I trust there will be no need for introductions, as you are all familiar with each other. I have gathered you all here, because I think we can all agree on one thing: it¡¯s about time we strike back at the assassin organization known as Zabaniya. They have been a thorn in our sides for too long, and in our role as protectors of the weaker communities, we have failed our mission when it comes to the activities of that organization.¡± The man stated to the gathered people.


    While most groups jockeyed for position, there were some organizations that were jointly funded and supported by all of the communities. Those organizations tried to maintain peace and order, as well as provide some services and help, especially for the new and weak communities. Most of these groups had the backing of very powerful beings, and in exchange for their services they levied taxes in the areas they controlled. Most notably, none of these groups ever tried to move to a better position towards the heart of the cities, as that was counter to their purpose. Even if some of them had the power to rival ten communities within the third circle, these groups never moved and maintained their positions in the circles below the third.


    Some of these groups focused on protection and hunting down threats that preyed on the weak, some of them focused on gathering and sharing knowledge and techniques, while others focused on providing reliable and fair trade. Most of the temples were also a part of one or more of these groups. Combined, they formed groups that maintained law and order, stopping the lower circles from devolving into anarchy, and provided essential services. They were a little like the unofficial government. There were some official countries and even empires on Pantheon, but those tended to be rather xenophobic, so the handling of the areas outside these official countries was left to these groups.


    ¡°I see three problems with this.¡± A woman with the appearance of a priestess said. ¡°First of all, Zabaniya¡¯s biggest safeguard has always been secrecy. It¡¯s hard to strike at a group when you don¡¯t know where to strike. Secondly, won¡¯t some other group simply take their place? There will always be demand for the services they provide, and when there is demand, there will be supply. A known evil might be preferable to an unknown one. And thirdly, Zabaniya controls the Authority of at least one Hero. Is it wise to pick a fight with a Hero, considering the possible collateral damage?¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Hassan-i-Sabbah isn¡¯t among the most powerful Heroes, but he is strong and most importantly he is devious. And we can¡¯t be certain that they haven¡¯t gathered other Authorities.¡± One of the mages stated, not really afraid, simply pointing out the facts.


    The man leading the meeting raised his hand to quiet the others down. ¡°Valid points, which should give us pause if we were trying to destroy the whole organization. A war like that is something we can¡¯t afford right now. However, we can strike at them to show our displeasure at the flagrant disregard of our authority, and to curb down on their most exploitative practices. They have been getting out of hand lately, and need to be shown that we won¡¯t tolerate that. Especially their recent actions against the weaker communities have become too much. They¡¯re even striking at communities directly under our protection.  Hassan-i-Sabbah will not move personally unless we drive them into a corner. We simply want to send a message.¡± The man stated calmly.


    ¡°You speak of the one called Wraith, yes? It would do all of us good to see that one removed, but we can¡¯t locate him.¡± One of the warriors said, a slight accent clear in his voice.


    The deaths of few hundred people were not something to earn this kind of focus in a world as large as this. The problem was that they didn¡¯t know how Wraith managed to do what he did. At some point in the future, Wraith might be able to threaten important people with great power, and if they didn¡¯t know how to stop him¡­


    ¡°Now we come to the reason I was late in arriving. We have gained information on three bases used by Zabaniya, and one of them is believed to be the base used by Wraith. I propose we strike at all three at the same time, using overwhelming force.¡± The man suggested.


    ¡°How reliable is this information?¡± The same mage that had spoken earlier asked, getting more interested.


    ¡°Extremely. It comes straight from the source. We do not have the identity of the Wraith as that is information my source is unable to reveal, but we have confidence in the locations given.¡± He replied.


    ¡°A traitor among the Zabaniya? That¡¯s odd. They put their members under a compulsion that prevents them from betraying their organization. One of their number managed to find a way around that? How do we know if we have succeeded if we don¡¯t know the Wraith¡¯s identity?¡± The priestess asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s rather simple. We kill all the assassins we find at these locations, and if the Wraith¡¯s activities stop we have succeeded. Even if we fail, we¡¯ve still removed three bases from Zabaniya, so it¡¯s a win in either case. The Order of the Radiant Sun will bear the brunt of this fight, but we need support to assure victory. Who will join us?¡± He asked putting an end to the debate.


    ¡°The Holy Orders will support the Radiant Sun as usual.¡± The priestess replied. The temples and the Order of the Radiant Sun were deeply connected and usually worked together. The paladins and templars of the Order provided protection and safety to the temples while the clerics of the temples provided support for the more martially focused group.


    ¡°Mystic¡¯s guild will provide support.¡± One of the mages said.


    ¡°The freelancer¡¯s guild will also provide support.¡± The freelancer¡¯s guild was the Pantheon¡¯s version of the adventurer¡¯s guilds found on most worlds. They simply called themselves freelancers instead, since the work was less about adventure and more about doing work that others could not or would not, while still retaining their freedom from groups like the Order of the Radiant Sun. They were basically problem solvers.


    ¡°It seems you have things well in hand even without us, but do call for us if you run into trouble.¡± A woman covered by a cloak and a veil replied. She represented the group known as Threads of Fate. Their group was the most wide spread and provided the widest range of services, but no one knew exactly what the limits of their power were. The Threads of Fate might seem rather normal on the outside, but they had stepped in a few times to stop large scale disaster the other groups could not handle. They always seemed to be able to pull something new out of their bag of tricks.


    ¡°It¡¯s settled then. We move in three days.¡± The man representing the Radiant Sun declared.

 Chapter 4

    A/N: If I had divided this story into parts, this chapter would be the end of part one, probably titled Zabaniya. I hope you enjoy.


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    Dee sat in her small cell trying to figure out a way to get rid of the spells binding her to this place. Since part of it was magic affecting the mind, and psions were much more effective at matters of the mind, she was having some limited success. However, for all of her potential as a psion, she lacked training necessary for this type of work. Matters of the mind were high level psionic skills and Selvaria didn¡¯t have the necessary skill to train her in that field. Dee could figure some things out on her own, but this was beyond the scope of self-learning. That said, even if she did manage to remove all the spells affecting her mind, there were still others that would affect her body.


    The reason Zabaniya could freely let her out of this place to perform missions, was because they knew she had to return even if she tried to run. The compulsion placed on all of the children tied them to their handlers and the place they were based at. The masters of this place came in all varieties so it was a very bad idea to force the kids magically to follow the orders of every master. Partially it was for self-defense and removal of rivals. If the degenerate sickos could force the kids to follow their orders magically, that would not end well for anyone. The other problem was that sometimes the orders could be contradictory with so many masters, so any spell forcing obeisance would break the kids.


    The only orders the compulsion forced on them was those given by their handlers. In Dee¡¯s case that meant Malik. If she tried to resist any orders given by him, she would feel intense pain that would get worse as time passed. Similarly there would be a pressure that would build up if she spent too much time away from either Malik or this place. In his vicinity and in this place that pressure went away. The pressure would be the main reason that would eventually bring any escapee back, even assuming the handler was stupid enough to not order the child not to escape. Final part of it was that if she attacked her handler, she would suffer unimaginable pain, and if she actually managed to kill her handler she would also suffer a painful death a short time later.


    Dee could resist the pressure and might be able to remove that part completely if she tried. That said she still had to follow the orders, although she could lessen the effect. Even so, she still had no way to escape just yet. She looked at one of the walls of her cell. The wall was filled with markings she had made with her claws. She tried to make a mark every day to track time, but some days she was simply in too much pain to manage it. Some days she had simply been completely out of it, either due to one of the operations or because she had been subjected to one of the drugs the organization used to strengthen the kids. Still, the markings were better than nothing. They at least gave an indication of the passage of time.


    The only other way to judge time was by monitoring her growth. She had come here as a small child, and she was now starting to get up in height. Due to her race, she would most likely end up taller than standard female humans, so she still had more to expect in that regard. She was also barely starting to develop secondary sexual characteristics. That part was bad in several ways. She didn¡¯t want to appear attractive to the masters of this place. So far her fur and features had discouraged any interest, but that might change if she became more ¡®womanly¡¯. It would also be harder to appear innocent to others, which had made her missions easier so far. There was a reason the organization used kids after all.


    She gave a deep sigh. It seemed there was now another timer working against her. It was becoming more and more important for her to escape. Yet the chances of that weren¡¯t looking all that great. She turned her head towards the door as she heard the familiar steps.


    ¡°Time to go again. Hope you¡¯re ready for the next¡­¡± Malik¡¯s cheery voice was interrupted by the sounds of explosions and the shaking of the building. ¡°What the hell?¡± He said, while looking towards the ceiling.


    They started hearing screams, yells and the sounds of battle. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very positive.¡± Dee said in a dry voice, secretly rejoicing at what seemed to be happening. She had been wondering when the place would get attacked. Sooner or later some information would leak out and some party who resented their activities would strike back at them. She wasn¡¯t all that hopeful of the attacker¡¯s chances, but there was a certain amount of schadenfreude at imagining the masters getting killed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy. It¡¯s rather unlikely that whoever is causing this commotion will be able to do real damage. This place is filled with killers after all.¡± Malik said with a grimace. Secretly he didn¡¯t have as much confidence in those words as he showed. If someone had the guts to attack Zabaniya, they would most likely have enough backing and planning to not fail an attack like this.


    Her eyes twitched as she listened. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. By the sounds of it, there are quite a few enemies, and they seem to be gaining ground. Besides, I¡¯m just happy to see some of the scum in this place dying off.¡±


    Malik started leading her towards the large room where all of the kids in this block of cells took their meals. He also gave orders to follow to all the kids with hand gestures, and the kids filed after him. When they got into the room, they had gathered twenty other kids, who all huddled close to the door leading towards the cells. Despite everything, they were still children and got scared for their lives. Malik cast a spell that would help him gather information about what was happening on the outside.


    ¡°What? How did they mobilize all these organizations at once? The paladins and templars of Radiant Sun, Mystic¡¯s guild, Holy Orders and freelancers. What is going on?¡± He mumbled to himself.


    Suddenly his face twitched in pain, as his spell was countered and he suffered some backlash. ¡°Well this might be more serious than I thought. At least the other masters managed to force the kids to fight too. That should give the attackers something to think about.¡±


    There were sounds of running and fighting just outside the door. ¡°Alright kids, it¡¯s time to earn your keep. As soon as the enemy comes through that door¡­¡± His voice was interrupted as clawed fingers formed into a knife hand penetrated his back and came out of his chest. He could see the purple psionic energy surrounding the hand. He had already almost forgotten that Dee was psionic as she rarely showed her powers more than was absolutely necessary.


    He tried to look back and saw Dee standing behind him, her hand having pierced his chest and heart. He hadn¡¯t even considered that Dee would sign her own death warrant by attacking him, and wasn¡¯t prepared to it at all. If he had been, he could¡¯ve rather easily blocked Dee¡¯s strike. Their rather long acquaintance also blinded him to the possibility. He had always considered Dee to be too rational for something like this.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to die, I want to at least choose the way I go. I choose to go by taking you with me.¡± Dee whispered into his ear. The last thing he heard before dying was the scream of pain as the backlash from disobeying orders and attacking her handler struck Dee.


    -----


    Captain Sarfina was horrified about what they had found in this den of assassins. She had thought that she had seen the worst that the Night city had to offer when she had lead raids to liberate the people held in the slave pens and brothels. She had been wrong. At least the slaves and prostitutes were treated somewhat decently, or their value as goods would plummet. They were commodities to the scum that treated them as products, and visible injuries reduced their value. This was something different.


    She had seen the dead bodies piled in some of the rooms. Some had clearly died from being beaten to a pulp and succumbing to internal hemorrhaging, while others were mutilated. The eeriest ones didn¡¯t seem to have any wounds. It was as if they had just given up on life. And the worst part was that almost all of them were children. The living kids they found were almost worse. Some of their minds were too far gone, and they just lashed out at anyone getting close to them. In other places the assassins ordered the kids to attack her men. They managed to subdue some of the kids, but they also had to kill others. These kids were not harmless enough to subdue gently.


    ¡®What is this place?¡¯ Sarfina thought. ¡®Are they trying to train these children as assassins? Have they already forced these kids to kill others?¡¯ The mere thought made her shudder. They had heard rumors of child assassins, but she always thought them as just that, rumors.


    She blocked the strike of another assassin with her shield and plunged the blade of her sword into his throat. There was another one of those large doors ahead of her. She had learned to dread these doors because she knew what waited behind them. That door would lead to another room full of kids that would be magically compelled to attack them. Or they were crazy enough to do so without compulsion.


    One of her subordinates struck down another assassin. The scum were skilled, but they were trained in assassination, not in a straight and honest fight, not to mention group tactics. They also seemed to be lower ranked as warriors than her subordinates. As they approached the door, they suddenly heard the loud scream of an unidentified female in obvious pain. Without sparing even a thought to the possibility that it might be a trap, Sarfina rushed through the door using her shield as a battering ram.


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    Inside a weird sight greeted her. One of those high ranking assassins dressed in black was lying on the floor with a hole in his torso. Most of the kids were standing huddling near the backdoor leading towards the tiny cells, while one of them was rolling on the ground screaming in pain. There was smoke coming from her body, while it seemed she was both getting corroded by something and regenerating from the damage at the same time. The blood all over her hand made it obvious who had caused the death of the black clad assassin.


    With a single glance Sarfina understood most of the situation. The assassin had been about to order the kids to attack Sarfina and her subordinates, but the demi-human girl currently shifting back and forth between her normal form and a werewolf form had surprised the assassin and struck him down. Now she was suffering from the backlash of whatever magic held sway over the children. She had saved the other kids, but was now suffering the repercussions. Finally something decent in this den of vipers! Sarfina would do everything she could to save the only person in this place that had showed even a shred of decency and hope.


    ¡°We need a healer right now!¡± She yelled, enhancing her voice with holy power. ¡°In the meantime, guys do everything you can to keep that girl alive. She might be the only good thing to come out of this place!¡± She waved towards the four paladins in their group that were skilled at using their healing abilities. She herself was a templar that focused her holy powers on defensive and offensive abilities instead of healing.


    ¡°You guys detain the other kids and make sure they won¡¯t get out of hand like the others!¡± She barked an order to the rest of her unit, while she tried to use her magical amulet to contact one of the higher ranking mages from the Mystic¡¯s guild. It was likely that the spell causing the girl all this pain was fairly complex, and not something that could be removed with normal curse removal abilities of the clerics.


    ¡°Captain, I don¡¯t think we can do much for her by ourselves! We¡¯re barely keeping her alive. We¡¯re not clerics!¡± One of the paladins raised his voice, with sweat already matting his brows. The paladins were able to heal most normal injuries and simple diseases, but they were warriors first and holy men second.


    ¡°Do what you can to keep her alive. I¡¯m trying to get some help here, so just try to buy some time.¡± She moved towards head of the girl on the ground, and looked her in the eyes. There were many strong feelings flashing through them, but Sarfina also saw a strong will to live. ¡°Will you be able to hold on, or are they only wasting their time?¡±


    The only answer she got was a faint toothy smile, before the light of psionic power started shining though her skin, slowing the process of the decay a little bit. Sarfina could also feel the snap of a spell breaking. Apparently the girl had been working on removing some of the spells affecting her. ¡°Good girl.¡± Sarfina murmured, and turned around just in time to see a gold ranked cleric come through the door. Good, he might be able to keep things under control.


    She still had work to do, and this den of evil still needed cleansing.


    ----------


    Asahim knocked on the door of his master. Once again there was no answer, but the door opened to let him in. His master was in the middle of painting, as Asahim walked in and kneeled with one knee on the floor. Neither of them was in a hurry, since they knew what the matter was about. Hassan-i-Sabbah proceeded to put the finishing touches on the painting he had been creating for the last five months. It was a magical piece where the image would move and play out the scene imagined by the painter. Hassan had used such skill that the image seemed to come to life even before the magic was applied.


    ¡°Report.¡± He said simply.


    ¡°All three of the sites have been raided. The united forces killed all the assassins present, and managed to save some of the children. Wraith was one of the people saved.¡± Asahim reported.


    ¡°What is her condition?¡± Hassan asked.


    ¡°According to my sources, she suffered quite a bit as a result of the backlash from the compulsion. She is expected to make a full recovery though, as the clerics and mages got to her in time. The captain leading the raid seemed to have taken a liking to her, and did her best so save Wraith. Most of her suffering seemed to come as a result of her killing Lord Malik.¡± Asahim continued his report.


    ¡°Oh, she decided to take Malik with her to her death? That¡¯s an interesting choice. Even for a surprise attack, it¡¯s impressive she managed to kill a knight ranked warrior, not to mention Malik¡¯s magical abilities. I¡¯m assuming her identity is safe? She was one of the main targets of the raid after all. I doubt they would waste time treating her if they knew who she was.¡± The master knew the answer, but was just making sure. Fools rely on assumptions while smart people check and double check.


    ¡°Naturally. Few people knew of her identity as the one called Wraith and they are all dead. I made sure to also kill all the researchers that worked on her to stop any chance of speculation, as per your orders. I¡¯m going to assume Wraith herself is smart enough not to give herself away. The Radiant Sun assumes that one of the adult assassins was Wraith, possibly Lord Malik. They would never suspect a child, and they are focused on trying to rehabilitate the ones they managed to save.¡± Asahim said with a level of certainty that implied inside knowledge.


    ¡°That works perfectly then. They will most likely make those kids train in their communities, partly to try and help them forget and partly as a penance for what they might have done while controlled by us. It¡¯s not a bad idea, giving the kids a chance to make amends, but they might find that most of the kids are too far gone. Seeing as a captain of the Radiant Sun took interest in Wraith, they¡¯ll most likely train her either as a templar or a paladin. That would complement the training we gave really well, so that suits my purposes perfectly. We taught her how to kill; now the templars will teach her how to fight and stay alive.¡± Hassan replied with a smile.


    After a moment of silence Asahim had to ask. ¡°Master, is this really fine? We spent quite a bit of effort and resources on her. I know you had a purpose in having me leak the location of those bases, but I must admit the purpose eludes me a bit.¡±


    Hassan gave a small sigh of disappointment. Not that he had really expected Asahim to pick up on all the hints. ¡°An assassin that doesn¡¯t have experience of the world and society at large will not be a very effective assassin in the long run. I don¡¯t really mind what Wraith does for the next hundred years, as long as she becomes stronger and stays alive. We gave her the tools to become strong, and now she has to finish the process by sharpening the blade we forged her into, so that she¡¯ll be an effective weapon we can use when the time comes.


    The training of an assassin is too one-sided for the purposes I have in mind, and she¡¯ll need both a wide array of training as well as lot of experience before she will be ready. We are working to create the sharpest blade ever made, but we can¡¯t do it alone. She won¡¯t be just an assassin when I¡¯m done with her. I have grander plans.


    The three bases were a small price to pay for what I have in mind. We needed to scale down our operations in the lesser circles anyway, because the powers that be were getting nervous. Now they got a victory under their belt and can go back to their flock to claim victory and to strut around and forget about us. We will hide in the shadows as usual and come out only when it suits our purposes. People like Malik were making us lose our identity. We aren¡¯t just knives for hire; we are the arbiters of death. The actions of people like Malik were cheapening us and turning us ordinary.¡± Hassan looked clearly happy as he talked about his thoughts as he gazed at the painting.


    ¡°But will she return to us?¡± Asahim asked a little incredulous.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have to. We¡¯ll find her when the time comes. There are uncountable ways of ensuring a person¡¯s loyalty, and the only way her loyalty holds any value is when it is given by her own free will. Otherwise she will spend most of her efforts trying to struggle free. And even if there¡¯s no loyalty, all we really need is for our goals to align. We got her so used to death that I would be surprised if she didn¡¯t decide to seek out revenge. Peace was not in her blood in the first place, and I think we managed to remove any chances of a future life of peace and quiet.¡± Hassan gave the painting a small tap with his finger activating the spell.


    The painting depicted a knight plunging a lance into the chest of an archangel with golden wings. The knight had foxlike ears coming from under the helmet and nine flaming tails streaming behind her. The knight¡¯s fur was originally snow white, though now it was soaked permanently crimson in the blood of her enemies. The archangel bore a striking resemblance to a certain handsome Archangel of Order, and was clearly in his death throes. The painting also depicted several broken corpses of other high ranking angels scattered on the ground.

 Chapter 5

    A/N: To those that waited until this chapter due to my warning, welcome back! This chapter is a day early because I''ll be on the road the whole day tomorrow. We''re doing a family trip to ''in the middle of nowhere'' so nothing but driving planned. As such, this week may be a bit spotty with releases. I''ve been told that the place we are going had wlan, so in theory I can upload normally and will have nothing else to do but write. That''s the theory, but we''ll see how things go in practice. Bottom line though? I''ll get to write a lot this week, but might not get to post a lot. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!


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    First thing Dee noticed when slowly regaining her consciousness was the mother of all headaches. While she could shut out most pain, headaches were much harder. She theorized that it had something to do with how her ability to deal with pain worked. Tooth pain was another one of those that she had trouble dealing with. ¡®Something about a closer connection to the brain maybe?¡¯ She thought to herself idly.


    She slowly let her senses run a check on the condition of her body. There was damage and the corrosion wasn¡¯t completely gone. Luckily it didn¡¯t seem like permanent damage; just something her regeneration had trouble dealing with, probably because the ability had been overburdened. It would take some time to get back to full strength, but it was hard to judge exactly how long. It¡¯s not like she had knowledge on the subject beyond what she could reason out from experience.


    She slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly as the bright light was hurting her eyes, and making her headache worse. ¡®This doesn¡¯t feel like the city of Night. Too bright.¡¯ She thought. City of Night had a day-night cycle, but the nights were much longer and even during the day the light was not this bright. She could see the arched grey stone ceiling above her, so she was indoors, but this light seemed natural and not something generated by lights. City of Day then.


    She tried turning her head to get a better look. Her bed had been partitioned off with white cloth screens, but she could see enough from between the gaps to determine she was in a rather sizeable room filled with beds similar to her own. A rather soft bed at that. In fact, she felt as if the bed was constantly emitting some kind of healing energy. ¡®Who has magical beds in their infirmary?¡¯ She thought in slight confusion. Well at least it was helping with her headache.


    She was feeling rather hungry and needed to use the toilet. Since this seemed like a hospital or infirmary of sorts, maybe she should try calling out? That didn¡¯t feel like a very comfortable option with the headache she currently had, but sometimes you had to make sacrifices for the greater benefit. Or in this case for the purpose of not soiling herself. That didn¡¯t feel like a very attractive option either. As assassins the kids had been trained in holding it in, in case they had to lay in wait for a long time, but she guessed she had been unconscious for a while. She suddenly realized that she didn¡¯t know how the bodily functions of an unconscious person worked. A curious gap in her knowledge considering it might be important in some cases. A topic for research at some other point in time.


    Just as she was about to call out, the partition moved to the side and a dwarven girl in priestess clothing stood at the opening looking straight at her. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re finally awake. How are you feeling?¡± The priestess asked with a chipper voice, that sounded a little odd coming from a dwarf.


    ¡°Weak, headache, hungry, need a toilet. All in all pretty good, considering. I really could use the toilet though.¡± Dee replied trying to mimic the chipper tone, while emphasizing her urgent need.


    After she managed to save some of her dignity and got something solid to eat, well solid by soup standards at least, the priestess started asking some questions about her condition. From what she managed to pick up reading between the lines, Dee now knew that she had been unconscious for three days. The healers had spent most of the first day breaking the compulsion and healing her to the best of their ability. They managed most of it, but her body was simply too taxed for a full recovery by magical means alone and required some time for nature to do its thing. They also couldn¡¯t be fully certain that all of the compulsion was gone, though Dee knew that to be the case.


    It wasn¡¯t just the damage from the compulsion, but all the built up damage and stress from her time among the Zabaniya. Her body might have been able to regenerate after the experiments, but the stress had accumulated, and now she was paying the price. The priestess even cracked a joke about being as weak as a kitten while looking pointedly at Dee¡¯s beastly features. She didn¡¯t bother pointing out the difference between a fox and a cat. With the added touch from her wolfish heritage, she was closer to a dog actually. The priestess wasn¡¯t a vet, so who cares?


    ¡°So where are we? I would guess city of Day from the light, but beyond that¡­¡± Dee finally managed to ask, and gave a small confused wave with her hand.


    ¡°Correct, we are at one of the joint facilities of Radiant Sun and the Holy Orders in the tenth circle of Day city.¡± The priestess told her openly.


    ¡°That seems like a rather long distance to move me. Is there a particular reason?¡± Dee asked, hiding her slight suspicion.


    ¡°As to that, I¡¯ll let Captain Sarfina explain. She¡¯s the one who brought you here, and I¡¯m fairly sure you both have several questions for each other. I¡¯ll let her know that you¡¯re awake, assuming you feel like you¡¯re up for it?¡± The last part was a genuine question. Dee had been through a lot, and it would not surprise the priestess if it was too soon to go into such things. Getting answers was the job of the templar, while taking care of the patients was her job.


    ¡°We might as well get started. I might not be good for much else at the moment, but talking is something I can do.¡± Dee replied with a slight smile.


    She suddenly felt much more talkative than she remembered ever being. She was never much of a conversationalist, but she had spent months among the Zabaniya without uttering other sounds besides screams of pain. She hadn¡¯t wanted to make friends, because those would end up dying sooner or later. The masters weren¡¯t interested in conversation, just obedience, and she certainly wasn¡¯t going to get close to any of them. Malik had been the only one to really discuss anything with her, Dee suddenly realized. Even with her reticent nature, such a dearth in meaningful conversation had left her more talkative than she used to be normally.


    -----


    It had been a hectic three days for Sarfina. After saving the kitsune girl, she had to oversee the cleansing of the assassin base, destruction of any dangerous materials that they could not carry away for study, as well as reporting the events to their superiors. She also had to oversee the handling of the children they had rescued from the assassins. In hindsight rescue might not have been the right word.


    Most of the kids were being held in the facilities of the Radiant Sun while the Mystic¡¯s guild worked to remove the magical bonds that were holding them. It soon became obvious that many of the kids were too far gone even after most of those bonds were gone. They still tried to kill the people trying to help them, although without much success. That said, some of the bonds were too deep to remove completely. In some cases they had to rely on suppressing them, so that no new orders could be forced on them, while old orders still held some sway. Even so, every child they managed to save made all the effort worth it.


    Not quite everyone saw it that way though. Despite their superiority in numbers and strength, attacking a nest of assassins was highly dangerous and they had lost good people. The group under Sarfina had actually been the best off, as everything she heard indicated that the other two raids had turned into bloodbaths on both sides. Pitched battle might not be their specialty, but the assassins were good at causing casualties, and the bases were full of traps. It wasn¡¯t surprising then to see some of the people who had lost friends during the raids carry resentment, but it was unfortunate that some of that resentment was directed at the children.


    If the kids had been grateful, had acted like normal children and had been rejoicing at their rescue, this would not have been the case. However, many of the kids tried to attack them even after all the effort they went through. This made many of the bitter people feel like they had lost their friends for nothing, even though their purpose during the raids had not been to rescue anyone, but to destroy the bases of Zabaniya. The resentment that was the result wasn¡¯t exactly fair, but it was very natural.


    Sarfina breathed a small sigh of frustration. She was hoping the next interview, or interrogation depending on point of view, at least would yield something more positive. She sat behind a table in a room with walls that were decorated rather gaudily. She disliked those decorations, but they were there for a reason. The decorations had been placed to hide the various magical formations set in place around the room. Among other things, those spells would reveal any lies told inside this room. All the kids that had survived and had not gone wild had been questioned in rooms like this, and all of them without exception had lied. Some because they had things to hide, some because that¡¯s what they thought the people questioning them wanted to hear and some because they didn¡¯t want to remember.


    Sarfina really hoped that the one she was waiting for wouldn¡¯t lie. There would be consequences for lies and she really hoped this one wouldn¡¯t fall into that trap. She had seen something in the eyes of this girl as she lay on the floor writhing in pain. There was something different about this one. She just hoped that she was right about what that something was.


    She looked up as the door opened and an acolyte pushed in a wheelchair with the seated girl she had been thinking about. ¡°Thank you for the trouble. I¡¯m aware that she is still weak so I¡¯ll try to keep this short for now. I¡¯ll let you know once we are finished.¡± Sarfina said rising from her chair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be monitoring you from the outside, and will stop this if I feel you are going too far.¡± The young dwarven acolyte said with a threatening voice.


    ¡°Fine, Fine.¡± Sarfina waved the acolyte away with a wry and amused smile. The healers were very protective of their charges, and the dwarven personnel especially took their responsibilities very seriously.


    As she looked at the girl sitting in the wheelchair, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh sadly. The girl looked so young and weak. Although the girl¡¯s heritage was showing in her early spurt of growth, she was thin as a reed clearly lacking proper nourishment and the white fur and large eyes gave the impression of vulnerability. An impression that Sarfina knew to be at least partially false. She knew that thin frame held surprising strength and muscle. Despite all that the girl had gone through, she still managed to look rather cute, even though her status as a patient was obvious from the way she moved.


    ¡°So let¡¯s start with the obvious. What should I call you?¡± Sarfina asked, trying to break the ice.


    ¡°My name is Haydee, but most people just call me Dee.¡± The girl replied with a small smile.


    Sarfina could feel the girl¡¯s senses spreading out, focusing on the ornamentation. The girl had felt the presence of the magical formations. Interesting. ¡°Dee it is then. I¡¯m Captain Faylen Sarfina. Can you tell me where you are from? You won¡¯t be able to go home for a while, but we could let your parents know where you are. They could come see you.¡± Sarfina also smiled, as the girl¡¯s smile was infectious.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The girl¡¯s smile turned into a small grimace though. ¡°I¡¯m not from this world. I was sent here by my mother to meet someone whose identity I don¡¯t know. I had only been here for a day, before I ran afoul of some of the people working with the assassins.¡±


    Sarfina was shocked. ¡°Only a day? Then I should probably assume you know very little about this world?¡±


    ¡°That would be fair to say yes. I learned a little while under the tender care of the assassins, but you couldn¡¯t really go around asking questions. Practical knowledge lessons weren¡¯t very high on their list of priorities either. I picked up a few things from what I overheard, but without proper context¡­¡± Dee explained giving an expressive wave of her hand while looking somewhat ashamed of her ignorance.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s something we¡¯ll have to rectify. Seeing as you¡¯ll most likely be recovering for some time anyway, this might be a good use of your time. I¡¯ll see if I can find someone to tutor you.¡± Sarfina said making plans in her head. This could work to her advantage. This girl really was different from the others, and it might be good for the resentful people to see her working earnestly. That sight might give them some balm for the wounds in their hearts. The girl¡¯s appearance would also work in her favor. She could also monitor the girl in a more natural setting.


    ¡°Speaking of, what happens to me now? I don¡¯t¡¯ exactly have a place to go, nor do I know if I¡¯m free to do so. The nice priestess waiting outside said that you¡¯d tell me more.¡± Dee asked, tilting her head a bit in question.


    ¡°Well that depends a bit on what we discover during out little conversation. Assuming you aren¡¯t going to start attacking us, you¡¯re not a prisoner really, but we can¡¯t really let you go freely either until we determine the effect this ordeal has had on you.¡± Before Sarfina had a chance to continue, Dee voiced her own thoughts, clearly thinking out loud.


    ¡°Yeah, the kids that were pushed too far tended to go crazy. Some turned apathetic and were gotten rid of, while some went more towards uncontrolled rage. The latter ones apparently still had some use, so I think some of them were still kept around. That was part of the process, to see how far they could push us.¡± The girl¡¯s voice turned a little hollow towards the end. Sarfina could tell that the assassins had pushed her too, and that she still carried the scars for that.


    ¡®That explains some of the stored bodies that seemed to have no wounds. They just gave up on life.¡¯ Sarfina suddenly thought. She wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to know what had been done to Dee to push her. People¡¯s mentality was often fragile, but it usually took a lot to push someone to complete apathy. Sarfina had seen the dead eyes of some slaves and brothel workers before, after they had simply given up on life. Usually people¡¯s instinct to survive would kick in, but everyone had a limit.


    She continued half lost in thought. ¡°Anyway, some have proposed to have all of the rational kids trained to become either one of us, or a cleric of the Holy Orders. This would give us the chance to monitor you, and the effects of the ordeal you went through. You¡¯d all end up with a beneficial training and I suppose it also offers a chance at redemption, to save lives instead of taking them. A penance of sorts, I suppose.¡±


    Dee considered it for a moment before replying. ¡°That sounds like an ok idea. I doubt it will work for everyone, but I don¡¯t exactly have an alternative to offer either. I assume part of this discussion is to determine whether I¡¯m suitable, or redeemable as it were?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s part of it yes.¡± Sarfina replied without trying to hide it. ¡°We¡¯re also trying to gather as much information as possible. As such, I¡¯ll need to ask you some questions, and some of them will be uncomfortable. I know you most likely had to do things you rather wouldn¡¯t admit by Zabaniya, but I implore you to be truthful. We¡¯re not going to judge you for what you were forced to do, but we can¡¯t completely let it go either. Lying about what you were forced to do would probably be worse than just admitting the truth.¡±


    Dee gave a wry smile. ¡°And I assume these spells around us will tell you if I don¡¯t tell you the truth? Yes, I thought as much. Ask your questions. I can¡¯t say I¡¯ll answer everything, but I will not lie either.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. We¡¯ll get the hard part out of the way first. Did you kill anyone while you were held captive?¡± Sarfina had an apologetic smile while she asked. It was better to get right to the point that they both knew was coming.


    ¡°Of course. We all did.¡± Dee replied simply. Her eyes seemed to be asking if Sarfina was an idiot for asking such an obvious question.


    ¡°You all?¡± Sarfina asked a little confused. This question had caused most of the kids to lie, but Dee seemed all too willing to admit to it.


    ¡°Yes, I suspect every child you rescued has killed at least once. As the first kill is always the most difficult, one of the first things they did was weed out those that are unable to do it. They put two kids into an arena, and only one came out alive. If both refused to act, then they both were killed by the masters.¡± The girl¡¯s voice was deathly calm.


    Sarfina stared in horror. She had expected something like this, but something about the simplicity in the girl¡¯s voice made it worse. She coughed before continuing. ¡°And have you killed more than once?¡±


    ¡°Well you know the answer to that. I¡¯m fairly sure that I recognize you from the time of the raid. You saw the aftermath of me killing my handler. Also, you have enough experience to know better than to ask the natural follow-up question.¡± Dee said calmly. Again with the look that seemed to question her intelligence for such silly questions.


    Sarfina remembered the body of the black dressed man that had been bleeding on the floor as they had found Dee and some of the other kids. ¡°I assume you mean the question, ¡®more than twice?¡¯¡±


    Dee made a small gesture acknowledging Sarfina¡¯s words. ¡°All I can say is that I spent years held by the Zabaniya. As my mother found me as a baby, I don¡¯t know how old I was when she picked me up. I think I might have been around four or five once the Zabaniya got a hold of me. I don¡¯t actually know exactly how long they held me, but I reckon it was too long. You do the math.¡± Dee had a very sad look on her face as she spoke.


    Sarfina almost felt like shedding a tear for the young girl and she also felt sick to her stomach. Judging by the girl¡¯s appearance, she should be about ten years old now, so she spent about five years held by the assassins. Much longer than most of the kids they had talked to so far. The kids they had talked to before had mentioned that most children didn¡¯t survive past two or three years and most of them were older than five when brought in. ¡°How does that make you feel? Regretful? Horrified? Sad?¡±


    ¡°Sad certainly, but I wouldn¡¯t call it regret exactly. As you can see, I¡¯ve got a fair bit of demon in my heritage, that¡¯s why my mother sent me here. The thought of taking a life isn¡¯t so reprehensible to me, but I do feel as though I¡¯ve lost something. You couldn¡¯t make it as long as I did, if you were the type to get squeamish about death. Would I rather I didn¡¯t have to take lives? Of course, but I also know that if it hadn¡¯t been me, it would¡¯ve been someone else.¡± Dee gave another sad smile and hugged herself a bit. ¡°The things we do in order to survive. I¡¯m not sorry to be alive.¡±


    Sarfina was quiet for a while. She could understand some of what the girl was feeling. She herself had taken many lives in the service of the templars. She rationalized that those were evil people who deserved it, but she also knew the feeling of loss the girl talked about. It was a sort of loss of innocence in a way. It had to be done, but the doing changed you. You saw the world differently afterwards. You knew how fragile life really was and how quickly it could come to an end. It was hard to explain to someone who had not experienced the same. It was tragic that Dee had to face that while this young.


    ¡°How about Wraith?¡± Sarfina asked half to distract herself. Usually she wouldn¡¯t have just blurted it out like that.


    ¡°What about Wraith?¡± The girl looked a little wary. She knew something.


    ¡°What can you tell me about the assassin known as the Wraith?¡± Sarfina asked paying more attention.


    Dee tapped the side of her chair with a finger a few times. ¡°Before I answer that, I have to ask why you want to know?¡±


    This was getting interesting. ¡°One of the main reasons we conducted the raids were to stop the activities of the assassin known as the Wraith. Why would you not want to talk about him?¡±


    The girl seemed to be picking her words carefully. ¡°I do know something about Wraith, but there is power in certain types of knowledge, so I¡¯m judging how much I should tell you. This might end up affecting me as well. But you didn¡¯t answer my question, why are you so focused on Wraith? If I were to make a guess from the rumors, he couldn¡¯t have killed more than maybe a hundred to two hundred people. In a world like this, that¡¯s a drop in the ocean. Some of those people must have also been people you aren¡¯t too sad to see gone.¡±


    ¡°Ok, now I¡¯m really interested in what you might know. I¡¯ll do my best to protect you from any backlash.¡± Sarfina promised. ¡°As for why we are interested in Wraith in particular, there are several reasons that are connected. The biggest problem with Wraith is that he could get to his targets undetected, and we don¡¯t know how. He might have only been at the level of killing people of lower level currently, but what about in the future? He might have been able to take lives that belonged to communities with real power and authority and still remain undetected. Was his secret something that could be taught to others? So this was more about eliminating a future threat than a current one. He also became something of a symbol of Zabaniya¡¯s disregard for rules and resistance against us and other communities trying to maintain order."


    Dee thought for a while. ¡°Some of what I¡¯m about to say is a bit speculative, so don¡¯t take it as solid fact.¡± Sarfina replied by nodding. ¡°My handler seemed to have knowledge of Wraith, a lot of knowledge. He never said anything directly, but what I heard suggested to me that he knew Wraith well. Another interesting fact is that he was always absent from the base when Wraith was reputedly performing missions. Now the people at the base didn¡¯t know exactly when the Wraith was active, but there were rumors and those rumors coincided with the times he was gone. I also know that he was a skilled fighter with some skill in magic.¡±


    Sarfina leaned closer. ¡°So you¡¯re suggesting that he might have been Wraith?¡±


    Dee gave a small shrug. ¡°I can¡¯t answer that and you know it. You know that pretty much all of the assassins are unable to reveal the identities behind the monikers. I only told you some details that I find to be suggestive, but you¡¯ll have to make your own guesses based on them.¡±


    Sarfina had a small victorious grin. Wraith really was gone! Killed by one of the kids no less. This would be news the higher-ups would be happy about. After being jubilant for a moment, she thought about Dee for a bit more. Maybe the higher-ups would also let her take care of the girl for the time being. She seemed to have some potential, and Sarfina at least could understand some of what the girl was going though. That might help Dee adapt to the new situation. Sarfina also wanted something else to work on for a while, because the events with the assassins had taken her taste for killing. Leading a unit on missions would not be a good idea in her current state of mind. This was the perfect excuse to take some time to do other things and decompress.

 Chapter 6

    ----------


    Dee took a better look at her surroundings as the dwarven girl she now knew to be an acolyte pushed her wheelchair back towards the infirmary. The building they were in seemed to be built with functionality in mind instead of trying to be impressive or grandiose. The walls and floor where made of some grey stone, while most of the walls were covered in what seemed to be calming yellow plaster. There were large arched windows every few mels along one of the walls, allowing lots of natural lighting to enter the hallway. On the other side the wall had several nondescript brown wooden doors, leading to rooms with unknown purposes. Judging from the distance between the doors, the rooms were not very large and were used either as offices or other similar purposes.


    Dee could see a bit of a training field outside the windows, and she could make out some armored people going through their drills. As her vantage point sitting on the wheelchair was rather bad, she wanted to get up to the window to get a better idea of her surroundings, but the acolyte was having none of that. The young woman brusquely told her to sit still and rest until they got back to the infirmary. The acolyte most certainly wasn¡¯t going to be responsible for Dee hurting herself further. It looked like she would have to wait a bit until she could scout things out personally.


    Instead she satisfied her curiosity by asking the acolyte some questions, some of which the young woman even answered. Apparently this building was rather massive and housed trainees from both the Order of the Radiant Sun as well as the Holy Orders. Most of the people here were trainees and acolytes, as well as the teachers and master assigned to their training. Currently there was a larger amount of fully trained templars and paladins present as they were watching over some of the children saved from the assassins. This was despite the fact that most of the kids were still being treated by the Mystic¡¯s guild, while only a handful was currently here resting and recovering.


    Dee herself would spend at least two weeks in the infirmary recovering and would not be allowed to stress herself too much, as that could endanger her recovery. After two weeks, she would be allowed to partake in light exercise to help her body recover correctly. That sounded intensely boring, so Dee hoped that Captain Sarfina would find that tutor soon, or that they would at least give her some books to read or something. She didn¡¯t mind a little boredom after all that happened, but doing nothing for whole days at a time was a bit too much.


    -----


    Luckily for Dee, she didn¡¯t have to get bored for more than a day. After waking up the next morning and eating some rather mediocre breakfast, her tutor arrived. Dee was resting on her bed getting bored, as she felt the presence of someone new in the room. Someone new and powerful. She knew that she would not be able to escape in her current condition if whoever had come was hostile, but she prepared to flee anyway while staring through the partitions towards the source of power she had sensed. Once the partition opened, she could only blink in slight confusion and stare in slight fascination.


    Apparently the person saw the confusion in Dee¡¯s eyes, and could feel her stare. A soft female voice asked: ¡°What is it girl? Is there something on my face? It¡¯s a little impolite to stare like that at someone you just met.¡± A long row of sharp teeth was shown as the woman gave a small smile in a failed attempt to soften her words.


    ¡°My apologies, I¡¯ve never quite seen scales as beautiful as yours. The red hue is simply mesmerizing.¡± Dee replied dragging her eyes away from the ruby red scales of the saurian woman. The woman was dressed in a long white and gold robe of a priestess, and was carrying an ornamental golden staff with a blue crystal on top that had four smaller crystal levitating and rotating around the large one in the center. The over two mels tall saurian looked quite impressive and a little imposing.


    ¡°Why, thank you child. I quite like your pure white and smooth fur as well. I get the feeling that you haven¡¯t seen all that many saurian before?¡± The woman¡¯s toothy smile widened further.


    ¡°Not that many no. I¡¯ve seen a few when I first came to this world but they were all blue in color. I¡¯ve never seen anyone else with a beautiful red hue like yours.¡± Dee said still a little distracted. She had always liked the color red, and something about the saurian scales made her want to run her hand along them.


    ¡°Ah, you must have visited the eastern section of the Day city then. Our blue cousins mostly reside there. My kind live mostly in the northern sections of both Day city and Night city. In any case, my name is Mazatl. I was asked to be your tutor for a while. Pleasure to meet you.¡± The saurian woman greeted Dee politely and cupped her hands in front of her chest in a greeting.


    ¡°I figured that might be the case. My name is Haydee, but most people just call me Dee.¡± She replied while returning the greeting, imitating the gesture and eliciting another smile from Mazatl.


    The saurian woman took a seat on a chair next to Dee¡¯s bed, taking care to arrange her long and thick tail for a smooth position. ¡°So if I understand correctly, your knowledge of this world is very limited? They didn¡¯t explain your origins to me very clearly, though I can make some guesses based on the rumors flying around.¡±


    Dee acknowledged the assessment with a small gesture. ¡°I would appreciate it if you assumed I just arrived on this world having no knowledge of it. A monk told me a few things the first day I came here, but that was a long time ago. I can make some guesses on my own, but I¡¯d rather just be taught the real facts instead.¡± Dee replied a little ashamed of her ignorance.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with the basics then and see where the conversation takes us from there. I have a feeling that you will have a lot of questions and we¡¯ll get sidetracked at that point. First things first, this world is called the Pantheon of Heroes. Right away we come to the first important digression, because there is something that might confuse you. There exists another place called the Pantheon of Gods, which is where the various deities of all the worlds can gather. That one is more of a different plane and not a physical location. Most of the time when someone on this world says the word Pantheon they mean this world, but it would be beneficial for you to keep in mind that there is another place with that name so that you can avoid confusion.¡± Mazatl started her explanation.


    ¡°Guessing by the name, since the Pantheon of Gods is a gathering place for gods, then is this the gathering place of Heroes?¡± Dee asked the obvious question.


    ¡°Yes and no. You are correct that this is a gathering place for heroes but in a different way than you are most likely imagining. This next part is fairly complex and one of the harder parts to understand about our world, but try to bear with me. On the countless worlds in this universe, the various races have legends about powerful individuals be they brave heroes, insidious villains or beings that are confused with gods. These beings create legends, and the legends have their own power separate from the person who created them. Sometimes this power coalesces into what are called Authorities.


    Authorities can vary wildly both in strength, function and in origin. Not all Authorities are born from legends either, as some are formed naturally. I think a few examples would illustrate this well. You have no doubt noticed that this world has several stars, or suns as people often call them?¡± Mazatl looked at Dee to make sure, and got a nod in affirmative.


    ¡°These suns and their effects are controlled by the beings holding the Sun Authorities. If the holders of these Authorities so decide, then the effect of those suns will weaken and the suns will barely shine, if at all. They can also use the power of the sun to attack their enemies, but that is a topic for another time. Sun Authorities are an example of naturally occurring Authorities, which can be passed from one person to another freely, although they rarely change hands. Many lesser Authorities however are often traded for, and usually for exorbitant prices as they are limited in number but always in high demand.


    On the other end are so called Hero Authorities which this world is named after. The legends I mentioned earlier can cause the gathered power to coalesce into an Authority which will grant various benefits to the holder according to the legend that created it. A famous warrior might have a famous weapon and some powers attributed to him, and the created Authority will grant the holder access to the weapon and powers mentioned in the legend. It can also increase the holder¡¯s skill with the weapon in question and grant other similar benefits. On the downside, the Heroes are often famous for the way they met their end. The holder of the Authority will often also gain a weakness in addition to the benefits and the weakness is often related to whatever caused the end of the hero in question.


    Authorities like this can sometimes be passed on, but just as often the Authority will automatically choose a new holder according to its own criteria. Some Authorities require the hopeful new holder to go through trials to gain their favor, while some stay in the family and so on. It¡¯s hard to make too many generalizations about them, because they are so varied. The important part is that they seem to gather here at the Pantheon of Heroes, hence the name. The Authorities also tend to grant great power, but that power often can¡¯t be used freely. For example, even if you were to gain a Sun Authority, you wouldn¡¯t actually be able to do anything with it, because it would require your own power to actually make any changes.¡± Mazatl explained.


    ¡°Seems fair. The more powerful the Authority is the more of your own power is needed to use it properly. I would consider it highly twisted if someone would simply gain great power that easily. I¡¯m assuming there¡¯s also a level of mastery of some kind involved?¡± Dee asked, making sure.


    ¡°As with any other power. Just because one has the potential, it doesn¡¯t mean one can use it for maximum effect. Don¡¯t underestimate the power of Authorities though. The power they grant can often surprise you and change the rules in a way you won¡¯t be able to expect.¡± Mazatl said seriously.


    ¡°Thank you for the warning. I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± Dee replied thoughtfully. As a logical person, she might be vulnerable to making assumptions based on known rules and could be completely surprised by anything defying those rules.


    ¡°Now all that said, Authorities are not something you¡¯ll have to worry about too much for a while. I just wanted you to be aware of them, and where the name of this world comes from. Returning to the subject of our world, the planet is quite possibly the largest habitable planet in the universe. It is as big as five normal sized stars, and holds uncountable number of beings of almost all races found in the universe.


    Unlike normal star systems, here we have several stars orbiting a single planet. Those stars are controlled by the Authorities I mentioned earlier. The city of Day has more light than the city of Night, hence the names. The cities are on the opposite sides of the planet, with a great wilderness in between. I¡¯d tell you the number of stars giving light to each city, but that number changes on occasion according to the whims of their masters. Even the number of stars varies sometimes as new authorities are created, and old ones cease to exist.


    You¡¯ve probably already learned that the two cities are divided to thirteen circles and that the power of the inhabitants rises towards the center of the cities. The eight and the fourth circles are important thresholds as the nature of the cities changes at those points. Beyond the eighth circle, as in circles between nine and thirteen, people are living rather normally and one can do rather well with his or her own power. These are often called the lesser circles where people are simply trying to make a living. Because of the availability of resources and space, the competition for them usually seen on other worlds is not too fierce here. That is not to say there is no conflict as you should know, but it is less intense than in the other areas.


    At the eighth circle is where the real competition for position and power begins. That is what usually separates the strong from the weak. The different groups will actively try to fight for power, improve their position and increase their reach and numbers. While the lesser circles live in relative peace, those at eighth circle and deeper in are in fierce competition. At this point the ability of a single person usually stops being enough, and people form into groups to protect themselves and their interests. It is not uncommon to see entire groups get wiped out, if they pick a fight with the wrong enemy.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    There is another important difference at the fourth circle. Each officially recognized group is assigned a number, but the number only starts to really matter when you reach the fourth circle. Those living at the center of the city, in the first circle have single digits from one to nine as their number. In both cities eight out of those nine are powerful groups, and only a single number belongs to an individual. Those at the second circle have double digits from ten to ninety nine and those at the third circle have three digits from hundred to nine hundred ninety nine. As you can probably guess, the numbers form a ranking of sorts and a clear ranking like this engenders fierce competition as every group tries to show their supremacy.¡± Mazatl finished her explanation.


    ¡°Well that sounds troublesome. For those involved at least. I¡¯m fairly certain that it will not really concern me for a long time if ever.¡± Dee gave a small sigh of relief, while thinking that she would be spending most of her time for the foreseeable future under the watchful eye of the templars, and thus blissfully uninvolved.


    ¡°You¡¯re most likely correct, but you should still be aware of the situation. And you never know what might happen in the future.¡± Mazatl replied with a smile of agreement. ¡°Well, we¡¯ve had a decent start to the lessons, and I¡¯ll let you get back to rest. I¡¯m pretty sure that little dwarven acolyte will turn me into a patient if I bother you for too long.¡±


    ¡°Can you at least arrange me something to read? It¡¯s dreadfully boring to just lay here.¡± Dee asked with almost a desperate gleam in her eyes.


    Mazatl gave a small chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. It will do you wonders to do some of your own research and form some of your own opinions. I will teach you to the best of my abilities, but everything I say will be colored by my own experiences. You may come to different conclusions as you learn more.¡±


    ----------


    Dee gave a small sigh of frustration. Mazatl¡¯s words had implied that she would send Dee some books about the Pantheon, but so far that was not the case. She had indeed received a fairly sizeable amount of reading material, which were currently piled at the side her bed, but most of the books were works of fiction. What¡¯s worse, they weren¡¯t even the sort of legends that might spawn the kinds of Authorities Mazatl had mentioned. They were mostly vacuous romance novels and trite tales of the sort of characters that drove Dee crazy with their idiocy. She had a sneaking suspicion that Mazatl had dumped a bunch of her favorite novels on Dee, just to have someone who could hold a discussion about them. Either that or the saurian was playing a mean practical joke on her.


    She gently probed Mazatl on the subject during their next lesson, and found out it was mostly the first reason. There was also an additional element. Mazatl treated Dee like one would treat a standard girl of Dee¡¯s approximate age, partly because the saurian didn¡¯t yet know better, and partly to bring a sense of normalcy back to Dee¡¯s life. As such, she assumed Dee would enjoy the sort of reading she had provided, since it was rather fashionable among girls of Dee¡¯s age.


    Mazatl knew or at least suspected that Dee had something to do with the assassin organization that had been attacked by the Radiant Sun, but didn¡¯t quite know the extent to which she was affected by that experience. Mazatl had dealt with a number of children freed from slave markets, brothels and other shady sources and most of the children had been traumatized to at least some extent. Compared to the others, Dee¡¯s behavior was remarkably balanced. Mazatl assumed, and not totally without reason, that either Dee had not spent that much time held by Zabaniya or she was locking the trauma deep inside her. In either case, a sense of normalcy that something as minor as the books could bring was rather therapeutic.


    Dee didn¡¯t want to correct Mazatl who had provided the books out of kindness, since having books of even this level was better than nothing, and if the saurian woman was offended then Dee might lose even that slight joy. She did point out that she was a psion and as such much further developed mentally than her peers, so more serious literature was more to her tastes, but she did it very gently. Besides, some of the trashier romance novels that had gotten mixed up with the books actually had some interesting content. So far Dee¡¯s only experience with any matters sexual had been the brutality inflicted on the children by the sick twists among the assassin masters, so a gentler perspective was a welcome and a healthy change.


    It was when she was reading one of those trashy novels that things changed. ¡®Not that it¡¯s my place to judge, but isn¡¯t content like that a bit too soon for someone your age?¡¯ An androgynous voice suddenly sounded in Dee¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Oh pendant, you¡¯re finally awake? You sure took your sweet time.¡± Dee said, her bright voice betraying her obvious pleasure. She had known that the pendant would be dormant for a long time, but the years among the Zabaniya had been very lonely. The pendant wouldn¡¯t have been able to save her most likely, but at least she would¡¯ve been less alone.


    ¡°Humm, that implies you were familiar with my previous personality. Have I changed owners without violence for a change?¡± The androgynous voice asked, now also speaking out loud since Dee didn¡¯t seem concerned with secrecy.


    ¡°Mother said you¡¯d lose your memory and personality when you switched owners. I had hoped she was wrong, but it seems that is not the case. Yes, you changed owners by choice.¡± Dee answered feeling a bit down. She had liked the pendants previous personality.


    ¡°Well this is an interesting change of pace. It also seems we were familiar previously, though judging by your age, that acquaintance could not have been very long. In any case, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you master. Although you seem to know some of it, I¡¯ll tell you the basics just to make sure. The personality and memories of intelligent items like myself get wiped when we change owners because more often than not we change hands due to violence. If we had a vendetta against our new owners, we wouldn¡¯t make for very good items. For the same reason, the new personality is usually rather similar to our owner, to avoid creating problems.


    If our owner is evil, so are we. If our owner is noble, so are we. Our identities and power grow with our owners. Although there will always be slight differences, in general we tend to have personalities very compatible to our owners. Our powers tend to develop either to emphasize the strengths of our owners, or to cover their weaknesses.¡± The androgynous voice explained.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right at all. You had a very different personality when compared to mother. She was brilliant but a little ditzy, while you were more of a voice of reason and calm.¡± Dee wondered in confusion.


    ¡°I think that might be because my previous owner had me for a long time. When we are together for hundreds of years, we tend to start developing more of our own individual personalities. Complexity grows from experience. We get more complex and create small differences over time, which later on can compound for larger differences. There is also a possibility that I was how I was, because that was what my previous master desired. Your wishes will also influence our development over time.¡± The voice explained. Dee could already tell that the new personality was different, as it sounded less emotional and more¡­analytical?


    ¡°Well I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get along this time too, though I feel a little bad for the loss of your old personality. That said, I am curious about your abilities and the contents stored inside you. Neither you nor mother really explained your old abilities beyond being good with detection type abilities, which you used to train me when I was smaller. I¡¯m also pretty sure mother stored several things inside you for my future use.¡± Dee inquired, trying to distract herself from the loss of the first and perhaps the only real friend she¡¯d ever had.


    ¡°Well, first of all any abilities I had previously are now gone, and should only serve as something you can use as an idea for how I should develop in the future. The only ability I retained was to work as a dimensional storage, which you already mentioned. I¡¯m going through the contents right now, and will give you an inventory in a moment. Before that, we should talk about the first direction I should take. The good part about intelligent magical items such as myself is that we grow along our owners, and our owners can direct that growth. I start without any abilities, but you get to influence the type of ability I will start developing first. I could for instance start with the detection type abilities that you mentioned?¡± The voice suggested questioningly.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem very smart when that is one of my specialties, unlike with mother who wasn¡¯t as great with them. Since I¡¯m just starting to develop myself, it would be iffy to have you cover any weaknesses I have, since I might as well train to improve those weaknesses myself. It would be wasteful to have you start with an ability that will grow redundant in a short while. How about something in the general supportive style? Something like that would always be useful.¡± Dee suggested instead.


    ¡°Hmm, I think I have something in mind that would suit your specifications. I can develop an ability to provide a wide variety of positive effects. I think most people call them buffs. For instance, I could improve your speed or strength depending on the situation.¡± The voice mused.


    ¡°That sounds useful, tell me some details.¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°Well, what I have in mind would bring flexibility and various uses. The strength off the help I can provide would grow stronger the more I develop. I could provide all my power as a single buff, like strength for example, and you could change the nature of the buff as the situation required. I could give you several buffs as well, but the strength would lessen with each buff. Three buffs would mean each would only be a third as effective, but that too might be beneficial in some situations.¡± The voice explained.


    ¡°That sounds like something that would be very useful. Would that be the only benefit you provide, or will you develop further abilities later on?¡± Dee asked. If someone had been listening in, they would be weirded out by two overly analytical and emotionless voices talking to each other.


    ¡°I would develop more abilities later on. That said, there is something of a trade-off involved. If I develop several abilities very fast, then they will improve much slower. I¡¯d recommend sticking with one or two abilities as long as possible to get the best of them. In any case, it¡¯ll take me a few days to gain the ability to provide buffs, and it will be years before we can talk about another ability. Shall I go with this ability then?¡± The voice asked.


    ¡°Do it. We have something else to discuss. I used to just call you pendant. Do you have a name, or shall we decide one for you now? I don¡¯t want to keep calling you pendant.¡± Dee pointed out with some chagrin. Pendant was the name she used for her old friend, and it would feel wrong to have someone else re-use that name, as uninventive as it was.


    ¡°You get to decide. You should be aware that choosing my name will also affect something else. My personality can develop either as male, female or neither, and the name you select will decide the path I will take. Judging by your reaction earlier, last time I was neither, but that doesn¡¯t have to be the case this time.¡± The voice dropped another surprise.


    ----------


    A/N: I wonder what Dee should decide? Both on name and gender. Suggestions are welcome, though I already have placeholders selected. As a sidenote, I know the discussion between the pendant and Dee is a little wooden, but that''s on purpose, considering we have two emotionally undeveloped characters discussing things.

 Chapter 7

    A/N: Ok, finally home. No chapter yesterday, because 10 hours in a car and four hours in a train. Fuck travel. This chapter is a wee bit longer though. It''s a bit explain-y, but I tried making it interesting at least. It''s a complex world out there.


    A word that will come up during this story that might need some explaining is tradecraft. For example, a hunter¡¯s tradecraft might include tracking, herbalism, skinning and scavenging his kills, survival skills etc. Tradecraft is a blanket term for such sub skills one needs to know to do one¡¯s profession.


    I also liked the name suggestions and the suggestion by Rizza made sense. I did like the others though, and will be using at least Moirai in the future.


    I hope you enjoy


    ---------


    The pendant¡¯s words had really given Dee something to think about. She had gotten used to the androgynous voice and persona, so her first thought was to keep the new personality the same. However, there was a worry that the androgynous voice would keep reminding her of the friend that was now gone. She might have trouble disassociating the new personality from the old one, and might have trouble with the new personality because she couldn¡¯t let go. The new personality was not the same as her friend. It might become similar in the far future, but it might be unfair to try to recreate her old friend that was now gone, instead of just letting a new one personality and friendship develop. Maybe it was better to make a clean break and have the personality and voice change?


    If so, then which would be better, a male or a female personality? Having a male perspective might be interesting, but Dee wasn¡¯t sure she was comfortable with spending most of her time with a male personality. Even if the pendant wasn¡¯t really the type of male that would care about Dee¡¯s toilet habits, it was still somehow too much for the current Dee to handle. It might be interesting, but it was also risky. Having the pendant assume a female personality was the safest option.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with a female. Do you have any wishes for a name?¡± Dee asked, knowing that her naming sense was rather bad.


    The pendant considered for a while. ¡°I seem to recall that I was called Croestia once. That is something I could live with.¡±


    ¡°Croestia it is then. I¡¯m ashamed to admit that my sense at naming is¡­deficient. I would¡¯ve said something like Ruby or Tear something equally unimaginative.¡± Dee sighed with relief.


    ¡°Happy to make your acquaintance master, my name is Croestia.¡± The pendant said with a decidedly feminine voice that was slightly husky. The voice reminded Dee of a mature woman sure of herself. That certainly didn¡¯t match her current personality. Croestia was already forming her individuality? Where did this come from? Or was it just the only female option and didn¡¯t reflect her current personality? Time would tell.


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you.¡± Dee replied with a smile. Suddenly she got an idea. ¡°That reminds me, I¡¯ve only seen you as a pendant, but you¡¯re talking to me even though you don¡¯t have a proper form yet. Are there any rules about your form?¡±


    ¡°Well, I need to have a form in a way that I¡¯m not invisible, but there are no other rules. I can even remain as a tattoo just like I am now. The only issue is that I will be able to see the surroundings better if I¡¯m not under your fur or clothes. The form of a pendant isn¡¯t exactly optimal, considering that I could get in the way if the chain is too long, and many people like to keep a pendant under their shirt, which would have the same problem as being under your fur.¡± Croestia replied. Dee¡¯s fur was short and sleek enough in most of her body to almost be a second skin, but it did cover her real skin properly. Her head and tails were really the only exceptions, actually being quite fluffy.


    Dee thought for a while, considering all the possibilities. ¡°I kind of like the thought of you as a tattoo. Weird question, can you be in more than one place on my body?¡±


    ¡°Yes, though not without limit.¡± Croestia replied, her voice showing her curiosity about where this was going.


    ¡°I was just thinking that most of my body might get covered by armor at some point. The only two exceptions I can think of are my ears and my tails.¡± Dee pointed out.


    Croestia gave that some consideration. ¡°Those are both decent options. How would you feel like having black tips on your ears? Would give me a good amount of visibility. That¡¯s not exactly a tattoo, but it would be something similar enough. Even if your ears get damaged, I will simply move somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good enough option for now. There¡¯s something unrelated I have to ask. Do you remember anything that happened during the time you were asleep?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°No, but you can share your memories of the events with me if you want.¡± Croestia replied.


    It took a little explaining to get it done, but Dee managed to share her memories since Selvaria picked her up. It took about an hour for Croestia to look through them. Dee continued to read her trashy novel while she was distracted. ¡°Well. Shit. You haven¡¯t had a very happy life so far, have you?¡± Croestia finally said.


    ¡°I suppose. Could be worse too, I think.¡± Dee replied, giving a small grimace.


    ¡°Not by much! Well, you¡¯re alive and in relatively one piece I suppose. Not due to any lack of effort on behalf of others to change both.¡± Croestia said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a start at least. Our new life starts from here. I just wanted you to be aware of what has happened.¡± Dee said half to herself. Sharing lifted some of the weight from her heart. Now there was someone who knew what had happened to her and would understand.


    -----


    Slightly later Dee remembered something that had slipped her mind. ¡°Croestia, did you finish doing inventory with the things stored inside you?¡±


    ¡°More or less. There are a few things I¡¯m still trying to figure out. Apparently the old me left the new me instructions on the proper use of some things, as well as instructions on when I¡¯m supposed to give some of the things to you.¡± The voice replied sounding a little distracted.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll need a bit better explanation than that.¡± Dee said furrowing her eyebrows.


    ¡°Well I think it¡¯ll become more obvious as I tell you about the items. The biggest portion of all the items is made up of books and manuals. Most of them are instructions on psionic techniques and power cultivation methods. The cultivation methods have instructions telling me I should only give them to you at the level of power they will be most useful to you. Similarly many of the techniques also require a certain level of power before you can properly utilize them. Also there are instructions telling me that you should focus on mastering the techniques one or two at a time, and not try to develop several at once.


    Most of the techniques require a certain level of mastery before they really become useful and apparently it¡¯s easier to master them through focus and extended use. The first technique I¡¯m supposed to give you is an interesting example. It¡¯s a little above what I assume is your current power level, but it¡¯s one of those techniques that you can only master if you use it a lot, and you¡¯re supposed to start practicing it now, even though the real benefits will only show after you gain more power. You can start using it now and learn to squeeze the best out of the skill. When you have more power, what you¡¯ve learned now will make it much more effective.¡± Croestia explained.


    ¡°That makes sense. Once you really master a single skill properly, not only does its use become more instinctive due to repeated use but you can learn to use it in a wider array of situations if you¡¯re forced to make do with fewer skills. That teaches you flexibility and situational thinking. What else do you have stored?¡± Dee replied nodding a bit. There was something to be said about having a wide toolkit, but being able to adapt a more narrow kit to wider usage was an important skill as well.


    ¡°There are also manuals on alchemy, which are dependent on the level of equipment you have access to and your skill level. Some of the memories you shared seemed to indicate you had an interest in the subject, which I assume is the reason why the manuals are here.¡± Croestia pointed out.


    ¡°Well, it was one of the things mother enjoyed doing, and I seemed to have a knack for that. I always had this weird feel to alchemy, unlike with other things mother was interested in. It just felt very natural and logical. Sometimes I would simply feel that it would create a good effect when certain substances were mixed. It would just feel natural, you know?


    It¡¯s also one of the few crafting professions I could even do, since almost all the others require ability in magic, while alchemy just requires power to be infused into the materials. Anyway, it might be a good idea to give me the first books an all three subjects alchemy, psionic cultivation and techniques now, since I have time to go through them. I might as well make the most of that time even if I won¡¯t be able to practice them.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Agreed. I need to get a more precise measure of your psionic level though, or I can¡¯t give you the right manual. Your memories tell me that you have a rough idea yourself, but even you don¡¯t know your current level of power exactly. I wonder if that saurian teacher of yours could have it measured for you?¡± Croestia suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask her tomorrow. What else?¡± Dee prompted Croestia to continue.


    ¡°Right, so we have some materials for a wide variety of uses. There are alchemy ingredients as well as some metals and valuable gems. There are even some leathers, cloths and some miscellaneous goods. Some of them are apparently for your use when you get a little older, while some are for trading. Your mother couldn¡¯t give you any currency as she didn¡¯t have the currency of this world, but she gave you stuff you can sell. Also food, lots of food.¡± Croestia gave a small chuckle at the mountain of food stored within the dimensional storage.


    ¡°Oh good, I hate this hospital shite. Anything else?¡± Dee asked. She was actually quite fond of good food, but hadn¡¯t seen much of that in the last few years. The missions she performed sometimes allowed a small snack, but that was about it.


    ¡°Well here we come to the reason why it has taken me so long. There are three doors inside the storage dimension. I know there is something important and powerful behind each door, but I can¡¯t open them. There are apparently some conditions to opening them, but I have no idea what those conditions might be. The old me is the one who set those conditions, and I left some hints for the current me but so far I¡¯ve had no luck figuring them out.¡± Croestia gave a deep sigh.


    ¡°Well it is what it is. We¡¯ll figure it out eventually. Even if we don¡¯t, I¡¯m quite happy with the stuff you already mentioned. No use worrying about something we can¡¯t change. Now give me those books and something decent to eat. I¡¯m bored and I¡¯m hungry. That priestess isn¡¯t a big believer in solid foods.¡± Dee decided, putting the doors out of her mind for now.


    ----------


    The next day Mazatl once again returned to give Dee a lesson. She had returned every day for a week now, and she was impressed with the girl¡¯s ability to absorb knowledge. Dee was a good student, and Mazatl enjoyed teaching her. The lessons didn¡¯t really even feel like lessons, because Dee would ask smart questions and make good observations, which turned the lesson more into a dialogue and discussion instead of a lecture.


    ¡°Today I thought we should continue our talk about the nature of Pantheon itself and its history.¡± Mazatl started.


    ¡°Right, I remember hearing something about the world being made by refugees from the War in Heavens?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°While that¡¯s not wrong, I feel the word ¡®refugees¡¯ is a bit misleading. It is true that some of the inhabitants are refugees, but the beings that created this world in the first place were not running away from the war. They simply didn¡¯t want to get mixed up in it anymore as it was a bother and annoyance. If you combined the strength within Pantheon, it could rival any of the three remaining factions still taking part in the war, so it might end up badly if you were to suggest that they were running away.¡± Mazatl explained with a thoughtful expression, trying to find the right words.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    After a moment she continued. ¡°The war only included some races originally, but it spread over such a wide variety of worlds, and got so many other races and neutral worlds involved that some of them finally had enough. The most powerful beings came together to create Pantheon. Any beings could come to Pantheon to get away from the war, and the four factions were given very limited access to the planet. As the demons are no longer a faction in the war, they can now freely enter and seek refuge if they are able to get here.


    The other three factions are banned from influencing matters here. They are allowed embassies and they are allowed to conduct trade here, but only a small amount of their number is allowed to come to Pantheon at the same time. If any of them are caught stirring things up, they face serious punishments, not the least of which is banishment from this world for thousands of years.¡±


    ¡°Not that I have anything against this world, but why would that stop the angels for example, if they wanted to come here and kill the remaining demons? I mean, how would the banishment deter them?¡± Dee asked a little confused.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just banishment, as anyone involved is summarily executed, but the main reasons are power and trade. I already told you about the Authorities, and while they tend to appear within Pantheon, that doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t be acquired by the three factions and taken elsewhere. However, the main point is that Pantheon could be called the center of the universe when it comes to anything worth trading for.


    The best items are created here, the best materials can be found here and you can have access to almost any kind of information you could desire. If you can¡¯t find something in Pantheon, then it isn¡¯t worth finding. Losing access to Pantheon could be a major issue for any of the factions.¡± Mazatl¡¯s voice carried a quite a bit of certainty. This was something that had been proven several times in the past. There were very few things that any of the three factions valued enough to risk relations with the Pantheon. In the worst case, the Pantheon might even retaliate directly to show their displeasure.


    Dee didn¡¯t seem entirely convinced, and Mazatl could understand that. It was likely the young demon had some experience with the so called ¡®Holy Purge¡¯ perpetrated by the angels, and she was most likely worried for her safety and whether the angels would be able to reach her here. Mazatl couldn¡¯t really blame Dee for that worry, but she did feel like it was somewhat wasted.


    ¡°Oh I wanted to ask you something. Would it be possible to have my powers measured in some way? I¡¯ve heard that there are official levels, but I have no idea what my level is and what the levels even are.¡± Dee changed the subject.


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but it is a little more complex than you might think at first. The rankings aren¡¯t really a simple measure of power. They are usually a combination of the power you have and the number and level of techniques or spells you can use. Usually every ranking has a certain criteria they must meet to qualify to be counted at that particular rank. For mages it¡¯s most often a certain minimum amount of mana, as well as the ability to cast a qualifying amount of spells of the rank you wish to be promoted to. For example, to be counted as a fifth rank mage, they must be able to cast ten fifth rank spells in a row without resting, and the spells have to be from a certain pre-determined list of spells. After they accomplish that, they gain the rank of Magus.


    For warrior types, they must also be able to hold their own against an opponent of the rank they wish to qualify for, for a certain period of time. The warriors are less dependent on specific techniques and are measured by their combat abilities. This is mostly because ki isn¡¯t the only power used by warrior types. Here you have the example of templar or paladins, who use holy power for similar purposes.


    If you show your strength, you qualify for a higher rank. This has to be done in the presence of neutral observers to make sure their opponent isn¡¯t making things easy in order to cheat. The warriors can¡¯t be measured in other ways, because unlike mages warriors don¡¯t have a unified set of abilities and much is dependent on individual abilities instead. Some races are strong simply due to their inherent abilities as members of their race.¡± Mazatl explained, trying to recall all the details.


    ¡°What about psions and clerics?¡± Dee prompted. Although knowing about warriors and mages was useful, she was a psion herself so that was the most important part for her.


    ¡°Well those two are both more simple and more complex. Do you know the difference between a cleric and a priest or a priestess? Or the difference between a cleric and a paladin or a templar?¡± Mazatl asked.


    Dee frowned in a rather cute way. ¡°Not exactly. I can make some guesses, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s start there then. A cleric is basically a priest that has received at least some martial training, as opposed to priests that only use their holy powers for spells. You can think of clerics as combat priests, and not be too far from the truth, however clerics are holy men and women first and fighters second. That martial training doesn¡¯t need to be skill in weapons, as they can be trained in tactics and tradecraft related to martial training like survival skills. The difference between paladins or templars and clerics is that the first two rely on their force of arms first and holy powers second.


    The difference between templars and paladins is that paladins use their holy powers mostly for healing and protection, while templars use their power mostly to enhance their martial prowess and offensive abilities. While paladins are protectors, templars are trained to seek out their enemies in the name of their deity. The two are also a perfect example why the warriors are not ranked by their ki, because both paladins and templars are also warriors. They are holy warriors that use the power of their gods to strengthen their bodies, but warriors nonetheless. A paladin or a templar might be ranked both as a warrior and a servant of the gods, but usually they display their holy rankings to the public instead of their warrior ranking as a tribute to their deity. There are exceptions, but they are generally looked down upon.


    In all the cases, the way they rank the power that they gain from the gods is fairly complex. Because the holy spells are less dependent on the individual¡¯s power, as most spells require more mastery of the spell than holy power, their ranking is more dependent on the variety of abilities and spells they can use, as well as the mastery they hold over those spells. Healing performed by a first ranked priest is entirely different when compared to one performed by rank nine priests. To make things worse, their ranking is also affected by the deity they receive their power from.¡± Mazatl explained.


    ¡°How does that work? And how can there be any real test for things like that?¡± Dee asked, now thoroughly confused.


    ¡°The ranking is determined by a council of three higher ranked priests, clerics, paladins or templars, as well as the deity the person serves. The deities are not equal and neither are the boons they grant to their servants. Usually the council determines the rank by evaluating the person¡¯s skills, but the final say lies with the deity the person serves, as well as the level of the blessing given to the person. If you serve the wrong deity, you might never reach the highest rankings among the faithful as most of the deities aren¡¯t able to grant the highest level of blessings.¡± Mazatl shook her head a bit at that. She herself was more of a scholar, but she had gotten lucky with the deity she served.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that just make every priest serve the most powerful deities?¡± Dee asked, pointing out the obvious flaw.


    ¡°Yes and no. It is not just the servant that chooses the deity; the deity must also choose the servant. Every person who desires to use the power of the deities goes through a Ritual of Choosing, where they send their souls to the Pantheon of the Gods, where they meet the deity or deities they are fated to serve. There¡¯s also an element of luck involved. You can theoretically refuse if the deity you meet doesn¡¯t meet your standard, but refusal carries consequences. The other deities don¡¯t usually look positively on refusal, and pissing off a deity carries danger as they might decide to retaliate and curse you instead. In any case, one rarely meets with a deity that is not suitable for the person in question.¡± Mazatl finished with a sigh. There was a certain level of discrimination among the faith based orders according to one¡¯s deity.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s about time you get to the most important one for me. I think you¡¯re teasing me on purpose.¡± Dee said, pouting a little.


    Mazatl gave a toothy grin. ¡°A little yes, but I wanted to tell you about the others first for context, so you can appreciate the oddity of psions. The psions are the only ones who get ranked purely by the raw amount of power they have. The psions have access to such a wide variety of powers and techniques that they are simply impossible to rank in power when compared to each other or the other rankings.


    There¡¯s also a lack of skills that are shared across all psions, beyond the simple strengthening of their bodies and even that isn¡¯t available to all psions. So that can¡¯t be used as a measuring stick either. As a result, the raw power is the only way to rank them, but that also makes their ranking the most unreliable one. With all the others, a higher ranked person will be more dangerous almost hundred percent of the time, but that isn¡¯t necessarily the case with psions.¡±


    ¡°So what are the rankings? How many are there and can you have me measured? Since I am the only type that should be relatively easy to measure, even if it isn¡¯t as reliable, that shouldn¡¯t be too big of a problem, right?¡± Dee asked a little impatiently.


    ¡°To answer the last question first, yes we can have you measured, but it¡¯ll take me a few days to get someone here from the freelancer¡¯s guild that can perform the measurement. Psions are so rare that only the freelancers and the group known as Threads of Fate can do the measurement for you. All four groups share the commonly used thirteen ranks, though they all have their own names for them. There is some variance but as a general rule of thumb, similar ranked people are roughly on an even playing field when it comes to power.


    The first nine ranks of power are simply a measure of one¡¯s power and abilities. You¡¯ll most likely learn the names at one point in the future, but that¡¯s a topic for another time. Something you should know however, is that the tenth rank marks a wide gulf between the ranks. No matter what path you follow, reaching the tenth rank is special and among other things grants you immunity to the ravages of time. Even the immortal and long lived races are brought back to their prime and they become much harder to kill. Those ranked between ranks ten and twelve are beings that can shake the foundations of any other world and make a big difference here in Pantheon as well.¡± Mazatl explained, slipping back into her lecturing tone.


    ¡°You mentioned thirteen ranks. What of the thirteenth rank then?¡± Dee asked with some worry.


    ¡°The thirteenth rank is a catch-all ranking for beings that hold the power to either create or destroy worlds. Never get on the wrong side of them. That said, even Pantheon only has a handful of beings of that rank. You could count them with your fingers.¡± Mazatl gave Dee a small pat on the shoulder as she saw the girl¡¯s concerned face.


    Suddenly Dee got a slightly devious expression as she looked back at Mazatl. ¡°Your fingers or mine?¡± She asked, as she made her extra two hands appear for the first time in a long time, showing all twenty fingers with their impressive claws out.

 Chapter 8

    -----


    Mazatl was blinking rapidly as she got over her surprise of seeing Dee¡¯s other pair of hands. She had thought Dee simply as a kitsune demon, with maybe some werewolf ancestry. Captain Sarfina had not mentioned anything about any ancestry that had extra arms, and humanoid races with more than two arms were actually rather rare. Part of that was because it was rather difficult to learn to control multiple arms effectively, even if you did it since birth.


    ¡°Where have you been hiding that little surprise? Come to think of it, we never did discuss your race before. The good captain certainly didn¡¯t mention anything about this either. Does she know?¡± Mazatl asked tilting her head in curiosity.


    ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t really hiding it, but I don¡¯t like showing them around either. They give more of an advantage when they are a surprise.¡± Dee muttered half to herself, looking at the palms of her extra hands.


    The assassins knew about them and had operated on them, but Dee still tried to keep them as a trump card and for actual assassinations. It had actually been one of her favorite methods of assassination to sneak behind someone, use her lower hands to take a hold of and immobilize the target¡¯s hands while her upper hands either garroted the target or slit his throat. Dee knew she would be spending enough time with the Radiant Sun that hiding the arms would be pointless. She might as well openly train with them as well.


    ¡°As to whether Captain Sarfina knows about them, I¡¯m not entirely sure. I haven¡¯t told her, but she might have found through other means.¡± Dee had been unconscious for several days and during that time the captain could¡¯ve run any kind of test to determine Dee¡¯s race.


    ¡°Humm, judging by your looks, you should also have some Rakshasa Rani blood in you. That¡¯s interesting. They make for great warriors, and I¡¯m pretty sure Captain Sarfina will be happy to have such a promising pupil to train. I hear that she¡¯s taking a personal interest in you.¡±  Mazatl said with a small smile. She was the type who liked to gossip and Sarfina had been the focus of several rumors for several days now.


    ¡°Really? Care to share more details?¡± Dee asked curiously.


    ¡°Well I know only what the rumors say.¡± Mazatl leaned closer and spoke in a conspiratorial tone. ¡°I heard that she¡¯s had enough of running combat missions for a time and is instead taking an interest in personally training a particular child saved from the assassins. Once that child recovers from her wounds, that is. Know anyone that might fit that description?¡±


    ¡°Huh, well I¡¯m sure she has her reasons.¡± Dee could imagine several things the captain could gain from such actions, though only future would tell which of those would turn out to be true.


    -----------


    The next day both Mazatl and Captain Sarfina came to get Dee with a wheelchair. Although Dee was capable of walking on her own at this point, long distances would still be problematic.


    ¡°Hello again Dee.¡± Captain Sarfina greeted her with a smile.


    ¡°Hello again captain. What brings the two of you here?¡± Dee asked. The elven captain was fully equipped and armed, clearly prepared to go outside.


    ¡°You asked Mazatl whether you could get your powers measured. It¡¯s a bit problematic to have the freelancers sending their representatives to us to evaluate a single person, so we¡¯re going to them instead. They have a guild house in this area as well, so it¡¯s simply easier if we go to them. We can have a more thorough evaluation done at their facilities anyway. I¡¯m coming along as an escort and because I¡¯m curious.¡± Sarfina replied with a smile.


    ¡°I suspect it would also be problematic to have me roam around escorted by just Mazatl. Not that I could run very far, mind you.¡± Dee pointed out with a small laugh.


    Sarfina gave a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s all about appearances. Mazatl is more than strong enough to escort you, but it looks better to have me along as well.¡±


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t mind the company in any case.¡± Dee reassured Sarfina.


    As they moved out of the building, Dee got a much better view of the grounds and the training fields. The whole complex was surrounded by a grey stone wall, although she got the feeling that the wall was there more for privacy and separation than defense. The area covered by the complex seemed to be extremely large and Dee could only see a part of it. Just the building they had exited was large enough for thousands of people and she could see several other buildings for various purposes, ranging from warehouses to a corner of a fairly large temple peeking from behind another building. Most of the area was covered by several training grounds.


    This complex was clearly designed for training, and Dee could see several large groups of people performing various training related activities. Some were doing stamina training running along the track laid along the outer wall, while many others were training in the use of various weapons either against each other or against training dummies. There were also several contraptions that looked a bit like obstacle courses designed to improve agility, awareness, footwork and many other similar attributes.


    ¡°It seems that nearly all of the trainees seem to be significantly older than me.¡± Dee commented.


    Sarfina glanced at the trainees before answering. ¡°You¡¯re right. Usually neither the Holy Orders nor the Radiant Sun take in trainees before they reach a certain level of physical maturity, which of course varies a bit between races. The Holy Orders start a bit earlier but even their training requires a certain level of mental maturity. As for the Radiant Sun trainees? Well, our recruits have to have certain foundational level in strength to even start the training, since we mostly train in the use of fairly heavy weapons and armor. Most races are unable to handle the weight until they reach a certain age.¡±


    Mazatl also commented. ¡°The training is very physically demanding, so those that haven¡¯t at least gone through most of puberty are usually unable to do the training properly. In the rare cases where we start training kids younger than that, we try to mostly limit it to training their foundations like strength and stamina training, agility training and so on. That usually makes them well equipped to start the real weapons training. We would start the weapon training earlier, but you can develop bad habits to compensate for lacking strength. Even those with enough maturity usually go through long periods of physical training before the weapon training starts in earnest.¡± Mazatl spoke as if she was also a part of the Radiant Sun, mostly because her role as a teacher often took her across organization lines.


    Sarfina finished a little sadly. ¡°There¡¯s also another factor. We would prefer that kids had the chance to spend their childhood being children. It is not possible for some as you well know, but we at least try to not be the ones to cut their childhood short.¡±


    This put Dee in a bit of a melancholy mood as they moved through the gate and towards the freelancer¡¯s guild. Even by the standards of psions, Dee had been forced to mature much earlier than others. She had spent a few years of relatively happy childhood with Selvaria and the pendant, but that had come to an end when Zabaniya got hold of her. Among the assassins you either grew up fast or you ended up dead. Her work as an assassin also sped up the process. You couldn¡¯t face taking lives without being at least somewhat affected. In fact she was surprised that she had been able to retain so much of her sanity.


    In a weird way, her current level of sanity was due to three things. Her ability to shut out most of the pain had been the most important factor. Pain was something that could drive anyone crazy, especially the sort of pain Dee had been subjected to. Many of the other kids had given up because of the pain combined with a lack of hope of anything better. Second thing was her nature as a psion. Aside from the important ability to ignore most pain, her nature as a psion had given her several other advantages. It had sped up her already faster than normal early maturity and her ability to adapt to new situations. It had also given her the ability to compartmentalize things.


    There were several people who tried to cope with the cruelty of their training and the cruelty of their own actions and had failed. This had driven them insane. Dee had stumbled to the solution several other people had used in dire situation, which was to imagine as if all the cruel and bad things were happening to someone else. It wasn¡¯t really her that was experimented on and killed all those people; it was as if they happened to another Dee in her stead. In extreme cases this could lead to something like multiple personalities, but in her case it was just an extreme case of compartmentalization. All of those things were put in an imaginary ¡®box¡¯ in her mind, and that box would only be opened when necessary. Was it healthy on the long run? Maybe not, but it was necessary to survive long enough to see the ¡®long run¡¯.


    The third thing that helped her retain sanity was, oddly, the assassin organization itself. Only those with great mental fortitude were able to make it among the assassins, and many of the things done to them were designed to weed out those without the necessary fortitude. They tried to break the kids so that only the strong ones would remain. However, they were very good at what they were doing. They knew that even the strongest person had limits. The weak broke, but they pushed the strong only to the very edges of their limits and no further. They could have broken Dee as well, but they chose not to.


    That wasn¡¯t to say that there were no consequences of her time at the mercy of Zabaniya. She knew there were. Some were mental and some were physical. The exact effects of the mental consequences were murky, but Dee knew she had changed. She suspected that she would never have quite the same sense of mercy or morality as normal people, for instance. She would also be able kill people and not feel anything afterwards. That was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was a good thing because sometimes it was necessary to be ruthless. It was a bad thing because she just didn¡¯t value life of others in the same way that normal people did. It was likely that there would be other effects, but they had not surfaced just yet.


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    The physical consequences were both much simpler and more mysterious. Her current weakness would pass, and was in fact already passing. That wasn¡¯t the real form of the consequences though. The methods used by the assassins were very effective at strengthening them, but they didn¡¯t come without downsides. One of the downsides was something the assassins caused on purpose. The female assassins were unable to have children due to the drugs used on them, which destroyed their ability to reproduce. This was something the assassins would do even if the drug didn¡¯t make them stronger, because there were several problems with one of the assassins becoming pregnant.


    A female assassin during the later stages of pregnancy was rather useless. They drew attention and were inhibited by their swelled belly. In addition, the motherly instincts were so strong that they could cause the assassin to try and rebel against Zabaniya or at least try to escape. Dee wasn¡¯t sure if her ability to reproduce was completely removed, since her regenerative abilities did counter many of the downsides of other drugs. At this point of her life she also didn¡¯t much care. She was too young in any case to even think about that. However, it was likely that it would be something that would be problematic for her in the future.


    Another physical consequence came from the modifications done to her body. She didn¡¯t really know the full extent of what had been done to her. She assumed most of it would be beneficial to her in the long run, but with Zabaniya it was hard to say for certain. She wouldn¡¯t put it past them to leave some nasty surprise inside her body out of spite.


    -----


    Both Mazatl and Sarfina somewhat correctly assumed that the wistful and lost expression on Dee¡¯s face was due to her being sad about her own lost childhood. For a while they didn¡¯t say anything, because they knew it was something Dee had to work through at some point anyway, and at least they could keep an eye on her at the moment. Thus the two kept their silence until they reached the freelancer¡¯s guild. Even the hubbub on the streets didn¡¯t disturb them, but the silence was forcefully broken once they reached the guild. Both of them were familiar sight at the guild after all.


    ¡°Faylen! Haven¡¯t seen you here for a while.  Did¡¯ya run out of slavers and brothels to raid?¡± This loud question asked by one of the sitting warriors brought a gale of laughter from the gathered people.


    ¡°That¡¯s Captain Sarfina to you, you useless slug! Also we never run out of brothels because useless people like you keep them in business!¡± Sarfina half-joked back at the guy who had been yelling to her.


    ¡°Speaking of, who¡¯s the cutie?¡± The guy replied completely unfazed.


    ¡°Oh I thought you already knew Mazatl? And I know you¡¯re talking about her, because you wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to talk like that about a child while I¡¯m present now would you? I¡¯d hate to be forced to cut your nuts off.¡± Sarfina replied, not joking at all at the end.


    The man lifted his hands in surrender, knowing that he had gone out of line. The three of them proceeded through a series of doors towards the back of the building, where they met a weird looking being dressed in the official garb of the guild. The being was a member of one of the few races with inherent psionic abilities, an Illithid. The being had a roughly humanoid body shape with purple skin, but instead of a normal head, it looked like a beady eyed octopus on top of its neck. It had four tentacles around a lamprey-like mouth. Most Illithid were considered to be a thoroughly evil race, and not without good reason, but not all of them. And you needed a psion to evaluate the strength of another psion without specialized equipment. The Holy Orders had such equipment, but not at the lesser circles.


    ¡°So, is this girl the one you want to have evaluated?¡± The rather unpleasant and wet voice of the Illithid sounded.


    ¡°She is yes. Dee, meet X¡¯Zoth, the vice-leader of this branch of the freelancer¡¯s. X¡¯Zoth, meet Haydee. We might as well run the full evaluation even though we already know most of the results.¡± Sarfina gave the introductions.


    ¡°Might as well.¡± X¡¯Zoth grunted in agreement.


    ¡°Full evaluation?¡± Dee asked, tilting her head a bit in confusion.


    ¡°Full evaluation means we test your mana and ki as well as your affinity with the holy power. As psions, neither of us can use mana or ki, but holy power is a possibility. Although, if you haven¡¯t been blessed by a deity yet the test is somewhat meaningless. Normally the test is done to evaluate the amount of holy power you possess. We can at least check if you can be blessed at all. There are some rare beings that are so forsaken by the deities that they can¡¯t get blessed even if a deity does take interest. It doesn¡¯t take much effort to check, so why not do that as well.¡± X¡¯Zoth explained curtly.


    They moved in front of series of crystal orbs used for testing. ¡°Put your hand on the orb. It will test your magical potential.¡± X¡¯Zoth told Dee.


    Dee complied, and the crystal showed several figures she was unable to read. Dee could read the lettering used by most of the texts her mother had kept and the books Mazatl had provided for her, but apparently this magic used its own system of writing.


    ¡°Oh?¡± X¡¯Zoth said with a little bit of new interest.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Sarfina asked a little worried.


    ¡°Well, as expected, she has zero mana, but she does have several affinities that would¡¯ve been very useful to her had she possessed mana.¡± The Illithid gave Dee another glance. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this fire affinity is explained by your kitsune heritage?¡±


    ¡°I would guess so. I¡¯ve never received any training, but my mother did mention that I might be able to control fire using my power as a psion as fuel instead of mana.¡± Dee replied trying to recall the details.


    ¡°Smart woman your mother. Anyway, she has a strong affinity with fire, but it¡¯s hard to say how strong before she reaches maturity. The weird part isn¡¯t that. It¡¯s that the orb can¡¯t measure her affinity with the other elements properly.¡± X¡¯Zoth said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t measure as in too much to measure or can¡¯t measure as in no idea what the affinity is?¡± Mazatl asked interested.


    ¡°The latter, though that means the first one is also possible although very unlikely. It¡¯s as if¡­her affinities aren¡¯t somehow decided yet?¡± This was the first time X¡¯Zoth had seen something like this, so he could only guess.


    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t figure it out by standing around. Let¡¯s move on.¡± Sarfina prompted after a moment of silence. She was curious as well, but what good were affinities with no mana? Fire as kitsune was one thing, but no race had access to multiple affinities like that. Rakshasa didn¡¯t have special affinities like that and neither did werewolves.


    Dee¡¯s ki was also zilch as expected, and there were no surprises there. She was able to receive blessings though. According to X¡¯Zoth, Dee had quite a bit of promise if she managed to get the notice of the right deity. However, it all depended on the deity, which made the test somewhat useless as the Illithid had said earlier. This test would be much more useful once Dee did have a deity to serve, but at least she wasn¡¯t completely without potential. Sarfina mentioned that Dee too would undergo the Ritual of Choosing once her training reached the point where she could start using holy power.


    The important part was the last test. X¡¯Zoth tried to push a mental probe toward Dee¡¯s mind and Dee had to try to resist to the best of her ability. It was a simple contest of strength and X¡¯Zoth stopped immediately as he felt Dee¡¯s power failing, as he had slowly increased the pressure. Trying to forcefully enter someone¡¯s mind was usually a complex battle between two parties, but X¡¯Zoth used a brute force method for testing purposes. There were other ways to perform the test but this was by far the easiest and happened to be one of his specialties.


    ¡°Hmm. It¡¯s a bit on the border. She¡¯s either a peak class two power-wise or a fresh class three. It¡¯s not completely exact, but it would be fair to describe her as a class three psion. For her age that¡¯s very good, almost phenomenal. Whoever gave her the training method she¡¯s been using did a good job. She should also have much easier time raising her power at later levels since her power seems to be built solidly instead of relying on a gimmick. Many psions will run into trouble because their foundations aren¡¯t sturdy enough, but she shouldn¡¯t have problems like that.¡± X¡¯Zoth finally said. He had felt that there was something odd about Dee¡¯s powers, but he had trouble figuring out what it could be.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s good news.¡± Sarfina said while she and Mazatl smiled. They were both familiar with the concept, because similar concepts existed with other powers as well. Shortcuts could give you a boost in power but usually carried consequences later on. They had also worried a little that Zabaniya would¡¯ve forced Dee to use one of those shortcuts.


    ¡°Right, how about we go and grab something to eat to celebrate.¡± Mazatl suggested. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve had enough of the infirmary food, right?¡±


    ¡°You read my mind.¡± Dee replied with a wide smile, ignoring the obvious pun. Sneaking food from her storage was one thing, but now she could avoid the infirmary soup completely.

 Chapter 9

    A/N: Note that Fate is capitalized on purpose. Those that read my previous story know why. The rest of you will find out later on. Next chapter might be a day or two late, because there are real life shenanigans. We¡¯ll see.


    ---------


    As they left the guild, Dee paid more attention to her surroundings than when they arrived. They were currently on the west side of the tenth circle, and the surrounding architecture looked a lot more unified than on the east side. Most of the buildings were made of stone or at least very solid wood with good craftsmanship. The area they were in seemed relatively wealthy. There were several large stores and businesses scattered everywhere, which hinted that they seemed to be within some sort of commercial district.


    The wealth of the area also showed in the size of the houses and the lack of street vendors in comparison to stores with their own dedicated facilities. The clothes worn by people were of high quality, something between wealthy merchants and low nobility. The public order seemed to be on a high level, and might have something to do with the Radiant Sun and Holy Orders facility nearby. The inhabitants seemed to be mostly human, dwarf and beastmen of both major types. Notably the variety of races was much narrower than Dee had seen in other areas. The city stretched in all directions beyond her ability to see.


    The trio entered a relatively normal looking restaurant that didn¡¯t overtly advertise their specialties. The customers seemed happy with their dishes and relatively refined, so Dee had a suspicion that the store mostly got their customers by word of mouth instead of advertising. Once they had gotten their seats and ordered according to Sarfina¡¯s recommendations, they finally got the chance to talk without being overheard.


    ¡°You seemed rather familiar with the people of the guild.¡± Dee pointed out.


    Sarfina grunted while Mazatl laughed at her friend¡¯s misery and answered the question. ¡°The freelancers are much more complex than one would assume at first glance. They are one of the more problematic permanent organizations watching over the lesser circles. They are known as problem solvers, but don¡¯t confuse them with a strictly beneficial organization. I¡¯ve often worked with them, but I¡¯ve also worked against them more often than I¡¯d like to think. They might officially be called freelancers, but many also call them mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°So they aren¡¯t too picky about their employers?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Well, they do have some rules in place but their members are varied and not bound together by any strong ideals. Their principles are wholly dependent on the particular people you¡¯re dealing with, and they don¡¯t say no to easy money without a good reason. They try not to tick off us or the other organizations, but that only goes so far. The world isn¡¯t black and white after all.¡± Sarfina herself was a woman of principle, so the mercenary ways of the freelancers were not to her liking.


    ¡°On the other hand, their nature makes them easy to deal with most of the time. Once you know that their own benefit and profits are the driving force behind their actions, it¡¯s rather easy to predict what they will do in a given situation. As long as you can pay them, they make for pretty decent allies. Those working for ideologies and honor can be unpredictable, and the people who swear by them can turn into cowards or lunatics when pressed. The mercs live and die by their promises, because if it gets out that their word can¡¯t be trusted¡­¡± Mazatl gave a counterpoint from the other side of the table.


    Mazatl considered herself more of a realist than her friend, although Sarfina¡¯s ideologies had been tempered by time and the harsh reality. Sarfina¡¯s family also played a part, causing the captain to come to terms with reality more easily. It was something she¡¯d been forced to do since childhood after all.


    ¡°In any case, be watchful of them. Sometimes they are your ally, but sometimes they will be your enemy.¡± Sarfina highlighted the important point.


    ¡°That reminds me; they seemed to be mostly warriors of different types. Mazatl taught me much, but I¡¯m still not clear on the distinction between warriors and templars and paladins and the rest of it. It seems fairly complex, and I¡¯d rather not make mistakes due to making bad assumptions.¡± Dee suddenly remembered something that had been bothering her for a while. She had learned some of this among the assassins, but it would be better to get more accurate and less biased information.


    ¡°That¡¯s something that is at both simple and complicated. Warrior as a term refers to people who train their bodies and use either weapons or unarmed combat as their main method of battle. The methods, details and sources of power vary, but the end result and goals are very similar. There are those who train in ki, those like me who use holy power, those like you who use psionic power and even some crazies that use mana and many, many others . However, we all try to become stronger and faster with the aid of our chosen method, and we try to master the use of our chosen weapons.


    The most common method is the use of ki, because that is something that is available to almost everyone. The people who use ki claim that their method is the best, but that is up for debate. That¡¯s why most people think of them when talking about warriors. However, as a psion you should be well aware that ki isn¡¯t the only way to become stronger.


    Templars like me use the holy power of the gods to make our bodies stronger, and train in the use of weapons just like the typical warriors. Only, we have several holy spells in our arsenal while those who use ki have their own techniques. The method is different, but the end result is very similar. Not exactly the same, as shown by our spells, but similar. They have their own specialties and we have ours.¡± Sarfina explained. This was a matter that often confused those that were just starting their path towards power.


    Mazatl picked up the explanation. ¡°There are also other factors. Some races are simply stronger than others. For that reason they have a head start as warriors. A pureblood vampire that has reached adulthood will be counted as at least a sixth rank warrior due to their nature, because that is how strong they are even without any additional training. There are other things that can inflate a person¡¯s strength. The most obvious example is Sarfina here. She has a blessing from a deity representing war, so the blessing also increases her strength beyond the holy power that is normally provided by the blessing. Other examples would be the Authorities we talked about before, certain magical weapons and equipment, and of course buff spells provided both by mages and clerics.¡±


    Dee considered the information for a while. ¡°Can someone train with multiple methods? For example, could Sarfina train with ki as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no. Some of the methods conflict with each other, while others work together just fine. I can¡¯t train both with holy power and ki, because the effects overlap and would conflict. In some cases it¡¯s also more beneficial to focus on one method because the benefits become larger as you grow stronger, so dividing your attention becomes counterproductive. If you can get a larger effect by focusing on one thing, without any of the downsides of possibly conflicting powers, why bother?


    That said, it¡¯s hard to say in many cases before you try. As a psion you know that you don¡¯t have any mana or ki, and you can¡¯t use either. So there¡¯s no need to even consider those. I¡¯m not yet certain if training your body with holy power would be beneficial for you, so that is something we need to find out. However, I do know that a blessing would be good for you, if you manage to attract the attention of a right deity.¡± Sarfina mused, trying to figure out the best methods for Dee.


    ¡°I should point out that most of the things I mentioned before like Authorities and buffs from spells and weapons all work just fine, as those just add to your current strength instead of changing your body. That¡¯s why holy power and ki are not compatible, as both change the body of the user in ways that are similar but mutually exclusive.¡± Mazatl pointed out again.


    Dee quietly wondered how the changes made by the Zabaniya would fit into all this. She was strangely confident that the changes were just beneficial, for several reasons. The assassins had some reason to make the changes, and while the reason still eluded her, the nature of the changes suggested that they were considering the long term benefit. That suggested that they would have considered possible conflict with her nature as a psion or it would make no sense if the changes conflicted with that nature. There were also some things she had managed to observe both of the changes as well as her own powers.


    The changes made by the assassins changed her body on a fundamental level. It was as if she was gaining the body of a race much stronger than what she had originally. It was much like the example of a pureblood vampire used by Mazatl earlier. She would be stronger even while not considering other factors. However, whatever the assassins had done simply changed her, and didn¡¯t empower her by filling her bones and muscles with mana or ki. That was what her psionic power would be for. There was also the added benefit where stronger one¡¯s body was, the more psionic power one would have, which in turn made her even stronger physically. That all said, she never had a real teacher when it came to her powers as a psion, as Selvaria had not gone into such detail, so this was all speculation for now.


    She was rather confident that the current things within her body were not in conflict. However, she was also pretty sure she would not be able to use Sarfina¡¯s method of strengthening herself with holy power as that would be in conflict either with her powers as a psion or with the changes the assassins had made. Not much she could do about that now though. That wasn¡¯t the only use of holy power, as it could also be used for spells ranging from attacks to buffs and to healing.


    The more she thought about it, the better it seemed. The templars had several holy spells used for attack and defense. So if she were to train among them and receive a blessing, she would have access to many of those holy spells and she could save any holy power she had for those spells instead of using it to strengthen herself. On the downside of things, it seemed her future would be busy. She would have to try and develop both her holy power and her power as a psion. Assuming she ever got blessed by a deity that is. All this would be pretty academic if the deities just told her to fuck off.


    ¡°Oh right, you told me about the blessings and deities, but could you elaborate on that? I¡¯m still not sure how it works. Why do the gods give their power to us mortals? What¡¯s in it for them? How do the blessings work and how do the deities and their servants choose each other? What determines how much holy power someone has?¡± Dee was suddenly full of questions. These were some that she had come up with between lessons, and had not had the chance to ask Mazatl yet.


    Mazatl looked at Sarfina for support due to the stream of questions. The captain nodded with a small laugh, slightly sympathizing with the saurian. ¡®Does she always have this many questions?¡¯ She asked silently with a raised eyebrow getting an affirmative nod as an answer. Dee might not be the most talkative person normally, but she was hungry for information.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the deities themselves. Do you want the official answer or what I personally think is the correct answer?¡± Sarfina asked in amusement.


    ¡°You thoughts of course. I can guess that the official reply is some mumbo jumbo about goodness of their hearts and feeling pity towards us ¡®lesser beings¡¯ or some such nonsense.¡± Dee scoffed.


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    ¡°That¡¯s pretty accurate actually.¡± Mazatl mumbled in slight amusement at the girl¡¯s cynicism.


    ¡°My thoughts then. There are several reasons why the deities share their power with us. The first reason is that the relationship is a symbiotic one. As they grant their power to us, the actions we perform in their name make them stronger. The flashier and more miraculous actions also draw attention and increase faith among the believers, which further increases their power. So they spend power to gain power. Powerful servants are much better sources of power to the gods than simple believers.


    That part is fairly widely known among us serving the deities. The next part is something of an educated guess combined with real knowledge. The deities have a ranking of their own. I don¡¯t know everything that goes into that ranking, but I know that powerful followers and their actions are a large contributing factor. If a god has a powerful champion doing many deeds in their name, then the ranking of that particular deity shoots up rapidly. So mortals with great power are a precious commodity for the deities. It¡¯s also in their best interest to do their best for us, as that will be reflected in their rankings. Of course the importance of that reduces as the power and potential of the servant diminishes.¡± Sarfina had some of her thoughts confirmed during her own Ritual of Choosing by the goddess that had blessed her.


    Mazatl picked up the explanation at this point again as this was more her area of expertise. ¡°As for how the deity is chosen, officially it¡¯s because the deity and servant connect during the Ritual of Choosing, which we all go through at a certain part of our training. Truthfully the gods get to pick the best, and the rest are mostly assigned by either luck or Fate. Well it¡¯s not entirely random at least, as evil people don¡¯t get assigned to gods that represent good and people strong in light don¡¯t get assigned to the dark gods, or vice versa. The nature of people plays a role, but to what extent is largely unknown.¡±


    ¡°Ritual of Choosing?¡± Dee asked, noticing a term Mazatl had mentioned at least once before, but never explained in detail.


    ¡°Right, the ritual is conducted when it is judged that your training has reached a point where you should learn to use holy power. The trainee or acolyte spends the night sitting vigil within the temple and their soul is brought to the Pantheon of Gods to meet their deity. The deity then forms a connection with the trainee and gives them a blessing deemed appropriate.¡± Mazatl explained rather eagerly. She herself oversaw the ritual at the particular training complex most of the time. She found enjoyment in the hopeful young applicants and their jubilation as they returned from their vigil.


    ¡°So there are different kinds of blessings?¡± Dee pointed out shrewdly, noticing Mazatl¡¯s words.


    Sarfina answered this time. ¡°Right, and this also answers your earlier questions. The blessings vary widely according to the deity granting the blessing as well as the level of blessing. The blessing of a goddess of love most likely won¡¯t increase your strength much, but it will most likely improve your appearance and luck with love. A blessing from a god of war on the other hand¡­¡±


    ¡°The blessing also determines the amount of holy power you have available for use, but like I told you before, with holy power the way you use it is more important than the amount of power you have available. Up to a point of course. There are some high level holy spells that you just can¡¯t use with a minor blessing. Usually there¡¯s a certain amount of balance, as the gods that give blessings with other benefits such as increased strength provide less holy power, while blessings with no other benefits usually give the most holy power. This of course depends on the deity as well. Even a minor blessing from one of the strongest deities gives more power and benefits than a major blessing from a tiny deity.¡± Mazatl explained.


    ¡°You mentioned minor and major, are there actual rankings for blessings, or are those just names you¡¯ve given as an example?¡± Dee asked again.


    ¡°There are actual rankings, and the weaker gods can¡¯t even give the highest ranked blessings. The blessings directly affect your ranking as a priestess or templar. There are four rough categories where they fit from smallest to greatest: minor, normal, major and greater blessing. Then there are certain special categories for select few people. The gods can pick a small handful of what are called heralds and the strongest gods can pick a champion. There¡¯s also a category called special for everything that defies the other categories, as the gods and their boons are many and sometimes hard to evaluate.¡± Mazatl rattled off, clearly having explained this to thousands of students before.


    After their impromptu lessons had finished, the trio focused more on lighter subjects. To be exact, Dee focused on enjoying her dinner, while Mazatl and Sarfina focused on gossip. Dee half listened, but wasn¡¯t all that interested as she knew none of the people involved. The other two were highly amused as they saw the amount of food Dee devoured. The girl ate more than the two of them combined, which was rather odd considering one of them was a saurian while the other was a templar used to burning a lot of energy.


    Once they had finished, Sarfina was planning to handle the bill, but Dee insisted on paying it with her power. ¡°I¡¯m not really using the power at the moment anyway, so¡­¡± was her excuse, as she simply wanted to show her thanks for their patience at her questions.


    As they were pushing her wheelchair out, Dee asked the obvious question. ¡°So what happens next? I¡¯m guessing you still want to keep an eye on me, but my visit to the infirmary is coming to an end. They still don¡¯t want me to stress my body too much, but they are planning on kicking me out of the bed in the next few days.¡±


    They were quiet for a moment, before Sarfina finally decided to go ahead with her suggestion. ¡°Normally any and all trainees would be placed into the barracks dedicated for them, but your case is a little special for many reasons. Firstly you are much younger than the others, then there¡¯s the way you came to us. It¡¯s rather likely you¡¯ll get isolated and even confronted by the other trainees. As such, I don¡¯t think that is a very good idea for you, especially when you haven¡¯t completely recovered. How would you like to live with me for a while at least?¡±


    Dee gave that some thought, and had to agree with Sarfina. She wasn¡¯t as worried about getting confronted and bullied, but it would most likely be frowned upon if she crippled several of the other trainees in retaliation. It would be beneficial to avoid that mess for the time being. The more time she spent among the templar, the less they would associate her as one of the kids saved from the assassins.


    ¡°That sounds good to me as long as you won¡¯t think it¡¯s too much of a bother.¡± Dee subtly gave Sarfina the chance to back out in case she wasn¡¯t quite sure of her idea yet.


    However, Sarfina had given this some thought. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can handle any bother with civility.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll let the two of you go on your way. I still have things I need to do for tonight. Some of the students are about to go through their Ritual of Choosing in a few days.¡± Mazatl said with a small bow and started to move towards the training complex.


    ¡°Shall we go and check out your new abode? We can make a list of things that you¡¯ll need before actually moving in.¡± Sarfina suggested. Dee approved the suggestion with a simple nod and a small smile.


    -----


    Dee¡¯s eyebrow twitched a little as they stopped in front of an enormous mansion walled off by a stone wall covered in ivy. The mansion was about three times as big as the surrounding mansions even without counting in the large yard and garden. And the surrounding mansions weren¡¯t exactly small either. This was clearly the richest part of the area. Not rich as in wealthy merchants, but rich as in filthy rich to the extent of buying a small city with pocket change.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this wasn¡¯t bought with a captain¡¯s salary?¡± Dee asked with a tinge of sarcasm mixed in with quite a bit of curiosity.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. My family built this for me when I moved here. According to them, no member of the Arazana family will live in a hovel. I protested, but¡­¡± There was clear note of disgust in her voice.


    ¡°Arazana? I¡¯m pretty sure Sarfina isn¡¯t your first name. No need to answer if you don¡¯t want to, I¡¯m simply curious.¡± Dee couldn¡¯t avoid trying to fish for information. Information was power.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯d find out most of this soon enough living with me. Arazana is the name of my family. I changed my last name just so I wouldn¡¯t always be treated like a member of the Arazana family, though something like this is impossible to keep secret in the long run. Incidentally, there¡¯s something else you will soon discover. The grandmaster of the Radiant Sun is my brother.¡± Sarfina¡¯s voice shifted from disgust to something more complicated when talking about her brother. However, the tone was still not positive. Dee suspected there was some history there.


    ¡®A more accomplished big brother drawing the fawning of the family, leaving his little sister without attention, perhaps?¡¯ Dee thought to herself, deciding against probing further for now. Something like this could be a source of great pain and humiliation and Sarfina didn¡¯t know Dee well enough to open up about something like that.


    As they went thought the gate, a row of servants was lining the path in identical uniforms. Every uniform was impeccable. They all bowed together at the waist and greeted Sarfina. ¡°Welcome home master.¡±


    Dee could hear Sarfina giving a slight strangled sigh. ¡°Continue as you were. Qinlana, a word.¡±


    A woman dressed as the head maid, approached them. Same as all the other servants, she too was an elf. Seeing as most of the people in this part of the tenth circle were not elves, it was most likely that the servants were provided with the house from Sarfina¡¯s family. ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Qinlana, this is Haydee. She will be living with us once she is released from the infirmary. She will be staying until further notice, but most likely for several years. I would like to have a room prepared for her, close to mine. She will need some essentials for living, as she has almost nothing at the moment. She will be a trainee as a templar, so take that into consideration while picking her clothing. We¡¯ll have a small tour of the house today, so she can get familiarized.¡± Sarfina explained, giving only the important information and nothing else.


    ¡°As you will master.¡± Qinlana replied. Her face didn¡¯t show any reaction, but Dee could sense that the woman wasn¡¯t too pleased about the situation. Then again she didn¡¯t seem to hate Dee either so it didn¡¯t seem personal. She seemed like a professional, so her dislike was probably due to either Dee¡¯s race or low station in life. Sarfina was most likely nobility of some kind, so the servant might think it to be improper to take in someone of unknown origin like Dee. That was something Dee could understand, and probably turn to her advantage. It would be more problematic if the servants dislike was for some more complex reasons.


    As they got alone and started their tour, Sarfina finally spoke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve tried to have them act more casually, but the sad fact is that they are servants of my family instead of me. Propriety has been driven into them since childhood.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s something I can relate to a bit. Although in our case it wasn¡¯t propriety. It was obedience, and it was beaten into us.¡± Dee mumbled, not really sure if she wanted Sarfina to hear.

 Chapter 10

    A/N: Trust issues and thievery. =) It seems we also got our first troll rating of 0 stars. First hater, so we''re in the big leagues now!


    ----------


    As Sarfina pushed her wheelchair towards the mansion, Dee got a chance to observe the mansion and its surroundings. The mansion was mostly made of white stone and seemed to be roughly T-shaped. The mansion had several large balconies, including a large round one above the main entrance. The mansion also seemed to mostly be two floors above ground, with no way to tell if there were underground floors without entering. Much of the walls were covered in decorative vines and ivy.


    The grounds were immaculate and covered mostly in landscaped trees, bushes and flowers. Every bush was perfectly and neatly trimmed as were the trees lining most of the walking paths, while the flowers gave the feeling of growing wildly. Dee could see that feeling to be a lie by how perfectly the ¡®wild¡¯ image was arranged. Most of the backyard was not visible, and she suspected most of the garden to be there. The front was for guests and parties. There was a wide paved path for carriages and mounts that ended in a small plaza in front of the steps that lead to a pair of wide double front doors made of some black heavy wood. There was a small fountain in front of the main doors in the middle of the plaza, which forced any carriages to circle the fountain, allowing for a smooth traffic in case of large gatherings.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the house isn¡¯t very wheelchair friendly.¡± Sarfina whispered to Dee.


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly a problem. I don¡¯t really need one. The healers cleared me for light exercise, for as long as I don¡¯t do anything stupid like fighting or running around with no regard for my health. In fact, wasn¡¯t it you and Mazatl that brought the wheelchair with you? I¡¯m pretty sure the healers would¡¯ve allowed me to walk to the freelancer¡¯s guild if I had asked.¡± Dee pointed out with a raised eyebrow.


    Sarfina gave a small grin. ¡°That was on purpose. It makes things go smoother if various people think that you are still injured. People tend to treat injured kids with more care.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think I¡¯ll manage a house tour without.¡± Dee said with a small shake of her head.


    ¡®The captain might be smarter than your memories gave her credit for.¡¯ Croestia suddenly pointed out silently.


    ¡®She probably is. My evaluation was most likely skewed by the so called interrogation she gave me. Fooling her was a bit too easy, but it might have been just because she has a soft spot for kids.¡¯ Dee replied with her thoughts after a moment of consideration.


    ¡®You might want to be at least a little careful for now. She can be very useful, but it¡¯s too early for her to really trust you.¡¯ Croestia advised.


    ¡®I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡¯ Dee replied curtly as they entered thought the main doors of the mansion, Sarfina offering Dee some unnecessary support for walking to keep up appearances for the servants.


    Dee noted that indoors most of the stone walls were covered with wooden features with warm colors to give a more friendly and comfortable impression. The main doors opened into a large room that was clearly meant to impress guests that were most often received here. The large room was apparently the center of the T-shape, with two pairs of double doors leading to the three directions for a total of six pairs. There was a pair of curved and wide stone stairs leading to the landing of the second floor, straight across from the main door. Dee suspected that the landing would have identical doors, as well as a way to enter the balcony she had seen earlier.


    The room was large enough to hold about a hundred people comfortably. She could see that the doors on the left lead to a large ballroom, so the mansion had capacity for large parties. The doors on the right were closed, but Dee could guess by the appearances of the doors that they most likely lead to the servant¡¯s quarters, kitchens and so on. The middle doors would most likely be for the living space of whoever owned the mansion, in this case Sarfina, as well as guest rooms and various other rooms such as library, offices and so on.


    Sarfina quickly confirmed her guesses as she explained that the function of the three main wings of the house. The left wing was for official business and parties, right for servants and the main wing for everything else. As they walked into the main wing, Dee noted that all of the walls had paintings of dignified looking elven nobility and battle scenes, several decorative weapons, as well as flags and pennants. They seemed to be the official trappings of House Arazana.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t most of these be located wherever your family normally lives? They seem rather important and precious, if somewhat impersonal, for a house they built just for you.¡± Dee asked pointing out at the paintings and flags.


    ¡°Unfortunately my family has no lack of such items. They have enough to decorate a dozen mansions even without counting those adorning the walls of the main house.¡± Sarfina replied with a small mirthless laugh. ¡°I told them I could make do without but as you can see¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, beats naked walls I suppose.¡± Dee replied, realizing this was not a subject she should go too deeply into just yet.


    After touring the house and finding the library, offices, dining rooms and importantly toilets, they finally reached the area with the master bedroom. The hallway leading up to it had several doors for what Dee supposed were for guests and family. Maybe some of them were also meant for Sarfina¡¯s future children. Each room seemed to have another smaller room connected, which Dee assumed were for personal servants. The master bedroom had two such servant¡¯s rooms and was at the end of the hallway.


    As they entered Sarfina¡¯s rooms, Dee was unsurprised to see that it was rather sparse in decoration and clearly showed that a soldier lived here. There were some allowances for Sarfina¡¯s apparent family status with a large dressing mirror and a huge walk-in closet with several apparently unused dresses. What were used were several pieces of light and heavy armor, as well as weapons and the equipment used to take care of them. There was also a large amount of books scattered around the otherwise fairly ordered room. Apparently Sarfina was an avid reader, but wasn¡¯t so great at finishing books.


    As the room was at the end of the main wing, there were large windows and a balcony that adjoined other rooms on three sides. As Dee walked to the balcony, she could see the large gardens and grounds that were hidden by the mansion before. While much of the gardens were decorative with flowers, trees and gazebos, there was also a sense of utility. There were several areas clearly dedicated for Sarfina¡¯s personal training, as well as a large swimming pool that covered a sizeable portion of the garden. Dee had been shown the bathing area inside the house, so the pool was clearly meant for exercise.


    ¡°I see you noticed the good parts of the house.¡± Sarfina said from behind Dee with some pride in her voice. She might not have had much say in the construction of the house otherwise, but the back gardens were usually hidden from the eyes of the visitors, so she could at least make that part of the house useful. The pool in particular was her favorite.


    ¡°I see some things I¡¯ll learn to hate in time.¡± Dee replied wryly, as she noticed some training areas that Sarfina would surely use to torture her when she fully recovered.


    Sarfina formed a slightly evil grin, understanding where Dee¡¯s mind was headed. ¡°True enough, but at least we have the pool. Swimming is the best way I know for a woman to build balanced muscle and stamina while still remaining well proportioned. How¡¯s your swimming?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. I¡¯ve never actually swum before. I¡¯m slightly surprised that wasn¡¯t taught to us by the Zabaniya, but I suppose the benefits weren¡¯t good enough compared to the time and effort required. Also, my experiences with being submerged in liquid aren¡¯t exactly pleasant.¡± Dee replied with a small shudder, remembering the times she had been submerged in boiling blood to give her fur the ability resist attacks.


    Sarfina was slightly curious about the shudder and Dee¡¯s words, but decided against asking further for now. She could think of several reasons for Dee¡¯s reaction, and none of them were pleasant. Most of them were related to torture. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something you¡¯ll have to learn to get over quickly, because your training will include a lot of swimming. I wasn¡¯t kidding when I said it was a good way to build both stamina and muscle at the same time. It¡¯s also rather safe, and doesn¡¯t leave you as unbalanced as many other similar activities would.¡±


    Sarfina didn¡¯t repeat that it was also something that would help build Dee¡¯s appearance. There was no way a templar like her could avoid building muscle, but swimming would help avoid the excessively muscled and bulky look sometimes seen on some of the women and most of the men. Although holy power, and in Dee¡¯s case her psionic power, were the most important part for their strength, it was also necessary to improve the body and muscles. She wasn¡¯t aware that Dee had that part well covered due to the work Zabaniya had done on her, though exercise would still be useful for her too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind learning, but there is a slight hindrance.¡± Dee said, while pointing with her thumb towards her two waving tails. Her fur was otherwise rather sleek and short and wouldn¡¯t be a problem for swimming, but her two tails were rather fluffy and might get somewhat bothersome while wet. Add to that the fact that she would most likely grow more tails in the future, as her kitsune heritage did came from the famed nine-tailed fox.


    ¡°Oh right, there is that. Well no matter, it¡¯s just something you¡¯ll have to get used to. It¡¯s not like beastmen or even animals have trouble swimming. I¡¯m not going to let you run away from this so you might as well get used to the idea.¡± Sarfina finished with her evil grin back.


    -----


    Dee¡¯s room was the next large room right by Sarfina¡¯s master bedroom. It was still rather barren as it had no personal effects or clothing. It was kept clean by the servants though. It soon became clear that Dee had nothing aside from the clothes given to her by the healers, especially since her clothes from Zabaniya had been destroyed. Dee wasn¡¯t exactly sad about that loss. She also neglected to mention all the things stored inside Croestia as it would be a little hard to explain.


    Sarfina sent the servants out to purchase the necessary personal effects and clothes appropriate for a templar in training. She also secretly ordered the servants to buy a couple of cute dresses as she hoped there would be a chance to dress Dee up in them later on, but those would remain a secret for now. As Dee was rather used to not having a lot of things, she was quite happy just to have a soft bed and a relatively safe place to sleep in.


    Sarfina had already sent word to the healers that Dee would be spending the night, so she decided to accept Sarfina¡¯s hospitality. Not that she had much choice. Sarfina seemed to be part of the ¡°It¡¯s easier to apologize afterwards than it is to get permission beforehand.¡± ¨Cfaction. That was fine, considering Dee would most likely also belong to that group, although apologizing wasn¡¯t her thing.


    Now that she had a better idea about her level of strength, it was easier to practice the psionic techniques she had received from Croestia. She had received a meditation technique for cultivation and a technique used for combat. The combat technique was very promising and would be a slight exception to the rule of only learning one technique at a time, because this particular technique was something that would take a short time to learn but a lifetime to truly master.


    She was practicing the technique after Sarfina left her alone. ¡°This seems handy.¡± Dee half-heartedly said to Croestia as she managed to materialize a flickering purple shield of psionic energy. It didn¡¯t have a proper shape yet, and the edges were fuzzy at best, but it was a start.


    ¡°Indeed. According to the notes my old self left, this should become one of the two most powerful techniques I have stored, once mastered.¡± Croestia replied in a satisfied voice. She was happy that her master seemed to be a quick study as that would make for a bright future.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The technique had two main parts, one for offence and one for defense. Dee was practicing the defense part first as she was already pretty decent on offence due to her training as an assassin. The technique allowed you to form either weapons or a shield from the user¡¯s psionic energy. That in itself was pretty nice, as a sudden appearance of a weapon or a shield would be great when used correctly. However, the best part of the technique lied in how they could be used.


    The user could utilize them normally as a standard weapon or a shield, or the user could activate the special ability at the right moment to strengthen the technique. On defense the shield could theoretically block any attack, as it drained the user¡¯s power to strengthen the shield. The power used would be exactly enough to block the attack and not a bit more or less, which was great for efficiency as mages in particular often wasted power on too strong defenses, just in case of surprise attacks.


    On offence, the psionic weapon could theoretically cut through anything and would once again drain enough power to achieve that effect and not a bit more or less. This promised a potentially unrivaled offence as the technique was capable of easily slicing a dragon in two if the user had enough power. Theoretically.


    The problem was that the skill required quite a bit of mastery to use properly. You could put only so much power into the technique, and if the power was not enough to achieve the desired effect then both the weapon and the shield would simply shatter, draining quite a bit of power as backlash. As your mastery over the technique increased, the more power you could put into it and the efficiency also increased. At first it might take all your power to cut through a normal tree, but with increased efficiency you could do the same with almost no power used, even if the amount of power you had stayed the same. As you gained experience with the technique, you could also form a wider variety of weapons.


    Currently Dee wasn¡¯t even able to form the simplest shield, and she hadn¡¯t even tried a weapon yet, but she could see the potential hidden in the technique. The potential surprise factor especially appealed to her as an assassin. ¡°I wonder if I can make throwing weapons or even arrows in the future with this technique.¡± She mused mostly to herself.


    ¡°Oh, I though you would be more interested in creating a normal weapon. I would imagine you didn¡¯t miss the potential applications of being able to slice your opponents weapon in two?¡± Croestia answered.


    ¡°Oh that occurred to me all right, but normal weapons are easy to get, plus I¡¯m not planning on revealing my ability that easily. I think the element of surprise is more important. However, this technique, as well as the other one you gave me made something obvious. We have a problem.¡± Dee said with a small grimace.


    ¡°Which is?¡± Croestia asked with some curiosity.


    ¡°Getting techniques from you is all good and fine, but I really need a teacher. I have questions, but I have no one capable of answering them. That meditation technique in particular. I feel there¡¯s something wrong with it, but I can¡¯t quite put my finger on what. If I had a teacher, I could ask them. The real worrying thing is that there might be a hundred things I don¡¯t know about, and I would have no idea until it¡¯s too late.¡± Dee said still half lost in thought, trying to figure out what really was bothering her about the meditation technique.


    ¡°You could ask Sarfina. She would probably be willing to arrange something.¡± Croestia pointed out.


    ¡°That might not be as simple as you say. I get the feeling that psions capable of being a teacher are rare, and from what I can see, the templars don¡¯t seem to have any available. I think she¡¯s also more eager to teach me templar and holy abilities instead. Her willingness to give her best to find me a teacher that would distract from that path is a bit questionable at this point. Besides, I don¡¯t want just any teacher; I¡¯m going to need a really good teacher if I¡¯m ever going to achieve any of my goals.¡± Dee said, finally paying full attention.


    ¡°So what will you do?¡± Croestia asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start by sounding out Mazatl¡¯s opinion. She seems like someone who would be more receptive to the idea. And if I frame things well, she might even keep it a secret from Sarfina.¡± Dee replied with a tentative plan.


    ¡°And if she won¡¯t help?¡± Croestia asked to prepare Dee for the possibility. Always have a plan in case of failure.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure that we can at least get some hints. However, it might be necessary to take some time with this. I¡¯d rather take my time while improving in other areas than settle for a mediocre teacher.¡± Dee replied coming to a decision.


    -----


    The next morning was somewhat interesting for Dee. First she had trouble sleeping properly, because the bed had been too soft. Although she¡¯d spent some weeks using the bed in the infirmary, that bed was enchanted to ease the sleep of often troubled patients. The last five years of her life had been spent sleeping on a bunk that was often harder than the stone floor. Dee also had plenty of experience with the floor, as the masters and researchers usually just tossed her on the floor if she unable to move by herself. As such, she had spent just about as many nights on the cold stone floor as on the slightly less cold but equally hard bed.


    She finally ended up sleeping on one of the support beams near the ceiling because that place felt both safer and more comfortable. Secondly, she had watched as the servants had entered her room near the crack of dawn to bring in some of the items they had bought the day before. Of course, she had been awake before they even touched the door handle, and the servants seemed somewhat disappointed that they had not managed to wake her up with their needlessly loud actions.


    The servants could¡¯ve brought the items in the previous night when they were bought, but they thought this was more troublesome for Dee. This wasn¡¯t the only way the servants showed their disdain towards her. The items they had brought were at best shabby quality. Considering the area they were in, it must have taken them more effort to find these shabby items than it would¡¯ve taken to find proper quality items. The message was clear though, Dee¡¯s presence was unwanted. They wouldn¡¯t say it in words of course, but they didn¡¯t have to.


    This was something she would have to deal with sooner rather than later. The silent condemnation of the servants didn¡¯t even faze her when compared to things she was used to, but she disliked the smug disrespect directed towards her. If she didn¡¯t deal with it, it would make her look weak and incapable. It would also be more problematic to live here if the servants were going to drag their heels at every turn. For now it was mostly harmless, but it might become important later on. Besides, dealing with it might even be fun.


    She chose the most decent set of clothes out of the bunch before meeting with Sarfina. They were going back to the infirmary to do a final checkup, as well as to get Dee enrolled as a trainee. They would also have to make her living arrangements official, which would take some paperwork and informing certain people. The most important person of them was of course Mazatl, who¡¯d now have to come here to give Dee her lessons. Or they would have to arrange for Dee to go to the saurian, whichever ended up working better.


    They once again took along the wheelchair, although Sarfina did promise that the need for it would cease once they got Dee officially released from the infirmary. The chair was on loan anyway. The medical check was actually fairly quick, with the resident priestess using her powers to delve inside Dee¡¯s body.


    ¡°Alright, there¡¯s nothing really wrong with your body anymore, so you are cleared to leave. However, that¡¯s not a license to get into fights straight away.¡± The dwarven priestess looked at Dee rather sternly. Dee assumed she looked sternly at everyone. She also assumed that her presence in the infirmary was in part an attempt to discourage anyone from getting injured again.


    ¡°Your condition isn¡¯t completely recovered even though the damage is gone. I would start off with light exercise, but at the very least I¡¯d avoid anything too strenuous for at least a week. Your rather unique¡­heritage is rather problematic when it comes to making a good diagnosis. That said, I wouldn¡¯t stay idle either. It¡¯s important to get yourself moving before long.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your advice.¡± Dee replied with a small smile. She could already feel her werewolf heritage kicking in normally, so she was actually slightly better off than the priestess thought. No need to mention that though.


    ¡°As if your type ever listened to such advice. Nevertheless I give it.¡± The priestess scoffed. ¡°On a completely unrelated note, could I ask Captain Sarfina to look into something for me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, what can I do for you?¡± Sarfina asked surprised.


    ¡°There have been several surgical knives going missing lately. We don¡¯t have that much use for them since most of our healing is done magically, but we do need them on occasion. It¡¯s rather bothersome, so if you would be so kind as to look into it?¡± The priestess asked.


    ¡°Surgical knives is it?¡± Sarfina asked back in a level voice, looking meaningfully at Dee on a hunch. Dee looked away with such exaggerated innocence, that it was obvious to Sarfina that she was the culprit. ¡°Be at peace priestess, I have a hunch that I can prevent the disappearance of further knives, though I can¡¯t be sure I can return what has already gone missing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. They¡¯re rather cheap. It¡¯s just that it would be bothersome to not have one when it is needed. I¡¯ll thank you in advance.¡± The priestess either didn¡¯t notice the look Sarfina had given Dee, or pretended not to. It was rather coincidental that she had brought the matter up with Sarfina in Dee¡¯s presence, so the latter seemed more likely.


    As they walked out of the infirmary, Sarfina couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°So surgical knives? You think there will be further disappearances?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m rather sure there won¡¯t be. They have rather crummy balance, so they¡¯re almost useless for throwing. They¡¯re also too flimsy to be used in a proper fight. They¡¯re nicely sharp though, so if you catch someone by surprise¡­¡± Dee replied without a shred of shame.


    ¡°So why exactly did you pilfer knives?¡± Sarfina asked with another raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Half on instinct honed by training. No proper assassin ignores weapons when they are available and you¡¯re unarmed. I also woke up in a strange environment with people I didn¡¯t recognize. Of course I took the chance to arm myself. Though some proper weapons would¡¯ve been much preferable.¡± Dee murmured the last bit in a low enough voice that Sarfina almost missed it.


    ¡°I suppose we did keep you away from any easy to steal weapons now that I think of it.¡± Sarfina mused to herself. It was a lot harder to steal a guard¡¯s main weapon when they were so attached to them due to training with them day and night. Dee also hadn¡¯t met that many armed people after coming here, not to mention finding an armory.


    ¡°You could at least take me somewhere I can get a set of decent throwing knives. Who knows when I might need them? The other templar aren¡¯t exactly happy with me, and I¡¯d rather avoid gutting one of your friends with a surgical blade. Also I want to test them myself, so no servants this time. If my life relies on them, I want them to be exactly to my tastes.¡± Dee pressed on as she noticed the opportunity.


    Sarfina answered with a small sigh. ¡°I guess we might as well. If I¡¯m going to trust you enough to live with me, there¡¯s no point in endangering you by not giving you means to defend yourself. Besides, throwing weapons won¡¯t clash with your future training unlike how some other weapons might.¡±


    ¡°Also, can we visit the restaurant we went to yesterday? Their food was excellent.¡± Dee asked with a cheeky laugh.

 Chapter 11

    A/N: Foreshadowing? and meeting with a dwarf. Also, it seems the site is going through changes again. Let''s see how badly it mucks up my formatting this time...


    ----------


    Sarfina gave in with another sigh. ¡°We can go to the restaurant, but I still need to handle some official business before we can leave. Let¡¯s see if we can find Mazatl to keep you company in the meantime. Unless you¡¯d prefer to sit around waiting for few hours?¡±


    Dee simply answered with a pointed look that made the message clear. Translation: ¡°You¡¯re not really dumb enough to ask that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I thought as much. I think we¡¯ll find her at the temple.¡± Sarfina said and started walking towards the biggest building within the complex.


    The temple itself was rather grandiose. It was surrounded by a fair bit of greenery, and the building was divided into two parts, connected by a long covered walkway. One half of the temple was a wide and tall grey stone structure that could be described as a cathedral. There were several tall towers, and the walls were dotted by several arched stained glass windows. The other half was an open circular structure made of white marble with several floors.


    The sight confused Dee a bit until they got closer. Once she got a better look, she realized that it wasn¡¯t actually a weird temple divided in two, but was actually a combination of three separate temples. The walkway ran through a large garden with several statues and shrines dedicated to various deities, so the garden itself was also a temple of sorts.


    ¡°Why three temples?¡± Dee asked a little confused.


    ¡°Two main reasons. First of all, the Holy Orders serve so many deities that they don¡¯t fit under one roof. I don¡¯t mean just space-wise, I mean some of the deities literally hate each other, so separating their shrines is somewhat mandatory. Beyond that, servants of certain deities prefer different types of shrines and temples. It would be a bit odd to fit some of the more outdoorsy deities like gods of nature indoors.¡± Sarfina replied.


    ¡°They¡¯re serving so many deities that they don¡¯t fit in one temple?¡± Dee had never realized there were so many deities out there.


    Sarfina suddenly exploded in laughter. ¡°You think this is much? We only have some of the most commonly worshipped deities¡¯ shrines here and don¡¯t even have any of the dark gods represented. There are several more temples nearby. You should see the grand temple complex of the Holy Orders. They have over a thousand temples all much bigger than these. Some of the biggest are larger than this entire training facility.¡±


    ¡°Eh? How many deities are there?¡± Dee asked stunned.


    ¡°Nobody knows. Every time one of us makes a connection with a new deity, a new shrine is built. As far as I can guess, there are new deities born every now and then, while some of the old ones fade away due to lack of worshippers. Makes counting a bit challenging.¡± Sarfina replied with a smile and a small shake of her head.


    ¡°No offense, but that seems rather silly.¡± Dee replied after thinking about it for a moment.


    ¡°It is what it is.¡± Sarfina replied simply. They had no control over such matters.


    Sarfina seemed to know exactly where she was going, so Dee was content to follow along while looking around at the various shrines. They entered the large cathedral, and she could see several places of worship ranging from small shrines to large altars. Many were situated in the large main room, while others were within small alcoves or side rooms on the tucked behind doors. Almost all of them had one thing in common though. They all either had a statue or a symbol that represented the deity worshipped at that shrine. For some reason the size of these statues and symbols varied wildly, from a small palm sized statue to the grand symbol of a stylized golden sun held aloft by an even bigger giant statue of a beautiful woman displayed at the most prominent place within the temple.


    ¡°Why are the altars and statues so different in size?¡± Dee asked while staring at the large statue holding the sun. The woman¡¯s features were beautiful, but it was impossible to ascribe a race to the deity as she was mostly covered in a hooded robe.


    The answer came from Mazatl who stepped in through a door leading to another one of those alcoves. ¡°The sizes represent the power and ranking of the deities. Just for the record, that isn¡¯t something decided by us. The symbols and statues change shape and size according to the power of the deities themselves. Only thing we can do is move them were they fit.¡±


    ¡°Heya Mazatl. Mind looking after Dee for a while? I need to handle the paperwork for her living arrangements and enrollment. It would be a waste to have her watch me struggle with that, when she could be doing something useful like driving you insane with questions.¡± Sarfina greeted her friend.


    ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind. We can have another lesson and tour the temples while you waste your time. Are you sure you don¡¯t want her help though? I know paperwork isn¡¯t your forte.¡± Mazatl jibed back with a friendly barb.


    ¡°That reminds me, how¡¯s her skill with math, reading and writing? I never thought to ask, I just assumed it was something you would handle.¡± Sarfina suddenly realized.


    ¡°Thanks dear for leaving the raising of our child completely to me.¡± Mazatl replied sarcastically. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s better at all of the basic subjects than you. All she lacks is basic information and someone to answer some questions. You forget that she¡¯s a psion. Something like math is a child¡¯s play for her. It took me a week to teach her things that takes other people years to learn.¡± Their lessons had included more than information on Pantheon, and Dee had known how to read before getting captured by the Zabaniya.


    ¡°Ok, now that the two of you are done talking about me as if I¡¯m not here, Sarfina you can do what you need to do. I¡¯m sure Mazatl can keep me busy, and we really should get to more important things, like food.¡± Dee said a little disgruntled for being ignored.


    Sarfina left laughing at Dee¡¯s gluttony. As she walked away, Mazatl turned to Dee with a curious look. ¡°I get the feeling you have something to talk to me about that you don¡¯t want her to hear.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sharper than you should be sometimes.¡± Dee grunted a bit. ¡°Before that though, which deity is that really big statue for? It¡¯s so much bigger than the others that it got me curious.¡± She pointed at the giant statue she had been looking at earlier.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s the shrine of Lumen the Goddess of Light. She¡¯s among the top ten most powerful deities, and almost every temple not dedicated to the dark gods has her shrine. This is despite the fact that almost none of our clergy has her blessing aside from a minor one. She¡¯s very picky with her servants, though she¡¯s still one of the strongest and most influential deities. I assume most of her power comes from the fact that she is at least thought to be the goddess that created the angels. The angels also worship her almost exclusively.¡± Mazatl explained carefully, as she knew of Dee¡¯s demonic heritage.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dee replied simply in a dark voice.


    ¡°I should point out that Lumen most likely had nothing to do with the purge. That¡¯s more within the territory of the God of Order, the only other deity worshipped by the angels. Though I say that, he might not have anything to do with it either. Angels are quite capable of making their own mistakes.¡± Mazatl tried to deflect some of the dark emotions Dee might have.


    Dee was slightly lost in thought as she stared at the statue of Lumen. Whether or not the goddess had any part in the purge might turn out irrelevant. If Dee ever got strong enough to take revenge on the angels to at least some degree, it was likely that the goddess would become her enemy. She was seriously considering whether she could sneak into the temple one night to do something to the statue, but finally gave up on the thought. Mazatl might be right about the goddess¡¯ involvement with the purge, and Dee certainly didn¡¯t have the strength to make an enemy like that at the moment.


    Something both Sarfina and Mazatl had said suddenly tugged at her thoughts. ¡°You said something about a temple dedicated to the dark gods?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As there are temples dedicated to deities that are considered to represent the light side of things, there are also temples dedicated to deities that represent dark and chaos. Those are much more common in the city of Night, while the temples of light are more common in the city of Day.¡± Mazatl had a thoughtful expression for a while. She wasn¡¯t sure how to best express her next thoughts.


    ¡°Many people confuse deities associated with light and order with good and the dark goods with evil. The world isn¡¯t so black and white though. You should have realized that already, considering your background. People see what they want to see and what¡¯s convenient.¡±


    Dee gave the saurian a long look. ¡°Am I correct in assuming that the deity you serve is one of the gods of light?¡± Mazatl had come out of one of the alcoves, and this was a temple of the light gods. There could be other reasons for a priestess to be there, but this was the most obvious reason, especially considering Sarfina had known where to look for the saurian.


    ¡°Not really no. I serve Samjir the God of Knowledge. He¡¯s strenuously associated with the light deities, but mostly his shrine is here because the other temple is full.¡± Mazatl gave a small throaty chuckle. ¡°There are a lot more neutral deities, but the light gods like to have grand surroundings for their shrines, so it would be bad if their temple was smaller. Since Samjir is lightly associated with the light gods, his shrine was moved here due to lack of space in the other temple.¡±


    Dee couldn¡¯t help but laugh at such mundane reason. ¡°The God of Knowledge, eh? From what I¡¯ve seen so far, that suits you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment, thank you. Samjir is a middle ranked deity liked by most, so I¡¯m fairly fortunate in that regard. Even the dark gods rarely have bad feelings towards him. Things like that often carry over to the servants of the deities and they sometimes clash. And yes before you ask, the blessing I got does help with my memory.¡± Mazatl added before Dee could ask, as she could see the question forming.


    ¡°Speaking of knowledge, I¡¯m going to have to once again draw on yours to supplement my own.¡± Dee said finally approaching the real point.


    ¡°I thought as much. Ask away, I am your tutor after all.¡± Mazatl replied returning to her teacher mode.


    ¡°I have two questions actually. I know Sarfina is set on training me as a templar, and I don¡¯t mind. That said, it¡¯s become fairly obvious that I¡¯ll need a mentor for my psionic abilities, but I have no idea where to look for one. I should add that while I¡¯m not in a hurry to find one, I won¡¯t settle for a mediocre teacher in a matter as important as this.¡± Dee kept her voice casual, as if the subject wasn¡¯t that important to her.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a tough one. We can probably agree that the Illithid freelancer we met earlier is unsuitable for several reasons. Psions are really rare and most of them are too busy to take students. There¡¯s fair bit of demand for the talents of a skilled psion. It¡¯s even rarer to find someone willing to teach, and who is also skilled enough to meet the standards you seem to have.¡± Mazatl looked thoughtful for a while.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know of anyone who would fit the bill, but I do know of a way to find one. There¡¯s a group much like the Holy Orders and Radiant Sun. They are called Threads of Fate. They are a fairly mysterious bunch, but they can solve almost any problem of this sort. However, the problem is getting their help. They don¡¯t lend their aid for free or without a good reason. Getting their aid for a matter this complex might be difficult.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a starting point at least. Like I said, I¡¯m not in too much of a hurry, since Sarfina will most likely keep me busy for a while.¡± Dee replied with a shrug. At least she had a plan now.


    ¡°You had another question?¡± Mazatl prompted. If the first question was like that, then what would the other one be like?


    ¡°This is a bit more personal. As you know, I¡¯ll be living with Sarfina for a while. It didn¡¯t take me long to figure out there¡¯s something going on with her family. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could tell me anything you can about them, so I can avoid certain sensitive areas.¡± Dee tried to appeal in a way that it seemed to be in Sarfina¡¯s best interest as well.


    ¡°Well, even I¡¯m not sure on all the details, but I can tell you about some of the things I¡¯ve heard. Since this is not exactly private, I¡¯m sure Sarfina wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Mazatl convinced herself. She was after all someone who enjoyed gossip, as according to her gossip was another source of knowledge. Not always reliable, but useful nonetheless.


    ¡°Sarfina¡¯s family has an important position among one of the largest empires in Pantheon, which resides in the great forest in the seventh circle on the east side of Day city. They¡¯re not quite royalty from what I heard, but the next best thing. They¡¯re pretty big believers in the superiority of the elven race.¡± Mazatl explained ordering the information in her head.


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Oh I noted that. The servants at the house don¡¯t seem to be too fond of me. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was my race or what, but this clears it up a bit.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t make things easy for you. They¡¯ve all been trained since childhood by the House Arazana, so the sense of superiority is pretty deep-rooted in them.¡± Mazatl took another look at Dee.


    ¡°That said, I think that¡¯s partially because you look like a demi-human beastman with mixed blood. If they knew about the actual races in your background, they might be more receptive. Rakshasa Rani and kitsune are both rather high ranking races. Didn¡¯t you also have werewolf blood in you? They are also rather highly regarded. The servants might not look down on you quite as much if they found out about that. They wouldn¡¯t treat you warmly but¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to deal with them another way. Anything else you can tell me? I got the sense that her brother is a touchy subject.¡± Dee replied. So far she hadn¡¯t heard anything really new.


    ¡°Well, this is much more speculative. Did she already mention that her brother Lothar is the Grandmaster of the Radiant Sun? He also has one of the Authorities I taught you about. He¡¯s much older than Sarfina, and someone who excels in most everything. I¡¯m fairly sure Sarfina often heard praise of him as a child, and was constantly compared to him. Unfavorably I would assume. I think that is one of the factors that have made her so driven. She got a nickname as the iron lady, because she rarely does anything outside work and training. I guess you¡¯re something like an excuse to take a break from all that. No offense.¡± Mazatl finished a little apologetically.


    ¡°None taken. We all have our reasons. If she gets something out of the deal, then all the better. I suppose growing up in the shadow of your sibling can be trying. Not that I have much experience.¡± Dee said thoughtfully. ¡°Thanks Mazatl, this will make things easier.¡±


    ¡°No problem. As much as I joked about it earlier, I do kind of feel responsible for you as well. Unlike Sarfina, I don¡¯t just see your admittedly horrendously sad past, but I can also see a potentially bright future. I¡¯d like to see that come into reality.¡± She gave a small grin. ¡°Not without my own selfish reasons mind you. I expect you to repay things when you grow up.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll extract some nefarious price from me in the future.¡± Dee joked back.


    -----


    ¡°Be a little careful when talking to Fimul. His smithy makes most of the weapons the templars in this area use. He can be either your biggest benefactor or one of your worst enemies. By now he is rich enough that he can choose his customers and charge whatever he wants. He¡¯s also one of the most stubborn bastards I¡¯ve ever met and carries a mean grudge, which is not uncommon for dwarves.¡± Sarfina warned Dee as the two walked towards a large smithy.


    Just from the outside one could see that the smithy held several furnaces, and the telltale clanging let everyone know that several smiths were working inside at the same time. The two entered the storefront of the smithy, and were greeted by rows upon rows of equipment of various level and quality. Dee could see that the quality of the work shifted quite a bit according to who had made the items. From the looks of it, most of the readymade stuff was the handiwork of apprentices, while the real masters would custom make their work to suit the customer.


    Being able to judge weapons and equipment at a glance was one of the skills taught to Dee by Zabaniya. The quality of one¡¯s weapons and equipment was crucial for an assassin, and perhaps even more important was the ability to make a quick judgment of your enemies and target. Detection and observation had always been one of Dee¡¯s fortes so she quickly became a master at judging equipment. Well quickly may have been a relative term among Zabaniya, since she still earned several beatings for making mistakes before learning.


    ¡°Fimul!¡± Sarfina greeted with a wide smile. Fimul was one of her friends after all.


    ¡°Faylen! What brings you here? Still playing at warrior? I still think all that armor is too heavy for a slip of a girl like you!¡± Fimul returned the greeting with a wide grin of his own.


    The dwarf sported bright red hair and a braided beard of similar color. Surprisingly he was wearing a symbol of a deity often used by clerics around his neck. In a typical dwarven fashion, he wasn¡¯t what one might call very tall and he was also wearing the typical leather apron used by smiths over his clothes.


    ¡°Hah, did you finally grow too old to hold a smithing hammer? You really should stick to tending the storefront at your advanced age.¡± Sarfina fired back.


    ¡°One needs to take a break every now and then. Plus, this gives me the chance to tease overly serious elves like yourself. I repeat, what brings you here?¡± The dwarf replied in good humor. It was clear that he wasn¡¯t that old. By dwarven standards he was actually rather middle aged.


    ¡°Fimul, I¡¯d like you to meet Haydee, or as we call her Dee. Dee this is Fimul Stormgranite. If you want to have a proper weapon made, he¡¯s your man.¡± Sarfina made the instructions.


    ¡°Mister Stormgranite, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Dee made a small polite bow as a greeting.


    ¡°My, a polite one aren¡¯t you? Just call me Fimul.¡± He eyed Dee up and down with curiosity.


    ¡°Fimul it is then, you can call me Dee.¡± She returned the pleasantries.


    ¡°So what¡¯s this about Faylen? I can pretty much see she isn¡¯t your daughter. So going by that, Dee here needs something made, and you brought her here.¡± Fimul still kept judging Dee with his eyes.


    He noticed the calmness and bearing of Dee. She moved in a way that suggested extensive training, as her every movement had the grace and smooth flow only seen in dancers and those that dealt death for a living. The girl¡¯s eyes made it clear that it was the latter. She also had perfect balance at all times, ready to answer to all surprises. Her eyes also scanned every nook and cranny for possible dangers and something else he couldn¡¯t quite determine yet.


    ¡°Indeed. I need a set of throwing knives made. And I¡¯d prefer not to use the ones you have on display.¡± Dee took over the conversation.


    Fimul grinned eagerly. ¡°Well then, I think it¡¯s time for a little test.¡±


    ¡°Fimul!¡± Sarfina said in a warning tone. ¡°She¡¯s only about ten. Isn¡¯t it a bit too early for one of your tests?¡±


    ¡°Faylen, be a good girl and stay out of this. If she¡¯s old enough to judge quality, then she is old enough to be able to use the items to a degree where the quality matters. I won¡¯t have one of my masterpieces in the hands of someone who can¡¯t appreciate them.¡± Fimul retorted without looking at Sarfina.


    He waved for them to follow. They walked through the store and beside the smithy to a backyard. There were several target dummies and archery targets set around the place. They were clearly meant for testing the products or, as was the case now, the customers. While they had been walking Fimul had given several signals to the others working in the smithy. Several grinning dwarves came out from the doors to the smithy. Apparently this was something that happened often, as everyone knew exactly what was going on. It also seemed to be great entertainment for them.


    Some of the dwarves brought out a wide assortment of throwing knives of various qualities, shapes and sizes. They were placed on trays around a marked spot a fair distance from a wide array of target dummies. Some were fairly close, some very far, some were heavily armored from head to toes, while others were completely bare.


    ¡°I assume you can guess somewhat what happens next?¡± Fimul asked, still grinning widely.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing these throwing daggers will be in those targets very soon, and I¡¯m the one who will put them there.¡± Dee said a little sarcastically.


    The dwarves gave a small laugh. They appreciated the girl¡¯s moxie. ¡°Half right. Putting weapons into targets isn¡¯t all that difficult. In addition, I want you to give me a proper judgement of every weapon you use. You¡¯re free to target any of the dummies you feel appropriate for each weapon, just be aware that your performance will be judged by your accuracy, your assessment and your target selection.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dee sucked in her lips a bit while in thought. Throwing identical daggers accurately was easy once you familiarized yourself with them. However, it was quite different to use a wide array of daggers that varied wildly from each other. Judging by the quality of some weapons, they were clearly not even meant to be thrown at the hardest targets. ¡°Well then. I best get to it.¡±


    She picked up the first dagger, gave it a small flourish to judge the balance and distribution of weight, and then threw a lightning fast throw straight into the ¡®eye¡¯ of one of the mid distance targets without a helmet. ¡°That one has a shitty balance and it¡¯s too heavy towards the handle. You have to throw it with a controlled spin, because it won''t fly straight. Hitting the further targets would be hopeless.¡±


    There were a lot of raised eyebrows among the watching dwarves. They had not expected Dee to aim that far, and certainly not to hit the eye. Dee continued to meticulously throw and judge the daggers. Too light, too heavy, too wide to pierce through gaps in armor, not sharp enough to kill after penetrating leather or clothes, bad materials and so on. She judged each dagger to be defective in different ways, yet she always unerringly hit her target and always aimed at as far and as heavily armored targets as possible.


    ¡°I see she¡¯s been trained as an assassin. I heard a rumor about you guys saving some kids from Zabaniya. I¡¯m assuming she¡¯s one of them.¡± Fimul wasn¡¯t really asking, just making an observation.


    Sarfina didn¡¯t bother answering. She knew that the test was about more than just your ability to judge and use the weapons. Just as important was the way you judged them. Different people valued different qualities. The test was also to find out what qualities Dee found most important, so that if Fimul did create custom made for her, he would know what qualities were most important for her. There were no perfect throwing daggers, only perfect daggers for a certain purposes.


    It was also very clear Dee judged and used the daggers as an assassin would. It was something that Dee didn¡¯t even know she was doing as it was something that came instinctually. It was something that had been trained and beaten into her for years. She always aimed to hit places that would kill the target like through the eyes to the brain, the heart, the throat and so on. She also valued daggers that were easy to conceal and carry, so lightweight and small. She valued weapons that were easy to use against armored enemies, something that could be thrown at the gaps in heavy armor, or through light armor.


    ¡°She¡¯s very good. Both with the weapons and judging them.¡± Fimul finally said after most of the daggers were gone. ¡°She¡¯s better at judging them than my apprentices, maybe even better than some of the masters. You were worried for nothing.¡±


    ¡°So it would seem.¡± Sarfina had known Dee would have some skill with weapons, otherwise she wouldn¡¯t have survived that long among the assassins, but this surprised her as well.


    Both of them paid more attention as Dee suddenly stopped. ¡°What material is this made of? I can¡¯t recognize it.¡± Dee was finally forced to ask. She was holding a very small dagger barely longer than her palm. The blade was as thin as paper, yet the whole dagger felt fair bit heavier than something this small should. It was made of some weird dark blue, almost black metal.


    ¡°Well, seeing as this is a test for your ability to judge them, it¡¯s a bit weird for you to ask. Why are you asking?¡± Fimul returned a question with a sudden twinkle in his eyes. He was happy that Dee had enough skill to pay more attention to this particular dagger, as it was by far the best amongst the whole lot.


    ¡°Because it would be hard to judge its ability to stop blows without actually testing it in combat. The blade seems too flimsy to stop a blow even from a standard longsword, which would be a problem if someone closed on me. Yet, somehow I get the feeling that impression is very wrong.¡± Dee replied. It would be optimal if she didn¡¯t have to use throwing daggers to block or deflect a blow, but that was sometimes unavoidable.


    ¡°Good you can stop. I¡¯ve seen enough.¡± Fimul declared with his smile widening. Some of the other dwarves looked grumpy, while others looked pleased, as money changed hands. Apparently they had been making bets.


    Dee flashed a satisfied grin and threw the dagger through a gap in the visor of the furthest target wearing a full helmet.

 Chapter 12

    A/N: Chapter day! If people think Fimul took Dee''s previous profession in a stride, you have to remember that there is a lot more death on this world. The difference between a warrior and an assassin isn''t that large. Also, good people use assassins sometimes to seek justice, since there''s very little in the way of courts. It''s a might makes right world, though organizations like the Radiant Sun exists to keep things in check and to stop abuse.


    ----------


    ¡±So, it¡¯s fairly obvious to me that you¡¯ve received training as an assassin. That gives me a pretty good idea about the kind of throwing daggers you¡¯ll want.¡± Fimul said as they went back inside the smithy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Sarfina wouldn¡¯t have brought me here if you didn¡¯t know what you were doing. Nonetheless, run it by me quickly anyway.¡± Dee requested, more than a little surprised that the dwarf had seen through her that quickly. She didn¡¯t think she had made it as obvious that the dwarf said, but he was right.


    Fimul gave a small snort of disdain at the waste of time but complied. ¡°You¡¯ll want most of them to be small and easy to conceal, and you want several of them. Preferably something like that last dagger you threw. You can tell me your preferred shape later, as you all have your own preferences. You¡¯ll also want one larger one to show that you are armed and to work as both deterrence and a distraction. That one should be sturdy enough to be effective in melee. Sheaths for all. You¡¯ll probably want to visit a tailor for proper straps?¡± He looked at Dee to make sure.


    Sarfina replied in her stead. ¡°Yeah, the leather you use is ok for a belt or rough brutes, but a girl requires a softer touch.¡± Despite trying to distance herself from her family, Sarfina still had some traces of the rich girl in her.


    Dee only looked at her with a slightly raised eyebrow. Zabaniya didn¡¯t really make allowances for comfort, so she was used to whatever she got. She wasn¡¯t going to argue against it though if Sarfina decided to splurge on something more comfortable.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use the same material as that last dagger. That brings us into the matter of payment. I¡¯m the only one who works with that metal in this smithy, because it requires holy power to use. It¡¯s a custom work that¡¯ll take me a couple of days. A bit more if you want me to use runes on them to enchant them.¡±


    Dwarves were generally less adept at complex magic, though there were exceptions like when working with metal and fire. They had their own system of magical runes though, which was very hard for other races to copy. Several races had their own ways of enchanting weapons, and the dwarves were experts in the field.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Sarfina said confidently.


    ¡°You know that¡¯s not how this works Faylen. I only accept payment from my actual customer, and I don¡¯t take money anymore. What I want is something that takes something of equal effort from you. I should hasten to point out that I don¡¯t need or want your services as an assassin.¡± Fimul said with a suborn set in his brows while looking at Dee.


    ¡°Come on Fimul. She¡¯s only ten. What do you expect her to be able to do?¡± Sarfina tried to appeal, without much luck.


    Giving it a small thought, an idea occurred to Dee. ¡°Well, I do seem to have talent in alchemy and chemistry. For obvious reasons my current specialty is poisons, but that¡¯s only due to not having much chance to branch out. I¡¯ve been spending time trying to read up on the subject while I was injured, but I haven¡¯t had much chance to test things out yet. I wonder if that might be of some use to you?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sarfina asked in surprise, though her question was ignored.


    Fimul rubbed his beard in thought. ¡°That might actually be more helpful than either of us thought. Follow me.¡±


    He led them into a room on the second floor. The room was filled with alchemical equipment, books and recipes. Most of it had not been touched for months, but they were in good condition if you ignored the dust. It wasn¡¯t high quality equipment, Dee noted with some interest, but much more than one would expect to find in a smithy.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you guys dabbled in alchemy.¡± Sarfina said equally surprised.


    ¡°We don¡¯t make anything for sale. However, we need some materials in our work. Whenever possible, we¡¯d prefer to make them ourselves, since the recipes are something of a trade secret. However, we only had one guy skilled with this, since the rest of us are too busy trying to master our own craft. That would be ok since we don¡¯t need that many things made, except the old bugger got eaten by a drago-bear two months ago while on a vacation. We haven¡¯t been able to renew our stock since then. If we don¡¯t get someone to help us pretty soon, we¡¯ll run out.¡± Fimul explained with a frown.


    ¡°I think I see where this is going. You want to know if I have the skill to create the materials you need.¡± Dee said with a smile. This was useful. If she did a good job, she would have befriended a good smith, and might even have an added source of income later on.


    ¡°That pretty much sums it up. The other things are secondary, and we could probably make do with alternatives or even buy the stuff elsewhere. There¡¯s one thing that we can¡¯t though.¡± Fimul¡¯s voice betrayed his hesitation. He wasn¡¯t wild about the idea for several reasons, but it would be very handy if things worked out.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t keep me in suspense.¡± Dee prodded the dwarf to get to it.


    ¡°Well, check this recipe out. Is it something within your ability?¡± Fimul pulled a small stack of papers from a shelf and handed it to Dee. It was a list of ingredients and the method to combine them.


    Dee went through them for a couple of minutes, a grin widening as she read on. ¡°I see now why you wouldn¡¯t want this to leak out. Yes, this is something I can manage, assuming you have the materials. I don¡¯t have the faintest idea where to get some of these. I might need a couple of tries to get it right, but this shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡±


    Fimul let out a sigh of relief. ¡°That¡¯s great. We¡¯d run out of that stuff in a month, and then we¡¯d be in trouble.¡±


    ''What do they want?'' Croestia asked Dee silently. She had gotten curious after seeing some of the materials.


    ''If I guess correctly, this is the stuff they use to draw the runes on the items. It¡¯ll work as a conduit for their magic, while the runes then get formed on the surface of the item. It¡¯s what they use for enchantments.'' Dee explained. For smiths that used runes, something like this was essential. No wonder Fimul didn¡¯t want to go to a random alchemist to get some more.


    ¡°How much time do you need?¡± Fimul asked with relief written all over his face.


    ¡°I can familiarize myself with the recipe while you get me the materials. For the actual process? Assuming I don¡¯t make too many mistakes, I¡¯d say I will be done by the morning. I¡¯ll need to do the whole process in one sitting or the quality will suffer.¡± Dee replied.


    Sarfina wasn¡¯t too happy about it, but consented to allow Dee to stay here and do her work over the night. She realized that it might be difficult to find another way to repay Fimul, and she could also see that Dee was somewhat excited at the prospect. She promised to bring something to eat in a few hours, since their restaurant visit got postponed.


    ----------


    Alchemy was at the same time a very complex and a very simple profession. In essence, you wanted to get the most benefit out of the materials you had on hand. The real issue lay in the huge body of knowledge required. An alchemist was never finished learning new things. You had to know the various effects of millions of plants and their various parts, hundreds and thousands of different methods to process them for maximum effect and the worst of all, how all of them mixed together.


    The better an alchemist was, the more effect one could squeeze out of a set of materials. They knew how to amplify the desired effect and how to suppress the undesired effects. A bad alchemist could use a set of high grade materials to make a mediocre potion or an elixir. A decent alchemist would be able to use the same materials to create a high grade potion. A good alchemist would be able to use a mediocre set of materials to make a high grade potion. A really good alchemist would be able to use that same set of mediocre materials to create several high grade potions.


    As a result, alchemy was all about the trade of materials into results, while the ability of the alchemist would determine the grade and amount of the end product and materials needed. The better alchemists would also have a wider variety of products they could make and a wider selection of methods used to produce them. Some materials would end up in more potent effects if combined in a certain way.


    Dee didn¡¯t have much experience with the profession, most of it coming from observing Selvaria as a child and making potent poisons as an assassin. That said, she did get some experience with other products with the assassins, and she did gain a fair bit of knowledge from the reading material stored within Croestia. Her learning ability and memory were top notch and there had been little else to do while she lay in the infirmary. Perhaps more importantly she also had an innate sense and instinct with the profession. She often got sudden ideas on how to improve something she read, and seem to just know what worked the best as Selvaria had noticed.


    She did make one failed attempt at the recipe, but that was more due to inexperience with handling the equipment and the complexity of the recipe. The recipe itself was somewhat counter to the usual practices of alchemy. Normally materials that contained mana needed to be refined so that the mana was removed, because mana often reacted wildly with the medicinal properties of a potion or an elixir. She wasn¡¯t making a medicinal potion though. In fact she was doing a bit of the opposite. The liquid she was creating needed to maximize mana and conduct it.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It was early morning when she walked downstairs to report her success. She found Fimul in the store again, drinking something that smelled like coffee. It looked like he hadn¡¯t gotten any sleep last night either, though that didn¡¯t seem to faze the dwarf too much, as he was used to it.


    ¡°Any success?¡± He asked without greeting.


    Without a word, Dee put down two bottles that looked the same, except the liquid inside was slightly different color.


    ¡°Why the difference?¡± Fimul asked straight away. Apparently he was grumpy in the mornings.


    ¡°This one is done exactly according to the recipe.¡± Dee said pointing to the bottle on the left. ¡°This one is my own take on it. I would like you to test it out and tell me which one you prefer.¡± She said while pointing to the bottle on the right.


    The recipe she had gotten wasn¡¯t bad, but Dee noticed several places where it could be improved. Even her current experience was enough for her instincts to kick in. However, she wasn¡¯t entirely certain the improvements were just a good thing. Sometimes you didn¡¯t want more power, as less power allowed for more precision.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I only gave you enough materials for one bottle.¡± Fimul pointed out with a frown.


    ¡°You gave me the amount of materials your last alchemist would need for one bottle. I¡¯m not your last alchemist.¡± A rather bold declaration of superiority. Not without a good reason though, as she could¡¯ve made three bottles, except the first one failed almost at the end.


    ¡°So what¡¯s the difference?¡± Fimul asked.


    ¡°Hard to say without trying. I don¡¯t know the exact extent, or even if it is better. That why I¡¯ll need you to test. If the old one is better, then I¡¯ll make more of that. If the new one is better¡­¡± She left the rest of the sentence unsaid.


    ¡°Well then. I¡¯ll tell you what; I¡¯ll use the new stuff on your daggers. I finished forging them last night. If the new stuff works better, I¡¯ll add some high level runes to them for free. If it¡¯s shit, then it¡¯s your daggers that suffer.¡± Fimul suggested with a small glint in his eyes.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Dee was rather confident in her creation, and high level runes would only benefit her. She could make due with normal daggers just fine, but why reject a gift when it is offered?


    -----


    Dee couldn¡¯t help the wide grin as Fimul came storming in an hour later as she was eating breakfast made by the dwarves. They didn¡¯t make for very good cooks.


    ¡°More of this, and a lot more if you would. I don¡¯t know what you did, but this stuff is great. Every rune I made with it had the power of a rune a full level higher. In fact, I¡¯d love it if you would write down the new recipe for me.¡± Fimul said with excitement clear in his voice.


    A full level increase in power of his runes just from using a different material was exceptionally useful in a hundred ways. The runes produced a bigger effect while requiring less power, the lower level runes were easier to make, and in many cases a single increase in level could make a huge difference. He¡¯d be making every rune with this stuff from now on if at all possible. It would make him even more famous.


    ¡°Yes to the first part, no to the second. A girl¡¯s gotta have her secrets. I don¡¯t mind producing more for you whenever necessary though.¡± Dee¡¯s grin widened.


    ¡°Damn you cheat!¡± There was no heat in his voice, and in fact he was smiling. He knew Dee had him trapped. ¡°Fine, have it your way. But in exchange, I want you to look at our other recipes and see if you can improve them as well. We have quenching liquids, weapon oils and plenty of other things.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll get along just fine in the future.¡± Dee replied, with her sly grin. Her little plan had succeeded well. She¡¯d secured a place to practice and hone her alchemy skills, as well as Fimul as a friend.


    -----


    It was evening by the time both of them were done with their work. To her disappointment, Dee was unable to make more than miniscule improvements to the other recipes used by the smithy. The other recipes were not as closely kept secrets as the rune liquid, and they were even shared beyond the dwarven smiths of the same clans and communities. As such they had received much more improvement from various sources, including experienced alchemists.


    Dee also had to admit that her knowledge and skill were lacking. Although her instincts with the profession were great, they were not able to overcome her current lack of knowledge. The result would most likely be different in the future, but that didn¡¯t help much in the present. It didn¡¯t much matter anyway, as Fimul had already received enough compensation for his own work.


    ¡°So what do these runes do exactly?¡± Dee asked, noticing the complex runes that had been made with the liquid she had created earlier.


    ¡°I thought you might find yourself too busy or unable to retrieve the thrown daggers in some cases, so they will return to the sheaths if you will them to. I also added self-repair and ¨Csharpening. The bigger one has improved cutting power and can also penetrate armor better.¡± Fimul said with some pride in his voice.


    Dee gave a small whistle of appreciation. She had originally wanted normal throwing daggers, so these were much more than she had expected. In fact they were much better than anything she had used before as an assassin. Suddenly she frowned. ¡°They return how?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fimul asked a little confused.


    ¡°You said they return to the sheath. How do they return? Do they fly through the air, so people can follow them, or do they just vanish and appear in the sheaths?¡± She clarified. This was a rather important difference.


    ¡°Ah, that. Well, thanks to your new liquid, it¡¯s the latter. The benefits of higher level runes. Oh, I almost forgot. My specialty as a cleric-smith is holy weapons. The material used is really conductive for holy power and is already inherently holy. That won¡¯t do too much for you now, but once Faylen trains you enough so that you can have you Ritual of Choosing and you have your own holy power, those puppies will be really effective against unholy types like undead. Also, they are more effective against protective holy magic. You¡¯ll have to wait on those effects for now though.¡± Fimul hadn¡¯t really forgotten, he just wanted to brag some more.


    ¡°Well, at least I know that now.¡± Dee said with a smile.


    Sarfina came to get Dee a short time later. Dee promised she¡¯d be back, since it would be beneficial for both of them. Sarfina was rather pleased that Dee had managed to befriend the dwarf. He¡¯d be more willing to do good work when it came time for Dee to get her armor, shield and weapon. Those were the tools of the trade for the templar and having them made by a great smith would be very helpful.


    Dee¡¯s mood was slightly marred when they returned to the manor, as the servants were not too careful to show their displeasure at her return. There were several speculative whispers about what Dee had been doing during the previous night since she had not returned here. Most of the speculation was rather disparaging and rather indecent.


    Most of that disappeared from her mind as she returned to her room. As she rested on the ceiling beam again, it finally started to hit her that she was safe. This mansion was going to be her future home for several years. Even though the servants disliked her, they were not going to beat her or kill her in her sleep. That much she could read from their nature, as the servants would think such actions as undignified. She was now armed, and had even made something resembling friends.


    The relief and sense of security hit her like nothing before. She could now afford to lower her guard a little and even let some people closer, something she was wholly unable to do among the assassins. She was also hit with the negative emotions that she had been holding in check, because she had been forced into a constant state of wariness. There was sadness, grief, blame and resentment.


    Why had something like that happened to her? Why did she have to suffer through all of that pain? Not to even mention normal children who grew up in warm homes, but even the other kids among the Zabaniya had had it easier. Why would the assassins do something like that to her? What had she done to earn something like this? She also somewhat unfairly blamed the people who ended up saving her, though that only lasted for a short moment. Why had they not come earlier?


    For all her advanced maturity, Dee was still only a young girl who had been carrying a heavy burden for too long. Now she could finally lay some of that burden down and let the feelings out. And so she wept. Not the small silent tears hidden from all, but the heart wrenching sobs that didn¡¯t care about who heard.


    Croestia heard of course, but she knew why Dee was crying and knew it was something the girl had to let out. So she stayed silent. She knew Dee would cry herself to sleep, and tomorrow she would wake as a more whole being.


    Unknown to them, Sarfina was also listening on the large balcony they shared. The sobs tore at her heart, and she had to stop herself from running into Dee¡¯s room and just holding her. However, she too knew that this was not what Dee would¡¯ve wanted. There was pride in the girl. Pride that would get damaged if her tears were seen by another. Sarfina knew that being held might help Dee in the moment, but it would backfire in the morning. There was a chance to give that hug at a later time without the loss of pride.


    Sarfina also felt some guilt about her tears. She was supposed to protect people like Dee from the predation of organizations like Zabaniya, and in Dee¡¯s case they had failed miserably. There would always be victims and you couldn¡¯t save everybody, but each victim was a failure. And listening to the girl¡¯s tears was Sarfina¡¯s self-imposed punishment. She also swore to make it up to the girl in the future. That would hopefully be something resembling atonement.


    Two people spent most of their night grieving for what was lost. Maybe tomorrow would bring a brighter future.

 Chapter 13

    A/N: Start of a new life and some confrontation. I hope you enjoy!


    ----------


    Despite the lack of sleep the previous night, Dee felt much better in the morning. Sarfina tried to not to let it show that she had heard her crying, but Dee¡¯s sharp eyes picked up on the subtle pity and bad conscience in her eyes. Nothing was said about what happened though. The servants showed no sign of having heard, and she didn¡¯t think they would able to hide it if they had.


    ¡®Thanks for small mercies, I suppose.¡¯ She though with some relief.


    That said, the behavior of the servants had not improved in the slightest. Thus Dee decided that she would have to go through with her plan tonight. The servants would most likely provide a good opportunity during the evening dinner, so that would most likely be the best time to confront them, as the dinner was attended by several servants and word would spread quickly afterwards.


    ¡°Seeing as you were able to handle work yesterday, I think we should start your training today.¡± Sarfina announced suddenly.


    ¡°Uh, alright. Up to you I suppose.¡± Dee managed to stammer as Sarfina¡¯s words interrupted her machinations.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start with swimming. Once I¡¯m satisfied that you¡¯re fully healthy and there are no lasting effects, I will arrange for some test for you to perform so we can determine your current level in various fields. That will help us plan your future training.¡± Sarfina continued, and noticed the slightly unsettled look that came over Dee once swimming was mentioned again.


    The two walked to the large pool, and Dee started to half-heartedly strip her clothes off in preparation. Sarfina took this chance to properly observe her new student and assess her development. For a nine to ten year old girl, Dee was rather tall. Not the height of an adult human yet of course. Without exact measurements she couldn¡¯t judge the exact height, but Dee looked to be a little under 1,5 mels, maybe 1,4.


    She was fairly thin, but covered in clearly defined muscle thanks to her constant training and heritage, which was decidedly odd for a girl her age. She was covered in clear white but short fur that was like a second skin or a layer of clothing. Her kitsune heritage showed clearly in her two tails that were rather fluffy, in stark contrast with her otherwise short and sleek fur.


    Her head was also reminiscent of a fox, which deviated slightly from normal rakshasa who usually had feline features. However, Dee also had something of a wolf in her features, with golden eyes and a snout that was slightly longer and thicker than a fox tribe beastmen had. All in all she looked very much like a demi-human beastman of a mixed heritage. Her demonic heritage didn¡¯t show much currently, unless she showed her extra pair of arms which she mostly didn¡¯t. Sarfina knew she also had long and sharp claws, which were currently retracted.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to strip completely naked.¡± Sarfina suddenly said with a realization.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really naked by your standards and there wasn¡¯t any swimwear among the clothes your servants provided.¡± Dee said with a wave, referring to her fur. ¡°Besides, luckily I don¡¯t have much to show yet anyway.¡±


    She was mostly right. Dee had only barely started developing those characteristics that usually required hiding, and her fur did a barely adequate job of hiding the important bits. It would look decidedly indecent in the future though, when she actually did develop, as the fur looked almost like clothes that had been painted on.


    ¡°Luckily?¡± Sarfina asked in slight confusion.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to look too alluring among the Zabaniya.¡± Dee replied with a shudder. Sarfina didn¡¯t require further explanation, as she could guess the rest.


    In a slightly morbid twist, just a moment later Sarfina had to actually struggle to stop herself from laughing out loud. Dee looked positively adorable in her attempts at swimming. She first did the thing sometimes seen with pets, where she just slightly tipped her toe in the water and quickly pulled out. Her eventual entry into water was slow and gradual. To top things off, Dee managed to do something that could generously be counted as swimming, as she did an imitation of doggy paddle without using her legs at all.


    It was funny, endearing, adorable and one of the most hilarious things Sarfina had seen. The girl who seemed so capable and mature sometimes, completely turned into a kid in water. And not a very competent kid at that.


    As Dee stopped and stood in the water, Sarfina couldn¡¯t help commenting. ¡°One of these days you¡¯re going to have to tell me what is with you and water. You seem almost skittish.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions you don¡¯t want answered.¡± Dee replied seriously.


    ¡°I do want answers, but I don¡¯t want to force you into giving them.¡± Sarfina replied, already imagining some sort of torture training.


    ¡°No you really don¡¯t, but that¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll answer this once anyway, just so you know what I mean in the future.¡± Dee said with a sigh. Then she proceeded to tell Sarfina about the experiments with the boiling blood in order to strengthen her fur.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Dee had been right, Sarfina felt much worse after knowing. ¡°Was something like that normal?¡±


    ¡°To the other kids? No. To me? Yes. I got ¡®special treatment¡¯ because of my regenerative abilities. Not that they had it easy either, but you can do so much more to a punching bag that keeps healing from even the worst injuries.¡± Dee replied with another sigh.


    Sarfina couldn¡¯t really say anything in reply. She had imagined that Dee had survived so well mostly because of luck and getting a softer treatment for some reason. At worst she had imagined that Dee had gotten the normal treatment and she had survived because of her regenerative abilities. In hindsight though, people like the Zabaniya wouldn¡¯t ignore an asset like the regeneration, and would utilize it to the maximum instead.


    Dee broke the silence after a few moments. ¡°So how about you show me how to do this? I¡¯m clearly bad at it, so it would help if I got to see a proper example. You can then tell me what I¡¯m doing wrong when I copy you.¡±


    Sarfina agreed with a smile. She had anticipated the necessity, and wanted to swim anyway, so she had prepared proper swimwear in the morning unlike Dee. Now was Dee¡¯s turn to get a proper look at Sarfina. It was actually the first time she had seen the elven woman out of armor, and she also realized that she hadn¡¯t paid much attention to her looks before, which was a rather bad mistake for an assassin. Always pay attention to people who might turn out to be important. If you¡¯re able, also pay attention to the unimportant because they might turn out to be important later.


    Sarfina wasn¡¯t exactly curvaceous, instead she could be described athletic and was covered in lean and lithe muscle. She wasn¡¯t without her charms though, and she did have enough curves in the right places, and elves usually tended to be on the moderate side in these things. Sarfina was actually surprisingly shapely for an elf, but it was covered in armor most of the time.


    Her muscles were clearly the result of constant training, but she was right in saying that swimming built her lean and taut, instead of bulky. Elven women were usually slightly taller than human and beastmen, and Sarfina wasn¡¯t an exception, measuring around 1,7 mels. She also had a moderate length golden hair tied in a ponytail that framed her sharp and refined elven features. The face was highlighted by a pair of deep green eyes.


    During the day Sarfina taught Dee several swimming styles, and Dee was a quick study. Once she got the hang of it, her analytical mind went to work, and she started making minute adjustments to her movements to improve her swimming. She didn¡¯t even need that much aid from Sarfina, just a proper example. By the evening, she wasn¡¯t exactly a great swimmer yet, but they both knew it was only a matter of time and practice. Dee actually started to enjoy swimming as well, though she still wasn¡¯t so keen on getting her tails wet.


    ----------


    As they were sitting for the evening meal, Dee was prepared for a confrontation and wasn¡¯t disappointed. She noted that her portion was different from Sarfina, but the two were seated far enough apart at the ends of a long table, so the latter didn¡¯t notice the difference. Dee suspected this gap was created by the servants on purpose when setting the table, subtly guiding Sarfina¡¯s actions. The food wasn¡¯t bad and used the same materials, but it was clear that there wasn¡¯t the same amount of care and attention used in making it. The servant also didn¡¯t exactly gently set it in front of Dee, coming just short of slapping it on the table.


    There were several servants lined on the walls, in case their master needed something. Dee noted that the situation was good, and that she had the necessary excuse. ¡°So this is the level of servants trained by House Arazana.¡± She said raising her voice, which dripped venom.


    Most of the servants turned a sharp eye towards her, the head maid Qinlana looked at Dee with indignation and started to argue. ¡°You dare¡­¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Dee however cut her off immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t have to dare anything. You actions during the last few days have said more of your level than anything I might say. And no, I¡¯m not stupid enough to think your performance has been the best you are capable. That¡¯s the whole point. Your actions show your disregard for your master and your lack of ability and judgement as servants. That says more clearly than any words that House Arazana apparently doesn¡¯t have any idea how to train their servants.¡± Dee had chosen to attack their pride as servants and the House that raised them instead of lashing out at bad service directly.


    ¡°What would you know about House Arazana and training servants? I¡¯ll have you know we have all been trained since we were children.¡± Qinlana replied in anger.


    ¡°And the fact that this is the result is the biggest indictment that can be made. Let¡¯s start with the obvious. You clearly have no respect for your master, and your actions shout that out to the world, shaming her and you at the same time.¡± Dee said with slightly mocking tone.


    ¡°What would you know about our respect?¡± One of the servants yelled from the side defensively. Dee was quite happy they decided to play straight into her trap.


    ¡°You obviously don¡¯t trust her judgement, and you actively work against her interests. In addition, it¡¯s clear that you are not really loyal to her, but to her family instead. If that¡¯s not lack of respect then I don¡¯t know what is. All of you have judged me and openly show your disdain and your work can be described as poor at best. Not to mention a good servant, I wouldn¡¯t judge you even as bad servants, you¡¯re complete trash.


    Your master has brought me here for her own reasons. What makes you worthy to judge her motives? What makes you worthy to work against her intentions? What makes you worthy to judge her guests? Did you even consider that my presence here might be, for example, important for her future career? And that with your actions you might destroy that future? What if I was the daughter of someone influential, and your master was protecting me incognito in her house? What would I report to my family in such a case after your actions?¡± Dee started firing off accusations.


    Qinlana scoffed with disdain. ¡°I don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    Once again Dee didn¡¯t let her finish. ¡°No you didn¡¯t and that is the problem. None of you think. You make judgements when it is not your place to make them. And that is what I mean about you showing lack of respect, because you don¡¯t trust the judgement of your master. Even assuming I was a beggar that your master picked up from a street, what kind of servants are you to openly show such contempt?


    Even if I was someone who murdered your family in front of your eyes, a professional servant would not let that show on her face. You would do your job to perfection, not giving me any reason to judge your master due to any mistakes you make. Your mistakes reflect on your master and any guests would assume she can¡¯t train or hire proper servants. Even if I was her or your enemy, a proper servant wouldn¡¯t give me the chance to look down on your master because of your lack of skill. Instead a proper servant with respect towards her master would trust her master to handle any grievances and to seek justice in their place. That in turn is the duty of a proper master.¡± Dee made an audible scoff at the servants that had been suppressed for now.


    Now was time to strike at their racial pride. ¡°Instead you act like a pack of human peasants that haven¡¯t been taught the first thing about being servants. Thus I repeat: so this is the level of servants trained by the House Arazana. I guess it was too much to expect better.¡±


    Finally one of the servants that were openly angry snapped. ¡°What gives a mixed mongrel demi-human the right to judge her superiors?¡± And there the racism was in the open.


    ¡°Shows what you know. What gave you the impression that I have even a drop of beastman blood in me? If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t talk about racial superiority to me. More to the point, if you lot don¡¯t start doing your job properly, maybe it¡¯s time I start doing mine.¡± With the final words Dee stormed off leaving her food untouched. She didn¡¯t worry about going hungry, after all Croestia still had a mountain of food stored.


    As she had assumed, there was a huge commotion after she left. Also as she had assumed, Qinlana finally posed some questions to Sarfina who had observed the events in silence so far. Sarfina had noted that the servants were treating Dee badly before, but she wanted to see how the girl handled it. Call it a test of character. She¡¯d had intervened eventually, if necessary.


    ¡°What did she mean by her job? And her race?¡± Qinlana was the one to ask, but her words suddenly brought a silence to the room.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll start with the race. She was right you know, you have no grounds to feel superior. She is a demon and has at least kitsune, Beowulf and Rakshasa Rani blood in her. As for her job, for the last five years, she has been forcefully held by the Zabaniya and trained as an assassin. I wouldn¡¯t take her skills or words lightly.¡± Sarfina replied with a smile. She had not even considered that Dee might handle it this way, but she knew what strings to pull now.


    ¡°An assassin? And what do you mean five years? She couldn¡¯t be even ten years old.¡± One of the other servants asked in shock.


    ¡°She was kidnapped when she was four. For the last five years she¡¯s been living in a hell that none of us can imagine, and you know the types of places I¡¯ve seen before. She¡¯s seen more death and abuse than all of you combined.¡± Sarfina¡¯s words made the servants feel pity, which mixed with their anger.


    However, Sarfina wasn¡¯t finished. ¡°She is right on another subject. The behavior you have shown towards her is deplorable. In addition, from the start you have been servants of my house instead of being my servants and your actions show, at best, disdain towards me. I have also had enough, and will not tolerate it any longer. All of you have a choice to make tonight. You can either leave or you can fix your act.


    I don¡¯t care that you were trained by my house, and in fact I will count it against you from now on. I will not be keeping disloyal servants no matter what my family says. I¡¯d rather hire and train my own servants. You have until tomorrow to decide. Are you my servants or servants of my parents?¡± Sarfina said, while standing up from the table and leaving the room. She had wanted to make changes to the current situation for a while now, and Dee had just provided the perfect excuse.


    -----


    The next morning saw most of the servants stay. Some had decided to return to House Arazana, but most realized that returning after getting thrown out by the young daughter of the house would not earn them any good will. Many of them also realized that Dee had a point. They were angry at her words and accusations, but she did have a point. They had not shown professional behavior. Even if they retained their attitudes of racial superiority, that should not show through in their work.


    The servants had also spent years with Sarfina. While there was the issue of divided loyalties, there was little chance for genuinely warm relations to form. That said, Sarfina was a good and fair master, and didn¡¯t bring much in the way of trouble to her servants. Despite their original loyalties lying with House Arazana, they had over time also grown fond of their life here.


    As a result, the remaining servants had a much more professional attitude towards Dee the next morning. Their eyes still showed that they were not fond of the girl, and had some grudges from the previous night, but their actions and faces no longer showed their emotions. Dee received the kind of service that was appropriate for professional servants, and during their now daily swimming practice her wardrobe was renewed to what it should¡¯ve originally been. The switch was done in silence, and neither party said a word about it afterwards.


    Sarfina took to Dee¡¯s swimming training with gusto. She seemed to be dead-set on drilling the necessary skill into Dee in the shortest amount of time possible. Dee on the other hand displayed her learning abilities, and within two weeks her form at least could be described as perfect. She still didn¡¯t have the speed and stamina Sarfina had, but that was the natural result of being smaller and weaker and would improve with time and age.


    Finally Sarfina was also satisfied that Dee had fully recovered and was in good condition. She cut their training that day a bit short and called Dee over. ¡°Eat well tonight and go to bed early. Tomorrow we¡¯ll start testing you.¡±


    ¡°Testing me how exactly?¡± Dee asked slightly suspicious. She knew they had to determine her current level somehow before starting her real training, but she wanted to know details.


    ¡°Stamina, strength, footwork, balance, dexterity, agility, hand-eye coordination and of course fighting abilities. Well test your skill with several weapons as well as unarmed and we¡¯ll also chart any other skills and abilities you might have.¡± Sarfina had a slightly evil grin. ¡°Be prepared because I¡¯ll be calling in some help for these tests, and we¡¯ll run you ragged tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 14

    A/N: Happyfuntimes running tests and conniving. I hope you allo enjoy.


    ----------


    Dee was more than a little apprehensive the next morning as she walked into the back garden and found Sarfina accompanied by Mazatl and two human men. The first one was a rather non-descript dark skinned man that fit the warrior-trainer stereotype in Dee¡¯s mind. His appearance screamed all muscle and pain but no brain. Dee had learned not to trust such first impressions too deeply though. He was clearly a warrior type of some kind though, and Dee assumed that he was here to test her skills in weapons.


    The second man left a much deeper impression on Dee. Part of it was because Dee could feel that the man was some type of High Human often seen on various worlds. They tended to be stronger than normal humans and would normally live longer. He seemed to be the man in charge, judging by the deferring looks on the other¡¯s faces, as if they were talking to their boss. The man clearly had some age on him, but not enough to hamper him, and he also showed no clear signs of aging.


    ¡°Dee come here!¡± Sarfina gave a small wave of her hand, inviting Dee over. ¡°Haydee, this is Commander Wolfhart. He is the one in charge of our training facility, as well as the commander of the Radiant Sun forces in this part of Day city. Commander this is Haydee.¡± She made the introductions.


    ¡°Greetings commander.¡± Dee made a small bow in greeting, wondering at his presence. ¡®Why would the leader of this area come and see me get tested?¡¯


    ¡°Greetings Haydee.¡± The commander replied with a small smile. ¡°You¡¯re in for a crummy day, but I hope you won¡¯t mind me observing.¡± His words were implying that an answer was not needed nor wanted. ¡°This muscle-brain here has a proper name, but we all call him Sarge. You will learn to know his ways when you enter the formal training part as a templar. Today he¡¯s here to run you ragged as we test your current level.¡± He pointed at the other man beside him, who remained emotionless on the outside.


    ¡°Right, we best get started then. This will take a while anyway, so the sooner we start the better.¡± Sarfina said in a chipper voice. Schadenfreude no doubt.


    She took them next to a fairly long track that had been fenced to go through the mansion garden in a relatively circular fashion. The track wasn¡¯t there yesterday. At first look, it looked to be roughly 300 mels long. Sarge took over at this point. ¡°The first test is to run along the track for as long as you can. This is a test of stamina, not speed. Keep a brisk pace, but don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a race.¡±


    Dee tilted her head a bit before raising her hand in question.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Sarge asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be running several tests today, right? Wouldn¡¯t it be problematic if I run out of stamina on the first test?¡± Dee asked in slight confusion.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± Mazatl interjected. ¡°I¡¯m fairly proficient at spells that can wipe away your fatigue and restore your stamina. That will only affect your physical body of course, so mental fatigue will accumulate. That¡¯s part of the tests.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Sarge asked rather sharply.


    Dee just shook her head and started running. She was physically fit and her various races contributed to a strong body. You couldn¡¯t be an assassin if you were out of shape. That said, her training had been focused on explosive speed not stamina, and it started showing after a while. At best, assassins were trained for a slightly extended fight followed by an escape, not for a battle. She was fit, but she didn¡¯t have the stamina of a soldier.


    ¡®Do you want me to buff your stamina?¡¯ Croestia asked her mentally as she was starting to huff.


    ¡®Not this time, but thank you. This will determine my future training, and I¡¯d rather it wasn¡¯t based on cheating and was based on my actual condition.¡¯ Dee replied, but did sneakily start to use her ability to ignore pain, to make things easier for herself. She forgot that the pain is there for a reason.


    ¡°She¡¯s not bad. For someone her age that is.¡± Sarge said quietly to Sarfina and Wolfhart.


    ¡°Indeed. I expected her to give up several laps ago. Her speed is clearly falling, but not as much as I expected.¡± Wolfhart replied. ¡°Maybe the assassins focused more on stamina training than we thought.¡±


    ¡°I think it might be just her stubbornness.¡± Sarfina said half in thought.


    ¡°Ah. She¡¯s done.¡± Mazatl said in a surprised voice, as she suddenly saw Dee collapsing to the ground.


    As they walked to her and let Mazatl delve her body, they were slightly surprised. Even as soldiers they rarely saw someone move until they fainted like Dee had. ¡°How is she?¡± Sarfina asked, not really worried.


    ¡°Just totally spent. I¡¯ll recharge her right now.¡± Mazatl replied in slight amusement.


    ¡°Well at least she has willpower.¡± Sarge grunted. He liked kids who didn¡¯t give up easily. ¡°Wake her up as well, we don¡¯t have the whole day.¡±


    -----


    The next few tests were for her footwork, balance, dexterity and hand-eye coordination. These tests were easy to Dee and she did extremely well on them. Those were all abilities and characteristics that had been beaten into her by the assassins, and were in fact on much higher level than was required from even adult fully trained templars and paladins. She was also naturally agile and had perfect control of her body due to her race.


    The test of strength on the other hand wasn¡¯t her forte. Although the assassins did train her strength, it was hard to accomplish that much with a child¡¯s body. No amount of training would change the fact that she was young and hadn¡¯t even hit puberty properly yet. Even the advantage of her race and the changes made to her body would only show themselves when she reached adulthood. She was pretty strong for her age, but nothing could change the fact that she was still a child.


    ¡°What weapons have you been trained to use?¡± Sarge asked, as they stood on the grounds selected for their fight tests.


    ¡°Well, I got some training in most commonly seen weapons, although anything two handed was too heavy for me. That training was enough that I wouldn¡¯t embarrass myself if I had to use a strange weapon. Mostly the training focused on light and easy to conceal weapons, ranging from thrown weapons and daggers to light swords. Nothing heavier than a saber though. We were also trained in the use of a crossbow, but I don¡¯t think that one really counts. There was of course heavy emphasis in using improvised weapons and unarmed combat, but only enough for a quick kill.¡± Dee listed off her proficiencies.


    It should be noted that her training was a fair bit more extensive as the other kids, due to her quick learning abilities. The others were suitably impressed, Wolfhart even gave a small whistle of appreciation. Usually training in a weapon took years at least. Dee had learned faster because of the brutal training, and because she could apply her earlier lessons for use with new weapons. If you handed her a weapon she had never even seen before, she wouldn¡¯t be great with it, but she wouldn¡¯t start from scratch either as many principles still applied, assuming you had enough skill and mental flexibility.


    ¡°Why crossbow and not a bow? Wouldn¡¯t a longbow be more effective as a weapon?¡± Mazatl asked in slight confusion.


    Dee gave a small smile while she explained. ¡°For an assassin, if you have to take a second shot, you¡¯ve already botched the attempt. For one shot only, a crossbow is better and also easier to use. Less training required.¡±


    ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll see if you really have some skill or if that list is an empty boast.¡± Sarge said grimly. He couldn¡¯t believe Dee would be able to learn to use that many weapons proficiently. Certainly she wouldn¡¯t be able to master them. He was right in that assumption. Dee was hardly a weapons master. The assassins trained the kids in the style most useful for a quick kill.


    Without needing prompting Mazatl placed herself within a weird magical formation, and suddenly a grey dome covered the grounds. Everything inside seemed to have muted colors.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°This will make it so any damage done to each other within will be canceled after the match ends. You¡¯re still not supposed to hurt each other too badly, since pain works just like normal, but at least neither of you will be killed or crippled if you get too heated.¡± Sarfina explained from the side.


    There was a rack of weapons prepared on the side, and Dee picked several throwing daggers, and a pair of normal daggers. Sarge stepped in with a shield and a longsword. Both of them were preparing for their little bout.


    ¡°So isn¡¯t it time to tell me why you¡¯re really here?¡± Sarfina asked in a quiet voice.


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just be interested in a potential new trainee?¡± Wolfhart asked pretending innocence.


    ¡°No you can¡¯t. You¡¯re too busy to spend a day like this when you¡¯re working, and you haven¡¯t taken a day of vacation in five years.¡± Sarfina shot back.


    ¡°Fair enough. The Order has an interest in the kids that we saved, and so far your Haydee shows the most promise of the lot. Mostly because she seems the most stable, although her abilities seem promising too.¡± Wolfhart said slowly.


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    ¡°What kind of interest?¡± Sarfina asked, getting worried.


    ¡°Nothing malicious I assure you. The assassins aren¡¯t the only ones that sometimes need the skill to move in the shadows and remain undetected. There are often cases where we would need people who specialize in stealth and protection, two skills that don¡¯t mix well. As a result, we¡¯re short on stock of such individuals. Who better to learn how to protect people from the shadows and recognize possible threats than people who are already trained to take lives while unseen? They¡¯ve been on the other side of the board, so they know the dangers they have to be aware of.¡± Wolfhart explained.


    ¡°I get the feeling that¡¯s not all.¡± Sarfina said.


    The commander was quiet for a while before answering. ¡°We sometimes also have a need to get rid of certain people without being connected to it or going through the rigmarole of upholding justice. We can¡¯t go to the assassins for obvious reasons, so we have some of our own people that handle such cases. It is rare, but it happens. You should already know about the more shadowy side of power.¡± He was alluding to Sarfina¡¯s family.


    There was anger and indignation on Sarfina¡¯s face. ¡°So we save them from the assassins, just to turn them into our own assassins?¡±


    ¡°Oh come now Sarfina, you know better than that. There¡¯s a world of difference between an assassin for hire, and upholding justice in secret. Besides, we don¡¯t force anyone to do it. If she has the skill, she will be given a choice do it or pass on it. You also can¡¯t compare being trained and cared by us to the horrific conditions you found them in. They¡¯re not our slaves, they are our hand in the shadows. Full brothers and sisters of the order. We already do this, and every member is a volunteer with the required skills. Skills that are hard to find I might add. The only question is, will the kids we saved from the assassins grow into that work as well?¡± Wolfhart said stoically. He knew the realities of this world.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not up to me, but I want to keep her from taking that path. She can still be saved. Even if what they do isn¡¯t the same as Zabaniya, I think she would be destined for darkness if she fell back on that path.¡± She replied sadly.


    ¡°If that is how it happens, then that is how it happens. It depends on her skills and the choices she makes. To tell you the truth, it is harder to find those skilled in stealth and protection, and we might need them even more. If she has the ability¡­¡± Wolfhart left the rest unsaid.


    -----


    Dee looked at her opponent while squatting on the ground. The training of the assassins had a fair chunk of it dedicated to fighting against people with shields. Shields were the bane of assassins if they got into combat. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t have ways around shields, but that an equally skilled opponent with a shield and focused on defense could drag the fight out. That usually gave time for reinforcements to arrive. As such, they were trained in several quick methods to bypass the shield, but it always remained a problem.


    Sarge took a standard stance of standing a bit sideways, while positioning the shield in front of his body, covering his torso and waist. The shield was a medium sized triangular kite shield, so it left his legs open. He positioned his sword behind the shield, so it wasn¡¯t visible to Dee. It was the standard way of fighting with sword and board, as shield was sometimes called, where you first block an attack and then make a counter of your own.


    Dee observed his stances while she rose to a standing position. He knew how to use his equipment. This wouldn¡¯t be easy, but then again it would be a surprise if a test like this was easy. She observed how the holy power moved inside his body. She had never fought against or learned to observe a person using holy power, so she was a bit worried.


    Her skills were based on being able to read the flow of power in her opponent¡¯s body to anticipate their moves before they even made them. This was a skill she learned from Selvaria and one that was honed in countless fights against the assassins. It was the only thing that allowed her to fight even remotely equally with fully trained assassins that Malik had liked pitting against her. Luckily it seemed the flow of holy power was not all that different to ki, so the same principles probably applied.


    ¡®Time to get to it then.¡¯ Dee though with a slight tinge of resignation.


    The shield was incredibly useful in combat, but it did come with certain weaknesses. The first weakness was that the first instinct of anyone using a shield was not to dodge an attack but to block it instead. This was something ingrained and could be hard to control. Dee rushed forward closing the gap between the two, and suddenly threw two rocks she had picked from the ground towards Sarge¡¯s eyes.


    As expected, Sarge didn¡¯t even try to avoid the fast moving objects, but raised his shield to block them instead, covering his vision of Dee. Once he heard the rocks impact on the shield, he quickly lowered the shield a bit to regain vision of his enemy, only to not see her. Suddenly he noticed something falling towards him and hastily raised his shield to defend.


    Dee had leaped straight into the air while Sarge¡¯s vision was blocked and now kicked with both feet against the raised shield. Shields diffused heavy impacts somewhat, but there were limits. Most of the impact would still travel to the arm you were using to hold up the shield. This wasn¡¯t usually a problem as the user would deflect most of the strength of the attack away, instead of blocking straight on, but Dee didn¡¯t give him an option.


    Her weight wasn¡¯t that much, but a full power kick with both feet and full strength while falling was still equal to a strike from a two handed weapon. The impact jarred Sarge¡¯s shield hand, and made him stumble a bit, while Dee dove under the shield and swept his legs from under him. The end result was a dagger placed at his neck, and a prompt surrender.


    It has to be said that the biggest reason for her success had been Sarge underestimating her abilities, and not being careful. Normally he wouldn¡¯t have fallen for something that simple. ¡°Again.¡± He said simply.


    Without a word Dee dashed at him again, and once again threw rocks at his eyes. This time though, he wouldn¡¯t fall for the same trap, and moved sideways towards his sword-hand side while blocking, so he could avoid the jump and move aside from any similar strike.


    Dee wasn¡¯t stupid enough to repeat what she had just done, and instead moved sideways to Sarge¡¯s shield-hand side, with the shield again blocking the vision of her movement. That was the second weakness of a shield, becoming more prominent the larger a shield was, and would be even worse when wearing a helmet. You lost part of your vision even while not blocking, as the shield could create a blind spot. Dee circled around Sarge who quickly tried to follow but was too late, as the sharp edge of the dagger once again appeared at his throat.


    On their third bout, Sarge was prepared to move his head away from any stones, but there were no flying stones this time. As Dee dashed towards him, he tried to bash her with the shield while moving forward, but Dee suddenly stopped and stepped back, causing him to slightly overbalance as he was braced for an impact. Dee used this chance to reveal her other pair of arms, as her two right arms took a hold on the edge of the shield, and prevented it from moving, and stopping Sarge from striking with his sword.


    That was the third weakness of a shield. It blocked the path of your attacks, and could be used against you, if the edges of the shield were not sharp. Even with two hands, Dee didn¡¯t have as much strength as Sarge, but she managed to hold the shield long enough to place her dagger at his armpit. As that was the place of a major artery, they both knew he had lost a third time.


    Those were the only three times Dee gained victory during their sparring. She was used to fighting people stronger than her, but you could do only so much once the surprise factor wore off. Unsurprisingly she couldn¡¯t gain any advantages once Sarge got used to her tricks. Most of the time Sarge had trouble catching up to her long enough to defeat her, but he did win more than three times, recovering his dignity a bit. Still it was rather shocking for all of them that Dee managed to put up as much of a fight as she had.


    ¡°She¡¯s clearly skilled. She doesn¡¯t fight like a templar, but that can be taught. More importantly she¡¯s clever and has an instinct for battle.¡± Wolfhart commented.


    ¡°Yeah, she surprised me too. It¡¯s quite interesting that she managed to keep up with Sarge. I don¡¯t think many of our young templars or paladins can say the same.¡± Sarfina replied impressed.


    ¡°Train her well. Have her draw up a list of other skills and abilities she might possess. It¡¯s already getting late, and she doesn¡¯t have the focus to think of everything now. It¡¯s better if she does it tomorrow.¡± Wolfhart ordered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see to it.¡± Sarfina replied simply.

 Chapter 15

    A/N: The plot thickens. On an unrelated note, I''m guessing it''s not a great sign if you''re having coughing fits so hard that literally everything hurts afterwards. Oh well, such is life.


    ----------


    Dim light of the evening shone on a stack of papers. The stack was only one of many like it, as the large table was covered with other stacks just like it. There didn¡¯t seem to be any order among the chaos of that table, but the person sitting behind the table could reach in and pull out just the sheet he wanted without fail. At first glance you¡¯d think the owner of the table was either swamped with work or very unorganized. The first assumption wasn¡¯t that far from the truth, while the second couldn¡¯t be more wrong.


    Commander Wolfhart was a very organized man. His table had its current appearance on purpose. He wanted people to think he wasn¡¯t too good with paperwork and administrative duties. He tried to foster initiative and the ability to think for themselves in his subordinates, and the desk was just one pawn in his plans. The desk made it look like he was having trouble handling his workload, and his loyal subordinates would rather handle things themselves than burdened him any further with work they could deal with on their own.


    The commander really was rather busy, but not even close to as busy as his desk made people believe. He wanted his subordinates to take the initiative and do the minutiae themselves instead of checking everything with him. Just because he was good with all the administrative work didn¡¯t mean he enjoyed it. He was a military man at heart and his second vocation was being a servant to his goddess. Clerical work he¡¯d rather avoid when possible.


    He was going through some plans for future operations when Sarge entered without knocking. The two were old friends and Sarge knew the commander would¡¯ve locked the door if he didn¡¯t want to be disturbed. In fact he liked interruptions because they might rouse his interest and save him from the more tedious tasks.


    ¡°This pile looks just as horrid as it usually does.¡± Sarge said with a shake of his head, referring to all the documents.


    ¡°You say that every time, yet most of the time you keep adding to it. Anything good this time?¡± Wolfhart inquired, noticing what looked like a list of some kind in Sarge¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s for you to judge I suppose, but it roused my interest at least. This is the list you asked Captain Sarfina to make. It lays out the girl¡¯s skills and abilities.¡± He handed the list attached to a clipboard over to Wolfhart.


    ¡°Hah, you say ¡®the girl¡¯ as if you didn¡¯t memorize her name. It¡¯s not everyday you get your ass handed to you by a little girl.¡± Wolfhart snorted a laugh. ¡°Wait, this thing is five pages long. Doesn¡¯t Sarfina know how to be succinct?¡± His laughter faded.


    This time it was Sarge¡¯s turn to huff a chuckle. ¡°That is the succinct version. She¡¯s been a busy little girl.¡±


    ¡°Poisons, unarmed combat, information gathering¡­these are normal for Zabaniya.¡± Wolfhart listed out loud. ¡°Ability to hide in the crowd, ability to remain undetected unless someone looks for her specifically, alchemy, magical and mechanical trap detection? Ability to predict enemy movements by reading the flow of ki or mana? Ability to read mana to detect spells before they materialize? What?¡± The more he read the more impressed he got. And more confused. ¡°Appraisal of items, specialty in weapons and armor?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t standard fare for Zabaniya.¡± Sarge had read the list earlier and was just as surprised. The list had more precise descriptions, and the commander was just reading the headlines. ¡°Oh, and just in case you weren¡¯t aware, she¡¯s a psion.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure she isn¡¯t Wraith?¡± Wolfhart asked as a joke.


    ¡°Yeah, she was subjected to an interrogation and didn¡¯t lie to any of our questions. In fact she¡¯s the one who provided the information that helped us determine that Wraith is dead.¡± Sarge replied. It would be obvious to suspect a psion like Dee of being the Wraith, but her age clouded everyone¡¯s judgement. She had also already given answers to questions without lying, and in their excitement nobody thought to check if she had actually directly denied it. The line between truth and lie could be tricky sometimes.


    ¡°It seems they were grooming her for something.¡± Wolfhart voiced a theory he¡¯d been brewing.


    ¡°Well, then it¡¯s a good thing we got her out of there, because I don¡¯t think their plans were very positive. For her or for anyone else.¡± Sarge replied. He was secretly glad Dee wasn¡¯t their enemy. The fact remained that a small girl had defeated him three times, and she¡¯d only get stronger as she grew and received more training.


    A sudden thought occurred to Wolfhart. ¡°Is it just me, or does she have the perfect skillset to become a scout? Get one of the rangers to teach her survival skills and the tradecraft necessary, and we¡¯ll have a perfect scout on our hands.¡±


    ¡°Hadn¡¯t thought of that, but now that you mention it¡­¡± Sarge frowned.


    The Radiant Heart had their own personnel dedicated for scouting and information gathering. Because of their power, the order could hire the best trainers and they all recognized the value of information. As a result their scouts could rival the famed rangers of the elves and the Sidhe. The only thing was that the scouts were a rather exclusive group among the order and didn¡¯t take in just anyone willing to join. Their exclusivity was partially based on their status as elites, and another part was because they spent most of their time in dangerous places, so they couldn¡¯t afford to take students that couldn¡¯t hack it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep that thought in mind as well. Our little assassin seems to have several possible paths opening up before she even starts official training. Make sure Captain Sarfina knows we expect the girl to be ready to take on the world when she officially becomes one of our trainees. Both physically and mentally. I don¡¯t think she will be making that many friends, seeing her background.¡± Wolfhart ordered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see to it. The girl will get the best and roughest training we can manage.¡± Since he got his ass handed to him, Sarge¡¯s only hope was to make sure other would suffer the same fate. That would help him avoid embarrassment if word got out. When word got out. Word always gets out.


    ----------


    The next month and a half were filled with harsh training for Dee. Unsurprisingly the training focused mostly on improving her stamina, and improving her strength. As both could be done with swimming, she got used to spending most of her days in the pool. While the training was harsh and exhausting, it was nothing compared to the abuse of Zabaniya, so Dee rather enjoyed it. To her it was almost like a vacation, since she was no longer being beaten every other day.


    While Sarfina was in charge of improving her body, Mazatl kept improving her mind. Since it was too early to start training with holy magic, the saurian opted to fill Dee¡¯s head with other necessary information. The topics ranged from lessons taught to priest and cleric acolytes about the temples and deities, to military knowledge and even tactics. Sarfina often joined them on those lessons, since it wasn¡¯t really Mazatl¡¯s specialty.


    Dee also learned about magic and its various applications. Even though she couldn¡¯t cast spells, it was still useful to know about the various possibilities when she inevitably encountered them in the future. Her ability to read mana was of great help during these lessons, although Dee neglected to mention the specifics of this particular skill.


    During the last two weeks an acquaintance of Sarfina¡¯s had also joined the teaching group for reasons unknown to Dee. Taeral seemed to be a friend of Sarfina, and seemed to be a ranger near the area where Sarfina¡¯s family lived. From what Dee could see the two went way back and had been acquainted for a long time. When talking about elves, a long time could be a very long time indeed.


    The blue haired man seemed very affable, though Dee sensed explosive strength inside him, just waiting to be unleashed. Slightly worryingly she couldn¡¯t determine how strong the man was. He was very skilled though. During their training it became obvious that he was perhaps the only person Dee couldn¡¯t sneak up on. He always seemed to be aware where she was. During the week they only sparred once just so he could get a feel for how Dee moved, and she was defeated with embarrassing ease.


    Dee didn¡¯t know why Taeral was here, though what he taught her was interesting. She learned about nature, plants, animals and how to move among them without leaving a trace and noticing if anything was wrong with the flora or fauna. Taeral taught her survival skills, tracking and the tradecraft of a ranger. As this happened mostly in the vicinity of the mansion, their learning opportunities were limited. He promised to take her to one of the great forests to really learn soon enough.


    Dee enjoyed those lessons, but she had no idea why she was learning this. It was all useful knowledge, but hardly something that was commonly taught to templar students. She didn¡¯t mind learning this stuff; she just wanted to know the purpose. In general her curriculum seemed to be very broad. In fact, she learned rather little of anything that could be considered skills or knowledge common to a templar. The only things were the lessons Mazatl gave on the deities, since templar were holy men as well.


    -----


    ¡°Today you¡¯ll have a day off. I think you¡¯ve earned it, and goddess knows you¡¯ve kept up well with the training so far. I almost wish you made a complaint, so I would know you would do that if we push you too hard.¡± Sarfina announced one morning while they were having breakfast. They had been driving Dee rather hard on Commander Wolfhart¡¯s request, and she was getting a little worried.


    ¡°Ah, I should probably mention that the current training is rather pleasant compared to what the Zabaniya had me do, so don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m quite enjoying myself.¡± Dee replied in a chipper voice, oblivious to the implications.


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    Not sure if she should feel even more worried, or horrified at what the assassins had done, Sarfina was a little frazzled. ¡°Yes, well, leaving aside any comparisons to that filthy group, I want you to tell me immediately if it gets too much. I don¡¯t want to push you too hard.¡±


    Dee didn¡¯t want to draw too much attention to the fact that her physique was excellent at recovery due to her heritage, so she decided to change the subject. ¡°Anyway, why the day off?¡±


    ¡°Mazatl is preparing for another Ritual of Choosing, Taeral had to go back for few days to handle some errands and I have to go to the training complex. I might have taken time off, but that doesn¡¯t mean nothing there affects me. Hence you have a day off, and I think you¡¯ve earned it.¡± Sarfina explained in a tired voice. She wasn¡¯t looking forward to her visit to the order. She had been avoiding some things.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if I need it, but I do have some errands to run so I don¡¯t mind the day off. I need to buy a few things and I want to stop by Fimul¡¯s forge.¡± That wasn¡¯t actually Dee¡¯s plan, but it was a good enough excuse, and she was testing her new boundaries. She wanted to know if she was allowed to move about on her own now.


    ¡°Sure, give him a tug on the beard from me.¡± Sarfina replied playfully.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never tugged his beard, and I¡¯m certainly not going to start.¡± Dee laughed back.


    -----


    Dee found herself in front of a large and ornamental building best described as palatial. It had several minarets and the towers had roughly onion shaped roofs. There was a steady stream of people going in and out of the building. This was the local branch of the community known as Threads of Fate. They were a community that dealt mostly in trade, but not just any normal trade. They traded rare goods, expensive and rare materials, magical items and anything that was high in price and hard to find. Mostly though, they traded in information and hard to acquire services.


    Dee was mostly here to find out what the community would want in exchange for the information Dee needed. She was sure she couldn¡¯t afford the information at the moment, but she needed a goal to work towards. As she stepped through the doors, she was immediately met by a veiled woman wearing the symbol of the Threads of Fate, an insignia that pictured several branching paths all getting woven into a large tapestry.


    ¡°Follow me please.¡± The woman simply said abruptly but with a friendly tone.


    Dee was extremely confused as she was being lead deep inside the building, along several winding paths. ¡®Are they confusing me with someone else?¡¯ She thought to herself.


    Finally they entered a wide room full of cushions meant for sitting. Several parts of the room were separated by diaphanous curtains. In the center of the room was another veiled woman sipping on something that smelled like tea. The woman was clearly much older than the one that led Dee here, and radiated age, wisdom and gravitas.


    ¡°Welcome to Threads of Fate Haydee, or should I call you Wraith? We¡¯ve been expecting you. You¡¯re just in time.¡± The old woman said the smile clear in her voice.


    ¡°You knew I was coming?¡± Dee asked narrowing her eyes. Mazatl was the only one who knew Dee had any business here, and she certainly didn¡¯t know Dee was coming here today. She certainly didn¡¯t deign to confirm or deny the Wraith part.


    ¡°We know many things. Knowledge is our main commodity and strength after all.¡± The woman said immediately as if expecting Dee¡¯s question.


    Dee¡¯s eyes narrowed and several pieces of information clicked into place. ¡°You can see the future?¡± She said, not really asking.


    The smile in the old woman¡¯s voice was even clearer as she replied. ¡°Indeed we can. The future and the past. At least to a point. The future is an ever-changing beast, and nothing is certain. Some people have stronger fates than others. The past on the other hand is often hidden on purpose by various parties, but we get glimpses.¡±


    ¡°By that I assume you mean me. Tell me then, why am I here?¡± Dee asked, more just to make sure.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to find a teacher. Someone qualified to train you as a psion to be exact.¡± The reply was immediate and given without any hesitation.


    ¡°Well then, this makes things easier I suppose. If you know that much though, you should know that I can¡¯t repay you currently.¡± Dee pointed out. The woman in front of her clearly had an agenda, best get it out straight away.


    ¡°The important word is currently. In the future however, you can repay us easily. Let¡¯s just say that you¡¯ll owe us one. We won¡¯t ask anything that goes against your conscience, as we don¡¯t want to become your enemy and the favor we give now is not that large.¡± The woman was negotiating.


    ¡°You seem very certain of my future.¡± Dee half asked.


    ¡°Like I said, nothing is ever certain. It is possible that you will die on your way home today due to some random freak accident. However, the odds are in the favor of one of the futures we have seen coming true. Few people have futures as strong or as volatile as yours. Hence why we want to make friends with you now.¡± The woman didn¡¯t bother hiding their agenda at all. She was either very sneaky, or she was playing some game Dee wasn¡¯t aware of. She could¡¯ve been just nice, but that seemed unlikely. It didn¡¯t hurt to be prepared in any case.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll accept your generosity.¡± Dee agreed after a moment of thought. She could always not repay that favor if they asked something she wasn¡¯t willing to give. They didn¡¯t ask her to sign any contracts or swear any oaths, and she wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d much care about oaths anyway.


    ¡°You have three major possibilities as your future teacher. I will provide details once you¡¯ve have a basic picture of your choices. The first one is available any time you choose, but he is also the worst option. He can teach you, but the price he requires is something you will not be willing to pay. He is however available straight away and will not turn you away should you seek his help.


    The second option is the most powerful teacher. She is by far the most powerful and the most skilled of the three teachers available. However, her style doesn¡¯t quite match your strengths. She would not be a bad teacher, and she is also someone you would get along with. Her abilities will be enough to match your standards. She won¡¯t demand too high a price for her teaching, and you won¡¯t have any trouble paying that price. You can make a contact with her after turning fourteen, and there¡¯s no time limit on when you can make contact. You only need to be able to impress her enough to accept you as a disciple, which you are already capable of doing.


    The third option would fit your strengths the best. His abilities match yours, and he is not too much weaker than the second option. Learning from him would almost certainly give you the training most suited to your skills, though how large that gap would be is not clear. You have three chances of making contact with him, and impressing him enough for him to take you as a disciple. The first opportunity is after your sixteenth birthday, the second after your eighteenth and the third after you celebrate your twentieth birthday.


    Making that impression gets progressively easier as you grow. The first time is very difficult while the last opportunity is almost a certain success. I won¡¯t say what it would require to make that impression; however, I can tell you that it will not be your fighting abilities or your talent as a psion. The rest is for you to figure out.


    The last teacher would be the best for you, but he will also take the longest to appear. I should also warn you that you will face sadness and heartache if you choose the last option, more than you can currently imagine. The options have been given and the choice is yours.¡± The old woman finished.


    Dee could sense that the woman clearly wanted her to choose the last option, just by the amount of time she spent on explaining that choice. Yet at the same time the old woman also didn¡¯t want her to make that choice. ¡°Well we both know I¡¯m not picking that first option.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I just wanted to present it for the sake of completeness. I should mention that while some things in your future are more certain than others, the choice between the two remaining masters is something that is very uncertain. You don¡¯t need to make that choice right now. I will provide the information for both.¡± The old woman said with a tinge of sympathy, while handing her two notebooks. She knew a decision this big should not be made on the spot.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯m very thankful.¡± Dee said rising up, preparing to leave.


    ¡°Before you go, I want to give you two freebies. Two pieces of information you didn¡¯t even know to ask, but it is in both of our interests that you are aware of them.¡± The old woman stopped her by placing a hand on Dee¡¯s wrist. Dee prompted the woman to continue with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°The first piece of information is not as serious, but perhaps something you will value more. Tomorrow will be your tenth birthday. Starting now, your birthdays will carry a certain amount of special significance. You should arrange it so that you have nothing you can¡¯t cancel planned for tomorrow.¡± The woman said, the smile returning to her voice. The tone made it clear that whatever happened tomorrow would not be too unpleasant.


    ¡°The second piece of information is more important but somewhat related. You need to hurry your participation in what the Holy Orders call the Ritual of Choosing. The sooner you take part the better, but at the very latest you should take part before your sixteenth birthday. That will make your life much easier in the future. In fact, I¡¯d go as far as to say that this is more important than finding yourself a teacher as a psion.¡± The woman¡¯s voice was grave and underlined the importance of what she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d be willing to tell me why?¡± Dee asked the obvious question.


    ¡°No, but after tomorrow you can make a pretty educated guess. Truth is, even I don¡¯t know for certain. I just know it will make a huge difference.¡± The reply was not unexpected.

 Chapter 16

    A/N: There will be petting! I demand it! Also fluff.


    -----------


    Sarfina woke up groggily as someone was gently shaking her shoulder. The fact that someone had managed to approach her without waking her up was a clear indicator of how tired she had been the previous evening. She recognized the person waking her up as Qinlana, the head-maid.


    ¡°Master, you need to wake up.¡± Qinlana¡¯s voice was slightly hurried and carried a note of worry.


    ¡°What is it? What¡¯s the time?¡± Sarfina asked groggily. She really was tired.


    ¡°It¡¯s two hours after your normal wake up time. You were clearly tired last night, so I wouldn¡¯t normally wake you up, but something is wrong with Haydee.¡± Qinlana said. Her voice implied that the matter might be rather urgent.


    ¡°What wrong with Dee?¡± Sarfina asked as she bolted up and started pulling on some clothes.


    ¡°From what we can tell, she¡¯ suffering from a high fever, and she seems to be delirious and half asleep. She keeps tossing as if in pain.¡± Although Qinlana still didn¡¯t like Dee, she had softened her stance lately. Not by much, but still.


    They quickly crossed the small distance into Dee¡¯s room, while Qinlana explained further. ¡°She seemed normal yesterday evening. We sent word to the Holy Order and they¡¯re sending a healer. In the meantime, Fayliel used her magic to try and figure out what¡¯s going on and heal her, with no luck.¡±


    Sarfina saw Dee tossing and turning in the bed as soon as she entered the room. The girl was also covered with a sheen of sweat. ¡°I thought she doesn¡¯t sleep in her bed.¡± She mumbled as she pressed her hand against Dee¡¯s forehead, noticing the clearly elevated temperature.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t.¡± Qinlana commented from behind her back. ¡°She apparently slept on the support beam again, but fell down at some point. If she was injured by the fall, that injury already regenerated. We put her to bed to avoid further accidents.¡±


    Fayliel was the resident healer, and if her power didn¡¯t work there was little else they could do while waiting, except try to make Dee comfortable. Sarfina was quite surprised as she saw a familiar dwarven priestess march through the door and shoo off the servants. This priestess usually didn¡¯t make house-calls. She had treated Dee before, so she was the most logical choice however.


    ¡°It seems you couldn¡¯t keep the girl away from trouble more than few months.¡± The priestess said brusquely. ¡°Should¡¯ve known you wouldn¡¯t take my advice, but I hoped for better.¡±


    She reached down and put her hand on Dee¡¯s forehead. Unlike Sarfina, she wasn¡¯t checking for fever but Delving Dee in an attempt to figure out what was wrong. She frowned a little as she encountered resistance to her probing. She had heard psions were usually harder to Delve, but had forgotten that as she had Delved Dee so many times before. The exhaustion of Dee¡¯s body had probably made it easier after she had been brought to the infirmary, after the attack against the assassins.


    She managed to push through the resistance, mostly because she was much stronger than Dee and Dee wasn¡¯t intentionally resisting the attempt. She couldn¡¯t find anything obviously wrong within the girl¡¯s body though. Oh she detected the fever and the cramping muscles, but those were symptoms and not the cause of whatever was ailing her.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡± Sarfina asked impatiently as she saw the priestess frown. She misinterpreted that to mean there was something seriously wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Has there been anything unusual about her in the last few days?¡± The priestess asked.


    ¡°Not to my knowledge.¡± Sarfina replied, and got an agreeing nod from Qinlana. ¡°We¡¯ve mostly been doing stamina training lately. It has been hard, but she seemed to be dealing with it fine. Yesterday she was running some errands, but seemed fine when she returned.¡±


    The dwarven priestess kept tapping her cheek in thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think she has a disease, and I can¡¯t find any trace of poison or harmful magic. In any case her regenerative abilities should counter most of those. Could this be something racial?¡± She said out loud, mostly talking to herself.


    ¡°Racial?¡± Sarfina asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure out she isn¡¯t exactly normal heritage-wise. It might be this is some sort of side effect from that. It might even be a normal part of growing up. I have little experience with growing demons.¡± She was more and more certain that whatever was ailing Dee wasn¡¯t something that came from the outside.


    ¡°What can we do?¡± Sarfina asked with a voice filled with worry.


    ¡°That depends on how long this lasts. If it only takes a day or two, then we just have to try and keep her strength up. If it lasts longer, we¡¯ll have to try and forcefully bring her temperature down. For now though, we wait.¡±


    -----


    It only took a few hours for the situation to change. They were sitting by a table placed in Dee¡¯s room drinking coffee, when every muscle in Dee¡¯s body seemed to tense at the same time as she let out a scream of pain. Dee couldn¡¯t control the pain while unconscious. She arched her back with her body fully rigid, with only her heels and head touching the mattress.


    They rushed close to the bed, but stopped in wonder as Dee started to change. Her fur grew longer, now starting to look like the proper fur covering a wolf or a fox, a third tail suddenly appeared next to the previous two. Her hips, hands, feet and neck changed dramatically. Dee slowly took on the appearance of a more standard four legged animal with all that entailed.


    She now appeared as if a mix between a nine-tailed fox, except with three tails, and her appearance as a Beowulf. She didn¡¯t quite look like a fox or a wolf, but a bit of both. She retained her snow white fur, although now longer, but instead of a lean form of a fox, she had a more sturdy and muscled appearance of the werewolf. Her paws were still clawed as if ready to rend steel and, though the claws were mostly retracted at the moment. She was also rather large in her new form. She wasn¡¯t quite the size of a horse, but definitely bigger than a small pony.


    After the transformation was over, they watched as Dee slowly blinked her eyes open and started waking up. ¡°Well this is new.¡± She calmly, if rather tiredly, said after taking a good look at herself.


    ¡°That¡¯s a slight understatement.¡± The dwarven priestess chuckled. ¡°Are you feeling any discomfort?¡±


    Dee shook herself a bit, and tried moving her body in various ways. She jumped on the floor and stretched her body like only a four legged animal can, and walked around a bit. ¡°Everything seems to be working fine. In fact I feel really comfortable. I also feel really strong.¡±


    She lifted one of her front paws and looked at it for a moment in thought. Suddenly the paw turned into a hand from the ¡®wrist¡¯ down, perfectly looking like her old hand as a Beowulf. ¡°Well that seems handy.¡±


    ¡°Can you turn back to your old form?¡± Sarfina asked slightly worried.


    Dee tilted her head as if remembering something. ¡°Apparently yes, though only after a few days. It seems there are some racial memories that I gained along with this transformation. According to those, the first transformation is always the roughest and takes tons more energy than it normally would. It¡¯ll take me a couple of days to adjust to the new form and then I can change back and forth fairly freely.¡± She frowned a little. ¡°The form is a bit different than the memories show though. I guess that¡¯s the effect from my other heritage.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sarfina asked brimming with curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah, so I didn¡¯t mention this, but I visited the Threads of Fate yesterday. They gave me some information that finally makes sense.¡± Dee decided to not lie. It was easier this way than trying to hide. Sarfina probably wouldn¡¯t have stopped her from going, but asking for permission was harder than asking for forgiveness.


    ¡°Threads of Fate? Why?¡± Sarfina asked with a frown.


    ¡°I needed some information. Anyway, apparently today is my tenth birthday, and this is the result of that. From what I gather, I¡¯m growing up and I¡¯m unlocking new things about my so far dormant heritage. From what I can infer from their words, it seems this will be a rather common phenomenon, and I¡¯ll be unlocking new things on my birthdays. At least my sixteenth birthday will be a biggie.¡± Dee explained her theory.


    ¡°Any idea what to expect?¡± The dwarven priestess asked, also filled with curiosity. This was something new to her. Truth be told, she¡¯d prefer to study Dee in greater detail, but that seemed unlikely.


    ¡°Best guess? I still have some races inside me that have not woken up. I would guess that will be something to look forward to. They should be surfacing on my future birthdays.¡± Dee looked at herself again. ¡°I¡¯m not sure this is the direction I wanted to transform first, but whatever. I look better with fur anyway.¡± She mumbled to herself, although her words didn¡¯t escape Sarfina¡¯s elven ears.


    ¡°Any other surprises aside from this new form?¡± Sarfina asked.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Dee looked at her third tail. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that means I¡¯m officially a class 3 psion now. That¡¯s what the memories seem to suggest at least.¡±


    -----


    The next day Dee was enjoying testing out her new form. It was obvious her new form was much faster than her old one. She could run at least five times faster and could maintain that speed for what seemed like forever. It seems travel was much easier in this form, and her stamina was much improved. On a lark Sarfina had a race with Dee¡¯s new form, but couldn¡¯t keep up despite using all her holy power to strengthen herself. Dee could run rings around her and wasn¡¯t even slightly winded as Sarfina collapsed in exhaustion.


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    Her stamina wasn¡¯t the only part of her physical abilities that improved in this form. Maybe it was because she could be considered to be a monstrous creature with her current form, but all her physical attributes received a large boost. She was at least a dozen times stronger physically, and although she had already been agile in her old form, it couldn¡¯t match her current movements. The servants became slightly unnerved as Dee easily leaped to the roof of the mansion just to see the view.


    Dee theorized that the physical abilities of this new form would most likely grow with the abilities of her original form. That formed an interesting problem. She was so much stronger in her current form that it might be beneficial to do battle like this instead of her old form. She couldn¡¯t use weapons, but she retained her claws and teeth. Just simple blows from her current body were enough to shatter rocks.


    It was Croestia that finally suggested a solution. ¡®Maybe you should use your old form when you want to surprise or stealthily kill someone, while using this form if you have to do battle? Of course, you¡¯ll have to use your normal form when doing your duties as a templar.¡¯ So far that idea seemed to be the best, though that might change as Dee¡¯s ability with weapons improved. In any case, travel over distances was much easier and faster in the new form.


    The real fun part came when Dee noticed that she could rather freely change her size in this new form. After she noticed this, she immediately shrinked to the size of a kitten and tested various ways of using Sarfina for transportation. She tried sitting on her shoulder and wrapping around her neck like a scarf, but finally decided that the comfiest method was to lie on top of Sarfina¡¯s head.


    In revenge Sarfina tried to ride on Dee¡¯s back, but ended up in the pool fully dressed as Dee suddenly accelerated towards the pool and suddenly skidded to a halt while shrinking at the same time. The momentum did its job and Sarfina flew in a beautiful arc and landed in the pool. As her first attempt at revenge failed, Sarfina called in reinforcements in the form of Mazatl.


    The Saurian immediately fell in love with Dee¡¯s new form, and she spent the next few hours cooperating with Sarfina, while the two trapped Dee. They held her smaller form down and spent the next few hours petting her, as she futilely tried to struggle free. She didn¡¯t struggle very hard though, as she rather enjoyed the petting. She would never admit it, but comfortable was comfortable, although she felt it was a little degrading.


    There was something that Dee learned as a result of this period of petting. As time passed, she started feeling this weird sort of pressure building inside of her. It was not painful, at least not yet, but as time went on the pressure kept building and started becoming more noticeable and annoying. It wasn¡¯t something she couldn¡¯t deal with for now, but she decided to raise the question anyway.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s probably the pressure that prevents long term shapeshifting. Your body wants to return to its true shape, and the building pressure is the result. Eventually you¡¯ll be forced to change back, as the pressure will keep increasing forever and at some point you won¡¯t be able to stand it.¡± Mazatl explained with an ¡®a-ha!¡¯ look.


    ¡°The further you are from your true form, the faster the pressure builds up.¡± Sarfina added. ¡°Try going back to the size you woke up in.¡± She also suggested.


    ¡°The pressure is gone.¡± Dee said in marvel after complying.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s because that is your true form. The size change is the part that made the pressure build up. The more you shrink yourself, the bigger the effect.¡± Sarfina explained with a smile.


    ¡°But how can this be my true form? One would think that my original form would be my true form. Will I have trouble staying in my original form now?¡± Dee was starting to feel a little panicky. She liked this new form, but not that much.


    Mazatl assuaged her quickly. ¡°Ah you¡¯re assuming people can have only one true form. It¡¯s not uncommon for races that can inherently shapeshift to have more than one so called true form. Any of those works. As you have kitsune heritage, and the kitsune are one of the shapeshifting races, I¡¯m assuming you have two true forms now. I¡¯m surprised this thing wasn¡¯t included in those memories you got.¡±


    ¡°It might actually be there, I just haven¡¯t gone through all of them yet.¡± Dee grumbled.


    ¡°Well there¡¯s your next project then.¡± Sarfina said with some amusement. ¡°With your heritage, I would be surprised if you had only two true forms, so that¡¯s something you should probably keep in mind for the future.¡±


    ¡°Duly noted.¡± Dee replied, still a little glum due to her miss.


    ¡°On a related topic, is it just me or does it look like your new form is heavily affected by your Beowulf heritage?¡± Mazatl posed a question.


    ¡°So it would appear.¡± Dee had also thought about it and had a theory. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this race soup that is my heritage has some unexpected consequences. That said it makes sense. Why combine several races if the effects never come together? This is purely a guess, but I¡¯m fairly confident that this form of mine will change accordingly as new heritages wake up in the future. I just hope I won¡¯t end up looking like a chimaera towards the end.¡±


    ¡°That seems plausible. And if you do end up looking like a chimaera, then at least we can say that we have a monstrous beast as a friend.¡± Mazatl revealed her toothy smile again.


    ¡°If you guys are done joking around, I think it¡¯s time to get some rest. We¡¯ve had a busy few days, and it doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ll get much less busy in the future.¡± Sarfina said with a faked serious face while getting up, signaling that the show was over for now.


    ¡°Ah, Mazatl I need to have a word with you before you go.¡± Dee suddenly said. Understanding their need for privacy, Sarfina took the hint and left the two of them alone.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this has something to do with your visit to the Thread of Fate. Did you find out what you were looking for? Sarfina said you went to visit them.¡± Mazatl asked shrewdly.


    Dee could see Mazatl had not revealed the reason of that visit. ¡°To a certain extent, yes. They also gave me a couple of freebies that I didn¡¯t even know to ask for. What are the requirements for the Ritual of Choosing?¡±


    ¡°That came out of nowhere. Why do you ask?¡± Mazatl asked.


    ¡°One of their freebies. They told me that it is important for me to go through the ritual as soon as possible, but definitely before I turn sixteen. The sooner the better.¡± Dee futzed their words a bit to encourage Mazatl to think for a way to make it happen sooner.


    ¡°Well, that can be a bit problematic. The rituals aren¡¯t held at random. They can only happen on certain days of the year, and there are always people taking part in the ritual, so I can¡¯t exactly sneak you in during some random night. I¡¯m fairly sure I could teach you the necessary skills and knowledge before you reach sixteen even with your current training regimen. The problem is your age though. The ritual isn¡¯t done to people who are too young. I personally don¡¯t care much either way as people mature differently, but there are others who put weight on such ceremony.¡± Mazatl explained.


    ¡°So what can be done?¡± Dee asked. There had to be a way, there always was.


    Mazatl was quiet for a while. ¡°I¡¯ll have to think about this a bit. I have some ideas, but I need more time to think this through thoroughly.¡±


    -----


    Dee finally managed to turn back to her old form the following day. There seemed to be no changes, except the presence of a third tail, which was expected.


    ¡°I can see one problem.¡± Sarfina pointed out as Dee turned back.


    ¡°What?¡± Dee asked in confusion. She felt great and there was nothing wrong.


    ¡°Well it will be problematic if you¡¯re naked every time you change back.¡± Sarfina huffed.


    ¡°Oh that. It¡¯s hardly my fault. Whose idea was it to put in me in bed naked anyway? I¡¯m pretty sure I was wearing clothes when I went to sleep.¡± Dee shot back.


    Qinlana interrupted from the side. ¡°Uh, that was us. You were feverish and tore the stitching on the clothes you were wearing as you fell.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you mean you wouldn¡¯t be naked if you had been wearing clothes when you shifted?¡± Sarfina asked the more important question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure.¡± Dee answered while pulling on some pants and a shirt. ¡°The first time was different, but from the information I got, any items I¡¯m wearing are part of the transformation. Time to run some tests I think.¡±


    Now that she was clothed again, she tried turning back into her new form and easily succeeded. The clothes she was wearing disappeared somewhere, because her new form was certainly not wearing them. The clothes reappeared as she turned back again. The test also showed that she could switch between the two forms rather freely. It drained some of her power to shift but not overly much. She repeated the test while wearing Sarfina¡¯s sword belt and a small bag, and those disappeared somewhere too, and reappeared when she shifted back.


    ¡°Where do the items go?¡± Sarfina asked in wonder.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the foggiest idea. I¡¯m glad it works that way though. Maybe that¡¯s something I¡¯ll learn in the future.¡± Dee replied with a satisfied smile.

 Chapter 17

    A/N: Health issues slowing down writing a bit. Nothing too serious. Hope you enjoy!


    ----------


    ¡±Gunununu!¡± Fimul was making a frustrated sound as he intently stared at the game board, hoping to find some detail he had missed. He was completely focused and wracking his brain, but no answers were coming to him.


    ¡°You can stare at the board all you like, that won¡¯t change the situation.¡± Dee said. While her words were a little harsh, her tone was almost sympathetic.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been away for weeks, and this is how you treat your friends?¡± Fimul asked with slightly accusing tone.


    ¡°Would you rather I let you win?¡± Dee asked innocently, and laughed at the answering glare from the dwarf. ¡°I told you when you started teaching me this game; it won¡¯t be fair to you once I learn to play properly. I can calculate too far ahead of you. You could¡¯ve picked a game with a random element instead to mix things up.¡±


    The dwarves at Fimul¡¯s forge had grown fond of Dee, and she had become something of an unofficial mascot. The boisterous dwarves and the serious girl made an odd but a very functional combination. While Dee didn¡¯t visit that often due to her training, she had some time during her alchemical experiments to spend cheering up the day of the dwarves. They in turn had decided to teach her some of the games they often played, with fairly predictable results.


    Qadesh was the most commonly played game in pantheon and was famed for its complexity and stringent balance. Because the game had no luck element at all and required a lot of strategic thinking, it was especially favored among those that fancied themselves as intelligent and sophisticated players. Fimul had thought his experience would give him the chance to gain back some of his dignity over all the losses in the other games, but Dee¡¯s nature as a psion gave her too big of an edge once she got the hang of the rules.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± Fimul grunted and flipped the board in his frustration, clearly conceding his defeat in a rather childish outburst. This outburst was rewarded with another gale of laughter from Dee.


    He could do nothing but steam and try to ignore his outburst. ¡°That reminds me, aren¡¯t you going away again for few weeks? Something about going to frolic in the woods with the poncy elf?¡± Fimul¡¯s referral to Dee¡¯s ranger teacher showed his frustration. Not that the two got along at best of times.


    Dee snorted a small laugh at his words. ¡°Frolic indeed. Taeral is taking me to the great forest for training. I¡¯d like to see how you¡¯d manage under his tutelage.¡± She was still more than a little grumpy that the elf was able to detect her approach despite her best efforts.


    ¡°Why is Faylen sending you to the woods anyway? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be pre-training as a templar?¡± Fimul asked for a third or fourth time.


    ¡°I keep telling you that I¡¯m not entirely sure myself. Sarfina doesn¡¯t tell me all the details. If I had to guess though, they plan to train me as a scout. You do know the Radiant Sun actually needs scouts, don¡¯t you?¡± Dee asked with a voice thick with sarcasm.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you need a poncy elf for that training? I¡¯m pretty sure one of the lads could teach you.¡± Fimul was referring to the other dwarves at the forge. They hadn¡¯t always been smiths and forge workers.


    ¡°No offense, but dwarves aren¡¯t exactly known for their scouting abilities. Or sublety. Or their ability to remain undetected. Or travel long distances quickly. Or stay sober.¡± Dee was now comfortable enough with the dwarves to openly make fun of them, because they all knew it was in good fun.


    ¡°Oi, I resent that! Just because we like a swig or two, doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t get things done. Now granted, we might not be the best scouts in a forest, but I dare you to find better scouts underground! Not all scouting is done in comfy forests. Most of us are quite happy to leave the woods to the tree-hugger elves. Real men do their scouting in actually dangerous places like the underground tunnels.¡± Fimul boasted.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m not a man then.¡± Dee replied with a chuckle. Truth be told, Dee wouldn¡¯t actually mind some tips on scouting underground, but one thing at a time. Besides, Taeral¡¯s knowledge wasn¡¯t reserved to just forests.


    ¡°That reminds me. You¡¯re still calling Faylen by her last name? Haven¡¯t the two of you known long enough for you to call her by her first name by now?¡± Fimul asked a question that had been bugging him for a while. Dee didn¡¯t have any trouble using his first name.


    ¡°It¡¯s not quite that simple.¡± Dee said with a small sigh. ¡°Firstly she¡¯s in charge of training me, so it would be a bit too much to call her Faylen during that. Secondly I¡¯m already used to calling her Sarfina. Perhaps most importantly though, I¡¯m still sort of her prisoner. Only in name and voluntarily at this point, but the fact remains that I am not entirely free to leave either. She wouldn¡¯t stop me most likely, but she might get in trouble if I did leave.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit messed up.¡± Fimul grunted.


    ¡°Life isn¡¯t always simple.¡± Dee couldn¡¯t help cracking up in a small laugh as she was distributing sage advice to the much older dwarf.


    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re too young to be that cynical. I suppose it¡¯s about time for you to get back. You said you had a meeting with Mazatl, or something.¡± Fimul said with a small shooing motion.


    ¡°Hah, don¡¯t forget that you owe me a shield now!¡± Dee said while running off.


    The two had made a bet on the result of the game. Dee needed a shield for the next part of her training. She had finally managed to get Sarfina¡¯s reluctant agreement to start her weapons training but the exact date was not yet agreed on. Dee had already been trained in the use of certain weapons and she was unlike the other children trained by Radiant Sun anyway, so there was little point in putting it off any further. As she needed a shield now, she had made a bet with Fimul so that he¡¯d have to make one for her.


    Fimul on the other hand had wanted a ride on Dee¡¯s new form. That was mostly for the fun of it, and just to give something he could brag about later on to the other dwarves in the smithy. He could also use that to tease Dee later. Unfortunately for him though, Dee won the bet. Maybe he should try double or nothing with another game?


    ------


    ¡°So, have you figured something out?¡± Dee asked Mazatl after the two had exchanged pleasantries.


    ¡°Yes, though it will require some sneakiness and trickery on your part, and some hard work for both of us.


    Dee didn¡¯t bother replying, just gave a meaningful look. Translation: ¡°so what else is new?¡± She also prompted Mazatl to continue.


    The saurian obliged. ¡°In six months there will be a large ritual in the grand temple of the Holy Orders. Pretty much all the priests that are able to attend will be there, which includes all those in charge of the Ritual of Choosing. As it happens, the large ritual coincides with one of the dates we usually use for the Ritual of Choosing. Not by accident as you will discover later on.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I think I see where this is going. You want me to slip in to perform the ritual in secret while you are all gone.¡± Dee understood.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that what you decide to do while no one is looking is none of my business. I might forget to leave the materials required for the ritual lying around somewhere. I would never condone any such behavior, but what I don¡¯t see¡­¡± Mazatl shrugged her shoulders feigning innocence, while dropping a small bag on the table.


    ¡°Ok, that¡¯s the sneakiness and trickery part, what¡¯s the hard work part?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Well you¡¯ll have to learn all about the ritual since you have to perform it by yourself. It¡¯s not a very complex ritual, but you have no training in performing rituals, so we need to work hard to teach you everything involved. Also, our acolytes require quite a bit of knowledge and lessons before they take part in the ritual, and while I don¡¯t mind you taking part early, I¡¯m certainly going to cram all that knowledge into your head in the next six months. I won¡¯t have you embarrass me in front of the deities and their guardians, which you might or might not meet.¡± Mazatl had a weird grin as she looked at Dee.


    Dee decided that it would be a good idea to distract the saurian at this point. ¡°What happens when I¡¯m supposed to take part in the ritual in the future? I¡¯m assuming I can¡¯t just say I already did it? I mean all templar students are supposed to take part as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh you just go through with the ritual as usual. Normally when you already serve a deity, you¡¯ll just have a pleasant sleep. Of course you¡¯ll have to hide your blessing until then.¡± Mazatl waved off Dee¡¯s worries.


    ¡°Wait, normally? And what about the other times?¡± Dee asked. So far her life had been anything but normal.


    ¡°Well, it sometimes happens that a single priestess can serve multiple deities. It¡¯s pretty rare since the deities don¡¯t exactly like sharing, but it happens. It¡¯s hardly a bad thing though, as you gain the benefits of both blessings.¡± Mazatl simply shrugged. The scenario wasn¡¯t very likely and didn¡¯t hurt anyone usually so she didn¡¯t worry.


    ¡°I do have a condition for going through with this.¡± Mazatl continued.


    ¡°Alright. What¡¯s the condition?¡± Dee replied, fairly willing to abide by any remotely decent conditions.


    ¡°I want you to perform the ritual in the temple of the light gods.¡± Mazatl looked at the Dee with a serious gaze. Dee knew she wouldn¡¯t budge on this condition.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s a reason?¡± Dee asked already suspecting the answer.


    ¡°Remember how I mentioned that it was unlikely for the deity to differ too much from the servant in convictions. One of the main reasons is that the temple affects the ritual. If you conduct the ritual in the temple of the light gods, it is likely that you will get one of the light gods as your deity. Same with the dark gods and their temple. Those without strong leanings either way use the neutral shrine, and those interested in the gods of nature and celestial bodies go to the garden shrine.¡± Mazatl explained.


    ¡°And the reasons why you want me to do the ritual in the temple of light gods? You should know by now that I¡¯m neutral at best.¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why. You have enough darkness in you even without attracting one of the dark gods. Now that isn¡¯t something that can be blamed on you considering your heritage and what you¡¯ve gone through, but a light god would be a positive influence in my opinion. Maybe one of the deities can help you in finding a more positive future.¡± Mazatl looked at Dee sympathetically.


    There wasn¡¯t much Dee could say to that. She suspected that light gods might not fit her, but she wasn¡¯t going to say that outright to Mazatl¡¯s face. Besides, Mazatl¡¯s words suggested that the deity wasn¡¯t decided by the temple, just influenced. There was likely at least a decent chance of getting a neutral deity instead.


    ¡°Now all that said, there¡¯s a downside to all this sneaking around.¡± Mazatl continued. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to do a part of the ritual by yourself. Normally the last part of the ritual is all about finding out all we can about the blessing received. This is done by the high priestess with a specialized holy spell. It would be a bit weird to ask her to perform that spell for you when you¡¯re not even supposed to have a blessing.¡±


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    ¡°There¡¯s no other way to find out?¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow. That sounded impractical.


    ¡°To a degree you can. The easiest way to find out is to ask the deity that blessed you during the ritual, but you might not get the chance, or the deity might not want to answer. They like to be secretive like that, and have their servants go through the effort of finding out things personally. You will sooner or later figure things out yourself, but some of the effects can be subtle.¡± Mazatl said looking ponderous.


    ¡°What about that test I did in the freelancer¡¯s guild?¡± Dee suddenly remembered.


    ¡°That can give you a good estimate of the amount of holy power you possess, but that test can¡¯t tell you about the additional effects. Finding out the amount of power is something I suppose, but the additional effects can sometimes be even more important. Depends on the deity of course.¡± Mazatl wasn¡¯t too excited at the prospect. Something told her that Dee¡¯s blessing would be anything but standard. Nothing about the girl was standard.


    ¡°That¡¯s a start at least. We¡¯ll have to take what we can.¡± Dee answered simply. She had learned that sometimes you just had to accept things as they were and make the best of the situation. If life gives you lemons, you damn well learned how to shove those lemons down your enemies¡¯ throats.


    -----------


    The first lesson Taeral gave her on their trip happened immediately, before they even set out. For scouts, selecting your equipment and packing was very important. Scouts had to be able to move quickly and stealthily, so you couldn¡¯t carry that much gear. In a world as large and magically advanced as Pantheon, it was not uncommon to see people with their own dimensional storage. However, it was too much to expect every scout to carry their own storage, and the ones that did carry one usually didn¡¯t have the nigh endless storage capacity that Croestia seemed to have.


    Scouts often had to go for weeks or even months without effective re-supply, although forays lasting longer than few weeks were rather rare and only done by very experienced scouts. Dee had gotten used to being provided by the Zabaniya and was spoiled by the storage capacity of Croestia. Thus, her ability to select equipment was rather abysmal. She didn¡¯t even have the chance to mention the existence of dimensional storage, before Taeral started teaching her on the basis that it was something she would have to learn at some point anyway.


    Despite her abysmal starting level, Dee was a quick study. Scouts had to hunt and forage for food most of the time, so you only carried enough emergency rations for few days. Unless you went somewhere where game and foraging opportunities were slim that is. Water was more important as the availability of clean water could be an issue. Those skilled with magic could of course make their own water, but that was not a skill Dee possessed. You also needed some essentials like fire making supplies, clothing and much, much more.


    Taeral took her through a teleportation gate, and they appeared at an abandoned and overgrown teleportation station in the middle of a grand forest. The trees surrounding them were hundreds of mels tall, and often wide enough to equal houses. The undergrowth was much more sparse than Dee had expected, but not quite what you would call scant. The trees were hundreds if not thousands of years old, and the whole forest had this ancient feeling about it.


    All this was soon forgotten by Dee as she knelt on the ground clutching her head due to a sudden spike of pain. The surroundings were suffused with streams of mana, which manifested as this eerie mist that wisped around between the trees. The mana in the surroundings was overloading her senses as everything around them was magical.


    Dee had always been good at detecting mana and magic, and now it was something she did unconsciously. This was very handy as it allowed her to detect mana 360-degrees around her, and sometimes even through walls. This was great for awareness. Except now everything was covered in mana and she detected literally everything around her in almost a hundred mel radius. It was pure sensory overload, hence the headache.


    ¡°I knew it. You can detect mana in your surroundings, and you rely on that for awareness and detection.¡± Taeral said quietly. ¡°That¡¯s one of the main reasons I brought you here. You need to learn to deal with heavy mana areas. The only way to do that is to be exposed to such areas and get used to it. So good luck with that. It¡¯s also dangerous to rely too heavily on that ability.¡±


    Still clutching her head, Dee was getting up from her kneeling position. This was one of the places where her increased information processing ability as a psion started to shine. She was getting used to the flood of sensations and information much faster than a non-psion would. Not that the headache was going away. In fact it might be getting worse. This would still take some getting used to.


    ¡°I don¡¯t rely on just that. I can also detect ki and holy power. I also have very sharp senses and I pay attention to what they tell me. I¡¯m just getting overwhelmed at the moment.¡± Dee said a little defensively.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Hopefully by the end of this, you¡¯ll learn to utilize those senses even better. If you haven¡¯t learned to detect things just by the vibrations in the air and instinct by the end of this trip, you won¡¯t be having a good time. Now stop dawdling, we have to get moving. We¡¯re sitting ducks in the open like this, and we didn¡¯t come here to laze about.¡± Taeral was secretly satisfied by Dee¡¯s answer, but he also knew that Dee had to improve her other senses beyond what they could currently do. There were beings in this world that excelled in hiding from senses like the one used by Dee.


    While they were traveling, Taeral explained that they were in the great forest at the east side of the seventh circle in Day city. This great forest housed one of the largest and most long lived empires of Pantheon, the empire of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann. It was inhabited almost exclusively by elves of various kinds and Sidhe. Other races weren¡¯t exactly banned from entering, but neither were they welcome. It was also the homeland of Sarfina¡¯s family.


    The two of them were not within the empire, as the great forest was large enough to hold twenty similar sized empires, and on occasion did house one or two others. Many other races often tried to lay claim to portions of the forest, though most were unsuccessful. The forest was filled with beings, some dangerous and some very dangerous. Taeral was clear from the very start that almost every being in this forest was strong enough to kill Dee, and the forest was one of the most dangerous areas below fourth circle.


    One of the reasons Taeral had brought Dee here was to teach her to track, stalk, hunt, observe and most importantly avoid beings stronger than her. As a bonus she had to do it in an environment with limited visibility and which was also extremely rich in mana. Scouts had to be able to observe and deal with beings stronger than themselves, preferably without being detected. If push came to shove, you had to be able to escape from them.


    Of course Taeral was going to cover for her in case she got into trouble, but only in real distress. That was partially because one of the powerful beings that she had to stalk in this forest was Taeral himself. He also stalked Dee in return, so it was a weird game of tag that the two were playing while not focused on other things.


    Of course, most of the time was spent teaching Dee the tradecraft of a ranger and a scout. The skills he taught ranged from herbalism and the ability to detect if there was something wrong with the forest and nature, to finding optimal paths through the forests for themselves and for large groups she might be scouting for as a pathfinder. She learned to detect natural dangers, even those that would not threaten herself but would be a threat to a large groups of people she might be guiding.


    She learned to spot anomalies when there seemed to be none and she learned the best patterns to use when scouting or searching for something or someone. She learned that sometimes it was more important to spot what was not there, than it was to see what was. She learned to forage and vastly improved her hunting skills, learned the signs for good camping and resting spots and a lot more. Perhaps most importantly, she learned a thousand things that she shouldn¡¯t do.


    She absorbed information like a sponge. She wouldn¡¯t be able to call herself an expert by the time they left, that was only something that came with years of experience, but she was much better off than before. One of the things that became very handy, was her new form which allowed her to move among the trees with blinding speed and agility. She also learned to utilize the improved senses of her other form for various purposes.


    She became rather proficient at spotting Taeral, which was easier said than done since the ranger was even better at hiding than her while within the forest. Once she got over the sensory overload, and learned from Taeral¡¯s example and instruction to take her senses to another level, it became impossible for the elven ranger to sneak up on her, especially while she was in her new form. However, one thing kept annoying her to no end.


    Perhaps even more than her detection skills, Dee prided herself in her ability to remain hidden and undetected. Yet the bloody ranger kept spotting her no matter what she tried! It was like he could immediately spot her when she entered certain range, and she had no idea how he did that. Finally, noticing Dee¡¯s frustration, Taeral was forced to explain what was going on.


    ¡°Beings who have taken the lives of many people develop this faint presence of death. It¡¯s like ambient killing intent that they don¡¯t¡¯ even recognize themselves. Combine that with the fact that you¡¯re a demon and have this faint sense of something unnatural, and the forest around you starts to have the faintest of reactions to your presence. It takes someone who is highly attuned to nature to notice this, but it is there. And once you know what to look for, it shines like a beacon in darkness.¡± Taeral explained.


    Dee struggled with finding a solution to this problem. She couldn¡¯t turn back time and bring back the people she had killed, and she would only kill more in the future. Her demon nature was what it was. Surprisingly, it was the other lessons she received about the nature around her that finally allowed her to stumble on a solution.


    Instead of trying to remove her presence, she instead worked to attune her aura to her surroundings. Instead of getting detected, her nature now worked as a camouflage. It took several failed attempts, but the look on Taeral¡¯s face when one of Dee¡¯s throwing knives thudded next to his head on the tree trunk was priceless and well worth the trouble. This experience was especially good because it would help her camouflage her presence in terrain other than forest once she got used to it and attuned to her surroundings.


    All in all, their trip was a roaring success.

 Chapter 18

    A/N: Tries to think of something clever to say just to keep up the tradition, but finally decides agains it.


    ----------


    Dee slightly lifted her head and then banged it against the table. Listening to the voice of Mazatl, she repeated the motion a few more times. Her learning abilities were almost frightening, but she had finally met her match. Mazatl had not been kidding when she said that she would force her to learn all the necessary information before the Ritual of Choosing. For months now, the saurian had been filling every waking hour with lessons, except for those that Dee was spending in the tender care of Sarfina and all the physical training. At least that part was something Dee had become to love, if for no other reason than as a release from this tedium.


    The problem was that all this knowledge was so bloody fragmented, illogical and even stupid. Much of it was information that would never be useful except in religious ceremonies and when dealing with various holy officials. Normally Dee was able to make inferences based on previous knowledge, but here those inferences often proved to be wrong. This was not something you should use your head with. Normally Dee loved to learn new things, but now she couldn¡¯t care less. Her motivation was as low as it could go.


    Mazatl noticed her banging, and had her recite back what she had just been taught. Despite Dee¡¯s lack of motivation and interest, there was nothing wrong with her memory, so she managed the task although with a lot less flair than usual.


    Mazatl closed her book with one hand, slapping it shut. ¡°Good work. I know this is all very esoteric information, but you really had to learn it. I can¡¯t believe you managed to survive through all that in such a short time. When I was learning this, I required years to learn all this, mostly because I kept falling asleep during the lessons. These are without a doubt the most boring lessons I¡¯m teaching and the most tedious part of becoming a priestess.¡±


    ¡°No arguments from me.¡± Dee eagerly agreed at the boring part.


    ¡°Well, luckily for you, we¡¯re done. We¡¯re actually a month early. I never would¡¯ve imagined. The good news is that the lessons after the ritual are mostly about learning to use your holy power. I think it¡¯s something of a test if the young fledgling acolytes have the tenacity to sit through nothing but theory lessons for many years, until they actually get any power or lessons on how to use that power. Normal acolytes would also have practical training serving at a temple, but you¡¯re going to be training as a templar, so I¡¯ll give you a pass on that. They¡¯ll torture you enough as is.¡± Mazatl said with some amusement.


    ¡°Wohoo.¡± Dee said with a distinct lack of energy and enthusiasm.


    -----


    Next morning Dee was restlessly waiting for Sarfina in the training grounds, as the latter had promised that today was the day that their weapons training officially started. It was rather rare for Dee to be this excited, and Sarfina was enjoying watching her almost bouncing in place. It was rather surprising for both of them that Dee could still be so excited about weapons training after her experiences among the assassins, but there it was.


    As she couldn¡¯t delay any longer, Sarfina walked out to meet Dee ¡°Relax, today we¡¯ll be starting your training by taking a small trip.¡±


    ¡°A trip?¡± This was outside Dee¡¯s expectations.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll need to make some decisions about your future and your training. I think it¡¯s best to give you some examples and inspiration before you commit to anything.¡± Sarfina replied. She knew Dee could only follow in confusion. She knew what she was doing though. She hadn¡¯t been a captain among the Radiant Sun for so long for nothing.


    The duo traveled through the teleportation gates, and Dee knew by the signs that they were now on the east side of the Day city. Specifically, they were in the fifth circle, which was deeper into the city than Dee had ever been before. As she surveyed the surroundings, Dee noticed something peculiar. All the people seemed to be armed, excited and warlike. The most common represented races were blue saurian, beastmen of various types and humans, but there were several other races in the mix ranging from vampires and Fomorians to races Dee couldn¡¯t even recognize.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Dee asked in wonder.


    ¡°This area is more commonly known as Cauldron of Blood. This is where warriors come to prove themselves, and for thousands of kilomels in all directions you¡¯ll find nothing but arenas, blacksmiths and infirmaries.¡± Sarfina explained with a slight tinge of both disdain and excitement in her voice.


    Dee suddenly remembered one time when she had to kill a target who worked a prizefighter, and she had to perform the deed in the hubbub of a crowded arena. It had been one of her easier kills, with the throng of people masking her actions perfectly. ¡°What do they fight for? Money?¡±


    ¡°There are bets and prizes involved, but usually only at the higher level. No they fight for glory and ranking.¡± Sarfina pointed towards one of the large obelisks that dotted the landscape at every crossroad.


    Dee moved closer and noticed that it was a ranking list. The names were carved into the white stone, but she sensed magic inside the obelisk and suspected the ranking updated automatically. There was a big name ¡°The Steps of Glory¡± carved towards the top of the tall obelisk. There were tens of thousands of names on the large stone edifice.


    ¡°You can pan it like this.¡± Sarfina said from behind Dee, and waved her hand in front of the obelisk, making the list scroll. Apparently the whole obelisk was a piece of magitech.


    ¡°Are all the obelisks the same?¡± Dee asked while scrolling the list, looking at the names.


    ¡°The public ones are. This is a list for the normal fighters and holds millions of names that keep shifting up and down according to the results. The ¡°Peak of Glory¡± holds the top one hundred names and changes extremely rarely. Ninety-five of the names on that list have been there for a hundred years. It¡¯s a grand event when two people from that list fight each other for position, and it only happens once every few years. Usually some of the young bucks overestimate themselves and try to get on the list and fight against the spots between ninety and hundred. You can¡¯t challenge those stronger than ninety before you¡¯re on the list yourself.¡± Sarfina explained.


    Dee was a little curious about the names on the other list. She wanted to know who were the people able to hold the top places in an environment like this. ¡°Who¡¯s the number one?¡± She couldn¡¯t help asking.


    Sarfina gave a small sigh. ¡°My brother. He took a stab at the arenas after gaining an Authority and got the number one spot. No one has challenged him ever since. He has held the position for over two hundred years. This was before he became the grandmaster of Radiant Sun.¡±


    -----


    As the two walked into one of the arenas in silence, Dee finally asked the obvious question. ¡°So why did you bring me here? I doubt you want me to fight, as we both know that would end badly.¡±


    Sarfina gave a small chuckle as she let go of her thoughts. ¡°I want you to observe the fights. You¡¯re not here to learn, though if you do pick up tips then all the better. No, you¡¯re here to see the different fighting styles. It will help you in choosing a direction that fits for you.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to teach me the style used by the Radiant Sun?¡± Dee asked more than a little confused.


    ¡°I will. Every member of the order learns the same style of fighting with a sword and shield, as well as training in a ranged weapon of your choice. However, that style is designed to be used in a group. That¡¯s why it¡¯s taught to everyone, so we all know how our allies will react and move when working together. That said, our style is not designed to be your main style for use in one on one situations. Hence why we¡¯re here.


    It would be ideal if a person was to learn all styles of combat and used them when appropriate and even combined them, but that is something that is unobtainable without millennia of study. More realistically you will pick one direction and then slowly expand. The person usually also picks a weapon that complements his or her style. I wouldn¡¯t recommend using a speed focused style with a large maul, or a power and oppression style with a dagger. All that said, you can choose to further master your use of longsword and shield, as I have. Another way to go is to try and master a certain weapon, but then you would be dependent on that weapon. I myself am ok with a two-handed sword, but I fight almost exclusively with a sword and board.¡± Sarfina explained while gesturing towards the arena, where some of those styles were being displayed in battle.


    After a slight moment of thought Dee spoke again. ¡°I¡¯m guessing my style so far has been more focused on speed than anything.¡±


    Sarfina frowned a little. ¡°Yes and no. Speed is important for you from what I¡¯ve seen so far, but that¡¯s not the essence of what the assassins taught you. From what I can see, you¡¯re like a serpent that weaves inside your opponent¡¯s defence to strike a quick and deadly blow, and then quickly retreats to safety. I would recommend something that complements that, instead of going with something completely opposite. That way the things you have learned so far can still serve you. Now focus on observing. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here.¡±


    They had come to one of the lower ranked arenas in the Cauldron of Blood. Higher ranked arenas of course had more skilled fighters, but Dee would have trouble following their actions at her current level. There was also the problem that the high ranked fights were more dependent on things aside from weapons skills. They often came to contests of the participants various powers. Those powers were most often derived from their skill and style as fighters but were also too much for Dee to understand and evaluate due to her lack of knowledge and skill.


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    Currently the arena was the grounds for several battles. The arena was large enough to accommodate more than one battle, and just having one battle at a time would be wasteful. The fighters were using a good mix of weapons and styles. The styles also often lined with the races. Large beings such as Fomorians, Ogryn, saurian and large beastmen often used weapons that emphasized strength, such as two-handed swords and mauls. Quick races like elves and Archon often used dual-wielding and smaller weapons that emphasized speed.


    The most interesting and varied were the races that fell in between the two extremes. Shorter races such as dwarves and faeries had to compensate for their shorter reach and often used shields and a style focused on counterattacks. Sarfina mentioned that she herself used this sort of style. Races like humans, smaller beastmen and naga ran the entire gamut of weapons and styles, but often used weapons with long reach such as spears and glaives to oppress their enemies from out of their reach.


    Dee watched all of them with rapt attention and had to admit that even the worst fighters here would most likely beat her in a straight up fight. That was the point of assassins though, never to give a straight fight. She wasn¡¯t all that confident even with that imagined advantage though. The might of fighters in the fifth circle was beyond her. That said, none of the styles quite felt right to her, even if they all had their strengths. They just felt a bit off to her.


    She realized that her four hands would provide an advantage to her in whatever style she chose. It might be in using a larger weapon with a shield, due to being able to use two hands for a weapon even with a shield. It might also be as a surprise attack, making the other two hands appear only when she struck with a hidden blade.


    It was an hour later that she finally felt something click. What caught her attention were two fighters that were both winning all theirs fights. The two were winning and to Dee it seemed rather effortlessly, but they were not drawing much attention. That was because the styles the two used were very subtle and avoided being flashy. Their opponents attacked almost the entire time, seemingly having the upper hand, but every time it seemed like they could do nothing against the two.


    It was weird because the duo was so very different from each other. One was a dark haired and handsome Dark Elf that used a blood red pole weapon halfway between a spear and a glaive. The other was a vampire that used a long thin saber with a very slight curve to the blade. Both of them were very fast, but that wasn¡¯t the main thing connecting the two and drawing Dee¡¯s attention. The two seemed to have this weird flow to their movement.


    All of their actions smoothly flowed from one to another, and it seemed as if they already knew what would happen long before they took action, and took the most efficient actions to reach their goals. They also seemed to use the most appropriate actions that required the least amount of movement and effort. That¡¯s why they didn¡¯t seem very flashy. Their movements were often very slight and extremely controlled.


    It was also beautiful. It seemed as if the two danced with their weapon, leading their opponents on a merry chase, controlling the movements of their opponents by eliminating all the other avenues they could take. They controlled their enemy until that enemy fell into a trap, or the enemy no longer managed to keep up and were struck with an attack that didn¡¯t seem to have any reason to get through their defences. An attack that seemed just like the hundred before that, except somehow the enemy was no longer able to get their defence in place fast enough. It was like their enemy was dancing on the palm of their hands the whole time.


    As she watched, Dee felt a shudder go through her. There were so many things that appealed to her in the way the two fought. First was the lack of flair. If she learnt to fight like that, she could defeat her enemies without drawing too much attention, and without showing more of her power than was necessary. Even with her assassin career hopefully over, the need to avoid too much attention was ingrained in her. Besides, if she combined the style those two used with her own skill for a quick and deadly strikes¡­


    What really gave her the shudder of pleasure though, was the thought of toying with her opponent like that. Having her enemy feel confident, then frustrated and then feeling despair before having Dee¡¯s blade slide into their flesh without any way to stop it. The thought of having her enemy dance on the palm of her hand without even knowing it, appealed to her in many ways she didn¡¯t want to admit.


    ¡®I guess I have more of a sadist inside myself than I thought.¡¯ She mused to herself.


    The best part was that it complimented her current skills well. She was already focused on speed, and the quick and deadly strikes of her current style would fit the style the duo was using perfectly. She was also a person that liked to be in control, and was very good at reading ahead. The last ability was enhanced by her nature as a psion as well. To top things off, she could read the movement of her enemies by the flow of their power, giving her the ability to predict their actions. The more she thought about, the more that style fit her, and her newfound sadistic streak.


    ¡°I found the style I want to learn.¡± Dee said to Sarfina, without taking her eyes off the two fighters. Every moment and every glance let her learn more. She engraved the fights of those two in her mind. She would study their movements later on, trying to learn as much as possible.


    ¡°I know.¡± Sarfina said simply. She had seen the girl¡¯s disinterest before. That disinterest had suddenly turned into excitement and now there was this weird shine in Dee¡¯s eyes. Sarfina had seen this before, when someone really found a style that was made for them. She wasn¡¯t sure who and what the girl was looking at though. ¡°Tell me which one.¡±


    ¡°The Dark Elf spearman on the third field and the Vampire using a saber on the seventh.¡± Dee pointed the two out.


    ¡®Spear and a saber?¡¯ Sarfina thought a bit surprised, and looked at the places Dee pointed out. It took her a moment to figure out what Dee was talking about, as the similarity between the two was subtle. Sarfina didn¡¯t reach her position for nothing though, and suddenly realised what Dee was seeing. ¡°I see it now. Control and flow.¡±


    Sarfina gave it some thought. Dee¡¯s choice was very good, and suited the girl and her old skillset well. However, it was not an easy path and would require a lot of effort and experience. To control your opponent and yourself like that required you to know what the opponent was able to do. That meant you had to learn the other weapons and their capabilities as well. At least that would be the case later on.


    At first you had to be able to perfectly control your own body and weapon with perfect precision. Then you had to learn the flowing movement that appealed to Dee so much, and allowed you to move from one move to another with such efficiency. After that you had to be able to predict both your own future position and actions. Finally you had to learn to predict and control your opponent¡¯s future position and actions.


    It was a long path. It also suited Dee, who was such a quick study and quick mind. You could say she was naturally and perfectly suited for this style. It was not one she would¡¯ve selected for Dee before the girl pointed it out, but now that she had¡­


    ¡°By the way, how do you know that guy is a vampire?¡± Sarfina asked half distractedly. There were many types of vampires, some more obvious than others. The vampire Dee had pointed out was of the type where his vampirism didn¡¯t show in his appearance.


    ¡°You mean you can¡¯t?¡± Dee asked half surprised. ¡°I simply read the flow of power inside him. All races have different flow of power, and when I have seen one member of that race, I can recognize it thereafter.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Sarfina asked raising her voice. ¡°You mentioned before that you were able to read the movement of your opponent by the flow of their power, but your ability goes this far? I had no idea you could see that deep inside people!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I said earlier didn¡¯t I? I even mentioned it when you were making the list of skills I have for Commander Wolfhart.¡± Dee was getting a bit confused. Didn¡¯t they already go over this?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand?! This is huge! You are able to tell the race of beings trying to hide their nature. And with a casual glance from your reaction. Didn¡¯t anyone tell you that this is something special?! There¡¯s a million ways this ability could be invaluable! This would make you the perfect scout, spy or a guard. This makes it so much easier to learn the style you just selected.¡± By the end of her tirade, Sarfina was starting to mumble to herself, imagining all the possibilities.


    ¡°Ok, you¡¯re getting weird. I¡¯ve told you like a hundred times that detection is my specialty. Next you¡¯ll tell me you didn¡¯t pay attention when I told you about my ability to read mana either. I also have eyes and ears and I use them. Have you heard about the ability to see? Or the ability to hear? It''s where you use those pointy ears of yours and listen to what other people are saying.¡± Dee¡¯s words were dripping with sarcasm.


    Sarfina had to just throw her hands up into the air in frustration. The damnable girl had no idea how important her ability could be! Now that she thought about it, she might have underestimated the girl¡¯s ability to read mana as well. She had assigned the same amount of weight to it as she did to her words about reading the flow of power. Maybe her ability to detect and identify magic was similarly much more important than Sarfina or Commander Wolfhart had realized.


    Where had the girl learned these kinds of abilities?

 Chapter 19

    A/N: A chapter where we finally get to see some of the things driving Dee. Hope you enjoy!


    -----------


    Sarfina was gathering her thoughts in front of a sturdy oaken door. She had her hand already raised to knock, but hadn¡¯t moved for almost a minute now. She was considering how to best present her thoughts, and how to get the person on the other side to go with her plans. She knew the benefits were there, but the issue was not easy to solve. It would require a personal effort by the person on the other side of the door. Effort of the kind that he didn¡¯t want to go through.


    Sarfina was shocked out of her thoughts by a voice from behind her. ¡°Are you just gonna stand there looking stupid, or are you going in? You¡¯re not the only person that needs to talk with the commander.¡±


    Sarfina snapped around to find Sarge standing behind her. ¡°Just gathering my thoughts.¡± She replied a little defensively.


    ¡°Gathering dust more like it.¡± He scoffed back.


    ¡°Fine, fine, I was lost in thought. Is your matter urgent?¡± Sarfina asked almost hopefully. If she allowed Sarge to go first, she could get a bit more time to gather her wits.


    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t. I¡¯m not missing this bit. If you¡¯re that shy about going in, then it has to be interesting. I wouldn¡¯t miss this for anything.¡± Sarge grinned at Sarfina. They both knew he¡¯d find about this soon anyway, so there was no use in trying to keep him outside.


    Sarge marched to the door, knocked and then pushed Sarfina inside half-forcefully. ¡°Look what I found outside commander! Can we keep it?¡± Sarge asked with a joking voice.


    ¡°Captain, Sarge. What brings the two of you here?¡± Commander Wolfhart greeted the two, acknowledging the joke with a slight smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m here just for reports, but she should have something interesting for us.¡± Sarge replied, still grinning.


    ¡°Captain?¡± Wolfhart prompted.


    ¡°Commander, I believe we have what I would call a problemtunity.¡± Sarfina blurted, half of her planned points flying out of her head.


    ¡°A what?¡± Both of the men asked at the same time.


    ¡°A problemtunity. A problem and an opportunity rolled into one.¡± Sarfina explained.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have elaborate more than that.¡± Wolfhart frowned.


    ¡°So, Dee is getting to the point where were are starting her weapons training, and we went to the Cauldron of Blood so that she could see the different styles and weapons in actions.¡± Sarfina explained.


    ¡°Get to the point.¡± Wolfhart commanded. He didn¡¯t have the time nor the patience for long stories.


    ¡°I am. She picked a style for herself, and while we talked about why she would be suited for that style, she told me something that we should take seriously.¡± Sarfina was still a bit too slow in getting to the point.


    ¡°Well get to it. Don¡¯t keep us in suspense.¡± Sarge barked instead of the commander this time.


    ¡°Two of the skills we listed on her skill sheet where the ability read the flow of power in people, and the ability to read mana. We didn¡¯t give those abilities the attention they deserved. Apparently her ability to read mana includes identifying spells both those being cast as well as those long since laid. As for the first ability, she can recognize a being¡¯s race from the flow of power inside them. I watched her identify a vampire that didn¡¯t give any indication to his nature.¡± Sarfina¡¯s voice had a little pride in it, for some reason.


    Sarge looked surprised, but he didn¡¯t quite realize all the implications, while the commander did. He was tapping the table with his finger, thinking this through. ¡°Well then. It seems we have a real gem on our hands. As if we didn¡¯t know that already but this just solidifies things. This is the opportunity; I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re going to get to the problem part next.¡±


    ¡°Her choice of style is a bit¡­problematic. She chose flow and control. Both myself and Taeral are good at the flow part. Not to put too fine a point on it, but we¡¯re elves. Flow is in our blood. That part we can teach her. Control on the other hand¡­¡± Sarfina left the rest unsaid.


    ¡°Yeah, we don¡¯t have people that focus on control, simply because it might be the hardest aspect of fighting. I thought Taeral had some skill with it? At his rank he damn well should.¡± Wolfhart pointed out.


    ¡°He¡¯s focused on the bow mainly. He can teach the basics, but that¡¯s it. We¡¯ll start Dee¡¯s training with the common style of our order and by training her with both the bow and with the flow part of her chosen style, but after that she¡¯ll need a proper teacher.¡± Sarfina was silent for a moment before continuing. ¡°We both know a person that would suit our purposes.¡±


    Sarge also realized who they were referring to. ¡°We were considering having her trained among the scouts. Who better to train someone like her than one of the Blades?¡±


    Commander Wolfhart grunted in acknowledgement and unwillingness. Blades were the ten strongest members of the Radiant Sun. They had the authority to act unilaterally in the name of the order to solve any and all problems that crept up, without running it by those in command. The Blades were not part of the normal hierarchy of the order, in fact they were purposefully kept out of it so they were answerable only to the Grandmaster of the order. In practice though, the Blades could and often did take command of any other members nearby in order to solve any problems that crept up.


    The Blades were the order¡¯s strongest trump card, and also a visible face of justice when they acted in official capacity. The whole of Pantheon knew that the appearance of the Blades heralded the resolution of any problems and the removal of dangerous threats. Some of those more in the know also knew to hope never to have the Blades come into their neighborhood because the Blades really lived by the creed of solving problems no matter the cost.


    Despite being the trump card of the order, they were usually also the final solution used to solve problems because they tended to leave behind nothing but devastation. This was partly because the severity of the problems they were called to solve. Usually by the time they were called, the only way to stop the problems from spreading was to cleanse it with fire. Sometimes when the problem went to ground, the only way to solve it was to leave no ground for it to go to.


    As the scouts were an elite group of the order, it was no surprise that three of the ten current Blades had come from among them. Usually they left the scouts behind at that point, though the scouts did have a motto of ¡®brothers for a day, brothers for life¡¯. One of the Blades was still among the scouts, traveling the wilder parts of the Pantheon where other scouts couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t go. He also happened to be an expert in the control aspect of fighting that Dee wanted to learn. The problem was, would he want to take Dee in as a student and a disciple?


    ¡°I know you two aren¡¯t on the best of terms at the moment, but you used to be the best of friends. Can you do something?¡± Sarfina pleaded the commander.


    Wolfhart grunted in reluctance. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if my recommendation would help or hinder Dee at this point. I haven¡¯t spoken to Razark in years. That bridge might be thoroughly burnt.¡±


    The two had been almost like brothers at one point, but a certain event had driven the two almost to blows. The two had had a fundamental disagreement during the event due to differences in their ideologies. The aftermath had driven Razark to join the scouts and seek a level of power that ended up being much beyond Wolfhart¡¯s capabilities. The two hadn¡¯t met ever since.


    ¡°Nevertheless, I can¡¯t approach a Blade as a simple captain. If we want him to train Dee, you will have to use your connections to approach him. Think for a moment. Someone with Dee¡¯s gifts and potential trained by someone as skilled and powerful as Razark? Think how well her talents suit his style!¡± Sarfina pressed on. She knew how unwilling the commander was, but this was important. Especially now that she knew about Dee¡¯s ability to read mana and the flow of power.


    The commander knew Sarfina was right. He gave a small sigh. ¡°Alright, have it your way. I will make the attempt. I still think this might do more harm than good, but I will do it. I will only do that after she finishes her other training though! Make damn sure she¡¯s a disciple worthy enough for a Blade! If I stick my neck out, I want Razark to be tempted by her skill and not just the possibility of humiliating me.¡±


    ¡°Aye sir!¡± Both Sarfina and Sarge said and saluted at the same time. Sarfina because she wanted what was best for Dee, and Sarge because he really wanted to see the meeting between Razark and Wolfhart. He wanted to see the commander squirm. Even though the commander was his friend, schadenfreude was one of his favorite past-times after all. Besides, this fit his hope of Dee becoming strong enough to kick everyone¡¯s ass. Word about his defeat to a little girl had not spread yet, but he didn¡¯t want to be the only victim when it did.


    ----------


    Meanwhile back at the mansion, another discussion about future teachers was taking place. Dee was once again going through the notes she had received when she visited the Threads of Fate. The more she went through the information she received and the discussion she¡¯d had with the old seer, the more a certain thought coalesced in her mind.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯ve come to a decision concerning your future teacher as a psion.¡± Croestia suddenly said, prompting Dee out of her thoughts.


    ¡°I believe I have.¡± She replied with a smile.


    ¡°You took your time with this. It¡¯s not like you to be so indecisive.¡± The voice commented.


    ¡°The trouble of dealing with people who can see the future. On one hand you¡¯re tempted to go along with their wishes because they should know the outcome, right? Except they might not be steering you towards the best outcome. At least not the best outcome for you. Her organization seems to have some level of interest in the outcome, and I¡¯m pretty sure they will try to direct me towards the path that is best for them instead.¡± Dee had a very mixed opinion about that particular organization.


    ¡°It¡¯s also pretty hard argument to make if things don¡¯t go perfectly, because you don¡¯t know what would lie at the end of the alternate path. There¡¯s really no way to prove they shortchanged you.¡± Croestia replied thoughtfully.


    ¡°Additionally, the old crone seemed to be playing games with me. She clearly seemed to be pointing me towards the third option, but if she has seen anything about my nature, she should know I¡¯m liable to pick the other option out of spite.¡± Dee pointed out.


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    ¡°So she was faking her prodding?¡± Croestia asked with interest.


    ¡°Or she might have thought I would think of that. A trap within a trap. Again, this is the trouble of dealing with someone who can see the future.¡± Dee sighed.


    ¡°Or she could¡¯ve been honest in her recommendation.¡± The voice couldn¡¯t help but point out. ¡°So what will you do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore that aspect completely. Trying to play mental games with a seer is a fool¡¯s errand, and I refuse to be the fool. Instead, I¡¯m going to evaluate my two options purely on their merits and completely ignore the possible futures aspect.¡± Dee chose to ignore the mind games.


    ¡°You could always train under both masters. First one, then the other.¡± Croestia pointed out the obvious possibility.


    ¡°I have a feeling that it won¡¯t be that simple. I¡¯m getting the feeling that the options are somehow mutually exclusive. Who knows, they might even be enemies. Something to keep in mind though.¡± Dee replied thoughtfully.


    ¡°So we have choice A, a female teacher who is more powerful and skilled, but not your style. Then we have option B, a male teacher more your style, but who will come along later. Also might result in sadness and heartache. Possibly someone you might develop feelings for?¡± Croestia posited a possibility based on the seer¡¯s words.


    ¡°That¡¯s one interpretation, but not the only one. There are many things that could lead to sadness and heartache. Besides, even if the heartache was due to love, we have no reason to assume that the target of that love would be the teacher. Another student is a possibility, or just someone I meet due to studying under that particular master. In any case, I¡¯m no stranger to pain and sadness, so that won¡¯t sway my decision one way or another.¡±  Dee said with a small grunt. Something vague like heartache was not enough to make a difference.


    ¡°But you have come to a decision, yes?¡± Croestia prompted.


    ¡°Of course. Once I got rid of the mind games, the choice was obvious.¡± Dee replied with a grin.


    ¡°Option A?¡± Croestia guessed with a clear smile in her voice.


    ¡°Option A. What I lack is a wider knowledge about psions and a better variety of powers. If I want to just improve my own style, I can do that perfectly fine on my own, once I learn more about psionics. In fact, having someone too close to my own style might limit my imagination. On the other hand, being exposed to a completely different style might give me more ideas.¡± To emphasize her words, Dee ran her powers along the blade she had received for training.


    The sword was a standard issue long sword used by the templars. While she still had trouble forming her psionic power into a weapon or a shield according to the skill given to her by Croestia, she had quickly figured that it was much easier to combine that power with an already existing weapon or shield. She would still achieve the same effect but with half the effort. The power vastly increased the cutting power of the sword or the stopping power of the shield.


    Naturally she still trained in attempt to form a complete weapon out of her psionic power, as mastering the skill would enhance the current effect of running the power along the metal sword. Besides, there was still the surprise factor of pulling a weapon out of thin air that would be extra useful with her extra hands. Luckily she felt like what she was now doing was increasing her mastery of the ability. It was like the form of the blade she was wrapping in her power was being memorized and would allow her to use that form easily in the future. Maybe she should later on try using other weapons in a similar way to master those forms?


    There was also the added fact that she had already practiced wrapping objects with her power, since she often surrounded her claws with a layer of energy to increase their lethality. That¡¯s what she had used to kill Malik as well. That power allowed her claws and now her sword to cut through any magical or ki fields protecting the target. Assuming she used enough psionic energy to achieve that effect of course. It would be foolish to assume a little bit of psionic energy allowed you to cleave through powerful barriers. That¡¯s not how world worked unfortunately.


    ¡°The big question now is how will we find enough time to be taught by a psion teacher while at the same time training as a templar?¡± Dee said thoughtfully.


    ¡°If I may, I may have a solution.¡± Croestia suddenly said. Dee waved for her to continue. ¡°I think you should suggest Sarfina an apprenticeship period of few years under that teacher. The seer said that you can meet that teacher after turning fourteen, while the templars dislike training people younger than sixteen. Unless I¡¯m guessing wrong, that commander guy wants to train you as a scout, and group like that will definitely not take you in so young. You will be spending time repeating physical exercise and weapons training for few years anyway, so why not suggest about a two year period where you¡¯re improving your psionics instead.¡±


    ¡°That might actually work on many levels. It would assuage Sarfina somewhat as she¡¯s still a bit leery about my training while this young, and she most likely will stick with the sixteen limit as well. Additionally, the templars might forget my origins if I¡¯m gone for few years. Besides, I¡¯ll be more useful to them if I improve my psionics.¡± Dee also mused.


    ¡°The only problem is¡­¡± Croestia started saying.


    ¡°¡­whether she¡¯ll let me go alone.¡± Dee finished Croestia¡¯s thought. ¡°You know, I don¡¯t¡¯ think she¡¯ll have much choice. She can¡¯t leave herself for such a long period. She can¡¯t assume Mazatl will drop everything for few years. She also doesn¡¯t seem the type to stop me from learning if we present the idea properly. Who else would go along with us?¡±


    ¡°Taeral, maybe?¡± Croestia made the only suggestion that they could think of.


    ¡°I seriously doubt that. I think our dear ranger is a bit more important of a person that the two of them are letting on. I doubt he can leave either.¡± Dee shot that idea down.


    ¡°Not that I disagree, but what makes you think so?¡± Croestia asked.


    ¡°Nothing concrete. It¡¯s just a feeling. He seems much more powerful than he has shown so far. He also has this¡­feeling of authority. He tries to hide it, but he¡¯s clearly used to giving orders, not taking them.¡± Dee replied thoughtfully.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I think you might be right. It¡¯s not obvious, but if you¡¯re looking for it¡­¡± Croestia had to agree.


    ¡°Back to the plan, I agree. That might be the simplest and best option. We might want to wait a few years before presenting it though.¡± Dee suggested.


    ¡°I would suggest not waiting too long though. She will have her own plans for you. Best not to spoil them at the last moment. Besides, I think you might be a bit too fond of secrecy. Sarfina might not like all your plans, but she might agree to them or even help you if you carefully explain. I know why you are like this, considering, but in this case it might be doing more harm than good.¡± Croestia pointed out.


    Several minutes passed as the two of them were lost in their own thoughts. Finally Croestia voiced a question that had been bothering her for a while now. ¡°There¡¯s something I didn¡¯t find when you shared you memories, and I¡¯ve been leery to ask ever since, but since we are talking about the future¡­¡±


    ¡°Just say it.¡± Dee could sense where this was going. She was slightly surprised it had taken Croestia this long to ask.


    ¡°What are your goals? What are you planning for your future after all this training? What do you want?¡± Probably by accident, Croestia asked the fundamental question that was the driving force of change and chaos.


    Dee had to consider for a while. Much of this was something she was vaguely aware of, but hadn¡¯t put into words before, even in her own mind. ¡°I want to see mother again. I want to find out where I came from, and why I am the clusterfuck of races that I am. I want to kill the angel that separated me from Selvaria, and perhaps take revenge on the angels conducting the purge. I want to find out what makes this world tick and I want to learn. Learn almost everything I can. I want to eat all the best food in the universe and I want to hear the most beautiful songs and read the most moving stories. I want to see the universe and I want to stand on top of the tallest of mountains. I want to fight the most powerful creatures and bathe in their blood as a sign of victory. That last one might be just my demon heritage showing.¡±


    Dee was quiet for a while as her slight hint of a smile turned into a look of sadness. ¡°Perhaps most important of all, I want to become strong enough that I no longer need to be afraid.¡±


    Croestia couldn¡¯t help but quote one of the old sayings that stayed with her even as her personality was lost when she exchanged masters. ¡°True bravery isn¡¯t the absence of fear, but the willingness to go on despite of it.¡±


    Dee shook her head almost angrily. Angry at herself not Croestia.  She knew the saying as she had read it in several books. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be brave. I just want to no longer be afraid.¡±


    Although she didn¡¯t show her fear or let it prevent her from acting, that didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t afraid. She was afraid of the angels finding her. She was afraid of turning into some hideous monster due to her heritage and due to what had been done to her by Zabaniya. She was afraid of the assassins coming to find her to take her back in. She was afraid of losing this little bit of peace she had found. She was afraid of spending the rest of her life alone and hunted.


    Most of all, she was afraid that all this with the templar and Sarfina was just a figment of her imagination, something her mind had conjured up to cope with her situation. She was afraid that soon she would wake up and find herself back on the operating table of the assassins, or that her mind had broken and she was now one of the kids who had given up and receded into the deep recesses of their mind.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a long term goal if I¡¯ve ever seen one. To no longer be afraid means you have to become the most powerful being, and by a wide enough margin that others won¡¯t try to rise against you. To become an object of fear and not subject to it. You¡¯ll have to rise above the deities and the beings involved with the War in Heaven. Stronger than the beings within the first circle of this world.¡± Croestia said, making sure that Dee understood the magnitude of her goal.


    ¡°If that is what I must become to no longer be afraid, then that is how it must be.¡± Dee said simply. It didn¡¯t matter if the goal was distant. All that mattered was that she was taking steps towards that goal.

 Chapter 20

    A/N: Oh my goddess! A touch of divine, and sense of trouble and possibilites to come. I hope you enjoy!


    ----------


    Dee successfully deflected another blow from Sarfina with her shield and countered with a quick swing towards Sarfina¡¯s ankle. Sarfina managed to pull her foot back in time, but was out of balance as a result of her quick movement. Dee didn¡¯t miss this chance and rammed her shield straight into Sarfina¡¯s chest. Sarfina managed to block with her own shield, but was thrown even further off-balance by the combination.


    Dee feinted another attack towards Sarfina¡¯s sword side, and the latter had to hastily try and block with her sword due to the position she was in. The result was a quick snap of Dee¡¯s practice sword on Sarfina¡¯s wrist as she showed the real aim behind her feint. Sarfina let go off her blade, and found Dee¡¯s blade at her throat, signaling the end of the bout.


    Sarfina wasn¡¯t sure if she should be proud or aghast that Dee was already winning about three bouts out of ten against her. Three more ended in a stalemate, so Sarfina could only barely say that she was still winning more than losing. That was of course without Sarfina using her templar abilities. Then again Dee too was limited to using the sword and shield, and was supposed to use the sword style of the templar.


    That last part happened only some of the time. The reason Dee was so successful was because she was so devious and unorthodox in her use of the style. She managed to learn the basics in the month they had been training, and was now stretching the limits of the style so much that it barely qualified as part of the style anymore. It was close enough to fit the purpose, but only barely.


    Dee had this nasty habit of using her shield as a weapon and sneakily targeting the extremities of her opponent. Most decent shield users used their shield as a weapon, but sometimes it felt as if Dee was dual-wielding two weapons instead of using a sword and shield. The difference was, most templars were adept at bashing their enemy with the shield and using it as a ram, but it was disconcerting to have Dee slash the edge of the shield at your throat and eyes or have the sharp triangular bottom point of the shield rammed at your toes.


    Another difference was Dee¡¯s ability to predict your actions and her penchant for dodging instead of mostly blocking. Most sword and shield users relied on an age old one-two rhythm of blocking and then countering. That was not how Dee fought however. She only blocked if she had to, or if it was the superior option. Because she was able to roughly read her opponent¡¯s actions, she usually dodged by as thin of a margin as possible while at the same time striking her sword at an overextended wrist or an ankle. Even when she did block, she would also attack at the same time, by contorting her body around the blow, which was one of the main reasons for the feeling of fighting someone dual-wielding.


    Of course, all this wasn¡¯t just her ability to learn at play. She wasn¡¯t a stranger to using a weapon thanks to her training as an assassin. The use of a sword was not new to her either, even though she was used to a shorter sword than she was currently using. Even though she made an effort to learn the style of the templar, she clearly brought her own flavor as an assassin to the mix. Her fighting was much more mobile and fluid than a normal templar, who valued a more steadfast and unyielding disposition. Dee¡¯s style was not wrong, better or worse, just different.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for today. I know you have other plans for the evening, and you should take this chance to wash off that sweat. It wouldn¡¯t do to go meet the deities reeking of sweat.¡± Sarfina wasn¡¯t exactly approving of Dee¡¯s and Mazatl¡¯s plan, as she thought it was too early for Dee.


    Then again, nothing was normal with Dee and at least it would allow Sarfina to start Dee¡¯s training with holy power and templar abilities. It was likely Mazatl wouldn¡¯t be able to help herself and would start teaching Dee priest spells as well. Sarfina was rather curious what Dee would end up like with a training this varied and all-encompassing.


    ¡°How are you feeling about the ritual? Excited? Scared? Uneasy? Nervous?¡± Sarfina asked.


    ¡°Curious mostly. I have a hard time figuring out what kind of god I¡¯ll end up with. Maybe a little nervous.¡± Dee replied with a faint smile.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s very little that can go wrong. The worst thing is you get ignored and nothing changes.¡± Sarfina reassured Dee. The worst result would actually be getting caught, but that seemed unlikely all things considered.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s just that nothing so far has gone normally for me. It might be a good thing or a bad thing, but I feel there¡¯s a reason I was told to go through with this as soon as possible.¡± Dee had told Sarfina about her visit to the Threads of Fate, though she had not explained all the details. it wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t trust Sarfina, she just didn¡¯t like sharing things like that without a good reason. Two could keep a secret if one of them was dead, as the old saying goes.


    ¡°Eh, who knows? Maybe you¡¯ll end up with a deity from the big ten.¡± Sarfina suggested.


    ¡°Big ten?¡± Dee asked. She had a guess, but wanted to make sure.


    ¡°The ten most powerful deities. The other rankings of the gods switch around and we aren¡¯t even sure what their rankings are since they don¡¯t tend to share. We need to speculate based on the size of their altars. The big ten have kept their positions for as long as there has been a ranking, at least to our knowledge. It also seems that the gap between the tenth place and the eleventh is rather significant. I think you already know one of them, since you saw her statue in the temple.¡± Sarfina pointed out.


    ¡°The goddess of light? I think her name was Lumen or something.¡± Dee knew damn well that the name was Lumen, but refused to show how important that name might be for her.


    ----------


    Dee sneaked into the temple of light after nightfall. She had observed all the priests leave the place, and checked inside the temple just in case. Normally the temple would have priests even during the night, but with many of them gone the temple was eerily empty. Even during the night the temple was far from dark, as it was only natural for the temple of light to be filled with candles and flames that blazed eternally. Some of the symbols and artifacts also shined a golden light, dispersing any shadows that tried to creep in.


    Dee had to do most of the ritual in the center of the temple and there would still be a patrolling priest going through the temple several times during the night. Luckily, once the ritual part was over and it became time for Dee to sit vigil, she could draw back into one of the alcoves so she would be out of sight. The patrolling priests were not expecting to find anything, and were mostly just making sure nothing weird happened. The whole area was guarded by the Radiant Sun anyway, so it was unlikely someone would be able to just wander in.


    Of course Dee wasn¡¯t just anyone. Sneaking into places was her specialty. With the priests so off-guard she could do her thing in peace and it would take stupidly bad luck for someone to notice her. Just in case, she had already selected her spot to hide in beforehand. One of the alcoves had nice and thick support beams near the ceiling, so she could climb on top of those and the only way to see her would be to also climb on top of them.


    ¡®It seems I¡¯m spending more and more time on support beams like that.¡¯ Dee thought to herself, remembering her sleeping arrangements.


    Luckily most of the ritual part was actually done before tonight. Mazatl had made the preparations a long time ago. The central altar had several candlesticks in all major colors, symbolizing the different factions and facets of the deities. There were almost three dozen candlesticks, and Dee placed a glyph covered candle in each of them. The candles were an offering to draw the attention of the deities.


    Dee waited for the right moment before lighting the candles. There was a reason the ritual could only be held on particular nights. As she had timed her entry well, Dee only had to wait a couple of minutes before the temple filled with the power of the deities. It was as if the temple had turned into a vortex of holy power gathering the energy from the surroundings.


    The deities gained power from those they blessed, but they also gained power from the faithful. Unlike those they had a direct connection with though, the power from the faithful was gathered another way. The power of faith was stored in the temple and its surroundings, and was passed on to the gods in large waves on nights like this.


    This was mostly a matter of efficiency, as boring as that reason was. Gathering slight trickles of power constantly from a multitude of sources wasted much of the power. This method was more efficient. The vortex of power was like a pyre of power shining in Dee¡¯s eyes, but most people would not even notice anything. Even those that were able to utilize the power of the gods only felt a slight stirring in their surroundings.


    The longer Dee lived, the more stupefied she became due to the blindness of everyone around her. How could people walk through life with such blinders on? To her the world and people were filled with streams of power. The streams were filled with information that just waited for you to notice and utilize. And the more she practiced, the sharper her senses became. She could already feel the flow of power without looking at it if she paid enough attention, and she could feel and see it from a greater distance.


    As the vortex of power gain speed and strength, Dee hastily lit all the candles. While the candles were there to draw the attention of the deities, now she had to state her business. She started a fairly long chant that was largely ceremonial and superfluous. Dee felt that most of it was could be skipped, but Mazatl had told her that many deities were sticklers for ceremony and would view shortcuts as laziness. There was no point in antagonizing any deities at this point just for expediency.


    The chant was long, but the gist of it was clear. Dee asked the deities to give their attention to this poor mortal. She requested them to grant their boons and threw herself at their mercy. She asked them to pick a suitable deity among them to grant her their blessing, and so on and so forth. Of course everything was dressed in flowery language and plenty of flattery. There was also a clear vibe of supplication, but Dee¡¯s tone made it clear that any deity that actually expected supplication and groveling beyond this one chant could go and get stuffed.


    Next part was another offering. The candles were the offering of the temples to help the new hopefuls, while now was time for the personal offering of the people actually taking part in the ritual. This was meant to show their sincerity as well as to clearly separate the people that wanted to take part. Of course Dee now had to give this offering by herself.


    She slashed her palm open with a dagger and a generous amount of her blood flowed through the air to hover above the altar. Suddenly the blood split and flew into the flames of every candle, which then suddenly grew in size and were snuffed out. The candles all vanished in a puff of smoke. The smoke flowed towards the ceiling and then through the stone and entered the great vortex above the temple. The offering had been approved.


    Dee gave a small bow of her head, and then drew back into the alcove she had prepared. All the traces of the ritual had vanished from the central altar. She agilely climbed to her hiding place, and took out the next required items for the ritual. She was now holding a flask filled with bright golden liquid and a small shot glass. This next part had seemed especially ridiculous to Dee.


    She was supposed to sit vigil and stay awake for as long as possible. She was also supposed to take a shot of the golden liquid every hour as the liquid tried to put her to sleep. The liquid was heavy with holy power and was clearly enchanted. The purpose of the liquid was to connect the participant with the Pantheon of Gods and allow them to stay there to make a connection with their chosen deity.


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    One of the intentional side-effects was that the liquid put the target to sleep, though that was a necessary part of the ritual. Mazatl had mentioned that the more of the liquid one drank, the longer one could spend discussing with their deity. Some deities of course didn¡¯t have much patience, so the person was tossed back as soon as the blessing was given, but some deities were up for sharing information. Naturally the night was only so long, but time worked differently within the land of the gods.


    To Dee the whole thing felt a bit like something a person taking psychedelics would experience, but the ritual was what it was. It would be kind of funny if the whole thing was mostly a drug induced dream. As she threw back the first shot, Dee couldn¡¯t really feel anything taking effect. ¡°Did Mazatl make this right?¡± She asked mumbling to herself. ¡°On the other hand, it might be worth it to see her embarrassed face if this didn¡¯t work.¡±


    As there wasn¡¯t really anything else she could do, Dee settled down to meditate to pass the time. It¡¯s not like she was in a hurry. It was after the third shot that she finally started to feel a slight effect from the liquid. She also noticed that it was her werewolf heritage that actually countered some of the effects that tried to put her to sleep. The liquid still filled her with holy power normally, and she could feel something tugging at her soul, but she only felt slightly groggy.


    The matter finally came to head after the sixth shot, as morning would come in an hour. Dee still only felt somewhat sleepy, but decided to just give in to get it over with. It would be kind of bad if she never actually fell asleep. The night in question was long for Day city, but it would still be easier to sneak out when it was at least dim outside. So she willingly allowed sleep to take over.


    -----


    Dee found herself in a world filled with grey fog. Strangely she didn¡¯t feel any power in her surroundings, which made her kind of uncomfortable. Luckily she still knew where to go, as she felt a slight tugging feeling in a certain direction. As the world of fog seemed the same in all directions, she might as well follow the feeling.


    She didn¡¯t know how long she walked, but it couldn¡¯t have been all that long when she started seeing a glow ahead of her. Judging from the way the glow seemed to move, the light came from a live flame. As she came closer she found an aged looking man sitting by a campfire. The area around the man was clear of fog, but there wasn¡¯t much to see as the campsite was austere to say the least.


    The man was dressed in a robe that was somewhat uncomfortable to look at. The robe seemed to be made of nothing but a void, and seemed to be shifting under her gaze. The man looked rather normal with a simple face and a grey beard and hair. Dee could feel that was just a fa?ade he had chosen to present, as she felt the long and heavy years surrounding the man like a blanket. His aura was practically dripping with age and gave the feeling of eternally passing time. This man was ancient. Dee somehow got the feeling that he might be one of the oldest beings in existence.


    The man was sitting on a log staring at the flame, taking a small glance at Dee every now and then. Dee sat on the other side of the fire on another log and stayed silent. There wasn¡¯t any particular reason for her silence, she simply felt comfortable staying silent and simply sitting here. The man would speak if there was a need. For now, she simply enjoyed the calming silence.


    There was something comfortable about the feeling of ages that flowed around the man. Dee could feel her mind calming and healing by the perspective she gained from the existence of something this old. Her own struggles and worries suddenly felt so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. There would be enough time to worry about things later. The worries of today would seem insignificant tomorrow.


    The two of them both seemed content to simply stay silent and enjoy the moment, but of course it could last only so long. Dee was shaken from her thoughts by the sound of approaching footsteps. The mist parted as if scorched away by the golden light radiating from a beautiful woman that walked towards the campsite. Dee noticed a small twitch on the old man¡¯s lips as the woman got closer, but didn¡¯t have time to consider the implications because something else demanded her attention.


    The woman didn¡¯t just radiate golden light; she was literally made of light. It was as if her form was golden light made flesh. That in itself was enough to draw Dee¡¯s attention, but there was something else. The woman looked familiar. In fact, she looked great deal like the huge statue occupying the most prominent place within the temple Dee¡¯s body was currently sleeping in.


    The golden light spoke. ¡°Old man, what are you thinking intercepting a person that was clearly meant for me? If I didn¡¯t know better, I would think that you were trying to steal one of my children. That isn¡¯t very polite even with normal people, and you know this one is anything but normal.¡±


    Dee didn¡¯t know whether the man actually had a reply ready, because another female voice intruded in his stead. ¡°Calling her one of your children is a bit rich dear sister.¡± Dee could see the shadows coalescing into the form of another woman possessing otherworldly beauty formed out of pure shadows. Interestingly, she looked really similar to the first woman. The word ¡®sister¡¯ was clearly accurate.


    ¡°Umbra. What are you doing here?¡± The first woman asked clearly displeased.


    The shadow laughed. ¡°Did you think her presence in a temple of light was enough to hide her? Don¡¯t be absurd. Her fate lies with me, as do the fates of her kind. Of course I would find out as she entered our realm. And as you said, she is anything but normal. Did you think I would let a chance like this pass me by?¡±


    ¡°Begone! You are not needed here. You know one of my favored children was used in her creation, and she carries that blood in her veins. Our agreement is that only Fallen fall are under your purview.¡± The woman of light was not willing to budge from her position.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting, because she also carries the blood of one of my favored children. Those born to the Fallen also belong to me. Besides, she also carries the blood of many other dark races. Your claim is strenuous at best.¡± The woman made of shadow seemed to be just as stubborn.


    The two continued to bicker and debate as Dee and the old man chose to stay out of it. The two sisters didn¡¯t seem inclined to listen to their opinion anyway. The discussion was enlightening for Dee though. She learned many things about herself and the two goddesses, and could infer a lot more. The whole argument seemed a bit odd though. It seemed as if the two were fighting over the privilege of blessing her, but that made very little sense, especially considering their identity.


    The old man finally opened his mouth when the arguments started to circle around and repeat, accomplishing nothing. ¡°Here¡¯s a thought: How about both of you bless her. She doesn¡¯t seem the type to be very servile and supplicant anyway, as you both know, so she won¡¯t really be a servant to either of you anyway. Instead of arguing which of you has a better claim on her, how about you give her your blessing no questions asked, and let her actions choose between you.¡±


    The two goddesses went silent for a moment before the dark figure voiced a question. ¡°How would that work in practice?¡±


    ¡°Well the two of you are diametrically opposed forces so it¡¯s not that hard to tell which of you her actions benefit at any particular time. Just let her actions speak for themselves. The actions that benefit Lumen will bring her glory, while the same is true for Umbra. I think that deal is only fair considering her potential future.¡± The man suggested calmly.


    Both of them looked ready to argue, but stayed silent as they noted the reaction of the other goddess. ¡°What about the power usually gained from the servant?¡± The woman made of light asked. Her voice already seemed resigned to this course of action, and she was just making sure.


    ¡°The both of you have your plans for her future and stand to benefit greatly if things go as you hope. I think the both of you are gaining enough even without that bit of power.¡± The man said firmly. ¡°Otherwise you can just make an even split.¡±


    Finally the two nodded and voiced their agreement. Both of them pointed their palm towards Dee and a stream of power flew towards her forehead. The golden woman sent a stream of golden power and the woman made of pure darkness sent a stream of dark power. The two of them took one last look at each other and then disappeared.


    Once they were gone, the old man grumbled to himself. ¡°Daughters. The greatest gift a man could get, and the biggest pain in the ass one could imagine.¡±


    Dee narrowed her eyes and looked at the man. ¡°Old man, why do I get the feeling that you just created a heap of trouble for me, just for your own convenience?¡±


    The man grinned at Dee. ¡°You¡¯re not entirely wrong. Don¡¯t worry though, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re not benefitting from this. I assume you have questions about what just happened.¡±


    Dee only nodded her agreement. If the man was willing to talk, let him. Maybe he¡¯d slip and tell her something she didn¡¯t even think to ask.


    ¡°To put things into perspective, there¡¯s a reason why those two were so eager to leave their mark on you. They want you to do something in the future. You have an unbelievably important future ahead of you. In fact, I¡¯d say you will shake the foundations of the old order even more than the destruction of the thirteen hells. Assuming you live that long that is. No future is certain, and death is always a distinct possibility.¡± The man looked thoughtful for a moment.


    ¡°It seems likely that my meddling has increased the odds of your death, so I better do something about it in return. I will also give you my blessing, and the purpose of that blessing will be to make sure you live long enough to stand a chance at fulfilling that future they so desire.¡± He gave a small grimace. ¡°My blessing will grant you power beyond your time, but it comes at a cost. I will help you unleash a small piece of your future ahead of time, but you might end up hating me for my gift. That¡¯s because until you learn to control that gift, you might think it is a curse. That is the price of such gifts.¡±


    Dee wanted to ask the man to explain, but the man raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Don¡¯t ask. I will not tell you. The contents of the blessings are for the mortals to discover themselves. That is our rule. Now, something else that might have confused you about their argument. They both called you one of their children.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s a reference to one of the three major races that made up the armies of the thirteen hells, the Fallen Angels.¡± Dee pointed out her speculation.


    ¡°That¡¯s half of it, and it should not come as a surprise that their power was used as a part of your heritage. More than that, you¡¯ll have to find out yourself. The other half is that those that created you, wanted to turn their enemy¡¯s power against them, so they also used normal angels as part of their experiments. I know this most likely isn¡¯t something you want to hear, but there is also the blood of those that you hate within your veins.¡± The man had a slightly sympathetic look as he gazed at Dee.


    Dee blew some air in a slight show of dissatisfaction. The news was not what she wanted to hear, but not something that really surprised her. If she had been creating something like herself, she would also use the blood of her enemies as a part of the mixture.


    ¡°And I see you¡¯re taking it better than I thought, at least for now. Good. You¡¯d probably like to know that once you wake up, it might be a good idea to hurry to a more private location. These blessings most likely activated something within you ahead of time. You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡± The man had a slightly evil smile as he said this.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Dee said simply. She knew exactly what the man was talking about, and wasn¡¯t pleased.

 Chapter 21

    A/N: Been reconnecting with an old friend lately. Fun but unfortunately cuts into your writing time. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy!


    -----


    As soon as Dee woke up, she could feel a burning heat rising within her body. The burning was similar to the one she¡¯d experienced during her tenth birthday, before she had acquired her new four-legged form, except this time she was fully conscious. This was probably partly because the change was not happening immediately, or it might be the work of one of the deities she had just met. Either way, she could feel that time was short.


    She realized she wouldn¡¯t be able to make it back to the mansion, so she had to consider other alternatives. She couldn¡¯t stay here, since she would be creating at least a small commotion and she didn¡¯t really relish the chance to get caught sneaking into the temple. The infirmary was an option, but she would rather keep this a secret if at all possible. Where else?


    Then Dee remembered once visiting Mazatl¡¯s living quarters for a lesson. Those quarters were soundproofed magically, not so much to keep sounds inside, but to keep sounds from getting in. The saurian enjoyed her quiet reading and the training grounds were rather noisy, even though the priestesses had their own living area on the other side of the complex. In this case, those wards against noise would be enough, even if not ideal.


    Dee quickly sneaked across the area, avoiding the patrols going around the area. While the guards watching the gates were professional, the patrols within the complex were less so. They were numerous but luckily they mainly consisted of students that didn¡¯t quite appreciate their work as much as they should have. That was mostly because they had not seen the results such lack of attention. They mostly went through the motions, but were lost in their own world. This was something that would only fix itself with time and experience, or with something going horribly wrong. There was nothing quite like having people die on your watch to make you realize the error of your ways.


    The dawn was already arriving, but the priestesses were understaffed. As a result there were no people wandering the hallways of the relatively sparsely furnished building. Mazatl¡¯s door was naturally locked, but not magically as Dee had noted on the last visit, so she had no trouble picking the lock after little effort. After getting inside, she quickly slammed the door shut and collapsed on the floor.


    ¡°Gods dammit! Why does the first transformation always have to be so painful?¡± Dee cursed, not really expecting an answer to her question. Even Croestia settled for a simple chuckle.


    As the pain in her back intensified, she realized that there would most likely be wings in her future, so she prudently shook off any clothes above her waist, tossing them on a pile of books. Books were everywhere around her. Mazatl¡¯s d¨¦cor could be summarized with ¡°books and bookshelves¡± as every wall and surface was covered with them. Not that she had much time to admire the surroundings as the change was finally upon her, and she already knew not to try to resist the change.


    The experience of the shift was unpleasant, but the result was surprising. As she shifted her form, a pair of large wings appeared on her back, their sudden appearance and burst of movement shattering some of Mazatl¡¯s bookshelves. Dee could feel that the wings were actually bigger than she herself was. It seemed she had the wings of an adult angel but the body of an adolescent one. The impact on the bookshelves showed that they were also extremely durable and strong. Dee was pretty sure they would¡¯ve cracked the wall as well if she had not pulled back on them. No pain from the impact either.


    Her fur was now gone, being replaced with pale skin, only slightly less white than her fur. It was straddling the line between unhealthy and alluring, but would most likely change as this form spent some time in the sun. She felt a little odd without claws and with her new dull teeth as well. She also felt weird with her pair of ears gone from the top of her head. The new ears were at the sides as with any angel or human. A quick probe confirmed that they weren¡¯t quite elven ears, but they did have a definite point to them.


    That wasn¡¯t to say there was nothing on the top of her head. No, she had a heap of long hair flowing everywhere, currently in an unholy mess of tangles and sweat from the transformation. There would be a haircut sooner rather than later in her future, as it seemed the current hair was long enough to reach her knees, which was completely impractical. There was also another thing on her head.


    She couldn¡¯t actually feel it with her hands, but she somehow knew it was there, as if sensing it like one would an arm or a leg that you couldn¡¯t control. A large halo of sorts. Not one those round golden circles one could sometimes see in pictures and art, but a circle at the center surrounded what looked like a spell formation. From a distance it looked like a circle entwined with a complex tribal shape surrounded by tiny writing. Of course this last part was something she only learned later. The whole thing was a bit larger than her head, and seemed to be hovering half behind and half above her head. It was a little like having a very weird and complex crown hovering above and behind her head.


    The most obvious change were of course the wings. ¡°The right one is as expected.¡± Dee mumbled to herself, as she looked at her right wing. The wing was covered in pitch black feathers just like all the Fallen Angels.


    The color of angel¡¯s wings held significance. Archangels had golden wings, while normal angels had white wings. The subsect of angels that was wholly dedicated to war, known as Seraph, had fiery red wings. It should be noted that Seraph were so adept at their path in life that even archangels had trouble fighting them. The Fallen were of course signified by their dark black wings, and it was no surprise that Dee had that same color, seeing as that was part of her heritage.


    ¡°So why in the name of thirteen hells is my left wing colored like candy?¡± Dee asked a little miffed, no longer whispering to herself.


    Calling the left wing candy colored was a little unfair, but it was not one of the normal hues for certain. It was one of those hard to define colors that would appear to change with the amount of light available. The wing¡¯s color fell somewhere between purple, light pink and white. If one had to put a name on it, Dee would call it lavender. She wasn¡¯t going to put a name on it though, because she was angry.


    The reason she was angry was not just the wing, but the fact that her hair was the same color. If she had to get the hair color from one of the wings, she¡¯d have preferred the black since this color would draw too much attention. ¡°Who has a hair color like this?!¡± Dee demanded to know with a loud voice.


    ¡°Mermaids maybe?¡± Croestia ventured a suggestion. She was currently once again in the form of a pendant since Dee no longer had her fox ears. ¡°I think it¡¯s a rather pretty color personally, same with your wing.¡±


    ¡°Why would I have the hair color of a goddess damn mermaid?! How am I supposed to avoid attention in a form like this?¡± Dee was not amused.


    ¡°Uhm, I think your hair color isn¡¯t the biggest problem in that regard.¡± Croestia pointed out. Subtlety and stealth were the furthest words from her current appearance. Striking and eye-catching were much closer to the truth.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡± Dee screamed in annoyance and realization. ¡°And I can¡¯t even change back for several days as this form stabilizes! I can¡¯t go back to the mansion like this!¡±


    ----------


    Dee was forced to spend the next few days within Mazatl¡¯s room, as she learned to deal with her new form. Luckily, aside from the wings the new body wasn¡¯t structurally that different to her old one. The muscles worked largely the same, though Dee did end up walking on her toes half the time. Another stroke of luck was that the wings of an angel had very little to do with the wings of birds, even though their appearance was somewhat similar. In fact they had almost nothing in common beyond the appearance.


    First obvious thing was that there was this sort of ethereal and unreal feeling to the wings. Not that they weren¡¯t sturdy, no in fact they would be very powerful defensively. However, the wings didn¡¯t feel like they had any weight to them for Dee. She knew this to be false, looking at the shattered bookshelves, but that was for the rest of the world. Wings this huge would require powerful muscles to move, but it seemed there were no muscles connected to the wings. It was like they were just barely connected and just moved according to her will.


    Another difference was that angels used their wings to fly, but not by flapping them like idiots. That was good since even wings this large would have trouble lifting a person as heavy as Dee. She wasn¡¯t hollow boned like birds, and her muscle density was rather notable when compared to normal people. The wings allowed lift just by existing, and Dee could feel a slight drain on her psionic energy as fuel. She tested this by hovering inside the room. The wings were however rather important for guiding flight, which she discovered by crashing into another bookshelf.


    The final big difference was that she could change the size of the wings after a certain amount of experimentation. This is where the ethereal nature of the wings also showed itself, as it seemed like there was no pressure to change them back to their original size, unlike when she had changed her size in her four-legged form, which she had now unofficially titled nine-tailed fox form. She couldn¡¯t call that the new form anymore. She thought she could probably walk back without drawing attention now that she could hide her wings.


    She had spent some time fixing the appearance of Mazatl¡¯s room, but there was little she could do since she wasn¡¯t a carpenter, nor did she have any tools. She did stack the books on one side of the room and piled the remains of the bookshelves on the other side just for easier removal and transportation. Then she slinked out of the building during the time the light was at its dimmest.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    She had managed to hide most of her hair with a dark cloth she had stored inside Croestia. Her new wings were shrunken to the size of sparrow wings on her back. She had slight trouble with how her new body moved, but not enough to be caught by the newbie guards. The biggest problem was her new halo until she learned how to hide it. Unlike the wings, that was rather uncomfortable and could be maintained for maybe a day at most. It was necessary though, as the halo was like a shining beacon.


    As she returned to the mansion over the back wall, she found Sarfina pacing around the backyard in obvious worry. She was mumbling to herself, and Dee was tempted to stop to listen, but decided against it. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± She announced upfront, walking out from behind a tree.


    Sarfina¡¯s face went from worried, to relieved finally settling on wary. ¡°Who are you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Oh right, my current form has nothing in common with my original.¡± Dee said to herself.


    ¡®Your voice is also different.¡¯ Croestia hinted silently. Dee¡¯s throat and mouth had a different shape, hence the difference in voice.


    ¡®Could¡¯ve told me that before now.¡¯ Dee shot back.


    ¡®You didn¡¯t ask.¡¯ Croestia said with slight amusement.


    ¡°Would it help if I had three fluffy tails behind my back?¡± Dee asked out loud.


    ¡°Dee?¡± Sarfina confirmed, unable to really believe what she was seeing. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Long story short, I got my blessing, but it triggered this transformation. I¡¯ve been hiding inside Mazatl¡¯s room until now. For obvious reasons.¡± Dee pointed behind her, as her wings grew back to her original size, cutting down a tree in the process. ¡°Oops. I still have trouble with control.¡±


    Sarfina¡¯s face was twisting as she tried not to crack up in laughter, and she was also feeling relieved beyond measure. ¡°You couldn¡¯t send a word?¡±


    ¡°Well, not really without explaining why there was now an angel in the middle of the complex. Mazatl¡¯s still away. On that note, you might want to inform her before she returns. I might have kind of trashed her room.¡± Dee looked a little bashful.


    ¡°Kind of trashed?¡± Sarfina asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, there are now fewer bookshelves in her room. Intact bookshelves anyway. The room isn¡¯t completely ruined or anything though.¡± Dee said a little defensively.


    Sarfina couldn¡¯t help but laugh at this point. ¡°So why the candy colored wing and hair?¡±


    ¡°THAT¡¯S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW, DAMMIT!¡± Dee shouted back, subterfuge completely gone.


    ----------


    Mazatl had been miffed upon her return next morning, as was expected, but she couldn¡¯t stay mad for long as Dee explained the reason. ¡°I need new locks.¡± She still grumbled.


    ¡°If you get magical locks, then how am I supposed to secretly get in?¡± Dee asked, faking outrage. She had still not managed to shift back to her old form.


    ¡°You¡¯re not, that¡¯s the whole point. Ever heard of privacy?¡± Mazatl grumbled slightly louder. ¡°Which deity blessed you anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure actually. There were other things going on at the time.¡± Dee lied her ass off. She surmised that it wasn¡¯t a good idea to let anyone know that she had received blessings from three deities, especially since two of them were Umbra and Lumen. She still didn¡¯t know who the old man was. It was likely she would have to reveal at least one, in which case Lumen would have to be the one. It was rather doubtful the templars would like someone blessed by Umbra, and who knew what reaction the old man would elicit. He had called Lumen and Umbra daughters after all.


    ¡°I can imagine. Nothing works normally when you¡¯re involved. Luckily there¡¯s a way to find out.¡± Mazatl closed her eyes for a moment, before a golden symbol of a book and a quill floated out from her forehead. ¡°All of us blessed by deities can show the symbol of our deity like this. Just focus on the image of your deity and push it out of your forehead. Even the crappiest acolytes manage this with a couple of tries.¡±


    ¡®Welp, I guess time for plan B already. I can¡¯t even pretend to be unable to do it.¡¯ Luckily this was so easy that Dee had already managed to do this while hiding within Mazatl¡¯s room. She needed to stall for time a bit though, because she had to figure a way to show just Lumen¡¯s symbol and not the other two. ¡°What¡¯s the purpose of this ability? Surely not just so pupils can show their teachers their deity.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Normally there are much better ways to find things like that out. Usually the acolyte or trainee learns the name and role of the deity during the ritual or at least when the high priestess discovers the details of the blessing. An avenue not open for us if you recall. No this is used as identification at meetings and between servants of the same deity or faction to prove their allegiance and identity. It¡¯s impossible to fake, since even those that try to use illusion magic will be struck down by the gods for obvious reasons. It¡¯s also something of a symbol of superiority among those that serve the strongest deities. The symbol also tends to appear while using spells that require a lot of power.¡± Mazatl went back into her teacher mode for a moment, allowing Dee the time she required.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± Dee mumbled, as a golden symbol representing the sun floated in front of her forehead. It was obviously identical to the symbol held aloft by the giant statue within the temple of light.


    Mazatl¡¯s eye twitched a bit as she recognized the symbol. ¡°I see. You knew exactly which deity blessed you. You just thought it better to hide it. Not a bad choice for the time being, although I would rather you didn¡¯t try hiding it from me. Easier to keep a secret alone though. That explains your new appearance as well I suppose.¡±


    Dee simply smiled in silent confirmation. She had managed to hide Umbra¡¯s symbol that combined a pitch black moon and a half open eye, and the weird symbol of the old man where it seemed like a serpent eating its own tail twisted into the figure eight. The weirdest part was that the snake symbol seemed to also be some sort of weird hourglass that had infinite sand flowing through it. She was sure there was some symbolism in all that but the meaning escaped Dee¡¯s current knowledge. She also found it prudent not to ask for now.


    ¡°Well, I hoped you would get blessed by a light deity, so who better that the goddess of light herself? This¡¯ll get out after your fake ritual later on, but it would be prudent not to advertise it too much if possible. I know how much you like to avoid attention. You might want to tell at least Sarfina and Taeral. They will help with your training, so you might as well get the best out of it. Sarfina can help you with your templar training, I¡¯ll teach you what I can about being a priestess and Taeral will teach you how to really fight a warrior.¡± Mazatl suggested, getting an agreeing nod from Dee in return. There was little point in hiding this from those two.


    ¡°Now, to start things off I want you to send your senses inside your own body. You should find a source of power there. It should be rather easy to find.¡± Mazatl instructed Dee.


    Dee did as instructed. Finding that power was really easy, as it almost jumped at her when she started. ¡°Found it.¡±


    ¡°Now the power is more often than not shown as a well with golden water inside of it. Can you see it?¡± Mazatl guided Dee in a calm voice.


    ¡°Uh, something like that yeah.¡± Dee¡¯s face twitched. She knew her situation would be slightly different with three blessings, but this was a bit too much.


    Mazatl detected the odd note in Dee¡¯s voice, something she had heard from other acolytes. Most often from those that had very little power within their well. ¡°The size and contents of that well represent the holy power available for your use. It can increase with repeated use and should the deity be satisfied with your service and improve your blessing.¡±


    Another though occurred to Mazatl. Dee was blessed by Lumen after all. ¡°The most powerful priests and clerics can have their fount of power in the form of a pond or a small lake as well. How much water is there in your well, or how large is your pond?¡±


    Dee¡¯s face twitched again. Her voice was a little hoarse. ¡°I think I¡¯ll manage. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Dee¡¯s spirit was standing on the surface of a grand ocean filled with golden power. The ocean was in three layers, with Lumen¡¯s power on top, Umbra¡¯s in the middle and the old man¡¯s power at the bottom. She felt that Lumen¡¯s power was filled with positive energy, while Umbra¡¯s had a distinct feeling of negative energy. Apparently they could be used for different purposes. Dee surmised that the positive energy was better when attempting to aid others, while the negative energy was better at harming others.


    She couldn¡¯t sense anything about the old man¡¯s power, but there was this unexplainable vibe about it. ¡®So this is what happens when you are blessed by two of the top ten deities and whatever the old man is supposed to be. I¡¯m guessing this isn¡¯t the result from minor blessings either.¡¯


    ¡°Just remember that the most important part about holy spells isn¡¯t the amount of power you possess but the way you use it.¡± Mazatl said, unsure if she should be consoling or jubilant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Dee said, trying to contain her voice better. Mazatl had always highlighted the importance of how you used power instead of the amount, but surely this had to be an advantage.

 Chapter 22

    A/N: Good news and bad news. Good news: a new chapter! I''ve been a bit busy at work hence why the chapters have taken four days instead of three. Bad news: the reason I''ve been busy at work, I''m going on a vacation for couple of weeks. I''ll take my laptop, but writing chances might be few and far between, and posting chances even more so. So I get to relax, but chapters might be sporadic during this time. So kind of good news for me but not so good for readers I''m afraid. That said, on with the show!


    ----------


    Sarfina blocked another blow aimed at her head, the edge of the dark blade barely coming short of her face. She didn¡¯t feel any relief though, as another blow followed right after the previous one, and another after that one. She was under constant pressure, barely managing to keep the edge of the blade from hitting anything vital. Unfortunately she knew from experience that any hit from that dark blade, which seemed to suck in all the light surrounding it, was a hit to the vitals.


    The blade carried a great corruptive force, and that corruption would spread from even a slight wound. Sarfina still had no idea where Dee had managed to find such an ominous blade. Her thoughts were interrupted as Dee¡¯s foot lashed out at her own in an attempt to sweep them out from under her. Sarfina jumped slightly to avoid the sweep, but immediately regretted that choice as Dee slammed her with her shield, leaping from her crouched position. This had clearly been the girl¡¯s plan in the first place!


    There was little Sarfina could do to dodge in the air, and she couldn¡¯t brace herself either. As a result, the only thing she could do was to lean back and try to get Dee off balance as well by altering the impact point. No such luck though, Dee had prepared her move well. Sarfina was sent sprawling on the ground, her shield being flung from her hand. ¡®Gods the girl has become strong!¡¯ She cursed in her mind.


    In a rush Sarfina used her holy power to ward off the next attack that was surely coming. ¡°¡¯Shield of Fate¡¯ ¡®Smite¡¯.¡± She gestured towards the approaching Dee and a golden shield appeared between the two, followed by a rapidly moving sickle of golden power.


    Both spells were quick and neither was very powerful, but they were enough to buy a few precious moments, so that Sarfina managed to get up from the ground. ¡®Shield of Fate¡¯ was a simple physical barrier used to stop projectiles, or in this case Dee¡¯s momentum. It couldn¡¯t take much punishment, but still needed to be removed with either a spell or a sword swing strong enough to break it. ¡®Smite¡¯ on the other hand was an offensive spell which had the advantage of almost instant travel time. It didn¡¯t have enough power to penetrate Dee¡¯s defenses, but it was a decent distraction. In theory.


    ¡°¡¯Spell Purge¡¯.¡± Dee activated one of her favorite holy spells that dispelled hostile magic in her surroundings. Usually she would use ¡®Spell Shatter¡¯ which was the improved version of ¡®Spell Purge¡¯ and would cause the spells to explode, but she was so close that she would herself be caught in the explosions. Both spells were advanced level holy spells used especially against mages or other holy magic users. Neither spell was easy to use since you needed to know where to strike to unravel the spells or cause them to explode.


    The two holy spells unraveled as if they had not even been there, and Dee once again renewed her assault on the still rising Sarfina, who only barely managed to ward of the blows that were oddly powerful for such a delicate weapon. Sarfina managed to ward off the assault however, at least for now. As the two pulled some distance to re-evaluate, Sarfina once again glanced at the dark blade in Dee¡¯s hand.


    The sword was a long an thin saber very similar in shape to the one they had seen used during their visit to the Cauldron of Blood such a long time ago. The whole blade was completely black, and had this eerie feel to it. The blade was rather long one handed blade with a very slight curve to the blade. It actually looked a bit like the blades forged by the elves if you didn¡¯t pay attention to the dark color and aura.


    The annoying part was that Dee could suddenly surround the blade in psionic energy, and the damn blade would cut through armor like paper. Only Sarfina¡¯s sturdy and enchanted shield was able to take direct blows from the blade, and Sarfina suspected that the only reason that still held true was because Dee didn¡¯t want to destroy her beloved shield.


    The saber was something of a compromise. It was more suited to using the flowing style of battle Dee was so fond of when compared to the usual long longsword of the templar, especially when combined with Dee¡¯s propensity of using her shield and whole body as weapons. The saber was also close enough to the standard longsword that she could also use the more standard sword and shield style of the templar, switching between the two and even combining the styles when necessary. Thus the weapon was well suited for the current Dee and her training.


    The last few years had brought Dee¡¯s skill and strength to a level that could rival Sarfina. Dee was not exactly small anymore either, with her height being barely shy of two mel. Her heritage clearly shone through. That increase in height had come with a corresponding increase in strength, and Sarfina was still unable to fully figure out how the girl could be so strong even without the holy spells to buff her strength, and still remain so slim.


    ¡®Well the five tails waving behind her back might have something to do with it.¡¯ Sarfina thought to herself. It was her understanding that those tails represented her power as a psion, which meant that Dee would now be a class 5 psion. That roughly matched Sarfina herself, who was also a fifth rank templar, most often called gold-ranked. To Sarfina¡¯s amusement, the ranks of those serving the gods were named after precious materials like metals and gems.


    ¡®Nevertheless, her rise in power is astounding. For someone who just turned fourteen to already be at the fifth rank¡­¡¯ Sarfina once again thought with a sigh. ¡®No wonder she wants to find a teacher as a psion.¡¯


    A year ago Dee had mentioned her desire to find a psion teacher, and the details of her visit to the Threads of Fate. Sarfina had not been wild about Dee going away for such a long time, especially since she was still kind of detained by Radiant Sun, but had seen the necessity. She had set some conditions though. Dee had to be able to meet the standards set by her three teachers before being allowed to go. It would be foolish to run around getting more training in another field if the previous training had not been adequately absorbed. Sarfina would also worry if Dee wasn¡¯t able to defend herself.


    Mazatl had trained Dee in holy magic used by priests and clerics, and Dee had passed those tests with flying colors. Although Dee¡¯s skill in healing was not among the greatest, she did excel in removing diseases, curses, poisons and other effects that could hinder people. She was also fairly proficient in the more complex priestly spells ranging from buffs to especially spells that hindered her enemies. Mazatl wasn¡¯t all that happy with Dee¡¯s affinity with such negative spells, but it made sense considering her background.


    Taeral had trained Dee both in the use of a bow as well scouting abilities and tradecraft. Bow was a natural fit for someone who could calculate trajectories as well as Dee, and she had already shown her skill with scouting skills during her first trip to the great forest. Additionally, Taeral had done his best to teach Dee in the use of the flow style as well as the very basics of control. Unsurprisingly both styles fit Dee like a glove.


    She had already absorbed what she could from Taeral, and she was now at the stage of perfectly controlling her own movements and anticipating both her own and her enemies¡¯ future positions. She still couldn¡¯t direct the movements of her enemies, which was the true heart of the control style, but she knew enough to excel in the flow part. That already showed in her everyday movements that perfectly flowed from one movement to another with efficient pathing. It had this weird grace to it, as if watching someone dancing.


    Sarfina taught Dee in the use of sword and shield, as well as the holy magic of the templar. Thanks to her ability to read magic, Dee naturally gravitated towards spells that made her a sort of mage hunter. She could shatter the spells of her enemies and turn that power against them. She naturally knew the best ways to cleave magical protections with the least possible effort. On the flipside, holy magic designed to protect others wasn¡¯t really her strong point. It¡¯s not like Dee was weak with those spells, just thoroughly mediocre. She wouldn¡¯t make for a great paladin. She was good at protecting herself though, so that suited a templar just fine.


    She was also a real menace in close combat, where she could combine quick holy spells with her fighting skills, resulting in a constant barrage of attacks that wore you down with distressing certainty. She on the other hand seemed to have an endless well of power and stamina. Sarfina could only blame herself and the stringent stamina training she had forced on Dee.


    This current fight was the final test before Sarfina would allow Dee to leave to find her psion teacher. She already knew that Dee had the strength and skill to match a full templar, but she didn¡¯t want to be separated for such a long time. She had started to think of Dee as something between a daughter and a little sister in the last few years. She couldn¡¯t help but worry. Hence the difficult tests.


    ¡®If Dee keeps improving with speed like this, once she returns in two years, her official training period in the order might be the shortest on record.¡¯ Sarfina thought to herself. Dee would still have to go through the basic training, as all new recruits did, even though she already knew all the things taught.


    The current fight was also something of a show of skill on Sarfina¡¯s part. Or at least it was supposed to be. Dee already had enough skill to defeat Sarfina nine times out of ten, even when both did their best to use holy magic in addition to their combat skills. The show of skill part was due to the fact that there were some holy spells Sarfina had been unable to use before because they would result in either Dee¡¯s death or serious injury. She wanted to regain some of her honor as a teacher and a senior templar.


    Mazatl was observing the fight from the side with Taeral, having yet again erected the grey dome that made it impossible for the two fighters to die or really get hurt within the spell. ¡°So which one do you think will win?¡± Mazatl asked dangling a small coin pouch in case the elf wanted to make a wager.


    ¡°Depends on what happens next. Faylen is about to pull out the big guns. If Dee can stop those, then she¡¯ll win.¡± Taeral replied.


    ¡°So who are you betting on?¡± Mazatl prompted.


    ¡°Logically Faylen should have the edge, since it will most likely turn into a test of power and Dee will be on the defending side. It always takes more power to defend than it does to attack. However, I¡¯ve learned never to bet against Dee.¡± Taeral said with a small smirk.


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    ¡°Tch, you¡¯re no fun.¡± Mazatl clicked her tongue, refusing to bet on Sarfina either. She still hadn¡¯t figured the limits of Dee¡¯s holy power, and she had been testing that limit for years now. However, she knew enough to not bet against Dee in a test of power.


    ¡°Oh, here we go.¡± Taeral pointed at the two.


    ¡°¡¯Chains of Retribution¡¯ ¡®Wrath of Heaven¡¯.¡± Sarfina once against cast two holy spells at the same time. This time the two were much higher level though.


    ¡®Chains of Retribution¡¯ sent several chains of golden energy to surround Dee and bind her in place. ¡®Wrath of Heaven¡¯ called several golden lightning bolts down from the skies to strike at Dee, now that she was unable to dodge. In addition to being powerful spells, Sarfina also knew that they were both high enough level that Dee couldn¡¯t yet simply use ¡®Spell Purge¡¯ on them. Maybe in the future, but not yet.


    ¡°¡®Hallowed Ground¡¯ ¡®Shroud of Saints¡¯ ¡¯Flash¡¯.¡± Dee quickly replied with three spells of her own. A dome of golden energy rose around her to block the lightning, while a protective cloak of golden energy surrounded her body.


    ¡®Wait, why ¡®Flash¡¯?!¡¯ Sarfina though with surprise as a blindingly bright flash of light forced her to close her eyes for a moment. She quickly opened her eyes after the brief brightness dimmed, just in time to see both the golden dome and cloak buckle under the bombardment of lighting. However, the golden cloak was empty, held aloft by the handle of the black sword stuck in the ground..


    Suddenly Sarfina felt a dagger pressed against her throat. Dee had used the golden dome to push away the chains binding her, and escaped the barrage of power during the flash. The cloak had been a distraction. ¡°I surrender.¡± Sarfina muttered faintly. A very Dee-like way to end the fight.


    Dee let go of Sarfina with a faint smile. She was happy to finally officially surpass her mentor, and was glad that she had passed the test. Now Sarfina would most likely feel more at ease to allow Dee to go out into the world. She also felt wistful because just like Sarfina, she didn¡¯t want to be separated from her. The two had grown close over the years, and Sarfina¡¯s care and worry over her wellbeing had been like a healing balm after all that had happened with Zabaniya. Sarfina had become something of a big sister to Dee.


    Yet she had to go. This mansion and the templar order were not her ultimate goals. They were simply stepping stones on her path, and she knew it was time to take another step. Besides, it¡¯s not like she wasn¡¯t coming back in the future. She still had a lot to learn, and she also needed experience. It was all well and good to get great training and have power, but it would do her little good if she didn¡¯t get used to using those skills and power in life-threatening situations. As an assassin, she had gotten used to danger and her life hanging by a thread, but her current skillset was still untested. She was getting complacent in this peaceful environment.


    Dee considered her progress over the last few years. Despite all the training Sarfina and Taeral had given her, she still maintained her mindset and skills as an assassin, as shown by the ending of that fight. Surprise, distraction and a quick and decisive end were still among her arsenal of skills. Just that now she had other skills as well. She also had the holy power gained from the blessings.


    The dark blade in her hand was part of the blessing she had received from Umbra. She still hadn¡¯t figured out all the benefits from the blessings. Especially the blessing by the old man was hiding its mysteries well, but she had figured some things out. She had tried hiding some of those gifts, but she had to practice their use at some point. She had decided that the dark blade was something she should reveal, so that she could learn to use it.


    In addition to the dark blade, the blessing of umbra improved her ability to hide in the shadows and to a slight extent control them. That control was still trenuous at best, but she was improving. Another thing she had improved was the psionic ability to clad her weapon in her power and even form weapons out of pure psionic energy. As she had such a great sword already, it was more useful to just clad the weapon in her energy instead of trying to make another weapon, but she did have the ability if it became necessary.


    A much more productive way to use that particular ability was to form arrows from her psionic energy. Taeral had taught her archery, and the psionic arrows were perfect as their penetrative power vastly exceeded normal arrows, and she didn¡¯t have to carry around a quiver. She couldn¡¯t match the elven ranger with the bow, but she did hit what she aimed at nearly always. That was another thing. Since the arrow was made of her own energy, she could still control it to an extent while in flight. The fact that she had four arms also allowed her to use the heaviest of bows with relative ease.


    Not that she had any lack of strength to use those bows even without that added bonus. Her heritage and the modifications made by the assassins were finally starting to kick in. Despite not looking like it, she had significantly more strength than any girl her age should. That was shown in her ability to overpower Sarfina, who was significantly older than Dee. Beowulf, Rakshasa Rani and angels were all known for their physical strength, and that was starting to show. Dee could probably arm-wrestle a fomorian or a vampire at this point. Maybe not a full-grown one, but one her age at least.


    Dee still wasn¡¯t all that happy with being part angel. She still considered angels as her enemies, and while she understood the use of having a part of her come from the enemy, it still grated on her. At least part of that angel blood was Fallen. She had learned to materialize just the wings in her other forms, and as a result didn¡¯t spend too much time in her angel form. She did suspect that the form would become more useful when she wanted to hide her identity.


    Her angel form had only become more striking and attention drawing as the form changed from a little girl into a something more womanly. She herself didn¡¯t have much understanding of those matters, but both Sarfina and Mazatl had assured her that her angel form was very beautiful. She wasn¡¯t all that happy with that fact though. It became obvious that trying to avoid attention in that form was impossible even when she hid the halo and wings. At least males seemed to spend way too much time gazing at her. Probably something to do with those new womanly parts. Incidentally, her nine-tailed fox form had mostly just grown larger. She did look weird with the different colored wings on that form, but at least she could make them disappear when necessary.


    At least her original form drew less attention. She had managed to avoid the curse of cumbersomely large breasts that would hinder her movements, and Sarfina had declared her decidedly average in that field. Apparently her behind drew some attention though, which was probably due to her stringent physical training. She also favored rather tight pants that didn¡¯t hinder movement. At least she could hide that part of her body with her tails when necessary.


    Speaking of her tails, those were the only physical change beyond growing up in the last few years. She now had five of them, signifying her rank as a class 5 psion. That said, she only had the prerequisite power and none the skills and abilities usually found in a psion of that rank. That¡¯s why she needed a teacher. She had gained a lot of experience with the technique she had gotten from Croestia, and could now use that skill to a much greater degree, but that was almost the entirety of her repertoire. Most of her time had been spent learning the skills and abilities of templars, priests and scouts. That didn¡¯t leave much time for anything else.


    Besides, she thought it best to leave her psionic learning to her future teacher. She might learn bad habits if she bumbled around in the dark by herself. Croestia held a couple of other abilities, but Dee decided to push learning those to a later date. Even the power she had gained was mostly the result of her growing up. The last few birthdays had not brought physical changes, but had brought large boosts in her power. Somehow she had the feeling though, that the explosive growth would end once she reached her sixteenth birthday. It had already slowed down significantly.


    -----


    The four people decided to celebrate Dee¡¯s departure with a small party. Fimul was invited as well, and they all gathered at the restaurant that had become their usual haunt. Fimul had brought the other dwarves from the forge, who all would miss their little mascot, though Dee was far from little nowadays. As a result, food and drinks were flowing freely, and the mood got a little rowdy. The other patrons had already gotten used to this, as this was not the first time something like this happened. Taeral and Fimul made jibes at each other as always.


    Mazatl and Sarfina still couldn¡¯t get over the shock of seeing Dee eat, as she had only become more gluttonous as years passed. She didn¡¯t have to worry about getting fat with the amount of energy she burned, and she really enjoyed good food. It was one of her guilty pleasures. Food and good music. While the dwarves did their best to drink all the ale in the restaurant, Dee did her best to eat all the food.


    Mazatl leaned to whisper in Sarfina¡¯s ear. ¡°Maybe all that food is the reason for her outrageous growth in her angel form. I mean the growth in that area.¡± Mazatl gestured towards her chest. She was a little bit jealous of Dee¡¯s angel form.


    ¡°That and her ridiculous height. Who else beyond the giant races grows to two mel before age fourteen?¡± Sarfina didn¡¯t really care about Dee¡¯s development in the breast area, as she was an elf and already unusually ample for her race. She was a bit jealous of Dee¡¯s strength and height though. Height provided an advantage in battle.


    Dee added another empty plate on top of the growing pile. She gave a very unladylike burp before standing up and waving to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°First of all, I¡¯d like to thank all of you for giving me a home, where previously I had none. You gave me friends, and even something like a family.¡±


    At this point the dwarves all banged the table in applause, while the others just had a sad little smile. Dee continued. ¡°I want you to know that I will miss all of you while I¡¯m away. If the fates are willing, I will be back in a couple of years, so this is not a goodbye. Nevertheless, I am very grateful since I¡¯ve felt happier here than I can remember ever being. So thank you.¡± Dee¡¯s eyes misted a little as she finished.


    Sarfina and Mazatl pulled her in for a hug. ¡°Take care of yourself. Keep your head straight and you¡¯ll do fine.¡± Mazatl whispered.


    Sarfina squeezed Dee even harder, whispering in her ear. ¡°Come back safely. The light shine on you and bring you hope in dark moments. May that same light lead you back where we wait to welcome you home. You will always have a home here with us. Become strong, like I know you can! Make us proud.¡±

 Chapter 23

    A/N: I''m back! Vacation was nice and relaxing. Time to get back to it though. Amusingly, judging by my reading list, I wasn''t the only author to take a vacation at this time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the beginning of the next part of Dee''s journey!


    ---------


    Dee looked at the line of people in front of her. All of them were queueing for the teleportation gate. Teleportation gates were not cheap to use, but not expensive enough to stop people from using them when necessary. She had expected there to be less people. Most of the queue seemed to be because the process wasn¡¯t very fast. As the people usually had different destinations, it took a few minutes per person to retarget the teleportation gates to their destination. The area they were leaving was also rather busy and rich with trade. It had taken almost twenty minutes to have a whole trade caravan go through the gate, even though they were all going to the same place.


    ¡®Well, we¡¯re not in a hurry.¡¯ Croestia sent a silent message to Dee.


    Dee suddenly frowned and stared at her right hand that was now shaking. ¡®It¡¯s happening again?¡¯ Croestia asked with a tinge of worry.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a bit worse than the last one.¡± Dee said quietly. Her hand looked like it belonged to an addict that hadn¡¯t gotten her fix. That comparison wasn¡¯t actually that far from the truth. The tremors only lasted for less than a minute.


    Dee knew what was causing those tremors, but not why. It had started after her thirteenth birthday, with a slight involuntary twitch, moving to slight tremors that lasted for few seconds and finally now to this. Since it had started after a birthday, she could guess that it had something to do with her heritage, but not entirely sure why that would cause this kind of effect. There had been no new races waking in her heritage since event with the blessings and something like this seemed to be a bad decision on the part of whoever had created Dee. The worst part was that Dee had this feeling that this was just the beginning, and the real issue hadn¡¯t even shown itself yet.


    ¡®You know, now that you¡¯re getting away from the templar a bit, you could just go along with it.¡¯ Croestia pointed out. They both knew there was a rather easy fix to the problem.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I was thinking the same thing. I¡¯m sure we can find some people who won¡¯t be missed if we really want to.¡± Dee replied with a light voice, as if talking about the weather.


    The tremors came with a clear feeling of what would make them go away. They really were just like something experienced by an addict looking for a fix. The only difference was that it wasn¡¯t any substance or drug that would help Dee.


    ¡®I haven¡¯t killed anyone for years.¡¯ Dee messaged silently. ¡®Still, I would prefer to know why my body seems to feel the need to take the lives of others. While killing some dirtbag isn¡¯t a problem, and probably even something the templar would approve of if framed correctly, I¡¯m slightly worried that I might end up feeding a beast that will only grow hungrier as it gets its fill.¡¯


    ¡®While I agree, it would be a problem if these tremors happened while you were in danger. And since they¡¯re only getting worse, I¡¯d argue that dealing with the immediate threat is a bigger concern.¡¯ Croestia was silent for a moment. ¡®Do you think it might have something to do with what¡¯s supposed to happen on your sixteenth birthday?¡¯


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count out that possibility. Though if that really is the case, it¡¯s quite worrisome if I¡¯m already feeling the effects this much before the actual date.¡± Dee replied, switching back to talking really quietly. For some reason she felt more comfortable talking to Croestia out loud, even though she kept her voice low enough that no one else would be able to hear. Something about feeling more natural. She also knew that some things should not be said out loud, hence why she sometimes replied silently.


    ¡®Do you think killing something else besides people would satisfy that urging?¡¯ Croestia suddenly asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question. I have a feeling that might be the case for now, but who knows what happens in the future.¡± Dee said with a sigh. The two were lost in thought for the remaining queue time.


    -----


    ¡°Well this I didn¡¯t expect.¡± Dee said to herself with a raised eyebrow, as she surveyed the surroundings of the gate after reaching her destination. They were currently in the tenth circle of the south Day city. The area covered by buildings that surrounded the gate was much smaller than the others Dee had seen, and she could barely see farms and fields from her perch on the dais. That wasn¡¯t the surprising part though, as farming areas were common in the lesser circles in Day city. Dee hadn¡¯t expected her teacher to reside in a farming area, but to each their own and it¡¯s not like the surrounding city was small. There was still about a million people living in this area.


    ¡®It seems like there¡¯s some kind of celebration going on.¡¯ Croestia said with an amused voice, pointing out the thing that had caught Dee off guard.


    Dee thought that to be a safe assumption with the decorations, music, food stands and the obviously celebratory mood. It almost looked like a carnival of some kind, with many of the people wearing mask ranging from simple ones that surrounded one¡¯s eyes and didn¡¯t really hide the person¡¯s identity, to full face covers and cloaks.  There were also plentiful drinks going along with all the food, and much of it seemed to be alcoholic.


    ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re celebrating.¡± Dee asked rhetorically.


    ¡®Will this make it easier or harder to find your future teacher?¡¯ Croestia asked.


    ¡°Apparently she¡¯s supposed to find me. That¡¯s what the notes that I got from the old seer said at least. We might as well go around and enjoy the celebration. It might help us run into our teacher.¡± Dee said in a rather chipper voice.


    ¡®You just want to eat all this food, don¡¯t you?¡¯ Croestia pointed out, aware of Dee¡¯s gluttony.


    ¡°Guilty as charged. Doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m wrong though. I doubt she¡¯ll find us if we just sit around in an inn. Besides, we might be able to run into some dirtbags while wandering around. Celebrations like this always attract the more unsavory elements as well.¡±


    -----


    Moirai gave a small sigh while looking at the ongoing celebrations. She liked a party as much as the next person, but this particular celebration had already gone on for most of three days. Additionally, because her community was the one organizing this shindig, she herself had to remain vigilant and keep an eye out for trouble. Such was her duty as the guardian of the community. This left little chance to actually enjoy the celebration.


    She also dreaded the coming years, which were most likely going to be filled with boredom. She was used to taking part in the battles raging between the groups vying for position in the third circle. Babysitting a sub-community was not going to keep up her interest very long. It was in fact likely that she was the only rank nine person in the entire southern area of the tenth circle of Day city. That said, she knew her job was necessary.


    Even the groups and communities in the fourth and third circles gained new members every now and then. It was fine if the new members were recruited for their strength, but sometimes they were recruited because of their potential or skills outside combat. That was nothing to say of children being born to the community, who of course had no combat potential yet. In a high pressure battle focused environment that were the fourth and third circles such obvious weaknesses could prove fatal. If striking at your strongest members was too difficult, then what about striking at the weakest members instead?


    The problem was made worse by the absence of organizations like the Order of the Radiant Sun and the Holy Orders who could keep such despicable tactics at bay with the threat of interference. Because of that, it was common for the large communities of the fourth and third circle to create sub-communities in the lesser circles that aimed to nurture those that didn¡¯t yet have the power to fend for themselves at the main community. Because nearly all of the big organizations of the third and fourth circle had such sub-communities, a silent agreement of sorts was made to leave these sub-communities alone. If one community broke that agreement, all the others would combine to annihilate the offender.


    Of course that wasn¡¯t enough to safeguard those important to the future of the large communities, not all threats came from their rivals after all, hence these sub-communities often had one or more guardians assigned to them for protection. In those communities that were brought together by their race or family, often called familia, the sub-communities were often made up of their youngest members, so the guardians were usually selected from their parents.


    Moirai¡¯s community was an alliance of four races brought together by a common desire for greatness. All four of the races had huge advantages due to their racial heritage, but also glaring weaknesses. These weaknesses made it nigh on impossible for any of the four races to rise to greatness on their own when pitted against more all-rounded power races like the elves and saurian, so they had been bound to remain in the lesser circles forever, without achieving their desire for glory.


    That was until the formation of the Four Winds alliance. The first leader of the alliance had noticed the common struggle of the four races and brought them together so that their differing strengths could cover for their weaknesses. The resulting alliance had become wildly successful, and in the following years the Four Winds alliance had risen in the ranks. This current celebration was the result of the alliance finally entering the ranks of the top hundred communities in the third circle. That meant that the Four Winds alliance was also among the top two hundred factions among the entire Day city.


    As their recent struggles had wound down, and their new rank became official, those serving as guardians had also been rotated. Their new rank afforded the alliance a certain amount of respect, clout and protection, hence they could afford to protect their sub communities with stronger guardians. It was also their hope that those strong guardians could foster the growth of the minds and power of the young ones they protected.


    Moirai gave another sigh as she thought about this. It was not very likely that she would be a big part of that growth, considering the lack of psions among the four races. In fact, two of the four races were completely incapable of even producing a psion due to their heritage. Both the Dagon and Jun couldn¡¯t birth psions, though for opposite reasons. Jun were such inherently magical beings that any child with psionic talent would die at childbirth due to their inability to handle mana. Dagon on the other hand were naturally barren with magical abilities, but the same malady that made them unable to use mana made them also unable to use psionic power. Moirai never really understood the true nature of that malady, but the oldest of Dagon spoke of a curse laid upon their race.


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    The other two races Meilin and Anshar were capable of producing psions, as shown by Moirai who was a Meilin herself, but it was exceedingly rare. Meilin were a rare mixture fae and beastmen and magic ran deep in them as well, while Anshar were distantly descended from fire elementals and as such were deeply connected to their element. One of the reasons the Four Winds had sent Moirai here was to go through the young members of their races in the hopes of finding more psions, even though none of the people in this sub-community were related to her. In the third circle, it was not important to have that many psions but having only a handful was a real problem.


    Moirai was brought back from her thoughts as she noticed some pickpockets plying their trade. Catching minor criminals like this was not exactly exciting, but it was still something to occupy her time. It was also positive to the reputation of their sub-community if they cleared up as many criminals as possible. Most of them had come through the gate in the last few days anyway, so their presence would not be missed by the locals.


    As she lazily walked towards the soon to be prisoners, she ran a customary psionic sweep of her surroundings in the hopes of finding people with psionic talent. She hadn¡¯t had any results in the few days she had been here, and now only barely paid attention to the scan, only performing it out of habit. She suddenly stopped and stood still.


    ¡®There¡¯s a response?!¡¯ She thought to herself with surprise.


    The response was unlikely to be a member of their community, as she had already checked them many times, but the Four Winds alliance didn¡¯t eschew outside help. Their alliance was well liked and most of their races had few enmities that run deep with other races. As such, recruiting people from other races was not that difficult. Moirai ran another scan with the pickpockets already forgotten, this time trying to locate the response she got.


    ¡®About two hundred mel in that direction.¡¯ She thought to herself, looking down along the street towards the general direction of the gate. ¡®A new arrival, perhaps? Hopefully not leaving just yet.¡¯


    She tried moving closer with every scan, but couldn¡¯t detect the source of the response. ¡®This doesn¡¯t make any sense. Even in this crowd I should be able to detect them this close. The response only seems to be some few dozen mel away. It¡¯s like I¡¯m standing close to them, but they¡¯re invisible or someth¡­¡¯ Moirai¡¯s thoughts suddenly halted as she realized a possibility.


    ¡®Could they be using their powers to hide from me? But surely I would¡¯ve noted someone attacking my mind.¡¯ Now she was getting worried. Someone capable of hiding from her was a real danger. She suddenly raised all her mental protections and tried to purge herself of any mental influences.


    Suddenly a tall figure appeared at a nearby stall, seemingly haggling with the owner over some fruits. Looking closer, the figure seemed to be a young woman, despite her height. She was holding several meat skewers in one hand, and was absently nibbling on them every time the stall owner was speaking. Judging by the young woman¡¯s smile, she was merely haggling for the fun of it and not to actually save money. She was enjoying the game of it.


    ¡®Some kind of fox-tribe beastman?¡¯ Moirai thought to herself. ¡®No, that seems wrong.¡¯ She noticed the tips of several tails peeking from under the woman¡¯s long cloak. ¡®A kitsune demon? That¡¯s fairly rare. Especially in these parts. Also looking closer, calling her a girl might be more appropriate.¡¯


    Suddenly it occurred to her. ¡®How did I not notice an almost two mel tall kitsune demon haggling with the stall owner before? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s invisible or anything, seeing as the stall owner can see her just fine. She¡¯s actually rather hard to miss with her size and appearance.¡¯


    Moirai started to lower her mental shields just a tiny bit, just to check what would happen. The effect was subtle but soon became apparent. ¡®I see, she radiates an aura of familiarity and something else hard to pin-point. Your eyes just slide off her, as if she wasn¡¯t even there, like she was a non-descript part of the furniture. How clever. Since it seems like a passive effect of sorts that doesn¡¯t harm the target, you really have to pay attention to notice. Effective, yet subtle enough to not trigger any defenses or ring any warning bells. I wonder if she does it on purpose?¡¯


    Moirai had a slight smile on her face. She could appreciate it when someone was clever enough to fool her, even for a short while. Now that the aura didn¡¯t affect her anymore, the girl was easy to keep tabs on. Moirai decided to follow the girl around for a while to keep an eye on her and evaluate her for a bit. The girl seemed young and skilled enough to try recruiting. Now would be a good chance to observe her personality, without giving the girl a chance to put up a fake front.


    ¡®I can see the tip of three tails. I¡¯ve heard that the tails of kitsune match their power level. So a class three psion perhaps? That¡¯s very good for her apparent age. It¡¯s hard to tell if she¡¯s hiding more tails under that cloak.¡¯ Moirai mused while following the girl.


    After an hour of following the girl from a food stand to another, Moirai was starting to get a little exasperated. ¡®How much food can she stuff in her face?! I can¡¯t eat even a third of all that even if I tried!¡¯


    Suddenly Moirai noted that the girl had been still for longer than before. It was like she was observing something. The girl was good at hiding where her attention was focused, but Moirai wasn¡¯t a class nine psion for nothing. ¡®Those three?¡¯ Moirai thought while looking at three men that looked to be lounging with some alcoholic beverages, staring at some Jun girls having a good time.


    ¡®This seems peculiar. I¡¯m observing the girl, who¡¯s observing three guys, who are all observing some Jun girls from my community. Do I sense the beginnings of a joke?¡¯ Jun were a purely female race tied closely to the natural world. They looked mostly human, but were taller and longer lived. Many compared them to the dryads, but the Jun were not only connected to forests and trees, but also the mountains, clouds and the world in its entirety.


    Reputedly the Jun were gifted the traits of elegance and grace by a mythical bird when their race was young. Whether that story was true or not was up to question, but the Jun were undoubtedly very graceful and especially famed for their artistic skill and creativity, as they weaved beauty into whatever they pursued in life. This made them great craftsmen and artisans, in addition to their skill with magic. They didn¡¯t make for very strong soldiers though. Even a Halfling could overpower a Jun when it came to physical strength.


    ¡®Why is she observing those men? They don¡¯t look exactly reputable, but¡­¡¯ Moirai wasn¡¯t sure she liked the direction this was headed. Her feelings only got worse as the three men stood up to follow one of the Jun girls who was apparently heading home. Moirai was sure she¡¯d heard the girl¡¯s name before. The kitsune girl Moirai was following followed the three men, seemingly flowing naturally among the throng of people.


    Moirai became suspicious of the three men¡¯s motives and gave a gentle scan of the surface thoughts of the men. Any deeper would be noticed by the men and alert them. She was deeply disturbed by what she found. The dark and lust filled thoughts of the men didn¡¯t leave much up for question. They clearly had ill intent towards the lonely girl.


    ¡®What about the kitsune girl then? I¡¯m pretty sure she didn¡¯t scan the trio, or I would¡¯ve sensed it.¡¯ Moirai could try to scan the surface thoughts of the kitsune girl, but psions were much more sensitive to things like that and the scan would most likely be noticed. Maybe it was better to see how this developed. She could always step in if things got too dicey.


    Moirai lost sight of the people she was following for a moment as she got slightly delayed by the people and her quarry took several quick turns. She wasn¡¯t too worried though as she could sense their presence and she knew the Jun girl was part of their community and as such was going towards the walled area owned by them. That was until she sensed the distressed emotions of the Jun girl, and heard something that could be the sound of metal cutting through flesh and several grunts.


    Luckily the people had now thinned to almost nothing as the party area had been left behind, and Moirai broke into a run. It would be bad if she let one of the people she was supposed to be guarding die. The thoughts of the men had not suggested the Jun girl was in immediate danger of being killed, which is why Moirai was so surprised and hadn¡¯t stopped them yet.


    As she rounded the corner, she saw the flash of something black and her instincts screamed of danger. She hurriedly raised her defenses and pushed back at the black object she now realized had tried to slash at her throat. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain if it had been her quick reactions that had halted the strike, or if her attacker had stopped the attack before it reached its goal.


    It gave Moirai a small shiver that she had not detected the attack at all before it was almost too late. Fights at her level would be the death of her if she was this careless. She had let her guard down thinking the area they were in was not a threat. Truthfully she was a little doubtful if the attack could¡¯ve actually hurt her even if she had done nothing, but that was not the point. Carelessness was dangerous.


    Now she had the chance to observe was going on. The black object that had slashed at her throat seemed like the wing of an angel. The feathers were razor sharp at the edges and covered in a slight hue of psionic energy. ¡®Maybe it could¡¯ve actually hurt me a bit. Not enough to kill, but¡­¡¯ Moirai revised her earlier estimate.


    Part of the revision was because she noticed that the wing had pushed back the kitsune girl¡¯s cloak, and revealed that the girl had five tails instead of three that she had seen earlier. ¡¯Class three my ass. You¡¯re really rusty today Moirai.¡¯ She thought to herself.


    The kitsune girl was easily holding one of the three men up with one hand, holding the man by his throat with apparently no effort. He was turning slightly blue in the face at the moment. One of the men was clearly dead with a throwing dagger in both his eye and heart, while the third man was in the process of dying with his throat slashed open. Some of the blood had splashed on the Jun girl, who was holding her knees sitting on the ground shaking, obviously scared and in shock but otherwise fine.


    The kitsune girl was perfectly unharmed and didn¡¯t even have any blood on her clothes. ¡°Well, that was quick.¡± Moirai said out loud, not entirely sure what else to say in the situation.

 Chapter 24

    ----------


    Dee stared the dull wood and plaster walls surrounding her in boredom. The room wasn¡¯t a cell exactly, but she wouldn¡¯t call it very welcoming either. The Meilin woman that had walked in on the scene of Dee killing the three dirtbags had taken her here for some questions. She had been taken into some kind of large walled area that seemed to house members of a particular community, judging by the insignia they wore.


    It was like she had been taken into a city, within a city, within a city. This walled area certainly seemed large enough for a small city, and was situated at the edge of the inhabited area surrounding the teleportation gate. The inhabited area was certainly large enough to qualify as a big city, and was of course located within the Day city. She wasn¡¯t a prisoner exactly, apparently the girl she had saved was part of the community of the Meilin woman, and the woman was a sort of guardian of the community. She was probably also the person that Dee came here for.


    The woman¡¯s name was apparently Moirai, and she had asked rather politely but firmly for Dee¡¯s cooperation, and had left Dee in this room while she took care of the girl Dee had saved. The girl had been in shock, and would most likely be having some level of trauma for a time at least, so Moirai had to see to her needs before talking to Dee. Apparently being bathed in your attacker¡¯s blood wasn¡¯t very conducive for mental health of normal people. Who could¡¯ve guessed?


    Well, it¡¯s not like Dee was in a hurry so she was ok waiting a bit. She still had several of those delicious meat skewers she had bought stored inside Croestia¡¯s storage space. Besides, she wanted to analyze how Moirai had stopped her attack. Dee had struck at the woman on almost pure instinct, and the reflexes required to stop that kind of surprise attack would need to be stellar. It was slightly amusing she had managed to surprise someone who was so obviously stronger than her.


    ¡®Did you notice how she stopped my attack?¡¯ Dee asked Croestia silently in case someone was trying to listen. Dee would almost certainly notice if someone did try, but no need to take chances at this point.


    ¡®I noticed she clad her skin in some short of protective layer of power, but your attack didn¡¯t reach that far. What did you feel?¡¯ Croestia asked back. She had to rely on sight, while Dee could feel what happened to the attack.


    ¡®It¡¯s like my wing hit some kind of force going the opposite direction. Invisible force at that. It was a little like someone had sent an invisible punch at my wing, except it felt like whatever hit my wing had a much greater mass behind it. Like getting punched with a wall.¡¯ Dee had trouble explaining her feeling.


    ¡®Some kind of pure kinetic energy perhaps?¡¯ Croestia suggested.


    ¡®Perhaps.¡¯ Dee replied thoughtfully. Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps outside the door.


    The person who entered was that same Meilin woman named Moirai. Dee couldn¡¯t help but find the differences between them slightly amusing. Meilin as a race were rather diminutive, roughly the same height as dwarves, except without the burly build. The small woman¡¯s pair of rather large ears, reminiscent of those you''d see on a squirrel, came just above the navel of Dee, who on the other hand had the heritage of several tall races.


    If the woman didn¡¯t have such obvious aura of strength about her, Dee might be tempted to pet that puffy squirrel tail behind her back. As Meilin had something of a childlike appearance even at later age, it was hard to judge their age. The woman¡¯s brown and long hair tied into two loose braids and her large brown eyes certainly did nothing to dispel that youthful impression. However, it was quite certain that this woman was significantly older than Dee, probably also much older than Sarfina.


    Moirai noticed Dee¡¯s appraising look, and noticed the slight twitch in the girl¡¯s hand when she saw Moirai¡¯s tail. This was something Moirai was used to, even if she didn¡¯t appreciate it. Other races had trouble taking the Meilin seriously due to their appearance, which was both an advantage and a disadvantage. Meilin were great mages and despite their mediocre physical strength they made for pretty good warriors, mostly due to their agility and dexterity. Thus underestimating them could be lethally dangerous. On the other hand, the other races always tried to take advantage of them, due to their appearance. Meilin were smart and could avoid such pitfalls, but it wasted precious time on many occasions.


    ¡°Well then, I should probably start by introducing myself. My name is Moirai, and I¡¯m one of the guardians of this community, which functions as a sub community of the Four Winds.¡± Moirai took a seat across from Dee, placing her hands on the table between the two. She gave a friendly smile in an attempt to show that Dee wasn¡¯t really in trouble.


    ¡°Oh, if I overheard correctly, then the party outside is thrown mostly by you. Something about your parent community gaining a high rank or something? My name is Haydee, though most just call me Dee.¡± Dee replied, returning the introduction.


    ¡°You heard correctly. The Four Winds became one of the top two hundred communities in Day city. Firstly I¡¯d like to thank you for saving one of our members. As a guardian, that should¡¯ve been my job. Although I do think you might have been a little excessive in your use of force.¡± Moirai remembered how Dee had almost casually snapped the neck of the third and final surviving member of the three assailants. She¡¯d been holding the man up by the throat with one hand at that point. Dee¡¯s flick of a wrist had been so very casual, and she hadn¡¯t even looked at the thug that had collapsed on the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been taught not to leave live enemies behind, and everything I¡¯ve seen only confirms that lesson. They will not thank you for your mercy, only seek revenge. Even if they can¡¯t strike at you, they might be able to strike at those close to you. I would apologize if that seems excessive, but I would be lying if I said I was sorry.¡± Dee tilted her head questioningly at Moirai while answering.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lesson many have to learn the hard way, and some never do. That often comes to bite them in the back in the inner circles. We aren¡¯t in a habit of giving mercy to degenerates like that either, though I would¡¯ve preferred to question them first. Also, it might have been better if poor Mina, the girl you saved, wasn¡¯t covered in their blood.¡± Moirai grimaced a bit. Mina had been unable to get out a coherent sentence as she was carried to bed.


    ¡°That I am a little sorry about. I¡¯ve been taught to strike at my enemies in a way that I won¡¯t be spattered in their blood. Unfortunately that blood still goes somewhere else. My control is inadequate. More practice is required.¡± Dee replied thoughtfully, completely oblivious to the implications of ¡®more practice¡¯.


    Moirai narrowed her eyes a bit. Only certain types of people were taught to strike in a way Dee described, usually because it would allow them to remain undetected and lose pursuers in a crowd. ¡°Would you mind telling me why you are here? I get the feeling you aren¡¯t local to this area.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I was told to come here by the Threads of Fate. I¡¯m looking for a teacher.¡± Dee looked pointedly at Moirai. ¡°And unless I¡¯m mistaken, I¡¯ve just found her.¡±


    Moirai couldn¡¯t hide her surprise. This was totally outside of her expectations. ¡°Teacher you said? And Threads of Fate guided you here?¡± Even though the Four Winds was nominally a much higher ranked organization than Threads of Fate, even they knew not to pick a fight with the enigmatic organization. Moirai also knew the reliability of their information.


    ¡°Yes. Until recently I was in the care of the Order of the Radiant Sun, who saved me from¡­¡± Dee grimaced a bit. ¡°¡­from some very bad people. One of their captains took a liking to me, and taught me much in the way of the templar, but the order isn¡¯t exactly filled with people capable of training a psion. Hence why I sought advice from the Threads of Fate, who then guided me here.¡±


    Moirai leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. The girl had thrown out another name that could not be ignored. Radiant Sun was another organization that could not be trifled with, and the order even had a post in this area as well. In addition to their strength, the order was closely tied with the Holy Orders, and no one picked a fight with the stewards of the gods.


    ¡°Do I want to know who the Radiant Sun saved you from?¡± Moirai was slightly leery that the name of another big player would come out. Unknown to her, she would¡¯ve been right. It wasn¡¯t a blind guess though, as something about Dee already told Moirai enough.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t. I¡¯ll answer if you want, but I¡¯m fairly sure you don¡¯t want to know. I also hope to leave that part of my life in the past.¡± Dee said in a slightly sad voice.


    Moirai could imagine that whatever she had been saved from wasn¡¯t something she wanted to think about too much. ¡°So. You need a psion teacher, and I¡¯m supposed to be it. I¡¯m not totally opposed to the idea, but what¡¯s in it for me? Saving Mina is hardly enough, even though I appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°Well that I¡¯ll have to return to you a bit. What would you consider enough? I can tell you that I¡¯m trained in both templar and priestess holy spells, and I didn¡¯t sense too many of those capable of using either among your people. I¡¯m fairly sure you can find a use for someone like that. Besides, having spent so much time among very bad people gives me different kind of perspective. I can help you spot them, and help safeguard your community against them.¡±


    Moirai knew Dee had a point. The girl had spotted that trio much easier than she had, and they didn¡¯t exactly have an oversupply of those that could use holy power to any degree of proficiency. Especially those with templar training were rare, as the order didn¡¯t like giving out their techniques willy-nilly, and most templars served in the order until the day they died. It was something of a calling. There were other groups with similar methods of using holy power, but they were rare and tended to be just as insular.


    ¡°Do you have to return to the order?¡± Moirai asked calculating the possibilities.


    ¡°For a time at least, yes. I¡¯m not bound to the order like most of their number, but I am expected to return to finish my training. I would assume I have to also serve among them for a time.¡± Dee replied. Sarfina hadn¡¯t told the exact plan, so she was forced to speculate a bit. Most likely Sarfina didn¡¯t know either, but unlike a normal Radiant Sun recruit, Dee wasn¡¯t among them due to a calling. She was kind of forced to be there as a punishment for things she might have been forced to do for the assassins.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Moirai thought for a while. ¡°What race are you? Looking at you more closely, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not just a kitsune, are you? I remember seeing a wing that reminded me of a Fallen.¡±


    ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯m not sure. Why?¡± Dee asked, a little wary of the change in subject.


    ¡°You¡¯re not sure? What about your parents? I know you mentioned you were saved from some bad people, but as a psion you should be able to remember your life as a baby to a degree at least.¡± Moirai was well aware of the memory psions had, being a psion herself.


    Dee was quiet for a while. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure I ever even had parents. The earliest I can remember is being saved from the purge by my adoptive mother. It seems though that I have many races in my heritage, most demonic.¡±


    Moirai could make a guess how something like that came to pass. ¡°The reason I ask, is because I need to get an idea of your lifespan.¡±


    Dee raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why? Never mind. I wouldn¡¯t worry too much. None of the races in my background have short lifespans, and at least a few are functionally immortal.¡±


    Moirai gave a small smile. She had a hunch and decided to act on it. ¡°The answer to the why, comes now. If I take you as a student and disciple, then I want you to first train with me as long as you can before returning to the order. Then you will come back and finish your training with me once your time with the order is over. You could try talking with them about some kind of double membership in both our community and in their order if that makes things easier. I want you to become part of our community.


    You will serve our community as if you were a member for the time you study under me, and afterwards an equal amount of time once your training is over. So with ten years of training, you¡¯d be a member of our community for twenty years total. Once that time is over, you are free to leave, but my hope is that we will get along well enough for you to stay.¡±


    Dee was quiet for a moment. Even throwing a century at this community would most likely not make a real dent in her lifespan. Both werewolves and angels only got stronger as they aged, and kitsune and Rakshasa Rani lived for thousands of years. So even if she took after the worst heritage within her in this, she would still live long enough to render something like a century irrelevant. And that was assuming she never became class ten psion and thus immortal.


    ¡°That seems at the same time awfully demanding and awfully generous. Why do you want me to become a member of your community that badly?¡± Dee had to ask.


    ¡°Well, like you said, you have skills we could really use. Besides, I have a feeling you have an important future ahead of you. I will freely admit to wanting to utilize that future.¡± Moirai replied straight faced. Threads of Fate seemed to put some weight on Dee, thus so would Moirai. She could put two and two together.


    ¡°Deal.¡± Dee finally said, shaking hands with the diminutive woman.


    ¡°How old are you anyway?¡± Moirai suddenly asked.


    ¡°Just turned fourteen, why?¡± Dee asked back.


    ¡°Just curious.¡± Moirai replied, hiding a grimace. She wasn¡¯t sure which one irked her more. That a girl that young was twice her height, that a girl that young was already a class 5 psion or that a girl that young could already deal with death so casually. That last one was a little sad though.


    ------


    As Meilin led her outside, Dee noted happily that the rest of the area controlled by the Four Winds was much more welcoming than the drab room she had just exited. The four races making up the vast majority of people in this area all seemed to favor wood as a construction material and most of the buildings were only one story with screen doors and covered walkways. Water and nature seemed to both be heavily favored, as trees, small ponds and streams were everywhere.


    Dee noted a handful people outside the four races that made up the alliance, most likely either visitors or people who had been recruited due to their skill or potential. Just the four races made an interesting combination though. The Dagon were large, even taller than Dee and much sturdier. They looked much like dark skinned humans with a pair of draconic horns and some scales in various places. From what Dee had overheard, the Dagon were the brawn of this alliance. They weren¡¯t the smartest of races, but they were honorable and hard workers, which had led to other races taking advantage of them before this. The Dagon provided the alliance physical labor and warriors.


    Meilin and Jun were the smartest races in the alliance and magically gifted. While the Jun were wholly useless in physical combat, the Meilin were a rather balanced race and could be said to be the glue that held them together. Jun on the other hand were the public face and the skilled craftsmen and artisans that produced most of the trade goods. Dee hadn¡¯t heard that much about the fourth race, the Anshar yet. They seemed to be few in number and fairly secretive. All in good time though.


    ¡°Today I¡¯d like for you to help us identify people like you dealt with earlier. We¡¯d like to nip the possible problems in the bud before they develop into major issues. You seemed to spot them really easily. I want you to point out those that might be similar, and I¡¯ll have them monitored.¡± Moirai explained while taking Dee back towards the celebration area.


    ¡°Oh that reminds me, how did you find me so fast? I mean the Threads of Fate told me you would, but I had arrived here only few hours earlier.¡± Dee suddenly remembered a question she had.


    Moirai looked at Dee in confusion, as if wondering if she was joking. ¡°Oh you don¡¯t know, do you? How much have you been taught about being a psion?¡±


    Dee shrugged a little. ¡°Not that much really. My adoptive mother taught me some meditative techniques and how to empower myself with the psionic energy. I learned how to clad myself or my weapon in that energy to help me increase my attack power, and I have a technique about forming weapons out of psionic energy.¡± She thought for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s just about it. I seem to have the ability to make people ignore my presence, but that¡¯s something I learned on my own.¡±


    ¡°So your abilities so far have been purely enhancement type. That¡¯s not uncommon when dealing with psions with no official training, seeing as those are the simplest to learn.¡± Moirai said half to herself. She had expected something like this, though Dee¡¯s ignorance of the basics was a bit shocking.


    ¡°Enhancement?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Yes, abilities and powers that increase your capabilities in physical combat. Basically warrior types. Psionic powers can be divided into three major categories. Enhancement type skills like you use are one and those that focus on them are generally compared to warriors. Power types are often compared to mages, as they let their powers do most of the fighting. They focus on skills and abilities that bring about devastation with just a thought and a gesture.


    For the record, I myself am mostly a power type, with a big helping of the third type which is called mental type. Many people think that any fight with a psion is a fight against time, because the fight comes effectively to an end when a mental type psion manages to breach your mental defenses. That is due to all the nasty things they can do to your mind, ranging from illusions to just¡­well death. Not all psions are strong in the mental aspect, but it is undoubtedly one of our major strengths in general. All mental related abilities and skills fall into this type.¡± Moirai explained.


    ¡°The tiger werebeast at two a clock, fifty mel.¡± Dee suddenly pointed out. Just because she was listening, didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t observing her surroundings.


    ¡°Anything special about him?¡± Moirai asked in curiosity.


    ¡°He has seen more death than anyone should. His eyes are dead and carry hate towards anyone living. He might not do anything, but I¡¯d keep an eye on him just in case. Also a human pickpocket at eleven a clock, hundred mel. Female, dark brown hair, about ten years old. About this tall.¡± Dee held a hand below her waist.


    ¡°Oh I think I saw her before. I was about to catch her earlier, before you came along.¡± Moirai had a faint smile on her lips.


    ¡°You still didn¡¯t explain how you found me.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Right, I was getting to that. Psions are very hard to detect by normal means, which would make them a problem even at the innermost circles if it wasn¡¯t for one thing. It¡¯s almost impossible for a psion to hide from another psion that has training in the mental skills. That¡¯s why almost all major communities keep at least one mental focused psion around. To someone like me, someone like you shines like a beacon. Or to be exact, your mind does. It still took me effort to look past that aura of yours, even if I knew where to look for you.¡± Moirai explained, half mocking herself at her failure to notice the effect of that aura.


    ¡°My mind shines like a beacon?¡± Dee asked with a frown.


    ¡°Yes. All psions can use an ability called Mindscape. It¡¯s like entering a dark void, with all the minds around you shining like stars. Strong minds are larger and easier to detect, and other psions are like a beacon. Normally this takes quite a bit of concentration and meditation, but someone like me who has trained the ability and trains with mind abilities can overlap the Mindscape with the normal world. It still takes a conscious effort, and the detection isn¡¯t exact, but it can help give an approximate location pretty easily.¡± This had turned into Dee¡¯s first lesson, and already taught her something critical for her future.


    ¡°Well now, this is something I¡¯ll need to learn. I had no idea I was that easy to detect.¡± To say Dee was unhappy about it was an understatement. ¡°Any way to avoid such detection?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t say no, but I don¡¯t know of any viable method. That said, there¡¯s always a way with things like this.¡± Moirai replied simply.

 Chapter 25

    ----------


    Dee gazed at the vast panoply of minds surrounding her. Moirai had taught her the use of the Mindscape, and while she still had a long way to go to actually utilize it in a meaningful way, it was still easy to imagine all the possibilities. Locating Moirai¡¯s mind was easy, as it shone like a beacon just like her master had mentioned psions would. No wonder Moirai had detected her so easily. This might become a problem in the future if she didn¡¯t figure out a way around it.


    For the last few days the duo had gone around the festival keeping order. With a throng of people this size, it was impossible for Dee to pick out all the potential problems, as she could not be everywhere and her ability to spot people who could be trouble was far from absolute. Nevertheless the local sub-community of Four Winds had done a remarkable job of keeping trouble and crime at bay during the festival, and even received a certain amount of thanks and notice.


    As their days had been full, Moirai had not yet managed to dedicate too much time for teaching Dee, but she had managed to instruct her in the use of the Mindscape ability during the evenings. Now that the festival was winding down Moirai would have more time and Dee¡¯s lessons should begin in earnest. While those lessons would be going on, she would help with the security of the area controlled by the Four Winds. She¡¯d think of methods she herself could use to get in, and then think of ways to counter those method.


    ¡°Are you ready?¡± Moirai asked. The two were supposed to make the first pass around the area, and she could sense Dee had succeeded and was now just toying with the new ability.


    Dee hopped up from her meditative position and waved for Moirai to lead the way. She¡¯d have other chances to toy with the ability. Time to do her part of the bargain. The sooner she got done with all this hassle, the sooner they could focus on the real training. She had promised to help them, and was now getting it out of the way.


    As they walked outside, an old Dagon man was waiting for them outside. Calling the man old might have been unfair, as he showed none of the ravages of age, simply his eyes and grey hair and thin moustache showed the passing of years. He had the feeling of an experienced and grizzled veteran about him. Someone who had seen enough battles to learn from them. The dark skinned man was still in a fighting condition. As all Dagon, the man had a fairly impressive pair of horn, reminiscent of those of a real dragon, only smaller.


    ¡°Is this the girl?¡± The man asked in a calm voice. He didn¡¯t seem pleased or unpleased, just steady.


    ¡°Yes this is her. Dee this is Ngaire. He is in charge of the safety of our little home here. Ngaire this is Haydee, my new disciple.¡± Moirai made the introductions.


    ¡°A pleasure.¡± Ngaire grunted in a way that made it obvious that it would remain to be seen if it really was a pleasure.


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Dee just grinned back at the man.


    ¡°Come now Ngaire, no need to be so gruff. She already helped us during the festival.¡± Moirai stood up for her new diciple.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she did. However, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll give her free pass to mix up our security here. Her ability to spot trouble doesn¡¯t make her an expert when it comes to protecting an area.¡± Ngaire was reserved due to the possible trouble involved, but he wouldn¡¯t ignore the possibility that Dee might have some useful ideas either.


    Dee couldn¡¯t suppress a small titter of a laugh. ¡°Oh you might be surprised.¡±


    ¡°If that is the result, then I¡¯ll welcome it. Until then¡­¡± Ngaire shrugged.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Dee replied with a barely concealed smile. The guy was actually fairly reasonable so far. She¡¯d be a bit peeved too if someone just came in and tried to teach her how to do her job.


    As they walked along the wall of the area, Dee had a question. ¡°I assume there¡¯s something on top of the walls stopping someone from just hopping over or using a ladder?¡±


    Ngaire grunted. ¡°Of course, we have spells inscribed on the top to prevent entry. Even if someone does make it through, the magic will stick to the person, revealing his location. We¡¯re not stupid.


    ¡°Just making sure. I¡¯ve learned not to rely on pure assumptions. They lead to mistakes.¡± Dee replied a little pleased. This would make her job a little easier. She didn¡¯t have to start from basics.


    They reached the other gate of the walled area. So far Dee had just used the gate on the side that led towards the center of the city, while this gate led towards the outer gates of the city. She immediately spotted a potential issue. ¡°Are those the city gates? Less than two hundred mel from our gate?¡±


    Ngaire replied. ¡°Yes. Makes it easier for the people that need to leave the city for work. Quite handy to shorten the distance. Easier for trade as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem.¡± Dee simply said.


    ¡°Why? The gates are far enough to not be targeted by anyone coming through the outer gate.¡± Ngaire asked.


    ¡°The problem isn¡¯t just the distance. As you said, it¡¯s very handy for the people living here. The problem is that you haven¡¯t compensated for the distance. Tell me, what do you think will happen if there¡¯s a large commotion at the outer gate?¡± Dee asked looking at the older man.


    ¡°Not that much. Our guards have been given orders not to get involved.¡± Ngaire replied. He could sense a bit where this was going.


    ¡°You can instruct them all you want, but unless the guards are professional beyond measure, they might feel obligated to help if the problem seems big enough. Even if they didn¡¯t, their attention would be drawn there, and for a good reason. A commotion like that could spell trouble. Once their attention is drawn, someone moderately skilled could easily slip past them.¡± Dee explained.


    Ngaire couldn¡¯t really disagree. ¡°So what do you suggest?¡±


    ¡°A simple gatehouse with two separate gates with some enclosed space between the gates within would help. Even if the guards at the front gate are distracted, the guards at the inner gate would notice someone slipping past the first guards. The inner gate doesn¡¯t even need to be closed, just have someone vigilant at the inner gate keeping an eye out. As an added benefit, you can trap enemies within the gatehouse and fire arrows at them from sides and above with bows. Could chuck a few spells at them too.¡± Dee suggested. Fort construction wasn¡¯t her specialty, but something like that was basic knowledge.


    ¡°Humm, something like that should be easy to add.¡± Ngaire admitted. He could also see the benefit. They could also inspect traders within the enclosed space, where they were protected from thieves and spying eyes.


    ¡°Anything else so far?¡± Moirai asked with some curiosity.


    ¡°Yes, though I don¡¯t know if this applies. You should make sure there are no tall buildings close to your wall. Although you have the spells on the walls, the walls aren¡¯t all that high. A tall building would offer vision at the walls, inside the walls and also an easy access over the walls. I assume there are plenty of ways to momentarily disrupt the protective spells, or shed the tracking magic, in which case a tall building could afford an easy and quick access to just hop over and quickly vanish even for those that normally couldn¡¯t just jump or fly over the walls.¡± Dee pointed out. All spells had a way around them.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one building that fits your description. Others we¡¯ve kept further away from the walls.¡± Ngaire said half to himself.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that building owned by the freelancer¡¯s guild? There¡¯s not much hope to purchase it in that case.¡± Moirai asked.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Yes, and we all know someone with enough money could buy access to it. I¡¯ll post additional guards there to keep an eye out. Maybe a mage too to make sure they won¡¯t monitor us over the wall.¡± Ngaire replied.


    ¡°See, she was already useful.¡± Moirai pointed out with a cheery voice.


    Ngaire just nodded her assent. Suddenly something occurred to Dee. ¡°A question. I noticed plenty of fountains and water features within the area. Where is the water coming from?¡±


    Ngaire grinned, thinking he was one step ahead this time. ¡°Most of it is from water spirit stones. There¡¯s one main line of water that comes into our area which is monitored both by spells and water spirits. They are also heavily protected by metal grates that will alert us if anyone tries to meddle with them.


    ¡°That sounds good. I assume the spirits would notice if someone tried poisoning the water? And you¡¯ve taken measures against hostile water spirits suppressing your spirits?¡± Dee continued to question.


    ¡°We have taken both measures yes. To get past our spirits would require strong enough mages that at that point they could just attack our front gate.¡± Ngaire replied confidently.


    ¡°And sewage?¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°Sewage? It flows towards the fields where it¡¯s used for fertilization.¡± Ngaire just asked.


    ¡°Yes, but you can¡¯t grate the sewage outlets the same way, and water spirits would never live in that kind of water.¡± Dee explained.


    ¡°Ah, we use nature spirits there instead. The outlet exit is also guarded. The outlet lets out into an area where we do our own farming. It¡¯s heavily monitored. The outlet also doesn¡¯t link to the main system used by the rest of the city for obvious reasons.¡± Ngaire explained, now grinning with confidence.


    ¡°Good job. Only thing I could think to add is an earth spirit to monitor the walls so no one tunnels through, seeing as the various outlets are probably close enough for such an endeavor.¡± Dee had saved that tidbit just to burst the man¡¯s bubble and had succeeded. The poor guy slumped a little with a sigh.


    ¡°Alright Dee, now that you¡¯ve had your fun, it¡¯s time to offer him the chance to get his revenge. The two of you will be spending a lot of time together in the future.¡± Moirai explained with a grin.


    ¡°Care to explain more?¡± Dee asked with a slight cold sweat. If she¡¯d known, she would¡¯ve been nicer about the whole thing.


    ¡°Certainly. The next thing I will be training you in is the use of the most common mental style psionic skills, trying to attack your opponents mind and defending yourself from the same and from the rare mental mages. At first we¡¯ll just do it sitting down, but neither of those abilities is useful unless you can do it in combat. Hence you will be practicing doing both while fighting. Now it wouldn¡¯t be a proper challenge if your opponent couldn¡¯t put up a proper fight. Ngaire is one of our strongest warriors and will be your sparring partner while you defend against my mental attacks. You¡¯ll also attack him, while I take care of his mental defenses.¡± Moirai¡¯s grin had become positively evil.


    ¡®Welp, let¡¯s try to be little nicer from now on.¡¯ Dee thought to herself with cold sweat.


    -----


    The following morning Dee was just waking up while she sensed someone coming towards the door of the room she had been given. The room was in the same building with Moirai, and the building was also used by the other guardians while they stayed within the sub-community. It was a sizeable building. It comfortably housed all three of the guardians here currently, though Dee still had not encountered either of the two other guardians.


    The room was far enough out of the way that if anyone was coming near the door, then they were here for Dee specifically. The door opened without knocking and a vaguely familiar looking Jun entered while carrying a tray of something that smelled really nice.


    The girl noticed Dee on the bed and froze for a moment. Then she suddenly dropped the tray and ran out of the room screaming something about Dee being mauled to death by a monster. ¡°Oh right, she probably can¡¯t recognize my nine-tailed fox form.¡± Dee mumbled. The room didn¡¯t have comfy support beams, so she had to grudgingly sleep on the bed. She still preferred to sleep in her four legged form though.


    ¡°You still have some blood on your snout as well.¡± Croestia pointed out.


    ¡°Oh. Well. Last night¡¯s dinner was so good that I ate too much and just felt sleepy straight after. Besides, I¡¯d have to bathe in the morning anyway. Didn¡¯t expect company this early.¡± Last night¡¯s dinner had been some unidentified meat she had found stored within Croestia. For some reason raw meat tasted much better in this form.


    Dee was trying to salvage what was left of the food on the tray. She had already shifted back to her normal form when Moirai burst into the room, looking ready to do battle. ¡°Morning.¡± Dee said simply.


    Moirai¡¯s eye twitched a little. ¡°What¡¯s this I hear about a monster eating you?¡±


    ¡°The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.¡± Dee replied with a smile, quoting something silly she had once read.


    ¡°So why is Mina running around claiming there¡¯s a monster in your room?¡± Moirai asked, her sense of humor returning.


    ¡°I may have forgotten to mention I have another form. It¡¯s comfy for sleeping. She could¡¯ve knocked and I¡¯d have shifted back, assuming I remembered. Calling me a monster was a bit excessive too.¡± Dee fake grumbled.


    ¡°Aa-ah, and the poor girl had just recovered enough to come and thank you for saving her. You might have caused her to relapse again.¡± Moirai took another glance at Dee. ¡°Can I see?¡± She didn¡¯t have to specify what she wanted to see.


    ¡°Sure, if you have more breakfast hidden somewhere. This one is partially ruined. Such a shame, it smelled so good too.¡± Dee sighed regretfully. The smell really had been nice.


    ¡°That can be arranged.¡± Moirai answered with a grin. ¡°Though Mina is one of our better cooks. So you¡¯ll have to settle for something of lesser quality.¡±


    Dee shifted back into the nine-tailed fox form. The form was now significantly bigger than a horse, especially if you counted the angel wings that also appeared, stretching to touch the opposite walls of the decently sized room without even fully opening. Her muscled frame made her look quite menacing, and the fangs and claws emphasized that point. The five tails waving behind her quite happily, expecting something good to eat, betrayed that impression somewhat.


    Moirai in contrast was just about the right size for a snack, a detail the diminutive Meilin didn¡¯t miss. ¡°Well I can see where the confusion might originate from. You do have this kind of dangerous air about you.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, I looked mostly sleepy when the girl walked in. Not very menacing while wiping sleep out of my eyes.¡± Luckily her snout had somehow cleaned itself due to the shifting. Still no idea how that worked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose I could¡­¡± Moirai¡¯s eyes sparkled a bit while looking at Dee¡¯s back.


    Dee could recognize that look for the same reason Moirai could recognize people that wanted to pet her tail. It was something they were used to seeing. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t¡¯ think so.¡±


    Dee shrunk herself to the size of a small cat and jumped on top of Moirai¡¯s head. ¡°Giddy up my trusty steed. Food awaits! Then we have a panicked Jun to calm down. Preferably in that order, but I can understand if we make an exception just this once.¡±


    Moirai gave a defeated sigh. ¡°I suppose I deserved that.¡±

 Chapter 26

    A/N: Can''t be an arc about psionic lessons, without some actual lessons. Nothign too heavy I hope. And I hope you enjoy!


    ----------


    The next few hours included a lot of pretending to be cute and harmless on Dee¡¯s part. The Jun girl Mina calmed down significantly after seeing Dee¡¯s tiny form perched on Moirai¡¯s head, and Moirai explained how Dee was capable of shapeshifting, having seen her do it. Dee knew it was hard to stay afraid of something as cute and harmless as she looked like currently, though she could notice how Mina was still slightly wary. The girl had not forgotten how Dee had looked just a short while ago. Mina realized that what she saw wasn¡¯t a monster, which helped, but it didn¡¯t mean Dee wasn¡¯t dangerous if she chose to be. That was fair since Dee really was dangerous if she so chose.


    Moirai finally made the official introductions, having Dee turn back into her original form. She introduced Dee officially as her new disciple, and she introduced Mina as one of the most promising young artisans of this sub-community. Her evaluation was slightly marred by the fact that she herself hadn¡¯t spent that much time here, having only recently arrived from the third circle, so her evaluation was almost wholly based on what she had heard from others. A detail not lost on either Mina or Dee.


    Mina was a beautiful Jun girl, only few years older than Dee. She had a long silky black hair that came down below her buttocks, and like almost every Jun had very refined, graceful and elegant features. She wasn¡¯t quite as tall as Dee, though in a normal Jun fashion she was taller than most human and elf women. Her form was mostly slim and still growing in places, but she already exuded womanly charm. She also had little physical strength, as was common for the Jun.


    ¡°So what is it that you do here exactly?¡± Dee asked Mina.


    ¡°I¡¯m both a chef and I also make musical instruments.¡± Mina replied with a shy smile.


    ¡±Ah, I got the pleasure of tasting some of your cooking just now. Are you as good at making instruments then?¡± Dee asked pointing at the breakfast Mina had been bringing her before she had been scared away.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s for you to judge later.¡± Mina replied gaining some of her confidence back, now that they were discussing something she was more secure in. ¡°Some would say even better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid my ability to judge musical instruments is woefully lacking. The people who trained me in appraising items didn¡¯t put much stock in judging items that were not used in combat. While I enjoy listening to music on the rare occasions I get the chance, I never learned to play any music either. That said, if you are willing to demonstrate, then I would be more than happy to listen and learn.¡± Dee had a slightly sad grimace on her face.


    Dee wasn¡¯t just being polite when she mentioned enjoying music. Although her experiences with it were limited to things she overheard with Sarfina, or while running missions for Zabaniya, she had always had this longing towards it. Music somehow became to represent all the things that had been deprived of her while held by Zabaniya. It became something of a symbol of things she didn¡¯t get to enjoy as a child, and could only watch, or in this case listen, as those that were free enjoyed it. This gave Dee a sort of reverent feeling towards music.


    ¡°When we get the chance I will.¡± Mina promised gladly.


    After Moirai and Dee left Mina¡¯s room, Moirai couldn¡¯t help but whisper. ¡°You know, it really wouldn¡¯t be that hard for you to learn to play music. Not to downplay the skill of musicians in any way, but you¡¯re a psion as well as having a heritage that gives you great hearing and finger dexterity.¡±


    Dee only gave a faint smile. Moirai wasn¡¯t wrong but she was missing the point. Dee held reverence to listening to music, not so much to playing it. Some things were better when done yourself, but some things you just wanted to enjoy. ¡®Still, maybe someday when I have the time and opportunity.¡¯ She thought to herself.


    Now though was time for Moirai to fulfill her part as a master and seriously start teaching Dee. The two walked for a while before arriving to a door leading underground. Dee curiously followed behind Moirai, as the latter led her down the stair into a wide room underground. The walls of the room were covered in weird black stone, and for some reason Dee suddenly felt cut off from the world.


    Noticing Dee looking around with a confused frown, Moirai explained. ¡°I see you noticed. The walls are covered in darkstone. It dampens our abilities and cuts off most senses from the outside world. We also don¡¯t have to worry about being magically eavesdropped on. Most of our training will take place here. It makes easier to learn many things when isolated like this.¡±


    Dee ran her hand along the cool and hard surface of the black stone. It looked smooth and slick and gave this impression of being almost translucent, almost like a crystal of sorts. ¡°It¡¯s a little disconcerting. I¡¯m always aware of things around me, so to be cut off like this is¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s mostly why. No distractions. Now, we¡¯ve already discussed that your knowledge of psionic power is woefully inadequate, and we¡¯ll have to start with correcting that. Let¡¯s start with the nature of psionic power itself. When compared to mana, ki and the power of the gods, psionic power is more raw and primal. This in turn results in many small differences and few very large ones. One of the major differences is that a psion will never have the range of abilities a mage or cleric might have. A well versed spell slinger could have hundreds of spells they can cast, thousands in case of some ancient beings with good memories.


    Warriors tend to have a bit smaller range of abilities, but they focus on their weapons and not a wide repertoire of abilities. At least that usually the case. I¡¯ve seen a few warriors that like to buck that trend, but I digress. Even warriors usually have a wider range of abilities than your average psion. They might not end up using them as often as mages, but they have those abilities nonetheless.


    An average psion on the other hand rarely has more than a dozen or two dozen different abilities, but we tend to stretch our abilities to the max. A mage that can cast the spell ¡®Fireball¡¯ can cast that spell and maybe slight variations but the spell won¡¯t suddenly morph into something completely unrelated to its origin. On the other hand, a psion that can control fire will be able to make that fire do almost anything. We aren¡¯t constricted by the limits of the spells, only our imagination. Some really powerful mages can reach the same point, but that is much more rare and is usually confined to those immortals above rank 10 and those who have related Authorities.


    Another major difference is that psions can do some things that mages and priests have trouble doing, because their method is just too complicated. For example, it takes mages incredible amount of effort and power to teleport any significant distances, hence the stationary teleportation gates. They also need to know where they are and exactly where they are going. A psion with an appropriate skill however can travel large distances and reach almost unknown destinations almost effortlessly. The downside being of course that only those psions with the appropriate ability can do it.¡± Moirai lectured on the basics. She actually had a pretty good voice for teaching.


    ¡°Why do we have so few abilities? I mean I learned one ability from a book, so why not just give me a stack of them, and get cracking?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Well let me ask you about the time you learnt the ability from that book. Was it immediately useful?¡± Moirai countered, as if expecting the question.


    ¡°No. It was almost useless in fact. Even though I knew the potential the ability had, it took me years to get it to a point where it actually became useful.¡± Dee answered thoughtfully. She could see where this was going.


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s pretty much the same with all psionic abilities. Unlike mages and priests, where the spell they learn can be enhanced by mastery but are useful almost straight away after learning, our abilities are almost universally useless until we reach a certain level of mastery. If handed the same instructions two psions will often also start developing the skill in different directions. They will usually come to similar end points eventually after achieving full mastery, but for years and years they might have a completely different experience. They might never get to the same end point if their development differs greatly enough.


    Also, as you can probably already tell from experience, we rarely have the chance to use all our time and efforts mastering our abilities. Unless you¡¯re a hermit living on a mountain where food walks up to you and cooks itself, you will waste time on the various vagaries of life. Even with minds like ours, it takes time to master these abilities, time that we often don¡¯t have.


    There¡¯s also another matter. I said full mastery earlier, but it¡¯s rare to ever achieve a complete mastery of any ability. I¡¯m still learning new things about my oldest abilities and figuring new ways to use them. I have met psions that have dedicated their entire lives to mastering a single ability to its utmost. They might not have a wide range of abilities, but by the goddess the things they can do with that one ability!¡± Moirai gave a small smile in admiration to the dedication of those psions.


    ¡°So is it better to try and master only one ability?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°That slightly depends on the ability, but in general I would say no. Sooner or later you will run into something that your ability is useless against, and then you will be in trouble. That said, with the right ability it might become much more viable. Furthermore, even those that focus on a single ability have at some point tried other abilities, and that is also something you should do. You should try things out and then focus on those that you deem most suitable for your own use.


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    Returning to an earlier topic, the differences of psionic power also reach to how that power is cultivated. Those that use ki gather it in their Dantian while those that use mana have a mana core that both stores and regenerates their power. Priests have their fount of power as well, as you should be aware of. Psions are a little different in that we don¡¯t have just one place we store power, instead all our cells store a little bit of power.


    That power gathers within the cells, and helps the cell operate. That¡¯s partially why our minds work faster. Your level of power is dependent on your cells¡¯ ability to create and store that power. That¡¯s why strong psions tend to have stronger bodies even without actively using that power to enhance ourselves and why those with strong bodies also tend to have more psionic power as those cells can store more power.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make large beings stronger as psionics?¡± Dee asked in confusion.


    ¡°Not really, because they in turn have to spend more power to achieve the same strengthening effect, and waste some power channeling it through their larger bodies. It actually balances out pretty much exactly. If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d say someone designed it that way on purpose.¡± Moirai mumbled the last part to herself.


    She continued after a moment. ¡°In any case, this comes with certain implications. All psions reach a certain level of power just due to their race even if they don¡¯t do anything to cultivate, very much unlike mages and warriors. This level completely depends on your race. On the downside, we all also have something called natural maximum level of power. Unlike the others, psions can cultivate only so far. This maximum also depends on your race.


    It¡¯s not very fair, but then again nothing else in life is. Some are born strong while some are born weak, some are born smart and others¡­not so much. Some are born rich, while some are born dirt poor. Life isn¡¯t fair. However, this natural maximum doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t increase our strength after reaching that point. For instance, my natural maximum was class six psion, which is only one level away from where you are now. Yet now I¡¯m class nine. Unlike others, we psions have to take this power from others, and use it to increase our own capacity.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment. I¡¯m fairly certain that I heard that the others can also steal power from their enemies. Something about an ability called Sengir?¡± Dee pointed out something she had heard long ago from Selvaria.


    ¡°Very good. You¡¯ve heard about it. Yes, the others also have the ability to steal a small portion of their enemies¡¯ power. However, us psions have to do it while they have the option to do it, while they also have the choice to just rely on their own ability. It would be slower for them, but the possibility exists. In return, we are better at taking power from others, as we do it a little different. We don¡¯t really steal their power, but we¡­how should I put this¡­we devour their essence. Put crudely, we kind of eat our foes. Not literally through the mouth, but you get the picture.


    It¡¯s not just other people either. We can devour the essence of monsters and even places filled with power. However, we are hungry beasts and the amount of power required to advance can be stupendous. There¡¯s a reason why us psions are the beings most willing to go into the great wilderness between Night city and Day city. We go there to hunt for powerful beings to ¡®eat¡¯ and places of power to devour. My own advancement was largely thanks to an old ruin I found in the wilderness, which was filled with power of those that had once lived there but had since passed a long time ago.¡± A small shudder went through Moirai. Despite the benefits, the memory was not pleasant.


    ¡°Huh, I wonder if that natural maximum is the reason why my own growth seems to be slowing down.¡± Dee half asked half talked to herself.


    ¡°That is one possibility, though not the only one. It¡¯s not even the most likely reason. I¡¯m guessing your cultivation time has been limited by your templar training?¡± Moirai asked just to make sure, getting a simple nod as an answer.


    ¡°Well, to me it seems more likely that your natural growth is coming to an end. This usually lasts through puberty, though I haven¡¯t seen anyone who reached quite your level mostly relying on their natural growth. Another possibility is that the method you are using to cultivate is losing efficacy. These methods are usually only effective for certain range of power, after which they lose most of their effect. The lower ranked methods are designed for bodies that can handle small amounts of power while high ranked ones are for those that can handle the burden better. If you¡¯ve been using the same method all this time, then it¡¯s no wonder if it¡¯s losing its effect. It¡¯s a small wonder it kept working this long.¡± Moirai was actually very curious about this method.


    ¡°Ah, actually my stepmother left me several manuals with techniques for each level of power. That said, I haven¡¯t had anyone to ask about them, so I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m using them right.¡± Dee replied a little bashfully.


    ¡°Really? You stepmother had that many techniques? Well, it would help to see you use one, just the latest one is fine.¡± Moirai was rather eager to see her curiosity sated.


    Dee took a typical lotus position for meditation with her legs crossed and her hands resting on her knees, and she began to circulate her power. If she had kept her eyes open, she¡¯d have seen Moirai¡¯s face twist in a rather peculiar way, with several emotions warring for supremacy.


    ¡°You can stop. I don¡¯t suppose you could show me the manual you learned this from?¡± Something about Moirai¡¯s voice told Dee that this was important and she complied.


    Dee seemed to pull a small manual out of thin air, as Croestia dropped the manual into her hand. Moirai¡¯s face got more and more serious as she leafed through the manual. ¡°Could I see the manuals you used before? This is rather important.¡± Moirai asked again.


    Again Dee complied. It took Moirai about twenty minutes to go through them. She tapped her finger on the small pile of books lost in thought for a moment. ¡°I sure would like to meet your stepmother. She¡¯s both the smartest and dumbest person I¡¯ve ever heard about.¡± Moirai finally said with a small sigh.


    Shocked, Dee only managed a small strangled ¡°Eh?¡± in reply. She didn¡¯t really disagree, as she knew Selvaria could be a bit of an airhead, but it was shocking to hear someone else say it.


    ¡°First things first, I know why your growth is slowing down. These aren¡¯t manuals for increasing your growth. Of course they won¡¯t help you increase the amount of power available to you. I suspect you stepmother isn¡¯t a psion herself, because otherwise she wouldn¡¯t make a mistake like this. I¡¯m pretty sure she just saw people using these methods and saw them work great. Which begs the question of what kind of monsters was she working with, but I digress.¡± Moirai seemed to be truly shocked by what she had read.


    ¡°If they¡¯re not cultivation manuals then¡­.?¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°Oh they¡¯re cultivation manuals alright, just not for increasing your growth. These might actually be the best cultivation manuals I¡¯ve ever seen. They¡¯re meant for refining your power instead of growing it though.¡± Moirai replied with a small chuckle.


    ¡°Refining?¡± Dee asked again.


    ¡°Yes. They don¡¯t speed up your growth, in fact they might even slow it down a smidgen, but these increase the quality of your power greatly. You get more out of your power. Any power you use for a specific purpose will have a greater effect when compared to someone who hasn¡¯t refined their power. You also need to use less power to achieve the same effect. That means that purely based on strength you should be able to overpower anyone equal to your level. Purely on strength, mind you. Someone more skilled will still run rings around you.


    It¡¯s not purely positive though. As with most things, there are tradeoffs. Power this refined is harder to control. Sometimes you want to use just the tiniest smidgen of power, to avoid detection for example, but power this refined can make that harder.¡± Moirai tried to consider the implications. ¡°In general, having more refined power is better, otherwise why go through the trouble of refining, but you¡¯ll have to work on minimizing the downsides.¡±


    ¡°So anything I can do to mitigate the downsides?¡± Dee asked, thinking that this might explain her initial difficulties with the psionic weapon technique that had taken her so much time to learn.


    ¡°Aside from lots of practice and focus on control? Not really. It¡¯s like having very strong muscles. It¡¯s what you have, so you just have to learn to work with it and learn to be careful. It might take some effort to control that strength at first, but when you do¡­¡± Moirai left the rest unsaid. Obviously if Dee learned control, then all that remained were the advantages.


    ¡°By your tone, I¡¯m guessing techniques for refining one¡¯s power aren¡¯t all too common?¡± Dee asked, certain ideas suddenly coming to mind. Maybe she could use these techniques to trade. They could also make for a pretty good gift for the right person.


    ¡°Well, not techniques this effective no. We all refine our power a little. Even if no one teaches us a specific technique, we¡¯re still psions. We can figure some of the basics out by ourselves.¡± Suddenly another thought occurred to Moirai. ¡®Wait a moment. If all she¡¯s been using are these refining techniques, then doesn¡¯t that mean she has never even cultivated properly before? And she¡¯s already rank five at her age? All that just by natural growth? How much stronger would she be if she had a proper cultivation technique and actually focused on that instead of templar training? Now there¡¯s a thought worth considering¡­¡¯

 Chapter 27

    A/N: Greetings! Those that read my previous work might find some familiar themes in this chapter. Those that didn''t, don''t worry! Knowledge of the previous work is not required. I hope you enjoy.


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    Dee had once again turned into her nine-tailed fox form and had shrunk herself to the size of a kitten, as she leaped on top on Mina¡¯s head. She lay there completely exhausted, with her feet spread and tails drooping down Mina¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Feed me, please.¡± She said in an exhausted voice.


    Mina wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised. This had become something familiar in the last few weeks, as the two had spent quite a lot of time together. Mina felt safe with Dee around, and she also felt good about Dee¡¯s obvious appreciation of her talents as a cook. Dee on the other hand got to eat yummy food and spend time with someone roughly her age that knew almost nothing about her past. That¡¯s one of the reasons why Mina acted so normal around her, which was rare for Dee. Mina had been a little skittish at first due to the way they had met, but had gotten over it pretty quick.


    Dee hadn¡¯t really had friends of her own age before. Although the Jun girl was couple of years older than her, Dee had developed mentally much faster due to her nature and experiences. So at least it felt like they were of similar age. Furthermore, Dee looked older than she was due to her height and her trained physique. There were some things that were more unfamiliar to Dee, whereas Mina on the other hand was more familiar with them due to her age. That would only become apparent later on though.


    ¡°Did Moirai work you to the bone again?¡± Mina asked with a sympathetic smile.


    ¡°If by work you mean she tried to attack my mind for the whole day, while I just defended then yes. Funny how mental exhaustion can be so much worse than physical sometimes.¡± Dee complained with a sigh.


    Once Moirai had shown Dee the most common ways of defending against mental attacks, she had started to constantly attack her mind at the most awkward timings. The timings forced her to be in constant state of alert. Sometimes it was a constant bombardment of heavy attacks on her mind, while at other times it was a sneaky quick strike when you least expected it. Moirai had even once tried attacking her mind while she was taking a bath. Luckily for Dee, she knew the most awkward moments one could be attacked much better than Moirai did. She had used those same moments as an assassin after all, and constant alertness was nothing new to her. Dee was on constant alert anyway. Now she simply had an actual reason to be alert.


    The idea was to have the mental defenses become something like second nature to Dee, so that it no longer required constant effort or alertness to defend herself. The goal was to have her be ready at all times. While the way she had to be prepared was new, the concept or constant readiness wasn¡¯t, as it was once again something that she had learned among the assassins. The problem was being able to defend against the attacks while in the middle of doing other things.


    It was planned that soon Dee would start learn to defend herself mentally while in the middle of a physical fight, and this was preparation for it. Next she would be taught to attack the minds of others, and then she¡¯d be forced to do all three at the same time. If you couldn¡¯t focus on all three at the same time, you¡¯d lose. Dee suspected this would be especially bad for her, since her fighting style already required such focus on her own and her opponent¡¯s actions. She suspected that she¡¯d get kicked around at the start. It was already hard enough to defend against Moirai as it was.


    ¡°Are you still coming to the party tomorrow?¡± Mina asked hopefully. She was hired as a musician for a party the next evening.


    Dee had wanted to listen to her play for a while now, but she had been too busy to really dedicate time to it. So she was supposed to watch over Mina¡¯s safety tomorrow, as the community that had hired Mina and some other Jun musicians was located on the other side of the city surrounding the teleportation gate. It was not uncommon to keep a friend around for protection during the evening, and Mina still felt a little insecure to walk around by herself. There was little Moirai could say about giving Dee an evening off for a good purpose like that, so Dee got a free night as a bonus, while also getting to finally listen her friend playing.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t miss it for the world. I¡¯m looking forward to it. I just hope Moirai will be merciful with the training tomorrow. I wouldn¡¯t want my yawns to give the impression that I wasn¡¯t enjoying your music.¡± Dee replied with a wide smile, before she dove right into the food Mina was setting on the table. Even mental fatigue was best cured with good food in her opinion.


    -----


    As soon as she fell asleep that night, Dee noticed that something was different. Grey fog surrounded her everywhere, and she couldn¡¯t sense any ambient power in her surroundings. ¡°This feels familiar.¡± She said with a wry voice. She already knew what to expect and followed the glow of a campfire through the fog, arriving at an austere campsite where a familiar gray haired and bearded old man was waiting. He still had that odd feeling of the passage of eons about him.


    Dee once again decided to just sit opposite the man, and wait for him to make the first move. Judging by the symbol of the blessing she had received, the old man was some sort of deity representing time. Playing a game of who runs out of patience first with him would most likely be a bad choice, but trying to hurry him might be just as bad, and he had brought her here. He¡¯d get to it eventually.


    The old man suddenly gave a small chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s not entirely wrong, but my eventually might be much slower than you anticipate. To me, a thousand years is a blink of an eye, so I¡¯m sure I could outwait a young one like you.¡± He seemed highly amused.


    ¡°You can read my thoughts.¡± Dee said, not at all happy at the prospect.


    ¡°Partially, and that¡¯s also part of the reason you are here.¡± The man said with a slightly apologetic smile.


    ¡°Explain.¡± Dee said simply, her wariness only growing.


    ¡°Well, I should probably mention that I can only read your surface thoughts, and I could not read them the last time we met. The last time you were brought to us. This time we¡¯ve come to you, and we are inside your mind. Partially anyway. It¡¯s a bit hard to explain to someone not versed in such things. Suffice to say that we are partially in your dreams and partially in our domain, one foot in both places. That¡¯s also why I can read some of your thoughts.¡± The man explained patiently. One would assume someone like him needed a lot of patience.


    ¡°So why are we here? I¡¯m gathering there¡¯s more to this than just a lecture about the nature of realms. As interesting as that might be.¡± Dee¡¯s patience on the other hand was wearing thin. She really disliked the idea of someone in her head, especially in the light of her recent training. A rather ironic position for a psion.


    ¡°Ah, speaking of your recent training, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here. Or at least that¡¯s why we are here now.¡± The man¡¯s words were still cryptic and he was still reading Dee¡¯s thoughts, which pissed her off.


    Continuing with a slight chuckle the man said. ¡°You see, it¡¯s a common method for the deities to contact their servants in their dreams. They¡¯re easier to approach, as the walls around their mind come down while they dream. However, the training you¡¯re receiving will make this impossible very soon. In a couple of weeks you¡¯ll be able to defend your dreams against outside influences, which is great against various enemies that would want to attack you while you sleep. Less great when it comes to us contacting you. We could also contact you while you¡¯re praying to one of us, but you¡¯re not really the type to do that, as evidenced by the fact that you haven¡¯t done so since receiving the blessings.¡±


    ¡°So that explains the why now, but you still haven¡¯t told me why I¡¯m here in the first place.¡± Dee replied a little grumpily. She was a little mollified by the old man¡¯s explanation, but only a little.


    ¡°That¡¯s for the other two to explain. I just wanted to see how you were developing and tell you what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s the two troublemakers that actually had business with you. Normally this business would come in maybe a hundred years from now, but things being as they are¡­¡± The man gave a small wave of his hand. They had already gone through the why now part.


    ¡®How I¡¯m developing?¡¯ Dee thought confused. For the first time she looked down at herself. She expected to see her normal form, but was immediately proven wrong. What greeted her wasn¡¯t her original form or her angelic form, but something that was in-between and neither. She seemed to be made of pure psionic energy without a solid form or clear features, but she had some pars from her actual forms. She could feel several tails waving behind her, and the halo above her head. She could also feel the enormous wings flapping slowly behind her, moving the mist around ever so slightly. There was something else on her head, but before she had time to study what it was, the old man interrupted her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to get it. You will later on, and that is enough. It¡¯s time to send you to meet my troublemaking daughters.¡± And with a wave of his hand, the space around Dee bent in a weird way. She felt a twisting feeling in her stomach.


    Once the feeling passed, and she could pay attention to her surroundings again, she noticed she was standing in a very dark place. Her feet were half sunk into pitch black sand and dust, and in front of her was nothing but more of the same. The surroundings were dotted with small craters, but otherwise the ground was nothing but black sand and dust as far as the eye could see. Except if you looked slightly up, towards the sky.


    The view took her breath away. Very far away was a blue, green and brown mass, covered here and there with white clouds. Even from this distance the world looked enormous and she could see two large anomalies on the opposite sides of what she now recognized as a planet. The two anomalies baffled Dee until she recognized them as the two cities of Day and Night. One covered in the light of several suns, while the other was covered in the dark of night. One would think that with all the suns around the planet, this weird dark landscape around Dee would be also lit, but the light seemed to avoid the dark surface of what Dee now recognized as a moon.


    ¡°Do come in. No need to stand out there for the whole night.¡± A soft a seductive female voice came from somewhere behind her.


    Dee spun around to see the source of the sound, and was astonished to see a large palace made of black marble reaching to the horizon. A palace that was definitely not there a few moments ago. Dee thought it best to follow the invitation, and she walked into the palace. As she entered, the ceiling seemed high enough to disappear into the darkness above her. Despite the size of the palace, Dee somehow knew exactly where to go.


    After a few minutes of walking, she arrived in a garden filled with various black flowers. The garden opened up to the same view of the planet. In the middle of the garden was a gazebo made of black wood, and in the gazebo was the form of a familiar looking woman seemingly made pure shadow and darkness. That didn¡¯t mar her otherworldly beauty. In fact, it only seemed to enhance it.


    ¡°Why thank you. Very kind of you. Do you like my humble abode as well?¡± The woman asked, also replying to Dee¡¯s thoughts, showing she too could read them.


    ¡°I see, I should¡¯ve connected the dots sooner.¡± Dee simply said out loud, while in her thoughts she couldn¡¯t help but praise the view and the palace, although she might have preferred a little more color personally.


    The woman gave a small laugh. ¡°Occupational hazard I¡¯m afraid. And yes, the symbol of the black moon should¡¯ve been enough of a hint. Though you should know that my home really isn¡¯t on a moon orbiting the Pantheon of Heroes. ¡°


    ¡°Yeah, the part about your palace appearing out of nowhere was something of a hint.¡± Dee replied a little sarcastically.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re starting to put my gifts to good use. You have a long way to go, but it¡¯s a start, unlike with my sister¡¯s gifts. Shows that we have a better affinity in my opinion.¡± Umbra said with a slightly self-satisfied voice, suddenly changing the topic.


    ¡°Well, neither of you left me an instruction manual. I don¡¯t suppose you want to rectify that?¡± Dee asked a little hopefully.


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    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. One of our more annoying little rules. Even I couldn¡¯t go around breaking those. The other deities would have a hissy fit. And while that would be amusing in itself, it would also be too bothersome.¡± Umbra¡¯s smile and tone were not apologetic at all. She wouldn¡¯t break the rule even if she could, mostly because she had more fun this way.


    ¡°Oh well, worth a shot. So how about we get to why I¡¯m here instead.¡± Dee suggested. She hadn¡¯t really expected any hints anyway.


    ¡°Either the old fart told you, or you should have figured it out by yourself by now, but both my sister and I need something from you in the future. Since we might have trouble communicating later, thanks to your training, we want to tell you what we need now that we have the chance. It will also help you in making certain choices in the future, if you know a little about what to expect.¡± Umbra said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose it would help if I refused?¡± Dee asked, testing the waters.


    ¡°Oh you can refuse. In fact, I¡¯m fairly certain that you¡¯ll try to struggle against the future I and Lumen haven planned for you. I personally won¡¯t hold that against you, since that is part of the nature of chaos and darkness. However, I have a feeling you¡¯ll find it much harder to fight that fate than you think. You could always kill yourself out of spite I suppose, but that is in stark opposition to your nature isn¡¯t it?¡± Umbra looked at Dee with piercing eyes. ¡°Yes, I though as much. You are fairly complex for a mortal but survival is still at the very core to your being. You¡¯d let the world burn rather than die, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Dee wanted to argue, but wasn¡¯t entirely sure Umbra was wrong. That said, she also realized that whatever she might be now, she might also be something very different in the future. Some races had sayings about people being unable to change, but that only applied when the timeframe was counted in decades. With the passing of centuries and millennia everyone changed.


    ¡°If that thought makes you happier, then go ahead and strive for it. Change is at the very core of what we are. Some things never change though, and you will not take the coward¡¯s way out to avoid your future.¡± Umbra said, her tone making it clear she was confident in her assumptions.


    ¡°You¡¯ve made a couple of remarks about ¡®our¡¯ nature, change and chaos already.¡± Dee used air quotes when she said ¡®our¡¯ and her emphasis on the word chaos was a little different from Umbra¡¯s. ¡°Care to explain further?¡±


    Umbra was happy to oblige. ¡°I assume you think you know something about the nature of darkness, light, chaos and order. It might be better to let go of those pre-conceived notions. The mortals usually get things wrong, most of the time on purpose. It serves their purposes, you see.¡±


    ¡°Well then I suppose it¡¯s good that I can get the totally unbiased thoughts of the Goddess of Darkness.¡± Dee pointed out a little sarcastically.


    Umbra only laughed at the barb. ¡°Of course I¡¯m biased, so you¡¯ll have to make your own conclusions, but you¡¯ll note that I actually have very little reason to twist the truth too much. I¡¯m rather proud of my nature. I sense however that you find it a little odd that a goddess of darkness is so tied to chaos.¡±


    ¡°Well, now that you mention it, I know that there¡¯s a god of order, so it would make sense that there would be a god of chaos as well. Yet you seem to talk as if it is part of your domain.¡± Dee replied.


    ¡°Very astute of you. That¡¯s also the reason why my sister will always be weaker than me. Her domain and the domain of order are connected by common interests, but they also have their differences. While there are several deities that represent chaos, when everyone thinks of chaos, they think of me in addition to my role as the Goddess of Darkness. That¡¯s because these two domains are inexorably linked, both because of our nature as well as the beliefs of the people that serve me. In the minds of the believers, there¡¯s no real difference between darkness and chaos and so it goes for us. Why that is, is harder to explain but I can give you some of the reasons, as they also apply to what I want from you in the future.¡± Umbra explained.


    Dee simply waved for the goddess to continue, as the talkative deity was a great source of information.


    ¡°At its very roots, chaos is all about two things, both of which are embodied in the question that represents us. What do you want? Chaos is all about change and the individual¡¯s desires and will to change their lot in life. At its worst, this leads to wars, destruction, exploitation and trampling on the wills of others, which is why both darkness and chaos are associated with evil. While order and light are associated with the good of the many, stability and stagnation, chaos and darkness are about the desires and good of the individual. Those that dabble in philosophy call it the battle between individualism and collectivism, though that doesn¡¯t really tell the whole story.


    At its best, this focus on change leads to progress, innovation and the good of everyone. The good of self doesn¡¯t have to be in conflict with the good of many. The mortals tend to forget this. Without change, all we¡¯d have is stagnation and strict adherence to hierarchy as people wouldn¡¯t strive to better themselves. That stagnation and adherence to strict structure is the downfall of order and light. As for darkness, well most things that drive change are connected to darkness. Either through the fear of the dark, or the machinations hidden in shadows from the prying eyes of those that would stand against change. Creatures of the dark are also usually the ones that cause the most change and chaos, although that too contributes to the feeling that change and darkness are evil because that change is often brought about by the shedding of blood and the suffering of those that get crushed under the wheel of change.¡±


    ¡°And what would Lumen say about this?¡± Dee asked shrewdly.


    ¡°Actually pretty much the same. She of course would emphasize the good points of her domain, and the bad points of mine, but I already mentioned the latter ones. I probably should mention something about the good of her domain, something trite about harmony, sense of belonging and the strength of the group versus the strength of the individual. You get the idea.¡± Umbra scoffed at her sister¡¯s domain.


    ¡°And that brings us to the point of this visit. Why am I here?¡± Dee suddenly prompted, noticing that they were straying too far from the real issue.


    ¡°Ah yes. I¡¯m sure you have noticed that I¡¯m not too worried even though ostensibly the bastion of my side, the thirteen hells have been destroyed, along with most of the demon kind. That¡¯s because chaos and change can never be defeated. We can be suppressed, but as long as there are living beings, there are those who will desire change. And the power created by those desires will sooner or later find a way. The question then becomes, what outlet will that power create?


    Have you ever wondered how the forces of darkness and chaos can stand against the forces of light? I mean yes, numbers, sure, but we can never properly bring the numbers to bear, since our nature prevents us from true cooperation as that would require putting the good of others above our own. The light side doesn¡¯t have this problem, as they almost gleefully join forces to stand against us. So why did the stalemate between angels and demons last so long?¡± Umbra posed a question to Dee.


    Dee gave the question a long consideration before answering. ¡°Well, as the side focused on individual power, one would think you would have the strongest individuals.¡±


    ¡°Correct. The old stories are always about a ragtag group of heroes challenging the demon lord, who stands against them alone. Yes usually with an army threatening to end the world, but it always comes to a confrontation between the lone demon lord against the group of heroes. Maybe one of the heroes is the focus and finally deals the final blow, but it¡¯s always accompanied with jibber-jabber about the power of friendship, love or their dead companions standing with them in spirit. Now where the stories usually fail, is the part where the lone demon lord always loses. In reality it¡¯s about fifty-fifty, but you never hear about those stories, do you?¡± Umbra asked with a small smirk.


    ¡°You¡¯re not asking me to become a demon lord are you?¡± Dee retorted with a raised eyebrow.


    Umbra barked a laugh in response. ¡°Not quite, but you¡¯re not entirely wrong. The power of change and darkness always finds a focus. Something that keeps the forces of light and order on their heels. They can¡¯t fully commit to the fight, because they fear the power of that that individual who becomes the focus. They will always hold back and protect Paradisia, instead of putting all their effort into an all-out desperate attack, because they fear they won¡¯t have a home to return to otherwise. The focus would make sure of that.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to become this focus?¡± Dee asked to make sure.


    ¡°Someone will sooner or later become the new focus. That new focus will then shape the future. If it won¡¯t be you, it will be someone else. Someone less¡­preferable by the rest of the universe perhaps. There will be new hells eventually as the power of chaos gathers. That¡¯s how they work. If not hells, then the deep shadows and abysses will spew forth the forces of darkness instead, to bring change and chaos into the universe. That part is not important. The face of change may change, the methods may change, the races involved may change, but there will always be something taking their place. What is more important is the will of the focus. The focus can direct those forces to either be wholly destructive, or to create something new. Or a bit of both, if that¡¯s how you want things to play out. I¡¯m simply saying that I would prefer you over some of the other candidates. You don¡¯t have to be an active leader if that¡¯s what you want, but you would have to be the blade that keeps the other side honest.¡± Umbra let her chin rest on her hand, looking inquisitively at Dee¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°That¡¯s sounds like a lot of work for very questionable rewards.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Of course it does. I would further point out that I don¡¯t hand out the position as the focus, as it is not my decision to make. It¡¯s something you would have to fight for. I¡¯m simply stating that I would like you to fight for it. I know you have the potential for it, that¡¯s partially why you were created after all.¡± Umbra decided to drop a juicy little nugget to entice Dee¡¯s curiosity.


    ¡°Elaborate.¡± Dee looked sharply at the goddess, her voice clear that it wasn¡¯t a request.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that will not happen, for now at least. However, I can tell you that your, as you so quaintly put it, clusterfuck of races heritage isn¡¯t what it is by accident. You were made this way on purpose. I¡¯ll also mention that I¡¯m not the type to put all my eggs in one basket, so while you are my preferred choice, you¡¯re not the only choice I have. However, going along with my wishes has its benefits.¡± Umbra was being deliberately vague.


    Dee simply looked at Umbra expectantly. The goddess continued. ¡°I know that there are certain fears that drive you. One in particular about all of this being a dream or hallucination, if I¡¯m not mistaken?¡±


    Dee shuddered due to her deepest secrets being found out so easily. Clearly her thoughts had betrayed her when the goddess had mentioned fears. That, or the goddess had other sources of information. Suddenly she heard Umbra say a few words in a language she couldn¡¯t understand. She understood the meaning and power behind the words however. When those words were spoken, the universe bent its knees to follow the command uttered. Dee knew that the reality outside this land of deities would be changed. If Dee had dreamed everything after Zabaniya, that dream would now be the new reality. If she hadn¡¯t, then nothing would change. Dee could feel that such a huge shift in reality would take enormous power, and the goddess didn¡¯t seem to have spent any. So the reality remained unchanged, and the only result was the dispelling of Dee¡¯s deepest fear.


    ¡°How¡­what?¡± Dee only managed to faintly utter.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that there¡¯s a reason why the ten most powerful gods have remained as the top ten for as long as there have been gods to rank in such way. And there is a reason why I¡¯m number three on that list. Now off you go, my sister awaits you. I have told you my wish, and whether you want to act according to that wish is your choice.¡±


    Dee suddenly felt the space bend around her again, just as it had when she had arrived on this moon.

 Chapter 28

    A/N: A lot going on in this chapter. The second part of meeting with the gods, and shenanigans. I hope you enjoy.


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    Dee found herself within what looked exactly like the temple of the light gods where she had gained her blessings. Every candle seemed to be lit, and every shrine gave off a faint glow of light, banishing the shadows. Idly she also noted that she was now in her angel form. She had forgotten to pay attention to that when discussing with Umbra, but she was fairly certain she had been in her original form the whole time. Her current form was also the basic angel form, and not the weird form she had observed for a very short period while talking to the old man.


    She was oddly comforted by that. Even though she was still less than happy with her angel form, at least it was something she was familiar with. She needed her full focus while discussing with the deities, and the discomfort and distraction stemming from some weird form could potentially take some of her focus away at the wrong moment.


    ¡°You seem distracted.¡± A gentle and warm voice sounded behind her, mirroring her thoughts in an eerie way.


    ¡°Lot to think about.¡± Dee replied, while rising up to look at the goddess made of light, who was casually sitting on one of the shrines within the temple. Not her own shrine either.


    ¡°I can imagine. Although I don¡¯t have to, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯re already aware.¡± The goddess gave a small pout. ¡°The downside of going last, you¡¯re already busy thinking about the other things you¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°At least you get the chance to one-up them.¡± Dee pointed out a little amused.


    ¡°There is that. I¡¯m sure my sister already outlined some of our differences.¡± The goddess asked, more to just make sure, and she got her confirmation both in Dee¡¯s thoughts and in her nod. ¡°No need to go into that then. She is at the very least practical in such things. Although lies and deceit are an important part of her toolkit, she rarely lies about this. She also knows you¡¯re smart enough to see through it if she makes her case in a too biased way. I might say things differently, but our differences are pretty clear and obvious.¡±


    ¡°She actually did make a pretty fair case. A little bias, but¡­¡± Dee confirmed.


    ¡°As she should. It¡¯s not in her best interest to mislead you in a way that would make you doubt her. I¡¯m sure she also took her chance to gloat about you already figuring out some of her blessing, while you¡¯ve made little headway with mine.¡±


    Once again Dee just responded with a smile and a nod.


    ¡°Aah, sister dearest, you¡¯ve always been shortsighted. That¡¯s actually one of the biggest problems with the ideology she represents as well, you know?¡± The goddess had a slightly victorious smile on her lips.


    ¡°Lack of foresight?¡± Dee confirmed.


    ¡°Yes. The essence of chaos is change, but nearly always that change is sought in the form of short term and individual benefit. This tends to come back to bite them later, and even if it doesn¡¯t, agents of change rarely leave a really lasting legacy. That would require planning uncommonly seen in her servants. Oh there might be suffering and devastation for hundreds of years, but the true legacies that last thousands upon thousands of years are built upon more stable grounds and mutual cooperation. They also don¡¯t usually look far enough into the future, to truly judge the effects their actions will have. But I digress.


    The reason you haven¡¯t been able to do much with my blessing is because you haven¡¯t had the chance to. The real benefits will only become obvious much later. While HER gifts might help you in the present moment, mine will help you in the future where you really need them.¡± The goddess¡¯ victorious smile had not abated, though now she was looking straight into Dee¡¯s eyes to make sure she understood the difference.


    Something suddenly occurred to Dee. A weird thought, but one she had to voice now that she had thought about it. ¡°Why is my left wing such weird color? I know angel wings have their colors for a reason, but I¡¯ve never even heard of wings like mine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the color has only ever been seen twice before. It¡¯s a sign of an angel that has received a direct mission from me. An angel with that wing color is acting under a direct mandate from me, and thus carries a little piece of my authority. You will note however, that not all angels will care, and most of them won¡¯t even recognize it. There are still some however that will recognize the significance and act accordingly.¡± Now the goddess lost her smile, and frowned as she spoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing we¡¯re getting to the point now.¡± Dee said, noting the goddess¡¯ words about some angels not following her will anymore.


    Lumen picked up on the thought and replied directly to it. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re on the right track. Paradisia has lost its way and no longer serves the function I created it for. You could say they¡¯ve got too much Order and not enough light in them now. I¡¯m not just talking about what they call the Holy Purge. That is just the clearest example of how they have lost their way. No, this disease started a long time before the hells fell.


    At some point the war against the other three factions in the War in Heavens, and demons in particular, stopped being about defending what is right and building a better tomorrow. It became about power, revenge and dogmatic pursuit of ideals that would be unrecognizable to those that first took up the fight in my name. Now they fight because they like to fight and because it serves their own purposes. They have become just as bad as the enemies I initially created them to fight against.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m to assume you want to correct their course then? And I¡¯m the one who¡¯s supposed to facilitate that course correction? Pray tell, how should I go about doing that? I doubt they will listen just because I ask nicely, no matter what color my wing is.¡± Dee was much more acidic in her reply than she had originally intended. Umbra¡¯s task was already bad enough, but it really ticked Dee off that Lumen seemed to be pushing the whole thing in her lap.


    ¡°No I don¡¯t suppose they would. You are right in assuming that I would like your help in correcting their course, however, I never said anything about doing it peacefully. If you can do it peacefully, then that¡¯s great, but I realize this is most likely something that can¡¯t be done. Before building something new, sometimes it¡¯s necessary to burn what is left of the old.¡± Lumen¡¯s eyes contained steely resolve as she spoke.


    Dee¡¯s eye twitched as she heard the goddess¡¯ words. ¡°Let me get this straight. You want me to destroy what your children have built? Just bloodying them would not be enough or they¡¯ll go right back to it. I need to do to them what was done to the demons. That I should take my revenge by becoming what I despise about them?¡±


    ¡°I would prefer if it didn¡¯t go quite that far, but I recognize the possible necessity. There are those among the angels that see the corruption and disease at the heart of Paradisia, and they can help re-build a better future from the ashes. They just don¡¯t have the power to act alone.¡± Lumen gave a small grimace. ¡°If I know my sister and can guess correctly what she has planned for you, our requests aren¡¯t actually mutually exclusive. In fact, her request might provide you with the means to fulfill mine. As an alternative, you could seek out your mother¡¯s old friends and colleagues.¡±


    Dee was quiet for a long time. ¡°You do realize that even if I agree to do this, it will take me centuries to even get started? Also, while this requests isn¡¯t completely outside my own goals and desires, I¡¯m not stupid enough to pick a fight with the entire Paradisia just because you want me to. I might want some measure of revenge, but I¡¯m not sure I want to dedicate my life to it.¡±


    ¡°I do realize these things. I¡¯m sure the old man already mentioned why we were talking to you now? Yes I thought as much. However, there¡¯s another reason why we¡¯re doing it now. You will have to make several decisions that will influence your future. Some of those decisions will affect your potential in the future. We want you to be aware of the stakes, and the possible threats you might face in the future.


    It would be kind of bad, if you made choices that will give you great power but will limit you future growth. These are the waters you will be swimming in, if things go as we have seen. The pond you see around you currently might seem big, but being the big fish in the small pond will not be enough when the time comes. You must become the big fish in the biggest waters in the universe. Remember that.¡± There was actual concern in Lumen¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t convinced me why I should do it. I have very little sympathy for the darkness within the angels, and to be quite frank I care very little about the wishes of the goddess who created them. Before you say it, I recognize that the disease you speak of is largely responsible for the Purge and my distaste of the angels in the first place, but to be perfectly honest I¡¯m not convinced the feathered freaks wouldn¡¯t have done it anyway.¡± Dee¡¯s voice returned to the vitriol and acidic tone, enough to make even the goddess uncomfortable.


    ¡°That would¡¯ve been one of my points, but fair enough. I can¡¯t give you a reason that would convince the current you. However, I¡¯m confident that won¡¯t always be the case. Luckily for both of us, this is not something you have to do now. I just want you to keep it in mind as you plan for the future. There may come a time your mind has changed, and it might be better if you were prepared for it. It doesn¡¯t hurt to prepare anyway. I¡¯m aware of your goal of becoming strong enough that you don¡¯t need to be afraid anymore. As it happens, that goal works perfectly with mine, and I will help you on that path. Perhaps later on you will help me with my goal as well.¡±  Lumen seemed to have expected Dee¡¯s resistance, and didn¡¯t seem too disturbed by it. She clearly knew something Dee didn¡¯t.


    Dee was about to reply, but felt the world twist around her again.


    -----


    Dee was not pleased while waking up this morning. On one hand it was useful to finally find out what the gods wanted from her after gifting her such copious amounts of holy power, not to mention the other benefits which were still mostly undiscovered. However, she was also fairly certain that the two goddesses had not told her everything. In addition, describing their wishes as unreasonable was an understatement to say the least. Especially Lumen¡¯s wish was just ridiculous. Who would want to pick a fight of that scale with Paradisia? The only reason she didn¡¯t refuse outright was because her own goals also included revenge on the angels.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Moirai also noted Dee¡¯s distraction during the day¡¯s training. Just because Dee would be spending most of the day with Mina, that didn¡¯t mean the whole day would be free of training. Today Dee was also learning to read the surface thoughts and feelings of others without alerting their mental defenses. It should be noted that even while distracted Dee was a quick study. Moirai knew psion were better students than most, but even by psion standards Dee was quick on the uptake.


    ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡± Moirai asked, referring to whatever was distracting Dee.


    Dee felt a slight sting of disappointment in herself for getting distracted to a point that it showed. ¡°I had a visit from my deity last night.¡± Dee decided to just go for it instead of dancing around the subject.


    ¡°Your deity?¡± Moirai asked, having not expected this at all.


    ¡°Yes. I mentioned that I can use holy power when you took me in as a disciple, right? So I need to have been blessed by a deity, as that holy power has to come from somewhere.¡± Dee explained a little sarcastically.


    Moirai decided to ignore the sarcasm for now. ¡°Now that you mention it¡­but aren¡¯t you a little young for receiving a blessing?¡±


    ¡°Details, details. Anyway, no I¡¯m not telling you which deity it is, but suffice it to say I got visited last night, and I wasn¡¯t too keen on what that deity had to say. Nothing you need to worry about, just something on my mind. Please carry on with the lesson; I won¡¯t let myself be distracted like that again.¡± Dee made her intention about that subject clear.


    Moirai was curious to ask more, but decided to let it slide. For now. Dee wasn¡¯t distracted enough to really hamper the lesson, and Dee might decide to tell more with time. It wasn¡¯t really her business anyway, and as long as it didn¡¯t affect the lessons¡­suffice to say there would be a better chance to pry in the future.


    -----


    As Dee went to meet Mina and the other Jun musicians, one of the other Jun women, a slightly older lady, spoke even before anyone managed to exchange greetings. ¡°Wait a moment, Mina you said someone was coming with us to the Three Spears community as protection. You didn¡¯t mean her did you?¡± The way the woman said ¡®her¡¯ suggested that there was something wrong, but that she herself didn¡¯t have anything against Dee personally.


    ¡°Yes, is there something wrong?¡± Mina asked with a frown. She too had heard the lack of emphasis on the word, but wasn¡¯t keen on anyone disparaging her friend.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± One of the younger musicians asked. ¡°The Three Spears strongly dislike all beastmen. They had several bloody fights with beastmen communities, and apparently they lost a lot of people in those fights. That¡¯s one of the reasons they came to this area, not that many beastmen. Your friend won¡¯t be allowed inside the party zone.¡±


    The Three Spears was a community that mainly consisted of Genasi, a blue skinned race of humanoids related to genies, djinns and distant cousins to Rakshasa. They were originally a race from another plane that migrated to Pantheon, and their current form and nature was the result of millennia of mixing with the other races of Pantheon. Unfortunately for them, they were also a fairly aggressive race and had several run-ins with the more martially inclined races, chiefly the beastmen that were one of the most numerous type of races on Pantheon.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a beastman though.¡± Mina pointed out. Dee had told her a little of her background, and her heritage was one of the things mentioned.


    ¡°Not the point.¡± The older lady said again. ¡°She looks like one, and that will be enough for them. They won¡¯t care enough to really find out. They¡¯re not bad people, they¡¯ve just had too many bad experiences. Sorry Dee.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I also have races I¡¯m not too fond of.¡± Dee just shrugged.


    This was news to Mina, who was about to ask for more information before Dee continued. ¡°I¡¯m guessing they wouldn¡¯t be too keen on Mina bringing in a pet either.¡±


    The older lady chuckled a bit. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your other form. Even when you¡¯re lazing around on top of Mina¡¯s head, you don¡¯t really look like a pet. You can be cute, but you don¡¯t completely lose that menacing air of something that could rip a person to pieces.¡±


    Dee gave a deep sigh. ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t help it then.¡± It was time to pull out her third form. With her wings and halo hidden, she might even pass off as Jun herself.


    Dee was momentarily surrounded by light, before a pair of large wings stretched out behind her. The Jun women looked on with surprise, as Dee closed her eyes for a moment, before the wings and halo disappeared again, leaving Dee in a form that was not that different from the Jun surrounding her. She was wearing the clothes she had last used in this form, which consisted mostly of a white silk dress open from the back to allow her wings full mobility. It had been a gift from Sarfina.


    One of the younger Jun gave a small whistle. ¡°You sure clean up well. That dress might be a tad bit too formal though.¡±


    Dee thought she heard a couple of murmurs from the others that sounded a little jealous. By what she heard, they were jealous of her appearance, but that wasn¡¯t really something Dee understood all that well. Her appearance had never been too important to Dee, except in the sense that it could bring trouble to be too attractive. If it wasn¡¯t for her height, which wasn¡¯t much shorter than her normal form, she could pass off as Jun-elf mix. Angels tended to be rather tall as a race as well.


    ¡°Dee, you¡¯re beautiful! Why didn¡¯t you show me this before?¡± Mina asked surprised.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too fond of this form. Mina, can you lend me something more practical to wear? I¡¯m afraid most of my own clothes wouldn¡¯t fit all too well.¡± Dee made a small gesture towards her chest. Mina was actually one of the more ample Jun in that area, so her clothes would fit Dee in her angel form better than her own clothes. Her angel form was significantly bustier than her original form and shopping for the angel form had never been high on her list of priorities. Dee thought she might have heard someone grinding their teeth in displeasure.


    ¡°Err, I¡¯ll see what I can find. You¡¯re a fair bit taller than I am, but I think we can figure out something out. If not, we can ask one of the Dagon girls.¡± Mina replied a bit hesitantly. The Dagon girls were the only ones capable of competing with Dee¡¯s current form.


    -----


    Dee finally ended in a fairly typical light warrior gear with leather chest armor and heavy boots. Even so, she drew quite a bit of attention when she entered the venue with the Jun musicians. They weren¡¯t asked too many questions as the Jun were expected, and it was not uncommon to see them bring a bodyguard along even to a friendly community. It was a dangerous world after all.


    Dee also noted that her ability to keep herself from being noticed didn¡¯t really work when she was already the center of attention. She could try slipping into the shadows, but that would be too conspicuous. It was much easier to just remain undetected than it was to vanish when people were already paying attention to you. She had to settle for being gazed at for now.


    Unknown to Dee, even though her clothes covered skin as well as any armor should, her form fitting clothes brought out her alluring figure almost as well as a revealing dress would. It didn¡¯t help that Mina¡¯s clothes really were a tad too small, and as such even tighter around certain important areas. Her purple-whitish hair also drew attention, as it was tied into a long braid that ended just below her buttocks.


    On the positive side of things, Dee really enjoyed Mina¡¯s music. Mina specialized in stringed instruments and her playing was most of the time accompanied by one or two of the other Jun musicians. She was clearly one of the best musicians in the group. Dee especially enjoyed the current instrument. It had this vibrating melancholic sound to it, great at evoking feelings in the listener.


    ¡®I think Mina called it erhu.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. The music was calming yet evoked emotion at the same time. It took her mind to places she normally didn¡¯t even think about.


    She was so mesmerized by the music, that she almost missed it.  Her reverie was interrupted by beings at the edges of her senses. She could feel several figures approaching the venue, which was a large ballroom within a large mansion surrounded by gardens. Dee frowned when she noticed the approaching figures. They didn¡¯t feel like Genasi, though at this distance she couldn¡¯t be entirely certain. It was hard to recognize the race of a being when that being was at the edge of her detection range. They didn¡¯t feel like guards either judging by their movement. They were moving carefully and slowly, not in a pattern like a patrol would. She could sense thirty figures approaching.


    She closed her eyes and viewed her surroundings using the Mindscape ability. Here the figures showed clearly, and she could sense them surrounding the building on all sides. She decided to test her new ability and gently touched the surface thoughts of those figures. She drew back immediately as she sensed the bloodlust and aggression. ¡®Well, it¡¯s clear that they aren¡¯t here for friendly purposes.¡¯


    She held no interest in protecting the Genasi, though she didn¡¯t have any particular desire to see them come to harm either. Though she didn¡¯t have any desire to protect the Genasi, she did want to keep Mina and the other Jun safe. She could alert the Genasi, but she couldn¡¯t see that many guards within the room, as most of them were supposed to be guarding the perimeter outside. Many of them were most likely dead now to allow the trespassers entry. Either dead or bribed somehow. Bribery was difficult against a community made up of single race though, so death was more likely. There was also the risk of the Jun getting caught in the crossfire if a fight started.


    ¡®Now what should I do?¡¯ Dee though to herself.

 Chapter 29

    A/N: So tired...damn work.


    -----


    Seeing as the enemies had managed to get past the guards around the perimeter without raising an alarm, it seemed likely they were either professionals or much stronger than their opponents. The first option seemed more likely, as beings that much stronger than the people here wouldn¡¯t bother hiding in the first place. The approach of the beings she sensed was very slow, as if they were waiting for something.


    Dee suspected that the approaching enemies were in fact assassins. Who they were targeting was a mystery, but it seemed likely that the target or targets were among the Genasi. The timing and number of assailants was more than a little ominous though. It didn¡¯t seem like the sort of approach Zabaniya would take. In a world this large there were plenty of assassin organizations, and Zabaniya was simply the most famous among them. These differing assassin organizations also had their own styles that they preferred.


    Zabaniya usually liked to use stealth and a single assassin to accomplish the job. They usually went in, killed their target and left. There was no need for theatrics as the name of the organization was already enough to scare anyone contemplating revenge. There was a reason why the Radiant Sun had asked for the help of other organizations for their raid. Usually Zabaniya only killed the people they were paid to kill, as well as any witnesses and the guards necessary to reach the target. That wasn¡¯t to say Zabaniya avoided collateral damage, no they would happily poison all the guests at a party just to get at a single target. However, being able to get in, kill their target and get out with minimal fuss showed that they could reach anyone without making a spectacle. It was a mark of their strength. Zabaniya¡¯s work came at high price, so they were usually hired to get rid of hard to kill singular targets, or in cases where you couldn¡¯t afford a failed attempt.


    Some of the other assassin groups took a different approach. Some of them liked to create a spectacle, to increase their fame and to terrorize others. They were used when you wanted to make an example. ¡°One person standing out against us? We¡¯ll kill him and his whole community in a brutal way, just to make a point.¡± Some of those groups would quite happily attack a party like this, just to maximize bloodshed and the terror from all the uninvolved casualties. They were also cheaper because they did their job partly because they enjoyed bloodshed and plunder. They were like groups of bandits, except trained as assassins.


    Dee was worried that they were now dealing with a group like that. If that was the case, then it would be very unlikely that the Jun musicians would be spared. Instead they would be made an example. The death would most likely not be a peaceful one either. Death of some Genasi might not bother her, but a group like that forced Dee to interfere just to save the Jun.


    She used the Mindscape to determine that the enemies had surrounded the building by dividing themselves in groups of three. ¡®Nine groups of three and one group of four, thirty one in total. Wait, thirty one? My senses only detected thirty?¡¯ She checked again with both the Mindscape and her senses. One of the attackers could avoid her senses somehow. That one was in the group of four.


    Things suddenly became even more serious. She signaled Mina and the other musicians with hand signals they had agreed on beforehand. Their eyes grew large as Dee gave the signs for thirty one enemies, surrounding the building. She also told them to take a break and find a defensive location, while she tried to do something about it. Some of the musicians were pretty decent mages, so they should be able to hold off attackers for a short while, as long as they had some warning.


    Dee herself exited the building into the garden surrounding it, and immediately melted into the shadows hiding her presence. If the enemy wanted to play assassin games with her, she was happy to oblige. First she¡¯d have to deal with the biggest threat, the one attacker who could hide from even her senses. She suspected that her target would also be able to hide from the senses of others, and she really didn¡¯t want that particular enemy pouncing on her while she was in the middle of fighting someone else.


    Dee moved stealthily towards the group of four. As she got closer, she could sense that the attackers weren¡¯t all from the same race. That further suggested an assassin group that wasn¡¯t too particular in their recruiting. There were two humans, one medium sized dark haired man that was very non-descript, as well as a large barbarian looking man almost as tall as Dee herself. There was also an elf completely masked by her dark clothing. And then there was the fourth being. Dee almost missed him again, as she couldn¡¯t sense anything from him. No power and no emotions.


    That lack of feeling was disconcerting considering he was playing around with a dagger while waiting, clearly toying with some ki along the blade. He was also showing signs of impatience in his body language. So there were clearly both emotions and power in him, but Dee couldn¡¯t sense either. Only way she could even find him, was the man¡¯s mind within the Mindscape.


    Despite the obvious impatience and eagerness in all four of them, they didn¡¯t say anything, or make sounds. They also avoided any use of their power that could give away their position, showing that they had at least a certain level of professionalism. The only exception was that strange man who openly displayed his power, but that was most likely because no one could sense it anyway, for some reason. He was flaunting his ability to stay undetected. It was a little eerie.


    ¡®I suppose this is a little like how Moirai felt trying to find me in the crowd.¡¯ Dee thought to herself.


    She deemed that the strange man had to be her first target, otherwise she would have trouble keeping tabs on him. Luckily he was also the one furthest away from the manor, and they were all looking towards the building, waiting for something. Maybe they were expecting a signal, or waiting for a certain agreed upon time. Dee moved as stealthily as possible towards her target, her aura making sure that even if someone did look at her, they¡¯d mostly just ignore her.


    She had to make her first attack count, and as she couldn¡¯t judge her targets strength, she thought it better to overkill than fail. The other three were about rank four warriors each, but the strange man might be stronger than them. Dee materialized the black blade that seemed to suck in all the light around her, coating it in her psionic power. She also cast one of her strongest negative energy holy spells on the blade.


    Mazatl had disliked Dee¡¯s proficiency at using harmful holy spells, especially considering her blessing coming from the Goddess of Light herself, but she didn¡¯t know about the power of Umbra within Dee. That power was filled with negative energy and was perfect for bringing harm to Dee¡¯s opponents. The only problem with such holy spells was that they were usually very short range, or had a delayed effect like curses or something that killed slowly like corruption of the body.


    That said, there was one group of harmful holy spells especially suited for Dee¡¯s use, complimenting her melee abilities. If healing spells filled with positive energy gave your target life-force, then these spells took it away. The opposite of healing spells. Dee suspected that her nature made her especially adept at using them, just like she had much more trouble using healing spells in return. Demons were creatures of the dark after all.


    ¡®Croestia, buff to strength and speed please.¡¯ Dee also silently commanded just in case.


    It was a good thing that Dee had put her full strength into the blow, as the blade only barely managed to breach the protective energy gathered on the man¡¯s skin, also known as touki. If the man had been prepared and fully ready, Dee¡¯s blade would most likely fail to pierce that protective layer, simply bouncing off. The man was clearly stronger than Dee! However, the blade did slip between the man¡¯s ribs right where Dee had aimed at, penetrating the man¡¯s heart from behind.


    Just that might not have been enough, as strong people might be able to live for a while even with such wound, but the most dangerous part about Dee¡¯s attack had not been the sharp edge of her blade. The dark blade carried a strong corruptive power, and when it was delivered straight into his heart, the man only briefly felt as all his ki became sluggish and stopped working properly. And that¡¯s were the real problem started. The dark spell carried along the blade greedily started devouring the already flickering life-force of the man. In less than two seconds the man had become a desiccated corpse, while Dee felt a surge of energy flowing into her. She also felt something else flow into her from the man.


    Dee however had no time to pay attention to that as she had other enemies to deal with, and she could also feel that whatever else she had just felt flowing into her wasn¡¯t negative. Before the other three had time to react, Dee pulled out a pair of throwing daggers and threw them into the eyes of two more enemies, the long point penetrating straight into their skulls, the sharp point of the blades coated with psionic energy.


    With slight amusement Dee noted that the two had some sort of holy power protecting them, most likely a buff from a friendly dark priest. However, Dee¡¯s throwing daggers were also holy weapons and penetrated those protections easily. She¡¯d have to remember to give Fimul a hug as thanks for those daggers when she got back.


    The fourth person, the large barbarian looking human, charged at Dee from the right, still keeping silent showing his professionality. To his shock though, a black wing suddenly materialized above him, and he didn¡¯t have the chance to avoid as the black wing flashed down, cleanly cutting the man in two from head to toes. Well, cleanly might have been the wrong as the man¡¯s blood and entrails suddenly flowed out, staining the ground around the spot where he died.


    ¡®That¡¯s kinda gross. Now you have blood all over your wing. You really should aim to strike sideways, or alternatively just slit their throat when using your wing. Look at the mess you made.¡¯ Croestia said silently, a little displeased at the mess.


    ¡®Very effective though. I still can¡¯t believe how effective the black wing is for attacking.¡¯ Dee said, giving the wing a shake, throwing all the blood and other fluids off. It was as if the wing rejected being dirtied like that, not a single stain marring the black gleaming feathers anymore. Dee also knew to be silent in this situation. ¡®Come, we have other assassins to kill. Hopefully the rest of them are equally cooperative.¡¯


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    It turned out that most of the attackers were, though apparently the time they had been waiting for came before Dee was finished, and the remaining assassins charged at the party venue. Luckily for the Genasi though, only nine of them were alive at this point. Although the party venue didn¡¯t hold too many guards, the guests themselves were not helpless. Fighting against more than thirty people stronger than them would¡¯ve gone very badly for the Genasi. However, a fight against nine, who also came from only one direction instead of surrounding them, was much different.


    Although the Genasi didn¡¯t come out unscathed, the fight was still decided rather quickly. The party was ruined however, and Dee prepared the Jun to return back to the Four Winds compound. Only a portion of the outer perimeter guards had been killed, along with some unlucky patrols, so when they heard the sounds of battle they rushed towards the venue. On the way they ran into several rather gruesome battle sites. Over twenty bodies of the attackers were found dead in the garden. The Genasi would of course run their own investigation into the matter, trying to find out what had happened. Dee suspected that they would be unsuccessful, as that was one of the benefits of hiring assassins to do the dirty work for you.


    Her suspicion proved to be less than accurate as it turned out.


    ----------


    On their way back, Dee and the Jun noticed that the party wasn¡¯t the only place that had been attacked. There was smoke coming from several places, and they could see the glow of some burning buildings. As they got to the area controlled by the Four Winds, they found dozens of bodies being dragged off by the Dagon guards. Notably there were several places with blood, where bodies had already been moved. The Dagon guards didn¡¯t seem too worried though, and there was no sign of damage within the walled area either. Dee separated from the Jun, and found Moirai at the plaza in the middle of the Four Winds area, trying to detect any enemies that had slipped within their area.


    ¡°Dee, good to see you back alive and well. I can¡¯t quite tell with all these people running around, but judging from your expression the Jun you were supposed to protect are ok.¡± Moirai said, not even opening her eyes. She was too busy scanning for additional enemies, and Dee¡¯s expression would be the same no matter what had happened.


    ¡°Yes, though not for the lack of trying on the enemies¡¯ part. The Genasi were attacked as well, though judging by the amount of bodies outside, not nearly as hard as you. And so were several other places if I¡¯m right.¡± Dee replied with an easy tone. She didn¡¯t really care if anyone from the other communities had died. Truth be told, she didn¡¯t really care all that much for the people of Four Winds either, but she was supposed to help protect them while she was training here.


    ¡°Right you are. There were about three dozen simultaneous attacks around the city. Our compound was the hardest hit, most likely due to us being the strongest community in this city. They didn¡¯t really expect the presence of the guardians though. That suggests their information was spotty at best. I don¡¯t really think the attacks against us were even supposed to succeed.¡± Moirai voiced her suspicion.


    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree. The attack on the Genasi would¡¯ve been successful, but not to the point of actually destroying the whole Three Spears community. I think the idea was to do as much damage as possible to send a message and then retreat. Judging by the fires I saw, a part of that message was much more successful in its delivery.¡± Dee agreed with Moirai¡¯s suspicion. ¡°I assume you interrogated some of the attackers?¡±


    ¡°Of course. They were from an organized assassin group and didn¡¯t know anything beyond their mission, which was as you surmised, meant to end in a quick escape after doing some damage. Here¡¯s the real fun part though. I¡¯m fairly sure the assassin organization that attacked us was different from the one that attacked you. I got my hands on one of the buggers that attacked the other communities, and he was from a different group as well.¡± Moirai had a slight smirk, somewhat happy to one-up her disciple.


    Dee gave a small appreciative whistle. ¡°Well that is interesting, isn¡¯t it? Someone¡¯s been throwing around a lot of money. The assassin organizations really dislike working with each other. And I mean they¡¯d much rather kill each other instead, and for free of charge.¡±


    Moirai looked up sharply. ¡°You seem to know quite a bit about them.¡±


    Dee grimaced, noticing her slip-up. ¡°Well I did mention the Radiant Sun saved me from some bad people.¡± She gave an expressive wave of her hand. Translation: you should know which bad people by now.


    Moirai looked at Dee thoughtfully. ¡°Any chance that group was among today¡¯s attackers?¡±


    ¡°I seriously doubt it. I can¡¯t be certain of course, but if Zabaniya had been involved, they wouldn¡¯t have failed this badly. Plus, this isn¡¯t really their style.¡± Dee decided she might as well go the whole way now that she was sharing.


    Moirai drew a sharp breath, which she let out after a moment of thought. ¡°Well then, I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be so surprised, seeing as Radiant Sun and Threads of Fate were already involved with you.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Now that I think about it, I think I heard something about a joint raid on their facilities several years ago. Idle gossip mostly, as they don¡¯t really operate in the third circle. They were training you to become an assassin, weren¡¯t they?¡± She asked remembering how Dee had struck one of the three ruffians attacking Mina the first time they met. Dee had told Moirai she had struck in a particular way to keep the blood from splashing on her.


    Dee simply raised an eyebrow at her in reply. Translation: that¡¯s a really dumb question.


    ¡°Alright, alright, no need to be snide.¡± Moirai raised her hands in surrender, reading Dee¡¯s look correctly. ¡°I was simply considering if you had any insight into this attack?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t really say I have. I know it¡¯s very strange for the assassin groups to behave like this, but that¡¯s about it. They all seemed to be from organizations that aren¡¯t too picky about the methods used, and favor blood and terror. Beyond that¡­well I wasn¡¯t really privy to the inner workings of what makes assassin organizations tick.¡± Dee replied with a shrug.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s better than nothing. The objective of this attack is still unclear, so until then, we¡¯ll take all precautions. No one goes outside without protection, not even you.¡± Moirai said after a moment of consideration.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Mina then. They were not involved, but I want to make sure this didn¡¯t hit her too hard.¡± Dee said turning towards Mina¡¯s house.


    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re just hungry and want her cooking. Just admit it!¡± Moirai accused Dee with a wide grin. ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get away that easily. We could use you keeping an eye out until morning. I know how sharp those senses of yours can be.¡± Moirai had already figured that Mina¡¯s cooking was the best way to control Dee.


    Dee decided to ignore the accusation, which had hit the mark anyway. ¡°That reminds me, one of the assassins who attacked the Genasi was able to hide from all my senses, aside from Mindscape. I have no idea how he pulled it off. He was also stronger than me, so I¡¯d warn the guards. You could still see him normally though, so it wasn¡¯t like he had the same ability as me.¡±


    Moirai frowned. ¡°If he was that strong, how did you manage to kill him?¡±


    Dee¡¯s eyebrow shot up again. ¡°I used to be an assassin too, remember? I didn¡¯t give him an honest fight. That¡¯s for idiots. I made sure he was the first one I killed. I just thought I should warn you, in case there¡¯s more like him.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right. Your ability to hide is a psionic skill, and I¡¯ve never seen anything quite like it. There are several ways to hide your presence, but knowing what I do about your senses, it feels odd that someone could hide from them like that¡­unless¡­¡± Moirai suddenly stood up, walking to Dee and taking her hand.


    Dee could sense a small psionic probe investigating her, much like the Delving skill used by healers. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Son of a¡­it¡¯s an Authority!¡± Moirai huffed clearly shocked.


    ¡°An¡­Authority? I thought those were supposed to be rare?¡± Dee asked back shocked. Was that the thing she had felt transferring from the odd man into her body.


    ¡°They are, but they come in different classes and rarities. If I¡¯m reading this one right, you got a low ranking basic Authority from him as you killed him. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s one of those you can win in a battle. He must have killed the previous owner as well. You lucky¡­.!¡± Moirai didn¡¯t finish her curse.


    ¡°What does it do?¡± Dee asked confused. She could guess some of it, judging from how she couldn¡¯t sense the man. That would be of limited utility to her, considering her already existing skills.


    ¡°How should I know? It¡¯s not my Authority! These things also tend to be fairly complex even when they are low level. The ability he had might not be exactly the same you get. The exact effect can change from owner to owner, though the theme remains. These lower ranking Authorities tend to be a little weird like that, since they aren¡¯t tied to a particular legend or phenomenon.¡± Moirai frowned. ¡°Regardless, you really lucked out. This warrants more study, though you¡¯re the one that has to figure the Authority out. They don¡¯t usually come with a manual, which is partly why their effect can vary from owner to owner. Just because it hid the last owner, doesn¡¯t mean that¡¯s the only way to use it.¡±


    ¡°Well then. More fun for me. I was a little worried it might end up being useless.¡± Dee said, much more optimistic now.


    ¡°Bah! I¡¯ll tell Mina not to cook for you for a week. Someone as lucky as you doesn¡¯t deserve her cooking.¡± Moirai retaliated, still jealous.


    ¡°Nooooooooo! Don¡¯t do this to me! Master, cruel and unusual punishment is bad! Don¡¯t be one of those masters that torture their disciples!¡± Dee replied in half feigned panic, grabbing on Moirai¡¯s sleeve.

 Chapter 30

    ----------


    Moirai was not happy at all the day following the attacks. The largest communities in the area had sent representatives for a meeting to discuss the possible reasons for the attack, as well as agree on measures they should take to avoid future trouble. The meeting had been a complete disaster with all the communities accusing each other for the attack. The Four Winds sub-community and the Three Spears community had gotten the most accusations, because they were the two that had been the best off out of all the communities that got attacked.


    One would think the accusations would focus on communities that didn¡¯t get attacked at all, but the machinations of Pantheon made everyone assume that a guilty party would try to misdirect accusations by having themselves attacked as well. And since the two mentioned communities were the ones that suffered the least, they were the most suspicious. Actually no one actually voiced their accusations against the Four Winds with Moirai sitting at the table, but their looks and whispers spoke volumes.


    The Genasi of the Three Spears on the other hand were unable to explain the pathetic attack against their celebration, nor were they able to explain the dead bodies of the attackers found in their garden. Moirai had to admit that if Dee hadn¡¯t explained to her what had happened, she too would find that a little convenient. She knew better however, so she made no accusations against them, and even deflected attention away from the weird circumstances. She did that partially because she didn¡¯t want the others to find out that several members of the Four Winds had been performing at that party. It would be even more odd that both places with Four Winds members present also happened to be the places where the attacks were easily stopped.


    The whole meeting hadn¡¯t produced anything useful, and was just a giant waste of her time. Time which she had plenty of other uses for at the moment. She was also tired due to lack of sleep, and she was cranky due to lack of food as well. She could go on for weeks with no food and no sleep, but that didn¡¯t mean she enjoyed it being hungry. At least she wasn¡¯t as bad as Dee.


    She ran into Mina at the building used by the guardians soon after returning. ¡°Do you know where she is?¡± She asked rubbing her temple in annoyance. There was no need to specify who Moirai meant with ¡®she¡¯.


    ¡°I saw her for a moment after she stopped patrolling the area. I think she said something about going swimming. That was about an hour ago, so you might still catch her at the pond.¡± Mina replied, not wasting any time on frivolities. She could sense Moirai¡¯s mood. That was actually one of the problems with high ranking psions, their emotions sometimes leaked into the surroundings and could be felt by the surrounding people. Usually this was easy to keep in control, but in some cases the psion just couldn¡¯t be bothered. Such was the case now.


    The area controlled by the Four Winds also had a large pond within. The pond was large enough to almost be called a lake, and Moirai knew Dee liked to spend time swimming in the pond as a form of physical training. ¡°Have to hand it to the girl, even with missing the whole night¡¯s sleep, she still keeps up her training.¡± She said to herself. ¡°And I don¡¯t think she had a very pleasant sleep the previous night either.¡± Moirai remembered Dee had mentioned something about a chat with a deity.


    That was another thing that intrigued Moirai. The girl was obviously too young to have gone through the ritual, yet she also had a blessing as evidenced by the holy power she had seen the girl using on several occasions. In fact, the girl had an interesting quirk of doing fairly frivolous things with that holy power. She had seen Dee use holy magic to make a barrier to keep the rain from her fur, as well as using holy flames to clean her room and clothes by burning away dust and dirt. She¡¯d never seen such irreverent use of holy power before, though it did seem to double as a control exercise.


    Moirai reached the pond just as Dee was getting out of the water. Dee¡¯s normally fluffy tails looked kind of sad all wet like that. The rest of her body gleamed as the moisture was running down her short fur, as if being rejected by the white strands. She looked positively indecent in those skimpy swimming shorts and top, that did more to accentuate her figure than hide it. Yet Moirai knew the girl wasn¡¯t doing it on purpose, because she knew Dee hadn¡¯t quite grasped the whole concept of sexuality just yet. The various men and women in the area paid attention though.


    ¡°Get some clothes on idiot disciple! You look indecent!¡± Moirai yelled in a friendly reprimand.


    ¡°How could I look indecent with all this fur?¡± Dee asked with a tilted head. She still hadn¡¯t grasped that the fur was short enough that it didn¡¯t actually hide anything.


    ¡®Yep, still no clue.¡¯ Moirai thought to herself. ¡°Never mind that, just get some clothes on. I had a crappy morning, and I¡¯m going to be taking it out on you.¡±


    ¡°Weee.¡± Dee said in fake cheer, with a tone dead to all emotion.


    Moirai didn¡¯t waste any time and launched several mental attacks at her disciple who was drying herself off with a towel. Dee showed her new skill at mental defense by parrying the mental probes away instead of trying to block them, just like a warrior would parry enemy strikes with a sword. The least amount of effort for the maximum benefit. Of course mental attacks weren¡¯t as direct as physical ones, but at least Moirai could no longer force her way through Dee¡¯s mental defenses with brute strength.


    Aside from brute strength attacks, there were more subtle ways to try and penetrate the mental defenses of your target. One of the simplest was to try and find a gap in those defenses by enveloping your targets defenses with your attack. If the mental shield wasn¡¯t complete, then your attack would get through the gaps. Both of these methods relied on either being much stronger than your target or your targets defenses having gaps to exploit. Dee could now defend against both of these, as that was the first thing Moirai had taught her.


    That left the third and most commonly used strategy, which was to slowly burrow your way through your targets defenses. It was like trying to find your way through a maze made by your target, which kept shifting and your target kept throwing traps, blocks, false paths and other problems in your way. Interestingly this method didn¡¯t rely on your level of power or mastery of psionic power, though it did require practice to become good at. No, what this method relied on was each person¡¯s intellect, experience, ability to multitask and most of all deviousness.


    Of the four qualities, Dee had three of them in spades, especially the last one. Moirai had found this out the hard way, as her mental probes met nasty traps and kept running into blocks and were forced back to square one. The best and worst thing about this method was that the person on offense would inevitably succeed sooner or later; it was simply a matter of time. You could also use more than one probe to burrow through your target¡¯s defenses at multiple places. That¡¯s where the multitasking came in.


    The downside of this method was that even a class 1 psion could keep a class 9 psions out of her mind for a long time if she possessed the four qualities in large enough quantities. The attacker also had less than fun time during the offensive. The mental traps could range from very painful to extremely embarrassing, and mental pain could not be blocked the same way physical pain could be blocked.


    What Dee lacked in experience, she made up in deviousness. Her traps seemed impossible to avoid and detect, and the maze of her defenses seemed complex beyond measure. And she kept learning. Moirai could still get through Dee¡¯s defenses, but the time taken kept getting longer, and she had to exert more and more effort every time. The only reason she still did succeed, was because she was still better at multitasking due to her experience and Dee couldn¡¯t maintain that level of difficulty against all the attacks at once. It was a simple case of something requiring less attention once you¡¯ve done it a thousand times. That¡¯s why they kept practicing.


    ¡°Master, what happened at the meeting? Did you figure anything out?¡± Dee asked more to distract Moirai, than out of any real interest.


    ¡°Bah, that whole meeting was useless. If left up to them, we would never find out what happened.¡± Moirai let out a curse that would make an orc blush.


    ¡°Well let¡¯s try good old reason and logic for a moment, and see if we can figure something out. The way I see it, there are three main possibilities we should consider.¡± Dee still continued her distraction tactics, noticing Moirai paid more attention to the subject than she did.


    ¡°Go on.¡± Moirai prompted suddenly intrigued. The perspective of someone like Dee could be useful for ideas at least if nothing else.


    ¡°Well the idea is to figure out who benefits from this attack and how. We can probably rule out financial gain, as the price the assassin organizations would demand for something like this far exceeds any gains when considering the scale of damage. The first and most obvious possibility is that the attack itself was meant to accomplish something. The simplest goals would be to either cause damage to a target community or to kill a certain person, and the other attacks were there just to mask the real target.¡± Dee suggested, throwing off another probe by Moirai.


    ¡°That seems unlikely. It¡¯s too convoluted for something that could be done much cheaper and easier through other means. The only communities that really suffered were so minor that there are much better methods to achieve the same goal. Besides, if the attack was done either to teach a lesson or to take revenge, wouldn¡¯t the point be somewhat defeated if the person behind the attacks is unknown?¡± Moirai countered sending three new probes at Dee¡¯s defenses.


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    ¡°Ok, possibility number two then. The attacks were there just to hide something else. For example, one of the communities got their hands on an item they shouldn¡¯t have and the item was stolen or taken back during the confusion of the attacks.¡± Dee threw another suggestion, trapping two of the new probes almost immediately.


    Moirai twitched at the mental pain. ¡°That seems rather likely. It would also explain the presence of the person with a stealth Authority that you killed. Throwing away Authorities like that seems wasteful to the extreme, and if the Genasi got their hands on something they shouldn¡¯t¡­that seems like an avenue we should investigate.¡± Two of her probes were getting deeper into Dee¡¯s defenses.


    ¡°Alright, moving onto possibility number three. The attacks were made to elicit some kind of reaction from the communities in the area.¡± Dee guided the two mental probes right into each other, and as they stumbled they ran into another trap together. This time Moirai got one of Dee¡¯s nastier memories as a price instead of simple pain. It was about one of the operations Zabaniya had conducted on Dee.


    Moirai couldn¡¯t really do anything about that except grunt in displeasure. Dee liked to feed these fragmented pieces of memories as nasty surprises. They were shocking enough to distract her, but not clear enough to really find out anything about the girl¡¯s past, aside from the fact that it wasn¡¯t all rainbows and sunshine.


    ¡°What kind of reaction are you talking about?¡± Moirai asked, her attacks slacking off momentarily, allowing Dee to gain back lost ground.


    ¡°Well, for instance are there other sub-communities in this area, and did any of you call for reinforcements from the main community for additional defense? They might want to weaken your main community.¡± Dee suggested.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re the only sub-community in this area as far as I¡¯m aware. And we didn¡¯t need to ask for more forces. In any case, the attack was too weak for that anyway.¡± Moirai replied immediately, finally picking up some of the lost momentum.


    ¡°Well, then I would assume that the communities in the area recalled most of their people from the surrounding area for protection. Maybe someone was getting too close to something that doesn¡¯t want to be found. Maybe someone is planning a large scale attack against us, and doesn¡¯t want too many eyes in the surroundings.¡± Dee suggested, pushing back another probe, simply by leading it astray.


    ¡°That¡­actually sounds plausible and very bad. We need to send some patrols out.¡± Moirai suddenly stopped her attack and got up immediately.


    ¡°Also consider the possibility that the attack might have wanted to accomplish more than one of the goals at the same time!¡± Dee yelled after Moirai, quite happy at her success.


    ¡°Time to see if I can scrounge up some clothes and maybe some food while she¡¯s distracted.¡± Dee mumbled to herself, looking down. She had kept the same clothes in the hopes that would provide a small distraction as well. For some reason people tended to pay attention when she dressed like this, and she wasn¡¯t above using that to her advantage. Even Moirai got distracted every now and then.


    -----


    ¡®Seems something is bothering you.¡¯ Croestia asked, as Dee had trouble focusing on her cultivation.


    Moirai had taught Dee an actual cultivation methods after finding out Dee had used nothing but refining methods so far. The difference was noticeable as Dee could feel that the earlier slowdown of her power growth seemed to not be a problem anymore. That said, this evening Dee kept fidgeting around and was unable to focus on her meditation.


    ¡®I¡¯m just arriving at some rather unwelcome conclusions.¡¯ Dee replied silently.


    Croestia was a little confused why Dee was suddenly not talking out loud anymore, but that didn¡¯t really bother her. ¡®I get the sense that this has something to do with what you were talking about with Moirai earlier.¡¯


    ¡®Partially yes. Our little discussion earlier prompted me to think about things, but that¡¯s not the root cause of the problem. The problem is the Authority I gained last night.¡¯ Dee replied unhappily.


    ¡®You figured something about the Authority then?¡¯ Croestia asked even more confused. Shouldn¡¯t that be a good thing? Even if the Authority was useless, at least they would know and could deal with it accordingly.


    ¡®Yes. There¡¯s a bit more to the Authority that first meets the eye. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a low ranking basic Authority like Moirai thought. It¡¯s not something grand like a Hero Authority, but it¡¯s more than she thinks. The Authority is all about stealth and hiding, and part of the Authority is that it also hides its potential from outside investigation.¡¯ Dee hadn¡¯t had too much time to familiarize herself with the Authority, but it didn¡¯t hide the details from Dee the same way it hid things from Moirai.


    ¡®That sounds great, especially since we thought it might be useless to you. So why are you unhappy?¡¯ Croestia asked her confusion deepening.


    ¡®Here¡¯s the problem. It hasn¡¯t been that long since Moirai told me about a glaring problem in my stealth abilities, namely other psions being able to rather easily detect me. She also didn¡¯t know of any way to compensate for that weakness. Now I suddenly gain an Authority that might be able to solve that problem, and it might be the only solution, seeing as Authorities break normal rules. This seems a little too coincidental, does it not?¡¯ Dee mentioned her suspicions.


    ¡®Wait, are you sure it can solve the problem?¡¯ Croestia was sorting her own thoughts and wanted to make sure she understood.


    ¡®Sure? No. I haven¡¯t had enough time with it to be certain. I¡¯m fairly confident though that this Authority should be able to hide my mind within Mindscape for at least short periods of time. I could use it for other purposes as well, but this is the main point. The exact time the Authority would hide me requires further testing, but I suspect it depends on who I¡¯m hiding from. Someone strong like Moirai should see past it quicker.¡¯ Dee explained her thoughts rather patiently. She wanted Croestia¡¯s opinion, and kind of hoped that Croestia would call her crazy.


    ¡®Well, if that is true, then it does seem a little too coincidental. What does this have to do with your talk with Moirai though?¡¯ Croestia asked, trying to piece it together.


    ¡®Well, doesn¡¯t it kind of seem that the Authority was almost fed to me? The person holding the Authority just so happens to attack the party I¡¯m attending as a bodyguard, and I can also detect the other people accompanying the person who should theoretically be nigh on undetectable if the others were not around. I told Moirai I could see three basic possible reasons behind the attacks, but there might have been a fourth reason.¡¯ Dee really hoped she was wrong about this.


    ¡®You don¡¯t think the whole attack was just to get you that one Authority, do you?¡¯ Croestia asked shocked. ¡®That seems quite extreme.¡¯


    ¡®No I don¡¯t. However, like I mentioned to Moirai, there might have been more than one reason for the attacks. I find it much more likely that someone found out about the attacks beforehand and just made use of them for their own purposes. I mean, once you know that there will be dozens of attacks, slipping in one more won¡¯t draw attention, and who would notice a few extra bodies among all the dead? That¡¯s not the worst part though.¡¯ Dee was just getting started.


    ¡®It¡¯s not? That¡¯s plenty bad already.¡¯ Croestia wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to know more.


    ¡®No. In order for someone to send me this little gift, they first had to know I was looking for it. They had to know where I would be at the time of attacks. They also had to know that I was able to first sense the approaching threat, and secondly deal with them. You¡¯ll note that the person I killed was stronger than me, so it¡¯s not too farfetched to think I would lose that fight. Someone has been observing me, and I haven¡¯t noticed at all. They are able to hide from me, and most likely also able to listen to at least some of our conversations. They can also hide from Moirai, who is a class 9 psion.¡¯ Dee really, really hoped she was wrong.


    ¡®That¡¯s why you¡¯re talking to me like this isn¡¯t it? Who would be able to do something like this and why?¡¯ Croestia was flabbergasted by the implications.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know, but I can think of some possibilities. It seemed the Zabaniya were grooming me for something. Perhaps they still are. Another possibility that comes to mind are the two goddesses that have getting on my nerves lately.¡¯ Dee suggested.


    ¡®There¡¯s a third possibility.¡¯ Croestia suddenly suggested.


    ¡®Who?¡¯ Dee asked.


    ¡®Well, someone was supposed to meet you when you first came into this world. From everything I¡¯ve seen in your memories and can infer from what was left inside me, your mother Selvaria has friends in high places. Very high places. As in first and second circle level of high places. Immortals over rank ten-type of high places. Perhaps that friend is involved.¡¯ Croestia suggested simply.


    ¡®After all this time?¡¯ Dee wondered mostly to herself.


    ¡®Well, information is power. Finding someone like you in a world as large as this takes time. Maybe they like what they¡¯re seeing, and are pushing some things in the right direction¡­¡¯ Croestia replied.


    ¡®Why not approach me then?¡¯ Dee asked a little sullen. She herself knew several possible reasons, but she felt the need to ask anyway.


    ¡®That I can¡¯t say. Like I said, that¡¯s just one possibility. Maybe they think you¡¯re safer here or something?¡¯ Croestia replied, knowing that Dee could guess many other possible reasons herself.

 Chapter 31

    ----------


    Ngaire looked at the little demon girl in front of him. Well, little was the wrong word, as the girl was almost two mel tall and had as much muscle as a girl could and still look attractive. As they were used to being the tallest and strongest people in the room, Dagon usually thought members of other races as ¡®little¡¯. Even as tall as the girl was, Ngaire was still almost a full head taller, so she was still smaller than him.


    Moirai was out trying to figure out what was going on with the attacks, and had left instructions for the two to have their first fight, even without her doing her part. Even though the fights were meant to test the girl¡¯s ability to do some psion thing in combat, the guardian though it wise if they had their first bout without that added complication. Two unknown opponents fighting each other and testing each other out was complicated enough, without the added hindrance of some psionic mumbo jumbo.


    The guardian had also left very clear instructions to Ngaire. ¡°Don¡¯t hold back!¡±


    He guessed this was supposed to be another lesson for the girl. A lesson in humility. That was something many young people never learned until it was too late. The girl didn¡¯t look like someone who was used to losing. The speed and agility types never were. They thought themselves as untouchable. They flitted around like faeries or birds, so certain in their ability to remain unharmed. Until someone clipped their wings and showed them what it was like fighting against someone who could just overpower them with strength and fortitude.


    ¡®That¡¯s most likely the lesson the guardian wants me to teach the girl. Humility and what it feels like to be overpowered.¡¯ Ngaire thought his victory was certain. He knew he was almost two full ranks above the girl, so his confidence wasn¡¯t unfounded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to pull out your weapons?¡± Ngaire asked a little baffled as the two squared off against each other on the training field.


    The other people had all stopped their own training, and were now gathering around to watch the fun. Ngaire could see bets being made, thinking no one would be stupid enough to bet on the girl winning, so the bets were most likely about how long she could put up a fight. It was rare for the others to see Ngaire fight, and the new disciple of Moirai had roused the interest of nearly everyone among the sub-community, for multiple reasons.


    ¡°Don¡¯t need them. If you two want me to go through this, I refuse to be a punching bag and play by your rules.¡± Dee replied a little gruffly.


    Ngaire frowned. ¡°What do you me¡­¡± He didn¡¯t have the chance to finish the sentence as the girls form changed into something rather monstrous that he didn¡¯t have time to observe properly, as it dashed straight at him with a blinding speed.


    Ngaire barely managed to lift his two handed blade to protect his chest from the paw that slashed at him in an almost uppercut manner. ¡°Son of a bitch!¡± Ngaire cursed as he felt his feet leave the ground as he flew backwards. His flight ending with a splash of water and a fervent struggle towards the surface of the pond he had ended up in. He wasn¡¯t injured, aside from his pride.


    Dee gave a vicious grin of satisfaction as he watched Ngaire splash into the pond. She might only be a relatively newly minted class five psion, but she was physically very strong for her rank, already matching someone at the peak of the fifth rank. That was before she shifted into her nine-tailed fox form which multiplied her physical attributes in exchange for not being able to use weapons. Combine that with the full power strength buff Croestia had just given her, and the result was as everyone could see.


    Dee had actually held back a little in her first blow, not coating her claws in psionic power, since she didn¡¯t want to accidentally kill Ngaire while he was still unprepared. The man¡¯s touki, a protective layer of ki on his skin, had prevented her claws from actually hurting the man. Didn¡¯t protect his pride though, which was her aim. She wanted him angry. She wanted to show she wasn¡¯t going to take her beatings meekly, and wanted to establish what she could do while not distracted by Moirai¡¯s psionic attacks.


    Ngaire threw away his soggy shirt and brandished his sword after reaching the ground. ¡°Alright girlie, let¡¯s have it your way then. I hope you like it rough, because this is going to get very rough.¡± His ki suddenly burst out to surround him like plate armor, strengthening all his muscles. His skin also started to slowly turn scaly, showing the supposed draconic heritage of his race.


    -----


    ¡®I wonder if the two have already started.¡¯ Moirai wondered as she walked back towards the training field. Today¡¯s investigation had given disturbing results so she returned early.. She was also curious to see the fight between Ngaire and Dee, as they should be rather closely matched when nothing else was interfering with Dee¡¯s concentration.


    ¡®I just hope Ngaire took my warning seriously. He could get in trouble if he thinks Dee isn¡¯t up to the challenge.¡¯ She had given the warning; the rest was up to him.


    ¡®What¡¯s going on here?¡¯ She wondered as she got closer and saw the cheering crowds around the training field. Normally only the guards and some warriors used the field, but now there were thousands of people jumping and cheering and making bets, ranging from the rowdy Dagon to the diminutive but excited Meilin. There were even three Anshar watching with stoic faces, fiery glow shining between the cracks of their black leathery skin.


    No one stopped her from pushing her way towards the center of the commotion, they all recognized Moirai after all, and soon she was staring at a sight that made her eye twitch. There was blood on the ground, and the ground itself looked like it had gone through a magical bombardment, there was very little left of the training ground that had been here before.


    The two fighters didn¡¯t seem all that much better off. Ngaire was covered in bloody gashes, his sword having snapped before, losing its point and about a palm¡¯s worth of its length and several of his scales were scattered on the ground. There was also very little left of his clothes, which had been shredded. Dee, still in her more feral form, was also covered in bruises and gashes that would¡¯ve bled profusely, if they hadn¡¯t been in the middle of regenerating. One of her paws had clearly broken at some point, and only barely managed to regenerate at this point.


    Moirai¡¯s eye twitched some more as the two once again clashed, pummeling each other with all their strength. There was no finesse in this fight, this was a brawl pure and simple. There was no technique, no feints and parries, no dodging or any attempt to avoid the blows. This fight was all about their ability to give and take hits.


    Dee¡¯s claws slashed at Ngaire, her claws glowing with psionic power. Most of it was stopped by Ngaire¡¯s touki, but one of the claws managed to leave a nasty gash on his thigh, as he replied by slamming his blade into her side, throwing her sideways due to the power of the blow, the ground breaking under the pressure of Dee¡¯s rapid deceleration as she lunged again at Ngaire.


    It was clear both of them had some trouble getting through the other¡¯s defenses. Ngaire was a defense oriented warrior with thick touki, while Moirai noticed that Dee¡¯s fur hardened under every blow, turning into something rivaling armor. That armor prevented most wounds but that didn¡¯t mean the impact went away, so every blow left bruises and jangled her insides, but that was mostly countered by her regeneration.


    ¡°How long have they been at it?¡± Moirai asked the nearby Mina, who was cheering at Dee.


    ¡°I came here twenty minutes ago, when Tuana ran to get us. I guess the fight had gone on for a while before that.¡± Mina replied, blushing with excitement. There was something about a good old slugfest that got people going.


    Moirai didn¡¯t know if she should join the cheering or cry at the two idiots going at it. She was about to interfere and spoil everyone¡¯s fun, but the fight came to a surprising conclusion before she had the chance. The two had moved closer to the pond again, and Dee got an idea from her initial attack. She suddenly charged at Ngaire, ramming the man with her whole body, bringing both of them into the water.


    Unlike Dee, Ngaire wasn¡¯t expecting this and didn¡¯t get a change to take in much air; in fact Dee¡¯s sudden blow had pushed most of their air out of his lungs instead. This became a much bigger problem, as he could feel Dee¡¯s jaws clamp around his neck and drag him deeper underwater. He struggled of course, but Dee had gotten behind him, and was now dragging him deeper, not allowing him to come up to the surface.


    The audience watched in silence as some time passed, and finally the surface of the pond was disturbed as Dee swam towards the shore. She dragged the thoroughly drowned Ngaire to the surface, still holding him by the neck, though much gentler now that the man¡¯s touki was gone. As they got back on the ground, Dee kicked Ngaire in the ribs for good measure before collapsing right next to him.


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    ¡°Might want to get all that water out of his lungs. Also get a healer here. I¡¯m too tired to cast any healing spells on him while I regenerate.¡± Dee said with a tired voice, which spurred everyone into action.


    ¡°Having fun, are we?¡± Dee heard a chilling voice above her, and found her master staring at her with a decidedly unhappy face. The diminutive woman could look quite menacing with her hands planted on her hips like that.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Dee hedged, not really willing to admit that the fight had actually been rather fun.


    ----------


    ¡°Second tail!¡± Moirai commanded with a cool voice.


    Dee silently obliged by placing a second tail in her lap. Moirai had already been petting the first one for an hour as a form of stress relief. Petting something fluffy seemed to calm her down. Dee herself lay on the floor, regenerating all the damage she took in the fight against Ngaire. Outwardly she was fine, but it took a little time to get everything to perfect working order inside her body.


    Moirai had been rather displeased with their little bout. Dee had tried to disarm the situation by shrinking down and acting cute, but the only result was Moirai dragging her back indoors by her neck. Dee had looked a little like a kitten being carried by her mother, except by hand and not in Moirai¡¯s mouth. Dee had been too bloody for that. Otherwise Dee wouldn¡¯t have put anything past her master, as Moirai had looked ready to chew iron and spit nails. The barely contained mirth from the gathered crowd had been somewhat humiliating.


    ¡°So. Care to explain what happened there?¡± Moirai finally got to a point where asking questions was possible. No one was stupid enough to mix that with a real question though, as it was clearly a demand for answers.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can give a proper rational explanation.¡± Dee mumbled.


    ¡°Try.¡± Moirai said simply.


    ¡°I wanted to wipe that smug smirk off his face.¡± Dee said simply, as if that explained everything.


    ¡°Ngaire doesn¡¯t smirk. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen him smile more than once since I came here. That was when you were helping with the security and he was sure he got you with the waterways. And that barely qualified as a smile.¡± Moirai immediately rebutted. Describing Ngaire as stoic was giving him too much credit expressions-wise.


    ¡°It was in his eyes.¡± Dee said a little defensively.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say it was. Since when have you started to care what others thought of you?¡± Moirai asked with a frown. Dee was almost remarkably unconcerned about the opinions of anyone but those close to her. Mainly Moirai herself and Mina to be exact.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really that. In general I don¡¯t care, but I¡¯ll be fighting Ngaire a lot in the future. And I will be losing, due to the mental attacks. I just wanted him to know I could beat him without that interference.¡± Dee explained further.


    ¡°Then why a brawl like that? Don¡¯t try to tell me you normally fight like that, I know better. You¡¯re an assassin, not a brawler.¡± Moirai asked further.


    ¡°Several reasons. Firstly because he¡¯s strong enough that I can¡¯t pull my punches. Like you said, I¡¯ve trained as an assassin, and even though I also have templar training, my way of fighting focuses on killing my enemy as quickly and efficiently as possible. It¡¯s much harder for me to fight someone and let them live, than it is to kill them. If I had tried to fight him normally without killing him, I would¡¯ve lost.¡± Dee explained after gathering her thoughts.


    ¡°Ok, I can see how that could work. You said there were several reasons.¡± Moirai prompted her to continue.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really have that much experience fighting in my other form, so this was the optimal opportunity. Also my physical ability increases significantly in this form.¡± Dee was still in the nine-tailed fox form.


    ¡°And?¡± Moirai prompted.


    ¡°Well I just felt like brawling for once. I¡¯m always holding myself under such strict control. It felt good to let go for once.¡± Dee rubbed her paw at her nose. ¡°I also feel like something more savage is waking up inside me. I think that clouds my judgement somewhat.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you told me about your heritage. You think something new is waking up?¡± Moirai asked suddenly more curious.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure, though it feels it¡¯s still a fairly long time away. This might have something to do with my sixteenth birthday.¡± This wasn¡¯t the first symptom. The desire to take lives of others was another, though that need was sated for now.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very promising.¡± Moirai frowned lost in thought.


    ¡°Enough about me. What did you find during your investigation?¡± Dee asked, knowing Moirai had been searching the surroundings of the city with the scouts of the sub-community.


    ¡°Right, we did find things that suggested rather hostile preparations. It seems the attack really was meant to pen us in. We dealt with the enemies we found, but I¡¯m pretty sure those were just a minor part of their preparations. The real problem was the nature of the enemies.¡± Moirai¡¯s frown remained.


    ¡°Well, out with it. Don¡¯t keep me in suspense.¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°We found undead. Low level undead, but rather numerous.¡± Moirai said simply. They had mostly found simple skeletons and shambling dead.


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a problem.¡± Dee replied simply.


    ¡°It is. However, I want to make sure we are thinking about the same thing. Why do you think it¡¯s a problem?¡± Moirai asked, thinking Dee might have noticed different trouble that she might have missed.


    ¡°Well, most undead aren¡¯t smart enough to hire assassins. Not to mention that most assassin guilds don¡¯t deal with undead. That suggests the presence of either very powerful undead or a third party.¡± Dee explained.


    Most undead were not intelligent enough for even basic communication. They had been brought back to life by negative energy very similar to the one contained in the power Dee had gotten from Umbra, except much more diluted. That¡¯s why holy power was so effective against all undead, as it was this negative energy that held them together. That also made dark priests the people most suited for necromancy.


    There were some more intelligent undead like liches that were the gathering point of large amounts of negative energy, but they were rare and usually hunted on sight before they became a real problem. Few of the vampire types also qualified as undead, although most did not. Vampires were also trouble, though the non-undead types were rather well liked in the Night city.


    ¡°Hmm, two out of three isn¡¯t bad, considering you probably aren¡¯t aware of the workings of the inner circles.¡± Moirai mused.


    ¡°I¡¯m missing something?¡± Dee asked with slight surprise. ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope were not dealing with the servants of the Cult of Great Mother, also known as the Spider Cult. They are a cult of necromancers and worship the Spider Goddess of Death and Poison. That goddess is a rather special deity in the sense that she is one of the few who have several physical avatars that are worshipped as the living idols of their faith. The Great Mothers bestow the kiss of death to those willing and deserving, who then become Death Lords. They are the greatest necromancers in the universe, and wield the power of death and decay. They are also the most powerful undead as they straddle the line between living and undead, functionally immortal.¡± Moirai tried to remember the details. Cult of Great Mother had always been rather secretive.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of gods having living manifestations like that.¡± Dee mentioned half to herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. She isn¡¯t the only goddess to do something like that but it is extremely rare. It¡¯s rumored that they are her daughters, though that might be baloney. She¡¯s also one of the ten strongest deities in existence, so there¡¯s that. All of the ten have their quirks. Anyway, the cult is ranked as the fourteenth community in the Night city. We really don¡¯t want them around here. They are bad news.¡± Moirai gave a small shudder.


    ¡°What would someone like that want in this area anyway? For that matter, what would any undead want in this area? Not to sound to mean, but the most remarkable thing about this place is the sub-community of Four Winds.¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°That remains to be seen. I doubt one of their Death Lords has come here, as even us guardians would be powerless to stop them, but one of their acolytes might be here for some reason.¡± Moirai suggested.


    ¡°Well, that would explain why some of the attackers I killed seemed to have some sort of buff spells cast by a dark priest. I thought maybe the assassins had one in their ranks, but an acolyte of the cult would be another explanation.¡± Dee suggested, both of them hoping that was not the case.

 Chapter 32

    ¡±The undead are a problematic enemy for me personally.¡± Moirai admitted to Dee.


    ¡°Why? What makes them special?¡± Dee asked in slight surprise.


    ¡°Most undead are mindless as far as Mindscape is concerned. You can¡¯t attack their minds and I can¡¯t detect them either. Even the high ranking undead that are clearly intelligent count as mindless for some odd reason. I think there¡¯s something in their nature that hides them, but I¡¯ve never been fully able to explain it. The only exceptions are vampires and those that became undead by their own will, like some high ranking necromancers transforming themselves into liches. I think it''s because the undead are born of negative energy.¡± Moirai explained.


    Most undead were not animated corpses of the dead, instead they were physical manifestations of the negative energy as a result of negative feelings and death of several people in a small area. That negative energy could take over a dead body, which led to the common misconception. More often than not though, undead were created when a large amount of negative energy came together, and the body of the undead creature would essentially appear from nowhere. The higher ranked the undead was, the more negative energy was required to create them. Something like a skeletal dragon was rare, but didn¡¯t actually require a corpse of a dragon to be born. There were cases of a particularly malicious and vengeful spirit regaining a new form to exact revenge, though it was unclear if these were just some residual thoughts of the dead person, or had the actual soul lingering after death as well.


    Moirai continued. ¡°That makes it hard for me to track the source of the undead. There weren¡¯t enough of them yet to be a real problem, but unless we find the source¡­¡± The other two guardians were chosen for their ability in battle and not their ability to track targets, so they were equally useless.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure if I mentioned it, but I¡¯ve received training as a scout. Also, I¡¯ve trained as a templar as you know, and killing undead is kind of our specialty.¡± Dee pointed out. ¡®Well undead and mages.¡¯ She also thought to herself.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re too young to be accepted to the scouts of the templar. How did this happen?¡± Moirai asked. What wasn¡¯t the girl trained in?


    ¡°Well, Captain Sarfina was training me to become one of the scouts, I think. She got one of the elven rangers of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann to train me in preparation. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m fully trained, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Dee explained a little embarrassed.


    ¡°A ranger from the empire of elves and Sidhe? Well that¡¯s a reliable training if I¡¯ve ever heard of one. You did mention the captain was someone with clout among the elves.¡° As time passed, Dee had told Moirai some details about Sarfina, though nothing too important.


    ¡°So how about it? It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll lose anything if I try.¡± Dee suggested.


    Moirai thought for a moment. ¡°Alright. You can give it a shot. I¡¯ll prepare some forces while you look for the source of the undead. Take this with you.¡± Moirai tossed Dee a small stone with the Four Winds insignia.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Dee could¡¯ve used her ability to read magic to figure it out, but it was easier to just ask.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the more useful things the spell slingers have managed to create. Just put a bit of your power into it and think of me. That thing will connect us magically, and allow us to talk over distances.¡± Moirai gave brief instructions.


    ¡°Any chance of being overheard?¡± Dee asked with some curiosity. She¡¯d heard of communicators like this, and Zabaniya used them on occasion, though never with the children.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not a complete impossibility, so don¡¯t mention any deep dark secrets, but it¡¯s unlikely. Just contact me when you find something.¡± Moirai reassured her.


    ¡°Roger that.¡± Dee said rather happily. Time to get out of the city a bit.


    ----------


    The site of the fight between Moirai and the undead didn¡¯t really give much in the way of clues. The area was forested, and the fight itself had happened in a clearing surrounded by trees on all sides. Moirai had done a number on the undead, so no hints would be found there. However, it did seem like a staging area of some sort. It was also clear that the undead didn¡¯t walk here. Low level undead weren¡¯t smart or skilled enough to move through the forest without leaving traces of their passing.


    ¡®So they were either raised here, or transported somehow.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. The first option seemed much more likely, which meant that she should be looking for signs of a single being passing through the forest instead of a group of undead.


    She didn¡¯t find obvious traces of a necromancer, who in general weren¡¯t exactly woodsmen. That in itself wasn¡¯t too strange though as some undead like wraiths and liches were able to float above the ground. She did however find signs of a powerful undead passing through the woods. Not footprints or anything that obvious, but a touch of death on the nature itself.


    Some powerful undead had a clear aura of death around them. This was especially true for those with magical abilities like liches and vampires as the mana from the death element suffused through them. This aura damaged the nature around them. Not in an obvious way, unless the owner of the aura wanted to, but enough to leave a trace. The nature was already healing though, and in a few days the trace would be gone, as the power of life circulated in the forest.


    For now though, the trace was not too difficult to follow if you knew what you were looking for. Dee followed the trace for hours, only reaching her goal just before nightfall. She reached the edge of several ruins and noticed the presence of more undead. This time of higher rank that just simple skeletons and shambling dead. The ruins didn¡¯t look like the remains of a town but they were too big to be a mansion as well. The buildings had almost completely disappeared, so it was hard to guess their purpose.


    ¡°Moirai, can you hear me?¡± Dee sent a message through the stone.


    ¡®I can hear you. You found something?¡¯ Came her teacher¡¯s voice clear in her mind.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure I found where the undead are coming from. I¡¯m at some weird ruins south from the city. There are plenty of undead around. I see skeleton warriors and knights, couple of large pieces of flesh that look quite abominable that I don¡¯t recognize, there are several spectral beings I¡¯d guess are ghosts, and I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s at least one Wight among them. There¡¯s a few ghouls as well, and I think I can see a tomb giant in the distance.¡± Dee explained what she could see.


    Skeletal warriors and knights were much more dangerous than simple skeletons because they seemed to have some level of battle instincts. They worked as a group and even used battle tactics. Where normal skeletons might have a rusty blade and some rotting armor, these skeletons had actual weapons and armor and some ability to use them. Wights were skeletons with actual intelligence and ability to use either mana or ki. They were the warrior equivalent of liches and were often seen commanding groups of lower ranked undead as generals. Groups of Wights could be extremely dangerous to most beings as their equipment often had magical properties.


    ¡®Ruins. Hold on, where are you exactly? Can you describe the ruins?¡¯ Moirai asked.


    ¡°The ruins are surrounded by three small mountains and don¡¯t seem to be the remains of a village. I would guess they might have been a palace of some sort long time ago. I suppose it could a sect of some kind as well. It¡¯s about a day¡¯s journey from the city.¡± Dee gave some additional information as well as her own speculation.


    ¡®I think we know what you¡¯re talking about now. Sit tight, we can use the stone to track your location, so we¡¯ll find you faster.¡¯ Moirai instructed, cutting the connection.


    ¡°Tracking eh? I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m all that happy with the idea.¡± Dee mused.


    ----------


    It was morning by the time Dee felt hundreds of people approaching her from the city. She could recognize Moirai from the Mindscape. As they drew closer, she could recognize warriors and mages from the sub-community, led by Moirai and Ngaire. She didn¡¯t see the other guardians, so they must have stayed behind to protect the community.


    Moirai didn¡¯t have time to make any questions before Dee gestured towards the ruins and the undead. The ruins were still cast in shadows, and would most likely remain so, as undead didn¡¯t exactly deal well with sunlight, which weakened strong undead and outright killed weaker ones.


    ¡°Ah, you were right Ngaire. It really is the ruins of the old temple complex. Oh, those undead seem bothersome. Good job Dee!¡± Moirai said, observing the ruins.


    ¡°Temple complex?¡± Dee asked. She hadn¡¯t thought of that.


    Ngaire replied instead of Moirai. ¡°There used to be a series of temples to the dark gods in this area. The head-priest got a little too depraved in his actions, with live sacrifices and raiding the surroundings. Several communities came together and burnt the whole place down. This was over a thousand years ago I think.¡±


    ¡°So what shall we do about them Ngaire?¡± Moirai asked for input.


    ¡°Well, attacking them straight up would work, especially if Dee really has abilities as a templar. That would come with some losses though. I don¡¯t¡¯ suppose you want to just try blasting them to bits?¡± Ngaire suggested.


    The ranks that noted the power of individuals were not linear, as the power and skill required for each rank grew almost exponentially. While someone like Ngaire or Dee around ranks five and six were still relatively normal, they only equaled something like elite royal guards on many worlds. Rank seven Grand Knights and Grand Magus were already strong enough to turn the tides of wars and ranks eight and nine could annihilate armies.


    As a class nine psion, Moirai had this ability as well. Even with the presence of Wights and tomb giants, Moirai could wipe them all out with relative ease. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should. The master of these undead has yet to show himself, and it would be kind of bad if he attacked me while I was dealing with the undead here. It might be better if I hide my strength for now. Let¡¯s try to be careful with the attack. Ngaire, you can deal with the Wight and me and Dee can take on the tomb giants. Dee can you give the others some help with the others to avoid losses?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. Just have them gather for the attack and I¡¯ll give them a boost before we charge in.¡± Dee replied lightly.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The Four Winds forces gathered for a charge in view of the undead who also started to gather for a battle. They could¡¯ve tried a surprise attack, but the terrain didn¡¯t really allow it, and the power from the battle preparations would¡¯ve warned the enemy anyway. Mages and warriors casting buffs and gathering power was not hard to detect.  Just before the Four Winds formation charged, Ngaire gave Dee the signal to do her thing. He wasn¡¯t sure what Dee would be able to do with this many people, but any little bit would help. Blessing this many people took quite a bit of holy power.


    Dee concentrated and drew heavily on Lumen¡¯s power, as it was much more suitable for this purpose. ¡°¡¯Blessed Blades¡¯, ¡®Champions of the Just¡¯ ¡®Regen¡¯¡± Dee cast several blessing on the whole group of four hundred people.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Ngaire mumbled as he noted the effects of the spells. Golden flames deadly to undead covered their weapons without affecting the wielders, ¡®Champions of the Just¡¯ was an improved version of the spell ¡®There is no Darkness¡¯ which protected against the effects of the negative energy of the undead. It also increased the strength of the targets. ¡®Regen¡¯ was a simple regenerative spell that lasted for a long time. It wouldn¡¯t heal large wounds or save someone about to die, but it did recover small wounds and helped regenerate lost stamina.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there dolts!¡± Moirai yelled. ¡°Attack!¡± She knew just as well that three blessings like that required quite a lot of holy power, but she refused to be surprised anymore when it came to Dee.


    The battle was rather short and brutal. Even without the added buffs, the Four Winds had strong warriors and skilled mages, and the buffs made things much easier. Ghosts relied on their ability attack enemies with negative energy and avoid physical attacks due to their ethereal nature, but both of those had been negated by the buffs, turning the ghosts into a non-factor in the fight. Ngaire took down the Wight in single combat, while Moirai rather casually dealt with the gigantic skeleton known as a tomb giant. Dee faired almost as well, as holy spells were very effective, even to the point that she didn¡¯t even have to fight the giant in melee. The rest of the undead folded with the big hitters gone.


    ¡°Still no sign of whoever was supposed to be their master. Goddess damn it!¡± Moirai cursed. The Wight could function as a commander, but it had no ability raise other undead.


    Her thoughts were interrupted as Dee gave a whistle as a signal for finding something. She was standing near an opening to a tunnel that seemed to be going underground. It was half buried within the largest ruin in the area.


    ¡°That seems a bit ominous.¡± Ngaire muttered.


    ¡°And almost certainly trapped. Otherwise the undead wouldn¡¯t have been out here in the open.¡± Moirai commented.


    ¡°Give me a head start. I¡¯ll scout out ahead. I¡¯m good at spotting traps.¡± Dee said and slipped into the tunnel without waiting for an answer.


    ¡°So now she has trap spotting skills as well?¡± Ngaire asked with a tone that showed he had given up.


    ¡°Just go with it. It¡¯s easier that way. If you ask, you might get an answer that will only disturb you more.¡± Moirai replied with a slight smile.


    The tunnel was indeed trapped, though only part of the way. Most of the traps were magical, which Dee had no trouble disarming with ¡®Spell Purge¡¯. Kind of easy to strike at spells that were stationary, and didn¡¯t react to the surroundings unless triggered. There were some mechanical traps as well, though a lot less. Some she could purposefully trigger, which resulted in arrows flying out, while others she marked so the other would avoid them.


    The traps soon stopped, but there was another problem. ¡°Moirai, I think you¡¯re clear to lead them here now. The tunnel splits to three though.¡±


    Soon Moirai lead the other to the large room with three other tunnels splitting off. ¡°So what now?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Give me your best guess. Which is the most unlikely tunnel to lead to our target?¡± Moirai asked.


    ¡°That one.¡± Dee pointed to the tunnel on the right. ¡°It heads back towards the surface. I¡¯d guess it¡¯s an escape route. It also shows no signs of use.¡±


    Moirai gave a small gesture, and a small group of warriors started up the tunnel, slowly searching for traps. ¡°And next?¡±


    ¡°The left one. The dust suggests lack of use, although I can¡¯t be certain. Someone definitely used the middle one recently though.¡±


    Moirai gave another gesture and Ngaire led the rest to the left tunnel. That left Dee and Moirai to go into the middle tunnel. ¡°Interesting split.¡± Dee commented.


    ¡°You seem to be able to handle yourself and spot traps. Besides, you¡¯re safest with me. And I¡¯m the best person to deal with the enemy.¡± Moirai said simply.


    Their plan ended up being rather short lived though. After ten minutes of walking they came into another split, though this time with only two tunnels. ¡°Well this is rather suggestive.¡± Dee commented wryly.


    ¡°Indeed. You take the left one and stay out of sight. I know how stealthy you can be. Signal me immediately if you detect someone.¡± Moirai wasn¡¯t exactly happy with letting Dee go alone, but she had confidence in her disciple¡¯s ability to avoid attention.


    -----


    It didn¡¯t take long for Moirai to reach the end of her path. In a fairly small circular room she found a dark elf man drawing a magical circle on the ground. The man was wearing black and green robes, which carried the symbol of the Spider Cult. The man had his back towards Moirai, but raised his head as if hearing Moirai¡¯s approach. Moirai wasn¡¯t exactly hiding, so no surprise there.


    ¡°Guardian. You got here a bit faster than I thought.¡± The man said with a calm voice.


    ¡°We have a rather proficient scout. I¡¯m not too happy to find an acolyte of the Great Mother here.¡± Moirai replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. Though you don¡¯t have to worry, I won¡¯t be bothering you much longer.¡± The man replied with a small smile. The man was rather handsome with his clean and dark looks.


    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t think I¡¯ll allow you to leave. Even if you are from the Spider Cult, I doubt they¡¯d bother retaliating over the loss of a single acolyte. Especially when he is causing problems in an area he has no business in.¡± Moirai displayed more confidence than she was feeling. It would be really bad if the Cult got angry at the Four Winds.


    ¡°Well now that depends on the circumstances, doesn¡¯t it? There are acolytes and then there are acolytes that matter. Besides, you¡¯re barking slightly at the wrong tree. I¡¯m not the one you really want. I¡¯m just a facilitator. Besides, I have a legit reason for being here, so the cult would be more interested than you think.¡±  The man pulled out a purple and black swirling mass of energy.


    ¡°Essence of Undeath?¡± Moirai asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Very good. And someone with your strength should know the significance.¡± The man said with another smile.


    The man¡¯s words had a dual meaning. The Essence of Undeath was a rather rare magical material that was sometimes created as a byproduct when a powerful undead was born naturally. Naturally in the sense that it was not created by a necromancer, but was born out of the collection of negative energy. This byproduct was rather rare and somewhat random in its appearance. Thus it could not be created intentionally.


    The other meaning was something that few people knew. Death Lords of the Cult weren¡¯t something created from any random acolyte, but required several steps before the all-important kiss of death. These steps gave power to the acolytes and were something that showed their worthiness as future Death Lords. One of the steps was to absorb the essence held by the man, along with some other ingredients. Someone taking this step was already rather far along the process.


    Some puzzle pieces started dropping into place in Moirai¡¯s mind. ¡°I see. One of the communities inside the city found the essence before you, and you wanted to take it back.¡±


    The man laughed. ¡°Close but not at all like that.¡±


    Moirai¡¯s mind ground to a halt. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I did order the attacks, but I had no business with the city myself. The owner of this essence did. I simply provided my assistance in trade. The attacks were two part revenge and one part about retrieving an item my client wanted from one of the communities. So you weren¡¯t entirely wrong.¡± The man volunteered the information.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you helpful all the sudden.¡± Moirai pointed out.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me not to be. I can cut my way out of here, but I¡¯d rather not. My business here is done, and I have nothing against you. So I might as well show some good will as a sign of good faith.¡± Suddenly two greenish ethereal forms appeared next to the man.


    Moirai Drew a sharp breath. ¡°Hexwraiths!¡± She hissed. This was a problem. Not because she was in danger of losing, but because she was unable to kill these high level ethereal beings.


    Wraiths had this annoying quality where they became immune to attacks that didn¡¯t carry a strong holy or magical force. This could be magical spells, magical items, holy weapons or holy spells, but the higher the level of the wraith, the more powerful magic was required to hurt them. As a psion Moirai had no mana, and she didn¡¯t have any holy power either. She did carry a magical blade just for dealing with annoying ethereal enemies, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough to kill wraiths of this level. She could force their bodies to scatter for a short while, but she couldn¡¯t kill them.


    The man continued. ¡°My master also gifted me a Grim Rider, but I don¡¯t think either of us wants me to summon that one. Besides, don¡¯t you have bigger worries? I said I traded with someone, and obviously meant the powerful undead responsible for spawning this essence. He is the one you want, and I don¡¯t think you have time to waste with me here.¡±


    The man tilted his head a bit. ¡°Judging by the flow of mana, someone already ran into him. I hope that person wasn¡¯t important to you, or is someone capable of dealing with a greater lich.¡±


    Moirai cursed, turning towards the entrance. Dee went to the other tunnel!


    ¡°Until we meet again.¡± The man waved at Moirai, as the magical formation below his feet lit up and summoning magic called him away from this place.

 Chapter 33

    A/N: I will be taking a small creative break after this chapter, to plan for the next part of the story. Those that followed my previous story know what to expect as I also had small breaks between arcs. I know where I need to end up, but I need to hash out what happens in-between and how. I''ll also be utilizing some of the feedback I''ve received. For instance, people have expressed that the training part of Dee''s journey has gone on long enough, and I tentatively agree. The astute reader will however note that her time with Moirai is not done and there''s still the scouts in the future. I''ll have to think on how to deal with them. Likely some time-skippery will be involved, where I''ll simply focus on events instead of training. We shall see.


    -----


    Dee entered the large cavernous room with all possible care and stealth she could muster. Something about this place just didn¡¯t seem right. The domed and smooth ceiling hinted that this should be an underground temple of sorts. In the dark even Dee had trouble telling details, but the ceiling seemed to have some kind of painted murals, and great care had gone into its formation. This wasn¡¯t something haphazardly cut into stone.


    The walls were adorned with green gemstones that gave magical light. Or at least they had once done so. Now most of them had dimmed, and some had lost their luster completely. The few gemstones that still gave pale light were mostly covered by the dark pillars that dotted the sides of the room, leaving the center in almost complete darkness. Even with Dee¡¯s darkvision, she couldn¡¯t see to the center from the edge of the room.


    ¡®Maybe that¡¯s what¡¯s bothering me so much. With my heritage and the training with Zabaniya, I should be able to see almost perfectly in the dark, yet¡­¡¯ Dee thought to herself. There was something unnatural about the darkness.


    She inched closer ever so slowly, and was finally able to see a figure in ornate vestments performing some sort of ritual over a table at the center of the room. It was hard to tell from the distance in this darkness, but it seemed there was some kind of urn looking container on the table, with faintly glowing magical symbols flowing on its surface. The figure was surrounded by an aura of death, and was hovering over the ground, as no feet were touching the cracked floor.


    ¡®This seems to be the person who summoned the undead at the clearing.¡¯ Dee judged by the aura of death. ¡®Seems like a lich of some sort.¡¯ She had never seen a lich before and thus had nothing to compare the figure with; hence it was difficult to clearly identify the figure.


    Some beings, like dragons and vampires, were distinctive enough to be easy to identify anyway, but liches were not in that category. The flow of mana and the skeletal frame told a telling story though. This was the downside of her ability to identify races. The next lich she saw would be easy to identify from a distance, now that she had a base of comparison.


    Suddenly the figure spoke in a deep and gravelly voice. ¡°It seems we have a little mouse sneaking around.¡± The figure¡¯s back was facing Dee, but the way the figure¡¯s head rose made it clear Dee had been detected. ¡°Come out little mousey, I can smell you.¡±


    Dee sniffed herself suspiciously. ¡®I mean sure, I didn¡¯t get a chance to bathe while I was tracking it down, but I didn¡¯t think I stank. I did clean myself.¡¯ For some reason Dee and her clothes always got clean while she shapeshifted, and she could use holy power to clean herself as well. Many priests and clerics would cry at the wasteful use of purification magic, but Dee even used it to clean her room so why not herself?


    The gravelly voice continued. ¡°There¡¯s no use in hiding, as you won¡¯t be able to hide the putrid stench of the living.¡±


    ¡®Oh.¡¯ Dee couldn¡¯t avoid thinking.


    ¡°It¡¯s rather impolite to keep yourself hidden, when you¡¯re the one barging into my sanctuary.¡± The voice continued, not really even giving time for Dee to respond in any way.


    Dee could however feel the lich gathering power, the mana in the surroundings flowing towards the figure. Luckily the dark aura seemed to be connected to the ritual the lich had been performing, and Dee could once again see a little more clearly. She utilized this, by running towards the pillars, hoping to find cover from whatever was being cast.


    Suddenly a rain of dark bolts of energy flew in all directions. Dee dived behind the closest pillar just in time, and waited for the bolts to pass. She took the opportunity where the lich was hopefully distracted, to coat one of her throwing knives in psionic energy and threw it at the lich¡¯s back. She wasn¡¯t really expecting to be able to kill the lich with an attack like this, just testing the waters.


    However, the result was even more dismal than she thought. She almost forgot to switch positions, as she saw her dagger clatter on the floor several mels short of her target. Luckily she did switch though, as the position she had been in was bathed in dark energy. That¡¯s why the assassins were trained to switch locations after attacking, as a skilled enemy could follow the attack to the source.


    Looking more closely, Dee noticed a weird dark halo surrounding the lich¡¯s body. Reading the power in the halo was difficult, as the lich knew to try and hide the exact effect, but Dee saw enough. She wasn¡¯t happy about what she saw either. The halo seemed to dampen the energy of all attacks directed at the lich, and also projected an aura of weakness that would draw away the physical strength of anyone drawing close to the lich. Apparently the closer you got, the stronger the effect.


    Normally Dee would be able to use her ability to counter spells to deal with weakening curses like that. This time however, there were two problems. Firstly, she could only counter spells of lower level and lower power than she herself used for the spell purge. This spell was clearly much higher level than her though. Secondly, this seemed to be an aura projected by a magical item. Even if she managed to dispel the magic, the item would just immediately reapply the same effect.


    That was one of the strengths of magical items. You¡¯d need to destroy the item to cancel the effect, or the user would have to run out of power. However, one of the worst parts of liches was their copious amount of mana. Even if Dee had not read anything about liches, she could see the amount of mana flowing around the lich, and that didn¡¯t even tell the whole story of how much mana the lich actually possessed. The way it was casually throwing spells around in an attempt to ferret out Dee¡¯s location was also very indicative.


    ¡®Well now, this is a problem.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. She had always been more of a close range fighter than someone who dealt with enemies from long range. She was pretty sure that the aura of weakness would make her physical attacks ineffective, even in her nine-tailed fox form. She wasn¡¯t sure what level the lich was, but it was likely that the level would be higher than hers. Much higher. You don¡¯t wound someone like that with a weakened attack, especially if the aura also cut down on her psionic energy.


    ¡®I guess that leaves holy magic then. The short range negative energy attacks are out, so let¡¯s try something from the positive energy side.¡¯ Now Dee felt a little bad she hadn¡¯t focused as much on the offensive possibilities of using positive energy, but in her defense she didn¡¯t exactly plan a crusade against a bunch of undead. Negative energy spells were much more effective against living targets.


    Dee stepped out from behind the pillar and quickly chanted a pair of holy spells to test the waters again. ¡°¡¯Luminous Shards¡¯ ¡®Holy Fire¡¯¡± The two holy spells weren¡¯t exactly complex in their effect. Luminous shards launched several golden projectiles at the target, though it was more effective against multiple targets and wasn¡¯t too high level. This time it was meant to mask the golden flame in the midst of the projectiles. That flame was much more serious as a threat.


    The lich gave what looked like a grin, as the glyphs on its ornate vestments glowed and the holy power in Dee¡¯s spells sputtered and died. ¡°You don¡¯t know who I was, do you? I used to be the head-priest of this temple complex. Do you really think I wouldn¡¯t deal with the obvious weakness to holy power that all undead share? Childs play.¡± With a gesture, hundreds of ice shards suddenly materialized and flew towards Dee who was now clearly visible.


    ¡®Well, fuck me, this really is trouble.¡¯ Dee cursed in her mind as a golden dome of power surrounded her, stopping many of the ice shards, before buckling under the barrage. ¡®I really need to have Moirai teach me some way to utilize my power at long range. She¡¯s supposed to be a mix of the mental and power types after all.¡¯ She could try shooting a psionic arrow, but that didn¡¯t seem enough to hurt the lich.


    Dee barely made it behind another pillar as the barrage of shards bombarded it close to collapsing. ¡®I guess I need to play for time until Moirai gets here. I might have met something that is a very bad match for me.¡¯


    ¡°A slippery little mouse, aren¡¯t you?¡± The lich said, seemingly unconcerned that it had missed again.


    ¡°Well you know, we all have our strengths.¡± Dee replied. ¡°Slight segue, but why did you attack the city anyway? I doubt it was just for funzies.¡± She asked stalling for time.


    ¡°Ah, that. I didn¡¯t really, as I asked someone else to do it for me, although he somewhat bungled it. If you want something done, do it yourself. Although, I suppose he didn¡¯t screw things up completely. Did you know that this area used to be a center of worship back in the day? Some of the communities that destroyed it still reside in the city. That little attack didn¡¯t get them all, but I suppose it did manage to be enough of a distraction to get my pendant back.¡± The lich murmured almost to itself at the end, clearly not too pleased at the results of the attack.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The pendant belonged to his old body and contained some of his blood. The lich was now in the process of turning the pendant into a phylactery within the magical urn on the table. Once that was finished, the lich would have much easier time mounting an attack on the city and taking proper revenge.


    ¡°Sorry to hear that. The attack was kinda half-assed, though I suppose it did draw people inside the city. Not that it helped you much. You do realize that this plan of yours won¡¯t work? There¡¯s no way for you to get enough undead summoned in secret to win against the whole city.¡± Dee asked, wasting more time.


    ¡®Not to mention surviving today.¡¯ She also added to herself.


    The lich coughed a dry laugh, something that sounded eerie and sinister from such a being. ¡°You assume I¡¯m aiming to win. I just want revenge. I don¡¯t have to kill all of you to kill those I want revenge on.¡±


    The lich apparently didn¡¯t want to wait any longer, as suddenly a torrent of huge chunks of ice blew away the pillars around Dee, leaving her exposed. ¡°Found you. Where will you run now?¡± The lich asked as several dark bolts of energy flew at her.


    Dee clicked her tongue dissatisfied, and started stacking every protective holy spell she could manage between herself and the lich. Her amount of holy power might have been nigh endless, but the barriers were breaking faster than she could erect them, every attack getting closer to her. Finally she was forced into using her trump card as she knelt and covered herself with the lavender left angel wing that excelled in defense. Where the black wing was great for offense, the lavender one was great for defense.


    The remaining dark bolts impacted on the wing, pushing her back towards the wall. The wing seemed undamaged, but Dee knew there was a limit to how much she could block with it. Especially against someone stronger than herself. Besides, even while kneeling, the wing didn¡¯t cover her completely, and sooner or later the lich would realize that and take advantage.


    ¡°Well, well. A demon with the blood of an angel. Isn¡¯t this interesting. Not interesting enough to keep you alive, but I might use your body to create a servant for myself. That sounds like a worthwhile experiment. I always wanted a pet angel, and I suppose you¡¯ll do.¡± The lich waved his hand and the barrage of attacks only intensified.


    Dee knew that simply defending would get her nowhere, but so far her attacks had failed miserably. Perhaps it was time for a distraction and a quick escape instead. The lich knew Dee might try to escape, so it was moving towards the doorway to block her path. Dodging as many of the attacks as she could, Dee pulled several vials from Croestia¡¯s storage. Using her wing as a cover she tossed the vials towards the lich.


    The vials never made it all the way, but that was part of the plan. One of them almost splashed the lich as it hit the floor, and an acrid stench wafted out from the spilled fluid. Even as an undead the lich was able to smell the offending liquid. ¡°Are you trying to poison me little mousey? You should know better than that. Maybe something acidic? Either way, your aim is rotten.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t even aiming at you, and the poison was a distraction.¡¯ Dee thought to herself as she dodged another spell. Apparently the lich didn¡¯t know any homing spells. Curious weakness.


    Suddenly the lich found itself unable to move forward, as the vestments it was wearing were stuck in the floor. Dee snickered internally at the lich¡¯s confused look, as the superglue she had tossed did its job. Dee hadn¡¯t had much chance to practice her alchemy lately, but the Four Winds did have their own alchemist laboratory, and she did tinker around a bit when she had free time and Mina was busy. She didn¡¯t have any powerful potions or elixirs, but she did stock up on poisons and certain other substances that might become handy. The glue was one of those.


    The lich on the other hand was mortified. Its robes were stuck in such a ridiculous way, totally unbefitting its status. It was easy to rip free with the strength the lich possessed, but it didn¡¯t want to ruin the important vestments it was so proud of. Vanity, one of the most basic sins that plagued even the undead. Dee used the small distraction to her advantage. With the help of Umbra¡¯s blessing, she disappeared back into the shadows, completely disappearing from sight.


    She also knew better than to head straight for the door, as that would be where the lich would fire all its spells in an attempt to stop her escape. Time to go back to the waiting game. Unsurprisingly, the lich¡¯s embarrassment switched to rage, and a stream of magical attacks flew into the direction of the door, and the space between the door and where Dee had been earlier, proving Dee¡¯s decision to be the correct one.


    The lich¡¯s rampage was soon stopped, as a weird fiery portal opened in the middle of the room, near the table lich had stood next to at first. The perfectly circular opening had wild sparks spinning along the outer edge, showing the reality struggling to close the foreign hole in space. Dee smirked as she saw Moirai step through the portal.


    ¡®I knew it! When she talked about a psion capable of using portals, she was talking about herself!¡¯ Dee thought about Moirai¡¯s earlier words about the difference between magic and psionic power. ¡°What took you so long?¡± She asked in a chipper voice, feeling relieved.


    Even Moirai was unable to pinpoint Dee¡¯s exact location while she was using Umbra¡¯s blessing to hide herself. Dee¡¯s voice just sounded from the shadows and didn¡¯t give away her position either. Moirai could detect her mind, but that was only an approximation. That¡¯s one the reasons it took her so long to get here. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to open a portal inside the stone walls. We¡¯re underground if you recall. Your mind isn¡¯t quite what I¡¯d call an exact beacon either.¡±


    Moirai calmly observed the damage caused by the rather one-sided battle. Now that she knew Dee was alive, she was no longer in a hurry. She also noted the lich¡¯s predicament with slight amusement. ¡°Superglue? Really? You couldn¡¯t come up with something more effective?¡±


    ¡°You try fighting a lich above your rank that has an aura capable of dampening your strength and vestments that protect against holy magic!¡± Dee replied rather sullenly.


    ¡°Who told you to rely on such feeble methods?¡± Moirai asked with amusement, already knowing what the reply would be.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t teach me power type abilities yet! That¡¯s going on the training menu as soon as we get out of here!¡± Dee yelled back, finally appearing right next to Moirai, protecting both of them with her wing.


    ¡°Fine, fine. Such a troublesome disciple.¡± Moirai feigned the suffering master.


    It was time to take care of business though. They could joke more later. Besides, this would give her a chance to show off her abilities as a power type psion. Moirai knew she should most likely question the lich, but she¡¯d learned enough from the spider cult acolyte, and frankly didn¡¯t care about the details. Everyone had their motivations and plots, but it would only cause a headache to listen to all of them. Better to just deal with it and move on.


    The lich could sense power gathering around the diminutive Meilin, and put up all defenses it could muster. This opponent was clearly much more dangerous than the little angel had been. However, even with the defenses the lich could only yell in surprise as a powerful force slammed it against the nearest wall.


    ¡°First lesson idiot disciple. When using power type abilities against mages, the mages always try to put up magical defenses. However, they¡¯re also almost always stupid enough to put those defenses away from their body. That means we don¡¯t have to care. Unlike mages, we can materialize our attacks close to our enemy, assuming they aren¡¯t skilled enough to interfere and most of them aren¡¯t. Materializing your attack inside their shield makes them look stupid.¡± Moirai lectured, as a visible stream of power flowed from her towards the lich.


    While it looked like the lich was nailed to the wall by a powerful stream of wind, the focus point of the attack was within the magical defenses, completely ignoring any opposition. ¡°Next, magical defenses like that are all fine and all, but can be overwhelmed by a superior force. While mages have the upper hand in variety, our strength is that we can put more power into our attacks because we¡¯re not limited to the confines of a spell.¡±


    Suddenly a powerful mass of energy appeared above Moirai¡¯s palm. It started out looking like a ball of lightning larger than Moirai¡¯s head, but it kept shrinking as Moirai added more power, finally ending up slightly bigger than a fingertip.


    ¡°Third lesson. While a magical shield that completely surrounds the target like that is useful against attacks from all directions, it¡¯s weak against attacks directed at a single small point.¡± Moirai emphasized this by throwing the small mass of energy at the lich.


    The tiny orb easily shattered the magical shield surrounding the lich. Once it hit the lich, the orb suddenly expanded in a violent maelstrom of energy, annihilating the space within about three mel from the point of impact. Once the energy disappeared, the wall and floor that had been within the radius had completely disappeared as well. There was no sign of the lich either.


    ¡°Lesson over. Any questions?¡± Moirai asked calmly, looking at Dee.


    ¡°Yeah, can you teach me the portal thing as well as what you just showed me?¡± Dee was excited, but also couldn¡¯t help but deflate her master a bit.


    Moirai lost some of her vigor and sagged a bit. ¡°Maybe someday in the future. It is by far the most difficult skill I have, and you don¡¯t have the power to utilize it. Maybe once you return to me in the future after your time with the templar. A little carrot to keep you interested.¡±

 Chapter 34

    Dee waved her hand in front of Ngaire¡¯s face, getting no reaction. The large Dagon man seemed to be frozen mid swing, his sword coming down in a downwards strike. For good measure Dee even poked his cheek, once again getting no reaction. Ngaire¡¯s eyes were open and staring at the spot where Dee had been standing before he suddenly froze.


    ¡°What is he seeing?¡± Moirai asked from the side.


    For months the three had trained Dee¡¯s ability to penetrate mental defenses while in a fight, and this was the first time Dee had succeeded. Moirai had not made it easy. The small woman was quite proud of her student, and was also curious about what Dee had done with her first access to a vulnerable but ostensibly hostile mind. The result would be very indicative of Dee¡¯s future direction.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Dee replied, somewhat distracted.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± Moirai asked a little confused. She had assumed Ngaire was stuck in some kind of illusion or vision, but Dee¡¯s words indicated something else. ¡°Explain.¡± She prompted Dee.


    ¡°Well, if it worked as I meant it to, and it seems to have worked just fine, his mind is completely frozen. Not like frozen in ice, but like frozen in time. It¡¯s like his mind is not there, until I let go.¡± Dee frowned a bit, thinking further. ¡°Actually it seems I could tie it off, and he¡¯d be frozen forever. Or well, at least until his body collapses. It¡¯s not like his body is properly frozen in time or anything.¡±


    Dee was actually a bit surprised that Ngaire¡¯s body had suddenly stopped mid-swing. You¡¯d think the body would¡¯ve still finished the motion due to momentum, but there was something here she was missing. She had felt something odd while her mental attack on Ngaire hit. Something else had moved as well. She guessed it had something to do with her holy power, but couldn¡¯t figure out how that could be the case in a purely mental attack.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Moirai replied. Dee heard something in her voice. It wasn¡¯t disappointment exactly, but it wasn¡¯t a positive emotion either.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound very pleased.¡± Dee said simply. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Not as such. It¡¯s something I didn¡¯t explain to you before, because it could¡¯ve colored your actions. The first effect you cause when tampering with someone¡¯s mind is very instinctive, and very indicative of one¡¯s development in the future. As you might imagine, the field of mental type psionics is not just about defending your mind and attacking someone else¡¯s. It¡¯s much more about what you can do when you get there.¡± Moirai explained. Dee could read complex emotions on the other woman¡¯s face.


    ¡°And my action somehow displeases you?¡± Dee asked, taking the first guess that came to mind.


    ¡°Well displeasure is perhaps the wrong word. Not aimed at you anyway. If I was displeased, it¡¯s more with myself at having guessed so wrong. I assumed you would be the type that would use illusions and influence what your opponent sees and feels. I mean, that passive aura you have that makes people unable to notice you seems to fall into that category. But I guess I was mistaken.¡± Moirai said with a sigh.


    Dee simply prompted Moirai to continue with a wave of her hand.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s three rough groups that mental psionics fall into. The stronger your tendency in one, usually the weaker you are in others. If you¡¯re a heavily mental type psion, this might not hold true as much, but that¡¯s the rough gist of it. The first category is perhaps the most useful, and the one I already mentioned. The people in this category are usually great at extracting information and these sorts of effects require a shallower hold over your targets mind. They can still be just as useful in battle though.


    The second type is those with a tendency towards controlling the minds of their targets. This can range from taking control over a part of their body, more subtle effects like charming your target and more direct like completely dominating your target. The more powerful the effect, the deeper you need to penetrate into the target mind. As someone who places emphasis on control in your fighting, you can recognize the usefulness of a very light intrusion combined with making your opponent stumble at the right time. Again, this would¡¯ve been my second guess for your tendency. On the flipside, I¡¯m happy that at least you don¡¯t show the tendency towards mental domination, as that is a dark path to tread on.


    What you just did falls into the third type, which is all about directly attacking and damaging your targets mind. It¡¯s probably the most direct, and will have the most drastic effects, but also requires a deeper penetration into their mind. At the lightest, you can do something similar to what you just did, although the effect is a quite a bit stronger than I¡¯ve normally seen. At the heaviest your type will shred the mind of your target, essentially killing them.¡± Moirai finished her explanation.


    ¡°Well, you know I used to be an assassin. It shouldn¡¯t be that big of a surprise that I¡¯d lean this way. I¡¯m actually surprised you let me practice on Ngaire. I could¡¯ve killed him.¡± Dee replied with a tilt of her head. She was not surprised at all herself that she would lean this way.


    ¡°Well, I was actually taking precautions and protecting his mind separately against more severe effects, though I have to admit I have no idea how this managed to slip past me.¡± Moirai frowned again. ¡°You can let him go now by the way.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Dee refused simply. The two had been fighting for months, with Dee usually losing due to being distracted by the mental battle with Moirai. It wasn¡¯t until lately as she grew stronger both physically and mentally that she finally managed to hold her own. Keeping Ngaire stuck like this for a while was her little petty revenge. She¡¯d let him go when the evening came.


    Moirai could guess her students thoughts and decided to leave it for now. Ngaire had taken way too much enjoyment from beating Dee, partially because of the humiliating defeat when they first fought without the mental component. This should be a lesson for him. First of many, seeing as now that Dee had succeeded once, she was prone to keep doing so over and over again. The girl had always been good enough to hold on to any advantage she once gained.


    Speaking of which. ¡°Enough about that, how is your training with the other two things going? I can do only so much to help but, I can give advice at least if you run into problems.¡± Moirai suggested.


    Dee had asked her for lessons on power type abilities. Moirai had started her on the path of the two most versatile and useful abilities she was aware of. Those abilities were commonly known as Force control and Telekinesis among psions and other people well versed in psionic abilities. Both of those abilities could be powerful beyond belief and could reach unimaginable levels in both versatility and usefulness.


    Only problem was that each psion had to find their own approach to both abilities. Because they were so versatile, each person had their own way to handle them. Moirai could set Dee on the right path and give advice and suggestions, but she couldn¡¯t just show Dee how to do it. Their psionic energies were too different, and they had wildly differing personalities, which would affect their ability usage. So Dee was stuck on self-study for the most part.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Well, as you guessed, the fact that my power is so thick and refined lends itself great to force control. I¡¯ve already managed to manifest my power in many ways, and have managed to control it enough to suit my purposes, but it needs more time before I can actually make something useful out of it.¡± Dee said in a rather positive voice.


    Force control was an ability very suited for Dee¡¯s purposes, which was good since that was also Moirai¡¯s strongest ability. Thus her teacher could give a lot of suggestions about possible avenues of approach and possible uses. Force control was a blanket term for a wide group of abilities based on the same principle. You forcefully manifested a large amount of raw psionic energy and forced that power to behave in a certain way to achieve your purposes. Hence the name.


    How that worked in practice depended on how you did it. That power could manifest as a storm of psionic energy, or a burst of kinetic energy, or any number of hundreds if not thousands of other ways. It was a little like how some mages that had achieved a mastery of an element and could mold that element into anything they could think of, instead of just casting spells. Only in this case the power was much more wild and harder to control.


    The powerful energy that Moirai had used to push the lich into a wall when she had saved Dee had been one way to use force control as had been that dangerous ball of energy that had finally killed the lich. With enough power, you could use force control to bend the very fabric of space. Dee secretly thought that the weird portal Moirai had used was also derived from this same ability, just taken to one extreme.


    Dee had a rather easy time with this ability due to how thick and refined her psionic energy was. As a result she didn¡¯t have to use as much power to achieve the same effect as another psion would, and thus it was easier to control. She had already showed great strides in manifesting her power in various ways, only the control part was still lacking. She could cause a storm of psionic energy strong enough to rip a small forest to pieces, but that¡¯s because it was perhaps the easiest way to use that ability as she only needed to throw enough raw power at it, and then exert barely enough control to not get caught in the storm herself. Beyond that, she hadn¡¯t managed anything useful yet, but she was getting there.


    As was usually the case, the power and versatility came with a tradeoff. As you were basically throwing raw power at problems and barely controlling it, the method was far from efficient. It was quite the opposite in fact. Force control was one of the most wasteful uses of psionic power. You might be able to manifest great power, but you would lose any battle of attrition ten times out of ten against almost any similar level mage, warrior or psion using other abilities. Of course, the more control you could manage to exert, the less wasteful it became, but even at best of times force control couldn¡¯t be called efficient.


    ¡°And the telekinesis?¡± Moirai asked, already guessing the answer.


    Dee simply grimaced as a reply. Nothing further needed to be said.


    Where her thick and refined power was an advantage when it came to force control, it was a real detriment with telekinesis. Where the former ability was all about power and just enough control to achieve the effect you wanted, telekinesis was all about control and careful management of power. There was a reason why Moirai had taught both of these abilities to Dee. The two abilities overlapped and complemented each other. Used together they were even more powerful.


    When using telekinesis, Dee felt like an ogre in a glass building. It was a tad hard to try and learn to move objects around with your mind, when those objects kept getting destroyed by being squeezed too hard by her power. It was like a giant trying to pick up flowers. Yes you managed to pick them, or what¡¯s left of them anyway, if you were careful but the flowers got destroyed along the way. In addition, when she moved something, it got tossed around with a burst of speed instead of gently moving as intended.


    Now that could be a good thing too as part of the offensive strength of telekinesis came from trying to crush things, but any powerful individual would be able to use their own power to resist against such crushing force. It was more effective to use force control if that was your goal. That¡¯s why those with telekinetic abilities rather focused either on throwing things at their enemy or squeezing at a single point like the carotid artery of your enemy, instead of crushing your enemy as a whole.


    Dee didn¡¯t have the necessary control for either. If she tried to hurl something, the object she used would be crushed, and if she tried the squeezing something, it was like using a giant hand to accomplish something that should be done with two tiny fingers. In other words, she was stuck. It wasn¡¯t that there was no way she could improve her control, but that she didn¡¯t really have the chance to without destroying whatever she wanted to train with.


    ¡°Well, now you see why I wanted you to train the two abilities together. The minute control you learn with telekinesis will serve you well with force control. In theory at least.¡± Moirai also grimaced. She had known Dee would struggle with control, but she hadn¡¯t quite realized how badly. This was the first time she had met someone that had refined their power to this extent and Dee¡¯s lack of earlier training with less refined power was now coming back to haunt her. ¡°Maybe you need a change of perspective. Sometimes focusing on a problem too deeply will blind you to other solutions that might be right in front of you. Have a break. Go eat Mina¡¯s cooking and clear your head.¡±


    Moirai had no way of knowing that her randomly given advice would end up changing the fate of both Pantheon and the universe at large.


    ----------


    Mina found Dee in her garden practicing with an intense glare in her eyes. Dee stared at a crumbled piece of metal that might have been a dagger at some point. ¡°What do you have there?¡± Mina asked with a cheerful smile.


    ¡°One of the daggers I asked some of the blacksmiths to make for me for practice. Or what¡¯s left of it anyway.¡± Dee replied with a sigh, letting her frustrations flow out. Mina¡¯s presence always calmed her somehow.


    ¡°Seems you need more practice. I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s not the most optimal way to utilize daggers. I mean I¡¯m not an expert, but I would imagine a crushed heap of metal is less than optimal as far as daggers go.¡± Mina joked.


    ¡°Flimsy piece of trash metal.¡± Dee cursed in a rather quiet voice.


    ¡°I thought you were something of an expert with daggers? And didn¡¯t you already have your own? I seem to remember that you have much more beautiful daggers of your own. So why a flimsy piece of trash metal like that?¡± Mina asked, genuinely curious now.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to waste my own daggers for this practice.¡± Dee said and then explained her problem with a few short sentences.


    Mina thought for a moment. ¡°So let me get this straight. Your mental power is so strong that anything you try to practice on end up like that?¡±


    Dee nodded.


    ¡°And you can¡¯t learn better control when things keep getting destroyed?¡± Mina asked again.


    Dee nodded again.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you train with something more durable? Get something like a huge chunk of iron to practice with.¡± Mina suggested.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t quite that simple. I can¡¯t get any proper feedback that way. I can¡¯t learn to control my strength properly if I can¡¯t see or feel the differences in what I¡¯m doing. Ideally I would use something soft like a fruit or a sponge, but with even steel ending up like this¡­it would be even better if I could do something where I can feel the difference like using my own body, but that seems like a really bad idea. I may regenerate quickly, but I¡¯m not a masochist.¡± Dee explained a little frustrated.


    Mina thought for a moment before coming up with another suggestion. ¡°How about using your own power to practice with?¡±


    ¡°How do you mean?¡± Dee asked with a frown, getting the sudden feeling that Mina was on to something important she herself had missed.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen you create weapons out of your own psionic energy. Could you create something you could practice with as well? I mean, I can only speak from a magic point of view, but I would imagine you would be able to feel the amount of pressure exerted since it¡¯s still your own power.¡± Mina tilted her head a bit while lost in thought.


    Dee¡¯s eyes grew large. It wasn¡¯t just that she realized that Mina¡¯s suggestion might work, her mind had already considered that possibility and realized it would work as soon as Mina had said the first sentence. No, Dee¡¯s mind was already on the further implications Mina¡¯s words had given. Dee had always been vaguely aware of the possibility of using her abilities together, but mostly in sequence instead of actually combining them.


    That¡¯s not really using her abilities together though. That was just using them in conjunction and maybe at the same time. What about actually fusing several abilities together? She had always had some minor control over the psionic arrows she shot or psionic daggers she threw, but that was marginal at best. What if she created a weapon out of her psionic power, and controlled it with telekinesis, like she would control a sword in her hands? Could she create and control more than one? How many? A dozen flying daggers moving at her command? More?


    ¡°Dee? Dee!¡± Mina poked at Dee¡¯s cheek, but the kitsune girl was completely lost in thought. Mina had never seen Dee quite like that. Her prodding finally succeeded in bringing Dee back to reality though.


    All of these were intriguing possibilities, but would any of it work in practice? Could she achieve control like that? Suddenly a dagger formed from her bluish psionic energy appeared above Dee¡¯s hand. She tossed it into the air, where it suddenly froze. The psionic dagger was being crushed from all directions by heavy telekinetic power, however the dagger was not damaged at all.


    ¡°It seems my own power really doesn¡¯t damage something made from that same power. Interesting. I can even feel the exact amount of power used. This is excellent. Perfect for training.¡± Dee kept mumbling to herself.


    ¡°Seems you found the solution you were looking for.¡± Mina said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll cook us a little something to celebrate.¡± She knew Dee¡¯s fondness for her cooking.


    Suddenly Dee looked at Mina with an intense look that actually made the latter one take a step back instinctively. However, Dee was much faster as she rapidly scooped Mina up and gave her a big celebratory kiss straight on the mouth.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much you just helped me. I¡¯ll have to repay this later.¡± Dee said hurriedly and then dashed off for more testing.


    Mina just stood there confused. ¡°O¡­k¡­you¡¯re welcome I guess.¡± She was a little weirded out by being kissed, though it didn¡¯t really carry any romantic overtone in her mind, partially because it was odd to be kissed by someone with a canine nose and mouth. ¡°Wait, you don¡¯t want food?¡± She suddenly yelled after the already disappeared Dee.


    Something important enough to make Dee forget her cooking?

 Chapter 35

    For three weeks Dee didn¡¯t emerge from her quarters. She didn¡¯t even show up to the planned lessons with Moirai, which at first made Moirai concerned. However, once Moirai heard what had happened from Mina, she realized what was going on and prevented anyone from disturbing her disciple. They left Dee some food outside her door and allowed her to process through her breakthrough.


    Inside the room several weapons made of psionic energy floated around, slowly going through the forms Dee had learned. They looked clumsy and moved slowly, but despite this there was a pleased smile on Dee¡¯s face. In addition to the weapons, Dee was also very slowly disassembling a blacksmith¡¯s puzzle without touching it physically.


    ¡°It seems the practice is bearing fruit. It¡¯s not exactly fast yet, but finally it¡¯s working.¡± The satisfied voice of Croestia said, bringing Dee out of her reverie.


    ¡°The speed isn¡¯t important yet. The main thing is that I can do it. Speed and grace will come with practice.¡± Dee¡¯s words were proven by the floating weapons that slowly but surely gained in both speed and grace. Few days ago she had only managed to move one of them at a time, and she couldn¡¯t have done what she was doing with the blacksmith¡¯s puzzle. ¡°Your suggestion about finding a proper image to control my telekinesis was really useful as well.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really take much credit for that. Once you managed to start practicing, it was only a matter of time before you came up with the idea yourself, I only gave a little push.¡± Croestia replied, secretly a little happy about being useful.


    ¡°A shortcut is a shortcut, even if it only saves few days.¡± Dee replied firmly.


    Instead of trying to control vague directional forces with her telekinesis, Dee instead formed her power into several invisible hands that moved according to her will. As one might imagine, if you suddenly gained a new limb, or in this case several, the new limbs would feel clumsy and unwieldy at first. However, that could be fixed with patience and time. And Dee had a wealth of both.


    The best part was that the new invisible limbs didn¡¯t have the limitations of her normal hands. They didn¡¯t have to be connected to her body, they wouldn¡¯t interfere with each other, and they weren¡¯t limited in shape. They could have as many or as few fingers as was required, they could be as big or as small as required, and they could bend in ways that normal hands couldn¡¯t. In fact, she would have to revise her sword forms, since many of the forms used by normal warriors were designed with limited reach and mobility in mind. In addition, the presence of the wielder¡¯s body blocked certain movements and some potential attacks were stupid because they left your body open for counter-attacks. But what if there was no body to leave open or get in the way?


    The only problem so far, in addition to the lack of practice, was that the reach of her invisible hands was still limited. Dee had tested and found out that her reach with those invisible hands was limited roughly to ten mel around her in all directions. She could still launch her psionic weapons, or any other items, into a chosen direction by using her previous directional force method, but she would no longer be able to guide them after they crossed that ten mel line.


    Dee suspected that the distance would grow as her control and familiarity with the ability increased, as would the grace and speed of movements. Currently however, she was focused on doing smaller and more precise actions. She was trying to discover how far she could push her control in that direction. After the blacksmith¡¯s puzzle was solved, she moved on to mentally disassembling and reassembling a pocket watch she had previously picked up somewhere. Might have even stolen it. Dee wasn¡¯t above nicking a few items from people she found distasteful.


    Her eyebrow twitched as she focused and pushed her control further and further. Ever so slowly the watch fell apart, all the tiny pieces floating separately in the air, with a dozen invisible hands working in concert. Dee frowned a little and the hands grew smaller and more delicate. More suited for precision work like this. Now that she got the hang of adjusting her strength, it was no longer a problem to make minute adjustments. It had only been a matter of finding a baseline and finding out how to make adjustments from there.


    Both Dee and Croestia gave a satisfied sigh as the watch one again reassembled, much faster this time, and seemed to be working after it had fully come together. Croestia spoke again. ¡°How about the other thing we discussed?¡±


    Dee smiled again. A dark blade that seemed to suck in all the light in her surroundings appeared in her hand and suddenly floated up and joined the other weapons performing the weapon forms. ¡°Well at least the first step seems to be working. Your two powers can interact with each other.¡± Croestia remarked as she saw the weapon made of holy power moving around. ¡°How about the rest?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say. I can¡¯t really test any of it properly in here. I need targets.¡± Dee replied.


    Although the ability to move the dark blade with her mind was great, that wasn¡¯t really what they were aiming for. Dee was very proficient with the negative energy holy spells similar to the one she had used to kill the assassin at the Genasi party several months ago. Those spells were very effective but also very short ranged, usually requiring a distance similar to a physical contact. However, if Dee could channel those spells through those invisible hands her effective range would increase dramatically, and would only keep increasing as her powers grew.


    ¡°Well hop to it then, go find some targets. You haven¡¯t killed anything for a while anyway, and your hands are starting to shake again. I want to see how the last thing we discussed works as well. If that one works¡­¡± Croestia commanded playfully. Apparently the undead didn¡¯t count for whatever it was in Dee¡¯s body that required the death of other beings.


    Dee smiled as she shifted into her nine-tailed fox form and dashed out of her room. Several members of the Four Winds got scared out of their minds as a beast the size of a large bear dashed through the corridors, before they recognized Dee. Once she got outside, black and lavender wings sprouted from her back and she took flight towards the outside of the city.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°It seems, she finally got out.¡± Moirai remarked simply to Ngaire, who was standing near her.


    ¡°Seems she grew in size again. Should we follow her?¡± Ngaire asked.


    ¡°No need. I doubt there¡¯s currently anything that could threaten her in the surroundings, and even if there were, she could most likely run away. I¡¯ll keep an eye on her with my Mindscape. If she runs into trouble, I¡¯ll make a portal towards her location.¡± Moirai said with a shrug. In truth she was extremely curious about the nature of her disciple¡¯s breakthrough, but she¡¯d wait until Dee was ready to show off the results of her labor.


    -----


    A group of desiccated corpses surrounded Dee in all directions. The remains used to be a pack of rather dangerous direwolves, but now the beasts were nothing but dried up husks. Dee on the other hand almost radiated energy. A positive side effect of draining the life force or so many enemies.


    ¡°Well, I think we can definitively conclude that I can indeed combine my holy spells and psionic power.¡± Dee said rather stoically, hiding her giddiness.


    ¡°Also useful that you can now use weapons in this form. That should increase your combat ability quite a bit.¡± Croestia replied. A couple of the corpses had a psionic blade lodged in their skulls and one had the dark blade in its throat. Dee¡¯s claws were still the most effective method of attack in this form, but now she could utilize the levitating weapons as well.


    ¡°So a successful test then?¡± Dee asked jokingly, eagerly expecting the next part.


    ¡°A successful test indeed.¡± Croestia replied.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Dee¡¯s voice was dripping with eager expectation.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Croestia¡¯s voice had the same tone.


    ¡°Time for the final test!¡± They both said at the same time, and dashed off looking for an appropriate target.


    With Dee¡¯s senses it didn¡¯t take them long to find a poor victim *cough* a worthy target. ¡°A wyvern is it. I wonder why it¡¯s flying so close to habitation?¡± Dee mumbled.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Croestia asked impatiently.


    ¡°Not really. Just wondering.¡± Dee said while she sat down and several psionic weapons appeared, floating around her.


    Once Mina had put the idea of combining two of her abilities together, Dee had already leaped to the next conclusion. If she could combine two of her abilities, why not three of them? The psionic weapons all looked just like the ones she had created earlier, but if one observed closely, there seemed to be a tiny storm of power within each weapon.


    ¡°Go.¡± Dee said, sending one of the weapons straight at the unsuspecting wyvern.


    Once the weapon reached the wyvern, it penetrated deep into the joint between its left leg and the hulky body. The wyvern didn¡¯t even have time to scream before the weapons suddenly exploded in a maelstrom of psionic energy. The creature feebly fell to the ground as its whole lower body disappeared in a rain of blood and bits.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a pretty decent result for a first try.¡± Dee said rather gleefully.


    She had combined her psionic weapons for penetration and containment, used her telekinesis to deliver the attack at the intended target and finally used force control to pack the weapon full of explosive psionic energy. The result was quick, deadly and surprisingly power efficient. Since the explosive power was so well contained within the weapon, there was very little wasted power. The weapon also helped focus the attack, while the telekinesis ensured accuracy.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s an understatement.¡± Croestia replied.


    Dee was capable of shredding a wyvern with her physical abilities, but this way was much faster and could be done at range. This covered for Dee¡¯s biggest weakness, which was the lack of ranged firepower beyond simple throwing knives. In addition to that¡­


    ¡°So how many of these things can you make and launch at once?¡± Croestia asked, referring to the four identical weapons that still floated around Dee.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see shall we?¡± Suddenly the four became eight; the eight became sixteen, and then thirty two. Dee tilted her head a bit. ¡°I think this is about my current limit. Any more and I won¡¯t be able to launch them accurately. Currently. Well see again once I can train this ability further. It might be more efficient to put more oomph into the explosions instead of increasing the number. More testing is required.¡±


    ¡°Well, finish the poor beast off with a bang.¡± Croestia said referring to the wyvern currently struggling, while bleeding to death.


    ¡°Yeah, letting my targets suffer is not my style. Bad form, but I got a bit carried away.¡± All the floating weapons launched themselves forward, annihilating not just the wyvern but also the surrounding terrain. Afterwards the area looked like a warzone.


    ¡°Very impressive. You didn¡¯t have to destroy half the area along with the wyvern though.¡± Croestia commented, a little confused.


    ¡°I was actually aiming all of them at the wyvern.¡± Dee muttered.


    They were both silent for a moment. ¡°So, more practice required?¡± Croestia suggested.


    ¡°More practice required.¡± Dee agreed. ¡°Time to get back. I suppose master and Mina might be a bit worried.¡± Dee said lightly.


    ----------


    Moirai had felt Dee approaching, as the latter for once did nothing to hide her presence, and waited in the garden in front of their house. She could sense the air of success radiating from Dee¡¯s form, even though Dee had already managed to return to her more stoic mood. Dee could usually avoid the characteristic leak of emotions typical of psions, but that wasn¡¯t always the case.


    ¡°I get the feeling that you have found your path.¡± Moirai half asked half stated.


    Her words carried a slight special meaning. Most psions sooner or later focused on developing one of their abilities above all others. It was that ability that formed the core of their strength and would usually also be the ability that they would take beyond its limits when their power rose above class 10. That¡¯s what Moirai was referring to with ¡®path¡¯.


    Instead of replying, Dee looked towards a large stone near the pond in the garden. One of the psionic weapons appeared next to her head and with a flash flew towards the stone. The resulting explosion of power was rather impressive for such quick action.


    Moirai observed the devastation with a frown. ¡°Two things come to mind immediately. Firstly, I assume you aimed at the stone and missed. I assume that because I don¡¯t want to think you actually wanted to blow away a part of our house.¡± Moirai looked at Dee rather pointedly, while Dee simply looked away, pretending to be innocent


    ¡°Second observation. Just a verbal reply would¡¯ve been fine, and we could¡¯ve gone to a more appropriate location for the demonstration. That stone is decorative, and I rather like it. It could¡¯ve had emotional value for all you knew. It doesn¡¯t, for me at least, but you didn¡¯t know that. Certainly not an appropriate target for demonstrations.¡± Moirai continued.


    ¡°My apologies. I was a little too excited.¡± Dee replied, shifting back to her original form.


    ¡°Well, judging by the location of the damage you caused, you just blew up your own room. You¡¯re sleeping outside until it¡¯s fixed.¡± Moirai said with some reproach. She knew that wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem to Dee.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Dee replied simply, accepting her punishment. She wasn¡¯t going to get cold in her fox form, and as long as she stayed out of the rain, she¡¯d do just fine. She never slept on the bed anyway, so this time she could sleep on the roof or under the covered walkways if it rained. Or she could go bother Mina for a while.


    ¡°Now to the real point. I see you combined several abilities into one. Can you make more than one of those appear at the same time?¡± Moirai asked.


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re rather power efficient all things considered. The main limiting factor is how many can I control properly.¡± Dee replied.


    ¡°So at the moment, not even one.¡± Moirai pointed out rather sarcastically. ¡°Can you move normal weapons?¡±


    As a reply, a dozen throwing daggers slipped out of various hiding places around Dee¡¯s body, and floated around her.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s much harder to detect. Use that whenever you don¡¯t want to be discovered. Even a mage or a warrior might feel something from the explody weapons made purely from your power. Also where did you hide all of those?¡± Moirai asked with genuine curiosity. Dee usually wore rather snug fitting clothes, so Moirai didn¡¯t think there were that many hiding places.


    ¡°Trade secret.¡± Dee replied with a grin.

 Chapter 36

    Dee frowned at her floating psionic blades in displeasure. She had been trying to spar with Ngaire with just the telekinetically controlled weapons, but the results had been mixed. The surprise factor of making the weapons suddenly appear and slash at the enemy was very useful, though it had also become obvious that the more power she put in to the blades, the easier it was for someone with sharp senses to detect them before they even materialized. Ngaire had not been able to sense them, but one of the Meilin warriors nearby had been able to sense them when Dee used more power. Moirai of course felt them, but that was a given.


    That was still within Dee¡¯s expectations. Even if psionic power was really hard to detect while dormant, like when she had performed missions as an assassin, a gathering of power before an attack was easier to detect for everyone. That¡¯s partially how Dee detected spells aimed at her. She could see the gathering power and identify the attack before it even fully materialized. She could also see the flow of mana in the caster, but that was another matter and a seemingly rare talent.


    On the other hand, what had surprised Dee was the difficulty of using the floating weapons to actually fight someone. While the presence of a body was often a hindrance, it was also a benefit. A physical body gave the attacks weight and momentum that the disembodied and invisible hands lacked. When a combatant locked weapons with their enemy, they didn¡¯t use just the muscles in their hands to push the weapon, they used their whole body. The same held true for all movements a fighter could make. When someone swung their weapon, they used their whole body not only to give more power, but also to give speed and minute control.


    Dee could somewhat compensate by making the invisible hand holding the weapon more powerful, but that had the usual downside of reduced control. At best of times, that method was a poor substitute. On the other hand, she could cause problems to her enemies with her telekinesis. A powerful warrior could use their ki to push back her telekinetic power, but that required conscious effort. If she surprised her enemy by suddenly tripping them, they would have no time to react, allowing herself to go for the kill.


    In conclusion, it seemed like her telekinetic power was best used to support and supplement her own martial abilities instead of replacing them. That suited Dee just fine. She quite enjoyed the visceral feeling of physical combat. Besides, she had already covered for her previous weakness of lacking ranged psionic abilities with the exploding weapons. Anything beyond that was just a bonus. And none of this changed her ability to channel her holy power through the invisible hands.


    Dee¡¯s thoughts were interrupted, by yelling near the gates of the Four Winds territory. She couldn¡¯t quite make out what the yelling was about, but her other senses gave her answers that her ears did not. A large group of Dagon and Meilin had rushed through the gates from the outside, and the flow of power in their bodies hinted at both fatigue from extended combat and injuries.


    Knowing the lack of proper healers among the Four Winds, Dee rushed towards the wounded people. She had sensed a lot of injured people, but the reality was worse than she had thought. Hundreds of injured people, some of them lightly while some were on their last breath. Some seemed to have the standard injuries one could get while fighting beasts, while some seemed to be poisoned.


    ¡®Croestia, switch to full stamina buffing. I think we¡¯ll be here for a while. If it seems necessary, feel free to switch to relieving mental fatigue without my command.¡¯ Dee instructed silently. She might have nigh bottomless stores of holy power for healing, but she still got tired both physically and mentally.


    The Four Winds had only few lower ranked holy power users. Most skilled priests and clerics would stay with the Holy Orders, and the group had no access to paladin training. Nor was there much in the way of desire. The Radiant Sun had done little to help the four races in their troubled times before they made the Four Winds alliance, and the alliance members had long memories. In fairness, the Radiant Sun had done little to help, because the four races had not sought help from the order due to their troubles being intrinsic to their race, and thus not something that the paladins and templars could easily solve. Resentment was rarely rational though.


    No matter the reason, Dee found herself as the most proficient healer available. Help requests had been sent to the local temples, but when Dee inquired about it, the ranking Meilin scout said that the Four Winds were not the only people who had been attacked and the temples were swamped with requests for aid. Dee had the other healers and people capable of first aid performing triage, while she herself focused on healing the most injured. While the Four Winds lacked healers, they didn¡¯t lack healing potions and elixirs, which were capable of keeping many of the injured alive until Dee got to them.


    Dee might have been rather average as far as healing talent went, at least compared to her other abilities, but she was still much better than no healing or just a potion. She also had the benefit of vast stores of holy power to draw on. While the amount of power used mattered less when it came to healing, it did compensate a little. She wasn¡¯t doing a perfect job of patching the wounded to their optimal condition, but they would live. And she was very good at combating any poison they were inflicted with.


    -----


    ¡°How bad is it?¡± Moirai asked Ngaire as the three guardians and Ngaire gathered to get a read on the situation. Ngaire had been interviewing the people involved and their scouts, while the other two guardians had gone to save as many of the Four Winds people outside the city as possible, before returning to share their gathered information.


    ¡°For us? So-so. It would be much worse if Dee wasn¡¯t here to heal the injured. We have hundreds of injured already at the temporary infirmary near the gates. According to the reports, the other communities are faring much worse. This area has always been light on healers, as we only have minor temples and a small Radiant Sun outpost. Their presence is almost negligible.¡± Ngaire replied, recalling the details.


    ¡°How many dead?¡± The Jun guardian asked concerned. Like Moirai, she had also been a rather recent arrival to the sub-community and Moirai had spent a fairly small amount of time with her, mostly because they were both busy and fairly disinterested in getting friendly. Moirai knew her name was Xiaolian, and that she was a rank eight ice mage, but that was about it.


    ¡°Fourteen dead so far. I don¡¯t expect that number to go up too much, Dee is doing a pretty good job preventing that, but I have no idea how many are suffering permanent injuries.¡± Ngaire replied gravely.


    ¡°Dee did mention that healing was not her forte. She will most likely be unable to affect full restoration of limbs or something similar. We¡¯ll have to get a platinum ranked priest for that from the temples. When we have the chance that is.¡± Moirai said, replying to the unsaid question of the two other guardians.


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in what happened.¡± The Anshar guardian suddenly said in a gravelly voice, his almost metallic looking black skin was still splattered with blood. Not his own blood. ¡°That might become very important in preventing further damage.¡±


    The Anshar was one of the magical warriors so typical to their race. They rarely used ki, but their power over fire and naturally strong bodies compensated for that. The man¡¯s name was something unpronounceable, and Moirai always thought of him as just the Anshar guardian. It was difficult to tell the difference between Anshar anyway. The beings were halfway to elementals, and their appearance kept changing.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The other two guardians had been too busy running around saving people to really find out what had happened. They only knew of several packs of beasts attacking anyone outside the walls.


    ¡°A stampede of some kind.¡± Ngaire replied. ¡°All our mining, farming and logging teams outside the city were attacked. Thousands of beasts of various ranks. We have no idea why they attacked, but they all seemed to be coming from the north.¡±


    ¡°They seemed crazed somehow. Starving maybe?¡± The Anshar guardian observed.


    ¡°That, and maybe running away from something.¡± Moirai suggested.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope not. We don¡¯t want whatever they were running away from to get here.¡± Xiaolian said rather emphatically. The three of them were strong enough to face almost anything at the lesser circles of Day city, but that didn¡¯t mean they could perfectly protect those under them. And there was always the possibility of running into something they couldn¡¯t deal with. Just because such things were rare, didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t exist.


    ¡°Be that as it may, we have to prepare for the worst. Have everyone prepare their gear, so they can be ready for battle on a moment¡¯s notice.¡± Moirai was quiet for a moment. ¡°Also gather anything important for transport, just in case we need to evacuate through the teleportation gate.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be able to create a portal out of here?¡± Ngaire asked a little confused.


    ¡°Assuming I¡¯m not too busy in battle you mean? Unlike the teleportation gates, my portals have a maximum range, and the further away I make the other end, the harder it becomes to keep it open for long periods of time. I can just about take us to the wall separating us from the next circle, but that¡¯s about my limit. The walls interfere with unauthorized portals. I can get through, but not with all of us and our supplies.¡± Moirai replied.


    The creators of Pantheon had been cognizant of the possibility of the circles or even Night and Day cities waging war on each other, and had taken steps to hinder the movement of large amount of troops. You could move a lot of people through the official portal gates, but in the case of an invasion, those portals could be closed. The heaven reaching walls between circles interfered with other portals and teleportation. The great wilderness also made it impossible to move large armies between Day and Night cities.


    ----------


    It had taken three days for Dee to do everything she could for all the injured people and she had spent the next twelve hours sleeping off her fatigue. Weirdly no further attacks had occurred in that time. The constant readiness had frayed everyone¡¯s nerves, and a weird mood had taken hold of the Four Winds community. To alleviate the mood, the leaders of the sub-community had taken to organizing feasts and get-togethers to relieve stress. Calling them celebrations would¡¯ve been wrong considering the circumstances, but those involved tried their best to have fun regardless, as they knew the necessity of letting loose so they would not be adversely affected by the stress.


    Mina had dragged Dee out of her hiding place so that they could both relax with some good food and good company. Well, good in Mina¡¯s opinion, as Dee found the food worse than Mina¡¯s cooking and the company borderline tedious, though that was affected by her fairly bad mood. Dee was thoroughly regretting accepting Mina¡¯s invitation, and not really because of the food or the company. At least not the company of the people surrounding them.


    In fact, the reason for Dee¡¯s black mood was Mina herself. In the last months Dee had noticed her feelings about Mina changing to something special. She felt good whenever the Jun girl was around her, and it seemed like the room seemed to become a little brighter every time Mina walked in. She also missed Mina when she was gone. To top off the whole thing, she had these strange urges and her body itched in the weirdest ways when Mina was close to her.


    Dee wasn¡¯t stupid. While she herself had never had any romantic feelings towards others before, she could recognize the ¡°symptoms¡± as she called them. She also quite correctly connected her urges and itches to lust. She wasn''t so dense as to not to put one and one together, and while she had little experience with romance and lust, she was aware of the mechanics at least. While she wasn¡¯t all that confused about feeling this way about another female, and a member of another species at that, she also felt there was something she was missing. Like there was¡­something else¡­


    And that something else was not just the dark feelings she was having right at this moment, although they might be related. The reasons for the dark feelings was Mina¡¯s whispered admiring comments about a certain Dagon man sitting about ten mel from them currently. It seemed that Mina had realized her budding womanhood earlier than Dee, and had started developing a rather major crush on that particular Dagon man whose name Dee had chosen to ignore for her own sanity.


    In fact, Mina had started developing those feeling almost six months ago, just that she had only recently fully come to terms with them. Now she was seeking her friend for advice, as countless other girls had done over the eons, totally oblivious how her friend was affected by the discussion. Yet again something countless girls had not realized over the eons. A young woman in love can become rather self-centered when she thinks only her own feelings should matter at that very moment.


    ¡°What do you think I should do?¡± Mina asked Dee, emotionally slightly unstable. She sort of knew what she had to do, but was seeking her friends approval for strength of conviction.


    Dee gritted her teeth before replying. ¡°To me the answer is obvious. Nothing will happen unless you make the first move. You should go and talk to him.¡±


    ¡°But what if he says no? What if he doesn¡¯t like me?¡± Mina asked, almost tearful.


    ¡°I have trouble seeing how someone wouldn¡¯t like you, but in that remote case you¡¯d at least know. You¡¯d have gone to the battle and suffered an honorable defeat. Then you wouldn¡¯t have to wonder and could begin to find someone better.¡± Dee replied, her poker face almost faltering.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want someone better, I want him! But I see your point. Wish me luck!¡± Mina fought her final mental struggles with herself, before taking off.


    As Mina turned away, Dee¡¯s poker face finally cracked to a dark look. There seemed to be a quiet voice inside her, screaming ¡°Mine! Mine! No one shall take away what is MINE!¡± Which she chose to ignore, as Dee knew it was her darker desires coming to the surface. An almost bloodlust-type of feeling was roiling inside her.


    ¡°Well now, I¡¯m not sure if you just gave great advice, or you were just being a horrible friend.¡± The voice of Moirai came from behind Dee. Dee had sensed her approach, and prevented any of her feelings from leaking out.


    ¡°The two are not mutually exclusive.¡± Dee didn¡¯t quite manage to keep the bitterness from her voice.


    ¡°Indeed. Normally I¡¯d say that was the correct advice to give. Nothing will happen, without the bravery to take the first step. A step you haven¡¯t taken I might add. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed your own feelings.¡± Moirai commented, not entirely sure it was her place to meddle


    ¡°Well now, there¡¯s a slight difference. I would only be going to my own heartbreak, as evidenced by the current situation.¡± Dee shot back.


    ¡°As she is doing at this very moment. Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t notice?¡± Moirai asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Dee shot an incredulous look at Moirai. Translation: Don¡¯t be stupid, of course I noticed.


    Unlike the blind admiration with which Mina had looked at the Dagon man, Dee had actually observed him. The man was clearly in love with a Dagon woman, and seemed to have a penchant for the more robust and lusher women of his own race, instead of the slimmer and more graceful Jun. She also noted that he seemed honorable enough to not take advantage of Mina¡¯s emotions just for a bit of fun. In essence, Dee had knowingly sent Mina to get rejected.


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference. They are not friends. And her quest is not entirely hopeless, just unlikely. I¡¯m aware Mina doesn¡¯t swing my way. She¡¯s made that fairly clear, although unintentionally. Even if she did, she would likely not see me as a potential target for such feelings.¡± Dee waved at herself, referring to her fur covered body and kitsune face.


    Despite having a body that seemed desirable for many men and women, she was clearly ¡®the other¡¯. It would take a certain type of person to see behind that. Moirai felt a little bad for Dee. Dee had no ¡®her own kind¡¯. With her mixed heritage, she would always be ¡®the other¡¯ to everyone. Inter-racial couplings were not rare, but always more likely when the two races were very much alike in appearance. Elves and humans often got along. Same thing with those two and werebeast type beastmen that looked mostly human. Couplings between that type and demi-humans who looked more like humanoid shaped beasts were much more rare, and Dee was a rather extreme example on the more beastly end of the spectrum. She was also a demon, something that many frowned upon.


    Dee continued. ¡°Besides, the advice still stands on its own merit. Nothing will happen until she takes the first step. She will get rejected, and then she will find someone else. She will try again, and might get rejected again. That¡¯s the only way she will grow, and learn to deal with the rejection. Nothing will happen if she simply pines after in futility.¡±


    ¡°Big words for someone so inexperienced.¡± Moirai commented, not really admonishing. She knew Dee was smart enough even without personal experience.


    Dee didn¡¯t even dignify the comment with a response.


    As they had both known would happen, Mina returned with tears in her eyes, clearly having been rejected, although the man had let her down gently it seemed. Dee and Moirai both gave her a sympathetic hug. Dee tried to suppress the almost gleeful feeling inside her. ¡®It feels more like greed than love.¡¯ She mused to herself, not entirely sure if that feeling was correct.


    As the trio started towards their own little pity party at Mina¡¯s house, Dee suddenly looked sharply towards the sky. The sky was filled with a heavy cloud cover, but that didn¡¯t hide the large amount of flying beasts from her eyes. She also had a feeling of pressure coming from the north. Something was coming. Many somethings.


    ¡°Master, it might be a good idea to raise an alarm. We¡¯re about to get company soon.¡± Dee said.


    Moirai looked at her sharply, but didn¡¯t hesitate even for a second before complying.

 Chapter 37

    As the shrill sounds of alarms going off sounded within the Four Winds alliance, Dee kept staring alternatively at the sky and towards the north. She could see the forms of several flying beasts in the clouds, but weirdly the beasts were from multiple races mixed together. Some of those races were usually hostile to one another but none of them seemed to be attacking the others at the moment. They also didn¡¯t seem to be attacking the city. They were simply flying past, hidden by the clouds.


    ¡°Dee?!¡± Moirai asked in shock as Dee suddenly materialized her wings and flew up into the sky. Moirai had also noticed the beasts, now that Dee had already warned her to their presence. Normally Moirai would¡¯ve noticed this many enemies with her mindscape, but the feral beasts had a very faint presence in the mindscape due to their lacking intelligence. Dee flying to the sky was rather strange though, as the sky seemed to be very dangerous at the moment.


    The other two guardians soon followed Dee and Moirai to the sky. Moirai could use her telekinetic ability to fly, while the other two guardians had their magic. ¡°What is it?¡± Moirai asked worried, noticing that Dee was now ignoring the flying beasts around them, who strangely seemed all too happy to return the favor.


    Dee pointed silently at the northern horizon, which was covered in various beasts rapidly approaching the city. The flying beasts were simply the first to get here.


    ¡°A stampede?¡± Xiaolian, the Jun guardian asked with worry. There could be several reasons for a wave of beasts to go out of control and either run away or attack in a frenzy. Usually the process was called a stampede no matter the reason.


    ¡°The flying beasts seem to be avoiding us.¡± The Anshar guardian said. ¡°They are simply running past us. Running away from something.¡±


    ¡°What are the chances that the rest of them will just avoid us as well?¡± Moirai asked, her voice tinged with worry.


    ¡°I¡¯d say there¡¯s a good chance they won¡¯t try to attack us directly. A better question though, is whether they will bother going around the city, or will they simply try going through.¡± The Anshar guardian replied.


    ¡°I think there¡¯s a much more important question still left unsaid.¡± Xiaolian pointed out. ¡°What are they running away from?¡±


    ¡°Dee?¡± Moirai asked suddenly, noticing that Dee was still staring at the horizon, seemingly ignoring the beasts, trying to look past them. ¡°What do you see?¡±


    Dee was quiet for a moment as the other two guardians now also paid attention. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Saying that I see something might be wrong. It¡¯s more like I¡¯m feeling something. It¡¯s like there are pulsing waves of mana coming from the north. It¡¯s very faint, and I can¡¯t make out any details from this distance.¡±


    ¡°Pulsing waves of mana? What would a psion know about¡­¡± Xiaolian, the mage of the group started to say rather angrily. If she as a mage couldn¡¯t feel the mana, how could some juvenile psion do so?


    ¡°Quiet.¡± The Anshar guardian said, now also focusing on trying to send his senses north.


    Xiaolian sputtered indignantly, before Moirai waved her to give the two a bit of time to make sense of what they were feeling. The Anshar guardian was the one to break the silence. ¡°Xiaolian, have everyone start evacuating through the teleportation gate. Have them pick up only what they can carry and leave the rest.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± The Jun mage was about to start asking for more information, before getting interrupted again.


    ¡°NOW!¡± The Anshar guardian raised his voice in command. Xiaolian complied.


    ¡°What can you feel?¡± Moirai asked Dee, knowing that Dee¡¯s senses were sharper than her in things like this.


    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­there¡¯s a wound in space. And vast amounts of mana are flowing from that wound.¡± Dee tried to explain her feelings. ¡°Mana from somewhere very different from here. It feels¡­raw.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a planar rift.¡± The Anshar guardian supplied more detail. ¡°I can feel the presence of the elemental planes.¡± The Anshar race was descended from a race of fire elementals, so their connection to the elemental planes was much stronger, allowing him to feel their presence.


    ¡°A rift to the elemental planes? Do you know how big and which plane?¡± Moirai asked suddenly much more worried.


    The Pantheon was a world filled with magic and the power of various deities and high ranking beings, so sudden rifts opening to other planes were not strange. They were far from common, but they happened often enough that the phenomenon was widely known. Some rifts were small and temporary, while others were huge and much more permanent. And invariably, those rifts brought along trouble. Not just because what could come out of those rifts, but also because various powerful factions trying to take control of such rifts for their own reasons. And a city like theirs would be a hindrance when immortal level beings started to arrive to take control.


    ¡°A big one for me to feel it from this far. It hasn¡¯t stabilized yet I think. I can feel the presence of the elemental plane of fire, but only intermittently. I think the various elements are still fighting for control. That said, the area where the rift seems to have appeared in in rich in both earth and wind mana. I¡¯m pretty sure the mana pulses are bringing in waves of crazed elementals from those planes in particular, which is causing the stampede.¡± The Anshar guardian replied thoughtfully.


    Elemental spirits could vary widely. Some were just as intelligent as the smartest members of other races. Some were at the level of animals, showing cunning and sharp instincts. Some were just barely functioning bundles of wild elemental energy that attacks anything close-by. Much of their intelligence was dependent on their age and a rift like this would invariably spawn hordes of newly born and crazed elementals.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    The two guardians quickly went down to prepare for the evacuation, while Dee stayed in the air to monitor the situation. Luckily for the Four Winds they had already prepared for the possibility of an evacuation and they had already gathered the things they wanted to bring along. Unluckily, as soon as clumps of Four Winds people started moving towards the gate in large numbers, the other communities in the city started to react.


    Dee wasn¡¯t the only one to have noticed the flying beasts, and many more had noticed the approaching stampede of beasts. When they noticed members of the strongest community in the area evacuating, they started to put two and two together. If the Four Winds were running away, what chance did they have if they stayed? This caused a general panic as the other communities and visiting people grabbed whatever they could and ran for the gates.


    Originally Moirai and the others had wanted to evacuate their people back into the main community in the third circle, but the other panicked people made that plan unfeasible. It was impossible to have a proper evacuation when the gate had to change destinations with every new clump of people. And that assumed the panicking people would be able to rationally wait for their turn, which was a complete impossibility.


    Luckily there were measures in place for such situations. The Radiant Sun and the Holy Orders had set aside a specific destination designed for such emergencies. It was a centralized and safe place capable of taking in large amounts of people, and providing massive amounts of fast healing and first aid. They had food and other essentials stored in case it was necessary, and there was temporary housing in the vicinity in case the evacuated people needed a short term place to stay and gather their wits. This also allowed the two groups to quickly get word of any such impending disasters and problem areas in case reinforcements were suitable and necessary.


    The meager Radiant Sun and Holy Orders presence in the city tried their best to arrange the evacuation and to keep the order to the best of their ability, though with limited success.


    ¡®Moirai, the beasts are showing no sign of going around the city. I¡¯m pretty sure they will break in and take the straight route through the city instead.¡¯ Dee sent a mental message.


    ¡°Shit. When it rains it pours. Of course they would. They have neither the intelligence to know how far they would have to go to get around the city nor the rationality to consider such detour to actually be faster.¡± Moirai cursed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Xiaolian asked, as she heard Moirai.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to go and delay the beasts, and most likely whatever is chasing them.¡± Moirai replied simply.


    Xiaolian nodded in understanding, and signaled the Anshar guardian to also come along. The trio once again joined Dee in the sky. ¡°I¡¯ll take the ones directly in front. You two handle those that get past me on the sides.¡± Moirai said grimly. ¡°Dee, you stay back and try to take care of any that slip past us.¡±


    ¡°Roger.¡± The two other guardians complied, while Dee just nodded, as they spread around to their respective positions.


    Dee watched from the back as the three started their attacks. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen master go all out.¡± Dee said almost eagerly.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious as well.¡± Croestia replied just as eager.


    The two were not disappointed, as Moirai gathered her power into a single point in front of her, before unleashing a stream of energies at the approaching wave of enemies. At the center of the stream of power was something that looked like a beam of pure energy that twisted the space around it. That space was filled with a storm or psionic lightning and what looked like arcs of gleaming power that tore at the space around them. Just the little arcs were enough to cleave most beasts in two, while the lighting fried what was left of the others. The beam tore a clear path right through the approaching wave, annihilating everything in its way. Then Moirai turned her hands, swinging the beam around wiping away anything unfortunate enough to stand in its way.


    Dee¡¯s eye twitched a little. ¡°Remind me not to piss her off too badly in the future.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a good plan.¡± Croestia replied in a deadpan voice.


    The other two were much less flashy, but only somewhat less effective. The left side of the field had turned into a frozen hell, filled with the icy statues that used to be the enemies. Several long lances of ice struck at the beasts that were impolite enough to not die in the first wave of freezing power. On the right side the Anshar guardian was much slower with his pace, as warriors were slightly less effective at wide spread annihilation, but the waves of fire and his indomitable sword strikes made short work of the enemies.


    ¡°So we¡¯re not really needed here, are we?¡± Croestia asked rhetorically.


    Dee considered for a moment. ¡°For now, no. I mean, what would you expect with the difference in levels? The important part is how long they can keep this up. I know the attack Moirai used at least in very taxing on power. I don¡¯t think she can keep that for too long.¡± Dee replied.


    ----------


    Four hours later Dee crushed the head of another insectoid enemy with her front claws, while two others had their life drained away by her holy power. The beetle looking enemies had an annoyingly high defense with their strong carapace, something that was common among the enemies that slipped thought the net of the three guardians.


    At first it had been only one or two enemies fast enough to avoid the deadly attacks, but now the power of the large area attacks had gone down enough for the defensively strong enemies to slip through. Surprisingly the Anshar guardian was the best at keeping his area clean, although he had also been the first one to let some through. Dee suspected that was on purpose, just so the man could pace himself instead of running after each and every low-fry enemy. He most likely had some faith in Dee¡¯s abilities.


    Now though, the number of enemies she had killed already numbered in the hundreds, and she was forced to stay in her fox-form, flying between the groups of enemies to keep up. Luckily the life draining spells kept her stamina up. It was simply a case of whether she was fast enough to dash between the staggered enemies before they could reach the evacuating people near the portal station.


    Several times she¡¯d been forced into taking a rather hopeful shot with her flying weapons to eliminate a distant enemy. Luckily her accuracy with single weapons had somewhat improved, so she only missed once. Hopefully the house that was destroyed by the miss had been empty already.


    Suddenly she became aware of the silence outside the city. As she rose into the air, she noticed the other three slowly floating back towards her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± She asked.


    ¡°The stampede part is over, though whether or not that¡¯s a good thing is a harder to say.¡± Moirai replied.


    ¡°Now the elementals that were chasing the beasts are closing in.¡± Xiaolian supplied an additional explanation.


    ¡°I think we have few minutes to catch our breaths.¡± The Anshar guardian said. He looked the freshest of the three, though it was hard to tell with his features. ¡°How¡¯s the evacuation?¡±


    ¡°It seems about 70% done.¡± Moirai replied. ¡°It takes quite a bit of time to move that many people through the gates.¡±


    ¡°How about our people?¡± The Anshar guardian asked grimly.


    ¡°They are all through. Ngaire is at the gate doing a headcount, and he just informed me. He also just left himself.¡± Moirai replied wearily. The battle had taken its toll on her. This was a perfect display of the differences between the three. Moirai had been the most destructive, but also wasted the most power, while the Anshar guardian was the most efficient, but also the least destructive.


    ¡°Then perhaps it¡¯s time for us to go too. We¡¯ve done our duty.¡± Xiaolian pointed out the obvious. The other communities were not their responsibility. Their own people had already gone through the gate, and they might still need protection. Not from the beasts or the Radiant Sun and Holy Orders, but the other communities might not take it lightly that the Four Winds were the first to start leaving, and probably the first to get all their people out. The fact that the four of them stalled for time might not mean anything to people already acting irrationally and who had just lost their homes.


    They all looked at each other. None of them raised objections. Dee because she honestly didn¡¯t care about the other communities, and the other three because their experience had given them enough pragmatism to put their own interests first.  Why would they bother risking their lives and wasting their energy to save people who were rivals when they weren¡¯t enemies?


    Moirai gave a small sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s give a token last burst of resistance around the gate to make sure the first elementals to get inside the city won¡¯t go straight for the evacuees, while Dee goes through the gate first to make sure our people are ok. She and Ngaire should be able to stave off most trouble.¡±


    Dee was just about to agree, when she felt a burst of power from the direction the enemies were coming from. Normally she wouldn¡¯t have cared, except for the possible threat that burst of power might represent, but the burst of power moved something within her. Similar to the dark feelings she had felt due to Mina earlier, she felt a strong desire towards that power. This time the feeling was significantly stronger. Not just a faint feeling of greed, but a overbearing feeling of HUNGER! Not a hunger for sustenance but a hunger for power. Moirai had long ago mentioned that psions ¡®ate¡¯ the power of others, and now that aptly described her current desire.


    Before the three guardians could react, the shadows surrounded Dee and she disappeared.

 Chapter 38

    For the first time in a long time, Dee felt quite helpless. She was watching as her body moved as if by itself towards what she assumed was the location of the rift. She saw everything that happened around her, she felt everything her body felt, but her body didn¡¯t seem to be following her commands. Or perhaps it was, and she was just trying to rationalize her actions to conscious mind while her body moved according to her instinct and desires. Perhaps the deeper and baser part of her nature had taken over, while the rational part was just along for the ride.


    Be that as it may, she was slowly but surely getting closer to the rift. There were wild and crazed elementals all around her. The closer to the rift she got, the wider the mix of elementals. While the elementals she had at first seen going towards the city where mostly low ranking members of the earth and air elements native to the region, the elementals closer to the rift were much more varied both in their element and type.


    The aura Dee usually used for stealth was completely useless against the crazed elementals, as they were both mindless and driven by their crazed instincts. On the upside, the elementals were too busy fighting each other and destroying everything in sight to really search for intruders. Dee was also a master of finding hiding spots where there were none and moving stealthily, so her approach was a little slow but steady.


    There was also the fact that whatever had woken up inside her with the burst of hunger she felt earlier seemed to be enhancing her abilities greatly. The shadows clung to her like a cape, making stealthy movement almost trivial. Twice she had run into a situation where she could not avoid confrontation, but whatever improved her abilities also improved her physical strength. Her body moved automatically and almost casually cleaved the offending elementals in two with just her claws. She had no idea of the strength of the elementals, but normally they shouldn¡¯t fall that easily, right?


    Dee had only the faintest impression that it took hours to get close to the rift, but it could¡¯ve been just a couple of hours, or it could¡¯ve been days for all she knew. The weird fugue she was in dulled her sense of time. On one hand everything around her seemed to be moving ever so slowly, but on the other hand she seemed to have some blank spots in her memory. How did she get out of the city? Why didn¡¯t Moirai come after her? Despite the shadows hiding her, her diminutive master should be able to find her approximate location at least.


    As Dee observed the rift from a distance, she noted that it looked a little like someone had thrown a rock through a window. There were numerous cracks running further from the hole with jagged edges. Except the window in this case was reality, and on the other side of the ¡®window¡¯ was a swirling and bubbling maelstrom of mana. The rift seemed to be just some few dozen mel tall and half that wide, but it seemed to be expanding ever so slowly. The rational part of her mind wondered where the expansion would stop, or if it ever would without outside intervention.


    The mana within the rift seemed to be of nearly every element imaginable, but some of the elements were clearly winning in this struggle. This was reinforced by the fact that the small war of crazed elementals seemed to reflecting the conflict within the rift. There was clearly more elementals of certain elements, while the other were getting wiped out slowly but surely.


    Was the rift spawning more elementals of the winning elements, thus leading to their victory? Or was the war waging outside the rift somehow affecting the balance within the rift? Or were they both symptoms of something else that she was unaware of?


    In any case, it seemed that four specific elements seemed to be winning. Fire was the most numerous, and seemed to be focused on eradicating the losing small groups of various elements. The black figures representing shadow or darkness were locked in a balanced death struggle with the light elementals, which didn¡¯t surprise Dee a bit. The fourth major player seemed to be ice which seemed to be content in letting the other elements take each other out. The ice elementals were less numerous, but they seemed to have gained a certain level of clarity and were not acting as crazed as the others.


    ¡®Well, this seems to be as good a time as there will be. The elementals are all busy knocking each other out, so they might not pay attention to me.¡¯ Dee thought to herself, and her body seemed to respond to that thought and started to sneak through the battlefield.


    She still had no idea why her body had suddenly decided to take such a crazed risk, aside from the deep hunger that only seemed to grow stronger with every step.


    -----


    ¡°So why exactly are we here?¡± Lumen asked with a sigh as she looked at the dreary gray surroundings.


    The ever-present gray fog had dissipated somewhat, but not enough to reveal anything but more grey landscape and some ancient remains that may have been a part of a forested ruin. Now even the trees that had overgrown the ruins had withered due to the ravages of time.


    ¡°It¡¯s happening.¡± Umbra replied simply.


    ¡°What? Already? But didn¡¯t we already figure out it was happening on her sixteenth birthday? That¡¯s still a few months away?¡± Lumen asked a little indignant. She had made plans. Plans that were now ruined.


    ¡°Well obviously she¡¯s ahead of schedule.¡± Umbra looked a little exasperated. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that! Time¡¯s not part of my purview. I have no control over it!¡± She looked pointedly at the aged and greyed old man sitting nearby, who also happened to be the master of the domain they were currently in.


    ¡°The girl is a hasty one.¡± He commented simply. He was ever so slightly vexed that his daughters always used his domain when they had things to discuss and arrange. It was a sort of neutral ground for the two, and he had to listen to their yammering and bickering. Being a parent could be so bothersome sometimes.


    ¡°Well what happened?!¡± Lumen asked, still incensed. ¡°I already prepared what you asked for. Five of my stronger servants were supposed to meet with the girl just before her birthday. I still have no idea what you needed them for. They are nowhere close to the girl¡¯s current location now though. This was not the plan.¡±


    Just because the two were rivals and enemies didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t provide some assistance to each other when their interests coincided. And the girl most certainly would be useful for the both of them if things played out right.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Yes, well, plans change. You¡¯re too hung up on plans anyway. This way is much more interesting.¡± Of course a goddess that represented change would say that. ¡°The five you provided were meant to keep her awakening contained. It would be kind of bad if she killed her new friends accidentally. Her next awakening could be a bit¡­explosive.¡± Umbra finished with a grin.


    Lumen narrowed her eyes. Or it looked a little like that, since it was hard to tell with someone made of pure light. ¡°How bad could it be? The worst that could happen is she awakens something like a devil heritage. It would make sense that her creators would use the blood of the most influential race from the thirteen hells. Did they use something like a fiend and make her go berserk?¡±


    Umbra¡¯s grin only widened, which annoyed Lumen further.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting in case you were interested.¡± The old man said in a firm voice, partly to just shut the two up. The normal campfire was replaced with a large floating pearl-like orb that showed the image of Dee¡¯s fox form sneaking into the rift.


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s that? Is that a planar rift? To the elemental planes? So that¡¯s why she¡¯s early.¡± Lumen asked questions that she answered herself.


    As she passed through the rift, Dee¡¯s fox form materialized a pair of large wings that stabilized her in the huge vortex of energies. The gods watched as Dee looked a little confused for a moment, before opening her mouth and starting to draw in the energies surrounding her.


    Umbra gave a small chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s one way to absorb energy from the surroundings. Not the one I would¡¯ve chosen, but that works too.¡±


    Lumen gave an adorable grunt. ¡°I just hope she¡¯ll realize that isn¡¯t the only way. It could become a bit gruesome if she starts to eat the powerful enemies she defeats in the future.¡±


    ¡°Eh, she¡¯s a smart girl. She¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Umbra waved her hand dismissively, before frowning. ¡°I think¡­¡± She mumbled remembering how fond of eating the girl seemed to be.


    Suddenly the space around Dee shuddered and thumped like a heartbeat and all light of reason suddenly vanished from her eyes.


    ¡°And so it begins.¡± The old man said quietly.


    Suddenly the power around Dee surged and started to flow towards her at a much faster rate. If Dee¡¯s earlier suction of power had been like a faucet of water, now it was like a grand waterfall flooding everything. Earlier she had been absorbing mostly pure mana, but now the raw elemental power started to flow into her as well.


    ¡°You never did mention what heritage is waking up inside her.¡± Lumen suddenly asked narrowing her eyes. The inflow of power was too much for a simple devil or a fiend.


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about. How could I possibly know?¡± Umbra replied, her grin coming back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. I know you had a hand in her creation. For all I know, you were the driving force behind the entire project.¡± Lumen¡¯s tone became suspicious and angry.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s a little unfair. Unlike you, I don¡¯t control my servants. I might give them a little nudge here and there. I might have whispered a suggestion or two into the right ear while she was being created. Whether they abided by my suggestions is completely up to them.¡± Umbra replied innocently.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Lumen asked with her voice rising.


    ¡°The Old Ones.¡± The old man replied distractedly. He was not the only being older than the two younger gods in this universe. He was the first, and he would be the last, but there were others far older than the two unruly daughters in front of him. After all, he wasn¡¯t a creator god. He didn¡¯t create life. In fact he mostly took lives. So there had to have been someone else involved in their creation. If he was considered their father, then there had to have been a mother.


    ¡°The Old Ones!?¡± Lumen¡¯s voice became shrill towards the end. ¡°Are you crazy?! You had them use the blood of one of the imprisoned Old Ones?! You know damn well they were locked away for a reason!¡±


    ¡°I know, I was right there with you making the decision.¡± Umbra replied with a placating voice. ¡°But why let their existence go to waste? What better heritage could you think of?¡±


    The Old Ones were, as the name implied, some of the oldest and most powerful beings in existence. Some of them where fairly benign while others were dedicated to nothing but their own amusement and pleasure. They were also the progenitors of most of the mortals that came after. As the various gods gained in power, they gave some of that power to the four groups involved in the War in Heaves, in order to lock the Old Ones away. Their existence had become too disruptive. It was also questionable what the consequences of killing them would be, hence the imprisonment.


    ¡°Which one?! Which Old One did you use?!¡± Lumen demanded.


    ¡°Take a wild guess. Which Old Ones did the demons imprison? Anyway, you¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± Umbra replied mysteriously.


    The foresight of the deities was not very precise and Umbra knew that Lumen had not seen the exact nature of Dee¡¯s powers in the girl¡¯s future, just that she was strong enough to fulfill the purposes the goddess had in mind.


    ¡®Thump.¡¯ Another heartbeat and a ripple of power extended outwards from Dee. Her tails started to change color. One took on the color of gold, representing the element of light, one took on the color of blue representing the deep cold ice of the permafrost, one took the color of deep black representing darkness and one became fiery red. The fifth tail took on a grey hue, and seemed somehow intangible. The change only lasted for a moment before the tails turned back to their usual white.


    As the thump-thump of the heartbeat accelerated, a ghostly apparition started to take a form around Dee. As the form became clearer, the observing gods could recognize a form very close to a dragon, except there was something odd about it. The dragon had a dark matte black scales that looked metallic, but there was an eerie purplish red glow radiating from between the scales. Similarly the dragon had the same glow where the eyes should have been, and the open maw filled with razor sharp teeth was also glowing purplish red. The dragon¡¯s back had a row of jagged and sharp spikes running its length, ending with a long and sharp tail.


    The apparition stayed ethereal around Dee, while she seemed to be inside the apparition. The apparition seemed to be protecting her, which was good because the elementals finally started to respond to the intruder within their rift. These elementals however where not the crazed low level spirits seen outside the rift. That did not make them any friendlier though.


    ¡°You gave her the blood of Tiamat?¡± Lumen asked quietly, her voice tinged with tension.


    ¡°Indeed. The progenitor of all dragons corrupted by chaos and darkness, the father of all Abyssal dragons.¡± Umbra was actually more than a little proud of her idea. Tiamat might have been the progenitor of the demonic dragons, often grouped under the moniker Abyssal dragons even though they varied as much as normal dragons, but unlike most of his progeny Tiamat was less¡­unbalanced.


    Most Abyssal dragons were a savage bunch, even by the standards of dragons. They inherited the penchant for violence from both their demonic part and their dragon part, which led them to be one of the most aggressive beings in the universe. One of the most powerful, but also one very prone to going into a frenzy. As a result, the Abyssal dragons caused wide scale destruction and often became the target of desperate hunts by the other races. Notably even other demons had a habit of hunting them down due to their habit of attacking everything that moved, including their fellow demons.


    Tiamat on the other hand was more in control. He wasn¡¯t much less destructive, often being called by the moniker ¡®Destroyer¡¯, but he didn¡¯t do it in a fit of frenzy, but with cold calculation and malice. On the other hand, Tiamat wasn¡¯t strictly evil. Even the gods had to admit that Tiamat was more of a representation of an apex predator than anything else. He may have caused wide spread destruction, but mostly due to a desire to find more powerful enemies to fight. Those fights usually had a lot of collateral damage. The dragon didn¡¯t really go out of its way to attack those weaker than him.


    The three gods remembered Tiamat very well, and the apparition around Dee was different. It looked similar, but it was much smaller and less powerful. Not that it was weak, judging by the almost disdainful way it cleaved through the ranks of the elementals attacking it. However, just the aura of Tiamat would¡¯ve been enough to kill the elementals and much stronger foes as well.


    ¡°It seems the girl will rampage around for a while, until she regains control of her faculties.¡± The old man said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted Lumen¡¯s servants there, in case she had awakened among her friends. They would¡¯ve kept her contained until she regained her sanity and I doubt she can differentiate between friend and foe at the moment.¡± Umbra replied.


    ¡°So why not use your own servants? And how would she have gained all the necessary power for all this without the rift?¡± Lumen asked.


    ¡°My servants tend to draw the ire of all types of templar and priests when they appear. Also they¡¯re less about containment and more about beating things into submission. As for the power, the same way she¡¯s doing it now. Drawing from her surroundings. You forget, the Pantheon is filled with power, which is why the rift appeared in the first place. It would¡¯ve just taken longer, and maybe would¡¯ve been less effective.¡± Umbra explained.


    ¡°How will she get out? I doubt the elementals will just let her go, and the real powers within Pantheon will soon come to take over the rift.¡± Lumen asked a little worried.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a good question. Sneaking around is her forte, plus she should have a much better control over the shadows after this. Do note though that this wasn¡¯t part of my plan.¡± Umbra said a little defensively.


    ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t come to that, but at least she had my blessing to fall back on if things get too bad.¡± The old man mentioned off-handedly.

 Chapter 39

    Three women dressed in crimson scale armor and cloaks hovered in the air about a kilomel from the elemental rift. Besides the eye-catching clothing, the trio were all very similar in many ways. Their hair-colors were different, with one golden blond, one dark black and one with short red hair in a warrior cut, but otherwise they resembled each other greatly. They weren¡¯t identical enough to be mistaken for sisters, but they all had the same pale skin, same blood-red eyes and sharp and elegant features. If they didn¡¯t exude an almost oppressive aura of power and ferocity, one would¡¯ve thought of them as very beautiful.


    At first glance one would think of the three as humans, but that false assumption wouldn¡¯t last for very long. In any case, anyone with even the basic knowledge of the machinations within the inner circles of Pantheon would recognize the crimson armor, for no other community within Pantheon wore one like it. They all knew better.


    All three of them also carried a large two-handed sword identical to the other two. Some would call the sword a claymore. They were obviously visible on the three women¡¯s backs, only slightly strapped over the red cloak, mostly kept in place by the power of the women themselves. The weapons seemed simple at first glance, but if one examined them closer they could see that the swords were covered in runes and intricate patterns all the way from the pommel to the tip of the blade. The runes and patterns were not for decoration though, as they were almost too fine to even be seen without stellar eyesight.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± The eldest looking black haired woman asked. Eldest looking in this case only meant the slightest of differences as they all seemed to have an ageless quality about them.


    The blond woman replied. ¡°The rift is settling down. For some reason the battle within the rift seems to have gone on a lot longer than usual for a rift this size, but it is stabilizing now. It seems to be forming as a rift to the elemental plane of ice.¡±


    ¡°That works for our purposes perfectly. Do we have rival claimants?¡± The black haired woman asked again.


    This time the red short haired woman answered. ¡°No. The big nine won¡¯t bother with a rift this small. The Revenant are always interested in elemental rifts, but they¡¯ll give us this one thanks to us arriving first. They need every rift they can get, but this one isn¡¯t big enough to fight for, especially out here in the boondocks like this. The other communities know better than to pick a fight with us.¡±


    The blond woman interjected. ¡°There was a tiny psion from some third rate community searching the area around the rift, but she wasn¡¯t here for the rift specifically. Apparently she was looking for her disciple. I shooed her away and she knew not to resist. I mentioned that in the unlikely event that we run into her disciple that we¡¯d send her through the gate to the evacuation site the Holy Orders run.¡±


    The words ¡®third rate¡¯ coming from the blond woman¡¯s mouth weren¡¯t really pejorative, rather it was more used as a descriptive term for a community of the third circle. It was a rather common way to describe those communities by the people from second and first circles, though many of them definitely used it more as a pejorative.


    ¡°That was rather magnanimous of you.¡± The black haired woman said, without really caring about the issue at all.


    ¡°Well it¡¯s often useful to have a mental type psion owe you one, considering how rare they can be.¡± The blond woman replied. In fact their own community by their very nature had no psions at all, though they would also argue that they didn¡¯t need any. ¡°Besides, she seemed rather skilled. For a mortal.¡±


    As the trio flew closer to the rift, they couldn¡¯t quite understand why there were no elementals around the rift.


    ¡°There¡¯s something off about this. Even if the battle within the rift had been exhausting, there should be some elementals in the area.¡± The red haired woman said a little warily.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Yet there were none around, and there was no sign of any trying to come through the rift either. They even sent a probe of power to check the other side, and saw no activity. The rift was active, and there was elemental energy flowing in the surroundings. The ground was frosting over and the temperature was dropping, but no elementals.


    ¡°It¡¯s as if all the elementals in the area died off or something.¡± The blond woman muttered.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be. The rift should be at its most active right before and after stabilizing.¡± The black haired woman dismissed the notion.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The blond woman asked pointing at a small crater near the rift, with something white in the middle.


    ¡°The corpse of a beast?¡± The red haired woman guessed. There had been other dead beasts, though not this close to the rift and not this well preserved.


    The black haired woman suddenly signaled for them to stop. ¡°That¡¯s not a corpse. Whatever it is, it¡¯s still alive. I can smell the blood flowing in her veins. It¡¯s filled with life-force and energy.¡±


    ¡°What? I can¡¯t sense her presence at all, even when I know she¡¯s there.¡± The blond woman looked on in shock, and then sniffed the air, confirming the other woman¡¯s words.


    ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t dead yet, we can help it on the way.¡± The red haired woman grinned while reaching for her sword.


    With the speed of the red haired woman she could kill the white being in less than a second. Yet something happened that made the eldest woman put a hand on the other woman¡¯s shoulder, stopping her from moving. ¡°Wait.¡±


    A glowing symbol suddenly appeared above the body. The trio was very familiar with such symbols of the deities. That alone would not stop them. Even though they didn¡¯t want to antagonize the deities without reason, they didn¡¯t go out of their way to avoid killing the servants of the gods either. They didn¡¯t need to. They had enough power to make enemies with almost any deity.


    However, certain gods took attacks on their servants more seriously than others, and other deities were just much too bothersome to antagonize. Their community had a list of ten gods and their symbols with warnings not to pick fights with them. Those ten were not the ten most powerful gods, although there was obviously some overlap. Umbra for instance didn¡¯t generally care if one of her servants died, so she wasn¡¯t on the list. On the other hand, certain goddess of vengeance was, for obvious reasons.


    Even with that list, the seven latter names were flexible. Their community wouldn¡¯t bow down to someone just because they got blessed by one of those seven gods, they just would just take steps to avoid those blessed people when possible. The three first names on the list were very different however. Number three was the goddess of vengeance, who for obvious reasons didn¡¯t take it lying down when one of hers dies. Luckily she very rarely blessed anyone and those that she did were focused on their own quest for revenge.


    Number two on that list was only known as Death. There were numerous deities associated with death, from the way you died to those that were supposed to govern afterlife. However, there was only one entity that claimed power over death itself. It was rumored that Death also managed what was known as River of Souls and the cycle of reincarnation, though that concept warred with the various ideas of afterlives. Who could say what the truth was? In any case, Death was on the list, though they had never ran into one of its servants.


    Far beyond these two and much further beyond the other seven was number one on the list. That name and symbol combination had been outlined, and had five exclamation marks after it. Do not touch! The symbol of a serpent eating its tail in the form of an infinite hourglass was shown to every member of their community, along with a warning of staying away.


    No member of their community had seen one in eons. Yet now that same symbol was floating there in front of the trio. ¡°The symbol of Eternity!¡± The black haired woman hissed between her teeth.


    The symbol didn¡¯t seem threatening, just seemed to be warning them. ¡°What is the symbol of Eternity doing here?¡± The blond woman asked in a whisper.


    The trio called it the symbol of Eternity, but that wasn¡¯t really an official name for it. The deity behind the symbol was shrouded in mystery, so much so that his name and domain of power were also unknown. The priests had given the deity the name Eternity, due to the fact that they knew his domain included time, and that he was perhaps the oldest living god in existence. He was also, by far, the most powerful. At least as far as the priests and most of the gods they served were aware.


    There were horror stories of a being bearing the mark of Eternity suffering at the hands of one of the ancient empires that spanned several worlds and had existed before Pantheon. That empire was no more, gone in a blink of an eye. Unlike many horror stories, this one was attested to by many of those that use to be enslaved by that ancient empire. It was held as an example of what hubris can do, when someone imagines themselves to be beyond the reach of the deities.


    The black haired woman could now see that the white creature the symbol was protecting was some sort of weird kitsune with werewolf blood of all things. How those two races shacked up was a mystery to the woman. ¡®Then again, if there is a being worthy of being protected by Eternity, then I suppose those two races combined make for a good candidate.¡¯


    ¡°Wait, I think that¡¯s the disciple I mentioned earlier. The one the psion mortal was looking for. I¡¯m pretty sure she mentioned a white furred kitsune.¡± The blond woman quietly said.


    ¡°Well, we need to get her out of here. You made the promise, so you deliver.¡± The black haired woman pushed the responsibility on the other woman¡¯s shoulders before slowly backing off with the red haired woman.


    ¡°Just great.¡± The blond woman muttered. She slowly inched closer to the kitsune. The symbol floating in the air became brighter for a moment as a warning. The woman lifter her hands in a placating gesture, trying to show she was here to help. As she got close, she used her power to carefully check the kitsune, and to her relief found out that she was alright. Apparently exhausted, but alright. ¡°Well then. We better get you out of here.¡±

 Chapter 40

    Dee slowly drifted back into consciousness. As she blinked her eyes open, the bright natural light stung her eyes. ¡®Well this feels familiar.¡¯ She thought. ¡®This is becoming a bad habit, waking up in an unknown place after putting my life in danger. One of these days I won¡¯t wake up, or might wake up in a much less pleasant place. Not that I can be sure this place is pleasant. It might just look like it.¡¯


    She quickly checked her body¡¯s condition. She knew something was different, but couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on what it was exactly. Everything felt a little different but not drastically so. Her body was filled with energy and power, much more so than before. ¡®A sixth tail?¡¯ She wondered. Apparently whatever she did with the rift had at least some positive effects.


    ¡°Why do I have a faint memory of my tails changing color?¡± Dee asked herself out loud.


    ¡°That would be because for a brief moment they did.¡± Croestia helpfully replied. ¡°When you got inside the rift, you absorbed the rampant elemental power. The result was that your tails changed color, though they also went right back moments later.¡±


    ¡°What happened after that? My memory is hazy at best.¡± Dee inquired.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can explain it.¡± Croestia gave a brief description of the ethereal form of a dragon surrounding Dee. ¡°After that I went out too. Too much raw mana. I know there was a fight, but not what the result was. Anyway, I woke up while a woman in red armor was tossing you through the teleportation gate to the evacuation zone. She seemed powerful. Moirai found you on the other side and got you treated.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­odd. Any idea as to the identity of the woman in red?¡± Dee asked confused.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen that kind of armor before, and I¡¯ll recognize it if I see it again, but aside from that no. Very powerful. She felt¡­different somehow. If I were to make a guess, then I don¡¯t think she was mortal.¡± Croestia tried explaining her nebulous impression.


    ¡°So most likely someone from a high level community come to take over the rift. How kind of them to spare me and even get me to safety.¡± Dee guessed rather accurately.


    ¡°Sarfina and Mazatl are here, for your information.¡± Croestia suddenly said.


    ¡°Here? Why?¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°If I were to make a guess from what I overheard, they had people keeping an ear out for news concerning the area we were in. You did send them letters telling them where you were. All of three letters in almost two years. Also, there are only so many white kitsune around these parts. You do stand out a bit when your aura doesn¡¯t work properly.¡± Croestia pointed out the obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing they already ran in to Moirai?¡± Dee asked with slight trepidation.


    ¡°Oh yeah, they were swapping stories over your bed the moment they realized who each of them were.¡± Croestia replied with obvious mirth in her voice.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Dee replied with a palm over her face.


    -----


    ¡°Hey, the wayward disciple is awake.¡± Moirai said with a chuckle as she entered the room with Sarfina and Mazatl.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Sarfina asked with obvious relief in her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok. A little disoriented, but otherwise fine. Any idea how long I was out?¡± Dee asked back.


    Moirai replied. ¡°You were tossed trough the portal a couple of days ago. You seemed exhausted. I¡¯m guessing it has to do with your little level up. I tried searching for you earlier but had trouble locating you. I could feel you within the mindscape but your position was too nebulous to actually locate you. It was like you were there some of the time, but somewhere else the next moment. Then one of the members of the Crimson Path informed me that my presence was no longer welcome.¡±


    ¡°You met one of the crimson witches?¡± Sarfina asked clearly shocked.


    ¡°Crimson witches?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Yes, most call members of the Crimson Path with the somewhat nasty moniker of crimson witches. They are the strongest community outside of the nine that reside in the first circle. That would make them rank ten within the Day city. They are brutally efficient in what they do, but they aren¡¯t exactly known for caring about who dies just as long as they reach their goals. Very much a group that believes the ends justify the means. Hence the deriding moniker crimson witches.¡± Mazatl helpfully supplied from the side.


    ¡°Well that and they bathe in the blood of their enemies and eat their flesh, all in order to gain their power. They are as close as you get to a demon community within Day city. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re could actually be called demons, but their methods make them at least half that. That too makes them unpopular with the other communities. Though you can¡¯t argue with the results.¡± Sarfina added.


    ¡°Wait, so are they demons or not?¡± Dee asked, her interest obvious.


    ¡°Not in the traditional sense. They originally come from a variety of races, though a big part of them are known to be vampires. It¡¯s the methods they use that turns them into what some would define as demons.¡± Moirai explained. ¡°Even I¡¯m not sure on the details, as they don¡¯t exactly advertise their methods. Though I would note that all of them are female, hence the witch part. Apparently whatever methods they use are unsuitable for men. There are some very old rumors about their original male members going insane.¡±


    Dee considered that for a while before changing the subject. ¡°So what brings the two of you here? Not that I¡¯m not glad to see you, but I would¡¯ve come to you in a few weeks or a month at most. I was planning on spending my sixteenth birthday with you guys.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s good we found you before that. There¡¯s been a change of plans.¡± Mazatl started off.


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    Sarfina continued the explanation. ¡°As much as we planned on waiting for your birthday before having you officially become part of the order, things are moving up. The recruitment starts in a week at the Radiant Sun headquarters.¡±


    ¡°Wait, why there? We lived right next to a training facility, where you worked at I might add. Why isn¡¯t the recruitment done there?¡± Dee asked, feeling rather uninformed today.


    ¡°If you were becoming just a standard member or the order, then that would be the plan. However, we all know that would be a waste in your case. There are templars and then there are templars. If one is satisfied with becoming a normal member of the order that works in the lesser circles then the location of your training doesn¡¯t matter. However, if you want to really become someone in the order, then you will need to apply during the yearly recruitment at the headquarters and get trained by the best of our order.¡± Sarfina explained.


    Sarfina herself was an odd case. Her brother was the grandmaster of the order, and she herself had great potential, but she also wanted to avoid favoritism due to her family. Hence she had enrolled in the training complex she now worked at, and tried to climb the ranks against all the odds with her own merits alone. Somewhere along the way she had lost her reasons for striving and just worked hard without any real goals or purpose. That made her progress stagnate, which she in a way welcomed because it allowed her to stay away from her family affairs, where a more prominent person would¡¯ve been pulled back in forcefully.


    Then she had met Dee, and ultimately even lost to her. That had given back her lost motivation, and she was now striving for improvement again, and the last two years had been fruitful.


    ¡°Besides, Commander Wolfhart has invited someone from the scouts to observe the selection. He¡¯s supposed to take you under his wing if things go according to plan. He wouldn¡¯t come to a selection in the middle of nowhere, but the headquarters? That can be arranged.¡± Sarfina continued to explain. She didn¡¯t mention how hard it had been for the commander to get his old friend to come.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re feeling good because in a week you¡¯ll be pitted against the best of the best new hopeful recruits the order has. I¡¯ve heard that this year especially has many young members of notable communities joining. They won¡¯t be the normal run of the mill trainees you saw in the training complex. They will be people who have been trained since childhood to become paladins and templar.¡± Mazatl said with a laugh.


    ¡°Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think you ever properly explained how the order does recruitment. I find it a little odd that other communities would send their best youngsters for training since they¡¯ll have to join the order, and you can¡¯t be relying on orphans and rescued people like me.¡± Dee suddenly thought to ask.


    ¡°Oh we didn¡¯t go through this before?¡± Mazatl asked, a little surprised by her oversight and going into her teacher mode. ¡°Well then, we must rectify this immediately.¡±


    Before Mazatl got too preachy, Sarfina started to explain. ¡°While the order does take in orphans and such, they aren¡¯t necessarily suited for this profession, so we definitely can¡¯t rely on them for recruitment. Majority of our members come from other communities. I¡¯m myself a member of the Arazana family of the Tuatha D¨¦ Danann empire. As much as I try to avoid it, I can¡¯t completely deny my old ties, and neither will the other people recruited by the order. But they don¡¯t have to. The order realizes that our brothers and sisters have families and ties beyond the order.¡±


    Mazatl picked up the explanation. ¡°The order, and in the same vein the temples, don¡¯t require you to renounce your old ties. You can be a member of your old community as well. There are however conditions. You are not allowed to leak the training and skills to people outside the order for example. There are exceptions made, like parents can train their children in preparation for joining the order, but if some other community suddenly starts pumping out trained paladins and templar, then the Radiant Sun will hunt down and annihilate that offending community.


    You¡¯re also expected to perform duties in the service of the order and answer when you¡¯re called to arms. Mostly the new members will spend a certain amount of years in direct service, depending on their skills and position in the order. Later on you will get a certain amount of missions, but you¡¯ll be otherwise free to do what you want. The exception is a general call to arms, which all those called will have to honor. That one is usually only used when there¡¯s something large going on. This of course all depends. Some people spend their entire lives in the full service of the order, due to it being their calling or because they have specialized skills that are necessary.¡±


    Sarfina picked up the explanation again. ¡°The other communities get very powerful training for their young, which allows them to become pillars of support for their communities in the future. In addition, they gain connections with the order, and often our help when they are in trouble. Especially so if one of their number becomes a high ranking member in the order that could even order entire armies to move to protect their communities.


    The training is also something of an honor for many. Certain parts of Pantheon view the templars and paladins as some of the most honorable and prestigious professions to be. There are families and communities that are dedicated to the order and send each generation to train with us. All this becomes especially so if they get selected in the selection you will be taking part in the headquarters. Like I said, there are templar and then there are templar.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something you should take note. Normally we don¡¯t even train the young ones in the use of weapons until their bodies develop, but these families and communities are different. Don¡¯t assume they don¡¯t know what they are doing, because some of them were handed the weapons of a templar or a paladin the day they were born. Some of them might even already have a blessing just like you. You aren¡¯t the only one impatient enough to sneak into the ceremony. Some of them might have even been taken there by their parents. There are other priests like me, willing to help their friends and acquaintances to get a leg up.¡± Mazatl pointed out, wanting Dee to be prepared.


    Moirai finally spoke. ¡°That all said, I expect my disciple to absolutely shit stomp them.¡± Moirai wasn¡¯t all that big on using profanities, which made it even more notable she used one now. ¡°None of ours will get defeated by some preening noble who thinks they¡¯re special because of their family, and that goes double for my disciple. Don¡¯t you dare bring shame to us and most importantly to me.¡±


    Moirai¡¯s grin betrayed her serious tone a bit. She however surprised Dee further by tossing her an insignia signifying a membership with the Four Winds alliance. Members of the four main races often didn¡¯t wear theirs, because their allegiance was obvious. Those members that came from other races nearly always wore theirs as a form of identification and to bring glory to the alliance. ¡°Since they explained how the membership in the order works, I thought it was time to make it official. Welcome to the alliance, and I expect to see you back once you are able to return. Your training is far from finished. Go and make me proud.¡±


    Dee was suddenly flooded with a sense of belonging. She had a group to call her own. People that would welcome her. Sarfina and Mazatl had been the first, but that was two people and not a group. The Radiant Sun wanted her out of obligation and partially as repentance for what she might have done as an assassin. The Four Winds wanted her for who she was. That brought tears to Dee¡¯s eyes. She would make them proud, and glad that they had made this decision.


    ----------


    Sarge watched quietly as Commander Wolfhart took a long swig from his glass of scotch. This wasn¡¯t the first swig or even the first glass. Sarge was worried about his superior and friend, but he also knew not to say anything and just let his friend work through things on his own. He settled on swirling the drink in his own glass. His was still the same glass that Wolfhart had poured him almost an hour ago.


    The commander finally spoke. ¡°You know, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve brought about a bright future for the order, or have I set things in motion for its destruction.¡±


    Sarge remained quiet. He burned to ask questions, but he knew some of what the commander was talking about while the rest he wouldn¡¯t get an answer for. Unless the commander was feeling especially loose-lipped, which seemed unlikely.


    The commander continued quietly. ¡°Putting those two together¡­I have no worries that Razark will be impressed by her, and take her in. She was good enough for that two years ago, and I doubt she¡¯s gotten weaker since. And he¡¯ll make her even more powerful. In a few years she¡¯ll be a real terror, perhaps even more so than Razark himself.¡±


    ¡°So the problem is¡­¡± Sarge prompted, knowing it was expected of him.


    ¡°The problem is neither of them hold any real loyalty towards the order, and Razark especially has more than enough reason to hate us. His honor and the few people he¡¯s still close to are the only thing keeping him in the order. But now he¡¯ll get a new disciple. They will bond and get close. And should anything happen to her and should the order once again do nothing to help¡­this will be the last time.¡± The commander gave a deep sigh, before continuing.


    ¡°He has always been loyal to people instead of ideas or groups. That has always been his downside and will eventually be the downfall of either him or the order.¡± The commander placed his empty glass heavily on the table before rubbing his eyes tiredly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered why the order had never done anything about him?¡± Sarge couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t done anything because they can¡¯t. He isn¡¯t just one of the Blades, he¡¯s the strongest of them. Maybe even our illustrious grandmaster with his hero Authorities can¡¯t stand up to him. Besides, the scouts all love him, and two of the other Blades would stand with him unto death. If they tried to move against Razark, they¡¯d have a rebellion by the scouts and three of the ten Blades in their hands.¡± The commander replied with exasperation. ¡°And he¡¯s almost always right. Maybe not on long term, but morally he is in the right.¡±


    ¡°So why did you agree to Faylen¡¯s request then? Why send the girl to him?¡± Sarge finally asked the burning question that he knew the commander wanted to be asked, just so he could get it off his chest.


    ¡°Because the potential upside is so great. Sarfina was right. He¡¯s the perfect teacher for the girl. If things go right, then she¡¯ll be one of the Blades soon enough. Maybe even the strongest of them. Also because I owe him. We took something precious from him, so this might be my sad attempt to make amends. The girl isn¡¯t Lilly, but she has a way of growing on people. And knowing his character, there¡¯s no way for him to take a disciple like her without them growing close, either as lovers or as something akin to a family. Brothers for a day, brothers for life, as the scouts like to say.¡± Wolfhart was quiet for a long time.


    ¡°And finally, if things go wrong, she might be the only one who will be capable of killing him.¡±

 Chapter 41

    Dee curiously observed her surroundings. The closest she had been to the center of the Day city had been on her trip to the Cauldron of Blood with Sarfina. The Cauldron had been in the fifth circle, and now they were in the fourth circle where the harshest competition between differing communities happened. It was the circle where unprepared communities went to die, while the prepared communities managed to survive. On rare occasion one of the communities showed their brilliance and gained real glory, usually by getting into the top thousand communities within the three inner circles. That however was exceedingly rare. The communities in the top thousand didn¡¯t gain their position by accident.


    The area they teleported into was somewhat unusual for the fourth circle. Normally the communities within the fourth circle were fiercely hostile to one another due to the competition they were in with each other. This led to isolated areas controlled by each community and a distinct lack of commercial endeavors because any trading might end up helping their competitors. In addition, there usually was a distinct lack of people or buildings that weren¡¯t directly associated with the community ruling the particular area. The areas themselves dotted the fourth circle like islands in an ocean with varying distances between them.


    This area however was filled with commercial activity and various smaller groups not directly associated with any of the fourth circle communities. This was due to the influence of the five large communities surrounding the area. The Mystic¡¯s guild, Freelancer¡¯s guild, Holy Orders, Order of the Radiant Sun all had their headquarters in this area, which made the space between the four headquarters the safest place in the entire fourth circle. For added security, the flying island palace of the Threads of Fate spent most of its time in the area as well.


    As a result, a large city had sprouted in the safe space. In addition to unassociated people that were here visiting for commerce purposes, the city was inhabited with people either associated with the five communities, their families and people who had wares or services that could benefit the five large communities. These services ranged from essentials such as blacksmiths and alchemists, to leisure such as restaurants and entertainment. Many of the families that sent each successive generation to train with one of the five communities also lived in the city. Unsurprisingly, the Threads of Fate also managed several large auction houses in the city that also happened to be the only ones in the fourth circle. As such, they were very popular and prestigious.


    Naturally such gathering of people drew in others that would benefit from the people in various ways. These others included seedier elements such as thieves and pickpockets, as well as those that were frowned upon but not really illegal such as bookies and loan sharks. Then there were the people that were necessary, but which the communities couldn¡¯t directly associate with such as information brokers and even assassins.


    Yes, even the area right next to the communities that opposed Zabaniya and other assassin organizations had assassins. The internal struggles within the communities sometimes required outside help, because sometimes the power struggles could turn bloody. This caused the communities to overlook their presence as long as the assassins behaved. Strictly speaking it wasn¡¯t so much the killing of others that the communities opposed in any case, as they did enough of that during their own activities. It was more the oppression of weaker communities and the death of individuals necessary for their purposes. Also, immoral activities such as using child assassins, wanton destruction and collateral damage were heavily cracked down upon.


    As a result, the safe city was the liveliest place within the fourth circle, and pretty much the only one filled with people not directly involved with powerful communities of the fourth circle. Hawkers lined the streets and plenty of civilians and servants ran around on various errands. Notably, the value and quality of goods was much higher than in the lesser or even middle circles. As one got closer to the center of the Day city, the heavier the ambient mana and ki, which resulted in a vast increase in available power for the production of various goods.


    Simple foods were replaced with delicacies filled with mana and bred for both their taste and positive effects when eaten. Weapons and armor for sale was all heavily enchanted and made from the most precious materials and magical items were seen everywhere. One notable difference was also the prevalent presence of magitech. Whereas in the lesser circles it was not very efficient to have too many machines or even lights powered by magic because they would need their power reserves to be recharged, here the ambient mana was enough that recharging was only necessary for items with the heaviest of power costs.


    Of course the cost of anything was leagues above anything seen in the lesser circles. You could buy a decent house in the eleventh circle for the cost of a good meal here. As the ambient mana was so prevalent, you couldn¡¯t simply buy most items by using generic power as currency. You either had to have something special to offer, like psionic power or a rare mana element, or you paid for your purchases with coins.


    The coins weren¡¯t normal gold either. It was a form of white gold created by imbuing normal gold with vast amount of power, which could then be easily extracted and used for various purposes. Alternatively the white gold could be used as materials for various purposes as it was a very versatile material. It obviously held power well, which made it ideal for enchanting and holding enchantments. It was also heavily used in construction and making other goods like weapons, mostly to reinforce other materials, as the process of imbuing the gold with so much power turned it especially sturdy and suited for such purposes. A stone wall reinforced with the white gold was much harder to destroy than most metallic walls.


    The four headquarters were situated at the cardinal directions. The Holy Orders in the south and the Radiant Sun in the east had much larger headquarters than the others, and their areas had effectively grown together, covering the whole of the south-east side of the city. In the north were the Ivory Towers of the Mystic¡¯s guild. Although their towers weren¡¯t actually made of ivory, Dee noted they were still completely white. They were also the tallest structures she had ever seen, the tops of the towers getting lost in the clouds constantly circling the towers.


    In the west was the fortress that held the Freelancer¡¯s guild. Compared to the others, the fortress was a lot less impressive, but that was mostly because their guild was much less unified and centralized as the others. The fortress mostly existed so that the freelancers could point to somewhere as their home and to fully claim their place as a fourth circle community, even though their power most likely dwarfed most third circle communities.


    That was another factor contributing to the peaceful nature of this city. None of the five communities actually belonged in the fourth circle when you considered just their power, which ensured none of the other communities were stupid enough to attack them. The five communities chose to be here and protect the lesser circles. At least that was the theory. Some less kind rumors suggested that the communities simply liked being the proverbial big fish in a small pond.


    -----


    Sarfina noted that after coming into the fourth circle, Dee had spent quite a bit of time privately discussing with various people ranging from street urchins to guards and merchants. On several occasions money changed hands, and not always in the same direction. Some people handed Dee coins, while some got paid by Dee instead. There didn¡¯t seem to be a consistent theme either. It seemed that the street urchins got paid the most often, but even those seemingly poor kids dropped the occasional coin in Dee¡¯s hands. Sarfina estimated that Dee was braking roughly even though, so money making wasn¡¯t the purpose of these transactions.


    Finally Sarfina couldn¡¯t contain her curiosity. ¡°What are you doing with all those people? I can¡¯t figure you out.¡±


    ¡°Information trading. Mostly I¡¯m gathering gossip and info on my competition, but I¡¯ve learned a few other interesting details as well.¡± Dee replied.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s wise? The street urchins especially are notorious for scamming new people and providing false information and advice. The order even has a standing order to catch any of them spreading false information.¡± Sarfina warned Dee.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you don¡¯t¡¯ know the right way to ask. You are part of the force that keeps harassing them and their kind, so of course they would mislead you. On the other hand, when they look at me, they don¡¯t see a sucker or a paladin. They see something much more dangerous.¡± Dee explained.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She had not forgotten the Zabaniya¡¯s lessons on information gathering. She had also not forgotten the signals used to identify oneself as someone dangerous to cross. The recruitment events at the five headquarters were some of the flashiest events in the city, and they also happened to be some of the most profitable events for the shadier side of the city. That brought them out in force. Dee¡¯s signals identified herself as one of them, though someone they did not want to piss off. She didn¡¯t identify herself as an assassin, that would be foolish after all, but the people could read between the lines.


    Importantly the bookies made a killing gambling on the success and failure of the various applicants. To make the whole endeavor profitable, the bookies had to gather as much information on the hopeful applicants and their background as possible. Otherwise they would give wrong odds on the applicants and might lose a lot of money. Notably the bookies were also fairly interested to know of the presence of dark horses such as Dee. That¡¯s because although one or two people could make it big betting on said dark horses, most of the gamblers would bet on the people they thought as safe bets. And if the dark horses took the victory, the bookies would rake in the money.


    ¡°So what did you learn?¡± Sarfina asked curiously. She wanted to know what to look forward to, even though she slightly disapproved.


    ¡°Well, first of all it seems that the rough average level of applicants is somewhere in the third and fourth rank range.¡± Dee started, before being interrupted by Sarfina.


    ¡°That makes sense. Most of the applicants we take in are around the second and third rank, with the best at fourth. It seems obvious that the average level in the headquarters is higher.¡± Sarfina said with some interest. In the case of applicants, the ranks almost always referred to their rank as warriors, either due to ki or just due to the strength of their race and bodies. There were some rare exceptions such as Dee who was a psion or a couple of mages that wanted to change their paths to that of a templar or a paladin.


    ¡°Anyway, the strongest applicants are apparently at the fifth rank. There are four that I should especially keep an eye out for. There was a girl from one of the communities that often sends their young to train with the templar. They were called Lacademonians, I believe.¡± Dee started off.


    ¡°You should be careful of Lacademonians. They are a group of High Humans famed for their strength and warrior culture. They are some of the most skilled fighters I know of, and almost always defeat those at the same level they are. They send half of their young to us and half to the freelancers. After rigorous training of their own of course. They¡¯re one of those groups that I was talking about where they are trained to fight with and without weapons since birth.¡± Sarfina had some less than pleasant memories of the Lacademonians, though she herself had never directly clashed with them.


    ¡°That matches the information I got. Two others are twin elves. You might know more about them. Apparently they come from Tuatha D¨¦ Danann as well. The Dawnreaver clan?¡± Dee asked. She had heard some things herself, but wanted Sarfina¡¯s inside information.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure I¡¯ve heard that name. One of the more important clans of the Autumn Court. That usually means Dark Elves, but doesn¡¯t have to be. Plenty of other elves have aligned themselves with the Winter Court. Sorry I can¡¯t offer anything more, but the politics of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann is something I¡¯m actively trying to avoid. Not to mention complex.¡± Sarfina replied with a sigh.


    The empire of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann was divided into four courts. The empire was ruled by the Sidhe courts of Winter and Summer, while the elves that aligned themselves with the two Sidhe courts were part of the Autumn and Spring Courts respectively. Sarfina¡¯s family was a staunch supporter of the Sidhe of Summer Court, and as such the elven family was part of the Spring Court. The politics and the game of intrigue among the various courts would make a normal person¡¯s head spin.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll deal with them if it becomes necessary. The fourth person to look out for was a werebeast from the Winter Wolves clan. No one was entirely sure how strong he was, but apparently he¡¯s the favorite among the bookies. Something about being the son of the current holder of some important Authority. They weren¡¯t very specific with details, mostly because they didn¡¯t want me to bet on him.¡± Dee speculated, fairly correctly.


    ¡°Winter Wolves? They are the most prominent clan of wolf type beastmen. They have several important Authorities, and at least one major Hero Authority called Silver Fang. I hear they¡¯re even competing for the Authority of Fenrir, though that one is still up for grabs due to how hard it is to acquire. Even you should steer clear of that applicant when possible.¡± Sarfina tried advising Dee.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going there to pick a fight, but you heard what Moirai told me. I am to stomp anyone foolish enough to stand in my way.¡± Dee replied with a grin.


    ¡°That reminds me. Did they have any info on you?¡± Sarfina asked with fair bit of curiosity.


    ¡°Two of the bookies had odds for me. Fairly insulting odds at that. They know one of the kids rescued from Zabaniya is supposed to taking part this year and you did a rather horrible job of hiding things. They know I¡¯m taking part here in the headquarters and they know roughly who I am. At least they don¡¯t really know about my strength as they¡¯ve estimated me at the high end of the fourth rank. At least they¡¯re giving me slightly better odds than others of that level, probably due to my training with the assassins.¡± Dee replied with a lopsided smile.


    Sarfina snorted. ¡°They¡¯re several years behind in their guess.¡± She frowned. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t against betting on selection events like this on pure principle, I¡¯d place some bets on you myself.¡±


    Dee just looked at her meaningfully. Translation: ¡°I already did it you doofus. Do you think I¡¯d miss a chance like this?¡±


    Sarfina just snorted again in reply.


    ¡°That reminds me. You never told me what eventually happened to the other kids you rescued.¡± Dee suddenly prompted. Her information on the other kids was several years old. Not that she really cared, she was simply curious.


    Sarfina gave a deep sigh. ¡°Most of them are dead unfortunately. Many of them couldn¡¯t deal with what they had done and either went crazy or committed suicide. Of the ones that still live most were scooped up by the shadier parts of our organization. Those were mostly the kids that didn¡¯t really mind continuing on the path of darkness. The few that were left are still either too young or they were enrolled at the other training centers. The powers that be wanted to place them somewhere where no one would recognize them, even the trainers.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m the only one here? And others are aware of my background at least to an extent?¡± Dee just asked to make sure. If the bookies knew about her past, then of course the others would know as well, or would find out shortly.


    ¡°That is the long and short of it. They don¡¯t really know details as you mentioned, but¡­¡± Sarfina was slightly worried that there would be bad blood towards Dee, but she was also sure Dee was capable of taking care of herself. She was actually more worried of the people trying to pick a fight with Dee, if she was being honest.


    ¡°So how does this whole testing process work? I got some details out of the people I talked to, but they weren¡¯t very specific.¡± Dee suddenly changed topics.


    ¡°Well, the bookies probably don¡¯t know all the details because they change every year. There are always some common themes of course. There will be several different tests that measure strength, agility, speed, stamina, quick thinking, personality and so on. There¡¯s probably also going to be a fighting test, but that¡¯s almost as much to establish a base line for your current skill, and not really something that would prevent your enrollment.


    If they are doing it the same way as they usually do, and the betting suggests they will, then you will get points for every test. At the end, you will all be ranked according to your total points, and there will be a cut off at some level of points depending on how many students the order wants to recruit this year. Those with the most points will usually get picked up by the various groups for grooming. In your case, we¡¯re looking at the scouts hopefully picking you up.¡± Sarfina explained.


    ¡°So what¡¯s up first?¡± Dee asked, as they finally reached the headquarters of the order.


    There was a large walled area with tall white walls off to the side, while the rest of the buildings sprawled around the walls especially towards the south, where they would eventually join up with the Holy Orders headquarters. You could tell that the walled off area had been here first and housed the most important people and the main buildings, but the whole complex had outgrown the walls and now sprawled far beyond it. Walls were no longer practical. Blacksmiths and bowyers had dozens of shops here, in addition to the numerous barracks and clerical buildings. Security was maintained by heavy guard presence, as well as several spells that covered the area. Dee noted one spell in particular that covered the entire area and seemed to track any people without proper identification. Dee had no idea what that identification would be, but she could read the spell.


    The two of them walked towards one of the largest clerical buildings, where several large lines of hopeful recruits were already forming. The rest of the testing would take place in various locations around the area. But this was where they registered.


    ¡°First they will test you for potential with holy power. Although it is rare, some people can¡¯t use holy power no matter what, and there¡¯s no point in testing someone like that further. They use a specialized testing stone for that. If you have the potential and you¡¯re not blessed, the stone will give a soft clear glow. If you are blessed, the stone will glow with the color of the rank you possess. Since the stones are rather rare, this test is not done in other recruitment centers. You don¡¯t need to hide your blessing anymore, since you won¡¯t be the only one with a blessing.¡± Sarfina explained.


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m pretty sure Mazatl told me that priestesses and templar alike are given their rank mostly due to their skill and not their level of holy power. They will be evaluated by a group of higher ranking priests and templar, and given their rank accordingly. How would the stone know what rank they are?¡± Dee asked confused.


    ¡°That is essentially correct, but I¡¯m sure Mazatl also mentioned that the deity who gave the blessing has a say in all this. The stone will show the ranking that the deity has decided for their follower. For example, you have no official ranking yet, but I¡¯m pretty sure Lumen has already assigned a rank for you, and it¡¯s not rank one. However, some gods like to toot their own horn by embellishing their servants, or they straight out lie, hence the testing and outside evaluation. We use the stones during the rank up examinations as well to get the god¡¯s opinion, and sometimes completely ignore it.¡± Sarfina explained with slight amusement.


    Dee wasn¡¯t sure if the test would be problematic for her or not. At first they had hidden her blessing because she had been too young to take part in the Ritual of Choosing, and because Dee essentially just sneaked in to do it on her own. While any member of either Radiant Sun or the Holy Orders only got blessed after reaching a certain point in their training, you could get blessed earlier if you went through the tests that Mazatl had administered to Dee as well.


    There would also be others with blessings among the applicants, though they would be few and far between. Unlike years ago, the problem was no longer the fact that she had a blessing, but who she was blessed by. Also, it was unlikely the other applicants would have as extensive training with their holy powers as she¡¯d had, so her ranking according to the stone might be problematic as well. She wondered idly if she¡¯d be forced to go through the Ritual again along with everyone else anyway, or if she could just skip it.


    ¡°Well this should be interesting.¡± Dee mumbled to herself.

 Chapter 42

    A particular trio of deities had once again gathered to view the events in the mortal world, and especially the actions of a particular mortal they had all blessed. They all watched her register and then get in line to be tested by the stone that checked their ability to use holy power as well as what the deities considered the rank appropriate for their servants.


    ¡°Oh right they have that thing. I completely forgot.¡± Lumen said genuinely surprised.


    ¡°Yeah didn¡¯t occur to me either.¡± Umbra shrugged. ¡°What happens when the stone tests someone with multiple blessings by the way?¡± The question had most likely been answered before, but the two goddesses had not bothered to find out before this.


    The old man grumbled a little under his breath. Something about ignorant brats. ¡°The stone shows the highest rank given by any of the gods that has blessed that particular person. By default at least. The stone can be set to also show the lowest, but that takes quite a bit of tinkering, and I doubt a random stone used during a mass recruitment event has that function.¡±


    ¡°Have any of us actually assigned her a rank?¡± Lumen asked. It would only take a momentary thought on their part to do so, but she was curious if the other two had bothered. It wasn¡¯t really something she herself had considered.


    ¡°I just ranked her according to what she can do with the power we have given, although she hasn¡¯t figured most of it out yet.¡± Umbra shrugged.


    ¡°Wait, just my blessing alone would rank her above the immortal rank of ten. That sounds like a really bad idea to rank her according to skills and abilities she doesn¡¯t yet know how to utilize.¡± Lumen protested.


    ¡°True, but her future potential should influence her rank, no? That¡¯s a fairly important factor, even if her current skills aren¡¯t there yet.¡± Umbra argued. Interestingly, none of the three actually had that much experience with ranking people as they rarely doled out blessings.


    ¡°Her current skills aren¡¯t even close. But you¡¯re right; the future potential should have some influence.¡± Lumen agreed, chewing her lower lip in thought. Or at least that¡¯s what it looked like, though with a being of pure light it was hard to say for sure.


    The old man finally interrupted. ¡°I know you want to prop up your little project and all, but it would be pretty bad if you gave her the rank of immortal when she can¡¯t stand up to that evaluation. It would draw too much attention of the wrong kind of attention. Not that it¡¯s very likely she can avoid attention seeing as she is also trying to get the attention of that Alpyran man. Not to mention the difference in strength with the other applicants, although she hasn¡¯t quite realized it yet. That said, there¡¯s the normal kind of attention and there¡¯s attention from the immortals. She isn¡¯t ready for the second kind.¡±


    Umbra sighed. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s bring the ranking down a bit. Lumen you should probably do the honors, seeing as she¡¯s using you as cover for us anyway.¡±


    Lumen did a poor job of hiding her gloating at that fact. ¡°She is, isn¡¯t she? Such as shame that you¡¯re such an embarrassment.¡±


    The old man simply sighed once again, grumbling to himself. Something about annoying brats spending more and more time in his domain.


    -----


    Dee was nearing the font of the line for the holy power test. She was honestly kind of curious what would happen during the test, while she was also considering possible ways to avoid the test completely. She also found it incredibly ironic that the supposedly holy people had named their rankings after precious materials. As with all the other ways of ranking one¡¯s strength, the first nine rankings had their own names and meanings, while the tenth rank was simply called immortal. The ranks above that were special.


    Mazatl had taught Dee the rankings during their lessons. In the case of priests, paladins and templar the rankings were rather simple. The rarer and more precious the material, the higher the ranking. The rankings went: copper, bronze, iron, silver, gold, platinum, white gold, mithril, moonstone and finally immortal as the tenth rank. She considered herself somewhere around the gold and platinum range, according to her ability to use holy power.


    So far only two people had gotten a ranking from the stone. The others simply got the glow that signified one¡¯s ability to use holy power. The first had been a girl dressed in weird golden colored metal armor covering a white tunic, who also had a striking red hair. She had gotten the iron rank, which had elicited some hubbub from the crowd. According to the rumors, the girl had been the representative sent by the Lacademonians.


    The other had been a wolf beastman with a fair amount of wolf features for a werebeast type beastman. He had a long silvery white hair that almost looked like a coat of fur while cascading down his back. As usual, he had the wolf-ears of his kind, but he also seemed to have his legs and parts of his arms covered in silvery white fur. The legs and arms were hard to confirm as his legs where mostly covered in leather armor and his open coat covered parts of his arms. Not that it stopped many of the female applicants from giving admiring gazes his way towards his bared and muscled chest. Even Dee had to admit that he had this weird type on animal magnetism.


    The beastman had only gotten the bronze ranking, but he had still created a stir as he seemed to be one of the rare people that got blessed without going through the Ritual of Choosing. That meant that one of the deities had gone out of his or her way to find him and bless him. Certainly rare, but not unheard of, it was something reserved for people either with a spectacular affinity with the deity in question or a grand future ahead of them. Or both. Many of the so called heroes that had spawned the Authorities named after them had carried blessings like that.


    The guy ahead of Dee in the line had just gotten himself approved by the testing stone and was moving on deeper into the headquarters, when a commotion started behind the crowd, near the door to the large room. According to Dee¡¯s senses, someone was skipping in the line behind her. Dee started cursing about the bothersome person not picking another one of the eight lines, before a plan suddenly appeared in her mind. Perhaps this rude person was her ticket out of the test?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Out of the way! Out of the way! The heir of House Griffin coming through!¡± The guards of the man in question kept yelling as they shoved others out of the way. The master of the two guards looked like he belong to nobility, and Dee judged him to be about the strength of a rank four warrior according to the ki running through his body. The guards seemed of similar rank.


    As the trio came closer, Dee rather theatrically moved her hand towards the stone as if to take the tests she was here to take, before being interrupted by another yell from behind her. ¡°Did you not hear beast!? Make way for the heir of House Griffin. Or are you just too dumb to do what you¡¯re told by your superiors?¡±


    ¡®Beast? I know he means me, but clearly the tails should hint at a demonic origin, even if they are under my cloak and mostly hidden. Are they incompetent in addition to being rude?¡¯ Dee thought to herself. She didn¡¯t really find it denigrating to be put on the level of beastmen, as she considered them her closest cousins actually, but it was slightly annoying to always be mistaken for one of them. Call it pride if you will.


    As the man reached for her shoulder, Dee grabbed the outstretched hand and tossed the man on the table with the testing stone. Or at least that was her plan. The order had seen multiple attempts to cheat during the tests and now always took precautions against that. The guard rammed straight into a wall of golden energy in front of the table, and slid down the wall head first, clearly unconscious from the impact. There had also been the sound of bones breaking.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t mean to throw him that hard.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. Ever since she had woken up after the events with the rift, her physical strength had increased greatly, and she wasn¡¯t quite used to it yet. She simply hadn¡¯t had time for it.


    Another angry voice spoke from behind her. ¡°You! How dare you?¡±


    As she turned around, Dee noted that the one who spoke this time had been the noble himself. He didn¡¯t look all that impressive by her standards, but she guessed some humans might find the effeminate man attractive.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± The noble demanded indignantly.


    ¡®Well that¡¯s a classic.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care. Your rude actions speak loudly enough.¡±


    She waved her hand as her telekinetic powers squeezed at the two and lifted them into the air. Normally they could use their own power to resist, but she had surprised them, and could simply overpower the two even if they tried.


    ¡°You..cough¡­you¡¯re making a bad mistake. My father is one of the chapter masters of the order!¡± The noble managed to squeeze out.


    The order was divided into units that were called chapters. Dee vaguely remembered Mazatl teaching her some gobbledygook about them supposedly each being a chapter in the legend of the Radiant Sun. However, that had been during one of those times Dee had been busy banging her head against the table during the lessons out of sheer boredom and frustration, so she might remember that one wrong.


    Supposedly there were twelve chapters in total, one assigned to each of the four cardinal directions of both Day city and Night city, for eight in total. One was assigned to the headquarters, one was the emergency deployment troops and one held the groups that were independent of other chapters and were grouped under one chapter for organizations sake. The scouts were an example. The last chapter took care of the more shadowy business of the order. In any case, each chapter was led by a chapter master.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care. He must not be much either, seeing as his heir is so useless.¡± Dee said simply.


    She moved close enough to whisper in the noble¡¯s ear. ¡°Did you notice the woman I came here with? She¡¯s like a sister to me, and her brother is the grandmaster of the order. Oh and one of the ten Blades of the order is here to recruit me personally. I¡¯m guessing both of those outrank your daddy.¡± She had modified the truth a little, but she hadn¡¯t lied strictly speaking.


    ¡°Now scram.¡± She waved imperiously, and her telekinetic power sent the two out of the building, towards the back of the line. Funnily enough, many of the other people surrounding them clapped for Dee¡¯s actions.


    ¡®I guess this goes with Moirai¡¯s orders of stomping the other applicants.¡¯ Dee shrugged mentally.


    She turned around and casually spoke to the clerk overseeing the test. ¡°My apologies. Was there anything else here?¡± She tried to pass it off as if she had already taken the test.


    The clerk however was not fooled. They were used to cheating attempts, and while Dee¡¯s would¡¯ve been fairly elaborate, they¡¯d seen worse. The clerk simply tapped at the stone¡¯s rim, signaling Dee to take the test.


    ¡°Oh right! Almost forgot.¡± Dee decided to hold her bluff until the end. She had guessed she had failed the moment the guard still laying on the floor had not landed on the table.


    She touched the stone, praying in her mind for a normal result, but her prayers were not answered. The stone gave a deep blue glow signifying the highest rank below the immortal rank, the moonstone rank. Dee felt like banging her head on the table.


    ¡°Goddess damn all three of them.¡± She mumbled to herself. ¡°Bloody brats of an old bastard.¡±


    -----


    ¡°I resent that implication.¡± Lumen said playing at indignation, though her amusement betrayed the attempt. ¡°That was a rather appropriate rank in my mind.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one that said we shouldn¡¯t rank her too high?¡± Umbra asked, amused at the mess that was about to break out.


    ¡°I lowered her rank by fair bit!¡± Lumen frowned ¡°Although I actually gave her rank seven. I¡¯m not sure what happened there.¡± She looked accusingly towards Umbra.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me! I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Umbra defended herself with a chuckle.


    Both of them turned towards the old man.


    ¡°You forgot about the effect of my blessing, didn¡¯t you?¡± The old man asked Lumen.


    ¡°How should I know the effect?!¡± Lumen protested. ¡°You never told us what you did, and you haven¡¯t blessed enough people for us to draw any conclusions from!¡±


    ¡°Oh. Oops.¡± The old man said in a completely emotionless voice.


    -----


    ¡°Applicant Haydee, would you be so kind as to follow me to the other room.¡± One of the observing high ranking templar said, not really asking.


    ¡°I suppose I should.¡± Dee replied, still feeling like banging her head against the table.


    As the templar noticed Sarfina following them to the side room, he of course had to ask about her identity. ¡°And who might you be?¡± He was at least relatively polite as he noted Sarfina carrying the uniform of the templar, as well as a captain¡¯s rank insignia.


    ¡°I¡¯m this girl¡¯s guardian and guarantor. I am Captain Faylen Sarfina, also of the Radiant Sun.¡± Sarfina replied.


    Something clicked in the templar¡¯s mind. ¡°Faylen, as in previously Arazana, the sister of Lothar Sendar, also previously Arazana?¡±


    Faylen simple nodded in reply. She didn¡¯t like to advertise that particular relation, but she recognized the possible usefulness in this case.


    ¡°Well, with the sister of the grandmaster as your guardian, we can take your word for what happened. So, an explanation if you would be so kind. I doubt someone as young as you is truly a moonstone ranked¡­priestess?¡± He changed it to a question at the end, since theoretically Dee shouldn¡¯t be any rank templar yet.


    ¡°My goddess is a cunt.¡± Dee replied a little peeved.


    Sarfina couldn¡¯t stop a burst of shocked laughter, while the templar simply looked shocked. ¡°She¡­is? Would you mind telling me a bit more detail?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure on all the details myself actually.¡± Dee replied, trying to weasel her way out of answering.


    ¡°Another naturally blessed person?¡± The templar asked half to himself. It was surprising enough to see one person with a natural blessing and now they had two the same year? ¡°I¡¯m going to request a high priestess to come here and read your blessing.¡± He said simply before exiting the room.


    ¡°You sure you want to call Lumen names?¡± Sarfina asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°After what she just did? Yes.¡± Dee replied firmly.


    ¡°Well this was ahead of you soon enough anyway. One of the first things the headquarters do is to have you go through the ritual. They want to start your holy power training right away. Might as well get your blessing read now.¡± Sarfina explained with a shrug of her shoulders.


    They had to wait for about twenty minutes until the door opened again, letting in the same templar and an elderly dwarven priestess. The priestess greeted them with a warm smile. ¡°Greeting and welcome to the order. I¡¯m told that I¡¯m supposed to read your blessings.¡±


    She didn¡¯t wait for an answer and puller a chair right across from Dee and sat down. Before Dee managed to protest, the priestess placed a finger on Dee¡¯s forehead, and Dee felt a slight trickle of power flowing between them. Not into her, which she would¡¯ve stopped on instinct, but between them.


    Few moments later, the priestess removed her hand, and her smile had become strained. ¡°Brother Darius, would you be so kind as to leave the room and make sure we aren¡¯t disturbed.¡±


    The templar was about to ask questions, but decided against it and simply left. As soon as he was out, the priestess rose and gave a deep bow, before speaking. ¡°My apologies your Grace. I didn¡¯t realize.¡±

 Chapter 43

    ¡¯Your Grace?¡¯ Dee thought to herself with surprise. For a short moment she thought about playing along and pretending as if she knew what the priestess was talking about, but finally she figured that she would gain more information by admitting her ignorance.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not quite sure what you¡¯re talking about. Mind explaining me the ¡®your Grace¡¯ bit?¡± Dee asked trying to play herself as an innocent and confused person.


    The priestess¡¯ eyes widened a bit in surprise, before a light of understanding shone through. ¡°I see, you didn¡¯t get you blessings the usual way. As a result, there wasn¡¯t a high priestess present to read your blessings for you.¡±


    ¡°Quite correct.¡± Sarfina mumbled in a rather subdued voice from the side. Sarfina still remembered that Dee had snuck in to perform the ceremony.


    The priestess gave Sarfina a sideways glance, not quite sure how to interpret the tone in the templar¡¯s voice. ¡°I must say, it¡¯s rather rare to see someone blessed by two deities, and even more so two diametrically opposed deities from the big ten. That I haven¡¯t even heard of happening before. Now add on top the fact that you are the future champion for both goddesses. I¡¯m fairly sure there has never been a person who was the champion of more than one deity. Though I suppose you might not become one either.¡±


    ¡®Two blessings? Since she said diametrically opposed, then she must mean Lumen and Umbra, but what about the old man? Can she not feel his blessing for some reason?¡¯ Dee thought to herself. Something else suddenly pulled at her mind. ¡°Could you explain that last part in a bit more detail?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. First you need to understand that you can¡¯t become a true champion of a deity until you reach a certain level of power. What that level is depends a bit on the deity and the people around you. For example, you yourself wouldn¡¯t really be able to defend your title and the honor of your deity with your current level of power. Hence you are marked as a future champion, not a current one just yet. Secondly, and this is just my speculation, there¡¯s a chance that you might be forced to choose between the two deities in the future. Seeing as it can be a bit hard to be a champion of light and dark at the same time, that would make the most sense.¡± The priestess explained.


    ¡®Well that makes sense. I didn¡¯t really think I would be their champion, but when you consider the missions they want me to fulfill, it makes sense. I even have that weird wing color courtesy of Lumen. She mentioned something about having a direct mandate from her.¡¯ Dee thought. ¡®I think the priestess is wrong about having to choose though. She isn¡¯t aware of the missions Lumen and Umbra want me to fulfill, and that the two aren¡¯t mutually incompatible.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can tell me any details about my blessings? A priestess I met before mentioned something about that.¡± Dee suddenly asked, remembering Mazatl¡¯s teachings.


    ¡°Well, even we can¡¯t tell all the details since it is something between you and the deities, but we can get you started on the path. The blessing of Lumen carries the title ¡®Body and Mind of Light¡¯ and I get the feeling it has something to do with speed. The blessing of Umbra carries the title ¡®The Queen and Lance of the Dark.¡¯ I think the queen part refers to control, while the Lance refers to the weapons both protecting the queen as well as working as her iron fist of sorts. I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t tell you more.¡± The priestess herself seemed a little frustrated at her lack of knowledge. Usually she could tell more detail, but then again she didn¡¯t get to see blessings from the big ten that often.


    -----


    ¡°So close yet so far.¡± Umbra said with a wicked grin after hearing the priestess¡¯ words.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she tried to reduce my blessing to just speed.¡± Lumen pouted.


    ¡°Quiet, both of you. We have a visitor.¡± The old man said, finally getting some emotion in his voice. The emotion being a mix of frustration and anger. He also made the image of Dee disappear.


    The two goddesses looked sharply at their surroundings, but as usual it was difficult to feel anything beyond the slow decay of time in their father¡¯s domain. They heard a cold and remorseless voice that seemed to be coming from all around them.


    ¡°So this is where the two of you have been hiding. What could fascinate the three of you to come here and bury your enmity? Maybe something the rest of us should be aware of?¡± The voice coalesced into one place, where the faint outlines of three other deities could be seen.


    Unlike the three that had been here originally, two of the three newcomers didn¡¯t have a permission to be here. As such, they couldn¡¯t quite manifest as solidly as the original three. The third newcomer didn¡¯t have a permission to be here either, but unlike the others, she didn¡¯t need one. The only solid figure of the three silently walked to where Dee¡¯s image had been earlier and brought it back, conveniently placing herself in front of the image so the two indistinct figures couldn¡¯t see anything.


    The figure might have been solid but it was also covered from head to toe in a black cloak almost as dark as the fabric making up Umbra¡¯s clothing. She also exuded a cold feeling that gave even the other gods cold shivers, not entirely due to just the temperature. You could only barely make out that the form was female, due to the faintly outlined form under the cloak.


    ¡°Death.¡± The old man greeted the black figure in a level tone.


    ¡°Eternity.¡± A faintly feminine voice came from under the hood of the cloak in a return greeting just as level.


    ¡°What do you have there Death?¡± One of the indistinct figures asked in almost commanding tone.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°None of your business.¡± Lumen replied almost sullenly.


    ¡°Death!¡± The indistinct form demanded in a rather pompous manner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a position to make demands of me Order.¡± The level voice of Death replied deflating the figures pomp. Death then once again sent the image away knowing full well that she was the only one able to operate freely in Eternity¡¯s domain, and that the other two could not recall the image anymore if the old man was against it. ¡°Interesting.¡± She simply mumbled to herself.


    The ten most powerful deities aside from Eternity and Death had their own names, such as Lumen and Umbra, but usually they never used them when talking to each other, preferring to use their domains instead. Eternity and Death might have had names as well at some point, but only the two of them were old enough to remember them.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± The old man asked in a demanding tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for the gathering of the gods. There are issues that need solving, and challenges to be met.¡± The third figure who had been silent so far spoke.


    The deities gathered rather frequently for various reasons. Although frequent was a relative term when talking about almost ageless deities. When there were major matters to discuss, the presence of all the major gods was mandatory. Their presence was also mandatory when they were challenged for their position or mastery of their domain.


    The old man replied. ¡°You know I don¡¯t attend your little social gatherings.¡± He was something of a hermit after all.


    The third voice replied. ¡°We know. And the only person capable of forcing you to attend doesn¡¯t care to do so.¡± They all looked at Death with a quick glance. ¡°The other two however¡­¡± The voice made a small gesture towards Umbra and Lumen.


    ¡°They have both been challenged.¡± Order said with clear pleasure in his voice.


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t this nice. I¡¯ve been itching to smack around some upstart who fancies themselves worthy of my attention.¡± Umbra said with genuine joy in her voice. ¡°Please tell me it was you Order. I would love to teach you a lesson.¡±


    Order gave a small chuckle. ¡°Not quite yet. Your time will come though, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°How dull. Well let¡¯s get this done.¡± Umbra said getting ready to go.


    -----


    As Dee exited the room with Sarfina and the dwarf priestess, the same templar was waiting for them outside the room. ¡°Well?¡± The man asked the priestess.


    ¡°Her blessings and power warrant the rank she received, but she doesn¡¯t yet have the skills and experience to utilize them to that level. I would estimate that gold level would be appropriate for her at the moment.¡± The priestess replied. The ranking was something that the three of them had agreed on before leaving the room. The priestess had also sworn to keep all the information to herself, though admittedly her deity would know what had happened. Whether that deity kept quiet was an open question.


    ¡°That is still a great achievement for one so young. I will take you back to the testing, although I¡¯m fairly sure you will make it through regardless. The first testing is about to end, and we are ready to start with the second part. Follow me please.¡± The templar said looking impressed. That said, he also realized that he didn¡¯t actually know how old Dee was, as she was already taller than he was.


    He led them towards the edge of the Radiant Sun headquarters, where there was already a large crowd gathering. There were thousands of applicants and several times that many guardians and relatives, not to mention the curious onlookers and those that were here just for the entertainment. There were also representatives from the various chapters of the order, looking for future potential to recruit.


    Dee had made quite a splash with her first test, so she naturally drew quite a bit of attention and a lot of people were discussing about her with quiet and less than quiet voices. While Sarfina stayed back among the rest of the crowd, the templar took Dee to her position near the front of the group of applicants. Dee noted with interest that both the Lacademonian girl and the silvery white wolf-beastman were also close by. The wolfman gave her a friendly grin, while the girl simply ignored her, though probably out of genuine disinterest and not due to intentional snubbing.


    Dee didn¡¯t have to wait for long before the organizers started to explain the next test. In fact, the same templar that had brought Dee here had marched to the front and started to speak. ¡°Templar and paladins have many roles. Sometimes we are protectors, sometimes we are inquisitors ferreting out conspiracies, sometimes we are holy men. Most often though, we are soldiers. There are many qualities that make a good soldier, but some of the most important ones are speed and stamina.


    Often we are required to get somewhere in as short amount of time as possible. Often that somewhere is very far from the nearest teleportation gate. We still have to get there in a timely fashion, and often we have to be able to fight when we get there, sometimes without rest. So it is fitting that today the tests will simulate that. Today we will start with a test of speed and stamina, and for the rest of the day you will carry the resulting fatigue with you. Just so things wouldn¡¯t be too easy, we often also have to carry supplies, weapons and armor with us to get there. To simulate that, each of you will be given one of these.¡± The man lifted a harness with several loops in them.


    ¡°We know all of you are not starting at the same level when it comes to strength, so you are free to attach a suitable amount of weight to the loops. You get to pick the weight. Do note however, that you will be expected to run a fairly long distance with the added weight. Of course we will give you points based on the amount of weight you are carrying as well as the time it takes you to run the distance. You will also have to carry the fatigue to the next tests, so choose well.¡± With the explanation over, the applicants spread out to several stations surrounding them which all gave out the harnesses and weights.


    Dee noted that the weights were ordered from the heaviest to the lightest, with the only difference being the color, the white being the lightest and the black heaviest. The sizes were the same and they all clipped on to the harnesses. Dee knew that she was orders of magnitude stronger physically that the other applicants, so she went straight for the heaviest weights.


    ¡°Let me test one of those.¡± She told one of the templar there, overseeing the process.


    The man handed her one of the black weights without saying a word. Dee took it and bounced it on her hand to test the weight. She frowned as the black weight felt as light as a feather. Yet many of the applicants were already struggling with one of the lighter ones and they hadn¡¯t even started running yet. ¡°Is this really the heaviest of the weights?¡± She asked the man just to make sure.


    The man smiled. ¡°It is. I¡¯d say what it weighs, but that¡¯s somewhat irrelevant as they are also all enchanted with increased gravity.¡±


    Dee thought for a moment. Even fairly light weights would become heavy over long distances, but this was stupid. ¡°So how many of these am I allowed to take?¡± Her question brought a sudden silence to everyone around them.


    The man grinned. ¡°You can take more, but you¡¯ll get maximum points for weight with fifteen of these.¡±


    ¡°Well give me fifteen of them then. No point in going under that.¡± Dee said casually and waved at the man.


    The man snorted a laugh and started attaching the weights to the harness. They were attached with a small spell to prevent cheating. Even the man grunted a bit due to the weight, and the table gave a small groan as he dropped the filled harness on it. ¡°There you go then.¡± He grinned again. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks but no luck needed.¡± Dee said, as she casually threw the harness on her back. The weight was still only barely noticeable, and with so many weights it was also nicely distributed. A single one would be one sided and unbalanced.


    The templars at the station where all grinning in amusement due to a single girl showing up all the others. The silvery wolfman walked to the same templar with an equally amused grin. ¡°Give me the same she got.¡± And the Lacademonian girl just gave a silent wave asking for the same.


    ¡°Well this should be interesting." The templar man said to his friend when suddenly several others came to ask for the same maximum weight, although none of them carried it with the casual ease the first three had.


    As Dee walked to the starting line, the wolfman walked next to her. ¡°Shall we make a race of it? Would be much more interesting, seeing as the others won¡¯t be able to keep up.¡± The wolfman suggested still grinning.


    Dee saw that the man had the same weights she did, and didn¡¯t seem to be struggling. ¡°Sure, why not. Should we have a wager as well, or just a friendly competition?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We can keep it friendly this time; we have our honor at stake anyway. But if you want, we can make a wager that the winner can take the loser out on a date?¡± The wolfman suggested.


    The suggestion shocked Dee, though she didn¡¯t show it. ¡°No wager. Win or lose, only you will be gaining. I don¡¯t go for sucker-bets.¡±


    ¡°Oh-ho. Only I would be gaining? I see, I see. Well I suppose I¡¯ll have to try and change your mind about that. For now though, honor it is then.¡± The wolfman replied, his grin only widening.

 Chapter 44

    The route they were supposed to traverse ran along the edge of the Radiant Sun headquarters. It was still within the large spells protecting the area, but only barely. The terrain was not exactly hilly, but it wasn¡¯t completely flat either. The runners wouldn¡¯t have to struggle due to difficult terrain, but it wasn¡¯t a completely simple run either. The route was not overtly long as the applicants were not supposed to be spending more than a couple of hours running it, hence the presence of weights to increase the accrued fatigue.


    As the signal went up to signify the start of the test, the differences between the applicants became obvious very quickly. Those applicants at third rank and below were significantly slower than those that ranked higher, and formed the group at the back. Their hope about getting in wasn¡¯t lost though, because the order didn¡¯t only recruit based on their current abilities, they also paid attention to their future potential. A lower ranked person who really showed effort here and did well on other tests could gain acceptance over a higher ranked person that didn¡¯t have the appropriate character.


    On the other hand, if a person was already high ranked and also showed proper character and potential, then all the better. The gifted people at the higher end of fourth rank and the few people at fifth rank formed the leading group that was leaving the others into the dust far behind them. At the forefront of this group was a pair of elves that looked both a lot like each other, and yet seemed so very different.


    Their faces had features similar enough to mark the two as brothers and even twins, but not close enough to be identical twins. The two were further separated by the aura they exuded. One of them had the golden brown skin and the silky gold hair that was so often seen with High Elves. He seemed to have a heroic and charming air about him that screamed uprightness and charm. His brother on the other hand had the pale skin and raven black hair more often seen with Dark Elves. His aura was by no means sinister, but it did signal his unwillingness to deal with other people as well as his disinterest in those he deemed below his notice. In this case that meant everyone running behind them.


    That meant all but three other applicants aside from his brother. The two elves were about ten mel ahead of everyone else in the front group and the gap between the two and the others was growing slowly but steadily. It wasn¡¯t that the two of them were intentionally sprinting faster. On the contrary they set a very natural pace for themselves. The other simply had trouble keeping up and it was getting harder by the minute. They also knew better than to try and compete with the trio that had left them behind straight after the starting signal had been given.


    The trio of a particular kitsune, wolfman and Lacademonian had shot off like they had been chased by the hounds of war themselves. The two elves knew better than to pick a fight outside their specialty. Lacademonians were the most physically gifted of all the High Humans. They didn¡¯t have the magical natures of many other species or even other High Humans, but their physiques were not a matter to be taken lightly. The wolf beastmen on the other hand were known for their speed. They could even defeat the feline beastmen types over longer distances.


    The kitsune girl was something of a mystery to the duo. They had heard some wild rumors that they had already dismissed. However, once Ascalon, the darker of the brothers, had laid eyes on the girl, he had gotten goosebumps and a cold shiver on his back that told him to not to pick a fight with the girl. His instincts had been honed by the court politics and secret backstabbing of the Autumn Court, and he had learned to trust his instincts when they were screaming at him that clearly.


    Ilthuryn, his brother, on the other hand had seen nothing special, as was usual with the much less insightful elf. Ascalon was yet again forced to admit the deficiencies of his brother. Perhaps it was better this way. His brother was enough of a terror with his monstrous talent with a blade and his ability to draw other people to his cause. If he had the instincts and eye for intrigue that Ascalon had, then he would make his brother feel inferior. Now at least he could protect Ilthuryn from the shadows. And mock him for his stupidity.


    The trio in question had continued with the stupendous pace and had already long since lost any sight of the other competition. The Lacademonian girl had stuck with their pace for half the course. The wolfman Shunkaha kept increasing the pace slowly but surely and he was impressed that the High Human had managed to stick with them for so long. She had to have been around mid-level of the fifth rank with her speed and stamina. Even considering her heritage.


    Speaking of heritages, the kitsune girl was a complete mystery to Shunkaha. He could smell the wolf heritage in her, but he also smelled something demonic. Plenty of demonic in fact. She most likely had more demon in her than beastman, if she had any beastman at all despite her appearance. And what an appearance! Those tails! Those ears! Those hips! After growing to his current height and strength, Shunkaha had always been popular with the other sex, and for a good reason. This girl however¡­she was something else.


    This girl made his blood boil in a very good way. He could sense that this girl was someone who could be his equal. He was an Alpha male without a doubt, and while he could make due with submissive Beta females, he yearned for a woman that could challenge him. A queen to his future kingship, and not just a concubine. This girl radiated danger, both in a good way and a bad way.


    ¡®Only I will gain, win or lose, was it?¡¯ Shunkaha chuckled to himself. It was clear the girl though of herself as being above him. This was a first from a girl roughly his age. And he wasn¡¯t sure it was unwarranted. Sure he had met a couple of girls assured of their own importance, due to their family and background, but this was different. The kitsune girl didn¡¯t think her family or background was above him. She thought she herself warranted that position on her own merit. ¡®I wonder how true her assumptions are? She clearly has strength. I¡¯ll be glad to find out how much.¡¯Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    His thoughts were interrupted by the kitsune girl¡¯s voice. ¡°I wonder if we have played around long enough? I think we were polite enough to the human girl¡¯s feelings by keeping back this long.¡±


    ¡®Wait, keeping back?¡¯ Shunkaha suddenly registered her words. ¡®She was still holding back too?¡¯


    He was slightly shocked as the ground suddenly caved in under the pressure as the kitsune girl shot off with almost double the speed she had shown previously. He grinned. ¡®Well, well. Looks like I don¡¯t need to pace myself after all.¡¯ Shunkaha thought as he matched the girl¡¯s pace, barely catching up to her. The power around him fluctuated as he revealed strength equal to someone who had just entered the sixth rank as a warrior, a Champion.


    ¡°So. I¡¯m not the only sixth ranked person in this event. How interesting.¡± He spoke to the girl seemingly casually despite the speed. He wasn¡¯t actually feeling as casual as he seemed, as he really had to work at it to keep pace with her. Even for him, the weights were starting to make a difference with the exertion. She on the other hand? She seemed to be ignoring the presence of the weights completely.


    ¡°Ah, and I was worried this whole competition would be boring.¡± The kitsune girl shot back with a faint smile of amusement. ¡°It seems the rumors about the speed of Winter Wolves wasn¡¯t exaggerated. Good, I¡¯d hate to think my money was wasted.¡± So the girl had paid for some information, eh?


    Shunkaha only laughed in response. He also noted that they only had about two kilomels until the finish line. The speed at which they were moving really wore away at the distance quickly. They were close to finishing and in third of the time the test administrators had assumed it would take. If he wanted to impress the girl, he had to do it now. ¡°I think we¡¯re close enough to the finish that we won¡¯t be accused for cheating anymore.¡±


    The girl gave him a suspicious look, and he simply laughed before his form started to change. He took the form of a ferocious white wolf, large enough to match a small bear. ¡°Well then, it has been fun, but I must bid you farewell. See you at the finish line, and remember our little bet. I believe it was for a privilege of taking you out on a date.¡±


    Dee watched as the white wolf suddenly dashed forward much faster. ¡®He¡¯s forgetting something. Two can play this game.¡¯ Her form shifted as well, the harness would¡¯ve snapped with her large size, as she was now twice the size of the white wolf ahead of her. The harness hung feebly on one of her tails, which were now spread out in all their glory.


    ¡°Goddess dammit! I should¡¯ve known a kitsune can change shape as well. Those hips though! So sleek, and that fur! Mm-mm. Well, it would be kinda bad if she catches up now.¡± Shunkaha shot a small projectile of white ki back towards Dee.


    The attack was way too weak to actually do damage, it was more of a warning shot that was forcing Dee to react and slow down by dodging. If she didn¡¯t dodge, she wouldn¡¯t really be hurt, but the impact would still slow her down. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how you want to play this game.¡± Dee mumbled, as she simple brushed the projectile aside with a hand of telepathic power.


    ¡®Want me to give you a little boost?¡± Croestia asked with great amusement.


    ¡®No need. I can defeat him on my own. And it¡¯ll be all the more humiliating that way.¡¯ Dee sent back a thought.


    Suddenly Shunkaha stumbled slightly as if he had tripped on something. He actually had, namely on another telepathic hand made by Dee. Just like the attack aimed at her, the hand didn¡¯t have any real strength in it, but it was enough to make him stumble. At the same time she used force control to give her a little boost in jumping over him. Then she finally let loose with all her speed and seemed to almost disappear from the sight of Shunkaha and the people observing.


    Shunkaha could only hear her mirthful laughter left behind, and couldn¡¯t avoid laughing himself, admitting his defeat. He found Dee finally pretending to be yawning on the other side of the goal line. That elicited another bout of laughter from him as he too crossed the finish line. ¡°Well then, when will you take me on that date?¡± He still asked cheekily.


    Dee simply brushed him off with a dismissive wave of her tails.


    ------


    ¡°So, what do you think so far?¡± Commander Wolfhart asked with trepidation from the man next to him. A man he used to call a brother, despite not sharing any blood relations, as was obvious from their differing race.


    ¡°Well, you would expect someone of the sixth rank to leave those of lesser ranks in the dust. That said, her speed is far beyond anyone else I¡¯ve seen of that rank.¡± The man squinted his eyes. ¡°Are you absolutely sure she just entered the sixth rank?¡±


    ¡°As shown by her tails. Her master in psionic skills also said that she was still fifth rank a few weeks ago.¡± Even though the man next to him acted cordially, Wolfhart was still vary of him, and grieved for their lost friendship. He also felt pressured just by the man¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Hmm. Even for a speed focused races, the speed she showed towards the end was closer to the eight rank. And not a fresh eight rank either. There¡¯s something going on here.¡± The man mused. In fact Dee¡¯s speed had made quite an impression on him, as had her casual handling of the weights.


    The two of them were situated at the VIP section with a dedicated viewing crystal instead of sitting among the other observers. This room was closed even to the chapter masters of the order, and only the Blades and the grandmaster were allowed entry. Wolfhart was here only because his companion allowed it. His companion¡¯s presence would¡¯ve drawn too much attention among the other observers; even with the clothes he was wearing that hid most of his features. He was simply too well known.


    He was wearing the standard issue black cloak and black leather armor that was the usual outfit for the scouts. His lower face was covered with a black mask, only leaving his blue eyes and a bit of light skin visible. Wolfhart knew the man had long horns that could perhaps be better described as antlers, but one of the features of the hood on the scout cloak was to make such features disappear as if into a void inside the cloak.


    The man spoke again after a moment of silence. ¡°Niklos, you do realize that this will be the last time, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Commander Wolfhart knew the gravity of the question the man had asked, although it seemed simple on the surface. ¡°I know the order has let you down, and so have I. I can¡¯t apologize for the things that have happened, and I won¡¯t demean the memory of Lilly by trying.¡±


    The man almost growled at the mention of Lilly. Wolfhart continued. ¡°I do recognize that this is the last time, and I know what the consequences will be, should the worst happen. I simply think she is worth taking the risk.¡±


    The man calmed down quickly. He thought Wolfhart didn¡¯t have the right to utter Lilly¡¯s name anymore after what he had done. However, he was a calm man by nature and Wolfhart was one of the few people that had actually known Lilly. ¡°You have a lot of faith in her.¡± He said, once again turning his eyes to Dee.


    Wolfhart shrugged. ¡°She will be strong enough to become one of the Blades. Of that I am sure. Only questions are, how long will it take, and how strong will she eventually become?¡±


    The man suddenly gave a small chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re hoping she will be stronger than me, don¡¯t you? And you¡¯re hoping she might tie me back to the order.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny either charge. However, I also realize that I¡¯m handing you a weapon that might become strong enough to topple the order, if you should ever turn against us. Which way she will turn is an open question, but you have a chance to turn her against us as her teacher.¡± Wolfhart admitted freely.


    ¡°Again, you have a lot of faith in her. If she really is as you say, you¡¯re taking a big risk putting her in my hands.¡± The man said curiosity clear in his voice.


    ¡®I believe she will be harder to manipulate than anyone realizes. You will have a harder time turning her against us, than she will have tying you back with the order.¡¯ Wolfhart thought to himself.

 Chapter 45

    Although Dee didn¡¯t really need it, she had assumed that finishing early in the first test would have the added benefit of some rest while waiting for the others to finish. However, the testers had taken this into consideration and didn¡¯t want those that were already ahead to have any additional advantages. Thus they were led to start the next test almost immediately after they finished.


    The next test was an obstacle course mainly designed to test your agility and dexterity, as well as your footwork and balance. The obstacle course was once again timed, so one got points based on time spent as well as points deducted for any mistakes made. Many of the obstacles included balancing on various precarious platforms while avoiding any objects swinging back and forth trying to knock you off the platforms.


    Dee especially liked one long obstacle where you were balancing on top of what looked like the walls to a maze where you had to plot your path very carefully and before you even started, or you would get knocked down by the logs swinging back and forth like pendulums. The obstacle was ingenious in that there were several routes you could take, but the faster routes were clearly harder than the slower ones, and the obviously fastest route was in fact a trap. It was impossible to avoid all the swinging logs due to their timing.


    Here Dee had to say a silent thank you for her assassin training that had used similar traps and obstacles, although with the assassins the punishment for mistakes wasn¡¯t lost points but brutal beatings. Balance, agility and avoidance of traps were all important for assassins that wanted to infiltrate places where you were not supposed to be in, and failure meant getting caught and interrogated, usually with torture. She had also learned to think outside the box with obstacles like these. She hadn¡¯t been nicknamed the Wraith for nothing.


    She boldly challenged the fastest route that was supposed to be a trap, but instead of avoiding the swinging logs, she used them as footholds instead. It was an unorthodox way to go past the obstacle, but Dee wasn¡¯t the first one to have the idea. She also wouldn¡¯t be the last. In fact the two elves that came twenty minutes later would use a similar method. That said, Dee still managed the obstacle course faster than others thanks to her quick thinking and genuinely impressive physique. The only problems she had came from the fact that she was stronger than what she was accustomed to, so she tended to overshoot a little.


    The third test was a test of strength, which had very expected results. Dee was rather overwhelming, even though she ended holding back a bit, while Shunkaha came second due to his higher ranking with ki. That said the Lacademonian girl was close behind, as pure strength was her strong suit. Once again the two elves were close behind. To all the observers it seemed obvious that the five of them were pulling far ahead of the rest of the pack, and represented the best this batch of recruits had to offer.


    Even though Dee was crushing the others, even the other four were showing results rarely seen in new recruits. The higher-ups that were observing them were already making plans and backroom deals about who would take them in once they finished the basic training. Of course the basic training itself was another test that would weed out some unsuitable recruits.


    These tests were something that made sure that only the best applicants would be approved into the basic training period of the order. However, there was still some leeway with these tests. Many people who ended up getting recruited here showed promise but didn¡¯t yet have the skills or strength that the best candidates had. The part that came straight after, the basic training, would make sure that only the really suitable candidates remained, as the basic training with the headquarters had over 50% drop-out rate.


    That, however was still in the future, and it was very likely that those that did the best in these tests would also be able to make it through the basic training. Hence the backroom deals. The five of them already had enough points to get accepted even if they bombed the rest of the tests. The fourth test and the last test for the day was the psychological test.


    Dee had been a little leery of the psychological tests, as there was a great deal of subjectivity involved in the testing. There were rarely completely right and completely wrong answers and context was everything. The people conducting the tests went even further and didn¡¯t ask simple questions with obvious answers. Instead of asking what type of people they were, the applicants were given several complex scenarios and asked how they would solve them, how they would act and how they felt about them. That forced them to actually think, and the answer would still not be clear.


    Dee did note that several of the scenarios were very similar, but once again context was everything. She assumed these were meant to test the strength of their tendencies. After taking the test she still had no idea how she did, which was purposeful on the part of those conducting the tests.


    -----


    ¡°Interesting results.¡± The man next to Commander Wolfhart said, as he was going through Dee¡¯s personality test results. His tone of voice showed genuine interest and some amusement.


    ¡°Interesting?¡± Wolfhart asked.


    ¡°Yes. She is in many ways a very complex individual, but in some ways she is very simple. The time with the assassins has left its mark on her. She is much more suited to becoming a templar than a paladin, though that much you already told me. She prefers a speedy but thorough gathering of information followed by fast and decisive action. Preferably lethal action at that.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t like to stop to consider things for too long, believing that to be useless hesitation, she¡¯s the type to completely ignore the possible political implications, and she generally doesn¡¯t seem to have time or energy for how things may seem from the outside or how the situation may be influenced by outside parties. She acknowledges their existence, as well as the possible ramifications, she just doesn¡¯t care. She¡¯s also not prone to asking for advice.¡± The man gave a small laugh at that.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Wolfhart was quiet for a moment before commenting. ¡°So, much like you?¡±


    The man raised an eye-brow, before giving another chuckle. ¡°In some ways perhaps. Much like the past me more like. However, she seems to prefer solitary action, while I would rely on my teammates and friends to help me. She asks neither for help, nor for advice. That is part of what I mean with her background. If what you told me about her is true, then she doesn¡¯t have much reason to have faith in her team. For a scout that is both a good trait and a very bad one. We are often solitary and have to be able to make it on our own, but we have to have trust in our brothers. We don¡¯t work in a vacuum, and we waste too much time if we try to do our brother¡¯s work as well as our own. We have to be able to rely on them and their information, as they are quite literally watching our backs.¡±


    The man¡¯s face was still covered, but Wolfhart could sense his mood shift as the man continued. ¡°Though maybe she is more correct in not trusting the rest of the order than I was at her age. While we have to have faith in our brothers in the scouts, sadly the rest of the order has shown that trusting them is too often the wrong choice.¡±


    Wolfhart had defended the order when they were young, but later on in life he had become less sure of his position. Yet he felt compelled to do so again. ¡°Razark, please. We¡¯ve had this discussion before. There is more than one side to a situation. Things aren¡¯t so black and white. I grieve for Lilly as well, but the order can¡¯t help everyone. The resources we have are limited.¡±


    Razark looked at Wolfhart in anger. ¡°That¡¯s just it, they could¡¯ve helped Lilly, but they chose not to. They chose not to due to what she was and what she was becoming. They allowed an innocent girl die, just because they thought she might become an enemy one day. They had the means to save her, but chose not to. Some noble¡¯s son got saved instead. That noble incidentally paid quite a bit of money for that privilege, although his bastard of a son was already suspected of being a rapist and a pederast! Later proven guilty and executed!¡±


    ¡°Razark, we both loved Lilly like a sister, but she was dangerous! You¡¯re right that she had not acted on her impulses yet, but how long would that have lasted! I would¡¯ve loved to see Lilly live longer, but we both know she was already struggling. If the order had saved her, we might¡¯ve had to kill her ourselves! Could you have lived with that?!¡± Wolfhart demanded, raising his voice.


    ¡°I AM LIVING WITH THAT!¡± Razark yelled back, rising from his seat. ¡°To this day I¡¯m living with that guilt! You didn¡¯t see her last days, the pain she was in! Finally it became too much for her to bear, and she asked me to end it.¡± His voice quieted down to almost a whisper as he slumped back.


    ¡°You killed Lilly? How could you do that?¡± Wolfhart almost felt like crying and yelling in anger at the same time.


    Razark scoffed. ¡°Here we go again. Your precious principles are more important than those you love. I didn¡¯t kill her; the order did that with their decision. I only stopped her suffering. You have no right to lecture me, when you weren¡¯t even there! That is something that I will have to carry with me for the rest of my life, but it is not regret for what I did that I carry. It¡¯s the tears in her eyes while I did what I had to. Tears of gratitude that the pain would finally be over. Tears that she wouldn¡¯t have been forced to shed in the first place if the order had acted.¡±


    There was a long silence between the two as Razark was lost in memories while Wolfhart was digesting what he had just heard.


    It was once again Razark that broke the silence. ¡°Besides, even if I agreed with what happened with Lilly, I would never forgive the order for leaving my men to die.¡±


    Wolfhart just sighed in resignation. This was something that he had to agree with Razark. ¡°You know that if the order had saved them, we would¡¯ve risked war with the freelancer¡¯s guild.¡±


    Razark shook his head. ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not. There have been worse problems between us that have been swept under the rug. Even if it had come to the worst, it would¡¯ve been the right thing to do. We don¡¯t leave our own to die just because it can be inconvenient, not among the scouts.¡±


    ¡°The men knew the mission was dangerous before they took it.¡± Wolfhart countered. ¡°They knew the situation was delicate to say the least, and they knew the implications.¡±


    ¡°They knew they might not be coming back. However, they didn¡¯t know they were sent on a suicide mission that was supposed to end in their death.¡± Razark shot back, once again angry.


    Wolfhart frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± This was new information to him.


    ¡°Do you not find it the least bit coincidental that there were four other Blades in the room with me when the call for help came? None of them from the scouts I might add which might actually explain their presence. All four of whom prevented me from rushing to the aid of my men. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen five Blades together in a room before or since then, except when all of us all called together to vote on something. They knew how the mission would end, and they knew how I would react.¡± Razark explained in a voice that made it seem he was explaining this to a child.


    ¡°Is there a chance that you are wrong?¡± Wolfhart asked, hoping for a positive answer with all his might.


    ¡°Hardly. This was a message. A message from them to me. Not the mission itself of course, it was too important, but their reaction and the choice to leave my men to die was meant as a message to me. A message I heard loud and clear, although it might not have had the result they hoped for.¡± Razark hissed between clenched teeth.


    After a moment of thought, Wolfhart once again spoke. ¡°Lothar wasn¡¯t the grandmaster then. In fact, he was one of the people who took part in ousting the previous grandmaster, who would be the only one who had the authority to command the other Blades to stop you like that.¡±


    ¡°Quite true. His ascension to the position is one of the few reasons I¡¯m still here. For all his faults Lothar Sendar at least appreciates the lives of our brothers. However, just because the author of the message is no longer around, that doesn¡¯t mean that the message is no longer valid. That¡¯s another reason why I still stay. I want to protect my brothers.¡± Razark gave a sigh. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like I have anywhere else to go. With Lilly gone, I no longer have anyone to return to back home.¡±


    ----------


    Dee and Sarfina had returned to their temporary accommodations for the evening. The final test would be tomorrow. The last test was scheduled for a separate day because of the time it would take. In fact it was expected that the final test would take several days to complete. Dee and Sarfina had rented rooms from a local inn due to it being cheaper and less bothersome than returning back to Sarfina¡¯s mansion through the gateways.


    The rooms were nice enough. Not exactly luxurious, but Dee was quite used to that. At least she was happy to have her own room. She still had some trouble sleeping properly if she was in a room with someone else, something she would have to get used to when she got into the order. Something the other applicants would have to get used to was her habit of sleeping in her fox-form, which was much more comfortable for her.


    As she entered her room, she idly wondered how she would deal with her ever increasing size and the most likely tiny barracks beds. She¡¯d probably have to shrink down her size again. Just as she cracked the door open, she sensed another presence in her room. The presence was clearly hiding, and very effectively at that because the ki flow in the man¡¯s body was hidden from even her sight. Even she might have had trouble noticing him, if she hadn¡¯t already been familiar with the methods used. Methods she herself had used successfully to kill several people.


    The odd thing was, the presence was hidden in a place that was best for hiding his presence, but not best for killing Dee. ¡°Well this was quick. I didn¡¯t think someone would already hire Zabaniya to kill me. You got here pretty quick as well.¡± Dee said quietly, closing the door behind her.


    A black clad man silently dropped from the ceiling several mel ahead of her. Dee was slightly impressed as the man¡¯s feet didn¡¯t make even the slightest tap when they hit the floor, despite the distance he had fallen.


    ¡°Good to see your senses haven¡¯t dulled Wraith. Hassan-i-Sabbah sends his greetings.¡± The man said emotionlessly.

 Chapter 46

    ¡±I doubt you came here just for a greeting.¡± Dee replied the assassin in a level tone of voice. She knew the man was not here to try to kill her, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have shown himself so calmly. She was slightly worried that he knew about her identity as Wraith, but not overly much so.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. A certain heir of House Griffin tried to procure our services to kill you. I heard that you had a run-in with him this morning.¡± The masked assassin replied.


    ¡°That sniveling idiot? How very petty of him to hire assassins just for such a light humiliation. And Zabaniya at that? We both know you don¡¯t come cheap.¡± Dee tapped her chin in amusement. She had expected the noble to create trouble, but this was slightly outside her expectations. A couple of goons hired to rough her up sure, but Zabaniya? ¡°We both also know you¡¯re not here to fulfill that contract. So why are you here?¡±


    Dee could see the faint outline of a smile from how the face and chin muscles of the assassin moved beneath the mask. ¡°He didn¡¯t actually hire us. Or at least he didn¡¯t know he was hiring us. There are currently several guilds in this area, as this is the economic center of the fourth circle in day city. Thus it is the center for assassins as well. As it happens though, all those guilds are under our control. We give the illusion of choice, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Your reach has grown.¡± Dee remarked simply.


    ¡°Just like you, we don¡¯t just rest on our laurels. Anyway, the heir of House Griffin will no longer be a problem, and his father, the late chapter master or Radiant Sun, will not be trouble either. We take a dim view on people trying to take out hits on our members, even those that are not active.¡± The man explained, clearly amused at the situation.


    Dee¡¯s eye twitched a bit at the idea of still being considered a member of Zabaniya, but knew that arguing the point would not get her anywhere. ¡°My, the reach of Zabaniya really has grown if you are in the habit of killing of high ranking members of Radiant Sun.¡±


    The man gave a chuckle. ¡°The man was a regular customer of ours, so getting to him was simple. He died of ¡®natural causes¡¯. A heart attack to be exact. He was old. It¡¯s a shame what ravages of time can do to the short lived races. Even healing magic has its limits against old age.¡± They both knew the heart attack was not really the reason, likely the Zabaniya used a poison that stressed the heart.


    Now Dee¡¯s eyebrow really shot up. ¡°You don¡¯t think they¡¯ll find it the least coincidental that a chapter master and his son died on the same day? And I doubt you could ¡®natural causes¡¯ a young man like that in the middle of the largest gathering of healers on the whole planet.¡±


    The man just looked at Dee, his eyes saying all that was necessary. Translation: ¡®You weren¡¯t this stupid before.¡¯


    Dee was a bit peeved that someone used her own trick against her. ¡°I see, so the poor old man¡¯s heart gave out when he learned about his son¡¯s death. Or that¡¯s the story at least. What happened to the son? A mugging gone wrong?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. Actually he supposedly tried to rape a young girl but was interrupted and killed by the protective boyfriend. The girl was actually one of ours, while her ¡®protective boyfriend¡¯ is a high ranking warrior from the freelancer¡¯s guild. Quite unfortunate.¡± The man explained, satisfied that Dee had gotten the gist of it.


    ¡°While I don¡¯t mind the information, I could¡¯ve dealt with them myself. I do not consider myself owing you anything in return.¡± Dee replied tersely. In fact she had planned on using the noble brat to make an example of him later on when he came after her. Well there were plenty of noble brats around.


    ¡°Fair enough. Like I said, we take a dim view of people targeting our members. Master also wanted to welcome you home.¡± The man said, still amused, before starting to walk towards the door behind Dee.


    ¡®Home?¡± Dee thought. ¡®I did suspect that Zabaniya had their den in the day city, but under the very noses of the communities opposing them? That¡¯s just stupid. And that¡¯s exactly why they¡¯re doing it. There couldn¡¯t really be a more unlikely place for it, hence the last place they¡¯d actually look.¡¯


    Suddenly something stirred inside Dee as the assassin was about to walk past her. Anger at them assuming she¡¯d just going along with them considering her a member of the Zabaniya. Her PRIDE being insulted on many levels. They tried to control her! The puny mortals assuming ownership over one of the great dragons!


    ¡®Dragons?¡¯ Some part of her mind wondered idly.


    The puny mortals needed to be sent a message! Just as the man had passed her, she made a grabbing motion towards him with her right hand, and the ethereal form of a dragon¡¯s black foreleg appeared and closed around the man, the sharp claws sinking into the man¡¯s soft flesh, encountering only the slightest resistance from the quickly raised defensive layer of ki.


    Suddenly Dee felt a great hunger as if the ethereal apparition had drained something from her, and she felt a great lust for blood, which was in very minor part satiated by the now flowing life-blood of the dead assassin. Somehow the blood seemed a hollow comfort. The reason became apparent as the dead body of the assassin suddenly started to disappear as it turning into nothing but flecks of black dust floating in the air, the last of which disappeared soon after.


    As the feeling of being in control once again returned, Dee noted her hands shaking reminding her of the symptoms she got years ago when she had not killed anyone for a long time. ¡°So that¡¯s the reason for the need the kill. Whatever that apparition was seems to feed on life. That assassin was obviously using a fake body technique of some kind, so it did nothing to quench the hunger. Blasted shaking! I¡¯ll need to do something about it before tomorrow.¡± Dee said half to herself, half to Croestia who knew what it meant.


    -----


    Hassam-i-Sabbah watched on calmly as his servant Asahim cradled his head in obvious pain. ¡°I¡¯m guessing our little Wraith was less than pleased by your visit.¡±


    Asahim barely managed to speak. When one of his bodies died, the feedback was nasty and proportional to the force of the attack used to kill him. This one had hurt like hell. ¡°That is one way of putting it. Did we really have to make contact? We could¡¯ve just handled things from the shadows.¡±


    ¡°Yes we did. She is angry at us for a reason. Anger is good and something we can work with. Better she starts dealing with that anger now. Later on she¡¯ll be used to the idea of us making contact with her. Besides, even if she continues to carry a grudge, all we need is for our interests to meet. And if we get lucky, she might even do some work for us if we provide the right incentive. She clearly had no compunctions against killing.¡± Hassam-i-Sabbah said looking at his servant still in pain.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s putting it mildly, to say the least.¡± Asahim replied, slowly recovering his wits.


    ¡°Our eyes and ears just sent a message. Apparently she felt a strong desire to thin the ranks of the criminals in the city tonight. You seem to have drawn out the bloodlust in her for some reason. Did you pick a fight with her?¡± Hassam-i-Sabbah had not expected such a bloody response.


    Asahim grimaced. ¡°I was very cordial. I suspect it might have something to do with the technique she used to kill me. She shouldn¡¯t have been able to do that at all, yet she did it so fast that I didn¡¯t even notice the details.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°You let your guard down.¡± Not a question, but a statement of fact.


    ¡°A little yes. She didn¡¯t strike at the optimal moment, which gave me a false sense of security. That said, my protections should¡¯ve stopped a strike from a rank 8 warrior, not to mention a class 6 psion.¡± Asahim replied, knowing that lying to his master was pointless.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Hassam-i-Sabbah remarked.


    ---------


    Dee felt refreshed as she stood among the other applicants next morning. She had hunted down a dozen of the scummier members of the dark underbelly of the city. The more she had killed, the better she had felt, and interestingly the stronger as well. She suspected that using that weird power would consume the life energy she had harvested during the night, though much of the hunger the previous night had come from her first proper use of that weird power. A power she still couldn¡¯t use consciously, and which had actually controlled her somehow. Though she also got the feeling that the more she killed, the less likely she was to lose control.


    Dee almost missed the proctor of the next test getting up on the stage. This time the proctor seemed to be higher ranked and was flanked on both sides by a mage bearing the mark and the signature robes of the Mystic¡¯s guild. ¡°Welcome to the last test of this year¡¯s selection. Today all of you were given one of these as you came in.¡± The man lifted a bone white bracelet in the air.


    ¡°The theme of the test will be hunters and prey. On the bracelet you will find three numbers. These numbers will tell you your who your ¡®prey¡¯ is. The numbers will coincide with their rankings according to the points gathered during yesterday¡¯s tests. So for example, if you have the number 1 on your bracelet, the first ranked applicant so far will be one of your ¡®prey¡¯. Your objective is to get their bracelet while keeping your own bracelet safe. The method to acquire your ¡®prey¡¯s¡¯ bracelet is up to you, but you are not allowed to kill your target.¡±


    ¡°Each of you will have three targets all worth five points and keeping your own bracelet safe will be worth five points also. Other bracelets are worth one point each. Incidentally, the bracelets will point an arrow towards each of your ¡®prey¡¯ so they will be easier to find. Your aim is to gain twenty points, but you will be graded either way whether you reach that goal or not. Now the quickest of you may have noted that with each of you having three ¡®prey¡¯, then each of you should also have three people hunting you. To make things more interesting, we¡¯ve mixed this part up a bit according to your earlier performance. The average is still three, but those that have done exceedingly well will have more people hunting them, while those that have not done as well will have less. Your ¡®prey¡¯ are also determined by your earlier performance.¡±


    ¡°Now some of you might find this a little unfair, but this reflects reality. Those with greater skill and power will always face stronger enemies and have more responsibilities. The venue for this event will be provided by our friends at the Mystic¡¯s guild, who have volunteered the maze around their towers for our little fun. The time limit is five days. There will be some basic provisions given just before you enter the maze. Also, everyone will be monitored by one of the familiars summoned by the Mystic¡¯s guild, so no cheating and no murder. If you get injured seriously, the familiar will summon healers to you.¡± The man finished explaining.


    Dee felt the bracelet activate, and she checked which prey she had been assigned. There were several large boards on the sides listing the ranks of every person, so you could find your prey¡¯s identity. Dee didn¡¯t need to consult the boards, as she already knew the identities of all her targets. With her large lead at the first place, she had expected her targets to be in the top twenty, but this was a little depressing. ¡®Ranks two three and four, huh? Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡¯


    Suddenly she felt the bloodlust of everyone around her focusing on her. ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± She asked when she realized the reason.


    Shunkaha walked next to her. ¡°Yup, I just checked some of the others. Apparently just about everyone has you as their prey. Incidentally I got you too, along with the two elf brothers as my prey.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re doing their best to stack the deck aren¡¯t they?¡± Dee asked no one in particular.


    ¡°Well, at least it will be more interesting this way. I¡¯m guessing I have quite a few people after me as well as the rank two, but nothing like yours. You were a bit too dominant earlier it seems.¡± Shunkaha laughed.


    -----


    They had all been led to the maze surrounding the ivory towers. The maze was magical, and there as a test for hopeful applicants. The Mystics didn¡¯t host recruitment events like the Radiant Sun, instead they had some tests that applicants needed to pass, but if the hopeful applicant did pass, then they were automatically accepted. After their identity had been checked of course.


    As soon as the signal was given, Dee disappeared in a flash and even the familiar assigned to watch over her lost her trail. The bracelets tracked each other, so those could still be used to find her, but that was easier said than done. Dee was tempted to hide the bracelet inside Croestia¡¯s storage space to disable the tracking function, but finally decided against it. Losing the familiar wasn¡¯t strictly against the rules, though it was a risk as now she wouldn¡¯t receive medical help. Not that she needed any. It would be a risk to the others though. Disabling the tracking on the other hand was against the rules.


    Dee had already gone deep within the maze before stopping to consider. She was quite sure the random people hunting her would provide enough points to reach the stated goal, but that wasn¡¯t really the point of the test. While the twenty points was the nominal passing limit, she wasn''t sure that the limit actually mattered. Otherwise there would be too few people passing, and the proctor had mentioned they¡¯d be graded by their performance regardless if they reached the goal or not. Hence she¡¯d only really get the best evaluation if she actually hunted her own prey.


    The two elves would obviously be working together, so in effect she was forced to hunt all the other applicants that had risen above the rest while avoiding everyone else. Sure she could take down random people as well, but wouldn¡¯t it be even more interesting if she got her targets while no one else saw a hair of her?


    ¡®Interestingly the bracelet only shows the direction towards the target, not the distance in between.¡¯ Dee mused as an idea started forming in her head.


    -----


    ¡°Did you have a hand in this ridiculous set-up?¡± Wolfhart asked Razark.


    ¡°Of course. It¡¯s all good and fine to hear you speak of her stealth skills and her ability to identify targets, but I¡¯d rather see it for myself. If I¡¯m supposed to be training her, she should be able to deal with at least this level of challenge. I''ll also be sorely disappointed if she simply beats her prey into submission. Anyone can use overwhelming strength. A scout should be smarter than that. Still, this is also a combat test so I¡¯m eagerly awaiting that part as well.¡± Razark replied.


    ¡°Well this should at least be interesting if nothing else.¡± Wolfhart said with a small sigh.


    ----------


    Ascalon and his brother had made a small camp for the evening. The two had already managed to find one of their prey for each of them, and were now currently on the trail of Ilthuryn¡¯s second target. Ascalon still remembered the cold shivers the first ranked girl had caused in him, so he had tried to discourage his brother from seeking a confrontation with her. Unfortunately the dolt considered hunting the girl a worthy challenge instead. At least Ascalon had convinced Ilthuryn that they should go after her last.


    ¡®Well at least I don¡¯t have her as a target. Not that I think the second ranked wolfman is much easier, but at least him we might be able to take down if we work together. He looked a little brash, so we might be able to use that against him.¡¯ Ascalon thought to himself.


    Suddenly they both heard someone approaching their little camp, and they rose up ready for battle. Whoever was approaching them wasn¡¯t making any attempt to hide, but it was better to be careful. Both of them became shocked as they saw the person approaching their campsite. The two of them were used to the beauties in the elven court, but this woman exceeded anything they had seen before.


    The woman was wearing the robes and insignia of the Mystic¡¯s guild, with the robes covering her body from her head to her ankles. They didn¡¯t completely manage to conceal the alluring form hiding beneath. Her long and flowing hair was mostly covered by the hood that was pulled up to partially cover her head. Not in an attempt to hide anything but enough to cover most of her head. A single lavender fringe hid part of her face and one of her eyes.


    The most striking detail about the woman was the large and glowing halo behind her head that almost looked like a crown of sorts. The woman spoke to the two elves, bringing them out of their stupor. ¡°Greetings to the two of you. You must be some of the applicants for the Order of the Radiant Sun. I had heard that there was a test to be held in our gardens. I didn¡¯t quite realize it would be today.¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice was like the soft and playful timbre of a flute, and almost charmed the two of them again. Ilthuryn recovered faster this time to reply. ¡°Indeed we are. We are camping here for the night, and continuing tomorrow.¡±


    ¡®She calls the maze their garden?¡¯ Ascalon wondered idly.


    ¡°In that case I wish you fortune in your test. Be careful though, the spells here can confuse you and mess up even the best sense of direction. Speaking of, do you mind if I share your fire for a short moment? I¡¯m renewing some of the spells here and could use a bit of rest before I continue.¡± The charming woman asked gaily.


    The two elves almost fell over each other in their hurry to agree and cleared a place for her by the fire. Ascalon finally asked a question he had been wondering about for a while. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, we don¡¯t see that many angels around these parts. What brings one of your kind to Pantheon and the Mystic¡¯s guild no less?¡± Ascalon so hoped that the woman was one of the Radiant Sun so that he might see her again soon, but knew the hope was in vain as evidenced by her robes.


    The woman gave a small tinkling laughter. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you made a small mistake in your assumptions. There are two groups of angels and one of those groups is in a situation where we need the protection of Pantheon.¡±


    Ascalon immediately realized what she meant. ¡°One of the Fallen then?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, though we don¡¯t really refer to ourselves with that title. We prefer Angels of the Dark. Not that it matters much, but there it is.¡± The woman explained while smiling.


    The three of them discussed various topics for several hours, while the two elves fell deeper under her charms as she displayed her wittiness and quick mind, along with her generous sense of humor as she laughed with her cheery voice at their clumsy attempts to impress her. All things must eventually come to an end though, and the two elves thought that the ending for this meeting came all too soon.


    They shook hands as she was leaving. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay a little longer?¡± Ilthuryn asked with half hope half desperation in his voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure. I¡¯ve rested for long enough. I should get back to my duties. Maybe we will meet again, if the fates so decide.¡± The woman replied with a smile.


    ¡°Could you at least tell us your name?¡± Ascalon yelled after her as she was walking away.


    She turned towards them while walking backwards into the darkness. ¡°Let¡¯s leave that as a mystery for now. A woman doesn¡¯t want to give away all her secrets right away.¡± She replied before laughing again before disappearing.


    It wasn¡¯t until morning the two of them realized Ilthuryn¡¯s bracelet was missing, and they had no idea what had happened to it. They suspected that someone had managed to steal it during the night despite their precautions, but they didn¡¯t even for a moment suspect the angel they had met the previous evening.

 Chapter 47

    Commander Wolfhart frowned as he read a report he had just received from his contacts at the headquarters. ¡°Apparently someone knocked out one of the younger mages of the Mystic¡¯s guild and stole her robes. The mage is uninjured, though understandably not very pleased.¡± He read out to Razark.


    Razark chuckled mirthfully in response. ¡°I know. Apparently the young mage was not supposed to be near the maze, but she seems to possess a bit of a randy streak. She was out there checking out the young hunks applying to become templar and paladins. It seems the mages tend to be too scrawny for her tastes. If my sources are correct, she might have actually hoped to get attacked and ¡®savaged¡¯ by a brutish warrior type. Well she got part of her wish, though not the happy ending she hoped.¡±


    Wolfhart shook his head. ¡°I can never understand women and their weird desires.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s at least partly about losing control, but yet in a safe enough environment to not be in real danger. Such as under the watchful supervision of the familiars following the applicants. She didn¡¯t actually want to get savaged, just the simulation of it. Anyway, as a result the mages aren¡¯t really looking for the culprit. They just want the robes back once the attacker is done with them. They could track them magically, but they¡¯re afraid that the attacker would notice and destroy them. Not a huge loss, but the guild does put some effort into making those robes, so¡­¡± Razark¡¯s smirk was hidden by the mask he wore, but the mirth in his voice betrayed his amusement.


    Wolfhart felt the urge to facepalm, but held back. Barely. ¡°So, do we know what happened to the robes?¡± He asked rhetorically. They both knew.


    ¡°Oh I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too hard to figure that one out. The attack was not caught by the familiars following the applicants, and the number of applicants who have managed to lose their familiar is¡­still just the one. Imagine that. Wonder if this has anything to do with how Ilthuryn¡¯s bracelet went missing?¡± Razark asked once again rhetorically.


    ¡°Do we have any idea where she is currently? Her familiar has been unable to find her, and I haven¡¯t noticed anyone else running into her.¡± Wolfhart kept constantly changing the perspective shown to them between the different familiars.


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in that. One familiar might have caught an accidental image of her this morning, but even I¡¯m not sure since it happened so fast.¡± Razark replied.


    ¡°Well then, what do we do? It¡¯s hard to get a good idea of her skills this way.¡± Wolfhart pointed out.


    ¡°This is actually perfect. It shows her ability to remain hidden despite everyone hunting her. Well, actually it seems most of the hunters have decided that she¡¯s too hard of a nut to crack. However, you¡¯re missing something important.¡± Razark pointed out. He was actually quite pleased with how things were shaping up.


    ¡°What?¡± Wolfhart asked confused.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t spent enough time hunting it seems. Sometimes you have to hunt for targets that are too fast and too good at stealth to be tracked normally. In those cases there is only one option. You don¡¯t even try to track the target, but instead go where you know they will later appear. Usually when you¡¯re hunting beasts that means either their lair or the watering hole. In this case neither of those apply, but we do know one thing she will approach sooner or later.¡± Razark focused the view on a particular Lacademonian girl currently in the middle of a fight with several other applicants. ¡°We know she will go after her prey. Meet Cynisca Helios. The third ranked applicant before this test, and the most likely target for Dee to go after next. And we aren¡¯t the only ones who had the idea either it seems. There¡¯s another decent hunter in the mix.¡±


    ------


    Dee watched as the Lacademonian girl demolished the people attacking her. The poor victims had thought that ganging up on her would lead them to victory, and they could fight for her bracelet afterwards, but the result had been abysmal. The girl had an interesting ability to fire concentrated blasts of ki at her opponents with her fists, and she had devastated half of the attackers before they even got close. She wasn¡¯t any less effective at close range either.


    ¡®Some of them are going to require medical attention.¡¯ Dee sent a thought to Croestia.


    ¡®Well that¡¯s not good for your plan.¡¯ Croestia sent back.


    ¡®Well it could still work. Even though I had hoped to remain undetected while I tried attacking her mind, I could probably still do it even if she¡¯s not distracted by all those people. Provided I do it slowly enough. However, the whole plan is no longer viable.¡¯ Dee explained.


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Croestia asked.


    ¡®Well, the idea was to remain unseen, but even if I do manage to freeze her, we are no longer alone.¡¯ Despite focusing on her prey, Dee had not forgotten to keep an eye on her surroundings. While the other person could hide from most senses, and even managed to hide the ki in his body for a while, Dee still noticed a familiar presence with the Mindscape.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time you showed yourself? You¡¯ve been skulking around long enough.¡± Cynisca demanded with a raised voice as soon as the last of her opponents fell in an inglorious heap at her feet.


    ¡®Oh-oh!¡¯ Croestia sent to Dee.


    ¡®Relax, that wasn¡¯t for us.¡¯ Dee smirked. This could be an interesting development. She had no idea how the Lacademonian girl had noticed the other person though. Instinct perhaps?


    Suddenly the bushes on the other side of the clearing moved as a large white wolf slowly walked out from between them. ¡°Your senses are sharper than I thought.¡± Shunkaha said in praise.


    ¡°So it¡¯s mister number two. You¡¯re here after my bracelet I assume?¡± Cynisca asked, thinking she already knew the answer. She was actually eagerly expecting this fight. The others hadn¡¯t been much as opponents.


    ¡°Mister number two? Oi-oi, that¡¯s such low brow humor. And for the record, you¡¯re wrong. I¡¯m not here for you at all. I¡¯m here for the one hunting you.¡± Shunkaha replied with a frown that looked slightly comical on his wolfy face.


    ¡°My hunter?¡± Cynisca asked confused. She hadn¡¯t really even considered the others to be worthy of hunting her.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time you showed yourself darling? You skill at hiding is beyond even my own, but you can¡¯t fool my nose. I can still smell you.¡± Shunkaha looked into the vague direction of Dee¡¯s hiding place. He missed quite a bit, but close enough to make a point.


    ¡®Do I really smell that much?! That¡¯s the second time someone detects me by my smell. Bloody wolves and their sense of smell!¡¯ Dee cursed silently, quite indignant actually. She kept herself clean! Unfortunately, fooling the sense of smell of someone like Shunkaha was too much, and it wasn¡¯t dirt or sweat that he smelt anyway, but pheromones.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Dee had long since changed out the mage robes and shifted back to her usual form. She freely walked out from her hiding place. There was a time to impress people with your skill in stealth, but you could also make an impression with raw power as well.


    Cynisca¡¯s eye twitched as she noticed her approach, mostly because she had failed to notice her presence. ¡°Well well. We have the top three right here. This saves time I suppose. Though I¡¯m slightly insulted for being used as bait.¡±


    ¡°Well the success kinda speaks for itself, doesn¡¯t it? Anyway, I have no need for your bracelet, so I have nothing against you. No need to fight between us.¡± Shunkaha pointed out the obvious.


    ¡°Unfortunately for you, I need her bracelet as well, so we¡¯re back to a stalemate.¡± Cynisca pointed out. ¡°Not to mention the fact that I want to kick your ass on pure principle.¡±


    ¡°Well we could save that for after we take her down.¡± Shunkaha pointed out again. It was fine to him either way. He knew both Dee and him were at the sixth rank, and could most likely fight rather equally, just the way he wanted it, while the Lacademonian girl was not.


    ¡°Are you two quite done with your play-acting? You¡¯re both assuming you have choice in the matter. I¡¯m thinking I should just kick both of you around a bit and then take your bracelets. If you want to hug it out with each other afterwards, that¡¯s your business, but I¡¯d feel insulted if the two of you didn¡¯t come at me together.¡± Dee suddenly interrupted them. While she was feeling a little brash, she mostly wanted to stop the two from properly coordinating with each other.


    The two others reacted about how Dee had imagined they would. Cynisca pulled out a pair of swords and used the basic strength buff using her holy power. Dee had almost forgotten that both of her opponents had been some of the few people with actual blessings, although they would lack proper training in using that power.


    Shunkaha had shifted back to his humanoid form. The wolf form was great for speed and mobility, but not so great in single combat due to not being able to use weapons. He pulled out a weapon that seemed to be halfway between a trident, a halberd and a spear. The central spike was longer than the two others that extended on the sides as half-moon blades. A dangerous weapon, though hard to utilize correctly. He also cast a basic speed buffing spell with his holy power.


    Dee was slightly surprised that the two didn¡¯t cast more spells, but she then realized that her own point of view might be a bit skewed. She herself had horrendous amounts of holy power, so she could stack spells without worry, and both of her teachers Mazatl and Sarfina were fully trained holy power users with fully developed pools of holy power. Maybe the two in front of her didn¡¯t have the holy power to waste on maintaining more spells?


    ¡®Interesting. Croestia, give me full buffs on speed and strength. Let¡¯s give the observers something to think about.¡¯ Dee knew that Croestia¡¯s buffs couldn¡¯t be seen from the outside without the same type of ability to see the flow of power that she herself possessed. So to the observers it would seem like she fought without the aid of buffs, although she had the strongest buffs out of the three. Dee in general had avoided using Croestia¡¯s abilities in combat unless it was necessary in order to develop her own strength, and had saved Croestia for emergencies. Or when she had to make and impact like now.


    The two warriors in front of her had great skill, but they had never fought together so they would get in the other¡¯s way. Especially if Dee encouraged that. Cynisca provided the opportunity immediately, as she dashed forward without any regard, and Dee moved so that the girl was between her and Shunkaha. Dee then met the first attack with her just materialized shield, which she used to parry Cynisca¡¯s attack to the side, so that the just parried arm was blocking the swing of Cynisca¡¯s other sword.


    Dee then grabbed Cynisca¡¯s wrist with her still open hand, and tried to drive her shield into Cynisca¡¯s gut by diving under that now horribly overextended arm. However, Cynisca wasn¡¯t quite simple enough to be taken down that easy. She moved back along Dee¡¯s forward momentum, completely dulling Dee¡¯s lunge, and then twisted her still captured arm in an attempt to free it from Dee¡¯s grasp.


    Normally this would¡¯ve been futile, as Dee was stronger than she was, but Shunkaha wasn¡¯t just going to watch idly by, as he drove his trident towards Dee¡¯s exposed stomach. As a result Dee had to let go of Cynisca, as she backed off for space. She did throw a dagger at the other girl as a parting gift, but it was thrown with her shield arm so it was mostly just a distraction.


    Shunkaha chased after Dee with several stabs and sweeps with his weapon. Dee was forced mostly to dodge and finally pulled out her metal saber meant for situations like this. Her saber of dark energy was just too much for the situation as it would leave wounds that didn¡¯t heal and destroy her opponent¡¯s equipment. Fimul had made her a metal saber, but she rarely used it and it wasn¡¯t as high quality as her daggers. The only reason it held together under the pressure of Shunkaha¡¯s much better spear, was because Dee used her psionic power to bolster it. The weapon wouldn¡¯t be able to stand that abuse for too much longer though.


    Dee waited for the next sweep by leaping over it by in effect making a cartwheel in the air. While in the air she tossed another throwing dagger at Cynisca just to force her to dodge, as she landed much closer to Shunkaha, well inside the effective range of his weapon. He wouldn¡¯t be able to pull it back quickly enough and she thanked him for the opportunity by driving the pommel of her saber straight into his gut with a fair bit of force. In real combat she could¡¯ve stabbed him with her sword, but¡­


    As it was though, the power of her blow drove all the air out of his lungs, despite the thick protective layer of ki surrounding him. Cynisca tried to take advantage of the situation by launching a projectile of heavy ki at Dee, but it ran into a shield made of pure psionic power. The first psionic ability Dee had learned was finally at a point it was actually useful.


    While Shunkaha recovered, Dee and Cynisca exchanged dozen more blows, now on much more even ground since Dee didn¡¯t have the surprise factor on her side anymore. The Lacademonian girl was clearly skilled, and didn¡¯t allow Dee to take control of the situation. ¡®I think it¡¯s about time to stop toying around.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. She had lost her patience with this three sided fight and Shunkaha was about to get up again. Dee filled herself with the maximum amount of psionic power, and seemed to disappear.


    With her full strength she rammed Cynisca with her shield head on, no skill or subtlety involved, and the latter shot off like an arrow from a bow, ramming straight through half a dozen trees on her way. The trees made up the walls of the maze around this area, while in other areas the walls could be bushes or rocks. Unfortunately for Cynisca, they weren¡¯t bushes, but fortunately for her they were not rocks either.


    ¡°Oh, ouch! I might have hit her quite a bit harder than I thought.¡± Dee said, while making a sympathetic grimace. Her strength had vastly surprised even herself. Hopefully the girl was still in one piece.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure she¡¯ll need some medical attention.¡± Shunkaha said signaling at his familiar.


    Dee walked towards her, and checked her condition. ¡®She¡¯s still in one piece but barely. Better provide some first aid, while the official healers get here.¡¯ She thought while casting some basic healing, fixing the most acute problems within Cynisca¡¯s body. While doing that, she swiped the girl¡¯s bracelet as well. To the victor go the spoils!


    ¡°Well then.¡± She said with a sigh and turned to Shunkaha.


    He in turn focused his power into his legs. He planned on betting everything on his speed, trying to end it in one swift strike. Just to spoil his plans though, just as he was about to launch at Dee, a weapon made of psionic energy suddenly appeared and shot at him with enough speed to make it impossible for him to avoid it in his current position. He blocked the attack with his own ki, but got thrown back several mel, while the attack drained quite a bit of his ki. The explosion of power had been enough to crack his protections and numb his hands. As he looked back up, there were three dozen more such weapons floating in the air, ready to shoot at him.


    He gave a heavy sigh. ¡°I surrender. I know when I¡¯m beat. Don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be the same the next time though.¡± He tossed his bracelet to Dee who smiled victoriously.


    ¡®Good thing he did surrender. You can¡¯t hit the broad side of a barn when using this many weapons.¡¯ Croestia silently sent her thoughts to Dee.


    ¡®It¡¯s all in the appearances.¡¯ Dee replied glibly, as she disappeared back into the maze.


    -----


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Wolfhart asked.


    ¡°Not too bad considering the limitations she was under. I could see her face twitching because she had to avoid hurting the two others too badly. I¡¯ve always thought it¡¯s more difficult to beat someone while not hurting them than it is to simply kill them. Especially since killing is supposed to be her forte, as is striking from the shadows with the element of surprise. Her weapons are all wrong though.¡± Razark analyzed with a keen eye.


    ¡°What do you mean? The saber was her choice, and the shield is standard for templar. She even uses it as a second weapon, and rather well from all I hear from Captain Sarfina. She chose the flow and control style for a reason, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re here.¡± Wolfhart asked again.


    ¡°Well, the style is good for her, I can already see that. The weapon however is not. I¡¯m pretty sure she picked the saber when she didn¡¯t have the strength she possesses now. In fact it seems clear she herself is unused to her own strength for some reason. Besides, she probably felt pressured to pick up the shield due to how commonplace it is for the order. I¡¯m guessing the saber was a compromise instead of the standard long sword?¡± Razark asked.


    Wolfhart grimaced a bit. He knew he himself and Sarfina had pushed the shield and sword style on Dee. ¡°So what weapon would suit her? Keeping in mind the style of flow and control of course.¡±


    ¡°Something that allowed her to showcase her strength as well. As I said, I don¡¯t think she had this current strength when she chose the saber. It seems her strength is growing almost exponentially. Saber is too short and flimsy for her current strength. A two handed sword maybe? That¡¯s a little worse for the style, but she could make it work with her strength. Or maybe something like a glaive or a spear with a cutting edge? Or she could go the bare handed route even. You did mention she has the ability to use a second pair of arms, right? She didn¡¯t use them at all in that fight, so they¡¯re probably under-utilized. Fighting bare-handed would help in that regard. Maybe some gauntlets that leave her claws open to use? This requires some consideration. Well work it out when I start training her. She needs to learn a few other things before that anyway.¡± Razark already started planning things out in his head.


    ¡°So you¡¯ll do it?¡± Wolfhart asked in confirmation.


    ¡°As you knew I would. The damn girl has annoyingly high potential. Even knowing the trouble that might follow, I still want to see how far she can go.¡± Razark replied with a faint smile. He also knew this would bring trouble to the girl. It was unlikely that some of the other Blades or chapter masters would be happy Razark gained a disciple like her. They would be even less happy if she did receive the status of a Blade one day.

 Chapter 48

    As the final test drew to a close, the rankings of the applicants were finalized. Dee got some points docked for attacking one of the mages, but her performance had been so overwhelming that the lost points didn¡¯t really matter. To say she had received the most points during all the tests by a wide margin was an understatement. This naturally caught the interest of the important members of Radiant Sun. This interest only intensified as they found out that she was previously someone used by Zabaniya, which placed her in a slightly odd position. The important people were interested, but weren¡¯t really sure if it was appropriate to show that interest due to her past.


    After the recruitment event was over, those accepted would take part in an intensive basic training for a period of six months. During this basic training, the recruits were pushed hard enough that over half of them would drop-out. None of them would be kicked out. They had been legitimately accepted after all, and that acceptance would not be taken away lightly. However, they would be pushed hard enough that over half of the recruits would choose to leave on their own volition.


    The tests that had been done so far had shown those who had the potential to become templar or paladins in the order, while the basic training would weed out those who would not be able to live up to the potential that they had shown. It would make sure that only those that wanted to be here would remain. The basic training was meant to seek out those whose character didn¡¯t suit the order, those that were weak of will, those that were fragile of mind, those that couldn¡¯t follow orders and those that had their nature twisted by being too pampered before joining the order.


    The basic training was also a great equalizer in many ways. Everyone went through it. Everyone who was in the order knew that every brother and sister who stood by them had gone through it. It did not matter if you were the son of a noble or an orphan, you had to go through the basic training. It also ensured a certain basic level of strength in the new recruits.


    The gulf between Dee and the last person accepted was so wide that there was no real comparison. The basic training was filled with physical training, weapons training and stamina drills. Everything was designed to strengthen the recruits¡¯ bodies. Even though ki, mana, holy power and psionic power could turn someone weak into a force to be reckoned with, those energies would do even more for those people who already had strong bodies. Dee wasn¡¯t as strong as she was just because of her race and psionic power; she was that strong also because she was in perfect physical condition. After the basic training the other recruits might not be in perfect condition, but they would be much closer to it, narrowing the gap between people.


    Due to the high drop-out rate the bigwigs of the order didn¡¯t want to stake their claim with the new recruits quite yet, as their reputation would suffer if their chosen recruits quit during the basic training. However, there were certain exceptions to this. During all the years of the order, only twice had a person in the top ten of new recruits quit during the basic training. That made top then recruits a desired commodity as not only were they the most promising recruits, but they were also safe bets as unlikely to ruing their reputation.


    The other nine were quickly claimed by the various groups of the order, although their decisions were heavily influenced by the wishes of the applicants themselves. For instance, the two elven brothers Ascalon and Ilthuryn were both claimed by the chapter in charge of the east side of day city where the empire of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann was located. This would allow the two to stay in the part of the Pantheon where their homes resided. The Lacademonian girl Cynisca was claimed by the chapter in charge of emergency deployments because she wanted to see heavy action and fighting. Shunkaha was pre-assigned to the scouts due to his talents in that area. He also wanted the elite training that the scouts offered. Amusingly the scouts didn¡¯t claim him. They never claimed anyone before the basic training was over. Shunkaha simply expressed the desire to join the scouts and the other chapter masters provisionally approved it. It would be up to the scouts if he really got in. You didn¡¯t choose the scouts, the scouts chose you.


    Dee however presented a problem. Her background was problematic and made even more so by her obvious talent. It seemed highly likely that she had the potential to rise to a prominent position no matter where she was assigned. Could they allow her to get real authority in the order, considering the fact that she used to be a part of an enemy community? On one hand they were all eager to gain a new recruit with such great potential, but on the other hand they were afraid to express willingness to take her in despite the obvious risk.


    The first to express their interest were unsurprisingly the twelfth chapter who were in charge of the shadier side of the order¡¯s operations. She was already trained in assassination, so why not utilize her talents? They didn¡¯t call it assassination of course, just removing potential threats. Besides, the twelfth chapter did plenty of other things even if Dee wanted away from that path. Other kids saved from Zabaniya had ended up with the twelfth chapter, although few in number. The chapters of Night city also expressed careful interest. She already had some experience dealing with the machinations of Night city, and perhaps the worst forms of it. Things ground to a halt when this finally allowed the others to express their interest as well.


    The deadlock was broken when Razark showed up and informed them that the two people in charge of Dee¡¯s training so far, Commander Wolfhart and Captain Sarfina, had arranged for him to take Dee as a personal disciple after the conclusion of both parts of the basic training, the second part being the time where the recruits were actually taught to become templar or paladins. The only people willing to pick a fight with one of the Blades were other Blades and the grandmaster, and Razark was already a special case among the Blades, so his claim went unchallenged. Besides, scouts didn¡¯t do things like this, so it shocked the others quite a bit, although they could understand the interest.


    It did however raise a lot of questions and speculation.


    ----------


    To Dee the first part of basic training was a strange time. The constant physical training was much easier to her than it was to the others. It wasn¡¯t easy to her either, but she was used to that. Long torturous runs in various terrains, midnight treks in the dark woods, obstacle courses run enough times to learn them by heart, unending calisthenics, days without sleep and always being cold, wet, muddy and miserable. The training was six months of constantly being harassed by fully trained and experienced templar and paladins, who sought to find the weak of mind and body and eliminate them from ever becoming members of the order.


    But the training also sought to find those who can lead in an environment of constant stress, chaos, failure and hardship. It was basically a small lifetime of challenges crammed into six grueling months. While Dee did marvelously on the physical part of the training and had the strength of mind and quick thinking to avoid many of the mental challenges, the trainers always found buttons to push with everyone.


    If a recruit had trouble with filth and mud and blood, they would be forced to swim though it during the training. Some recruits had strong instincts of modesty when it came to clothing and showing their skin to the opposite sex, but the training left little room for such notions, as you often had to spend time in barely any clothing that also clung to your body due to sweat and mud. You also had to change clothing quickly, and they weren¡¯t exactly provided with changing rooms in the field. Those people had to learn that when push came to shove, such notions of modesty would only get in the way and in the end no one really cared about how they looked when there were more important things on the line.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Many recruits had trouble due to their pride. They were powerful sons and daughters of powerful people.. That pride was shattered and trodden upon during the basic training. They had to learn to take orders they did not understand and some that even seemed inane. They were ordered to complete tasks that many deemed beneath them, not worth their time. It was forced into their minds that if they couldn¡¯t even do the little things right, then they¡¯d never be trusted to do the big things right either. Their pride mattered little to the order and the pride of their parents even less.


    There was also another sort of pride among the recruits. They were gifted, maybe even geniuses. Otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have been accepted, right? They were so young and already so powerful. Surely they could do anything, right? The recruits were put in groups and forced to complete tasks where they had to work together. Everyone had to exert equal effort, or the task would fail. If someone pushed too hard, and the others couldn¡¯t keep up, the group would fail. If someone slacked, the group would fail.


    Several times a week, the instructors would line up everyone and do an equipment and clothing inspection. It was exceptionally thorough. Your clothing had to be in perfect condition and your equipment kept immaculate. It seemed however, that no matter how much effort you put into making your gear and clothes perfect, it just wasn¡¯t good enough. The instructors would find something wrong. For failing the inspection, you had to run fully clothed and carrying your gear into the nearby lake, then wet from head to toe roll around on the beach until every part of your body was covered with sand. The effect was known as glazing. You stayed in those clothes for the rest of the day cold, wet and sandy. There were many recruits that just couldn¡¯t accept the fact that all their efforts were in vain, that no matter how hard they tried to get their gear perfect, it went unappreciated. How could they, the great geniuses fail like this? Those recruits didn''t make it through the training.


    Those recruits failed to understand the purpose of the drill. You were never going to succeed. You were never going to have the perfect gear. The instructors weren¡¯t going to allow it. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, how well you prepared, sometimes you ended up failing. That was just the way life is sometimes. The point was to get over that fact, and just keep moving on. For some of the geniuses though, they couldn¡¯t deal with that failure.


    Every exercise from obstacle courses to weapons training to stamina drills and the long endless runs had certain standards to meet. A certain distance to travel, a certain time to do it in. If you failed to meet those standards, your name was posted on a list. At the end of the day, those on the list had to join the ¡®circus¡¯ while the others slept. The circus were two hours of additional exercise designed to wear you down and break your spirit and to force you to quit. No one wanted to join the circus. Not only did it mean less sleep, it meant that for that day you didn¡¯t measure up. The circus meant both embarrassment and more fatigue. More fatigue meant the following day you were more miserable and that made you prone to more mistakes and that more circus was likely.


    But at some time during the training, everyone made the circus list. Interesting thing was though, that those that were constantly on the list and didn¡¯t quit were doing extra two hours of work every day, and they got stronger and stronger. The pain of the circus built both inner and outer strength and resiliency, and soon they were no longer appearing on the circus list. This let the people learn from their mistakes and become stronger. A lesson well learned for the future.


    Dee¡¯s troubles were not on the physical side of the training. She also had the mental strength required, the ability to learn from her mistakes, and her pride was based on her own abilities, not some image she had built of herself. While she didn¡¯t understand stupid orders and punishment, she was used to following those orders and a whole lot worse, and at least she wasn¡¯t getting beaten. She also had the brains to avoid obvious pitfalls, and could work with others, although she had trouble relying on them.


    This reluctance was noticed by the trainers, who decided to attack her with the social aspect of training, since they couldn¡¯t really force her to the edge in other ways. While the others often got yelled at, Dee¡¯s performances got complimented. Not without reason to be fair, but it was purposely done in front of the others and rubbed in their faces. The others of course noticed the uneven treatment, and ignored the fact that Dee was in fact working and exercising much harder than everyone else. The others were forced to try and keep up with Dee¡¯s pace, being told that if a girl like her could do it, why couldn¡¯t the others. Planted in their minds was the thought that their suffering was Dee¡¯s fault.


    This of course built resentment in everyone else, and resulted in her being isolated. This further exasperated Dee¡¯s problems with group efforts, and made it impossible for her to rely on her group mates. Those same group mates would happily fail a task if it meant that Dee got put on the circus list as well. To them, it was worth it.


    The plan of the instructors was a good one, except for one problem. Dee was already used to working alone and wasn¡¯t fazed in the least bit by the punishments. What was two extra hours of physical exercise to her? Just another fun little workout. She didn¡¯t need that much sleep anyway, though she did enjoy it. She didn¡¯t feel like a failure either because she knew why she was being punished. In addition, Dee was often able to carry her group to success despite their best efforts against her, unless the exercise was specifically something that required everyone to pace themselves together. This allowed her to simply power through many of the problems. Didn¡¯t make her very popular though.


    Not everyone was taken by the ploy of the instructors. Shunkaha in particular tried to seek her out many times, though she kept rebuffing him. The two elves Ascalon and Ilthuryn mostly just ignored her, while Cynisca was simply too competitive to do anything but her best. Dee also got along with the dwarf recruits thanks to her time with Fimul. She knew what made the dwarves tick, and she had their grudging respect and cooperation when necessary. She wasn¡¯t friends with them exactly, but they didn¡¯t get in her way either.


    ----------


    While Dee entered her basic training, Sarfina started her own project. She had missed Dee and had wanted to spend more time with her ¡®little sister¡¯, but things didn¡¯t quite work out the way she had wanted. She knew Dee would get a vacation after the first part of the basic training was over, so it wasn¡¯t too bad. That said, it was better if she found a way to distract herself.


    An odd opportunity presented itself as an odd wave of deaths happened in the safe zone between the four headquarters. Now death in the area was not unusual as the area was still fairly dangerous despite being called a safe zone, but the numbers were definitely abnormal. In addition, two of the deaths had been one of the chapter masters and his heir. The chapter master had been old and not very well liked, so the order didn¡¯t really grieve his loss or even make a big deal out of it. The body was burned with the normal rituals and that was it. The death had been judged as natural, and the heir¡¯s death had a clear reason and motive. It seemed a little too coincidental though, especially when combined with the other death that had happened that night.


    Sarfina herself didn¡¯t have the authority to really make a full investigation as she wasn¡¯t part of the headquarters, but the real investigators didn¡¯t mind Sarfina taking an interest in things as they really couldn¡¯t have cared less as the other dead people were the scum of the city. They were most likely killed by rival criminals, and the investigators didn¡¯t mind the criminals killing each other as long as there was no collateral damage.


    As Sarfina looked into things though, several oddities jumped at her about the deaths. The people who had died seemed to have very little in common aside from their criminal activities. They were spread around the city, they were from different gangs and groups, they were different ranks both in strength and their authority in their respective organizations and they all died in different ways. They were all real dirtbags but that was just about the only commonality.


    It seemed as if someone had just picked a dozen random criminals to kill, and then sent half a dozen assassins after them. That was the other odd part though. None of the deaths occurred all that close to each other timewise. It was theoretically possible that it was all done by couple of killers running around the city. It was almost impossible to be the work of a single person, considering many of the people died surrounded by their compatriots, so it would take some time to infiltrate their homes or bases.


    It was pretty clear that the killers had been assassins though, as the deaths were all clean, methodical and no alarm was raised due to sounds of struggle or the killers being spotted. In fact, the dead people all seemed to have died with very little struggle. Couple of them had been garroted, and they had kicked around a little, but they had been held in place really well, so the assailant had caught them by surprise and had been significantly stronger than them. It seemed as if they had been stopped from flailing as well somehow. Multiple attackers perhaps? It took more than two hands to garrote someone and also to stop their hands from flailing. But infiltrating with more than one person seemed even less likely.


    And it wasn¡¯t as if the bases and homes of the criminals had been wholly without protective spells. They had either not worked, or they had been disabled somehow. This wasn¡¯t Sarfina¡¯s specialty, but she thought she saw some signs of deactivated defensive spells at one of the locations. Why did all this feel so familiar? She had heard about deaths very similar to these somewhere, but where was it?


    Now that she thought about it, the way these people had died also felt very familiar. Weren¡¯t they the standard killing methods of Zabaniya? Speaking of, didn¡¯t the ghost-like assassin feel a little similar to the now dead assassin that used to be known as Wraith? This needed some more proper looking into¡­

 Chapter 49

    When the thought of Wraith being alive took ahold in Sarfina¡¯s mind, she couldn¡¯t dispel it. She had no real basis for such thoughts, just vague recollections. However, once the thought took root, she couldn¡¯t dispel it. There was just something about the wounds on the bodies and the way the killer had gained access to the so called victims. There was an air of¡­efficiency about it. While the methods were different, they all spoke of a quick kill with minimal suffering and no collateral damage. Having one person die in that way could obviously be a coincidence. This many though? That seemed a little more than just a coincidence.


    It didn¡¯t help that Sarfina was operating with old and vague memories. It had been years since she last sacrificed a single thought on Wraith. The sad truth was that her memories were not clear enough to make any conclusions. So she¡¯d have to refresh her memories. They had notes about Wraith and Zabaniya in the archives. Maybe she¡¯d find some clarity there. Even if it turned out to be nothing, at least she¡¯d be able to dispel this nagging feeling she had.


    Besides, it¡¯s not like she¡¯d be able to do much about the dead people here. Whoever killed them was a professional. It seemed highly unlikely that Sarfina would be able to find out the killer, and this new hunt she was now on was much more interesting anyway. Let the regular investigators do their work. Or not do the work as seemed more likely.


    Sarfina walked through the doors of the archives building in the headquarters. All the chapters and stations of the Radiant Sun sent their information here for safekeeping. Keeping too much possibly useless paperwork at every station and complex would only waste time and space, and would require trained personnel. The archives here though were special. All the information gathered by any paladin or templar of the order was compiled and magically stored here.


    The building had looked like a normal sized library from the outside, but on the inside the space stretched endlessly in all directions. Rows upon rows of bookshelves, binders, boxes with labels, gathered notes and various items and knickknacks could be seen. Several desks had been placed in the space directly in front of the door. While the archives weren¡¯t often used by any single member of the order, it was still the repository of all the order¡¯s knowledge so there would constantly be some people inquiring about one thing or another. Additionally the queries made by those seeking knowledge could take a while to resolve. Hence, multiple desks.


    The people working in the archives were all blessed either by a deity representing knowledge or had another blessing or skill related to information storage, memory or quick recollection. Mazatl had been offered a spot here as well, despite the saurian being a priestess in the Holy Orders, but she had declined preferring to teach others instead.


    Sarfina walked up to an open desk by the side. ¡°Hello, I would like access to some information.¡±


    ¡°Greetings and welcome. And who might I be speaking to?¡± The man behind the desk inquired.


    Sarfina knew the question was not out of impoliteness, but because the archives had sensitive information and access to some of that information was limited. ¡°Captain Faylen Sarfina, 3<sup>rd</sup> chapter of the order.¡± She replied simply.


    The man¡¯s eyes glazed over for a moment. ¡°Captain Sarfina, C-class clearance updated to A-class due to being the sister of the current grandmaster.¡± The man¡¯s eyes came back to focus. ¡°Well then, unless you want access to top secret information, I can help you with anything. What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°I want all the information the order has on a Zabaniya associated assassin nicknamed Wraith.¡± Sarfina inquired. She wasn¡¯t entirely pleased that she once again benefited from her relations with her family, in this case especially so since it was due to her brother, but she decided to ignore it for now. Sometimes expediency trumped principle.


    The man¡¯s eyes glazed over again. ¡°Wraith, Zabaniya. One file labeled top secret. Rest of the information accessible with C-class clearance.¡± The man¡¯s eyes returned back to normal again. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me for a moment.¡±


    The man waved his hand in front of a glowing magical glyph affixed to the table behind him. The glyph glowed for a moment and then three large folders filled to the brim appeared inside the glyph. The man picked up the folders and handed them to Sarfina. ¡°You are free to peruse the files at your leisure in the rooms behind you, but you are not allowed to take them out of the building. You are however allowed to make handwritten notes as much as you desire. The private rooms have writing utensils for your use should you need them.¡±


    Sarfina glanced behind her, and noted that the door she had walked through seemed to be floating in empty air and certainly was not connected to any sort of a wall. In fact the space continued behind the doorway and there were several cubicles made of something resembling glass behind the door. The walls were clear enough to show which of the cubicles were in use, but not clear enough to make out any details.


    ¡°Wait a moment. You said one of the files was labeled top secret? Can you elaborate?¡± Sarfina asked turning back to the man.


    The man¡¯s eyes glazed again, before returning back to normal. ¡°Only that the file contains speculation about potential plans the group known as Zabaniya might have had utilizing the abilities of the being known as Wraith. It also contains speculations about the nature of those abilities.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s not information I need at the moment.¡± Sarfina replied. ¡®Though it is something I¡¯d be curious to read about.¡¯ She also thought to herself.


    Sarfina spent the next several hours poring through the files. It had detailed explanations on the victims assumed to have been killed by the Wraith, with a degree of confidence about that assumption clearly mentioned. Some were known for a fact to have been killed by Wraith, some were pretty safe guesses and some were pure speculation. Some of those guesses came from the information gleaned while interrogating the people captured during the raid that had led to rescuing Dee, as well as the scant notes confiscated during that and many other run-ins with Zabaniya. The assassins didn¡¯t write much down, but it wasn¡¯t completely avoided. The kills of the particular assassin was almost like an advertisement and assurance of success.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    There was plenty of information about how each person had died, the circumstances surrounding the place of death as well as the abilities of the people and their guards. What there was very little information about was Wraith himself. Beyond the methods used to kill his targets, very little was known. A certain level of skill was assumed, but even that was very vague.


    One thing did become clear however. The methods used were extremely varied, but the most commonly used methods of killing, so the ones Wraith favored, were similar to the ones used on the recent victims. Aside from poison that is. Wraith seemed to favor either poison or poisoned weapons, but none of the recent deaths had any element of poison in them.


    ¡°So is it a different person, or is it Wraith just not using poison for some reason? If it is Wraith, then why did he not use poison anymore? Not suitable for the purpose? Maybe he wanted to be more hands-on this time? No longer necessary to use poison?¡± As soon as she voiced the last thought, several threads seemed to start connecting in Sarfina¡¯s mind.


    She grabbed several files from the pile and stared at them. There was one thing in common with these particular kills. They had all been done in public and in crowds. No one had noticed anything in the throng of people until it was much too late. There was another detail in common with all of them. The victims had all died from a fast acting poison. The wounds they had were located rather low on their bodies for some reason. As if the killer had been afraid of lifting his hand too high in case he was noticed.


    ¡°Or as if the killer had been too short to reach that high in a throng of people? Not striking low because they chose to, but because they were unable to strike higher.¡± Sarfina mused.


    She built a timeline out of all the deaths and noticed a common theme. The further back the kills happened, the more likely the victim was to die from poisoning, something falling on them, in their sleep or in a position that already placed them lower to the ground, like kneeling or crouching. The most common was dying in their sleep. The anomalies could be explained by nearby objects, like the killer striking from a low hanging roof, from a low wall or from nearby barrels and other objects. As time passed, it seemed to become more likely for the victims to die from a slashed throat, being garroted or being stabbed in the upper body.


    ¡®The killer might have been a child growing up? As he became older, his reach improved. Some of the cases that are less certain about the killer include the possibility that children were involved. That¡¯s why there are slight differences in the way these new people were killed! The killer has grown up. I need to look into this. Maybe interview some of the communities involved.¡¯ Sarfina thought to herself.


    ----------


    Sarfina was not at all happy about the results she had obtained. She had returned to her home office and conducted several interviews over the last few months. It was rather difficult to get any of the communities involved to come talk about the deaths, even if their trip was compensated for. Part of that was because most of those involved were not very good people and had fairly bad relations with the Radiant Sun. Those that did visit had little useful to say as they had almost no memory of the events. After so many years that was very understandable, but frustrating nonetheless.


    The next person was a servant of the community called Silver Stars. The community had claimed that they had avenged the death by wiping out the community that had hired Zabaniya to do the deed. They didn¡¯t really care what happened to the assassin as he was just a hired hand. They were somewhat helpful though as they at least sent a servant that had been there at the time and had good knowledge of the case.


    She looked up as she heard a knock at the door and called for the person to enter. The person who entered was a middle aged human woman wearing the clothes of a servant, although impeccably clean and pressed. A neat person conscious of her responsibilities. ¡°Welcome, I¡¯m glad you came. I¡¯d wager it¡¯s not pleasant to dreg up such unpleasant memories.¡±


    The woman took the offered seat across from Sarfina. ¡°I¡¯d be lying if I said it was a pleasure to meet you, but it was a long time ago. Time heals. Though I confess that I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m here after all this time.¡±


    ¡°Well, to tell you the truth, it might be nothing at all. Or it might be something important. Were you aware of the suspicion that the one who carried out the hit that led to the death we are here to discuss was an assassin known as Wraith?¡± Sarfina asked.


    ¡°I heard something about that, but I¡¯m not sure how accurate that is. We were never quite certain how Jarik was even poisoned. We were barely even able to tell that it really was poison that killed him. That should¡¯ve been impossible seeing as we had poison detection spells in place and even a poison tester present.¡± The woman explained.


    ¡°Those seem rather steep precautions.¡± Sarfina noted.


    ¡°Well Jarik and the man he was negotiating with were attacked some time before his death. The attacker died before we managed to get any details and we weren¡¯t sure which one was the real target. So we took precautions.¡± The woman slowly explained, trying to recall all the details.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me the whole story.¡± Sarfina requested.


    Over the next hour the woman detailed all she knew about what had led to the situation, the party that preceded Jarik¡¯s death, and what had happened after he was found dead.


    ¡°So you questioned the children as well?¡± Sarfina pressed to make sure.


    ¡°Of course. We didn¡¯t really want to think that one of the orphans had done anything, but we were understandably distressed and angry. I¡¯m afraid we might have been a little too direct and caused some nightmares to the poor kids.¡± The woman was genuinely regretful, although they hadn¡¯t really harmed the kids in any way.


    ¡°You had sent them home though, did you find all of them?¡± Sarfina pressed further. She felt that this might lead to something as this case was one of the oddest in the files.


    ¡°Well¡­I remember one of the kids was never found. Rather regretful. I liked the kid, but she was a bit clumsy. She broke some dishes so we had to send her home early. I seem to recall she was crying so I sent her home with some candy and let her keep the clothes. To tell you the truth, I always was afraid that she had been attacked because she was wearing the servant¡¯s clothes.¡± The woman had wan smile on her face as she recalled the details.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t find it odd that you couldn¡¯t find her?¡± Sarfina asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s rather sad but kids sometimes go missing, and there were a lot of orphans in the area. She also left much before the party even got properly started. She couldn¡¯t have poisoned Jarik. Also, she was a fox-beastman with such a beautiful and smooth white fur. It¡¯s dreadful but in those parts such fur could¡¯ve fetched a decent price.¡± The woman shook her hand regretfully.


    ¡°A fox-beastman with a white fur?¡± Sarfina looked shocked and instinctively looked at an image crystal on a side table. The crystal held an image of Dee.


    The woman followed Sarfina¡¯s look and noticed the crystal as well. She got up to get a better look. ¡°Oh this looks just like her! Where did you find this? She looks a little older, but if they¡¯re not the same person then they must at least be related. She looks rather distinctive don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Uh, we saved her from some very bad people sometime after what happened. I sort of adopted her as my little sister. She¡¯s now training to become a templar.¡± Sarfina spoke numbly, barely avoiding any mention of Zabaniya.


    ¡°How nice! I¡¯m glad if she¡¯s happy. She seemed like such a nice girl. I¡¯ve forgotten her name, I¡¯m afraid to admit.¡± The woman prompted idly.


    ¡°Haydee. Her name¡¯s Haydee, although we just call her Dee.¡± Sarfina replied, still shocked to numbness.


    What were the odds of Dee being at that place by accident on the day a person was supposedly killed by Zabaniya? At that time Dee had clearly also worked for Zabaniya. Those odds were not very high. And two of the prisoners had mentioned that the hit had been done by Wraith. Said it had been talked about especially because the method of killing had been so smart, and the getaway so clean. Not exactly concrete evidence but still¡­


    And Sarfina had already almost convinced herself that Wraith had been a child at the time. What were the odds of this all being a coincidence? Not bloody high! It seemed she and Dee had to have a conversation when the latter came home for a vacation after the first part of the basic training was over.

 Chapter 50

    The first part of basic training coming to a close was mostly a relief to Dee. Now she didn¡¯t have to deal with the mind games of the trainers anymore, because now the focus of the training itself would change. If the first part of basic training was about physical improvement and weeding out unsuitable people, the second part is where the actual training as a holy warrior began. The focus was no longer on making the recruits miserable; instead it was now on actual learning.


    All the remaining recruits had been gathered on a wide paved square with a podium at the front. Dee did a quick count and there was about four and a half hundred recruits still remaining. The commander in charge of their training was getting up on the podium, most likely preparing to give a rousing speech or something. Dee was more interested in what would happen after the speech.


    The commander started his speech. ¡°Congratulations to all of you for making it through the first part of basic training. Those six months are an ordeal that we all have to go through, and they are one of the things that bind us together. They are also one of the things that prove that every paladin and templar you work with in the future is here because they belong here, that they want to be here and that they have the ability to be here. No matter what happens in the future, this is an achievement that no one can take away from you. You can now properly call yourselves members of the Order of the Radiant Sun.¡±


    ¡°That said, you are not full members yet. The next part of training will turn you from the band of ruffians you still are into proper paladins and templar. At the moment, at best you can be called warriors with maybe a slight access to holy power, and the vast majority of you don¡¯t even have that yet. That is something that will change today. What separates us from the other warrior types is our ability to use holy power, and that will be the focus of you training for the foreseeable future. Oh no need to worry, you still get training in the use of weapons, group tactics and most of all physical training, so no need to fret. However, the focus will be in using holy power.¡±


    ¡°To that end, before you leave on your well-earned small vacation, all of you will go through the Ritual of Choosing. Why before the vacation? So that you can make use of the wasted time you call a vacation and get to terms with the basic usage of holy power. Make sure you don¡¯t slack off for the whole two weeks.¡±


    The commander¡¯s speech was only slightly pompous and even elicited a few laughs from the gathered people. He went on for a while longer but Dee tuned him out at that point. What needed to be said had been said. After the speech finished, all the recruits were taken towards the headquarters of the Holy Orders. There was no point for the Radiant Sun to keep temples on their grounds when the headquarters of the Holy Orders was right next to them.


    While the headquarters of the Radiant Sun had a certain military camp feel to it, the headquarters of the Holy Orders were the opposite. The Holy Orders had built separate temples, or outside shrines in case that was their preference, for every known deity in existence. It was geographically the largest of the five headquarters, covering enough ground to match the area used by the other four communities ten times over. That was one of the main reasons the headquarters of the Holy Orders and Radiant Sun had pretty much grown to be attached to each other. The priests were always expanding and building new temples, and the paladins and templar provided the safest and most natural direction to expand.


    It was impossible to tell how many temples and shrines the grounds of the Holy Orders held. Dee slightly doubted if even the priests working here knew exactly. The temples ranged from grand cathedrals and luxurious pagodas, to ominous caves and dark citadels, and from elegant buildings to simple shrines in the midst of nature. Dee noted with interest that one of the shrines seemed to be a large crystalline flower tended by what looked like giant bees wearing basic priestly vestments.


    All of the temples were built to the image and tastes of the deity worshipped and had their own cadre of priests and clerics. The Holy Orders headquarters were perhaps the most varied place in the entirety of Pantheon when it came to the multitude of races present. Many of the deities were only served by a single race or alternatively only approved of their clergy being from a single race. The thousands upon thousands of temples had clergy from hundreds upon hundreds of races. Some of the races Dee didn¡¯t even recognize.


    While the Radiant Sun preferred their members to be blessed by the light gods, trying to confine them to light gods only was both stupid and dangerous. It was necessary to have some of their number serve the dark gods, and a large portion of the members in the order were neutral. As a result, the recruits couldn¡¯t take their ritual in one of the temples of light. There was only one temple in the entire complex that housed both the dark gods and the light gods, and it was the grand temple in the center of the area.


    The grand temple was one of the largest buildings Dee had ever seen, combining both shrines for every deity known as well as the administration and power elite of the Holy Orders. The imposing marble structure stretched for kilomels in every direction like a great dragon sleeping on its hoard. The domes and towers of the temple reached into the clouds, and the gaping maws that were supposed to be doors were flanked by pillars that would take fifty people to surround. The pillars actually looked a bit like teeth of the great beast.


    The grand temple was a beehive of activity as priests, priestesses, clerics, guards, officials and acolytes ran around on various errands, paying no attention to the hundreds of recruits whose presence was dwarfed by everything they were seeing. The commander led them through the doors into the depths of the temple. The walls were all adorned with paintings, frescos and reliefs. The passages were all lined with statues, vases meant for holding sacrificial items and holy objects. Dee also noted an extravagant amount of precious metals and gems, mostly used as ornaments and gilding. Almost every surface that wasn¡¯t covered with a painting or a holy object was covered with a carving depicting the glory of one of the gods.


    The floor was of course some marble-like stone shiny enough to be used as mirror. Dee noted idly that the color of the floor changed depending on which part of the temple they were in. The areas dedicated to the light gods were white, grey for neutral gods and black of course for dark gods. Not very imaginative, but at least functional and beautiful if you were into that sort of thing. At least it made things clear.


    It took them almost an hour but they were finally led into the central chamber under the large dome at the center of the building. The room had a diameter of several kilomels, and the ceiling was almost too high to be seen properly. The only thing that kept the whole thing from collapsing due to its own weight were several powerful spells used during the construction.


    The room was a hubbub of activity. While the recruits were here for their Ritual of Choosing, that wasn¡¯t the only thing happening tonight. The ritual was held on certain days for a reason, and that reason held even more true in the case of the grand temple. This night was the night when the power of the faithful was passed on to the gods, and the gathered power was stupendous inside the grand temple. Dee could feel the walls humming with power. Additionally, the Holy Orders also planned on having their acolytes participate in the Ritual at the same time. The number of acolytes was much higher as the priests had their training focused here, while the Radiant Sun spread their training around much more. Only the best got trained at the headquarters.


    While waiting, Dee noted the various shrines and statues around the room. As with the temple she had visited previously, the size of the statues and the symbols of the deities were directly related to the respective ranks of the deities. The ten largest were bigger than the others by a wide margin, signifying the difference between them and the other deities. Dee recognized three of them and wasn¡¯t surprised by their presence.


    The two largest were again much bigger than the eight others, and Dee was actually surprised to notice the large difference. It was almost as big as the difference between the top ten and those under them. On the other hand, she only sighed in resignation as she noted that the largest of them all depicted a stylized serpent eating its own tail, twisted into the shape of an hourglass. The second largest symbol was that of a dark crow standing on the top of what looked like a tombstone. The crow seemed to have something indistinct in its beak, which Dee sensed was supposed to represent a soul.


    The other eight were similar enough in size that it was hard to rank them properly. The half open eye inside a dark moon that symbolized Umbra seemed to be the third largest, and was bigger than Lumen¡¯s. That was as expected as Umbra represented both dark and chaos while Lumen only represented light. Dee didn¡¯t really recognize the other shrines, though she could make educated guesses based on the symbols. The fifth largest shrine seemed to be that of Order, based on the pure wave of disgust Dee felt as soon as she saw it. Interestingly it seemed that there was an equal amount of light and dark gods among the top ten, with three each. The neutral gods had the most at four, and they also held the top two spots, although it was hard to say whether the crow shrine was supposed to be neutral or dark.


    As the time of the ritual closed, several priestesses approached the recruits. They were all handed a flask of golden liquid Dee was already familiar with. ¡®Hey it¡¯s the psychedelic wine again. I still can¡¯t get over the fact that the supposedly solemn ritual is mostly about boozing up with a drink spiced up with goddess knows what. Also a healthy dollop of holy power.¡¯Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    One of the priestesses spoke. ¡°I am aware that rare few among you are already blessed by a deity. You will still take part in the ritual, mostly because it¡¯s a part of becoming a paladin or a templar. Take it as a chance to have a talk with your deity. Who knows, you might learn something new about your blessing. Or you might have a brand new encounter. That is also a possibility. Or you might die due to the jealousy of your old deity. Life is full of risks.¡± The last part was mostly said in jest¡­right?


    The priestess then explained the whole ritual in tedious detail. This was something the acolytes of Holy Orders would¡¯ve already been taught, but the recruits were here straight off the basic training. The whole spiel was already drilled into Dee¡¯s head by Mazatl well enough that she could conduct the whole thing by herself if she had to. She had already done it once after all.


    They all took their places as the high priest started conducting the ritual. The whole thing was much more dragged out affair when compared to the truncated version Dee had done earlier. It had a lot more pomp and ceremony, which was rather impressive considering Dee had felt that the truncated version she had done years ago was already half nothing but fluff.


    Once again there were offerings and supplication, though a lot more than previously. Once again all the recruits donated a bit of their own blood to the flames as a personal offering. Dee almost slashed her palm again before she remembered that this time there were others donating their blood, so she only needed to give a drop this time. Finally it was once again time to get into the vigil part.


    The recruits were encouraged to find a place they felt comfortable in to perform their vigil, or as Dee thought about it, to booze up. Dee found herself a nice remote alcove by the side of the room, and started her wait. They were instructed to take a shot of the golden liquid once every hour, but Dee decided to double up as she already knew she wouldn¡¯t be affected as much due to her werewolf blood. She didn¡¯t want to waste away the whole night again.


    -----


    Dee was slightly surprised to find herself right by the campfire of the old man this time, with Umbra and Lumen sitting around the fire as well. ¡°No walking in the dreary fog this time?¡± She asked, slightly amused.


    ¡°Not this time. We have other things to worry about.¡± The old man answered calmly, his speech betraying none of the hurry his words implied.


    ¡°Oh? So not just a social visit. That explains their presence. At least partly.¡± Dee waved at the two goddesses. ¡°Which reminds me. Really?! Rank nine priestess? Did you have to?¡±


    Lumen shrugged. ¡°I actually set it at rank seven. Blame the old man this time.¡± The three women looked at the old man.


    ¡°Oops.¡± He said in a deadpan voice, and without a shred of remorse. ¡°Anyway, we have a bit of a situation. While we, and by we I mean mostly Umbra, have been hiding you from the attention of the other gods, it was only a matter of time before someone noticed that all three of us have blessed someone. Also these two nitwits have been spending their time in my domain, which was bound to draw attention. Now you¡¯ve come to the attention of another deity who has also taken an interest.¡±


    Umbra picked up at this point. ¡°If we weren¡¯t keeping you here, you would¡¯ve already ended up on her doorstep instead. That¡¯s how the ritual works. It connects deities that are interested with mortals that have affinity with them. We can delay for a bit, but soon enough she will come here instead.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be a bit problematic for them? I mean isn¡¯t this the old man¡¯s domain? If I¡¯m not totally wrong, he should have the power to keep anyone out, or at least lost forever in the fog. Also why do we want to keep her away from me exactly?¡± Dee asked.


    The old man replied looking more serious. ¡°The others I could keep away, her I can¡¯t. Our domains have a lot in common, and she has the ability to come and go as she pleases. Also, in case you haven¡¯t noticed, these two keep tramping around here as well, which makes it easier for others to come in as well. You really don¡¯t need to understand why.¡±


    ¡®Actually I think I have a hunch.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. It seemed that the old man controlled time as part of his domain, so he could probably make the time within this space move according to his will. However, when there was someone else here, like Dee or the two goddesses, the time flowed the same for both them as well as any intruders. The old man couldn¡¯t have one time for them and one for anyone trying to enter without permission.


    ¡°As to why we would rather not have her here¡­¡± Lumen started to say but hesitated.


    Suddenly a voice came from the fog. ¡°Just say it. Factional politics, jealousy and unwillingness to share. Not very attractive reasons I have to say.¡±


    The female voice coalesced into one spot as the fog parted to show the fully robed figure of something female. ¡°The gods have factions as well, and those factions are in constant conflict. Despite what one might assume, Light and Dark actually get along fairly well. They might be rivals, but they have respect for each other. It would be problematic for them if you ended up helping a faction that is against them, and as it happens, I¡¯m not part of their little faction. I try to avoid the petty factional conflicts, but sometimes I cannot. Lumen especially has been pressured a lot lately.¡±


    Dee just looked a Lumen with a raised eyebrow. Lumen sighed. She had resigned herself into explaining this but had wanted to avoid it because it might make it less likely that Dee would want to help her. ¡°I¡¯m sure my sister rather gleefully pointed out earlier that while she represents both chaos and darkness, I only represent light and not order.¡±


    ¡°I did, didn¡¯t I?¡± Umbra gleefully interrupted from the side.


    Lumen continued, ignoring Umbra. ¡°While chaos and darkness are inextricably linked, light and order are not. While we aim for similar goals of the good of the group and stability, light and order exist on the opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to our methods of getting to those goals. Dark and chaos don¡¯t really care about the methods. That¡¯s the whole point in their philosophy in the first place. That¡¯s why they get along so well. The methods used are much more important for light and order. The differences are many and varied, but suffice it to say that while we as Light want to achieve our ends through softer means, order wants to do it by enforcing its will through strength. We want cooperation, order wants authority.¡±


    Umbra once again interrupted. ¡°She makes it sound nicer than it is. While light can be helpful and soft at good times as it preaches the values of working together for a common goal, it is also na?ve and often unwilling to do what needs to be done. While order can seem tyrannical at worst times, you need power to safeguard that which you wish to protect. At best of times order can be like the protective paladin shielding his companions from pain and suffering. On the other hand, our dear light can at worst times be bigoted, fanatical and obsessed with purity. Do note that the Holy Purge of demons that you escaped is based on the tenets of light, even if it is a warped and extreme interpretation driven by Order.¡±


    Lumen grimaced. ¡°While my annoying sister paints a bleak picture, she isn¡¯t wrong. Anyway, as the angels that so much represent me slide more and more towards the tyrannical and martial side of order, I lose power. I¡¯ve already been challenged many times to probe my strength. Order himself hasn¡¯t yet gathered his courage to challenge me, and he would still lose currently. It is only a matter of times as things stand though. I may even end up losing my dominion eventually. There are other gods of light that would happily take my place in exchange for submitting themselves to order. ¡±


    Things finally clicked in Dee¡¯s mind. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re so eager for me to remake the angels and their society. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so willing to see Paradiso burnt to the ground if that becomes necessary. You no longer have the tools among the angels that you need, so you need to borrow strength from elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, but you¡¯re not far from the truth. I have other reasons as I already told you. And despite what Umbra claims, you are still part angel and as such as much part of my domain as hers.¡± Lumen said a little defensively.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why it would be problematic if you got roped in by others. Dark¡¯s goals still align with hers. Yes I¡¯m aware what she wants from you. The others? They aren¡¯t as well aligned with Light¡¯s interests. As weird as it is, Dark is Light¡¯s best ally at the moment.¡± Death interjected, still calling the other gods by their domains instead of their names.


    ¡°I think I get the jealousy and unwillingness to share part without explaining.¡± Dee mentioned.


    ¡°It might be a little more complex than you think, but I digress. In any case, they have no choice. Neither of us has any choice either. Everyone here knows peace is not in the cards in your future. No matter if you decide to do their bidding or not, the hunger inside you will drive you to battle. Either you go willingly, or you will go berserk. And this will only become more obvious if you do what they ask of you. Wherever you go, whatever you choose, death will follow. Whether we like it or not, you will be my herald. We might as well make it official.¡± Death said, her identity becoming obvious.


    ¡°I would beware though, Death¡¯s blessings are not always positive. I¡¯d argue that there¡¯s a reason so few people are blessed by her. Death truly follows in their footsteps.¡± Umbra pointed out.


    Death scoffed. ¡°You get cause and effect mixed. My blessing isn¡¯t what causes the deaths of people. I simply bless those that are already fated for that path. In any case, unlike the other gods, I don¡¯t play games. I will tell you exactly what you will gain. What you make of it though is up to you. There will be no holy power gained from my blessing. My power simply isn¡¯t conducive to such spells. Though knowing those three, I suspect that¡¯s not a problem for you.


    ¡°My gifts for you are three. First is protection against attacks that carry the power of instant death. An example would be the Doom Eyes ability of Gorgons. Those that want to kill you will have to actually work for it. Do take note that this doesn¡¯t mean just any attack that would kill you instantly. If you pick a fight with a dragon, their breath will still incinerate you just fine. This only applies to the special abilities of certain beings that carry a piece of my power, and as such can bring death to people by attacking their souls directly.¡±


    ¡°Secondly, you can cause your attacks to carry a bit of my power. What that will do to your opponent and how much of my power those attacks carry will depend on your ability to use my blessing. I probably shouldn¡¯t say this, but it also depends on the amount of beings you kill. The more lives you end, the stronger the power of death that clings to you. This of course enhances those attacks that already carry the power of death, such as some of the magic used by priestesses. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve already used one or two such spells, considering the affinity Umbra¡¯s blessing gives you to such things.¡±


    ¡°Thirdly and most importantly, I will improve your ability to feed on the power of those you kill. You are familiar with the power known as Sengir, yes?¡± Death asked and Dee nodded in reply. ¡°With my gift your power of Sengir will grow, as you devour their souls as you kill them.¡±


    Dee frowned. ¡°That sounds a bit harsh. I¡¯m not exactly squeamish about killing, but devouring their souls sounds a bit too much.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry. I should probably have phrased that differently. You will channel their souls. The souls will still get sent to me, but you will steal a portion of the power the owners of those souls possessed. A bigger portion than a normal person with the power of Sengir could. You will save me the trouble of gathering the souls in exchange.¡± Death then gestured towards Dee. ¡°Now go. Your time here is done. I¡¯d advise not advertising my blessing, as it is not very popular among mortals. The old man can hide it along with his own.¡±


    As Dee disappeared, the old man couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s wise? We both know what can happen when someone gets too strong in the power of Sengir. Their power can become unstoppable. She was already slated for something like that and you just made it worse. And the best countermeasure against beings like that are those abilities that cause instant death. And you just protected her against those.¡±


    Death¡¯s smirk was hidden by the hood. Her reply was hidden from the two goddesses nearby. ¡°I¡¯m bored with the tedious balance that has stood for so long in this universe. Games to grab the power that the lesser ones so value. Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t felt the same boredom. We¡¯ve seen it all so many times already. Eons come and go, wars rage on, gods rise and fall. Everything changes yet nothing changes. Time to shake things up. I want to see how far she can go. Maybe she can finally grant us release as well. I¡¯m tired of all this. Even your eternal existence must be starting to chafe after all this time.¡±


    ¡°You know I was the first, and you know I will be the last. You were the second, and you will be the second to last. This is how it is.¡± The old man replied in the same silent communication.


    ¡®Does it have to be like that though? And if it does, could we hurry up the end?¡¯ Death thought to herself.

 Chapter 51

    After the ritual was complete the recruits and acolytes had their blessings evaluated by a high priestess. The process took a while, but Dee was happy that her blessings were evaluated by the same dwarven priestess that had done the evaluation six months ago, just after the first test to get into the training. Dee suspected that this was not by accident, which was later confirmed by the priestess herself. Apparently the Holy Orders took the secrecy of people¡¯s blessings seriously.


    The blessings would be evaluated only when applying for a promotion in rank, and even then the priestess that performed the reading would face serious consequences if the details of the blessings were to leak out. Incidentally, the reading that Dee got was identical to the previous one, which made sense since her abilities on that front had not progressed at all in the last six months. Aside from the new blessing of course, but that was well hidden.


    The recruits were given basic instructions on how to utilize their new power, and some exercises to do while on vacation. The commander in charge of the recruits once again reminded all of them to not slack off during their time off. Considering the fact that these recruits had already proven their motivation, the reminder was slightly redundant, but you couldn¡¯t underestimate the effect of going back to a familiar and safe environment. That tended to turn people lazy.


    Not all recruits returned home of course, some had no homes to return to and some just didn¡¯t want to go for various reasons. The order provided those people a place to stay and plenty of exercise to keep them busy. Unsurprisingly a fair few recruits that had considered staying suddenly found themselves homesick when they heard about the exercise.


    Dee of course went back as well. She was planning on visiting some old friends during these weeks, Fimul and Mazatl chief among them. Most of all she wanted to spend some time with Sarfina. Dee had to admit that she had missed the elven woman during the two years she had spent with the Four Winds alliance, and the short meeting before the last six months of separation had not done much to assuage those feelings.


    She stared at Sarfina¡¯s manor with a warm and nostalgic feeling. She was only sixteen years old, and had spent a large part of those years living in this mansion. It was the closest thing to a home she had. The manor hadn¡¯t changed, though it would¡¯ve been more odd if it had. She did note a couple of new servants working on the gardens. The old servants recognized her though, and didn¡¯t question her walking through the gates and towards the house. Some of them even waved as a greeting.


    The head maid Qinlana met her at the door, having already received the word of Dee¡¯s arrival. Not that hard considering they knew to expect her and Dee had done nothing to hide her presence. The maid made a courteous bow. ¡°Greetings miss Haydee. The master is waiting for you in the garden at the back. There will be refreshments and tea available.¡±


    The words suggested that Dee¡¯s presence was desired promptly, preferably before she found something else to eat or drink. Dee wondered idly if there was some kind of a hurry, but dismissed the thought as she was also eager to see Sarfina. ¡°Lead the way then, please.¡±


    Qinlana took her through the house and towards the back gardens. Sarfina was waiting for her in a beautiful gazeebo in the middle of several flowerbeds. Judging by the steam rising from the cups, the tea had just been served. Dee noted that there was an odd feeling around Sarfina. She was dressed cleanly and practically, as was the older elf¡¯s habit. There was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm though. Dee had expected a warm welcome, but Sarfina was rather serious, although she offered a small smile as she noticed Dee¡¯s approach.


    Qinlana withdrew further away once Dee was seated. There was an extended silence as Dee took a sip of her tea and nibbled on a cookie. It took her some restraint to not gobble them all up as was her usual habit. She was content to wait Sarfina out. This seemed serious, and it seemed the older woman needed some time to gather herself.


    Dee had a sneaking suspicion about the contents of the coming discussion. There were only so many things it could be about. Assuming it wasn¡¯t some entirely new development, in which case guessing was pointless. Either it would be about Sarfina¡¯s family or it would be about Dee¡¯s past. Or someone had died. Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure which of those would be the worst. Probably the last considering they didn¡¯t have that many acquaintances in common. She ran a quick scan of her surroundings, checking if there was anyone close enough to hear their conversation. Qinlana was the closest.


    Finally Sarfina managed to gather her courage. She didn¡¯t start by exchanging pleasantries, as they both knew it would be trite until the main issue was resolved. ¡°Aside from the first time I questioned you when we saved you from Zabaniya, I haven¡¯t asked too many questions about your past, have I? Now I feel compelled to ask a few. Would that be possible?¡±


    ¡®Oh, so it¡¯s this. Well, it was only a matter of time until this surfaced back up.¡¯ Dee considered for a moment. ¡°I do not mind, however, are you sure you want to know? It is one thing to know something on a theoretical level, but it¡¯s completely different to have something you thought you knew confirmed. You know my past was not pretty, but putting names and faces on that past might be too much. Be sure you want to go there before you ask the questions.¡±


    Sarfina gave a heavy sigh. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure. I¡¯ve given this a lot of thought. I wouldn¡¯t be asking otherwise.¡±


    Dee nodded. ¡°I can see that. I just wanted to make sure. Go ahead. I think we¡¯ve known each other long enough that I don¡¯t need to hide anything from my past anymore.¡±


    ¡°Did you kill a man named Jarik Longhorn from a community called Silver Stars?¡± Sarfina asked. This was the most obvious first question, as she already had a pretty good idea.


    ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re going to have to be a bit more specific than that. I¡¯ve tried to forget details like names and communities to the best of my abilities. Psions don¡¯t forget things easily, but it can be done. Details please.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°This happened in the eight circle of the Night city, west section. This would¡¯ve been a really short time before you were rescued, probably even your last hit.¡± Sarfina provided the details.


    ¡°Ah, that one. Death by poison. Bloodpetal and Gillyroot. I covered the target''s fork in Bloodpetal and slipped the Gillyroot into a soup that was served to pretty much everyone. I was told the target liked that particular soup quite a bit. Hmm, I actually feel a bit bad about that one. The head of the servants gave me candy as they sent me away. It was good candy. I hope it wasn¡¯t someone you knew.¡± Dee replied with a sigh. There had been two other targets in that part of the city as well.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Sarfina shook her head. ¡°No, but I did meet the servant you mentioned. She remembered you too. Or at least someone identical to the younger you.¡±


    Dee grimaced. ¡°That explains it. I do look a bit too distinctive for that line of work. One of the reasons I tried so hard to stay out of sight every time. So what brought this about? Are they seeking revenge?¡±


    ¡°No, they still have no idea you killed Jarik. And they won¡¯t find out from me. The reason I ask, is because there¡¯s some mentions about that hit among the few pieces of information we managed to get from the prisoners we got. It was used as an example for other assassins you see. A hit reputedly performed by Wraith.¡± Sarfina explained.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dee said simply. Nothing more needed to be said. She swirled the tea around in her cup.


    ¡°I went back and looked over the transcript of the interrogation I performed you back then. You were quite careful in the way you worded some of your answers. I never did straight up ask you if you were Wraith yourself.¡± Sarfina frowned, remembering all the details.


    ¡°No you didn¡¯t. That would¡¯ve been a hard question to answer.¡± Dee replied with a sinking feeling in her stomach.


    ¡°Are you Wraith?¡± Sarfina asked simply. A tear slowly falling from her eye.


    ¡°I used to be.¡± Dee didn¡¯t even try to hide or avoid the question. Sarfina had earned the answer to that question.


    ¡°So you say, but during the tests to enter the order there were several deaths that remind me of the way you killed people. That¡¯s how I originally started digging.¡± Sarfina pointed out sharply. ¡°Were you behind those as well?¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t say how many people died that night, but I can say that I wasn¡¯t behind all of them. Later on I heard that a chapter master of the order as well as his son had died that night. I didn¡¯t have any hand in those. There¡¯s also a difference between those deaths and what I did as Wraith.¡±


    ¡°Do tell.¡± Sarfina huffed.


    ¡°For years now I¡¯ve gotten physical symptoms reminiscent of someone going through withdrawal if I had not killed anyone in a long time. I suspect that is due to something in my demonic heritage. That said, it wasn¡¯t a problem, as the symptoms were minor, and it isn¡¯t like I never took a life during all this. There are beasts and so on. However, something changed after you found me unconscious at the evacuation site.¡± Dee tried to put her feelings into words.


    ¡°What?¡± Sarfina¡¯s curiosity forced her to ask.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure entirely. Some new power woke in me, but it comes with a price. I can¡¯t explain in detail because I don¡¯t know myself. I¡¯ve only used that power once, that night you spoke about, and the end result were the deaths you speak of. It was pretty much impossible to stop myself, only thing I could do was to direct it against people no one would miss. The reason I used that power was because one of the Zabaniya had snuck into my room. It was¡­something in me just snapped.¡± Dee had not used the power since, and she¡¯d only felt this low level of hunger that she could suppress.


    ¡°The Zabaniya came for you?!¡± Sarfina felt alarmed. No matter what the situation between her and Dee would be after this, she still worried for the girl.


    ¡°Not to get me exactly. It was more of a greeting than anything else. The man did mention something about maybe having me perform some jobs for them. I reacted violently as I already told you.¡± Dee decided to obfuscate things just a little at this point.


    Sarfina suddenly stood up. ¡°I need some time to think.¡± She had hoped she had been wrong. A hope that had been dashed.


    After Sarfina had taken a few steps towards the house, Dee stopped her. ¡°Wait a moment. Before you go, I want you to consider a few things.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Sarfina asked, not turning around.


    ¡°Two things. First of all you most likely feel betrayed, because I didn¡¯t tell you this before. However, put yourself a bit in my position. You wake up surrounded by people who are the enemies of the community you were a part of before you lost consciousness. Would you admit to something like that? Especially seeing how interested you were in Wraith? Also consider that I didn¡¯t even know how much of the Zabaniya¡¯s bonds still held me.¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve told me later.¡± Sarfina replied accusingly.


    ¡°True, I could have. But it¡¯s not exactly something you bring up in a casual conversation. It took me years to trust you enough to even consider something like that. And remember that I¡¯m still kind of forced to become a member of the Radiant Sun. Sure, I chose to be here, but in a way you were still my jailor even if the cage was pleasant and golden and easy to escape. And you know how I am with secrets.¡± Dee pointed out.


    Sarfina hadn¡¯t found out about Dee¡¯s second blessing until the dwarven priestess read her blessings. It was simply in Dee¡¯s nature not to reveal information that didn¡¯t need to be revealed, even to her own detriment. That was partly because the assassin training had driven into her the need for secrecy. Partly it was her nature. She just wasn¡¯t a person that could open up like that.


    ¡°And the other thing?¡± Sarfina asked, her voice breaking.


    ¡°I want you to think about what has actually changed now that you know. You knew I had worked as an assassin and that I had killed people. You knew I was good at it, something that only comes with experience. You might not have wanted to think about the implications, but they were there. What does it change if my nickname was Wraith instead of Furball? All it says is that I was really good at it, good enough to get noticed by the order.¡± Dee once again pointed out the simple logical facts. Sadly emotions don¡¯t follow logical facts.


    Dee watched tearfully as Sarfina walked away. She idly wondered what would change now that things had come to this. She doubted Sarfina would throw her away, but it was unlikely things would be totally the same as before either. ¡°You can come out now Qinlana.¡± Dee called out. She had kept an eye on the surroundings the whole time, and the elven servant wasn¡¯t nearly sneaky enough to hide from Dee¡¯s senses.


    ¡°That was an interesting conversation.¡± The servant said. She had overheard almost everything. As an elf, she didn¡¯t need to get all that close to hear the two speak.


    ¡°Rather poor manners of you to eavesdrop on your master¡¯s conversations.¡± Dee rebuked the servant.


    ¡°Perhaps, I¡¯d argue the information was worth it though.¡± Qinlana replied with a small smile.


    ¡°Is it though? I can only think of three purposes that you would think to be valuable for that information. None of those purposes would work as you hope it would, because you overestimate the value of the information.¡± Dee said.


    Either the maid would hold the information over her, or she would pass the information back to the Arazana family, or she¡¯d pass the information to the Radiant Sun out of spite. The Arazana family might think to use the information to get a hold over Dee, or to get a better grasp on Sarfina if the latter still cared enough about Dee to go to lengths to keep that secret, which seemed likely.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Qinlana asked curious. Dee¡¯s assumption had been right. The maid was planning on passing the information back to the main house.


    ¡°There are three problems with your valuing of that piece of information. Firstly, and most importantly, you assume the order doesn¡¯t already know. Sarfina could follow the clues and figure things out. I love Sarfina like a sister and she has many great qualities, but she isn¡¯t the sharpest sword in the armory. Do you really think the spymasters of the order couldn¡¯t follow the hints if they wanted to?¡± Dee had long ago assumed the order itself knew at least on some level. They just didn¡¯t care. Sarfina was one thing as she had a personal stake in this, but the order had a more objective view. Letting everyone assume Wraith was dead suited them just fine, because¡­


    ¡°Secondly, you assume they¡¯d care. The reason they wanted Wraith gone was twofold. The name had become something of a boogeyman. However, with all the years that have passed, the name has lost most of its meaning, assuming there¡¯s no great comeback. They got the credit for killing the boogeyman, and they¡¯re happy. They also didn¡¯t know how Wraith was getting in and out unseen. They didn¡¯t know if it could be replicated and used to strike at people that mattered. Now they know that it can¡¯t be replicated and that it could be used for that, but now they have a hand on that sword instead of Zabaniya. Why would they throw away a weapon they have at least certain amount of control over?¡± It seemed likely that if the order knew, the information was likely confined to just a couple of people. Spreading the information would not be good for Dee, but hardly a disaster either considering the lack of evidence.


    ¡°Thirdly, and this is something you should pay attention to, even if the order doesn¡¯t know I don¡¯t really care if they find out. For the reasons I already mentioned they wouldn¡¯t really move against me. Oh some individuals might, but not the order as a whole. Besides, do you think I can¡¯t leave whenever I want to? I¡¯ve stayed so far because of Sarfina and because the training they are providing me is useful. If things become too troublesome I can simply disappear. I¡¯m no longer Sarfina¡¯s responsibility, and I can get training elsewhere. I¡¯d miss her, but it¡¯s not like I would be unable to visit once the order was no longer paying complete attention.¡± Dee finished her points with a certain amount of enjoyment at Qinlana¡¯s scrunched up expression.


    ¡°We will see.¡± The elven servants said simply. She¡¯d send word anyway, and let the main house do with the information as they chose.

 Chapter 52

    Qinlana looked at Sarfina from the doorway. Sarfina was sitting on her bed, holding her knees to her chest with her arms. There were tears in her eyes, and her expression was a mask of confusion and mixed emotions. She looked almost like a little girl who had just lost her toy, or a young woman who had been rejected by her first crush.


    Qinlana gave a small sigh. ¡®I guess I really have to do this.¡¯


    She walked into the room properly and spoke with a clear and wry voice. ¡°Well that was a very interesting conversation.¡±


    Sarfina looked up sharply. ¡°You were listening?¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite interesting I must say. Well at least we might now be able to get rid of her.¡± Qinlana said with a callous voice. ¡°Good riddance I say. She was such an eyesore if you ask my opinion. Such a mix-breed living in the house of a member of the Arazana family is a travesty.¡±


    Sarfina reflexively took to defending Dee. ¡°Watch what you say Qinlana. You¡¯re talking about someone who I love like a sister. Certainly more than my actual family.¡±


    Qinlana continued in a similar tone of voice. ¡°But surely you must feel so betrayed. All this time and she kept a secret like that.¡±


    Sarfina scoffed, not quite even realizing the significance of her defending Dee. ¡°We all have our secrets. I certainly haven¡¯t told her everything about my mess of a family either. She certainly had enough reason to hide things.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s a killer. She has killed hundreds of people.¡± Qinlana pointed out.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m a killer as well. I¡¯ve killed more than enough in my life to qualify, and my whole family is filled with killers. I wonder how many thousands of lives my brother dearest has reaped in his rise to fame and power.¡± Sarfina voice had taken a dark tone at this point.


    ¡°Surely you don¡¯t want to see her anymore after this?¡± Qinlana asked incredulously.


    ¡°Of course I want to see her!¡± Sarfina yelled. ¡°She¡¯s important to me! So what if she didn¡¯t tell me before?! She told me honestly when I actually asked! She hid nothing when I actually confronted her.¡± Sarfina¡¯s voice got a little quieter as the situation started dawning on her.


    Qinlana¡¯s voice then changed and became completely serious. ¡°Then what are you doing moping around in here? Are you a templar or a little girl?¡±


    ¡°Qinlana¡­you¡­¡± Sarfina had trouble speaking as a sudden realization hit her.


    ¡°You already knew that she¡¯s important. All you needed was a reminder.¡± Qinlana said softly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Sarfina managed to say, her voice filled with emotion.


    ¡°Well, do remember that gratitude, because there¡¯s another reason I¡¯m here. I have to report what happened here to the main house.¡± Qinlana said with a grimace.


    Sarfina looked at the head maid seriously. ¡°You do know the significance, right? I told you all years ago that you had to make a choice. You chose to remain. This is pretty much the equivalent of becoming an oathbreaker.¡±


    Qinlana shook her head sadly. ¡°I¡¯m aware, but I¡¯m also afraid you misunderstood me. When I said that I have to report this, I mean that literally. I have no choice in this matter. You lived in House Arazana for years. You should be aware that the servants who might gain any access to important information all have to sign binding magical contracts. Did you think the head maid sent to watch over the daughter of the house was any different?¡±


    Sarfina¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re magically bound?¡± The practice was not rare but not exactly common among the elven court either. The contracts placed heavy magical bonds on the subject, something heavy enough to be almost impossible to dispel by outside forces. Otherwise there would be no point. ¡°What is in your contract?¡±


    ¡°Among a few other things, I have to pass on any information that could be important to the House Arazana, as well as do my utmost best to work to the benefit of the Arazana family, unless it places my life or the lives of my loved ones in imminent danger¡± Qinlana replied.


    The only reason the part about danger was included was because no sane servant would sign a magical contract that forced them to sacrifice their lives for the house. They might choose to do so out of loyalty, but being magically compelled to do so was too close to being forced to become slaves or puppets.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you stayed. That was you working to the benefit of the house.¡± Sarfina realized. The contract would compel Qinlana to stay, as that was clearly beneficial to both Sarfina and the main house.


    ¡°Not the only reason, but let¡¯s just say I didn¡¯t really have that much choice in the matter even if I didn¡¯t have other reasons.¡± Qinlana shrugged.


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you think reporting information like this about one of the best assassins around would place your life in danger?¡± Sarfina noticed a possible loophole. ¡°No offense but Dee could tear you to shreds and make it look like an accident.¡±


    Qinlana gave another sigh. ¡°She would not kill me to hide the secret. In fact, I pretty much have her permission to report this to the main house. She doesn¡¯t care.¡± This was one of the reasons Qinlana had shown up in front of Dee and prodded her. If Dee had made a credible threat on her life, she could¡¯ve avoided reporting this to the main house for the time being at least. Alas, Dee had chosen not to go in that direction.


    Truth be told, Qinlana didn¡¯t really have anything against Dee anymore. Having spent years under the same roof had had that effect. She wasn¡¯t exactly fond of her, but she didn¡¯t hold any sort of grudge either. ¡°Just go find her. She flew off in a huff. Go fix things between the two of you.¡± She said to Sarfina instead.


    -----


    Dee was quickly flying out of the city. Her emotions roiled but she lacked a proper outlet for them. Her time with the Zabaniya had thoroughly squashed her ability to express emotions by crying. One or two tears was just about all she could do nowadays. There were rare times of exception, but this wasn¡¯t one of them. Instead she felt like a violent reaction was more appropriate. The best way to vent would be to find some sorry refuse that passed for criminals around these parts, but killing was what had gotten her into trouble in the first place. Trying to vent by killing more seemed inappropriate. Talking things out with a friend didn¡¯t even occur to her.


    As a result, the best thing that came to her mind was trying to push her body to the limits. Flying as fast as possible and as high as possible seemed as good a way as any other. For a rare change Dee was in her angel form as it was simply the best for flying. So far the usefulness of this form had been limited as she could materialize her wings in the other two forms.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    If asked, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell anyone how far and how high she flew. She had crossed to flying above the cloud cover a long time ago, and she couldn¡¯t see the ground beneath. She had picked a random direction and wouldn¡¯t have recognized any landmarks anyway. It must have been hours before she finally felt fatigue gathering in her wings. She didn¡¯t actually use any muscles to fly as her wings were anything but natural, but that didn¡¯t mean the wings themselves didn¡¯t get tired at certain point. This was simply the first time she had flown far enough to notice.


    Slowly she started drifting lower towards the ground. ¡°Feeling any better?¡± Croestia asked.


    ¡°A little.¡± Physical exertion actually had a pretty good effect on her emotions. Not that that they were all that much calmer. She still didn¡¯t quite know what she was even feeling. Just¡­pain. ¡°I still feel like killing something though.¡±


    ¡°To vent, or because of your little problem?¡± Croestia asked.


    Dee was about to reply when she noticed something odd. ¡°This is weird. I don¡¯t feel that compulsion towards taking the lives of others. I mean the feeling is there, but only in the sense that I know it¡¯s there, like I know that you are there. I don¡¯t actually feel the urge. It¡¯s like there¡¯s a wall between me and the feeling.¡±


    They were both quiet for a moment. ¡°You reckon it¡¯s due to your form?¡± Croestia asked.


    ¡°That seems like the most likely explanation. I actually haven¡¯t spent enough time in this form to know how it affects me.¡± Dee replied distractedly. This was a topic for another time. Her whole focus wasn¡¯t in it to speculate accurately.


    ¡°Look below, between the mountains to your left.¡± Croestia suddenly pointed out, a little alarmed.


    Dee looked towards the instructed direction. There she saw a creature she had only read about. It was slightly reminiscent of centaurs. Except the lower body looked closer to a four legged lizard, covered in scales that you could see on dragons, albeit much smaller. The upper body was that of a dragonling, a humanoid shaped creature descended from dragons. The creature was also apparently gathering strength and readying for an attack. An attack aimed towards Dee most likely. The creature was carrying a large maul made of some ferrous metal, with the power of lightning surging around it.


    ¡°A dragotaur?!¡± Dee asked surprised and shocked. She felt relatively safe still considering the distance, but that safety might be an illusion depending on the attack.


    Dragotaurs were powerful and feral creatures that were very territorial. An adult dragotaur was the size of a house and was considered to be an equal opponent to a rank six warrior about to advance to rank seven. The problem with the dragotaurs was that they were immortal, and they kept growing through their whole lives. Growing in size, power and intelligence. A normal dragotaur was much dumber than your average intelligent species and very feral. A millennia old dragotaur could rival dragons in intelligence and cunning. A dragotaur that old might be able to match a dragon in sheer power as well, assuming a young dragon. A benefit of being the size of a small mountain.


    This dragotaur was not much bigger than one that had barely reached adulthood, but its ability to use weapons implied certain amount of intelligence. Intelligence that should¡¯ve indicated to the creature that Dee was too far to hit properly. There was one thing that Dee didn¡¯t take into consideration though. Lighting moves very fast. There¡¯s no need to fear that your target will dodge when the attack arrives almost instantly. As happened in this case as well.


    Dee managed to barely place her lavender wing in front of the attack to block. If her black wing was great for attacking with the razor sharp feathers, the lavender wing was matchless in defense. It had managed to defend Dee against the magical attacks of the powerful lich that otherwise would¡¯ve gutted her, and the wing managed to block this stream of lightning as well. At least to a point. Dee was still zapped when the wing conducted some of the power of the lighting into her body, but it was something that would regenerate quickly. It did make her pissed though.


    ¡°Fine then. I was just looking for something to vent on. I suppose you just volunteered.¡± Dee grumbled, although her sudden grin betrayed her complaint. ¡°Croestia, full speed and defensive buff if you would. I¡¯d rather avoid more of those lightning bolts. Swap to strength when I get closer.¡±


    Dee dove straight for the creature. A nosedive provided so much speed that the dragotaur didn¡¯t manage to chuck another bolt of lightning at Dee, but the power of lighting did gather around the creature surrounding it in a field of power. Dragotaurs were beings of lightning. They liked to climb the highest of mountains to bathe in thunderstorms and throwing great bolts of destruction against each other in a territorial rivalry. Luckily for Dee it hadn¡¯t stormed here in a fair while. That made the dragotaur weaker. It also made the creature cranky.


    Dee had switched shapes in midair into her four legged form that excelled in physical confrontation. Her claws struck home into the scaled hide of the large creature. Her claws rent scales and flesh, though the tough hide and hard scales managed to defend against most of the attack. The creature roared more in annoyance than pain, and swung its large weapon in retaliation. The speed of the weapon was much faster than its large size suggested. Dee barely managed to avoid the wide swing with a flap of her wings. The pressure generated by the swing of the huge weapons tossed Dee around in the air.


    Dee growled at the creature with her fangs bared. She tried to quickly cast a life draining spell while extending her reach with a psionic hand. To her surprise the lighting surrounding the creature struck at the gathering power, causing the spell to dissolve and fizzle out. Unperturbed Dee dove back towards the creature, slashing at its flanks that were open to attack. Once again her strike had barely managed to break the scales protecting the creature.


    ¡°Annoying. That lighting keeps interfering with my psionic power.¡± Dee growled. She had covered her claws in energy to increase the power of her attack, but the energy had dissolved just like her earlier spell had. Higher level creatures had multiple ways to defend themselves. This one was a fairly simple but effective nonetheless.


    Dee dodged another attack from the maul, when suddenly the dragotaur reared on its back legs and clawed at Dee with its front legs. As Dee was in the air and relatively unused to aerial combat, her reactions were not quick enough and the claws of the dragotaur cleaved four rather deep gashes in her back. Dee roared in pain, but luckily the force of the attack threw her away from the following swing of the maul.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m getting mad!¡± Her wounds were rather serious, although they were regenerating. The lighting energy managed to mess even with her regeneration as it was slower than normal. This wasn¡¯t working quite as Dee had planned.


    She shifted her form in the air, back into her normal form and once again slashed against the wounded flank of the creature. This time however, she used the dark saber that carried the power of Umbra. The saber fared a little better, cleaving at the scales and hide beneath, leaving a relatively decent wound into the flesh beneath. However, the wound was far from deadly. The inevitable counter came immediately. The large maul crashed into the shield that Dee managed to raise in defense, bracing the shield with three of her hands.


    Despite that, she was once again tossed away like a wet rag, and she felt at least two of her hands breaking on impact. They too would regenerate in time, but did she have time for that? This was the first time she had faced an enemy that was this much stronger than her physically. Her life so far hadn¡¯t really prepared her for the experience. Most of her enemies had been humanoid before this.


    The dark power of her weapon would kill her opponent eventually. The power of corruption had already entered the beast¡¯s body, but it was dangerous to assume the dragotaur couldn¡¯t use either its ki or the power of lighting to suppress the corruption. Who knew how long that would take? Her previous attacks had barely wounded the creature.


    She shifted back into the kitsune form as she needed the extra speed to dodge the incoming attacks. Clearly blocking them was a bad idea. She dodged another swing of the maul, and hastily avoided a burst of lightning that followed in its wake, and dashed under the creature¡¯s belly. She clawed at the underbelly, hoping the scales there would be softer, no such luck, and used her telekinesis to slash at the enemy with the dark saber. The results were unsatisfactory to say the least.


    For the next two hours the two played a dangerous cat and mouse game. Dee made small wounds on the creature¡¯s body, half hoping to bleed her enemy out or wishing for the corruption to do its job. No such luck so far. She on the other hand managed to avoid most of the counters, but not quite all of them. And every time she was struck, the damage was much worse than what she caused to the dragotaur.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to consider retreat.¡± Croestia suggested. She could feel Dee growing tired, and her dodges were slower than before. Granted the enemy was slowing too, but not as noticeably.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Dee growled, as she dodged another swing. Her pride was once again getting in the way. Or the pride of the dragon inside her to be more precise. How could a proud dragon give up against a runt of a mutation only barely related to the great dragons!? There was a slight red haze of battle setting in her mind.


    ¡°Be reasonable. At least take some distance to regenerate some of the damage you¡¯ve taken.¡± Croestia suggested a compromise.


    Despite the red haze, Dee was smart enough to understand that she couldn¡¯t continue things as they were, and grunted in assent. She shifted back into the angel form for easier flying and took some distance. As a distraction she used her telekinesis to throw one of the psionic daggers at the dragotaur. She didn¡¯t expect much, but maybe the dragotaur would at least flinch.


    Imagine Dee¡¯s surprise as the dagger bored straight into the front leg of the beast and exploded, completely mangling the limb. The other front leg also took some damage, both from the explosion and the shrapnel. The Dragotaur collapsed forwards, suddenly losing the support of those legs.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Dee wondered, with a confused expression.


    Something felt odd. The psionic power within her was flowing much better than she had ever felt. Before it had felt like wrestling a river of power into submission, but now the power moved like an obedient pet.


    ¡°Did its defenses fail?¡± Croestia asked confused, not feeling the change in Dee.


    For an experiment Dee threw another dagger at the torso of the dragotaur, this time without the explosion. The defensive electric field was still there, but the psionic blade sliced through it like it was a sheet of paper. It wasn¡¯t the defenses that had gotten weak, it¡¯s just that they seemed to have little effect. Dee felt the need to finish the fight while her luck lasted, and another blade entered into the forehead of the creature, destroying its brains and killing it instantly. It was almost anticlimactic. After hours of trouble, she had won the fight like this?


    Dee landed next to the large creature and followed her instinct, drawing in a big gulp of breath. Along with just air, a hazy grey form separated from the creature and entered Dee¡¯s mouth. It was like she had drawn in smoke, without the resulting trouble with breathing and coughing. ¡°So this is what it¡¯s like to eat a soul.¡± It also happened to coincide with what Moirai had taught with her about eating the power and essence of her enemies.


    She felt a sudden influx of power, and her wounds started to regenerate rapidly. Although the end of the fight had been anticlimactic this had been one of the hardest battles in her life. She felt like she had to honor her victory somehow. Still in her angel form, Dee looked towards the sky and released a long and powerful howl of a wolf that was bubbling in her chest. As the howl carried on, the howl slowly turned into the roar of a dragon.

 Chapter 53

    Sarfina had asked both Mazatl and Fimul, but neither of them had seen Dee yet and Taeral had returned home years ago. She wasn¡¯t aware of Dee having any other close friends in this part of the Day city, so it seemed unlikely that Dee had gone to a friend after flying off. It seemed unlikely that Sarfina could find her either, unless the girl wanted to be found, so the best bet was to stay home and wait for her to return. Sarfina had a hunch that Dee would return to the pavilion since that¡¯s where she had left from and where they had argued earlier. So that¡¯s where Sarfina decided to wait.


    She waited for hours, occasionally getting refreshments from the maids. She wasn¡¯t sure what she would say once she saw Dee again. What could she say? ¡°Sorry for storming off! I forgive you.¡± Did Dee even feel the need to be forgiven? Did she even do something wrong? Should Sarfina herself be apologizing? For what? Did she overreact? Did she just need time to think?


    As time passed she also recalled the time they had spent together. That time was mostly filled with training, but not just that. There were happy times and sad times. Sarfina smiled as she remembered Dee¡¯s penchant for gluttony. One of the few weaknesses the girl had, if it could even be considered a weakness. The other weaknesses were all mental. In some ways Dee was one of the strongest individuals mentally that Sarfina had known, but in other ways Dee was very much damaged. Damaged mostly due to her time with the assassins, but not just that. Despite her apparent personality, there was a lot of demon in Dee¡¯s character as well.


    Her strengths were of course obvious. Most of them at least. Some of the less obvious strengths included her ability to say a lot while saying very little and her resiliency. In some ways Dee seemed very fragile, but in others she had the resiliency of someone much older than her. Resiliency was built only when facing adversity. The same things that damaged Dee also built her to withstand adversity in the future.


    The suns had already set and the short and fairly bright night was upon them when Dee finally returned. Sarfina stood up as she saw Dee land on the ground close to the gazeebo. ¡®It¡¯s rare to see her in her angel form. I wonder what brought this on?¡¯ Sarfina thought to herself idly. She walked up to Dee and the two stared at each other for a time that seemed long, but couldn¡¯t have been more than a minute or two.


    Sarfina noted that Dee seemed somehow vulnerable. She couldn¡¯t explain her realization, but there it was. Dee was afraid. Afraid of being rejected. Sarfina felt bad that she had allowed the girl to feel that fear. She knew how few people Dee had that could be called close, let alone family, and she had allowed Dee feel fear about losing one of those rare few. She stepped up to Dee and pulled her into a hug. Dee gave a small shocked shiver before reacting. Finally she too put her hands around Sarfina¡¯s shoulders, as the two squeezed each other harder.


    Sarfina too realized how much it would¡¯ve hurt to lose Dee. The two stood like that for a long time, drawing strength and reassurance from the other¡¯s presence. Reassurance that the other wasn¡¯t going away after all and that they wouldn¡¯t be rejected. A casual observer might have found the situation slightly amusing, considering Dee was a full head taller than Sarfina, despite the difference in age and social positions the two occupied in relation to each other.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Sarfina said finally.


    ¡°Yes, Faylen.¡± Dee replied testing the word.


    Something had changed between as a result of the recent emotional turmoil. It seemed an invisible weight had been lifted from their shoulders.


    ----------


    ¡°Hello again Fimul.¡± Dee greeted the dwarven smith as she walked through the doors of the smithy.


    ¡°Little Dee!¡± Fimul and several other dwarven smiths yelled back greetings, as they dropped what they were doing. Their mascot was back. This called for drinking and merrymaking.


    ¡°Little?¡± Dee¡¯s eyebrow shot up as she stared down at the short dwarves. They were quite literally less than half her height. They were bulkier as both males and smiths, but Dee wasn¡¯t exactly scrawny either.


    ¡°Yer gonna be little until you can drink me under the table girl.¡± Fimul groused with a grin.


    ¡°That¡¯s a high standard to set. Drinking a dwarf under the table.¡± Dee was actually considering trying the feat. Her body¡¯s regeneration should be able to handle the nominal poison that was alcohol. She also remembered that the holy drink used in the Ritual of Choosing had little effect on her.


    ¡°Not just any dwarf either. Don¡¯t belittle me. I could out-drink the whole lot of these bastards any day of the week.¡± Fimul replied, eliciting grumbles from the rest of the dwarves.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bet then.¡± Dee shot back. She didn¡¯t actually mind if she lost, and this might be fun.


    ¡°Oooh.¡± Gasps went through the crowd of dwarves, some of them already running to set up tables and shut down their forges.


    ¡°Well well. It seems wherever you were dallying around these years inflated your impression of your own abilities. It seems we will have to disabuse you of that mistaken impression. Yer finally old enough to enjoy the finer things in life, so this should be fun.¡± Fimul¡¯s grin split his whole face. They had been hard at work for weeks, and this would be a nice distraction.


    The dwarves set things out behind the forge, near the place where the weapons were all tested. Copious amounts of alcohol were dug up from goddess knows where and some of the dwarves went to fetch something to snack on. Dwarven smithies might come equipped with booze, but they weren¡¯t dineries. They might bring their own lunch, but that wasn¡¯t suited for snacking while drinking. Besides, the gluttonous bastards had already eaten everything.


    First drinks, starting off light with dwarven ale, were brought out and they all started swapping stories. The first part was for catching up and setting the mood. Dee told the dwarves about her time among the Four Winds and the basic training of the Radiant Sun. The dwarves were very familiar with the basic training, as they spent so much time working for the order and a couple of them had actually gone through the training. They also got a kick out of Dee¡¯s story with the lich and especially the glue she had used to distract the undead monster.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve been keeping up on yer alchemy? Would you mind whipping up some things for us? We¡¯ve been working non-stop for a while now, and we¡¯re running a little low. Your enchantment ink is better than the normal stuff anyway.¡± Fimul asked.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t had much time to practice, but I can still manage that. Is something going on that¡¯s causing so much work?¡± Dee inquired.


    Fimul rubbed his nose with a finger, signaling that this talk would not leave this company. ¡°I think the order is gearing for something big. There¡¯s been a lot of weapon and armor orders and we¡¯re swamped. I hear the other smithies that work with the order are the same. I don¡¯t know when it will happen or what exactly, but something is going on. I think we¡¯re still in the preparation phase, so it might take a year or two, but mark my words. The order is gearing up for war. Seeing as yer now a member, yer probably gonna be in the thick of things I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    Dee took another swig of her ale while thinking. She didn¡¯t have enough information to speculate possible enemies, but it seemed likely that the dwarf was right. She would be involved. It also seemed likely that she would find out more before things came to a head. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± She said finally.


    She didn¡¯t actually mind fighting, in fact it might be to her benefit. She could always slink into the shadows if things got too heated. She had no problem running away. What is honor? Is it tasty? On the other hand she might gain a fair bit of power from a situation like this. She recalled the burst of power she had gotten from defeating the dragotaur. ¡®Which reminds me.¡¯


    ¡°Hey Fimul, do you think you could make something for me?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have the time, but it seems like a fair trade if you do some alchemy for us. What did you have in mind?¡± Fimul replied while finally pulling out some harder liquor.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure actually, I just ran into something that might work as pretty good ingredients.¡± Dee replied and pointed to a wide open place next to the table. The corpse of the dragotaur popped out, slamming into the ground. She had stored the corpse inside Croestia¡¯s storage after the fight.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll be damned. That¡¯s an almost intact dragotaur. An adult one at that. The only part really busted is the head, and we could make fuck all with that anyway. The horns might be useful though. Dragotaurs aren¡¯t quite up to the standards of small dragons as far as materials go, but they¡¯re pretty close. How did you find a treasure like this?¡± Fimul said with a whistle.


    ¡°We had a bit of a tiff with Faylen yesterday. I needed to vent. This guy volunteered.¡± Dee explained shortly.


    ¡°You killed an adult dragotaur? The buggers can give rank seven warriors a run for their money. How much have you grown in these years.¡± Fimul was shocked enough to almost miss the way Dee had changed the way of addressing Sarfina.


    ¡°He certainly put up a fight. So what do you think?¡± Dee prompted again.


    ¡°Well he¡¯s good materials for sure.¡± Fimul thought for a while. ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure if I should. I¡¯ll process the materials for you for sure, but didn¡¯t you get accepted into the scouts? Their gear is quite different from other templar and paladins. It might be better to have them make something for you. Besides, I think I¡¯m the wrong person to make you things now that you¡¯re getting stronger.¡±


    Dee¡¯s expression made the message clear. Translation: Explain. Now.


    ¡°Well it didn¡¯t really matter as much when you were a kid, but I don¡¯t really know how to make things for psions. You are aware that each path of power has their own dedicated equipment after a certain level, right? A mage does very little with a sword optimized to be used with ki. I¡¯m a holy smith that does ok with ki focused equipment. I could make you something that¡¯s good with holy power, but I get the feeling that that¡¯s not what you need at this point in your life. Weapons for psions are a very specialized field, and I¡¯ve got no skill in that area. The scouts specialize in information and they¡¯re an elite unit so they probably have their own suppliers. Even if that¡¯s not the case, they can at least point you in the right direction. I can prep the materials for their use, but¡­¡± Fimul shrugged.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that then. Besides, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not even sure what type of gear I would need in the scouts. Now let¡¯s see about drinking you under the table.¡± Dee grinned.


    -----


    Dee banged her head against the table, which elicited a flash of pain and a grimace on her face. Never underestimate the drinking abilities of dwarves. They had all been so plastered at that point that none of them remembered who the final winner was. This morning they were all losers. Apparently even her regenerative abilities went a little haywire if you overloaded them with enough poison, resulting in the current hangover. She could swear that some of the stuff they drank was actual acid. At least she took solace in the fact that the dwarves were feeling a lot worse. Or would be if it wasn¡¯t for the other problem Dee was facing.


    Mazatl had found her bright and early in the morning as they were supposed to be meeting and spending some time together today, however plans sometimes change. Mazatl had started off by saying: ¡°What¡¯s this I hear about someone supposedly getting a higher priestess rank than me from their deity?¡± As a teacher, the saurian couldn¡¯t ignore the gap in Dee¡¯s knowledge and supposed position. Thus started the remedial lessons of torture. Dee had learned the fact of life almost all students learn at some point during their life, namely that hangovers and lessons don¡¯t go together all that well.


    Dee couldn¡¯t decide if the worst part was the torture or Faylen smirking from the other side of the room. At least the smirk had been wiped off when Mazatl had forcefully drafted Faylen into helping with the lessons. Dee did her best to combine absorbing the information and ignoring Mazatl to the best of her ability. One of the benefits of being a psion was the ability to do things like that.


    In the meantime she considered all the things she had learned from her fight with the dragotaur. Apparently her angel form had some use after all, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. She was happy at the prospect of being able to better utilize her psionic abilities. On the flipside, she was still not too fond of her angel form, mainly because it represented what she considered to be her enemies. While she had made some brand new enemies since then, her dislike of angels had not waned.


    That was one of the main reasons she had underutilized that form so much. She had tested the form when she had gotten it, but the differences had been so small that she had mainly ignored them. The wings she liked, aside from the color of the lavender wing, but she could use those in other forms. The problem was that when she had gotten the form, her ability to utilize psionic power for anything beyond simple tasks was non-existent. Even during the few times she had assumed the angel form later on she had not actively utilized her psionic abilities. There was no way she would¡¯ve noticed the difference without actively using her powers. However, it was her mistake that she had not thoroughly tested the form when she got older and more powerful.


    Just from past experience Dee could extrapolate that the forms would grow even more different in their abilities as time passed. It was interesting to consider how different they would end up being later on. She had done some testing while she was flying back from the fight, and the difference between her ability to handle psionic power in the angel form and the other two forms was quite drastic. In the other forms she had great trouble with control, but in the angel form her power seemed to try to please her like a living being. She had more control, much more, but she didn¡¯t even need it because the power seemed to do what she wanted on its own accord. Her biggest problem had been control, and now the problem seemed to be solved. That left Dee feeling a little weird. She was used to working hard for her gains, even if they came faster for her than many others, and getting a solution like this just handed to her seemed cheap somehow. Luckily she had no compunctions against being cheap or cheating.


    She had also noted that she felt physically weaker in the angel form. Not by a wide margin, but enough to make a difference. Well not by a wide margin compared to her normal form, the four legged kitsune form was much stronger than both of the others by a stupidly wide margin. That¡¯s why she had tried to use that form against the dragotaur. Some beings were still much stronger than her however. Sometimes size did make a difference.


    That said, she would have fared much better against that particular enemy if it didn¡¯t have a way to defend against her psionic abilities. That was another thing. Apparently her psionic power was less prone to outside interference in the angel form. That strongly suggested that if she wanted to really do anything with her psionic powers, she should do it in the angel form. Assuming lacking stealth wasn¡¯t an issue.


    The angel form stood out like a beacon in the dark night. Damn halo was one thing, but apparently her increase in power had other effects as well. Apparently the angel form now seemed to have this inner glow. The exact nature of the glow was dependent on her mood, or at least that¡¯s what Faylen had said when Dee had returned that night. Dee herself couldn¡¯t feel the difference. Just like the halo, Dee could hide the glow for a short time but it would be problematic to try and hide them for too long.


    Also the damn form was all curvy and apparently very eye-catching. Dee had left the mansion yesterday to meet the dwarves in her angel form to get used to it, but all the stares she had gotten had quickly convinced her to switch. Apparently whatever caught everyone¡¯s eye in the angel form overrode her natural ability to make people ignore her. Also the curves got in the way. Very inconvenient. So no stealthing around or acrobatics in that form.


    Dee was brought out of her thoughts by a snapping impact next to her head on the table. Apparently Mazatl had struck the table with something that looked like a ruler. ¡®Where did she get that? She didn¡¯t have it before.¡¯ Dee wondered idly.


    ¡°Are you paying attention? This is important you know.¡± Mazatl demanded, sounding impatient.


    ¡°Yes I am, though all these rituals seem very servile to me.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be. Priestesses are the servants of the deities. We are their hands and representatives in the mortal world. Of course, certain deities demand more servility from their servants than others.¡± Mazatl explained as if stating something obvious, which it kind of was.


    ¡°My deities don¡¯t seem too bothered. Besides, what¡¯s this about singing and dancing? Why would that get us anywhere with the gods?¡± Dee asked honestly confused. She had quite little experience with ceremonies.


    ¡°That¡¯s it. It¡¯s time you learned to perform some actual ceremonies. You might be a brutish templar in the making, but no student of mine will be this ignorant! For the rest of your vacation we will be practicing various rituals and ceremonies, and you will take part in those that include song and dance. Am I clear?¡± Mazatl¡¯s voice brook no resistance.


    Dee had a bad hunch but knew better than to argue. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡±

 Chapter 54

    Everyone gathered were staring at the front with complex expression their faces. Some of the acolytes of the local temple looked more confused, while Faylen was doing her best not to laugh. Mazatl¡¯s face was twitching and showing goddess only knows what feeling. ¡°Alright acolytes, here we have a perfect representation of why just going through the motions doesn¡¯t work.¡± Mazatl somehow managed to turn the disaster into a lesson.


    ¡°That bad huh.¡± Dee mumbled. She had been shown an example of how to do this particular ritual dance. She had thought that she had copied the movements pretty well.


    ¡®Worse. They¡¯re being nice.¡¯ Croestia replied silently.


    ¡°Dee, you copied the movements perfectly. Even the bend of your fingers was exactly the same as what Priestess Shala showed us. However, that was it. There wasn¡¯t a shred of emotion in your movements. They were technically perfect, although you did also copy the few mistakes Shala made, but without emotion the movements seem hollow.¡± Mazatl explained further.


    She turned to the acolytes who had been gathered for the same lesson. ¡°You should all take note. The technical execution of the ritual is less important than putting your heart into it. This isn¡¯t some kind of dance competition. Now, if you are doing a high ranked ritual, then the technical side starts to matter more, but at your current level it¡¯s more important to get the movements close enough and put your heart and soul into it. With experience, you¡¯ll also get the technical aspect right, but even then your emotions matter just as much.¡±


    Mazatl turned back to Dee. ¡°Now try again, but this time pay less attention to the movements, and instead try to show some emotion with your movements. Put something of yourself into the ritual that you want to show to your deity.¡±


    Dee though for a while. In the end, all she had to draw on was her own life and what had happened to her. Her movements started sharp and angry, depicting the flames of war, suffering and persecution. The sharp moves gave way to slow and languid movements with some playfulness, depicting peace and curiosity. The curiosity and peace were cut short by tortured movements depicting pain and darkness. This pain and darkness lasted for a while before once again giving way to hope and the possibility of a new life.


    Mazatl didn¡¯t have much trouble figuring out what the different movements represented, as she was familiar with Dee¡¯s life with the assassins. She didn¡¯t have a clear picture about what had come before that dark time, but she could make an educated guess. Many demons had felt the fires of the War in Heaven and the Holy Purge. Although Dee¡¯s depiction of the feelings associated with that where somewhat na?ve and simplistic, it was still a fair depiction of what sometimes happened after a war was lost.


    What Mazatl didn¡¯t notice, due to Dee hiding it from the people watching, was Dee¡¯s final pose giving the middle finger towards the statue of Lumen inside the temple they were in.


    -----


    Umbra couldn¡¯t stop laughing. Dee¡¯s two ritual dances had been a sight to behold. The last gesture towards Lumen¡¯s statue was just the cherry on top of the cake.


    ¡°Oh shut it. I doubt she would be much nicer if she dedicated her ritual to you.¡± Lumen rebuked, while also trying to hide her grin. ¡°That said, displays of emotion really aren¡¯t her thing, are they?¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s still young. She really hasn¡¯t gone through enough to really have weight behind her emotions. Even the darkest moments of her life pale in comparison to some other people. She hasn¡¯t felt true love, suffered true loss or faced the true horrors of war and betrayal. She has the beginnings of a family, but no real family. Most of her life since the assassins has been fairly low-key. There were some ups and downs, but on the grand scale of things? Not so much.¡± Umbra waved her hand in dismissal.


    ¡°All of that and more is still in her future.¡± The old man said calmly.


    ¡°Her dancing still beats her singing.¡± Lumen pointed out in a burst of laughter.


    Dee could howl at the moon with the best of them, but singing songs of praise? Not her forte.


    ¡°The irony is that she¡¯d do well with singing if she did it in her angel form. Their vocal chords are practically designed for singing. Even their normal speech has a half singing melodic tone to it.¡± Umbra once again pointed out.


    None of the three paid much attention to Death who in turn wasn¡¯t taking part in the frivolities. She was looking at something else entirely. It wasn¡¯t until she found what she was looking for and smiled a victorious smile that the old man finally paid attention. Death¡¯s face was covered by the hood of her cloak, but the old man was attuned to her moods, having spent so much time together.


    ¡°What¡¯s got you so happy Death?¡± The old man asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s open.¡± Death replied simply, not at all minding that she had been found out. It was too late for the others to do anything now.


    ¡°What is open?¡± Lumen asked, suddenly becoming aware that Death seemed to be happy about something.


    Death pointed a finger at the image of Dee. ¡°Her Domain. It¡¯s already open, and she has started laying the foundation.¡±


    The three others became alert right away. ¡°How? She isn¡¯t immortal yet. Not even close. She should not be able to open her Domain yet.¡± Umbra pointed out, trying to convince herself.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Funny thing that. Just because you don¡¯t know how to use your power doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t have the power. She might not have enough skill to use her power near the level of an immortal, but the three of you made damn sure she had enough power to technically qualify as one. All that holy power laying there unused. All she needed was a little push. I¡¯ll have to thank that poor little dragotaur for donating its soul for a greater purpose.¡± Death¡¯s voice was definitely gloating.


    ¡°What foundation?¡± The old man noticed something the other two didn¡¯t pay attention to earlier. ¡°What is she building?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for me to know and for you to find out. We all knew she wasn¡¯t going to have a simple totem, or a simple soul space. For the rest, you¡¯ll just have to wait and see. It¡¯s too late to change anything now anyway. Once she has started to lay the foundation, it cannot be changed anymore.¡±


    The three others knew Death was right. They all had plans about what would happen when Dee reached the rank of an immortal, but it seems Death had jumped ahead of them. Even with her Domain opening Dee wasn¡¯t actually an immortal, but there would be consequences. Some positive, some less than positive.


    -----


    With their dismal ritual lessons over, and Mazatl officially giving up on Dee¡¯s singing and dancing for now, they finally had time for something else. There had been a question bothering Dee for a while now, and Mazatl seemed like the right person to ask. The saurian had been her teacher so far, so might as well continue with that trend.


    ¡°Mazatl, there¡¯s a question I want to ask.¡± Dee started the ball rolling.


    ¡°Hmm? Ask away. It¡¯s my duty to teach.¡± Mazatl prompted, now curious. Topics that Dee brought by herself had usually been interesting.


    ¡°Well, you taught me about the various ranks that people could have. We sort of glossed over what happens when a person reaches the tenth rank. I know I¡¯m only a class six psion and the priest rank my deities gave me is almost a joke, but it did raise some questions. You told me there¡¯s a difference between the ranks before rank ten and the ones after, but you didn¡¯t really explain all that well what the difference is.¡± Dee explained her problem.


    ¡°Ah right, I guess this is something you should know. Seeing as your deities also ranked you above me.¡± Mazatl slightly grumbled to herself. ¡°Do note that much of this information is anecdotal and speculative, as the immortals rarely like to share information about their powers, and only the higher ranked communities have immortals in their ranks. Even if a lower ranked community does develop an immortal, they usually get recruited to the high ranked communities to keep the balance. The immortals are the true war assets of the truly high ranked communities after all.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, immortals. The ranks below ten are largely denoted by their respective level of power. To gain a higher rank you generally need to just increase your level of power and learn more spells and techniques. The tenth rank is different however. I mean yes, the ranks above ten still denote power, and a rank eleven individual is still stronger than a rank nine, but it¡¯s a bit more complicated than that. There¡¯s a very specific thing you must do to qualify as an immortal, as the name implies. It is theoretically possible to have a rank nine person to be stronger than a rank ten person if you measure their combat ability only and the rank nine person has not qualified as an immortal yet.¡± Mazatl was now in full lecture mode.


    ¡°The thing separating the immortals from others is opening what we call their soul space. Later on within their soul space also resides what we call their totem. We¡¯ll get to totems in a minute, but let¡¯s just focus on the soul space first. One of the main things about soul space and the totem is that they grant their owner great amounts of vitality. This vitality can manifest in many ways, but suffice it to say that those with soul spaces are much harder to kill than those without. Hence those with the rank being named immortal. ¡°


    ¡°The soul space alone grants the owner immunity against ravages of times. Usually it also grants immunity against non-magical diseases and poisons but that one depends a bit. A wound that would kill a mortal almost instantly could be nothing but a scratch to an immortal, but that again somewhat depends on the person. I mean you already possess great regenerative abilities, and a wound that would be lethal to me would be just an annoyance to you. That carries over, so the exact details are a little fluid. I¡¯ve heard about immortals that have come back from having their entire bodies destroyed, but that¡¯s fairly rare and mostly only applies to someone who has also finished their totem.¡±


    ¡°That brings us to totems. Totems embody the source of an immortal¡¯s power. They are the embodiment of what gives them their strength. A totem can be basically anything, but it always depicts what gives them strength. A lighting focused mage might have a bolt of lightning as their totem, but another lightning focused mage might have a dragon made entirely of lightning. Totems are not created equal. I seem to recall I told you before that immortals differ from others in that their focus and training is focused on one thing only. That¡¯s due to their totem.¡±


    ¡°The aforementioned lightning mage would focus on the use of lightning because their totem gives them power over that element. The destruction they can cause with that elements will go above and beyond anything they were capable before. A healing focused priest might have a holy spring as a totem and might find out that healing doesn¡¯t tire them at all, and they can perform miraculous feats of healing due to their totem with no limits on their holy power usage. The specifics depend on their exact totem and how they utilize it.¡± Mazatl finally finished, giving Dee the change to ask the inevitable questions.


    ¡°Are the immortals forced to focus on just one thing? Seems rather restrictive to me. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to not have a totem at all then? That way they¡¯d retain their other abilities.¡± Dee asked the first thing that came to her mind.


    ¡°Ah, you misunderstood. The immortals don¡¯t lose access to any of their other abilities; in fact those abilities grow in power normally. Your power doesn¡¯t stop growing just because you¡¯re an immortal. It¡¯s just that the totems give them such an absolute advantage in that one field that the immortals focus on the power gained from that totem. The priest with a healing totem can use other holy spells just fine, and should use them if the situation calls for it, but only when necessary. I¡¯ve heard of warriors capable of ripping a planet in two when they reach rank thirteen, because they can utilize their totem to accomplish such feats. They couldn¡¯t do that without their totem.¡± Mazatl explained.


    ¡°Is there no way to have more than one totem?¡± Dee asked the obvious follow up question.


    ¡°Yes and no. No you can¡¯t have more than one totem, but there¡¯s something else. Some beings are simply so powerful that a normal soul space and totem aren¡¯t enough. This is where things get really theoretical. There are certain special people whose soul space is called a Domain instead. Their soul spaces are much more powerful, and they can exert the power of that Domain in the real world and not just on their bodies. What that results in, depends on the individual in question. I haven¡¯t actually met any people with Domains so I can¡¯t speak to specifics. Anyway, the people with a Domain don¡¯t create a totem exactly. They do build something similar, but as far as I know the end result depends on their personality and destiny.¡± Mazatl was quiet for a moment before continuing.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of a great emperor who had created a golden crown within his domain and not only did it improve most of his abilities, though not quite as much as a totem would improve one ability, but his commanding presence was also greatly enhanced. Others found it nigh on impossible to avoid following all his commands. Incidentally that person is still alive, and as far as I know he is ruling one of the single digit communities within the first circle of Day city. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t explain more, but this is simply information that I don¡¯t have access to. People with Domains are simple not seen outside the second circle.¡± Mazatl apologized for her lack of knowledge. Something that rarely happened.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll find out more later on if it¡¯s necessary.¡± Dee said simply. ¡°So are there any more uses for the soul space than holding the totem and providing vitality?¡±


    ¡°Ah right. You can store some items that are important enough for you. A warrior can keep his weapon there. A mage can hold a spell book. That sort of thing. The items inside the space can never be stolen, and can usually recover even when destroyed. Really though the main point of the soul space is the vitality. The larger the space is the more powerful. Usually that also holds for the totem, but that might not be necessarily true. Usually the soul space also gives an insight to your personality, but at that point your self-awareness should be enough already. Someone else might find it interesting however, if you were dumb enough to allow someone to see within your soul space.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Thanks for the lesson Mazatl. And sorry for my singing.¡± Dee apologized genuinely sorry. Mazatl had been so enthused about the whole thing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me please.¡± Mazatl shuddered.


    ¡°You¡¯re still coming to the party tomorrow, right?¡± Dee made sure to ask. They were throwing another party to send off Dee, as she was returning to the second part of basic training the day after.


    ¡°Of course. Wouldn¡¯t miss it for anything.¡± Mazatl replied.

 Chapter 55

    Dee had to hand it to the trainers at the Radiant Sun headquarters. While the things they taught were almost exactly the same as Faylen had taught her before, the trainers here managed to still make things interesting. While she had the ability to use all the holy spells taught here, the trainers showed little tricks that improved her mastery over the spells. They had a much more solid grasp on the theory behind the spells than Faylen, or at least they were better at explaining that theory. It was quite possible that Faylen simply didn¡¯t excel as a teacher. The trainers here also showed several new and inventive ways to use those spells, some of which even Dee hadn¡¯t thought about, and she was the blasphemer using purification spells to clean herself and her clothes.


    Holy magic wasn¡¯t the only thing taught of course. They attended lessons on strategy, practiced group tactics, learned general information useful for a paladin or a templar and sat through several boring lectures on history of tradition of the order. Strategy and group tactics especially were interesting for Dee. Faylen had taught her some of these things, but it was hard to practice group tactics without a group.


    The recruits were shuffled into different groups every week and they then had to perform several tasks and exercises with the assigned group. The constant rotation of members helped you find your strengths and allowed you to find your most comfortable position and role in a group. It also helped you get along with people and taught you to quickly and efficiently summarize your strengths and preferences to new people. Once the recruits found their favored positions, the trainers became more efficient at making sure the groups were relatively balanced.


    In the beginning Dee had tried to continue the habit of carrying her groups by herself. A habit she had picked up in basic training due to necessity. However, it quickly became obvious that it was no longer feasible. Not because she wasn¡¯t strong enough, in fact in the combat exercises her groups were always victorious. The problem was that in other non-combat related exercises every member of the group had to carry their own weight. Dee¡¯s scores were dependent on the performance of her group mates as well, because although she could cover for the weaknesses of her compatriots, she couldn¡¯t be in several places at once.


    This forced Dee to also find her niche, where she could best serve to help her group. Unsurprisingly she best served the group when gathering information and when performing quick strikes and infiltration. For example, when a certain person in a group of hostiles had to be taken alive, Dee could locate and strike straight for that person while the rest of her group distracted the other hostiles. Another example was her ability to map any dangers lurking around them ahead of time, so that her group could focus on the task at hand instead of worrying about distractions. This all only enhanced the impression that she would fit in well with the scouts, as the scouts of the order didn¡¯t necessarily just mean scouts of an army, but also the information gathering specialists in a group of templar and paladins.


    Now that the trainers were no longer trying to drive a wedge between the students, unlike in the first part of basic training, the other recruits were able to properly notice the benefits of having someone with Dee¡¯s skills in their group. As the old saying goes, information was power and Dee¡¯s groups always had the advantage in information. As such, she became rather popular when the recruits had the chance to pick their own groups.


    Shunkaha especially sought her out rather persistently. It was somewhat overkill to have two information specialists in the same group, but Shunkaha was also a very competent and charismatic group leader and his expertise wasn¡¯t just in scouting. It was also a fact that even though their skills somewhat overlapped, having Dee in the same group as him also denied her skills to the other groups that were often competing with them. For three weeks the two were also joined by Cynisca, the Lacademonian girl, and the trio crushed through all the exercises and other groups with such efficiency that the trainers had to separate the trio and make a rule stating that they were banned from grouping together during training.


    Cynisca and Dee had become something like friendly rivals. At first the Lacademonian girl had been salty about her loss during the tests and Dee¡¯s superiority during training, but she also noted that she could learn from Dee when they were in close proximity. Her competitive nature won out against her saltiness, and the two could be seen sparring fairly often. Dee could hone her skills with a live opponent that could at least somewhat keep up with her, and Cynisca learned from every defeat striving to improve with a rival like Dee driving her. It also helped that they were both rather sturdy, so they didn¡¯t have to pull their punches as much as they would¡¯ve had to against others. Even though Shunkaha was faster and stronger than Cynisca, the girl had more martial skill and could take more of a punch than the speed focused wolfman.


    Interestingly the two elves Ascalon and Ilthuryn were nowhere to be seen during the training. The rumor had it that there was some trouble in the empire of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann, and the two were being especially trained by Grandmaster Sendar, who in addition to being Faylen¡¯s brother also hailed from the same empire. The rumors didn¡¯t specify what the trouble was, although dynastic struggles were the most prominent theory, and it was unclear why the two elves received special treatment. Combined with what Dee had heard from Fimul about future trouble, she could speculate that the trouble in the empire ran deep and might spill over. Otherwise it was possible that the grandmaster might be planning to use the order to take sides in whatever mess the elven and Sidhe courts were embroiled in.


    Perhaps due to the impending trouble, or because it truly was a normal part of the training, the most important and useful part of the training for Dee was the one preparing the recruits for battles between armies.  Dee had some experience with small group engagements, but majority of her earlier training and lessons were dedicated to solo fights. Thus she had a lot to learn about battles between armies.


    ¡°The first thing you have to learn is the difference between an army and a rabble that works towards a similar goal.¡± The instructor lectured to the recruits arrayed in front of him. The recruits were in a formation and at parade rest.


    ¡°A rabble is a group of trained or untrained fighters that challenge their enemies together. Even if they work in a formation and even use group tactics, they can¡¯t be called a proper army. If the lot of you were to take part in a battle, you would be nothing but a rabble. That¡¯s not because your individual skills are lacking, although for the most of you they are, but because you haven¡¯t trained to work as a unit. A rabble is a group of individuals fighting together.¡± The instructor hollered at them.


    ¡°An army is a single unit working in unison. A decent army will move as if controlled by a single mind. That takes discipline, trust, training and experience. You can focus on what is in front of you, because you can rely on those around you to watch your back, and you can rely on your commander to do the thinking for you and simply follow their commands. Well that sounds difficult you might say. If that¡¯s a decent army, then what does it take to be a really good and even excellent army, you might ask.¡± The instructor surveyed their expressions, and was gratified to notice that many had thought of the question, but none of them was stupid to nod along or any other such action that showed lack of discipline.


    ¡°Well I¡¯ll tell you. The smarter among you might have noticed but you¡¯re all holy warriors. In small group and individual fights you use a lot of holy spells. It also stands to reason that warriors that use ki and mages that use mana also have their own tricks. But in a tightly packed army formation, using such spells can be troublesome aside from simple buffing and defensive spells. You don¡¯t want to impede your allies that stand beside you. In such close proximity, your powers might interfere with each other, and the results can be devastating. That¡¯s even assuming you can see the enemy from behind your allies.¡± The instructor paced in front of the recruits while his explanation continued.


    ¡°A decent army will have soldiers that use their powers willy-nilly and try to just throw their spells at the enemy in hopes of doing more damage to them than they do to you. A really good army is one that combines the powers of each soldier and uses them together. For mages this means gathering several mages together to combine their magic for one or two really big spells. As holy warriors, we of course have our own methods of combining our powers.¡± He stopped and looked over the recruits.


    ¡°The method we use is called Aegis. The Aegis can have various effects depending on who cast it and controls the spell, but it has a few things in common between all of us.¡± The instructor gestured towards a large group of older paladins standing behind him.


    Dee had wondered why the older paladins were present. In total there were fifty of them, standing in a loose group ahead of the recruits and behind the instructor. Dee could now feel large amounts of holy power flowing from the paladins towards the instructor. This was new to Dee. She had heard something about people combining their powers, but she had very little experience with it herself.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    A golden field spread out above the paladins and the instructor, covering them from above and the sides. The field wasn¡¯t bright and was completely see-through, but it had a very solid feeling to it. ¡°This is the very basic form of Aegis.¡± The instructor explained. ¡°As I am only demonstrating it, it only has the very basic functions that are shared between all of us. It will protect those under it from any hostile projectile magic, arrows and ki attacks. In addition it increases the morale of everyone under the effect and infuses us with a sense of unity. As I am a paladin and we excel at defense, the Aegis I create will be able to take a lot of punishment from hostile attacks, even from combined spells of mages that I mentioned before.¡±


    Dee used her special sight to read the spell and recognized the correctness of the instructor¡¯s words. She also noted that the spell was sloppily made and had about a million ways for improvement. Maybe that was what the instructor meant with the spell reflecting the creator and controller? Each person made their own improvements, thus creating their own personal Aegis spell.


    ¡°By our very nature and training, the Aegis made by paladins is more protective and supportive. It strengthens us, improves the defense of each individual affected, as well as healing us and so on. Templars often have their Aegis with a more offensive tilt. They might weaken the enemies that fall under the effect, clad their weapons in holy flames, burn at undead enemies and so on. The more power provided and the more skilled the caster, the stronger and more varied the effects. Something else worthy of note. Those that serve light gods usually have very different Aegis from those that serve the dark gods. Those that serve the dark gods might have their Aegis even drain the lives of all the enemies that fall under the effect and other similar effects.¡± The instructor explained with a serious face.


    The next two weeks were spent so that all the recruits learned to channel their power to the one controlling the Aegis. Dee found the process rather easy, mostly because she had enough holy power to throw around, whereas some of the others didn¡¯t have much holy power yet and the Aegis was the most holy power demanding spell they had been taught. You could theoretically pump almost infinite amounts of holy power into the spell. It was one of the few spells where the amount of holy power at your disposal was more important than your skill at using said power. At least for those simply lending their power. The skill part became much more important for the one controlling the Aegis.


    Once they all had gotten the hang of the skill of sharing their power, they were taught another important lesson. That lesson was about the downside of the Aegis and other combined spells. They all channeled their power into the spell, while suddenly the protective field was bombarded by a group of templar, who combined their strength into focused attacks. The attacks drained at their holy power reserves, and the recruits started collapsing in groups after each attack. The weakest fainted first and the stronger ones collapsed into quivering heaps slightly later. The Aegis drained at their power heavily, and the individuals could not pull their power out once the spell was formed. Once they ran out of power, the exhausted recruits collapsed as their connection to the barrier severed forcefully.


    That¡¯s when they ran into an unexpected problem that surprised even the instructors. Dee was just observing her sea of holy power, monitoring the drain with each attack. She noted that each attack drained a fair chunk of power, but not enough to really make a dent in her reserves. She had an entire ocean of power to draw upon after all. Usually that extra power was scant use, but apparently it was useful in this context. In her distraction she kind of missed all the other recruits collapsing around her.


    Once she noticed something wrong, she was the only recruit left standing. This was supposed to be a lesson about the dangers of the spell to the recruits, and they were meant to all faint. Only thing was, the group of templar attacking them was running out of power. Another problem was that Dee wasn¡¯t the one who had created the Aegis, in fact none of the recruits had cast the spell even once. The controller of the spell had been a paladin that had completed his training a couple of years prior. He had fainted a few attacks earlier. Dee¡¯s power was still maintaining the spell, but she had no control over it and couldn¡¯t withdraw her power from the spell either.


    ¡°Recruit Haydee, are you alright?¡± The instructor leading the lesson asked with a queer expression.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine sir. Well, except that I can¡¯t pull my power away from the spell, but aside from that¡­¡± Dee replied. She felt like shrugging, but such expressions of emotion were out of place during the lessons.


    ¡°Do you still have enough power to maintain the spell by yourself?¡± The instructor asked, the answer obvious. She had been the only person awake for the last three attacks, and the Aegis showed no signs of wavering.


    ¡°More than enough sir.¡± Dee replied, noticing that apparently this was not how the exercise was supposed to have gone.


    The instructor grumbled to himself for a while. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to wait for the lazy bastard who made the spell to wake up before it can be undone. The slacker templar are too tired to break the spell forcefully. Bloody wimps losing to a lone girl.¡±


    When the rest of the recruits finally awoke, some taking much longer than others, the instructor explained what happened. ¡°This is the danger of such spells as Aegis. Once you¡¯re part of the spell, you¡¯re committed. It¡¯s not very useful to have half of your army faint in the middle of battle, even in order to defend against attacks. Sometimes the defense can do more damage than the attack would¡¯ve done. That¡¯s a judgement call the controller of the spell has to make. In a normal battle this would not happen as the Aegis would be dropped before things got this far. This is the problem inherent to all combined strength techniques, except that in some extreme cases the loss of power can be severe enough to kill those involved, instead of just making them unconscious. That is especially the case among mages.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also another lesson here. You did not get to see it, because you were too busy napping, but recruit Haydee here was strong enough to maintain the Aegis by herself even after our glorious templars, the bunch of slackers that they are, got too tired to continue attacking. Usually a single person will not have enough power to maintain Aegis but she did it anyway. This is something you should keep in mind. This is an example of what we are talking about when we say that high ranked people have the strength to match against entire armies. They have the power to single handedly protect against attacks made with the combined strength of armies and they have the power to break through the defenses set up by the combined power of entire armies. Recruit Haydee has that strength, albeit only that of a very small army like the recruits here, but an army nonetheless. Keep this in mind when you hear someone talk about high ranked people. That information might save your life.¡± The instructor¡¯s voice was grave.


    Truly powerful people who could match entire armies of trained soldiers were few and far between. Especially armies such as those commanded by the Radiant Sun where they truly knew how to combine their powers for a powerful defense. However, such individuals existed and should be watched out for. Of course the order had their own group of such individuals, the Blades the strongest among them, but they were the last resort, deployed only when necessary. It seemed they had at least one such budding individual among them.


    ¡®Finally some use for the excess holy power I have.¡¯ Dee thought to herself with a sigh.


    ----------


    The last two parts of the training were somewhat special. Before the recruits were divided between the chapters of the order, they had to get some practical experience with the training they had received so far. The chapters themselves would of course have their own training depending on their roles, but that wasn¡¯t the problem of the headquarters. They only cared that the lessons they had taught were sufficiently learned.


    Thus the recruits were once again divided into groups and sent on missions. They would be led by, evaluated by, observed by and protected by an individual templar or paladin of at least captain rank. Those captains would make sure that the recruits were relatively safe, but also that the missions actually succeeded. Just because the recruits were inexperienced, the order couldn¡¯t afford them fucking up potentially important missions, even if the missions were relatively safe and easy.


    The captains would assign their groups several jobs and assignments during the mission, and would evaluate their performance. After the missions were complete, the captains would hold a detailed discussion with the groups, detailing what they did well, what they could improve on and what they simply failed to do right. Then they would go on another mission, and this time they were expected to improve on the areas they had failed on previously.


    Dee was more than slightly surprised once she saw her own group. The group consisted of the ten best performing recruits out this year¡¯s batch, including Shunkaha and Cynisca. Something was weird here. It made more sense to divide the best performers into several groups to ensure the success of more missions. Dee got another surprise as their observer entered, and she noticed a commander¡¯s insignia on the woman¡¯s shoulder. This was really strange.


    The elven woman with impressive stature marched to the front of the room they were all sitting in, waiting for their instructions. ¡°Greetings recruits. I will be your leader and observer during this mission. I¡¯m known as Commander Luthana. The smartest among you may have already noted that there¡¯s something a little weird with the setup of your group. The reason for that is simple. Unlike the rest of the recruits who are doing missions that are of little importance, this mission carries quite a bit of potential consequence. That is why only the best have been chosen for this group.¡±


    Shunkaha indicated that he had a question, and the commander gestured for him to ask his questions. ¡°If it¡¯s that important, why are we being sent?¡±


    ¡°A good question, and one we knew you would ask. The answer is rather simple. You are being used because you won¡¯t draw attention. A group of recruits performing their first mission is less noteworthy than a full squad of skilled templar. The fact that we are going to a volatile area will also cover for the fact that you will be protected by a commander and not a captain in the eyes of those that are aware of our customs. As our customs have held true for so long, many know of them, hence deviations will be noticed.¡± The commander explained.


    ¡°Some of you might have heard rumors of trouble brewing in the empire of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann. The trouble is much more serious than you might have imagined, and we are going to the nearby cities surrounding their great forest to gather information. Our trip might even take us inside the forest, so be prepared.¡± Commander Luthana clarified.


    ¡®That also explains the presence of an elven commander.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. ¡®She¡¯ll be much better at noticing if something is wrong.¡¯


    ¡°Have any of you visited the great forest in the eastern seventh circle before?¡± The commander asked.


    Both Shunkaha and Dee signaled that they had visited the forest. Dee still remembered her troubles in the mana heavy environment of the forest. Taeral, her scouting teacher, had taken her there for training and it seemed like a good thing he had.


    ¡°Good, both of our information specialists. That¡¯s perfect. Let¡¯s get moving. We have a long journey ahead of us and not a lot of time. I¡¯ll explain details on the way.¡± Commander Luthana nodded pleased.

 Chapter 56

    All the recruits were clad in the standard armor of the order. They had a dully gleaming breastplate of steely grey color, their arms covered in similarly colored metallic vambraces, their legs with steely greaves and sabatons and their head covered in a simple open faced conical helmet. Their gear was largely unadorned aside from the symbol of the Radiant Sun on their tabard and shield, and they were also rather practical with their otherwise plate equipment assisted with chain and leather portions to retain mobility in important places. The gear was not heavily enchanted, only the simplest enchants that reduced the need for maintenance and weight.


    The commander had her own armor, otherwise similar to the recruits, except it was more ornate with engravings and slight gilding. It was still rather practical though. The only two standing out from the group with their equipment were Shunkaha and Dee, who were wearing simple dark leather armor more suited for scouting. It was not the official armor of the order¡¯s scouts, only something scrounged together so the two could fulfill their purpose. As the two had to gather information, it helped if their appearance didn¡¯t scream ¡°paladin!¡± at everyone. The two also didn¡¯t carry the same shields or weapons as the others, Shunkaha opting to use his trident-spear-halberd hybrid, while Dee was equipped with a bow and throwing daggers. She could always call up her saber when necessary.


    The group had already passed through the teleportation gates to a city near the great forest. This was not their real destination, but the smaller towns and cities they were planning to visit didn¡¯t have their own teleportation gates, so the group had to walk the rest of the way. Well, the horses walked for most of them. The recruits had been given steeds to use. This was also training in their use and possibly in mounted combat as well. Hopefully not the latter though as they had little experience and would fair badly against experts in the area.


    They were all supposed to be mounted but a problem had emerged near the order¡¯s stables. Every time Dee tried to get close to the damnable animals, they got skittish and wouldn¡¯t calm down. Even out in the open like this, the horses eyed Dee nervously, ready to bolt at a moment¡¯s notice. The stablemaster had said that the horses seemed to view Dee as a natural predator for some reason, and were scared. They were trained horses, so even the recruits managed to control them in the open like this when they were not shut inside an enclosed space with their predator, but there was no way Dee would be able to ride one. The poor beast would keel over out of fright.


    She preferred to walk anyway. Even in her normal form she was fast enough to outrun the horses and she had more stamina over long distances. Besides, it was nice exercise. She could always assume a more speedy form if it was required. The others suggested taking an extra horse along as a pack animal to handle Dee¡¯s portion of the supplies, but shut up when Dee simply stored her portion of the supplies inside Croestia¡¯s storage space. If you had the ability, why not use it? She didn¡¯t volunteer to handle the other people¡¯s stuff though, and the others didn¡¯t ask as they didn¡¯t know how much storage space Dee had. Usually such storage items had strict limits. If only they knew of the mountain of food and other random sundries Dee was lugging around¡­


    Shunkaha had volunteered to also walk, as he was in a relatively similar position to Dee. He also preferred his own feet and could keep up. He also didn¡¯t want Dee to be singled out. It was also easier to scout ahead when they could remain hidden better without the horses. They had been traveling for a full day now, and were just making camp for the first night. The two had scouted the surroundings but had found nothing out of the ordinary. Shunkaha¡¯s canine senses and Dee¡¯s special sight made for a very effective way to search for danger.


    Commander Luthana gathered them all around the campfire to begin the explanation on their mission. ¡°First of all some basics for those completely unaware. The great forest has many inhabitants but the ones we are most interested with is the empire of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann. Tuatha D¨¦ Danann is one of the oldest and most prosperous empires in the entire Pantheon. Some people also call it the elven empire, but that naming is somewhat in error. It is true that the vast majority of the population of the empire is made of the various elven races who also rule the two seasonal courts of Autumn and Spring. However, the true rulers of the empire are the Sidhe of the Winter and Summer courts.¡±


    ¡°To be more precise, the empire is ruled by the pair of Winter Queen and Summer King. The Sidhe of the Summer court are known as the Seelie, and those of the winter court are known as the Unseelie. The two are both members of the Sidhe race, but they are also different in a fashion similar to how High Elves and Dark Elves are different yet the same. The reason why we are here is because the old Summer King is dying. We elves usually live between several hundred years and a few thousand years depending on what type of elf we are, but the Sidhe are practically immortal. Yet the Summer King is dying of old age.¡± The commander explained.


    ¡°That seems contradictory.¡± One of the recruits pointed out.


    ¡°Indeed. The problem comes from the symbol of rule as well as the succession. The Winter court always picks the next queen from a pool of eligible maidens related to the former Winter Queen, and it is not a direct succession. In fact, the ruling couple is unable to bear children. The succession is the same for the Summer court. Both the king and the queen hold a very powerful Authority as a symbol of their rule. These are some of the most powerful Authorities in existence, and give the two the power to match immortals in battle.¡± The commander continued her explanation. She had always hated court politics, but the four seasonal courts absolutely loved the game of politics.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t they been taken from the empire by force?¡± Dee asked astutely. ¡°Surely the communities near the center of the city have the strength to do so, and a couple more immortals would help them.¡±


    The commander nodded. ¡°Indeed they do have the power to do so. However, these two Authorities come with some severe downsides. They rely on the life-force of their bearers, and even the almost eternal Sidhe have their life reduced to a couple thousand years. There¡¯s another problem. The two only work as a pair. When the bearer of one of the Authorities dies, the bearer of the other one dies as well. The Winter Queen is in great health, but will die along with the Summer King despite this. This is something that has helped keep the two courts together for such a long time, but the unity is somewhat forced, and is now breaking.¡±


    ¡°Something has changed.¡± Dee pointed out, not really asking.


    ¡°Indeed. More precisely the heir apparent for the position of Winter Queen. She has no interest in marrying a man she does not love, which happens to include the entire male portion of the Summer court, but the heir apparent for the kingship especially. He in turn has made no secret of his love and desire for her, but she is not interested. That wouldn¡¯t be so problematic, as they could just pick another girl usually. Someone would take the chance at the power. However there are two big problems. First is that the heir apparent for kingship has made his intent for the queen¡¯s identity clear and isn¡¯t willing to negotiate. Can you guess the other?¡± The commander tested the recruits with her question.


    The recruits though for a while without coming up with an obvious answer. They had guesses, but they didn¡¯t want to be wrong. Finally Dee took a stab at it. ¡°The heir apparent for the queen¡¯s position is too powerful to pass over?¡± It seemed the most logical answer to Dee.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The commander nodded. ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s a problem for many reasons. She is already an immortal, and in a few years might be able to match the power from the Authority with her own power alone. She refuses to take on the Authority as well, because she sees it as a downgrade, which it admittedly might be considering it would only somewhat increase her power currently while cutting her life short. The thing is, the ruling couple can¡¯t have a power like that competing with them, especially with the politics of the courts and the competitor being part of the royal family. Even if she had no intention of rebelling, the others might use her as a rallying point against her will. Many of the nobility are not happy with the situation as it stands, especially in the Autumn and Spring Courts. They seem likely to take the chance to drive for a shift in power.¡±


    ¡°So we have a probable succession struggle on our hands. Still doesn¡¯t quite explain why we are here. What¡¯s the order¡¯s stake in all this?¡± Shunkaha asked.


    ¡°Aside from many of our number coming from the empire, our grandmaster included, the empire of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann is something of a bulwark against many belligerent forces. The forest itself is filled with dangerous creatures while on the flipside being full of precious resources, but the surroundings are also filled with hostile forces. Some races when entering Pantheon are not satisfied with splintering into communities and living in relative peace and limited competition. Many of the more hostile races have settled in the vicinity of the great forest due to terrain and plentiful resources. As an example, on the other side of the forest lie the great plains that are home to many nomadic races that are held in check by the presence of the empire. The centaurs in particular are very belligerent. The Autumn court actually spends majority of their time and effort fighting off these hostile races. They happen to enjoy it due to their own warlike nature so they do it willingly, but¡­¡± The commander allowed her voice to trail off.


    Dee interjected. ¡°I¡¯m also guessing that there are factions within the courts that would be more than happy to also extend their power outside the forest?¡±


    ¡°Quite right.¡± The commander affirmed. ¡°The Unseelie of the Winter court in particular have long held that the empire¡¯s stance to its surroundings is too isolationist. The best way to defend against threats is to pre-emptively take them out, according to them at least. At the very least they want to take a much more aggressive stance in expanding their influence. The Summer court had fought against this, preferring to stick to the great forest.¡±


    ¡°So why are we here?¡± Shunkaha repeated his question.


    ¡°Well, the forest isn¡¯t exactly the perfect environment for all things. More specifically farming and grazing cattle. There are various races and communities outside the forest that are under the empire¡¯s ¡°protection¡± that supply the empire with these goods and many others. This protection is beneficial to them, but not always voluntary. With the empire on the brink of a civil war, the outlying races and communities are seeing this as an opportunity.¡± The commander explained.


    ¡°Which side are we on?¡± Shunkaha asked sharply. ¡°Are we here to enforce their suppression or to help them get free?¡± The beastmen were often targets of forced suppression due to their physical abilities. Bondage and even slavery were much more common on other worlds and not unknown in Pantheon either, and Shunkaha didn¡¯t take very kindly to the idea of enforcing the same on other people.


    ¡°Neither actually. If the outlying communities want freedom, that¡¯s their business. If the empire wants to enforce their suppression then that¡¯s theirs. We are here to monitor the situation. The order will most likely take steps to limit the damage, but hopefully that is not our problem quite yet. We are here to take the temperature of the situation and report back. We are also here to apprehend those that are taking a darker interest in things and taking advantage of the situation for their own benefits. For example, if the communities themselves want freedom, then that¡¯s on them, but if there are third parties here inciting rebellion where there otherwise would be none¡­¡± The commander once again let her voice trail off.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Dee replied simply. ¡°We know what to look for then.¡±


    ----------


    The group had already visited three cities and villages on their trip without running into trouble. The three had been relatively happy with their lot in life, and they were simple agricultural communities that actually wanted the empire¡¯s protection. However, as soon as she slipped inside the fourth fairly large city, Dee realized that this time would be different. She walked around the city talking to some local people and observed the dealings in the city to confirm her suspicions. It didn¡¯t take someone of her skill to sense the tense air in the city.


    She noted another difference when compared to the previous three cities. This city had a fair sized contingent of soldiers bearing the uniform of the empire. The contingent was only about a hundred strong from Dee¡¯s estimation, but just their presence raised alarm in her mind. The soldiers were far from an elite group, but they were still heavily armed and keeping their eyes open, in a way quite different from normal city guards.


    Dee caught Shunkaha¡¯s eyes and gave a string of prearranged signs as a warning of trouble. Shunkaha in turn went to warn the group that this city was different from the others. In the meantime Dee tried to get a better picture of the situation and took to the roofs of the city to get a better vantage point. She also employed her stealth skills as she followed several individuals of interest as they peered around suspiciously.


    She followed one such group to a warehouse on the side of the city, and found several things inside that confirmed her suspicions. Another group lead her to a production facility of a certain substance, which provided her with the final piece of the puzzle. She decided it was time to report to the commander.


    Sneaking out of the city was simple, especially since the guards seemed more interested in what was going on inside the city. ¡°What did you find?¡± The commander asked once Dee rejoined the group.


    ¡°The city in on the verge of armed rebellion.¡± Dee replied simply.


    The commander frowned. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°The empire holds a special interest in the city and from what I see has held them in a much tighter grip than other cities for a while now. There are some elements fermenting rebellion, and there are several hidden caches of arms around the city. From the nervous air I sensed, I¡¯m guessing the thing will blow up soon, maybe inside a week. I don¡¯t know if the whole thing was home brewn or caused by a third party, but if it was a third party, then the agitators are either gone or very well hidden.¡± Dee explained.


    ¡°Why does the empire hold a special interest here, and what¡¯s in here worthy enough to draw third party interest so soon?¡± The commander asked. It seemed odd that the empire would pay special attention here, seeing as the surroundings were not strategically important and the city was unremarkable.


    ¡°The city seems to be a major center of production for upper inks. There¡¯s also about a hundred soldiers in the city protecting that interest.¡± Dee pointed out.


    Upper inks were magical drugs with varying purposes. The most common purpose was a general performance enhancer. You could either ingest it in diluted form for a short burst of energy, improved focus, and hyperactivity, or use the undiluted stuff to make a tattoo that conferred a slightly lesser effect until the tattoo faded a month or two later. All factors that improved productivity. It was very popular in certain circles, though extended period of use carried rather nasty side effects. The practice was frowned upon by most communities.


    The commander¡¯s scowl deepened. ¡°Uppers? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Quite certain. There are several cleverly disguised gardens around the city producing moocha leaves that are the main ingredient in uppers. I also stalked a particular group to a production facility. A rather large production facility.¡± Dee explained.


    The commander thought for a while and then asked Dee¡¯s opinion. ¡°Speculations on what is going to happen?¡±


    Dee had already prepared an answer. ¡°The citizens are riled up enough to rebel, most likely within few days from now. The contingent of elven guards is not large enough to even begin to suppress such rebellion, they are here only to safeguard the operation. They will be quashed. The empire will respond violently. The exact degree of violence will depend on the commander of the responding force. However, with the upper interest they will reply swiftly and violently. They will be tempted to make an example here, assuming it is the first city to go into open rebellion. Wholesale razing of the town seems unlikely considering their interest though. A controlled sack of the city and plenty of executions seem the most likely response, but the leader might decide to either be lenient or to take even more extreme measures.¡±


    ¡°What will we do?¡± Shunkaha asked, rather heatedly. He once again stood on the side of those controlled and was not very fond of the idea of them getting made into an example.


    The commander shook her head. ¡°We can¡¯t really make a large difference in either direction, but our presence might discourage the responding commander from taking a too harsh stance. We can¡¯t afford to get into a battle with either side, but just our mere presence as observers and witnesses will temper things somewhat. The rebellion here is doomed anyway. We might also get a chance to find out more about possible agitators if we stay.¡±


    Dee signaled that she wanted to speak, and got the permission. ¡°Might I suggest we leave someone outside the city in case things go badly? We will be in regular contact with that person, and if the contact is not coming, then that person can report our fate to the order.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± The commander agreed. She didn¡¯t like the possibility of getting the group of recruits killed, but they were here and any reinforcements would be too late. Just leaving would be a dishonorable thing to do as well.

 Chapter 57

    The group drew quite a lot of attention as they entered the city. The city was big enough to see some traffic, but a group of paladins and templars was still something that the inhabitants were unused to seeing. Dee and Shunkaha had entered the city ahead of the rest of the group so they could operate without drawing attention, although Shunkaha was clearly a stranger so the locals didn¡¯t exactly volunteer information to him. Dee on the other hand knew the right signals to show to the criminal element of the city and also remained mostly unseen.


    The rest of the group took up rooms in a large high quality inn that usually catered towards visiting elven nobles. This had affected the d¨¦cor of the place, which was ornate to say the least. Nature and forests were a rather common motif in all the decorations. As the city was on the eastern side of the great forest, most of the visitors were from the Spring court, and thus mostly High Elves, Sun Elves and others that represented the classical image of a noble elf.


    Dee and Shunkaha had taken residence in the other inn of the city that catered to travelers from neighboring cities and towns as well as visiting merchants. The two managed to gain more information due to their separation from the main group. One of the things they learned was that the inhabitants were rather divided, and this showed in their response to the presence of the Radiant Sun group.


    Some people were worried that the presence of the holy warriors would be a hindrance to their plans, in case they sided with the garrison of elven warriors when trouble appeared. Others were hopeful that the presence of the paladins meant that they could be shielded from becoming collateral damage. It seemed that the latter group was mostly made up of those that were less than ecstatic about the whole rebellion thing in the first place. No one spoke about any rebellion openly of course, they weren¡¯t that stupid. Dee could simply read between the lines. In any case, it seemed things were progressing quickly. There was no way to keep something secret when so many people knew about it.


    It turned out that Dee had been a little off in her estimation about when the rebellion would happen. Maybe it was the presence of their group that provoked the people to take action before the paladins and templar could meddle in things. Dee was monitoring things on the roof of the inn during the first night since their arrival when she spied a large number of armed individuals moving through the city.


    Dee and Shunkaha were given enchanted medallions for communicating with the rest of the group. The method was not entirely safe, but it was still rather standard for scouts in these kinds of situations. Dee used her medallion to contact the commander. ¡°Better get everyone ready. Things are heating up.¡±


    There was a short delay, most likely because the commander had been sleeping and was woken up by Dee¡¯s message. ¡°Report.¡± The commander finally prompted for details.


    ¡°I can see large armed groups moving around the city. Thousands of people. It seems their movements are at least somewhat pre-planned. They are moving towards the locations where the elven warriors are stationed. It seems some of the groups are confused though. They seem to be moving erratically. If I were to make a guess, the plan was not supposed to go into effect tonight and they¡¯re trying to compensate without really knowing fully what they are doing.¡± Dee reported what she was seeing.


    She moved down from the roofs and slipped into the shadows, following one of the largest groups. The group seemed to be heading towards the largest concentration of elven troops, a large warehouse that had been converted into a barracks of sorts. Once the group of armed people reached the building they started meeting resistance. The elven warriors had not expected an armed rebellion, but they knew to expect trouble.


    Despite this the resistance seemed surprisingly mild in Dee¡¯s opinion. The elven warriors were hardly elite warriors, but they were still much better fighters than random townspeople picking up weapons. Even considering the fact that some of the townspeople were used to handling weapons for various reasons and the fact that the arms seemed surprisingly high quality, the elven garrison was being pushed back way too quickly. Dee noted that the number of warriors was much lower than she had expected.


    When Dee realized that something was wrong, she slipped inside the building through a window at the side of the building. The window had been barred and rather high up the wall, but she was proficient enough in infiltration to remove any obstructions, especially when aided by her telekinesis ability that went through solid objects easily. Scaling walls was rather easy when your claws could sink into solid stone allowing you to make your own handholds. What greeted her inside the barracks was rather unpleasant.


    Majority of the garrison was inside the building but they were unable to go outside to fight the armed populace. Most of the warriors were violently ill, retching out the contents of their stomachs while shaking like leaves in the wind. Some of the warriors were already dead, a fact Dee could sense easily as the power inside their bodies was already dissipating. Now that she thought about it, the warriors outside had seemed somehow weaker than they should be. Now she knew why.


    ¡°Commander, something you should know. This rebellion will not take long. The garrison seems to have been poisoned. Most of them are already either dead or in the process of dying.¡± Dee reported her observations.


    Suddenly she noticed a burst of magic. A burst that she could identify, considering it was fairly similar to the magic she was herself using, except the burst was a lot less subtle. Messages over short distances were very hard to detect, even when you were looking for them. Messages over long distances required quite a bit of power however, especially if the message was sent in a way that made it harder to intercept. Messages like those used for communication with armies. Even so, someone without Dee¡¯s special sight would find it difficult to notice the message being sent.


    ¡°Also, it seems the garrison managed to send a message back to the empire. No way to know the contents but I can guess.¡± She continued. Even with her anti-magic templar skills it would¡¯ve been impossible to prevent the message from being sent. That was after all one of the things the extra power was there for. Such messages would be somewhat useless if anyone with appropriate skills could prevent it from being sent.


    ¡°Can you tell me anything about the poison and who might have used it? It seems unlikely the citizens would use such measures, especially when they had already prepared for an armed rebellion.¡± The commander asked.


    Dee observed the symptoms and sniffed the air. She used one of her telekinetic hands to bring a wine flask closer to her hiding place, before sniffing the wine. ¡°The poison was served to them in their drinks and probably food. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say most of their supplies are contaminated, but it happened only today. The poison is quick acting and quite lethal. The poison couldn¡¯t have been used earlier, or the warriors would¡¯ve noticed. Some warriors didn¡¯t consume these supplies; hence they are still in a condition to fight. I can¡¯t say what the exact poison is without proper testing, but I¡¯ve got a sample. As for the poisoner¡­someone with high level of stealth ability. These aren¡¯t great warriors, but a random citizen wouldn¡¯t be able to sneak in and poison most of their supplies.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°Bring the sample back. There¡¯s little point in sticking around and putting yourself in danger. If what you say is true, then we know what the outcome of the fight will be. I¡¯ve already alerted the others and they are ready to fight if necessary. Though the rebels haven¡¯t made any moves towards us, so there¡¯s that.¡± The commander replied succinctly.


    It seemed fairly insensitive towards the warriors that had just died, but from the point of view of the Radiant Sun it was good that the rebellion succeeded so quickly. It meant less collateral damage. However, the real problem wasn¡¯t the rebellion. The real problem would be the empire¡¯s response.


    As Dee slipped into the luxurious inn, she noted all the recruits at full battle readiness. They seemed fairly calm and collected, which was good. It would¡¯ve been bad if they had been nervous and panicky. The training so far was bearing fruit.


    ¡°Ah, good you¡¯re here. Give me the sample.¡± The commander called out to Dee.


    The commander performed a pair of holy spells with the wine flask and frowned when she got the result. ¡°The poison is definitely not local. In fact, I¡¯m pretty sure the materials only grow in the Night city. This might be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Shunkaha asked rather impolitely. He had not been himself when it came to the whole issue of cities rebelling against the empire.


    The commander noted the impolite tone, but decided not to make a big deal out of it. She could understand the young wolfman¡¯s dissatisfaction, and she had always been rather informal. ¡°Because there¡¯s a third party stirring the pot. At first I thought the third party was helping the rebels, but the poison changes things. Defeating the garrison in an armed rebellion is one thing, but having most of them die of poison is an insult towards the proud elven warriors of Spring court. Also, I have a theory about where the poison might have come from that I¡¯m not too fond of.¡±


    ¡°The Autumn court.¡± Dee pointed out idly from the side, while she was busy looking out the window.


    ¡°The Autumn court.¡± The commander agreed. The Autumn court was the part of the empire that had the most dealings with Night city. They were also motivated to make things difficult to their rivals in the Spring court. The Autumn court was also relatively famous for their poisoners. It could also be some party completely unrelated to the courts, or even someone trying to implicate the Autumn court, but if the commander could see the connection, then so would the elves of Spring court.


    In the grand scheme of the rivalry between the courts an incident like this would not be a major problem. The two courts had most certainly been involved in much worse, which is why it would eventually make little difference whether the Autumn court really was behind the poisoning. However, it was likely that this was not the only incident happening at the moment. It seemed rather unlikely that the group just happened to stumble upon the only plot involving the courts in the surrounding area. Much more likely scenario was that there were multiple instances like this, and they simply ran into one of them. While one event might not be too big of a deal, multiple such events would really put a strain on the relations between the courts. Relations that were already questionable.


    Was that the whole point? And if it was, who was causing it?


    The commander turned towards Dee. ¡°Did you say that most of the supplies were contaminated?¡±


    Dee gave a lopsided shrug. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have the time to check, but that would be my guess. To poison so many would require drastic measures like that. I brought you a wine flask, but it seems highly unlikely that most of the garrison was boozing at the same time. They¡¯re still an elven garrison, so they aren¡¯t that incompetent. Plus, just poisoning one or two people would be useless unless it was an assassination. This was definitely not an assassination. There¡¯s enough evidence on the poisoning that there¡¯s no way to hide the details either.¡± Assuming the whole city was not burnt down.


    The commander thought for a while. ¡°Which of you has the best stealth skills?¡± She knew the answer but asked anyway.


    Everyone pointed at Dee. ¡°Which of you is the fastest over long distances?¡± The commander asked again.


    Again everyone pointed at Dee, except Shunkaha who pointed at himself while grinning at Dee, who simply scoffed at the wolfman in return.


    ¡°Right, you have just been assigned as the person who will stay outside the city during the rest of our stay here. I will compose a message that you will deliver back to the headquarters if this goes sideways.¡± The commander ordered. They had talked about the possibility before entering the city, and it had in fact been Dee¡¯s idea, so this didn¡¯t come as a huge surprise.


    The commander then looked at the other recruits. ¡°The rest of us will see if we can shelter some of the uninvolved civilians once the retaliation comes. It seems unlikely that the Spring court would pick a fight with the order as things stand, so we can most likely protect some people that were not involved with the rebellion. This is far from a certainty though, so be prepared for a fight.¡±


    -----


    Dee was not entirely happy about being the person who was supposed to run if things got hairy, though she didn¡¯t have any desire to become a martyr for a vague cause either. She was more peeved about missing the fighting that seemed likely to occur, especially since she could most likely sneak out of the city if she got into too much trouble. Messy battles were excellent for hiding. That said, she also recognized that she really was the best person for the role.


    In her boredom, she decided to at least be useful and scouted towards the direction of the great forest, since that seemed like the most likely direction for the response to come from. She was surprised that it only took five hours for her to notice the first signs of the arriving troops. The Spring court really earned her respect with their reaction speed, though that was something the elves specialized in. The response had still been much swifter than she anticipated, and the reason became obvious almost immediately.


    There were hundreds of large eagles flying in the sky towards the city. Each eagle carried between two and four people, which put the number of warriors in the sky around six hundred. It seemed unlikely that this was all of the responding forces. Instead it was simply the first wave meant to scout out the situation. Still, depending on the level of the warriors riding the eagles, they might even be enough when combined with their mounts when pitted against a simple armed populace.


    ¡°Commander, you¡¯ve got incoming.¡± She reported magically. Dee knew she would have to stop using the magical communications when the eagles got closer, in case there were mages capable of intercepting the communications among their number.


    ¡°Already?!¡± The commander asked shocked.


    ¡°About six hundred warriors on flying mounts capable of fighting. ETA about thirty minutes. Expecting more to come later.¡± Dee made her final report. Her eyesight was great, but the eagles crossed over long distances with incredible speed.


    In a little over half an hour the eagles were circling the city, keeping a wide berth to avoid any spells and arrows. While the population of the city was a mix of various races, there were still some elves in the city with the archery skills often associated with the race. The stereotype existed for a reason. The city didn¡¯t really have any battlemages, but even a mage dedicated for other purposes might be able to do some damage if not taken seriously. The inhabitants of course noticed the circling fliers, and that caused quite a bit of commotion. Dee wondered idly if they had even considered the possible retaliation.


    Few hours later Dee started hearing the approaching beat of hooves as a large contingency of cavalry started arriving. The elves were unlikely to send any infantry over long distances to respond to such minor problems, so the response team was mostly made up of rapidly moving cavalry that could get the job done and quickly move on to their next destination. The ranks of thousands of elven warriors clad in identical uniform equipment and armor riding white elven steeds was rather impressive sight even for Dee.


    That said, their image was most likely one of the weapons units such as this used, inspiring fear and awe in their opponents and working as a deterrent. Rebellions would be less likely if this is what awaited those that rebelled.


    Dee noted with interest that the cavalry didn¡¯t immediately go for the city, but started making camp instead. Apparently whoever was leading this unit was not one to underestimate his opponents. The leader of this unit realized that taking the city might take a bit of time, assuming the defenders didn¡¯t just surrender, which seemed unlikely. Once the rebels had found the poisoned bodies of the garrison, they had realized that they were in trouble and that surrender was not in the cards.


    Dee noted that the camp was expertly built and well-guarded, but they didn¡¯t seem to be expecting any trouble from the outside aside from perhaps the defenders of the city sallying forth. That seemed reasonable though as the eagles and their riders would make sure no army could sneak up on them. They seemed to have gotten the message about poison though, as the supplies of the army were under constant guard.


    ¡°They don¡¯t seem to be alert enough to keep me away from the rest of the camp though.¡± Dee mused to herself, before making a decision.


    She once again melded into the shadows and snuck through the camp aiming towards the commander¡¯s tent. Maybe she could overhear something useful?

 Chapter 58

    Dee¡¯s infiltration of the elven war camp would be a difficult one. Her odd skill of making other people ignore her presence was very powerful, but it wasn¡¯t without limits. Those affected would ignore her presence and see her as inconsequential and something that belonged. However, that did come with certain limitations. She wasn¡¯t invisible, just something that should not be paid any attention to. Even if someone was looking for her but didn¡¯t know exactly what they were looking for, their eyes would just slide over her, not paying attention.


    There were certain factors that would determine how effective the ability would be on a given target. Some people and some races were naturally more perceptive than others. That wasn¡¯t to say those races could not be fooled, just that it would take more to do so. Dee couldn¡¯t completely control her ability, but she had gained a certain amount of control over the years. If she pushed the ability too hard, the targets would notice something strange and that they were being influenced by something even if they didn¡¯t notice her specifically.


    There were also factors that would make the ability less effective. Firstly and most obviously, if her target already knew she was there and was looking at her directly she couldn¡¯t just disappear into thin air, although her ability to control shadows greatly helped in this regard. This was proven in her fight with the lich where Dee had been forced into just avoiding her enemy due to the situation.


    Secondly, since the ability made it seem that Dee belonged where she was, the more obviously she didn¡¯t belong where she was, the more obvious the incongruity was. If the dissonance was too jarring her ability would lose effectiveness. For example, a war camp full of elven warriors might find it slightly odd that an over two mel tall demon rogue was stalking through their camp. Again, not impossible to do, just much more difficult.


    Third factor was her own behavior. The more she acted like she belonged where she was, the more those around her believed that she did in fact belong. That didn¡¯t apply just for her own abilities as it was an important factor in any infiltration. If you looked like you belonged no one would question you, so it was not surprising that even her ability was affected. She also couldn¡¯t do actions that drew attention to herself, otherwise the effect of her ability would be negated. That was one of the reasons her angel form was so ill suited to the task. The form drew attention to her even if she did nothing. She also obviously couldn¡¯t just walk up to a group of guards and start stabbing one of them without the others noticing something was wrong.


    Luckily her stealth abilities didn¡¯t completely rely on her weird skill. One of the most important abilities for an assassin was to remain hidden, so she was thoroughly trained in the ability to find hiding places where there was none. Again her ability to control and meld into the shadows came handy as it could make her almost invisible if the situation was correct. She also had the weird Authority that hid her power from anyone that cared to look. Not that many bothered to search either for psionic power or holy power even if they had the ability to do so. Psions were stupidly rare and bearers of holy power weren¡¯t exactly known for skulking around. Not that it never happened, there were certain gods that actually appreciated stealth.


    Dee moved slowly between hiding places, sometimes waiting for several minutes for the right opportunity, and slowly made her way towards the tent of the people commanding the elves. The front of the tent was guarded by a pair of soldiers, but they were mostly there to make sure their commander wasn¡¯t disturbed needlessly. The elves quite reasonably assumed that there was no need to surround the tent with guards, as it was already in the middle of a military camp. The soldiers also had better things to do than stand around guarding against non-existent threats. There was a fine line between being careful and being paranoid. As the old saying went though, just because you are paranoid doesn¡¯t mean no one is after you.


    The preparations in the camp showed that the cavalry unit had done this several times before. Their movements in setting camp had no hesitation. There was no need to bark out orders as they all knew what to do. Further, they had also subjugated other cities before and they knew that either their target threw open the gates and allowed them in, or the whole thing could take a while.


    This city had walls, albeit not very tall and sturdy ones. As they had the superior force when measuring purely by strength, laying siege would be unnecessary. The walls were something of a force equalizer, but real soldiers would do much better if they managed to breach through at a single point and take the fight into the city. They were trained for such fights whereas their enemies were not. That said, as the soldiers were professionals, they prepared for the possibility that things would not go according to plan. They might find a need for a fallback position, and preferably one they would be able to defend. Hence a potentially longer term camp.


    Dee could hear voices from inside the tent, but the fabric was muffling the sound and a military camp did cause quite a bit of noise. That made snooping difficult. Dee applied a bit of her power to one of her claws. Then she ever so slowly dragged the claw over the fabric of the tent, slicing the fabric in two. She had chosen her spot carefully. The lights and shadows inside the tent showed that there was something large placed in front of the place where she made the incision, masking her silent entry to the tent from anyone occupying it.


    ¡°¡­and we¡¯re not entirely sure how big of a portion of the population took part in the rebellion and how many more will stand against us to defend their homes. Judging by the population we¡¯re estimating the rebellious forces to number around ten to fifty thousand people capable of fighting. Their strength will of course vary, but there is no real military presence among the populace. I would assume that breaching the walls would be a relatively simple task if we use the standard diversion to throw them off.¡± A male voice that Dee couldn¡¯t see said in a confident tone.


    Another male voice spoke. ¡°I agree that the chances are slim that we¡¯ll run into trouble, but we have to take into consideration any help they might have received. We already know someone is stirring up trouble. Since this was the second city to rebel, we have to assume the unknown party put some effort into the city. They might have provided some assistance in the form of weapons and maybe even advisors. Even a good general wouldn¡¯t be able to turn rabble into real soldiers this quick, but we have to assume they will be aware of some of our tactics and they won¡¯t be armed with just pitchforks. The first company left for the other city just before us and we haven¡¯t heard from them yet. They might offer some insight into the enemy tactics, but we won¡¯t hear from them until they arrive. They had a longer trip than us, so even though they left first¡­¡±


    ¡°What did the eagle riders say?¡± A firm female voice asked in a commanding tone.


    ¡°As they kept the safety distance they didn¡¯t manage a headcount, but the enemies they did see were well armed and armored. Better armed than a random gathering of rebels should be. They were surprised by our presence but they had the awareness to mask their numbers by staying under cover and leaving only the necessary people to monitor our forces. Again, a tactic that random citizens would not think of.¡± The second male voice reported.


    ¡°So at the very least they have some old veteran soldiers among their number.¡± The female voice replied. ¡°Most likely someone did provide them with advice and arms as well. The rebellion was very effective in dealing with the local garrison. They garrison might have been made up of crummy soldiers but they were still soldiers of the empire.¡±


    ¡°Helpers for ink pushers!¡± Scoffed the first male voice. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe we''re supposed to take the city in one piece instead of burning it down as an example.¡±


    ¡°House Shadeleaf at work I¡¯m afraid.¡± The second male voice said with a wry tone. His voice made it apparent that he wasn¡¯t pleased with the situation either, just more pragmatic. ¡°As much as we dislike upper ink, the substance is useful in certain situations and to certain people. I¡¯d note though that we were instructed to make sure the ink was secured, but they never said we couldn¡¯t make an example of the populace.¡±


    The trio was quiet for a short while before the female commander spoke. ¡°Have the eagle riders send them our greetings. No need to be too restrained with their targeting.¡±


    -----


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    Commander Luthana had led the group outside as soon as she had heard Dee¡¯s report about the approaching enemy. Her choices were somewhat limited. If the enemy forces entered the city, then she could use their identity as a way of negotiating with the elven forces. However, if the elves were more interested in wiping out anyone in the city without even entering, then they were in trouble. She had instructed the recruits to go around and gather people so that they could offer those that needed protection their help.


    As the city had been taken by the rebels, it had become quite obvious which of the inhabitants were part of the rebellion and which of them were simply caught in the middle. Those that took part in the rebellion were lording it over those that didn¡¯t. Their general attitude could be interpreted as something like: ¡°We helped you get free, so it¡¯s only fair if you¡¯d be thankful.¡± Of course, the majority of those that had not taken part in the rebellion were less than thankful. They knew there would be repercussions.


    As such, the recruits had no trouble identifying those that were not really involved. The Radiant Sun was not officially taking any position in things so the commander couldn¡¯t provide shelter for those that took part in the rebellion. Under the law of the empire, the rebels would be executed for their treason. However, she could try to shield those uninvolved, which is why the recruits were gathering people, mostly women and children. The group would not take part in the hostilities unless forced to do so and the paladins would do their best to shield the innocent. Those capable, mostly the men and women with some training, would stand with the paladins and protect their loved ones if they had to.


    The recruits had just brought in a new group of people, when the commander senses trouble brewing. She could see the eagle riders gathering into formation above the city and gathering their ki. ¡°Incoming, shields above, both physical and any protective spells you can manage!¡± She commanded.


    She herself lifted her arms and a protective bubble of golden holy power spread above the group of buildings the refugees were gathering in. She had use a rather high rank holy spell to protect the area from attacks. The spell would stand against a large number of attacks but not singular powerful attacks meant to pierce such shields. As the area covered was so large, the commander grit her teeth as she watched the shield slowly expand hoping she wasn¡¯t too late.


    Their actions had not been too early, as almost immediately after she had given her command the eagle riders let loose their bows and arrows started falling towards the city. The few hundred arrows split up in the air into arrows formed of pure ki, and soon the whole sky was covered in deadly projectiles. The arrows fell like a torrent of rain upon roofs of the houses, people and the protective shielding of the holy warriors. The ki arrows lost some of their strength as the attack was spread so wide, trading power for coverage, but they were plenty enough to kill any unprotected people they hit. Some of the stronger arrows penetrated the slate and wood roofs, hitting whatever lay below them.


    The attack was wholly indiscriminate, meant to make a point. The elven soldiers were not here to play nice around civilians. They were here to restore their rule and avenge the dead garrison. Commander Luthana noted that her shield was still intact and the recruits caught outside the shield were alive. One of the recruits had been too slow to cast protective spells and had to rely on her metal shield for defense. Her armor had protected her from few hits that got past the shield, but one of the arrows had penetrated her leg, leaving a nasty wound. Nothing Luthana was unable to heal assuming she got the chance to do so. Which didn¡¯t seem to be happening soon.


    Three more waves of arrows followed the first. All the recruits managed to evacuate under the commander¡¯s protective barrier, though they knew they would be in trouble if they tried to leave for more refugees.


    ¡°Did we really have to send out the one person who actually had enough power to create an Aegis by herself?¡± Shunkaha grumbled to himself. The rest of them didn¡¯t have enough power to maintain that particular spell as they were too few in number. They might be able to form the spell, but not maintain it for any real period of time or under pressure.


    -----


    A messenger entered the tent. ¡°Colonel, news from the eagle riders!¡± The messenger announced.


    ¡°What is it now?¡± The irritated female commander of the elven troops asked. Dee couldn¡¯t see her, but she could imagine the frown on her face just from her voice.


    ¡°They report use of holy power in the city. According to the report, their attack on a particular part of the city was met with a high level holy spell usually utilized by paladins.¡± The messenger forwarded the important details succinctly. Dee had to admit the efficiency was impressive. All the important details and nothing but.


    ¡°Paladin spell?¡± One of the male voices asked, more thinking out loud than asking a question. ¡°What would a paladin be doing here?¡±


    ¡°Any chance we could get identification of the particular paladin?¡± The other male voice asked.


    ¡°Sir, the eagle riders tried but the protective barrier prevents them from getting a good look. There¡¯s also the risk of retaliation so they don¡¯t want to fly too close.¡± The messenger knew to expect the question and had an answer ready.


    ¡°What are the odds of the paladin and his ilk being behind the rebellion?¡± The female commander, now identified as holding the rank of a colonel asked. She had her opinion but wanted the other two to voice theirs.


    ¡°Well, first of all it seems likely that the paladin is a member of the Radiant Sun. Normally I¡¯d say it¡¯s rather unlikely they would get involved, except I heard that our spies have already reported the order gathering weapons and supplies for something major. Also the grandmaster of the order is a member of House Arazana, a prominent player in the Spring court.¡± One of the male voices said.


    ¡°They are rather staunch supporters of the Summer court. This could be a power play. With the recent trouble the courts are a mess of plots and machinations. The paladin could just be caught in the middle of things, but that seems rather coincidental. I¡¯m pretty sure I read a report stating that the order had visited other cities in the area, other cities that are also might be fermenting trouble.¡± The other male voice added.


    Dee didn¡¯t like where this was headed. She started to prepare to take action if it became necessary.


    -----


    Commander Luthana was sweating profusely. The attack had continued for a while now, and rather than avoiding her protective shield, the attacks seemed more to be aiming towards her instead. The spell was not supposed to be held up for such a long time, and it was starting to take its toll even of the attacks were not too powerful. If this continued she would have no choice but to drop the shield, which would allow the refugees and the recruits to fall under fire.


    She had avoided retaliating against the eagle riders for several reasons. If she struck back, then that would pretty much ensure they would be permanently caught in hostilities. So far she had just been defending herself, but if she struck back then there would be no mercy on the part of the elven army. Her striking back also carried some political implications. None of that would matter though if they ended up dead. The political implications would come to pass anyway, just in the other direction. The order would not just gloss over the deaths of a squad of recruits and an officer.


    Making up her mind, the commander gathered her power and a golden glow surrounded her hand as she pointed towards the eagle riders above her. A projectile spell would be useless due to the distance, however not all attack spells were projectiles. Or at least not projectiles that you hurled at the enemy. Suddenly blinding pillars of light begun to fall on the eagle riders directly from the sky. ¡®Punishment of the Divines¡¯ was a stable offensive spell among high ranking paladins.


    The golden light was quick enough to be almost impossible to dodge. The power was not great, but avian creatures such as the eagles were not known for their fortitude and resilience. Such features tended to be heavy, which made flying difficult. Even if the eagles were strong enough to resist, the golden light also stunned them leaving them to plunge down into their deaths. One of the benefits of the spell was also the ability to target multiple enemies. The commander couldn¡¯t strike at all the eagles, but enough of them to drive them off.


    -----


    The tent went quiet as they got word of several dozen eagles getting burnt to a crisp and more plunging to the ground, taking their riders with them.


    ¡°Well, that confirms the paladin as hostile.¡± One of the male voices remarked.


    ¡°Colonel, if I might be so bold as to make a few observations and suggestions.¡± The other male voice said. ¡°We were planning on sacking the city anyway as a warning to others. If the paladin truly is a member of the Order of the Radiant Sun, then he would make for a very inconvenient witness in all that. Now, no matter the reason for him being there, the paladin has not been sending messages back home since our arrival. What¡¯s to say the order even knows he is here? If he was to disappear¡­¡±


    The other man picked up the thought. ¡°If he is here on a secret mission, the order can hardly complain if something happens. And if they do have a problem with it, we can say he was regrettably caught in the crossfire. Very unfortunate but it happens. Now that I think about it, we could also pin it on him if something were to ¡®accidentally¡¯ happen to the upper inks in the city. The higher ups can hardly gripe about that.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t be stupid dear colonel. Don¡¯t give that order.¡¯ Dee thought silently to herself. But her hope was in vain.


    ¡°Make it happen.¡± The colonel ordered after a moment of thought.


    Dee gave a silent sigh. It was time for her to take action. It would be unfortunate if her group got killed on the first mission she taking part in. ¡®Croestia, full speed and strength buffs please.¡¯ She ordered silently as she dashed out from behind the screen she had used for cover.


    The messenger was just turning to leave as a dagger suddenly sprouted from his right eye. Before anyone could make a sound, one of the male officers was cleaved in two by a black wing that suddenly appeared; while several swords made of psionic power manifested out of thin air and skewered the other man. Dee had stepped up from behind the female elven commander. She had used two of her hands to immobilize her opponent¡¯s hands while she had the colonel in a choke-hold with her other two hands. This really was her standard and most effective assassination method.


    ¡°It really is too bad it came to this, as I have nothing against you really.¡± Dee whispered into the colonel¡¯s ear. ¡°It¡¯s just that I really can¡¯t allow you to give that order.¡±


    The colonel tried to struggle, but the struggle was cut short as Dee twisted her arms, snapping the elven woman¡¯s neck. She noted with amusement that the souls, or whatever the wispy grey forms were, of the people she had just killed were drawn towards her without any action on her part. ¡°Well don¡¯t mind if I do.¡± She said while devouring them.


    She didn¡¯t really feel anything over her actions, except she felt it was a bit of a shame. The elven warriors were in her opinion in their full rights to do what they were doing. Even ordering the death of her group was at worst in the morally grey area. Realities of war were what they were. It was just waste of life that Dee had to kill them for her own ends.


    There was a slight problem though. Even though she had done the deed fairly quickly and quietly, mostly thanks to how off-guard she had caught them, there had still been a disturbance. She could already sense the two guards calling for help. The guards were smart enough to realize that if whatever had attacked the people in the tent was skilled enough to kill the four people inside with such ease, adding two corpses to the pile was little use. In seconds the tent was surrounded.


    ¡°Well then. Getting in was hard enough. I doubt I can just sneak out. Now what to do?¡± Dee felt surprisingly calm about the whole thing.

 Chapter 59

    ¡±Well at least someone outside has some brains.¡± Dee remarked calmly.


    She could feel six mages that had traveled along with the elven cavalry getting into a formation outside the tent. The spell they were weaving wasn¡¯t meant to blast Dee into smithereens along with the tent she was in. Instead the mages realized that whoever killed the officers in the tent had entered using stealth so they were taking measures against that. Dee could feel magical walls reaching towards the sky, stopping anyone inside the formation from leaving. The elven warriors could easily get inside the magical formation however. They were trying to catch her alive.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea, even though it won¡¯t work as they hoped.¡± Dee said with a nod of her head.


    A pair of wings suddenly sprouted from her back. The spell the mages used had a slight problem. The walls surrounding her might be high but they weren¡¯t endless, and they had no ceiling stopping her from flying straight upwards. It wasn¡¯t really the fault of the mages though. Even among those beings that were able to fly very few among them were capable of ascending directly upwards with little space, especially from a standing takeoff. Even beings that relied partially on magic to fly such as dragons would need some space to gain altitude. Angels were one of the few exceptions to this rule, because their flight relied entirely on magic.


    ¡®Wait, Dee!¡¯ Croestia suddenly silently stopped her. ¡®You might want to consider changing appearances. Do you want to fly out looking like that? The soldiers outside will report back to the empire and you look rather distinct. They might come after you.¡¯


    ¡°Good point.¡± Dee replied with a frown. She quickly shifted fully to her angel form. She used that form a lot less so if one of them had to sacrificed¡­


    Then it hit her. Why not use this chance to throw the suspicion away from her and eliminate the possibility of the order getting the blame? She could make some adjustments to her appearance and didn¡¯t have to limit herself to her so called true forms. She just wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain the altered form for long. First she looked at her lavender colored wing, which slowly turned to black as well. Shockingly the wing resisted the change quite strongly. Dee could feel the wing constantly trying to shift back to the original color. That particular appearance change could only be maintained for an hour at most.


    Hiding the halo had already become familiar, even if it was still uncomfortable, and she then focused on her face. The angel form already had a slight otherworldly feel to it akin to elves, so she went with it and changed her appearance to fully elven. There was a race of winged elves in the empire known as the Avariel. They were rare and even more rarely seen outside the empire, but she could now pass for one for a short time.


    Dee could sense dozens of elven warriors approaching the tent from all sides and realized it was time to go. Seeing as the elves excelled in archery, she would need a distraction to get some distance without getting turned into a porcupine. She gathered her psionic power and then let it loose in a completely uncontrolled storm of psionic energy around her. The pressure and lightning killed the warriors closest to the tent as the tent itself was turned into scraps. The power of the storm was not large enough to break the walls as the mages had been prepared for an attempt to do just that. However, it did obscure the visibility for a short time. A short time Dee used wisely as she shot directly upwards towards the sky, getting out of the effective range of the bows of the elven warriors.


    Yells of ¡°Dark Avariel!¡± filled the camp. Unbeknownst to Dee the Avariel also had their own warlike members similar to how their wingless cousins had Dark Elves. The difference was that the Dark Avariel were not a clan but individuals and usually very powerful ones at that. Where normal Avariel were very peaceful and freedom loving by nature, the Dark Avariel turned their considerable talents into an endless search for power and battle. They were also members of the more warlike Autumn court, working as their enforcers and elite warriors. The presence of a Dark Avariel on this occasion was much more significant than Dee could imagine as they were seen as harbingers of war as their nature seeped into their wings, turning them raven black.


    Meanwhile Dee climbed higher towards the sky, trying to find the upper limits of the walls surrounding her, and she finally did reach the point that granted her free movement. She was less happy to notice that the elves had not been idle in the meantime though as the remaining eagle riders were now coming towards her at maximum speed, and they probably didn¡¯t intend to discuss weather. She had read up on aerial combat in books but she had no real experience with it. How could she when none of her teachers taught her how fly?


    While the number of elves and eagles wasn¡¯t huge and she could probably face them on the ground, they had the experience and training in aerial combat that she did not. So Dee did the only reasonable thing in the situation and bolted. To her surprise the eagles could maintain speeds fairly similar to her. The eagles were not the most powerful creatures in combat but they were fast. The problem was exasperated by the fact that the elves flying on the eagles were shooting at Dee and she lost speed while dodging.


    One good thing was though that unlike the eagles, Dee didn¡¯t really rely on natural means for her ability to fly. Her wings were operating fully under her psionic power and didn¡¯t have to conform to the laws of physics. That¡¯s what had allowed her to do such a crazy ascent directly upwards in the first place. As a result she didn¡¯t have to flap her wings, she didn¡¯t have to care about updrafts or air currents and she could certainly make much sharper turns than the eagles were capable of performing. This gave her a significant advantage in mobility, but it came at the cost of her power being slowly drained.


    It was inevitable that the chase devolved into an ongoing skirmish in the air. While she wasn¡¯t an expert in aerial combat, one thing that helped Dee was that both sides were quite happy to make their combat ranged, which made her inexperience less relevant. You didn¡¯t need to be a genius to know that an aerial ranged skirmish was all about your ability to dodge and hit the enemies that tried to dodge your attacks. Dee might not have experience but she was a psion and her ability to quickly calculate trajectories and lead her shots was a huge advantage. She also realized that this shooting war was all about forcing your target into dodging in a way that placed them in front of another attack or eliminating your enemy¡¯s ability to dodge by making your attacks cover a larger area.


    The elves quickly realized that shooting at Dee normally was fairly useless, so they went with the latter tactic. They once again used the same ability they had utilized when attacking the city, and covered the sky in arrows, leaving Dee no room to dodge. Unfortunately for them, Dee¡¯s wings were also excellent shields as she could buffet away those pesky arrows that got too close. In addition she was fully capable of forming shields from her psionic power and the split arrows lost a lot of their penetrative power when they were used like this.


    Dee was having similar bad luck on her side. She had shot some psionic weapons at her enemies, and the first time one exploded it took a couple of the eagles with it. The enemy quickly learned to watch out for the explosions and now gave much more room with each dodge. Even if they couldn¡¯t avoid the explosion completely, they only got singed by the edge of the explosion. The only time Dee hit now was when she could attack in a way that the eagle that dodged exposed another eagle right behind the first one. The second eagle didn¡¯t have time to dodge anymore as the attack was already too close. Situations like that were the reason why fliers usually moved in certain formations, but the skirmish had messed up the formations of the eagles. That kind of attack opportunity was rare though, and could not be relied upon.


    Dee¡¯s best chance was still to get away from her pursuers. Luckily she¡¯d had a plan as she flew to escape. The elves also had a plan and they both came to fruition at the same time. One of the most powerful warriors among the elves had been preparing his attack for a while now, waiting for the perfect opportunity. When fighting against an enemy that was too fast and nimble, hitting them with a singular powerful attack was impossible outside specific circumstances. It was a principle similar to when one was hunting a stealthy prey. You didn¡¯t chase and try to shoot at your target wasting power and arrows. Instead you had to know in advance where your target was going to move and shoot where the target will be when the shot arrives.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    That¡¯s where the elves utilized the second way of hitting people in an aerial shooting war. They forced Dee to dodge into a direction they wanted her to dodge by leaving no other choice. That¡¯s when the powerful warrior shot his arrow filled with ki. The shot hit Dee squarely on the shoulder shattering the bones and sending her careening towards the ground due to the force of the impact and the loss of control. The only problem for the elves was that Dee was sent crashing straight where she wanted to go.


    Dee had long since noticed the lone warrior gathering his strength for a decisive attack and decided to utilize it to her advantage. She protected her vitals with her wings and took the hit to an area that did the least amount of damage. Thanks to her heritage and the modifications done by Zabaniya, her body was sturdy enough to take an attack like that with minimal injury. The damage done was something that she could regenerate with a bit of time. The main point was that she ¡®crashed¡¯ into the great forest. Her crash was actually very controlled and she wanted it to look much more dangerous than it actually was. She simply wanted the enemy think she was seriously injured.


    As she burst through a couple of trees, she was hit with the heavy and oppressive feeling of mana that filled the forest. She had almost forgotten how distracting the plentiful mana could be. She¡¯d have to thank Taeral for taking her to the forest before; otherwise she¡¯d be in real trouble. Now though? Good luck trying to find her in an environment filled to the brim with ambient mana and hiding places. The cat and mouse game she had played with Taeral so many years ago was still fresh in her mind, and she still knew how to play. In fact she had only gotten better at it.


    ¡°Please do me a favor and follow me in. Then we¡¯ll see who the hunter really is and who is the hunted.¡± Dee grinned wickedly towards the eagles flying towards the forest.


    -----


    Dee got her wish and then some as the eagle riders called the army to help with the search. The rebellious city wasn¡¯t going to go anywhere but the assassin might and finding her was much more important. The army could help cover more ground in the forest and the eagles couldn¡¯t really search under the canopy of trees anyway. They could monitor from the sky, but the tall trees and thick branches limited their visibility to almost nothing.


    The rebels watched in confusion as the army that had come to subjugate them suddenly disappeared back into the forest they had come from. They had no idea what was going on. Neither did Commander Luthana but she didn¡¯t care. The situation had been bad and getting worse before the enemy suddenly decided to leave. She knew they would not be getting mercy due to their identity once the soldiers came back, so she immediately ordered a hasty retreat from the city.


    She and the recruits would cover for and protect any of the refugees that wanted to leave with them, assuming they were capable of keeping up. They would escort the refugees to the evacuation site where they would be directed to a more safe location. A large number of those that had not been involved with the rebellion had already seen how the elves where ignoring collateral damage and decided to take their chances fleeing with the paladins that had protected their loved ones. Some of the rebels wanted to flee as well, but Commander Luthana decided that the order would not provide sanctuary to the rebels. They would have to find their own safe haven somewhere else.


    The commander tried to contact Dee with the magical amulet to recall her to help with the protection of the refugees, but the magic wouldn¡¯t connect. She knew that meant that either the amulet had been destroyed or had fallen into the wrong hands, or Dee had deliberately set her amulet to not receive communications. The first option seemed much less likely, so Dee must be in a situation where receiving magical communications was problematic due to being in danger of getting the message intercepted or revealing her location.


    The commander¡¯s guess was that Dee had followed the army when it left to see what was going on, which seemed like a dangerous but a potentially very rewarding move. Finding out why the army had suddenly retreated could be important information, even though doing that meant defying the commander¡¯s orders. That said, the recruits were told that a certain amount of autonomy and improvisation was expected and approved of when situations suddenly changed. She didn¡¯t for a second think that Dee was the reason for the army¡¯s retreat, instead she assumed it had most likely something to do with the internal politics of the empire. Some other threat elsewhere that took priority over a rebelling city perhaps?


    -----


    A messenger knocked on Taeral¡¯s door and he waved the man in. Taeral was currently dealing with the inevitable paperwork that came with his position. Usually his capable assistants could handle things like this, but some decisions needed his personal approval. This mountain of paper was also the reason he so rarely spent time in his office. He often took any excuse offered to get away from dull duties like this. If the matters were really urgent, they wouldn¡¯t be ending up on his desk anyway. Most of his time was spent either wandering out in the great forest mapping potential threats and taking down dangerous beasts.


    You would think a ranger general of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann would have more important duties, but the reality was that the heavy mana environment of the great forest spawned beasts that were more powerful than what the normal rangers and soldiers could handle. Sometimes a more powerful hand was required. As such the ranger generals were something of a unique position. They had the authority of a normal general but spent most of their time away from the army. The army was normally too spread-out for a proper central command anyway. The great forest and the spread-out settlements of the elves didn¡¯t really lend themselves for large gatherings of troops. Most of their forces were divided into small groups and rapid response units of ten thousand soldiers at maximum. Someone still had to make the decisions though. Taeral would prefer that someone to be someone other than him though.


    ¡°Report.¡± Taeral commanded.


    ¡°General Faeydark, the third company sent to deal with the rebelling city of Lios just outside the forest has run into trouble.¡± The soldier reported. Taeral idly noted the sergeant¡¯s insignia on his armor.


    Taeral frowned as the message sank in. ¡°The third company, as in the mobile cavalry company led by Colonel Wynrona? What trouble could they have gotten into? Weren¡¯t they sent on a standard subjugation mission?¡± The orders for that had not passed through his office, he was simply aware of them. Rebellions were not the purview of rangers. The fact that the report on the issues came to him was strange.


    ¡°Reporting, the colonel and her two advisors are all dead. According to the message sent by the company¡¯s mages they were all assassinated by a Dark Avariel who was then pursued into the great forest. The assassin was presumed injured in the chase and the company launched a full scale search inside the forest. However, the search has failed. Several hundred of the soldiers sent into the forest have died in the last three days, presumably at the hands of the Dark Avariel.¡± The sergeant reported with a grim tone.


    Taeral cursed. He realized the trouble of trying to find a single person adept at stealth in the forest, but this was just stupid. Having the tables turned on them like this was incompetent to say the least. ¡°What the heck are they doing? Didn¡¯t the company have any rangers with them?¡± He drummed the fingers of his right hand on the table in frustration. Most units had at least few rangers for scouting purposes.


    ¡°Sir, the rangers of the company were the first to get picked off. The enemy seemed to have aimed for them in particular. Frankly, with the rangers dead and their officers also gone, the third company is scrambling. Sir, they¡¯ve already nicknamed the Dark Avariel as the Shadow of the Forest. That¡¯s not all though. There¡¯s another problem.¡± The sergeant was clearly as unsatisfied with the third company as the general, though he was not showing it as openly.


    ¡°Well don¡¯t keep me in suspense.¡± Taeral prompted with a frown. What else could go wrong with a routine operation?


    ¡°Sir, apparently the city of Lios had members of the Radiant Sun inside when the third company attacked. The colonel had ordered the eagle riders to open fire on the city before this fact was discovered, and the paladins inside the city were forced into retaliating. Those same paladins are now leading a large group of refugees away from the city. Sir, the third company is without orders and unsure if they should try to pursue. They already have their hands full with the Dark Avariel and now this.¡± The sergeant¡¯s words gave Taeral a headache. This was also turning into a diplomatic disaster it seemed.


    ¡°The colonel probably assumed the paladins might have something to do with the rebellion. Not a completely unreasonable assumption seeing the timing and the identity of their grandmaster, but it¡¯s too late to do anything about it now. Getting the paladins caught in a battle is one thing, having them chased down and killed is something else entirely. Let them go, but report this to the courts. All four of them. Let the courts make of it as they will.¡± Taeral frowned. He hoped his old friend Faylen wouldn¡¯t get caught up in things. Seeing as her brother might be wading into the situation, that seemed unlikely.


    ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure my old student would be able to find this Shadow of the Forest in no time. Now there¡¯s a girl with talent for being a ranger.¡¯ Taeral thought to himself with a slight smile as he remembered his lessons with Dee.


    ¡°Send some of our high ranked rangers to help with the search, but tell the army to simply form a containment circle around the area. There¡¯s no point in getting more of them killed than already have. In all likelihood the Dark Avariel will be long gone by the time our rangers get there, but we have to make the effort anyway. Also report the presence of the Dark Avariel to the courts. It seems like the Autumn court is making a statement with all this. With the presence of one of their more notable assassins, it¡¯s pretty clear they have a hand in these rebellions.¡± It was a good thing this fuckup wouldn¡¯t land on his desk, even if he had to take part in the cleanup after the mistakes were already made.


    ¡®Gaia dammit, the Autumn court actually sent one of the Dark Avariel to stir things up. This is going to cause problems.¡¯ Taeral thought while rubbing his forehead in resignation.

 Chapter 60

    Dee rubbed her stomach as she stepped back into the Radiant Sun headquarters. For the first time in a long while she actually felt satiated. That was one of the reasons for her gluttonous nature, as normal food didn¡¯t quite seem to remove the feeling of hunger completely, even if she did enjoy the process of eating greatly. The souls of the elven warriors however had made her hunger go away. She still felt like she could eat a lot more, in fact her stomach might be bottomless, but she didn¡¯t feel hungry anymore. That was a real improvement and made her feel rather chipper.


    She reported back to the office handling the affairs of the recruits and was told to wait. She only had to wait half an hour before she saw Commander Luthana coming down the hallway to get her for debriefing. While they were walking the commander told Dee that the rest of her group had already left on their next mission as they couldn¡¯t be entirely sure how long it would take for Dee to return, as they were unable to communicate.


    As they sat down the commander spoke. ¡°Before we get to evaluating your performance on this mission, why don¡¯t you tell me what you found out on your little side trip. Such information might turn out to be important and time sensitive.¡±


    Dee had checked and couldn¡¯t sense any spells nearby that would reveal lies, and their presence when debriefing a recruit would have been a little odd anyway. The check wasn¡¯t a hundred percent guarantee that spells like that weren¡¯t there however. Her senses were incredibly sharp but not infallible. Thus she decided to stick to as close to the truth as possible.


    ¡°Well I can¡¯t confirm all my information as true as something overheard from soldiers is not always reliable. That said, I did hear these rumors from multiple sources.¡± Dee hedged a little, mixing just enough truth within to fool any truth spells.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, very rarely do we get guarantees on the correctness of our information.¡± The commander waved away Dee¡¯s feigned concern.


    ¡°According to what I know, the colonel leading the army that came to suppress the rebellion and her two advisors were assassinated in the middle of the enemy camp after the attack on the city began.¡± That part was easy. No lies needed.


    The commander gave a slight whistle of appreciation. ¡°No wonder their army was suddenly a mess. What a bold assassin. Do you know what happened to him after? I would imagine escaping might be hard, but the army seemed to leave to search for something.¡±


    Dee nodded. ¡°As far as I know the assassin is still alive. At the very least that was the impression I got when I decided it was time to retreat. The elves had not caught the assassin, who had lost them inside the great forest, by then and it seemed unlikely they would do so either.¡±


    The commander was also nodding in agreement. The information made sense with what she had observed and would explain the odd behavior of the army. ¡°Any idea about the identity of the assassin?¡±


    Here Dee had to be a little careful. ¡°I overheard several elves saying something about a Dark Avariel. They also referred to the assassin as female. I¡¯m not quite sure of the significance of the information, but it seemed rather important to the elves.¡±


    Commander Luthana drummed the table with her fingers while wearing a frown. ¡°Well this complicates things. It¡¯s not widely known but the Avariel are something of a sacred existence to us elves. They tend to be extremely peaceful and excel in healing magic. Winged elves also happen to be a much desired commodity in all slave markets and they are hunted relentlessly on other worlds aside from Pantheon. The other elves have taken a rather protective stance with the Avariel as a result. The Avariel also tend to be highly gifted both physically and magically, even more so than normal elves.¡±


    ¡®Ah, I¡¯m not sure I like where this is going.¡¯ Dee thought to herself.


    ¡°Of course not all Avariel are happy to be protected. They strive for power on their own. The problem is that they happen to be very emotional creatures tending to the extremes. While normal Avariel are pacifists almost to a fault, those that do take up weapons go to the other extreme and revel in bloodshed and combat. They eventually turn into the Dark Avariel, and become the favored agents of the Autumn court since they share much of their sentiments with the Dark Avariel. The Dark Avariel are pretty much the embodiment of vengeance over the humiliations and suffering endured over the millennia. If a Dark Avariel is involved, then we can be certain that the Autumn court is involved. Not that we didn¡¯t suspect it already but this proves it.¡± The commander finished her explanation.


    ¡®Oops.¡¯ Dee thought while shrugging her imaginary shoulders. Not her problem really.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pass this information on. The higher ups will be very interested.¡± The commander left the room for a moment to pass along her report.


    As she returned, they could get into the discussion on Dee¡¯s performance during the mission. ¡°You performed your duties as the scout and spy in an exemplary fashion. Your reports on both the movements of the rebels and the elven army were timely and precise and might have helped to save the lives of hundreds of refugees. I¡¯m not wild about you not following orders when you were supposed to escape, but you did provide important information in exchange. There¡¯s also the fact that your actions fit the order¡¯s philosophy.¡±


    Dee looked up in interest. This was new to her. The commander continued. ¡°You were not told as it is not part of the recruit training, but the order is real big on providing their on-site members a lot of leeway for improvisation. They are told enough about the order¡¯s goals that they can improvise and seize opportunities when they present themselves, as well as to avoid making moves that would hinder the bigger picture. Normal army organizations highlight obedience, and it is important especially for those lower on the totem pole, but such rigidity also slows reaction times. If every commander had to wait for their general¡¯s orders, then countless opportunities would be lost. Hence, they will be told enough to not fuck things up with their improvisation and just told to go and accomplish the goals given. The exact methods are left up to them so they can make decisions on the spot and as needs require. Of course this leeway only lasts until your actions start hindering the grander plans, and if your improvisation makes bigger plans fail, then you will be sorry.¡±


    This theory made a lot of sense to Dee. She had always disliked the rigidity of strict regimental structure. This leeway made a lot of things possible. Of course such leeway wasn¡¯t granted to everyone. For instance, Dee most likely would¡¯ve gotten a lot of shit about her actions if they had not been so useful and if the situation had not been so out of the norm. Still, it gave Dee some hope.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Half lost in thought Dee asked a question that had been bothering Dee for a while now. ¡°So switching topics, if the group already went on a mission, then who is overseeing the group with you here? I thought you were watching over us for both of the missions.¡±


    The commander suddenly grinned. ¡°Oh the second mission is much easier so my presence was not required. We sent a captain ranked individual to watch over that mission. Besides, I wouldn¡¯t miss this for anything.¡±


    ¡°This?¡± Dee¡¯s face twisted a bit. She had a bad feeling about ¡®this¡¯.


    ¡°Yeah, so while you were gone, a certain female mage came to us. Apparently the highest ranked recruit this year, this recruit being known as Dee, someone you might be familiar with, was involved in an affair with her. Apparently recruit Dee got this female mage pregnant.¡± The commander¡¯s amusement was obvious.


    Dee¡¯s thoughts simply ground to a halt. She couldn¡¯t quite process what she had just heard. ¡°Bwuuuh?¡± She managed to ask in a typically intelligent fashion.


    -----


    The two were looking through mirror at a fairly luxurious room. In the room a beautiful young woman wearing the robes of the Mystic¡¯s guild was studying the bookshelves. The woman¡¯s features were mostly hidden by her robes, though the robes were cut in such a fashion that it made enticing suggestions about what lay beneath the cloth. The hood of the robes was pulled back, revealing the silky black hair laying beneath. There was something odd about the woman that Dee couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on.


    She also felt familiar. Not familiar enough to be someone Dee knew, but familiar enough to be someone she interacted with before. She couldn¡¯t quite say where though. That was odd considering her memory. She also had trouble identifying the woman¡¯s race. The woman looked like a human, but Dee used other methods to identify beings. The insides of the woman seemed¡­chaotic. As if the power flow inside her was not really representative of her true nature.


    ¡®She seems to be using some kind of magic to confuse the senses of people.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. She also suspected the effect would be stronger if they were in the same room. As it was though, she and the commander were observing the woman through a pane of glass that only showed a mirror on the other side. There was something weird going on here aside from the woman¡¯s absurd claims.


    ¡°Let me talk to her.¡± Dee requested, as she wanted to get to the bottom of things.


    ¡°Oh I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. This is way too amusing to pass.¡± The commander¡¯s mirth was obvious.


    As Dee walked through the door, she silently used one of the most fundamental templar spells used against mages skilled with illusions, ¡®True Sight¡¯. The spell was not a blanket counter to illusions as it basically pit the casters powers and skill against the illusionists, but Dee had quite a few advantages in this field. First of all her sheer amount of holy power dwarfed anything required to see through illusions. Secondly she was a psion who had received training in the mental side of psionics. An illusionist trying to compare with a mental psion in matters of the mind was in for a bad time.


    As she saw the true form of the woman in front of her, both understanding and recognition dawned on her. ¡®No wonder she seemed familiar. It¡¯s the mage I stole the robes from during the recruitment test in the mages maze.¡¯ Dee only recognized the insides of the woman as the woman had still been under her appearance changing spell when Dee had knocked her out. She really hadn¡¯t paid all that much attention to the woman back then as she had knocked the mage out so easily. Also it can be forgiven that she had not paid more attention to the power inside the woman as she had never seen a Succubus before and didn¡¯t recognize one.


    With the appearance changing spell no longer affecting her, she could see the pair of delicate horns on her head, as well as the appearance that inflamed lust in almost everyone that saw it. Which was why it was hidden. Obviously the woman was not advertising her heritage. Few demons were with the purge going on. Even if the Pantheon was a relative safe haven, old habits die hard.


    The woman tilted her head a bit as she noticed Dee entering. She got a weird feeling from the girl. She could sense the demonic heritage that the girl made no effort to hide. That said, Dee¡¯s appearance was so close to a demi-human beastman that it made little difference. What made the woman stop in surprise was the fact that the girl in front of her gave her a strong feeling of authority. It was like the woman¡¯s instincts were telling her to submit to a greater being. The last time she had felt a similar feeling was when the hells were still around and she had interacted with an Arch-Devil or a high ranking Fallen. There was no way the young girl was either though, so she didn¡¯t know why she would feel something like that.


    ¡®Seems the paladins here wised up and sent a woman and a fellow demon to interview me. It seems they¡¯re not entirely stupid.¡¯ She had easily managed to charm the other person sent to talk to her, though there had been something weird about his reactions that she couldn¡¯t explain. It seems that something had caused the man to send someone who might be able to resist her influence. They were still underestimating her!


    ¡°Have a seat please.¡± Dee said cordially gesturing to the chair on one side of the table at the center of the room. She herself took the chair on the opposite side of the table.


    The woman made her beautiful green eyes moisten with fake tears. ¡°Oh I don¡¯t know why this is so difficult. I already spoke to the man before. Why must you make it so hard for me to meet my boyfriend? You certainly didn¡¯t make it so hard before! And look what happened.¡± The woman gestured towards her flat belly. Even though the robes it was clear that there wasn¡¯t the slightest bit of sign of any pregnancy.


    ¡°Do bear with me if you would. You said that a recruit named Dee was the father of your child? What would your name be, if I may ask?¡± Dee tried to remain as calm as possible. She already knew the woman wasn¡¯t even pregnant. She would¡¯ve felt the smidgen of power within the child as she checked the woman.


    The woman sniffed. ¡°My name is Nessera. I¡¯m a rank four mage in the guild. I met D just over six months ago. At first I didn¡¯t even know that he is the first ranked among the recruits of his year.¡± She gave a charming smile. ¡°Such a modest boy. Didn¡¯t even brag.¡±


    In fact, Nessera had been forced to ask the other recruits what the first ranked recruits name was. They all just gave the nickname D and she didn¡¯t even know what it was short for. Dominic? Derek? Darthoridan? She could understand the prevalence of the nickname if his real name was some difficult elven name like Darthoridan. The problem was that she wouldn¡¯t know what to say if this girl asked her what the D was short for. That¡¯s why she was using her magic to influence everyone¡¯s mind away from such topics. She was fairly sure it was working. Why would it not? Succubi were experts in mind magic.


    Dee was struggling to keep her face blank. ¡°So could you tell me how you and Dee met?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s such a sweet story. Though I¡¯m rather displeased with your order for this as well. Some of the new recruits were harassing me and my friends and one of them was getting aggressive. D stood up for me and chased off those guys. He introduced himself and the rest is history. He¡¯s such a romantic and gentleman too.¡± Nessera faked a blush. ¡°He waited for months until we got¡­you know¡­intimate. He lit candles and had flower petals on the bed and everything.¡±


    The two of them could faintly hear a rhythmic sound of some kind from the outside. The walls muffled it though so they couldn¡¯t tell what the sound was.


    ¡°And you¡¯re saying this Dee got you pregnant? With such a sweet story I wouldn¡¯t be surprised, but I do need to ask. You are certain you are talking about the same Dee that is the first ranked among the recruits? There¡¯s no chance that another man might have lied to you?¡± Dee¡¯s poker face was not showing a single crack.


    ¡°Oh yes, I¡¯m certain. I even heard that he might be missing which is why I rushed here to make sure my darling D is ok.¡± She feigned another blush. ¡°Once we got the first time over, he was such a passionate man and couldn¡¯t get enough. It was only a matter of time until I became pregnant.¡±


    It was in fact the rumors about D being missing that had brought Nessera here. Everyone knew that it was time for the class of recruits to be sent on their missions before being sent out to their actual posts, and while the order made things as safe as possible sometimes a few recruits didn¡¯t come back. It was rare for a high ranked recruit to not return, which is why it had caused rumors. Nessera was hoping to benefit from the death of the first ranked recruit. Surely the order would feel bad for such a great potential being lost, and would compensate his girlfriend and a mother of his child adequately. It had happened before.


    Nessera happened to be short on cash and was quite sure of her ability to bullshit her way to a payday. And if this D returned? Well she was sure she could convince the guy to go along using her charms. A night with her should be enough for compensation. And rough sex happened to her favorite! An angry paladin ravishing her for being naughty! Just the thought sent shivers through her back.


    The questions were weird though. It shouldn¡¯t be this difficult! She decided to go on the offensive. ¡°Why are you delaying things? Are you someone who is in love with my darling? Is that it?! Are you trying to hinder me out of jealousy?¡±


    Now the sound outside the room became loud enough to be recognized, and Dee knew it to be Commander Luthana¡¯s raucous laughter. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Nessera asked, suddenly apprehensive.


    Dee gave a small grimace. ¡°Incidentally, I may have forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Haydee.¡± She emphasized the Dee part of her name. ¡°I¡¯m also the first ranked recruit that has just returned from HER mission. I¡¯m pretty sure that although Succubi are perfectly capable of charming women as well as men, you¡¯re not able to reproduce with women.¡± For emphasis Dee used her mental psionics to shatter the attempted attacks on her mind, showing the fact that the attempt had been futile.

 Chapter 61

    Nessera blinked her big watery eyes several times while she processed what she had just heard. After a moment it seemed as if a mask fell from her face. The watery doe eyes were gone, replaced by sharp and intelligent look that calculated everything. The soft face took on a much sharper feel, and the mouth went from a half open breathy look to a slight serious line. She also changed her whole way of holding herself. Previously she had sat in a way that best put her assets on display, but now she was just lounging like a cat ready to pounce.


    ¡°Well, I certainly seem to have made a fool of myself. You certainly had your fun.¡± Nessera¡¯s voice had a little bite to it.


    Dee was amused by the change. ¡°Me? Not so much. Her?¡± Dee thumbed towards the still loud laughter of Commander Luthana. ¡°Most certainly. Also don¡¯t you dare get snippy with me at this point. Whether or not you got laughed at has no bearing on what you did.¡±


    Dee had noticed Nessera¡¯s attempt to shift some blame around in hopes of reducing whatever her punishment might be. As a result she needed to establish her dominant position in controlling the discussion.


    ¡°So what is to become of me then?¡± Nessera asked quickly giving up her futile attempt.


    ¡°That is a good question. I¡¯m pretty sure this whole thing is also an evaluation for me, so your punishment is most likely up to me as well. Especially since I¡¯m also the one who you claimed to be the father of the non-existent child.¡± Dee pursed her lips in thought.


    Suddenly a hunch and some ideas came to her. She hid her hands from any observers and made a few particular signals with her fingers. Those that had dealings with the underworld of the Pantheon were aware of the signals. Signals like these allowed the criminals to do their business in plain sight of those that wanted to catch them. Even their customers were only aware of the most basic signals. Dee showing these signs to Nessera was a sort of test.


    Unknown to Dee her signals also carried another meaning. The criminals and shady people of Pantheon used similar signals to each other, but they used them in very different ways. A cutpurse¡¯s signals could be understood by an information broker or a bookie, but their signals were not the same. One could think of the differences almost like having a regional dialect when speaking. Dee was aware of these differences and knew they could help to identify the nature of the one signaling and knew her signals scared the lesser criminals. No one had bothered to explain the exact reason to her and it wasn¡¯t something you could just ask about. It worked and that was enough for Dee for now.


    What Dee wasn¡¯t aware of was just how domineering her signals were. She had been taught by Lord Malik at the specific instruction of the leader of Zabaniya. The leader of Zabaniya had those particular signals taught to her with her future in mind as a potential sharpest weapon of the assassins. The Zabaniya¡¯s signals were already extremely domineering as they were the best assassins around, and the signals taught to Dee were even more so. Of course the signals didn¡¯t specify her exact position, as advertising that to every criminal was foolish. However, she did give the signals of someone holding the lives of everyone in her hands.


    While Dee was unaware of the exact emphasis behind her signals, Nessera was not. She wasn¡¯t a stranger to making deals with various people of ill repute. Such people were often in the need of the talents of a mage, especially one that could influence the minds of people. She was quite used to the extra income she gained from such work, which is why she now had trouble keeping up her lavish lifestyle due to her work being scarce. So she recognized the authority behind Dee¡¯s signals and her eyes widened in shock.


    What was one of the dealers of death doing among the templar? She didn¡¯t doubt for a second that Dee was what the signals claimed her to be. There was an air of death around the girl that she had not noted before. What she had noted was the cat like grace the girl moved with while she entered the room, as well as several hidden weapons around her person. And the girl was strong! She had not really paid attention to it as there were lots of strong people in the Radiant Sun headquarters, but one so young? No wonder the girl was ranked first among the recruits. And she had tried to scam the order using the girl¡¯s name?


    Nessera gave a small shudder while giving the acquiescing signals that indicated her agreement and submission. At worst she had thought she would get a slap on the wrist for this, not get her head chopped of by an assassin. Better to submit than end up dead in a ditch somewhere.


    Dee on the other hand was quite satisfied. She needed information. The succubus had the smell of a demon that had seen the hells in person. Despite her appearance, succubi stayed eternally young after all, she was also old enough to have lived before the start of the Holy Purge. That didn¡¯t make the succubus old exactly, just a fair bit older than Dee herself. Even if the woman turned out to be useless when it came to matters of Pantheon, at least she could provide information of the hells and the purge and by extension the angels. Her revenge might still be far away but that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t start gathering information already. And who knows? A succubus underling might turn out to be useful.


    ¡°Well seeing as there has been no real damage done even to my reputation, we don¡¯t need to be too harsh with the punishment. However, it would set a bad example if we didn¡¯t punish you at all for trying to dupe the order. Let¡¯s fit the punishment to the crime. I think a real proper spanking should do it.¡± Dee grinned while she voiced her thoughts.


    She noted the slight flaring of Nessera¡¯s nostril as she said the word spanking. It seems her hunch had been correct. Figures a succubus would enjoy a punishment like that. Dee exited the room briefly to discuss the punishment with the commander, who happened to find the punishment just as amusing as the situation in general. Getting her approval was rather easy. She had to observe the punishment though to make sure Dee had the required nature to administer such punishments. Luthana wasn¡¯t really worried about Dee in particular, but some people got squeamish when it came to punishing pretty girls. A cold blooded killer on the battlefield might be unable to do it when it came time to punish a pretty girl, which led to holding back. Inflicting harm on a person who isn¡¯t able to resist is quite different from fighting for your life after all.


    They decided the punishment didn¡¯t need to be public though, considering the circumstances. Thus Dee returned to the room to administer said punishment. ¡°Well then, we can get to it immediately. Robe off and hold on to the table. You are free to scream as the only people close enough to hear are me and the commander making sure the punishment is carried out properly.¡±


    It didn¡¯t come as a surprise that the undergarments worn by a succubus were rather skimpy. Normally mages wore something besides their undies under the robes as well, but not this mage of course. Her bra barely covered anything and the panties were non-existent. It was the first time Dee actually saw anything quite like this, as luxurious underwear like this was fairly rare unless one worked in a business that called for such things. Nessera herself was glad that she¡¯d left her usual garter getup home this time. She had been portraying the role of grieving girlfriend after all.


    Dee had to give a slight sigh of admiration as the succubus bent over the table. It was certainly true that succubi could charm even members of their own sex and their bodies were built for it. She was starting to understand why people seemed so fond of looking at her own rear as it was quite similar to the one presented to her for punishment, minus the slight fur of course.


    The whole room echoed as Dee¡¯s hand slapped on the soft flesh. ¡®There¡¯s another difference. She¡¯s a lot softer. Hasn¡¯t been training relentlessly, unlike some other people. Feels kinda nice though.¡¯ Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure where the last thought had come from. The second slap sounded in the room. She was taking her time with each hit.


    The third slap elicited a gasp from Nessera. The succubus might have tried to hide her enjoyment but no one would confuse that gasp to one made from pain. Dee decided she needed put a bit more force behind her strikes. The result wasn¡¯t quite what she hoped it would be. The next strike caused Nessera to buck her back in a wave-like motion. That inadvertently caused Dee¡¯s hand to move on the soft flesh in an almost caressing fashion, which they both quite enjoyed.


    Dee noted an interesting smell wafting in the room that she didn¡¯t recognize. Not consciously at least, but it did spur her unconsciously to increase her aggression. Her next strike drew a little bit of blood as her claw nicked the soft flesh. Nessera on the other hand couldn¡¯t stop from giving a moan that was clearly full of pleasure. She found pleasure not just in the pain but from the dominance of the one punishing her. That happened to be one her biggest triggers, which was now hit by Dee¡¯s actions as well as her power over her. She also remembered that slight unexplained instinct of submission that had hit her as soon as she saw the girl.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The next twenty minutes held one of the most severe spankings ever given inside the order facility, and was also one of the least punishing punishments ever given. Nessera was panting on the floor, blood trickling from numerous very superficial wounds, but feeling extremely satisfied. That had been one of the best spankings she¡¯d ever received. Too bad there was no escalation of festivities following right after.


    As Dee exited the room she found Commander Luthana having a coughing fit from laughing too much. ¡°You seem to be enjoying yourself.¡±


    That brought another fit of giggles as the commander replied. ¡°You¡¯re one to speak! That can¡¯t be called a real punishment, that was¡­I¡¯m not even sure I can call it foreplay anymore. You two certainly enjoyed yourselves, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of the punishment. The whole hallway stinks of sex!¡±


    ¡®Ah, so that¡¯s what the smell was.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. She noted that her hand was moist down to her forearm and not from blood, although her claws did have a bit of that as well. The commander was right. She HAD enjoyed herself, and quite a bit at that. She idly wondered what part of the whole process had been the most enjoyable. The feel of the soft flesh was certainly nice. Dee also had to admit that the position of dominance and the process of causing pain and pleasure at the same time had also been major factors.


    ¡°You might want to head to a shower before you go anywhere else. Everyone who comes within five mel of you will notice the smell. I¡¯ll deal with her.¡± The commander urged with another chuckle.


    -----


    Dee had just come out of the showers and was changing clothes as a messenger came to get her. The message was to report at the designated place with ¡®every item she didn¡¯t want to lose¡¯. That was odd enough but the designated place was a caf¨¦ outside the headquarters and fairly close to the teleportation gates. That was highly suspicious.


    The packing part was easy as Dee already kept all her possessions inside Croestia¡¯s storage space. This was messing up her plans though, as she had been planning on having a discussion with the succubus later on, and now it seemed she was going somewhere far away for a fairly long time. Why else would she be ordered to take along her important items? Obviously she wasn¡¯t going to be coming back for a while.


    She¡¯d had a long day already but it seemed to be getting longer. She hadn¡¯t had much time to rest during her little game of cat and mouse with the elven army, so even her formidable stamina was running low. She had actually been looking forward to having a proper rest after reporting in, but now it seemed that wasn¡¯t in the cards just yet.


    Dee¡¯s eye twitched a little as she noted Nessera¡¯s figure sitting gingerly at a table of the caf¨¦ where she was supposed to report to. It was fairly obvious though that she wasn¡¯t the one who asked Dee to come there, and neither was Commander Luthana who was also sitting at the same table wearing a serious expression. What really drew the eye was the third person sitting at the table.


    The man drew the eye of everyone in the surroundings, yet at the same time everyone was trying to avoid looking at him. Dee would describe him as extremely handsome in the pretty boy kind of way that was often seen in elves and other similar races. His features were sharp, unblemished and perfectly symmetrical, and his golden blond hair was at medium length with its wavy form pulled back in a fairly clean and simple style. The pair of fairly impressive antlers reminiscent of the serpentine dragons on his head made it obvious that this was no elf. His attractiveness was obvious and was the reason he drew looks from those around him.


    What made people avert their eyes was the obvious aura of power that radiated from him. Dee had very little experience dealing with immortals, but just the aura of this person made it obvious she was seeing one right now. Another thing that confused Dee was that she couldn¡¯t see the flow of power inside the man. She was so used to her ability that she was a little lost without it. She was more used to recognizing people¡¯s races by that power rather than their appearance, since the appearance could lie. As such she had no idea what race this man was a part of.


    The man gestured for Dee to take the seat opposite him. Luthana and Nessera where on her sides around the small round table, and a drink and a pastry had already been ordered and placed in front of her seat. Dee noted idly that both where among her favorites, hot chocolate and a pastry filled with chieberries. She wasn¡¯t sure she was all that happy that someone knew her tastes so well.


    The man made another gesture to urge Commander Luthana to speak. ¡°Recruit Haydee, your training period within the headquarters has come to an end. As the first ranked recruit normally at this point we¡¯d allow you to pick your assignment and perhaps even present you with those willing to take you under their wing. However that has already been decided for you. From what I hear you had already expressed your agreement with the plan before the tests, so this shouldn¡¯t be too much of a shock. Effective immediately you are assigned to the scout unit of the order, specifically under the tutelage of the Blade Razark di Ashiesha.¡± Luthana then looked at the man sitting next to her.


    The man looked at Dee. ¡°Your tutelage starts immediately. Normally there should¡¯ve been another mission for you to perform before I took you in, but the circumstances won¡¯t allow it. You see, the location where we will start your¡­education is a little special and access to the place is limited. I¡¯m aware you were planning on acquiring certain information from this lady over here.¡± The man gestured towards Nessera. ¡°So we will be taking her along. We wouldn¡¯t want you distracted and she has graciously agreed to our terms.¡±


    Dee noted that the succubus gave a small shiver, not from pleasure this time, and knew she had not actually been given a choice. She was still getting something out of this as she didn¡¯t seem completely unwilling.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready to go then.¡± Dee replied. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Dee asked as they got up and started moving towards the portals.


    ¡°Time for the first lesson I suppose. Your abilities of detection are wonderful, however your range is woefully inadequate. Me and my subordinates have taken turns to keep an eye on you for months, long before your visit home to see your¡­shall we say stepsister. In this time we have noted several problems. The problems are mostly the result of your previous training that was, from what I hear, rather brutally beaten into you. That has formed your character and behavior so far. There are many good things about both, especially your stealth abilities, but there are several bad things as well. These bad habits and behaviors need to be unlearned.¡± The man¡¯s voice was firm but almost gentle. It also had hints of a life lived with hardship.


    ¡°Uh, what sort of things and unlearned how?¡± Dee asked warily.


    ¡°The biggest problem you have is that you hold yourself back in many ways to hide your abilities. This can be good in places since you shouldn¡¯t advertise your abilities to everyone, but it has also limited and stunted your growth. You¡¯ve taken the secrecy to such extremes that now it¡¯s doing more harm than good. You haven¡¯t properly trained and aren¡¯t properly utilizing many of your strengths just because you want to keep those abilities a secret in battle.


    ¡°For example, you¡¯re not using your second pair of arms properly because you¡¯d rather use them to surprise your opponent. You¡¯re throwing away something that would be an advantage in ninety-nine fights out of a hundred in order to gain a surprise win in one battle out of hundred. You¡¯ll most likely crush your enemy in that one fight, but even in that one fight those arms would be an advantage even if they were not a surprise, just a slightly smaller advantage. That is not worth throwing away the advantage in all the other fights.¡± The man explained.


    They stepped through the portal at the same time Razark finished his explanation. The first thing Dee noticed about the new location was the thin air she was breathing in. They were at a very high altitude. Extremely high considering even she was affected. Her lungs had been modified by the assassins after all. This was the first time she had such trouble with her breathing. Nessera had already slumped on the ground gasping for breath. The man seemed wholly unaffected which didn¡¯t surprise Dee at all for some reason.


    Second thing Dee noticed was that they were fairly close to the edge of something that looked like a cliff. She moved slightly closer to the edge and noticed the clouds far below of their current position. ¡®Well I guess that proves the altitude thing.¡¯ She thought while noting a set of seemingly endless stone stairs disappearing into the mist of the cloud cover. She turned and looked around her in more detail, and noted that the mountain they were standing on had a weird curvature to it. They seemed to be near the top of the mountain but the mountain itself carried on endlessly in both directions. This was a big mountain, bigger than anything she had seen so far, with the possible exception of the walls separating the circles within the two cities.


    Once the succubus had managed enough air in her lungs to move, the trio went up the stone stairs towards the peak of the mountain. Once they reached the top understanding finally dawned on Dee. They weren¡¯t really on the top of a mountain, instead they were at the edge of the caldera of an enormous dormant volcano. The reason the walls earlier seemed endless was because the edge of the volcano disappeared over the horizon in both directions showing just how enormous the caldera and the volcano itself were.


    The caldera itself showed that this particular volcano had not erupted in ages, as there was endless greenery growing within, and there were even signs of animals here and there as well as several lakes. There were also several tilled fields that apparently supplied the temple that was near the trio on the inner edge of the caldera. The temples seemed fairly simple and austere with little to no decorations, but there were several stone stages and what could only be described as training grounds nearby. The training grounds seemed to have several individuals moving through forms in unison. The temple itself was made of several pagodas surrounding a central shrine with several stone lanterns lining the paths.


    The next thing Dee noted was the sky. It was already getting dark, which by itself hinted that they were not in Day city anymore. The suns didn¡¯t really set during the summer of the Day city. This was reinforced by the location of the suns visible near the horizon. However, this didn¡¯t seem to be in the Night city either as several suns were still visible simultaneously. Were they in the great wilderness between the cities? That seemed strange.


    Suddenly something occurred to Dee. ¡°I noticed that you didn¡¯t answer my second question. How would you go about making me unlearn the things you mentioned?¡± Something like what the man had talked about was already ingrained in Dee.


    The man gave a slight smile. ¡°Took you long enough to notice. Something that has taken time and severe beatings to learn can only be unlearned the same way. Here you will be broken down until you can be rebuilt with the bad habits gone, or at least modified. Oh, just in case you were planning on escaping, there¡¯s a reason why we had to come here right now. This place is protected by extremely powerful wards, and they only open once a year. There¡¯s no way to use the portals to come here during this time, and I would not recommend trying to run either. You probably already noticed that we are surrounded by the great wilderness. And that¡¯s assuming you would get down the mountain in the first place. The only people who can leave are immortals and those with special means.¡±


    Dee had a bad feeling about this.


    The man continued. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to dedicate for making sure you unlearn all the bad habits you need to unlearn, and that task will be rather repetitive anyway, so I brought you to someone I know will do it for me. Someone who absolutely hates such untapped potential going to waste. The person who trained me in fact. He loves training people with great potential, and he¡¯ll simply adore you. I doubt the feeling will be mutual. You¡¯ll also get to meet one of your old friends as well.¡±


    Dee had a very bad feeling about this.

 Chapter 62

    Razark led Dee and Nessera towards the side of the temple where a dozen people of various races where going through moves in unison. To Dee the process seemed odd, as it seemed like something committed to rote memory. She also noted some inefficiency in the movements that was not just the result of students being unable to perform the moves correctly. In fact it was fairly clear none of the people going through the movements could be considered as mere students as they moved with fluid grace and held a fair bit of power within them. She decided there must be some other reason the movements were not optimal.


    Razark only gave the people a quick glance before moving towards a man standing near the edge of the stone platform the people were practicing on. The man looked like a member of the same race as Razark with the same sharp, almost elfin features combined with antlers and a darker skin tone. There were also differences. Where Razark¡¯s antlers where more sizeable and split off in multiple directions like branches from a tree, this man¡¯s antlers were closer to horns with a simple pair pointing upwards and back a bit. The man was also significantly older with a graying hair and beard both cut short. Those were the only signs of aging on the man though, as clearly proven by his muscled body displayed for all to see due to his lack of a shirt.


    The man was also covered in tattoos from neck downwards. Some of them seemed like runes and magical patterns, while some seemed almost tribal, although they seemed to be running along the major veins and arteries. Unlike with Razark, Dee could see the power flow inside this man and it clearly showed the man was very powerful. Yet somehow even he seemed to be able to hide something as Dee couldn¡¯t tell exactly how powerful he was. Stronger than her certainly. She was almost sure Razark and the man were of the same race, but couldn¡¯t be sure as she couldn¡¯t see inside Razark to confirm.


    ¡°Teacher.¡± Razark greeted the man simply, but with some warmth in his voice.


    ¡°Idiot disciple. This the one you were talking about?¡± The man asked in reply. He had been half-heartedly paying attention to the people training, but was now scrutinizing Dee instead. He slowly eyed Dee up and down. He didn¡¯t have any of the usual emotions Dee had seen exhibited by other men in his eyes, only curiosity.


    ¡°She¡¯s the one.¡± Razark drew some notes from a satchel by his side. ¡°These are the latest reports on her. The good and the bad, along with the areas that most require improvement.¡± The two were talking as if Dee¡¯s presence didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look, though I prefer to make my own judgement. I still need to check if she has the kind of potential you suggested. I tire of those with half-assed talent. The last pupil that really challenged my abilities was you, and look at what you became. A dog of the self-righteous order. If she can¡¯t at least match your talent then I can¡¯t be bothered.¡± The old man¡¯s tone implied that he was slightly kidding, though not completely.


    Razark smiled. He had paid attention to Dee for months now and had studied her history in detail. He was quite clear about her talent and wasn¡¯t worried. Normally the only problem would be whether she would be able to make it through the training, but she had already gone through something similar. It was like a match made in heaven. By the end the old man would be begging to continue helping with the girl¡¯s training. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.¡± He said.


    The man stopped the training on the stage and cleared it. He also called Dee up and pointed her to take a position on the other side of the stage opposite of him. ¡°You better give me everything you got. Otherwise this will be really painful for you. Use everything you have. This will be painful anyway, but it will be even more so the more you hold back.¡±


    Dee gathered her strength and signaled the man to start. The man¡¯s form blurred. On instinct Dee protected her head with her arms, barely managing to move before the pain hit. The man¡¯s fist impacted on Dee¡¯s forearm with a sickening crunch. Her arm was bent all wrong in the middle, clearly broken. The others gathered at the side of the stage winced in pain.


    A normal person might have been incapacitated by the pain, but Dee was unfortunately quite used to such things. She might not have felt quite such pain in a long while, but her ability to ignore it wasn¡¯t something easily forgotten. She also ignored the damage, relying on her regenerative abilities before slashing at the man with the dark saber that suddenly materialized in her other hand. The man was long gone though. On a pure hunch Dee materialized her lavender wing to protect her back while slashing behind her wildly with the black wing.


    The black wing missed completely while the lavender wing took a clear hit from another punch. The wing managed to withstand the impact, though she was thrown away by the force of the strike. She also felt that the wing couldn¡¯t take too many more attacks like that. The worst part was that she had not felt any power, ki, mana or otherwise in the attack. It had been made with pure physical strength.


    Before Dee managed to get her bearings, the man kicked her squarely in the stomach with full strength, taking all her breath away and sending her flying again. She blindly threw several psionic blades in all directions around her, hoping to at least delay the man. That failed miserably, though she managed to soften the next blow to her side by running her power through her fur, turning it into the equivalent of armor. It didn¡¯t make much of a difference, but it helped a bit and a bit could go a long way in situations like these.


    The next blow didn¡¯t come immediately, a small breather which allowed Dee to try and counterattack with a priest spell trying to drain the life of her target. She guessed that with the extra help from Death¡¯s blessing the spell might offer some chance to hurt her opponent. Her hopes were dashed though as a wave of ki suddenly went out from the standing man shattering the spell she had used.


    ¡°Come on. You can do better than this. I heard something about a possible draconic heritage. I said you should go all out and not hold back.¡± The man taunted. Secretly he slightly sweated at the death spell the girl had so casually used. Against someone less proficient with countering spells it would¡¯ve proven extremely lethal.


    Dee decided to oblige and an ethereal form of a dragon¡¯s palm appeared above her. With a motion Dee sent the palm to claw at the man. The man looked at the apparition with a slight frown, before placing his right hand, palm open towards Dee, on his left arm, which was crossed over his chest. A palm made up of blood red energy appeared in front of him and was sent surging towards the approaching ethereal attack.


    The two collided creating a blast of energy that broke the stage between the two and sent any lose bits of stone and debris flying away from the stage before they hit a shield of some kind protecting the area. The dragon claws proceeded forward after destroying the ki palm, but it was clear most of the power was gone. Dee tried to channel more power into the claws and somewhat succeeded. Not that it helped.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°It¡¯s useless if the attack doesn¡¯t hit.¡± Came the voice of the man from behind Dee, before another kick hit Dee¡¯s ribs, cracking several.


    Over the next twenty minutes Dee was treated like a ragdoll as she was thrown about with hundreds upon hundreds of strikes while her own attacks remained wholly ineffective. Just before losing consciousness she felt something shift inside her. She wasn¡¯t sure what, but she was able to barely see the next punch the man launched at her before it hit. She was unable to do anything to defend herself, but she saw the attack which was improvement of a kind. Then the world went dark.


    -----


    Razark watched as his teachers punch hit Dee straight on her left temple. The force of the blow sent the girl flying several mel in the air before she crashed on the ground. She¡¯d done much better than Razark had assumed. She had shown the weaknesses he had seen before, but she¡¯d still hung in there much longer than he had assumed.


    Razark got a shock when the girl picked herself from the ground almost without delay. Surely that hit had knocked her out? Then Razark saw the blood red glow in the girl¡¯s eyes. ¡®Ah, she¡¯s going berserk. This might be a problem.¡¯


    It had been a while since the werewolf side of Dee had gotten out. The form had melted together with her fox form, and she had managed rein in that destructive rage that came with her Beowulf heritage. Now she had relied heavily on her regeneration and lost her consciousness at the same time as she was filled with anger and the will to do battle. The feral instincts simply took over, even if her form stayed largely the same. The only changes were the lengthening of her claws and slight growth in her fur.


    The old man frowned, also noticing the change in her eyes. Then Dee simply disappeared, before appearing right next to the man. She drove her extended claws filled with psionic power straight towards the gap between the man¡¯s ribs, aiming for the heart. The man managed to parry the strike to the side with his forearm. ¡®Did she warp here?!¡¯ The man thought to himself in surprise.


    However, whatever had given Dee the ability to move so quickly had either run out or not been in her control in the first place as she didn¡¯t repeat the movement. The man quickly gathered himself and struck Dee on the other temple, somehow missing slightly as Dee moved her head ever so slightly to dodge. Instead of a clean tap on the temple, the hit ended up as a full strike on the skull instead, eliciting another crack and fully knocking her out this time. He was tempted to follow up with another attack just to be sure this time, but a sudden sense of danger flushed over him. It seemed to suggest that going too far would not be tolerated.


    ¡°Eh, idiot disciple. You might want to use your healing skills a bit. She has great regeneration, but we might not want to wait for days for her skull fracture to heal.¡± The man requested a little ashamed of his miss, while also looking around searching for the source of the feeling he¡¯d just had.


    ¡°So how was she?¡± Razark asked with a grin while healing Dee.


    ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s only a class six psion?¡± The old man asked.


    ¡°Quite sure.¡± Razark replied. ¡°That bit at the end was new though. Why?¡±


    The old man rubbed both his forearm and the fist he had used to crack the girl¡¯s skull. ¡°What are her bones made of then? I¡¯m pretty sure her head fractured one of my knuckles and her little attack at the end actually cracked my forearm. Not badly mind you and I was barely using my ki, but still.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Razark was equally surprised. His teacher trained in an art that enhanced his body beyond all limits and the tattoos on his skin only furthered the effect. Anyone would have trouble doing real damage to the man, doubly so for someone so much weaker than him. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion otherwise?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when she wakes. She needs to hear this as well. It would be great though if she could repeat what she did at the end without losing her sanity.¡± The man said simply.


    ------


    Dee blinked her eyes as her consciousness returned. Considering the damage she had taken, she was feeling surprisingly good and energetic. The hunger was back due to her use of that draconic whatever power, but it wasn¡¯t overbearing. Just return to business as usual. ¡®Well that pleasure of being full didn¡¯t last long.¡¯


    ¡°A little over six hours to full recovery. We¡¯ll need to improve on that too. Well¡­that¡¯s probably something that will improve naturally as you continue getting your ass kicked.¡± The old man¡¯s voice brought Dee out of her thoughts.


    She rose to a sitting position, noticing that she was still on the practice field, which had somehow repaired itself during her time being unconscious. The others besides Razark and the old man were gone, while the two men were sitting a few mel away from her. ¡°So that could¡¯ve gone better.¡± Dee said casually.


    The old man scoffed. ¡°It bloody well could have, but you didn¡¯t do too bad. I should rephrase that. You performed like shit, but you have potential. Potential is not something that can be found just anywhere and you¡¯re here specifically to improve your performance. So it works. And so will you.¡±


    ¡°So you will do what I asked?¡± Razark asked just to confirm. He¡¯d known the old man wouldn¡¯t be able to resist.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it. Speaking of, we might as well start.¡± The man turned to Dee again. ¡°You didn¡¯t do as you were told. You didn¡¯t use everything you have. I¡¯m not sure it would¡¯ve made a difference if you had, but you should¡¯ve at least tried.¡±


    Dee was about to protest before being interrupted by the old man. ¡°No, no, don¡¯t give me any crap about trying. You didn¡¯t use that angel form of yours, which I¡¯ve heard improves your psionics greatly. You didn¡¯t use the fox form either, which I hear is stronger and faster. You didn¡¯t cast a single buffing spell on yourself. You¡¯re supposed to be a holy warrior in training, yet you didn¡¯t use any of the benefits of being one. Yeah you used that death magic thingy, but that¡¯s only a fraction of what you can do.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t really give me all that much time in the middle of that fight to buff myself.¡± Dee protested.


    ¡°Did I or didn¡¯t I wait to start attacking until you gave the signal? I did. It¡¯s not my fault you didn¡¯t take it seriously enough. Besides, if you¡¯re unable to cast them mid battle, then that¡¯s something we need to improve. A real enemy won¡¯t wait for you to be ready, as you damn well should know with your past! You need to be able to cast them quickly in the middle of the fight.


    ¡°You also didn¡¯t use your other pair of arms. My idiot disciple already mentioned it but I didn¡¯t believe him. I officially name you dummy disciple until you learn to use them. I might call you dummy disciple after that anyway just because of your stupidity. I noted that you have some unarmed combat training, and while that fight wasn¡¯t a fair measure, it also became clear that your training there is woefully inadequate. You¡¯re too used to ending your fights quickly, striking from the shadows and going for a quick takedown. The skill to do so is really great, but the habit of being dependent on that advantage is not. There are other problems but they are less important for now. You need to be able to fight me properly for me to take note of those smaller issues. I already detected some improvement, so there¡¯s hope.¡± The old man finished.


    ¡°The weapon.¡± Razark prompted from the side.


    ¡°Oh right.¡± The old man suddenly remembered. ¡°One handed sword is clearly the wrong weapon for you. The idiot disciple told me about your desire to learn the control and flow style and that suits you from what I hear, but that is not the only consideration you need to have. You are clearly much stronger than anyone of your rank should be physically. I expect that difference to only grow as your power does. You need to take advantage of that. One handed swords do not. I was also told that you first picked the weapon because you needed to learn the order¡¯s way of fighting. Well you need to unlearn that. Fuck the order. You need to do what is good for you, not what is good for some imaginary group you might or might not join in the future. You will be a scout, not a rank and file templar.¡±


    ¡°Uh so what¡¯s next?¡± Dee asked apprehensively.


    ¡°Now I will kick your ass again and continue to do so until you learn from the experience. I will keep pointing out your mistakes as well, so don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll always know what¡¯s wrong; it¡¯s simply up to you to do something about it.¡± The old man said with a feral grin. He¡¯ll quite enjoy having a student that would not be easily broken.


    Razark got up. ¡°On that note, I will take my leave. I assume this bit will take several weeks, and you won¡¯t be able to move to the main part for some time after this is done. I¡¯ll be back in two months.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said you couldn¡¯t leave.¡± Dee pointed out somewhat accusingly.


    ¡°No I said you couldn¡¯t leave, not that no one could leave. Immortals can leave just fine.¡± Razark said with a grin. He knew what was coming for Dee as he¡¯d gone through the training long time ago as well. He had still been trying to get over the loss of Lilly, and the physical pain he had felt had for a short moment taken the emotional pain away.


    Dee looked at the old man. ¡°Can I at least know the name of my torturer?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Not until you¡¯ve earned it. I will tell you my name once you are worthy enough to hear it. Incidentally idiot disciple still isn¡¯t worthy so he just calls me teacher. Hop to it dummy disciple, we haven¡¯t got all day. No wait, I lied. We do have all day. In fact we¡¯ve got nothing but time, so better enjoy it!¡± The old man¡¯s laughter echoed across the field.


    Dee had an extremely bad feeling about this.

 Chapter 63

    Dee stood with her eyes closed and with one of her toes barely touching the statue below her. The toe was not keeping her up; instead it was there simply to keep her in contact with the stone beneath her. Despite her being in her full angel form with her wings spread around her, it wasn¡¯t the power of flight that kept her afloat. It was her telekinetic power which held both her and the eight mel tall statue below her toe in the air. The statue wasn¡¯t touching the ground either and neither were the eighty other similar statues around her.


    This was a training drill to improve her control over and strength of her telekinetic powers. Neither Dee nor the statue she was hovering above were that high in the air, but that wasn¡¯t the main point of the exercise. The eighty other statues moved around in complex patterns that brought them into constant danger of crashing into each other. Dee had to maintain a constant vigilance over all of the large and extremely heavy statues to prevent them from crashing, while at the same time holding herself and the statue below her in a state of careful balance. If one looked carefully you could see that the statue below her might not have been touching the ground but it was touching the fragile shell of an egg below it instead. Even the slightest movement by the statue would crush the egg.


    One of the hardest parts about telekinesis was moving yourself and objects you were in contact with. There were several reasons why that was the case but one of the main ones was that every time you moved something with telekinesis, you moved them in relation to yourself. It wasn¡¯t something done consciously, simply something that happened without thinking. Moving yourself equaled moving the anchor point, which was much more difficult. As a result, if you made the slightest movement yourself, the object you were touching would move as well unless your control was perfect. With the multiple simultaneous tasks Dee was performing she also had to have the ability to focus on several things at once. All of the tasks were also the type that would fail with even the slightest loss of focus.


    Razark had told Dee that an old friend would be waiting for her when they left for her current training place. She had been surprised when she had seen Moirai, but it made sense in retrospect. If Dee was supposed to be trained in using the advantages of her angel form, then of course they would need someone to help her with her psionics. Moirai was the logical choice since she was already Dee¡¯s master in that field. Thus Razark had struck a deal with the Four Winds Alliance for the use of her expertise and time. The Four Winds were all too happy to comply since Dee was supposed to become a member in their community at some point anyway, so they were in effect getting paid to train one of their own.


    Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the details of the deal, but Moirai had mentioned something about a dual membership in both the Radiant Sun and the Four Winds, so that whenever Dee wasn¡¯t performing missions for the Radiant Sun, the Four Winds were free to utilize her services. That was a good deal for the Four Winds considering there was no firm end limit on Dee¡¯s service as a Templar and she was something of a special case anyway since her membership in the order wasn¡¯t entirely voluntary. Moirai had also spoken to the higher ups of her community, mentioning that it was highly likely that Dee would sooner or later join the ranks of the true elite of this world, the immortals.


    Moirai was rather proudly watching over her disciple¡¯s progress. Dee¡¯s angel form really did make things so much easier. Before, Dee¡¯s control over her powers had been rudimentary and forced at best, while now her control was nearing perfection. There was still work to be done in other areas but this made things much easier. Learning new techniques became much simpler when you didn¡¯t have to wrestle with your own powers all the time. Dee also looked almost divine with her powers on full display and the large halo shining behind her head. The almost unnatural calmness Dee exhibited only enhanced the picture.


    Calmness was one of the things Dee had gained during these last ten months. Dee had never been easily excited or a dramatic person prone to making a scene, but now there was a certain inner calm about her that had not been there before. One of the lessons the old man had given early on had been that Dee thought too much, both in battle and outside of it. She was always making plans and evaluating all possibilities. That wasn¡¯t a bad quality, but it sometimes slowed her reactions especially in battle.


    To quote the old man. ¡°You can see the flow of power in people and know what they will do sometimes before even they themselves do it. This allows you to both predict their actions and move before they make them. However, you process all of this information on the spot. Even if you¡¯re a psion, that¡¯s not something that happens in an instant. Use that big brain of yours. Make the plans, consider all the scenarios and have your counters and reactions ready, but do it outside the battle. In battle you should already know your best available response for every move the enemy can make and just react accordingly.


    ¡°Normally this would take experience and countless battles, but you¡¯re a psion. Run the battles as simulations in your head. Fight every battle in your mind a thousand, ten thousand or a million times to come up with the best responses. Do it until the responses are ingrained in you. That way you¡¯ll do the thinking before the battle and the battle itself is just reacting appropriately by using the plans you¡¯ve already made. Even if the enemy does something unexpected, have a response prepared so you don¡¯t have to think of one on the spot. It might not be the optimal response every time, but an instantly executed mediocre response might bring about a better result than a perfect response executed too late.


    This philosophy brought Dee inner peace outside of combat as well. When you had a plan prepared and a path mapped even in the case of unexpected, you spent less time worrying. Her developing skills and control also brought a new level of confidence. Even though she had not been under the command of the assassins for years, she was still suffering from a mentality of a follower instead of a leader. She would not admit this to others but she felt safer and more confident when following the commands of others. This was slowly changing as her power and confidence grew.


    There was another change in her that was part of this developing change in attitude. Dee had always had trouble shaking the thinking of an assassin. One of the qualities of a proper assassin was the habit of holding back and avoiding attention. Now she was less prone to such action. Among the most visible signs of this was that she no longer hid her second pair of hands. She also no longer drew into the shadows and wasn¡¯t always hiding her presence. She still didn¡¯t feel like she wanted to draw attention to herself, but she didn¡¯t feel the need to avoid it all the time anymore either.


    That wasn¡¯t to say she had forsaken her old ways completely. Those abilities had served her well and were one of her strengths. She could still remain unseen and make others ignore her. In fact she had only grown better at it, since her control over the shadows had improved. Those abilities and that kind of thinking simply didn¡¯t dominate her anymore. They were now one tool in her toolbox instead of being the one tool used in every situation. Of course her nature would not change completely in such a short time. She still preferred a stealthy approach, even if it wasn¡¯t the default response in every situation.


    Moirai looked around her as she noticed Dee setting the statues back on the ground. It was not yet time to end the exercise, so there had to be a reason why she was stopping early. Dee¡¯s senses were better than Moirai¡¯s so she guessed the reason was someone approaching them, which turned out to be the case. The old man was coming towards them, walking up the steps leading to the building shared by Dee and Moirai. The two were housed together as Dee could still use her mind while recuperating from the latest beating she had received.


    Luckily the beatings had become a lot less common in the last month or so. It wasn¡¯t that Dee and the old man were fighting less often, it was that Dee could now hold her own against him instead. She still lost every once in a while as the old man kept ramping up the difficulty, but it wasn¡¯t a one sided slaughter anymore. The old man didn¡¯t even have to say anything before Dee hopped over them both, gliding towards the practice grounds they always used for their fights. It was time for the two to face off again. The old man gave a slight grin due to the ¡°eagerness¡± of his pupil.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    She wasn¡¯t so much eager as she was resigned and wanted to get to it. Dee positioned herself at her usual spot across from the old man, as he walked back the short distance down the stairs. There was no point in housing Dee too far from the practice field as most of her time was spent there anyway. The two didn¡¯t even say anything before the fight started. Dee¡¯s eyes flashed golden as the old man made the first move, and the world seemed to slow around her.


    This had started happening during the first fights the two had fought against each other. The world seemed to slow down, and Dee¡¯s thinking seemed to become faster. Not that she had time to waste on thinking, the old man might have slowed down in her eyes, but that didn¡¯t mean he actually became slow, simply slow enough to be seen. ¡®Just respond to what is thrown at you. The plan was already made a long ago.¡¯


    At first Dee had only been able to see slight blurs where the old man moved, but now she could observe even the minute movement of power inside his body to predict his moves. The more the two had fought the clearer his movements had become, and the better she was able to respond to them. At least in theory. At first it had done little to be able to see his movements, as she wasn¡¯t moving any faster herself, so she still couldn¡¯t stop the attacks. There was a difference though. Just knowing where the attacks were coming from allowed her to reduce the damage. So instead of being beaten and broken after their spars, she had only been beaten and battered. A small but important difference.


    The realization that the slowing of her surroundings was the result of the blessing of Lumen activating had helped her tremendously. The high priestess that had read her blessings had mentioned that the blessing was related to speed. ¡®Body and Mind of Light¡¯ the priestess had called it. That certainly seemed to be the case. With the realization had come the basic idea on how to improve. Once she knew it was the result of a blessing she had become better at utilizing it. In the last two months her movements had started to become faster as well, to the point of being able to match the old man.


    As with most things, this came with a catch. Once she moved utilizing the power of the blessing, her movements left behind small streams of light, and when the time seemed to slow down her eyes glowed a golden light. Body of Light indeed. That wasn¡¯t a big problem assuming she wasn¡¯t trying to hide, but if she was¡­well shining like a beacon didn¡¯t exactly help. Luckily this went well with her reduced reliance on her stealth abilities, but it was still something to keep in mind.


    The old man¡¯s strike whizzed by as she dodged. The strength of the blow was such that just the air displaced by the fist shattered some of the stone flooring. Even if she had become faster the old man was still stronger than her by a stupidly large margin. She had however become an expert in deflecting and redirecting the power in those blows. She herself landed several attacks on his body, but the old man¡¯s defense was nigh on impregnable as usual. Dee grunted in dissatisfaction. She had hoped that she could break that defense with just her fists by now, but no such luck.


    Dee¡¯s four hands were suddenly clad in black gauntlets with overlapping segments made of something that looked like solid darkness turned into metal. The segments had sharp edges and the fingers of the gauntlets were open enough to let her claws through. Even those claws were clad in what looked like dark energy. The dark saber she had used before was not the only weapon she could form thanks to Umbra¡¯s blessing. The dark gauntlets looked extremely dangerous and were even more dangerous than they looked. Even the old man had to be a little careful and avoid taking direct blows from them.


    He changed his style to avoiding and redirecting Dee¡¯s attacks, similar to what she was doing to him. Similar to him her missed strikes cleaved large gashes into the stone as if the gauntlets were giving off some weird energy. In fact it wasn''t really the gauntlets in this case, as Dee had learned to utilize her psionic power in her attacks, by trying to drive that power into her opponent¡¯s body. The power would wreak havoc inside them even if the blow was blocked on the surface. This was one of her own inventions and had not been taught to her by Moirai.


    The gauntlets were one of the two new weapons she had been learning to replace the saber. It allowed her physical strength to shine in a way much different to using the sharp edge of a sword. The gauntlets also fit her because of her extra hands. Her reach might have become shorter without a sword but that what her psionics were for. Besides, it was pretty hard to stop her from getting into range to use her fists when you considered her newfound speed.


    The gauntlets themselves were mostly there to allow her to block attacks from other weapons without hurting herself. It was actually rather depressing trying to penetrate her defenses with four hands all capable of blocking attacks from a normal weapon. Of course her ability to use the gauntlets was largely dependent on her unarmed combat ability. She¡¯d received training from the assassins, but they had always highlighted the ability to turn normal items into weapons instead. Unarmed assassin was a dead assassin.


    Dee still shivered when she thought about how the old man had decided to improve her unarmed combat abilities. Even though most of them were usually not gathered, the temple had thousands of students representing hundreds of styles of unarmed combat. The old man had gathered all of them one day on the largest open square in front of the temple.


    ¡°So am I supposed to pick which style to learn?¡± Dee had asked once they all started demonstrating their styles.


    ¡°Of course not dummy disciple. You¡¯re a psion. Learn them all.¡± He had commanded.


    ¡°What?!¡± Dee had asked shocked.


    ¡°For a psion you can be real slow sometimes. Well this is a test of sorts. I want to see what you can really do with that mind of yours. They will all show you the moves, stances, strikes and methods of their styles. Watch and memorize them.¡± The old man had ordered.


    ¡°How long do I have to do that?¡± Dee had asked with her eye twitching.


    ¡°Until they get tired or bored. If I were you, I¡¯d get to it. Some of them are not known for their patience.¡± The old man had left with a laugh.


    Dee had done her best to memorize everything she saw without giving any thought about performing the moves herself for now. As it happened, she had managed to memorize everything in the three day period before the others dispersed. The old man had known it would take some time to absorb what she had learned though, so he had set another job for her body while her mind worked.


    She was told to start running down the steps at the side of the mountain while she was going through her new memories. As a carrot the old man had promised her a day off for rest and relaxation for every trip back and forth to the edge of the shield protecting the mountain that she managed to complete in the next week. Dee had thought it sounded too good to be true. The old man also said that if he saw Dee flying even a centimel, then he¡¯d swat her down from the sky and she wouldn¡¯t enjoy the process.


    The edge of the shield had been at the bottom of the mountain, and it had taken Dee six days just to get down there, not to even mention the time it took to run back up the same way. She was told to repeat the process until she had finished absorbing the knowledge. It had taken her two months in total. The whole time was spent running up and down those accursed stairs. The only rest she got was every time she made it back up the mountain or when she collapsed from exhaustion during the run. By the end it took only two days for a full round trip utilizing her fox form. The increase in speed and stamina was obvious. She never did get any days off.


    Afterwards, the old man had forced her to fight the masters of each style using their own style of unarmed fighting. That was done just to check she had really absorbed the teachings. Afterwards the old man, now promoted to the title of ¡®the fucking old bastard¡¯ in Dee¡¯s mind, had sent Dee back running, this time with the assignment of combining the styles to form her own. She was supposed to take the best part of every style and discard the parts that were inefficient or overshadowed by the other styles.


    This part Dee enjoyed as it was the proper type of challenge for her mind and she had always thought the styles she had seen others use had seemed to be inefficient. That process had only taken a bit over two weeks and nine trips up and down the stairs, after which she had to test herself against the masters again. This time she had been using her own style. It had been a proper test in real combat. There had been some small flaws in her new style but they had been fixed soon after. Of course the old man had noted those flaws as well and had doled out proper beatings as punishment for those mistakes.


    She still couldn¡¯t call herself a master of unarmed combat but she was getting there. Apparently the old man had decided she would have to fight against masters of every weapon next and see how her style faired against armed opponents. It was all good and fine to successfully fight other unarmed opponents but it would be useless if Dee¡¯s new style didn¡¯t work against armed opponents. Those fights would also help her in making plans against users of those weapons in the future.


    Their current fight finally came to a head as Dee managed to sneak a full strength strike at the old man¡¯s stomach. The main point wasn¡¯t the damage from the strike however. Even with that strike she wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat him. Instead, it bought her the opportunity to utilize her real plan. How do you defeat someone whose very skin is like an impenetrable suit of armor that dampens all strikes? Dee¡¯s answer was grappling.


    She twisted around the old man, using her own hands to bind the old man¡¯s hands into a position that made it impossible to use any strength, while she herself had her knee against his spine as she pushed with all her strength and weight. The old man couldn¡¯t use his legs either because he was on the ground with his face against the ground. It¡¯s a wonder how little strength even the old man¡¯s legs had if he was wholly unable to utilize his waist.


    ¡°Now how about that.¡± Dee said with a wide smirk, confident in her first victory.


    The old man chuckled. ¡°Not bad. In theory that is. You¡¯re forgetting something.¡±


    ¡°Well don¡¯t keep me in suspense.¡± Dee said, preparing to counter anything the old man threw at her.


    ¡°Just like you can use pure psionic power to attack, I can use my ki as well. Just because I haven¡¯t done so thus far doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t have the ability. I just haven¡¯t had the need to get serious before.¡± The man said, just as a huge burst of ki radiated from the man in all directions, forcing Dee to let go and retreat.


    The old man flexed his shoulders a bit to make sure they functioned normally. Dee had twisted his hands quite hard. ¡°Well then. Time to start the real training.¡±


    Dee¡¯s voice echoed around the temple, her inner peace once again broken. ¡°Fuuuuuuuuuu-!¡±

 Chapter 64

    ¡±How¡¯s the situation back in the city.¡± The old man asked. He had given Dee a rare day off to rest. He and Razark were sitting around a small table drinking tee. They had decisions to make.


    Razark looked at the old man with some curiosity. Usually the old fart showed no interest in anything outside the temple. ¡°It feels like the calm before a big storm. The order is preparing for war, on which side I¡¯m not sure. The grandmaster is keeping his cards close to chest on this one. The empire is just about ready to blow up and the vultures are circling.¡±


    The old man mulled the news for a bit. ¡°I heard the grandmaster¡¯s family is big in Spring court. One would think they¡¯d side with the Seelie of Summer court.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making a lot of assumptions, many of which I¡¯m starting to doubt. I think there¡¯s more to this coming civil war than meets the eye.¡± Razark said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.


    Politics were not the old man¡¯s forte. ¡°Explain. From the outside it seems pretty clear to me. I¡¯m working on old information though.¡± Many of the order¡¯s scouts came here to train and in return kept the old man updated. Usually they didn¡¯t get much personal tutelage from the old man, but any training they did get was very effective for their growth.


    ¡°Well the first problem is that the Unseelie of the Winter court are fractured. The refusal of the heir apparent to take on the Authority has divided them. Many see it as selfishness on her part, especially when combined with her refusing the marriage. The Authority is not just about the power that comes with it, it¡¯s also a powerful symbol for the empire. That the heir is planning to throw that away sits badly with many. There are also those that want to take advantage of the situation by elevating one of their own daughters to the position.¡± Razark explained.


    ¡°If they are so divided, then why are the other courts having so much trouble? Shouldn¡¯t they be able to impose their will on the divided Winter court?¡± The old man asked.


    ¡°While the Winter court is divided internally, externally they are still showing a united front due to their joint agenda of changing the isolationist position of the empire. To top things off, many in Spring court are coming around to this position, and I¡¯m not entirely sure where the grandmaster¡¯s family falls in this. I¡¯m guessing he personally agrees with the Winter court considering his position, but that¡¯s just him.¡± Razark tapped his chin in thought. He didn¡¯t like acting using guesswork as a basis.


    ¡°And the Autumn court?¡± The old man prodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s another problem. Usually their military strength would weigh on things heavily, but they can¡¯t afford to get mired in internal trouble. That¡¯s where the vultures I mentioned before come in. The forces outside the empire are getting wise to the internal troubles and they¡¯re flexing their muscles. The Autumn court is fully prepared for war already. There¡¯s a catch though. If the external threats don¡¯t materialize, they will still be ready for war, and they will have a big advantage over the other courts. The Autumn court has always attracted the most warlike clans in the empire, so they are militarily the strongest. Only the Winter court could rival them, and they might decide not to if it seems armies are their best solution for resolving all this.¡± Razark knew that armies usually held only limited sway within the politics of the courts, as the courts didn¡¯t bow down to military might and there were other considerations. That was only true so long as the whole thing didn¡¯t devolve into a full blown civil war though.


    ¡°And I¡¯m guessing the Spring and Autumn courts are both also considering the possibility of gaining a bigger say in matters if things go belly up for the Sidhe?¡± The old man rhetorically asked.


    ¡°Of course, and this might be the perfect opportunity. However, there¡¯s something else at work. The movements of the courts don¡¯t make sense with just the normal considerations. They are playing some other game I¡¯m not even aware of.¡± Razark voiced his doubts.


    ¡°And will you be dragged in?¡± The old man asked.


    ¡°That depends on how heavily the grandmaster intends to involve us in the whole affair. I¡¯m still one of the Blades though, even if reluctantly. The possibility exists. And the girl? Will she be ready if things go to shit?¡± Razark had kept up on Dee¡¯s training, but his attention had been elsewhere lately.


    The old man thought for a while. ¡°At the moment? No. If you give me a few years, then yes. Shorter if you stick around to help.¡±


    ¡°You know how busy I am.¡± Razark pointed out.


    ¡°Are you though? Most of the things you¡¯re doing could be handled by your underlings. Even those Blades that came from the scouts would do your job for you if you just asked. Know what I think? I think you¡¯re just avoiding the girl. You don¡¯t want to get too attached.¡± The old man shook his head in disappointment.


    Razark growled. ¡°And you know exactly why that is.¡±


    ¡°I know. But you can¡¯t go the rest of your life avoiding attachments. Besides, it¡¯s not like your situation has improved with that avoidance. You¡¯re just treading water to avoid drowning, but you¡¯re not making any effort to swim to safety. She could be your chance. But that would require taking a risk. You don¡¯t do risks like that anymore.¡± The old man was clearly scolding Razark. He knew this would make the idiot disciple defensive, but this had to be resolved.


    He gave a mirthless chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ve got high expectations for her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you? Isn¡¯t that why you brought her here? Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice. You¡¯re just getting cold feet now that it¡¯s time to actually throw yourself into it. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve got a phobia against getting close to someone.¡± The old man was still harsh, but his tone was softening just a tad.


    ¡°Tell me. Help me convince myself.¡± Razark asked in almost a pleading tone. His resistance was crumbling but he had trouble taking the last step to acceptance. He had known it would come to this, but the mental block he had imposed on himself was too strong.


    The old man laughed. ¡°You really did give me a gem to polish. The ability of psions is just stupid. Who goes from barely being able to fight me to having their own almost perfect unarmed combat style and the ability to kick me around when I¡¯m not using my ki in less than a year? I had her learn so many unarmed combat styles as almost a joke. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d actually do it. If she had the same amount of power as we do, she¡¯d kick both of our asses and look good while doing it. I guarantee that when you start her armed training, she¡¯ll have your number in less than a year. In two, we¡¯ll have the meanest non-immortal in the entirety of Pantheon on our hands, and not by a short margin either. And she¡¯s still class six psion for fuck¡¯s sake! Imagine when she actually hits the higher ranks.¡±


    Razark frowned a bit. ¡°She¡¯s still class six? With her previous growth rate I would¡¯ve pegged her to hit class seven by now.¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s not far, but there¡¯s something you might not have realized. Psions grow their strength a bit differently. Her natural growth has already ended and she hasn¡¯t really had much chance for meditation while under my tender care. I think she¡¯s also the type who gains a lot from the death of her enemies, and she hasn¡¯t killed anything for almost a year. Throw her in a situation with people dying around her and I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯ll hit class seven almost immediately. I¡¯m thinking of sending her to hunt in the wilderness soon.¡± The old man had observed Dee closely this year and had figured some things out.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Razark nodded as the information agreed with his earlier information. ¡°Fine. I already chose this path when I took her in. I just need to go with that judgement. I¡¯ll stay. You¡¯re right. It¡¯s time to swim. I¡¯ve been stuck in place for too long already. Whether this will work out or not, the time has come to at least try.


    The old man grinned. ¡°There may yet be hope for you, idiot disciple.¡±


    ----------


    Dee had been surprised by her sudden day off, but she would most certainly take advantage. First thing on the agenda was to seek out Nessera and squeeze out all the information the succubus had. The two had had some chances to talk while Dee was recovering, but not enough to really get into it. Dee had given the succubus some instructions on what to do and Nessera had complied almost happily. It seemed the succubus was not-so-secretly fond of being ordered around.


    ¡®But why am I enjoying it just as much?¡¯ Dee thought in confusion. She liked the authority. More than she should.


    ¡°So how has your stay at the mountain been?¡± Dee asked. She wasn¡¯t actually sure what the succubus did here all this time.


    ¡°Good sides and bad sides. I¡¯ve actually learned quite a bit here. While the masters of the mountain aren¡¯t big on illusions, they¡¯re great at countering them, so I¡¯ve learned a lot about dealing with the counters. I also don¡¯t have any aspirations to become a magical warrior, but the training has been useful. Being able to defend yourself is always a nice skill to have. The time has been productive, and a year is nothing for a succubus. What I¡¯m less fond of is the fact that the trainees and students are all resisting my advances. The masters even toss me out of the door if I try anything on them. I haven¡¯t gotten laid for a whole year, and for one of my kind that is problematic.¡± Nessera had a rather adorable pout.


    ¡°You¡¯ll survive.¡± Dee said rather unsympathetically. She herself had her own problems with not being able to kill anything. The old bastard had also forced her into using that weird draconic power a few times before he noticed it had adverse effects on Dee¡¯s psyche. That had made her ravenously hungry and no amount of food satisfied that hunger. ¡°What did you find out about the race of the old bastard and Razark?¡±


    ¡°Meanie. Well they really are from the same race, and they¡¯re called the Alpyrans. Apparently they are in a similar situation to us as they are collateral damage of the stupid purge of the angels.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re demons?¡± Dee asked surprised. She didn¡¯t get that vibe from the old man.


    ¡°No, I said they were collateral damage remember. The Alpyrans are, or were at least, a relatively common race outside Pantheon once upon a time. Their antlers and horns make them look a little demonic, and their race tends to be notoriously quick-tempered so they got lumped in with the demons when the purge came. Their neighbors were not fond of them it seems. They have a pretty strict code of honor, but it tends to be a bit on the dark side. Due to their hot blooded nature any country formed by the Alpyrans usually got into conflict with its surroundings. You insult one of them and a whole lot of them come crashing on your head.


    ¡°That¡¯s another thing. The buggers have a fiery temper and they tend to be opportunistic, but they are very loyal to their kin. That extends to members of other races that they¡¯ve accepted as kin by the way. They strive to come on top in any deal, much like gnomes and dwarves, and they tend to be cunning negotiators. They don¡¯t mind working for the common good, but only so far as that common good doesn¡¯t take long enough for them to get bored or come at too high a price. They tend to go their own way whenever they feel it¡¯s necessary.¡± Nessera explained.


    ¡°Well that explains why they would get caught up in things. I knew the angels weren¡¯t too particular in whom they purged, but it¡¯s always nasty to see. So that''s their past. How¡¯s their current situation?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Well, pretty ok all things considered. Although they are very kin centric, they aren¡¯t big on making communities with just their own kind. The race as a whole is pretty intelligent so they saw the signs early. Most of them fled to Pantheon before the purge hit too badly and they are one of the more common races in certain parts of the two cities. They tend to favor the Night city though. They¡¯re spread out and their race is fairly thriving. Since they can also procreate with other races pretty freely, the result mostly being more Alpyrans, they¡¯re pretty well covered on that front as well. They also tend to be aesthetically pleasing to most races and are unafraid to show it, so that helps. They¡¯re pretty nomadic as well from what I gathered.¡± Nessera actually quite liked the Alpyrans. They sounded like a fun bunch.


    ¡°Humm. You managed to gather more info than I thought.¡± Dee said rather pleased.


    ¡°Well, while the students won¡¯t hop in the sack with me, they aren¡¯t immune to my charms. They can enjoy some flirting every now and then, and they tend to be rather loose lipped while flirting. I just wish they would put their lips to better use.¡± Nessera rubbed her hand on her crotch meaningfully.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t need to know.¡± Dee commented with a shake of her head. ¡°Anyway, I think it¡¯s about time we talked about the reason you were dragged along here in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, you wanted to know about the hells, correct? You do seem a bit too young to have seen them yourself. How old are you anyway?¡± Nessera asked with some curiosity. Dee was something of an enigma to her. On one hand the girl was far from being small. In fact she towered above the much smaller succubus. That also excited Nessera for many reasons. There were a lot of tall demonic races though so that was a bad indication of age. Dee also had a very mature feel to her, seemingly beyond her years. Yet in some things she was very innocent.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to hit eighteen soon-ish. Why?¡± Dee asked with a frown.


    ¡°Just curious. I would say that according to some standards you were becoming an adult, but I¡¯m not sure what race you are so that might or might not apply. Anyway. You¡¯re a bit too young to have seen the fall of the hells then. What do you want to know?¡± Nessera was both surprised by Dee¡¯s age, and at the same time she was not surprised at all.


    ¡°Starts with the basics. Assume I know nothing.¡± Dee replied curtly.


    ¡°The basics then. So you¡¯ve probably heard that there were thirteen of the hells. What¡¯s less known is the fact that the number was not constant and was somewhat in flux. Each hell was led by and controlled by a Demon Lord. The title is somewhat superfluous, as not all of them were demons. It¡¯s simply something the other races called beings of their power, and the name stuck. It became something of a badge of honor, I suppose. Many demons competed for the position. In fact the hells were in a constant state of war internally and with each other. It¡¯s simply something in our nature as beings that seek change. Anyway, it was said that if the hells ever truly united then the forces of Paradisia would have no chance to oppose the might of the hells. Not that such an alliance ever came to pass or would have held for long.


    ¡°The number of hells was dependent on the number of Demon Lords powerful enough to create and hold them. Think immortals at rank twelve or above. Sometimes a Demon Lord and their hell would lose too much power and the hell would collapse. The demons within would flee to another hell or into other worlds before that happened though. The size and relative position of the hell within their little hierarchy was dependent on the aggregate power of all the beings calling the place home. The biggest and oldest hells had power that equaled five or six of the smaller hells.¡± Nessera had a vacant look as she recalled things from her memory.


    ¡°Were there further differences between the hells? And what about the Fallen?¡± Dee asked eagerly.


    ¡°Ah right, I seem to recall you had an angel form of sorts and the black wing would signal your status as a Fallen. Well, the hells were usually gathered around a certain idea. It can be a little hard to explain, but I¡¯ll try. The mortals liked to say we were divided by sins. That¡¯s not exactly right but not wrong either. The sins were not the point, it just so happened that the ideas behind the sins were powerful enough to divide us. For instance, Succubi were mostly residing in the sixth hell that was dedicated to hedonism and lust. So demons that gravitated towards those ideas would often reside in the sixth hell. There were others like the second hell dedicated to war and bloodlust, which the mortals falsely named Wrath and so on. Not all of the hells were as strongly themed, as they were based on the ideas of their Demon Lord. Some Demon Lords weren¡¯t big on such themes.


    ¡°As for the Fallen, they were always something of a weird addition to the hells. They weren¡¯t demons really, but they were natural allies. They controlled the first hell simply because their power was so great, but they weren¡¯t actually big on the hells in general. As a result they didn¡¯t spend much time there. They were the one race that came off the best when the hells collapsed. The problem is that they were also the ones that the angels most wanted to kill off. The purge was mostly aimed at them, although the angels claimed otherwise. I honestly don¡¯t know what happened to them afterwards. I fled pretty quickly as I was just a tiny demon at the time. I haven¡¯t heard much news, but then again I wouldn¡¯t. Neither the angels nor the Fallen would advertise their situation.¡± Nessera gave a small chuckle.


    ¡°I would guess there are some of them in hiding.¡± Dee mused.


    ¡°That seems logical. Plus the angels don¡¯t like to advertise it but the Fallen were once part of them. It¡¯s not like there won¡¯t be any new Fallen. I heard all the Fallen were part of the angels but a schism of sorts happened. I guess some of them went on the side of darkness and chaos. They¡¯re still not separate races or anything, although their offspring stick with the parent¡¯s alignment from what I heard.¡±


    Dee was lost in thought for a while. ¡°Are you planning on leaving this place once the year is up?¡± She suddenly asked.


    ¡°Why? I mean I¡¯m learning quite a lot here, but I¡¯m getting way too horny. I¡¯d hump a tree at this point. So I suppose yes. Still. Why?¡± Nessera asked narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d like for you to find some information for me. I would prefer you would keep your ear to the ground so to speak. I¡¯d like more information on the Fallen especially, if you can manage it.¡± Dee said.


    ¡°Well then. Now we come to the point. What¡¯s in it for me? This whole dance we¡¯ve had has been fun, but I¡¯m not your underling per se. I¡¯m not just going to get into trouble for nothing.¡± Nessera played her hand. Now was the best chance to get something out of this.


    ¡°I can pay. I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve run into money troubles before.¡± Dee jangled her money pouch. She still remembered why the succubus had gotten into trouble.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice and all, but as it happens your master Razark also compensated me monetarily, and fairly well at that. Also, while I do miss my more luxurious lifestyle, this year has actually been good for me on that front, helping me to avoid such trouble in the future.¡± Nessera¡¯s smile widened. No, there was something else she was after.


    ¡°Well you seem to have something in mind. Spit it out.¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°As it happens I quite enjoyed the spanking you gave me earlier. Like I said, I¡¯m almost prepared to hump a tree at this point. It occurs to me I may not have to. I¡¯d like you to repeat your performance, and then I¡¯d like you to finish what we started back then. I know you lack experience in this field. There¡¯s a lot you could learn from a succubus. You could think of it as another part of your training.¡± Nessera knew she had the edge now, and she added a small bit that she knew would appeal to Dee.


    Dee¡¯s eyebrow shot up. The succubus¡¯ idea wasn¡¯t entirely without merit. Dee seemed to be something of a late bloomer when it came to things sexual. She was only just waking up to such things, but she knew quite a bit more from other sources. She also recognized that a succubus really could show her a trick or two, and while her interest in the field was still just starting, having such skills could be useful in the future. Nessera was also a pleasant enough looking partner and brought out some things in Dee that she hadn¡¯t felt before. This idea merited some thought¡­

 Chapter 65

    Dee was honestly intrigued by Nessera¡¯s proposal. Besides the fact that she had heard the whole thing was quite pleasurable, it could also serve as a way to let of some steam. Most importantly she had very little reason to refuse. She saw several upsides but almost no downsides. She on some level recognized that such situations carried possible dangers and might come with problems, even if she lacked the experience to recognize most of the more subtle dangers.


    There was no way she was going to get pregnant with a female partner, even if it even was possible in the first place. A possibility on which she still had no concrete evidence one way or another, as the results of the experiments done by Zabaniya were not entirely clear without actually trying to get pregnant, something she wasn¡¯t willing to do. Dee wasn¡¯t in a relationship with anyone else and to her knowledge neither was Nessera, so none of the so called ¡®cheating¡¯ could occur. Nessera¡¯s suggestion also made it clear that this was not a precursor to a relationship, so that would not be a problem either.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll take you up on that offer.¡± Dee said, smiling in a way that she assumed showed interest. Some of it got lost in translation as she looked more hungry than anything else, but that suited Nessera just as well. A person could be hungry for more than just food and she was ready to get devoured.


    Nessera stepped closer and spoke in a practiced seductive tone, her voice managing to simultaneously sound throaty and purring. ¡°Well then. Since we don¡¯t know how much time we have, and we really want to take our time with this, we better take the chance to get to it. Why don¡¯t we start where we started the last time.¡±


    *****


    Nessera started shedding her clothing while making a small show of it. The succubus was already rather scantily clad, so it did not take much time or effort. Dee found it especially interesting when Nessera bent down at the waist to slide of the tiny piece of fabric that feebly tried to perform the job of being her panties. The succubus gave her hips a slight suggestive wiggle while she was bent down, before slowly straightening up, taking her time to flex and show of her impressive form. Nessera had noted Dee¡¯s interest and sashayed next to a table before exaggeratedly bending over the table and presenting her luscious derriere for the punishment that was meant to follow.


    Dee gave a small grin before moving to the succubus and letting her hand smack on the enticing flesh without the slightest preamble. She followed the strike with a slow caress since she remembered that the succubus had enjoyed it last time. ¡°Oh!¡± Nessera yelped, before giving a small ¡®mmm¡¯ of appreciation.


    ¡°This is as good a time as any to start your little lesson.¡± Nessera started before giving a small gasp as another strike landed. ¡°Depending on your partner, setting the mood is very important. If you¡¯re with a male partner, mood is less important as they tend to want only one thing. That said, setting the right mood and giving a little tease to drive them wild will make them perform much better.¡±


    Another strike landed, drawing a little blood as Dee nicked the succubus on purpose. ¡°If you¡¯re with a female partner like now, mood is very important. Getting your partner all hot and bothered and getting her to really want to do it is half the battle. Making them pant with anticipation will lead to a much greater enjoyment for both of you.¡±


    The spanking session this time was much faster as there was no longer any pretense of punishment and the whole thing was more for getting back the mood they had been in the previous time, just as Nessera instructed. Nessera got to enjoy the slight pain and little caresses while Dee got to display her dominant side. Nessera also continued to give several tips on how to drive men and women crazy and how to tease them. The succubus also rather responsively instructed Dee on the dangers of teasing people and not delivering. There was a line that you should not cross if you did not plan on going further with the game.


    ¡°Now then. Would you do me the favor of changing to your angel form for the rest of the festivities? I¡¯m pretty sure it will be easier for both of us that way. Truth be told I don¡¯t even know how to kiss someone with the snout of a fox.¡± Nessera requested while panting with arousal. ¡°Also, I admit that it has been a dream of mine to sleep with an angel.¡±


    Dee felt a the slightest pang of regret that even the succubus preferred her angel form over her usual one, but she didn¡¯t truly mind and wasn¡¯t against the idea. She also decided to save time by not shifting in the clothes while she took the angel form. Thus she was bared in all her naked glory after she made the switch.


    ¡°Mou, such a shame. I wanted to take the clothes off you.¡± Nessera made a small sound of disappointment. ¡°That¡¯s part of the setting the mood part I mentioned. Some people really enjoy undressing their partner, while the rest like watching while you do it yourself. You enjoyed watching me do it right?¡±


    ¡®Still, she really is gorgeous in this form. Not that her other form is half bad either.¡¯ Nessera devoured Dee with her eyes. In her angel form Dee was just as ample as Nessera was, and she was a succubus. ¡®That body really is made for sinning.¡¯ Nessera had had a thing for Dee¡¯s angel form ever since she first saw it during one of the psionic training exercises.


    Nessera was still much shorter than Dee but she still managed. She took Dee¡¯s face in her hands and planted a kiss on each cheek. Then she carefully kissed Dee on the mouth. It was one of those languid kisses with no hurry to go anywhere, the sort that seemed to reach down into your heart and set it on fire, but a slow simmer instead of a raging inferno of lust. This was still meant as a lesson of sorts, and Nessera couldn¡¯t hurry too much, even if her own desires were raging. There was little chance of speaking though, and all the succubus could do was to show what to do and hope Dee could pick up on it.


    Dee picked things up in spades. She had been shocked when Nessera¡¯s nimble tongue slipped into her mouth, but she noticed all the fun implications immediately and her own tongue was ready to start the duel and start its own exploration. Dee got another surprise as Nessera replied with small nibbles and eagerly sucking on Dee¡¯s tongue.


    Finally Nessera started progressing further as she slipped down Dee¡¯s throat and started kissing her neck. Such an elegant neck it was. She slowly moved downwards, kissing every spot of skin she could reach on the way. She finally reached the soft mounds of flesh on Dee¡¯s chest and started to first tease them, with soft licks and nibbles before truly devouring them. Dee found that her breasts were extremely sensitive to such stimuli and there was this exquisite and pleasurable pain that flared when the succubus got a little rough with them.


    Dee also found that her stomach was a very sensitive and a sensual area as Nessera slowly moved downwards by barely touching the skin, and skimming her hands atop the soft but firm surface. Even in the angel form Dee was toned to perfection without losing the feminine charms that came with soft and delicate skin.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Dee asked softly and in slight confusion. She knew, or at least suspected, but surely Nessera wasn¡¯t planning on putting her mouth there?


    ¡°You know perfectly where I¡¯m going.¡± Nessera replied with a grin, while letting her fingers softly crawl across Dee¡¯s inner thighs. Her fingers were softly circling their destination without actually touching it. Dee unconsciously shifted her hips, almost seeking Nessera¡¯s fingers.


    Dee narrowed her eyes as she realized something. The succubus was using her racial abilities to subtly influence Dee¡¯s mind. The effect was not registering as an attack, similarly to Dee¡¯s own stealthy aura, and thus didn¡¯t meet any of Dee¡¯s defenses. The effect was meant for enhancing her feelings of pleasure and inflaming her lust. The succubus wasn¡¯t even entirely aware of what she was doing. ¡®Well two can play that game.¡¯ Dee thought before copying the effects with her psionic talents. She couldn¡¯t replicate it perfectly, but close enough.


    Nessera¡¯s eyes widened in realization as she felt her own emotions and feelings shift. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how you want to play it? Well then.¡± She turned around on the bed the two were now laying, and planted her own nether regions on Dee¡¯s face as well. ¡°Time to learn by feeling and doing at the same time. Just copy what I do.¡±


    ¡°Start gently as these areas are very sensitive for a woman. See the little nub just above the entrance where the folds meet? That¡¯s the real center of pleasure and is really sensitive. Graze don¡¯t rub. Like this.¡± Nessera showed just what she was talking about with a soft kiss and it was as if lightning had coursed through Dee¡¯s body. This place had rubbed on her clothes plenty of times during training, but apparently it was very different with a certain amount of arousal mixed in. Something had changed.


    Nessera gave Dee¡¯s thighs a couple of licks touching the soft, soft skin before slowly moving towards the waiting lips. Dee gave an involuntary shudder of excitement and anticipation. Nessera blew softly on Dee¡¯s lips, which were quickly becoming wet and were already red and swollen. Her tongue then traced a path along those lips at the same time as she felt Dee following her example.


    Nessera started to really work on Dee¡¯s pussy as her mouth took a hold of the lips as she licked them, sucked them and softly nibbled on them. Dee was giving small moans of pleasure now, and her hips were moving back and forth ever so slightly as if working her pussy in Nessera¡¯s mouth. The succubus¡¯ tongue slid deeply inside and a soft cry escaped from Dee¡¯s mouth. Nessera replaced her tongue with a finger while her tongue worked around Dee¡¯s clit. She wanted Dee high on the mount of pleasure and she wanted the girl to stay there for a while.


    Dee¡¯s on fingers joined the game and started to match the rhythm set by Nessera. Nessera also yelped in surprise when Dee realized that she could still shift her tongue back to the one she had while in her furrier form. The rough and long tongue of a canine had its upsides and it plunged deeper into Nessera¡¯s sex. Both of their movements became more frenzied as their eyes started to glaze over as they lost themselves to the pleasure. Dee was on the edge of what she would soon learn to be a powerful orgasm, too soon as far as Nessera was concerned, so she slowed her assault. That brought the fast boil down a bit to a simmer. A heavy simmer but at least Dee wasn¡¯t boiling over yet.


    Dee was confused about what Nessera was doing, but to the succubus¡¯ pleasure she followed the example. Nessera brought both of them back to a boil again and again, only to back off. Dee was gaining back a measure of her sanity and was starting to enjoy the little game, moving slightly on her own path and improvising, seeing how far she could push the succubus while still keeping up the same game her more experienced partner was playing. Each time they went to the edge without tumbling over, their arousal seemed to heighten. Nessera was honestly impressed that Dee had not demanded her to finish the girl off, and had kept up her end of the game. She kind of missed the fact that Dee didn¡¯t really know to demand for something she had never felt. Dee only knew this was fun, and while the pressure was mounting she wasn¡¯t a stranger to pressure and she knew there would eventually be some kind enjoyable of release.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Nessera finally decided they had reached the heights they would on their first try. She sucked Dee¡¯s clit into her mouth, flicking it with the flat of her tongue. She also showed another trick she had been hiding so far as she at the same time inserted a second finger and went for the little rough patch at the wall inside Dee¡¯s pussy, working directly on the girl¡¯s G-spot.


    Dee¡¯s scream was magnificent. Her whole body arched off the bed. She was still screaming but it had transformed to resemble the roar of a dragon. Nessera felt Dee¡¯s pussy clench around her fingers as the powerful thighs clamped around Nessera¡¯s ears, pulling the poor succubus¡¯ head harder against Dee¡¯s body. Nessera half wondered if those thighs would suffocate her as she kept up the pressure, forcing Dee¡¯s orgasm to higher and higher levels. Dee¡¯s eyes rolled back, but she barely managed to keep from fainting as she crashed back on the bed. Somewhere deep inside Dee something instinctual took over as she continued to finish Nessera off, bringing the succubus to a very satisfying conclusion, even if it wasn¡¯t as glorious as the one Dee had received.


    The two lay on the bed gasping for breath for almost ten minutes. ¡°Ready for round two? We can check if you have the potential for multiple orgasms.¡± Nessera suggested half in jest. She had however underestimated Dee¡¯s stamina and curiosity. Now that Dee had found something new and this pleasurable, she was going to make damn sure she explored it further.


    ¡°Gods yes!¡± Dee said emphatically and rolled on top of the smaller woman.


    **********


    Moirai had gone to talk with Razark and the old man about Dee¡¯s future training. They had made plans for hours and Moirai had also offered her own opinions on the best ways to proceed. She had the most experience with her pupil after all and she was in charge of the psionic part of the training.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s time I introduced Dee to the more complex concepts of force control. She seems like the kind of person who would excel with her imagination and calculative abilities. Who knows? Maybe she¡¯ll turn out even more skilled with portals than I am.¡¯ Moirai wondered as she opened the outer door to their shared dwelling. She was rather certain she would find her disciple within as there weren¡¯t that many places of interest around and Dee certainly needed some time for rest and relaxation.


    She halted her steps immediately as an overpowering smell of sex hit her like a wall. There was no mistaking this smell, and it hung heavy in the air. ¡°What the hells?¡± The smell of female arousal was so overpowering that there was zero chance of something non-consensual having happened here. Moirai was leery of what she was walking into, but she still needed to check what on earth had happened to her disciple. Perhaps something had gone wrong with Dee¡¯s psionic experiments? The results were hard to estimate when toying with the mind.


    Moirai opened the door to Dee¡¯s room and the smell was even stronger, despite her finding that almost impossible to fathom. Nessera was splayed naked on the bed on her stomach. The bed was a goner. It had been torn to shreds and there were copious amounts of blood and other fluids soaking it through. Dee and Nessera had gotten a little rough towards the end. Luckily Dee had her regeneration and was capable of healing her partner. Otherwise at least one of them would have bled out a long time ago.


    Moirai checked the succubus with her mind, finding Nessera alive, but completely spent. Any further and the woman would¡¯ve died, from what exactly Moirai wasn¡¯t entirely sure. The happy grin stuck on the succubus¡¯ face made it obvious though that this was the way she wanted to go if it came to that. Dee was still in her angel form whistling a horribly out of tune ditty by the window, also still naked. She at least was cleaning herself with her holy magic.


    ¡°I¡¯d ask what happened here, but the smell alone makes it pretty obvious.¡± Moirai commented. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to take what she was seeing.


    ¡°Ah master. My apologies for showing you something like this. We just finished as Nessera¡¯s body gave out. Too bad she hasn¡¯t really trained her stamina. I quite liked all the things she was teaching me.¡± Dee replied with an unusually jolly smile on her face.


    ¡°I can imagine that. Before anything else though, you need to clean up and air this place out. The whole house smells like a brothel. And Nessera looks like she has just gone through a gangbang.¡± Moirai decided to just let the whole thing go. In her thoughts she was still protesting slightly. ¡®You fucked a succubus into submission?! How did that happen?¡¯


    ¡°A gangbang?¡± Dee asked tilting her head. The term was unfamiliar. She could make a guess, but it was not the sort of thing one wanted to guess wrong.


    ¡°I see you didn¡¯t get to that part in your training. Ask the succuslut when she wakes up. She ought to know. If she wakes up. You really did a number on her. Also fix the bed.¡± Moirai paused for a moment. ¡°On a second thought, burn the old bed and get a new one. I don¡¯t think that one can be salvaged.¡± She covered her eyes, feeling like there was a headache creeping up on her. Why did her disciple always cause all kinds of trouble? This is why being a teacher was so bothersome.


    ----------


    Moirai took Dee back to a large storage building, where Razark and the old man were waiting. ¡°It seems the day off is over.¡± Dee said half in jest, still feeling almost giddy.


    ¡°Bah, you¡¯re not getting any days off as long as I¡¯m here.¡± The old man scoffed by the side. ¡°Should¡¯ve had you running the stairs to keep you from getting bored.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure boredom was plenty far from today.¡± Moirai muttered to herself.


    Razark ignored both of them and took a long hard look at Dee before speaking. ¡°As your supposed master it¡¯s about time I take a more active role in your training. Now that the senile old fool has gotten you up to speed, we can move on to something a bit more advanced. We¡¯re going to have to start you up on a weapon with a bit longer reach than your fists and I have several visitors planned to see to the other gaps in your skills. It¡¯s also about time for you to get outside for a bit as well. I assume you have questions so we might as well get them out of the way before we start.¡±


    Something in Razark¡¯s expression seemed odd to Dee, as if there was more going on that it seemed. Not surprising as she had suspected as much already. ¡°It seems there¡¯s a lot going on besides just my training. I don¡¯t like working blind. Is there something between you and the order? When I said my goodbyes to my friend who¡¯s a captain in the order, it seemed like she was sending me off to war.¡±


    Razark gave a mirthless chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised that you have noticed something going on. Although your friend¡¯s worry might be because we seem to be on the brink of a war, you are right. There¡¯s something else. The relations between me and the rest of the order are tense. That tends to drag in those friendly with me. It¡¯s not to the point that there would be an internal struggle within the order just yet, but there is a clear rift. There¡¯s also a power balance of sorts. You¡¯re aware that there are ten Blades in the order?¡±


    Dee simply nodded in reply.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m widely considered to be the strongest of the Blades. Only the Grandmaster himself might be able to stand up to me in a direct fight if it ever came to that, and that¡¯s not a certainty as we don¡¯t really know the depths of his power. He is a rather new and young grandmaster after all. He did go to the Cauldron of Blood and rise to the first rank there, so his battle skills are considerable. Anyway, two of the Blades would follow me if things came to a head, while five would follow the grandmaster. Two of the Blades have been neutral so far, but if we assumed they were to split evenly or even stay out of things, I¡¯d be on the losing end.¡± Razark scratched his neck a bit while considering what to say next.


    ¡°This is important in keeping the balance because the order knows that I¡¯m dissatisfied to say the least, but they can put some faith in me because the power balance ensures I would lose if I were to actually start a rebellion of any kind. On the other hand they know that I won¡¯t tolerate any more shit from them. So we are at an impasse of sorts. I perform my duties because I still have a little bit of trust in the order¡¯s mission, while they stay away from me. This has satisfied both parties, at least until now.¡± Razark gave a small sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand. Why do I get the feeling that my presence is a problem?¡± Dee asked. She could see her presence had importance but she was lacking information to make an accurate guess as to why.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you would understand without explaining. Are you aware of the racial characteristics of Alpyrans?¡± Razark asked a question that seemed to veer off topic in Dee¡¯s mind.


    ¡°Vaguely. I had Nessera gather some info, but I can¡¯t say how complete or truthful it was.¡± Dee readily admitted. If they thought she would not spy on them, then they were sadly mistaken.


    ¡°I think that would suffice for now. She informed you that we Alpyrans are very kin-centric, yes? That is a trait that runs deep in all of us. We don¡¯t put much faith in ideals and institutions. Instead our kin means everything to us. We don¡¯t accept others easily as members of our kin, but in certain situations such bonds will develop almost against our will. One such situation is between a master and a disciple. Now, the order has caused the deaths of my kin twice already, either by negligence or purposefully to send a message. There will not be a third time.¡± He saw the light of understanding dawn in Dee¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°So why send me here in the first place?¡± Dee asked, still not getting all the pieces.


    ¡°The order didn¡¯t. Commander Wolfhart did. The order knows you hold quite a bit of potential, but they are still underestimating you. The commander used to be an old friend of mine, so he sent you here partially as penance and partially to break the deadlock. He has quite a bit of faith in you.¡± Razark smiled wryly.


    Dee could see several ways how her presence might upset the balance with enough time. She needed some time on her own though to think things through. ¡°So why are we here?¡± She asked a bit absently, gesturing at the warehouse.


    ¡°Well, we are here to run an experiment. You need a weapon. This place is filled with them.¡± Razark explained simply.


    ¡°You should be aware that I can just create one, right?¡± Dee pointed out. That¡¯s how her gauntlets came to be as well.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s where the experiment part comes in. There are a few problems with the weapons you create. What will you do if you¡¯re in a situation where you can¡¯t utilize your holy power? You¡¯ve done well learning unarmed combat, but your potential would still go down a lot. Secondly, just like mages and warriors, psions have their own dedicated equipment specialized to be utilized with psionic power. With your little trick you¡¯d miss out on the benefits of such weapons.¡± Razark explained.


    ¡°I don''t have much knowledge about items designed for psions. Aren¡¯t we a bit too rare for something like that anyway? I assumed it was something like how most wards don¡¯t work on us either because it would not be economical.¡± Dee asked in confusion.


    ¡°You¡¯re right that psionic equipment is very rare, even Moirai only has a couple of items. However, you¡¯re forgetting something. There are a couple of races that are entirely psionic, even if their presence is extremely rare in Pantheon. They would naturally create equipment specialized for their own use. Besides, there are some smiths and mages that like to explore things, so they push boundaries in everything, including this. Such items rarely filter to the public, but finding them is not impossible.¡± Razark replied with a small smile. He liked that he had managed to stump his disciple.


    He continued. ¡°The main strengths of the weapons you create are the increased cutting and penetrative power and the corrupting effect they leave in the enemy. Neither of those requires the whole weapon to be made of your power. I¡¯d like to test whether you could clad a normal weapon with the same dark power without losing efficacy. If it works we¡¯ll try a magical weapon next. If that works as well¡­well then we¡¯ll know. I don¡¯t know if we can find you a suitable weapon designed for a psion, but I do have a friend who might be able to help with the gauntlets at least.¡±


    They entered the warehouse and Dee noted that it was one of those buildings that were much larger on the inside than on the outside. The walls were all lined up with thousands and thousands of different weapons. ¡°So how will this work?¡± Dee asked impressed.


    ¡°I have some ideas about what your future weapon should be. We¡¯ll focus on one that suits you, but eventually you¡¯ll have some experience with all of these. I¡¯m thinking we¡¯ll use the little trick the old man used when teaching you all the different unarmed combat styles. If you really want to master the flow and control style of fighting you need to know what all of the weapons can do.¡± Razark said while leading Dee in a certain direction.


    They stopped in front of a particular wall. The wall was filled with heavy weapons meant to be used with both hands. ¡°Since we want to bring more emphasis on your strength, the weapon has to have some weight and length to it to give you proper leverage. The ones that best fit that criteria and fit the flow and control style are something like these two.¡± He pointed at a weird looking spear with a blade that was almost a sword or an axe. The other weapon was a large two handed sword normally called a claymore.


    ¡°The sword is heavier and is less suited for the style, but I doubt you would have trouble with it considering your strength and extra hands. The spear is known as guandao. It comes in several varieties, but the gist of it is that it combines the reach of a polearm with a heavy blade more suited against heavier opponents. Most of the guandao retain a certain amount of a spear point, but piercing is not their specialty. Stab for lighter and quicker attacks but cleave for really heavy damage. Personally I think the guandao is more suitable, but it¡¯s also harder to use. Even more so if you want to use one that has a blade on both ends. That type might suit the style even more, but we¡¯ll test which type is more suitable for you in particular. Test the thing we talked about.¡± Razark advised Dee and handed one of the guandao to her.


    Dee tried to form the dark weapon around the spear and it seemed to work. Then both of them disappeared. Dee stared at the empty air in slight confusion. Then she realized she could still feel the weapon¡¯s presence, it simply wasn¡¯t in her hand anymore. The guandao had gone inside the shadows surrounding her. With newfound interest she tried calling the weapon back out of the shadow, and it appeared straight into her hand, now fully clad in the dark power. It seemed her power needed to ¡®consume¡¯ the item before it could work with her power.


    She suddenly went to the other side of the room where some armor pieces were located. She let her power consume them and then tried to make them appear as if she was wearing them. The darkness clad items appeared on command surrounding her in a suit of black metal armor. Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure what the dark power would do to armor, but this seemed really handy. The only problem was that the items were now completely black. Dee tried to change their color but to no avail. Could she get rid of the items?


    She tried to force the shadows to disgorge one of the items and was successful, but as the dark power left the piece of armor it immediately corroded into a lump of useless rusted metal. It was also still black, so it had not gone back to its original color.


    ¡°That looks handy.¡± Moirai commented from the side.


    ¡°indeed. If she can equip and take off armor with a simple thought, then it makes things a lot easier.¡± Razark said in agreement.


    ¡°Not big on the whole black thing though.¡± Moirai said while puckering her lips a bit in judgement.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter with the scout armor. It¡¯s black anyway and designed to render the wearer almost invisible when activated. I suppose I wouldn¡¯t recommend doing it to her whole wardrobe though.¡± Razark half agreed.


    Dee looked at her masters in judgement. When did they turn into fashion critics and why would anyone care?

 Chapter 66

    Dee looked around her and saw nothing but snow and ice. She, Razark and Moirai had gone down the mountain this morning, after which Razark had made some weird gesture which opened a gap in the shield protecting the mountain. Dee had sensed a very different kind of power to anything she had ever felt before, but the whole thing had happened so fast that she didn¡¯t get a proper feel to what that power might have been. It seemed to have worked as some sort of a key though as the shield opened before them. After that Moirai had made a portal for them. The portal had brought them here.


    ¡®Here¡¯ was the only way Dee could really describe the place since she had no idea where ¡®here¡¯ was. The thin air suggested that they were somewhere high up, and the peaks of other nearby mountains confirmed that, but the surrounding mountains didn¡¯t explain the thin air since they were so small. It felt to Dee like they were on top of a mountain that was on top of a much bigger mountain. She couldn¡¯t use the sky to discover their location because it was completely covered in dark clouds. Her visibility was limited by the snow that was beginning to fall amidst the harsh wind, adding to the layer already on the ground. The fact that there were clouds above told her they were not as high up as the volcano they had come from.


    Both Razark and Moirai had protected themselves from the cold by covering their bodies with ki and psionic power respectively. None of the three was really dressed for the weather. The two others had assumed Dee would cover herself with her power in the same way, but Dee just walked around as if it wasn¡¯t necessary.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± Moirai asked slightly curious. She knew Dee had her fur but it wasn¡¯t really the type of fur that would keep someone warm.


    Dee tilted her head slightly in confusion. ¡°Should I be? I mean it¡¯s a little nippy, but not really that cold.¡±


    Moirai didn¡¯t reply but was a little confused. She was the most heavily dressed out of the three and covering herself with her power and she was still cold. The temperature was cold enough to compare to the coldest and darkest nights during the heart of winter, and the harsh wind wasn¡¯t helping things. None of the trio thought the matter was worth investigating as they simply chalked it up to something in Dee¡¯s heritage. Who knows, maybe the white furred fox part of her was some arctic kitsune type?


    Only Croestia noticed that one of Dee¡¯s tails had very slightly changed color to faint blue, and that was only because the magical item¡¯s sight was not normal. She however decided not to mention anything until they were alone with Dee.


    ¡°So why are we here¡­wherever here is?¡± Dee asked.


    Razark was the one to reply. ¡°So far your training has been mostly focused on sparring and training by yourself and you haven¡¯t really gotten much in the way of combat experience against a variety of opponents. The old man is comparable to a monster but it can be dangerous to get too used to fighting against just him. You¡¯ve absorbed the lessons with the guandao very well so far, so it¡¯s time to put them to the practice as well.


    ¡°I¡¯m also aware that you seem to have an affinity for taking lives. An affinity that you haven¡¯t been able to let free for a long time. Yes I¡¯ve noticed the shaking of your hands on occasion. I don¡¯t pretend to understand the physiology of demons or the psychology of someone raised as an assassin. I¡¯d prefer to just go with it. That is your burden to bear, as we all have our own. However, you are supposed to become a scout. Plopping you in the middle of a group of monsters would not be much of a training exercise. Instead we¡¯ll be making this into a challenge.¡± Razark waved his hand over the snow covered terrain where no life could be seen.


    However, Dee could feel the presence of power from multiple sources in the surroundings, the sources were simply hiding in the snow. A quick look with the Mindscape also showed several feral minds in the vicinity.


    Moirai had noted Dee¡¯s actions and continued. ¡°Just having you hunt something in the mountains would be too easy. We are all aware of your sensory abilities, and I taught you to use Mindscape myself. So to make it a challenge, we want you to hunt the biggest prey you can find in these mountains. You will be judged based on the rarity and the level of strength of the prey. If you do well I¡¯ve got a little something I think you¡¯d love learning. If you do badly? Well then we¡¯ll hand you over to the old man. You can imagine the rest.¡±


    Razark finished the explanation. ¡°The time limit is one week.¡± He tossed a small bracelet to Dee. ¡°Hold on to this. It will show your location to us and we¡¯ll open a portal straight to your location once the week has passed. Just to set the stage, I¡¯ll be very disappointed if you don¡¯t catch something stronger than rank seven at least. Happy hunting.¡±


    The duo of masters didn¡¯t mention that they also hoped the deaths of some beasts would help Dee with gaining more power as well. They were both aware Dee could gain power by taking lives and the girl had been stuck at the rank of a class six psion for too long, especially when compared to her earlier growth. It was true that this period had allowed her to vastly increase her mastery over her powers, but now her power was becoming the biggest limiting factor. So if the genocide of everything on this mountain range would push Dee to the next rank, then that¡¯s what would happen.


    Dee was quite happy at the chance for some murder and mayhem. The hunger had been becoming almost suffocating lately.


    ------


    Dee pulled her weapon out of the body of another yeti. The big and dumb brutes were strong but not very fast. Their thick hide and fur might have been problematic if not for the extra penetrative power provided by her dark weapons. As it was though, she didn¡¯t even bother pulling out her guandao. She could simply flash close to the creatures and cleave huge chunks of their flesh with her gauntleted claws.


    She devoured the grey smoke that represented the poor creature¡¯s soul. The Yeti were big physically, but their souls did almost nothing to quell her hunger. In fact they only made her more hungry, because now something inside her knew there was food to be found instead of the endless fasting she had done so far. The Yeti were also most certainly not the type of prey her masters wanted her to go after. Still. The trickle of power that she gained was satisfying even if it was small.


    It was time to go after some larger prey. Her Mindscape had already located a large concentration of minds near the mountainside not too far from her current position. Such a large amount of beings in close proximity was odd in the mountains like this. It signified that there was a community of some sort, like a village or a hive. Their presence seemed at odds with her mission of hunting down targets. Maybe they were not strong enough to count as hunting targets? But perhaps they could replace with quantity something that was currently lacking in quality.


    As she sneaked closer to her goal, Dee realized that the group of minds was within a system of caves carved into the mountain. She also got an answer to the nature of the creatures when she noted a wide and tall figure at the mouth of the cave. The rough greyish white hide covered the bulk of a wide four mel tall frame of a nasty creature familiar to most people of many inhabited worlds. The creature¡¯s hands ended in nasty jagged claws and its bestial face had a hideous, tusked underbite. The troll was also scratching its back with a large club, hinting at the fact that the creature had enough intelligence for crude weapons at least.


    Trolls were the bane of many intelligent races. They were like pests that kept on reproducing like crazy and their amazing regenerative powers made getting rid of infestations of trolls extremely difficult. Trolls came in many varieties but almost all of them were hated and hunted down whenever they were seen. It was not surprising that some had managed to get within Pantheon, and they would invariably be found in the less civilized areas.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The feeling of hunger stirred within Dee. Apparently the souls of something with great vitality and at least some intelligence were more attractive as a meal. Dee wasn¡¯t initially sure if she should even bother with the trolls seeing as they were not going to qualify as proper prey but the hunger drove her to action. The troll vaguely saw a flash of something from the corner of its eye before a sharp pain went through its shoulder, and the creature saw its arm fly off into the distance.


    The trolls were used to pain and losing body parts, and it simply roared in anger as it swung its crude weapon at the nimble assailant. In a matter of seconds the troll was filled with wounds. Normally the creature wouldn¡¯t have been overly worried as only fire or acid could prevent it from regenerating but there was something wrong. The wounds were not closing! In fact the creature could feel some strange power creeping towards its heart.


    Dee had wanted to test the corruptive effect of her weapons against the famed regeneration of the trolls and was quite satisfied with the result. She stopped playing around and cleaved the troll¡¯s head from its shoulders. Normally even this would not be enough to keep the thing dead, but the troll¡¯s life was snuffed out by the corruption and the soul was cut free from its bonds. Dee quickly devoured it, finding the taste a little bland, but at least it was more filling than the Yeti she had eaten earlier.


    Dee¡¯s eyes flashed red and all rationality vanished from her mind with the HUNGER finally driving her over the edge. Croestia observed with detached coolness as her master cut her way through the surprisingly large troll colony. There were hundreds of the creatures. Now they all lay dead and mutilated around the large central chamber, as their souls provided Dee with some much needed sustenance.


    The rampage had taken hours, but even in her crazed state Dee had managed to retain the methodical and careful way of fighting that had been beaten into her by the old man. Even when she was crazed with blood, to an observer it would seem as if she was a cool and collected fighter who just happened to be a bit more brutal than was necessary. Also one that didn¡¯t distinguish her targets as even the infant trolls met their end at the sharp edge of the black guandao.


    ------


    As rationality returned to her, Dee could only sigh. With how long she had been starved, this rampage had been almost inevitable. Her training had paid off and she no longer went completely bestial during the loss of control. She also happened to have complete memories of what had happened this time. Progress of a kind. Perhaps now that her hunger was no longer all-consuming she could focus on finding proper prey. There was a reason she didn¡¯t go after something bigger and more dangerous so far. It would¡¯ve been bad if she had lost her sanity when fighting something more powerful than herself after all.


    Suddenly there was a familiar but sharp pain at her lower back. The tail signifying her rise to the seventh rank had appeared, along with a new burst in power. It really was true what they said. The power of a person became almost exponentially large as you went up in ranks. At lower ranks the only thing that had signified her rise in rank had been the extra tail, but now the rank up came with an actual and significant increase in power. The burst had actually surprised her as usually crossing these kinds of thresholds was more symbolic than anything else. That wasn¡¯t to say there were no such bursts of power for people as they crossed important thresholds. Those thresholds simply didn¡¯t usually correlate to crossing ranks, as the ranks were something created as a measure of a person¡¯s strength. That said the ranks were not arbitrary and truly signified important increases in strength.


    Maybe it had something to do with her tails? Most other beings didn¡¯t have such clear and obvious signifiers of their power. Maybe her tails came with a little bonus?


    Dee decided not to dwell on it, as she cleansed herself of the blood that had stuck to her during the fight. As she exited the cave, she got startled by the roar of some creature flying in the skies. She quickly hid herself as she tried to locate the source of the roar. It didn¡¯t take much to note the white figure against the dark background of the clouds.


    ¡®Is that a white dragon?¡¯ Dee wondered in shock.


    As she observed the creature more, she noted that it was not a very large creature. It seemed the creature had been drawn here by the smell of blood, but now it was leaving due to noting that the smell came from dead trolls. No being wanted to eat the flesh of trolls, except maybe other trolls when they were starving. The white winged creature was veering off towards the tallest mountain peak in the area.


    Dee started thinking quickly while she inconspicuously followed the creature. The dragon was clearly feral and not a very large one. That would make it a lesser dragon. The normal dragons were some of the smartest and most powerful beings in existence, but the feral lesser dragons could not compare to their better cousins. The lesser dragons had cunning and strong instincts but no true intelligence, hence why they were classified as monsters and not as an intelligent race unlike the true dragons.


    That all said, even if they were the lesser variety they were still dragons. The white creature was most likely the top of the food chain on these mountains. What better target to show her prowess? This needed some thought. Even if she had just ranked up and gotten a boost in power, Dee still wasn¡¯t a match for a dragon in a straight up brawl. She needed a plan. She also needed to find the dragon¡¯s lair.


    ---------


    It took two days to track down the dragon¡¯s lair, as Dee didn¡¯t dare to fly after it, and it took another three days until she got the chance to put her plan into motion. She only had one more day before her deadline so she had to subdue her target in a timely fashion. Luckily the plan didn¡¯t require too much time to come to fruition.


    The dragon was clearly still growing and it had to hunt often, and by the look of things it wasn¡¯t as proficient at finding prey as Dee was. Then again few beings were. Thus it had to go out pretty much every day, and sometimes it came back empty handed. That was a clear sign that the dragon couldn¡¯t be too picky about its meals. That¡¯s why it had followed the smell of blood to the troll lair, but it wasn¡¯t desperate enough to actually eat any of the dead trolls.


    So Dee had prepared some prey for the dragon. She hadn¡¯t left corpses lying around as the dragon was still rather cunning and might notice an obvious trap. Instead she wounded and poisoned several creatures, hoping that the smell of blood would draw the dragon to hunt one of them. The poison was slow acting enough that the dragon should not notice anything wrong with its prey before consuming it. The downside was that it would take time for the dragon to also be poisoned. The poison would also be less effective since it had already gone through the body of the prey, and the dragon most likely also had a fairly strong resilience against such things.


    That said, Dee¡¯s plan wasn¡¯t to poison the dragon to death. It would be nice if it went like that, but realistically all she could hope for was that the dragon would be weakened by the poison. The second part of her plan was put into effect as the dragon left its lair. Dee slipped inside and started laying dark holy spells down as traps for the dragon. Holy magic wasn¡¯t the best method for laying traps, but it did offer some nice curses and detrimental spell effects if one delved into the darker side of things.


    The problem was that dragons were in general resistant to magic. Magic resistance was not uncommon but no being was truly fully immune to spells. Magical resistance came in three main varieties. The first way came with a special constitution. A golem strengthened by spells could resist spells due to its sturdy build, but resistance of this type could be negated by a powerful enough spell. An elemental would be almost immune to spells of its own element, but even they couldn¡¯t completely nullify the effects. Normal fire might be equal to healing to a fire elemental, but a hot enough fire would affect even them, with the possible exception of the rulers of the elementals.


    The second and most complex resistance was the type that disrupted spells in an area around the being or item causing the effect. The spells approaching the target would unravel, and thus be negated. There were ways around this however. If a powerful geomancer dropped a mountain on a being that had this type of resistance, the spell controlling the mountain might be unraveled, but the mountain would still fall on the target, pulled down by gravity.


    The third type was the simplest. The resistance came about due to the magical nature of the being, and simply dampened the effect of spells thrown at it. A fireball would lose heat, a curse would be less severe and projectiles would lose some of their impact. The resistance simply reduced the effectiveness of spells used against the target. It was at the same time the weakest and the strongest form of magical resistance. The weakest because unless the resistance was very powerful, it wouldn¡¯t completely nullify even the simplest of spells. The strongest because with powerful enough resistance, even stupendously powerful spells would be turned harmless.


    Dragons fell into the third type. This young and feral dragon most likely didn¡¯t have too much resistance against spells, but dragons also had their scales to protect them, turning projectile spells pretty much obsolete. Even Dee¡¯s psionic weapons would lose their effectiveness. The dragons also had a powerful constitution to resist against curses and weakening spells, but when combined with the poison the spells might produce a significant enough effect to help Dee win this fight.


    Once her work was complete Dee slipped into the deep shadows of the ice stalactites in the ceiling of the cave. She had to wait for a couple of hours before the dragon returned to its nest. It was huffing with satisfaction as its hunt had been successful. It had eaten one prey, and had brought another half-eaten creature back with it to be eaten later. Dee recognized the half eaten prey, and judging by the timing the dragon couldn¡¯t have gone too far. Thus it was likely that the other prey had been among the ones Dee had prepared as well.


    Dee grinned expectantly, as she waited for the poison to take effect. It took another hour before the dragon started grumbling and keening from pain and discomfort. That was when Dee released the trap spells she had planted around the cave. Dark energies flowed inside the dragon, and the dragon roared in anger. It was under attack! Who dared?!


    Dee took advantage of the distracted dragon and quickly struck at its neck with her guandao and a full power boost from Croestia. The dragon sensed the attack at the last moment and tried to dodge. Dee had chosen her target place well and the sharp edge of the guandao bit deep as the dark power shattered the protective scales. Blood splashed from the wound, but Dee knew the strike had still been too shallow. The dragon was seriously wounded but not dead.


    ¡®Well it was a bit hopeful that the first strike would be enough against a dragon.¡¯ Dee though to herself, as she prepared for battle.

 Chapter 67

    The dragon didn¡¯t just stand around waiting for its death, and it swiped its massive claws at Dee. Dee noted with satisfaction that either the poison and curses were working enough to slow the creature down, or the big lizard wasn¡¯t very quick in the first place. She avoided the hasty swipe with relative ease by moving out of reach. At the same time she took a quick glance at the wound she had just made.


    The strike had penetrated the scales on the dragon¡¯s neck, close to the creature¡¯s head. The wound was deep and bleeding, but not a fatal one just as she had suspected. She could feel the corruption entering the dragon but its magic resistance was slowing down the progress of the corruption to a crawl. If she could manage to inject more of the shadowy power into the dragon¡¯s body, then the corruption would progress much faster.


    Dee avoided another slash from the dragon, and moved in closer and dealt another full strength blow. This time she had aimed at the beast¡¯s belly, below the left foreleg. The scales there were a little thinner and a successful strike might manage to hinder the beast¡¯s movement. Her strike hit true and bit deep, but she had to hastily pull back as the dragon used its tail to throw her off. The impact of the tail was rather heavy, but it had been a hasty strike and was much lighter than the old bastard¡¯s strikes during training.


    Dee realized that her best plan was to go for infighting at close range. The dragon would struggle to strike at her so close to its body, while she could attack with impunity. On the other hand, this way she had less time to avoid attacks and had to avoid being crushed by the much larger opponent. There was very little margin for error this way. Fortune favored the bold however, and Dee didn¡¯t relish the idea of a hit and run fight.


    The dragon alternated attacks with its claws and tail, managing mostly to avoid too much damage from Dee¡¯s weapon. However, the little nicks and cuts were adding up and it could feel the deadly power within its body. The dragon knew on some level that the strange dark energy would kill it given enough time, and the only way to counter it was to kill the agile demon attacking it. There was a timer on this fight, and the dragon realized that it didn¡¯t have the luxury of trying to wear down its opponent. It also felt the poison and curses gnawing on its strength and speed, which only made it more important to close things fast.


    The large cavern they were fighting in had been chosen by Dee as she wanted some room to fight in, but now it backfired a little. The dragon used its wings to lift into the air, backing away from Dee, while also swiping at Dee with its tail with the same rather clumsy but effective movement. Dee had seen the move coming, and used the air moved by the dragon¡¯s massive wings to flip away from the beas, far enough to avoid the tail strike.


    However, the tail strike was not the main point of this move. Dee could feel large amounts of mana move in the surroundings as the dragon used its innate abilities to control the element it was associated with. In this case cold air and ice. The whole cavern¡¯s temperature plummeted and a large cyclone of air started to rotate around the cavern. Ice shards were starting to mix in with the wind, and the whole cavern was engulfed in a blizzard of frost and ice.


    One of Dee¡¯s tails started glowing bright blue, apparently fighting against the cold. Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure why it was happening, but was thankful for the assist. That said, she was now starting to get affected by the cold even if she didn¡¯t have to suffer the brunt of it. She had to cover herself in psionic energy to avoid getting slowed down by the chill, but not much energy was spent thanks to the weird effects of the now bright blue tail. The flying ice shards made movement difficult however. The tail did nothing against those.


    ¡°Well two can play this game.¡± Dee said as she shifted forms to her angel form. This time her tails remained even in this form as one of them was actively fighting the cold.


    Dee gathered her newly empowered psionic energy and started to form a storm of her own to counter the one the dragon had created. Her storm moved the air in the opposite direction and instead of ice, her storm was filled with psionic energy that had weight and impact to it, as well as lightning formed from that same psionic energy. The two clashing winds somewhat countered each other, although the air was still very turbulent, and the lighting broke apart most of the ice flying around, restoring Dee¡¯s mobility. The storm also forced the dragon to land again, even though the lighting was not enough to seriously hurt it at the current level of power.


    Instead the dragon took a deep breath in preparation to use the most dangerous of the weapons possessed by dragons, its breath. ¡®Welp, I don¡¯t think the tail will protect me from that.¡¯ Dee thought.


    She used her telekinetic power to smack the dragon¡¯s head sideways just as the frost breath burst from its mouth. The storm of ice and freezing air sprayed all over the walls on the side. Dee took this chance to once again shift forms, this time to her kitsune form. Only with two differences. She had six legs instead of four, and the four at the front were clad in the black gauntlets she had trained with, resembling hands more than paws.


    She used her improved speed to flash right on top of the dragon¡¯s back and the gauntleted claws sunk deep into the dragon¡¯s flesh as her strength was multiplied by her form. Scales, blood and flesh sprayed from the dragon¡¯s back and the large creature roared in pain and frustration. Dee also growled in frustration as her claws hit bone and she realized that even her improved strength wasn¡¯t enough to break them.


    She was forced to leap off as the dragon tucked in its wings and rolled on the ground. ¡®This is becoming annoying.¡¯ She thought. She was hurting the enemy but not mortally. She also suspected that the lizard had not used quite all its cards yet. Dee wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to get into a long fight where it was a race to see whether she could wear the dragon down before she made a potentially fatal mistake.


    Suddenly a burst of pride and disdain came from within her. ¡®Such a puny lizard DARED to stand against her! Did it not recognize a superior member of its own race?! It should just lay down its head obediently and die!¡¯


    Half by instinct Dee suddenly put a lot more power than she ever had used before to materialize the ethereal form of the dragon claws above her head. Except they weren¡¯t quite as ethereal as they had been before. They were a lot more solid, and there seemed to be a pair of serpentine eyes behind the claws as they struck down at the feral dragon.


    A small part of Dee¡¯s mind lamented. ¡®Dammit, I just managed to push back the hunger a bit and now this?!¡¯


    The feral dragon on the other hand suddenly felt deep terror within every fiber of its being. It saw the claws descending on it and the eyes behind, and it just froze from pure terror. On some deep level it felt the presence of the most terrible of its cousins, an Abyssal dragon. And an ancient one at that. All it wanted to do was flee but its body was not listening.


    The claws easily tore through the flesh of the feral dragon, cleaving its head from its neck, neatly decapitating the feral dragon. The dragon collapsed on the ground lifelessly. Dee almost automatically consumed the dragon¡¯s soul, which started to bring her sanity back. She also felt that the soul brought a nice bit of power with it. That moment of clarity didn¡¯t last for very long though.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    In the future Dee would not be sure if it was the soul she had consumed, or just her overdrawing on the weird power, but she was suddenly assaulted by a sharp pain shooting through her body. She was still in her kitsune form as she collapsed from the pain and she drew into a curl lying on her side, as she barely managed to breathe. The pain started from her head and went down to her four forelegs covered in the dark gauntlets. She managed to see between her narrowed eyelids as the gauntlets shattered, and another weird power surrounded the legs in their place.


    Then she lost consciousness.


    ----------


    Moirai opened a portal towards Dee¡¯s position. The feeling from the bracelet was somehow hollow, which she knew to mean that the bracelet was stored either in a spatial storage or wherever items disappeared every time Dee shifted forms. The details didn¡¯t matter as she could still find the item and open a portal close by. She and Razark stepped though the opening. They found themselves in what looked like a cavern covered in ice.


    All around them were signs of battle as the ground was broken and covered in blood. The blood was obviously from the decapitated dragon that lay close by. The creature was also covered in wounds that had frosted over by the dragon¡¯s power to reduce bleeding. ¡°Hunting a feral dragon? Good job!¡± Moirai mouthed almost silently.


    ¡°Moirai!¡± Razark suddenly yelled from the other side of the dragon. He had found Dee collapsed on the ground.


    Moirai rushed there and saw Dee in her kitsune form breathing roughly in small shudders as cramps and waves of pain ran though her body. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Moirai demanded as she knelt close to Dee and put her hands on Dee¡¯s belly. Dee was actually so large in her kitsune form that Moirai didn¡¯t need to kneel, but she did it instinctively.


    Moirai tried to check Dee¡¯s condition, but her power was pushed out by Dee¡¯s own. This was Dee¡¯s defenses working automatically and at a heightened level. They didn¡¯t allow any foreign power into her body. This was the trouble of trying to scan psions. ¡°It seems like a backlash of power of some sort.¡± Razark said, as he cast several healing spells on Dee, though with limited success. That power was being pushed out as well.


    ¡°What the hells happened?¡± Moirai asked rhetorically, as she ran her eyes over Dee checking for external injuries that might give hints to what was wrong. She immediately noticed a couple of differences. The four forelegs were covered in deep black scales. There seemed to be some dormant power beneath them, as there was a very faint glow coming from between the scales. The only reason Moirai had not noticed them before was because they looked a bit like the gauntlets Dee used, except coming up over the whole length of the leg. There where even small spikes on the joints very similar to the segments on the gauntlets except they were more like the spikes seen on the legs of dragons. For obvious reasons.


    ¡°On her head.¡± Razark pointed out suddenly.


    On Dee¡¯s head was a pair of draconic horns pointing backwards. The horns were almost straight, with only the slightest bend of down and back up, which only made them seem more graceful than anything else. The horns were situated between the fox ears on top of Dee¡¯s head, thus they were fairly close to each other. They were not very long, only about forty centimels.


    ¡°Backlash from the weird draconic power she uses?¡± Moirai had seen the power once before, and the connection seemed fairly obvious.


    ¡°Hmm. That might be. Or it might be due to the feral dragon.¡± Razark suggested.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Moirai asked, still trying various means to get her own power within Dee¡¯s body without getting rejected.


    ¡°Well she seems to absorb the power of those she kills. She did just kill a dragon, although a feral one. Maybe the absorbed power interacted with the power she holds in some weird way. Anyway, we won¡¯t get anywhere here in the mountains. Let¡¯s take her back to recover.¡± Razark said, while at the same time storing the feral dragon¡¯s body.


    ----------


    Dee found herself in a grey and dark landscape that seemed for the most part empty. The sky was dominated by a vortex of energy that made the dark clouds swirl around the eye of the vortex. The dark clouds covered the sky, but somehow Dee knew the sky above the clouds held a black moon and a golden sun representing the blessings from the two sister goddesses. As Dee looked to the left of her current position, she could see something that was the size of a large mountain. The mountain was in fact the weird hourglass formed by the dragon eating its tail. The ground itself was cracked and splintered resembling an arid wasteland and there were no signs of life. The only exception was on her right, where the dark raven stood on a tombstone. This time the raven did not have a soul in its beak.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Dee to figure out that this was not the reality and that she was now somewhere inside of her. Somewhere important. She couldn¡¯t explain it but she could feel the importance of this place to her being. The space seemed to stretch around her as far as her eyes could see, but she intuitively knew the space was not without limit. She didn¡¯t need to walk anywhere as her formless spirit moved around with just a thought.


    She felt another presence, and an orb of blue light slowly floated towards her. ¡°Dee. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re coming to.¡± The feminine voice was without a doubt familiar.


    ¡°Croestia. Where are we?¡± Dee asked rather calmly, mirroring the calm shown by Croestia.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain we are within your soul space. Or to be exact, we are within your Domain.¡± Croestia replied, adopting her more analytical persona.


    ¡°Domain? Isn¡¯t that supposed to be something for immortals? Are you sure?¡± Dee asked genuinely surprised, although she had suspected something like this.


    ¡°Yes. This is one of those things that I just know due to my nature as a magical item. Also, Mazatl did tell you that you could store important items within your soul space. That''s why I¡¯m here.¡± Croestia confirmed.


    Dee looked around again. ¡°A little bleak scenery. I¡¯m not sure I feel any power from this place either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably because it¡¯s not fully formed. Usually people form the very beginnings of their soul space when they become immortal and it grows into its full form as they gain more power and greater control. I¡¯m not sure why yours is already like this, but it¡¯s not fully connected to you. That¡¯s why it¡¯s mostly just influenced by your blessings and why it¡¯s not conferring any of the benefits a normal soul space would.¡± Croestia had a fair bit of knowledge on such things thanks to the fact that she had been owned by several powerful people before. The pendant might have lost her old personality and parts of its memories, but she knew some things, especially when reminded of them like this.


    ¡°Do you know why it¡¯s not connected?¡± Dee asked trying to get a grasp on things. ¡°And more importantly, how do I connect with it?¡±


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t have the requisite level of power to open one yet. I think the power from your blessings made a mess of things somehow, but that¡¯s just a pure guess. Maybe Umbra decided to play a trick on you? Anyway, the existence of the space is not a bad thing. I would assume it will connect automatically when you raise your strength to the requisite level. It keeps growing even now, so that¡¯s a good thing.¡± Croestia might have some answers but not all of them.


    ¡°What about the totem thingy Mazatl talked about? Any idea on that?¡± Dee thought of another question. ¡°I know she mentioned something about Domains working a little different with totems, but I might get some ideas of what to expect.¡±


    ¡°Look behind you.¡± Croestia suggested simply.


    Dee turned around and saw something that had not been there before. It was as if the thought of a totem had summoned this¡­whatever it was. All Dee could see was skulls. Thousands and thousands of skulls. The eyes of the skulls had an eerie green light to them, and somehow Dee knew the skulls represented all the people she had killed and the souls she had consumed. She could feel that the skull closest to her was that representing the feral dragon she had just killed, although it looked just like the others, a humanoid skull. The furthest skull was actually someone she didn¡¯t even know. Someone she had met as a baby and had died close to her? Had she absorbed that soul without knowing?


    The skulls were all identical and looking outwards from the center. The tops of the skulls were on even level, as were the skulls in general as they were uniform in size and shape. It somehow reminded her of a weird uneven floor made of skulls, although she also knew that wasn¡¯t quite it. ¡°It¡¯s a foundation.¡± Dee suddenly said, certain that she was right.


    ¡°I believe you are right. The question is: a foundation for what?¡± Croestia asked reaching the same conclusion.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any idea. I feel it might not have been decided yet. And even the foundation isn¡¯t finished yet. This is just the beginning.¡± Dee wasn¡¯t sure where that information was coming from, but it was about her own soul, so she supposed it made sense she would know some things about it.


    ¡°Well, we can probably say with confidence that it won¡¯t be a normal totem. It will be one of those weird things Mazatl mentioned.¡± Croestia concluded.


    ¡°So what happened outside?¡± Dee suddenly asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Moirai and Razark came to get you. You¡¯re back at the volcano temple.¡± Croestia replied. She could still observe the surroundings even if Dee was unconscious. ¡°They assume it was a backlash from that draconic power of yours.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably right. We knew there would be some downsides to that power. I guess now were seeing some of them. Am I still in the kitsune form?¡± Dee asked, suddenly curious.


    ¡°Yes, why?¡± Croestia asked back.


    ¡°Well, I have a slight idea of the changes to the kitsune form. Horns and scales on the forelegs right? I¡¯m still not sure if the other forms were affected however. I suppose we will find out soon.¡± Dee mused, not really sure just yet how she should react to the changes.


    ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡± Croestia suddenly said.


    ¡°The tails?¡± Dee guessed.


    ¡°No I think you figured out the same things I did concerning them. Do you remember the three doors I mentioned way back when I first woke up and you asked for an inventory of the stuff inside my storage space? Your coming into this soul space just triggered the information on how to open two of them.¡± Croestia¡¯s words came as a total surprise to Dee. She had in fact completely put the doors out of her mind.

 Chapter 68

    ¡±Do we know what¡¯s behind the doors?¡± Dee asked, guessing that information might have appeared along with the way to open them.


    ¡°No, just that the contents are important. Otherwise what¡¯s the point to even lock them behind a door and make opening the doors difficult?¡± Croestia still looked like a ball of light, but the shoulder shrug was audible in her voice.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see the particulars when the doors open then. What does it take to open the first door?¡± Dee asked, realizing that Croestia had no choice in the matter.


    ¡°Firstly, there¡¯s a definite third door, but there¡¯s no clear first and second door. It¡¯s easier if I just tell you what the opening conditions are and you¡¯ll see what I mean. One of the doors can be opened when you become immortal. That¡¯s it, rather simple. The second is a little bit more complicated. That one can be opened when you figure out with relative certainty what form your totem will take. So like I said, theoretically you could figure out the second door first.¡± Croestia explained her earlier words. Her older personality had been much more adept at controlling its powers, and the new her couldn¡¯t do much about the blocks placed by the old persona.


    ¡±Well, that¡¯s true in my case, but not in most cases. Most people have a vague idea at best about their totem until they become immortal, so that¡¯s meant to be the second door. I just have the opportunity to jump ahead due to circumstances. Any idea on the third door?¡± Dee asked after voicing her own theory.


    ¡°Yes and no. I don¡¯t know what the opening conditions for that door are, but I do know when I will find out. Apparently I¡¯ll get that information once the other two doors have been opened.¡± Croestia¡¯s tone was slightly apologetic. She hated these memory blocks just as much as Dee did, and cursed her old self for creating them. She guessed they existed for a reason, but that didn¡¯t make her feel any better.


    ¡°I can make a fairly educated guess based on the other two doors. If it follows the pattern then the third door opens upon reaching a certain milestone in my power. I guess these checks are in place so that I can cope with whatever is behind the doors. If I were to guess, the third milestone will either be reaching class twelve or the more nebulous class thirteen as a psion. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s also based on my psionic strength and I can¡¯t cheat the blocks by reaching that rank with holy power. That would make sense, seeing as the old you and mother only knew me as a psion.¡± Dee mused while chewing on her lip a bit in thought.


    ¡°That would make sense, though there is another possibility. While I don¡¯t have my own memories of Selvaria, the memories you shared make her seem a little airheaded. She might have missed the possibility entirely.¡± The pendant suggested with slight resignation.


    ¡°She was airheaded and forgetful, but she wasn¡¯t stupid. Though, the fact that she gave me the wrong bloody manuals for cultivating may suggest otherwise.¡± Dee¡¯s voice became decidedly unsure towards the end. Was her mother really that dumb? Selvaria had sent her alone to this world after all. Dee had assumed that something had happened to the person who was supposed to wait for her at the teleportation station, but had her mother bungled that one up too? That was a worrying thought.


    Dee looked at the glowing ball of energy floating around her. Her life had significantly improved after Croestia had woken up. It was a subtle difference, but to her the difference between the time before Croestia woke up and the time after was like night and day. And not just because the situation surrounding her had gotten a lot more pleasant. She wasn¡¯t forced to work as an assassin or used as an experimental guinea pig anymore, but her life after Zabaniya hadn¡¯t been luxurious and easy either. She wasn¡¯t beaten anymore, except by the cursed old man, but her life was still filled with hard training punctuated by occasional death. She chose the training herself, but still.


    There was an important difference however. She was no longer alone. The nights spent alone in the Zabaniya dungeons had been the worst. Even the physical torture might not have been as bad as the mental isolation. That¡¯s why she still had split feelings when it came to the one man that had worked as her handler, Lord Malik. The man was far from a friend, but he had been the closest thing to a friendly face Dee had seen during those years. She absolutely hated Lord Malik for all that had happened, but at the same time she was also thankful for his presence in a twisted way. She was fairly sure her mind would¡¯ve collapsed if he hadn¡¯t been there.


    Now she could push away the loneliness because Croestia was here. Sure she had other friends like Faylen, Mazatl, Mina and Moirai, but they all had their own agendas. Until recently she couldn¡¯t truly trust any of them, and now she only had real trust in Faylen and to a lesser extent Moirai. The former had found out about her past and had gotten over it, and Moirai had already seen Dee at her bad moments and wouldn¡¯t care about minor details. Still it was clear that both of them would use her when the time came and their bottom line was at risk.


    That didn¡¯t make them bad people however, just normal, but there were also limits to their bonds for now. Besides, neither of them had really seen what Dee could really do when pushed. They knew Dee could take lives, but Dee hadn¡¯t really shown her true darker side to them. What would Moirai say if she knew Dee could kill the entire Four Winds alliance without a shred of remorse if that would save Moirai¡¯s or Faylen¡¯s life?


    Croestia was different, because of obvious reasons. Dee could trust her implicitly. Croestia wouldn¡¯t be able to betray her even if she wanted to, and the pendant¡¯s alignment would shift with Dee¡¯s so she wouldn¡¯t want to. Croestia was always present and would be in the future. Dee rarely saw Faylen and while Moirai was currently always present, that might not be true in the future. Croestia was with her every hour of every day, and would follow along with Dee in the future.


    Dee¡¯s and Croestia¡¯s relationship wasn¡¯t one filled with constant exchange of opinions or even conversations. Instead the two could go months without exchanging a word and still be comfortable in the other¡¯s presence. There was an obvious reason to the lack of conversations as well. As they were constantly together they saw the same things, heard the same things and experienced the same things. Because Croestia¡¯s new personality was based on Dee¡¯s own they already understood the other¡¯s opinions without words, so there was no need to say anything unless something unexpected came up. Simply knowing that Croestia was there was enough for Dee. She had not quite developed the emotional maturity to consider whether it was enough for Croestia as well.


    Their wordless communication had already reached the level where Croestia used her boosting abilities in combat without Dee having to say a word. Croestia knew when to shift between boosting strength, speed, fortitude and so on. She also knew when Dee wanted to fight without help. On occasion Dee would give instructions just out of habit, but it wasn¡¯t really required. What else would you expect from years of working together? That ability had been pretty much maximized.


    Which reminded Dee. ¡°You once said that you might be able to get other abilities, only that we should maximize the first one before picking others. I think we have reached that point.¡±


    ¡°I was actually about to talk about that. We have something of a unique opportunity thanks to your recent fight with the feral dragon. I told you before that I could cover for your weaknesses or I could make your strengths even stronger. The first ability you wanted me to develop was a general supportive type, but now I have another idea. You noticed how one of your tails turned blue to resist the cold, yes?¡± Croestia asked, already knowing the answer. She just wanted to focus the topic there.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Dee replied with an affirmative nod, which looked odd since she didn¡¯t really have a body inside her Domain. The message was delivered however, and Croestia continued. ¡°You were not aware of this, but during the time you were within the elemental rift, you absorbed a lot of the elemental power present. Your other tails also changed color, and I¡¯m pretty sure they also have a certain amount of resistance to the respective elements. Those resistances are far from absolute however, as you noted with the dragon¡¯s frost breath. What would happen, if you combined those resistances with a magic resistance similar to the one possessed by the dragons?¡±


    Dee¡¯s eyes widened with a realization. ¡°The mages would piss themselves. The biggest problem of the dragon¡¯s resistance is that it only dampens the effect of magic cast at them, but with another source of resistance helping with that¡­can you do that?¡±


    ¡°With certain sacrifices, yes. I don¡¯t like to brag, well actually yes I do, but I¡¯m a very powerful magical item with the possibility of growing ridiculously strong. A magical resistance like that is not beyond the realm of possibility. I¡¯ll need a little help though.¡± Croestia always wanted to be helpful to Dee and now she had the chance. She felt a little ashamed that it would not be easy though.


    ¡°Little help?¡± Dee asked, dreading the answer.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll need a catalyst to get the whole ability started. The body of the dragon you killed should suffice. The ability will naturally grow stronger over time, but I expect you want actionable results sooner rather than later. That means we have to hurry the development. I can think of three ways. First, I can absorb more creatures with a resistance like that. So hunting dragons and their kind basically. That¡¯s the fastest way but¡­well you¡¯d have to fight dragons.¡± Croestia¡¯s voice sounded apologetic.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to table that for now. Maybe later when I have more power. What else?¡± Dee had expected this was one of the options and skipped it as impossible for now. Just one fight with a young feral dragon had almost been too much for the current her.


    ¡°Secondly, you can be around a lot of magic being thrown around. You don¡¯t have to be the target, but being in close proximity is important. Also, this is the slowest method but least dangerous. You could pick up a mission working as a protector for some member of the Mystic¡¯s guild, and that would do nicely. Third option is absorbing huge amounts of elemental energy. The same way your tails got their current power. This one is faster than the second choice, and might help with your own resistance. But I guess it depends on luck?¡± Croestia made the last part a question in case Dee had ideas and wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    ¡°Not necessarily. I mean we could go hunting for elemental rifts just like the beings who saved me last time. Maybe Razark has more information.¡± Dee was lost in thought but got distracted. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask. If you¡¯re showing up as an orb of light, then what¡¯s that?¡± She pointed at another orb of light, the difference being that the other orb was fully black. An orb of black light? Light could be black?


    ¡°We¡¯re inside your soul not mine.¡± Croestia replied a little defensively. She was a little miffed that something else was within Dee¡¯s Domain besides her. She could forgive the blessings and the totem, but the other orb of light made her a bit jealous if she was being honest with herself. Which she wasn¡¯t planning on being. Ignoring such things was much more satisfying.


    Dee made a grasping motion and the ball of black light floated over like a puppy waiting to be patted. ¡°It¡¯s the Authority I picked up years ago.¡± She commented a little surprised. ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡¯ seem to have a real mind yet, and isn¡¯t in any way self-aware. It has the basic ability to recognize its master and follow simple commands though.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Croestia muttered almost happily. A mindless Authority wasn¡¯t a problem. ¡°Can you find out more about its abilities?¡±


    Dee considered for a while. ¡°Yes. It seems both the previous owner and me have been using it a bit wrong. It¡¯s originally an Authority that takes the form of an item. You¡¯re supposed to wear it on your head in some way. The hood of a cape, a helmet, maybe a diadem of sorts? Anyway, once you do wear it, it passively blocks anyone from noting your level of power. That¡¯s kinda useless to me in my normal and kitsune form as my level is shown by the number of tails I have, though I suppose I could hide them under a cloak. When supplied with power and used actively it basically hides my power, aura and mind from the world. So when it¡¯s active no one can sense the power within my body, the same way I can see other people¡¯s power, as well as hiding my mind from others. It¡¯s like it creates a stealth pocket of sorts and no energy gets through. I assume that applies to Mindscape as well.¡±


    ¡°That really is suspiciously convenient set of abilities for you. I can¡¯t quite decide if the Authority is supposed to be stupidly strong or borderline weak.¡± Croestia commented. They had long suspected that there was something fishy going on with the way the Authority ended up in Dee¡¯s hands. The set of abilities provided suited Dee just a bit too well for it to be pure coincidence.


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll find out later on. For now I¡¯ll just be thankful it exists. I think there was some saying about gift horses and mouths, but I don¡¯t quite see what the mangy beasts have to do with anything.¡± Dee had developed a dislike for horses after the steeds of the order had shown their fear of her.


    Dee took a last glance at the desolate scene of her Domain. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time to go. The old bastard will start to kick my body around if I don¡¯t wake up soon.¡±


    ----------


    ¡°Really?!¡± Dee asked incredulously as she opened her eyes only to see the old man winding up for a kick at her prone body.


    ¡°What? I could feel your body was fine and I didn¡¯t give you permission to just lie around sleeping all day. Also I wanted to test those scales on your feet.¡± There wasn¡¯t even a shred of shame in the old man¡¯s tone.


    ¡°Come on! I just killed a dragon. Shouldn¡¯t that at least get me a day off?¡± Dee asked almost pleadingly.


    ¡°You already got a day off, which you spent sleeping you lazy git. And that baby lizard barely counts as a dragon! If I hear a whiff of you calling yourself a dragonslayer just because of that sorry thing, then I¡¯ll be coming after you.¡± The old man looked at her sternly, emphasizing the seriousness of his words.


    ¡°As if it would be any different to how things are now.¡± Dee mumbled to herself while getting up.


    ¡°Did you say something?¡± The old man asked with a raised voice, while walking off.


    ¡°Nothing. I need to see the body of that dragon by the way.¡± Dee decided not to repeat her earlier words.


    -----


    ¡°So what did you want with it?¡± Razark asked with curiosity, as the corpse of the feral dragon was splayed in front of Dee.


    ¡°Give me a second.¡± Dee said while putting her hand on the corpse. Incidentally there had been no changes to her normal body. She got the feeling that she had gotten off easy and might not be so lucky next time. They had not yet explored the changes to her kitsune form yet, but she knew that was next on the agenda. ¡®Do your thing Croestia.¡¯


    Suddenly the dragon¡¯s corpse was surrounded by a light and it seemed to turn into a liquid and flow inside Dee¡¯s hand. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect quite that.¡± Dee remarked out loud before asking silently: ¡®Did it work?¡¯


    ¡®Yes.¡¯ Croestia replied. ¡®I¡¯m now providing you with a very base level of magic resistance. I wouldn¡¯t rely on it to defend against anything truly dangerous, but combined with your current body, simple fireballs and similar level spells should be nothing but an annoyance. And that¡¯s assuming one of your tails isn¡¯t resisting fire. I still wouldn¡¯t jump into a magical volcano even if one of your tails does go red though.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­interesting. Mind explaining what that was?¡± Razark asked with a slightly confused look. ¡°Even though it was a young and low level dragon, the parts from it could¡¯ve been quite useful.¡±


    Dee considered for a second if she should keep it a secret, but was reminded of the fact that she was trying to get rid of her habit of keeping everything a secret. Razark¡¯s connections could help, and there was really no reason to keep it a secret since he would notice fairly soon anyway.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve probably noticed that I have a spatial storage, right?¡± Dee pre-faced her explanation.


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t bother trying to tell me that was about storing the body. I could see the corpse turning into¡­something.¡± The old man interrupted from the side.


    Razark also interjected. ¡°I think I see where this is going. The item that you use for storage also comes with other abilities.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why you sometimes gain a sudden boost in your physical abilities!¡± The old man also connected the dots. ¡°You have a boosting item of some sorts.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes that is one of the item¡¯s abilities. However, the item is a little different from what you would expect. It can develop new abilities and the dragon¡¯s corpse was used for that purpose.¡± Dee gave a quick and dirty explanation, futilely hoping they would not ask more. Those hopes were immediately dashed.


    ¡°You have an item that can evolve?¡± Razark shot back, his suspicion confirmed. ¡°What abilities does it have, and what did it just gain?¡±


    Dee had expected this so she started to reply with a sigh. ¡°You know about the boosting ability and the storage. As far as I can tell, there¡¯s no limit to the amount of stuff it can store so there¡¯s that. I just gained a very basic version of the dragon¡¯s magic resistance, which can be developed further.¡± She also listed the three ways.


    ¡°That¡­is a very intriguing possibility that we will have to explore further. Especially the rifts. There¡¯s a large amount of competition for such rifts though, so it might be problematic to gain access. The Revenant are a community that is dependent on such rifts for their power, and even I¡¯m not stupid enough to pick a fight with the rank eleven community.¡± Razark started to weigh the options. The idea of Dee gaining even a medium level magic resistance would be a huge boon.


    ¡°That¡¯s all fine and dandy, but you¡¯ve been cheating. It¡¯s time you fought me as yourself and not with the help of your little bauble. We need to test those new changes to you body as well.¡± The old man said starting to drag Dee towards the practice grounds.


    ¡°Waiiit! Shouldn¡¯t I learn to fight with the assistance of such help since I have access to it?!¡± Dee tried to futilely defend herself.


    ¡°Bullshit! Using things like that is a crutch! Besides, you¡¯ve ranked up. It¡¯s time to see how you fare now with your new rank.¡± The old man replied with a mirthful laugh.


    ¡°Help!¡± Dee silently sought Razark¡¯s aid with her eyes, while he suddenly found the ceiling very interesting as he ignored Dee¡¯s pleas.

 Chapter 69

    Dee watched as Moirai repeatedly opened a portal with her psionic powers. The portal had not changed from the other times Dee had seen it before. It was a circular opening in space that looked like the space around it was struggling to close with all the sparks running around the edges. Moirai was explaining the process at the same time, trying to teach Dee to do the same. This was Dee¡¯s reward for killing the feral dragon during her little hunt. Moirai didn¡¯t bother mentioning that she would¡¯ve taught this to Dee anyway at some point.


    ¡°You need to imagine the space in front of you and the desired destination existing in the same place, and then punch a hole though. Making the hole is not the hard part, keeping it open is. This is a very rough application psionic power to bend the laws of space, and the space tries to rectify the anomaly as soon as possible. You can see the erosion of the portal on the edges. The further away the destination and the less you know about the destination the harder it is to keep the portal open. On the upside, unlike mages, we don¡¯t have to be familiar with our destination, but we have to be careful not to open the portal inside a mountain or something.¡± Moirai explained with a lecturing tone. This was probably the hardest to learn out of all her abilities, partially because there was no way to give a completely clear explanation. The skill worked half on instinct.


    ¡°What happens when you do open a portal inside a mountain, or even a living being?¡± Dee asked. Needless to say she was already thinking that she might want to open a portal inside certain people to tear them apart.


    ¡°Using force control like this is not an exact science, so the result may vary. Your way of creating portals will not be exactly the same as mine, as you will imagine the process a little different. For me the portal won¡¯t open and there will be a backlash of power as the skill fails. I won¡¯t be able to create another portal for a while afterwards. My mentor could make the portal appear if the object in the way was inanimate, though of course you wouldn¡¯t be able to go though. Living beings will naturally resist such a drastic change inside themselves even without knowing something like this happened. If my mentor accidentally opened a portal inside a rank one person, then tough luck to the poor bastard, but if she tried to open one inside a being with actual power, then the portal would not open and then the backlash happened.¡± Moirai said with a warning tone.


    ¡°I guess that explains why portals usually have their own dedicated spots for opening, even when mages create them.¡± Dee commented with a shiver. That would not be a nice way to go. Still might be semi-useful as a weapon.


    ¡°Anyway, if you can calculate the location of the target in relation to yourself, then it becomes much easier to both open and maintain a portal, so knowledge of the destination or great calculative abilities are useful for us too. Just not something mandatory, unlike for the mages. Oh, there¡¯s another thing. You¡¯re already aware that there¡¯s a barrier around this place stopping portals from forming. There are many such methods to stop portals from working. The most effective ones stop any spatial anomalies like portals from forming completely, something commonly deployed during wars. A more wicked method is to twist all spatial disturbances, so that they end up in a different place. Some communities like to have any portals open straight into places full of traps, so do be careful about that. The shield around this place is powerful against tampering but very basic in the sense that it simply prevents any portal that would go through the shield. Something like opening a portal also makes a pretty big disturbance so you will announce your presence to everyone. I know how much you like your stealth, so I should emphasize this. There are no stealthy portals.¡± Moirai looked sternly at Dee while giving the warning.


    Next it was time for Dee to try to create a portal of her own. Her first attempts were complete failures as was expected. In fact it took her three weeks until she made any progress. She felt that there was something wrong with how she was trying to create the portals. It was as if Moirai¡¯s method was great for the Meilin psion, but somehow faulty for Dee. She tried many different ways to make Moirai¡¯s method to work, but finally gave up on the idea of bringing two places together to form the portal, her power simply didn¡¯t work that way.


    Instead she started to form an alternate path between the two places. The basic idea was that this alternate path would still be much shorter and faster. As soon as she thought of this her progress became much faster. She still didn¡¯t manage to make a portal further than between her hands by using all her strength, but at least she had made one. It seemed that there was still something wrong with her way of doing things. She was still stuck with the idea of creating a path through space between the two points. This basic idea seemed wrong somehow.


    ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t try to make a direct path through space between the points. Maybe the path has to go elsewhere? Maybe the fastest path between two points in this case isn¡¯t a straight line.¡¯ Dee thought to herself during one of her lessons with Moirai. Her teacher was dealing with some of her of research while Dee was doing experiments, staying available for questions. That had often been the way their lessons went. Moirai gave her the basic outline and answered questions while Dee found her own way of doing things.


    Instead of strictly controlling her power, Dee let the power itself find the best way between points. Her goal was to make a portal to the other side of the volcano caldera they were in. Suddenly something snapped into place and a portal came into existence in front of her. She felt that the destination was not quite where she had aimed, but that this was the shortest distance between points that she could create a portal with this method. A minimum distance in other words.


    ¡°Uh, master, I think I did something.¡± Dee called for Moirai. Even Dee¡¯s failed experiments created spatial disturbances, so Moirai had not felt the difference between a failed and a successful attempt. In fact the successful attempt had been more subtle that the bungled up attempts, although still easily noticeable.


    The other woman looked up and saw the portal in front of Dee. At first she was glad that her disciple had succeeded, but there was something strange about the portal. For one, it wasn¡¯t trying to close. There were no fiery edges or sparks and no erosion of space, simply an opening in space barely visible from where she was sitting. She walked up to the portal without saying anything and looked inside. It was like she was looking at the vast emptiness of space, except it wasn¡¯t entirely black. It had a dark silvery hue with touches of weird purplish and white strands of light floating everywhere.


    ¡°Where exactly did you open a portal to?¡± Moirai asked in shock. She was afraid that all the air would suddenly explosively flow though the portal into the empty looking weird space, but nothing like that happened.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that is the destination.¡± Dee commented. She pointed at another opening inside the weird space about a hundred mel away from where this opening was. ¡°That¡¯s the destination. This is the space in between.¡±


    ¡°In between? You didn¡¯t make a portal directly to your destination?¡± Moirai asked, suddenly realizing the implications.


    ¡°No, that didn¡¯t seem to work for me for some reason. I had to find another path.¡± Dee explained her problem.


    ¡°So what¡¯s that space in between then?¡± Moirai asked the obvious question. ¡°And more importantly, is it dangerous?¡±


    Dee considered for a while. She had a feeling that the weird space wasn¡¯t exactly safe, but it wasn¡¯t immediately dangerous either. She got a feeling like she was looking at the sea. Just going in wasn¡¯t dangerous, but that didn¡¯t mean there were no dangerous creatures within, and that you couldn¡¯t drown if you weren¡¯t¡¯ careful. ¡°Only one way to find out. Pull me back if it looks like things are going bad.¡± Dee yelled and suddenly leaped into the emptiness beyond the portal.


    She had hoped that her momentum would take her to the other portal even if there were no footholds in the empty space, but her movement stopped immediately as she crossed the threshold as if she had no momentum at all. There was no jarring stop like hitting a wall, it was just like she hadn¡¯t leaped at all and was just¡­floating there. She tried taking steps and even swimming forwards, but got nowhere. Probably even looked foolish while trying.


    She had another problem. She had taken a deep breath before leaping in, but her breath would run out eventually. She had to test if it was possible to breathe here for future reference. She let the air out, not even feeling it go into the emptiness, and tried taking a small breath. Moirai could see the shocked look on Dee¡¯s face from the outside and was prepared to pull her out, but Dee didn¡¯t look distraught or struggling.


    ¡°This feels¡­different.¡± Dee said, her voice easily traveling to Moirai.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°What?¡± The Meilin asked, suddenly curious and no longer worried.


    ¡°You can breathe but¡­it¡¯s like my lungs are eating air instead of really breathing. It¡¯s hard to explain. It¡¯s not a bad feeling, just different.¡± Dee tied putting her feelings to words.


    ¡°Start moving!¡± Moirai started encouraging, her scientific curiosity now suddenly piqued.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed me flopping around like a fish?! I¡¯m trying. I want to go there but I just c¡­¡± Dee¡¯s words were cut off suddenly ask she started to rapidly move towards the other portal. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s how it works.¡± Dee said in a complete deadpan voice.


    ¡°What? Tell me!¡± Moirai demanded, suddenly sounding as childish as her appearance.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m leaving that for you to figure out for yourself.¡± Dee continued her completely emotionless voice, before mumbling to herself. ¡°Stupid bloody space making me feel stupid.¡±


    It took Dee only a few seconds to reach her destination. She looked though the other portal, before turning and yelling back to Moirai. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s safe! You can come too.¡±


    Moirai had noted the whole process that Dee had gone through to move, and knew there was a trick to it. It took her all of a second to figure out you just had to think about moving and it happened. She had a cheeky grin as she got to Dee¡¯s side. ¡°Well that wasn¡¯t so hard.¡±


    ¡°You can laugh now, but what if I told you it took you longer to get here than it took for me?¡± Dee had a smirk of her own.


    ¡°So what?¡± Moirai asked suddenly wary.


    ¡°Weeeell, since the whole movement is done mentally, you can figure out on your own why someone might move slower than others.¡± Dee teased a little.


    Moirai frowned before realization hit her. ¡°You¡¯re telling me the speed of movement there is dependent on you mental ability? You calling me dumb, oh disciple of mine?¡± Her eyes narrowed dangerously.


    ¡°Where are we anyway?¡± Dee asked, changing the subject. This place was not on the volcano anymore, that much was clear.


    Moirai looked around, before noticing the familiar looking mountains in the distance. She knew them because she had seen them from the volcano during a clear day. She also knew the volcano would be in that same direction, but it was hidden by the horizon. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have made a shorter trip for us?¡± Moirai asked a little shocked, while pointing out the mountains.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the shortest distance I can make the portal. What¡¯s that, about a thousand kilomels from the volcano?¡± Dee asked, also recognizing the mountains barely peeking over the horizon. It helped that they were standing on the side of another mountain as well, otherwise the horizon would have hidden the those mountains from their sight as well. The whole vicinity of the volcano was dotted with mountains.


    ¡°At least. Hard to judge.¡± The only reason they could even see that far was that their bodies and by extension their eyes were enhanced by their power and they were both from races with great eyesight. ¡°What I¡¯m more interested in is how you managed to pierce the shield protecting the volcano.¡±


    Dee thought for a moment. ¡°I think it¡¯s because we''re not actually going through the shield, but around it in a way. I¡¯m pretty sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to open the portal if the shield prevented spatial disturbances within the shield from forming.¡±


    ¡°Can you make one back?¡± Moirai asked. ¡°I can¡¯t actually go through the shield myself, even by foot. Only reason we got out last time was because Razark opened the way.¡± The portal they had used to get here had closed once they had stepped through.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t think my portals are as precise as yours. Let me try.¡± Dee replied and focused. She could feel that somehow the weird path they had taken had a certain amount of control over the destination. Dee realized that the portal would never fail because of opening inside something, not because it wasn¡¯t physically possible, but because the mysterious space in between would not allow that to happen.


    Luckily for the two, Dee successfully created a path back. It wasn¡¯t exactly where Dee had wanted to place the end point, but it was close enough. She had a hunch though that the further away she made the portal, the more the endpoint would veer from target. Maybe she could improve with practice?


    ¡°So we still don¡¯t know what that space in between is.¡± Moirai commented.


    ¡°I have a hunch.¡± Dee suddenly said. She had learned a bit more about the weird space after the second time opening the portal. ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure that¡¯s another plane.¡±


    ¡°Like the elemental planes?¡±  Moirai asked with a surprise.


    ¡°A little bit like that, but not quite. I get the feeling that that¡¯s the place where you go when you aren¡¯t anywhere else. It¡¯s a bit hard to explain.¡± Dee struggled with her words, because the concept was so foreign to her.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I think I¡¯ve heard of something like that before.¡± Moirai¡¯s expression became solemn. ¡°There¡¯s an old theory. Once, before we created the gates that take us between worlds, there was another way to travel between worlds and planes. It could take you anywhere, but it might take you forever to get to your destination. You wouldn¡¯t age during the trip though. The other path of travel was called the Astral Plane or the Endless Astral Sea. The gates made that method of travel obsolete eons ago, but some theories still exist. This is just a guess though. I¡¯m not exactly an expert on the subject. Just something I read in passing.¡±


    ¡°The Astral Plane, huh?¡± Dee mused to herself. It seemed she had another matter to research when she went back to civilization. Moirai would probably enjoy running a few tests with her until then as well.


    ---------------


    Shunkaha was enjoying the evening with his scout buddies. They were spending the evening in a popular drinking hole founded by one of the retired dwarven scouts. The bar was located at the central gathering place for the scouts. The scouts didn¡¯t have their own headquarters per se because most of the time they were either on missions or scattered among the other groups of the order. However, they did have an area where they gathered equipment and craftsmen that worked for them, as well as a place where they could all relax without being bothered by the rest of the order.


    The scouts tended to be a bit of an insular bunch. The other scouts were like a family to them, while they mostly looked down on and barely tolerated the rest of the templar and paladins. This was a feeling of unity born from facing death and adversity together. This unity created a bond of trust that simply didn¡¯t extend to people outside the group, not even to your real family. The men and women here had to give each other their best every time without an agenda, because otherwise they ended up dead. It was not the type of trust that could simply be given freely due to familial or friendly bonds.


    ¡°Brothers for a day, brothers for life¡± didn¡¯t signify just that once you were accepted as a scout you would always be a scout. It also signified the bond of trust that held them together. Once that trust was earned, it was not something that would be easily lost or broken. There had of course been one or two occasions were a member of the scouts had chosen a path of betrayal, but the whole group had hunted those people down and made an example of them in front of all the gathered scouts to show what happened to traitors. On the flip side the scouts would always go above and beyond for their brothers and sisters.


    Shunkaha had earned his place among the scouts during the last three years, becoming a full brother. It also didn¡¯t hurt that he was one of the stronger members of the already elite group. This was partially due to his constant training, but it was also because he had gained an important Authority last year that made his power increase explosively. His friends thought Shunkaha had gained the Hero Authority named Silver Fang that was famously passed down in his clan, but they were wrong. The Authority was something greater.


    With his power he could take up many dangerous missions and he had completed them with admirable speed and efficiency. That had gotten him noticed and had earned him respect. His charismatic personality had earned him friends and allies. Even the older scouts appreciated his company and would often drink with him in this bar visited solely by other scouts. There was another reason why Shunkaha enjoyed the place aside from the company.


    ¡°Hey Silver Wolf! Isn¡¯t it time you sing us another song?¡± One of the other patrons called out, using Shunkaha¡¯s nickname.


    Shunkaha thought the nickname a little boring considering the color of the fur found on his body and his heritage, but it could be worse. Couple of his friends had gotten their names due to the biggest or funniest mistakes they made. ¡°Sure. What would you like to hear this time?¡± Shunkaha rather enjoyed performing and singing. It was a natural outlet for his charisma, and he did enjoy the attention.


    ¡°Sing the love song! I always enjoy hearing about your little sweetheart!¡± Another patron yelled, getting support from the others. That song was always popular, partly because how easy it was to sing along to.


    Shunkaha gave a secretive smile. There was a joke only he understood hidden in the song. One of the conditions for him being granted the Authority had been that he would be engaged to one of the high ranking female wolf werebeasts of an allied tribe. It hadn¡¯t been just for diplomacy, as one of the conditions for gaining the Authority was to have such bonds. Shunkaha would have preferred another person to be present during the ceremony to fulfil that role, but he had not seen that person for over three years.


    Everyone assumed that the song he was about to sing was about his fianc¨¦e but that was not true. It secretly described the vixen that radiated danger and had stolen his heart. Even his fianc¨¦e had thought the song was about her and thought it to be an expression of love. Shunkaha didn¡¯t have the heart to correct that mistaken idea. The girl was crazy about him, even though he barely gave her any attention. She had even followed him into the scouts, now doing her first year among them.


    ¡°Tell me, I guess that cupid was in disguise,


    That day you walked in and changed my life,


    I think it¡¯s amazing


    The way that love can set you free.


    So now I walk in the midday sun


    I never thought that my savior would come


    I think it¡¯s amazing


    I think you¡¯re amazing.¡±


    The crowd had started becoming rowdy with people singing along and clapping to the rhythm. Several of the other scouts had picked up instruments and were playing along with the rather simple but captivating tune. Suddenly the revelry was dampened as the doors opened and two scouts walked in. There were two reasons the mood had suddenly taken a weird turn. While both of the newcomers were clothed in the standard black leather armor and cloak of the scouts, no one here was stupid enough to think the newcomers were standard scouts.


    The taller obviously female scout wore the dark cloth covering her face that hid any identifiable features. Not common among the scout community as they usually didn¡¯t hide themselves from each other, but not something too strange either. What was weird was that no one could feel her level of power, yet she radiated strength and danger like a bared blade ready to take the lives of anyone foolish enough to stand in her way. They were all quite certain she could kill every single scout here without breaking a sweat.


    The bigger surprise was the slightly shorter male that had his handsome face bared. The scout uniforms had no signs of rank in case they were captured by the enemy. However, every scout here recognized the face of that Alpyran man as Razark, one of the Blades of the order and the true leader of all the scouts, even ahead of the grandmaster of the order.


    The dwarven bartender came out from behind the bar with a wide grin on his face. ¡°Razark you old goat! Glad to see you back!¡±


    ¡°Brann you old drunk!¡± Razark replied with a grin and squeezed the offered hand of the much shorter dwarf with quite a bit of force. He also looked around. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me and continue. You seemed to have a good mood going. Don¡¯t let me interrupt. In this bar we are all equal.¡±


    Unlike all the others, Shunkaha had paid no attention to the man and had his eyes locked on the woman instead. To be precise, he had his eyes locked on the woman¡¯s hips which he would be able to identify anywhere. They had been a big part of his dreams since the two had met. ¡°Darling?¡± He asked in a quiet voice.


    A familiar voice replied to him, while she pulled down the mask that had hidden the foxlike features. ¡°Who are you calling darling?¡± The white furred kitsune grinned. ¡°I seem to recall we never did go on that date you kept asking for.¡±

 Chapter 70

    Dee looked at the room she had called home for the last three years. It was rather barren and without any ornaments. Truth be told she hadn¡¯t spent all that much time here beyond sleeping. The last seven months had been spent mostly in the great wilderness, hunting ever more dangerous monsters under either Razark¡¯s  or the old man¡¯s watchful eye. The hunts had been done to increase her abilities with most of the common scouting skills, to improve her survival skills in various terrains and to give her real combat experience against non-humanoid targets. Most importantly, the hunts had been done to increase her level of power as she consumed the souls of her hunting targets.


    Dee took a last glance at the room before turning her back to it and walking away. She had a weird feeling. Not exactly nostalgia nor was it any sort or sentimentality for leaving another ¡®home¡¯ behind. It was as if a chapter in her life had come to a close. She had a feeling that things would be different from now on, more complicated. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen. She also had a funny thought about this being something of a turning point. A moment in time where she left the last vestiges of her childhood behind and stepped forward towards the unknown challenges of the future.


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the bickering of the old man and Razark. Moirai was standing at the side watching the two with a mix of resignation and amusement. ¡°What are they on about now?¡± Dee asked as she stood next to her.


    ¡°The old man doesn¡¯t think you are ready. He¡¯s right in the sense that there are more things to learn, but then there always will be. Razark can¡¯t stay any longer however and is taking you along. Apparently things outside demand his presence. He thinks you¡¯ll gain more from taking part in those things than here. Knowing how much you gain power from just being near people dying I tend to agree.¡± Moirai commented.


    ¡°What will you do now?¡± Dee asked. She knew Moirai was not coming with her and Razark.


    ¡°I will return to the community. The Elven Empire and the Radiant Sun aren¡¯t the only sources of conflict in Day city.¡± Moirai replied. She considered for a few seconds before continuing. ¡±You¡¯ll find out about this soon enough since you are now part of the Four Winds, so I might as well tell you. The community is challenging the stronger three digit communities in preparation for pushing into to the second circle. They will need all hands at the ready.¡±


    ¡°So soon?¡± Dee asked with surprise. It had been less than ten years since the last time Four Winds had risen into the elites of the third circle.


    ¡°Well, we are a rather fresh alliance of four races. We still haven¡¯t quite found out what our limits are, so we¡¯re moving up gradually. Judging just by our high ranking members I¡¯d guess we will end up somewhere in the mid ranks of the second circle when all is said and done. We do have a rather strong position just numerically as well. We are one of the few communities that actually command the entirety of more than one race in Pantheon. That said, all four of our races are counted among rather minor races when it comes to numbers, so it¡¯s a bit less impressive than it would be otherwise. We¡¯re pretty far from something like the Revenant or the Hive.¡± Moirai explained with a slight self-deprecating smile.


    ¡°Well, I suppose this is goodbyes for a while then. I doubt I¡¯ll get much of a chance to come to the Four Winds in the next few years, seeing as thigs are headed for something like a war.¡± Dee commented turning to the much shorter woman.


    ¡°I know.¡± Moirai grinned. ¡°You are an investment into the future for the community. I always knew you¡¯re meant for great power, it¡¯s just a matter of time. I know the community is betting on you helping us gain a better position once we do get into the second circle. Personally I just hope you¡¯ll be safe. Don¡¯t take too many risks my friend.¡±


    It was the first time Moirai had called her friend and not student or disciple. There was a good reason for that. Moirai had very little to teach her anymore. What Dee lacked was experience and time instead of lessons or a teacher. She also knew that it would only be a matter of years and not decades until the young demon caught up to her in power. That scared Moirai a bit because of what it said about Dee¡¯s future power, but it was a good kind of fear, almost more akin to excitement.


    Dee didn¡¯t reply verbally, opting instead to pull the small woman into a long hug. The hug was rather emotional for both of them, only spoiled by the fact that almost at the same time they both reached to give the other¡¯s tail a good squeeze and slight petting. Owing to the fact that they were both doing it, as they had wanted to for a long time, they decided to ignore it and just go with it.


    Their fun was finally interrupted by the old man. ¡°Well dummy disciple, it seems it is time for you to go.¡±


    ¡°Do I get to know the name of my teacher at least before I go?¡± Dee asked a little amused.


    ¡°No. You haven¡¯t earned that yet. Come back and ask me when you become stronger than the idiot disciple.¡± The old man said, thumbing over his shoulder towards Razark. ¡°If you come and challenge me at my full power and can at least tie with me, then you¡¯ll earn the right to know my name.¡±


    ¡®I don¡¯t really care that much though.¡¯ Dee thought quietly to herself, but decided against voicing that thought.


    The old man continued grudgingly. ¡°That said, you did well considering everything. And I did mention I would stop calling you dummy disciple once you learned to use your other arms. Dee was it? So there.¡±


    Razark piped up from the back. ¡°Mind upgrading my status from idiot disciple as well?¡±


    The old man grunted. ¡°No.¡± He looked back at Razark. ¡°Unlike some, you¡¯ve stagnated. You haven¡¯t improved in hundreds of years. If she¡¯s stupid enough to do the same, then she gets demoted back to dummy disciple as well.¡±


    Razark made a displeased sound. ¡°You make it sound like building your totem is so easy.¡±


    ¡®Probably shouldn¡¯t mention that you already have the foundations of your own totem already.¡¯ Croestia commented silently. Dee had to agree.


    -----------


    Razark and Dee stepped through the teleportation gate and found themselves within a forest. At first Dee thought it might be the great forest that housed the Elven Empire, but soon realized that to be incorrect. The mana here wasn¡¯t even close to as thick as in the great forest. She could sense a fairly large number of powerful beings within a few kilomels of their position, several thousand of them in fact. Not as strong as herself and certainly not as strong as Razark, but strong enough to draw her curiosity. She didn¡¯t have to wonder about their identity for long.


    ¡°We¡¯re about to come to the gathering spot used by the scouts. I guess you could call it something like the unofficial headquarters. Mostly it¡¯s just a place where we can rest without being bothered and where we can spend some time with other scouts. We also get our missions sent here and we also have lot of our supplies here. You¡¯ll get the standard scout gear from the quartermaster here. We¡¯ll see about getting you something more specialized a bit later, so you¡¯ll have to make do for now.¡±


    Dee acknowledged his words with a simple nod. She had expected as much.


    ¡°That said, if you have some materials, then the craftsmen we employ can make something a bit better than the standard, custom made for your use. It¡¯ll take a bit of time, but our craftsmen are top quality and are familiar with the enchantments used in our gear. Our enchantments are fairly high level and not exactly widely spread around.¡± Razark suggested. He knew Dee was hiding a variety of things in her storage.


    Dee thought for a while. She had almost entirely forgotten about all the stuff her mother had packed for her within Croestia, simply because there had been no point in using them until now. There was a wide variety of materials, most of which she didn¡¯t even recognize. She also had the Dragotaur¡¯s corpse still stored, along with a few other high level monsters she had hunted in the last seven months. She didn¡¯t want to use them all for now, but some of it could be spared. ¡°I think I have some material¡¯s that could be used.¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Also there¡¯s one thing you should keep in mind. For the scouts, trust is everything. You do not betray your brothers and sisters. You will do your level best to make sure they live and watch their back. We put our lives in each other¡¯s hands every time we go out. That doesn¡¯t leave room for half-assed work or carelessness. Getting yourself killed is one thing, but make damn sure your mistakes won¡¯t come to haunt the rest of us. The scouts have little tolerance for selfishness on the job. Something happening because you¡¯re new is one thing, but something happening because you didn¡¯t do what you were supposed to will get the rest of us killed, and we do not have tolerance for that. Understoond?¡± Razark asked with a stern voice. Not that Dee had shown any propensity for not doing her job, but he knew she didn¡¯t trust easily either. That was one of the few things of her assassin training that couldn¡¯t be changed.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Dee replied simply. She had always thought that anything worth doing was worth doing properly.


    They got to the quartermaster and Dee received a set of the standard scout gear. It was made up of mostly black leather armor over a black cloth jacket and trousers, as well as a large cloak with a hood. It also came with a black cloth mask that normally rested around the scout¡¯s neck like a scarf, but could be lifted to cover the scouts face so that only their eyes and a bit of their forehead showed. The mask had the same feature as the hood on the cloak, where it hid a small spatial enchantment so that no identifying features could be seen from under the mask. Even Dee¡¯s snout disappeared. It was a bit awkward to put on for someone like her, but once it was on she looked like a human or elf would at a glance. If someone looked deep under her hood, then they would note the fur around her eyes and on her forehead, but that was the extent of it.


    ¡°A little simple color palette, don¡¯t you think?¡± Dee asked a little sarcastically.


    ¡°The color hides you in the dark, and the enchantments hide you when it¡¯s light out. They bend the light around you so that it takes the coloring of anything behind you, like a chameleon. It won¡¯t do much while you¡¯re on the move or if someone knows you¡¯re there, but it will hide you when you¡¯re not moving. One reason it¡¯s that way is so that it doesn¡¯t have anything identifiable. No decorations and no insignia either.¡± Razark explained. ¡°Besides, what does it matter to you, since you¡¯ll have your shadow eat it anyway and it would turn black in either case?¡±


    Dee just grunted in reply. It seemed black would be her choice color for now. At least it would be a change from her white fur. She stopped her movements as she discovered a certain item among the supplies. ¡°You said these were tailored for my use?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well it¡¯s not like all our scouts have four arms and wings, so the armor and the jacket had to be specifically tailored to make some allowances. You¡¯ll have to get your angel form measured by the way. I saw you in that form rarely enough that I didn¡¯t get your exact measurements. They¡¯ll have to custom those.¡± Razark replied easily. They had spent enough time in rather close quarters that Razark could easily get Dee¡¯s measurements for the gear. Except Dee was in her angel form only around Moirai most of the time.


    ¡°Care to explain this?¡± Dee turned around with what could only be called cat-ear panties.


    Razark had slight trouble keeping his poker face. ¡°I mean a scout needs to be ready for battle. Those are for a bit different kind of battle, but they could be called battle undies nonetheless.¡±


    The quartermaster behind Dee gave a snicker. She was clearly in on the joke. ¡°Cat ear panties? Really? Do I look like a feline to you?¡± Dee asked with a tone of threat in her voice, hinting that giving the wrong answer was a bad idea.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The quartermaster slightly interjected again.


    ¡°Stop looking at me like that. There are normal ones in the pile as well.¡± Razark replied. This was one of the jokes they usually played on new scouts. The guys had their own practical joke gear as well. To Razark¡¯s and the quartermaster¡¯s amusement Dee stored the cat panties along with the other gear. She actually thought they were fairly cute. She simply disdained Razark for picking them in the first place. It¡¯s not like she had any qualms with scant clothing, as she still thought her fur was actually good enough.


    It only took a short moment for Dee to have her shadow eat all the gear and immediately equip them. She also wore the mask just to test it out and get used to it. She still felt odd with her snout disappearing like that, since she was used to it occupying a portion of her vision. She¡¯d gotten her weapons already before coming here, and those were personal anyway. The scouts weren¡¯t silly enough to try and enforce standardized weaponry, unlike the rest of the order. She also left some materials with the quartermaster for making better gear and was told to pick them up in a few weeks.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want the bow?¡± Razark asked. The only exception to standardized weaponry was that it was the standard to issue bow and arrows with the gear as well. He also knew Dee was proficient in their use.


    ¡°No need. I have my own.¡° In actual fact she had stolen several from the elves during the time they were playing cat and mouse in the great forest. The best one came from an eagle rider who had flown too close to the trees. It was a bit flimsy for Dee¡¯s strength and four arms, but really anything below a ballista would be. The elven bow could form arrows out of her power as well as fire normal arrows, which she had also stolen from the elves and thoroughly coated with poison. It was also enchanted with spells to help with maintenance and durability, so it did the job. If she really got into a ranged fight she would rather rely on her psionics anyway.


    ¡°What¡¯s next on the agenda?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to some of the others. You can run a mission or two. I¡¯ll deal with some issues while we wait for your real gear. After that we have two places to visit.¡± Razark said while leading her towards a particular bar he liked.


    ¡°Which two places?¡± Dee asked with some curiosity.


    ¡°Well first of all we need to visit someone who might be able to help you with psion specific gear. Secondly I think it¡¯s time we look into your kitsune heritage. There must be a reason your ability with fire is so¡­unimpressive. There¡¯s a community of kitsune in the fourth circle. They owe us a favor or seven. They might be able to help.¡± Razark had tried to foster Dee¡¯s fire abilities as kitsune could rival fire elementals in the control of the element. It would be a real asset for Dee, so he had been very disappointed with the lack of progress on that front. Dee could light a campfire, but that was about it.


    They started hearing music as they closed on their destination. Razark was quite used to that, while Dee found the song quite enjoyable. It had a fairly simple in melody, but the song was carried by the singer¡¯s voice. There was a large number of scouts within the bar as they entered, and to her surprise Dee recognized the person performing the song.


    ¡®What¡¯s the mangy wolf doing here?¡¯ Croestia asked silently, clearly amused.


    ¡®Well he did mention he was planning on becoming a scout as well. Didn¡¯t know he had musical talent though.¡¯ Dee shot back.


    Razark greeted the bartender warmly while Dee was exchanging greetings with Shunkaha. ¡°Such a small detail. It¡¯s only a matter of time before you accept my invitation.¡± Shunkaha replied to Dee¡¯s little jab about the date. ¡°I know you won¡¯t be able to resist my charms for long. Aaaaany minute now.¡±


    ¡°Well at least you haven¡¯t lost your optimism.¡± Dee commented with a wry smile. She sensed another werebeast of the wolf tribe walking down the stairs in the back, accompanied with a pair of other female beastmen. They were all fairly young, most likely similar in age to Dee herself. The wolf in front was fairly striking with her golden hair and fur, as well as her cute features. Features that were currently marred by a frown as she looked towards Dee and Shunkaha talking, which was a shame in Dee¡¯s opinion. She wouldn¡¯t have minded if the golden wolf was making advances instead of Shunkaha.


    The golden wolf walked towards them with a fake smile plastered on her face. ¡°Shun honey, this bitch isn¡¯t bothering you, is she?¡± Her smile was betrayed by her rather hostile tone. She had a reason for the tone though. Several female scouts had already approached Shunkaha, charmed by his handsome appearance, and she¡¯d have to chase the flies away. She knew her fianc¨¦ was someone who liked to admire the female form and wouldn¡¯t chase attractive females away himself, unless they really became a bother. This new woman was a bit below his normal standard though.


    Shunkaha was thrown a bit off balance by her appearance. He didn¡¯t really know how to explain Dee¡¯s presence to his fianc¨¦. He couldn¡¯t really call her a friend seeing as he wanted much more. ¡°Felan! This is, uh¡­Dee. We were in basic training together.¡± His voice sounded decidedly guilty to anyone within earshot.


    Just the type of tone Felan did not want to hear. ¡°In basic training, huh? So Dee. What do you want with my fianc¨¦? He doesn¡¯t appreciate being bothered by fangirls. Especially ones so far below his standards.¡± Felan was objectively speaking much more attractive in the eyes of most races and she couldn¡¯t feel Dee¡¯s level of strength as the latter was hiding it with her Authority. Said Authority was now decorating her forehead as a simplistic silver diadem.


    Dee lifted her eyebrow while she turned towards Shunkaha. ¡°A fianc¨¦, is it? How bold of you to seek other women while under the same roof with your future wife.¡±


    Felan was about ready to blow due to the insinuation that it was Shunkaha hitting on the woman instead of the other way around. Her man didn¡¯t need to bother, especially with a mediocre girl like that. ¡°Now look here you little bitch¡­¡±


    Felan¡¯s voice was interrupted by Dee. ¡°Also, that¡¯s the third time you insulted me. I¡¯m not the type to let even one insult go, and you¡¯re getting on my nerves.¡±


    Dee¡¯s anger wasn¡¯t really due to pride or being called names. It was what the name calling represented, which was that Dee was being looked down upon and assumed to be weak. If she had been undercover then it would not matter, but these were supposed to become her brothers and sister. She had to make sure they understood messing with her was a bad idea. She had to establish her position in the ¡®pack¡¯. It was the nature of both demons and beastmen to establish a hierarchy of some kind. While she wasn¡¯t really interested in making a number of her strength, she also wouldn¡¯t tolerate disrespect. Mainly because she didn¡¯t have to.


    Also while she normally had no trouble with pride her dragon side really didn¡¯t permit others looking down on her. That part of her was extremely prideful.


    Felan made a savage grin. ¡°So what will you do about it little fox?¡±


    Dee raised her voice. ¡°Master, permission to establish my position and put a little pup in their place?¡± She requested. It would be troublesome if she created trouble without the permission of the ¡®pack leader¡¯.


    Razark looked amused. It was inevitable someone would pick a fight with Dee at some point. He just didn¡¯t expect it to happen this soon. ¡°Permission granted. Just aim for the door. That¡¯s easier to repair than the walls.¡±


    The dwarven bartender looked at Razark with amusement. ¡°I¡¯ve had the walls enchanted. They should be able to withstand a little catfight. Wolffight? What do you call chicks fighting when they¡¯re canine?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. I think this building might be rather fragile when it comes to her.¡± Razark replied with his grin widening.


    The dwarf was about to express his doubt when the front door and half of the wall on that side exploded out in a shower of tiny fragments. Dee had caught Felan by her face and thrown her through the door. She had properly checked that there was no one on the other side of the door¡­or the wall.


    ¡°What did I just tell you?¡± Razark asked with his fake reproach clear.


    ¡°I aimed for the door.¡± Dee said defensively as she slowly walked towards the collapsed wall. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault the wall connected to the door is so flimsy. I even held back.¡± And she had held back quite a bit. She was making this a bit theatric on purpose but she didn¡¯t want to accidentally kill the girl. She was kinda cute after all.


    Felan struggled out from under the wreckage and looked towards Dee who had just stepped through the opening she had just created. Dee made her cloak disappear, and her tails spread around her like a fan. Felan understood her mistake as soon as she saw the tails. Everyone knew the significance of kitsune tails. Felan had been proud of herself for almost becoming a rank six warrior before age twenty, close to catching up with the record set by her fianc¨¦ Shunkaha, who was a big enough genius to be granted the most important wolf Authority. She realized her folly now.


    ¡®Oh right, didn¡¯t Shun say he was only the second most powerful recruit in his year?¡¯ She thought to herself remorsefully as she watched the eight tails spread around Dee.

 Chapter 71

    Felan knew she had no chance of victory as soon as she saw the tails. She was strong for her level and might be able to fight someone at sixth rank. Maybe not win but at least fight without embarrassing herself. Someone at eight rank though? Not a chance. Her trouble only deepened as she saw flashes of light surrounding the other woman. Those were clearly signs of holy spells she was casting on herself to buff her performance. And not just one or two either.


    ¡®Strength increase. Fortitude increase. Stamina recovery. Regeneration. Protection from¡­something? Was that Fateguard?¡¯ Felan listed in her mind. The last two seemed like really high ranking buff spells already. All of them cast with a snap of the woman¡¯s fingers and without a chant. Not only the spells themselves, just the fact that the woman was casting them indicated that she was taking this seriously and not leaving anything to luck.


    In truth Dee was just doing a little bit of theatrics again. She wanted to make a point and then hammer it home. She didn¡¯t want to be forced into fighting this fight again in a few months. Felan¡¯s friends had showed intent to butt in, but as they saw the buff spells and her tails, they had decided against that course of action. Dee actually hoped they would interferet so that she could make an example of all three of them, but it seemed that portion of her plan wasn¡¯t going to come true. Oh well, fear worked too.


    Felan felt that she had to make a stand even if she would lose. To show some resistance and not just give in so easily. No one would judge her for losing a fight against someone so much stronger than her. However, they might look down on her for not finishing the fight that she herself asked for. This in mind she gathered all the ki she could muster into her claws and slashed at the air in front of her, sending four blades of energy flying towards Dee.


    Dee in turn smiled a little and lifted her hand towards the incoming projectiles. A large shield of golden energy materialized in front of the hand, stopping the incoming projectiles easily. The shield didn¡¯t even have a scratch on it. With a wave of her hand Dee sent the golden shield towards the equally golden wolf, ramming her with it and sending her flying. This was about the time for someone else to intervene, and Dee wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s about enough Dee.¡± Razark interjected as if reading Dee¡¯s mind. ¡°The point has been made. Anything more would be excessive. She isn¡¯t an enemy, just someone misguided.¡±


    Shunkaha also felt that he had to make an appearance as well. Even if Felan was his fianc¨¦e in name only, it would reflect badly on him to let her get beat up too badly without standing up for her. He moved between the dazed and possibly unconscious Felan and Dee. He wasn¡¯t looking threatening, but his stance made it clear he would intercede if Dee were to continue. ¡°This time was her fault so I won¡¯t say anything about it. However, I must insist you don¡¯t go any further. Otherwise you will be fighting me instead of her.¡±


    Unknown to Shunkaha, his words almost tempted Dee to continue. ¡°That sounds rather fun. You aren¡¯t really in a position to insist anything unfortunately. Luckily for you, I¡¯m not unreasonable. Have her apologize later on when she wakes up, and I won¡¯t even hold a grudge. Oh, and you¡¯ll be in charge of the repairs to the wall in exchange for my benevolent nature, right?¡±


    The dwarf bartender was already rubbing his hands while tallying the damages in his mind. He knew the two wolf clans were wealthy, and he planned to take advantage. Shunkaha only sighed in resignation. He knew he¡¯d have to take care of the bill, as refusing to cover for his fianc¨¦e would only add insult to injury, and Felan¡¯s day had been bad enough as it is.


    Razark only gave a chuckle as he led Dee back inside the bar. The other gathered scouts gave small whoops in cheer. They had been a little disappointed that the show was over so soon, but it had been good while it lasted. Small fights between the scouts were normal and highly entertaining for others. Those fights were rarely taken to the extent where anyone got seriously injured. Especially considering more than half of them were capable of at least basic healing spells.


    As they sat down Razark brought back the topic of performing a mission or two while he dealt with some of the more serious matters requiring his immediate attention. ¡°I have something interesting for your first mission. It requires your presence right away and I just got the word while you were tossing the wolf girl around. The presence of some scouts is required in the twelfth circle to help with an evacuation.¡±


    Dee¡¯s eyebrow shot up. ¡°I assume there¡¯s more to this than just glorified baby-sitting?¡±


    ¡°Of course. The important point is why they need help. You told me that you wanted information on elemental rifts. Well, the place you¡¯re going is away from the normal gate network so there¡¯s a need to evacuate a lot of people over large pieces of land. It¡¯ll take at least a week and a half. They are being evacuated because there¡¯s a new elemental rift forming and the local creatures are going on a rampage. I assume you¡¯ll have plenty of chances to slip away to do your thing. The remoteness of the place should keep the prying eyes of high ranked communities away for a few days at least. Only reason we know already is because we had a group of paladins stationed in a nearby city.¡± Razark explained.


    Dee immediately got up and ready to go. She knew time was of the essence. ¡°Just give me the exact location. I¡¯ll use my own way to get there myself.¡±


    Razark quickly wrote the coordinates on a piece of paper. ¡°Remember, there are other groups of the order moving in as well. You are ordered to cooperate but you are not under their command. You only answer to me and the grandmaster and not really to the grandmaster either. You don¡¯t need to advertise that fact. It might cause unnecessary trouble.¡±


    The other scouts had a weird look when Dee¡¯s portal suddenly appeared out of thin air. They weren¡¯t strangers to portals, but opening one looked so effortless that it was strange. There was no preparation or drawing of magical symbols. Just a sudden portal in the middle of the bar, that disappeared as soon as Dee had stepped through. Razark only grinned at their faces, and was not surprised to see several of his old friends approaching him with questions.


    Another person to approach him after a short while was the beastman who had been the cause of the previous fight. The boy¡¯s eyes gave away the fact that he was looking for Dee. As he didn¡¯t find what he was looking for he approached the person who might know something, namely Razark. Shunkaha had seen the two come in together and could infer some things from the bits of conversation he overheard.


    ¡°She already disappeared?¡± Shunkaha asked, stating the obvious more as a way to open the conversation.


    ¡°I gave her a mission. It should take her at least a week to accomplish everything.¡± Razark replied simply.


    ¡°And I guess the fact that I overheard the word portal explains how she vanished so quickly. Would you mind sharing the details? I might be able to help.¡± Shunkaha suggested, not entirely sure of the relations between the obviously powerful man in front of him and Dee.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°I don¡¯t particularly feel the need to keep it a secret as they could probably use the help of another scout. However, I think it would be pointless for you to go there with your current motivation.¡± Razark replied, idly scratching at his antlers in a show of indifference.


    Shunkaha gave a small smile thinking that the man in front of him might be a rival. ¡°What makes you think that?¡±


    Razark gave a small hum as the conversation was going exactly as he had assumed it would go. Shunkaha would try to reject his advice. ¡°You will not have a place in her future. You pursue her because you think of yourself as her equal. I find it admirable to try and seek a mate of equal strength instead of being satisfied with the little pup that just got carried away by her friends. It shows character. However, you are misjudging both your worth and hers.¡° Razark¡¯s warning was genuine, even if he suspected it would not be followed.


    ¡°I think I might surprise you.¡± Shunkaha replied confidently.


    ¡°I think you hold much less in the way of surprise than you assume. The Authority you possess has sped up your development and given you power. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice it. You might be able to hide it from most but I noticed, and so did she. The problem is that your power is hollow because it¡¯s built on a crutch. It is not truly your own strength. Besides, even with the Authority you overestimate yourself and underestimate her.¡± Razark¡¯s words seemed unkind, but they came from legitimate concern for the young man. He had potential. Not as much as Dee, but enough to be worth nurturing.


    Shunkaha was quiet for a moment. ¡°Explain.¡± He said simply after a moment of thought, coming to the conclusion that hearing Razark¡¯s words was worth it.


    Razark had a small smile. Perhaps there was hope for this boy yet. ¡°You show great promise even if it¡¯s based on external power. Our master would laugh about such reliance because he thinks one should always rely on their own power, but I think you should utilize what you have. If you have monstrous luck and can survive long enough, you might be able to become almost as strong as the other Blades. This is the difference. She will become stronger than me guaranteed. And unlike you, she won¡¯t need a hundred years to do that. She will do it in ten, or less if she gets lucky. You might become a power able to match the others standing on the arena that is the order. Her? She will eventually become a power with the ablility to match the greatest of the entire Pantheon.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I will eventually become a burden?¡± Shunkaha asked, not willing to accept what the man was saying. He was after all the most promising wolf tribe beastman in centuries, maybe even millennia.


    ¡°At the very least you will no longer be equals. You already aren¡¯t. That little crutch of yours might give you strength, but that¡¯s not enough against her. She¡¯s been fighting foes much stronger than you for the last three years. She¡¯d make a rug out of you.¡± Razark knew that the boy would reject his words for now, but perhaps they would sink in and sprout later on.


    -----


    Dee on the other hand spent several hours moving through the Astral Plane to reach her destination. This wasn¡¯t a short hop anymore, so it would take time for her to reach her destination. It might have been faster to run back to the gateway that had brought her and Razark to this place and take the portal back to the closest city in the twelfth circle, but this was a test of sorts for her as well.


    As her method of travel was not precise over long distances, she missed her target by thousands of kilomels, but she considered this good progress. A year ago she might have ended up in a different circle. Now she only needed to reorient herself and make another smaller jump, which in turn would be much more precise. Fortune favored her further, as she arrived at the gathering place just as another group of paladins and templar was setting out for another remote village.


    The dwarven sergeant in charge of the group didn¡¯t recognize Dee, and she didn¡¯t advertise her level of power, but he was glad to have a scout join their group anyway. They only had ten people and the village they were heading for had several hundred inhabitants. It was only a few hours away from their current location but ten relatively low ranked paladins guarding a group of hundreds of refuges was a recipe for disaster, so it would be highly beneficial to have advance warning of any dangers.


    If the village had been further away Dee might have opened a portal for them to go through, but the village was within her minimum distance. Also she wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if she suddenly dumped a large number of people into the Astral Plane. So far any jumps she had done had been safe, but she knew the Astral Plane had its dangers. Dangers that might not be any less than those from the elemental gate opening up.


    Dee scouted ahead as the group traveled, discovering several low leveled beasts on the way. Getting rid of them was simple enough that she didn¡¯t even bother informing the rest of the group. They did find some of the bodies she had left behind, which made them wonder a bit about their new helper. That said, the scouts were supposed to be strong and the beasts in the twelfth circle were decidedly not so.


    Luckily the village had received the warning issued to the whole area and the inhabitants had moved to evacuate on their own. While the inhabitants of the lower circles were not famed for their strength, every community had at least some battle capable people among their number. Not having any would be an open invitation for disaster. Even if wars and rival communities didn¡¯t get them, hostile creatures such as the ones Dee had slain would do too much damage.


    Dee had noticed their approach and led the group of paladins straight to them. The villagers had been attacked and had some wounded, but the paladins could luckily deal with that as the wounds were not too serious. The paladins then joined the defensive perimeter around those completely unable to fight. The villagers had naturally taken along as much stuff as they possibly could. They knew they would most likely be unable to return for a long time even if the elemental rift wound up being closed, so they had grabbed anything and everything of value they could. As such the return trip was much slower and took several hours. The group would have been attacked several times, but Dee took care of those without drawing attention.


    Once the group of civilians was safe, Dee made the determination that the paladins could most likely deal with the evacuation of the nearby cities and villages. The problem came from the outlying communities, some of which even resided on the other side of the forming rift. They would either have to take a massive detour around the rift, or go through the elemental infested area surrounding the rift. The first one would take time and would not guarantee safety, while the latter one would guarantee danger.


    It was better if she went off on her own to see what she could do for those groups instead of babysitting the easy evacuations. She explained her reasoning to the dwarven sergeant who agreed, though wasn¡¯t sure what Dee alone could do out there. He didn¡¯t stop her from trying though.


    ----------


    Shunkaha stepped through the gate to the twelfth circle. The words he had heard from the person he now knew to be one of the Blades bothered him, but he was unwilling to give up so easily. If the current him was inadequate, then he¡¯d just have to become even stronger. Who knew what would happen in the future? Besides, the man might be wrong entirely. Who could say what lay in the future?


    His musings were rudely interrupted as he noticed the others that had just come through the gate before him. ¡®Crimson Witches! And a lot of them at that.¡¯ Shunkaha thought to himself, as he looked at the almost fifty women dressed in crimson armor. His clan had a fairly decent relationship with the Crimson Path, as they and the other wolf clans had sent a few of their members to join the community of female warriors. Their presence here made things complicated. It was not unusual for the high ranked communities to vie for the control of the rifts, but why were there so many Crimson Witches here? There was more to this elemental rift than the order had assumed.


    Shunkaha sidled close to one of the mages overseeing the teleportation gates and surreptitiously handed him a coin made of white gold, quite valuable in these parts of the Pantheon. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of trying to have you betray your position and reveal information on notable people having come through the gates lately. However, I¡¯ll be standing right here, and you might feel the urge to talk to yourself or to rather loudly gossip with the other mages here.¡±


    The mages took the rather blatant hint and were not above making a bit of profit for such innocuous reasons. No one actually paid them to keep things quiet, so why not? ¡°Francis, did you see the large group of Revenant that came through this morning.¡±


    ¡°I sure did Michael. What do you imagine could bring almost six dozen of the weird beings here?¡± The other mage replied in a voice loud enough to be heard by Shunkaha, but not so loud as to be overheard by the crimson clad women that were about to leave the platform.


    ¡°I have no idea, but it might have something to do with the members of the Radiant Sun that came yesterday. There must have been almost a hundred of them.¡± ¡®Michael¡¯ replied. That wasn¡¯t his real name, and the other man¡¯s name wasn¡¯t Francis. The two didn¡¯t realize Shunkaha was a scout of the order and he didn¡¯t give anything away to hint that he was. The paladins were here to help with the evacuations. A clearly lacking reaction compared to the other two much stronger groups despite the difference in numbers. The paladins would most likely be low ranked forces gathered from nearby garrisons.


    ¡®Francis¡¯ continued. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is true, but I heard a rumor from the mages looking after the teleportation gates of Inglewood that there were some really strong looking characters coming though their gate as well.¡± Inglewood was a portal city that was the second closest to the rift.


    ¡°Surely they can¡¯t match the Revenant and Crimson Witches?¡± ¡®Michael¡¯ replied with a disbelieving tone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know Michael, the mages said that some of the people carried the symbol of the spider cult. I¡¯m not sure we want to be here if those three communities start picking a fight with each other.¡± ¡®Francis¡¯ shot back, actually genuinely worried. As they were watching over the gates they would also be able to evacuate pretty quick, but those three communities could kill mages like them so fast that they would not be able to react.


    ¡®Shit. This seems really serious. I have to warn Dee.¡¯ Shunkaha thought with a grunt, and threw another coin to the mages. Their information had been worth it, especially the bit about the spider cult.

 Chapter 72

    While the evacuation of the first village had been fairly easy, Dee¡¯s next attempt ran into more serious trouble. The main reason for that was the fact that she was the only one who had reached the most outlying village from the teleportation gates. The order had sent a fair amount of support to help with the evacuation but they were constrained by time. The paladins couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once, so they had to make some hard choices.


    When Dee arrived at the village, it was already under attack. There were corpses of several low level beasts outside the walls, filled with arrows. The wooden palisade that protected the village was broken in two places and several earth elementals were trying to push their way into the village. They were still held at bay by long spears held by the human villagers, but the spearmen where being pushed back by the elementals that could ignore the negligible damage caused by the spears. Luckily Dee didn¡¯t see any bodies of humans anywhere, so the villagers had not been caught completely unawares.


    Dee didn¡¯t want to accidentally hurt the humans by striking at the elementals too heavily, so instead she opted to use her telekinesis to pull the elementals back away from the palisade. She made a grabbing motion with her hands, and the low level elementals were pulled back by the invisible force while the humans stared dumbly at the levitating hulks of rock. Then Dee smashed her hands together, which produced the same result on the elementals. The force used shattered the mindless creatures.


    ¡®It seems jobs like this are easily done even in this form now.¡¯ Croestia commented. Even though Dee¡¯s angel form was much better for her psionics, that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t use the brute force approach in this form.


    ¡®Just don¡¯t ask me to separate the minerals making up the elementals while I¡¯m in this form, and we¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ Dee shot back.


    The humans noticed her approach and were quite wary. She had just saved them, but she was obviously strong enough to kill them all, and she was hiding her face and carried no official markings. The oldest of the humans, a woman of at least ninety years, approached Dee. Even if Dee hadn¡¯t seen the mana inside her, the mage¡¯s staff she carried would have told Dee enough.


    ¡°Greeting stranger. We appreciate the help, but I¡¯m forced to ask what you are doing here.¡± The old woman inquired suspiciously in a weary voice. The fight had taken a lot out of her.


    She was most likely the one that had felt the rift opening and warned the villagers of the incoming attacks, Dee surmised. ¡°I¡¯m one of the scouts from the Order of the Radiant Sun, and I¡¯m here to help with the evacuation.¡±


    The word ¡®evacuation¡¯ caused a commotion among the people surrounding the old woman. Apparently she either hadn¡¯t realized or had not shared with others the severity of the situation. ¡°What do you mean evacuation?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± Yells came from the people of the village.


    The old woman narrowed her eyes while she looked at Dee. ¡°You better explain what you mean with evacuation.¡±


    Apparently the old woman wasn¡¯t as sharp as Dee had thought. ¡°An elemental rift has opened in the area. All the nearby villages, communities and cities are being evacuated. I don¡¯t know if and when you will be able to return. This area will be swamped by elementals once the rift settles, if not before then.¡±


    This brought another bout of yells of incredulity. ¡°But our lives are here!¡± ¡°We¡¯d lose everything!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± ¡°You¡¯re just trying to lure us away!¡± The shouts turned accusatory in tone as the crowd picked up steam.


    Dee simply scratched at her ear without giving the accusations any attention. ¡°You will be taken to the evacuation site of the order. There you will be found a place to re-locate and a bit of help to start over.¡±


    The old woman waved the crowd into silence. ¡°And what if some of us don¡¯t want to go?¡±


    Dee shrugged. She was helping with the evacuation, but she wouldn¡¯t shed tears if a bunch of them died. Truth be told she was getting tired of the whole thing and wanted to rush for the rift. ¡°Then those that remain will die. I will report to the order that this village was given the opportunity to evacuate, and no more help will be sent. I certainly won¡¯t force you to leave. Now choose. You¡¯ve got half an hour to gather your things, and then we will go.¡±


    Dee walked slightly away from the village and left the people to argue. Eventually the argument broke down as one of the villagers reminded the others that they only had limited time to gather their things. Thirty minutes later about half of the village had gathered outside the gates with any possessions they could carry. It seemed that the ones that decided to evacuate were mostly those with families either here or elsewhere in Day city. Dee noted idly that the old woman was not part of the evacuees.


    Dee gave the people an extra fifteen minutes to change their minds or catch up if they were late. When she was sure that no more were coming, she said nothing and simply started to lead the group away from the village, while those that remained stared at their disappearing backs. Dee kept their progress to a good clip. As the villagers were rather hardy folk they didn¡¯t tire all that easily. That said, they weren¡¯t professional soldiers enjoying improved physiques due to ki either. Thus Dee had to keep the progress at a pace they could maintain.


    Dee dealt with any approaching threats before they could become a real danger, mostly by using the bow she had appropriated from the elves and her own power as arrows. As the elementals and beasts were relatively low level, she could deal with them quickly and almost without breaking the pace of the group. The humans only noticed that she sometimes shot weird glowing arrows into the surroundings. At one point the people started wondering if she was simply shooting at empty air and scaring them into evacuating. As a result Dee started to allow the dangers close enough to be seen, before she dealt with them. That dispelled those rumors pretty fast.


    After traveling almost five hours even the hardy folk were getting tired. Dee had sensed other groups of evacuees and paladins in the surroundings. She wanted to catch them before resting so she cast supportive spells on the whole group of villagers, mainly small regenerative spells to ease small damage from walking all day as well as refreshing and stamina regenerative spells to keep their energy and spirits up.


    As Dee had been much faster in her movements and kept the group moving, they had caught up with the slower groups that had traveled a much shorter distance. Dee also sensed that the paladins were riding the stupid horses for speed of movement and assistance in carrying the villager¡¯s items. Dee could sense two distinct groups that were clearly planning on joining together for added security. They would be forced into going through the area surrounding the rift soon and clearly the paladin groups planned on doing that together for safety.


    There was a potential problem though. She could also sense four extremely powerful beings nearby, well within the edge of her detection range. The four were flying in the air and monitoring the refugees. Dee wasn¡¯t sure of their intentions and most importantly whether they were a threat or not. Luckily the four were far enough away that she would have some warning if they attacked. In fact they were far enough away that a year or two ago they would have been out of her detection range.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Razark had gone to great lengths to improve the range of Dee¡¯s detection abilities. According to him Dee¡¯s abilities were stupidly useful but sadly short range. That¡¯s why those abilities had been a focus for improvement. Now she could sense anything up to almost a thousand kilomels away if she really focused. Assuming her detection was not interfered with. Heavy mana environments could be either a problem or beneficial for her, depending on the situation.


    The problem was that Dee had never felt beings quite like the four she was feeling now. It was as if the four were made of mana. Not that they had a lot of mana flowing though their bodies, but that their bodies were made of it. Even beings like dragons had actual muscles and bones and organs of biological origin. Those parts were reinforced with magic, but still flesh and bone. These four? They seemed like pure mana encased in armor.


    ¡®Well, not quite pure mana, as they seem to have mana of several elements mixed together.¡¯ She thought to herself. She also hoped the four would not attack, as she was pretty sure she would lose if it came to a battle. It would be such a shame to abandon these humans now that she had dragged them all the way here.


    Suddenly another problem appeared. Dee could sense a wave of mana flowing outwards from the area the rift was located at. That in itself would have been problematic, but the mana seemed to have come from the elemental plane of death. Dee was attuned to that particular type of power thanks to her blessing from a certain deity, so she was pretty sure of her conclusion. A wave of death mana was bad, bad news for the refugees. Not just to her own group but the other two groups nearby as well. In fact, depending on the range the wave would travel, it might be problematic for a lot of people elsewhere as well. Dee also doubted the paladins in the other groups would be capable of stopping such a thick wave of death mana.


    ¡®Suggestions.¡¯ Dee asked Croestia. She could protect herself and those in her immediate surroundings with a shield of holy energy like the one she had used in the fight against Felan, but that had a small range and would not protect everyone. She also had no idea if there would additional waves of death mana, and it would be a problem to stop every time one came.


    Croestia considered the problem for a few seconds before making a suggestion. ¡®I don¡¯t see any other choice but to use Aegis.¡¯


    Dee was quiet for a moment, staring in the direction of the approaching wave. ¡®You do realize that my Aegis is not exactly the most suited for protecting against death magic in particular? In fact, I might end up strengthening the wave.¡¯


    The nature of an Aegis depended on the person who cast it, as well as the deities he or she worshipped. Those that served the light gods had more protective and strengthening types of Aegis, while those who served the dark gods had an Aegis that sapped the power from the enemies within the barrier. All the Aegis had protective qualities by their nature as a spell originally created by paladins, but there were large differences. As it happened, Dee¡¯s deities were two neutral deities, Lumen and the Goddess of Chaos and Darkness herself, Umbra. At first that looked relatively balanced, except that one of the neutral deities was the Goddess of Death. She might not have given Dee holy power, but her blessing influenced Dee¡¯s abilities.


    ¡®I see two options. Either you try to use only Lumen¡¯s power to make the spell, or you use all of them and try to use a stronger power of death to block the wave approaching us. Either might work.¡¯ Croestia pointed out simply.


    ¡®Fuck it, let¡¯s try the option with just Lumen¡¯s power. I¡¯ve never tried using just her power to form the Aegis.¡¯  Dee decided. She had practiced the spell during the last two years; it was a powerful spell after all. However, this was new territory for her as well.


    ---------


    Sshash¡¯ea and his three friends idly observed the three groups of refugees below them. They didn¡¯t really care about either the refugees or the paladins escorting them. The refugees would only get in the way and if the paladins were nice enough to take them away, then all the better. The paladins would almost certainly not interfere with the elemental rift itself. It¡¯s not that the paladins couldn¡¯t find a use for one, but that they knew that it was not their place to interfere when there were much stronger communities vying for the rifts.


    ¡°We should be close enough now. What¡¯s the situation with the rift?¡± Sshash¡¯ea was the leader of the Revenant contingent sent to deal with the rift, but he was not the one with the keenest senses. That honor fell to Malash¡¯wa.


    ¡°The rift has not stabilized yet, so we are in time.¡± The female revenant replied. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. ¡°However, there¡¯s something wrong with the rift.¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Sshash¡¯ea questioned, turning his head towards her. Of course revenant didn¡¯t actually have a head, but the helmet on his ¡®head¡¯ turned. Such mannerism was not really native to the revenant, but when one spent extended periods of time around other races, such things tended to become a habit.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to explain. There¡¯s something...twisted about the rift. I¡¯m not sure we want to fight for this rift.¡± Malash¡¯wa replied. And there would most likely be fighting considering the number of Crimson Witches in the area.


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± A third voice from the side interrupted. ¡°You know as well as I that we need all the rifts we can get our hands on.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea for our progeny to inherit the traits of this rift. They might come out¡­wrong¡­twisted. I¡¯m not joking when I say this rift feels off.¡± Malash¡¯wa replied.


    The revenant didn¡¯t procreate the normal way. They were beings made of magic. The only reason they even had genders was that that¡¯s just how they came out when they were created. And they were created. Each revenant was the result of large amounts of mana coming together to create a personality, which was then placed into a suit of armor as a vessel.


    The problem was, not just any mana would do. The refined mana from the mana pools of intelligent creatures wouldn¡¯t combine into one properly. That¡¯s why large amounts of loose mana was required. Something like the grand forest was a great source of mana and would be a great environment for the community, and the Revenant traded with the elves for the mana. The problem was that all that mana was from just one element, or completely without an element. The revenant were creatures of magic, so their control of mana was almost without equal. Except that they could only use the elements they were made from. A revenant created from a single element would be a really weak being. That¡¯s where rifts to elemental planes came in.


    ¡°In any case, that¡¯s not our decision to make. We were sent here to take control of the rift, and we will complete our mission. It is up to the Forgers to decide whether they want to use the mana from this rift or not. It would not be the first time we take over a rift only to abandon it later.¡± Sshash¡¯ea shot down the budding argument.


    ¡°Everyone be careful! We¡¯ve got an incoming wave of mana from the plane of death!¡± Malash¡¯wa suddenly shouted. Protecting themselves was not difficult, but it still required a bit of effort, so she didn¡¯t want the others to get caught unawares. Their protective mana shields blinked into place around them. These shields were complete overkill in strength, but they didn¡¯t want to be surprised by a wave that was stronger than they assumed.


    ¡°The refugees below.¡± The fourth voice suddenly said. He was partly made of light mana and that influenced his personality. The revenant were not controlled by the mana they were made from, but the nature of the mana did influence their original personalities, which were then molded by their experiences as with any other intelligent creature.


    ¡°Do you feel like saving them Yar¡¯li?¡± The mocking tone of the third voice asked.


    ¡°A little. They did nothing to earn this fate, and I doubt dying due to death wave is a pleasant way to go. Don¡¯t worry Lun¡¯fi, I¡¯m not going to dash to their aid.¡± Yar¡¯li replied calmly. He knew Lun¡¯fi was just trying to rile him up.


    ¡°It seems that¡¯s not necessary anyway. Look.¡± Sshash¡¯ea told the others.


    A large golden field extended to cover the three groups of refugees. They could all identify the signature spell used by the Radiant Sun. The golden field rose about three mel above the heads of the people below, with a golden radiance falling down on the ones under the protection of the field. The field looked relatively solid for a construct of light and was completely transparent. The four revenant knew that the field would be a powerful barrier despite its slightly flimsy appearance.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think the paladins in this area had enough power for an Aegis, not to mention such a powerful one. It would take me a fair amount of time to break through.¡± Lun¡¯fi said surprise evident in his voice. They thought only low level paladins had come here.


    ¡°They don¡¯t.¡± Yar¡¯li commented as the wave of death hit all of them. All the vegetation below them withered and turned into dust. Yar¡¯li¡¯s attunement to the element of light gave him a better understanding of the protective barrier below them, even if it wasn¡¯t made of mana.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sshash¡¯ea asked suddenly alert.


    ¡°That Aegis was not created by a group of paladins. It was made by a single person with the blessing of Lumen.¡± Yar¡¯li replied.


    Malash¡¯wa gave a small whistle. ¡°Well, well. I certainly didn¡¯t expect someone blessed by the Goddess of Light herself to be in the area.¡± She looked more carefully at the being at the center of the protective field. Now that she knew what to look, her sharper senses came to play. ¡°There¡¯s something else. The death mana isn¡¯t really being blocked by the Aegis. It¡¯s going around it as if on command.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sshash¡¯ea didn¡¯t quite know what to say. ¡°Well, be that as it may, the death mana itself is a problem. It seems like the plane of death might be winning the struggle for the rift. That¡¯s going to cause some issues.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Aside from the fact that we don¡¯t really want to create more of our kind from death mana, this will lure the Spider Cult here.¡± Yar¡¯li said in agreement. ¡°They can use the death mana in creation of their minions and perhaps even to elevate another Death Lord.¡±


    ¡°Even more than that, the Crimson Path will want to shut the rift down. They absolutely despise the Spider Cult and the undead. They will contest this rift heavily. They certainly don¡¯t want another Death Lord around.¡± Lun¡¯fi said. The Spider Cult and the Crimson Witches were bitter enemies, partly due to their nature.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s better I contact the elders. We might not want to meddle with this rift after all.¡± Sshash¡¯ea finally conceded. Orders were orders, but this seemed like a really bad idea. He also considered the possibility that the elders would order them to join hands with the Crimson Path. The two communities were rivals, but they had an understanding of sorts. An understanding that the Revenant didn¡¯t have with the Spider Cult.

 Chapter 73

    Dee was rather surprised about the behavior of the wave of mana from the plane of death as it hit her Aegis. She had expected the two powers to collide and fight for dominance as was usually the case when two opposing forces met. The death mana didn¡¯t behave like that though. It simply went around her Aegis. She got the feeling that the death mana recognized the stronger power of death that came with her blessing, but wasn¡¯t sure how that could be. She had tried to keep her Aegis only to the holy power gained from Lumen.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t the goddess say something about her blessing affecting my other abilities?¡¯ Dee suddenly remembered. That seemed as good of an explanation as she was going to get at the moment.


    The villagers she was protecting panicked when they saw the greyish green death energy collide with the golden shield protecting them. They had no idea what the weird energy was but they could guess the golden energy protecting them was caused by Dee. They had no idea whether the golden energy would hold and they could see what happened to all the living things outside the protective shield. All life withered and died, turning into nothing but ash. In the current surroundings that meant mostly trees and plants, but there was also the occasional small animal that also suffered that horrible fate.


    Some of the villagers considered running away. How they expected to run away from the energy or survive outside the shield, Dee had no idea. She didn¡¯t quite have the same instinct of fleeing from unknown dangers that other beings seemed to have. However, she did recognize the danger and simply forced all of them down against the ground using her powers. That was not a pleasant experience for those involved but they were saved from their own stupidity.


    ¡®Maybe I should¡¯ve let one or two run just as an example?¡¯ Dee grumbled to Croestia, who simply laughed as a response.


    It took a few minutes, but the stream of deadly mana eventually came to an end. Dee could finally drop the shield and survey the situation. Their surroundings had been turned into a barren wasteland covered in what looked like ash from the dead plants that had disintegrated. She knew the other two refugee groups would be fine as she had protected them as well. There was no telling if any among those had been silly enough to run, but hopefully the paladins had managed to keep order. They should¡¯ve recognized the Aegis spell, assuming they weren¡¯t all fresh recruits.


    She started to lead the group of refugees towards the other two groups, who were also helpfully coming towards her. The scared people tried to avoid stepping on any of the ash, but it was mostly unavoidable. It only took a few minutes for the three groups to sight each other. One of the groups was led by a human captain that Dee noted to be around rank three, while the other group was simply a squad led by a sergeant. Perhaps they were from the same unit? The insignias they carried were the same, but then again most paladins in this general area would carry the chapter¡¯s insignia.


    The young male captain approached Dee. ¡°I assume we have you to thank for the timely rescue? That wave of death mana would¡¯ve most likely killed us all if not for you.¡± The captain thanked Dee with a wan smile.


    Dee cursed the captain¡¯s slip of the tongue. He had not noticed that Dee¡¯s group was much smaller than his, and didn¡¯t include the whole village. Predictably some of the villagers heard the captain¡¯s words and started to draw their own conclusions, which they had not considered before due to being in shock. ¡°What happened to everyone we left behind?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me everyone back at the village is now dead?!¡± ¡°What about my cousin?!¡±


    Dee cursed again under her breath. Now the refugees would be even more trouble. ¡°I appreciate the thanks, but I¡¯m starting to regret that little piece of charity right about now.¡± She replied to the captain with a grumbly voice.


    The young man narrowed his eyes. ¡°You didn¡¯t evacuate the whole village? Why not?¡± His tone started to get a slightly self-righteous tone.


    ¡°Because some didn¡¯t¡¯ want to go, and I¡¯m not in the business of saving people against their will.¡± Dee replied firmly.


    ¡°So you just left them to die?¡± The captain asked slightly horrified.


    ¡°Yes I did. And if you keep harping on about it, I won¡¯t have any trouble leaving you to die the next time a wave like that hits. I save those who bother helping themselves, while those that simply act as a hindrance are welcome to their fates. Let them save themselves if they can.¡± Seeing the young captain ready to argue, Dee just pushed on with her words. ¡°Besides, we have other things to worry about. That might not have been the last wave of its kind.¡±


    ¡°You can stop them like this one, right?¡± The young captain asked confused and slightly worried. He certainly didn¡¯t have the ability to form an Aegis, even with the help of the other paladins here.


    ¡°I can, but we¡¯re drawing attention. We are already being watched by some powerful people here for the rift. The movement of this group will be slow and it will take days if not weeks to get back to safety. The people are moving fast now, but they will tire and can¡¯t be compared to a mounted group like yours even at best of times so it will take much longer to get back than it took to get here. By then we will be attacked by something meaner than just a few beasts. Besides, I¡¯m not a bottomless well of power. If these waves become more powerful or more frequent¡­¡± Dee explained her thoughts. They weren¡¯t actually likely to get attacked by any of the powerful groups as long as they stayed out of the way, but she wasn¡¯t going to babysit a group of refugees and some self-righteous paladins for such a long time. She had other things to do.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see we have a lot of options. Or do you have a plan?¡± The captain asked.


    ¡°Yes I do. I have the ability to make a portal to lead us away from here, but I can¡¯t guarantee that method to be completely safe either. I usually use it just for myself, not for a group of scared refugees.¡± Dee suggested. Now she had a fairly decent chance to test what would happen if she took a large number of people through the Astral Plane. At least no one would miss these people if the test failed¡­


    ¡°That sounds ominous. Not that we have host of better options. You¡¯re the only one capable of protecting us, so we¡¯ll have to do it your way anyway.¡± The young captain agreed much easier than Dee had assumed. She had expected quite a bit of resistance. Maybe the young man had gotten scared by his own impending demise and just wanted to get out of here?


    It of course took almost an hour to organize the group and another twenty minutes to coax the scared people to jump into the dark void of the portal. The latter was achieved by reminding the people of the waves of death and the paladins jumping in first. When they showed that they could survive and move around, the others were more willing to follow. Dee was slightly surprised that the pack animals and the wagons managed to go through fine. She had assumed they would have to leave at least the wagons behind, seeing as they had no intelligence or mind to move with, but they were weightless in the other plane and easily dragged along.


    The trip through the Astral Plane was thankfully very short, and the people exited the portal close to the portal city where they had been traveling towards anyway. No need to mention that Dee had actually aimed to come out inside the city. Close enough. It was also nice to see that the city was still there and teeming with life, so at the very least the wave of death had not claimed their lives. She left the handling of the refugees on the young captain¡¯s shoulders, as she had no desire to spend any time with the self-righteous man. Besides, she had her own business to handle..


    There was another reason for Dee to be thankful of the short trip. As she had been the last to exit the Astral Plane, she had sensed a danger closing in on their location. She had no idea what that danger might have been, but her instincts were whispering of something large and with sharp teeth. Apparently taking a lot of low level people through the plane did really come with risks. If they had taken any longer, who knows what would¡¯ve happened. She would need to exercise some caution with these portals in the future.


    -----Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    As she wasn¡¯t sure if the use of the portals was safe yet, or whether the danger she had felt was still there waiting for her, Dee decided to go to the rift the old fashioned way. She¡¯d done her part with the evacuation, so now it was time to see if she could do what she came here to do in the first place. Razark had assumed that it would take time for the high ranking communities to receive the news of the rift, but she had already noted that this was not the case. The presence of the four weird beings she had sensed earlier was a clear indication of that. She still hoped that the surroundings of the rift were not too heavily contested.


    She was soon disappointed. As she got closer to the rift it became clear that the area was swarming with high ranking individuals and beings. She was not surprised by the presence of several groups from the Crimson Path, as she had heard of their interest with the rifts. What did surprise her was the large presence from the Spider Cult. She had little knowledge of the group, but their members were not hard to recognize as they were always accompanied by high ranking undead. Just the necromancers alone were rather large in number, but when fighting a necromancer you never fought just one person. You also had to face their minions. Their numbers were also increased by the presence of several death knights, warriors that amplified their fighting prowess with the power of decay and poisons from their goddess.


    The presence of necromancers and death knights was less problematic to Dee than the presence of the high ranking undead. As a templar she had an advantage when fighting the beings, but she wasn¡¯t really interested in jumping into combat when surrounded on all sides by enemies. No, the problem came from the fact that the undead could to a certain extent sense the presence of the living, and as mindless creatures were not affected by some of her psionic abilities. Chief among those now useless abilities was the aura that was so good at keeping her hidden. She could still hide in the shadows, but she couldn¡¯t¡¯ just waltz right by all the undead, like she would normally do.


    Luckily for her, the undead were busy fighting the Crimson Witches. There was a constant skirmish going on in the surroundings of the rift, made even nastier by the complete lack of anything living close-by, like trees or plants. The lack of foliage meant that everyone had great visibility in all directions. That also meant that Dee was sorely lacking when it came to hiding places. The two sides didn¡¯t seem to be committing to the fight with their all though. It seemed they were satisfied with the occasional quick fight, and maybe killing one or two of their opposite number. Though in fairness the killing was almost exclusively done by the Crimson Witches putting down some of the undead minions or maybe a singular weaker necromancer. So far Dee had not sensed a single member of the Crimson Path going down. Not that she was sticking around to find out either.


    Slowly but surely she got closer to the rift, but felt despair as she saw that the immediate vicinity of the rift was surrounded. The Crimson Path had taken control of the rift, but they were kept busy with assaults from the undead. There seemed little chance to sneak past everyone and enter the rift. There may come an opportunity if it came to an all-out brawl between the two sides, but there was also a great risk of getting mixed up in the battle. There were several powerful beings on both sides, some of which were stronger than her.


    Since the ranks below immortal were all about the ability to fight against increasingly large groups of beings weaker than yourself, in essence facing entire armies alone, the people at the highest mortal ranks were essentially trying to cause the largest amount of damage with one attack. That meant increasing the area affected by their skills and abilities. With that being the case, it was almost inevitable that Dee would get caught up in things if beings at rank eight and nine started to fight.


    Conversely the immortals were often all about fighting other immortals. They already had the ability to affect whole armies after all, so their worst enemies were singular beings, namely the other immortals. So their aim was to condense as much power into as small of an attack as possible, as those were easier to aim and harder to defend against. That wasn¡¯t to say their area attacks didn¡¯t improve, just that it usually wasn¡¯t their aim.


    ¡®Maybe there¡¯s another way. Perhaps I don¡¯t have to hide my presence from everyone here. The conditions have to be right though.¡¯ Dee suddenly thought with a secretive smile, as she got a good position to wait in. Her opportunity would come soon.


    -----


    Alexandra cursed at the current situation. The leaders had underestimated the importance of this rift. They had sent almost a hundred swords to deal with the rift, an investment wholly too large considering their normal response to such rifts. Their eyes and ears in the rival communities had mentioned that the other communities had more information on this new rift in the boondocks, and would contest for it heavily. That had suggested to the higher echelon of the Path that there was something special about this rift, and they had been right. They had sent a large number of swords in response. Yet they had still underestimated the enemy.


    There were over a hundred of the filthy defilers of the dead from the cult grotesquely named Cult of the Great Mother, more commonly known as the Spider Cult. That was bad enough, but there was also a large number of the Revenant in the area. Luckily the Revenant at least seemed to be leaning towards staying out of the fight this time. Even those mana starved suits of armor knew better than make their own from the mana from the plane of death. And it seemed this rift was leaning that way, though the rift had not stabilized yet. The surroundings were also not heavy with any mana that would affect the outcome of the struggle within the rift, so the plane of death seemed like the obvious winner. That was never good for anyone. The undead were bad enough, but elementals of death would be a real problem.


    That¡¯s why the Path closed all the rifts from that particular plane. Not because they were altruistic or anything, but it was in their own interest. There was a reason why the undead were their bitter enemies. Undead were immune to their abilities of taking the power of their fallen enemies, and the power of death directly countered and shattered the powers of the Path. Having that power spread was bad, which was why they were here. That¡¯s also why the defilers were here in strength. And that¡¯s why the swords were outnumbered.


    Members of the Path were used to being outnumbered; in fact it was a rare case when they were not. The problem was that the defilers had expected their presence. Most people with even basic knowledge of the Crimson Path knew that there were no swords among them below the sixth rank. Not that the lower ranked members were shunted into a sub-community, the Crimson Path had no sub-communities or lower ranked members. There were some communities they liked to recruit from, but those communities didn¡¯t serve the Path or house their non-existent children. This gave the Path strength that didn¡¯t come from numbers.


    The Spider Cult had known this, and had left the low ranked minions home, since they would be of no use in this battle. Although the number of necromancers and death knights was only slightly higher than the number of swords the Path had brought, the minions the necromancers all had inflated that number, and all those minions were actually dangerous. There were no simple skeletons or zombies along for the ride this time. The necromancers had known who they would be fighting.


    ¡®I say simple skeletons, but there¡¯s that too.¡¯ Alexandra thought with slight irony, while staring at the skeletal form of a dragon on the other side of the rift where the undead forces where gathered. There were skeletons, and then there were skeletons that mattered.


    Usually the unholy energies that held together skeletal dragons could only be managed by immortals, which hinted at the presence of one hidden among their enemies. That was only fair since the Path had brought one too, Alexandra herself. She was a newly minted immortal though, so her confidence was limited. ¡®Let¡¯s just hope the Death Lord had simply given the control of the skeletal dragon to a lower ranked necromancer. Otherwise we might be in deep trouble.¡¯ Alexandra thought. She could destroy the dragon, but doing that at the same time as fighting an immortal? Not very likely.


    Additionally the fighting strength of the two sides was roughly equal, maybe even slightly favoring the necromancers. Much of their forces were also scattered over the area fighting a prolonged skirmish. A scattered fight like this favored the Crimson Path as their individual fighters were much more powerful, and they could chip down at the enemy numbers.


    ¡°Leader!¡± A shout suddenly drew Alexandra¡¯s attention. A high ranked sword approached her to draw Alexandra¡¯s attention. ¡°There¡¯s something approaching that you might want to see.¡± The woman pointed at the other direction, away from the main force of the Spider Cult.


    Alexandra looked at the direction pointed at, and noticed the approach of a winged being. ¡°What¡¯s an angel doing here, and how did she get so close without anyone sensing anything?¡± She demanded a report. Usually the angels didn¡¯t move from their embassies in both Day and Night cities, though they had been a bit more active the last few decades.


    ¡°Reporting, none of us can feel her strength even now, while she is clearly visible for everyone!¡± The other woman said, and Alexandra realized she was right.


    ¡®She also seems to be part Fallen? Can an angel be only part Fallen?¡¯ Alexandra wondered as she noted the two different colored wings of the angel. ¡®And why is her other wing the color of candy?¡¯


    The beautiful angel flew slowly towards them, but seemed to be aiming straight at Alexandra. Clearly the other party had no trouble sensing the strength of the members of the Path. The lavender haired angel dressed in simple leather armor spoke to the swords standing in her way. Her voice had the playful tone of jingling bells. ¡°Greeting to the esteemed members of the Crimson Path. I seek to converse with your leader, and I assure you I mean you no harm.¡±


    Alexandra sensed there was something weird about the silvery diadem on her forehead, the only decoration the angel had, but decided not to ask about it. It was common to carry some protective items. She waved to the other swords to let the angel through. ¡°What brings one of your kind here?¡± She asked, hedging her bets a bit. Calling an angel Fallen or vice versa could be very insulting.


    The angel smiled at the choice of words. ¡°I seek to make a deal with you. It strikes me that you have a bit of a conundrum. An enemy force that is roughly equal to your own stands arrayed against you.¡±


    The other swords were not happy at the implication that they might lose, but they were too disciplined to voice their emotions. ¡°Are you implying we would lose?¡± Alexandra decided to give their emotions an outlet. Besides, the question would bring them to the real point and the angel wasn¡¯t entirely wrong.


    ¡°No, but there would be a cost that needs to be paid. A cost in blood. A cost that might be somewhat lower with the assistance from a certain type of person.¡± The angel¡¯s smile widened into something much less benevolent.


    ¡®Definitely a Fallen and not an angel!¡¯ Alexandra thought. ¡°And what kind of assistance would that be?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just happen to be someone with access to a large amount of holy power. I also seem to note that your enemies are mostly undead. What would happen if your forces were all blessed with spells designed to combat the undead? Besides, I doubt you would say no to a few holy spells like, say ¡®Banishment¡¯ or ¡®False Dawn¡¯.¡± The angels smile took a definite bloodthirsty tinge. The two spells she had mentioned were especially good at combatting beings with high amounts of negative energy, such as high ranking undead.


    ¡°And what would this assistance cost us?¡± Alexandra asked. Help like that would indeed be very welcome, and something they could really use in the current situation.


    ¡°Well, it seems to me you are planning on closing the rift. As it happens, I have some business with it. If you allow me to borrow the rift for a short while before you close it, I think you wouldn¡¯t lose anything really while I would gain. That seems like a fair trade for my assistance, does it not?¡± The angel knew she had Alexandra where she wanted her. The members of the Path would indeed not lose anything with this trade while it could possibly save the lives of many of their number, so why not?

 Chapter 74

    There were several reasons why Alexandra should take the deal offered by the angel that had suddenly appeared, and she could think of only two valid reasons to refuse. The obvious one was pride. The Crimson Path forced into a situation where they needed help? She¡¯d hear about this later on and not in a polite way either. The scornful jokes and snide comments would be plentiful. However, that would not stop her. Most people she could force into keeping their mouths shut anyway. She¡¯d rather her group of swords survived to see another day, and while the lower ranked people blinded by their power might mock her for the decision, the higher ups would agree with her.


    The more serious problem was that there was a reason they wanted to close the rift in the first place. They didn¡¯t want large amounts of death mana getting out, because skills of that type were particularly effective against their own powers. What was the point of fighting the Spider Cult if this angel just walked in and took all that death mana anyway? They might as well retreat now.


    ¡°What do you want to do with the rift?¡± She asked the angel straight out. She didn¡¯t have the time for subtlety.


    Apparently considering whether to tell the truth, the angel thought for a moment. Finally she must have come to the conclusion that the whole deal depended on the answer, so she replied honestly. ¡°I have an ability similar to the one the dragons have to resist magic. However, it is by no means as effective yet. One of the ways to train and improve that ability is to subject myself to large amounts of elemental energy like the kind one can find within a rift like this.¡±


    ¡°The rift seems to be leaning towards death element. You won¡¯t get much for any other elements if this keeps up.¡± Alexandra replied. She was inclined to believe the angel¡¯s words. An ability like that was quite enviable and worth the effort. She also detected no falsehood in the angel¡¯s demeanor.


    ¡°I¡¯d argue that¡¯s a good element to have resistance against, and I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯d agree.¡± The angel replied with a smile that revealed a perfect row of pearly white teeth. ¡°Besides, there are still other elements within. I¡¯ll do my part and then enter the rift while you finish things up here. When I return, I¡¯ll even throw in a bonus and help with healing your wounded warriors.¡±


    Alexandra¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the warped roar of the skeletal dragon. The undead were moving in. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s do it your way. I expect a proper contribution though, and not just some token spells!¡± She yelled and waved her people into a formation. Or what passed off as a formation for them, as the swords liked to have space while they fought. As a result it looked more like a loose collection of individuals rather than a proper closed formation.


    Even Alexandra was impressed when she felt the amount of holy power that suddenly gathered around the angel behind her. She would¡¯ve looked back, but she had to keep an eye on the leader of the Spider Cult forces. If the defilers really had an immortal among them, then it was her role to at least stall that person. The undead charged at the swords under her command, pushing them hard as the two sides were relatively equal in power.


    The necromancers on the other side combined their mana for a joint spell. A large dull green skull appeared above the crimson clad forces and was about to breath a corrosive and poisonous fog on them, when the swords in turn combined their powers for a counter. A large crimson red hand looking like it was made of blood appeared next to the skull, wrapping its fingers around the skull and crushing it into little wisps of probably unhealthy smoke. Then the benefits of the angel helping them started to become obvious.


    A golden light wrapped the surroundings, rendering most poisons and toxins ineffective. The effectiveness of the spell was doubled as many of the undead carried poisoned weapons or had poisonous claws. The cult worshipped the goddess of poisons after all. Normally a spell to protect against poisons would not be all that effective against such potent poisons, but this particular angel happened to be an expert with poisons and knew how to counter them. She also had a natural affinity towards creating, and thus also countering curses and afflictions. The golden field also fought against those, rendering the next spell of the necromancers useless. The necromancers excelled at crippling their enemies with magic while their minions dealt with them. That was their main method of fighting. Suddenly they faced some issues on that front as they faced a natural enemy of sorts.


    Alexandra also felt like her body was filled with power and energy, as her strength and speed almost doubled. There were also several small layers of gold on her body, a spell she recognized as the high ranking protective spell ¡®Fateguard¡¯. The golden layers would block almost any attack and then disappear. On the downside they would disappear if she was simply grazed, so the strength of the attack was almost irrelevant. The number of layers was also somewhat random, up to fate as it were. Hence the name of the spell, Fateguard.


    The crimson clad women also felt that suddenly things started going their way. Not in an immediately obvious fashion, but every movement felt a little easier and smoother. Every strike caused a bit more severe damage than expected, every strike seemed to find its mark, and the attacks of the enemy seemed to weirdly fumble at the most critical moments. The warriors also seemed to be working a bit more smoothly together than before, not impeding each other¡¯s attacks.


    Alexandra noticed the difference and couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡®Is it a spell that increases luck? It doesn¡¯t seem as simple as that. I¡¯ve heard that clerics of high ranking deities had weird buffs like this. The angel is really coming through on her part of the deal.¡¯ The crimson warriors were cleaving through their enemies, as several blood red apparitions fought alongside them.


    She jumped into the air to face the skeletal dragon, wings of blood sprouting on her back. The enemy immortal was either hiding or not here, so she might as well utilize this opportunity to get rid of a threat. Suddenly two large arms of blood manifested around her and struck towards the dragon. The dragon veered to the side, but still got struck by one of the arms now formed into a fist. The protective field around the dragon flickered and struggled against the power of the fist that didn¡¯t look as dangerous as it obviously was. The shield finally held as the fist backed off, but it was much dimmer now.


    There was another reason the Crimson Witches had gained their nickname. They were almost universally warriors without proper access to mana, but they still operated the red bloodlike substance as if they were some sort of blood mages. The members of the Crimson Path called the ability Thaumaturgy, even though the ability was entirely controlled by ki and not mana. They could form objects from the red substance and use those objects to attack their enemies.


    These blood constructs didn¡¯t look as dangerous as they were in reality, as shown by the shield around the skeletal dragon almost buckling under a single strike from the fist. It was not uncommon for warriors to make projections and constructs of ki during battle, in fact it was one of the most common methods of attacking with ki. The abilities of the Crimson Witches were especially dangerous though, as their constructs were strengthened by the blood of the enemies they had previously vanquished. Blood taken from a dragon for instance could add the strength of a dragon behind every strike.


    Veins suddenly bulged in Alexandra¡¯s arms as she made an overhead swing with her large blade towards the head of the dragon. The shield protecting the dragon shattered almost instantly, and the sword cleaved a chunk of bone from the dragon¡¯s jaw. Alexandra suddenly felt an approaching danger, and made a shield of blood at her right side, while a globe of greenish-grey energy slammed into the shield, shattering it and exploding. The blast threw Alexandra away from the dragon. She felt that she would¡¯ve certainly been seriously poisoned if not for the protection of the angel.


    She looked towards the source of the sneak attack, and saw a hooded and cloaked figure glowing green and radiating power. This enemy was not a Death Lord, but it was powerful and on the cusp of becoming one of the true lords of the undead. It would not be an easy opponent, especially since the opponent had command over the element of death as well. The previous attack had completely shattered Alexandra¡¯s protective shield and had most likely required much less effort than one assumed.


    The abilities of the Crimson Path relied on the life force taken from their enemies and injecting that into their own ki. Spells from the element of death broke the bond holding them together and easily countered any skills they could use. That¡¯s why at the very beginning of the fight the swords had not combined their powers for a joint attack against the undead, unlike how they would do usually. Such attack would easily be stopped and would only waste power. Luckily that wasn¡¯t the only advantage they had, and they didn¡¯t rely on a single ability.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    The situation on the battlefield changed yet again, as a small fake sun of golden energy floated above everyone. The golden energy burned at the undead and sapped the negative energy keeping them moving. ¡®The angel came through again.¡¯ Alexandra thought with a crooked smile.


    ------


    Dee was having a blast! She didn¡¯t usually get to participate in a fight like this, and she didn¡¯t get to utilize her holy powers this wildly in a normal situation either. Now it was finally becoming useful to have such a bottomless source of holy power to draw from. Usually she fought like an assassin, but now she felt almost like a mage. This was possible because the enemy consisted mostly of undead, but she found that she liked the feeling of using her power like this. It felt like she was dominating the battlefield, and it was intoxicating!


    She was using her wings to hover in the air as another wraith dashed towards her from the ground. The necromancers were not stupid and had noticed the effect she was having on the battle. Unfortunately for them, the crimson clad women kept most undead at bay, and most attack spells were either deflected by her golden shields of holy power, rendered ineffective by a spell that countered the effect or shattered by her templar abilities if the first two didn¡¯t work.


    Dee made a dismissive wave of her hand, banishing the negative energy inside the wraith, making it disappear accompanied by an aggrieved wail. This one was a third of its kind. wraith were especially vulnerable to her spell, balanced by their immunity towards physical attacks, but they were among the few flying undead present. ¡®Time to go big.¡¯ Dee though. She knew one of the high ranked holy spells used to attack undead and ironically demons. ¡®Let¡¯s see if the blessing of Lumen helps with this spell. It¡¯s in her domain after all.¡¯


    She made a short chant extolling the virtues of her chosen goddess. Dee never understood the need for such groveling and her deities never really required it, in fact she was fairly certain that chants with holy spells were useless in general, but she thought it might help with this particular spell. A bright golden fake sun appeared above her, and the burning light started to attack the undead. It happily did nothing against the living, not even the demon Dee as she was the caster. The undead on the other hand were really suffering. Apparently Lumen had heard her little attempt at flattery and responded in kind. Too bad Umbra¡¯s powers would not be as useful in this fight.


    The necromancers of course wouldn¡¯t just stand aside as their minions were destroyed. A green glow of energy surrounded the undead, and several dark priests among them started to work on countering the spell. ¡®Of course there would be dark priests among the necromancers.¡¯ Dee thought idly. They made for good necromancers.


    However, the enemy made a couple of mistakes. The green glow was something akin to a healing spell for undead, but it was just slowing down the decay of their minions, not stopping it completely. The second mistake was that the dark priests in charge of dispelling the offending golden sun decided to pit their own holy power against Dee¡¯s in an attempt to stop the spell.


    It was a fair bet, as Dee had already cast several high level support spells, some offensive spells against the undead and the golden sun. Surely she couldn¡¯t have that much holy power left? Besides, they were relatively high level dark priests and there were several of them. Surely they had more holy power than a single angel flitting around the place?


    Dee only had an evil grin on her face in response. For once the stupidly large reserves of holy power became useful. She allowed the heavy weight of her ocean of holy power to crash on the dark priests struggling against her. Such struggles were like a direct comparison of power. Whoever threw more power at their enemy won. The problem with such power measuring contests was that the losing side didn¡¯t just get their spell countered. They usually suffered from several nasty effects as a backlash. As a bonus and for revenge, Dee decided to show that she could cast debilitating spells as well. Or at least she planned to.


    The skeletal dragon swooped down towards her, the bony claws cleaving at the golden shield protecting her. ¡°Bloody dragon, spoiling my fun!¡± Dee cursed and a gout of holy power covered the skeletal dragon. Even though the golden shield protecting Dee held, the power of the strike threw her aside in the air, as she wasn¡¯t anchored to anything.


    The shield protecting the dragon had regenerated, and unlike Alexandra, Dee didn¡¯t have the ability to shatter that shield so easily. There was another problem. Skeletal dragons were considered one of the highest levels of undead minions for a reason. They were very resistant to magic, and as a bonus were also resistant to holy spells, unlike other undead. The holy fire Dee used did almost nothing. Luckily the golden sun was still there, and she had already done her part. She could either focus on fighting the undead monstrosity, or try to escape and go through the rift.


    She initially wanted to retreat as there was really no point in continuing this fight, but the dragon within her decided otherwise. Defiling the remains of dragons was a sacrilege! Even if it was one of the puny normal dragons and not a proud abyssal, but still! Besides, she was having so much fun anyway, so why not try a little challenge? That said, stretching the fight on seemed like a bad idea. She had a plan. Time to rip a page out of Moirai¡¯s playbook.


    Dee feigned another holy power attack as she kept launching holy fire and banishment spells at her target, which was now swooping down for another strike at Dee. These attacks were rather ineffective, but that was the point. They were only cast to hide her true intentions and prepare for a nasty surprise.¡°Time to swat down an annoying fly.¡± Dee mumbled as the skeletal dragon closed in on her.


    She made a swatting gesture and suddenly the skeletal dragon crashed into the ground as if a mountain had fallen on it. Which it kind of had. Dee had used the full power of her telekinetic power to strike the dragon down from the air. It might have resistance to magic and holy power, but not so much against psionic power. The attack had also been a complete surprise. Suddenly almost a hundred psionic weapons appeared inside the protective shield of the dragon and instantly struck it, exploding all over its form.


    A single explosion might not have been enough, but a hundred did the trick. There were large cracks all over the dragon and several bones simply shattered. It was still ¡®alive¡¯ though, and trying to get up. ¡°Oh it survived that?¡± Croestia asked with surprise.


    ¡°Well it used to be a dragon. The bones still are the same bones a real dragon would have. Not a very large dragon, but still.¡± Dee commented, less than pleased by the outcome as well. At least the shield protecting the dragon seemed to have suffered as well, as it was showing signs of deterioration. Apparently whatever was powering the shield was the same thing holding the creature together.


    ¡°Time to go for something bigger?¡± Croestia asked eagerly. They had hatched something new again during the three years of training. Or to be more precise, a new application of old power.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go with that. We needed to test that anyway, and Bony here is as good of a target as any.¡± Dee lifted her right hand sideways in a grabbing motion, as if taking a hold of an invisible weapon. Suddenly an enormous lance made of blue psionic energy materialized in her hand. It was ten times her own size, narrowing at the handle and expanding both upwards and downwards as if two lances put together at the handle. The weapon would be completely unwieldy on the ground, but she wasn¡¯t going to swing it around anyway. This form was picked for penetration in mind.


    ¡°If a small bang isn¡¯t enough, time to go for a bigger boom.¡± Dee smirked, making a throwing motion towards the skeletal dragon that had managed to get up on its remaining three limbs.


    The lance punched through the already failing shield and struck the dragon straight on its spine between the shoulders, cleaving the dragon in two. The power contained in this weapon was much more powerful than the tiny daggers she had materialized earlier, and so was its penetrative power. The dragon was nailed to the ground for a second, before the large lance exploded, completely shredding the undead being into tiny fragments. The pressure wave from the explosion was fair bit bigger than Dee had expected and forced even the fighting Crimson Witches to brace themselves by stabbing their swords into the ground. Luckily they didn¡¯t really mind as it didn¡¯t hurt them, and threw around the undead that were less prepared.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a successful test of concept.¡± Dee said with a mirthful laugh.


    ¡°Did you have to make it explode like that? You almost hurt your so called allies.¡± Croestia commented, almost equally happy.


    ¡°Of course I did. Much more fun this way. I think it¡¯s time for us to take our leave though. The fake sun will shine for a few more minutes and the buffs will last for several hours. I think we¡¯ve held our end of the deal.¡± Dee remarked and flew towards the rift.


    -----


    Alexandra had been locked in a struggle with the necromancer for a while. Even as a fresh immortal she had the upper hand, but the necromancer was one of those nasty casters that specialized in delaying their enemy. He was of course also an expert in the debuffing department, as were all necromancers, but that was countered by the angel''s spells. The two were both stunned by the explosion and the resulting shockwave when the skeletal dragon died. Alexandra looked dumbly at what little remained of the skeletal dragon. She¡¯d really have to thank the angel for taking care of that little problem. However, she was shocked that she hadn¡¯t realized the angel held such destructive power. She had really made an error in judgement there.


    The necromancer screamed an aggrieved ¡°No!¡± before hatefully staring at the retreating form of the angel that disappeared into the rift. His master had given him the skeletal dragon to use, and now it was destroyed by some winged nuisance! He started gathering his powers for a final attack that would leave him vulnerable against Alexandra if it didn¡¯t work just right. Time to take some risks.


    ¡°Oh, you want to resolve this? Well that¡¯s fine by me. Long fights were really never my thing anyway.¡± Alexandra said in a mocking tone. She knew she had the upper hand in a confrontation like this. She didn¡¯t even need to draw too deeply on her more dangerous powers. Still, veins bulged on her hands and sides of her face, and her eyes took a much more demonic look than before as the pupils turned reptilian, while she prepared to cleave the necromancer down.


    To her surprise though, the necromancer rapidly moved back to avoid her attack, staying out of the effective reach of her blows. The creature then threw all his energy in one shot, missing Alexandra by several mel. ¡°Kinda missed that one, don¡¯t you think?¡± Alexandra commented simply. She would¡¯ve stopped the attack if she had sensed her own people on the path it was traveling.


    ¡°Did I? I think I hit exactly what I aimed at.¡± The necromancer commented, before rapidly starting to escape, followed by the surviving members of the Spider Cult, mostly the living members as the undead were burning from the energy of the fake sun.


    Alexandra suspected a trap, but looked behind her anyway. The attack struck at the elemental rift itself, forcing the rift to become unstable. The same rift the angel had just passed through a minute before. ¡°Oh shit.¡± She cursed.


    The rift started to rapidly expand and contract while it seemed to be gathering energy. It seemed fairly obvious to everyone that the rift would soon explode. No one was entirely sure what would happen then. Would the rift close? Or would it be blown wide open? In any case, it was certain that the explosion itself would be dangerous to anyone nearby.


    ¡°We have to close the rift down, right now!¡± One of the high ranking swords barked an order.


    Alexandra knew that was the right call, but what would happen to the angel that was on the other side?

 Chapter 75

    Dee wasn¡¯t given much time to think as she stepped inside the rift, as she was immediately assaulted by waves of wild mana and pressure from multiple powerful attacks colliding. The insides of the rift were a warzone. Thousands upon thousands of elementals were doing their best to tear each other to pieces. A normal rift consisted mostly of almost mindless elementals fighting each other, partly for no other reason than because it was their nature to vie for dominance.


    This rift was different. Most of the elementals here had the gleam of at least basic intelligence in their eyes. They also actually seemed to have eyes unlike some of the youngest elementals, so there was that as well. The elementals silently employed simplistic strategies in their battle, so this wasn¡¯t just a bunch of individual elementals brawling. Instead they had units of elementals working together, almost like a very primitive army.


    There were two clear groups of elementals and some odd stragglers that didn¡¯t find a home in either camp. One group was formed out of the dark forms of the elementals of death. Some were indistinct forms made of nothing but energy that only coalesced to attack. These were the lowest ranking elementals and few in number. Above those were vaguely humanoid forms that looked to be clothed in rags that hid most of their forms wielding deadly looking scythes. These Dee recognized as Reapers. Beings who were often thought to ferry the souls of the dead to whatever afterlife the particular species believed in. Whether that was true or not was not known to Dee, though she suspected it was mostly false. Above them were giant forms of darkish green energy clad in armor and wielding a variety of weapons that all screamed danger.


    Interestingly elementals seemed to follow a pattern similar to the mortal races. At first the bigger the elemental was the better. Size was an indication of power, and showed the amount of elemental energy gathered to form the being. After a certain point though, the elementals began to shrink, packing the same amount of punch into a smaller form, similar to the immortals. The most powerful elemental lords were usually not much bigger than the humanoid races, although they could expand to become larger than mountains. This also showed that the current battle might have consisted of more intelligent elementals, but not the truly powerful ones.


    Against the death elementals was arrayed a coalition of other elements. Dee recognized the lumbering forms of earth elementals and lava giants representing fire. There were creatures that resembled giants made of plants and treants that most likely represented life. Dee was also happy to see several lightning elementals in the form of swirling vortexes of destructive energy.


    This might be a good chance for her to gain lightning resistance. Lightning was one of the most destructive elements and a favorite of many mages for obvious reasons. What she was less pleased to see were the forms of the light elementals. Some of them she recognized from books as Glories, elementals that vaguely looked like humanoid women made of light that focused on speed. Those were not a problem. The ones that made her teeth itch were the forms vaguely resembling angels. Some light elementals came in that form, although they had little in common with the real angels beyond that. They were simply the embodiments of light energy taking a convenient form, and had probably been an inspiration for Lumen when she created the actual race of angels. Although the resemblance was vague, Dee still hated them almost instinctually.


    ¡®One could call these proto-angels, I suppose.¡¯ Dee mused. ¡®Still have that annoying smug look about them.¡¯ These elementals didn¡¯t even have proper faces, much like many other elementals, so Dee¡¯s judgement was a little unfair.


    Dee idly wondered what the reason for such a division of groups might be, but that reason became fairly obvious as the battle raged on. When one of the death elementals died, the soul disappeared back into the elemental plane. Dee had read that elementals were basically immortal. Once their bodies were destroyed, their souls returned to their home plane to reform a new body. It might take a few hundred years for a really powerful elemental to reconstruct a completely destroyed body, but what was time for such creatures? However, when one of the death elementals killed one of the other elementals, the elemental truly died. The soul did the same disappearing act that happened when Dee devoured a soul. According to what Death had said, that meant the souls went back into the cycle of reincarnation.


    It seemed that the death elementals were something like pariahs among the other elementals. The reason they could hold their own alone against the others was that they were on average much more dangerous than other elementals of similar rank. This particular rift also happened to be leaning in their direction, so there were a disproportionate number of death elementals when compared to the other elements. Combined the other elements matched their number fairly equally, but they were hardly a united front.


    ¡®You better get to it, before they notice your presence.¡¯ Croestia urged Dee.


    ¡®Good idea. You should do your part too. I¡¯m not exactly sure how you train the resistances.¡¯ Dee replied silently.


    ¡®Just being here helps, but I¡¯ll absorb a part of the power you draw in.¡¯ Croestia replied.


    ¡®Alright then.¡¯ Dee shifted into her kitsune form since it seemed the most appropriate considering what they were trying to accomplish, though she kept the wings to stabilize herself.  She opened her mouth and once again started to consume the elementals energies.


    This time was different to her last time in an elemental rift. The first obvious difference was that she was fully conscious. The other difference was that the disturbance she created was much smaller than last time. Last time had been mostly the result of her draconic heritage waking, and that required a lot of power, hundreds of times as much power when compared to what she was absorbing now in fact. She had also absorbed power to increase her power as a psion. Moirai had told her that places of power could increase their strength. However, Dee had already used a rift to increase her power, and it would not work as well the second time. She got a small increase in power, but that was a rather minor upgrade in the grand scheme of things. She¡¯d have to find other sources if she wanted to increase her strength this way.


    The raw elemental power on the other hand flowed towards her in droves, and a vortex of sorts appeared around her. The elementals of course noticed, but for some reason it seemed like the death elementals almost moved to protect her, while the others were content to leave her alone. She wasn¡¯t going on a rampage this time, so that probably helped as well. The amount of power she was absorbing was still a drop in the ocean for the elementals planes, so why would they care? Especially since they were already busy with each other.


    The most interesting part was the behavior of the death elementals. This was the second time power of that element showed what looked like deference to Dee. She assumed that was because of Death¡¯s blessing, but it still seemed a little odd. It would make sense to show deference to the goddess herself and not harm someone blessed by her, but this seemed a little excessive.


    She could feel the change in her tails. All the old tails that had received a new color fully showed their elemental alignment now, one the golden color of light, one the blue of ice, one the deep black of darkness, one the bright orange and red of fire. The last and fifth had a gray color and an intangible feel to it. Dee now knew enough to figure out that it represented the same power the old deity that had blessed her also represented, which was time.


    The three remaining tails started to get their own colors and affinities. The first was easy to recognize as it became light blue and sparkling, obviously representing lighting. Dee was glad to see that one, as that might have been the most useful resistance along with fire and ice. One got the dark brown hue of earth, which was neither especially good nor bad. Earth mages tended to be more defensive in nature, but they were common so she¡¯d have to face their attacks at some point. The last one got the greyish green tone and feel of death. She had already had some defense against the element of death due to the blessing of the Goddess of Death, but Dee supposed it was a small price to pay and it was hardly a wasted resistance. It¡¯s not like she was immune to the spells of that element, just those that would cause instant death.


    Suddenly Dee felt something was wrong. The space around her was in turmoil. It was as if the planes were starting to separate again, and the elementals seemed to be losing interest in their fight for some reason. She quickly put two and two together and turned to see where the rift was supposed to be. The space there still showed instability, but that way was clearly closed. She was rather unhappy that the Crimson Witches had decided to close the rift while she was still inside.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡®Rather ungrateful of them.¡¯ Dee commented, more than a little peeved.


    ¡®You have to hand it to them for getting the better of that deal. They never did promise to not close the rift while you were inside, they only promised access.¡¯ Croestia commented. ¡®Although, I think there might be more to this.¡¯


    ¡®Agreed. That leader of theirs didn¡¯t seem the type to pull a fast one like this without a good reason. Besides, I did promise them healing and I saw some of them get hurt. I doubt they have another cleric handy.¡¯ Dee pursed her lips in thought.


    ¡®A problem with the rift itself?¡¯ Croestia speculated.


    ¡®Possibly. Are you done? The rift might be closed but I doubt the connection between the two places has been cut entirely yet. That might change quickly, so we might be in a hurry.¡¯ Dee rushed, suddenly under a time pressure.


    ¡®Extra time wouldn¡¯t hurt, but I got most of the benefit I will get from this rift. Did you have a plan?¡¯ Croestia replied, having a thought or two of her own.


    ¡®Well, I think it¡¯s time to see if the Astral Plane really allows travel between the elemental planes and the material plane. It should in theory, and if the space between hasn¡¯t totally been severed yet¡­¡¯ Dee left the thought hanging in the air.


    ¡®Then it might not take forever and a half to make the trip.¡¯ Croestia completed the thought for her.


    Dee put the idea to practice immediately. The standard portal sprung to existence in front of her and she leaped through. Unlike normally, this time Dee didn¡¯t see the exit in the distance even with her superior eyesight. Somehow she knew it was there though, and she could feel where. This trip would not be a short one.


    ¡°Well, time to get to it then. I¡¯ll be late from the time table Razark set, but he¡¯ll have to deal.¡± Dee said with a sigh and started her trek.


    ----------


    It took almost two weeks to reach her destination, and she missed her target by a lot. She had originally aimed to return to the same spot where the rift had resided in the hopes of shortening the trip, but she had ended nowhere near the place she aimed for. If her guestimate was right, she was another two week¡¯s travel away from the portal city. Of course that was if she actually made the trip the old fashioned way. She could always make a more accurate portal now that she was no longer stuck in another plane. Alternatively she could try making a portal straight back to the home base of the scouts, and forego reporting in completely. She might be considered to have abandoned the mission if she did that.


    There was a slight issue though. Most of the time she had spent traveling through the Astral Plane, Dee had felt as if someone was watching her. She couldn¡¯t sense anything nearby, so the observer was either stronger than her or much more familiar with the Astral Plane, but her instinct told her that she was not alone. Whatever had observed her had not attacked her, so its intentions couldn¡¯t be all hostile, but she wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to chance that continuing. As a result she wasn¡¯t entirely sure if she should avoid using the portals for a while, expecting the unknown observer to get bored of waiting.


    Dee decided to do it the old fashioned way. The estimate of two weeks was based on her average speed, but she could push that quite a bit. She could avoid resting more than absolutely necessary and could eat on the run from the supplies she had stored within Croestia. Additionally she could risk drawing attention by flying most of the way and any time spent on the ground could be spent running in her kitsune form. There was a slight risk of someone trying to attack her, thinking she was a monster, but she could always escape if that happened. Anyone strong enough to catch her would be experienced enough to not attack her in the first place.


    It finally took her eight days to reach her destination. She had changed back to her normal form long before getting close to the city, and the city guards allowed her in without a fuss when she told them she was a scout of the Radiant Sun. The order post of the city was filled with people as most of the paladins had returned from their missions, and the post was originally only meant to house twenty people at maximum. Now it was the gathering point for almost three hundred paladins. In addition, many of the rooms had been converted into offices, so the space was filled to brim with people running around or just lounging around waiting orders.


    They all made way for Dee almost instinctually. They might not have been able to feel her level of power, but the scout uniform told a tale, and her confident and dangerous bearing told another. She approached one of the offices and overheard a one sided discussion.


    ¡°I have no idea why the rift has closed. Maybe the Crimson Witches did it. I don¡¯t meddle in their affairs.¡± A firm male voice commented. There was a pause as the other side replied something that Dee could not hear.


    "Yes sir, I understand that theoretically the refugees could return with the rift gone. The problem is there¡¯s nothing there. A wave of death mana wiped away all life and all those that didn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t evacuate. Almost all the communities and villages lost people. Only the big cities had enough defenses to resist the wave. I lost almost thirty paladins that were out there when the wave happened, and a dozen more to the aftermath of the rift collapsing.¡± The man waited again.


    ¡°Sir, I know that usually people would return to their homes, and I¡¯m sure some may want to come back to build a memorial for the dead or something, but I don¡¯t think you quite understand. When I say there¡¯s no life here, I truly mean it. No plants, no trees, no crops, no game to hunt, no fish to eat, nothing. I doubt this land will grow anything for a dozen years or more. There¡¯s no way they could survive out here even if they wanted to come back. In fact I¡¯m suggesting we evacuate the cities around this area as well, or they will have to rely on supplies through the gates for a long time.¡± The man voiced his opinion.


    He waited again. ¡°Yes, that would mean adding several million refugees to the ones we already have, but it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a lack of space in the Day city. They might be hard to convince now, but give it a few weeks with no food shipments from the outlying villages, and you¡¯ll see how many people you¡¯ll have flooding through. We might as well do an organized evacuation ourselves.¡±


    Dee heard a final ¡°Yes, sir.¡± before she felt the magical connection disappear. She decided this was the optimal time to knock. ¡°Come in!¡± The man on the other side grunted.


    The gruff dwarven captain grunted again as he noted Dee¡¯s lack of salute and sensed the danger she seemed to radiate. That combined with her obvious status as a scout made it clear she outranked him, hence the grunt. He suspected she was trouble. He would end up being right, but not quite in the way he had assumed. ¡°What brings one of your kind here?¡±


    ¡°I helped with the evacuation of certain villages.¡± She rattled off the names of the villages, before continuing. ¡°I also have some news about the rift itself.¡±


    There was a light and thoughtful ¡®Hrmmm.¡¯ before the dwarf spoke. ¡°It seems Captain Schwartz forgot to mention your involvement. That explains how he managed to keep three villages worth of refugees safe from the death mana however. We could also use any news on the rift. We only have speculations so far.¡±


    Dee gave a rough explanation about the events around the rift, leaving out her own involvement of course, and mentioned that she didn¡¯t know the final fate of the rift or the result of the battle since the circumstances forced her to retreat before she could see the finale, and she elected not to return afterwards due to being injured. The captain had no trouble believing that. Apparently there had been another wave of dangerous mana as the rift closed, though Dee assumed the Crimson Witches were fine since even these paladins managed to stop the wave. Whether that was good or bad remained to be seen.


    With her reports handed in, Dee could now freely return. She was already late, so it would be better to return immediately. Thus she was rapidly moving through the city and was already nearing the gateways when she ran into trouble. She had just been wondering whether it was a good thing or not that the Crimson Witches survived, when she noted a group of them having a heated argument with a young female elven paladin.


    From what she overheard the paladin was defending a small group of refugees from the squad of Crimson Witches. Apparently the refugees had stolen from the warrior women, but had been caught rather easily by the superior senses of the witches. That in itself was not a problem. Thieves risked punishment with their activities, and the paladins would certainly not stand against such punishments. The problem was, the Crimson Witches only meted out one punishment to those that were not part of their community, no matter the crime. That punishment was death. The refugees were rather skinny and young, most likely desperate due to losing their relatives. Why they had not gone through the gate already was a mystery.


    Dee had no intention of getting involved. There were seven Crimson Witches against a single rank four paladin, and two of the witches were rank nine. That would be a short argument. Unfortunately the elven woman recognized Dee¡¯s attire and correctly assumed that Dee would be much stronger than her, thus she suddenly yelled out in appeal. ¡°You there, scout of the order! Surely you as well see the injustice of taking the lives of people over a few coins. Surely you too want to stand against such cruel punishments?!¡±


    The elven woman was good, Dee had to hand her that. With a single shout she had dragged Dee into the conflict, and the appeal would work with almost all justice-minded paladins. Unfortunately for the elf, Dee was not justice-minded and truly didn¡¯t care in the least if the criminals were put to death. She would swing the sword herself if it brought her to the portal a few minutes earlier. Fortunately for the elf, the witches didn¡¯t know that either, and assumed Dee would get involved.


    ¡°Then how is it girl-scout? Will a demon like yourself put your life on the line to defend criminals against a just punishment? Or will you forsake them and your little paladin friend here to death?¡± The most powerful Crimson Witch asked with a smirk. She recognized Dee¡¯s demonic nature with a single glance. She was also making a game out of it. At the start she hadn¡¯t been interested at all. In the first place, it was her fellow sword¡¯s money that had been stolen, so she was just along for the ride. However, she liked toying around with the natures of beings weaker than her. Dee¡¯s dilemma made things infinitely more interesting for her.


    Dee made a small growl in her throat, and quickly assessed the situation. Seven witches, four ranked around six or seven, one pretty close to Dee¡¯s level and two rank nines. None of them had been at the rift, most likely being one of the outlying groups fighting away from the rift. ¡°I really wish you had not gone there. I truly couldn¡¯t care less what happens to the elf or the refugees, but now I have another problem. The problem is that you threatened me with the intent of forcing me back. Them dying is irrelevant to me, but having people assume I backed down from threats is another thing altogether.¡±


    Dee cursed in her mind. ¡®The bloody pride of a dragon is rubbing off on me! Normally I wouldn¡¯t care what random people think of me and just kill them some day in the future, but now it¡¯s too much for my bloody draconic pride or some such nonsense. Fucking hell!¡¯


    ¡°Well then. We find ourselves at a crossroad.¡± The witch said with a malicious grin. ¡°The only way forward is for you to stop us from killing them. Or you could run away with your tail¡­tails between your legs.¡±


    ¡®It seems I¡¯m going to be even more late now.¡¯ Dee thought to herself as Croestia applied a full boost to her, while the light of holy spells flashed around her as she silently applied her buffs.

 Chapter 76

    The witch¡¯s grin widened as she noticed Dee applying spells to herself. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you chose to go this route. Much more interesting.¡±


    The witch made a small gesture and the lower ranked witches dashed at Dee, eager to prove themselves and let out some steam. The Crimson Witches were always hungry for battle. They were hoping Dee could provide them with a good one, though found the possibility somewhat unlikely. They were part of the Crimson Path after all. Every single one of them was stronger than a normal being at their rank, especially physically. Their techniques greatly increased the basic foundations of a warrior, strength and speed. Additionally, almost all of them came from physically gifted races in the first place.


    Dee knew the enemy was underestimating her, but that would not last. She knew she had to cut down the number of enemies as soon as possible. It would be especially beneficial if she managed to get one of the ninth ranked witches out of the combat. She was somewhat able to hold her own against a single rank ninth warrior, but if two of them joined hands she would be in deep trouble. She also had a quick decision to make. Was she planning on striking to kill?


    If she killed some or all of the witches, that might antagonize the Crimson Path against her or even strain the relations between them and the Radiant Sun. Or it might do nothing. She had even helped them with the rift, so the two acts would make the whole thing something like a net zero. On the other hand she would not be winning this fight if she tried to hold back. Defeating someone without killing them was much harder than just killing them, and she was already in trouble.


    The decision was somewhat taken out of her hands as the four lower strength witches rushed her. Even when underestimating her, they didn¡¯t completely throw caution to the wind, as the four approached her quickly in a basic formation. The two with the heaviest armor approached her roughly from the front, while one with the least armor started to circle around, planning to strike her from the back. The three were going to pincer her between them. The fourth one stayed a bit back, ready to deliver a decisive blow when the opportunity presented itself. All four were covered by a membrane of blood red energy protecting their bodies.


    ¡®Judging by the strength behind their attacks, they certainly are aiming to kill. I might as well return the favor.¡¯ Dee thought calmly, waiting for the three to close on her, as she was aiming for a close quarters fight where they would get in each other¡¯s way and prevent the stronger witches from attacking. The world around her seemed to slow down as the trio closed in, and the nearby stronger witches assumed Dee had just given up on seeing the trouble she was in.


    Then she sprung into action. The dark gauntlets materialized on her hands as she dived for the first witch closest to her. She deflected her strike right into the path of the second witch¡¯s strike, and slipped under the arm that was now horribly out of position, at the same time moving out of range of the third witch approaching from behind. She grabbed a hold of the overextended wrist with one of her hands, while two of her hands struck at the exposed side protected only by the armor and the crimson membrane.


    Her dark claws cleaved right through the protection, the armor offering no resistance against the dark energy surrounding her gauntlets. The strike tore a hand sized chunk out of the first witch¡¯s side. Her other hand had struck the unprotected area in the witch¡¯s armpit, completely severing the major artery located there, as well as injecting the corrupting power of her weapons straight into the hapless witch¡¯s bloodstream.


    The fourth witch had reacted quickly and had jumped up to deliver a decisive overhead strike at Dee emerging from under her companions arm. The large sword gleamed heavy with the red power, showing the seriousness of the strike. Only problem was that Dee had seen the strike coming. The same two arms that had just wounded the first witch now grabbed at the back armor, crumbling it under her claws, and she tossed the already wounded witch straight at the approaching strike.


    The fourth witch was unable to stop her full power strike as it landed on her companion, splitting the already wounded witch in two. The shock of what just happened stunned the fourth witch for a short moment, and for a good reason. Even for battle hardened warriors like them, it was shocking to see their friend die by their own hands. Dee utilized this chance, as she spun away from the thrusting blow of the third witch that was now back in range, she tossed a throwing dagger at the stunned fourth witch.


    The throw was hasty, and the stunned witch had enough presence of mind to try and dodge. The dagger missed her head, instead lodging into her shoulder. The fourth witch could feel the corruption spreading from the apparently superficial wound and knew she had to retreat to try and use her own power to suppress the corruption. Their powers were focused on improving their bodies and could be used to resist such invasions, though not completely counter them if the invasion was deadly enough.


    While one of her hands threw the dagger, Dee had to use two of her gauntlets to block attacks from the second witch. One of the hands deflected the large sword while another resisted the strike from a floating blade made of red energy that the witch had materialized. Although the witches were proud of their strength, these had nowhere near the strength of Dee, so she could easily force the strikes aside as she used her last hand to deliver a heavy blow on to the chest of the second witch. The power of the blow cracked her sternum and several ribs.


    Both of the remaining witches hastily pulled some distance from Dee as they knew they were not her match. They also sensed the incoming blow from one of the two rank nine witches. A large red blade struck at Dee who was unable to avoid it in time. The strike didn¡¯t really damage her though, as the spell ¡®Fateguard¡¯ absorbed the blow, losing a layer. The blow did send her flying as she crashed through the wall of a nearby building. That crash and the debris took away several more layers of the spell, showing the weakness of the powerful protective spell.


    This situation suited Dee just fine though, as it allowed her to take some distance. The four weaker witches were effectively out of the battle, leaving the two rank nines and the one Dee guessed to be at rank eight, just like herself. The trio was no longer looking down on her and would take things much more seriously. They still didn¡¯t realize the full extent of the danger though, and this would be Dee¡¯s opportunity to try and remove one of them.


    She unleashed the draconic power in her body once again, trying to put as much strength into it as she dared without suffering a backlash. Luckily her increased power came with an increased ability to control that part of her, and she had just feasted on quite a bit of power in the elemental planes. Not the equivalent of feasting on souls, but it helped keep the dragon satiated. She¡¯d go hungry after this again.


    The ethereal form of a dragon¡¯s head appeared above the three witches chomping down at the witch who had instigated this whole thing. The dragon looked a lot more solid than before, and you could see the power glowing between the scales and in the empty eye-sockets, but it was still clearly more ethereal than solid. The witch created a powerful dome shield of blood red energy around herself, as the dragon¡¯s head tried closing its jaws on the witch. The other rank nine witch used her own power to strike at the apparition with her full power, trying to disperse the attack.


    The three powers collided, sending anyone not smart enough to evacuate the surroundings flying. Dee noted idly that the elven paladin and the thieves had run away as soon as the trouble started. If she ever found that elven paladin again, she would skin her alive! Dee pumped more power into the dragon¡¯s head as it started to show signs of dissipating. This might come back to haunt her again.


    The first one to notice the protective shield of the rank nine witch cracking was the rank eight witch. She knew the terrible penetrative power of dragon¡¯s fangs, and even if this apparition was only ethereal, it was still a dragon and of the worst possible type at that. She dashed at the rank nine witches. At the same time the other rank nine witch finally managed to force the apparition into dissolving. As it dissolved though, it still managed to bite at its target, though the rank eight witch managed to push her out of the way. The teeth of the dragon rent the rank eight witch¡¯s back, but she was still alive. Out of the combat but alive.


    Dee made a small ¡®tch¡¯ sound with her tongue. She had missed her chance at taking out her target. She could already feel the burden from using the dragon¡¯s power, and certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to use that power again. Besides, she had caught the witches by surprise, and now they would be aware of the danger and would choose to dodge instead of trying to resist the draconic power directly. They only did so this time because they were unaware of the danger. And now they were mad.


    Dee stepped out from the rubble. She had managed to reduce the number of enemies to just two, as the other witches were forced into retreating by the collision of forces beyond them. Most of them were injured anyway. The problem was that the two remaining ones were the exact wrong two. The two remaining witches grimly gathered their powers for a joint attack. A large red globe of red energy appeared above the original instigator of this fight, while the other one materialized an enormous palm that started to strike towards Dee.


    The strike from the red palm would be enough to level several blocks of the city, and damage more beyond. It was a strike that was better suited against small armies. Yet, what gave Dee the creeps wasn¡¯t the enormous palm falling towards her, but the red globe above the other witch. It seemed much more ominous. She got the feeling that if she tried to dodge the enormous palm falling towards her, the globe would make it impossible. Her ability to read ki attacks was not equal to her ability to read mana, but she could manage to decipher that much at least.


    ¡®So no dodging the palm. I¡¯ll have to face it directly.¡¯ She only had a second to think about her response, but luckily she had seen a battle between the Spider Cult and the Crimson Path earlier. She knew of a way to fight against the crimson power effectively. It was weak against the power of death. She wasn¡¯t a mage that could use death mana, but holy spells had some attacks of that element as well and she was especially proficient with them. She would have to be, as she was going directly against the power of a rank nine warrior.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The two witches were slightly confused as their enemy raised one of her palm to meet the incoming crimson attack, as if planning on slapping her own hand against the huge palm attack. They were even more confused as a wispy grey palm of equal size to the enemy¡¯s hand rose to meet the falling giant red one. Their confusion soon disappeared as the crimson palm seemed to start decaying rapidly in front of their eyes. They could recognize the effect of death energy on their own power. ¡°You engage her close, I¡¯ll provide support.¡± The stronger witch with the red globe above her head ordered. This way they would not get in the other¡¯s way.


    Dee was a little surprised about how well her spell had worked. The ¡®Hand of Death¡¯ was not a flashy death spell, but its effect was rather clear. It was also obvious that her affinity with such spells had grown, as the goddess had said it would. Her short moment of jubilation was cut short as one of the rank nine witches dashed at her. Dee crossed her four arms above her head and met the attack directly. The two clashed in a pure contest of strength, the surroundings getting damaged once again by the pressure wave released from the clash of the two forces. Dee was gaining a small advantage to the surprise of the two witches. They were supposed to be the more powerful ones, right? However, the margin was small enough to not really matter aside from Dee being able to stop the blow, and she had to use all four of her hands to do so.


    Unlike the previous ones, this witch did not overcommit to her strikes, and managed to constantly keep just the right distance. Dee could not dash closer without getting hit, but the witch could attack her at the best possible range. The warrior was also skilled enough to match Dee blow for blow, and neither was able to get an upper hand. Dee would normally have been able to use her control style to lead her opponent into a situation where she could deliver a decisive blow, except the fight wasn¡¯t truly a one-on-one.


    Every time Dee tried something, the other witch standing at the side would use the globe of crimson energy to strike at her. Sometimes these attacks were like heavy whips extending from the globe, sometimes they were crimson spears of blood launched at her, and sometimes they were like tentacles coming in to distract and trip Dee. And it¡¯s not like the other witch Dee was fighting didn¡¯t use her own abilities. Several crimson energy blades attacked Dee at the most inopportune moments, keeping her off balance. Those attacks also shaved away the last charges on her ¡®Fateguard¡¯.


    The worst part was that her enemy was slowly gaining in strength. The witch was slowly releasing the darker energy inside her, her visage turning more and more demonic as time passed. The veins in her body bulged out, her face took on a more bestial and snarling appearance, and slowly a pair of horns was growing on her head. At the same time her speed and strength were increasing. Dee assumed that the only reason her enemy didn¡¯t release all that power at once was because it was hard to control. Maybe there would be a severe backlash if the power went out of control?


    In any case, her situation was becoming more and more dangerous. The two were slowly wearing her down on purpose. They planned to use this method because the result was pretty much guaranteed. With enough time, Dee would lose. Instead of trying something risky that allowed Dee another chance to surprise them, this was method was more effective. Dee had already shown them that she could pull out surprises when given the chance.


    Dee was forced to sigh in her mind. She had hoped that she could force her enemy into a hasty mistake that she could then take an advantage of. It was already good enough that she was holding on as it was and that was not going to last for long. She would have to pay a price to use another surprise attack, which she had been saving just for the chance that her enemies made a mistake. She had not used her psionic powers in an obvious way so far. Not that there had been a good chance to do so before this anyway. She used the power to strengthen herself, but the enemy would just assume that she was using holy power for that. She was supposed to be a member of the Radiant Sun after all.


    Dee made her resolve and made a sudden mad dash at her enemy. That came with a price. She was unable to completely prevent the counter-attack of her enemy, and the crimson clad sword cleaved away two of her arms on her left side. She used her invisible hands to pick those arms up and store them inside Croestia. It would be easier to reattach them than regenerate completely new ones. The other enemy struck at Dee several times as well, causing several rather deep wounds, albeit in unimportant places for now. Those would regenerate.


    The surprised witch tried to pull back, but didn¡¯t manage it in time. She was also rather secure in the knowledge that her protective layer of crimson energy would stop any lone strikes from Dee. She was rank nine after all, so Dee would have to attack her several times, or with something really special to break the protection. She also used her energy to attack Dee from behind, as the crimson blade would sink into Dee¡¯s unprotected back in just a second.


    Dee¡äs gauntleted hand closed around the enemy witch¡¯s head, but instead of trying to break the protective membrane, she used her mind to attack the enemy. Physical contact was not necessary for such a thing, but it did help. Especially when you did what Dee decided to do, which was to crush the enemy¡¯s mental protections with pure power. She didn¡¯t want to give the witch the chance to resist, which would inevitably happen with slow tunneling through her defenses, and the witch was caught completely by surprise. The two witches had no idea Dee was a psion.


    Both the witch and the crimson blade closing in on Dee¡¯s back completely froze in place, the crimson blade suspended in the air. Dee slipped away from the witch, using a bit of healing magic to supplement her regeneration in stopping the bleeding from her missing arms. The witch had put up a fight against the mental invasion despite the surprise attack. She had been right in her judgement that physical contact was necessary against an enemy stronger than her, even with the advantage of surprise.


    ¡°What did you do to her?¡± The last witch asked grimly. She now realized of course that Dee was a psion and had her own defenses up.


    ¡°She¡¯s taking a little pause.¡± Dee replied simply.


    ¡°No matter, she will soon shake free of your little mind control.¡± The witch assured herself. While the witches didn¡¯t meet psions often, they did train to resist them. It would be foolish to not have anything prepared just because the enemy was extremely rare, otherwise any psion could just walk in and defeat them. Breaking their control was difficult, but could be done with a bit of time and effort.


    ¡°I doubt that very much.¡± Dee replied confidently. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s the best kind of prison? The type you don¡¯t know you are inside of. To her, time has stopped completely. She won¡¯t be able to struggle, because she doesn¡¯t even know there is something to struggle against.¡±


    ¡°We will see.¡± The crimson witch replied self-assured. Even if her friend was unable to get free, the higher ups would be able to break the hold. All she had to do was take care of this annoying enemy.


    ¡°So, has the fight met your expectations so far?¡± Dee asked with a slight grimace due to the pain, her tone still mocking.


    ¡°I have to say you¡¯ve exceeded my expectations. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to take you seriously. You can be assured that the one whose death you caused will be avenged against your little order.¡± The witch let go of her sword, which now hovered beside her, controlled and surrounded by the crimson power. The witch then took a stance similar to a boxer, with her hands raised in front of her face, while the globe of power still hovered above her head.


    Dee was slightly confused by this. How was this taking her seriously? Well, she didn¡¯t have much choice. She doubted she could win a shooting match with the witch, even in her angel form. The witch had way more power left anyway, and she was higher ranked than Dee. She would have to face the enemy another way.


    She shifted into her kitsune form, the bestial form increasing her strength many times over. In her usual form she was strong enough to match a rank nine, even when they also specialized in strength like the witches. That was thanks to the work done by Zabaniya and her own heritage. Now in this form she should be much stronger than her opponent. The problem was that she was still missing the forelegs on her left side. Her wings materialized as well, hopefully protecting her from some attacks, and several psionic weapons materialized around her. They weren¡¯t nearly as strong as in her angel form, but they would still help.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one with floating weapons.¡± Dee taunted, mostly in bluff.


    ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll see whose are stronger.¡± The witch refused to take the bait. ¡°I suspected you were a monster, I just didn¡¯t realize how right I was.¡± She shot back clearly referring to Dee¡¯s form.


    Dee knew her time was running out, as the missing legs and numerous wounds were sapping at her strength. She dashed at her enemy, her claws striking at full strength. The plan was to continue with an attack with the black wing while the psionic weapons misdirected the enemy¡¯s sword and any attacks from the globe of energy still hovering above the woman. The plan was wrecked immediately though.


    As Dee struck at the witch, the witch surprisingly crossed her arms in front of her, with her arm protectors gaining a weird gleam. As soon as Dee¡¯s claws struck the crossed arms, it was as if the world around them froze for a second. A golden brown ripple ran from the point of impact, as if a drop of water hitting the surface of a puddle. Then Dee was blasted back by an explosion of the same golden brown power. Pain lanced through her in several places, as she crashed into the ground, plowing a deep groove into the stone street that was already devastated from the earlier fight.


    Dee barely managed to lift her head as she looked at herself. The foreleg that had struck at the witch had been completely destroyed, turning into a mush of flesh and blood splattered around the place. The shoulder was gone as well, and most of her ribs were broken. The final remaining foreleg was mangled as well. Her large body was pierced in several places by crimson spears launched from the globe, and the witch¡¯s sword was now running through her waist, pinning her to the ground. The shock and pain that she didn¡¯t manage to block finally overwhelmed her, as she lost consciousness.


    -----


    The witch gave a small sigh. They had grossly underestimated their enemy, and had paid dearly for it. Nadja was dead, worse yet accidentally killed by Marina. Valentina and Kristina were heavily wounded, god only knows if they were even still alive. Lena was a statue, and judging by the words of the monster the woman might be hard to wake up. She should have personally taken action sooner. Then again there had been no indication that their enemy was this powerful before things went to shit. They had played around like this several times before without running into trouble. Most enemies gave up before fighting, rather choosing the humiliation over death.


    She looked at her arm guards. Authorities really were a cheat. Hers was a half hero-half item Authority inherited from a legend that told of a defensive female mercenary that defeated her enemies by reflecting their own attacks back at them. That mercenary had gained her legend by protecting several important people, even from the attacks of dragons. The Authority was something she had gained before even becoming part of the Crimson Path. Too bad the Authority required a bit of a preparation to use properly, otherwise she would¡¯ve used the arm guards against the ghostly dragon earlier.


    The arm guards could reflect almost any attack back at the attacker while multiplying the power several times. It would never work more than once in a battle as it took time to recharge and the enemy would know to expect it anyway, but once was enough when used at the right time. She had crippled many of her enemies just by using the Authority once, and finishing them off afterwards was usually a simple task. She had once even killed an immortal using this tactic, though it would not work on those with the ability to recover from such damage.


    It had worked once again against the fox-creature in front of her. Just for a good measure she had also struck the monster with her sword and ki. The creature was now unconscious and dying. The blow the creature had used had been a powerful one, surprising her even after all the earlier tricks, but the creature had paid for that.The witch walked closer, but was surprised when she noticed a symbol hover above the fox monster.


    She ignored the symbol completely. She had seen several holy symbols before, though not in quite this situation. A final request from the deity to spare the creature perhaps? She would not oblige. Not with an enemy this dangerous. The gods usually didn¡¯t care that much anyway. As she walked closer, the symbol suddenly pulsed, and released an enormous amount of power.


    ¡®Maybe this wasn¡¯t such a good idea.¡¯ The witch thought, as the power flowed into the body of the almost dead creature.


    The size of the already large creature suddenly grew to completely outrageous proportions. The fox creature had become the size of an entire city block. Everyone within several kilomels of the city would be able to see it towering over the city, even with the creature lying down. The fur of the creature suddenly turned black, and the previously closed eyes opened. The witch idly noted that the eyes seemed to be completely empty of all emotion and consciousness. The creature spread its tails in a fan shape, causing the witch to choke.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of fucking tails.¡± She mumbled numbly. The creature was suddenly covered in fire


    ¡®I¡¯ve never seen black fire before.¡¯ The witch gave her final thought, as the fire consumed the entire city and its surroundings.

 Chapter 77

    Shunkaha was rushing towards the portal city. Not that he really needed to rush anymore. It would still take at least half an hour to get to the city even with his speed. Dee would probably be gone again when he got to the city. Maybe she would have already returned back to the scouts? That would make all of Shunkaha¡¯s rushing around a complete waste. It was a bit annoying but it was his own fault really.


    He had spent the last weeks running around looking for Dee. At first he had thought he would find her relatively easily with his tracking skills. She might be good at hiding alone, but now she would be traveling with refugees or other members of the order, so finding her should be much easier. In theory at least. Not so much in practice. Shunkaha had already heard rumors of her weird method of travel, thanks to some of the paladins that she had forced through the weird portals after the death wave came. At that time he had missed Dee only by a few hours.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t she stay in one place for a short time at least?! I¡¯ve never seen someone who dashes around so restlessly.¡¯ Shunkaha cursed in his mind. ¡®Doesn¡¯t she rest? Or take a break?¡¯


    He had lost the trail for weeks after that and could only assume she had used another portal to go somewhere else. He suspected that Dee had another reason for being here, as this mission level was too low for her. Or at least it would have been without the three powerful communities that had also arrived. The Revenant, The Crimson Path and the Spider Cult threw the mission danger level way up with their fights, but Dee wouldn¡¯t have known that before coming here.


    So she had to have a purpose for coming here. Shunkaha couldn¡¯t know for sure what that purpose would be, but odds were it had something to do with the rift. The rift was now closed for some reason, so she would most likely return soon, so Shunkaha had decided to head back as well. By pure coincidence he had ran into a group of hunters who were also returning to the city to move to a place with some actual game. The hunters mentioned seeing a white furred kitsune heading in the general direction of the city, and it didn¡¯t take much for Shunkaha to recognize Dee¡¯s more bestial form. He could put two and two together and knew that she was most likely going to give her final report and then return.


    So why the need to rush? He would most likely miss her anyway. It wouldn¡¯t take her that long to make a report, even if Shunkaha was only couple of hours behind her. The reason was that he had a bad feeling. The Authority he had gained came with several useful abilities, one of which was a sort of weird instinct about the future. He didn¡¯t know what would happen, but he would get hints. And now all those hints were screaming danger. So he rushed. Maybe he could help? Maybe he could warn her and they could quickly leave before any danger arrived?


    His thoughts were interrupted when the sound of an explosion drew his attention towards the city. No that was wrong. The sound wasn¡¯t an explosion exactly. It was the sound of air and matter being consumed by a flame in an instant. There was no explosion, but there was the sound of the wind rushing in to replace all the air that had vanished, the new air now filling the vacuum left behind by the air consumed by the dark flame. Shunkaha could swear he also heard the space itself crying out at the wrongness of what had just happened.


    Shunkaha was close enough to barely see the city. For a brief moment he thought he saw something massive towering over the city. Or the place where the city used to be. With his vision blocked by the flames, Shunkaha wasn¡¯t able to say what that large form was, but now it was gone. And the dark flame was coming closer, consuming everything in its path. It was wrong to call what the fire caused burning. There was no ash, there was no smoke, and there were no remains. What the fire touched was gone, leaving behind a feeling of wrongness that was difficult to explain. He only felt like these were flames that should not exist. They were¡­unnatural.


    For a short moment he was worried that the flames would reach him, and he was pretty sure there was nothing he would be able to do to stop them. Luckily their range seemed to be controlled, and the fires were not spreading by themselves as the flames weren¡¯t the sort to spread in a natural and wild way. The flames stopped well before reaching him, but the city itself and its surroundings were gone. Not in smoldering ruins, nor a heap of ash, just gone. Shunkaha was pretty sure the ground wouldn¡¯t even be hot where the fire had passed. Not that it would be safe to approach either.


    ¡°DEE!¡± Shunkaha screamed in desperation. He realized that the one he loved and the one he had been chasing for the last weeks might have still been in the city. If she had been¡­


    Yet something pulled him towards the area where the city used to be. He had a weird trust towards Dee¡¯s ability to survive. If she had survived, she had the ability to regenerate, so she might still be alive. The thought was somewhat ridiculous. How could she survive something like the dark flames? And would the flames leave something behind that could be regenerated?


    Still he felt he had to go and check. If it turned out that her body was found in the devastation, and he could have saved her, he would never forgive himself for abandoning her. So he moved in closer. As soon as he reached the area affected by the dark flames, the feelings of wrongness got stronger. He felt that this was not a place where anyone should be. The ground was covered in weird grey dust, not ashes but something else. It was as if something had decayed to dust. This too was weird, because normal flames would leave ashes and really hot flames would melt the ground to glass.


    Shunkaha felt that this wrongness might affect him as well, though he wasn¡¯t clear what the result would be if it did. His whole body was suddenly covered in dark blue ki, as well as the golden glow of protective holy power. He also assumed a much more bestial look as silvery grey fur grew all around his body. If someone had been watching, they might have seen that the ki around him had formed the faint outline of a wolf. He still didn¡¯t feel safe from the feeling of wrongness, but at least it wasn¡¯t affecting him as much anymore. He would have to get the healers to check him once he returned.


    He pushed deeper into the devastated land, something pulling him towards the center. Of course Dee would be near the center of all this. She wouldn¡¯t be able to help herself. Even if she wasn¡¯t involved, and it seemed unlikely she was considering the amount of power he had sensed, she would have been nearby observing. Learning. Taking any chance to grow stronger. Shunkaha was not sure what drove Dee, but he knew something did. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out, as that was the same with him. That¡¯s partially what drew him towards Dee. You couldn¡¯t reach this kind of level at this age without something driving you.


    For once Dee was relatively easy to find. She wasn¡¯t hiding in any way, and her white fur stood out against the grey dust. There was also the distinct lack of hiding places on a flat plane. She was also the only living thing in the area. Shunkaha could smell her blood from a distance, and it didn¡¯t take much to recognize the scent unique to Dee that he was so familiar with. Mainly she smelled of blood though, and for a good reason, as Dee¡¯s kitsune form was covered in wounds. Shunkaha was horrified to see her missing three of her legs and a large part of her right shoulder was gone. The wounds showed signs of regeneration, but something had opened the wounds and restarted the bleeding. Likely the aftereffects of the black flame.


    Shunkaha¡¯s healing magic was rudimentary at best, but he gave what first aid he could. Mainly to stem the bleeding, both internal and external. The internal wounds were just as many and perhaps just as bad. It was weird, as seemed like every single part of her was damaged. Not seriously enough to lead to death, but bad enough that it was overwhelming her ability to regenerate the wounds. Regeneration was an extremely powerful ability capable of even recovering lost limbs, but it worked best when the damage was limited to a narrow area. It was less good at resolving things when literally everything was broken, as the ability didn¡¯t really have the ability to prioritize.


    ¡°Hang in there.¡± Shunkaha muttered. He knew Dee needed help and soon. But he was in the middle of nowhere. There had been a series of gateways here, but those were gone. The closest city with portals would take too long to travel to. Someone might send help here eventually via magic when they noticed the lack of reports or the inability to use the gateways to get here, but who knows when that happened?


    ¡°No choice.¡± He muttered again and took a small pendant from his neck and cracked it. All the high ranking Winter Wolves carried one, and breaking it worked as an emergency signal. As well as being a signal, the pendant worked as a beacon.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    It took less than two minutes before a large magical formation appeared close by. Eight high ranking wolf beastmen materialized inside the formation, as if growing from the ground. They were the emergency squad of the Winter Wolves. Shunkaha was a little surprised to see his father among them. Then again his father did do his part to defend the tribe and would certainly respond to an emergency call from Shunkaha.


    The eight wolves each evaluated a direction for potential dangers, and they would call out if they noted threats. They saw none, though one female beastman called out that she had eyes on Shunkaha and some other being. They all seemed to relax, before they too felt the wrongness in the air. They quickly used various means to protect themselves, and the cleric of the group raised a protective field of golden energy. Shunkaha noted that it didn¡¯t seem to have much effect.


    ¡°Son, what¡¯s going on here? The air feels¡­weird. You seem to be alright, but I know you wouldn¡¯t have called us for nothing.¡± His father called out.


    Shunkaha¡¯s father was a large and powerfully built warrior with dark grey fur covering him as was usual for their tribe. He was the Alpha of the tribe, and thus the strongest among them. Even Shunkaha wasn¡¯t entirely sure how powerful Amarog was. ¡°I don¡¯t know. For your information, this area used to be a city filled with refugees. At least until less than an hour ago. Chinua, I need your healing here. Then we need to leave.¡±


    The lithe female beastman rushed towards Shunkaha, and laid her hands on Dee¡¯s bestial form. Chinua was the best healer in the tribe and Shunkaha was glad to see her. She hissed as she scanned the injuries inside Dee. ¡°What on Pantheon happened to her? I¡¯ve rarely seen someone so badly hurt yet still alive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I wasn¡¯t here when it happened. There was some kind of black fire that consumed the city.¡± Shunkaha replied.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t appear burnt.¡± One of the warriors commented emotionlessly from the side. The others were keeping an eye on the surroundings.


    ¡°If you look around, nothing here does. The flames were odd somehow, as I¡¯m sure you can all feel.¡± Shunkaha replied. He knew the warrior wasn¡¯t trying to refute Shunkaha. Instead he was simply making an observation as was his duty.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Amarog asked with some real curiosity. His son had used the emergency signal for this fox, something not done lightly.


    ¡°A fellow scout and a fri¡­¡± Shunkaha was about to explain before he was interrupted by Chinua.


    ¡°By the gods, she¡¯s part Beowulf!¡± She exclaimed.


    ¡°What?! Explain!¡± Amarog demanded. Beowulf were an important existence to all wolf beastmen, and the fox certainly didn¡¯t look all that much like a wolf. Although now that he paid more attention, the fox had several wolf-like features not seen in normal kitsune.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say more, but it¡¯s clear that at least one of her relatives was a Beowulf. We need to move her. I¡¯ve stabilized her, but this is not the place for complex healing, and I¡¯ll need some of the other healers to help me. She¡¯s busted up real good.¡± Chinua said as much as she could.


    Amarog looked at Shunkaha for further explanation, but the latter simply shrugged his shoulders. There was nothing they could or should do here anyway, so the group returned back to the magical formation and the group¡¯s mage teleported them back to the community.


    ----------


    Shunkaha spent a few hours watching as the Winter Wolves healers worked on Dee, until he was finally chased out by Chinua. Apparently he was just getting in the way. Which was true. His abilities as a warrior had grown since he joined the Radiant Sun, but his healing abilities were meager. Outside the infirmary he ran into his father.


    ¡°Are you finally ready to tell me who she is? Don¡¯t give me that friend bull either. You wouldn¡¯t have called us for just a random friend. You know how much it takes from our mages to make an emergency teleportation like that. Is she your lover or something?¡± Amarog¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t¡¯ disapproving, but he did want an explanation.


    ¡°No she isn¡¯t.¡± Shunkaha replied, and lifted his hand to prevent his father from speaking. ¡°She isn¡¯t, but if the choice was mine then she would be.¡±


    Amarog frowned. ¡°What¡¯s stopping you? It¡¯s not like it would be weird for an Alpha of our tribe to have multiple mates. I certainly do. Felan would not be pleased, but you¡¯re the future Alpha and she¡¯d have to deal with it.¡±


    Shunkaha gave a sigh. ¡°She won¡¯t have me. Besides, if she joined the tribe, then she would become the Alpha and not me. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s not into sharing her mate either, and with her strength she won¡¯t have to.¡±


    Amarog¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°You¡¯re saying that she¡¯s stronger than you? Even with your Authority?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure since we haven¡¯t fought seriously after I got the Authority. That said, if I was a betting man then I¡¯d put my money on her. I¡¯m pretty sure she could give you a run for your money as well. She¡¯s the disciple of the strongest Blade of the order, and he has high expectations for her. He quite clearly told me that she would become strong enough to match the strongest of Pantheon someday.¡± Shunkaha replied a little self-deprecatingly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to give up so easily. Nor is it like you to put yourself down like that.¡± Amarog said. He had always been proud of his son, and for a good reason.


    ¡°Who said I was giving up? However, it¡¯s important to be realistic about the situation, so that I know what I¡¯m up against. I don¡¯t want to fail because I underestimated the challenge. For as long as I can remember I was the one with the most potential and the brightest future. She showed me that there¡¯s always someone above you.¡± Shunkaha had a small smile on his face as he spoke.


    Amarog didn¡¯t miss the smile. ¡°You like that, don¡¯t you? You like the fact that she¡¯s stronger than you.¡± His voice was a little incredulous.


    Shunkaha barked a small laugh. ¡°I do. I¡¯ve seen you with your mates. I¡¯ve seen my brothers and uncles. You all have mates weaker than you. Mates that are subservient to you. I don¡¯t want that. I don¡¯t want a mate that looks to me for permission to do anything. I want an equal. A queen to my kingship. Dad, we both share the dream of uniting the wolf tribes, but unlike you I want to do it with someone equal by my side.¡±


    Amarog could understand his son¡¯s wish. He¡¯d had something similar in his youth. He had been unable to find a mate equal to him, and had finally caved to the pressure of the tribe. He had loved the mates he took, but he didn¡¯t respect them. Not really. Maybe his son was right in that taking a mate outside the tribes would make things easier. They would not have the ingrained desire to submit to the Alpha that the wolf tribe members had. ¡°What about Felan?¡± He had to ask.


    Shunkaha shook his head. ¡°You and I both know why I agreed to the engagement. If Dee had been available, I¡¯d have preferred her, though she wouldn¡¯t have agreed.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t answer the question, but I can see your dilemma. This might become a problem later on though.¡± Amarog waved a nearby soldier close. ¡°H¨®¡¯nehe should be home. Have him go back to the scouts and find Lord Razark. Have my son tell him that his disciple is with us and injured. He can come and reclaim her any time. Have H¨®¡¯nehe give him everything we know about what happened.¡±


    H¨®¡¯nehe was Shunkaha¡¯s older brother and also one of the scouts of the order. The Winter Wolves made for great scouts, and the order gave them great training. Amarog turned back to Shunkaha. ¡°In any case, it¡¯s useful to have someone like her and Razark on our good side. That¡¯s worth the emergency deployment. Without considering the other stuff, that alone made it worth it Shunkaha. We can worry about the rest later.¡±


    ------


    Five members of the Crimson Path were standing in the middle of a roughly circular area covered in weird grey dust. They could all feel the wrongness in the air. ¡°This is where the swords went missing.¡± A silver haired vampire said to the leader of the group. ¡°I can sense the remains of their blood essence in the air. They are all dead.¡± The vampire kept her eyes closed. In fact Alexandra had never seen the woman open her eyes. The woman and her two sisters had their own ways of observing the world.


    The group of five was made up of Alexandra, three identical vampire sisters and the leader of the group. Alexandra really looked up to the leader of their group, Anastasia. The blond haired woman was one of the most powerful immortals in their community, and was part of a trio who were often sent to solve problems that crept up. Even Alexandra didn¡¯t know what race Anastasia was, though the latter looked just like a human at first glance.


    ¡°We expected that once we got the news, but it¡¯s good to have a confirmation.¡± Anastasia said. She wouldn¡¯t be here if they expected to find the wayward swords alive. ¡°Now we need to focus on what happened to them. You and your sisters search the area. Alexandra, what can tell me about threats that might be able to take out our swords?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Spider Cult was present, though they were running away last we saw them. I doubt they would come back to find trouble for no benefit. The Revenant were in the area, but they gave up on the rift, and there¡¯s no real reason for them to pick a fight weeks later, not to mention even staying in the area. There was this weird angel that helped us with the rift, but I already reported her presence.¡± Alexandra reported her thoughts.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware. Did she have a reason to pick a fight with us?¡± Anastasia asked. She had read the report, but wanted Alexandra¡¯s personal opinion.


    ¡°Well we did close the rift on her out of necessity. If she had some way to return this fast she might have a grudge, but I doubt she¡¯d attack a random group of our swords.¡± Alexandra replied with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Any impressions?¡± Anastasia asked trio of identical vampires. The one with closed eyes was still standing around feeling the surroundings. The second one was sniffing around while the third had seemed to have found something interesting on the ground.


    ¡°I feel the presence of a lot of holy power.¡± The one with closed eyes said. ¡°Lot of dark energy, the wrongness you are feeling, as well as something I can¡¯t quite identify.¡±


    ¡°Holy power? Alexandra, you said the angel was strong in holy power, right?¡± Anastasia asked.


    ¡°Yes, but she was definitely blessed by a light deity. I might even suggest Lumen or one of the other greater light deities. That doesn¡¯t really go with the dark and unnatural feeling.¡± She replied.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± The vampire with closed eyes said. ¡°This is not the work of someone with light¡¯s blessing.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s blood here.¡± The crouched vampire said. ¡°A blood from a demon. A powerful one at that. Mixed race. Horribly mixed.¡± The vampire tasted a bit of the blood that had dried a long time ago. They were experts with controlling blood so that wasn¡¯t a problem. ¡±Mortal?¡± She voiced her impression incredulously.


    The others frowned. This devastation wasn¡¯t the result of a mortal¡¯s strength. ¡°Maybe a survivor?¡± Alexandra suggested.


    Anastasia thought for a moment. ¡°A strong possibility. A demon might fare better against unnatural flames like the ones that did this.¡±


    ¡°I can smell wolves. Several of them.¡± The third vampire announced. ¡°They left a few days ago, but they came here after the fire burnt out. They might have taken the demon away for questioning.¡±


    It had taken a few days for the Crimson Path to get a word of the deaths of their members and to find the right place to look for them. ¡°That might explain the mana I sense.¡± The first vampire suddenly said.


    ¡°Mana?¡± Anastasia asked. The vampire had not mentioned mana before.


    ¡°The trace is almost gone so I wasn¡¯t sure if it happened before or after the disaster. A teleportation formation, perhaps?¡± The vampire suggested.


    ¡°So wolves with the ability to teleport here as soon as things went bad. The wolf tribes? The Winter Wolves seem the most logical as they are the strongest tribe.¡± Alexandra suggested.


    ¡°We should go have a word with them.¡± Anastasia replied. ¡°We might find out more, and they might have a witness.¡±

 Chapter 78

    Razark was not pleased with the latest turn of events. The simple and easy mission he had lined up for his disciple had gone to shit. He had expected a response from higher ranked communities, but not the level of commitment the three large communities had given. Why would they all throw that much effort towards a single rift in the boonies? Regardless, he was rather sure his disciple was smart enough and strong enough to deal with it. Things had become worse though.


    An entire city had been wiped out! The city had been housing several hundred paladins that had gathered there to help with the evacuation, and the city had been full of evacuees. The evacuation site of the order could deal with a number of refugees hundreds of times larger, but it took time to get that many people and their possessions through the portal gates. The gates in small cities weren¡¯t created to deal with such huge numbers of people in mind. You couldn¡¯t just keep the portal open indefinitely, as it took a lot of mana to transport people over large distances. Additionally the formations that ran the portals needed some time to cool down between uses. A large gate system like the one the order had at the evacuation site could deal with it, but the small gates in the middle of nowhere? Not so much.


    Besides, some people didn¡¯t want to go. They still hoped to return to their homes and old lives. Many of those hopes had been dashed by the waves of death mana. ¡®A bloody death rift of all things.¡¯ Razark cursed silently. Those that still clung to hope remained in the now destroyed city. And the inhabitants of the city had not evacuated either. Why should they? The rift wouldn¡¯t really affect them, would it? Those people didn¡¯t realize the economics of losing all those supporting villages and the living things they hunted and grew for food. The city wasn¡¯t a small one either. Several hundred thousand people. With all the refugees, the number might go as high as half a million. And now they were all gone.


    The higher-ups were not pleased of course. Such loss of life was not so rare as to shock people too badly. There were wars all over Pantheon. However, half a million people in one shot raised some concerns. Especially since they didn¡¯t know what had caused it. Oh there were likely suspects, but you didn¡¯t go pointing fingers at the Crimson Witches or The Revenant without some evidence. And if they did get evidence, what could the order realistically expect to happen?


    ¡°What are you getting all frowny for?¡± A female Dragonkin asked. The priestess was one of Razark¡¯s friends and one of the most powerful priestesses of the Holy Orders. She was coming along as a favor. ¡°Worried for your darling disciple? I didn¡¯t expect to see the day!¡±


    Razark also found the priestess incredibly annoying. For a supposedly proud and stern Dragonkin, the woman was way too playful and bubbly. Unfortunately she was also the best healer he knew. ¡°Just thinking about the situation. Hopefully the little idiot can shed some light on matters.¡± Razark replied grumpily. He was in truth worried about Dee. If the note he had gotten was right, Dee had been right at the heart of whatever had wiped out the city. And she had been horribly injured.


    ¡°Little idiot?¡± The Dragonkin gave a chuckle. ¡°Well isn¡¯t that charming. You¡¯re becoming more like your old master every day.¡± She was familiar with the old man, and had spent some time learning combat skills from him. Luckily for her, she had not gotten the truly harsh course Dee and Razark had received. If someone asked the old man, she was one of those useless apprentices with lacking potential. Well at least she could defend herself adequately. She was a healer anyway.


    Razark simply shot a scathing look back at the woman. He had also picked up some habits from his disciple.


    They were met by the leader of the Winter Wolves tribe as they entered the tribe¡¯s territory. Amarog had come to greet them personally for several reasons. For one it showed respect. For another, he was the only one capable of doing something if Razark decided to take his frustrations on the surroundings. Anyone weaker would just be throwing their lives away. ¡°Lord Razark.¡± Amarog greeted the two with a bow. ¡°I won¡¯t waste time with pleasantries since I can guess you¡¯re eager to meet with your disciple.¡±


    Razark did note the questioning look the beastman Alpha threw at his companion. ¡°Much appreciated. This is my friend High Priestess Shraeska. She¡¯s a healer and promised to help with my disciple.¡±


    Amarog started leading the two towards the infirmary while explaining. ¡°Our healers have stabilized her and she isn¡¯t in immediate danger. She is still missing three of her legs, but it might be best to let her natural regeneration deal with that so that they¡¯ll heal right. We managed to get her to a state where her own regeneration started working properly. Normally we¡¯d try healing her anyway, but since she has the ability to regenerate, why not utilize it since that¡¯ll do better job of it? It might take a bit of time, but she has the blood of a Beowulf, so she¡¯ll make a full recovery.¡±


    ¡°So you noticed.¡± Razark commented simply. He had expected as much. You couldn¡¯t perform extensive healing without making such discoveries.


    ¡°Yes, though we couldn¡¯t make heads or tails about her entire heritage. Here we go.¡± Amarog commented, while opening the infirmary door.


    A single healer was still monitoring Dee¡¯s status, but the latter was simply resting on a bed in her kitsune form. On the outside she looked banged up, but beyond the missing legs she didn¡¯t look too bad. ¡°Oh that¡¯s what you meant by missing legs.¡± Shraeska commented.


    ¡°Yeah, that form offers the strongest regeneration and protection from attacks to her, so I assume that¡¯s why she took the form.¡± Razark commented. He had assumed that Dee had used the form and her holy powers to defend against the attack that had leveled the city, with the regeneration of the form keeping her alive afterwards. The extent of Dee¡¯s holy powers had always been a slight mystery.


    The Dragonkin priestess put her hand on Dee¡¯s resting form. The hand glowed with golden power as she applied her powers that could heal almost anything. ¡°The nerves around her waist seem damaged, apparently due to a strike from something like a sword. Her body has recovered pretty well with the healing she has received, but there are still small tears in pretty much all of her soft tissue. I assume some extreme trauma caused the damage. I can wake her up if you want. She¡¯ll be in fairly large amount of pain though. I can do my best to alleviate it, but I can only do so much to reduce it without affecting her judgement.¡±


    Razark frowned. ¡°A sword wound? So she was in battle. How serious?¡±


    ¡°Not that bad anymore, but at the time the blade would have gone through her back completely. She would¡¯ve been mostly immobilized due to the attack. A large sword, a two-hander. I¡¯ll take care of the nerve damage.¡± Shraeska replied.


    ¡°Wake her up. I need to know what happened, and I need to know who wounded her. I need to know if they will be coming after her. She¡¯s dealt with worse pain. Under the tender care of the old man she dealt with more every day.¡± Razark made the decision.


    ¡°I can assure you that she will be safe here. We can give her more time to recover.¡± Amarog commented from the side.


    Shraeska looked at Razark who simply nodded at Dee. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s your call Razark. Waking her up.¡± A stronger glow surrounded her hand as she channeled the power within her soul space.


    After a few second Dee was racked with a coughing fit, which brought her to consciousness. Not a pleasant way to wake up. With a quick glance she found a nearby bowl, which she then grabbed with her single functional paw and then proceeded to vomit a large amount of black dried blood into it. Her head hurt, her body hurt, and her missing legs hurt like hell. ¡°Bloody hells, that¡¯s a nasty way to wake up.¡± She cursed. She seemed to remember several much more pleasant wake-ups in the past.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Razark asked firmly, bringing Dee back to focus.


    ¡°Like I had just lost a battle. I¡¯ll live.¡± She looked around. ¡°I think. I see some new faces.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Amarog stepped closer. ¡°You¡¯re with the Winter Wolves tribe. My son Shunkaha found you. We brought you back for some healing while we contacted Lord Razark. This lady here is a healer he brought.¡±


    Dee looked at Shraeska. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have you to thank for the pleasant wake-up then.¡± She said sarcastically.


    ¡°Oh it was my pleasure.¡± Shraeska replied with a grin.


    ¡°Are you up for answering some questions? We have some things we need to figure out.¡± Razark asked a little impatiently. His worry for Dee was waning, but there were still matters to deal with.


    ¡°Fire away. I¡¯m not feeling all that hot, but I can still talk. Oh, before that.¡± Dee materialized the two hands she had stored inside Croestia. They looked rather grisly, but that wasn¡¯t the point. She shifted forms while holding on to the two arms, and supplied a lot of healing holy power to help things along. Shraeska noticed her plan and helped with her own healing powers, which were much more effective.


    Once Dee was back in her normal form, the two arms had been reattached. They didn¡¯t work or even move, but they were attached. Her plan was the let her regeneration take care of the rest. It would take some time for the regeneration to do its thing, but less time than regenerating new arms would take. Although she was still missing one, so there was that. Shraeska noticed the problem, so she used her healing to finish the recovery of the two hands. She had wanted to let Dee¡¯s natural regeneration return them since they would come out just like the old arms that way, but she could heal the issues of the already attached old arms just fine. That was just a little help instead of rebuilding them as a whole.


    Dee gingerly tested the functionality of the two arms, and they worked fine. ¡°As good as new. Thanks for the good work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I could return the missing arm to you, but it might not come out right.¡± Shraeska suggested. Returning a lost limb was especially difficult because the healer had to basically create a new arm out of nothing. It could be done, but the new arm would not be exactly like the old one, since it was based on the imagination of the healer. A healer that wasn¡¯t entirely familiar with the old arm, usually.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll let it return the slow way. I intend to avoid trouble for the next few weeks.¡± Dee decided, remembering the changes the Zabaniya had made to her bones and muscles.


    ¡°You better!¡± Razark scoffed. ¡°Now start explaining, and leave nothing out.¡±


    Thus Dee narrated the whole experience she¡¯d had during the mission, of course leaving out small bits like what happened with the portal and the Astral Plane. The two other people besides Razark didn¡¯t need to know about those. She finished with her getting knocked out by the Crimson Witch and then waking up here earlier.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know what happened with the city either? Any ideas?¡± Razark asked just to make sure.


    ¡°Something happened to the city? I don¡¯t know what could have caused anything like that beyond the witch, but that seems unlikely. She was the type that didn¡¯t care about collateral damage, but she wasn¡¯t the type to destroy a city for funzies either. Or more precisely she wouldn¡¯t have done it because it wouldn¡¯t be interesting. So I honestly don¡¯t know.¡± Dee replied. ¡®Though I have some guesses, and Croestia could probably tell me.¡¯


    She sent a silent message to Croestia. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me yet. I might need to answer questions under lie detection, and I want to be able to answer honestly when I say I don¡¯t know.¡¯


    ¡®Already suspected as much. By the way, you might want to check on your soul space when you get the chance.¡¯ Croestia replied. She knew what happened, but she also knew Dee would be interrogated, so she would explain the details afterwards.


    The story had taken a couple of hours to tell, and Shraeska decided to call things to a halt at that point. ¡°She needs some fresh air and needs to move around to heal properly. Let¡¯s take her for a walk in the gardens. Those seemed beautiful.¡±


    Dee could only groan in reply. Just sitting around was painful, although she could ignore the pain. Walking would be really bad.


    -----


    The group of five Crimson Witches was closing in on the area in the third circle inhabited by the various wolf beastmen tribes. Unlike many other beastmen types, the wolves were a very united and tribe oriented type. Even the different varieties of wolves stuck together, which was extremely rare among beastmen. Tiger beastmen for example got along with their own tribe, but different tiger sub-species were enemies with each other more often than not. This gave the wolves a level of strength and unity not seen in other beastmen.


    Although the wolves had many separate communities, the fact that they all lived close to each other made all the other communities count their tribes as one large community in the rankings. That, and the fact that any single wolf tribe was not strong enough to hold their rank. If one tribe was attacked though, then all the tribes fought together as one. This made them effectively a singular community, even if the wolves themselves didn¡¯t count themselves as such.


    That was also a point Anastasia reminded the other four of. ¡°Try not to pick fights with the wolf tribes. I can fight their immortals, but I¡¯d rather not have to fight all of their warriors as well. The tribes are very good at having all their members trained among the best organizations of Pantheon, and we like to take them in because of their abilities. You¡¯ll recall that even the Crimson Path has some of their tribeswomen among our number, and those sisters of ours would be less than pleased if their original tribes were wiped out.¡±


    Suddenly Anastasia sensed something toward their destination that she had not expected. ¡°An immortal almost as strong as me? Since when have the wolf tribes had someone that strong among their number?¡± The wolf tribes were not the type to obsessively climb the ranks, but if the wolves had an immortal as powerful as Anastasia, then that would go a long way towards helping them get into the second circle. That at least would get the wolves to move.


    ¡°Has he sensed us?¡± Alexandra asked. She was a rather new and weak immortal, so she had not noticed the presence of other nearby immortals yet. She couldn¡¯t even feel Anastasia¡¯s presence to tell the truth.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He has made no move towards us, but I would not be surprised if he had noticed us. Let¡¯s approach slowly. We don¡¯t want to provoke them.¡± Anastasia replied after a moment of thought.


    The witches got close enough to see the Winter Wolves compound. For such a powerful community, their living arrangements were rather modest. That¡¯s because the wolves valued comfort above pomp and appearances, and they also liked to keep their buildings easy to move. They weren¡¯t quite nomadic, but they did retain the ability to pick almost all their buildings up and move on if necessary. On the other hand their gardens were magnificent.


    Anastasia spotted the immortal she was vary of, and noted the clothes belonging to the Radiant Sun¡¯s scouts. ¡°That explains it. It¡¯s one of the Blades of the Radiant Sun, and probably the strongest among them. I heard he was part of the scouts.¡±


    ¡°How did they already get here?¡± One of the vampire sisters asked rather peeved. She was rather proud of their ability to gather information.


    ¡°The wolves probably sent word.¡± Anastasia replied idly. She was distracted by the white furred fox demon being helped around the garden. The fox looked familiar. And injured. She was most likely their witness. Suddenly a memory of hers clicked, and she waved the other swords to a halt. Instead of going further, she took out a talisman used for magical communication. The talisman was only one use, but it was much more secure than normal magical communication.


    The talisman connected her with the leader of their community, her old master and the most powerful sword of the Crimson Path. ¡°What is it Anastasia?¡± An annoyed voice answered. Anastasia¡¯s master knew of her missions since she was the one who had sent Anastasia in the first place. Mostly because Anastasia was probably the most open-minded of their inner circle.


    ¡°I found out what happened to the missing group.¡± Anastasia replied simply and without preamble.


    ¡°That was fast. What happened?¡± The voice asked.


    ¡°They picked a fight with someone from the list.¡± Anastasia reported.


    The voice hesitated for a moment. Her master knew what list Anastasia had meant, but had to check just in case. ¡°What list?¡±


    ¡°THE list.¡± Anastasia replied firmly, emphasizing her words.


    The voice sighed tiredly. ¡°Which position?¡± She had to find out how bad this was. They could deal with those low on the list.


    ¡°Number one. They picked a fight with someone blessed by Eternity.¡± Anastasia had a weird sense of glee as she was reporting the news. She was excited, and she also got a small amount of enjoyment out of her master¡¯s predicament. She also liked where this was going for some reason.


    The voice cursed like a sailor. ¡°Well that explains the destroyed city. How did you find out? I don¡¯t suppose someone blessed by Eternity advertises that fact. Wait! Don¡¯t answer that. I think I remember you reported running into someone like that some years ago.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The particular girl in question has rather distinctive looks, so I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s her.¡± Her master did read reports after all! Anastasia had made sure to place that particular report on top of the pile gathering on her master¡¯s desk.


    ¡°What are the odds that our swords were not the ones who picked the fight?¡± The voice asked a little hopefully.


    ¡°Slim to none. I¡¯m vaguely familiar with the group in question. They¡¯re the type whose aggression got increased thanks to our techniques. They¡¯ve found trouble before, though never something this bad. Also the target is pretty banged up. She probably got wounded before the blessing activated. It seems unlikely someone would pick a losing fight like that against a group of ours without a good reason. Besides, it seems she might be a member of the Radiant Sun. Paladins don''t usually pick fights with us.¡± Anastasia speculated. Some of that was guesswork, but not groundless. Her instincts in such things were usually right. That¡¯s why she was a problem solver.


    The voice sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a shame that so many of ours get so aggressive. What¡¯s your impression, could we do something as an apology? I doubt the Radiant Sun is willing to look over a blunder like this, but we don¡¯t need to please them. They can go fuck themselves, the self-righteous pricks. What we need is the good will of the individual with the blessing. We don¡¯t want her coming after us. Get her a gift basket or something.¡±


    Anastasia couldn¡¯t stop a small giggle at the gift basket comment. ¡°I think things might not be as bad as you think. If I¡¯m not missing my guess, the girl in question is the direct disciple of a certain Blade that is already half in revolt against the order. As it happens, they might not care in the least what the order thinks. They might not even mention our involvement. And the person in question is a demon and feels like someone who isn¡¯t a stranger to people dying. They might even overlook things if we apologize for our swords picking a fight.¡± Knowing such things was Anastasia¡¯s job, so she had a lot of information on even the lower ranked but important organizations.


    There was a moment of silence from the voice. ¡°Any chance you might persuade her to join us? We could use someone like her. We could even employ her master if things with the order go south. We can¡¯t make him one of us, but a powerful immortal like that would make for a good ally. Get the gift basket out anyway.¡±


    Anastasia rolled her eyes. Her master was strong but diplomacy was not her thing. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. I have an idea that might work. She might not be willing to join us now, but in fifty years? Especially if things don¡¯t work with her and the order? We could offer her shelter. I can sense all the way from here that she has deep-seated bloodlust inside her. The self-righteous fools of the Radiant Sun will run afoul of her sooner or later. A being of chaos and darkness in a community of light and order? It¡¯s only a matter of time before they clash.¡±


    ¡°Get on it. Build some bridges. We need all the allies we can get. The slot in the first circle will open in a hundred years at the latest. There hasn¡¯t been an opening like that for tens of thousands of years. The whole Day city will go up in flames.¡± The voice finally said.


    ¡°Your will be done.¡± Anastasia replied with a secretive smile.

 Chapter 79

    The eyes of both Razark and Dee snapped towards the sky. They both sensed the approach of someone with great power. Dee wasn¡¯t quite sure what she was sensing because she lacked experience with immortals, but Razark knew the significance. He knew that the person was informing him of their presence on purpose, so as not to surprise them. Amarog noted the approach only slightly later, though his job was made easier due to the obvious reaction by the master and disciple pair. Thus he knew where to look. He also knew that he was no match for the newcomer should it come to a fight. Shraeska pretended not to notice or care. Fights were not her job. Her job was to take care of the aftermath.


    Dee wasn¡¯t sure what to think when she saw the crimson armor worn by the women who landed. She did recognize one of the crimson clad women as Alexandra, the crimson witch in charge of the Crimson Witches sent to deal with the rift. Her presence here was telling, and made it clear that their presence here was due to what happened in that area. Not that it was much in doubt even without her presence, but coincidences did happen.


    She remembered an old quote she had once read. ¡°I believe in coincidences. Coincidences happen everyday. But I don¡¯t trust coincidences.¡± This however, wasn¡¯t one of those coincidences.


    As the Alpha of the Winter Wolves tribe, Amarog was the one to approach the witches. The blond haired lead witch waved the other four back, and approached Amarog alone, possibly as a sign of good faith. The two approached each other while keeping their hands far from their weapons. A fairly useless gesture considering neither of them actually needed weapons, but there it was nonetheless.


    ¡°Honored members of the Crimson Path. What brings you to the lands of the Winter Wolves.¡± Amarog greeted the newcomers. He tried to act warmly, but the presence of so many powerful beings near their homes was a bad sign and a slight tinge of worry creeped into his voice.


    ¡°Be at peace Alpha of the tribes. We are here for information. If we had known our search would bring us to you, we would have sent the swords that came from your tribe to seek for the information instead. The fates find us here however, and we would like to exchange words with your guests.¡± The lead witch replied courteously, seeing through his nervousness. It didn¡¯t cost Anastasia anything to be courteous, and she was much more of a diplomat than most of her kind.


    Amarog took a glance at Razark. Razark had been prepared for a fight as soon as he had sensed the approach of the witches, but relaxed somewhat and nodded his agreement. He still remained vigilant and ready to fight though. Perhaps in a show of solidarity, or to show that his promise of keeping Dee safe within their community held true, Amarog stayed with them. None of them would¡¯ve blamed the wolf for drawing away to protect his people. This brought a small smile from Anastasia, and she appreciated the wolf¡¯s courage, even if it was misplaced and a little inconvenient at the moment.


    ¡®We¡¯ve seen her before. Or at least I have. She was the one that tossed you through the portal when we went to the previous rift.¡¯ Croestia suddenly whispered to Dee, prompting Dee to almost reveal her surprise on her face.


    Anastasia approached Dee and Razark. ¡°Greetings. My name is Anastasia, and I belong to the Crimson Path, as you probably already noticed. It is my job to investigate what happened to a particular group of our warriors, and I¡¯m fairly certain you can help me with that.¡±


    Her words prompted a rather scowling look from Razark, who assumed they were here for vengeance. Anastasia pre-empted his reaction though. ¡°Do not worry. We are not here to harm anyone. We are fairly certain about what happened to them, and only want to confirm the facts. We are aware that they met their end at the same time this young lady got injured. Whether they were in conflict with her before that happened is rather irrelevant.¡±


    This confused Razark quite a bit. The whole reaction from the witches seemed too reasonable. Even if the witches did pick a fight and were killed for it, it was weird that the witches were not seeking revenge against the one that was at least partially at fault for the deaths of their own. It was not a matter of justice. Strong communities had to take a strong hand against those that acted against them to deter others from doing the same. That deterrence could take other forms than just fear and violence. Those were simply the most common methods and ones previously used by the witches. More reasonable methods were usually reserved for those that the witches didn¡¯t want to antagonize. And justice? Things like justice and who was truly at fault only mattered when dealing with someone roughly equal that the witches couldn¡¯t simply oppress by force. Even the paladins defaulted to maintaining an iron grip on order when things got too complicated.


    Dee didn¡¯t know exactly what Razark was thinking, but she could make a rough guess. She needed to make this discussion at least somewhat private. She wasn¡¯t opposed to sharing the details of the discussion with Razark, but the timing was inconvenient. She would still be questioned by the order, and she needed to watch her words for both giving and receiving certain information. ¡°Master, I would like to speak with her alone.¡±


    This of course raised Razark¡¯s suspicions even more, but he had faith in his disciple. That and he knew Dee would not place herself at a risk like this for no reason. He was fairly sure he would find out what was going on soon enough. ¡°Permission granted. However, we will stay close just in case. You can make it so we can¡¯t hear. Does that work for you?¡±


    ¡°Perfectly. Thank you.¡± Dee gave a small smile. She had known Razark would be quick on the uptake.


    Anastasia watched with amusement as the trio moved away from them. She had not expected this, but in retrospect she should have. Of course the girl wouldn¡¯t advertise her blessing. She also appreciated the girl¡¯s guts to stay here alone and unprotected. Anastasia could snap her neck in less than a second, and there was nothing that could prevent that. Even the blessing must have something to stop it activating again so soon. That didn¡¯t prevent the angry god from taking revenge in other ways though. ¡°I see they are not aware.¡±


    Dee stopped Anastasia from saying anything further by raising her hand in a stop motion. ¡°Before you say too much, I should mention that I will most likely be questioned by the order about the events later on. There will be spells to determine if I¡¯m lying. There¡¯s a difference between knowing something happened and suspecting something to be true, if you catch my meaning.¡±


    Anastasia gave an amused chuckle. What a delightfully devious little minx! ¡°I understand perfectly. We shall avoid going too deep into certain subjects. Your request alone already confirmed what I needed confirmed. It is our assumption that you got into conflict with the swords in question. Do you mind sharing the details?¡±


    Dee gave a quick rundown of the situation leading into the battle, and even allowed Anastasia to check the truth of her words with a small blood-ki technique the latter had picked up. Less intrusive and less effective than a truth spell, but faster and easier to use. She avoided going into the fight itself, and Anastasia seemed satisfied not to go into it too deeply as well. They both had a rough idea what had happened and there was no need to confirm the exact details.


    Anastasia gave a small sigh. ¡°It really is unfortunate that our warriors acted like that, and I apologize for their behavior. Still, it¡¯s pretty impressive you managed to fight them. I wonder¡­the strongest among them and the one who picked the fight with you had a minor Authority. Would you know what happened to it? If it passed on to you, then you can keep it as an apology. I would simply like to know. I would dislike it being used against me without my knowledge of its existence.¡±


    Dee frowned for a bit. ¡°Authority¡­are you referring to the weird method she used to reflect my own attack back at me?¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Anastasia was genuinely surprised. ¡°Oh? She used it against you, and you survived? You must have really pushed her if she used that. Yes, that is the main ability of that Authority.¡±


    ¡®Croestia?¡¯ Dee asked silently.


    ¡®No idea. It¡¯s not within your soul space in case you were wondering.¡¯ Croestia quickly replied.


    ¡°I must admit I have no idea what happened to it. In all fairness I just woke up some hours ago, so even if I did have it, I wouldn¡¯t know. I have seen no sign of it if that is any indication.¡± Dee said apologetically.


    ¡°Ah, no matter. That Authority has its uses, but it becomes almost irrelevant if your enemy knows you have it. If it does turn up, you can keep it, though I would like to have it confirmed. It would be a small price to pay for building a better relationship with you. In fact, if there¡¯s something else you might like as an apology, I¡¯m all ears. We really don¡¯t want to antagonize someone with your ties. In fact, if you ever run into trouble with the order, we might offer you and your master shelter.¡± Anastasia said sincerely.


    Dee grimaced. ¡°We might end up needing that shelter.¡± She knew there were problems between her master and the order.


    Anastasia looked sympathetic. ¡°It¡¯s not easy to be a being of darkness and chaos in a group dedicated to order, is it?¡±


    Dee quickly realized the woman in front of her had misunderstood her a bit, but decided not to correct her. Besides, she too felt that she would run into trouble with the order at some point. She was about to reply when Croestia interjected silently. ¡®Ask her for any information they have on soul spaces and domains.¡¯


    ¡®Why?¡¯ Dee asked. She would do as Croestia asked; she simply wanted more information to work with, so she could phrase the request correctly.


    ¡®There might be a problem. You remember some of the books left behind by your mother? I went through them before in case there was any information, and there were some hints between the lines that made me a little worried. The witches should know more. I¡¯ll explain later.¡¯ Croestia replied hurriedly.


    ¡°There is something you could help me with. The information that the Radiant Sun has is limited, and my access to that information is even more so. I need information on soul spaces and domains. The more you have the better.¡± Dee proposed.


    Anastasia was slightly surprised. Dee was strong but this was a bit early. Still, it was not an unreasonable worry for someone at Dee¡¯s level. ¡°I¡¯m not sure our methods would help you. In our techniques we have our own methods for creating a soul space, and those methods are not applicable to others. You should also understand that we''re not keen on sharing that information either so others won¡¯t find out potential weaknesses. You could always join us.¡±


    Dee shook her head quickly. ¡°I can see why you wouldn¡¯t want to share that information, and that¡¯s not what I need to know either. Surely you have information on how others do it? It¡¯s vital information on your rivals after all. You would search out anything you could find out, for the same reason others might be interested in your methods. That¡¯s the sort of information I¡¯m interested in.¡±


    Anastasia smiled. This was a deal she could go along with, and if it bought good will then it was a cheap price. ¡°That can be arranged. The information is not perfect, but it should help.¡± She took out a magical crystal used to store information and tossed it to Dee after concentrating on it for a few seconds. ¡°That¡¯s what I have on hand. It¡¯ll take a bit of time to gather everything. I¡¯ll send someone to deliver it at a later date. Perhaps the Winter Wolves would agree to do it for me, as some of their tribe are members in our community and in the scouts of your order. Anything else? This is your chance to ask. I can¡¯t promise anything much, but that information seems too little as a repayment for the attack.¡±


    Dee thought for a moment. ¡°There is a question I¡¯d like answered. What¡¯s your interest in the elemental rifts? You seem more interested in them than you should be according to what I can figure out. Even in the remote ones. I can see they can be beneficial, but your interest seems a bit excessive when compared to the benefits.¡±


    Anastasia grinned. ¡°Ah, such sharp eyes. There are many benefits that come from them, but there are two main ones. First of all it keeps them away from the hands of our rivals. The Revenant need the rifts for procreation and the Spider Cult for death mana which makes creating their most powerful creatures and immortals easier. Secondly, we don¡¯t need all of them. We need particular types of rifts.¡±


    Anastasia considered for a moment before continuing. This wasn¡¯t secret information exactly, but not something they liked to spread around either. Still, Dee seemed like someone who could keep a secret. ¡°Our techniques allow us to draw on great power, but it comes with certain¡­risks. Drawing too deeply can drive us insane. Certain types of mana can help us return from the brink, and even maintain our sanity when we draw too deeply on that power. There is a great war coming, and we need all the advantages we can get.¡±


    ¡°Great war?¡± Dee asked, shocked.


    Anastasia frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t go into specifics, but suffice it to say that there will soon be an opening in the first circle. All the most powerful communities in Day city will be scrambling for the spot, and it seems likely that some communities from the Night city will decide to make their play as well.¡±


    This was news to Dee. Useful news. The rest of their meeting was rather short, and both of them were satisfied with the result. Anastasia had managed to create bonds with Dee, and Dee had gained information. Information that was useful enough to be almost worth the pain of losing her hands.


    As Anastasia was leaving, she suddenly snapped her fingers as if remembering something. ¡°Oh right. As we mentioned being able to say some things without lying, I also need to do something.¡± She pulled out what looked like a basket filled with fruits and various little items. ¡°Here. This is for you.¡±


    ¡°A gift basket?¡± Dee asked, thoroughly confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. You don¡¯t want to know, believe me.¡± Anastasia said with a wry grimace, before leaving.


    --------


    Dee finally had some peace and quiet. Razark had tried to grill her for answers for almost an hour, and all Dee could say was ¡°Later¡± in an attempt to placate him. Now she was resting inside the infirmary. They would return back to the order tomorrow, and afterwards they would make a couple of short trips with Razark. Being questioned was something she could handle while missing an arm, and so was talking to some people that might be able to help her with various things.


    Now was the first time since waking up that Dee had the chance to pay attention to her soul space. As she entered the difference was obvious. The number of skulls that were forming what she suspected to be the foundations of her totem had increased by a lot. Where there used to be thousands of skulls, now there were hundreds of thousands. They had also started to form a second layer on top of the first. The second layer was ever so slightly smaller than the first layer.


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s been growing a lot.¡± The ¡®glowing orb¡¯ form of Croestia floated close.


    ¡°Is it just me, or does it look like the beginnings of a pyramid?¡± Dee suddenly asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s one option yes.¡± Croestia replied. ¡°Not the only one that came to mind, but the most obvious. You might find it interesting that the skulls are not placed in order of the time they died. Instead the skulls of the most powerful beings are at the top. Or in this case the second layer. A bit too early to draw real conclusions, but something to speculate on.¡±


    Dee tilted her head a bit, and suddenly the foundations grew in size but fell back down to single layer. Then it changed again back to normal. Dee tried to change it to grow more layers as well but couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°That¡¯s new.¡± Croestia said.


    ¡°I get this weird feeling that I can modify it until it is finished. Also you were right about the powerful ones being at the top.¡± She shook her head. This was interesting, but not really relevant at the moment. ¡°It seems all the people that died became part of¡­whatever that is. However, I didn¡¯t gain any power, not even from the one witch that died before I lost consciousness.¡±


    ¡°So. It seems people dying around you contribute towards that thing, but you have to consciously devour their souls to gain any power.¡± Croestia theorized. ¡°Seems logical. In a twisted sort of way.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s this about reading books stored inside you? I didn¡¯t even know you could read, not to mention turn pages.¡± Dee asked with amusement. She had gone through the books when she was much younger, but hadn¡¯t really found anything that seemed relevant at the moment. There were books on alchemy in particular, but her chances on practicing that had been rare lately.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know I can freely study anything stored inside myself. The things I have access to anyway. I also went over the information the witch gave you. It confirmed some things, but we need more information on the subject. And we could use it soon. What I¡¯ve found so far isn¡¯t exactly great.¡± Croestia said with a worried tone.


    ¡°Now you got me concerned. Do tell me.¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°First you have to understand that this is not just about the information you got. You know that much of the information that the previous me used to know was forgotten, right? Well that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s gone. I¡¯m not learning something new from the information the witch gave me, I¡¯m remembering something old. I also sometimes remember things besides what the stuff I¡¯m reading tells me.¡± Croestia wasn¡¯t quite sure how to explain it properly.


    ¡°Ok, so you get three pieces on information from somewhere, but suddenly you know four things due to old memories. Something like that?¡± Dee suggested.


    ¡°Something like that. Anyway, the old me had a lot of knowledge on subjects like this apparently. The fact that your soul space, or domain as it were, opened early isn¡¯t entirely unheard of. It comes with both good sides and bad sides. The good side is that you can start expanding the domain and building your totem early. While normal people start from zero when they become immortal, you have a head start.¡± Croestia explained slowly, piecing together information she was barely aware of.


    ¡°Ok that¡¯s the good side. Now what¡¯s the bad?¡± Dee asked apprehensively.


    ¡°Normally a person¡¯s soul space or domain and totem reflect their deepest personality and power. It is something we choose almost instinctively, although those without domains have a bit more control over choosing their totem. However, your totem and soul space are already developing, but you aren¡¯t connected to them fully. Thus, you aren¡¯t the only one able to influence them. You still do influence them and they are based on your strengths, but others can meddle and tilt things in certain directions.¡± Croestia¡¯s explanation came to a slow stop as she gathered her thoughts.


    ¡°Others?¡± Dee asked with a bad premonition.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± The orb of light suddenly gestured towards the four holy symbols around them.


    Dee¡¯s premonition came true. ¡°How much can they influence things?¡±


    Croestia was quiet for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. That¡¯s part of what we need to find out. Like I said, the totem is still based on your personality and strengths, but it looks pretty clear that it has been influenced by a certain deity. I doubt it would¡¯ve taken this exact form, whatever it will end up being, without her meddling in things.¡±

 Chapter 80

    Dee cracked her neck with weariness clear on her face. She had spent the last two weeks getting interviewed and questioned by various officials of the Radiant Order. As she had suspected, the interviews and debriefs had been conducted under the effect of spells that could spot lies. Also as she had suspected, being careful with her words had been enough to avoid any blame. ¡°No I don¡¯t know what destroyed the city. Yes I have some assumptions, something big and powerful. No I was not conscious when it happened. Yes there¡¯s a good reason why I survived where so many others didn¡¯t. Check the boxes for regeneration, high level of power, Lumen¡¯s blessing and demonic heritage.¡±


    Of course the questioners hadn¡¯t been as sloppy as dear Captain Sarfina had been so many years ago when she questioned Dee about Wraith. These people had some experience when it came to questioning people, and they knew to ask questions in different ways, demanding differently worded answers. However, Dee knew how to avoid such traps and the fact remained that she didn¡¯t exactly know what had happened. She had learned that immediately after the questions stopped and Croestia told her, but anything before that was just guesswork on her part. At least her missing arm had mostly regenerated. Not to top shape yet, but it was getting there and looked like a proper arm now.


    Dee and Razark were leaving to meet with a craftsman that had skill and interest in building gear for a psion. They had just left the quartermaster where Dee had gotten the new gear custom made for her, which she had ordered before the whole debacle with the rift. Dee had left the corpse of the dragotaur behind for that purpose. It was a good timing too since most of her gear got thoroughly destroyed in the fight against the Crimson Witches. The new dragotaur scale armor was pretty snazzy. Now all she needed were proper weapons and whatever Razark¡¯s friend could come up with.


    ¡°So are you ready tell me now?¡± Razark asked after they had gone through the gate and away from prying ears.


    ¡°Those people died because of me. I was the one who killed them. Or at least my body was. You know I¡¯ve got two rather high ranking blessings, right?¡± Dee knew what Razark wanted to know and got right into it.


    ¡°Right, from Umbra and Lumen.¡± Razark confirmed with anticipation.


    ¡°Well, I might have forgotten to mention I have a third blessing.¡± Dee¡¯s voice quieted a bit towards the end, as she was pretending innocence. Not from the deaths but from not telling Razark about the blessing.


    Razark¡¯s eyes narrowed, though he wasn¡¯t looking at Dee but keeping an eye on the city surrounding them. They were in the north part of the Day city and they were surrounded by Saurians on all sides. ¡°You did fail to mention that.¡±


    ¡°Well there¡¯s a reason for that. I¡¯m not sure of the deity¡¯s identity. The blessing is a bit weird as well. Apparently the deity is related to the two goddesses in some way. He was worried that the dual blessing might come with some consequences, so he gave me his blessing as a last resort of sorts. I don¡¯t really have any control over it, but it kicks in when I¡¯m close to dying. The result you know.¡± Dee fudged the facts a little, she felt better doing it that way. She had also noted that after the incident her ocean of holy power had drained a lot. Specifically the power granted by Eternity was gone and recovering very slowly.


    ¡°So a deity that blessed you destroyed the city to save you? I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ve ever heard of a deity with power like the corruption I felt from the ruins.¡± Razark mused. This was a reasonable explanation, although he knew Dee wasn¡¯t telling him the whole story. That''s just the way Dee was. She never told the whole story despite all their training. However, he could infer some things on his own. The deity had to be a powerful one to accomplish what Dee had mentioned.


    ¡°Not exactly. Apparently that was the power of future me. It¡¯s a bit complicated, and I¡¯m not entirely sure on the details myself. I had no idea what would happen before that happened. The deity did mention that the blessing might feel more like a curse until I learn to control it.¡± Dee had strange confidence in Razark not blaming her for what happened, and she was right.


    Razark was no stranger to death. He mourned the death of innocents, but what was done was done. He had no bond with those people. There was also something numbing about the number of people that had died. Another contributing factor was that he had been the one who caused such deaths on several occasions previously. The Blades of the order were the last resort, but they were deployed on occasion when there was no other way. Their deployment usually meant the deaths of a lot of people to root out some greater evil. Razark wasn¡¯t happy about it, but that was the policy of the paladins and an extreme example of an organization dedicated to order. Destroy the corruption no matter the cost!


    ¡°The Crimson Witches knew somehow.¡± He suddenly commented.


    ¡°Yes. More specifically, Anastasia knew. She has met me before.¡± Dee said.


    ¡°An odd way to phrase it.¡± Razark noted.


    ¡°I was not conscious myself at the time.¡± Dee explained with a shrug of her shoulders.


    -----


    An hour later they came to a building that Dee could really admire as a craftsman¡¯s paradise. It wasn¡¯t just a blacksmith''s shop, enchanter¡¯s atelier, or an alchemist¡¯s laboratory. The building was constructed into the side of an active volcano, and held space and tools for all different fields of crafting. All the tools were first rate quality as well. Dee saw many rare materials scattered around the shop, and some she didn¡¯t even recognize. There were several apprentices running around, most of them being Saurian but also a few elves and dwarves. There was even a High Orc hammering away on one of the anvils.


    A large Saurian with ruby red scales saw Dee and Razark come in, and gave a wide and toothy grin. ¡°Razark you old satyr!¡± The Saurian was clearly fairly old, and it was weird seeing one of his kind wearing something akin to glasses. They looked somewhat silly around his snout. He somewhat resembled Mazatl in Dee¡¯s opinion.


    ¡°Zazk, you old coot!¡± Razark walked forward to embrace the much larger Saurian. The two hugged and patted each other¡¯s backs with familiarity. Dee noted that he seemed to have a lot of old friends.


    ¡°What brings you here? You always bring me such interesting projects? Need another torture gadget? A new hidden weapon?¡± The old Saurian took a glance at Dee. ¡°A love potion? She looks a bit young for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh shush you old pervert. Besides, I seem to recall your latest mate being two hundred years younger than you, so you can¡¯t afford to comment. No, we¡¯re here to get her some gear suited for her needs. You always said you wanted to work for a powerful psion. Now¡¯s your chance.¡± Razark waved his hand to hush the large lizard.


    ¡°A psion is it? Well. Step in. This will take a while. Making the items as well. I don¡¯t exactly stock materials for psion gear around here.¡± Zazk said both happy and slightly apologetic.


    ¡°What do you mean? I saw pretty much every conceivable high level material out there. Where did you even get Elementium and Iceheart? Those materials only appear in the first two circles.¡± Razark asked incredulously.


    ¡°There and in the Grand Wilderness. The tribes have been making expeditions to many places lately. I think they¡¯re up to something that requires high level weapons and armor. Anyway, those would be great materials if I was equipping a mage or a warrior. Psion¡¯s gear works a little differently.¡± Zazk replied happy to talk about his favorite subjects.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Explain.¡± Razark asked with a frown. He had prepared some fairly rare and expensive materials himself, just in case. Now it seemed they might be less useful than he thought.


    ¡°Well, most of the materials that mages and warriors use are either those that conduct mana or ki well, or already contain large amounts of natural mana. The Elementium you mentioned is found in places with heavy concentrations of at least six types of elemental mana. That¡¯s how most of the high level metals are made in fact, normal metals subjected to certain outside influences. Psions don¡¯t really gain much from that. I mean yeah of course they like enchanted and powerful magical weapons as much as the next guy, but it does nothing for them as psions. Additionally other people tend to like pure materials, while the materials for psions are usually synthetic materials created from a mix of other more natural stuff.¡± Zazk¡¯s voice had real enthusiasm. This was his favorite hobby, although he rarely had the chance to let his creativity in the field out.


    They reached a study filled with schematics and books. Zazk took a seat behind a desk and pulled out some notes, some blank paper and several pens. ¡°Now. To make you gear that is actually useful, I¡¯ll need to know everything about you. And I do mean everything you can manage. It would be a damn shame to create something with great difficulty, only to find out you have no use for it because you already have another skill that does the same thing. So start talking.¡±


    It took hours of persistent questioning and explanations with examples before they were close to being done. Razark was also helpful in pointing out some of Dee¡¯s habits that she didn¡¯t even pay attention to. Finally Zazk leaned back in his chair with a sigh. ¡°Well, I guess we got most of what we can for now. To me it seems you need two things badly. There are other things that could be useful, but not as important.¡±


    ¡°And what would those two things be?¡± Dee asked curious of the Saurian¡¯s opinion. She had her own opinion of course.


    ¡°You need something to help focus your psionic abilities in your other forms, which by extension would still improve your angel form as well. That means you need a focus. It will improve your base level enough that your psionics are worth a squat in your other forms and will make your angel form downright scary. That¡¯s the easy part. The harder part is that you need a way to really utilize your power in battle. Preferably at range. This means a weapon, but perhaps not in the sense you¡¯re thinking.¡± Zazk said with some confidence.


    ¡°Explain.¡± Dee prompted simply. Her own thoughts weren¡¯t too far from the Saurian¡¯s.


    ¡°Well, I think creating a big hunk of metal to act as a sword or a spear would be a bit of a waste. A normal enchanted sword will do that job for you well enough that you don¡¯t really need me for that. I can whip up something from the materials Razark is no doubt carrying, but that¡¯s not the point. What is the point is that you need a better way to weaponize your telekinetic abilities, especially against powerful foes. Those cute little psionic weapons of yours are fine against weaker foes, but you¡¯re not really utilizing your strength against powerful opponents. Specifically, you¡¯re not really utilizing the advantage that comes with you having thicker and more refined power than normal psions. You¡¯re aiming for better control to cover for your weaknesses, which is good don¡¯t get me wrong, but you¡¯re not really gaining the full benefit of your strengths. You must have noticed the lack of power if you fought anything strong enough.¡± Zazk explained.


    ¡°Ok, you got my attention.¡± Dee said.


    ¡°Well, what I¡¯m proposing is pretty simple in theory. Most magic and ki, as well as psionic power I might add, is just a flashy way of projecting as much power as possible. When fighting an army you want to project that power into a wide area, but in a duel you want it in as small of a packet as possible. A mage dropping a meteor on someone is just doing a fancy attack with mass multiplied by velocity, with some fire effects for a bonus. A big object traveling very-very fast to crush your enemies and to cause an explosion.¡± Zazk tried to articulate his thoughts.


    ¡°A bit simplistic, but basically true.¡± Razark confirmed.


    ¡°Right. Now, you have the ability to make things move very-very fast in a way that is much simpler and faster than a mage. You could simply throw things at your enemy. The more mass the better. Your little daggers make a nice explosion, but they have no mass. They have a certain amount of kinetic energy due to your power, combined with a sharp edge and an explosion, but what if you instead tried to move something with a large mass as fast as possible? I would imagine your thick and refined power to be excellent for that. You could launch large projectiles at great velocities. Quick and effective too, much better than a long chant followed by a meteor from a mage. Even a pebble could be a weapon if it moves fast enough.¡± Zazk suggested.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t throwing a mountain be a bit unwieldy? I¡¯d also have to carry around that mountain. Plus it might not be the most effective way to go about things. I did test that tactic, and it takes less power to stop a rock flying at you than it takes for me to move it.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s where I come in. The things you move don¡¯t need to be large, in fact that would defeat the whole point. What you need is something with great mass in a small package. Something very dense in other words. Theoretically there can be materials with the mass of a star squeezed to the size of a fist. Though we can¡¯t reach that, we could go a long way towards it. Especially if we equip it with some enchantments. For efficiency, that¡¯s where psionic specific materials come in. Some materials are stupid heavy to move by hand or by magic, but light as a feather to move when you use psionic power to do so. Or conversely, things that only become heavier when your power touches them, more power more mass. Or at least they will act like that after I¡¯m done with them. I don¡¯t really have the materials though¡­¡± Zazk¡¯s enthusiasm turned into sadness. ¡°I could really use some Obsidium right about now.¡±


    ¡®Uh, Dee.¡¯ Croestia suddenly interrupted. ¡®You do remember there¡¯s some stuff inside me, left behind by your mother. We didn¡¯t really find a proper use for them yet since they were non-magical materials, but in light of what the Saurian said, things are making more sense. Your mother would know you¡¯re a psion right? And she was a scientist of sorts. So it wouldn¡¯t be too much of a reach to think she had created some materials for psions specifically.¡¯


    ¡®Ah.¡¯ Dee also realized the fact, feeling a little silly. She had simply assumed her mother had just thrown in some junk along with the useful materials. Selvaria was certainly scatter-brained enough to do something like that.


    ¡°Wait a moment. I think I might have something. I¡¯m not sure what all this is, but you could check.¡± Dee suddenly started pulling out materials out of Croestia¡¯s storage. Most of them were rather non-descript bars of various metals. There were some liquids that Dee had determined not to be drinkable and fairly pointless for alchemy.


    ¡°Wh¡­.where did you get all this!¡± Zazk demanded. ¡°This is all psion specific materials! I¡¯ve never seen such high level materials either! Dear goddess, that¡¯s several bars of pure Obsidium. How did you even turn them into bars? Is this Tears of Darkness?¡± He held up one of the bottles and a bar of crystalline dark metal.


    ¡°So¡­something you can use?¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°Yes, yes. This is exactly what I need.¡± Zazk mumbled distracted.


    ¡°When would you be ready with the items?¡± Razark asked.


    ¡°Give me a month! No, month and a half! I¡¯ll need to do a little bit of testing first to achieve the best results. I don¡¯t get to work with these materials very often.¡± Zazk declared with excitement, though still distracted.


    ¡°Well then. We¡¯ll expect a lot from you.¡± Razark declared with grin and led Dee away. They had another visit to make.


    -----


    The two entered a dreamlike forest filled with illusions and a heavy fog. They had come to the fourth circle of the same north quadrant of Day city, and spent several days traveling over mountain ranges to reach this weird forest. Dee felt quite jumpy as her surroundings were filled with mana and spells designed to distract travelers. Razark carried an amulet that made the spells ineffective, but the spells were still there. Unlike Razark, Dee could still see all of the spells and she felt constantly on edge with all the hostile spells surrounding them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the amulet was given to me by the kitsune. We¡¯re perfectly safe.¡± Razark tried to reassure her.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point. You¡¯d feel a bit jumpy surrounded by several weapons pointed at you, even if you knew they were not going to strike.¡± Dee shrugged with nervousness. There was also the fact that she didn¡¯t like being observed, and some of the spells did just that.


    ¡°The kitsune are just being careful. They are often hunted for various purposes by the other races. They often have to rely on us to help recover their missing people. That¡¯s why they hide their home with all these spells and move the whole forest around sometimes.¡± Razark explained.


    ¡°I sympathize. I really do. But that doesn¡¯t make me any less nervous.¡± Dee replied. It was just her nature, and a few words from Razark wouldn¡¯t change that.


    Soon they came upon a series of Torii gates built over long stone steps. ¡°Finally we¡¯re here.¡± Razark said with a smile. He had often visited this place and quite enjoyed the company of the kitsune. They shared the same kin-centric ideals of the Alpyrans. They also had a playful side fond of parties and merry-making, so this was a place where he could relax and let go a bit. That was one of the reason he had accepted Dee so fast, as he had good experiences with kitsune here.


    The stairs lead them into a small valley with a temple surrounded by a village of courtyard houses Dee knew were called siheyuan. All in all it looked pretty similar to the temple of the old man, where she had spent three years training in. There was a large number of kitsune of all ages moving around the village, some of which had already noticed their approach. The kitsune invariably stopped to stare at them, while some recognized Razark and threw pleasant greetings his way.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going to the central temple. That¡¯s where the heads of the tribe live.¡± Razark explained.


    Dee only barely heard as she noticed the looks directed her way. Her tails and foxlike features were clearly open to be seen, and they elicited many emotions from the surrounding kitsune. Some eyes held fear, some eyes held hate, some held curiosity and some held wonder. Most looks were at least somewhat negative, as if looking at something weird and possibly dangerous. Very few of them were welcoming.


    It was a quirk of fate that made Dee more like a fox than any of the actual kitsune. In their humanoid forms the kitsune had the tails and the ears and in some cases whiskers of foxes and a slight bit of fur here and there if the fox heritage was strong. That said, they were clearly more human than beast. Dee on the other hand was thoroughly a beast standing upright. The kitsune didn¡¯t have the head and face of a fox unless they shifted into their fox form, while Dee did. It was doubly ironic since she wasn¡¯t a full-blooded kitsune. It was just that the kitsune heritage had mixed with her Rakshasa heritage to produce this appearance. While the others looked a bit like a mix between a human and a fox demon, Dee looked like a mix between a Rakshasa, a wolf and a fox demon, which made her much more beastly. And the pure kitsune were not taking it well.


    On the steps of the temple a mature looking woman with nine fiery red tails stood waiting for them. ¡°Razark. It¡¯s good to see you again, though you¡¯ve brought something extremely strange with you this time. Something that should not exist.¡±

 Chapter 81

    ¡±Elder.¡± Razark greeted the kitsune, his smile fading. ¡°I would like to give you the chance to elaborate on your words. I would however encourage you to be careful with how you talk about my disciple.¡±


    The kitsune scoffed. ¡°Your disciple? Why you would take something as unnatural as her as your disciple is beyond me. There are many tribes of kitsune, but all of them are pure representatives of our race. Even when procreating with other races our children are either full members of our or our partner¡¯s race.¡± She pointed at Dee. ¡°She should not exist.¡±


    A deep growl of a dragon caused the air to rumble, and a certain weight seemed to settle on everyone¡¯s shoulders. The weight was more emotional, a pressure borne out of fear, than any physical weight. ¡°The first one I gave you for free fox, but my patience towards lesser beings is limited. Watch how you address your betters.¡± Dee growled out, the draconic pride within her taking hold once again.


    The eyes of the kitsune elder narrowed. ¡°Lesser beings, is it?¡± She said with a displeased tone. She was unable to determine the level of Dee¡¯s strength as it was hidden by the Authority, but as Razark¡¯s disciple it seemed unlikely that Dee had no ability to back up her words. Still, the kitsune had their own pride. ¡°I doubt a mixed blood mutt like you is in any position to talk to us like that.¡± She revealed her teeth in a feral growl.


    Suddenly a much heavier weight dropped on all of them, including Dee. Everyone except Razark was forced to struggle to stay up, while the weaker people fell to the ground. The pressure seemed to be different for each person, somehow adjusted for their level of strength. Otherwise a weight that felt heavy for Dee would¡¯ve crushed the others. This weight was much more physical than the earlier one and felt like the gravity around them had increased.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s about enough posturing from both of you. Dee, you will not pick a fight with them without my permission. Elder, you will keep your remarks to yourself, or I will take your head myself for disrespecting my disciple. We are here for some answers. Elder, you will provide those answers because you owe me. Now am I making myself clear, or will I have to keep the pressure on for the rest of the day?¡± Razark demanded with a firm voice, punctuating his point with a slight increase in the pressure.


    ¡®What do you think Croestia? Is this an ability provided by his totem, or something else?¡¯ Dee asked quietly.


    ¡®I would wager a guess that it has something to do with his totem. It could be a Domain as well, though that seems much more unlikely as those are supposed to be exceedingly rare. If the pressure wasn¡¯t so heavy it could be something similar to your dragon aura.¡¯ Croestia replied. Some powerful beings had a presence that exerted great pressure on their surroundings. It could be something like the fear and terror caused by the aura of dragons or the burning heat radiating from a phoenix.


    Meanwhile the kitsune elder growled her agreement. Dee entertained a thought for a moment about making a flippant comment, but decided against it and simply nodded. Now was not the time. ¡°Good then. Take us inside elder.¡± Razark said, while withdrawing the pressure.


    The insides of the temple were rather ascetic. The central room held a shrine for whatever deity the kitsune worshipped, while the walls had several doors that lead to storehouses and living quarters. The kitsune elder led them though one of the doors into a garden courtyard surrounded by the temple on all four sides. There was a clear blue flame burning in the air, apparently staying afloat on its own power. The flame was not large, but Dee could tell it wasn¡¯t a simple flame either. The flame felt as if it was alive.


    The kitsune elder led them to simple stone seats close to the flame. ¡°Well? What brings you here? I doubt you would bring¡­her here without a good reason.¡±


    Razark frowned at the implied insult. ¡°You noted her kitsune heritage. Kitsune are creatures of fire, yet her flames don¡¯t seem to work properly. We need to know why.¡±


    The kitsune elder¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not just a side effect of her¡­unique heritage? It could be her kitsune blood is simply too thin.¡±


    Dee laughed. ¡°I seem to have more fox demon in me than any of you. If anything, my blood is even more concentrated.¡± There was a slight mocking tone in her voice. She wasn¡¯t entirely wrong either. Whoever had made her had used the purest form of all the heritages that made the clusterfuck of races that she was. That was also partly shown by the inherited memories that came the first time the heritage activated, as scant and spotted as those memories were.


    The elder harrumphed displeased, but couldn¡¯t entirely refute the claim either. Dee had more fox in her appearance, though for other reasons. ¡°What is the level of your flames at the moment? If there¡¯s absolutely nothing there, then there¡¯s something wrong with your heritage and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡±


    Dee concentrated for a moment and a small ball of normal flames appeared on her palm. It was as if she had tried to cast a very feeble fireball spell. ¡°This is about it. I can light a campfire, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    The elder¡¯s eyes narrowed in slight realization. This was comparable to the flames of the children of the kitsune tribe. ¡°Let me check something.¡± She said as she got up and walked right up to Dee, laying a finger on Dee¡¯s chest, just below her throat. The two remained like that for several minutes, until the kitsune elder opened her eyes and walked back to her seat.


    ¡°Well?¡± Razark prompted.


    ¡°The kitsune all have their own flames. They aren¡¯t exactly unique, but they differ from person to person. Some people¡¯s flames are stronger than others, some flames carry additional effects, while some just burn hotter. Some flames are extremely powerful and dangerous. However, it would be problematic if children had access to such dangerous flames. Because of that the flames only awaken later on in life. Until then, kitsune only have access to the generic feeble flames that you just saw her produce. Some flames are awakened by age, usually being awakened upon reaching maturity, while most are awakened by the owner¡¯s level of power. The conditions vary from person to person, and usually the more powerful the flame, the more stringent the conditions.


    ¡°Her flames have not awakened yet, most likely because the flames have been influenced by her other heritages. Thus I have no idea if they are still dormant because of their level of power, or just because her heritages are causing a delay. I also have no idea what the conditions for awakening her flames might be. If I had to make a guess based on what I felt, it is tied to her level of power.¡± The elder finished her explanation.


    ¡°How uncommon is it that someone at the eighth rank has not awakened their flames?¡± Razark asked the obvious question.


    ¡°Very rare, bordering on unheard of. Not being able to control our flames is a very large reduction of power for us kitsune. It doesn¡¯t matter how powerful your flames are if you never get to use them. Few kitsune even reach the eighth rank. There¡¯s a reason we are often called the nine-tailed foxes, as that is usually the highest rank we can reach. What would be the point of flames that only awakened at that rank? The kitsune would never be able to reach that rank without her flames in the first place. Normal flames are awakened around ranks two and three, strong flames around ranks four and five and really powerful ones around sixth rank. I¡¯ve heard of two that were awakened at rank seven.¡± The elder explained.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°You said bordering on unheard of.¡± Dee prompted after a moment of silence. ¡°That implies that you¡¯ve heard of one before.¡±


    ¡°Well, not exactly but close. There was this one male kitsune that didn¡¯t awaken his flames when he reached rank seven. It sometimes happens that a person¡¯s kitsune blood becomes so thin that their flames don¡¯t awaken at all, even if they have their own flames in theory. This male kitsune was assumed to be one of them. People with such weak blood are usually driven out of the tribe to prevent further dilution of the bloodlines. He was hard working and gifted with magic though, as you might assume from his rank, so he had been allowed to stay in the hopes that his flames would still awaken. Finally he was driven out.¡± The elder explained with sadness in her voice. Dee wasn¡¯t surprised at the treatment that kitsune had received, as she had only been here for an hour and already she felt hated and discriminated against. Living among them as someone deemed ¡®defective¡¯ must have been a real pain.


    The elder continued the story. ¡°As it turned out, his flames were extremely strong and further twisted by the treatment he and his family had received. His parents had been traitors and had been put to death as punishment. His treatment at childhood was pretty awful due to the victims of his parent¡¯s crimes taking their resentment out on him. That treatment only got worse as it became clear that his flames were not going to awaken. Finally they did awaken while he was in exile and had reached the eighth rank. He used those flames of resentment to take revenge and killed everyone that had wronged him, which happened to be most of his old tribe.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I blame him.¡± Dee said rather callously, which elicited a disapproving hiss from the elder. ¡°What happened to him in the end?¡±


    The elder shrugged. ¡°Nothing. He was too strong to be handled by what was left of his tribe, and the other tribes didn¡¯t care enough to risk their own. Last I heard he became immortal and joined one of the high ranking communities in Night city. Who knows what happened to him after that. Most likely he met a violent end considering the nature of Night city power politics.¡±


    Razark interjected at this point. ¡°What I¡¯m gathering from this is that Dee¡¯s flames should be extremely strong, and they will awaken in time. Am I missing something?¡±


    ¡°Well, like I said, her flames have been influenced by her¡­unique heritage. It might not signal anything beyond the flames being slow to wake up. Or they might be tied to her age. I can¡¯t tell how old she is. Usually the flames would wake up when one reaches maturity, but what that means for her is not clear to me. Or she might turn out like one of those I mentioned, whose flames never awaken.¡± The elder¡¯s voice made it clear she thought the last option most likely and the preferred option.


    Razark looked at the elder judgmentally. They weren¡¯t friends exactly, as the elder rarely took part in the celebrations Razark took part in with the other kitsune. They were acquaintances though, and he was sorely disappointed in her. ¡°You seem to be walking down the same path as the tribe that was destroyed.¡±


    The elder scoffed. ¡°Unlikely. That man was an anomaly, and I¡¯ve never heard of anything similar before or after. Your little disciple would have to be an even bigger anomaly seeing as she is already at the eighth rank. No kitsune has ever awakened their flames on reaching the status of a nine-tail. We are the matriarchs of our race.¡±


    Razark gave a cold smile. ¡°One thing I¡¯ve learned in my years with Dee, is to never underestimate her. Overestimate and then triple that estimation. That way you might be close to reality. You will see. You will not see me again however. Next time one of your tribe members is kidnapped, you can ask the other scouts for help. They might oblige, or they might not depending on how they feel.¡± Razark¡¯s implication was clear. He controlled the scouts and they would decide on whether to help depending on his word.


    ¡°Then so be it. There are others capable of helping. The freelancer¡¯s guild works on payment not on principles. We might not be the strongest tribe around these parts but we are not poor.¡± The elder replied coldly. She was willing to cut this relation to keep the unnatural one away.


    Razark gave a small mirthless laugh as he and Dee stood up. ¡°Perhaps. The problem with mercenaries is that they might decide selling all of you to be more lucrative than whatever you¡¯re willing to pay. Dee, no need to walk out. You can make your portal back to the gathering point right here.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir.¡± Dee replied with a grin. Some of the spells of the forest prevented portals. As it happened, those spells did jack against her travel method of going through the Astral Plane, as that path circumvented the spells. She was glad to show off how little the spells affected her. The normal portal opened in the middle of the garden, and the two left the miffed and stunned kitsune elder behind.


    ----------


    ¡°Well that went great.¡± Dee commented as they finally reached the scout gathering point.


    Razark sighed. ¡°My apologies on subjecting you to that. I had no idea they would react like that, though I suppose that is not a very good excuse.¡±


    ¡°Eh, I¡¯ll live.¡± Dee replied with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s not like I was planning on living with them. I¡¯m somewhat used to not having a people to call my own.¡±


    ¡°You have the scouts. Or you will at least when they get to know you.¡± Razark pointed out.


    ¡°Well, I wonder about that. Possibly due to your influence the scouts are a little less gung-ho about all the order and law stuff than the rest of the order. However, the Scarlet Witch that came to meet us had a point. The Radiant Sun is dedicated to order and light, and I¡¯m definitely not. I don¡¯t mind extending a helping hand like the scouts do on occasion, but it¡¯s not really my thing either. And I certainly don¡¯t share their principles. What happens when I will be forced to uphold those principles, when they clash with my own? You¡¯ve had experience with that. I can see you¡¯re not happy to be part of the order. You stay because you consider the scouts a surrogate family.¡± Dee pointed out.


    Razark was quiet for a long time as they walked. Finally he replied. ¡°You¡¯re right, unfortunately. Still, you¡¯re somewhat stuck with us for now. Do you have plans for the future?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say. I have plans but so much depends on how my powers develop. I have some debts to pay, chief among them to a certain captain of the order who I could almost call a sister, and a certain psion teacher whose community I¡¯ll have to join for a while at least. Speaking of future plans, what happens next?¡± Dee asked, eager to change the subject.


    ¡°Before that, your reaction to her instigation was worrying. It¡¯s not really in your nature to rise up to an obvious bait like that, and doing so will get you in trouble. Something you should be smart enough to avoid. What happened? Was it the dragon heritage rising up again?¡± Razark was aware of Dee¡¯s sudden swings, and knew the reason behind them. It had happened a couple of times before, though sometimes Dee could at least temper the urge somewhat. This time had been different.


    ¡°Your guess is right. I need to find a way to get a hold of myself. I thought that satiating the hunger would do the trick, but that seems to help only to an extent.¡± Due to all the new souls she had consumed, although unknowingly, she was now more satiated than she had ever been since the hunger had awakened.


    ¡°Any ideas?¡± Razark inquired with a worried tone.


    ¡°I have one idea about finding a lead. I don¡¯t know if it will pay off though, or what the price will be.¡± Dee replied not pleased with the prospect.


    ¡°Let me guess. Threads of Fate?¡± The same idea had occurred to Razark as well.


    ¡°That''s the one. I already owe them one favor though, and I¡¯m not sure I want to add to that tally. So they¡¯ll be the last resort in case we can¡¯t come up with anything else.¡± Dee said with slight resignation in her voice. ¡°So, back to the real topic. What happens now?¡±


    ¡°Now? Now we have some missions to perform, and you¡¯re coming with me.¡± Razark replied simply.


    ¡°Missions?¡± Dee prompted him to continue.


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve already had dealings with Tuatha D¨¦ Danann. That little civil conflict is reaching the status of turning into a proper civil war. The only thing stopping it so far has been that the Autumn court and Winter court have their military tied on the borders, dealing with the enemies of the empire. It seems the two courts have decided to risk it, as they are pulling their forces out of the border forts and into the forest proper. We have been sent out to check on the reactions of their neighbors.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Why do we care again? I mean I get that a large number of the order¡¯s recruits come from the empire, but this makes it seem like we¡¯re meddling quite a bit. And on which side are we meddling?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure. I think the grandmaster has some larger plan, but so far he has given no indication on which side he would pick. I¡¯m pretty sure he is picking a side though. As to why we might care personally, well there are a lot of cities that are usually protected by the two courts. The elves don¡¯t station troops inside those cities, but just their presence in the vicinity keeps marauding forces at bay. The plains on the west side of the forest are economically important to a large portion of the Day city, and there are a lot of neutral cities in the area. A large chunk of the meat eaten in Day city comes from the cattle grazing those grasslands. The mountains in the north are less important economy-wise, but are strategically important. They are also housing the main portion of the Sidhe of the Winter Court. Unlike their cousins in the other courts, Unseelie aren¡¯t the biggest fans of forests.¡± Razark explained with a frown. ¡°Come to think of it, neither are the elves of the Autumn court. I wonder why they stay.¡±


    ¡°So we are to go out there and see if the competitors of the elven empire are planning on taking advantage of the missing Winter and Autumn court armies? Are we supposed to take part in defending those locations if those enemies do move?¡± Dee made sure she got the parameters of the mission right.


    ¡°We were not instructed either way, so apparently it¡¯s up to us.¡± Razark said with a sniff. The whole mission stank of a set-up.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty vague. Wouldn¡¯t our choice affect the whole strategy of the grandmaster?¡± Dee pointed out the obvious.


    ¡°I believe it would. If my guess is correct, we¡¯re supposed to run into trouble. And our reaction won¡¯t matter for some reason.¡± Razark concluded his thoughts.


    ¡°Well. Shit. This is one of the most obvious traps I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± Dee said with a feral grin. ¡°Sounds like fun.¡±

 Chapter 82

    This was the tenth city Dee and Razark had visited in the last three weeks. They were checking the cities west of the great forest of the elves, while another group checked the northern border. Dee had been surprised by the number of different races living close to the forest. Her teacher had been right in the fact that these grasslands were a great place for raising cattle, and several races made obscene amount of money from the sales of that cattle. Many higher ranked communities simply didn¡¯t want to be bothered with raising their own food but still greatly enjoyed meat. Someone had to step in to fill the void created by the demand.


    Cattle wasn¡¯t the only interesting thing in this area though. The elven empire was often unwilling to conduct large scale trade with others due to their isolationist politics, but the forest itself was filled to the brim with precious herbs and quality lumber. While other races were unable to get a permanent foothold in the forest, that didn¡¯t mean no one sent gathering parties from the outside. Then there were the kind of cities the two were in now.


    The city of Craghold was on the edge of the mountain range that signified the border between the areas controlled by the Autumn court and Winter court. The Sidhe of the Winter court preferred mountains over the forest, so the mountain terrain at the northern side of the forest was a natural territory for them. In fact, many of their cities were in the mountains. The city of Craghold was inhabited mostly by dwarves and gnomes. The area was rich in rare-earths and mana enriched Sulphur. Both materials were very useful in alchemy and in the creation of certain mana-tech equipment. Of course there were also the usual metals that dwarves liked to mine, but those went mostly into their own use.


    ¡°Seems like we¡¯ve got another bust on our hands.¡± Dee commented. ¡°I thought we would¡¯ve run into some trouble by now, but nothing. Not a sign of enemies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re jinxing it.¡± Razark said with a laugh. Not that the two were really worried. Even Dee could deal with a small army by herself even though that wasn¡¯t her specialty, not to even mention Razark. ¡°We¡¯ll have to make another trip through the same cities, but it does seem this first round was a bust. I wonder if the others have found anything on the northern border.¡±


    The two walked near a workshop that had a long practice range set up. There several dwarves were testing weapons Dee had not seen before. She¡¯d heard about firearms, but they were rare and not widely used. Several dwarven warriors were testing the long barreled guns brought out by the apprentices of the workshop. The noise from the weapons was deafening, and puffs of smoke were everywhere.


    Razark picked up one of the guns, which brought a slight protest from one of the gnome apprentices. The apprentice was waved down by one of the warriors who noted the power exuded by Razark, and the almost instinctual sense of danger he felt from Dee. Razark studied the gun for a while before presenting it to Dee, who received it with a raised eye-brow.


    ¡°Use that quick mind of yours and tell me why weapons like these are not more widely used.¡± Razark posed a little challenge for her.


    Dee allowed her senses to study the minute details of the weapon, before placing it back on the rack where Razark had taken it from. The gun had several enchantments placed on it, and it took Dee a moment to identify them all. ¡°Three main reasons that I can see. First one is the ammunition. The bullets fired are small and thus have very little room for enchantments. Additionally higher ranked archers instill the arrows with ki or mana, eventually shooting arrows purely of either, removing the need for ammunition. An arrow can carry a lot more ki than a bullet, and can more effectively deliver it to a target due to its shape. Unlike an arrow shot from a bow, the bullet will run along the barrel of a gun, dissipating some of the ki and perhaps even destroying the weapon. As a final insult, it¡¯s much easier to transfer ki into an arrow you¡¯re holding, or creating an arrow of ki on a bowstring than running that ki inside the gun.¡±


    ¡°Correct so far. Continue.¡± Razark nodded.


    ¡°The firing mechanism could damage the enchantments on a bullet, once again unlike bow and arrow. Good enchantments would eliminate this danger, but enchanting every bullet like that would be troublesome. The power involved in a high level gun capable of piercing the hide or armor of high level creatures would warp the bullet. The whole system is prone to breaking down with one thing going wrong. That¡¯s not to say there¡¯s no risk with a bow with powerful enchantments, but that risk is much smaller.¡± Dee listed the second problem.


    ¡°Correct, the reliability is worse.¡± Razark agreed with a nod. ¡°And the last one?¡±


    ¡°The noise and smoke. No chance of taking a stealthy approach. You could theoretically enchant it to make the noise go down, but why bother?¡± Dee said with a shrug.


    Razark laughed. ¡°Of course you would think of that. Those aren¡¯t the only reasons, but good enough. How about the good sides of such weapons?¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re fairly comparable with crossbows really. You could argue the gun has more penetrative power, but that depends on the weapon and range. Speaking of range, the gun probably beats the crossbow in direct fire, but is incapable of indirect fire. Though if that was your plan, crossbow would be shitty too. The noise and smoke could have a psychological effect, and using a gun would require a lot less training than using a proper bow.¡± Dee guessed. She didn¡¯t have much experience in seeing the guns in action, so this was all guesswork.


    ¡°Correct. Dwarves are pretty much the only ones that have adopted guns into wide use, although they often prefer crossbows as well¡­¡± Razark was about to say more, but he was interrupted by a wave of magic suddenly covering the city.


    This wave of mana brought alarm to pretty much everyone within the city sensitive enough to notice it, and that didn¡¯t require much. Even those without magical abilities could sense the effects of the magic, somehow restricting them.


    Razark jumped up on the roof of a nearby building, followed by Dee, and looked towards the teleportation station of the city. The gates had all powered down, and the duo could see that the mages present were unable to establish new portals. ¡°War magic preventing the use of spatial magic and teleportation.¡± Razark said, recognizing the spell. ¡°Dee, how about your portals?¡±


    Dee tried to form the portal to the Astral Plane without success. ¡°Nothing. The spell is stopping the portal from forming. It¡¯s not a barrier that prevents traveling through it; it¡¯s a blanket suppression field of all portals.¡±


    Razark sighed. ¡°So a high level spatial inhibition spell at that. Someone went through a lot of trouble this time.¡±


    Just as his words finished, the two could feel the ground start shaking a little, even through the building they were standing on. They jumped along the roofs until they reached the sturdy city walls, where they looked towards west. At first they only felt the ground shaking, which was slowly becoming more and more noticeable. Then they saw a large cloud of dust being kicked up by an approaching army. A large army. Finally they started to hear the beat of hide drums and the chant-like singing of thousands upon thousands of voices.


    Dee took a look at the approaching force with her Mindscape. She could see millions of approaching lights with a simple glance, many of those lights being bright enough to signify powerful minds.  They also had multiple times that number of animal following them. ¡°We¡¯ve got millions of enemies on approach. Some really strong ones as well.¡± She reported.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Millions? Are you certain?¡± Razark asked with sudden seriousness.


    ¡°Very.¡± Dee replied simply.


    As the host of enemies approached, the two could start to differentiate the forms of the approaching beings. Centaurs ranging from a size bit taller than humans to large gigantic ones that reach the height of a dozen mels. Some were armed simply with bows and light armor, while some carried full plate armor and barding covering the horse portion of their bodies. Both male and female centaurs were armed to the teeth. Behind the army came an endless sea of cattle which formed the logistics of the approaching army. The all cavalry force of centaurs brought their own food with them.


    The centaurs were all singing a weird throat-singing chant as if performing some ritual. ¡°They¡¯re announcing their approach!¡± Dee suddenly realized. There was no sneaking around for this host of warriors.


    ¡°That¡¯s the pride of the tribes of Centaurum.¡± Razark replied simply.


    ¡°Centaurum?¡± Dee asked, noticing the strange name.


    ¡°That¡¯s the name of the federation of centaur tribes of the plains. They usually don¡¯t gather together to create warhosts larger than a few hundred thousand centaurs. They often raid the surrounding cities and communities with quick attacks before the Autumn court can respond. This is something more. This seems like a full tribe lead by a khan. And if there¡¯s a full tribe here¡­¡± Razark guessed.


    ¡°The other cities?¡± Dee guessed.


    ¡°Most likely under a similar attack. If this was just a raid they wouldn¡¯t bother shutting the portals or sending a host this large. The other tribes. It seems the whole of Centaurum is on the move.¡± Razark confirmed. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the centaurs had already spread before and were now approaching from all sides. The west side was simply the direction the main host was coming from. Warbands of thousands of centaurs were coming even from the direction of the forest. Just because the Centaurum had pride, that didn¡¯t mean the centaurs were stupid enough to let anyone escape.


    ¡°What now?¡± Dee asked. She was itching for a fight, but a millions strong warhost was a bit much.


    ¡°That depends on what they have in mind. Are they here just to demand tribute, or are they here to lay siege? The dwarves make pretty strong forts around their cities and I don¡¯t see much in the way of siege equipment. Of course a mobile host like this wouldn¡¯t lug such things around. They must have mages, but how good those mages are at siege warfare is a mystery. The Centaurum has fought several wars with its neighbors in the past, but they usually don¡¯t take land.¡± Razark thought out loud.


    ¡°There must be at least a quarter of a million dwarves and gnomes in the city. Only part of them are soldiers, but they have the defenders advantage they can all hold one of those guns we saw earlier. Besides, centaurs aren¡¯t exactly ideal for this sort of thing. They make for great cavalry, but there¡¯s a reason cavalry is rarely effective in sieges.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°The city will run out of supplies at some point.¡± Razark pointed out. ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see for now. We¡¯ll help with the defense if things get too difficult. We should try to get a word back to headquarters though.¡± Razark tried using a communications item, but found that magic blocked as well. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll need an idea on their capabilities anyway.¡±


    It took several hours for the centaur warhost to completely encircle the city. Dee and Razark had expected either a swift assault or a negotiation of surrender, but neither of those happened. Instead the centaur mages drew magical arrays on the ground and started to perform some sort of shamanistic ritual magic. ¡°Can you recognize those spells?¡± Razark asked. ¡°I¡¯m not really familiar with ritual magic.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯re trying to summon something.¡± Dee said while squinting at the spell formations. The range made more specific identification difficult, and these spells were new to her as well.


    ¡°Oh crap. You need to get out of here.¡± Razark suddenly said, realizing the plan of the centaurs.


    ¡°What?¡± Dee asked in shock.


    ¡°They will be using elementals to assault the city. Judging by the size of the rituals, they¡¯re planning on using big ones too. I¡¯m going to write a report that you will need to deliver to the headquarters. I¡¯ll stay and help with the defense of the city, while you sneak past them. With your skill at stealth that shouldn¡¯t be impossible despite the precautions they seem to be taking.¡± Razark explained his plan.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just¡­¡± Dee waved her hand suggestively towards the enemy army.


    ¡°Theoretically. That depends on how many strong individuals they brought along. Even with my power I can¡¯t just wave my hand at them to make them disappear. An army like that most likely has ways to pool their powers together for joint attacks. With that many enemies even I¡¯d be hard pressed to deal with them by myself. I¡¯m pretty sure I can keep them out of the city for a while though. And if things take a really dim turn, then I¡¯ll try attacking them directly. That¡¯ll most likely wipe out the whole damn city in the crossfire though.¡± Razark explained. This was one of the reasons the Blades had such a large number of deaths on their conscience. In situations where they had to use their full powers everything in the surroundings wound up destroyed.


    Dee had never seen an immortal in in full battle so she wasn¡¯t entirely clear on their capabilities. Even during the events at the rift, Alexandra had barely qualified as an immortal and she had been busy fighting the enemy leader. That said, Dee was aware that real armies could join their powers together like the paladins used Aegis. Enough paladins powering the Aegis and even an immortal would find it difficult to break it. The centaurs should have their own ways. One of which they were displaying right now. Most of the warriors were lending their voices to join in on the rituals of the shamans. The weird chanting wasn¡¯t just for show.


    The rituals outside the city finished and large number of elementals came into being. Most were earth elementals that the centaurs planned to use against the walls of the city. There were also some high ranking fire elementals in the form of huge magma giants that were meant as a counter measure against high ranking defenders, like Dee. What made her frown though was the fact that a few of the rituals released a large number of lower ranked storm elementals that immediately spread around to close the airspace around the city. She wasn¡¯t going to leave the city by flying with the storm elementals in the air. There were also several plant looking elementals that scattered around the camp and disappeared from sight.


    ¡°That might be a problem.¡± She mumbled. She wasn¡¯t sure about the purpose of those plants, but she could guess they were a warning system of sorts.


    Razark decided that now would be a good time to retaliate and large orbs of dark energy were shot at the larger elementals around the city. When the orbs hit the elementals, it was as if the elementals imploded, as all their elements that they were built from squeezed into a small space and just vanished. ¡°That was new.¡± Dee commented.


    ¡°I have my own tricks.¡± Razark said with a grin. ¡°Now give me a second to draft the report for the headquarters.


    Razark¡¯s words were punctuated by the sounds of the dwarven war machines firing on the remaining elementals. Ballistae, mangonels, cannons and trebuchets launched their deadly projectiles at the chosen targets. Say what you will about dwarves, but they made great war machines and all of them were heavily enchanted. The elementals didn¡¯t make it even close to the walls, although some of the storm elementals threw small bolts of lightning at the defenders on the ramparts.


    The centaurs were unfazed and continued their rituals. They would not commit to an assault without breaches in the walls. Hooves and the large frames of the centaurs were pretty bad for fighting on walls, so they didn¡¯t even try. Instead they increased the numbers on each wave of elementals before they were sent towards the walls. The higher ranked mages and warriors of the dwarves and gnomes had to start taking part in defeating the elementals. The battle became one of attrition. The ritual magic of the centaurs was very efficient and they had much larger numbers, so it was only a matter of time before the defenders would start making mistakes out of tiredness. And that would be when the attacking mages would pounce.


    The fighting carried on the whole day, with Razark and Dee taking part every now and then when the fighting got really heavy. When the darkness of the night fell, the attacks showed no sign of stopping, but the darkness was good cover for Dee as she slipped over the wall and towards the enemy camp. She transformed herself into as small of a version of her kitsune form as possible, and disappeared among the tents of the centaurs.


    This was one of those times where her aura was only somewhat effective, same as the time she had slipped into the elven warcamp. All the enemies were of one race, and were alert. That said, she had plenty of places to hide, and her own control over the shadows to supplement her progress. The centaurs had created several active detection spells on their camp. Most of detection spells searched for mana or ki, so those would not be a problem for her. Active detection spells were a little different. They created waves of invisible mana that passed around the camp and would alert the centaurs if the mana came into contact with anything that wasn¡¯t one of them. Avoiding those spells took a lot of time and effort on Dee¡¯s part, so her progress was slow.


    Finally she arrived at the other side of the camp and was almost ready to relax. She didn¡¯t of course, as she wasn¡¯t that careless, but that unfortunately didn¡¯t help in this case. As she passed the final tents, a shrill cry of alarm suddenly went off close by. It only took a moment for Dee to realize what had happened. The plant elementals that had left the camp earlier had spread their roots into the area surrounding the camp, where centaurs knew better than to enter. Those roots felt for the slightest presences touching the designated ground, and felt even the softest of touches from Dee¡¯s tiny paws. She could¡¯ve avoided this if she had even considered the possibility, and she even knew the plant elementals were a trap of some sort. She just didn¡¯t know what kind. And this had not been one of the possibilities she had considered. She had assumed they were detecting for presences, and hers was hidden by the Authority. That was the most logical use for plant elementals, where earth elementals should¡¯ve been better for this job. The bloody centaurs had tricked her!


    The alarm of course brought the attention of the centaurs and the nearby storm elementals. Now that Dee had been spotted, they had little trouble locating her, especially the elementals. Dee also felt several spells locking on to her. She cursed while enlarging herself to a size more suited for running, and cast several protective and buffing spells on herself, mainly focused on speed and countering the incoming spells. Then she blasted a large number of psionic weapons straight at the closest group of pursuers and bolted into the darkness.


    She could feel that some of the spells were cast with the intention of tracking her. Her protections stopped the hostile spells that might have caused some actual damage, but she didn¡¯t have the time to counter the tracking spells. ¡°Well, this just turned into a chase.¡± She cursed with a soft voice.

 Chapter 83

    Dee cursed silently as she avoided another lightning strike aimed at her. The world around her seemed to slow down to a crawl as she quickly moved sideways and continued her escape. Even with her speed and the weird phenomenon of everything around her seeming to slow down, something like avoiding a lighting strike was impossible. The speed of the lightning was simply too fast. However, it was not impossible to avoid the aim of those flinging the bolts at her. She could feel the moment when the power of the lightning reached critical mass and started to strike, and moved away from the spot the elementals were aiming at. No matter how good the elementals were at controlling lighting, they couldn¡¯t make it change course while already in the air.


    Dee had struck against the elementals a dozen times now. Dispersing their bodies was not all that difficult, but the centaurs had intelligently added something to the spell used to summon the elementals, and those elementals dispersed by her power would reform after a few minutes. Few of the elementals had wandered too close to Dee in an attempt to compensate for their lack of aim, and had found out that it was impossible to reform after being struck by the holy spells that carried the death element. Unfortunately, even with the invisible hands she could control, Dee¡¯s range was not that long and the elementals had quickly wised up and stayed out of range. Now they only struck at her from long range, forcing her to zigzag and slow down her advance.


    It would only take a few moments to kill all of the elementals if she turned around to face them properly, but she couldn¡¯t do that. The whole point of the elementals was just to slow her down and block her movements. The few times she had tried, a combined attack of hundreds of centaurs that were chasing her had convinced her otherwise. That¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t fly either. It wasn¡¯t that the storm elementals would kill her, but they would tie her down and slow her enough to allow the centaurs to attack her with their combined attacks.


    The power of those combined attacks would be fairly scary coming from the almost twenty thousand centaurs that were chasing her. A full warband had peeled off from the main warhost to chase her down. It¡¯s not like the majority of the centaurs had other things to do besides take part in the ritual summoning more elementals to attack the city. Besides, centaurs were born cavalry. Chasing enemies was among their strongest qualities. Even so, in a straight off sprint Dee would be able to run the centaurs into the ground, but she wasn¡¯t allowed to run straight. Unlike the centaurs, she had to keep dodging those damnable lightning bolts!


    She had blocked some of the bolts with her wings just to gain a little headway, and while she hadn¡¯t suffered much in the way of actual damage, there was a limit on how much she would be able to take. Especially since she had to direct most of her defensive abilities and focus on countering the spells of the mages among the centaurs. She had a lot of defenses with her limited resistance to magic, ability to dissolve incoming spells and protective holy spells, but there were hundreds of mages among the centaurs. That didn¡¯t leave a lot to spare against the storm elementals that kept harassing her.


    She had struck back at the centaurs several times, but there were simply too many of them to fight effectively, and it was not like the centaurs were defenseless. There was another problem. Where was she running to? The inhibition against making portals seemed to stretch for hundreds of kilomel, and even if she did run out of range it wouldn¡¯t be that simple to create a portal. It was one thing to make a quick portal when no one was trying to stop you, it was completely another to do so with hundreds of mages ready to mess with your portal the moment you started forming one. She wasn¡¯t the only one capable of messing with the spells of others.


    At the moment she was running towards the great forest. According to the information she got from Razark, the Autumn court¡¯s border fortresses were left only with a skeleton crew. Enough to keep the fort from falling against simple attacks, but certainly not enough to ride against a centaur warband of this size. If she ran to one of the forts there was no guarantee the elves would allow her inside even if she changed her appearance, and even if they did allow her in then she¡¯d just be trapped in the border fort instead of the city where she had escaped from a few hours ago.


    So she chose to aim into one of the gaps between the fortresses instead and planned to run towards the forest itself. Luckily the distance to the forest wasn¡¯t that far. Craghold was one of the cities closest to the forest due to the fact that it was on the border of the mountain range that delineated the Winter court lands. The terrain and availability of resources forced the city closer to the forest, and the elves didn¡¯t mind as much because they considered the city to fall between the zones of control of the two courts. If some problem crept up they could always blame the other court for the problems.


    Dee¡¯s plan was to lose the centaurs in the forest. Cavalry in general was rather crummy in a forest, and even though centaurs weren¡¯t exactly standard cavalry they didn¡¯t have much experience with forest combat either. Only something like the specially trained cavalry of the elves would be really effective in the forest environment and could move unhindered through the woods. Dee on the other hand would have no problem with the trees, and maybe the trees would stop some of these attacks by blocking lines of sight. Besides, the heavy mana environment would help hide her presence. She would only need a short moment of peace to break the tracking spells placed on her. Then she¡¯d only need to lose the pursuers in the shadows of the woods.


    Of course the centaurs also realized this possibility and they had sent some quick moving units of light archers to block her path. While the main host of the centaurs couldn¡¯t keep up with her, the light units could overtake her with some effort. Unluckily for them, Dee quickly proved why that to be a bad idea. She might not have been able to face the main warband head on, but a group of light archers? She didn¡¯t even bother slowing down. Their arrows were uselessly brushed aside by her tails and wings, while her claws and floating weapons tore the centaurs to pieces. She considered this attempt at blocking her almost insulting. It wasn¡¯t the number of centaurs that worried her, it was their combined attacks and a few archers were not capable of anything like that.


    It did show the centaur¡¯s resolve though, as the mages of the warband ruthlessly fired their spells at her even when she was among the small group of their own warriors. The centaurs weren¡¯t much good at stopping Dee, but they worked pretty well as shields for her, taking a couple of spells that she didn¡¯t bother dispelling as she noted where they would hit.


    It took hours of continual running, but Dee was finally getting closer to the tree line. She had to give the centaurs credit for having the stamina to keep up with her. Even though she had to expend a lot more energy avoiding all the attacks, she also had the stamina to run at full speed for weeks straight. Something good had come from the endless stairs on the damn old fart¡¯s mountain! The centaurs were able to keep up with their top speed for this long, and that was commendable. Not just that some individuals kept up with her, but that the whole warband kept pace. A group is only as strong as their weakest link.


    As she approached the forest, she sensed something approaching her from the opposite direction, namely specifically from the forest. Her senses told her that the group coming from the front was made up of about five hundred cavalry. Actual cavalry with steeds and not more centaurs. At first she assumed that it was a part of the Autumn court armies that had been left behind to patrol the border and which had noticed the approach of the centaurs and planned to intercept. That idea was quickly dashed though.


    Why would a group of five hundred elves engage a warband of twenty thousand centaurs? Even assuming that the elves were higher ranked, a generous assumption considering that the centaurs had several hundred higher ranking members among them, it would still be a stupidly one sided battle and not to the benefit of the elves. There was another thing. The beings didn¡¯t feel like elves. They felt similar but not the same. It didn¡¯t take much for Dee to guess them to be Sidhe. The Sidhe also seemed to be chasing something. One of their number seemed to be running away from the rest and had either lost their steed or never had one in the first place.


    As the two groups were moving so fast in opposite directions, it didn¡¯t take long for the Dee and the front runner of the Sidhe to catch sight of each other. Dee only got a quick glance of a woman dressed in dark purple leather armor and a similar color breastplate covering dark grey almost black skin. The woman had silvery almost white hair covered by a hood while a diaphanous veil covered her face. The two locked eyes for a fraction of a second, noticed that both of them were chased, and got the same idea.


    The two made an identical ninety-degree turn, Dee to her right and the Sidhe woman to her left, now both running in the same direction. Dee noted that the woman was exhausted and running out of strength. Her attire suggested that she had been mounted at some point, but had indeed lost her mount and had lost much of her strength running away on foot. She was tired and slowing down. ¡°Hop on!¡± Dee growled with chagrin.


    The woman took a quick look at her monstrous form, and whispered a small ¡®Thanks.¡¯ while she made a leap from a root jutting out of the ground to get atop Dee¡¯s back. ¡®And now I¡¯m a bloody mount.¡¯ Dee grumbled in her mind. She felt like throwing the Sidhe woman off, but the woman¡¯s presence was necessary for the success of their joint little plan.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Their idea bore fruit soon after. The centaurs and the other Sidhe chasing the woman ran into each other, and if they wanted to continue chasing their respective prey, they would have to run after them together. That was the straight line towards their quarry and it crossed with the other group of hunters. Needless to say, the two sides were less than enthused to run into one another, and cooperation was not in the cards for either group. Centaurs couldn¡¯t leave witnesses, as the Sidhe could get help just as easily as Dee. The Sidhe on the other hand didn¡¯t exactly like the idea of the centaurs tramping through their forest.


    This is where the fearsomeness of the Sidhe became obvious. The Sidhe were outnumbered about forty to one, but that led the fey warriors to consider it a relatively even fight. The Sidhe were natural warriors and mages. All of them had abilities with both mana and ki. Most of them also spent thousands of years honing their martial prowess, not to even mention physical abilities that were surprising to say the least coming from such lithe frames.


    The Sidhe lived with a philosophy of life that seemed odd for most other races. As the lives of the Sidhe were for all intents and purposes endless, they usually focused on one facet of life and mastered that to the best of their ability before trying something new. Usually the first path chosen was that of combat, for obvious practical reasons. A Sidhe might choose to master the art of woodworking or painting, but that was usually after they had spent a thousand years to reach their peak as warriors and mages. There was a reason why they were considered one of the most powerful races along with other such races as vampires, angels and dragons.


    The Sidhe cavalry cleaved into the centaur warband, leaving dead bodies everywhere they passed. This delayed both of the pursuing parties however, allowing Dee and the Sidhe woman to escape unhindered. Dee took to running in places that would leave hard to find tracks such as on the branches of the trees and any rocky outcroppings they ran into. The mountains were still right next to them after all so such places were plentiful. At the same time, she was finally free of the barrage of attacks for the first time in several hours, which gave her the much needed chance to start breaking the tracking spells placed on her. The spells were the type that tried to reapply themselves immediately as long as they were provided with mana, but the centaur mages were busy elsewhere at the moment. That gave Dee the chance to break the spells.


    This brought a glance from the tired Sidhe woman. She could feel the spells shattering, as she was a mage herself and the spells were rather flashy. ¡°Are you going somewhere specific?¡± Dee asked idly, her focus on the spells and finding footing on the treacherous ground.


    ¡°Away from here. The further away I can get the better. Where are you going?¡± The Sidhe woman asked.


    ¡°Well, I just got out of Craghold which is under siege by the rest of those mutated ponies. I¡¯m a scout for the Radiant Sun and need to get a word to the headquarters.¡± Dee explained simply.


    ¡°Radiant Sun?¡± The surprise in the Sidhe woman¡¯s voice was clear. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the paladins hired monsters nowadays.¡± Her tone made it clear that the word monster was more in jest than an insult.


    Dee found that the woman¡¯s attempt at humor at their current situation was quite appropriate and decided to play along with it. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s terrible how low the standards have gotten. Next thing you know the order will be hiring something really bad like¡­humans.¡± She gave a fake shudder.


    The woman gave a small laugh. Dee found her smoky and raspy voice quite pleasant. ¡°Well, if the order headquarters is your goal, then I don¡¯t mind coming along. It will accomplish the goal of ¡®far away from here¡¯ that I wanted to achieve. Though the closest teleportation gate is pretty far from here, especially if Craghold is not available.¡± Some of the larger border forts had their own gates but those were also under the suppression of the field blocking teleportation.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. We just need to get away from this spatial suppression.¡± Dee said simply.


    ¡°Oh? I was wondering why the spatial suppression was so big and I¡¯m sad to inform you that there¡¯s another similar suppression field that the people chasing me applied, but that one is much smaller since I don¡¯t actually have the ability to teleport without items. Items which I lost when I was ambushed, I hasten to point out. You have a method though?¡± The woman asked.


    ¡°I have my wily ways.¡± Dee said with a toothy grin. ¡°We just need to get deeper into the forest then. I doubt the people chasing us have time to come after us any time soon.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. The group after me was well trained.¡± The woman pointed out instead.


    ¡°Be that as it may, but it will still take time to slog through twenty thousand centaurs. Besides, I don¡¯t know if you noticed, but they weren¡¯t exactly a random group of raiders either and we¡¯re moving pretty fast away from them. Even if they can track me, it will take some time and effort.¡± Dee reassured her.


    ¡°There were twenty thousand of the silly ponies? Well. I didn¡¯t expect that as I didn¡¯t see more than a part of them. That changes things a bit. Still, we should hurry.¡± She spurred Dee on.


    ¡°Understood. I was just distracted by the tracking spells. Hold on.¡± Dee leapt off the ground and started gliding above the forest floor. She didn¡¯t want to fly above the trees where they could be noticed, but as her wings were from an angel she didn¡¯t need to flap them to gain elevation either. That allowed her to fly through the forest rather freely, albeit the maneuvers she had to make to avoid the trees were a little risky.


    Despite her tiredness the Sidhe woman¡¯s laughter sounded in the forest as Dee¡¯s aerial maneuvers flipped them around several times. Dee didn¡¯t have time to be careful about her rider due to the current breakneck speeds, and simply had to hope that the woman was able to hold on. Her flight speed was much faster than her running speed, even if it didn¡¯t quite match her speed in the angel form. On the upside, she could use the trees to push for more speed or a quick change in direction. This did have the unfortunate result of pretty much pulverizing the particular tree, but she decided in favor of using speed instead of trying to mask their tracks anymore. If the people chasing them would be able to track them over the small stretch where she had tried to hide their passage, then trying to lose then over a longer distance would not succeed either. There was a risk of losing more speed by being secretive than the people hunting them lost in tracking.


    Eventually the two made it out of the suppression area of the spell, and Dee immediately created a portal towards the Radiant Sun headquarters and leapt though. One of the things she had learned about the portals was that she didn¡¯t need to keep the entrance to the Astral Plane open while she traveled through, although closing it did leave the risk of stranding her in the strange plane. Now it was more important to lose their pursuers though, so the entrance behind them winked out as soon as they had passed.


    Dee looked towards the Sidhe woman, kind of hoping to see her floundering in the weird space with its own rules, but was disappointed. It took the woman no time to figure out how to move in the weird space using just her mind. ¡®Why does everyone else figure this out faster than me?¡¯ Dee cursed silently in her mind. ¡°Follow me and I¡¯ll lead you to the exit.¡± She said to the woman. One of the downsides of this travel method was that only she could sense the exit as she had formed it. That had been a little problematic when she escorted all those refugees through, and they saw the endless space around them.


    The Sidhe woman simply gestured Dee to lead the way. The distance they traveled meant that they had to spend several hours in the Astral Plane, but for once Dee didn¡¯t feel any weird presences observing her. Due to the distance of the jump, they didn¡¯t get very close of the spot Dee was aiming for, but she was improving. They had actually dropped out into the garden maze of the Mystic¡¯s guild headquarters.


    ¡°Well, that was actually closer than I thought.¡± Dee mumbled to herself.


    ¡°I take it this is not where you aimed at?¡± The Sidhe woman asked with a slightly amused tone.


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s much closer than usual. You know what they say, practice makes perfect.¡± Dee said faking smugness. Secretly she was a little worried about Razark. Even though the latter was relatively safe with his strength, you never knew what could happen. At the same time Dee shifted out of her bestial form, and used her normal form instead.


    For the briefest of moments there was something that might have been a flash of recognition in the Sidhe woman¡¯s eyes, but Dee judged that to be unlikely. It would be somewhat problematic to open an unauthorized portal straight into the Radiant Sun headquarters, so much so that there might be a lethal response, so the two had to run the rest of the way. While the two started their run towards the headquarters, Dee finally asked. ¡°Now that were not in immediate danger, I realize that we didn¡¯t introduce ourselves during that little mess. I¡¯m Haydee, though everyone just calls me Dee.¡±


    The Sidhe woman gave a tired giggle. ¡°You¡¯re right, we didn¡¯t. In our defense, we had something else in mind at the time. You can call me Noyala for now.¡±


    ¡®You can call me Noyala for now? So not her real name. Not surprising all things considered.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned you¡¯re free to go, although I can imagine the order might want to ask you a question or two. I can see you¡¯re tired though, so rest might be in order, and I¡¯m not sure you¡¯ll get any following me, for a while at least. If you need money for the inn, then I can give you some.¡±


    Noyala seemed to consider for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°Something tells me that I¡¯ll reach my goals faster by following you around. I can meditate while you make your report, and we Sidhe don¡¯t actually sleep much. Meditation should be enough.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself, though I do feel compelled to ask what those goals are.¡± Dee said simply. The woman might be a decent source of information on the Sidhe side of things.


    ¡°Many things, but the most obvious among them is revenge. I wasn¡¯t alone when those riders attacked. I had people with me. People who are now dead.¡± There was steel in the woman¡¯s voice now that she thought about the lost people. Also a bit of bloodlust when she mentioned revenge.


    Dee took a good look of the woman while they ran. Noyala was tall for a woman, almost a hundred and ninety centimels, although that still left her a fair bit shorter than Dee. She was lean and looked well trained, although her armor did a good job of covering most of the details. The few places that showed her skin revealed the smoothness and clear complexion so usual to races related to elves, though the color was very different. The dark grey color signified her as an Unseelie of the Winter court. A Seelie from Summer court would actually have a greenish skin tone.


    Dee could sense power in the woman, although much of it was spent in her escape and the battle that most likely preceded that escape. Dee judged that the woman was most likely of a similar rank to herself, though that might be inaccurate. Both a mage and a warrior though. The most noticeable feature of the woman was of course the long ears pointing out of her hood, from what looked to be dedicated slits in the dark purple cloth. The grey ears were longer than even the usual elven ears and actually reached above the woman¡¯s head. The right ear had a complex system of earrings and a small chain connecting them. Dee guessed the earring symbolized something, but had no idea what.


    ¡°It¡¯s always the ears, isn¡¯t it?¡± Noyala remarked with clear amusement. Her attention on the other hand was drawn to Dee¡¯s tails. ¡°The same with your tails. Where everyone¡¯s eyes eventually wander I mean.¡±


    ¡°True. The most distinguishing feature and all that. Although I was wondering more about your earring. It seems to have some significance.¡± Dee replied shamelessly.


    ¡°Ah, it does. Our earrings are something that identifies rank as well as house and family. You¡¯ll find out later if necessary.¡± Noyala replied, declining to comment further.


    Dee had wanted to ask what had happened to her to cause such a chase, but they reached the headquarters before she had the chance, and other things demanded her attention. She had a message to deliver.

 Chapter 84

    Dee waited calmly as a very un-elf like elf observed her after reading the report she had delivered. The Sidhe woman, Noyala, had taken a meditative position and stayed behind as soon as the two had entered the keep that served as the main headquarters of the order. A simple gesture from Dee had indicated to the nearby guards that the Sidhe woman was with her and was not to be disturbed. Afterwards Dee had been ushered from one high ranking official to another in a quick succession, until finally an hour later her report had landed on the desk of the man she was now looking at.


    Grandmaster Lothar was an impressive man and cut an imposing figure. Dee had heard that the Authority that the grandmaster carried had turned his appearance more humanlike, and the golden beard and broad frame certainly suggested the rumor had at least some validity. The man didn¡¯t have to exert any pressure on people entering his presence, just his mere appearance and intelligent eyes carried a certain gravitas that was difficult to ignore. The only other person in the room was a human squire that worked as the grandmaster¡¯s assistant.


    ¡°So. Razark is currently assisting with the defense of the city and is for all intents and purposes trapped unless he wants to use his full power to defeat the enemy, which might end up destroying the city he is protecting. The city is surrounded by a warhost sent by the Centaurum, and other cities are facing the same most likely. The elves are nowhere to be seen due to their internal conflict. That about the gist of it?¡± The grandmaster reiterated the important points.


    ¡°Correct. The part about other cities is based on speculation, but can most likely be tested by trying to use the teleportation gates of those cities.¡± Dee confirmed.


    The man tapped his chin in thought for a short moment, before a small smile suddenly surfaced. He turned towards the squire. ¡°Patrik would you be so kind as to give us a minute.¡± The squire gave an elegant bow and exited the room without asking questions. Dee idly noted that the room was protected against eavesdropping. The two could fight a battle in the room and nobody would hear a thing. A battle she would likely lose.


    ¡°You¡¯re the assassin kid my sister picked up, are you not? Yes, there aren¡¯t that many psions in the order and you still carry the mannerism of someone trained for assassination. I saw how you eyed the room as you entered and again just now. Even if you were not serious, you checked if you could kill me without drawing attention. I don¡¯t mind, it¡¯s probably instinctual for you at this point.¡± The man¡¯s smile made it clear that he didn¡¯t see Dee as a real threat.


    ¡°As you say.¡± Dee decided there was no point in trying to deny anything the man said.


    The man¡¯s smile widened a bit. ¡°I always wanted to meet the Wraith in person. Looking at you, it¡¯s no wonder you were such a thorn in our side as a child. You don¡¯t seem surprised I know.¡± The man tilted his head a bit in question.


    Dee gave a small grimace. ¡°Well, your sister figured it out. It only makes sense that there are people in the order who did as well. It¡¯s natural for you to know.¡±


    The man guffawed a small laugh. ¡°My sister figured it out? And she didn¡¯t tell anyone in the order? Well, well. There¡¯s still hope for her. I find it interesting personally. An ex assassin, a psion and Razark¡¯s new disciple, trained as a templar. Your perspective is somewhat unique. Did you know I once tried to become a scout as well? This was when I was very young and still untrained and unsuited for such a role. In a way I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t accepted. I wouldn¡¯t have worked so hard if I was.¡± He didn¡¯t mention that he had been a child at the time.


    Dee wasn¡¯t sure what to say so she elected to keep her silence.


    ¡°So anyway, I was mentioning about your unique perspective, and I¡¯d like to pick your brains a bit. What do you think of the current situation? Why did I send Razark where he is? What will I do now, and why? What do you think the order¡¯s next actions will be?¡± The grandmaster threw a bunch of questions at her.


    Dee considered for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll point out that most of this is conjecture based on incomplete information. My answer would change based on certain facts that I have no way of knowing presently.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± The man waived her pre-amble away as obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start with what the order will most likely do, as the others are somewhat dependent on that. I see four obvious options, which I¡¯ll list according to how likely I think they are to come to pass. The most obvious and unlikely is that the order stays out of the whole mess. This would waste all the preparations you have obviously done so far and defeats the point of sending Razark where he is now. This is very unlikely though there is a chance if I consider the possibility of some outside threat that I¡¯m not aware of. Or some political reason paralyzing the order from moving. Internal struggle perhaps.¡± Dee discarded the first option, eliciting an approving nod from the man.


    ¡°The second option is that the order enters the internal struggle on the side of the Spring and Summer courts. This option seems obvious at first considering the fact that your family is a part of the Spring court, however I don¡¯t think this is the case. I can¡¯t point out a single reason why, just that many small reasons hint at this being very unlikely.¡± Dee continued, eliciting a smile from the man.


    ¡°There are many factors you are unaware of, but you are sensing the tail ends of those factors. That¡¯s why you have a feeling this option is unlikely even though you can¡¯t quite point out why. Continue.¡± The man encouraged her. Being able to grasp such loose threads to complete a picture resembling the truth was a skill in itself.


    ¡°The third option is a direct intervention on the side of the Winter court. Considering the balance of forces as they are currently, Winter court alone matches the strength of their opposition. As a result, even if the Autumn court was drawn back to protect the borders, the balance would swing heavily in the Winter court¡¯s favor with our entry into the conflict. However, both this and the previous option would bring a lot of criticism from other parties. Meddling in the internal affairs of the empire will have some consequences, many of which even I¡¯m unaware of. Additionally it seems you¡¯d go in direct opposition of your own family.¡± Dee concluded.


    ¡°So far so good. And the fourth option?¡± The man asked with a knowing smile.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°The fourth option is to bring our forces to defend the borders of the empire, allowing the Autumn court to utilize their forces in the internal conflict freely. We would not be meddling in the conflict directly and we now have an excuse. One of our highest ranking members is trapped in a city on the border and is being attacked by the Centaurum. This gives the order an excuse to say that we are there to help our own and retaliate against aggressions made against us, in addition to helping the border cities of course. That way we¡¯d support the Autumn court side of the conflict indirectly and almost by accident, instead of supporting the Autumn court directly.¡± Dee suggested, not entirely sure of her conclusion.


    This last option felt the most correct to her, but was based on some very shaky premises and could easily be countered by factors she was not aware of. There was the fact of the two elves of the Autumn court that had joined the order at the same time Dee had. Once the conflict started, those two had been pulled out of training and been given separate teachers. Rumor had it that the grandmaster himself took part in that training. Maybe that wasn¡¯t quite the case. Maybe those two had been something like emissaries. Or maybe they had become something on those lines due to the situation. The two might have started off as genuine trainees, but the situation had changed their lot in life.


    ¡°Well done. Now the big questions. What will I do and why? Why would the order act according to the plan you just described, which is correct I might point out. A force equal to about three chapters worth of our brothers and sisters is already prepared to leave on a moment¡¯s notice and I sent the signal to march as soon as you entered the building. Now answer my questions if you would.¡± The man dropped a small bomb without a change in expression.


    Dee shook her head immediately. ¡°I can¡¯t answer that. Too much that I don¡¯t know, especially about your personal motives. Plus, I¡¯m aware that there¡¯s most likely another party outside the four seasonal courts and us dabbling in this internal conflict, so I can¡¯t judge how their actions might influence things. I have no idea who they might be.¡± They had confirmed the presence of a third party with their mission to check the villages under Spring court¡¯s supervision for potential rebellions.


    The man burst out in laughter. ¡°Good! Well done. That was a trick question of sorts. There¡¯s rarely only one reason why people and organizations take certain actions, and claiming to know that reason is the height of hubris and stupidity. I can say that I myself have at least a few dozen reasons big and small for making this decision. If you had answered anything else, you would¡¯ve just revealed your ignorance. But it seems you have a mind worth cultivating.¡±


    ¡°My thanks?¡± Dee replied half questioningly with a confused look. This was taking an odd turn.


    ¡°As a reward for doing so well and as thanks for you and Razark playing into my plans so perfectly, I¡¯m sending you with the army going towards Craghold and Razark. That army will be led by someone I believe you know. Commander Luthana had been promoted into a general. You will be her second in command. Learn from her. She has a good grasp on leading people and you have no experience in that field to my knowledge.¡± The grandmaster ordered.


    ¡°I get the feeling there¡¯s something else to this. Otherwise you wouldn¡¯t put me the second in command even with my strength.¡± Dee pointed out.


    The man had a wide grin. ¡°You¡¯re right. You have no experience so putting you in that kind of position is folly, even if it is to learn. No, this is also a test for our dear Luthana. There¡¯s a possibility that she might decide to side with the Spring court due to her heritage. You¡¯re there to monitor her for any sign of betrayal or even just dragging her feet.¡±


    ¡°And if she fails the test?¡± Dee wanted to confirm.


    ¡°Cut off her head and take her position. I think this should be no problem with this seeing as it¡¯s done to save your master and since you¡¯ve killed without much remorse before. Unlike many other officers, you also don¡¯t have much in the way of ties to her. You¡¯re a more neutral observer, which is rare among those that actually have the strength to take her out. Most are either her friends or enemies. Her friends would hide it if she does something inappropriate, while her enemies would take the chance to get rid of her. You on the other hand have an incentive to keep her in place to more easily save Razark, but also a good reason to get rid of her if she drags her feet. Besides, I need to get a handle on your skill with people when you actually try to get along with them. I have another mission for you after this that requires¡­certain skills.¡± The grandmaster confirmed Dee¡¯s instructions.


    ¡°Aye, sir.¡± Dee somewhat reluctantly gave a small salute and turned to leave.


    ¡°Oh, right. I almost forgot. We were speaking of reasons to do things. You might have missed this due to having been absent for so long, but as it happens, my family is trying to bring Faylen back into the fold. She¡¯s already back at the family estate within the empire. I heard they are planning on arranging a marriage for her, for obvious political reasons. Just something I thought you should know and it¡¯s something that might work as a reason for you to act. There¡¯s no need to rush for her sake though. They¡¯re not in a hurry for once. My family likes to do things properly when it comes to politics.¡± The man suddenly pointed out, a tinge of anger creeping into his voice.


    That left Dee wondering. Who was that anger directed towards? What was the cause of that anger?


    ------


    Dee marched back out to the reception hall of the keep, and noticed Noyala getting up as soon as she entered the room. ¡°So when are we going?¡± The Sidhe woman asked nonchalantly.


    ¡°And where do you think we are going?¡± Dee asked, somehow feeling the annoyance towards the grandmaster seeping out of her. The Sidhe woman had a weird calming effect on her.


    ¡°Back to the place where you were running away from. It seems obvious you would be part of a rescue force. I can guess that you left someone important behind. A mentor or a friend perhaps?¡± Noyala threw out a guess.


    ¡°A mentor.¡± Dee grunted a reply. ¡°And what makes you think you¡¯re coming along?¡±


    ¡°Unless I¡¯m misreading this situation completely, you won¡¯t be going on a simple rescue mission. I get the feeling you¡¯ll need someone with some skill with politics, and no offense but you¡¯re not exactly a people person. You could use some help.¡± The Sidhe woman¡¯s smile was obvious even through the thin veil.


    ¡°And how do you know any of that?¡± Dee asked a little surprised.


    ¡°Come now. There are hints everywhere if you know to look for them. You just had a long meeting with the grandmaster of the order, yes word gets around about things like that. I also heard about the army marching. It¡¯s really stunning how much everyone here ignored my presence even despite my race. They gossip pretty freely. Besides, you¡¯re strong. You would be sent on a mission. You¡¯re also a warrior¡­and someone who has experience working from the shadows if I don¡¯t miss my guess. Someone who works from the shadows with a knife. Combine those with some other little hints and I can guess some of what you were told to do. Am I getting close?¡± Noyala listed off, lifting fingers to indicate the number of points as she went along.


    Dee had to hand it to the woman, she was sharper than almost any person she had met so far. ¡°That brings us to the main point. You just ran away from the forest. You wanted to get as far away as you can get if I recall correctly. Why do you want to go with me? I have nothing against you, but if you can¡¯t answer that, I¡¯m not taking you along.¡±


    Dee could see through the veil that the Sidhe woman was chewing her lip, considering how much to tell. ¡°Fine. It might be helpful if you know. You already figured out that I was attacked, and you already knew I wasn¡¯t alone when it happened. I was with a friend of mine, plus an escort of course but they aren¡¯t important for this discussion. That friend of mine was an advisor of sorts, and has been a friend of mine for a long time. Long before she joined the group known as Threads of Fate.¡±


    Dee cursed quietly. ¡°The Threads of Fate. I see. I can guess where this is going but let¡¯s hear the details anyway.¡±


    Noyala shook her head apologetically. ¡°As you might have guessed, as a member of that group and a possessor of a certain amount of talent as a seer, my friend could see certain things about my future. She pointed out the direction I should run and told me that staying close to a certain fox would help me achieve my goals. At first I thought she had been mistaken when she had described your current form and you approached me in that more beastly form but I took a chance. And as it happened, her description fit the form you shifted into, your current form.¡±


    Dee remembered that Noyala had alluded to her before, mentioning revenge as the most obvious among them. That was something she could understand. Something about her words caught in Dee¡¯s mind though. ¡°She knew she was going to die?¡± Dee asked, alluding to Noyala¡¯s friend.


    ¡°I assume so. However, I can¡¯t even say for certain if she died or not. She just told me to run, and I did. Also, she mentioned that you owe the Threads a favor. You¡¯ll have to check with them to make sure, but I¡¯m pretty sure my friend meant that helping me would erase that debt. I don¡¯t want to pressure you into this, but I thought you should know. And I have a feeling this might not be so bad for either of us.¡± Noyala pointed out.


    Dee made a small displeased growl. ¡°This sounds like it will be worth more trouble than I owe them, but fine. I¡¯ll haggle with them later. For now you can come along. Besides, I think I could use your knowledge about the Sidhe and the courts. I get the feeling my dealings with them are not over.¡±


    ¡°Fair assumption.¡± Noyala replied with a grin. ¡°Where are we going now?¡±


    ¡°To meet with an acquaintance that I might have to kill.¡± Dee replied with a sigh.

 Chapter 85

    Since the two were at least nominally allies and Noyala was supposed to be helping her, Dee explained the current situation in as much detail as possible. The Sidhe woman showed her sharpness by asking several questions that Dee hadn¡¯t even considered, and some that she didn¡¯t have an answer to. Only one of the questions was really problematic though, and made Dee berate herself for not thinking about it herself before Noyala mentioned it.


    ¡°So did the grandmaster give you anything to prove your authority in the field in case you do need to take the life of this general? Written orders, a symbol of authority, anything?¡± Noyala asked. ¡°Because if he didn¡¯t, then what do you think the reaction will be from the troops if you suddenly behead their general and try to assume command? Even if they won¡¯t try to put you in chains, which I assume would be wasted effort, they would at the very least stop in place to get a word back to the headquarters to confirm your claims. That would delay the whole thing.¡±


    Dee grimaced at her own short sightedness at this. Something like this should¡¯ve been within her calculations, but once again she was living proof that just because the mind of a psion works faster than a normal person¡¯s mind, that didn¡¯t mean they could not make mistakes out of ignorance or cognitive bias. Matters of authority had never been a worry for Dee. For the entire time she had been on Pantheon it had been clear who she had to take orders from, all the way from Lord Malik while she was an assassin, to Razark now that she was a scout in the Radiant Sun. Someone pretending to have authority that they didn¡¯t wasn¡¯t even a possibility she needed to consider.


    During the time she had spent in training with the order, she¡¯d had to lead a group of other trainees on some exercises, one of the few times she had held the authority. But that authority was given to her by the instructors just before the exercise started, in front of everyone. Thus there was never a point where someone questioned that authority. On a few occasions she¡¯d held authority because of her strength, as happened when she went to help with the evacuation during the rift incident, but there her power was obviously on display so no one would question it.


    She had killed people often in the past and it never even occurred to consider whether she had the authority or right to do so or not. Mostly because assassins didn¡¯t have such authority. That was the whole point. That¡¯s why they worked in secret. As a result, she¡¯d never been in a position where someone would even think to question her authority to command or take a life. She knew of the possibility of something like that happening on an intellectual level, but couldn¡¯t connect that happening to her. Who would ever do that anyway?


    There was also the matter of something being rational. Dee was a very rational person, if you didn¡¯t take into consideration the times her draconic heritage made its presence known. On some level she assumed other people to behave rationally as well, and expected them to do the rational and logical thing in most situations. This despite the fact that she knew better and often took advantage of their lapses in judgement. She¡¯d seen enough of the world to know people acted irrationally. Yet when she was presented with a new situation, her default instinct was to assume the other people involved would make rational decisions as well.


    Somehow it didn¡¯t even occur to her that someone would be so irrational as to question her authority if she took the action of killing the general and taking her position. Obviously no one would be stupid enough to just bluff such authority, so the logical choice was to assume it to be true. Trust but confirm. And yet, that would most likely not be the case if things really played off if Dee had to take the general¡¯s life.


    Luckily for the both of them, one of the runners used by the order approached her before they got far from the keep and handed her a set of papers. One of them carried the orders of the grandmaster, granting Dee the authority they had just been talking about. Another one of the papers was a letter penned by the grandmaster, which basically laughed at Dee for forgetting such a thing. Apparently he had not forgotten. It also ordered Dee to keep the orders secret and safe unless they were required. If they were not, Dee was to make sure to burn them to avoid misuse, not that they really could be misused as both Dee and General Luthana were named in the orders.


    Another thing included was directions to the specific gathering point where Dee needed to go. Those Dee had at least remembered to find out from the clerks at the keep, but written instructions were still nice. If the order had gathered and deployed all those soldiers from the headquarters directly, everyone who cared to look would have noticed what was going on. Even with precautions most communities that cared enough to find out knew that something big was going on, but at least their exact destinations and plans were secret.


    The forces used for this operation had been divided into twenty separate armies, each deploying from a different location. Those locations were scattered around the Day city, partially because the order was drawing forces from different chapters instead of deploying entire complete chapters, which would leave areas controlled by the order unprotected. The place Dee¡¯s group was deploying from was in the south part of sixth circle, covered by the 2nd chapter. The chapter in charge of the east side of the Day city, the 1st chapter, would of course provide the most forces for this operation, but this army was drawn from the 2nd.


    As all the teleportation gates of that particular city were currently busy deploying the order¡¯s troops, Dee had to make her own portal to get there. When they did arrive with Noyala, the duo immediately noted the orderly ranks of the order marching through the gateways. The troops made it through the gates relatively fast due to the fact that they were all going to the same place, and the mages employed by the order were helping with keeping the gateways open for longer periods of time. Nevertheless, it took a lot of time to move this many people, another thing that was made a little easier with the force being divided into smaller armies. There was still at least seven hundred thousand troops waiting for their turn, and big portion of them weren¡¯t even in formation yet. And why would they be, considering it would take hours before their turn came.


    ¡°It takes a lot of coordination to move this many people, and even more so coordinating the movements of all the separate armies.¡± Dee voiced the thought that suddenly occurred to her. She had never really realized what was required for the movements of such large groups of people.


    ¡°And that¡¯s not even considering supplies.¡± Noyala confirmed with a small smile. ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons many high ranking communities give up on the idea and just focus on using a handful of stupidly powerful individuals. It¡¯s not that a well-trained and large army can¡¯t combine their powers and resist the attacks of a rank nine or even rank ten being. It¡¯s just that it takes infinitely more effort to move and train such armies. Theoretically, if you could get enough people together, they could even stand up to a rank eleven immortal with their combined powers. The problem is that the one immortal can move around so much easier and faster and doesn¡¯t require a huge commitment of resources and supplies. That one immortal can run rings around such huge armies and take them apart piece by piece, or strike at places where that army isn¡¯t situated.


    ¡°There¡¯s also a limit to what the combined weight of numbers can accomplish. Eventually an immortal can hit a point where they can simply wipe such armies out no matter how many stand against them. It¡¯s not that an army of people can¡¯t have an equal amount of power; it¡¯s simply that an individual will always be better at using that power. That¡¯s why it¡¯s not done usually. That¡¯s why the true battle strength of a second circle community is most often made up of less than a hundred people. They have more people that take part in battles of course, but the real do-or-die battles are resolved by the elites. Communities like the order are rather rare in the grand scheme of things.¡±


    After a moment of observing the moving army, Dee spotted the person she was looking for. General Luthana had just exited one of the buildings near the gateways, along with some senior staff that would be coming along through the gate. Dee gave a small signal to Noyala, and the two started moving towards the general. Dee did nothing to hide their approach, so the guards surrounding Luthana and her staff noticed them easily. They saw Dee¡¯s attire and recognized many possible reasons for her to be there, but Noyala¡¯s presence was a little odd so two of them moved to intercept, though without drawing their weapons.


    Luthana recognized Dee from a distance, which wasn¡¯t hard as Dee wasn¡¯t hiding her appearance and her tails were rather distinctive. She waved the guards away. ¡°Let them through. We¡¯ve been expecting her.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Dee made a small salute while wearing a wry smile. Despite what she might be forced to do in the near future, the two had gotten along during Dee¡¯s training. ¡°General. Congratulations on your promotion.¡±


    ¡°Dee, it¡¯s good to see you. The grandmaster sent word we should expect reinforcements, and he didn¡¯t disappoint.¡± Luthana greeted the approaching Dee, who wasn¡¯t hiding her level of power. The people couldn¡¯t tell her exact strength, but they could make an educated guess at least. ¡°It¡¯s also great to get a reliable scout with us considering where we are going. Information is power after all, and the centaurs are known for their mobility.¡±


    Dee had idly noted the lack of scouts among the general¡¯s staff. That could be because they were already busy scouting the area around their destination, but usually at least one of them would stay with the general to parse through the reports which were usually sent in code in case it was intercepted. That meant that the scouts were for some reason not taking an active role in this army at least. A curious situation.


    One of the male officers walked up. ¡°That would mean she is to be under my command then?¡± The male human asked rather stoically.


    General Luthana was about to answer, but was pre-empted by Dee. ¡°Actually, the grandmaster ordered me to become the second in command for the general.¡± She decided to push her luck a bit outside the orders. ¡°Specifically I¡¯m still only under the command of the Blade Razark and the grandmaster, but I¡¯m nominally placed under the general for the duration of this mission.¡±


    Luthana¡¯s eyebrow rose a bit. ¡°That seems like an odd arrangement. It¡¯s not very good for the army to not have a clear chain of command.¡±


    The other officers agreed with Luthana, and were making a bit more stringent objections about someone suddenly coming in to give them orders. Dee just smiled a little before answering. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not here to give any orders to mess with you. You could think of me as a free agent of sorts. I have my own orders, but I¡¯m also here to help and provide assistance when required. And to observe. The grandmaster seems to think me worth developing and I¡¯m here to learn what goes into leading an army by observing one in action.¡±


    Noyala stepped up at this point and interjected with a smile of her own. ¡°She¡¯s too reserved to admit it, but it¡¯s mostly a matter of power. Both of us are significantly stronger than anyone here. It might be a bit hard to admit but the two of us represent pretty much the biggest military power the order can commit without actually sending a Blade along. It doesn¡¯t really make sense to put us under the command of an officer clearly weaker than us. We are here in case the enemy can throw something really nasty at us. Of course we will defer to the judgement of the general at the scene unless it is an emergency we need to react to immediately.¡±


    Noyala¡¯s words at the same time put the officers in their place, and softened the blow by providing a plausible reason why they were not under the senior staff¡¯s command. The Sidhe woman clearly played off of Dee¡¯s words, and she did it that way because she liked the direction Dee had decided to take it, even if Dee didn¡¯t quite drive the point home well enough. This also provided a possible explanation for the future situation where Dee might have to assume command. They were on a special assignment. Of course they had special authority. It also discouraged the general from doing anything stupid by putting her on notice without actually making any threats or revealing their purpose here.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve come a long way in the past three years Dee. I knew you had potential, but I didn¡¯t realize just how quickly you would grow into it. Though thinking back on it, maybe I should have suspected this. Still good to see you here, even more so if what the lady Sidhe said is correct. We¡¯ll be moving through the gate with the next batch. I would prefer it if you did as well. I know your scouting abilities, and it would be better if you started gathering information as soon as possible.¡± Luthana said, maintaining her attitude. She was genuinely glad for Dee¡¯s progress, and didn¡¯t mind the specifics as long as Dee could do her job.


    Dee made a small gesture of agreement. As the two moved away from the general¡¯s staff, Dee had to ask. ¡°You know, I never did ask you how strong you were. I think it might be useful to know if we¡¯ll be spending time together. I¡¯ll also have to know what we can take on. I can somewhat fight with a rank nine warrior on equal basis, though the victory isn¡¯t guaranteed. I¡¯m a class eight psion in case you didn¡¯t count the tails.¡±


    Noyala pursed her lips a bit. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought the ranks to be a little subjective, but officially I¡¯m a rank eight mage and a rank seven warrior.¡±


    Dee gave a small whistle. ¡°Well then. I guess you were right. We could deal with higher ranked threats. I thought the Sidhe were supposed to stick to one thing at a time? This may be forward or me to say, but you certainly don¡¯t look old enough to have maxed your potential either as a warrior or as a mage.¡±


    Noyala laughed mirthfully. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but you¡¯re not entirely right either. The martial path is considered to be one single path in its entirety. Or at least I consider it to be such. Otherwise it would make me too one dimensional. Besides, there¡¯s a limit on how much you can do to train as a warrior or a mage at one time without giving time a chance to do its thing. As you know, a person¡¯s powers grow with time, and there¡¯s only so much training you can do while waiting for that to happen. The two methods of training also support one another. In reality I¡¯m much better as a mage than a warrior, but I trained my body and my weapon skills between the mage training sessions. There are also some benefits to being a Sidhe, since we¡¯re naturally strong.¡±


    Dee certainly understood that, as she had herself trained in multiple things at the same time. Sometimes one training took time from the others, but she was a much stronger person overall thanks to spreading her time a bit. Still, the fact that Noyala had become a rank seven warrior essentially on her free time was something to keep in mind. Dee herself wasn¡¯t the only being capable of rapid progress in multiple fields. ¡°Something worth noting. They didn¡¯t ask any questions about your presence.¡±


    ¡°That would be because you alluded that you had special orders. They assumed those orders have something to do with the Sidhe and I¡¯m along because of that. They also know they wouldn¡¯t get an answer if they asked about your special mission. They know there¡¯s something going on between the Winter court and the order and assume I¡¯m here representing the court.¡± Noyala laughed. ¡°Hide a big lie inside a half-truth. Something very commonly done in the seasonal courts.¡±


    ----------


    In the end it took almost the entire day to get the army through the gate, though the first units started moving towards their destination as soon as they had gathered on the other side. It was impossible to move more than a million soldiers in a single group so even this army was divided into smaller parts led by their own officers. Every division had a certain amount of autonomy of movement, as was the order¡¯s doctrine, but they would quickly gather when faced with a larger threat.


    This army had come out amongst some ruins in the mountains north of Craghold. For Dee it would take a day and a half at most to traverse the distance, but it would take several days for the whole army. In fact the army would not even try to move faster due to the need to coordinate with the other armies. They were relatively lucky in the fact that they could use a gateway to get this close to their target, but many other armies had to traverse much larger distances. The main strategy of the order was to pincer the centaur forces from multiple directions, and then form a protective perimeter on the elven border. Some armies had to move large distances to get to the center area covered by the centaur spell stopping spatial magic.


    Of course this army would not wait weeks for the central forces to get into position. They would instead push the centaurs towards the center and then converge on them when the other armies had arrived. Still, their army couldn¡¯t move too fast, or that would ruin the plan. This of course made Dee fairly grumpy as it delayed them from helping Razark, but she did understand the necessity. That said, she would do her damndest to move things along and to give the centaurs something else to think about.


    She and Noyala moved ahead of the army to eliminate the centaur scouts and patrols. Nominally this was done to deny the centaurs information on their numbers and approach, but Dee did her best to make sure none of the centaur scouts in the general direction made it back. The void of information would make the centaurs worry, and if one of their number stumbled upon the gruesome scenes of death, they¡¯d find bits of centaurs scattered over the area as a warning to not come back.


    Dee had many advantages when it came to locating the centaur scouts that many others didn¡¯t. She could sense the mana or ki in their bodies, and she could sense their minds in the Mindscape. Noyala was less proficient at locating the scouts, but she was very good at silently eliminating them, and Dee had to give her grudging respect at the Sidhe woman¡¯s ability to stay undetected. Those skills were not enough to hide from Dee, but again she had her special means. Noyala had more than enough skill to hide from the centaurs.


    It was only a matter of time before the centaur warhost started sending larger groups to check the nature of the danger in the mountains. First a dozen centaurs together, and later on groups of hundreds. The two worked out a system where Noyala would assault the centaurs with her magic and Dee would get rid of any stragglers that survived the first contact. Even with this the two couldn¡¯t be everywhere, and eventually word of the approaching paladins got back to the centaur warhost. Luckily this was late enough that the army was almost out from the mountains.


    At this point there was no longer any point in hiding their presence, so Luthana ordered the army to move at the fastest possible speed towards Craghold. The distance between the two armies was short enough that the centaurs couldn¡¯t utilize their trademark harassment tactics in the short time it took to close the gap. There were small skirmishes where the centaurs struck quickly and pulled back to avoid retaliation, but the paladins were experts at defense and protecting their own so losses were nominal at most.


    Dee watched with interest from her elevated position as the Radiant Sun¡¯s army took their own position on the field opposite of the centaurs. There would not be any real battle today as the light was already fading, but the two armies would most likely meet on the field tomorrow. The city of Craghold was in a sorry shape. There were several breaches in the walls and much of the city was in ruins as the centaurs had rushed the gaps in the walls and set the buildings on fire before being pushed back. Even the stone houses burnt when subjected to magical fire.


    Razark had not been idle either. The centaur summoning arrays were no more, and Dee could see deep gashes and craters where they used to be, with centaur mages'' corpses littering the devastated areas. That was most likely recent as the warhost had not yet claimed their dead for burial by fire. There were also a fair bit fewer of the centaurs arrayed outside the walls than there had been when Dee had left. She could also feel Razark¡¯s presence in the city, and had felt him for days now. No doubt he had noticed their approach as well. Things were about to get interesting.

 Chapter 86

    As the darkness fell, Dee was already geared up and ready to slip into the centaur camp to thin their numbers, before she stopped in hesitation. Taking this course of action seemed so obvious to her. Thin the enemy ranks, gain a bit of power for herself by absorbing their souls, and make the battle tomorrow easier for the order. Was there anything that could be objected with the plan? What had made her pause though, was that it was the assassin inside her that made this plan. Was the assassin training so ingrained in her, that she didn¡¯t even notice when it took hold? What¡¯s worse, she wasn¡¯t sure if that was a good thing or not.


    What if her going on a killing spree was against the order¡¯s plans? Not that they would mind the enemy losing a bit of their strength, but her actions might prompt a reaction of some kind. Perhaps the centaurs would be instigated to start the battle earlier when they found the bodies? She dismissed that idea straight away, as the order had to be ready for a surprise night attack, especially this close to the enemy. That was the basic of tactics, wasn¡¯t it? Always be ready. She couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t constrain her actions in fear of some potential phantom plan she might ruin with her actions, otherwise she would never be able to do anything. And a plan that was ruined so easily was no plan at all, and would not survive contact with the enemy.


    What about the moral side of things then? Dee had never been really bothered by such things herself, but for some reason the order frowned on killing people except in battle and as a judgement for crimes. Dee didn¡¯t quite see the distinction herself, or at the very least it seemed to be on flimsy ground at best. Either someone deserved death or they didn¡¯t. What was the point in the theatrics of a trial or the so called honor of a battle? Would it not be more efficient to just slip a blade between the enemy¡¯s ribs while they slept? Yet, for some reason the order seemed to frown on such practices, even if the darker sides of the order did do that very thing when necessary. Was it the stealthy nature of the kill that bothered the order? Was there some sort of benefit for doing things openly? Dee herself didn¡¯t really see the point personally.


    Yet, everyone from Faylen to Razark had tried weeding the habits of an assassin out of her. Why was that exactly? She had gone along with it, mainly because her memories of everything she had to suffer at the hands of Zabaniya made her want to distance herself from the group. But now that she had gained some distance and some perspective, were the methods of the Zabaniya so wrong? Obviously the beating and killing of children for training was something to be avoided, but the actual assassination part? The order killed for their own reasons and benefit and not just for their vaunted justice, probably more people than Zabaniya did. Good assassins were actually more discerning about their marks, even though they killed for reward. Didn¡¯t the order do the same, just that the reward was less obvious?


    Her thoughts were interrupted as her tent flap was pushed aside. She and Noyala had tents next to each other at the edge of the camp, where the other tents were placed a bit away from their tents. Noyala pushed a dark clad man inside the tent, with a curved sword pointed at the man¡¯s back. ¡°Look what I found skulking around.¡± The Sidhe woman said with a chipper voice. She also noted Dee¡¯s dark attire and equipment with interest. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what Dee had planned.


    While the man was hiding his powers from others, he couldn¡¯t really hide them from Dee, and she recognized the man. She had in fact killed him before, or at least destroyed his body. She noticed that his body felt a little¡­hollow. She had felt the same thing last time but hadn¡¯t known why. ¡°You¡¯re getting sloppy assassin. It doesn¡¯t do the Zabaniya name justice to get caught so easily.¡± She said in a mocking tone.


    The man remained calm. ¡°That would be because I wasn¡¯t really trying to hide. I learned from last time that you react¡­violently when put on the spot and surprised. This time I didn¡¯t mask my approach from you. Though I do admit she wasn¡¯t supposed to notice me. I might not have been trying too hard to hide, but I wasn¡¯t advertising my presence either. No need to alert the paladins to my presence.¡±


    Noyala gave a small smirk. ¡°Next time you might want to be more aware of your surroundings.¡±


    Two things struck Dee while Noyala needled the assassin. First of all, his presence here was quite coincidental. She had just been wondering about her assassin past, and now here he was. She believed in coincidences, she just didn¡¯t trust them. This smelt almost fateful though. It was doubtful someone could read her mind without notice. Second thing that struck her was that she had been too lost in her thoughts to notice his approach. Oh she would¡¯ve noticed him eventually, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that Noyala had noticed him first, and he had gotten close enough to at least try a ranged attack on her life.


    Dee¡¯s awareness and senses were supposed to be her strong suit. Was she growing too soft? Was the confidence she had gained from her training and increased power dulling her senses? Was she really straying too far from her assassin past? Razark also highlighted awareness of one¡¯s surroundings and being careful, but it was a different kind of awareness from the almost animalistic senses that assassins had to develop to constantly dance on the blade between life and death.


    With a frown she addressed the assassin. ¡°What brings one of your kind here? I think I¡¯ve made my feelings about your little organization clear.¡±


    The man shot a questioning glance at Noyala.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who got caught. Now you have to deal with the consequences.¡± Dee pointed out a little flippantly.


    The man shrugged. It wasn¡¯t really his problem, as Dee was risking more by letting this information leak. Something she had noted, but decided to use to test Noyala a bit. ¡°The master has a message for you. He wants to have a few words.¡± The man slowly reached into a small pouch on his belt, and pulled out a crystal orb covered in magical runes. Dee¡¯s eyes narrowed as she noted the heavy enchantments on the object. Something like that could be really dangerous depending on the specific enchantments.


    Her worries were allayed a bit when Noyala made a small whistle. ¡°Oh wow, someone really wants to talk to you badly. That¡¯s an Orb of Secrets!¡±


    Dee just raised her eyebrow questioningly. She could read the magic in the item somewhat, but even her senses had trouble understanding the purpose of the item. The enchantments were too complex and layered on top of each other, making reading them almost impossible. One thing was clear, someone had gone through a lot of trouble to create this item.


    Noyala noticed the questioning look. ¡°Right, this one is on the cutting edge when it comes to magical artifacts. Even I¡¯ve seen only a couple at the Sidhe Winter court before. Normally magical communications over long distances are a pretty dumb idea, as the longer the distance, the bigger the chance of someone sensing the communication and listening in or stopping it. Even most specialized items have trouble really guaranteeing safety, and they tend to be single use. Orbs of Secrets are a little special. They form a sort of reality pocket shared between two paired orbs. The holders of the orbs can send their minds into that pocket to discuss freely. These things are stupendously rare and expensive.¡±


    ¡°Any chance this is a trap?¡± Dee asked to confirm. She didn¡¯t really think so, as there were cheaper ways to try and trap her. She could now recognize the communication nature of some of the enchantments.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Noyala considered for a short moment. ¡°It¡¯s possible. Not very likely though. These things are delicate magic. Adding something on top of all that would be¡­difficult and potentially explosive.¡±


    Dee considered for a while. This was a risk. Risk she didn¡¯t have to take. But the whole situation had the feeling of fate getting involved in things, and she got the feeling that going along with the risk also carried the possibility of profits. Her draconic pride suddenly surged within her, almost whispering to her that if these puny people wanted to trap her, then let them try. She would trample their feeble attempts and show them what happened to anyone that dared. For once, she was inclined to agree with that part of her.


    ¡°Watch him closely. Preferably restrain him with magic. I¡¯ll accept their invitation since they¡¯ve gone to such lengths to give one.¡± Dee said pointing at the assassin, only getting a wicked grin as a response from Noyala.


    ------


    As her mind entered the orb, Dee found herself in a relatively luxurious room. The room was covered in diaphanous silk sheets working as curtains separating the area into parts, while the floor was covered in embroidered and tasseled pillows. She soon noticed a large painting in the middle of the room from between the curtains. The painting seemed as if it was alive and depicted an armored demon plunging a lance through the chest of a very familiar archangel. Even though the demon¡¯s white fur was completely covered in blood, it didn¡¯t take a genius to recognize who the figure in the painting was supposed to be. The foxtails and ears made it obvious. The scene was vivid and covered in crimson as many other angels lay dead on the ground below the two struggling figures.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve already noticed my artwork.¡± A deep and sonorous voice came from behind her.


    The voice had not caught her by surprise as the man had done nothing to hide his approach. ¡°Interesting motif. It doesn¡¯t seem accidental.¡± Dee replied without turning around.


    The man barked a small laugh. ¡°It¡¯s not. I¡¯ve tried to create a weapon, and the painting describes the purpose I have for that weapon.¡±


    ¡°The only purpose?¡± Dee asked with a small shudder. Something in the man¡¯s voice gave her cold shivers, for what reason she did not know.


    ¡°The main purpose. There are other things I have in mind, but those are not really for me to decide.¡± The man replied, the smile clear in his voice. The two were playing a game now.


    ¡°And who gets to decide?¡± Dee asked, knowing the answer but wanted it voiced.


    ¡°The weapon of course. A weapon you need to swing around and who has no mind of their own is mediocre at best. A true weapon does what is required because it chooses to do so. A weapon that chooses its own fate will pursue that fate with far greater effort than one that is forced by an owner.¡± The man¡¯s voice held great disdain when it uttered the word owner.


    ¡°Might I remind you that I stopped being your weapon years ago.¡± Dee countered the man¡¯s words.


    The man replied immediately. ¡°You might have become without an owner, if you truly ever had one, but you never stopped being a weapon. Why do you think I sent you away?¡±


    ¡°Sent me away?¡± Dee finally turned around to look at the older dignified looking man. The man looked like a greyed but not quite elderly human, something that was unlikely to be accurate as only their minds were here. They could change their appearance at will, and the man¡¯s voice didn¡¯t quite match the body.


    The man gave a small laugh. ¡°Surely you don¡¯t think the order found you on their own? Have you heard of them making further raids on our compounds since? Or before then? And they just happened to hit the base that held Wraith, the assassin they wanted to get rid of.¡±


    That was something that had bothered her before. It was one of the reasons she still held the fear of all this being some kind of dream or elaborate ruse by the assassins. ¡°So you sent me away? Why?¡±


    ¡°A proper weapon needs time and experience to develop. And develop you have. Both when it comes to your power and personality. There¡¯s more work to be done, but you¡¯re on the right path. For the most part at least. Like I said, I want you to take on the purpose I have envisioned because you choose to do so, and not because I forced you to do so.¡± The man explained patiently.


    ¡°For the most part?¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s partially why we¡¯re meeting now. It is only natural that your teachers want you to take a path that they think is correct. You yourself clearly don¡¯t have fond memories of us, so you probably also feel the desire to throw certain parts of yourself away. Namely those parts that have to do with us. You¡¯re coming to a crossroads of sorts soon enough, if you aren¡¯t already there. I¡¯m here simply to remind you that there are other options besides throwing that part of yourself away completely or becoming our thrall.¡± The man walked past Dee and looked at the painting.


    ¡°What are you saying exactly? Playing games is fun and all, but let us be direct for once. I already have enough trouble trusting anything you say, let¡¯s not make it even more convoluted.¡± Dee didn¡¯t mind games, but preferred not to play them with someone that she shared such a dark past with.


    ¡°The others might not have noticed, and even if they have they don¡¯t quite realize the extent of it. However, we who so often come in contact with death can¡¯t help but notice the power you gain from the deaths of others. Why limit that to the battlefield? You don¡¯t have to throw your senses and skills as an assassin away just to avoid being controlled by us. We can work together without stepping on each other¡¯s toes. Be a good templar during the day, but at night let your darker side out.¡± The man suggested.


    ¡°And why would I need you for that? Even assuming I wanted to keep the assassin part of me alive.¡± Dee asked pointedly.


    The man laughed. ¡°For one, because we can help. For another, because we can keep you from getting rusty. I¡¯m guessing you weren¡¯t too happy with how close Asahim got tonight. Yes I already got word of that. One of his special abilities I¡¯m afraid. The reason he got so close is because you no longer think like us. You don¡¯t need to always think like us, but you have to be able to do so when required. At least retain the sense of danger if nothing else. You could do some work for us when you have time. You¡¯d benefit in various ways, not the least of which is the power you¡¯d gain. I would make sure your marks would be palatable and challenging enough to keep you on your toes.¡±


    Dee shook her head. ¡°Working with you is not exactly part of my plans. But you¡¯re right in one thing. I have become rusty. That is something I need to fix.¡± ¡®Also, maybe throwing away my assassin past completely is a mistake.¡¯ She thought to herself.


    The man shrugged simply. ¡°We shall see. Keep the orb. It might become handy.¡±


    The man watched as Dee disappeared from the room. After a moment of quiet, another female figure, much older this time, walked out from behind certain curtains hiding an alcove. Hiding someone¡¯s presence in this space was much easier than outside. Even Dee hadn¡¯t noticed anything. It had taken several powerful artifacts and spells to get Asahim so close to her in the real world, even with the millions of people surrounding her as a distraction. She wasn¡¯t as rusty as they wanted her to think, and it had taken some fairly specific things to work just right for the whole thing to work. The little demon¡¯s senses really were scary.


    ¡°So that was her? She¡¯s the one you¡¯re pinning your hopes on.¡± The older woman asked. The woman¡¯s dark skin showed from small gaps in her disguise. ¡®Sloppy work.¡¯ The man thought to himself, while observing the majestic bearing of the woman that screamed of someone used to having people obey her every word.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one. She¡¯s also the best to fulfill your request.¡± He voiced out loud instead.


    ¡°Is she capable of doing it? She seems so young. I won¡¯t lie; I¡¯d feel a lot more secure if you handled this personally. Someone with a hero Authority of an assassin should be more than capable.¡± The woman said with a skeptical voice.


    The man gave a small chuckle. ¡°There¡¯s much more to her than meets the eye. She has the power and skill required, or at the very least she will when it''s time. She can solve your little problem. The question is, will she? You heard her. She isn¡¯t someone that likes taking orders, not from me at least. When it comes to me¡­well I could theoretically solve your little problem, but real immortals are a lot harder to kill than certain ¡®fakes¡¯ I know, and extended battles aren¡¯t my forte.¡± It was quite clear he was referring to the woman with the word fake.


    The woman hissed in displeasure. ¡°Watch your words cutthroat. This fake might have more teeth than you think. If you can¡¯t order her around, then maybe I should find someone who can? You clearly aren¡¯t willing to do it. I don¡¯t care if she kills the cursed shadow or the blessed light, but one of them has to go.¡±


    The man¡¯s face split in a wide smile as the woman disappeared in a huff. He rather liked the direction this was taking. He couldn¡¯t leave himself as exposed as a fight with a true immortal would leave him, but for Dee it would be perfect training. He was also intrigued which way she would end up going in this situation. He also had no doubt that the woman that had just left would find some leverage to pull Dee into the web of lies that was the four seasonal courts. Eventually that would force things to a confrontation. How much of the courts would remain after that confrontation was a mystery.


    ------


    ¡°How long was I gone?¡± Dee asked Noyala as soon as her mind returned.


    ¡°Only a couple of minutes.¡± Noyala replied, slightly distracted by all the magical ropes she was using to bind the assassin.


    ¡°Sorry to spoil your fun, but you can let him go now.¡± Dee said with a small chuckle. The Sidhe woman seemed to be having such fun.


    ¡°Aww, you came to an agreement of sorts?¡± The sentence was half a question, half a statement of the obvious. And a little bit of disappointment for her spoiled fun.


    ¡°Of sorts. Now I have a few centaurs to kill.¡± Dee said grimly.


    ¡°I was actually instructed to help you with that in case it came up.¡± The bound assassin pointed out while lying on the ground.


    ¡°Ooh, we¡¯re doing a night raid?¡± Noyala seemed almost eager.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s been too long since I got my murder on, and I have some very specific targets in mind.¡± Dee said, quite glad and somewhat surprised of Noyala¡¯s attitude to the whole thing. Maybe it wasn¡¯t all that bad that the woman knew bits of her past.

 Chapter 87

    Morning saw the two armies arrayed at the opposite sides of a long stretch of grasslands. With armies this big, the battle lines were simply too long to effectively observe from a single location, and the lines stretched for several dozen kilomels in both directions from the order¡¯s command post. The battle lines would¡¯ve been even longer, but both armies held over a third of their forces in reserve to replace tired troops and to take advantage of any breaches in the enemy lines.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with the centaurs?¡± General Luthana asked with a frown.


    The question was reasonable, since the centaurs were rushing around as if they were reacting to some sort of large event. Or preparing for one. Most of their lines were arrayed for the battle, but the rest of them looked like an anthill that had been kicked over. The officers on the order side were not sure what to make of the strange movements, since they didn¡¯t seem to be serving any tactical purpose.


    Dee looked at the vast ranks of centaurs for a while before making her comment. ¡°There seems to be a distinct lack of mages when compared to yesterday.¡± She said nonchalantly, as if the thinning of mages on the centaur side had nothing to do with her.


    ¡°You think something happened to their mages?¡± Noyala asked innocently, while covering her yawn with the back of her hand.


    ¡°Maybe Razark did something.¡± Dee said throwing the blame on her master.


    Their night raid had been very fruitful. They had specifically targeted the centaur mages, who had already suffered some casualties during the siege. Trying to assassinate the strongest warriors or the leaders among the centaurs could¡¯ve led to extended battles breaking out in the middle of the centaur camp. In addition the lower ranked mages were not as well protected or capable of resistance. Dee had walked through the camp like a true wraith and claimed the lives of the lower ranked centaur mages wherever she passed. She had already been familiar with their security thanks to her escape from the city.


    She also didn¡¯t want to admit it, but the presence of the Zabaniya assassin had helped immensely. He was one of the best assassins among the Zabaniya after all, and his speed at cutting a swathe of death through the centaur camp was no less than Dee¡¯s own. That was mostly thanks to the fact that the man had divided into almost a hundred copies of himself as they moved towards the centaur camp. That was also the reason why the man had felt hollow to Dee earlier, as the body Noyala had captured was just another copy. The main body was most likely safe back at the headquarters, relaying everything that happened to his master.


    Noyala had not been as fast as the two people trained by Zabaniya, but her skills as a mage allowed her to infiltrate the areas of the stronger centaur mages with relative ease. Where Dee would have to either avoid the magical wards or break them, Noyala could just walk through them with the correct counter spells. As a result, while Dee and Asahim dealt with the lower ranked mages, Noyala had gone straight for the stronger ones. Several things in her behavior told Dee that this wasn¡¯t the first time the Sidhe woman did something like this. This combined with her impressive stealth abilities told a story of her past. A story that seemed familiar to Dee in certain ways.


    Perhaps that was part of the reason Dee felt such weird trust towards the woman. The previous night she had left her almost defenseless body in the care of Noyala while discussing with the leader of Zabaniya, and she had done it almost without even considering the possibility of danger. Something just told Dee that she would be safe in the Sidhe woman¡¯s care. At least for now, while their goals were aligned. Whatever Noyala¡¯s exact goals were, she had made it clear that Dee could be useful in fulfilling them. That combined with the familiar feeling of death and darkness that surrounded the woman that felt so familiar to Dee, made her feel like trusting Noyala was safe at least for the time being.


    She idly wondered about Noyala¡¯s past. It was clear the woman had some dealings with the Winter court. That much was obvious, made even more so by her friendship with a member of the Threads of Fate. Yet she had been hunted by a group of Sidhe that seemed to be elites among the Winter court forces. Maybe she was what could be called a ¡®problem solver¡¯. One that usually solved problems with sharp pointy objects. Maybe she had seen or heard something she shouldn¡¯t have during her work, resulting in the chase that had brought her into contact with Dee. Maybe that was who she wanted to take revenge on. An ex-employer now turned into an enemy that wanted to get rid of loose ends? That was a lot of maybes.


    Dee¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by a large burst of power from both armies. Apparently Luthana had decided to take advantage of the confusion among the centaur ranks and had commanded the order¡¯s forces to advance. The bursts of power were from the two armies combining their powers before coming into contact with the enemy ranks. The paladins used their typical Aegis to protect themselves, as a golden protective field settled over their heads, intercepting incoming arrows from the centaur skirmishers.


    Dee was somewhat surprised to see that the Aegis was not a single protective field this time, but several overlapping fields covering different parts of the army instead. Then again it made sense with some thought. While a single unified Aegis would be stronger, the whole army would be boned if the person creating the Aegis was killed. Instead each section of the army had their own Aegis, but they were overlapping partly so that if one part came under heavy bombardment, the others could extend their portion over to take some of the load.


    Golden light also surrounded the paladins and templar. The exact nature of the buffs they received depended on the person creating that particular section of the Aegis, but usually they were defensive and strengthening in nature. A weird glow also came over the centaur army. They didn¡¯t have a protective field like the paladins, but each centaur was showing a glowing aura. Dee couldn¡¯t tell the exact effects, but it was rather safe to say the centaurs were greatly strengthened, and seemed on the border of going berserk. Apparently the aura was almost as much to stop them from running away from the battle as it was to empower them.


    ¡°Normally the centaurs wouldn¡¯t get caught in a pitched battle like this. When dealing with armies this size, the battle becomes less about tactics and more about pure staying power and crisis management. There¡¯s not enough space to maneuver and trying to maneuver armies this large would be folly anyway. As a race, one of the strengths of the centaurs is their mobility, so a battle like this is not in their favor. Usually they would try to harass us as much as possible with hit and run tactics of their lighter forces. When we give chase, they would turn around and strike at the weak sports in our strung out lines with their heavier forces. Now they can¡¯t. Can you tell me why?¡± Luthana remembered that Dee was here to learn, and she also wanted to hear the kitsune girl¡¯s thoughts in case there were some new insights to be had from a fresh pair of eyes.


    Dee considered for a moment. ¡°Well, they would have to abandon the siege and risk getting hit by both us and Razark while retreating. I¡¯m guessing they also asked for help from their other warhosts, as they aren¡¯t aware of them being tied down by our other armies. Normally the centaurs could use their mobility to reinforce each other quickly. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re hoping to keep up the fight until their reinforcements strike us in our rear.¡± She might not have much experience, but she wasn¡¯t stupid.


    Luthana nodded. ¡°Correct. There¡¯s also the fact that we¡¯re roughly equal in number, in fact they might have a bit more troops than we do. So they probably aren¡¯t sure if they can defeat us with their current forces. They can¡¯t in case you were wondering. Mobility is their forte, while pitched battles like these are ours. We have the best heavy infantry in Pantheon, and with our holy powers our staying power is almost ridiculous. We might not be able to blast them away like a large group of mages would, but we can and will grind them to dust over several days of battle, or until they run away.¡±


    Her voice was suddenly covered by the thundering sound of millions of hooves hitting the ground as the centaurs charged towards the order¡¯s lines that were already approaching them in kind. The eerie singing and hide drums echoed with the hoof-beats of the centaurs and a great crash of metal overrode all other sounds as the lines crashed into each other. Or it was more accurate to say the centaurs crashed into the wall that was the order¡¯s lines that barely budged from the impact. The crush of momentum carried the second, third and fourth ranks of the centaurs into the backs of the first rank. The centaurs of the first rank were almost all killed, not by the order but by the crush of flesh from their own troops stampeding over their brothers and sisters.


    The battle devolved into a prolonged melee as both armies waited for an opening to exploit. The first two hours of battle saw no change as people died from lances, swords, axes, arrows and crossbow bolts. At that point the order started to show its professionalism as it used a part of the reserves to rotate into the battle, taking over from the exhausted men that had been battling all this while. This was a dangerous maneuver, as the moment of switching places revealed small gaps in the line. Luckily the centaurs were unable to exploit those gaps, partially as the battle had worn on them as well. Their weird aura increased their stamina, but constant fighting took its toll in slowing the reflexes and the acuity to take advantage of small gaps in the enemy.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    On the other hand, the centaurs now had tired troops fighting against fresh troops from the order. This soon caused collapses in some parts of the centaur lines. This allowed the templar to push in and strike at the now opened flanks of the centaurs. The centaurs responded by throwing their gathered ki at those collapsed areas, as enormous swords of ki struck at the Aegis protecting the troops. Most of the Aegis shields held against the onslaught, but one of the paladins holding up an Aegis segment got distracted by the added strain and was cut down by the nearby higher ranked centaur warrior.


    The dying paladin had been quick enough to let the Aegis collapse before dying, but that left one part of their army vulnerable. Their buffs would not run out so quickly, but now there was nothing to stop the centaurs from pouring all their power into the open part of the army, and all manner of ki attacks suddenly rained on the exposed troops. The neighboring Aegis were extended to cover the exposed part, but there was a large price paid in blood as paladins and templar were torn to shreds by the storm of ki, collapsing some of the formations in that area.


    This prompted Luthana to send part of the reserves to take over that part of the battle, while the templar responded to the onslaught and since the centaurs focused their ki into attacking, they were too busy to defend properly. Contrary to the paladins, who were great at defense, the templars were much better at offense and the centaurs had to watch in horror as great columns of holy fire descended on parts of their army. Specifically, the templar targeted the reserves of the other side. Those already locked in combat were less of a threat as they were already tired, but striking at the fresh reserves removed the chance of getting less tired troops into battle and prevented their use in situations just like this one.


    The order¡¯s forces that had managed to breach into the centaur ranks widened the gaps that were now forming, and the heavy cavalry of the order rushed into those gaps, crushing the centaur resistance. The cavalry could have looped around to the rear of the fighting centaurs but they were soon intercepted by the remaining reserves of the centaur forces. Those reserves managed to stop the advance of the order cavalry, but the damage had been done. Now there were wedges of order forces splitting the centaur army into segments. This allowed the templars to focus their efforts on one segment at a time, reducing their numbers heavily.


    What surprised Dee was that Luthana didn¡¯t have to give any commands aside from giving the signal to the cavalry to make all this happen. This was the result of the orders doctrine of giving the local commanders a lot of leeway and autonomy, so they could take advantage of any opportunities presented. Noyala noticed Dee¡¯s evaluating look.


    ¡°The Radiant Sun has always liked using strategic generals instead of tactical ones.¡± She said in a quiet voice that only Dee could hear.


    ¡°Strategic generals?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Oh right, you¡¯re new to this. Generals can be as varied as people are in life, but they fall into three rough categories. Strategic generals are the type that likes to move armies on the maps and make large plans over longer periods of time. They also usually are excellent bean counters and logisticians, and for a good reason. In the absence of really powerful individuals, logistics and supplies decide wars.¡± Noyala explained, although her voice made it clear that she didn¡¯t really appreciate the bean counter type that much.


    ¡°Luthana probably falls into this category. It can be a bit hard to say for sure because the strategic types overlap somewhat with the tactical types. When you¡¯re thinking of generals that create magnificent ambushes or defeat the enemy by outmaneuvering them, you¡¯re thinking of the tactical types. They are the ones that can snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat with their minds and leadership alone.¡± Noyala¡¯s appreciation towards the tactical types was much stronger and clear in her voice.


    ¡°You said there were three categories.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, the third type is a bit..special. Those who like the third type call them the hero type, and those that don¡¯t call them warchiefs. The generals of this type hand in their general¡¯s baton in favor of becoming one of the soldiers and leading from the front. Their success can be hard to estimate as it depends greatly on their charisma and personal strength, but they are certainly the most unpredictable type.¡± Noyala¡¯s pursed lips were a sign of her not really knowing what to think of this type of generals. Many of the greatest heroes of the ages had been of this type, but so had been some of the greatest fools.


    Luthana had heard the end of their conversation as she came closer interjected at this point. ¡°And a wise ruler or community wants generals from all three categories as their strengths complement each other.¡± The general could guess the parts of the conversation that she had not heard as this was a common theory among the officers, and a source of endless debates on the merits of each type.


    ¡°General.¡± Dee greeted Luthana simply.


    ¡°Your turn will come in a moment in case you¡¯re willing. As we¡¯re putting a lot of stress on their ranks, they will have to send their strongest individuals to try and make a difference. I would like you to intercept them.¡± The general made it a request and not an order.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s my cue.¡± Dee replied almost immediately, as she noted a group of much bigger centaurs moving towards the order¡¯s cavalry.


    ¡°Need help?¡± Noyala asked, sounding almost hopeful.


    ¡°You can have the next group. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s more than one rank seven warrior in that group, the rest are rank six at most.¡± Dee replied, and seemed to vanish.


    At first she had planned to use her angel form and psionics to deal with the situation, but decided to save that for now. She had a feeling she might be forced to have dealings with the elven empire in the future, and she wanted to keep her angel form¡¯s appearance a secret for now. Her two other forms were simply too recognizable, and while the spies of the seasonal courts might have heard of her having an angel form, they most likely didn¡¯t know how she looked like exactly. If she hid her wings and halo, or changed the wing color, she might be able to pass off as an elf or a Dark Avariel like in the past.


    That was just a momentary whim, but she decided to go with it for now. Instead she took an enormous leap boosted with her psionic force control, and landed right on top of the group of higher ranked centaurs in her bestial form. The landing was rather unpleasant, for the centaurs that is. A furball of tooth, claw and power suddenly crashed in their midst, and tore four of them to pieces in the first attack. These centaurs didn¡¯t have the enhanced strength of some of the opponents she had faced lately, and she was already much higher ranked than they were, so the results were rather obvious.


    The biggest and most powerful centaur tried to catch Dee as she leaped from one centaur to another, tearing them to pieces as she went. Dee however liked this little cat and mouse play, although she was most assuredly the cat in this analogy, while one of the bigger mice tried to desperately fight her. She blasted a couple of large holes into the nearby normal centaur warrior ranks with her psionics as she passed by. Eventually she allowed the big centaur to catch her, and the big centaur cleaved his axe towards her, while she stood still just staring at the approaching ¡°danger¡±.


    ¡°Nope.¡± She cheekily said, as the centaur suddenly froze in place, the axe only centimels from her head. Not that it would have done that much damage to her reinforced body. Still, a strike to the head was a strike to the head. Unfortunately Dee had attacked the centaur¡¯s mind, and had frozen him in place as soon as she got access. Well, almost as soon as she got access. She had waited a bit for a theatric moment.


    ¡®Psychological warfare and all that.¡¯ She lied to herself in her own mind. Truthfully it was just more fun this way.


    She then proceeded to cleave the centaur¡¯s head from his shoulders before consuming all the dead souls in the vicinity. This was a battlefield, so there were a lot of souls floating around. Luckily she was far enough in the back ranks of the centaurs that the order didn¡¯t see what happened. The normal centaurs didn¡¯t notice either, although they felt a deep chill in their backs as they felt the souls being consumed, and they instinctively moved further away from Dee. Some of the more powerful centaurs did notice, which only increased the fear she instilled in them. It also earned her a nickname among the centaurs, the Reaper.


    The battle lasted until the evening, though the centaurs were already collapsing at this point. Once it became clear that the order would not be stopping the battle for the night, the centaurs realized they were in deep trouble. The final nail in their coffin came in the form of Razark attacking them from within the city. He wasn¡¯t alone as the remaining inhabitants also took the chance to exact some revenge on the ¡®clippity-clops¡¯ as the dwarves called the centaurs.


    The combination of these factors lead to a complete rout on the side of the centaurs. Dee got to see that a large portion of the casualties were actually inflicted at the moment of retreat, as the order shamelessly used all their power to strike at the unprotected backs of the retreating centaurs, while their cavalry rode down as many of the fleeing enemy as possible. Dee and Noyala didn¡¯t bother taking part in the slaughter, as there was no fun to be had there and the order was already doing a fine job of it.


    While General Luthana was happy to achieve victory in a single day instead of grinding the enemy down over several days, that still left the order to deal with the aftermath. Even as an assassin Dee had not seen quite anything like this. Even with the healing and protective powers of the order, a full hundred thousand of their members had fallen as casualties. That included the dead and those too seriously wounded to continue taking part in this operation. There was also another two hundred thousand inhabitants in city of Craghold that had either died or were in dire need of medical attention.


    All of the damage wasn¡¯t physical either. Many of the paladins and templar had never seen battle like this, and had suffered a severe mental shock as a result. Some people were brave in small battles and normal life, but simply collapsed when faced with war. Many people had seen their friends die and many others had lain bleeding and suffering on the field for hours before finally finding relief either in death or in the hands of the healers. Those that had been healed physically might never return to battle as the pain and suffering had left marks on their mind. They might need weeks, months or even years to fully recover, if they ever did. Those dwarves in the city had been forced to fight among the bodies of their dead for days. Although dwarves were hardy folk, staring at the dead bodies of your neighbors and family without the ability to bury them was heavy on the mind.


    And that didn¡¯t even touch the charnel house of the battlefield with hundreds of thousands of dead centaurs and paladins. There was blood and entrails everywhere. Even Dee felt a little queasy at the sight. She liked to kill relatively cleanly, and might even eat her kills in her beast form that didn¡¯t mind raw meat. This was far from any of that. The closest thing that she had seen and what eventually kept her calm was the memory of the stacked bodies of the dead children in the Zabaniya base she was rescued from.


    The centaurs had also left behind wounded, but those where finished off as soon as the order got the chance. General Luthana looked at the battlefield. "Gather our dead and build a funeral pyre for them. Return the bodies of those that have families. As for the centaurs, burn the whole field.¡±

 Chapter 88

    As the soldiers dealt with the wounded and corpses on both sides, Razark and few of the dwarves from the city of Craghold approached the command post of the army. The dwarves looked ragged and nobody could fault them for that. They had been through a wringer in the time before the order¡¯s army had arrived. A large portion of their people had died and a big part of their city was in ruins. Razark didn¡¯t really look any worse for wear though. A bit tired perhaps, but that was to be expected.


    ¡°Lord Razark.¡± General Luthana greeted him with a warrior¡¯s salute, while the rest of the officers behind her bowed.


    ¡°General.¡± Razark returned the simple greeting with a simple nod.


    ¡°Your attack at their rear was very timely. I have to thank you for that. It probably saved us from another day of fighting.¡± The general said genuinely grateful. In battles such as this the difference between one day of fighting and two was major.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure that¡¯s true considering the disadvantage the centaurs had fallen into, but there¡¯s no point in debating that point. I¡¯m curious to know what the plan is from here.¡± Razark asked in reply. More specifically he wanted to know if the general carried orders for him.


    He also noted the lack of any scouts besides Dee in the camp. It was likely the scouts had refused to take part in this whole operation. The order was not nearly as unified as it might look from the outside. The chapters often viewed each other as rivals, and the scouts viewed nearly all of the paladins with a degree of dislike on the good day and almost hostility on the bad ones. Over the years the scouts had been on the receiving end of enough internal politics to have little trust left. Razark was also part of the reason as he had done his best to separate the scouts from the order. And now the grandmaster had started a war near the elven empire with justifications and goals that were ambiguous at best. No wonder there were no scouts present.


    The dwarven elder leading their delegation interjected. ¡°More importantly, what are the odds the clippity-clops are coming back? The city isn¡¯t really in a state to mount much of a defense at this point. Is the order going to help with the defense of the city?¡±


    The general had been expecting the questions and didn¡¯t mind answering them at least partially. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely the centaurs will return in force, for as long as our armies are here at least. That said, it¡¯s not unlikely that they might try sending raiding parties around our army once it moves to go after them. In exchange for using your portals for supplying our army, we¡¯ll pitch in to help with the repairs of the city. Note that I said we¡¯ll pitch in. We won¡¯t be footing the whole bill. Since the city will be an important supply point, we¡¯ll of course station some forces here to safeguard our interests. That all said, we can¡¯t be entirely sure they won¡¯t try to do an endrun around our forces to attack again to cut off our supplies, but such an attack won¡¯t be as large as this one.¡±


    With the centaur army gone, the suppression inhibiting the teleportation gates from working was gone as well. The city¡¯s gateway was a fairly small one so it wasn¡¯t really enough for the order¡¯s purposes, not to even mention the need for supplies for the city and its repairs. The army¡¯s quartermaster and the dwarven elder started arguing about the details of the use of the gate. Luthana meanwhile handed Razark a sealed missive from the headquarters.


    As he tore it open the contents of the missive were unsurprising. It was one thing for him to get involved while he was caught inside the city, but the situation had not escalated to the point of immortals getting freely involved. That always marked a threshold that signified a large change in the nature of a conflict. If the Blades were sent to participate in the war, the war would become very short but it would also become a major conflict that might draw in other major powers, and the whole situation was already delicate enough as it was.


    No one was silly enough to think the order was here to protect the border cities. They were clearly meddling in the internal affairs of the elven empire with this move, but it was still borderline acceptable with the current level of involvement. If the immortals stepped in however, other powers might feel free to do the same, and that might result in the whole great forest turning into a smoldering crater as it became the battleground between immortals. So his orders were simple. ¡°Return back to the headquarters immediately.¡±


    ¡°General, where might I find my disciple? I¡¯ll have to exchange some words with her before leaving.¡± Razark asked, receiving directions towards the battlefield.


    He didn¡¯t really need directions as Dee was currently easier to find than normal. He felt her long before seeing her as he approached the edge of the battlefield. Almost no one else would¡¯ve noticed, as she was being careful for once, but Razark knew what to look for and noted the signs. Dee was ever so slowly drawing in the souls of those that had died on the battlefield. Razark had noticed that souls of the dead were drawn to her even if she wasn¡¯t making any effort towards that goal, but now she was making effort. She was simply trying to be sneaky about it. Personally Razark didn¡¯t mind as he knew it increased her strength and had the added benefit of making the appearance of undead less likely. Dee¡¯s method of gaining power from defeated enemies differed from others, but she wasn¡¯t the only one to gain from the deaths of others. Her method was just the most blatant and effective one.


    What he had not expected was the Sidhe woman standing next to Dee, seemingly observing the devastation. The two seemed familiar with each other judging by their proximity. When had that happened? Dee had never mentioned a Sidhe friend before. When did she get the time to familiarize with one in such a short time? Razark¡¯s eyes widened further as he observed the Sidhe woman.


    The dark skin and silvery hair identified her as an Unseelie from the Winter court. She was also strong and carried herself in a way very similar to Dee. Both had experience working from the shadows. What really drew his attention though was the intricate ear ornament that had a thin silvery chain running from the tip of the ear to the bottom, and it had several intricate little symbols hanging from it. Most people were unaware of the significance of the ornament that the Sidhe wore on their right ear. The little symbols signified her name, rank, house and family connections. They also often showed the particular Sidhe¡¯s progress on the paths she had chosen, although as the woman in questions was too young to have completed any path, those were absent. Normally you could identify a master craftsman for example by those little symbols.


    Razark wasn¡¯t perfectly versed in the iconography of the earrings, but he knew enough to be shocked by her presence here. ¡°Dee, a word if you would.¡± He called out to his distracted disciple.


    Dee pulled back from drawing in the souls and walked closer to Razark. ¡°Certainly. What¡¯s going on? I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re alright. A little battle like this shouldn¡¯t have been too much for you, right?¡±


    As Razark started to tell the story of what had happened since she had slipped out of the city, Dee was surprised to feel his mind reaching for hers. As a psion she was perfectly capable of mind-to-mind communication over such a short distances, but she was surprised he felt the need for such secrecy. One of the upsides of such mind conversation was the speed, as you could send over entire thoughts instead of slowly speaking word by word. Of course such connections required a willing partner.


    ¡®Ok, I can hear you now.¡¯ Dee sent the thought, after forming the connection.


    ¡®Mind explaining to me why a member of the Sidhe high nobility is following you around?¡¯ Razark asked with a worried tone to his thoughts.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡®A high noble is it? I suspected she had a connection with the Winter court, just didn¡¯t know exactly what that connection was.¡¯ Dee also quickly sent out the circumstances of their meeting, and what Noyala roughly seemed to want.


    ¡®Hmm, that might explain her presence, though I¡¯m still surprised to see a potential heir to the throne chased out of the forest.¡¯ Razark mused.


    ¡®Heir to the throne, as in potentially the next Winter Queen?¡¯ Dee asked in surprise.


    ¡®Yeah I think we¡¯ve discussed the subject before, how the position isn¡¯t hereditary. In fact the Winter Queen and Summer King can¡¯t have children. The heir for the Queen¡¯s position is chosen from among the relatives of the last couple of Queens as well as some high nobility.¡¯ They had talked about the court politics of the seasonal courts in passing during the lessons. ¡®Truth be told I¡¯m not entirely sure what makes someone eligible besides politics. Anyway, that earring of hers signifies that she is a potential heir, but also that she¡¯s pretty far down the list of what I would assume to be hundreds of young women. Not that it matters much I suppose with the current heir apparent crushing all competition so completely.¡¯ Razark gave his thoughts while still talking out loud about the siege.


    ¡®I get the feeling that she might be some sort of problem solver. Her stealth skills and knowledge are pretty top-notch at least. She also has this air about her.¡¯ Dee mentioned her impressions.


    ¡®Ah. That means that she probably isn¡¯t the eldest eligible daughter in the family. Her family probably decided to train her older sister as a potential heir, while she was trained to become one of the shadows of the court.¡¯ Razark guessed based on his experience with the Winter court.


    ¡®Shadows of the court?¡¯ Dee asked, noting the specific term.


    ¡®Yes, the four seasonal courts are busy plotting both against the other courts as well as within their court. Sometimes the battle between houses turns quite violent. Only thing is that it would be quite dishonorable to kill people out in the open. A weird distinction in my mind, but that¡¯s how their minds work. As a result, every noble house trains some of their members in the more clandestine parts of intrigue and diplomacy. These people handle anything ranging from assassination, to extortion, to smuggling, and they even work as bodyguards sometimes. These people are often called shadows of the court.¡¯ Razark explained.


    The puzzle pieces started to fall into place in Dee¡¯s mind. Truthfully she rather preferred the shadowy ways of doing things herself, as it was silly to confront people head on if you could just stab them in the dark. That was one of the things that separated her and Razark. She didn¡¯t feel the need for honorable combat and found the whole concept a little silly, while Razark was something of a realist while preferring to act openly. He wasn¡¯t a stickler for honor or pride, but did frown upon the more shadowy methods somewhat.


    That also hinted at something else that Dee had been thinking about. Noyala had mentioned having certain goals, and revenge was one of them. Maybe what drove her was some sort of resentment towards her sister that had been groomed for the possibility of taking the throne while Noyala had been forced to train in the darker side of things. Dee could imagine a difference in treatment like that might foster resentment, if not against the more favored sister then at least against the parents who had made the decision.


    ¡®Anyway, do you have some sort of purpose for staying here, or are you coming back with me?¡¯ Razark asked, still silently. Now his spoken words had become about his own plans.


    ¡®The grandmaster assigned me a mission.¡¯ Dee replied, not really sure how to feel about the whole thing.


    ¡®Did he now? What did he order you to do?¡¯ Razark asked while his eyes narrowed dangerously. The grandmaster should know better than to order around his disciple. They had been through this. It was one of the conditions he had given for his continued stay with the order. The grandmaster would not meddle with the people Razark considered his, and he in turn stayed.


    Dee explained her mission, and while Razark found the whole thing a little annoying, he had to admit that the mission carried benefits for Dee, not the least of which were the souls she was still discreetly absorbing even now. All that death could be very beneficial to her. As long as she survived herself, which he didn¡¯t really doubt. She had the ability to flee and no compunctions about doing so. ¡®Stick with the army for now. I¡¯ll contact you if things change. Be ready to leave with your new friend on a moment¡¯s notice. I¡¯ll have to have some words with our dear grandmaster.¡¯


    As Razark left back towards the city, Noyala approached Dee. It wasn¡¯t immediately obvious that there had been two conversations going on between the two people, but Noyala had some practice with reading such situations. The duo¡¯s expressions were rather stoic in general as they didn¡¯t let things slip easily, but the expressions still hadn¡¯t quite matched the voiced conversations, so Noyala could figure out what had happened.


    ¡°So I assume he recognized my earring?¡± Noyala straight up said.


    ¡°Yes, somewhat at least. He¡¯s not an expert on the subject. He did mention you being a possible heir though. Should I start calling you your majesty now?¡± Dee made a playful little stab.


    Noyala gave a small snort. ¡°Hardly. I¡¯m about as far down the succession list as one can get and still be on the list. Our house wouldn¡¯t qualify for the ¡®honor¡¯, if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that both of my parents are major figures in the army. There¡¯s also the little fact that our lands are located right on top of one of the largest deposits of Moonstone in the entire forest. Not that I can say for sure whether I even qualify as an heir anymore.¡± Her use of air quotes with her fingers when she said the word honor made it rather clear what she thought of the subject.


    ¡°Why?¡± Dee asked, curious.


    ¡°The troops that were chasing me? Yeah those were my mother¡¯s subordinates. Let¡¯s just say we had a bit of a disagreement. My parents might have disowned me by now, in which case I probably don''t qualify as a candidate anymore. Not that my parents would consider me over my dear sister anyway, so that¡¯s all immaterial.¡± Noyala seemed flippant on the surface, but Dee could sense some hint of being truly hurt by her family¡¯s actions. Not over the whole heir thing though, but something else. Her tone also made it clear that now was not the time to talk about it further.


    Thus Dee returned to slowly absorbing the souls that hadn¡¯t moved on yet. There were still plenty of them floating around. Most of them were only a marginal increase to her power, but every little bit counts in large enough numbers, and their ¡®skulls¡¯ also added to her totem. She was reminded of the old saying: ¡°quantity has a quality all its own.¡±


    -----------


    The next day most of the order¡¯s army moved on to give chase to the centaur warhost. They weren¡¯t really trying to catch the centaurs, they simply wanted to herd them in the right direction. The overarching plan of the different order armies was to surround the centaur warhosts and drive them together in a central location. Defeating the gathered centaurs in that central engagement would hopefully drive the fight out of them, leaving the order free to safeguard the border between the forest and the plains.


    Of course, now that the armies were more mobile the situation had turned more favorable towards the centaurs adept at mobile warfare. The army Dee was part of was constantly harassed by hit-and-run attacks. Dee had at first thought of striking at the harassing parties, but the general had other ideas. Their forces were relatively good at dealing with such attacks thanks to their excellent defense and the offensive spells of the templar. As the paladins could heal much of the damage done, the centaurs often had to pay an equal price for their attacks despite the orders inability to tie them down for a battle. The order also refused to take the bait to chase the raiding parties and avoided being split up.


    Instead of dealing with the harassing parties, Dee was assigned by the general to make sure the centaurs didn¡¯t send warbands around their army to harass the city of Craghold or their supplies and reinforcements. In addition, while the rest of the army wasn¡¯t able to catch the main forces of the centaurs, Dee and Noyala had no trouble doing so as they could move much faster. Almost every night death stalked the centaur camps. Some nights the two rested just to keep the centaurs off balance, so that they could never be sure when their camp would face another wave of mysterious deaths. The uncertainty was worse than knowing every night brought more death.


    With such large amount of death and absorbed souls, Dee started noticing a change in her own powers. The goddess Death had mentioned that Dee¡¯s abilities that carried the power of death would grow in strength with the amount of souls she devoured and now the effect started to become more and more noticeable. Thus the centaurs started finding desiccated corpses when the morning came instead of those with slit throats and signs of poison, as Dee changed her methods.


    This cat and mouse game carried on for a full month until the centaurs were focused in one place, and the separate order armies closed on each other. Dee was almost unable to use her Mindscape with the amount of beings gathered in a relatively small area as all the minds filled her vision. As the order armies united in preparation for the final push against the centaurs, other higher ranked officers took the command away from general Luthana. There were three chapter masters present at the scene, so a general¡¯s words carried much less weight. Thus Dee¡¯s mission had been successfully completed.


    Dee was personally rather pleased that she didn¡¯t have to take Luthana¡¯s head, as she rather liked the elven general. Luthana had held her end of the bargain and Dee had learned quite a bit about leading armies from her. The logistics had been a particularly important factor during this campaign, so she had received good experience in that field. The mobile battles had also been a good learning place for tactics, albeit in a somewhat narrow area.


    The generals and chapter masters had already gathered to plan for the final offensive, and Dee was considering whether to take part in the battle or return to the headquarters. Those thoughts were put on hold though as an emergency message from the headquarters reached the army. While the Winter and Autumn courts held the advantage in troops, the other two seasonal courts had not been idle all these years. They all knew this conflict might turn armed and the Summer and Spring courts had made their own preparations. While they didn¡¯t have the same number of experienced troops, they did have something of their own. Money and resources. And the Radiant Sun wasn¡¯t the only large organization interested in the affairs of the elves.


    What better place to find mercenaries than the freelancer¡¯s guild? While the Radiant Sun had only peripherally assisted the Winter and Autumn courts, the freelancer¡¯s guild had sent their hired forces directly into the great forest to counter the advance of the two stronger courts. This of course opened the floodgates, as the other large communities now felt free to throw their hats into the ring. The whole internal struggle was escalating out of hand.


    The messenger brought simple orders. ¡°Negotiate a peace and the withdrawal of the centaur forces, don¡¯t engage them in a decisive battle.¡±

 Chapter 89

    As the centaur forces realized that they were surrounded by superior forces, they were amenable towards negotiating a more peaceful resolution to the hostilities. Normally centaurs were too aggressive for such peaceful solutions, but their aggression didn¡¯t extend to being suicidal. They understood that they might be able to make a glorious last stand against the order¡¯s forces, but that they would almost certainly lose against the much more experienced forces of the order. A good portion of the centaurs had also been spooked by the invisible death that walked their camps during the night.


    Dee had no idea about the contents of the negotiations that went on for two days, as she was naturally not included in the talks. She only knew that the negotiations were progressing, and a favorable result seemed likely. In the meantime she spent time with Croestia, testing the effect all the new souls she had consumed had on the totem. She could only consume a portion of the souls that died in battle, but it was at least a fair sized portion. Combined with the souls from the city she had wiped out under the influence of the old deity¡¯s blessing, she had finally reached the maximum area the foundations made of skulls in her soul space could cover. She could no longer spread them wider.


    ¡®You do realize that if you build the rest of the totem with the foundations at their maximum size, you¡¯ll require a truly atrocious amount of souls to finish the whole thing?¡¯ Croestia pointed out. ¡®We can already tell that the totem has some kind of pyramid-like shape, so if just a single layer requires this many skulls, then all the layers on top will take many times more, even if the shape narrows towards the top.¡¯


    ¡®A fair point, but I have a feeling we¡¯ll not lack souls to consume in the future. I¡¯d be surprised if our future wasn¡¯t filled with battles and death. Besides, I¡¯m not even an immortal yet, so we aren¡¯t exactly in a rush to complete the whole thing. Razark hasn¡¯t finished his totem and seems to be gaining quite a bit of power from it. The totem doesn¡¯t need to be ready the moment I become immortal.¡¯ Dee replied with her own counterpoint, naturally assuming she would become one of the powerful beings known as immortals. An assumption few people could make.


    ¡®Speaking of, what are your thoughts on the whole debacle with the freelancer¡¯s guild joining in on the war?¡¯ Croestia asked instead, conceding the point for now.


    ¡®I¡¯m honestly not sure. I can¡¯t believe the grandmaster wouldn¡¯t have considered the possibility before. I mean something like this happening occurred to me, and I have sadly deficient knowledge on the whole situation. I just didn¡¯t know the Summer and Spring courts would go to the freelancers specifically. The grandmaster has to have a plan of some kind, but what? What¡¯s his goal? What really scares me is the possibility that he is playing a game outside the internal struggle of the seasonal courts and luring the freelancers into the struggle was the whole point.¡¯ Dee replied thoughtfully.


    ¡®You¡¯re kind of tied into the whole thing thanks to Noyala. That¡¯s assuming you believe the whole thing about the Threads of Fate wanting your help for her as a repayment for the earlier favor.¡¯ Croestia once again pointed out.


    ¡®I¡¯m inclined to believe her in this case, mostly because it will be easy to check once we return to the headquarters. I¡¯ll need to talk to Nessera and get my new weapons anyway, so I might as well visit the seers while I¡¯m at it. I might be able to bargain in another bit of information from them, as wading into the whole internal conflict of the courts seems at the same time both very simple and very difficult as far as returning favors goes.¡¯ Dee cracked her jaw a bit in thought.


    ¡®You want to find out how to stop the dragon parts of your heritage from influencing your judgement?¡¯ Croestia guessed correctly.


    ¡®Yes. I can¡¯t afford to be led around by wild swings of personality once I become an immortal and start dealing with the matters outside of Pantheon. Still, we might be able to bargain that information into the favor we already owe. Depending on how we go about helping Noyala, we might have to deal with the whole internal struggle of the courts. Or we might just have to go in and kill a few people to fulfill her revenge. It¡¯s hard to say at this point.¡¯ Dee simply didn¡¯t have enough information about Noyala¡¯s goals, but asking about them was a potential minefield, considering she didn¡¯t know how much of the Sidhe woman¡¯s emotions were mixed up in the search of revenge. Usually revenge was seriously sought because of intensely personal reasons.


    A short time later General Luthana came to fetch Dee. ¡°You had a blessing of Lumen, correct?¡± The elf woman asked.


    ¡°Yes, what about it?¡± Dee asked with a frown.


    ¡°Were you taught about oath ceremonies?¡± The general asked further.


    ¡°Not in detail. My teacher taught me most well-known priest spells, but we didn¡¯t exactly have time to go into detail. I can perform the ceremony, but truth be told my knowledge of the whole thing is limited.¡± Dee explained. Mazatl hadn¡¯t had enough time to explain everything as she was cramming all that knowledge into Dee¡¯s head.


    ¡°Well making a long story short, the negotiations have concluded, but with agreements of this magnitude we need a bit more guarantee than just the word of the other party.¡± Oaths were taken very seriously on Pantheon, but they ultimately relied on the honor of the party making the oath. Surprisingly, even people who were decidedly on the darker side of things usually held their word, though for selfish reasons. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to take stronger diplomatic measures like exchanging hostages, nor are we really in the habit of doing so anyway. So we need to perform an oath ceremony.¡±


    Oath ceremonies were basically agreements enforced by the deities. If you broke an oath like that, you faced the retaliation of the deity whose name had been used to make the oath. The retaliation usually took the form of a lot of smiting on the deity¡¯s part, and a lot of dying on the oath breaker¡¯s part. This much Dee already knew, but Luthana quickly explained it anyway.


    ¡°The thing is, as the bindings are created by a deity, another deity can remove those bindings. Such services are rather popular among certain powerful deities of deception and other such gods. However, such gods can¡¯t remove the bindings of a more powerful deity in the convoluted hierarchy of the deities, so the specific deity whose name is used for the ceremony becomes very important. And only someone with a blessing from that god can perform the ceremony. Now as it happens, the centaurs are one of the few races whose blessed don¡¯t become priests in the Holy Orders as they are more shamanistic in nature, so we can¡¯t tell what deities they can draw upon to break such oaths.¡± The general explained.


    ¡°So you need someone with a blessing from the top ten deities, which is pretty rare considering how rarely the top ten give those blessings out. That is why you¡¯re talking to me as I¡¯m blessed by Lumen.¡± Dee finished the thought for Luthana.


    ¡°Exactly. While we don¡¯t know which blessings the centaurs have, it¡¯s pretty doubtful they have access to the top three, and Lumen isn¡¯t likely to revoke an oath made in her own name, even if she did make the mistake of blessing a centaur.¡± What Luthana didn¡¯t mention was that she could guess that Dee¡¯s blessing wasn¡¯t a normal one either, and a ceremony overseen by someone with a greater blessing also made the oath more binding.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to it.¡± Dee gave up with a sigh. At least this way she might find out the contents of the treaty, which might give her some idea of the bigger picture.


    Luthana lead her towards the large tent erected between the two parties. It was guarded by a ring of both templar and centaurs in equal number. Inside the large tent were the three chapter masters, as well as a very large centaur that was clearly the great khan of the centaurs, and his two subordinates. Luthana whispered something to one of the chapter masters who nodded and gestured for her to leave the tent, leaving Dee alone with the six individuals.


    ¡°And who might this little lady be?¡± The booming voice of the large centaur demanded, not really trying to be rude, but the centaur just sounded tired.


    An older grey bearded dwarven chapter master smiled as he saw Dee and heard the question. ¡°This little lady is the person who will be performing the oath ceremony. Incidentally, what was it that you requested just before we sent for someone like her?¡±


    ¡°You know damn well! We want you to hold your assassins in line. The one our warriors took to calling the Reaper in particular must stop his activities immediately!¡± One of the other centaurs demanded.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m fairly sure that once we get this treaty done, such activities should stop. Mind you, we of course have no knowledge about such people, but I believe a message to that effect can be sent.¡± The grin on the dwarven man¡¯s face widened.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Dee only looked at the chapter master with a raised eyebrow. She wasn¡¯t surprised someone had figured it out. There weren¡¯t that many individuals powerful enough in the order¡¯s ranks, and if one was aware of Dee¡¯s assassin background the connection was fairly obvious. She was more surprised the centaurs had said nothing about the other reason for the nickname, her consuming the souls of the dead. Originally she had assumed the centaurs would not bring the whole thing up at all. She wasn¡¯t aware, but the silence of the centaurs concerning the souls was due to simple shame and the cultural tenets of the centaurs. Matters of souls after death were very private for them.


    She wasn¡¯t exactly fond of the method the dwarven chapter master had used to deliver the message for her to stop her activities, but at least the message was received loud and clear. The two sides argued a bit further about minor details, finally causing even Dee to lose her patience. If they had sent for her, then at least they should get on with it.


    Dee shook her head. She quickly checked the contents of the treaty. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with.¡± She declared and the golden symbol of a sun suddenly floated out from her forehead and she looked at the two parties. ¡°Will you swear to abide by the terms of the treaty as they have been laid out for a period of three years?¡±


    In reply to her question both parties looked a little shocked but swore their oaths. Normally the whole ceremony involved a whole lot of chanting and invoking the holy grace of the deities, but Dee had never been one for such pomp. All that was really required was for the terms to be clear, the two parties to swear an oath and for the deity to deign to enforce those oaths.


    Dee brought her hands together in a quick prayer. ¡®Lumen, if you would be so kind.¡¯


    A gale of laughter sounded in her head as the goddess commented. ¡°You really aren¡¯t much for ceremony, are you? It¡¯s alright, I don¡¯t mind. At least I can chalk up a prayer from you into my tally. I seem to be in the lead Umbra.¡± The goddess¡¯ voice became slightly mocking towards the end, making it obvious that she was also talking to the Goddess of Darkness.


    ¡°Maybe, but I can throw my chip in to this game as well.¡± Another female voice answered. It didn¡¯t take much to figure out the voice belonged to the aforementioned goddess.


    Dee¡¯s eye twitched a bit in annoyance as she felt the weight of double bindings dropping on the two parties. The two parties also felt the same and were about to question the change in circumstances, but Dee just shot a glare at them and shook her head so that they wouldn¡¯t incite the two bickering deities further. Apparently the words of the two deities had been heard by the others as well. The six people wisely chose to remain quiet.


    -----------


    Dee had wasted no time with the army once the treaty had been signed and it became clear that the armies of the order were slowly marching towards the great forest. Whether they would enter the forest or not was still unclear, but it would take a fair bit of time for them to get there in either case. Time she could spend better elsewhere.


    She and Noyala quickly exited the teleportation station at the Radiant Sun headquarters, and were immediately intercepted by a messenger. The message was from the grandmaster, and was basically a summons for her to appear as soon as she got the message. With a heavy sigh she started running towards the headquarters. She noted that that mood in the city located between the headquarters of the four large organizations had a very tense air about it. Not surprising considering the order and the freelancers were now on the opposite sides of a war. She knew there were rules about fighting in the city, but such rules only held so much weight.


    ¡°It might be better for you to find a place to rest for a few days.¡± Dee addressed Noyala. ¡°I¡¯m going to be having several meetings for the next couple of days, and most of those you won¡¯t likely be able to attend. That¡¯ll mean a lot of sitting around in hallways, waiting for me to finish.¡±


    Noyala gave a small wave with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I suspect you¡¯ll face much the same once we do get inside the empire, and it might be better if we both get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Dee replied with a shrug.


    She was quickly ushered into the grandmaster¡¯s office once she entered the central keep. What surprised her was that the grandmaster had been discussing something with another one of the order¡¯s chapter masters, but decided to cut that meeting short in favor of meeting with Dee in private. The matter the grandmaster and the chapter master had been discussing appeared to be rather important, yet Dee¡¯s matter took priority even over that. Curious.


    Once they were in private, the grandmaster spent several minutes simply studying Dee from her head to her toes. He looked serious, and the air about him was equally so. ¡°You¡¯ve no doubt heard about the involvement of the freelancer¡¯s guild in the internal conflict of the four seasonal courts. What you might not be aware of, is that both the Mystic¡¯s guild and Holy Orders are also preparing to take sides. With four out of five of the great communities holding the peace in the lesser circles possibly going to war, you could call the situation volatile. I¡¯m honestly a little surprised that the Threads of Fate aren¡¯t throwing their spoon into the soup as well. No one is completely sure of their strength, not even me, so their absence is good I suppose.¡±


    Dee suddenly realized that the Threads of Fate wouldn¡¯t get involved, because they already were. They¡¯d had their own members mixing things up inside the empire since a long time ago, and they were already prepared to make a play. Play involving Dee to be precise. They weren¡¯t sending an army, most likely because their goals didn¡¯t require one due to their preparations. What they needed was someone to nudge things in the right direction in a bit more subtle way. She was suddenly getting a headache. Damn seers and their games.


    ¡°Due to the volatile situation the whole war has become deadlocked, without anyone daring to make any overt moves, since they are afraid of sparking open hostilities between the four big communities that have so far worked together to hold the peace. Just as planned, I feel compelled to point out. So the resolution to the whole crisis has to come another way. Either we use more subtle ways to resolve the internal struggle that is at the heart of the conflict, or immortals will get involved. As it happens, I was planning on using the more subtle ways of resolution already.¡± The grandmaster continued.


    Dee found the whole thing interesting, but wasn¡¯t entirely sure why the grandmaster was explaining this to her. She got her answer very quickly though.


    ¡°So imagine my surprise when I¡¯m planning various diplomatic and more shadowy ways to nudge things towards resolution, when one of the biggest players in this entire conflict, who will remain nameless for now, contacts me and wants to hire your services as an assassin. That person wants me to order you to kill certain individuals, which if successful would indeed resolve the current crisis. Not exactly in a way I would prefer, but not in a bad way for us either. Now here¡¯s the interesting bit: that person should not be aware of your previous profession. And why hire you instead of going to Zabaniya who trained you in the first place? Care to enlighten me?¡± The grandmaster stated his question.


    Dee considered her answer for a moment, before deciding to go with it for now. ¡°The leader of Zabaniya contacted me recently. He mentioned wanting to renew some kind of relationship between me and them, with the possibility of me performing some jobs for them. I declined, but I would assume he recommended me to this person you¡¯re talking about for his own reasons.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡± The grandmaster queried.


    ¡°Not entirely clear to me. I¡¯m guessing he wants to train me for something big later on. They did certainly pay quite a bit of attention to me while I was under their ¡®tender care¡¯.¡± Dee replied with a shrug. She knew more but wasn¡¯t prepared to share her vendetta with the angels.


    ¡°Well, the order isn¡¯t in the business of murder for hire. However, it did get me thinking. If both the person I¡¯m talking about and the leader of Zabaniya have faith in you, then perhaps that faith isn¡¯t entirely unwarranted. I want a softer resolution to the struggle compared to a war anyway, so you might be one avenue to get that resolution. Especially considering that Sidhe friend of yours. Yes I¡¯m aware of her presence. She could get you inside the court, and you could see what you could stir up. I¡¯m not advocating for you to go the murder route, and I¡¯m not even going to mention who the person I mentioned wanted dead, but that is one possible option. Be aware that I¡¯m throwing other possible solutions at the problem than just you, and I would really rather you didn¡¯t mess with those when possible.¡± The grandmaster said, tapping his fingers on the table.


    Dee was rather off balance at the mere suggestion, and cleared her throat to gain some time to think. ¡°I would think Razark has something to say about this. He was rather displeased by your last assignment.¡±


    ¡°Ah, he did come to yell at me just a few days ago. Speaking of.¡± The grandmaster rang a small bell that made a very soft sound. Dee noted though that the sound passed through the silencing wards on the walls of the office without obstruction.


    A short moment later Razark entered the room, after being escorted there by the grandmaster¡¯s aide, who stayed outside the room. ¡°What is it now Lothar?¡± Razark asked rather displeased. He had been ¡®strongly suggested¡¯ to stay in the keep for a few days now. Seeing that Dee was here, he could guess part of the reason why.


    ¡°As of right now, you are no longer a member in the order.¡± The grandmaster replied without preamble.


    ¡°Say what?¡± Razark replied a little dumbly.


    ¡°Come now, I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d be happier about it.¡± The grandmaster said with a small laugh. ¡°Well, in all seriousness, the order can¡¯t be seen sending an immortal to meddle in the affairs of the empire. However, as you are no longer part of the order, we can¡¯t control what you decide to do with your free time. Or at least that¡¯s the story we¡¯ll stick to in case someone asks. More specifically you were dishonorably discharged from the order if someone asks when you get caught. Which I hope won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost afraid to ask what you¡¯re using as an excuse for booting me out. I am however curious to know what makes you think I¡¯d go along with this.¡± Razark asked, with a palm covering his face in quiet despair. He had a bad feeling about this. For many reasons.


    ¡°Oh you should like this one. You were discharged for having improper sexual relations with a minor placed under your charge.¡± The grandmaster looked pointedly at Dee.


    ¡°Umm, I¡¯m not sure if I count as a minor, even if someone were to believe the other bits of that explanation.¡± Dee pointed out. By human standards she was an adult by now.


    ¡°That depends on the race of the individual, and truth be told we have no idea what you are. So you¡¯re a minor if we decide you are. As for why you would go along with this Razark, if you complete this mission to my satisfaction, I¡¯ll grant you your wish of letting the scouts leave the order in peace. Each individual scout is allowed to decide if they want to go with you or stay in the order, and they will not be pressured to stay.¡± The man looked at Dee again.


    ¡°On that line, a mission like this is pretty far outside of what we expect from our members. I realize that, and that requires a reward if you should succeed. We both know that your membership in the order is a little ambiguous, and we both know you would run afoul of us sooner or later. Personally I think sooner. So, if you successfully complete this mission to my satisfaction, you can consider your obligation towards the order fulfilled. You are free to go. In fact, as of now you are no longer a member of the order just like Razark, so that we can honestly claim no connection to you in case you get caught.¡± He explained.


    ¡°You mentioned ¡®to your satisfaction¡¯ several times. What exactly is our mission?¡± Razark asked, still shocked by the whole thing.


    ¡°More broadly speaking, your mission is to resolve the civil war within the so called elven empire. For more specific goals, I am unable to tell you.¡± The grandmaster emphasized his words sharply as he spoke them.


    ¡°How are we supposed to complete a mission to your satisfaction if we can¡¯t tell what we are¡­¡± Razark started to demand from the grandmaster, only to be interrupted by Dee raising her hand in front of his face.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t pay attention to his words. He didn¡¯t say he can¡¯t tell us, or that he won¡¯t tell us. He said he is unable to tell us. As in there¡¯s something stopping him from telling us. Some kind of bond would be my guess.¡± Dee said, noticing the odd emphasis used by the grandmaster earlier.


    The grandmaster smiled. He was glad that Dee was sharp enough to catch that because he really couldn¡¯t give more hints. ¡°Once you understand my words, you will also know what to do. Dismissed.¡± His dismissal at this timing was a silent acknowledgement of Dee¡¯s words.

 Chapter 90

    As the two exited the grandmaster¡¯s office, Razark felt compelled to ask. ¡°So what are your thoughts on what just happened? It seemed like you figured out more than I did and more than you said.¡±


    Dee thought for a moment before sighting Noyala sitting in a meditative position on the floor down the hall. ¡°I have some theories, but I¡¯d like to check something first.¡±


    The two walked up to Noyala, who got up as they approached. ¡°All done?¡± She asked with a smile.


    ¡°Sort of yes. Once we¡¯re done with my errands, we can return to the great forest to deal with your problem.¡± Dee considered how to phrase her next words for the best effect. ¡°An interesting thing happened. We received a mission to fulfill in the forest, but our grandmaster was somehow prevented from sharing too many details. It was as if he was held back by some sort of a bond, stopping him from saying the words. Any idea what that might be about?¡±


    Razark looked at her in shock, which was understandable. According to what Dee had told him earlier, Noyala was a fairly recent acquaintance and it should be a bit too early for the kind of trust to form that allowed sharing details like this. Dee had just revealed sensitive details about the grandmaster of the order to Noyala, and while Dee and Razark were not fond of the order, or actually even members at this point, it was still a bit much to throw such information around. Additionally, Dee had just revealed they had a mission in the great forest, and a Sidhe like Noyala might not see that in a very positive light, depending on the mission of course. However, Dee wasn¡¯t just blindly trusting Noyala, she had a hunch. A hunch that might pay off in spades if correct, so she was taking a gamble.


    Noyala was clearly ruffled and tried to mask her surprise with a fake coughing fit. It was however obvious to the other two people that it wasn¡¯t the shock from the new information she was trying to mask, instead, it was something else. And Noyala knew she had failed in her attempt to mask that. Dee¡¯s directness had surprised her as well. ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say I have an educated guess.¡±


    ¡°Care to share?¡± Razark asked, while making it obvious he wasn¡¯t really asking, but telling her to spill all she knew.


    ¡°Well¡­the problem is I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Noyala hedged a bit.


    ¡°Can¡¯t tell us, or you¡¯re unable to tell us?¡± Dee asked, with a small smile. Her gamble had paid off. It was something about the four courts or the forest itself that was stopping the grandmaster from talking. It wasn¡¯t just a lucky guess on Dee¡¯s part, as their mission was to deal with the seasonal courts and the grandmaster had been unable to talk about those the details pertaining to it. Thus it had to be something to do with the area or the beings within the forest.


    ¡°I can see why you asked, but I¡¯m not prevented from talking in the same way your grandmaster might be. However, I still can¡¯t tell you. It has to do with certain things that should not be told to any outsiders, no matter how trustworthy those outsiders might be.¡± Noyala looked genuinely apologetic. Secrets had a way of getting out once too many people were in the loop. She remembered the old saying about ¡®the only way for two people to keep a secret is if one of them is dead¡¯.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, your words already told me a lot. I do have two questions though, and I hope you can answer them, but I won¡¯t hold it against you if you won¡¯t. Is the thing stopping the grandmaster from speaking a possible danger to the order? And secondly, is it likely there are more people under similar bonds?¡± Dee decided to amend her question a bit. ¡°Outside elven members of the order I mean.¡±


    Noyala had to think carefully how much she could reveal without giving too much away. ¡°It is very unlikely any non-elves have such bonds, though not impossible. Any Sidhe members might also have similar problems if your order had any. Also, not all of the elves have that limitation, just the ones that actually know enough to tell you something. And while it should not be a direct threat to the order, it might affect the grandmaster¡¯s decisions, so in that way, it could be a danger.¡±


    Razark and Dee were both quick on the uptake and realized this was some sort of internal matter of the courts and anyone with enough knowledge was silenced. One way or another. Most likely only those in very high positions or with high amount of power had enough knowledge, and any elven members would likely be unable to speak on the subject. A high ranking Sidhe on the other hand¡­


    ¡°Well, well. This is getting interesting.¡± Razark stated now much more invested in the whole thing. This additional information had also calmed him down. Suddenly something occurred to him and he turned to Dee. ¡°Ah, my apologies for pulling you into the internal politics between the scouts and the order. I wanted to cut my ties with the order, but I¡¯m not sure this is exactly the way I imagined it.¡±


    Dee frowned. ¡°What are you talking about? Isn¡¯t this pretty much the best way things could go? You wanted to pull the scouts with you, and this way anyone that wants to follow you can do so. Naturally, the order will try to entice some to stay and will succeed in certain cases, but I don¡¯t see a better way this could¡¯ve gone really. The order is still important for many scouts who are holy men first and scouts second.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not what I was talking about.¡± Razark chuckled with a small shake of his head. ¡°I meant the reason he was planning on using as a pretext for kicking us out. You know the bit about us supposedly having inappropriate sexual relations? I would imagine that¡¯s not a rumor you wanted spread around.¡±


    ¡°Oh this sounds interesting.¡± Noyala muttered half to herself.


    Dee looked at Razark like he had suddenly gone stupid. ¡°Why on Pantheon would I care about a rumor like that? Why would a dragon care about the opinions of sheep? I know it¡¯s not true, you know it¡¯s not true, and it really isn¡¯t anyone else¡¯s business. Besides, it¡¯s not like it would do that much damage to my reputation really. Some of the women among the order consider you something of a catch. If you ignore the obviously fallacious ¡®relations with a minor¡¯ portion of the whole thing, it might actually improve my reputation. Again, not that I care, but there it is. I¡¯d be more worried about your reputation honestly. You¡¯re the one blamed for messing with a charge of yours.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Razark said a little flustered. ¡°What about that little fan of yours, Shunkaha? The wolf-boy.¡± He asked, directing the attention back at Dee.


    ¡°Again, why exactly would I care? I¡¯ve discouraged his interest several times now. If this is enough to drive him away, then so be it. Actually it might be a little entertaining if he comes and tries something stupid like challenging you for my sake. As if I was some kind of trophy to be won. But from what I¡¯ve heard, you guys seem to hold strange views like that on occasion.¡± The look Dee used on Razark had moved from ¡®have you suddenly gone stupid?¡¯ to ¡®you really are an idiot¡¯ in chilliness.


    ¡°Ooh, Dee you didn¡¯t mention you had an admirer. Do tell me more.¡± Noyala suddenly hooked her arm with Dee¡¯s and started pulling her towards the exit of the building. ¡°Is he handsome? What¡¯s this wolf-boy thing he mentioned? A wolf taking a fancy in a fox sounds naughty somehow.¡±


    ------


    The trio decided that they should deal with any unfinished business and do proper preparations before starting their mission in the great forest. The whole thing seemed like it would be a complex mission, so they should be at their best to deal with it. First order of business was to fetch Dee¡¯s new weapons from the Saurian craftsman Zazk. The volcano workshop was just as impressive as last time, and even Noyala was throwing admiring glances at all the items scattered around the workshop. Some were simple swords, if a sword crafted from the most precious materials and with heavy enchantments could be called simple, while others were complex contraptions that none of the trio could identify.


    ¡°Zazk, you in here?¡± Razark yelled with a loud voice. The whole workshop echoed with the sound.


    ¡°Ah, Razark and Dee. You¡¯re here.¡± The large red scaled Saurian came from one of the side rooms. He looked tired, or at least as much as a scaled humanoid lizard could look tired. ¡°Your timing is perfect as usual. We finished the last item yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday?¡± Razark asked with surprise. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit late from your initial estimate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, as it turns out the materials little Dee here provided were much more interesting to work with than we anticipated. We managed to create something even better than I imagined, once we combined them the correct way that is, but it took a while to find the correct combination.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°Less excuses, more showing what you got.¡± Razark dismissed Zazk¡¯s words with a wave of his hand. Honestly he was just getting curious about what the Saurian craftsman had managed to create.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± Zazk said with a feral grin splitting his face. He was truly proud of their accomplishments.


    Zazk led them through several corridors and workshops to a large cleared out area behind the whole complex. There were several targets lined up on the other side of the clearing, making it clear this was a testing ground of sorts. Many of the targets were in a state best described as ¡®total annihilation¡¯. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with the simple things first. I had a friend of mine create and enchant a standard guandao and claymore for you, seeing as you didn¡¯t specify which you wanted. They¡¯re good work, and I can vouch for his skills.¡±


    ¡°Your friend.¡± Razark asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes, well we were a bit busy with the main items. My friend is almost as good as me in creating enchanted weapons. Like I said, I can vouch for him. That¡¯s not really why you came to me anyway. Here.¡± Zazk pulled a polearm and a large sword from his spatial storage.


    Both were done with excellent craftsmanship, and Dee took several practice swings with both. She¡¯d have to familiarize herself with them properly later. She noted the enchantments for durability, penetrative power and self-repair. There were other minor ones, but the big ones were those three. Not very fancy, but she didn¡¯t need fancy. Instead those enchantments were extra powerful. Her strength and powers were better than any half-assed enchantment anyway, and these did the job well enough until she found something truly excellent. These were simply tools that should handle her strength well enough, as they were really just a delivery mechanism for the extraordinary physical strength she had, combined with the dark aura she clad the weapons in. Complex enchantments would only get in the way. The two weapons disappeared into her shadows.


    ¡°Alright, on to the main course then. After trying a lot of things, we figured the best way to help your psionics in your other forms was to create a halo for them as well.¡± Zazk explained.


    ¡°What?¡± Dee asked with slight confusion.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really your halo in your angel form that gives the power to your psionics, but it does help make your powers easier to wield. We figured that was also the best way to help your other two forms. Here.¡± Suddenly a large metallic halo appeared from his storage.


    The metal ring seemed flexible, but immediately proved not to be so. The halo had a diameter of about half a mel, and was uniformly gray metal on the inside, and mostly on the outside except for a thin purple line of power running around the thing at the very center of the ring. It also had a gem at the front, and two small diamond shaped prongs radiating out from the gem on the top and bottom of the metal halo. The whole thing was very thin towards the center, but long and about ten centimel wide up and down from the purple core. The purple line seemed almost liquid.


    ¡°Let this float behind your head please, held aloft by your telekinetic power.¡± Zazk said quietly.


    Dee did as ordered, and when it floated behind her head, the halo seemed to snap into place, no longer needing her power to hold it in the air. Suddenly she felt her own powers much more clearly, just like when she was in her angel form. Well not quite like that, but closer to that at least. The power was no longer struggling against her will, and while it didn¡¯t seem to have the same eagerness to do her every bidding as it seemed to have in her angel form, at the very least the power was cooperative.


    ¡°Well¡­that is¡­¡± Dee muttered, almost numbly.


    ¡°Neat isn¡¯t it. The main portion of the halo is the core made from Tears of Darkness, one of the liquids you provided to us. It¡¯s perfect for conducting psionic power. Obviously you don¡¯t need that boost in your angel form, so instead it will default to amplifying your power instead. The more you train with it, the more you will gain from it. Uh, the metal is a combination of several materials and should regenerate automatically if damaged. The core is harder to fix, so try to avoid getting that busted.¡± Zazk said with obvious pride in his voice.


    ¡°The downside being that it¡¯s pretty darn eye-catching. Also, unlike normally, I can feel your presence clearly now. Something about the item makes you easier to detect.¡± Noyala suddenly interjected.


    ¡°She¡¯s right. I think it somehow suppresses the aura that normally messes with anyone trying to detect you.¡± Razark agreed.


    Zazk gave a small sigh. ¡°Yes, everything comes with a price. I would advise against using it unless you were planning on making a scene. We tried to come up with something stealthy, but unfortunately that was the best we could do.¡±


    Dee smiled. ¡°That¡¯s alright. I have other means, and this at least makes my psionics useful when I don¡¯t want to reveal my angel form.¡±


    ¡°Which we¡¯ll speak about later on by the way.¡± Noyala said with a rather cunning smile. This was the first time she got any information on any angel form Dee might have.


    Zazk coughed, and decided to move on. ¡°That halo will settle around your natural one in your angel form, but it will obviously be very eye-catching to have two halos. You¡¯ll have to decide when the benefits outweigh the downsides. Anyway. Now to the main thing.¡± He pulled out a small box that looked to be made of some very expensive wood. The whole thing seemed to be extremely heavy as the Saurian was holding it with both hands and still seemed to be struggling. The container wasn¡¯t that large, about the length of Dee¡¯s arm, and just a bit thicker. Not really what one would expect from a weapon.


    As Zazk laid the container on the ground with a grunt, they all noticed that the stone beneath the box seemed to be cracking under the weight. Zazk was a powerful warrior-mage after all, so anything he struggled to lift was obviously extremely heavy. ¡°Would you mind sending your psionic power into the box before it goes through the floor and drops inside the volcano. The items inside would not be damaged by the lava in the slightest, but it would suck to have to try and fish them back up. The contents imprint to the first psion that touches them with her power, so we couldn¡¯t do that yet.¡±


    Dee did as she was told and felt her mind connect with thirty six objects inside the box, and the box itself. As soon as she did, the strain on the stone ground stopped completely. ¡°What in the world?¡± Dee asked half to herself.


    Zazk now easily picked the box up, turned it towards Dee and lifted the lid revealing the contents within. Inside the box were several small black objects. At first glance they looked to be made of something like diamond or volcanic glass. Dee quickly realized that this is where most of the Obsidium she had provided had gone. The objects were not uniform in size, and they were arranged from the largest to the smallest. The six big ones were cut to look like gemstones, and the biggest was roughly the size of three of her thumbs. The thirty smaller ones were perfectly round, and looked a bit like a string of black pearls, with the smallest being the size of a small child¡¯s pinky nail.


    ¡°What are those?¡± Razark asked from the side.


    ¡°Dee¡¯s new weapon.¡± Zazk replied clearly proud of his work. ¡°The basic principle is to move them with your telekinetic power like I said the last time we met. You launch them at the enemy and their mass combined with the speed will make clear work of anything you hit. Although they seem light now, their mass has not gone anywhere. You can infuse your psionic power into them, and the more power you put inside them, the more mass they have. The container is also enchanted so that if you lose one, they will return into the container. If you want a bigger hole in your enemy, then use a bigger one, and if you want the target somewhat intact, use one of the smaller ones.¡±


    Dee lifted one of the smaller pearls with her fingers. She looked at it for a while, and then casually tossed it at the wall of the workshop. Zazk screamed ¡°No wait, don¡¯t!¡± but was too late. The tiny pearl went straight through the stone wall with stupendous ease, and instead of making a small hole it took half of the wall with it. Zazk cursed. ¡°Be careful with those!¡± Luckily there was nothing important on the other side of the wall, besides couple of stupefied apprentices waving away the floating dust.


    Dee withdrew her power from the small pearl and it suddenly appeared back at the empty slot of the container, once again connected to her. ¡°Well that¡¯s neat. Not the whole extent of it I assume. Your proud voice hinted there¡¯s more.¡±


    Zazk cried non-existent tears due to the broken wall, but couldn¡¯t stop his pride once he returned to speak of his creation. ¡°Of course not. You can make them change shape freely, with the idea that you can form the bigger ones into shields. Now I know what you¡¯re thinking, to make a shield big enough to be useful you¡¯d need to make it too thin to stop anything, but...¡±


    Dee interjected. ¡°I think I got it, if I infuse them with power, the extra mass comes in the form of density. A paper thin strip of mithril is much sturdier than¡­well a stack of paper for instance. The more power I put in, the sturdier the shield.¡±


    Zazk had a knowing grin. ¡°That¡¯s half of it, yes. However, you¡¯re not taking the material used into consideration. Obsidium, when treated correctly, becomes almost immune to magical effects. The more magic it is subjected to the sturdier it becomes, absorbing part of the attack to reinforce the defense. Combined with Thorium that does similar things to ki, and voila! The material is not impervious to damage by any means, partly thanks to the fact that we had to combine the two materials and dilute the effect a bit, but put enough power in to turn it denser and you¡¯ve got the next best thing.¡±


    Dee chucked one of the large gems into the air where it hovered in place thanks to her powers. She squinted at the gem a bit and it formed into a simple round paper-thin shield that would cover most of her in a pinch. ¡°Noyala, if you wouldn¡¯t mind testing it a bit.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡± Noyala said with a grin.


    Noyala started small and started casting increasingly powerful spells at the hovering target. At the lower levels Dee didn¡¯t need to put any extra power to strengthen the shield, as the strength of the material was quite sufficient. Once Noyala started putting enough power into the spells to match a rank seven mage, Dee had to start supporting the shield with her own power. Once Noyala packed most of her power behind the spells, Dee had to seriously support the shield. Not because the shield would break, but because it would be thrown aside by the power of the spells otherwise.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I get the picture.¡± Dee lifted all the small beads with her powers, and focused on them for a short moment. A tiny hole suddenly ran through all of them, and the shadowy power she could control ran through the holes as if it was a string connecting them. The newly formed string of pearls looked like prayer beads and they wound themselves around her left lower arm, not looking out of place at all. ¡°An easy weapon to conceal as well. Nice.¡± She also hadn¡¯t missed the fact that it wouldn¡¯t take much power to use the weapon to great effect if a simple toss could destroy a stone wall. So a stealthy weapon as well.


    The bigger gems were a bit more of a problem, until she remembered that she could freely change their form, and they formed into small thin and flexible needles and hid those around her body in various places, among her clothes. She played with one of the gems in her hand before asking. ¡°So how dense can they get exactly?¡±


    Zazk shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t say really. We compressed all the material you provided into those little things, but we can¡¯t tell how it reacts with psionic power without testing. And testing would¡¯ve bound them to the tester. I honestly can¡¯t tell.¡±


    ¡°Well, only one way to find out.¡± Dee declared with a grin, and tossed the gem to hover in the middle of the large open yard. The other three wisely sought shelter behind something while Dee started pushing more and more power inside the gem.


    At first the others didn¡¯t notice anything different as how could they tell any change in mass of the small object while it was hovering in the air like that. Then they started to feel the change. The gravity around the gem started distorting. At first it was something on the level of slightly affecting the trajectory of a small falling object. Then it got to the point of actually starting to draw in things on the sides. As Dee pumped in more and more power, the gravity of the small gem started to draw in any loose objects on the ground which all got drawn to the gem like a magnet. Then the gravity started to tear away items that were not loose, the pull finally becoming stronger locally than the draw of the planet below them, making items levitate off the ground.


    ¡±Dee, stop!¡± Zazk screamed as it the pulls started to tear chunks off the walls and ground, though luckily the affected area was fairly small. ¡°Don¡¯t start wrecking my workshop any more than you already have!¡±


    Dee conceded the point with a small smile and withdrew her power. Interestingly she got back everything she had just pumped into the little gem, without any waste. All the previously floating debris suddenly crashed on the ground.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a fairly successful experiment. Good job Zazk! I think I can make this work.¡± Dee said, knowing that she could still put in a lot more power into the gem if necessary. She needed to work on the speed though. She had been slowly putting in power just now, but even at best the process wasn¡¯t instant.

 Chapter 91

    As Dee led them back towards the city that housed the headquarters of the five major communities, Razark assumed she was going back towards the Radiant Sun for some reason. Even after she pointed out that her destination was different, Razark decided it was better if he went to do some last minute preparations of his own among the scouts. It was like he didn¡¯t want to be here anymore, now that he didn¡¯t really have to. Dee and Noyala looked at each other with amused expressions as he disappeared back into the portal.


    ¡°So where are we going, if not the order?¡± Noyala asked, having a pretty good guess in mind.


    ¡°Give me a second.¡± Dee said instead of replying. She approached one of the kids loitering nearby. She hired one of them to deliver a message. The little ruffians were familiar with being used as messengers, though they had a habit of misplacing the messages if they were paid before delivery. This time that thought didn¡¯t even occur to the kid who took the job, as Dee¡¯s hand signals made it clear just how dark his future would be if this particular message got lost.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Noyala asked as Dee returned.


    ¡°Setting up our next meeting after we¡¯re done with this one. Assuming the recipient of the message is around. She might not be. Anyway, you asked where we were going now. Well¡­¡± She thumbed up towards the floating island that functioned as the headquarters of the Threads of Fate.


    Noyala sighed. ¡°I guessed as much. Let¡¯s get this over with. Trust but verify, was it? I know it¡¯s a bit much to just take my word for your help erasing your debt to them.¡±


    Dee shook her head. ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure you aren¡¯t lying about that. That¡¯s not why we¡¯re going.¡±


    Noyala looked confused. ¡°Then why are we going?¡±


    ¡°I want to haggle some additional information from them.¡± Dee replied with a small smile.


    It didn¡¯t take much effort from the two to reach the island. Noyala had her magic, while Dee had wings. She did decide to mask the color of her wings, making both of them white instead. It most likely wouldn¡¯t matter, seeing as she had not kept them a complete secret before, but why not take some small precautions? The island had a landing spot for any flying visitors and actually had its own teleportation gate for the times the island was flying somewhere harder to reach than above the city.


    The island itself was moderately sized. Compared to the headquarters of the other four communities in the city the island was downright small, but having to put everything on a flying island was a great motivation to save space. The island was separated into three major segments. One housed the military power of the community, and it was clear from the size of the area that Threads of Fate favored quality over quantity. That, or they had most of their forces elsewhere.


    Even with tight spacing, the military area was only large enough for about a hundred thousand people at most, and the few glimpses the duo managed to get inside made it obvious that the buildings were anything but spaced tight. They suspected some spatial magic shenanigans were involved, but even Dee couldn¡¯t detect the spells properly because the whole island was filled to the brim with magical spells, ranging from area enchantments that held the island in the air to endless magical items.


    A majority of the magic was focused in the second area of the island which housed the commercial area of the island. The Threads of Fate performed the vast majority of their business in other locations, but some of the most important deals and auctions invariably happened here at the headquarters. The commercial area was dominated by a large palace looking building that reminded Dee of a similar facility she had visited in the past, owned by the same community.


    The third area was closely guarded and had a tall tower rising from the middle of a domed temple looking building. From the little intelligence she had managed to gather, this was the tower that housed the seers of the community, and the temple at the base was where the seers met with those seeking their knowledge. This was also the destination of the duo as they walked on the stone paved path towards the tower. Surprisingly none of the guards spared more than a glance at their approach and none tried to stop them.


    As the two entered the temple looking structure and found themselves in what looked vaguely like a reception area. It was a little different to a normal reception area though, because there were no desks or counters anywhere. What they did see were areas separated by curtains, and all of the areas had spells in place to stop sound from traveling. Each area had sitting cushions placed on the floor, and something like a receptionist lounging on a divan made from large pillows.


    The two looked at each other in slight confusion. What were they supposed to do here exactly? Luckily they didn¡¯t have to make any decisions about that as almost immediately a veiled woman approached them from one of the areas. ¡°Haydee, yes? I was sent to take you to your destination.¡±


    ¡°Seers.¡± Dee grumbled to herself quietly, eliciting a laugh from Noyala and even a smile from the woman now leading them.


    They found themselves being led to the base of the tower, or to be precise the hole in the domed ceiling where the tower started. It was clear that the whole thing was only held together by magic, as there was no way the simple dome could have supported the tower above. Below the hole in the dome, they stepped on one of many platforms that magically rose towards the opening in the ceiling, taking them inside the tower. It was hard to judge as the hollow space in the center of the tower had no windows to the outside, but the duo was pretty sure that they were being taken all the way to the top of the tower. At the very least it was the highest point the floating platforms could travel.


    As soon as they stepped off the platform, their guide gestured them towards the open door on one side of the room, while she returned back to the bottom of the tower along with the platform. Once they got to the door, they found themselves in a fairly odd space that seemed to circle around the top of the tower. The place was lined with apparatuses and various magical mediums Dee imagined were used to divine the future. Anything and everything from telescopes to read the stars, small ponds that could be used as magical mirrors, crystal balls and myriad other things that they couldn¡¯t even recognize.


    They didn¡¯t have to walk far before they ran into the inhabitant of the space, a young looking woman of seemingly almost divine descent. She had the aura of a priestess combined with that of an angel, except without wings or a halo. Despite her aura, she was clad in fairly simple garb and had an odd glowing image of a third eye on her forehead. ¡°I believe it would be somewhat redundant to say I have been expecting you, although that is true nonetheless.¡± She waved for the two to take a seat on cushioned divans surrounding a table filled with different drinks and delicacies.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯ve been expecting me, then you know why I¡¯m here.¡± Dee said simply while plonking down on the divan in an odd combination of graceful movement and lack of any care for decorum, sighing in slight contentment as she could spread her tails freely thanks to the ¡®seating¡¯ arrangement. Normal chairs were really not suited for tails; hence she tried to avoid them when possible.


    ¡°Partly yes. As your powers grow along with your fate, our ability to make accurate guesses of your future declines. I know part of the reason why you¡¯re here. Yes, I can confirm that our community really wants you to help¡­Noyala here in return for our earlier help.¡± The little gap in the seer¡¯s words made it clear that Noyala really was a false name. Not that Dee hadn¡¯t already known that. It mattered little what the Sidhe woman decided to call herself.


    ¡°Yes, about that. I¡¯m getting the feeling that my part of the bargain is a little out of proportion when compared to the favor you did for me. Don¡¯t get me wrong, your help was appreciated, but I have a hunch that I¡¯ll have to deal with the entire internal fiasco of the seasonal courts to help her properly. So while I¡¯ll do what you ask, I¡¯d like some additional information to make things a bit more equal.¡± Dee started to haggle.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The seer smiled. ¡°We recognize your claim as fair. However, whether I can answer depends on your question. Depending on the question we might require something else as well.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t already know what I will ask?¡± Dee was genuinely surprised, even though the seer had already mentioned their lack of knowledge for Dee¡¯s reason for being here.


    ¡°I think you have a slightly wrong picture of how this works. Someone with a fate as powerful as yours is both the easiest and hardest to read. You bend the tapestry of fate around you, so your general path is easy to see, but as someone with so much pull, you can also change directions easily, throwing everything out of place. It¡¯s not like we can see every detail of your life at best of times, and we also see too much. We can see hundreds of possible paths that you can take, and we are reduced to guessing the most likely one to come to pass. For instance, we knew you¡¯d be here, but there are several dozen different things you might want to ask.¡± The seer explained.


    Dee didn¡¯t beat around the bush and asked straight out. ¡°How can I stop my dragon side from influencing my personality and decision too heavily.¡±


    This question brought out wide eyed surprise from Noyala and a deep sigh from the seer. ¡°I was afraid that would be the question you wanted answered.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Dee demanded to know.


    ¡°Because it is the one most difficult to answer out of all the possible questions you might have decided to ask today. Oh not difficult because we don¡¯t have an answer, but because who is involved. There are certain people whose toes we dare not tread on lightly.¡± The seer replied with a difficult expression.


    ¡°Who can scare you so? Can you not divine the ramifications?¡± Dee asked again.


    ¡°There are two types of beings whose futures are extremely hard to divine. Beings like you who have too strong fates, and then there are beings that possess skills or powers that mask them from sight completely. The being you need belongs to the latter category. They are almost entirely hidden from our sight and we can only infer things based on beings that surround them. We simply know that some of your futures where you meet this being result in you mastering that part of yourself.¡± The seer explained.


    ¡°So what can you tell me and what will it cost me?¡± Dee asked, knowing that this information would not be free. She had been afraid it wouldn¡¯t be.


    ¡°We can¡¯t give you full information, but we can put you on the path. As for the price¡­well, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware that the upper echelons of the Day and Night cities of Pantheon are about to come to a clash in the relatively near future. The Day city¡¯s first circle will have an opening in the next hundred years or so, and the biggest communities of Day and Night city will be vying for that free spot. The Threads of Fate have gathered the Authorities that grant the power of a seer, but that has come at a price. We have been forced to sacrifice when it comes to military power at a certain level, more specifically the kind of power that would let us contend with immortals and powerful hero Authorities. We want you to help shelter us when the storm hits. In return, we will provide you with the information you seek, as well as certain other favors that you might need in the future.¡± The seer made her offer.


    Dee frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t really have enough power to make a difference on that scale.¡±


    ¡°Not yet, but you will. Also, keep in mind we aren¡¯t directly involved in the struggle, we just don¡¯t want to become collateral damage. I imagine the Four Winds will be willing to take us in on your recommendation, and with our combined forces we should able to weather the storm. Assuming your help that is.¡± The seer explained.


    Dee had to consider this carefully. She would have to help protect the Four Winds anyway, and if the Threads of Fate really would help, then that might even make things easier. Besides, she really did need that information and she had no other leads. ¡°Fine. You have a deal. But I reserve the right to pull back if you go and pick a fight with those involved in the struggle. I might be willing to shield you, but I won¡¯t become a sword you can wave around. Now tell me what you can.¡±


    The seer gave a relieved sigh. Apparently this was also one of those things still not decided by fate before this meeting. ¡°The being you¡¯re looking for is already somewhat known to you. Weren¡¯t you supposed to meet someone when you came to this world for the first time? That being also holds the key to your draconic heritage.¡±


    Dee growled. ¡°That person never showed up. I¡¯d have tried to find them more actively myself, but I have no idea what to look for.¡±


    ¡°They have already found you and are watching over you. Surely you have seen some signs? They are monitoring you, which is why they know you¡¯re here and what I¡¯m telling you.¡± The seer said.


    Dee frowned. ¡°I have trouble believing they can hide from me for so long.¡±


    ¡°You will detect them eventually. When you¡¯re strong enough that is. You need to be aware that you¡¯re dealing with something from the first circle. The domain of the immortals. Also, while I can¡¯t tell you exactly who or what you¡¯re looking for, I can give you a hint. If only there was a type of being that had a lot of information on dragons. If you want to know about elves, you talk to an elf.¡± The seer had a slight smile on her lips as she dropped this piece of rather obvious information. Obvious in hindsight.


    Dee had considered seeking out help from a dragon, but she knew whatever was inside her was a little different from normal dragons. Besides, you didn¡¯t just walk up to a dragon and ask for sensitive information.


    Noyala gave a small giggle. ¡°Well, that¡¯s obvious enough of a hint at least.¡±


    Dee was still digesting the information while they exchanged some slight pleasantries before the duo left. She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the whole thing. Whatever being, apparently a dragon of some kind, was supposed to have met her when she arrived on Pantheon hadn¡¯t shown up, and that had resulted in her being captured by the Zabaniya. To say she was displeased with the mysterious being was an understatement of epic proportions.


    Then again she wasn¡¯t sure why that being had not shown up. Some powerful being from the first circle in the heart of the city probably had a lot of matters to deal with, and it was hardly within expectation that Dee would wind up being captured, trained and abused by assassins. Still, they had left the child Dee at the mercy of the world and whatever might happen. Pantheon wasn¡¯t safe at best of times, though Dee had met with pretty much the worst possible scenario short of dying, and some would¡¯ve preferred death to what she had faced.


    And now she found that this being had indeed found her. When? How long had they observed her? Had she been found only recently? That seemed unlikely. She and Croestia had suspected someone was interfering in things during the time Dee had met Moirai and acquired the Authority that could help hide her from other psions. If her whereabouts had been known then, had she been found much earlier? How much earlier? Had her whereabouts been known all along? Had this mysterious being known she had been captured by the Zabaniya and done nothing? ¡®At the very least they could bloody apologize for not showing up!¡¯ She thought heatedly.


    Noyala could sense Dee¡¯s thoughts were taking a darker turn. She didn¡¯t know any details, but she could make some guesses. She had traumas of her own. That was part of what made the two so compatible. She knew thought spirals like the one Dee was probably now experiencing could lead to some very dark places, so she decided to put a stop to it. ¡°So where are we going next? You said you wanted to meet with someone.¡±


    Dee¡¯s thoughts ground to a halt. The message she had sent was for Nessera, the succubus that had taught Dee some very interesting things in the past, and was one of the few demons she had met and gotten to know to a degree at least. Her intention was to find out what information Nessera had managed to gather after leaving a couple of years ago. Yet something about the situation felt weird to Dee.


    For some reason, it felt wrong to take Noyala to meet Nessera. Why would that be?

 Chapter 92

    Nessera was a little giddy with excitement. She was waiting on the terrace of a fairly expensive restaurant, as per the instructions Dee¡¯s message had included. At first, Nessera had not been too wild about a message delivered by a dirty looking juvenile hoodlum, but as soon as the kid had mentioned a white furred fox girl her interest had quickly surged. Dee was after all one of the most memorable people she had ever met, and probably the one she was most eager to meet again.


    She had done plenty on snooping around as Dee had asked, and had found quite a bit of juicy information. The information was somewhat relevant to her as well, so even if Dee had not been interested, Nessera herself found some of it quite useful. The kitsune girl had ¡®paid¡¯ her for the information in advance, but Nessera was hopeful she might be able to convince the girl to take part in another ¡®lesson¡¯. Dee had seemed to enjoy their previous liaison quite a bit.


    Nessera herself was after all this time still not quite sure how to feel about Dee. On one hand, the kitsune girl had given her the best sexual experience she¡¯d ever had, which was saying a lot and very important for a succubus. The combination of endless stamina, willingness to try almost anything and the daring to cause juuuuust the right amount of pain with the pleasure was a sublime combination. Most sexual partners succubi had were too afraid to get rough in fear of causing harm to the soft looking women. Or alternatively they were brutes and sadists, and while Nessera enjoyed a bit of pain she had no interest in being torn to shreds. Many a succubus had met their end that way. So she avoided those encounters. Dee, on the other hand, knew how to cause a bit of pain, and seemed to like it a bit, but also knew when to stop. Also, it helped that Dee also had the ability to heal Nessera when necessary.


    Given all that, Nessera was still apprehensive about Dee as well. The girl was slated for greatness. Even if her training and rapid progress weren''t enough of a hint, the demon part of Nessera felt the power sleeping within the girl and was frankly afraid. It was natural among demons to submit to those with greater power. However, if the power balance was too far, then the more powerful demon might decide to kill the weaker one on a whim.


    There was also something very dangerous about Dee. Not the usual kind that was part and parcel for most demons, but something different. True demons were not good people in general, and each of them had the potential to turn dangerous. Dee was¡­already dangerous. While a normal demon of a real demonic lineage always had the potential to turn to their darker nature and explode, Dee reminded Nessera of the old saying about letting sleeping dragons lie. Dee gave the feeling that she was only a single really bad day away from turning everything in her surroundings into ash. Nessera wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to be in too close of a relationship with someone like that.


    It wasn¡¯t hard to notice when Dee was approaching, which was both logical and a little unusual to Nessera. Dee usually went to some lengths to discourage attention and was very stealthy almost as a rule, but if she chose not to do so then she would draw attention from everyone. The surrounding people all turned to stare towards where Dee was coming, and then suddenly decided that their own foods and nearby store windows needed to be inspected very closely, as they avoided Dee¡¯s eyes.


    The over two mel tall demonic kitsune with eight tails and four arms was an impressive sight from a warrior standpoint. The obvious aura of power that even the Authority couldn¡¯t completely mask jolted everyone. While they didn¡¯t know how strong Dee was, they knew she was stronger than any of them. Nessera and some others paid attention to her alluring form as well. If one was willing to look past the obviously bestial features, her body was in an excellent shape and her clothes hugged her form closely, outlining very interesting peaks and valleys beneath. That was one habit that Dee had not changed in the last couple of years, Nessera noted with pleasure. All that drew people¡¯s attention, but the obvious air of danger and her sharp eyes made everyone look away almost immediately.


    It took Nessera a moment to notice that Dee wasn¡¯t alone. When she did notice the approaching woman on Dee¡¯s side, even Nessera had to do a double take. The air surrounding the woman was eerily similar to the one surrounding Dee. They were like a pair of blades unsheathed and ready to shed blood, as danger practically radiated from them. And Nessera was pretty sure neither of them was doing it consciously, which made it even more scary. The two proceeded with the grace of a large feline stalking their prey, and every move they made was perfectly controlled and balanced. Anyone could see from their movements that the duo were either master dancers or masters of dealing death, and the aura they had made it pretty clear which one was correct.


    ¡®Well, this is an interesting development.¡¯ Nessera mused, pursing her lips in thought. While the other woman was veiled and hooded, the ears and the dark skin that showed in few places made it pretty easy to make an educated guess about her race. ¡®Now what would Dee be doing with an Unseelie Sidhe of all things?¡¯


    As the two got closer, Nessera rose to greet Dee and surprised the latter by giving her a real proper hug. Well, the hug turned decidedly improper a second later as Nessera moved her shorter frame to give Dee a quick full bodied rub. ¡°Dee!¡± She greeted in a chipper voice, noting the weird look in the Sidhe woman¡¯s eyes as they separated.


    ¡®Interesting. There¡¯s something here beyond simple acquaintance.¡¯ Nessera thought to herself, squirreling away that little nugget of information.


    ¡°Nessera, it¡¯s good to see you. This is Noyala a¡­friend of mine.¡± Dee said quickly. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to introduce Noyala. Were they friends? She supposed they were at this point. To a point at least. Nessera noted the very brief pause before the word friend in the introduction. That could be interpreted in many ways.


    ¡°Noyala, this is Nessera another friend of mine.¡± Dee was more confident in introducing Nessera as a friend. They had been extremely friendly at least once, and they weren¡¯t lovers either. Not really.


    Noyala gave a smile barely perceptible from under the veil. ¡°Dee mentioned we were going to meet a friend of hers. Though I have to admit I did not expect a succubus.¡±


    ¡°A friend, is it?¡± Nessera¡¯s words carried multiple meanings as calling either of them a friend of Dee¡¯s was in itself a little interesting. ¡°Well, Dee can be very ¡®friendly¡¯, so I¡¯m eager to find out more about why a Sidhe would be here under such title.¡± She had emphasized the word friendly, hinting at a lot of things.


    Noyala was not entirely sure how to take it. The words were almost a little catty, but not quite. They hinted that something more had happened between Dee and the succubus, and that the succubus was probing whether or not something similar might have happened with Dee¡¯s other ¡®friend¡¯, namely her. She wasn¡¯t sure if the succubus was also trying to mark her territory in a weird way, or if she was just genuinely curious. Succubi weren¡¯t exactly known for being prudish and monogamous after all. The whole process caused some interesting ideas to take seed in Noyala, ideas that she had not really given the chance before. Knowing that Dee was in fact into women was something worth keeping in mind.


    Dee was less clear on what was happening. For all her intelligence and ability to read people, she had some woeful blind spots, particularly when it came to herself. That was mostly due to her lack of experience. Also, the fact was that even the smartest people would have blind spots when it came to themselves. That said, even Dee could tell something was going on here, and wasn¡¯t sure she liked where things were headed. ¡°Ok, enough of that. I picked this restaurant for a reason and I¡¯m starving.¡± Dee changed the subject.


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    She was genuinely hungry. The dragon inside her was satiated, but she was something of a glutton even without that particular type of hunger. Nessera and Noyala both looked a little amused as Dee rattled out a long list of orders to the server who had gingerly approached their table. ¡°So, while we¡¯re waiting, Nessera what have you found out?¡±


    ¡°Is it alright to speak here?¡± Nessera asked, giving a significant glance towards Noyala.


    In reply, Dee frowned a bit and a golden dome shield settled around the trio, cutting off all voices from passing through the shield. ¡°It is now.¡± She replied. She was still testing the limits of how far she could trust Noyala, and this seemed another good way to test things. It was unlikely Nessera would reveal anything too important as the succubus didn¡¯t know such things either.


    Nessera ceded to her judgement with a shrug. ¡°Well, let¡¯s start with the most immediate bit of news. The angels seem to be looking for something. They aren¡¯t exactly free with details. In fact, they even avoid dealing with information brokers. That might be because there seem to be competing factions within the angels for whatever they are looking for. If they give details to information brokers, then the other angel factions might get those details from that same broker, and they don¡¯t seem to be willing to share even those little scraps of information with each other. A little counterproductive if you ask me, but they¡¯re angels so they are born a little crazy.¡±


    ¡°Any idea what they are looking for?¡± Dee asked, interested. She had a guess, but it might not be correct. The universe didn¡¯t revolve around her.


    ¡°Can¡¯t say. Like I said, they aren¡¯t sharing details. What I CAN tell you though, is that they¡¯ve been searching for a while. The search started over a dozen years ago, but it was put on hold for a long time and got renewed with vigor just six months ago. That brings us to the second part. The Holy Purge seems to be over. Or at least it¡¯s been put on hold for now. The pigeons are busy elsewhere and the other participants in the great war finally put their foot down. Most likely because the purge started to push too deep into areas controlled by them.


    ¡°That brings us to our third bit of news. There seems to be an internal struggle of some sorts amongst the angels. As proven by the existence of the Fallen, the angels aren¡¯t exactly as united of a group as people think. It¡¯s just that the existence of external enemies kept those differences down. Now with their arch-nemesis down, the angels are free to fuck things up for each other, which I personally find a very gratifying development. Sadly it seems they aren¡¯t in a civil war or anything, but that explains the different factions that are here looking for something. It appears to be a power struggle of some sorts.¡± Nessera finished with a gratified smile. She hoped the angels would come to blows, but so far she had been disappointed.


    ¡°It seems no one is safe from internal struggle nowadays.¡± Noyala commented with a sigh, and a bit of sympathy for the angels. She had nothing against the angels, and her people had an internal struggle of their own, so the sympathy was justified.


    ¡°What about the Fallen? That was one of the things I specifically asked you to look into.¡± Dee prompted. She had to consider the other news a bit before making any guesses or decisions.


    ¡°Well, that I¡¯ve had less luck with. It seems like the remaining Fallen are just gone.¡± Nessera replied apologetically.


    ¡°Gone, but not dead?¡± Dee asked in confirmation.


    ¡°Well, one would think that the angels would advertise the death of the Fallen, but they seem to be as confused as everyone else. It¡¯s as if all the Fallen just up and disappeared one day. Not killed off in small groups, but all of them disappearing together. That raises some doubts, yeah?¡± Nessera replied with a smile. With the purge, no news might be the best kind of news.


    ¡°What about the rest of the demons? Even with the hells gone, there must have been some demons escaping the purge. Demons always had the advantage of numbers and they were spread everywhere.¡± Dee moved on.


    ¡°Ooh, now that¡¯s an interesting bit of news. Apparently, the remaining demons have gathered into large groups within areas the angels can¡¯t reach for one reason or another. What might be interesting for us is that a fair chunk of them ended up taking refuge on Pantheon. Well you know demons, they don¡¯t stay as refugees for long, and there were some really powerful ones among the ones that got away. I¡¯d even say they had it easier than the weak ones despite how hard they were hunted. Weak ones just got killed off. So they¡¯ve banded together for now under a single banner in the Night city. I think they¡¯re making a pretty good run at it as well, since I heard they might have already become a second circle community.


    ¡°That said, the angels did a pretty good job and the number of demons has gone down significantly. The different races of demons used to form a large faction important in the power balance of the universe. Now we¡¯re reduced to a rough equal of a single mortal race like elves or humans. And we¡¯re even more disunited than they are. For instance, we succubi can¡¯t stand any disease or corruption based demons. We demons will grow in numbers and power with time, but it¡¯ll be a long while before we can make any real difference on the larger stage of the universe.¡± Nessera concluded with a deep sigh.


    ¡°Well, all things considered, that¡¯s much better than it could¡¯ve been. The angels could¡¯ve done away with demons completely.¡± Dee countered.


    ¡°Weeell, it¡¯s not that simple. Demons have always been a bit special in that sense. Many demonic races procreate as usual, but some of us simply come into being for various reasons, either due to chaotic mana coming together or large amounts of negative emotions spawning us. There¡¯s also the gods. Some of them like creating demonic servants. Demons will never die off completely as long as there¡¯s other life in the universe, although the hells being gone put a damper on that. We¡¯ve been pushed pretty low at the moment even if we can¡¯t be completely wiped out like many other races. I don¡¯t think demons have ever been this low in number and power.¡± Nessera replied with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Which might be a problem on many levels.¡± Noyala suddenly interjected. ¡°The universe has always existed in a balance of sorts, and a wild swing into one direction like this will have consequences. The chaotic energies will find some outlet sooner or later, and we might not like the alternative solution.¡±


    Dee gave a small shudder. Noyala¡¯s words were eerily similar to those uttered by Umbra, and Dee already knew that deity¡¯s preferred solution to the problem. And that solution included Dee¡¯s involvement. Didn¡¯t the goddess say that someone would take the position of being the focus of those energies eventually, and that someone would get to direct that energy in a way they saw fit? That did sound like a potential disaster depending on who took the position.


    ¡°Anyway. That¡¯s the gist of what I was able to find out. I know you asked me to find out what I could about a certain member of the Assembly, but I couldn¡¯t find out anything. I¡¯m sorry. They are not letting information like that out easily. I would have to actually leave Pantheon to really do a proper search, and even with the purge being put on hold that sounds like a royally bad idea.¡± Nessera apologized with a faint frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. I knew it was a long shot at best. I¡¯d have been extremely shocked if you actually had found out anything. I¡¯d advise you to lay low for a while though. Questions like that might draw the wrong kind of attention. I¡¯d especially avoid the pigeons. They aren¡¯t friendly with the person you were asking about, which is why I told you to be careful. If they hear about you asking questions¡­¡± Dee left the rest unsaid, as they could all imagine the result.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Suddenly Nessera grinned. ¡°You know, you could use a bit of a vacation as well. You could come with me. We could find some remote corner of Pantheon, and I could give you more ¡®lessons¡¯. You could reward me further for my excellent performance.¡±


    Dee was honestly a little tempted, but somehow the seat next to her had become a source of cold air. She had a feeling that accepting the invitation would come with a whole slew of new problems. Also, she felt guilty for some reason. Why would that be? There was also the minor detail of having a mission to perform in the empire of Tuatha D¨¦ Danann, so she had to shake her head in silent refusal.


    As Dee dispelled the golden dome isolating them from the rest of the restaurant, the brave server girl started to bring their order to the table. As they started eating, they all had their own thoughts about the reactions they¡¯d had to Nessera¡¯s little suggestion and Dee¡¯s refusal. Dee was starting to realize that Noyala¡¯s opinion was more important to her than she had expected. She had a guess why but lacked the experience to be certain.


    Noyala had found herself surprisingly incensed at the succubus woman¡¯s suggestion, and even more surprisingly relieved at Dee¡¯s refusal. She wasn¡¯t stupid and had lived a lot longer than Dee, so she could interpret the signs a lot better. She realized that she had been jealous of the possibility of Dee shacking up with the succubus, and had been glad when Dee turned her down. More glad than she should¡¯ve been for a friend finding some fun. She had already developed a liking for Dee as a person and a potential friend and an ally, but now it seemed there was something more developing. Could she be developing feelings towards the bestial looking girl? Was this a reaction towards the succubus revealing that Dee did in fact like women? Noyala herself had been that way for a long time, but it was not viewed favorably by the other Sidhe, mostly due to their already difficult time at procreating as a race. Besides, she hadn¡¯t had the time to find a likeminded partner due to her duties.


    Nessera found herself more disappointed than she had expected. Despite her divided feelings towards Dee, of the three women she was the one with the most experience in this area, so she was clear that this was a bad sign of her developing some feelings. But the refusal was also a good thing. As fun as an extended romp would be, getting too involved with Dee could lead to some really dark places. Still, she didn¡¯t like how things turned out, so she decided to stir the pot a bit further. ¡°So I was kinda hinting at this before, but I might as well ask straight out. You two fucking yet?¡±


    Dee had her mouth full and was wholly unable to answer besides sputtering a bit, while Noyala almost choked on her drink and managed to croak a feeble ¡°Excuse me?¡± out.


    Nessera turned towards the Sidhe woman. ¡°Oh, you should really try it. Dee is new to these things, but she managed to wear even me out a couple of years back. One of the best experiences I¡¯ve ever had! I highly recommend trying it. Her stamina is out of this world.¡± She could at least tease the two if nothing else.


    The rest of the meal passed with Nessera tormenting the two with lurid details, only a few of which were exaggerated. Unsurprisingly even the surrounding people found it interesting enough to eavesdrop on.

 Chapter 93

    Razark had to laugh at the mirrored expressions of Dee and Noyala. Both had a raised eyebrow and a half-questioning, half-judging look on their face. The duo had just appeared through one of the abandoned gateways that dotted the great forest of the elves. They had set this gateway as their meeting place to plan for their next steps. The two had stopped moving right after noticing Razark and had been staring at him since then, which was about five minutes ago. It was obvious they weren¡¯t going to be the first to speak.


    ¡°Is it really that weird?¡± He asked with amusement. ¡°As I¡¯m not officially part of the order anymore, naturally I wouldn¡¯t wear the scout uniform either. It¡¯s more of a symbolic thing, but the standard garb of an Alpyran seemed like a natural solution.¡±


    ¡°I think the point is not that you¡¯re not in scout garb anymore. The problem is with the gap between that and now.¡± Dee commented.


    For as long as Dee had known him, Razark had used what could be called a modest way of dressing. Part of that was because he drew enough attention as it was, and another part of it was that the scout garb really covered pretty much everything for practical purposes. He also didn¡¯t like to advertise his appearance because he didn¡¯t like people recognizing him. His current garb was very different. Nessera had mentioned that the Alpyrans were not shy about showing their form, but Dee had never associated that particular trait with Razark. The normal scout attire was form fitting, as proven by the several admiring glances directed at her posterior in the past, but it was that way for reasons other than appearance. Thus she had never considered that Razark might be showing off.


    Now that was fairly obvious. He was clad in leather pants that left very little to the imagination and a sleeveless jacket that was open at the front. This left most of his body open for admiration. All in all, it reminded Dee a bit of the attire worn by Shunkaha the first time they had met during the Radiant Sun¡¯s recruitment. ¡°Am I expected to leave off my gear as well? I just got it made, and I didn¡¯t bring a change.¡± Dee asked with a slight bit of amusement creeping into her voice.


    ¡°No. Like I said, this is more of a symbolic thing half done for myself more than any other people and the scout gear doesn¡¯t carry the markings of the order. My current clothing is something of a reminder of my departure to myself and others. That said, if you ever do want a new garb, I know a couple of excellent Alpyran tailors who would love to have you as a model. You¡¯d rock the clothes they make and wear, though knowing you I suppose you would not like the added attention.¡± Razark replied with a small chuckle, finding the humor in the situation. He also realized the radical departure. That was part of the point, as he was using that as another way of cutting his ties to the order.


    He gestured the two to take a seat by the small campfire. The fire was kept small on purpose so their presence would not be noted by any nearby elven rangers, though with the size of the forest it was unlikely one would be nearby just at this time. They were not planning on staying here for long, but they still had to make some plans.


    ¡°So how are we going to do this?¡± Razark asked for feedback. He had his own ideas, but wanted to hear thoughts from the other two.


    ¡°Well, we have two vague but separate goals here.¡± Dee started off. ¡°We have the bigger mission given to us by the grandmaster, and I have my promise to help Noyala. The two might or might not overlap, which brings us to this. What is it that you need done Noyala?¡±


    ¡°That depends.¡± Noyala said a little evasively.


    ¡°Depends on what?¡± Dee asked, gently but firmly. ¡°I need to know some of what to expect at least.¡±


    Noyala considered for a moment before replying. ¡°It depends on a few things actually. It depends on the current situation. It depends on my family¡¯s reaction. It depends especially on my sister¡¯s reaction. And it depends on how far we can go. I have vague plans that go all the way to the impossible heights of taking the Unseelie to become the number one community on Pantheon, but we naturally won¡¯t be able to accomplish everything I have set my sights on. We have to see what¡¯s realistic to accomplish and then go from there.¡±


    Dee realized that Razark¡¯s presence might be part of why Noyala wasn¡¯t too willing to share. ¡°I think it might be beneficial for us to work separately.¡± Dee said while looking at Razark. ¡°How about this. You¡¯ll try to find everything you can about whatever is stopping the grandmaster from speaking. While you¡¯re working on the bigger objective, I¡¯ll do what I can to help Noyala. We will gather periodically and exchange information as we might learn things that might help with the other objective. Besides, I think we¡¯ll both be able to move more freely that way.¡±


    Razark could see what Dee was going for, and this actually coincided with his own plan. He had no obligation to help Noyala and had a mission of his own, which might or might not overlap with Dee¡¯s objective. Truth be told he could also move more freely if he didn¡¯t have to watch over Dee. Despite her abilities, she wasn¡¯t an immortal yet. ¡°Agreed.  Let¡¯s keep this as a meeting place. We can discuss further meetings when necessary but let¡¯s set the next one two weeks from now. If you don¡¯t show up in five days after that or at least leave a message then I¡¯m coming to look for you. Agreed?¡±


    Dee gave a nod of agreement. Normally Razark wouldn¡¯t have left so quickly, but he could sense the two needed to talk alone. As such he excused himself and disappeared into the forest. After giving him a moment to leave the area, with Dee checking that he actually did do so, the two could finally get to the real point. ¡°Ok, tell me what you can. You can tell me more later on, but I need some basics at least.¡± Dee said, looking deep into Noyala¡¯s eyes.


    Noyala gave a small sigh of resignation and started to explain. ¡°I already mentioned that strictly speaking, I¡¯m in the running for the next Winter Queen. I also mentioned that I¡¯m as far down the list one can be and still be on the list. That¡¯s partially because my sister was trained as a potential heir, while I was trained to become the person who removes the obstacles on her path and do things she can¡¯t be seen doing. It¡¯s one of those little quirks of the court. Everybody knows the important people have their hands stained with blood and greed, but it¡¯s important that they won¡¯t be seen doing anything personally. Thus people like me.


    ¡°I may have futzed the importance of my family a bit earlier when I talked about it. We have very little in the way of royal blood, but my parents control a large portion of the Winter Court armies. How much do you know about the succession anyway?¡± Noyala asked.


    ¡°A little. I know that the King and Queen are married, but that the position doesn¡¯t move to their children. Something about not being able to have children? I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with the Authorities drawing on their life.¡± Dee summarized.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. The position of a monarch comes with the associated Authority which is more of a curse than a blessing in my opinion. Among other things, it draws on the life-force of the person controlling the Authority. That life drain also makes it impossible for the Queen to become pregnant as the child would be drained to death as well. That said, the royal blood has spread to the noble houses over the millennia, and any noble house with even a bit of royal blood is eligible. Theoretically at least. In the case of the Winter court, the noble families each nominate a daughter of suitable age for the position when it becomes apparent the old king and queen are about to pass away. Their other daughters retain eligibility as well, in case the nominated daughter dies, but a queen has never been chosen outside the nominated daughters. In this case, the one dying is the Summer King, who was much older than the Winter Queen when they assumed the position. It is natural he would also be the one dying first, although I suspect he might have gotten a bit of help in that. Unfortunately, if one dies they both die. That¡¯s another one of the downsides of the Authority.¡± Noyala¡¯s expression made it clear how much she disdained the ¡®cursed¡¯ power.


    ¡°You said theoretically every house is eligible. And in practice?¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°In practice only a handful of the most powerful houses rotate the position among them. Those houses have held the power in the court for as long as anyone can remember. Now there are slight exceptions to this. Sometimes a new house rises to power and can take the throne for a generation, but they usually fall by the time the next monarch takes the position. On some occasions one candidate outside the top houses is so obviously better than all competition that they are kind of forced into the position.¡± Noyala explained patiently. This was common knowledge to every Unseelie noble, but not really to outsiders.


    ¡°The heir apparent would be an example of the last one, I assume?¡± Dee asked.


    Noyala scratched her ear a bit showing a mix of emotions. ¡°Ah, about that. I think the matter of what you call heir apparent has become a little confused as the news have traveled outside, but essentially yes you are correct. The current frontrunner for the position is an example of the last possibility, and she is eclipsing all the other choices. Her refusal to accept the Authority and the marriage are major contributors to the current civil war, though not as big of a contributor as most outsiders think. Lots of other factors are converging here, such as the Spring and Autumn courts¡¯ unhappiness at being shut out of the position. As it so happens, my sister is also an example of the second exception. With our parents both having such a prominent position in the army, our house has become one of the front runners.¡±


    ¡°So where do you and your goals fit into all this?¡± Dee asked, getting to the point.


    ¡°Well, my mother¡¯s subordinates were chasing me when we met. That was because I had done something that would reflect badly on our house if word was to get out, and it would ruin my sister¡¯s chances at the throne. I¡¯m not entirely sure how high her chances were in the first place, but my actions would¡¯ve eliminated those chances for good. Those subordinates of my mother¡¯s killed an old friend of mine as I mentioned. The very first thing I would like to do is to avenge my friend. That means my mother¡¯s subordinates and maybe my mother as well. I have plenty of reasons to hate her, but she is also one of the hardest people to get to in the entire empire. Trying to get her might be a one-way trip.¡± Noyala admitted with a sigh.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get to it. What else? Do you want to take the throne?¡± Dee swept the problem away for now.


    Noyala considered the question. ¡°I would say yes. I realize that to be one of those things that might not come to pass, but yes I would like to take the position in the end. The Unseelie have become weak and complacent. Even with defending our borders, the long peace and isolation have taken its toll on my people. This forest is not good for us, and I¡¯d like to change that by leading us elsewhere.¡±


    Dee nodded in understanding. ¡°I think I know your answer, but I have to ask. What about the Authority?¡±


    Noyala answered straight away. ¡°The Authority can burn for all I care. It is a symbol of all the things wrong with our people, and it is one of the chains binding us into the forest. I don¡¯t know how I could take the position without the Authority though. The symbolic value is very strong. That said the Authority comes with certain¡­strings attached which makes it impossible for me to accept.¡±


    ¡°Right then. Your mother¡¯s subordinates. Do you know who actually killed your friend or do you want to take out the whole unit? We actually don¡¯t know how many of them survived the fight with the centaurs that were chasing me.¡± Dee suddenly realized that Noyala¡¯s revenge might have already come to pass.


    ¡°Even if they didn¡¯t, the one that killed my friend wasn¡¯t part of the group chasing after me, as only a part of the attacking unit could come after me. Most of them were prevented from chasing by a spell I used. I don¡¯t know the specific person, but I have some ideas. I often worked in conjunction with my mother¡¯s forces in the past. The unit was simply following orders so no need to go after all of them, but I won¡¯t be sad to see some collateral damage as we try to find out the person we want. They made their choice when they started hunting me.¡± Noyala admitted the difficulty of their task. ¡°That¡¯s actually one of the reasons why I need your help specifically. Troops like the unit we¡¯re talking about would never betray their own, but a psion should be able to pry the identity from their mind, right?¡±


    Dee considered for a moment. She had never actually gone into a person¡¯s mind to seek specific information. They had done some exercises with Moirai, but that was not the same thing. She also had a limited idea of what she was looking for. There were still ways though. ¡°Not directly perhaps, but if we manage to capture someone with the information, then I can get the answer if we combine my abilities with a more standard interrogation. They might not be willing to say the answer, but they will be thinking about it if you ask the right questions.¡± Reading surface thoughts like that would be much easier than going digging into someone¡¯s memories. Memories that could be faulty anyway.


    ¡°In that case, we need to go to the winter capital of Ordos. The unit usually follows my mother around but has its home base there. I can¡¯t tell where my mother might be at this time, but at least some members of the unit should be on stationed back there to guard the facilities. We can learn more there.¡± Noyala decided. Dee¡¯s knowledge when it came to this was limited, so she deferred to Noyala¡¯s judgment.


    -----------


    The city of Ordos was unique compared to the other capital cities, as it was not inside the great forest proper. All four of the seasonal courts had their own capital city and the whole empire had a joint capital city of Seldarassine where the courts came together to deal with matters that covered the whole empire. The Autumn capital was on the border of the forest, but even that city was still considered to be inside the forest, as were the other three cities. Ordos was different.


    As the Unseelie preferred the mountainous terrain to forests, the city of Ordos was built in a valley between several mountains. The mountains were part of a mountain range that pushed inside the forest, so some could argue it too was within the borders of the forest, even if there were no trees in the vicinity of the city. The city itself was a large collection of tall buildings and ornate spires. The buildings were mostly formed from either stone or a strange white crystal that looked a little like ice. Both were formed with earth magic, so the buildings looked like they were carved out of a single piece of stone or crystal. They Unseelie also liked to add decorations to their houses, so over the millennia, even the simplest buildings had become incredibly ornate with graceful arches and sculptures everywhere. Notably, wood was used in some rare places, but only as decoration or to build something temporary.


    As Dee and Noyala looked over the city, Dee had an odd look on her face as she observed the city. To Dee, it seemed like there was something missing, and she couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint what it was. It just gave her a feeling of something being wrong, as she observed the people and the buildings. Noyala had a knowing smile on her face, as this was not the first time someone outside the Unseelie had this reaction.


    ¡°Do you want a hint?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No, give me a second. I almost got it.¡± Dee replied with a frown. The incongruity seemed to have more to do with the people and the wares being hawked by the merchants than the buildings themselves. Suddenly it hit her. ¡°There¡¯s no metal! I can¡¯t see a single piece of metal in the entire city.¡±


    Noyala nodded in confirmation. ¡°Correct. There are some metals, but not in the open. As a race, the Sidhe have always had an aversion to metal. In the beginning, it was almost too toxic to touch, but we have slowly begun to get used to it. We Unseelie more so than our weaker cousins at Summer court. Nowadays the aversion has come down to the level of allergies for the majority of Unseelie. That said, most of us still find the presence of metal uncomfortable and bothersome, hence why all the metal items are kept inside.¡±


    Dee gave a meaningful glance at Noyala¡¯s metal weapons. This brought a small grimace from the latter. ¡°Yeah some of us have gotten over that aversion completely. Well, some have gotten over it, while some were forced to get used to it. A very unpleasant experience I might add. We have come to terms with the fact that most weapons are best made of metal. Still, moonstone is one of our largest imports as it¡¯s one of the few non-metal materials that can rival metals like mithril when it comes to making weapons. Most of our weapons and all our armor is still made of either moonstone, noble woods or the hides, bones, and scales of certain beasts. People like me are an exception. Speaking of¡­¡± Noyala suddenly started swapping her weapons to those made of a greenish-blue crystal-like material, which Dee recognized as a variation of moonstone.


    Dee had her own weapons hidden inside the shadows so that would not be a problem. Besides, it would not be her weapons that drew attention if she allowed people to see her. A bigger problem was that the population of Ordos was very homogeneously Unseelie. There were some elves in the mix, mostly the pale skinned and dark and white haired Dark Elves of Autumn court. One or two other species besides elves could be seen, but definitely no over two mel tall rakshasa-fox demon hybrids. This might be a bit of a problem, even with Dee¡¯s stealth abilities.


    ¡°I can hide myself with the scout hood and mask, and combined with my aura I will mostly blend in. That said, there¡¯s a limit to it.¡± She mentioned.


    ¡°No need to worry just yet, we aren¡¯t actually going inside the city. The place we are aiming for is on the other side of that mountain.¡± Noyala pointed at one of the mountains surrounding the city.


    ¡°Still, we need to figure something out. We will sooner or later need to spend some time in the cities.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you¡­you know¡­¡± Noyala waved her hand expressively, suggesting Dee change form. ¡°I thought that¡¯s part of the kitsune thing.¡±


    Dee gave a small sigh. ¡°It is. And to a certain extent I can. The further away from my standard forms I go though, the harder it will be to keep that appearance for long. I¡¯ll also need one of those earrings if I want to pretend to be a Sidhe.¡±


    Noyala pursed her lips a bit in thought. ¡°Well. That¡¯s a bit of a problem. These aren¡¯t just decorations. They are all enchanted for authenticity, and your identity will be open for anyone to see. I¡¯m already futzing my own identity a bit with my own magic, but at least I¡¯m only claiming a slight difference. I didn¡¯t change my family, instead, I just note that I¡¯m from a branch family and not the main house. On the other hand, if you want to claim to be a member of a house that you¡¯re not, that¡¯ll be noticed pretty quickly.¡±


    ¡°A dark elf then? I once pretended to be an elf with black wings to escape an elven war camp.¡± Dee suggested.


    ¡°Wait, you pretended to be a Dark Avariel? I think I heard something about that. An agent of the Autumn court attacked a Spring court war camp. The Autumn court, of course, denied any responsibility. It was a major diplomatic incident for a while.¡± Noyala laughed in amusement at the thought.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know they made such a big deal out of it.¡± Dee replied with a shrug.


    ¡°Actually that might work well. Dark Avariel are respected even amongst us Unseelie, and your presence will not be questioned nearly as closely. We can work with that.¡± Noyala liked the idea, as it could work to their advantage. ¡°Still, no need for that just yet. We have a base to raid and a prisoner to catch.¡±

 Chapter 94

    Dee stared at the fort built into the side of the mountain. She had rarely seen a place that took their security so seriously. Thanks to the fact that most of the inhabitants of the place were not present, the number of guards was somewhat limited. Despite all the equipment and facilities present, guarding an essentially empty fort was of limited importance after all. That said, the guards themselves were a lot more professional than most. The majority of the guards Dee had seen before were just going through the motions and trying to stave off boredom. These Unseelie guards were different. They actually observed the surroundings with sharp eyes and were ready to raise an alarm at the first sign of trouble.


    If that had been it, Dee wouldn¡¯t have been worried at all. Despite their vigilance, fooling guards was Dee¡¯s specialty. However, the fort benefitted from the fact that it had existed here for a thousand years. The inhabiting Sidhe had taken the time to add to the magical defenses of the place over time. Where guards were somewhat sparse, the walls were frequently dotted by floating magical sentries. Actually saying that the walls were dotted with them was incorrect as the floating balls of mana were also surrounded in an invisibility spell, but to Dee¡¯s eyes they shined like torches with all the gathered mana. Additionally, the air surrounding the fort was closed off by a magical shield, which prevented aerial entry without breaking the shield first.


    ¡°There, that one on the left!¡± Noyala suddenly pointed at a particular male guard.


    The two had been observing the fort for a full day now. In addition to checking out the security, Noyala was also trying to spot a familiar face. Although she hadn¡¯t had much time to observe her attackers when she and her friend had been ambushed, she was familiar with the members of this unit. They had worked together several times, although the members of the unit were less aware of that fact. Noyala was trying to see if she could spot a person that took part in the attack among the guards. Questioning someone like that would more likely yield results about the identity of the one who had killed Noyala¡¯s friend.


    ¡°The one with the red left pauldron?¡± Dee checked just in case as she memorized the appearance of the person in question.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one. He was also among those that chased after me and ran into the centaurs. Apparently at least some of them made it out alive.¡± Noyala confirmed. They had guessed the Sidhe soldiers would do well in the fight despite the separate numbers, but it was always nice to get a confirmation.


    Dee also tagged the person in the Mindscape, so that she could find them if they went indoors. ¡°Alright. It seems a little wishful to expect him to leave the fort anytime soon. That leaves ambushing them outside the fort out of the picture.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. Those on guard rotation rarely leave the fort.¡± Noyala confirmed again. As the daughter and operative of the general leading these troops, Noyala was quite familiar with their routines.


    ¡°So that means I will have to infiltrate that place.¡± Dee said with a small frown, as a plan started to slowly form inside her head.


    ¡°Wait. You? Not us?¡± Noyala noticed the choice of words.


    ¡°It seems like a good idea to bring him out instead of trying to hide our interrogation inside the fort. Let me do my job. This is why I¡¯m here. Infiltration is what I do. We are not going there to fight, so having two people would only make it more likely for us to get caught. Instead, you should prepare a place where we can question him safely.¡± Dee explained her thoughts.


    Noyala grumbled for a short moment about how she could infiltrate just fine but finally acquiesced. It¡¯s not like Dee was wrong, and the only thing that would change would be the person going inside. Noyala had prepared a small magical ring for communication beforehand, and they had set up some signals in case someone managed to listen in on them. Then she set off to fulfill her part of the plan.


    Dee took another look at the fort. There were several ways to do this. She could try opening a portal inside the shield, but despite her training, her precision with the portals wasn¡¯t that good just yet. She could probably hit the fort, but she couldn¡¯t place the portal exit in a place where it would not be spotted. Additionally, she still had the minimum range problem, so she would have to distance herself from the fort and try to open the portal blind. The second option was to find a way through the shield that protected the air above the place. A third way to get in was to change shape into her smallest kitsune form and go over the walls.


    Automatic detection systems like those eyes were great against passive effects like her aura that affected the minds of the guards, but such mindless spells also had downsides. No one could stare out of such a large number of eyes without going crazy, so instead the observation spells would alert whoever was controlling them if something odd happened. The trick was in what the observers were magically programmed to react to. If every small animal tripped the alarm, then the controller would be driven crazy. So a small animal was almost certainly safe.


    Dee just so happened to have the ability to shrink her kitsune form roughly to the size of a cat. A cat with eight tails, wings and dragon horns and scaled front-legs, but it was the size that mattered in this case. However, in her kitsune form she would be somewhat vulnerable for being spotted by the guards, as the form was so decidedly odd looking that it sort of negatively affected her stealth ability. No one would think something like her was indigenous to the area. It would be very unlucky if she was spotted, but the chance was still there. Thus she decided to combine options two and three for entry.


    She went a bit further away from the fort and flew high into the air, approaching the shield from the most vulnerable spot, directly above. That¡¯s where the shield came together, and that¡¯s where she would be able to make her entry. Zabaniya had taught her several ways to deal with such shields. The effectiveness of a shield like this was dependent on how it was made. You couldn¡¯t stop everything; otherwise, even air would not pass through. Not to mention that such a shield would be prohibitively hard to set up and maintain. In addition, this shield was also made for battle purposes, so it was mainly made to withstand bombardment and not specifically to prevent infiltration. That was a side benefit.


    One of the things that had made Dee such an effective assassin was her ability to get past shields such as this. Mostly this was thanks to her ability to read the spell making up the shield. She discovered that this shield would only alert people if it was actually broken, and the part preventing infiltration was keyed to the intentions of someone trying to pass. A rather ingenious idea, as that was not something most would consider countering. However, it was not as effective against someone like her.


    She hadn¡¯t had much time to practice alchemy lately, but she had replicated some of the substances used by Zabaniya for various purposes. She now pulled one such vial from Croestia¡¯s storage and applied it liberally to the shield. Then she assumed the smallest kitsune form she could take and lay down on the area she had just covered. Then she emptied her mind and waited. After a short time, the shield started to fluctuate at the spot where the substance was applied on. It was as if someone had dropped a stone into a pond, sending out waves across that part of the shield.


    One of those waves slipped over Dee¡¯s tiny form as if she wasn¡¯t there, and she suddenly found herself falling inside the shield. With a feral grin, she spread her wings and glided towards the spot where she sensed her target. ¡°Oh how kind of him.¡± She mumbled quietly as she noted the man taking a position on top of a tower. There was only a single observation spell nearby, and it was looking outwards from the wall. Dee landed silently on the crenellations behind the man and assumed her normal form.


    She sneaked behind the man who couldn¡¯t hear or sense a thing and suddenly pounced. Two of her arms pinned the man¡¯s arms, while two others took a silent chokehold. She silently fell backward with the assistance of her telekinesis, while wrapping the man¡¯s legs with her own to prevent kicking, ending up with Dee on her back, choking out the man who was on top of her, struggling for breath. To make matters worse, Dee also assaulted the man¡¯s mind at the same time, so his struggle was disjointed at best.


    As she felt the man giving up on his struggle, she froze his mind just in case and applied a small healing spell to make sure he wouldn¡¯t actually die by accident. ¡®That was somewhat anticlimactic.¡¯ Croestia said silently.


    ¡®Indeed. But a good plan and a bit of stealth go a long way. A well-done infiltration should be anticlimactic.¡¯ Dee replied in the same manner.


    ¡®So how are you getting him out?¡¯ Croestia asked, realizing that carrying an unconscious guard wasn¡¯t exactly the stealthiest thing in the world.


    ¡®I might not have the accuracy to make a portal into the fort, but I don¡¯t need accuracy to get out.¡¯ Dee replied with a smile as a small opening to the Astral plane suddenly appeared in the air. She hoisted the unconscious guard on her shoulder and walked through. She also didn¡¯t forget to send a signal to Noyala while she was at it.


    ------


    The guard Dee had captured was seated on a chair in a nondescript room of stone surrounded by wards. He was also bound by magical bonds to the chair itself, making it impossible to try and struggle free. Dee was standing behind the man, staying out of sight on purpose. When someone was looming behind you, leaving things to your imagination was often more effective than actually showing the true nature of the danger. Noyala was standing in front the man, looking menacing.


    ¡°You can wake him up.¡± Noyala said, ready for action.


    Dee removed her hold keeping the man¡¯s mind frozen and gave it a little jolt to bring him back to awareness. They had neither the patience nor the willingness to wait for him to wake up naturally. His eyes shot open, and he took a quick look around, blinking rapidly. His eyes fell on Noyala and a weird smile suddenly grew on his face. ¡°Well look who is back. If it isn¡¯t¡­¡± The man¡¯s words were cut by Noyala¡¯s hand backhanding his face, dislodging a tooth, which he spat out with a glob of spit and blood.


    ¡°You will speak when you are asked a question and only then. You will promptly answer my questions." Noyala¡¯s glanced at Dee for a moment. "Would you be so kind as to show what happens when he disobeys these rules.¡±


    Dee noted that Noyala had probably interrupted the man¡¯s words at that place on purpose, not allowing him to reveal anything about Noyala by accident. Dee didn¡¯t really mind, but she did find it a little interesting. It¡¯s not like Dee would be able to find out anything if she found out Noyala¡¯s real name, as she didn¡¯t know any Sidhe. If she really wanted to, she could try to trace Noyala¡¯s parents and inquire from that direction, so this secrecy was a little pointless anyway.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The man had not noticed the presence of a third person in the room. He had only noted the lack of any torture implements. Of course he knew that Noyala was quite capable of doing nasty things with her magic alone, but still. Now that he had been alerted to Dee¡¯s presence in the room, he could feel something large behind him. Something large that radiated danger and death. Ever so gently Dee placed a single clawed finger at the back of the man¡¯s head.


    Moirai had not taught her how to use her mind type psionics for torture. However, when you had free access to someone¡¯s mind as Dee now did, you couldn¡¯t help but get some ideas. Reading minds was not her specialty, nor was dominating them or causing illusions. Her true specialty was harming them. There was also the fact that her growing control and power afforded greater freedom to mess with someone¡¯s mind. In normal torture, nerves got damaged and you could only cause so much pain with your particular methods. It was also hard to keep the subject from growing at least somewhat numb or going insane. Psions had another option. They could insert the feeling of pain straight into the targets head and it would be as painful for as long as the psion wanted. They also had the unique ability to stop the target''s mind from collapsing.


    The animalistic scream of pain that the man unleashed surprised even Noyala. Luckily for the man and the ears of everyone involved, Dee kept the burst of pain extremely brief, just showing an example of what to expect. Nevertheless, the man was shaking and mumbling almost incoherently as the pain passed.


    ¡®Went a little hard there, don¡¯t you think?¡¯ Noyala sent a silent message through the ring. At this distance there was no danger of anyone intercepting the message.


    ¡®I just gave him a taste. Besides, this is new to me, so I¡¯m winging it as I go along. We can get another one if this one breaks.¡¯ Dee replied a little callously, once again showing how little she thought of the lives of people she didn¡¯t care about.


    She got no argument from Noyala however, as the Sidhe woman felt betrayed by the members of this unit. ¡°Now. I think that shows just where we are headed if you don¡¯t answer my questions. Who killed my friend when we were ambushed?¡±


    The man cursed, and there were tears running from his eyes. Even that brief moment of pain was enough to cause desperation as he knew this would not end well. Yet he held his ground. His loyalty was almost admirable, if annoying in this case. ¡°You know damn well we don¡¯t rat out our own. No matter what you do to me, I will not speak.¡±


    Noyala glanced at Dee, asking if the psion already got the answer they were looking for. Dee shook her head silently. ¡®His mind was still too clouded and he was thinking of other things. You need to focus his thoughts on what we want.¡¯


    Noyala once again spoke to their prisoner. ¡°I would advise against such loyalty. My friend there can cause a lot more pain than the bit you felt earlier. She can also heal you if you try to kill yourself. We both know the principles of the unit and your training against questioning, but we both also know every man has a limit. We will do this as long as it takes if necessary. I know how to stop anyone from magically coming to find and rescue you. I know how they would do it since I did it myself a couple of times. No one is coming for you. Now focus. The ambush you launched on us. Who killed my friend?¡±


    ¡°Go die in a ditch bitch!¡± The guard growled, eliciting another burst of pain and screaming.


    Noyala had to ask the question four times before Dee nodded in confirmation. ¡°I got it. He was doing a pretty good job of not thinking about it. I think he figured out I was a psion and what I was doing. I already got the answer the last time you asked, but I wanted to be sure he wasn¡¯t feeding me something false, so I dove a bit deeper to confirm.¡± Dee said, not bothering to be secretive anymore. ¡°Next time I can get to it faster now that I know how it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°So we got what we needed?¡± Noyala confirmed, getting another nod from Dee. Then in a single motion, she pulled out her single edged slightly curved blade and decapitated the man.


    When Noyala noted Dee¡¯s slightly amused look, she couldn¡¯t¡¯ help but be a bit defensive. ¡°I got a little annoyed at him calling me names.¡±


    Dee found it even more amusing that Noyala felt the need to justify her actions. ¡°His memories were not a complete confirmation, but close enough. Is an Unseelie named Commander Dorceran familiar to you?¡±


    Noyala frowned, not pleased where this was going. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s the person who leads the unit in my mother¡¯s absence.¡±


    ¡°Well, apparently this guy had to chase after you, so he didn¡¯t see everything. He saw the commander start to question your friend seeing as you were already gone. They didn¡¯t expect to be able to catch you, and the commander decided to instead try and find out where you would be headed. This guy here asked later on what happened. Apparently your friend honestly didn¡¯t know where you were headed aside from the direction you went towards, seeing as it was up to me where you were going to end up. The others told this guy that the commander didn¡¯t take that well and killed your friend in a fit of anger. It was quick.¡± Dee said the last part in a consoling tone.


    Noyala¡¯s faced twitched as she tried to stop it from twisting in pain. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the commander was also there.¡± She said absently, almost trying to distract herself.


    ¡°Apparently the whole unit came after you. Your spell that prevented most of them from chasing was much more effective than you maybe thought. You also jumped out before the ambush point.¡± What Dee didn¡¯t mention was that for some reason the whole unit thought of the mission as a suicide run and had been surprised at the result. She could¡¯ve chased that thought further, but decided to honor Noyala¡¯s privacy. She purposefully steered clear of anything related to her companion. She assumed Noyala would tell her when she was ready.


    Noyala was taking the news of her friend¡¯s death hard. While the rest of her escort was arranged by her friend and unknown to Noyala, her friend was different. Until now she had kept up a slight glimmer of hope that her friend might have been alive, but having the death confirmed was causing the grief crash on her hard. She made a feeble grasping motion with her hand and took a small step towards Dee, not sure what to do.


    Dee noted Noyala¡¯s distress and walked closer, gathering the smaller woman into her arms. Noyala rested her head on Dee¡¯s chest, feeling the safety of the strong arms surrounding her. For the first time in a long while, she felt safe. A feeling she had very rarely been able to enjoy. That more than anything broke the walls stopping her from expressing her grief, and Noyala started to weep, cry and holler openly. As she cried, she punched Dee several times just to express her grief and dissatisfaction at the unfairness of the world, though such feeble hits barely even registered for Dee.


    As the crying took its toll on Noyala, Dee slowly eased the two into a sitting position, with Noyala still resting in her arms. Without either of them paying attention, Dee was getting soaked by the blood on the floor that had escaped from the dead man still bound to the chair. After an hour of expressing her grief with incoherent sobbing, Noyala began to speak about her friend.


    ¡°Thia was one of the few people that didn¡¯t expect something from me. My mother only had orders for me. Kill this person, frame that noble, smuggle that item. Thia was just there. She allowed me to relax and just be myself. Of course, it helped that she slipped me the occasional tidbit about the future, but I honestly wouldn¡¯t have minded if she hadn¡¯t done that. She had this¡­aura of peace about her. It made being in her company such a joy. She was my best friend for a hundred years.¡± Noyala explained slowly.


    Dee could certainly empathize with that. She recalled the peaceful air and the music played by Mina, the Jun girl from the Four Winds. That also brought a question to mind. Dee had found that peace and warmth attractive enough to develop some feelings towards Mina, even if she still didn¡¯t exactly understand the depth of those feelings. Was the same true for Noyala? Had they been just friends with this Thia person? She knew enough not to ask, but the question still remained.


    Some of that question was picked up by Noyala, and she also felt a weird compulsion to explain herself. ¡°We were just friends. She¡­wasn¡¯t like that.¡± Now she was also babbling, half trying to think about anything but her grief. ¡°If she had been, something might have developed early on. Later on, we were like sisters. Actual sister and not the weird relationship I had with the so called sister that I have blood-ties with. Besides, the Sidhe frown on things like that.¡±


    Now Noyala frowned as well. ¡°We are beings of such heavy magic that it¡¯s hard for us to procreate. A Sidhe woman doesn¡¯t become pregnant by accident. They spend decades and centuries gathering natural mana inside themselves before trying to become pregnant. Even with that, it¡¯s up to luck. The longer you prepare, the better the odds. On the other hand that also means a bigger loss if it fails, as it so often does. It is seen as the duty of every Sidhe woman to continue the family for that very reason.¡± Dee noted the use of the word ¡®they¡¯ instead of ¡®we¡¯.


    Noyala continued. ¡°That partially changed when we came to this forest. Even in the proximity as we are, the abundant natural mana makes gathering such mana easier. What normally took hundreds of years now only takes decades. That¡¯s part of what has made us soft. The abundant resources are part of it, but the higher birth rates have changed us as a race. We used to work together and sacrifice for each other. Nowadays there are enough of us that we kill each other almost freely. Some of us are thrown away once we have served one purpose or another. We are no longer united by clans and families, and we are degenerating; becoming just like the other races. This forest is ruining us. That¡¯s why we need to leave. That and¡­¡± She went quiet at that, realizing she probably shouldn¡¯t speak further for now.


    Dee squeezed Noyala a little harder and put her forehead on Noyala¡¯s forehead, a feat made much harder by her snout. ¡°No need for such thoughts for now. You need rest. You need time to grieve. We can topple the empire tomorrow. Tonight you just need to be.¡±


    In the end, Noyala fell asleep, tired emotionally, as Dee held her in her arms in the puddle of blood.

 Chapter 95

    ¡±So you never did tell me how you knew where to find them?¡± Dee pointed out.


    The two had just located the unit of Sidhe they had been looking for. It had been three days since they had interrogated the soldier they had captured. Noyala had been a little awkward the morning after she had found about the death of her friend, and the two had pretended that nothing had happened the previous night. Yet they both knew something had changed. They didn¡¯t quite know what and how much, but they both felt closer to each other.


    ¡°A girl has to have some secrets of her own.¡± Noyala replied with a feigned mysterious smile.


    ¡°Well do those secrets include a plan to get Commander Dorceran separated from the rest of the Sidhe stationed here? Because it might be a bit tough for just the two of us to face all of them.¡± Dee pointed at the army camped near the border of where Winter court controlled territory met the lands controlled by the Spring court.


    The unit they were looking for had become a part of a much larger army of Unseelie. The army was currently camping here long term until they found out if they would continue their march on the Spring court lands. The entry of both the Order of the Radiant Sun and the freelancer¡¯s guild into the mess had made things complicated. As usual, complicated meant that armies waited around while those higher up dithered over what to do.


    ¡°As much as I¡¯d like to kick my brethren around for becoming soft, I think a direct confrontation like that would be a bad idea for now. Still, I¡¯m disappointed. When did we become so cowardly? This whole thing could have been resolved a long time ago. Have both Winter and Autumn court armies take over the opposition quickly before the mercenaries hired by the weaklings arrive in force. So what if we lost a little ground at the borders to some raiders and centaurs? Taking over parts of the forest is not quite as easy. A unified empire would¡¯ve allowed us to take the lost ground back quickly. Now it¡¯s too late since the mercenaries are here in strength.¡± Noyala grumbled.


    ¡°That still didn¡¯t answer my question. Do you have a plan? As much as I like taking the route of a knife from the shadows, this is a problem. An army full of Sidhe is a bit harder to infiltrate than a centaur warhost, and I doubt our target will just lay down his life. A long fight will draw attention. Attention that even the two of us can¡¯t deal with effectively. Besides, something like that would effectively announce our presence in the forest.¡± Dee repeated her worries. ¡°Killing a person here or a small group there is one thing and could be chalked up to internal power struggles. Attacking an army on the other hand¡­¡±


    Noyala spoke with a frown. ¡°I have a plan of sorts in motion, but I don¡¯t know if it will work. This wasn¡¯t quite what I had in mind when we set things in motion on that front.¡±


    ¡°Your meaning?¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, the fort we took the soldier away from is the base of the unit commanded by our target. What do you think will happen once they discover one of their own gone in the middle of his watch? They will first try to find the missing person. Once the first response methods fail, they¡¯d send a word to the commander, most likely asking for him to act, or at least decide on what to do next. It would be bad for morale if they did nothing even if they suspect something. However, I¡¯m not sure how Dorceran will react.¡± Noyala explained her thoughts. They really had set this in motion without even knowing it was necessary, thus they had no control over it.


    ¡°You worked with them on occasion, right? So what¡¯s your best guess?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the thing. Commander Dorceran was always the type of person that avoided becoming predictable. He would react to things differently, just so his enemies wouldn¡¯t be able to make him act according to their wishes. He might feel his presence at the fort to be necessary or he might decide sending a group of trusted subordinates is enough. I really can¡¯t tell which way he¡¯ll go. I doubt he¡¯ll just send instructions. The inactivity of the army is shameful, but they are providing the commander the chance to deal with other matters, such as this one.¡± Noyala shook her head slightly disgusted at her own inability to predict what would happen.


    ¡°Well, all we can do is wait and see which way he¡¯ll tilt. We can decide on another course of action if this fails.¡± Dee countered. ¡°If he¡¯ll send subordinates, then we can ambush the subordinates. That should prompt a more direct response from him. Or we¡¯ll chip at him until he does what we require. He must have things he cares about, like lands, family or a lover. We can always take a more direct stance and threaten those. I¡¯d rather avoid that thought because that would reveal we are aiming at him specifically.¡±


    Dee and Noyala had arrived here via a portal created by Dee. The distance from the Winter capital of Ordos was rather sizeable as the city was on the other side of the Winter court territory, so it took time for a message to arrive. In addition, the people at the fort first did their best on their end to find the missing guard before bothering the commander. Still, the two didn¡¯t have to wait long as it had taken Noyala a couple of days to locate the commander. It only took half a day for a messenger on eagleback to arrive bearing the message.


    It only took less than twenty minutes of observing by the duo to note that the result had not been what they had been hoping for. Several high ranking members of the unit started packing their gear and preparing to leave, but the commander was not among them. ¡°Good news is, there are a couple of important subordinates among those leaving.¡± Noyala said, pointing out two Sidhe from the group. One had the officers insignia and carried a wicked looking bow, while the other was clad like a normal warrior, except his gear was significantly higher quality. ¡°If we kill them, then the commander has no choice but to react personally. Those two are both rank seven warriors. If they wind up dead, then the only one stronger left in the unit is the commander. And my mother if we count her in, but she won¡¯t get involved. She¡¯s too busy dealing with the succession.¡±


    The whole thirty strong group that rode out from the army camp was low in number but high in quality. Dee could see how the unit could be considered to be an elite strike force, considering the weakest Sidhe in the group was rank five. A couple of mages rounded the group out. In the mana filled environment of the forest, mages were especially dangerous since they could replenish their spent mana more easily. Not that the duo planned on giving them the chance to do so.


    They waited until the thirty Sidhe rode for almost a full day to let them get far enough away from the war camp. The group was apparently planning to not stop for rest, and that was not unusual assuming their steeds could handle it. While the periods of time people called ¡®days¡¯ in day city were standard length, that didn¡¯t mean the suns went down every time a ¡®day¡¯ was over. Currently, it was a bit less bright than during midday but it was pretty far from dark. So if neither the steeds nor the riders required rest, why bother?


    The group came to a sudden halt as they noticed a woman standing in the middle of the road, clearly blocking the way on purpose. The whole thing stunk of a trap, even more so because the members of the unit recognized the woman blocking their way. The female archer leading the unit signaled the others to prepare for combat, while she rode forward to meet the woman blocking their path. ¡°Miss Ruadh¨¢in. I didn¡¯t expect to meet you here. I¡¯m assuming your purpose here is not peaceful.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid the chance for that disappeared when you and your compatriots killed my friend and chased after me. I¡¯m afraid your deaths are required for my plans.¡± Noyala replied keeping up a fa?ade of calmness that she didn¡¯t really feel. While she didn¡¯t feel the need to take revenge on the entire unit, she wasn¡¯t feeling merciful towards them either.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to resist. I don¡¯t know what has weakened you so, but in your current state you might find that killing us alone might be more of a challenge than you might have expected.¡± The woman replied, gathering her power, and signaling the others to do the same.


    ¡°What makes you think I came alone?¡± Noyala asked with a small smirk. Really, they should¡¯ve seen this coming. To be fair, the members of the group were observing the surrounding forest. They were simply looking in the wrong place. ¡®Whenever you¡¯re ready Dee.¡¯ She sent the signal.


    Suddenly an explosion rocked the Sidhe officer and Noyala. The officer could feel the pressure of a great impact from behind her, despite the protective barrier that sprung up to take the brunt of the danger. At the same time, Noyala could see a streak of heated energy before a great cloud of dust covered the other members of the unit that were in the middle of the explosion. The floating dust pressed against the shield before sliding past them. The surrounding forest didn¡¯t quite have the same protection. Still, for the power of the forces involved, it was surprising how little of the forest was damaged. As the dust cleared the two could see a fairly large crater where the soldiers had stood just before. Now all that remained of them were bits and pieces, along with smeared blood and guts from both the soldiers and their mounts.


    The officer stared in shock, while Dee slowly descended from the sky in her full angel form, with two halos rotating behind her head. ¡°That went well. If I judge the power just right, I can limit some of the damage to the surrounding when I use one of the smaller pearls.¡±


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    She was quite happy with the result of her surprise attack. She had not used even close to full power and had managed to wipe out a group of fairly high-level targets, one of which was only a single rank behind her. Granted that Dee was not really representative of a standard rank eight existence and she had caught the enemies completely by surprise due to her method of attack, but still. She had tried limiting the damage to a small area, and only some twenty mel of the surrounding forest around the crater had been destroyed. Apparently using the smaller pearls could really help limit the damage. The souls of her targets were already floating towards her.


    As she said this Noyala plunged a lance made of lightning through the chest of the still stunned Sidhe woman. ¡°Agreed. That worked well. Those new weapons of yours are really scary.¡±


    ¡°So mind explaining to me why you wanted me to leave her for you to kill, instead of wiping all of them out from ambush? She didn¡¯t put up much of a resistance due to her shock, kind of disappointing actually, but there was still some risk involved.¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Because officers like her carry a special amulet while on missions. By now Commander Dorceran should¡¯ve received knowledge that the woman is dead, where it happened and the appearance of the person that killed her. I used my own magic to mask my appearance to some degree, but sooner or later they will manage to see through that illusion. That said, I¡¯d be at the top of certain people¡¯s list of suspects anyway. I¡¯d rather keep your presence a secret a while longer instead. You¡¯re something like my trump card.¡± Noyala explained her reasoning.


    The two moved a bit away from the area just in case someone sent a magical retaliation of some kind. After a moment of silence, Dee spoke. ¡±So. Should I be calling you Miss Ruadh¨¢in now?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± Noyala replied immediately and vehemently. ¡°That¡¯s our family name, and I¡¯d rather not be associated with it seeing as my own mother wanted me dead. Also, I can see you want to ask what her words about my strength meant. Suffice to say I¡¯m not at my peak power. In fact, my power might drop even more if things go badly. The easiest way to explain would be to call it a curse thanks to my so called betrayal.¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯m pretty good at removing curses, right?¡± Dee pointed out the obvious. She had made sure to become good with that part of priestly magic due to her experiences with Zabaniya and their bonds.


    ¡°I know. If this was something that could be removed so easily, then I would¡¯ve already asked. This is something more fundamental. It would require someone with the power of a high ranked immortal specializing in the field, or the elimination of the source to remove the curse. The removal of the curse is one of my goals in case you didn¡¯t already guess.¡± Noyala was none too pleased with the state of affairs. However, seeking help wasn¡¯t so simple. To gain the help of someone strong enough to remove the curse would require her to explain the circumstances where she was cursed, and she wasn¡¯t willing to do that for multiple reasons.


    The following silence continued for a moment, before finally being broken by Noyala. ¡°So this is how your angel form looks like. I can see why you would not use it when trying to avoid attention. You look stunning.¡±


    Dee wasn¡¯t sure if she was pleased about those words. While the training she had gone through had brought her closer to accepting her angel form, it still didn¡¯t truly feel a part of her. She had already accepted her other two forms. Her original form was her original form. There were no difficulties with accepting that, as it was what she had lived with for the vast majority of her life. There was the slight fact she was unhappy when others liked her for her angel form and didn¡¯t accept the original form, but that was what it was. A bestial and demonic form like that was not to everyone¡¯s tastes.


    Her kitsune form in many ways represented the darker sides of her character. Her more base urges and feral nature got stronger in that form, as shown by the fact that she was prone to brawling physically and could quite happily eat raw meat in that form. It also represented her fear of turning into a monster due to her heritage. That form already looked rather monstrous and was becoming a mix of several things. However, she was adept at accepting her darker side.


    Her angel form, on the other hand, represented the light inside her, but it was also the face of her enemies. While she felt at home with her other two forms, the angel form felt like she was wearing a disguise and not being true to herself. If someone complimented that form or expressed interest, it felt much like if someone was complimenting her disguise or at best some clothes that she was wearing. It didn¡¯t feel bad exactly but it was a far cry for being complemented due to her true self. For some reason, she was especially afraid that Noyala would prefer that form to her original one. That was one of the reasons she was so reticent about using the form before now in Noyala¡¯s presence.


    Dee¡¯s mumbled ¡°Thanks.¡± made Noyala realize that this might be a sore subject to Dee, though she didn¡¯t know why. She decided to try and move the discussion along. ¡°So can you show me the Dark Avariel disguise you were planning on using?¡±


    Glad to have something else to think about, Dee closed her eyes and recalled the form she had changed to once before. Her halos disappeared, the wings both became black and her face went through some subtle changes. The ears took the standard pointed appearance, and even her hair turned entirely black. She looked like a splendid example of a Dark Elf, except winged and much taller and bigger. Bigger both in height and width, as angels were taller and less dainty when compared to elves, and also bigger due to certain places on her figure. Elves weren¡¯t exactly known for being well endowed in general, and Dee¡¯s form broke that norm.


    Noyala gave a small whistle. If she hadn¡¯t known better, she¡¯d have no idea that she was looking at Dee. That was until Dee opened her sharp eyes and the air around her returned to the normal aura of danger except even stronger. ¡°Aaand there we go, you normal aura is back. It might even be stronger now that you¡¯re not making any effort towards hiding yourself. You¡¯re going to have to try and reign in your aura a bit to avoid scaring people.¡±


    Dee growled, a weird sound considering her current appearance. ¡°Look who¡¯s talking. You don¡¯t exactly feel like a courtier either. Besides, this form is hard enough to keep up as it is.¡±


    Noyala frowned. ¡°Is it really that difficult? I mean the changes to your appearance aren¡¯t that big.¡± She pointed out. Usually, the strain of maintaining a form came from radical differences when compared to the original, and Dee¡¯s changes truly were rather minor.


    ¡°It¡¯s mainly the wing and the halo. I¡¯m kind of used to keeping the halo hidden, but the wing keeps rebelling against me, trying to change back to the candy color that it has.¡±  Dee replied sounding displeased.


    ¡°Magenta.¡± Noyala mumbled, thinking for a moment.


    ¡°What?¡± Dee asked confused.


    ¡°The color is called magenta I think. It depends on the lighting. Could be lavender as well.¡± Noyala repeated, now slightly amused at Dee¡¯s discomfort. ¡°Aside from that, have you considered asking the deity you serve about the difficulty you¡¯re having?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Dee replied completely blank faced.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no. How about you try when we make camp next time. I know deities aren¡¯t usually handing out free information, but I get the feeling they¡¯re a bit more involved when you¡¯re concerned.¡± Noyala had heard some rumors while following Dee around.


    Dee had not actually told her which deity she served, but rumors were plentiful if you knew when to listen. She heard quite a bit, especially during the time they spent with the Radiant Sun army dealing with the centaurs. The bit about Dee¡¯s deity ranking her as a Moonstone ranked priestess even before becoming a part of the order was especially interesting. She¡¯d heard the rumors about Lumen of course, but she also saw how the shadows clung to Dee, which would be odd for someone blessed by Lumen alone.


    ¡°Well, we have an officer to catch before that can happen.¡± Dee countered.


    The two rushed back towards the army, and were quite glad to detect the party led by Commander Dorceran traveling towards the spot where his subordinates had died. The only problem was that the commander wasn¡¯t stupid. Anyone capable of killing his subordinates was a possible danger to him as well. Thus he had brought the whole unit of almost five thousand Sidhe with him.


    The two had expected this, but it was still unpleasant to be proven right in this case. ¡°Well, it¡¯s an improvement over having him in the middle of a Winter court army.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°An improvement, but not really a solution.¡± Noyala pointed out the obvious.


    ¡°What are the odds of getting him separated from his troops now?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Noyala shot back.


    ¡°Well, I might have trouble defeating the rest considering their average strength, but I can certainly delay them. Can you deal with the commander in the meantime? I imagine you¡¯d prefer to take revenge with your own hands anyway.¡± Dee outlined a plan.


    Noyala was not exactly happy with the idea, but it might be the best way to go if things didn¡¯t change. They didn¡¯t have to make that decision right at this moment though.

 Chapter 96

    The small army of Sidhe approached the spot where the earlier group had died. As the place was clearly shown to be dangerous, everyone present was prepared for an ambush. Commander Dorceran signaled some of the scouts to fan out and search the area, while he himself dismounted to search the site personally. Not that the site of the battle was all that complicated. There was a fairly big crater created by some sort of heavy impact.


    The devastation radiating away from the crater was strangely confined. Anything powerful enough to make a crater like this should¡¯ve also damaged more of the surrounding forest. This told the commander that the attack was not a random meteorite dropped by an overzealous mage. Whoever did cause the damage was able to control their power to an extent. The scattered remains of Sidhe soldiers and steeds made the scene look grisly. It also made counting the dead impossible. He had no way of knowing if the entire unit had been wiped out, or if some of them were captured. The mages had already tried to trace all members of the group but had received no results. Then again, another member of their unit had disappeared from their fort as well, and they had been unable to trace that man as well.


    ¡°Be prepared for an attack from above. Something at the level of rank seven at least. Scatter our forces to avoid attacks that cover a wide area. Have them search for anything weird while at it.¡± Commander Dorceran said to the people surrounding him, and they in turn quietly spread the word.


    There was another thing that made him think. He could see the body of the woman that had led the group and had brought them here. She was lying on the ground a short distance away, and the commander could see the gaping hole in her torso from here. The weird part was that the destruction that had hit the forest seemed to skirt around her corpse as if stopped by a shield. Whoever had killed her had wanted to avoid killing her in the first explosion.


    ¡®So two people. One of whom they want to keep secret. And they know of our amulets.¡¯ He thought grimly. He also had a pretty good idea about the identity of the person who had killed the female officer. There were only so many people who had both the strength and guts to attack an elite unit commanded by House Ruadh¨¢in. There were even fewer people that also had sufficient motive to do so. He could think of a handful of suspects, but one, in particular, stood out.


    ¡®Still, why attack a random group of subordinates, even if two of our best people were part of the group? There are much more important targets for both her and the enemies of House Ruadh¨¢in. The two generals are an obvious choice, and there¡¯s even¡­me?¡¯ He suddenly realized that the whole thing might have been just to draw him out of the Winter court army. He looked around and noted that most of the unit had scattered on his orders. Only a handful remained close-by to protect him, mostly as a formality.


    Suddenly he noticed something quick moving from the corner of his eye and the heads of those people surrounding him exploded. He pulled out his two-handed blade, increased the strength of his protective ki to the peak and prepared a couple of spells to cast. The air close by shimmered and two beings that radiated danger appeared, the spell hiding them disappearing. One of them he recognized immediately, the person he was expecting to see, while the other was a tall angel with two halos and two differently colored wings. The commander had to take a second glance at the angel, who felt like a phoenix had landed in their midst. So very dangerous, but you couldn¡¯t help but admire her beauty on a certain level. Despite his senses screaming danger, he couldn¡¯t feel her strength at all, and that fact alone made her even more dangerous.


    The angel waved her hand, and a dome of dark energy suddenly surrounded the trio and the newly made corpses. He heard the angel¡¯s delightful voice speak words that were decidedly less delightful. ¡°I can keep the others out for a while. You¡¯re not in a rush, but there¡¯s a time limit. Eventually, they¡¯ll be able to batter their way through and spoil your little revenge. I¡¯ll be outside distracting them.¡±


    The other woman that the commander had recognized replied quickly. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. Try not to kill too many of them.¡±


    The certainty in the woman¡¯s voice worried Commander Dorceran even more. It was as if it was a foregone conclusion that the angel would be able to kill all his subordinates, and was only holding back because the woman had requested it. Then the angel disappeared in a flash of light.


    His chosen opponent then turned his way and spoke. ¡°Well then. Now it¡¯s just you and me. I¡¯m sure you know why I¡¯m here.¡±


    -----


    Dee flew out of the dome constructed of holy power. The dome was something of a combination of Umbra¡¯s power used to form into an Aegis and a protective holy spell. An Aegis was great for keeping enemy spells and arrows out, but it was simply not designed to keep enemies out. Its purpose was, after all, to empower the allies beneath while they fought the enemy. Or in the case of power from a dark goddess like Umbra being used, it was also used to weaken enemies beneath. That¡¯s why Dee had to combine it with another protective spell. The combination worked to keep people outside, but unlike a proper Aegis, it wouldn¡¯t be able to take punishment until she ran out of holy power.


    Dee still thought it would¡¯ve been easier to just blast away the marching columns of Sidhe like she had done to the small patrol before, but Noyala had vetoed that idea. According to Noyala, killing a small group from the unit was just as well, but killing the whole unit ran counter to her other objectives. She wanted to make the Unseelie strong again, and wiping out an elite unit of their military was not a good way to reach that goal. They were only following orders after all, so it wasn¡¯t really the soldier¡¯s fault but the people commanding them. Noyala wasn¡¯t some saint that avoided bloodshed, hence Dee had a fairly free hand on taking as many lives as she deemed necessary, but she had asked that most of the unit would be left alive.


    Hence why Dee had agreed to keep the others busy while Noyala took her revenge. There was just a small problem. Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure Noyala could kill Commander Dorceran in a straight up fight. Their levels of power were not far apart, as they were both rank eight. The only difference was that the commander was close to becoming rank nine as a warrior, while his magical skills were barely enough to qualify as rank four, while Noyala was a rank seven warrior and a rank eight mage. In theory, Noyala should have the upper hand, but ranks weren¡¯t everything. Noyala was clearly powerful but gave the image of someone more used to working from the shadows and was apparently suffering from some sort of curse. The commander, on the other hand, seemed like someone used to straight up combat and had a lot more experience due to his age and long service. Dee would have to keep an eye on things and interfere if things didn¡¯t go according to plan.


    Her thoughts were interrupted by a column of green energy slamming into the dark shield separating the two from the rest of the Sidhe. Dee noted that the shield held strong, but that the beam of energy coming down on the shield was wearing down on it. She looked at the source of the energy and saw a formation of mages casting a spell together. A formation often seen in wars. Nine mages were streaming green light from their hands into a similar column that rose towards the sky to fall down on the shield, while eighteen other mages stood behind them, sending their own power to the nine. Behind the eighteen stood another thirty-six mages that did the same for the eighteen.


    ¡°Time to get to work.¡± Dee said to Croestia. ¡°We¡¯ll have to give them something else to think about.¡± She could feel Croestia¡¯s silent reply as power filled her, and she could feel that the effect of any magic sent her way would be reduced. Dee also cast a host of empowering holy spells on herself just in case she had to wade into close combat. That wasn¡¯t really her goal though.


    She flew to the top of the dome, right where the beam was striking it. With a wave of her hands, the air began to move. She used force control to take a hold of the surrounding air and forced it to spin around the dome forming powerful winds. This was the beginnings of a psionic storm she had used several times before, except this time there was no tearing power or lighting mixed in. Instead all the power was focused on increasing the wind speeds flowing into a single direction. This plucked away any Sidhe stupid enough to stray close and threw them far away from the battle. Then she began to push the wind out, expanding the area covered. It was like a powerful but small hurricane created from psionic energy.


    Soon the winds started closing on the mages still channeling their magic. This is where the training of the unit kicked in. The warriors that had not been tossed away began combining their powers together to form a protective barrier around the mages. Dee cursed silently as the storm winds rammed into the barrier and the barrier held. It twisted and bent under the pressure, but that elasticity was simply something that allowed it to deflect most of the power away from the barrier.


    Now it had turned into a stalemate. Which would break first, the barrier created by the thousands of warriors or the barrier created by Dee alone? She wasn¡¯t sure she liked the math. Especially since the protective shield she had created was untested and used for the first time on the spot. If it had been the Aegis and her nigh bottomless well of holy power, then that would¡¯ve been one thing, but the spell was something else.


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    ¡°Looks like this is not enough. I¡¯ll have to disappoint Noyala and start using deadly force. Hopefully most of them aren¡¯t too fragile.¡± Dee said with a small sigh.


    Suddenly six large diamond shaped objects appeared next to her and started spinning in preparation to being shot off. ¡°Let¡¯s see what it takes to crack this particular egg.¡± She said, as the objects suddenly shot towards the shield. To her amazement, the shield held against the first two impacts. Now granted she had held back on purpose and the shield held the power of thousands of high-class warriors, but still. She had to commend them. What would be left of them anyway. The third diamond destroyed the shield, while the remaining three landed right in the middle of the mage¡¯s formation. None of them survived.


    The gems all floated back to her. ¡°Now. Let¡¯s see what they come up with next. I doubt they will be satisfied with just this.¡±


    -----


    Within the barrier the commander and Noyala squared off against each other. The commander thought he had fairly good odds of winning against his opponent in her weakened state, but the angel might decide to come back. Or his troops might be able to crack the dark layer of power covering them. That was another possibility. He wasn¡¯t sure if stalling for time would be beneficial or not. Still, there was no need to remain silent at least.


    ¡°I¡¯d imagine you¡¯re here for some misguided sense of revenge.¡± He replied to her earlier statement.


    ¡°Misguided?¡± Noyala scoffed in derision. ¡°You ambushed me and killed my friend. I don¡¯t think reasons for revenge can get much clearer than that.¡± To punctuate her words a bolt of lightning flashed towards the commander.


    The commander used his ki to cleave the bolt in two as he dashed in to close the gap between them. It was an example of the age old situation. At range the warrior would be at a disadvantage, but close up he could stop the mage from casting any complex spells. Usually the mages also sucked at close range combat. This particular mage unfortunately also happened to be a strong close range combatant. His two handed and slightly curved blade made of Moonstone was intercepted by two metal sabers crossed at the front, and immediately several quick spells were shot towards him, stopping him from forcing his higher strength on her.


    ¡°You know damn well why though. A blasphemer like you must have expected some retaliation to your actions. You went against all our vows and tenets.¡± He grunted as he suddenly disappeared and appeared behind his opponent, aiming a quick swing at her back.


    That swing missed as she leapt forward out of the range of the approaching blade, while several large orbs of lightning rose to float around her. Those lighting orbs then launched at the commander. ¡°I took no vows, and neither did most of our people. It¡¯s hardly my fault that our monarch chose to make such promises to parties that have no right to our fealty.¡±


    The commander knew those orbs would follow him around if he tried to dodge, so he had to face them directly. The form of a white and black tiger made of ki appeared behind his back and dashed at the orbs. The tiger swept its paw at the orbs, leading to an explosion of jagged bolts of lightning scattering everywhere. The tiger came out as the winner, though its form was greatly diminished as it swiped at Noyala with the remaining power.


    ¡°The queen was selected to rule our race. Her power protects us and her decisions and promises bind us as a whole. We have taken those vows seriously for tens of thousands of years, and our race has never been as powerful and numerous as it is now. Don¡¯t even try to tell me we would¡¯ve reached this point if the forest was not helping us! And you choose to betray all that!¡± The commander replied angrily.


    A protective field of power surrounded Noyala, stopping the attack of the tiger. The commander¡¯s next attacked followed right after, as he cleaved down with his sword in a very particular way, sending a blade of dark energy towards her. This was an attack designed against the protective shields of the mages, and would go right through them as if they weren¡¯t there.


    Noyala was suddenly clad in lightning, as if all her clothes had just turned into the volatile power, and she moved away from the blade of energy faster than the commander¡¯s eyes could follow. ¡°I don¡¯t remember getting a say in choosing the hag that pretends to be our queen. I don¡¯t think you did either. A bunch of corrupt old houses chose her, and she is just like them. Black to the core. She doesn¡¯t care about our people, she only cares about the power that she has borrowed and the authority it grants her. Even her strength is fake, given to her by someone else, and so is the authority that relies on such borrowed power. And we might be more numerous than before, but more powerful as a people? I don¡¯t think so. We¡¯re too busy plotting and killing each other and scheming against the other seasonal courts.¡±


    The commander harrumphed. This was not a new argument, though the woman in front of him was the first one to actually take direct steps to change the situation. And that¡¯s what got her cursed. ¡°Seems like you can still somewhat draw on your totem, even if most of its power is unavailable for you. I wonder though, how many times can you do so? Must be hard now that you¡¯ve fallen so far.¡± He was taunting her on purpose, trying to force her to waste strength.


    ¡°I still have enough power left to defeat you.¡± Noyala replied grimly, while she knew that using the power she had just used would come back to haunt her later. ¡°How¡¯s this for our race having power? When we finally gain our own strength instead of borrowing it from others, that strength gets slapped down.¡±


    The commander grinned wickedly in response. ¡°You know as well as I do that you¡¯re not being punished for being strong. You¡¯re being punished for your blasphemy. What better proof than your sister? She¡¯s not going along with the queen¡¯s wishes either, but she still retains her power.¡± He knew those words had hit the mark as her face darkened. Her sister had always been a sore spot, and now it might be her undoing as she clearly planned on utilizing the power of her totem again to shut him up.


    That moment of triumph was dashed though, as suddenly a heavy weight settled on the commander. He felt his strength and life being sapped away, while she was being empowered. They could both feel that this was due to the dome of dark power surrounding them. The voice of the angel sounded inside the barrier. ¡°Get to it. If I have to hold them back much longer, I¡¯ll really have to start killing them. The buggers aren¡¯t quite as useless as I hoped they would be, and holding back is difficult.¡±


    The commander knew that the duel had just turned in a horrible way, as he felt his body starting to suffer from various ailments and slow down. Even his mentality was being affected, as his focus was starting to waver and doubt was starting to creep into his mind. He tried sending a blade of energy at the dome, hoping to break it from the inside, but the blade passed harmlessly through the dome. The spell was designed to keep people and power from getting in; it did nothing to stop power from getting out.


    Dee had made the dome with the power of Umbra for several reasons. For one, although there were templar serving the dark gods among the Radiant Sun, they were much rarer than those serving the light or the neutral gods. As a result, a spell that looked like Aegis but not quite, and also made from the power of a dark godwas less likely to be connected to the order. Secondly, the Aegis made from such power could really hamper any enemies caught inside. So if Noyala got into trouble, she could help rather easily by activating that part of the spell.


    ¡°Some duel this is!¡± The commander yelled angrily at Noyala in protest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are in a position to judge. Which one of us has been under a curse this whole time?¡± Noyala replied with a smile, her anger now gone. ¡°Besides, who said anything about a duel? I just wanted to take revenge with my own hands.¡±


    She quickly dashed at the commander, power of lighting covering her blades. He moved his own sword to block the strike, his body being wrapped in protective power and a pair of fire bolts dashing towards her approaching figure as mostly a distraction. Her shield negated those puny spells easily, while her left blade struck at his. The power of lighting within blasted both of the swords from their hands, while her right blade shattered the protective ki surrounding him. He tried defending with his hands but moved too sluggishly due to the sudden draining of his strength. He didn¡¯t suddenly become slow, but he was slow enough to not compare to her speed anymore.


    Then she placed her left palm on the pommel of the sword and drove the blade with both hands into his throat. She removed the blade with a flourishing twirl, and then turned to look towards the sky covered with the dark dome. It wasn¡¯t really the sky she was looking at. She had simply realized how much she needed Dee if she was to reach her goals in the future and gave off a small sigh. She didn¡¯t like being so dependent on someone. Especially since that might cost both of them dearly in the future.


    If Noyala herself wasn¡¯t strong enough to finish what she started, then Dee would have to do it. And that would make her the enemy of the entire empire.

 Chapter 97

    Dee and Noyala had arrived at their meeting place with Razark a little early. This was despite wasting some time trying to shake the pursuit of the soldiers Dee had been distracting during Noyala¡¯s fight. Normally they should have been able to escape much easier, but Noyala had suffered from a backlash due to utilizing her totem during the fight, and as such was moving much slower and was suffering from cramping muscles that refused to work right. She had not explained the reason she got injured, but Dee wasn¡¯t stupid. She had not listened in on what Noyala and the commander had talked about, but she had seen what had happened and could guess the rough reason. Neither chose to speak about it.


    Once they had shaken off the pursuit, Dee had created a portal back to the meeting place. After arriving safely, she had spent some time applying healing to Noyala. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the healing wasn¡¯t all that effective due to the reason Noyala got hurt. What was effective however, or at least pleasant, was when Dee promised to give Noyala a proper massage to relieve the muscle cramps. Dee had learned many of the tricks used by Nessera, and used them liberally but very carefully while performing the massage. She shamelessly used the succubus trick of letting out a lot of pheromones while making her massage a bit more pleasurable than was strictly necessary. All in the name of helping Noyala deal with the pain of course.


    Noyala had noticed the little tricks as she felt almost drunk during Dee¡¯s ministrations, but decided to allow Dee to continue with her shenanigans since they were working. She also needed a distraction from the fact that she had just avenged her friend. Once her own condition improved, she wanted to return the favor as another form of distraction. Though she wasn¡¯t offering a massage exactly. That was also the time Razark decided to show up. He was also a little early for the meeting.


    He couldn¡¯t help but look on questioningly as Noyala was using a brush to go through Dee¡¯s fur and tails while Dee was in her full kitsune form. The image was more than a little amusing. A rather slim Sidhe woman brushing the tails of a monster larger than a bear, while said monster¡¯s feet were twitching involuntarily from the pleasure of it. All in all, Dee looked a little like a sleeping puppy chasing something in her sleep. ¡°I¡¯m not even going to ask.¡± He said simply as he walked closer to the duo.


    ¡°Good, because I wouldn¡¯t answer.¡± Dee replied languidly, with her eyes still closed. ¡°So how did it go? Did you find out what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Razark grimaced a bit. ¡°Yes and no. I figured out that it likely isn¡¯t a member of the four courts that is holding something over the grandmaster. I get the feeling that this has something to do with the forest itself. There are several groves all over the forest, closely guarded by the four courts and the more wild denizens of the forest. I was given the impression that those are involved somehow, but I can¡¯t be sure since no one I talked to is able to give straight answers. That or they just plain don¡¯t know. Even I can¡¯t sneak into the groves to see what¡¯s inside, and I don¡¯t think I should try to force my way in just yet. Not before we can find out more.¡±


    ¡°Noyala, are you sure you can¡¯t tell us more?¡± Dee pressured a bit, emphasizing her words by wagging her tails at the woman still holding the brush.


    The Sidhe woman sighed deeply, before giving in a little. ¡°I can reveal a bit, but realize that there are consequences if I try to say anything more. I may not be prevented from talking like your grandmaster is, but if word got out that I told you, then I¡¯d be in even deeper trouble than I already am. We are approaching what are considered almost racial secrets and anyone revealing them would be considered a traitor to the race as a whole. Razark is on the right path, and he is also correct in assuming that trying to force entry into the groves is a bad idea.¡± She considered for a short moment before continuing. ¡°That¡¯s partly how I got cursed.¡±


    This got their attention. Razark narrowed his eyes and took a deeper look at Noyala. As an immortal himself he could feel the faint presence of a totem inside her, as well as something blocking Noyala¡¯s access to it. ¡°I see. Something powerful enough to go against immortals. I assume my fate would be similar?¡±


    ¡°That slightly depends.¡± Noyala hedged her words. ¡°Just entering the groves is not enough, and the groves are not all the same. Depends on which grove you¡¯d pick and what you would do once you got there. Still, it would not be healthy in the best of cases.¡±


    Dee suddenly voiced another matter from the side. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking this for a bit now. The rumors said that the heir apparent for the position of a Winter Queen is immortal. That wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with you, now would it?¡±


    Noyala put the brush down with another sigh, knowing she had to explain some things she had kept a secret so far. ¡°I can¡¯t say it has nothing to do with me, but you might be confusing things a bit. I¡¯ve heard some of the rumors and information your order has gathered. It¡¯s not wrong exactly, but they have some things and people confused because they don¡¯t have the correct information. So depending on which rumors you¡¯re referring to, it might or might not have something to do with me.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡± Razark demanded. Just this tidbit was not helping.


    ¡°Well, from what I can see the rumors have several people mixed into a single heir apparent, though I can partially see why. The whole thing is so mired in plots that even the elves of the Spring and Autumn court aren¡¯t fully clear on the current situation, and they are the most likely source of all your information. Rumors tend to get twisted in re-telling after all. There¡¯s an heir apparent supported by the oldest noble houses, but she¡¯s not an immortal and she never will be without the Authority. She could in normal circumstances take the position and the current Queen likes her as well, but she can¡¯t do it currently for various reasons. This is where things get mixed up. The overwhelming favorite for the kingship, the Smiling Prince, doesn¡¯t want that heir apparent as queen. He wants my sister. Or at least he thinks he does. My parents are trying to get my sister on the throne and she is immortal just like I used to be. She would take the position but doesn¡¯t want the Authority for the same reasons I wouldn¡¯t take it. She¡¯s also not that keen on marrying the prince, but that¡¯s more on principle than any personal distaste.¡± Noyala gave a quick version of the situation.


    There were several gaps in what she said that the other two noticed. ¡°You said, he thinks he wants your sister. But not really?¡± Razark was doing the questioning, while Dee was satisfied with whatever Noyala chose to share.


    ¡°Well, the Prince fell in love at first sight. The only problem is, he has never met my sister.¡± Noyala was thoroughly ashamed when saying this.


    ¡°What? How?¡± Razark couldn¡¯t figure it out.


    Dee however could. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to be twins, now would you?¡±


    Noyala pointed at Dee. ¡°You got it in one. We are an example of something that extremely rarely happens to Sidhe, which is partially why the prince can¡¯t even imagine the possibility. The prince saw me once when I was on a mission. Officially though, my family doesn¡¯t even have a daughter like me, as I¡¯m meant to just be a shadow that helps my sister to the throne. A knife in the dark that clears her path. They didn¡¯t bother asking my opinion about that. Instead they simply trained her for the position, and threw me into the shadow training, just because my sister was born first. That¡¯s another thing that is making things hard. In theory, the Queen doesn¡¯t mind my sister taking the throne either. The problem is my presence. Just like they can¡¯t just make the first heir I mentioned the Queen because my sister is too powerful and has my parent¡¯s backing, they can¡¯t make my sister the Queen either because I¡¯m too strong. I don¡¯t have my parent¡¯s support, but the nobles that are against my sister would use me as a standard against my will instead.¡±


    ¡°You were supposed to be a shadow, but you became too strong. Thus your presence became a hindrance instead of being helpful like a shadow should be.¡± Razark pointed out. He also couldn¡¯t quite get over the fact that two sisters from the same family had both become immortal when the empire as a whole didn¡¯t have any besides the king and the queen. Though with the two being twins it made a bit more sense. They both had the same talent.


    ¡°Right. Now I¡¯m a semi-legitimate competitor for the throne, even though I really shouldn¡¯t even exist. At least in the minds of those aware of my existence, which isn¡¯t too many fortunately or unfortunately. Or at least that¡¯s how things were until I got cursed. That¡¯s not even considering either the prince¡¯s opinion if he finds out, or my sister¡¯s unwillingness to take the Authority or the prince¡¯s hand in marriage. Add on top the internal struggles over the politics of each candidate, and you have a real mess. The current heir is a status quo candidate, which is why the old houses like her. My sister is for the empire taking a more hostile and active stance against our surroundings, which makes her popular with many others besides the nobility as well as the Autumn court. Dee knows my thoughts, but no one else cares about those.¡± Noyala explained with a sigh.


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    ¡°Well, that really is a real mess.¡± Razark pointed out the obvious.


    ¡°What does whatever is inside the groves think?¡± Dee suddenly asked, realizing the implications that might have.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say. I¡¯m cursed though, so that says something.¡± Noyala replied.


    They were all quiet for a long time, thinking about what to do next. Finally, Razark shook his head and decided to move on for now. ¡°So how did things go on your end? The forest wasn¡¯t burnt down yet, so it couldn¡¯t have been all bad.¡±


    ¡°Yet. There¡¯s still tomorrow.¡± Dee joked. ¡°We achieved the first part of Noyala¡¯s goals. There¡¯s still more to do, but we took the first step.¡± She didn¡¯t explain any specifics, leaving that option open to Noyala, who in turn decided not to elaborate.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to rest for a while.¡± Noyala pointed out instead. ¡°Things went our way, but not easily. We need to recover a bit. Then we¡¯ll need to aim for the court, I think. We won¡¯t be able to progress things simply lurking on the fringes from this point on.¡±


    Razark suddenly remembered something. ¡°Speaking of rest, I had the strangest visit from the god I serve last night.¡±


    Dee suddenly looked up. They had never spoken of Razark serving a deity before. As a member of the order, he must serve one though. ¡°You never told me which god you serve.¡± She pointed out.


    ¡°Ah, right, I didn¡¯t. Probably because it rarely matters. I serve an Alpyran god of war and hunt called Wurrukatte. He is a minor deity only worshipped by our race, so my blessing is rather minor as well.¡± Razark explained. He barely qualified as having holy power, which is why it never came up.


    ¡°Wait, the Alpyrans have their own god of war?¡± Dee realized she had always assumed there would be a god of war that oversaw all the war gods like Lumen was the premier light deity. Now that she thought about it further, she had never heard of a war deity being in the top ten most powerful gods, and there really should be if there was such a premier war god.


    Razark gave a small laugh. ¡°Seeing your blessings, I can see why you would be confused. The war deities are a little special because all races, nations, and clans tend to have their own war deity. Unlike with many other areas, there is no one unified war deity, because everyone has their own idea of such a deity. One common idea between all of them though is that such deity should only bless them and no one else. The ideas of different races and nations conflict too much. Such deity would also have too much power, so the other gods prevent the birth of a unified god of war.¡±


    ¡°That sounds stupid and cowardly.¡± Dee said rather bluntly. ¡°Anyway, you were about to tell about the visit from your god.¡±


    ¡°Right, so apparently Wurrukatte has been delegated into becoming a messenger. Your deities want to have a word with you. So tonight you¡¯re supposed to give a prayer before going to bed so that they can pull you to them in your dreams.¡± Razark replied, a little amused at the whole thing.


    ¡°Goddesses damn it. What do they want now?¡± Dee cursed.


    ---------


    Dee found herself once again in the normal looking temple with the statue of Lumen, with the goddess herself sitting on a shrine of another deity, bouncing her legs against the side of the shrine like a child. This little temple was similar to the one where she had received the blessing in the first place, so the place was fairly logical for such a meeting. The goddess looked very amused, and Dee could guess why.


    ¡°Really? That counted as a proper prayer in your mind?¡± Lumen asked with amusement. ¡°Yadda yadda, Lumen, Umbra, old man and Death, yadda yadda. That¡¯s a direct quote by the way.¡±


    ¡°I think that conveyed the essential parts.¡± Dee replied with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked me to come so¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, at least you put my name before my sister¡¯s.¡± Lumen pointed out with a slight bit of victorious smile.


    The voice of another goddess sounded from the surrounding air. ¡°That was just because your name comes first alphabetically. That doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°Hush now, it¡¯s my turn first.¡± Lumen shot back. ¡°Just because we¡¯re not meeting in my domain doesn¡¯t mean you get to butt in.¡± It was clear she ignored Umbra¡¯s point and decided to count the small victory.


    Dee cleared her throat to draw the attention back to her. ¡°So why am I here?¡±


    ¡°Ah right, that. Well, it seems you are determined not to explore our blessings properly and it would be kind of bad if you didn¡¯t learn to use at least a significant part of them before becoming immortal. So the old man has given us a special dispensation to give you a little push in the right direction. That and it would actually be helpful to you in your current predicament. Also, our meddling is kind of messing with your natural abilities and the blessings are supposed to be beneficial after all.¡± Lumen explained.


    Umbra once again interjected with just her voice. ¡°What she means is that her blessing is becoming a problem and the old man is allowing her to fix the problem. To maintain the balance, I¡¯m also allowed to help you understand my blessing a little better.¡±


    Dee turned to look at light goddess meaningfully. Lumen just gave a small cough and proceeded to ignore the look while explaining. ¡°So you might have wondered what¡¯s going on with your shapeshifting abilities, considering that kitsune are supposed to be extremely good at that. Well, you remember how the high priest gave you hints about our blessings and told you part of mine was ¡®Body and Mind of Light¡¯? Well, the problem is that my blessing partially deals with changing your body and it¡¯s powerful enough that the kitsune racial ability was absorbed by it. You¡¯ve been trying to change shape as a kitsune, and have succeeded to an extent, but what you should have done instead was to try and empower the change with the holy power you got from me.¡±


    Dee¡¯s eye twitched in annoyance. ¡°So what¡¯s the difference?¡±


    ¡°Well you might have noted that your more angel-y bits try to resist change, and that¡¯s because you aren¡¯t using my power. When you do that the resistance will go away. You should also find it much easier to change shapes. The normal limitations still apply in general, but less stringently and you can maintain a more drastic change with my power. There are limits as the building pressure to return to your normal form will increase the drain on your holy power, but with the amount you have access to you shouldn¡¯t have too much trouble unless you try something silly like changing your body entirely to something foreign or try to retain another shape almost permanently.¡± The goddess looked almost proud, so Dee decided not to deflate her mood and just sighed in resignation.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming this is happening now because of me having to enter the court with Noyala and need to change shape? Anything I should know?¡± Dee asked instead.


    ¡°No, this little quest of yours is not something we have seen in your future. We only know that whatever happens will change you in a profound way. That¡¯s why we decided to help now, so hopefully, the change is positive. Also, like I said, it would be a little problematic if you didn¡¯t learn to use the blessings better before becoming immortal. You¡¯re being torn in so many directions that you haven¡¯t had time, we realize that. Still, the blessings might become your most important assets if you let them.¡± Lumen explained. ¡°Also I felt a little bad my blessing was becoming a problem instead of help.¡±


    ¡°Ok, my turn.¡± Umbra¡¯s voice suddenly sounded and Dee found herself in the palace of darkness where she had met Umbra before. The beauty of the surrounding darkness was still surprising and enticing to her.


    ¡°Why thank you. Darkness is supposed to be enticing if a little scary. That¡¯s partially the point.¡± Umbra said, sitting on a small and delicate looking chair made of sheer dark void.


    ¡°So, you get to tell me something.¡± Dee decided to ignore the fact her mind was being read again and moved on.


    ¡°Right. Thanks to my sister¡¯s blunder. It¡¯s a bit of a shame that you¡¯ve only decided to use the shadows for hiding and enhancing your weapons. I was hopeful that you were on the right track when you started storing your weapons and armor inside, but you didn¡¯t follow that thought further. What I can tell you is this. The shadows are alive. Command them. You¡¯re the Queen and Lance of the Dark after all.¡± Umbra mentioned the title revealed by the priestess before. The goddess continued. ¡°While the shadows can hold or enhance your weapons, they can also become your weapon and not just one you hold in your hand. Also, remember that the shadows are connected and deep.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit vague.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, the old man gave us some constraints. We were given a choice. We can be vague and tell you more, or we can be more direct but narrow in focus. My sister chose the latter while I chose the former. I have faith in your intelligence, so I¡¯m just pushing you in the right direction, while my sister had to be content with fixing her blunder. Although she did try to cheat a little. I¡¯d pay attention to what she said once you wake up.¡±


    Dee found herself being pushed out of the dream. Once again the deities just did what they wanted, and then threw her out. That was starting to wear on her patience.

 Chapter 98

    Razark was on guard duty, while the other two rested. He didn¡¯t really need all that much sleep, one of the perks that immortality brought him, and he only did so for pleasure or if he was pushed to extreme exhaustion. The other two didn¡¯t actually require all that much sleep either due to their heritages and level of power, but Dee had a meeting with a deity and Noyala had taken the chance to get some rest as well. For her that meant meditation and it only lasted for a few hours. After that she slipped out of the small tent she had used and walked towards the place where Razark was sitting on a log, letting his mind and eyes roam the forest around them.


    ¡°How¡¯s your body?¡± Razark asked without even looking at Noyala, mostly asking just to acknowledge her presence.


    ¡°Better, but still sore. Dee¡¯s ministrations helped, but something like this is a bit beyond simple healing and massage.¡± Noyala replied sitting down with a rather undignified grunt due to her still sore muscles.


    A weird silence reigned between the two for a while. They had very little in common as they had only been brought together by Dee¡¯s presence. Neither of them had much interest in getting closer either. Noyala realized that Razark might be a powerful ally in theory, but also knew that the only reason he would help was because of Dee. He was not the type to help out of charity, especially since helping Noyala might lead to a lot of future strife for many people. Noyala wasn¡¯t some innocent victim in all this, and her goals and ideas were far from what could be considered peaceful and just. They were for the good of her race in theory, but few people even among her race would see it that way. Many people were content with the current situation. Change often had to be forced.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Noyala suddenly asked.


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re aware of our mission by now.¡± Razark replied, taking his eyes off the surroundings and looking at Noyala properly. His mind and senses still kept watch.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. You don¡¯t actually have to do this mission, do you? Any oaths you might have sworn should have been fulfilled a long time ago, or at the very least you could¡¯ve had them released by now. You could disappear any time you wanted. I get that you want to protect the other scouts, but there are other ways. It¡¯s not all that likely that the order would take their ire out on the scouts just to avoid retaliation from you, and there are plenty of ways to eliminate even that minor chance. With your skills and power, you could join some second circle community easily, and get them to put pressure on the order. Yet here you are.¡± Noyala pointed out.


    Razark considered his answer for a moment. ¡°Two reasons. I want to provide the other scouts a clean break as well and I¡¯m not about to get out from under one group just to end up serving another. The scouts are my family and we Alpyrans take care of our family. Then there¡¯s Dee. She¡¯s strong, but she still needs someone to watch over her for now. I suppose you could say I have some unfinished business with the order as well.¡±


    Noyala focused her attention on the part of the explanation about Dee, as that was truly the only part she really cared about. The rest was just curiosity. ¡°You¡¯re talking about her personality? She acts like a person that needs someone to give her orders. It¡¯s weird. There¡¯s something very dominating lurking beneath the surface, but she keeps that part of her repressed.¡±


    Razark nodded. ¡°I truly don¡¯t know what she would do if she suddenly found herself free from other people holding power over her. But then she has never really been free. At first, she was under the complete domination of her masters in the assassin group, and then she transferred that obedience over to the Radiant Sun. She didn¡¯t really have to, but she did so anyway. Then there was a succession of masters, and she could focus on doing as she was told in training. I think she might be able to break that part of her nature, but it will still take some time. Until then I¡¯m trying to offer her an easy target for her dependence. One that doesn¡¯t take advantage of her.¡±


    ¡°Is it just that? I doubt you¡¯re that noble.¡± Noyala pointed out.


    ¡°Well, she is my disciple. I want to see how far she can go. If she helps me achieve a few goals in the meantime, then all the better. She¡¯s the type that needs something to do anyway. I¡¯ve judged this to be the best way to make our break from the order, so here we are. Besides, a conflict like this can provide many opportunities, both for me and for her. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve already noticed she can gain a lot from death.¡± Razark shrugged his shoulders. Of course, there would be some give and take in all relationships, even that of the master and a disciple.


    ¡°So what will you do now?¡± Noyala asked.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll spend some time monitoring the situation developing between the order and the freelancers. The other communities aren¡¯t really fully committed to this debacle yet, so the actions of the two communities will make a large difference. I¡¯ll also see if I can find an alternative way of entering the groves. Someone must enter them on occasion, so I might spend some time monitoring them. How about you? What¡¯s your master plan?¡± Razark turned the question around.


    Noyala had an answer ready. ¡°We¡¯ll have to enter the court for a while. I¡¯m not sure what the current political landscape is. If we really end up making a bid for something more than revenge, then I¡¯ll need up-to-date information. Even if we end up doing nothing but cutting a swathe through my enemies, then at least we have to know what we¡¯re up against and who to target exactly.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like we both have our work cut out for us. She might get a little bored though.¡± Razark pointed out towards where Dee was sleeping.


    Noyala grinned. ¡°Oh, I doubt that. The courts can be all sorts of fun, even if we don¡¯t consider all the stabbing that is involved. That reminds me. You said you might have unfinished business with the order. What kind? I only ask in case it affects her.¡±


    Razark sighed. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure he wanted to talk about this with Noyala, but it might turn useful in the long run. He decided not to talk about the origin of the rift between him and the order, the moment that also drove a wedge between him and Commander Wolfhart. That was too private and didn¡¯t need to be shared. He didn¡¯t need to go into much detail with the other incident either, just the implications.


    ¡°A squad under my command performed a mission that was very dangerous. The previous grandmaster had sent a handful of the other Blades to make sure I couldn¡¯t rush to save them when they got into trouble. I wouldn¡¯t put it past him to have caused the squad to run into trouble in the first place just to teach me a lesson, but that is somewhat irrelevant since he is dead. Those other Blades are not, however. Also, incidentally, the people who killed my squad were the freelancers. They only did what they have to, but let¡¯s just say I wouldn¡¯t grieve too much if they got a bloody nose from all this as well.¡± Razark¡¯s expression darkened while he thought about the cries for help by his people while they died.


    ¡°So. You have a revenge plan of your own.¡± Noyala stated simply. ¡°One that preferably won¡¯t leave you implicated. Something where they get involved in this struggle and end up dead? Getting immortals mixed up might end up destroying the whole forest.¡± She pointed out.


    ¡°Ah, but if the freelancers and the order truly get hostile with each other, then the fight would not be confined to the forest. Besides, that revenge doesn¡¯t have to be fulfilled now. I can wait. Centuries if necessary. There will be opportunities and this struggle is simply one of them.¡± Razark had already waited this long, so patience was not new to him.


    The two remained silent after that.


    ----------


    Dee blinked her eyes as she awakened. The damn goddesses really did as they pleased! They said what they wanted to say and then sent her off like a servant. Which she in a weird way was. Not a very compliant one, nor one that would acknowledge such a relation, but the fact did remain that the deities had granted her power and wanted something in return. She could choose not to do it, but those favors were not really all that different from some of her own goals and the power would help her reach those. So maybe not a servant, but a hired hand instead? A mercenary paid with power?


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    She tried infusing Lumen¡¯s power into the process while changing shapes. She went straight for the things she¡¯d had some trouble with before. Her halo disappeared, both of her wings changed color as a test to a golden color, while her angel form assumed a look close to an elf. There was no resistance at all. She felt like she could stay in this form for years. Lumen had been right, the wings and halo being partly influenced by the goddess had made them difficult to change without her power, and now it was almost too easy.


    Dee mumbled curses. ¡°Could¡¯ve really used this little trick before. Well, at least we are here now. I¡¯ll have to explore the limits at a later time.¡±


    Next, she tried sending Umbra¡¯s power to the shadows. She¡¯d used a bit of the dark goddess¡¯ power to control those shadows before, but now she really delved into them. As she went deeper, she immediately noticed that the shadows weren¡¯t just that. There was life in the shadows. Not like normal living beings, but something like spirits without form, just waiting for someone to give them a form and commands. She wondered if all shadows were like this, or was it just around her due to her blessing.


    As she tried confirming that, she noticed that the shadows were connected. Her owns shadow was connected with the shadows outside. She noticed she could look out of those shadows and noticed Razark and Noyala quietly sitting outside. ¡°Those two don¡¯t really get along do they?¡± She wondered.


    She tried spreading her awareness over larger distances and into several places at the same time. She noted that theoretically there was no limit, but her own mind was a limiting factor. She could observe things from the shadows, and as a psion she could handle a lot of information at once, but there was a limit. She could passively observe a very large area but she could focus on a limited number of things at once. It was like the guards protecting a place. A lazy guard would stare outside, but wouldn¡¯t really see anyone truly trying to hide. That guard would only notice things if something drew his attention. A truly focused guard, on the other hand, would notice even minute changes in the atmosphere, sensing danger approaching. Even the lazy guard had his uses though, as he could notice things that were not trying to hide and raise the alarm. Perhaps she could order those spirits or whatever they were to keep watch, or spy for her?


    The shadows seemed pliable for her to control, and she practiced forming simple attacks in the distance. Those shadows suddenly turned into sharp spikes and slashed at the nearby tree. The damage was feeble at best, but so was the amount of power she had put into that attack. She considered for a moment whether she should try for more, but decided against it for now. Razark would notice a commotion like that if he had not already spotted something going on. While she didn¡¯t feel the need to hide this, she didn¡¯t want to draw attention to it either, and she should at least warn him before making a ruckus.


    A thought occurred to her. If she could send commands and receive information through the shadows, could she send items? Could she travel between shadows herself? After several failed attempts, she managed to send a pebble through the shadows. She knew she would be able to send something bigger and more dangerous, but that would require some practice. As an experiment, she tried sending a fresh leaf through as well and was disappointed to find out the leaf had shriveled and died during the short trip. Apparently, such things were not without dangers. Maybe she could find a way with some testing.


    While considering this she came out of the tent and immediately drew curious looks from the other two. ¡®You¡¯re still shapeshifted.¡¯ Croestia pointed out.


    ¡°Oh right.¡± Dee voiced her thought and allowed her form to slip back to normal.


    ¡°So what was that?¡± Noyala asked. Both of them had known it was Dee due to the aura she exuded, but it was still weird.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say the discussion with the deities was productive. I have much easier time with shapeshifting now. Toss me some of that.¡± Dee pointed at the breakfast Razark was pulling out. It was simple rations for camping since they didn¡¯t want to risk lighting another fire, but Dee was hungry. She could pull out her own food, but lately, Croestia¡¯s stores were actually running low. She¡¯d have to restock soon.


    Razark made a small grin and put quite a bit of strength into his throw, resulting in the small bundle shooting off like an arrow from a bow. As she had just undone the transformation, Dee¡¯s body was still filled with Lumen¡¯s power, and that included her eyes and head. Suddenly the world seemed to slow to a crawl, and the previously fast bundle seemed to be almost floating in place. Dee could clearly see the bundle was made up of some smoked ham and simple bread. She easily picked the almost motionless bundle from the air, and the world suddenly returned to the normal pace. The other two had only seen Dee¡¯s hand move in a blur of light.


    ¡°Bloody hell.¡± Dee suddenly cursed. She had felt this same slowing effect when training with the old bastard on the volcano, but it had never really been this blatant or easy to use. ¡°So this is what Umbra meant with cheating. I guess this is what the ¡®body and mind of light¡¯ part truly meant.¡±


    -----


    Near the now familiar camping fire surrounded by nothing but gray, the four deities were watching what was happening. Lumen laughed. ¡°Still nope, but you¡¯re getting closer. Keep this up and you¡¯ll get there eventually.¡±


    ¡°You really skirted the rules there.¡± Eternity said with a neutral tone. ¡°I allowed you to advise her with only one of her abilities.¡±


    Lumen continued grinning. ¡°I can¡¯t help it if the same advice happens to be broad enough to apply to more than just what I was advising her for. It¡¯s not exactly my fault that her abilities all work on the same trigger, just more power involved.¡±


    Umbra scoffed. ¡°You just made your little gifts too one dimensional. That said, I hope she figures out the possibilities with the shadows. There¡¯s so much more there, and all she needs to do is grasp it.¡±


    Death shook her head in resignation. The two goddesses didn¡¯t even realize they were rehashing the age old argument about choosing to focus on a narrow strip of abilities to take into the extreme versus spreading your expertise wider. ¡°You both know that she won¡¯t be able to specialize in your little parlor tricks without making them part of her totem. And you both know that her totem is already forming without your powers being a part of it.¡±


    The two deities realized she was right and quieted down. There was only so much Dee could do with their blessings without dedicating her totem to the job, and that seemed very unlikely at this point. They were trying to influence Dee¡¯s totem into the desired direction, but with limited success. Either Death had gotten there first, or Dee naturally leaned that way. That all said, the battle was not lost. While Dee¡¯s totem was formed from skulls and by extension souls, the form of the totem was not decided just yet. It could become a temple for either of them, just with a theme for Death.


    Eternity spoke again. ¡°You too Death. You¡¯re not advising her, but dabbling with her totem like that will lead to a disaster.¡±


    Death once again shook her head, this time in denial. The three others didn¡¯t understand. ¡°You¡¯re mistaken. All I did was to give her a push and allow her to start early. I didn¡¯t influence her totem. I didn¡¯t have to. Why would I force someone down a path they would travel anyway? I¡¯m only speeding her along.¡±


    Eternity narrowed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll believe you, for now. But hear this; if her totem turns into a shrine dedicated to you then I will tear it down. I¡¯ll personally make sure she gets the chance to rebuild it from scratch and I will use my power to smooth her way, but I will not allow that level of tampering from you or anyone else.¡±


    Death only shrugged her shoulders and chose to ignore the threat. The others still didn¡¯t get it. They saw a temple in the making, but it was something else. The only being that was able to see what was coming was her. That was the benefit of being the one to set things in motion.


    At least that¡¯s what she thought. Even her sight was limited in the face of Fate interfering in things as time would prove.

 Chapter 99

    ¡±Are you sure about this?¡± Dee said while discreetly tugging at her dress.


    The two had gone dress shopping the previous day in preparation for their first appearance at a Winter court event. The dress Dee was wearing seemed fairly basic in theory, as it was just a simple black dress. What made it far more notable was the person wearing the dress, as well as how little the dress managed to cover beyond the important bits. The back dove all the way down Dee¡¯s back, stopping barely above the luscious and tight buttocks. It also left her sides mostly bared, as well as revealing a generous helping of the valley that formed on her chest. The dress stopped well above her knees as well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re supposed to be drawing everyone¡¯s attention. That way they will spend all their time looking at you and I can go unnoticed.¡± Noyala replied furiously hiding her smile. Mostly she just enjoyed seeing Dee¡¯s discomfort. She also very much enjoyed the view Dee presented.


    Dee in her angel form was a very good representation of the universally approved good looks of the race, even more so as Fallen tended to be even more alluring than their more puritan cousins. Beauty was always in the eye of the beholder and different races found different things attractive, but there were still some constants. Every race appreciated symmetry in both face and body structure. Pretty much everyone could also agree on the importance of the lack of obvious flaws and a clear complexion. Angels were all epitomes of these features, and Dee was a good example of the race in that respect. They had this otherworldly feel about them, but at the same time, both sexes of angels had this very natural beauty that required no addition by any sort of makeup.


    Dee also saw no reason to add flaws while she made herself look more like an elf, and a more vulgar person would describe her body shape as something made for sinning. This combined well with her impressive height and the almost palpable feeling of strength. Together they brought to mind the word impressive. Additionally, she also radiated danger and her graceful movement combined with the deepest black hair and wings to give a mysterious impression. Dee and Noyala had decided that the dark look was most suitable for her and she most certainly succeeded in drawing attention away from Noyala.


    ¡°Oh, you thought I meant the dress. No, I meant whether a simple ruse like this is enough to stop people from questioning your presence.¡± Dee had developed a rather free attitude of displaying her body in her normal form, mostly due to her fur covering everything. Even now that the fur was gone, she didn¡¯t really mind the revealing dress. To her the difference was negligible. Her discomfort at the dress was directed towards it being impractical and hard to keep in place.


    ¡°Oh, that. Well, I obviously can¡¯t go there looking like myself. Not because they would recognize me, but because they know my sister. I did mention that we are twins, right? That comes with a very similar appearance. I¡¯ve cast a very small illusion that alters my features just a bit. You can see through it because I excluded you from the spell and because such illusions would be useless on you anyway. I carry the markings of a house related to my real one on my ear, so everyone will assume I¡¯m a close relative. My appearance being similar to my sister¡¯s will only confirm that in everyone¡¯s mind. They¡¯ll think I¡¯m a cousin or something.¡± Noyala explained.


    The two were approaching the doors of the manor that was their current destination. The entrance was heavily guarded and only those with invitations could get in. Noyala produced a written invitation from somewhere from the folds of her dress. Dee had no idea where she could¡¯ve hidden it, considering that Noyala¡¯s white dress was only slightly less revealing than her own. She also had no idea where the woman had gotten the invitation in the first place. Noyala had just told her not to worry about it and acquired one during their shopping trip. Dee had questioned it out of professional curiosity but Noyala had played coy and said something about girls and needing to have their secrets.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long as the guards were quick in checking the invitations and the guests had a habit of arriving over the duration of the evening instead of all arriving at the beginning. It would also be impolite to force nobles to wait and all the guests were most certainly noble. This was the birthday celebration of the head of one the oldest houses in the city of Ordos. Every guest arrived either on luxurious carriages filled with enchantments or riding powerful beasts tamed with magic.


    The guard took Noyala¡¯s offered invitation, which fortunately didn¡¯t specify who it was addressed to. He took a long look at the two and a small grin appeared on his lips when he noted their appearance. ¡°We are taking the security of the guests very seriously, and as such we have to perform random checks for weapons on some guests. You have been chosen.¡±


    The guard would never dare to make such a bold move on truly important people. However, he was the type of guard that was trained to know all the people too important to offend, and he didn¡¯t recognize either Dee or Noyala. He also noted that the two had not arrived on a carriage or beast, but by flying on their own wings. Dee had the appearance of a Dark Elf and with her wings had shrunk to a smaller size on her back they could be mistaken for a magical artifact and an accessory. Those types of items were not extremely popular but much more likely than an extremely rare Dark Avariel suddenly showing up on their door uninvited. Noyala, on the other hand, had created wings with her magic and those were long gone by now.


    ¡°That will be unnecessary.¡± Dee stated calmly.


    The guard¡¯s grin turned lascivious as he allowed his eyes to roam up and down Dee¡¯s body. ¡°Oh, I think I will be the judge of what¡¯s necessary.¡±


    Suddenly Dee¡¯s right wing grew to its normal size and the tip pierced thought the man¡¯s shoulder straight through the enchanted armor and protective ki, lifting him up and pinning him against the wall. It happened so fast that no one had time to react, and only Noyala had the ability to even see the movement. The other guards stood dumbly in place, unsure how to react.


    ¡°I think you misunderstood me. When I said that it will be unnecessary, I meant that I am always armed. I am the weapon. Taking away some pointy pieces of metal would be pointless.¡± Dee spoke slowly, keeping her voice level and calm as if it didn¡¯t matter to her at all what the others guards would do in reaction.


    Dee and Noyala had discussed the possibility of anything like this coming up and had decided that Dee would play the part of an aggressive bodyguard only too eager to display her strength. They didn¡¯t quite expect the opportunity to come this quickly, but it served their purposes. The other guests already sent evaluating and appreciating looks their way due to Dee¡¯s obvious strength, the precise amount of which she was able to hide.


    The other guards finally decided that their duty demanded a response and they started approaching while drawing their weapons. Suddenly they were all slammed against the ground by an invisible force, which was naturally the result of Dee¡¯s telekinesis. She looked at the guards on the ground. ¡°I would think about your next actions very carefully. The next words out of your mouths need to include an apology, and an invitation to come on in. Otherwise, that force pushing you down will become a lot stronger and deadlier.¡±


    The duo wanted to make an impression and they were doing so successfully. Other guests inside were slowly noting the disturbance and coming to windows and balconies to watch the fun. Everyone noticed how Dee had subdued all the guards with seemingly little effort. Her control was also notable, as only the guards were affected. Many a mage or warrior could suppress a group of individuals weaker than themselves, but very few could do so with pinpoint accuracy while excluding everyone else from said suppression. It should also be noted that Dee did so without creating a disturbance. The guests only noticed something going on because servants and other guests made a scene.


    Noyala interjected when she judged the timing to be perfect. ¡°I think the point has been made. They¡¯ve learned their lesson and you can let them go. You don¡¯t have to be gentle when setting that one down, however.¡± She pointed at the offending guard.


    The guards suddenly felt the pressure on them disappear. Meanwhile, Dee pulled her wing out of the small hole she had made in the wall and tossed the offending guard away with a flippant gesture of her wing. The wing returned to a small size that would not get in the way, while the guard landed a dozen mel away in a clang of armor, clearly injured. ¡°You might want to take care of that. I avoided hitting anything vital, but you¡¯re still losing a lot of blood.¡± Dee said over her shoulder flippantly, while the two walked in through the doors.


    It did not take long before the two found themselves presented to the old matron who was the star of the party. Events like this were so common in Sidhe society nowadays that the occasion didn¡¯t merit giving presents unless the party was arranged to celebrate something special like a great achievement. Usually, the events were just a chance to party, scheme, have some fun and stab some backs. The excuse used to throw the party was just that, an excuse. Dee and Noyala congratulated the matron, who in turn pretended to apologize for the rude behavior of her guards. The apology was completely fake as well as the old woman understood that the incident had served Dee¡¯s and Noyala¡¯s purposes as well. If it had not¡­well, then they were people incapable of seizing chances and thus not worth an apology in the first place.


    Once they had completed the formalities, the two spent a bit of time familiarizing themselves with the venue. The party was held in several connected ballrooms, with each room having their own standards for both entertainment and guests. The further in one went, the more skilled the entertainers and the more luxurious the offered foods and refreshments. Naturally, the guests further inside were more influential as well.


    The guests were allowed to roam freely, but the social pressures of the surrounding people forced every guest to find their own level and mingle with those of roughly similar social standing. You wouldn¡¯t find a first generation baron¡¯s fifth daughter in the same room with the first son of one of the old houses that held several duchies. Unless that fifth daughter was an attendant or a lover of course, but in those cases, they were encouraged to stand behind their higher ranked companion and stay silent unless spoken to.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The two had an interesting difference in their focus as they walked through the rooms. Noyala kept a sharp eye on the nobles and their positions, who they spoke and mingled with, who their friends were and who they seemed to be gossiping about and keeping their distance from. Dee, on the other hand, paid attention to all the food and entertainment. She shamelessly helped herself to many of the offerings, even storing some of the best ones within Croestia¡¯s storage. She could also appreciate the efforts of the musicians in particular. Many of the other rooms had entertainers from various races, but the deeper the duo went the more the musicians and other entertainers turned to just Sidhe who had chosen this as their current path to master. Even the high nobility appreciated their efforts, as a musician that had spent a thousand years honing his or her craft commanded respect even from them.


    The duo didn¡¯t go to the deepest rooms just yet. Dee¡¯s little show of force allowed them access pretty far, but the most important people could move entire armies. Dee could match that if she showed her full power, but she had not done so yet. Besides, it didn¡¯t serve Noyala¡¯s purposes just yet. She needed some information first.


    Noyala went naturally from one group to another to exchange information. She played the part of someone who had been away from the court for a while and thus wasn¡¯t up on the latest information. Of course, she didn¡¯t declare her ignorance outright and instead masked her inquiries as exchanging gossip on current affairs and important people. No matter the time and place, certain people were always willing to spread gossip. Of course, much of the information was hearsay, useless or outright wrong, but with her talking to enough people a picture began to emerge.


    With Noyala¡¯s apparent lack of allegiance with any faction besides her apparent relations to her sister, most groups welcomed her presence but were a bit wary about sharing things important to their own group. The other groups were all too happy to provide those details, however. Noyala also played them against each other in various ways, implying how the other group had mentioned something outrageous, and how she, of course, didn¡¯t believe any of it, but if the current group wanted to correct the misinformation¡­


    As Noyala¡¯s stock of information grew more up to date, the two slowly moved further in towards the more important people. Soon enough the two started facing slight resistance as Dee¡¯s earlier display no longer carried enough weight. The two would have to start justifying their presence among the highly ranked people, and luckily they had a way to do just that. Power came in many forms and all of them were approved. The two didn¡¯t have lands, money or influence, but they had personal battle power in spades. However, personal strength was harder to display without a war or a battlefield providing a ready opportunity. The customs also frowned on the open killing of others, although backstabs were just fine, so it was hard to showcase your strength. Or at least it would have been if one of the most common sources of entertainment among the nobles had not been dueling.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time.¡± Dee suggested. They had planned on utilizing this method before coming in the first place. The earlier incident had simply pushed the need for it back until now.


    ¡°I agree. The looks we are getting are becoming decidedly unfriendly. Might as well go for something big once we start, so don¡¯t pick just anybody. How will you choose anyway?¡± Noyala suggested.


    The prevailing custom was that any member of the court was allowed to challenge any other member, within certain constraints. There were some clearly non-fighting members of the court who had no personal power. Challenging them was considered to be in bad taste, and those people didn¡¯t suffer any dishonor from refusing such a challenge. Certain high nobles also had assistants that often handled such challenges in their stead. They were too busy with other things and certainly didn¡¯t have the time to risk injury. This was considered appropriate, and defeating such assistants was considered equal to attaining a victory against the noble in question. Powerful champions like that also deterred frivolous challenges. Of course, only the most powerful and important who had already proven their worth were allowed such champions.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Dee replied with a grin. She stepped into the middle of the room and performed a sort of mental clearing of her throat. It was like a wave of energy had passed through the room drawing everyone¡¯s attention. She had also timed it perfectly to the end of the performance of the musicians so the room was suddenly eerily quiet. She didn¡¯t even have to raise her voice.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen. As most of you have already noticed, I am someone hailing from the Autumn court.¡± At this, she gave a small flap of her dark wings for emphasis. ¡°We have heard much of your custom of entertainment through dueling, and would like to partake and test your mettle. I consider myself a person of some power and skill and would like to see if the Winter court can provide a challenge. However, I have also heard that it is considered uncouth to fight someone much weaker than you. I would like to ask for the best you can offer. Otherwise, this would be too one sided. I am however a new arrival and don¡¯t know who that would be. So. If you would, please.¡± Dee finished with a flourish of her hands while she took a small bow.


    Noyala couldn¡¯t help but hide her grin behind her hands. Dee had really kicked the hornets¡¯ nest this time. She had been very polite but had also managed to sneak in several slights at the pride of the Sidhe. She also had the undivided attention of everyone present. ¡®You did good.¡¯ She sent a small magical message to Dee, not caring if anyone managed to overhear.


    A tall and bulky, for a Sidhe that is, male Unseelie stepped out from the crowd. Everyone else recognized him as the champion of one of the old houses. ¡°How very brave of you to step forward so brazenly. I think I¡¯ll be able to entertain you.¡±


    Dee looked at the man, giving a small but a deliberately notable shake of her head. ¡°I did ask for the best among you, but if you insist. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± Her words clearly incensed the man and showed her disdain, but he was an old hand at such things and trying to anger your opponent was a tested and true tactic. Thus he didn¡¯t rise to the bait.


    Each of the rooms had access to the central garden where the dueling arenas stood, a clear signal that this manor was designed to be used for parties such as this, not for habitation. Most likely the family owning it had another home they used normally elsewhere in the city. As the guests had been apparently disarmed before entering, the hosting family provided the arms for such an encounter. The man chose a long spear as his weapon and took a stance in the middle of the arena, looking towards Dee confidently.


    Some of the other arenas had been in use, as especially the lower ranked nobles liked to inflate their worth by the means of arms when possible. It was also a popular pastime among the younger nobles. The sudden influx of powerful nobles naturally drew everyone¡¯s eyes, and they recognized the champion already standing in the ring. The word quickly reached those inside and the arena in question was quickly the focus of a lot of people.


    Dee simply waved away the offer of weapons and floated down into the ring. ¡°No weapons?¡± The man facing her questioned.


    ¡°Like I said at the door; I am the weapon. Against someone like you, more is not necessary.¡± Dee replied flippantly, still riling up the man. Her words were also heard by the audience, as she did nothing to muffle her words.


    The matron arranging the party came to stand next to Noyala. ¡°Your friend seems confident. Up for a little wager?¡± The old matron knew of the skills of the champion, and also assumed that Dee and Noyala were new arrivals. Besides, even if she lost it wouldn¡¯t be too bad and she might be able to form bonds with someone with a lot of potential.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take your money. This will not even be a fight.¡± Noyala replied confidently.


    ¡°Well, well. Your friend isn¡¯t the only one assured of themselves.¡± The matron replied with an interested glance. ¡°Some might call such words arrogance.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really arrogance if it¡¯s the truth. My friend here could take on everyone at this party at the same time. Someone like that man is just an appetizer.¡± Noyala said now looking straight at the woman, her eyes signaling just how serious she was.


    Noyala¡¯s words were not an empty boast. The strongest people present at the party were at rank eight. Dee was theoretically a class eight psion as well, but she wasn¡¯t exactly your typical representative of that rank. Prior to this she had been able to fight with a group of Crimson Witches that included rank eight and nine enemies, and the Crimson Witches are one of the most powerful communities in Day city. Their members are normally stronger than others of the same rank. And that was a while ago. Dee had grown a lot in strength since then, both because of all the souls she consumed, to the point of almost reaching rank nine, as well as gaining a better control and understanding over certain skills. You could argue that she was the strongest existence below the immortals, unless you considered the possibility of Authorities.


    The randomly chosen referee gave the signal to start the duel. As soon as the signal was given, Dee¡¯s opponent had crashed into the side of the arena, the enchanted stone wall cracking under the impact. Dee had taken the chance to test what happened when she really used Lumen¡¯s power to try and move much faster, and the results had been spectacular. Even Noyala had been unable to see what had happened. The guests only saw a flash of golden light as Dee moved and smacked her opponent away with her wing.


    After a moment of silence, the referee announced Dee¡¯s victory as it became clear that her opponent wasn¡¯t getting up. She looked at the gathered audience. ¡°I did warn him. Hopefully, he isn¡¯t too fragile to survive that.¡±


    ¡°I see what you mean.¡± The matron said to Noyala quietly. ¡°I doubt there will be more challengers this evening. Anyone powerful enough to match her would either be with the army or in the capital of the empire at the moment.¡±

 Chapter 100

    After the fight, no one questioned the duo¡¯s presence in any of the rooms of the party. They had no idea how strong Noyala was, but just Dee¡¯s presence alone was enough. Now Noyala was free to move from one group to another, exchanging information. The various cliques were more than willing to curry favor, and information was a pretty cheap price to pay in their minds all things considered. They either forgot to pay attention to the old maxim about information being power, or they simply chose to ignore it.


    Dee didn¡¯t really care that much. Sidhe politics were convoluted beyond belief. While Noyala¡¯s world was centered around her people and the machinations of the court, for Dee it was a minor distraction in the grand scheme of things. The only reason she cared at all was because Noyala did. She realized that there was a possibility of Noyala succeeding and becoming the ruler of her people, which would mean she would have to stay with them. Even if that happened, Dee would not be staying. She might visit or even stay a while, but her path lay elsewhere. It might be nice to have a branch to land on when things got too heavy, but in the end, her journey would continue.


    While Noyala spent time poking at the affairs of the court, Dee found something else to entertain herself with. The offered delicacies held her attention for a while, but despite their considerable level, they were still finger food at best, not a real feast. What finally drew her attention were the couples dancing to the tune of the talented musicians. Music was already something almost sacred to her, but this dancing thing was new. She¡¯d known about it of course and had failed miserably at doing it herself when she tried to perform a ritual for the gods during her priestess training with Mazatl. This type of dancing was very different.


    The ritual dancing was a performance and a display of devotion. This, on the other hand, the dancing between the couples that obviously cared about each other was something halfway between a battle and sex. She was reminded of something she had read in a book once: ¡°Dancing is a perpendicular expression of horizontal desire.¡± It sometimes also mixed in something like a negotiation between two courting parties where the male made an offer and the female chose to either accept or reject the proposal, as represented by their movements. This was not a ritualistic performance but something else entirely. Or at least it was that between good dancers. Some of them were simply spinning in a circle and going through the motions.


    Speaking of motions, Dee noticed that there were certain steps, both in the literal and figurative sense, followed in each type of dance, but on the whole, the pairs were fairly free to interpret the rhythms and beats as they desired. It was more of a style thing where certain dances encouraged certain types of behavior and atmosphere. This dance was much more about passion while that one was more like the negotiation of a courtship. She tried memorizing the seemingly mandatory steps and styles in case the chance came to take part.


    At some point Noyala appeared next to her. ¡°Did you get what you needed?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°More or less.¡± Noyala replied with a slightly odd tone due to the fact that she had noted the intensity with which Dee looked at the dancers. So had some of the dancers in fact and they felt a little uncomfortable. ¡°I got as much as I¡¯m going to get here. There are some choices we need to make before we proceed much further.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± Dee asked, not really focusing on Noyala¡¯s words, but still able to understand and answer due to her ability to multitask.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that I really should make a bid for the throne. That much you probably expected. Now the next question is: how far I am willing to go to get the position. Am I willing to kill those that support my sister for example? Many of them haven¡¯t done anything I could judge them for by supporting her. In fact, many of them have similar thoughts to those that I have, which is why they support my sister in the first place. It¡¯s just that they have not taken their thoughts to the logical conclusions just yet. They see some of the danger but don¡¯t realize the full extent of it just yet. Can we punish them for not seeing as far as I can? They might come to my position given enough time, but there isn¡¯t enough time to convince them and they are currently supporting my biggest rival. And if the worst comes, am I willing to destroy my people in order to save them down the line?¡± Noyala¡¯s voice became morose.


    ¡°You know, there are softer ways to get people to do what you want. Besides, sounds to me you don¡¯t need to convince everyone supporting your sister. You just need to convince her instead.¡± Dee pointed out, still somewhat distracted by the dancing couples.


    ¡°Do you think I didn¡¯t try? She has not seen what hides in the dark places of the forest.¡± Noyala shot back exasperated.


    ¡°Then you need to show her. Or you can kill her. That said, you are right. You need to decide how far you¡¯re willing to go.¡± Dee finally looked straight at Noyala. ¡°If you do get into this, you can¡¯t do it with half-hearted conviction. Now, enough about such dark topics, I want to try that.¡± She pointed at the dancing couples that were just finishing a song.


    Noyala wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to do with the sudden change of topics and the glaring disconnect in moods. Dee had just gone from talking about something extremely serious into dancing. Finally, her feelings just bubbled out as laughter. ¡°Have it your way. Do you know how to dance though?¡±


    ¡°I think I got the gist of it.¡± Dee replied. ¡°It might take a moment for us to find our pace, but I think I can do it.¡± After all, even with the ritual dancing her execution had been technically perfect. It¡¯s just that she didn¡¯t really put emotion into it. However, the types of moods in these dances were something she could do. Hopefully.


    The two moved on to the dancefloor. Neither of them was male, but the two were both assertive enough to take the lead so that was not an issue. Noyala had more experience but allowed Dee to take the lead at first. The first dance was a little mechanical as Dee was still finding her footing so to speak. Luckily she was naturally graceful, had a perfect ear for rhythm and was fully capable of winging it. To those observing the situation was a little odd. The two women were clearly stunning, although Dee was even more so by design, and moved like only trained fighters or dancers could. On the other hand their dance was a little emotionless.


    The next dance started to change things. It was one of those dances that were almost like a negotiation. Now that Dee had gotten the hang of the basics, she felt free to get into the swing of things. Everyone watching, but especially Noyala, felt that something had changed. Dee led Noyala on a graceful chase across the dancefloor as if a young lover pursuing her chosen. Noyala got into it as well, playing hard to get and coy. Suddenly Dee changed the pace, changing from an eager person chasing an unwilling target into a proud and aloof individual, as if saying ¡°well if you don¡¯t want to, then I¡¯m certainly not going to humiliate myself chasing you.¡± Noyala grinned at the change in atmosphere, and suddenly took the more aggressive stance.


    Now the roles were reversed, as Noyala took the lead. Now she was doing the chasing, while Dee was playing the unwilling partner trying to run away, feigning an expression of someone jilted. As the song ended, the two had seemed to come into a semblance of an understanding. The dancefloor was starting to gather observers, just like Dee¡¯s earlier fight had done. Their dance had been very expressive if a little odd. To top it off, it seemed like the musicians were getting into the mood as well, though they were secretly getting silent requests from the two dancers. To the amusement of the musicians, the requests were separate but very similar.


    The next song was much more aggressive in nature. The two dancers started something that looked almost like a close range battle for domination. It was like the two were trying to force the other into making a mistake or taking a misstep, stepping into each other¡¯s space and depriving them of places to step into. At times one was leading, while at other times the other one took the reins. The two started to feel like the dancefloor was limiting them somewhat, as the other couples were getting in the way. That brought another element into their rhythmic battle, as they had to take the others into consideration. They still felt a little stifled.


    Dee finally had enough and the two started rising up from the dancefloor. At first, Noyala felt a little confused but then realized that Dee was using her telekinesis to form an invisible dancefloor of their own above the others. She was worried for a moment about the fact that they were rising above the others in very short dresses but realized that Dee had also controlled the shadows to hide those parts that should not be seen. Her momentary hesitation provided Dee an opportunity to attack though. Dee managed to take control of the situation, and the dance ended before Noyala could regain it. Thus the dance ended in a way that signaled her submission to Dee¡¯s control.


    The next song was much more passionate. This changed the feel of their dance completely. Dee remembered some of the lessons Nessera had given her about how sexual encounters for women were dependent on setting the mood. Nessera had also said something about dance being almost like sex with clothes on, which Dee had not really paid attention to back then. She was paying attention now though.


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    Noyala could feel the air around Dee changing and could see a whole new kind of fire burning in Dee¡¯s eyes now. She also sensed something that Dee had used once before, something that Noyala realized Dee must have learned from the succubus. There were clear pheromones in the air, and Noyala felt a desire welling inside her as well. She realized Dee could be very seductive when she got in the mood and didn¡¯t mind at all.


    The two¡¯s dance started slowly with slight caresses and brushes with hands to places that had not been touched before. Slowly as the song picked up in speed and passion, so did the two¡¯s actions as they were openly caressing each other and rubbing against one another. As the dance went on, the two were engaged in what could only be considered heavy foreplay on the dancefloor, and it was very passionate. The audience and other dancers were also affected by the mood and got caught up in the two¡¯s pace. Desires flared and longing gazes were exchanged. There would be many a passionate encounter this night.


    As the dance ended the two dancers were panting heavily, and only a small part of it was from exhaustion. They both decided now would be a very good time to cool down, as they grabbed drinks and moved rapidly towards one of the balconies that overlooked the gardens. The two were glad to be left alone for a while as they tried to cool down. With the two having enhanced constitutions from their level of power, the alcohol in the drinks did nothing for them. Even the powerful wines of the Sidhe were like water when it came to inebriation and they simply tasted great and were cold for the two. In truth, Dee could drink a whole company of dwarves under the table at this point, and Noyala was only slightly less impressive.


    The two stood side by side on the balcony in full silence, simply enjoying each other¡¯s presence and thinking. Something had once again changed. They had silently acknowledged earlier that they had feelings for one another. Now the two had felt passion and found themselves liking it. The thing was, neither of them was quite ready for it. Hence the need to cool things down a bit. The two still held hands though, as they watched over the garden.


    The two might not have minded indulging in their passions for a bit, but there were some things preventing them. Instinctually they both knew that if they gave into those passions, they would both fall hard. They could both sense a powerful connection building between them, and the passions were just a part of it. The problem was that they both knew that staying together would be a very unlikely scenario in the long run. And if they were to let go and fall hard for one another, the pain from their eventual separation would be that much worse.


    As Noyala had said, Dee had already guessed that she would make a bid for the throne. She would take the position to try and save her people, to try and avenge the attitude of her family throwing her into the shadows, and to go against her sister that had been blessed. There was a great deal of bitterness in that last part. Her sister had everything while she became a shadow, and in a twisted way, Noyala wanted to take all that happiness away from her sister. Or she would die trying. It wasn¡¯t healthy but it was what it was. They both also knew that Dee would not stay in the forest. They both realized the implications.


    Dee was starting to come to the conclusion that maybe they should just take the plunge and let the chips fall where they may. Her thoughts were interrupted though when Noyala spoke. ¡°I have a little late evening activity planned for us.¡±


    Dee grinned. Maybe she wasn¡¯t the only one willing to take the plunge.


    ----------


    ¡°This is not what I had in mind when you talked about late evening activities.¡± Dee argued with a deep sigh.


    The two were overlooking another mansion owned by one of the supporters of Noyala¡¯s sister. The idea was to break in and either kill the owner of the mansion or at least find something they could use for leverage. The owner of the mansion was a powerful mage and he was also one of Noyala¡¯s sister¡¯s most important supporters. No matter what they decided to do about the other nobles, this one they had to deal with one way or another.


    ¡°Oh? So what exactly did you have in mind?¡± Noyala asked with fake coyness. They both knew exactly what Dee had in mind.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d try and take you mind off politics for a few hours.¡± Dee shot back.


    ¡°Just a few hours?¡± Noyala teased.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noted that some people tend to run out of stamina at that point.¡± Dee said half-defensively, half-proud of herself.


    This got Noyala¡¯s attention. As far as she knew, the only other partner Dee might have had, and Nessera¡¯s words had been pretty clear on that when the succubus was making a lot of dirty jokes, was the succubus. So a succubus ran out of stamina with Dee? That made the whole idea even more intriguing. Anyway, that was for later. Now they had a job to do.


    The mansion they were observing had weird defenses, to say the least. The mage owning it was mostly also responsible for the defenses. The man was an accomplished illusionist and the mansion was filled with his handiwork. Anyone trying to break in would find themselves lost and confused and vulnerable to more defensive spells. It was hard to avoid traps you could not see. The idea was good in theory. Even someone with Dee¡¯s stealth skills would find it hard to infiltrate the manor because stealth did nothing against the illusion spells that were always active.


    There were, of course, downsides as well. As any guards would also be subjected to the illusions, the number of guards on the premises was almost non-existent. The owner could craft an amulet rendering the guards immune to the illusions, just like he himself was wearing, but every such amulet was a possible security risk. Hence why there were only a handful of guards. There were some mindless golems for extra defense, but the same thing that rendered them immune to illusions also made them dumb. The golems were only there to provide muscle against those already stuck in the illusions.


    ¡°I can see why you wanted to rush to take him out inside this place.¡± Dee said with some amusement. There was another problem with the defenses.


    ¡°Yeah, this is probably the easiest place to catch him by surprise considering your talents. If he was at his home in the empire capital, then we¡¯d have to go through much heavier defenses.¡± This mansion was only one of many such places owned by the man, and he was only here because he was visiting an ally. Tomorrow he would go back to the empire¡¯s capital. ¡°You should be able to see through the illusions easily.¡±


    That was the glaring problem with the defenses when pitted against someone like Dee. Illusions always carried a certain mental component and Dee was almost entirely immune to them thanks to her being a psion with mental training. She could also use her special sight to see straight through the illusion spells that managed to affect her at all.


    Without wasting time Dee started moving through the mansion¡¯s defenses while Noyala darted the opposite way, taking distance from the mansion towards a particular place they had agreed on. While Dee would be unaffected by the illusions, she didn¡¯t have so much leeway that she could take Noyala through the traps and defensive spells with her. That would have required Dee to actually carry the other woman. However, unlike Noyala, she didn¡¯t know what she was looking for when it came to leverage. So, the idea was that Dee would enter the mansion owner¡¯s office and open a portal for Noyala to step through. The deepest parts of the mansion were not filled with illusions for practical reasons, so there was no need to worry at that point.


    Dee easily reached her destination and allowed Noyala to enter. Then the Sidhe woman started going through the man¡¯s office. ¡°Anything?¡± Dee asked after fifteen minutes.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s involved in several illegal activities like upper inks trade, but I haven¡¯t found anything that would really work as¡­leverage.¡± Noyala¡¯s voice trailed off as she read a letter sent to the man in question. Her expression darkened as she read on. Then she checked the place she had found this letter in more carefully, only to find a small hidden compartment inside the drawer. Her expression kept darkening as she read the documents inside.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Dee demanded as she noted the change in expression.


    ¡°He knows. He knows exactly why I want to take our race from this forest, and the reason the monarchs die earlier. He knows but doesn¡¯t care. Which means my parents know and they¡¯re still pushing my sister into taking the position. He was also in cahoots with my mother in arranging the ambush that brought us together and killed my friend. There are other names mentioned as well.¡± Noyala said angrily. She disliked her sister, and would gladly kill her with her own hands, but she still felt slighted that her parents would throw both of them away like this.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing we don¡¯t need to leave the man alive after all? And I¡¯m guessing we also got a list of people that need to disappear?¡± Dee asked, figuring where this was going.


    ¡°Yes, tonight we hunt.¡± Noyala confirmed with a grim expression. ¡°At least four of the people on this list are in the city at the moment.¡±

 Chapter 101

    Dee and Noyala had an easy time finding the mansion¡¯s owner, or at the very least his room. The harder part was actually killing him. The man was a powerful mage after all, and all remotely competent mages were aware that they were at their weakest when asleep. Same applied to other people of course, but mages usually had more fragile bodies and required sleep more often than a warrior of similar rank. What the skilled mages usually did to compensate was to surround themselves with protective spells, and this mage was no exception.


    Of course, the whole mansion itself was a combination of traps and defensive measures, but the man¡¯s sleeping chambers were especially so. He also wasn¡¯t stupid. If someone was able to infiltrate this deep into the building, then illusions were not doing the trick. The sleeping chambers were surrounded by magical shields that prevented entry and could survive enough punishment to wake up the man inside. The shield was also strengthened over time, so it wasn¡¯t comparable to a shield normally used by a mage of that level. It also had several supportive spells to ward against tampering of the style Dee had used to get through the fortress shield earlier.


    Dee had enough power to shatter the shield with sheer power, the only problem was that such a show of force would by necessity be very flashy. They had other targets this night, and the duo didn¡¯t want to alarm them just yet. She could figure out a way to get through the shield with some time and tampering, especially if she had proper tools, but that turned out to be unnecessary.


    While the illusion defenses of the manor were very much unique to this particular noble mage, the shield was not. Similar shields were often used by nobles of the court. Noyala wouldn¡¯t be of much use as a shadow of the court if she didn¡¯t have any methods of getting through such shields. There was always a delicate balance between the shadows and the nobles. If too many shadows knew the methods of getting through such shields, then the shields would become useless and the nobles would change to other defenses. As such, only the best shadows had the means and knowledge to get through such things, and Noyala was among the best.


    With a victorious grin, she pulled out a scroll covered in magical symbols and patterns, as well as a handful of silvery powder. She felt glad she could finally one up Dee. Infiltrations were one of her specialties as well and Dee had so far managed to outdo her, mostly thanks to Dee¡¯s natural talents. She spread the powder on the shield and tapped the affected area with the scroll in a rhythmic pattern. A hole suddenly started forming in the shield. ¡°You might want to hurry a bit. I can¡¯t keep this up forever and the same trick won¡¯t work coming out of the shield.¡± Normally on a mission, she would have another method of escaping after going through the shield, as well as a better plan in general. Neither was available here, but Dee on the other hand was.


    With a small shrug, Dee went through the hole in the shield and entered the room silently. The man was snoring on the bed, apparently a deep sleeper. On the other hand, he was rather careful as there was another spell protecting his body. Not nearly as strong as the first one, but still. This is where Dee¡¯s templar training and magical sight came in handy. With a quick glance, she used the anti-magic spells of the templar to shatter the protective spell and sent one of the small pearls towards the bed with an underhanded toss.


    The mage naturally had felt the shield shatter and was woken up but not in time to react properly. He did manage to shove some mana into his body in preparation to defend himself but that didn¡¯t do much once the pearl hit. When it left Dee¡¯s hand it had been almost weightless, but by the time it landed on the man¡¯s forehead it weighed almost as much as the mansion they were in. Even though the speed was not very fast, the pearl had enough mass to punch straight through his head. The resulting hole was much bigger than the pearl had been.


    Dee recalled the pearl and quietly walked out. The whole thing had taken maybe five seconds and the only voice had been the gasp as the man woke and the crunch when the man¡¯s head broke like a melon. Incidentally, the bed broke as well due to the added weight from the pearl, but that was quietly set down by Dee¡¯s telekinesis. As she stepped outside the shield, Noyala stopped tapping at the protective spell. Although she did that, the spell itself was starting to slowly unravel with the caster¡¯s death. The illusions might or might not follow, depending on how they had been made, but the two did not stay to find out. This was one of the reasons why the shadows could mostly hide their ability to get through such shields, as they tended to unravel anyway once their creators died.


    Dee made another portal for the two to quickly leave, and they ended up on the outskirts on the other side of the large city. ¡°Ok, so what¡¯s the plan?¡± Dee asked, knowing they had other targets.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take two, and you¡¯ll take two.¡± Noyala said simply and pointed at the two names on the list she had picked for Dee.


    ¡°I assume you¡¯re sure you can handle the other two?¡± Dee asked, not really all that worried.


    ¡°Oh please. I¡¯ve got more experience than you at killing Sidhe. You might be stronger than me currently, emphasis on might, but that doesn¡¯t make me weak.¡± Noyala replied firmly. ¡°Also I got the two weaker targets. Not because they are weaker, but because your two targets were at the party this evening. You¡¯ll be able to recognize them and know who to kill.¡±


    ¡°Quietly?¡± Dee asked in confirmation.


    ¡°Preferably, though it doesn¡¯t really matter with the latter target. You¡¯ll have to go around the city unlike me, so we¡¯ll both be done by then. At that point, it doesn¡¯t really matter if the city goes to a state of alert, though I would prefer if you did make it quiet as well. On the other hand, it would be better if you got into their offices as well and brought me all the documents they have. You¡¯ll probably be unable to read their codes, so I¡¯ll have to go through them.¡± Noyala replied.


    ¡°Fine by me. We can even make a race of it.¡± Dee proposed, fully intending to cheat. She could fly and make portals. Even if she did have to move around a bit, she should be faster in theory.


    ----------


    ¡°Really? You already got your two?¡± Dee asked incredulously as she came to the meeting place and found Noyala waiting for her. She had made quick work of her two targets thanks to the fact that they were actually lovers and had both been at the first person¡¯s location. The two had other spouses actually and Dee had caught them in flagrante delicto, so to speak. There was no way Noyala had beat her to two targets, even if Dee had been forced to fight the two naked Sidhe thanks to being noticed. She had actually spent a bit too much time observing and taking notes on the two in action, hoping to pick up new tricks, and the lovebirds had caught her. She¡¯d still gone to steal the other person¡¯s documents, but that was much faster with the protective spells already unraveling. The second person had also been a mage in charge of creating personal defenses. Not as skilled as the first mage they had killed that night, but still.


    Noyala had a wan smile. ¡°I¡¯m afraid the bet is invalid. I only had to kill one target. How did you manage to do it this fast?¡± She suddenly asked with a frown.


    ¡°I¡¯m just that good.¡± Dee said evasively. ¡°What do you mean you only had to kill one?¡±


    ¡°The other one had actually died two weeks ago. Apparently, it is common knowledge and the burial was three days ago. The gossip-mongers in the party didn¡¯t want to speak ill of the recently parted, hence why I had to learn that little bit of information by overhearing the guards talking about it. It seems his death was not very pleasant.¡± Noyala explained with a shrug.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Dee asked, somewhat curious professionally.


    ¡°Drago-bears. He went hunting and ran into two drago-bears by accident. Torn to shreds the guards said.¡± Noyala replied with a grunt.


    ¡°There¡¯s drago-bears in the forest?¡± Dee asked genuinely surprised. The elven ranger Taeral had brought Dee to train in the forest. Had he really brought young Dee into a forest with drago-bears? He had warned her that there were dangerous creatures in the forest, but wasn¡¯t this a bit excessive?


    Noyala laughed. ¡°Not in the forest luckily. He was hunting elsewhere. It¡¯s not a very nice way to go. Just what he deserved I say.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting coincidence.¡± Dee mumbled, noting that both of them had actually saved some time due to extraneous circumstances.


    ¡°Why? What do you mean?¡± Noyala asked suddenly suspicious.


    ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Dee said and quickly shoved the small bundle of documents towards Noyala. ¡°You wanted these, right?¡±


    Noyala took the documents, still eyeing Dee with suspicion. There might have been more questions but Croestia suddenly interrupted Dee¡¯s thoughts silently. ¡®The Orb of Secrets you gave me is pulsing.¡¯ Croestia was the one storing the orb, so she would notice the change first of course.


    Dee pulled the orb out and saw that it was pulsing both with light and power. Not dangerous amounts, but just enough to draw attention. ¡°The holder of the other orb is trying to reach you.¡± Noyala explained, seeing Dee eyeing at the orb with suspicion.


    ¡°Watch over me please.¡± Dee asked Noyala. She was suspicious of the whole thing, but sensed it might be important.


    Dee soon found herself in the same luxurious room with silk curtains hanging from the ceiling and several pillows dotting the ground as possible seating. All in all the place reminded Dee a little of the d¨¦cor in the Threads of Fate headquarters. ¡°Good thing you came quick.¡± A calm and deep voice sounded from the center of the room.


    Although the appearance of the man had changed into an elderly beastman this time, the voice was still the same and belonged to the leader of Zabaniya. ¡°Why am I here? You called for me I assume?¡± Dee asked without preamble.


    The old beastman smiled. ¡°Straight to the point, I see. This time it might be better though. I¡¯ve got an interesting bit of news for you¡±


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    ¡°Why would I care, and what would this cost me?¡± Dee asked firmly, not playing games.


    ¡°Actually you¡¯ll find this very interesting as it concerns one of the few friends you have. And believe it or not, this one is completely free. I simply want to show you that we don¡¯t have to be enemies. Well, I won¡¯t lie, sharing this information also serves my purposes, but that doesn¡¯t change the gesture of goodwill I¡¯m willing to provide.¡± The man replied, easily admitting that he had his own horse in the race.


    ¡°So what is it?¡± Dee demanded.


    ¡°The Summer King is nearing the end of the rope. His underlings have done what they can to extend his life, but he has at best weeks left and this means the Winter Queen will soon follow. This has prompted the freelancer¡¯s guild into action. As the Order of the Radiant Sun has recruited heavily from the elves, it should come as no surprise that plenty of them were at home on leave when the freelancer¡¯s marched in. The mercenaries haven¡¯t done anything about those people or their families so far, to avoid sparking some sort of retaliation. So far that is. That is about to change. Now you might ask what that has to do with you, since you are no longer officially tied with the order. Well, you might not be, but a particular friend of yours still is.¡± The old beastman explained quickly, knowing that time was of the essence.


    Dee¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like where this is going. You¡¯re talking about Faylen aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Faylen Sarfina, before that Faylen Arazana. Normally the freelancer¡¯s would not go for a daughter of such a high profile house considering they¡¯re supposed to be there to help the Summer and Spring courts, but the little sister of the grandmaster of the order would make for a great hostage, don¡¯t you think? Due to the nature of offending a high ranking house, they are sending some of their best to bring her in. I doubt they would hurt her, but my guess is that it depends on who gets there first. The freelancers aren¡¯t exactly a homogenous bunch and many mercenary groups realized the value of that particular hostage at the same time when the order came to round up any templars and paladins. So it¡¯s become a race of sorts and some of the participants are rowdier than the others.¡± The man pulled out a map of sorts. ¡°This is the precise location of the House Arazana. You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Dee didn¡¯t stick around as she was gone before hearing the words ¡®you¡¯re welcome¡¯.


    ------


    A small group of warriors moved quickly through the forest. Brynhildr eyed her supposed ¡®allies¡¯ with a judging glance. The Valkyries owed the freelancer¡¯s guild a couple of favors and had agreed to support with this operation in the elven empire to repay some of that. That in itself was fine. Battles were what the Valkyries were born for. So far they had done nothing but stand around and wait for politics to clear the way. That again was nothing new. Not pleasant, but not new either. Warriors were often beholden to the whims of politicians, which is why the Valkyries usually tried to avoid allying with other parties. Too much politics. No, the problem was that they were given ¡®allies¡¯ they couldn¡¯t trust on some missions.


    As one of the most powerful units sent into the forest by the guild, the Valkyries had jumped at the chance to send Brynhildr and Reginleif to secure the sister of the grandmaster of the paladins. They had not jumped at the chance at action, nor because they thought the idea was a good one. In fact, they thought taking hostages was despicable, but sometimes a necessary reality of war. No, they had jumped at the chance because they were worried that some other mercenaries might not handle the hostages well. At least if the Valkyries took care of the hostages, then they would be treated well and the freelancers would be forced to negotiate in good faith.


    Hence they had split up their squad to scoop up as many of the hostages as possible. The female hostages in particular. Most of the freelancers were not bandits prone to rape or other such despicable things as that would give them a bad name, but there were exceptions. Others might be more prone to cruelty instead. Apparently, the guild had also considered the importance of this particular hostage as they had sent a group of their elites to ask the Valkyries¡¯ help, although the Valkyries would have acted anyway. Now it felt like these new ¡®allies¡¯ were here less to help and more to watch over the two Valkyries. In battle these ¡®allies¡¯ would only get in the way.


    They suddenly got another thing to worry about, as the estates they were targeting were already under attack by another group of mercenaries. It seemed that House Arazana had chosen to resist. Brynhildr wasn¡¯t entirely sure if the mercenaries even tried to negotiate once she noted the banner of this particular band of misfits.


    ¡°Red Dwarves.¡± Brynhildr spat out the name. As the name implied, the mercenary band was made up entirely of dwarves of a particularly bloodthirsty variety. They were often easy to identify thanks to their distinctive hairstyles and -colors. To Brynhildr the color looked more orange than red actually, but maybe Orange Dwarves wasn¡¯t menacing enough as a name?


    ¡°Easy there. We¡¯re not here to fight with the dwarves.¡± Reginleif said while putting her hand on Brynhildr¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not yet anyway.¡±


    Brynhildr glanced at her sister. She still found it a little disconcerting how the Authorities they had made the two look almost identical. Not that they wouldn¡¯t have been similar anyway, being sisters and all, but now it was like looking into a mirror. Except not quite. It was a little disconcerting truth be told. She turned back towards the fight.


    The elves were putting up a stiff resistance, but it was clear that it would only be a matter of time. One of the leaders of the dwarves approached them and spoke in a grumbly voice. ¡°Well lookie here. Seems the cat dragged in some eye-candy while we kill some knife-ears. It¡¯s a good day indeed. Though if I were allowed to make requests, couldn¡¯t the cat have brought us some dwarven girls instead?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to secure the hostage.¡± Brynhildr replied simply. She had dealt with plenty of thugs like the dwarf. They were bullies who lucked into some actual strength. Not much, but enough to throw their weight around. She already knew this would not end peacefully. Not that the fighting between the elves and dwarves was much of a sign of peacefulness in the first place.


    ¡°No can do girlie. That elf woman is worth a lot. We¡¯re not going to just hand her over after fighting the guards here.¡± The dwarf replied, fooled by his own strength into believing they had the edge. Their victory over the elves only strengthened this misconception.


    ¡°I have direct orders from the guild, and I¡¯d take her even if I didn¡¯t, just to spite you. Now we can do this the easy way, or we can go with the equally easy way of going through you. Your choice.¡± Brynhildr argued back, not bothering to hide her hostility.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have as good of a time of it as you think. We might not be as famous as your bunch, but we¡¯re plenty strong as well. We are also aware of the little trick with your Authorities. If your whole squad was present you might be able to order others around, but with just the two of you? Well¡­¡± The dwarf grinned and let his words fade.


    The dwarf was not completely mistaken in his info. Brynhildr was part of a special squad of Valkyries that had gathered a rare set of Authorities that worked as a group. The more of them were present the stronger they all became. With a full squad they were able to fight with lone immortals. Not beat them necessarily, but at least fight them. However, the dwarf was wrong about few things as well.


    Brynhildr pulled out her two-handed sword made of the same strange white metal as her armor that consisted of a breastplate, gauntlets and additional armor over her legs above the wide skirt she was wearing. Light enough to move in quickly, but covering the vulnerable places. ¡°I think you¡¯re making a couple of really big errors here. First of all, just because there are only two of us, it doesn¡¯t mean the Authorities aren¡¯t strong enough to handle a bunch of stunties like you. Secondly, there might be only two of us, but you didn¡¯t consider at all which two. Our powers are very different, and the two of us can kill the whole bunch of you easily. Thirdly, and most importantly, we¡¯re Valkyries. We¡¯re born to battle. We don¡¯t rely just on things like Authorities. Even without them we could kill you. The Authorities just make it trivial.¡±


    She punctuated her words by attacking the dwarf that was obviously not going to go along. The dwarf was completely unable to react as the white blade cleaved him in two, straight from the top of his head to his groin. This, of course, drew the ire of the other dwarves, who were now redirecting their hostility at the two Valkyries that were calmly observing the incoming hostiles. Suddenly Reginleif¡¯s eyes sharpened as she looked towards the sky. ¡±Incoming, danger, pull back.¡± In four short words she relayed enough information for Brynhildr to react.


    She jumped back under the protective dome of white energy that came up just as hundreds of blades of psionic energy started falling from the sky, killing the dwarves as if their defenses were made of paper. The white shield was suddenly impacted by a pair of extremely heavy objects, and the shield bent and rippled but didn¡¯t break. That was part of Reginleif¡¯s Authority. She wasn¡¯t really a full on combatant, but worked as a supporter for her sisters instead, enhancing their strength. One of the supportive things she provided was a safe haven. That protective safe haven had not fallen even under the attacks of immortals and didn¡¯t do so now either. The fact that it showed such a heavy reaction was a shock to the two.


    They looked up to see someone slowly drifting lower over the treetops. Without the two halos behind her head, the two Valkyries would¡¯ve thought the newcomer was a Dark Avariel. Now though, she looked like an avenging angel and one that was very angry at that. ¡°Well then. This mission just became a lot more interesting.¡± Brynhildr said quietly, getting an agreeing murmur from Reginleif as a reply.

 Chapter 102

    The dark angel floating above them really incited Brynhildr¡¯s desire for battle. She wasn¡¯t a brute that enjoyed just any battle, only worthy opponents got her blood boiling, and the dark winged being above them fit the bill just right. Powerful and sinister looking. Just as she was about to jump out of the shield, Reginleif stopped her with a hand placed on her shoulder. ¡°Bryn, wait. There might be a problem.¡±


    Brynhildr looked at her sister in confusion. ¡°What is it? After all this sitting around a worthy opponent presented herself to us and you want me to wait?¡± It wasn¡¯t just her eagerness that was the problem with waiting. The dark being had not stopped putting wide holes into the other warriors while the two protected themselves under the shield. Not that she really cared about the dwarves, who were just about to attack them before the angel arrived, or her so called ¡®allies¡¯, but it was a bit iffy to just let them all die without doing anything. They were supposed to be on the guild¡¯s side after all.


    ¡°The power boost I¡¯m getting from her. It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m getting such a large one since training with master.¡± Reginleif stated with a serious voice.


    This really caught Brynhildr¡¯s attention. All their Authorities had their own peculiarities. Reginleif¡¯s powers slanted towards supporting her comrades, so it had limited direct combat application, made up by her support abilities which were amazing. The thing was that Reginleif¡¯s Authority was very limited use against weak opponents, and perhaps the most powerful of the bunch against strong ones. She gained a boost to all her abilities and physical characteristics based on the power of the enemy.


    ¡°She¡¯s an immortal?!¡± Brynhildr asked in shock. The question was legitimate considering that their master was immortal and if Reginleif received a power boost of similar margin from this angel¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. There¡¯s something very strange going on here. It¡¯s as if her powers are in flux. My point is, be careful and be prepared to retreat on a moment¡¯s notice. We may need the rest of our sisters to face this enemy.¡± Reginleif emphasized her last point. Brynhildr was perhaps the strongest direct combatant of the group and Reginleif¡¯s support made her even stronger, but facing something comparable to an immortal would be too much to ask from just the two of them.


    ¡®So the order is already sending in immortals to the empire. Things are getting really serious.¡¯ Brynhildr thought to herself. One of the main reasons their group of Valkyries was asked to come here by the freelancer¡¯s guild was because they could match an immortal to a point without actually being one. Thus they got the advantage in power without escalating the conflict to the level of actual immortals. But if the order was already sending immortals¡­


    Brynhildr dashed out of the shield at full speed and felt the power supplied by Reginleif spreading through her. As soon as she did several blades made of blue energy flew at her, but Brynhildr could ignore them. One of the main effects of her Authority was that any hostile energy was greatly dampened when it got close to her. Spells and ki attacks would fizzle and dissipate. She wasn¡¯t immune to such effects, but it came fairly close. Any spells powerful enough to not fizzle out completely would run into her protective ki and her magical armor. Those dark objects that had impacted Reginleif¡¯s shield earlier might be different though, as they seemed to be solid objects accelerated to great speeds. The dampening effect might slow them down or make them miss, but not stop them.


    The dark angel was still floating in the air, theoretically safe from Brynhildr¡¯s sword, but several platforms made of white light suddenly appeared beneath her feet to allow her to run up towards the angel. The platforms were created by Reginleif, and their honed teamwork allowed the latter to know exactly where to place them. As Valkyries, they could fly to an extent, but in aerial combat you had a major advantage if you had a foothold like this to push against when attacking. Also, picking a flying battle with an angel was a really bad idea as their flying ability worked differently.


    Apparently, their little trick didn¡¯t catch the angel off-guard, or it simply didn¡¯t care, as Brynhildr noticed no sign of surprise while closing the distance with a speed that was impossible to follow by most. The angel clearly didn¡¯t have that problem. For a very brief moment, Brynhildr thought she saw a wondering look in the angel¡¯s eyes as if the being was considering how to counter her charge. As Brynhildr¡¯s snow white sword slashed at the angel, a black blade made seemingly of pure darkness intercepted it.


    The image was rather imposing even to Reginleif. A blond haired warrior goddess clad in pure white armor and wielding a white blade that reflected the light of the sun with a bright gleam, crossing swords with a dark angel with black wings, black hair and a dark blade that seemed to be sucking the light from the surroundings. It was worthy of becoming a priceless painting. Or it was until it became clear that the dark angel had an advantage in this encounter.


    Brynhildr was pushed away from her overhead swing, but not due to a wide difference in strength she was glad to see. The dark angel was stronger than her, and Brynhildr was already freakishly strong according to her sisters. The thing was, the angel wasn¡¯t stronger by much. It was more thanks to the fact that the angel seemed to have an even better footing standing on the empty air. It was as if it was standing on solid ground, while Brynhildr had just jumped with her swing to add power to it. That added power had worked for a fraction of a second, but then she had gotten pushed off.


    ¡®So this is doable at least.¡¯ Brynhildr thought to herself. ¡®I should have the advantage with Reginleif¡¯s full power behind me.¡¯


    Her positive thought disappeared as quickly as it had come when suddenly several lights from holy spells surrounded the angel. It was not hard to guess that those were buffing spells, which was immediately confirmed as the two crossed swords a second time and she was forced into parrying the angel¡¯s blow instead of blocking it. ¡®Of course it would have access to holy spells. It¡¯s a fucking angel!¡¯ Brynhildr berated herself for missing the obvious.


    Reginleif had her own slight problems. Normally this would be the point at which she would use various methods to strike at the enemy, to either hinder or at least distract them. The problem was that the angel had not stopped attacking her even though it was now locked into combat with Brynhildr. She was forced to direct most of her power into maintaining the protective barrier as it was continuously hit both by weapons of blue power and some small black objects that shook the barrier even with all the power she applied. Those attacks weren¡¯t even aimed to really kill her, just to keep her occupied. The angel had probably figured that fighting the two of them at the same time would be a problem, so it directed the ranged attacks that were useless against Brynhildr at her instead. She just had to trust Brynhildr for now, while she supplied all the power she could. ''At least those black things aren¡¯t hitting Bryn for now.¡¯


    The aerial dance of blades gained in both speed and power as hundreds of strikes were exchanged. Brynhildr was being pushed to the extremes of her skill. She was a proud Valkyrie born to wield a blade, and a part of her Authority granted her sublime skill with the blade. Yet the annoying angel was able to match her blow for blow. Both of them constantly tried to lead each other into traps while trying to take every advantage they could. This was the first time since gaining her Authority that Brynhildr fought with someone that could equal her with the blade. Even their master couldn¡¯t do that, as she had been the previous holder of the Authority now possessed by Reginleif. It was vexing. It was also exhilarating. Brynhildr was grinning from ear to ear as she fought.


    The others present were wholly unable to follow the movements of the two as they moved so fast. The only thing they could tell was that the fight was balanced on a knife¡¯s edge as a single mistake could spell the end for either combatant as a bundle of light and a bundle of darkness rapidly crashed into one another. As Reginleif realized this, she resolved to use one of the nastier aspects of her Authority. Her normal weapon was a halberd with a long thin pennant hanging from it, but now she drew out a short thin rapier made of the same white metal as Brynhildr¡¯s blade and armor and Reginleif¡¯s own halberd. Then she plunged the white blade through her own right palm.


    Brynhildr suddenly noted the angel yelp more in surprise than in pain as it received a wound on its right palm which was holding the dark blade single-handedly at the moment. That was due to the angel being in the middle of a jumping slash while dodging over her own blade. She knew what had happened as she had seen Reginleif use that nasty power several times before. Her sister always had a wicked timing, using the power just when it mattered, and this time again the angel lost its grip on the dark blade and the blade plunged towards the ground.


    Reginleif cursed silently as the pain hit her. She could inflict the same damage on the enemy as she did on herself, but that came with a price. The pain from the injury was tripled and could not be blocked in any way. Plus the wounds she inflicted on herself with the thin rapier were a real bitch to heal. ¡®Hopefully Bryn can take advantage of the situation.¡¯


    Brynhildr tried her best to take advantage as she quickly changed the trajectory of the previous blow and to inflict a decisive wound. This trick would only work once and she needed something decisive. Unfortunately, her blade was intercepted by a black gem that suddenly expanded into a large shield. She also sensed several similar objects flying at her from multiple angles, and she was forced into taking some distance. As she looked up she noted several dark gems and small pearls floating around the angel who was now examining the wounded hand and sneaking looks at Reginleif who had a similar wound on her hand. Apparently, it only took the one time for the angel to make the connection, which was kind of worrisome in itself.


    ¡®Well, at least it is wounded now. Even if it has holy power, wounds inflicted with Regin¡¯s Authority can only be healed with natural healing over time.¡¯ Brynhildr was ashamed of her inability to take advantage of the opportunity but realized another thing. If that gem had not become a shield, then it most likely would¡¯ve been used to attack Brynhildr instead. So small victories and all that.


    Her joy disappeared once again as she watched the wound on the angel¡¯s hand close. ¡°Bloody hell! That was supposed to be much harder to heal than that.¡± She voiced her curse. She couldn¡¯t know of course that this particular angel had a Beowulf heritage and had excellent regeneration speeding up the recovery.


    She retreated back to Reginleif. ¡°We have to go for the big finish. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll win a war of attrition.¡±


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    Reginleif nodded in agreement and gathered her powers, which luckily were boosted due to the power of their enemy. The pennant on her halberd unfurled and seemed to suddenly extend endlessly, in a flash it had surrounded the entire area and several shackles of white cloth shot from the sides towards the angel. The angel was extremely fast and tried dodging the shackles but these bindings were impossible to dodge as they were everywhere, and soon the angel was bound from several places. ¡°Hurry! I don¡¯t think I can hold it for too long.¡± Reginleif murmured. This technique was excellent but very power consuming.


    Brynhildr leapt into the air and raised her white sword above her head, and made a slashing motion towards the dark angel. A beam of white energy shot from the tip of the blade towards the angel who was unable to dodge. This was the most powerful attack the two possessed and they had several good reasons, mainly from experience, to expect it would at the very least injure the angel heavily. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed.


    A dark field of energy extended above the angel, perfectly blocking the incoming stream of white energy. Both Valkyries could recognize an Aegis when they saw one, though they had never seen a completely black one before. Neither had they ever heard of one created by a single person that could take the kind of blow dealt by Brynhildr. The single attack was powerful enough to punch through an Aegis used by a full army of paladins.


    ¡°Enough of this nonsense!¡± They heard the exasperated voice of the dark angel utter. Suddenly they felt a great power of darkness and death radiating from the Aegis that still stood despite the blow it had just taken. The two Valkyries could feel the dark and seemingly evil power sapping at their strength and even trying to suck away their life-force. The two were able to resist, but the others were less fortunate.


    The remaining Red Dwarves and the ¡®allies¡¯ the Valkyries had brought with them suddenly started to decay while alive as the life was sapped from them. It was almost like they had grown old suddenly, and they quickly turned into decrepit husks. The two Valkyries hissed at the sight of the clearly evil power. ¡°This can¡¯t be a member of the order. It isn¡¯t a templar or even close to a paladin. It¡¯s a blackguard!¡± Reginleif huffed in indignation.


    Blackguards were the name for the holy warriors of dark gods, similar to paladins and templar. Even the order had a certain amount of people serving the dark gods among their number, but there was a stark difference between a templar serving the dark gods and a full blackguard. That difference was in their use of power. The ways blackguards used their power was almost uniformly agreed on to be evil, and not just chaotic and dark. Their powers usually worked at the expense of others and brought them suffering. Such as sapping the life out of them like the two had just seen. Blackguards also worked mostly for their own benefit instead of a cause.


    Brynhildr wasn¡¯t sure if she agreed. She noticed that the elves had all been spared from the life-sucking power, and she had already crossed blades with the angel. Some people said that the best way to know a person¡¯s character was to cross swords with them. The angel was not a saint by any measure, but a blackguard? That was a little different. The angel had felt more like someone disinterested in the morality of the methods used. Just another tool in the toolbox. Not that she had much time to consider, as the black blade appeared back in the angel¡¯s hand.


    She also noted that the pearls and gems somehow inserted themselves into the blade. There was a palpable change in the blade as the gravity started distorting around it. There was no doubt that the blade was now extremely heavy, yet the angel was holding it as if it was weightless. ¡°Time to go Regin.¡± Bryn suddenly decided and grabbed her sister in order to retreat.


    They could always try for a rematch later on with their full group, and while the Valkyries reveled in battle, continuing this fight looked more like a suicide.


    ------


    Dee watched as the two annoying women bade their retreat. Normally she would chase down enemies that dangerous, but that didn¡¯t feel like a very good option at the moment. Blocking that white beam of power with the Aegis had taken a lot out of her. She had tried using just Umbra¡¯s power infused with the death element. It wasn¡¯t that she was in danger of running out of holy power, just that channeling that much of it in one shot was very taxing, especially since she already had to rush here with the fastest flight speed possible. She¡¯d gotten closer with the portals of course, but the bloody things had been a bit uncooperative and dumped her a fair distance away.


    There was also the fact that her right hand was still busted. She had managed a surface regeneration to try and fool the swordswoman, but inside it wasn¡¯t fully fixed yet. She wouldn¡¯t be able to apply full strength to her blows. For some reason, she also didn¡¯t feel like hunting the two women down. Something told her they weren¡¯t too bad despite taking part in this whole farce with the hostages, and she didn¡¯t really feel the need to kill someone just for fun either. Besides, she still had to protect Faylen. Who knew what could happen during the time she spent chasing the two women. She had been forced to leave Noyala behind for maximum speed.


    ¡®So those were combat related Authorities.¡¯ Croestia commented.


    ¡®Yeah, that swordswoman was a real pain. She might have been the best pure sword fighter I¡¯ve seen. I barely kept up with her.¡¯ Dee replied. The bloody old man at the great wilderness was more powerful as an opponent, but that was more due to his strength. The golden haired woman just now had more pure skill. If the fight had been longer Dee would¡¯ve been forced to assume her normal form for extra strength and the extra two hands. Fighting with just two had been a bit of a handicap truth be told. For some reason though, she didn¡¯t want to advertise her presence within the empire and her normal form was rather recognizable, what with all the tails and white fur.


    ¡®Let¡¯s check up on Faylen.¡¯ Dee said after a moment.


    Dee floated down towards the mansion. The surviving elven guards had seen the earlier battle and decided to not stand against her. She had saved them in a way after all. There were several dwarven bodies inside the mansion as some had slipped past the guards, but Dee wasn¡¯t all that worried. After all that time spent with Faylen, she could recognize Faylen¡¯s mind in the mindscape and knew that her friend was alive. There was no hostile feeling within the mansion either, and Dee couldn¡¯t detect any living beings aside from elves inside.


    She found Faylen and some of her family in a large room up on the second floor. Apparently the guards had gathered all the family members here to more effectively defend them. There were a dozen high-rank elven guards nearby and no dwarf had made it this far in. They would have eventually, but they got a wee bit distracted on the way. These guards also made way for Dee as it was glaringly obvious they would only endanger their charges for nothing if they tried stopping Dee. Inside the room were two older couples, which Dee assumed to be Faylen¡¯s parents and maybe aunt and uncle, as well as Faylen and a young man who looked enough like Faylen to identify him as her younger brother.


    Faylen smiled widely as she noticed Dee approaching. ¡°Dee! Perfect timing as usual. We saw your fight outside. You¡¯ve really grown.¡± There was a hint of wistfulness in Faylen¡¯s voice. The girl she had picked up on a whim had become so much stronger than her in such a short time.


    ¡°Faylen.¡± Dee replied simply and pulled the elven woman into a hug. The two had not seen each other for a long time. Too long.


    ¡°And who are you supposed to be?¡± An elder gentleman interrupted the reunion. He appeared to be the strongest person in the room and was most likely the leader of House Arazana, which would make him Faylen¡¯s father.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who has come to take Faylen to safety.¡± Dee replied, looking over the shoulder of Faylen, whom she was still hugging.


    The man huffed. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. A member of our house will not need protection from someone as evil as you.¡±


    Dee had almost forgotten that she was still using the Dark Avariel appearance, which made it kind of surprising that Faylen had managed to recognize her actually. Combined with her two halos and the display earlier truly made her appear quite sinister. An alluring but sinister Fallen Angel. ¡°I was not asking for your permission. You¡¯ve already shown yourselves incapable of protecting her, and you most certainly can¡¯t stop me. So what are you going to do? Talk me to death?¡± She wasn¡¯t feeling very diplomatic.


    The man turned to Faylen. ¡°You say something! It seems you¡¯re acquainted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think I¡¯ll take my chances with the so called evil being instead of a family that was all too ready to marry me off for political favors.¡± Faylen was quite happy to go along with Dee. She had been almost imprisoned here, ready to be carted off for a political marriage when the opportunity presented itself.


    Of course the man and Faylen¡¯s other family argued, but Dee wasn¡¯t feeling like arguing back, so she swiftly swept Faylen into her hands and simply floated out the window. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t mind being carried like a princess, but this is a little weird.¡± Faylen commented as soon as they got out of the immediate area. ¡°Mind letting me down?¡±


    Dee was happy to oblige. For now, they had gained enough distance anyway. ¡°Did you have some place you wanted to go?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Well there are some things I would like to get from my old house and I need to inform the servants on what happens next, but it¡¯s clear that I can¡¯t stay there. My family will find me there if nothing else. Did you have something in mind?¡± Faylen turned the question around.


    ¡°The way I see it you have three options. Option one, you seek asylum from the Radiant Sun, which would most likely end with you going back to the impending war. Also, me and Razark are kind of breaking our relations with them, so there¡¯s that. Holy Orders are another choice I suppose. Option two, Mazatl will take you with her to the Saurians. I think she wouldn¡¯t mind doing that. Option three, I know of a community I happen to have ties with and I know they wouldn¡¯t mind having another templar with them.¡± Dee listed the general plan she had formed while rushing here.


    ¡°I assume I can¡¯t just go with you for now? Yeah, I suppose not. I can guess you¡¯re neck deep in this mess already and I might get in the way. So you¡¯re talking about the Four Winds, right? That sounds alright for now, though I would love to exchange some information with Mazatl before going. The Saurians don¡¯t really appeal to me in general even if she is great.¡± Faylen decided.


    ¡°Four Winds it is then. We¡¯ll have to pick up a friend of mine on the way. I had to leave rather abruptly once I found out what was going on with the mercenaries and hostages they¡¯re taking. I think you¡¯ll like her.¡± Dee started explaining with a smile.

 Chapter 103

    ¡±Dee, where did you vanish in such a rush? Are you alright? Is something wrong?¡± Noyala bombarded Dee with questions as soon as she stepped through the portal. The questions came to a halt as soon as she noted another person following Dee out of the portal. ¡°A High Elf?¡± She voiced the obvious question.


    ¡°An Unseelie Sidhe.¡± Faylen replied with a statement. She and Dee had made two jumps with portals to reach this place and Dee had mentioned they were here to meet someone. That someone was apparently this woman.


    ¡°Noyala, this is Faylen my¡­.¡± Dee halted her words seeking for the appropriate word to use while introducing Faylen.


    ¡°The next words out of your mouth better not be mom or any sort of mother figure.¡± Faylen said firmly. She realized that the relationship between her and Dee was a bit undefined, and decided to tease her a little.


    ¡°¡­my sister?¡± Dee¡¯s voice rose questioningly. Faylen returned the question with a raised eyebrow. ¡°My big sister.¡± Dee finished her statement.


    ¡°Good enough for now.¡± Faylen decided to let the matter go.


    ¡°Faylen, this is Noyala my¡­¡± Again Dee had some trouble defining her relations with the Sidhe woman.


    Now it was Noyala¡¯s turn to raise her eyebrow in half-question half-amusement. ¡°Let¡¯s say a very special friend. A pleasure to meet you.¡± Noyala decided to give Dee a bit of help. Her tone made it clear though that the word ¡®pleasure¡¯ was not quite right as a word to describe the meeting.


    The two shook hands a little unwillingly, with a spark of competition in the look they exchanged. Neither was entirely sure what the exact nature of the competition was, but the game was on nevertheless. The relations between the Spring and Winter courts were currently very strenuous, and while neither of the women was officially part of the court, the animosity had filtered through to them. Even without the current crisis, the High Elves and Unseelie didn¡¯t really get along. The High Elves imagined themselves as the peak of elven kind, while the Unseelie viewed all elves as the lesser cousin. Even those that didn¡¯t hold such prejudices were infected by the animosity.


    It didn¡¯t help that both of them could also feel the differences in nature between them at first glance. Faylen had become a templar for a reason. She was very much a person of light, order, and law, who sought to defend those weaker and less fortunate than herself. While her idealism had suffered a dose of realism when she got older, the basic ideas did not go away. Noyala, on the other hand, was a very complex person, but at best she could be described as a being of shadow and change. At worst she was just the type of person Faylen and her kind fought against, someone who worked in the shadows and on the wrong side of the law.


    Noyala had not advertised it to Dee but her actions as a shadow of the court had often ended up causing suffering to just the type of less fortunate people Faylen sought to defend. It wasn¡¯t Noyala¡¯s purpose to cause suffering to innocent people of course, but she followed orders and her actions had consequences. As an example, a noble she shamed out of office might have been a benevolent ruler of an area who simply had the wrong political affiliations. And while Noyala didn¡¯t seek to cause suffering, she didn¡¯t exactly go out of her way to avoid it either. She was a driven person more interested in ultimate goals than the road to get there. That¡¯s before mentioning the fact that she was, in essence, an embittered person seeking revenge no matter the cost.


    It didn¡¯t help that both of them also thought the other to be a bad influence on Dee. For Noyala, Faylen represented the order that Dee was now making a break from, a being of light that Dee was unsuited to become. Faylen, on the other hand, compared Noyala to the assassins she had saved Dee from so many years ago. It wasn¡¯t the same of course, but Noyala had enough similarities that the comparison was inevitable.


    So it was no wonder the two hated each other at first sight. Part of the competition between the two was about Dee and her future. That in itself was a little weird since neither of them wanted Dee to necessarily become anything specifically, but they thought the other one would take Dee on the wrong path. No matter what Dee ended becoming in the future, that way was the wrong way.


    ¡°So you never did answer my other questions. What did the person on the other end of the Orb of Secrets have to say? Unless I¡¯m totally mistaken, you were talking with the leader of Zabaniya, right?¡± Noyala returned to her earlier queries. Her oversharing of information was fully intentional as well.


    ¡°Wait, what? Are you in contact with Zabaniya again? And talking to their leader at that?¡± Faylen asked suddenly with a worried tone. ¡°That can¡¯t be a good idea.¡±


    Dee grimaced. She had known Faylen would not like the idea. She had not planned on saying anything, but it didn¡¯t take long for it to get out. ¡®Why did Noyala have to blurt that out? One would think she would have a little more discretion.¡¯ ¡°Saying that I¡¯m in contact with them is blowing it out of proportion a little. They have tried to make contact on few occasions. They have their reasons. I won¡¯t claim that I can certainly handle them since you never know what happens. That said, I am being as careful and distant as I can be. And for the record, they were the ones who informed me that you were in danger.¡±


    ¡°I almost hope that they hadn¡¯t.¡± Faylen mumbled before speaking more clearly. ¡°Nevertheless, you should avoid any contact with them. Who knows what kind of hold they still have over you? They kept you for so many years that it¡¯s impossible to say their control is fully gone. And I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t just provide that information about me for free.¡±


    ¡°Their leader mentioned that informing me and me saving you suited their purposes. I¡¯m sure they had plenty of other ideas, one of them being an attempt to force some sort of goodwill on me, but I¡¯d like to think I¡¯m not easily fooled. The fact remains though, that they did provide me that information and that information helped save you.¡± Dee stated. She wasn¡¯t about to trust Zabaniya either. They would try to use her, but that allowed her to try to use them in turn. And she certainly didn¡¯t feel like she owed any favors after all that she¡¯d been through.


    She then proceeded to explain the chain of events to both Noyala and Faylen. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of those Authorities!¡± Noyala exclaimed once Dee explained the fight. ¡°They¡¯re a group of Authorities that always go together and the more of them are together, the stronger the holders become. You were lucky to meet only two of them.¡±


    ¡°I had my hands full with just two, so I¡¯m not sure how lucky I was.¡± Dee muttered more to herself.


    ¡°Well the Authorities should¡¯ve found new owners fairly recently. I¡¯m not entirely sure how many of the Authorities there are in total, but I know there¡¯s at least eight. Once a large enough number of eligible people appear, the Authorities are granted to the new owners and not all of them find owners at the same time. The last living member of the previous owners usually trains the next generation. If the freelancer¡¯s guild has brought them to the forest, that can shake the balance of power in a major way. ¡°Noyala frowned. ¡°I was under the impression that the new owners are not part of the guild though.¡±


    ¡°Are you always up on the details of every Authority?¡± Faylen asked sarcastically.


    Noyala grinned. ¡°Information is power in my field. Besides, I don¡¯t know about all Authorities, not even a fraction of them in fact. Just those that are most famous and the owners of which I might run into in my activities. And in this case, it wasn¡¯t just the Authorities but their new owners that caught my attention. Valkyries aren¡¯t exactly the most common beings on Pantheon.¡±


    ¡°So those were Valkyries.¡± Dee said thoughtfully. No wonder she didn¡¯t recognize their race. There was also the fact that the Authorities were such a large part of their being that their race was somewhat obscured. Some Authorities like hers were almost invisible, while the two she had faced earlier were completely tied with theirs. Maybe these were the so-called Hero Authorities she had heard so much about?


    She was just about to ask when Noyala suddenly slumped on her knees holding her head, while Faylen looked around her as if she had just sensed something important. ¡°Noyala!¡± Dee called her name while rushing to help her friend. She didn¡¯t have to ask what was wrong because she could see it with her special sight. The curse inside Noyala was acting up and growing.


    ¡°The forest. It¡¯s¡­angry.¡± Faylen muttered distractedly, feeling the nature around them.


    ¡°What?¡± Dee looked at Faylen in confusion. Despite her special ability to see the flow of energies, and her ability to blend into the aura of her surroundings taught in this very forest by her ranger trainer, Dee had never formed the kind of connection with the forest that the elves and Sidhe did. Her race was simply unsuited for it. She couldn¡¯t see or feel whatever the two others were feeling.


    ¡°We¡­we have to go to the meeting place with Razark.¡± Noyala managed to squeeze out. ¡°We need to move. The enemy is trying to find me, and is using the curse to do so.¡±


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Dee could feel Noyala growing weaker and thought against moving around at the moment, but she wasn¡¯t about to argue when there was something going on that she had no knowledge of.


    ¡°Someone has attacked the forest.¡± Faylen supplied from the side. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but it¡¯s taking its anger out on your friend.¡± She looked at Noyala with suspicion. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Later.¡± Noyala said with some trouble. ¡°I will explain later. I suspect Razark has a story to tell us first.¡±


    ----------


    Dee was not happy. The mana in the forest was very chaotic and that had thrown off their portal from their intended target. It took almost half an hour to trudge to the meeting spot through the forest, exasperated by the fact that Dee had to carry Noyala and couldn¡¯t really fly with Faylen along with them and their need to avoid revealing the place they were meeting at. Her displeasure vanished as they reached the meeting place though.


    Razark looked largely unharmed, but his appearance was rather ragged and his already generous clothes covered barely anything with how torn to shreds they were. He looked up as the trio approached. ¡°I see we have some new company. Faylen Arazana I assume? I can see why you would be present.¡±


    ¡°Faylen Sarfina, if you would.¡± Faylen corrected and gave a salute. ¡°Lord Razark.¡±


    Razark waved the greeting away. ¡°I¡¯m not actually part of the order anymore, though I would assume that little bit of information might not have been spread around yet. It will be after today, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Dee set Noyala down gently and noticed that her situation was stable for now. ¡°Mind explaining what just happened? The whole forest is roiling, and Noyala¡¯s curse is acting up.¡±


    ¡°The short explanation is that I gained access to one of the larger groves I talked about last time. The long explanation is, well, longer.¡± Razark shrugged.


    ¡°Oh, I have to hear this.¡± Faylen said firmly. ¡°What exactly are you trying to accomplish by breaking into the groves?¡±


    ¡°Long explanation it is then.¡± Razark said with a grimace. He explained their mission and their guesses briefly, before going in depth about the groves. ¡°So I monitored one of the larger groves for a few days. I suspected that someone has to have access, and I was right. Some sort of druid approached the grove this morning. I¡¯m not sure druid is the right word to describe them actually, seeing what came later.¡±


    Noyala coughed up and spoke up. ¡°Each grove has a druid of their own. I would describe them more as dark druids myself.¡± Druids were users of nature and life magic, or servants of nature deities. Dark druids commanded nature as well, but their methods were much more unorthodox.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good name for them.¡± Razark nodded in agreement. ¡°Anyway, the druid wasn¡¯t alone as he approached the grove. Instead, he had a string of prisoners in tow. The prisoners were mostly of races other than elves. By what I saw, they appeared to be from the cities outside the forest that had revolted. The grove let them inside for an hour, and the druid came out. Alone, and carrying the chains that had bound the prisoners before. Didn¡¯t take much to imagine that there was some foul play involved.¡±


    Dee frowned in thought. ¡°We suspected there was a third party involved with the rebellions. Surely the druids weren¡¯t behind the revolts, for what purpose exactly? To gain prisoners? Why do they need prisoners? I¡¯m sensing the prisoners were not just executed.¡±


    Razark nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. On all of that. I had the same suspicion and needed some information anyway. So I caught up with the druid and squeezed some out of him. Yes, they were inciting the rebellions though not personally. They had some underlings or something do it. He didn¡¯t explain the exact reasoning, but they needed more prisoners for some important purpose, and they couldn¡¯t use elves and Sidhe for reasons that should soon become clear. Earlier the druid had used a drop of his blood to open a path to the groves without inciting the forest to react violently. I can now confirm that the guy didn¡¯t have to be alive for the same effect.¡±


    Dee looked at Noyala for confirmation. She suspected her friend knew much more about what was to come. ¡°Keep going, you¡¯re on the right track.¡± Noyala prompted.


    ¡°The insides of the grove were filled with life and nature mana of course and all plant life flourished. It would¡¯ve looked quite idyllic in fact if it weren¡¯t for the skeletons scattered around the grove. Thousands of them. In the center was an ancient Treant sucking the life out of the latest batch, who were all dead at this point. The Treant was filled with the same nature and life elements, but there was something twisted about it. It looked more like a giant skeleton made of magical wood than a normal tree, and there was a distinct tang of darker elements mixed in its aura. It was also channeling much of the power somewhere else. It either thought of me as a threat or another snack, as it attacked immediately. So I killed it. The Treant alone was bad enough, but the grove didn¡¯t take kindly to being trampled and the Treant dying, hence my appearance.¡± Razark explained.


    ¡°No.¡± Faylen moaned with a voice filled with emotion. No one was sure which part was the most upsetting to her, the twisted groves or one getting destroyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this has something to do with your curse acting up.¡± Dee asked Noyala.


    ¡°Yes. The forest assumed I was the one attacking the grove. Not without reason, since I had done it before. So it tried to locate me and strike back.¡± Noyala explained. Dee could sense Noyala would have less strength going forward even after recovering from this moment of weakness.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get cursed like you though.¡± Razark pointed out. ¡°I was a bit worried about that, truth be told.¡±


    Noyala looked at Razark firmly. ¡°That¡¯s because you attacked one of the major groves. I went straight at the heart of the forest inside the capital city. Also, while the forest has power, it can¡¯t keep cursing every immortal that shows hostility. It¡¯s busy keeping my curse in place. Now it¡¯s also trying to compensate for the lost power from the ancient Treant¡¯s death. Some of that lost power is being drained from me.¡±


    ¡°So if I attack more groves¡­?¡± Razark questioned.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll continue to grow weaker, yes.¡± Noyala finished.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t let this continue either.¡± Razark said somewhat helplessly. ¡°I¡¯m guessing this is why we were sent here by the grandmaster.¡±


    Before Noyala managed to answer Faylen suddenly groaned with despair. ¡°My family! I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re involved somehow. I didn¡¯t know what they were doing until you mentioned the prisoners, but now a hundred things are coming together.¡±


    ¡°Your family is involved? There are noble houses doing this?¡± Dee asked in surprise, things suddenly starting to fall into place.


    Noyala gave a mirthless laugh. ¡°How do you think they get the prisoners? It¡¯s not like the druids alone can go roam outside the forest to seek enough prisoners. We¡¯re not talking about one or two people here, although with the king about to die the forest needs more power than ever. The only people that know about it are those involved. That¡¯s why your grandmaster was forced to silence. He knew about it, but can''t do anything about it because his hands are bound.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you get mixed in?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°One of my targets was among the prisoners.¡± Noyala replied with a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s the mission I botched originally. I entered one of the groves in secret to find him and found out roughly what Razark did, though I had more previous knowledge to draw on. I put two and two together and tried to attack the main grove to blow the whole thing open and to give my people the reason and chance to leave the forest. That didn¡¯t go well as you might imagine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you don¡¯t want to talk about it, isn¡¯t it?¡± Razark suddenly realized. ¡°It¡¯s a shame for your entire race and would bring about the ire of all the surrounding races if they found some of your nobles were involved.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really something you talk about casually, is it? And it¡¯s not just nobles. Where do you think the king and queen get their Authorities from? The two are the chief protectors of the main grove.¡± Noyala pointed out. ¡°What do you think would happen if everyone knew that our rulers not only knew about it but actively participated and benefitted from it? Oh, and don¡¯t forget the best part. This mana filled environment that so benefits our races? Yeah, it comes with a price. Those living in the forest donate years of their lives back to the forest in return, and their bodies are usually buried within the forest when they die. Don¡¯t think the forest doesn¡¯t claim those as well. Such useful fertilizer for power.¡±


    ¡°A magical forest that is supposed to represent life and nature, but is, in fact, a secret empire celebrating the power of death and stolen life.¡± Faylen muttered in shock. Lucky for her she had left the forest early to escape her family. Otherwise, the world would be crumbling around her right about now.

 Chapter 104

    ¡±We might have another problem.¡± Dee pointed out, darkening the already morose mood hanging in the air. ¡°I just saved Faylen from being taken as a hostage by the freelancer¡¯s guild. According to my source, she wasn¡¯t the only one they aimed at, and I doubt the order will just take this lying down.¡± Her words were more for Razark than the other two who already knew the details.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly confident you¡¯re right on both accounts. While the grandmaster¡¯s sister would be a good hostage, once they are committed to capturing members of the order still within the empire, they would go all the way. The order will most certainly not take it lightly. How hostile things will get exactly, is an open question. There¡¯s a sort of silent agreement that the large communities that have placed their headquarters together will not attack each other in that area. The damage would be too great. It¡¯s not uncommon for the five communities to get into conflicts, but this is escalating things to a new level. I¡¯m guessing the guild has been planning this for a while, and it¡¯s not just about the elven empire anymore.¡± Razark brought up his guess.


    ¡°The odds are this forest will become a war zone at least.¡± Faylen pointed out. ¡°The two communities already have armies in the area and they are interested in the power struggle anyway. That¡¯s why they¡¯re here in the first place. With the king about to die any day now, the whole thing is about to come to a head. The forest would be the perfect place for a proxy war of sorts. ¡°


    ¡°That might work to our advantage actually.¡± Noyala pointed out. ¡°Whatever we decide to do, the best time will be when everyone is busy fighting each other.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me.¡± Razark suddenly returned to the earlier topic. ¡°We were talking about the other groves, and how attacking those would cause the curse on Noyala to grow in severity. Would the same apply to the heart of the forest where you got cursed in the first place?¡±


    ¡°You mean would the curse grow in severity if you went there? Yes, but theoretically you could also remove the curse by destroying that grove. However, attacking the heart is not that simple. I didn¡¯t fail just because of the curse. The heart is well protected, and chief among those protecting the place is the Winter Queen. She might be a faux immortal only due to the Authority, but she¡¯s still powerful, and she¡¯s not the only protector of the place. Besides, even if the corruption of the groves became public knowledge, destroying the heart would instantly turn you into the enemies of the elves and Sidhe.¡± Noyala replied.


    ¡°Why? I can make some guesses, but I want to know the real reasons.¡± Razark asked stubbornly. He didn¡¯t want to leave the groves alone, and it was their mission from the grandmaster after all. He wanted a clean break with the order so that he could go after other pursuits, like revenge, without bringing trouble to his friends and subordinates.


    ¡°Well, the heart is the center of the whole great forest. The reason both the elves and Sidhe can stay here so comfortably is because they have an agreement with the forest. Other races have tried to get a foothold in the forest, but they have always failed. Should the heart be destroyed, then so would the peace between the empire and the forest. The forest wouldn¡¯t actively hunt us down, like it does to other races currently, after it lost the main controlling force, but it would still turn the forest from a fake paradise into a rough place to live. The elves and Sidhe will not thank you for breaking that peace. I know many Sidhe at least would argue that the life of some sacrifices is worth it to them, solely thanks to the fact that the ambient mana makes it easier for our race to breed. Not to mention the other benefits. While they would agree that something should be done about the corruption, they would also spend the next thousand years arguing about a way to possible cleanse the groves instead of destroying them.¡± Noyala explained with a grim expression.


    ¡°You tried attacking the heart anyway.¡± Dee pointed out the obvious.


    ¡°Yes but I¡¯m actively trying to get my race out of the forest, and was planning on assuming my sister¡¯s identity and become the new queen. That¡¯s not an option for you. And something as major as destroying the heart of the forest is not something you can do in secret. The powers involved will reveal your presence without a doubt. Besides, I didn¡¯t know how difficult of a task it would be back then. I know better now.¡± Noyala replied sharply. She knew she had to face the heart of the forest at some point before the curse killed her, but dreaded the consequences both for herself and for Dee should she do it.


    ¡°What level of defense should one expect if they were to attack the heart?¡± Razark stubbornly asked.


    Noyala didn¡¯t really care about him, and it would be perfect if he was the one to take the fall for the whole thing, so Noyala was happy to explain. ¡°Well the central grove itself is easier to enter than the other groves because other people besides the druid have to go there. You¡¯ll need one of the amulets that those people possess. I still have the one I stole and used the last time. On the flipside, the whole grove is surrounded by the elites of the both elven and Sidhe military. A single immortal would find it difficult to enter by force. Many of the guards specialize in detection so even Dee would have trouble going in by stealth. The grove itself is defended by the king and queen who can both be recalled immediately thanks to their Authorities, as well as a handful of powerful Treants. And the heart itself of course.¡±


    ¡°What is the heart anyway?¡± Dee asked. ¡°Is it some really old Treant or something?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Faylen said from the side. ¡°The heart holds the Tree of Life. The tree controls the whole forest, so if the groves really are corrupted like you told me, then the Tree of Life must be behind it. I know from my family that the tree has a level of intelligence and self-awareness, but it¡¯s not capable of combat in the same way as a Treant would be. Why the tree would do something like this, I do not know.¡±


    ¡°Half right.¡± Noyala confirmed with a nod. ¡°The tree itself is not combat capable in the general sense, except it did curse me for example, so it has more indirect methods. It¡¯s also the Tree of Life. You can¡¯t just walk in and chop it down. It¡¯s a being with unrivaled levels of vitality. Destroying it is nigh impossible. As for why? That¡¯s exactly why. The tree has gained a level of intelligence and personality and wants to become something more. The only thing is, it can¡¯t just turn into a Treant by gathering mana like some other trees due to its nature, and Treants are more like elementals of nature anyway. In return, it has time to reach whatever goal it chooses. Endless time. It would have gained the ability to move and a proper personality at some point, but it doesn¡¯t have endless patience, unfortunately. The dark druids might have something to do with it, but I can¡¯t say that for sure. I suspect they just sped up the process and the tree was already heading the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°Can it curse others?¡± Razark asked the obvious question.


    Noyala frowned in thought. ¡°Tough to say.¡± She finally replied. ¡°Messing with the powers of an immortal like myself is not an easy matter. Cutting me off from my totem takes a lot of power. It is only able to create two Authorities even though more would work in its favor, which tells us how hard meddling with power at the level of immortals is. I would assume it depends on who it was trying to curse and how many.¡±


    ¡°So we might need help.¡± Razark mumbled to himself.


    The voice was caught by Noyala. ¡°You really should not count me in your possible attack plans. I¡¯m already losing power and it would only get worse if I entered the heart again. I wouldn¡¯t even be a match to a rank six person at that point, assuming I wouldn¡¯t die outright. I¡¯ll still repeat that this is a very stupid idea. If you do plan on it, however, the best time would be a little after the king dies. The Authority can¡¯t be passed on while the queen is alive, but she will grow weaker by the day after the king dies. I wouldn¡¯t wait too long though, as it doesn¡¯t take long to just pick someone as a queen and the kingship already has an obvious choice. In any case.¡± She took out an amulet with an obvious nature theme and tossed it to Razark. ¡°Just in case you do decide to go with this plan.


    Faylen suddenly voiced her agreement with Noyala, to both of their apprehension. ¡°I agree that it would be a really bad idea. Think about all the people that would die once the forest turns hostile. Knowing people are being sacrificed is bad and letting it go would be against our vows, but the death toll will be even higher if you do this.¡±


    Faylen slightly missed the point on her entreaty. She assumed Razark was worried about the sacrifices since it would bother her, but Razark was more concerned about completing their mission and the possibility of his people being sacrificed. Alpyrans were not an uncommon race and were prone to such things due to their nomadic nature, and he had not mentioned that he recognized at least three Alpyran skeletons in that single grove. Those three and the mission mattered to him much more than any number of other sacrifices or even elven lives, and who knew how many other Alpyrans had been sacrificed in the other groves. The elves had brought this upon themselves by their inaction and had a choice even if the worst came. Most of the elves resided in cities with teleportation gates. They could always leave if things got too bad.


    ¡°You¡¯re missing something important. The Tree of Life has a goal while keeping the peace with the elves and the Sidhe. What happens once that goal has been achieved? It might be a thousand years from now, but do you think the tree will stick around to maintain the peace after it gains the ability to leave, especially since it worked so hard to get that ability? Or that it will leave quietly?¡± Razark pointed out something all the others had missed.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Noyala suddenly looked up towards the trees. ¡°We need to leave. The forest is trying to find me again with the curse. I don¡¯t relish the possibility of another backlash like the last one. Dee, you mentioned something about leaving the forest for a bit to help Faylen. Well, now¡¯s the perfect time. Whatever we do, it¡¯s better if we do it after the king dies and the two communities start a proper battle. I need to get out of here right now.¡±


    -----------


    Moirai was fussing about as they were approaching the room currently used by the leaders of the Four Winds Alliance. One could theoretically call it a throne room, except there were no thrones and the four leaders from each of the four races preferred a little more informal setting. If they really wanted pomp, there were other less practical spaces for that. ¡°You could¡¯ve at least worn something a bit nicer.¡± Moirai complained while brushing away imaginary dust from Dee¡¯s shoulder. How the diminutive woman reached so high was a miracle in itself.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t exactly come with a wardrobe. The fanciest thing I brought is the little black dress I used in a Winter court party, but it¡¯s designed to be alluring and not fancy. I might as well go in as I am, a person that can fight.¡± Dee replied lightly. She was in her normal form and was wearing the scout attire of the order.


    Moirai decided to just ignore that comment. ¡°Remember to be respectful. All the four races have picked one among them to become one of the leaders. They don¡¯t necessarily have to be the most powerful member of the race, but that¡¯s how it ended up anyway. Thus all four of them are immortals, and three of them are what normal people like us call rank eleven. The Anshar representative is rank twelve, so definitely don¡¯t pick a fight with him. He is the main reason we have confidence in eventually advancing to the second circle.¡±


    Moirai¡¯s rapid instructions were cut short as they reached the simple sliding door before their destination. Moirai gave a small sigh before flaring a small burst of power, announcing their presence and desire to enter. A similar small burst of power told them to come in. It was much easier this way than shouting. Dee watched with growing amusement as Moirai quickly bowed before even seeing anything going on in the room. Her master also started a spiel of introducing Dee and Faylen, which was cut short.


    ¡°Yes, we know who they are. You¡¯ve been bragging about your student long enough that I already know more about her than most of my own students.¡± The Jun representative interrupted. She was in the middle of tuning a musical instrument that Dee was unfamiliar with. She was also the only one sitting on the very slight podium that was supposed to show their elevated position, though in practice it did nothing of the sort. It only raised four chairs a bit higher from the floor.


    The other three were locked in some game at the side of the room. The two large frames of the Anshar and Dagon representatives towered over the diminutive Meilin representative, but their expressions were a mix of dismay and stumped as they stared at the game board. The Meilin representative was looking victorious with her wide grin. Dee couldn¡¯t help but notice the appearance of that Meilin, which was very similar to Moirai¡¯s appearance, though part of that might have been the squirrel-like tails they had. Her suspicions were soon confirmed though.


    The Meilin representative spoke looking up from the game. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a stickler for ceremony. You should really learn to lighten up a little. One of the guests is already officially part of our community, so family, and the other one is about to become at least an unofficial member, so almost family. No need to be so stodgy.¡±


    The Dagon representative tried to use the slight distraction to cheat with the game but got his hand slapped by the Meilin still looking away. Apparently, she had been prepared for the cheating attempt. Moirai was growing increasingly embarrassed. This was not going how she had planned this meeting to go! ¡°Mother, please! You¡¯re the representative of our race. At least try to show some dignity!¡±


    The other representatives laughed. ¡°Why should she bother? She would be the only one among us to do so. Come now Moirai, you know we can be all official when the situation calls for it, but this is not the time.¡± The Jun representative said before looking at Dee. ¡°So. You¡¯re the great prot¨¦g¨¦ of Moirai¡¯s.¡±


    Dee felt several searching waves of power go through her. She could¡¯ve used the Authority to stop them, but decided not to. ¡°Interesting.¡± The Anshar representative said. ¡°And you¡¯re really just twenty?¡±


    ¡°That is correct. According to the Threads of Fate at least. My childhood is a little¡­unaccounted for.¡± Dee replied. All she knew about her age was based on what the Threads of Fate had told was her tenth birthday.


    ¡°We heard.¡± The Dagon man grumbled, clearly unhappy. Strangely on Dee¡¯s behalf. ¡°You spent quite a bit of time in the tender care of assassins. Moirai tells us that you didn¡¯t come out unscathed and that there¡¯s a fair bit of darkness and violence in you as a result.¡±


    Dee was not quite sure how to respond but decided honesty was better here. ¡°That is true. Despite what my sister here has taught me, I can¡¯t claim to have quite the same moral scruples as a normal member of the order. ¡° She smiled warmly at Faylen to signal that she was alright. Faylen had looked a little worried.


    ¡°Good.¡± The Jun representative said with a smile. ¡°The waters we swim in are not for the faint-hearted or the idealists. Kindness and light have their place, but we would prefer someone who won¡¯t be afraid to use their strength when the time comes. I¡¯m sure Moirai has already mentioned it, but we are rather interested in your future. Your current level of power will not sway the battles at our level, but you¡¯ve shown rapid progress and a great potential for future development. When the time comes, we can both benefit from each other.¡±


    ¡°On that note, I have a message from the Threads of Fate. They are seeking protection from the storm coming in the future. They have done me a favor, so I have agreed to help protect them in turn, and to bring their proposal of joining forces when the time comes.¡± Dee suddenly brought up the other reason she was here.


    ¡°Ah, time for business then?¡± The Anshar representative rose from the game table, glad to be done with the losing game. ¡°Tell me. What conditions did you give for your protection? I assume you didn¡¯t give a blanket promise.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I promised to help be a shield and a facilitator with you, but I made it clear I would not shield them if they picked a fight themselves.¡± Dee replied.


    ¡°A defensive alliance then. That¡¯s good. Well, in theory, the Threads would be a great ally for us. Their ability to glean the future and their copious trade connections alone are a good reason. We have great production and artisan abilities, but less ability when it comes to forming trade relations. We will have to hash out the details, but on principle this should work to both our advantage.¡± The Anshar man¡¯s voice was gravely, almost like he was chewing on pebbles. Which wasn¡¯t that weird seeing as his skin looked like something formed from black rock interspersed with veins of flowing lava.


    "We will send some people to discuss what, exactly, this alliance entails, so you don''t have to worry. You can consider that part of your duty fulfilled.¡± The Meilin said, her ears drooping a little as the game she had already won was cut short. She would remind the other two later. Repeatedly.


    ¡°Before you ask, yes we can take in your¡­sister was it?¡± The Jun woman half asked with a raised eyebrow. Faylen was clearly an elf, while Dee was a lot of things but not that. ¡°We don¡¯t have enough people able to use holy power within our ranks, so even one more is a blessing. No pun intended. We can discuss privately what the details will be.¡±


    ¡°Now that that¡¯s done, how about a game? We can get to know each other.¡± The Meilin suggested with a grin and hope for a new game. ¡°Incidentally my name is Nyx, the Jun fiddling with her instrument over there is Shioko, the Dagon guy is Kawhena and we call the big pile of molten rock Smoky.¡±


    ¡°Smoky?¡± Dee asked a little confused, while Moirai was facepalming about the nickname of the most powerful member of their community.


    The Anshar grunted. ¡°My real name is¡­.¡± The man said while the sound that came from his mouth in the place of a name sounded like a whoosh from a flash fire. There was no way anyone would be able to accurately replicate the sound.


    ¡°Thus, Smoky.¡± Nyx said definitively.


    ------


    Dee spent the next few days getting Faylen settled. One of the things Faylen had managed to nab from her home during her stay was the magical contract binding her servant Qinlana, who had followed Faylen all the way here. The duo had been assigned a place for now, as well as some time to adjust. Both of them would find things to do in short order.


    Meanwhile Dee also spent time getting to know the leaders of the Four Winds. More specifically the four slightly eccentric people wanted to get to know her, seeing as she might become important to their futures as well. Nyx also enjoyed having someone who could play against her equally, as the other three representatives were simply not her match, mostly thanks to the fact that she too was a psion, something she had passed on to Moirai.


    Things got more serious when they got word that the Summer King had finally passed away. This brought about frantic activity within the elven empire. The entire forest started going through the motions for state burial, as well as the impending death of the Winter Queen. That would naturally leave the selection for successors, which escalated the bloody game for the position, especially within the Winter court. Summer court already had their future kind chosen and was simply waiting for the Winter court to acquiesce to his demands about his chosen Queen. Which the Winter court was not planning on doing. This did not come as a surprise.


    What was more unexpected, were the open hostilities between the Radiant Sun and freelancer¡¯s guild. The order had marched their armies straight into the forest as soon as the word about hostages got out, and it was obvious no amount of hostages would sway the order. The guild already had much of their forces there, so the forest was descending into a full-blown war, especially with the four courts¡¯ armies finally coming to blows as well. Now that the king had finally died, the last fetters holding the conflict at bay were cut.


    The whole mess was growing infinitely more complex with the Holy Orders and Mystic¡¯s Guild throwing their own weight into the mess, though less actively. The two groups were not engaging the Radiant Sun or the freelancer¡¯s, but they were supporting the agendas of the two elven courts. Spring court was offering to take the queens crown, with the Mystic¡¯s support, if the Winter court was so unwilling to do so, while the Autumn court wanted to become independent of the control of the monarchy completely. This aspiration was supported by the Holy Orders, who were also facilitating the peace between Winter and Autumn courts despite their aims somewhat conflicting with each other. For now, the sides were still divided into two camps along the lines of the Winter and Autumn courts and their supporters against the Spring and Summer court and their benefactors.


    When Dee expressed her intent on going back to the forest, the leaders of the Four Winds were less than keen on the idea. They had taken a liking to her and had great hopes for her future prospects. While her future was promising, she was not an immortal yet and thus would be quite vulnerable going back to the quagmire forming in the great forest. Their attitude got worse when Faylen mentioned that Dee¡¯s future plans might draw the ire of the whole empire if things went badly.


    Faylen was only worried for Dee and noted the four leaders shared that worry, which is why she spoke. She knew they would try to stop Dee from going. The four leaders didn¡¯t care about the alliance drawing the ire of the elves by sheltering Dee, as they were a third circle community preparing to become a second circle one. They could destroy the whole forest if they wanted to. The empire also didn¡¯t speak for all the elves, so angering them would not draw the general condemnation of the elves in general. What worried them was that the empire might try ganging up on Dee. There were only so many people actually capable of hurting Dee in the empire, but if they all joined hands to hunt her? That would be trouble for Dee, even without considering the four large communities backing the courts lending a hand.


    The four leaders would not actually stop Dee from going, it was her choice after all, but they were trying to pressure her into staying. Finally, Moirai pointed out Dee¡¯s ability to gain power from the deaths around her and pointed out how much Dee might be able to benefit from the mess in the forest. It was a risk, but one had to take risks on the path to becoming immortal. Dee might be able to cut down on the time it took to become immortal greatly, and would be all the stronger for it. She would also be more willing to work with the Four Winds if they showed reason instead of trying to stop her.


    The four leaders had finally acquiesced. When it had become clear that Dee was going back with Noyala, Faylen had wanted to come too but had been dragged away by Moirai. Dee¡¯s old master knew that Faylen would get in the way as things stood. Faylen lacked the power necessary to help and her nature as one of the elves and a templar might even become a problem.

 Chapter 105

    The night before Dee and Noyala were supposed to return to the forest, Dee found Noyala standing on a balcony overlooking the Four Winds¡¯ capital city. The area controlled by the community was rather vast and there were several smaller cities surrounding this one. All the members of the four races were either in sub-communities around Pantheon or in this area they controlled. In general, the community didn¡¯t build fancy structures, partly because they planned on moving on to the second circle, though this place served as their seat of power so it had a bit more pomp. Not that the other buildings lacked intricate decorations, the Jun especially were consummate artisans and everything touched by them turned into art. Thus the scenery was rather beautiful.


    The two hadn¡¯t had much chance to spend time together since coming here. They had been growing close before this, but now there was something between them. On one hand, Noyala was still recovering from the curse flaring up, as well as trying to get used to her once again reduced capabilities. On the other hand, Dee had been otherwise engaged. Nevertheless, the times when Dee had sought Noyala out, the Sidhe woman had been withdrawn.


    ¡°Will you tell me what is wrong?¡± Dee asked as she walked to stand next to Noyala.


    Noyala gave a small shiver and turned to look at Dee. ¡°I¡¯m simply struggling with the inevitable separation between us.¡± She placed a hand on Dee¡¯s cheek. ¡°You know there¡¯s something growing between us, but you also know it can¡¯t end well.¡±


    Dee placed her own hand on top of Noyala¡¯s on her cheek. ¡°Yet you seemed ready to take that leap before now. What has changed?¡±


    Noyala sighed. ¡°This thing with the heart of the forest. I knew I would have to deal with it eventually, but that eventually is becoming sooner than I anticipated. I thought we would have time. Time to fall in love, time to act on that love and time to enjoy each other. Even if we would be separated eventually, at least we would have that. Now though? Now there doesn¡¯t seem to be time.¡±


    Dee looked at Noyala deep into her eyes, prompting her to continue. ¡°I truly wish you would allow Razark to do this instead of taking part yourself. You know I aspire to lead my people away from the forest. I know you can¡¯t stay with us permanently but at least you could stay a while and visit. If you go to the heart of the forest, you will become a pariah to my people. There¡¯s no way my people would let someone like that to spend time with their queen, not to even mention romantic involvement. They would either hunt you down or bury me.¡±


    Noyala placed her forehead on Dee¡¯s. ¡°You know I have feelings for you, but if you force me to choose between you and my people, I will have to choose my people. If you go there, we won¡¯t be able to be together.¡±


    Dee was torn. Even if she did not go, they would have to separate eventually. Even if only Razark went, she would become a pariah by association. And did she want to allow Razark to go there alone? This was her mission too. This would also help Noyala get free and possibly save her life. Did she dare to leave it just to Razark? What if Razark was not enough? The Tree of Life had already cursed one immortal.


    She also didn¡¯t dare to admit even to herself that there was a hunger inside her. Something within her told her that if she went to the heart of the forest, there she would find a feast prepared for her. She would find strength there. She might even find answers and solutions to some of the problems plaguing her. She didn¡¯t know where that feeling came from, but she had her suspicions. Certain group of deities was dropping hints again.


    ----------


    Dee returned with Noyala to the new meeting place they had set with Razark, who in turn had disappeared when they left the forest, mumbling about reinforcements. The previous meeting place was ruined by the forest seeking Noyala after all. Even now the two were prepared to leave on a moment¡¯s notice if the same happened, but hoped that the forest had other worries for now. Noyala was resting and trying to hide her presence from the forest via magical means.


    Razark finally showed up through the old dilapidated teleportation gate with three other people in tow. One of them Dee recognized, which made her try and run away as soon as the old man stepped through the gate. Despite trying to utilize Lumen¡¯s power to speed herself up, the old man caught her by the hood before she managed to escape. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going dummy disciple?¡±


    Dee squeaked rather ungracefully. ¡°I thought I was promoted to Dee from dummy disciple?¡±


    ¡°That was before going along with the idiot disciple¡¯s harebrained plans. Also, you aren¡¯t immortal yet, so you just got demoted.¡± The old man replied with a wide smile.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a year!¡± Dee protested. Becoming an immortal in less than a year was an impossible task. In theory.


    Dee decided to just give in and change the subject. ¡°So what brings you down your mountain? I was under the assumption you never left.¡±


    The old man, still holding Dee by the hood, harrumphed. ¡°I usually don¡¯t. But then the idiot disciple tells me he¡¯s finally ready to break his bonds and become his own man again. Something about finally getting the right opportunity and something else about possible revenge. Other malarkey like that. What matters though, is that he¡¯s ready to move on from his past, and maybe he¡¯ll finally progress if he looks to the future instead. As his master, I thought that warranted a slight visit and a helping hand.¡±


    The other two newcomers wore the armor of the scouts, but the armor was clearly new and the two were somewhat unused to it, as revealed by their slight movements to try and have the armor fit better. One of them was a female dwarf and the other was a male saurian. There was something odd about the two. Dee tilted her head in thought. They gave off a similar feeling to Razark and the old man, but not quite. She had never really got the hang of telling immortals apart from others. Some of them let their unique nature shine, while others hid their power. She could not see the soul space with her abilities, so she had no surefire way to tell the difference.


    ¡°I see you noticed.¡± The old man quietly said. The two were both looking at the two people talking to Razark, arguing about something. ¡°Tell me what you feel.¡±


    ¡°I feel¡­that there¡¯s something more to them than meets the eye. Which is odd since my eyes see almost everything. You and Razark have a similar feeling, but much more so. Those two feel¡­like there¡¯s something more, but that there¡¯s also something lacking.¡± Dee quietly muttered her observations.


    The old man took a surprised look at Dee. ¡°Very good. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d get that much. Immortals develop a natural feel for others of our kind, so unless they have a method of hiding themselves, just like I suspect that little Authority of yours can, we can recognize each other. Within certain limitations. The difference you¡¯re feeling is because there are immortals, and then there are immortals.¡±


    Dee looked at the old man with a confused frown. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a qualitative difference between immortals and others, even if the others can be theoretically more powerful than fresh immortals. That difference is the soul space. Soul spaces are not created equal, however. Those two barely qualify as immortal, and will never become anything more. They have a totem in theory, but they haven¡¯t actually even properly started forming one and they couldn¡¯t even if they tried. Even the idiot disciple is much further on that path. Remember this. There are immortals, those that have their soul spaces and little else, who have gained greatly from the transition but could still lose to a non-immortal skilled and powerful enough. And then there are immortals, true immortals that have expansive soul spaces and totems that can help sweep the floor with anything weaker. Keep the difference in mind. It will prove useful to you very soon.¡± The old man explained.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The trio approached them, their differences seemingly settled. ¡°Dee and old man, these are my fellow Blades that used to be scouts in the order. Once a scout, always a scout. Hopefully, when we make the break with the order, they will follow. Their names are Dagnal and Accirlashk.¡± It was not hard to connect the names, Dagnal obviously being the female dwarf and Accirlashk the male saurian. The guttural sound in the latter name was not designed for normal humanoid vocal chords.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be one more of you guys.¡± The old man pointed out.


    Dagnal snorted in half-amusement, half-disgust. Disgust at the missing person and not at anyone here. ¡°Yeah, there is. However, you can¡¯t really ask an elf to attack the heart of the forest, now can you? He¡¯s an ally and a friend, but there are some things he would find too hard to swallow.¡±


    Razark cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway. This old man is my master, who shall remain nameless until such a time he deigns to give you his name. As a side note, I¡¯ve only heard it once myself so don¡¯t mind it. And this young lady is my disciple, Haydee. Just call her Dee. They will be helping us with this fools plan of ours. The Sidhe woman laying down there and resting is Noyala. She is the one I mentioned being cursed and will not be coming with us.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s wise to take your disciple along? She is rather young as you pointed out.¡± Accirlashk pointed out, not because he assumed Dee was weak. No, he actually assumed correctly that the reason he could not sense her power was because she was strong, not because she was weak. Still, she was too young to be an immortal. Much too young. Even her current level of power was almost unheard of for one so young.


    ¡°She might not be immortal, but don¡¯t make the mistake of underestimating her. If the two of you fought, I¡¯d bet my money on her.¡± Razark countered. That brought some laughter from the two others, though notably the old man and Razark were not laughing. They knew better. Razark actually wasn¡¯t entirely sure it was a good idea to bring Dee, but he also knew that not bringing her would make her really cranky.


    ¡°That said, she¡¯s watching over her friend and we still have a lot to do before the time comes. The forest is teeming with people trying to kill each other, and things will get even worse if they find out we are here before the time comes. It might very well be that she will not come along due to the circumstances.¡± Razark decided to hedge his bets a bit, just in case.


    Dee was not sure how to feel about that, but another thought occurred to her, one which she presented to Croestia silently. ¡®If the immortals can feel each other to an extent at least, why can¡¯t they feel my domain and totem? I have the Authority, yes, but I wasn¡¯t using it all the time when I was being trained.¡¯


    ¡®That is a very good question. Something to do with the fact that you¡¯re not really connected with them yet, maybe?¡¯ Croestia suggested. Something to think about.


    ----------


    The group had spent some time infiltrating the capital city of the seasonal courts. With the foreign armies tromping around the forest in addition to the armies of the courts, the guards of Seldarassine were on high alert. A mixed group like theirs would draw a lot of attention, hence why Dee in her Dark Avariel form had entered the city first and secured a hiding place before the others slipped into the city in secret.


    The city of Seldarassine was much more like a stereotypical elven city in a forest. Since this was the heart of the forest, the trees were gigantic. The elves and Sidhe had built their houses mainly on the branches and inside the large trees. Some were high up the trees while others on ground level. Several magical lifts and wooden walkways connected the buildings together, while the only thing out of place was the large stone wall protecting the city. Despite their connection to the forest, the magically reinforced stone was still much better when it came to walls.


    The city itself was smaller than you would assume from the capital, but all the four courts had their own capital cities, so this one was more ceremonial than anything. Of course, there would be commerce, inns, stores and other necessary facilities for traveling visitors and nobles that lived in the city. This necessitated the presence of servants and more common people and more services for them. Still, the amount of permanent inhabitants was smaller than in the other capitals.


    The whole city was built around a large central grove. There was in fact two groves in the center of the city. One was open to the public and the place where many ceremonies were held. The other was at the center of that larger grove and was surrounded by guards and defenses. The latter one was the group¡¯s goal and was most certainly not open to people. It also seemed to have a sort of spatial bubble surrounding it. Noyala explained that the Tree of Life was so large that it would dwarf the entire city. It would be problematic in many ways, which was why it was enclosed in a spatial bubble to hide it. The bubble also hid the more nefarious activities happening inside, even though that was not the original purpose.


    The group scouted their opposition and decided to lay in wait for the best opportunity. This opportunity actually came sooner than expected, as they had only been in the city for a day when the word came that both the order and the freelancers were marching their armies towards the city. Their intentions were not clear, and the courts all moved their own armies accordingly to meet near the city. Everyone was fairly certain that none of the parties was silly enough to attack the city itself, and the moves were more posturing than anything. Fairly certain was not the same thing as absolutely certain though. As a result, the city was forced to thin out the guards outside the grove to prepare for any trouble.


    It had been a week and a half since the death of the king so the ceremonies were drawing attention as well, and the queen was growing weak. With the grove''s defenses so obviously weakened, the four immortals of the group left the hiding place and moved towards the grove. Dee stayed behind to look after Noyala, who in turn was not in a condition to make any offensive moves. The proximity to the heart of the forest was clearly not good for the Sidhe woman.


    Dee was sitting by Noyala¡¯s bed and holding her hand as the latter was resting. She had been reassured by Razark¡¯s reinforcements, especially the old man, but she was still worried both for Noyala and the four who had gone on their mission. She also felt the pull of the power in the center of the city. She could suddenly feel huge fluctuations of power. The weird thing was that those fluctuations didn¡¯t come from the heart of the city but from outside. Apparently, some of the forces outside the city had come to blows.


    Obviously, Razark¡¯s group had decided to take advantage of the distraction as more fluctuations power came from the center of the city. These fluctuations were both more powerful and more controlled. Someone less able to feel the power might have missed the amount of power involved, but Dee didn¡¯t. Within minutes the fight both outside and inside the city gained in intensity.


    Noyala grabbed at Dee¡¯s hand. ¡±Don¡¯t go. I know it calls to you, but don¡¯t!¡±


    Dee was about to reassure Noyala, but Noyala suddenly screamed in pain. The power of the curse surged in intensity. It was obvious the curse was drawing power from Noyala once again. Slowly but surely Dee noticed Noyala¡¯s power being drained, and this time it didn¡¯t seem to be stopping. Last time the flare-up of the curse had been short and intense. It didn¡¯t take much to figure out why. The Tree of Life of was under attack, and it was drawing on any and all power it could to defend itself. Now they were on a timer. Either the attacking group would manage to strike at the Tree before it drained Noyala completely, or Noyala would die under the stress.


    Dee could either stay here, possibly sharing Noyala¡¯s last moments, or she could go and join in on the attack in an attempt to bring a faster end to the struggle. She would also be throwing away of any chance of them staying together. She resolutely removed her hand from Noyala¡¯s, who in turn looked pleadingly at Dee. ¡°I have to go. You know that.¡± Dee lowered herself to lay a kiss on Noyala¡¯s lips. ¡°I will make sure you survive this, what comes after will come after.¡±


    Dee exited the room without turning back. There was a problem. She had no way to access the grove, as the amulet had been given to Razark. There was a chance of an amulet being left with the bodies of the guards outside the grove, but that was somewhat wishful thinking. The guards might not even have an amulet like that. There was another possibility. Her portals worked in a way separate from the normal laws of portals. She might be able to create one within the spatial pocket of the grove. The only problem was, she was so close and had to be so precise. She could jump further away first, but that would only make the precision part even harder.


    Dee focused her everything to try and force a short-range portal like that into the destination of her choosing. The portal was refusing to form. The powers involved didn¡¯t really react well to being forced. With another attempt, she tried instead to weave some of the death energy inside her and connect it with the largest source of such energy within proximity. Now the portal felt like it was starting to form, but it was still not viable.


    From somewhere above her came a burst of what felt like energy similar to the one inside the Astral Sea that filled the space of the portals. Dee didn¡¯t know where such energy came but knew someone had decided to give her a hand, and she wasn¡¯t going to refuse the help. The portal formed and the trip was the shortest she had ever experienced. It was also tumultuous as the portal was not supposed to be used quite like this, but Dee didn¡¯t care.


    As soon as she exited to the other side, she came to a battlefield of sorts. Three immortals that she knew were fighting with a dozen Treants that were throwing spells at them. The fourth immortal, the dwarven woman Dagnal was behind the three others, nursing an injury. The weird thing was that they were being pushed back. The Treants were not immortal, yet the four were being pushed back. It took a moment for Dee to figure out why. The enormous form of the Tree of Life stood at the center of the spatial pocket and was channeling some power that was suppressing the power of the four immortals. The four didn¡¯t have a curse like Noyala, but they couldn¡¯t use their full strength either, which made the battle with the Treants more equal than it should be. The old man was doing the best, as he cut down one of the dark beings.


    The old man noticed Dee¡¯s appearance but signaled quickly for her to stay back. Instead he mouthed that they could handle this and that she should attack the tree itself instead. Dee nodded and stealthily moved around the perimeter of the tree. Once she did attack, the Treants would notice and she had to get some distance. It turned out she wasn¡¯t the only one to have that idea.


    ¡°You can come out. The tree has already told me of your existence.¡± The shouting voice sounded like an elderly woman. And Dee saw the Winter Queen standing in between the tree and her.


    Dee walked out of the shadows and prepared for battle. ¡°You¡¯re not going to stop me.¡± She said simply.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to.¡± The queen said, looking much older and much feebler than she had just a week ago. Not that Dee could know that. ¡°You can¡¯t hurt the tree even if I don¡¯t stop you. That said, I will do so anyway. Why couldn¡¯t you just have taken the mission and killed either one of the targets? We would have a much smoother succession and this whole problem would¡¯ve gone away. I already found a way to pass the Authority along, and could¡¯ve lived for a thousand years longer.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for your complaints. I¡¯m on a timer here.¡± Dee knew she would have trouble hurting the tree and even weakened the Queen was a formidable opponent that would take time to kill.


    Time Noyala didn¡¯t have.


    The dragon inside her seemed to have some idea what to do though and was struggling free from inside her.


    So she simply let go.

 Chapter 106

    The roar of a dragon was not among the things Razark expected to hear during their attack on the grove, yet there it was. For a fraction of a second, he thought the Tree of Life had somehow managed to call in a dragon for additional defense. It would not be impossible for the forest to house a forest dragon of some kind, and the tree seemed to have at least limited control over the denizens of the forest. That thought only last until he saw the half-ethereal half solid form of an Abyssal Dragon barely visible from behind the tree. The old man had informed him in passing that Dee was here, and he could put two and two together. Not like there were all that many Abyssal Dragons running around in the first place.


    Apparently, the dragon part of Dee had grown with her feeding it, as it was significantly larger than the first time Razark saw signs of it. It was still much smaller than the gigantic tree that took most of the room inside this sealed space, but now the dragon form had reached a large enough size that it could at the very least be compared to the tree. The roars told him that the dragon was locked in combat with something dangerous enough to be a threat at least.


    ¡°Go, we can handle this.¡± The old man suddenly urged Razark.


    The four of them had managed to cut down on the number of Treants attacking them. The situation had been a little dicey when the druid in charge of the grove had managed to wound Dagnal before going down in a fight against the old man. With just the three of them, they had been hard-pressed to face the Treants and their magic. Even though their powers as immortal were somewhat diminished by the suppression of the tree, they were still rather sturdy and difficult to kill, and the wound on Dagnal was the only one of its kind so far. One of the good sides about three of them coming from the Order of the Radiant Sun was that they had at least some ability to heal wounds, even if none of them specialized in healing, which is why Dagnal was now returning to the battle.


    Razark realized this and saw that the three of them would be able to contend with the remaining Treants without his presence. He ran towards the place where the dragon was locked in battle. With Dee being here, he could guess that something had gone wrong with Noyala. Otherwise, his disciple would still be watching over the Sidhe woman. It didn¡¯t take much to figure out that the tree was probably causing havoc with the curse while trying to defend against the four of them.


    As he rounded the trunk of the tree and got close enough to see what was going on, he immediately recognized Dee¡¯s opponent. The Winter Queen might have lost a lot of her life-force but she was still an immortal of sorts, even though her powers seemed to have diminished greatly. He could figure out that Dee had most likely surrendered herself to her dragon side to speed the battle up, which spoke of how serious the situation with Noyala must be, but that was not having quite the desired effect. This might not have been the best choice ever made by Dee.


    The Winter Queen was a mage through and through, which in theory was a bad matchup against a powerful Abyssal Dragon, even if Dee¡¯s current form was somewhat ethereal and incomplete. Dragons were naturally resistant to magic, and so was Dee. Her current form complimented that fact well, and the ice magic the queen threw at the dragon was borderline useless. Several orbs of ice hovered around the queen and autonomously launched attacks at the dragon, but they were largely ignored and for a good reason as they had little effect. The problem was when you combined an ice mage with an Authority like the Winter Queen¡¯s.


    There were many reasons that Authorities were as desired as they were. They provided an almost instant power up and could provide a myriad of benefits. The strongest Authorities could match the power of the most powerful immortals, especially if the Authority was combined with an already skilled and powerful owner. But the thing that made them the most special and desired commodity, was their ability to break rules. While the dragon form of Dee was perfect against a mage, it was not a good idea against the Authority of someone wielding magic of the same element.


    Some of the ice attacks launched by the orbs seemed to change somehow in midair, and those changed attacks went through the magic resistance of the ethereal dragon like it wasn¡¯t even there. A normal dragon would have a powerful body with its defenses to compensate, but this dragon was not even completely solid. That was both good and bad. The dragon didn¡¯t really take any damage from the spells, but on the other hand, it couldn¡¯t move forward either. Every time it attacked, the limb or tail that struck at the Winter Queen was dispersed, only to reform a short moment later. There also seemed to be some power holding the dragon in place, slowing its movements.


    The dragon noticed Razark¡¯s careful approach, while the queen did not. Razark looked into the large reptile¡¯s eyes and saw something of Dee within. This beast was Dee, but at the same time it wasn¡¯t. It had very little of his student''s personality and inhibitions, but there was a glint of intelligence very familiar to him deep inside. The eye that looked at Razark seemed to send a silent message as it gave a quick glance at the queen. Razark nodded in agreement. A plan was formed in that quick exchange of glances.


    Suddenly the dragon reared backward, almost rising to stand on its hind legs. Anyone with a passing familiarity with dragons would recognize the buildup of energy forming at the beast¡¯s maw. A giant ball of pure energy formed between its jaws and the dragon suddenly lashed its neck and head towards the queen.


    ¡°Do you really think I would simply stand here and take a breath from a dragon?!¡± The queen screamed in a strained voice. Even though the queen was holding the dragon back, it was taking its toll on her rapidly aging body. Even though she had not taken injuries, it was taking a lot out of her to fend off the attacks of the great beast, and to top it all off her Authority was already slowly returning to the tree behind her. Every use was taxing the power she had left and she could barely utilize the power of the Authority. The only reason she had managed to keep up with the dragon so far, was because the beast was also not a fully formed dragon and a bad matchup against an Authority like hers. Many heroes gained their fame from killing dragons after all because they were almost the only ones able to do so. She wasn¡¯t sure if the Authority she possessed was counted as a hero Authority, but that did not matter. It did the trick anyway.


    As she tried to move to dodge the incoming attack, she suddenly felt the gravity around her increase. Instead of an agile dodge, she stumbled on the ground without any of the grace usually found in Sidhe. She looked up to see one of the people who had been fighting the Treants standing nearby, a dark light surrounding his hand and apparently increasing the gravity around her. In her last moments, she managed to look horrified at the beam of pure energy coming at her. She might be able to hurt the dragon thanks to her Authority, but she did not have the defenses of a real immortal even at her strongest, and she was far from her strongest.


    Razark felt the power connecting him to the gravity increase snap, signaling that his target had passed away. Good thing too, because it was bloody hard to use an incomplete totem under the suppression of the Tree of Life! He realized that a completed totem would not have that sort of difficulty, and he silently vowed to renew his efforts to complete his own totem once this mad endeavor was over. Which reminded him, how could they finish it exactly? What could they do to the tree itself?


    He watched as the beam of energy rammed into a green field light that sprung up to defend the tree. Apparently, the dragon had been smart enough to combine two targets into one attack. The Tree of life itself was not about to simply take a breath from a dragon head on. While the tree¡¯s offensive capabilities were somewhat limited, the Tree had plenty of ways to defend itself. Even if all four of them combined their powers with the Dee-dragon, it would be a real problem to bring down the tree in any meaningful timeframe.


    That wasn¡¯t about to stop the dragon from trying. It rushed at the tree and used its claws to swipe at the tree. The same field of life energy once again stopped the attack, but this time there was something different. While the dragon kept raining strikes at the shield with its enormous body, the claws actually had some effect. While dragons may have a horrible matchup against many Authorities, their claws were perfect at trying to pierce through defenses. Only the most powerful magical and divine weapons could match the claws and fangs of dragons when it came to simple penetrative power. Those wilds attacks were taking a toll on the protective barrier, but they were also taking a toll on the dragon. Dee¡¯s form was not that of a true dragon, not yet anyway, so fully materializing the claws came at a cost.


    Razark realized that his observations were doing no one any good, and decided to return to help his friends against the Treants. Perhaps with their combined efforts they might be able to do something.


    -----


    Dee felt like an observer in her own body. She felt mad that the dragon side of her didn¡¯t seem to have a strategic enough mindset and seemed to be operating on pure instincts and hunger. Almost like a feral dragon would. On the positive side of things, at least this time she retained full awareness and didn¡¯t just wake up after everything was done. She was glad to see the queen¡¯s death, though it had taken much too long and Razark¡¯s help. She wasn¡¯t sure if the dragon side of her sensed her growing urgency, or maybe it was just hungry, but it threw all its energy at the protective field surrounding the tree.


    As the dragon started losing energy, she started noticing that she was regaining a certain level of control. Not enough to move her body, or the dragon as it were, but her own powers were returning. She suddenly figured out a plan. Several dark gems and pearls appeared beside the dragon¡¯s body, and the claws of the dragon were now clad in the thickest layer of Umbra¡¯s power Dee had ever managed. Just before the dragon struck again, the pearls and gems all struck the place where the dragon was aiming at, severely weakening the green field. Dee cursed silently as she didn¡¯t manage to put her full strength behind the attack. She might have gained some control over her powers but not all of it.


    Luckily the dark-clad claws cleaved the field wide open due to it being severely overstressed by the combined attacks. She could sense the field starting to close almost immediately, but the dragon wasn¡¯t wasting any time. It dove straight through the created opening. Now the fact that the dragon was half ethereal became handy as it managed to go through an opening that was much too small for its large frame. It also didn¡¯t waste any time as it swiped its claws, still clad in holy power, at the trunk of the tree.


    The Tree of Life was worthy of its name, and the damage to its bark was almost immediately regenerated, even with Umbra¡¯s corrupting power hindering the process. Dee felt a little helpless but it seemed the dragon did not. She could feel¡­that there was a plan of sorts. The dragon pulled its head back for another breath attack, this time laced with the power of Umbra that Dee had used earlier. It seemed like the dragon side of her could learn new tricks. The breath took a huge chunk out of the side of the tree, huge on the scale of the dragon that is, and it started growing back again though slower with the Umbra¡¯s power now heavy in the damaged area. Dee had assumed the dragon would try to attack again and in effect try to cut down the tree even if it would take ages, but instead, it drove directly into the damaged section. Now that the bark was gone, the wood below was revealed and the dragon bit straight down.


    Dee was confused for a moment before she felt an enormous stream of power flowing into her. The dragon wasn¡¯t planning on attacking the tree itself, but the power within. The tree might have what felt like endless amounts of life energy, but there had to be a limit. She felt that what was happening was little like what Moirai had taught her about psions absorbing the power of a location or a dead enemy. This enemy was still alive though and live enemies would actively resist against their power being stolen. For some reason, the tree didn¡¯t quite have that ability, maybe because it was not quite the same kind of living being as many others were. Or maybe it was because it too was receiving power from elsewhere and thus had its defenses down.


    The power itself was a heavy concentration of the life element, though laced with some death energy that theoretically should not be there. Normally opposing elements like this should not mix, but the cycle of life and death was a little different. There was always life in death, and all life was doomed to die eventually. The two forces were not really antagonistic, just on the opposing sides of a coin. Dee had read some theories about the circle of life and death but honestly didn¡¯t care much for such philosophy.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    What she did care about was the fact that this life energy seemed to be just the thing for the changes the Zabaniya had made to her body. The modifications were supposed to strengthen her slowly over a long period of time, at least according to her limited understanding, and they had. She was stronger than she should be at her level. How much of that was due to her heritage and how much was due to the modifications was an open question. Now those modifications were going into overdrive.


    She could feel every cell in her body gaining strength. Her bones increased in durability, her muscles gained strength, her organs seemed to improve and gain a protective layer of power and the very nature of her skin, fur and claws seemed to be changing. The change was rapid and profound. Something supposed to have taken place over decades was happening in minutes and seconds instead. The dragon part of her seemed to be skimming a portion of the power away, but Dee felt that it actually didn¡¯t have a proper plan beyond this. It had acted more on hunger and instinct than anything else. This was one way to defeat the tree if taken to an extreme, but the dragon part of her had reached its goal and was somewhat letting it just happen. It didn¡¯t mind if it would take forever to drain the tree, it was just happy for the free food.


    Dee realized that it would take years to drain away all the power of the tree with the current rate, and Noyala didn¡¯t have that kind of time. Neither did she or Razark and his allies, as the people outside would manage to come in to see what was wrong sooner or later. The dragon seemed to be ceding more control back to her, so she increased the rate at which the power was being drained. Thing was, there was an actual reason the power drain was limited to the current level. The dragon wasn¡¯t stupid. Draining too much power wasn¡¯t without consequences. That power had to go somewhere.


    Dee¡¯s body and the dragon part of her could absorb a lot of power, but there was a limit. Yet, Dee increased the rate of absorption. Not just a little either, she increased the rate almost hundredfold. The consequences were immediate. Her body felt as if it was burning. The dragon groaned, half in pain half as if drunk with power, which was fairly accurate. ¡®I need to go faster.¡¯ Dee thought as the rate of absorption was still too slow.


    Suddenly it felt like a barrier broke inside her. She knew what that barrier was. There would be a ninth tail waiting for her when she returned to her normal form. That opened another fertile ground for all that power to flow into, which reduced the pressure on her significantly. She once again increased the rate at which she was absorbing power, and it seemed the drain was finally enough to alarm the tree itself.


    The Tree of life had the power to suppress immortals, so doing the same to Dee should¡¯ve been a simple matter, dragon form or no dragon form. The tree truly tried, but the problem was that its own power was flowing through Dee like a river. It was like trying to suppress itself, which was impossible. Instead, the tree noticed that this little fly stuck to it had trouble dealing with the amount of power involved. If the fly wanted power then let her have it! There would be consequences, but the tree had time and it would recover. So it started shoving more and more power at the annoying tick draining its blood.


    This alarmed Dee greatly. Even with the rank-up, she was already reaching the limit of what she could handle. Her body was already burning due to the amount of power passing through. There were literally green flames eating at her real body cocooned within the ethereal form of the dragon. At the same time, her body was regenerating all the damage done and rebuilding her body much stronger than it had been before thanks to the power she was draining. The only problem was that the green flames were starting to eat at her faster than she could regenerate. She should be in great pain, but the river of power left her feeling almost euphoric.


    She searched for another way to expend the power, as the tree kept shoving more and more at her, doubling, tripling, quadrupling the already stunning amounts she was absorbing. The dragon form around her was starting to collapse, and she found herself in her kitsune form, still stubbornly biting at the tree, knowing she could not let go. Noyala would die if she did. The flames were growing worse, and her regeneration was losing the fight.


    Suddenly in a fit of frustration, she shoved the power at her Domain. She had no idea how she did it, as she wasn¡¯t even sure where the soul space was within her, but she did it anyway. The soul space latched on the influx of power like a hungry drago-bear latching on a prey animal. Now the soul space was the one increasing the absorption of power. Even the tree realized something had gone terribly wrong as it felt like floodgates had opened and the power drained from the tree with an alarming rate.


    The empty Domain inside Dee started expanding into all direction seemingly without limit. The totem inside the space suddenly seemed to be empowered, as the thus far empty eye-sockets of the skulls gained an eerie green glow. The four holy symbols of the gods that had given their blessings to Dee started getting drawn in towards the totem. They had wildly varying sizes while located within Dee¡¯s Domain, but suddenly they were all surrounded by a green glow and they all became equal in size. Then like heads on a hydra, several skeletal dragons struck out from the empty space above the totem. The serpentine dragons closed their jaws around the green glow around the holy symbols and dragged them into place around the totem. The symbols and skeletal dragons stayed there as if stuck in the empty space.


    Looking closely, one could see that the skeletal dragons were part of the totem. Part of the totem that wasn¡¯t there yet. Their tails were hanging in the empty air in a way that suggested that they would become part of the totem once it rose high enough. The tails of the dragons also seemed to go onto different levels. The one holding Eternity¡¯s symbol was at the highest level, while the one holding Lumen¡¯s symbol was three levels down. It was like they would be connected to tiers that were not there yet.


    -----


    ¡°What is that?¡± Lumen demanded. As they stared into Dee¡¯s soul space through the vision in the air above Eternity¡¯s campfire. ¡°What. Is. THAT?!¡± She demanded again.


    The three deities looked at Death. They all knew she had her fingers in Dee¡¯s early development of a Domain and totem. Death, on the other hand, looked thoroughly confused, which brought some weird satisfaction to Eternity, as he had never seen the stoic goddess react like this. ¡°I don¡¯t know. This is not how it was supposed to go.¡± The goddess admitted equally confused.


    ¡°You know something. Obviously, you had some idea what her totem would be.¡± Umbra pointed out.


    ¡°What is the driving force behind Dee¡¯s actions?¡± Eternity suddenly pointed out, interjecting an important question that they should all have thought about.


    Totems of normal immortals were based a bit on their personality and a lot on their strongest abilities. A mage powerful with lighting had a lightning based totem, and the exact form depended on their personality. A dominating personality might form the totem as a mighty beast, a battle-crazed person would form it into a weapon, while those that desired beauty might form a landscape or an artwork like a statue. Those with Domains had their totems based on their deepest desires and the most deep-rooted parts of their personality instead.


    ¡°Fear.¡± Umbra replied quietly. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to be afraid anymore. She might not even realize the significance, but there it is.¡±


    Death sighed. ¡°Exactly. She doesn¡¯t want to be afraid of anyone or anything anymore, but the only way to reach that is to stand above everyone and have enough power that they will no longer dare to come after you. So, her totem would obviously reflect that. It shows her desire to stand above everyone. I don¡¯t know the exact form it will take, but the idea behind a tiered pyramid is pretty clear. The skulls represent all those under her foot, admittedly in a fashion I might have influenced just a tiny bit. I am the Goddess of Death after all. I¡¯m not sure what those new things are supposed to be though.¡±


    Umbra laughed merrily as a realization hit her. ¡°Of course. Her purpose driving at the growth of her totem understands the situation better than she does or you do. If she wants to never feel fear again, then she needs to stand above not only the mortals but us as well.¡±


    Lumen smiled. This turn of events was unexpected but suited her just fine. Now that she got over the shock, she knew it was good for her own goals. She didn¡¯t mind that someone like Dee might stand above her in the distant future. She already had three gods tower above her, so she more than any of the others was used to it. One more would not matter, especially one that she might be able to have close ties with. ¡°A hard to reach goal if there ever was one. At the very least we are now part of her totem. Seems like you were wrong about that Death.¡±


    ------


    Dee had no idea what the thing was with the holy symbols and the dragons, but she didn¡¯t care. That little maneuver had sapped nearly all of the remaining power from the tree at once and the rest had gone towards expanding her Domain. She could feel the tree¡¯s ability to struggle fading. Good thing too, because she was at her limits as well. She could feel something snapping and knew the suppression on Razark, the old man and the two others had disappeared. She also knew the curse laid on Noyala was gone. Whether that was because her friend was dead or because she had done what she came here to do remained to be seen. At least she had done what she could.


    Her feeble grip on the tree finally slipped off, as she no longer had the strength to close her fangs on the tough wood. Despite everything, the tree was still sturdy beyond belief, and she had no power left. Her charred form slipped down the tree¡¯s trunk. Despite her dreadful appearance, she was filled with the power of life and she would recover. The damage was almost entirely on the outside, as her insides were better than new. She was just exhausted beyond belief and her newly formed body had no strength at the moment. She could feel that something within her was starting to connect with her soul space, or Domain as it were, which also made her much harder to kill. She was no immortal, not yet, and not for a while still, but unlike most new immortals her Domain was all ready to be used and was starting to confer some benefits to her.


    She felt one of those benefits rise within. The kitsune were beings of fire, and the first time their flames awoke it was clear. Amusingly her flames had not even been ones to activate at rank nine, just that her Domain was granting her the ability early thanks to the slowly forming connection. Her body was bathed in black and purple flames with a weird green tinge to it. Something she had inherited from the tree dying next to her. The flames didn¡¯t burn her, and weirdly not the tree next to her either.


    She felt the consciousness of the tree reaching out for her. In its final moments, the tree had regained some of the clarity it had lost in its lust for power. It would not resist. It asked Dee to burn away the husk that remained, fooling anyone watching into thinking the tree was still ok. From the ashes would rise new life. Whether that new life went down the same path of corruption was an open question, but that was for the distant future to decide. Without that new life, the forest might face unexpected consequences, even beyond Noyala¡¯s predictions about the forest turning hostile. That would happen anyway. The tree was the heart of the forest after all.


    Dee needed to let her new flames manifest for the first time anyway, so without moving any of her tired and charred muscles, she directed the dark flames at the trunk of the enormous tree next to her. The tree did not resist. It had chosen to go like this and the final scraps of its power fed the flames further.


    Unfortunately, the elves and Sidhe who finally barged into the spatial bubbles didn¡¯t see it that way. The only thing they saw was the Tree of Life burning.


    ¡°Uh-oh. Time to go!¡± The old man shouted at his companions who had all been momentarily mesmerized by the sight of the burning tree. The old man dashed to scoop up Dee¡¯s prone body still at the foot of the burning tree. Her form was quite large though and most certainly didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the elves and Sidhe. It was hard to miss a kitsune the size of a barn bathed in the same dark flames that were eating at their beloved tree, which many were seeing for the first time thanks to the protections on the spatial pocket dispersing with the tree losing strength.


    The old man took a sudden look at the prone form of Dee as they were escaping. ¡®Well now. Seems you really benefitted from this encounter.¡¯ He could now feel some of Dee¡¯s soul space. It was very faint, but enough for him to recognize the Domain for what it was.

 Chapter 107

    The escape of Razark¡¯s group might have been difficult if it hadn¡¯t been for the battle outside the city drawing everybody¡¯s attention. A certain pair of elven brothers from the Autumn court had led a strike against the Sidhe of Summer court. They had struck at the forces hired by the summer court, the freelancer¡¯s guild. They considered the guild to be outsiders enforcing the Summer court¡¯s rule over the elves. This strike, in turn, prompted the guild to retaliate, which caused them to overextend in an already precarious situation, and the Order of the Radiant Sun had taken advantage. The whole thing had devolved into a free-for-all, which in turn made it difficult to rein things back in, as the whole thing was a mess of conflicting interests and allegiances. All parties involved were just happy that the conflict didn¡¯t turn into something bigger.


    The people that had managed to enter the grove to investigate the disturbance had almost immediately noted that they were no match for the four immortals, even if the four beings were burdened by carrying around the fifth being that had actually burnt down the Tree of Life. So instead of trying to attack them in a futile gesture, they decided to follow the fleeing group and try to find out as much about the attackers as possible. The four of them had in turn taken some measures to lose their pursuers long enough to fetch the still prone Noyala and had then made for the teleportation gates. The mages there were not about to ask questions from a bunch of immortals, so they managed to teleport away safely after using a couple of false destinations to lose anyone dogged enough to follow them.


    Thanks to Dee¡¯s new connection with her Domain, her body was healing faster than ever. However, the amount of power she had channeled and the rapid changes took a toll on her mind, so she slept for a couple of days straight just to recover. In the meantime, Dagnal and Accirlashk went out to find out what the situation and the fallout of their actions were. Out of all of them, the two were the least likely to get recognized thanks to their scout¡¯s attire hiding their features. They also didn¡¯t carry the same amount of residual energy from the battle as the others due to them doing the least. As a result, they would be less likely to be sensed by any elves or Sidhe. Noyala was recovering well and seemed like she would get her powers as an immortal back as well. It just wasn¡¯t something that happened overnight, and she spent most of her time in meditation trying to repair the damage from the curse.


    Dee woke up just in time to see the two scouts return with news. ¡°So the empire has pretty much gone to shit in the last couple of days.¡± Dagnal started up. ¡°They all feel the change in the forest it seems, and they¡¯re not happy campers.¡±


    Accirlashk interrupted her. ¡°That said, the forest isn¡¯t really the largest concern for any of the four courts at the moment. The destruction of the Tree of Life had some other effects, the main one being that without the tree the Authorities are gone. Without the Authorities, the courts are wondering if there is there any point in keeping the current system of monarchy as it is.¡±


    ¡°As if things weren¡¯t complex enough, our dear grandmaster has really made things even more difficult, although the empire really brought that on themselves. I¡¯m sure it didn¡¯t come as a surprise to anyone, but we were indeed recognized as being part of the order. The old man was not identified and no one knows about the Sidhe woman, Noyala was her name I think? Anyway, Dee here, on the other hand, was somewhat easy to identify, and as Blades of the order, we three aren¡¯t exactly unknown. There were some among those that followed us that could recognize Razark and the scout attire we used. It didn¡¯t take much for them to put two and two together.¡± Dagnal explained with a lopsided grimace.


    Accirlashk continued. ¡°So to the surprise of absolutely no one, the empire¡¯s officials jumped on that information and started blaming the order, with the support of the freelancer''s I might add. The grandmaster told everyone that the scouts had officially become a separate entity, which no one was buying of course. But hey, it suits our needs just fine!¡± The red scaled Saurian said happily. His happiness didn¡¯t really fit what he was saying so the others knew there was more.


    He continued. ¡°Anyway, the grandmaster knew to expect that reaction and had spread rumors beforehand. Rumors about what was going on in the groves. He then said we probably went to the Tree of Life to see what could be done and things turned hostile. The elves and Sidhe were horrified of course. The grandmaster pointed out that they could easily check his story by going into any of the groves that were still untouched, which they did. Several of them in fact. Let¡¯s just say the rumors were not disproven. Things could¡¯ve still turned ugly for us, except that the news also pretty much destroyed the internal unity of the empire.¡±


    Dagnal picked up again at that point. ¡°The whole thing is still playing out as we speak, but there are some obvious hints about what¡¯s to come. The most obvious one is the Autumn court. They were already fighting for independence, and this just provided them an easy excuse. They condemned the actions of the previous monarchy and basically pulled the good old ¡°fuck it, I¡¯m out!¡± maneuver. Their armies are already moving back towards their cities. We can¡¯t say for sure, but I doubt they want to stick around in the forest. The Autumn court has always been critical of the isolationist policies of the empire and has gathered elves from all the clans that want to see life outside the forest. I don¡¯t think they will miss such an obvious chance to leave.¡±


    ¡°What about the Winter court?¡± Noyala opened her eyes from meditation and asked with both worry and hope.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡± Dagnal replied. ¡°The Summer court immediately picked the prince they were slating for Summer King''s position to become their new leader and are holding together better, but the Winter court is currently leaderless. Unlike the king, the previous Winter Queen was just killed by Fluffy there.¡±


    This brought an indignant exclamation of ¡°FLUFFY?!¡± from Dee.


    Dagnal completely ignored her protests. ¡°So they also withdrew from the front, but they seem to be preparing for a big political debacle as they decide whether they even want a monarch and if they do who that would be. They have a long way to go since they are planning on having this ¡°conversation¡± back at their own capital and moving that many people takes time. The Spring and Summer courts are wringing their hands in frustration and watching the empire collapse around them. I think the elves suggested that if the Winter court doesn¡¯t want the job anymore, then the Spring court can join together with the Summer King and try to keep an empire alive in the forest with just the two courts. It¡¯s only been few days, but they can sense the change in the forest already and know it won¡¯t be simple.¡±


    ¡°What about the Order and the freelancers?¡± Razark asked. Just because the empire seemed to be going sideways, that didn¡¯t change the bad blood developing between the two communities. The empire was a proxy war of sorts and the two communities had other reasons to fight.


    ¡°Well, the two groups have started pulling out of the forest, although the grandmaster is maintaining a presence, as the forest is his original home. Apparently, he broke contact with his family though. Something about the groves and being forced into silence since the time he was a kid. In general, the two groups are just glaring at each other for now but slowly the proxy war is turning into conflicts on the streets.¡± Accirlashk explained with a sigh. This was the worst part of the whole thing.


    ¡°The streets of the joint city?¡± Razark asked with a voice that made it clear he was not sure how to feel about it.


    ¡°Yes. The peace of the city has been broken, though it hasn¡¯t turned into an all-out battle yet. Part of that is because any community that had people in both the guild and the order pulled out their members. They don¡¯t want to fight on both sides of a potential war. The Mystic¡¯s and the Holy Orders are taking turns playing peacekeepers and stirring the mess further, while the Threads seem to have all just bugged out. Apparently, their floating island simply teleported out as a whole yesterday.¡± Accirlashk replied with similar mixed feelings though for slightly different reasons.


    Accirlashk was the scout Blade with least amount of ill will against the order in general. He was happy that the scouts could become their own thing now, but he felt bad about seeing the order in trouble. Razark, on the other hand, knew this might be an opportunity for revenge if things got crazy enough. He had somewhat hoped for such an opportunity when he heard about the two communities coming to blows. He would have to wait and see if an opportunity presented itself. He also knew innocent people would suffer in all this, so he wasn¡¯t exactly happy at the prospect despite the possible opportunity.


    -----


    Dee was surveying all the changes in her body. After the burnt parts were peeled off and she thoroughly washed herself, several changes in all her forms became obvious. Those changes started from clear but almost irrelevant changes in appearance continued to her body being changed on a fundamental level from how it had been previously and capped off with changes to her soul space. There was very little about her that had not changed in some way.


    The first and most obvious were the more cosmetic changes. This time it seemed her time as a dragon had brought changes that were not limited to her kitsune form. The kitsune form now had all of her six legs covered in scales, and the long thin horns had grown into something like antlers. A little odd for dragon horns, but seen in some species of dragons. Brass Dragons and Shadow Dragons in particular exhibited this trait. The same scales had also appeared on her hands in her normal form, although they stopped at the elbow. Her left leg was also scaled in a weird bit of asymmetry. That didn¡¯t really bother her, as she could now change her form more freely and she wouldn¡¯t be showing the scales all that often.


    The least changed was her angel form, which had always been something of a counterpoint for her draconic tendencies, but even here some changes had intruded. It wasn¡¯t obvious, but her nails were more like claws now. A feature that would not be obvious or even present most of the time she was using this form, as she usually changed her shape in other ways anyway. They did seem to retain the penetrative power of dragon claws though, as she tested them with a nearby stone.


    The changes to her soul space were confusing, to say the least. The whole place had expanded in a way that she wasn¡¯t even sure how far it extended. The previously barren place now had some simple signs of life sprouting from the ground, though it would still be a struggle to call it anything but a land of death. The totem itself had an eerie green glow thanks to the light that shone from the eye-sockets of the skulls, and the four holy symbols being locked in place in the air made no sense to her personally. Neither she nor Croestia knew what it all meant, but they had theories.


    They also knew that she was forming a connection with the soul space, as power was starting to trickle into her body through that connection. Not a whole lot yet, but continuously growing. She felt that she was now much sturdier and harder to kill, but she wasn¡¯t sure how much of that was thanks to the soul space and how much of it was just the modifications made by Zabaniya going crazy. She also wasn¡¯t entirely sure how much stronger she was. It was a little hard to test, although she could always pick a fight with the old man. She felt a lot stronger though. Truth be told it took a little getting used to. She wouldn¡¯t be picking a fight with the old man until she was used to the changes, or she would be making an idiot of herself.


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    Or that was the plan at least. They were all staying at a house owned by Accirlashk that was situated on the north side of the Day city, and as soon as Dee entered the yard from the separated baths she sensed an attack coming at her head from the side. To her surprise, as soon as her instincts kicked in the speed of the incoming attack seemed to slow down almost to a crawl and she easily moved to avoid the attack. The slowing of her surroundings had happened before, but never quite to this degree. Her own movements in dodging had been much faster as well and she no longer felt like she was moving through a heavy liquid that was slowing down her movements.


    She had time to identify her assailant while dodging and was not surprised to see the old man. The old man grinned, clearly pleased at her quick reactions and dove forwards for a follow-up attack. The odd slowing sensation continued and Dee could have easily dodged but decided to block the blow instead. Normally blocking a direct blow from the old man was a bad idea and she would opt to redirect the blow instead, or at the very least try to block in a way that the full strength of the blow wouldn¡¯t be able to be brought to bear due to the contact point being off. This time she wanted to test her strength.


    Dee blocked the incoming fist with her own hand, and the strike felt more like a pat than a real blow on her new scales. For a moment she thought the attack had been a feint, but the look in the old man¡¯s eyes showed that the blow had been meant as a real one and he was surprised to see how little effect it had. ¡°I see I was right. You¡¯re starting to gain the benefits of a Domain, even if not fully yet. Interesting.¡± The old man stated.


    The air around the old man clearly changed, and Dee could feel the reason. In addition to fully using his ki, he was now using the power from his soul space and totem as well. His totem was apparently something that strengthened the body. The two ran at each other in a furious exchange of blows, where every missed and blocked blow sent waves of force into their surroundings, wiping out the yard and the outbuilding that held the baths in the first seconds of the fight.


    The old man started slowly and kept ramping up both speed and power to allow Dee to get used to her new body. The hits were now much heavier, and Dee had to treat them seriously. A direct blow to a vulnerable spot would still be a very bad thing, even if her toughness had gone up. But at the very least the old man was becoming serious. Something that Dee noted was that she was much faster than the old man, which allowed her to keep up even though as time went on it became clear that the old man was still going to kick her ass. She might be much stronger and faster now, but she wasn¡¯t an immortal specialized in close ranged combat, unlike her opponent.


    This increase in speed was partially due to the improvements to her body and senses, but mostly it was thanks to improvements in the weird phenomenon brought by Lumen¡¯s blessing. ¡®Apparently having the blessing become part of my totem has some benefits.¡¯ She remarked to Croestia.


    ¡®Makes you think if the other blessings have improved as well.¡¯ Croestia brought up another interesting point.


    Dee tried something she had considered before. She allowed the string of dark pearls that looked like prayer beads to wind around one of her fists and increased their weight significantly. This caught the old man by surprise and the blow with that particular fist forced him back several steps, but to Dee¡¯s shock, there was no damage to him. Even his skin was undamaged. She knew she had hurt him at least a couple of times before with a lot less power, so this was odd.


    The old man noticed the wondering look in Dee¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re wondering why that didn¡¯t hurt me. The reason is simple. You¡¯re not the only immortal with a totem. And mine is complete. Back when we were training, I barely utilized the power of my soul space, but now I¡¯m using it fully. You¡¯re going to struggle to hurt me as you are currently, but then again it would be odd if you did manage to do something against an immortal that specializes in defense while not being an immortal yourself.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Dee said in a low voice. Suddenly the gauntlets she always used materialized on her four hands, and all of the little pearls and gems found places to slip into in the different gauntlets. Her hands were clad all over in a dense layer of the energy that was much darker than before, and she tried mixing in the power of Death for good measure.


    Then she tried pulling out all her power into her body and increased the weight of her weapons as much as she could. The space around her gauntlets seemed to be distorting, and she flashed forward with the fastest speed she could muster. The old man had enough time to widen his eyes as her fists all came at him in a wave of blows. He managed to block two fists with his own speed, but the other two managed hit his body cleanly, and he was sent flying backward by the sheer weight of the blows.


    Razark and the others had exited the house, mostly to protect it, and were now clapping. ¡°Nice one. You didn¡¯t really manage to hurt him, but I bet he didn¡¯t appreciate the free ride you so generously provided him.¡± Accirlashk commented in a chipper voice.


    The old man was back in less than a second. His side had a small lesion that would bruise and his hand looked scuffed, but he seemed ok. He just had not been bracing for the blow adequately. ¡°Goddess damn it!¡± Dee cursed and marched inside the house, not considering that this could be counted as something of a draw.


    ¡°So how was it?¡± Razark asked the old man when Dee had gone out of earshot, even for her sharp ears.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be a feisty one. She damaged a rib and my arm is going to bruise. Thanks to all the dark energy she pumped into it, the damn thing will be a bitch to heal.¡± He leaned in towards Razark and whispered just for him. ¡°I think her Domain has something to do with suppressing others. I¡¯m pretty sure it dampened my ability to resist the damage, although not by much as it wasn¡¯t done on purpose.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good against someone with a totem like yours. The body of a Titan wasn¡¯t it? You never did explain all the details.¡± Razark whispered back having a bit of fun at the old man¡¯s expense. He also appreciated that the situation was so similar to the time he first introduced Dee to the old man, except now the old man had been much more serious.


    ¡°She¡¯d punch a fist size hole into you for sure. Assuming you let her. Might be better to not inform her so she won¡¯t go around picking fights with those less willing to just stand there and take it.¡± The old man countered.


    ¡°What are the two of you mumbling about?¡± Dagnal asked amused.


    ¡°Just talking about the fact that she¡¯d kick your ass for sure. She could¡¯ve put up a fight before, but now she¡¯d cream you for sure.¡± Razark replied with a slight smile.


    Dagnal got a lot more serious. ¡°Seriously though, would she do well against me?¡± She asked.


    The old man gave her a long look. ¡°Hard to say for sure. She has the potential, but she is unpracticed. She definitely has the attack power to hurt an immortal of your level now, but could she defeat someone of your level? That depends on the match-up. Depends on would you let her do it. With her being unused to her powers, she isn¡¯t really aware of all her capabilities yet, so her thoughts are limited mostly to punching really hard for now. Give her a month to figure things out though and she will win against you ten times out of ten.¡±


    -----


    Once inside, Dee went to see how Noyala was doing. She had attacked the Tree of Life for her sake and she was a little worried. For many reasons. She found Noyala just getting up from her meditation. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost back to full strength. I¡¯m pretty sure I can match my sister now since I always was a bit stronger than her. So I should be ok.¡± Noyala replied.


    Dee realized that she was right. Now that she knew what to look for, she could feel Noyala¡¯s power as an immortal. She could also sense it better now, with her own soul space starting to connect. Noyala was stronger than Dagnal and Accirlashk, but weaker than Razark and the old man. ¡°So what happens now?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°With my powers recovered and the court gathering to decide the future of my race, I will have to go.¡± Noyala said with a sad look. Dee was about to say something, but Noyala lifted her hand to pre-empt her words. ¡°I know you might want to come, but you can¡¯t. No amount of changing your appearance can erase the life energy inside your body. The other four might be able to pass without notice unless someone looks really close, but you can¡¯t. To every elf and Sidhe living in the forest, you feel just like a small Tree of Life, except with a twisted feeling added to it. I don¡¯t think anyone outside the forest could feel it, so no need to worry about your stealth abilities, but we are attuned to the tree and the forest, connected since birth. Every member of the court would be able to feel you for what you are, the being who killed the Tree of Life.¡±


    Dee made a faint grasping motion towards Noyala. ¡°Someone who did it for you.¡± She said almost feebly.


    ¡°Yes. I won¡¯t forget that. But neither will the Sidhe. I asked you not to go, but you went anyway, knowing the consequences. I realize I would most likely be dead without that, but now we have to live with what happened.¡± Noyala laid a hand on Dee¡¯s chest in a soft gesture of closeness but also denial. ¡°You have faced your battle, now I must face mine. Alone.¡±


    There was a tear in Dee¡¯s eye. She had known this might be the result of what happened, especially after Noyala had told her it would be, yet she had hoped things would not come to this. She was silent for a long while, holding Noyala¡¯s hand against her chest. ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡±


    Noyala was quiet for a long while before answering. ¡°Yes, but you¡¯re not going to like it.¡±


    ¡°Try me.¡± Dee shot back immediately.


    ¡°I have a tough fight ahead of me but there are two things you could do to help. You could intercept my sister. You don¡¯t need to hurt her, but you could delay her from reaching the court while I make my play. That would open the way for me. That leaves one problem though. The court might not be in the mood to pick me to lead our people despite my strength unless I can give them a reason. I can¡¯t start off with my plan to lead them out of the forest, as that¡¯s something that will have to happen over a long period of time. Maybe centuries. I need something they can grasp on now.¡± Noyala left her words hanging in the air.


    ¡°Something like the person who destroyed the Tree of Life.¡± Dee realized.


    ¡°Yes. Not actually capturing or killing you, of course, I would never even suggest something like that. But I could emphasize knowing who you are and promise to lead the hunt. Knowing that the nobles must have realized the changes in the forest would mean a lot to our race, so they need a scapegoat. Some of them, like my parents for example, also know I had a falling out with the heart of the forest, and I can use that to my advantage. I could play things so it looked like I wanted to help protect their currently bruised reputation. Trying to hunt the one who destroyed the tree and their reputation would go a long way towards soothing their egos.¡± Noyala explained.


    ¡°And that would make me the number one target for the whole race. Not that I wasn¡¯t on the shitlist already but now they would actively try to hunt me. Probably put a price on my head.¡± Dee was quiet for a moment before asking. ¡°Well, somewhere I once read a passage; you aren¡¯t doing things right if you¡¯re not making enemies. When do we start?¡±

 Chapter 108

    Dee was staring wistfully at the portal gate. Noyala had just left to face her own battle in the Winter court, and it might be a very long time before they saw each other again, if they ever did. Dee had grown a little since the last time she had faced loss in the romantic sense. She knew that the time she and Noyala had spent together had been short. Too short for genuine and deep feelings to form. She had grown enough to understand that what she was feeling now wasn¡¯t the pain of losing what she currently had with Noyala, which was a vague relationship between a friend and something more. More a fascination and desire than true love. What she was feeling was the pain of losing what could have been.


    She shook her head to chase away those thoughts. After all, she had her own fight to go to. She had promised to delay Noyala¡¯s sister and as the most likely candidate to take the crown, she probably wouldn¡¯t be alone. This was further shown by how she and Noyala¡¯s parents had chosen to stay in the same fort outside the city of Ordos Dee had broken into earlier. There would be an escort. Luckily Dee didn¡¯t have to fight to win because that would be too much to ask. All she had to do was delay them.


    As she was about to utilize the portal gate, she heard a voice call her from behind. ¡°How about we come along dummy disciple.¡± Dee could see the old man leading the other three immortals towards the gate as she turned.


    ¡°I thought you guys didn¡¯t really care for the internal politics of the Winter court and wanted to stay out of this one? The involvement of four immortals, three formerly from the order, being bad and so forth? ¡± Dee asked a little surprised. The group of four immortals had silently indicated as much earlier. They had not actually mentioned the last part, but it was implied.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say I changed my mind a bit. Strictly speaking, we aren¡¯t going there to meddle in the internal struggle of the courts, but to protect you. The empire is a bit dangerous for all of us, but especially for you at the moment. Besides, weren¡¯t you going there to just delay a person? Our presence might stop things from turning into a fight, which both sides might prefer.¡± The old man suggested. What he didn¡¯t mention was that he had a hunch, and that hunch might lead to bad things for Dee if it came true.


    Dee shrugged. ¡°Well, I certainly won¡¯t turn down the help of this magnitude. I was a little worried about successfully delaying an immortal and her likely guards by myself.¡±


    ¡°Well let¡¯s get to it. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can put the whole affair with the empire behind us.¡± The old man said, pushing her towards the portal. They would use that to get closer to the forest and then use Dee¡¯s portals to get to where they wanted to go. With the aura of the Tree of Life on them, they couldn¡¯t use any of the portals within the empire anyway.


    ¡°You sure you wouldn¡¯t prefer just using one of Dee¡¯s portals the whole way?¡± Razark asked with an amused expression. He was teasing the old man.


    ¡°Shut it idiot disciple. You know damn well the things make me feel nauseous.¡± The old man shot back. That was one of the reasons they would only use Dee¡¯s portals for shorter hops. The old man quickly found out that the weightless space combined with a lack of footholds inside Dee¡¯s portals made him sick.


    ------


    Dee lounged on the road between the fort and the city of Ordos in her kitsune form. This was the form the elves and Sidhe had seen her in while they escaped after the death of the Tree of Life. ¡®Well, the charred version of this form anyway.¡¯ Dee thought idly. With the heavy aura from the Tree announcing her identity anyway, there was no point in having her other forms revealed. The inhabitants of the forest would find out later anyway as they could connect her kitsune form with her normal form through some elven members of the Order of the Radiant Sun. That said there was no need to volunteer information and make things easy. She expected that there would be a bounty on her head soon enough, and while the elves of the forest could sense her presence, a random bounty hunter wouldn¡¯t be able to do the same.


    A formation of Sidhe cavalry rounded the nearby bend at walking speed. In the middle of the formation was a carriage with ornate decorations. This was also a test of sorts. Dee wanted to see how close she would need to be before the Sidhe could sense the power from the Tree of Life. Apparently rather close since the Sidhe saw her first after rounding the corner that was about a hundred mel away. She had been monitoring them with her senses and they had made no indication of sensing her before they saw her.


    The front soldiers moved towards her rather aggressively but stopped almost as soon as they did. There was a weird look of recognition in their eyes. ¡®So about hundred mel for people of their level at least.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. That was actually further than she had assumed.


    The soldiers that had moved towards her backpedaled to report what they had felt to their officers who seemed to be ready to lead a charge against Dee. A voice from the carriage stopped them however and a person stepped out. Dee had to shake her head a bit to clear her mind once she saw the person who had revealed herself. The likeness with Noyala was stunning. Dee had seen twins before, but to see the twin of someone she had at least a certain level of feelings towards was a little different.


    The woman approached Dee alone, against the protestations of her guards. As she got closer Dee started to see some differences between the woman and Noyala. It was an interesting contrast. While Noyala felt every bit the shadow that she was trained to become, this woman had an air of grace and nobility about her. Not the haughty type of nobility, but the type that made it clear she knew her power and position and had earned it. It was also amusing to see that while Noyala preferred dark and purple clothing, her sister seemed to be partial to white. She also seemed a smidgen taller than Noyala, most likely due to environmental reasons.


    ¡°Do excuse my guards. Unlike me, they can¡¯t feel the presence of your companions. They can¡¯t feel your power either, so they are under the erroneous belief that they might be able to win and avenge the Tree of Life. A rather silly notion if you pause to give it any real thought. How could they fight something capable of destroying the tree?¡± The woman said with a rather pleasant smile.


    ¡°An understandable reaction. Besides, it allowed me to test some things, so it was actually useful.¡± Dee replied in an amiable tone. If her counterpart was going to be civilized about this, then she could return the favor. Talking was much easier to do as a delaying tactic than fighting and achieved the same result.


    ¡°Judging by the fact that we were not ambushed and that your friends are staying out of sight, your purpose here is not to kill me. Would that be a fair assessment? Yes, I thought as much. So you¡¯re here most likely to delay me, correct? My sister must be making her play at the court as we speak.¡± The woman seemed rather unperturbed by the whole situation.


    The plan Noyala had made relied on a quirk of the Winter court. The more power one had and the more important one was to the proceedings of the day, the later they arrived to official gatherings. It was a show of force. If they could force the others to wait even when they were late, then that proved their importance. The others could not make a decision without their presence. It might not have been a smart habit as a whole, but it was something the members of the court abided by. Since Noyala¡¯s sister was crucial to today¡¯s proceedings, she would arrive very late. And in the meantime Noyala gave them an alternative, making it clear that her sister was not as important and was grossly misjudging her relevance. The court loved to strike back at those that overestimated their importance.


    ¡°We might as well make ourselves comfortable. We will be here for a while.¡± Dee¡¯s response was not a direct answer, but it implied that the other woman was right.


    Noyala¡¯s sister signaled her entourage who pulled a chair and a table out of nowhere and placed them near the spot where Dee was laying down patiently. It seemed the woman was not in a rush. She was even sipping some tea brewed by a servant that had also exited the carriage and was now standing by ready to serve. ¡°Ah, I just realized. We haven¡¯t even been introduced yet. If we are to spend this bit of time together, we might as well know who we are spending time with. My name is Eilian Ruadh¨¢in.¡± Noyala¡¯s sister introduced herself.


    Dee made a wolfish grin. ¡°As your informants have no doubt already told you, my name is Haydee.¡±


    Eilian gave a small smile of acknowledgment. ¡°I¡¯m curious. What name did my sister introduce herself with? Knowing her, I¡¯m guessing she didn¡¯t use her real one and I wouldn¡¯t want there to be any confusion.¡±


    ¡°Noyala.¡± Dee replied with a small shrug. A movement that looked a little disconcerting when performed by a creature of her size and shape. Her wings were hidden as there was no need to reveal them, but she was still huge.


    The name brought a gale of laughter from Eilian, and a small smile even from the stoic servant. ¡°Something funny?¡± Dee asked a little confused.


    ¡°Oh, it would be a little difficult to fully explain the full nuance why that is so amusing. As you probably guessed by now, that¡¯s not her real name. It¡¯s mine actually.¡± Eilian explained with a smile that was difficult to describe. Dee could sense amusement, but also many other emotions hidden behind it. Among those emotions was regret.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the name you gave just before.¡± Dee pointed out, a little thrown off by the information. She had expected that Noyala was a fake name, but the other part was unexpected.


    ¡°That would be because it¡¯s my childhood name. We Sidhe are given a name once we are born. We shed that name when we step into adulthood and are ready to assume our proper identity, at which point we take a new name. It¡¯s something to help us leave the mistakes and vagaries of childhood behind. We all make mistakes when we are young and don¡¯t know any better. The new name symbolizes that we are no longer the foolish person that made those mistakes. I find it a little amusing that my sister decided to assume my childhood name when dealing with you, though considering how harsh her childhood must have been that might be understandable.¡± Eilian explained and was quiet for a while.


    ¡°I really do feel bad for her, you know? My sister I mean. We might as well call her Noyala since she chose to be called that.¡± She continued with a sigh. ¡°Truth be told I would have preferred to have a real sister instead of¡­whatever she became. It was not my choice to make, however. By the time I was old enough to understand and have any say in things, it was already too late. She already resented me, and the damage had already been done.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Is that why you don¡¯t seem fazed to be stalled here? Or are you so certain that she will fail?¡± Dee asked, not really sure how to feel about what she had been told.


    ¡°Yes and no. I¡¯m fairly certain she can sway the court. Especially since you killed off some of my most important supporters.¡± Eilian fingered the earring and chain that all Sidhe wore. ¡°Are you aware of the dedicated paths we Sidhe usually take?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat. You dedicate yourself to pursuing perfection in one area for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years until you feel you have reached your limits.¡± Dee replied.


    ¡°This path to royalty or even power was never truly my choice. I dedicated myself to the path and excelled at it despite my wishes. If I start something I want to do it to perfection, as is the habit of our people. But the path was chosen for me by my parents. Can you guess what path I would have chosen if I was given the choice? I would have dedicated myself to become a painter. So you see, it¡¯s not that I can¡¯t win against my sister, though that is also true as things stand, but that I don¡¯t want to win. Why would I stake my life to challenge you and your friends for something I don¡¯t truly desire? It¡¯s ironic, isn¡¯t it? My sister is so determined to take something from me that I don¡¯t even want myself. Our parents? They will deal with it. They just wanted their daughter to become the Winter Queen. Does it truly matter to them which one? I doubt it.¡± Eilian was looking at the horizon but not really seeing it as she explained.


    ¡°Is that why you kept turning down the prince that now became the new Summer King? The reason this whole succession thing became such a mess in the first place?¡± Dee asked.


    Eilian gave a sideways glance at Dee. ¡°I see, you might have not even realized it. Do you think it was an accident that the prince fell for my sister and then transferred that affection to me? My sister caused that situation quite on purpose, knowing full well I would never accept his affections and what that would lead to. I don¡¯t think you quite understand to which extent the events were manipulated by her. You do realize she was using you this whole time, right? She probably told you a very moving story about being the target of so much evil to get you to help.¡±


    Dee didn¡¯t dignify that question with an answer. Why was it that people assumed she was just a hapless tool that didn¡¯t know she was being used? Yes, Noyala had told her a story which might or might not be entirely accurate about her childhood and the ambush. That wasn¡¯t why Dee helped her though. Dee had helped Noyala for many reasons, because it coincided with the mission of the grandmaster, because that was what the Threads of Fate asked, because she knew she would become stronger doing it and most importantly because she could. She wasn¡¯t some knight in shining armor to be manipulated by a vixen masquerading as a damsel in distress.


    Eilian slightly misunderstood Dee¡¯s silence. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me? You killed the Tree of Life to help her remove the curse, making yourself the enemy of our people despite any wrongs the tree might have been involved in. No maybe even more because of those wrongs that the courts want to forget. Did she tell you how she got cursed in the first place? She told you about a mission gone wrong, didn¡¯t she? But you¡¯re forgetting something. She was friends with a seer. Do you really think the seer would not have been able to predict something so important? That same seer helped her manipulate things just right to turn the succession into a civil war.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure things in the empire were headed that way anyway.¡± Dee pointed out. The whole mess was not just about the succession.


    ¡°Oh, of course there¡¯s a lot more involved. But there has been discontent between the courts for several generations of monarchs. There has always been trouble bubbling beneath the surface. The whole mess needed things to fall just right for things to become as convoluted as they have become. I¡¯m not paranoid enough to think my sister is the cause of the civil war and the paladins and mercenaries getting involved. She simply gave a slight nudge here and a small push there so that things fell just right for her. The other communities would still have gotten involved without her, but would things have come to such an explosive conclusion if she didn¡¯t put you on the path that led you to destroy the tree? She might not have made the whole system crumble down, but she made sure it fell down just right. That¡¯s the kind of thing you can accomplish with the help of a really skilled seer.¡± Eilian¡¯s words struck a chord inside Dee, but in the end, what did it matter?


    ¡°A seer whom you still managed to kill, despite her ability to tell the future.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°In an ambush that also put Noyala on your path, did it not?¡± Eilian immediately countered. ¡°A rather important detail wouldn¡¯t you say? I¡¯d like to point out that I had nothing to do with that, as I wish no harm to my sister. Still. Things are as they are. The reasons leading up to the current situation are irrelevant. I just wanted you to be aware that you were being used, but judging by your expression it was somewhat mutual.¡±


    They were quiet for a while and Eilian got a refill on her tea that had grown cold. They had spent more than an hour here. Noyala had not told Dee how long she would need to delay Eilian, probably because it was impossible to know how long it would take to convince the court. But since the other party was so willing to go along with things, there was little harm in delaying longer.


    ¡°You do realize that it will be dangerous to stay here once your sister becomes the queen?¡± Dee pointed out. For some reason, she bore no ill will towards Noyala¡¯s sister, and Eilian had actually tried to warn her that Noyala might be using her. A warning out of concern and not to drive a wedge between them, as the woman¡¯s genuine worry was clear.


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m also aware of my sister¡¯s plans to lead our people out of the forest. I suppose I will simply be the first one to leave.¡± Eilian replied while suddenly looking at her ring that was pulsing with power. Dee realized it was some kind of message.


    ¡°Calling for help?¡± Dee asked slightly amused.


    ¡°No. In fact, you could say this is the exact opposite. It seems my sister has succeeded in her endeavor.¡± She looked up at Dee in thought, before seemingly reaching a decision. ¡°How about we make a bargain?¡±


    Dee looked at the woman with some interest and amusement. This was getting interesting. ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°You and your friends will help me leave the forest, and in exchange, I will tell you something that you might find useful.¡± Her expression made it clear that Eilian knew the information would most likely upset Dee.


    This wiped away Dee¡¯s amusement. ¡°Deal. Though if I don¡¯t find your information useful, I might decide to pull back my help.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. A question first. Did my sister know your friends would be coming with you to delay me?¡± Eilian¡¯s question threw Dee for a loop.


    She considered for a moment and realized that Noyala had every reason to think the four immortals would not come along. She had been under that impression just before setting off as well. ¡°No.¡± She replied honestly. She wasn¡¯t sure she liked where this was going.


    ¡°Bear with me for two more questions. I¡¯m not sure how strong you are, but would it be fair to assume that fighting an immortal like myself and my entourage for an extended period of time would make you susceptible to being captured by¡­say two dozen rank eight and nine Sidhe aiming to capture you?¡± Eilian asked another question that made Dee realize where this might be headed. She also knew something Eilian had no way of knowing.


    While fighting that many opponents when she was already tired was probably beyond even the current Dee, normally she would be able to use more stealthy methods to get away. Except when she was being hunted by people capable of sensing the energy of the Tree of Life inside her. ¡°That would be a fair assumption, yes.¡±


    As she answered the question she could feel a field blocking spatial magic used for portals suddenly extend over the city and the area. The field was the type that could also block Dee¡¯s portals from forming.


    ¡°Final question then. Did my sister happen to give you one of these?¡± Eilian showed the same kind of bauble Noyala had given to Dee to facilitate magical communications.


    Dee didn¡¯t reply but pulled out an item exactly alike. Eilian gave a small chuckle. ¡°There¡¯s a less known feature with these. The maker can use a spell to locate them. Incidentally, the message that I received with my ring was a call to action by the new queen. All the most powerful members of our race have a ring like that and it¡¯s used in case of emergencies. The call to action was for all of the powerful Sidhe to head to the provided location with the orders to capture or kill the being that slew the Tree of Life, as well as capture the new queen¡¯s sister who is colluding with the aforementioned being.¡±


    This time it was Dee¡¯s turn to explode in laughter. She wasn¡¯t even sure herself which part of the situation was so amusing, but she couldn¡¯t help it. It was possible that Noyala had the whole thing planned. She certainly had the foresight to do it, that much Dee had learned during their time together. Or this might be part of the original plan Noyala had told her and she simply had faith in Dee¡¯s ability to escape. This might just be her taking advantage of the situation to smear her sister and maybe even something forced by the situation at court. At least this way the court could see that she had seriously done her best to capture the being responsible for the death of the Tree of Life. It might even be that Noyala had predicted the presence of the four immortals helping Dee. Or she might have planned to betray Dee from the start.


    Either way, this was a clear message to cut any ties between the two. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time we left. You earned your way out. In a way, you are now guilty of that collusion your sister just charged you with.¡± This brought a chuckle for both of them.


    There was another realization that hit Dee in a very profound way as they were leaving. Even though she also gained a lot from it, she was getting a little tired of following the wishes of others. Perhaps it was time for her to become the one giving orders. She was reminded of the words of a song she had read once, which she decided to recite to vocalize the feelings inside her.


    ¡°You can throw me to the wolves


    but tomorrow I will come back


    leader of the whole pack.


    You can send your minions to hunt me


    but every fight will shape me,


    every skull will build my Throne.¡±


    Something inside her just clicked. She had found her answer to the fear that haunted her. She now knew what the totem inside her soul space was building.

 Chapter 109

    Weirdly, everyone else got a bit of pleasure watching the old man struggle with his nausea once they exited Dee¡¯s portal. Everyone, except Eilian who was essentially a stranger, had received training from the old man. While Razark and Dee had faced the worst of it, they all shared a common trauma and received a sort of catharsis when seeing the old man suffer for a change. The group had easily lost their pursuers, and those same pursuers had very quickly given up once they realized the danger they faced. Once the group had exited the area suppressing portals they had managed to make their escape. Dee had placed the portal exit in the middle of nowhere on purpose, which made it easy for them to plan what to do next without being bothered.


    Razark noted that a strange calm and an air of serenity had settled on his disciple. Dee was not exactly rambunctious normally, but now she felt different from usual. He had seen something similar before and knew Dee had gained a personal epiphany of sorts. She would most likely need some time to process whatever enlightenment she¡¯d had, and she would most likely also need some time to deal with what happened with Noyala. The four immortals had been hiding out of sight, but their enhanced hearing had been enough to catch the conversation between Dee and Eilian.


    ¡°So what¡¯s your plan now?¡± Dee surprised Razark with her sudden question.


    ¡°Now? I¡¯m pretty sure the old man wants to return to his mountain.¡± Razark started.


    ¡°I¡¯ll rather find my own way than take your portals again Dee, thank you very much.¡± The old man interjected emphatically.


    ¡°The rest of us will need to go deal with the separation between the order and the scouts. I also have business with the order afterward.¡± Razark continued and looked meaningfully at Dee. She knew Razark had revenge plans in mind.


    ¡°I will not be going.¡± Dee announced, to the surprise of the others. The old man just smiled knowingly. He had an inkling about what was going through Dee¡¯s mind. He had seen similar things happen before, and even though he didn¡¯t know what exactly had happened to Dee, he could sense some of it. He had also always known Dee would start walking her own path at some point.


    ¡°You won¡¯t?¡± Razark asked a little confused.


    ¡°No. I have other matters to deal with. I also have some decisions to make about my future. I wish you luck, and if you need help you can always contact me. I owe all of you quite a bit.¡± The last part was aimed at Dagnal and Accirlashk, as it was obvious that the relations between Dee and Razark would continue. Just that things might change.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll find you with the Four Winds then.¡± Razark nodded in agreement. He wasn¡¯t sure what was going on but guessed it had something to do with her current state.


    The group exchanged some information and some goodbyes, before the four immortals disappeared, leaving Dee alone with Eilian. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid to be left alone with me?¡± Eilian asked with slight amusement. Strictly speaking the two should be enemies, but weren¡¯t really.


    ¡°No.¡± Dee said simply. ¡°I don¡¯t think you want me any harm. I also think I could beat you in a fight if I really wanted to. An hour ago I would have lost, but now? I¡¯m pretty sure I would win.¡± She could feel her connection with her Domain strengthening after she¡¯d had the realization about the nature of her totem and its connection with her own personality. Before, the totem had just been something vague building inside of her, but now it was hers and hers alone. It represented her true desire, one that she had not even quite put into words before. She had been vaguely aware, but not fully.


    Eilian took a long look at Dee, not just with her eyes but with her senses as well. Dee felt different than earlier. Before now Dee had felt vaguely threatening, like someone with the potential to harm you but without any true danger of that actually happening. Now it felt Dee would really be able to fight her if she really tried. ¡°Something has really changed. Can I ask what? It has me curious.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I now know myself much better. The real question is, what do you want to do now? You are outside the forest. For the first time if my guess is right. And I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not welcome to return to the forest anytime soon. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? What do you want?¡± Dee asked the troublesome questions that always foreshadowed change.


    Eilian was quiet for a long time, looking at the surrounding valley. ¡°You¡¯re right. This is my first time outside the forest. I¡¯m not sure where to go, but I do know what I want to do. I told you what my preferred path would have been if my parents had not decided otherwise. I want to become a painter. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know a place where that would be possible, would you?¡±


    A sudden inspiration hit Dee. ¡°Actually I do. It also has the added benefit of annoying your sister if she ever finds out.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Eilian¡¯s thoughtful expression suddenly shifted into an amused one. ¡°Do tell.¡±


    ----------


    ¡°A painter?¡± Kawhena the Dagon representative of the Four Winds asked with a blank voice, his face carefully keeping a stoic visage. His attempts at holding his expression gave him a menacing appearance instead. The Dagon were, in general, a very large framed species and the dragon horns they had didn¡¯t exactly make them look less intimidating. Dee noted with amusement that she now had something in common with them. Now Kawhena¡¯s eyebrow was twitching in annoyance.


    ¡°A painter.¡± Dee replied keeping her voice completely serious. They all saw the absurdity of the situation. They could feel Eilian was an immortal, yet Dee had introduced her as a painter that wanted to join the craftsmen of the community. They all also knew Dee had just been to the empire and the news had already reached them about a new queen among the Sidhe. They could also see that Eilian was a Sidhe and identical to the woman Dee had brought before, who was conspicuously absent.


    ¡°To be exact, I want to become a painter. Dee here spoke highly of the skill of the Jun artisans and I would like to learn.¡± Eilian specified.


    The Jun representative Shioko smiled warmly. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t know Dee had such a high opinion of us. We would warmly welcome one of her friends among us. That said, we do things with perfection in mind. I say that as a warning so you don¡¯t go in blind. We don¡¯t tolerate a half-assed attitude towards our crafts.¡±


    ¡°The girl¡¯s a Sidhe Shioko. I¡¯m pretty sure they have even more dedication than you art freaks.¡± The Anshar representative that Dee still refused to call Smoky pointed out. Him calling Eilian a girl was also a bit of a stretch considering she could be older of the two.


    ¡°Oh right, you had that path culture, didn¡¯t you?¡± The Jun woman realized. She had not remembered the peculiarity of the Sidhe as a race. ¡°Well then. Let me show you around. I can introduce you to some teachers. I¡¯m a woodcarver myself, but I know some of our best painters.¡± She led Eilian out of the room.


    ¡°You bring some of the most interesting allies.¡± Nyx, Moirai¡¯s mother said trying not to laugh. She had been stifling her laughter this whole time. ¡°If you have any more immortals in your pocket, then feel free to bring them around as well.¡±


    Dee looked at her pants that happened to have a disturbing lack of pockets. They were so form fitting that there wasn¡¯t any room for pockets anyway. She looked back up and lifted her eyebrow in a clear message. Kawhena gave a quick admiring glance before hiding his look with a cough, which still earned him a punch to the shoulder from the much shorter Nyx who had to jump to reach so high, even though the Dagon man was sitting down.


    ¡°Speaking of, it seems the negotiations with the Threads of Fate went well.¡± Dee was alluding to the very conspicuous flying island they had seen outside the city. Dee recognized it as the headquarters of Threads of Fate.


    ¡°Yes, we came to an understanding that should be beneficial for all of us. I¡¯ll have to thank you for that. Handling trade has always been somewhat difficult in the third circle. We have great products, but there are no real traders here, and the lesser circles can¡¯t afford the prices when sold in large quantities. Our new friends have the ability to handle such large volumes, so we are rather well-off at the moment.¡± Nyx replied.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll have to pay them a visit soon to let them know my debts are paid.¡± Dee mumbled half to herself.


    The Anshar cleared his throat. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s the word with Razark? It never was all that clear if he wanted to become one of us or not.¡±


    Dee shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. He has his own worries at the moment. He might eventually once he finds his revenge, but for now, he is still too preoccupied. I can¡¯t and won¡¯t speak for him.¡±


    ¡°Good enough. The offer still stands.¡± The Anshar grunted with a gravel voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you have some meditation and power consolidation planned?¡± Nyx asked. ¡°I can feel there¡¯s a turmoil inside of you. The good kind of turmoil, but still. I have a feeling my daughter was right. Your little adventure might be bringing you to immortality sooner than we even assumed.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Unless you have some pressing matters for me, I¡¯ll be spending some time on my own.¡± Dee nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Well, there are a couple of things we¡¯d like you to consider, but they can wait. They¡¯re better handled after you¡¯re done with you consolidation anyway.¡± Nyx replied. ¡°I expect you to still keep up our gaming habit. These dummies are not a proper opponent, and my daughter is such a bore. It¡¯s hard to keep beating your offspring over and over again. They tend to take it personally.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    -----


    Dee was meditating in a simple room that was one of the many that were used for such purposes by the Four Winds. She had her mind inside her soul space looking at the totem. Croestia¡¯s indistinct form was floating next to her. ¡°I now know what this will become.¡± Dee told the floating ball of energy.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to say it out loud.¡± Croestia replied, alluding to one of the three doors that were inside the magical storage space. The opening criterion for the door was for Dee to know the form her totem would take.


    ¡°My deepest desire is to no longer be afraid of anything. That requires me to become powerful enough to stand above everyone so that no one will be able to be a threat to me or those I care about. My totem signifies that, as it is a throne that represents my desire to stand above everyone and everything, including the gods. The skulls are from those that stand against me or those that I must step on to reach my goal.¡± Dee explained, feeling the correctness of the answer deep inside her.


    Croestia was quiet for a long time. It was clear that she was dealing with whatever was behind the door, and it was not something simple. Finally, she spoke again. ¡°Well. This was unexpected.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t keep me in suspense.¡± Dee replied wryly.


    ¡°This requires a bit of explanation. The old me left behind quite a bit of both memories and instructions. Let¡¯s start with the bit that might be the hardest to swallow. There¡¯s no delicate way to put this, so I¡¯ll just say it. The hells were destroyed by your mother Selvaria and a friend of hers.¡± Croestia said, not quite sure how Dee would react.


    Truth be told Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure how she should react either. So she asked for clarification. ¡°I¡¯m assuming there¡¯s a more specific explanation included.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is. She and the Dragon that is the embodiment of anti-magic were testing a method to turn the magical nature of the demons against themselves. Not really as a weapon, but as a possible countermeasure. Their method worked too well, and they didn¡¯t consider that the hells themselves were magical in nature. The spell got out of control and started a chain reaction which collapsed all the hells, leading to the deaths of everyone inside. The angels then took advantage of the situation and started the so-called Holy Purge in an attempt to eliminate all demons.¡± The explanation was a very condensed version of the events. Croestia had received more detailed memories but didn¡¯t feel it was necessary to go into more depth at the moment.


    Dee considered the news for a while. She felt like she should blame her mother for the way things ended up but didn¡¯t. She felt no connection to the hells personally. There was some fault involved on Selvaria¡¯s part when it came to Dee¡¯s circumstances, but she wasn¡¯t sure if that was a purely bad thing. She was an experiment of some sort and experiments like this usually didn¡¯t end well for the test subjects. And her mother was certainly not responsible for the reaction of the angels. It wasn¡¯t really the destruction of the hells that drove her hate towards the angels; it was the purge and the attempt to annihilate her kind when they were down. That and their sanctimonious attitude about the whole thing. She wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel about her mother¡¯s role in all this.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming there¡¯s more.¡± Dee prompted Croestia, trying to distract herself.


    ¡°Yes, that was just part of the explanation. Now we¡¯re getting to the real point. As you know, all the great powers involved in the war are skilled with the ability known as Sengir, which is basically them absorbing a portion of the power of those they kill. Now, regardless of it being an accident, Selvaria did, in theory, kill all the inhabitants of the hells with her friend. However, her friend is one of the few beings of their level that can¡¯t use Sengir, so in theory, all that power should have gone to her instead. She did not desire it though. She is also rather bad at Sengir, so most of the power would have been wasted. While your mother is bad at Sengir, she¡¯s really good as a scientist and a researcher, so she found another way. She stored all that power instead.¡± Croestia continued her explanation.


    ¡°So if I understand this correctly, there¡¯s some stored power behind the door?¡± Dee asked, surprised.


    ¡°Yes, however, it¡¯s not quite that simple. First of all, Selvaria could only capture and store a portion of that power. It¡¯s also not a simple matter to try and absorb all that power. The doors were meant to be opened in order. Usually, a person would find out the nature of their totem a significant time after becoming an immortal, and you were not supposed to open this door until long after becoming one. You can¡¯t try and eat all of that power at once. Instead, you have to slowly start absorbing it. And when I say slowly, I do mean really damn slowly, over several years. You haven¡¯t even fully adjusted to the power you gained from the Tree of Life yet. On the upside, the slower you do it, the more effectively you will absorb all that power.¡± Croestia warned her.


    ¡°So was there a hint of what¡¯s behind the other two doors?¡± Dee suddenly asked.


    ¡°Well, yes and no. The first door is unknown, but the last door should have the rest of the power from the hells. This container only has the power Selvaria gathered from one of the hells. One of the smallest ones in fact. Now, this was also the hell where she performed the experiment, so it¡¯s also the place where she managed to gather the largest percentage of the power, but it¡¯s still only one hell, while the third door has all the others. The contents of door number one are a mystery, but also something else entirely.¡± Suddenly Croestia made a weird greenish-purple orb appear in front of Dee. It was barely the size of Dee¡¯s thumb, but the thing radiated power.


    Dee caught in from the air and tried to use her senses to study it. Almost immediately she stopped in shock. ¡°There are souls inside this¡­whatever this is. Millions of souls. Or whatever is left behind of the soul once it is captured after the body dies.¡± It was widely known that any magic where the soul was ripped from the body and stored only took a small part of the soul while the rest was either reincarnated or sent to an afterlife of sorts. It was also one of the reasons why resurrection was so hard after some time had passed. The main part of the soul would have already moved on. What remained where scattered memories and scraps of power.


    ¡°The best way to store the power from those recently departed.¡± Croestia confirmed. In retrospect, it was rather obvious. What other way was there to store the power from the dead aside from capturing the souls to be absorbed later? ¡°You should keep that with you at all times and slowly absorb the contents. I¡¯d recommend truly starting after you deal with the power from the Tree of Life and not before.¡±


    Dee spent the next month in meditation. Slowly the power from the Tree of Life was digested by her body and her soul space. She also spent a lot of time getting used to the changes in her body. It was clear her strength and durability had made a huge leap. Dee was pretty sure that she was already stronger than most new immortals physically, maybe even beating those more experienced immortals that had not reached rank eleven yet. Her connection with her Domain was growing stronger by the day, and she was pretty sure she would become an immortal in less than a year. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t have enough power, she really did, but that the connection simply needed some time to form naturally. It could be rushed, but it would be better to allow it to happen naturally.


    For similar reasons Dee also decided to avoid absorbing the souls from the container Selvaria had left her. She would gain the largest benefit if she did so after becoming an immortal, and she was not in a rush. She¡¯d just received a huge boost in power and she didn¡¯t really need to rush the next one. She needed to make some plans anyway. She quite liked the Four Winds and would help them along as much as she could, but that was not a long-term plan. She wasn¡¯t planning on settling down here permanently.


    ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± She asked Croestia for her opinion.


    ¡°I would suggest we lay low for a while. Your general plans will take you away from Pantheon at some point in the future but now is not the time. You would still be at the mercy of the angels. Besides, didn¡¯t the seers mention that you would be able to get your dragon side under control if you made contact with the being Selvaria sent us here to meet?¡± Croestia pointed out.


    ¡°A being I know very little about. But then again, the seers also mentioned that I¡¯d be able to meet the being when I grew strong enough. So we wait?¡± Dee suggested. It was not a very proactive plan, but it would do for now. She could use some rest anyway. Not that she knew what to do with herself when resting. She was a very active person.


    Suddenly there was a small burst of power outside the building, announcing the presence of someone wanting her attention. Dee walked to the door and slid it open. Moirai was standing outside. ¡°Something wrong?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°You tell me. There are some wolves here. Apparently, they want to meet with you. The Winter Wolves to be exact.¡±


    ¡®Winter Wolves? That¡¯s Shunkaha¡¯s tribe. What on Pantheon are they doing here?¡¯ Dee thought confused.

 Chapter 110

    By the time Dee and Moirai reached their destination, it had become clear that this whole thing was bigger than just some Winter Wolves wanting to meet Dee. The meeting was happening at the large and official reception room of the Four Winds. The room was large enough for there be a second-floor balcony overseeing the proceedings, and many of the more powerful members of the Four Winds were using the vantage point to see and hear what was going on. The four representatives of each race had taken a more official seating that didn¡¯t quite look like thrones but were not far from it either.


    Arrayed before them were not just Winter Wolves, but members from several of the wolf tribes. It was clear that each of the tribes had sent a representative, and each representative had brought along a second person. In the case of the Winter Wolves, the representatives were the current Alpha Amarog and the presumed next Alpha Shunkaha. On the other hand, Dee also recognized Shunkaha¡¯s fianc¨¦e Felan standing next to another golden furred wolf tribe male. It seemed most of the ¡®seconds¡¯ were members of a younger generation or advisers.


    The wolf tribe beastmen were generally rather similar in appearance with lean and muscled bodies more meant for speed than power, but they had different colored fur growing in the places where they had any. Some, like the black furred and red-eyed wolfman than seemed a bit like a warg in Dee¡¯s opinion, were bulkier in appearance. The fur colors ranged from the silvery-grey of the Winter Wolves to the black of the wargs and many colors in between not usually seen in nature, like red, gold and blue. Most of the wolf tribes were werebeast that were largely human in appearance with some bestial features, but there were a few demi-humans that looked more like werewolves or bi-pedal wolves than anything else. In entirety, there must have been at least twenty different tribes represented, with 2 members from every tribe.


    ¡°Well, this seems a bit more than you said.¡± Dee pointed out a little accusingly.


    ¡°Ah, yeah, the Winter Wolves I mentioned came first, but it took me a while to find you. The others must have arrived in the meantime.¡± Moirai replied a little apologetically. The isolated meditation facilities were found around the city, and Moirai had not known which facility Dee was using without using Mindscape. She had not been in a rush, so she had started out not using the psionic ability, as she knew Dee was not fond of being found that way. Dee had complained something about cheating before.


    They all seemed to be waiting for something, and it soon became obvious what that something was. ¡°Ah, good, Dee. You arrived just in time. Our guests requested your presence, though for what reason I do not know.¡± Nyx called towards them, waving Dee and Moirai to the front.


    Amarog stepped forward, taking the role of representing the other tribes. ¡°The reason isn¡¯t all that complicated. We heard that she is a member of your community and we¡¯ve had some dealings with her before. We¡¯ve not really had dealings with your community on the other hand, so I thought it might be helpful to have someone who can vouch for both parties present. It¡¯s partially because of her that we are here and not meeting with some other community of similar rank.¡±


    ¡°And I think it¡¯s about time you told us why you are here.¡± The Anshar representative said, his voice shutting out all the other chatter, silencing them.


    ¡°We¡¯ve received news that is¡­alarming, to say the least. You are of course aware of the situation with the highest ranked second circle communities vying for the spot in the first circle, which is about to become open.¡±


    ¡°We are aware, yes.¡± The Jun representative Shioko replied curtly but noticed Dee raising her hand up to ask for permission to speak. ¡°What is it, Dee.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be the ignorant person in the room, but I¡¯m only vaguely aware of what you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯ve been a little busy lately.¡± Dee asked a little ashamed of her ignorance.


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement of the year.¡± Nyx muttered under her breath before continuing more forcefully. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see. I can give you a condensed version and it will also make sure we¡¯re all up to speed as well. To make a long story short, the communities in the first circle very rarely change positions. That applies both to dropping out of the first circle as well as changing rank inside the first circle. They sometimes fight with each other, but as a whole, they have maintained a careful balance for thousands of years. That balance is about to be broken.¡±


    ¡°How, and why now?¡± Dee asked the obvious questions.


    ¡°Well, how do things like this usually go? Not peacefully. The second-ranked community is carrying the rather pompous name of Celestial Court and their so-called Celestial Emperor is a stickler for others abiding by his wishes. The thing is, their community alone holds almost a third of all the immortals in the Day city, so there¡¯s a good reason for others to give him his due.¡± Amarog gave an explanation.


    ¡°So how are they only the second ranked with that many immortals?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Quality over quantity.¡± Nyx gave the concise reason. ¡°The number one community is a special case. Anyway, that¡¯s beside the point. The Celestial Emperor tried to force the leader of the sixth-ranked community to submit to his rule and join the court. The thing is, the sixth-ranked community is a little special as well. It¡¯s the only community in the first circle that is actually just an individual being with a few weak servants added in. No one knows the exact nature or strength of that being, but it is one of the few thirteenth ranked existences in the Day city. Not surprisingly the being refused. The Celestial Emperor, of course, didn¡¯t like this challenge on his prestige one bit.¡±


    ¡°A direct confrontation would have been a really bad idea for the whole Pantheon, but there¡¯s more than one way to reach a goal. The Celestial Emperor reached out to the ninth-ranked community known as the Coven. The Coven is somewhat mercenary with their services and they, in turn, placed a heavy curse on the being that had refused the emperor. The curse is slowly killing that being. According to rumors at least. With the being dead soon, the only thing left of his community would be some servants who won¡¯t be able to retain the spot in the first circle, hence a spot soon becoming open. Of course, that means the highest ranked second circle communities are salivating at the chance to become a first circle community.¡± Kawhena the Dagon representative finished the explanation.


    ¡°Now we get to the point why we are here.¡± Amarog said, returning to the original topic. ¡°We all suspected that the communities of the Night city would not let the opportunity pass. At first, we assumed this would mostly affect the highest ranking communities of the second circle just mentioned, but now we are seeing evidence that this is not the case.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡± Nyx prompted Amarog to continue.


    ¡°Well, a little background first. You are aware that the wolf tribes are among the communities that send our young to join other powerful communities to receive training and forge alliances. The recent struggle between the freelancers and the Radiant Sun has forced us and many other communities like ours to pull our members back to avoid them getting stuck in the middle. The thing is, many communities like the Lacademonians have continued to pull back their members from ALL other communities, not just the two I mentioned before. The interesting thing is that the communities that have pulled back all their members also all have ties to the Night city, even sister communities in some cases.¡± Amarog explained.


    Sister communities were communities that were for all intents and purposes part of the same group, just divided between the two cities. The practice was especially prevalent among communities made up from a single race that liked to maintain a presence in both cities.


    ¡°So you suspect something bigger is going on?¡± Nyx asked, everyone¡¯s suspicions rising.


    ¡°That was our first thought. Luckily we have good connections with the Lacademonians I mentioned before, and they mentioned that many of the communities in Night city are preparing to enter the Day city in force when the hostilities for the spot in the first circle begin. Some are even preparing to come before then to have a good foothold to operate from by the time things get really bad. We knew a few would come here, but it seems that there will be hundreds of communities striking out. Many are just planning on taking advantage of the chaos, while some are coming here to stay.¡± Amarog¡¯s words caused a wave of commotion and whispering to happen among those observing the meeting on the balcony.


    He continued. ¡°That in itself would be bad enough, but here¡¯s the thing. There are only so many spots in the second and third circle, which are the most likely areas to be hit. The communities coming from the Night city range from simple marauding groups to those that can give even the Crimson Path stiff competition and plan to stay here permanently. If there¡¯s no room for them in the second and third circles, then they¡¯ll make room violently. Some of the communities that have connections in Night city are forming alliances with other communities here, merging the communities together. Normally most communities would not be up for such hasty mergers, but this situation is special as they stand a better chance than alone.¡±


    ¡°I see where this is going.¡± The Anshar representative grumbled. The wolves were here to form an alliance or even a merger similar to the one Amarog had just mentioned. ¡±Why us?¡±


    Amarog shrugged. ¡°Well, a couple of reasons. For one, yours is already a community that brings together four separate races. If we wolf tribes were to join, we would not be at a horrible disadvantage. Four winds could become Five winds much more easily than trying to combine with many other communities. With enough time, we could become an equal partner in all this. Although we are not a match for the Four Winds as a whole, we can match any single race among you pretty well, so we¡¯d pull our own weight. Secondly, we have heard good things about your community, and like I said, we already have a connection of sorts with you.¡± Amarog pointed at Dee.


    He was aware that the Four Winds had high hopes for Dee and as such placed great importance on her. He also didn¡¯t mention that they picked the Four Winds partly because the community had more power than their current position suggested. He knew the Four Winds was a third circle community with the strength of a second circle one. And that was before the Threads of Fate and the wolf tribes threw in their support. That also combined with the potential of some of the younger members like Dee and Shunkaha, ensuring that future also holds great promise. All in all, the alliance would give them a good chance to stand against the coming troubles.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Nyx suddenly grinned and looked at Dee. ¡°I know I said you could pull more immortals out of your pockets Dee, but I didn¡¯t know you were hiding a surprise like this in those tight pants of yours.¡±


    ----------


    Dee, Moirai, and Faylen were sitting in the garden of Moirai¡¯s house, enjoying a well-earned moment of peace. Dee and Moirai had spent quite a bit of time dealing with the negotiations between the wolf tribes and the Four Winds, especially Dee who had connections with both groups. Both sides asked a lot of questions about the other, and Dee answered to the best of her ability. Her knowledge about the wolf tribes was a lot less than her knowledge about the Four Winds, so the tribes got a slight advantage there. Luckily her part in the negotiations was now over.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the verdict?¡± Faylen asked from Moirai, who had much more information on the subject.


    ¡°Well, the news they brought has been verified and their offer is enticing. The Four Winds isn¡¯t so old as a community that adding a fifth race would be a problem, but it¡¯s a bit complicated still. The original four races were brought together by our weaknesses being covered by the other races, and the other races not really taking us seriously. The situation with the wolves is a bit different.¡± Moirai speculated.


    ¡°The beastmen are generally the recipient of quite a lot of bad will from other races, although the wolf tribes less than most.¡± Faylen pointed out. Just because the world of Pantheon brought together thousands of races, that didn¡¯t mean prejudices simply disappeared. Certain races took a dim view of the beastmen.


    Dee was glad to see that Faylen was not holding a grudge anymore. The elven woman had been a bit pouty thanks to being left here when Dee and the others had gone back to the elven forest. She was luckily getting over it now though. ¡°I can vouch for that.¡± Dee pointed out. She looked like a beastman, although only if one didn¡¯t look too closely. She hadn¡¯t faced too much derision due to her race, but that was mostly because she excelled so much as an individual. Also, many others didn¡¯t really know what to make of her. Interestingly the ones with the most biased view of her had been the kitsune she and Razark had met.


    ¡°In any case, the Four Winds won¡¯t be becoming Five Winds just yet, but the basic idea is sound. The wolf tribes would be a useful ally, and at least for the time being our communities will be joining hands.¡± Moirai finished.


    ¡°Speaking of hands, I still can¡¯t believe the leader of the White Wolves tried to have the alliance cemented with a marriage between you and Shunkaha.¡± Faylen laughed at Dee, making a joke about the old saying about taking someone¡¯s hand in marriage. That idea had been presented and quickly shot down.


    Dee just scoffed at the thought, while Moirai spoke with a laugh. ¡°Gotta give the wolfboy some credit for persistence. He has chased after you for years. They saw a chance and tried to take it. Can¡¯t really fault them for that.¡±


    ¡°Remind me to thank your mother for shooting the idea down so decisively.¡± Dee replied.


    ¡°Well, she knew they actually have no control over you, so they can¡¯t make such decisions in your stead. Agreeing would only tick you off at best and drive you off at worst.¡± Moirai replied feigning honesty. Secretly she knew Nyx just wanted to keep her new gaming buddy around. Dee was the only one that could consistently match her mother¡¯s wits, even though they rarely played.


    Dee found herself in a peculiar situation. For the first time in a while, she didn¡¯t have some large goal to work towards. Her transition towards immortality was currently happening pretty much automatically, and it was better if she didn¡¯t try to rush it. Thanks to the recent dose of life energy from the Tree of Life, her body was brimming with power and required no physical training either. She had no grand battle to fight or a person to help, especially since she didn¡¯t want to get mixed up in Razark¡¯s revenge, for now at least. In fact, she was kind of just waiting for things to happen at this point. This was the first for her. What did people spend their time with when they had nothing else to do?


    ¡°What do people do to pass time?¡± Dee asked with a small frown.


    The two others looked at her in confusion. ¡°They have fun and relax?¡± Faylen half asked, expecting to have misunderstood the question.


    ¡°How do people have fun? Or relax?¡± Dee asked, equally confused.


    At this point, Faylen and Moirai realized Dee wasn¡¯t joking, and they also realized Dee might not really have had actual free time since being taken by the assassins. What made them feel worse was that it was partially their fault. First Faylen and her friends had filled Dee¡¯s time with templar training, and then Moirai had taken over to cram decades of psion training into few scant years. After that, it had been the order and then Razark and the old man. Everything else had been one battle after another. Dee truly had no idea how to relax and just have fun.


    ¡°Well, that depends on what a person finds fun.¡± Moirai said stalling for time, thinking furiously. ¡°If you like music or arts, then the Jun often hold shows for their work and perform for us.¡±


    Dee enjoyed music greatly but had something of a weird relationship with it. She almost revered music, so listening to it just to pass time somehow felt¡­weird. She shook her head in denial for now. She could always try that if nothing else worked.


    ¡°Some people like both watching or participating fights. The best place for that is the Cauldron of Blood in the fifth circle.¡± Faylen suggested, knowing Dee appreciated fighting. ¡°If you want to go towards a bit more normal route, you could go to a party of some kind. The standard types are more like festivals and if one wants to go the heavier route they could go to one of the dens run by the Coven.¡±


    ¡°The Coven?¡± Dee asked, recognizing the name. ¡°Aren¡¯t they the weakest first circle community?¡±


    ¡°In theory the weakest. The Coven is THE gathering of witches, and I mean actual witches and not those called a witch as an insult, like the Crimson Witches. Although their battle power is theoretically the smallest in the first circle, there¡¯s a reason the Crimson Path has not tried to take their place. The Coven is the scariest community outside battle. They can curse an entire race or spread a plague that affects only your community, and that¡¯s not mentioning all the normal curses and other methods they have at their disposal. They are also the largest purveyors of potions, elixirs, drugs and banned substances. That¡¯s why the Celestial Emperor went to them for help. They are one of the communities that helped found Pantheon.¡± Moirai explained.


    ¡°They also throw the greatest parties thanks to their abilities. They can help you relive the best memory of your life, give you the most fabulous fantasy your imagination can¡¯t even fathom alone, allow you to feel the greatest of pleasures and just give you the buzz of a lifetime. I heard they even throw legendary orgies every now and then. Some of them are completely hedonistic, but you can¡¯t deny they can show you the time of your life. They have witches around both Day and Night cities and they have something called dens where the literal magic happens.¡± Faylen looked a little embarrassed while she explained. She had been dragged into one of the dens by Mazatl once. They¡¯d had one of the milder experiences, but it still embarrassed her.


    ¡°Or you could read a book.¡± Moirai suddenly suggested instead, with a wry smile. With their sudden eagerness to help Dee find some interests, the duo had gone a bit to the extremes, especially with the Coven suggestion. Many pleasures and pastimes in life were simple.


    Dee smiled at the simple suggestion. She had experience with reading at least. It was one of the few things she had actually done as a hobby of sorts, although half the time it was research and study. Another hobby she¡¯d had was alchemy, so the idea about the Coven and their concoctions intrigued her. Still, it might be a bit much to dive straight into the deep end. Maybe she could start with something more familiar, like the Cauldron of Blood?


    As she left towards the teleportation gates, she was both surprised and really not surprised to see Shunkaha¡¯s fianc¨¦e waiting for her outside Moirai¡¯s house. Dee had spent a lot of time here, and indeed lived here for now, so it was the most obvious place to find her. Dee idly thought it was interesting she¡¯d just seen Faylen and was now meeting Felan. The two had quite similar names. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Dee asked, although she was able to guess.


    ¡°Shunkaha has made his interest clear. Do you really have no intention of taking him up on his advances?¡± Felan asked sternly, going straight to the point. She was actually shaking a bit, afraid of angering Dee. The last time the two had fought, it had been made clear Felan had no chance and Dee could kill her with a snap of her fingers. In fact, if Dee really had intentions towards Shunkaha, Felan was now offering her own life on a silver platter and giving a chance to remove the competition.


    Dee grinned as her suspicions were confirmed. The girl displayed a little bit of courage at least showing up here. ¡®When did I start thinking about her as a girl? She can¡¯t be much younger than me and might even be older. Is this what power does to your perception?¡¯ She thought with a bit of interest. ¡°My intentions are really not a concern of yours. However, I suppose I can throw you a bone and tell you that I have no such interests, for now at least.¡±


    Her words left Felan frustrated, as they were not really a full confirmation. What if Dee changed her mind in the future? Suddenly Dee stepped closer and bent down to whisper in Felan¡¯s ear. ¡°On the other hand, I find you a little interesting. If you ever want to have a go at it, I might entertain you.¡± She blew a little air into Felan¡¯s wolf ear and then walked past the flustered girl while laughing. Dee knew she was being a little bad, but quite enjoyed the girl¡¯s reaction.


    A shudder went through Felan, but even she wasn¡¯t entirely sure why.

 Chapter 111

    The hubbub of the Cauldron of Blood was somewhat nostalgic for Dee. It had been many years since Faylen had taken her here to pick a fighting style, but she remembered enjoying that short visit. There was an especially aggressive air in the area, which was caused by the fact that almost everyone here was a warrior of some sort. There were some merchants and those that just came to watch mixed in the crowd, but in general, they were in the minority. The area was dominated by rowdy warriors of all types, and it gave the place a different feel from normal.


    There were several interesting details as a result of the odd demographics of the place. For one, everyone was armed. This in itself was less weird than one might think because Pantheon was a dangerous place, but usually the weapons were not displayed so openly. Additionally, normally a throng of people like this would create a sort of crushed and pushing flow of people, but here everyone kept their distance to avoid surprise attacks.


    With the mood of the warriors already running on the aggressive side, it would not be strange to find yourself at the business end of a weapon if you accidentally pushed someone, and that was assuming they didn¡¯t want you dead before getting shoved. The area was filled with various races, some of which hated each other with a passion. They were all also possible competitors and enemies, so taking someone out before they became a problem might be a good idea. Assuming you didn¡¯t get caught. The guards around the place took a dim view of killings outside the arena. A bar fight was ok, but once weapons were drawn the guards intervened. That¡¯s also why people kept their distance, to allow the guards easy visibility of any disturbances and perhaps, more importantly, their non-involvement in anything that happened.


    Such trends only went so far though. When many beings want to get to the same place and the routes are limited, the crush of people will eventually push them together. This was especially true in the arena entrances and around certain shops. Dee didn¡¯t especially hide or advertise her presence, but all the trained warriors in the area could sense the danger she radiated. They could also faintly sense the presence of something greater, which Dee would later find out to be the first hints of her Domain. So despite her hiding her exact strength, a path opened around her no matter where she went.


    Watching fights had a certain appeal to her and she was already somewhat familiar with the place, so she had chosen the Cauldron of Blood as the first destination to find some entertainment. She realized that a public place like this also provided a certain level of danger in case she ran into some elves from the great forest because they would be able to sense her presence. The elves themselves didn¡¯t really worry her, but the elves might decide to inform possible bounty hunters of her presence. And pretty much every warrior here was a potential bounty hunter for the right price. She¡¯d heard some rumors of the bounty set by elves and Sidhe, and the price was quite enough to attract any non-immortal bounty hunters.


    ¡®Well, at least things would get entertaining that way.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. She wasn¡¯t all that worried, as she had several plans to escape, and she had taken some precautions.


    Her first target was one of the higher ranked arenas open to the public, for a suitable fee of course. One of these days she would have to come up with a good way of earning some money, as it was a little bothersome to pay for things with information and power. A positive side was that she could easily find seating in the arena built of dark stone. The entry fee was enough to discourage most people from attending, so while the viewing areas were well filled, they were not completely packed.


    Dee observed her surroundings with some curiosity. Her special sight allowed her to easily assess the strength of others, with some margin of error due to skill differences, and most of the audience was made up of people around ranks four to six. A couple of rank seven people were scattered among the people, mostly working as protection for notable people with money to spend on high-rank guards. One seemed to be here to cheer for his brother according to an overheard discussion. They were clearly not here for enjoyment, which made Dee a little curious. This was after all supposed to be one of the highest ranked public showings. Why the disinterest?


    As the fights begun, Dee quickly realized the reason. Most of the fighters were of similar ranks to the observers, though mostly on the higher end of the spectrum with rank five or six. Most higher ranked people would find it very uninteresting to observe the fights of people weaker than them. Dee found it slightly interesting as the fighters were clearly professional, but fought differently to what she had seen before. Nearly all of the fights were not to the death, and so the participants were not really fighting to optimize victory and survival. Because they weren¡¯t fighting for their lives, they made many inefficient decisions mostly to make the fights more entertaining and dramatic. Usually this only happened when the fight wasn¡¯t even, so they had some room to perform some theatrics. It seemed to be for the benefit of the audience, as the more theatrical people got more cheers and increased betting on their matches.


    ¡°Disgusting isn¡¯t it?¡± A nearby High Orc asked noticing Dee¡¯s displeasure. ¡°You haven¡¯t spent much time here, have you? The fights here are mostly show matches. The participants have already reached their peak on the rankings and are just trying to ride on their success for some extra fame and money.¡±


    Dee gave a glance at the large and heavily muscled form of the orc that towered above even her already tall form. The orc seemed to have muscles on his muscles. In general the High Orcs looked a lot more powerful and sophisticated than their lesser cousins and this individual was not an exception. This particular orc seemed to be at the higher end of rank six according to his ki.


    ¡°It is a little disappointing. The level is much lower than the rumors let on.¡± Dee replied. She had asked around and these fights had been highly recommended. She had asked the wrong people apparently. That¡¯s what you get for using low ranked people as sources of information. Sometimes they didn¡¯t know any better.


    The High Orc gave a small but deep laugh. ¡°Much lower, is it?¡± Despite the inefficiency, the current people fighting were still rank six, so saying the level was much lower told a lot about Dee¡¯s own ability. ¡°The really high-level fights are restricted for many reasons. One of the obvious reasons being that the audience couldn¡¯t even follow the fights of that level unless they were higher ranked as well. The competition on the Path of Glory is much higher at that level, so they don¡¯t like to advertise their abilities too much. So you have to fulfill some conditions to be allowed to watch.¡±


    ¡°And what would those conditions be, if I may ask?¡± Dee asked patiently. The orc was nice enough to provide information, so at least she could be patient in return.


    The orc had known the question was coming, so he had a reply ready. ¡°Well, there are several. Being part of certain communities, like on the second and third circle gains you entry. Enough money, right connections, enough personal power and so on. Each of those things gains you a certain level of entry. The best way is to be high on the rankings yourself. That gains you entry pretty much everywhere. Which level fight did you want to see?¡±


    ¡°What would it take to see a fight between immortals?¡± Dee asked firmly.


    The orc gave a small whistle. Well, small for his size meaning that it was heard pretty far, but everyone who looked over either recognized the orc and looked away, or felt the danger radiating from Dee and looked away even faster. ¡°That¡¯s a high bar. Only some of the very highest ranked people in the top hundred list, which we call the Peak of Glory, are immortal. I don¡¯t think any of them have fought each other in years. Those at the Peak of Glory rarely do. It¡¯s always a real event when they do.¡±


    Dee gave a small sigh of defeat. She had suspected immortals usually didn¡¯t bother participating, but it had been worth a shot. ¡°Rank nines then.¡±


    ¡°Well, that still narrows it down to people at the Peak or trying to get in. Why aim so high?¡± The orc asked curiously. He could feel the danger radiated by Dee and the slight pressure of her Domain passively affecting people, but didn¡¯t connect it with someone of immortal level. At most he guessed Dee to be around rank eight and even that felt generous. A person that had seen plenty of death, sure, but not necessarily powerful to that level.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit boring watching the fights of those much weaker than myself.¡± Dee replied firmly. She had gotten used to watching skill at the level of the old man that trained her, and he would¡¯ve tossed these people out after the first move. Then she had spent time with Sidhe who spent millennia honing their skills. Sure they weren¡¯t all powerful, but they all had a certain level of skill at least. These people were a disappointment in comparison. They all also seemed to be moving as slow as snails, so there was that too.


    ¡°Much weaker than yourself?¡± The orc asked, his voice rising a bit in question. He suddenly felt like he might have approached someone he shouldn¡¯t have.


    Dee looked at the orc for a moment and then grinned. So far her tails had been hidden by her cloak, but she slid all nine of them out just long enough for the orc to see and count them. Sweat beaded the orc¡¯s forehead as he realized the woman in front of him could kill everyone inside the building fairly easily. ¡°Can I do something to help your grace?¡± The orc asked suddenly even more polite.


    ¡®Your grace again?¡¯ Dee thought with some amusement. ¡°Where can I go to get myself ranked? Preferably in a way, where I don¡¯t have to crush a thousand people before being able to challenge for a spot on the Peak of Glory. It would waste all our time if I had to fight a lot of people who had no chance.¡±


    ¡®Weren¡¯t you here to watch fights?¡¯ Croestia asked silently, her voice tinged with mirth.


    ¡®Fights are so much more interesting when you¡¯re taking part personally. It¡¯s a good excuse to get some exercise anyway.¡¯ Dee replied. The brief fight with the old man had helped her get more familiar with her own strength, but the old man wasn¡¯t the best opponent for comparison. Fighting a few people of similar rank to her would do wonders. She didn¡¯t need to try for the top rankings, but a couple of decent fights should be fun.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    -----------


    The High Orc had taken her to a large official looking building and explained that she could apply for a pass to skip ranks inside. There were often people of certain level of strength that came to test themselves at the Cauldron of Blood. Sometimes they were so strong that there was no point to have them fight their way up from the very bottom, so there was a system in place. She had allowed the orc to leave when she reached the building as the poor guy was not feeling good about his choices.


    As she went in, the lobby was filled with people on official business. The room was filled with receptionist that could filter the people to the right place, but still those that had business here were forced to wait in line due to the sheer number of them. As she approached, the people in front of her were about to argue but a single look at her convinced them that it might be better to let her go first. The lines in front of her parted and she didn¡¯t have to wait. The receptionist that waved her to approach had a smile of delight on her face. It was clearly entertaining for her to see large gruff warriors scurrying away in front of a woman like Dee.


    ¡°What can I do for you?¡± She asked pleasantly.


    ¡°I would like to start my journey on the Path of Glory.¡± Dee mentioned the sentence usually uttered to start fighting in the arenas. She continued. ¡°I would also like to apply for a permission to skip ranks.¡±


    ¡°That is fine, but you will have to prove your ability. Do you have a community that can vouch for you? That would speed things along.¡± The receptionist hinted. Even here connections mattered. Dee pulled out the insignia of the Four Winds and showed it so only the receptionist saw it. She didn¡¯t want to advertise her membership with the community in case she ran into trouble.


    ¡°Oh my. Well that¡¯s a good recommendation.¡± The receptionist recognized the insignia. ¡°How far do you want to skip exactly?¡±


    ¡°High enough that I can challenge for a spot on the Peak as soon as possible. There¡¯s no point in wasting everyone¡¯s time.¡± Dee replied confidently.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a little problematic. I¡¯ll ask for our highest ranked testers, but¡­oh well. Not my problem.¡± She handed a small token to Dee that had an arrow on it. ¡°That token will point you the right way. Just follow the directions.¡±


    Dee did as she was instructed and the token lead her deeper and deeper inside the building. She noted that the walls became thicker and stronger as she went along, and they were clearly enchanted by the time she reached her destination. Once she opened the door, she found herself in a fairly large room, not quite an arena but not much smaller either. Almost at the same time, another door on the other side opened, and a large centaur walked through.


    The centaur was looking at some documents and not at Dee. ¡°Oh, so we have someone who thinks they can challenge for a spot at the Peak straight off? Young ones these days.¡± He looked up at Dee at this point and stopped. Dee¡¯s form was very unique and he could clearly see the nine tails waving behind her back. Any centaur that had been part of the attack near the forest had heard rumors about the death that stalked their camp at night. The accompanying descriptions were sparse but agreed on few details. This particular centaur had also had the dubious pleasure of seeing Dee in action in a battle. And she¡¯d only had eight tails back then.


    He looked back at the forms. ¡°Approved.¡± He said simply and marched straight back out the door. He was one of the bodyguards of the Khan of his tribe and very strong for a centaur. Yet he knew better than to pick this fight.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Dee asked with fair bit of surprise. Her token began to blink, guiding her deeper inside the large building. Unknown to her, she had been assigned more than one test, and the centaur was supposed to weed out those who thought too much of themselves. She found herself in another similar room, built just a bit stronger again.


    This time she had to wait a bit before a large being seemingly made of dark obsidian walked through the wide double doors on the other side of the room. Despite the size of the entrance, the stony wings still scraped against the doorframes, causing a screeching sound that was quite unpleasant to Dee¡¯s sharp ears. ¡®I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a living Gargoyle before.¡¯ Dee messaged Croestia.


    ¡®It looks positively demonic.¡¯ Croestia commented, quite right in her assessment. The gargoyle had a twisted and demonic face and its other features were not any less horrendous.


    ¡°Trying to get approval to skip right to challenging the Peak of Glory?¡± The Gargoyle asked in a surprisingly pleasant voice.


    ¡°Indeed. I can most likely challenge for the top twenty of the Peak, so why waste time fighting opponents no match for me.¡± Dee replied. Surprisingly she was unable to judge the exact power of the Gargoyle, as something in its stony skin made it hard to see through. She could also sense the being would be very resistant to magic and many things like ki attacks.


    ¡°A fair point. I can see you have nine tails, attesting to your rank, so I won¡¯t quibble. We will fight, and if you defeat me, you will qualify.¡± Suddenly the Gargoyle surged forward and swung a dark obsidian hammer at Dee. The weapon had appeared out of nowhere, and on instinct, Dee equipped her gauntlets.


    As the attack approached though, she could feel the strength behind it better. It had great weight and momentum, but that was only natural for something so heavy. It wasn¡¯t very fast though, and she could dodge it easily if she wanted to. She didn¡¯t want to though. She was supposed to prove her strength, so that¡¯s what she would do.


    As the attack approached, she simply placed a single gauntleted finger on the path of the attack. The gargoyle was clearly surprised, which turned into shock as its strike stopped like it had hit a wall of steel. Dee didn¡¯t move a single centimel despite to the weight of the attack, and in fact her finger didn¡¯t even bend. Her strength had increased greatly after ¡®eating¡¯ the Tree of Life, and something like a simple attack from the Gargoyle was not enough to faze her. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do better than that.¡± She said, almost admonishing the being. The strike had been heavy but didn¡¯t even contain any ki behind it.


    ¡°My apologies.¡± The being said a little contrite, realizing how much it had underestimated its opponent. A weird power ran through the being, and lines of mana dotted the stony surface everywhere.


    ¡®So a magical warrior and not someone who uses ki. Makes sense considering the being is almost an animated statue.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. Magical warriors were sparse, but not to the extent of really surprising people.


    The being moved much faster, but still seemed much too slow to Dee¡¯s eyes. Apparently speed was not its forte. This time it swung a weapon with each hand and the blows were much, much heavier. Dee allowed the psionic power inside her to enhance her strength and met both weapons with the palms of her hands. These attacks met the same fate as the first attack. The gargoyle might have increased his strength, but so had Dee. This time she countered with her two free hands and struck two heavy blows on the stony body of the gargoyle.


    The body of the being was even tougher than it looked, but Dee had quite enough strength to crack the dark stone. Interestingly there was no blood, as it looked like she had struck a statue. It did send the being stumbling back though, and Dee followed up with an invisible fist of telekinetic energy in an attempt to push it off balance. Worryingly the psionic energy dissipated as it came into contact with the stony body, only shoving it a bit.


    With a growl, Dee materialized the halo that improved her psionic abilities. She didn¡¯t think the being would be able to resist all such attacks. Hundreds of heavy invisible fists rained on the being, the sheer volume of attacks overwhelming its defenses. It stumbled backward and fell to one knee. The strikes managed to get through now but were not able to damage the dark stone that made up its body. Clearly this tester was someone who excelled in defense and especially against attacks made up of pure power.


    After the first three strikes the being had made, it never got the chance to make more. Dee spent a little bit of time testing the effectiveness of her different abilities, and the fight came to a quick conclusion once she rammed a small black pearl through the being¡¯s shoulder, severing its left hand. The gargoyle truly was a nice punching bag, though it felt a bit of a shame that she didn¡¯t really get to test her own defenses. Still judging by the three attacks it had made, there was little danger. While the being was a great punching bag, Dee had no desire to become one herself.


    After the test was over, an official looking gentleman entered the room, while another who was apparently a mage rushed to repair the damage done to the Gargoyle. ¡°You have shown enough strength to vie for a spot at the Peak of Glory. Is there a particular person in the ranks one hundred to ninety that you¡¯d like to challenge?¡± The official-looking man asked.


    ¡°Number ninety of course. No point in challenging anyone weaker.¡± Dee replied with a smile.


    The man grunted. ¡°Challenging the only true mage among the eleven you are allowed to challenge. It will take some time to arrange. A challenge to enter the Peak is always a public spectacle that draws a lot of audience. The person you challenged also needs time to prepare. We will contact you through this once we can set the date, but expect it to take a few weeks.¡± The man gave Dee a small crystal ball for communication.


    ¡®A few weeks? Bloody hell, what do I do now? This is becoming more complicated than it is worth.¡¯ Dee thought to herself.


    ¡®Well, Faylen and Moirai did mention other options. Besides, there¡¯s one ability that you still haven¡¯t tested after what happened with the Tree of Life.¡¯ Croestia suggested.


    ¡®Yeah. My flames as a kitsune.¡¯ Dee remembered. She had been a little leery to test them, considering they were something that bled over from her Domain connecting. They were theoretically only supposed to work once she became an immortal, but she was halfway there already. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure she could control the flames.


    ¡®Only one way to find out.¡¯ Croestia knew what she was thinking, and encouraged her to try.

 Chapter 112

    Dee looked at the three cages occupied by various beings and the large creature held in place by her telekinesis. She had spent half a day to capture some live test subjects, and the large one had been the most difficult to find. Most communities and inhabited areas kept the surroundings clear of anything really dangerous, so she had been forced to go a little further to find something worthy. She looked at the large Manticore she was detaining with judgment in her eyes.


    ¡®I really wanted to find something rank seven at least.¡¯ She sent the message to Croestia. The Manticore barely qualified as rank six, and even that was generous.


    ¡®We¡¯ll have time for that later. The important thing is to get some initial tests done. Who knows? We might not even need the poor creature.¡¯ Croestia encouraged her.


    Dee had taken the imprisoned beings to a place nearby the Four Winds headquarters. She didn¡¯t want to run the risk of having the fire spread to the city in case she couldn¡¯t control it, so there was a fair amount of distance between the place and any habitation. Just in case she had also picked a place with sparse vegetation and a large river between her and the city. She could¡¯ve picked a more deserted place, but she wanted some help to be nearby if things went sideways. If the worst happened, then at least the immortals of the Four Winds could contain any damage.


    She concentrated at the empty air in front of her, trying to reach for the same thing she had used to burn the Tree of Life. Back then she had acted almost purely by instinct, so it took some effort, but she finally felt something connect. A small black flame suddenly appeared in front of her and danced in the air. The flame itself felt wrong. It was as if the nature around her was recoiling from its presence and the creatures in the cages pushed themselves as far away from it as possible, pushing against the bars on the other side.


    Dee observed the flame with a large amount of curiosity. Somehow she knew that these flames were not just the result of her kitsune heritage, but also due to her draconic parts. She had two beings of fire in her heritage after all, so it was not completely outside her expectations that they would mix in some way. It was not a normal flame and there was something decidedly unnatural and demonic about it. Yet she also detected the faint presence of holy power in it. It seemed that when the blessings messed with her shapeshifting abilities the effect carried elsewhere.


    The flame itself was hot, it was a demonic flame after all, but not especially so. It radiated heat that didn¡¯t really seem to affect Dee, but it did not burn any hotter than normal flames would at that size. She put a little bit more power into the flame, and the small flame grew a bit and became a little hotter, as you would expect. So far the flame did not really seem like something that would warrant it waiting until she became an immortal, aside from the creepy feeling it gave off.


    She looked at the first cage, which held a simple rat. A tiny creature with no special resistance to fire, and one that no one would miss. She tossed the flame at the rat and as soon as it reached the tiny creature, the rat and the flame both disappeared in a blink of an eye. Only a small bit of grey dust remained at the bottom of the cage.


    ¡®That seems a little odd. I put enough power in the flame to burn the rat, but not that fast.¡¯ She had fully assumed the rat to die within a second, but in less than a fraction without any visible signs of burning? And without leaving behind something resembling a corpse? The flame was not supposed to be hot enough for that.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think it burned the rat.¡¯ Croestia replied with a weird tone of voice.


    ¡®Explain.¡¯ Dee prompted.


    ¡®I can¡¯t just yet. It was just a feeling and the whole thing happened a bit too fast for me to really make a good observation.¡¯ Croestia messaged firmly. She had a theory, but it was too soon to share.


    ¡®Alright then.¡¯ Dee thought mostly to herself. She created another flame of similar level and tossed it at the occupant of the second cage, which saw it coming and tried to avoid within the confines of the cage. However, the cage was too small for the large deer to dodge effectively.


    The deer was a beast roughly equal to a rank two warrior, so not a dangerous opponent but one with a bit of power at least. Dee focused her sight with the help of the blessing of Lumen and tried to observe more carefully this time. The small flame spread around the deer, and all the power and life seemed to be drained out of the deer. And just as quickly as the rat before, the deer disappeared, taking the flames with it. It left a slightly larger pile of gray dust this time, but still only what would amount to about a handful.


    ¡®Did you see that?¡¯ Croestia asked excitedly.


    ¡®I did. It seemed to drain all the power and life force within the deer before burning it into that grey dust.¡¯ Dee replied.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think that was burning. I think the body decayed into the dust in that brief moment.¡¯ Croestia corrected.


    ¡®Decayed?¡¯ Dee asked, thinking back. Now that Croestia mentioned it, the process was really closer to decaying than burning. ¡®I think you¡¯re right. Time to see how it reacts to defenses.¡¯


    She looked at the third and final cage with a large male blue scaled Saurian inside. Dee had found the man in the middle of robbing and stabbing a human woman on her way back from the Cauldron of Blood. Not that it really mattered to Dee, but it was nice to know the man would have faced death anyway if caught by the guards. As a bonus, Dee had healed the human woman the Saurian was in the process of stabbing.


    ¡°Be a darling and use as much ki as you can to protect yourself. If you manage to stay alive, I¡¯ll even let you free as a bonus.¡± Dee encouraged the blue scaled man, who got a small fraction of hope in his eyes. Hope that had completely disappeared as he had seen the fates of the occupants of the two other cages. Not that Dee had any intention of letting the man live, but she would keep her word and let him free before killing him.


    Dee kept the flame just as small. The Saurian was a rank four warrior, and she wanted to see how the defenses formed of ki would affect the flame. As soon as the flame was formed she tossed it right at the Saurian man. The flame came in contact with the protective field of ki but passed right through as if it wasn¡¯t there and engulfed him. The man¡¯s face was twisted into a horrible silent scream of agony as the life force inside him was drained away. He managed to survive for a fraction of a second longer when he tried to suppress the flames on his body with his ki instead of blocking it. The flame burnt away the suppressing ki as soon as it came into contact, but Dee felt an almost imperceptibly small drain on her powers as it did. The Saurian seemed to age a thousand years in less than a second and turned into nothing but dust.


    ¡®I see. Protective ki doesn¡¯t stop the flame. Not at this level at least. That really is useful. On the other hand, trying to suppress it works to some extent, but the flame can keep going by taking more power from me. It seemed like it took a lot less power from me than the Saurian used to try and suppress it.¡¯ Dee shared her observations.


    ¡®That might partially be due to how highly refined and thick your power is. One useful thing seems to be that the flame engulfed the target as soon as it came in contact and disappeared as soon as the target died. The cages themselves don¡¯t even seem singed beyond the slightest bit that resulted from limited amount of pure heat radiating from the flames.¡¯ Croestia observed as well.


    Something about that bothered Dee. She couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint what. After a moment of thought, she instead sent a fourth flame at the Manticore. Since the beast didn¡¯t have the intelligence to project a protective field of ki, this didn¡¯t serve as a test for the flames ability to pass through such defenses. However the beast had a body strengthened by mana. Its inborn durability was much higher. The beast turned into grey dust just like the earlier targets, but this time the small flame had to get a significantly larger boost from Dee to do so.


    ¡®Something is not right.¡¯ Dee thought as she observed the unburnt stone ground. She tossed a small flame at the stone, and the flame just slowly melted away the stone right below it. It finally clicked then. She had heard about the devastation left behind after Eternity¡¯s blessing had activated and she had destroyed an entire city after getting injured by the Crimson Witches. That city had been completely destroyed, buildings and all. This flame, although very deadly, seemed somehow lacking in contrast.


    She tried going into her kitsune form in case that made a difference. She felt a little more in control of the flame, but it didn¡¯t seem to make a difference when it came to the nature of the flames. She turned herself smaller just to see if the size of her body made any difference, and unsurprisingly it did not. ¡®That was a silly idea in the first place.¡¯ Dee thought to herself.


    She had a sudden inspiration. The flame back then had drained all the holy power from Eternity. It had returned long since, but it had consumed the power. Her first thought was to simply channel holy power into the flame, but then she got another idea. Instead, she tried connecting her unfinished totem with the flame instead. She had never really tried using the totem but it was connected to the holy symbols, so maybe¡­


    The feeling of wrongness intensified a thousandfold. Before it had felt unnatural, but now the flame¡¯s mere presence silently screamed ¡°This thing should not exist.¡± The flame was not growing as Dee was not putting in more than a small sliver of power, but everything in a several mel radius around the flame suddenly turned into grey dust including the cages and the ground, leaving the small flickering flame floating in the air.


    The flame was now slowly descending towards the ground beneath the small crater it had created. Dee had gotten a result and decided that was enough for now. She tried cutting off the already meager supply of power to the flame, and nothing happened. She suddenly noticed that the flame was now feeding itself by draining power from the surroundings. The area was thick with ambient mana since they were in the third circle.


    ¡°Uh, how do I make this thing stop?¡± Dee suddenly had a horrible thought. She used telekinesis to throw sand on the flame in an attempt to suffocate it, but the flame was not normal and required no air as fuel.


    ¡®Do you think it would hurt you?¡¯ Croestia asked somewhat worried.


    Dee considered for a second. ¡®No I don¡¯t think so. In addition to being something I created, I can feel the power of Lumen inside the flame as well. If anything, I think it would help me.¡¯


    She dashed towards the flame and started using her front legs to paw at the flame, trying to put it out. Her thought proved true in that the flame did nothing bad to her, but the pawing itself had very little effect but it was not useless. In the end, it was Dee¡¯s half-desperate desire to make the flame disappear that finally did the job. That warranted some thought. If the flame followed her wishes, then what other changes could she bring about with her will?


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Suddenly she realized that she was no longer alone. She very slowly turned her head enough to see the seven people, who she really did not wish to see right now. Sure enough though, she turned around to see the four representatives of the Four Winds, Moirai, Shunkaha and Amarog. They had been in the middle of a meeting when they felt the presence of something very wrong nearby. In a very illogical show of embarrassment, Dee tried hiding behind her tails.


    Nyx and Shioko were sitting on the ground holding both hands over their mouths to prevent themselves from laughing out loud, Shunkaha was grinning openly, while Moirai and the Anshar representative had their eyebrows raised in question and judgment. The Dagon representative had already turned around in disgust and was leaving. Dee¡¯s attempts to paw at the weird flame had been strangely comical, especially since she was barely larger than a cat thanks to her failed attempt to affect the flame by changing her size.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to stand here and judge silently until you explain what the heck that was.¡± Moirai said with a level tone. She had gotten somewhat used to her disciple¡¯s shenanigans.


    With a sigh, Dee came out from hiding beneath her tails and explained her tests on her kitsune flames in fairly vague terms. That caused some interesting expressions on the faces of the people who came here. ¡°So the feeling of wrongness that brought us here was caused by your flames?¡± Shioko asked, becoming much more serious.


    ¡°I would assume so.¡± Dee proceeded to first create the normal black flame she had used first, and then once again connected the flame with her totem. It was a hard process even on the second time as she didn¡¯t really have full access to either her flames or the totem. This half immortal existence of hers was becoming a little bothersome. Nevertheless she succeeded, although she realized that she would be unable to grow the small flame that now hovered above her hand. She would have to connect with her Domain before fully utilizing her flames.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little hard to test without a proper target and the flame is hard to control.¡± She said as the feeling of wrongness pervaded the area.


    ¡°I would avoid using the flames openly until you gain full control over them. Especially this version. The earlier, simpler flames would be fine I suppose, they can pass off as something demonic. This, on the other hand, will draw the ire of certain people.¡± Nyx advised Dee. Unlike Dee, Nyx could feel the differences between the flames much more keenly thanks to her own abilities. The earlier dark flame was dangerous, but also very controlled. This one was much more destructive and wild.


    ¡°You can test it on me.¡± The Anshar representative suddenly said.


    This surprised everyone present. They could all feel that getting hit by the flames was not a good idea. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Dee asked. ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t really have control over it. And like you saw, I might not be able to put the flames out easily.¡±


    The laughter, which sounded like rocks falling down a cliff, from the Anshar was a little disconcerting. ¡°I don¡¯t mean to look down on you, but I¡¯m a being of fire several ranks above you. We Anshar are very resistant to any damage done by flames, even demonic ones. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± His confidence was not unfounded. The Anshar were creatures of fire and he was a rank twelve immortal. Even though there was no such thing as being completely immune to something, it would be extraordinary if Dee managed to hurt him and he truly was one of the best targets for such tests.


    The man¡¯s confidence irked Dee for some reason. It was as if he was insulting her flames. It was not just her dragon side that was getting irritated, but also her pride as a kitsune was being insulted. She willed the anger inside her into the flames with the desire to show the man the error of his ways. The flame had so far gently floated on top of Dee¡¯s hand, not hurting anyone. Now it dashed towards the Anshar representative with an almost hungry flash.


    The Anshar lifted his hand confidently to block the flame. He also created a thick layer of protective layer of both mana and ki around his hand just in case. He was confident, but not stupid. Dee had forgotten to mention how ineffective such protective layers had been earlier, partly because she wanted to see the man eat his words and partly because she wanted to see if it would apply to someone much stronger than her.


    As the flame got closer the Anshar man¡¯s hand suddenly started turning into grey dust from the fingers up. He also grunted in pain. Normally something at the level of getting his hand destroyed would not have caused him this amount of pain, but something about the small flame was causing a horrible kind of pain that passed all his resistance to such things. In a flash, he dodged out of the way and used his powers to try and suppress the flame. The flame had engulfed his hand up to his elbow, but the destructive power of the flame no longer extended further away from the flame thanks to the suppression of his power. Before the suppression, his fingers had disappeared without the flame even touching them.


    He tried to push the flame away as it seemed to be eating what remained of his hand, but apparently what the flame took it kept. In a decisive move, he made a sword made of flame and cut away the part of his hand infected with the dark flame. As soon as the hand was severed and lost the support of the Anshar man¡¯s powers, it turned into dust and took the flame with it. Without showing any emotion the man forced a new hand made of pure flame extend out from the stump. Slowly the flame turned more solid, the skin and flesh looking like volcanic rock and the veins seemingly made of lava. Anshar at his level could easily replace lost limbs as they were not creatures bound to normal biology. As long as they had power, they could fix any damage done to them.


    Dee, on the other hand, was having more trouble. The flame had taken a lot out of her as it had resisted the suppression of her target. She had little control over the flame and so had to endure the drain on her powers. Now she was lying on the ground panting from exhaustion. She didn¡¯t lack power, but having it drained out of her so quickly was hard on her. Nyx and Moirai noted the reactions of both people. ¡°Well. This is interesting. Apparently the flame is much more dangerous than we thought. It can hurt even those that Dee is supposed to be unable to harm, but not without a price.¡± Nyx speculated.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Anshar man agreed. He was never in real danger of actually dying and didn¡¯t really suffer any permanent damage, but he¡¯d had a small scare when his protective layer had not worked and his fingers had suddenly disappeared. ¡°Now that I know how to fight the flame it won¡¯t be as successful again, but it really surprised me there. I would assume the flames will only become more effective when Dee gains more power. Still, I would limit the times you use it in places people can see. The surprise factor is a huge advantage.¡±


    ¡°I really need to get back to my vacation.¡± Dee mumbled dead-tired. Experimenting further could wait until she actually became immortal and had some control over her Domain and totem.


    -----


    Within the space filled with grey fog, the four deities stared at the image floating above the campfire. They had seen flames like that before and didn¡¯t have fond memories. Lumen grimaced. ¡°I suppose it should be expected that she inherited that ability considering whose blood you used when creating her.¡± Her words were aimed at Umbra, who in turn was feeling smug.


    ¡°Oh, believe me, I had hopes but I didn¡¯t think it would work so well.¡± Umbra replied, glad that the experiment was successful. ¡°It was a long shot but I¡¯m glad to see it pan out. I was actually expecting her to get a lesser version of the flames, like the one she showed earlier.¡± The flame that had engulfed the city due to Eternity¡¯s blessing had been halfway between the two flames Dee had shown today. That flame had lacked a certain important quality even if it had been destructive.


    ¡°You do realize that the other gods will be less than pleased about the existence of flames that can kill them, right?¡± Lumen pointed out. There were several ways of killing gods, but most of them included striking at the believers. Otherwise they would just reform after some time even if their bodies or avatars were destroyed. These flames were a little different. There were several reasons The Old Ones had been locked away.


    ¡°Perhaps, but they will also be less likely to piss her off, considering the risks involved. Besides, one of the nice things about the flames is that they can¡¯t be seen by normal gods. We only see them because a little bit of our power is mixed in and thanks to the blessings we gave her. So unless she senselessly flaunts them around¡­¡± Umbra countered.


    Death interjected at this point. ¡°Speaking of, there¡¯s something about the blessings you should be aware of.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Umbra asked suddenly wary. Few things Death spoke about were positive.


    ¡°After what happened with her totem, I tried modifying the blessing I gave her. Not to actually change anything, but to test if I could. Turns out, we can¡¯t pull our blessings away anymore. In fact, the only thing we can do is increase the level of the blessing. That little trick with the totem tied us with her for good. We have essentially become power sources for her.¡± Death explained. Not that she minded, as she was basing her plans on Dee now, and there wasn¡¯t really anything else she needed that power for anyway.


    The other two goddesses were silent for a long time, while Eternity was always quiet. Unless his daughters annoyed him. Finally Lumen spoke. ¡°Well, we were committed to this path as soon as we joined forces. The other gods are not likely to forgive us for supporting someone that can kill them even if we tried to pull back now. This just makes things simpler, as now we have to go all in without regrets.¡± She was right. Despite their similar goals, it was difficult to fully trust the other gods gathered here with their own goals and plans. Now they were stuck with each other, so such considerations became somewhat irrelevant.


    Umbra grinned widely. ¡°I for one am curious to see how far she can go. Also, unlike the rest of you, I think she likes me. We get along great, so I have nothing to worry about. Having a Champion that can scare the crap out of the other gods will only be good for me. No matter how everyone will react, it will result in change and change is what I¡¯m all about.¡±


    Death hid a secret grin. For once she agreed with the dark goddess. Change was also her goal, although different kind of change. The recent events had been outside of her calculations but in a good way. To her, nothing could be better than Dee getting the ability to harm or even kills gods. Now she wouldn¡¯t need to arrange for her to gain such abilities another way.

 Chapter 113

    ¡±So what¡¯s this you said about the Coven having places to have fun in?¡± Dee asked Faylen. They were once again having a small get-together with Moirai. Faylen and Moirai had become friends at some point and spent quite a bit of time together. The two had mumbled something about someone understanding their worries.


    ¡°Oh, that? Yes, they have dens in most circles of the Day and Night cities. No one dares to bother them, so they¡¯ve spread around fairly well. I¡¯ve only been to their dens once, so I can¡¯t really speak too much, but I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re definitely places you can go for fun.¡± Faylen replied a little defensively. Her last and only visit to a Coven den had been rather embarrassing. She had wandered to a wrong section of the den.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about Coven dens I hear?¡± Nyx asked as she entered the garden the trio was using for their get-together. Nyx had floated down from the sky and had managed to surprise even Dee with her entry. She had not been paying attention and the Meilin woman was one of the stealthiest people Dee had seen. Or at least she could be when she wanted to, which was not very often.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying some things to relax and have fun for a while. Faylen recommended Coven dens.¡± Dee explained.


    Nyx gave a small whistle. ¡°She went straight for the Coven, huh? Bold choice. She¡¯s not wrong though. Hmm, I wouldn¡¯t recommend a den at the lesser circles though. While they could accommodate you, the dens have their wares scaled to the standard level of the beings around the den. From what you¡¯ve told me, your fortitude and resistance to most substances is at the level of a true immortal. The concoctions with a dosage designed for a fifth rank being would just be wasted on you.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you have experience.¡± Dee pointed out with a smile, which brought a groan from Moirai and a gale of laughter from Nyx.


    ¡°Unlike my stodgy daughter, I know how to have fun. I used to frequent the Coven dens fairly often, though I went mostly for the party aspect and not the kinkier or weirder stuff they can be into. I can show you some good places if you want. A girl¡¯s night out sounds fun, considering all the work I¡¯ve been forced to do lately.¡± Nyx replied with her grin widening. It also provided an opportunity to tease her daughter.


    Moirai tried to change the subject. ¡°Did you have a reason for coming here? You don¡¯t visit all that often, and usually you come with a purpose.¡±


    Nyx noticed the attempted topic switch and refused to give in, but she did have an actual reason to be here. She tossed a small scroll to Dee. ¡°The Threads of Fate wanted me to forward that to you.¡± Then she looked at her daughter. ¡°Come on, live a little. I can ask Shioko to come as well if you¡¯re so worried. Though you know she draws men like wolves to a lamb chop, so there¡¯s that. Anyway, you need some relaxation as well. And I mean proper relaxation and not just sitting here sipping plain tea. When was the last time you got laid? When will I get to see a grandchild?¡±


    Nyx¡¯s questioning was clearly making Moirai uncomfortable, and the latter quite directly ignored the former, while Dee opened the message. The message read: ¡°I thought I¡¯d provide a freebie prediction for you since it also benefits us. When you do cross the threshold to become an immortal, you might want to be somewhere remote. Very remote. The more remote the better. Think big explosion and lots of fire.¡± The message¡¯s signature made it clear it came from the same seer that had helped Dee last time.


    Faylen noticed Dee¡¯s serious expression. ¡°Bad news?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Not as such. Simply something to keep in mind.¡± Dee replied, folding the message and depositing it inside Croestia.


    ¡®That¡¯s good advice anyway. Your transition from a mortal to immortal isn¡¯t exactly the usual fare. Normally people barely open their soul spaces which will then be very small and they¡¯ll have no sign of a totem. You¡¯ll have a half completed totem and an enormous Domain. The others can get used to the transition little by little, while you¡¯ll get it all dumped on you at once, even if some of it is already leaking over. There¡¯s going to be some side effects. You could go to the wilderness between Day and Night cities. Or you could open a portal through the Astral Plane and close both ends of the portal while you¡¯re there. That would contain whatever happens inside the Astral Sea.¡¯ Croestia suggested, and got a silent agreement from Dee.


    ¡°Ah fine! I¡¯ll come then! It¡¯ll be your fault if things go wrong, so you better be prepared to dig us out of trouble!¡± Moirai suddenly bellowed, giving in to her mother¡¯s coercion.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl!¡± Nyx declared. ¡°I¡¯ll send a word to Shioko. She¡¯ll come along, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass.¡± Faylen decided. The last time had been bad enough, and knowing Dee¡¯s propensity to get into trouble and Nyx¡¯s enthusiasm, she knew there would be trouble.


    ¡°I wonder if Nessera would want to join?¡± Dee mumbled more to herself. She had ways to contact the succubus, and this seemed right up her alley.


    -----------


    ¡°This is my first time in the third circle.¡± Nessera was almost giddy with excitement. The chance to go to a Coven den, especially at such high circle was a real treat. She also got to spend some time with Dee again and to top it all off, the annoying Sidhe woman was gone! Things were looking good for her.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea to bring a succubus along? I mean I can see so many ways this could go wrong.¡± Moirai asked with a worried tone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a worrywart.¡± Nyx shot back at her daughter. ¡°We¡¯re here to have fun, and what better company than a succubus?¡± In front of all of their incredulous looks, Nyx actually licked her lips at the idea.


    Shioko cleared her throat. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re still at the third circle. There¡¯s not that much trouble two and a half immortals can¡¯t get you out of. Besides Moirai, you¡¯re a strong rank nine. I think we should be ok.¡±


    ¡°Two and a half immortals?¡± Nessera mouthed a silent question at Dee, who in turn pointed at Nyx and Shioko while raising a finger, and then pointed at herself and raised a finger half-way. ¡°Really? Already?¡± Nessera asked incredulously, and Dee nodded in confirmation. Her tails had been hidden this whole time, and the last time Nessera had seen her, Dee had been a class eight psion.


    The discussions were interrupted as they reached a rather nondescript building. They were at one of the few trade focused areas of the third circle, currently controlled by no one in particular. The building looked well kept, but the dark stone walls didn¡¯t exactly scream ¡°place where you can party¡±. It was already late in the evening, and one of the rare darker periods of the Day city. The door to the building was preceded by a queue of people, but the line progressed quickly as people were either allowed entry or sent off. After a small bit of observing Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure what the criteria for selection were.


    The ones doing the selecting were a pair of what Dee would at first glance describe as mages. They both used mana and had lots of it, but there was something different about them as well. It was as if the mana they used was somehow different. The duo was rather striking as far as appearance was concerned. They were a pair of a male and female and both looked human on the surface. They were also what could be described as excellent representations of their gender appearance-wise. The woman had a perfect skin, beautiful and delicate face and curves in all the right places. The male was a strongly muscled and jawed with a perfect posture, an appearance that screamed masculinity. Dee was one of the few that could tell that the two didn¡¯t look that way by accident. There was something about the way their bodies and insides were constructed that screamed of planning. It was not fake or an illusion, just that they ended up looking as they did by choice.


    As the group approached the line, the people in front made room for them. Dee had reigned in the dangerous air around her as much as she could, but there was only so much she could do. That said, the main reason for the rapidly opening space was that both Shioko and Nyx allowed a bit of their power to leak out, making it clear they were both immortals. When they reached the two at the door, Nyx flashed her insignia from Four Winds and the two magic users waved them through.


    The insides of the building were a stark departure from the stoic outer appearance. It was also clear that the building was much, much larger from the inside than from the outside. The doors opened to a large but a low ceilinged bar and the word opulent came to mind. Everything from the servings to the furniture was the highest quality. Yet, it was all created with comfort and enjoyment in mind, not for ostentatious displays of wealth. The dark wall also seemed to have weird plants and vines growing all over them.


    Their group was met by a young looking female magic user, who continued the trend of seemingly perfect appearance. Dee looked around her and noted that all the people she now realized were witches and warlocks, for females and males respectively, had their appearance representing what they themselves thought to be perfection. Beauty was always in the eyes of the beholder, so their appearance wouldn¡¯t attract everyone. Still, it was really easy to tell the difference between the staff and the customers.


    ¡°Is this your first time in a den of the Coven?¡± The young female witch asked. She had noted the looks by Dee, Moirai and Nessera.


    ¡°For some of us, yes.¡± Nyx replied and indicated herself and Shioko. ¡°For the two of us, no.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I will take you with me to one of the lounges and explain the basics. The two of you should come as well, and I¡¯ll apply the sigils.¡± The witch politely guided them towards one of the numerous doors on the side of the room.


    ¡°Sigils?¡± Nessera asked, noting the term.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.¡°You will soon find out.¡± Nyx replied with a small smile. She knew what was coming.


    They were led through another door to a small lounge with divan seating and tables full of refreshments. ¡°I will now go through the basic rules. First of all, anything that happens in the den will remain in the den. If we find out you¡¯ve been gossiping on the outside, you will be banned from all the Coven dens, and if the infraction is large we will have you cursed. And believe me, we will find out. Secondly, there will be no fighting inside the den. If someone gets a bit too handsy, you¡¯re allowed to set them straight, but you have to do so in moderation. Most people here are open to a certain amount of sexual advances unless you stay within designated areas, and others should not be punished for making such advances. Such is the culture of this place, and if you can¡¯t deal with it, then stay within the areas so designated. Be firm and polite, but not violent. Don¡¯t lead people on and then punish them. Use common sense."


    ¡°The dens are an area rather free in sexuality, and it is rather common for people to hook up for some carnal pleasures. It is not forbidden to do so in public, but I would advise you to move to a more secluded area for such things. Those areas are more comfortable and clearly indicated, and bother fewer people. This, of course, doesn¡¯t apply to specific places dedicated specifically for carnal pleasure, in other words, our orgy zones. Due to the prevalence of sexual activity, everyone here is required to be under a contraceptive magical sigil placed on your lower back. That is one of the tenets of the dens: any sexual activity here will be consequence free.


    ¡°There are separate zones for consuming some of our more exotic concoctions and substances in comfort, but all areas have bars with both alcohol and certain¡­shall we call them mood enhancers? There¡¯s a zone for just having a good evening, and zone for just partying and enjoying dancing and music. We have a zone for what we call heavy partying with a more sensual bent, where you can go to specifically look for company for some carnal fun. That area has the ambiance and the accoutrements for a more primal and sexual experience. Then there¡¯s the orgy area, though it¡¯s a bit early in the evening for that area to have too much activity.¡± The witch paused for a moment in her explanation to size them up. She had so far shown no shame in talking about the more sexual subjects and that didn¡¯t seem to be changing.


    ¡°In addition, we have dedicated staff here that can provide you with a more appropriate attire. We understand that the world outside is more dangerous and you can¡¯t walk around in party clothing. Yours really aren¡¯t that appropriate for partying.¡± The witch continued and was right.


    Dee, for instance, was wearing her scout clothing, with some customization now to separate her from the scouts. While form hugging, they were not exactly designed for having fun. Nessera was always dressed for fun but was covering her ¡®fun times¡¯ clothing with a wizard¡¯s robe. Moirai¡¯s clothing was very practical and so was Nyx¡¯s. Shioko had a beautiful yukata that was quite appealing, but not party appropriate. They all nodded in agreement. The two immortals had been aware of this option and had not changed beforehand.


    Dee raised her hand. ¡°Uh, there might be a slight problem. I have a rather high resistance towards most kinds of magic, comparable to a young dragon. Even if I specifically allow the sigil to be placed freely, it will be worn down in a few hours. Not that I need one I think.¡±


    The witch looked at her with a questioning look. ¡°Explain please.¡±


    ¡°Well, when I was a child, I was in the tender care of an assassin order. They had us consume all sorts of substances and drugs, and I¡¯m pretty sure many of them were not good for fertility.¡± Dee had not really thought of the consequences from the Zabaniya experiments for a while, but the witch¡¯s words had reminded her.


    ¡°We can test for that easily. If you are fertile, you will need to have the sigil applied by our high ranking witches. They can make it stick for a while assuming you won¡¯t resist. If you¡¯ll follow me, please. The rest of you can enjoy the refreshments in the meantime. This should not take long.¡± The witch took Dee out of the room, leaving the others behind to enjoy offerings on the tables.


    She took Dee to another room much further to the back, where a more mature looking, yet still perfect in appearance, witch was brewing several potions simultaneously. ¡°Master, we need to test for fertility.¡±


    The other witch looked up. ¡°Such a young demon. It would be a shame if you had lost your fertility already. Come here, stand in the magic circle.¡± The so-called master led Dee to a large magical symbol carved into the ground.


    ¡°What does this do?¡± Dee asked with curiosity. She had seen many magical circles, but nothing so complex. Even her ability to read mana wasn¡¯t enough to identify the spell, and that was one of her most important abilities when fighting mages.


    The witch smiled. ¡°While the priestly folk have a stranglehold on healing magic due to their holy patrons, we witches are not far behind and we know much more about the physiology of various beings. We also know how to gather information more effectively. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been Delved before to determine the severity of your injuries? Well, think of this as that except much stronger and more detailed. It also works better on psions such as yourself.¡±


    Both Dee and the young witch were surprised but for different reasons. Dee was surprised the older witch had noticed so quickly, and the young witch was simply surprised that Dee was one of the rare psions. Dee noted that and teased her a bit. ¡°There were two more of us back with the group.¡± And received a wide-eyed stare from the young witch.


    The older witch laughed. ¡°Do excuse her. She hasn¡¯t seen much of the world outside the Coven. Besides, the few psions we have managed to hire have been very helpful in improving some of the experiences we provide.¡± A wave of light passed over Dee and a long string of letter and number appeared in front of the older witch, and she studied them for a while before giving a whistle.


    ¡°Well, well. Someone so young and on the cusp of becoming an immortal. Both as a psion and a holy power user no less. You might be the youngest immortal I¡¯ve seen. Some of your heritage is extremely intriguing as well.¡± The witch noted Dee¡¯s worried look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this is strictly confidential. What happens in the den, stays in the den. That especially applies to the staff. Anyone unable to keep their traps shut will find themselves in a world of pain. That said, there¡¯s something in your heritage that even this spell is unable to identify fully. Something draconic. That¡¯s odd. Usually the spell had no trouble identifying dragons.¡±


    ¡°To the point please.¡± Dee urged the older witch.


    ¡°Ah right, my apologies. I rarely get to see values like this. A Domain just about to be born? That¡¯s just incredible. Yes to the point. My apologies, you are unable to have children.¡± The witch didn¡¯t bother sugarcoating her words.


    ¡°I suspected the assassins had done a number on me with the drugs.¡± Dee mumbled with a sigh.


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re under a slight misconception. Your infertility is not due to drugs. Beings that could be described as chimera almost always have trouble with procreation. In the strictest definition of the scientific term, you are a chimera of the highest order with one of the most mixed heritages I¡¯ve ever seen. It¡¯s fairly clear you were created this way in a lab, not by nature. You have been unable to have children since birth. In addition, your body is very strong with death energy. Extremely strong. Even if your heritage didn¡¯t stop you from procreating, the death energy would kill any unborn child. Even undead would have easier time having children. I¡¯m sorry but you are officially one the most infertile beings I¡¯ve had the pleasure to meet.¡± The witch felt a little bad about her words. So she continued.


    ¡°Tell you what. I hate giving such bad news, so the whole evening is on the house for you. Also, as a tip, I¡¯d recommend asking for the strongest stuff from the bars. Both because of your resistance against such things, which is rather phenomenal as well by the way, but also this might be a good night for you to get well and truly hammered. News like this and strong alcohol go well together. I¡¯ll make sure none of our staff charge you for your orders. And I do hope you come again and that your next visit will be more pleasant.¡±


    As the younger witch led Dee back towards the room with the others, Dee realized she had a nasty feeling in her gut due to the news she had just received. It seemed odd to her why she would feel that way simply due to being infertile. She had already suspected as much and certainly felt no desire to have children. Demons, in general, weren¡¯t exactly known for having a strong motherly instinct and she had personally shown no inclination towards having any either. It took her a moment of introspection, but she finally realized that it wasn¡¯t the future without children that bothered her. She could always adopt some poor unfortunate orphan if she really wanted it. No, what bothered her was that she was given no choice in the matter.


    ¡®I¡¯m starting to get real sick and tired of having no choice in so many things.¡¯ She silently said to Croestia, who didn¡¯t reply. There was little Croestia could say. Dee had already recognized that her totem was the representation of her will to stand above others so that she didn¡¯t have to feel fear anymore. Part of it was also her decision to no longer be beholden to the wills of others. Yet here she was again, having choices taken away from her.


    The others noticed Dee¡¯s mood as soon as she entered the room and could guess that the news was not positive. ¡°Time to have some fun and forget all negative things!¡± Nessera suddenly declared.


    Dee thought that was a wonderful idea.

 Chapter 114

    ¡±What can I get you, honey? You¡¯re the one getting free everything tonight, right?¡± The unnaturally pretty bartender witch asked as Dee got to the bar portion of the den. This witch apparently was more in the ¡°small and adorable makes the cutest¡± camp, instead of the ¡°overly sexy¡± camp that most of the other witches ascribed to. She wasn¡¯t the only one of her kind by a long shot though.


    ¡°Give me the strongest thing you¡¯ve got.¡± Dee decided to take the advice given by the more mature witch that had examined her.


    ¡°The strongest? Are you sure? That stuff can get pretty dicey.¡± The bartender asked just to make sure.


    ¡°That¡¯s what the doctor witch recommended.¡± Dee replied simply.


    ¡°Ah, if master said strongest, then strongest it is.¡± The witch bent to pick something out of a spatial pocket below the counter. On a certain level, Dee registered that the view offered was rather enticing. Maybe that was why people kept staring at her own butt? Even in a place like the den there was a wave of glances directed her way as she passed.


    Normally the drinks and various substances were mixed by the bartenders, but this one was hard enough to make that it had to be made in advance and kept in storage. The bartender witch pulled out a small potion bottle of something that was bubbling and glowing bright blue and placed it in front of Dee on the counter. ¡°Well, give it a shot. We can get something a little milder if that one is too much.¡±


    Dee looked at the bottle with some suspicion but decided to go with it. She took the bottle and emptied it in one motion. ¡°Oi-oi. Slow down a bit. That¡¯s not supposed to be emptied in one swig.¡± The bartender warned her all too late.


    The liquid burned a little as it went down her throat, but nothing she couldn¡¯t handle. She waited a moment for the drink to take effect. One of the advantages of having the kind of power she did was the ability to monitor changes in her body. As expected the substance had quite a kick to it, but there was a slight problem. The same problem as she¡¯d had when she¡¯d gone through the rituals to get blessed when the holy wine had very little effect. Her rapid regeneration was countering the effect of the liquid that it considered hostile very quickly. Although this stuff was thousands of times stronger than that holy wine, so was her current constitution when compared to her old self. That was the result of consuming the Tree of Life and her Domain bleeding in.


    Still, it was having some effect, and she could tamp down on her regeneration to some degree. ¡°Right, give me seven more.¡± She ordered the bartender.


    ¡°S-seven?!¡± The bartender sputtered. There were some immortals with a very heavy constitution that could match the demon girl in front of her, but those people had usually been immortal for a long, long time giving their soul spaces the time to develop.


    ¡°Yeah, seven to start with. Also, someone mentioned mood enhancers. Give me a couple of those.¡± Dee added to her order.


    ¡°To start with?¡± The bartender muttered to herself but did as told. Luckily the drink was not one of the more expensive ones. It required some rare ingredients, but the witches were very adept in growing the plants and their base in the first circle was swimming with such materials.


    ¡°What are you having?¡± Nyx asked as the rest of them walked towards the bar. ¡°That blue stuff? Yuck! I tried it once and it tastes and feels like acid when going down.¡±


    The rest of the group had taken more time dressing up. The witch dressing Dee had quickly come to the conclusion that the less she wore the better, because she could easily show off her assets and had fur anyway. So she was dressed rather simply in a pair mini shorts and a simple top in the same color as her fur, giving the illusion that she was almost naked. Dee rather liked the clothes, as the shorts left her tails free, and she¡¯d long preferred simple clothing like this anyway. The others were wearing various assemblages ranging from cute with Moirai and Nyx to scandalously sexy with Nessera. The succubus¡¯ clothes were deceptive in that they covered most places, but they moved a lot and the large openings left very little to the imagination. Shioko had gone with something more elegant than sexy.


    ¡°Oh, my favorite!¡± Shioko gushed and turned to the bartender. ¡°I¡¯ll have the same she¡¯s having.¡±


    ¡°¡­.seven of them as well?¡± The bartender asked warily.


    ¡°Seven?¡± Shioko asked with slight surprise. ¡°Oh, you can start with five.¡±


    ¡°Again ¡®start with¡¯.¡± The bartender muttered.


    ¡°I never understood how you can drink something like that.¡± Nyx looked at Shioko in judgment.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault my totem renders anything less almost useless.¡± Shioko defended herself, as the rest of them were getting their drinks. Meanwhile, Dee had already emptied the third such vial and was now trying the ¡®mood enhancers¡¯. She judged them to be some sort of drugs that increased one''s energy and mood levels while lowering inhibitions. Rather strong ones in fact as they worked much better than the earlier drink. The witches knew their stuff.


    With their beverages secured the group moved towards the other activities. They passed the normal party area and entered the heavier party area mostly because Dee found the music there much more appealing, but also because Nyx wanted Moirai to have some fun. The heavier party area was dimmed down with red flashing lights and was suffused with a rhythmic song with heavy, almost primal tones. The music was produced by a group of warlocks beating on drums of various sizes and shapes and the beat was almost hypnotic.


    Dee saw no rhyme or reason to the way the dancers moved, and it confused her. It was almost animalistic in how they moved to the music and rubbed against each other. The dancers were only expressing their own desires and feelings instead of following some preset steps or patterns, aside from the rhythm of the music and even that was often forgotten. For some reason, it appealed to her, and she wanted to try. The rest of the group wanted to find some seating first and took Dee¡¯s drinks into safekeeping while she moved to the dance floor and found a relatively empty spot.


    At first, her movements were a bit mechanical as she tried expressing something, but it didn¡¯t take long until she just allowed the music to take her along with the beat. Unknown to herself she made a very appealing sight, a clearly bestial woman moving to her instincts. Yet at the same time, she was very graceful. She couldn¡¯t help but be graceful, as that kind of movement was drilled into her by several trainers and her choice of a fighting style.


    ¡°Look at her go!¡± Nyx yelled over the music.


    ¡°She¡¯s really letting loose.¡± Moirai muttered with some surprise. She¡¯d heard of Dee¡¯s unsuccessful attempts at ritualistic dancing but had not heard of her success at the Winter court dancefloor, so it came as something of a surprise. It wasn¡¯t that Dee was bad at dancing; it was just that in her attempt at ritualistic dancing she had been too absorbed in trying to mimic the right movements without any of the emotions behind them. In the Winter court she had brought emotion to the dance because of her partner, and now she was letting her instincts guide her and was not thinking of the steps at all.


    Inevitably she drew attention. Just her tails made sure of that with the spectacle they were making moving around. It was not every day you saw a nine-tailed fox. The area was a common place for quick hookups, and while her more feral features did not appeal to everyone, there were enough people either attracted to her or feeling adventurous. Unfortunately, the first person to try and get close to her picked the wrong approach. A male avian beastman approached her and reached towards her behind to give an appreciative caress. His hand was frozen in the air just centimels from Dee¡¯s quickly moving derriere. Despite his attempts, the hand couldn¡¯t move forward or backward, and he felt like there was a pair of powerful invisible hands holding the hand in place, which was not far from the truth.


    The beastman was not weak himself and tried to struggle, but his struggles were to no avail. Slowly but surely everyone saw that same hand move towards his own privates and close around them. Then the hand very slowly squeezed a little but stopped before doing too much. The message was clear. Whatever force had controlled him could have squeezed much harder, but was letting him off easy. He got the message and drew away thankful that his target was not meaner with the message. As focused as Dee was on her dancing, she had not forgotten the instructions given to her. No fighting. Deny unwanted advances firmly, but don¡¯t go overboard.


    ¡°Well, to me it seems like she wants company.¡± Nessera suddenly said and jumped towards the dancefloor.


    ¡°How did that give you the impression she wants company?¡± Moirai asked incredulously. She knew that Dee would not mind company she knew beforehand, but the message had been anything but welcoming.


    The entry of a succubus clearly added a more erotic tone to the dance performed by the two, as they were for all intents and purposes transitioning from dancing to foreplay as the music went on. Rather rough foreplay at that, as Dee used a bit of force with the succubus, and the succubus clearly enjoyed it.


    Nyx had developed a clearly hungry look in her eyes. Something which Moirai noticed. ¡°No mother. You¡¯re not jumping the bones of my disciple. That¡¯s unethical on so many levels. Besides being gross that is.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t suffer from that problem.¡± Shioko suddenly announced after emptying her last drink and quickly going towards the dancing pair.


    ¡°Dammit, why is everyone so eager to jump their bones?!¡± Moirai cursed.


    ¡°Ah, you were still fitting for your clothes so you didn¡¯t hear about it. I heard that it would not be the first time Dee and the succubus got together, and last time the succubus was defeated. So, you got a chance to have a go at a succubus and someone who fucked a succubus silly. That¡¯s pretty enticing.¡± Nyx pointed out.


    ¡°I already knew about it. Who do you think found the two in the morning?!¡± Moirai screamed.


    ¡°Then you should be aware. Come now. We can¡¯t all be as decent as you. I haven¡¯t had much fun since your dad died. I need my world rocked. And so do you if I¡¯m honest. If Dee and a succubus are not your thing, then that¡¯s fair. I can¡¯t imagine why not, but that¡¯s your choice. Just don¡¯t fault others for making a different choice.¡± Nyx explained her own point of view.


    The mood between the three dancers was clearly heating up, and the others noticed. As they made a very enticing sight, a few brave men made their own approach but met a fate similar to the earlier avian beastman. The severity of their sendoff was proportional to the stupidity of their approach, but none of them was stupid enough to get handsy after the first warning message had been sent. The stalemate was broken when the witch that had done the test for Dee earlier entered the room.


    She had come to see how her patient was taking the news. Apparently pretty well, it seemed. She came just in time to see another unfortunate male get sent off, a warlock of the den this time. This removed the idea that the approaching men were not good looking enough, as the warlock had been a good representation of the den¡¯s ideals. That gave the witch an idea. The trio was clearly made of just women, so maybe the problem was not the fact that they didn¡¯t want anyone to approach, but that the only people to approach had been the wrong gender?


    The witch didn¡¯t mind having some fun, none of them really did which is why they worked in the dens. Many of them didn¡¯t even truly care about the gender of the person they were having fun with. There were other witches in the Coven more focused on battle and other such nonsense, while the fun-loving ones worked in the dens. She shimmied closer to the dancing trio and met no resistance. ¡°Well, hello there. I forgot to introduce myself the last time we met. You can call me Orchid.¡±


    Dee felt a little weird that the witch that had just given the news of her infertility joined in a dance that was clearly headed in a very sexual direction but decided to shrug it off. Orchid was not at fault, she was just the bearer of bad news. Might as well bring something good to balance things out. Besides, it might be interesting to see if she could learn new things from a witch of the Coven. The addition of the witch into the mix made it clear that this was a girls only party, which bummed out the guys but gave certain ideas to the women that were so inclined.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ***********


    It didn¡¯t take long before Nessera had enough of the teasing and pulled Dee towards one of the side rooms dedicated for more pleasurable activities. At this point, Dee had teased the succubus long enough that she didn¡¯t mind which form Dee was taking. Clothes were strewn across the hallway on the way to the room and neither of them really cared who saw them. Nessera pushed Dee on the large bed inside the room and planted herself above Dee¡¯s face with a clear message. ¡°You got me going, now get me off.¡±


    Dee had learned a few things from their last tryst and knew that anticipation and delayed gratification would drive the succubus crazy, but in a good way. Instead of diving in Dee planted small butterfly kisses all over the area without touching any of the really sensitive parts, while using her four hands to caress Nessera all over. The succubus was small enough that Dee had enough reach to get to most of the interesting places.


    Her plans got interrupted and she gave a surprised yelp as she felt someone else plant their lips on her nether regions. A quick glance identified that someone as Shioko, who had followed them into the room with Orchid. The witch was doing her part in caressing the Jun woman in turn. Dee decided to dedicate to her own task. If someone else was making her feel good in the meantime, then all the better.


    As she finally decided to give Nessera some much-needed relief, she considered for a moment whether her snout was small enough to fit inside the succubus, but finally decided against it. If she had been a pure fox her snout would have been much narrower, but with her more wolfy heritage, her snout was also sturdier. Besides, the very fine fur might rub the really sensitive parts the wrong way. She also had the advantage of a really long and strong tongue that did just as good of a job, as evidenced by the very gratifying gasps and hollers made by the succubus.


    As soon as the succubus had gotten her first release, Dee decided it was time to pay some attention to her other bedmates. Shioko had just managed to bring her to a very pleasant if a rather small orgasm with her persistent efforts, so she should really pay the favor back. Oddly as she was doing so, she somehow got the impression that she didn¡¯t have enough hands to go around with the bed so crowded, as she wanted to caress and nip, pet and twist everything on all three of the women present. Then it hit her. She did have more hands!


    Nessera managed to squeak out. ¡°Why is one of your halos out?¡± As the metallic halo created for better control suddenly appeared above her head and hundreds of invisible arms suddenly appeared to do Dee¡¯s bidding. It became something of a game to see how many she could control at once, and how much pleasure she could bring with them.


    The real breakthrough came when the witch Orchid gave her a gasped suggestion between orgasms. ¡°You¡¯re a psion, right? How about sending pleasure straight into the minds of others. You don¡¯t really have to go through their defenses to just send feelings, and most people won¡¯t resist something that brings them pleasure. At that point, you can just use your mind to bring about whatever you want in them.¡±


    After Dee tried implementing that little trick, her partners found whole new levels of pleasure. So much so in fact that they were soon worn out, even Nessera who had managed to stick around much longer the last time. This time the succubus had become a babbling incoherent mess rather quickly. Succubi had very vivid imaginations and Dee had only needed to feed that imagination a bit and make it come alive. People always had the best idea on how their own fantasies worked, so all she needed to do was give them a little push and a lot of stimulation to get things going.


    Luckily their merry-making had drawn some attention and they had forgotten to close the door to their little love nest. There was no shortage of volunteers to test Dee¡¯s newfound abilities and with the additional push from the drinks and mood enhancers, Dee had the mind to experiment further. This new combination was rather intriguing and gave her a weird kind of power over people. It wasn¡¯t until Nyx managed to escape from Moirai¡¯s grasp and join in on the festivities that Dee met her match. The older Meilin showed that two psions could play the same game, and the results were glorious for everyone involved.


    ***********


    Moirai was not sure how to feel about things. Once she had lost sight of her mother, she had known something like this would happen. In the end, though, the sheer devastation of the female population of this part of the den made her mother¡¯s involvement a rather minor detail. As she looked around, she could see naked female bodies covering the floor on the way to the love nest occupied by her friends. She had felt some of the psionic waves coming from their little games but had not realized how far things had escalated.


    She herself had decided not to get involved and found a rather innocent concoction that allowed her to relive some of her more pleasant memories in vivid detail. As she had been isolated and put to sleep by the concoction, she had not fallen victim to the same psionic waves most of the people in the ¡®heavy party¡¯ section had. The witch that had given Dee the idea about using her psionic abilities to enhance pleasure had not considered what would happen when two psions, both either immortal or just about to become one, combined and mirrored their psionic powers off each other. At best of times psions could affect the mood around them just by letting their own mood radiate out, so what happened when two very powerful psions really put their mind to it? The result was the trail of female bodies now lying naked on the floor with rather gratified smiles on their faces. There were a few males on the very edges as well, as some of the more straight women had decided to combine their little psionic adventure with a male companion.


    Moirai gingerly picked her footing as she made her way towards her companions. She was not surprised at all to find the rest of her group in a puppy pile on the bed. She was also not surprised finding Nyx mixed among them, but at this point, she had already resigned herself to the sight. At least it seemed Nyx had been a late arrival and the others probably fainted long before she got involved. The only one to react to her approach was of course Dee.


    The chemicals had long since been burnt away by her regeneration and she was becoming alert, so Dee could sense Moirai¡¯s approach. She bolted into a sitting position, pushing away Nyx¡¯s soft tail from her lap, and looked around her. Her memory was slightly hazy from last night, but in general, she remembered all that happened even if the details were a bit fuzzy. ¡°You seem to have had an interesting night.¡± Moirai stated flatly.


    ¡°So it seems.¡± Dee replied lightly. Once she had decided to no longer be under the thumb of others, one of the things she stopped really caring about was the acceptance of others. She would do what she wanted, and if others had a problem with that¡­well that was their problem. She¡¯d accommodate her friends of course, but she would not feel bad if they disapproved of something she had done. ¡°I¡¯m assuming your presence here means it¡¯s time to leave?¡±


    ¡°Well, provided you don¡¯t want to go for a round two?¡± Moirai asked with a rather barbed tone. She wasn¡¯t really angry with Dee. She was more ticked at Nyx for multiple reasons, but Dee was here and awake so she got the brunt of it.


    ¡°No, I think last night was good enough. We might want to do a repeat performance at a later date, but this isn¡¯t really something that should be done too often. Takes some of the excitement out of it.¡± Dee replied with a smile. There would be a repeat performance at some point though.


    ¡°Well kick the others awake then. No need to be gentle with Nyx.¡± Moirai said while turning around and going outside.


    As they came out Shioko and Nyx looked rather happy and refreshed while Nessera was still asleep and getting carried around by the still naked Dee, who was covering herself with her tails. ¡°Why are you naked?¡± Moirai asked in confusion.


    ¡°I think my clothes met with an unfortunate accident somewhere along the way. Well, they were on loan from the den and Orchid did say everything last night was free for me, so¡­¡± Dee replied a little embarrassed.


    As the group got their own clothes back and headed home, Nyx requested Dee to make a portal for them. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like waiting in line for the official portals. At this time of day and at this place there will be long lines and we most likely won¡¯t be able to skip those lines considering where we are.¡±


    Dee obliged. Her portals were reaching the level of accuracy that they might not even need to take a second portal to get to their real destination. However, things suddenly took a weird turn after they had gotten about halfway through their trip in the Astral Sea. They felt that their movement got slower and a large shape that looked like a ship suddenly appeared nearby. Calling it a ship felt a little wrong considering it was several kilomels long, but the shape was still roughly that of a sailing ship.


    ¡°You said there might be other beings in here, but is this the first time you actually meet some? Also am I the only one that finds it strangely appropriate to see a sailing ship in the Astral Sea?¡± Moirai asked a little worried and amused at the same time.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve felt someone or something observing me a few times, but this is the first time something approached me.¡± Dee replied equally worried, ignoring the last part of Moirai¡¯s words. The enormous ship moved much faster than them and with their progress slowed down they would not be able to run either.


    Nessera, who had finally awoken, suddenly made a worrying observation. ¡°My magic doesn¡¯t work. My mana gathers as normal, but it doesn¡¯t form into a spell.¡±


    Shioko immediately tested her own magic and came to a similar conclusion. ¡°Same here. My totem still works, but my spells do nothing.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m guessing the crew of that thing isn¡¯t friendly.¡± Nyx pointed out the obvious conclusion.


    Moirai looked at the ship with her Mindscape. ¡°All the people on board are either warriors or psions. Since warriors would not be able to reach this place on their own, I¡¯m guessing most people that come here are mages. It seems to be that the ship is designed to hunt and catch such mages. By the way, judging by their presences in the Mindscape, their levels are a fairly normal mix of beings below immortal level.¡±


    ¡°Well, how unfortunate for them.¡± Nyx said with a wicked grin forming on her face.


    ¡°What are the odds of them running into three powerful psions and a mage with a totem suited for such situations.¡± Shioko added with a grin of her own before her form started enlarging and turning into glowing green diamond-like substance. As her transformation finished, she looked like a hundred mel tall golem made of carved emerald.


    ¡°An earth mage?¡± Dee asked a little surprised. She had not pegged the elegant Jun as an earth mage.


    Nyx scoffed in derision. ¡°Much worse. A jewel mage. Earth mages are the starting point while the earth she uses has already hardened to the level of gems.¡± She wasn¡¯t fond of her friend¡¯s attraction to jewels, as that was really the only reason the Jun woman had dedicated herself to earth magic. Shioko also happened to be the richest person in the entire Four Winds and also the one in charge of their funds.


    ¡°Well then. Shall we go and welcome our new guests. We really should show them our generosity considering they are the first beings we met in this weird place.¡± Moirai said rather militantly. This was a good way for her to vent some of the feelings from this morning.

 Chapter 115

    Before any of them could approach the weird ship, they all felt a collection of minds trying to assault theirs. The psions on the ship had combined their power to jointly attack them. It wasn¡¯t very subtle, but against weaker defenses it would work well, especially if the target was a mage that had just been distracted by their inability to cast spells. Unfortunately for the people on the ship, Dee¡¯s group had three powerful psions of their own, and they slapped away the attempt to influence them rather easily. They would have to protect Nessera and Shioko from such attacks going forward, but that was not a problem as long as the two stayed close.


    Timed to happen almost at simultaneously with the psionic assault, a large wave of ki shot off from the prow of the ship. The attack was not designed to kill them, as the inhabitants of the ship most likely aimed to capture them instead, but it was meant to strike at their defenses and try and stun them. Nyx dispersed the incoming wave with contemptuous ease. At that point, the inhabitants of the ship noted that their attacks had failed and that maybe they had picked targets that were a bit harder to take on that they would like.


    This was also the point that Shioko barreled towards the dark wooden ship with surprising speed considering her current size. She was followed by a ticked off Moirai who wanted to vent her earlier frustrations. Nyx and Dee glanced at each other but decided to follow the two with a shrug of their shoulders. They still weren¡¯t exactly sure about the nature of their foe, so it was better to stick together in case they ran into something unexpected. It turned out to be a rather good thing they did, as a sudden loud clang sounded from the ship as if someone had struck a large gong.


    The sound showed that the enemies on the ship were not without their own skills and had a plan or two prepared in case they ran into trouble. The sound carried a psionic shockwave that took effect when heard by the target. It somewhat bypassed normal psionic defenses and was especially effective against targets with better than normal hearing, which in this case included all three of the psions in Dee¡¯s group. They could all shake the effects rather quickly, but it did stun them for a short moment. By the time their heads cleared, they had all figured out ways to prevent the same thing from happening again, but the sound was not meant for continuous use.


    As the voice stunned the group for a moment, aside from Shioko who was protected by her gemlike form, the ship turned sideways and opened what could only be described as weapon ports on its side. Several hundred tubes covered in magical runes were aiming out of the ports, and they could see power gathering at the mouths of the tubes in preparation to do something unpleasant. While the suppressing field prevented any mages from forming spells, these weapons didn¡¯t really cast spells. They only fired off concentrated bursts of mana, which was floating around the Astral Plane in abundance.


    The weapons all fired at the same time and the bursts of concentrated mana all shifted their flight towards the group. Apparently, the things had some homing ability. That was not the real problem though. Shioko had already placed herself in front of the incoming projectiles, and her solid form was perfect for taking small and feeble attacks like this. Small in feeble in relative terms that is, as the blasts would still make a decent hole in a non-enchanted city wall. The problem was that the shots were a distraction from the real threat. The whole ship had started glowing as it was gathering power. It seemed the whole ship was a weapon of some sort, and that weapon was now charging.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just about had enough of this!¡± Moirai declared angrily, and suddenly a large distortion made of psionic power appeared above the center of the ship. The distortion ate away anything it hit, and it tried to draw in everything that was not firmly attached, but there was a slight problem. There was no real gravity in the Astral Plane, and any phenomenon that used it didn¡¯t work right. Gravity, even artificially created, didn¡¯t do anything. The attack still took a chunk out of the ship¡¯s mast and sails, as well as disrupting the gathering of power, but it sputtered and died much more quickly than it should have.


    They all looked at Moirai with a raised eyebrow. It was clear none of them had much experience fighting in these conditions, and that might become a problem. Or at least it might if the opponent was a more even match with them. As it was though, the ship had been disrupted enough to stop the buildup of power and they could freely approach. As they did, they got a first good look of their foe. The enemies were roughly humanoid with a yellowish-green skin tone with occasional brown splotches of coloring in places. Their faces were very flat with a pair of slits in the place of a nose. Most of them had dark wild hair and long but thin braided beards, though some of them were fully bald with no other hair on their bodies either. It took the group a second glance to really tell the difference, but it seemed the bald ones were female.


    As Shioko crashed into the ranks of the warriors on the deck, the warriors tried to counter her approach with large silver colored swords that seemed to have their blades rapidly vibrate for added effect. Not that it did much against Shioko¡¯s almost invulnerable form, but against something softer it could¡¯ve been very useful. It seemed there was some sort of a caste system aboard as the soldiers tried to protect the unarmed psions at the back. The language spoken by the creatures in loud shouts to each other was completely foreign to the group, so diplomacy seemed like an unlikely solution.


    Not that the members of the group were feeling very diplomatic in the first place. Shioko crushed the forms and wills of the warriors while Moirai hurled psionic lighting and those weird spatial distortions among the enemy psions who were unable to defend themselves. Dee decided to join in on the fun as hundreds of psionic blades and the small dark pearls and gems she controlled cleaved through the enemy ranks. Nyx didn¡¯t really take part as she stayed ready in case something unexpected happened and protected the largely defenseless Nessera.


    Not that Nyx was really needed as the group cut their way through the enemy almost without resistance. It seemed the enemies had some well-prepared plans against targets outside the ship, but fighting against an enemy of their level within the ship was beyond them. It was clear the enemy had not been expecting this level of resistance. As the group fought their way inside the ship, they started seeing signs that the ship was something designed for raiding and taking slaves and prisoners. Shioko also showed that she could become smaller and denser when necessary. Otherwise, she would not have fit inside.


    It seemed as if their group was one of the first targets of this particular raiding party, as the hundreds of cages and cells inside the ship were empty. The cargo holds, or what was left of them after Moirai went a little wild when fighting a particular group of determined defenders, was largely empty aside from provisions. They did find a small group of prisoners at the very bottom of the ship, but they looked emaciated and didn¡¯t react at all to their approach. The prisoners were a group of gnomes, peasants judging by their attire.


    As Nyx entered their minds to find out what had happened, she recoiled back in disgust. ¡°It seems their minds are almost completely fried. Apparently, our enemy tried to dig out anything useful and did a thorough job. I did manage to find out that the ship appeared above their village one day and took whatever they could before quickly vanishing to avoid retaliation. From what I can tell the raiders were trying to find more lucrative targets, but these poor bastards knew nothing. There¡¯s nothing left of their minds anymore. Best we can do is put them out of their misery.¡± That grim work was left to Dee due to everyone understanding that she was simply the best suited for the job. She made it quick even though the gnomes were not really able to feel pain anymore.


    With renewed vigor the group cleared their way through the ship, not caring to leave anyone alive. Finally, Dee pointed out that they might want to capture one or two for questioning. At that point their choices were rather limited, as Moirai was busy working her anger on the last group of the yellowish-green bastards. Dee lifted one heavily maimed enemy from the floor with a single hand and applied some basic healing. ¡°This one¡¯s still alive. Barely.¡±A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Nyx got to work on the male creature, seemingly having some difficulty, not because the enemy resisted but because there was a gap in understanding. ¡°Well, this is interesting. Somewhat at least. Apparently, it is possible to travel between¡­what I can only describe universes through the Astral Sea, but it takes special equipment, knowledge and a whole lot of luck to do so. These buggers are not from around here, hence why we have such difficulty understanding them. They are here to scout potential places for raiding. It seems they call themselves Githyanki.¡±


    ¡°So assuming the special equipment means a ship like this, does that mean we could use it to travel somewhere else?¡± Shioko asked with great interest.


    ¡°Not really. See this guy didn¡¯t know how the whole process works. Only the captain did. The captain was the fancy dressed one that my Moirai killed eight rooms back. So there goes the special knowledge required. This guy doesn¡¯t know a thing. Also, the special equipment needed includes some of the things my darling daughter smashed in that room filled with all the mechanical stuff a while back.¡± Nyx replied her mocking grin growing.


    Moirai looked a bit ashamed. She had really gone wild on the enemy. It had proved quite relaxing in fact. Big parts of the ship were busted as a result though. ¡°Judging by what we got from the gnomes, the ship could still go outside the Astral Plane. At least tell me we have a flying ship.¡± Shioko suggested feeling let down.


    ¡°Well about that. If Dee can make the portal large enough, then yes. Theoretically. We did do a number on it so it would require a lot of repairs once we arrive, but it should still fly. Here¡¯s the thing though. You know that field that keeps Nessera and yourself from using spells? Yeah, there¡¯s no way to turn that off without stopping the ship from flying. The same thing that makes the ship fly creates the field as a byproduct. As you know, the Four Winds have a lot of mages and those that use magic as warriors. The Anshar are almost entirely magic users. I would think they would be less than pleased if we plonk down a ship that stops spellcasting next to our headquarters. It would hurt us more than help us I think.¡± Nyx explained the problem.


    ¡°Dagon and the wolf tribes.¡± Dee suddenly blurted out.


    ¡°Oh. OH! That¡¯s right! We have new allies that are majority ki users. They might find more use for the ship. As long as they keep it away from the headquarters and their own mages, that is. And you¡¯re right. The Dagon are already incapable of using magic, so the ship could work well for them.¡± Nyx realized Dee¡¯s implication.


    ¡°We could also probably shut the field down for repairs, right?¡± Shioko pointed out. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t need to be powered up while in use. From what I observed, we could do some improvements on some of the enchantments of the ship. Interestingly enchantments are not influenced by the field, assuming we take some precautions.¡±


    ¡°Well, we might as well. There¡¯s no point in leaving it rotting here.¡± Nyx agreed with a shrug. ¡°Now how do we control the damn thing?¡±


    ------


    The welcoming committee was waiting for the group as the ship made a less than gracious landing roughly a kilomel outside the Four Winds headquarters. Crash landing might have been a more appropriate term to describe the process. ¡°That¡¯s the last time I¡¯m letting you drive the ship.¡± Shioko cursed Nyx, who in turn was laughing her tail off. With the ship¡¯s systems powered down the Jun representative was able to fully utilize her magic again.


    The two male representatives and several members of the wolf tribes approached the group with weird looks. ¡°Nyx. It seems you had an interesting girl¡¯s night out.¡± The Anshar representative greeted them. He could also both sense and see some of the corpses inside the large vessel. Yet somehow he wasn¡¯t the least bit surprised. Something always happened when Nyx and Shioko went out by themselves.


    ¡°Smoky! Oh yeah, you know it¡¯s never boring once me and Shioko get into the groove.¡± Nyx greeted the fiery man with a grand smile. She thumbed backward towards the ship. ¡°Though for that one you can thank Dee. She¡¯s fun company and we¡¯ll definitely be taking her along the next time as well. She elevates our girl¡¯s nights from great to legendary status.¡± That last statement worried the Anshar representative much more than anything he had heard in recent memory. And that included the news of the attack by the Night city communities.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Kawhena, the Dagon representative asked examining the ship.


    ¡°That¡¯s a gift for you actually.¡± Shioko pointed out.


    ¡°Me? What do you mean?¡± Kawhena suddenly felt suspicious. The two women never brought gifts when they went out. Just trouble.


    ¡°Well, the ship projects a field that prevents spells from forming while the ship is operational. That¡¯s why we landed it here. It¡¯s pretty useless for the other races beyond maybe the wolf tribes, so you¡¯re the most natural fit. It¡¯ll need some fixing up and cleaning, but it should be a decent addition to our defenses.¡± Nyx explained.


    Kawhena noted that Nyx could just as well take part in the repairs and cleaning as the field that prevented magic didn¡¯t do anything to psions. ¡°You¡¯re just trying to get away from doing the cleaning.¡± He grumbled but didn¡¯t really fight it. A little handy work was a small price to pay. Proper flight capable vessels were not unheard of, but they rarely came in this size. Also, he liked it more and more as Shioko explained the exact capabilities that they observed during the battle.


    All of that wasn¡¯t Dee¡¯s problem though. She started tromping off towards the city, only to be stopped by Moirai. ¡°Where do you think you''re going?¡±


    ¡°To find some rest from my relaxation. That hunk of junk is not my problem. I think I¡¯ll check up on Eilian now that I¡¯m here. Maybe watching her paint will be less stressful.¡± Dee shooed her former teacher off. She knew the diminutive woman was planning on dragging her into working with the ship and was not having any of it.


    Using the Mindscape Dee was able to locate Eilian rather easily, or at least she found the correct building. It still took a bit of searching to find the correct room. Finally she found the former Sidhe princess in a fairly large atelier with several Jun girls in various stages of painting a portrait of a fruit display. It all looked rather basic and boring to Dee. Eilian noticed her approach and waved her closer, proudly displaying her work. ¡°What do you think? Be honest!¡±


    Dee looked at the rather sorry excuse of a painting. Truth be told, she had assumed Eilian would be much more skilled at painting, considering how much the Sidhe princess had wanted to do it. ¡°Honestly? Your path to mastery is still very long.¡± She decided to be at least a little blunt.


    Eilian smiled. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. That¡¯s part of what makes it worth it, I think. As you might have guessed, I didn¡¯t really get much of a chance to indulge myself like this with my parents driving me towards the throne. I also spent so much time training my magic that it didn¡¯t really leave much time for hobbies.¡± She said a little sadly.


    ¡°I suppose we all have to start somewhere.¡± Dee replied, keeping her tone neutral. She had almost mentioned a quote she had read somewhere: ¡°Sucking at something is the first step to becoming sorta good at something.¡± In the end she had decided against using the word suck to describe Eilian¡¯s efforts.


    ¡°Indeed. As a Sidhe I have all the time in the world to become better. Assuming my sister doesn¡¯t manage to kill us.¡± She said the last sentence a little wryly.


    ¡°That reminds me. I never asked what her real name is.¡± Dee realized. Noyala was the name she had taken when interacting with Dee, but it was not her real name. That much had been made obvious.


    ¡°To be frank, I¡¯m not entirely sure what she picked as her new true name when she shed her childhood name. Shadows rarely share their names and she most certainly wasn¡¯t going to volunteer me any information. That said, I heard she¡¯s being called Queen Artenia officially, so that¡¯s what she goes by now.¡± Eilian sounded a little apologetic due to her lack of knowledge. It was a bit of a shame how things went with her sister, but the situation was what it was. Regret was useless and she rather enjoyed her new lot in life.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re going to have to paint my portrait when you get to that point with your skill. How are the Jun treating you?¡± Dee inquired, thinking Eilian might need some help adjusting.


    ¡°Rather well actually. I¡¯m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with my rank as an immortal mage, not at all. They tiptoe around me a bit, but they¡¯re not bothering me at least. I¡¯m starting to make a few friends as well. Mostly among the musicians as the painters seem too scared of me.¡± Eilian replied, rather pleased with herself. She was still trained as a princess and a future ruler, so she was adept at social situation even if the Jun were rather skittish around her.


    A sudden wicked thought occurred to Dee. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. You¡¯ll have to join us for our next girl¡¯s night out. At least it shouldn¡¯t be boring.¡±


    They exchanged some more pleasantries and gossip before Dee felt it was time to allow Eilian to return to her art. They had made some plans to meet another day in any case. As she stepped outside of the atelier, she realized that the whole area was filled with various buildings dedicated to arts and crafts. She had not paid much attention when coming this way because she was too busy observing the Mindscape. That ability was still a bit clunky for her to use, as it was something that relied on time and practice. As she was powerful in many ways but young, such time and practice were in short supply. Too many skills to develop. She much rather relied on her other senses anyway, though the ability did have its uses as she had just seen.


    She suddenly noticed a rather familiar sounding tune of instruments being played. One in particular caught her ear, as the sad vibrating sound of the stringed instruments brought up nostalgic emotions. The sound was something she had heard before, and she had a hunch about who might be playing. The music slowly led her towards a large amphitheater carved out of stone, with a large stage in the center. On the stage a large group of musicians was practicing their craft, as the seats only held a small smattering of people, and the musicians weren¡¯t even all playing the same song.


    Dee recognized the young Jun woman playing the stringed instrument in front. ¡°Mina.¡± Dee whispered the name of the person that had drawn her attention so many years ago.

 Chapter 116

    As she had not yet drawn anyone¡¯s attention, Dee took this chance to observe Mina a bit. They had not seen each other in years, so she wanted to see what had changed. The first thing that struck out was that the Jun girl still kept her silky black hair long enough to reach her buttocks. She had not changed much in either height or proportions either, which was expected since Mina had been almost fully grown when they had met for the first time. That still left her fairly tall; somewhat taller than the average human and elven women in comparison. The biggest change seemed to have happened in the way she carried herself. Unlike her old self, it seemed the current Mina had gained some confidence. And why wouldn¡¯t she? She was still beautiful and had a magic touch with the instrument she was playing.


    Instinctively Dee sat down to listen, isolating out the sounds generated by the other musicians. There was just something that evoked emotion in the way Mina coaxed sounds out of her stringed instrument with a bow. Dee had always had an almost reverential attitude towards music, as it had somehow come to represent all the things she was deprived of by the assassins of Zabaniya while growing up. A thought occurred to her. ¡®Maybe there would be something symbolic in me picking up an instrument to play myself? Something to signify that helpless part of my life no longer holding power over me¡­¡¯ It was something to consider.


    As she was lost in thought, the final song came to an end. As the musicians stopped and started clearing away their instruments, Dee noticed Mina approaching one of the male musicians. She laid a hand on his arm and asked something with a hopeful look on her face. Something in Mina¡¯s eyes spoke of vulnerability and emotions beyond friendship. That hope was dashed as the man shook his head gently in denial. It was clear these two were not in a relationship, and now would not be in the future either. For some reason, Dee instantly hated the guy.


    That surprised her. She hated a lot of people and some for frivolous reasons, so that wasn¡¯t a reason for the surprise. No, the surprise was due to the depth of the feeling of hate. She tried to figure out what exactly caused such ire in her. She wasn¡¯t stupid and could figure it had something to do with Mina¡¯s obviously affectionate actions, but there was something else. She soon figured it out thanks to the fact that it was very similar to the feelings she¡¯d had before concerning Mina. It felt almost like the man had tried to snatch away something that belonged to her, and the dragon part of her was not happy.


    Of course, Mina didn¡¯t belong to her and never had. In fact, despite Mina¡¯s apparent beauty both inside and out, Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure she wanted Mina to be hers in a romantic way. As she examined her emotions, she realized that she didn¡¯t really have deeper feelings towards the Jun girl beyond what one would feel towards a friend. Not anymore. Mina had been something like her first awakening to romantic feelings, but those feelings had not been fully mature yet. Truth be told, Dee felt much more towards the current Winter Queen of the Sidhe and even Nessera. Mina may have been Dee¡¯s first try at something romantic, but she had also been something different.


    Mina had always been something else than an object of desire. She had been like the representation of a life Dee herself would never have. Peaceful, gentle, innocent, good at cooking and music, and very¡­safe. Dee did not walk that path, but it was pleasant to have someone like that in her life. Her old feelings towards Mina had been somewhat mixed with her desires for that kind of life. Now with her new level of power and confidence, such life no longer held much of an appeal. Not only was she not meant for such a path, she didn¡¯t want it either.


    Then why was she so angry at the man? Because despite everything, Mina was the first and the first one was always a little special. Theoretically Dee should feel supportive of her friend finding happiness, even if they had not met in years. But she wasn¡¯t feeling anything like that. In her basic nature, Dee was not such a good person. She had a deep greedy streak enhanced by her dragon heritage that held the attitude of not wanting anyone else have what she considered hers.


    In the end, as a compromise solution of sorts, she decided it was not her business. With her recent realizations of her more dominant character and her more selfish shift in attitude, she no longer felt like suppressing a part of her nature for the benefit of others. However, trying to stop Mina from finding happiness would be beneath her as well and that more than anything would offend her sensibilities. In the end, she didn¡¯t really want the Jun girl anyway, so it was not really her business if someone else did. If a minor gem she no longer wanted rolled out of her treasure hoard, then it didn¡¯t really matter if someone else deigned to pick that gem up. The gem had been discarded anyway so it wasn¡¯t stealing. A very draconic way to think about it.


    After coming to a conclusion she looked up and let the musicians notice her presence. Mina also happened to look towards the audience stands and saw her. Dee didn¡¯t bother hiding her appearance or tails while among the Four Winds, so it took exactly a second for Mina to recognize her. At first Mina¡¯s eyes grew larger in surprise, but then a wide smile bloomed on her face. ¡°Dee!¡± She made a small happy scream and rushed towards her old friend.


    She glomped the larger demon in a warm hug. ¡°Where have you been?! I haven¡¯t seen you in years!¡±


    The two had not met since the time the sub-community of Four Winds had been attacked by a stampede of crazed creatures and elementals. Dee remembered that Faylen and Mazatl had rushed her to the Radiant Sun headquarters almost as soon as she had woken up after the elemental rift incident. That had not left too much time for goodbyes. In fact the last time they had seen each other was when Dee had been consoling Mina over getting a broken heart.


    Dee forced a small laugh that luckily sounded very natural. ¡°It has been several years indeed. I see your luck with men has not changed since then.¡±


    ¡°You saw that?¡± Mina asked embarrassed and hid her face behind her instrument case. ¡°Please don¡¯t remind me. I took your advice back then though. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m fairly sure I said nothing of the sort.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. She had pushed Mina to confess and get herself rejected just because she didn¡¯t want to look at her pining after someone else. ¡°Right.¡± She still voiced a tentative agreement. The advice wasn¡¯t all bad despite the reason it was given. ¡°Anyway. I¡¯m not sure if you heard any news, but I¡¯ve been a wee bit busy.¡± Her voice took a playful tone. ¡°You should appreciate the fact that this is my first vacation in so many years and I¡¯m wasting it coming to see you.¡±


    Croestia¡¯s mocking tone sounded in Dee¡¯s head. ¡®Ignoring the fact that this was a complete accident and far from the first thing you did. You¡¯ve been on vacation for several days now and you''ve gotten into fights and a medium sized orgy before meeting her. Which reminds me. Do pay a visit to Faylen and Mazatl. Maybe the dwarven blacksmith Fimul as well.¡¯


    ¡®Medium sized orgy reminded you of Faylen, Mazatl, and Fimul? I mean I know I can¡¯t really afford to judge, but that¡¯s a bit¡­.¡¯ Dee joked back and got an amused grumble as a reply.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard some rumors. You¡¯re something of a celebrity among certain parts of the Four Winds. Also Moirai is a hopeless gossip when it comes to your exploits. She¡¯s like a proud mother. I¡¯m aware you¡¯ve been very busy becoming the youngest ever immortal. Still, you could¡¯ve visited at least once.¡± Mina replied with a laugh.


    ¡°Alas, with great power comes great amount of training and demands for your time. Besides, I¡¯m here now, am I not? I missed your cooking. You still play well by the way.¡± Dee changed the subject. The two started exchanging news and stories of their lives.


    It turned out that Mina did not live here, as she was still too weak and vulnerable for the third circle. Any half determined warrior could capture someone like her and try to use her against the community. Thus she and others like her only visited the headquarters if they had some business here, or in Mina¡¯s case a concert. She herself lived in another sub-community in a much safer location. As a result she couldn¡¯t cook for Dee despite her willingness to do so. Instead the duo found a restaurant to satiate Dee, where they could eat and converse.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see some things don¡¯t change.¡± Mina laughed as she saw the huge portion of food Dee was shoveling into her mouth.


    Their discussions were interrupted about half an hour later by a half annoyed succubus. ¡°There you are, Dee! How could you leave me to deal with the cleaning of the ship we captured?¡± Nessera quite happily bounced towards them and sat next to Dee. She then proceeded to try and steal food from Dee¡¯s plate, with no success.


    Dee hissed at her and stabbed her fork at the succubus. ¡°Get away. My food is mine! Get your own. I don¡¯t share food. Besides, what¡¯s this about us capturing a ship? If I recall correctly, you were useless during the whole thing. The least you could do is using your magic to help clean the thing afterward.¡±


    Nessera sat up proudly. ¡°My moral support was vital to our success. Besides, it¡¯s hardly my fault if you lead us to enemies that prevent the use of magic.¡± She took a look at Mina who was sitting across the table. ¡°What this? You already found another cute girl to corrupt? One would think the festivities of last night would have been enough for you, but you¡¯re insatiable.¡± She joked, eliciting a groan and a facepalm from Dee.


    ¡°Festivities of last night? Insatiable?¡± Mina repeated the important parts in surprise. Her eyes suddenly widened in realization. ¡°Oh? OH? Well, well. It seems our little Dee has been sneaky enough to get ahead of me in matters of romance. So you two are an item? You have a girlfriend now? Congratulations!¡± She kept on prattling due to her somewhat misguided impression.


    Nessera grinned and hugged Dee¡¯s arm. ¡°Oh I could never claim her just for myself, but you¡¯re not entirely wrong. I¡¯ll have you know, we had the best of time last night when we went to a Coven den with Shioko, Nyx, and Moirai. A girl¡¯s night out worthy of stories.¡± This was turning out to be much more interesting than the succubus had assumed. The Jun girl in front of them might turn out to be an interesting person to play with, judging by Dee¡¯s reactions.


    ¡°You went out with Representative Nyx and Representative Shioko?¡± Mina¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°The stories about their outings are legendary!¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure another legend will be added thanks to last night.¡± Nessera bragged. ¡°Nyx herself said that Dee elevated the night to a whole another level.¡± The two started to gossip like two buddies who had known each other forever. Their stories almost entirely focused around Dee as the common factor, and both of them exaggerated everything to a ridiculous level. Dee seriously considered just burning the whole place down as a distraction as the evening carried on.


    Finally Mina had to go, as she had a concert to play in and a practice schedule to attend to. As Dee and Nessera watched her walk away, Nessera spoke quietly. ¡°She was your first love, wasn¡¯t she? I can tell by the way you looked at her. There was something special there.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Dee replied simply. Special in a different way than Nessera thought, but still special.


    ¡°And now?¡± Nessera asked. Her suggestion was obvious. Dee could pursue the girl if she wanted, and had a lot to offer.


    ¡°And now nothing. She isn¡¯t into women, and I don¡¯t really feel that way about her anymore. Still¡­¡± Dee¡¯s voice trailed off.


    ¡°Still, the first one is always the first and will hold a special place.¡± Nessera filled in for her. The two spoke no further as they watched Mina disappear among the hustle and bustle of people.


    -----------


    Dee grinned at the people aimlessly searching for her among the sea of people. Lately she had been spending more time with other powerful people and not hiding herself, so it was refreshing to return to her roots as someone who could move around without a trace or anyone noticing her. The people around her avoided her by instinct, but the avoidance was more like not walking into a wall than giving room to someone powerful. Her stealth abilities were working perfectly in a throng of people where she could get lost, and no one would know of her passing, especially since she knew how to flow along the rush of people without bumping into people while still moving quickly.


    Well, almost no one would know of her passing. As she had suspected, the news about her upcoming match in the Cauldron of Blood had drawn attention and it was only a matter of time before someone made the connection between her and the being that had a bounty on her head thanks to the Tree of Life incident. Well someone had indeed made the connection, or at least enough of a connection to warrant checking if it was true. The Cauldron of Blood had hundreds of elves and Sidhe scattered among the endless amount of people, all trying to sense the energy within Dee.


    The observers knew she was here somewhere, but they didn¡¯t know exactly where. It was one thing to sense Dee on a deserted road when she made no effort to hide herself, as she had done when intercepting Eilian. It was another thing entirely to actually spot her among all these people even if they knew she was here somewhere. They knew she would show up at the arena where her fight was to take place soon, but the Cauldron had strict rules about things like that to avoid competitors trying to take their opponents out outside the arena. No one except the fighters was allowed to approach certain portions of the arena where the competitors would enter.


    There was another oddity among the crowd that made Dee chuckle. Fights involving the Peak of Glory were extremely popular and were understandably spectacles for both normal audiences and lower ranked participants trying to learn from those higher in the ranks. Unsurprisingly the whole enormous arena where the fight was to take place had been sold out. Nearby restaurants and bars that had magical feeds showing the events on the arena were also completely swamped with observers. Yet, one section of the arena stands was completely reserved by members of five particular races, all hailing from a single community that combined the Four Winds and the Wolf Tribes.


    As a result, the crowd of people surging towards the arena had a surprising amount of diminutive Meilin, graceful Jun, imposing Dagon, fiery Anshar and fierce wolf-tribe beastmen among them. This move was not just to show support to Dee. The representatives were taking this chance to make several moves at the same time. First of all, they were silently announcing the joining of the Four Winds and the Wolf Tribes. It was also a show of force. The community could futilely try to keep the new alliance a secret to surprise potential enemies, but a blatant show of force had a preventative effect instead. The Four Winds was already a community that very few in the third circle wanted to play around with, but now that number was cut down even further.


    Of course, it was also a shameless grab for glory. If Dee destroyed her opponent under the cheers of her community, then that would be remembered. It was as if the community was showing off one of their younger members. On the flipside, if she lost she would embarrass them to no end, but they all knew she was not going to lose. Which was why Nyx was making the bookies at the arena suffer. Nyx and the other representatives knew there was no way Dee would lose this fight, but the bookies were not as well informed and betting had always been a major part of the Cauldron events. In fact, as a challenger appearing out of nowhere Dee¡¯s odds of victory were assumed to be fairly limited, so anyone betting on her was looking at a hefty profit in case she won.


    Reserving a whole section of the arena for the community was a rather expensive endeavor, and Nyx planned on making all that money back and then some. Of course, the bookies all had maximum bets in place just for this sort of situation to limit losses. The problem was, those maximum bets were restricting bets placed by a single person. This day saw thousands of Nyx¡¯s friends and subordinates going to the betting areas and placing large bets on Dee¡¯s victory. The bookies soon noticed where the wind was blowing and stopped taking bets from the members of a certain community, but by then it was too late and the damage was done.


    With a chuckle, Dee slipped through the searching parties of the elves and Sidhe who could tell she was here, but could not locate her. She could¡¯ve slipped inside the arena, but decided it was better to announce her presence. The guards almost jumped out of their skin as she suddenly appeared in front of them. A couple of them reacted with hostility, especially since she was already within the guard perimeter, but the guard captain waved them all down with a firm hand. The red-haired and fairly handsome looking High Human had recognized Dee immediately, which was not all that difficult all things considered. ¡°Interesting approach. Usually contestants arrive with a fair bit of pomp instead.¡± He said with a neutral tone.


    Dee gave a small smile. ¡°It seems there are a fair few people looking for me among the crowd. I thought it better not to make a scene outside to avoid a battle.¡±


    The captain, of course, was aware of the plans of the elves, as it was his job to know such things. Thus he nodded in approval. He and a small group of guards started escorting Dee towards the area where she could prepare. ¡°Out of curiosity, is the bounty on your head warranted? I ask partly because I need to know how much trouble to expect.¡± He kept his tone neutral, and there was no judgment to be heard. There had been mass murderers fighting in the arena, not to mention all the blood feuds, so a bounty was not something new.


    ¡°As usual, things are a little more complex than they appear on the surface and most of it is politics, but basically yes. I did do what they are charging me of. That¡¯s not why they want me, but that hardly matters, now does it?¡± Dee replied in an equally level tone. ¡°Out of curiosity, what is the bounty nowadays? I heard the bounty given out by the Winter Court which was rather enticing, but I don¡¯t know what the other courts chipped in.¡±


    The other guards chuckled and one of them replied. ¡°Enough wealth to make anyone below the immortal level think twice. The Summer court promised some rare reagents and magical items that might even draw the attention of some fresh rank ten immortals.¡±


    ¡°So nothing I need to worry about, is what you¡¯re saying?¡± Dee asked in amusement, which brought another gale of laughter from the guards. They were still underestimating Dee, though they would not be after today.


    The Four Winds had taken an interest in Dee¡¯s little pastime in the Cauldron of Blood, for several reasons. They saw a lot of potential in the endeavor and were actually encouraging Dee to go all the way to the top as soon as she was able to. The most powerful people on the rankings would be immortals and thus might be too difficult for her to face before she reached that point herself, so it was assumed she was going to take some time to do it. They had also given Dee certain instructions.


    As Dee was bound to draw attention, there was no point in trying to avoid it. Instead Dee was told to revel in it and draw even more attention. She was also supposed to make the whole thing into a statement. Nyx had told her to not make it quick and instead dismantle her opponents in a very blatant manner whenever possible. They would, in turn, make sure she would face no repercussions. Even if the inhabitants of the great forest managed to draw the interest of an immortal or two to go after Dee, the Four Winds had sent a full dozen of their own to watch over her. In this case that dozen also included three of the representatives, as they were making a show of force.


    She was also not hiding her face or appearance when fighting on the arena. The time for hiding was not now, so she was not going to be wearing her usual scout attire that obscured her appearance. Instead, she was changing into a fancy looking silver colored plate armor decorated with golden scrollwork placed there by the meticulous Jun craftsmen with their artistic talent. She was also wearing a long white cape emblazoned with the symbol of the Four Winds, now joined with the claw symbols of the Wolf Tribes.


    The armor showed off her tails and left her head bare. Otherwise she was fully covered in plate armor and scale hauberk. The armor was amazingly detailed and beautiful and made her look like the templar she had been trained to become. In a word, she looked dashing, like a true knight in shining armor. An image that would contrast with her methods rather starkly. That thought brought a smile to her face as she walked into the arena to the deafening cheers of the audience. As she was the challenger, she was entering the arena first.


    From the other side of the arena entered the current rank 90 on the ranking list of the Cauldron of Blood. Her first victim.

 Chapter 117

    Dee watched with interest as her opponent entered the arena. Apparently, the man was very popular with certain sections of the audience, judging by the elated screams of women with a certain level of maturity. It seemed the rather well-chiseled features and almost a little too beautiful facial features of the horned and blue-skinned man appealed to women that had some years under their belt. Or perhaps it was the fact that the man was wearing green robes open at the front, which revealed his impressive chest muscles and abs that did the trick. Either way, Dee didn¡¯t quite see the appeal. Even Shunkaha was more impressive.


    The hooved legs were a bit more interesting to Dee, but mostly in the academic sense of not knowing the race of her opponent. She had never seen a representative of this particular race. He looked almost like a crossbreed of a human and a demon of some sort. Such beings had many names and types, ranging from a more polite term Tiefling to a much less polite abomination. Yet this one seemed a little different. Dee could sense none of the chaotic mana so often seen in demons, even only partial demons.


    What she did know, as it was made obvious by the man¡¯s garb, was that he was a nature magician of some sort. The leaves stuck in his clothing and the gnarled wooden staff kind of gave it away. ¡®Is he trying to play to a stereotype or something? If I couldn¡¯t see his body filled with life and nature mana, I¡¯d almost think this was a ruse.¡¯ Dee commented to Croestia.


    ¡®Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re currently dressed like the epitome of a white knight yourself. There¡¯s a fair bit of showmanship involved in this fight. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if those leaves were strategically placed there, instead of something left there by accident.¡¯ Croestia replied with a chuckle.


    For a moment Dee had forgotten her own garb and gave a small defeated sigh. The judges were busy explaining the rules, which basically boiled down to: don¡¯t get the audience mixed in, killing is allowed but to be avoided when possible, and try not to wreck the whole arena. There were powerful magical defenses separating the audience and the large arena, but when dealing with low ranked immortals and those just below them at the ninth rank, such measure could only take you so far.


    ¡®Remember, Nyx asked you to make it showy, so no one hit victory.¡¯ Croestia reminded her. ¡®Also, you might as well go fairly all out. Your skills will all change to a certain extent once you become immortal, so hiding their current level makes little sense. In fact, it might be useful to display them as a way to give the enemy false information.¡¯


    The latter reminder was not without merit. It was in Dee¡¯s basic nature to hold back things to use as a secret weapon, even after all her trainers since the Zabaniya had tried to get her out of that habit. Especially the old man had tried to beat that habit out of her. She was better in that regard, but it was hard to change one¡¯s nature. Still, it might be interesting to really let loose once in a while, and Nyx had asked rather politely. ¡®So we¡¯re expecting nature and life magic mostly. It might be a good chance to test your ability to resist magic in a rather controlled environment. Besides, it will play well towards my plan.¡¯


    She had thought of ways to make things theatric, and she had decided to take a page out of the playbook of the old man that used to get such enjoyment kicking her around. One of the most overbearing ways to defeat someone was to allow them to throw everything they had at you and just counter everything they had with seeming ease. That would also allow her to reveal a controlled amount of her own abilities without simply showing all of them. Reveal enough to show off and beat the opponent, but not much more. That sounded like a nice compromise solution between her trainers and her own habits.


    ¡®About that. We never had time to discuss it properly, but¡­¡¯ Croestia¡¯s words were cut off as the starting signal of the match was given and Dee¡¯s opponent quickly made the first move.


    The opponent¡¯s first spell was aimed more towards speed than power, but it still caused a veritable storm of thorny vines to suddenly appear and surround Dee in an attempt to box her in. It was doubtful the spell was really meant to defeat Dee just by itself, but it was still a powerful spell for something so quick. Dee was preparing to defend herself but noticed that the vines were all stopping when they got close as if they lost all power and started to rapidly wither.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s new.¡± Dee commented and looked behind her at the ninth tail glowing deep green.


    ¡®I was about to mention that before we were so rudely interrupted. I don¡¯t think it comes as a huge surprise but all that power you sucked from the Tree of Life made your ninth tail become like that. As the energy was a bit of both, I¡¯m pretty sure it increases your resistance to both life and nature magic. Incidentally, thanks to all that power I could also improve my ability with those resistances, and they are now your strongest resistances with the possible exception of death. You now have a level of resistance to those energies that rivals very old and powerful dragons. Also, with you being so strong in death energy, that withering is what happens to the plants controlled by nature magic that you consider hostile. You¡¯re the worst nightmare of this particular mage.¡¯ Croestia explained. She had almost burst out laughing as soon as they had seen the enemy.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s kind of boring. I hope he has something else in his pockets.¡¯ Dee replied not sure how happy she was about this. On one hand, she had kind of hoped for a worthy opponent but then an opponent like this allowed her to really do the showing off part. Still, she shouldn¡¯t be too complacent.


    The enemy mage had become a little shocked once he saw how little effect his spell had on Dee. Dee, in turn, decided to up the ante. She materialized a large claymore seemingly made of pure darkness and drew a large circle around herself on the arena¡¯s dirt-packed ground. She then stabbed the sword into the ground in front of her. Her message was clear to both the enemy mage and the audience. She would not be moving anywhere from the circle during this match.


    This brought a series of cheers and jeers from the crowd, as they either appreciated her little display or thought of her as arrogant. The enemy mage was too smart to get provoked by the little stunt. If Dee was silly enough to impose limits on herself, then that was not his problem. He had fought magic resistant enemies before, albeit not one with as powerful of a resistance as Dee seemed to have. There were ways around such things. He waved his staff which glowed bright green and enhanced his magical powers. He was also chanting a complex spell, which created two large green sigils on the arena ground.


    Dee could recognize summoning magic when she saw it in action. It wasn¡¯t a bad idea. While the summoning was nature magic, her resistances would do little against most things that could be summoned. She could try using her templar abilities to interrupt the spell, but this was interesting. She wanted to see what the mage could come up with. Both of the sigils suddenly rose up from the ground and a form seemed to be coming out of them as they rose. The two frames were almost large enough to count as giants as they were at least eight mel tall, without counting the large antlers on their heads.


    ¡°Forest Protectors?¡± Dee asked no one in particular. The two beings were humanoid in shape, except they seemed to be a mix of something plantlike that grew out from the forests and large giants. This was exemplified by the beards that seemed to be made of moss. Dee had heard about beings like this. Many of the more primitive groups on other worlds called them Forest Gods, as the beings were rather powerful and protected the forests under them fiercely. Hence the more common name, Forest Protectors.


    The one closer to Dee swung down what looked like a mallet made from a tree trunk, but the strike suddenly changed direction as if it had hit a barrier, and then the large being was thrown back as if it had been struck by a large invisible fist. Which was exactly what had happened. The other creature chanted a small spell and a bolt of lightning struck down towards Dee. The thing about the Forest Protectors was that they also had their own magical abilities. A mage summoning creatures that also could cast spells, albeit simple ones.


    Dee clicked her tongue. She could dodge easily, but that would require moving out of the circle she had drawn. Instead, she decided to take the attack and trust in her ability to resist it. While the lightning was dangerous to many people, Dee was also resistant to that element, as shown by one of her tails turning light blue and sparkly. That combined with Croestia¡¯s magic resistance and her own newfound fortitude thanks to her transition towards immortality turned the lightning more into an annoyance. The lightning struck and was not pleasant, but Dee could rather calmly observe as the remaining sparks and streamers of lightning fizzled around her. A mage fully dedicated to lightning magic might be able to actually hurt her, but not a half-assed attack by a summoned creature.


    ¡°Ok, my turn.¡± Dee announced, and suddenly a metallic halo appeared above her head. She was planning on mostly relying on her psionics in this fight, and the halo was one of those things that were more useful when relied on often rather that something hidden for emergencies. She also got a sudden burst of inspiration.


    ¡®I could throw several psionic weapons at the large creatures, or I could try something new. I haven¡¯t actually tried making the psionic weapons really big and powerful instead of small and numerous.¡¯ Dee thought to herself.


    Suddenly an enormous blade of pure psionic energy appeared in the sky and fell towards the creature that had stumbled earlier. The large blade was actually bigger than the giant Forest protector, and easily cleaved the being in two. ¡®Wasn¡¯t that a bit of an overkill?¡¯ Croestia asked a little confused. A significantly smaller blade would¡¯ve done the job just fine. Why bother making it bigger than the target?


    Dee was actually equally confused. She had not actually tried making the blade so large, or so deadly. The only explanation she could come up with was that her Domain was leaking over again. A Domain was after all supposed to improve all of the skills of the owner, which made it more versatile than a more specialized soul space and totem. Well, she was now feeling the effects.


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    The nature mage had not been idle and his next spell was just about to finish. In response, Dee made a slicing motion with her hand, and the enormous psionic blade rose from the ground and made a horizontal sweep to cut the other giant creature at the waist, bisecting the creature cleanly at the waist. The mage¡¯s spell finished and suddenly a swarm of poisonous insects appeared from nowhere and started covering most of the arena. The idea was sound. If Dee used a large blade to cut big creatures, then throw in a lot of smaller ones. Dee would have no success killing them with the large weapon.


    ¡®He realized it.¡¯ Croestia commented gleefully.


    ¡®Unfortunately he did.¡¯ Dee¡¯s psionics had something of a gap when it came to certain types of enemies. She could use her numerous psionic weapons that she could make explode against large numbers of smaller enemies, but they would lose effectiveness against targets this small. Or at least she would only get some of the insects instead of all of them. Her invisible hands would be too busy trying to swat all of them as well. She could create a psionic storm to remove most of them, but that would leave those insects powerful enough to withstand the storm or nimble enough to avoid it, so that was not exactly foolproof.


    That meant she had to go for another well of power. She channeled the holy power inside her and a field of dark energy started draining the life from everything around her. This spell didn¡¯t specify any particular targets; instead it targeted everything in range, which in this case covered most of the arena and all of the insects. The insects didn¡¯t have all that much life to drain, which made them ideal targets as they died quickly, which was good since a field like this would be less effective against targets that actually had a lot of power. The downside of this maneuver was that she had just revealed her skill with darker holy spells. Not a big sacrifice considering anyone could find out her holy background even with a cursory background check, but still. She had just moments ago decided to mostly use her psionics and was not happy to be forced to go back on the decision. She was not happy.


    Apparently her opponent was equally unhappy about the direction this fight was taking and decided to bet everything on his trump card. A surge of nature and life mana surrounded the man, and he flew thirty mel into the air. The power around him started to solidify and he was being surrounded by a rapidly growing something. It was certainly not a being that appeared naturally. It looked like a combination of a swamp monster and some sort of wicker man. The form was vaguely humanoid, though there were no proper features as the whole being was covered in sludge, dirt, and leaves.


    The creature swung its building sized fist at Dee. The approaching strike was surprisingly swift and covered the entire circle she had drawn around her, making it sure she would have to dodge outside the circle at least to avoid the strike. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡± Dee growled angrily. She was not about to lose in a contest of strength.


    She applied all the holy power buffs that increased strength and had Croestia give her a full strength buff as well as fully powering herself with her psionic power. For good measure she also had several of the black pearls wrap around her gauntleted fist for extra weight. She swung her own fist to meet the enormous creature¡¯s incoming fist, and the whole arena shook with the force of the impact as the two forces collided. To the shock of the audience, Dee had not moved a single centimel from where she stood, partially thanks to keeping herself in place with her telekinesis, while the arena in front of her had been devastated.


    The ground and the fist that had been used to attack her had been annihilated. The only difference was that the fist was already rapidly growing back. That was the whole idea of the large being. It wasn¡¯t very subtle, but was strong and damn hard to kill. Another large psionic blade suddenly materialized and swung at the gigantic creature. With a sickening squelch, it struck the muddy surface, which gave way to the sharp and powerful weapon. The problem was that the surface gave way on purpose. The soft and elastic surface absorbed and diluted the power behind the strike, and while the sharp edge cut deep and made a wide slice through the creature, the damage was immediately healed back.


    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how you want to play it. A battle of attrition, is it?¡± Dee had a wicked smile on her face. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel like playing by your rules.¡±


    The large creature was not about to just stand still swung its arm at Dee again. This time the surface of the fist was covered in long thorns that seemed to be poisoned. She, in turn, made no move to strike back, instead she just stared at the creature¡¯s head where the mage resided. As the huge fist approached, she lazily lifted a single finger to block, and for some reason, the creature¡¯s attack was stopped like it had hit some immovable object. In fact the entire creature seemed to freeze in place. ¡®Such theatrics.¡¯ Croestia said with a mocking laugh.


    Dee had started stealthily attacking the mage¡¯s mind a while back. She had simply not taken advantage of the fact until now. She was a psion after all, and all fights against psions ran the risk of getting your mind attacked if the psion had any skill in the mental field. Croestia¡¯s mocking was quite correct in that Dee had frozen the mage¡¯s mind and the creature''s movements at the most theatric moment possible, making it look like just a single finger was enough to stop the heavy blow.


    With the freezing of the creature, or more specifically the mage controlling it, the regeneration had also stopped. Dee sent a pulse of psionic force through the creature, easily shredding it since it was barely holding together as it was. The frozen mage fell towards the ground and Dee made a grasping motion and an invisible hand caught the mage by the collar of his robe and brought him to Dee.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this battle is done.¡± Dee announced, and gave the man¡¯s face a small smack for emphasis, while the mage gave no reaction. That showed Dee could do anything to the mage and he would not be able to stop it. That was enough for the judges. They declared Dee victorious in the fight to the cheers of the audience who had thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle. Very often fights at this level happened with such speeds that it was almost impossible to follow, but the two this time had taken their time with everything. Dee¡¯s victory also meant that there was now a successful challenger that would most likely go on to challenge those higher on the standings. That would mean more entertainment. Soon enough they got the news that Dee would be challenging another opponent once it could be arranged.


    Nyx¡¯s compatriots were busy collecting their ill-gotten gains while Dee walked off the arena. There were also certain people in the audience that were especially interested in her fight. First one was a group of three female warriors in a crimson armor. ¡°She seems to be developing nicely. It¡¯s hard to believe she¡¯s the same little fox we saw just a few years ago.¡± The woman with a short red hair in a warrior¡¯s cut said thoughtfully.


    ¡°You did well, forming connections with her, Anastasia.¡± The eldest dark-haired woman said. ¡°She might become important later on. I¡¯m fairly certain I sensed traces of a Domain. And not a small and barely born one either. She¡¯s been developing one before becoming an immortal. Somehow.¡±


    The two others looked at the dark haired woman in surprise. Anastasia had known Dee was special, but this still shocked her. Not that she would doubt her senior sister who had the sharpest senses among the trio and most of the Crimson Path. Only some of the dedicated hunters and trackers could match her. ¡°They seem to be building a nice little alliance to deal with the incoming trouble.¡± She commented looking at the section occupied by the Four Winds.


    ¡°Good.¡± The red-haired woman grunted. ¡°Saves us the trouble of having to warn them.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­it might have been a good way to build good will if we had given them aid, but this is not bad either. We should inform the leader. The little side project you have going on seems to be bearing fruit.¡± The dark haired woman said simply. She was an ally of the leader and this news might make the leader¡¯s job a little easier. The problem with leading a group of fierce warriors like them was that their nature also created competition and internal struggle, even in the face of the incoming crisis. Crisis came with opportunity after all.


    In another section of the audience was a group of almost identical Valkyries. ¡°Found you!¡± Brynhildr declared.


    ¡°Found who?¡± One of the other Valkyries asked.


    ¡°The dark angel we talked about, remember?¡± Reginleif commented from the side. She also noticed to obvious similarities between the dark angel they had fought and Dee fighting in the arena.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any angels.¡± The same Valkyrie stated a little densely, though she could not really be blamed for it. She had not fought the dark angel and didn¡¯t know what to look for.


    ¡°The fox that just won the challenge. She¡¯s the dark angel. Obviously she can change her appearance.¡± Brynhildr stated firmly. The metallic halo, the psionic weapons, and even the dark pearls in Dee¡¯s gauntlet were such obvious hints.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± A fourth Valkyrie confirmed from the side.


    ¡°Quite sure. She wasn¡¯t using her full power in this fight, but the signs are there.¡± Reginleif explained.


    ¡°If that was not her full power, then I can accept that you lost to her before.¡± The fourth Valkyrie said firmly. ¡°It seems she is a member of the Four Winds. What was she doing in the forest?¡±


    ¡°It seemed the target at that time was a friend of hers. Besides, we were there. Maybe she was working as a mercenary of sorts too. She seems to have holy power abilities so she might have ties to the paladins.¡± Reginleif theorized.


    ¡°We will have to look into this.¡± The fourth Valkyrie decided.

 Chapter 118

    Dee parried the sword upwards and dove under the blade. At the same time, she used her gauntleted claws to swipe at her enemy while using a free hand to try and grab her enemy¡¯s sword arm. The enemy quickly retreated out of range and let go of the blade to save his arm from Dee¡¯s grasp. The magical weapon reappeared in his hand almost immediately as the male vampire backpedaled away from Dee to gain his bearings.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Dee gave a small click of her tongue at his escape. She had maneuvered the man into making a mistake, but the man¡¯s skill and quick thinking had saved him. In many ways, her current opponent was the most dangerous enemy she had faced in the arena of the Cauldron of Blood.


    She had fought four more times against enemies from the Peak of Glory that denoted the hundred best fighters taking part in the festivities of the Cauldron. The male vampire in front of her was ranked 31, and would be the final opponent Dee would face for a while. Those in the top 30 would all be people that were either immortal or had powerful Authorities with powers that made them rival immortals. Thus both Dee and the Four Winds had decided that she should not go further until gaining her own immortality.


    The four enemies she had faced had varied wildly in skill and style, but none of them had been as difficult to face as the enemy she was now facing. The man wielded a blade commonly known as a katana with two hands but could switch to a single-handed grip when needed. The man was very strong and fast, enough that Dee could not just overpower him or completely outpace him with the added speed from Lumen¡¯s blessing. He also used a very strange but intriguing fighting style.


    At a glance, his style was deceptively simple. He focused his ki into the edge of the blade, increasing its cutting power, and his muscles to increase speed and strength. When it came to defense he mainly relied on his ability to redirect blows or dodge attacks entirely. Toughness was not his forte, but it was not really needed either. He rarely performed any flashy attacks or used bursts of ki. It gave the appearance of a simple swordsman trying to slash his enemy with the simple blade in his hands. The seeming simplicity belied the sheer skill with which he wielded his blade. Even for a control and flow style fighter like Dee, it was difficult to create any openings to exploit. The simple style also didn¡¯t mean that the vampire had no tricks up his sleeve.


    The most obvious difficulty came from the fact that both the vampire¡¯s sword and the rare blades of ki he sent off seemed to ignore any barriers placed in front of it. Dee had tested both barriers made from psionic energy and even those made from holy energy, and they had done nothing. That had been a nasty little surprise. The edge of the sword the vampire used also seemed to be able to cut through any armor like it was made from tissue. Dee had a small wound on one of her hands to show how bad of an idea it was to try to block the sword with her gauntleted hand. The wound had started out much larger and had regenerated into a much smaller wound. The strange energy in the blade made both healing and regeneration slower, which was similar to the corruption caused by Umbra¡¯s power, only less potent.


    The style the man used was not entirely without ranged attacks either. Dee had started the fight by trying to blast the obvious swordsman from range, and she''d had some limited success. It was clear that Dee was far better at range, but the vampire had held his own. He had created a storm of tiny blades of ki that moved erratically in his surroundings as if leaves or petals caught in the wind. It was unpredictable and covered a large area. Not enough to match Dee, not by a long shot, but still very effective as the tiny blades passed through all defenses.


    He had also created a weird pyramid shaped barrier of ki around himself that seemed to be reflecting some of the power from the attacks against themselves, effectively nullifying them. It had been surprisingly effective against Dee¡¯s dark pearls, which had been completely nullified. At least as projectiles, as the pearls had many other uses. Still, it had made the man into a turtle being bombarded by Dee. She could¡¯ve eventually won the fight that way, but that would¡¯ve been unsatisfying both for the two combatants and the audience. So she decided to match the man¡¯s specialty and defeat him in close combat. That would be much more striking and theatric.


    Dee had become something of an audience favorite in her fights due to the seeming ease with which she defeated her opponents and her penchant for beating her enemies in what they were best at. That popularity had reflected well on the Four Winds, so Nyx, in particular, had encouraged her to continue. It also doubled as decent training. Besides, she didn¡¯t need to take advantage of the vampire¡¯s weaknesses to defeat him. In fact, she almost felt a little sorry for him, as covered in wounds as he was.


    The vampire had a lot of strengths, and against most enemies his skills would¡¯ve prevailed. Unfortunately, none of it was enough against Dee. He was someone who had dedicated his long life to perfect his own way of fighting, yet Dee was easily showing the wide gap between the two. While the man was strong enough to not get overpowered by her, she was still quite a bit stronger. That forced the man back and prevented him from matching her head-on. He might have been fast enough to somewhat keep up with Dee¡¯s speed, yet she was always a little faster. She got everywhere first and forced him to react to her, putting him on defensive.


    When it came to skill, the man¡¯s style and ability to utilize it was topnotch, but he was only using a single style. Dee had been trained by the old man who had drilled hundreds and thousands of styles into her skull, forcing her to adapt and learn to counter them. She also took the best of each style to complement her own. The vampire man¡¯s swordsmanship was one of the styles Dee had been drilled in, even though she could not use it due to her lack of ki. She could see every attack coming and was already there waiting with a counter. Although Dee had received a rather nasty cut on her gauntleted hand, that was simply because she had been caught by surprise and it was the only wound she had received. The vampire, on the other hand, was covered in wounds ranging from small cuts to larger gashes.


    As the two stood with a decent distance between them, Dee suddenly lowered her fists and released her stance. ¡°I have enjoyed our little game, and I commend your skill, but I think it¡¯s about time to end this dance, and for you to make your last move. Since it will be the last, make it count.¡±


    The vampire frowned, the expression marring his otherwise delicate appearance. It was true that he was losing, but Dee¡¯s words seemed a little premature. He didn¡¯t understand. Dee had been spending the last fifteen minutes crushing his abilities and his body. She had come here to make a spectacle, and that meant crushing her enemy¡¯s spirit and confidence. And that was what she planned on doing.


    The main thing that kept the fight going was the man¡¯s ability to cut through defenses, and it was the primary strength of the fighting style he used. That¡¯s what the whole style was based on and what their school of fighting was founded on. No barrier could hinder their attacks and no armor could block their blade. They could also cut through magical spells with techniques that had not been shown in this fight, as Dee didn¡¯t use such spells. That meant that unless their enemy was much stronger than them, those enemies would have to fight the members of the style with their own skill in close combat. However, nothing was absolute.


    It was true that almost no barrier or armor could match the cutting power of the style. Even Dee¡¯s fur in her kitsune form which could match the best magical armor or dragon scales after the incident with the Tree of Life was insufficient against that blade. Not that she had actually tried. Transforming into that form would not have matched her image in the eyes of the audience. However, there were always exceptions. There were certain Authorities that broke all rules and would be able to prevent anything from breaking through them. There were also certain beings and items that would simply be too much. In a meeting of an unstoppable force and an immovable object, the immovable object would in this case win since in the end the technique simply increased the cutting power of the vampire¡¯s attacks. As it happened, Dee also had one such method to block the sword.


    Despite his misgivings, the vampire also realized that he was headed towards defeat, so he decided to stake everything on a single attack. The ki around his blade grew much thicker and the blade even seemed to grow in size as the thick aura surrounded it. He dashed forward and slashed towards Dee, who made no move towards trying to defend. As the strike got close, the vampire suddenly saw something lavender colored move faster than he had ever seen and directly block the sword.


    In that short moment, the vampire recognized the blocking object as a wing, just before that same wing bashed him away. As he struck the ground, he saw another rapid slash and felt pain in his shoulder. This time he saw a black wing of the same type pinning him to the ground, with the tip of the wing going through his shoulder. He heard Dee¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯d like to point out that my wing could¡¯ve just as easily gone through your heart or your head.¡±


    The vampire man slumped in defeat. He knew he had lost utterly. His enemy had already accommodated him in bringing the fight to close quarters, and he had been outfought. Even his precious style had been defeated by the weird lavender wing. ¡°I surrender.¡± He uttered in a weak tone, signaling the close of this match.


    Dee pulled back her wing and flapped both of them just to flex them around a bit. She hadn¡¯t had the chance to really use them for a while, and it felt nice to flex them a little, even if this was not the form usually associated with the wings. She would¡¯ve preferred to hide the color of her lavender wing as it stood out so clearly, but for some reason the wing¡¯s defensive strength increased when it retained the original color. She had not wanted to take any chances.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Even back when she had lost her fight against the lich and had been saved by Moirai, her wing had managed to block attacks from an enemy several ranks higher than herself. The passage of time, the events with the Tree of Life, and her impending immortality had only increased the defensive power of the wing. Incidentally, it had done the same to the offensive power of the black wing, just that she had plenty of other weapons so she rarely used that particular feature of her wing. It still remained as one of her favorite maneuvers though, to block with one wing and attack with the other. The wings also added to her current image, as shown by the reaction of the audience. The appearance of her wings had at first been greeted by a deafening silence, soon followed by a chorus of wild cheers.


    As she got out of the arena, she found Nyx waiting. The Meilin representative was counting her winning from the bookies once again. ¡°They¡¯re still allowing you to bet?¡± Dee asked incredulously.


    ¡°Me? No. I have a permanent ban from all the bookies. However, they can¡¯t prevent my associates from placing bets in my stead. That was a really nice fight by the way. Was that the first time someone managed to block those nasty little floating weapons of yours? Anyway, the others have sent a word that we should hurry back. Something has happened. They didn¡¯t give any details in case someone was listening in. So if you could kindly make one of those portals of yours, I would appreciate it.¡± Nyx replied. She was the person who most often accompanied Dee¡¯s protective detail to the arena, mostly because the two had become something like friends and because Dee was making money for her.


    Dee and Nyx found the other representatives huddled over a large mirror placed on the ground. Incidentally, Amarog had been picked as the representative of the wolf beastmen. The group was also accompanied by a pair of seers from the Threads of Fate, one of whom was controlling the mirror. The mirror itself was a square almost three mel tall and wide, and it seemed to be showing a bird¡¯s-eye view of a battle somewhere. There seemed to be only about two dozen beings taking part in the battle, but from what Dee could tell, they were all immortals.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nyx asked as soon as they entered.


    ¡°The first Night city communities are making official attacks on the Day city communities of the second and third circle.¡± The Dagon representative summarized the situation.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit early?¡± Shunkaha, who was also present, asked. ¡°From everything I hear it should still be years if not decades before the spot in the first circle opens.¡± Amarog was grooming his son to become the next Alpha of the tribe so he took Shunkaha to all these meetings.


    Nyx grunted. ¡°Not really. The spot is opening in Day city after all, so the Night city communities will need some time to really establish themselves and gain a foothold. Gaining a spot in the first circle isn¡¯t as simple as just walking in with a bunch of immortals and demanding the spot. There are certain qualifications they must meet. Besides, they need to have a position from which they can launch an attack against the Crimson Witches and the other top second circle communities.¡±


    Dee suddenly realized a gap in her knowledge and felt a bit silly. ¡°Umm, this might be a bit stupid as a question, but how is the new community for the first circle decided? And how does the whole ranking thing even work?¡±


    The other representatives blinked a bit in confusion before they realized they never actually really talked about it. ¡°Oh right, this isn¡¯t obvious information to people and communities below the third circle.¡± Shioko was the first to react. They had all assumed Dee knew, even Shunkaha who had been taught by his father. Dee has simply never asked before.


    ¡°Well, taking the second question first, there are several ways the rankings can change, but in a nutshell all that is required is for the lower ranked community to claim the spot they vie for and the leader of the community that holds the spot currently must agree. Or if there is no one alive to contest the claim. That has also happened. The agreement of the previous holder of the position can be acquired in many ways, but most common method used is a challenge.¡± The Anshar representative explained.


    ¡°The most common and the one viewed to be the most honorable, but not always the most effective.¡± Nyx interjected. ¡°The agreement has been given for much seedier reasons such as ransom for a kidnapped relative. It has also been traded away pretty often. Some communities simply buy their ranking, though usually if they don¡¯t¡¯ have the power to protect the ranking they will be brought down pretty quickly.¡±


    ¡°The challenges also work in various ways, but simply put the two sides decide on the terms of the challenge, and the winner gets the spot in the rankings and even the actual physical location in the third or second circle. The most common challenges are battles either between individuals, small groups or large groups. Battles are not the only way, but they make up for the vast majority of challenges.¡± The Anshar representative continued his explanation.


    ¡°Who gets to decide the terms of the challenge?¡± Dee asked. It was obvious that some communities had a wider base of strong individuals, while other communities had few individuals but those few were very strong. Obviously, they would prefer different terms, as the communities with fewer strong individuals would fare better in small group battles or even duels.


    ¡°In theory the two sides have to come to agreement. Usually the challenger comes with a suggestion, but the one being challenged has no obligation to accept. There are outside pressures to accept though, as refusing is looked down upon. Besides, the challenger always has the option of just attacking the other community. The second most common way for a ranking to change hands is an all-out war between the two sides. Like I said, there¡¯s no need to get agreement if there¡¯s no one left to contest the claim.¡± The Anshar representative replied firmly.


    ¡°And the spot in the first circle?¡± Dee asked after a moment of consideration.


    ¡°Well, in theory it should work the same.¡± Nyx replied with a non-committal shrug. ¡°Only thing is, no one picks a fight with a first circle community. They got their position for a reason. Those spots haven¡¯t changed hands for so long that there¡¯s really no procedure in place. I think everyone¡¯s pretty much winging it.¡±


    ¡°That problem is partly why there is so much chaos brewing. The current situation is somewhat unprecedented.¡± The seer not in charge of the mirror pointed out. ¡°In theory the Crimson Path should take the spot, but their might is not as absolute as the first circle communities, and everyone smells blood in the water.¡±


    ¡°So the Night city communities are taking precautions and preparations by coming early and establishing a stronghold.¡± Nyx brought the discussion back on topic. ¡°What exactly is the situation?¡±


    ¡°Well, two second circle communities are currently fighting for their rankings. Unlike the third circle communities, those in the second circle didn¡¯t make alliances and combine communities to make room for the attackers from the Night city. They were all a bit too confident in their own strength after all. One of them seems to be holding, while one of them is clearly losing. There are also Night city communities coming to the third circle, but there¡¯s more room here.¡± The seer explained.


    ¡°What¡¯s the Night city community that is winning, and against who?¡± Nyx asked.


    Shioko grimaced. ¡°The attacker is the Hive and the defending side is the Mystical Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Damn! We were eyeing the Mystical Kingdom as well.¡± Nyx made a displeased face. They had made plans on becoming a second circle community in the future as well, and the decadent Mystical Kingdom was ripe for picking and a rich prize to boot. ¡°All that great land will be wasted on the bugs from the Hive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the arid environment. It really favors certain types of insects from the Hive, so they will have an easy time establishing colonies.¡± Amarog pointed out.


    The battle currently being displayed was the one where the Day city community was winning, though the fight was still undecided. Dee frowned as she looked at the mirror, as she felt very little magic from it. The participants of the battle didn¡¯t seem to notice their prying either. ¡°What is this mirror?¡± She asked the seer.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s called a Heavenly Mirror. They¡¯re not terribly common, but communities from the second circle and up have at least one. It allows us to stealthily observe almost any location or person, though keeping track of a person is much harder as you can¡¯t just wish to see someone. You need to know where to look for them.¡± The seer explained.


    Dee frowned as a thought suddenly occurred to her. With the faint presence of magic in the mirror, would even her sight be able to spot someone observing her, assuming the mirror was far enough away from her? And hadn¡¯t she been suspecting that someone was observing her on several occasions, but had not noticed anything? ¡°A question. If someone had really good vision, could they use a mirror like this to observe a person from a very long distance?¡±


    The seer frowned a bit. ¡°Theoretically, though like I said, it would be difficult to keep up with a single person.¡±


    ¡°You think someone¡¯s been peeping on you?¡± Nyx asked with a grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, how would anyone be able to keep up with you with your portals?¡±


    Dee wasn¡¯t so sure. She was reminded of the old hunter idea of catching elusive prey. You didn¡¯t track or chase the prey. Instead, you waited where you knew the prey would appear at some point, like a watering hole. A good observer could pick up things from there.


    Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the Anshar representative. ¡°That reminds me. Dee, do you have any idea why an angel would have a reason to try and find out information about you?¡±

 Chapter 119

    ¡±When exactly did this happen?¡± Nyx asked suddenly, after hearing about an angel looking for information on Dee. Nyx was assuming that Dee¡¯s performance in the arena today might be the cause, seeing as Dee showed two wings that looked suspiciously like those that angels had.


    ¡°We first heard about it this morning, but when I looked into it some more, it seems the angel has been trying to look into Dee for several days now.¡± The Anshar representative said.


    ¡°Then this can¡¯t be about what happened in the arena just a short time ago.¡± Nyx pointed out the rather obvious fact.


    ¡°Well?¡± The Anshar representative prompted, looking at Dee again.


    Dee considered the situation. She could think of several reasons why the angels might be looking for her or someone like her. ¡°Were they asking about me specifically, like they knew me personally? Or were they asking about someone who looked like me? If so, what features of mine did they describe?¡±


    ¡°It might be both actually.¡± Shioko replied instead with a small frown. ¡°As I looked into it, I got told of an angel asking about someone with your general description, only they didn¡¯t seem to know too many details. With your rather unique appearance, they didn¡¯t need that many details, but they seemed to be working with a very old description of you. On the other hand, the one Smoky here was talking about seemed to be looking for you by name. I assumed they were the same angel since they were both asking about you and there aren¡¯t all that many angels running around Pantheon. I assumed that they had found your name out in the meantime. Now I¡¯m not entirely sure.¡±


    ¡°Then let me rephrase the question.¡± The Anshar representative took the lead again. ¡°Is there a reason for more than one angel to be looking for you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can think of few actually.¡± Dee has an inkling that the power hidden inside Croestia might have something to do with it but wasn¡¯t sure. Did the angels even know about it? That pompous and girly looking archangel that visited her mother might carry a grudge as well. She had barely nicked the guy due to catching him with his guard down, but it was bound to be humiliating. In retrospect it was rather surprising she had managed even that, but it might have something to do with her mixed heritage.


    There was also the fact that her heritage raised some questions. It had become rather apparent that Dee¡¯s birth was anything but natural. It gave the distinct feeling that she had been designed as a weapon of sorts. And who exactly would the demons design weapons against, if not the angels? It also sort of explained how she had managed to nick the archangel as a child if the angels were the target she was supposed to be used against. Dee had no idea if there were more of her kind, and whether the angels even knew about the whole thing. Was it a new project? Was it something that actually expected good results? Dee had benefitted from her heritage, sure, but much of her current strength was also due to hard work and good teachers. She had an excellent growth rate for sure, but would that warrant angels trying to hunt her down?


    ¡°The first thing that comes to mind is this.¡± Dee replied, and displayed her angel wings. ¡°One of them denotes a Fallen Angel, which seem to have disappeared for the most part. Maybe the angels had something to do with that? Maybe they want any sign of the Fallen to disappear, even if it is only a minor part of my heritage. I¡¯m also a demon, and we all know how that went for most of the demons after the hells were destroyed. Then there¡¯s the other wing.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering about that actually.¡± Nyx suddenly spoke up. ¡°The angel wings have certain colors for a reason. I¡¯ve never even heard about that color though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure on the details actually, but from what I was able to find out, it¡¯s supposed to signify an angel with a direct mission and the backing and blessing of Lumen. However, since the wing is attached to a demon and a part Fallen Angel, I doubt the angels would look at that and just go along. Even assuming they¡¯re aware of the significance. As you know by now, I have Lumen¡¯s blessing and I had to be told this by the goddess herself. She did mention that only a portion of the angels are even aware of the significance and even a smaller portion would go along.¡± Dee decided to go with the easiest to explain and swallow explanation.


    ¡°So you have a mission from the Goddess of Light herself?¡± Nyx asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°And what would that mission be?¡±


    ¡°Well, she made a request, but I¡¯m not obliged to do as she asks. The mission itself is not relevant for now, and will not be for a long, long time, if ever.¡± Dee decided it might be better to not mention anything about burning down Paradisia on Lumen¡¯s orders. That would likely not go down well.


    ¡°The gist of it is that the angel is hostile, though?¡± The Anshar representative confirmed.


    ¡°Well, he or she most likely won¡¯t be an ally, but whether they are hostile is another matter. It depends on why they are here exactly and on the particular angel.¡± Dee replied with a shrug. Nine times out of ten the angel would be hostile, but no need to emphasize that. She was not planning on letting the angel live anyway. At least not if she couldn¡¯t use the angel to her advantage. There was some room to try and convince the angel that she was the wrong person and it might be worth it to let them live if that got the angels off her back.


    -----


    With a little help from the Four Winds intelligence-gathering efforts and Moirai¡¯s Mindscape, Dee had found the angel in question near a gathering of information brokers in the fourth circle. Or if there really were two different angels involved, then they had found the angel who knew more about Dee. This particular angel was an eight-ranked seraph, as denoted by his flaming red wing color. Seraphim were the Paradisia¡¯s holy warriors, and as such needed to be strong in combat. That said, there were only so many immortals even among the angels and countless worlds to watch over. The war was waged on many levels of power, and an eight rank seraph was not something to scoff at, at least not outside Pantheon. An eight rank seraph was born for war and battle, and their natural abilities allowed them to dominate other beings of similar rank. This seraph was far from home, however. Here his rank carried less weight.


    The Four Winds had sent some support just in case, but Dee had instructed them to stay at a distance, which would allow her to talk to the angel alone. Assuming talking was in the cards. The others would also make sure the area was protected from collateral damage, just in case. She was hiding her presence, and while the seraph were great warriors, detection and scouting were not their forte. With a small shake of her head, Dee gave a sharp whistle from her perch on a nearby roof. ¡°Hey, pigeon! I hear you¡¯ve been looking for me.¡±


    The male seraph whirled around and noticed Dee in a crouched position at the edge of the nearby roof. His eyes seemed to register a level of recognition. He could sense the hostile air around Dee, and could also sense the aura of death on her. She didn¡¯t give a very welcoming impression. ¡°You seem rather hostile.¡± He stated, buying time to get a better read on the situation.


    ¡°Well, gee, I wonder why that would be? Could it have something to do with someone snooping into my affairs? Or might it have something to do with me being a demon of sorts and you being an angel? Say, have you feathered freaks done anything in the last few decades that might cause hostility in demons?¡± Dee replied with her voice dripping sarcasm. She rather liked the direction this encounter was taking.


    The angel scoffed. ¡°I say we¡¯re doing the universe a favor. If you ask me, we should¡¯ve finished the job.¡± The angel could not feel Dee¡¯s strength, but if she really was the one he was looking for, then she couldn¡¯t be more than a couple decades old. Besides, he couldn¡¯t see or sense any reinforcements. That didn¡¯t mean there were none, but it did mean he might be able to kill Dee and fly away before they got here.


    Dee really liked where this was going. ¡°Oh, I¡¯d like to see you try, boy. Your precious armies can¡¯t save you here. In fact, no one except your kind will give a rat¡¯s ass if one of you ends up dead in Pantheon, especially at the hands of a demon. Even better if it¡¯s self-defense, and I¡¯m pretty sure I can sell that if someone bothers to ask. A warrior angel searching for a young demon girl? Yeah, that sounds like something you sick fucks would be into.¡± Her grin was turning downright predatory.


    In the past demons and angels had both only been given limited access to Pantheon, but with the demons no longer being part of the war and coming here as refugees instead, only the angels were barred from coming here to pick fights. The angels, on the other hand, had to be responsible for their own safety. They had an embassy of sorts in the fourth circle of both cities where they held power, but any angels stepping outside did so at their own risk. There would be some hassle with a dead angel, but a lot less than one would expect.


    ¡°Bring it demon bitch! No seraph will yield to demon cur like you. I¡¯ll take your head as a present to Empyrean.¡± The seraph really didn¡¯t understand his position, partly because on other worlds angels were either objects of worship or conquerors to be feared. That would be his last mistake. His words also confirmed at least part of the reason he was here.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ----------


    Araqiel couldn¡¯t hide her grin as she approached the communications room in the angel embassy. Since there was a lot of information flowing between the different angel factions and their agents on Pantheon, the array within the embassy was in heavy use. Especially today. The array was the only way to securely communicate with other worlds, that included Paradisia, and Araqiel had been forced to wait. She was not among the highest ranking members in the embassy, not officially at least. Even the long wait time didn¡¯t dampen her spirits.


    She stepped into the room and channeled her mana to form a certain set of runes, and the array formed a secure connection with another array of similar type in Paradisia that matched the set of runes. Soon the transparent image of an archangel appeared in front of her. ¡°What do you have to report my daughter? I assume you wouldn¡¯t contact me without reason.¡±


    The term daughter was often used by archangels to address female underlings, though in this case it also happened to be accurate. Angels didn¡¯t breed exactly like other races, although they could. Such practices were considered hedonistic and were thought to lead one becoming Fallen. There were still sires involved, and the archangel in front of her had ¡°birthed¡± Araqiel. That¡¯s part of why she was such a trusted agent. ¡°I have two pieces of news, both of which I would classify as good. Also, one weird detail that might or might not be important.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡± The female archangel prompted the now kneeling Araqiel.


    ¡°First of all, I have found clues when it comes to our elusive prey. What we managed to glean from Empyrean¡¯s agents wasn¡¯t much, but I¡¯m fairly confident that I¡¯ve picked up the trail of the being they are searching for. The demon in question does not match the description we got exactly, but that is most likely due to the time that has passed. If the information we got was correct, the being was a child when Empyrean ran into her, but she could be considered adult now so changes are expected. Demons are volatile, this individual especially. I¡¯m fairly confident I¡¯ve got the right being, though I still don¡¯t know why we are looking for her. It would help me in the search if I knew more?¡± Araqiel tried to pry for more information.


    She was an excellent agent, but part of what made her so good was her ability to work with few details. That, unfortunately, caused her mother to reveal only the necessary information, as that was all that was needed. In this case, she had been given just a description and an old one at that. Luckily white full demi-human kitsune-rakshasa-werewolf hybrids were not exactly common. Surprisingly there had been some very similar looking beings with some of the races, so the look wasn¡¯t entirely unique either. Pantheon was also a really big place, so that had hindered the search.


    ¡®Lumen bless the fact that their target had gained fame in the arena! Lumen also bless the fact that most of the other angels didn¡¯t pay attention to such things¡¯. Araqiel thought to herself as she had only heard the description in passing.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have no more details on the individual, and the reason for the search is limited to the archangels only. Simply find her. You had other news?¡± Araqiel¡¯s hopes were dashed again.


    ¡°Well, it seems one of Empyrean¡¯s agents had a little mishap.¡± Araqiel grinned at the misfortune of their main rival faction. ¡°One of his seraphim apparently ran into some wrong people, my guess is vengeful demons and was met with a very unfortunate end. We found most of his remains nailed into the outer wall surrounding the embassy, and they¡¯re still finding pieces of him around the place. Whatever killed him did a really thorough job.¡±


    For the first time in a while, the archangel¡¯s image displayed a smile of her own. There were deep divisions in the ranks of the angels. Normally it would be unseemly for an archangel to take joy in the death of another angel; however, every supporter of Empyrean that ended up dead was a relief to their faction. Especially when it was one of Empyrean¡¯s seraphim, as they were the enforcers of the Archangel of Order. There had always been a balance between the light side of the angels and the order side of angels, but the eternal wars had turned the previously kind and benevolent angels more and more authoritarian and tyrannical. And Empyrean was the worst of the lot.


    ¡°That is good news indeed. This will bring shame to him, and I can use it in our next debate. Good job daughter. I hope the rest of his lackeys on Pantheon find themselves lost in the same neighborhood as this one. Which reminds me, what are the odds of our target being responsible?¡± The archangel asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s little to indicate she was responsible, though it can¡¯t be ruled out entirely. I would assume she has plenty of reasons to strike at angels, but then again so do all demons I¡¯m afraid.¡± Araqiel said. She might be one of the few angels to realize their target even had the strength to do this and planned to keep that to herself. Her mother was not likely to leak the information, but someone else under her might. Once more than one person knew a secret, then it no longer was a secret. Not for long anyway. Good thing the angels were not into gladiatorial fights, even the warlike seraph. Those were considered base and hedonistic as well.


    ¡°As to the weird detail I mentioned earlier, it seems our target has at least some angel blood in her. She displayed her wings in a recent fight but usually keeps them hidden. One of them was black, signifying a Fallen as you might expect, but one of them was a color I¡¯ve never even heard about. Is there a significance to a lavender colored wing?¡± Araqiel asked. She wasn¡¯t sure if this information was relevant, but decided to mention it anyway.


    The image of her mother was silent for a long time, apparently considering the implications. The frown on her face worried Araqiel. ¡°This changes things, for many reasons.¡± Unknown to Araqiel, the archangel realized the significance of the races in their target¡¯s heritage. The unnatural mix and the addition of angel blood indicated Dee¡¯s status as a weapon to be used against the angels. Angels had several combat techniques to use against demons, but those would not affect another angel, even those with impure blood. She also knew the meaning of the lavender wing. ¡°Observe her and relay everything you find out to me. Oh, and I need to add another detail to your mission. If you notice any other angels getting wind of her, kill them immediately.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Araqiel looked at the image in shock. It was one thing to take pleasure in the death of another angel. It was another matter entirely to kill their rivals.


    ¡°You heard me, and I will not repeat myself. Just realize, this mission might be the most important thing you have ever done or will ever do. There¡¯s no room for mistakes. I¡¯d send you help if I wasn¡¯t worried that would lead to the information leaking out. When I said any other angel, I meant it. Any. Other. Angel. Even if it is our allies.¡± The archangel emphasized her instructions and cut the connection, leaving behind the shocked Araqiel. What had she gotten mixed up in now? The Archangel of Mercy had just instructed her to murder her fellow angels¡­


    ----------


    Dee had finally decided to start taking lessons on playing music herself. She had already been leaning that way, so when Moirai pointed out that it might be good training for her telekinesis if she used those powers to help her play, she had run out of excuses. Mina had been all too happy to take the chance to give Dee some lessons. With the mind and memory of a psion, it had not taken that long for her to pick up on the way to read sheet music and to figure out how to produce all the notes involved. However, there was a leap from simply being able to produce notes on demand and actually stringing them together to play music that sounded beautiful.


    Nessera was currently laughing at her latest attempts, which was a little unfair. She had not done all that badly, and all she needed was some experience. She had hit all the notes; it just took her a bit of time to get them all because it didn¡¯t quite come naturally yet. She decided to turn the situation around. ¡°So you¡¯re staying here permanently now?¡±


    The succubus almost choked as her laughter turned into a cough. ¡°Well, with all the things going on, this place seems a lot safer. Besides, someone has to look after you. No one has tried to shoo me away so far, and they¡¯ve even taught me things. I think they like the fact that one of your friends is around.¡±


    Suddenly Nessera noticed Dee¡¯s eyes glaze over as if lost in thought. She had intended to say more, maybe even crack a joke, but could sense the serious air around Dee. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Dee suddenly said. ¡°It¡¯s a little early, but not too much so.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡± Nessera asked eagerly, as she could already guess.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be becoming immortal in a few days. Relay a word to the others. I¡¯ll be going somewhere remote in case things get a little explosive.¡± Dee confirmed Nessera¡¯s suspicion while standing up.


    ¡°Wait, where exactly are you going?¡± Nessera yelled after Dee who was already walking away. She thought it might be better if someone like Nyx were to go along to protect Dee.


    ¡°It¡¯s better you don¡¯t know, so no one will try to follow me. I was given the impression it would not be safe to be around me when this happens.¡± Dee replied over her shoulder. She had a couple of places in mind actually.

 Chapter 120

    ¡±Your target is on the move.¡± Hivir informed Reginleif. Hivir was the tracker and hunter of the group of Valkyries, and her Authority allowed her to locate and keep track of anyone, provided certain conditions were met.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Reginleif exclaimed. ¡°I was getting a little worried she would never move.¡± It wasn¡¯t just a matter of patience, though the Valkyries were not known for that quality. Hivir¡¯s ability to track beings or people was powerful, but it could only be used for a limited time before it had to be reapplied.


    Brynhildr, who was sitting on the other side of the room drinking with Sigrun, looked at her younger sister currently guzzling from a mug of what Brynhildr hoped to be ale. You were never entirely certain with Sigrun, and you didn¡¯t want to ask. You definitely didn¡¯t want a taste. ¡°Gather the others. Tell them to be ready to move in twenty minutes. Also, you better be sober enough to fight.¡±


    Sigrun¡¯s gale of laughter sounded as she rose from her seat. ¡°I¡¯m always sober enough to fight. It¡¯s hardly my fault none of you can fight while hammered. Skuld will not be happy though. She was planning on preparing some magical items for future use, and you know she doesn¡¯t like being disturbed while working.¡± She muttered before vanishing in a puff of smoke.


    ¡°Skuld is never happy. That¡¯s why I sent you instead of going myself.¡± Brynhildr muttered to herself.


    ¡°She will be even less happy once she finds out where we are going.¡± Hivir piped up from where she was sitting and meditating, keeping track of their target. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure our target just left the city.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, don¡¯t we want her outside the city controlled by the Four Winds? I don¡¯t fancy facing their immortals.¡± Brynhildr asked confused.


    ¡°I meant city, as in the Day city. And she didn¡¯t go to Night city either.¡± Hivir muttered with a grimace. From this distance, it was impossible to tell exactly so she had to guess. They would have to get closer to get a more exact destination.


    ¡°She went into the wilderness?¡± Reginleif asked incredulously. ¡°Why would she do that?¡± Her voice sounded suspicious.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she has her reasons. This can actually work to our advantage. We can fight without care for the surroundings.¡± Brynhildr pointed out.


    The three exited the keep that was their current home and found the others waiting in the yard of the fort. The fort and many like it were all controlled by their community. The Valkyries were a single race community in the fourth circle. They had the power to challenge for a spot in the third circle, but with the recent news coming from their informants, the idea seemed better put off for later, which had been done several times in the past already.


    Unfortunately for the Valkyries, being a third circle community was about more than just strength of arms. There was also a logistical issue. The Valkyries didn¡¯t produce anything. They were all warriors and war-mages. They were not traders either, although they did have the social graces to at least manage. The fourth circle was already rather unfriendly when it came to business as the communities eyed each other with hostility, but the third circle would be even more so. The Valkyries were a little different in that they didn¡¯t want the spot due to the abundant natural resources of the third circle. Instead, they wanted the glory and the stronger enemies that came with the territory.


    They were currently selling their services as warriors and mercenaries, but would they have that luxury under the pressure of the third circle? Mystifyingly it was also easier to sell their services as a fourth circle community because everyone was afraid of the third circle communities. That seemed like something that would be useful for a mercenary, but less so if their clients were also too scared to piss them off. Those clients would rather hire someone easier to manage.


    ¡®Oh, Skuld looks really unhappy.¡¯ Brynhildr looked at the frowning face of her eldest sister. ¡®She must have been right in the middle of an experiment.¡¯


    The twins Friadul and Herja, on the other hand, looked rather cheery at the prospect of a coming battle. It was obvious that the two would look identical aside from their gear and hairstyle, as not only were they twins but all of them looked almost the same thanks to the Authorities they possessed. Skuld had originally been dark-haired and Sigrun had been a redhead, but their hair had turned into the same golden blonde color they all now sported in various styles. Friadul¡¯s long white spear and light armor made it easy to tell her apart from her heavily armored and shield-carrying twin.


    ¡°So where are we going in such a rush that it couldn¡¯t wait for just a little.¡± Skuld asked crankily.


    ¡°Skuld my dear sister, your experiment would not have ended for several days. They never end in a timely manner.¡± Sigrun pointed out playfully.


    ¡°The question stands.¡± Skuld repeated, ignoring the playful Sigrun.


    ¡°Into the great wilderness. I won¡¯t know the exact location until we get closer.¡± Hivir decided to answer in an attempt to pre-empt an argument. Not that they wouldn¡¯t argue anyway due to some other reason.


    ¡°And why exactly do we care so much about this being that we need to go all the way to the great wilderness?¡± Skuld asked. She¡¯d heard the story about their fight earlier, but unlike most Valkyries, she didn¡¯t really appreciate the glory of combat. That was partly because her Authority took the fun and excitement out of it.


    Brynhildr noticed Reginleif was about to reply but decided to interrupt and do it herself instead. ¡°Regin would tell you that it¡¯s because our target is a blackguard and needs to be dealt with. I¡¯m not so sure about that, but I want to face her in a battle with our full strength. It should be a worthy fight, as most of you already know from what you saw in the arena.¡±


    ¡°Right. About that. She didn¡¯t look all that much like a blackguard to me.¡± Skuld pointed out the obvious. In fact, their target had projected an almost paladin-like air. That said, some of her abilities did have a certain sinister tone to them.


    ¡°She¡¯s hiding her dark ways!¡± Regin huffed. ¡°You should know that the face of evil can be alluring on the surface but dark underneath. You didn¡¯t see what we did.¡±


    Bryn shook her head a bit. Regin¡¯s emotions were not entirely founded on facts, but then again Regin had always been the quickest to jump to the defense of those weaker than them. That also included fighting evil where evil was found. A blackguard was exactly the type of enemy that would rouse Regin¡¯s ire. ¡°Regardless, our target also has a rather sizeable bounty placed on her head, and I¡¯m pretty sure our community would welcome the proceeds from that. Also, the news about us taking down the new arena darling should also bring us new contracts, so we can afford to be a bit more picky. I¡¯m pretty sure none of us want to return to work as the pawns of the freelancer¡¯s guild.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it then.¡± Skuld commented, still not pleased but at least going along. ¡°Friadul, use your gift to locate the closest teleportation gate to the place Hivir senses our target at. There should still be some gates in the wilderness. I¡¯ll take it from there.¡±


    Part of Friadul¡¯s Authority was a Gift of Knowledge. She could find out all sorts of things she focused on. She could find out random but useful information like the location of teleportation gates, but she could also find out the abilities and weaknesses of their enemies, within reason. Unfortunately, the ability had a very limited range when used on a person, so they had not gained information on their target despite seeing her in the arenas. That said, trying to find knowledge on vague instructions like ¡®closest to our target¡¯ was beyond the abilities of Friadul¡¯s gift. That¡¯s where Skuld came in.


    Part of Skuld¡¯s abilities was telepathic communication. Although Hivir could not give a precise explanation of her feeling on their target¡¯s whereabouts, Skuld could pass on the feeling to Friadul, who could then, in turn, use her gift. They had done this before so the process was quick. ¡°I got it. There¡¯s a gate rather close to her actually. I suspect she used the gate herself.¡± Friadul said after her gift provided the answer.


    They ran into another problem when they tried to use the nearby teleportation gate to get to the gate pointed out by Friadul. ¡°It seems there¡¯s some kind of barrier blocking entry.¡± The Valkyrie mage responsible for the gate explained.


    ¡°Herja.¡± Skuld commanded. She was the commander of their little unit. Once she took on the mission, she would do her best to see it succeed and her abilities almost necessitated she was in command. She was also the eldest sister, so the other thought it was best to just go along with it.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Herja marched up to the gateway and let her own power flow into the portal that had trouble forming. She had the ability to break any and all barriers and suppressions. Or at the very least, they had so far not run into any barrier she could not break. That in itself was somewhat ironic since Herja¡¯s other abilities were mostly defensive, but such was the way with their Authorities. They had a weird mix of abilities and those abilities worked best when used together with the other members of the group.


    The group found themselves at very high altitudes where the air was thin. They seemed to be close to the edge of a cliff, and a single glance told the group they were far above the clouds. There seemed to be an endless line of stone steps that disappeared downwards into the clouds below them, as well as continuing towards the peak of the weird mountain. It seemed the place was not entirely abandoned. Someone or something had to have made those stairs. ¡°Which direction?¡± Skuld asked, alluding to their target.


    ¡°That way.¡± Hivir pointed away from the weird mountain and down towards the clouds and the eventual ground below.


    ¡°Well, at least we¡¯re going down.¡± Sigrun said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Well, I wonder about that.¡± A firm male voice sounded out of nowhere. They all whirled around trying to find the speaker and found themselves looking at a man covered in tattoos. Only his grey hair and beard told of his age, and the antlers and almost elfin features signified his race as Alpyran. ¡°Now why exactly is there a group of Valkyries on my mountain? Uninvited and breaking through a barrier that was put in place for a reason I might add.¡±


    -----


    ¡°Why exactly are we here?¡± Croestia asked, observing the dense forest surrounding them. Normally Dee would fly above the trees, but in the great wilderness it was dangerous to do so. Who knew what could be attracted to such an obvious target. It would be hard to be stealthy when flying in the clear skies with the sharp eyes of the predators looking for any prey.


    ¡°The Threads of Fate told us my transition would be explosive, remember?¡± Dee pointed out, a bit confused by the question. Surely Croestia could not have forgotten?


    ¡°No, I mean why are we here? There are plenty of deserted areas inside Day city. Besides, you could¡¯ve used this to your advantage. If there¡¯s going to be explosions, why not go somewhere where those explosions would do some good? Like somwhere with a lot of our enemies.¡± Croestia specified.


    ¡°I thought of that, but there are too many things we don¡¯t know. First of all, who exactly would we target? I¡¯m having problems with the elves and Sidhe, but I don¡¯t want to destroy them. The angels? That might work, except we have no idea what kind of strength they have here on Pantheon. We also have no idea how large of an area this will affect. From what I heard, the embassy of the angels is surrounded by a city full of other beings I have no beef with. I¡¯m not fond of the idea of killing all of them just to blow the angels up. Not that I wouldn¡¯t do it if it was necessary, but I don¡¯t think it is. I¡¯d rather kill the pigeons myself while looking them in the eyes and making sure they all know why they die. I have no idea whether the angels could survive the damage, and I have no idea what condition I would be in during the process. Too much risk for too little gain.¡± Dee explained her reasoning.


    ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t just pick a deserted spot in the outermost circle of the Day city?¡± Croestia asked. ¡°You¡¯re not sure how large of an area will be affected?¡±


    ¡°Well that, and I don¡¯t even know how it will be affected. The whole area might turn into wasteland for all I know. That won¡¯t matter if we¡¯re already in the great wilderness. Besides, if the old man happens to get affected, then that would not be the worst thing in the world.¡± Dee said with a smile. She didn¡¯t really want to have the old man die, but a little revenge for everything that happened during her training was warranted.


    They went rather deep into the wilderness. Dee didn¡¯t want to accidentally blow up the volcano temple, which was luckily heavily protected by both the barrier and the volcano itself, but she stayed close enough that the old man could intervene if things went badly. She had informed him of her plans, and he had promised to keep an eye out. Eventually, she found a spot she was happy with. Mainly that meant that there were no powerful beasts in the immediate surroundings. She had no idea whether or not she would be incapacitated during the process, hence she needed some space. There she settled down in a meditative position and started to wait for nature to take its course.


    The Crimson Path had long since come through on their promise on providing information on soul spaces and immortality, which Croestia had studied fervently. Normally there would be a slight explosion of power and other related but flashy phenomenon when a soul space was created. Usually, that explosion would be no larger than something just enough to wreck a room or a large building at worst. That was with a normal soul space though. Domains were rare enough that there was little actual information on the process, but it was said to be significantly flashier. And that again was the case with a normal Domain.


    When someone became an immortal, almost always that included opening up a tiny soul space or Domain that would then later on expand to become much larger. In some cases, the soul space stayed small and the immortal barely qualified as such, but eternal life was still theirs for the taking. During the process, the person might start laying the foundation for their totem, but that only held true in about half the cases. Many started creating their totems much later, either because they were not entirely sure what the totem would be like, or because the first steps of creating the totem were too hard to take at the same time as creating the soul space. The starting size of the soul space or Domain had very little bearing on how large it could become later on, though of course, it would not shrink down from the starting point.


    In Dee¡¯s case almost none of the information held true. She already had a Domain, and it was large. She was not entirely sure how large, but it was big. Far bigger than most soul spaces ever became. She also already had a half completed totem in that Domain. There was one good thing Croestia had learned from the information though. She had found out more about the differences between a soul space and a Domain, though it remained to be seen how much of that would be useful in her case.


    As she felt her body connecting with the Domain, she felt that something that had been missing had suddenly been recovered. She had not even known that something was missing, but now she could not fathom how she could have lived for so long without that something being there and leaving such a gaping hole inside her. She briefly opened her eyes and truly saw the world for the first time. She had always been able to see the power within every being, but now she could see it everywhere. She understood the power. She also felt she could take that power away if she so desired, and make that power her own. Her ability to see and feel that power also extended so much further than before! It was completely incomparable. She could feel everything around her for such a long distance that she wasn¡¯t even sure how far it extended.


    She suddenly felt the power from the something inside her flowing into her. Earlier she had felt little tastes of the power, but that had been a drop in the ocean. Now she felt truly alive. She knew that strikes that had been dangerous earlier would bounce off harmlessly now. She felt that obstacles that had stood in her way could now be swept away effortlessly. She watched as a tiny leaf fell from a tree due to the wind that was for some reason picking up speed around her. That falling leaf seemed to be frozen in the air, and she wasn¡¯t even trying to use Lumen¡¯s blessing for slowing things around her.


    She could feel the fire burning within her, waiting to be let out. Almost without thought her form shifted to her kitsune form and the flames were suddenly there. They surrounded her, caressing her fur ever so gently, like the touch of an adoring lover. She had connected with the flames before, but she had only borrowed them. Now the flames were part of her. She was part of the flames. She was one with them.


    Without her realizing, her entire form took the quality of the black flames that started to consume the surroundings. Her entire body was made up of the black fire, flickering back into solid form and then back to nothing but flames. Suddenly there was a change in the air around her. A hunger started rising inside of her. That power around her, if she could make it her own, why shouldn¡¯t she? If the current power within her made her feel this good and powerful, what if she added to it? It¡¯s not like those puny beings that were busy trying to escape really deserved to keep it, right?


    Her eyes changed. Where before they had the feline pupils with golden iris of a wolf, suddenly the pupils became the narrow slits of a hungry reptile. Then they seemed to disappear completely as only a dark shadowy purple glow took their place. Her form started to slowly shift. This time the dragon was not ethereal anymore. The dark scales were as black as night and a ridged row of spikes sprouted along her spine. Normal Abyssal Dragons, as much as one could call an abyssal normal, had a red glow coming from between their scales, as if their inside were made of molten lava. In Dee¡¯s case the glow seemed to be the same dark purple seen glowing in her eyes.


    ¡°Yes, surely the little creatures won¡¯t begrudge me taking just a bit of their power.¡± The dragon muttered, drunk on power, completely oblivious to the devastation already surrounding it.


    -----


    ¡°Let us go!¡± Skuld demanded. ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to keep us here.¡± The group of Valkyries was forced to the ground as a heavy pressure seemed to have settled on them, stopping them from moving. The pressure was formed by the mere presence of the old man revealing his power.


    ¡°Little girl, you should already know that even if I didn¡¯t have any right, in places like this might makes right. As it happens, I do have the right considering you forced your way into my home, and by the looks of things are planning on threatening my disciple. Besides, you will be rather thankful I stopped you soon enough.¡± The old man said. He could sense more of what was going on than the Valkyries.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Hivir asked. She was perhaps the calmest of the group because she could feel the man wasn¡¯t actually antagonistic towards them. Many of the Valkyries had also noted the word ¡®disciple¡¯ he had mentioned earlier. That was not a good sign.


    ¡°You will see soon enough.¡± The man said, and with a gesture from him the cloud cover below them seemed to be dispersing. As it did, they could all see a storm of power flowing towards a single location where it created a giant vortex. Even from this distance, they could see the amount of power was condensing into localized devastation in many places. The vortex seemed to be siphoning the power downwards to the ground. The vortex alone was thousands of kilomels large in all directions, and the only reason they had not felt it before was because of the barrier surrounding the enormous mountain and the height they were at above the storm. Now the barrier was buckling and bending under the pressure.


    ¡°What in the name of all that¡¯s holy is that?!¡± Reginleif asked with terror in her voice. There was no doubt that they would all be dead if they had been caught outside the barrier. Her own protective field would not be able to withstand that level of power no matter how much of an Authority it was.


    ¡°That? That¡¯s my disciple becoming immortal.¡± The old man said a little smugly. The Valkyries stared at him in disbelief. There was no way all that was because of a soul space forming, was there?


    Suddenly the vortex of power seemed to calm down and for a moment the whole area seemed to quiet down. Then the beasts below seemed to sense something and screeched as they tried to run away. Few of them made it before a wave of black fire erupted from the location where the vortex had been centered and consumed everything in the surroundings. The earlier area covered by the vortex was now turned into a hellish inferno that ate all the life in the area.


    ¡°Don¡¯t destroy my mountain dummy disciple!¡± The old man suddenly yelled and seemed to be directing the barrier that was already on its last legs to suppress the incoming wave of fire. The barrier seemed to do nothing to stop the fire however. In fact, the barrier seemed to have been consumed just like the life in the area. Suddenly a large portion of the side of the mountain seemed to have disappeared, but luckily the fire stopped as well as if reaching some invisible boundary.


    Suddenly they all felt more than heard the deep growling roar of a dragon looking for prey. ¡°Uh-oh, that¡¯s not a good sign.¡± The old man muttered, suddenly a little apprehensive about the whole thing. An immortal dragonized Dee didn¡¯t sound like something fun to fight against.


    Suddenly a huge portal which the old man recognized to be just like those Dee used, and he hated, opened above the center of the devastation. A long serpentine dragon that radiated power, the likes of which even the old man hadfelt only once before, flew out of the portal and crashed down on something on the ground, binding it in place. The serpentine dragon must have been at least a kilomel long as it wound around something like a python strangling its prey.


    ¡°Was that supposed to happen?¡± Skuld asked, suddenly really scared. The earlier events had made her already feel frightened, but now the serpentine dragon that had appeared made her instincts scream that she would die horribly. She suddenly felt like an ant before a dragon, despite the distance between them. The Valkyries were not strangers to the terror aura of dragons, but this was something new.

 Chapter 121

    Even in her power-crazed state, Dee realized that the situation was very bad. If she had been thinking clearly, she would have noticed the portal opening and could¡¯ve used her speed to avoid the serpentine dragon coiling around her. If she had reacted faster, she might have used her unnatural flame to hurt the damn snake! Now it was too late. The dragon was somehow preventing her own powers from working correctly, mostly by flooding her system with its own power, and she was slowly losing her grasp on consciousness. It wasn¡¯t even the serpentine dragon squeezing her unconscious, but just the sheer pressure of the serpentine dragon¡¯s presence surrounding her that was doing it!


    She feebly tried to claw at the sides of the serpentine dragon, and to her surprise had some limited success in breaking some of the scales. Unfortunately, it was too late and she no longer had the strength to continue. All this new power that she didn¡¯t even get to explore properly and here she was, getting strangled to death by a snake calling itself a dragon!


    Slowly but surely the darkness overtook her.


    -----


    Unlike the Valkyries that were paralyzed by fear, the old man had sharp enough eyes to see the dilemma Dee was in. He wanted to rush in to help but held back. He could tell that if he challenged the blue scaled dragon he would lose. Badly. Attacking the dragon was just throwing his life away. Normally something like this would not stop him from at least trying to save his precious disciple, but there were some other matters that stopped him from doing so now.


    First thing was that he recognized the rough type of the dragon. The serpentine form was typical of a category of dragons with many names, Cloud Dragon, Kirin, Celestial Dragon, Imperial Dragon, and many, many more. Not all of the dragons of that category were the same, but in general, they tended to be the righteous type. That¡¯s why they were often a symbol of many imperial dynasties on thousands of worlds, hence the name Imperial Dragon. Dee¡¯s earlier behavior and nature as an Abyssal Dragon might provoke one of their kind to action, but usually they didn¡¯t move without a damn good reason.


    There was also another thing. The Kirin, as the old man liked to think of them, were less physical and ferocious in combat than their normal cousins, the standard metallic and chromatic dragons whose bodies were more developed towards physical combat. That was still on the spectrum of dragons though, so underestimating a Kirin in physical combat was a really bad idea, but the undeniable fact was that most of them tended to be more calm and fight mostly with magic and their breath. This dragon had gone out of its way to attack Dee physically and in a way that would potentially leave her unharmed.


    The third and final factor was that this was Dee. She had a knack for surviving. Even if the other dragon had something wicked in mind like trying to enslave her, Dee would most likely survive. The deities watching over her didn¡¯t seem like the type to just watch her die either. That being the case, it might be important for him to bring word of what happened here to the Four Winds instead of throwing his life away. Where he alone might not be enough, the word of the Four Winds carried a lot more weight. Besides, didn¡¯t the Crimson Witches want to court Dee as well? If the Witches helped Dee, that would leave Dee indebted to them, but alive at least.


    Suddenly a deep male voice traveled through the distance to the group on the cliff and the serpentine dragon looked their way. ¡°No need to look so aggrieved master of Haydee. I intend no harm. Well, not permanent harm anyway. As you most likely noticed, your disciple lost herself to her dragon side and would not be able to find her own way back. Such is the downfall of Abyssal Dragons, unfortunately. This made my intervention necessary. I will take her with me and help her deal with the problem, whatever it takes.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, and how long will this take?¡± The old man asked in reply. He didn¡¯t exactly trust the dragon, but according to what he had heard, the Kirin didn¡¯t lie. Mostly because they didn¡¯t have to. Like here, the Kirin didn¡¯t have to say anything. There was little he could do about it anyway.


    The dragon seemed to give a sigh, though it was hard to tell from this distance. ¡°Most people know me as Xinglong. As to how long it will take? Who can say? It could be days, or it could take decades. It takes as long as it takes. For immortals time is irrelevant. Just know that I have watched over her for a lot longer than you have, and I will do what needs to be done.¡±


    It seemed the serpentine dragon didn¡¯t feel like discussing things further, as it clumsily rose from the ground while still remaining coiled around Dee, and another portal appeared in the sky. The dragon moved much slower, almost as if it was slowed by injury in addition to holding Dee, but the old man was too distracted to pay further attention as it disappeared. He was almost certain about the destination the two dragons were headed to as he recognized the name.


    ¡°Xinglong, as in star dragon? As in the rank thirteen being holding the sixth spot in the first circle alone? The one who is supposed to be dying?¡± Sigrun suddenly piped up while kneeling on the ground. She too had heard the name before.


    The old man knew that the young Valkyrie was correct. He had much more information on the being she spoke of. If that had really been Xinglong, then that explained why the dragon had given the impression of being injured. It also explained why despite the fearsome presence it had projected, the feeling wasn¡¯t as overpowering as a rank thirteen being in battle should have. He had felt that feeling once before and the oppressive feeling had been much stronger, strong enough that he wouldn¡¯t have even considered engaging in battle. That was partially why he had started striving for strength himself.


    ¡°You.¡± The old man suddenly pointed at Sigrun. ¡°You¡¯re going to deliver a message for me.¡±


    ¡°And why would I want to do that?¡± Sigrun asked rather audaciously.


    ¡°Because your little friends here will not be going anywhere before you do. Need I remind you that you¡¯re trespassing where you do not belong?¡± He asked with a steely look on his face.


    ¡°And what¡¯s stopping me from going to my kin for help against you?¡± She asked just in case. She suspected there were several reasons but wanted it said out loud to clarify their position. An implicit threat made things easier.


    ¡°Do you think I live alone on this mountain?¡± The old man asked with a small smile. ¡°Or even more precisely, do you think your kind will be able to help you even against just me alone? There¡¯s a reason why that dragon chose to pacify me. No, you will go and deliver the message, and most likely bring at least one person with you back here. Go to the Four Winds and ask for a person called Moirai. Tell her this exactly as I say it: the dummy disciple is in trouble. She¡¯ll know what it means and will likely not even bother asking you questions. Some of the others might though, and you¡¯re free to either reply or not as you see fit.¡± Not that the Four Winds would really give her a choice.


    He watched as the Valkyrie left through the portal. Moirai would have a conniption fit. He took another look at the other Valkyries still sitting on the ground as a non-threatening gesture. They might actually be worth some training, assuming he could set their heads straight. They each seemed to have certain talents and together they might be really strong. Not as strong as Dee of course, but they might be able to rival the other idiot disciple someday. Maybe their intrusion might turn into something useful? Besides, Dee¡¯s training had left him restless and he needed someone new to torture.


    ----------


    Dee woke up still lost in a haze of greed and lust for power but was calm enough to survey her surroundings. Her dragon form was bound to the ground by some means she could not see or break. Her inability to see was because her neck and head were also bound in place, and she could not physically turn her head to see the bindings. Her ability to see and read mana didn¡¯t actually need direct sight though and told her that whatever bound her was entirely magical, but too intricate for her to recognize or identify.


    Suddenly her sight was occupied by the head of the damn snake that had knocked her out! She wanted to roar in defiance and anger but was unable to even manage that due to the bindings. The same bindings also made it impossible for her to use any of her abilities. This was the first time she even heard about something like this. She could not even feel her Domain and totem, though now that they were truly a part of her, she knew they were there somewhere. They were simply being obstructed by something.


    ¡°Turn into another form.¡± A deep male voice commanded her.


    Although she could not roar in defiance, she could still stare at the damn snake and make it clear what she thought of his suggestion! Why would she bother taking some inferior form, when she was already approaching perfection with her current one? What could those feeble forms do for her? Nothing, that¡¯s what! With only very slight interest she did notice that she still retained the ability to change forms, somehow. Maybe a weakness in the bindings she could exploit?


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve decided to be defiant. That¡¯s alright. We have time.¡± Suddenly the bonds around her tightened, enough to really put pressure on her. The pressure kept growing, and finally she could feel something breaking. She wasn¡¯t sure what, but it hurt like a bitch! She managed to utter a pained sound just before being knocked out by the suddenly flaring presence of the serpentine dragon in front of her.


    -----


    As she woke up again, the only change in her condition was that whatever had been broken before she got knocked out was repaired. She also felt no hunger or thirst, so something in here sustained her, even though she could manage without sustenance for a long time. Almost as soon as she woke up the same serpentine dragon appeared in front of her and calmly said the same thing. ¡°Turn into another form.¡±


    She continued to stare her defiance at the snake! The damn snake continued. ¡°I see you¡¯re still defiant. That¡¯s alright, we have time.¡± His words mirrored those he had said last time.


    This time Dee knew what to expect when the squeezing force came. She had the ability to block pain, something she found when being operated on by the assassins, but to her shock, something seemed to be preventing that ability from working. That didn¡¯t matter. Although it hurt, she was no stranger to pain and could take this much. Something once again broke inside her and the pain seemed stronger than last time. The dragon¡¯s presence once again knocked her out.


    -----


    It was the tenth time the two went through the same routine when something changed. Something else besides the level of pain that is, as that seemed to grow every time. She had managed to figure out that the pain was magically transferred into her mind, which was why she could not block it and she also knew the spell purposefully increased the pain every time they went through this.


    ¡°Turn into another form.¡± The calm and deep voice said once again. Her defiant stare was the only reply she could manage.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re still defiant. That''s alright, we have time.¡± Then the damn snake finally said something else. ¡°We can do this for years or decades if necessary. Sooner or later you will do as I say. You could spare yourself that pain, but I doubt you will do so.¡± Those words did not fill her with confidence.


    The pain and the darkness followed once again.


    -----


    Dee had lost count of how many times they had gone through the routine. At least a hundred, though the details blurred a little. As a psion, she should not forget such details, but even for psions, there were certain coping mechanism. Something she had discovered during her time with the assassins. She could fight those coping mechanisms if she wanted to but decided against it.


    This time there was something different once again. There seemed to be some faint voice calling for her. The voice seemed familiar, but for some reason, she could not remember why. The pain had become too much and put her mind deeper into a haze. Luckily the darkness once again claimed her and made the pain stop.


    -----


    The faint voice seemed to be calling her name. Was it crying? It seemed like the faint voice was sobbing and repeating the phrase ¡°Please!¡±.


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    ¡°Turn into another form.¡± The snake in front of her said once again, the words having become an unchanging routine. A routine that preceded the pain. This time she didn¡¯t defiantly stare at the snake but was too focused on trying to hear the voice. For some reason, that voice seemed to tug at her mind and move something inside her. For some reason, the routine also didn¡¯t seem to be going as usual and that caught her attention.


    ¡°Turn into another form.¡± The snake repeated. The snake never stopped repeating his words.


    ¡°Turn into another form.¡± The snake repeated his words again.


    Maybe this once. The lesser forms were useless, but she knew what would happen next if she didn¡¯t abide by the damn snake''s wishes. She didn¡¯t like obeying anyone else. Something about that made her recoil in a very fundamental way. But, maybe she could try, not because she was told to do so, but because she chose to do so. Maybe something else would happen if she used the lesser forms just this once.


    Her form glowed for a moment, and she shifted into her normal form. The bindings fell to the ground around her and power once again flowed through her freely. As she switched forms, it was like a deep fog was lifted from her mind. She could hear Croestia¡¯s sobbing. What had she been doing? What the hells had happened? The dragon side of her had never had that much of an influence over her.


    ¡°Well, that was faster than I thought.¡± Suddenly a deep and satisfied voice sounded from in front of her. She looked up and saw a large blue scaled serpentine dragon in front of her. The dragon seemed somehow familiar, and not just because of the pain she had gone through. She had not forgotten that part or the loathing she had felt towards the being, though that too had disappeared with her transformation. The earlier loathing had been something almost instinctive like she was looking at some lower life-form.


    ¡°How long?¡± Dee croaked. Apparently the time spent as a dragon without drinking or eating anything had done a number on her voice. ¡®I¡¯m alright. I¡¯m back to myself.¡¯ She also sent a silent message to the crying Croestia. This was the first time the magical item had shown such emotions.


    ¡®I just couldn¡¯t bear watching you suffer like that. You were not yourself anymore and in so much pain!¡¯ Croestia sent a thought back. Instead of replying Dee sent back a feeling of gratitude and how Croestia¡¯s voice had helped her come back. That seemed to placate the still crying item that was quickly recovering.


    ¡°About seven months.¡± The dragon answered Dee¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s a little hard to judge time in the first circle since the sun is always up here thanks to our ''honored'' first ranked community. You also kept waking up erratically, sometimes many times a day, sometimes only once a day. Here, you might need this.¡± A glass of some clear liquid appeared from nowhere and floated towards Dee.


    She took a deep gulp and felt that the liquid also had some healing and nourishing properties. ¡°What happened?¡± She managed to ask between the gulps from the glass that seemed to be re-filling automatically.


    ¡°The bane of all Abyssal Dragons. They lose themselves in their desires and never come back. The emotion differs from abyssal to abyssal. Most lose themselves in rage and anger, hence the reputation of your kind going berserk and going into a frenzy. You lost yourself in greed and desire for power, which I suppose isn¡¯t a surprise considering how much you must have gained when becoming immortal. Normally there¡¯s nothing to be done, but luckily you¡¯re only partly abyssal.¡± The dragon explained.


    ¡°Will it happen again?¡± Dee inquired with worry. She had no desire of going through that again.


    ¡°Well, that depends. Your case is a little special. On one hand you¡¯re only part abyssal but on the other hand someone really did a number on you and used the blood of Tiamat, an Old One and the first of all Abyssal Dragons to create you. That means the abyssal blood in you is really pure, but on the other hand Tiamat was able to control himself, unlike his progeny.¡± The dragon seemed to be considering for a moment. ¡°In short, I would say it will eventually happen again unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Unless what?¡± Dee demanded an explanation.


    ¡°Well, there is a way for me to balance the abyssal blood inside you. But, before we go into that, there¡¯s a few things you need to understand. First is my identity. I don¡¯t just mean my name and position, although those will explain a lot as well. My name is Xinglong, and I¡¯m the being everyone is talking about when they speak of a spot opening in the first circle of day city. I¡¯m also an Astral Dragon. Our home is the Astral Sea, which you are already familiar with.¡± The dragon explained.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the one who has been watching me when I go through the portals.¡± Dee mentioned after a moment¡¯s consideration.


    ¡°Yes and no. I have been watching you, but I¡¯ve been doing that for much longer than that. Also, I¡¯m not the only one of my kind, although I might be the strongest. The others might have also taken an interest. We are the rulers of the Astral Sea after all, and someone like you traipsing through the place is a curiosity. Some of my kind might be just curious, while others might be less than pleased. Many of my kind feel that the Astral Sea belong to us alone and some of them feel that the presence of others is more like a contamination rather than something to be encouraged. Visitors used to be much more common in the past, so we tolerated them better then.¡± The dragon¡¯s answer didn¡¯t exactly fill Dee with confidence.


    ¡°And why exactly have you been watching me?¡± Dee asked with her eyes narrowing.


    ¡°Because your mother Selvaria sent you to me. Or at least that was what was supposed to have happened. Well, if you¡¯ve heard the rumors about what¡¯s going on in the first circle, I think you know what happened just when I was supposed to be coming to pick you up. I lost touch with you at that point and didn¡¯t find you again until much later after you had already been rescued from the assassins. After that, it seemed better to leave you where you were at, rather than draw attention to you by bringing you to me. That would¡¯ve made you enemies you were not ready to face. I kept an eye on you and maybe nudged you a little into a direction more beneficial for your growth.¡± The dragon¡¯s voice took a sad tone and gave the impression of sadness, though not so much towards the end.


    ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to just forgive you for leaving me alone all this time?¡± Dee asked with her eyes narrowing.


    ¡°No. I failed, and there will be a recompense paid. I won¡¯t ask for forgiveness, nor do I want it. I failed, that is a fact. However, all things considered, I think things worked out rather well for you. You might be the youngest immortal in Pantheon''s history, you have friends, and you¡¯ve also had something akin to loved ones. Your training is much more expansive than anything I could¡¯ve provided. I¡¯m not really a teacher after all. You¡¯re also blessed by the four most powerful deities in existence. Yes, I noticed that. You¡¯ve had to suffer and face many things you¡¯d probably rather not have faced, but that has made you into who and what you are now. Things are as they are and regrets are useless.¡± The dragon said firmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Dee asked surprised. That seemed awfully callous. She wasn¡¯t one to complain, but her whole life had taken a turn due to the dragon¡¯s failure.


    ¡°No, I did say there will be a recompense paid for my failure. While your current situation now is not bad, it doesn¡¯t remove my mistake. One of the few things I could¡¯ve taught you if things had gone otherwise would be to control your abyssal side, so the least I can do is to make up for that. However, things are not quite so simple. Since you have heard rumors of what¡¯s going on in the first circle, have you never wondered why I didn¡¯t take revenge for the curse laid on me, and perhaps, more importantly, me losing touch with you and thus breaking my promise to Selvaria?¡± The dragon posed a rather obvious question.


    ¡°I had assumed you couldn¡¯t for some reason. Now I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with me.¡± Dee replied after a moment of thought.


    ¡°Somewhat correct. There are three reasons. The first reason is that I already took partial revenge. Astral Dragons are beings of almost pure magic, and the curse laid on me by the Coven was well chosen. It quickly infected me completely, making removal impossible, and targets my very nature. Every time I use my power the curse progresses and my life grows shorter. The same curse would not work on another being of my level or even someone weaker. However, what the Coven did not consider is that I managed to tie my fate to the one that laid the curse on me. The leader of the Coven will die along with me when I do.


    ¡°The Coven is divided into those that do the witch¡¯s work and those that increase their ability to do battle. Their leader is much beloved and respected by both sides as she came from both backgrounds and bound them together. With her death, the two sides will have trouble selecting the next head of the Coven because the balance between the sides will be broken. That will be my parting gift for the Coven that was mostly just a pawn in all this. Part of my revenge for the Celestial Emperor is to sour his relations with the Coven, who already disliked him because they were half forced into cursing me.¡± The dragon explained rather patiently.


    ¡°You said there were three reasons. That¡¯s just one. Two if you consider you lacking power due to the curse.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°That is a bit wrong. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have the power, but because I need the power elsewhere, and I didn¡¯t want to shorten my time in this world. I had a promise to fulfill after all. Something like balancing your abyssal side will take my remaining strength as it is.¡± The dragon replied seemingly not worried about what he was saying.


    ¡°Wait, so helping me will kill you?¡± Dee asked, shocked.


    ¡°I told you there would be recompense, and I meant for both of us. Besides, I would die anyway. It¡¯s only a matter of when. I really dislike breaking my word. I loathe it in fact. I also loathe the person who forced me into it. As it happens, me doing this will also serve as the other part of my revenge against him. I¡¯ve been hiding your presence from him after your new status as an immortal and will continue to do so after I¡¯m gone. However, before you once again disappear into the depths of Pantheon, I will reveal your presence just for a moment. That will be my revenge. You don¡¯t have to feel obligated to seek his death. Just your continued existence will be enough of a thorn in his side.¡± The dragon opened his maw in a something like a grin.


    ¡°Why?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Because you both have a Domain and totem that is about dominance. Domains are all about desires and concepts important to the person in question. Yours is much more dominant though, and that will hurt his pride deeply. His Domain and totem are all about being the emperor and ruling over others mortal and immortal alike. That reveals his deepest desire. Yours is about standing above everyone and everything in a way that no one can threaten you anymore. That includes beings like the gods and those involved in the War in the Heavens like the angels, and that includes him. As a result, your concept is much more dominant and powerful, and he won¡¯t be able to tolerate it as it flies directly against what he holds most important.¡± The dragon laughed, releasing a deeply disturbing sound. A dragon laughing was not something most beings wanted to hear.


    ¡°So why do I think you balancing my abyssal side won¡¯t be so simple?¡± Dee pointed out. The dragon had seemed very hesitant earlier despite his apparently complete plan.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re smart. There will most likely be a price to pay. I can¡¯t just suppress the part of you that is abyssal, it¡¯s too much a part of you. It¡¯s also because the blood comes from Tiamat. You can¡¯t just suppress something like that. So instead, I will have to add to it with my own power. Something like that will not come without consequences. What those consequences will be, I have no idea, except I¡¯m almost certain there will be some price you have to pay. There will be changes. Whether you think it will be worth it is up to you.¡± The dragon said looking into Dee¡¯s eyes.


    Dee could somehow tell that she would lose something important if she took this decision, but on the other hand, she would also regret not taking the decision for obvious reasons. She remembered the dragon¡¯s words. ¡°Things are as they are and regrets are useless.¡± She wondered if that was really true.

 Chapter 122

    ¡±For the sake of argument, let¡¯s say I¡¯ll go with what you¡¯re suggesting. What happens next?¡± Dee asked. She wasn¡¯t happy going along with Xinglong¡¯s suggestion because it somewhat went against her nature to simply acquiesce to someone¡¯s plan like that. That said, retaining her sanity and not being the prisoner of her dragon side were too important to reject simply because of that. She realized that there were still things she could not accomplish by herself, and time was an issue in this case.


    ¡°It will take me some time to prepare the spell. It requires a rather large and complex magical formation to function, and there was no point in making one until I was sure when it would be used. I didn¡¯t know how long your period of madness would last after all. Once I am done with the formation, I will then cast the spell and will most likely die soon after. I¡¯m not sure how long after, but I would guess days or hours instead of months or years. I will also have to set all my affairs in order. We will be ready to begin in a few days. Something you should consider though. I know you¡¯re eager to study the changes in your abilities now that you¡¯ve become immortal, but I would advise you to put that off until after the ritual.¡± Xinglong requested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t find that unreasonable but I¡¯d like to know why. Is it because I might lose myself again?¡± Dee inquired.


    ¡°Partly.¡± The dragon replied, hedging his words a bit before deciding just to go with it. ¡°It¡¯s also because if part of the price you have to pay is some of your abilities, then you won¡¯t miss something you don¡¯t even know is gone. Or that if one of your abilities changes, you won¡¯t know what it is exactly that you lost.¡±


    Dee was silent for a while before giving her assent with a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll start the preparations then.¡± Xinglong said. The whole things seemed a little rushed, but he had mentally prepared for this long ago, and most of the actual preparations were ready. He was also not in as healthy of a condition as the front he was putting on. The curse was rather painful and he would be glad to be rid of the pain.


    ¡°Before that, I have a request. Tell me about Selvaria. You must have been friends considering she sent me to you, even if that didn¡¯t go according to plan.¡± Dee suddenly said. She had not met people who knew of Selvaria before and was curious. She knew surprisingly little of her mother, partly because she had been so young when they were separated.


    Xinglong released a long humming sound while lost in thought. ¡°What to say about her? Well, I suppose you managed to find out she was a scientist and a researcher of sorts. She always had her head buried in one project or another, and you might have noticed that she is sort of an airhead. At first, she was much more involved in the matters of the universe and even managed to befriend many dragons due to her actions. She always got along with our kind. She was also much more focused as a person back then. However, the more she saw of how things never seemed to change no matter what she and others did, the more she withdrew from public affairs. She used to be a fairly important member of the Assembly, but that was because she was powerful and because she was one of the best teachers and researchers among them. She wasn¡¯t really into the power-plays, which I suppose was understandable.¡±


    He took a long look at Dee. ¡°You are aware that it was her that created the technique that destroyed the hells, yes?¡± Dee nodded in reply. ¡°After that, she withdrew even more, partly because of the horror of what happened and what followed. Eventually, it made her almost a complete recluse. As she couldn¡¯t change how the universe worked, she decided to help individuals instead. She used to rescue women who were in dire situations and offer them a way out. When the Holy Purge came, she tried to help some of the demons as well, but had limited success. She no longer had the will to do what had to be done, even if that would have helped many.¡±


    He was once again quiet for a while as he considered what else to say. ¡°I suppose she was rather beautiful by humanoid standards, but always tried to hide it. She didn¡¯t want to be remembered because of her physical attributes, but because of her mind instead. In that, she did succeed. Her work, while crazy at times, was also brilliant. Her abilities with spatial magic, in particular, were rather brilliant. Not everyone can create a pocket dimension like hers, though thanks to her work that became much easier.¡±


    ¡°How is she now? Do you know?¡± Dee asked with a fragile voice.


    ¡°There was an incident around the time you came to Pantheon, the two most likely being connected. She ran afoul of the Archangel of Order and he sealed the pocket dimension she calls home. Even our portals can¡¯t enter because the destination is too vague, being a pocket dimension and all. It doesn¡¯t really exist in a specific place. She should be fine, but no one can get to her unless the seal is removed. I tried to get a message to her myself when you disappeared, but had no luck. I¡¯m not entirely familiar with the methods the angels used since there¡¯s some holy magic involved, so you¡¯d have to ask them. The Assembly wasn¡¯t pleased, but wasn¡¯t going to attack the angels since she¡¯s still alive and all. There are pro-angel factions in the Assembly as well, and they¡¯re the ones who kept the tension at a manageable level.¡± Xinglong continued to tell a few more stories about Selvaria, but Dee was mostly too distracted to pay attention at that point.


    ------


    While Xinglong prepared the magical formation, Dee exited the rather luxurious caves he had made his lair. She had never been in the first circle before, and something about the mountain made it impossible for her to feel anything outside as well. Xinglong had encouraged her to check things out as long as she didn¡¯t leave the mountain. As she exited the cave, a heavy and almost oppressive feeling of the ambient mana settled on her. There seemed to be something about the mountain that prevented the mana from entering inside in excess.


    The mountain itself was not nearly as big as the volcano the old man had taken residence in, but the stone itself felt almost alive. The heavy mana had changed the stone in ways that Dee couldn¡¯t even quite explain, but the stone had turned into a precious material that seemed almost impervious to damage and ravages of time. To make things even weirder, the mountain was surrounded around its middle by a golden circle of power that almost looked like a halo.


    She could feel that the ¡®halo¡¯ was a powerful defensive enchantment that would attack anyone approaching and also isolated the mountain to an extent from the world outside. Dee could not read the magical powers involved in detail, but got the impression that Xinglong must have been elsewhere when he was cursed. Otherwise, the mountain would have prevented the curse from taking effect. The sloping sides of the mountain were dotted with many precious mineral outcroppings as if the ambient mana was making them grow out like mushrooms.


    The mountain was surrounded by nothing but lush forests. The deep green trees looked like a calm ocean and hid anything beneath the branches from view. For all she knew, there could have been entire cities below, but she couldn¡¯t tell. Because of the isolating effect of the mountain, she had no idea what was inside the forest and would have to leave the mountain to find out. Which she didn¡¯t plan on doing for now at least. For now, she had to settle for feeling the power surrounding her and watching the nice view. The amount of power in the air would make the life of mages really easy, providing essentially an endless source of mana, assuming one could turn the wild ambient mana into the more purified mana mages used for spells.


    ¡°Are you really alright now?¡± Croestia suddenly asked for the third time. Apparently, the time Dee had gone mad had also done a number on Croestia. The magical item¡¯s emotions seemed a little¡­unbalanced. Probably a result of her craze, as usually items like Croestia got their personality mostly from their owners. Dee¡¯s sudden craze might have forced the item to develop independently.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, for now at least.¡± Dee replied. ¡°We need to get a word back to the Four Winds soon, though I suppose we will be returning in person soon enough.¡± Suddenly something occurred to her. While Xinglong had told her not to really explore her new powers, there was something they could do. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t one of the doors inside you keyed to me becoming an immortal?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right! I forgot with¡­well, you know.¡± Croestia went quiet for a while before giving a mental whistle. ¡°Well, this I didn¡¯t expect.¡±


    ¡°Well? Don¡¯t keep me in suspense.¡± Dee urged.


    ¡°Right. There¡¯s a message from Selvaria. That should clear things up. It says: ¡°While I would prefer you to live a peaceful and happy life, odds are you will seek to punish the angels for their actions sooner or later. Truth be told I¡¯m not sure if I should encourage you or try to stop you. In the end, the decision is not up to me, and I have no right to tell you what to do, especially considering my own fault in this. If you do decide to wage a war against them however, I would prefer you were prepared. Pantheon isn¡¯t the only place with Authorities, and I managed to steal this one from the vaults of the Assembly once upon a time when I also considered taking drastic measures. You might not want to let them know you have it since they¡¯ll want it back. However, I would ask you do not pick up this blade before you march to war. Some burdens are harder to put down than others.¡± That¡¯s it. That was the message. The rest is some basic information and instructions.¡± Croestia explained.


    ¡°Summarize the information for me.¡± Dee prompted Croestia to continue.


    ¡°Apparently she left you something that goes beyond simple Hero Authorities. It¡¯s one of those that go above such classification, just like the Sun Authorities Mazatl mentioned long ago. Apparently, it¡¯s formed from the legend of a so-called Relentless War God, who stood against endless hordes of enemies as his race fell around him. The race is left unnamed. Apparently, this war god broke the enemy armies in the end, but at that point it was too late. Only dregs of his race remained and they fell into obscurity. His legend remains though because he embarked on a crusade of revenge, hunting down all those that had taken part in the death of his race. His actions saved many other races, so although his own race was forgotten, his actions were sung about for a thousand generations before becoming just a legend. Ironically, the fact that he never removed his armor meant that his race was forgotten even faster, as no one saw his true visage.¡± Croestia gave the short version of the story.


    ¡°Seems fitting somehow. A lone crusade to avenge a race. Not exactly what I had in mind, but close enough.¡± Dee commented. It wasn¡¯t really revenge that drove her, not exactly. There was a taste of revenge involved, sure, but it was not what really drove her.


    ¡°Yeah, I noticed the parallel as well. Apparently the Authority takes the form of a weapon of your choice and an armor. I would guess from the description that they are powerful, but it seems Selvaria was right. Once you pick it up, the Authority will not be easy to put down. The holder of the Authority will have to reap a certain amount of lives to deactivate the Authority and the amount grows with each use. If the goal is not met, then the armor cannot be removed and the weapon can¡¯t be set down.¡± Croestia¡¯s voice made it clear that she found the Authority rather creepy. ¡°You could use just the weapon, but it would not show its true strength without the armor.¡±


    ¡°Seems the Authority will suit me just fine in the future. For now, it might be better to not use it. We have other business to attend to. Did Selvaria leave the whole story with you? Then tell it to me, please. We¡¯ll have to wait for Xinglong to do his thing anyway.¡± Dee sat down to listen.


    ------


    Dee was lying down in the center of an enormous magical formation. The formation took most of the largest cavern inside Xinglong¡¯s lair, barely leaving enough room for the large dragon to stay out of the formation. The formation was made entirely of blood red dust that Dee suspected was some kind of mix of blood and ground-down gems of some sort. The dust had been poured into little crevices which had been carved into the ground. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Xinglong asked just to make sure. ¡°I haven¡¯t done this before so I can¡¯t say whether it hurts or not. You might not even be conscious during the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°As ready as I¡¯ll ever be.¡± Dee replied and uncharacteristically decided to make a silent prayer to the four deities watching over her. ¡®Eternity, Death, Umbra, Lumen, let this go well.¡¯ The small prayer was short and to the point. It was also a lot more polite than what she had used in the past.


    Xinglong used a sharp claw to slash at his side and started guiding the blood over the magical runes in the formation. As soon as he started to put his magic into the formation, it started to glow and Dee blacked out. She found herself standing near the familiar campfire surrounded by the four deities. Lumen looked less than pleased, most likely miffed that Dee had put her name last in the prayer. The others seemed to be more nonchalant.


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    ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether or not I should be surprised to find myself here.¡± Dee commented rather stoically. Her prayers were few and far between. Usually they were answered to a degree at least.


    ¡°Your request. We can help make it happen.¡± Lumen stated rather abruptly.


    ¡°The dragon is good at what he does, but he is dabbling in things he¡¯s not familiar with. This is not his specialty. We can smooth the progress and make sure the result is the best for you.¡± Umbra continued her sister¡¯s words.


    ¡°I sense a ¡®but¡¯ coming. Or do you want something in exchange?¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°No. Your creators should have made sure this would not be necessary in the first place, but in their defense, they didn¡¯t really fully know what they were doing either. While my part in your creation was very small, I do feel obliged to do my best to right the problem. However¡­¡± Umbra was hedging her words.


    Lumen looked at her sister sternly and continued in her stead. ¡°However, while we, or more specifically I, can make sure the problem is fixed, we can¡¯t do anything about the price you must pay. We want you to understand that.¡±


    ¡°The price again. How bad can it be?¡± Dee asked unhappily. Xinglong had mentioned a price as well.


    ¡°That depends on how you take it.¡± The old man suddenly spoke instead. ¡°You can view it as a positive thing, leaving your past behind. Or you can cling to what is gone for sentimental reasons. As someone blessed by Umbra and her potential champion, change should not be too much for you to handle. However, such things tend to affect people very personally.¡±


    ¡°So what is this price you speak of?¡± Dee demanded an answer rather angrily.


    Lumen gave a sigh. ¡°The problems stem from an imbalance in your mind and body. After that is fixed, your body and mind will once again harmonize. First thing is that you will no longer be affected by sudden swings in your mood due to your dragon side, but it will also mean some of that nature that caused those feelings will become your own. It will affect you a bit, though not drastically. Simply put, some of the dragon traits will carry over.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡± Dee mumbled. Sure the draconic mood swings had been troublesome on occasion, but they were still a part of her in a weird way. Maybe she¡¯d even become slightly less gluttonous? Fat chance of that happening. That particular trait would be sure to carry over, seeing as it already had become a part of her.


    ¡°That¡¯s just your mind though. There¡¯s still your body. Do you remember how you used to have a werewolf form and how you¡¯ve extremely rarely used it for years now? That¡¯s because your body harmonized once before when your nine-tailed fox form appeared, and the werewolf form combined with that form. It¡¯s not that you became any less of a werewolf; there simply was no need for the form anymore. It would not be unfair to say that kitsune form of yours is almost as much a nine-tailed wolf as it is fox. A similar thing will happen once again, just on a more fundamental level. I suspect that later on you will only have two forms once your body harmonizes perfectly.¡±


    ¡°So no dragon form?¡± Dee asked with frown. The form had felt powerful in the short time she had been in it.


    ¡°No, you will still have a dragon form. That form expresses an important part of you and will most likely be one of the two that will remain in the end. Just that it will combine with the blood of the Astral Dragon helping you and will see some changes. No, while the issues with you seem to stem from your dragon part, the problem is much more fundamental and will affect you at your very base. More specifically it will bring about a change that was supposed to come much later, but will now combine your normal form with the closest counterpart.¡± Lumen explained, her voice turning gentle.


    ¡°No more angel form?¡± Dee asked, almost hopefully. Not because she didn¡¯t want the form anymore, she had come to terms with that form already. No, she was hopeful because the other option was much worse.


    ¡°You will have to see for yourself. Though I suspect you already know the answer.¡± Lumen replied and with a wave of her hand sent Dee¡¯s spirit back towards her body.


    -----


    Even Xinglong was surprised when Dee¡¯s entire body turned into pure light in the middle of the ritual. At first he started to panic as he thought something had gone wrong, but then he felt the strong holy power inside Dee¡¯s body, and considered another possibility. Dee was blessed after all. He had gotten a quick glance inside her Domain and at her totem, which had shown she was not blessed by just one deity. They seemed to be interfering.


    Dee¡¯s body, now made entirely of light, floated off the ground. All the blood and the red powder in the formation suddenly seemed to mix and get absorbed by the light. Most of it was Xinglong¡¯s own blood, and the red powder was used as a catalyst. Then the form of light started changing. First it seemed to assume the naked shape of Dee¡¯s angel form. Xinglong had seen it clothed several times before, so he recognized it immediately. The large wings and halo completed the appearance.


    Then the form started changing. It lost a little of the ¡®lush¡¯ shape that Dee¡¯s angel form had and took some of the more athletic form of her normal appearance. The change stopped midway, as the differences in shape were not that large between Dee¡¯s two humanoid forms. Then the form acquired the ten tails that Dee¡¯s base form had shown for the couple of days Xinglong had needed for the preparations. He wasn¡¯t sure if Dee had even noticed the tenth tail.


    The open but clearly still unconscious eyes took the look of a canine with a golden glow. She now looked much more like a traditional kitsune in humanoid form, except with wings, four hands, and a halo. All the hands also had longer and sharper nails as was often the case with kitsune. Xinglong half expected a pair of fox ears to also appear but that didn¡¯t happen and the reason became obvious rather quickly.


    A pair of dragon¡¯s horns sprouted from her forehead and bent backwards towards the back of her head, taking the space where any possible fox ears could be. Xinglong had seen the horns Dee¡¯s abyssal form had and knew these to be the same, only smaller. They were not the antlers that Dee¡¯s kitsune form had taken earlier. Instead they were proper thick dragon horns that carried the trait abyssal had. It seemed like the horns were cracked and there was some kind of purple power trying to break out from the gaps.


    The magic seemed to be coming to an end as Dee¡¯s body slowly floated back to the ground, and her eyes suddenly regained the clarity of consciousness. As soon as that happened, her hand went to her face, where Dee felt around and noted that her eyes were not lying. Her snout was not there. She got up, unconcerned by her lack of clothing and changed shapes back to her normal angel form and then into her normal form. The results caused her to utter a painful groan of someone who last lost something dear.


    Dee could still assume her old shape, she was capable of shapeshifting after all, but as soon as she took her old form, she felt the same restricting pressure she always felt when not in one of her true forms. She could also feel a very slight drain on her powers, and knew the drain would slowly grow until she had to assume her true form again. Her new true form, which was no longer the same one that had accompanied her for her whole life until now. It was no longer the form she had grown up with. She had finally received some acceptance in her normal form as well. She no longer felt rejected and ugly when in that form. And now it was gone. In its place was¡­whatever that new form was supposed to be.


    She suddenly collapsed on the ground, hugging her knees. Her angel form was also suffering the same fate, but that didn¡¯t concern her. She usually only took that form temporarily anyway. She had accepted that form, but it was not what she was the most comfortable with. That loss didn¡¯t make her grieve. The new form was closer to it anyway, just with some extra parts added. Extra parts that were easy to hide if necessary. Assuming her normal form like this took much more effort, where once it had been a relief and would happen without thought. She felt like slowly but surely she was losing her old self and something important.


    Suddenly she heard Xinglong¡¯s tired voice. ¡°I realize you¡¯re having a moment, but could I distract you for just a bit?¡±


    Dee shook off her stupor. She looked at the very tired dragon with a large wound on his side. A wound that was apparently not healing for some reason. ¡°I¡¯m back. What is it? Should I help heal you?¡±


    ¡°No, in fact, I want the exact opposite. I would like you to kill me.¡± Xinglong said with a grave voice.


    ¡°Excuse me?!¡± Dee asked shocked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you still have some time?¡±


    ¡°I did. The ritual took more out of me than I thought, but that¡¯s not what I mean. I was going to ask you to do this later anyway, but it seems we must speed things along. I don¡¯t fear death, however if I simply die after you leave, the Celestial Emperor will come for my body. He will then have it mounted on his gate as a warning to others. I would rather avoid that and the best way to avoid it is with those weird black flames of yours. You can destroy my body completely in a way that it will be impossible to recover.¡± The dragon was silent for a while.


    ¡°I also know something you don¡¯t. You really didn¡¯t do a very good job of hiding your totem while lost in a craze. To complete your totem, you will need the soul and thus the skull of a rank thirteen being. That will eventually become your throne. I would like to think that would be a worthy end for someone like me and at least that way my death will serve a purpose.¡± The dragon leaned towards Dee and allowed his claw to touch her forehead. She felt a rush of knowledge, and among the information were several ways to hide her totem from the eyes of someone like Xinglong, as well as the methods Astral Dragons used to travel the Astral Sea. ¡°Use that information well. You will need it after I¡¯m gone. The Celestial Emperor just became aware of your existence. Or to be more exact, the empress behind the throne did. She will pass that information along though, as she always does.¡±


    Dee looked at Xinglong for a long time before nodding. For the first time, she assumed her dragon form willingly. It felt very natural and took no effort at all, unlike taking her old form sadly. She felt it appropriate that she would help Xinglong pass on as a favor from one dragon to another. She recognized that for the first time she actually thought of herself as a dragon willingly, and understood why Xinglong would want an end like this. Dragons and their pride. They wanted to be remembered, just not in the wrong way.


    To both of their surprise, Dee¡¯s dragon form had gone through large changes as well. The largest change was that it now had the serpentine form that Xinglong and other Kirin had. The difference between her and them was that her form still retained the same abyssal trait as Dee¡¯s new horns, where the eerie dark purple glow seemed to come from between the scales. Unlike other Kirin, her head still resembled an Abyssal Dragon with the glowing eyes and a sturdy ridge on her forehead where two horns sprouted from. She was much shorter and thinner than the much older Xinglong, but that was a factor of age. Dragons continued to grow through their long lives and while powerful, Dee was still very young.


    ¡°Well, that is somewhat unexpected.¡± Xinglong commented dumbly. They had suspected there would be changes, but this was much more than they had assumed.


    ¡°Yes, it is. Although I feel that this is appropriate.¡± Dee replied, feeling more at peace with herself. Something about this form calmed her heart over the loss of her normal form. It helped her accept the change, even if she wasn¡¯t happy about it. Perhaps that too was part of the change in her nature, and something of Xinglong¡¯s nature had carried over with the blood. It gave her perspective. Everyone left their old selves behind as they grew older. Perhaps that something she had felt like she was losing was something everyone eventually lost. Perhaps losing that something was necessary so that something new could grow in its place.


    Xinglong lay down on the ground. ¡°Do it. I will not resist.¡±


    Dee could feel the dark flames building in her throat. ¡°Farewell Xinglong. I will tell mother that you fulfilled your promise.¡±


    The words brought a smile on the old dragon¡¯s face just before the unnatural flames consumed him. He might not have wanted forgiveness, but he would not reject it either.

 Chapter 123

    The Celestial Emperor was feeling rather fatigued with the events of his court this evening. Usually, he rather enjoyed the intricate power plays of the various factions serving under him as they jockeyed for position and competed for his favor, but today he found it tedious. He had more important matters to deal with, so the petty squabbles seemed especially vapid. That said, dealing with the court was something that came with the territory and he encouraged their behavior because he usually enjoyed it and it made those under him strive to better themselves and be of more use to him.


    It was also partially the result of his plans that had created this situation. The Night city communities had increased their attacks on the Day city in the last few months. Once the first few attacks had met with mixed success the floodgates had opened. Almost thirty communities in the second circle had either fallen or were currently locked in a struggle for their position. Most of the current struggles had turned into all-out wars instead of the usual simple contests favored by the Day city. Third circle communities were both better and worse off. Their quick actions to make room had abated some of the pressure, but that only went so far. There were even more struggling communities in the third circle, though fewer of those struggles were of the same level of brutality as those in the second circle.


    Interestingly, one of the biggest threats to everyone in the third circle came from Day city itself. A saurian princess had been caught in the crossfire between a Day city and a Night city community, and the saurians were on a warpath. Their race was one of those that had spread all over the Pantheon and were one of the most commonly seen, much like elves and dwarves and humans, but they had not formed into any singular large entities like the elven empire. Instead, they had spread all over and now they seemed to be moving as one for the first time. Millions of saurians of various types and levels were marching into the third circle and indiscriminately attacking everything, just to make a statement. A strange show of unity that surprised everyone else.


    The whole mess had the Celestial Court riled up, as they all considered the possibilities and the implications for the future. Normally struggles in the lesser circles would not merit their attention except as entertainment and a source of gossip, but since the chaos was the result of a spot opening in the first circle, they had to consider the possibilities. The emperor personally didn¡¯t really care which community took the spot, but it would look bad if his actions against the cursed dragon allowed a community from the Night city to snag a spot at the heart of his city.


    Generally though, he was rather enjoying how things were turning out. His plan had worked out perfectly, and the insubordinate dragon was going to die and become an example to all who stood against him. Even with all the immortals under his command, assaulting Xinglong¡¯s mountain would have been a bad idea. However, there were many ways to get at his enemies. This would show everyone that power alone was no shield against his wrath. They would understand.


    Yes, it had cost him the relations with the Coven, but the witches were smart enough not to get too uppity. Unlike a certain dragon, he would not be so easily cursed. And if they tried, he would wipe them out. They would come around with enough time. Grudges between immortals were something to be taken seriously, but a lot could happen as millennia rolled by. He had time. Short term losses were nothing when compared to long-term gains.


    He frowned as he noticed a certain veiled servant coming towards his glorious throne from a side door. If a servant came through that door, it could mean only one thing. She wanted something. Usually that meant bad news, but he knew better than to ignore it. He dismissed the rest of the court and followed the servant to a closed off section of the palace where the rumored empress lived. The rumors were right. This area did belong to his empress, though the rumors were wrong about their relationship. The rumors spoke of a secret empress that the emperor loved so much that he kept her away from the world to keep her safe. The rumors could not be more wrong.


    That woman needed no protection. There was no love lost between the two either, and there never had been. Theirs was a relationship of mutual benefit. She needed his strength and he needed her vision. The empress was the greatest seer and diviner on the planet. The emperor was loath to admit it, but his current success was in large part thanks to her ability to see the future. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t strong enough, but a single person could do only so much against the invisible blades coming from the shadows. The damn dragon was the perfect example for that. All that strength had not helped him.


    So he kept her around. The two could barely stand each other after all the millennia they had spent in rather close proximity, and the two were not actually even married. Yet she was the empress in the shadows, wielding the invisible swords and controlling the dark shadows in his stead. She made sure no plot could reach him, and he, in turn, made sure they had the power to match anyone in direct conflict. That said, he did exert a fair bit of effort in order to find another seer to replace her if the need ever arose, but someone always blocked his efforts. The Threads of Fate seemed like an obvious culprit with all their seers, but that seemed too obvious. He had another suspect in mind, and he was about to meet that person again.


    ¡°What is so urgent?¡± He demanded without preamble as soon as he pushed open the doors to her chambers. The chambers where she worked that is. He had seen the insides of her bedchambers only once and was unceremoniously thrown out as soon as he had entered. That ticked him off a little. Not enough to do anything about it, he certainly wasn¡¯t boorish enough to try and force himself on her, but enough to make him act snappish in her company. It wasn¡¯t the lack of intimacy that rankled him. It was the lack of respect and the obvious disdain she had for him and didn¡¯t bother hiding.


    The stunningly gorgeous woman that had taken a human appearance looked at him with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I would expect you to at least act civil here. You are the Celestial Emperor and as such above censure, but even so. Civility and calmness are the hallmarks of a proper ruler. You know this, even if you don¡¯t deign to abide by those principles in my company.¡±


    He only looked at her menacingly. At least he was refined enough not to let his displeasure show further. The empress continued. ¡°Fine, fine. Be that way. I have two pieces of news. One which I think you¡¯ll find very positive and one which you will not. Which one would you like first?¡± She asked coyly. She rather enjoyed pushing his buttons. He wasn¡¯t a bad man, just very driven and self-important, though not without good reason. Still, she tried keeping him grounded. He would do well not to forget how they got here.


    ¡°The bad news first.¡± The emperor chose immediately. Good news might be nice, but they rarely demanded immediate action while the bad news might be time sensitive. He knew his priorities.


    ¡°Obviously. All work and no play. Take heed of what I¡¯m about to say because this will be the most important decision you will make since choosing to become the emperor so many millennia ago. Another one had been born with a Domain even more dominant than yours.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed half in disbelief and half in anger. She had never led him astray, but this was something new. There had been people with Domains before. Three of them were in his court right now, serving under him. None had been powerful enough to be a threat. ¡°Are you certain? Are they going to be a problem? If we deal with them fast, we can nip the problem in the bud. Where are they?¡±


    ¡°I knew this would be your first thought. Just so you know, I don¡¯t know where the other person is. They are once again hidden from my sight. Listen to me well. Whether the person is a threat or not will depend entirely on you. Their sights are set elsewhere, and if you don¡¯t antagonize them, they will not become a danger to you. If you do make an enemy of them however, you will lose. The severity of the feud will decide the severity of the consequences of this loss. If you set yourself up as their enemy, you will die.¡± The empress said with a voice more serious than anything he had ever heard in his life.


    This gave him pause. Normally he would not fear any threat, except maybe one. The number one community in the Day city and the entire Pantheon. However, the words of the empress had forced him to think of many possibilities. She had never been entirely mistaken, though the future was always a little uncertain, but that didn¡¯t mean she could not lie. Part of what made her such a good seer was her ability to read all the possibilities and pick the most important points to make accurate predictions, but that didn¡¯t mean she told him everything, or even that what she told him was the truth. They had supported one another for such a long time, but with another person with even greater dominance than him in the picture, did she have a sufficient reason to jump into the enemy camp? That possibility was worth keeping in mind at least. Her loyalty had always been based on self-interest, and she certainly didn¡¯t like him.


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    ¡°And the good news?¡± He asked, preparing to consider things alone with more time. He preferred to really think things through before acting.


    ¡°The dragon Xinglong will die within a week.¡± The empress could not see the exact date of Xinglong¡¯s death, but at least she could tell that his thread in the tapestry of Fate was not long.


    The emperor grinned. ¡°That is good news. I will have to prepare.¡± The good news had not made him forget the other piece of information she had imparted, but it had pushed it off for now. If the enemy was a fresh immortal, then he had time and needed to do his research first. Xinglong¡¯s death was a more immediate concern. For once the good news required more immediate action than the bad.


    The empress sighed as she watched him go. She had known he would react like this. She had also neglected to mention that the enemy was female. She knew that if she had told him, the emperor would not have taken the threat seriously. Things would have also ended badly for her as the emperor pursued a new ¡°worthy¡± empress without success. Even as things were, he did not take the matter seriously enough. She had known this would be the case, but she had tried at least. There had been that minuscule chance of success.


    She turned to her servants. ¡°Prepare for departure. Our time here has come to an end. It is time to find a new place to call home.¡± She was not prepared to go down with a sinking ship, and this ship had a very high chance of ending as a smoldering wreck consumed by black flames.


    The emperor¡¯s suspicions about her being prepared to betray him had not been misplaced, although he had ascribed to her all the wrong reasons for betrayal.


    -------


    As Dee watched the last remains of Xinglong float away, she realized that there might be a slight problem. She had absorbed his soul almost by instinct but had not quite considered all the implications before they hit her on the head. Xinglong had mentioned that he expected his skull to become her throne for her totem, but the skull was not the only thing that she gained from it. Even in his weakened state, Xinglong was still a rank 13 being and a powerful one at that. Death had mentioned before that the way Dee absorbed souls was a very effective way to gain power from those that she killed, and Xinglong had a lot of power to gain from.


    Dee almost crashed into the floor with her new dragon form as the wave of power hit her. The amount of power might have become problematic if Xinglong had not taken this into consideration. He had prepared a spell beforehand, and a big part of the power Dee gained went into powering that spell. Dee felt a protective field of some kind forming around her Domain. With the size of her Domain, the field also had to be rather large and took a lot of power to set in place.


    Xinglong had gifted her some memories and information. At the forefront of all that information was the knowledge that this protective field would help hide her Domain for several years, or at least until she learned to do it herself. Normal fresh immortals didn¡¯t have much to hide so it came almost naturally. The same didn¡¯t hold true for her though, and she had done nothing to hide her Domain. Still, even with that, there was a lot of power to absorb, and she was already dealing with her new reality as an immortal. It might be better to spend some time just adjusting when she went back.


    Her thoughts were interrupted as a shudder ran through the mountain. Suddenly she could feel the mountain mourning the loss of Xinglong. She had suspected the mountain had a certain amount of life to itself, but now it seemed the mountain also had a certain level of sentience. It didn¡¯t seem to be able to speak, but it was able to express emotions and apparently concepts. Dee felt the idea of impending death, acceptance of said death and peace, followed by mourning for a friend now gone. Apparently Xinglong had told the mountain he would be gone and had made peace with it, as had the mountain. That didn¡¯t mean the mountain wouldn¡¯t grieve though.


    ¡°Maybe we should leave the mountain to its mourning. We have no idea how much time we have until someone comes here.¡± Croestia suggested. Xinglong had revealed her presence for a brief moment. Not long enough to reveal her position, but it would only take so long until someone from the Celestial Court came here to check. Especially once they realized the owner of the mountain was gone, and that might not take too long considering the leader of the Coven should have also died. Dee was better off being gone by then.


    As they got outside the mountain, another batch of emotions and concepts was sent by the mountain. Fear about an unknown future, disgust at the thought of Xinglong¡¯s enemies coming here and taking over the mountain, determination at standing against such people and finally resignation at the inevitable defeat. Dee turned back and looked at the large cave entrance she had just exited from. ¡°I sympathize but I can¡¯t help you defend. I don¡¯t have that kind of power. Not yet anyway. And it¡¯s not like I can take you with us.¡± She scoffed at the idea of carrying away a mountain. She was strong, but that was a bit¡­


    Suddenly there was the concept of considering the proposition, which had not really been made. Sudden realization and new hope soon followed. Then the mountain indicated agreement. ¡°¡­or can we?¡± Dee questioned, vaguely understanding where the mountain¡¯s mind was headed.


    Suddenly Dee found herself floating in the empty air instead of standing on the mountainside. There was also roughly a small house-sized mountain with a halo-like circle of light surrounding it floating in front of her. The thoughts of the mountain seemed to be nudging her on. ¡°Ok, I suppose that works. I don¡¯t know if I can carry around a mountain even at that size though. Croestia, would you¡­?¡± Dee suggested.


    ¡°No.¡± Croestia replied firmly.


    ¡°What do you mean no?¡± Dee asked with a surprised frown.


    ¡°I mean no. I generally don¡¯t mind you putting gory animal bits or even food inside me, but this is where I draw the line. There¡¯s no way you¡¯re putting something sentient inside me.¡± Croestia rejected the idea categorically.


    ¡°Uhh..¡± Dee wasn¡¯t sure what to say. Suddenly the mountain made its own appeal towards Croestia. It was a weird experience when two sentient but non-living things started messaging back and forth inside her head. ¡°Is the mountain making puppy dog eyes?¡± Dee suddenly asked with an almost horrified voice.


    The mountain had just sent a bundle of emotions and concepts which could only be described as making the puppy dog eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare make puppy eyes at me!¡± Croestia harrumphed and sent back an image of a stern mother tapping her foot with no intention of giving in.


    ¡°That¡¯s so wrong.¡± Dee muttered, as now it seemed the mountain was not only making puppy eyes but also baby kitten eyes with barely shed tears coming from both. ¡°How did the mountain even learn things like this? What was Xinglong teaching it?¡±


    ¡°No. It will never happen.¡± Croestia stated with finality. ¡°You can take the thing inside your Domain if you¡¯re so insistent in taking it along.¡± She sounded positively insulted at the thought of a sentient being stored inside her.


    ¡°Um, that¡¯s not how it works, remember? I have to have a certain familiarity with the item before I can¡­¡± Dee started to explain when she suddenly felt the mountain shifting and appearing inside her Domain without any notice or difficulty. ¡°¡­or we can go with that. I have no idea how it just did that, but fine. Have it your way then.¡± Dee just decided to give up. Of course she had no way of knowing that Xinglong¡¯s power had facilitated the mountain¡¯s easy entry as the two were still connected. The mountain grew back to its original size and seemed to be settling in.


    Dee started slowly descending towards the ground before she stumbled in the air. ¡°Croestia, am I seeing this right? Is the mountain cleaning inside my Domain?¡± Her voice sounded a little hollow. ¡°You know what, don¡¯t answer that. I give up. Fuck it. Not my problem anymore.¡± Dee decided that the best way to deal with the situation was just to pretend the whole thing had not happened. Something about the whole encounter had broken her concept of how things should be.


    Instead she started to go through the information she had gotten from Xinglong in an attempt to digest the part which dealt with traveling through the Astral Sea. It quickly became obvious why this method of information transfer wasn¡¯t more common. Aside from the bit about it being limited in several ways, something she found out among the information purely by accident, there were several downsides to the method. The most glaring problem was that the information had not truly become her own just yet.


    It was a little like being given a library full of information. You had access to all of it, but you didn¡¯t truly know and understand it until you spent time going through the information. Luckily, unlike with a real library, she didn¡¯t have to spend time looking for the right books to find the information she wanted. The information came right to her, assuming she knew what to look for. On the other hand, if she didn¡¯t know what she was looking for, she had no way of knowing what was in that large pile of information until she spent time digesting all of it. And with the amount of information, it would take a whole lot of time to do so.


    As the top two most important pieces of information had been on at the forefront, namely the knowledge about how to hide her Domain and the knowledge about the Astral Sea, she had not quite realized before how much information Xinglong had given her. He had been pretty thorough. Luckily she was a psion and was more adept at dealing with such large amounts of information. She could dedicate a small part of her mind to going through the information while doing other things.


    There was another problem. The information was based on Xinglong¡¯s considerable experience and long life. They were not objective facts. Instead they were conjecture and interpretations he had formed. Thus the information was biased and in certain parts prejudiced. These were not necessarily the conclusions and ideas Dee would have personally drawn from the same set of information if given the opportunity. All information was biased to a certain extent, but a book didn¡¯t come with a host of emotional baggage and vivid memories pushed straight into your mind. That said, this wasn¡¯t purely a bad thing. The dragon had been smart and had a high level of understanding in many areas unknown to her. Dee herself didn¡¯t have to spend time understanding difficult concepts because he already had.


    Idly she noted that she would have to be in her dragon form to utilize the Astral Dragons¡¯ abilities to travel through the Astral Sea. The dragons had a natural control over that plane and could do it in any form, but Dee was not a pure Astral Dragon. In fact, only a small part of her was draconic in the first place, not to even mention Astral Dragon specifically. So she had less choice in the matter. On the upside, she could get similar results when she was in the dragon form.


    A portal towards the Four Winds opened in front of her, and with some interest, she noted that the other end of the gate was very close. Distance in the Astral Sea was relative, and for the current Dee those distances were much shorter. In the past, she would¡¯ve spent hours traveling through the sea to get from the first circle to the third, but now it was only a few steps. In fact, the distance between the two openings was shorter than her serpentine dragon form. With a small smile she exited to the other side of the gate.


    Her approach was noticed almost immediately, and her eye twitched a little in annoyance. Her portal may have been a little too accurate. It had taken her exactly where she had aimed, which was straight above the headquarters of the Four Winds. The only problem was, the others had no idea she was coming. They could not recognize her dragon form and understandably reacted in a rather hostile fashion to a strange and unknown dragon suddenly appearing above them. If she had missed the target as usual, then at least she could¡¯ve assumed a more familiar form before coming close.


    ¡°Well, this could¡¯ve gone better.¡± She muttered as she saw many of the Four Winds immortals approach with their weapons at the ready. They were not attacking but they were not far from it either. ¡°Could someone fetch either Moirai or Nyx?¡± She raised her voice at the approaching people. ¡°Either of them can vouch for my identity.¡± She decided it might be better to avoid any sudden moves, like changing forms, which might be considered hostile. At least the two psions would recognize her with the Mindscape.

 Chapter 124

    ¡±Stand down, she¡¯s a friend!¡± The voice of Nyx suddenly sounded over the clamor of people trying to find safety and immortals preparing for battle. ¡°Though why she would be dumb enough to appear here in a form like that is another question.¡± She continued in a quieter voice.


    Dee slowly descended to a nearby garden with Nyx following right behind. Dee looked at the small Meilin and gave a small mirthless laugh. ¡°The portal was a lot more accurate than I assumed. Also, there are some circumstances.¡± The last part she said in a voice quiet enough to only be heard by Nyx. Or at least it was supposed to be, but she somewhat underestimated how far the voice of a dragon carries.


    Suddenly another Meilin glomped on one of her legs. Dee had sensed Moirai¡¯s approach and was not surprised to see her. The sudden hug was a bit more surprising, though the surprise was slightly dulled by the contrast created by the difference in size. Moirai was smaller than one of Dee¡¯s toes in her dragon form. Her old master punched the leg she was hugging repeatedly. Dee was a little shocked by the outburst of emotion, and taken by surprise at the lack of any effect those hits had. It wasn¡¯t that Moirai was holding back, they just barely even registered on her scales. Dee realized that the hits were meant as a sort of punishment as well as to vent Moirai¡¯s feelings.


    Even though the punches didn¡¯t hurt, something else did. ¡°Where have you been?! I was so worried about you!¡± Moirai said several small sentences that made Dee¡¯s heart clench. There were very few people that cared for her deeply enough to shed tears of worry on her disappearance or tears of relief on her safe return. In fact, she could count the number of those people with the fingers of one hand, or at least she assumed so.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you worried. I¡¯m back now.¡± Dee mumbled apologetically and shifted into her kitsune form. She shrunk to the size of a small cat, climbed on Moirai¡¯s shoulder and plunked some of her tails in Moirai¡¯s lap to allow her teacher something softer to vent her feelings on.


    The surprises continued as Razark was the next to arrive. The man looked worn, but there was a spark of something new inside his eyes. ¡°Dummy disciple.¡± He greeted Dee with a small but weary smile. She wasn¡¯t exactly sure if he had decided to adopt the old man¡¯s way of addressing her or if he really thought this last little stunt truly qualified her as a dummy.


    ¡°Idiot disciple. You¡¯ve seen better days.¡± Dee commented, deciding to play along and jab back.


    ¡°I got back yesterday. I¡¯m done.¡± His words seemed innocent on the surface, but the two people knew the special meaning behind those words. Razark was letting her know he had gotten his revenge and the matters with the Order of the Radiant Sun and the freelancer¡¯s guild were finished. That probably implied quite a few dead people.


    ¡°All done? No need to go back anymore?¡± Dee confirmed. Razark might have some unfinished business even if the main purpose was fulfilled.


    ¡°All done. The battle between the two groups is finished as well. It got pretty bloody there for a while, but it seems both of the sides got done what they needed to get done.¡± Razark explained briefly. He considered his next words for a short moment. ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure we¡¯ll never know all that went into the struggle, but I suspect the grandmaster at least needed to get rid of some people. I may have inadvertently helped him in that. That most likely wasn¡¯t the only reason, but¡­¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s probably the best news from the last few months.¡± Nyx commented with an angry voice. Not angry at Dee, just plain angry. ¡°Aside from your return that is. Come on. Let¡¯s get somewhere a bit more private. You missed a lot while you were gone.¡±


    The group found themselves in the room where the representatives of the five races usually dealt with things. Dee noted that both Shioko and Kawhena, the Jun and Dagon representatives, were missing. That didn¡¯t seem like a good sign. Nyx noted Dee¡¯s look and answered the unasked question. ¡°Shioko and Kawhena are dealing with the evacuation of our sub-communities.¡±


    Dee, still sitting on Moirai¡¯s shoulder, looked at Nyx with even more questions. ¡°I¡¯m assuming something happened.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. She knew something must have happened. Otherwise such measures would not have been taken.


    Nyx gave a deep sigh. ¡°Yes. One of the Night city communities thought it would be a good idea to acquire some hostages. Preferably ones that were not able to put up such stiff resistance. With the Radiant Sun and the other big groups that usually watch over the lesser circles otherwise busy, the security in the lesser circles has gone down significantly.¡±


    Dee gave a small growl at the thought. Moirai¡¯s voice sounded a little hollow as she spoke. ¡°As you know, we have guardians protecting our sub-communities. That said, we¡¯ve gotten too used to the Day city communities not targeting those sub-communities, so the enemy had an element of surprise. They don¡¯t play by the same rules as us. Even with that, they had not sent enough strength to our sub-community to overpower the guardians, partially because we were not the only target. Once the enemy realized they would not be able to capture live hostages, they instead decided to kill as many of our people as they could. Our guardians did their best, but a cornered animal is always the most dangerous.¡±


    A thought suddenly came to Dee. ¡°Mina? Faylen?¡± She asked with worry. Faylen at least should be safe here. Emphasis on should.


    Moirai shook her head. ¡°Mina was here when the attack happened, and they didn¡¯t even target the sub-community she was part of. Faylen is also here and has never left. However, Ngaire was less lucky. He died protecting others from the attackers, as was his duty.¡±


    Dee remembered the gruff Dagon that used to be in charge of the security in the sub-community where Dee had trained under Moirai. The two had also sparred numerous times. ¡°I¡¯m assuming something is being done to avenge our fallen?¡± Dee asked with a grim tone.


    Nyx grimaced. ¡°Yes and no. We would have taken the appropriate measures, but it¡¯s not quite that simple. We suspect they are trying to trap us. Something about the attack seems off. Somehow they managed to bungle the attack so badly, yet they still managed to kill so many of our people. I get the feeling that might have been at least a secondary goal they had planned beforehand, if not the primary goal in the first place. The actions of the attackers were at the same time too clumsy and too effective. We have prepared a retaliation but can¡¯t send it out.¡±


    The Anshar representative spoke up as well. ¡°The community we¡¯re dealing with is not something we can just crush easily. They might be a third circle community, but according to our information, they were on the edge of becoming a second circle one, much like us. If we wanted to take revenge, we would have to take along enough of our most powerful members to leave this place virtually defenseless. With our target being in the Night city, even with the gates, the trip would take time and we wouldn¡¯t be able to return quickly if something happened here. We suspect that might be what they are after.¡±


    ¡°So at best it would be mutually assured destruction, and at worst your target in the Night city is just a fake target and you will have been lured away.¡± Dee finished in his stead. She remembered an old saying about luring a tiger away from the mountain to gain access to its cubs.


    The Anshar representative agreed with a nod. ¡°And that¡¯s assuming they¡¯re working alone. We might be running into a coalition instead of a single enemy once we get there. It would not be the first one. The Night city communities have gotten smarter in the last few months. And that¡¯s without any Day city communities taking advantage of the chaos. Frankly it¡¯s a mess. Retaliation would be an overextension on our part, but it would look bad if we do nothing.¡±


    Dee suddenly gave a suggestion. ¡°Well, there¡¯s more than one way to take revenge. Instead of a large group of immortals, what if only a single knife goes and keeps striking at them from the dark?¡± That would also be a good way for her to get used to her new situation in a combat situation. After spending a bit of time absorbing Xinglong¡¯s powers and knowledge of course. The other option was that she provided the method of fast travel if something did happen. That would be less fun though.


    ¡°Which would be you, I assume?¡± Nyx asked almost rhetorically. ¡°That brings us to where the heck have you been all this time? We got word about a dragon abducting you. Moirai found out a bit more, but it was vague at best.¡±


    ¡°Well, long story short, demons and dragons are not a great mix when it comes to a heritage. I went a little crazy, got tortured for months by another dragon until I came to my senses, got another thing added to my heritage, killed a cursed rank 13 dragon due to his last wish and stole a mountain. And now I¡¯m here.¡± Dee rattled off with a straight face.


    That brought various expressions from everyone gathered. Nyx¡¯s face seemed to be cramping as she spoke. ¡°You might want to expand on that just a little.¡±


    Dee gave a more detailed explanation which was received very differently. Razark and Moirai seemed to be more worried that Dee had been basically tortured for months even if it was for her own sanity. Nyx and the Anshar noted another important detail. ¡°So the spot in the first circle is now open. It will only take a few weeks before the news spreads and things will really get crazy. We must prepare. Most would have assumed that there¡¯s much more time until this happened. This will escalate things.¡±


    Moirai noted that something was still bothering Dee. ¡°There¡¯s something else. Something you didn¡¯t mention and it upsets you.¡±


    Dee gave a deep sigh. ¡°There were¡­consequences. My old form is no more.¡± She hopped off Moirai¡¯s shoulder and allowed herself to turn into her new form. ¡°This is my form now.¡± She had not really had the chance to study her new form in detail, so it was somewhat new to her as well. Her wings seem to have grown much bigger, both now being larger than her body, though of course she could control that. Her appearance was quite attractive and much more balanced than either of her old humanoid forms. The old angel form had been a bit too lush to be practical while her normal form had been a bit too athletic to be all that appealing. Now it had a nice balance, and the horns that seemed to be glowing with power added to the already significant effect that her mere presence had.


    Despite the physical changes, the biggest difference came from the aura she seemed to be giving off. Some of the presence from her dragon form had carried over and combined with her angel side to give her an air of nobility and power. The old Dee used to just have the air of danger and death, but the new form was much more than that. Even with her Domain hidden, the others could feel a definite air of regality. Her new form was quite impressive and drew some quite a bit of praise from the others. It wasn¡¯t as shocking as her dragon form had been, but that was only to be expected. Dragons were dragons after all and had very few equals in that sense. This form was more subtle in its impressiveness, although only in comparison to the dragon form. That made her presence about as subtle as a hammer to the head.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Moirai didn¡¯t fully understand why, but she could see this positive impression from the others was affecting Dee negatively. She walked to her former student and simply hugged her, trying to comfort her. Dee¡¯s own emotions on the subject were difficult to explain, even to herself. It was a feeling of losing herself and part of her connection to her past. She had felt she had been pushed to become something her entire life, and this newest change was just a continuation of that. She didn¡¯t like being pushed. She also felt that her old form had been the truest representation of herself, and every time someone rejected it, it hurt a little. Now it felt like she had been rejected by the universe.


    There was also an element of losing the last of what remained of her childhood. That form had been the original, even if there had been small changes later on. It was the only form her mother Selvaria was familiar with. Would she even be recognized if she ever reunited with Selvaria? On the other hand, growing up was a part of life. Maybe shedding her old form was also a sign of shedding her old self, the one who acquiesced to the demands of the others. Maybe the new form could also serve as the starting point of her regaining her autonomy and being her own master? That was worth considering.


    ------


    After a long exchange of news, Dee withdrew from the gathering on the grounds of trying to get used to the changes that had happened. That was actually what she was planning on doing, although she also planned on dealing with what she had gained from Xinglong. As she found a suitable place for mediation, she started the process of assimilating the power she had gained and turning it into her own. At the same time, she started going through the information she had gained.


    Dee¡¯s knowledge on immortals, soul spaces, Domains, and totems was somewhat inadequate. Xinglong, on the other hand, had been an immortal for a staggering amount of time, so of course he had quite a bit of knowledge on the subject. She was aware of the basic theory, but the details were a little hazy. It seems her old information was correct in parts though as she went through the information. It seemed Mazatl¡¯s lectures had not been entirely wasted although incomplete.


    The main difference between a soul space and a Domain was that while soul spaces were almost entirely internal and defensive in nature, Domains could affect the world around the person. A normal soul space was like a shield and a source of life for an immortal, and the size affected mostly the strength of the effect it had on the immortal. Domains were a little different. They granted the same benefits as soul spaces but they also had other uses. The size of the Domain decided the power and the area of those other uses.


    According to Xinglong¡¯s information, a real Domain should have three basic effects: weaken the enemy, strengthen the owner of the Domain and finally bend reality in some way. Just like soul spaces and totems, not all Domains were created equal. Some of them focused on one aspect, while others could be powerful in all three of the main functions. Dee could instantly tell hers was closer to the latter kind. In addition the Domain had an effect on her totem.


    Normal totems were focused on taking a single ability to the extreme. They came in all types and effects, but in general they only affected that one ability. A lightning totem of a mage would increase the owner¡¯s power with lightning magic and would work as a second source of power, turning lightning magic into something that would take almost no mana. It might also give exquisite control over the element. On the other hand, the totem did very little to help that mage¡¯s other abilities.


    The totems that came from Domains were a little different. Xinglong had told Dee that they were the representations of a concept or an ideal. They reflected the personality and the deepest desires of their owners. Unlike a normal totem, they would not work as a second source of power or grant control over an element. On the other hand, they made all facets of their owner stronger and granted some abilities tied to the concept that spawned the totem. Usually those other effects were also tied to the size of the Domain so that they only worked in the area covered by the Domain. While most people would rather have a Domain if given the choice, it was not strictly better when compared to a standard soul space and totem. As with most things, your real advantage would come from how you used the powers you were granted.


    In Dee¡¯s case, she could sense that her totem was unfinished and wasn¡¯t granting the full benefits yet, but it was mainly connected to three things. The first thing was the connection with the four blessings, which were now tied to the totem in a way that the ties could not be broken. That would have an effect on her blessings, but she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what kind. The best she could tell, it would be something along the lines where she would benefit as if she had become an immortal based on the power of those blessings instead. That would greatly increase her ability to utilize those blessings, but the details remained unclear and would require further testing.


    Second thing was that Death especially had managed to put her fingers in this pot. It was rather obvious from all the skulls, but her totem was heavy with the death element. That said, surprisingly the Tree of Life had introduced a Life element into the totem as well, in the form of the bonds that tied those blessings to her totem. Dee suspected that she would be able to bring that death element to bear inside her Domain if she decided to extend that power outwards. That would most likely be very unhealthy to most beings.


    The third and most important thing was the original desire that had created the totem in the first place. She wanted to stand above others, but mainly because she no longer wanted to be afraid. It seemed both her Domain and her totem had a very strong element of not allowing others to affect her and exert their influence over her. Thus her Domain seemed to be able to disrupt the abilities of others from working properly and stop those abilities from affecting her. The effect was still suppression and not a complete denial, but it combined well with the standard effect of Domains, which was to weaken her enemies. It seemed that both the death element and the suppression made that weakening effect the strongest part of her Domain. Those effects probably also had something to do with the third effect of a true Domain Xinglong¡¯s memories mentioned, bending the reality in some way.


    Among the information she went through was a nice bit about immortals in general and how unfinished totems affected their strength. Obviously someone with a finished totem would have an advantage over someone with an unfinished one, but that didn¡¯t simply translate into more power. Some totems were harder to finish than others. On the flipside they were usually also more powerful. That said, the state of the totem was not directly tied to the rankings of immortals. A rank ten immortal rarely had a completed totem, but it happened. Almost all rank twelve immortals had their totems completed, but that too wasn¡¯t a universal fact. Even an unfinished totem might grant a lot of power.


    Dee was in the weird position of having a half completed totem and a large Domain straight after becoming an immortal. That made her very hard to classify when it came to strength and ranks. In the end the ranks were based on pure battle ability and were a little vague at best. There was no strict threshold you needed to cross to be considered rank eleven or twelve. You just had to have enough strength to match others of similar rank in battle. Rank thirteen was a little different in that it required the being to have enough strength to either destroy a world or at least render it unsuitable for life. Alternatively they could have the strength to grant life to a world.


    Dee theoretically lacked the raw amount of power to be considered rank eleven, but she was just in the middle of making the power from Xinglong her own, and she also remembered the little gift Selvaria had left behind one of the doors that had already opened. All that power and those souls gathered from the now destroyed hell would go a long way in making up for the gap. That said, it would take time to make that power truly hers and get used to it. When one gained a lot of power, they were, in essence, holding more power than their capacity allowed. They could use that power, but once spent, it would be gone. Truly making the power yours would raise your maximum level of power to include the new addition, so that power would regenerate as well as if it had always been a part of you.


    The problem with ranking her wasn¡¯t just about absorbing the power. She still wasn¡¯t sure how much her abilities had changed after becoming an immortal, not to mention how much they would change after she had finished with her current effort. ¡°I need some way to get used to this power and really test things out. I have no idea about the changes in my body or the powers of the dragon form either.¡± She muttered in dismay. Basically she had no idea how strong she was. That would be a serious problem if she got into a fight. She might be vastly stronger or weaker than she thought, and finding out at the wrong time might be catastrophic.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go with the same thing as you did with the power from the Tree of Life? Go smack the old man around. I bet he would be all too happy to have a proper sparring partner and you¡¯ve wanted to kick him around for a while now. I suggest you finish absorbing Xinglong¡¯s power and then go and put him in his place. Might as well take Razark along as well. It would do good for him to see you¡¯re no longer the same girl you used to be. It might help the both of you to put things in perspective as well. You need to get over the feeling of still being his student, and he needs to start seeing you as an equal. In some respects at least.¡± Croestia replied. She actually had a hunch about Dee¡¯s level of strength. Despite losing her memories, she had passed through the hands of many powerful owners and her instincts were now whispering her things.

 Chapter 125

    ¡±Are you sure it was a good idea to warn the Crimson Path of Xinglong¡¯s death?¡± Razark asked as the two walked away from one of the largest trading hubs in the fifth circle. A trading hub that often had Crimson Witches present for various reasons. They had just met with one of the crimson-clad warriors and left a little gift addressed to the one Dee knew as Anastasia. ¡°I get that we have no hostilities with them, but they¡¯re likely going to want to know how you got this information, and they might not be too particular about the way they ask. Also, why a gift basket?¡±


    ¡°The gift basket is a message of sorts as well. I didn¡¯t leave my name on purpose, but Anastasia will figure it out. By that time they¡¯ll have other things to worry about. Besides, believe me, the Crimson Path will be too busy very soon to ask any questions.¡± Dee countered.


    As she observed her surroundings, she was glad to see that her ability to go unnoticed wasn¡¯t entirely gone with her new form. Most of the people around them paid her no attention. On the other hand, there were people who could see through it, and those few stared at her unabashedly. Her new form was simply too obvious to be completely hidden. It would seem she would need to do her more stealthy work in another form. When sneaking in somewhere, it wasn¡¯t good enough that most people didn¡¯t notice you. You had to avoid the sight of everyone.


    ¡°I can make an educated guess, but why do you say that?¡± Razark asked, mostly to see if her thoughts differed from his. She might have thought of something he had missed and vice versa.


    ¡°Well, the Crimson Path is the tenth ranked community at the moment. They are the clear frontrunner for taking the now open spot in the first circle. As such, they will also become everyone¡¯s target. The Crimson Witches might be strong enough to fight off any single competitor or even two of them at the same time, but with everyone coming after them they will be worn down slowly but surely. It¡¯s just that no one wants to be the first ones to fight them since the first one will almost certainly lose and suffer the worst.¡± Dee explained her reasoning.


    ¡°Assuming no one else will be stupid enough to offer themselves as the new target.¡± Razark pointed out. Even though the Crimson Path was ranked as tenth, they wouldn¡¯t get promoted to the first circle automatically. They would have to claim the spot and not have that claim contested. Someone else might be stupid enough to make the claim first.


    ¡°That might create an interesting dynamic. Everyone knows the Crimson Witches are the ones to beat, but it would be tactically stupid of them to just jump into the fire. If some community besides them makes the claim first, the other communities will have to deal with that foolish community first, even if they know it¡¯s really the Crimson Path they should be saving their strength for. They can¡¯t let the claim go uncontested. The Crimson Witches won¡¯t bother doing the contesting since they know someone else will do it for them. Even if the claim somehow miraculously goes unchallenged, then that will make them even happier, since they can just jump on that community ten years from now when the situation is less chaotic.¡± Dee laughed quietly. This might turn really interesting.


    ¡°Do you think it might end up with a stand-off? With no one claiming the spot?¡± Razark asked equally amused at the thought.


    ¡°At first, perhaps. The situation would not last for long though. If it was just one or two communities then maybe, but with all these communities someone will take the first step. Eventually someone will break as they don¡¯t have the discipline or the chance to wait.¡± Dee replied with a shrug.


    The duo was almost outside the trading post before something occurred to Dee. ¡°Oh right, I didn¡¯t really get the chance to ask earlier with everything else going on. What kind of community would be stupid enough to attack the Four Winds?¡±


    Razark scratched his head a bit. ¡°I got back only a day before you, so I¡¯m not sure how fully I understand the situation either. I was rather exhausted and had other things on my mind. Interestingly the enemy seems to be a coalition of races, though I suppose that might be a wrong word for it. From what I managed to find out, there¡¯s the main race that has for all intents and purposes enslaved others, so the slaves are not exactly willing participants.


    "I wasn¡¯t able to find out what the main race is, just that they are some kind of aberration, but apparently the slaves are something that falls under the term Asura. The matter is made complex because the term Asura has been used to describe so many different beings before. From what I was able to find out, these particular Asura are very large in size and excel in physical combat. It was these slaves that attacked the sub-community. Someone mentioned something about giants, but that might have been less than perfectly accurate. I wasn¡¯t paying enough attention.¡±


    Dee wondered if the information Xinglong left behind might have something on the subject. Perhaps unsurprisingly there were some nuggets of information. ¡°The Asura, in this case, might actually be distantly related to me in some ways, but the term is a rather wide one so I can¡¯t say for sure. Asura are a collection of various powerful humanoid and demonic races with what someone might call good and evil branches respectively. The Rakshasa Rani that make up a part of my heritage are also considered a race of the Asura and one of the evil branches at that. I suppose pureblooded Rakshasa Raja could even be considered a giant race. The Rani are a bit smaller in size, and I¡¯m pretty sure that particular part of me is mostly responsible for my height, even as diluted as that blood is. It could be some entirely different Asura race as well. They do have actual giant races as well.¡± Dee explained. She had done some of her own research into the races that made up her background and Xinglong¡¯s information added to it nicely.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a comforting piece of information or not. With the Meilin and the Jun, the Four Winds isn¡¯t really equipped to deal with something like that in a physical confrontation. The Dagon might be able to fight fairly equally, and so would the Anshar, but those two races are in the minority, unfortunately.¡± Razark pointed out. While Dagon were numerous, the Anshar were far from it. Size and physical strength didn¡¯t always trump ki or magical means of strengthening oneself, as shown by several races such as vampires and angels, but large and strong races would by their nature have a head start. A Meilin warrior would have to be several ranks higher than a giant to match the difference in size when it came to strength.


    ¡°You of all people should know that strength isn¡¯t everything.¡± Dee pointed out with a small smile. ¡°The Meilin might not be big and powerful, but they are quick and agile, as are the wolf tribes. That said, you¡¯re not all wrong. If we do take things into a fight with a giant race, we need to rely more on magic. Or we let the immortals handle things. Ah, here we are.¡±


    The two had finally made it into a large clearing that they had picked beforehand. Dee transformed into her dragon form, taking up most of the clearing. Luckily the trees surrounding the clearing were tall enough to hide the duo. ¡°Alright, hop on.¡± She said to Razark.


    ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t¡¯ really strike me as the type to allow anyone ride on you, and I don¡¯t want to get my face clawed off.¡± Razark asked warily.


    ¡°Oh shut it. I don¡¯t like this any more than you do, but I need you to be in physical contact the whole way for me to use the Astral Dragon abilities with the portals. Otherwise you¡¯ll get lost in the Astral Sea along the way. If you¡¯d prefer that¡­or I could carry you in my claws¡­¡± Dee flashed her extremely sharp claws.


    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m getting on.¡± Razark replied, gingerly landing on Dee¡¯s back with a small leap. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to hear any complaints afterward.¡±


    Dee gave a small sigh. She needed the better portals in order to be able to get to the old man¡¯s volcano from this distance. Besides, it would take a lot of time to travel across such a vast distance without her new abilities. It had already been several days since she returned and she was burning with excess energy. Absorbing Xinglong¡¯s energy wasn¡¯t finished completely, but the rest would have to be absorbed through a battle of some sort, or she would explode out of sheer restlessness. All this new energy running through her body and Domain required an outlet.


    -----


    Brynhildr watched as her sisters were in the middle of torture that was supposed to be training. ¡°No, no, no, you need to work together more fluidly. How do you plan to stand against a proper enemy if your timing is all off?¡± The old man said as he blasted Herja off with a powerful punch. Herja was the most defensive in the group so that in itself was worrying. Truth be told their cooperation had gotten a lot better in the last few months. Even if the old man said their timing was ¡®all off¡¯ in truth it was near perfect. Emphasis on the word ¡®near¡¯.


    The only reason Bryn wasn¡¯t on the stage getting thrown around was because her timing actually was perfect. She had always been the quickest in the group to pick up such things. Herja was the worst off, but that was for a good reason. One of her abilities was to create identical duplicates of herself, and controlling all of them was really taxing. In long engagements her concentration eventually frayed and that resulted in missed opportunities like the one that had just happened.


    The other person having issues was Skuld, but that was because their big sister was not only reading the flow of the battle and ordering them around, but she was also in charge of planning and coordinating them. She was the best of the group, but she also had the most to do. She had the ability to see just a bit into the future, which was a powerful ability that she used to direct the others. Unfortunately predicting all the moves and trying to direct the others took a lot out of her, and there was only so much she could do in the brief window of opportunity her ability provided.


    Their training was interrupted as a fairly large portal suddenly appeared in the space above the temple but still within the caldera of the volcano. That brought shivers to all of them as the last time they saw a portal like that had not been very pleasant. Things started in a very similar way, in that a long serpentine dragon came out of the portal, but this time the dragon itself was very different. It was a lot smaller than the last one, and it looked entirely different. There was something demonic and sinister about the black scales and the seemingly leaking purple power.


    In fact, that serpentine dragon bore some resemblance to the dragon that had gone berserk before the previous portal appeared, except now it was serpentine as well. Bryn had a hunch about the identity of that dragon, which was confirmed by the old man. ¡°Finally the dummy disciple has returned. And she brought the idiot disciple along as well.¡± He mumbled. The Valkyries had heard both terms before, usually when they were being compared to the two unfavorably. Apparently the Valkyries never matched the example set by the two earlier disciples.


    ¡°Blockhead, dimwit, dolt, dunce, moron, numskull, and oaf. Be glad, the training for today is over. You¡¯re getting the rest of the evening off. You might get to see a show pretty soon, so pay attention. You might learn something.¡± The old man declared.


    Incidentally Bryn had gained the moniker blockhead, and the other insults were directed at her sisters. The old man refused to call them by name, though even he sometimes mixed the insults up thanks to how similar the group of sisters looked to one another.


    Reginleif¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°Is that the blackguard?¡± She too had made the connection.


    ¡°Easy.¡± Bryn put her hand on Regin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not the time or the place.¡±


    Suddenly the dragon seemed to vanish into the air and something crashed to the ground. With the dust quickly clearing, Bryn could see an angel looking being had landed on the ground. Bryn could recognize the black wing and the weird horns, but otherwise the being was not familiar. The angel had landed rather stylistically with one knee and one of her four fists on the ground. Despite that, as the being straightened Bryn and the other Valkyries could feel a regal presence radiating from her.


    ¡°Are you trying to gain style point for the landing dummy disciple?¡± The old man asked sarcastically. It had looked rather impressive.


    ¡°Nope. Tried to shake him off now that we arrived.¡± The angel looking being stated calmly and thumbed at the male humanoid behind her who¡¯d had a much rougher landing. Apparently the rapid landing had caught him by surprise.


    ¡°Huh.¡± The old man stated, slightly amused. ¡°I approve. Why did you let him ride you anyway? Seems very unlike you. Also could you be so kind and stop radiating your Domain around? It¡¯s having a negative effect on other people¡¯s abilities.¡±


    Brynhildr suddenly noted that she felt weaker. Not by much, but enough to make a difference. There also seemed to be something going on with her connection to her Authority, though that was harder to describe. It was like it took just a bit more effort to connect with it. The angel spoke again. ¡°Oh sorry about that. I¡¯m still having trouble keeping it all inside.¡±


    Bryn could feel her strength returning with the connection with her Authority clearing up. What just happened?


    ¡°You¡¯ve had months to practice.¡± The old man scoffed dismissively.


    ¡°Yeah, no such luck. I was a little busy.¡± The angel replied with an unhappy grimace.


    ¡°I noticed you were having some trouble there. You took a chunk out of my volcano. I had to get a proper geomancer to fix the damage.¡± The old man shot back.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°You actually damaged the volcano?¡± The male humanoid that had picked himself up and dusted himself off asked incredulously. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the barrier supposed to stop that sort of thing?¡±


    ¡°You might have noticed the barrier isn¡¯t what it used to be either.¡± The old man stated crabbily. ¡°Dummy disciple here really did a number on her last visit. It¡¯s going to take me years to fix the damn barrier. Unlike two-bit geomancers, barrier specialists of this scale are hard to find. I¡¯ve had to improvise so far. You may have noticed that it¡¯s much easier to get here.¡± He took another look at the one given the title dummy disciple. ¡°Then again you might not have noticed. Those portals of yours are really something else.¡±


    ¡°Well, how about a little sparring match as a repayment? I know you¡¯d like to punish your old disciple for such mistakes.¡± The angel said rather eagerly.


    ¡®Who would actually want to fight with the old man voluntarily?¡¯ Bryn thought to herself.


    ¡°I get the feeling you¡¯re getting more out of this deal. I ought to just keep you here for the next ten years to complete your training. A dummy disciple like this is clearly not ready to be let loose on the world.¡± The old man replied with a grouchy voice, but Bryn could detect some delight hidden behind that voice.


    ¡°Well, even for that you¡¯d actually have to force me to stay, so we¡¯re back to my original point.¡± The angel grinned. She seemed to be brimming with excess energy. Was that why she was so eager to fight?


    Suddenly the old man looked at the Valkyries. ¡°How about you fight them first? They need a different opponent for a change.¡± That suggestion gave shivers to all of the sisters.


    ¡°Hmm, usually I wouldn¡¯t mind that suggestion.¡± The angel slowly replied. ¡°The problem is, I¡¯m not entirely in control of my new strength yet. I wouldn¡¯t want to kill them by accident.¡± That statement rankled the Valkyries, but they didn¡¯t argue just yet. They¡¯d rather show the angel how wrong she was.


    The old man¡¯s words didn¡¯t make them any happier. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why. They need to be in actual danger to improve further. They need to know there¡¯s an actual chance they might die if they fail. They know I wouldn¡¯t kill them despite everything, but the current you? Well, you¡¯re just perfect. You¡¯re not aiming for their death, which should make things a bit safer, but you still might kill them if they get too careless. Sounds like a match made in hells if you ask me.¡±


    The angel seemed to consider the suggestion for a moment but finally agreed to it with a nod. The Valkyries had just gone through some training but were not yet tired. In fact, one might say they were properly warmed up. They moved to one of the raised platforms made of some weird stone that was resistant to damage and seemed to be able to repair itself. This platform was rather isolated from the other buildings so it seemed the old man was expecting some damage to the surroundings. A rather safe bet all things considered.


    ¡®Friadul, what does your gift of knowledge tell you?¡¯ Skuld¡¯s telepathic communication sounded in all their heads.


    ¡®I can¡¯t really see properly. Half the time I¡¯m flooded with too much information and with the other half I can¡¯t see anything. It seems she has some ability to hide at least some of her abilities, but it¡¯s not perfect. One thing I did see, and something you should all be aware of, is that she can read the flow of power inside all of us. She can¡¯t see the future like sister Skuld, but she will know what¡¯s coming. That might mess up some of Skuld¡¯s predictions.¡¯ Friadul replied. She had the ability to read the strengths and weaknesses of others, but it was not a perfect ability.


    ¡®In that case, let¡¯s go with the standard. Bryn, Fria, and Herja will go for close range and try to keep her occupied. Hivir, take any opening you see and keep her on her toes. You¡¯re the distraction while pretending to be the real threat. Stay with Regin and me inside Regin¡¯s protective shield. Sigrun, you¡¯re the true threat. Keep hidden and strike when you see an opening, but don¡¯t rush it. It¡¯s better if she forgets you¡¯re even here. We¡¯ll take things as they come and improvise further as things change.¡¯ The plan was rather rudimentary, but it was also easy to execute. Too complex plans also tended to fall apart when something unexpected happened.


    As soon as the starting signal was given by the old man, an impact wracked the shield Regin barely had time to erect around them. Even with all the power Regin was pushing into the dome-shaped shield, the surface was bending and almost doubling over as a small black object was pushing at the shield. None of them had even seen the black object coming.


    ¡®Advance quickly under Herja¡¯s protection. Herja, create duplicates and be prepared to lose some of them.¡¯ Skuld commanded.


    The close ranged squad ran forward with lightning speed thanks to Regin¡¯s supportive buffs, while Herja was suddenly covered in heavy full plate armor and was creating a path for them. Or at least that¡¯s what it looked like, as another Herja was walking just behind the first one, prepared to take the lead if required. A huge crash was heard as the first armor-clad form was thrown away like a ragdoll, blood spurting from under the gaps of the armor. Clearly that copy had not survived as the mangled body crashed on the ground outside the platform and vanished.


    The real Herja grunted in pain and took the forward spot as another copy took the position behind that one. Herja could make several copies of herself and would survive as long as any of the copies lived. In fact, she didn¡¯t have a real body in that state, as all of them were equally real and equally fake. That said, she also felt the pain from all the copies and what just happened must have hurt. Luckily their rapid approach had brought them close enough.


    Brynhildr leapt from behind Herja and quickly brought her two-handed blade down towards the angel in an overhead strike. This was a repeat of their last encounter and the angel¡¯s eyes seemed to flash with some emotion. It met the incoming blade with just a bare hand this time. ¡®Is the angel crazy?¡¯ Bryn managed to think just before her strike hit the angel¡¯s palm and was stopped like it had hit an impenetrable wall. Bryn idly noted that the angel¡¯s hand had somehow changed. It had suddenly been covered in white and very short fur that seemed to act almost like armor, and her claws had turned into something like talons that closed around Bryn¡¯s sword. She was just about to try and pull her blade free when an alarmed message came from Skuld.


    ¡®Let go of your sword and pull back right now!¡¯ Bryn didn¡¯t even think and simply obeyed, and it seemed good that she had.


    Another of the angel¡¯s hands had also changed. It seemed to be covered in scales similar to the dragon form earlier and had the claws of a dragon as it slashed towards Bryn. What seemed even worse was the speed at which the hand moved and the dark power it seemed to be radiating. Bryn backed furiously, utilizing the small invisible platforms in the air that Regin had created but still seemed to be too slow. Just as the dark and scaled hand was about to reach her, Herja pushed Bryn aside and took the strike on her shield.


    Bryn¡¯s face twisted as Herja¡¯s body seemed to be broken on impact and it crashed like a meteor into the nearest temple almost a hundred mel away in less than a second. Luckily Herja had more copies, as one swung a sword at the angel from the side, while another was safely tucked inside Regin¡¯s shield. Apparently Herja had realized the danger of the situation once her first copy was killed and had taken precautions. She would most likely have to take several blows to protect the others.


    At the same time Friadul¡¯s spear thrust at the angel like a viper. The angel seemed to be flowing around the attacks as it dodged both of them, but the counter was interrupted by a well-placed arrow aiming right at the spot where the angel had dodged to. With a small growl, the angel had to turn the attack into defense and she used her hand to swipe away the arrow. Bryn¡¯s own turn came as she made another lighting quick attack with the sword that had appeared back in her hands. The attack was not really meant to be lethal, just dangerous enough to keep the angel off balance.


    Even though the angel seemed to be able to shrug off such attacks, Bryn had noticed a weakness of sorts. It seemed like the angel didn¡¯t even consider just enduring less dangerous attacks in order to create an opportunity for retaliation. It was as if it was a matter of pride that the angel would not be hit straight on, or as if the weapons of the Valkyries were poisoned. In Sigrun¡¯s case that was actually true. Or perhaps the angel was not quite used to her sturdiness?


    Skuld suddenly gave a prearranged signal. Bryn channeled much of her power into the blade that started glowing with white power that drastically increased the penetrative power. The angel would not be able to simply catch this attack, as the white glowing blade swung from the side. A glowing barrier of holy energy suddenly appeared to block Bryn¡¯s attack. She had expected this, as the angel had used holy powers in their previous engagement. They had an answer ready. Herja used her barrier-breaking abilities to shatter the holy energy, though it seemed the angel had also expected that and had used it only to buy some time.


    It seemed like the entire body of the angel turned into light for just a moment as it moved out of range of Brynhildr¡¯s swing. Friadul was not going to let this go as she used one of her abilities to prevent anyone from moving away from a small area. The area was not large and was signified by a white glow on the ground. Suddenly a white beam of energy shot at the angel as Hivir shot one of her arrows that never missed. There was no way to dodge this attack.


    Unfortunately that didn¡¯t stop the attack from being blocked by a strong enough defense. A dark object floated in front of the incoming beam and turned into a shield of sorts. This is when Sigrun chose to strike, as the angel was already distracted by another surprise attack. She seemed to appear from the shadows and struck down with a pair of swords, aiming at the angel¡¯s back.


    Suddenly a shiver went through Bryn as the angel gave a small laugh. ¡°So you finally decided to join.¡± The lavender wing suddenly swung out and bashed Sigrun down from the air, the force of the impact made a small crater in the platform. ¡°Really though, trying to use the shadows to hide from me was rather silly of you. Almost insulting.¡± Another one of Herja¡¯s copies was killed as it blocked a swing from the black wing and got sliced in two instead of Sigrun getting hurt further. The angel seemed to make a tch sound with her tongue due to Herja once again getting in her way.


    Of course the other Valkyries would not allow the angel enough free time to strike again as they dashed forward. Suddenly the angel lifted her arm towards the approaching Valkyries and Bryn felt as if a huge invisible fist seemed to be squeezing down around her. As she was resistant to the strange powers of others, the squeezing force seemed to vanish almost immediately, but the damage had been done as they were all flung back towards Regin¡¯s shield.


    Regin pulled out her narrow sword and was prepared to use her double-edged power, before being stopped by Skuld who silently messaged her. ¡®Don¡¯t. With the gap in life-force between the two of you, you¡¯ll barely be able to injure her even if you strike yourself lethally. The gap is too wide between the two of you currently.¡¯


    Regin¡¯s power was strong but it had a downside. If the difference between the target and the Authority holder was too big, then the effect would be lessened. Even with Regin¡¯s special boost to her abilities from a powerful enemy, it was clear the two would not take equal damage. The angel seemed to have the power of an immortal, and not a fresh one either like one would think. Even if Regin stabbed her own heart with the blade, the same would not happen to the angel, and even if it did the angel would survive.


    ¡°Ok, time to take things a bit more seriously.¡± The angel suddenly said, causing all of them to break in cold sweat. Had the angel not taken things seriously yet? She was already beating them and had effectively killed Herja thrice and Sigrun didn¡¯t seem to be getting up. Regin had used the pennant hanging from her halberd to bring Sigrun inside the shield for healing, but that seemed to be a slow process.


    Suddenly it seemed like an enormous pressure settled down on them and they all felt extremely weak. To all of their horror, it seemed their Authorities were starting to fail as well as Regin¡¯s shield disappeared and Herja¡¯s duplicates all vanished. Bryn could feel that her Authority was still there, but it felt like she was trying to push her hand through a wall made of thick mud in an attempt to reach it and utilize it. She also noticed that her life-force seemed to start draining away slowly but picking up speed.


    Suddenly the old man stepped onto the platform and the pressure and drain seemed to lessen a lot. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough dummy disciple. It seems they aren¡¯t yet ready to face you when you get serious. Let it go.¡± The power suppressing them suddenly vanished. The whole fight had taken less than twenty seconds from start to finish and the Valkyries had been trounced. They had not been able to use their most powerful abilities, but that was part of the problem. The angel had not given them the chance to do so, and it was their own fault for not trying to create such opportunities. They had failed.


    ¡°Well then. You said I¡¯d fight them first. Does that mean you¡¯re next?¡± The angel asked with a wide smile that made them all shiver.

 Chapter 126

    As soon as Anastasia entered her office, her eyes were drawn to a large gift basket placed on her desk. ¡®Why would master send me a gift basket now of all times?¡¯ She wondered idly. Their situation had entered what could only be described as ¡®the calm before the storm¡¯ but that didn¡¯t mean Anastasia wasn¡¯t busy. On the contrary, it was now that her skill at diplomacy was at its most important state. That said, she hadn¡¯t really done anything to warrant a present either. She was trying to negotiate alliances with certain other second circle communities, but had met with limited success. Most had taken a ¡®wait and see¡¯ approach for now. Then again, who else would be crazy enough to send her a gift basket aside from her master?


    She sat down and was just about to start going through the other messages placed on her table. She even picked one up to go decipher. Her hands stopped when she gave the gift basket another look. ¡®This is most likely going to be a pain, but it might also be important.¡¯ Her master could be a little silly at times, but this was not the time for jokes. Whatever the gift basket was supposed to be for could be time sensitive and might require an immediate reaction. Or it might be just a joke, but it would keep bothering her until she checked.


    She rose back up and walked around her table to get a better look at the gift basket. The items inside were fairly generic, though with a definite bent towards delicacies. ¡®Has someone eaten half of that fruit?¡¯ Anastasia looked incredulously at a red and blue fruit that seemed to be missing a large chunk. It looked like someone had taken a bite out of it. ¡®Did master truly send me a half-eaten fruit or did Janika get hungry while working?¡¯


    Janika was her secretary of sorts. In fact, Janika was one of those members of the Crimson Path who had lost her sanity due to their method of using power. Luckily Janika had been able to return to normal after some effort on Anastasia¡¯s part, but she no longer took part in battles despite her strength. She feared losing herself again and not being able to come back this time. Warriors like her were the reason why the Crimson Path was so eager to gain access to certain elemental rifts, but Janika had pushed the treatments off, electing to stick to her role as Anastasia¡¯s secretary instead. That made Anastasia both glad and sad, as Janika was a very competent helper, but she had also been a great warrior. Some warriors never recovered from the mental wounds they suffered.


    Anastasia picked up the card that came with the gift basket. It was decorated with gold filigree and had a large letter D on it. The contents were not showing as it was folded. As Anastasia opened the card and read the contents, the half confused smile on her face vanished. There were only two lines inside. ¡°Xinglong is dead. 100% personal confirmation.¡± There was no signature, but Anastasia focused on the large D in the front again.


    ¡°Janika!¡± She called loudly. Her secretary popped her head through the doorway. ¡°Where did this basket come from? Did you question the sword who brought it?¡± Anastasia was certain that Janika would not allow anything in her office if it was not brought by one of the warriors they knew well.


    ¡°It was brought in by one of our agents in the fifth circle. Apparently, it was dropped off by a handsome and powerful Alpyran man.¡± Janika replied, unasked questions clear on her face.


    ¡°Have the agent brought to me. Also, send a word to our agents. Code: Serpent.¡± Anastasia said firmly, her voice bringing a surprised look from Janika who didn¡¯t argue and went on to complete her orders.


    As their offices were close enough to each other, Anastasia could freely contact her master without risking being overheard. A cranky voice answered her. ¡°What?¡± Her master had been on edge for a long while now. This anticipation filled waiting was not her master¡¯s strong suit. Patience was most certainly not one of her virtues.


    Anastasia replied succinctly. ¡°Code: Serpent.¡± That was one of the prearranged codes they had set up a long time ago. In this case it meant general recall of all Crimson Path personnel in the event that the news of Xinglong¡¯s death was not yet widespread. Everyone should retreat with haste but without drawing too much attention. Anyone observant would notice all of them withdrawing, but might not realize the significance right away.


    ¡°Are you certain?¡± Her master asked, her voice suddenly eager.


    ¡°Reasonably. I heard the news from a source I have no reason to distrust and they claim to have verified the news personally.¡± She would have to explain further, but this sufficed for a moment.


    Her master went quiet for a while, and Anastasia knew it was in order to relay a message to the whole community. She was not disappointed as a blood red rune suddenly appeared in front of her. ¡°Attention all members of Crimson Path. This is Code: Serpent. Everyone not at the headquarters within a day will be punished, everyone not here in two days will face personal training from the leader and everyone not here in three days will be considered a traitor.¡± The voice belonged to her master¡¯s aide.


    One of the advantages of all of them using the same type of abilities was the ease of reaching them in case of emergencies. Of course, only four members in the entire community had the suitable skills to pass such messages to everyone while still keeping the contents a secret, but it worked in situations like this. Anastasia gave a small shudder. She might prefer being considered a traitor than get any more personal training from her master. She knew everyone felt the same, and part of the respect she had garnered was because she had personally survived years of such training. Most of those that had experienced the same were not as fortunate.


    ¡°Now, details please.¡± Her master¡¯s voice suddenly contacted her again personally.


    ¡°A friend of ours sent us a message. The one blessed by Eternity to be exact.¡± Anastasia replied succinctly.


    ¡°Can you ask her for details? I want to know how she got this information. You mentioned she verified this personally? How? You can¡¯t just walk up to the Living Mountain for a visit.¡± Her master asked eagerly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t ask her questions because I haven¡¯t been in contact with her directly. She probably knew we had questions and didn¡¯t want to answer them. So she sent me a message in a way that only I would put the clues together.¡± Anastasia explained.


    ¡°How? Not to be rude, but there¡¯s plenty of smart people in our community. If you can put things together, then¡­¡± Her master was not looking down on her, she was just curious.


    ¡°She sent me a gift basket with a card inside. The card was only signed with the letter D. It¡¯s not even the first letter of her name, just that her nickname is Dee. To top things off, it was her old master in the Radiant Sun that delivered the basket to one of my agents.¡± Anastasia explained with resignation. It was clear that Dee wasn¡¯t too happy at the prospect of being questioned.


    ¡°I knew the gift baskets were a good idea. Didn¡¯t I tell you? Maybe now you¡¯ll listen to your master¡¯s brilliance in the future.¡± Her master sounded incredibly smug.


    Anastasia almost wished she had lied about the message. She¡¯d hear about this for centuries, and it was virtually certain her master would bring along a gift basket to the next diplomatic meeting, thinking of it as a secret weapon. ¡°Gods dammit, Dee.¡± She cursed under her breath.


    ------


    ¡°This does not look like a good place for us to fight.¡± Dee commented as they entered a small domed stone room. The outside of the place had looked rather bleak, almost like a cellar. Inside, the ceiling seemed to be almost transparent and showing the night sky through the stone. Couple of problems with that though. It was still daylight outside, and that damn sure wasn¡¯t the night sky of Pantheon. The room was also way too small for any fighting, with a small group of chairs placed in the center, with several more surrounding them.


    ¡°It¡¯s at the same time the best place and the worst place.¡± The old man commented. Razark already walked to one of the side chairs and waved the Valkyries to follow, leaving the central chairs open to the two. He clearly knew what was happening. ¡°I get the feeling the two of us fighting would destroy my mountain¡­¡±


    ¡°Volcano¡­¡± Dee interjected. She looked at the Valkyries taking seats around the middle. Why was the old man suddenly training a group of people that had at least some hostile intentions towards her? Or at least one of them did. The one with the halberd and a banner looked at her like she was the epitome of evil. The others seemed more interested in fighting a worthy foe actually, and Dee could respect that. She¡¯d have to deal with the crazy one eventually though.


    ¡°¡­.my mountain, and a large chunk of the wilderness to boot. We¡¯d also likely draw in every powerful beast within range and we don¡¯t need such interruptions.¡± The old man said stubbornly.


    ¡°I have a mountain, you have a volcano. That¡¯s just how it is, so deal with it.¡± Dee commented with a shrug of her shoulders. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t see how this tiny place solves the problem.¡±


    ¡°Since when do you have a mountain?¡± The old man asked curiously, then shook his head. ¡°Not the point. This room brings us to our dreams where we can fight freely without actually killing each other or destroying the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mazatl use an ability like this once? Sounds familiar.¡± Dee said mostly to herself, remembering a similar incident.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Who? I have no way of knowing if you¡¯ve tried something similar. Anyway, she isn¡¯t here now is she? Hence we¡¯ll have to use this thingy. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll have all of your abilities in the dream, even those you are unaware of. I had an immortal mage help me build this thing. Just sit down and let the magic do its thing.¡± The old man plunked down on one of the central chairs.


    By now Dee had managed to read enough of the magic here to understand that the chairs on the sides were for observers. She sat down and immediately felt drowsiness fill her mind. She felt that she could struggle against it, but that would be against what they were trying to accomplish so she let herself fall asleep. She opened her eyes to find herself in a large meadow surrounded by mountains on all sides. ¡®It might be more accurate to call this place a valley then.¡¯ She thought idly. The old man was standing close-by and the others seemed to be just faint traces in the air, like very weak ghosts.


    The old man was twirling his hand around to limber it up a bit. ¡°Here we can fight without worry. We could set the terrain as we wish, but this seemed to be the fairest for now. I know you like to fly around while I like to be close to the ground. This way we can both deal with things.¡± He then made a ¡®come hither¡¯ gesture. ¡°Ready when you are.¡±


    Dee narrowed her eyes as she saw the skin of the old man changing. It seemed to take on a silvery metallic color. Here and there one could see veins seemingly made of bright blue power. His size was also changing, as he seemed to be growing in size. He was already almost a dozen mel tall and seemed to be growing further. Dee could sense the presence of the old man¡¯s soul space and totem, although its nature eluded her. Clearly he was not planning on taking it easy.


    ¡°I see, so this is how we''re going to play it.¡± Dee said, and suddenly shot into the air. She had expected a brawl like they used to have, but apparently the old man had something else in mind. Her form also changed as she took the serpentine form of a dragon. Dee didn¡¯t really get to test out her dragon form earlier, and even the breath she had used to kill Xinglong had been a special occurrence. It had been the easiest way to direct her flames back then, nothing else. Now was time for real business.


    Dragons were mainly known for a few specific things, no matter if they were the serpentine type that she now was or the normal chromatic and metallic types. They were known for their large bodies and magic resistance, they were known for their sharp claws and impenetrable scales, and most importantly they were known for their breaths. Unlike the more powerful bodies of the chromatic and metallic dragons, the serpentine dragons focused more on their breath, and Dee was about to fully unleash the power that made her kind famous.


    She drew her head back while flying in the air and a large orb of power seemed to be gathering in her mouth. Her head lunged forward, towards the large form of the old man, and a dark stream of annihilation went straight forwards. The breath of each dragon was slightly different, and Dee¡¯s breath was affected both by the dark power of an abyssal and just a hint of the black flames she recognized as her own. It was also further affected by the power of death and suppression thanks to her Domain and totem.


    The black stream annihilated anything it hit. The ground looked like it had gone through a bombardment of meteors by a thousand high-level mages over several weeks, getting lowered by almost a hundred mel straight down. Some places were simply turned into dark glassy substance. Several mountains seemed to simply vanish as Dee swung the beam of destruction around. As the stream of power came to an end, Dee gave a small hiccup. ¡°Well, that should be useful if I ever have to fight an army I suppose.¡± She mused to herself. It was a bit harder to control than she thought. ¡®Oh well, the first time is always a bit tricky.¡¯


    Her musings were interrupted as several streams of lightning energy lanced towards her. She nimbly flashed around, dodging the streams of extremely fast and deadly power while making it look effortless. It was good that she did because those lances of power had been thicker than she was long. Luckily her speed and the speed granted by Lumen¡¯s blessing had risen greatly. Even something as fast as lightning would have trouble hitting her from a distance like this. Partly it was also because she could read the path of the attacks and was already moving away before the attack even fully materialized.


    She looked towards the source of the attacks. The old man had grown roughly to a size of three hundred mel. His body had clearly taken some damage from the dragon breath, as his body was missing large chunks. That said, it was recovering quickly. Dee could see power flowing from the ground into the large metallic looking form. ¡°Body of a Titan indeed.¡± Dee mumbled. Razark had mentioned something like that when talking about the old man¡¯s totem.


    Titans were beings who had a strong connection to certain elements, namely earth and lightning. She had heard that one of the top ten communities in Day city was made up of Titans, and their Cloud Temple was located on the highest mountain on the planet. The mountain was perpetually surrounded by deadly storm clouds. Storms and lightning followed their command and the earth provided them with life. Immortals were already hard to kill, but it seemed the old man was being provided constant healing, power, and vitality as long as he was connected to the ground.


    What confused her was that the old man had not used this form while they were assaulting the Tree of Life. This would have truly made the battle almost trivial. ¡°So there¡¯s a reason he can¡¯t show this form around. Maybe the Titans of the Cloud Temple would be less than happy to see it? A half-breed perhaps?¡± Dee mused while dodging additional lightning.


    A quick search through the information Xinglong had left her gave a confirmation of a kind. For Titans, becoming stronger meant becoming more like their progenitor instead of making distinct totems of their own. A half-breed becoming more like their progenitor would likely be a travesty for the Titans. He had hidden any traces of the Titan heritage very deep as even Dee had not seen a hint of it in his body before now. Maybe by forcing it to become part of his totem?


    Dee allowed her Domain to extend over the entire area. The large form of the old man seemed to sway a little, and the skin seemed to be taking a sort of rusty tone in places. Dee could feel the life draining away from the large being, but also being replenished by the earth just as quickly. That had not been the point though. Suddenly the metallic halo appeared behind her large dragon head and the dark pearls also appeared out of thin air. With a thought, the small objects seemed to entwine together into a single larger object and Dee pushed the object into crashing towards the Titan.


    The Titan seemed to have expected the attack as he swung his large hand to meet the dark object. A huge explosion radiated out from the impact, but the dark object was more powerful. The metallic looking hand also seemed to not have what it took to withstand the blow as it was heavily damaged. That had been the point of the Domain. Dee knew the metallic being had great defensive power, and she had hoped her Domain would diminish it. It had, to an extent. On the other hand, the Titan had also reached his goal. Even if he had not been able to block the descending object, he had managed to divert its path. Dee had put so much power behind the object that it was impossible to change directions at this point and it crashed into the ground, creating another shockwave.


    A pair of large psionic blades the size of the Titan suddenly appeared and fell towards him. The Titan created a weapon of his own from pure lightning with his unharmed hand and swiped at the psionic blades. The two psionic blades were not made to take damage and exploded on impact with the lightning blade. It could be debated whether that was better than simply taking an attack from the large blades, as Dee had packed the two blades full of psionic energy that exploded forth as it was released from inside the blades. The form of the titan was reduced greatly as the explosion ate away at it.


    Dee looked on as the titan seemed to be missing both his arms and shoulders. He also seemed to be missing half of his head, though that didn¡¯t seem to bother him overly much. There was no actual physical brain in that head. The body of the Titan seemed to be made entirely of metal. Dee made a small ¡®tsk¡¯ sound with her tongue, though small was a relative term with her current size. This might be more difficult than she thought.


    Against other opponents, she would simply go to her normal form and try to pummel them to death while raining down psionic might, but here that seemed to be a plan doomed to failure. Even with her strength, it would be kind of silly to fight something so much larger than her with her normal form. It might work against something living as she could strike at critical spots and the large enemy would not be able to catch her. The problem was, this enemy didn¡¯t seem to have critical spots, and stabbing him with a sword was like stabbing a giant with a toothpick. A giant made of metal that regenerated rapidly, and a very dangerous toothpick, but still. She would have to find another way.


    The old man was not satisfied with being a punching bag either. All this time storm clouds had been gathering in the sky, and now they bore their deadly fruit. Dee could feel the power gathering both inside the old man and in the clouds above. She realized the situation was rather bad. The old man knew that Dee was capable of dodging attacks. How did he decide to solve the problem? Leave no room to dodge to. Suddenly the area was filled with lightning. Hundreds of thousands of lightning bolts lanced down from the skies at the same time, creating a solid wall of power crashing down.


    Just before the lightning struck Dee turned into her kitsune form and had Croestia boost her lightning resistance fully. She had no idea how resistant her new dragon form was to the lightning at the moment, so better go with something she was familiar with. One of her tails also turned sparkly blue. Then the wave of lightning struck. Dee wrapped herself in the angelic wings, hoping they would add to the protection. As the first bolts hit her, the rest of the lightning started to converge on her and she was bombarded constantly. The force of the lightning forced her to crash into the ground.


    Eventually the bombardment subsided. The old man was not affected by the lightning as he was in the form of a Titan after all. On the other hand, he was unable to absorb the power of the earth while channeling all that power, so his earlier wounds had not really healed all that much yet. ¡°Get up dummy disciple. I would know if that had been enough to defeat you. That¡¯s how the dream works. It would end once one of us is defeated.¡±


    ¡°That was not very nice.¡± Dee grumbled as she got out from the hole the lightning had pushed her in. Most likely the hole had actually formed before when she was attacking and the lightning had made it bigger. Her form was charred and her black wing was severely damaged. The parts of her body that had been covered by the black wing were much more damaged as well. The lavender wing and the parts it had covered seemed to be doing fine though. Her body was recovering quickly, so the damage done was limited. The old man was not the only one able to quickly heal any damage done. She¡¯d had great regeneration before becoming immortal and it had only improved since.


    ¡°Dammit, you really are hard to kill.¡± The old man cursed as he saw the blue tail and knew Dee had managed to resist much of the damage. Still, he had assumed he would be able to overpower her resistance, and to an extent he had. She was just much tougher in general than he had assumed. Her Domain granted a lot of defensive power.


    Dee looked at the recovering Titan. She had some ideas on how to deal with the large being. The most obvious was her dark flames. She doubted the Titan would be able to recover from damaged caused by those flames. On the other hand, she wasn¡¯t entirely sure if this dream spell would be able to keep him alive either. She didn¡¯t want the victory bad enough to risk killing him. Another idea was to make sure the Titan no longer touched the ground. That might be manageable with her telekinesis. Barely. However, she decided to try a third option that had been a pure theory so far.


    Suddenly the old man felt that the feeling of death and oppression got a lot heavier. He could feel the ground beneath him changing and he could faintly see the outline of an unfinished pyramid in the distance. Suddenly he felt deathly ill. He looked in horror as the energy he drained from the ground was filled with the element of death instead of the healing power of earth.


    ¡°How does that taste?¡± Dee asked with a smug voice. She had not been sure if she could bring her Domain this much into the real world, but Xinglong¡¯s information had suggested it was possible in theory at least. ¡°Try taking power from that ground.¡± She laughed.


    The Titan fell to his knees as if suffocating. As a coup de grace, Dee channeled the death energy in her Domain and totem into a more focused attack. An eerie skeletal hand burning with sickly-green flames reached towards the Titan and seemed to remove something from the inside without being hindered by the tough and metallic looking body. Dee knew this to be the old man¡¯s soul and immediately let go in order to avoid damaging it. She was still not sure how the dream spell would react to such things, but she was worried for nothing. As soon as the dream recognized the old man as dead, the surroundings seemed to shatter like a broken glass and Dee found herself back sitting on the chair in the weird room.


    ¡°Well done.¡± Razark cheered from the side while clapping his hands slowly in applause. The Valkyries looked rather ill, mostly because now they had a better idea who they were picking a fight with.


    The old man sitting across from her looked tired but unharmed. ¡°Well done indeed, Haydee. I suppose I can¡¯t call you a dummy disciple anymore. That last little trick was a dirty one, but a win is a win.¡±


    Dee hid a smile behind her hand. Good thing it ended when it did, as she had a feeling she would have run out of power long before the old man. She was not running out just yet, and would not be for a while, but she would clearly run out of power before the old man would. That was the problem. The old man was most likely not a simple rank ten immortal, so she could clearly punch above her weight so to speak. She had access to abilities that were more powerful than other new immortals, but they were also pretty power hungry. For example, she had maybe four more of those dragon breaths in her before she ran out of steam. Especially the partial materialization of her Domain at the end of the battle had taken a lot out of her, and would not be something she could do repeatedly or keep up for long. The only reason she had won was because her abilities were so stupidly powerful, but they came with a cost.


    If she could find the time, maybe she should look into researching some high ranking holy spells while waiting for her reserves of power to grow. She had a lot of holy power to cover her current weakness after all, but only so many effective ways to spend that power¡­

 Chapter 127

    The preparations had been made. A hundred of the most powerful immortals in the Celestial Court had been mobilized. They had made strategies on how to best approach the Living Mountain with minimal casualties. They had made contingencies in case Xinglong was not quite as dead as the empress had made it seem. Even while weakened the great dragon would be a terrible foe, and even without the master present the mountain itself was dangerous. That¡¯s why they brought along so many immortals; to overwhelm any resistance.


    Due to how long the Living Mountain had existed and resided in the first circle taking in the ambient mana, the mountain had gained a certain amount of sentience and was one of the most powerful locations in the first circle. Just the materials one could pick up by doing nothing but bending down would make anyone¡¯s mouth water. Many of the communities, even those that held more power than Xinglong, had desired to own the mountain, but as the mountain was fully capable of defending itself and picking its owner¡­


    The immortals of the Celestial Court were not here for the mountain though. They were here to confirm Xinglong¡¯s death and retrieve his corpse. And if they managed to snag the famous Living Mountain in the process, then that would be a nice bonus. The immortals had taken many precautions as they didn¡¯t feel like throwing away their lives against the defenses of the mountain, arming themselves with powerful defensive artifacts and mighty spells and charms. They had approached the mountain in three columns of thirty, surrounding the mountain from all sides, with the Celestial Emperor himself leading ten of his most powerful subordinates to attack from the air. They had reached the place where the Living Mountain had resided for millennia without running into trouble. There was just one problem.


    ¡°So¡­¡± The Celestial emperor started saying with a deadpan voice. He was staring at the rather sizeable empty space in the middle of the forest surrounding the place.


    ¡°So?¡± The supreme general of the Celestial Court¡¯s forces asked with trepidation.


    ¡°So.¡± Laughed another man. He was dressed in gaudy red clothing filled with images of flying phoenixes. The man himself had a fiery red hair and had feathers made of flame sticking out of his hair and clothing. He was the most powerful subordinate serving under the emperor and the ruler of the Phoenix race. His current human form was taken mostly for convenience, as his normal appearance would dwarf everyone else present and make any stealthy approach impossible. To him the whole situation was hilarious.


    ¡°So, would anyone care to explain to me how we seem to have misplaced a mountain? Please tell me we¡¯re not lost. The forest here is a bit confusing, but we¡¯ll be a laughing stock for a century if we actually get lost with a group of hundred immortals. You¡¯d think at least one would have a sense of direction.¡± The emperor spoke his voice keeping an even tone.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not lost. This is the right place.¡± The general stated rather weakly. There was very little he could do about the situation, but that would not matter. He would be the one blamed for this fiasco.


    ¡°Then why is the bloody mountain gone!? Where is my damn mountain!? It didn¡¯t grow feet and walk away now did it!? I think we¡¯d also have noticed a flying mountain. So where the hells is it!?¡± The emperor raised his voice in anger. He was not one to anger easily but this made him unreasonably angry. His moment of glory was being denied, and the well-earned prize was not forthcoming.


    ¡°I have no explanation, your majesty, beyond someone taking it away somehow.¡± The general replied feebly. He was not having a good day.


    ¡°And why is this the first time we hear about it? Did no one check? And how did someone transport a mountain away in the first place? You can¡¯t just slip it into a spatial bag and we would have gotten a word about someone lugging around a mountain! And why is this forest filled with nothing but¡­whatever the hells this is?¡± The emperor kicked away a small animal that looked like a crossbreed between a piglet and a rabbit.


    ¡°Nug.¡± The Phoenix suddenly supplied between his laughing fits. ¡°They are actually really delicious. I¡¯m guessing Xinglong had placed them here because he liked the taste. I¡¯m taking a bunch of them home to eat later by the way. They are hard to raise since they are perhaps the most useless and weakest beings ever created in any world. They just keel over and die if you try domesticating them.¡±


    ¡°Not the bloody point!¡± The emperor yelled at the Phoenix, who in turn didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Your majesty, we didn¡¯t dare to scout the location before we came in force. The mountain is capable of dealing with small parties of immortals even if they try to stay hidden. Only I or one of your most powerful servants could approach the place without worry and we didn¡¯t want to reveal our approach. That¡¯s why we came here with so many immortals so that we wouldn¡¯t lose any of them to the mountain¡¯s defenses.¡± The general pointed out.


    ¡°Does it look like I care?¡± The emperor growled. ¡°Find the bloody mountain and don¡¯t bother returning until you do!¡±


    After the general went off to organize the search, the emperor turned to the Phoenix. ¡°Do you think Xinglong is really dead?¡±


    ¡°The empress said she was.¡± The Phoenix replied with a meaningful tone. ¡°She¡¯s not one to make mistakes.¡± He was one of the few people aware of the situation with the empress and the relationship, or lack thereof, between her and the emperor.


    ¡°No she isn¡¯t, but she¡¯s also not one to pack her things and disappear with her most loyal servants. Yet here we are.¡± The emperor considered for a while. ¡°You don¡¯t think she took the mountain away? She knows how much I want to get my hands on Xinglong¡¯s body, so that would give her a good leverage.¡±


    The Phoenix gave the suggestion some thought. Truth be told he would have gone with the empress had she asked. While he appreciated the Celestial Emperor¡¯s strength, he wasn¡¯t fond of being under someone¡¯s thumb. There were plenty of powerful beings, but the empress had unmatched foresight and was the true power behind the throne. Something the emperor didn¡¯t quite appreciate as much as he should. ¡°I can¡¯t say for certain either way. She is one of the few people that might be able to come up with a way to do it without being noticed and convince the mountain to go along with it. That doesn¡¯t mean she did it though. Often the unknown threat is the deadliest and it might blind you to other threats to focus solely on her.¡±


    ¡°Look into it. You are one of the few beings capable of finding her when she doesn¡¯t want to be found.¡± The emperor turned towards the Phoenix. ¡°And do remember that your family is still within my grasp in case you decide supporting her might be a better idea.¡± He was aware of the Phoenix¡¯s divided loyalties and had taken certain measures just in case. He wasn¡¯t stupid.


    ----------


    ¡°You do have a mountain.¡± The old man said a little shocked. Dee was allowing him to see the mountain inside her Domain. ¡°Why is the Living Mountain inside your Domain?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t want to be left behind when Xinglong died. Apparently, it didn¡¯t want to become spoils of war. So it decided to take residence inside my Domain instead, for now at least.¡± Dee gave a short explanation. The mountain seemed to radiate happiness and the feeling of contentment. It seemed to be rather pleased with its current whereabouts.


    ¡°Why does it look like it¡¯s polishing the skulls of your totem?¡± He finally asked the question he really wanted the answer to. One of the skulls from Dee¡¯s totem was floating in front of the mountain and a small piece of cloth gently moved against it, essentially cleaning the surface and making it shiny. Many of the other skulls were already gleaming.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Your guess is as good as mine. When it got here it started cleaning. For a mountain, it feels very homey. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very appropriate, but I would feel bad if I forced it to stop. I mean it seems so happy despite the recent loss. How the hells should I know how the mind of a mountain works?¡± Dee explained with a weird look on her face. The whole existence and behavior of the mountain broke her sense of how things should work. So she had adopted the ¡°none of my business¡± approach.


    She turned to the old man. ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t think you get to judge, oh great Ashur-bel-nisheshu.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pick the name.¡± The old man stated a little defensively. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I don¡¯t go sharing it with everyone who comes by.¡±


    ¡°I knew there was a reason you kept it hidden, but I did not expect this. I thought your name was something silly like ¡®Moonlight Touching the Small Lake at Night¡¯, or Bob.¡± There were, in fact, two reasons why the old man hid his name. One was because it was long and hard to say in conversation. The other reason was more serious. ¡°So the great hunter and defender of lesser circles is someone I know. I know we call you old man, but your legends go back thousands of years.¡±


    Ashur-bel-nisheshu was one of the most famous and almost mythical figures of Pantheon. The world of Pantheon was where the legends of other worlds coalesced into Authorities, but there weren¡¯t that many legends native to this world for many reasons. One of the main ones was the concentration of powerful beings all worthy of legends when measuring pure strength. Another was that the world was so divided that it was hard for a single name to reach the necessary level of reverence. The old man was one of the few exceptions, and even Dee was aware of some of the stories surrounding him.


    ¡°So is it true you hunted all those beasts to prove yourself to the woman you loved?¡± Dee asked. One of the legends surrounding Ashur-bel-nisheshu was how he went around challenging the most powerful beings and monsters of Pantheon and beat them, just so he could prove his worthiness to his lover. That excluded the first circle of course, as no one was stupid enough to pick a fight with them by himself.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not complete hogwash. I did do it to prove myself, but not to a lover. As you probably figured out by now, I¡¯m only part Titan, while my father was Alpyran. The Titans look down on half-breeds and I wanted to prove how wrong they were to scorn me and my father. They thought of us as lesser beings. It wasn¡¯t like I wanted to become like them either. It was more that I wanted to show I was better than them, and that they had made a mistake in their arrogance. They weren¡¯t too fond of that. Partially also because they really don¡¯t like half-breeds using their style of trying to become like their progenitor. It¡¯s not like I could help it, as I am still part Titan. Anyway, that¡¯s another reason why I keep my name a secret nowadays. I don¡¯t want them coming after me. They have long memories.¡± The old man explained.


    ¡°Also explains your obsession with mountains.¡± Dee mumbled to herself, half wanting him to hear just to tease him.


    ¡°What was that again? Do we need to go back to dummy disciple?¡± He asked threateningly. ¡°Also like you¡¯re one to talk, dragon.¡±


    ¡°Nothing at all. Besides, I¡¯d kick your ass again if you tried.¡± Dee replied with a small smirk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too confident Dee. You and I both know that if we fought ten times, you would not win all ten fights. I''d guess we would go almost even.¡± The old man pointed out. His words were rather accurate as there was a fair bit of element of surprise in the previous fight they¡¯d had. Then again Dee had been unused to her powers and now had a better handle on them, so things were not simple. Still, the old man now had the chance to come up with actual strategies to deal with Dee. Some would work, some would not.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware. Returning to the previous subject, how about the legends about you defending lesser circles?¡± Dee asked with curiosity. According to the stories, he had stood against several communities from the inner circles that had tried dominating the lesser circles for one reason or another.


    ¡°Well, part of it was me being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Once I did it once though, I felt obliged doing it again. At that time the Radiant Sun and the other big communities were busy fighting each other so someone had to step up. I had the means and the will. Besides, I enjoyed the challenge, standing alone against many. I think you should be familiar with the feeling. Or you will be at least. It was less about helping the lesser circles and more about my own satisfaction and once again proving myself. Still, I made enemies back then, hence another reason why I hide all the way out here.¡± The old man explained with a tired voice. Part of the reason he was so against Razark joining the Radiant Sun was because of the time when the order failed at their job and he had to pick up the slack.


    They were both quiet for a long time as the old man reminisced and Dee thought about the implications. Suddenly the old man looked at the mountain again. ¡°Is the mountain humming while polishing the skulls?¡± The shock didn¡¯t come from the fact that the mountain was humming. It was more because the song was horribly out of tune version of a silly children¡¯s song. Not that one could expect a mountain to keep a tune.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care.¡± Dee stated and closed the connection that allowed the old man to see inside. Not her problem anymore.


    ------


    ¡°So I¡¯m guessing the next thing on the menu is revenge for the Four Winds?¡± Razark asked as the two used the normal gates to reach the Night city. Dee needed some information and portaling in as a dragon might draw a bit too much attention. Her current appearance as a tiny fox on Razark¡¯s shoulder was much more discreet. Finally some use for him coming along!


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan at least. Are you sure you want to come along? You just got done with your own revenge.¡± Dee pointed out. She had kind of expected him to return to the Four Winds to rest now that their business with the ¡®old Ashur¡¯, as she now thought of the old man, was done.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll stick around. You might need some help after all.¡± He stated. In truth, he still felt a little like a stranger among the Four Winds. He was only really familiar with Moirai and Nessera and tried to befriend Faylen. Two out of the three were notably not members of the Four Winds and the third was also Dee¡¯s master so they had something else in common. And counting Nessera as someone he was familiar with was kind of generous, so in reality it was two people.


    Dee¡¯s thoughts were interrupted as Croestia let her know that the Orb of Secrets given to her by the Zabaniya was once again signaling. She gave a small sigh and found a place where she could respond in peace while Razark kept watch. She found herself once again in the luxurious room decorated with silken curtains and pillows, facing a serpent this time. ¡°That form looks much more appropriate for you.¡± Dee commented.


    ¡°I thought you might find it ironic.¡± A deep voice replied with slight amusement. ¡°I have a proposition for you.¡±


    ¡°And exactly why would I go along with the proposition?¡± Dee asked, making it clear she was not enthusiastic at the idea.


    ¡°Well, first of all, because it doesn¡¯t really conflict with what I assume to be your current goals in the Night city. Yes, you were already noticed by one of our eyes and ears. Your new form is really rather striking and you only changed forms after coming to the Night city. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re there to find information on the community that attacked the Four Winds, yes? Probably also seeking revenge? Yes, I thought as much. I can provide that information you¡¯re seeking right now.¡± The snake suggested.


    ¡°I can find the information out myself.¡± Dee argued back. ¡°With fewer strings attached.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you could, but the validity of that information would be questionable at best. I¡¯m sure the Four Winds already figured out that they would be marching into a trap if they retaliated directly, hence why you¡¯re here and why they haven¡¯t done so already. As it happens, they¡¯re right. The trap is well laid and the community you¡¯re looking for has spread around a lot of false information. The place everyone thinks to be their lair is nothing but a shell. A shell filled with traps and deadly magic to be sure, but a shell just the same. I can point you in the right direction, and all I ask is that you make sure their leader Vritra dies.¡± The snake¡¯s words made sense and coincided with Dee¡¯s own assumptions.


    ¡°Like you said, your request isn¡¯t exactly in conflict with my interests, but your offering is a little thin. I¡¯m looking for revenge and to send a message, not necessarily to destroy the community as a whole. Killing their leader is a bit of a tall order if all you offer is a bit of information in return.¡± Dee raised another point.


    ¡°A fair point, which is why that is not the only thing I¡¯m offering in exchange. I have two other things you should like. First has to do with the allies of your current prey. As you might have guessed, your enemy is not working alone. To be more exact, the community that the Four Winds defeated to gain their current position is carrying a grudge. They are working together with your prey. As it happens, the current position of that community is on the path of the raging Saurians that have caused such havoc lately. I could make sure those Saurians don¡¯t go around that community. I can¡¯t guarantee the community will be destroyed, but I can guarantee they will be too busy elsewhere to get in your way at the very least. Besides, I think the Four Winds might prefer dealing with them personally anyway.¡± The snake gave a nasty looking smile, appropriately for a snake and for an assassin.


    ¡°And the other thing?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Well, as it happens, your prey has enslaved some other races. One of those races might be amenable to turning against their slavers if given the right push. I could tell you where to give that push. It should work as a distraction at the very least. You might also end up making new allies.¡± The snake seemed amused for some reason.


    ¡°Why do I think there¡¯s more to this?¡± Dee asked noting the amusement.


    ¡°Well, the race I¡¯m talking about might be especially willing to rebel if they were set free by one of their own, even if only a mixed breed. Especially so if you release some of their old leaders first. You might also find it rather interesting to run into some of your own kind for a change.¡± The snake laughed.


    ¡°Rakshasa?¡± Dee asked, confirming her suspicions.


    ¡°Indeed. I should point out that setting them free might be a bit challenging considering how thick the chains binding them are, but I¡¯m sure you can manage. That said, I think you¡¯ll like the enemy you¡¯re up against. It¡¯s like you were designed to kill their kind after all. I won¡¯t tell you more as I don¡¯t want to spoil the surprise, but you¡¯ll like it.¡± The snake replied.


    That surprised Dee a bit. She was really designed to fight angels, but that seemed really unlikely as their kind was not allowed to make a foothold in Pantheon. Some sort of race relying heavily on magic then? ¡°You¡¯ve got a deal.¡± She agreed to the terms.


    ¡°How wonderful! It¡¯s pleasure doing business with you again. You will find your enemy already in Day city. They have taken position in the third circle just outside the Four Winds territory. Strictly speaking, that area belongs to another community neighboring Four Winds, but they are much weaker than either your prey or the Four Winds so they¡¯re staying out of this.¡± The snake provided several sets of coordinates for both the enemy and places where Dee would find some old Rakshasa royalty she might want to set free.


    As Dee came back to full consciousness she looked at Razark. ¡°We¡¯re returning back to Four Winds. Things just got interesting in a whole new way.¡± She replied to Razark¡¯s questioning look.

 Chapter 128

    Dee looked at the work going on in the mine. Just the presence of the mine itself had surprised her. The enemy forces were essentially hiding near the border until they could strike at the Four Winds, so having their forces conduct mining operations seemed a little counter-productive. The Rakshasa and a race of giants with four arms known as Hecatonheires were conducting the mining itself. Both of these races were the warriors of the enemy, so having them tire themselves while also preparing for an attack was not sound tactical thinking. That is unless there was another objective at play here.


    The metal that was being mined was glowing with a weird greyish gleam, and Dee could not recognize it. What she could recognize was the fact that all the Rakshasa and Hecatonheires had a collar around their neck made of that same metal and it was decorated with several magical runes and glyphs. The collars floated in place around their necks and there were threads of power running from the collar to the insides of the bodies of those they controlled. Maybe the enemy had a very specific reason for coming to the Four Wind¡¯s lands.


    A thought started forming in Dee¡¯s head. Maybe the enemy had trouble finding access to the metal they used to enslave their subordinates. Considering Dee had never even heard about the weird metal, it would stand to reason it was not widely found. The enemy had also created an alliance of sorts with the old owners of this area. Maybe there was a deal behind the scenes at play. Since the community that used to own these lands had lorded over them for a long time, it was likely they knew about this weird metal. Perhaps they promised to allow the enemy to mine that metal in exchange for aid against the Four Winds.


    The enemy had also tried grabbing hostages from communities other than the Four Winds, according to what Dee had been told. Perhaps those other communities also had deposits of this weird metal. She didn¡¯t know how much success the enemy had had with the other communities, though that was mostly because she had been worried about other things at that point. It stood to reason though that those other communities had fared worse than Four Winds, seeing as Four Winds had given a fair bit of effort to protect their sub-communities.


    Dee looked at the collared slaves. They were not worked to exhaustion or physically mistreated, probably to help them retain combat readiness, but they weren¡¯t exactly allowed to slack around either. There actually seemed to be three distinct types of slaves in this war camp turned into a mine. The dark skinned and large Hecatonheires were a rather mid-sized giant race with their average height around six mel. That said, they were all bundles of pure muscle and clearly trained for war. That wasn¡¯t surprising as their kind was known to be very warlike. It was likely they had picked a fight with the enemy and had gotten enslaved for their trouble.


    The other two types of slaves were both forms of Rakshasa. For some reason, they seemed to be divided into two roughly equal types. The more natural looking type seemed like bipedal leopards with four arms. They were between two and three mel tall with the females being a little shorter, and their light brown skin and fur was covered in darker brown spots. Their arms and legs were also covered in complex magical tattoos that were glowing with blue power. It seemed the higher ranked Rakshasa had more intricate tattoos that also extended further. Some even had them on their chest and head. The male had small brown manes that looked more like wild hair gone out of control, while the females had no manes.


    The other type of Rakshasa all had dark blue skin with lighter blue magical tattoos. They almost seemed like they were not all that much different from the other kind, except there were a couple of important differences. The appendages of the blue Rakshasa were glowing with light blue energy, almost to the point that it looked like those arms and legs were made of the glowing energy becoming solid. Their eyes were also simply pits of glowing power. The brown Rakshasa gave the impression of being more natural in their making, while the blue ones seemed purely like creations of magic. Dee knew this to be somewhat false as all Rakshasa were created by powerful wizards eons ago as slave species. The blue Rakshasa simply made their magical origins more obvious.


    All of the slave warriors in the mine were overseen by a group of wardens that seemed to control the slaves with long glowing canes. Or at least that¡¯s what Dee assumed, as she had not seen any of the wardens use those canes since the slaves were not making a fuss or resisting in any way. The wardens were from the same races as the slaves, but yet different. Their skin and fur was all black, and there seemed to be a vacant look in their eyes. They wore no collars but seemed to be under a direct spell controlling them. She got a very eerie feeling from them and suspected they had been manipulated so long that they no longer needed any other form of control.


    Dee sensed that the majority of the beings here were between ranks five and eight. Rakshasa made for great warriors, and Hecatonheires were giants bred for war after all. Dee was slinking from shadow to shadow in the shape of a tiny kitsune. She was looking for three things. The first one was the leaders of the Rakshasa community. She had already spotted some high ranking members of their race, and the deeper into the mine she went the higher their ranks became. The second thing she was looking for was the enemy. She had seen no sign of them so far and could guess that there was a good reason they enslaved other races. The enemy was likely small in numbers.


    When she found the enemy, she would most likely also find the third thing she was looking for, which was a way to set the slaves free. If she really was forced into it, she could most likely shatter the collars around their necks with force, but she needed to study one to be sure how to do it without killing the slave. Those threads of power going inside the slaves worried her. Besides, it would be rather bothersome to shatter the collars one at a time, and the slaves would most likely resist due to the orders they had been given.


    Once she detected that she was relatively close to the end of the mine, she halted her advance to wait in the shadows. She had thoroughly searched the other parts of the mine and had not found what she was looking for, so it was a safe bet her targets were hiding in the deepest part. The problem was, the deepest part was too heavily guarded for even her to slip through unnoticed. There were almost a dozen high ranking guards blocking the path, though they were not the problem by themselves. The problem was that the whole place was filled with hundreds of detection spells of various kinds. It was almost impressive how thorough the enemy had been, as many of the spells would even work on psions like her. Whoever had created the spells was clearly paranoid.


    Luckily this possibility had been taken into consideration. Dee had not come here directly and had instead shared her information with the Four Winds first. The Four Winds had been especially interested in the information about the previous owners of the land that they now occupied. Of course, they had not taken the words of the Zabaniya leader on pure faith and had instead done some discreet investigations of their own, before giving Dee the go-ahead to come here. Those investigations had confirmed the information as accurate, which incensed the Four Winds. A Day city community allying with a slave holding Night city community for revenge! Seeking revenge was not uncommon in the third circle, but not to this extent.


    So a plan had been hatched. The Zabaniya leader had promised to make sure the rampaging Saurians would distract that community, and at the same time, the Four Winds would launch their own attack on the community. That way they would be struck on two fronts, and the Four Winds were not planning on leaving them the chance to seek revenge again. Majority of the immortals and forces of the Four Winds had been dispatched on the punishment expedition in order to create an overwhelming force.


    That, of course, would leave the Four Winds vulnerable to an attack from the enemy Dee was now stalking. A distraction was needed, both for Dee to do her thing, and for the enemy to not notice that the majority of the Four Winds forces were dispatched elsewhere. The distraction had to be big enough to draw their attention but not so big as to give away the weakness of the Four Winds position and drawing the enemy into a large battle. Luckily they had just the thing.


    The Four Winds had managed to restore the flying ship they had taken as bounty from the Githyanki that had ambushed Dee¡¯s group. The ship¡¯s magic nullifying abilities would make retaliation more difficult, especially since they knew the enemy relied heavily on magic and enslaved warriors that were unable to fly. High ranking warriors would be able to get to the ship, but they would be without support and at the mercy of the Four Winds while doing so. The ship was manned by Razark and the psionic members of the Four Winds like Moirai and Nyx. Additionally, the ship was also crewed by the magically barren Dagon, who could both defend the ship from ki attacks and bombard the enemy below with their own.


    Dee was simply waiting for the ship to show up, as she had been given ample time to get into position. This mining base would not be the first one hit by the ship either, just to avoid undue attention being placed here. Apparently, the word traveled fast though, as the guards seemed to receive some sort of a signal and started quickly moving to the surface long before the ship even appeared. It seemed they were preparing for the attack to come here. Dee allowed the guards to go on by without stopping them. She was about to go further in but stopped as she sensed several other beings moving towards her.


    She was preparing to strike at the enemy from her hiding place but received a rather large surprise as the enemy stopped before even reaching close. An eerie voice spoke loudly. ¡°Alright little rat, it¡¯s time to show yourself. You don¡¯t think your little methods would hide you from one of our glorious kind.¡±


    That caught Dee by surprise. They had detected her? And even before they were in sight? She was using her Authority to hide herself as well. She had suspected that Xinglong had been the one to practically feed the Authority to her, and that turned out to be true. The information she had received from the dragon not only helped her better use the Authority but also confirmed her suspicions. That made the situation even weirder as even a psion using Mindscape should have been unable to detect her while she was actively utilizing the maximum power of the Authority.


    Her questions were soon answered as she rounded the corner and finally got a look at her enemy. A single glance was enough to show their foul and aberrant nature, which was saying a lot on Pantheon. The grotesque floating sacks of meat were the stuff of nightmares. Matters were not helped by the large central eye or the large gaping maw just below that eye, nor were the numerous stalks with more eyes on the tips any more comforting. All of the spheroid floating Beholders were hideous and disturbing with their varying appearances, yet Dee was grinning as she saw her enemy. The leader of Zabaniya had been right. These really were just the type of enemy Dee was perfect against. Magically gifted but useless in close combat.


    Beholders were by their very nature aggressive, hateful, and greedy. They dismissed other beings as lesser, and for some unfathomable reason considered themselves as the pinnacle of physical perfection. No one was entirely sure where they came from, best guesses assumed them to be from some other plane, and no one even wanted to know how they procreated. Luckily for other races, these aberrations hated each other almost as much as the other races and were few in number. Usually, a group of them were only held together by a powerful tyrant ruling over them, or a common enemy. They were also, as a rule, the most paranoid beings in the universe. It was not strange for their kind to see through Dee¡¯s stealth.


    Unfortunately for the other races, the Beholders were powerful magicians that also happened to be the bane of other magic users. Not only were they capable spellcasters, but the eyes of the beholders also had innate magical abilities that they could use at will. The powers of each Beholder varied, but they did have one thing in common; those caught in the sight of their large central eye were unable to use magic themselves, making them the bane of mages and clerics everywhere. Even Dee could feel her holy power becoming sluggish under the stare of the five Beholders floating in front of her.


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    Yet she was not worried in the slightest, even though one of the Beholders was an immortal and the four others around rank nine. Ironically, she too was the bane of mages, and the innate powers of the Beholders fell under that same category. Even though Dee would be unable to use her holy power to cast spells, that didn¡¯t stop her from being able to counter the spells of the Beholders. And as it happened, the Beholders were in effect floating targets for her psionic abilities. ¡®Croestia, full power to magic resistances if you don¡¯t mind.¡¯


    ¡°Well, well. What do we have here? Some sort of fox monster delivering themselves into our grasp. We didn¡¯t have one of your kind as a slave yet, so how very kind of you to volunteer.¡± The lead Beholder¡¯s voice dripped with contempt, as it was unable to sense any real power from Dee.


    Dee, on the other hand, was not interested in witty repartee, and several dark pearls floated around her, as her metallic halo appeared. The Beholders also realized something was seriously wrong, and wasted no time in shooting various beams of power out of their eye-stalks. Dee could sense everything from paralysis and petrify, to disintegration and domination spells. The head beholder started casting a more powerful spell, and Dee had to give credit to how fast the aberrant being was with its casting, especially considering the power of the spell. Not fast enough to get the spell finished before it was flushed away by an oppressive wave of holy power, but still. The beams, on the other hand, hit several floating black shields that seemed to almost absorb them. One of the petrification beams hit her, but Dee was able to shrug it off, and the dark brown tail that resisted earth magic waved behind her happily. For once it became useful.


    In return, Dee fired the dark pearls at the floating sacks of meat. The Beholders managed to somehow freeze a couple of the pearls in place, but that still left most of them to punch fist-sized holes in their bloated bodies. Dee had purposefully aimed at the weaker Beholders, and as the magical protections sprung into place around them, she opened her Domain and shattered those protections with her suppression just in time to allow the dark pearls a free passage.


    The immortal Beholder was able to identify a Domain when it felt one and was already prepared to escape. It might have been an immortal but only barely, while Dee seemed much more powerful. Dee, in turn, grew in size and flashed right on top of the beholder, using her claws to push the floating form into the stone floor. She had not been gentle either. As the eye-stalks quickly turned to target her, her tails returned the favor and wrapped around them, ripping them right out of the Beholders body. ¡°Now. As you might notice, you¡¯re at a bit of a disadvantage. You have information I want, and I¡¯m going to get it, one way or another.¡±


    The Beholder gave a mirthless chuckle. ¡°You think our glorious kind is susceptible to torture like you lesser creatures? I will not tell you anything. Do your worst!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so glad you chose to resist. I have some new abilities I¡¯d like to test, and you just volunteered. In case you didn¡¯t notice, I¡¯m a psion. I¡¯m going to get what I need, even if I have to rip it from what will be left of your mind once I¡¯m done.¡± Dee gave a feral grin


    -----


    The Beholder had done its best to resist. In all fairness, their kind really wasn¡¯t all that susceptible to physical torture, so that part had not lasted long, which was good since Dee didn¡¯t have endless amounts of time. The mentality of a Beholder was much more fragile than one would expect though. They were dark beings shunned by other beings of darkness. They represented the type of chaos and change that gave the others such a bad name. There was no creation in their desire for change, only destruction, and self-satisfaction. That said, their paranoia made their minds fragile to Dee¡¯s advances and she managed to dig out the information she needed.


    Some of it was good news and confirmed her suspicions. There really was a rather easy way to remove the collars without hurting the slaves. There were only two more Beholders ahead of her, and both of them were fresh immortals like this one. The whole enemy community only had a little over a hundred Beholders, and most of their strength relied on the slaves they kept. A large portion of the Rakshasa royalty was made up of powerful immortals, some of which were here as well. That meant that with the slaves released the enemy would lose most of their strength. This mine was only one of many and Dee would have a lot more to do, but the method of freeing the slaves would work on all the mines once Dee was done here.


    But there was bad news as well. The leader of the Beholder community was a rank twelve immortal, and Dee would find it difficult to defeat it as easily as she had dealt with these Beholders. If the assumptions this Beholder had made were correct, then the leader was in possession of a very powerful Authority. Not all of the powerful Authorities were all that heroic. Villains and evildoers could create lasting legends as well, and the leading Beholder had apparently gained possession of one of those ironically named Hero Authorities. Though Dee supposed that was a matter of perspective as well. A demon king would be a villain to many, but a hero to the demons.


    There was also something else. The Beholders alone would have found it extremely difficult to enslave so many powerful Rakshasa and Hecatonheires. The Beholders had the ability to charm and dominate enemies in small groups, and with the slave collars, they could keep them under control. But that didn¡¯t account for how the Rakshasa had been defeated and enslaved in the first place, and the Beholders didn¡¯t seem to have the ability to enslave all of these powerful beings. That is unless they had help. This Beholder was not sure about the exact nature of that help, but it was something old and powerful. If the Four Winds wanted to root this trouble out for good, this would become trouble. And as she was the one at the forefront of dealing with the Beholder problem, it would be trouble to Dee as well.


    She quickly moved on from the now cold corpse of the Beholder. She had timed her attack with the arrival of the Four Winds distraction, mostly through luck, but her brief use of her Domain would have been felt. The guards might be coming back, and although she could deal with them, she¡¯d rather set them free instead. The two remaining Beholders would also be on their guard. On the other hand, they were Beholders, so they would always be on their guard. Paranoia was kind of their normal state.


    Since sneaking was less likely to succeed, she chose to move forward openly instead. She changed her appearance to resemble her old original form, as that was the one closest to a Rakshasa. She wasn¡¯t sure if the slave Rakshasa would recognize her as one of their own, but it was worth a shot. Even if they did, it might not make a difference considering they were probably ordered to deal with any intruders, but maybe they would be less enthusiastic about it.


    One of the good things she had learned from the information she had practically torn out from the now dead Beholder¡¯s mind, was that the collars had trouble dealing with immortals. The immortals could resist their influence to an extent, so it took more effort to command them to do something. As a result, they were not assigned to do any real work and were only called out to do battle. This resulted in them being housed separately. As Dee reached the small crossroads in the mine, she knew to pick the path leading to the den of the Beholders instead of the one leading to the enslaved Rakshasa royalty.


    Unfortunately, things don¡¯t always go according to plan. As Dee used her telekinetic powers to blast the door from its hinges, she was greeted by the sight of the two immortal Beholders that she was searching for, but also a pair of rank nine Hecatonheires and three immortal Rakshasa. The two blue Rakshasa were also around rank ten, but the tattoos on the brown furred female Rakshasa Rani clearly showed her as a rank eleven warrior.


    The eyes of the Rakshasa all narrowed as they recognized the blood inside Dee. They didn¡¯t attack immediately but were preparing to do so when commanded. Dee needed a plan and fast. The lead Beholder already started a spiel of some sort, but Dee had tuned it out. The words that came were largely irrelevant until it ordered the slaves to attack Dee, and she would be able to read that in the air around the slaves. Her eyes quickly scanned the room, and she noted the master rod on a table near the back. She would have to get past all of the enemies here to get to it. Or would she?


    Dee took three actions almost simultaneously. She casually tossed one of her black gems towards the most powerful Rakshasa accompanied by the casual word: ¡°Catch.¡± The underhanded toss made the gem move on a leisurely trajectory towards the chest of the Rakshasa. At the same time, her telekinesis reached for the master rod. She knew this might fail, so she also tried something new.


    The Beholders noticed her telekinetic power reaching for the rod and laughed. Magical runes flashed around the rod and cut the rod off from Dee¡¯s attempt to reach it. The Beholders were about to mock her attempt as the gem reached the Rakshasa Rani who instinctually reached a hand to catch the object. Too late she noticed something very wrong with the small gem, and specifically the space that suddenly seemed to twist around it. The gem became so heavy suddenly that the hand the Rakshasa had used to reach for it was twisted at a weird angle and most likely broken. She wasn¡¯t about to let the object impact her chest though, as she backpedaled fast enough to avoid the contact. She was way too sturdy to actually die so easily or even get too badly injured by the gem, but the little maneuver would slow her down for a few precious seconds. She could recover quickly and would attack Dee, but by that time the whole thing would be over.


    The master rod had been given a small push by the power in the runes protecting it activating, and it rolled just a little towards the shadow it created due to the flash. As it did, the shadow seemed to consume the rod, and it suddenly popped into Dee¡¯s hand on the other side of the room. She at least had the ability to move objects through the shadows, even though it was still questionable if she could move through the shadows herself. At the same time, her two other hands flashed forward and two small balls of black unnatural flames were launched towards the Beholders, who retaliated with their eye-beams. Those got deflected by several floating shields or resisted by Dee.


    The two Beholders could feel the air around them screaming at the appearance of the small fireballs and took the attacks in all seriousness by erecting the most powerful magical protections they could manage. Unfortunately for them, that was entirely useless as the flames simply slipped through the shields, hitting them directly on the central eye. They had already considered it impossible for magical flames to suddenly appear under the influence of their central eye, but unfortunately for them, this flame was a natural ability of Dee.


    The dying screams of the two beholders were loud enough to shatter a normal being¡¯s eardrums, but none of the feline beings present paid any attention. The two giants had not moved a muscle during the events, as they had not been ordered to do so, while the two blue Rakshasa Raja dashed at Dee with blinding speed, but were stopped by Dee pointing the master rod at their noses. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re not allowed to attack the holder of this rod.¡± She looked at the Rakshasa Rani instead.


    ¡°How would you like to get those collars off instead?¡± She asked with a smile

 Chapter 129

    Most of the Hecatonheires giants had taken off immediately after Dee had set all the slaves free. That suited her goals just fine, as they could be a distraction that way. Maybe some of the Beholders would be busy trying to recapture them. She had been forced to fight the black skinned and furred wardens in the mine while setting the other slaves free, but the Rakshasa Rani she had released first had actually been the one to strike them down without any mercy. ¡°The dark ones are only shells now. They have been subjected to countless domination and charm spells over and over again, and their minds are more or less gone. They cannot be saved even if the spells are dug out from their minds,¡± She had explained.


    The Rani had given a shudder when describing the fate of her black furred kinsmen. There had been something else in her voice while explaining the circumstances as well. It seemed likely that she too had been subjected to the same spells. She had either been stronger and managed to hold out, or she had been subjected to fewer spells. Still, her voice made it clear that she saw her own future in the ¡®dark ones¡¯ as she called them, and was extremely relieved to have avoided it. Perhaps the spells had even taken their toll on her as well. All royal Rakshasa had not been as fortunate. ¡°The strongest of our Raja succumbed to the darkness some years ago. Now we are leaderless.¡± The Rani shook her head, feeling the loss of those that were now beyond help.


    There had been more Rakshasa royalty in the mine, though the Rani Dee had released first had been the strongest of the group. There were plenty of others in similar mines and the strongest of their kind were kept with the temporary headquarters of the Beholders to use as a weapon in case they were attacked. ¡°These Four Winds you speak of, do they treat you well?¡± The Rani asked with a hopeful voice.


    The question left Dee stumped for a few seconds. ¡°I guess? I mean as well as any of their own I suppose.¡± She finally replied a little questioningly as she wasn¡¯t entirely sure where this was going.


    ¡°This is good. It is always better when your masters are kind.¡± The Rani stated firmly as if it was some grand truth of life.


    This one statement made Dee understand more about the Rakshasa than anything she had ever read. The race of Rakshasa had been created on several worlds to serve as warriors by wizards of great skill. Usually, the Rakshasa were not the only such servants, as golems, orcs and other various servants were also created or enslaved. Eventually some rebelled. In some cases, it was the Rakshasa and in some cases it was the other slaves and the Rakshasa were set free as an afterthought. Often they were sent to fight against the rebels. Still, most of them were either killed or eventually set free. If that had been it, then the Rakshasa would have become just another race among others, but that wasn¡¯t quite it.


    The problem was that everyone could see the ferocity of Rakshasa in combat, and they could also see their relatively small numbers which made them easier to subjugate without the support of the wizards that created them. Rakshasa had never been a widely spread race, as they had started as artificial creations, so even at best of times their numbers stayed relatively low. This lead to a cycle of others trying to enslave the Rakshasa. The race was split among those that would do anything to avoid suffering through another enslavement and throwing their lot with the demons, and those that came to terms with their lot in life.


    Dee had little understanding of those that submitted since she had inherited the ferocity of those that fought back. She also had some of the pride that came with her dragon part. Though she still remembered her time under the heel of Zabaniya when she was powerless, but even then she rebelled at the thought of being subjected to it again.


    In the minds of those Rakshasa that submitted, the life of a slave wasn¡¯t all bad when they were valued slaves kept in top fighting condition. At least when compared to a life on the run. Rakshasa were elite warriors with great potential for becoming immortal when properly supported, so they were not mistreated like other slaves. They were more like prized pets with a penchant for slaughter. Still, even those that reached a level of acceptance tried running to Pantheon to avoid such a fate. They had met with some success and managed to raise their numbers to a respectable point over the centuries. That was until the Beholders appeared.


    What Dee discovered was that the Rakshasa here had already adopted a sort of servant mentality over the many years under the domination of the Beholders. Even if they were free, as the Rani with her was, they didn¡¯t stop thinking like a slave. Dee also realized that was partially because they lacked proper leaders to show them another way. The Rani had already told her that the most powerful Raja had become one of the dark ones, and the other powerful royalty were imprisoned elsewhere. This Rani certainly didn¡¯t have the mentality of someone who could be a leader.


    ¡°I plan to set the others of your kind free.¡± Dee stated. ¡°After that you can decide what you want to do, but I can introduce you to the Four Winds if you like. You can see if they would be someone you¡¯d like to join forces with.¡± She quite pointedly avoided saying serve, but that was how the Rani took it.


    ¡°I¡¯d like that. However, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get the chance.¡± The Rani stated a little sadly.


    ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Dee asked, suddenly apprehensive. She had known this had been too easy.


    ¡°The one with the deep mind will force us back.¡± The Rani said sadly. ¡°The collars allowed the many-eyed ones to control us, but they were not the ones who enslaved us. The one with the deep mind will reassert his hold over us sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Dee asked with suspicion. ¡°Come here, would you?¡± Dee reached for the Rani¡¯s head. The Rani was a little unwilling, but for some reason still complied. Dee sent her own mind towards the mind of the Rani. She wasn¡¯t sure what she was trying to find, but she didn¡¯t need to search for long until she found what she needed.


    Someone had entered the Rani¡¯s mind before and left behind traces. Those traces would make the Rani more compliant and would allow an easier entry for the being that had originally done it. This might have also been partially responsible for the ease at which the Rani seemed to submit to others. Something had tampered with her mind. Tampering like this was way beyond Dee¡¯s capabilities, and she suspected it was outside Moirai¡¯s and Nyx¡¯s as well. This was the work of someone who was an expert in the mental part of psionic powers, and specifically the domination aspect of it.


    The Rani had been right. If the being managed to reach the Rani¡¯s mind, it would have no trouble reasserting control. If Dee went on to free more slaves and take them to the Four Winds, that being would be able to turn the freed slaves against the Four Winds and attack them from the inside. It was unlikely that someone had concocted a plan like this, as it assumed someone like Dee would be interested in infiltrating the mines, freeing the slaves, and bringing them back, but it seemed like a contingency just in case. Plans within plans. That did not bode well.


    ¡®It seems we need a new plan. We need to contact the Four Winds, as this changes things.¡¯ Dee silently said to Croestia.


    ----------


    Dee, Razark, the representatives of the four main races, and Amarog from the wolf tribes met inside the flying ship. Dee had quickly gathered everyone with her portals and the ship made it harder for anyone to observe them secretly. It also made a couple of the representatives uncomfortable, which was purely a bonus in Dee¡¯s opinion. She quickly explained the situation she had found out from the Rakshasa. She had taken the Rani along so the others could ask questions, while the other Rakshasa were marching towards the other mines where their kind was kept. They were a diversion for now.


    ¡°Ok, it seems you have a plan with this whole thing, so just tell us. It seems you¡¯ve thought this through and I admit I¡¯m a little lost in all this, so it¡¯s your show for now.¡± The Anshar representative stated. He was the most powerful among the representatives so usually he was the one to lead. He also knew he was not quick enough to keep up with the mind games of psions. He knew his limits.


    ¡°I think the current situation might actually work to our advantage. The Everseeing Eye has heard about our attack on their ally by now, and whatever being is holding the Rakshasa captive most likely felt me releasing a part of them from slavery and sending them towards the other mines.¡± The Everseeing Eye was the name of the Beholder community. Not a very inventive name in Dee¡¯s opinion. ¡°I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re assuming we intend to release all the slaves and once we¡¯re done, they will turn them against us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of assuming, but seems reasonable so far.¡± Amarog stated calmly. Plans based on assumptions had a habit of going wrong. Then again, most plans didn¡¯t survive contact with the enemy. Flexible thinking was the key in his opinion.


    ¡°I think now would be the best time to try and catch them by surprise. Let¡¯s have most of our people continue the assault on their ally and have Razark and Amarog lead attacks on the other mines. We won¡¯t be able to catch them by surprise anymore anyway, so we can make the attacks a bit more obvious. I can give you the master rod that works in the other mines as well, according to what the Rakshasa Rani told me. The enemy should now be basing their plans on the Rakshasa dealing us a surprise blow, and with our forces already divided that blow could be crippling. And they only need to let it happen. So, we¡¯ll instead strike at their temporary headquarters with a small group of our strongest members and take out the being controlling the Rakshasa. That¡¯ll leave the Beholders in a lurch as we just gained a new ally willing to take revenge on the ugly bastards.¡± Dee detailed her plan.


    ¡°That¡¯s bold, but also very risky. We¡¯d be stretched horribly thin everywhere, and if the squad striking at their headquarters fails¡­¡± Shioko pointed out.


    ¡°With great risk comes great rewards.¡± Kawhena, the Dagon representative stated boldly. ¡°We can afford to relent on our pressure against the Qiraj for a while. I¡¯ll take this ship to that front as well to keep up the appearances. Even if we have to let the Qiraj recoup and retreat, that¡¯s a small loss in the grand scheme of things. The Beholders are a bigger problem.¡± Qiraj was the name of the Day city community working with the Beholders and the community that used to own these lands.


    ¡°This sounds just like something you would have attempted on your own and with stealth. It would certainly be easier for you to get in there alone.¡± Nyx suddenly pointed out. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Dee gave a small shrug. Nyx was right, the thought had occurred to her. ¡°Two reasons really. For one, I don¡¯t know how strong the being we¡¯re hunting is, and mental psionics isn¡¯t my strongest suit. Besides, if we¡¯re doing this anyway, we might as well go for the kill and try to take out the leader of the Beholders as well. I¡¯m confident in my abilities to deal with lower level immortals, but taking on an immortal with a Hero Authority sounds a bit too much to me. So I¡¯ll need help.¡±


    ¡°So that means Dee, Nyx, probably Moirai as well to make sure we have the upper hand in psionics. Shioko and me for the leader of the Beholders.¡± The Anshar representative stated. ¡°Who else?¡±


    Amarog signaled that he had a suggestion. ¡°I think it might be useful if my son Shunkaha came along. He might not be an immortal or a psion, but it might be useful to pit an Authority against an Authority. His should be the stronger one, even if he can¡¯t utilize the full power of it yet just yet.¡±


    The others looked at Dee for some reason. She shrugged. ¡°Fine by me, as long as he realizes the risks. I know he is capable, and he¡¯s damn sure stealthier than any of you lot.¡±


    ----------


    Dee was already regretting agreeing to Shunkaha coming along. They had barely even gotten to the temporary headquarters of the Everseeing Eye, and he had tried to hit on her at least eight times and tried flirting with her at least twenty times. It didn¡¯t help that the others were not even bothering to hide their amusement at the situation. Apparently it was no secret among the Four Winds that Shunkaha quite liked Dee. And it really shouldn¡¯t be considering the wolf tribes had tried setting up a marriage between the two during the alliance negotiations. As his feelings were out in the open anyway, he didn¡¯t bother holding back anymore. She, on the other hand, was doing her best to ignore his advances, though with limited success.


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    ¡®You have to give him points for being persistent.¡¯ Croestia pointed out.


    ¡®And why would I credit him for that exactly?¡¯ Dee replied grumpily. Earlier Shunkaha¡¯s advances had been mostly amusing, but now they were a little distracting. It was not a good time to be distracted.


    They were waiting for the signal to strike while being hidden by Shioko¡¯s magic. They would only strike when their distraction attacks on the mines had started. That said, Shioko¡¯s spells couldn¡¯t hide them in case the enemy psion was using Mindscape to find them, so their cover might already be blown. There had been no reaction from the other side, so either they were still safe or the other side was very confident in dealing with them.


    As the agreed upon time came, the group dashed towards the enemy. They knew there was little chance that they could remain hidden for long, so once they got inside, they were not too careful about dealing with any enemy they came across using full force. Unfortunately that meant they didn¡¯t have time to be gentle with any Rakshasa they came across. On the positive side, most of the Rakshasa here were the ¡®dark ones¡¯ that they could not save anyway. There were still some that weren¡¯t, but they didn¡¯t hesitate. Dee especially took the responsibility of dealing with those Rakshasa, trying to end their lives with as little suffering as possible.


    The headquarters themselves were rather confusing. They were a network of tunnels that seemed to follow no logical plan. It also seemed like the walls were made of flesh and were alive. The fleshy walls had something like veins where unknown liquids were transported around like blood. The whole place was filled with traps too. Dee had been trained to detect traps, and her sight allowed her to spot magical traps especially easily. Usually magical traps were harder to detect, but to her sight they glowed in an obvious way as if someone had set warning signs over every trap. Surprisingly Shioko was rather good at spotting traps as well.


    With the focused strength of their group, they managed to cut through the opposition fairly easily. Still, the continuous battles took a toll on them eventually. If the information Dee had extracted from the Beholder¡¯s mind was correct, the whole community of Everseeing Eye had a little over a hundred Beholders, and they had already killed a full third of that number during their attack. Few of them had been immortals, while most had been around ranks eight and nine. As an average for a single race, that was rather spectacular. Most of the resistance came from the slaves though. Interestingly it seemed that while the Rakshasa were easier to control as a group, the giant Hecatonheires were easier to turn into the so-called ¡®dark ones¡¯ that no longer needed slave collars. As they were more reliable as a defense of the headquarters, most of the dead came from the giants as well.


    The longer the fighting went on, the more Dee and the Anshar representative took charge of the battles to allow the others to recover their strength. The Anshar representative was an obvious choice because his strength was by far the highest and Dee was chosen because she was able to replenish her strength rather quickly by taking it from those she killed. She didn¡¯t get to make that power her own, but it did keep her at full strength constantly. That allowed the others to recover some of their strength, but the fights had taken their toll on the group as a whole.


    Finally, after a rather arduous battle with three immortal Beholders, four immortal Hecatonheires and two immortal Rakshasa Rajas, the resistance seemed to come to an end. The group felt that they had broken through the guards protecting the deepest part of the enemy lair, and they were right. However, their advance came to a halt when they entered an enormous circular room that was filled by a single large tank of what looked like water. The tank was so large that it left only a small open passage around it on both sides. The water inside the tank seemed somehow murky, so they could not tell if there was anything in the tank.


    The whole situation seemed like a trap, so they had their guard up as they sidled along the edge of the room. It was good they had kept their guard up, as when they reached about halfway around the tank, they all felt a sudden heavy pressure trying to invade their minds. The non-psions in their group cursed and quickly fell to the ground as they failed to resist the pressure. Normally Dee, Nyx, and Moirai would have tried protecting the others more thoroughly but they were now too busy protecting their own minds from invasion. They were actually glad that the others were drawing away at least a little bit of the enemy attention as the enemy had to keep up the pressure for the others to stay down.


    Dee had reacted the fastest and thus was in the best position, but she was not the best when it came to mental psionics, so she was being pushed back faster than Nyx and Moirai. ¡°I can¡¯t let it continue like this.¡± Dee mumbled and suddenly her Domain flared into existence around them all. Her Domain was unable to hurt the creature in the tank directly, but it did suppress some of its abilities, so a stalemate of sorts had been reached. Dee was no longer being pushed back, while Nyx and Moirai managed to push the enemy¡¯s invasion back a little.


    Suddenly a deeply disturbing mental laughter sounded in all their minds. A strange shadow was seen in the tank, as it approached the side they were at. The three that were still standing could see a mass of tentacles connected to a dark fishlike being. The tentacles made up most of its length, and on its forehead was a vertical line of three small eyes. ¡°Your struggle is futile. How long will you be able to keep up your Domain, as impressive as it is? What will you do when Vritra gets here, as he is already coming? Do you think you can fight a rank twelve Beholder while struggling to keep me out of your mind?¡±


    Nyx and Moirai placed their hands on Dee¡¯s shoulders. The trio combined their powers to push the mental invasion back a little further. As the enemy seemed to be struggling the most against Dee¡¯s powers now that Dee¡¯s Domain was suppressing it, the two more skilled psions allowed Dee to take control of their psionic powers. Suddenly the resistance against their push vanished. Before she even registered what had happened, Dee pulled their combined strength back. Her training as an assassin had kicked in, and it recognized the sudden lack of resistance as what it was, a trap.


    They felt mental jaws snap shut in the place where their minds would have pushed to without Dee¡¯s quick reaction. Those jaws would have snapped away a fair chunk of their power, dooming their struggle. The direction was now reversed. It seemed like a great vortex was trying to draw the three into the mind of the enemy, and to the waiting jaws, while the three tried to pull away. The pushing match had turned into a pulling match. The laughing voice returned. ¡°How nice. Most people can¡¯t avoid that little trick. You¡¯ve had some decent training. Most psions can¡¯t avoid the instinct to move forward when given the opportunity.¡±


    For once Dee was thankful for the instincts the assassins had hammered into her. Still, she realized this could not continue. ¡°Well, even if we are being suppressed when it comes to this battle, we can gain the victory if we strike at your body.¡±


    The creature laughed again. ¡°Good luck with that. The tank is extremely strong and I doubt you can spare enough of your psionic powers to crack it. It¡¯s too bad your other members are already unconscious. That fire elemental looks strong enough to do something.¡± There was also the obvious fact that this was a creature of water, an enemy of those that had the blood of fire elementals.


    ¡°Who said we can only use psionic power?¡± Dee asked in a half bluff. The room was suddenly filled with the holy power inside her, making it clear just how much of it she possessed.


    Dee and the other two could feel the apprehension in their enemy, but it was still strangely calm. The reason became obvious rather quickly. ¡°Even if you strike me down, all you¡¯ve managed to do is to buy time. Did you know? My kind cannot be killed by the likes of you. Each and every one of us is one of the oldest beings in the universe. If you destroy my body, all that will accomplish is that my soul will return to the elemental plane of water, and my body will be reconstructed in a year and a day. Getting on the blacklist of an Aboleth can be a scary thing, you know? Even if you get strong enough to resist me, I can still come back a thousand years later and strike at your family and friends. How would you like to have one of your children and grandchildren eaten in every generation for the next ten thousand years? Or how about them becoming my slaves?¡± The creature made a rather calm threat. Still, the situation had changed. Now the Aboleth was no longer able to calmly wait for reinforcements, as it had no desire of being forced back to the plane of water.


    They knew it was speaking the truth. Even if the Beholder community was destroyed, the Aboleth would be able to come back. Suddenly Dee burst out in laughter of her own. ¡°What¡¯s so amusing?¡± The creature asked, suddenly wary.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure normally that would be a very frightening threat. The only problem is that you made it against the exact wrong person. First of all, I¡¯m completely unable to have children. Secondly, I¡¯m perfectly able to kill your kind.¡± Dee knew she had the upper hand now. Those most assured in their immortality tended to be those that were most afraid of death.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. Only a handful of our kind has ever died. Even the gods have stated that our kind was one of the biggest mistakes they ever made.¡± The Aboleth stated rather self-assured.


    ¡°Sounds like a deal can be made here. If I can convince you, I will allow you to retreat to that plane of water of yours and you will remove all your influence from the Rakshasa. Or you will face death at my hands.¡± Dee suggested. While she was pretty sure she could kill the creature, she was less sure about being able to put up much resistance against the leader of the Beholders and their helpers afterward if she really had to throw all her power at this creature. She was already having trouble maintaining the Domain while keeping the mental assault on them at bay.


    The creature only looked at her, urging her on. They both realized it wasn¡¯t really the kind of situation where there was much room for negotiation. Dee would play her hand, and the creature would react. Alternatively if Dee didn¡¯t have the power she claimed, they were back to where they had been before Dee had said anything. Suddenly the holy symbol of Death floated out of Dee¡¯s forehead. The crow standing on the tombstone locked eyes with the Aboleth and seemed to find a worthy prey. The Aboleth hissed. There was one deity perfectly capable of killing their kind, and that was Death. Normally the Goddess of Death didn¡¯t care enough to do so, but the few of their kind that had faced their end had done so at the hands of this goddess and her heralds.


    ¡°Just to hammer a point home.¡± Dee stated and suddenly a ball of black flame floated on her palm. The feeling of wrongness made even the Aboleth¡¯s stomach twist. It knew the flame was truly dangerous. Even if the flame did not kill it permanently there would be dire consequences. Its rebirth would not be as simple as it usually was, and Death¡¯s symbol made it clear that no soul would be escaping from this place. ¡°Have it your way then. Let us both hope we never meet again.¡±


    Suddenly the tank was empty and the pressure on their minds was gone. Dee almost collapsed to the ground, only held up by the two other psions. Keeping the Domain up this long had been really tiring, considering most of her powers were locked in a struggle with the Aboleth. Dee pointed at the others. ¡°Wake them up! We¡¯re still waiting for company, and I don¡¯t think any of us is in the condition to fight the enemy currently.¡±

 Chapter 130

    Luckily the non-psionic members of their group were rather easy to bring around. Their minds had been suppressed by the Aboleth, but the creature had not been able to do anything to them while still locked in a struggle with the three psions. Thus the trio snapped awake on their own with the Aboleth now gone. Shioko was fuming mad as she woke up, while Shunkaha and the Anshar representative were mostly just embarrassed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it Smoky. We all know this is why you keep us around.¡± Nyx said, on the surface comforting the Anshar man while at the same time rubbing it in. He was supposed to be the most powerful member of their group but had been rendered unconscious immediately. The Aboleth had been a creature of pure mental psionic power. Such extremely specialized beings were obviously strong in their chosen area but usually were equally weak while outside of it. It was no wonder a being like that managed to knock out the powerful Anshar when he had no special defenses against such attacks.


    ¡°I appreciate that Nyx, but now¡¯s not the time for such things. We still have work to do. We can think about our failures after we¡¯re done.¡± He deflected the topic, getting serious.


    ¡°I¡¯d hate to rush you, but we¡¯re getting company pretty soon. The creature sent a message to the leader of the Everseeing Eye, and I¡¯m not sure this is the place where we want to have this fight.¡± Dee suggested, while still being supported by Moirai.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Shunkaha asked genuinely worried, drawing closer.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a bit exhausted. I¡¯ll be fine with a bit of time. Time that we currently don¡¯t really have I¡¯m afraid. Let¡¯s move.¡± Dee hurried the others. Unlike them, she could sense the approach of several powerful beings, and those beings were getting closer.


    Shunkaha volunteered to help Dee instead of Moirai. Normally Dee might have thought he might have been doing it to take advantage of the situation, but his seriousness made his sincerity clear. Besides, it made sense. It was already a bit problematic for the tiny Moirai to try and keep the much larger Dee upright, when Moirai was barely half of Dee¡¯s height and much more diminutive, even if she didn¡¯t lack strength. Dee was in effect kneeling already. Besides, Shunkaha was without a doubt the weakest of the group, so it made sense for him to do it. Dee tossed a pair of hands over his shoulders to keep herself upright.


    The group pulled back to a larger room they had passed through earlier. They rather naturally assumed that they would need some room for the upcoming fight. Shioko sealed the other entrance to prevent any reinforcements they had missed from attacking them from behind. Dee signaled Shunkaha to place her down in a dark corner near the opening where the enemy would come from. They all watched as the shadows in the already dark corner seemed to grow and consume Dee. ¡°I¡¯ll recover here and wait for the right opportunity to strike,¡± Dee told the others and activated her stealth Authority at full power while doing her best to eliminate any sign of herself. Luckily the others did a good job of drawing attention.


    The others got into position with the Anshar representative taking the front while the more tired psions took the rear. The group didn¡¯t have to wait for long before the enemy arrived. At the front was a pair of the so-called ¡®dark ones¡¯ a large and powerful looking Hecatonheires and a much more dangerous looking Rakshasa Raja. They were both strong enough to qualify as rank eleven immortals, and Dee was reminded of the words of the Rani she had met earlier, about the strongest Raja becoming a dark one. Still¡­it felt like there was something missing. It seemed that having their minds damaged to this degree also had negative consequences. It was doubtful either of the beings would be aware enough to fully utilize their totems, even if they had one, unfinished or otherwise.


    The large Beholder behind them seemed to have some sort of armor on its skin in the form of thick scales. Whether that was natural or something it had somehow acquired was open to question, but it did protect the otherwise rather vulnerable being fairly well. It also seemed to be a bit larger than others of its kind as it floated behind the two bodyguards. Like others of its kind, it had several eye-stalks peering everywhere to look for unseen threats. Dee also noted that the Beholder seemed to have some sort of a circlet around one of the stalks that seemed to be preventing psionic interference, to an extent at least. As it had to deal with an Aboleth, that security measure seemed reasonable. Otherwise the Beholder would have become a slave of the Aboleth as well.


    The Beholder barely got inside the room before it started to complain. ¡°You really did a number on us with the Aboleth. Didn¡¯t think you would be able to manage that. Thanks to you, the slaves just got a lot harder to control, so I hope you¡¯re happy. No matter, you will compensate for it once I slap the collar around your necks. There are other ways to control others beyond the Aboleth.¡±


    The others looked at the Beholder in slight confusion. It was rather talkative for an aberration and quick to complain to boot. Were all the Beholders this chatty? The Anshar representative stepped forward. ¡°I think you¡¯re overestimating your chances of victory just a bit. You should¡¯ve brought more reinforcements.¡± He stated calmly. The air around the room was already heating up as the being of fire was gearing up for battle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. With just the five of you¡­wait, five? I heard there was a sixth. Ah, you have one hiding somewhere. Surely you aren¡¯t relying on someone catching me by surprise. You¡¯ll be sorely disappointed. You¡¯ll find that trying to strike me from the shadows will be much harder than you think. That¡¯s what I hate about you lesser creatures. All brawn and no brain.¡± The Beholder replied, its eye-stalks peering everywhere around it. There were only so many places that one could hide inside the weird tunnels and the Beholder seemed to be able to feel something from the living material that made up the walls and floor. Couple of its eyes focused on Dee¡¯s hiding place. The shadows were larger in corner than they should be as they hid Dee.


    ¡°If you feel like skulking in the shadows, then be my guest. It will make little difference in the long run. There¡¯s nothing you can do anyway.¡± The Beholder declared confidently.


    ¡°Enough of this!¡± Shioko declared and seemed to once again turn to a golem carved from a single green emerald, and her head was now up to the ceiling. She would have made herself even larger, but the narrow passage was what it was. Still, that just meant her form was denser, and she barreled forward as several waves of earthen projectiles flew towards the enemy.


    ¡®She¡¯s surprisingly hotheaded.¡¯ Dee thought as she looked at Shioko. She had been quick to rush at the Githyanki ship back then as well. Somehow Dee had expected the graceful looking Jun to be a more careful finesse type. Looks could be deceiving.


    Suddenly a large disembodied eye seemed to open in the empty air above the Beholder. The eye had an hourglass in place of the pupil. Dee could feel the power that she now associated with Authorities being channeled, and everyone in the room seemed to freeze in place. Everyone on their side that is. Even Dee could feel as if the time around her seemed to slow down. ¡°Judgment!¡± The Beholder declared in a smug voice. Even the projectiles Shioko had thrown seemed to freeze in the air.


    The only ones still able to move were the Anshar representative and Shunkaha for some reason. That reason became obvious as he also seemed to transform and Dee could feel the power of another Authority. A large grey wolf the size of Shioko¡¯s emerald form stood in his place, and Dee could sense the Authority both resisting the other¡¯s freezing effect and giving Shunkaha power. While Dee was rather certain that he still didn¡¯t have the power of an immortal, the Authority had brought him fairly close. There was also something strange about his fangs and fur that Dee couldn¡¯t quite determine.


    ¡°Well, well. Another powerful Authority has shown up. It looks like something I can¡¯t take from you to add to my own, but that will not save you. Perhaps it was too much to ask for all of you to be halted. Still, I know your kind fire elemental. What will you and that pup be able to do with just the two of you, especially when your magic doesn¡¯t fully work?¡± The Beholder stated calmly. Dee also realized that the situation was kind of bad. The Anshar representative was strong, but could not cast spells under the effect of the Beholder¡¯s central eye. He was someone who could deal with both physical and magical combat, but he still relied on spells.


    ¡°I will be enough to beat something like you.¡± The Anshar stated calmly. Suddenly his whole body seemed to burst into pure white flames. A stream of flames lashed towards the giant that stood in front to protect the Beholder, and a large chunk of its flesh was seared off. The giant made no screams of pain and didn¡¯t even acknowledge the arm that was now missing. It seems the being was unable to feel the pain.


    In the meantime, the Rakshasa dashed towards Shunkaha¡¯s large form, and the four sabers it brandished suddenly glowed blue. Shunkaha quickly tried to avoid the attack but didn¡¯t manage it completely despite his quick speed. The Rakshasa was simply too fast. The fur of the wolf glowed with the power of the Authority to resist the attack, but the difference in power was simply too large. Luckily the damage was limited by the power of the Authority. The Rakshasa didn¡¯t stop its attacks there though. One of the benefits of having multiple arms was the ability to continuously rain blows on your enemy.


    Shunkaha decided to risk injury in exchange for dealing damage to his opponent. His fangs glowed with power as they closed on one of the extended arms of the Rakshasa. Even the immortality and ki enhanced defenses of the Rakshasa seemed to crumble in front the fangs that tore the hand away. For his troubles though, Shunkaha suffered several deep wounds of his own. Also, the Rakshasa¡¯s arm seemed to be regenerating. Not quickly, but eventually it would recover. Shunkaha¡¯s wounds, on the other hand, showed no sign of recovering. It was already a small miracle that an enemy so much stronger than him didn¡¯t do more damage.


    ¡®Speed, strong protection, and fangs that can pierce the defenses of someone much stronger than him. Shunkaha really gained a powerful Authority. I wonder what else he has in his pocket.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. At first seemed like even her thoughts had been slowing down, but she felt the power of Eternity¡¯s blessing countering the effects of the Beholder¡¯s Authority. The progress was not quick, but she could feel the effects reducing. Luckily she did manage to recover a bit of her power in the meantime. Not much, since not much time had passed, but every bit counted.


    At the same time, the large giant fell backward as it was pushed away by the Anshar representative with heavy burns all over its body. The Beholder immediately countered with several eye-beams striking towards the flaming form of the Anshar. The beams seemed to have little effect, as the fiery form seemed to be immune to most of the effects. The disintegration beam managed to do some damage, but the flames quickly repaired any damage.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    It seemed like the Beholder and the Anshar somewhat countered each other as the Beholder¡¯s eye-beams were somewhat useless against the essentially formless Anshar, but the Anshar representative was unable to use spells in return. That same did not apply to the Beholder as suddenly a spray of different elemental powers struck towards the Anshar¡¯s fiery form. Apparently the Beholder was testing the most effective element to deal with him, while the Anshar representative backed away from the affected area. One would think that something like ice or water would be effective against fire, but with immortals that might not be the case. Some totems granted their element strange properties like immunities to the counter element.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do that?¡± The Beholder suddenly mocked, as some of the elemental power hit Shioko¡¯s large form. The dense golem wasn¡¯t all that damaged, but the same would not apply to Nyx and especially Moirai. The Anshar grunted in realization. If he dodged the Beholder¡¯s spells, those spells would hit his friends who were now frozen. Besides, while the Beholder¡¯s eye-beams did nothing to him, they would hurt the others still frozen in place.


    Dee¡¯s mind worked furiously for a solution. She felt that her own powers were no longer bound down by the Beholder¡¯s Authority. That said, her body still was and it seemed likely that if the Beholder focused the effect of the Authority on her, the freezing effect would come back with enough strength to stop her attack. One of the eye-stalks was still focused on the shadows she was hiding in, making sure she would not be able to do anything weird. The Beholder was being careful. So what to do? She would likely only get one shot to help.


    Suddenly an idea occurred to her. The Beholder¡¯s powers all seemed to work on sight. That went for its ability to freeze things, as well as all the eye-beams and the suppression of the Anshar representative¡¯s magic. If she managed to stop the Beholder¡¯s ability to see, then the others should be able to deal with the rest. She didn¡¯t have to be the one to actually deal with the Beholder, she only needed to provide an opportunity for the others. With that thought, she drew heavily on Umbra¡¯s power, and the shadows started covering the whole room. First the walls turned completely black as if covered by a black liquid. Then the remaining light in the room started to dim and completely disappear.


    Of course this did not escape the notice of the Beholder. Plenty of enemies had used darkness spells against it before. The weakness the Beholder had was glaring, and it was not stupid enough to not prepare counters against such an obvious ploy. There were several ways to deal with such spells. At first it tried to use the Authority to freeze the effect, but it was hard to stop something as nebulous as the shadows and darkness. Then it tried casting a light spell to counter the darkness, but the light was quickly consumed by the darkness. Then the Beholder tried casting spells like ¡®darkvision¡¯ and ¡®true-sight¡¯ on itself, but none of those spells affected the deepest darkness borne from the powers of the Goddess of Darkness. A little Beholder¡¯s spells meant nothing in front of the goddess¡¯ realm.


    ¡°Now would be a good time.¡± Dee sent a psionic message to the Anshar representative. Even he had been thrown off by the magical darkness that seemed to trump the light from his flames. Even though they were unable to see anything, beings at their level could sense the position of their enemy with various other means. If anyone besides Dee had been able to see anything, they would have seen two large glyphs appearing above and below the Beholder, and the space between the glyphs turned into a storm of white flames, making the whole room heat up and feel like the inside of a furnace.


    The Beholder screeched in pain. Its magical defenses and scales managed to protect it from taking fatal damage. However, the eye-stalks were burnt off. It struck back though, as suddenly light flashed around it and a random member of their group, in this case Nyx, and the two switched places. Now Nyx found herself roasted by the flames, while the Beholder found brief respite. The Anshar representative sensed the change and stopped the flames immediately, though not before Nyx had received a healthy dose of the flames on her own defenses. ¡°My precious tail!¡± Nyx screamed, as her tail was smoking from being singed.


    The Beholder had decided to retaliate against the other members of the group, but never got the chance. Its defenses had already been drastically reduced, and just when it was casting new protective fields to renew them, a large blade made of pure crystal was thrust right into its central eye as Shioko lunged forward. That wasn¡¯t enough as Dee looked in fascination as the sword seemed to sprout something that looked like crystal branches of a tree, straight inside the Beholder¡¯s body. The branches tore the Beholder apart in one of the most gruesome ways Dee had ever seen.


    The squelching noise was rather distinct as well, and apparently Dee was not the only one to feel that way. ¡°Oh gods, I recognize that sound. Shioko, you did it again didn¡¯t you?¡± Nyx stated, gagging and still cradling her tail.


    ¡°We¡¯re not finished yet!¡± The Anshar representative shouted. They still had two enemies remaining, as reminded by a whimper released by Shunkaha as he was once again wounded.


    They didn¡¯t have to worry though. Dee had forgotten something. The shadows she controlled were not empty. There was a sort of life there, spirits that she had felt before. They had not been called on before and now those spirits finally got a chance to serve their queen. They could feel their queen¡¯s intent and hostility towards the two dark beings and struck. Their queen had provided them a meal, so they wouldn''t let it go to waste. Only thing was, the spirits in the shadows weren¡¯t satisfied with just flesh.


    Suddenly the giant that seemed to feel no pain from being burnt by flames started howling and grabbed at its head, while the Rakshasa started growling in anguish. A sickening munching sound echoed in the room, as the two enemies were quickly reduced to nothingness. ¡°W-what just happened?¡± Moirai asked in shock.


    ¡°I think our dear servant of Umbra forgot to mention some of her abilities.¡± The Anshar stated rather calmly, reducing the intensity of his fires to reduce the temperature in the room. He could sense the countless spirits surrounding them in the shadows, even if the others could not. The spirits eyed them warily, but not with hostility. ¡°You can pull the shadows back now Dee. It¡¯s over.¡±


    Dee had to struggle a bit to do just that as the shadows seemed almost too eager to help her. She had not put Umbra¡¯s blessing to full use before, and the power there had been getting impatient to serve. Now the shadows got their chance to shine and were immediately recalled. That was almost mean. ¡®Next time.¡¯ Dee sent a mental promise towards the shadows and they seemed to be mollified somewhat, allowing Dee to bring the light back into the room, although the shadows still seemed longer than they should. Oddly, she seemed almost refreshed despite channeling quite a bit of Umbra¡¯s power. She wasn¡¯t sure why, but she could make some educated guesses.


    As the light returned, there was no sign of the two dark beings, while there was almost too much of the Beholder scattered all over the room. Moirai cursed as she looked down at herself, and found her clothes covered in blood and brain matter. ¡°Oh dammit, Shioko! You got Beholder all over me!¡±


    Shunkaha gave another whimper, reminding the others that he was still hurt, and indeed he was not in good condition. The Rakshasa had not stopped attacking just because of the darkness. Although it could not see him anymore, that also meant it was harder for Shunkaha to avoid attacks he couldn¡¯t see. Despite his protection from the Authority, he seemed to have several broken bones and deep gashes. As Dee was the one with the best healing ability, she quickly drew close and channeled Lumen¡¯s powers in hopes of healing Shunkaha.


    ¡±You did well.¡± She gave him credit. ¡°You kept the Rakshasa from attacking our frozen members or joining in against Smoky. I doubt he could¡¯ve dealt with another enemy, especially one with magical weapons like the ones the Raja had.¡± The four sabers were still on the ground where they had fallen as their owner had faced a rather gruesome end.


    Shunkaha shifted back to his original form once his wounds had recovered sufficiently. Dee still wasn¡¯t the best of healers, although the mere usage of Lumen¡¯s powers helped things somewhat. He faked a small cough. ¡°How about a kiss as a reward?¡± He asked with a hopeful tone.


    ¡°How about you take those sabers instead and shut your mouth before I feed you to the same thing that took away their previous owner.¡± Dee countered with a smile that brought a cold shiver to Shunkaha¡¯s back.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡± He replied immediately.


    ¡°Well, with that handled, there are still enemies in this place, and while there are fewer slaves than in the mines, we still need to set them free. They¡¯re most likely the highest royalty of the Rakshasa anyway, so remember to offer them a level of dignity and respect despite the situation. I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s still a number of Beholders around, so be careful. Just because we got their leader doesn¡¯t mean we can let our guard down. Shioko, you killed the leader, what happened to the Authority?¡± The Anshar representative started giving out instructions. This was more in his realm.


    Shioko was quiet for a while and seemed to be looking inside her soul space. ¡°I have it, though I¡¯m not sure if it will stay with me. So far it seems to accept me.¡±


    ¡°Good. That Authority really caught us by surprise. If we can put it to use, then no reason it can¡¯t do the same to our enemies. Dee, can you open a portal for reinforcements? Now that we¡¯ve dealt the Beholders such a blow, we can pull in more helpers. No reason for us to waste time sweeping this place out just by ourselves. Remember, we are still kind of trespassing on our neighbors even if they turned a blind eye to our enemies being here. With Qiraj still around we don¡¯t¡¯ need to make any more enemies.¡± The Anshar really seemed to get a lot livelier now that the plans of psions were no longer messing things up for him.


    ¡°That¡¯s all nice and all, but more importantly. Dee! Can you heal my tail?! Smoky burnt it, look!¡± Nyx burst his balloon of feeling important once again and planted the singed tail in Dee¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Dee could only stutter. She was not sure at all if tails were something that could be healed.

 Chapter 131

    Anastasia watched as her friend tiredly leaned on one of the large swords they all used as a weapon. Ludmira was stronger than her in a straight-up fight, but the tired warrior had always been bad at pacing herself. The red-haired warrior threw herself into every battle with reckless abandon. In most cases that was good, as she never underestimated an enemy and the fights rarely lasted long enough for endurance to become an issue. The problem in this case, was that the Crimson Path had become embroiled in a war of attrition of sorts.


    The first communities had finally taken the chance to go for the spot in the first circle, and their claims had not gone uncontested. However, as soon as it became obvious that someone was contesting for the spot, and would be for a while, several of the more powerful communities had turned their sights on the biggest competition around, the Crimson Path. The Crimson Witches had enjoyed several extra days of peace as no one wanted to be the first one to be fed to the beast that was the Crimson Path, but finally three communities had joined forces to do so. After the three had been beaten back, the Crimson Witches had not been given time to recover as four more had followed the first three.


    Anastasia watched at the fleeing backs of the four Night city communities that had joined hands to attack them. Their own community had shown its overwhelming strength and suffered minimal losses in the fight. However, Ludmira wasn¡¯t the only one exhausted from the fighting. In fact, she was in the majority. Tiredness led to mistakes, and mistakes would lead to loss of life. The crimson warriors didn¡¯t fear death, but they couldn¡¯t afford to lose too many of their number, not if they wanted to stand victorious at the end. The fighting was taking a toll on all of them, and it seemed they were not about to get a break for the foreseeable future. They already got word of another group of Day city communities coming after the ones from Night city that just routed, and this time the attackers included some communities that were an actual threat.


    ¡°Get up Mira. You¡¯re giving a bad impression to the other swords. If our elites let their exhaustion show, then it¡¯s also bad for morale.¡± Their senior sister admonished Ludmira, though softened the words by using her nickname. The dark haired warrior didn¡¯t even have a drop of sweat on her brow after the long battle. Just like one would expect from their strongest warriors.


    ¡°Mariya is right. Besides, you¡¯ll get to rest fairly soon.¡± Anastasia commented. She too showed no sign of exhaustion, besides maybe the fact that her armor was not clean. Though considering the number of people she had killed in the last few days, it was a small wonder the armor was holding up at all. That wasn¡¯t to say she wasn¡¯t tired. In fact, she was exhausted.


    ¡°That sounds rather optimistic Ana.¡± Mira pointed out. ¡°From what I heard, the next wave of enemies will be much stronger than the last one.¡±


    As if to emphasize Ludmira¡¯s words, hundreds of small portals opened on the border of the area owned by the Crimson Path. This time the enemy didn¡¯t bother sending large armies at them. Instead, the weakest enemies on the other side seemed to be rank eight. It was actually more unusual that their previous enemies had sent large numbers of their weaker members into the battle, but that was done in order to tire the Crimson Path down. Even if a rank six warrior had no real place in a battle between immortals, it would still require at least a little bit of effort on the immortal¡¯s part to kill the weaker ranked person. That tactic didn¡¯t come without a prize in blood though.


    There seemed to be some deals that had been made in the shadows. The enemies that had attacked earlier lost so many of their younger and weaker members just to tire them out, that it seemed unlikely they would do so without a very good reason. The reason could not have been to gain victory since it had been clear from the start that the previous enemies would not win. This next group was the first one that had any realistic chance for victory. Thus the communities that had come earlier had most likely been compensated in some other way. Rather callous of them to sacrifice so many of their own for such compensation.


    ¡°That seems like the immortals and powerful members of the communities ranked sixteen to twenty-two. They¡¯re getting serious now.¡± Mariya commented, tacitly agreeing with Ludmira¡¯s words. Anastasia¡¯s confidence seemed a little odd considering the situation. Even though they had a good chance to win here, the next ones to attack would most likely be the strongest communities in Day city. They would not miss a chance like this.


    At the same time it seemed like the lower ranked swords of the Crimson Path had been given the order to retreat, and they all fell back towards the fort along the border. They had only been brought out to deal with the number of weak enemies that had come earlier, and to gain proper battle experience. Unlike their enemies, the Crimson Path would not throw away their future just to gain a small advantage. That said, there were no true low ranked members in the Crimson Path. The weakest swords were at least rank six. That was the bottom line for becoming a member. Still, those lower ranked swords had no place in the coming battle.


    On the other hand, it seemed like the strongest members of their community had all been summoned, as Anastasia noticed her master coming to the battlefield along with seven other people radiating power. All of them had identical armor and blades to those that had been here before, except for one difference. They all had a number embossed or filigreed on their shoulder. Mariya standing next to Anastasia had the number ten on her shoulder as well, and there was another person with number six that had control over the other flank of their forces.


    Anastasia¡¯s master prominently had the number one on her shoulder, and she cut a striking figure. Like Anastasia, Teresa had a long flowing golden hair that went down all the way to her waist. That alone was rather unique as most of the members of the Crimson Path kept their hairs down to the shoulders at most, as a long hair could be a weakness to be exploited in battle. That said, as their attire was always the same, and they even looked rather similar with the refined features and red eyes, the hair of a Crimson Witch was one of the few things they could use to display their femininity and individuality. Those warriors that had a very short warrior¡¯s cut like Ludmira were few and far between, as they had almost given up on their individuality to become pure warriors. The long hair that both Teresa and Anastasia kept was almost a taunt to others, a blatant display of an obvious weakness that dared anyone to try and exploit it. Yet no one seemed to mind the slight provocation.


    All of the Crimson Witches shared the trait of looking like humans on the outside due to the techniques they practiced, but nowhere was the appearance as deceiving as when it came to Teresa. Unlike the other seven people around her, Teresa didn¡¯t give off even the slightest hint of power aside from a vague feeling of danger, yet they all knew she could most likely defeat all of the other seven behind her if she really wanted to. No one among them was stupid enough to look down on Teresa.


    ¡°If the first sword is moving personally, then either she¡¯s bored or we¡¯re about to send a message.¡± Ludmira realized. Teresa didn¡¯t go into battle very often, partially because the battles were often resolved as soon as she entered. That took the fun out of it, and also denied the others the chance to shine and grow. Teresa liked battle personally, but only against opponents that actually could put up a fight. Those opponents were few and far between. It was rumored among the other communities that Teresa was infinitely close to becoming one of the dreaded rank thirteen existences that were rarely seen outside the first circle.


    ¡°A bit of both most likely.¡± Mariya commented before she seemingly realized something. She looked at Anastasia. ¡°Your negotiations succeeded.¡± She stated, instead of asking a question.


    ¡°Yes, they did.¡± Anastasia replied a little smugly. She was rather pleased with herself for concluding the negotiations so fast. The advance warning they had received had really borne fruit.


    ¡°Oh dear. This is going to be one of the most one-sided battles I¡¯ve ever seen, isn¡¯t it? With Teresa taking part, I doubt most of the enemies will be leaving alive either. She¡¯s been feeling itchy for a while now, and these Day city communities colluding with those from the Night city to attack us should have her rather pissed. I¡¯m guessing there will be a couple of them falling out of the second circle by the time these problems get sorted out.¡± Mariya commented while looking at the still oblivious enemy communities moving towards them.


    The enemy communities were just about to start their attack when another group of portals opened behind them. The number of portals was only a dozen, but the appearance of the ones coming through the portals struck fear into the communities that had been feeling good about their chances for attacking the Crimson Path. Some of the enemies were confused whether these newcomers had arrived to help them, or to aid the Crimson Path, but the smart ones knew better and were already preparing to retreat. They were met with failure, as a field preventing spatial magic settled over the battlefield. The trap had been sprung.


    ¡°The Revenant?¡± Ludmira asked incredulously. ¡°You managed to ally us with our biggest competitor? How did you manage that small wonder?¡±


    ¡°What did you have to promise them exactly?¡± Even Mariya was a little surprised at the turn of events.


    Anastasia grinned smugly. ¡°A little-known fact, the Revenant don¡¯t actually want to move away from their current location. They might be one of the only communities for whom the first circle holds little appeal over their current location. While they certainly wouldn¡¯t mind the extra resources or ambient mana in the first circle, their current citadels sit at the conflux of several elemental mana sources. What they need are more rifts to the elemental planes, not necessarily more mana and other resources. Or to be more precise, they¡¯re more than happy to allow others to provide those resources for them instead.¡±


    The two others nodded in understanding. While the Revenant held mana in high importance, what they really needed was the elemental power from the planes to increase their number and rank. ¡°So you handed over most our rifts in exchange for their help?¡± Mariya asked.


    ¡°All the rifts we don¡¯t absolutely need for calming down our own people who go too far. We don¡¯t really need the other rifts anymore after we get the spot in the first circle anyway. Also, we promised them a cut of the resources we gain from our new area for the next hundred years.¡± Anastasia explained. It was a hard bargain, but fair. Also, one of the terms stipulated was that the Revenant would get nothing if the Crimson Path did not get the spot in the first circle, so the risks were minimized.


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    ¡®Master also sent them a damn gift basket. The Revenant were not sure how to take it, and that confused their negotiators for no good reason. I¡¯m pretty sure they took it as a threat.¡¯ Anastasia quietly cursed in her mind.


    ¡°With the example we¡¯re about to make and the alliance between our two communities, we should have a good chance of victory. Nice work Ana.¡± Mariya agreed, with an approving nod.


    ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate just yet.¡± Ludmira stated. ¡°The Spider Cult has not shown their hand yet, and neither have the vampires of the Night city. I heard rumors they were making a play as well and it would not be too surprising for them to work out an alliance of sorts as well.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think the vampires would want a spot in the first circle, right next to the Solarians?¡± Anastasia asked a little surprised. Even though vampires of high enough rank were not vulnerable to the sun anymore, they didn¡¯t exactly enjoy the sun either and the Solarians were the embodiments of the suns orbiting Pantheon. One of the suns was almost constantly holding position over the Solarian holdings at the very center of Day city. As a result, the first circle almost never saw full darkness, despite the other communities taking some measures. You could go pretty far with high-level magic, but far enough to make the vampires happy? That seemed like a stretch.


    ¡°In exchange for a spot at the first circle? Who can say for sure. They have ways around it. I¡¯m not sure how happy the Solarians would be though.¡± Ludmira replied with a small shudder. The Solarians were the undisputed number one community of Pantheon, obscuring even the number one community of the Night city. If they made a move, then everyone was in trouble. If the Solarians decided that the first circle didn¡¯t need a new community to take Xinglong¡¯s place, then all the others would abide by that decision.


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re about to start.¡± Anastasia commented, just as Teresa gave the signal for attack and a storm of magic hit the enemy communities from behind. It was hard to match the Revenant¡¯s pure destructive power with magic.


    ----------


    ¡°The Rakshasa really need a strong leader.¡± Nyx pointed out. Her tail still had a bandage around it, wrapped up like a mummy.


    Dee knew that some of the representatives wanted to push her into that position but staunchly refused. ¡°Look, I see your point, but I can¡¯t be that leader, no matter how much you wish I could.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes we have to do things we don¡¯t want to do.¡± The Anshar representative said a little admonishingly. ¡°When a person is called, it is their duty to answer. Sometimes that means making personal sacrifices.¡± The Rakshasa had received something of a shock with the Aboleth¡¯s influence being withdrawn, especially with the realization of how easily they had been controlled. That had left the whole group in a precarious position mentally, which only added to their previous servile mentality.


    ¡°See, that¡¯s cute and all, but I¡¯m not refusing out of a desire to shirk my duty. Sooner or later I will leave this world, and then what happens to the Rakshasa? They just learned to rely on me and suddenly I¡¯m gone. That would be worse than the current situation. The calling of two of the top four deities trumps your desire for an easy solution to a difficult problem, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡± This time Dee was less polite with her answer. She knew the others could deal with the Rakshasa and even help one of them become a proper leader. However, that would require a lot of time and effort. Dee taking over would make things easy.


    ¡°She¡¯s right, you know.¡± Kawhena stated calmly. He had not been a part of the attack on the Beholders and had instead overseen the fight with the Qiraj. He was the representative that Dee usually butts heads with, but now he stepped up to her defense. ¡°Besides, she would not be quite as good of a fit as you seem to think, and you¡¯d realize it if you were less enamored with your own idea.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s so?¡± The Anshar representative asked a little unhappily.


    ¡°As much as we¡¯d like to think otherwise, I¡¯m not truly one of them.¡± Dee pointed out the obvious problem. ¡°Some of the things that would make me a decent leader also preclude me from it at the same time. I don¡¯t have the same mindset as they do, which makes me unable to fully sympathize with their issues. In fact, in many ways we¡¯re the opposites. Besides, most of the time I don¡¯t even look like them.¡± She waved a finger up and down of her body, as she was currently in her new form. She had very little in common with the Rakshasa appearance-wise.


    ¡°They just threw off the shackles of one psion, so how likely would they approve of another becoming their leader when I¡¯m only partially of the same race. Besides, even that¡¯s a little bit is tenuous, as they are not the Rakshasa that turned to the demons for help, while the part of me that is Rakshasa did go to the demons. One could argue they are no longer the same race.¡± Dee continued.


    The representatives argued for a while longer without coming to a proper conclusion. They knew Dee would not take the position, but they were not sure how to approach the situation now. The Rakshasa had followed them to the Four Winds, but the whole thing was a little up in the air currently. The Rakshasa were not sure if they wanted to stay, and the Four Winds were not sure they wanted them here either. Yet at the same time, the Rakshasa were thankful for being saved and the Four Winds didn¡¯t want to abandon them.


    As the others left the room to deal with the issue of the Qiraj, Nyx sat down next to Dee and plunked her tail in Dee¡¯s lap. ¡°More healing please!¡± She announced. Dee had managed to return some of the luster into Nyx¡¯s tail, but it was a slow process. She wasn¡¯t actually healing the tail per se and was actually just speeding up the natural growth with her own powers.


    Dee gave a sigh. ¡°You know, you could just use your own power to do this by now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but for some reason the parts grown by your power become fluffier. If it wasn¡¯t so shameful, I might even consider shaving the rest of my tail just to have all of it that fluffy.¡± Nyx countered.


    Dee cursed in her mind. She didn¡¯t really mind doing this; it just felt a little pointless. ¡®Do something too well, and soon it becomes your designated job.¡¯ Croestia pointed out with a chipper voice inside Dee¡¯s head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Smoky.¡± Nyx suddenly said. ¡°He¡¯s just feeling stressed out. For a while now we¡¯ve considered him to be our supporting pillar and the fight with the Aboleth and the Beholders struck him hard. He has to come to terms with his own weaknesses. He is powerful but there are ways around that. You just happen to be a convenient outlet, especially since it¡¯s mostly thanks to you that we managed to win. Smoky is feeling a little like you¡¯re taking his place. It doesn¡¯t help that you¡¯re right about the Rakshasa and he¡¯s most likely going to have to be the one to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°While understandable, that doesn¡¯t make it alright for him to take it out on me.¡± Dee pointed out. It was more a statement of fact than a complaint.


    ¡°True. But understanding is half the battle. Smoky has rarely had to feel weak, so this is especially hard for him. Give him a bit of time and he¡¯ll most likely apologize. In his own way. That said, it might be better if you find something less flashy to do for the next while, at least until he regains his bearings. Why have a confrontation that you can just avoid?¡± Nyx said calmly. She agreed with Dee but had a better grasp of Smoky¡¯s personality. His pride had been broken, and he would need some time to re-evaluate.


    ¡°Just the same. I need to look for someone that could advise me with my holy powers anyway. Unfortunately, it would be better if I found someone serving the dark deities.¡± Dee gave a small sigh. The priests of the dark deities were not likely to give out information for free.


    ¡°Well, perhaps it would be better to first seek out someone from the lighter side of things. What about Razark? Doesn¡¯t he have some high ranking friends? Isn¡¯t he rather skilled with holy power?¡± Nyx suggested.


    Dee grimaced. ¡°Razark is more a holy warrior than a priest though. He was trained by the same master I was, and that old bastard had no holy ability. However, that does give me an idea.¡± She suddenly remembered that Razark had invited a high ranking priestess to heal her after she had fought the Crimson Witches. She had been somewhat out of it at the time, but that priestess had most likely been immortal. That would be a starting point at least.


    ¡°So are we going to talk about the Death¡¯s blessing?¡± Nyx asked suddenly.


    ¡°Nnnnope.¡± Dee immediately countered.


    ¡°Fair enough. I can see how that would be something you¡¯d prefer to hide. Still, it¡¯s rather amusing how you have blessings from three of the top four deities. You¡¯d have a full set if you managed to get one from Eternity as well.¡± Nyx pointed out with a chuckle.


    Dee feigned a laugh as well. ¡°Yes. Amusing.¡± That would not be the word she would use.


    ¡°You totally have a blessing from all four.¡± Nyx suddenly stated with a knowing grin. ¡°Hah, try to hide it if you want! I¡¯ve played enough games against you to be able to read you. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll keep this to myself.¡± She suddenly jumped up and left the room. Dee could only shrug in resignation. Nyx had not even given her the chance to deny anything before coming to a conclusion.


    As Dee walked towards Razark¡¯s current abode, Croestia gave another suggestion. ¡®You might want to have a word with the leader of the Zabaniya. Tell him that you held your end of the deal. Maybe he can throw in some information as a bonus. He seems like the type to give us something extra now that we went along with his wishes for once. I¡¯m not saying you should trust him, as he¡¯s likely to play you, but he might give us a clue at least.¡¯


    ¡®A fair point. And he most likely has connections with some dark priesthood. At the very least he should be able to point us in the rough direction. With all likelihood he¡¯ll combine it with a mission. Kill a dark priest and steal his knowledge as a reward. Not my first avenue of choice, but we should keep the possibility in mind at least.¡¯ Dee guessed.


    ¡®That kind of mission would work to our advantage actually. A dead enemy will not be able to misdirect you, but can be a source of information.¡¯ Croestia agreed. Neither of them was wild about going with whatever the leader of the assassins wanted, but so far he had been reliable with information and had held his end of the deals they had struck. It seemed that helping Dee was in his interests, for now at least. Still, they¡¯d try other ways first.


    ¡®You could always try asking the gods themselves¡­¡¯ Croestia pointed out.


    Dee didn¡¯t dignify the suggestion with an answer.

 Chapter 132

    Lumen once again entered the realm of her father that had become almost like a second home to her in the last few years. She certainly spent as much time here as in her own realm, though strictly speaking, she was always present in her own realm since it was like an extension of her. Order had once again pushed another light deity into challenging her position, and the challenger this time had actually put up a respectable fight. The angels drifting away from her had really cut into her strength, however being one of the original top ten deities came with certain benefits and she had managed to prevail.


    Usually such challenges did limited lasting damage to the losing party, but Lumen¡¯s patience was starting to run out. She had not been gentle with the challenger this time and had drained most of the divine power the deity had managed to amass, making the god fall steeply in the rankings until his power recovered. That recovery could take anywhere from millennia to eons, depending on the amount of worship he received. She had wanted to set an example to show that the kid gloves were off and that any future challenges came with consequences. Order should have a little more trouble finding volunteers now. On the downside, it didn¡¯t exactly endear her to the other deities. Hopefully Dee would be able to do what she asked in the next century or five.


    ¡°There you are sister.¡± Umbra stated as the being of light came to the dreary campsite. ¡°You almost missed the best part.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I would have to kill Lux if I missed this.¡± Lumen replied, suddenly in a better mood and sat down to look at the image above the fire. She had been eagerly expecting this.


    The image showed Dee and Razark walking through a large temple, with Razark leading the way. ¡°Now be aware that I¡¯m not sure if Shraeska wants to help. My recommendation can go a bit both ways with her.¡± He was saying with a slightly abashed look.


    Dee¡¯s eyebrow shot up. ¡°An old lover?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡± Razark replied in a hurry. ¡°No. Not a lover, just¡­well. A friend of sorts.¡± He continued in a calmer tone.


    Before the two even managed to announce their presence, the door banged open. ¡°Razark! You old rascal, what brings you here? I heard your separation with the order wasn¡¯t all that peaceful. Even the freelancers are looking for you for a little chat.¡± A female draconian stood in the doorway grinning at Razark before she noticed Dee. ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t my old patient. How are the arms treating you? Still working alright?¡±


    ¡°Stellar. Just like new.¡± Dee replied with a growing smile and waved her hands around for a small demonstration. This draconian was not exactly like most of her kind. Dee could also see why Razark would deny an affair. Draconians were much like Saurians in appearance and required very particular tastes if one was to get attracted.


    ¡°Is she the one?¡± The draconian asked while pointing at Dee.


    ¡°The one what?¡± Razark asked with suspicion.


    ¡°Well didn¡¯t you originally get kicked out of the order for fraternizing with your underage disciple?¡± The woman asked with her toothy grin widening. Dee and the draconian both knew she was just teasing Razark, but the poor man was too flustered.


    ¡°NO! Gods damn the grandmaster for still letting that rumor spread. It¡¯s all false! Just an excuse to give plausible deniability!¡± Razark claimed angrily.


    ¡°Awfully quick to deny all romantic affiliations.¡± Dee said with a faked disappointment in her voice and shook her head.


    ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s trying to avoid taking responsibility?¡± The draconian suggested. ¡°Are you a womanizer Razark? Is that it? You sleep around and then deny any and all connections. You get what you want and then run?¡±


    Razark gave up with a sigh as he realized his defeat. ¡°Shraeska, please. We¡¯re here on serious business.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did say please, so I suppose I should encourage that good behavior at least. Come in, both of you.¡± As the two passed, the priestess seemed to sense something. ¡°Well, well. The last time I saw you, you were definitely much weaker, and now you feel like an immortal. Congratulations are in order. Nice job. If I¡¯m not mistaken, you might be even stronger than me now. Being a full healer doesn¡¯t exactly do wonders for my battle ability.¡±


    Dee simply looked at the woman with a questioning look. She was surprised that the priestess had seen through the protections set by Xinglong, and she was hiding her strength with the Authority as well.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. It comes with the territory when you¡¯re an expert healer. Your senses get really strong to compensate for the fact that most people hide their strength and wounds even when close to death. Yet the information is necessary for saving their lives, so we have been forced to develop our own ways to compensate. I can¡¯t actually feel your strength, but I can feel a sense of danger that was not present before, and my blessing is telling me that I should not pick a fight with you.¡± Shraeska explained.


    ¡°Smart blessing.¡± Razark mumbled. ¡°She kicked master¡¯s ass just a while ago.¡±


    Shraeska¡¯s eyes widened just a bit. ¡°Well then. Did he tell you his name finally? I realize you can¡¯t tell me, but I just want to know he had to tell someone. He was so smug about no one being worthy enough to hear it back then.¡±


    Dee nodded in confirmation but continued. ¡°I might have beaten him last time, but I think I would not have such an easy time next time.¡±


    ¡°Still, that¡¯s saying something. Ah, I think I know why you¡¯re here then. Poor Razark has always been a bit of an idiot when it comes to holy powers and judging by the feeling I¡¯m getting, your blessings have reached the level of an immortal, so you¡¯re not a lughead like him. Wise choice. You¡¯re here to find out what happens now since the lughead doesn¡¯t really have immortal priest friends aside from me.¡±


    Dee decided not to correct the misunderstanding about her becoming immortal due to her holy powers since the holy symbols had been connected with her totem anyway. Besides, if she had been immortal purely for that reason, then how could she have beaten the old man with no immortal level holy spells? Shraeska would figure it out eventually. ¡°Yes, well, like you said, I¡¯m in the need of some guidance. My holy spells training never got all that high ranked. I was a paladin after all, and the basic training didn¡¯t really cover everything. A priestess tried to teach me more holy spells when I was a child, but despite being the priestess of a God of Knowledge, her own rank and thus access to spells was a bit limited.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see how that would be a problem, though I¡¯m surprised you got this far without finding out. I can show you some of the higher ranked spells, though for immortals things are a little different. Truly you should have found out about this by now.¡± Shraeska explained genuinely surprised and looked at Dee a little weirdly.


    ¡°Why?¡± Dee¡¯s eye twitched a little in annoyance as she had a sneaking suspicion what was going on.


    ¡°Here it comes!¡± Both Lumen and Umbra cheered, and even Death had a small smile on her normally stoic face.


    ¡°Well, no matter the deity, by the time one becomes immortal, you become important to the deity as a servant. Usually that comes with an upgrade to your blessing, especially as you dedicate your totem to their service. They will personally impart you with their knowledge. The spells and abilities you get depend on the blessing and the deity. I¡¯m somewhat surprised your deities didn¡¯t explain this already the last time you prayed. Usually only the priests of deities high ranking enough to support immortals get that far in the first place, so that should not be a problem.¡± Shraeska explained.


    ¡°GODS DAMMIT!¡± Dee cursed with a sudden outburst as she exited the room to fume in peace.


    ¡°There we go!¡± Umbra declared victoriously while lifting her hands in a cheer.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get for praying so rarely.¡± Lumen also stated sagely. ¡°I¡¯m anticipating this meeting with some pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Wait for your turn sister dearest. We agreed that I would go first since she got trained by the servants of the light gods.¡± Umbra was practically beaming with pleasure. And considering she was the Goddess of Darkness, she naturally radiated more of the dark void she seemed to be surrounded by.


    ¡°I have another idea.¡± Death suddenly suggested. That caught the other three by surprise. ¡°How about if I handle her training in the darker side of spells, while you can go ahead and show her how that damn blessing of yours works. We know you¡¯d rather do that anyway. I don¡¯t need to instruct her with my blessing, so I can do the general spells.¡± The same restrictions that had kept them from instructing Dee on the blessings no longer held so strictly. The only problem was that Dee had to come to them, seeking help. They couldn¡¯t just volunteer the information.


    ¡°Why do I have a feeling there¡¯s a catch here?¡± Umbra asked with suspicion. She was someone who dealt in plots and secrets after all.


    ¡°You¡¯d figure it out pretty quickly anyway, so I might as well tell you. The darker holy spells fall more into my field, considering your blessing covers the other things nicely. Also, if she focuses more on my spells, those same spells benefit from my blessing. It¡¯s a win for everyone either way.¡± Death explained simply. She wasn¡¯t wrong, as some of the most powerful offensive holy spells of the high rank used the element of death. Darkness and chaos were better for confusion and debilitating your opponent, both of which could be achieved with Umbra¡¯s blessing anyway. She neglected to mention that using mostly death spells would be a tribute to her as a deity, but they all understood that much.


    While the goddesses argued, the situation in the temple remained. ¡°I get the feeling there¡¯s some issue here?¡± Shraeska asked with a questioning tone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that her relationship with the deities is not the simplest one.¡± Razark replied, deciding to obfuscate the truth a little. ¡°She¡¯ll calm down and be back pretty soon.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose we can¡¯t all have a harmonious relationship with the deities. Though I suppose I should¡¯ve known a disciple of yours would have problems with her deity.¡± Shraeska stated sagely and said a small silent prayer in her head.


    It actually didn¡¯t take all that long for Dee to calm down and be back. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m calm now. I¡¯m ready for some instruction whenever you are. Luckily I learn fast. I don¡¯t suppose you have a dark priest you could introduce me to for the same favor? I happen to have a dual blessing.¡±


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    ¡°Truly? Well, as it happens, I actually do. Or should I say we have some mutual friends? The person I¡¯m thinking will not work for free, though they shouldn¡¯t ask too steep of a price from an immortal as strong as you. They don¡¯t have the courage. I¡¯ll be glad to teach a psion as I¡¯ve always heard of the learning abilities of your kind, but never got to test them in practice.¡± Shraeska stated. She was a more open-minded priestess than many others of those serving the light gods. She had nothing against the dark priests on principle. So as long as they acted properly, they would have no trouble with her. She was a healer, not a templar.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the Four Winds can foot the bill on this one. You did them a rather major favor with the Beholders and Qiraj. Without you, the whole thing would¡¯ve turned into a mess.¡± Razark pointed out. ¡°Just¡­ask someone else besides Smoky.¡±


    -----------


    Dee found herself in the moon palace made of dark marble that she had come to associate with Umbra. This time she was already inside the palace and was standing in a garden, surrounded by black roses. ¡°Still the same unicolor motif.¡± She said mostly to herself.


    ¡°You commented on the same thing the last time you were here. Or to be more precise, you thought about it. Pity I can¡¯t read your thoughts anymore. What fun things I might find inside.¡± A voice came out from a black gazebo placed a short distance away. The goddess made of pure shadows and darkness was looking at her with some amusement clear on her face.


    ¡°You called it an occupational hazard as I recall.¡± Dee stated waving at the dark surroundings. ¡°You know why I¡¯m here I presume.¡±


    ¡°I know. However, there¡¯s something that needs to happen before that. This resentment you seem to be gathering against us needs to stop. I can see why you would want to reject your future destiny, as you hate being controlled. However, you need to realize that you will never shake the control of others before you reach the level of absolute power. Until then, there will be demands and expectations placed on you, if not by us then others. Power begets those that want a piece of it. What you also need to realize is the difference between malicious demands aiming to control you or benefit from you, and those willing to trade with you fairly.¡± Umbra explained her point calmly.


    Dee waved for her to continue. ¡°My sister and I have placed expectations on you, but you realize well that it¡¯s mostly because you are the most appropriate one to deal with those expectations. With your little stunt with our holy symbols, we¡¯re now both committed to this path. However, we are willing to compensate you. That will help you on your path towards the absolute power you require. We are not the enemy, even if we may have given a different impression at times. We might, in fact, end up being your best and only allies once you leave Pantheon.¡±


    Dee considered Umbra¡¯s words for a while. What irritated her was the combination of two things. Yes, the goals of the two goddesses aligned with hers to an extent, so it made sense for them to work together. However, she wasn¡¯t asked. She was simply set on this path before she had a proper idea of what it would entail. The other thing was her now natural distaste for anyone trying to control her and push her in the direction they wanted. Yet, Umbra was not wrong. She and Lumen were not the enemy.


    ¡°Fine. I will do my part and keep in touch more closely.¡± Dee finally agreed. What was done was done. ¡°You know why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still the one thing I said needed to happen. Your resentment is just a part of it. We all know what your totem stands for, and that you will not serve us. That doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t treat each other with civility. You¡¯re asking something of us. What is the civil thing to do in such a situation?¡± Umbra tried pushing her luck a little, but it was to drive the point home.


    Dee knew what she meant. This would be a step towards a new path in the relationship between her and the gods. Yet, it was a step she needed to take. ¡°Please.¡± She stated simply but sincerely.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to help.¡± Umbra replied with a smile. ¡°Now, we have divvied up the parts that we need to teach you, and it¡¯s my job to help you understand my blessing better. Yes, I realize you came here to find more holy spells, but this will help you accomplish the same goal of using your holy power more effectively. And it will help you with the blessing at the same time, so it¡¯s a dual benefit.¡±


    Dee once again gestured the goddess to continue. She was here to learn to utilize her holy power. The method was somewhat irrelevant as long as it was effective. It had to be said that the gods were the experts in this, so she deferred to their judgement. It was in their interest for Dee to grow in power as well.


    ¡°Start by sending your senses into the shadows. The key to truly utilizing them is simple yet profound. You need to realize that the shadows are all one. There aren¡¯t an endless amount of separate shadows, instead there¡¯s just one shadow that is everywhere. Once you become one with the shadows around you, you become one with all the shadows. I know you experimented with moving either yourself or some objects between shadows when you realized they were connected, but that you failed because you didn¡¯t realize that there are no separate shadows. Once you or an object enters the shadows, you can exit elsewhere as the shadow is the same everywhere. There is no need to move between them. Everything stems from the realization that shadows are one.¡± Umbra explained in an almost hypnotic voice as Dee had closed her eyes to concentrate better.


    It had to be said that the current surroundings were optimal for such training as shadows and darkness were everywhere. She could see herself and the goddess from multiple angles as she looked out of the shadow. The shadow had eyes and she could use them. She tried moving herself to another place. It seemed like a small orb of shadows surrounded her and consumed her as she disappeared from her old location, and another similar orb of shadow grew at her destination and seemed to spit her out. The process wasn¡¯t fast, but she could improve on that. Perhaps not enough to become effective in combat, but still. She had a feeling moving objects would be easier.


    ¡°Is there a limit?¡± Dee asked. This seemed faster than her portals. She somewhat answered her own question as she tried seeing further away and eventually seemed to run into a wall of sorts.


    ¡°You may have noted just now that there is. The limits always depend on the individual. Your control of the shadows is stronger than most, but it is limited to a certain area. That area seems to be equal to the area your Domain extends to. It¡¯s pretty far for practical purposes and will continue to grow as your Domain does, but this can¡¯t be used in the same way as your portals. That¡¯s not the point. You will figure out all the implications on your own. We can discuss this further as you pray and come back here. For now, we have another matter to talk about before you move on. There is much more for you to learn, but this should come first.¡±


    ¡°Another matter?¡± Dee asked. She had a hunch about where this was going.


    ¡°Yes. The spirits in the shadows. When you were fighting the Beholder, you brought your enemy into the shadows, which allowed the spirits to attack. However, most enemies would not just allow that to happen. If the Anshar wasn¡¯t there, the Beholder would not have allowed it to happen either. It was distracted and thought it had a counter to whatever you were doing. But the spirits don¡¯t have to remain in the shadows. You can bring them out with your power and command them.¡± Umbra explained.


    ¡°How strong would they be outside the shadows?¡± Dee asked considering the possibilities.


    ¡°That depends. While in the shadows, they don¡¯t really have a body. You have to give them one when you bring them out. Their power is directly related to how much of your holy power you put into giving them a body. If you give a little, they will come out as a simple shade. If you give enough, they might come out as a Shadow Dragon. This is something you need to test elsewhere as this place is obviously within the realm of shadows. But you only needed a push. The rest you will want to figure out yourself anyway.¡± Umbra truly knew Dee¡¯s personality. Dee would rather figure things out herself than blindly trust what someone else told her. That way she would know the limits and might even improve on what she learned.


    ¡°Judging by your look, there¡¯s something else.¡± Dee suddenly noted the difficult look on Umbra¡¯s face.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t really want to tell you this, but I made a promise. We all know your Domain and totem are heavily influenced by the element of death. As a result, you can influence the spirits from the shadows as well. They don¡¯t really care and just want to be of service. This doesn¡¯t make you a necromancer exactly, but do keep in mind that you could create a spirit of death or a reaper just as easily as a shade or any other shadow creature. They can be a combination of both elements as well. Just don¡¯t try to create something like a skeleton or a zombie. Those are undead and against Death¡¯s will.¡± Umbra explained with a sigh.


    Dee decided to surprise the goddess as their little lesson was drawing to a close. ¡°Thank you.¡± She stated simply.


    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome. You¡¯re going to Lumen next. She might not mention it, but she is being pressured rather heavily. I don¡¯t think she has more than a few hundred years left before Order can oust her. She¡¯s an enemy, but still my sister, so I¡¯d rather keep her around than have some pompous god of light that serves Order in her place. Just something to keep in mind.¡± Umbra decided to show some sympathy for her sister, as she knew Lumen was too proud to say anything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind. I won¡¯t make promises, but I will keep that in mind.¡± Dee replied.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I ask. Off you go then.¡± The goddess waved her hand, making Dee vanish from her realm. She looked at the world below. ¡°I sense great changes are coming soon anyway. You might not have much choice but to leave when that change comes. I can sense the servants of the sun making their move, and the sun always has a nasty habit of dispersing the shadows.¡±

 Chapter 133

    Dee found herself within a palace made of light, shiny white marble, and gold decorations. As she took a look out of a nearby window, she noted that her current position was extremely high, and an entire city made of similar materials spread out under the window. With a glance to the sides, she figured out that she was within a tall but thick central tower rising from the middle of what could only be described as a heavenly palace. The city and the palace seemed to be filled with beings made of light running on various errands. Many of them seemed to be light elementals of different sorts, but not all of them. There were angels and Archons mixed in as well, which made Dee frown a bit. Was she in Paradisia right now? Surely Umbra wouldn¡¯t send her to the home of the angels? She wasn¡¯t even physically here.


    ¡°If you¡¯ve spent enough time admiring the place, you probably should come in.¡± The voice of Lumen came from an open door opposite the window. The doors were wide double doors fit for a king, though it still seemed to be a side entrance of sorts.


    As Dee entered, she found herself in something that seemed to be a mix of a temple and a throne room. On a dais at the end of the room sat the Goddess of Light surrounded by statues that seemed to be glorifying her existence. ¡°I see we¡¯re not borrowing a random temple this time.¡± Dee stated.


    ¡°No, not this time. I do have to do some work on occasion. Welcome to my realm. Judging by your earlier expression, you assumed we are in Paradisia, which in a way would make this enemy territory of sorts for you. Your earlier assumption is both true and false. My realm overlaps slightly with Paradisia, but only slightly. You could walk out of the palace and be in Paradisia, or at least you could if you were here with your body. With how you are now though, not so much. The angels aren¡¯t allowed into the palace, so no need to worry on that front. Only my servants can come here and they have been given other things to do while you¡¯re here.¡± Lumen explained.


    ¡°I can see how the angels turning away from you might become a problem.¡± Dee stated. With Lumen¡¯s realm overlapping with Paradisia, there would be consequences if the angels no longer worshipped her in earnest.


    Lumen grimaced. ¡°The problem with creating an entire race and their home from scratch. Using my own realm as a basis to grow from seemed like such a grand idea back then. Now I¡¯m slightly regretting that decision.¡±


    ¡°Does Order have a similar palace in Paradisia as well?¡± Dee asked. Seeing as Order might turn out to be her greatest enemy, such information might be rather useful in the future.


    ¡°Yes and no. He has a nominal palace to match mine, but his realm isn¡¯t actually connected. His palace is used for official business in a very similar way, but it¡¯s not the same. He has several temples scattered around the place to compensate for the difference.¡± Lumen sounded a little smug at the difference, but also sounded like she had chewed on something distasteful when she mentioned Order.


    ¡°What would happen if your realm was separated from Paradisia?¡± Dee suddenly asked, the beginnings of a plan forming in her head.


    ¡°Funny you should mention that. That¡¯s part of what I¡¯d like you to do for me. I can¡¯t sever the connection myself, but if someone working in my name were to do so¡­.¡± Lumen looked at Dee suggestively. ¡°Then I would think the results would be less than pleasing for the angels. They would quickly discover why turning away from me might not be such a great idea after all. That¡¯s why Order is trying so hard to have me replaced. The new Deity of Light would take over my realm and remove that threat.¡±


    ¡°Something to keep in mind. That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here though. I seek your guidance, please.¡± Dee came back to the real topic.


    Lumen looked at Dee with slight surprise. ¡°Hmm, it seems Umbra did it. Dammit, she won the bet! I was so sure you wouldn¡¯t say ¡®please¡¯ when you came here.¡±


    Dee grinned. ¡°What did you bet?¡±


    ¡°Nothing that important. She gets to have her way with one decision concerning you, assuming the consequences aren¡¯t too much against my interests.¡± Lumen explained.


    Dee¡¯s eyebrow shot up. ¡°And I¡¯m supposed to go along with what you decide?¡±


    ¡°Not that kind of decision. It¡¯s more along the lines of who gets to talk to you first, or what we get to teach you. That kind of stuff.¡± The light goddess quickly explained, knowing Dee would not like it if she did not.


    ¡°Well, my request still stands.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Right, yes, of course I will teach you. There are three things we should deal with this time¡¯s lesson. First things first, about your blessing. You¡¯re mostly getting the hang of it, but I should mention something. Now that you have become immortal, your body no longer needs to be physical all the time. I would imagine you could use your cute fox form to turn into a kitsune made of that black fire that is so disturbing. In the same vein, when you need to move really quickly or react really fast, you could turn entirely into light. Be aware that this has some downsides. You no longer have the sturdiness of your normal body, nor can you just punch someone when made of light. Also, magic specialized against beings of light would be especially effective. That said, the last thing I will teach you today will somewhat counter some of those problems.¡± The goddess said, giving a balanced explanation.


    Dee considered for a moment. The ability could be useful, but situational. She would have to run some tests. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± She stated. Actually, the part about her fox form was more interesting. She had suspected as much, but it wasn¡¯t something easy to just try. Having the idea confirmed first would be a big help though.


    ¡°Right, the second thing I¡¯m going to teach you is our magic that specializes in fighting our worst enemies. That would mean demons, undead, and certain other unnatural beings like Umbra¡¯s shadowy servants. This subset of magic can only be used by those with angelic blood and doesn¡¯t affect anyone with angelic heritage. That includes you, even though you¡¯re mostly demonic. I suppose that¡¯s the main reason they inserted angelic blood into you, as they knew these kinds of spells are the favorite of angels and my servants. Anyway, these spells will do you no good against my people, but you will most likely have to face demons to help complete the task Umbra gave you. Thus you should find the spells useful. It¡¯s also always a good idea to have spells against the pesky undead.¡± It was ironic that Lumen¡¯s help would be so useful in completing Umbra¡¯s task, but such things sometimes worked in mysterious ways.


    ¡°And the third thing?¡± Dee asked. Lumen had mentioned that there would be three things.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to normal spells next time, but you should learn one of the most important spells given to those with my blessing. You can use my power to form an armor of light that can protect you as long as you have holy power remaining. Let me first ask you a question. You have not used the spell ¡®Fateguard¡¯ very often despite it being one of the better protective holy spells. Why?¡± Lumen knew the answer but was asking to make a point.


    ¡°The spell ¡®Fateguard¡¯ gives a random number of protective layers that will block pretty much any blow but will also lose a layer from the slightest of scratches. That includes the excess power released when crossing blades or fists with an enemy of even relatively similar strength, as our strikes cause some collateral damage when the power bursts out. I would lose a layer every time I hit someone, and that¡¯s even without considering any debris flying around. The spells becomes useless fairly quickly, and pretty much just wastes a lot of power.¡± Dee explained. The spell had been good at lower ranks and as a buff to a large number of people but had become increasingly useless as time passed and she grew in strength. It was not a light spell to cast.


    ¡°Indeed. The armor of light I¡¯m about to teach you works in slightly the same way, in that it creates a similar layer of light to protect you. It¡¯s weightless so it will do nothing to hinder your movement and will protect you even if you do turn into light like I mentioned earlier. That¡¯s where the similarities end. It only creates one layer, and that one layer takes all the damage, drawing on your holy power to protect you. It¡¯s probably the most versatile and powerful protective spells in that it protects you from almost anything, and it is rather efficient in using your power with little to no waste. It will draw enough power from you to block the attack, and there¡¯s no way to overwhelm the protections without first draining you of all your power.¡± With how much holy power Dee had, the spell would be a very effective way to allow Dee to protect herself with little effort, especially when combined with Dee¡¯s other defensive methods.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this armor is rather showy, seeing as it¡¯s made of light?¡± Dee noticed a potential problem.


    ¡°Correct. My methods are not good for trying to hide, as that falls into my sister¡¯s realm.¡± Lumen knew what Dee was aiming at. ¡°However, do keep in mind that the time you can hide yourself is growing shorter. As time passes and you grow in strength, the more you will be forced to face your enemies head-on. That¡¯s where my abilities will shine. Considering your already sturdy physique, possibly your Domain and Aegis and your psionic defenses, my spell will make you a veritable bastion on the field of battle. I know you have learned other protective spells before this, but believe me when I tell you that my spell is much more efficient and doesn¡¯t carry the risk of being broken with a single strong blow. It¡¯s also less subject to barrier-breaking attacks that some people use, though of course there will always be exceptions such as your flames. It also helps to have one protective spell that trumps others, instead of trying to cast three separate ones.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Well, it seems like something that won¡¯t hurt to learn. It will be useful to focus my defensive spells on a single ability instead.¡± Dee agreed. That last part more than anything appealed to her. She knew a dozen protective spells, but if this one would be more effective than any of them, then she would have no reason to cast the others, except if she wanted to protect someone besides herself. In which case Aegis would do the trick.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to training then.¡± Lumen stated with a smile. ¡°Next time I¡¯ll teach you some other spells that might be more niche in their use.¡±


    -----


    As she was sent to her next lesson, Dee surprisingly found herself in a place that mirrored her own Domain. It wasn¡¯t an exact copy, as Croestia and the Living Mountain were both missing for example, but it was close enough. Death stood in the middle, looking at the replica of Dee¡¯s totem. ¡°This is an interesting choice of venue.¡± Dee commented.


    Death didn¡¯t turn around, still studying the totem. ¡°I still can¡¯t quite figure out how much your totem was affected by me, and how much of it was your own unconscious decision.¡± The goddess stated. ¡°I¡¯m guessing it was mostly you, though I suppose the skull thing came from me.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is.¡± Dee replied calmly. There was no point in agonizing over what had already happened.


    ¡°True enough. I¡¯m fairly confident you will be able to finish the totem once you¡¯ve absorbed the little gift you were left with. Yes, we saw that. Souls from a destroyed hell it seemed like. Very clever. We always wondered where all that power went. We had a suspicion, but it¡¯s always nice to have confirmation.¡± Death finally turned to look at Dee. ¡°Did you already decide when you were going to absorb them?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to get used to my current power first and find a way to utilize my holy power properly, which I¡¯m starting to get done as we speak. I¡¯ll start absorbing the power as soon as we have some time for me to dedicate to the task.¡± Dee explained her reasoning. There seemed little point in hiding the fact as she was about to start soon anyway.


    ¡°Good. In the meantime, I will be in charge of teaching you offensive holy spells. We both know the death spells will be your most effective weapon, so I¡¯m the best choice. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already felt it. You have absorbed so many souls that any death spell you cast will be more effective to a significant degree. You might ask why I didn¡¯t give you any holy power, as my power would make those spells even more effective. Firstly because it¡¯s not my style. Secondly, let me tell you a little secret. With your Domain being this heavily themed with my power, any holy power you channel through the Domain will be equal to channeling power gained from me. I didn¡¯t give you any holy power because you didn¡¯t need me to. Instead, I made sure the power of the other gods would work just as well.¡± Death¡¯s face was hidden by her hood, but her voice made it clear she was smiling.


    ¡°I would think the others would be less than pleased if they found out.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°They already know. Or they suspect but don¡¯t have a confirmation, which is almost as good in this case. Dear old Eternity won¡¯t care, while the other two kids won¡¯t be able to do anything about it. Which reminds me, Eternity opted out of this little study session, so don¡¯t feel too bad about that when you wake up. He¡¯s a bit grouchy at the moment due to matters you need not concern yourself with.¡± The goddess seemed to be rather pleased with herself for some reason.


    Dee suspected there was something going on but decided it might be better if she didn¡¯t get involved for now. Assuming she wasn¡¯t already. ¡°Well, shall we get to our lessons?¡±


    ----------


    Dee and Razark returned back to the Four Winds. Luckily she didn¡¯t need to go too far for her lessons, and both her daily and nightly lessons had taken barely a month. Both Shraeska and the dark priest Dee had been introduced to had been surprised at her learning speed, though part of that was because she was already learning more complex things during the nights. She had a fair grasp on the new things and only needed some actual battle experience to get used to it.


    As soon as the two returned, they were met by a pair of messengers. Dee¡¯s entry had been rather flashy once again, as she still liked to use her dragon form to travel long distances. She also figured the Four Winds would need to get used to it anyway. Some other beings had also noticed her new approach, a particular angel among them, but that was generally within Dee¡¯s expectations. She would not inconvenience herself anymore to keep such details secret, and hiding her dragon form was a futile effort anyway. The form wasn¡¯t as big as Xinglong¡¯s, not even close, but it was still too big to go unnoticed.


    The two messengers both rushed up to her and took a glance at each other. It seemed some wordless conversation took place with that glance, and one of the messengers deferred to the other one. The small bunny Meilin spoke first. ¡°Miss Haydee, the representatives of the races would like to speak with you. The matter is not urgent, but your timely presence is requested.¡± The messenger knew Dee would have questions so she pre-empted them. ¡°The matter is about Moirai. It appears she has broken through the barrier to become immortal, and a celebration is planned.¡±


    ¡°Moirai became immortal?¡± Razark asked as well. ¡°Well, well. I suppose she felt pressured by her pupil overtaking her. I know she was training pretty hard, but I didn¡¯t know she was already getting results.¡±


    ¡°This is good news.¡± Dee also stated with a smile. She looked at the other messenger. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not about to dampen my mood.¡±


    The Jun messenger gave a small smile of her own. ¡°I think not. A person called Faylen Sarfina was looking for you. A friend of yours I presume? In any case, she wanted you to visit as soon as possible. What she told me made me assume this would be a happy occasion as well.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time for some happy news.¡± Dee stated. She looked at Razark. ¡°You go meet with the representatives first. Their news seems like something that can wait, though do tell them I¡¯ll be there as soon as I can. Faylen might have something more urgent.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Razark said simply and started moving towards his destination. The messengers didn¡¯t comment on Dee¡¯s choice. They had done their job, so the choice of what to do with the information was for Dee to make.


    In the end, it didn¡¯t matter, as Dee noted that both Moirai and Faylen were talking in the garden Faylen had made in her yard. Either Moirai had not been called yet, or the two had known where Dee would go first. ¡°I hear congratulations are in order master.¡± Dee stated as she walked up to them. She could sense something different about Moirai already.


    Her teacher smiled. ¡°Thank you. I suppose I have you to thank for pushing me along. Anyway, I¡¯m not the only one you need to congratulate.¡± She turned to look at Faylen.


    Faylen in turn smiled at Dee tenderly. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t notice already. You¡¯re about to become an aunt. Or a sister. Or whatever. I prefer aunt personally.¡±


    Now that Faylen mentioned it, Dee could see a new life developing within her step-sister. ¡°Well, well. This is a surprise. I didn¡¯t even know you were dating anyone.¡±


    Faylen gave a small laugh. ¡°I used to avoid such connections when I was in the order, but I¡¯ve found myself with a lot of time on my hands lately, and I suppose your rapid progress also made me realize I did not have the talent to match my brother. Realizing that was like letting go of a heavy weight that had been pressing down on me. I find myself happy here. No fuss due to my family. I can simply work as a trainer and a healer. I can also meet people. Something you should try.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, when do I get to meet the lucky fellow?¡± Dee asked, suddenly making a stern face. The bastard had gotten Faylen pregnant without even introducing himself first.


    Moirai gave a mirthful gale of laughter. ¡°He¡¯s hiding from you. Everyone knows how protective you are, so he made the wise choice to let you cool down first. You¡¯ll meet him soon.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more.¡± Faylen stated. ¡°We were planning on getting married, and I¡¯d like you to stand by me when the time comes.¡± Her smile flagged a bit. ¡°I also need you to get a word to my brother. My family has a right to know at least. My brother can decide if the others should be allowed to attend. I would prefer if they did, but only if they behave.¡±


    Dee grinned. ¡°Yes to both. I¡¯d love to stand by you. I¡¯ll also make sure your family behaves.¡±


    ¡®Though it might be a little weird that the slayer of the Tree of Life is standing with their daughter during the ceremony.¡¯ She thought to herself.

 Chapter 134

    For some reason, Dee was not surprised to see Taeral Faeydark when Faylen brought in her future husband. The two had been friends for a long time. It seemed Taeral had carried a torch for Faylen for a while now but had not done anything about it as he had realized she wasn¡¯t ready. He was also a bit older than her, though that was somewhat irrelevant due to the long lives of the High Elves. Even without becoming immortal, they could live for thousands of years. In this case it had been a bit more relevant because he¡¯d had more life experience and knew Faylen would need some time to come to terms with her relationship with her family and especially her brother. Realistically he had also expected her family to arrange a political marriage for her but had hoped her independent spirit would put a stop to that. A hope that had come true, though with a little help from Dee.


    Now that Faylen had let go of her goal of beating her brother, a goal that would realistically never come to pass, she was able to pursue other goals in life. One of those goals was starting a family. She had not gone to look for her old friend with that in mind, but that was how things had developed. It had not taken long for Taeral to notice the change in Faylen and he made his own feelings known. It had taken a bit longer for Faylen to respond and discover her own feelings. Taeral had been someone that stuck with her through everything, so it was not strange for her to develop warm feelings towards the ranger-general.


    There was also something outside Dee¡¯s expectations with the meeting. Clearly Taeral should be able to feel the power of the Tree of Life inside Dee, but he was showing no reaction. ¡°You told him?¡± Dee asked, looking at Faylen. Her meaning was clear.


    ¡°In bits and pieces. He didn¡¯t really believe it at first, but I encouraged him to do his own research into things. The powers that be didn¡¯t really advertise the corruption of the Tree of Life, but they couldn¡¯t keep it a complete secret either.¡± Faylen explained. She hadn¡¯t been silly enough to blurt out that their old student was the one to destroy the sacred tree. Instead she had broached the subject slowly.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a bit difficult to swallow, but it¡¯s hard to argue with the facts.¡± Taeral stated with a determined look. ¡°You look different by the way.¡±


    ¡°Well, they do say little girls really change when they grow up, don¡¯t they. Hello again Taeral.¡± Dee countered with a small smile hanging on her face. She had been the weaker one the last time they met, but now the positions had reversed. ¡°Follow me.¡± She said suddenly and started leading Taeral outside.


    Faylen got up to follow as well, but Dee just pointed at her and told her to stay. At first Taeral followed calmly and quietly, but started to become a little worried as Dee led him outside the city. They were a fair distance from the city before he couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking. ¡°Where are we going exactly?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re actually here already.¡± Dee stated as they arrived close to an outcrop of trees. It was rather close to the place where Dee had been testing her new skills before, and there were still some scars on the ground. She pulled a shovel from Croestia¡¯s storage space and tossed it to Taeral. ¡°Dig.¡± She told him.


    Taeral looked between the shovel and Dee for a short moment but did as he was told. ¡°Any specific spot or instructions on the size of the hole?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give some directions, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Dee replied. And she did give instructions, rather specific ones in fact. As a powerful warrior, it was easy for Taeral to dig and it didn¡¯t take all that much time either. It also didn¡¯t take long for him to figure out he was digging a grave, and one sized for someone like him. That got him a bit rattled.


    Once Dee decided the grave was good enough she spoke again. ¡°You can come up now, that¡¯s good enough for what I have in mind, as doesn¡¯t need to be anything fancy. Speaking of which, I was thinking about putting up a headstone as well. Something simple but with a nice text. Something like ¡®Here lies what is left of the man that broke the heart of Faylen.¡¯ or maybe ¡®Here lie the ashes of the dirtbag that cheated on Faylen.¡¯ What do you think?¡±


    Taeral coughed a bit, getting the message. ¡°That seems rather appropriate. Though anyone who did something so stupid probably won¡¯t have enough left of him to need a grave.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good that you understand. And believe me, I will hunt down and find the person this grave was dug for, no matter where they hide. You should know, I¡¯m pretty good at such things, as you taught me the basics. I¡¯ve learned a lot more since then. For the meantime, the grave shall stay here as a reminder. You should look after it and keep it in good condition. Just to keep the idea fresh in your mind. I will check up on it every once in a while.¡± Dee started walking away, before shouting over her shoulder. ¡°You can keep the shovel!¡±


    -----


    ¡°You had the talk?¡± Moirai asked with amusement as Dee came straight to her place after leaving Taeral back near the forest. Dee had used the shadows to quickly travel the short distance as practice, leaving the ranger-general to find his own way back. He¡¯d need some time alone with Faylen anyway.


    ¡°The message has been given. I¡¯m fairly confident it was also received in the spirit it was sent.¡± Dee replied with a tiny smile tugging at the side of her lips. ¡°You could¡¯ve told me it was Taeral. I might have gone a little easier if I had known. I didn¡¯t want to change my plans in the middle.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to go easier. Faylen is my friend as well. Taeral seems to be a good influence on her. But unlike you, I haven¡¯t spent years training with him, so I don¡¯t know him as well. He is from an empire hostile to you, so I wanted you to make the point properly, even if he is a friend of sorts. Especially because he is a friend of sorts. We tend to overlook the errors made by those we are close with.¡± Moirai explained her reasoning.


    ¡°Fair enough. Now tell me, when¡¯s the party for your ascension to immortality?¡± Dee changed the subject, agreeing to Moirai¡¯s reasoning.


    ¡°Party?¡± Moirai asked a little stupidly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try to claim Nyx isn¡¯t throwing you a party. She¡¯ll take any excuse, so this is right up her alley.¡± Dee countered with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Ah, I think she did mention something about taking us on another girl¡¯s night out after the wedding. It¡¯s too close to the wedding and Faylen is too pregnant to do it before the wedding and take her along.¡± Moirai remembered some of the things her mother had muttered. Some of the other things had been too scary to remember, so she had suppressed most of it. Nyx¡¯s plans often brought out dread in her much more serious daughter.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine then. Now tell me, how did you do it? I seem to recall that you reached your natural power limit a long time ago, so the new power had to come from somewhere. Especially since you jumped up to become an immortal. So spill it. Where did you gain this sudden upgrade?¡± Dee suddenly got a conspiratorial look and started demanding information.


    Moirai gave up with a small laugh. ¡°Well, truth be told, I wasn¡¯t so far from becoming an immortal originally. I had simply stagnated because I didn¡¯t have the drive, but seeing my own student pass me by so quickly admittedly got me going. The fights against the Beholders certainly helped. I killed many of their servants and focused on draining their strength for my own use. Thanks to you and Smoky taking the largest burden, I managed to gather quite a bit of power for later absorption. That said, most of the new power came from the mines they were creating. There¡¯s a reason why that strange ore was found at those specific places, as the mines were located over pockets of certain kind of power. The ore was good for affecting the minds of the slaves, and as it turns out that power that created the ore is pretty useful for a psion with skill in that area.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Dee stated, having completely missed the possibility. ¡°Now that you mentioned it, that does make sense. I¡¯ve mostly ignored the power you can get from locations due to getting more power from dead enemies. That¡¯s an oversight on my part.¡±


    ¡°Well, in fairness your situation is a bit unique.¡± Moirai waved the issue away. ¡°Everyone can gain power from their enemies, but you¡¯re better at that than others. Thanks to your blessing, I presume? You kind of neglected to mention that by the way.¡± She had a sneaky look on her face at this point.


    Dee grimaced a bit. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly something you advertise. I was specifically told not to talk about it. People don¡¯t look kindly on someone blessed by Death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair, though I still think you could¡¯ve told me.¡± Moirai considered for a moment. ¡°Eventually. It might have been a good idea not to mention it the first time we met. The situation back then was already a bit iffy. Then again, I know what you¡¯re like and I know you don¡¯t like to share such things. Any other surprises?¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Dee looked a little contrite.


    ¡°Oh, gods dammit Dee!¡± Moirai huffed with a combination of a sigh and a laugh. ¡°Just let me see. No need to say it out loud.¡±


    Dee allowed the symbol of Eternity to float out from her forehead. They both stared at it in silence for a moment before Moirai spoke. ¡°I¡¯m guessing these didn¡¯t come without strings attached.¡±


    ¡°This one seems to have been given to me mostly without strings, but that might just be me not realizing the situation fully just yet. The others¡­¡± Dee didn¡¯t speak further and just let the words hang in the air heavily.


    ¡°How bad?¡± Moirai finally asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty bad. I¡¯m going to have to leave eventually, but you already guessed as much. I assume you will be hearing about it once I¡¯m gone. I¡¯m guessing the news won¡¯t be all positive and singing my praises.¡± Dee stated simply.


    The two went quiet for a while longer. Finally Moirai signaled for Dee to pull the symbol back. ¡°Well, now¡¯s not the time for such dark thoughts. Just know we will be there for you. What¡¯s next?¡±


    ¡°Next? What¡¯s next is that I¡¯m off to do some wedding invitations and to make sure no one makes a scene at the wedding.¡± Dee said with a mean grin on her face.


    ¡°Do you need more shovels?¡± Moirai asked with a grin of her own.


    -----------


    Dee was looking over the city that combined the headquarters of the Radiant Sun and the other large organizations. The city still bore some marks from the internal fighting, though mostly in the sections controlled by the Radiant Sun and the freelancer¡¯s guild. Still, the city had mostly recovered. Some of the buildings were clearly new, so there had been some reconstruction going on. It seemed the headquarters of the order had suffered the worst of it, but that made sense if Razark had gained his revenge.


    Dee herself was hiding in the shadows outside the city, knowing her approach would most likely be noticed if she just marched in. She wasn¡¯t planning on doing that anyway. If she had her way, only the grandmaster would know she had been here. She extended her sight through the shadows, reaching for the room where he conducted business. There was some resistance around the main keep, but not enough to even slow her down. The grandmaster¡¯s office was isolated from the outside with heavy magic, and it took some effort for Dee to slip her sight inside, but those defenses had not really taken this type of power into consideration, so she could still slip through fairly easily.


    There were quite a bit of shadows to look through inside the office, giving a good view, and the grandmaster seemed to be working. However, it seemed he sensed something, as the hand that had just been writing something stopped and he looked around. He didn¡¯t look all that worried or alarmed, simply something bothering him. It was like he had sensed something, but he didn¡¯t quite know what that something was. Someone in his position had learned to listen to such feelings, hence why he was taking the time to look around.


    ¡°Well, I might as well go pay him a visit now that I already interrupted him.¡± Dee said to herself, and the shadows seemed to swallow her.


    The grandmaster was alarmed as he suddenly noticed a large round formation of shadows rising from the ground near a seat he used for reading books. The formation was over two mel tall; large enough to hide something very dangerous inside. He reacted immediately and pulled out his large sword that was lying against the table next to him. Power coursed through him as he leaped over the desk and slashed at the mass of darkness. As he did, the shadows started dispersing, revealing a female form inside, and his strike was caught in the air by a graceful hand surrounded by some kind of translucent armor made of light.


    Dee looked at the large sword she was holding by the blade. The armor of light had done its job perfectly. She had barely even felt the impact as she also happened to be stronger physically than the grandmaster. She realized that if something much stronger had stuck at the armor, she would have been unhurt but might have been thrown back by the momentum of the blow. ¡°Now is that supposed to be the appropriate way to greet someone coming to meet you with happy tidings?¡± She asked rather sarcastically.


    The grandmaster¡¯s eyes narrowed. Something about the angelic looking woman in front of him tickled his memory. He realized that the woman had four arms, which reminded him of a certain other person who reputedly also had an angel form of sorts. This form didn¡¯t match the reports however. That didn''t really matter though, as the ten white tails were kind of a strong hint as well. ¡°Dee? What are you doing sneaking around here? You should know showing up like that could get you killed.¡±


    Dee released his sword with a small harrumph. ¡°I think we just saw that¡¯s not all that likely. Anyway, I thought it might be better if I didn¡¯t advertise my presence here. Truth be told, I didn¡¯t think it would be so easy to enter your office. In any case, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here? And how is Faylen? I haven¡¯t heard much from my sister since you saved her.¡± He asked rather gruffly. He had done a lot of things to help his baby-sister, and while he didn¡¯t really expect gratitude, he at least wanted to stay in touch. He knew his sister felt too competitive due to his strength, but there was little he could do about it.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s actually why I¡¯m here. Faylen is getting married and you¡¯re invited.¡± Dee thought it better not to mention the grandmaster becoming an uncle just yet. She¡¯d happily leave that conversation to Faylen.


    The grandmaster¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Who¡¯s the dirtbag that dared to touch my sister? I will kill him. And weren¡¯t you supposed to keep her safe? Things like this were included.¡±


    ¡°I think you might know the lucky fellow. Taeral Faeydark, the ranger-general of the Spring Court. Or at least he used to be, I¡¯m not sure what his current position is.¡± Dee realized she had not asked. She had assumed the couple would stay with the Four Winds but realized that had not come up. That brought a small frown on her face. Interestingly she was still not entirely used to controlling her expressions with her current appearance so her emotions showed more clearly than she thought.


    The grandmaster¡¯s expression cleared quite a bit though. ¡°Oh, Taeral finally managed to confess. That only took him forever. He has liked her for ages. Still, I¡¯ll need to have a word with him. Wouldn¡¯t do for him to think going behind my back was ok. Might make him think he could go behind her back as well.¡±


    ¡°We had that discussion already, but you¡¯re welcome to have him dig another grave.¡± Dee revealed suddenly.


    ¡°Another? Ah, I think I know where this is going.¡± He grimaced. ¡°Might as well bring father along so Taeral won¡¯t have to dig a third one. Speaking of, is the rest of the family invited?¡±


    ¡°Well, according to Faylen that¡¯s up to you. You know them better. They¡¯re invited if they behave, and only then. Do consider that when the ceremony happens, the killer of the Tree of Life will be standing right there with their daughter.¡± Dee pointed out the obvious fact that the grandmaster might have ignored considering he was the one who assigned the task to her.


    He waved that away though. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. They knew about the tree¡¯s corruption. Now they know even more. They might make a scene when other elves are present, but secretly they don¡¯t care. They will, however, care that their daughter is secretly getting married in the first place. You also made something of an impression the last time you visited, so they don¡¯t exactly like you.¡±


    ¡°That can be fixed. Well not the fact that they don¡¯t like me, or that they disapprove of her marriage. What can be fixed is their reaction to it. I think we should emphasize the fact that if they show anything but happy smiles and full approval, then they won¡¯t be going home in one piece.¡± Dee said with a grim look.


    ¡°While I agree, it¡¯s a little disconcerting to have you threaten my family, such as they are. Still, you have a point. I think we¡¯ll have a little talk with them together. The fact that you¡¯re a psion capable of messing with their minds should make an impact. Also, the fact that you¡¯re apparently an immortal now should make a difference. Congratulations on that by the way. I knew you had it in you. I¡¯ll go and fetch them to a place where you¡¯re a slightly less hunted person and we can ¡®gently¡¯ convince them on how to act.¡± Despite his words, the way the grandmaster used air quotes with the word ¡®gently¡¯ made his attitude clear.


    He continued. ¡°Besides, father and I still need to have a talk with Taeral about appropriate behavior and asking for permission. And mother most likely wants to make sure Faylen is ok and take part in the arrangements. Despite everything, they do care. They might have married her off politically, but they would have made sure it was a grand wedding and a decent husband.¡±

 Chapter 135

    Dee couldn¡¯t help but smile as Faylen walked down the aisle radiating happiness. The elven woman looked so beautiful in the elaborate red and white dress. She seemed to be filled with life and joy as her parents escorted her towards the altar where the priestess would officiate the ceremony. Faylen¡¯s father¡¯s smile seemed a little cramped but her mother¡¯s smile and joy seemed genuine. Even if the smiles of most of Faylen¡¯s relatives showed were a little forced, they still smiled and at least pretended to be happy.


    In general, most of Faylen¡¯s relatives were happy for Faylen, although they didn¡¯t quite approve of the circumstances. It was just that they were more scared of the weird but entrancing being standing near the altar as support for Faylen. They didn¡¯t really care about the Tree of Life incident as much as they were frightened by the stern talking to that Dee and Faylen¡¯s brother Lothar, the grandmaster of the order, had given them. The duo had made it quite clear how miserable their fate would be if they expressed any displeasure during the celebration. Dee gave a small chuckle at the thought of all the threats they had used. Lothar was quite inventive in coming up with various ways to cause dread in people. She was quite sure that she would not be able to torture their souls for a thousand years, but they didn¡¯t need to know that.


    Despite Faylen¡¯s dress being a rather form hugging one, it showed no sign of her pregnancy just yet. That little bit of news had sparked another incident. Faylen¡¯s female relatives, her mother especially, had squealed with happiness, while all the close male relatives were already searching for their weapons in preparation for hunting poor Taeral down. Lothar had made them all back down, though only because he wanted to be the one to have a little word with Taeral himself. Dee had not been privy to what was said but Taeral had looked a little green by the time they returned.


    Still, the poor man seemed to be in one piece at the moment. He was also clearly madly in love. The love was practically pouring out from his eyes as he watched Faylen approach the altar. Lothar was watching over him with a small frown as he was fulfilling much the same role Dee was. He was standing in support of Taeral as most of the ranger-general¡¯s relatives were not here. His sister was here, but she was the only one. Taeral didn¡¯t have much family in the first place, and the ones he did have were mostly estranged for various reasons.


    Still, the temple was not lacking guests even if neither family was all that large. The Four Winds had filled out the remaining seats and some even had to stay outside. Faylen was rather popular within the community, as she was helpful, patient as a teacher, and most of all a capable holy caster as a templar. She might not have been the most powerful fighter here, but she was great at supporting others and also happened to be a fairly neutral and justice-minded party in case arguments required mediation. Faylen¡¯s father had been giddy with excitement when he realized the temple now held more than a dozen immortals. The fact that one of them would kill him if he misbehaved dampened his mood a bit, but still.


    As the ceremony started, a small trickle of melancholy entered Dee¡¯s heart. Faylen was moving on in her life. Dee felt a little jealous, though not in the romantic sense. Faylen would now be spending more and more time with her family and would have less time for Dee. That was only natural, and truth be told Dee also had way too many demands for her time to really spent too much of it with Faylen. Still, it felt a little like another door in life closing in front of her. That didn¡¯t stop her from feeling happy for Faylen of course, just that there was a small bittersweet taste to that happiness.


    She also realized that feelings like this were likely not uncommon. Friends often felt something similar when one in their group found a significant other. They felt happy for the friend but mourned the lost time together. It wasn¡¯t that they didn¡¯t wish for their friend to be happy, but that they realized that people moved on and that made them feel melancholic. There was often also a kind of wistful ¡®will that ever be me¡¯ kind of thought mixed in. That was true for Dee as well, although she realized that in her case that seemed a little unlikely for now at least. Perhaps when all her struggles were over.


    Another interesting thought occurred to her as the ceremony progressed. Strictly speaking, she too had training in performing such ceremonies, although that part of her training with Mazatl had been very quick and cursory at best. As a nominal servant of the deities though, she could have performed the ceremony herself. She wasn¡¯t a priestess of any temple, but she could be considered to be an even higher ranked figure of religious significance with the rank of her blessings. She had no actual interest in going through the rigmarole of such a ceremony, but it was the priest¡¯s job to pray for the deities to bless the union. She could do that much at least.


    She bowed her head a bit in a small prayer when the right time came. ¡®Lumen and Umbra, I pray for you to bless their marriage.¡¯ She didn¡¯t feel it was appropriate to invoke Death or Eternity in this case. Especially Death.


    Usually the prayers performed by the priest or priestess performing the ceremony were just that, ceremonial. Sometimes the gods took enough notice to throw a bit of power at the couple¡¯s way in the form of slightly improved health. A tricksy god or a deity of love and family might inflame the passions of the couple for the coming night. Usually though, nothing major really happened. There might be a flash of light associated as a token of acknowledgment, but that was it.


    This time the symbols of Lumen and Umbra floated above the couple, shining a beam of light on them. The priestess performing the ceremony was the most shocked as she had most certainly not prayed to either goddess. Most of the others had at least a small idea of what was going on, while some of them knew exactly why the two deities might be making a showing. Dee rarely made such requests to the two goddesses, so they both answered rather eagerly. The others were not entirely sure of the nature of the blessing granted to the couple, but the two goddesses told Dee directly.


    ¡®I will bless the two with good health and luck in childbearing. Love is not really in my realm, but this much I can do at least.¡¯ Lumen silently voiced in Dee¡¯s mind.


    ¡®I, in turn, will shield them from the eyes of your enemies. Sooner or later some of your enemies will use magical means to try and find ways to hurt you. I will make sure the two are hidden from such means.¡¯ Umbra stated. Her blessing was a little more grim in nature, but perhaps more necessary.


    Faylen grabbed Dee¡¯s hand and squeezed it in silent gratitude. She might not know what exactly happened, but she could feel it was a good thing. Taeral also nodded a silent thank you. The priestess looked at Dee a little weird but carried on with the ceremony as if nothing had happened. She was a professional of sorts after all. The rest of the ceremony was uneventful and the lucky couple was showered with flower petals as they walked out of the temple as a husband and wife.


    The party afterward got a little rowdy, as some of the guests got a bit more drunk than they perhaps should, but it only made the celebrations more interesting. Kawhena and Lothar had gotten into a friendly battle which ended undecided as the others stopped the two from trashing the place, which would have been inevitable if they got serious. Dee herself found it impossible to get inebriated in any way, as only the drinks of the Coven could accomplish that. Still, she thought it best to spend some time cooling off outside as the party started winding down.


    As she looked at the still bright sky, she pulled out the container holding all of the souls from one of the destroyed hells. She had finished absorbing Xinglong¡¯s power and her own transformation into an immortal had finally stabilized. Now was a great time to start absorbing the souls in the container. She would keep the thing on her at all times and slowly absorb them to get the maximum effect. She¡¯d had enough of a quick power increase already, so now it was time to focus on slow and steady improvement instead.


    ¡®Do you think the souls inside will be enough for you to finish your totem?¡¯ Croestia silently asked with some curiosity.


    ¡®Hard to say. There should theoretically be enough souls inside, as the hells were filled with various demons from all I¡¯ve heard. The problem is that I¡¯m not sure if there are enough powerful souls inside. You already know that the higher parts of the pyramid only seem to accept higher ranked souls as skulls. I suspect the very highest levels will only take immortal souls. Even though it¡¯s the top of the pyramid, that¡¯s still a lot of skulls. A billion rank one souls will not help with that.¡¯ Dee replied with a small frown. She had considered the matter as well.


    ¡®It would be nice if the souls were enough. Then you¡¯d only need to achieve rank twelve to open the last door.¡¯ Croestia pointed out. The third door inside Croestia required Dee to finish her totem and become a rank twelve immortal. ¡®According to the instructions the old me left behind, what¡¯s behind that door is supposed to help you reach rank thirteen and the kind of level of power where you could stand above most others. That would not be enough to defeat the angels by yourself, but it would be enough for you to gain a measure of security at least when you venture outside Pantheon.¡¯


    ¡®We will have to see. I have a sneaking suspicion I might not be able to stick around Pantheon that long. Things are moving along and fates might not wait until it¡¯s convenient for me.¡¯ Dee simple stated. It would be nice if things went according to the rough plan Croestia had outlined, but things rarely went according to the plan.


    ¡°What are you moping around here for?¡± Nyx¡¯s voice suddenly sounded from behind Dee. Moirai was with her, and Dee had felt their approach long before they got here. She had simply not reacted before now.


    ¡°Just thinking about the future.¡± Dee replied vaguely.


    ¡°Oh, events like this can do that. I hope you¡¯re looking forward to our next outing!¡± Nyx declared eagerly, while Moirai was shaking her head dejected.


    ¡°And you!¡± Nyx turned towards Moirai. ¡°We¡¯re celebrating your ascension, so don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get away as easily as last time. We¡¯re going to get you laid.¡±


    Moirai looked somewhat horrified at the prospect and didn¡¯t quite know what to say. Dee kind of liked to watch her squirm as she thought it would do good for Moirai to loosen up a little, but decided to come to her master¡¯s rescue in this case. ¡°If we¡¯re celebrating her, then we might as well let her have a word in the events. She¡¯s all grown up now and everything.¡± Dee grinned at the thought of Moirai only becoming grown up upon becoming immortal. The best part was that she had done so after Dee herself.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t you start as well! That reminds me. Have you ever considered trying a male partner? It should be an interesting experience at least.¡± Nyx turned back towards Dee.


    Dee considered for a moment. ¡°The thought has occurred to me. That said, you¡¯re well aware I prefer to be the dominating side in such encounters.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember well.¡± Nyx gave a small shiver of pleasure at the memory. Dee had somewhat rocked her world last time. She had been aware of what could happen with two psions going at it, but that had been somewhat theoretical until then. ¡°Still, you should give it some thought. There are ways to have a male partner and still remain as the dominating one. And while I know how much you value your stronger side nowadays, I have to make a small observation. I have noted that the more dominant a person is otherwise in life, the more they tend to appreciate a moment of surrender in more¡­shall we say sexual things. That small moment of giving up control and all responsibility can be extremely pleasurable and liberating. Just food for thought. I can also tell you that a normal encounter with a man can be quite fun. Or where do you think Moirai¡¯s egg came from?¡±


    ¡°Moirai¡¯s¡­egg?¡± Dee¡¯s thoughts suddenly got a little jumbled at that idea.


    ¡°Oh right, no one mentioned this to you before. You might have noticed that we Meilin are a bit on the small side. Even though our children are also small, there¡¯s only so small a child¡¯s head can be before birth. So giving birth normally would be kind of problematic with our small frames. So when we have a little carnal fun like any of the other humanoid races, couple months later we lay an egg and the child finishes the early development that way.¡± Nyx explained with a small cheeky grin that made Dee doubt a bit if she was serious. Moirai seemed to find no issue with the words though, so she decided to believe it for now. Thought for some odd reason she had a feeling Moirai might be less well versed in this area than even Dee.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    With that little shocking piece of news dealt with, Dee decided to give Nyx¡¯s words some consideration, but their little discussion was soon interrupted. A large glaring light had suddenly started glowing in the horizon towards the direction of the second circle. It was as if a new star was being born, except within Pantheon¡¯s atmosphere.


    ¡°That looks kind of ominous.¡± Moirai commented. She had no idea what the light could be.


    ¡°Not necessarily. It could be either a good thing or a bad thing. It¡¯s hard to say with Solarians.¡± Nyx replied. She had more information having lived longer. She knew the light signified the presence of a powerful Solarian showing off their strength. ¡°Either way, I have a feeling this conflict for the spot in the first circle is about to come to an end, one way or another. We too must prepare. This could be an opportunity for us.¡±


    ---------


    Anastasia stood with her teacher Teresa and a handful of the most powerful warriors, as their forces were arrayed against the combined might of the Spider Cult and the vampires of the Night city. The vampires had come in relatively large numbers as they reached a couple of hundred on the other side, but the real numbers came from the three dozen Death Lords of the Spider Cult. Even though it didn¡¯t seem like it at the moment, everyone present knew the Death Lords would call for their numberless minions once the battle started. A fight against a necromancer was never against just the necromancer. The Death Lords were the most powerful necromancers on Pantheon, so it was obvious their servants would be numerous and powerful. That¡¯s why the Crimson Path had mobilized almost their entire community.


    ¡°The cult seems to be serious. I think they¡¯ve sent most of their Death Lords to attack us.¡± One of the crimson-clad women with the number eight on her shoulder commented. ¡°This is going to be a hard-fought battle. Their ranks are higher than anything the other communities threw at us before.¡±


    Even though their little pincer maneuver with the Revenant had eliminated a larger number of powerful individuals last time, the difference in quality was very large this time. ¡°It would be better if the Revenant didn¡¯t half-ass their support.¡± Another warrior with the number four grumbled.


    They all looked at the contingent of thirty Revenant mages standing together at the back. The thirty were all very powerful, but not even close to the true extent of the Revenant¡¯s magical power. ¡°You can¡¯t really expect them to throw their all to support our aims. They were happy to help us last time because the benefits to them were direct and obvious even if we would ultimately lose the spot in the first circle. They managed to eliminate many of their biggest competition with little cost to themselves. That said, the rewards we promised them are not enough for them to go down with us if it comes to that.¡± Anastasia explained.


    ¡°Go down with us?¡± The same number four warrior mocked. ¡°Surely you don¡¯t think we will lose?¡±


    ¡°It is not about whether we win or lose, but what it will cost us.¡± Teresa interjected. ¡°How many of us will fall in order to gain victory? How many of us will have to push our power until we lose ourselves in madness? That is the real price to pay.¡± Teresa had a point. They all had the option of pushing themselves to greater strength and ensuring victory, but how many of them would return from the brink?


    ¡°We will have to see soon. They are starting.¡± Mariya stated and pointed at the Death Lords.


    The necromancers had started calling their minions. Endless rows of skeletons were followed by much stronger undead in the form of Wights, Liches, ethereal Hexwraiths, Dark Riders and many more. Many undead creatures circled overhead, ranging from ghosts and skeletal carrion birds to mighty undead dragons. When called by necromancers of this level, even the simple skeletons were much stronger than the normal fare. They radiated dark negative energy and made it clear they were not simple walking piles of bones that would break easily. There was a glint of intelligence and instinct in their eyes and movements.


    The vampires spread among the undead army, using the minions of the Spider Cult as shields and to hide their approach. Even though the vampires were powerful, they were not stupid and blinded by the bonds of ¡®honorable combat¡¯. They would strike from the shadows when given the chance. The undead horde moved forward as one, seemingly commanded by a single will. The Crimson Path and the Revenant mages prepared to face battle.


    The battle never had the chance to begin as a heavy pressure suddenly descended on the battlefield suppressing them and everyone felt as if they were being roasted alive due to the heat that followed. They all tried to shield their sight from the glowing light that had appeared above the battlefield in the form of a small star radiating heat and power. It seemed that the power was tightly controlled though, as everyone felt only enough weight and heat to suppress them and no more. Something that suppressed Anastasia should¡¯ve killed most of the weaker warriors, but that didn¡¯t happen.


    The only ones not affected seemed to be Teresa and the leader of the Vampires. That said, even Teresa was sweating and the vampire was clearly uncomfortable with the sun above. The light and heat slowly drew back enough to reveal the form of what looked like a sun condensed into the form of a man. ¡°They actually sent a Solarian here.¡± Teresa hissed quietly.


    The number one community in the Day city got its name from the most powerful members of their community. All of the members of the community were powerful and controlled the power of the sun, but there were still differences. The most powerful among them could turn entirely into the flaming forms and were basically small stars in humanoid form. They were called Solarians. One of them being here showed the seriousness of the number one community interfering in the struggle. If they had sent a more simple Lunarian to make an appearance, that would have left the others with some wiggle room. With a Solarian present, whatever he said would be the new reality of Day city.


    Slowly the fiery form seemed to be condensed further into something that looked like a white-haired and tanned male human clad in armor made of solar fire. He was still a bright presence but now everyone present could look at him without going blind. ¡°It¡¯s the Young King! They sent the Young King to make an appearance!¡± Mariya stated enthusiastically. She was a fan of sorts.


    The Solarian called the Young King wasn¡¯t an actual monarch but had been given the title anyway. He was the youngest identified rank thirteen existence at merely a few hundred years of age. He had become something of a phenomenon outside the first circle, as he was one of the few Solarians often seen outside their enclave in the first circle. Nowadays if the Solarians wanted to make a statement, they usually sent the Young King to make it happen. This had been happening even before he became a rank thirteen existence, thus his quick rise in power had been observed by others with a growing dread. His nickname was partly because of his power and partly because his words carried the might of the Solarians.


    ¡°This struggle is over.¡± The Young King declared while effortlessly standing in the air. ¡°The fight has gone on for long enough and you have done enough damage. Many of the second circle communities have fallen and you have shamed us in front of the great powers of the universe. The angels are laughing at your struggles while the Dragonflight looks at you with disdain and pity. We generally encourage struggle to foster growth but this has gone too far. Now it has turned from a chance to grow to destruction of potential.¡± While he spoke, the Young Kings voice felt like smooth silk but carried absolute confidence and authority.


    ¡°The winner has not yet been decided yet though.¡± One of the Death Lords pointed out rather bravely.


    ¡°Yes, it has.¡± The Young King shook his head at the ignorance of the Death Lord. ¡°You have all plotted and connived, yet the fact remains that the Crimson Path still stands strong after all the enemies you thrown their way. They have earned the spot in the first circle and will be given the rank eight just above the Coven. The Coven will not contest this decision as they have their own problems to deal with. The Crimson Path will be given the lands once held by the dragon Xinglong. None of the other first circle communities is interested in moving anyway.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment! Are you saying that we will be passed over simply because we used strategy to gain victory instead of raw power?¡± The leader of the Death Lords demanded indignantly.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re being passed over because you are filthy necromancers. Even if we did nothing and you gained victory this day, the Celestial Emperor would wipe you out if you stepped into the first circle. His hatred for your kind is well known among us in the first circle. Feel fortunate that we aren¡¯t forcing you out of the Day city altogether. Which brings me to the second point. We have a few declarations to make and you will spread the word. All the communities who migrated here from the Night city are commanded to return. We don¡¯t care about your circumstances or what awaits you there. Return or face annihilation.


    ¡°This leaves many spots in the second circle open. Many communities were destroyed and many more reduced to a shadow of what they used to be. The leaving Night city communities will also leave spots open. The second circle communities that want to keep their positions are given ten years to recover. No community is allowed to challenge them during this time, but after the grace period, they are fair game once again. If the communities in question feel like they can¡¯t recover enough in that time, they are encouraged to withdraw to the third circle or below. There is now space there as well. The remaining open slots will be populated by Day city communities from the third circle. Any challenges for position among the third circle communities seeking to come to the second circle are to be resolved by sending a maximum of ten people to fight for it, and the fights are not to the death.¡± The Young King made his declaration with a voice that was not loud but carried for extremely long distances. Anyone observing the battle here would hear it, and he expected them to spread the news. They would comply.


    ¡°I guess a celebration is in order?¡± Anastasia suddenly said to the stunned people around her.


    ¡°Not the kind of victory I wanted, but I will take it.¡± Teresa stated with a small shake of her head. She had been somewhat expecting the battle despite the losses that would happen. Still, a win was a win. ¡°Inform our people that we should prepare to move immediately. We will celebrate once we arrive.


    The Young King, on the other hand, had another problem. He was also supposed to find the whereabouts of the Living Mountain. Without the mountain, the value of the land the Scarlet Path would take over would reduce significantly. It was still the first circle with all that entailed, but the value without the mountain would be halved. There was a reason that none of the other first circle communities wanted to change spots. That said, most of them would not be moved even if the Living Mountain was still there. Unlike those in the other circles, the first circle communities had spent so much time and effort adapting the land they held to be perfect for them that moving was not worth it.


    The Young King would not lose any sleep over it if the mountain was not found, but he still had a mission to complete. Yet he had few means for completing the mission. ¡®Maybe I should seek out the Celestial Empress. She has the means to find what I¡¯m looking for.¡¯ He finally decided. He knew the empress had left, but he had his own ways of locating her.

 Chapter 136

    Whatever plans any of the third circle communities had been making before, they suddenly got ruined when the news of the Young King¡¯s declaration spread. Even those third circle communities that didn¡¯t currently have aspirations about becoming a second circle community realized that their ranking would effectively go up as the communities above them went for the open spots in the second circle. For those communities that had already planned on making a run for the second circle the news presented a great opportunity. They had only been biding their time because the Night city communities had been putting pressure on everyone, but now those same Night city communities were also forced to go back.


    The situation was also obviously appealing for the Four Winds as well. They had been planning their own rise into the second circle for a while and they were also one of the most powerful third circle communities around. It surprised absolutely no one that they too started to prepare for the move as if their position in the second circle was already a certainty. As ranking changes happened every now and then, communities like the Four Winds had developed ways to move their buildings and cities with them. They could even take along most of their gardens and fields, assuming their new location supported similar plants.


    The new location they were aiming for was the result of a heated debate. They had originally aimed for one of the weaker second circle communities because the target was relatively easy, not because the area was especially suitable. In normal circumstances, they wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to pick and choose the most suitable spot for them, as they had to take the position from an enemy they could actually beat. There were also no bad spots in the second circle; simply some were more suitable than others. Now they had more leeway. Surprisingly it was the Threads of Fate that provided them their target. With their seer abilities, it was not all that difficult to determine a spot rich in the types of resources the Four Winds had the skills to exploit. The only problem was that they were not the only ones coveting that particular area, so they would have to fight for it.


    Matters were complicated by the weird mix of groups within the Four Winds Alliance. It was obvious the original four races would go along with them to the second circle, but what about the others? The wolf tribes had sought an alliance and protection against the Night city communities with the Four Winds, a decision that had proved to be wise. But now the threat of Night city had passed. Would the wolf tribes remain as a part of the Four Winds? Amarog had consulted with the alphas of the other tribes and they decided to make the alliance official and permanent, effectively turning the community into Five Winds.


    The Rakshasa were another problem. The Anshar representative had managed to start grooming a Raja with some potential among them, but the process was far from finished, so the Rakshasa stuck around. They however, didn¡¯t seem to be a permanent addition, for now at least. The Threads of Fate were the greatest question mark. It was obvious they had their own goals and would not stay forever, so everyone had expected them to return to the fourth circle. But the Threads of Fate acted as if nothing had changed. They didn¡¯t even bring the subject up.


    The only thing that had changed was that the seers now actively participated in the meetings between the representatives, though only by providing suggestions. Their representative was also someone they had not seen before, but obviously held a lot of sway. Her suggestions and information were valuable as well. The outwardly human-looking woman hid herself beneath veils and silken garments, so they knew nothing about her. Still, the trade opportunities provided by the Threads was a boon to the others, so they were happy about the situation and didn¡¯t ask too many questions. The seers seemed content with the situation as well, so there was no reason to rock the boat.


    As a result, a group of seven representatives had gathered to discuss their next step. The inexperienced Rakshasa Raja was not really taking part and only listening, but he was there at least. ¡°So how many competitors do we have for the spot our friends from the Threads pointed out to us?¡± Kawhena, the Dagon representative asked.


    ¡°At the moment, three.¡± Nyx replied. Her ability to gather information was deceptively good. Partly because many people didn¡¯t take the Meilin seriously as a race. ¡°Strictly speaking four, but one of them will look elsewhere once they realize the level of the competition. They simply saw an opportunity and tried their luck. The other three however¡­¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯ll have to compete for the spot.¡± The Anshar representative grunted. ¡°The Young King specified that the challenges should be resolved with a maximum of ten people. That should work to our advantage.¡± His tactical assessment was rather sharp. With the new additions of the wolf tribes and the Rakshasa, they didn¡¯t lack skilled immortals.


    ¡°I¡¯m still confused as to why this spot is so popular.¡± Amarog suddenly revealed his confusion. ¡°I get that the honored seer mentioned plentiful resources, but isn¡¯t that true for most of the spots in the second circle? What makes this place so special?¡±


    ¡°The land is a meeting place of several valuable resources found scattered elsewhere.¡± The enchanting voice of the seer explained. ¡°It¡¯s not overflowing with any of them, but it has almost everything. That makes the area pretty much self-sufficient. Any community with the proper skill will not need much from the outside. Perhaps the most important part is that there are the mines which are filled with high-value ores, including Elementium.¡±


    One of the things that made the second circle special was that thanks to the ambient mana, the local mines refilled itself with ores over time. You could mine them too heavily and break the cycle, but with some careful management, the source of ores would never be exhausted. In cases of materials like Elementium, that was important as the material was rare and found in few places. The metal was basically solidified magic and perfect for mages and for enchanting.


    The seer continued. ¡°That said, the area has abundant game for hunting, access to a large lake for high-value fishing, forests filled with high quality lumber perfect for anything from bows to furniture, the soil is great for farming, and best of all the distances between are easy to manage with quality roads and almost no dangerous monsters. The only problem is that the area is very open and isn¡¯t exactly perfect for defense aside from the mountainous part. That¡¯s why it quickly fell to the Night city attackers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something we can easily solve with some fortifications.¡± Shioko commented. Her magic was perfect for such work. ¡°The problem is, can we win the spot for ourselves?¡±


    ¡°We should have the advantage.¡± The Anshar representative said. ¡°Thanks to our new friends, our power is grossly out of proportion in comparison to other third circle communities. With Shioko gaining the new Authority, we added another powerful asset. I hate to admit it, but Dee is also a perfect addition to such ventures. She seems to be capable of facing pretty much any single opponent below rank twelve and coming out on top. We can probably also convince Razark to help. With that, we won¡¯t have to take anyone with the strength of a fresh immortal.¡±


    ¡°About that, we can also send someone to provide some assistance.¡± The seer said suddenly. ¡°The person I have in mind will not lose to anyone present here.¡± That was a bold declaration considering the presence of the twelfth ranked Anshar representative. There was another thought everyone had. If the seers had such a person, then why did they seek help in the first place?


    ¡°Alright?¡± The Anshar representative stated with a bit of a questioning tone. ¡°If you guarantee their ability, then we won¡¯t say no to help.¡±


    Nyx gave a small sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll have to go and make sure Dee doesn¡¯t disappear in the meantime. The prospect of a battle should interest her even if she can¡¯t kill anyone.¡± She was feeling a little disappointed as they had to reschedule their girl¡¯s night out due to the recent events. It would take several weeks to get everything sorted even if they were to gain an easy victory. Knowing Dee, she might well disappear somewhere during that time. She left the room before the others.


    ¡°You know what I find highly amusing?¡± Kawhena suddenly asked with a grin. Dee¡¯s name had reminded him of something. ¡°The Qiraj. If they had just waited a while instead of trying to ally with the Beholders, they would¡¯ve been able to get their old land back once we left.¡±


    That brought several self-satisfied grins from the others. They all enjoyed how things seemed to be working out, and this felt like justice of a kind. The Qiraj had been forced to retreat from the Four Wind¡¯s retaliation and had suffered losses. As a result, they would be lucky to not get kicked out of the third circle instead of claiming the land the Four Winds was about to vacate.


    -----


    The seer had just returned from the meeting. It was refreshing to work with new faces that were competent and not too busy stabbing each other in the back. The Four Winds seemed almost like a family, which was a grand departure from her previous surroundings. As she was placing her enchanted veil and protective charms away in a small box, she suddenly felt a new presence in her room at the top of the tower. There were always servants and her new bodyguard present, so she had missed it at first. ¡°You can come show yourself now.¡± She stated calmly. She was powerful enough to face most anything, and her bodyguard was strong enough to face those she would lose to.


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    Yet her heart seemed to miss a beat once he saw the form of the man that came in from the balcony surrounding the top floor of the tower. This was not an enemy they could go against. ¡°My, you found me fast. What brings the Young King to our humble abode?¡±


    ¡°Empress.¡± The Young King greeted her with a small nod. His mere presence made the room temperature rise several degrees even if he was doing a good job of hiding himself from other senses. ¡°You may be good at hiding, but he is not.¡± The Young King pointed at the Phoenix in the form of a flamboyantly dressed man lounging on a divan nearby.


    The Phoenix had not reacted to his presence in the slightest. He had known the Young King was here and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. So instead he decided to enjoy the surprised expression of the former empress. However, he had been disappointed since the only sign she had shown was a slight twitch at the corner of her eye. That was a major crack in her composure, but not what the Phoenix had been looking forward to.


    The empress gave the Phoenix a disapproving glance and looked back at the Young King. ¡°Well, while that explains some things, it doesn¡¯t answer my questions. Would you like some refreshments?¡± Despite the situation, basic courtesy should be shown. She had already slipped a bit by asking questions before providing refreshments. She wasn¡¯t boorish enough to repeat the question. He would answer when he chose to.


    ¡°I would like that yes.¡± The Young King replied and a servant soon came to provide some refreshments that the empress knew he enjoyed. He smiled at the empress waiting patiently. ¡°To answer your question, I¡¯m here for some answers. For starters, I¡¯m curious to find out what brings you here. I heard rumors you had vanished. For a second I suspected the Celestial Emperor finally gathered enough courage to have you removed, but that seemed unlikely.¡±


    The empress considered her answer for a moment. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to reveal. The Young King was among the beings whose future she could not divine. That also meant that he could mess up the futures of others with his actions. ¡°I¡¯m here to avoid going down with the sinking ship.¡± She finally answered. She had made preparations for leaving long ago. She didn¡¯t know when those preparations would be useful, but they were in place anyway. The Threads of Fate had done a good job of getting a foothold in the lesser circles. Especially for a project she didn¡¯t give her full attention to.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± The Young King murmured. ¡°You chose to come to a shabby little community in the third circle instead of the illustrious Celestial Court. An odd choice to be sure. And calling the Celestial Court a sinking ship sounds ominous though, especially coming from you. I feel like I need to insist on a bit more details. I need to know if it affects my people.¡±


    ¡°Only if you choose to get involved. And I need to point out that this shabby little community is about to become a second circle community. Not exactly comparable to the court, but not exactly shabby either.¡± The empress pointed out.


    ¡°Well of course it is. With you around, I would be surprised if it didn¡¯t rise to the second circle. In fact, I¡¯d be disappointed not to see you in the first circle within a hundred years.¡± The Young King countered. He knew how competent the empress was when she chose to act. If it wasn¡¯t for the overwhelming power of the Solarians, the Celestial Court would have become the number one community a long time ago. ¡°In any case, that¡¯s not really for me to worry about. For as long as we will not be affected that is. On to more important matters. You know why I¡¯m here. Where¡¯s the Living Mountain?¡±


    ¡°Closer than you might think.¡± The empress said with an air of mystery.


    The Young King didn¡¯t bother asking, simply raising his eyebrow meaningfully.


    ¡°I do not have it.¡± The empress said simply.


    ¡°No, I imagine you don¡¯t. But you know who does.¡± The Young King shot back.


    ¡°I suspect. I can¡¯t say for certain but I¡¯m fairly confident. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re smart enough to figure out the rest.¡± She said with a small smile.


    It only took a couple of seconds for the Young King to look at the floor. ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you chose this particular community. You think they have the mountain. And for some odd reason, they are probably also the ones to sink that ship you mentioned earlier? I can¡¯t see how, but sight is your gift, not mine.¡±


    ¡°Close. It¡¯s not about the community but an individual.¡± The empress admitted. ¡°This is where you come to a crossroads. Do you want to become involved or not? You will not be able to bring the mountain back. It has chosen a new master. And if you decide to get violent, the new master will be able to escape. If you try to do something to the others here, the Celestial Court might not be the only ship to sink.¡±


    The Young King gave a small whistle. ¡°You have a lot of confidence in this person.¡±


    The empress gave a small involuntary shudder. ¡°It might be beneficial for you to just watch the show. I see her affecting things outside Pantheon as well. I see Paradisia burning.¡± She had actually been surprised to find the person she was looking for here. The Threads had reported to her about a promising young seedling worth grooming, but she had not made the connection until she arrived here. Whatever was hiding Dee from her sight lost some efficacy when they were this close to each other. Whether this was just blind luck or fate was another matter entirely. Perhaps the other seers had seen more than they told her. She was the leader and the starter of the community, but that didn¡¯t mean she was told everything.


    That certainly got the Young Kings attention. The angels getting hit would indeed be beneficial to Pantheon. ¡°I want to see them before I make a judgement.¡±


    The empress wryly shook her head at the timing. ¡°Well, this is an interesting coincidence. I promised to send them someone to help in winning the spot in the second circle. I was thinking about sending him.¡± She pointed at the Phoenix. ¡°But if you¡¯d like to go instead¡­¡± She left her words hanging in the air.


    The Young King didn¡¯t look too happy. He was the one who had just declared the rules about the fights for the second circle and now he was supposed to personally take part? What kind of joke was this?


    -----------


    Moirai, Dee, and Nessera were discussing the future while the others were busy planning. Nyx had asked Dee to stick around for a while, but that didn¡¯t¡¯ mean everyone else had to do so as well. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Moirai asked Nessera a little worried. ¡°The Night city will be especially dangerous now that the communities from here are returning and making waves. They will be taking their frustrations out on everyone they see.¡±


    ¡°I can manage.¡± Nessera replied with a smile. ¡°Thanks to everyone helping, I¡¯m not as weak as I used to be. Besides, I need to know as well. Even though it was Dee that initially prompted me to look into things, now I want to find out just as much for my own sake. The demons gathering in the Night city might turn out to be important and I¡¯m still one of them. Whatever they decide might end up affecting me as well.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful. Just because you¡¯ve grown stronger, that doesn¡¯t mean anything if you draw the attention of the wrong people. I¡¯d hate to lose a friend.¡± Dee squeezed Nessera¡¯s hand. The succubus had come and gone lately due to her business with the Mystic¡¯s guild. She could not stay here forever.


    ¡°Just a friend?¡± Nessera asked with a sassy wink.


    ¡°With some benefits.¡± Dee admitted without any shame.


    ¡°Benefits that I will expect to continue once I return.¡± Nessera¡¯s grin widened. ¡°Seriously though. I will avoid any risks. We both need this information though. It might be that I can¡¯t return for a while.¡±


    ¡°Then I will miss you.¡± Dee said honestly. Even Moirai nodded with agreement. She too had grown fond of the ¡®succuslut¡¯ as she still thought of Nessera. Though now the name held more affection than disdain. The succubus had been a good influence on Dee and rather interesting company in certain ways.


    As the two later on watched the succubus leave, Dee felt another twinge off loss. ¡°It seems a lot of my friends seem to be either leaving or moving on lately.¡± She said a little sadly.


    ¡°I¡¯m still here.¡± A little eerily, the comforting words had been said both by Moirai and Croestia at the same time.


    ¡°Yes, you are.¡± Dee answered both of them simultaneously. She had also made new friends like Nyx and Shioko. Still, it was a time of separations. That would always leave a person melancholic. It was a transition point in her life.


    A messenger approached them. ¡°Excuse me, miss Haydee is asked to join the representatives. We will be challenging for a position in the second circle within a few hours and you are expected to take part.¡±


    ¡®Well, at least there¡¯s someone to take my negative feelings out on.¡¯ Dee thought with a small smile. The prospect of violence suddenly appealed to her greatly.

 Chapter 137

    Dee met with the rest of the group near the teleportation gates. She had been among the last to arrive even though there was still a lot of time before they actually had to leave. The number of people present was also larger than she had assumed. She had heard about the stipulation about only ten people taking part and there were almost thirty people here. One, in particular, drew her eye and not really in a good way. There was a man she had never seen before standing next to the seer that had started taking part in most of the discussions between the representatives.


    What originally drew her attention was that the two started whispering something as soon as she approached. That could¡¯ve been completely coincidental, but it still made it seem they were talking about her. What really made the man stand out though was the fact that he looked like a tanned human but he was definitely something else. That in itself wasn¡¯t all that weird. Many races liked to take the form of a human as it was seen as convenient and neutral. Even the seer standing next to the man had taken a human form but was something else entirely. Dee¡¯s ability to see the flow of power allowed her to see through forms like this. The problem was Dee had never seen anything quite like the man. He seemed to be some kind of energy being in a humanoid form.


    Still. She had seen plenty of different races so far. The man was on the stranger end of things but so were plenty of other people. She pushed the duo out of her mind and approached the representatives standing in the center of the group. ¡°Ah, there you are Dee!¡± Nyx greeted her.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you all a bit early? And what¡¯s with all the people?¡± Dee asked while giving a small salute to Razark standing by the side of the group of representatives.


    ¡°We are still choosing who exactly goes. Also, this might be the first rank challenge you¡¯ve taken part in so it¡¯s not surprising if you aren¡¯t aware. It¡¯s rather customary for the loved ones of those taking part to come and say goodbye. The challenge can be fairly dangerous, even with the recent proclamation in place. Which reminds me. We all know you¡¯re not exactly known for holding back despite your recent time in the Cauldron of Blood. So I¡¯d like to remind you to hold back enough to not kill anyone.¡± Nyx explained, her chipper tone not really matching her words.


    Dee just grunted in response. Well, even without killing she could take out her mood with copious amounts of violence. ¡°So who¡¯s going? You said you aren¡¯t entirely sure of everyone just yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have it mostly hammered out. You and Razark, me, Shioko, Smoky, Kawhena, Amarog, and the man the Threads of Fate are sending. That makes eight. The Rakshasa wanted to send one of theirs as a kind of thank you, which would make it nine. The next strongest would be one of the Anshar warriors, but the seer said she can arrange for another person. We¡¯re still waiting for him as well.¡± Just as Nyx finished talking, a flamboyantly dressed man flew down from the flying island of the Threads of Fate.


    The armor and clothes colored with the reds and oranges of flames and the Phoenix motif made Dee laugh. Not because the man didn¡¯t carry the armor with dignity, he actually looked quite dashing, but Dee was the only one that saw the irony in the situation. The nearby seer had walked closer and posed a question with a tone of voice that hinted at her own smile behind the veil. ¡°What amuses you so? I find him funny as well, though I suspect for a different reason.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say that the colors he is wearing and the decorations on his armor are very appropriate.¡± Dee said, barely containing her mirth with limited success.


    This surprised the empress. She had heard rumors that the girl had sharp eyes, but had not realized it was to this extent. ¡®She saw through my friend, so she probably also sees through you to an extent.¡¯ She silently messaged the Young King.


    ¡®She can see the power inside people.¡¯ The Young King replied calmly. He knew Dee could not identify him. She simply knew he wasn¡¯t what he appeared, which was not unusual.


    ¡®And you know this because?¡¯ The empress asked.


    ¡®She isn¡¯t the only one with the talent. It¡¯s not a widely known skill, but the Assembly teaches their most promising members how to do it. I¡¯m guessing she had some contact with them as a child. That might explain her odd heritage.¡¯ The Young King had been surprised when Dee had appeared. He could tell at a glance that Dee was not a member of any race he had ever seen. She wasn¡¯t even a half. At first, he had assumed the demons had created something new to use in the war against the angels just before their demise, but he recognized the technique used by the Assembly. The Assembly certainly had the knowledge to create something like the weird yet oddly fitting being in front of him.


    ¡®The Assembly? What would one of theirs be doing here? Especially if she is one of their most promising members like you said.¡¯ The empress questioned. This was outside her calculations. She had never forgotten the possibility of outside influence but had dismissed the possibility before.


    ¡®That is the question. Maybe it has something to do with what you saw. You mentioned she has the chance to sink the Celestial Court, right? Maybe that¡¯s why she¡¯s here.¡¯ The Young King suggested.


    ¡®That¡¯s a bit of a long shot. She has been here for over a decade according to the reports. My people made the first contact when she was a child and she was very weak then. It¡¯s a bit much to throw someone like that into Pantheon on the vague hopes she would become strong enough to do something like that.¡¯ The empress countered. There was a reason she had dismissed the possibility of outside influence.


    ¡®Perhaps. Or perhaps she wasn¡¯t given a specific goal like that. Perhaps she was just told to take opportunities to weaken us. In any case, her presence here might not be an accident or good for Pantheon. I¡¯m not making a judgement, just raising the possibility. We should keep an eye on her. But then, you already have that covered. How convenient.¡¯ The Young King mused. He would certainly not make a move on pure speculation like this. It just made him wary. One had to keep their eyes open when in his position. He had already detected an angel in the distance observing this place. An angel specialized in such covert observation to be exact.


    ¡°Alright, with everyone here, we can start moving. Keep your eyes open everyone. The second circle is far from a safe place even though most of the Night city forces are already withdrawing.¡± The Anshar representative announced.


    ¡°Should I¡­?¡± Dee asked and waved her hand meaningfully.


    ¡°No, we should do it the old-fashioned way. We¡¯re not in a rush and your skill might turn out to be useful surprise factor later on.¡± He replied.


    -----


    As soon as the ten of them arrived at the agreed upon place, they noted that three of the four other groups had already arrived. As soon as one of the groups saw the Four Winds arrive, they decided this attempt was going to fail and started leaving. Nyx had already predicted this, so it didn¡¯t come as a surprise. The remaining two groups looked at those leaving with some disdain. The leaving group had only been fishing for some luck but had come out empty handed.


    The last group arrived twenty minutes later, and the heads of the four groups gathered to set up the rules for the challenge. In the meantime, Dee observed the other three groups. One of them was made up of large High Orcs. Dee found their presence a little calming because at least now there were some people taller than her present. Kawhena also had her beat but only barely. The High Orcs, on the other hand, were almost a head taller than her, and that made her much happier. They were also four times as wide if her wings were not counted, but that she didn¡¯t care about. The green, brown, and black skinned orcs were mostly warriors, though at least two of them seemed to be either priests or mages of some sort.


    One of the other groups was on the other extreme and was made up of dwarves and gnomes. They were barely taller than Nyx in fact. They were a mixed group of warriors and mages, with most of the latter coming from the gnomes. There seemed to be one dwarven cleric as well. The third group and the strongest of the three was made up of Saurians.


    Nyx had mentioned that they were one of the new communities formed after the rampage of the Saurians had abated. They had found themselves in the second and third circles with a lot of power and some of them didn¡¯t mind staying. Saurians came in a couple distinct varieties, ranging from the large and hulking Saauri to the thinner and more lithe Lizardfolk. The five large Saauri in the group were all just as big as the High Orcs, but they looked more intimidating with their scaly hides and maws full of sharp teeth. The smaller lizardfolk were equal in size with Shioko and seemed to emphasize speed over power. Not that the Saauri looked slow by any means. An interesting detail was that the Saauri were all of the same ruby red color with slight differences in shade, while even a lone Lizardfolk could have several different colors on their body.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Dee had spent some time with Mazatl who was one of the Saauri, though from the smaller end of the scale as she had become a priestess instead of a warrior. The warriors of their kind kept growing and becoming larger when others of their kind stopped, especially the males. There was a reason why their kind had been able to hack their way through the third circle, and most of that was thanks to the ferocity of the Saauri warrior caste. She could certainly see that, looking at the warriors standing nearby.


    It didn¡¯t take all that long for the Anshar representative to return. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a standard four-way king of the hill.¡± He explained briefly.


    ¡°A what now?¡± Dee asked a little confused.


    Nyx gave a small chuckle before explaining. ¡°It¡¯s a fairly standard way of doing challenges peacefully when there are multiple communities involved. King of the hill is a format where the strongest person stays at the top of the hill and gets challenged until they are defeated. Four-way only means that any of the four communities involved can challenge them, even at the same time if they so choose.¡±


    ¡°Surely there¡¯s more to it than that?¡± Dee asked, knowing that there were too many loopholes with the short explanation.


    ¡°Of course. Any person who loses is out of the competition for good. A community can send more than one person to challenge the others, but only one of them can stay on top and the others are considered eliminated. It¡¯s a steep price that only gets paid when they absolutely need to get someone off the hill. To avoid everyone saving their strength until the end, the winner is not last person standing. Instead, every time you knock someone from the other communities out, your community gets a point. The one community with most points at the end wins. If you save your strength for too long, you risk letting an enemy run away with a large lead.¡± Nyx elaborated.


    ¡°What about the extra people that have to get off? Do they count for points?¡± Dee noticed another loophole.


    ¡°If they get knocked out, then yes. If they stand with the king and have to get off due to the rules, then they don¡¯t give points. Also, the whole thing goes in rounds, and the communities don¡¯t have to send someone every round. The king also gets an extra point for every round they stand at the top. If no one challenges a king for two rounds while the other communities have people remaining, they are declared the winner by default.¡± Nyx finished her explanation.


    ¡°Sounds easy enough. Now, where do we find a hill?¡± Dee looked around and the area was perfectly flat.


    Nyx struggled to keep herself from laughing. ¡°The hill part is just an expression. There doesn¡¯t need to be an actual hill involved. Though personally, I¡¯m a little partial to having one.¡±


    ¡°Alright, if you¡¯re done with the explanations, we should probably come up with a strategy.¡± The Anshar representative stated as their leader.


    ¡°We could just overpower them.¡± The flamboyantly dressed man stated simply while looking at the other three groups.


    ¡°My, aren¡¯t we confident.¡± Shioko stated. ¡°Still, you¡¯re not entirely wrong. We are the strongest out of the four communities involved. The problem is, the others probably also noticed the same. It¡¯s likely they will work together against us.¡±


    ¡°They all seem to be heavy on the warriors.¡± Dee suddenly pointed out staring at the three groups.


    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. Ki is the most commonly used source of power, so it¡¯s not uncommon to have more warriors as immortals either.¡± The Anshar representative stated.


    ¡°Though I don¡¯t think they¡¯re all immortal.¡± Nyx muttered with a small frown. The dwarves had brought along a rank nine warrior, as they were the weakest of the four groups and likely couldn¡¯t field a group of ten immortals.


    ¡°In any case, there are many ways of pushing through plans like our enemies working together. The simplest one is to just stand firm and show that their cooperation will not be enough to deter us. This is the hardest way to do it, but it would also solidify our position.¡± Kawhena stated. ¡°In that case, it¡¯s important to make a statement right from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°Then I will go.¡± The Anshar representative stated. The four communities had pulled quite a bit of distance from each other, leaving the center open for the battles. They had chosen an open location with no important resources because they knew there would be damage to the surroundings.


    As the Anshar representative walked to the center, they all noted that the leaders of the other three groups had also chosen to be the first ones. It was clear they were planning on suppressing the Four Winds from the start. Before the battle started, one of the High Orcs pulled out a large hide drum and the others started chanting a war song of sorts. Dee noticed that the purpose was essentially to buff their fighter with the power of their ritual. The dwarven cleric also blessed their fighter before the battle.


    ¡°I see, so that how they want to play it.¡± Dee mumbled. She could do the same, except that the Anshar representative had already entered the makeshift arena and Dee couldn¡¯t interfere anymore. The other fighters had waited for the support before entering the arena.


    Dee looked at the others before instructing. ¡°Remember to wait a bit before your turn comes. I can cast supportive spells on you before you go in.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was wondering what the singing was for.¡± Nyx commented. She could not see the supportive power surrounding the High Orc fighter. She had seen the cleric¡¯s actions but had not been worried as the dwarven representative was the weakest of the four in the arena. She had considered the support an equalizer of sorts.


    It had to be said that the Anshar representative had earned his position. Despite the three others ganging up on him, he emerged victorious from the fight. During the fight, it occurred to Dee that they now had several fire-based fighters in their group, though they were all different in many ways as well. The Anshar representative was the most traditional fire type, in that he almost became a high ranking fire elemental during his fight, throwing around many fire and heat-related skills.


    The flamboyantly dressed man seemed to be a Phoenix, and his style would most likely differ from the Anshar representative¡¯s. Dee was not sure what the other strange man was like exactly, but she got the feeling of extreme heat from him as well. Just being near him made the air seem warmer. Even Dee herself could be counted to some degree with her black flames. Made them seem a little one-note in her opinion.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is a good result or not.¡± Kawhena commented. They had won the first round and even gained three points, but the Anshar representative had paid a price. The Saauri warrior in particular had managed to put up a big fight and had exhausted the Anshar, even wounding him rather heavily. Immortals like the Anshar representative could recover quickly, but it was not instant.


    ¡°Does he have to stay on the hill?¡± Dee suddenly asked.


    ¡°No, but if he steps down then we lose the point for retaining control of the hill.¡± Nyx replied.


    ¡°Have him step down. He won¡¯t win the next fight anyway.¡± Dee stated firmly. It would be better to send in someone else than have their ostensive leader lose the next fight. ¡°They were aiming for him anyway, and they reached the goal they wanted to a certain degree. Instead of giving them the satisfaction of taking him down, let¡¯s show them that the rest of us should not be ignored either.¡±


    Dee decided to set an example and marched toward the arena. She signaled for the Anshar representative to leave. With a tired nod, he decided to comply. ¡°Well, then. Who wants to play?¡± Dee asked with a feral grin as the light of buffs flashed around her.

 Chapter 138

    Dee had used the Authority to hide her strength but had allowed her ten tails to show openly. That was for a reason. If the enemy communities could feel her strength, they might be able to glean something about her abilities. The tails on the other hand just allowed everyone to assume she was a normal fresh immortal of the tenth rank. It wasn¡¯t simple to figure out her exact age, but outwardly she appeared to be fairly young, so that too reinforced the impression that she couldn¡¯t be all that powerful as an immortal. Some of them could have seen her fight in the Cauldron of Blood, but she had not been immortal back then either, so that would simply be the largest thing to confuse them.


    With an inviting and provocative gesture, she was trying to appear cocky and non-threatening at the same time. It would hopefully work to her advantage tactically, and might also reveal the extent to which the enemy communities were working together. If they only sent a single rank eleven immortal against her, then they were clearly communicating. She wasn¡¯t entirely disappointed as only two of the enemy communities sent a fighter against her. They had clearly judged it unnecessary to waste too many people against her but had at least decided not to underestimate her too badly by sending two people. One of them seemed to be a Saauri warrior at the higher end of rank ten, while the other one was an orc warrior that was also a fairly fresh immortal like she was supposed to be. Apparently, the orcs were not contesting this round against the Saurians and wanted to conserve some of their strength.


    As the light of the holy spells flashed around her, the orcs once again started their chanting and a red hue seemed to surround the High Orc warrior. He wasn¡¯t planning on going down easily. The Saauri warrior just scoffed at them. Suddenly Dee noticed something else. ¡®Well, aren¡¯t they tricksy. Perhaps they underestimated me less than I thought.¡¯ She thought to herself as a tiny smile slowly grew on her face.


    There was no real signal to start the fight, but as if on cue, the enemies dashed towards Dee, ignoring each other. They clearly planned on testing the waters before committing their full power, something that would cost them dearly. Dee pointed her palm at the orc warrior, who was thrown back by a combination of force control and telekinesis. The orc wasn¡¯t injured, but he was thrown back far enough that he would arrive seconds later than the Saauri warrior. A lot could happen in a few seconds in a battle of this level. A dark guandao appeared in Dee¡¯s hand as she used the glaive end to parry the Saauri warrior¡¯s heavy blow to the side, while at the same time stepping past him and using the other end to sweep at the Saurian¡¯s feet with a twist of her own body.


    Dee had not used all her speed to do so, so the scaled warrior jumped over the sweeping butt of the guandao fairly easily. Several things happened at once as the Saauri was in the air. The dark weapon disappeared from Dee¡¯s hand, and she seemed to glow with light as she suddenly moved much faster. Her black wing seemed to almost teleport at the air-borne Saauri, who was unable to change directions in the air with no preparation or time to think. He managed to move his weapon to attempt a block and focus his Ki, but still got an enormous gash on his chest for his trouble. The sharp feathers on the wing seemed to ignore the thick and sturdy scales as they bit deep enough to hit bone. As the Saauri was an immortal, such a wound was far from lethal and would recover with a bit of time, but would he get that time in this battle? It was still a heavy wound that slowed him down.


    At the same time, a small gnome seemed to appear from the thin air and slashed a pair of daggers at Dee¡¯s supposedly unprotected back. The gnome had been hidden by an invisibility spell from the beginning, giving the impression that their community had not sent anyone to participate in this round. If Dee didn¡¯t have the ability to see the mana surrounding the gnome, she too would have missed her. The idea had been great. The gnome was extremely fast and her weapons dripped with something Dee could only assume to be poison. Unfortunately, Dee was still faster and her back was a lot more defended than the gnome assumed.


    Her lavender wing seemed to double in size and bashed the gnome straight into the air, where she seemed to vanish in a flash of light. Still rotating with the momentum of her two wings making their swing in the same direction, Dee turned towards the approaching orc with a spear made of psionic energy in her hand and threw the weapon at the orc. The orc dodged with the minimum amount of movement, hoping to reach Dee as fast as possible, but didn¡¯t expect the spear to explode with power when right next to his head. The explosion managed to penetrate the ki protections around him, but couldn¡¯t really hurt the sturdy orc too badly with the remaining power. It did, however, throw him into the ground and disoriented him for a moment due to the force of the blast.


    Meanwhile, Dee continued the rotation of her body as a large and dark claymore appeared in her hand with several small black pearls fitted into the blade along its length. She ended the movement by crashing the blade into the blocking blade of the Saauri warrior who managed to lift his weapon in time. Unfortunately, the weight of the weapon and Dee¡¯s strength overpowered him and the large sword cleaved away his sword arm. Still, the sword would have hit him on the head if he had not managed to alter its path, and the sword appeared in his other hand. Everyone also noticed that Dee¡¯s attack was aimed to kill and she was not giving mercy to her opponents.


    The gnome that had disappeared once again seemed to appear from nowhere and this time at Dee¡¯s front, too close for her to use the sword to block. Unfortunately for the gnome, Dee had four arms, now covered alternatively by white fur or dragon scales, and two of the arms clamped on the gnomes wrists while her blades were almost close enough to scratch Dee. ¡°Not a very good choice that.¡± Dee commented lightly enough that only the gnome could hear. She then lifted the gnome up by her wrists and slammed her against the ground heavily.


    Two large waves of Ki flew at Dee to stop her from taking out the gnome, but neither of the other warriors was really at their best at the moment. She avoided the larger wave from the Saurian and simply blocked the other wave with her lavender wing. The force of the Ki wave pushed her back very slightly but didn¡¯t really harm her. She slammed the gnome against the ground again for good measure, and then tossed her towards the other dwarves and gnomes on the sideline. The dwarven cleric rushed to check up on the gnome, but soon gave a sigh of relief. The gnome was unconscious, battered and bruised, but alive and not seriously injured.


    Dee gave the gnome credit. She had moved fast enough that even Dee had trouble keeping an eye on her constantly with the other distractions, and seemed to have the ability to teleport very small distances in an instant. The mages called this rather complex spatial magic ability Blink, and it was quite hard to execute close to an enemy due to the area being saturated with the enemy¡¯s power. It seemed the gnome¡¯s specialty lied in the Blink ability. It was something Dee could not do, so she gave credit where credit was due.


    The Saauri warrior had picked up the arm Dee had slashed off, and was using his Ki to try and reattach it. It would take some time, especially since the wound was contaminated by Umbra¡¯s power, but it could be done. ¡°I yield.¡± The Saauri announced. He knew there was no point in fighting Dee with two serious wounds, so he chose to leave the field and focus on recovery. The orc was still unhurt. ¡°Death before dishonor!¡± The High Orc announced and dashed towards Dee. He was already clear how the fight would end just from that one brief encounter earlier, but he chose to stick to his principles.


    Dee materialized gauntlets in all her four arms and just gave a little ¡°come at me¡± finger motion. She would gladly help the orc keep his honor. It had to be said that the High Orc was ferocious and stronger than others of similar rank, but he could still not match Dee¡¯s pure strength and speed. Dee simply pummeled the orc to submission, which took a while as he refused to give up. Finally the orc fell to the ground unconscious and beaten to a pulp. If he had not had the strong physique of his race, strengthened by his immortality, he would have died several times over during the severe beating.


    Dee¡¯s expression didn¡¯t shift in the slightest as she gave one of the most thorough beatings of her life to the orc. Her serene expression as copious amounts of blood dripped from her gauntlets was almost eerie. As the unconscious orc finally stopped moving, Dee signaled the other orcs to come and get their fallen warrior while they still could. As they carried him away for treatment, Dee still didn¡¯t shift her expression but gave a small warriors greeting to the unconscious orc. She didn¡¯t really fully understand the desire to hold up honor, but the orc had seemed to have done so to the end. She respected his bravery and willpower, while at the same time disdaining him for being an idiot. A typical warrior, but a brave one.


    ¡°Ooh, that had to hurt.¡± Nyx said while making a face. ¡°Absolutely no mercy.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise.¡± Razark stated while looking at Nyx a little weirdly. ¡°Dee might perform an act of kindness if the mood strikes her, but mercy is not in her vocabulary. I assumed you already knew this. It was already slightly surprising that she didn¡¯t hurt the gnome worse than she did.¡±


    ¡°I knew on some level. It¡¯s just a little different to see it happen.¡± Nyx replied with a faint smile. ¡°She might not look like it, but she is still a demon.¡±


    ¡°Good. We need someone like her. The rest of you tend to be too soft sometimes.¡± The recovering Anshar representative grunted. His words brought approving nods from the others. They knew their own faults. Unseen by the others, something flashed in the eyes of the Young King. He filed away this little nugget of information for later.


    ¡°The next fight will not go as easily.¡± Kawhena stated. ¡°Now they will be more wary.¡±


    ¡°Well now, I wonder if that really is true.¡± Nyx disagreed. ¡°She really only showed a small glimpse of her strength. That said, her enemies had the same problem. They too didn¡¯t really get the chance to show off, besides the gnome perhaps. I doubt the Saauri warrior¡¯s abilities were just that. He just didn¡¯t use them at the beginning, and after that he never got the chance as he was already heavily wounded and mixed in a melee with strange allies. The next opponents won¡¯t make that mistake, but I suspect our dear Dee will still have the advantage.¡±


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    Nyx¡¯s guess turned out to be fairly accurate. As the previous warriors had not done a very good job, all three of the other communities sent people with more complex abilities against Dee this time. Another gnome walked out from one of the camps, his robes clearly signaling his status as a mage. The orcs sent a shaman that started performing a ritual as soon as he entered the ring. The Saurians still sent a warrior, but not a normal one. It was one of the thinner lizardfolk, and a large ethereal form or a spirit warrior materialized behind her.


    ¡°I see. This one will be entirely at range when the previous one was a quick melee.¡± Shioko commented.


    Nyx laughed. ¡°That was such a bad choice. They would have done much better with at least one person closing in trying to distract Dee. They¡¯re clearly not planning things together in detail.¡±


    Kawhena grimaced. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. Despite their alliance, they¡¯re not used to working together. A melee fighter might get in the way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡± Amarog pointed out simply. He felt a little weird that the girl they had saved such a short time ago was now more powerful in a battle than he was. He had known the day would come, just not so fast. The chances of his son capturing her heart seemed to be disappearing, if they had existed in the first place.


    The gnome mage made a gesture and a dozen magic circles appeared beside him. They all started spewing out hundreds upon hundreds of spears seemingly made of shadows. The orc shaman seemed to be finishing his chant as a large elemental brought forth from the plane of air seemed to be materializing around him. The spirit warrior conjured by the lizardfolk warrior grew in size and slashed towards Dee, following the female Saurian¡¯s gesture.


    ¡°Wait, seriously?¡± Dee asked rhetorically as she looked dumbly against the gnome mage. ¡°They sent a shadow mage of all things against me?¡± She could feel that the shadows around her started to try and capture her as the mage tried to exert control over them.


    She gathered Umbra¡¯s power and made a simple gesture. All the shadows rushing towards her seemed to shatter and disappear. ¡°That was just silly.¡± She mumbled as she flew up in the air to avoid the attack from the spirit warrior. The spirit warrior could follow her into the air, but it moved slower than she did.


    Her expression was mirrored by some of the people among their team, specifically those aware of her skill with the shadows. ¡°So, were the gnomes allied with us or the enemies?¡± Nyx asked sarcastically. This made Razark and Shioko chuckle while the Phoenix and Young King had a questioning look in their eyes. They had no idea how Dee had just stopped the attack. She certainly didn¡¯t block it, and the attack just seemed to disappear.


    As Dee gained a little altitude and distance from the spirit warrior, she looked back down. ¡°That¡¯s not how you use shadows.¡± She announced a bit more loudly than she intended. ¡°Let me show you how to do it.¡±


    The shadows on the ground suddenly seemed to lengthen. The air elemental was one of the high ranking lords of the plane of air, but it suddenly felt a shudder as it felt the life in the shadows reaching out. Dee pumped a lot of Umbra¡¯s power into three of the spirits that eagerly answered her call. As an afterthought, she added some of the death element to two of the spirits, just to test it out. Three dark beings rose from the growing shadows.


    The first one was a large four-legged beast that looked like a mix between a panther and a wolf. The most notable feature of the being were a pair of large wings and a pair of long and thick whiskers sometimes seen of serpentine dragons. The more knowledgeable individuals recognized the being as a Darkhunter, a beast of shadows that were almost immune to magic that wasn¡¯t either of the light element or powered by the deities of light. The beast lunged towards the gnome mage that elected to get out of the ring immediately. He was one of those more knowledgeable individuals, and as a shadow mage had no way to fight the beast. It was an ignoble surrender, but a Darkhunter truly was the worst type of enemy to him. He avoided the Darkhunter for a short while, buying time, but eventually exited the ring.


    The spirit warrior faced a mixed being of shadows and death. The roughly humanoid shaped being was clad in a plate armor made of some dark metal and was wielding a sword that glowed with Umbra¡¯s power. No features were seen as the beings head was covered in a black hood, but everyone doubted the being actually had any features. In fact they were fairly sure it didn¡¯t. The being Dee intuitively knew to be a Doomsept was a creature of shadow and death and matched the spirit warrior fairly equally in combat. Normally the spirit warrior would have the advantage due to support from the Saurian master. The only problem was that the spirit warrior seemed to be losing strength while the dark being seemed to be getting stronger. The Doomsept was a being of death and the spirit warrior was essentially a type of dead spirit brought back as a weapon. Another very bad matchup.


    The third being looked like a dark horse with sharp teeth and claws added into its hooves. It looked like a fairly standard Nightmare, except normal Nightmares had fiery manes and tails. This one seemed to have a mane and tail made of grey energy, as the death element settled on it. It dashed towards the air elemental with lightning speed.


    ¡°Huh. That third one was not as good of a match as I assumed.¡± Dee mumbled. The forms of the three spirits had been partially random, though she had affected them somewhat. It seemed the Darkhunter was a big success while the Doomsept did its job well enough. The Nightmare seemed insufficient to face the elemental lord though.


    Her thoughts soon proved to be true as the Nightmare was slowly but surely turn to shreds by hundreds of wind blades slashing towards it, while the shaman sent several spells towards Dee still in the sky. The Nightmare was quick but not quick enough to match a lord of air. ¡°Better lend a hand.¡± Dee mumbled even though the Darkhunter seemed to be dashing that way as well. She instead directed the dark beast towards the lizardfolk warrior and decided to act personally against the elemental.


    She formed a large lance made of pure psionic energy and threw it towards the elemental. The lance drilled straight through the elemental¡¯s form, doing surprising amounts of damage. What really surprised everyone was that the weapon seemed to have much more mass and power than Dee¡¯s usual psionic weapons as it drilled through the ground as well, causing a minor earthquake and creating a large crater in the ground.


    ¡°Dee, stop destroying our new home!¡± Nyx yelled angrily from the ground.


    The air elemental was not defeated just yet, but Dee had no trouble finishing it off while her two spirits kept the spirit warrior and the Saurian busy. Dee finally realized that while she wasn¡¯t allowed to kill the shaman, the same didn¡¯t apply to the elemental or the spirit. She pointed at the two with a single finger and everyone felt more than heard the dolorous sound of a bell. The two creatures seemed to become frozen in place as a dark energy of death invaded them and made them collapse on themselves. Dee could have tried catching the souls that were released but decided against it. It was better to allow the elemental to return to the plane of air and the spirit to return to the Saurian warrior. Consuming either would not have yielded much but would have caused a lot of anger in the other communities.


    As she landed back on the broken ground, she looked at the other three teams. ¡°So who¡¯s next?¡± She asked. Her form slowly expanded as she assumed her dragon form. Her large serpentine form loomed over the makeshift arena, as she prepared to use her Domain in the next fight. She doubted she would be allowed to continue any further, so she decided to put her all in the last fight and go out with a bang.


    ----------


    ¡°Hahaha, that last dragon breath really sealed the deal for us!¡± Shioko declared with a laugh.


    With all the points Dee had gathered, they easily managed to gain the victory in the competition. The enemy communities had gone all out in Dee¡¯s third fight, but the combination of Dee¡¯s Domain and dragon breath had cleared the field before she gracefully exited before someone had the chance to defeat her. Dee had absolutely no shame for getting quick points and then running away. The Four Winds had sent the flamboyantly dressed man into the ring next, and his victory had broken the wills of the other communities. They had given up at that point. A combination of a dragon and a Phoenix taking part in the battle had been too much for them.


    ¡°I still wish you didn¡¯t wipe out such a large piece of the area with that breath. Our earth mages will have to work extra to fix all the damage.¡± Nyx grumbled. She didn¡¯t actually mind the damage; she simply wanted to poke at Dee a bit.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re free to go up first the next time we do this.¡± Dee fired back. ¡°If you handle the fight as well, then I don¡¯t have to go up at all.¡±


    ¡°Still, I had no idea that the Threads of Fate had a Phoenix among them.¡± Kawhena suddenly stated. It had not been an accident that they had sent the flamboyant man to fight. They wanted to test the strength of the help the seers had provided. The result had been a surprise though.


    ¡°They don¡¯t.¡± The Anshar representative replied curtly. ¡°Phoenixes are strictly seen in the first circle, mostly serving the Celestial Court. Something has changed with the seers.¡± The leader of the Four Winds wasn¡¯t stupid.


    ¡°Is the shadow behind them finally stepping out?¡± Shioko asked. Everyone well versed in things had at some point wondered where the Threads of Fate seemed to gain strength at critical moments. They had solved several large problems in the past with power they shouldn¡¯t have. Usually they kept to themselves though and only interfered when things got really problematic in the lesser circles. ¡°Why now, and why here?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Nyx gave a quick glance towards Dee. ¡°I can imagine a reason or two. It might be good for us, as they seem to be working together with us. Still, we should keep our eyes open.¡± She had also noted the increased involvement of the seer¡¯s new representative. Her guidance was subtle but effective. If they were not careful, they might learn to rely on that guidance. It might be benevolent but still something that left them in a dependent position.

 Chapter 139

    As she sensed the approach of her Phoenix companion, the empress turned towards the balcony expectantly. She suspected the Phoenix man would not be alone and was proven right as the Young King also entered along with her friend. ¡°Welcome back. You were a bit faster than I expected, but I have refreshments ready.¡± She always had trouble reading the mood of Solarians, and now the man looked inscrutable. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t have to fight?¡± That would certainly improve his mood.


    The Phoenix answered in the Young King¡¯s stead. ¡°Hah, no. Only three people from the Four Winds had to fight, and I was one of them. I only had to take part in one fight though. The combination of a dragon and a Phoenix was too much for the other groups to handle so they gave up. There¡¯s a nice little detail you forgot to mention by the way. You could¡¯ve told me the girl was a dragon, a Kirin even.¡±


    ¡°An Abyssal Dragon to be exact. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard of an Abyssal Kirin. I can certainly see why Xinglong was interested.¡± The Young King also commented, expressing no feeling with his voice.


    ¡°Yes, well, that little detail surprised me as well. My assumption is that the old dragon helped her with the bane of all Abyssal Dragons. She might not even have been a Kirin originally. If that is the case, then she isn¡¯t a Kirin, but an Astral Dragon instead.¡± The empress commented with a small secretive smile. Kirin was a general term for the serpentine dragons, separating them from the more lizard-like chromatic and metallic dragons. Astral Dragons did fall into the category of Kirin strictly speaking but were usually considered separate due to their special abilities.


    ¡°She was a feisty one. Granted her enemies were underestimating her at first and weren¡¯t exactly the cream of the crop, but she still took out several immortals without killing them. It appears that little stipulation was especially hard on her. She would¡¯ve done even better if she was allowed to use deadly force.¡± The Phoenix guessed correctly.


    ¡°Yes, I can certainly see how she could be a problem for the Celestial Emperor in the future. Considering her age, that future might not be all that distant either.¡± The Young King stated.


    ¡°And? But?¡± The empress prompted. The words of the Solarian had made it clear there was more left unsaid.


    ¡°She¡­is a creature of darkness and chaos. I believe she would be much more at home in the Night city. Her powers are of the dark and death, and I got the feeling she really doesn¡¯t have all that much regard for the lives of others. That¡¯s not to say I would classify her as evil exactly. She seems more amoral or at the very least following a moral compass that is not consistent with the general public. Notably, she doesn¡¯t appear to be interested in seeking the downfall of others, which is good. Unless given a reason to, that is. If given a reason, she seems the type to avenge a slight thousand times over.¡± The Young King felt strangely hesitant with his words as if he was still mulling it over.


    The empress didn¡¯t prompt him to continue. Besides being impolite, it was better to let him chew through things on his own and continue when he was good and ready. He was coming to similar conclusions that she had come to on her own, just that their points of view were a little different. She considered Dee¡¯s darker qualities a positive. It remained to be seen what he thought of them.


    ¡°You were right in that she most likely won¡¯t become an enemy of the Solarians without us giving her a reason. That is good, but perhaps not the only consideration. You said that she would burn the Celestial Court. That¡¯s why you¡¯re here. I¡¯m not the biggest fan of the Celestial Emperor, but he is a great stabilizing force in the Day city. It might be that removing him would be a bad thing for the Pantheon as a whole. Unless something takes his place. The Celestial Court in general should remain at least. If the girl decides to go for the whole Court, then we might need to stop her, or we might become vulnerable to the three remaining parties of the War in Heavens. With the demons gone, the angels are free to act, and we¡¯re not on friendly terms with them. ¡± The Young King finally turned towards the empress.


    ¡°That brings me to why I¡¯m here. She needs to have someone keep an eye on her. You are in the best position to do so. We will not act yet, but I will hold you accountable in case she brings too much chaos into the Day city. I know you have your own goals in coming here. Reward goes hand-in-hand with risk. This is the risky part. Keep an eye on her.¡± He didn¡¯t stick around any longer and got up to leave as soon as he had given his decree. He had wasted enough time here.


    As the two others watched the Young King leave, the Phoenix spoke. ¡°Will this hamper our plans? I get that it¡¯s good that they are not interfering yet, but this will narrow down our options.¡±


    ¡°No. No, it will not. The Young King coming here personally was a little unexpected, but it went about as well as can be hoped. Besides, his threats are based on some false assumptions. I did leave the Celestial Court because I didn¡¯t intend to stay in a burning and sinking ship. I did not, however, specify that she would burn and sink that ship by herself. She might be playing with lit matches and preparing to poke holes in that ship, but the Celestial Court has been a bonfire ready to be lit for a long time. The only thing keeping that ship from going down in flames is the presence of the emperor, and not to sound too self-centered, me. You should know the rot and infighting that goes on in the shadows.¡± The empress looked at the Phoenix meaningfully.


    ¡°Of course. There¡¯s a reason why I¡¯m here instead of reporting all this back to the emperor.¡± The Phoenix stated emphatically. The emperor holding the others of his kind as leverage over him was only one of the symptoms.


    ¡°Exactly. There¡¯s only so much I¡¯m willing to do to salvage that wreck, and my patience is wearing thin. Mistakes were made when the court was created, mostly because the emperor ignored my advice, and now those mistakes have festered into something worse. So I¡¯m done with it. The court will devour itself once the emperor is gone. The Solarians will see reason once the court turns on itself. Keeping a sick institution will not benefit Pantheon in the long run when something new might rise from the ashes of the old. She will only be the catalyst for the change. As all agents of chaos should be.¡± The empress revealed her smile fully. There was still a lot of work to be done to reach that point. For now though, they had time.


    -----


    As Dee¡¯s power grew, the range of her perception abilities grew with it. As the group returned to the old Four Winds territory to prepare for the impending move, the range of her perception had grown enough to notice something she had missed before. To be exact, she could now sense an angel just on the edge of her perception range observing them. Her eyes were sharp enough that she could have seen the angel with just her eyes a lot earlier. That¡¯s assuming just her sight would have been enough to recognize the angel from the crowd. Now her other senses had gained enough range to catch up with her sight, and she had been able to locate the angel rather quickly.


    She had made the discovery as soon as they had come out of the teleportation formation, but it had taken her a few moments to fully register what it was that she was sensing. After all, the city had countless people and visitors from several races. Picking up an anomaly among them was not easy, but an angel most certainly was an anomaly. She allowed herself to observe the angel through the shadows. The angel was female and was obviously hiding her more angelic features. Currently she looked like a more majestic elf or a beautiful human.


    Dee quickly traveled through the shadows to a place behind the angel. Even though she herself was hard to detect, there was enough a disturbance from her method of travel that the angel spun around in alarm. For a moment it looked like the angel considered drawing a weapon, but seemed to ultimately decide against it. That was a good sign. In a way. Dee wouldn¡¯t mind scattering a bit more angel bits around the embassy again.


    ¡°You have exactly one chance to peacefully explain why one of your kind is hanging around here. And please try to sell me some drivel about it being coincidental. I¡¯d love to squeeze the information out of you by force.¡± Dee asked with a rather menacing smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to observe you.¡± The angel blurted out without holding back.


    ¡°Ok, elaborate.¡± Dee prompted with a frown. The angel was giving up too easily for it to be fun. It was also a little suspicious. Dee¡¯s mental psionic abilities squeezed closer to the angel¡¯s thoughts, just close enough to detect lies. Of course, as she herself well knew, lying could be done without actually speaking any untruths, but it was still something.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the exact details. A lot of angels were given directions to look for someone matching your rough description. Your old description that is. Actually, I¡¯m not even sure what most of the others were told about you, as they weren¡¯t exactly sharing freely. I reported what I had found to the Archangel of Mercy and was told to keep an eye on you. And to keep any other angels away from you.¡± The angel woman explained in a hurried tone. Apparently the woman was quite clear what would happen if her answers were unsatisfactory.


    ¡°And have you? Kept other angels away I mean.¡± Dee asked with a slightly piqued curiosity.


    ¡°As far as I can tell, and I¡¯m good at this so almost certainly yes. I even had to deal with one Seraph that got a bit too close. I have no idea why you¡¯re so important to the archangel, but here we are. My instructions were clear. I¡¯ve been keeping an eye on you since your last match in the Cauldron of Blood, though I lost you for a while. You would know better than me why.¡± The woman seemed even more capable than Dee had thought, which was saying a lot considering Dee was giving her a lot of credit because she had managed to observe Dee this long without her noticing. However light that observation had been.


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    ¡°And why exactly should I not just get rid of an annoying observer like you?¡± Dee asked the menacing tone creeping into her voice.


    ¡°Because someone else would just take my place and they might not be as good at keeping others away. Also, I would really rather not die. I¡¯m just doing what I was ordered. I¡¯m sure you can sympathize when it comes to that.¡± Truth be told, even the angel had no real reason to give beyond that.


    Dee considered the situation for a moment. ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. You¡¯re going to report back to your master. If they have something to say to me, they are free to either come and visit or send a message. However, you will stop your little surveillance operation. If you manage to keep the others away, I will consider that an act of goodwill, but know that any angels trying to observe me from now on will not be returning alive. That includes you. I have a whole lot of reasons to kill your kind on sight, and not a whole lot stopping me from doing so, so consider yourself lucky. Now get!¡±


    Dee wasn¡¯t letting the angel go because she was feeling particularly merciful. She did so because the angel might be more useful alive than dead. What the angel had said about the instructions she had been given hinted at many things. It seemed like there were some among the angels that she might not have to kill after all. If she wanted to perform the task Lumen was giving her, and she still wasn¡¯t entirely sure if she did, she would need some allies among the angels. Or if not allies, then at least contacts that would not try to kill her on sight.


    ---------


    Araqiel was still panting from fright as she reached the embassy of the angels. This was the first time she had been caught by her observation target since her early training. Her sensory abilities were some of the best among the angels. Even those serving the Archangel of Wisdom lost to her in pure range. The girl had been so scary! She was probably doing it unconsciously, but when the girl was preparing to kill, she was radiating such bloodlust and danger that it almost froze the blood in Araqiel¡¯s veins. It was like standing in front of the Goddess of Death waiting to be reaped.


    Her hands trembled a bit as she reached the communication room and drew the required set of magical runes to connect with the right recipient. Luckily there hadn¡¯t been anyone else wanting to use the room this time. The transparent image of the Archangel of Mercy shimmered into existence in front of her. It had taken a short time of her mother to answer, as she had likely not been waiting for this contact. ¡°What is it, my daughter? You look like you¡¯ve seen better days.¡± The voice of the archangel sounded a little worried.


    ¡°My target caught me during observation.¡± Araqiel reported the most important point succinctly.


    The archangel frowned. ¡°Child, this is not like you. First you lose the target for a long time and now you get caught. What is wrong? And are you ok? From your reports, it seems a little odd for you to escape unharmed, considering the target''s abilities.¡±


    ¡°I suspect the target¡¯s senses have reached a point where further observation by me is impossible. I was already keeping maximum range, which is partially why I lost her that one time, and I was still found. As for my wellbeing, the target let me go with a message to you.¡± Araqiel explained a little defensively. Her worth was mostly tied to her ability to observe others without being noticed, so when her ability to do so was in doubt, her worth would plummet.


    ¡°To me?¡± The archangel asked with a weird tone.


    ¡°As the target caught me, she asked some questions. I felt it better to answer honestly since I truly didn¡¯t know anything worth hiding. That proved to be the correct answer as my presence here shows.¡± She said rather smoothly and proceeded to relay the message word for word.


    The archangel thought about the situation for a long while. ¡°It seems I will have to make a trip to the Pantheon.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Araqiel asked in shock. The last time an Archangel had visited Pantheon had been a huge diplomatic incident.


    ¡°Not officially of course. It will take me some time to get away from my duties without arousing suspicion, but I think it¡¯s time I have a meeting with the future Champion of Lumen. I suspect her mission will have a large impact on Paradisia.¡± The archangel gave a curt explanation.


    ¡°The Champion of¡­¡± Araqiel couldn¡¯t imagine someone less suited to be the Champion of the Goddess of light than the girl she had just run away from. She managed to gather her thoughts despite her shock. ¡°I will prepare things for your arrival.¡±


    -----------


    The angel¡¯s presence had prompted Dee to consider what would happen once she left Pantheon more carefully. As the others were busy preparing to move all of the community into the second circle, Dee decided to make contact with the other goddess that had a mission for her. She had said a prayer before going to sleep, and as expected, found herself in the dark palace of Umbra after falling asleep.


    ¡°Well, well. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?¡± The goddess asked as soon as Dee appeared.


    ¡°I assume you¡¯ve been peeping on me again?¡± Dee asked rather pointedly. It had become obvious the deities had some way to observe her.


    ¡°Calling it peeping is putting such a nasty spin on it. Call it looking over you, for your own good of course. I wouldn¡¯t dream of doing something like that just for amusement.¡± Her tone of voice made it clear she did it mostly for amusement.


    ¡°So you most likely saw my brief encounter with the angel?¡± Dee prodded further. She mostly just wanted to know how detailed their observation was. The angel was just an excuse and an example. Something to distract Umbra and draw out information.


    ¡°Yes, though you shouldn¡¯t assume we are constantly looking. We do have other duties you know.¡± Umbra was wise to Dee¡¯s little tricks and obfuscated the facts a little. The deities were perfectly capable of doing several things at once. The only real exception was if they were challenged by other gods. That required their full attention. Otherwise they would keep a duplicate body sitting by Eternity¡¯s campfire observing Dee, while at the same time handling all their duties with another body. As much as deities had bodies in their realms. Calling it a presence might be more accurate. So she wasn¡¯t really lying when saying they weren¡¯t constantly watching. Not entirely.


    ¡°Well, the angel reminded me of few things. Two important things especially. First of all, I¡¯ve been the future Champion of both you and Lumen for a while. Will that title change anytime soon? Secondly, you said you wanted me to become a focus for the power of chaos and change. I assume that doesn¡¯t just happen by itself?¡± Dee asked her real questions. She knew the goddess had dodged her previous inquiry in some way but didn¡¯t know to what extent.


    Umbra laughed suddenly. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you getting serious. Let¡¯s start with the Champion part as that is easier. You become our Champion when we decide so and you accept. We can¡¯t force it on you of course. In any case, we could do it anytime, but you seem to want to avoid the attention for now. Once a deity picks a Champion, all the other gods will find out about it. When it¡¯s a deity of our level, it would draw a lot of attention, most of it unwanted. You might even be unable to handle such attention, as the Champions of some other gods like Order would love to hunt you down for the glory of their god. So, we¡¯ll hold with that for now.


    ¡°As for the focus¡­well, that¡¯s a bit more complicated. In a way, it¡¯s similar to being my Champion as I¡¯m the deity that represents those concepts, but it¡¯s still separate. It can be the same person, but it usually isn¡¯t. Just my approval isn¡¯t enough. I can designate candidates for the position, but the candidate has to earn the position. Remember how I told you long ago that while you are my preferred choice, you are not the only one? Yes, well, there are other candidates. To actually gain the power, there are certain ways to go about it. Once I let it be known that the spot is available, you will have to compete for it. The easiest way to go about it would be to eliminate the competition. Another way is to eliminate Champions of other deities. Like I said, the two positions are intertwined in some ways.¡± Umbra explained.


    ¡°So how many other candidates would I need to eliminate to get the position?¡± Dee asked with a small grimace. She had known it would not be so easy.


    ¡°That depends. The different candidates are not created equal. If another candidate had killed you while you were a child, then that would not have done much. The present you is much more valuable when it comes to such things. So it depends. Ultimately you will have to eliminate a fair number of your biggest competition. However, there is no need to worry. You won¡¯t need to slaughter your way through the whole upper echelon of the remaining demons. That would weaken the already lacking strength of demons too much. Your biggest three competitors should do it, especially if you also add in something like a Champion or two of the light gods.¡± Umbra grinned. She had a couple of specific Champions in mind actually. Something she would gladly share. She might not be able to give the position to Dee directly, but she could help.

 Chapter 140

    Despite all the help magic could provide and the relatively portable nature of their cities and resources, the Four Winds still took a full month to fully relocate to the second circle. Once the relocation was finished, they also officially renamed the community to the Five Winds Alliance, welcoming the wolf tribes as a new full partner. Even with all of their possessions easily moved, it would take even more time to find the perfect places for everything they had, and also to finish the new building projects the area required. Shioko was especially busy as she led some of the earth mages to build new fortifications on the borders of their new territory.


    To the chagrin of many of her friends, Dee did absolutely nothing to help the process along. The problem wasn¡¯t really so much the fact that Dee wasn¡¯t doing her part, as she had done much to help them gain the new territory in the first place and the others knew her talents lay more in the area of destruction and death rather than construction. The problem was that the others felt annoyed by the fact that she seemed to be lazing around while they all had to work.


    Dee, of course, wasn¡¯t really the type to just laze around. She was simply focusing on other things. During the time she slept, she was being trained by the deities in holy magic. During her waking hours, she was focused on both absorbing the power Selvaria had left her, as well as figuring out how to get the most out of her abilities. She still found new things that had come as a result of her elevation to immortality. The only real way to find out many of these things was to try them out, so she was running thousands upon thousands of small little tests every day.


    One of the most interesting things she found out was that the psionic weapons she created now seemed to possess mass if she wanted them to. Previously their effectiveness had completely relied on the sharp edge, strengthened by the first skill she ever learned as a psion, combined with the speed she threw them around. That and making them explode of course. A weightless but extremely sharp blade made of psionic energy could cut pretty well. A gigantic blade that was not only sharp and moving fast but also weighed as much as a mountain cut even better. She was slowly coming to the realization that a weapon like that would be better than any sword made of metal that she could use, especially since she could mold the psionic weapons into any shape and size she wanted. Or it could be if used correctly.


    Another thing she noticed came when Nyx finally dragged her to help with constructing some of the new buildings they needed. ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t a craftsman, at least you can lift things around with your psionics and swing a hammer.¡± The diminutive Meilin stated angrily while dragging Dee around.


    Dee was less interested in the idea. Working for hours and hours on constructing buildings didn¡¯t really appeal to her when she had, in her opinion, more important things to do. She also happened to be hungry at that moment and Nyx wasn¡¯t listening to her requests to swing by a restaurant or a canteen. As the two arrived, the builders were discussing some of the finer points of how to do the project as many of the elements were extremely heavy and would require special care when lifted and fitted into place.


    Dee looked at the blueprints and noted that the foundation had already been laid. Most of the materials were already cut into the right shape and size, and all that was required was the assembly of the mostly wooden house. The plan seemed relatively simple in her eyes, although the workers would have argued otherwise for various logistical and weight distribution reasons. The others seemed busy so with a shrug of her shoulders she set to work. Thousands and thousands of invisible hands grabbed every piece, screw, and nail and lifted them into place.


    It was perhaps the first time in the history of Pantheon that a complete house was built from parts in less than thirty seconds. All the pieces floated and fitted into place, held there by the invisible hands that could turn immaterial enough to pass through the solid objects when required, and suddenly every nail, screw, and bolt shot into place at the same time. Dee took a look at the painting supplies nearby and another glance at the plans and gave another shrug. Suddenly tiny little droplets of paint from four different color shot around the house and was placed just where it was needed. No need for brushes, rollers, liners or tape. She had to make slight adjustments as some pieces of wood absorbed the paint better than others, and she had used a bit too much paint in other places, leaving the paint a bit runny, but those corrections took less than ten seconds to implement.


    The others were just staring as she finished. ¡°Anything else?¡± Dee asked she turned around. The builders soundlessly rushed to check her work of course. They couldn¡¯t just rely on everything working as it should without checking. That ultimately ended up being unnecessary though. Dee might not be a builder, but she was a psion. There was nothing wrong with her ability to follow instructions.


    ¡°Since when did you have enough control to do that?¡± Nyx asked while narrowing her eyes.


    Dee shrugged. ¡°My control is constantly improving. Ever since I learned the trick with invisible hands, things got a lot easier. When I became immortal, things just fell into place. My power was no longer too thick to handle delicate work. Instead, it was just right. I can¡¯t say when exactly it was that I got enough control for that,¡± She thumbed towards the house. ¡°since I¡¯ve never tried it before.¡±


    The builders rushed out as they finished their check. For them, it would have taken hours or even a full day to finish with just a handful of them working on the project. There¡¯s really something that could be said for thousands of hands working on a project at the same time, even if those hands were invisible and controlled by a single person. ¡°Can you do something like that with something a bit more complicated? Maybe something that requires stone or laying bricks? Could you do carving and finishing work as well?¡± They all asked in turn, bombarding her with dozens of different but increasingly detailed questions.


    ¡°Whoa, just wait a minute. The answer to all that is yes, assuming I get a bit of practice. I¡¯m not doing anything before I get some food though. The cruel and nasty Meilin standing over there didn¡¯t allow me to get lunch!¡± Dee feigned grievance while pointing at Nyx.


    Once the builders had stuffed enough food into Dee, the amount of which truly shocked them as Dee ate as much as ten of them, they started to run a series of tests. Finally they figured Dee could handle almost any such project in less than an hour, not including the time spent waiting for something to dry or set, which they could speed up magically. There was no real upper limit on size, as there was really no difference to Dee whether she was working on a mansion or a small cottage. The only limiting factor was the amount of detailed work required that actually needed skill as a craftsman. Dee might be good with her psionics, but she was not an expert woodcarver for example. She also had no eye for most artistic work.


    Nyx took great pleasure in finally being able to force Dee to work on something and was just about to call everyone else to watch when Dee announced that she would only work if she got to order Nyx around as an assistant. Nyx, of course, protested in outrage but was overruled by the ecstatic builders, or more specifically their wives, husbands, and families. Without Dee¡¯s help, the builders would spend the next several months working from morning until night to get everything completed in a relatively acceptable timeframe, and they would not get to spend any time with their families. With Dee helping, everything got done much quicker and the builders got some family time. So Nyx was forced to carry around random and usually useless objects for Dee¡¯s amusement and pleasure. Also, she was tasked with making sure Dee got properly fed as the builders were not stupid enough to take on that responsibility again.


    ----------


    Rahmiel felt a little weird hiding her identity. Usually she was proud of her heritage and her position as the Archangel of Mercy was something that even their enemies looked favorably on. The Archangels of Valor and Order were often disliked by their enemies, but few people disliked what Rahmiel represented. Those that didn¡¯t know her might think of her as weak or soft, but that was their misconception. Mercy didn¡¯t always mean letting others go and helping everyone. Mercy towards many might mean cruelty towards few. There was also an old saying about mercy towards enemies being cruelty towards your loved ones. So she didn¡¯t represent unconditional mercy. As for being weak? One couldn¡¯t become an archangel without having strength.


    Despite what she was used to, now she had little choice. Her presence on Pantheon would draw too much attention, and not all of it would be friendly. In fact, most of it would be decidedly unfriendly. Majority of the inhabitants or their forefathers had come to Pantheon to get away from Angels and the other parties in the War in Heavens. An archangel like Rahmiel represented everything they wanted to avoid. In many cases, she also represented everything they had lost. And that¡¯s without considering the fact that she didn¡¯t want to draw attention to where she was going.


    Her daughter Araqiel was leading the way as they traveled over a fairly long distance in the second circle of Day city. The duo was moving extremely fast, but the distances in Pantheon were really long as always. The two couldn¡¯t appear using the teleportation circles of the Five Winds as they were too closely monitored at the moment. So they had to use one of the abandoned scattered around the less used areas of the second circle. Many a city had fallen in the second circle over the years, leaving the teleportation stations behind. That meant they had to travel over most of the length of the new territory held by the newly renamed Five Winds community. Their target was the new headquarters near the mountainous edge of the territory, which was unfortunately on the opposite side of the newly conquered area. There might be many abandoned gates but they were not usually conveniently placed. Otherwise they would not be abandoned.


    Once they finally did reach the new headquarters, the two floated in place considering how to proceed. If they simply walked in, there would have been no point in hiding their arrival in the first place. ¡°You have more experience with them. How should we approach?¡± Rahmiel asked her daughter.


    ¡°Assuming we only want to meet with the target?¡± Araqiel confirmed.


    ¡°For now at least. That may change later, but let¡¯s aim just for her for now.¡± Rahmiel confirmed. Depending on the circumstances, they might need to make contact with the community as well, but that was for later.


    ¡°I think we should assume the form of the Jun walking into the city. They are closest to us in appearance and we don¡¯t need to change much. Then we just walk towards the target. She will notice us before we get all that far.¡± Araqiel suggested.


    ¡°I assume you have a basis for this guess.¡± Rahmiel didn¡¯t really ask as much as state her opinion.


    ¡°She recognized me immediately last time.¡± Araqiel replied with a shrug. ¡°I was hiding my wings and halo, yet she still saw through me easily.¡±


    Rahmiel made a small thoughtful humming sound. ¡°I think she has some ability in the technique used by the Assembly. They can see the power inside other beings, although she seems to be really good at it if she can see inside people that easily.¡± Most of the top experts of the Assembly could read spells and techniques. Really good ones could read the basic flow of power inside enemies to predict their actions. Only the best ones could use that flow to recognize people and races. The angels had tried to steal the techniques with very limited success.


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    The two did as Araqiel suggested and faced no questions when entering the city. While the teleportation gates were heavily monitored, the gates of the city had a constant stream of people going in and out, so detailed checks were impossible. All the hubbub from the new activities made effective control of people impossible. The guards also knew that if someone was determined enough to approach the city over land, then they would be determined enough to find a way to slip into the city. The new city would need to establish new routines and practices before they could start recognizing the people by sight, so two extra Jun mixed into the throng drew no attention.


    The two angels didn¡¯t have to wait long before they were approached by a messenger that was here to take them to their destination. It had actually taken the messenger more time to find the two than it took for Dee to sense their approach. The two were led to a fairly large walled mansion at the heart of the city. The house was built around a large central garden and was shared by Dee and Moirai, though the angels were not aware of this detail.


    Many things went through Rahmiel¡¯s head as she first saw the person that might end up changing the fates of her race. The first two words that came to her were exotic and attractive. The strange horns glowing with lines of power to the point of seeming ready to fracture and explode spoke of the girl¡¯s draconic heritage. She had heard that the girl¡¯s old and more feral form had been white-furred, which was attested to by the snow white fox tails spread behind her back, as well as her hair that seemed to be changing color for some reason. The lavender color seemed to be giving away to white, giving a bit of a wild and playful impression.


    The girl was clearly beautiful, though that was almost obvious with her heritage containing both the blood of angels and kitsune. Dragons usually also had attractive humanoid forms, and this was no exception. Once the initial impression passed though, a whole new set of words popped into Rahmiel¡¯s head. Those words were dangerous, dominating and someone who was surrounded by the aura of death.


    None of those impressions was new to the archangel. She had seen more dominating beings with like the Archangel of Order or some of the elder dragons. She had also seen more dangerous people like the Archangel of Glory and the elites of the Assembly. And all of them were surrounded by the aura of death. They had all taken lives too numerous to count. But there was something unique about the air around the girl. Something about the mix of impressions giving the feeling of a blade still being unsheathed. But once fully bared blade swung, the results would be something they had not seen before. All of the three impressions of danger, domination, and death only seemed to be growing, as the girl was still young.


    The girl also wasn¡¯t alone. There was a pair of Meilin women also in the garden, though they were clearly taking a backseat for now. Their presence here was on purpose since if the girl didn¡¯t want them to be here, she would have asked them to leave before the two angels arrived. ¡®A safety measure perhaps?¡¯ Rahmiel assumed wrongly.


    ¡°Well, if it isn¡¯t the spy coming back after I warned her not to. Judging by your presence, and the presence of another angel, this is the person you report to. To whom do I owe the pleasure?¡± The girl spoke.


    At this point Rahmiel dropped her disguise and her large golden wings flared out, clearly signifying her position as an archangel. The golden halo completed the impression. ¡°I am the Archangel of Mercy, Rahmiel.¡±


    The eyes of the two Meilin grew in size, this news clearly catching them by surprise. The girl didn¡¯t seem fazed though. ¡°I see. I admit I was not expecting Mercy to show up, but it makes sense now that you mention it. You would be one of the few to still keep your allegiance with Lumen despite everything.¡± The girl responded, using the not quite derogatory but clearly impolite mode of address. Some outsiders referred to the archangels just by their title as a way to show their lack of respect towards the position. ¡°I am Haydee as you no doubt are aware. My friends and allies refer to me as Dee. You are neither yet, so you can call me Haydee.¡±


    ¡°Since I am putting my cards on the table, would you mind showing yours as well?¡± Rahmiel requested, not reacting to Dee¡¯s less than welcoming tone. She doubted Araqiel would make a mistake, but it was also better to confirm such things.


    Dee knew what the archangel wanted to see, and her wings also flared out. Once the lavender wing appeared, Rahmiel nodded in confirmation. That truly was the symbol of their goddess giving this girl a mission to fulfill. A mark of Lumen¡¯s favor and will. The other wing marking the girl as Fallen was just as clear, and the implications were not pleasant. Their goddess had seen fit to go to an outsider, a Fallen no less, because the angels she created were turning away from her.


    ¡°May I ask, what mission the goddess gave you?¡± She knew it was coming but had to hear it with her own ears.


    ¡°To turn around the angels of Paradisia, to punish those that have twisted her will and gifts and to turn you away from this path you have chosen.¡± Dee replied, her words affecting the two Meilin as well. They had known Lumen had blessed her for a reason, but they had not known what that reason would be. They had also not realized the significance of Dee¡¯s other wing.


    ¡°And did her divine grace give you any instruction as to how this was to come to pass?¡± Rahmiel asked while closing her eyes in grief. Having Lumen¡¯s displeasure confirmed in such a clear way was saddening to her.


    ¡°She gave me carte blanche to choose any method I desired. She would like it if the resolution was peaceful, but recognizes that might be impossible. If the current Paradisia must burn for something new to grow in its place, then so be it.¡± Dee replied honestly, without letting her tone show any emotion.


    Rahmiel gave a long and deep sigh. She had suspected as much, but it was still not pleasant to hear. She had known for a long time that the angels were going down a path that was bound to anger the goddess that gave them life, but she had been powerless to do anything about it. She was not the only one, but she was in the minority. ¡°And what about Dee the person. What does she think?¡± She used Dee¡¯s nickname on purpose, showing her willingness to be an ally in this, at least to an extent.


    An unfriendly smile spread on Dee¡¯s face. ¡°I personally have very little reason to make things easy or pleasant to your kind. I¡¯m sure you noted my heritage and know the way your kind has treated us in the recent past. In fact, the goddess also recognizes this. She approached me knowing I might decide not to help her. Truth be told, I have not decided yet. Becoming the enemy of Paradisia and possibly the enemy of most so-called ¡®good¡¯ races under your control just to help a goddess that created your kind isn¡¯t a thought I cherish.¡±


    ¡°But you have a plan.¡± Rahmiel stated. ¡°I¡¯m almost certain you have given thought to what you would do if you were to take on this burden.¡± She had been told Dee was a psion, so of course the girl would have made plans. What she was truly asking was for the nature of the plans. Would they end up with Paradisia in flames or were they the more peaceful type.


    ¡°I have the beginnings of a plan yes. I do not know what the effects will be exactly, but I doubt the angels of Paradisia will appreciate it.¡± Her visit to Lumen¡¯s domain had actually given her several ideas. Surprisingly it involved less fire than most people would assume. That didn¡¯t mean there would be no damage to the home of the angels.


    Rahmiel closed her eyes again in thought. She could try to oppose Dee, but truly stopping her would mean killing the girl. She was doubtful it was possible. She might be able to beat the inhabitants of the Five Winds, but the girl would most likely be able to escape in the mess of the battle. And did she even want to do so if she could? This was the will of her goddess. Even if the girl died, it didn¡¯t change the fact that the angels were heading down the wrong path. Eventually there would be a reckoning. Was it not better if it happened now, and in a way that Rahmiel could affect the outcome? Maybe reduce the damage to her kind?


    The archangel made her choice. ¡°Know that you have help and allies among the angels if you choose to accept us. I¡¯m not the only one among the archangels either. The Archangel of Hope will most likely help. The Archangel of Wisdom could be convinced. No one knows how the Archangel of Destiny will react. I¡¯m afraid the Archangels of Justice, Glory, Order, and Death will stand against you no matter what. As will the Morningstar.¡± Morningstar was the title given to the leader of the Council of Archangels. The angel that took on the position gave up their old name, position, and connections in order to focus leading the angels as a whole.


    ¡°In the end, the power of the opposition will only make things harder for you. Work hard Mercy. Try to save as many of your kind as you can.¡± Dee replied, not really caring to soften her words. She knew that if she truly chose to do it, then she would eventually succeed. Lumen would not have approached her otherwise. The only question was how long it would take and the price that would have to be paid. And how much hate her actions would gather in the end.


    If she succeeded, most the races of the universe would likely not care about the reason why or that the goddess had tasked her to do it. She would be remembered as the one who caused the downfall of the guardians of ¡®good¡¯. Yet another reason why she was not keen on doing it.


    Rahmiel only nodded. She knew Dee had no reason to take it easy on them. It was doubtful someone with the heritage of demons and Fallen would become an ally of the angels after the Holy Purge. It was too much to ask. However, there were things that could be done to minimize the damage. ¡°Do you mind if my daughter stays with you? She can contact me and we can make plans when the time comes.¡±


    Araqiel looked at her mother in shock and was about to protest. Most of what she had already heard had driven her further off-balance, and this felt a bit too much too suddenly. Dee saw this and interjected. ¡°Staying with me might be difficult, but she can stay here with the Five Winds. Judging by her expression, she would prefer that as well. Besides, I will not be doing anything towards Paradisia for a long time. I do not have the strength. Lumen is also not the only deity to have laid a claim on my time.¡±


    ¡°Not the only deity?¡± Rahmiel asked, getting a bad hunch.


    Dee didn¡¯t reply, only allowing the holy symbols of both Umbra and Lumen to float out of her forehead. Rahmiel stared at the sight, also in shock. The Goddess of Darkness and the Goddess of Light joining hands? This was even bigger than she had assumed. Unlike most others, she could sense just from the holy symbols that Dee was the future Champion of both.


    Suddenly a completely different mood took over her. She burst out in laughter. ¡°Well, this should be interesting if nothing else. I¡¯m reminded of an old saying about riding a tiger. It might be deadly and hard to get off once you start, but at least it will not be boring.¡± Perhaps it was better to forget about worrying. She would do what she could and that would have to suffice. Worrying would not help. Either the worst came to pass and the worrying had done nothing to help, or things didn¡¯t go that bad and the worrying would have been pointless.

 Chapter 141

    As Rahmiel was preparing to leave, Dee decided it might be a good time to slip in a question she had been holding back so far. She didn¡¯t want to give the archangel leverage by admitting how much the answer meant to her. ¡°Oh, would you mind helping me with a little something?¡± She asked keeping her tone light.


    Rahmiel turned back to look at Dee. She was experienced enough to know that Dee would not have mentioned anything if it didn¡¯t hold at least some importance. ¡°Depends on what you have in mind.¡± She replied noncommittally. She was rather eager to say yes, as that might help her save more of her people later on. Still, it was better to not make promises until she knew what was being asked of her.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for information on someone. An Assembly scientist named Selvaria.¡± Dee inquired with some trepidation.


    Rahmiel knew at least partially why Dee was looking for Selvaria. Empyrean had given an incomplete report on what had happened, as he needed to report to the council on what happened to the power Selvaria had gotten from the hells. That¡¯s why they were all searching for Dee in the first place. However, Empyrean wasn¡¯t the type to go into detail with his failures, so Rahmiel didn¡¯t know all the details. She was given enough information to know that Dee had at least some of that power, which explained the girl¡¯s rapid rise to immortality. Perhaps the girl was looking for the rest of that power. She was also aware that there might be other reasons for Dee to find Selvaria, as the Assembly scientist was the person responsible for the destruction of the hells. As a demon, Dee might be interested in revenge. Or she might just want to see an old friend again.


    In any case, there was no real reason to keep the information secret. ¡°Empyrean, the Archangel of Order in case you were unaware, sealed the pocket dimension she calls home. He also forcefully moved the entrance. As far as I know, Selvaria should be fine otherwise. I¡¯m not entirely sure where the entrance was moved, but he couldn¡¯t have moved it too far as it was something originally created by Selvaria and not him. I¡¯ve heard rumors that his Seraph are holding guard over the entrance though.¡±


    ¡°What would it take to gain entrance?¡± Dee asked a little reluctantly. The more she asked, the more obvious it became how important this was to her. Though that ship might have already sailed, so she didn¡¯t feel too bad.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit more complicated. I can try to help you find the new location of the entrance. Empyrean has no real reason to hide that information from the other archangels after all. I could ask the Archangel of Hope to find out just to make sure our connection is not discovered. You would also need to get past the guards, but I suspect that will not be a problem for you when the time comes. The problem is the seal itself. Empyrean most likely used the specialized sealing techniques of Paradisia. Sealing others is one of Order¡¯s specialties after all. Those techniques are usually reserved for sealing powerful demons and wrongdoers that might turn out useful later on. Such as Selvaria in this case.¡± Rahmiel explained.


    ¡°You have no way of lifting the seal?¡± Dee asked surprised. Rahmiel was an archangel as well.


    ¡°A seal made by someone else yes, but not Empyrean. The ability to remove the seal is based on a person¡¯s position in the hierarchy of Paradisia. Officially the two of us are both archangels and thus equal, but there¡¯s a slight twist. It probably comes as no surprise, but as the Archangel of Order, he is also the Champion of the God of Order. Now in practice that doesn¡¯t come up very often, but strictly speaking it does place him above me in the hierarchy. Only someone with a higher rank or someone with clearly superior strength could remove the seal. And seeing as he is a Champion of a major god and an archangel, there aren¡¯t that many people that can boast being either.¡±


    ¡°Who exactly would qualify then?¡± Dee asked again. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the situation outside Pantheon. She didn¡¯t know who to approach.


    ¡°Well, seeing as you carry the power of our goddess, who also created Paradisia, you would qualify if you also became her Champion. Just having the wing is not enough. Without becoming her Champion, the title is still kind of unofficial, as you haven¡¯t fully taken on the mission she has given you and the techniques are from the Order side of things, so Lumen¡¯s power weighs less on the scales. The Morningstar also could do it. Beings with enough power on the other hand¡­hmm let me think. The eldest dragons of the Eternal Dragonflight, the leaders of the Assembly, and the Morningstar of course also has more power so he qualifies twice. Other than that, the focus of the power of chaos and¡­darkness.¡± Rahmiel suddenly looked up as some pieces fell into place in her mind.


    She continued. ¡°That¡¯s what Umbra wants from you, isn¡¯t it? She needs a new focus.¡± She burst out into laughter combining amusement and her feeling of absurdity. ¡°Oh, this is rich. The Goddess of Darkness wants you as the focus, and the Goddess of Light send you against her own people. No wonder she is so confident you will succeed. The two goddesses joining hands in something like this is just¡­well this really is a cherry on top of this particular cake.¡± The archangel felt a little speechless.


    Dee didn¡¯t bother denying it and left the archangel to make her own conclusions. ¡®So. It seems that if I want to see mother again, I need to go with the wishes of the gods.¡¯ She silently messaged Croestia.


    ¡®You could try seeking the help of the people the pigeon mentioned.¡¯ Croestia said even though she knew Dee had already dismissed this possibility and could guess the reason.


    ¡®I¡¯m fairly sure it would be easier to rely on my own power than seek the help of the others. I¡¯m getting the impression that breaking the seal will require quite a bit of effort even from them. It would also be a fairly hostile act against the angels. The leaders of Assembly seem the most likely candidates and they would have moved already if they were inclined to do so. It¡¯s unlikely they would do it now just because I ask politely.¡¯ Dee argued.


    ¡®Might still be worth the effort of asking.¡¯ Croestia pointed out.


    ¡®True. It¡¯s not completely impossible, so we should keep the option open. Still, it seems I¡¯m getting pushed a certain way no matter what.¡¯ Dee conceded the point. This was likely one of the reasons Umbra had been so certain that Dee would go along with her wishes. Could the gods themselves interfere by breaking the seal with their power? It was worth asking at least. Some priests managed to manifest miracles due to their faith. She somehow doubted it would be as easy in her care though.


    ¡°I will handle the entry, but I still need to know the location of the entrance. I would consider it a favor if you were to find that out for me.¡± Dee returned to the original subject. She looked at Araqiel. ¡°Consider it repayment for allowing her to observe me.¡±


    Rahmiel smiled. She knew she might be able to extract a larger prize for the information, but this was good as well and might build a little good will between them. Besides, she was going to push the real work to the Archangel of Hope anyway, so it didn¡¯t require all that much effort on her part. ¡°Agreed. She knows how to contact me. Feel free to have her do something useful in the meantime as well.¡±


    Araqiel wasn¡¯t too fond of the idea and protested vociferously, but the protests fell on deaf ears.


    ------


    ¡°And so, this is Araqiel. She¡¯s an angel and will be staying with us for a while.¡± Dee introduced Araqiel to the representatives of Five Winds. They needed to be aware that there was an angel here to avoid problems. So far Dee had been the only one with any angelic blood in her, and one of the representatives might mention something thinking that Araqiel was just Dee changing her appearance for some reason. Also, they needed to know when not to speak of certain things, since Araqiel was still in effect an outsider. The representatives were not stupid, but they were playful and might make mistakes out of ignorance.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®And so¡¯?!¡± Shioko asked raising her voice. ¡°You didn¡¯t explain anything!¡±


    Nyx and Moirai had gotten over their own shock after all they had heard earlier and were now busy laughing as if none of this had anything to do with them. They were still absorbing everything, so their amusement was only on the surface.


    Dee looked firmly at Shioko. ¡°Very observant of you Shioko, as befits someone of your position.¡± Her tone made it clear she wasn¡¯t going to explain anything either.


    ¡°Leave it be.¡± Kawhena said with a sigh. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first stray Dee brought in and so far they have all worked out fine.¡±


    ¡°Stray?!¡± Araqiel demanded indignantly. No one paid any attention to her outburst.


    ¡°Oh, good point.¡± Shioko replied, suddenly mollified. ¡°Still, I would like to get a bit more information every now and then. She doesn¡¯t need to be so mysterious all the time.¡±


    ¡°It seems Nyx and Moirai know something.¡± The Anshar representative pointed out but didn¡¯t ask any questions. ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me. If there was a problem, they would tell us.¡±


    Truth be told both of the Meilin had a lot of problems with what they had heard, but not because they were dissatisfied with Araqiel¡¯s presence or anything to do with the Five Winds. The two were worried about Dee. The more they heard about what awaited Dee when she left, the more worried they got. The more they heard, the more certain they also became that Dee would actually leave some day. They were less than happy with that, although they realized it was something unavoidable.


    ¡°Moving on, there are certain things I would like to gain access to.¡± Dee suddenly spoke up, changing the subject. She handed a small list that she had made a few days earlier as she considered all the possibilities with her new powers and how to develop them. The items were not something extremely expensive, but they were somewhat rare and required intricate magic. They were also necessary to one of her plans.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Humm, this is somewhat out of our specialty.¡± Shioko stated thoughtfully as she looked at the list. ¡°It could be arranged, but our enchanters aren¡¯t really specialized in things like this. It might be easier to get them from outside sources than wait for our mages to get familiar with the spells.¡± She also didn¡¯t mention that with their own mages doing something like this as a new thing, the items might not work perfectly. Normally enchanters would iterate on a particular enchantment over several prototypes, but that would be kind of pointless for something they didn¡¯t need to make more than once.


    The representative of the Threads of Fate extended her hand and took the list. ¡°We could arrange these.¡± She said after a moment. The empress could make several deductions just from the nature of the items on the list. Many of them were things you would need when trying to travel to the elemental planes. These kinds of items were rather rare, but their community dealt with rare items.


    ¡°But¡­?¡± Dee asked. She had heard a slight tone of quid pro quo in the seer¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Well, I can arrange these. That¡¯s not an issue. The reason you may have noticed a bit of hesitation is because there is something that you could help us with as well. I hesitate to say that it would be in return for these items, but that¡¯s how it would seem to be working out.¡± The empress hesitated a bit. This was a good chance to set some of her plans slowly in motion. Getting Dee¡¯s help would make things easier, and might even make similar requests easier in the future. She had not planned on using these plans until a bit later, but when opportunity came knocking¡­


    Dee made a small ¡®I¡¯m listening.¡¯ gesture.


    ¡°Well, this new area is rich in certain materials very useful for creating high-end weapons and armor.¡± Of course it was. That was one of the main reasons the empress had recommended this area. ¡°The Five Winds have several skilled craftsmen and excel at mining and smelting such materials, but we aren¡¯t really equipped to process and use the amount and quality of materials we now have access to. We could always sell those materials, and we eventually will, but it might be better to first take this chance to utilize these materials for our own use. To get the best out of the materials, we would need craftsmen with some rare skills.¡± To have the majority of the Five Winds equipped with the highest quality weapons and armor would go a long way towards improving their strength and security. Even the Celestial Court used materials of similar rank for their own soldiers and immortals.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how this has anything to do with me?¡± Dee asked with a small frown. She had exactly zero skill with enchanting. And as a psion she would never have any skill in that field.


    ¡°Well, you might pretty soon. There are certain communities and races that have the best skills with these kinds of materials and with enchanting high-end weapons and armor. Surprisingly, these skills aren¡¯t exclusive to high ranking communities. We are seeking the expertise of several races and communities to aid in this process. For example Razark already left to ask the help of some Saurian friends of his and I will approach a few more soon enough. We would like you to approach three groups in particular due to your¡­shall we say connections? The first one is the Mystic¡¯s guild. You are familiar with the grandmaster of the Radiant Sun, and he can get you in contact with the right people.¡± The empress explained her thoughts.


    ¡°That sounds doable. What else?¡± Dee felt that the worst was still to come. Her ties with the order were a bit odd, but she had gotten along with the grandmaster during Faylen¡¯s wedding.


    ¡°The second group is the Lacademonians. Razark mentioned that you and Shunkaha were acquainted with one of their people during your training. If you two try to make contact that way, things should go more easily than if we made official contact to ask for their assistance. The last one¡­well, there¡¯s no nice way to say this. We need you to make contact with the Sidhe.¡±


    Dee rose up from her seating position with agitation and then sit back down, feeling her outburst to be a bit excessive. ¡°That might prove difficult.¡± She stated finally.


    ¡°Well look. The Sidhe have some of the best smiths on Pantheon and they specialize in using the power of celestial bodies in their work. If we called for them and the smiths suddenly found out about you later on, then things would get complicated. If you were to make contact yourself, however, that problem would be avoided as they would know what they were getting into. Also, despite the fact that your separation was a bit questionable, you¡¯re still acquainted with the new Queen of the Unseelie. I get the sense that it would be good for you to resolve any issues that connection has left behind, and now might be the best chance. Also, it¡¯s kind of bad that you have a bounty on your head. I¡¯m not sure if taking along the new queen¡¯s sister would help or hinder things, but since she is here I¡¯ll leave that decision up to you.¡± The empress was confident with Dee¡¯s abilities, which is why she was pushing her to do this. The Five Winds had other ways to reach her goals, but this was hitting multiple birds with one arrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s a steep price for some magical items.¡± Dee said with a grimace.


    ¡°True, but I¡¯m not demanding results. I¡¯m just asking for you to try. But you are right in that I¡¯m asking for more than I¡¯m providing, hence why I hesitated to say this would be an exchange. I¡¯ll provide some extra to make things more even. I think I know what you have in mind with these items. I can help you with your little project if you want.¡± The empress also noted that the items Dee had asked were for three people. She assumed the other two were for Nyx and Moirai. The two psions would benefit from this enterprise as well.


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it.¡± Dee replied with a grimace. She had vaguely planned on meeting Noyala again sooner or later to resolve some lingering issues. She had been planning on waiting until her strength was a bit higher, but her current strength sufficed. ¡®I think her sister mentioned that she changed her name to Artenia when she took the throne.¡¯ Dee thought idly.


    ------


    Dee had gone to find Eilian, to see if the Sidhe woman wanted to see her sister again and to test something. She was not surprised to find the Sidhe princess once again in the same atelier she had been in the last time. The place was once again filled with Jun painters practicing their craft. Apparently they had moved on to painting humanoid shapes as there was a Dagon man dressed in just a toga standing still on a platform. She was half surprised that the man wasn¡¯t naked; as that would have matched the stereotype in her head. She soon realized that it required more skill to combine both clothed and bare parts in one painting.


    Dee sneaked behind Eilian and noted that the Sidhe had improved a lot since the last time she visited. ¡°You¡¯ve become good at painting the texture of cloth, but the muscle definition still needs work.¡± She commented.


    This caused Eilian to jump a bit in surprise. Out of consideration, Dee had picked a moment where the surprise would not ruin the painting. ¡°Dee! How did I not sense you creeping in here?¡± Eilian was truly surprised. She knew Dee could be stealthy when she wanted to be, but she should still be able to sense the power of life within her. Dee had visited a couple of times before with the new form so that was no longer a surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m testing something. Apparently it was successful.¡± Dee commented with a smile. The range at which the power of life could be sensed was growing smaller and she had found a temporary solution among the information left behind by Xinglong. The little trick allowed her to hide all that power of life inside her Domain, which was in turn hidden by Xinglong¡¯s power surrounding it. It could not be held up for long as the power was part of her body, but still.


    ¡°Well, with this you could enter the forest for a short time.¡± Eilian commented as Dee explained what she had done.


    ¡°Yeah, about that. They want me to make contact with Noyala¡­err, I mean Artenia. I¡¯ll need to get the bounty removed while I¡¯m there, but mostly I¡¯m there for business. I wanted to ask if you wanted to go back to visit your family? I could take you there quickly and protect you. You could also help me with my business.¡± Dee suggested, explaining why she was going in the first place.


    Eilian hummed a bit before answering. ¡°I think I should. I need to find out what happened to my parents after my sister took the throne. I know there was no love lost there. I want to know if they¡¯re alive at least, and see them if possible. If they are still around, they could help you with the smiths. Our family had several of them working for us. Some of the best ones in fact since my parents were leading the armies of the Winter Court.¡±


    ¡°Well then, get packing.¡± Dee ordered with a smile.


    ¡°But my painting!¡± Eilian whined a bit. She had fully dedicated to her new passion and didn¡¯t want to leave the painting unfinished.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll model for you in return if you want.¡± Dee promised without thinking it through completely.


    ¡°In any clothing I demand?¡± Eilian suddenly asked for confirmation, her mind already planning furiously. ¡°Or lack thereof if I so ask? Like you said, I need to work on painting humanoid targets.¡± That was not exactly what Dee had said, but it was close enough.


    ¡°Err¡­¡± Dee realized that she might have promised more than she thought.

 Chapter 142

    ¡±How is it?¡± Eilian asked, knowing Dee¡¯s senses were superior to her own.


    ¡°I can sense a group of fairly powerful beings inside, but in general there are fewer people than I would think.¡± Dee replied.


    The pair was high in the clouds with Eilian riding on Dee¡¯s dragon form. They were above the place where Eilian¡¯s parents lived before Noyala became the queen. It was relatively close to the old capital of the Unseelie, though still on the outskirts of the city. The two were not sure if the parents still lived here, which is why they took a very careful approach. They had already noted that a large portion of the Winter Court forces was slowly moving to leave the forest, though their destination was something of a mystery.


    ¡°Well, only one way to find out.¡± Eilian decided and suddenly leaped off Dee¡¯s back to slowly descend towards the ground. She was good enough as a mage that the fall held no danger to her.


    Dee considered her possibilities for a second. Landing in the courtyard as a dragon was sure to draw attention from a long distance away. It was also possible that Noyala, now known as Artenia, knew enough about Dee¡¯s background to recognize that form once the information got to her. The same applied if she appeared in her normal form. While Artenia had not seen the form, the tails and the wings were a bit of an obvious hint. She finally decided to just go with hiding her tails, wings, extra arms, and halo. That way she looked mostly like an elf. She also left her hair open to hide her ears and kept her hood up.


    Despite Eilian gaining a bit of a head start, the two landed almost simultaneously. Dee didn¡¯t bother hiding her presence or her power in order to deter anyone from getting any ideas. It didn¡¯t take long for the guards to notice their entry, as they had landed in the front courtyard. At first, the relatively limited number of guards were ready for battle, but they turned rather agitated once they saw Eilian. Finally one of the senior guards approached them, someone that Eilian recognized.


    ¡°Eilian darling, you gave us a real fright. For a moment we thought your sister finally decided to come and take matters into her hands.¡± The guard greeted with a relieved smile.


    ¡°Kharis, it¡¯s good to see you.¡± Eilian replied with a smile. ¡°How are my parents?¡±


    ¡°Alive. For what it¡¯s worth. The queen has pressured us quite a bit, but they are still alive. Come, let me take you to them. They will be¡­well, I¡¯m not sure if they will be glad to see you, but relieved at least.¡± Kharis replied a bit hesitantly.


    Eilian had warned Dee that her parents might not be happy to see them, considering the situation. Their relationship had been relatively warm, though not very close. Eilian¡¯s current presence, on the other hand, might be a little problematic. ¡°You go ahead first. I¡¯ll take care of a few rats.¡± Dee suddenly said as she sensed several spies in the vicinity making a beeline towards the city. One of them had been among the guards that had seen their landing.


    ¡°Right. We expect the word about your presence will soon reach your sister¡¯s ears.¡± The guard commented. They were aware that there were spies present, though they didn¡¯t know about the one among the guards. That said, it hardly came as a surprise.


    ¡°Not if I can help it.¡± Dee replied and vanished in a flash of light.


    ¡°Who exactly¡­?¡± The guard questioned Eilian, leaving most of the question to hang in the air, not sure how to phrase it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m quite confident she will deal with the rats. It shouldn¡¯t take too long either.¡± Eilian replied and proved to be right. The two had not even reach Eilian¡¯s parents yet before the shadows suddenly rose up from the floor, revealing Dee¡¯s returning form.


    ¡°That was faster than I expected.¡± Eilian commented, as even she was surprised at the speed.


    ¡°They were shockingly weak.¡± Dee replied with a shrug. The spies didn¡¯t manage to offer any resistance. It also helped that the holy magic she had recently learned was quite effective at dealing with those much weaker than her. She could deal with several people with very little fanfare or notice.


    Kharis sighed. ¡°We¡¯re not really worth proper spies anymore. I¡¯m fairly sure most of them weren¡¯t even connected to the Queen. Your parents will explain.¡±


    The meeting between Eilian and her parents was at the same time warm and a little strained. It was clear they were happy to see Eilian alive and well, but were troubled by her presence here. Apparently, the great houses of the Winter Court had seen them as a threat since their daughter had taken the throne in what could almost be called a coup. The great houses thought that the family of the new queen would be a large new player in the game and started taking measures. Their assumptions weren¡¯t entirely unfounded, as the new queen¡¯s parents had assumed the same thing. The relationship with their second daughter was far from happy, as they had even tried to have her killed, but blood relations often ran deeper than short-term feuds. They had been quite mistaken.


    What the other houses soon realized was that the new queen was making no effort to protect her family, and her silence was a tacit permission to go after them. The house Eilian and Artenia had come from wasn¡¯t exactly large either since it didn¡¯t have the deep roots that usually develop over hundreds and thousands of years of rule, alliances, and cross-marriage to other houses. That said, both of the parents were generals and rather good at their job. That¡¯s where the new queen¡¯s policies to move the Winter Court out of the forest came in.


    Neither the great forest of today nor the places suitable for the Sidhe of the Winter Court could be called safe. The two generals were sent to deal with all the most dangerous missions, which resulted in two things. Firstly they were always in battle or preparing for one, and battles were never safe. Many of their subordinates lost their lives in the battles and were not replaced with fresh forces. Secondly, they were rarely at home making new connections or stopping their reserve forces from being poached. Many of their old subordinates were hired by the other houses, and some even met untimely ends. The soldiers were for the most part rather loyal, but they could see the writing on the wall. Loyalty was one thing; blind loyalty unto death was something entirely different. Many of them took the lucrative way out, which was why the current number of people at the mansion was so low.


    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s not going to be much use to ask them for the blacksmiths we came for?¡± Dee asked Eilian as the explanation had finished.


    ¡°Blacksmiths?¡± Eilian¡¯s mother asked curiously. They had noted Dee¡¯s presence and strength, though they could not connect her with the person who killed the Tree of Life.


    ¡°Yes mother, the community that took me in sent us to acquire the services of the Sidhe master-smiths. I knew you used to employ several of the more experienced ones, which is partly why we are here.¡± Eilian elaborated.


    ¡°Can your new community pay for such services?¡± Eilian¡¯s father asked a little skeptically. ¡°The famed smiths of the Sidhe don¡¯t come cheap, especially since they dislike working with sub-par materials.¡±


    Dee barked a small laugh. ¡°Yeah, I think a second circle community can afford the expense. Besides, I think materials like Elementium should pique the interest of even the most stubborn smiths.¡±


    ¡°Second circle!¡± ¡°Elementium!¡± Both of the generals blurted in surprise, though for different reasons.


    ¡°How did you manage to become a part of a second circle community with access to Elementium mines?¡± The father asked eagerly. ¡°I¡¯m actually a very accomplished smith myself.¡± He hastened to point out. In fact, his previous path in life before military had been smithing.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done well for yourself. How did you manage that?¡± The mother asked in turn, not giving the chance to answer the previous question.


    ¡°I have to thank Dee here actually.¡± Eilian pointed at the woman by her side. ¡°She took me along when sister took the throne. She¡¯s part of the Five Winds Alliance, who recently became the 68th ranked community. I get to paint all I want!¡±


    The mother¡¯s eyes narrowed a bit. ¡°That¡¯s odd. The rumors, spread by your sister no doubt, claimed that you ran away with your ally, the being who killed the corrupted Tree of Life. Naturally, the rumors kind of forgot to mention the corrupted part most of the time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty close all things considered.¡± Dee said to Eilian, feigning a conspiratorial tone.


    ¡°Well, they did get the alliance part wrong. They forgot to mention that you were allied with my sister dearest, and she actually sent you to kill me. But you offered me a way out instead.¡± Eilian replied, mimicking Dee¡¯s tone.


    ¡°So you¡­?!¡± The mother asked with a shocked expression. ¡°There¡¯s a bounty on your head! On Eilian¡¯s too, but much smaller.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me. I¡¯ll need to go and get that bounty rescinded. It¡¯s kind of bothersome at times. It¡¯s not a threat anymore, but some people might make an error in their judgement and try anyway.¡± Dee muttered mostly to herself.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Father, the smiths?¡± Eilian said, dropping the act and bringing the subject back to the original point.


    ¡°Well, we actually have good connections to the smiths still. They are the only people the great houses don¡¯t dare to piss off and can¡¯t kill. Their skills are too valuable for us Sidhe. Too much would be lost if they died. The smiths don¡¯t¡¯ really concern themselves with politics and consider me one of them.¡± The father said, hedging his words just a bit. ¡°What exactly do you have in mind?¡±


    Dee explained the plan for recruiting the best smiths and enchanters from several sources, and what the mission would be. ¡°Humm, I suspect many of the smiths might join just to improve their skill at the craft. I certainly would. The chance to learn further from the master-smiths of other races by working together is very enticing. Also, we don¡¯t get to work with materials like that very often. It won¡¯t be exactly free, but I think I can get the cooperation of many smiths with the information you provided.¡±


    ¡°Dear, are you sure we have the time for you to play with hammers and anvils?¡± The mother asked with her voice filled with doubt.


    ¡°Well, I would need to bring a group of bodyguards of course. Like you and some of the still loyal people for example. Once the job is done, we might forget to return, and find some other place to settle down. I¡¯m sure we can find a place that has a use for a master-smith and some Sidhe elite warriors. Honey, there¡¯s no point in us staying here anymore. We¡¯re only facing a slow death. We had a good try at gaining power, but we failed. This is a good way out. I¡¯m sure the Five Winds will be happy to provide us with some funds to start over somewhere else in return for my connections.¡± The father started the slow process of changing his wife¡¯s mind. He would eventually succeed.


    ¡°I think that worked fairly well, don¡¯t you?¡± Eilian asked with a chipper voice, as the two watched the parents argue.


    Eilian also knew that the Five Winds would not be taking her parents in, mostly because they were aware of the less savory things the two had done in order to gain power. She didn¡¯t feel too bad about it. While she wanted to see that they were alright, she had no desire to return to the way things used to be. She now had freedom and friends among the Five Winds. Her parents would only mess things up for her.


    ¡°I have to agree. If your father comes through, then we won¡¯t need your sister¡¯s help to provide us with any smiths. I only need to get the bounty removed now. I also need to have a proper meeting with her. To say goodbye if for no other reason.¡± Dee¡¯s tone got a little wistful towards the end. Eilian gave Dee¡¯s hand a little squeeze of encouragement. She knew Dee and her sister had been relatively close.


    ¡°About that.¡± Eilian¡¯s mother suddenly interjected. ¡°If you¡¯re serious, then I have an idea for how you could get relatively close, fairly easily. The queen is throwing a masked ball in four days. It¡¯s something in a long line to keep the noble houses happy so that they would not object to her plans to move outside the forest. Most of our military has already moved to the new location and the craftsmen have started the slow process of building new cities. The old noble families are less happy about leaving their old estates and places of power behind.¡±


    ¡°That actually gives me an idea.¡± Dee mumbled, remembering that the Five Winds had used certain spells to move their cities and buildings into the second circle. Maybe she had something to barter with if it turned out to be more difficult to get the bounty rescinded.


    ---------


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a good idea for you to come along as well?¡± Dee asked for the third time. ¡°Despite the mask, you still look like your sister and will draw attention.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I might not be able to defeat you in a fight, but I¡¯m still an immortal as well. I can take care of myself if it comes to that. Besides, I want to see my sister. I have a few things to say as well.¡± Eilian¡¯s answer had remained the same every time Dee asked.


    The two were wearing elaborate carnival masks and beautiful dresses as they approached the royal palace. More precisely, Eilian was wearing a dress, while Dee had gone in a slightly different direction. As soon as she knew for sure that Eilian was coming along, she knew there was little chance they would avoid drawing attention, so she decided to just go with it instead. Her dress was made from Umbra¡¯s powers, and it looked like she was wearing darkness itself. Not a black dress, but a shadow that seemed to be absorbing all the light in the vicinity. It also looked a little indecent as it gave the impression she wasn¡¯t actually wearing any clothes, just that her body could not be seen. She was also rather blatantly displaying a pair of black wings and a halo above her head, drawing the attention of everyone as a Fallen Angel. Her form was somewhat similar to the one she had used once with Noyala, and at least the queen would recognize her immediately. She would get the message.


    ¡°Still, that dress of yours is rather impressive.¡± Eilian commented. ¡°Not as impressive as the cat panties beneath, but still.¡± Her tone was half mocking, half stifling laughter.


    ¡°Standard issue for the scouts of the Radiant Sun.¡± Dee mechanically replied with the same excuse she had used before. She just didn¡¯t want to admit she liked the silly little things. She still hadn¡¯t entirely gotten over the fact that she didn¡¯t have fur covering the important places anymore, and preferred clothes that got in the way as little as possible. Also, the little cat ears were kind of adorable.


    ¡°I seriously doubt that. Besides, you haven¡¯t been a scout for a long time.¡± Eilian laughed. ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time to get something new?¡±


    ¡°Shut it painter girl.¡± Dee shot back a little defensively, knowing Eilian had got the upper hand in this exchange. She knew better than to change clothes in the same room as Eilian in the future.


    Luckily for Dee, the two didn¡¯t get the chance to talk further as they came to the large doors of the palace where the invitations were checked. The events in the royal palace were of course invitation only. Dee had been working on the guards slowly and in secret while they approached. With a final push, she managed to enter their minds as the guards wanted to check their invitations. Dee only showed a blank piece of paper that seemed to satisfy the guards and the whole event seemed to vanish from the memory of the guards immediately.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure that was going to work.¡± Eilian said a little excited. Her parents had suggested the masked party, but of course didn¡¯t have invitations. Dee had promised to take care of it. Entering the minds of people so much weaker than her was rather simple, even if she wanted to be subtle about it. Inserting a small suggestion and removing the short term memory of the last ten seconds was also much easier than trying to wipe away some old and embedded memories. This still wasn¡¯t Dee¡¯s forte, and her immortality had not changed that even if it made things easier.


    Once inside, the duo spent some idle time sampling the foods and drinks while mingling with some curious people and exchanging vacuous gossip, most of which they invented on the spot. They were only waiting for the queen to make her entrance, and of course the monarch would be among the last to arrive just so she could make a proper entrance.


    The duo didn¡¯t have to wait too long, as they too had timed their arrival well. Not by accident, as Dee could monitor the whole palace through the shadows. As the queen made her entrance, the members of the court naturally kneeled on one knee or curtsied low to show their allegiance, although some only bent the bare minimum to fulfill the demands of etiquette. Aside from the guards standing by the sides of the room and the queen herself, only two people remained standing. Those two people were naturally Dee and Eilian. Dee would not bow down to anyone, and Eilian certainly wouldn¡¯t do so for her sister.


    The queen¡¯s eyes narrowed in recognition. Despite the masks, she easily recognized her sister, and Dee¡¯s message was pretty clear. The actions, or lack thereof, of the two caused some commotion among the nobility, who were starting to rise to their feet in protest. ¡°Stay!¡± Dee barked an order with a voice that sounded more like the deep and beastly voice of a dragon than a humanoid. Simultaneously she spread her Domain over the whole ballroom and for once used the more dominating aspect of her power. Anyone trying to rise suddenly felt their knees hitting the ground once again.


    ¡°Well, I suppose we¡¯re doing it this way then.¡± Eilian commented. The duo had not been sure how they were going to make their approach, but it seemed like they were going to do it the most blatant way possible. Eilian removed her mask with one hand. ¡°Good to see you again sister dearest.¡± She said, her clear voice carrying to everyone¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Eilian. Dee. It¡¯s been some time.¡± Artenia replied simply. She was mostly paying attention to how much Dee¡¯s strength had grown. Previously she would have been a fair match to Dee once she regained her full power from the curse, but now it seemed Dee had once again passed her.

 Chapter 143

    Although her attention was elsewhere, Dee idly noted that some of the guards in charge of protecting the palace seemed to be able to resist the dominating aspect of her Domain, even if they could not use their full strength due to the suppression. This was not altogether strange as much of the pure domination effect was mental instead of a physical force pushing them to their knees. These were guards that served another master with a certain level of conviction, and it was also their duty to protect that master against external threats with their lives. Currently Dee and Eilian seemed fairly threatening, so the fact that they were less likely to be affected by Dee¡¯s domination was understandable. It was also a fact that Dee still had a lot of room to improve this aspect of herself.


    Some of the guards that managed to shake off a part of the effect and started to rise were quickly pushed down by Dee¡¯s invisible hands, and a glowing weapon made of psionic energy floated in front of their faces. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t if I were you.¡± Dee said, her advice rather genuine, even if it didn¡¯t quite feel like it in this situation. She didn¡¯t really have anything against these guards and would rather not hurt them if, assuming it didn¡¯t inconvenience her too much to avoid doing so.


    ¡°Well, this is a rather hostile way to present yourselves to the court.¡± Artenia gathered herself and regained some of her more regal bearing.


    ¡°Present ourselves to the court, is it?¡± Eilian repeated with a slight chuckle. ¡°Surely you didn¡¯t expect us to kneel? Or gods forbid, recognize you as having any supremacy over us?¡± Dee was interested in seeing where this was going so she just allowed Eilian to run with it. It looked like things were taking an interesting turn anyway.


    ¡°Even as a wanted criminal and a traitor, you are still a subject to the queen of the Winter Court.¡± Artenia stated calmly.


    ¡°Unfortunately for you, that is not quite true. I¡¯m a member of a different community now, and as much as the Sidhe enjoy their games of royalty, not all Unseelie are under your rule. Only those that are part of your community. As for the criminal and traitor part? Well, I suppose we both know the truth of that.¡± Eilian retorted with a sharp tone.


    ¡°Such arguments about your treachery are a bit pointless considering you come here in the company of the person who killed the Tree of Life.¡± Artenia pointed out. That brought a bit of restless movement from the people still kneeling on the floor. ¡°And as for being a member of another community, that may be. But that just makes your hostile actions even more blatant. Any normal community would approach us more diplomatically. This feels more like a declaration of war.¡±


    Eilian burst out in laughter. ¡°Oh, but here¡¯s the thing. Diplomatic niceties are for the times when two equals negotiate. When one side is clearly stronger, they dictate their will and the other side has to deal with it. Such is the case here as well.¡±


    Eilian could have tried to argue that it was, in fact, Artenia who had allied with Dee to attack the Tree of Life and shake her sister¡¯s claim to the throne by sowing discord. However, there were several reasons she decided against it. Firstly, she didn¡¯t actually care if her sister was on the throne. If her sister was happy being the queen, then so be it. Eilian certainly didn¡¯t want the throne for herself, so her sister might as well have it. Additionally, sowing discord would only hurt the Sidhe. She didn¡¯t have a grudge against her people or any reason to cause them harm. Secondly, she knew the great houses were already informed on what went down with the Tree of Life and Noyala¡¯s subsequent coronation as the current Queen Artenia. They didn¡¯t really care, or they would have done something about it already. Instead, it was seen as a well-played scheme by the queen. They had chosen a ruler, and while it would be embarrassing to have their lies and machinations in the public view, it would not change anything. Thirdly, and most importantly, Eilian really was allied with Dee now and was not in any way ashamed of that fact. She didn¡¯t feel the need to defend herself against that accusation.


    ¡°And you have come to dictate the will of someone to us then?¡± Artenia asked with an incredulous tone. ¡°Do tell. Who is behind you giving you such power? The Sidhe are not the type to give in easily.¡±


    ¡°That would be the case if the issue was about subjugating you or making unreasonable demands. However, the thing is that your little antics for personal gains have become a point of contention with a party much more powerful than you. Tell me, how willing are ¡®the Sidhe¡¯ to stand against a second circle community just because of your personal grudges?¡± Eilian¡¯s words were not entirely wrong, though she did present things in a light that was very unflattering for Artenia.


    It wasn¡¯t just Artenia¡¯s personal wishes that a bounty was placed on Dee. In fact, the Summer Court had more to do with it. However, Eilian¡¯s addition as to the list as a wanted person was done by the new queen, and she also had the power to revoke both bounties. In the beginning the Summer Court would have argued against it, but as the truth behind the Tree of Life¡¯s corruption came to light, their stance also softened on the issue. If the Queen of the Unseelie asked for it, the bounty would be removed.


    Artenia noted that Eilian was steering the conversation a certain way on purpose. Making it personal gave her the excuse to deal with it personally instead of airing everything here in front of the court. The words about a second circle community had also shocked the court and that shock could prove useful later on if they had to abide by Eilian¡¯s wishes. ¡°If that is how you feel, then this is hardly the place for such negotiations. Come with me to somewhere a bit more private. And Dee, do me a favor and release my guards. You¡¯re making them jumpy. They''ve gotten the point already.¡±


    Dee released the suppressing force with a small grin. The people around her were still frozen in place, but now due to their own volition as they didn¡¯t know how to react. The guards circled the queen protectively, but Artenia shooed them away, back to their other duties. She knew Dee could have killed her secretly if she really wanted to, so she only took along a pair of the more senior guards and led Dee and Eilian out of the ballroom.


    They didn¡¯t have to walk further than down a corridor and past a few doors before they reached a rather standard sitting room. This was something used for private meetings and certainly not an office. One of the guards remained outside to discourage anyone from approaching in hopes of overhearing something. As soon as they entered the room, Artenia stepped close to Dee to give a small hug, which Dee returned after hesitating a bit. A hesitation that didn¡¯t go unnoticed by anyone present.


    ¡°Despite everything, it¡¯s good to see you Dee.¡± Artenia said as she let go and stepped away. ¡°You seem ok. Much stronger than before as well. I know you gain power fast, but isn¡¯t this a bit excessive?¡±


    ¡°You know me.¡± Dee replied with a small smile. Whether Dee knew her in turn was another matter. ¡°Can¡¯t stop until I reach the top.¡± She didn¡¯t truly trust the other woman anymore, but they had been close before.


    ¡°How are the Four Winds? In the second circle judging by what Eilian said. The recent turbulence there must have gone in your favor.¡± Artenia asked, making polite conversation. She wanted this meeting to be on more amicable terms than the one in front of the court. There was less need to keep up a front here.


    ¡°It¡¯s Five Winds now actually. It might become Six Winds or even Seven Winds at some point. The situation is still in a bit of a flux, so the rankings haven¡¯t settled down. You should get more information soon as things quiet down a bit more.¡± Dee explained simply, mentioning things that would be public knowledge soon anyway. She was being careful around Artenia.


    The other side noticed this once again and gave a sigh. ¡°I suppose I deserve that cold treatment.¡±


    ¡°You made a choice.¡± Eilian stated with a cold voice. ¡°You threw away both me and her for political expediency, though I suppose our relationship had gone sour much before that. Just having her delay me back then was quite enough for your purposes. I wasn¡¯t actually even going to contest you for the throne afterwards. To send people to hunt and kill us and putting a bounty on us was excessive and only served to make things easier for you. Like I said, you had a choice and you made that choice.¡± She was getting angry at her sister for some reason. She had not been this angry when they had been betrayed, but now it irked her much more for some reason.


    ¡°And you agree?¡± Artenia asked, looking at Dee. ¡°Are you here for revenge then?¡±


    ¡°I agree that you did make a choice. Our feelings back then were a bit ambiguous, and you made a clean break.¡± Dee stated with a sense of calm washing over her. She knew now why she was here. Before this, she had not been certain. ¡°As to why I¡¯m here, there are several reasons. Revenge¡­isn¡¯t really one of them. Your choice also helped me make a choice and figure out something important.¡± Dee had realized the form of her totem thanks to Noyala¡¯s betrayal.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°So why are you here?¡± Artenia asked. She had some idea but wanted to make sure anyway.


    ¡°First of all, we are here to have the bounty removed. Like Eilian said before, it¡¯s become a little irksome. It¡¯s also pointless. The only bounty hunters that would be foolish enough to try are those that don¡¯t know better. That doesn¡¯t mean no one will try, however. It¡¯s also a bit of a reputation issue to have a bounty placed on a prominent member of a second circle community by a much weaker community like yours. Other communities will think we are soft if we do not deal with it. I¡¯m also here to say goodbye. You are a part of the past I¡¯m leaving behind.¡±


    ¡®One of the last things remaining of my childhood.¡¯ Dee also thought to herself.


    ¡°So this is the last time we meet then?¡± Artenia asked, her tone turning a little emotional, though not even she knew what emotions she was feeling.


    Eilian jumped in at this point. She felt that her sister was still making a play by using emotions. She was not entirely sure of the goals of that play. Maybe she was just trying to leave a mark on Dee¡¯s heart. ¡°No. You don¡¯t get an emotional goodbye. You made your choice, the throne above family and loved ones, and now you have to deal with it. We also made our own choices. I dare say I came out ahead.¡±


    This whole situation was making Eilian irrationally angry for some reason. She got up from her chair and marched to Dee and suddenly planted a kiss on her lips. Dee in turn froze at that action. ¡®What the heck is going on now?¡¯ Was the extent of what was going through her head. Then it turned into: ¡®Well, I may not know where this is going, but it¡¯s pleasant so let¡¯s just go with it.¡¯ She proceeded to kiss back rather energetically, which in turn caught Eilian by surprise and the whole kiss went on for longer than she had originally planned.


    The two finally separated with a small cough from Eilian. ¡°So, you see, you chose power over all else. I chose happiness.¡± Eilian stated a little less firmly than she had planned. This was supposed to be a statement of sorts to shake things. Maybe her sister might end up leaning a bit more towards happiness in the future, and maybe Dee would be able to leave her sister behind without getting entangled by old emotions. As for herself? Well, despite being willing to hand over the throne to Artenia, she still had some competitive spirit in her when it came to her sister. It would be nice to show she had won in something important. The kiss had been somewhat impulsive, as had this whole plan since entering the palace, but it had seemed like a good idea. At the time at least.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯m not sure if this is a healthy way for us to say goodbye if you simply traded me for my twin, but suit yourself.¡± Artenia wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the whole thing. She had separated with Dee in a rather nasty way, though partially because the two had really developed feelings for each other. Seeing her sister claim happiness and kiss Dee was not easy, but it was just another method of cutting ties. Suddenly she felt that there was no point in stretching things out. If the other side wanted to end things, then so be it. ¡°You can consider the bounty revoked. It will take a few days, but I will see it done. Goodbye Dee and sister.¡± Her voice took a little more acrid tone with the word ¡®sister¡¯ than she had meant.


    Just before Dee exited the room, Artenia stopped her hesitantly. She looked at Dee¡¯s wing as if posing a request. ¡°Could I have one of the feathers? As a memento? Despite everything, if we are fated to never meet, I¡¯d like something to remember you by.¡±


    Dee looked at Artenia for a short moment before plucking one of the smaller black feathers. Another one immediately grew in its place. Before handing it to Artenia, she summoned the black flames within her to surround the feather. For some reason, the feeling of wrongness was much lesser than usual, and the black flames surrounded the feather without damaging it. Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure how she knew to do this but suspected it was some innate knowledge that came with the ability. The black flames also had the power to purify and remove foreign magic. In this case Dee used it to remove any connection the feather had with her. Normally the feather would still be hers even if removed, and some magic could be applied to the feather to search for her location or to spy on her. Now the feather was just that, a black feather without a previous owner, as the connection with her was cut.


    ¡°Goodbye Noyala.¡± Dee uttered, using the old name she had known the other woman by. She floated the feather over and turned to leave, never to return.


    -----


    The two were leaving the palace peacefully. The guard had escorted them to the courtyard but didn¡¯t bother following further. If the two wanted to do something besides leaving, there was nothing he could do about it anyway. Dee was still a little stunned about what had happened. She still had a question or two for Artenia, but those didn¡¯t really matter anymore in the grand scheme of things.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Eilian suddenly said a little gingerly.


    ¡°I can see why you went straight for that strawberry tart when it was offered. The taste was kind of great, even if I only got to try it second hand.¡± Dee teased the other woman. She knew the kiss had been something in the spur of a moment, and decided that levity was the best answer in the current situation.


    Eilian blushed fiercely with embarrassment and gave Dee¡¯s shoulder a playful hit. She knew better than to actually try and hurt the physically much stronger Dee. She decided to retaliate another way. ¡°You still owe me a painting. Come to think of it, you only promised to model for me and failed to specify how many times. You also said in any clothes, or lack thereof, I wanted.¡±


    ¡°Keep it in moderation.¡± Dee replied with a small smirk. If Eilian wanted to play, then she was game. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one capable of re-interpreting what I said. I also didn¡¯t specify when I would do it, or for how long. I might decide a second in a hundred years from now might be appropriate if you get too out of hand.¡±


    ¡°What now?¡± Eilian asked more seriously.


    ¡°Now? We wait for the smiths to gather and take them and your parents to the Five Winds. And then we will never return. At least that¡¯s the plan.¡± Dee said simply. ¡°You might decide to visit as a Sidhe if you want to. I don¡¯t know what kind of fond feelings you have of the forest.¡±


    ¡°Not that fond actually. I¡¯m happier with my new situation, and unlike the Seelie and the elves, we Unseelie are less interested in the forest.¡± Eilian replied lightly. ¡°But I might visit one day. Who can say for sure? I might even drag you along if you aren¡¯t too dead set against it.¡±


    ----------


    The representatives of Five Winds were rather pleased with Dee¡¯s success. They had already acquired the services of the dwarves and Saurians, but Dee¡¯s mission to the Sidhe had been one of the most important, even if they didn¡¯t mention anything to Dee about that fact. ¡°Good work, will you go for the Lacademonians or the Mystic¡¯s Guild next?¡± Amarog asked. ¡°I can have Shunkaha go with you if you¡¯re going for the Lacademonians next.


    ¡°I was thinking of combining the two anyway.¡± Dee replied with a small sigh. ¡°The grandmaster will be able to connect me with the right people in the Mystic¡¯s Guild, and he likely can also point us where I can find Cynisca. I¡¯m not sure what the point of bringing Shunkaha along is?¡± She had become something resembling friends with the Lacademonian girl during the training, but they had lost touch when Razark and the old man had taken over Dee¡¯s training.


    ¡°He has been looking into the Lacademonians while you¡¯ve been busy elsewhere. Also, you kind of vanished during your training and I hear the girl didn¡¯t take well to her rival disappearing. It might be better if he comes along.¡± Amarog replied with a chuckle. By now he had given up on his son courting Dee, but it still felt like a missed opportunity.


    ¡°Fine, fine. He¡¯s not getting a ride though.¡± Dee replied a little displeased. They would just have to take the slower portals this time. He certainly wasn¡¯t going to get on the back of her dragon form.


    ¡°¡­ride? What..?¡± Amarog asked in slight confusion.


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Dee waved it away, not deigning to explain.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing the painting will have to wait a bit?¡± Eilian asked as she saw Dee exit the building where the representatives met.


    ¡°For now. This shouldn¡¯t take too long though. Surely dealing with the Mystic¡¯s Guild and Lacademonians can¡¯t be more difficult than going back to the elven forest and your sister, right?¡± Dee replied lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m eagerly waiting for your return then.¡± Eilian replied with a slightly wicked expression. She already had several dresses in mind for Dee to pose in.

 Chapter 144

    ¡±Dee, you really have to stop appearing in my office like this.¡± The grandmaster Lothar grunted, clearly dissatisfied with the situation.


    ¡°Or, and I¡¯m only throwing an idea out there, you could stop reacting so violently every time.¡± Dee countered with a grin and let go of the grandmaster''s sword she had been holding in place with two fingers surrounded by an armor made of light. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine there are too many people besides me passing through the shadows in such an obvious way to enter your office.¡±


    The grandmaster grunted again, not really able to argue with the point. That didn¡¯t make him feel any different about the whole situation though. ¡°So why is wolfy over there puking into my garbage bin?¡± He asked, changing the subject a bit.


    ¡°He¡¯s a little...delicate.¡± Dee replied with a bit of disdain in her voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s just him being delicate. Is that black blood he¡¯s puking out?¡± The grandmaster asked with disgust as he got a better look.


    ¡°Like I said, he¡¯s a little fussy. A little shadow energy in his lungs shouldn¡¯t be a reason for such a big reaction. I told him to hold his breath.¡± Dee argued a bit defensively.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk. *cough* I¡¯m not blessed by some dark deity that protects me from all that stuff.*retch*¡± Shunkaha managed to argue between coughs with a feeble voice. Besides, Dee might have warned him, but only less than a second before the shadows surrounded them, and he had been in the process of inhaling right when it happened.


    ¡°So what brings you here again? Don¡¯t tell me Faylen is hurt.¡± The grandmaster asked a little worried.


    ¡°No, nothing like that. We just need a bit of information and an unofficial introduction. You can provide both, which is why we¡¯re here. You still owe me for that whole debacle with the Tree of Life, so¡­¡± Dee quickly dispelled his fears.


    ¡°I disagree, that mission was something that released you from your punishment as an assassin, a rather prolific one at that, I might add. Still, that mission became a bit more than either of us expected perhaps, so I won¡¯t be unreasonable so long as your demands aren¡¯t.¡± The grandmaster countered while sitting down behind his desk.


    ¡°First of all, we need to find someone. A Lacademonian girl with the name Cynisca Helios. She became a member of the order at the same time we did. She was one of the more gifted people taken in that year and was supposed to become part of the chapter that was sent into hot spots as a rapid deployment force.¡± Dee also described the outer appearance of the girl, the most noticeable detail being the red hair.


    ¡°Humm, I¡¯m not sure I remember the particular individual, but when the problems with the Night city communities started, all the Lacademonian members of the order were called back to their original community. As the situation is still setting down, they have not returned but should do so in a year or two. I don¡¯t know if the girl, or she would be a woman now, will be one of those returning. I can¡¯t say for sure where she is now or even if she is alive, though I can give you the location of the Lacademonian community currently. They don¡¯t usually turn away visitors, though I¡¯ve heard rumors of some recent trouble that might alter things a bit.¡± The grandmaster looked thoughtful as he spoke, trying to remember the exact details of the reports he had read.


    ¡°What kind of trouble?¡± Dee asked with her eyes narrowing. This whole thing might not be as simple as she thought.


    ¡°Well, as the Night city communities left the Day city after the Young King¡¯s proclamation, they didn¡¯t all leave quietly. I heard some of the Day city communities that have ties with the Night city were especially affected, and that includes the Lacademonians. All the details are not clear yet, as I sent out my own scouts recently. If you don¡¯t mind looking into that while meeting them, then all the better. I can give an introductory letter to you, just in case, to prove you have connections with us. That should go a long way towards proving your intentions. That said, your identity as a member of the Five Winds might work just as well. You said you had another thing you needed?¡± The grandmaster tapped the table while considering the possibilities. If he got Dee to share what she found out, then that would make his job easier.


    ¡°I need an introduction with the Mystic¡¯s guild. We need their enchanters.¡± Dee declared without any preamble.


    The grandmaster suddenly leaned back in his chair with a small whistle. ¡°Well, this is an interesting coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Dee asked suddenly full of suspicion.


    ¡°Well, as it happens, the Mystics guild also had a run in with someone they should not have messed with. Or to be precise, a group of their younger mages got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some of those mages are alive, but I would not describe them as healthy. What¡¯s more, two of the people who got hurt were children of some of the greatest mages of the guild. They were out socializing and making connections and ended up wandering into the wrong area. The guild has requested aid from both us and the Holy Orders to help those kids recover. I¡¯m willing to bet that the mages wouldn¡¯t mind repaying the favor if you managed to help those two in particular. They¡¯d also owe me a favor.¡± The grandmaster suggested with a grin.


    Dee frowned. ¡°Healing isn¡¯t really my thing. I¡¯m pretty sure there are much more skilled healers among the paladins.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but that¡¯s the thing. If it was just about healing, then the Holy Orders would be enough. There¡¯s something seriously wrong with these kids, and a simple healing spell isn¡¯t doing the trick. The mages are also skilled at removing simple curses, so that¡¯s not it either. I seem to recall from your training that you might not excel at healing, but cleansing spells, poison removal and removing curses are more your thing. Besides, from what I hear you have a knack with the death element, and I have a reason to think that particular knack might turn out more useful than standard healing ability.¡± The grandmaster clearly knew something he had not mentioned yet.


    ¡°Spit it out. You know something. Who did they run into?¡± Dee could guess what that something was.


    ¡°They ran into people from the Spider Cult. Those bastards have been less than happy with the Crimson Witches gaining the spot in the first circle, and they are taking it out on others in various ways. They¡¯re keeping it mostly to seemingly random occurrences to not draw retaliation from the Young King, but they¡¯re getting more blatant as time passes. It would not surprise me in the least if the troubles with the Lacademonians had something to do with the Spider Cult as well.¡± The grandmaster revealed his hand. It didn¡¯t take much to figure out how a run-in with the necromancers might end up with something nasty that had to do with Dee¡¯s specialties.


    ¡°I see where this is going. Give me the recommendations. I¡¯ll see what can be done.¡± Dee had to agree with the grandmaster¡¯s assessment, but looked like she had bit down on something sour. It felt like things were once again playing right into the smug man¡¯s hands, and Dee was once again the pawn in his plans. Yet she had come here seeking for help. If the grandmaster gained something from it, then so be it.


    As soon as the grandmaster handed Dee the recommendations, Dee grabbed the neck of Shunkaha, who was still busy hugging the garbage bin. ¡°Do hold your breath this time.¡±


    ¡°NO, NO! WAIT DON¡¯T!¡± Shunkaha tried to protest in despair but was too late and managed to inhale more of the shadows that suddenly surrounded them.


    --------


    ¡°So you¡¯re the ones sent by the order?¡± The mage asked a little incredulous. Dee was allowing the man to sense her rank as an immortal and was radiating holy power, but she didn¡¯t really look the part. The lavender wing, halo, and angelic looks supported the fact that she might be able to help, but the black wing, dragon horns and more warrior suitable clothing spoke of something entirely different. Shunkaha most certainly didn¡¯t look the part either, as he looked more like a patient in dire need of some healing.


    ¡°That¡¯s the grandmaster''s seal on the document, is it not? Now do you want the help or should I leave?¡± Dee replied with a less than pleased expression while pointing at the document in the mage¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Yeah, alright. No need to get angry. We¡¯re just a little under stress here. The priests sent by the Holy Orders already arrived and are working on the patients. Not having much luck from what I hear.¡± The mage replied a little apologetic.


    The older mage started leading them deeper into the tower. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a guild filled with mages, the insides of the tower were much larger than what the outside let on. That was saying something, considering the fact that the tower was pretty large on the outside already. After walking for twenty minutes and going up several magical lifts they arrived at a large area designed for treating injuries. The walls and floors were filled with magical glyphs and formation designed to improve healing or at least delay the inevitable.


    There were dozens of mages running around and a trio of priestesses talking with two priests. Their talk seemed to be filled with disagreement and arguing as Dee and Shunkaha entered following the mage. ¡°The patients are isolated in those two rooms.¡± The mage said, pointing at the two doors behind the arguing holy people. The doors were covered in magical spells clearly designed to keep whatever was inside from leaving. ¡°The parents of the patients were moved elsewhere on the instructions of the priests as they were getting in the way with their demands. If you want to talk to them, just tell me and I¡¯ll lead you to them.¡±


    ¡°And what is this?¡± One of the priestesses demanded after seeing their entry. ¡°More so-called healers to make this even messier? We don¡¯t need another would-be savior messing things up further!¡±


    ¡°She.¡± The mage pointed at Dee. ¡°was sent by the Radiant Sun.¡±


    ¡°Stay.¡± Dee commanded Shunkaha with a single word and moved towards the two doors.


    ¡°Hey, wait a moment!¡± The same priestess tried to intercept Dee. ¡°You can¡¯t go in there! We can¡¯t have this thing spreading!¡±


    As she reached for Dee, her hand was stopped in the air by invisible hands. ¡°I don¡¯t seem to recall asking for your permission. I take responsibility for my own health, and if you are unable to stop whatever is in there from spreading while I open the door, then you don¡¯t deserve to be called a priestess. Now I¡¯m going inside and making my own judgement since I obviously can¡¯t rely on yours. If you want to lose that hand, then keep trying to stop me. All the other people who wanted to touch me against my wishes have regretted that decision.¡±


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    Dee walked right past the woman and muttered a few words under her breath as a small prayer to Lumen. Golden barriers isolating the outsides from the insides settled around the doors as she opened them and walked inside. Immediately on entry, she knew that whatever was inside here wasn¡¯t contagious as such. Nothing was trying to attack her health, magically or otherwise. So why did the priests outside think something would? She approached the bed where a rather young man was lying surrounded by magic that seemed to slow the passage of time around him. As she entered the field, Dee felt the blessing of Eternity reacting and making her immune to the effects of the seals.


    ¡®Huh, rather handy that. I don¡¯t have to disable the seals to make my diagnosis.¡¯ She thought to herself.


    She allowed her mind to study the man and realized he was in really bad shape. She also immediately realized why the priests had made a mistake. Whatever was ailing the man, and most likely the other victims some of whom had likely already died, would jump to a nearby person when the previous person affected died. That would give the impression that the problem was contagious. ¡°Bloody healers should really be a bit better at identifying such things.¡± Dee muttered, though she had an unfair advantage thanks to her ability to read what the magic inside the man did. It wasn¡¯t that the priests outside had no idea how it worked, they just weren¡¯t sure the death of the patient was the only way the problem spread.


    The problem seemed to be a combination of a magical poison, disease and a curse. It held certain properties of all three. It grew inside the body like a disease, creating toxins to poison the major organs of the target, but it also drew power from the target and weakened them like a curse. The drawn power made the offending spell more effective and able to jump between targets. It also held the elements of death, poison and something odd that Dee could only classify as decay.


    ¡®Maybe a sub-element combining destruction and death?¡¯ She mused to herself.


    She also sensed something else. The offending spell had several nasty tricks built into it. One of the most obvious ones, and probably the one the healers had already run into, was the fact that while the different parts of the spell all contributed to the patient¡¯s death, they also kept each other in check. For example, if a healer was skilled enough to eliminate the disease portion of the spell, the toxins already built up inside the body would react and turn into acid, instantly destroying all the affected organs. The affected organs in this case included just about all of them.


    ¡°Huh, perhaps the priestess had a reason to be worried. If I was a normal healer, then I might try removing parts of this spell as a habit common to all healers. I would trigger the traps without knowing anything. At least one healer already made that mistake once and they didn¡¯t want me to barge in and make the same mistake.¡± Dee said thoughtfully. Many healers often also cast basic healing spells before diagnosing the problem just to keep the patient alive a little longer and to ease their pain. That only made the situation worse in this case by powering the spell ravaging the patient.


    ¡°Something they could have tried explaining instead of just trying to stop you with snide comments.¡± Croestia pointed out.


    ¡°True enough. I¡¯m guessing the strengths of that particular priestess don¡¯t include bedside manners. I can see how a really skilled healer might grow a bit crabby, seeing as they are most likely bothered all the time. They are perhaps the most desired commodity in a world like this. Countless patients and only so much time.¡± Dee mused. She wasn¡¯t feeling any more positive about the priestess, but she understood to an extent.


    She had never stopped studying the spell inside the man while she spoke and found another problem. ¡°Well. Whoever designed this particular spell is definitely a necromancer. Only someone like that would think to counter the ability to resurrect the patient after death.¡±


    Dee had seen what she needed to see. She entered the other room with another patient from a side door that was connecting the rooms for easier access and found the female patient to be in the exact same condition. As she exited the room, she noted that there was a pair of strong mages present to stop any further violence between the healers. ¡°So did you kill the patients already?¡± The same priestess asked snidely from among the other healers who had apparently finished their argument.


    ¡°Unlike some, I don¡¯t go healing people blindly. I study the problem first. Though don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice the fact that you were willing to let the patients die just to get petty revenge on me. A real healer would have tried warning me despite the circumstances. But hey, the fault wouldn¡¯t have been yours if I made a mistake, right? You put your own wellbeing above the patient. Do note that I¡¯m not judging. I¡¯m just making an observation.¡± Dee replied with a grin. She might have been making an observation, but she made it loud enough that the nearby mages heard.


    The priestess wanted to argue but knew this was not the place. She would only be digging her hole deeper in the eyes of the mages by trying to justify her actions. One of the other priests stepped-in to her rescue by changing the subject a bit. ¡°So what did you discover? We are in a bit of an impasse. Two of us want to remove the separate parts of the spell while trying to counter the adverse effects, while two of us want to try removing all the parts at the same time to try and avoid those same effects. She¡± the man pointed at the cranky priestess ¡°is arguing that neither will work. She says we need to trigger the spell to pick a new target. According to her, it would be easier to fix the damage once the spell moves on and isn¡¯t actively making the situation worse any longer.¡±


    ¡°Of course, she¡¯s saying this because she¡¯s the only one strong enough to resurrect the patients if they die while we work to fix them. And she only has a vague idea on how to trigger the spell to go to a new target and no plan on how to save the new target.¡± Another priestess pointed out. It was possible to resurrect a person who had just died if the soul was still close to the body. The time one could do that was not long and the process was uncertain, but it was the most extreme solution available to very powerful priests. Usually, it was also a bit pointless as whatever problem caused the person to die in the first place was still around. If someone¡¯s head got blown off by a spell, there was little point in trying to bring the soul back to a headless corpse.


    ¡°None of those options will work.¡± Dee replied coldly. The priests were about to protest but were silenced by Dee¡¯s finger pointing at the cranky priestess. ¡°She is the closest to the solution, but isn¡¯t going far enough.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡± The nearby high ranked mage demanded with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°All attempts to remove the spell without transferring it first will trigger the traps in the spell. It would be one thing if the toxins had not already gathered inside the organs, but they have. Removing the separate parts at the same time would have worked if done few hours after the spell took effect, but not any longer. Now the spell will have to be transferred first. The problem is, the only way to trigger the transfer without triggering the traps now is for the patient to die momentarily. And the sooner the better.¡± Dee explained her reasoning.


    ¡°What are you saying exactly?¡± The mage asked grimly.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that instead of waiting for the accumulated damage of the spell to kill the patient, we kill them and trigger the transfer. Otherwise the damage will be too much. I don¡¯t know how good she is at bringing someone back to life, but I suspect there are limits. That¡¯s not the worst part though.¡± Dee made a small distasteful sound with her mouth as she thought of the last trap.


    ¡°There¡¯s still more.¡± The mage already looked like he was ready to burst.


    ¡°You¡¯re forgetting something. This spell was created by a necromancer. Do you think they did not consider the dead coming back? There are two last traps in the spell. If the spell has no viable target to transfer to, it will use the remaining power it has accumulated to destroy the previous holder¡¯s body. Upon being transferred, the spell will also lash out at the soul of the deceased patient, forcing it to move on to whatever comes after.¡± Dee had to give the designer of the spell some credit for being thorough.


    The mage and the healers slumped. ¡°Then there¡¯s no way?¡± Even the cranky priestess asked with a frown. She was fairly certain that Dee¡¯s analysis was correct. She too had managed to decipher parts of what Dee had said, and Dee had filled in the blanks.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. There¡¯s a reason why the grandmaster sent me instead of a more experienced healer.¡± Dee replied. ¡°I can deal with the transferring spell and keep the soul safe. What I can¡¯t do is bring the patient back or fix the damage done to the body. All three things have to happen at the same time. It still won¡¯t be a guaranteed success, but there¡¯s a chance.¡±


    ¡°How will you deal with the transfer?¡± The cranky priestess suddenly asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t figure that one out. I was thinking of offering an animal as a viable target, but that seems iffy at best as the spell might be able to recognize the viability of the target.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that one is easy. I¡¯ll offer myself as a viable target. I have a way to instantly remove the spell from myself, but it won¡¯t work on someone else.¡± Dee replied with a sudden grin. The spell might be an effective combination of a disease, curse, and poison, but at the same time, that was a weakness. It would not be able to survive if there was no body to survive inside. If she could turn her kitsune form entirely into fire, then the disease and poison parts would be burnt away, while the curse part would most likely be eaten by the black flames. Even if the curse part was not eaten, it would not work alone. And that was assuming the black flames were not capable of cleansing the entire thing off her even without the transformation.


    ¡°Other opinions?¡± The mage asked and was answered by the priests shaking their heads. They were not confident in their own ideas. Dee¡¯s idea was drastic, but they had to agree that it had the best chance to work. Not a great chance, but a chance nonetheless.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to it then.¡± Dee declared almost happily. This sounded like a fun little test of her powers and control.

 Chapter 145

    Dee was standing inside a small golden dome that isolated her from the outside. The healers were all standing right outside the dome, ready to dash in. The idea was that Dee would be the only viable target for the spell wrecking the body of the young man lying on the bed in front of her. Once the spell did move, the other healers had to do their part immediately. They didn¡¯t need to be touching the patient, although that would help, so once Dee gave the signal they would start working immediately.


    Dee exhaled a small breath she had been holding, not because her part was dangerous, but because the situation had other implications. She was pretty sure of her ability to cleanse the offending spell from herself, so that was not a problem. The problem was that the patient needed to die first for the malicious spell to move, and in this case, Dee was the one to kill him. She had killed plenty of people and would not even blink at one more, but the mages might take a dim view of her role if this whole thing went sideways. True, the patient would have eventually died anyway even if she did nothing, but emotions in situations like this didn¡¯t work entirely rationally, and the mages were likely to blame her. To an extent at least. With risk came glory of course. If this worked, then they would also see her as the one who allowed it to happen.


    The formation slowing time around the patient came down on her command, as the others were unable to work through the field even if she wasn¡¯t affected, and her hand softly touched the patient. There was no point in doing any further damage to the patient to kill him, and it didn¡¯t take much to take the life of someone significantly weaker than her anyway. A bit of psionic power applied in the right place and the patient¡¯s body stopped functioning. Death in the magical sense followed almost right after as the soul exited the body. As it did, Dee gave the signal to the waiting healers, knowing their actions would come after a small delay due to their reaction time.


    Several things happened almost simultaneously. Dee used her blessing from death to take control of the soul but did not consume it this time. Instead, she simply held it in place and stopped it from moving. A net made from thin threads of dark flames surrounded the soul from a safe distance. The black flames felt just plain wrong and unnatural to the healers, but they didn¡¯t have the time to care. The malicious spell lashed at the soul while transferring to the only available target, Dee.


    The attack towards the soul was easily consumed by the flames as it was not all that powerful. It didn¡¯t need to be as normally souls were rather easily dispersed. As soon as the malicious spell was affecting her, Dee let go of the soul and the dark flames surrounding it, and moved away from the patient, ending up outside the protective dome. Now the dome was there to protect the healers inside, as they did their best to repair the damage caused by the malicious magic.


    The toxins created by the spells didn¡¯t just vanish, the disease was still there, and the weakness caused by the curse was still present. They were simply inactive as the spell no longer controlled them, and they were currently being removed by the four healers. The healers also dealt with the after effects from Dee killing the patient, as minor as those were. The grumpy priestess started casting the long spell that would pull the soul back into the body currently being repaired. That particular spell would take a bit longer to cast, but that ended up being a good thing, as it would be easier to accomplish resurrection once the major damage to the patient¡¯s body was fixed to a degree at least.


    While the healers were working on the patient, another black flame surrounded Dee, though this one felt less unnatural as the previous one. It still felt wrong, but there was also a feeling of purity within. Purity of darkness, but purity nonetheless. Anything foreign and unclean was removed from within her body and from the outside as well, as the flames seemed to swallow her completely. ¡®Ok, so there¡¯s a slight downside.¡¯ Dee commented to Croestia as those clothes and items she had not fed to the shadows earlier were also burnt away. All dirt and sweat were removed as well, but that was kind of pointless in this situation. She also had more effective ways to accomplish that minor cleansing.


    ¡®Good thing you¡¯re keeping most of your wardrobe within the shadows already. Otherwise, you¡¯d be kind of naked right now.¡¯ Croestia replied with a tinge of amusement.


    ¡®Still lost the new gloves. I liked the red color. It was a nice change from all the black I¡¯m wearing thanks to the shadows changing the color of everything they eat.¡¯ Dee was kind of peeved at the loss of her gloves. She often had clothing items that were not fed to the shadows just because she didn¡¯t want to always wear all black. The black look made her look a little sinister, especially since she already felt dangerous to most people.


    ¡®Well, now you know not to use that flame when you¡¯re dressing in other clothes. Or at least store the damn things inside me first. That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for. The best way to learn is to lose something first.¡¯ Croestia teased.


    ¡®No, the best way to learn is to learn before you make a mistake in the first place. What you¡¯re talking about is the best way to remember a lesson you learned the hard way. A way meant for those who have difficulty learning via other, better methods.¡¯ Dee corrected.


    While Dee and Croestia sent barbs back and forth, the malicious spell was quickly cleansed away. The healing of the patient was taking longer. The damage done before the slowing effect had been applied was rather extensive, and the healers would not be able to fix everything at this time. Although it was easier to perform a resurrection when the body was intact, it also became progressively harder the more time passed. Thus it was a balancing act of sorts.


    ¡°How is it?¡± The high ranking mage that represented the patient¡¯s parents approached Dee, noticing she seemed to be done. He also knew from previous conversations that Dee could see more of what was going on than he was able to.


    ¡°Well, I succeeded in my part. The malicious spell is gone and the soul was protected. The healers seem to be doing as well as one can expect in the circumstances. The damage that needs to be fixed is extensive, and there¡¯s a long process of healing still left once this part is done, but he seems to be in good enough condition to survive. The only thing that remains is the resurrection. I have no idea how good the priestess is at performing the spell, but it¡¯s up to her now.¡± Dee explained. Magical healing was effective, but it was not perfect. The young man¡¯s body had experienced a large trauma and would take a while to recover even if all of the obvious damage could be healed. For now, the healers focused on the vital things that would help keep the patient alive.


    The important moment came and the resurrection spell was finished. Dee watched as the soul reattached to the body, though noticed the connection wasn¡¯t entirely perfect. That connection also seemed like something that would recover over time. In the meantime, the man might not be able to exert all of his potential and might experience a slower growth in power, though not by a large margin. ¡°It seems the spell was successful. I would avoid anything that puts a burden on the soul for a while though. It seems the connection will take some time to heal perfectly.¡± She recommended to the mage.


    ¡°You can see that? You never did mention how you have so much power over souls.¡± The mage prompted for an explanation but didn¡¯t receive one. Dee was certainly not going to volunteer anything. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll pass on your recommendation.¡±


    As the process came to an end, the healers looked a little spent, but alright on the whole. The grumpy one actually checked up on Dee. ¡°How is it? Did you manage to get rid of the malicious spell?¡±


    Dee was slightly surprised at her concern, but the other party was a healer after all. Removing the spell from Dee at this moment would have been much easier as it wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to really do damage yet. ¡°It¡¯s gone. I did mention I have a way to remove it from myself that would not work on others.¡± She replied calmly.


    ¡°Yes, those black flames. I noticed. They felt¡­I¡¯m not sure if evil is the word I should use. I¡¯m a pragmatist though. A tool is a tool, and it¡¯s all about how the tool is used. That said, I¡¯ve never seen a tool before that gave me that kind of cold shivers.¡± The priestess almost seemed to be convincing herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s my flame as a kitsune. It is what it is.¡± Dee replied simply and thumbed towards her tails. She already volunteered more than she wanted, but the flames did require some kind of explanation considering she would be using them again.


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    ¡°Interesting.¡± The mage mumbled. He had seen many kitsune and they all had unique flames that acted in weird ways. This one had been the weirdest so far, but the kitsune part made sense in general.


    ¡°Well, we still have other patients to heal.¡± Dee stated firmly and led the healers to the adjoining room where the other important patient was waiting.


    In a weird twist, Dee was actually the one using the least power during the process, even though she took the largest risk in theory. The second patient was healed just as successfully as the first, but at this point the healers were starting to show their fatigue. The two patients had been the important ones, but not the only ones affected. There were three other mages that had accompanied the two first ones as bodyguards. One had already died, just as Dee had guessed, when the healers first tried to help him.


    The third patient was healed, though was left with more damage in her body as the healers were getting tired. She would need extensive care in the near future. The fourth patient paid the real price from the exhaustion of the healers, despite Dee using her own powers to supplement the healing as much as she could. There was one part she could not help with after all. The priestess in charge of performing the resurrection finally failed and the soul was only partially reattached. That was not something that could be fixed easily as you couldn¡¯t just kill him and resurrect him again. The damage was already done. The man would have to spend years if not decades to recover and would never recover his full potential.


    It was good in a way that the fifth person was already gone, as the healers were tapped out and would not be able to manage a fifth healing today. Healers had to get used to working when fatigued, but they had their limits and would start making mistakes like what had happened with the last patient. Normally they could all heal dozens and even hundreds of people, but that was with simple combat injuries or normal diseases. Something like that would not be too hard to heal and some of the power used for healing came from the patient. These four patients had complicated magical and physical damage to all their organs that required care to fix and the patients could supply none of the power due to the weakening effect of the curse.


    ¡°So how can we thank you?¡± The mages had sent a small delegation to deal with Dee while the other healers were resting. They knew her presence here was little different from the others. ¡°I got the impression that while you were sent here by the Radiant Sun, you¡¯re not part of their order. So, I¡¯m going to assume you¡¯re not doing this just out of goodness of your heart. I mean no offense.¡± The same mage that had dealt with Dee before was leading the delegation.


    ¡°You are correct. The old goat you know of as the grandmaster of the order only wanted to utilize my skills so you¡¯d owe him a favor. Don¡¯t feel too obligated to repay that favor. He didn¡¯t really do anything. I just happened to meet with him at the right time. I come from the second circle community Five Winds and we are in need of enchanters. Your best enchanters to be exact. Now, of course I¡¯m not assuming you¡¯ll provide them for free just because I helped with the healing. I do expect a discount and your serious participation though.¡± Dee said with a grin and proceeded to explain the general situation.


    ¡°I think I see how this would work. We can certainly do what you ask if we can pinch some of the processed materials that we¡¯ll end up enchanting. We¡¯ll contact your community for the exact details.¡± The mages decided after a round of private conversations away from Dee.


    ¡°Excellent! I¡¯ll send a detailed report back to the community then. I¡¯ll be sure to mention your generous discount.¡± Dee grinned a little wickedly.


    ----------


    ¡°So explain to me, why exactly should I let you take the lead on this one?¡± Dee demanded as the two stepped out of the portal gate they had used to arrive at the city of Lacademonians.


    Shunkaha had asked that she would let him do the talking this time. ¡°Well, not to put too much emphasis on it, but you¡¯re not exactly known for being diplomatic or subtle.¡± He answered with a grimace.


    ¡°I can be, if I choose to.¡± Dee replied a little defensively. That bought her a silent chuckle from Croestia, letting her know how much the magical item trusted that statement.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t really count if you never actually choose that option. We could all be many things, but the way we choose to act is who we are in practice.¡± Shunkaha tried to be both firm and diplomatic at the same time.


    The two were slightly surprised to find themselves in a city surrounded by water on three sides. The city was built on an archipelago and was an oddity of sorts in that the Lacademonians had held that spot in the third circle for a long time, despite having the power to improve their rank if they wanted. They were one of the communities that had elected to settle down and maintained their spot despite the potential for more. They simply liked their current spot due to the terrain that suited them. On the other hand, they had connections to many other communities like the Radiant Sun and the freelancer¡¯s guild and even maintained a presence in the Night city.


    The city itself was very interesting. It didn¡¯t have the beauty of some of the elven cities or high ranking magical construction that other communities preferred. Instead, the city was almost uniformly made of white stone and marble with red tiled rooves. The architecture was very open and airy due to the warm and moist climate and seemed to favor colonnades and wide promenades often filled with greenery. Nearly all of the people present were High Humans of the Lacademonian variety, and they all moved like people who had received military training.


    After spending some time looking at the city, the duo noted that there were other races present, just that they were almost purely servants or merchants. Dee had known the Lacademonians were a warrior culture, but it was still odd to see such a stark division. Not that there were no Lacademonians that were craftsmen or artisans, but they were never servants and even they seemed to have received enough training to form their bodies enough to affect the way they held themselves and moved around. Nearly all of the Lacademonians were dressed in either white tunics, while those in active service were also in bright gold colored metal armor with red capes attached.


    ¡°Remember, let me take the lead.¡± Shunkaha reiterated once more as they got closer to the nearby guards watching over the teleportation gates.


    ¡°State your business.¡± The front guard demanded with an alert tone, while the other nearby guards clearly showed readiness to spring into action on a moment¡¯s notice. Dee actually slightly admired their readiness as most guards dulled in their guard over long periods of time as nothing happened. Either these guards were very well trained, or they had already experienced and were expecting further trouble.


    ¡°We are here to find a person. Cynisca Helios.¡± Shunkaha announced with a placating smile.


    Dee noted a bit of something creeping into the eyes of the guard. What that something was, was harder to identify. ¡°And why would you look for someone from the Helios family?¡± The guard asked with a harsher tone. Apparently the name was not unknown.


    ¡°Do we need a specific reason to look for an old comrade-in-arms?¡± Shunkaha asked assuming with some confidence that a warrior culture would appreciate the connection.


    The guard scoffed. ¡°You hardly qualify as someone a Helios would call a comrade.¡±


    ¡°We were both part of the Order of the Radiant Sun.¡± Shunkaha pointed out. ¡°As are many of your members as I recall.¡±


    The guards nearby laughed. ¡°I see. Just because you spent a little time together in training, you think that makes you equals? We send our young to such groups to learn their methods. True bonds are only forged in battle. True battle and not that peace-keeping nonsense the order is involved in.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard enough.¡± Dee declared and stepped forward. Suddenly an enormous pressure settled on the guards as Dee revealed a bit of her more dominating aspect again. ¡°I don¡¯t think a half-assed soldier like you who has barely seen blood has the qualifications to question me.¡± This time Dee revealed more of the dangerous and deadly air around her, giving a small look into all the lives she had taken.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Shunkaha questioned Dee in a hasty whisper.


    Dee didn¡¯t bother whispering her reply. ¡°Your way wasn¡¯t working, so now we¡¯ll do it my way. He was disrespecting you, and you didn¡¯t react properly. You reacted like a civilian. Warrior cultures like theirs only respect few things like strength and lives you¡¯ve reaped. I¡¯ve got plenty of both, so I¡¯m going to get the respect I¡¯m due.¡±

 Chapter 146

    The reaction to Dee¡¯s aggressive stance was both expected and a little surprising. The guards subjected to the pressure given out by Dee chose to react violently and lashed towards her with whatever weapon they had on hand. The surrounding people on the other hand only seemed to be interested in the situation and not alarmed at all. To them, this looked like a good show. As long as Dee didn¡¯t show any aggression towards the people in the surroundings, the other people would not interfere. The guards had picked this fight and now had to deal with the consequences.


    As soon as the guards moved against her, Dee moved at speeds almost too fast to see. The only reason anyone could see her at all, was because she kept her movements small enough that they could still follow her general position. She took a hold of the wrist of the first person swinging a sword at her and bent the wrist at an angle that forced the guard to release the weapon. Without letting go of the guard¡¯s bent hand, one of her other arms caught the falling weapon. She ducked under the guard¡¯s arm and slammed the blunt side of the weapon into the helmet of the guard they had talked to earlier. At the same time, the first guard was thrown on the ground as his wrist was still in Dee¡¯s grip and now most likely broken.


    The second, now unconscious, guard dropped his shield and weapon as he started collapsing to the ground and Dee grabbed the edge of the falling shield. In a smooth spinning motion, she threw the shield into the forehead of the next guard, while kicking the still airborne weapon of the second guard into the fourth guard¡¯s feet. The unfortunate fourth guard stumbled on the weapon and landed rather badly as he fell. If that wasn¡¯t enough, Dee planted a kick into his belly just for good measure. That belly was protected by a metal breastplate that did absolutely nothing to soften the blow, as his body was thrown against the nearby staircase from the force behind the kick.


    The spectators gave small approving nods but seemed a little disappointed that the show had been so short-lived. In fact, most people in the area barely managed to look up in time to see the last guard clanking down the stairs with enough noise to draw attention. Shunkaha grimaced. ¡°Was that really necessary?¡± He asked, sounding a little tired.


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡± Dee replied firmly. ¡°The difference between groveling and being diplomatic is in the amount of disrespect you tolerate. We may be here on business, but we are not the weaker party. So don¡¯t act like we are. I simply put them in their place. As you might have noticed, there¡¯s no army charging at us.¡±


    The four guards, three unconscious and one cradling a broken wrist, were suddenly lifted into the air with Dee¡¯s powers, and they were forced to float behind the duo like a string of pearls. ¡°So what now?¡± Shunkaha asked.


    ¡°One of the guards looked that way when you mentioned Cynisca.¡± Dee stated and waved roughly towards the southern harbor area.


    ¡°You know there¡¯s like a hundred reasons he could have been doing that, right? There might have been a cute girl walking by, for example.¡± Shunkaha pointed out.


    ¡°Not everyone is as lecherous as you. Still, it is true there might have been many reasons for the look. They were fairly well trained, so he might have been checking his side for anyone suspicious. That is just one of the many possibilities. Nevertheless, it¡¯s a place to start, and as good as any we have at the moment.¡± Dee replied with a shrug. In fact, she was fairly sure this was the wrong direction, but they were not in a rush.


    ¡°So why are you taking them along?¡± Shunkaha thumbed towards the four guards floating behind them.


    ¡°As a warning and an example.¡± Dee replied with a grin. She was expecting to add to her collection on the way.


    As they got a bit further from the square they had arrived at, they stopped a random passerby for directions. He gave a string of rather complex but precise instructions. ¡°I knew that was the wrong way. There really was a rather cute girl standing in our original direction. Not as cute as you of course. I told you that¡¯s what the guard was looking at.¡± Shunkaha gloated a bit as they turned to travel west. The guard in question had woken up and had the decency to look a little ashamed.


    Dee didn¡¯t deign to answer such obvious taunts or flattery, so Shunkaha continued. ¡°Do you remember everything he said? Those were very detailed instructions but they were far from clear and this city is fairly interesting but not exactly easy to navigate.¡±


    Shunkaha had a fair point. The city had the feel of having grown organically and not as a result of precise planning. The city was not divided into clear districts for example, and the wide and greenery-dotted streets were not exactly in the most logical of arrangements. Many were oddly curved and crossed in weird places. ¡°I can remember, but there¡¯s no point really. He doesn¡¯t actually know where the place we want to go to is. He just had an educated guess and wanted to look clever. It seems the name Helios is well known, but not to the extent that everyone knows where they live. I assume the instructions will take us in the general direction, and then we¡¯ll ask more precise instructions as we go along. We¡¯ll get there eventually.¡± Dee replied without worry.


    Inevitably some guards decided to take umbrage at the captured guards floating behind the two, and just as inevitably they also joined the procession of floating guards as they chose to address the issue via violent means. As the number of guards floating behind them increased, the message also became clearer and weaker guards no longer bothered them. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on one¡¯s viewpoint, it also started to draw the attention of the more powerful guards. Not that the increase in power made them any smarter, and they too ended up floating along once Dee disarmed them.


    Eventually, they located the right place; or so they thought as they found the house of the Helios family. The guards at the door of the house had bad news though. Most of the Helios family members were in the palace for reasons the guards didn¡¯t share, while Cynisca was also at the city¡¯s training grounds due to her active involvement in the protection of the city. Most of the active warriors of the Lacademonians spent a large portion of their day in training. On the upside, these guards were smart enough to not ask questions about the roughly fifty people floating behind Dee. They were also kind enough or smart enough to give directions towards the training grounds.


    It took two hours to finally find and reach the training grounds and the number of guards floating behind them had once again doubled. The strongest among them were already rank eight, so if their strength went up much more, then Dee might have to start causing damage to the surroundings in subduing them. That damage almost became a foregone conclusion when they reached the training grounds, as a large portion of the warriors training there were part of the guard. Before things had time to escalate though, they saw a familiar face.


    ¡°Cynisca!¡± Shunkaha yelled towards the red-headed woman that had just exited one of the many entryways of the training grounds. The woman looked up and recognition suddenly glinted in her eyes as she saw Shunkaha and Dee¡¯s tails.


    ¡°YOU!¡± She shouted rather emotionally and dashed towards Dee. Dee was half expecting it, so she only grinned as a fist filled with thick and heavy ki rushed towards her face as Cynisca made a flying leap towards her, fist first.


    Dee met the incoming fist with her own and used only enough strength to push Cynisca back without completely throwing her away. The strike had actually been heavier than Dee expected. She was an anomaly due to her growth rate, and so was Shunkaha with his Authority. Yet here was another anomaly. Cynisca wasn¡¯t an immortal, rather far from it actually, but she had clearly entered the ranks of ninth-ranked warriors when it came to strength at least. That was a stunning rate of growth. If Dee was the one with the fastest growth in perhaps the entire Pantheon, then Cynisca was not that far behind either. She had been working hard apparently.


    ¡°Is that the way to greet an old friend?¡± Dee joked a bit as Cynisca landed on the ground agile as a cat. Apparently, the Lacademonian girl had also matured into a woman with more flexibility than she used to have.


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    ¡°An old friend. Hah!¡± Cynisca scoffed. ¡°A real friend would not have simply disappeared like that after your first mission ended.¡±


    ¡°Aww, so you were worried? It¡¯s hardly my fault that one of the Blades of the order took an interest in my training. The bugger had Commander Luthana sign me under his command and took me along as soon as I got back.¡± Dee defended herself both verbally and physically as Cynisca launched another attack towards her, this time much more measured and probing instead of a brute strength blow.


    Cynisca gave a small mirthless chuckle. ¡°Yeah, I heard all about that interest. You got kicked out of the order thanks to that interest if I recall correctly.¡± She emphasized her words with another wave of attacks, much more complex this time. Dee managed to deflect all the attacks with infuriating ease.


    ¡°Oh come now. Surely you didn¡¯t take such rumors to heart. That was only to provide the order some cover thanks to an important mission. Surely you heard some of what happened in the elven forest as well.¡± Dee brushed the words off and the attacks aside once again. This time she moved much faster and caught Cynisca¡¯s hand as it pulled back and twisted it in a way that forced the other woman to bend in just the way Dee wanted. She then moved to grapple Cynisca and forced her into a hold where she could not move or attack. ¡°This dance is very enjoyable, but are you sure this is the place for it? We seem to be drawing certain kind of attention.¡± She whispered the question into Cynisca¡¯s ear.


    The other woman managed to glance at the surroundings and saw the grins on the faces of the other warriors. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure of the reason behind the grins. ¡°What are they grinning at?¡± She squeezed a question, still in a submission hold held by Dee, although Dee was only stopping her from moving and not causing pain in order to force her to yield.


    ¡°Well, you were rather loud and there are many ways to interpret your words. One of the ways and the one that first occurs to the perverts in the peanut gallery is that you are a spurned lover of mine demanding an explanation.¡± Dee replied with a grin. Another factor she didn¡¯t mention was that both of them were in rather tight clothing and their little tousle was a rather enticing sight. Especially now that they were almost holding still and bent at an awkward angle. Dee¡¯s current whispering also reinforced the spurned lover theory.


    ¡°Let go of me this instant!¡± Cynisca demanded, and Dee obliged.


    Cynisca rubbed her joints to get them back to perfect condition and gave a cold glare to everyone observing. Those observers took the hint and moved on. She also noted the string of guards floating in the air. ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± She asked and pointed at the guards, mostly to just change the subject. Well, that and the floating guards were a rather good reason for a question or two.


    ¡°Would you believe me if I told you I brought you a present?¡± Dee asked playfully.


    ¡°Not for a second, because that¡¯s a shitty present. You¡¯re smart enough to do better.¡± Cynisca countered.


    ¡°Well, as it happens, some of the guards didn¡¯t really believe us when we said we were here to meet with you. Then they got disrespectful. I provided them with a lesson or four. And then more guards kept adding to the problem as we searched for you.¡± Dee gave a quick explanation.


    Cynisca harrumphed. ¡°That¡¯s probably because of my father. He¡¯s rather famous. Some of the guards think the whole family is worth fame by proxy. I haven¡¯t really done anything fame-worthy yet though, so they¡¯re mistaken. Only fools and the incapable ride on the fame of their family.¡±


    ¡°It seems you have some claim of your own to fame though.¡± Shunkaha pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re really young for someone so strong. I would think that alone is worth some attention.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the same age! Yet it seems we were both slower than someone else.¡± Cynisca stated a little bitterly and looked at her old rival that had deflected her attacks with such ease. She had sensed the power of an immortal from Dee when they were in such close proximity.


    Shunkaha gave a bitter laugh of sympathy. ¡°I¡¯d advise against comparing yourself to that monster. I¡¯m pretty sure she is cheating in multiple ways.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Dee protested. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you¡¯re inept. Don¡¯t accuse people of cheating just because you can¡¯t do it. You just lack talent.¡± Her words were a little ironic considering that the two others were among the most talented beings in the entire Pantheon.


    Cynisca shook her head wryly. Some things didn¡¯t change and the teasing between Shunkaha and Dee was very reminiscent of what had happened years ago. ¡°So what brings you here? Don¡¯t expect me to believe you just came to greet me after all this time.¡±


    ¡°Even though that would most likely have been worth the trip, no. You¡¯re right in that we do have a reason for coming. The Five Winds needs the services of the Lacademonian smiths, and we thought you might be able to make some introductions.¡± Shunkaha explained in Dee¡¯s stead.


    Cynisca frowned. ¡°Smiths, is it? I¡¯m guessing you mean our best ones at that. I¡¯m afraid you made a wasted trip in that case. In the current situation, the smiths will not be able to go anywhere or do anything but help our military. Not that it will help, but they have to try.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, what is the current situation? We heard your community ran into some trouble.¡± Dee asked in turn.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s putting it a little mildly.¡± Cynisca commented and pulled them into a bit more private place within the training grounds. Finding a private place with all the guards still floating around was a bit challenging in itself. ¡°Truth be told we¡¯re in real trouble. Our other cities have been attacked by numerous waves of undead and we¡¯re in the process of evacuating any outlying small cities that we can¡¯t defend adequately. I¡¯m not sure how much that will help since my father told me the enemy is part of the Spider Cult. Sooner or later they will hit a city we can¡¯t evacuate and we¡¯ll have to make a stand.¡±


    ¡°How did you manage to piss off the Spider Cult anyway? They¡¯re one of the most powerful communities in the second circle and something of that level rarely takes interest in a single third circle community.¡± Shunkaha asked for clarification. They had not heard any details before this despite asking around.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure of the details either. It¡¯s not the sort of information they spread around. Even if my father is famous, he¡¯s not in the loop either. Or at least he¡¯s not sharing with me. You did make a small mistake though. We¡¯re not dealing with the entire Spider Cult, at least not from what I heard. We¡¯d already be dead if that was the case. Or someone higher up would have interfered. I hear some people in the first circle don¡¯t exactly like it when a second circle community throws their weight around in the current climate. Apparently, we¡¯re dealing with one of the higher ranked Death Lords though.¡± Cynisca explained what she had managed to find out.


    ¡°Hmm, maybe we¡¯ll have to stick around for a while.¡± Shunkaha said while looking at Dee. ¡°We might find an opportunity we can take advantage of.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. You¡¯re missing something important though.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°What?¡± Shunkaha asked with a questioning look.


    ¡°Well, while they might be dealing with only a small part of the Spider Cult for now, what happens if they win? What happens if we spot an opportunity and end up killing the Death Lord in question? That might bring the ire of the whole Spider Cult on the Five Winds and that¡¯s definitely against our goals here.¡± Dee explained her thought.


    ¡°So you would just leave an old friend of yours to the mercy of necromancers? That doesn¡¯t sound like you.¡± Shunkaha seemed almost flabbergasted. Since when did Dee avoid confrontation?


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that. What I am saying is that we might have to take some precautions. I think it¡¯s time I call in a favor and send a gift basket.¡± Dee mused. If she used her favor right, she might be able to get some cover for both the Five Winds and the Lacademonians without too much effort. Besides, if her suspicion was right, the other party might be all too happy to trample on the plans of the Spider Cult.

 Chapter 147

    It was not difficult for Dee to travel to the new area controlled by the Crimson Path. It was, after all, the same area Xinglong controlled while still alive, and Dee had been there before. However, she was a bit leery about opening a portal straight there in case the Crimson Witches attacked first and asked questions later. The problem was that access to the first circle via the general teleportation gates was very strictly controlled. One couldn¡¯t just stroll there on the basis of being an immortal. You had to be invited, and those invitations didn¡¯t appear very often. Few of the nine most powerful communities allowed entry for anyone not part of their community. The dragons and the Titans were a bit of an exception in allowing the members of their race access.


    In fact, access to the first circle was so limited that Dee would most likely draw more attention to herself by using the gates than she did now as she came out of a portal in her dragon form. Yes, she caused quite a stir among the Crimson Witches, but they were not likely to gossip about that fact considering she got inside their defenses so easily. On the other hand, if she had used any of the standard teleportation gates, the word would get around very quickly as the mages operating the gates would spread the word. Even the gates controlled by the Five Winds had unaffiliated mages present for monitoring purposes. This was a measure taken after some communities had abused gates they controlled.


    Still, it was risky to just appear like this. She had been preparing to defend herself against incoming attacks, but as she showed no hostility while slowly landing on a wide clearing ringed by the Crimson Witches, the witches made no move to attack. This was most likely a measure of the confidence they had in their own power. The Crimson Witches were surrounding her and watching her carefully, but as long as she made no sudden moves, they didn¡¯t seem likely to attack. As long as she could explain her presence that is. They would most likely turn more aggressive if she didn¡¯t have a good reason for being here.


    The weird thing was that there wasn¡¯t all that much to see here. For some reason, the Crimson Witches had decided to place most of their facilities underground. There was a large-ish logistics center and lots of open space above ground where Dee landed, but those were mostly for the purposes of trade and visitors like Dee. In fact, many of the buildings in the surroundings seemed to be for the purposes of housing the rare visitor. Dee could sense at least few non-witches inside the buildings. The real facilities of the Crimson Witches were all underground. They would most likely utilize mountains in their construction as well if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that the Living Mountain had been the only large mountain in the central areas of this territory.


    One of the high-ranking witches approached Dee. ¡°And what brings one of your kind here esteemed dragon?¡± Her tone was firm, making it clear that Dee¡¯s presence was not exactly a pleasure, but it was also respectful. Dragons usually were respected no matter where they went, for a good reason.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to meet one of your kind called Anastasia. She is familiar with me. Give her this. She will understand.¡± Dee gingerly handed a gift basket to the witch. The basket looked comically small held between the very tips of two of her claws. It was actually so difficult to not destroy the basket by accident that Dee almost considered cheating and just floating it to the witch with her telekinesis. For some reason this gesture appealed to her more though, so she persevered.


    ¡°..a gift basket?¡± The witch¡¯s face twisted in what seemed like suppressed amusement and sudden understanding. Rumors about the leader of the witches talking about gift baskets had circled among the other members. There had also been faint rumors about Anastasia cursing about the objects. ¡°I will see to it that it is delivered. For the meantime, I must insist that you stay here and avoid any sudden moves. The other swords are a little jumpy due to your presence.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Dee acknowledged and slowly got into a more relaxed position on the ground. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have anything to eat while I wait? Just to pass the time.¡± She suggested. Dee had no idea what the witches ate, but she was eager to try.


    ¡°That¡­could be arranged I believe.¡± The surprised witch stated slowly. This whole situation was a little too odd for her tastes.


    -----


    Anastasia watched on with trepidation as her secretary Janika placed a large gift basket on her table. The handle looked like it had been damaged by something sharp and large, but it seemed unlikely her secretary was the reason for the damage. She fervently hoped that the sender of that gift basket was who she thought it would be. If it wasn¡¯t, then that would be proof that her master had sent out those damned things behind Anastasia¡¯s back. Perhaps even worse, it would mean they might be becoming a thing.


    ¡°Give me the card.¡± Anastasia requested in a tired voice. Best get this over with.


    She was filled with both surprise and delight when the card only had a gold-filigreed letter D on it. She was delighted because the silly thing was not spreading¡­yet. She was also surprised because there was no other message. ¡°What¡¯s this? Are you sure there¡¯s no more to this? Where did the basket come from?¡±


    ¡°The sword who brought it in said it was handed to her by a dragon that landed outside, near the visitor¡¯s quarters.¡± Janika seemed to be enjoying the whole situation immensely. That might be because the silly secretary seemed to have gotten the wrong idea. She thought these baskets were sent to Anastasia by a secret admirer, who just happened to have access to some really good channels of information. Why else would someone send something like a gift basket instead of a simple message?


    ¡°A dragon?¡± Now it was Anastasia¡¯s turn to be confused. A kitsune she would understand, but a dragon? Still, if it was the same Dee she was thinking about, then this new development would only add to the list of things she would need to ask about one day when she had the opportunity. ¡°Have her brought here.¡±


    ¡°A dragon doesn¡¯t¡¯ exactly fit into your office. Are you sure you wouldn¡¯t rather go outside to meet this mystery dragon, preferably at a place where everyone can see?¡± Janika countered. She knew very well that most dragons could change their form into something more compact. She was just teasing.


    ¡°Just do it. Also warn the escorts that the dragon will have to change forms, just so they won¡¯t try to get themselves killed when it happens. I know it can look a little odd when dragons change their form.¡± Anastasia snapped back.


    -----


    Dee had been really interested to see the underground base of the Crimson Witches as she was escorted deeper and deeper. To her disappointment, she didn¡¯t get to see all that much as the whole place was still being built and the route she had taken was very efficient in ways that military types preferred, which was to say straight and not showing anything they didn¡¯t want to be seen. It was understandable though. The Crimson Witches were warriors not earth mages and they had recently moved their base of operations here. Of course it would still be under construction, even assuming they brought what they could from their previous location. Moving underground facilities around was much harder than moving buildings and fields no matter how skilled the mages involved were.


    For some reason, the secretary looking Crimson Witch had seemed awfully disappointed as she noticed Dee¡¯s entry, though Dee had no idea why. Anastasia had shooed her off as soon as Dee was seated in front of her desk with some refreshments. Anastasia¡¯s eyes took in the large haunch of some cloven-hooved animal Dee had just stored after taking a bite. The small grimace afterward had been interesting. The meat was the food Dee had been provided in her dragon form. Dee didn¡¯t recognize the taste but it was delicious. Or at least it had been in her dragon form. Her taste for raw meat went down in her normal form for several reasons.


    ¡°I¡¯m almost afraid to ask¡­¡± Anastasia mumbled, mostly to herself. She was referring to the meat Dee had just stored.


    ¡°It was something one of the guards was kind enough to provide my dragon form when I waited for you to invite me in. I think she called it Nug.¡± Dee replied nonchalantly and proceeded to pick up the tea and biscuits the secretary had laid out before leaving.


    ¡°Oh, one of those things? They¡¯re everywhere in the forest. I have no idea why the previous owner placed so many of the feeble creatures around the place, but they have become a staple of our food supplies. It¡¯s pretty decent.¡± The blond-haired witch said with recognition and gave her head a small shake. She had been thinking too deeply at something so silly.


    ¡°I think it does interesting things to a dragon¡¯s palate for some reason. I have no idea why. It¡¯s really good as a dragon though. Less so now.¡± Dee explained her own experience. The meat had truly been good and she planned to ask for more when she left.


    ¡°Be that as it may, I doubt that¡¯s why you¡¯re here.¡± Anastasia prompted, moving to the point. ¡°We still owe you for that last message of yours.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s nice of you to mention that, since I¡¯m actually here to collect on that favor.¡± Dee replied with a small smile.


    ¡°I suspected as much. Before that, may I ask where you got the information? As far as we were able to figure, you found out long before anyone in the first circle did.¡± Anastasia couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°That would be because I was the one who killed Xinglong, at his request I should point out.¡± Dee replied without even the slightest hesitation. She surmised that this information might be worth more if she shared it with the witches rather than hiding it.


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    ¡°That¡¯s¡­unexpected but not entirely outside what I had guessed. I suppose it has something to do with that dragon form I heard about. Not exactly the same as Xinglong but similar. I have further questions, but I suppose they can wait for now. You said you¡¯re here to collect on the favor?¡± Anastasia said with a healthy amount of hesitation. She had guessed that Dee had been present when the old dragon died, though she couldn¡¯t have known Dee had given the final blow.


    ¡°Yes, though I suspect you might not find my requests entirely unpleasant. I¡¯m not sure how aware you are of the situation, but your ascension to the first circle due to a fiat by the Solarians left the rest of us in a bit of a bind. More specifically, you had competition that was not really defeated and is now rather cranky and taking it out on others.¡± Dee framed the situation in a way that it might make the Crimson Witches feel they had unfinished business.


    ¡°You¡¯re referring to the Spider Cult, I assume.¡± Anastasia confirmed with a frown.


    ¡°Yes. Now, the declaration by the Solarians makes it hard for them to openly attack others as a community, but it doesn¡¯t stop the individual members of their group from picking fights and framing the resulting damage as private quarrels. Everyone is also prevented from mounting an effective resistance due to the fact that the Spider Cult has such large amount of power without obvious challengers. If, say, I happened to kill a high ranking member of their community that is picking a fight with me, the rest of the cult would not be very likely to just let it go. They might not be willing to retaliate right now with the safe period declared by the Solarians still in play, but that will not last forever. And they would not settle for attacking just me, but would attack the Five Winds as a whole.¡± Dee explained the problem in some detail.


    ¡°I see. That would be a problem. You¡¯re also not entirely wrong in that we also had a part in this, though that doesn¡¯t make it our responsibility. I personally wouldn¡¯t mind teaching the Spider Cult a lesson, and neither would my master, but we aren¡¯t really in a position to wipe them out either. We have our own problems as well.¡± Anastasia replied carefully. The first circle wasn¡¯t free of power plays between communities and the Crimson Path was the new player everyone was eyeing with care. Their every move would be evaluated and judged. Suddenly attacking the Spider Cult would cause some issues.


    ¡°I can imagine, though I might be able to offer a small hint that might help in that regard. That said, I don¡¯t expect you to wipe out the Spider Cult. I did you a favor, but not that big of a favor.¡± Dee¡¯s words allowed Anastasia to relax a bit.


    ¡°Then what exactly are you asking?¡± Anastasia leaned forward with her fingers interlocked in front of her mouth in a neutral posture.


    ¡°Well, the Spider Cult is mostly throwing its weight around because it isn¡¯t receiving any proper resistance. It¡¯s not a state of affairs where they are actually waging a full war on everyone. They need a lesson, not annihilation. Though I wouldn¡¯t mind a bit of annihilation either. I think we can give them a small lesson if the Crimson Witches provide us with cover against retaliation.¡± Dee suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this isn¡¯t just us saying that you are under our protection.¡± Anastasia guessed. ¡°They might ignore such declarations with a certain degree of confidence in being able to hurt you without incurring retaliation from us if they stop before wiping you out.¡±


    ¡°Correct. It would be a bit too simple that way. However, how would the Spider Cult react if the Crimson Witches were to declare an alliance with both a third circle community that was currently being harassed by the Spider Cult and second circle community that helped that previous community repel said harassment? Especially if those two communities don¡¯t seem to be connected with each other or with the Crimson Path on the surface. The Spider Cult would think you were singling them out and providing protection to anyone they might want to threaten. Of course it would need to be a proper alliance with some of your forces sent in as protection.¡± Dee outlined a plan she had hatched with both the representatives of the Five Winds and Cynisca¡¯s father. It had actually been the representative of the Threads of Fate that had suggested the alliance. According to her, the idea had a high chance of success.


    Anastasia considered things for a while. There was a reason why proper alliances were rare in the inner circles of Pantheon outside the recent troubles with the Night city communities. A true alliance meant binding their fates together to a significant degree, and alliances like that were rarely short-term. If the Crimson Path did not show up to help the Five Winds when they were attacked despite being allies, their reputation would be gone for good. Most communities were also at least rivals if not fierce enemies with several vendettas cultivated over the millennia. And that was without the racial issues counted in, which would only complicate matters. Alliances under such conditions were not a simple thing.


    ¡°I could see us forming an alliance with the Five Winds. I won¡¯t lie, a lot of that is because of you personally. That possibility is even more pronounced if we assume some of you might join the Crimson Path. I¡¯m actually curious if the Jun or the Meilin could use our techniques. There already exists a handful of swords from the wolf tribes.¡± As the Crimson Path was all female, they had some difficulties replenishing their numbers internally. As a result, they recruited from other communities. Having an ally feeding them recruits would be useful. ¡°However, this third circle community might be a separate issue.¡±


    ¡°What if I were to tell you that the community I have in mind is Lacademonians.¡± Dee asked with a grin. She knew damn well that High Human warriors like the Lacademonians made the best type of recruits for the Crimson Path. They were almost designed to become warriors and the techniques of the Witches were easy to adapt for their use.


    Anastasia gave a small whistle. ¡°Well, that does change things quite a bit. Would they go for it though? We¡¯ve had contact with them before and they have not expressed interest. They prefer to avoid such ties.¡±


    ¡°That was before their beloved homeland was at risk of being overrun by the undead. You know better than me why they¡¯re so persistent on that land.¡± Dee actually had very little idea about the reason. She just knew it was true. She could make guesses, but those might be wildly inaccurate.


    Anastasia laughed. ¡°They have certain Authorities that are location bound. When the previous owner is killed, those Authorities return to that area. Also it has been their homeland for thousands and thousands of years, so they have formed deeper ties with the land than most other communities that move around.


    She suddenly narrowed her eyes while looking at Dee. ¡°What are you getting out of this? I get the Lacademonians, and even we seem to be getting benefits, but what about the Five Winds? Why would you go to such lengths? And what about you personally?¡±


    Dee grimaced a bit in response. The whole thing had started due to some blacksmiths but had developed beyond that. The representatives had actually been delighted to learn Dee might be able to arrange an alliance with a first circle community. ¡°The Five Winds need allies. It seems some in the community have big plans, and the better those plans go, the bigger their plans get. I don¡¯t mind really, as it offers me plenty of opportunities to grow stronger. Truth be told, being allied with a first circle community is a rather enticing prospect in itself. It provides a certain amount of security if nothing else. Besides, we need a bit of something from the Lacademonians.¡±


    What Dee didn¡¯t mention was that she also wanted to help secure the community for when she left. She knew she would eventually leave Pantheon, and it seemed the time might not be that far off, all things considered. She was becoming something of a pillar of support for the Five Winds. The community had given her a home and she wanted to help safeguard them even when she was gone. Maybe when she managed to finish all the nasty business outside Pantheon, she might have a home to return to? She was rather fond of the eccentric community.


    ¡°I think this can be arranged. If things go as you have planned, we won¡¯t even need to fight the Spider Cult and gain allies that I personally at least favor. We will need to work out some details, but for now I think we can agree. Oh, that reminds me, I have a question that you might be able to answer. Originally this area housed something called the Living Mountain. If you killed Xinglong, you should know what I¡¯m talking about. Yet that mountain was gone once we took over. Any idea what happened to it?¡± Anastasia felt it was time to ask something that had been bothering her since this conversation started.


    ¡°Does it look like I¡¯m carrying around a mountain?¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°No, it does not. You¡¯re also not a mage capable of moving the mountain magically. I know you¡¯re a psion.¡± Anastasia replied with a small smile.


    Dee made a small gesture with her hand. Translation: ¡°Well, there you go then.¡±


    ¡®She knows. I have no idea how, but she has the mountain!¡¯ Anastasia suddenly thought. She had no idea how she came to the conclusion, but there it was. Maybe it was just a hunch based on Dee¡¯s tone. ¡®Well, that just makes it even more useful to make allies with her. If the Living Mountain picked her as the new owner, there¡¯s very little we can do about that. But if we are allies¡­¡¯


    Both parties were rather pleased with themselves as the negotiations came to a close. Those kinds of deals were always the best basis for an alliance.

 Chapter 148

    Dee looked over the army of undead wading through the marsh. The nasty terrain was not a real impediment to the tireless beings that didn¡¯t even have to worry about accidentally drowning in the bog. Even the most humble skeletons had enough strength to pull themselves loose if they got stuck, and in an army of undead commanded by a Death Lord even skeletons were more than met the eye. This terrain was actually advantageous for the undead horde in certain ways, as the living would grow tired or could make accidental mistakes that could cost them, but there was a good reason the Lacademonians had chosen this area as the battleground. The upcoming battle would inevitably ruin any terrain it was fought on and this marsh was an area that could be sacrificed easily.


    There was also the fact that the Lacademonians weren¡¯t too fazed by the terrain either, as they had trained fighting in various terrains and could take advantage where it could be found. Even if the bog wasn¡¯t a real impediment, it did slow the undead beings down a fair bit. No matter how much the creatures were empowered by the Death Lord from the Spider Cult, they could not move as quickly as on solid ground. All of the Lacademonians were skilled in some sort of ranged combat, and the slow-moving tide of undead made for an easy target. Countless blasts of ki scattered the undead ranks and the endless arrows and projectiles from war machines dealt with the flying monstrosities. Many of the missiles had been blessed by those among the Lacademonian ranks that had received training in holy power, and as such were perfect for dealing with ghosts and wraiths.


    Not that the Lacademonians could do much in the way of lasting damage. In the end, fighting a battle of attrition against a necromancer was a fool¡¯s errand. Despite the popular misconceptions, necromancers didn¡¯t actually raise the bodies of the dead to bolster their ranks. Not any self-respecting necromancer anyway. A dead body made for a very suboptimal vessel for negative energy. No, what made the necromancers dangerous was that any undead being could gain a new body with a simple expenditure of power on the necromancer¡¯s part.


    The undead were essentially physical manifestations of negative energy. A battle was a nice source of negative energy, but most necromancers had enough to spare anyway. When enough negative energy came together, it coalesced into a body of the undead creature. A mindless creature was born. Though mindless, the creature had a spirit of sorts. It wasn¡¯t a soul, as those passed on to whatever awaited them in the afterlife, though it could contain a small fragment of one. When the body of an undead being was destroyed, a skilled necromancer could recover that spirit and create a new body for the undead with fairly little effort. Of course, the higher ranked the undead being was, the more power that necromancer had to expend to bring it back.


    The hardest part of creating undead was that small spirit that controlled the undead monstrosity, and most necromancers carried around hundreds and thousands of them everywhere they went. They would create those spirits when they had the power to spare and only had to give those spirits enough negative energy to form bodies when the battle came calling. As long as the necromancer was around, the only way to destroy those spirits was with the positive energy from specialized holy spells or certain spells that could attack those spirits directly, like magic of the death element.


    The Lacademonians had tried avoiding the battle as long as they could, but eventually, the Death Lord hounding them marched on a city they could not give up on. The earlier retreats had just been to buy time to come up with a plan and to prepare. That effort had paid off at least partially. They had received word via Cynisca¡¯s father that the Crimson Witches would shield them from retaliation if they killed the Death Lord attacking them, and talks of alliance were in the works. There were no Crimson Witches to support them in this battle, but a delegation was on the way to their capital city to discuss the terms of the alliance. If they had managed to gain more time, then perhaps they could have finalized the alliance, but the undead had marched on an important city before that could happen.


    At least the Lacademonians were getting small reinforcements in this battle. Shunkaha was powerful when utilizing his Authority and could contest some of the more powerful undead beings. Additionally, Dee¡¯s angelic appearance made it very clear that she could attack the undead spirits with her holy powers. Or at least that was what Dee was letting them think. She was purposefully hiding some of her less angelic features to instill confidence.


    Incidentally, Anastasia had promised to send another delegation to the Five Winds to discuss the terms of that alliance. The word about the protection offered by the Crimson Witches was already circulating around the second and third circles. Dee was free to go all-out in this battle. And that was exactly what she was planning on doing. As the rain of death fell on the undead beings, she decided to add her own to the outpouring of power.


    She raised her hands towards the sky and drew a lot of Lumen¡¯s power to utilize one of the spells the goddess had shown her. Those spells were particularly effective against unnatural beings such as demons and undead. This specific one was best used against a large number of enemies like the horde of undead in front of her. A rain of golden flame suddenly started to fall from the sky. The flames ranged from small finger sized projectiles to mansion-sized comets of golden fire.


    The Death Lord tried reinforcing his minions against the outpouring of holy fire but underestimated the threat. Normal holy fire could be resisted as the positive energy could be matched with more negative energy, but this was a technique designed by the angels to specifically fight their nemesis in the demons. Undead just happened to be another good target for the spells. A simple increase in negative energy did almost nothing against it. The weaker undead were melting like they had fallen into acid, while the more powerful ones were having a bad time as well.


    Of course, the Death Lord was not just going to watch as his minions were destroyed, and a dark dome rose to meet the rain of fire. The Death Lord had planned on erecting a protective barrier against the rain of more standard projectiles from the Lacademonians, so this just made it a larger priority. This was within Dee¡¯s expectations though. She had already cast her spell and done enough damage to make a point. While Dee would be hard pressed to deal with the undead by herself, the rain of golden flames caused the sort of damage the enemy could not accept. The Death Lord would be forced to maintain that barrier for the entire battle or risk another volley of golden flames. She had another plan anyway.


    Dee took wing and rose above and in front of the Lacademonian forces. What she planned on doing next was much harder to aim precisely and there was no way to stop the Lacademonians from being affected if they got mixed in. Thus she had to take a more forward position, actively revealing her presence. A chilling wind started blowing across the undead side of the battlefield. The wind started getting more ominous as grey ash-like smoke was mixed in, and suddenly the undead started collapsing on the ground like puppets with their strings cut.


    There were two effective ways to counter undead, and Dee had access to both. The Wind of Death started devouring the feeble spirits holding the undead together. Even souls of living beings would be put under heavy stress before being devoured, so the much weaker spirits of the undead had no chance. ¡°Death Lords, bah! Dare to call yourselves masters of death. Let me show you what someone blessed by her can really do.¡± Dee declared with an acrid tone.


    Undead were an affront to the Goddess of Death. The necromancers were twisted beings that claimed to be using her gifts to create unnatural abominations that were everything she was against. The undead might not have been the return of those that had moved on in death, but that was not what the necromancers claimed. They claimed many things ranging from doing Death¡¯s work to being able to cheat their way out of her grasp. In truth, the necromancers had no reverence for the mistress of those that had passed and only served the Spider Goddess known as the Great Mother. If Death had truly cared about petty rivalries, the Great Mother would have been her fiercest enemy. Life and Death were parts of the natural order and had to coexist, but the power of undeath warped that order.


    Dee had no real desire to glorify the Goddess of Death, but some of the deity¡¯s nature had rubbed off on her and that had become more pronounced as she became an immortal. She was still a Herald of Death, so the undead awoke an unnatural hatred in her. This new emotion came as a total surprise to her, making her almost freeze as soon as she had made her small declaration. She had never liked the undead, but neither had she felt a hatred like this either. Of course, that surprise didn¡¯t stop her from maintaining the Wind of Death.


    The Lacademonians, of course, took advantage of the situation and an almost solid wall of ki projectiles crashed on the weakened and dying undead and the spirits that were released were consumed by the wind. While the ki attacks were doing damage, it was the Wind of Death that was the real problem, so that¡¯s what the Death Lord had to deal with first. A simple necromancer might have had no way to deal with such a direct counter to his own powers, but the Death Lords were not simple necromancers.


    Death Lords could come from many different backgrounds and specializations, but this particular Death Lord was a rather orthodox dark priest. His solution was a rather orthodox protective holy spell to cover the undead forces. The undead beings were surrounded by a dark glow that protected them from hostile magic, similar to some of the protective spells Dee herself was familiar with. The Death Lord had pitted his own holy power directly against Dee¡¯s. In a contest like this the defending party always wasted more power than the one doing the attacking, but at least now the Death Lord was only suffering from that problem instead of having his forces directly under attack by their worst counter. Now the match was directly between Dee and the Death Lord and it didn¡¯t really matter what element Dee was using.


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    ¡®That was not a good choice on his part. Trying to compare your respective pools of holy power against a person blessed by four of the most powerful deities is an exercise in futility. Especially since he has the defenders disadvantage.¡¯ Croestia commented with a victorious tone.


    ¡®That would be true if he was facing me alone.¡¯ Dee countered.


    ¡®What do you mean?¡¯ Croestia asked. They had not seen any sign of anyone else nearby and they had looked. If they gave their all against this Death Lord and suddenly faced enemy reinforcements, then they¡¯d be in trouble. That¡¯s why they had carefully made sure that no other Death Lords were present.


    ¡®I felt it when he matched his power against mine. He isn¡¯t fighting me with just his own strength. There¡¯s at least a dozen other beings of similar rank behind him. He might be the only one officially here, but that doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t get help from others.¡¯ Dee explained the feeling she was getting.


    ¡®Channeling power to someone over such large distances is very inefficient. Unless¡­could he have some sort of artifact that is facilitating the transfer of power?¡¯ Croestia asked Dee. She didn¡¯t have the same special vision that Dee had.


    ¡®I¡¯m guessing that would be his staff. It¡¯s glowing with enough power to match anyone I¡¯ve seen before, except maybe Xinglong.¡¯ Of course, that didn¡¯t mean the Death Lord had enough power to match the great dragon or the skill to utilize such power. It simply meant that the dragon was the only one Dee had seen use more power. For all she knew she had met several beings with more power who simply had not used that power, like the Phoenix that hung around the seers from Threads of Fate. Dee might be able to see the flow of power in beings, but she could only give a rough estimate of their true strength if they did not use all of their strength.


    The Death Lord also had a problem similar to what Dee sometimes had. Channeling such large amounts of power that you were not used to could tire you out quickly. As one¡¯s power grew, so did the ability to deal with such power. Channeling powers beyond your ability could also do a lot of damage to the body. Dee could always regenerate, but what would the Death Lord do?


    ¡®Are we in trouble?¡¯ Croestia asked with her tone of victory dampening.


    ¡®Hard to say. We¡¯re not alone in this. Lacademonians have their own immortals, though not that numerous. With the Death Lord focused on us, those immortals have a better chance to act without being hampered by a bajillion curses and corrupting spells.¡¯ Dee replied. She didn¡¯t mention that if the Lacademonian immortals didn¡¯t do their part, then Dee would have to come up with something else and allow the Death Lord the freedom to respond in other ways that would be more deadly to the Lacademonians. If they didn¡¯t carry their own weight, then they would have to carry the consequences. Dee had already done her part by tying the Death Lord down for now.


    Before anything else could happen, Dee¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the mental equivalent of being poked with a finger. Rapidly and repeatedly. She was then swarmed with a flow of images and emotions that basically translated to the Living Mountain wishing to be allowed to participate. Apparently it had finished with Dee¡¯s Domain and totem, and had noticed her dilemma. Now it wanted to help. ¡®How can you help?¡¯ Dee sent back the question.


    The mountains answer was basically complete confidence in its combat power. It seemed a puny Death Lord was nothing in front of the mountain¡¯s might. Only thing Dee had to do was let it out. ¡®Can you get back if I do?¡¯ Dee asked.


    Last time much of the reason the mountain had been able to enter her Domain was thanks to all of Xinglong¡¯s power flowing through Dee. Now that power had become Dee¡¯s own power, with the exception of the power hiding her Domain from prying eyes. In reply, the mountain assured there would be no problem. Part of the reason it had been making itself busy all over the Domain was so that now the mountain had become a part of that Domain. Well, that was a minor part of why it had been doing such things. Mostly the mountain just did what it wanted and cleaning was one of those things. Any other benefit was mostly incidental.


    This thought gave Dee a small pause. She had heard that extremely important items could be stored inside the Domain. Maybe the mountain now counted as important? There was another problem. Could she just flippantly allow the Living Mountain to be seen? The Crimson Witches now knew she had the mountain. Dee had noticed the realization in Anastasia¡¯s eyes, but they had not tried taking it back. They had not even asked. In fact, Anastasia had seemed even more eager to make the alliance a reality after the realization. Who else might come after the mountain? She would have to reveal it sooner or later, and it might be better if the knowledge was out there so she could properly utilize the mountain. There were not that many beings who could actually even try to take the mountain by force and even fewer that would do so.


    Dee finally decided that while hiding the mountain might be smarter, she was tired of living in fear of what could happen. Once she reached a decision, she suddenly flew higher into the air. If she was going to materialize the mountain again, then at least she could utilize that moment to her advantage. Once she gained some altitude, the Living Mountain just appeared above the battlefield in its full size. For a fraction of a second, the mountain just hovered in the air before the massive object plunged to the ground right on top of the undead horde.


    Dee had made sure the fall distance was short enough that the massive mountain would not be able to gather any real momentum. Otherwise she might have accidentally destroyed the entire territory of the Lacademonians. A mass of that size falling to the ground could be a catastrophe on a scale never seen on Pantheon. ¡®Something I should keep in mind for future use.¡¯ Dee thought to herself.


    Still, the Living Mountain was one of the largest singular mountains in existence. The tremors and earthquakes did a number on the Lacademonian forces that were luckily smart enough to use their power to try and protect themselves. The undead were less fortunate. All of the undead beings were turned to paste. What was even worse was that the mountain didn¡¯t tolerate the existence of foreign power like the negative energy spirits and dispersed those spirits without even noticing.


    A silence prevailed over the battlefield after the rumbles subsided. Dee had quite literally dropped a mountain on her enemies. That gave her further ideas that she could explore later on. As she was feeling rather pleased with herself, she was suddenly sent a series of emotions and images. It felt like the mountain looked down below itself at the crushed enemies, then at Dee, then at the enemies again and then finally at Dee with distinct disapproval. The following emotions made the message clear. Translation: ¡°Not what I had in mind when I wanted to participate.¡±


    ¡®What? You wanted to help, and you helped. You didn¡¯t even have to do anything too difficult.¡¯ Dee messaged back a little defensively.


    Dee was rushed by a swarm of emotions and images. Translation: ¡°Not like this! Now everyone will think I¡¯m a fat mountain that can only defeat its opponents by crushing them! Besides, look at all this marsh water and undead bits stuck on me! It will take me hours to clean it all off when I drag it back to your Domain.¡±


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t¡­what? Can a mountain even be fat? Who would even think something like that?¡± Dee muttered in dismay. She was completely confused. Not a new phenomenon with the mountain.


    Dee was sent a series of images of other mountains. Some of them were supposed to be fat while others were supposed to represent other mountains that might gain sentience one day. Not that Dee could tell the difference. They all looked the same to her. That was followed by a message about how the Living Mountain had trimmed many of the minerals and other materials that were growing on its slopes. Apparently no one had been mining those materials for hundreds of years and it had made the mountain feel fat and self-conscious. Now the mountain wanted to show off its sleek form and Dee proceeded to drop it on some enemies and get it dirty with marsh gunk. Not the entrance the mountain had wanted. Incidentally, those materials were stashed in the corner of Dee¡¯s Domain.


    The Domain didn¡¯t actually have corners, but Dee decided not to argue that particular point. ¡°I mean, you look good. Definitely slimmer. That¡¯s why I had so much trouble even imagining someone could think of you as fat. You could always show your new self out by doing something to the Death Lord over there. He¡¯s the instigator of all this, so killing him would show off your grace nicely.¡± She tried to save herself with some compliments and a distraction. She pointed at the Death Lord still standing at the side of the battlefield checking if any of the spirits could be saved.


    Suddenly a beam of what looked like white liquid fire shot out from the halo surrounding the Living Mountain and bored a hole through the swamp and ground. Dee looked at the hole in shock. There was no sign of the Death Lord and the perfectly circular and smooth hole seemed to go on forever through the earth. Dee could not sense the end of the tunnel, but it seemed likely the marsh would be drained in the near future as all the water started flowing into the new path of least resistance.


    ¡°Well then.¡± Dee muttered in a state of slight shock. She had just seen the perfect example of what happened when you didn¡¯t utilize your power correctly. The Death Lord had access to enough power to defend himself, but that power had not been directed towards defense when it was needed, so all that power became useless. The Death Lord also didn¡¯t have the reactions of a trained warrior so he didn¡¯t have time to correct that mistake as the mountain attacked. ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡®Remind me not to piss the mountain off!¡¯ Croestia silently messaged. Dee could only agree.


    The mountain sent the feeling of preening with pride, and how swatting mosquitoes like that was hardly any effort. Dee could swear the mountain actually twisted physically a little to preen better.

 Chapter 149

    ¡±Well, you certainly fulfilled your part of our little deal, so it¡¯s only fair for me to fulfill mine.¡± The empress stated and pushed a small bag filled with artifacts towards Dee. The insides of the bag were much larger than it looked on the outside of course. ¡°The appearance of the Living Mountain will be a bit of a problem though.¡±


    ¡°That seems likely to be true, but I¡¯d like to hear your view as to why that is the case. You probably have your own view on the situation.¡± Shioko prompted, already recognizing the seer¡¯s keen insight into political matters. The representatives were gathered together to discuss the situation. Dee had given the typical curt explanation of ¡®things happened¡¯, though luckily Shunkaha had been more forthcoming with the details. At least his presence was of some use.


    ¡°Well, fortunately, it seems the Crimson Witches will not hold a grudge, nor should they. Although they are now in possession of the territory where the Living Mountain used to reside, they don¡¯t actually have a claim on the mountain itself. This just makes them eager to form a firm alliance with us. Aside from the Spider Cult who now hold a grudge against both us and the Crimson Path, none of the second circle communities will be bold enough to try and take it. They know the Crimson Witches would almost certainly take it back if they even managed to get a hold of it. The problem is one particular community in the first circle, the Celestial Court. The other first circle communities know of the trouble between the emperor and the previous owner of the mountain and will not get mixed up in this mess, for now at least. The emperor, however¡­¡± She replied. This was within her expectations, although barely. Dee had shown the mountain off before they were ready. The girl could be impulsive at the weirdest of times.


    The empress knew well that the Celestial Emperor would react once word got out. And the word would get out eventually. The Lacademonians were currently very grateful for what Dee had done and would even keep her identity a secret if someone asked, but rumors would eventually spread. The empress had secretly applied some pressure to the Lacademonians to keep their mouths shut and the Lacademonians were rather honorable as a people. Still, it was only a matter of time. Something like this was impossible to hide forever and the whole event had left its mark on the very terrain of the battlefield. It was questionable if the Lacademonians would keep their silence for long if pressured by the agents of the Celestial Court. Someone among them would talk, claiming they were doing it for their own people. That person would most likely even be filled with smug satisfaction over their own righteousness while doing it too.


    ¡°What¡¯s the emperor¡¯s interest in the mountain exactly?¡± Nyx asked a little confused. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like the type to lack for any of the materials the mountain might provide and according to Dee, the mountain picks its owner. It can¡¯t really be forced.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the mountain itself, although you¡¯re underestimating its value quite a bit. He wants the body of Xinglong as a trophy. Yes, Dee already told us the body is not inside, but the emperor doesn¡¯t know that and won¡¯t believe anyone who says otherwise. He needs to check himself, and if he doesn¡¯t find the body, he¡¯ll take the whole mountain as a trophy. Or he will try to at least.¡± The empress knew her supposed husband very well in that regard. Most of the time he wasn¡¯t unreasonable, but once he got something in his head he would never let it go and the man liked his trophies.


    ¡°Which brings me to my next point.¡± The empress turned towards Dee. ¡°From the artifacts you wanted, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re planning on traveling to the elemental planes, correct?¡±


    Dee simply nodded in agreement and the empress continued. ¡°This is good timing. It might be a good idea for you to take that trip as soon as possible. Travel the planes. I¡¯d advise you to keep out of sight until you are capable of protecting the mountain. So make detours. We all know you grow in power quickly, so the time should not be unreasonable. We will also have to spend several years utilizing the services of all those smiths you helped us get, and we¡¯ll also try strengthening our ties with the Crimson Path while you¡¯re gone. Despite everything, the emperor is not a person who would attack another community much weaker than his for nothing. If he comes here and we can honestly say we don¡¯t know where you and the mountain are, then he will not strike at us. He knows that if he starts wrecking communities at the lower circles, then the Solarians will get cross with him. His current position is possible due to their silent acceptance and he won¡¯t jeopardize that. He will keep an eye on us though, so he will know once you return.¡± That was all predicated on him finding out of course. It might be that Dee returned before that even happened.


    ¡°Wait a moment! You¡¯re talking about driving Dee away for gods know how long! She¡¯s a large reason for why we¡¯re even here!¡± Nyx argued angrily.


    ¡°You¡¯re going along with her, are you not?¡± The empress asked with a small tilt of her head, feigning confusion. ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t mention that yet, did you Dee?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really get the chance to. I was planning on mentioning it once the time came.¡± Dee replied with a small shrug. She realized what the seer was doing directing conversation her way, but didn¡¯t mind it as it played into her plans as well. She had planned on this trip anyway, and now it would just become a bit longer. It was part of the reason she had been willing to show the mountain in the first place. If the empress guilt-tripped Nyx and Moirai to come along, then all the better. It would be a good chance for the two.


    Dee spared a small thought at the angel spending time in the Five Winds community. Araqiel was here to be a contact with the Archangel of Mercy and would not be all that happy when Dee disappeared for potentially several years. ¡®Maybe she will even appreciate the unexpected vacation?¡¯ She mused idly.


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Nyx asked for clarification, although the idea was already sinking in.


    ¡°Dee asked for three sets of the artifacts that would make travel in the elemental planes possible. I¡¯m assuming the two other sets were for you and Moirai since you psions have your ways of getting stronger thanks to draining power from certain locations that have an abundance of it. The elemental planes would be excellent for that. As to your earlier question, I¡¯m not suggesting driving her away. I don¡¯t have that kind of say over the community or even the intent to do so. She was going anyway. I¡¯m simply suggesting she does it sooner instead of later and takes her time as a precaution. She¡¯s welcome to return as far as I¡¯m concerned. In fact, I¡¯m counting on it. Like I said, the next few years will be pure preparation for us anyway, so she¡¯ll just get bored here. It might turn out this is all unnecessary, but it¡¯s better to be safe than sorry.¡± The empress explained her view.


    In fact, this would work nicely. If things had gone on as they had, then word of Dee would have reached the emperor eventually anyway. Dee wasn¡¯t exactly shy about using her Domain and it might be better if the emperor was more focused on the mountain and not Dee¡¯s Domain, which might be even more dangerous. It was better to get her away for now anyway, so she wouldn¡¯t be flashing her Domain around all the time. If the situation here became too bad, then the empress could always use her own means to shoo the emperor away from the Five Winds. She had her own ways after all, and she had become quite fond of this little collection of eccentric races. They had a lot of overlooked potential as well.


    ¡°You promised me a bit more than just the artifacts.¡± Dee suddenly interrupted her thoughts.


    ¡°Ah, right. Come with me.¡± The seer led Dee and Nyx out of the meeting room while also calling for Moirai to join them. They didn¡¯t return to the floating island of the Threads of Fate, but they did find some privacy for their discussion. As they had settled down, the empress started with a question. ¡°So I¡¯m guessing you will be using your portals to reach the elemental planes?¡±


    Moirai looked confused. No one had explained her anything. ¡°Elemental planes? What?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the plan anyway, but I¡¯m worried about the distance. The portals are not an instant way to travel between two points, unlike normal teleportation gates. If it takes me a hundred years to travel between planes, then the whole thing becomes a little moot. Besides, I need a more precise goal than just the plane of whatever.¡± Dee explained her dilemma.


    ¡°Not an unreasonable concern. The elemental planes are at the same time everywhere and nowhere. When mages connect to the planes and even travel to them, large rituals are usually utilized, and normally they require an anchor of some sort, like a particular elemental¡¯s name to work as a bridge. Originally I was planning on having some of our mages help you form the connection, but it would seem it¡¯s better if you can do it yourself in the current situation. I have some helpful hints that might make things easier for you though. The fact that the planes are so elusive can also work to our advantage. It is said that the distance between the planes shrinks in places where that particular element can be found in abundance. So, if you want to go to the elemental plane of water, go to the largest ocean you can find during heavy rains. If you want to get to the elementals plane of air, go to a place with constant strong winds, storms, and tornadoes.¡± The empress explained.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Dee asked a little disappointed. She was expecting a little more. This also didn¡¯t solve her problem of not having a precise destination.


    ¡°There is something else. While you go to these places, you can also help bring the planes closer to you if you possess a piece of them. In that bag I gave you I also gathered crystallized energy of each of the elements I could get my hands on. That should help and also provide a destination for you. They resonate with the closest point of the plane in question and you can use that as a destination. In theory at least. I¡¯m not entirely sure how your portals work. I¡¯ve heard it can be done at least. I haven¡¯t tried it myself, but mages have been known to use that resonance to create portals.


    ¡°I also have a tip that should help you. When you do enter the planes, they may seem chaotic but they all work on a fairly simple principle. The center of the plane always has the purest energy of that element. That place is called the core of the plane. The further away from the core you get, the weaker the energy. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re going to the planes to grow stronger, so the purer the energy is, the more useful for you. However, the closer to the center you get, the stronger the elementals get. They also get less friendly towards outsiders wandering into their territory. The elementals might not mind a visiting mage terribly much as long as they stay on the fringes of the plane, but the more powerful elementals can get really territorial. Especially if you start draining the energy in the area. The lords of the plane will really frown on you doing that close to the core, so you¡¯ll have to weigh the advantages against the danger.¡± Her explanation was fairly logical. Few beings would tolerate someone coming to its home and taking the power away.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing the items you gave us can also go only so far?¡± Dee realized another problem.


    ¡°Correct. The items are the highest quality I could manage, but they have limits. The center of the plane of fire is equal to the heart of a star for example. No item is going to save you from that kind of heat. That¡¯s the most blatant example, but you get the gist of it.¡± The empress shook her head in slight regret. There were no absolutes. An item that claimed to make someone immune to fire simply meant resistant until facing a hot enough fire that the item stopped working. And that was without the side effects like lack of breathable air that got burned away by the fires.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Dee promised. She had other means to help herself, but Nyx and Moirai would have to deal with the limits of the items.


    Speaking of Moirai. ¡°Could someone finally explain what going on here?!¡± She demanded. She was still completely baffled by the whole thing.


    -----


    As Nyx and Moirai were getting their things in order, Dee had to find something else to do. This might be a great chance for the two psions, but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t have any affairs of their own to deal with. They would be gone for a long time, most likely several years if Dee truly didn¡¯t hurry along. She felt a bit bad about leaving like this but she had been considering it anyway. Even without the attention the mountain would bring, she would have found herself stifled here. She enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the community but she couldn¡¯t stay still. It was simply not in her nature. It was a small wonder she had managed to stay as long as she had. Or at least it would have been if it had not been for the constant events and excitement that made her time here anything but ordinary. The next few years would have seen her gone off to find something else to do anyway.


    She pulled out one of the gems the Living Mountain had deposited in her Domain. There were plenty of various wondrous materials that the mountain had shed away, but gems like this kept drawing her attention. The gem itself was as big as two of her fists and it seemed to contain an entire galaxy inside. Or at least that¡¯s what it vaguely looked like for a few seconds until the insides of the gem turned to look like a rainbow instead. The gem was colorful, yet at the same time the material itself seemed colorless. It was as if the stone itself held no color, but every imaginable color was trapped inside, dancing everywhere and forming images. She wasn¡¯t sure what purpose the gem could serve but it sure was enchanting to look at. ¡°Makes you think those dragons gathering their hoard might have a point.¡± She mumbled idly.


    ¡°So now you¡¯re planning on a hoard then?¡± Croestia asked with amusement. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you make it something more useful, like a hoard of books? Or maybe something comfortable to lay on in your dragon form, like a hoard of soft pillows or soft toys? There¡¯s a thought. You¡¯ll have a hoard of pillows and stuffed toy animals inside a mountain that likes to clean and worries it might look fat.¡±


    Even Dee had to chuckle at the image. She tossed the large gem back and forth in her hands. Despite its size it was not that heavy. ¡°Still, I will have to consider what to do with all those materials. They¡¯re currently rather useless sitting around inside my Domain. Considering they came from that mountain, they should be quite valuable.¡±


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a messenger. Apparently the delegation of the Crimson Path had arrived and her presence was requested. It made sense considering that she was the main reason the two groups were getting together. She arrived at the official reception area just before the delegation did and took her place at the front. Normally she¡¯d be up on the balcony overlooking the hall, but now she was a participant in this whole thing.


    A group of six crimson armored women entered the room with a distinct lack of ceremony. Dee recognized Anastasia of course but was a little surprised to see another crimson-clad woman leading the delegation with an appearance similar to Anastasia with the long golden hair they both shared. Dee felt a little eerie as there was no power radiating off the woman, yet her instincts as an assassin told her to avoid this woman. The woman also had a prominent number one filigreed on her shoulder. She was also carrying what looked suspiciously like a gift basket.


    Dee was rather amused at the thought and was the first to greet the arrivals as she was familiar with both parties. She also made the introductions on the side of the Five Winds. Anastasia handled the same on the side of the Crimson path. ¡°¡­and this is my master, Teresa.¡± Dee noted that Anastasia voice trembled a bit when introducing the woman, and seemed to be preparing to say more, but didn¡¯t. Obviously the woman was much more than just Anastasia master, and everyone present had a pretty good idea of her identity. Why the leader of the Crimson Path didn¡¯t want to make a point of her station was a mystery, but one they would not prod to find out.


    ¡°Here, a little something to show our appreciation.¡± Teresa moved forward and presented the gift basket.


    As Dee was the only one to know the significance, she was the quickest to step forward to accept it with a smile and certain amount of enthusiasm. The others were just really confused. ¡°Our thanks. We will receive it in the spirit it was given.¡±


    Dee had a little trouble keeping the grin from showing as she noticed the woman giving a triumphant look towards Anastasia, who in turn appeared defeated. The message in the look was clear. ¡°See! I told you so!¡±


    The negotiations themselves were mostly dull and filled with details about what each of them committed to doing. The gist of it was that the Crimson Path promised protection and the Five Winds would help with trade and potential recruits. Five Winds was actually rather eager to get some of their own into the ranks of the Crimson Path as that would most certainly strengthen the ties between the two communities. Maybe someday one of their own might be powerful enough to be among the leadership of the Crimson Path.


    At some point it became clear that Teresa was here mostly because she was bored and wanted to avoid the emissaries from the Celestial Court. The number two community in the first circle was making overtures towards the new arrivals and Teresa most certainly wasn¡¯t about to bend knee to anyone. Yet it might be a little bad if Teresa were to lob off the emissary¡¯s head just for suggesting it, so she avoided the meeting instead by going on missions.


    The current negotiations were not exactly the excitement she was looking for and Teresa¡¯s eyes had glazed over a long time ago. Anastasia also noted that Dee didn¡¯t seem all that interested as this had nothing to do with her, so she suggested Dee show the bored first sword around and both of them jumped at the opportunity. The other Crimson Witches were almost as bored with the negotiations so they went along, leaving Anastasia to deal with the diplomatic niceties. She was the best choice for the job anyway.


    The negotiations came to a screeching halt about a half an hour later as they all felt the signs of battle. A battle between powerful individuals to be precise. Anastasia recognized the implacable power of Teresa that seemed enough to move mountains without effort, while the representatives of the Five Winds recognized the suppressive feeling of Dee¡¯s Domain. It was obvious the two were clashing against each other as the two powers seemed to be colliding. They all rushed out of the building and ran towards the disturbance.


    They all quickly moved at the speeds only immortals could manage and reached the edge of the city in no time. The two powers were luckily clashing outside the city. The other Crimson Witches were grinning as if enjoying a show and didn¡¯t seem to be alarmed. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Anastasia asked one of them in a worried tone as she got close.


    ¡°Oh, Anastasia, you came as well. Your master wanted to test the girl¡¯s abilities so they¡¯re having a small spar.¡± The witch replied lightly.


    ¡°A small spar?¡± Anastasia repeated. She knew her master didn¡¯t do anything that pointless as she was extremely crappy at holding back. Teresa was actually rather annoyed that there were so few among the warriors of their community that could put up a proper fight. Her suspicions were proven correct as a large part of the nearby hill was cleaved off, though interestingly it was not Teresa who had done it. Luckily they were not right next to the city and the nearby Crimson Witches were doing their best to block any effects from accidentally flying in that direction.


    The fight itself was one of the weirdest any of them had ever seen. It was filled with half-completed maneuvers and strikes that stopped midway and then pulled back. It seemed both fighters were capable of predicting the other side¡¯s moves, so once they noticed their current path of attack would be ineffective or worse, they pulled back. Surprisingly both parties kept strictly to their weapons and didn¡¯t try to use any of their more extreme abilities. On the other hand, that was better this close to the city.


    It was clear that Teresa held the advantage, but not by a wide margin for now. The margin was growing however, and the pace of the battle was speeding up as well. Anastasia was rather surprised Dee could keep up this long, but she knew Teresa was still testing the girl.


    ¡°How¡¯s her staying power?¡± She asked Nyx that was standing nearby.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Nyx asked, not taking her eyes off the battle.


    ¡°Dee. How¡¯s her staying power? Does she have the stamina to keep this up for long?¡± Anastasia repeated and clarified.


    Nyx considered for a moment. ¡°Not great. In general her stamina is not bad, but she has the habit of bringing out great power that she is unable to handle fully. That power is beyond her ability, so she can¡¯t keep it up for long. She burns brightly but flames out rather quickly. She¡¯s getting better, but¡­¡±


    ¡°In that case Teresa is the worst opponent for her.¡± Anastasia muttered mostly to herself.


    ¡°Why?¡± Nyx asked. It was a fair question considering what she had revealed.


    ¡°Teresa doesn¡¯t tire or run out of power. I don¡¯t mean she has great stamina, I mean she never tires. She can put all of her power into a single attack and then do it again, and again, and again. She could keep that up for years or centuries. She never runs out of power.¡± Anastasia explained. It was clear Dee was keeping up for now, partially thanks to her Domain suppressing Teresa a bit, but that wouldn¡¯t be true for long.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s bad for Dee then.¡± Nyx agreed. For now, they could only watch the fight and stop the damage from spreading.

 Chapter 150

    Dee narrowed her eyes in suspicion as she redirected another blow from Teresa¡¯s blade with her guandao. The strike seemed simple at the outset but was more purposeful than it first appeared. The blow itself was not even meant to hit, though it did hold enough strength to do real damage in case it did. Instead, its purpose was to drive Dee towards a certain position several strikes later. As soon as she figured out the sequence of events that would lead to her loss, Dee disengaged further than was necessary to avoid the next blow, just to break the chain of events.


    The whole battle had been weird. It had only taken a couple of seconds for both of the combatants to realize that the other one could predict their actions to an extent. Neither was entirely sure how the other one did it or how far they could see, but just that knowledge changed the nature of the fight. When both of them knew what was about to happen, the combat was a constant stream of false starts and attacks that stopped halfway. If the opponent knew exactly what was going to happen, then there was no room for surprises or feints. This fight was all about trying to pressure the opponent into a position where those predictions would not matter.


    On one hand, an observer might think both of them to be lacking skill because their attacks were never completed and many open chances were not taken even when blatantly given. On the other hand, this was the most skill demanding battle Dee had ever been in because she had to be able to think so far ahead and take into consideration what her opponent would do knowing exactly what Dee was doing. That¡¯s why the fight was so full of stops and false starts, and plans were put into action and discarded as soon as they began. It was also obvious to Dee that her opponent had more experience with this sort of thing. What kept Dee in the fight was the fact that she was a psion and could think further ahead and think of different scenarios faster than her opponent.


    Another thing that made the fight weird was the fact that both of them were relying on their weapons to fight. Teresa, of course, used her large sword, while Dee used a combination of a guandao and the dark pearls and gems that either floated around her or were secreted around her clothes. Normally she would use those hidden weapons to try and surprise her enemies, but in this case her opponent always knew when they were coming, so they were used mostly as throwing weapons to buy time and space. Another use for them was to drive Teresa towards a more favorable position from Dee¡¯s perspective, either by breaking her rhythm or by forcing her to dodge a certain way.


    Both of them had more powerful abilities than just swinging their weapons around, but the tone of their fight had been set after those first few seconds when they realized their similarity. Now they both just wanted to fight someone like themselves to hone their own skills. It was also a matter of pride in a way to try and see how far they could go without resorting to those other abilities. The only true exception was Dee¡¯s Domain that she had used just to simply even the odds a little. No matter how outstanding Dee was for her rank, it didn¡¯t change the fact that Teresa was bordering on the famed thirteenth rank and thus was much more powerful than Dee. Dee¡¯s Domain narrowed that gap to an extent. Not to the extent that they were equal, but at least Teresa had to make an effort.


    When they had faced off for the first time, Dee had known she would not be able to compete with the woman using the same weapon. Teresa had so much more experience with the sword, and could overpower Dee in a straight up match of strength, that Dee had to change her approach a little. If operating with the same rules would not work, then she had to play by different rules. The guandao gave her reach and she could use both ends of the weapon to attack, in addition to her extra weapons.


    Still, it was something of a testament to how much of an exception Dee was to her rank that she could even try to match Teresa in a straight up fight. Teresa was obviously physically stronger just by the virtue of her higher rank and thick ki, but Dee was a freak of nature due to her own physical strength and wasn¡¯t falling so much behind that she could not compete with the other woman at all. On the other hand, Dee was faster due to her blessing being pushed to its limits, but Teresa wasn¡¯t so much slower that Dee could beat her just thanks to speed alone. Teresa wasn¡¯t a speed-focused fighter, but she was fast enough purely on the merits of her rank.


    Despite the complexity of the fight, the mind games were coming to the end. Teresa was using more and more power as time passed, and Dee was forced to try and match her just to keep up. The problem was that Dee would not be able to keep up for too long at this pace. She was already fighting at her full capacity without utilizing her more exotic techniques, but Teresa¡¯s power was still going up. Just now Dee had made a mistake, and her slightly overextended attack had destroyed a large chunk of a nearby hill as the power inside her weapon had surged forward. All that power had been completely wasted, instead of remaining contained in her weapon.


    ¡®Any more help you can provide?¡¯ Dee sent a silent message to Croestia.


    Croestia had been increasing Dee¡¯s strength and speed for a while now, and couldn¡¯t go further. ¡®I¡¯m afraid not. I¡¯m giving you everything I¡¯ve got.¡¯


    Dee¡¯s weapon was blown back out of position purely due to the higher power contained in Teresa¡¯s attack. Luckily Dee had seen that coming and allowed her body to move in the same direction, correcting the vulnerability. ¡®Then the only way to keep going is to increase the suppression of my Domain.¡¯ Dee thought with a sigh. The problem was that the more power she used with her Domain, the quicker she would run out. Her Domain had a powerful effect, but it also drained her power rather quickly.


    Teresa frowned a bit as she felt her own abilities weakening thanks to Dee¡¯s Domain suppressing her. Unknown to Dee, that suppression also affected Teresa¡¯s ability to see what was coming. Her foresight was something she had gained thanks to her heritage and thus was considered an ability to be suppressed by Dee¡¯s Domain. Luckily for Teresa, the effect was minor. Even though she had relied on the inherited ability to see the future when she had been younger and weaker, she no longer needed the ability do so. She had been through enough fights and experienced enough difficulties that she could now see what was coming even without the ability. It was just that without the ability she was simply making an educated guess and it was not a sure thing anymore. Without her ability, someone could theoretically still catch her by surprise. That said, the difference between their respective strengths was large enough that her ability was only slightly affected, not completely suppressed.


    ¡®Maybe in the future her young opponent could do better? No, in the future she will almost certainly do better. And that future might not be as far off as I might think.¡¯ Teresa thought to herself. Almost simultaneously with the increased suppression of the Domain, Teresa sensed another change in the pace of this fight. ¡®She tried to hide it with the more obvious effect from her Domain. Clever girl. Not clever enough though.¡¯


    A pair of invisible hands had reached towards Teresa, not trying to strike at her, but merely trying to disrupt her balance. Those invisible hands were swept away by a pair of almost identical hands made of blood red energy. Only one pair of hands was visible for the observers, but the two of them knew better. ¡°I see. This is about as far as you can go without using your other abilities. Not bad, but there¡¯s still room for improvement. I think we¡¯ve gotten what we can out of this battle. We could try pitting our more destructive abilities against each other, but I doubt the Five Winds would appreciate us destroying their city, and the outcome would not change. I have enough power to withstand anything you throw at me, and unlike you, I will not run out. Your Domain can¡¯t change that. This one is my victory.¡±


    Teresa emphasized her words by sheathing her sword. Something that caught the other Crimson Witches by surprise. Teresa was not known for holding back or ending things until they were truly finished. This went against everything they knew of her. What they didn¡¯t realize was that Teresa was eagerly expecting the fight that would come the next time the two faced. She had a sneaking suspicion that fight would help push her over the threshold of rank thirteen, and she would not spoil that future fun by being too eager here. She could hold back, it was just that usually she didn¡¯t care to.


    Dee gave a small sigh and allowed her weapons to vanish. ¡°Agreed. This is my loss. You still had a lot more strength you did not use. I have one method I might be able to use to win if we were going all out, but I would have to aim to kill in that case. Neither of us would benefit from that.¡±


    Teresa gave a small chuckle. ¡°I think you¡¯re underestimating me just a tad.¡± She moved closer to Dee and used her ki to pass on a silent whispered message. ¡°Let me tell you a little secret. You¡¯re not the only one with a Domain here. Your Domain might be more impressive, especially in the future, but I barely even touched mine.¡±


    The woman that founded the Crimson Witches was the example all the others strived towards. That person had been the first one to use the blood of her enemies to perfect the techniques they now all trained in, and one of the things she had achieved was creating a Domain that endlessly drew power from the blood of all the enemies she had slain. After that person died, only one other Crimson Witch had managed to achieve the same, and that was Teresa. The difference was that unlike Teresa, the founder had been a gifted nobody that had achieved success due to perseverance and dumb luck.


    Teresa had her own talents. She would still be powerful even without the teachings of the Crimson Witches, and that was something that further brought her apart from the others. That and the fact that she had not lucked into her success. She had planned meticulously and taken the best parts of their teachings to achieve the perfection of those techniques. Those were the things that had made her into a monster in the eyes of even the other Crimson Witches. Despite their differences, the founder and Teresa had something in common. They both realized that the victorious person was not the one who could bring out the most explosive strength, but the one standing at the end. Both of their Domains had been built on the concept of endurance. And that was what they embodied. Now Teresa was trying to move beyond the limits set by the founder.


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    She gave a small smile. It would be a great opportunity for her to learn by facing someone like Dee when Dee finally had the ability to truly match her. That¡¯s what she wanted. ¡°It¡¯s too bad you didn¡¯t take the bet I offered.¡± She stated as she moved further away from Dee.


    Teresa had playfully suggested betting the Living Mountain on their little spar, but Dee was not stupid enough to do that. She had known her chances of winning were not high, especially when the fight was not to the death. ¡°I told you, I have no right to make such a bet. The mountain decides where it goes. It¡¯s not my property or a trophy to be passed around. There¡¯s a reason everyone calls it the Living Mountain.¡±


    For some reason Dee flashed back to some of the cheesier novels she had read while she was younger where brash men bet the fates of women on such things, ignoring the will of the woman in question completely. This wasn¡¯t the same of course, but the similarities did bring a small smile to her. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not into sucker-bets.¡± She finished off.


    Despite her small smile, the fact was that she had lost. They might have stopped before the loss truly happened, but they both knew better. So did everyone observing. Dee didn¡¯t lose very often, partly because she didn¡¯t pick fights she couldn¡¯t win, so when she did lose it was a moment to take note of. Luckily she was not too prideful to take such losses, and didn¡¯t try to justify it. Instead, she would try to learn from it.


    -----------


    As far as their eyes could see, all that was around them was fire, molten rock, and ash. The ground was covered in grey ash with the occasional streams of lava flowing around like creeks and rivers. What passed for trees were burnt charcoal with flames in the place of leaves. Interestingly the flames were not consuming the trees; they were just there as if that was the place they belonged. An occasional spirit of flame flitted around every now and then, and they could sense an elemental or two in the surroundings.


    ¡°Welcome to the Plane of Fire.¡± Dee¡¯s draconic voice declared, waking Nyx and Moirai from their daze. The trio was already wearing the items that would allow them to survive in the elemental planes, in this case protecting them from heat and flames while providing them with breathable air.


    The first elemental plane they had picked was the Plane of Fire, for the simple reason that they had access to a source of extreme heat near to their homes. The smithies the Five Winds had prepared were connected to a dormant volcano. While the volcano might have been dormant, that didn¡¯t mean the place was lacking in lava or extreme heat, which is what they needed. It had still taken them full two weeks of Dee carrying them through the Astral Sea before reaching their destination. Luckily they didn¡¯t get hungry and tired while in the Astral Plane, and according to the information Dee had inherited from Xinglong, they didn¡¯t even age. Not that it mattered since all three of them were immortal.


    All of them carried a veritable mountain of supplies for their trip as they didn¡¯t know how long they would be here and it was unlikely they would be able to find much in the way of food or drink on this particular plane. Planes of water or life might be different, but even at the very border of the plane as they were now, there was nothing but ash and heat around them. And things would only get worse as they went deeper towards the center of the plane. The supplies were of course inside storage artifacts, or in Dee¡¯s case Croestia.


    Nyx closed her eyes in concentration for a moment. ¡°The power is still too thin here on the edge. The two of us would gain from taking in the power here, but in a limited fashion. We need to go closer to the core areas to really make gains.¡± She referred to herself and Moirai, as she wasn¡¯t entirely sure what Dee required here. Of course, the closer to the core areas they got, the more dangerous it became.


    ¡°We suspected as much. Hop off.¡± Dee gave her dragon form a small shake, and the two Meilin jumped to the ash-covered ground and immediately used their power to float above the hot ground.


    There was another reason besides convenience for choosing this particular plane as their first destination. Dee had certain advantages when it came to the element of fire. Her resistance to it was not quite equal to that of death, shadow, and light, but it was still one of her strongest resistances as it was the easiest to train. What really gave her the advantage was her own flames. She changed shapes to her kitsune form and concentrated.


    She had done some tests before, but one of the reasons they were here was so that Dee could master the kitsune ability to turn completely into fire. Normal kitsune gained the ability at certain rank soon after gaining their flames, but Dee¡¯s flames were a little different from normal, to say the least. The abundant fire energy around her was the best facilitator for this ability. She had turned into flames before, but only for a very short time and she couldn¡¯t argue that she was in full control the entire time. Now she was trying to gain full control over the ability. She was also curious about the way the elementals would react to her fiery form.


    With some effort, Dee succeeded in turning her entire kitsune body into the black flames. The feeling was weird in a profound way, and both Nyx and Moirai felt the wrongness practically oozing from her. The ground around her was already nothing but ash, but it felt anything she would step on would be destroyed if she wasn¡¯t careful in controlling the flames. The trio waited for an hour to see if Dee could maintain the transformation, and at least here on this plane, she could. That was the benefit of being here. This plane at least didn¡¯t reject her form like the material plane would.


    Interestingly, her fiery form had returned to her original kitsune appearance. No scales, no horns, no extra legs and even the more wolfy features were minimized. ¡®This is a little freaky.¡¯ Croestia commented.


    ¡®Where are you?¡¯ Dee asked with a great deal of curiosity. The magical item could not be a tattoo or color on her ears this time, and she certainly wasn¡¯t wearing a pendant either.


    ¡®Inside you, I think. I¡¯m seeing what you see. Interesting experience. Usually I see all around you. This will take some getting used to.¡¯


    ¡°Well then. Let¡¯s see what¡¯s closer to the core of the plane.¡± Nyx prompted noticing Dee¡¯s mind was already wandering and not focused on her transformation.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Dee replied. She had half expected that her voice would sound similar to crackling flames like the Anshar representative, but perhaps disappointingly she sounded entirely normal.


    The Plane of Fire had most certainly never seen a combination this odd flying through the heat and fire filled skies before, a kitsune made of black flames and two diminutive squirrel people that were most certainly not from around here. The further they traveled, the rarer the ash-covered earth became. Even the ground became made of what looked like solidified flames, and that extended to everything else. Interestingly the whole place became livelier, but every animal, being, and plant was made of pure fire and flames. The trio also started sensing the presence of increasingly powerful elementals around them. Not to the extent of being a danger to them just yet, but still stronger than before.


    As the number of elementals increased, it became obvious they were being avoided. Even the more feral elementals that acted on pure instinct moved away as soon as the trio came close enough to be sensed. To be exact, it was Dee they were avoiding. The few times they had gotten close to an elemental before it ran away, that elemental would just lay on the ground with their head bowed and eyes closed, as if waiting for judgement.


    ¡°Next time, could we start off closer to the core?¡± Nyx demanded a little crankily after almost a full month of travel. The Plane of Fire was big and traveling over it took time. Despite the artifacts protecting them, the trip wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable. The heat might be reduced by the enchantments, but it was never below the annoyingly hot level. They could hardly just lay on the ground made of flames either, so they had to rest in shifts on platforms created from their own power. Such things didn¡¯t make for the most comfortable of experiences. Nyx had also had enough of the ever-present ash getting into her food.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just glad the portal worked this well on our first attempt. Despite the crystal of fire element, the goal was vague at best. Besides, you¡¯re the one who keeps saying the power around you is not pure enough yet. Getting greedy are we?¡± Dee countered with a fiery grin. Unlike the others, she felt right at home here.


    Nyx hid her embarrassment with a small cough. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t argue the fact that the purer the force gets, the more beneficial it is to us.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of arguing such things. I know very well why we keep going deeper, and will continue until the artifacts are no longer enough to protect you and Moirai.¡± Dee joked, though with more than a grain of truth.


    Surprisingly Moirai was having a better time than Nyx. She had always preferred heat and warm weather, unlike her mother. Granted this was a little excessive, but it still bothered her less. ¡°I think we¡¯re starting to reach the limits now that you mention it. I¡¯m starting to feel the effects. Less as heat and more as actual burning. We¡¯re also entering the territories of elementals that are actually intelligent and might be dangerous in this environment.¡±


    Nyx noticed Dee looking almost longingly towards the core of the plane. ¡°You know, you can keep going. We discussed this before we came here. The seer came through and gave us a way to get in contact if things go pear shaped. We are not weak and can defend ourselves for a while. You go do what you must while we start absorbing the power around us.¡±


    Dee gave a long sigh. ¡°Well, let¡¯s at least find a territory of an especially powerful elemental. I¡¯ll make sure to make clear how bad it would be if something were to happen to you too. The elemental can then keep the others away.¡± Dee had a sneaking suspicion that she knew at least part of the reason the elementals went so far out of their way to avoid her. They were almost immortal here in their home plane, and if defeated elsewhere would simply return. Her flames, on the other hand, were perfectly capable of bringing true death to the elementals that rarely had to face that danger. And this plane would not be able to protect them.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Nyx nodded. ¡°I want to go as deep as possible. We can go on for a couple more days, as much as I will hate the heat.¡±

 Chapter 151

    The heat turned more and more extreme as Dee traveled towards the core of the Plane of Fire. She didn¡¯t really feel the heat in her current form, but she could tell it was there. If she had not been fully made of fire, she would have turned to cinders long ago. It was said that the core of this plane was the most extreme in its hostility against strangers, but it wasn¡¯t really by design or due to malevolence. The core of the plane was an actual star, though it didn¡¯t quite behave like one as most of the heat seemed to be confined to the immediate proximity. Still, any being not made of fire would be unable to approach as some of the heat inevitably leaked out.


    It took her weeks to get this close from where she had left Nyx and Moirai, though her traveling speed had increased tremendously. The two Meilin had their strengths but were not Dee¡¯s equal in speed. The extreme heat made it impossible to shorten the way by opening portals. For some reason she didn¡¯t quite understand, the portals simply refused to open. If she had to guess, then it was either a defense mechanism or the other end of the portal was immediately destroyed by the extreme heat and flames while trying to open. The reason didn¡¯t matter in the end, though it did make her curious.


    The denizens of the plane had stopped running away from Dee two days ago. In fact, they seemed to be coming closer to take a look, as if called by something or someone. They didn¡¯t show any aggression, but they were gathering nonetheless. Before now, she had not quite understood why. The sight in front of her gave an explanation of sorts. The gathered elementals still didn¡¯t behave aggressively, in fact almost opposite. Not that it made her feel any better about the situation.


    As far as her eyes could see, millions and millions of elementals of various forms had gathered around Dee. They ranged from roughly humanoid in form, though often not in size, to beasts associated with fire like Phoenixes, or even spirits of fire like the Ifriit. To be exact, they were all leaving her a path open to walk towards the core, while ranks upon ranks of elementals closed all other paths. The strongest elementals rivaling immortals in power were standing at the front rank, while rank nine and eight equivalents were behind them, and so on. The elementals got progressively weaker the deeper the ranks got. Not that they ever got all that weak, because the lower ranked elementals were unable to approach this close to the core. The weaker elementals were kneeling, supplicating, or performing what passed for submission for their form while staying motionlessly in place. The elementals at the front did not lower themselves in that way but were giving her a respectful, though somewhat appraising looks as she passed.


    The path for her had been laid out, so she firmly moved forward. It would have been a lie to say she was not worried this might be a trap of some sorts, but something about the behavior of the elementals convinced her she was not in danger. As she was approaching the corona of the white-hot star, she noticed something coming out to meet her. To her surprise, what effortlessly walked out from the star was a being identical to her, except made of perfectly white flames. Dee could see that the being was made entirely of energy and could assume any form it wanted, but had chosen one identical to her, except contrasting Dee¡¯s black flames with white.


    ¡°The Plane of Fire greets the Flames of the End.¡± The being greeted her in a voice eerily similar to her own. It was not quite the same, as it had a minor hopeful tinge to it that was missing from Dee.


    ¡°Flames of the End?¡± Dee asked a little confused.


    ¡°You carry the Flames of the End, as I carry the Flames of the Beginning.¡± The being stated and seemed to be staring at Dee for a while. ¡°But I see this is news to you. I can sense Tiamat¡¯s blood inside you, but I suppose it is not strange that the famously savage Old One didn¡¯t stick around to teach you. I would be interested in finding out how your ancestor managed to keep the Old One around long enough to get pregnant in the first place, but I digress.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s significance to the names?¡± Dee prodded a bit. She had a feeling this being was prone to getting lost in tangents and its own thoughts. Just what she needed. A scatterbrained star that was somehow alive. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not supposed to end the universe or anything? That sounds like a job I¡¯d rather take a pass on.¡±


    The white being seemed to smile. ¡°No, though that is also one possibility, if rather minor. The Flames of the End are called such because they have the potential to bring end to anything, be it beings of power, immortals or even gods. That also includes things like worlds, and yes even the universe, but I don¡¯t feel that we''re approaching the time of that particular end. No, the Flames of the End have been carried by more than one being, and that will continue after you are gone. One of them might bring the final end, but that will most likely not be you. Your ancestor, the great Old One Tiamat is a much more likely candidate truth be told.¡±


    ¡°So what exactly am I supposed to bring to an end?¡± Dee tried to clarify. She didn¡¯t exactly cherish the thought of adding another responsibility to her pile and was planning on skipping this one if at all possible.


    ¡°Anything. Everything. Perhaps even nothing. The Flames of the End are just something that appear and don¡¯t carry any responsibility. You use them as you see fit. You can choose to end everything, but you can also choose to end nothing.¡± The being seemed to shrug its shoulders, but the form wasn¡¯t exactly ideal for the motion.


    ¡°And them?¡± Dee motioned towards the gathered elementals. They seemed to be expecting something from her.


    ¡°They are here for many reasons. I wanted to greet my sister with the glory she is due. They are here because I am here, because they feel thankful towards me and because they feel instinctual fear towards you. They will come when asked, and they will go when commanded. The other elements might not respect you for what you are, but the fire has not forgotten. The fire never forgets.¡± The being¡¯s voice took a very firm tone at the end, as if laying down a decree.


    ¡°Forget what?¡± Dee asked carefully. Was she supposed to remember as well?


    ¡°Where they come from and how they might come to an end. You carry the Flames of the End, but I am the Flames of the Beginning. The elementals began with me. They all did. The other elements forget, but it started with us.¡± The being looked at Dee and seemed to know what she was thinking. ¡°No not the universe as a whole. Gods and the Old Ones are responsible for that. But the Planes started with me, even if they have a life of their own now. They grow on their own, and there will be new ones I have never touched. There always are. And as I was their beginning, you could be their end.¡±


    Dee would never be able to say exactly what drove her to ask the question, but for some reason she did. Perhaps she still had Croestia¡¯s idea for her hoard still in mind. ¡°Could you make a Plane of Pillows? I could really go for something soft and comfortable.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The being stated firmly. ¡°I could never go there myself without burning everything, so no. I¡¯m not letting you have all the fun¡± The being¡¯s tone got a lot more amused.


    ¡°How selfish. I¡¯m guessing this ability to end things is why my flames feel so wrong and unnatural?¡± Dee changed the subject to cover her own embarrassment at her earlier words.


    ¡°In a way yes. That feeling is the universe rejecting the flames. Even though you will not end its existence, the universe isn¡¯t an intelligent being capable of knowing that. It simply rejects something it deems dangerous. There¡¯s nothing wrong with your flames, they just are. Though I see the flames have been changed slightly by your other abilities, that is not wrong either. That is just the nature of the flames. They adapt.¡± The being explained. It felt good will towards what was in effect its counterpart, so small explanations like this were the least it could do. It didn¡¯t get to meet its counterpart very often.


    ¡°Speaking of adapting, as much as I¡¯m enjoying this conversation, that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here.¡± Dee brought up her real purpose.


    ¡°Yes, judging by your companions, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re here to become stronger. I can see why. You still lack the power to really control your flames or your other abilities. That is as it should be. We all start small and grow into our power. I have to ask a question though. Are you planning on traveling to the other elemental planes?¡± The being inquired. For the first time Dee realized the whole star might be the real body of this being and that it might be more powerful than anything she had ever faced. Making it angry might be a bad idea.


    ¡°I was planning on that, yes. Why?¡± Dee asked a little more carefully.


    ¡°In that case, good. I would like it if you did. The others have forgotten, and it might be better if you went there and helped them remember. Don¡¯t worry about going out of your way. Just you being there will be enough. They will sense something is wrong and get uppity. Simply put them in their place when they do. In return, I will personally help you in your attempt to become stronger. Absorbing the power of the plane will help you, but not as much if I let you absorb some of my own power. That will help you gain true control over the Flames of the End. The process will weaken me for a while, but the power will come back soon enough. It will also be more than worth it if you remind the other planes of where they come from.¡± The being seemed almost excited.


    ¡°I have a feeling this might take a while. I¡¯ll have to send a word to my companions, so that they will not worry or try to rush their own improvement.¡± Dee stated after a moment of thought. She had stored a method of communication inside Croestia. The talismans were one use consumables but would do the trick. The only problem was that Dee could not take them out. ¡®I wonder if Croestia can use them instead and fake my voice¡­¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll send a word to the elementals not to bother your companions as well. If something comes up, they can simply try and contact one of the nearby elementals and I¡¯ll pass the word to you.¡± The being added. It also knew this would take time in mortal terms, although it had a slightly different concept of time. To it, the whole process was barely a blink of an eye, but it would be a pleasant distraction at least.


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    ------


    ¡°What?¡± Nyx asked, looking at the frowning Moirai. She knew Dee had contacted them, as she had seen the talisman flash in front of her daughter.


    ¡°Dee sounded odd. Almost¡­happy. Also a little sultry for some reason.¡± Moirai replied feeling something was off.


    ¡°Well, as much as you personally try to avoid such things, your friend is a sensual being and has her own needs. She can be sultry when she wants to be.¡± Nyx assumed a more lecturing tone. She still wanted to push Moirai to become more open. They never did get to that celebration they had planned¡­


    ¡°No, I¡¯m aware that she can be charming and even erotic at times.¡± Moirai gave a small shudder. She still remembered the time she found Dee and Nessera after Dee¡¯s romp. ¡°But sultry isn¡¯t a word I would associate with her. Also, really? Even in the Plane of Fire you¡¯re trying to get me laid?¡±


    Nyx coughed a bit. Moirai was right about this not being the right place. ¡°What did she want anyway?¡±


    ¡°Apparently we¡¯re in for the long haul. She reached the core, and apparently the core will be helping her. It seems our stay on this plane will be longer than any of the other planes. It seems we can stop worrying about the elementals as well. In fact, if something comes up, we can just contact them and send a word to Dee.¡± Moirai explained the rough contents of the message. The talismans didn¡¯t really allow enough time to go into detail.


    ¡°Oh, goody! As much as I dislike the heat, I had an idea but I was worried we might not have the time necessary to implement it. But if she¡¯s staying for a long time, then we¡¯ll have the chance to do our thing too.¡± Nyx clapped her hands due to the good news.


    ¡°What do you have planned?¡± Moirai asked, now truly curious.


    ¡°Well, we both excel in using psionic lightning, but we¡¯re not all that great with the other elements. In fact, we have little to no skill with them. I was planning on absorbing the element of fire as a new part of my repertoire and if things go well, maybe even as a new part of my totem. You haven¡¯t started your totem yet, right? This is the ideal surroundings to incorporate at least one extra element into it. Even if that doesn¡¯t work, I intend to develop fire based psionic abilities to add to my offensive capabilities. If all things go great, we might even be able to absorb a little fire into our bloodline. How about it? Do you want us to be the start of a new Meilin bloodline?¡± Nyx was really excited at the prospects. The ample amount of fire energy offered so many opportunities if they could stay here peacefully for a while.


    ¡°You want to become a flaming squirrel? Is this about the time you got your tail singed? You just want to avoid that happening again, don¡¯t you?¡± Moirai wasn¡¯t so enamored with the idea, even though she noted the possibilities as well. She actually saw even further. They were going to other planes after this, so why limit themselves just to fire? She still didn¡¯t want Nyx to get smug due to coming up with the idea, which is why she was planning on arguing for at least the next three hours before planting her own idea in Nyx¡¯s head.


    ----------


    Dee felt unbelievably refreshed as she stared at the sun of black flames that now existed in the sky of her Domain. It was wrong to say the new sun was shining, as it seemed to be doing the opposite by absorbing light instead. The sun had a clear purpose in increasing her control over the black flames, as well as increasing their potency and the volume of flames she could use. The sun had mostly been created by absorbing the energies in the Plane of Fire, and a large chunk of the power from the Flames of Beginning. The new fixture of her Domain felt slightly imbalanced since it only held the energy of fire, but that would be fixed with either time or absorbing some of the elements usually prevalent in her Domain, like death and darkness.


    ¡®Did you get all that you needed?¡¯ Dee asked Croestia as she was leaving. She had said her goodbyes to the white being already and was now traveling towards the Meilin duo she had left behind.


    ¡®A long time ago. You are now as close to immune to fire as one can be. I was ready by the time your new tail popped out.¡¯ Croestia replied.


    Dee looked at the snow white eleventh tail that had appeared rather quickly after she had started the process. The whole time she had been creating the black sun, she had also been absorbing the souls from the container Selvaria had left for her. All the power from Xinglong combined with the power she had gained from other sources had already brought her closer to the eleventh rank, so this period had easily pushed her over the invisible line that governed the number of tails of kitsune. When it had happened, it had been like a vortex had appeared above her head, crazily absorbing all the power in the surroundings and adding to hers. That little episode had greatly helped in the creation of the dark sun.


    Her totem had also reached a point where only the skulls of immortals would add to it. Only the final tier of the pyramid of skulls was left unfinished, though it seemed those immortal skulls would take a fair bit of effort to gather. Still, it made her feel more complete. Hopefully, by the time she had finished absorbing all the souls in the container, the number of missing skulls would not be too large. She wasn¡¯t exactly feeling like cutting her way through the ranks of the immortals on Pantheon, and she would rather like to finish her totem before starting her activities towards the larger goals pushed on her.


    ¡®You do realize you now have two tails without an element absorbed? Have you considered which ones to choose? Now might be the perfect time considering we¡¯re touring the planes.¡¯ Croestia asked, bringing Dee out of her thoughts.


    ¡®I have, though I think I¡¯ll get feedback from Nyx and Moirai. If they have a particular plane they want to visit, then that might work too. While we¡¯re on that subject, are we starting to approach a point where we could add a new ability for you as well?¡¯ Dee countered.


    ¡®I think we¡¯re close to that point, yes. The resistance ability is starting to reach its peak and will be complete once we finish this little trip. Did you have something in mind? If you did not, then I have a suggestion.¡¯ Croestia had noted a clear problem in Dee¡¯s abilities, as powerful as they were.


    ¡®I think I know what you have in mind, and I¡¯m thinking the same thing. A way to store power, right?¡¯ Croestia was originally based on Dee¡¯s personality, so their thoughts ran on similar lines quite often.


    ¡®Exactly. As you know, my memories of my previous owners are hazy at best, but I know that has been one of the most commonly used abilities. You also have a nasty habit of running out of power, which is why I¡¯m suggesting it. As you grow in strength, the need for that extra boost grows less important, but it never goes away.¡¯ Croestia was correct. Dee was already much more capable of using the more extreme skills she possessed after the increase in rank, thus reducing the power consumption and the strain on her body. The higher her power grew and more complete her totem became, the more that would hold true. That said, even a rank thirteen being could run out of power eventually.


    ¡®I¡¯ll keep that in mind. I want to try something else first.¡¯ Dee knew the idea was good but held out for now in case something else came to her in a sudden moment of inspiration.


    She then gestured forward and tried forming the portal that had refused to work in the other direction. One of the things about Croestia and her tails completing her resistance to fire was that the resistance now also affected her powers and not just her body. Her own attacks would now also be resistant to fire based abilities, and she hoped that resistance would allow the portal to work as well. She was not in the Astral Dragon form, so it would be the slower type of portal, but it would still cut most of the time required to return. If she could spare herself weeks of flying, then of course she would try.


    Happily, the portal did form, although there seemed to be something like a protective film stopping all the heat and fire from entering the Astral Sea. It only took her ten minutes with the portal to reach the place she had left Nyx and Moirai. She had a moment of surprise as she exited the portal, as the appearance of the two Meilin had gone through a shift. The color of their tails and hair had shifted to a fiery reddish color. She could also see plenty of fire energy inside them. Apparently, they had also benefited greatly.


    ¡°A new look?¡± Dee asked, announcing her presence.


    One of the things about Dee¡¯s portals was that they were difficult to sense if you didn¡¯t know what to look for, but the clear shift in the energy around them had already alerted the two. ¡°Yeah, I decided it was time for something new for a change. You sure took your sweet time.¡± Nyx replied with a grin. Truth be told, the two of them had also barely finished their own project. Moirai had been a little faster since her changes were easier. Nyx had much more trouble altering her totem to accommodate for the new fire element.


    ¡°I told you this fire squirrel thing would make us the butt of so many jokes.¡± Moirai pointed out with a sigh.


    ¡°It looks good to me. I just didn¡¯t expect it from Nyx considering she already got her tail singed.¡± Dee countered.


    ¡°I still maintain that¡¯s the main reason she did this.¡± Moirai fake muttered, clearly letting both of them hear.


    ¡°How much time had passed by the way?¡± Nyx suddenly asked, ignoring her daughter. That brought a start to the other two as they had not even considered the question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s hard to tell time here with no changes due to the time of day. I was meditating most of the time anyway, so keeping time would have been hard even if that was not the case.¡± Dee admitted reluctantly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it would matter if you could have kept time. I¡¯ve heard time can work differently in the planes. For all we know, years could have passed in the material plane. Or a day.¡± Moirai shrugged the thought away.


    ¡°Well, then. Maybe we¡¯ll find out once we return. I can¡¯t really portal us to another elemental plane from here.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Just remember that it might be bad to return to the Five Winds.¡± Nyx added. ¡°So it might be best if you aimed for somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°I think I have another volcano in mind.¡± Dee suddenly grinned.

 Chapter 152

    Ashur watched with a judgmental expression as Reginleif did her best to combat the four experts he had assigned for her today. The girl certainly had the will required to stick to the training, and she wasn¡¯t untalented by any means. He had seen better, but Regin was certainly in the upper bracket in both aspects. There were certain problems with the girl though. At least one of those problems was big enough to force him to consider whether training her might be a waste of time.


    The other Valkyries had to return to their home, partly because they had been gone for so long. They also knew that if they truly wanted to become stronger, then they needed to add more worthy people to ther weird group Authority. Two of them had been approaching the rank of an immortal when they left and Regin was rather close as well. She was the only one to remain here because she realized this was the best way to get stronger, at least for her, and valued that above going back. Ashur, in turn, made sure to put the girl under enough pressure to see growth, even though he wasn¡¯t sure how much use it would be.


    The main problem for the Valkyrie in question was the reason she was trying to get stronger. Regin was convinced Ashur¡¯s previous disciple Dee was evil, and that it was her duty to cleanse that evil from this world. The issue wasn¡¯t that the goal of that conviction was completely misplaced. Even Ashur had to admit Dee was morally grey to say the least, though she did help those she cared about. He had lived long enough to know that good and evil were all a matter of perspective, and at least Dee didn¡¯t go out of her way to harm innocent people. No, the problem with Regin¡¯s objective was that if she pursued the goal doggedly enough, Dee would eventually kill her. Dee might not have been someone who went out of her way to harm innocents, but she wasn¡¯t a pacifist either. Far from it. And if Regin annoyed her enough, then eventually Dee would decide enough was enough and would have no problem killing the Valkyrie.


    He was considering ways of discouraging the dimwit from following the path of doom, when the whole volcano started to shake. ¡°Gods dammit, I paid those geomancers good coin to make sure this volcano would remain dormant forever!¡± He cursed and started thinking of ways to protect everyone present, as well as his home if possible. That thought was interrupted when a burst of power suddenly seemed to lance out from the side of the volcano towards the skies. That in itself would have been even more worrying, except for the fact that the burst of power seemed familiar. It looked suspiciously like the breath of a certain dummy dragon he knew. He should know, considering he had been on the receiving end of that breath weapon.


    Ashur bolted to the edge of the caldera and looked towards the source of that earlier burst of power. It seemed to have come from inside the volcano and had made a fairly large but even hole on the side of the stony cliff. What made Ashur even more suspicious was the fact that the damage to the volcano seemed to be positioned in a way to cause the maximum amount of damage to the long set of stairs that ran down the volcano¡¯s side. As if to confirm his thoughts, a familiar looking dragon clawed her way out of the hole with two small humanoid forms hanging on its neck.


    ¡°Stop destroying my mountain dummy disciple! This is the second time already!¡± Ashur roared at the dragon that had grown quite a bit from the last time they had met.


    ¡°It¡¯s a volcano, not a mountain.¡± The dragon declared with a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here in case you were wondering. I¡¯m not familiar with all that many volcanoes. As for the damage, you can manage. I made sure to keep the damage minimal. There aren''t that many ways to get to the outside when trapped inside the damn thing, and I was pretty sure you would prefer this to me poking a hole inside the caldera.¡±


    ¡®You do remember you could¡¯ve just used the shadows to bring yourself and the other two outside? We already know that would work from testing it with Shunkaha.¡¯ Croestia whispered Dee silently.


    ¡®Of course I remember. But if I had done that, then I wouldn¡¯t have been able to see his look of annoyance. I also didn¡¯t want to subject Nyx and Moirai to the shadow energy invading them. Shunkaha rather fairly pointed out the unpleasantness of the process. Besides, those stairs deserved it.¡¯ Dee argued back. She really hated those stairs.


    ¡®You know the two aren''t as dumb as the wolf boy. If you had just warned them, then they could have used their own power to protect themselves from the detrimental effects of the shadows. But that¡¯s not really the point, is it?¡¯ Croestia gave up with a sigh as Dee¡¯s draconic grin confirmed her suspicions.


    ¡°Hello again old man. It¡¯s good to see you again. Sorry about your mountain. Dee was a bit too eager. You know how she gets.¡± Moirai greeted Ashur with a polite bow while she gracefully floated down from Dee¡¯s back as the dragon form landed inside the caldera.


    ¡°Good to see you too, though I would have preferred a different circumstance.¡± The old man grunted. ¡°You look different. Did you do something with your hair?¡± He pointed out the rather glaring change in color.


    Moirai just gave a deep sigh. ¡°We spent some time in the Plane of Fire, hence why we ended up inside your volcano. This is my mother Nyx by the way.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure.¡± Nyx stepped forward and gave a small greeting gesture. ¡°Razark has told us many unflattering things about you.¡±


    ¡°All true, I¡¯m sure.¡± Ashur grunted. He turned back towards Dee. ¡°Dummy disciple, you¡¯re going to have to do me a favor as thanks for wrecking my mountain again.¡±


    ¡°Volcano, and depends on the favor.¡± Dee hedged. She was not all that into doing favors anymore. The damn things seemed to get tricky even if they started off easily enough.


    ¡°I need you to do something about the dimwit.¡± Ashur explained the situation with Reginleif.


    ------


    Dee found the Valkyrie getting back to training as the situation with their arrival seemed to pass. Regin had already engaged in battle with one of the four experts, while the others were observing by the side. Dee thought for a moment while secretly observing the woman. She wasn¡¯t sure on the approach she should take. She was rather unused to these kinds of situations. In the end, she decided on a more direct route. If she was supposed to be evil, then why not play the part?


    The four experts were suddenly thrown away by large black fists made of shadows. Dee had sent a small silent message to them with her psionic abilities to make sure they would not resist but would make it look convincing. This way Dee didn¡¯t actually have to hurt them, but it still looked like she had. Regin, on the other hand, felt the entire weight of Dee¡¯s Domain crashing down on her, as none of her abilities worked properly and her paralyzed body was lifted in the air by invisible hands. She saw Dee and recognition and anger flashed in her eyes.


    ¡°So how does it feel, seeing the object of your ¡®righteous¡¯ anger in front of you, without being able to do anything? How does it make you feel, knowing that which you consider evil is standing right in front of your nose, and you have no power to resist? I could slowly torture and kill your sisters and there¡¯s nothing you could do about it.¡± Dee played up her darker aura and murderous feeling on purpose, even making her voice sound more sinister.


    ¡°I will kill you!¡± Regin screamed. ¡°Your darkness shall be cleansed from this world! Even if it can¡¯t be done by me, some servant of the light will step forward and take my place. My sisters will avenge me! Sooner or later we will get you, even if I fall!¡±


    ¡°Is that so? When we met for the first time, you could have plunged that white blade of yours into your own heart, and your sister might have been able to kill me thanks to your sacrifice. Unfortunately for you, now it would be nothing more than an annoyance. You missed your chance. You didn¡¯t have the heart, and now it is too late. Your cowardice has doomed you.¡± Dee got closer to Regin. Their faces were so close to each other that they could see nothing else.


    Regin tried to struggle but was unable to move. ¡°We will catch up eventually! We will train harder and grow stronger! My sisters have the strength necessary! The light and justice will protect us!¡± Dee noted that the woman was really getting into her righteous fantasy. No wonder the old man had nicknamed her dimwit. Surely her own nickname of dummy was more misplaced, right?


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t, and no those powers will not help you. Don¡¯t you remember? The first time we met, two of you put up a pretty good fight against me. Granted, I was tired and worried about my sister, but still. After the old man started training you, you grew in strength faster than ever before, but still, I beat you easily. Not just two of you, but all of you. And now you¡¯re starting to reach a plateau in your strength. That¡¯s because you¡¯re reaching your own limits. Even the old man can¡¯t change that fact, so this is as far as you will go. Sure you might reach immortality, and combined with your Authority, that will make you powerhouses in certain circles. But my strength is growing even faster than before. I could kill all of you with ease and that is only becoming more apparent as time passes.¡± Dee argued with a rather reasonable tone.


    She leaned in to whisper in Regin¡¯s ear. ¡°Let me ask you something. How many rank thirteen beings are there on Pantheon? Me becoming one of them is only a matter of time. This is something that even the deities have acknowledged. How confident are you that you and your sisters could beat someone of that level? Even if all of you lived until a ripe old age, training as hard as you can, you will never have the power required. We fight on completely different battlefields. You fight ordinary foes. On the other hand, when I dream dreams of conquest, the world trembles.¡± Dee was wildly exaggerating for effect, but it was working. She was also psionically implanting the feelings of fear and despair into Regin¡¯s mind. The poor Valkyrie¡¯s defenses were completely open in the current situation.


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    Regin¡¯s face twisted. She wanted to argue against it, but deep inside she realized Dee was right. There had never been a Valkyrie that had been able to match an enemy of that level. There might be one in the future, but that person wasn¡¯t any of her sisters. The gulf between them was too wide and growing. Dee was not hiding her tails, and Regin knew the significance of eleven tails. They were falling behind and would continue to do so. ¡°Justice will prevail.¡± She managed to squeeze out with a hoarse tone. Her last bit of resistance.


    ¡°Will it? I seem to recall that there¡¯s a saying that you Valkyries have adopted along with several other martial races. Justice is nothing but a word without the power to uphold it. You need to realize that there are things, in this world and others, against which righteous zeal is not enough to defeat. If I find you annoying enough, all I have to do is snap my fingers and you and your sister will burn in black fires capable of burning gods and then I will consume your souls. Go uphold your justice, but do it somewhere out of my sight. Am I making myself clear?¡± Dee intentionally radiated bloodlust and several dark flames floated around her, spreading the feeling of something unnatural.


    There were tears in Regin¡¯s eyes, but she knew this was not a fight she could win. Her principles argued otherwise but now she had to choose between her principles and her life. She might have the willpower and courage to self-sacrifice, but that was when her sacrifice had meaning. If she picked her principles here, she would simply throw her life away for nothing, only strengthening the evil she was supposed to defeat. ¡°I understand.¡± She said quietly.


    ¡°Good.¡± Dee snapped her fingers, and all the feeling of danger and malevolence disappeared. Regin was dropped to the ground, but her feet didn¡¯t have the strength to carry her so she simply slumped in an undignified heap. ¡°Now then. Another question. What justice are you seeking anyway by trying to kill me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Regin looked up towards Dee with a stunned and confused look. This question seemed highly odd after the previous display.


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple question even if the answer is not. What makes you think killing me would be justice? What makes you think you would not be performing an evil act instead? I don¡¯t¡¯ recall ever hurting you or your kind. Granted, we fought that one time in the elven forest, but that was because you tried to abduct my innocent sister. I killed those with you, but I got the feeling those were barely even allies to you. In fact, it rather looked like you were about to attack them before I arrived. That¡¯s why I spared you. I¡¯d rather argue that you lot were the unjust party in that little scuffle.¡± Dee tilted her head in question. She now looked drastically different to her previous ominous appearance, even if the only change was her expression and the air around her.


    ¡°That¡­but¡­clearly you¡¯re evil! Your power is so sinister! There¡¯s no way a person of good morality would use such methods. You are a blackguard of the worst kind!¡± Reginleif declared.


    ¡°That? Well, yeah using the elements of shadow and death rarely endears you to people, but that¡¯s a rather hollow argument. As for being a blackguard, I do indeed drain power from dead enemies, but so do you. So does everyone. I¡¯m just a bit more efficient at it. I¡¯m also rather certain that the use of such powers doesn¡¯t make one evil. I¡¯m almost certain that you Valkyries are taught that it¡¯s not the power one wields but how you use it. You wield a sword the same as any bandit or murderer, but what makes you different is how you do it and most importantly against whom. Tell me Valkyrie, have you ever seen me use my power against innocents? Have you even heard any rumors to that effect?¡± Dee pushed Regin further. She actually had killed innocents, but there was no need to advertise that.


    ¡°Servant of the dark gods!¡± Instead of trying to argue the point, as she knew she couldn¡¯t, Regin tried another approach instead.


    ¡°Yeah, about that.¡± Dee said rather dryly and the holy symbol of Lumen floated out of her forehead. The woman holding a sun aloft was something found in every temple and was perhaps the most well-known symbol of all the light gods. ¡°Also, something you should know. I¡¯m her future Champion.¡±


    ¡°NO! There¡¯s no way that can be true!¡± Regin could not handle the news and tried to deny it, but the symbol was there and could not be faked. If Dee had falsely claimed to be the future Champion, then the symbol would have reacted to the lie. Lumen¡¯s power would have likely struck her down.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re not entirely wrong when you mentioned the dark gods.¡± The symbol of Umbra also floated out of her forehead. ¡°I am also blessed by the Goddess of Darkness herself. I¡¯m telling you this for one reason and one reason only. Things are not always simple and easy to understand. People and actions don¡¯t fall into neat camps labeled good and evil, righteous and wicked, just and unjust. There are shades of grey, and I¡¯m the perfect example. Sometimes the gods need fervent and righteous supporters that can also be a symbol of their principles. And sometimes they need someone who gets things done. I fall into the latter category. Just something for you to think about in the future. The next evildoer you kill might not be as evil as you think, or they might have good reasons to be that way. Or they might be just purely malevolent. Sometimes things are not that complicated.¡±


    Dee decided this was enough and walked away. Regin was left stunned on the ground, not knowing how to move forward. Things used to be so simple for her, but Dee had destroyed that with such casual ease. Regin had also just lost the goal she had been striving so hard for. Now she was cast adrift. It would take a long time for her to recover.


    ¡°Was that something like what you had in mind?¡± Dee asked, when she reached the old man.


    ¡°No! I wanted you to instill some sense into her, not shatter her entire world.¡± Ashur argued back.


    ¡°She¡¯ll recover. Maybe. If she doesn¡¯t, then it might be better if you found out now instead of wasting more time on her and her sisters. If she can¡¯t deal with that, then it wasn¡¯t meant to be. Now then, I did you a favor, and I need one in return.¡± Dee replied with a shrug.


    ¡°That was supposed to be a favor? And wasn¡¯t this whole thing in return for making a hole in my mountain?¡± Ashur grunted back displeased.


    ¡°Volcano, and who¡¯s counting? There¡¯s no need to keep track of such things between a teacher and a disciple. Besides, I think you¡¯ll enjoy this.¡± Dee grinned in reply.


    -----


    ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± Nyx asked with apprehension as thousands upon thousands of lightning bolts were preparing to crash on them like a wall of destruction. The two Meilin were standing below Dee¡¯s dragon form holding the shards of the elemental energy of lightning and air.


    ¡°This is a great idea. What better way to be surrounded by lightning energy than have the old man attack us? I have to say, he really has a knack for that particular element.¡± Dee stated. ¡°Besides, it will give him a chance to vent some of his frustrations.¡±


    ¡°I was referring more to the fact that we''re about to be burnt to a crisp with lightning!¡± Nyx argued more than a little worried, seeing that only a seemingly thin armor of light was protecting them. Or to be more precise, the armor of light was protecting Dee, and she was protecting the two Meilin. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this be a good time to use that Aegis of yours?!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a worrier!¡± Dee laughed. ¡°The Aegis would block the lighting too far away from us, and we need to be surrounded by the element. I don¡¯t intend to spend an extra week in the Astral Sea because you got a little worried. Besides, I¡¯m resistant to lighting to an extent.¡± They had actually only spent four days coming back from the Plane of Fire. Dee¡¯s ability to navigate the Astral Sea improved as her level of power did. Still, that had been thanks to her connection to the fire element and the heat inside the volcano they aimed for.


    ¡°But we¡¯re not resistant! Wouldn¡¯t all this wind already be enough? We picked this place for a reason.¡± Harsh gale winds were buffeting the trio on their perch at the peak of a tall mountain. They had come here because Ashur¡¯s volcano didn¡¯t get much wind, and because the titan didn¡¯t want to show off his form too much. The volcano housed many martial artists and students after all.


    The reason Nyx spoke about the wind, was because there were no separate planes for air and lightning. The pairing of the two elements was so strong that they had formed a joint Plane of Storms instead. Many elements were paired as joint elements due to their close connection. Another close pairing was between water and ice, and a third one existed between nature and life. The latter two elements also had a joint plane, while ice and water had separate planes for some reason. There were theories among mages, but in the end, no one could say for sure why this was the case.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Dee enjoyed teasing Nyx, so she didn¡¯t mention that the flimsy looking armor of light was her most powerful defensive spell taught by Lumen herself. Moirai was more used to Dee¡¯s antics and had already given up on worrying about such minor details. If Dee said it was fine, then it most likely was. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope the Plane of Storms will give us a more friendly reception than ice or water might. I don¡¯t think those two would enjoy the presence of a pair of fire squirrels.¡± Dee continued.

 Chapter 153

    ¡±What did you say about this Plane giving us a warmer welcome than certain other planes?!¡± Nyx demanded with a strained tone of voice. She punctuated her words by shredding another elemental with her powers.


    As Dee¡¯s black flames burnt the last elemental in this group, they finally got some peace. ¡°Well, who knows? Maybe this is a warmer welcome than the Plane of Ice or Water. Those two could be worse.¡±


    Moirai sat with her back to the mountaintop, trying to find some shelter from the winds buffeting them relentlessly. She was not going to find any in this place. ¡°I don¡¯t think things could be much worse. The only reason we have this moment of relative peace is because we killed every elemental in the vicinity.¡±


    Moirai¡¯s words were a rather fair observation. They had spent the last two days fighting the elementals, and every elemental within range had attacked them almost immediately after they arrived. The portal had fortunately or unfortunately taken them to a place much closer to the core of the plane than had happened on the Plane of Fire. It would still take them several days to reach the core if they wanted to go there, but it would only be days instead of weeks. This area was rich in elementals, and one of the first ones to attack the trio had been an air elemental spirit that could be considered equal to an immortal. Dee had quickly found out that while the spirit actually had no solid body, it still added a skull to her totem.


    The mountain area they were currently at was several kilomels from the ¡®ground¡¯, such as it was. During their constant battle, they had drifted closer to the ground and come back up after discovering there was nothing there that would help them. If anything had ever grown on the ground, it had been torn away by the perennial storm winds or fallen victim to the constant barrage of lightning strikes that periodically lanced from the black clouds covering the skies. The only things dotting the stony landscape were these odd metallic obelisks that seemed to draw the vast majority of the lightning to them. The rest was barren. Even the Plane of Fire had more life than this place. That is, unless you counted in the numerous elementals that had inhabited the place before their arrival. Although now even those were gone.


    ¡°Well, be that as it may, it might be better if you get to it and do your thing. I¡¯ll keep watch and respond to any further attacks. I¡¯ll notify you if it gets too much for me to handle.¡± Dee decided. They had talked about this possibility on the way here, and one of the reasons they were now up on this mountain instead of the ground below was that the elemental forces were extremely pure and strong in this place. The two Meilin would benefit from this place greatly, and it was not chosen randomly.


    ¡°Are you sure? You don¡¯t feel the need to go towards the core of this place?¡± Moirai asked in a worried tone. The two knew that Dee had a reason to come to the planes, but didn¡¯t know exactly what it was that she required.


    ¡°No. Unlike last time, I don¡¯t feel a pull towards the core. In fact, I¡¯m fairly certain that going there would be a bad idea. While approaching the place would be much easier than the core of the Plane of Fire, the local inhabitants would be significantly less welcoming. I can get my business done while fighting. In fact, I¡¯d argue it makes things easier.¡± Dee replied with a light tone. The core area was surrounded by an eternal storm that shredded anyone approaching it, but it was still more hospitable than walking into the literal star at the heart of the Plane of Fire.


    Dee wasn¡¯t just saying that to placate Moirai either. The constant battle with the elementals stimulated her ability to absorb the elemental energies, and every time she killed one of the elementals and consumed their souls, she gained a portion of their power. It did wonders for her resistances. In fact, her tenth tail had already gotten the color of whitish-blue signifying the element of air, and she hadn¡¯t specifically even tried to get that resistance. It was already as strong as her less develop resistances like earth. Her lightning resistance was already closing towards the limit, which made the fighting quite a bit easier. She didn¡¯t get the time and peace to absorb the power from the souls from the hells that Selvaria had provided, but the souls of the elementals were just as good for her purposes.


    Even though Dee didn¡¯t have trouble in reaching her goals rather quickly, Nyx and Moirai took more time to reach theirs. It had taken several months for the duo to absorb the element of fire as part of their bloodline and totem. The work was going faster now that they knew what they were doing. There was also less resistance than last time, as they had already gone through the process once. Still, they were trying to take in two elements at the same time, so it took time and effort. Moirai was once again faster than Nyx thanks to the fact that she had barely begun her totem, so modifying it was much easier. Once she was done she helped Dee fend against the constant attacks that came their way, allowing Dee some much-needed rest.


    Dee, on the other hand, spent the first month and a half in almost constant battle. It was actually perfect training for her, as she learned to ration her strength and use only enough power to defeat her enemies and not waste any. She was much more used to making a single decisive attack that would take the enemy out with certainty and enough power left over to do it again. Now that wasn¡¯t an option. As the enemies kept coming and she had to protect her friends, she couldn¡¯t use her favored style of fighting. Instead of being a quick blade that strikes fast and retreats, she had to become the bulwark that stands firm and endures.


    In a normal situation, Dee didn¡¯t actually require rest, she simply enjoyed sleep. That was even truer the stronger she became. She could also quickly consume food between battles to keep her from becoming hungry or thirsty, so while it was not an ideal situation, she could manage. The problem was that the fatigue from constant battles kept accumulating. She wasn¡¯t an endurance fighter normally. In the past, her excessive use of power had also put extra strain on her body, forcing her to exhaustion even more quickly.


    Now that she was stronger, she was able to use more power without putting excess strain on herself. She could also use some holy spells to wipe away some the exhaustion that accumulated, but those spells had their limits. They would do nothing against the bone-deep exhaustion that came from expending most of her power in few very powerful attacks. But they were good against the small exhaustion that came from repeated small battles against weaker foes. She had to find a balance, and this was good training, helping her hone the necessary skills in that area.


    A normal person would have also run into issues with running out of power, but Dee didn¡¯t have that problem. Ever since the first time she came into this world and was told that she could pay for things with power, she had discovered that her ability to regenerate power quickly was extraordinary. It was just that she never got the chance to really utilize that ability because her physical and mental exhaustion had been too much of an impediment. It didn¡¯t matter if you had power if you were too exhausted to use that power. Now that was changing, and the ability to regenerate power quickly became relevant again.


    Despite all that, by the time Moirai had finished her own process a month and a half after starting, Dee was exhausted beyond belief. She had managed to take small breaks, but not nearly enough. Especially the few times extremely powerful elementals had attacked them had left Dee spent and without the opportunity to recover fully. Now Moirai could take over for a while, and Dee spent the next three days in a deep sleep without reacting to the gale winds or the constant sounds of thunder and battle.


    Luckily for all of them, none of the really strong elementals had attacked while Dee was for all intents and purposes passed out. Moirai could have called Nyx for help if that had happened, but that would have broken Nyx¡¯s concentration and forced them to stay here even longer. Now, instead of spending weeks completing her own process, Nyx was finished by the time Dee woke up again. Dee also woke up at the perfect time, because they had finally drawn the wrong kind of attention.


    Until now, they had only been attacked by the local elementals. Granted, the elementals were fairly strong this close to the core, but they had not drawn the attention of the true rulers of the plane. The last powerful enemy Dee had fought before collapsing was a high ranking prince of the air elementals, which was one of the reasons she had been so exhausted. The other elementals had seen the black flames that consumed the prince, and they knew the prince would not be back. As a result, those elementals had taken a word to the rulers of the Plane.


    The King of the Air and the Queen of Lightning were less than pleased at having such violent visitors in their territory. The two were not aware that it had been the elementals that attacked first, and no one bothered to mention that minor detail. Not that it would have mattered once the prince had died. There were no familial relations between the elementals despite their titles, but it was a matter of prestige. They had to do something just to maintain their own legitimacy or the high ranking princes might challenge their position. The two monarchs decided to take matters into their own hands.


    It didn¡¯t take Dee¡¯s special eyes to see the power suddenly gathering above the trio. Unlike the other two though, Dee could see exactly what was coming and reacted quickly. The Queen of Lightning was the true ruler of the plane, so she didn¡¯t need to be present to strike at her foes. She didn¡¯t bother to move towards the enemy and instead struck at them from her throne at the core. The full power of a rank twelve immortal elemental was put on display as a bolt of lightning as thick as the mountain the trio had been standing on lashed down from the skies.


    Dee had sensed the attack coming and knew the other two could not withstand it despite their new powers. Besides, this was the purest lightning energy in the entire plane. This is just what she needed to finish her own resistance to the element. The armor of light surrounded her form that had quickly turned to that of a dragon to enhance her own resistance. As the strike landed, the holy power inside her was quickly being consumed, as she used the armor to dissipate about half of the power in the attack, and allowed the rest to hit her body directly. The power of the attack had reduced greatly, and she was extremely resistant to the element. Despite this, Dee bellowed from pain as the power coursed through her body.


    ¡°Bloody. Fucking. Hells! That hurt!¡± Dee cursed as the attack finally stopped. She could feel the damage inside her regenerating quickly. She still felt a little crispy.


    ¡®I¡¯m glad to inform you that it was worth the pain.¡¯ Croestia silently messaged her. ¡®That completed the resistance in one shot. You can take the next one directly. It might still sting a bit, but it won¡¯t truly harm you. Uh, that thing might though.¡¯


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    Dee suddenly saw a relatively small dragon seemingly made of what looked pure glass flying towards them with extreme speed. She could sense the enormous power of air contained inside the being, and knew this being had not launched the previous attack. Not that it was any less dangerous. ¡°Be careful, we have incoming!¡± Dee warned Nyx and Moirai.


    One of the main strengths of the King of Air was his speed. He was very confident in that aspect. He decided that the dragon that had blocked the attack from the Queen of Lightning was the main threat, an impression enhanced by the power of fire that he felt radiating from the dragon, but the being must also be wounded. After all, the queen was much stronger than him, as he was new to his position. The king decided to take out the two smaller being first. He was certain that the wounded dragon wound not be able to do anything to stop him thanks to his speed.


    Imagine his surprise as a flash of light seemed to ram into his side as he passed the wounded dragon. What had hit him? There¡¯s no way the dragon would have been able to react in time! His thoughts were betrayed as the form of the wounded dragon wound around him, trapping him in place. ¡°Well then. Would you like to try that again? We can try which is faster, the wind or light.¡±


    The king could sense the slightest bit of the light element in the air and frowned. Apparently, speed would not be the unbeatable edge he was hoping for in this fight. The black form of the serpentine dragon started squeezing the king, alerting him that his strength did not lie in his sturdiness and the serpentine dragon had more than enough strength to do great harm. He was not of the earth after all. Leave it to those lumbering beings to focus on defense. He hadn¡¯t become the king just due to his speed though.


    Dee was just about to use her fires to deliver a fatal blow as the weird glass dragon seemed to vanish and appeared a small distance away in an instant. ¡°That¡¯s a neat trick.¡± Dee growled. The dragon had turned into nothing but the wind to escape her grasp. And the wind was omnipresent in this place. That meant the glass dragon could appear and disappear anywhere.


    Suddenly the glass dragon waved its claws and Dee barely had time to react as several blades of something hit her hastily erected armor of light. The power drain from blocking the attack was atrocious. It was almost as bad as the drain from the lightning earlier, and this had been a casual wave of the dragon¡¯s claws. ¡®What was that?¡¯ Dee sent a hasty mental message to Nyx and Moirai.


    ¡®That was somewhat similar to the attacks I use, though also a little different.¡¯ Moirai sent a back a thought colored with sudden realizations. ¡®The sharpness of the attack rent space around it, hence the extreme damage. I used entirely different methods to achieve similar results, but the end result is the same. I recommend not taking any more of those as I doubt your scales will be able to block them. It did give me ideas though.¡¯


    The same applied to Nyx, as the mother and daughter pair had rather similar abilities. Both had some skill in bending space, and the use of the air element to cause the same effect was a wholly new avenue for them, especially since they only now had the power of air at their command. They were bursting with ideas. ¡®Try to hold it still for a moment. I think we can do something similar to retaliate.¡¯ Nyx messaged.


    ¡°Easier said than done.¡± Dee grumbled. If she could hold the damn thing in place, then she could also do something. That was the whole problem. ¡®Maybe we should flip this around. Maybe you should hold him in place instead.¡¯ She suggested.


    The glass dragon had not remained idle, as several similar attacks had flashed towards Dee, but this time she was prepared. She knew what to expect and could use her speed to avoid the attacks. This continued for a dozen attacks before the glass dragon suddenly laughed. He had realized Dee¡¯s weakness. ¡°I¡¯ve got you now.¡± It declared and sent a larger volume of attacks this time. What made the king so confident was that if Dee dodged those attacks, they would hit Nyx and Moirai instead. While Dee was fast enough to dodge, the two others were not. The two new elements they had absorbed increased their speed, but Dee and the king of Air were still in a separate category.


    ¡°I should be the one to say that.¡± Dee suddenly said, whispering to the ear of now frozen glass dragon. While the two Meilin were not as fast, they were far from helpless. The slashes the glass dragon used were sharp but they were also fragile. A storm of psionic energy met them before reaching their goal, and the storm came out the victor.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get when fighting three psions, two of which are strong in the mental side of things.¡± Nyx crowed in victory. While none of them were strong enough to break the King of Air¡¯s mental defenses by themselves without alerting him, together it was much easier. Moirai and Nyx had provided the path for Dee, who in turn froze the glass dragon in place.


    While he was frozen in place, Dee suddenly pushed him into the correct position, right below another powerful lightning strike sent by the Queen of Lightning. She had struck in order to help, but it took a bit of time to unleash strikes like this. And once the strike was unleashed, it was impossible to pull back. The bolt of lightning aimed at Dee as the most dangerous enemy, but now Dee was entangled with the King of Air. One of the two was resistant to the damage, and that wasn¡¯t the King of Air. The glass dragon roared in pain while Dee cackled as her plan came to fruition.


    Suddenly a dozen spatial slashes rent the already suffering glass dragon¡¯s body as Nyx and Moirai copied the attack he had used earlier. They were not as effective, hardly a surprise for a first attempt, but they were more than enough to wound the glass dragon that was not focused on defense. The two Meilin tore into the poor dragon while Dee¡¯s flames consumed what was left.


    ¡°Well, that was more effective than I thought.¡± Nyx grinned as the power flowed into her and the two others. They had killed a being more powerful than them together, so they also shared in the spoils. Most of the power went to Moirai and Nyx, while the pure energy of air finished Dee¡¯s resistance to the element. Consuming the soul of the king of the element had its advantages.


    Another bolt of lightning flashed down on them as the Queen of Lightning showed her fury at the events, but Dee almost happily received the attack once again, protecting the other two. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come here and share his fate.¡± Dee growled at the air, showing how little the attack had done this time. Silence pervaded the area. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    ¡°Now, that said, I think our business here is concluded.¡± Nyx argued. Killing one powerful being was one thing, but fighting against the entire plane was another. They had just slain an elemental monarch and the elementals might not take that kindly. It was likely that the princes of the air elementals thought that anyone capable of slaying the trio would also gain the position of the next king.


    ¡°Agreed. Time to go. We have other planes awaiting us.¡± Moirai also gave her vote. Dee didn¡¯t disagree, so she created a portal out of the plane. The return trip might be a bit longer, even with their increased familiarity with the element.


    ¡°So what plane are we going to next?¡± She asked.


    ----------


    ¡°Stop laughing!¡± Nyx demanded as they returned back to Pantheon. They had spent years touring the elemental planes and were finally returning home.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help it.¡± Dee managed to say between bursts of laughter. ¡°You¡¯re rainbow squirrels now!¡±


    Moirai could only sigh in slight depression. With all the elements they had absorbed, it was inevitable there would be physical changes like what had happened with the fire element. The two Meilin now had streaks of color running through their hair and tails. Calling it a rainbow was not doing it justice since they had absorbed almost a dozen elements, and all of those elements were represented. That didn¡¯t stop Dee from mocking them at every chance. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say too much considering your own tails.¡± She stated a little feebly.


    ¡°What about my tails?¡± Dee asked while still grinning wildly. All eleven tails behind her were pure white, though they briefly flashed in different colors. She knew the twelfth tail was just about to appear and only needed a small push. One thing that could give that push was the fact that her totem was also close to finishing.


    Before this trip, she had been worried about finding enough immortal skulls to finish her totem, but some of the elemental planes provided her with plenty of volunteers. The immortal elementals were more numerous but also easier for her to kill thanks to her resistances. She was still missing some, but only about a dozen or so. She had actually been sure she could finish the totem on this trip, but the last four planes they visited had been light, darkness, time and death. Those planes matched with the blessings she had. The blessings made travel to those planes easy and the inhabitants didn¡¯t bother them.


    ¡°Still, that Plane of Death was creepy. I have to admit I was worried before we got there. Who knew the whole place would be the most peaceful out of the whole bunch.¡± Nyx commented. The Plane of Death was the last one they visited. They had left that one for the last in order for all of them to grow in strength as much as possible. A precaution that had turned out unnecessary.


    ¡°I was more worried about the Plane of Time personally.¡± Moirai stated. ¡°If we got unlucky, we have no idea how much time passed in Pantheon while we were caught in some time bubble.¡± In fact, the opposite had happened. It seemed only hours had passed on Pantheon while they had spent two months on that plane. A fact that Ashur had confirmed as they had used his volcano as a home base during all of this. Razark had provided them with news and fresh supplies on occasion as well, though he was never present while they returned. They had also visited the Night city a few times when they needed something and wanted to avoid drawing attention. Mostly that something was food for the resident glutton in their group.


    Razark had not appeared for a year now though, so they were eager to get back. A lot could happen in a year and the lack of news was slightly disconcerting. At least they now had enough power to return. Thanks to all the elemental power they had absorbed, Moirai had reached rank eleven and Nyx had reached rank twelve in addition to their new abilities. Something they had tested while in the Night city. Dee might be a rank eleven if they only considered her tails, but they all knew she could kick Nyx¡¯s ass in actual battle without much trouble. Her tails only considered the raw amount of power and not her actual battle ability.


    ¡°Great that you¡¯re back.¡± Ashur rushed to them as the portal closed behind them. ¡°I just got word. The Five Winds has gathered several other communities and is marching against the Spider Cult. I have no idea on the details as I got the news third hand, but I¡¯m pretty sure they need you back. It seems they¡¯re fine for now, but I don¡¯t know if that will be true after the battle.¡±

 Chapter 154

    The empress was rhythmically drumming the table with her fingers. The clicking noise made her companion nervous, as the poor Phoenix had been the one to deliver the bad news. News that made it clear she had made a mistake. She didn¡¯t make mistakes very often and certainly not ones this big. What made it worse was the fact that everything had gone almost perfectly so far and this mistake might ruin the whole plan.


    It had not taken long after Dee had disappeared for the first agents of the Celestial Court to make their way to the Five Winds. Their speed had actually surprised even the empress and she was the most familiar with the capabilities of those agents. She had after all overseen most of their training. The empress had made sure that the agents did not recognize her, and kept out of sight for the most part. The representatives of the Five Winds were smart enough to deal with them, especially with some instructions.


    They had not hidden their involvement with Dee. They had also been rather open about the fact that they knew next to nothing about Dee possessing any mountain and had no power to force Dee to hand said mountain over to the Celestial Court. Theoretically, Dee was only employed by the Five Winds as she returned the debt she owed for Moirai¡¯s teachings. In practice though, Dee was more like family, but the agents of the Celestial Court didn¡¯t need to know that. Those agents also didn¡¯t need to know that two members of the Five Winds had vanished along with Dee and that they had every reason to expect all three were coming back at some point.


    In fact, the Five Winds made it clear that they didn¡¯t know where she was at the time or if she was coming back at all. They had even less idea when she might return, if she indeed did return. Only the empress actually knew exactly where Dee had vanished, though the others had some educated guesses. As a whole, the Five Winds were very cooperative on the surface, they just couldn¡¯t help. Of course, even if they could help, they wouldn¡¯t.


    The agents knew something was going on, but couldn¡¯t quite tell what. They had an idea that the Five Winds knew more than they were telling, but that was always true. It would be bad if the agents simply punished a seemingly cooperative second circle community without a proper reason, and they didn¡¯t think a punishment would be of much use anyway. They also had to take into consideration the fact that the Crimson Path had a large number of warriors present, and those warriors would take a dim view if anything were to happen. The relations between the court and the Crimson Path were not exactly hostile, but they were already a little strained due to Teresa¡¯s refusal to pay her respects to the Celestial Emperor. In the end, the agents decided to just keep an eye on the Five Winds for now.


    The empress had taken this into consideration and made a rather public invitation for them to stay here openly as a show of goodwill and to show their willingness to cooperate. Or to be exact, she instructed the representative to do so. The agents decided to accept the invitation, as everyone involved knew they would stay to observe anyway, so there was no point in doing it from hiding. They might as well do it in comfort, and it was harder for the Five Winds to hide anything when the observers were so close. The word spread around fast, though the empress made sure to emphasize the fact that the Celestial Court was here as their guests, implying warm relations between the two communities. The other communities didn¡¯t know any better, and the Celestial Court was certainly not going to reveal the real reason why the agents are here. The empress had turned the presence of those agents into an advantage.


    As a result, everyone thought that Five Winds were allied to one first circle community and had warm relations with another. That made even the slightest thought of the Spider Cult trying to attack them disappear. The Five Winds had now enjoyed several years of peace and prosperity and had used that time well. The smiths and enchanters came through, and the products of the Five Winds had already become something of a legend. The Threads of Fate had auctioned off a few of the items the smiths had produced, and the prices had been jaw-dropping. Most importantly, the equipment, weapons, and armor were generously distributed to the members of the Five Winds and almost every powerful member of the Five Winds was armed to the teeth, making them even stronger. The items wouldn¡¯t allow a low ranked person to beat a high ranked one, but any member of the Five Winds had a huge advantage when compared to others of similar level.


    The smiths were all too happy to stay for a long time as well. Some of them owed the Five Winds a lot, some were paid in the very same items that were drawing so much attention, and some just wanted to stay because they were learning a lot while working with the best people and materials. Especially the Sidhe smiths were indicating that they might be willing to stay for good, and the Lacademonians were not far behind. The bond between the Lacademonians and the Five Winds had grown strong over the last few years thanks to the protection provided by the connections the Five Winds had made.


    The empress had not been idle on the diplomatic front. Many of the communities residing in the second circle had gained that position thanks to the vacancies left behind by the struggle for the spot in the first circle. Most of them knew that they were vulnerable, and the Spider Cult was not shy about lashing out at others now that their earlier targets were gone. Some of the older second circle communities that had retained their position were also feeling at risk, since they had suffered during the fights, and were open to some means to protect their position.


    The empress had built the Spider Cult up as a boogeyman everyone had to worry about and not entirely without reason. The alliance with the Crimson Path and the illusion of one with the Celestial Court gave credence to her words and made it seem like the Five Winds had powerful backing. As a result, it had not been all that difficult to build a coalition of dozens of communities against the Spider Cult. For the last year the coalition had slowly tightened the noose around the Spider Cult¡¯s neck, and a few months ago it had turned into open warfare.


    The Death Lords of the Spider Cult were individually powerful, and the community was much stronger than most of the communities in the second circle thanks to their tireless undead armies, but the cult had its limits. A single Death Lord was not enough to stand against a dozen immortals from other communities, and many of the Death Lords had fallen in the first weeks of the fighting due to cleverly laid ambushes. The empress had also secured the help of the Radiant Sun and the Holy Orders, who were more than happy to strike at the undead menace, thus bringing the best weapon available to bear against the undead legions in the form of holy power.


    The Spider Cult had done their best to make a stand against the coalition, but the combined power of so many communities had pushed the cult back into their sanctum city. The coalition communities were increasingly relying on the command of the empress, though she mostly led from the shadows, allowing the representatives to get the glory. Thanks to her leadership and planning, their losses had also been kept to a minimum, making the other communities even more respectful of their lead. The victory only required a final push, but that¡¯s where her big mistake surfaced.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± The empress knew she had heard correctly the first time; she just didn¡¯t like what she was hearing.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure. You know we Phoenixes are considered partly divine, and although that is mostly just rumors, we do have very sharp senses towards such things. Not only is the sanctum city of the Spider Cult brimming with holy energy, making a siege a really bad idea, but I¡¯m certain that there is an actual god present in the inner sanctum. Or to be more exact, an avatar of one. It doesn¡¯t take much to guess whose avatar that is.¡± The Phoenix replied with a grimace. He had flown close to the sanctum to scout things out, and the foul aura of the Great Mother still made him ill.


    The empress made a tsk-sound with her tongue. ¡°I had heard rumors, but every cult claims to have access to and the protection of their chosen deity. Who knew the Spider Cult actually wasn¡¯t lying.¡±


    The thing is, she should have known better. She had heard the stories about the Spider Goddess having corporeal avatars, so of course, the most important servants of the goddess had one protecting their sanctum. The problem was that the empress had never really cared about deities. Oh, she knew about the power they granted their servants and how fervent faith could influence the psychology of the worshippers. She had taken things like that into consideration when making several of her plans over the centuries. But she had never given real thought to the deities themselves. In her mind, they were just another source of power like mana and ki. She certainly didn¡¯t take into consideration that one of them would have a corporeal avatar on Pantheon, messing up her carefully laid plans.


    ¡°This is a disaster. And you will have to tell me how large of a disaster. I have no idea about the strength an avatar like that might possess.¡± The empress prompted the Phoenix.


    ¡°Well, I have some good news and some bad news on that front. In theory, the deity has divided her power between the avatars. The avatar is unlikely to have offensive potential beyond a medium strength rank twelve immortal. The problem is that avatars are notoriously hard to kill. There are very few deities with avatars, so keep that in mind as you consider the reliability of my information. According to what I know, the avatar is sustained by the holy power of the goddess and is basically impossible to harm until that power runs out. And as one of the most powerful deities, the Great Mother has a lot of power in store. Whether she is willing to spend all of that to protect the city is another thing, but judging by the heavy presence of holy power in the sanctum, I¡¯m pretty sure she is willing to spend a lot.¡± The Phoenix explained.


    ¡°And your fires can¡¯t hurt the avatar?¡± The empress asked. The fires of a Phoenix were famous for being able to burn almost anything.


    ¡°Unfortunately not. The fires of an elder Phoenix might be able to do so, or the breath of an elder dragon, but I¡¯m not able to do so.¡± He was quiet for a moment. ¡°The girl Dee. Her flames might be a bit different.¡±


    ¡°Really? Well, while that does give us one option, we have no idea when she will return. I did tell her to stay away until she is capable of protecting the mountain. Even for her, that will take time. I don¡¯t know if we can afford to just sit on our hands that long. Much of our success is based on the fact that we have won every battle so far and are driven by the momentum those victories give us. If we just lay siege to the sanctum for years, then some of the communities will get other ideas. I have plans for those communities. I can¡¯t afford to let them get funny ideas. Besides, wasting too much time will give the Spider Cult a chance to regroup and come up with various ways to make things difficult for us.¡± The empress shook her head in disgust. One damn mistake.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Well, the other option might be worse. We¡¯ll have to keep bombarding the avatar until the goddess runs out of power, while in the meantime she will be free to rampage. The resulting losses are unlikely to endear you to any of the communities involved.¡± The Phoenix pointed out. He often played the part of a frivolous man, but he wasn¡¯t stupid. It was in his best interest that the empress succeeded.


    ¡°Curses! I wonder if I could wrangle the help of one of the elder dragons in the first circle. I know they aren¡¯t exactly the most diplomatic type, but if the price is right¡­¡± The empress ran through several possible plans in her mind, but it still left them with the problem.


    The empress was interrupted by a communication from the guards. Apparently, the representative of the Meilin was here due to some business. ¡°There¡¯s another problem.¡± The empress stated with a sigh. ¡°Nyx was sometimes too smart for her own good and was the one to resist my influence the most, but she was also very logical and cooperative when necessary.¡± The implication was that the new representative was not.


    ¡°The new representative is just narrow-sighted. She can be logical as well. It¡¯s just that her limited sight can¡¯t see the bigger picture. She only strives to benefit the Meilin, unfortunately at the expense of others.¡± The Phoenix pointed out.


    With Nyx going missing for several years, it was almost inevitable that the Meilin would pick a new representative. The problem was that the new representative had campaigned for the position with the platform that Nyx was abandoning their race and that she, in contrast, would always put their race first. The representatives had always been more like a group of friends that worked for the betterment of the entire community as a whole, and the new representative changed that dynamic by constantly trying to drive forward the agenda of her own race. That strained the relations between the representatives.


    Normally it would have been simple for the other representatives to keep the new Meilin representative in her place, but there were some complications. The Crimson Path had quickly determined that the Meilin were actually perfect for becoming Crimson Witches, as their nature made them less likely to lose themselves when using their full powers. That had increased the importance of the Meilin inside the community, which in turn made the new Meilin representative hard to ignore. The representative was driving a wedge between the races, and ruining the familial atmosphere that the empress had learned to enjoy.


    ¡°What does she want?¡± She asked rather curtly. She had some ideas on how to deal with the Meilin representative, but the timing wasn¡¯t right. It would be so much easier if Nyx came back. Then she would not need to meddle in the internal affairs of Meilin directly. Instead, she could simply support Nyx in retaking her position.


    ¡°Apparently the emissaries of the coalition communities are here to plan the final assault of the Spider Cult sanctum. Your presence is requested.¡± The guard relayed the message.


    The empress gave a sigh. The new Meilin representative wasn¡¯t stupid either. She was trying to force the empress out of the shadows. The other representatives were all too happy to ask the empress for advice, but they were less likely to go along if the empress started to give commands. Being unofficial members of the community allowed the Threads of Fate the chance to work from the shadows and be more neutral in their dealings, but it also meant that they had to deal with certain protocol issues. For example, in the incoming conference of the coalition, the empress could only sit among the other coalition communities, instead of sitting with the representatives of the Five Winds. It was also hard for her to refuse taking part personally, or it might be seen as disrespectful.


    As a result, she would have to step up if she wanted to take part in the planning. Only the representatives knew she was the source of most of their plans, and if she wanted her plans to be followed then she would have to take a prominent role in the planning during the meeting, clearly coming out of the shadows. It would immediately become obvious who had done most of the war planning so far. The other communities would most likely push her into the forefront due to the success of her earlier plans, clearly designating her as the leader of this little endeavor. And then she would no longer be making suggestions and giving advice, but actually giving commands.


    She would have to take a more prominent role at some point anyway, but she wanted to do so on her own terms, so she was planning on hanging back and letting the representatives of the Five Winds handle everything in this meeting. The plan would not make much of a difference anyway. She would be present at the conference, but would not contribute. She would not play the game the annoying Meilin wanted. She was just about to respond to the invitation, when one of the seers contacted her with the best news she¡¯d had in years.


    A wide grin split her face. This little conference might become much more interesting after all.


    -----


    The start of the meeting went about as well as the empress had expected. Most of the coalition members were arguing about how to best approach the situation, and the Five Winds representatives were letting it all happen without interference. They were mostly looking towards the empress, as they knew she was the one to make the plans anyway, but the empress was content to just sit in silence like none of this had anything to do with her.


    Suddenly there was a disturbance at the door and a smile spread on the empress¡¯ face. They were here. This was what she had been expecting. She suppressed a shiver as power seemed to be practically rolling off the back of the three people entering the room. One of the trio was noticeably taller than the other two, and the empress could feel the air around that person had changed. That change became even more obvious as the trio removed the hoods that had been hiding their identities until they had reached the room. Before leaving Dee had felt like someone who had been thrust into power, but now she had the aura of a person who had earned it. Earlier, Dee had felt dangerous and someone with power over others due to circumstances, but now she had gravitas.


    Many of the emissaries were asking questions and looking disturbed at the sudden appearance of the trio. Four of the five representatives of the Five Winds had wide grins on their faces on the other hand, and Shioko stepped forward to greet her friends. ¡°Nyx, Moirai, Dee, I¡¯m so glad to see you back.¡± As she got close enough to give the trio hugs she made a theatrical whisper that everyone heard. ¡°I like your new style.¡± She punctuated her words by ruffling Nyx¡¯s colorful hair.


    The current Meilin representative was less pleased though. ¡°Well, the traitor is back. What are you doing here Nyx?¡±


    ¡°Who is the idiot?¡± Dee asked and gestured towards the Meilin representative looking self-important on the raised seats.


    ¡°That would be Ushas. A rather nasty rat that likes to think much of her own abilities.¡± Nyx replied with a grin. She knew that it would be much easier to just let Dee handle things. Ushas was actually a mouse type Meilin, but Nyx liked to call her a rat as a pejorative.


    ¡°The new representative of the Meilin. And you should know your place, walking in with a criminal and a traitor that forsook her duty.¡± Ushas was puffing her chest, secure in her own position.


    ¡°Not a good choice of words.¡± The Anshar representative grumbled, knowing that Ushas had chosen the wrong path. If she had simply leaned on the fact that the Meilin had voted her into the position, then Dee might have left things alone, but Ushas chose to be antagonistic and overbearing instead. The other representatives knew that out of everyone in the Five Winds, Dee was the closest with Moirai and Nyx, and would not have any qualms about protecting them with violence. They also knew what Dee¡¯s presence here signified about her current strength. She was confident about protecting the mountain.


    ¡°No.¡± Dee stated simply.


    ¡°What do you mean no?¡± Ushas asked a little caught off-guard.


    ¡°I mean, no, you are not the representative of the Meilin. I recognize only one representative of your people and that¡¯s not you. And I¡¯m fairly confident my word is enough to have you removed from the position. So until I gave my opinion, your position was temporary.¡± Dee stated calmly.


    ¡°Who do you think you are?!¡± Ushas started demanding, before Dee¡¯s Domain suddenly crashed on her pushing her to her knees. The dominating aspect of Dee¡¯s Domain had grown a lot stronger with her own strength rising. The others present could feel a whiff of what Ushas was feeling, but Dee had also become a lot more accurate at using her Domain instead of just plopping it on everyone besides her friends.


    Dee looked at the other representatives. ¡°My words are true, correct?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡± The other representatives voiced almost simultaneously with small knowing smiles forming on their faces. They too were less than pleased with Ushas, and Dee was providing them with the perfect opportunity to get rid of her. Dee looked at the empress as well, surprising the other communities. ¡°Correct.¡± The empress also declared, making it clear to the other communities that the Threads of Fate also had a vote.


    ¡°Well then, your selection to the position of representative has been rejected. Your services are no longer required. Moirai, would you be so kind as to deal with her.¡± Dee could sense that Moirai was more than strong enough to deal with Ushas, and she also knew Moirai was smart and well-liked enough to deal with the aftermath outside when the other Meilin found out. In fact, Moirai herself was more qualified to the position now than Ushas. Dee turned to Nyx. ¡°Representative Nyx, would you like to retake your old position?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember relinquishing it in the first place.¡± Nyx replied with a grin.


    ¡°All in agreement say aye. Aye.¡± The Anshar representative called for a speedy vote and the others were more than happy to oblige.


    The other communities could only stare in confusion as a small power struggle took place right in front of them. ¡°Now then, would the emissaries excuse us, as we have certain matters to deal with before any plans can be made? We can pick this up again tomorrow.¡± The empress suddenly came forward, reinforcing the idea that she was also part of the internal matters of the Five Winds. Now was a pretty good time for her to exit the shadows, even if she didn¡¯t take a prominent position just yet.

 Chapter 155

    ¡±So let me get this straight. You lot have managed to plot and use diplomacy and some clever tactics to corner one of the most dangerous communities in the second circle, but now you¡¯re stuck. And the reason you¡¯re stuck, is because there¡¯s a literal avatar of a deity present at the sanctum, and no one figured this out before now? And now we¡¯re all boned because of that?¡± Dee asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her eyes closed. She could sense a headache coming.


    ¡°Well¡­yes.¡± Shioko replied a little ashamed. ¡°We only found out about the avatar today when the leader of the Threads of Fate informed us. I¡¯m still not entirely sure how she knew and how long she has known.¡± She nodded towards the seer.


    ¡°I had one of my subordinates scout the sanctum out. I trust his judgement. As a result, I only just found out myself. I have to admit this is all due to a gap in my plans. I have little experience with deities themselves and have thus far only dealt with their servants.¡± The empress decided it might be a good idea to change the subject for now to minimize the damage to her reputation. ¡°By the way, are you sure that it¡¯s alright to leave things with the Meilin be? I was not overly fond of Ushas and would hate to see her return. I have no doubt she¡¯s out there making a fuss.¡±


    Nyx nodded with a confident look. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Moirai has this handled. My daughter is often overly serious, but she is competent to a fault. I hate to admit this, but most of the time she keeps things running and all the Meilin know it. The only reason she hasn¡¯t been made the representative is because she lacked the power. Even when I had her posted in as a Guardian in a sub-community to make her relax, she still handled many things remotely. She¡¯s almost disgustingly competent and most of our people would crawl over a field of shards of glass if she told them it was a good idea. I¡¯m pretty sure she will take my place quite soon. In fact, I¡¯m counting on it.¡±


    Kawhena, the Dagon representative grunted his agreement. ¡°The only reason Ushas even tried anything was because both Moirai and Nyx were gone. Nyx here is right about Moirai, but she¡¯s not giving herself the credit she is due. Nyx might look lazy, but she gets more things done than the rest of us, and Moirai is even better at such things. They just do it in such a short time that it leaves them time for other things. Personally, I think part of the reason Nyx got to be so efficient is because she likes her lazing around time. If just Moirai had remained here, things would have gone much different. I hate to admit it, but half the reason things kept running smoothly while the three of you were gone is because the honored seer here picked up the slack.¡±


    Part of the reason the representatives had been so quick to agree to Dee¡¯s rather bold declaration earlier was because they also disliked Ushas and were glad to see her gone. If Dee had tried to oust Shioko for example, they would not have gone along with things. Besides, it was a fact that Dee had done a lot for the community, and with her increased power, it was obvious her word also carried a lot of weight. Even though Dee didn¡¯t have an official position in the community, they would likely consult her anyway if one of them needed a replacement. She didn¡¯t get to pick the replacement by herself, but she did get a say. This was something unspoken though and wasn¡¯t something they had particularly agreed on. Partly because Dee might be gone before a representative needed to be replaced.


    ¡°Returning to the earlier subject. Dee. Do you think you are capable of harming the avatar? It is my theory that you do have that ability, but I¡¯d like to hear your take on it.¡± Now that they had moved on from who was responsible for the failing plan, the empress felt secure in returning to the original topic.


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly not entirely sure.¡± Dee replied in thought. The embodiment of the Flames of Beginning had said Dee¡¯s flames could end even gods, but it was not like she could take those words as the unchanging truth. Maybe her flames could do so in the future, but not now? Also, how much of her power would be necessary if it did work? Did she have to use the flames in a particular way? And perhaps more importantly, what would the consequences be if she used her flames against an avatar like this? ¡°But I think I know of a way to find out. Give me a bit of time.¡±


    Dee didn¡¯t feel like kneeling or doing anything that would count as real supplication to reach the gods, but she supposed certain concessions had to be made. So, she shifted to her fox form and laid on the ground as if she was sleeping and made a small prayer. ¡°Eternity, Death, Umbra, Lumen, yadda yadda, grace me with your knowledge, blahdy blah.¡±


    She quickly found herself near a familiar campfire. It seemed there was no need to trudge through the thick grey fog anymore. Three familiar deities were sitting around the fire on simple logs that somehow seemed to look extremely comfortable. Or at least three of those logs did, specifically those under Umbra and Death, and the one Lumen usually occupied. Seems like the goddesses had made themselves more comfortable.


    ¡°No Lumen this time?¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow. The Goddess of Light was rather obviously missing.


    ¡°She had business to deal with. Another challenge.¡± Umbra replied with a complicated look. On one hand, it was in her interest to see the light gods at each other¡¯s throats, but on the other hand, Lumen was still her sister and currently her ally. Better a known enemy she liked than one of the other sanctimonious bastards that occupied the seats for light gods. ¡°Last time she made it clear she would not tolerate such nonsense without a heavy cost, but it seems Order has been busy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain Order finally figured out that there¡¯s an alliance between all of us. The poor bastard has been gathering allies as well. I think Sol Invictus might be tilting towards joining forces with him. That might lure in some willing to challenge your sister.¡± Death pointed out.


    That caught Dee¡¯s attention. Death didn¡¯t usually refer to the other deities by name. ¡°Sol Invictus? That sounds like a name to me. What¡¯s the reason for the sudden honor?¡±


    Death gave a small smile. She was pleased that Dee was so sharp. ¡°Sol is a bit of an¡­anomaly. In simple terms, she is the primary sun god, but she is a bit more complicated than that. Somewhere along the lines she also became known as the primary Goddess of Life, similar to how our little Goddess of Darkness also represents Chaos. Being the life goddess doesn¡¯t really suit Sol¡¯s personality, to be honest. I think that¡¯s just farmers associating the sun with life because of crops and all that nonsense. Sol would be much better suited as a war goddess in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just your bias talking.¡± Eternity suddenly interjected, not elaborating further.


    Dee grinned. ¡°A little hostility towards your opposite element?¡±


    Death shook her head. ¡°Not really, although this old bastard might argue otherwise. I have a grudging respect for Sol, but people seem to misunderstand her. Or him as the case might be today, as the sun deity tends to be a little fluid, while everyone agrees the deities of life should be female for some reason I never quite understood. The reason I use her name is because her role is not simple. Besides, life and death are both important parts of the cycle. I have no hate for the element as a whole. Or should I say that there are things I dislike much more than life.¡±


    ¡°The life deity being female is rather obvious. I think the bigger question is: why is Death female?¡± Umbra pointed out with a small chuckle.


    ¡°That¡¯s how I was when I came into being, and that¡¯s how I am.¡± Death stated with a great deal of finality in her tone. And when Death had finality in her tone, that really meant something.


    Lumen appeared almost simultaneously with Death¡¯s words and looked quite exhausted. ¡°Looks like you had a rough time sister dearest.¡± Umbra commented.


    ¡°Not with the challenge itself. That was easy enough this time as the challenger barely qualified. The problem is that the other gods were less than pleased with me draining my opponent as punishment and wanted to censure my actions. I didn¡¯t feel like listening to their piffle, so I forcefully exited. That took a bit more effort than I thought.¡± Lumen explained. She didn¡¯t have that much trouble, but it wasn¡¯t exactly simple either.


    ¡°Should I be worried as the future Champion?¡± Dee asked, a little unsure about how she should feel about the whole thing.


    ¡°Well, I doubt you will be massively popular once you do assume the role, but I think there was little chance of that anyway. What brings you here? I heard your sorry excuse of a prayer but was a little busy to really pay attention. Besides, as usual, you weren¡¯t really providing me with much detail.¡± Lumen questioned.


    ¡°Right. That. I need to know if my flames can hurt the avatar of the Spider Goddess, and what the ramifications might be.¡± Dee was actually pleased to get to the point. She had no idea how time worked here, and for all she knew this little meeting was taking hours back at Pantheon.


    ¡°To answer the take the first question, the short answer is yes.¡± Death replied as she and Umbra were actually the most familiar with Dee¡¯s flames. ¡°The long answer is that it depends. Will it be able to harm the avatar? Most certainly. Will you be able to kill the goddess? Now that is a more complicated question.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was more interested in just harming the avatar and not really killing the goddess.¡± Dee pointed out. She wasn¡¯t sure if going around killing deities was such a good idea.


    ¡°Oh, the flames will accomplish that, rather easily in fact.¡± Umbra pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll want to do that without killing the goddess though. Having one of the more influential dark deities carry a grudge, especially that one, might be a bad thing. The Great Mother is a rather vengeful deity, and while she doesn¡¯t excel in direct confrontation, she does excel in causing more indirect harm. If you destroy her avatar, it will most certainly anger her, but it will likely also make her scared. Instead of taking revenge on you personally, she might strike at your friends and associates when your guard is down. You might manage to scare her badly enough to stay away though. She¡¯s not exactly known for her bravery either.¡±


    ¡°Right. That sounds pretty bad. So can I kill her then? And what would the consequences of killing a god be anyway? Killing her just to spare myself her ire would be counterproductive if I just attract the ire of a hundred other gods.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Well, gods are rarely killed, because there¡¯s only a handful of ways to accomplish that without going after the worshippers. There are certain godslayer Authorities, a few weapons and spells especially designed for that particular purpose and so on. Still, only a small number of gods actually die violently. That said, many gods fade away and disappear when their worshippers are either conquered, killed, or just move on to other faiths. If there¡¯s a lot of faith to go around like in this case, another will take her place eventually. There are no direct consequences, but the god that eventually takes her place might react negatively. That god might appreciate the promotion, or they might find it a sacrilege against the position. If you do manage to kill the Great Mother with your flames though, most gods will stay far away from you. For obvious reasons most gods aren¡¯t fond of godslayers, so there¡¯s that. Still, as far as deities go, very few will miss that particular one. Most will actually be glad to see her go.¡± Death explained. This was her area of expertise after all.


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    ¡°So the word will get out?¡± Dee asked. She had been hoping the whole thing would stay a secret.


    ¡°To an extent. The Spider Goddess is something of an edge case because of her avatars. Word will get out, but how much the other deities will find out about you is unknown even to me.¡± Death replied with a small shrug. ¡°As to how to kill her, that¡¯s a bit tricky. Try to direct your flames at her soul specifically. If just one of her avatars falls, then she will survive due to having others, but if you manage to do enough damage to her soul then that¡¯s another matter.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was impossible to actually damage the soul with an attack? I¡¯m fairly sure you mentioned something to that effect when we talked about me consuming souls to help them pass on.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t actually be damaging the soul, as much as you would just be forcing it to move on by cutting its connection with the goddess. It¡¯s similar to how the malignant spell you removed from those mages of the Mystic¡¯s guild worked. It¡¯s not that the soul would suffer, but it would no longer be able to prevent the pull of what comes after. If you want a more concrete method, then it might also work if you drop the sun inside your Domain on the avatar. Your flames can attack the power inside the target, so it might burn enough of her power for the backlash to kill the goddess. In both cases, the other avatars would turn into nothing but empty husks. To be perfectly honest, this is somewhat unexplored territory for everyone. I¡¯d have better answers if you wanted to for example, and I¡¯m not necessarily making suggestions here, attack Lumen inside her realm and strike at her directly. In fact, I could tell you exactly how to accomplish that successfully.¡± No one was entirely sure if Death was joking or not.


    ¡°Behave.¡± Lumen chided the other goddess. ¡°My Champion would never do that to me. Right?¡± There was almost a hopeful tone in her voice at the end.


    ¡°Right.¡± Dee replied in a tone indicating that the answer might change if necessary.


    ¡°She¡¯s not your Champion just yet.¡± Umbra pointed out, before turning back to Dee. ¡°There¡¯s something you should be aware of. You most likely won¡¯t be able to use your holy power to fight the avatar. One of the upsides of having an avatar is that the power of other deities doesn¡¯t really work in her presence. As we are higher ranked deities than her, your powers will work to an extent, but not to a point where they will make a big difference. The upside is that if you do manage to kill her, you get to add a large chunk of her holy power into your own. Also, her followers will most likely suffer greatly from her death, so the fight afterward should be much easier. There¡¯s also a large chance that her Champion is present within the sanctum. You might not want to fight both of them at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose I¡¯ll take what I can get.¡± Dee sighed before her form disappeared from the campsite.


    ¡°You do realize you might as well declare her your Champion if she kills the spider bitch, right? The title might actually protect her at that point.¡± Death pointedly looked at Lumen before turning to Umbra. ¡°That goes for you too, although I suppose you¡¯re still holding out until she becomes the focus.¡±


    ¡°Well, as it happens, I might not want to hold out much longer. In fact, her killing the Champion of one of the most influential deities might be the perfect time to make things official. The deed of killing the spider and her Champion would also go a long way towards the position of the focus. I would have preferred if she went after the light side gods instead, but the spider happens to be one of my enemies so it counts.¡± Umbra stated rather pleased with herself. In fact, killing a Champion of one of the top deities would be an excellent show of devotion from her new Champion, at least in the eyes of other gods. That would raise Umbra¡¯s prestige greatly.


    Lumen was less interested in the possible glory or prestige, as she knew Dee was her best shot at making things right again. Glory was nice and all, but she was fighting for her very existence, unlike her sister. Might as well support Dee fully. She had already made the preparations for Dee becoming her Champion if she faced the spider¡¯s favorite toy. Besides, if it stole some of Umbra¡¯s thunder, then all the better.


    -----


    Dee had relayed the important points to the representatives and left them to plan the exact nature of the assault. They would need at least a few days to get all the pieces in the right place, the exact time depending on the other communities in the coalition. The other communities should be gratified to know that the Five Winds had a plan for the avatar, assuming they even found out about it in the first place. There was enough trust in the Five Winds that while the other communities might question a secret plan a bit, they would do so quietly and privately.


    Dee had not gone far before she felt two immortals approaching her from the north. She had sensed their presence a long time ago and had been expecting them. Those would be the agent of the Celestial Court. She was rather intrigued by the fact that there was also a third immortal approaching from another direction, namely from the place where the Crimson Witches had their quarters at. All three must have gotten the message at the same time as they also arrived simultaneously. Over such a short distance, it didn¡¯t take long for immortals to arrive.


    ¡°Dee. You¡¯re back. You¡¯ve grown.¡± Teresa said as she arrived. Dee was surprised to see the leader of the Crimson Path here.


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m getting fat?¡± Dee asked playfully, making a small swing of her hips for emphasis. If anything, the time in the elemental planes had caused her to lose weight as she didn¡¯t have time to indulge her gluttony. Not that eating actually made much of a difference to her appearance at this point. One of the main advantages of being an immortal, for Dee at least.


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t want to be the one to point it out but¡­¡± Teresa replied with a playful tone of her own, pointedly ignoring the two members of the Celestial Court.


    The two immortals finally had enough and one of them got closer. ¡°You are the one known as Haydee, yes? You are to come with us to report to the Celestial Court.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Dee stated once again. She found it interesting that the situation was so similar to the one with Ushas before. That simple answer had power.


    Even the reaction of the two immortals was similar. Disbelief and anger. ¡°We weren¡¯t asking.¡±


    ¡°No you weren¡¯t and that was your first mistake.¡± Teresa interjected. ¡°Not that either of us would have gone along with a polite request either. Still, we might have reacted better.¡±


    Dee looked at Teresa. ¡°They¡¯re still haranguing you? I would have thought they¡¯d get the message by now.¡±


    ¡°They are unused to people not doing exactly what they say.¡± Teresa replied with a faint smile still on her face. ¡°Now they have a similar problem with you as they have with me. The agents they send don¡¯t have the power to force either of us to comply and it would be humiliating for them to send a large group of immortal after us. Incidentally, I found out that while the number of immortals the court commands is the largest in Day city, they aren¡¯t generally the strongest immortals. Interesting little detail isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Teresa, we have tolerated your refusals to comply so far because the emperor is patient and because putting you in your place was not worth it. There¡¯s a limit though, and I would avoid being disrespectful. We might decide that we¡¯ve been patient long enough.¡± The immortal said, turning back to Dee. ¡°As for you, you don¡¯t have the benefit of patience on our part.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not one of your lackeys and I don¡¯t take commands from anyone. However, I¡¯m not completely unreasonable. I know what the Celestial Emperor wants. Tell him that Xinglong didn¡¯t leave a body behind. As for the mountain, well there¡¯s a reason it is called the Living Mountain. It decides where it goes, and the mountain decided not to go to the Celestial Court. If the emperor wants that to change, he can come and make his case to the mountain personally, but I doubt that will change the outcome. Oh, and just in case the emperor decides he needs to check the veracity of my claims by force, I¡¯m pretty sure the mountain will join in the defense. And while Xinglong is gone, he did leave me something in case the emperor ever decided to get hostile.¡± Dee decided to add a small bluff to her words. While she didn¡¯t plan on obeying the emperor, she didn¡¯t feel the need to antagonize him too badly either. That might end badly all things considered. Dee¡¯s words were brusque, but her tone was not one where she was attacking the emperor.


    Just the might of the mountain should deter the emperor to an extent, especially in combination with Teresa being here, and an invisible threat of retaliation from Xinglong would only add to it. It was actually a rather brilliant solution from Teresa to stay here. She was staying out of sight of the first circle, thus not flaunting her lack of respect towards the emperor and avoiding a situation where the emperor had to force the issue. It also combined the interest of Teresa and Dee, making it easy for them to cover for each other. Separately they were easier to deal with, but together they were another matter entirely. It also made them stronger allies.


    The agent frowned. He didn¡¯t actually know why the Celestial Emperor wanted Dee to be delivered to him, but this seemed like something worth passing on. Dee¡¯s words might change things. Besides, he was well aware that he could not force Dee to come along. He might bluster and threaten, but the fact was that he didn¡¯t have the power necessary. Just Teresa alone was enough to ensure that, and that was without considering all the other immortals present here. He also couldn¡¯t feel how powerful Dee was, but something told him it might not be a wise idea to fight her. ¡°I will pass on the message, but I doubt the emperor will be happy.¡±


    ¡°His happiness is not my concern. He must have others dedicated to that task. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have family to meet and a debt to pay. I believe I need to be in a painting.¡± Dee shook her head. Eilian might be mad it took her this long to repay the debt, and there might be some accrued interest.

 Chapter 156

    ¡±Eilian, this is the fifth dress you¡¯ve had me try on. You could have finished a painting by now.¡± Dee complained as she stepped out of the dressing room. Some of the dresses that Eilian had wanted Dee to test took a while to get into, either because they were so elaborate or because they were so tight that Dee actually had to change her shape a little to slip into them.


    ¡°I know you won¡¯t be modeling for me all that often, so I¡¯d rather have a single good painting than several mediocre ones. That wedding dress was nice, but it wasn¡¯t you, if you catch my meaning. Even though you looked stunning, it almost felt like I was mocking you by having you wear it.¡± Eilian countered and looked up from her preparations. She had to give a small whistle of appreciation. ¡°I think we have a winner. White is definitely your color.¡±


    Dee gave a small laugh. ¡°I think your appreciation is based on all the parts of this ensemble the dress isn¡¯t covering.¡±


    Dee had a point. The small folds at the side of the open back dress gave an airy feeling, but that was a false impression as rest of it clung to Dee like a second skin. It actually covered most of her cleavage but it outlined every contour of Dee¡¯s rather formidable stomach and hips. At first glance, the dress looked like an indecently short skirt, but the lower part of the dress was actually supposed to function like pants. Pants that barely covered anything and were extremely short. It left her long legs uncovered in their entirety and had a bit of her buns showing thanks to the open back. Or it would at least if her tails didn¡¯t cover that area. There was no question this dress would not be decent enough to go outside in, assuming Dee cared about such things.


    ¡°I do appreciate the freedom it grants my wings and tails though.¡± Dee mused, showing her lack of awareness.


    ¡°Yeah, that. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± Eilian mumbled, lost in the sight. Dee had looked excellent in pretty much everything, but this was the best so far. Eilian found her gaze drawn especially to the contour between Dee¡¯s flat stomach and the part where that area dipped backwards to disappear between Dee¡¯s legs. Something about that area just made Eilian¡¯s hands itch in the worst way, as she wanted to run her fingers along the smooth skin.


    She managed to gather her thoughts. ¡°Err, you¡¯ll need to strike a pose for me to paint. Something natural that you can maintain for a while.¡±


    Dee assumed a fairly standard standing pose, with her hips twisted just a bit as she rested her weight on just one leg, and her eyes seemed to be looking at something far away. In fact, she was thinking about many of her plans for the future, so the impression she was giving off was correct. Eilian took a look at the pose and got ready to paint. Just as she was about to begin, she felt something wasn¡¯t quite right. The pose was great, but still, something felt¡­off.


    Eilian chewed on the other end of her brush for several minutes, thinking about what was wrong before it struck her. All the pieces were great; they just didn¡¯t form a coherent whole when put together. For once, the parts were more than their sum. The dress was great and Dee looked alluring in it, and the pose was interesting and worth painting. They just didn¡¯t work together. ¡°Dee, the pose is great, but could you try something alluring instead? The dress screams something with a more erotic vibe, but the pose is more thought-provoking. They clash a bit.¡±


    Dee looked at Eilian with some amusement. She had a hunch about the direction this evening might be going in but had not been sure before now. She knew the nature of the painting would set a tone for the rest of the night, and had purposefully given Eilian enough space to back out and make her own decision. They both knew that the more erotic tone the painting took, the more likely it was that the night would follow in the same spirit. And Eilian had just made the call. What amused Dee was that Eilian had not made that call with the rest of the night in mind, but because that¡¯s what her artistic spirit told her. Yet, the call was made. Might as well go for it.


    ¡°How about this instead.¡± Dee tugged the top part of the dress off so that it pooled below her breasts, held there by her hands. Her wings shrunk in size and swung in front so that they covered her now exposed chest, but only barely and very suggestively at that. Her balance shifted ever so slightly, so that while her stance had looked restful before, now her hipshot stance looked challenging instead. Dee¡¯s smile looked inviting and a bit mischievous, and her eyes looked positively hungry and demanding. Her tails also shrunk and were placed around her waist in ways that made her dress even more suggestive, showing just how much skin the dress left bared, but hid what the dress actually covered.


    Eilian gave an audible swallow. She just realized the decision she had made almost by accident. Not that she minded. It was just that something that had been a mere possibility before had suddenly become an almost certainty. And that naturally changed the mood. ¡°Yes, that will work.¡± Her voice sounded a little panicky.


    She tried distracting herself by throwing herself into the painting process. To her credit, her focus was excellent and she had really dedicated herself to the craft. Unfortunately, Dee made it extremely hard to concentrate as she kept teasing Eilian, by occasionally licking her lips in a blatant provocation or making other suggestive gestures like letting her wing ¡®accidentally¡¯ slip out of place. Nevertheless, Eilian did her best and managed to finish the painting in a record time.


    Being a mage gave certain advantages when it came to being an artist, and those advantages both sped up the process and could help the piece become more lifelike. Normally Eilian avoided using those methods, as she¡¯d rather do things the hard way to learn as much as possible instead of taking shortcuts, yet now she was taking every shortcut in the book, as otherwise the painting would never be finished. She could feel the heat and tension in the room building, and there had been this alluring scent building up in the air as well.


    As she looked at the finished painting, Eilian snapped the brush in her hands as she realized there was no way she would be showing this painting to anyone, as great as it was. It was positively indecent, and Dee¡¯s bedroom eyes were practically screaming lust at the viewer. Eilian had apparently done a little projecting and put some of her own feeling in the painting. It felt like Dee could step out of the painting at any moment to provide the viewer with the best night of their lives. She also recognized that the painting would sell for almost anything she desired if ever put up for auction.


    Eilian squeaked in surprise as she felt a hand land on her shoulder, and pull her closer to a rather familiar and very bare and full chest. ¡°Well, well. Someone took certain liberties with their art. Not that it¡¯s completely untrue.¡± Dee¡¯s now normal sized wings enveloped Eilian inside a world of their own as Dee slowly caressed the side of her neck. Eilian idly noted that the white dress had been left bunched up on the little dais Dee had been standing on while posing.


    **********


    ¡°Shall we discuss these artistic liberties you took in your bedroom?¡± Dee¡¯s seductive voice whispered close to Eilian¡¯s ear, who in turn shuddered with desire of her own as Dee¡¯s breath tickled the sensitive ear.


    Eilian noted that the alluring scent had become thicker as Dee got close and idly realized it was a combination of arousal and pheromones. ¡°Yes, we shall.¡± She replied breathlessly.


    Dee easily lifted Eilian into her arms and carried her towards the bedroom. She had for a moment considered using the famous princess-carry but had instead gone in another direction. Eilian felt as Dee moved her in the air and invisible hands seemed to guide her legs around Dee''s waist, bringing them face to face. Dee allowed Eilian to make the move and after a brief hesitation on Eilian¡¯s part, their lips joined together, first slowly and gently, and then with growing passion and need.


    Eilian barely even noticed as her clothes all disappeared on the way and suddenly felt the bed under her back while Dee was above her. Dee liked to take her time, but this time both of them felt needy and ready to go. Still, Eilian felt like countless invisible hand slowly caressed her everywhere, at first gentle as butterfly¡¯s wings, growing in response to her own mounting desire. Dee was shamelessly sending feelings of desire and lust straight towards Eilian¡¯s mind, who in turn didn¡¯t even try to resist.


    Eilian suddenly bit at Dee¡¯s shoulder as Dee¡¯s fingers had wandered down her body to her most needy regions. Dee lifted herself up and Eilian watched with rapt attention as Dee slowly moved downwards, parting her thighs with gentle pressure on her knees. Eilian willingly parted her legs, her heart beating fast in her chest and fought hard to not shudder from Dee¡¯s first touches, hoping Dee would not notice how wet those regions of hers were getting.


    Dee did notice and didn¡¯t even bother hiding her own arousal. Working with a certain practiced efficiency Dee parted Eilian¡¯s lower lips and gave a small tentative but insistent lick, at the same time breathing in the scent of Eilian¡¯s arousal. She rather purposefully let her fingers stray towards the little button above Eilian¡¯s sex, and made small circles around it, closing in slowly. Then she dove in without any further preamble, her long tongue slipping inside Eilian while her fingers ever so gently rubbed the tender nub that she knew would be the key to Eilian¡¯s pleasure. Her tongue quickly also found a small rough patch inside Eilian¡¯s cave, and she knew to focus her attacks on that spot, though of course not to the exclusion of everything else.


    As Eilian was already running so hot before the real fun even started, it didn¡¯t take all that long for her to reach the peak of her pleasure and tumble down to a first orgasm. With interest, Dee noted that while Eilian practically convulsed among her shudders of pleasure, her orgasm had been a rather quiet one despite its intensity. She took this as a challenge. By the time the evening was over, Eilian would most certainly be much louder.


    As Eilian managed to catch her breath a little, Dee didn¡¯t give her time to rest and instead turned her around on her stomach and started to slowly caress her everywhere. Instead of the previous heated and quick release, Dee started building this one slowly, almost starting from a simple massage. Once she noticed that Eilian was once again starting to get hot and ready to go, she pulled the Sidhe woman from the bed so that they were both kneeling, with Dee¡¯s feet on the inside of Eilian¡¯s wider stance, forcing the other woman¡¯s legs apart. Dee was behind Eilian¡¯s back, with her breasts pressing into the shorter woman¡¯s shoulder blades.


    Dee held Eilian to her chest as her four arms roamed over the Sidhe woman¡¯s front. She used two of her hands to cup and caress Eilian¡¯s rather well-formed breasts as her two other hands took hold of Eilian¡¯s hands and gently guided them downwards. She took a firm grip of Eilian¡¯s fingers and used them to gently but firmly start pleasuring Eilian by rubbing her in all the right places in her nether regions. Dee was basically forcing Eilian to masturbate herself with both hands, but kept a firm control over the whole thing, constantly adding her own caressing to the mix to heat things up. She slowly but surely allowed the pressure in Eilian to build but kept pulling back when the other woman was getting too close.


    Dee¡¯s own mound was in constant contact with Eilian¡¯s firm but soft butt cheeks, as she slowly rubbed herself off as their hips gyrated. Eilian¡¯s hips moved to try and get closer to her own fingers to find the release she sought, and Dee¡¯s because she simply enjoyed the motions and all the good things the motions were allowing as Eilian¡¯s behind slowly but surely rubbed her closer to her own release. When Dee judged that Eilian had suffered enough, she finally allowed her to tumble off the high peak into the sweet arms of an explosive release, and was rewarded with a very satisfied and audible ¡°Mmmmmmmmm!¡± of pleasure.


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    Dee had also found her own release but was not about to reveal that. In an odd display of her Domain, she found her own pleasure in controlling the pleasure of others, and bringing and maximizing said pleasure when she so chose. That said, Eilian was going to have to repay these favors later on, and it would be simpler if she though Dee had not gotten off on her own in the meantime. ¡°Ready for round three?¡± She asked with a hungry smile. ¡°I think we can still improve on that previous sound.¡±


    *********


    Dee got up from the bed where the exhausted Eilian slept the sleep of happiness and satisfaction. This little tryst had been fun, and certainly necessary after all the years spent in the elemental planes. Dee wasn¡¯t exactly the most highly sexed being in the universe, but she was still developing needs and those had not been met for a long time. She supposed Nyx would have been more than happy to satisfy those needs during the time they were gone, especially judging by hungry eyes the Meilin had made towards Shioko during the meeting. It was clear where Nyx was planning on finding her own immediate release. Still, it would have felt odd to sneak behind Moirai¡¯s back, so Dee had decided to abstain.


    Eilian had been an eager and willing partner once Dee had shown her how to best get her off, but the tryst had also revealed something Dee had not thought of before. While the whole thing had most certainly been pleasurable and something she intended to repeat if the opportunity arose, it also felt a little lacking in a very particular way. That time in the witch¡¯s den of the Coven had shown Dee how much pleasure could come from two psions mirroring feelings to one another, and that was something Eilian could not replicate. It left Dee wanting something more. So while someone like Eilian was excellent for a bit of fun, if Dee ever decided to get serious with someone, that someone would most likely have to be a psion as well. Otherwise, Dee would eventually have to find that connection elsewhere. And that might become a problem.


    She noted that the evening was still young and decided to pay a visit to Faylen. Faylen¡¯s baby had naturally been born by now, and that made the child something like a niece or a nephew to Dee. As Dee knew Faylen and Moirai were friends, she was not surprised to find the Meilin almost at Faylen¡¯s door, clearly with the same destination in mind. It seemed Moirai had managed to sort things out with the other Meilin.


    Moirai sniffed the air a little judgmentally as she noticed Dee¡¯s rather satisfied expression. It didn¡¯t take a psion to figure out the reason. ¡°You smell of sex again.¡±


    ¡°I most certainly do not. I made sure to clean up afterwards.¡± Dee protested. She had used several cleansing spells to remove the combined smell of Eilian¡¯s and her own juices.


    ¡°You may have, but you¡¯re still putting out those pheromones of yours.¡± Moirai gave a small sigh. ¡°No matter, I suppose it¡¯s understandable considering the two of you behaved so well during our trip. I am slightly curious about who got the pleasure of being your partner. I know there¡¯s no lack of volunteers.¡±


    ¡°Ladies don¡¯t kiss and tell.¡± Dee replied with her amusement clear. She knew this was making Moirai uncomfortable for several reasons. ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t have to ask if you had your own fun.¡± She knew Moirai had not, not the same kind of fun anyway.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I had plenty of fun smacking Ushas around. Her arguments were pathetic enough to make me wonder if the other Meilin put her in the position on purpose, just because she was so unsuitable and easy to depose. They seemed to like watching her squirm.¡± Moirai sounded thoughtful, as she knocked on the door. That was a theory worth exploring at some point.


    ¡°Well, Moirai, I might have misjudged you!¡± Dee gasped in feigned shock. ¡°It¡¯s not that you¡¯re not interested in matters of sexual nature, you just get your jollies from torturing others! That explains certain things from my training period.¡±


    Moirai knew Dee was simply teasing and just made an exasperated sound as the door opened. ¡°Dee, Moirai! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back!¡± Faylen almost shrieked with joy. ¡°Come in! Come in!¡±


    Faylen led them to a room with several chairs around a large table and started pulling out refreshment to lay out. ¡°Taeral went to visit home briefly, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯d be glad to see you both safe and sound.¡± She turned towards the nearby stairs to the second floor. ¡°Viansola! Vian! Come down and meet your aunts!¡±


    Dee and Moirai watched in fascination as a small elven girl tromped down the stairs with a radiating smile on her face. ¡°Auntie Dee and Auntie Moirai?¡± The girl asked innocently, apparently recognizing them from the many stories both Taeral and Faylen had told her.


    Dee noted the girl had small toy wings she had apparently fashioned from small twigs on her back, and she was carrying a small stick with an odd circle made of small twigs on top of it. Dee got up from the chair and came closer towards the little girl. ¡°What do you have there?¡±


    ¡°Vian, this is Aunty Haydee. Dee, this is Viansola Haydee Faydark.¡± Faylen said gently, making it clear to both where the little girl¡¯s second name came from. ¡°The next one will have the second name Moirai.¡± She whispered conspiratorially to Moirai.


    ¡°Auntie Dee!¡± The girl was clearly ecstatic and the reason for the odd thing in her hand became obvious as she placed her hand behind her back. The small circle of twigs created a small toy halo above her head. As if the source of inspiration wasn¡¯t obvious, the small girl declared: ¡°I¡¯m an angel just like you!¡±


    Dee had been standing bent down at her waist above the small girl, covering her with her own wings. Suddenly tears came from her eyes, and Faylen and Moirai heard a weird chocked sound full of emotion from Dee, who suddenly hugged the little girl in a rush of emotions she couldn¡¯t recognize. Something about the sight awoke sleeping emotions and instincts inside her.


    Both Moirai and Faylen stared in shock, as they had never seen a burst of emotion like this from Dee, who never showed any motherly instinct. There certainly was a very protective air around Dee now though. They couldn¡¯t help but smile at the tears rolling down from Dee¡¯s closed eyes. Even the small girl noticed something odd was going on, but didn¡¯t know what. ¡°Welcome home!¡± In an effort to make Dee feel better, she uttered the sentence she had several times heard her mother and father say that brought such warm emotions every time.


    ¡°Welcome home indeed.¡± Moirai muttered quietly, being the only one to have any idea what was going on inside Dee.


    ----------


    Dee shook her head to focus her mind back on the task at hand. Playing with little Viansola had been a nice distraction as they got along swimmingly, but now she needed her mind focused on what she was doing. Their planned attack against the sanctum of the Spider Cult was about to begin and she had the most important role to play. The dark temple complex loomed ahead on top of a wide hill.


    The sanctum wasn¡¯t a fortress in the traditional sense, but it was made into one by the numerous holy spells surrounding the place. The most prominent feature was the powerful shield powered by the presence of the avatar. That shield would take potentially weeks of concentrated bombardment from the gathered forces of the coalition. In addition, every building was magically reinforced and several traps littered the place. The sanctum itself was a rather eerie place made of dark stone and metal, and was of course built with the spider motif in mind, with several sculptures and carved webbings everywhere. Dee wasn¡¯t sure what all the spikes were supposed to represent, but who was she to judge.


    The coalition forces started their bombardment. The countless spells, ki attacks, and holy spells were more focused on sustained bombardment instead of trying to break the shield in one blow. Partly this was because it would take a long time to break the shield and partly because the whole thing was a distraction. Not that most of the coalition attackers knew that. Still, the desperate situation of the Spider Cult was evident as every sortie of undead or spiders was cut down before even reaching the coalition lines. Most of the Death Lords and necromancers stayed inside the sanctum.


    Dee¡¯s role was to use the opening this distraction created and infiltrate the sanctum. There were a couple of problems with that though. When under attack, the shield would allow nothing to pass through to the inside. There were always methods around such things, but this shield was well made and it would take time to find a loophole. Secondly, Dee could sense a psion inside the sanctum, a psion most likely focused on using the Mindscape, just like she was now doing. Many high ranking communities had hired such psions as an added layer of security, as they were an effective method to ward of stealthy psions like Dee. And these high ranking communities could afford the potentially pointless expenditure in the interest of just making sure. Thirdly, her holy powers would barely work inside the sanctum, just as Umbra had warned her.


    Now that wasn¡¯t to say none of her holy abilities worked. She had the blessings of four deities and those blessings didn¡¯t stop working just because the Spider Goddess was around. They would work in diminished ways, but they still worked. She wouldn¡¯t be able to pull an army out of the shadows, but that didn¡¯t stop her from using those shadows to facilitate her own movement, which provided her a simple way through the shield.


    Dee waited several hours until she sensed the enemy psion was separated from other minds inside the Mindscape, and used the shadows to arrive near the psion. The Authority Dee possessed hid her mind from the psion for a short time, but that didn¡¯t stop the psion from sensing the shadows rising to reveal Dee nearby. As the psion also served a dark goddess and didn¡¯t sense a mind inside the rising shadow, at first she saw no need to raise an alarm due to seeing similar things before, but wanted to do so as soon as Dee appeared. Unfortunately for her, Dee was much faster as a dark pearl suddenly appeared from the psion¡¯s own shadow and made a fist-sized hole in the psion¡¯s throat. Dee caught the falling psion and gently laid her down in a place where the body would not be found quickly. The attack had been extremely successful, mostly thanks to the fact that the enemy psion was so much weaker than her and had not expected the attack from her own shadow.


    ¡®Well then. That was the easy part. Now all you have to do is to find a way to bring the shield down, kill a Champion of the Spider Goddess and then the avatar of the Goddess herself. That should be easy enough.¡¯ Croestia commented.


    ¡®Don¡¯t forget staying undetected and all the traps I have to avoid.¡¯ Dee replied with a grin and started moving towards the places she had designated as her targets. ¡®And to be exact, I don¡¯t have to kill the Champion. In fact, I¡¯d prefer it if I didn¡¯t run into them. They¡¯d be much easier to deal with once the goddess is gone.¡¯


    ¡®Yeah, good luck with that. You have such a good track record with those things.¡¯ Croestia¡¯s voice dripped with sarcasm.

 Chapter 157

    Dee agilely leaped over a searching spell that swept through the corridor she was in. These spells would have been impossible to avoid for someone who wasn¡¯t able to see the magic power in the air, but for her, it wasn¡¯t all that difficult. She just had to pay attention. What worried her slightly was that the sanctum of such a high ranking community used such a basic method of detection. While the method was effective, Dee figured a high ranking community like the Spider Cult would be able to use something more effective. That meant she was most likely missing something.


    The Authority that had hidden her from the psion she had killed earlier would also hide her from almost any other passive detection method, so that wasn¡¯t the problem. The problem was that she could not sense any such methods, which meant that either the Spider Cult didn¡¯t have any, or they could hide their detection even from her sight. If they could hide from her sight, they might also be able to see through her Authority. The presence of a goddess allowed many things usually impossible.


    What¡¯s worse, she had not seen anyone else in the hallways for a while now. The attack on the shield surrounding the sanctum was a decent distraction, but this seemed excessive. The long-dormant assassin instincts inside her were screaming about a trap. Not aimed at her specifically perhaps, but for anyone trying to infiltrate the place. With a frown, Dee once again entered the shadows and found herself on the roof of the sanctum. She needed to change the situation.


    Even if there was no trap waiting for her, she would be in a better situation if the coalition forces could actually attack the sanctum properly. If there was a trap, then the shield going down and the attacks reaching the sanctum would give her enemies other things to worry about. The problem was that bringing down the shield was not a simple matter. The magical formation maintaining the shield was located in the tallest tower at the rough center of the rather irregularly formed sanctum area. She could sense several high ranking Death Lords in the tower itself, and unless she was horribly mistaken, the Champion of the Spider Goddess was also in the vicinity.


    Dee allowed her special sight to roam up and down the tower, noting any details she could. The tower itself was reinforced with several layers of protective spells, so it would take several powerful attacks to bring the tower down. It was unlikely Dee would be given the opportunity to make several such attacks without retaliation. The formation itself was so powerful that Dee could see most of the details through the walls. The formation was the type that would not fall apart from light damage. In fact, unless a large portion of it was destroyed, the formation would simply work with reduced strength and try to fix itself.


    She tapped her chin in thought. With a little bit of luck, she would be able to quickly appear inside the tower to strike at the formation and then make her escape, but that was also the most likely place for a trap as the formation was the obvious target for any infiltrators. The most important part of the sanctum was the heart where the avatar of their goddess resided, but the avatar was perfectly capable of defending itself, unlike the protective formation inside the tower. The avatar was a trap in itself, as few beings would be capable of killing it. And the avatar most likely wasn¡¯t alone either.


    Both paths seemed to be leading into a trap of sorts. On one hand, the tower would allow the coalition to attack the city, while on the other hand killing the avatar would cut down on their abilities heavily. Many of the Death Lords and necromancers of this place relied on the power they received from their goddess. The Champion would almost certainly receive a large shock if the goddess he served were to die, and the shock would most likely render him unable to fight properly.


    ¡°If the two optimal paths are not feasible, then I¡¯ll have to create a third path that isn¡¯t quite as good but will still serve my purpose.¡± Dee repeated one of the old maxims amusingly taught by both the assassins of Zabaniya and the paladins of the Radiant Sun, though they had their own wording for it. Dee had simply distilled her own interpretation adapted to the situation.


    The Champion of the Spider Goddess was situated in such a way that he could reinforce either the tower or the heart of the sanctum if necessary. Dee shot towards the Champion¡¯s position, keeping to the shadows. If the Champion died, the Spider Cult would lose one of their most important leaders, and that would inevitably lead to a certain amount of chaos and confusion about what to do. Dee was hoping that the chaos would allow her the opportunity to go after more important targets.


    Dee slipped inside the temple looking building through a small window near the very top of the building. ¡®Sometimes it was handy to be able to become smaller when the situation calls for it.¡¯ She thought while slipping inside as a tiny fox.


    She noticed that the entire temple seemed to be a single large room with a large magical pond in the middle. The water in the pond seemed to be sickly green and grey, but it was also showing a sight that made Dee narrow her eyes. The insides of the pond had a detailed map of the insides of the whole sanctum, with plenty of small lights moving everywhere. Most of the lights were simple green dots with a large golden dot at the heart of the sanctum. There were also countless of small grey dots all over the outside perimeter of the sanctum, clearly showing the undead forces still in reserve.


    Dee could see that the map would show any sources of life inside the sanctum, and could also guess that any of the green dots were people touched by the power of the Spider Goddess, and the large golden dot must be the avatar of the goddess. Her attention was drawn by the voices of the people inside the temple. ¡°Where is the intruder? I sent my forces to the location you gave me, and we found nothing except Walanni¡¯s corpse. Something powerful made a big hole in her throat before she could defend herself properly. The attacker was almost certainly much stronger than her.¡±


    The speaker was dressed in a dark metal armor and carried a wicked looking blade at his waist. From the voice, Dee could tell the person was male and his outline roughly humanoid shaped and sized, but the armor covered the rest. Not that Dee was much hampered by that as she could read the flow of power inside the man and recognized him as a vampire of some sort. He was mostly filled with ki, so a warrior type.


    ¡°Well, that tells us something. Walanni was our psion, so the enemy removed her to allow for free movement inside the sanctum for a psion of their own. We heard the rumors about the Five Winds having a handful of powerful psions. So our little rat is likely one of them.¡± The female voice belonged to the person Dee assumed to be the Champion, dressed in heavy dark robes. Her, Dee couldn¡¯t identify, and the robes were large enough to hide almost anything below.


    ¡®Of course the Champion of the Great Mother is female. What did I expect.¡¯ Dee thought idly.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice and all, but doesn¡¯t do much to help us find that psion. Where is the rat? You claimed this magic would help us find any infiltrators, but so far I haven¡¯t seen much in the way of results. We have strengthened the guard around the tower, but that still leaves the rat running free doing Great Mother knows what damage to everything else.¡± The male warrior demanded. It seemed there was a power struggle of sorts in this place. He certainly wasn¡¯t acting servile, but clearly wasn¡¯t in charge either.


    ¡°The rat is able to hide from the goddess¡¯ sight somehow. A reaction appeared briefly at the place I pointed out, and then again outside near the tower. Apparently, the rat is using the power of some heretical deity to help move around and hide. But it¡¯s only a matter of time. Our goddess is mighty and sooner or later the power of that lesser god will not be enough to hide the rat. The longer she stays here, the clearer her movements will become to the spell.¡± The Champion declared fervently.


    ¡®Sorry to disappoint. Though it¡¯s interesting to know they managed to detect me using Umbra¡¯s power with this pond. Very interesting. I¡¯ll have to remind Umbra of that fact the next time I see her. So much for being the secretive Goddess of Shadows.¡¯ Dee mused.


    ¡®I believe this provides you with an opportunity. I get the feeling that we¡¯re looking at the military and the spiritual leaders of this community. If you could strike both of them down, the Spider Cult would be in real trouble. Assuming the avatar doesn¡¯t step in to lead personally of course.¡¯ Croestia suddenly suggested.


    Dee frowned a bit. She was fairly confident in dealing with either of the two people alone, but two rank twelve opponents at the same time was asking a bit much. Especially if she was supposed to accomplish anything else on this trip. Then it occurred to her. Maybe there was a better way. As the two continued their discussion below, Dee started to slowly worm her way through the mental defenses of the vampire. He seemed more susceptible of the two.


    Soon the vampire was starting to feel extreme paranoia and started to suspect that the Champion of the Great Mother might be playing him. The blasted wench was afraid of him, and was trying to use this opportunity to get rid of competition! She must have noticed that in truth, he was the favored son of the Great Mother and that it was only a matter of time before he took over her position as the Champion. She might even be a traitor! That would explain why all their plans seemed to fail, and all their attempts at counterattack seemed to play right into the hands of the enemy!


    Dee was almost shocked how easily she was able to influence the man. The man had already had these ideas on his own; Dee was just strengthening them and making him more paranoid. She even barely had to do that. Apparently, her earlier ideas about there being an internal struggle had been inadequate. ¡®Now for the coup de grace.¡¯


    Suddenly the man coughed and felt like there was a slow-acting poison in his system that was now flaring up. The feeling was all in his head of course. The thing was, being the servant of the Great Mother granted them immunity to poisons. Except if the poison was created magically by a higher ranking member of the cult. And in this case, that could only mean one person as he was the military leader of the community. ¡°You dare poison me! Heretic! Traitor!¡± The vampire coughed again and pulled out his blade, lunging towards the Champion.


    ¡°Demetrius, what in the name of the goddess are you doing!¡± The Champion yelled in shock. She realized something was terribly wrong, but made the wrong conclusions even without Dee¡¯s help. The vampire had been sucking up to the goddess for decades, clearly aiming for her position, though of course, he had not succeeded. She was the goddess¡¯ favorite, for obvious reasons. She was the most devout follower of the Great Mother after all!


    ¡°Something I should have done a long time ago! You are unworthy of the goddess¡¯ grace and it¡¯s time that mistake was righted.¡± Demetrius yelled and swung his weapon at the Champion, who lithely moved out of the way, with waves of ki following her.


    ¡°So you decided to take advantage of the chaos and finally act! So be it. You¡¯ve been a blight on our glorious community long enough.¡± The champion replied. The wave of ki pushed the dark hood back far enough for Dee to see the face of the Dark Elven woman. For some reason, Dee had not been able to see inside the woman, either because the robes blocked her sight, or because the power of the Spider Goddess protected her Champion.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡®Well, that went much better than I even hoped.¡¯ Dee mused in a slightly confused state. In truth she had expected the duo to get into a heated argument, leading one to storm off in anger.


    ¡®You can say that again.¡¯ Croestia also stated incredulously.


    The exchange of blows was heating below, and it was clear that the Champion was not the vampire¡¯s equal in physical combat. Not surprising considering she was a priestess and her enemy was a warrior. Suddenly the situation changed as Dee sensed the whole room fill with the power of the Spider Goddess, turning the air into a powerful poison. Naturally, the Champion was not affected, as she was the one using the spell in question and was immune to the effects. Dee was right at the edge of the spell and could resist all four of the elements that made up the spell. That said, the power of the Goddess of Poison made the spell much more effective in circumventing any resistances so even Dee was slowly getting affected and would have to deal with the poison soon.


    The power of a rank twelve warrior did wonders to resist the effects of any poisons, but as with Dee, this was the power of the Goddess of Poison. As a result, the vampire was now coughing and hacking. If he had been from a race other than a vampire, he most likely would already be hacking blood. ¡°So this is how you want to do this. Misusing the power our Great Mother has granted you! Have it your way. If this is how you want to play, then play we shall.¡±


    Suddenly all the power of ki seemed to drain out of the vampire and a million fine threads made of pure ki materialized around the Champion and started to form into a spider web that started to squeeze around the target. This, of course, immobilized the Champion who didn¡¯t have the ability to avoid the attack, but that wasn¡¯t really the main point. The power continuously built inside the strings, making it dangerous to cut them, as the threads seemed ready to explode at the slightest provocation. And explode they did. Even Dee was a little worried about the intensity of the explosion up in her hiding place, but luckily the power was all directed inwards towards the Champion caught within the net. Not that the surroundings survived completely without damage, but at least Dee didn¡¯t have to shield herself, as the small cuts she received on the areas not shielded by her lavender wing were rapidly regenerating. The wing had been the most inconspicuous form of defense.


    The Champion didn¡¯t look great but was still standing, albeit barely. Her robe was in tatters, but slowly repairing itself. Apparently it was a rather powerful protective artifact. ¡°Did you really think a skill granted to you by our Goddess would be enough to kill her Champion Demetrius? Well, I¡¯d say sorry to disappoint you, but in this case, I¡¯m not sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sorry either.¡± A third voice suddenly interrupted the Champion and whispered into her ear, as Dee plunged her narrow but sharp dagger, made by combining the small black pearls, into the Champions heart from behind. A classic of the assassin profession; not glamorous but very effective. The blade carried Umbra¡¯s dark power and the corruption immediately entered the Champion¡¯s heart. Dee might not be able to cast all that many holy spells in this place, but this was the very first power she had learned from Umbra, and it wouldn¡¯t fail her so easily.


    The Champion stumbled forward and desperately tried casting healing spells on herself. Umbra¡¯s power now coursed through her veins and made that impossible. ¡°How¡­the poison¡­¡± The Champion mumbled faintly. Despite her feeble voice, her meaning was clear. It should have been impossible for Dee to approach through the deadly poison still heavy in the air.


    ¡°Oh, that.¡± Dee made a small grin as the black flames once again surrounded her and cleansed away any poison inside and outside. This cleansing flame was not giving off the same kind of feeling of wrongness as her other flames anymore, a little something she had learned during her time in the Plane of Fire. In fact, it now gave off no feeling at all, and as the flames were black, they were also hard to spot.


    The vampire warrior tried saying something, but Dee unceremoniously cleaved his head off from his shoulders with a psionic blade that suddenly appeared in her hands. ¡°My thanks for making this much easier.¡± Dee said towards the now headless corpse. After a moment of thought, she stored the vampire¡¯s corpse as well. It wouldn¡¯t do to leave such a powerful corpse lying around with all these necromancers present. Usually undead were not risen corpses, but they could be. And a powerful corpse could be an asset. She could¡¯ve burned the corpse, but decided to keep the rest of her flames a secret for now.


    ¡°Who¡­¡± The Champion managed to croak out, now lying prone on the floor. She was taking a while to die, though the black veins now evident on her face told a clear story.


    Suddenly a ripple of holy power seemed to radiate around Dee and it was as if an invisible gong had been struck as a deep sound went off in her head. The power clearly didn¡¯t belong to the Spider Goddess. Dee was presented with the choice of becoming Lumen¡¯s Champion, a choice she had already made before coming here. She had thought long and hard, and being the Champion of the Goddess of Light had too many upsides to turn down. It would serve her purposes in many ways, and the service the goddess wanted was something she had planned on doing anyway. Both her and Lumen knew she was not about to become a servile Champion. In fact, she was probably the one Champion least likely to take orders from her deity in the entire universe.


    As she accepted, the cleansing power of the Goddess of Light covered the entire room, driving away the poison. Despite being so close to the Spider Goddess, she now had access to the powers of at least one deity, a perk of being Lumen¡¯s Champion. Other deities could no longer block her access with their own presence. The symbol of Lumen floated above the entire sanctum for a brief moment before being driven away by the power of the Spider Goddess. Every deity got wind that the Goddess of Light had picked a new Champion and many Champions of the most powerful deities also got the news soon after, including the one busily dying close by. Dee could sense what happened and grinned at the dying woman. ¡°I guess that answers your question.¡±


    The Champion glared at Dee. She was rather clear that it was not Lumen¡¯s power currently killing her. It was quite clearly the work of some dark and powerful deity. Dee didn¡¯t plan to give the Champion the opportunity to recover though, and she met the same end as the vampire had just moments before. Dee had expected it but still grimaced as she got the information about the Champion of Lumen slaying the Champion of the Great Mother, apparently passed on to her by Lumen''s power. This information was seemingly passed to all the deities and Champions. ¡°Well, I doubt I could¡¯ve caught the avatar by surprise anyway since I just killed her Champion. Still, it seems the deities have much better methods of passing on information than I thought.¡±


    She also realized that the Spider Goddess had left behind a final present as the corpse of the Champion started to glow and become bloated. Dee barely managed to exit the building with her fastest speed, and still had to use the once again available armor of light to shield her back from the explosion of corruptive power that now consumed a fairly large chunk of that part of the sanctum.


    ¡°That would have been really unhealthy if I weren''t so fast. Lumen¡¯s blessing is turning out really handy today.¡± Dee muttered with a bit of exasperation. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how badly she would have been affected if she had been caught by the explosion, but likely it would have been really bad.


    ¡®Look at the tower.¡¯ Croestia suddenly said with a gloating voice.


    Dee knew her expression was most likely mirroring Croestia¡¯s as a grin split her face. The explosion was a good idea in theory, taking revenge on anyone able to kill the Champion, as there were few beings with the speed that Dee had. Unfortunately for the goddess, the idea most likely was that the Champion would be outside the sanctum when the explosion happened, as inside the sanctum she would be protected. Now though? The explosion destroyed most everything in the vicinity, and that just so happened to include the tower with the shield formation.


    To be exact, the tower was barely standing, held up only by some quick thinking mage supporting it, but that was a problem Dee could solve much easier. ¡°Let¡¯s go give the tower a small push.¡±


    -----


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s my Champion!¡± Lumen declared victoriously, raising her arms in the air as she officially got the information about the Spider Goddess¡¯ Champion dying.


    ¡°YOU!¡± Umbra pointed at Lumen miffed at the missed opportunity. ¡°You stole my thunder!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I only presented the option to her. She¡¯s the one that accepted.¡± Lumen couldn¡¯t stop herself from grinning. She was already receiving hasty communication attempts from the other gods, all of which she blocked. She knew there was more to come pretty soon. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you were too stingy and wanted to go for the avatar instead of settling on the Champion.¡±


    Umbra grumbled a bit but realized Lumen made a reasonable point. ¡°Did the angels already get a word about you picking a Champion?¡±


    Lumen grimaced a bit, her joy dampening a bit. ¡°Yes, they did. I couldn¡¯t really stop my priests from finding out considering a Champion is supposed to be a matter of pride. I made sure Dee¡¯s identity didn¡¯t get out, which might come to bite me back later. As a result, the whole Paradisia is buzzing, trying to find the new Champion they rather reasonably expect to be one of them.¡± She might have hidden Dee¡¯s identity for now, but it was only a matter of time before the information got out.


    Umbra burst out in wicked laughter. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a nice surprise, won¡¯t it? The new Champion of Lumen is a demon and a Fallen.¡±


    ¡°Still partially an angel.¡± Lumen pointed out a bit defensively, even if she didn¡¯t really feel the need to defend her choices. The words were almost automatic. At the same time, she received a communication she couldn¡¯t completely ignore. It was a simple message.


    ¡°Congratulations. I hope whatever poor bastard took the job realizes the trouble he is now in. And I hope you realize this will not change anything.¡± The message was from Order of course.


    ¡°I see your dear brother-in-arms wasted no time.¡± Umbra had sensed the message, and couldn¡¯t help making a jab at the now broken alliance between the primary light gods.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t gloat too much, considering your sister-in-arms is about to face a rather abrupt end.¡± Lumen pointed out, alluding to the Spider Goddess.


    ¡°Hah! That would have been a nice jab, except that we dark gods don¡¯t keep up the pretense that you light gods keep up about being allies. The spider is an enemy of mine, just like Order.¡± Umbra replied easily. Notably, she didn¡¯t list Lumen as her enemy though. Something that the other three gods didn¡¯t miss.

 Chapter 158

    Teresa, Anastasia, and a handful of Crimson Witches with a number on their shoulder watched with interest as the shield protecting the Spider Cult¡¯s sanctum came down. The tower maintaining the shield had crashed soon after an explosion had taken a chunk out of the stonework supporting it. ¡°It seems she managed that part of the mission at least.¡± Teresa clarified for the others that were unable to see the details of what was happening inside the sanctum.


    ¡°What about the Champion?¡± One of the other witches asked.


    ¡°The Champion is dead and so is the damn vampire that usually leads their forces. Many of the Death Lords inside the tower also had an unfortunate ending as they struggled to maintain the shield and keep the tower standing. The girl caught them by surprise and didn¡¯t waste her opportunity.¡± Teresa explained. They had come here in case the coalition failed, in which case they would finish the job. The casualties already inflicted on the cult would make that fight much easier, and many of the more powerful Death Lords had been ambushed by the Five Winds before this battle.


    They watched as the bombardment by the coalition started to fall inside the sanctum, and the reinforced buildings started to take the brunt of the assault. The stone filled with magic would protect those inside to an extent, but those protections would soon be worn down. The Spider Cult was not about to just take that punishment though. They were a powerful community and it was time for the Pantheon to find out why. The witches knew that as well. ¡°This is where the real battle begins.¡± Anastasia voiced their shared thought.


    The undead beings gathered at the sanctum had made some attacks before now to draw some pressure away from the protective shield, but now there was no point in holding any of them back. A wave of undead suddenly swarmed out of the sanctum, a number much too large to actually fit inside. There were no low ranking undead within this horde. Skeletal beings made the bulk of the forces, ranging from high-level wights riding atop undead horses and bone giants, to elder liches atop skeletal dragons. A smaller portion was made of rotting corpses ranging from ghouls and things that could only be called horrors, to varghulfs and monstrosities that seemed to be stitched together to form unspeakable abominations.


    The coalition forces turned their focus on the approaching monsters, while an elite group of stronger immortals moved straight towards the city, bypassing the undead horde entirely and leaving it for the lower ranked people to deal with. They were hunting for the necromancers and Death Lords directly. Those elites soon ran into another problem. It seemed the avatar of the Spider Goddess was finally taking personal action, as they found that their targets exploded reminiscent of the Champion Dee killed. These explosions were not nearly as powerful as the one caused by the Champion, but they were still dangerous for those that killed any of the goddess¡¯ servants. And the servants were all too glad to die for the glory of their goddess, hurling themselves among the attackers for maximum effect.


    ¡°It seems the goddess is now preparing to take part in the battle, and the loss of her Champion has made her serious.¡± Teresa said, pointing out towards the skies that were suddenly no longer the same skies that had been there before.


    It seemed like a large portion of the sky had turned into a gigantic portal into the realm of the Spider Goddess. As the goddess preferred to use an avatar, her realm was less developed than other deities. Still, it was a place filled with the three things she represented, poison, spiders, and undead. It seemed like a rain of poison started falling from the skies, while an endless stream of spider-like creatures and undead spirits streamed out towards the gathered coalition forces. These undead were all ethereal, ranging from high ranking wraiths all the way to spectral dragons that were rumored to possess the ability to curse their targets with the powers of time, rapidly aging them until death.


    In any normal world, a storm of enemies and poison like this was an end of the world-type scenario, but on Pantheon, this was just something that happened in battles at this level. Still, the situation wasn¡¯t looking pretty for the coalition forces. ¡°The situation seems pretty grim. Should we intervene?¡± One of the witches inquired.


    Teresa considered for a moment but shook her head. ¡°No. If we intervene now, it will no longer be their victory, but ours. While the situation is dangerous, let¡¯s give them a chance to earn their glory. I¡¯m sure the seer has a plan. She underestimated the presence of an avatar once and was bailed out by the arrival of one of the few people capable of dealing with one. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s not going to make the same mistake twice.¡±


    Teresa was more aware of the seer¡¯s identity as the previous empress of the Celestial Court than many others. She could sense the power sleeping inside the woman and had dealt with the court before. There was a reason for her staunch refusal to bend knee to the Celestial Emperor, and that reason was not just her pride. She was also aware of the power behind the throne and the recent erratic behavior of the court. It didn¡¯t require all that much intelligence to start putting two and two together. Not that she planned on sharing her speculations.


    She was right of course. Trying to tell the future of the deities was always difficult. Considering her previous failure however, the empress had spent quite a bit of effort on divining the actions the Spider Goddess was likely to take and she had prepared accordingly. The elite group of immortals had been warned of the possibility of their targets exploding and they were dealing with the threat accordingly. When possible, they took the enemies out from range and even tried killing the enemies while still among the other cultists, using the explosions of power to their advantage. Enemies who hurled themselves at the attacking group were thrown back before being given a mortal blow. When all else failed, the attackers relied on the powerful defensive items the Five Winds had produced to defend themselves.


    As the rain of poison descended towards the coalition forces, it was deflected by obstacles created jointly by air and water mages. The endless stream of spirits ran straight into a storm of holy power created by all the priests and paladins of the Holy Orders and Radiant Sun that had so far stayed back from this battle, saving their strength for this. They had been riled up by the sign of Lumen that had briefly appeared above the sanctum and were now incited to a bit of a fervor, thinking that the Goddess of Light was supporting their endeavors. Even the spectral dragons could not hold their form as they were overwhelmed by the power they were weak against.


    To the shock of the gathered people, a graceful phoenix flew over the coalition forces, only to crash among the undead horde like a meteor. The crash unleashed a gehenna of flames that consumed the majority of the undead forces, and the few that did make it through were weakened and already hurt. Unseen by others, the Phoenix returned to stand by the empress, having spent a large part of his powers to increase the intensity of that single attack. The spider creatures found themselves largely unsupported and had the unfortunate fate or running straight into the enchanted weapons of the Five Winds and their allies, all of whom were more than happy to test their new toys.


    There was one thing the seer could not do anything about though. As everyone was focused on all the other things spewing from the portal, very few people paid attention to one of the large arachnid beings that stood out from the others slipping towards the heart of the sanctum. Only a handful of people noticed, and even less recognized the large grey and black creature for what it was, a second avatar of the Great Mother. The goddess had sensed the danger creeping towards her inside the sanctum, and was taking measures of her own, bringing her two main avatars together to fight that danger.


    One of the people who did notice was Teresa, who decided a closer look was in order. She left the other witches back under Anastasia''s command, as she knew Anastasia was even more versed in the diplomatic nuances of when to interfere, if at all.


    -----


    Moirai cursed as she squashed another fist-sized spider under her foot. Some of the little buggers had come to the sanctum instead of going to the battlefield, and some had been here already before the giant portal even opened. Most of them were not a danger to her, but they were annoying and she didn¡¯t exactly appreciate the things. She had no phobia about spiders, but she didn¡¯t enjoy the sight of them either. Or their internal fluids sticking to the bottom of her new shoes. The red shoes were both practical and looked positively magical. Which they were of course. They were among the magic items assigned to her almost as soon as they returned from the elemental planes.


    She had been one of the first to rush towards the sanctum once the shield fell down, and was forced to dodge the bombardment of their own forces for a short while before that power was required elsewhere. That was a small price to pay as there was a reason for her rush. The idiot Dee might not admit to needing help, but she would get help anyway. Just because Moirai could not kill the avatar, did not mean she could not help Dee defeat it, or at the very least guard her rear from other dangers. Unfortunately, she had been forced into battling some enemies on the way, despite her attempts to avoid such entanglements. Her new and rather flamboyant outfit and appearance didn¡¯t help matters. ¡®Nyx probably had a hand in picking them.¡¯ She guessed correctly.


    And it seemed she was about to run into another such delay, as a man dressed in black robes was standing in her way, with his back towards Moirai. She had been aiming straight at the heart of the sanctum, so of course, there would be enemies on the way, despite her best attempts to avoid them. ¡®Perhaps it¡¯s time to take a page out of Dee¡¯s book.¡¯ Moirai thought to herself as she stealthily approached her target.


    Unfortunately, despite her recent increase in power and her widening array of skills, stealth was still not something she excelled at. While her steps didn¡¯t make a sound, as she got closer she kicked some loose stones, sending them clattering across the ground. ¡®Gods dammit.¡¯ She cursed silently.


    The man turned around and recognition suddenly dawned in both of their eyes. ¡°Well, well. If it isn¡¯t the Meilin Guardian I ran into so many years ago. It seems time has treated both of us well.¡± The rather handsome man with clean and dark looks uttered with a small smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure time has treated me better. And I think we have some unfinished business.¡± Moirai replied, pulling out a heavily enchanted weapon. This time some Hexwraiths would not be enough to deter her. She would make this quick and then rush to help Dee.


    ¡°I wonder. I feel the situation is somewhat similar to last time. Last time one of your friends was walking into a trap laid by a lich. I do hope that particular friend survived, by the way. My relationship with the lich was strictly business. And now another friend of yours is walking into another trap, laid by our great goddess herself. I have no idea what gives that person the confidence to challenge an avatar of a god, but I doubt they can deal with two avatars at the same time. I wonder if you¡¯ll rush to help them again.¡± The dark man pointed out, his attitude rather easygoing.


    ¡®Two avatars?!¡¯ Moirai thought panic settling in. She managed to keep that panic from showing on her face though. ¡°I¡¯m rather confident they will be able to deal with it. I wonder if you¡¯ll be just as accommodating in letting me pass like last time?¡±


    The man suddenly grinned. ¡°You know what? I think I will be. Unlike the rest of these fanatics, I can see the writing on the wall. Even if we did manage to defeat all of you, I¡¯m pretty sure there are other enemies waiting in the wings to finish the job. I got what I wanted from the Spider Goddess, and I wouldn¡¯t even care if you manage to kill her for real. I wonder if the Night city could use a Death Lord?¡±


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    ¡°Well then¡­¡± Moirai suddenly opened a small portal towards the heart of the sanctum. She had managed to locate an empty spot void of enemies, most likely cleared out by Dee now that she thought of it, and the portal would cut down on the time needed to reach her goal. Portals were usually blocked in battlefields like this, and this battle was not an exception. The huge portal created by the goddess had shattered that particular restriction. As Moirai passed close to the dark man, the man suddenly lunged at her with a blade clad in green energy but found nothing but air.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think I would be that stupid, did you?¡± Moirai asked rhetorically as the dark man was cleaved into several smaller chunks. She had used the ability she and Nyx had learned in the plain of storms from the glass dragon. The spatial cracks had no trouble cleaving through the form of the dark man, while at the same time the illusion the man had slashed at disappeared. The man had been prepared to defend against psionic intrusion into his mind, but with their visit to the Plane of Light, there were other ways of creating illusions in Moirai¡¯s arsenal. And that he had not been expecting. Not that Moirai would have had too much trouble in dealing with him straight on, but it would have taken more time. She might have some stealth ability after all, as long as it didn¡¯t include sneaking.


    She looked at the mangled corpse on the ground and spoke with a voice filled with pity. ¡°Don¡¯t think I¡¯m not aware of the bond that forms between the Spider Goddess and those she graces with her kiss. You might have gone in with the mercenary spirit you were showing earlier, but in the end, you are now bonded to the goddess. Or were at least. I¡¯m pretty sure the goddess will be joining you in death pretty soon. Dee has that effect on almost everyone.¡± She then stepped through the portal she had made. It had been mostly a bluff, but as long as it was there¡­


    -----


    Another Death Lord fell to the ground with the power of cleansing light eating away half of his face. Dee herself was almost glowing with the aura of Lumen settling around her. It had been difficult enough to hide the aura when she had attacked the tower, so now she didn¡¯t even bother. Luckily the aura was only the result of her recent elevation in status and would go away soon enough. Or at least most of it would go away. Luckily the beings protecting the heart of the sanctum provided her with a good outlet for the power of light. The Death Lords were on the border of being alive and undead, but apparently they were undead enough that the anti-demon spells Lumen had taught her were highly effective. The spider creatures, in turn, had taken one look at her and decided to find their prey elsewhere.


    The door to the heart of the sanctum was right in front of her and she could already sense the avatar inside. Or avatars as it happened. The second avatar might have avoided the notice of most people but could not avoid her senses. The recent arrival was perched above the door she would have to pass through, just like a good spider would. Contrary to what the goddess might have planned, Dee considered the presence of a second avatar a good thing. It might make the battle more difficult, but if she managed to kill them both, then it was much more likely that she would be able to cause the death of the goddess as well.


    What gave her pause were two rather important things she had hoped to deal with before facing the goddess. The first one was the fact that her totem was almost complete. In fact, it seemed almost ironic that only a single skull was missing from her totem. She had tried to finish the totem before getting here, but the damn Death Lords had scattered like a flock of birds, though in fairness they had other things to worry about. This last one at her feet had been one of the few brave ones to stay and protect the door. The spider creatures were numerous, but unfortunately not all that powerful. Maybe it was destiny that the skull to finish her totem would come from a goddess?


    Another thing demanding her attention was Umbra following in the footsteps of Lumen. Apparently, the goddess didn¡¯t want all the glory to go to her sister. The request didn¡¯t bother her, though she did find the timing amusing and bothersome. What gave her pause was the fact that she wasn¡¯t sure if this was the best time to accept becoming the Champion of Umbra. It might be chalked up by most to Umbra picking a Champion to counter Lumen¡¯s, except that if she then proceeded to kill the Spider Goddess, then everyone would realize that the two Champions were working together. In the end, she decided to accept, simply because it would be rather problematic to anger the goddess. While it had been made clear that she was not servile to the deities, the relationship between her and the gods had turned from antagonistic to at least cordial and even cooperative. Civility demanded she accede to Umbra¡¯s wishes in this case.


    This time there were less outward signs of her promotion as the Goddess of Shadows also knew the importance of discretion. She did still receive the knowledge about Umbra picking a Champion thanks to her position as Lumen¡¯s Champion. She had held a faint hope that this information would not be sent out thanks to Umbra¡¯s peculiarities, but that had been too much to hope. Not that it would make much of a difference anyway.


    She kicked the door open and flashed inside to avoid the second avatar from striking at her. It didn¡¯t even try as it chose to wait for the perfect moment instead. The whole room was thick with poison, but the paths leading up to here had been the same and Dee was already prepared to use the black flames, which became necessary as soon as she entered. Even with the flames, she had trouble breathing as the air was so thick with the poison.


    ¡°I thought there would be two of you. Don¡¯t tell me those two bitches have set aside their differences and picked the same person as their Champion? Hah, Order would have an apoplexy.¡± The voice of the avatar sounded as if a chorus of tormented souls were talking at the same time. As the physical form of the deity, the avatar could, of course, sense that Dee was the Champion of both Lumen and Umbra.


    The avatar itself was rather grotesque. Its form roughly matched that of a large Arachnid, with the lower body of a spider and the torso of a humanoid taking the place of the spider¡¯s head. The spider portion was rather bloated and oozing poison in several places. It was mostly black with some dark green splotches and covered in long black hair. The torso qualified as humanoid only barely, with sickly grey and wrinkled skin covering a grotesquely fat body. The vaguely female form had no clothing, but no one would find the feminine portions appealing. Instead of hands, the avatar had four spiky appendages roughly similar to the spider legs below the torso, all of them sharp and covered in the glow of the goddess¡¯ power. The face of the avatar was a twisted combination of a fanged maw and beady eyes, while the head was topped by black chitinous plates that looked vaguely like a crown or a headdress of some sort.


    ¡°I think I figured out why Umbra dislikes you so much.¡± Dee muttered mostly to herself. She had seen fairly appealing arachnids outside and most deities tended to be embodiments of the physical beauty in the imaginations of their followers. Alternatively, they were often majestic and dignified with more elderly appearance. The Spider Goddess was almost a caricature of all of that. In short, it gave a bad name to all the dark deities.


    To show the anger of the goddess, the poison inside the room grew in intensity. It made breathing entirely impossible despite the cleansing flame, so Dee had to slip into her fox form and turn entirely into to the black flames. While the universe still found the flames unnatural, the feeling of wrongness had reduced to a fraction of what it had been before, and the surrounding were no longer rebelling against the form either. Dee didn¡¯t feel like she would be able to maintain this form forever, but at least it wasn¡¯t a large strain either. And one of the benefits of this form was the lack of need to breathe.


    ¡°Do you think your little flames will protect you from my poison? My poison can corrode even the elements themselves.¡± The avatar cackled.


    ¡°Any other flame? Probably not. My flame? Oh, most definitely.¡± Dee countered as the poison in the air started burning away even without Dee doing anything.


    The avatar hissed. ¡°The Flames of the End?! What did Umbra do this time?¡± Instead of waiting for an answer, the avatar took action. She was the Goddess of Undead after all, so it was not a surprise that three of the most powerful undead creatures suddenly appeared out of the surrounding air.


    The Dark Rider was the epitome of the physical power of undead and the aura of death surrounding it would drain away the life-force of both enemies and allies nearby, reinforcing the creature in turn. The spectral form of an ancient dragon didn¡¯t waste any time as it channeled all its power into a single curse before disappearing, causing a phantom hourglass to appear above Dee¡¯s head, turning rapidly. The most dangerous enemy was the Banshee Queen, who also unleashed the most dangerous ability any undead possessed, the scream that could instantly kill almost anyone.


    Dee found herself stunned for a fraction of a second, even as Death¡¯s blessing blocked the true effect of the scream. The avatar above the door didn¡¯t miss this small moment as it moved with speed that seemed impossible due to the large frame. The spiked ¡®hands¡¯ swung at Dee, who felt the world slow around herself as Lumen¡¯s blessing took full effect. The problem with Dee¡¯s current form was that it didn¡¯t have the strength or the durability of her physical form, and it was also more susceptible to attacks that could affect non-solid forms like hers. The glow around the approaching spiked appendages certainly qualified.


    The armor of light sprang into place around Dee, further away from her skin than usual. The armor was just for these kinds of situations, but Dee didn¡¯t rely just on that. Her Domain materialized, drawing the avatars inside and crushing the area around her. The avatar¡¯s speed slowed down further as the heavy suppression from the Domain pressed down, and the two remaining undead beings were swept away by the ever prevalent power of Death in her Domain, the Dark Rider having been dealt with before it could show its true strength. The phantom hourglass above her head was crushed by the holy symbol of Eternity, nullifying the effects.


    The avatar¡¯s strike still hit the armor of light despite the slowdown, as Dee finally regained control of her body at the same time. Despite everything, it was still a strike from an avatar of one of the most powerful deities and couldn¡¯t be that slow. The hastily erected armor seemed to crack under the weight of the blow, but it mostly held. A single spike had managed to push through, but could not reach Dee.


    Meanwhile, the other avatar was frozen in place as it saw Dee¡¯s totem. More precisely it was frozen in place as it saw the blessings connected to the four upper levels of the tiered pyramid. ¡°Eternity and Death. You¡¯re backed by all four of them?¡± It asked almost feebly. The Spider Goddess considered herself a worthy rival for Lumen and especially Umbra, but it recognized the vast gulf between her and the two highest ranked deities.


    ¡°My turn.¡± Dee growled in anger. She knew only one of her abilities could truly affect the avatar, so there was little point in wasting time and her powers on anything else. She could also sense Moirai approaching so she had to act before her overprotective teacher was caught in the flames.


    The Domain exerted the maximum level of suppression on the avatar to cut down on any defenses or surprise abilities the goddess might still possess. The totem glowed with power as the black sun in the sky came crashing down on the two avatars. She channeled as much of the power towards the goddess¡¯ soul as possible, while the totem tried to use Death¡¯s power to rip that soul from the goddess¡¯ grasp. Her Domain would of course not be damaged by the crashing sun, though the sun would take a bit of time to recover. The same could not be said about the heart of the sanctum as it was consumed by the dark flames spilling out of Dee¡¯s Domain.

 Chapter 159

    Moirai looked towards the imposing doorway leading towards the heart of the sanctum. The temple was a large and foreboding building, but it had very few ways to enter for reasons of security and for setting the correct mood. As a result, Moirai didn¡¯t have all that many options if she wanted to get inside. After using the portal to get closer to her goal, she hadn¡¯t run into all that much resistance, partly because Dee had already created a path. Most Death Lords were also busy fighting other enemies. However, it seemed the Avatar of the Spider Goddess had called for some reinforcements, as several Death Lords had gathered near the door, and were preparing to rush in.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fight that many Death Lords by myself.¡± Moirai cursed to herself. Yet this was exactly the reason she had rushed to come here. While Dee dealt with the avatar, she would try to make sure no one interfered. ¡°Well, luckily I don¡¯t actually have to defeat them. I only need to stall them. Even if I distract only some of them, that¡¯s better than letting all of them rush inside.¡±


    She took a deep breath and mentally encouraged herself. Just as she was preparing to launch an attack, she sensed a presence behind her. That presence seemed to grab her by the neck of her collar and pull her backwards. For a moment she thought someone had snuck up on her and attacked her, but the pull was not violent, just forceful. After the sudden movement seemed to drag her back several dozen mel, she managed to round on that presence and was shocked to see the Crimson Witch Teresa.


    ¡°What¡­¡± She wanted to demand an explanation, but was interrupted as the area behind her seemed to suddenly turn into an inferno of black flames. Usually, a large explosion like this came with a loud noise, a shockwave of power and a great deal of heat and light, but not this time. The black flames simply seemed to expand outwards from the heart of the sanctum and consume everything. The flames didn¡¯t even behave like normal flames. They almost seemed like a living thing as they reached some invisible line and simply stopped.


    There was some noise of course, an explosion of this size could never be entirely silent, but the sound was much more subdued. The largest effect seemed to be mental. It seemed as if something very important that had been there earlier was suddenly gone, and the holy power abundant in the city seemed to become erratic. The Death Lords Moirai had seen earlier were within the radius of the explosion, but on the edge of the affected area. Most of them had turned into grey ash, but some of the stronger ones seemed to have survived thanks to immortals being hard to kill. Still, the damage done to them was horrific enough that they probably wished they had died. Yet they weren¡¯t really screaming from pain. They seemed to be suffering from a shock of some sort, as if having lost something important.


    Moirai noticed that her previous position was barely within the radius of the flames. She most likely could have used her powers to defend herself. Except these were Dee¡¯s flames. Moirai knew that trying to use power to block them might hurt more than help. ¡°Ouch, that was close.¡± Teresa said with a cheery tone. She knew that the signs pointed at the death of the goddess, but that didn¡¯t affect her mood negatively. In fact, it made her feel glad.


    ¡°Thanks for the save. You can be pretty stealthy when you want to.¡± Moirai¡¯s tone was a bit questioning. She was used to stealthy thanks to Dee, but Teresa had still surprised her.


    ¡°I get that a lot. It¡¯s an aura thing. You people all seem to leak out a bit of your power everywhere you go. I don¡¯t see the point so I keep it all inside.¡± Teresa replied. Many people underestimated her thanks to the fact that her power was so well hidden, and she liked things that way. ¡°Also no problem. Dee would have been pissed if you got caught in those flames. I get the feeling the results of her attack were a bit more than she assumed.¡±


    Teresa was correct on that front as most of Dee¡¯s attack had been contained inside her Domain, but the spillover had been more than Dee had expected. It was her first time trying an attack like that, so the error in judgement was actually fairly miniscule all things considered. The only problem was Moirai¡¯s proximity to the explosion and the fact that she had come close faster than Dee had assumed. If Dee had not tried containing the explosion inside her Domain, then the entire sanctum would have been affected.


    The black flames were now dying down, revealing the complete devastation of the heart of the sanctum. There wasn¡¯t a wall left standing, and everything seemed to have turned into nothing but the same grey dust that the corpses of the Death Lords had left behind. All of the holy power in the surroundings suddenly started rushing towards the center of the devastated area, forming a vortex of power. The power seemed to be disappearing somewhere when it reached the center.


    Moirai and Teresa very carefully made their way towards that spot as well and found Dee standing there with her eyes closed. Unlike everything else, the two avatars had left behind parts of two dried husks, while large portions of the corpses had faced the same fate as the surroundings. As the two people approached, they suddenly saw a twelfth tail appear behind Dee¡¯s back and it seemed like some walls that had been hiding Dee¡¯s power before had suddenly broken down. They could both now feel the Domain inside Dee, though it was covered soon after as Dee figured out how to replace the protective barrier Xinglong had left behind. That barrier had run its course, and now she had to do that herself. Luckily she had figured out a way to do it long ago.


    The aura around Dee had also changed. She now felt much calmer and almost like a holy figure. Light and shadow seemed to be competing for position around her, as both seemed to try and become the dominant force in her aura. Finally, a third force seemed to interfere and suppress the two energies, pushing them into obedience. The duo realized something important was happening to Dee, so they didn¡¯t dare to interfere. They weren¡¯t really worried about an attack either, as it seemed the death of the goddess had suddenly cut down the resistance the Spider Cult had offered, and even the giant portal above had disappeared.


    Inside Dee¡¯s domain, many changes were taking place. The Domain itself was filling with the power of light and shadow, though what changes that would bring was still an open question. The skull from the goddess had completed her totem, and every skull in the totem was glowing with power. The completed totem looked like a tiered pyramid with ten levels, with stairs leading from the bottom to the top, where a throne made from Xinglong¡¯s skull stood waiting. The four tiers below the throne had skeletal serpentine dragons reaching out from the totem, holding the symbols of the four gods that had blessed her in their mouths. The bottom tier suddenly seemed to grow a fifth serpentine dragon, and it was holding the symbol of the Spider Goddess. This time however, it was not holding the symbol in its mouth, instead, it was pushing the symbol into the ground, stepping on it and seemingly roaring towards the sky in victory.


    Something inside Dee knew that there would be certain benefits to this that she would need to explore later. She also suddenly felt a huge rush of power. She had already been close to growing her twelfth tail, and the totem being completed had pushed her over that edge. The tail came with a rush of increased power flowing through her and strengthening her body in many ways. That wasn¡¯t the only thing. She had just devoured the soul of the Spider Goddess, and as usual, that allowed Dee to gain a portion of the power the soul had possessed before death. The surrounding city was filled with the goddess¡¯ power, and that was now rather forcefully being recalled, stripping away many of the spells that had protected the place.


    The thing with deities was that they were basically large concentrations of power. The deities had wildly differing levels of skill at using said power, but even the weakest gods had a lot of it compared to other beings. The deities all gained a lot of power from the faithful, as that was the main reason they took any part in the affairs of mortals. Power of faith was an amazing thing. The gods, of course, gave a fraction of that power back in the form of blessings, miracles, and divine gifts, but that didn¡¯t come close to what they gained. There was a reason the most common method of problem-solving among gods was to throw more power at the problem. Power was what they were, and power was what they had. And now a large chunk of that power was flowing into Dee.


    If it had been the Dee a few years in the past, she would have suffered a fate much worse than when she devoured the Tree of Life. Now she was much more used to handling large amounts of power. She also happened to be low on power as she had just wasted quite a lot to kill the goddess and her servants before that. The amount of power she could hold had also just increased thanks to becoming a rank twelve immortal. Still, the amount of power the Spider Goddess had was excessive, to say the least. Luckily, even though Dee¡¯s technique of eating souls was a very effective form of Sengir, the majority of that power still dissipated and went to waste.


    ¡®Still, it seems like killing a god is a very effective means of gaining power.¡¯ She thought to herself. She already had strong techniques, but she was lacking in power to use them repeatedly. Slowly but surely that problem was being fixed. As she adapted to that power, her ability to channel the excessive amounts of holy power inside her also grew.


    Both Moirai and Teresa could sense the sudden increase in power inside Dee, and at least Moirai was worried and alarmed. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She asked, sounding worried.


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    Dee felt like she was bloated and ready to pop, but she was managing it. ¡°I will be. It might be a good idea to leave though. I¡¯ll have to spend a few days taking all this in. In any case, my part is already done.¡±


    ¡°With the avatar gone, and apparently the goddess dead, the cult won¡¯t be able to mount an effective resistance anyway.¡± Teresa agreed. There was no need for Dee and Moirai to stick around. The coalition forces could handle the rest. The Crimson Witches could also return as their presence was now more of a hindrance.


    ----------


    The gods were in a furor. The news of one of the highest ranking gods dying at the hands of the Champions of Lumen and Umbra had caused a pandemonium for several reasons, and a general assembly of the council of the gods had been called. Even Eternity was in attendance, something that by itself would have caused waves among both lesser and greater gods. The council room looked like an amphitheater with rows of seats radiating outwards from the central stage. Behind and above the stage were seats reserved for the highest ranking gods, with the height and prominence of the seats rising as the ranks did.


    On the stage, Order was already in the middle of a scathing tirade about the two goddesses using their Champions to upset the established order of the universe and endangering the peace between them. He was already preparing to transition into a judgmental condemnation of their actions in general but was suddenly interrupted by Umbra. Her voice was not as loud as Orders in the middle of his speech, but carried a lot more weight and drew everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaking something extremely important here. Why would I care about the so-called ¡®established order¡¯ of the universe? That¡¯s your job. I would argue that upsetting the order of things is my purpose. Beyond that, why exactly would I care about your condemnations? Let¡¯s not mince words here. You are my enemy. The more difficult I can make things for you, the better. All this prattle only proves that I did a good job.¡± Umbra ended her words with a contemptuous sneer.


    ¡°For a supposed light god, you¡¯re awfully disturbed by the death of a dark god.¡± Lumen also interjected. The mortals had used the separation between the three factions of deities for so long that even the gods had adopted them, although they worked outside their so-called faction much more often than the mortals. Especially the neutral gods were all too happy to cross lines. It wasn¡¯t openly admitted though. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you and her had something, you know, going on.¡± Her implication was made clear thanks to the obscene gesture she made.


    That brought out general mirth, albeit subdued due to the serious situation, from the other gods. The Spider Goddess¡¯ appearance and nature were well known among them, so the thought of Order having anything going on with the goddess was rather absurd. ¡°What about you? You seem to be awfully close with the Goddess that is supposed to be your antithesis. And your sister no less.¡± The rather indecent implication in his voice was clear as well.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Lumen shot back without getting flustered. ¡°It¡¯s a little rich that you try to judge us for attacking another deity, when you¡¯ve been attacking me for who knows how long. Everyone here knows who is behind all those challenges directed my way.¡±


    ¡°Challenges being the key word here. You would lose your position, sure, but you just had another god killed. And you joined hands with your worst enemy to do so, betraying all the principles of the good gods.¡± Order stated with an accusing tone.


    ¡°And so what if I did have her killed? Just because we deem it none of your business, doesn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t good reasons for our actions. You play games, but start balking when your own life might be at stake. Gods die. That¡¯s the way of things. As for my sister, who says light and dark have to be enemies just because we are opposites. In fact, as we¡¯ve just seen, we seem to be rather compatible. On the other hand, my supposed main ally has tried to overthrow me, and my other supposed allies seem to have abandoned me, happy standing by and watching it all play out. So I¡¯m taking matters into my own hands. Perhaps it is time to remind everyone why my statue is in every major temple of light.¡± Lumen declared, while Order proceeded to reply with more accusations and insinuations.


    Sol Invictus shook her head. Order was losing. For a god that was so meticulous at times, he could be very shortsighted on some occasions when blinded by his emotions. The words of Lumen and Umbra had been logical and to the point, while Order was mainly using his position, emotional arguments and the fears of the other gods. One of the most powerful gods had just died, and the others thought they could be next. Because of those fears, Order would most likely succeed in his plan this time, but he was losing the long game. More gods would turn away from him once the fear abated and they realized who they were turning against. Besides, no one had been all that fond of the Spider Goddess, as undead were the common enemies of all living. Her death had been shocking, but she would not be missed. And once the other gods found out they had been fooled, they would turn against Order.


    Order finally got to his main point. ¡°I move to have Lumen and Umbra removed from the council for a period of ten thousand years, and I move that the light gods ask their servants to remove Lumen¡¯s statues from the temples of the light gods.¡±


    The second motion was unlikely to pass, but it would drastically reduce the power and prestige of Lumen, so it was worth a shot. The first one was more likely to pass and it would allow Order to dictate many of the council¡¯s actions during this time with his biggest enemies gone. Eternity and Death usually didn¡¯t bother taking part, and the others usually didn¡¯t care enough to vigorously object. They could be talked into most things when necessary. They were already content to just observe as Order pressured Lumen. And ten thousand years was enough for Order to force Lumen out of her position. With both the realms of light and order under his control, he would be in a much stronger position to oppose Umbra. The theory was ok, but wouldn¡¯t work in practice.


    Many of the gods looked towards the highest ranking gods. They could all vote but realistically the top gods were the ones who actually decided things. The number of gods considered ¡®high ranking¡¯ changed a bit according to the number of gods worthy of that title. Currently, that number sat at twenty. Most of them looked rather undecided. They were not as easily frightened and were weighing the future possibilities more carefully. They could see things were not that simple.


    Surprisingly Death was the first one to rise. That got everyone¡¯s attention as she almost never took an active part in the machinations of other gods. From her perspective, such things were all too transitory and thus beneath her attention. Even when she was present, she usually abstained from any votes, knowing that her vote would usually decide the whole matter as her power was so much beyond the other gods. ¡°I object.¡±


    This brought a wave of murmurs among the gods and even the other high ranked gods looked ready to go along with Death now that she had made her position clear. Sol sighed in frustration. It seemed Lumen and Umbra had played their cards right with Death. She had known something was going on with those three. She too rose. ¡°I object as well.¡± This was almost as surprising as Sol was a frequent ally of Order, so her vote basically sealed the deal. She knew that the vote would fail, so might as well keep friendly relations with the other side.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter in any case.¡± The ancient, but surprisingly crotchety sounding voice of Eternity suddenly drowned all other discussions. ¡°I¡¯m vetoing the whole thing anyway. Wasting my time with such useless drivel.¡± The last part was mostly muttered to himself, but everyone heard anyway. The words ¡®wasting my time¡¯ was ironic coming from the most ancient being in the universe. His position as the head of the council allowed him to veto any and all motions. Not that he used that power more than once in an eon or two.


    ¡°You¡¯re vetoing the motion?¡± Order sputtered. Things were not going his way today.


    ¡°I am. This is ridiculous. When did the council become a bunch of cowards afraid of a bit of struggle? Order, you picked this fight, now deal with the consequences. If someone has a problem with my decision, they can go ahead and create their own council.¡± Eternity declared and suddenly vanished, signaling that this discussion was now over.


    ¡°Oh, and one more thing.¡± Lumen called to Order and the other gods. ¡°I would like to remind you all of a certain rule. When someone challenges another god, that god is allowed to put forth their Champion as their representative instead. So I¡¯d like to inform you that any and all challenges to me will henceforth be handled by my Champion instead. The Champion that just killed one of the strongest gods around. And I doubt my Champion will be all that happy to be bothered with frivolous challenges and will be ready to show their displeasure violently.¡± Lumen gave a wide grin.


    Of course, this was something of a bluff on Lumen¡¯s part, as she could not command Dee to fight for her and it might take some convincing to get her to agree. The other gods didn¡¯t need to know that though. Most Champions would be more than happy to fight in their god¡¯s name. This was one of those minor details Lumen and Umbra had ¡®forgotten¡¯ to mention to Dee before she took the position, as they knew they couldn¡¯t command her to take part anyway. They could bring the possibility up later on if necessary. Umbra even assumed Dee might be glad of the opportunity as it would allow her to kill the Champions of some light gods, thus helping her secure the spot as the focus of chaos.

 Chapter 160

    The Celestial Emperor was less than pleased as he heard the report from his subordinates. These were the agents sent to monitor the Five Winds in case the person possessing the Living Mountain returned. Their reports over the last few years had been sparse at best and non-existent at worst. That in itself wasn¡¯t purely a bad thing. The emperor wasn¡¯t the type that wanted pointless status reports that simply just said nothing new to report. He had better things to do than listen to such routine reports. He gave his agents a certain amount of autonomy in how to deal with changing situations, but these agents had taken that allowance and misused it.


    ¡°So let¡¯s see if I understood this correctly. Not only did you fail to convince the owner of the Living Mountain to hand over the mountain to us, or even to come to the Celestial Court to negotiate the matter, you failed to report in when this person returned, which happened a while ago I might add. You delayed the report on something of this importance? I could see a twisted logic in thinking you didn¡¯t want to bother me with a report you think I might consider unimportant, but you not only failed to send a report to me, but you didn¡¯t even pass the information onward to a higher ranking officer, who might actually have enough knowledge to make such decisions. Am I missing something here?¡± The emperor¡¯s tone was deceptively calm, and the agent giving the report over the communication array knew he was much safer where he currently was. For now that is.


    ¡°Your Majesty, there are certain circumstances involved that may shed light on why we decided to delay the report. We felt that this additional information would radically change the nature of our report and the inevitable response that would follow. If I would be permitted to explain, I believe there are certain matters that we should bring to Your attention before judgment is rendered.¡± The agent replied hastily.


    ¡°Please do.¡± The emperor said a little sarcastically, though the following words were entirely serious. ¡°Currently there¡¯s very little that¡¯s stopping me from ordering your severe punishment if not even execution.¡±


    ¡°The first thing we need to report, and the part Your Majesty rightly condemned us for not reporting immediately is our meeting with the person possessing the Living Mountain.¡± The agent decided to soften Dee¡¯s words and stance a little for his own safety. ¡°That person was not disrespectful in their refusal, but pointed out that the Living Mountain is an entity with its own mind and the mountain does not wish to return, most likely due to the reason the last owner of the mountain died. Additionally, they claimed that they knew why Your Majesty wanted the mountain and that Xinglong did not leave behind a corpse.¡±


    That gave the emperor a small pause as he considered. The fingers of his right hand tapped the table while his other hand brushed his beard in an unconscious gesture. It was true that Xinglong¡¯s body was the main reason he wanted the mountain. He preferred possessing the mountain as well, but would not really sweat over its loss. He could see how the mountain could carry a grudge if it truly was sentient. Considering the mountain had so much power it might be better if it wasn¡¯t close to the Celestial Court in case it decided revenge was warranted. They would be able to suppress the mountain but it would require great effort.


    However, that was a decision for him to make as the Celestial Emperor, not some random person currently possessing the mountain. In actual fact, they didn¡¯t even know where the mountain was currently, or how it was transported out of the first circle. The sudden appearance and disappearance of the mountain during the fight between the Lacademonians and the Spider Cult made it clear that the person possessing the mountain had some way to easily transport it. That implied certain possibilities, but didn¡¯t really confirm anything.


    With a gestured command from the emperor, the agent continued. ¡°The individual in question was too powerful just by herself for us to try use force to get our way. In addition, the leader of the Crimson Witches Teresa is also present here at the Five Winds. Considering the currently murky relationship between her and the Celestial Court, we cannot determine if she would interfere if more forceful methods were used.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s where Teresa ran off to.¡± The Celestial Emperor muttered. Teresa was showing him the same sort of disrespect that had caused him to originally seek Xinglong¡¯s death. The difference was that Teresa was smart enough to not flaunt it and was hiding her own pride by keeping away from the first circle. As long as she did, both sides could keep up the pretense of Teresa being unable to pay proper respects due to being away. That said, her wisdom in staying out of sight didn¡¯t mean that the Emperor was forgiving the slight on his honor. That the leader of the Crimson Witches just so happened to pick this exact place to hide was most likely not a coincidence either, though the rumored alliance between the two communities was a convenient excuse.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming there¡¯s more, because just this alone should not be enough for you to delay reporting such important information. In fact, Teresa¡¯s presence just makes this more important.¡± The Emperor stated, although his thoughts were slightly different from what he said. He had vaguely known where Teresa was from the reports, but the location had not had any real significance before this. Now there seemed to be more to it.


    ¡°Your Majesty is aware of the Spider Cult recently being destroyed?¡± The agent knew the emperor had been informed, but the emperor might, in turn, decide the event to be irrelevant and not pay attention to the details.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of the broad strokes.¡± In fact, the emperor had quite a bit of interest in the event, though not because the Five Winds had been involved. That had been a quaint little detail before this report. Or at least it had been until he paid more attention to the matter. He was now reaching to various agents to gather more information on the subject, which was the main reason this conversation was even taking place. The agent had simply blurted out his report before the emperor even had the chance to ask anything about the battle.


    What had originally brought the battle to his attention was the fact that the priests of the gods of order had requested that the Celestial Court would look into the matter. The priests had been very tight-lipped about the reason why they sought this information, which had roused the emperor¡¯s curiosity. So he had naturally sought the other temples for a possible explanation almost as soon as the door closed behind the backs of the order priests. The information he had received was not pleasing, as all the temples had been more than happy to mention the birth of two new Champions of opposing elements that worked together to kill a goddess.


    The area controlled by the Celestial Court was vast. It was much larger than their position in the first circle would have others assume. In fact, the area they controlled was almost as large as the other areas in the first circle combined, thanks to several mages gifted in spatial magic expanding the area every year. With over a hundred races living in the area controlled by the court, various deities had been given permission to found their temples in the area, and the Celestial Court had a cordial working relationship with the different temples, both light and dark. The emperor, in particular, favored the temples of order mainly because their tenets were similar to his and allowed him to maintain a firm hold over his subjects.


    While both of them understood the value of religions to their endeavors, unlike the empress, the emperor had paid a bit more attention to the gods themselves and the politics that went on between them. Or at least as much as he could find out from the priests. The empress had considered them unreliable sources of information at best. The emperor was not a religious man himself, but he understood the power an avatar of the Spider Goddess held, and the implications of two Champions being able to kill the goddess, even when working together.


    He had not managed to find out too many details about the battle before this and was a bit unsure of how much he wanted to intervene in that particular mess, no matter how vehemently the priests of order requested an investigation. However, there was an additional reason that his interest was piqued. From the little he had been able to find out, some of the tactics used both in the battles before this one and maneuvers used to form the coalition in the first place felt¡­familiar. It was like reading a story he had read before a long time ago that he vaguely remembered.


    The agent continued. ¡°We overheard some details of the battle from the returning forces of the Five Winds, and two matters especially might be of interest to Your Majesty. The first interesting bit of news is that a powerful Phoenix was seen taking part in the battle. The involvement of the Phoenix was short, but intensive and played an important role. It also seemed to have been factored into the battle plan.¡±


    This caught the emperor¡¯s attention. There weren¡¯t that many Phoenixes in the first place and most of them roosted within the areas controlled by the Celestial Court. His mind immediately went to a particular Phoenix that had been sent to find the empress. That flamboyant bastard was also likely to side with the empress given the opportunity and some encouragement. So if he was there, then it was likely that the empress was present as well.


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    ¡®That¡¯s why the actions of the Five Winds felt so familiar!¡¯ He thought to himself. The empress had used similar plots in the distant past when the Celestial Court had still been a rising power.


    Assuming that the emperor wanted to hear the other part of their report, the agent continued. ¡°Also, we happened to be close when the holder of the mountain returned from battle. She seemed to have grown in strength a lot¡­ and there¡¯s also something else that is difficult to put into words.¡±


    The emperor noticed the cageyness in the agent¡¯s voice. ¡°It¡¯s alright, you can continue. Judging by the fact that you brought it up, it must be important enough to risk my ire for whatever reason.¡±


    The agent gave a defeated sigh. ¡°The woman gave off a feeling very similar to Your Majesty as she returned.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s eyes narrowed in anger, as he most certainly didn¡¯t appreciate the comparison, but he stilled the anger rising within as he realized the relevance of the words that had just been said. He knew exactly what the agent meant. When he had finished his totem, his Domain had gained perhaps the most important power that had contributed to his rise to his current position. His Domain was based on domination through rule. When he wasn¡¯t concealing his Domain, he radiated a very particular kind of aura, which was the feeling the agent was talking about.


    Those that had recognized his rule were incapable of rebelling against that rule, even when not in his presence. It was as if that part of their minds was suppressed. There were some people and beings with a strong enough mind to resist the effect, but even those individuals would not be able to function at full capacity when instigating their rebellion. They would make silly decisions and miss details that they would never miss if they had been capable of using their full faculties. It was a more subtle form of mind control than directly tampering with someone¡¯s mind.


    There was a sort of herd mentality to the effect as well. The more his subject saw others bow down to him, the easier and more fully they submitted. If one or two people managed to rebel on the other hand, then others were more likely to shrug off the effects as well, though they would fall firmly under the emperor¡¯s grasp if the first rebel was harshly and quickly dealt with. That was one of the main reasons why people like the empress and the damn Phoenix were so dangerous. They never really accepted the emperor¡¯s rule and thus were not subject to the effects. However, if word about their rebellion spread, then all his other subjects would lose some of the control keeping them in line.


    ¡°Describe to me in detail what you felt in her presence.¡± The emperor commanded the agent. If the agent stated that the person gave off a similar feeling to the emperor, then it was possible that the person also had a Domain with a similar effect, and the feeling the agent got might give hints to the exact nature of that Domain. Two Domains were never entirely identical, as there would at the very least be some subtle differences.


    ¡°She gives off the impression that fighting against her would be futile. All that we would accomplish is our own death.¡± The agent summarized. There was a healthy dose of fear involved as well, though he thought it was better not to mention that particular detail. Cowards had an unpleasant end in the service of the Celestial Court.


    ¡®Domination through strength perhaps? Something that prevents those that have recognized her as superior from fighting against her, or at least fighting at full strength?¡¯ The emperor guessed. Then something struck him. ¡°Wait, you said her, right? This is a woman we¡¯re talking about?¡± He had unconsciously used the same noun, and in fact, he had heard that the holder of the mountain was female. He had simply never considered that to be important as he had already assumed the empress had either taken the mountain or was at least involved.


    ¡°Yes, the person is very much female. A beautiful and powerful one at that.¡± The agent replied in a deferential tone.


    Pieces started falling into place in the emperor¡¯s mind. A couple of possibilities jumped at him immediately. The empress had told him before disappearing that there was someone with a Domain even more dominating than him, though she had not specified that the person was female. In retrospect, he could imagine that he would not have taken the information seriously if the empress had mentioned that detail. As it is, he had not really done anything with the information except keep his eyes open in case he saw any sign of a Domain like that. There were also certain other possible reasons the empress might have left that detail out.


    ¡®Did she feel threatened by this new woman? Realistically speaking, a powerful woman with a Domain similar to mine would make an excellent replacement for the cold fish empress that she was. Perhaps she was worried about being replaced? If she managed to poison the mind of this newcomer against the court, then it¡¯s no wonder that the person in question refused to come to us for negotiations.¡¯ This possibility was decidedly more pleasant than the alternatives in the emperor¡¯s mind. He was smart enough to know that just because it was more pleasant, that didn¡¯t mean it was more likely.


    ¡®Another possibility is that this is a trap. The empress knows that I¡¯m likely to react violently to the sort of disrespect this phantom person is showing. Within reason, what would I be up against if I did march in a large group of immortals? The Living Mountain alone is a danger. There¡¯s Teresa and the other immortals of both Five Winds and the Crimson Witches to consider. This mysterious person with a potential Domain, of course. And if the temples are correct, I¡¯d also be facing the Champions of two major goddesses, of which this woman might be one. That sounds like the makings of a trap to me.¡¯ This possibility made the emperor frown in displeasure.


    ''There¡¯s even a very small and remote possibility that the empress and this phantom person are in fact one and the same. I already suspected her of taking the mountain, and it is a possibility that she was preparing me for the possibility of her being the one with a Domain. That assumes that she managed to hide her Domain all this time though. Normally I¡¯d say that¡¯s damn unlikely, but she has always kept a distance from me, and as a seer, she has many ways of avoiding her abilities being discovered. This possibility seems the least likely one to be true, but it is something to keep in mind.¡¯ The emperor suddenly turned towards the agent. ¡°Have you considered taking more indirect routes towards gaining the mountain?¡±


    Even though he didn¡¯t say it clearly, the implication was there. The emperor was not above using someone¡¯s family against them. He found the practice a little distasteful, but some rare occasions warranted such methods and ends justified the means. ¡°We have, but there¡¯s a problem.¡± The agent replied.


    ¡°A problem?¡± The emperor asked, his displeasure coming back. The presence of family might actually help determine the validity of his earlier theories. If the phantom person was indeed the empress, then it was unlikely that this person had extensive family ties. The empress was good, but hiding something like that seemed prohibitively difficult, and she had not been gone long enough to form long familial bonds, like having children with some age.


    ¡°We overheard the target mention something about meeting family in passing, but have been unable to find any details. Every time we ask questions, the people we¡¯re questioning seem like they have no idea what we¡¯re talking about. It¡¯s not that they¡¯re lying; it¡¯s as if there¡¯s something shielding that information in their mind. It¡¯s like they forget the information as soon as we ask the questions and then remember as soon as we leave. We have tried using intermediaries, but the same thing happens. It¡¯s as if there¡¯s something preventing us from finding out the information we want.¡± The agent was genuinely frustrated as they had really made an honest effort to find out what was going on, as they knew the emperor would ask.


    ¡°It does feel like there¡¯s something seriously wrong here. It also feels like someone knew these questions would be asked.¡± The emperor happened to know just such a person. The empress knew his methods and knew he would try to find these kinds of things out. She would know to block the information. However, normal mages were incapable of weaving such magic. ¡°I think I might have to ask some of the temples if there¡¯s anything that could be done about this. Keep observing and pass on any information you find out. And don¡¯t sit on the information this time!¡±


    ¡°We thank Your Majesty for this benevolence!¡± The agent realized they were off the hook for now at least. The emperor¡¯s next words made his elation disappear though.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me just yet. Your ultimate fate depends on how useful you turn out to be in the end.¡±

 Chapter 161

    ¡±Did you get the information?¡± Hassan-i-Sabbah asked, showing uncharacteristic impatience. Asahim had barely managed to enter the room before the question was asked.


    ¡°I did.¡± Asahim replied calmly, though internally wondering what the big deal was.


    ¡°And?¡± Hassan-i-Sabbah prompted. He had sent Asahim out for two very important pieces of news. He had received information on the fall of the Spider Goddess from friendly priests of a particular patron deity of assassins. Fall of the Spider as the event was already titled due to the dual nature of both the Spider Goddess and the Spider Cult having met their end.


    ¡°Yes on both accounts. The target has acquired a twelfth tail and the angel in question has returned to the Five Winds.¡± Asahim replied. It had been rather easy to hear about Dee¡¯s tails. Few people had actually bothered counting them as she returned from the battle in a hurry, but she wasn¡¯t exactly hiding them either. In fact, the weird aura surrounding her had drawn quite a few curious eyes. It had been much harder to find the whereabouts of the angel named Araqiel.


    The leader of Zabaniya finally released a relieved sigh he had been holding in for a while. ¡®Information truly is one of the most important things for an assassin.¡¯ He thought to himself. With the current information, they were free to act.


    ¡°May I ask¡­?¡± Asahim carefully ventured. This whole matter was confusing him to no end. That wasn¡¯t out of the ordinary considering the enigmatic leader of their community often kept all the important plans to himself. Asahim just hadn¡¯t seen reactions like this before, and that made this case much more interesting. It seemed like a weight that had been pressing down on his master had finally been lifted.


    ¡°Yes, I imagine you¡¯re curious. Over the years, I have talked about her as a weapon we have helped forge. Now that weapon has finally reached a point where she can start to truly perform her purpose. She has reached a level of strength where extremely few enemies can truly threaten her. That means we can start moving forward with our plans. She no longer needs us watching over her, now we can focus on just carefully prodding her into the direction we desire. Emphasis on the word carefully. Her strength also puts her out of our control.¡± Hassan-i-Sabbah explained, while still leaving most details hidden.


    ¡°And the angel?¡± Asahim asked after a moment of consideration. He still didn¡¯t truly understand, but he was less confused at least. He didn¡¯t really need to understand, just obey. The master had things under control anyway.


    ¡°The angel herself is not important. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t mind if she wound up dead in a ditch somewhere at some point. What¡¯s important is that she will not be caught in our plans. According to our informants, she has a connection of sorts, an alliance I suspect, with our dear weapon. It would be a shame if she got killed by accident.¡± Hassan replied with a small smile.


    Asahim frowned. He was starting to figure out where this was going. The master¡¯s hatred towards the angels was not well known to others, but he knew. He had seen the paintings master created, and all the little ways their community interfered in the efforts of the winged bastards. Many an angel had faced a less than pleasant and very ignoble end due to the blades of the Zabaniya when those angels wandered into the wrong areas. Both on Pantheon and elsewhere. There was a very important detail when considering Araqiel¡¯s current whereabouts. Perhaps even more important than the knowledge of where she was, was the certainty of where she was not.


    ¡°Shall I assemble our strongest members?¡± Asahim asked in a neutral tone. Having spent enough time with his master, the opinions his master held had rubbed off on him. Besides, he never much liked the feathered freaks anyway, but now he despised them. He wasn¡¯t sure what they had done to earn master¡¯s ire, but he was certain it was well earned.


    Hassan¡¯s smile widened in appreciation. Asahim could be smart when he put in the effort. And he was loyal beyond a shadow of a doubt, a rarity in the field of work they were in. ¡°Indeed. In three days we strike. Send a word to all of our weaker members as well. After our attack, it¡¯s an open hunting season on angels and all their lower related species like the Archons. Every kill will be rewarded. Let¡¯s give the angels a little taste of their own purge.¡±


    As Asahim left, Hassan turned to look outside the window without really seeing anything. In three days the embassy of the angels would be no more, and in a few weeks, all of their kind would be removed from Pantheon. That should get things moving. ¡®Haydee is most likely planning on leaving this world soon.¡¯ He mused and planned on giving her a sending off present. Besides, if he managed to stir up some animosity between Pantheon and Paradisia, then Dee would be able to act more easily as the angels had other things to worry about.


    Idly he rubbed a small locket in his hand hidden by his large sleeves. Soon. Soon he would have the revenge he had waited for so long. He didn¡¯t even need to open the locket as the faces of the people inside were seared into his memory. Not that opening the locket would do any good as the pictures inside had faded away long ago.


    ----------


    Dee gave a relieved sigh as the last of the power she had gained from the Spider Goddess truly became her own. It had taken several days to fully absorb all of it, though the matter was complicated by the fact that her totem had been completed at the same time. Having multiple large events like this stack had a synergistic effect, but it did complicate things on occasion. The changes that had come due to the totem had in fact been larger but had required less input on her part. If she was a normal immortal, she would have to spend years if not centuries learning all the best ways to utilize her totem, but those with a Domain were a little different. Their totem¡¯s made them stronger in most ways imaginable, but in turn, it didn¡¯t come with a wide variety of applications, although her own situation was a little more complicated due to the blessings. Still, she didn¡¯t have to spend much time figuring out that she was indeed physically stronger and that her psionics were more effective.


    That wasn¡¯t to say there were no new abilities thanks to her totem being completed. Her ability to suppress the power of others had reached a new level and her aura had a weird effect once her soul inside the soul space sat on the throne atop the pyramid. As she herself didn¡¯t get to feel the effects, she wasn¡¯t entirely clear on what the aura did. She hadn¡¯t had much in the way of visitors to test on either, mainly because Moirai had plunked down in front of her room and shooed away anyone trying to disturb her while she concentrated. She had some guesses, but ultimately she¡¯d have to find out later.


    She certainly felt different. More balanced. She had been confident before, but now she had the feeling that confidence was well and truly earned. And it was. Not considering her more weird abilities, she was now a rank twelve psion and a Champion of two major deities. Thanks to the large influx of power from the Spider Goddess, she wasn¡¯t exactly at the level of a fresh rank twelve being either. There were those with more power, of course, Teresa being an obvious example, but she had confidence in dealing with most of them thanks to her other abilities.


    The gods were making it a little difficult to evaluate her strength, as usual. The new addition of the Spider Goddess¡¯ symbol on her totem implied that there should be benefits, but she had no idea what those benefits might be. One of the spells Lumen had taught her was the ability usually reserved for High Priestesses, namely the ability to read blessings. The problem was, she didn¡¯t have the Spider Goddess¡¯ blessing. Far from it. It¡¯s wasn¡¯t a curse either, as she was almost certain that the whole thing was at least mostly positive, but it did mean that particular spell was useless.


    The benefits of being a Champion were a little foggy as well, although she had gained some insight into that at least. Firstly, the effects of her earlier blessings were enhanced. How much they had enhanced depended on the particular ability, but they were all better. She could easily summon powerful shadow spirits, her speed and reactions were stupendous, and the corruption her attacks could cause was extremely deadly. That was the easy part and was along the lines that she had expected.


    The weird part was that she had gained something else. She could apparently utilize the special gifts of the two goddesses to a limited extent. She had entirely by accident utilized Umbra¡¯s ability to influence reality with her words. Umbra had the ability to speak words that anyone listening would know to be true, and where her words were untrue, the reality would bend in a way that the words became true. At a large cost. She had accidentally changed the color of the lights shining from her lamp to a much softer shade, and a large chunk of the holy power within her had just vanished. Even a small change carried a large cost, but the possibility was there at least. She doubted it would be useful in battle as she had a sense that affecting change on an unwilling target would be much harder, but that remained to be seen.


    She assumed that she could utilize Lumen''s specialty as well, but she didn¡¯t actually know what Lumen¡¯s specialty was. She would have to ask when a suitable opportunity presented itself. That might be sooner than she thought, considering she had already contacted Umbra with a small prayer and was likely to meet the goddess in a few days again, assuming nothing special came up. She was planning on starting her efforts towards gaining the position of the focus that Umbra had talked about. The death of the Spider Goddess had been a major boon to her chances, but she wanted to do what she could before it was time for her to leave Pantheon.


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    Moirai got up as soon as Dee opened the door to her room. ¡°Are you alright?¡± She asked worriedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I wasn¡¯t really injured, simply overwhelmed and had to deal with the changes. What¡¯s going on in the rest of the community?¡± Dee asked in an effort to change the subject.


    ¡°Things are going well. The coalition forces have mostly dispersed, though they seem rather eager to follow should we decide any more battles are in order. Easy victories have that effect. Most of the spoils from the Spider Cult have been split, and there¡¯s a share for you if you¡¯re interested. A rather sizeable share considering your contributions I might add, although you most likely dusted a large portion of those spoils when you dealt with the avatar. The Five Winds have officially been recognized as the rank 12 community, though we are staying at our current spot in the second circle. I think that¡¯s in large part because of you and the sway we have over the other coalition members, but no one is contesting that ranking for now at least. Aside from that, there¡¯s nothing requiring your immediate attention I suppose.¡± Moirai had actually dealt with most of the issues waiting for Dee while guarding the door. She was rather efficient with such things after all.


    ¡°Excellent. I think I¡¯ll pay a visit to Vian¡­I mean Faylen. After that, I will most likely deal with a few targets a naggy goddess is finding for me.¡± Dee tried to distract Moirai from her small verbal gaffe with a little blasphemy. Not that Moirai could be distracted that easily, as evident by the knowing smirk on her face.


    ¡°About that, I¡¯m assuming this won¡¯t be a stealth mission?¡± Moirai suddenly asked.


    ¡°Why?¡± Dee asked with slight confusion. She had in fact planned on basically assassinating her targets when possible.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not going to work. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed, but you¡¯re not exactly stealthy at the moment.¡± Moirai pointed out, as she knew Dee could not feel the same thing she was feeling.


    ¡°Again, why?¡± Dee frowned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. I think about everyone in a five kilomel radius can feel your presence currently. It¡¯s a combination of the feeling of pressure and a rather grandiose feeling of holiness. It feels much like walking into a majestic temple of enormous size. You¡¯re awed and impressed even against your will. You¡¯re practically radiating the presence of the deities. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would think of you as the saintliest person I¡¯ve ever seen. Except I do know better. Others might not. The only reason everyone can¡¯t immediately tell which goddess you¡¯re leaking all over the place is because both of us know you¡¯re the Champion of two. So you¡¯re going to have to work on that. Also, would you mind reigning in your Domain a bit? It¡¯s a bit disturbing currently.¡± Moirai explained and gave a mock sigh.


    ¡°Gods dammit!¡± Dee cursed. She had her soul walk down from the throne and turned her attention back to Moirai. ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°Much. Well, not the holy part, but the Domain pressure has lessened a lot.¡± Moirai gave an actual sigh of relief.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask the gods how to do that. I have a nasty feeling this is on purpose due to my irreverence earlier. They¡¯re taking it out on me now that I can¡¯t do anything about it. I know it doesn¡¯t have to be this way, considering the Champion of the Spider Goddess didn¡¯t radiate all the stuff you talked about.¡± Dee gave up with a small sigh. She was right of course. The two goddesses were taking a bit of a petty revenge.


    ¡°Well, to be fair, the sanctum was flooded with the presence of that particular goddess already, so it wouldn¡¯t have made much of a difference.¡± Moirai pointed out, sounding less convinced.


    -----


    ¡°Auntie Dee!¡± Viansola squealed in a delighted greeting as they walked into Faylen¡¯s house again. The little girl happily ran to her aunt and started pulling her towards the little game of house she had been playing just moments before. Moirai and Faylen heard the words ¡°I heard you can change how you look. You¡¯ll make a perfect friend for mister Teddy.¡± as the duo disappeared deeper into the house.


    ¡°Mr. Teddy?¡± Moirai asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°A small stuffed animal Taeral brought back from the empire. There¡¯s also Ms. Oliphant and Ms. Dryad in case you were wondering.¡± Faylen replied with a frown. ¡°How can you deal with that? How is little Vian dealing with that?¡±


    ¡°Dealing with what?¡± Moirai asked a little confused. She had been about to show her amusement at the thought of a Champion of two deities playing around with Mr. Teddy, but the tone of Faylen¡¯s voice made her serious again.


    ¡°What do you mean what? Can¡¯t you feel that pressure?¡± Faylen asked in shock.


    ¡°You mean the fact that she¡¯s leaking holy all over the place? I mean it¡¯s a bit distracting, but you get used to it pretty quick.¡± Moirai replied, still confused.


    ¡°Not that. I mean, yeah that too, but it was almost hard to breathe when she walked past me just now. I¡¯ve rarely been that afraid! It was as if I would be killed if I even considered going against her.¡± Faylen blurted out. ¡°How can little Vian deal with something like that?¡±


    ¡°Faylen, I don¡¯t think she feels a pressure like that. I don¡¯t. I mean, at first Dee had a very dominating presence, but she reined that in pretty quickly. In fact, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. And I¡¯m pretty sure Dee is almost unconsciously shielding Vian from any such pressure.¡± Moirai was truly confused as to what was going on.


    Suddenly Viansola came tromping back into the room. ¡°Look mommy, a kitty with wings!¡± She proudly presented the shapeshifted Dee who had taken a very small kitsune form with small wings at her back. Vian was holding Dee with her hands below Dee¡¯s front paws, making her look both quite cute and quite pitiful.


    Dee, in turn, felt a combination of pride and a vague sense of something where she should feel shame but really didn¡¯t. The pride was because she had successfully made the little girl happy despite having very little experience in dealing with children in ways that didn¡¯t involve trying to either kill them or beat them close to death. Her experience with kids was mostly limited to those she had met when under the thumb of Zabaniya after all. Apparently, the master plan of turning into something small and cute was successful, although she couldn¡¯t help but correct something in her mind. ¡®I¡¯m not really a cat though! I¡¯m more canine than anything.¡¯


    The absurdity of the situation was not lost on Moirai and Faylen. Moirai valiantly struggled to keep her face straight, though she had very limited success. Faylen suddenly found that the pressure was gone for now, which she indicated to Moirai with a small gesture. Something weird was going on here. Something they needed to study further.


    Suddenly Dee sensed something that made her much more serious. ¡°Would you excuse me for a moment.¡± She stated and suddenly turned into a streak of light as she flashed outside and chased after two people now running away from the city. Idly she noted that her body now seemed to be made entirely of light, and her speed was staggering as she immediately caught up with her targets.


    The two agents of the Celestial Court had come to a halt in their investigation and had decided to take a risk by following Dee from afar. They had hoped that Dee would lead them to something that could be a weakness, and they had been lucky in that sense. Considering the distance they had kept, they could just claim they were simply walking around the city if Dee noticed them. It had indeed taken Dee a moment to separate the two agents from the normal members of the Five Winds thanks to being so distracted. And she wasn¡¯t interested in listening to explanations or excuses. The fact that the two had fled was a clear sign of their guilt.


    Dee pointed a finger at the two while channeling a large amount of holy power and the dolorous sound of bells rang in the ears of the duo. They suddenly fell from the sky while bleeding from their ears and eyes. As rather powerful immortals, the quick death spell had not been enough to kill them, as the lost life-force was quickly replaced, but it still had enough of an effect to disable them for a small moment. Dee noted that one of the benefits of being a Champion seemed to be the increased effectiveness of her holy spells.


    She knew that killing the agents could be bad, but letting them live and report what they had seen was worse. Thus two large blades of psionic energy plunged into the heads of the two agents from behind, seemingly without resistance. Even Dee was surprised as she noted that the power had actually crystalized into something solid. As usual, the two blades then exploded with predictable results. Dee threw small balls of black fire at the corpses to destroy the evidence after consuming the two souls.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that will buy some time, but things will eventually get complicated.¡± Dee muttered with a frown.

 Chapter 162

    Dee paid vague attention to the proceedings on the large square below her. She was standing inside one of the towers of the temple overlooking the crowd below. The vantage point allowed her to stay out of sight while still staying within earshot. Still, being inside a temple dedicated to a deity dedicated to law and order gave her a nasty feeling. Gods dedicated to order and law were rather common and this temple had nothing to do with the primary God of Order that controlled the angels. Still, it made her feel like she was somewhere she didn¡¯t belong.


    The events happening below were largely due to her own machinations, but the slowness of it all made her impatient. She had been forced to learn some patience in the last week though. The news about the destruction of the embassy of the angels had set everyone on edge. Araqiel especially was shifting between worried and angry, and became only more so as the news of other dead angels and other related species filtered through. Araqiel might be the only live angel on Pantheon currently, not counting Dee of course, and some of the dead people she would count as friends, or at the very least acquaintances. Of course, some had also been her enemies, but a hundred dead enemies didn¡¯t matter as much as a single dead friend.


    Everyone was speculating about the identity of the person or community behind the attack, but there was very little to go by. The attack had happened during one of the dark periods of the Day city, and the attack had been quick, efficient and overwhelming. No evidence had been left behind and the embassy had been burnt to the ground before the surrounding communities could interfere. There were plenty of people and even races with grudges against the angels, so there was no lack of suspects. More than one person had looked Dee¡¯s way in speculation as well. In order to convince Araqiel, she had been forced into utilizing Umbra¡¯s ability to make it clear she had taken no part in the attack. Thanks to the ability, it was clear that Dee¡¯s words were the absolute truth, and her direct words had made lies of omission difficult.


    Personally, Dee was not sad to see the embassy gone, but it did complicate a few things. Umbra had provided her with a list of potential targets to attack in her bid to become the focus, but now she had trouble dealing with those targets. The destruction of the embassy had set everyone on a witch-hunt, and if Dee started to murder the Champions of order and law gods, then she would be drawing a lot of unfriendly attention towards the Five Winds. She was now strong enough that it didn¡¯t much matter if people came after her, but she was still careful about implicating the Five Winds.


    Going after those Champions would almost be a declaration of war and many people would assume she was also responsible for the embassy as the angels were the primary servants of order. To make matters worse, as she was now the Champion of two gods herself, others would know if she killed the Champions of other gods. Normally that would bring glory to the god she represented, but currently, that would draw the wrong kind of attention, as it was widely known the Champions of Umbra and Lumen were associated with the Five Winds, all thanks to the event known as the Fall of the Spider.


    That is, if she killed her targets directly. For the purposes of her becoming the focus, it was enough that Umbra was aware of her causing the deaths of her targets. For others to know she was responsible, she would actually have to kill the target personally. Umbra and Lumen would have preferred if she acted herself and brought glory to them, but they understood the necessity to be discreet at times. As a result, she¡¯d been forced to resort to more indirect means.


    In the last week, three Champions of gods hostile to both Umbra and Lumen had lost their Champions in various ¡®accidents¡¯. One of those couldn¡¯t¡¯ really be called an accident though, as the poor guy had been killed in his sleep by his mistress after said mistress had found out she was not the only woman the Champion was having fun with. It was one thing to have an illustrious man cheat on his wife with you, but it was entirely different to just be one of several such mistresses. The first one was almost an honor, while the second one was a humiliation.


    The events happening below had taken much more work on Dee¡¯s part to arrange. A ninth-ranked warrior serving a god of law and order was too powerful to simply die in a simple accident. He also didn¡¯t have such an obvious exploitable weakness, or so it had seemed at first. It had taken some digging on Dee¡¯s part to uncover something she could use. The temple he led tried maintaining order in one of the larger gatherings of communities inside the Night city, a large city within an even larger one. Despite the lawless nature of some parts of the Night city, most of the communities didn¡¯t allow things to devolve into anarchy and most large gatherings either relied on the judgement of the local hegemon or a seemingly neutral third party. Thus organizations like the temples of law and order were often places where the people of Night city sought justice.


    The square was a place where judgement was rendered and grievances could be settled. There was also a clear area delineated for executions. The Champion of Themis was overseeing the proceedings, though he was not pleased by the recent developments. Charges were being levied against him, and not just by one person either. The allegations of a single person would be easy to brush aside, but having so many people attacking his integrity at the same time was much harder to ignore. The temple relied on their reputation for impartiality, so if this many allegations were ignored then the temple would lose all credibility.


    Champions of law and order rarely had the penchant for something truly heinous as their own gods would abandon them if they found out. However, that didn¡¯t mean they were saints as shown by the Champion with his mistresses that Dee had dealt with earlier. This particular Champion had the habit of swaying his decision according to his own interests. He didn¡¯t take bribes, as that would be a blatant disregard of the very principles he was supposed to serve. Just that there were certain benefits that could fall the temple¡¯s way when certain decisions were made. The temple might decide to confiscate the ill-gotten gains of certain criminals and distribute them to the affected people according to their judgement. They were the most neutral party to perform such duties after all. Only, some assets never wound up being distributed due to various reasons, and some assets would end up being distributed slightly unevenly, favoring people the Champion liked. He was also harsher than was required when the person being judged had ample possessions to distribute.


    As there was a stark lack of places or willingness to detain criminals for long periods of time, punishment was usually exacted either in material compensation or blood, often in both. In the Night city, the most common punishment was death. As the Champion¡¯s misdeeds were being aired for everyone to see, the crowd began to demand justice. Yet, his misdeeds were not so heavy that the other priests and clerics would be willing to see their Champion executed. True, he had erred, but his crime was mostly not in the service of his own greed, and often benefitted the temple. The clerics themselves had been the beneficiaries on some occasions, and had not questioned the Champion¡¯s actions. Thus, Dee had added a little spice of her own to the mix, just enough to pressure even those reticent people.


    One of those clamoring for justice moved forward with a new charge and asserted that the Champion had judged an innocent man to death to clear the way for the Champion to claim that man¡¯s wife for some fun. Of course the Champion denied the charge, as it was entirely false, but when combined with the other charges they gained some credibility. When the accuser and the wife in question were interrogated under truth spells, they passed with flying colors. That was natural because as far as they knew, they weren¡¯t lying.


    Dee scoffed. That was the problem with truth spells, even those cast by the priests of a Goddess of Law and Order. If the one under the spell thought he was speaking the truth, then the spell would flag the words as true. And Dee had spent quite a bit of effort planting those memories in the heads of those two people. Messing with the minds of people was not her preferred way of doing things, but it worked well in this case. She had made sure that the ¡®wife¡¯ had very pleasant memories of her time with the Champion.


    While she watched the situation spiral out of hand, Dee grimaced at the memory of her previous meeting with the deities. The two goddesses had been gloating quite a bit, and Dee had been forced to use the word ¡®please¡¯ again to have them teach her how to stop leaking holy all over the place. She still gave off a sacred feeling of sorts when someone paid attention, but at least she wasn¡¯t alerting everyone in close proximity to her presence anymore. Now she would likely have to pull that holy presence out again to move things in the direction she wanted.


    Her dominating presence was a whole other matter. Moirai and Nyx had run some tests and subjected several people to the dominating aura before they had come to some conclusions. Apparently, everyone that had either been defeated by Dee before or recognized Dee as superior felt an instinctive fear and reverence towards her. They had trouble trying to oppose her even in their minds, and would be heavily suppressed if they actually tried. Even those with similar strength than Dee could be heavily affected if their mindset was wrong. Yet it seemed there were exceptions and Dee didn¡¯t have full control over the ability yet. For example, Moirai knew she was not as strong as Dee, yet she was barely affected. Shioko, on the other hand, was stronger than Moirai, at least theoretically, but was rather strongly affected. So there were some other factors involved, most of them ill-defined so far. Dee could unconsciously exclude people, but some people like Faylen were affected even when she tried excluding them. Yet, when they were in certain relaxed mindsets that had nothing to do with viewing Dee as a powerful individual, the pressure would vanish.


    ¡°It seems it¡¯s time for me to make an appearance.¡± Dee suddenly said, and changed her appearance to that of a standard angel, a seraph to be exact. The seraph often worked as emissaries of various order deities, as a favor from the primary God of Order. Some of those gods had even created something similar of their own when they had the ability, though usually, they could only manage a handful of such beings.


    The Champion had been condemned by both the gathered people and a portion of the priests that were less friendly with him, but had decided to resist. His decision was natural, as he was the most powerful person present. In his mind, he was the embodiment of the principles that their goddess represented, so this dirty rabble was not fit to judge him. Not on these false allegations! That of course ignored the fact that most of the allegations were true, but such details usually didn¡¯t get in the way of a good delusion.


    Suddenly the Champion found his power leaving him as a great weight settled on him, pressing him to the ground and on his knees. ¡°Citizens of Sidon! Servants of mistress Themis! Hear me!¡± Dee floated slowly down to the square, her dominating presence now affecting the crowd as well, though to a much lesser extent. They could feel the holiness radiating off her though, and assumed that holiness to be that of the deity Themis, and her to be a messenger. An impression strengthened by her following words.


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    Dee had almost spat out the word mistress earlier, but it had been necessary. Mistress could still be a non-reverential term, but the idea had already been planted in everyone¡¯s minds. Still, it was likely that Lumen and Umbra would want her to call them mistress at least once to tease her. She would have to use as much sarcasm as possible when that happened. ¡°Today the misdeeds of the Champion of the mistress have come to light and she finds herself sorely disappointed in her chosen. One who was supposed to uphold law and order has twisted it instead. Further, to escape the lawful judgement, the accused also wanted to use her power to harm innocent people. Thus I have been sent to make sure this travesty does not come to pass and to aid in rendering judgement! The accused has been made powerless, and now it falls upon the people here to exact punishment, if such is your decision. Remember, don¡¯t let anger cloud your judgement in the search for truth.¡±


    ¡®Yeah, that sounds a little too thick for anyone, but what can you do. Mobs require catering to the lowest denominator.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. Who knew she would end up preaching something like this, even if her words were a bit on the sarcastic side?


    The Champion of course was perfectly aware that Dee wasn¡¯t a messenger of the goddess Themis, but was unable to say a word due to being pressured by Dee¡¯s Domain. To others, it looked like the goddess was giving them a chance to judge a powerful criminal misusing the goddess¡¯ name. And they were partially correct. It simply wasn¡¯t Themis that had sent Dee here, but a different goddess entirely. Even the priests of Themis could not tell the difference as the sacred power practically oozed out of Dee. She looked like the perfect messenger, and they didn¡¯t know better. Thus, even those that considered the Champion their friend were pushed to a decision by the blatant ruling of their goddess, and they called for the execution of the Champion. The power of faith was stronger than bonds of friendship after all. Especially when those bonds were built simply on greed and mutual benefit.


    The crowd was all too happy to join in the condemnation, and a volunteer wielded the Champion¡¯s own blade to bring that judgement upon him. Once the deed was done, Dee gave some further platitudes to make the crowd and the priests feel good about their decision and flew off so quickly that she seemed to vanish. While flying away, she considered another thing she had previously learned when conversing with the deities, in this case with Lumen in particular.


    Dee had inquired about the special powers of Lumen, and had been told in no uncertain terms that the particular ability would do her no good. In fact, the goddess had claimed the ability would be counter-productive. Dee had wanted to know the details anyway, but Lumen had claimed that she would not reveal it since the ability relied on the element of surprise to work. Dee wasn¡¯t entirely convinced that was true, but she didn¡¯t mind either way. She had no lack of abilities, so one that didn¡¯t suit her wasn¡¯t a big deal. The mystery of it was more important to her than actually gaining a new ability.


    Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted as she was forced to swerve violently to the side. A large blade of energy flashed by the spot she would have been otherwise. The attack had been extremely fast and accurate considering the distance it had traveled, but she had the ability to sense things from far enough away to not get caught by surprise. She had sensed the other being quite a bit earlier, but had not considered them to be hostile before the attack. Not that she didn¡¯t prepare just in case. Additionally, the projectile might have been fast for most people but Dee had no trouble dodging it. She wasn¡¯t even forced into using Lumen¡¯s blessing to dodge the attack.


    A clacking laughter sounding extremely creepy approached her. The appearance of the hideous being made Dee narrow her eyes, not because she was disgusted, but because the attacker had been a demon. To be exact, the attacker seemed to be a Blade Demon, a creature that looked like someone had poured molten metal into a mold and had removed the mold a bit too soon, leaving a bit of the metal to still run down the sides. As the name implied, the demon was covered in dozens of extremely sharp edges and pointy spikes, while its form was generally that of a large hunched humanoid.


    ¡°Well, it has been a while since I last failed to ambush my enemy. Rare are those that have the ability to dodge my void blades!¡± The metallic sounding voice was clearly tinged with insanity and bloodlust.


    ¡®Void blade? Was that blade supposed to be some sort of void energy? Or is it just a fancy name?¡¯ Dee sent a wondering thought to Croestia.


    ¡®Well, strictly speaking, the blade did seem to create a weird edge of sorts, so I suppose?¡¯ Croestia shot back amused at the name.


    ¡°Was that supposed to be dangerous?¡± Dee asked the demon with clear disdain in her voice.


    ¡°It seems you don¡¯t have the proper respect. No matter. Mistress Umbra will give me the strength to show you the folly of your ways. Just like she lead me straight to you.¡± The metallic creature lunged towards Dee with its long and sharp claws reaching for Dee¡¯s face in an attempt to rip it off.


    ¡®Wait, Umbra led this being to me?¡¯ Dee was slightly confused in her thoughts, but not in her actions. She moved much faster than the creature and grabbed a hold of one of the few places on the beings hand that was not covered in something sharp and threw the demon straight at the ground. Despite the short distance, the sheer power behind the throw and the mass of the surprisingly heavy demon caused damage comparable to a large meteor strike, the after effects traveling hundreds of kilomels in all directions. The relatively nearby city most likely suffered some damage as well.


    The demon was rather sturdy though, so it wasn¡¯t really damaged, just a bit stunned. ¡°How can you be so fast and strong?¡± The demon wondered with a twisted expression.


    ¡°That was supposed to be fast?¡± Dee wondered, not realizing that her own speed and perception even without using Lumen¡¯s blessing had grown exponentially, both due to her personal growth as well as the new title of Champion she held. The demon actually was rather fast, just that Dee had not gotten used to her new abilities yet. ¡°Never mind. Let me show you just how wrong you are about Umbra helping you.¡±


    The shadows suddenly coalesced into strict bindings around the demon. The demon tried trashing around, but its blades had no effect on the shadows holding it, as the shadows simply bent away or allowed the blades to pass through harmlessly, while still holding on to the demon¡¯s form. ¡°It seems you¡¯re rather sturdy as well. Let¡¯s see just how sturdy.¡± Dee stated, while a small ball of black flames suddenly dashed towards the being.


    The demon harrumphed and walls of earth rose from the ground to meet the ball of fire. To Dee¡¯s surprise, the walls of stone that held no power of the demon anymore actually stopped the ball of fire. Granted the walls were all turned to dust and the ball had been small, but still. Apparently solid objects without power were a much more effective defense than anything created out of mana or ki. Of course, she could enhance the more destructive aspect of the flame or combine it with her dragon breath, but it was still interesting to know. ¡°Is that all you got?!¡± The demon taunted while tearing away some of the constraints around him with sheer strength.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a position to say anything.¡± Dee muttered a little amused, but decided to oblige. A giant blade of psionic power materialized next to her, the blade alone being wider than she was tall. ¡®When something complex fails, go back to the basics.¡¯ She thought to herself.


    Once again the power seemed to almost crystalize into something solid, before Dee made a small flicking motion with her hand, sending the blade at the demon. Apparently the sturdy metal of the demon¡¯s body was not enough to resist the blade, as the being was cleaved into two almost without resistance. Out of curiosity Dee had left the exploding element out of the blade this time and observed as the blade slowly started to vanish. She realized she could force the blade to materialize fully and stay there, but currently there was no point. It might be interesting to find out if a blade like that could stay forever.


    She landed on the ground and made a small prayer to Umbra, seeking an audience. The goddess had some explaining to do. Dee was not surprised to find herself inside the palace made of pure darkness, as the two sat in the garden opposite each other. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you want to know about the demon?¡± Umbra asked straight out without preamble, knowing Dee might be feeling a bit antsy.


    ¡°You guess correctly.¡± Dee replied curtly.


    ¡°I did mention to you that there are other candidates for the position. That little demon was one of them. I¡¯ve also mentioned it before that while you¡¯re my preferred choice, made obvious by the fact that you are my Champion, I can¡¯t act too biased. So I may have given your location out and guided the demon to you. I may also do so in the future. I may also continue to forget to mention to them how little chance they have against you, and only guide them to you while you¡¯re outside the Five Winds. It¡¯s not really my fault if they decide to bite off more than they can chew and if it happens to benefit you as well, so be it. I did as they asked. What they do with the information is up to them.¡± Umbra grinned, her meaning clear. Even when giving favors to the others, she was actually doing favors to Dee instead.


    Dee decided to let it go as the goddess had a point and had made sure to point out that such attacks would not come to the Five Winds. Instead, she asked something else that was bothering her. ¡°That sorry being was supposed to be a candidate as well?¡±


    ¡°Well, you have to understand a few things. First of all, your strength has just grown much more than you realize. You¡¯re gaining the power to fight multiple immortals at the same time, so a single one should be fairly simple, especially since you¡¯re suppressing their abilities even without noticing. You¡¯re just comparing them against monsters like Teresa or the avatar you just killed. You have to keep in mind that no single immortal has the level of advantages you have. Now don¡¯t get too cocky as a large enough group of immortals can still trounce you as things stand, and there are other monsters out there. Eventually, you will have the power to take on the entire Paradisia, but not just yet. Another thing to realize is that the demon just now wasn¡¯t exactly the most powerful candidate. I just started you off with something a bit easy. Still, don¡¯t think that the demon didn¡¯t have his own strengths. They just didn¡¯t match well with yours.¡± Umbra explained.


    That made Dee think. She had been feeling much stronger since the death of the avatar, but perhaps she didn¡¯t realize just how much stronger she had gotten. Her thoughts were soon interrupted. ¡°Since I just gave your competition a little help, let me give you something useful as well. It¡¯s time for you to return to the Five Winds.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Dee had a hunch, but had to make sure. She had assumed that she had limited time and that seemed to hold true.


    ¡°The Celestial Emperor will soon make his move. You might want to warn the seer that¡¯s been leading the Five Winds lately. Tell her that her husband is coming soon. She already has plans in place.¡± Umbra gave a curt explanation, before making a shooing gesture to send Dee¡¯s mind back.


    As Dee vanished, Umbra looked at the now empty seat with some wistfulness. ¡°You should also say your goodbyes. It¡¯s time for you to leave the relative safety of Pantheon behind.¡± Dee would hear the message when she woke up.

 Chapter 163

    People rushed to meet Dee almost before her dragon form had even landed after exiting the Astral Sea. She had somewhat expected that, though the number of people was a bit over her expectations. Most of them were either messengers or those simply curious to see her from close. What did catch her by surprise a bit was that the seer she was looking for was among those that were the first ones to reach her. In fact, the only one faster than the seer had been Moirai. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Moirai asked, clearly agitated.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Dee asked a little surprised. They shouldn¡¯t know anything about the demon attack, and the attack should not have elicited a response like this.


    The seer that Dee now knew to be something more than that replied in Moirai¡¯s stead. ¡°Apparently the Celestial Court knew about you leaving the confines of the Five Winds and sent multiple immortals in an attempt to hunt you down. I assume they thought it would be easier to get at you when you were alone. I told Moirai she didn¡¯t need to worry, but you know that worries don¡¯t always listen to logical arguments. Your return came at the perfect time actually.¡±


    ¡°In more ways than one.¡± Dee said, before shifting back to her normal form. The dragon form was many things, but quiet was not one of them. ¡°A¡­semi reliable source told me your husband is coming soon.¡± She waved at her hand in a dismissive gesture at the word reliable. Not that she doubted Umbra, but calling the goddess reliable would be giving too much credit.


    The empress grimaced. She had hoped to have this conversation at a better time. ¡°Yes, well, husband in name. I should probably re-introduce myself. The Celestial Empress, at your service.¡± She gave a small mocking curtsy.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got about a hundred questions, but I suppose those can wait. There are more urgent matters. You didn¡¯t seem surprised by my words.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°I appreciate your tact, and I wasn¡¯t surprised. I still have plenty of sources in the Celestial Court, and they already sent word that the emperor is preparing to make a move. That¡¯s what I meant with you coming at the perfect time. I have plans that we can implement when he does make his move, but they require exquisite timing and decisive action. Before that, everyone involved needs to know what to do. You coming back when you did gives me the chance to explain. We might want to move this to where the other relevant people are already gathered.¡± The empress explained.


    The empress made an inviting gesture towards some of those relevant people that had just arrived upon receiving the word of Dee¡¯s return, namely Nyx and Razark. They all separated from the crowd and went to the gathering in the room the representatives usually used for unofficial business. Most people were kept out, but all the representatives, as well as the leader of the Crimson Witches, were present, along with the most powerful members of their little alliance. The empress took the leading role in the proceedings, and even explained her own connection to the Celestial Court and fielded a few simple questions before moving on.


    ¡°As you¡¯re no doubt aware at this point, the Celestial Emperor has taken a dim view of both Teresa and Dee, and for related reasons has taken a dim view on the community of Five Winds. One of those related reasons is that I¡¯m here, so basically the Five Winds is harboring three people the emperor is displeased with. I¡¯d like you to take note that I mentioned an important point just now. The Celestial Emperor has taken a dim view, but the Celestial Court as a whole doesn¡¯t really care. To the court, most things besides perhaps my presence are immaterial, and my presence is not a big enough matter to really warrant a hostile response. They might actually have warm relations with us if the emperor was not present. Thus, our real problem is the Emperor, not the Celestial Court as a whole.¡± The empress summarized the situation.


    ¡°Is that not a distinction without difference? From what I understand, the emperor has an unbreakable grip on the court.¡± Shioko asked.


    ¡°Not when you consider why he has that grip. The Celestial Court is made up of over a hundred races nominally working together, but each having their own ambitions and desires. They also have powerful enough people that several of them working together could have the power to overthrow the emperor. The court also has a habit of poaching powerful individuals, mainly the immortals, from the lesser circles, some even against their will. So why has no one overthrown him in all these years? Two reasons. Well, three really if you consider all the work I did from the shadows before coming here, but that factor is gone now.¡± The empress managed to get a little sidetracked.


    ¡°Less patting yourself on the back. We¡¯ve been benefitting from your advice in the last years as well, so no need to focus on that. Get to the point.¡± The Anshar representative joked in an attempt to lighten the somber mood that was building at the prospect of facing the Celestial Court.


    The empress smiled at the attempt. ¡°Yes, well, to the point it is then. First of all, the emperor is in the habit of taking hostages. Those hostages are all treated like royalty and nothing bad happens to them, so there¡¯s less reason to complain, especially since it¡¯s something everyone has to deal with. The hostages are also rotated on a relatively frequent basis, so there is less resentment due to losing a family member for years on end. However, the emperor makes sure all the hostages are too important to lose. So there¡¯s no opportunity to send a useless hostage. A really potent example is my companion there. Would you care to explain¡± The empress gestured at the flamboyantly dressed Phoenix.


    The man stepped forward. ¡°Our race is not exactly fecund, so each young Phoenix that is hatched is extremely important to our race. The emperor has decreed that all females of our race are to have their eggs in captivity and the emperor is keeping all the eggs as a hostage. The eggs take decades to hatch even under constant care and not all of them will provide a living hatchling. At any time there could be a dozen or so eggs under the emperor¡¯s thumb. Our race could not deal with such a loss as it would take too long to recover.¡±


    That brought some nasty and commiserating remarks from everyone gathered. The empress waited a while before she continued. ¡°The second reason the emperor can hold his position is something you are starting to get a small taste of. He has a Domain that is rather similar to what Dee has, only he has a lot more experience in using it. Shioko can you tell me what you feel at the thought of going against Dee?¡±


    ¡°I¡­can¡¯t. I would die.¡± Shioko managed to utter with a shudder. The amount of raw emotion in her voice was clear to everyone.


    ¡°And that¡¯s with Dee barely having gained full control over her Domain.¡± The empress pointed out. ¡°The emperor has everyone under his thumb, and few people are capable of even contemplating going against him. However, if enough people did and the powerful people were given enough reason to, that could change. I have a reason to believe that if Dee applied her own Domain, the emperor would lose his hold on people. Something to be aware of though, is that it works both ways. I doubt you will be able to suppress his abilities Dee.¡±


    ¡°So is that your plan then? Have Dee use her Domain to counter the Celestial Emperor and instigate a rebellion? That sounds a bit wishful and half-assed. Not up to your usual standards.¡± Nyx interjected, clearly not pleased with the idea.


    The empress shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s just a part of it. I already mentioned that the emperor is coming here, most likely with a fair number of his most powerful subordinates. He expects to go against the Living Mountain, me, Dee, Teresa and possibly a lot of the Crimson Witches, as well as all of you. He wouldn¡¯t dare come without enough forces to match that at the very least.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good for us.¡± Razark pointed out the obvious.


    ¡°Indeed. That¡¯s why they will never get here, and even if they do, we will not be here to meet them. I have people in position ready to send me a word as soon as the emperor starts to move. The first part of my plan is to be away from here by then, and that we¡¯ll disable any teleportation gates in the vicinity. Thanks to our coalition against the Spider Cult, all our neighbors owe us a debt, and I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t mind repaying that by disabling their own gates for a short time, especially if we provide them with a good enough excuse to do so. Say, for example, a delayed party for our victory that we want to keep private. That will buy us some time to act. The emperor is stubborn enough to use a more distant gate and travel over land, and will not reach here before he has to turn back.¡± The empress outlined.


    ¡°Will they not just make their own spells to teleport people over? I seem to recall hearing that the wolf tribes can emergency deploy their own forces if the need is dire enough.¡± The leader of the Rakshasa asked.


    ¡°Emergency teleportation over vast distances is viable, but only works for a small number of individuals. Remember, the emperor needs to come in force. Besides, even if the emperor could manage that, we¡¯ll throw up a spell to block spatial magic as we leave to prevent scouts from using that method.¡± Amarog guessed correctly.


    ¡°And what do we plan to do with the time we are buying? You mentioned the emperor being forced to turn back.¡± Razark asked, deciding to play the part of asking obvious questions for expediency.


    ¡°First, we¡¯ll evacuate everyone not essential for the main operation. I¡¯m pretty sure the Lacademonians, for example, will be happy to take them in for a while. Then we will do the thing the emperor least expects. We¡¯ll attack the Celestial Court itself. I have not been idle all these years, and we¡¯ll have some help from other communities in the first circle. The Coven at least is almost salivating at the chance to strike at the emperor, and a few other communities wouldn¡¯t mind bringing the Court down a notch.¡± The empress smiled, rather pleased with herself.


    ¡°And what exactly are we hoping to accomplish? Like you said, the court itself is not our problem, the emperor is.¡± Shioko asked.


    ¡°We are attempting to sever the emperor¡¯s hold on the court, as well as remove his power base. If we set the hostages free and release the different factions from the emperor¡¯s hold, then he will have to face us personally in an attempt to retain his hold over the court. Unless he gets his own hands dirty, the other members of the court will lose their trust and reverence, and thus his Domain will lose power. And I¡¯m willing to take my chances with that. Or at least I¡¯m willing to bet Dee or Teresa can deal with him. With the emperor gone, the different factions will be too busy to wage an external war with us due to an internal struggle. The new emperor might even be rather grateful. I¡¯ll personally make sure the new emperor will not be the type to attempt solidify his hold by trying to accomplish what the previous emperor failed at, namely taking care of us.¡±


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    ¡°Who exactly did you manage to get help from in the first circle?¡± Teresa asked with interest. She had not spent enough time in the first circle to sound out any support she might gather. Anastasia had tried with limited results, despite the wondrous power of the gift basket.


    ¡°The Heavenly Temple and the Children of Gods were rather eager. They have had their own troubles with the Celestial Court before. For some odd reason¡­¡± The empress coughed and pointed at Dee. ¡°¡­the dragons were rather willing to offer support as well. Apparently, they were not all that pleased with what happened to Xinglong either. Then there¡¯s the Coven of course. I was planning on approaching the Titans as well, but things escalated a bit too quickly. We can manage without them, though it would have been nice.¡±


    ¡°I assume you also have an actual plan of action as well?¡± Razark asked, already resigned to follow along.


    ¡°Of course. As it happens, many of the security features of the Celestial Court were designed by me, partly because the emperor is not an expert in such things and knew I would do a better job. To the surprise of absolutely no one, I can also get us through those defenses. Most of them at least.¡± The empress had to grimace a bit at her last words.


    ¡°Most?¡± Dee asked with a sneaking suspicion that she would not like this.


    ¡°Well, it is my understanding that you can take a small group inside the palace and I can help us deal with the security once we are inside. However, we¡¯re on a clock with this operation and everything needs to happen before the emperor returns, so you¡¯ll need to use the quicker portals Nyx told us about. It is my understanding that those require you to actually physically carry anyone going with you. That won¡¯t help us get most of our forces inside. Thus, we will need to use a small group to disable the field preventing other spatial magic from reaching the palace to allow everyone else to rush in. And the emperor might have been rather insistent on handling the security of the spell keeping that particular field up. He never did completely trust me and he¡¯s not an idiot. He knows that field is the key to the palace defense, so¡­¡± The empress sounded genuinely apologetic.


    Dee sighed. ¡°Alright, I kind of expected something like this. It would be too much to hope I could just walk in and flash my Domain around to claim victory. How bad could it be?¡±


    ------


    The Five Winds had started sending their people to safety in small groups well before the emperor made his move. A mass exodus would have drawn too much attention, but a slightly increased traffic into several directions was much less noticeable, and the emperor didn¡¯t really even care about the general population of the Five Winds. A large portion of the evacuees went to the Lacademonians, but not so many that it would make them an attractive target instead. The Five Winds had a lot of friends at the moment, so there were plenty of safe havens to be found.


    The plan was that the Celestial Emperor would never actually make it to the Five Winds before turning back, but they had to take measures in case the emperor decided to send a smaller force to continue on out of spite. The Anshar and Dagon representatives stayed behind with some of the Rakshasa to make sure a small scouting party would not be able to destroy everything they had built. It was a large possibility that the mission of staying behind might turn into a suicide one, which is why those that stayed behind did so as full volunteers.


    All teleportation gates except one had been disabled long before, and as soon as they got the word about the emperor making his move, they all used that remaining gate before it too was disabled by those staying behind. They soon found themselves in the area controlled by the Crimson Witches which had been chosen as the staging ground for the attack. It was out of place and rarely used by anyone, but now the area was brimming with powerful beings.


    ¡°So let me get this straight. Counting the Crimson Witches as well, a full half of the first circle communities are taking part? How did you manage to wrangle that?¡± Nyx asked in a subdued tone. The beings present here were all extremely powerful, and many were also imposing in their appearance.


    ¡°Well, while most communities are not aware, those in the first circle with real intelligence know of me and my importance to the Celestial Court. They see this as a perfect opportunity to teach the court a lesson. The emperor has been throwing his weight around for centuries, and the others are not happy. That said, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re getting the full support of the others. We¡¯re mostly getting aid that is almost more symbolic. The Dragons, for instance, are not flying to support us in force, but they did send a handful of their more powerful members. Not the most powerful mind you. But that¡¯s fine. We¡¯re not trying to eradicate the court. That fight would ruin half of the first circle.¡± The empress explained.


    Dee was more focused on observing the various beings around her. The dragons all gave her odd looks that she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to take. They weren¡¯t hostile, but they were not exactly friendly either. The closest word that came to her was ¡®interest¡¯. Still, the dragons and the Crimson Witches were perhaps the most boring participants of this gathering. Everyone knew and understood their power, but the others were less obvious.


    The monks of the Heavenly Temple seemed the most unassuming, but Dee could sense they were all one with the nature around them and ready to spring into action on moment¡¯s notice. Still, they hid their power well, even from her sight. What made things interesting was that Dee recognized a handful of the monks from her time at the old man¡¯s volcano. Those monks had gone there for training and to exchange knowledge. At least one of the monks present had been Dee''s sparring partner on few occasions, and Dee had based some of her own skills on those she had seen the monks use. She half expected the old man to show up, but was slightly disappointed to see that was not the case.


    The witches of the Coven were almost like small stars radiating power to Dee¡¯s magical sight. These more warlike members of the Coven were undoubtedly some of the greatest magic users on Pantheon. Every piece of equipment and every ornament was enchanted to the utmost degree and there were waves of elemental power radiating off the witches even when they weren¡¯t doing anything. Dee was almost certain that all of them had battle related elemental totems of some sort and would have almost perfect control over their chosen element. And as usual for the Covenant witches, they all exemplified their own idea of perfect physical beauty, be it male or female.


    Yet, even the witches lost in appearance to the last group. There were twelve beings spread between both male and female humanoids, all of them even taller than Dee. They must have been at least three mels tall at the shortest. They were all what could only be called perfect when it came to their bodies and appearance. Every muscle was the perfect size and in the perfect place. Every contour was just the way it should be and there wasn¡¯t a single blemish on any of them. Their features were all perfectly symmetrical and pleasing to the eye, giving the impression of ¡®this is how one should look¡¯. Yet there was something otherworldly about them. Beauty was always in the eye of the beholder, as made obvious by the Coven, but these beings seemed to somehow transcend that.


    ¡°I see the Children have caught your eye.¡± Nyx commented to Dee with a slightly lascivious grin.


    ¡°The Children?¡± Dee noted the odd emphasis.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The empress interjected. ¡°Their community is called the Children of the Gods, as that is exactly what they are. Gods don¡¯t often have actual children, even though they may call some of their creations as such, but when they do, the result is what you see. The Children might be the only beings that have received even more gifts when it comes to their physical bodies than you. The Children are all universally beautiful, statuesque, and self-assured. Their bodies are naturally almost immune to magical attacks, and highly resistant to almost everything else. They also naturally command the power of magic without any form of study. They are born Immortal and don¡¯t age after reaching maturity and even their surroundings seem to react to their moods. When they are unhappy the clouds might cry in concert with them, the flowers might wilt and dead animals can be found washing ashore and rotting in the forests. Yet they are perhaps some of the most tragic beings as well.¡± The empress said in a faraway voice.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Because their power is determined at birth. Theirs is a fate tied to their parents and waxes and wanes when the power of the parent does. They can never simply train to increase their strength. Although they are all powerful, there has never been one of their kind that could be counted among the most powerful beings of Pantheon, let alone the universe. And should something happen to their divine parent, they will follow that parent to death. Their might is strong but their fates are sealed.¡± The empress¡¯ eyes sharpened as she received a message. ¡°Anyway, this is not the time for such things. We have to act quickly. The emperor just led his forces out from the first circle.¡±


    ¡°So who is actually going to the palace with me?¡± Dee asked ready to act. She had heard the composition of some of the other groups that would strike with their own missions once the spatial field came down, but no details on her own group. Though she could make guesses based on a simple process of elimination. For example, Nyx and Moirai would not be coming with her but would help rescue the hostages.


    ¡°My plan calls for three people to go. You of course, as you are needed for two things, one of which is to get us there in the first place. Secondly, I will be coming along to disable the defenses of the palace and lead us to the right place. I was thinking of bringing Teresa as the third, to handle unseen circumstances that might require additional fighting power, which she has in spades. Besides that, she has the gift of limited foresight as well, so she won¡¯t be making stupid mistakes.¡± The empress stated. ¡°Does that seem acceptable?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking me? You¡¯re the one who has this planned out.¡± Dee¡®s eyebrow shot up in question.


    ¡°Well, from what I hear, you¡¯ll have to carry us, and I¡¯m also aware that you don¡¯t exactly enjoy the prospect. I¡¯m just thinking about people you might be able to tolerate.¡± The empress replied a little warily.


    Dee gave an evil grin. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll carry you alright. You¡¯re not getting on my back though; that''s reserved for the few people I call friends. Let¡¯s go. There¡¯s a Celestial Court to assault and an emperor to kill.¡±

 Chapter 164

    ¡±You could have at least carried us in your claws.¡± The empress stated with an admonishing tone. Or at least as much as she could manage that while steadying herself on the nearby pillar.


    ¡°I could have. I didn¡¯t though.¡± Dee replied while sounding a little distracted. She had carried the duo of the empress and Teresa by taking a hold of their clothing with her teeth. The teeth of her dragon form, which happened to be bigger than the two women.


    ¡°I rather enjoyed the experience as a whole, though I must say your dragon form might need a breath freshener.¡± Teresa commented as she cleaved the last guard in half. She and Dee had quickly taken care of the nearby guards that had spotted their arrival.


    The empress had used her agents to draw nearly all the guards to the other side of the palace. She had also instructed Dee to make her portal as close to ground as possible and inside a secluded garden. Despite these precautions, it was still a testament to the empress¡¯ skills that only a small handful of guards had noticed the arrival of a rather sizeable dragon, though Dee had shifted into her normal form almost as soon as the portal had closed behind her.


    ¡°This place really is filled with powerful people.¡± Dee stated with some amazement, not dignifying Teresa¡¯s barb with a reply. Her Mindscape could detect thousands upon thousands of powerful minds, and there were even several powerful psions among those. Dee¡¯s Authority could hide her from them for a while, though not for too long. If everything went according to the plan, they didn¡¯t need that much time. ¡°Despite your success, we still might have some trouble avoiding patrols.¡±


    With so many of the powerful individuals having joined with the Celestial Emperor in his attack, the trio was not too worried about being able to deal with some random patrol they might run into. The problem came if those patrols managed to raise an alarm before the real attack began. Dee and Teresa could kill their targets very quickly but the patrols most likely had items that allowed for an alarm to be raised in less than a second. Fighting their way through a mass of guards would be much more challenging and time-consuming, assuming they could even do so.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± The empress stated and tossed the other two women one of the helmets she had just taken from the dead guards. Most likely one of the guards Dee had killed from a distance considering Teresa had not left any helmets intact with her attacks. ¡°Just put that on.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you have noticed but I don¡¯t really give the same kind of impression as most of the guards.¡± Dee stated. She could change her appearance for a time but she still had this special air about her that was almost impossible to hide.


    ¡°Just put it on. You¡¯ll know soon enough.¡± The empress replied with a small smile.


    Dee complied and placed the ornamental helmet made of some deep-green metal on her head. Suddenly she found herself surrounded by a full body armor made of the same green material. The armor had a definite dragon theme to it and had an emerald glow to it. The different plate portions were separated by a matte black skin-tight body suit that allowed for a greater mobility. The bodysuit had also appeared from seemingly thin air. It also fit her perfectly for some reason. ¡°Huh. All this from just a helmet?¡± Dee mumbled.


    Teresa gave a small whistle. ¡°That really hides your aura well. In fact, you don¡¯t give off any feeling at all. No wonder the guards felt so bland before they died. I could probably sense your Domain if I really focused on it, but¡­¡±


    The empress gave a small chuckle. ¡°It won¡¯t hide your status as a psion from the minds of the other psions, but you said you have that covered. Would it surprise you to know that the armor was previously worn by a male Naga? Yeah, I mean the type that doesn¡¯t have any legs.¡±


    Dee looked at the rather clear leg armor and boots she was wearing. Her incredulous expression made it clear what she thought about the empress¡¯ words. Or at least it would have if it had not been covered by the helmet that hid her face completely. The message still got through though. The empress continued. ¡°That¡¯s something you should both keep in mind. The Celestial Emperor, and by extension the Celestial Court, loves uniformity. Every guard from a hundred different races looks exactly the same despite being wildly different in size and shape. Every guard might look identical, but their appearance is often deceiving. Just because they look like they¡¯re swinging a halberd at you, doesn¡¯t mean they actually are. They might be using a sword or even a bow.¡±


    ¡°That sounds complicated.¡± Teresa stated. ¡°Needlessly complicated. Any half-decent opponent will be able to sense the difference when up close. The only reason I didn¡¯t notice was because I killed them so quickly.¡±


    The empress laughed. ¡°You have to remember that a half-decent opponent by the standards of you two is a very skilled opponent for anyone else. And catching an enemy by surprise even once can decide a battle in an instant. Besides, it¡¯s less about the advantage and more about looking more impressive I¡¯m afraid. The emperor isn¡¯t stupid but he can be vain in the weirdest of ways, and this happens to stroke his ego for some reason. Let¡¯s get moving. We have some distance to cover and not a lot of time. Teresa, you should utilize the helmet as well. I can make myself seem like a court lady, and we¡¯ll give off the correct magical signals to anyone patrol that we come across. A little-known secret: it¡¯s not really about looking the part, but giving the right magical signals inside the palace. Signals that I know, so don¡¯t¡¯ worry.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do.¡± Teresa mumbled in exasperation. The empress¡¯ knowledge was useful but the woman could be a bit less smug about it.


    The empress¡¯ promise held though as no patrols paid them any attention, and there were plenty of patrols as they closed on the heart of the enormous palace. They had seen hundreds of guards, dozens of servants and a handful of officials. Normally they would have seen several times that number, but many were busy due to the Celestial Emperor making his attack and the empress creating small distractions around the palace with her agents. The main chambers around the throne room were always in active use by officials, and despite their precautions, the trio didn¡¯t want to take unnecessary risks. As their goal was rather close to the throne room, that meant they had to take a rather winding route through the ornamental stone hallways. Luckily the empress knew several secret passages that made the trip a bit easier.


    ¡°Here¡¯s where the trouble begins.¡± The empress stated, pointing at the opening of a circular corridor guarded by two low ranked immortals with their hands ready on their blades. Naturally, they were a little suspicious seeing the trio approach.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need those two I assume?¡± Dee asked with a light tone, which caused the two guards to almost miss her words. Before they acted though, they both seemed to collapse to the ground seemingly without reason. Dee had of course seen the threads of magic that the empress had used to paralyze the duo, even though they were invisible to the normal eye.


    ¡°No, we do not. That¡¯s also not the problem I meant.¡± The empress said while Teresa finished off the two unconscious guards just to be sure. ¡°That corridor and the guards on the other side are.¡± The empress waved for the two others to stay out of sight from the other end of the corridor.


    ¡°So what¡¯s so special about that place?¡± Teresa asked.


    ¡°The corridor itself is surrounded by what I could only described as chaotic space. The room on the other end is a small pocket dimension with the corridor being the only way to get inside. Don¡¯t let the normal looking walls of the corridor fool you. You will not be able to use any of your powers while in the corridor, mainly because the chaotic energy will twist your powers into something else entirely. It¡¯s a pure chaotic power of chance. If you try to cast a simple fireball, you might end up creating a star next to your face, or you might summon a frying pan. Or something else out of a list of endless other possibilities.¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯ll just attack from here?¡± Teresa suggested simply.


    ¡°That¡¯s where the problem of the guards comes in. They are all equipped with specially created tower shields that will reflect any attacks back at us. I will be fairly powerless here, and so will Teresa, as I would not recommend trying to rush through that corridor. Any defensive abilities you might use would have a chance to turn against you and cause you to implode inside the corridor. This is the second reason Dee is here that I mentioned before we left.¡± The empress explained.


    ¡°Let me guess. I¡¯m supposed to move through the shadows and attack them from behind?¡± Dee asked, figuring out the plan. Or at least a plan.


    ¡°Well, that would work as well I suppose. If you can do that I mean. Strictly speaking, the other end of the corridor is a separate dimension, so I don¡¯t know if you can manage it. I was thinking more along the lines of your shapeshifting abilities, but whatever works for you.¡± The empress had considered that Dee could turn into either her dragon form to just power through with her inherent defenses and scales or alternatively something small and stealthy.


    ¡°Yeah, I like my way better.¡± Dee stated and suddenly the shadows swallowed her. The empress was right in that it took a bit more effort to get to the other side, but while the two places were different dimensions strictly speaking, they were still connected and close enough for Dee¡¯s purposes. The five guards inside all sensed Dee and turned towards the disturbance, but Dee used herself as a distraction while invisible hands suddenly shoved all five of them into the corridor.


    As the corridor took effect, the guards found themselves floating weightlessly in place, slowly drifting towards the other end where Teresa and the empress were waiting. In their distressed state, three of the guards made the mistake of trying to use their powers to get back towards Dee. One of them actually succeeded while the two others met a rather gruesome end while taking one of the smarter guards with them as their abilities exploded. As the floating guard wasn¡¯t really able to defend herself, Dee made short work of her with a single swing of a psionic weapon that carried enough corrupting power to disable the regenerative abilities of the immortal guard. Teresa took care of the remaining guard while Dee started dealing with the magical formation preventing spatial magic.


    The formation was a rather complex one and couldn¡¯t just be disabled forcefully by destroying the magical glyphs powering it. In fact, Dee took long enough to understand the formation that the empress managed to get to her to actually finish the job. She was much more skilled with such things after all. Then she pulled out a messaging talisman that she used to signal the rest of their forces awaiting this very signal. It didn¡¯t take long before Dee felt several magical and a single psionic portal opening above the palace to allow the attackers entry. The one psionic portal was the exception in that it had been much more secretive and was used to bring in the group in charge of saving the hostages.


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    The guards inside the palace reacted to the new arrivals with speed and efficiency. While the attackers were much stronger individually, the imperial guard of the court was made up of over a thirty thousand rank nine individuals. With that many people, they could dedicate many of their own to fight every immortal that came through the portals. One of the over two dozen immortals still within the court realized that something had happened to the formation and led a group of guards towards it, though those guards met a rather swift end at the hands of both Dee and Teresa. At the same time, the empress managed to convince the lone immortal of her identity and to have him stop hostilities.


    The man was not able to resist the domination of the emperor enough to join in the rebellion they were brewing. At least that was true until Dee unleashed her own Domain, canceling the effects of the emperor¡¯s hold on the man. Still, the man was one of the political leaders with a faction of his own, and some of his people were held hostage, so the best he could do was to keep his own subordinates out of the fight. Meanwhile, the trio started marching towards the throne room where the biggest resistance was focused. Dee was using her Domain liberally to weaken their opponents and to destroy their resolve. She also allowed her full holy presence as a Champion to shine through to make the effect even more pronounced.


    ¡°This is too easy. This can¡¯t be everything the Celestial Court has to offer.¡± Teresa mumbled while keeping her eyes peeled for any danger. The stiff resistance outside defied her words a little but Dee also felt the same. They had killed many guards but had faced very few immortals.


    ¡°That¡¯s because this isn¡¯t all the court has. Most of the magical defenses are being disabled by me and my agents, most of the immortals have gone with the emperor and most of what is left is spread around the land controlled by the court. They need to defend their own territories against rival factions and outside enemies, so not all of the power can be focused inside the palace.¡± The empress explained, though even she was feeling a little suspicious.


    The trio reached the throne room only a second before one of the Children of the Gods kicked the large ornamental doors open, tossing the corpse of one of the defending immortals inside with a contemptuous ease. ¡°Is this it? I expected a lot more.¡± The woman asked just as confused as Teresa had been.


    The empress also frowned. Even with all the advantages they had, this was still too easy. The plan was good but not this good. She reached for one of the communication talismans and focused for a short time. Her face twisted in anger as she listened to the person she was talking with. ¡°We¡­have a problem.¡± She said carefully, looking up at Dee and Teresa.


    ¡°Well spit it out.¡± Teresa asked her calm face still showing a small smile, though a little strained at the moment.


    ¡°The Celestial Emperor took a course of action different from what we expected. The chance was there in my attempts to view the future, but the odds were miniscule. Well, the odds being small doesn¡¯t mean the outcome never happens. The emperor did not turn back once he heard about the palace. He continued on to the Five Winds, and according to the spy I have among his forces, the whole area where the Five Winds community had their headquarters is now a smoldering ruin. Everyone that stayed behind and didn¡¯t manage to escape is now dead.¡± The empress explained, angry with herself. This had always been a possibility but there was little they could have done about it.


    Dee gave a deep sigh. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Those that stayed behind knew that it might turn into a suicide mission. The Five Winds can rebuild somewhere else if the land itself is unusable.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more.¡± The empress stated with a grimace. ¡°For some reason, the emperor is still not coming back. In fact, it seems he¡¯s not in a hurry at all. I have to admit I can¡¯t understand why.¡±


    Dee¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Unless he knew we were coming here and has something prepared for us.¡±


    The empress looked at Dee in shock. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t abandon the palace. It¡¯s his pride and joy, and the monument to his rule.¡± She had known the emperor for centuries and everything she knew about the man told her that her deduction was right. The palace held all the trophies of his victories and losing the palace would be a large blow to his prestige.


    Suddenly a male voice sounded from a side door, and a man dressed in dragon robes approached them. ¡°You know me so well my dearest wife. So well in fact that it will be your undoing.¡± The black haired man had a regal bearing and refined features, and he radiated an aura similar to the one Dee radiated, the two Domains colliding and grinding against one another.


    ¡°The emperor!¡± The empress hissed.


    ¡°Now, now. Don¡¯t be like that. Wasn¡¯t the whole point of this little plan of yours to force me to face you personally? Well, here I am, though it will do you little good.¡± The emperor stated with a faint victorious smile.


    ¡°Surely you¡¯re not delusional enough to think you could take us alone?¡± The empress asked, probing for information.


    ¡°As enjoyable as finding that out would be, no. I¡¯m not that delusional. Oh dear wife of mine, you¡¯re sometimes too intelligent for your own good. You forget, I¡¯ve known you as long as you¡¯ve known me, even if you tried to keep everything to yourself. I knew you had enough spies here to know about my every move and all I needed to do was imagine all the worst possible ways this whole thing could blow up in my face. Then I just had to do the one thing you imagined I would never do.¡± The emperor was now grinning openly.


    He turned to Dee. ¡°You must be the person my wife is betting everything on. I wish we had met under different circumstances, as we might have become great together. Unfortunately, my wife got her claws into you first. Oh well, one can¡¯t get everything they want. I doubt you¡¯ll survive, but if you do, I hope our next meeting will be more pleasant.¡±


    ¡°Survive?¡± The empress asked with a suddenly grim hunch.


    Dee also noted that while the Celestial Emperor before them looked and felt real, his insides seemed somehow hollow. It was rather clear that the true emperor was not standing in front of them. Dee flashed outside straight through the roof of the throne room, leaving a gaping hole behind, while Teresa moved in to attack the emperor in front of them. It was hard to miss the increased temperature and the bright light approaching them from the sky.


    She suddenly pulled the Living Mountain out of her Soul Space and tossed it towards the place that held the hostages, and more importantly Moirai and Nyx. ¡°Time to make yourself useful!¡± She yelled at the mountain and rose to meet the incoming danger.


    It was too late to try and evacuate everyone, as suddenly the entire palace was bathed in solar fires lancing straight down from one of the stars orbiting Pantheon. The attack had been launched a quite a bit earlier, but only now reached the intended target as the entire area was bathed in fires the likes of which few beings had ever seen.


    Far above the palace, nearly in the orbit of Pantheon, the Young King and another Solarian watched as the solar flames started consuming the palace. Some of the more powerful immortals would manage to resist for a small time, especially beings like the Children of the Gods that were almost immune to the power aimed at them. Unfortunately, this was fire used by two rank thirteen beings with Sun Authorities that circumvented almost all resistances.


    ¡°The emperor¡¯s plan was extremely decisive.¡± The older Solarian stated firmly, not entirely sure if she should admire or condemn the emperor¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Extremely cruel, but effective.¡± The Young King stated equally conflicted. Not only did the emperor sacrifice his beloved palace, but he also gave up almost the entire imperial guard, which had stayed behind as a distraction to delay the enemies. The solar fire would also kill the officials and hostages, including several faction leaders within the court. The events today would almost certainly lead to a rebellion, though in an interesting move the ones that had been left behind in the palace were those most likely to protest the emperor¡¯s actions.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you agreed to it.¡± The Young King stated. The emperor would have to have paid a heavy price for the aid of the Solarians. That said, the Solarians were one of the few beings that could avoid the empress¡¯ ability to see the future, so their involvement was necessary to the emperor¡¯s plans.


    ¡°A favor repaid, for a service rendered. Further understanding is not required young one. That will come with time. For now, only obedience is needed.¡± The older Solarian stated. She couldn¡¯t freely admit that the actions today were partially to alleviate the pressure exerted by the angels after the destruction of their embassy. One of the most dangerous demons on Pantheon being killed would go a long way to balance things out. The Solarians could not be seen attacking any of the demons directly, as this was supposed to be a safe haven from the War in Heavens, but if a demon perished as a collateral damage while they returned a favor to the Celestial Emperor? Well, that was another matter entirely.


    ¡°I think things might not go quite as the emperor hoped.¡± The Young King suddenly stated. He had been paying more attention to what was happening below while the other Solarian controlled the flames. Unlike the older Solarian, he had not missed the black sun that had appeared above the heart of the palace that kept consuming some of the solar flames and growing larger. He could also sense a weird power protecting certain portions of the palace elsewhere, although the protected area was minor.


    With the Young King pointing the anomaly out, the other Solarian also noticed the black sun consuming the solar flames. She looked thoughtful for a moment before giving a small shrug. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. It is not our duty to defeat the enemies of the Celestial Emperor. We have done what was asked of us. Besides, that weird thing might be devouring some of our attack, but much of it is reaching the palace anyway. I doubt it will make much of a difference in the long run.¡±


    The two Solarians would remain long enough to see that their attack would not spread to affect the rest of the area controlled by the Celestial Court, and then they would leave. What came after was not their problem. Or to be precise, the older Solarian would leave, while the Young King stayed behind to see how this played out. He was curious after all and knew some of the people involved thanks to his dealings with other communities.

 Chapter 165

    As Dee noticed the solar flames coming down on them, the best way to resist she could come up with was to use the black sun to consume as much of the incoming power as possible. She sensed many of the immortals in their attack force converging towards the center of the palace as they too sensed the coming attacks and realized the weird black sun floating above them was a possible method of defense. Even a questionable defense was better than nothing. As those immortals arrived, they used their own powers to do what they could to erect their own defenses. Some of them made it in time, while some of them did not as the flames crashed down on everyone. Even with the defenses in place, the flames were reaching everywhere. It was not a matter of not being burnt, but an attempt to avoid the level of burns that they could not survive.


    Once the solar flames hit the black sun, Dee felt like she was trying to lift a mountain. The flames were theoretically weightless even as they consumed large parts of the palace in an instant, but the power driving the flames was pushing against the power she used to maintain the black sun. The black sun consumed the flames growing larger in the process, but it had not yet grown to its old size after the events with the Spider Goddess¡¯ avatar and covered only a portion of the palace. Even those parts it did cover were not completely spared from the spreading flames. She realized that more needed to be done if she wanted to save their allies.


    Dee¡¯s Domain grew to its maximum size and effectiveness in an attempt to suppress some of the destructive power of the flames. The effectiveness of the Domain was limited as the beings that were controlling the flames were not within her reach, but every little bit helped. She also placed an Aegis over the areas where her allies seemed to be gathered, the holy power draining from her like a flooded river. Because she didn¡¯t have the strength to stand against the flames by herself, she intentionally blocked only a portion of the flames, leaving the rest for her allies to deal with. Luckily her body could ignore the flames so she didn¡¯t need to focus on her own defense. Incidentally, it seemed that the empress was taking care of defending herself and Dee as much as possible, as she was situated right below Dee inside the throne room.


    At first, she could sense the Living Mountain also protecting the place where the hostages were located at, but the deluge of power soon drowned that out from her senses. In addition, blocking the flames was drawing more and more of her concentration and power, and she also had to heal her own body at the same time. While the flames were not touching her, the sheer amount of power she was channeling was putting a strain on her and causing damage. She had an almost bottomless ocean of holy power to draw on to maintain the Aegis, and her body had become much better at dealing with this sort of strain, but she was still at her limits.


    Luckily she didn¡¯t have to deal with the danger alone. The dragons had come together to protect their own, taking some of the strain off her, and while the monks and the Children of the Gods were not as adept at dealing with this kind of attack, they were also naturally more resistant, even if the solar flames seemed to ignore some of the resistances completely. With Dee¡¯s help, their losses were being kept to a minimum. The real problem came from the Crimson Witches, but Teresa had come to their aid after dealing with the hollow duplicate of the emperor. A giant dome of red energy had materialized above the place the majority of the Crimson Witches had gathered, and apparently, Teresa was using this opportunity to push herself towards the thirteenth rank by straining herself to her limits.


    Once the flames ceased falling from the skies, the sight greeting the survivors was desolate. There was very little surviving from the palace and even that very little was still in the process of burning. Any unprotected areas had been turned into ash and the sort of weird glass that formed only as a result of extreme heat that could not occur naturally. Dee almost fell from the sky above the palace remains as she let go of the black sun, returning it back inside her Domain, now much larger than it had ever been.


    The empress was the one that ran to catch her and check her condition. Dee wasn¡¯t truly injured, just strained beyond measure. Her increased rank had truly helped her in handling enormous amounts of power. ¡°That¡¯s the second time I¡¯ve had to clear up your mistake. Let¡¯s not allow a third one to happen.¡± Dee stated in a bit of a sarcastic but plenty tired voice.


    The empress nodded and replied seriously. ¡°I will make sure there won¡¯t be a third time. I¡¯ve already sent some of the other survivors to bring everyone here and to check the situation.¡± She knew Dee would be worried about some of the others, made obvious by the way she had tried protecting everyone. Dee didn¡¯t actually care about everyone, but the groups had gotten mixed in the chaos and she didn¡¯t have the chance to make sure which groups contained the people she did care about. So she had tried to protect everyone.


    The harsh temperature and difficult terrain made movement a little challenging, but they were all immortals after all. It took a few moments but the survivors started filtering in. The first to arrive were the monks as they were the fastest out of everyone. They thanked Dee profusely for saving them and reported that their losses were about half of those that had come on this expedition. Most of those that had died had been those that had attacked the outer parts of the palace and didn¡¯t manage to regroup with others as the solar fires fell. The monks had utilized their speed to attack a wider area than the others but were now paying the price for that.


    By the time the dragons and the Children of the Gods arrived, Dee had already managed to regain some of her mobility. The dragons had lost roughly a third of their number as they had been in the air when the fires came, while the Children only lost one thanks to their ability to resists the damage, even though the Authorities of the Solarians made their immunities void. That said, every member of their group lost was a tragedy as they could not procreate normally. They needed the gods to do that for them.


    ¡°So I have a pretty good guess myself, but what the hells just happened?¡± Dee asked the empress.


    ¡°The emperor managed to gain some assistance from the Solarians. I¡­have some slight ideas on how that might have come to pass, but I don¡¯t know enough to be certain. I¡¯m still working up a plan to turn this mess around, but I think it¡¯s relatively safe to assume the two are not proper allies. The Solarians simply performed this attack as a favor to the emperor. Otherwise, they would have attacked a second time once they noted some of us were still alive. I think that this will not repeat, but I can¡¯t say that with certainty just yet.¡± The empress explained, her mind working overdrive due to considering all the possibilities.


    She already had a basic outline of a plan, but it depended on the survival of the hostages, something they had no word of just yet. They also needed to deal with the Solarians somehow. The key to turning the situation around lay in the different factions of the Celestial Court and their anger towards the emperor for sacrificing the hostages so callously. If the empress could show that their group had saved the hostages from the emperor, and were incidentally now keeping them safe, then those factions could be turned against the emperor, or at least convinced to stay out of the hostilities. With that, many of the immortals currently following the emperor around might stand out, giving the empress and the rest of them a fighting chance. It was not all that different to their original plan, just that certain things had changed, making the situation more dangerous. But if everyone had to worry about the Solarians interfering further, then all was doomed. The factions within the court would be too scared to act.


    ¡°It better not. I don¡¯t think I can block another one of those.¡± Dee felt restless as her friends had not shown up just yet. ¡°I better check on them. You can handle things here for the time being.¡±


    She flew towards the Living Mountain that she had sent towards the hostages, and happened to fly over the spot where most of the Crimson Witches were gathered. Many of them had differing levels of burn injuries and their numbers had been reduced. Not as much as one would expect from the severity of the attack, but still a blow that would take a long time to recover from. She also saw Anastasia holding the horribly burnt body of a dark-haired Crimson Witch that still had the remains of a number ten on her shoulder. The woman was burnt to the degree of missing limbs, but she was alive for now.


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    Teresa was meditating by the side and Dee could sense unstable pulses of power coming from inside her. Dee guessed that she might be attempting the breakthrough to rank thirteen, but wasn¡¯t sure and wasn¡¯t planning on interrupting in case that was true. She flew on towards the Living Mountain that had grown in size to cover more of the area but still far from its true size. The mountain was sheltering some buildings that had fared a little better than most things inside the palace. Dee could sense that the buildings were empty, but that the mountain had several people inside of it.


    The mountain itself seemed fine, though a little charred in places. The large golden halo around the mountain¡¯s midsection seemed a little dimmer but still perfectly functional. Dee flew to the cave mouth near the peak that worked as the main entrance because she sensed that the people had congregated there. She could sense a great amount of mixed power of various kinds that had most likely been used to block the flames from entering. She was greeted at the threshold by the flamboyant Phoenix man that looked conflicted.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Dee asked without preamble.


    ¡°We got the vast majority of the hostages inside the mountain safely. We lost some, one of our eggs among them, but the mountain did a good job protecting almost everyone.¡± The Phoenix patted at the nearby wall, and the mountain sent an image of satisfaction in return. ¡°However, there were some¡­losses.¡±


    Dee braced herself as best she could and drew a deep breath. ¡°Tell me.¡± She said simply.


    The Phoenix was aware of the people that mattered to Dee, so he didn¡¯t bother mentioning the other people that had either been injured or killed. ¡°Razark is injured to an extent that I believe it will take a long time to recover. Healing burns like this is not a simple matter, and the power of fire like this makes natural regeneration almost impossible. That holds as true for immortals as it does for simple trolls. It¡¯s not to the extent of the corruption that you wield, but the power from the flames also invades the wounds and needs to be cleansed. We already have some people doing what they can. Shioko is fine, but Nyx¡­she ran out once more to try and save the last people still stuck outside, yelling that she could handle it thanks to her new fire-related abilities. She almost could handle it and would have if the fires had been natural. She got everyone else to safety, but¡­¡±


    ¡°And Moirai?¡± Dee asked with a stony voice while closing her eyes in grief.


    ¡°Physically she¡¯s fine, but mentally¡­she had to watch her mother burn to death. Not a pleasant way to go at best of times and having resistance to fire only prolonged things. We had to physically restrain Moirai from running into the flames as well. She isn¡¯t taking this well. That¡¯s how Razark got injured. He managed to bring Nyx¡¯s remains back, but it was too late at that point. Outside the mountain¡¯s protection, neither of them could deal with the flames.¡± The Phoenix explained.


    Dee gave a deep sigh. ¡°Take me to her.¡± She managed to say and shoved her own feeling of grief into some deep corner of her mind. It could wait. It was more important to deal with Moirai and the Celestial Emperor.


    Dee found Moirai cradling the charred remains of a small woman that Dee could guess was Nyx, though there was not enough remaining to say for sure. Moirai was a mess with her face marred by snot and tears while her clothes and hands were covered in ash and what remained of Nyx. She didn¡¯t even react as Dee entered the small chamber. Dee could sense what remained of Nyx¡¯s soul still floating by, too damaged for any sort of resurrection but unwilling to pass on just yet. Lumen had taught her the spells required for resurrection but had also pointed out that being the Herald of Death made using the spells pretty much impossible at best of times. And she would have to fix the damage done to the badly burnt corpse to even try, something that was beyond her capabilities.


    Besides, trying to resurrect a damaged soul like this would have bad consequences anyway. With a slight inviting gesture, Nyx¡¯s soul floated to Dee and entered her Domain. Instead of adding another skull to the already completed totem, the soul just floated around the largely empty Domain, still not moving on despite the pull of Death being present, and Dee decided to honor that wish. She left the remains of the soul to float around while she would deal with Moirai. The soul would pass on eventually.


    ¡°Moirai?¡± She called gently, drawing closer. She got no answer, but there was some slight change in Moirai¡¯s eyes, as they seemed to become a little less lifeless.


    So, instead of speaking, Dee got behind Moirai and simply hugged the smaller woman to her chest, not minding the dirt and ash that got on her clothes. Dee wasn¡¯t good at dealing with these kinds of emotions, as her own seemed to be different from others. Instead, she simply sat there holding Moirai, sharing some of the grief while trying to portray a sturdy rock the smaller woman could cling to if necessary. She couldn¡¯t tell how long they sat like that before Moirai stirred.


    ¡°Dee?¡± Moirai asked tentatively, regaining some sanity.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Dee answered gently.


    ¡°We¡­need to find a good place to¡­to bury her. She¡­what remains of her should not stay here.¡± Moirai¡¯s voice broke a few times as she struggled to deal with her emotions.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see to it that she¡¯ll have a place worthy of queens.¡± Dee promised. It seemed better to just allow Moirai to talk, but the other woman became quiet again for a long time.


    ¡°Dee?¡± She finally spoke tentatively again. ¡°Can you take me with you?¡±


    ¡°With me?¡± Dee asked a little confused.


    ¡°When you leave Pantheon. Can you take me with you?¡± Moirai asked, her voice fragile, as if afraid to hear the answer.


    ¡°Of course. You¡¯re welcome to come with me. It will not be easy or pretty though.¡± Dee didn¡¯t ask why. Probably even Moirai would be unable to answer that fully. She would be glad for the company, and there was still time for Moirai to change her mind.


    Still, Moirai probably felt some need to explain herself. ¡°I need power. Power that I won¡¯t be able to get here. If I come with you, I think I¡¯ll have the opportunity. If I stay here, everyone will just expect me to take her place.¡± There was no need to explain what the power was for. That much was obvious. And revenge required a lot of power. This was something Moirai needed to do, and she could not rely entirely on Dee for her revenge.


    For some reason, Dee felt that Death was preparing to give her blessing to the small woman. The goddess would not do so now, but she approved the path Moirai was choosing and would aid in it if Moirai stuck to her decision. The goddess would help with that path just a little. There would most likely be a price to pay down the line, but it also might be that the goddess wanted to get on Dee¡¯s good side. That was for the future though. The goddess certainly wasn¡¯t tactless enough to do anything now and was only letting Dee know of the possibility so that it would not come as a surprise.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Dee said in reply. And she did. Moirai would be expected to take Nyx¡¯s place as a representative, assuming the Five Winds survived this whole thing, and she had already carried much of the administrative burden before this. Those kinds of responsibilities were not conducive to the growth of personal power. Moirai had been stuck with her level once before. She didn¡¯t plan on getting stuck again. Then there were all the memories that would be constant reminders of what she lost if she stayed. So she decided a clean break would be better for now.


    The two stayed quiet and holding each other for a long time before the silence was broken again, this time by soft tears of two people, one grieving over a lost parent and one grieving the loss of a friend.

 Chapter 166

    Moirai had finally cried herself to sleep and Dee had left her in the care of the Living Mountain. Dee felt bad about leaving her alone, but the current situation didn¡¯t really leave them much time to waste. Besides, staying still for too long would force her to deal with her own grief as well and now was not the time. If she took Moirai along, the grieving woman was likely to do something really stupid. Thus leaving her inside the mountain, for now. The mountain had given a very reliable ¡®leave it to me¡¯ feeling, but Dee would still keep tabs on Moirai¡¯s whereabouts through the Mindscape, just in case.


    Her next stop was the room where the injured people had been gathered. Five Winds was still low on healers but luckily the monks of the Heavenly Temple had that covered. A surprisingly large number of the hostages they had rescued were also talented in healing, and they were now returning the favor in whatever way they could. Dee found Razark in one of the side rooms. The healers were apparently done for now, as Dee could sense Razark was not in immediate danger, something that could not be said for all the other injured people.


    ¡°You look like shit.¡± Dee stated without pre-amble, noticing that Razark was awake despite his closed eyes.


    Razark really did look quite bad. He still had all his limbs, but he had severe burns all over his body. Some of them were healing, some were not. They would all disappear eventually, but it would take time. ¡°I¡¯ve been better.¡± Razark replied grumpily.


    They were both quiet for a moment before Razark continued. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t save Nyx. I tried, but¡­¡± He felt oddly responsible for some reason he couldn¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°Not your fault. She made a choice, one that saved lives from what I heard. You did what you could, I¡¯m sure. You certainly look like you gave it your best shot. No, there are people I blame, but you¡¯re certainly not one of them. Revenge will come, if not from me, then from Moirai. Speaking of, I need someone to keep an eye on her while we deal with the emperor. Can you manage that? She¡¯s currently asleep and will most likely be for a while, but I¡¯m worried she will do something stupid once she wakes up.¡± Dee knew that Razark was the type that would need something to do instead of just laying here. It would slow his recovery a bit, but it would be better for his mental well-being.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let some small burns stop me.¡± Razark stated firmly. He struggled into a sitting position, clearly in a lot of pain, but the vitality of a stubborn immortal was enough to keep him together.


    ¡°Good. Just make sure you don¡¯t cripple yourself while at it. The old man would strain his back yelling at me if I allowed you to do something stupid like that.¡± Dee joked, even though she certainly didn¡¯t feel like making quips. Yet she felt the situation called her to act as normal as she could. Razark would not appreciate pity or coddling.


    Razark simply grunted in reply. Taking that as an agreement, Dee left him to his struggle and exited the mountain, finding the Phoenix man and the empress locked in a heated conversation. The empress looked up as soon as Dee came outside. ¡°Dee, good. We don¡¯t have much time to lose. I just got word that the emperor is coming back. He intends to finish the job.¡±


    ¡°So what can be done?¡± Dee asked, knowing that despite the error in judgment that had led to the current situation, the empress was still much better at planning things like this than she was.


    ¡°Well, I think we can still do this, but we have two problems. Thanks to us rescuing the hostages and the emperor¡¯s clear disregard for the lives of the members of the Celestial Court, many of the factions are now willing to join us. The more that come, the more the emperor¡¯s hold over them crumbles. That means many of the immortals currently going along with the emperor will either turn to our side or at least sit this one out. Combined with the power of the Living Mountain and the people we still have left, we should be able to achieve victory. But here¡¯s where the two problems come in.


    ¡°The first problem is the Solarians as I suspected. I can say with reasonable certainty that there won¡¯t be a second attack like the one we just suffered, but I¡¯m not completely sure and the factions of the Celestial Court won¡¯t just take my word for it even if I were. We need something more. The second problem is time. The emperor will be here with the other immortals in an hour, but the factions have their immortals spread around the area. It will take some time to get a word to them and for them to reach us. Without a significant presence from their own races and factions, the immortals following the emperor currently will not be able to rebel against his Domain. So we need to delay the emperor somehow. The delay need not be long, but we do need something.¡± The empress explained.


    ¡°And we can¡¯t just strike at the teleportation gates again?¡± Dee confirmed just to be sure.


    ¡°No. There are simply too many of them. The lands held by the Celestial Court have the highest density of such gates in the entire Pantheon. Besides, the factions don¡¯t like the idea of having their gates destroyed just for a short delay. The economic impact would be too great.¡± The empress confirmed a little sullenly. She found it annoying that the factions were still thinking about economic matters at a time like this, but the reality was what it was. Even if the economic losses would be much smaller than the factions claimed. They simply wanted to have their cake and eat it too.


    Dee looked towards the sky with a sigh. There was a powerful being far above them that had not moved for a while. Dee had sensed the being a while ago, but since it had made no moves she had decided the being didn¡¯t need to be addressed immediately. Perhaps now was the time. ¡°I have an idea. One that I will not explain to you because you will not approve. However, it will solve the first problem for the time being at least. It might help with the second, or it might not. You need to come up with alternative ideas for the second problem in case this doesn¡¯t work quite as I planned.¡±


    With a flash of light, Dee disappeared from her previous spot and appeared in front of the Young King that had stayed behind to see how things developed. The Solarian looked calmly at the clearly angry Dee in front of him. He suddenly realized that this little meeting might turn out to be a really important one, and that he should tread carefully. The forces that had suffered the attack on the palace were depleted, but the woman in front of him had just blocked one of their more powerful attacks. And could probably do so again if need be.


    Dee allowed her bloodlust to show through. ¡°Give me one reason I shouldn¡¯t just cripple you and kill every member of your race in front of your eyes while you plead me to stop.¡± The hostility in her voice was thick enough to walk on, and only partially fake. Dee knew that for this to work, she needed to put up a strong front and set the correct tone right from the beginning. She was bluffing, but only partly.


    ¡°You mean besides the obvious one where you actually don¡¯t have the power to carry out that threat?¡± The Young King asked calmly, the form that seemed like a sun squeezed into the form of a man tilting its head to the side in question.


    A small dark flame appeared, dancing around Dee¡¯s arm. As Solarian, the Young King could sense the danger in that flame. And he didn¡¯t feel in danger very often. ¡°Invalid. You¡¯re making two false assumptions. First of all, you assume I do not have the ability now. That is questionable. My talent for protection might be limited, but my talent for destruction is not. And perhaps more importantly, you¡¯re assuming I won¡¯t have that power in the future. You should know enough about me by now to know that to be untrue. You took a shot at me and failed. That¡¯s the only shot you will get. If you wanted me dead, you lost your chance, and now it¡¯s too late. Even if I didn¡¯t have the power to defeat you right now, there¡¯s absolutely nothing you can do to stop me from simply running away and returning in a hundred or thousand years.¡± Dee argued, with her tone becoming sharper with every word, while the black flame kept growing as well.


    ¡°Because of them.¡± The Young Kind argued, pointing at the people below. He realized there was some truth to Dee¡¯s words. He wasn¡¯t truly worried about his life at the moment, but her future potential was really a threat. Maybe not as big of a threat as she made it out to be, but a threat nonetheless.


    Dee growled at those words. ¡°Invalid. Here¡¯s a little tip about using hostages during negotiations. Don¡¯t kill one of the most important hostages before the negotiations even start. You lose any credibility, and since I¡¯m already suffering a loss, the foremost thing in my mind is the number of ways I can hurt you before killing you, regardless of the price. Now that I¡¯ve already suffered loss, the most important thing changes from saving everyone to killing you fast enough to not lose too many others.¡±


    Dee had read books where someone killed a single hostage out of many to show their seriousness, but that was only for literature. In reality, everyone knew you were serious and had the capacity to kill. Killing a hostage simply meant that there was now less room for negotiation, as now the other side could no longer be let go. The killer needed to suffer for what they had done. The negotiations shifted from preservation to punishment.


    The Young King shook his head, knowing that the situation was turning worse than the other Solarians had assumed. They had not dealt with Dee, whereas the Young King had, albeit briefly. He knew Dee had the capacity to become a threat. The others just assumed she was powerful, perhaps even stronger than the Celestial Emperor, but that she would never reach the heights required to truly harm the Solarians. ¡°Because you want something.¡±


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    ¡°I want many things. I want you all to die, I want my friend back, I want you to kill the Celestial Emperor and I want a good meal and a nice bed. But I realize those will not happen for now. At least I assume you will not kill the emperor if I so ask?¡± Dee asked rhetorically, receiving a shake of the Young Kings head in reply. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. So I will settle for two things. I want you to come down and give everyone your word that the Solarians will not be attacking again. The word of the great Young King should be worth something, should it not? Secondly, I want you to go to the emperor and delay him. I don¡¯t need you to do so for long. Just talk to him about whatever. Tell him this whole thing was beneath your kind and that it will not happen again or something. Just delay him for a short time.¡±


    The Young King considered the demands. If this defused Dee as a threat then it would be a small price in the grand scheme of things. He didn¡¯t actually have to go out of his way to do anything. The Solarians would not be attacking again so promising that was not a problem, and delaying the emperor was a small thing as Dee had mentioned. There was nothing strange about him making the stance of the Solarians clear to the emperor, and would not come back to them no matter the result. However, there were a few things he had to consider. Even though he realized the threat Dee could pose, he could not just give in. No one could just make demands of the Solarians. He needed to get something in return. Besides, the death of the emperor would create some problems.


    ¡°So you have stated your demands, which are not beyond the realm of possibility. However, you are not in the position to dictate terms despite your claims otherwise. I need something in return.¡± The Young King stated.


    ¡°And what would that be?¡± Dee asked warily. She was bluffing to an extent, so just getting the Solarian to agree to the first term was worth something in return. The second term she had mentioned would be a bonus that she had only stated in case she could manage to get the other side to accept it. It was something she was prepared to give up on.


    In reality, Dee dearly wanted to take revenge on the Solarians for Nyx instead of negotiating with them, but now was not the time. She didn¡¯t have the power to go against them even if they weren¡¯t already busy with the Celestial Emperor. That didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t planning on doing so in the future. Besides, it was Moirai¡¯s right to take revenge on the Solarians instead of her. Moirai certainly would need time to grow strong enough to at least help. It was a goal for the distant future.


    ¡°First of all, we can deal with the death of the emperor. But we will not tolerate the destruction of the community of the Celestial Court. They are too important. Your little group will not be taking their place in the first circle either, in case that was your intention.¡± The Young Kind presented his first demand. The court would be in chaos if the emperor died, but it would survive. It seemed likely that there would be chaos anyway no matter if the emperor lived or died.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Dee could easily agree to that demand. Almost everyone involved was after the emperor and not the court anyway.


    ¡°Secondly, like you said, you are a potential threat to us, especially in the future. I will not allow a festering wound like that to remain to bother us at a later date. Once this fight with the emperor is finished, you have one week to say your goodbyes. After that, you are to leave Pantheon and you are not allowed to return. In return, I will personally make sure the Five Winds will be safe. Despite what you said about hostages, that is what they will be to make sure you will stay away. Only live hostages are useful though, so I will make sure they stay that way.¡± Despite him claiming them as hostages, it was rather clear that the Young King was, in fact, promising to protect the Five Winds, knowing their safety would make Dee hesitate otherwise. She was also more likely to return forcefully if she had to worry about them.


    Dee still hesitated a little. She had planned on leaving anyway, but not quite so soon. This was a bit too sudden. Still, the offer was a good one considering the circumstances. With the Young King¡¯s twisted guarantee, she could leave with some peace of mind. And she planned on coming back anyway once she was strong enough to ignore what the Solarians had to say about it. ¡°Agreed, however, the Five Winds have already suffered enough thanks to your actions. To make sure more will not fall, your protection of them will start now. As you are assuming the emperor¡¯s death anyway, you might as well aid in making it a reality.¡± She made a counter-offer. The Young King¡¯s words had made her realize that there was an opportunity here.


    ¡°What did you have in mind? I will not kill him for you, nor would it abide by the terms if I attacked the rest of the court¡¯s forces. They are not to be destroyed, remember.¡± Dee¡¯s counter had caught him by surprise, as he had already assumed it a good enough deal. Dee¡¯s counter-offer was even better for his purposes though.


    ¡°In that case, this should be just what you desire. Declare that the Solarians have had enough of this fight and need it to be resolved without turning into a large battle. Since the fight is truly only about a handful of people anyway, then let the fight be resolved among that handful. Demand something like me against the emperor, or a small group from us against a small group from them. That should suit your goals even better as many of the people you want to survive would die if this turns into a huge battle.¡± Dee argued. This would be the best outcome for Dee¡¯s group as well, but the emperor would most likely be too proud to see that.


    The Young King knew Dee¡¯s words had merit. If things did turn into a battle, then hundreds of immortals were likely to die. ¡°Well do it your way then. Keep in mind that all this is null and void if you lose.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just have to win then.¡± Dee stated, finally withdrawing her bloodlust.


    -----


    ¡°It seems I¡¯m being underestimated.¡± The emperor stated with a smile as he heard the declaration of the Young King. Unlike what Dee had thought, the emperor was not too proud to realize that a small group battle would be more in favor of the other side.


    He didn¡¯t know how many enemy immortals had survived the attack of the Solarians, but it couldn¡¯t have been that many. At the very least that included the three individuals he was aiming for the most, though. If he agreed, then he would essentially be limiting his own forces while the other side was losing almost nothing. However, the other side had the empress. Surely she would have a plan in case he tried refusing. And the sad fact was that he didn¡¯t know how much he could rely on his own forces considering that he had just sacrificed the hostages. Not that his subordinates were aware of that just yet.


    He looked at the Young King. ¡°It seems a little odd that you¡¯re making a demand like this considering you just attacked them earlier.¡±


    ¡°We are not above making certain deals if the conditions are right, as proven by the fact that we went along with your demand to attack them.¡± The Young King admitted freely. There was little point in hiding it, and there was nothing wrong with his words. If one side could make a deal, then so could the other. If they had something to offer in return.


    ¡°What could they have offered to have you do this, I wonder?¡± The emperor mused. He had called in an old favor. He had performed a service to the Solarians a long time ago, and both sides remembered such debts. This was a fairly easy way for the Solarians to repay that debt. Still, the only reason they agreed was because it suited their other purposes, which was something the emperor was aware of. He wouldn¡¯t have even made the suggestion otherwise. So what did the other side have to offer in return for this favor?


    ¡°That is something you need not worry about. I should also mention, we were not asking for your cooperation, we were telling you how things will be. Either you agree, or I will drag you there myself.¡± The Young King stated firmly. He didn¡¯t want to give the impression this was a negotiation.


    ¡°Have it your way then. You said the other side will be sending the fledgling with a Domain, my wife and the leader of the Crimson Witches to the fight? We¡¯ll make it even then. My side will include me and my two subordinates. I assume the fight is supposed to be to the death?¡± The emperor confirmed.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Young King nodded.


    ¡°That said, I assume submission is just as good? I would like to take two of them alive. My wife has a lot to answer for, and I¡¯m intrigued by that fledgling. It would be a waste to kill them.¡± The emperor decided.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­not outside the rules.¡± The Young King stated slowly, knowing that the emperor was making a horrible mistake. It seemed this would not end well for him. Not that there had been much doubt about that in the first place. Dee had been right about one thing. She might not have the power to make her threat against the Solarians a reality, but she would not lose to the emperor. And if the emperor went into the fight with this attitude, then it would be a short fight.

 Chapter 167

    The fight between the two parties was taking place in the ruins of the palace since the area was already destroyed. There was very little that could become further collateral damage. Each side had the people not involved in the fight take some distance to avoid conflicts, but almost all of the uninjured people stayed close enough to watch the fight. After all, the result would have a large impact on them as well. Even many of the injured people dragged themselves to a spot where they had at least some vision of what went on.


    The immortals that had gone with the emperor were seeing the devastated palace for the first time and couldn¡¯t hide their shocked expressions. If not for the fact that the empress had some of their allies and friends rendezvous with them to explain what had happened, many of the immortals would have assumed this was the doing of those that had attacked the palace. Even now some of the immortals blamed the empress and her allies, but the majority had another target for their anger, despite their inability to act on that emotion. If the emperor won this fight, he would have to spend a lot of time reasserting control. The majority of the imperial guard and the palace officials had died, and nearly all of them came from the same factions as these immortals. Some of those now dead had been family and serving in the guard or the palace had been seen as an honor.


    The emperor led two of his generals towards the spot where his throne room had been, an auspicious location for the fight. Dee, Teresa, the empress and the Young King were already waiting there. The emperor had picked the two generals partly because they were among his most powerful subordinates, and because they were also some of his most loyal servants. The two also didn¡¯t have family among those that had died, or so he assumed at least.


    ¡°Wife. I didn¡¯t expect you to personally take part in a fight like this.¡± The emperor stated with a small smug grin. He knew she would be important to this fight. The empress was a capable mage and not too bad with a blade, so she could certainly hold her own. However, she was a strategist that liked to work by pulling the strings of others behind the scenes and wasn¡¯t as strong as someone who dedicated themselves to combat. If he could get his hands on her, he could use the empress as a hostage. Even if the two didn¡¯t truly care about her, they would at the very least try to avoid hurting her. Even if that failed, she would be a weak link in the opposing group.


    ¡°Oh did I forget to mention? I¡¯m not taking part in this fight. I just came to affirm that I will abide by the results despite my personal feelings. Should you win, something I assure you will not happen, I will be at your mercy.¡± She was here to taunt the emperor. They had a small trap prepared, and wanted to make winning enticing enough for the emperor to take the bait.


    ¡°That¡¯s not quite what I agreed to.¡± The emperor hedged, though still calm and assured of victory. Holding the empress hostage probably wouldn¡¯t have been enough for a victory anyway, but he was curious about who the third person would be since there was no one else present. He looked towards the Young King. ¡°I¡¯m confident you stated she would be the third person.¡±


    Before the Solarian could reply, Teresa laughed mocking his careful nature. ¡°Surely the great Celestial Emperor isn¡¯t afraid? Don¡¯t worry; the Solarian will not be taking part as more than an impartial observer.¡±


    ¡°Any living being is able to take part correct? Our third member would like to retain the element of surprise.¡± Dee also interjected. The important part of her words was the first question, but she emphasized the latter sentence as misdirection.


    ¡°You are correct and stealth starts are allowed. I¡¯ll allow it assuming the other party is fine with it.¡± The Young King replied. Unlike the emperor, he had noticed something important missing when he had returned from arranging the fight and knew what was coming. He showed no reaction though. Whether the emperor agreed or not would not change the result, but his agreement would make things easier for the other party.


    With both Dee and Teresa obviously taunting him with jeering expressions, the emperor had little choice but to accept. He had to show everyone present that going against him would be folly, and trying to dodge insignificant terms like this would make him look weak instead. Besides, in his mind, anyone relying on stealth would have a really bad time against him. ¡°Fine. It matters not. I will crush you all the same.¡±


    As the empress and the Young King pulled away, the fighters took positions across from each other. The empress actually went to the immortals that had come with the emperor to try and turn them all to her side. Not that it would matter if they lost, but she was rather confident they would not lose. She rather intelligently used the rumors of her prophetic abilities to her advantage, as she told a story of how she had left because she had prophesized that Dee¡¯s coming would bring fire to the Celestial Court. To rile everyone up, she kept emphasizing that she had not expected that fire to come as a result of the emperor deciding to sacrifice everyone at the palace. She carefully avoided mentioning that there would most likely be more fires, both literal and metaphorical after the emperor passed away and everyone tried to take his place.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the two generals.¡± Teresa stated simply as they waited for the signal. ¡°I¡¯ll handle them as quickly as possible and then come to help. Assuming you¡¯ll still need help at that point.¡± She made sure the other side was able to hear her words.


    Dee gave a nod in response and sent Teresa a mental message. ¡®Do not worry. Ours is a two on one fight as well. We¡¯ll be fine.¡¯


    After seeing both sides were ready, the Young King gave the starting signal. The two generals and Teresa all flew high into the air as if agreeing that they would handle their own fight separately. The emperor had given the two an order to delay Teresa to the best of their ability while he took care of Dee, so the split suited both groups just fine. As the three reached a height where they were mostly out of sight, the two generals suddenly turned towards her without any sign of hostility. ¡°Madame Teresa. We have a request.¡± One of them stated. It was hard to tell the two apart because their armors made them look identical, even though they were likely members of completely different races.


    ¡°And what would that request be?¡± Teresa asked in slight surprise.


    ¡°The emperor has ordered us to delay you to the best of our ability, and we can¡¯t go against his orders. However, we have no desire to fight you. As long as you don¡¯t try to go back and interfere, we can simply stay here without fighting.¡± The same general stated.


    Teresa¡¯s eyes narrowed in suspicion. ¡°And why exactly would you do this?¡±


    ¡°One of the palace servants¡­she and I¡­were close.¡± The general stated through audibly gritted teeth. ¡°She was not among the survivors. Besides, no matter how the other fights ends, this way is better for us.¡±


    Teresa looked at the other general. Surprisingly a female voice came in reply to the unvoiced question. ¡°One of the hostages is my sister. The empress¡¯ allies among the immortals that came along with us said that she was among the last ones to be saved, but that she is alive. Apparently, someone from your side died saving her and some other hostages.¡±


    ¡°Nyx.¡± Teresa said with a sigh. ¡°Her name was Nyx, and I¡¯d be careful about mentioning her when Dee is close enough to hear. Alright. We can just stay here. I¡¯m just about to break through to rank thirteen anyway, so I might as well do so while we wait. This was a rather unpleasant interruption anyway.¡±


    The two generals looked at Teresa in surprise. ¡°I know I was the one who suggested this but¡­you don¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to rush to help your friend.¡± The male general stated.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Dee can handle this, and she¡¯d prefer it this way anyway. I was going to back her up just in case, but this works just as well.¡± Teresa stated simply.


    Back on the ground Dee and the emperor didn¡¯t seem to be in a hurry to start and waited until the other fighters were out of sight. As soon as they were though, two Domains suddenly flared out and collided in the middle. The two Domains struggled against each other, trying to gain supremacy. Dee knew that this was the result of two competing Domains coming into contact. If their Domains had been entirely different, they would not have collided in this way. Dee¡¯s Domain was very slowly gaining ground.


    ¡°It does indeed seem that your Domain is even more dominating than mine.¡± The emperor stated, seeming unperturbed. He was also slightly wrong. Dee¡¯s Domain gaining ground was actually due to her totem being much more powerful. However, neither of them was using their totem fully yet, which is why the effect was still marginal.


    ¡°How does it feel to finally meet someone that stands above you?¡± Dee asked in a taunting tone.


    ¡°I¡¯ve spent too much time with the Solarians to truly care. You can¡¯t compare.¡± The emperor shot back, not showing that he was actually quite irked by her words. He didn¡¯t mind a rank thirteen Solarian standing above him, but a young woman like Dee? That vexed him more than was reasonable. ¡°Still, I suppose we should finally start. I suppose your mysterious third member will wait for an opportune moment. I¡¯ll have to provide them with plenty of opportunities.¡±


    Suddenly two identical figures stood where the emperor had been standing earlier, and Dee could finally sense the power of an Authority radiating from him. The other figure was somewhat hollow inside, but Dee could sense that it was not any weaker. Both of the emperors dashed at Dee, flanking her on both sides. They were wielding an identical medium length straight sword in their hands that seemed to be very light and flexible, something that was proven to be true as they flashed towards her with impressive speed.


    ¡°Of course the Celestial Emperor would be in possession of an Authority.¡± Dee grumbled while activating Lumen¡¯s blessing to its full effect. Even without being suppressed by Dee¡¯s Domain, the emperor seemed to move somewhat slower than her, though the fact that she was essentially fighting two on one countered that somewhat. A blade of ki flew towards Dee, while the armor of light appeared around her as if on instinct. Even with the armor of light in place, instead of taking the seemingly harmless strike head-on, she decided to erect a shield of psionic energy in front of the attack just to test things out. She had learned a while ago that attacks that seemed simple at first glance often were anything but.


    Her instincts served her well, as the blade of ki passed straight through the psionic defense as if the shield wasn¡¯t there. Dee barely had time to dodge, and her dodge brought her into contact with the other image of the emperor flanking her. The sword of the emperor met a blade created from psionic energy. This time the weapon made of the psionic power held, although Dee did notice a small drain on her power. Before she had much time to think, the first clone attacked her again. The attacks of the flexible sword seemed to twist and bend around her weapons, but her own skills with the blade allowed her to parry those blows away harmlessly.


    The coordination between the two emperors was perfect, and even with her four hands Dee was pushed hard and was forced to use her tails as improvised weapons to buy some space. She quickly realized that not all of the emperor¡¯s attacks could bypass her defenses as perfectly as the first strike had. It still forced her to tread carefully, as a seemingly harmless attack could suddenly turn into something much more serious almost instantly. The rules that governed that power seemed to be somewhat particular as those attacks penetrated any defensive measures, but could be countered with a sufficiently powerful attack made by Dee. Many of the emperor¡¯s attacks were met by a flying blade of psionic energy, destroying both and forcing the emperor to give her some space to avoid the resulting explosions.


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    Even with that, Dee couldn¡¯t protect herself perfectly. When she parried a sword blow, the already parried sword sent out a small blade of ki at her, close enough to make it impossible to dodge completely. She had received several small wounds, but luckily it seemed the emperor didn¡¯t have a way to hinder her regeneration effectively. She wasn¡¯t completely on the receiving end either. She had managed to land several attacks on the two emperors attacking her, but with even less effect.


    Every time she attacked the hollow copy of the emperor, the attack passed harmlessly through him. Even a burst of her black flames had passed through the hollow copy as if it wasn¡¯t there, even though usually those flames would at least devour the power sustaining the copy. The hollow clone was still solid though, as it had successfully kicked her once, and she had returned the favor, though it felt as if kicking something soft that just bent under her foot. On the other hand, if she attacked the copy of the emperor that was not hollow, that copy suddenly swapped places with the other one, so that now the one taking the attack was the hollow one once again.


    Even with all that, it was not the emperor¡¯s ability with the blade that kept the fight even. After all, she was much faster than the emperor, and she was also clearly stronger, even if she didn¡¯t get to leverage that strength against her hollow opponent. The problem was that sometimes the two copies of the emperor were not satisfied with just attacking her physically. While one of them struck at her, the other one would pull back a bit to cast quick spells. And the spells the emperor cast were extremely annoying.


    The first few spells had been largely ineffective. The first one had been a powerful spell with a lot of mana behind it that Dee recognized as being the high ranking death spell ¡®Soul Quench¡¯, which attacked the target''s soul directly in an attempt to force it out of the body it was in. That spell had luckily had zero effect thanks to Dee¡¯s resistances and totem. That spell had been followed by a beam of golden light from the light element, but Dee had resisted that as well as the following two spells thanks to her own resistances and Croestia.


    Unfortunately, the emperor had chanced upon two spells that were actually working well. One was a high ranking spell that destroyed any powers used by the enemy, which the emperor used to destroy the psionic blades Dee used to defend herself. The first time that had happened the vanishing blade in her hand had left Dee wide open to an attack by the other copy, which had earned Dee a large gash in her abdomen. Luckily the claws and scales that had appeared on her now empty hand had been enough to stop further damage. The other spell was similar in that it stopped Dee from using her abilities for a short time, draining all the power in the area, which stopped her from using her own holy spells to her advantage.


    Suddenly Dee sent out a swarm of psionic attacks at the two emperors, forcing him to take some distance. She had allowed herself to get locked into this close combat because she needed to confirm a few things before enacting her plan. The empress had been able to warn her of the emperor¡¯s ability to make a clone of himself, but even the empress didn¡¯t know all of the emperor¡¯s abilities. No doubt he had several trump cards still hidden, but that would not matter if things went according to plan. She had managed to find out what she needed.


    ¡°What, already pulling back? We were just getting started.¡± The emperor taunted. In truth, he had been really annoyed by his inability to strike at Dee. Normally his combination of physical abilities, ability to bypass defenses, and his spells that would be enough to overwhelm most enemies, but Dee was able to avoid nearly everything thanks to her speed and resistances. She also rendered the ability that was usually his biggest advantage, his Domain, completely irrelevant. He would have to rely on his artifacts or his final Authority to gain victory if this kept up. He had really wanted to keep his final Authority a secret in case he needed to ever face the Solarians in battle.


    ¡°No, I simply found out what I needed. By the way, in case you were hoping on relying on your third copy to escape if you run into trouble, then you can forget it. Your dear wife gave her own contribution to the fight already.¡± Dee replied with sly look while giving a small signal.


    The emperor could actually form three clones, along with his real body, with the Authority he was using, but making each one took some time. One had been destroyed by Teresa as the Solarians destroyed the palace, an extravagant use of a clone, but he had considered the delay and the opportunity to taunt his opponents worth it. He could always make a new one after this. The clones seemed invulnerable, but could actually be destroyed with a powerful enough attack. They were only invulnerable to attacks below a certain threshold. Ironically, Dee¡¯s black flames actually required too little power to count by the metrics of this Authority. The last clone had been hidden in a secret place for centuries. As he could move between the clones at will, that one served as an emergency escape in case he ever faced an impossible situation. It was always slumbering to save power and allow it to be materialized constantly.


    The empress was not able to find out everything about the emperor¡¯s powers and plans, but the location of that clone was something she had managed find out. The emperor suddenly felt the connection to that clone get severed. He grimaced. ¡°No matter. I will not need a way to escape from you. I can always create a new one later on. I think it¡¯s about time to bring this to an end.¡± The emperor pulled out one of his most powerful artifacts, a simple looking wand.


    A storm of chaotic energy similar to the corridor that had protected the now destroyed shield formation around the palace swarmed towards Dee. This power was geared more towards offense and contained power shifting between all elements intent on shredding any target it touched. Any defensive abilities would be turned against the target instead. At least any defensive abilities that actually came in contact with the power.


    Instead, Dee seemed to turn completely into golden energy as she moved faster than anyone could see to avoid the stream of power while striking at the clone not using the wand. Almost instinctively the emperor stabbed his weapon towards Dee but knew he was too slow to hit. Knowing that this would be the critical moment in the fight, the emperor decided to throw caution in the wind and use his final trump card. ¡°By my Authority as the Celestial Emperor, I demand you to stop!¡±


    Dee seemed to freeze in the motion of striking at the emperor, but only for a short moment. The Authority the emperor had used was powerful and forced the target to obey a command given. The problem was, the Authority was new and was not based on long-established legends like many others. It was purposefully created by the emperor and didn¡¯t yet function perfectly. It had to apply whatever means possible to force the command on the target. In this case, the power of the command relied on the emperor¡¯s Domain and the element of time to freeze Dee in place. If he had given another command, it might have used powers more effective against Dee, but this particular command was doomed for failure.


    Unfortunately for the emperor, the time element of the command unraveled as soon as it came in contact with Dee¡¯s blessing of Eternity. As the power in her totem surged, the Domain of the emperor was shattered as Dee¡¯s own exerted dominance. The small pause had been enough for the emperor to complete his hasty strike at Dee, successfully sinking his blade into her chest. The strike missed her heart due to being so rushed, and the shattering of his Domain had stunned him for a very important moment.


    Dee had actually prepared herself for taking a blow from the emperor, though not one this serious. One of the things that she had found out in their earlier fight was that while the emperor¡¯s blade was able to penetrate defenses, the wounds it left were normal. Even though a sword through her chest was unpleasant, even a strike to the heart would not be enough to kill an immortal like her. She wasn¡¯t quite at the point of being able to regenerate any damage done to her, but she was capable of dealing with something like this. And now she was in close enough contact to exert her power over this clone and stop it from acting.


    That had been the original plan that she had been willing to take a wound for. Her hands locked around the emperor¡¯s sword arm like vices while her power ate away at the sword still stuck in her chest. While her black flames might not be able to harm the clone, they certainly could destroy the blade. ¡°Got you now. You forgot our third member didn¡¯t you.¡±


    Suddenly a shadow fell on the emperor as the Living Mountain appeared seemingly from thin air. A thick stream of liquid fire was fired from the halo surrounding the mountain. The clone the mountain had targeted was simply wiped out and the emperor was forced into the clone that Dee had just captured. He was still in a condition to struggle free if given a small chance to recover from the effects of his Domain collapsing.


    Unfortunately for him, Dee was not about to allow him that chance. The emperor was forced to the ground by invisible hands and suddenly felt a great deal of pain as black objects formed into long and thin nails crucifying him to the ground while increasing the gravity around his limbs, making any movement impossible. Before he had the opportunity to try and get free, the weight of Dee¡¯s foot landed on his back. ¡°You said that you wanted to acquire the Living Mountain. Well, there it is. Go ahead and ask if the mountain wants to stick with you.¡±


    ¡°I will not be humiliated!¡± The emperor yelled in anger. Despite his damaged state, he wasn¡¯t about to allow himself to be made into a spectacle. Several artifacts appeared around him with the purpose of self-destruction. With some luck, he might even survive and be able to escape. He had been forced into a situation where even a narrow chance had to be taken.


    ¡°Oh no, you won¡¯t.¡± Dee said while plunging her fist into the emperor¡¯s chest, pulling out what looked like the grey and smoky form of his soul. It would have been impossible to extract the soul of a healthy immortal, but the clawed fist plunging into the emperor¡¯s chest had already pushed him close enough to death, even if he too could recover from the wound itself with some time. With the emperor no longer controlling the artifacts, they fell harmlessly on the ground.


    Dee watched as Teresa and the two generals slowly descended from the sky as they had felt the fight coming to a conclusion. Dee frowned at the trio and suddenly slashed downwards with a sword of psionic energy she had just created. With a flourish, the blade disappeared, as did the emperor¡¯s head that she had just severed and stored. ¡°I¡¯m taking this to appease all those who died back at the Five Winds community. You can do what you want with the rest.¡± She stated firmly, marching towards the place she had left Moirai and Razark.


    The rest of what happened here would no longer be her concern. She had a week to grieve and to say goodbyes. What happened to the Celestial Court didn¡¯t matter to her in the least. The empress could deal with that. The only thing she cared about was to see how many of the Five Winds had died. Maybe this victory would provide those surviving some comfort, even though it would be a cold comfort in comparison to all that had been lost.

 Chapter 168

    Dee, Shioko, and Moirai used Dee¡¯s portals to return to the spot where the Five Winds¡¯ headquarters used to be located at. While Dee just wanted to get away from the Celestial Court and took Moirai along so that the latter two could get some peace, Shioko had come along to assess the damage and to reactivate some of the teleportation gates that might be fixed in short order. It would be hard to rebuild anything if materials and the returning people could not pass through the gates. They had disabled the gates to stop the emperor from using them, but now that fact worked against them. The gates could be fixed; it would simply take some time.


    The Five Winds headquarters were also rather devastated as the emperor had taken the opportunity to vent out some of his frustrations on the place. That said, the emperor hadn¡¯t had all that much time to do damage, and unlike at his own palace, there was no storm of solar flames to wipe out everything. Most of the immortals under his command had also been a little half-hearted about a chore that they considered beneath them and even the emperor had other things to worry about. The damage to the place was extensive on the surface, but buildings could be rebuilt and the area itself had not been turned unusable.


    Dee was slightly surprised to see survivors combing through the wreckage already. Most of them seemed to be forces that had been posted in areas other than the headquarters to prevent a casual patrol from just wrecking everything, which suggested that at least some of those other areas had been spared. In fact, judging by the number of people present, most of the other areas were still intact. What really surprised Dee though, was the presence of the Anshar representative. The fiery figure approached the trio as soon as Dee¡¯s draconic form landed on the ground.


    ¡°I see that the rumors of your demise have been exaggerated.¡± Dee allowed the surprise she felt to color her voice. She also dumped Shioko unceremoniously on the ground. Unlike Moirai, the Jun representative did not get a ride on her back.


    ¡°Well, not by much I¡¯m afraid. When the enemy forces arrived, we realized there was nothing we could do to even delay them. As an Anshar, I have the ability to move underground rather quickly and Kawhena knew that. He yelled for me to run and rushed at the enemy to buy me some time. I think the enemy thought it was an amusing gesture of futile resistance and didn¡¯t take us seriously. That changed when they realized how quickly and how deep I could dig. I was forced to hide rather shamefully, but throwing my life away would not have helped. Incidentally, the fact that you¡¯re here suggests that you were victorious.¡± The Anshar representative stated. He didn¡¯t bother mentioning that he had been seriously wounded while escaping even with all the underestimation of his abilities, but his distant relation to elementals allowed the damage to be repaired quickly.


    ¡°I suppose you could say that.¡± Shioko said with a sigh. ¡°Dee defeated the emperor, but he had a plan against us as well. We lost many, Nyx among them. We lost two of the original representatives, and truthfully I¡¯m not entirely sure Amarog is alive. I haven¡¯t seen him, and I didn¡¯t stay behind long enough to find out. The empress is handling that. Oh, by the way, the seer representative¡­¡±


    As Shioko stayed behind to explain the details, Dee walked to the most devastated area of the city. That happened to be, either by design or by coincidence, the area where the official matters of the community had been handled. She created a pike by solidifying the power of shadows and put the emperor¡¯s head on the pike. She then placed that pike in the middle of that devastated area. The head still held the crown the emperor had used, so the head could be identified rather easily despite the twisted expression.


    Moirai had followed her and now had tears of anger in her eyes as she stared at the displayed head. ¡°That¡¯s only the first part of avenging Nyx. I¡¯m sure you realize.¡± She stated firmly, almost as a rhetorical question.


    ¡°Of course. But we will have to return later for the other part. Especially since I¡¯m guessing you want to do it yourself. In the meantime though, I want you to consider something. Will you want to take revenge on all of the Solarians, even those that had nothing to do with the attack? Or only the ones that actually performed the attack that killed Nyx, or made the decision to do so? I¡¯ll stand by you either way, but it is something I want you to think on in the meantime.¡± Dee replied. She once again noted that her own sense of morals most likely differed from others. She had no compunctions about extending the revenge to all the Solarians, but she realized that most people were not like that. At least once the first flames of anger abated and gave way to more rational thought.


    Moirai stood still, looking at the head of the emperor for a long time. ¡°I¡¯ll consider it.¡± She finally said.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I wanted. Let¡¯s go find a building that¡¯s more intact. We both need rest and I need to have a word with some goddesses.¡± Dee pulled Moirai towards one of the less damaged buildings she had spotted. Neither of them really required comfort, just a place to rest and maybe some of the food Dee always had stored.


    -----


    Dee found herself within the palace of shadows and darkness once again. She had prayed for a meeting with Umbra and Death, and at least the first one had obliged. She looked at the nearby goddess accusingly. ¡°Did you know this would happen? I remember the last message you sent me about saying goodbyes the last time we talked.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was blunt. To give a quick answer to assuage you a bit, no. I did not know the exact details of what would happen, and I certainly didn¡¯t know Nyx would die.¡± Umbra replied simply. She had expected this as soon as she had heard about Nyx¡¯s death. Her earlier words had been a little suggestive after all. Not that it was her place to say anything even if she had known, as it was not her place to warn Dee of every danger. Still, this was something she would have mentioned regardless had she known.


    ¡°Then why? You obviously knew something.¡± Dee pushed. She wasn¡¯t blaming the goddess. She was trying to understand. The gods often dropped cryptic hints, and she wanted to know more.


    ¡°I knew that regardless of how the attack went, you would end up killing the emperor and thus drawing the attention of pretty much everyone on Pantheon. One doesn¡¯t simply kill the Celestial Emperor without consequences. You haven¡¯t exactly been hiding your demonic and Fallen heritage either, so the angels would also find out in time. The Solarians are playing a complex game of diplomacy with the angels, and the communities of the Night city aren¡¯t making it easy. It¡¯s all well and good to say that Pantheon theoretically has the power to defend against the angels, but that¡¯s only assuming the angels are still engaged with the other participants in the War in Heaven and with the Pantheon united. Neither of those is exactly true at the moment. The destruction of the demons freed the angels to an extent, and that is putting pressure on Pantheon.¡± Umbra explained.


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t quite explain what that has to do with me.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it? You¡¯re a psion. Use that head of yours. I¡¯m sure you can figure it out.¡± It was Umbra¡¯s turn to push. She didn¡¯t want to provide all the answers when it was better for Dee to figure them out herself. The gods were not a source of constant information and answers, even though Dee utilized them as such on occasion.


    ¡°It¡¯s one thing to shelter demons at Pantheon, but it¡¯s another matter entirely when one of those demons becomes a real danger for the angels.¡± Dee started off a little hesitantly. Umbra gestured for her to continue. ¡°The recent destruction of the angel embassy made things between Pantheon and the angels rather heated. Judging by your earlier words, the communities of the Night city, who have more contact with the demons, are probably agitating things. The Solarians are forced to either confront the angels, heating things further, or they have to throw the angels a bone as appeasement. I¡¯m that bone. An obviously powerful demon that just struck down an important figure in the Day city. Me being exiled doesn¡¯t make things with the angels ok, but it will at least ease the pressure for a time.¡±


    Umbra gave a small but slow clap. ¡°Exactly. Now, the fact that you also happen to have developed a vendetta of sorts against the Solarians just made things simpler. In the grand scheme of things though, it¡¯s not about you personally. Well, it is a bit now and will be even more later on if you decide to return, but it wasn¡¯t about that when I gave you the warning. That said, you should keep something in mind. When you pick up the sword of revenge, those near you are likely to get hurt. You have realized this already, but the real reason the Five Winds was attacked is because you were there. Don¡¯t mistake my intentions; I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s your fault. Even if I were the type to care about things like blame, the responsibility lies squarely on the now deceased emperor. And to a lesser extent on his wife who could have diffused the situation if she had really made the effort and was prepared to make the necessary sacrifices. But in the larger scheme of things, your very existence and especially your actions will have consequences. There are ways you could have prevented this, but change and revenge both carry a price. I just want you to keep that in mind. Nyx will most likely not be the last price you will have to pay.¡±


    Dee knew what Umbra was saying to be true. She had always known. She just didn¡¯t like thinking about it. The more she had to lose, the more she would suffer in the long term. Before the end, there would be more losses. That added another thing to the list of fears she had. The fear of losing those close to her. And that fear would not go away until she truly was strong enough to no longer be afraid. Not being afraid for herself required a lot of power. Not being afraid for those close to her would require a whole lot more. Enough power that no one would dare to piss her off and the reputation for being willing to use that power. She still had a long way to go.


    ¡°Did Death also respond to my prayer?¡± She asked almost without thought.


    ¡°She did. You mentioned wanting to talk to me first though, hence why you¡¯re here.¡± Umbra replied, now more confident in Dee¡¯s renewing conviction.


    ¡°Send me to her then.¡± Dee said. She had a lot to think about, but she still needed a word with the other goddess. Something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    She found herself in what appeared to be her own Domain. Rather appropriate considering that was what she wanted to talk about. The robed goddess was observing the two souls floating around her Domain. One was the soul of Nyx, while the other was the soul of the Celestial Emperor. She had not consumed the emperor¡¯s soul and it had ended up floating in her Domain as well. ¡°I see you noticed the new additions. Care to explain?¡± Dee voiced the obvious question.


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    ¡°Well, with your totem complete, you don¡¯t have to devour more souls strictly speaking.¡± Death replied a little vaguely.


    ¡°I realize that. However, there have been other souls since then that I have devoured. You¡¯ll note they all disappeared.¡± Dee replied a little pointedly. As an example, the guards within the Celestial Court that they had killed had all their souls consumed.


    Death waved her hand in dismissal. ¡°Those souls were not important. You consumed them almost without paying attention. These two however¡­they have a meaning to you. You took the emperor¡¯s powers even if you didn¡¯t devour his soul, didn¡¯t you? So there seems to be no harm in allowing these souls to float around your Domain.¡±


    Dee narrowed her eyes. There was something fishy going on here. ¡°Sure, I got just as much power even with the soul still floating around here.¡± She decided to play along for now. Maybe the goddess would drop more information.


    Death did continue on her own volition. ¡°Even with her soul already a little frayed like this, if she wants to stick around, why not let her?¡± It seemed almost like the goddess was trying to convince her of something.


    ¡®Ok, now I know there¡¯s something going on. Helping souls pass on is the whole reason for her existence. There¡¯s also no way the Goddess of Death would encourage this sort of things even she didn¡¯t outright condemn it.¡¯ Dee¡¯s expression made her suspicion clear.


    ¡°In fact, you might want to have more souls stick around the place. Who knows, it might help you in the long run.¡± The goddess continued her convincing.


    ¡°Ok, you¡¯re going to have to explain what is going on. You¡¯re not very convincing. Obviously, you don¡¯t have much experience in talking people into things.¡± Dee stated flatly.


    Death gave a deep sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t explain. You¡¯re just going to have to trust me on this. It¡¯s not like you can¡¯t forcefully consume the souls later on if you change your mind. Actually, most souls of those that die near you will be coming here from now on. It took me some time to fiddle with things, and Nyx¡¯s soul made for a great first one to convince you to stick with it. At least in theory, but that didn¡¯t go so well as you can see. Just know it has to do with the internal politics of the deities. In case you haven¡¯t noticed, your role in those politics has become rather important and will continue to do so. This is just part of it.¡±


    ¡°So my Domain is now becoming a storage space for souls? That¡¯s basically what you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re going to have to go into a bit more detail than that.¡± Dee asked incredulously.


    ¡°Not how I would have worded it. Call it a temporary destination instead. It won¡¯t do you any harm, and it will help me. I¡¯d explain it if I could, but I really can¡¯t. What you don¡¯t know, you can¡¯t accidentally reveal. I¡¯m trying to create something important. I won¡¯t lie and say there¡¯s no chance of this having some negative consequences, but they would be minor at worst. Nothing you haven¡¯t already dealt with.¡± Death left things vague on purpose. There was much more to it than that, but she had to keep it a secret, especially with the other three gods constantly observing Dee. Not that Umbra or Lumen would matter, but Eternity would make a fuss.


    Dee¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously. ¡°You want to use the soul of my friend to create something? And I¡¯m supposed to take part in it? I wouldn¡¯t mind if you used the emperor¡¯s soul, but I will have no part in something that might harm Nyx.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the souls will not be harmed. They will pass on just like all the others, that passing will simply be a little delayed. Even I don¡¯t have the ability to actually do anything harmful to souls. Those in charge of¡­what comes after would crack down on me hard and fast if I was stupid enough to try.¡± Death quickly reassured Dee.


    ¡°Fine. But if it starts to become a problem, or I won¡¯t get an explanation soon-ish, I¡¯m going to forcefully consume them.¡± Dee relented. She had no idea about divine politics, but it seemed important that she found out more sooner rather than later. She didn¡¯t want this to blow up in her face, no matter what Death said. In the meantime, this seemed important to Death. The goddess had something planned and Dee would have to find out what that something was before she could deal with it. Antagonizing the goddess without a good reason was not a good idea. And it might turn out to be something really useful if played right.


    -----------


    The remaining grace period Dee had been given passed by in a blur. She had made several goodbyes and made several promises of returning later. Some had taken the news better than others. Razark had toyed with the idea of going along but decided against it. Pantheon was his home and the home of his kind. He would likely stick around the Five Winds for a while and later on find something to do with his life. Dee had asked him to find Nessera to tell the succubus what had happened. Dee wasn¡¯t sure if she would have taken him along even if he chose to come. The man had earned the right to find some peace and quiet for a while, and she wished him luck in the pursuit. Coming along with her would have meant anything but peace and quiet.


    Shunkaha had actually wanted to come along, but Dee had shot that idea down immediately. He had been forced to finally give up on her. It was likely that there would be a marriage in his future rather soon now that Dee would be gone. As an example of a much more relaxed reaction, Eilian had mostly just shrugged at the news. To a long-lived Sidhe, the time Dee would be gone was almost inconsequential. Eilian would have preferred to ¡®create a few more paintings¡¯ with Dee, but it wasn¡¯t all that bad if those were pushed back a decade or two.


    Dee had spent a fair bit of time discussing things with the empress. It would take a while for the Five Winds to recover fully, especially from the deaths of Nyx and Kawhena, but the empress would stay to help. Dee had suggested that the empress could become the new ruler of the Celestial Court, but the other woman didn¡¯t have the interest in doing that. Instead, the empress enjoyed the more family-like feeling of the Five Winds and she would do her best to keep things that way. As a small surprise, Dee found out that the Meilin representative seat would not go back to Ushas as the exasperating woman had been among those that lost their lives defending the headquarters from the emperor. Surprisingly Ushas had been among the first to volunteer to stay behind and had been among the first to die.


    With the emperor gone, the empress could take a more advisory role in the community. The Celestial Court was already embroiled in internal struggles, so much so that the empress was able to bring out the Phoenixes to the Five Winds without trouble. That would help ensure the community¡¯s strength for a long time to come. Dee¡¯s reputation would also help them, as most communities were not aware of her leaving and wouldn¡¯t find out for a long while. The Solarians were not likely to make something like that known either.


    The goodbyes with Faylen¡¯s family had been the hardest on Dee. Faylen was something like a sister to her, and leaving her behind was hard. Harder still was saying goodbyes to little Vian. ¡°But I don¡¯t want Aunty Dee to leave! Don¡¯t go!¡± The little girl had cried despite Dee¡¯s promises to return.


    Dee couldn¡¯t prevent her own tears from falling as she thought about not being here to see the little girl grow up. Unlike someone like the ageless Sidhe, the years Dee would be gone would make a huge difference in the life of a little girl. Who knew if the girl even remembered Dee when she finally returned? ¡°You¡¯ll have to grow up strong to keep your mommy safe while I¡¯m gone. Someone has to protect the community.¡± Dee had urged the little girl, trying to find something to say. Surprisingly the small girl had nodded seriously and declared that she would protect everyone while Dee was gone.


    The final goodbyes were somewhat of a surprise to Dee. Anastasia had been waiting for her. Almost wordlessly she passed Dee a gift basket larger than any of the previous ones, filled with all sorts of delicacies from around Pantheon. ¡°Something to tide you over on your travels.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Dee replied with a small grin but got a bit more serious right after. ¡°How¡¯s the situation with the Crimson Path? I know you lost people.¡±


    ¡°We lost some, but not as many as one would think. Luckily master finally crossed the threshold of rank thirteen. With that, no one will mess with us for a long time. She also sent you a message. She said she will be waiting for your return. She wants to have a serious match when you do. According to her, the enemies here are too boring. She might even pop outside Pantheon as well to see if the universe at large is more interesting. Maybe you will run into one another on some long forgotten world.¡± Anastasia didn¡¯t mention that Teresa had actually already left Pantheon in secret to test her new abilities. Unlike Dee, Teresa would return early and often in case of trouble.


    Dee gave Anastasia the warrior¡¯s greeting before using the standard portal gates to leave. Araqiel was waiting for her at her destination. The angel would be coming along as a liaison and a point of contact to the angels that might help her. Besides, Dee and Moirai needed someone that had actually spent time outside Pantheon. Moirai had never left Pantheon before, and Dee had very little experience as well. Araqiel would work as a guide of sorts.


    Dee had chosen to leave from the same interplanetary portal station she had arrived at so many years ago. Araqiel had actually asked why they had chosen this place as there were more powerful gates capable of reaching more planets in the circles with more ambient mana. Dee simply liked the symbolic significance of starting her journey from the same place she had arrived at. She turned to take a long look from the portal platform. The world of Pantheon had brought her pain, joy, enemies, and friends. She couldn¡¯t say if the world had been good to her, but it had been her home for a long time so leaving was difficult.


    She saw the tiered pagoda tower that she had climbed after arriving on this planet for the first time and gave a small smile. ¡°I will be back Pantheon.¡± She stated simply and turned to enter the portal that was already waiting for her.

 Chapter 169

    The first sight that greeted Dee on the other side of the portal gate was endless snow. The dark sky was heavily overcast and it was snowing just enough to qualify, but not enough to actually add to the thick layer of snow on the ground. As she observed the gate they had exited, it was quite different compared to the gates on Pantheon. The structure was made up of four stone arches that came together to a point at the top, leaving all four sides open. The stone arches and the ground was covered in runes, or at least it was to her sight. To everyone else, it looked to be covered in ice that seemed to have become a permanent fixture, probably not having melted for centuries. The temperature was also frigid, but the trio barely noticed that inconvenience.


    There was nothing living around, and the gate was the only structure she could see, and she could see quite far. ¡°Not what I expected.¡± She commented.


    ¡°Agreed. This is very different from Pantheon.¡± Moirai agreed. She was still morose and serious, but at least she had managed to push her grief aside to become functional.


    Araqiel gave a small chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s because both of you only have experience with gateways on Pantheon. Most of the universe does things very differently. Part of it is also because Dee picked the furthest location away from Pantheon our entry gate could manage without any care for the nature of the destination. I¡¯m not sure this world is even inhabited.¡±


    Both Dee and Moirai looked questioningly at Araqiel on hearing the last part. The angel continued. ¡°You have to understand that the gateways between worlds are generally used for very different purposes in places other than Pantheon. Pantheon has almost endless gates between different inhabited areas and frequently uses them for trade and simple travel. That¡¯s why their gates are relatively small and less guarded. The other worlds use gateways mostly to move armies.¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look any more guarded than gates on Pantheon.¡± Moirai commented rather pointedly due to the lack of any life around them.


    ¡°Correct, which is why I¡¯m not sure if this world is even inhabited. Look, the gates on Pantheon can reach pretty much any other gate on Pantheon, but travel between worlds is more challenging. Also unlike Pantheon, the ambient mana is often thinner, even when the gates are mostly built on ley-lines. When we use the gates between worlds, we more often than not have to provide them with our own power. Even with that, the gateways can only reach a limited number of other worlds. Also something of note, unlike on Pantheon, there¡¯s often a separate gateway for entering and exiting a world. This one is strictly for entry into this world. It can¡¯t be used to travel to another world without serious tampering.¡± Araqiel explained.


    ¡°What the point in that?¡± Moirai asked rather miffed at the wasted time and effort they were likely to run into.


    It was Dee that answered. ¡°I think she already said it. Most of the gateways are used to move armies. Often hostile armies. I¡¯m guessing we are in an area that could be considered to be a border between large factions? Judging by the lack of a garrison, this is a world used as a relay point to extend towards actually interesting worlds outside the range of other gates. The people who built these gates didn¡¯t want to make things too easy for enemy armies.¡±


    ¡°Pretty close actually.¡± Araqiel agreed with a nod of her head. ¡°Thing is, most of the border areas place the entry gates in difficult locations to make invasions harder to pull off. Depending on how often they use the planet themselves, they might even place the outbound gate on the other side of the world to make things as difficult as possible. Worlds that are in safer areas often have the gateways in more convenient locations and even have gates for travel around the world itself. Those gates get more common as the level of development on the particular world increases or if the value of the planet when it comes to resources and trade increases. Peaceful worlds often also have gateways that work both ways as there¡¯s less need for precautions like this. On the borders though, the gates are placed with invasions in mind. Some inbound gates are surrounded by fortifications on all sides to make invasions a near impossibility. Any incoming army will be slaughtered as they exit the gate.¡±


    ¡°So should we expect death traps with only an inbound gate and no way to leave? Or worlds where the entrance is heavily trapped?¡± Moirai asked, liking the idea less and less.


    ¡°No to the first question. The gateways can usually be modified to allow for outbound travels as well, though it takes some work and skill. As for the second one, the entrances are almost never trapped, because even the fortified border worlds have incoming traffic of their own, either in the form of supplies or just messengers. It also happens to be forbidden, but that rarely stops anyone from doing anything. It¡¯s just not practical most of the time as most worlds see at least some traffic. However, we should be prepared to run into guards and forts, many of which are not going to be all that friendly. Not that they¡¯ll want to tick off immortals usually.¡± Araqiel replied with a shrug.


    ¡°I think the more important question is; how do we find the outbound gate on a ball of ice like this? Even assuming it¡¯s a small world, it¡¯ll take a lot of time to find the gateway.¡± Dee pointed out the obvious dilemma.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s easy. There¡¯s about a dozen ways to find the other gate. The most obvious one is that most travelers carry magical items that help them locate the gateways.¡± Araqiel pulled out a compass looking thing that pointed towards the two gates and showed the distance. She had assumed this was coming, so she had acquired extras for Dee and Moirai. She tossed these extras out right away. ¡°In case that one gets damaged or destroyed, you can use the entry gate to ping for the exit gate. Or, well, I can. You both are psions. I think Dee¡¯s holy power can do it as well, but the gate creators didn¡¯t really bother accommodating psions. You can also make educated guesses with some experience and knowledge. Follow the ley-lines and find the spots with thick ambient mana. Other such things. I¡¯d use the item if I were you though, at least until you get some experience.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure your portals wouldn¡¯t work, Dee?¡± Moirai asked.


    ¡°I mean, if I got a decent idea about our destination, then yes. We could travel between worlds with my ability as I¡¯m part Astral Dragon. The problem is, even with that it would take weeks and months to travel between worlds. And if I¡¯ve never visited a world before, it would be almost entirely random where on our destination world we end up. It might be alright, but it might land us in some trouble as well.¡± Dee replied.


    With her improved portals as an Astral Dragon, they could relatively effectively use the portals to travel between worlds. Her completed totem also improved all her abilities, this one among them. She didn¡¯t even require that specific of a destination anymore, assuming she had at least a general idea where she wanted to go. The Astral Sea also had the interesting attribute where they would not age nor grow hungry during the trip. But even with all the improvement from her totem, that travel method would still take a long time. If they didn¡¯t have to worry about time at all, then the portals would be an easy solution, but none of the three wanted to spend years on travel that could be done almost instantly with the gateways. Not unless they had to.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad once we get out of the border areas. Pantheon was specifically placed in a central position between the four participants of the War in Heaven so it could function as a refuge for all parties. Even with the demons out of the struggle, this is still the heart of the border zone. I¡¯m half surprised we didn¡¯t end up surrounded by fortifications on all sides. Changing the subject slightly, where exactly are we going?¡± Araqiel rushed to agree with Dee. She wasn¡¯t as confident with Dee¡¯s portals and had much more experience with the gateways.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a good question.¡± Moirai also looked at Dee. She didn¡¯t really have a destination in mind, as she was just along to grow stronger and to get away from Pantheon. Of course, she was also here for Dee, but that went without saying.


    Dee considered their situation for a while. ¡°Well, for several reasons, we simply need some time for now. I have a¡­shall we say a source of power to draw on to grow stronger.¡± Dee had almost exhausted the first container of the souls from the destroyed hells, but the third door inside Croestia had plenty more of the same. ¡°It will just take time to utilize. Besides that, it might be better for us to lay low for a while and gather information. I also want to travel the universe a bit. That has always been one of my goals, and now it¡¯s something I can do.¡±


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    ¡°Well, if you can hide your identity as a Fallen, then that would not be a problem. If we can hide both our wings, then we can go pretty much anywhere. Like I said, immortals are rarely bothered unless they are clear enemies. I¡¯d like to get into contact with the Archangel if that¡¯s fine with you.¡± Araqiel said, mostly agreeing with Dee¡¯s plan to lay low for a time.


    ¡°You do that. She should have some information for us by now as well.¡± Dee pointed out. The Archangel had promised to find out the whereabouts of Selvaria¡¯s sealed and guarded spatial pocket.


    ¡°I should be able to do that at any major world with decent development.¡± Araqiel didn¡¯t bother arguing the point. Personally she would be more comfortable in the angel controlled parts of the universe, but she also realized that might lead to some bad things considering Dee¡¯s nature and personality.


    ¡°The Assembly.¡± Dee suddenly declared her decision.


    ¡°What?¡± Araqiel asked, thrown off by the sudden declaration.


    ¡°We should go to the areas controlled by the Assembly. My mother was a part of them, and they are supposed to be very magically developed. You should be able to find your means of communication easily, and I should find plenty of things to eat, to see, to fight and to eat. Also, we won¡¯t stand out as badly even with our wings out. According to what I heard, the Assembly takes in pretty much anyone with enough power.¡± Dee explained with a small lick of her lips.


    Moirai couldn¡¯t help but smile at Dee¡¯s gluttonous nature resurfacing. Her old student hadn¡¯t really had the chance to enjoy her vice for a while. The years spent on the elementals planes were not exactly filled with delicacies despite the provisions they had taken along, and after that, they had seen almost constant battle. ¡°Assembly it is then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll accede to your wishes, but are you sure you wouldn¡¯t do better in the dragon controlled areas? They aren¡¯t exactly backwater places either, and with you being an Astral Dragon and everything¡­well, it might allow you to let that part of yourself out a bit more.¡± Araqiel suggested, genuinely curious about Dee¡¯s reasoning.


    ¡°Perhaps later. See, while I¡¯m part Astral, I¡¯m also part Abyssal. That¡¯s going to raise some eyebrows. Scalebrows? Whatever.¡± Dee had plans to go to the areas controlled by the dragons as well. Just not yet. She was also a little worried about how the dragons felt about dragons that were mixed blood with other races. The dragons on Pantheon seemed to take it well, but that might not be the common reaction.


    ¡°But still, as far as first steps outside Pantheon go, this place is a bit¡­¡± Moirai suddenly said, struggling to find the right words.


    ¡°Shitty?¡± Asked Araqiel rather directly.


    ¡°Not the word I would¡¯ve used, but that works. Let¡¯s agree that Dee doesn¡¯t get to navigate anymore. She gets to make broad directional choices, but navigation is up to us. Now, where¡¯s that other gate?¡± Moirai actually managed to joke.


    ----------


    ¡°Araqiel.¡± Dee¡¯s voice managed to be both reproachful and somewhat mirthful at the same time. That mirth was a little out of place considering their devastated surroundings, but a little destruction rarely bothered Dee. Her dragon form casually bumped into an already teetering tower, causing it to finally give in and collapse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! No! This is not my fault!¡± Araqiel was quick to defend herself, tossing aside one of the last people they had kept alive to ask some questions. Questions had been asked and now that person had also lost his life.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that said they wouldn¡¯t bother immortals.¡± Moirai stated in a high-pitched voice clearly meant to mock and mimic Araqiel.


    ¡°You¡¯re also the one who said it would be a good idea to change shapes to hide our nature.¡± Dee tried to follow Moirai¡¯s lead, although her attempt was foiled by the fact that it was pretty hard to mimic voices as a dragon.


    ¡°Look, how was I supposed to know the Assembly had developed an experimental method to return people to their true shape?¡± Araqiel claimed. ¡°Even this guy said the spell was just developed, and that this was the first test site. It wasn¡¯t even supposed to work this well yet! Look at the spell runes! They¡¯re full of imperfections and small errors. And if they had bothered asking questions instead of attacking us in full, then the result wouldn¡¯t have been so bad.¡± Araqiel waved her hand around, the gesture taking in the entire devastated fort they had been forced to fight against. A small fort, but still.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call this working well.¡± Dee grunted, peeved that the spell had considered her dragon form her true form.


    ¡°This might draw a lot of unwanted attention.¡± Moirai stated the obvious problem. They had actually tried calming the situation down, but the Assembly forces were not feeling like listening, which was understandable considering this place and the new technique were supposed to be a secret. A bad choice due to the obvious difference in strength between the two parties.


    ¡°Not necessarily. According to what I managed to get out of the guy, this wasn¡¯t exactly a high profile project. Sure, a fort disappearing will draw attention, but the project itself was something rather minor.¡± Araqiel said defensively. She had been the one to question the captive.


    ¡°Be that as it may, I don¡¯t think we can let you navigate either. Dee might have picked a frigid ball of ice, but at least she didn¡¯t pick a secret research fort.¡± Moirai twisted the proverbial knife a little more. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have to pick our destinations from now on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in this.¡± Dee gingerly picked up one of the corpses with her claws. ¡°The four guys that seemed to be the leaders were wearing identical clothes. It looks like a uniform of some sort. And I think I remember my mother wearing something similar long ago.¡± The corpse was wearing a black robe with weird fringes hanging from the sleeves. All of the corpses with the robes also had a wide red sash that really stood out from the otherwise black robe.


    ¡°Oh, that? That¡¯s the official clothing of every member of the Assembly. To be more specific, only those with a certain rank can wear the black robes. The black robes denote their full membership in the Assembly, the fringes that hang from the sleeves signify the exact rank and the sash signifies affiliation with a certain faction. Lower ranked members also have similar robes but with different color. They may also have the sash, but they might not be affiliated yet. Wearing robes like that is forbidden in the areas controlled by the Assembly unless you¡¯re part of them. Civilians and subordinate groups will obviously abide by that rule.¡± Araqiel explained.


    ¡°So stealing the robes for our own use wouldn¡¯t work?¡± The robes were actually still in perfect condition despite the death of their owners. The defensive abilities of the robes were pretty notable.


    ¡°Of course it wou¡­actually, now that I think about it, that plan might work. No one actually questions the people with the robes, so that should apply to us. Especially if they can sense our power. An immortal in the Assembly worlds is likely one of them in any case. We might want to avoid relying on the robes too much, but they might make things easier. And if we remove the robes while in cities¡­¡± Araqiel had been about to deny the idea outright but talked herself into the idea in the end.


    ¡°What does the red sash signify?¡± Moirai asked, noticing something that might turn out to be important.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the more militant wing of the Assembly. They seek to expand their influence by force. Of course there¡¯s more nuance to it than that, but I¡¯ve been at Pantheon for several years, so I¡¯m not sure how the internal politics of the Assembly might have shifted. Only they can tell exactly what each faction and sub-faction aims for.¡± Araqiel replied with a shrug. At one point she had been well versed in the Assembly politics, but that was a long time ago and the allegiances had shifted several times since then.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling this might bite us later¡­¡± Moirai muttered.

 Chapter 170

    ¡±Now aren¡¯t you glad I picked the destination this time?¡± Moirai asked with a slight victorious smirk.


    Dee was too busy eating her way through the seventh dish within thirty minutes to answer properly, but her nod was eager enough to get the message across. This world wasn¡¯t exactly a hub of great power and activity, but it did have a very refined agricultural development. The animals were especially suited for domestication and the soil somehow produced wonderful plants and fruit trees. The locals attributed it to being blessed by the local gods of earth and harvest, and for all Dee and Moirai knew it might even be true. No matter the reason though, the world was one of the major agricultural centers in this area of Assembly controlled worlds.


    ¡°Still, this map we managed to acquire from the information broker is rather different. It¡¯s at the same time extremely complex and extremely simple.¡± Moirai toyed with a magical crystal in her hand.


    With a small injection of power the map, or more accurately maps, inside the crystal were projected into the mind of the user. The user could freely zoom in and out of the map, all the way up to a level that spanned multiple galaxies, or all the way down to the level of a single world. The broker had even helpfully added annotated notes on each world. That said, those little annotations were based on the information that the broker had available, so they were not completely reliable.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to really conceptualize the locations of worlds over a network spanning galaxies, especially when the location of the worlds keeps changing.¡± Moirai continued with a judging tone.


    Dee stopped eating long enough to answer. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about it the wrong way. You should not think of it as a normal map. Instead, think of it as a grid of connected dots. Regardless of their location, only some of those dots are connected. The actual distance between them is, well not irrelevant, but not all that far from it either. There are too many factors that affect which other dots a single dot is connected to for simple distance to matter too much, and if you try to conceptualize it as a normal map you¡¯ll go crazy. You need to get rid of the idea that location and distance are the most important factors in determining connections.¡± She then proceeded to stuff her mouth full again.


    ¡°Have I mentioned that I dislike it when you manage to figure out something like this faster than me?¡± Moirai replied a little testily. Dee¡¯s explanation had made things click in her mind though, so she couldn¡¯t be too upset. ¡°Well, as revenge, it¡¯s only right that you¡¯ll actually have to learn the locations of the different worlds and not just the connections.¡±


    Dee had to get a decent handle on the location of the different worlds in case she ever needed to use her portals. She didn¡¯t need the exact location, but she couldn¡¯t go in totally blind either. Luckily it wasn¡¯t too difficult for a psion to memorize the contents of the map. Dee stopped chewing long enough for another comment. ¡°Still, we¡¯ll need more information. The broker was worth the extravagant price but the information is not complete. Besides, the notes are biased.¡±


    ¡°True. All information is biased though, as it¡¯s always given from someone¡¯s point of view. We¡¯ll need to cross-check things with other information brokers, preferably on other worlds. It would be even better if we got maps from the angels, dragons, and demons as well. If the remaining demons even have maps. This map is understandably Assembly-centric.¡± Moirai said in agreement.


    Araqiel entered the booth they were in and shot a quirked eyebrow at all the empty plates surrounding Dee. ¡°How was the information broker?¡± She asked as she entered.


    ¡°Good. We got most of what we wanted.¡± Moirai replied as Dee was still too busy to do so. ¡°How about you? Did you manage to reach the Archangel?¡±


    ¡°Well, good news and bad news on that front. I did manage to reach her and she has the information you want. The bad news is that the device I was using was not secure and this isn¡¯t the sort of information we want to be overheard. If the other Archangels found out she is looking into this matter and spreading the information around, she¡¯d have a real problem. She wants a meeting. I¡¯m sure she also has questions to you as well. The sort of questions you don¡¯t talk about when you can be overheard.¡± Araqiel explained.


    ¡°She expects us to go into the area controlled by the angels? Surely she can see we would find that more than a little suspicious?¡± Moirai pointed out incredulously, and Dee waved a piece of bread at them in a very agreeing manner.


    ¡°She can indeed see that, which is why she has agreed to meet us on one of the worlds in Assembly space that allows angels access. She can easily find a good reason to visit and we can find a suitable chance to meet. You should find that agreeable as well, as the world in question has a very heavy Assembly presence so even if she tried to betray you, a battle would draw the wrong kind of attention and everyone involved would get caught up in a three-way mess.¡± Araqiel explained. She had expected Moirai¡¯s reaction and so had her mother.


    ¡°Well, that was considerate of her. When is this meeting supposed to take place?¡± Moirai found herself with a better impression of the Archangel. She still wouldn¡¯t make the mistake of fully trusting the angel, but she still had a more positive impression of this angel in particular.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a slight rub with that. Dee¡¯s banishment from Pantheon has been noted among the angels. It would draw unwanted attention if she made moves right after that happened. She suggested the meeting take place in three months. The exact date can be set later. She did suggest that we should start moving in that direction when the time draws near. Oh, and I¡¯m sure there will be angels looking for Dee, though that¡¯s not exactly news.¡± Araqiel outlined. ¡°What about you, I¡¯m sure you got a map, but how about the robes and sashes?¡±


    They had used the robes to enter this world without hassle and had hidden them soon after. ¡°Ah, right. Those requests roused some questioning looks by the way. I¡¯m pretty sure she will sell information about us as soon as she figures out the best person to approach. Good thing we both looked very different while we were there.¡±


    ¡°A good precaution.¡± Araqiel mumbled and Dee waved her fork in agreement this time.


    Moirai continued while eyeing the fork in case of food splatter. Not that Dee would let anything escape. ¡°Anyway, to our fortune, it doesn¡¯t seem that the Assembly is an overly complex organization when it comes to ranks between members. There are special designated positions when a situation calls for it, but that doesn¡¯t show on the robes. Brown robes for new trainees, dark blue for those that have been tested but haven¡¯t become full members yet, and then three ranks for the full members. The first rank covers almost everyone, and our robes are of that rank as well. The second rank denotes a member of the ruling body or a faction leader. As one might imagine from the name, the Assembly usually decides most important matters with all members voting, but there is a council that keeps things running on a day to day basis. There¡¯s also a designated head of the council, which is the third rank, for leadership in case of emergencies. The faction leaders share the same second rank. Incidentally, the members of the first rank determine seniority among themselves via a web of hundreds of factors that only they understand fully. That¡¯s the hard part of pretending to be one of them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so far so good. I told you those things even before you asked the broker.¡± Araqiel said a little smugly.


    ¡°I know, but you yourself said your information is out of date. We needed to confirm things. Moving on, there are about two dozen major factions with their own color sashes. The number changes every now and then as the internal politics change, so even the broker could not give a definitive list. The major factions have several sub-factions which is what the markings on the sash indicate. The factions fall into two major categories, those dedicated to combat and leading armies, and those dedicated to more intellectual pursuits. There are factions that don¡¯t quite fit neatly into either category, but that¡¯s the general gist of things. Incidentally, you were correct in the assumption that our red sashes indicate membership in a faction that is definitively militaristic.¡±


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.Araqiel sighed. ¡°I knew it. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Well, the factions we should be most aware of. The reds, whose robes we stole, are pretty firm in their desire to expand the influence of the Assembly, but they¡¯re not exactly extreme about it. Another one we should pay attention is those with green sashes. They are the largest faction among the Assembly, and they are the major military faction. The greens lead the armies and are the best in battle. There are sub-factions with differing views, but in general the greens don¡¯t go out looking for trouble. They¡¯re more than happy to take part in any trouble that finds them though. The whites are the most pro-angel faction, so they probably won¡¯t like us if we ever run into them. We should also keep our eyes on the blues. They¡¯re the premier research faction. They won¡¯t pick a fight with us, but they are the ones that might have surprising new techniques to spot us and bother us. The facility we destroyed was testing an idea the reds stole from the blues.¡± Moirai explained.


    ¡°Is the black faction still around? They used to be the primary pro-demon faction, but they were on a downward spiral the last I heard.¡± Araqiel asked. As an angel, she personally wasn¡¯t fond of that faction but realized Dee might feel the opposite.


    ¡°They¡¯re still around according to the broker¡¯s knowledge, but they¡¯re pretty much delegated into being the anti-angel faction now. Not much wind in their sails I¡¯m afraid. The white faction is ascendant at the moment.¡± Moirai replied with a shrug. She knew Dee wasn¡¯t all that fond of demons in general either, despite her background.


    ¡°Well, be that as it may, we need to determine our next destination. That map should be of help.¡± Araqiel stood up, preparing to leave.


    ¡°You mean we can¡¯t stay here? But the food here is excellent.¡± Dee asked with a sad voice.


    ----------


    The trio spent a few days planning their next course of action. That allowed Dee to indulge in her gluttony and she also made sure to stuff as much food as possible inside Croestia¡¯s storage. The money they had gained from the previous owners of their robes had been severely depleted by her purchases and the visit to an information broker. They had determined that they would need to find a source of funds rather soon, or they would be forced to sell some of the stuff they had brought with them from Pantheon. Dee had an especially large amount of materials stored, partly thanks to the Living Mountain still being obsessed by slimming its form by shedding any excess materials.


    Dee also noted that whenever she absorbed the souls from the storage device her mother had left behind, those souls now all stuck around her Domain. The first two souls had some meaning to her, but now that she had come to a careful agreement of sorts with Death, it seemed like the anomaly extended to all souls. The souls didn¡¯t do anything though, as they just floated around her mostly empty Domain. The increased number did worry Dee just a bit, but not enough to prompt any action just yet. She was curious about where this was headed, even though she wasn¡¯t foolish enough to ignore the possible risks.


    Eventually, the trio decided on a plan of action and was preparing to leave this world behind. They had donned the robes again and were already walking towards the gateways. This world was something of an exception in that it had both the inbound and outbound gates in the same place, though that was mostly for trade reasons. Even though this world wasn¡¯t too far from the border, it was also a major supply center so logistic reasons trumped security.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the world we picked has great access to auction houses even if the map doesn¡¯t list that. I¡¯ve been there before. There¡¯s plenty of other possibilities as well.¡± Araqiel tried convincing Moirai.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt you, but I find it suspicious the map has no mention of those things. There must be some reason they are not listed.¡± Moirai countered.


    ¡°It might be a world the broker has a grudge with. Or it might be a competitor with the organization the broker has ties with. The broker would avoid directing potential customers to competing organizations. Look, I¡¯ve been there, and the map has no mention of the world having faced a recent disaster, right? Even if the possibilities I mentioned are not available anymore, we can just leave and go somewhere else.¡± Araqiel argued.


    Dee, on the other hand, was noticing a commotion near the gates. ¡°Uh, girls, I think there¡¯s something going on ahead. I think we might have to table this discussion for now.¡±


    The trio was already too close to just turn around as they had just rounded a corner and they were already in sight of the gates. And it seemed their appearance had drawn some attention. Turning around now would have been highly suspicious. The guards made room as another black robed and green sashed individual approached them. ¡°Ah good, I was just about to try and contact you magically. The guard informed me that the three of you were the only Lords present in this world.¡± Lords was the term used to address the members of the Assembly.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Moirai asked, tugging at her robe slightly. She was significantly shorter than the previous owner of the robe. She¡¯d had it adjusted, but it still didn¡¯t sit perfectly.


    ¡°A general summons to all Lords. This isn¡¯t the place to discuss details, but there¡¯s war brewing.¡± The man could now be recognized as a beastman as they got closer, and he seemed to have a savage grin expecting violence on his visage.


    One of the guards approached the man and whispered just loud enough for all four of the robed people to hear. ¡°Lord, one of the blues is in this world as well. At least I have not heard of her leaving. She has stayed here for research on agricultural methods.¡± The gate guards kept tabs on the number of Lords present in each world for just such an occasion. Of course, they had no way to know if a Lord decided to move incognito or use a method of travel that would hide their movements.


    The beastman waved his hand in dismissal. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. The general summons only applies to the battle factions for now.¡±


    The man gave an evaluating glance towards the three and they all knew what it meant. There were hundreds of ways of determining seniority among the Lords. Power was far from being the only method, but it did carry a lot of weight, especially if the individuals were unfamiliar and could not use other means to judge otherwise. Dee and Moirai were clearly stronger than the beastman and even Araqiel was about equal. The man gave a small nod of acquiescence, showing he was deferring to Dee¡¯s seniority. He also knew this would not last all that long, so he didn¡¯t really mind.


    The trio had gotten a pretty good idea of this little ritual that took place almost always when the Lords met. They didn¡¯t know all the methods of determining seniority, but the information broker had managed to give them the broad strokes that had leaked over the years. Dee knew enough to give an accepting gesture, to show she knew she was in command should the situation require it.


    ¡°Guards, prepare the gates. I gave the destination already and expect the preparations have been made.¡± The man commanded, and the guards hurried to obey.


    Dee felt a silent message from Croestia. ¡®I still can¡¯t believe the Lords of the Assembly are so easy to fool. They should have a way of knowing you are all frauds.¡¯


    ¡®Well, you have to consider a few details. The robes we are wearing are not fake. I would imagine they do have ways of recognizing fake ones. Secondly, there¡¯s a lot of Lords in the Assembly. They are a participant in the War in Heaven so they have to have the numbers to match the angels and demons. They are also the group that accepts the broadest spread of races and people, so it¡¯s natural they don¡¯t recognize even a fraction of the people by appearance.¡¯ Dee replied.


    ¡®Still, one would think they would pay attention to Lords with your level of strength. There can¡¯t be that many rank twelve individuals among them.¡¯ Croestia argued.


    ¡®Well, that¡¯s assuming people aren¡¯t hiding their strength. And they have to assume, correctly, that I¡¯ve recently attained my level of power. Besides, I think the sheer number of powerful individuals might surprise you.¡¯ Dee replied with a small smile. They¡¯d had this same discussion with Moirai and Araqiel before. Speaking of¡­


    ¡±Now aren¡¯t you glad you picked the destination this time?¡± Dee couldn¡¯t stop herself from throwing Moirai¡¯s words back at her, eliciting a deep sigh.

 Chapter 171

    Verus and Aetius were furiously planning for the defense of the sector their group had been assigned. Both the Assembly and the Eternal Dragonflight had noted that the angels of Paradisia were preoccupied with something. With the demons gone, that left the two other remaining parties in the War in Heaven free to utilize this opportunity to get an advantage without having to worry about a third party interfering. They had both planned on moving against each other; the Dragonflight had simply made the first move. Aetius was in charge of handling the defense of this sector of Assembly controlled worlds, and as his friend, Verus was naturally going to help.


    The problem was that the Dragonflight had managed to catch them in the middle of their preparations. Either the dragons had less need for extensive preparations or they had started earlier. Either way, the Assembly was caught while still gathering their forces and supplies. The situation was not a grim one as they still had their borders fortified against surprise attacks, but some of those forts had already fallen. Dragons, in general, cared little for enemy fortifications, and they had subordinate forces that were almost as effective at toppling those fortifications as the mighty beasts themselves. An adult dragotaur could punch its way through a fort wall even if it was enchanted. So the Assembly was pressured, but not in a dire situation just yet. They had been forced to mobilize all the members of the battle factions in the area, but not the others. That would be the sign of real trouble.


    One of the messengers Aetius had sent approached the duo¡¯s tent with a definite spring in his step. Apparently, it was time for some good news. ¡°You handle it. I¡¯ll remain here and try to figure out the best spots to stop the Dragonflight¡¯s advance.¡± Aetius stated.


    ¡°Aye, sir.¡± Verus acknowledged the order with a mock salute. He knew the real reason he was sent instead of Aetius going personally and plans had very little to do with it. He tried to keep a chipper impression but for a short while now there had been this weird itch inside him. He had a bad feeling. Still, it wasn¡¯t good to distract his friend without something more concrete.


    Verus exited the tent, open at sides, that the two had been using as their war room and met the recruiter outside. The man was trustworthy enough but there was no need to allow anything leak, even if the plans weren¡¯t really a big secret. If the plans had been a secret their tent would not be so open. ¡°Cerialis. Report.¡± Verus tried his best to remember the names of those he worked with and was glad to see he had remembered the recruiter¡¯s name. The beastman¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change but his tail made a small wagging motion.


    ¡°General, I hit a jackpot. I ran into three red sashes on the world I was assigned. All of them immortal, one of them rank twelve. And not a weak one either from the fearful feeling she gave me. They¡¯re a bit of an odd group, but you know how the reds are.¡± The recruiter quickly explained. Not all Lords were immortal; in fact, most of them were ranks eight and nine. A rank twelve immortal was certainly enough to add a spring to the recruiter¡¯s step.


    ¡°I do indeed. I¡¯d still rather have them on our side though.¡± Verus agreed with a laugh. He wasn¡¯t laughing on the inside though. A rank twelve red sash could be a problem. It could also be a great boon if handled correctly, as a rank twelve immortal might be able to defend a world alone.


    When one thought about the factions within the Assembly, greens were the ones you thought about when considering the best people for winning battles. They were trained and skilled as generals and in causing maximum casualties against the enemy forces with their powers. They were also the most popular faction by far, and for a good reason. They were less involved in politics, which appealed to plenty of people, and they had an important field they excelled in. However, if one were to think about winning a war or accomplishing a mission at all costs, one thought of the reds. And the reds did not shy away from politics.


    ¡®A rank twelve red might end up contesting for the leadership of this sector, even if Aetius was assigned as the general in charge. A generalship easily granted is a generalship easily taken away.¡¯ Verus thought with a mental grimace. ¡®On the other hand, one of their kind can help us win the war in this sector. The reds tend to be the best at stealth and one-on-one fights.¡¯


    The recruiter had led Verus towards the spot where he had left the three new ¡®volunteers¡¯ and Verus could identify them immediately. The group was an odd one for sure, and after observing them for a short moment Verus wasn¡¯t even entirely sure if the three were members of the Assembly. The trio certainly didn¡¯t act like Lords, that¡¯s for sure. Not like the several hundred other Lords present.


    The three were among the other Lords gathered in defense of this sector, yet they were not mingling. That in itself wasn¡¯t too odd, as reds tended to be a little insular. What drew Verus¡¯ attention though, was that the three were not exhibiting any of the social cues that were so prevalent among the Assembly. The Lords had been doing the same dance for countless millennia, so it was almost instinctual to them. The first thing that would happen with several Lords present was the establishment of a pecking order of sorts. Age, power, affiliations, training time, connections, and a hundred other more minor details went into deciding who had seniority. The seniority was not a chain of command, as it was a lot more subtle. Those lower in seniority gave respect and deferred to those above them, and deviating from that without a good reason was seen as gauche.


    Not these three though. The tall and powerful one was almost oozing deadly grace and power, while the other two were staying in her shadow. Ironically, in not dancing the little dance that was so prevalent among the Lords, they had also taken the highest position in that seniority. The others mainly assumed that the strong one didn¡¯t bother because she knew she was by far the strongest individual present, a fair assumption, and the other two were simply her subordinates and would only defer to her. Not a common situation but not something unheard of either. Verus had arrived later so he had a slightly different impression. To him, it appeared the three didn¡¯t play the game because they either didn¡¯t know how or chose to give that impression.


    That in itself would have been weird but not enough to make Verus think they were not Lords of the Assembly. What really drove that impression home was that the feeling inside him had grown stronger as soon as he had seen the strong red-sashed woman. It was a little-known fact among other people, but Champions of different gods had this faint but recognizable resonance. That resonance could be suppressed but not entirely. That bad feeling Verus had gotten earlier had been that very resonance warning him.


    Verus was the Champion of a rather minor God of Protection, and he was used to other Champions blessed by stronger deities giving him this sort of feeling. The resonance was not an exact measure, but it did tell a person whether the other person was the Champion of a stronger or a weaker deity, as well as an impression of the gap that existed between them. The Assembly had several Champions of much stronger gods than the one Verus served, but this was new. Normally his blessing gave the impression of the other party being stronger, but now his blessing was giving a feeling akin to a small animal shaking and trying to appear too insignificant to notice in front of a large predator.


    Apparently, the other person felt a bit of that resonance as well, as she turned to look at Verus with eyes that promised death if he stepped wrong. Yet he didn¡¯t feel like the woman intended to kill him. It was just like she was considering whether he was worth toying with or not. He managed a feeble shake of his head to clear his mind. The feeling of resistance being futile remained though. ¡®This is¡­bad? No, maybe this is good? In fact, this might turn out to be great.¡¯


    He was almost certain a being like this had not been among the reds before. Surely the word would have gotten around by now. Unless the reds had been hiding her all this time? However, she seemed too young for that. She seemed young enough to be barely out of the academy. ¡®Speaking of.¡¯ Verus thought to himself and looked at the woman¡¯s companions. One of them was short enough to be a child. A second glance assured him that the small woman was infact a full adult woman and a member of the smaller races. ¡®Some beastman sub-race perhaps? And that third one is an angel, isn¡¯t she? She¡¯s clearly an angel. She might not be showing wings or a halo, but that appearance is pretty suggestive.¡¯


    So three outsiders had somehow acquired the robes belonging to the reds and had brazenly walked to a place where they were surrounded by hundreds of Lords of the Assembly. They certainly seemed to be relaxed, and considering the feeling Verus was getting from the strong one, not without reason. ¡®So if they want to pretend to be Lords of the Assembly, instead of confronting them, maybe we should let them play the part? We¡¯ll keep an eye on them of course, but if they seem content in acting in our interest, maybe we should just let them? The Assembly certainly isn¡¯t very strict about who it takes in! So why should we be? We don¡¯t have to share important information with them, just point them at the enemy. If they¡¯ll fight for us, then great! If not, then at least we might not have to face them in battle unlike if we try confronting them. Besides, I could be wrong about this whole thing. I¡¯ll still need to inform Aetius of course.¡¯


    The time he had spent thinking about all this had made him look a little weird, but he ignored that and still went to greet the new arrivals. The trio of reds were not the only ones to have arrived recently. They had instituted a general mobilization of the battle factions in the sector, and everyone was expected to attend. They would not be punished if they didn¡¯t, not directly. But their place in the dance for seniority would take a nose-dive. Cowardice was a large detractor in the game of power and influence.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Still, nearly all of the Lords had been in the sector for a reason and were not too pleased to be here. Most of these Lords had been forced into dropping whatever project they had been working on, and that made them especially displeased. Well, the greens were pleased for a chance to do battle, but the others needed their egos stroked a bit to tide things over. That was the real reason Aetius had sent him here instead of coming personally. Even for a green, Aetius was especially displeased with such things.


    He eventually came to the suspicious trio. ¡°I¡¯m glad to have some of the reds among our number. What brings you to this part of the Assembly?¡± He was probing while making small talk.


    ¡°Vacation.¡± The small woman replied curtly, clearly hiding the truth. That wasn¡¯t odd as reds usually didn¡¯t care to explain much of their affairs.


    ¡°The world we were on, Aesis I believe the name was, has quite the agricultural sector. The food there is excellent.¡± The powerful one that had introduced herself as Dee volunteered. Clearly she was lying. There was no way one of the reds or even someone pretending to be one would waste time on food. There had to be a more important reason the trio was on that world.


    ¡®Maybe I should have the scouts check the place just in case. If people like these three were there, then the world must have something important that we have missed. Unless they already found it? Oh dear, maybe they are real reds after all, as these sorts of schemes are right up their alley.¡¯ Verus thought to himself. ¡®Either that or they picked a really suitable disguise.¡¯


    ¡°So, the Eternal Dragonflight?¡± The angel looking one prompted, with a slightly weird tone that Verus couldn¡¯t quite place.


    ¡°You¡¯re well informed. We didn¡¯t really explain the details yet, but I suppose the word about the coming war has been making the rounds already. I suppose it¡¯s not a leap to guess that the Dragonflight managed to strike first. Yes, you¡¯re right. We¡¯ll be defending the sector against the dragons and their forces until we have gathered enough strength to go on an offensive.¡± Verus explained, giving the woman credit for her acumen.


    The news had not spread all that far yet, but there was no need to hide these details either. They would all find out in a couple of hours anyway. The woman had a weird look of relief on her face after hearing his words. ¡®Why would that be? Is she acting? She¡¯s doing a good job if that¡¯s the case. As an angel, she would know we aren¡¯t fighting her kind and that doesn¡¯t leave many options.¡¯


    ¡°So when can we expect deployment?¡± The small one asked, still sounding less than pleased.


    ¡°The details are still being decided, but in a few days.¡± Verus answered. In fact, the plan was almost ready, but no need to let them know in case they were some sort of spies. Even if they weren¡¯t, there was no need to spread that information. He would need to talk to Aetius fast.


    ------


    As soon as the demi-human man left, Dee let out a thoughtful hum. This was new. Umbra and Lumen had told her that her abilities as the Champion would not all reveal themselves immediately, and they had been right. Being able to feel the presence of the other Champion had come as a surprise. The man had also felt her, but it seemed that she got more information out of the deal. She knew which god he served for example. ¡®The God of Protection and Self-Sacrifice, huh? That requires a very specific type of personality. I wonder who he wants to protect so badly?¡¯ On the other hand, the man would have an easier time hiding from other Champions due to serving a minor deity.


    ¡°He seemed suspicious. Should we leave now while we have the chance?¡± Moirai suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to leaving if you want, but don¡¯t do it on his account. I¡¯m starting to get a handle on these little power plays the Lords of the Assembly play. Even if he knew for sure we were not what we appear to be, there¡¯s nothing he can really do about it without some solid proof. The benefits of me being so high up in their little pecking order. Didn¡¯t you notice how careful he had to be in his probing? He can¡¯t make accusations against us without some solid backing or sufficient evidence. Let¡¯s not provide them that evidence. Besides, I¡¯m sure they can¡¯t afford to confront us at the moment.¡± Dee explained. She didn¡¯t bother mentioning that the man had also fallen under the influence of her Domain even though she had made no effort to use that Domain. He would not fight against them.


    Moirai looked thoughtful for a moment. Dee thought it good that the woman was reaching a mental state closer to normal. ¡°In that case, it might be beneficial for us to stay. We probably won¡¯t want to take part in attacking the dragons, but if we do our part for the defense of the Assembly, we might be successful in forging some connections that can come handy later on. With your plan to go against the angels, we¡¯ll need the allies that we can get. If nothing else, they should have information for us.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, how lucky for you Araqiel that the Assembly isn¡¯t fighting with your people.¡± Dee pointed out with a smirk. She would have personally preferred that as she had nothing against the dragons, but that would¡¯ve put Araqiel in a bad situation.


    ¡°I was rather confident that was the case, but it¡¯s nice to get a confirmation.¡± Araqiel noted the tone in Dee¡¯s voice but still agreed with the statement.


    ¡°Changing subjects a little, after all the fights with immortals lately, it feels a little weird to be surrounded by mostly mortals.¡± Moirai suddenly pointed out.


    ¡°Well, all the parties in the War in Heaven have plenty of immortals, but you have to remember that most of the forces are still mortal. Our recent stay at the Pantheon¡¯s inner circles might have skewed our perspective a bit, but very few beings actually manage to become immortal. Besides, there are so many worlds mixed up in this mess that the immortals are spread thin and this likely isn¡¯t among the most important sectors. I¡¯m pretty sure the worlds that are the heart of this conflict have a lot more powerful individuals. Still, a rank twelve immortal like Dee is a valuable asset. The whole of Assembly has maybe a dozen of individuals capable of fighting her even on a relatively equal footing. Those that could actually win against her were fewer still.¡± Araqiel explained with a shrug. Even among the angels, those individuals would be limited to the Archangels and the Morningstar. Maybe the leader of the Seraph serving under Empyrean could put up a fight.


    ¡°Fair point. So what are the chances of the Assembly picking a fight with us if they do find out about us? in your opinion I mean. Dee seems confident but¡­¡± Moirai wanted a second opinion.


    ¡°I think she has a point. They might ask us to leave, but even that seems unlikely. As long as we seem willing to work with them, they will be likely to leave us to it. The power required to fight us is too much, especially in the current situation. They won¡¯t let us near any sensitive information of course. Still, it depends a bit on who finds out and who gets to make the decisions. The pro-angel faction will most likely give our location to the angels, assuming they realize your enmity with them. Or Dee¡¯s demonic status. At the very least, they¡¯ll want to know why we are here and how we got the robes.¡± Araqiel explained her thoughts.


    ¡°And what are the odds of us actually successfully integrating to the Assembly and reaching a position of power?¡± Dee suddenly asked. Being able to utilize the Assembly would be extremely useful.


    ¡°That¡­I don¡¯t know. With your power, we might be able to gather quite a bit of merit in this fight. We¡¯d have to be able to really sell ourselves as members of the Assembly to reach a real position of power though. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to manage that. I¡¯m pretty sure that man earlier already figured out that my appearance is a sign of me being an angel. Sorry about that, but there¡¯s really no way to hide that. We just have that certain something, and I can¡¯t change my appearance as completely as you Dee.¡± Araqiel knew angels had tried infiltrating the Assembly before without success. The angels simply looked and acted too much like the angels they were.


    ¡°I think we might be able to work that to our advantage actually. I have an idea that would explain our appearances and most social mistakes we make. We simply have to sell ourselves as what the man already suspects us to be, infiltrators. Except we are not trying to infiltrate the Assembly. Instead, we were all trained and raised to become infiltrators that were meant to be sent to the other parties in the war, by the Assembly. We act like the other groups because that¡¯s what we were meant to become. You were supposed to become a spy among the angels, Moirai was supposed to become a spy inside the Pantheon and I was meant to become a spy among first the demons and later on with the destruction of the hells I was supposed to be sent to the Dragonflight. The situation simply changed and the plan was scrapped. And now here we are. From what I¡¯ve overheard, I get the impression that¡¯s something the red-sashed faction would do. In fact, I¡¯m almost certain they have already implemented such a plan.¡±


    ¡°That¡­is convoluted enough that it might actually work¡­¡± Moirai stated with some trepidation. Of course, they would try to shoot the plan full of holes and come up with further details, but for something Dee came up with on the spot, the plan might function.

 Chapter 172

    The situation in the sector commanded by Verus and Aetius had developed in a weird direction. Two of the border fortresses controlled by the Assembly had quickly fallen, and several more were in a precarious situation. The two had assumed the Dragonflight had the power to punch through, but the speed at which it had happened still left them flabbergasted. Even if the Dragonflight had caught the Assembly in the middle of their preparations, it wasn¡¯t like the border fortresses were ever lightly manned. Lords of the Assembly were required to spend some time defending the forts every now and then, specifically to prevent a situation like this. The forts should have been able to hold out for longer than they had, but the reality was what it was. As a result, the majority of the forces the two leaders had managed to gather had been sent to man the still struggling fortresses to stem the bleeding.


    That left the duo with a problem. Both of the fallen worlds were by a quirk of fate only connected to a single other world leading towards the heart of the Assembly controlled worlds in this sector. All the other gates those two worlds could reach were among the fortress world that still held out. The single world the fallen two worlds were connected to was a largely unprotected one, as it had no real resources and it was protected by fortress worlds that had just fallen. That solitary world only had one important thing about it, and that was the fact that it connected to a dozen unprotected worlds in the sector, thus forming a natural choke-point. The only reason this world was not fortified was because it was deemed redundant while it was already protected by other fortifications on the actual border, and because it was not the only world of its kind in the sector.


    As Aetius had been forced to deploy most of their forces to protect the beleaguered forts, it left very little to protect the world in question. Perhaps fortunately, they did have a trio of powerful red-sashed Lords that had recently arrived. Verus had mentioned his suspicions about the trio to Aetius, but they had very little choice in the matter. If the trio turned out to be some sort of infiltrators, then the world in question would be lost. However, since they were likely unable to defend it without their help anyway, that became a moot point. Still, the duo decided to set up their command post on that same world, just so they could keep an eye on the three suspicious reds.


    As the Assembly had plentiful mages among their number, and an even larger portion of research focused mages, it was not surprising that the bulk of their forces that were not made up of the Lords of the Assembly were constructs. Magical constructs could be produced in large numbers, were easily controlled by a small group of mages, didn¡¯t have morale issues, never became tired, and required little in the way of supplies. In addition, the mages that created the constructs could customize them for the mage controlling them, making the constructs immune to the favorite spells of that mage. So the mage controlling the constructs could throw all his spells that affected a large area into the melee without concern for hurting his forces.


    The Assembly had conventional forces as well, but they were usually not deployed unless absolutely necessary. In general, those people were better utilized for economic purposes and as support staff. Even now Aetius and Verus had several secretaries and messengers running on a hundred errands, as well as cooks, healers and logistics crew. Of course the elite forces of the Assembly were mostly made up of living people, but they were not thrown into the meat-grinder battles on the borders, as the loss of life would be vastly out of proportion with the gains, unless you were aiming for a big breakthrough.


    Unfortunately for the Assembly Lords gathered at Io, the choke-point world in question, none of them was especially skilled at controlling the constructs. Verus was mainly a holy warrior, while Aetius had sent his forces elsewhere. They were shocked to note that all three of the reds they were relying on were people without constructs as well. The handful of Lords present beyond these five were not chosen for their combat ability, otherwise they would have been sent to the forts as relief forces. Dee reassured them that they did not need to worry. She had something better. Io saw a lot of traffic at times, so it had a single gateway complex that worked both ways, and the group had taken a ¡®defensive position¡¯ right next to the gateway.


    As soon as Dee revealed her ace for the defense of Io, the two generals were reassured. Or at least they should¡¯ve been. There were simply a few details that bothered both Aetius and Verus greatly. ¡°That¡¯s¡­a mountain right?¡± Verus asked a little strained.


    ¡°It looks like one.¡± Aetius replied a little subdued.


    ¡°It has a halo.¡± Verus stated a little dumbly. It wasn¡¯t that they had never seen mountains infused with a lot of magic before, but this particular mountain had several features that made them mentally off-balance.


    ¡°It does, yes.¡± Aetius once again replied dumbly. That wasn¡¯t the detail that bothered them, it was simply one that was easy to bring up.


    ¡°The mountain seems to be alive.¡± Verus pointed out. Mountains that had a level of intelligence were not completely unheard of. In fact, the capital world of the Assembly had a mountain that had self-awareness, and the two had visited said mountain several times on official business. The mountain watched over the most important facilities of the Assembly, including the place where the Lords assembled to decide on important matters. That¡¯s where the similarities ended though.


    ¡°It certainly seems that way.¡± Aetius kept his line of answers.


    ¡°Why does the mountain have an apron?¡± Verus finally asked the question both of them really wanted an answer to.


    This time Aetius did not reply and they both looked at Dee in question. Dee, in turn, had pulled out a very cozy chair and was looking towards the gateway. If someone had asked, she was guarding the gate, while staying comfortable, but in reality, she was very pointedly trying to not look at the mountain and the gateway was simply a good excuse. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± She straight out lied.


    ¡°¡­the mountain clearly has an apron.¡± Aetius couldn¡¯t help but point out.


    ¡°If you mind it, you¡¯ll lose.¡± Dee had long ago given up trying to apply common sense to the Living Mountain. It was better not to even try.


    ¡°Can you at least explain what happened to the other mountain that used to be near here? It wasn¡¯t exactly big, but I¡¯m pretty sure there was one this morning.¡± Verus decided to change the subject a bit.


    Dee gave the duo a suffering glance but finally decided it was easier to answer. At least she wouldn¡¯t be the only one disturbed by the answer. ¡°Apparently my mountain didn¡¯t like how it looked. Specifically, she didn¡¯t like how the other mountain was blocking some of the sun. Yes, I¡¯m quite sure my mountain is female.¡±


    ¡°¡­is that a sign of disrespect between mountains?¡± Verus finally asked, not entirely sure if he wanted to know the answer.


    ¡°No, apparently she was worried her tan might get uneven. I highly recommend not thinking further into the implications of that sentence. It¡¯s entirely your fault I even had to say it.¡± Dee had been quite surprised to see the Living Mountain remove the obstruction so she had made the mistake of asking. She had assumed some sort of odd kinship between the Living Mountain and normal mountains, but that apparently didn¡¯t extend very far.


    ¡°Verus.¡± Aetius suddenly tapped on the shoulder of his distracted friend. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you noticed, but I¡¯m pretty sure that apron is made of a material that is even rarer than whatever they use to make our robes. And that being a mountain, the apron is really damn big. That thing alone is worth more than this whole damn world.¡±


    Verus cursed in frustration and simply walked away.


    ¡°I told you you¡¯d lose if you mind it.¡± Dee¡¯s quiet words followed the man back to his tent. Dee was rather gratified to see she wasn¡¯t the only one the mountain was giving headaches to.


    ------


    ¡°So what¡¯s our plan here?¡± Moirai asked as soon as the two people watching them had drawn back to their own battle plans. ¡°While getting achievements might make it easier to get on the social ladder of the Assembly, I don¡¯t think antagonizing the Eternal Dragonflight is a very bright idea. The reward might not be worth the price.¡±


    ¡°Well, that depends a lot on how things develop. Originally I was worried we¡¯d get stuck in some fortress, but successfully holding a strategically important world like this is a lot better. For now, I¡¯m planning on establishing the three of us as a reliable asset. Our current military power is limited to us three and the slightly insane mountain, so that won¡¯t win us too many wars no matter how much power we have personally. This isn¡¯t a short-term project, as the leaders of the Assembly won¡¯t suddenly just trust a group of powerful individuals that appeared out of nowhere. This all suits me just fine, because we need time anyway, and this is a good way to spend that time. If they trust us enough to send us to do something, we might even get to see the universe a bit more and they might share their information with us. I think most of the information we want is something that isn¡¯t publicly circulated. For instance, I don¡¯t think the information brokers can tell us where all the surviving Fallen Angels disappeared to.¡± Dee explained her thoughts.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°As a positive note, the dragons can¡¯t really blame us for anything if we¡¯re simply defending ourselves. It might be better to spare the life of whatever comes through the gate at first. Give them a warning. That might be even more effective. And even if it isn¡¯t, well at least then they¡¯ll have absolutely no grounds to blame us of anything.¡± Araqiel posited.


    ¡°Or it might tick them off and draw even more attention to us.¡± Moirai pointed out rather pessimistically.


    ¡°There¡¯s always that possibility.¡± Dee laughed. ¡°Either way, we should get a fair bit of credit.¡±


    Moirai frowned a bit. ¡°Still, the Assembly kind of dropped the ball on this one. If we had not been here, they¡¯d be in real trouble.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose that¡¯s on purpose?¡± Dee suddenly asked.


    ¡°You mean that this is supposed to be a trap of some sort?¡± Moirai realized where Dee¡¯s thoughts were going.


    ¡°Something like that. Otherwise this whole thing seems a bit weird. The whole defense by the Assembly seems awfully half-assed. Even if our two leaders seem relatively competent, they are not getting enough support. Even if we assume what they mentioned about the preparations of the Assembly being incomplete as the whole truth, this is kind of pathetic. If the Assembly was caught completely unawares, then they¡¯d be pretty incompetent, but even that would not explain the weak borders. Now granted, we¡¯re only seeing the situation of a single sector, but even a lone first circle community on Pantheon could do better, not to mention a huge community like the Celestial Court. Yet the Assembly is supposed to be more than a match for the entire Pantheon.¡± Dee explained with a small shrug.


    ¡°Well, even if that is the case, there¡¯s very little we can do about it. No one bothered to inform us or our erstwhile leaders that this is supposed to be a trap and we¡¯re supposed to fail. We can¡¯t just fumble our defense on the assumption that something seems to be going on. Besides, that would hardly earn us any merits even if our assumption turned out to be true. And if we are wrong¡­¡± Moirai left her words hanging in the air, the implication clear.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to see how the situation develops. Besides, it seems that we are out of time. It¡¯s your time to shine Dee.¡± Araqiel quite happily stated. She certainly didn¡¯t mind if they spoiled some carefully laid Assembly plan.


    ¡°Sure, push all the work to me.¡± Dee grumbled and got ready to act as the gateway showed signs of activation.


    -----


    Nurlaessus was ecstatic. The elders had picked her to lead the attack on the important Assembly world of Io. Their initial information stated that the defenses of the world should be almost nonexistent, but it was still important that they send someone powerful as the vanguard to create an opening for the rest of their forces to flow into. Despite their apparent weakness, the robed bastards of the Assembly were not stupid and they should have realized the importance of Io. Thus the job of the vanguard would likely not be as simple as the initial information suggested.


    The honor of being the vanguard had been given to Nurlaessus. As it rightfully should! She was after all a mighty Azure Dragon, much stronger and larger than any of her lesser kin. She would be able to beat five dragons of the similar rank and age from the other dragon races at the same time! Why the elders bothered to use anyone besides Azure Dragons as the vanguard was a mystery to her. The only dragons capable of matching her kind one on one were their hated counterparts among the metallic dragons, the Platinum Dragons. Even those prissy pricks could only barely match her might, and they didn¡¯t have the nature for this sort of thing. Well, there were the Abyssals and the Astrals, but the first were crazed lunatics and the less said about the latter the better.


    Nurlaessus grinned in savage glee as the Dragonkin mages had to expand the gate just to accommodate her enormous frame. The gate on the other end would have to automatically do the same to match. She was sure the defenders on the other side were already shaking in fear. As they rightfully should! She still scraped some of her nigh indestructible scales against the pylons of the gateway, leaving small grooves in the stone. Bloody useless Dragonkin not making the gate big enough!


    As soon as Nurlaessus appeared on the other side, she let out a mighty roar to scare everyone present. Every dragon possessed an aura that instilled something called dragon terror, but the Azure Dragons especially excelled in that. Surely the defenders were quaking in their boots! ¡®Speaking of, where¡­¡¯ Her thoughts were interrupted as she barely registered a flash of light and it felt like an enormous meteor had hit her right between the eyes.


    Darkness almost overtook her, but her willpower managed to prevent that shame from falling on her. She had already been caught by surprise, and she would not fall from a simple blow. That would be an insult to her kind. To her dismay, she heard a male voice from a distance. ¡°Did she just punch out an Azure Dragon?! How is that possible?!¡±


    ¡®My thoughts exactly!¡¯ Nurlaessus screamed in her mind. She felt like her entire body was bound in the vice grip of hands that she could not see, and something tiny landed on her nose. Well, tiny compared to her at least. For a humanoid, the tiny thing might have been fairly tall.


    ¡°Why did they send a weakling through the gate first? I assumed they would send something actually powerful and struck out accordingly.¡± The female being uttered.


    Nurlaessus was too incensed to pay real attention to her assailant, which wasn¡¯t helped by the being standing on her nose, limiting her vision. ¡°Weakling?! I¡¯m a rank eleven Azure Dragon! You should be trembling in fear!¡± She tried to growl in defiance, but the mental pressure that suddenly fell on her turned that into more of a loud swallow.


    ¡°Like I said, a weakling. Moirai, Araqiel, prepare the gate. We¡¯ll send this one back in hopes that they¡¯ll send us something bigger. It feels like I¡¯m picking on children. Oh, by the way. Can you see that mountain over there?¡± The tiny being pointed at the enormous stony form nearby. ¡°That mountain could have squashed you like a bug as well. Do tell your leaders not to bother sending more if they¡¯re not serious. It feels like bullying the weak if we have to kill beings like you. And that mountain will not be as merciful as I am. She doesn¡¯t know how to hold back.¡±


    ¡®She?¡¯ Nurlaessus wondered at the choice of words. However, there was something that bothered her even more. ¡°Why is the mountain wearing an apron?¡± She uttered in complete confusion.


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing.¡± The tiny woman stated, her voice turning a little icy.


    ¡°But clearly¡­¡± The situation was so absurd that Nurlaessus couldn¡¯t prevent herself from trying to argue back. The reality was obvious to her eyes, even if it made no sense. The aproned mountain was right there!


    ¡°Did they send an insane dragon against us? Did I hit your head too hard? Why would a mountain be wearing an apron? Is that what you¡¯re going to report to your elders? That the defense of this world is handled by a mountain, supposedly wearing an apron for some reason, and a little girl that punched you out with a single hit? I would advise against that. They¡¯ll label you an idiot, and for a good reason, because clearly you¡¯re hallucinating. I¡¯d come up with a better story.¡± The tiny woman¡¯s voice didn¡¯t sound entirely balanced.


    ¡°Yeah but¡­¡± Nurlaessus was unable to let this go. This situation was such that she was not at her sharpest and could not take a hint. Not that she could do that in a normal situation.


    Suddenly the vice grip around her squeezed a little harder and the tiny woman stomped her foot. Nurlaessus heard and could feel several scales breaking. ¡°There. Is. No. Such. Thing. Understood?¡±


    This time Nurlaessus was able to notice the scales on the hands of the tiny woman, which bewildered her even more. Maybe this was something she could report? ¡°I understand!¡± She certainly couldn¡¯t report the truth, the tiny woman was right in that.


    ¡°Good girl.¡± The tiny woman said in a very condescending voice that would have infuriated her if she wasn¡¯t already more than a bit scared. ¡°Now scoot!¡± The woman made a shooing motion and Nurlaessus was thrown back through the reactivated gate.


    ¡®So much for my glorious assault.¡¯ She cried quietly.

 Chapter 173

    Despite this being one of the regularly scheduled meetings that happened every few days, emotions were running high in the administrative council of the Assembly. The emotions of each member of the council were varied, but few of them had the stoicism to remain completely unaffected by the matter at hand. Or not at hand as it were, despite everyone eagerly expecting the news. The council was proceeding entirely normally, and the subject they were all interested in had not been brought up yet. In fact, it almost seemed that certain parties were avoiding the subject entirely, which alone spoke volumes about the news not being great.


    Finally one of the councilors of the white faction lost his patience. ¡°Alright, we all know what we truly want to hear about, and the fact that certain colleagues of ours are not already crowing about their success means that things are not going to plan. So what¡¯s going on? You¡¯ve all been excited about executing this plan of yours, but now it seems the trap you laid isn¡¯t working.¡±


    One of the green councilors cleared his throat and got up. It was customary to stand while addressing the council. ¡°Well, saying that the plan is going perfectly would be a lie. It seems we¡¯ve hit a bit of a snag.¡±


    ¡°What kind of a¡­snag and how big of a disaster are we looking at? Your plan already carried a lot of risk even if it worked, but we approved it because of the potential benefits. Don¡¯t tell me at this point that you missed something obvious.¡± One of the blue councilors expressed her disapproval. Not everyone had been enthusiastic about the plan the greens had presented.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m relieved to say that we aren¡¯t looking at a disaster, not yet at least. As you¡¯ll recall, our plan called for the dragons to make a break in our border defenses, allowing a portion of their forces and hopefully several of their elders into our lands. We even hoped that a chance like this might lure one or two of their ancients to drag themselves out of their comfy nests to appear personally. Once they were inside our defensive perimeter, we¡¯d slam the door shut behind them and kill or capture anything caught in our web. The two forts we planned on being lost fell as planned, but the dragons have not utilized the obvious breach to rush into our trap. To be more specific, the dragons were stopped at Io, so all they managed to take were the two border worlds.¡± The green councilor explained.


    ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but Io is the choke point the dragons were supposed to rush through, right? That world was one of the reasons this sector and those specific worlds were picked for this plan. They presented an easy place to prevent their escape, while also leading mainly to worlds we can afford to lose for a short time.¡± One of the yellow councilors asked to clarify. The yellows had not been active in making this plan, so they were a little fuzzy on the details. The yellows, in particular, disliked the civilians being threatened, but a short occupation by the dragons would not allow for the damage to become too severe unless the dragons went out of their way to destroy everything. And that would be a somewhat wasted effort without gain.


    ¡°That is correct.¡± The green councilor confirmed. He had been forced to take the responsibility to explain the current situation to the others as he was the most junior of the councilors among the greens. He disliked being the last in seniority as he got all the shit jobs without any of the credit, but that¡¯s how things worked.


    ¡°That world is completely undefended according to my information. Are you saying the general in charge of the sector mounted an effective defense there against all odds? Or did the dragons notice that the forts they captured were fake and realized this was a trap?¡± The yellow councilor continued his questions, though this time requesting information that all of the others wanted to know as well.


    ¡°Hashtur?¡± The green councilor redirected the question to his companion that knew more on the subject.


    Another green councilor got up. ¡°The fake forts were created with utmost care by the blues. It would take multiple weeks of careful study to tell the difference even if they were not damaged in the battle, which they were according to our information. The real fortresses are still successfully hiding and remaining invisible in the skies of those two worlds, ready to slam the door shut when the signal is given. The dragons made a couple of attempts to take Io, but they were rebuffed each time. Now they seem almost skittish to try again. It is possible they realized that this is a trap, but more likely they met harsh enough resistance to set them back on their heels.¡±


    ¡°Skittish?¡± One of the brown councilors asked incredulously. ¡°Who did you send to defend that area? I was under the impression that the general sent to take care of the defense was supposed to be incapable of holding that area. Did you send the elites of the green faction instead? Doesn¡¯t that kind of defeat the purpose? Did you let the pride of the green faction get in the way?¡±


    The green councilor once again cleared his throat and redirected the question towards the reds. ¡°The general was picked under the recommendation from the red faction and they have called in one of their agents to give a better report. This agent is more familiar with the people sent. She can give a detailed report and answer questions.¡±


    Usually these sessions were announced either as open, in which case anyone could observe the proceedings, or as closed, in which case only the councilors were allowed present. This one had been declared closed, yet the reds had brought one of their non-councilor Lords to the meeting. This lord walked to the center of the circular room to address the council. The person was hiding her face and features, but her form and voice revealed her to be female.


    ¡°The two people sent were general Aetius and a friend of mine general Verus. Verus is a popular holy warrior mostly there to act as a bodyguard and a helper for his friend and ally Aetius. He is fairly strong but not to the extent where he would sway the result one way or another. His presence showed that we were somewhat serious in our defense without actually committing enough forces to actually defend Io. Aetius is a solid general, ideal for a static defense, but he doesn¡¯t have enough personal power or tactical brilliance to pull off a surprise like this. I have spent enough time with both of them to guarantee this to be a fact.¡± The woman remained at the center to answer any questions.


    Of course someone would ask the obvious, and one of the whites did. ¡°So if the generals were not the key to a successful defense of Io, what happened?¡±


    ¡°The generals took the standard measure of drafting all the combat faction Lords in the area to support the defense. This was as we expected. What was not expected was the presence of three powerful reds to get caught in the draft. Those three have been the key to the defense of Io. According to our sources, the strongest of the trio is at the top end of rank twelve immortals. To prevent information from leaking, most of the Lords not involved directly in the operation were not informed, and those three apparently fell into the group that was left out.¡± The woman explained.


    This brought out a lot of internal discussion among the factions. ¡°What were the three reds doing there? I know the reds don¡¯t like to answer such questions, but that sector isn¡¯t exactly known for being a vacation spot and you should have known better than to run operations there with the current situation being what it is.¡± One of the greys finally voiced what most of them were thinking.


    The reds, as usual, refused to answer and no one had expected them to. One of the greens got up to reply. ¡°General Verus asked that question. The answer he got was that they liked the cuisine in the area.¡± The man¡¯s voice was practically dripping with sarcasm. That caused general mirth in the councilors despite the serious situation. The answer was simply that absurd.


    ¡°I think we can all agree that the reds are not the type to take vacations to indulge their desires for cuisine. And they certainly wouldn¡¯t pick that spot even if they did.¡± One of the whites declared with a laugh.


    ¡°Be that as it may, this might still work. I suggest that we send one of the reds to call back their wayward members, no matter what the reason for their being there is. If we force the faction leader of the reds to recall them, then they will have to obey no matter what.¡± One of the greens suggested. She gestured at the woman at the center of the room. ¡°This woman is friends with Verus and Aetius, so she makes for a believable messenger. Now we just need a good excuse for them to suddenly remove the defense they managed to hold so far, so that the dragons will not be too suspicious.¡±


    The rest of the evening was spent arguing possible plans and the eventual details.


    ---------


    Verus approached Araqiel who was currently in charge of watching over the gateway for any signs of activity. The quite clearly angel looking woman seemed the most balanced individual of the trio of reds, so Verus and Aetius usually approached her whenever possible. Araqiel would then deliver the information to the other two. Moirai had seemed fairly well adjusted for a red as well at first, but that notion had been disabused as soon as the tiny woman went to battle. She was much crueler than even the mountain, and the mountain at least had the excuse of¡­well, being a mountain. Dee was just plain scary.


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    ¡°Where are the other two?¡± Verus asked without preamble.


    Araqiel looked at the man with some amusement. She had noted the fear the two generals showed her companions. Wise men all things considered. ¡°Moirai is resting while Dee is trying to explain the mountain why we shouldn¡¯t just attack the dragons instead of staying here. The mountain is rather intelligent but has surprising gaps in her knowledge. Gaps like how divided fronts work. As far as I understand, concepts like that are a little difficult to express in a way that the mountain can understand it.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Verus decided it was better to not ask any further. The less he knew about the mountain the better. ¡°I need you to call them here, if you would be so kind.¡±


    Araqiel now focused her attention on the man. ¡°Well, this is rare. You don¡¯t often seek for the two of them.¡± Still, she did as she was asked and it didn¡¯t take long for the other two to appear.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Moirai asked a little grumpily due to having been woken in the middle of her nap.


    ¡°In about twenty minutes the gate will activate and I need you all to not attack those coming through.¡± Verus explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you needed all three of us for that. You¡¯ve had agents come through before. Usually you just inform the person in charge of keeping watch at that time.¡± Dee pointed out. She had also noted that for some reason no agents came through when she or Moirai were keeping watch.


    ¡°Yes, well, the problem is that Araqiel already forgot to inform you once when I gave the message to her just before you swapped shifts. You nearly blasted my messenger. And this time my friend is coming.¡± Verus explained, with a peculiar tone to his voice.


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this? Your friend wouldn¡¯t happen to be female, would she? And she wouldn¡¯t happen to be the reason for the god you serve would she?¡± Dee¡¯s interest suddenly perked up. She recognized the peculiar tone in Verus¡¯ voice, and that tone belonged to a man speaking of a woman he had feelings for. Mostly unrequited feelings in fact.


    ¡°What, what? This suddenly got a lot more interesting. Our little Verus has a girlfriend coming for a visit? How luxurious¡± Moirai suddenly also got interested.


    ¡°That¡¯s general Verus for you, and she¡¯s just a friend.¡± Verus replied embarrassed, before calming down a bit. ¡°Besides, that¡¯s not the real point. The message mentioned our friendship in case the dragons managed to overhear, but in truth, my friend is a Lord of the Assembly just like us, except she¡¯s rather high up among the reds. You might even know her, Aurelie Sanguin.¡± He almost stumbled over the word ¡®us¡¯ due to his suspicions, but managed to hide that fact.


    The trio made non-committal sounds that didn¡¯t quite make it clear if they had heard the name before or not. Reds usually didn¡¯t reveal such details, but these three reds performed their obfuscation in a way that it was clear they were doing just that. Verus continued. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t come here without a good reason, and I¡¯m guessing it has something to do with you three. So get ready.¡±


    ¡°Should we do something about this?¡± Moirai asked Dee quietly while they waited.


    Dee considered for a moment before answering. ¡°Not just yet. I think this is a good chance to see if we can bluff our way among the Assembly. From the sound of things they¡¯re not sending more than one person and we should be able to deal with that if things go badly. Running away might be a bit challenging in our current situation, but we always have the option of using my portals.¡±


    Verus¡¯ timing was quite accurate as the gate activated slightly less than twenty minutes later. Moirai decided to mess with him a bit. ¡°Hey Dee, you did mention to the mountain that we should not attack the person coming through, right?¡±


    Dee caught on to the joke immediately and played along. ¡°Oh, that would have probably been a good idea.¡±


    Verus looked at them with a horrified expression, which went away as the two women broke into small grins. He simply made an exasperated sound instead of trying to retaliate. The gate flashed at the same time, allowing a humanoid clad in the Assembly robes through. The robes covered her from head to toes at first, but the woman pulled down her hood as she approached Verus and the waiting trio. The others had little reaction to the woman wearing the red sash, but Verus and Dee were both affected for very different reasons.


    ¡°Aure!¡± Verus greeted with a wide grin and arms spread open for a hug. He was disappointed though as the woman had stopped as soon as she laid her eyes on Dee. Both Dee and the woman had a similar reaction for the same reason, and they could both see that. They had both used the technique taught to the elites of the Assembly to look inside the other person and see what they truly were. And they found something very surprising.


    ¡°That¡¯s a clusterfuck of races if I¡¯ve ever seen one.¡± Dee mumbled, using the same term she had used for her own heritage before, something that Moirai did not miss. Moirai also narrowed her eyes in suspicion while looking at the obviously demonic woman.


    The woman had an amused grin on her at the normally pejorative term. The woman knew it had a different meaning when used by someone like Dee. ¡°That¡¯s a little rich coming from you. Sister.¡±


    Most of the woman¡¯s body was hidden by the robes that the Assembly Lords used, but it was quite clear that she bore certain similarities with Dee¡¯s old form, though the differences were stark as well. Where Dee used to be covered by a very short white fur, this woman had a clear skin of the same white tone that Dee¡¯s tails were still showing. She had the white fox ears that Dee had, but she was not the same kind of demi-human Dee had been. Instead, she was more of a humanoid with certain animalistic features. Those animal features also seemed to have mainly come from different races than the ones used with Dee.


    The woman had two long and thin horns growing from the base of her ears. The horns were more demonic than draconic in nature and were the same silvery white color as the hair that covered the woman¡¯s head. Both the tail that swished behind the woman and the hands that peeked from the folds of the robes were covered in what looked like chitinous armor plates of the same color as her skin. The chitin on her arms had a wicked looking spike protruding from the back of her hand, and her tail ended up in what could only be described as a blade reminiscent of those used in certain types of spears.


    ¡°Sister?¡± Dee asked in a slightly questioning tone. She had a suspicion that the woman in front of her had been created by either the same group Dee had been created by or one very similar. Still, the term sister seemed a bit¡­


    Some emotion flashed in the woman¡¯s eyes but was quickly hidden again. ¡°We shall talk in detail later. For now, I need to discuss some strategy with Verus and Aetius. Speaking of, where is our missing general?¡±


    Verus had not noted anything wrong with the term sister as Lords belonging to the same faction often used such terms of endearment to increase the bonds inside the faction. The greens thought of each other as brothers- and sisters-in-arms. The term used simply proved in his mind that his old friend knew these three and had just subtly acknowledged that fact. The reaction by Dee and Moirai was a bit odd, but perhaps they had not wanted their covers blown or something. Reds were a little odd like that. ¡°Aetius is still planning our future defense. We can find him in the command post.¡±


    In fact, Aetius had wanted to give his friend some private time with the woman his friend so obviously had feelings for, but had not considered that Verus would call in the three reds. Aetius could be a little dense like that. Aurelie suddenly urged Verus to lead the way. ¡°Then let¡¯s go immediately. I have news that will change those plans completely, so he is wasting his efforts.¡± She turned to Dee and her two companions. ¡°You should come along as this has to do with you as well.¡±


    The trio obliged but lagged behind a bit. ¡°Sister?¡± Moirai asked a little worried.


    Dee shook her head, though not knowing herself why exactly. ¡°I can¡¯t tell for sure, but I¡¯m pretty confident we were created by the same group. And she knows it. She can see inside me just like I can see inside others. Oh, by the way, Araqiel, that means she knows you¡¯re an angel. I don¡¯t know if that will be important in any way, but there¡¯s no point in denying it if it comes up. Just so you¡¯re aware.¡±


    Araqiel looked a little worried and plenty confused. Her knowledge of Dee¡¯s background was limited and the events just now had thoroughly confused her. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that. I¡¯m going to need some explanations pretty soon though.¡±


    ¡°You and me both.¡± Dee stated emphatically. ¡°Hopefully we will both get some answers soon.¡± She gestured towards the new arrival in a meaningful way. The woman had said they would talk later and Dee planned on holding on to that promise.

 Chapter 174

    ¡±Aurelie.¡± Aetius greeted his friend with a nod and a friendly smile as soon as she walked into the command tent. He noted that Verus and the trio of reds also came along, and knew that this was not a social call. Not that he had really expected it to be, but one could always hope. His friends certainly could use some social time together. Maybe then something might finally develop between the two. ¡°What brings you here? I doubt you¡¯re supposed to be the reinforcements I requested.¡±


    Aurelie gave a sad smile. ¡°No, unfortunately not.¡± She knew Aetius would not like what she was here to say. That wouldn¡¯t stop her of course, but that didn¡¯t mean she would take delight in it. ¡°First, I¡¯d like to point out that I am here as the official-unofficial representative of the council.¡±


    ¡°Official-unofficial?¡± Verus asked with an amused look. He had not quite grasped the serious atmosphere that had suddenly fallen between his friends just yet.


    ¡°Official as in what I¡¯m about to tell you comes directly from the council. Unofficial in that if anyone asks, I never told you any of this, and that nothing I tell you here leaves this tent.¡± Aurelie¡¯s serious voice finally wiped the amused look off Verus¡¯ face.


    ¡°We understand.¡± Aetius assured her, though looked a little skeptically at the three red-sashed individuals standing near the tent flap. Was it really a good idea to discuss something secret with the trio present? Did Verus not have time to warn Aurelie of their suspicions? On the other hand, Aurelie was one of the reds, and secrets were exactly what the reds dealt with. If she thought it was fine, then it should be fine.


    Aurelie noticed Aetius¡¯ look and acknowledged his worries with a small nod. ¡°This matter has to do with them as well. Before anything, the council would like to thank you for the very effective defense of Io with very limited resources, however¡­¡±


    Before she got to go further, Aetius interrupted her with a vexed voice. ¡°Wait, wait, wait! This sounds like you¡¯re about to remove me from my command. Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m being blamed for losing two forts in my sector when I wasn¡¯t even here when that happened? I barely got here!¡±


    However, it wasn¡¯t Aurelie who answered him. Instead, Dee voiced some of her suspicions. ¡°That¡¯s not it, is it? He¡¯s not being punished for doing badly. In fact, he¡¯s doing better than expected.¡±


    Aurelie nodded towards Dee. ¡°She has probably already figured it out. Like I said, the council thanks you for the excellent defense, but they would also like you to stop. Or at the very least not do so well at it.¡±


    Before Aetius managed to protest, Dee once again managed to interject her suspicions with a small grimace. ¡°So it really was supposed to be a trap. We suspected it might be, but couldn¡¯t really act on that suspicion alone.¡±


    Aurelie made a playful pointing motion towards Dee. ¡°Got it in one. Only those that needed to know were informed, and I guess your group was not included.¡± Her tone implied that there was more to it than what she said, but now was not the time to get into that.


    Aetius finally managed to voice his frustration. ¡°So, what exactly? Were we supposed to lose? Did you send me on a mission with the purpose of me failing? Do you think so little of me?!¡± He demanded with an incensed tone. He knew Aurelie had recommended him for this position, and now wondered if that recommendation was due to his friend looking down on him. He had taken it as a vote of confidence before.


    ¡°No, I recommended you for a very specific reason. I knew you had the tenacity to form an effective defense to keep the forts that were meant to be kept, even if one part of the front was collapsing. It takes a certain kind of leader to not panic and throw all their forces away in an attempt to plug a gap in their lines. I knew you would make the best of a bad situation, but I also knew you did not have the ability to perform miracles with your own personal power and connections.¡± She stopped and looked pointedly at Dee and her companions. ¡°At least you were not supposed to be. The idea was that you would not be able to defend Io, but that you would be able to defend everything else without losing your cool and your forces to prevent a breach that we wanted to happen. You might ask why you weren¡¯t told, but you were supposed to make a much more convincing performance if you didn¡¯t know about the trap.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite specific.¡± Araqiel stated a little sarcastically. She had faced the brunt of plenty of unreasonable orders and had a certain amount of sympathy for Aetius. She also felt that Aurelie was simply trying to soothe Aetius¡¯ ego. In her mind, Aurelie had known exactly what Aetius was capable of and that he would be found wanting. The rest was just trying to justify things afterwards.


    ¡°That¡¯s why they came to us reds with that specific demand. If they wanted any random general who would just lose, the greens could pick one just fine.¡± Aurelie¡¯s voice took a slightly condescending tone as if explaining basics like this was pointless. In fact, she was perfectly capable of what Araqiel was suggesting, it just happened to not be true in this case.


    Verus smartly decided to stay out of this as he didn¡¯t want to get involved in an argument between his friends. Aetius rubbed his closed eyes in frustration but soon calmed down enough to function. He was a general. His own concerns could wait. ¡°Alright. So what does the council need? This plan of yours seems somewhat botched now. Our three friends here kicked the dragons back a little too thoroughly for them to make a true effort to come back. Come to think of it, if all three of you are here, who¡¯s watching the portal.¡±


    ¡°The mountain is.¡± Dee replied with a flat tone.


    ¡°The mountain?¡± Aurelie asked with obvious confusion. She had seen a mountain as soon as she entered, something that big was hard to miss but had not paid real attention. She was under the impression that the mountain in question was just a normal mountain.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± Verus said with a tired voice. He didn¡¯t want to consider the damage the mountain might cause during this meeting while unsupervised.


    ¡°If I guessed the rough outline of the plan correctly, I think it can still be salvaged. Or it might even yield better results.¡± Dee stated. As soon as she had gotten a confirmation on the trap she had started running different scenarios in her head. She tried to find the one that had the best chance for success.


    ¡°You¡¯re correct.¡± Aurelie agreed with a nod. ¡°We have already come up with ideas, but I¡¯d like to hear your input as you have a better grasp of the nuances present.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard really. All that needs to happen is for Dee and Moirai to show themselves somewhere else and then wait for the word to spread. Oh, and the mountain as well of course.¡± Aetius stated in Dee¡¯s stead, coming to the same conclusion Dee had come to. It was the simplest and the most effective way, and he wasn¡¯t a general for nothing. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure about the better results part though.¡±


    ¡°We might have to show ourselves in more than one place for them to really get the message, but as soon as they realize we¡¯re not here anymore, then the rest should sort itself out. If we can give a good reason for our presence elsewhere, then that would be even better. Otherwise they might wonder why we¡¯re relying on a mere bluff to defend Io. The better part will come from the fact that the news will most likely provoke a disproportionally large response from the dragons. They will have to strike in force just in case we managed to return here in time.¡± Dee explained her idea in more detail.


    ¡°Bluff?¡± Aurelie asked about the part that she was not certain of. The idea was not that far from what the council had thought of. Some details were different because the council had no specific information, but it was close enough to count.


    ¡°Yes, well, Dee punched out a rank eleven Azure Dragon with a single hit.¡± Verus explained. ¡°Then Moirai and the mountain brutalized the next wave so badly that they haven¡¯t really made a proper effort since then. They checked for our continued presence a couple of times since then, but even that has stopped. They most likely decided it would be easier to try and take another fort than Io. So theoretically we could move the whole group away as a proper strategic decision and just pretend to be bluffing that Io is still impenetrable when they¡¯ve already left.¡±


    ¡°Punched out an Azure dragon, eh?¡± Aurelie looked at Dee in interest. She could tell Dee was powerful, but even a very physically focused rank twelve warrior would have trouble doing what Dee had done. Cleave one to death with a huge amount of ki and a magical weapon? Sure. Punch one out? That was more challenging. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll go over the details, but that sounds like the makings of a plan. We could feign that one of our other forts was falling, which in turn would credibly force them to help in the defense of that fort.¡±


    The next few hours were spent hashing out the exact plan, as Aetius and Verus would have to move their command post if Io was about to fall. After the meeting had concluded, and the two generals had to prepare for their departure, Aurelie pulled Dee aside for a talk. Moirai and Araqiel wanted to follow, but Dee signaled them to stay. Aurelie would most likely feel safer when not surrounded by three unknown people and would be more inclined to talk with just Dee around. If any of Dee¡¯s suspicions about their coming conversation were correct, the other woman might be disinclined to share too much with ¡®outsiders¡¯ even if Dee vouched for them.


    ¡°You look very young.¡± Aurelie stated as they found a more private place, ironically near the Living Mountain so there was a third being listening in anyway. Not that anywhere near the gate would be all that far from the large mountain. ¡°Unless you¡¯re making yourself look younger on purpose, you¡¯re even younger than me.¡±


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    Dee nodded in confirmation. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure how old Aurelie was, but she was pretty sure the woman was at least a few years older. Dee actually looked a little older than she was due to her height, although Aurelie wasn¡¯t exactly short either. Even though Aurelie was still mostly hidden by her robe, and thus hiding most of the details, some things could still be seen. One of those things was that the woman was less than two mel tall, maybe between 1,8 and 1,9 making her taller than normal humanoid women but still more than a head shorter than Dee.


    ¡°So you likely know almost nothing of what happened. Even I was so young that I barely remember anything despite being a psion. If those from the older generations didn¡¯t fill me in, I¡¯d be clueless as well. Unless your watcher told you?¡± Aurelie half wondered to herself before posing a question.


    Dee answered with questions of her own. ¡°Watcher? Older generations?¡±


    ¡°Ah. So that¡¯s a no then. So let¡¯s start with the first question. When the hells were destroyed, the project that created us realized they were¡­well, fucked to be quite frank. So they set all the experiments free in the hopes that we would exact some twisted revenge for them. Some of us from the later generations were so young that we would not have been able to survive on our own. We also happened to be the creations with the greatest potential of course, so they handed us to the soldiers watching over the whole projects and told everyone to run for their lives. We ¡®affectionately¡¯ call those people that carried the young ones away watchers.¡± Aurelie explained. Watchers had tried to manipulate the kids, so affection was not exactly the emotion associated with them.


    ¡°We?¡± Dee asked the obvious follow-up question.


    ¡°Well, not that many of us survived. In the first place, we were experimental cases so there weren¡¯t all that many of us that survived the tests. Some of the experiments, especially those from the oldest generations, were not¡­shall we say able to function properly. Many were hunted down by the angels and more still tried to exact that revenge I mentioned with limited success. I guess killing an angel could be called some sort of success, but not really what they were ultimately aiming for. Especially those that were meant to become soldier types went for what they were trained for and died doing it. There¡¯s a small group of us that ended up with the Assembly. I would guess at least one or two ended up with the dragons as well and the angels might have kept one or two as a sample. Still, I have a reason to believe most of the surviving brothers and sisters ended up with the Assembly. We can get into that later.¡± Aurelie seemed very trusting of Dee for some reason.


    Unknown to Dee, most of those that went through the experiments had formed deep bonds with one another. There were many reasons for those bonds, some were even programmed into them, but the end result was that they trusted one another almost automatically. The trust was partially an instinct instilled in the experiments, an instinct not instilled in Dee for a number of reasons as her purpose in the minds of those performing the experiments was different. She also hadn¡¯t faced any of the painful experiments so she didn¡¯t form those bonds of camaraderie that built between fellow survivors. Yet the same courtesy was extended to her anyway.


    ¡°You spoke of generations several times now. It might be easier if you explain that part.¡± Dee suggested. She wasn¡¯t sure why the other woman was so talkative but planned on using the opportunity to the fullest.


    ¡°Ah, yes. Remember that most of this is stuff I heard from others. I have confirmed some of it, but not all of it. Anyway, the project that created us had a couple of main purposes, but those purposes could not be achieved without some...iteration. They created a group of test subjects with a certain goal in mind and kept changing things until the particular goal was either achieved or scrapped. They would try different combinations of races, genes, and bloodlines to see what would give them the best results, and then made their conclusions. The whole project took decades, and us, the test subjects, and the methods they used improved. Instead of just combining a bunch of races straight out and hoping for the best, they started taking small parts or even single traits from several races and so on. Anyway, every time a large leap forward was made, the new group of test subjects was called a new generation. They would then try to improve another facet with that new generation without breaking what made them special from those that came before.¡± Aurelie¡¯s voice was a little pained, and Dee realized that much of the testing and experimentation was hard on the subjects. Not that she was surprised.


    ¡°So if I understand this correctly, each successive generation was stronger than the last then?¡± Dee tried to quickly ask a question to help keep any painful memories distracting from the conversation.


    ¡°Well, yes and no. Mostly yes, although the goal wasn¡¯t always just to increase strength or power. It would be more accurate to say that each generation was in some way superior to the ones that came before, though the difference might not have been large. In some cases, the generation change just marked a more effective method of doing something or fixing a major flaw that had existed before. Also, while the newer generations were more promising in average, there are still individual differences and different experimental groups. For example, judging from the fact that we are pretty close in age and are both psions, I¡¯d assume we are the same generation, or at least very close. Despite that, even a cursory glance shows that there were different races used in our heritage, or at least those races developed differently. That means we were part of a different batch. They tried something on my batch, and then they tried something different on your batch. Depending on how well that something worked might leave us stronger or weaker than the generation preceding us.¡± Aurelie wafted a bit. She knew the two of them were superior in most ways to the older generations, but didn¡¯t quite want to say it outright. It would have been disrespectful


    ¡°So you mentioned different goals. It might help again if you explained that.¡± Dee prompted.


    ¡°Right. So from what we managed to piece together, the project had two distinct goals. The more general goal was to create a new race of chimera, which is basically what we are, to use as a weapon against the enemies of the thirteen hells. Creating something like us in large numbers would have been very hard, but creating small elite groups is doable. As far as I know, some experimental groups were deemed good enough to send on missions. So in that sense the project succeeded even if it didn¡¯t manage to make a difference in the end. The true goal of the project was a little different though. They wanted to create an ultimate being of sorts, and the whole project was called the Prime Project. What they specifically wanted from this Prime is not clear, as there are no perfect beings. There are however beings perfect for some specific goal. What the goal for this Prime was, we never found out.¡± Aurelie explained.


    ¡°So did they do it? Create this Prime?¡± Dee asked, dreading the answer a bit. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure which she disliked more, being this supposed Prime or just being another stepping stone on the way. Umbra¡¯s earlier words had implied much but confirmed very little.


    ¡°Mmm, hard to say. According to the watchers, perhaps. They had heard rumors of a success just before things went to shit, but in any case, that would be a moot point.¡± Aurelie shrugged.


    ¡°Why?¡± Dee asked a little confused.


    ¡°Well, just having the potential is only half the work. The project had also mapped out stringent training requirements that would have to be carried out. That training was honed on thousands of test subjects and the older generations got to go through with some of it. So even if the Prime was born, they wouldn¡¯t have received the training necessary to get the best out of whatever they were planning. The Prime would have been just a baby. And even then they most likely died. According to the watchers, the angels were not too pleased with the possibility of something like that being out there, so they went out of their way to hunt us down. They would most likely have found the Prime as well. And if not, well there was the Purge that most demons got caught in.¡± Aurelie sounded angry at the thought of the Purge, and not without reason.


    ¡°So if they wanted to create the ultimate mage for example, a successful creation would not make a difference if they were never trained as a mage?¡± Dee confirmed with an example.


    ¡°Something like that. It¡¯s a little more complicated as a goal like ¡®the ultimate mage¡¯ is a little vague, but that¡¯s the basic gist of it. Now, I¡¯m sure you have a million questions, but I think it¡¯s only fair if you answer some of mine first.¡± Aurelie had an almost instinctual trust towards Dee, but it was not blind faith. Most of what she had told Dee so far was something that was admittedly hard to find out but not exactly something that put her or anyone else in danger. She also knew it was more likely to get Dee to answer some questions if she was forthcoming with such information first.


    ¡°Well, I suppose that¡¯s true.¡± Dee mentally wiped some sweat from her forehead. She could already feel the psionic power of Aurelie in the air. Lying to a psion was a dangerous proposal, but it was not her first time doing something like this. Lies of omission and intentional misunderstandings were something she had used before.

 Chapter 175

    As Dee prepared to answer Aurelie¡¯s questions, she knew it was better if she framed the discussion beforehand. That would allow her to direct the discussion and the questions down a path she preferred. ¡°So to save time, I¡¯ll give a rough outline. You can then ask questions, though naturally I can¡¯t and won¡¯t answer everything.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Aurelie knew that this was not a relationship of full trust, so it was only natural that Dee would keep secrets. It was also natural for Dee to be untruthful in some things, but even the lies could reveal many things. You only lied to a psion if you had a reason, so those would be the areas where attention should be paid in the future.


    ¡°To start things off, we can both see that my companions are¡­not like us.¡± Dee emphasized the word ¡®see¡¯ and both of them knew Dee was talking about the ability to see the flow of power inside people, something fairly unique to the elites of the Assembly. ¡°Using the terminology you used earlier, my ¡®watcher¡¯ managed to bring me away as a baby. I do not know the exact details, but that watcher ran afoul of the purge the angels were conducting. According to what I was told later, my watcher died but managed to hide me. I was then found by a Lord of the Assembly.¡±


    ¡°One of the reds?¡± Aurelie asked with curiosity. Most of the Lords stayed out of the way as the purge of the demons happened. Those in the pro-demon black faction interfered the most, but not to a major extent. The demons within the Assembly controlled territories got a certain amount of protection, but the angels tended to ignore even that protection when it suited them, drunk on the victory as they were.


    ¡°No. She was a scientist. She didn¡¯t wear the sash so I can¡¯t be certain, but I assume by her nature that she was part of the blue faction. Anyway, I ended up on Pantheon, which is where I spent the majority of my life. I was trained in assassination and infiltration, though the exact purpose of the people training me was unclear. Later on, my training also expanded to include psionics and holy power. I¡¯ve spent a lot of my training time with Moirai, while Araqiel is someone I met a lot later. I¡¯m not sure what her training includes but I know she has performed many missions and excels in observation and getting things done without drawing attention.¡± Dee weaved around a lot of half-truths with vaguely worded sentences to build her story.


    Aurelie didn¡¯t miss that fact, but she also couldn¡¯t sense a word of it being a lie. Being vague was only to be expected in the circumstances. Dee was not likely to reveal all her training and what she had done. There wasn¡¯t anyone who would simply reveal all their deepest and darkest secrets either, and everyone had those. ¡°And did you? Perform missions I mean.¡± She wanted to check something. There was a large difference between being trained in fields that Dee had mentioned, and actually doing those things. Someone that wanted to go far among the red faction would actually have to perform those kinds of things, and Aurelie wanted to know if Dee had the capacity. She also wanted to get a feel on whether Dee felt bad about it.


    Dee¡¯s voice didn¡¯t waver in the slightest as she answered without hiding her previous actions. ¡°Yes. I worked as an assassin for many years. The targets were all on Pantheon and for the most part residents of that world.¡± Saying mostly wasn¡¯t a lie, and it implied that there could have been other targets as well.


    Aurelie remembered another bit of vague wording that she wanted to check as well. ¡°And what about Moirai? You said you spent a lot of your training time with her, but was she trained in the same things.¡± She also wanted to probe the way Dee spoke to get a bit of a handle on how to interpret things. If Dee had a habit of twisting her words in certain ways, then it was useful to know for future reference. Aurelie was much more experienced in these sorts of discussions than those that blindly relied on truth spells.


    ¡°Well, I know she was taught many of the things I was taught, but I also know her training was in many ways very different.¡± Dee replied. Of course Moirai was trained in the same things that she taught to Dee. Well, much of it could have been self-taught, but there was no way for Dee to tell the difference. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, the emphasis of her training was different because we were not meant to fill the same role.¡±


    ¡°And what role was that?¡± Aurelie asked. So far she had heard things that she had roughly expected, but this was the important part.


    ¡°Hard to say. I was not given too many details concerning the role I was supposed to play in the future.¡± That was certainly true. Both the assassins and the gods had plans for her, but neither party had been very forthcoming on details. She had learned many things since then, but she was still a little vague on details. Mostly because the details were left to her. Umbra and Lumen didn¡¯t really care how she did what they needed done. They just cared about the end result. Only the templar and Moirai had been clear on their expectations, which was ironic since they didn¡¯t have many beyond just being helpful. ¡°I can make some educated guesses though.¡±


    Aurelie could sense that Dee knew a bit more than she was telling, but allowed that to pass. While this was perhaps the most important part of their discussion, it was also the one Dee was most likely to keep to herself. ¡°Do tell.¡± She prompted Dee to continue.


    ¡°Well, two of the races used to create me were dragons and angels. That allows me to pass myself as one of them, for a time at least. I know that some of what I was supposed to do included working against the angels, which our kind is suited for as you know. And like I said, my training emphasized infiltration and assassination. You do the math. As it happens, Araqiel can also easily infiltrate among the angels, what with being one and all, and Moirai can easily form rather high ranking connections within Pantheon.¡± The last part was especially true considering Moirai had already done that. ¡°The two of them were part of the same community as me, but I¡¯m not sure if their purpose was the same as mine. We stuck together as we left Pantheon since we seemed to get along.¡±


    Dee¡¯s words had been rather emphatic, making reading their truthfulness easier, so Aurelie could be certain of their truthfulness. Dee¡¯s words were also painting a picture familiar to her. Assembly prepared many operations like the one Dee seemed to be implying and some of them even came to fruition. Many others were abandoned for various reasons. Dee falling victim to a scrapped project like that was unlucky, but also very plausible. It also explained many things. And if Aurelie¡¯s suspicions about Assembly having played a part in the project that created them were true, then Dee would have been the unfortunate subject of two Assembly projects. She could sympathize with that.


    ¡°So what happened? You were trained for a purpose; all three of you judging by your words. Yet here you are, seemingly without any direction. And a fair bit more powerful than such a project would require before being put into action.¡± Aurelie posed the obvious question.


    Dee had to be careful here. She had many ways of handling the situation, but she didn¡¯t want to give too much away. ¡°How much do you know of the recent power struggles within Pantheon?¡±


    Aurelie frowned. Pantheon had always been something of a special place and she¡¯d had very little in the way of dealings with the inhabitants. The Assembly, of course, had their own ways of gathering information, but their interests lay mostly elsewhere, and the leaders of Pantheon were not exactly wild about sharing what went on in their world. ¡°Not very much. I know the basic outline. A community in the first circle of the Day city was destroyed, and there was a struggle for their spot. The Night city also took the chance to make a mess.¡±


    ¡°Roughly true, but not very accurate. There were two rather large events that you might be thinking as just one. There was the one you mentioned, which caused a lot of chaos. Not too long ago the number two community of Day city also lost their leader, which also caused a mess. Anyway, our community got mixed up in both, which was both a blessing and a curse. It left us without direction as many of the leaders of the community we were part of those that perished, and we lost some friends. On the other hand, it was also a good opportunity to grow stronger.¡± Dee explained.


    ¡°So that explains the no purpose part, but what about you being here?¡± Aurelie asked.


    ¡°Well, two things. The angel embassy on Pantheon was destroyed not too long ago. The Solarians needed something to tide things over with the angels, and a prominent and powerful demon made for a good token scapegoat. Long story short, we are here now.¡± Dee made it obvious she didn¡¯t want to go into detail and deliberately left it vague whether she was really behind the attack on the embassy.


    Aurelie thought for a while before noticing something. ¡°So if I didn¡¯t misunderstand, you were never actually brought to the capital world to go through the rituals?¡±


    ¡°The what now?¡± Dee had no way of talking around this one as she had no idea what Aurelie meant, so she just admitted her ignorance. Sometimes you had to know when to back down.


    ¡°Ah. Well, strictly speaking, none of you three count as Lords of the Assembly until you go through certain rituals. Personally, I¡¯m not a fan of those, but they exist for a reason. Unlike the other participants in the War in Heaven, the Assembly is made up of varied races with varied interests. Without something to bind us together, we would have fallen to internal struggle a long time ago.¡± Aurelie explained.


    Dee suddenly got very wary. This didn¡¯t sound good. ¡°What kind of rituals exactly?¡±


    ¡°Well, there are three that we all go through and the shared experience helps bind us together. Separate factions can have their own rituals before a person is accepted to become one of their members, but those are a bit more flexible. The three include a test about what you are, a test to determine your strength and thirdly the oaths. The first test is just to weed out clear enemies. Angels, dragons, and demons are not forbidden from becoming part of the Assembly, but they warrant some special scrutiny. The second test is to check that you have sufficient amount of power and skill to become a Lord. Our words are pretty much the law in the worlds we control, and it would be bad if a Lord didn¡¯t have the power to back his words.¡± Aurelie herself had gone through the rituals, so she knew Dee would have no problem with them. Especially the second one.


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    ¡°About these oaths. I don¡¯t really like the sound of that. I¡¯m not going to swear fealty to anyone anymore. I¡¯ve been used enough.¡± Dee reacted rather negatively at the thought of swearing oaths.


    ¡°Ah, I did get a very individualistic feeling from you. Don¡¯t worry though. With all the races making up the Assembly, it¡¯s very hard to settle on something as binding as oaths and no one wants to become subordinate to a possibly hostile race. As a result, the oaths are magically binding but just about as limited as is possible. There are no oaths of fealty or even an oath to serve the interests of the Assembly. There are only three oaths in fact. First is to speak no lies on the capital world. That oath was meant to help move the politics along, but you know lies don¡¯t have to be direct. Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you dancing around some issues with when you talked about your past.¡± Aurelie pointed out with a small smile.


    She continued. ¡°The second oath is to not lead an army against the Assembly. The Lords demand the right to stand against the Assembly if their interests and loved ones are at risk, but at least they have to stand as individuals and not leaders of an armed rebellion. The third one is probably the most important. You promise not to kill other Lords of the Assembly outside a battle or a clear predetermined duel. So no political assassinations. Nearly every time a Lord kills another, the other Lords can find out about it. You probably already noticed that the term battle is a little vague, so this oath isn¡¯t foolproof. Many have tried having it revised, just like the first oath, but a large enough part of the Assembly likes that rule as it is that those attempts have failed. It does do the job to an extent at least.¡±


    ¡°And what about the red faction?¡± Dee didn¡¯t forget the part about factions having their own rituals.


    Aurelie grinned. ¡°Well, in theory it¡¯s supposed to be a secret, but most trainees find out about it beforehand anyway, so I might as well tell you. It used to be that you had to deliver the head of a being belonging to the forces of Paradisia, a dragonid of sufficient rank and a demon. With demons being so scarce nowadays, now all you have to do is kill a dragonid and a being belonging to the forces of the angels. You can either bring their heads or clearly state that you have killed one of each, by yourself, under a truth spell. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ve got that one covered, right?¡± As it happened, the higher ranking the beings killed, the higher the person could go in the seniority order. It was one of those unspoken rules that governed the social structure within the red faction.


    ¡°No heads, but I can do the truth spell thing.¡± Dee replied. Moirai had probably not killed an angel before, so that might be an issue. Dee had a feeling Araqiel had. Whether they wanted to do the rituals was another thing, but at least the possibility was open.


    ¡°Excellent! So you can get the rituals done once we have enough time to return to The White City.¡± Aurelie clapped her hands with a bit of joy. She liked the thought of getting a new sister, especially one from the same generation. The others of their kind had spread among the other factions of the Assembly, just so that they¡¯d have as wide a reach as possible. They also had slightly differing ideals that matched the other factions, so the whole thing worked out. Their kind wasn¡¯t exactly loyal to the Assembly, but they weren¡¯t seeking its downfall either.


    ¡°We need to prepare. I¡¯ll need to have a word with my friends as well.¡± Dee claimed, requiring some time to think. This was certainly an opportunity. With a few rituals they wouldn¡¯t need to pretend to be part of the Assembly, and the oaths were not all that binding. There might be some questions, but most of the questions would be suppressed by the fact that the Assembly would most likely want people with Dee¡¯s and Moirai¡¯s strength as part of their group.


    ¡®Besides, I think I might even have a way around those oaths. I¡¯ll need to have a word with Umbra.¡¯ Dee smiled as a plan started forming.


    --------


    ¡°So the question is, do we want to become part of the Assembly?¡± Dee asked Moirai and Araqiel as they were standing in front of the gate that would take them to one of the fortress worlds that was pressed the hardest. They had left Io a few hours ago and they had to take several gates to reach their destination as Io was not connected.


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure you can remove the oaths?¡± Araqiel asked just to confirm. Dee had told the two that they didn¡¯t have to worry about the oaths, even though these particular oaths would not hinder them all that much.


    ¡°I received the information from a reliable source. Well, reliable in certain ways.¡± Umbra had been rather intrigued by Dee¡¯s plans and questions but had assured her that oaths were not a problem. Just the mere fact that Dee was Umbra¡¯s champion meant that no oath could bind her. Added to that was the effect of her totem that negated any strings that tried to bind her, and Dee could combine the two to even remove oaths from others. It didn¡¯t matter if the oath was sworn in the name of a deity or magically enforced, any oath had a natural enemy in Dee.


    ¡°Well, it might turn out to become something useful. Certainly it beats just pretending to be Lords while wearing their robes. However, we don¡¯t have to make the choice right now. There¡¯s a war going on, and we still have the meeting with Rahmiel as well.¡± Moirai pointed out.


    ¡°It still feels weird to have you refer to the Archangel by her name.¡± Araqiel grimaced. Still, it was better than throwing around the term Archangel in case someone overheard them. Not that this particular gate had people hanging around, which is why Araqiel even mentioned it.


    ¡°Speaking of which, can she still come here with the war going on?¡± Dee suddenly asked.


    ¡°It should not be a problem. In fact, the war gives her a good excuse to come here. The border with the angels is not closed, though with the war going on the traffic will be monitored. The Assembly won¡¯t allow a large number of angels across the border in case they turn hostile. The better question is whether or not we can get out of the battle when the time comes. It takes a bit of time to reach the world we need to travel to, as it¡¯s not exactly nearby. Someone will notice our disappearance and we don¡¯t want to make it too obvious that the disappearance coincides with Rahmiel¡¯s visit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be a problem. With the dragons rushing in, the Assembly will be busy springing their trap, so they won¡¯t have time to miss us. Even if the plan goes perfectly, there¡¯s bound to be a huge mess and a lot of chaos. A small group of Lords moving around will not draw too much attention. And we all know plans rarely go perfectly, especially plans like this. The only question is whether the dragons will take the bait or not.¡± Dee assured Araqiel.


    The gate activated just as Dee said that and the trio was transported into a war zone. The gate was surrounded by a large layered fortress, and the first few layers had been taken over by the forces of the dragons. In fact, the gate itself was surrounded by different kinds of dragon related species, a small number of actual dragons among them. Yet the three people were not worried. As soon as they saw the surroundings and smelled the scent of battle, they vanished again.


    Wars like this were all about managing the gates and teleportation. Having a fortress around the gate was a nice deterrent, but eventually the area surrounding the gate would be taken over by the enemy. If the defenders had no way to deal with the situation, any and all reinforcements and supplies would be surrounded and wiped out by the enemies around the gate. The gateways were a problem both offensively and defensively. As a result, all the participants in the War in Heaven had developed methods to deal with the chokepoints of the gateways in various ways. It could even be said that the wars were decided by two factors; the presence of powerful immortals and the best methods to deal with the gates.


    Dee, Moirai, and Araqiel all carried amulets that triggered an emergency teleportation from the gate to the parts of the fortress still held by the Assembly forces. All they had to do was to defend themselves for the second or so that they were open to an attack, which was not a huge task for any of the three. They also brought along supplies for the defenders as they arrived, and Dee proceeded to dump a large number of crates and containers out from Croestia even before anyone managed to greet them.


    One of the green sashed Lords approached them with a grin. ¡°I understand the three of you came to lift the siege. I have to ask, can the three of you do it alone? The other Lords present are willing to work together, but you should know there aren¡¯t that many of us. That¡¯s why you were sent here.¡±


    The man had a point. This fort was undermanned on purpose as a smokescreen for the two forts that were supposed to fall. It was one of the forts in the direst situation currently. The situation had become worse than planned as some of the Lords had unexpectedly met their end on the battlefield. There were several powerful dragons present on this world.


    ¡°We can deal with it. Just watch.¡± Moirai replied with a confident expression.

 Chapter 176

    The commander of the fort stared with a stupefied expression as the trio of red-sashed Lords tore into the forces of the Eternal Dragonflight. The defenders of the fort had been pushed back but the Assembly forces had managed to hold so far. Still, they had lost several layers of the fort to the attackers, so the commander knew the strength of the enemy forces arrayed against them. In fact, if pressed, he would freely admit that the only reason they had not lost the fort so far was because the attention of the enemy forces seemed to have been elsewhere. Yet now those same enemy forces were being torn to shreds.


    The first change in the situation that everyone had noticed was a heavy pressure settling on the area. The Lords knew enough to recognize a Domain when they experienced one, though even they had not seen one this oppressive before. Dee also seemed to radiate an incomparable holy feeling appropriate for a Champion of a high ranking deity. The skills and spells of the enemy forces seemed to fizzle out, and even the large dragons seemed unable to utilize their strength fully. That didn¡¯t stop them from trying of course. Several of the powerful Dragonkin mages had joined their powers together to use combined magic, which seemed to work a little better.


    That¡¯s when the Dragonkin ran into the second problem. The Assembly forces outside the protective shielding of the fortress had suddenly been covered by an Aegis that deflected the attacks. An Aegis was not something new to the Assembly forces but this Aegis was different from anything they had seen before. The dark field seemed to suck the life of the non-immortal forces of the Dragonflight, and even the immortals were not looking healthy. Well, as much as the commander was able to judge such things. The scaled faces were hard to read, so the sickly looks might just be indigestion.


    The strongest of the trio of reds had made a declaration after taking to the battlefield. She had decreed that this siege was now over, and anyone with enough ability was welcome to try and prove her wrong. Otherwise, they should just ¡®slink away with their scaly tails between their legs¡¯. A direct quote. Anyone retreating through the gates would not be attacked. The tone had been extremely domineering, but what happened afterwards had justified the tone. Of course the Dragonflight forces allowed their pride to get in the way.


    One member of the trio had revealed the wings of an angel and a halo that proved her lineage. Her light based attacks were much more sneaky and underhanded than her race might otherwise suggest. As the weakest of the three, she didn¡¯t face the large and powerful dragons directly. She left that to the other two, while she flitted around sniping the Dragonkin mages and Dragotaur officers that led the rest of their kin to battle. Dragons were large and powerful, but they didn¡¯t make for good officers by nature. That role was left to their smaller servants. With the officers suddenly being thinned out, the already pressured forces were starting to think that maybe pride and more importantly dying to defend said pride wasn¡¯t all that important after all.


    The physically smallest member of the trio seemed to have none of the inhibitions of the angel as she seemed to aim at the large and imposing dragons on purpose. She seemed to defy the difference in size on purpose as she headed straight for the enemy and didn¡¯t avoid getting close to her enemies when necessary. She was surrounded by a fiery aura that suddenly seemed to change elements depending on her enemy. When she was fighting a White Dragon, the aura seemed to turn white and chilly, and when she faced a Blue Dragon the aura seemed to spark with lightning.


    The attacks of the tiny woman were odd as she seemed to just wave her hands towards her enemies. However, those same enemies soon fell with parts of their bodies suddenly missing. Against the famously magic resistant dragons, offensive ability like that was not something to be taken lightly. Of course, that was because the attacks were not magical, but the commander was too far to see that detail. He had enough skill to understand that some sort of spatial attacks were involved, even if he was unable to see the attacks with his eyes. Those attacks seemed to ignore the thick scales that were more than enough to protect the magnificent beasts against most attacks.


    At first, the strongest member of the group of three seemed to hang back, but that changed once the leaders of the Dragonflight¡¯s forces entered the battle. A pair of enormous rank eleven dragons flew towards the trio. The powerful woman with the Domain seemed to vanish. She reappeared immediately right next to one of the two dragons and planted her fist into the flank of the female dragon. The scales shattered under the blow and the dragon was slammed into the ground with an impressive crash that disintegrated the unfortunate wall that had been in the way.


    ¡°If this is all you have to offer, then I advise you to leave quietly.¡± The woman stated disdainfully. Unknown to the commander, Dee was mostly faking the disdain in her voice, though she was genuinely disappointed they had not met more powerful dragons on this world. Still, this place was pretty far from the most heated parts of the war, so that in itself was not surprising.


    The other dragon was too proud to take the hint and let loose his fearsome breath weapon at the infuriating woman floating close by. The breath of a dragon was usually the most powerful weapon they could use, so the dragon knew that if it didn¡¯t work, then they would lose. A golden armor of light surrounded the woman as the breath weapon engulfed her, but as the storm of energy subsided she appeared completely unharmed. A gigantic weapon made of glowing blue energy suddenly appeared next to the woman, pointed at the dragon. ¡°Last chance.¡± The woman said menacingly.


    The dragon finally swallowed its pride and let loose a roar that signaled the remaining forces to retreat. The dragon swooped down and picked up his injured mate. Surprisingly, none of the three red-sashed Lords made any move to hinder the retreat. They even signaled for the Assembly forces to do the same. In combat the trio had been rather ruthless, slaying their enemies with abandon, but now they seemed almost merciful. The commander rushed to the three women as they all gathered to oversee the retreat in case any trouble resurfaced.


    For a battle that was fought against dozens of dragons and tens of thousands of Dragonkin and Dragotaurs, the fight had been extremely short and decisive. Partly because most of the enemies were still alive. The commander made a small bow in deference. The woman in the lead had proven her seniority in the clearest possible fashion. ¡°Are you certain we should allow them to leave so easily?¡± He couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Certain? No. But rather confident. If I had not promised them safe passage, I¡¯d say you were free to chase after them. But I did promise. Also, I wouldn¡¯t help you if they turned back on your silly chase. See, it serves our purpose if they spread the news of what happened here. They will also be less likely to commit more forces here now that we didn¡¯t soak the stones of the fort with the blood of their warriors. If we had, the counterattack would become a matter of honor and revenge.¡± Dee replied. Of course she also had other reasons, like not actually having anything against the dragons.


    ¡°May I ask what that purpose is?¡± The commander asked, still with a deferential tone. He was not a servant or a subordinate so it was his right to ask, but as the senior Lord, it was also perfectly within Dee¡¯s rights not to answer.


    To the surprise of absolutely no one, she declined to answer, remaining quiet. ¡°Do you think that showing was enough?¡± Moirai asked instead, ignoring the commander as well.


    ¡°No, I doubt it. We tried to use similar techniques that we used before, but unfortunately these robes also hide much of our features. I doubt we made a distinct enough impression that the word will spread. It would be so much easier if I had shown my full appearance earlier, but that¡¯s in the past.¡± Dee replied. They needed the dragons to realize the three of them were no longer on Io, but the robes of the Lords were a bit too good at hiding their identity on a large front like this where such details didn¡¯t necessarily travel far. They also couldn¡¯t make things too obvious by using the mountain, as that would make the trap clear for everyone to see.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll need to do this again.¡± Araqiel stated with a sigh.


    ¡°At least a couple more times. It would make things easier if we could run into some of the more powerful dragons. If I fought a rank twelve elder, the news would travel quickly." Dee mused.


    The commander cleared his throat. ¡°Uh, I couldn¡¯t help but overhear. If you want a rank twelve elder dragon, I can tell you where to find one. ¡°


    ¡°Well then. This should make things easier.¡± Moirai said with a pleased smile.


    ----------


    Despite their enthusiasm, the three could not leave immediately. They had to stick around for a few days to make sure the dragons didn¡¯t just renew their attack as soon as they were gone. It was good that they stayed because the dragons did return. They also retreated fairly quickly once it became clear that the situation had not changed. In the meantime, the Assembly forces reclaimed the lost layers of the fortress and reactivated much the defensive measures. If the Dragonflight returned after Dee and the others left, the layers that had been reclaimed would soon be lost again as the defenses could not be completely renewed in such a short time, but at least it would take some time.


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    While they were waiting, Moirai found Dee watching over the gate, alone for a change. ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± She posed a little hesitantly.


    ¡°You just did. Also, since when do you ask permission for such things? I might not answer, but you can always ask.¡± Dee countered a little surprised.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a wisetail.¡± Moirai countered. Dee assumed that was just the Meilin way of saying wiseass but decided not to ask. ¡°This subject might be a bit¡­delicate. You mentioned your mother before. I get the feeling she means quite a bit to you, though I¡¯m not sure in what sense exactly. The main reason we¡¯re meeting with Rahmiel is to find out where she is imprisoned. You¡¯re close to your goal, but you seem somewhat¡­blas¨¦ about the whole thing. I thought you¡¯d try to hurry the meeting or something. Or that you¡¯d be preparing to rush to the place where your mother is after you get the information. In other words, I expected more enthusiasm.¡±


    A smile of understanding bloomed on Dee¡¯s face. No wonder Moirai was a little hesitant. They had not talked about Selvaria very often, partially because there wasn¡¯t that much to say. And like Moirai had mentioned, the subject was a little delicate to her. Part of that was because she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how she should feel about her adopted mother. So far part of why she cared so much was because she was ¡®supposed to¡¯ care. She did care obviously as finding Selvaria was one of her driving goals. The time she spent with her adoptive mother had been some of the happiest she¡¯d had. She¡¯d also give Selvaria a punch for sending her away so suddenly, and right into the hands of Zabaniya. It had also been a long time. She¡¯d spent more time with Moirai by now. In the end, she decided that she¡¯d know once they met and that worrying before then was pointless. For now, her feelings were a little vague and hard to articulate.


    That wasn¡¯t why she was so blas¨¦ about the current situation though. No matter how the meeting would go, she was still eagerly expecting that meeting. ¡°That¡¯s because the whole thing will almost certainly be a huge trap.¡±


    ¡°A trap?¡± Moirai asked, thrown off by the sudden mention of something she had not been expecting at all.


    ¡°Yes. We know the angels were trying to find me, and we also know that by now the Solarians will have informed them that I¡¯m no longer on Pantheon. They will try to find me, but realistically that¡¯s not going to happen. Not unless I make a huge blunder somehow. Despite my recent changes, I¡¯m still pretty good at hiding when I want to be. So what can they do? Well, they can lay a trap at the one place they know I¡¯ll show up eventually. And that¡¯s assuming Rahmiel is not in cahoots with the hostile angels. I would not put it past even the Archangel of Mercy to try and lead me along just to pull me into a trap. Even if she was honest when we met, her mind might have changed or she might be fooled by the others. We might end up walking into a trap and unsealing something completely different. What could be better for the other angels than me opening the secret prison of some ancient arcane horror and them swooping in after either me or the creature ended up dead.¡± Dee¡¯s view was rather obvious in hindsight.


    ¡°So even if we do find the location, we¡¯re not going there straight away?¡± Moirai asked seeing where this was headed.


    Dee nodded in confirmation. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m able to remove the seal Empyrean placed just yet. It would be kind of pointless to storm the place and then find out I can¡¯t even open the seal. Technically I should be above him in the hierarchy of Paradisia thanks to being the Champion of Lumen, but I¡¯m not going to bet my luck on ¡®technically¡¯. He made the seal, so he might have also succeeded in changing that rule just a bit.¡±


    ¡°Are you not worried they will move the entrance while we dither?¡± Moirai pointed out a glaring flaw in their plans.


    ¡°To an extent, yes. Still, from what Rahmiel said, the entrance is not easy to move without Selvaria¡¯s approval. I would assume that the seal has made that even harder. If they try to move it, they likely can¡¯t move it far. The entrance should not be difficult to find once Rahmiel finds the general location. The real problem comes if she¡¯s either lying or being fed false information. We need some confirmation first before we go dashing into the jaws of an awaiting trap.¡± Dee said with a sigh. Despite her calm front, she was rather vexed at the continuous delays. She was so close, yet so far.


    ¡°Fair enough. That explains your lack of enthusiasm.¡± Moirai agreed with a nod. She had been a little worried before this, but if Dee had a good reason, then Moirai had no problem with it.


    Dee posed another question. ¡°There is something else we should consider. Should we be keeping Araqiel around? I don¡¯t really doubt her honesty, she¡¯s not that good of a liar, but if Rahmiel is either lying or being fooled, then anything we do might end up being passed on to our enemies as Araqiel makes her reports. Usually we¡¯d be gone before anyone chasing us will be able to catch up, but there might be some things we don¡¯t want our enemies to find out about. Like our exact strength for instance.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she supposed to help us coordinate with the angels that might turn out to be less hostile towards us?¡± Moirai pointed out. Dee noted that Moirai had said hostile towards ¡®us¡¯ and not hostile towards Dee, and appreciated the sentiment.


    ¡°She is. However, she could do that without constantly following us. Assuming we go through with becoming Lords of the Assembly, in name at least, we would gain much more mobility within the areas the Assembly controls. Instead of constantly following us, she could stay on some world waiting for contact when the time comes. We don¡¯t actually need to drag her around everywhere. She might also end up dying one of these days, which would also be a problem.¡± Dee explained her thoughts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re not wrong, but I¡¯m growing rather fond of the pigeon. She¡¯s not too bad for an angel.¡± Moirai countered.


    ¡°Fair enough. For the record, I don¡¯t feel a particular need to get rid of her either. I¡¯m just pointing out something that we might want to consider. Having another immortal around as an ally isn¡¯t exactly a bad thing either.¡± Dee gave a small shrug. She had no strong feelings on the subject, but it was something that had occurred to her.


    ¡°Well, we don¡¯t need to decide that right away.¡± Moirai agreed. ¡°Now. How long are we going to babysit this place? We should be moving on already.¡±


    ---------


    ¡°Well. We did ask for a battlefield with a rank twelve dragon.¡± Moirai pointed out as they looked upon the battlefield. They had been teleported as soon as they had passed through the gate just like last time, though this time the situation was very different.


    ¡°We did. I¡¯m not sure I wanted four of them though.¡± Dee replied with a grimace.


    Among the hundred dragons flying around the floating bastion, four very conspicuous forms were present. The four dragons were almost as large as the bastion they were in. The importance of this location was obvious as the Assembly had also positioned three of their own rank twelve immortals at the fortress. The three combined with the power of the flying bastion were able to keep the four dragons at bay, and the flying fortress also rendered most of the land forces of the Dragonflight almost useless. Dragonkin mages could also fly, but most of the large creatures were unable to truly participate. The bottom of the flying fortress also bristled with weapons capable of targeting the forces on the ground. With the outbound gate being located within the flying structure, the Dragonflight forces were forced into trying to breach the defenses.


    ¡°How did we end up from an almost sleepy sector with at most rank eleven combatants to this? Combined seven rank twelve immortals and a battle that would be more appropriate for the main front.¡± Araqiel wondered. They had only traveled through four worlds to reach this place.


    ¡°Well, the number of gates was low, but the distance we traveled was quite long. Changing subjects. Can you handle that Dee?¡± Moirai pointed at the four gigantic dragons.


    Dee scratched her nose a bit in thought. ¡°Alone? Not unless I get completely serious. I could probably take one or two of them by myself without revealing all my cards. The dragons are powerful but they are pretty far from the might of the Celestial Emperor. I think three of them are closer to the Anshar representative. One of them might be a danger though.¡± She paid special attention to an old Gold Dragon that almost lazily floated around. The large beast had noticed Dee on the walls and clearly knew the situation was about to change.


    ¡°Well, first we¡¯ll have to explain why we are here.¡± Araqiel stated and pointed at the three approaching Lords, two greens and a white. They also happened to be the senior Lords present at the fortress and clearly seemed a little agitated at the sudden appearance of Dee in particular.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get this over with.¡± Dee sighed.

 Chapter 177

    ¡±Not that we don¡¯t appreciate the reinforcements, but what the hells are you doing here? And why don¡¯t I know you?¡± The white-sashed Lord demanded, looking straight at Dee. Strictly speaking, one of the green-sashed men at her side was the general assigned to this area, but the white-sashed woman had seniority due to many other factors. So while the general still gave the orders officially and kept things running, the white-sashed woman was the one making the big decisions.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know me because you didn¡¯t need to know before now.¡± Dee replied confidently, leaning into the secretive reputation of the red faction.


    The white-sashed woman made a sound of frustration and exasperation. She had faced enough reds in her time to know this was exactly how they would act, which ended up being reassuring in a weird sort of way. Not that it made the secrecy any less frustrating. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my main question.¡± She pointed out, not letting the point slide.


    ¡°Before I answer that¡­¡± Dee made a small gesture and a small golden dome of holy energy surrounded the six of them. The dome made eavesdropping much more challenging, and Dee¡¯s ability to see the flow of power pretty much guaranteed that no one would be able to sneak their way through with a spell. The three Lords didn¡¯t react as they had somewhat expected something like this. They were standing on a wall after all, so measures against being overheard by the dragons were logical. ¡°Are you aware of the plan concerning Io?¡±


    One of the green looked confused, but the general and the white-sashed woman had a clear look of knowing what Dee was talking about. She continued. ¡°I see that at least some of you do. Good. Our presence here is due to that plan. We need to make a splash to show that our group is no longer at Io. Someone forgot to inform the local general about the bigger plan and he defended Io a bit too effectively.¡±


    A look of amusement crossed the white-sashed woman¡¯s face. ¡°The general performed an effective defense, and you get sent here to show that the defense is no longer in place. Would that not mean that you were the lynchpin of that defense? So in actual fact, someone forgot to inform you?¡± It was clear that the woman took delight in the fact that a red was cut out of the loop.


    ¡°You¡¯re not entirely wrong. The part where someone forgot to inform us is wrong because it¡¯s hard to inform someone whose existence you are unaware of. I know it¡¯s heretical for someone like me to say something like this, but too much secrecy can become a problem. Anyway, we already lifted the siege on one fortress in a very blatant way and now we are here. While the previous fort may have been small enough to escape the notice of the right draconic forces, this place should be different. The idea is to make it seem that the circumstances have pulled us away from our earlier defense.¡± Dee blatantly showed that she was taking no responsibility of what had happened at Io. It was all an act of course, just to maintain her identity as one of the reds.


    ¡°Well¡­lifting the siege here might be a problem, but with you here we at least have a chance to make some moves. The enemy side has four rank twelve combatants, while we had three before you arrived. The bastion kept us fairly equal but didn¡¯t allow us to attack out. The Golden Dragon leading the enemy forces is, unfortunately, stronger than me, so we may still be at a disadvantage.¡± The woman said with some consideration.


    ¡°Leave the Gold Dragon to me.¡± Dee stated with confidence. ¡°My friend here can also rival one of the lower level dragons of the twelfth rank.¡± With three of the dragons being at roughly the level of the previous leader of the Five Winds, Moirai could make a pretty good showing. She might not be able to kill one in a short amount of time, but it would be a fairly even match thanks to her abilities being a good counter against dragons. Or at least as good of a counter as one could have against dragons.


    The white-sashed woman, who revealed that her name was Sareash, questioned Dee¡¯s confidence and the two were locked in the social game of seniority that the Lords played. Aurelie had given a rundown on the main points of how the game was played, and Dee was now rather proficient in it. Partially because she lied shamelessly. She had taken no part in some of the little rituals and events that were so important for the game, so she made things up as she went along. This was doubly effective because almost no one lied when it came to the game. Most of the details were too easy to confirm, so there was little point. But, as Dee was shrouded in secrecy, she also had something of a free pass to lie, as everyone that heard her would assume, that at least her red sisters would out her as a liar, even if she hid everything from the other factions. Outing such liars was part of the duties that the factions took on and lying to the reds was a very bad idea. As the only part where Dee was lacking concerning the game was connections within the Assembly, Dee easily secured the seniority from Sareash, but with a thin enough margin that the two were basically the same rank for now.


    With the seniority established, they could get to the point. ¡°So what¡¯s the situation exactly? We just arrived here, and while I can guess most things, I¡¯d rather not.¡± Dee prompted the others.


    The general took up the explanation as strategy was more his forte. ¡°Well, we have a relatively secure position currently. The Dragonflight holds the inbound gate, but our emergency teleportation methods are allowing us a certain limited access as you yourself can testify. The outbound gate is within the bastion, so the scaled bastards are trapped here for now. I would imagine they will soon enough be able to rig the other gate to at least allow return to the world they came from.¡±


    ¡°I can confirm that.¡± Araqiel interjected. ¡°I got a quick look at their work just before we were whisked away, and it seemed fairly close to completion. Admittedly the look was so fast that I might be wrong.¡±


    The general nodded. ¡°We suspected as much, but it¡¯s nice to get confirmation of sorts. Anyway, the flying bastion keeps us out of the reach of most of the Dragonflight ground forces, though a large portion of the Dragonkin can fly. It¡¯s pretty hard to assault a flying fort by normal means even if that¡¯s the case, so mostly their flying mages are a problem. Aside from the dragons of course. The dragons have no problem attacking us, but the bastion¡¯s defenses have been a great help in rebuffing those attacks. Our construct forces are at full capacity and optimized to combat airborne enemies, but they will be of limited use against the larger dragons. We can arm the constructs with the ability to hurt those dragons, but that doesn¡¯t mean much if the dragon can simply dodge the attacks in the air. We have thirty Lords of immortal rank present, so the dragons have the edge in numbers.¡±


    ¡°The bastion defenses have kept us secure for now, but those defenses are steadily being worn down.¡± The other green-sashed man supplemented. ¡°Before you showed up, I would have estimated that we¡¯d be forced to land the bastion in roughly a month.¡±


    ¡°Will the bastion be of use when assaulting a wing of dragons?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°To a limited extent. The bastion is mostly designed to secure the gate, but it has weapons to use against dragons of course. The problem is that those weapons have limited range and the dragons can distance themselves from the bastion if we attack them. We tried that once before. The bastion isn¡¯t exactly designed to be quick and nimble. Any forces we send out will most likely start the battle with support from the bastion but will soon find themselves out of range of that support. Assuming the dragons stick to the same strategy they did before.¡± The general replied.


    ¡°That hardly matters in the long run though. We all know this battle will be resolved by the fight between us and the four dragons. If we win, even if the immortal dragons join forces, it will be only a matter of time before we can bring them down.¡± Sareash stated.


    ¡°True.¡± Dee agreed confidently. ¡°Still, I¡¯d rather battle the Golden Dragon without being harassed by the rest of them.¡± Dee tapped her chin in thought for a while. ¡°I could always draw the dragon away. I doubt it will be able to resist a challenge.¡±


    The others shrugged. If the rest of them tried to keep the fight closer to the bastion, then the whole thing might work. The pride of the dragons was not unwarranted, but it could be used against them as well. It was far from a perfect plan, but they could always retreat back to the bastion if it didn¡¯t work.


    -----


    Neiveoss had told the rest of the dragons to prepare. He had sensed the arrival of some reinforcements for their enemies. The number of reinforcements was not large but one in particular had given him a dangerous feeling. Even from a distance, he could tell that the female demon had given him a look he was very familiar with, though usually he was the one giving that look. It had been the look of a predator finding a worthy prey. He did not like being on the receiving end one bit.


    Neiveoss was a powerful and majestic Gold Dragon, and his kind were only second to the Platinum Dragons among their metallic kind. In his less than humble opinion, the Platinum ones didn¡¯t really count as they had divine blood in their veins, which made his kind the greatest really. Neiveoss had a sagacious look on his old face with flexible whiskers rarely seen on other dragon types. His horns swept back from his brow and had twin frills on his neck that he thought made him look mighty fetching. The large sail-like wings started from his shoulder and extended all the way down to the tip of his tail, giving his flying a unique rippling motion. He knew that he was proud, but in his mind he had every reason to be, something he confirmed once again as younger female dragons gave him sidelong glances.


    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s time to show the younger generation a thing or two again. The young hatchlings certainly won¡¯t know how to conduct themselves.¡¯ He thought idly, entertaining thoughts of nesting with some young and trim female dragon in the future. Maybe that fancy silver one looking at him right now. Looking at him with a slightly odd look?


    His thoughts were interrupted as a burst of energy exploded against the dome of protective energy he had erected to defend himself while near the bastion of the Assembly. ¡®Someone dares to interrupt my daydreaming?!¡¯ He looked towards the source of the attack and saw a weird being floating in the air. The being looked like a kitsune in her fox form, though in this case one almost as large as a small dragon and with twelve tails. The kitsune also had a pair of white angelic wings and what looked like a pair of halos.


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    Neiveoss growled in anger and flew towards the being, while at the same time that being seemed to have a taunting expression on its face. Even though the sudden assault had angered him, Neiveoss was not stupid. The being was clearly the same woman that had given him a feeling of danger earlier, and he knew he was being baited. On the other hand, the being was baiting him away from the bastion so he was less cautious. Still, he still remembered the look the being had given him and signaled some of the other dragons to follow along.


    To his annoyance, the kitsune held a constant distance from him and kept retreating away. He tried increasing his flying speed and seemed to be gaining, but still he never quite managed to reach the being. Gold Dragons weren¡¯t the fastest of flyers due to their hefty size and build, but they were still dragons. Even if the being had angelic wings, she should not be able to get away. As the chase got more heated, Neiveoss lost sight of the fact that the other dragons had been left behind. He had not considered that his sheer level of power allowed him to move faster over longer distances compared to the other younger dragons. The chase had also forced him to focus so much that he didn¡¯t notice that the other dragons got peeled off to do battle by the immortals of the Assembly. His prey was so tantalizingly close!


    Suddenly the chase came to an end as the being seemed to somehow take distance and turned to face Neiveoss. ¡°Did you finally admit to yourself that there¡¯s no point in running away? With this distance, you won¡¯t be able to escape back to your little safehouse.¡± He taunted.


    That was one of the reasons that he had been willing to chase so far in the first place. Every time he had faced the annoying white-sashed immortal, she had retreated back inside the bastion as soon as the battle turned disadvantageous. From this distance, the being in front of him could not escape to safety. The being might have thought about luring him away and then using one of the emergency teleportation spells to rush back, but if that was the plan then he had a nasty surprise prepared for her.


    ¡°No, in fact the opposite.¡± The being said. ¡°Now we are far enough that the other dragons will not be able to interrupt our little fight.¡±


    ¡°How bold of you. You think you can challenge one of our kind.¡± Neiveoss stated with confidence. Some of that confidence was just to assure himself, as he was still shaken by the look the being had given him. Maybe he should play for time just in case? The other dragons should arrive sooner or later.


    The being gave a small sigh. ¡°That¡¯s the problem with your kind. You always think there¡¯s nothing above you. Well, time to see if that¡¯s true.¡± And then the being boldly flashed forward as if she had become a beam of light, moving much faster than she had before. Still, Neiveoss was a Gold Dragon and he had fought against many powerful Blue Dragons and even Fairy Dragons. Even if the being was faster than those, he was able to track her movements accurately. There were ways to fight against a faster opponent. One of those was using the sheer difference in power and defense. Fast beings almost never had the strength and durability of those bigger and slower than them. All you had to do then was to force a head-on confrontation.


    The Gold Dragon was not entirely incorrect. Even with all of the improvements Dee had, she still lacked some of the sheer mass of the enormous dragon, which made a straight-up match of strength difficult. Even though she could punch out an Azure Dragon, that was in a circumstance where she was not pitting her own strength directly against that of her enemy. Even in her kitsune form, a contest of pure strength would end up in a tie if she didn¡¯t utilize her Domain to weaken her enemy. Which she did of course. She also layered a dozen empowering holy spells and Croestia¡¯s power to force the Gold Dragon back. She might lack mass but she didn¡¯t lack supportive spells.


    She also flew around the dragon, utilizing the wing that had turned back to black as the disguise was no longer necessary. The feathers of the black wing had the power to slash through the golden scales as if they were made of paper, though that didn¡¯t last very long. Neiveoss realized his disadvantage as soon as the Domain surrounded him, and re-formed the defensive bubble around him. The black wing was much less effective against the magical powers of a dragon, even though it was not completely ineffective. Neiveoss moved on to the second way to fight a faster enemy, which was to turn the battle into a fight with magic. Spells that you didn¡¯t need to aim didn¡¯t care about the speed at which one dodged.


    The dragons had their own forms of spellcasting, though fundamentally the effect was similar to the way mages used mana. The difference was that the magic of dragons was not made of the carefully constructed spells weaving strands of power into an intricate whole. Instead of a precision instrument, the magic of dragons was more of an instinctual control over the powers of the universe. One of the resulting differences was that Dee couldn¡¯t just counter the draconic spells by striking at the weak points. She had to match power with power. Luckily for her, she had plenty of power to throw around.


    In an interesting twist, the magic of dragons was somewhat similar to that of psions in that both of the two combatants were less concerned about precision and more concerned about sheer power, as psionic blades the size of dragons cleaved explosions of pure arcane energy in two. Neiveoss was doing much better than he had in a physical confrontation, but he was still being pushed back due to Dee¡¯s Domain restricting his abilities.


    ¡®Well, if she¡¯s using her power as an immortal, it¡¯s about time I use mine.¡¯ Usually he preferred to keep his power as a secret, as it could be an extremely powerful trump card when utilized at just the right moment. Unfortunately, his enemy was not giving him the opening he wanted, so he had to settle. His vision suddenly changed and all the magical items, enchanted equipment, and items with other powers were laid visible to his eyes. Gold Dragons had the nasty habit of indulging themselves by eating treasures. For most Gold Dragons that meant gold coins and maybe gems, but for some it went further. They often developed the ability to increase their power by consuming powerful items. Neiveoss had taken that ability just a tad further with his totem.


    Suddenly Dee felt her grasp on her psionic powers waver as the dark metallic halo above her head shattered. She had enough control and practice by now that she didn¡¯t really need the halo even in her kitsune form, but the momentary loss of control still caused her abilities to go haywire for a short time. Several of the psionic abilities she had hurled forward suddenly exploded, sending a shower of wild power at both of the combatants. Some of the Gold Dragon¡¯s attacks managed to slip through the gap that had appeared and impacted on her armor of light. Luckily that one was not affected as it was a holy spell.


    ¡®The dragon has the ability to destroy magical items!¡¯ Croestia suddenly screamed in panic inside Dee¡¯s mind. Croestia could sense a danger to her existence. Destroying her would be much more difficult than the halo, but it was not entirely impossible.


    ¡®Can you protect yourself in some way?¡¯ Dee also asked flustered. This was far outside her expectations.


    ¡®Yes, for a time at least, but I¡¯ll have to dedicate my power to that instead of supporting you.¡¯ Croestia replied, and Dee felt Croestia¡¯s support being withdrawn. It had been a long time since Croestia gave no support to her at all, as nowadays it was almost automatic to both of them. That felt true even in everyday life, as much as everyday life existed for Dee.


    Neiveoss noted the sudden look of panic in his adversary¡¯s eyes and misinterpreted it slightly. He had planned on saving his ability for the time his enemy tried to escape and savoring the sudden despair at the emergency teleportation not working. So he naturally assumed the look had something to do with that realization, or perhaps at losing the weird artifact he had just destroyed. His thoughts were thrown into disarray as a sudden look of clear anger surfaced on Dee¡¯s face instead.


    The loss of the halo stung a lot, but threatening Croestia brought a whole new kind of anger to surface. Croestia was one of her oldest friends and the last thing she had of her time with Selvaria. Dee¡¯s form twisted as she took on a more appropriate form. ¡°I was planning on sparing you and using you as a messenger after putting some mental blocks inside your head. I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯m going to tear you apart and feed your remains to some Kobolds. One of your miserable underlings can carry the message instead.¡± She knew dragons hotly contested the claim that Kobolds were degenerate cousins of dragons and feeding the dragon to their kind would be a desecration of the highest order. Even the twisted Black Dragons didn¡¯t make that threat.


    Her now draconic voice was filled with pure malice, and her dragon form was bathed in the black flames that gave Neiveoss a feeling of dread. That feeling was not necessary as he stared in horror at the combination of the hated and feared Abyssals and the carefully avoided and enigmatic Astrals. ¡®Not good! Not good at all!¡¯ He managed to formulate a thought and made an item of his own appear out of storage. The Gold Dragons may eat treasures, but they also hoarded them. Especially those that could save their lives one day.


    Dee¡¯s black flames met empty space and she gnashed her fangs in anger as the Golden Dragon disappeared. She could sense that the dragon had vanished from the entire planet and not just this battle. She roared her frustration out, even if she knew it was a futile gesture. Still, there was some dragon in her and it was rare for a prey she had set her eyes on to escape. But the facts were as they were. The Assembly was not the only faction to have developed spatial magic tricks for their own use and Dee was too inexperienced with the War in Heavens to know better. Otherwise she would have found a way to prevent spatial magic in a myriad of possible ways.


    Nevertheless, she had a battle to finish and unknown to her, it would not be the only fight she had to face today.

 Chapter 178

    The plan was working relatively well. Moirai watched as the three high-ranking Lords peeled off the dragons that had been following the big Gold Dragon. Those dragons had confidence in their leader¡¯s ability to triumph against the weird fox creature that kept running away, so they didn¡¯t mind engaging separate targets when the opportunity was presented. Neiveoss would not appreciate anyone butting in on his hunt anyway. The white-sashed woman who had named herself Sareash was doing well against her opponent, but the two green-sashed Lords were not faring as well. Not that they were in danger of losing quickly, but they were not exactly winning either.


    With Moirai¡¯s support, the other Lords were pushing the dragons back despite their lack of numbers. The dragons simply weren¡¯t as well trained in fighting as a group even if they were individually more powerful, and Moirai could hold her ground against several rank eleven and lower dragons. Originally the plan had called for the bastion to move as a support as well, but the Dragonkin mages had taken this opportunity to launch an assault on the bastion, forcing the constructs and the defenders inside to focus on repelling the assault. Even now several magical attacks were crashing against the bastion¡¯s defenses. Still, Moirai was confident that the situation was turning in their favor. Dee would be able to handle the Gold Dragon, and even if that was the only victory they managed to achieve today, it would be enough.


    Suddenly Moirai felt two things that raised her hackles. Her senses as a psion revealed a lot of anger being projected by another powerful psion, and she also felt the rapid approach of a large amount of psionic energy. ¡°Everybody fly up!¡± She ordered quickly.


    She was not the person in command, but the Lords had seen and heard enough of the universe to take such sudden warnings seriously. They complied almost on instinct, and just in time too as an enormous blade of psionic energy suddenly swept horizontally through the aerial battle. The blade was larger than the entire flying fortress that functioned as a base for the Assembly forces; in fact, it was multiple times the width and much more in length. They couldn¡¯t even clearly see the other end of the blade. As the blade passed another one took its place as if the blades were attached to one another. It reminded Moirai of a sword-staff that had a blade coming from both ends of the handle.


    Several of the dragons fell from the sky with various wounds from the sudden attack, and even one of the rank twelve dragons started to fall after losing a wing to the blade. ¡°What the hells was that?!¡± Sareash demanded while getting closer to Moirai. The intelligent woman didn¡¯t forget to take advantage of the situation by attacking the confused dragons with her spells, but she also realized that Moirai seemed to know something.


    ¡°That was Dee. She seemed to be quite ticked off for some reason.¡± Moirai replied with a wry grin. Dee could have weird bursts of emotion on occasion.


    ¡°Is she crazy?! She almost cleaved our forces in two as well!¡± The woman protested angrily, even if the result was great for them.


    ¡°Is she crazy? Eh, most likely. But not more than the rest of us. In this case though, she knew I would be able to sense it. Besides, the first swipe went through an area with almost no Lords. If she didn¡¯t care at all, she would¡¯ve struck at the spot where the battle was the thickest.¡± Moirai explained.


    ¡°Still. Is she done with the Gold Dragon already? We could still use her help with the battle, although we can manage without. That was a very useful surprise attack, but I feel it was not exactly the most effective thing she could have done.¡± Sareash was referring to the fact that an attack like that used quite a lot of power, while the effect might end up being rather limited. Several smaller spells at a shorter range would be a more efficient use of power.


    ¡°She should be done, but I don¡¯t think the result was what she wanted. I feel she was mostly venting with that attack. Besides, I think she¡¯ll manage. She can draw on a quite a bit of power from different sources.¡± Moirai knew that the previous attack might be a little excessive when it came to using Dee¡¯s psionic power effectively, but that Dee also had access to her holy power. Besides, Dee was always good at recovering quickly.


    ¡°Venting? That was just venting? She injured a dozen dragons and severely wounded one of the rank twelve immortal ones as well. Most of them will recover given the chance, but still. Remind me not to piss her off.¡± Sareash gave a small shiver.


    Sareash was rather proud of her power as a rank twelve immortal, and for a good reason. She was much stronger than the two greens for instance. However, the twelfth rank was the widest when it came to levels of power, and the power just displayed rather casually by Dee put things into perspective. Dee was clearly someone who would be able to approach the beings at the top of the twelfth rank, which were approaching the fabled thirteenth rank. She decided to keep the name Dee in mind for future. The Assembly didn¡¯t have too many beings that could claim to be rank thirteen and not too many more of those that could claim to be close to becoming one either. Most of both were either leaders of the factions or were part of the council.


    ¡®The reds clearly have a new trump card. Something I should pass on to the rest of my faction.¡¯ Suddenly she noticed a pillar of light that fell towards the direction where the psionic blade had originated from. ¡°And what would that be? Don¡¯t tell me there¡¯s another attack coming.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is, but I doubt it¡¯s an attack. Look!¡± Moirai pointed at something at the top of the pillar of light. She and many others recognized the symbol of Lumen, the Goddess of Light. Moirai also suddenly realized that she could not sense the presence of Dee with her Mindscape. With the amount of time the two had spent together, there was no way Moirai would not notice Dee either. ¡°I have a feeling we might have to deal with the current situation without Dee for a while.¡±


    -----


    ¡°What now?¡± Dee growled in frustration. She was still in her dragon form, which was part of the reason she didn¡¯t get close to the battle just now. While the Dragonflight might find out about her dragon form, she still thought it might be best to not advertise it to the Assembly until her position was more secure. They were likely to find out anyway, but the timing with such things was often important.


    Suddenly a solemn voice sounded from behind her. ¡°Champion of Lumen! You have been called here to take part in a challenge in your chosen deity¡¯s place.¡±


    As Dee focused on her surroundings, she noted that she was almost drowned out by the sheer amount of holy power in the area. Even the walls and the floor seemed to be made of pure holy power. Her current position looked a little like an arena of sorts, though it felt a little cramped for her current size. Then she realized that she could change the size with a thought. Or that someone could. The holy power in her surroundings could be freely controlled to change those surroundings, but someone else was already exerting control over that holy power. She might be able to wrest control of the power if she really tried, but decided not to do so for now.


    Her surroundings were also filled with¡­well not people exactly. The seats of the ¡®arena¡¯ were filled with almost indistinct forms made of pure and extremely dense holy power. While the forms seemed indistinct, Dee realized that she could get a much clearer view if she focused on a single form at a time. The forms seemed to be representing gods and many of the gods had more than one facet and appearance, which is why they seemed indistinct when you didn¡¯t focus on them. There were also a lot of those gods sitting in the audience seats. Still, it seemed that these were only small pieces of the gods and not their true bodies, if they even had one.


    One of those gods was in the arena with her, while another seemed to be acting as some sort of referee, floating above them. That deity clearly expected some sort of an answer from Dee, and she decided to oblige for now, at least until she had a better idea of what was going on. ¡°Have I? And where is the Goddess of Light?¡±


    ¡°That is not your concern Champion. You were called and now you must do your duty.¡± The deity that seemed to be in charge of the proceedings declared. As Dee focused on the form, she realized that the deity seemed to be some sort of genderless deity of balance and fairness.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Dee growled. ¡°I don¡¯t fight because some random god commands me to. I¡¯m not your Champion or your servant. Anyone can claim to speak for Lumen, but that doesn¡¯t make it so. Now, where is the Goddess of Light?¡±


    One of the indistinct forms sitting in a separate section of twenty seats flew towards the arena. Dee could of course recognize Lumen as they shared the connection of a blessing, and idly also noted that a couple of those separate seats were empty. Most likely one of those empty seats belonged to Eternity. Dee could feel Umbra and Death present, but not Eternity.


    Lumen grinned as she got closer. ¡°Well done my Champion. Some of the gods are a bit too stuffy and wanted to use the ceremonies to put pressure on you. It¡¯s nice that you put them in their place right away. You are not theirs to command.¡± Her eyes also gave the silent message that the goddess realized Dee was not under her command either.


    ¡°So what¡¯s this about?¡± Dee asked a bit curtly. She had some idea just from the first words the ¡®referee¡¯ had said but wanted a bit more information.


    ¡°So as it happens, many deities have tried challenging me to clear the way for Order to usurp my position. You knew this already. What you did not know is that I¡¯m allowed to have you represent me in my stead. They didn¡¯t quite realize it either before now, even though I threatened them with it earlier. At first they were hesitant to even try, but they decided to go on with the plan. Oh, and you are in the land where gods meet. The other Pantheon.¡± Lumen explained.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°You might have wanted to mention this before I became the Champion.¡± Dee growled a lot more quietly this time. Clear enough to display her displeasure, but not loud enough to draw attention. Lumen was making sure they were not overheard as long as they kept relatively quiet, but apparently it was not appropriate to prevent all sounds from escaping.


    ¡°Would it have stopped you? Besides, I think you¡¯ll end up liking this one. You get a free license to put your claws on deities and their Champions. That will be a double benefit for you. If I¡¯m not completely mistaken, the death of the Spider Goddess was quite a power increase for you, and don¡¯t you have a certain goal that requires the deaths of just the types of Champions and deities that Order might send against us? It¡¯s almost like a free buffet.¡± Lumen whispered in a conspiratorial tone.


    ¡°A buffet where eating will tick off the other gods.¡± Dee pointed out the obvious disadvantage.


    ¡°Only some of them. Most gods will actually be happy that some of their rivals will either die or lose power and prestige. Besides, you have the protection of more than one deity. It will not be easy for the gods to seek revenge with backers like us. And the more my position elevates, the less other gods will flock to Order¡¯s side. It¡¯s a win-win for both of us. The more prominent you become as my Champion, the less resistance Order will be able to muster when you set yourself against the angels.¡± Lumen explained. She had planned this out. She knew Dee would be pissed, but she also knew that she could make Dee see reason. The girl was very logical after all. They both knew that Dee¡¯s time of hiding was coming to an end. It was time to take a position on the stage, so might as well go big. She didn¡¯t realize just how big it was going to get though.


    ¡°Fine. Who am I fighting? A deity or a Champion?¡± Dee acquiesced. She knew Lumen had glossed over some of the downsides, but the goddess was not wrong.


    ¡°The cowards were a little careful this time. One of the gods of glory challenged me, and as soon as I invoked my right to have you take the challenge in my stead, they did the same. The Deity is calling for their Champion right now. I think you¡¯ll like this one.¡± Lumen returned to her chair and left behind the teasing hint.


    ¡°Challenger, call your Champion!¡± The referee had decided Lumen and Dee were done and instructed the god still on the arena to do what he was here to do. The holy symbol of the deity floated in the air and seemed to turn into something looking like the surface of a pond. An angelic being suddenly burst out of the pond, scattering the holy power mimicking water into the surroundings.


    ¡°Champion of Vinh Quang! You have been called here to take part in a challenge in your chosen deity¡¯s place.¡± The referee declared again, and the deity made a simple declaration. ¡°For Glory!¡± Which was returned by the Champion. It seemed no other explanations were required. They had obviously planned this out beforehand.


    The interaction had been small, but it showed that the referee was playing favorites. Lumen had not been allowed such interaction before Dee had demanded it. The difference was small, but still there. Dee observed her opponent. The first thing worthy of her attention was obvious. The enemy was actually an angel. The second thing was the wings. Where most angels had wings of feathers, this angel had his wings made of pure energy, in most cases holy power. The wings seemed capable of taking any form the angel desired, although in this case they looked like chains floating behind his back.


    Dee¡¯s knowledge on the different angels was relatively good, so she could recognize one of the Cherubim when she saw one. The wings were a really obvious hint. The Seraphim with their flaming wings were the most dangerous warriors of Paradisia, but the Cherubim were a close second. Where stereotypically Seraphim focused on speed and skill, the abilities of the Cherubim leaned more towards sheer strength and fortitude. That such a relatively minor deity had such a high ranking angel as a Champion, clearly indicated that the deity was allied with Order. It was possible that the Cherubim had been made a Champion just for this occasion.


    ¡°So I¡¯ve been called to slay a dragon this time? Well, you will not be the first serpent of your kind I slay in the name of my glorious deity.¡± The confident angel stated. He seemed to be unaware of Dee¡¯s odd heritage, as there were no others of Dee¡¯s kind, which should have been fairly obvious at a glance.


    Dee gave a savage grin. ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaking something. You¡¯re not here to slay me. You¡¯re here to die instead of the coward deity that you serve. He chose to run away as soon as he realized he had no chance personally. Glory indeed.¡±


    Her words clearly angered the angel as he dashed towards Dee even before the referee had given the signal to start. That the referee didn¡¯t prevent it was another sign of preferential treatment. Not that Dee really cared. While the angel was a powerful enemy to most beings, to her the angel was not a real threat. Very few beings by themselves were. The breath of a dragon gathered in her throat. The angel didn¡¯t seem too worried, which was a bad decision. While the sturdy Cherubim could most likely resist the breath of many dragons, this one was a little different, even without much of the dark flames being added.


    As Dee¡¯s head moved to release the breath attack, the Cherubim moved to dodge the obvious danger. Why take the attack head-on if you can avoid it? Except he didn¡¯t get far before bindings of golden holy energy wound around him, and Dee¡¯s position shifted faster than even the gods could follow. Dee had gotten the idea from the wings of the Cherub, and the irony was not lost on anyone. Usually the powerful angel could have shaken off the bindings rather quickly, but he didn¡¯t get the opportunity. Dee released her breath at point-blank range, disintegrating the poor angel in less than a second.


    The Cherub had not been randomly chosen, and neither had the god that had made him a Champion. With their combined abilities, the Cherub should have been able to return from almost any damage. He was one of the beings that could regenerate his body from being blasted to mere particles, but in this case that ability was useless. Dee never gave him the chance to regenerate. The gods could all see how the soul of the Champion was devoured by Dee right after, showing what fate awaited those that challenged Dee. They all turned together to look towards Death in the highest position currently occupied.


    ¡®So that¡¯s why Death was the first to rise in defense of Lumen the last time Order tried to make a move.¡¯ Sol Invictus suddenly realized while sitting close to the goddess everyone was focusing on. ¡®Death has allied herself with Lumen and Umbra? That¡¯s bad. That¡¯s very bad. I wonder how invested she is in this alliance? I better have a word with her after this. I have a feeling there¡¯s more to this alliance than just helping Lumen. And if there is, then there might also be an opportunity for other considerations. Assuming that Champion survives what is about to come.¡¯


    Sol Invictus was not the only deity to make the connection, though not many realized all the implications. They just knew that the Champion of Lumen had some ties with Death. That also explained Dee¡¯s ability to kill the Spider Goddess. They had not been sure of the reason before, and this information was making them feel better. Unknown things made the gods nervous. Even if the information came with the implication of an alliance of sorts between Death and Lumen, that was something they could deal with. Even if this messed with their plans in a major way, that was still better than the unknown danger.


    Unfortunately, the unexpected alliance has only hardened the resolve of others. A Champion of Lumen that also had the blessing of Death was a threat they needed to deal with before it was too late. As soon as the battle was over, another deity dropped into the arena. ¡°Isha, the Goddess of Desert Sands challenges Lumen, the Goddess of Light.¡±


    ¡°What is this?¡± Lumen demanded with a stormy look on her face.


    ¡°Looks like a trap to me sister dearest.¡± Umbra stated with her own deep frown.


    ¡°Indeed. The rules about multiple challenges in succession have always been more of a polite agreement and not a real rule.¡± Order crowed from his own seat. ¡°If you can suddenly choose to ignore the old habits, then so can we. Let¡¯s see just how long your Champion can last. It seems she might have used a bit of overkill to slay that poor Cherub, and it seems she came straight from a battle. I wonder if it was a rough and draining battle. Oh dear.¡± Order¡¯s worry was so obviously feigned and full of sarcasm that there was no way to miss his real meaning.


    After a moment of silent seething by Lumen, Order continued. ¡°Of course, nothing is stopping you from taking your Champion¡¯s place. Though I¡¯m afraid that at that point the challengers will no longer be using their own Champions either. It will be all deities from that point on.¡± His threat was obvious. He had more than likely also provided other angels as faux-Champions to other gods that were in on the plot.


    ¡°There actually is a limit set in the rules, though I doubt we will reach that limit.¡± Death suddenly stated. ¡°I wonder. How many gods have you managed to rope into this little plot of yours? We will not be accepting the same gods taking on new Champions and challenging her again. If they want to give a second challenge, they will have to put their own lives on the line. How many will have that courage?¡±


    Death was actually glad about the situation, which is why she had not done anything when she had heard rumors of the plot. This moved her plans forward nicely. It would be a really long day for Dee though. Lumen would not be able to take part because that would result in a chain of fights tiring her down before Order personally made a move. As long as only Dee was fighting, the most powerful enemies would stay in reserve. Dee would be so pissed by the time this was done.

 Chapter 179

    At best of times, Mneventh was rather anti-social, even for a dragon. He preferred being left alone, and many a dragon had suffered from his ire when they made the mistake of bothering him. That was when Mneventh was in a good mood. Now he was far from being in a good mood. In fact, he had been outright irascible for the last few decades. The other dragons had generally been smart enough to steer clear of him all this time, but now the bothersome Aspects had called for him. In fact, the tone of their message had almost seemed like an order. They had not become stupid enough to actually try and order him around, but perhaps it was once again time to remind them why trying something like that was not a good idea.


    That idea only got more attractive as some of the younger Aspects threw contemptuous looks at him as he pushed his way into the heart of the Queen¡¯s Mountain. Perhaps they had forgotten. Or perhaps they were too young and stupid to know better. It had been a fairly long time since he last reminded them of their place. ¡°Well look who crawled out of his hidey-hole. The famous Mneventh finally decides to grace us with his presence.¡± One of the youngest and smallest dragons present stated with foolish bravado. Smallest in this case was relative as even that silly dragon was over a dozen kilomels from ¡®teeth-to-tail¡¯ as the saying went.


    ¡®He¡¯s going to be the first one I maim.¡¯ Mneventh decided darkly. ¡°Who invited a hatchling to the meeting?¡± He asked with a mocking snort, causing the young dragon to growl in indignation. Apparently, the young dragon was not used to being mocked. That was the problem with new Aspects. They thought they were at the top of the world and nothing could harm them. The older ones knew better. As a clear sign of that knowledge, most of the other Aspects were smart enough to laugh at the quip, even if they didn¡¯t find it amusing. They knew that a small gesture like that was a small price to pay.


    ¡°Leave the idiot alone. He¡¯s too young and too drunk on his easy success to understand better.¡± One of the only Aspects Mneventh somewhat respected tried to placate the situation. The platinum-colored Aspect of War was even older than Mneventh. And not just a bit older either. The ancient wyrm had been old when Mneventh had hatched.


    ¡°Why am I here in the first place?¡± Mneventh decided to let the upstart Bronze Dragon go for now. At least until he got pissed enough to actually do something about the matter, which generally didn¡¯t take much. ¡°While you are annoying enough to send me invitations to these little gatherings, this is the first time in a while you were actually stupid enough to demand my presence.¡± He addressed the old Platinum Dragon directly. He and the azure colored Aspect of Strength were two of the four dragons he bothered even acknowledging. The other two were not present, of course. The other Aspects could all go and get themselves killed for all he cared. Not a great loss.


    ¡°There have been¡­developments lately. All of the Aspects have been summoned to discuss the issue. Your expertise with the Assembly is needed as well.¡± The female Azure Dragon stated in a more even tone. She was the only dragon present larger than Mneventh, and probably the only one who could rival him in a fight. He would still win eventually, but it would not be easy or quick. Thus she had earned the right to speak however she damn well pleased.


    ¡°And you were the last Aspect to arrive. As expected from a notorious hermit.¡± The same Bronze Dragon made the dumb decision of expressing his disregard once again. He on the other hand not earned shit, and Mneventh was not far from proving that point. He was still too curious to do so just yet though.


    The other Aspects shot the stupid dragon scathing looks, and Mneventh looked at the Bronze one with a look promising death. Even the Bronze Dragon was smart enough to keep his trap shut after that. ¡°Seriously, who invited a hatchling barely old enough to fly to a meeting between Aspects? Surely the already low standards for an Aspect have not fallen low enough for him to qualify?¡±


    The Aspects were considered to be the de facto leaders of the Eternal Dragonflight. The Dragon Queen was their true leader, but she had been asleep for the last who knows how long. She usually woke up about once in a century for a short while, but even that rare occasion had not come to pass for several hundred years now. Even the destruction of the hells, which Mneventh had played a key part in, had not been enough for the Queen to stir. There had even been murmurings that the Queen would not wake ever again, and that perhaps it was time to pick a new ruler. The older Aspects had quashed those plans rather quickly, to the amusement of Mneventh. Amusement and a bit of relief. If the dragons did pick a new ruler, there was the off chance that he would be picked.


    Perhaps a little conveniently, that left the Aspects in power. The Aspects didn¡¯t want to be associated with the other participants in the War in Heaven and refused to form a council for leadership. Instead, each part of the Dragonflight was led by one of the Aspects, who then ¡®conferred¡¯ on occasion. Yup, definitely not a council. At least the demons had been bold enough to go their own way in that respect. Perhaps it was the natural progression with beings as powerful as them to form ruling councils to avoid internal struggle? Or perhaps everyone was just too much of a coward to really find out who was the strongest.


    In any case, the Aspects were the current rulers. To become an Aspect, one had to be the strongest or most skilled member of the type of dragon you represented. You also had to have sufficient level of attainment in the field you were to become the Aspect of. Obviously there could not be two Aspects of War or Strength for example. Of course, there was also a ban against two Aspects coming from the same dragon type. Otherwise, the Aspects would mostly come from among the Platinum or Azure Dragons. Or Fairy Dragons. Those little buggers could get savage when they got serious.


    As a result, if you wanted the position, you had to kill the previous holder of the title, or the previous holder had to die by other means. If a previous Aspect died, one didn¡¯t automatically take their place as the new Aspect of that dragon type. You had to earn the honor first. For example, Mneventh noted that the aforementioned Faerie Dragons still hadn¡¯t gained a new Aspect, despite the last one dying over two decades ago. Or they had and the new one had died as well, which was equally likely. Even he stayed away from those lunatics. He didn¡¯t have any issue with bloodshed, but the Faerie Dragons killed just about anything as a mere joke. Amoral fuckers.


    ¡°Never mind that.¡± The Platinum Dragon once again brushed the young Bronze Dragon aside. ¡°We have actual matters to discuss.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s why the young ones get uppity. You don¡¯t put them in their place.¡¯ Mneventh thought but didn¡¯t bother voicing his opinion. The old Platinum Dragon had been stuck in his ways before he was even born.


    As the Aspect of War, the Platinum Dragon was naturally in charge of the war efforts of the Dragonflight. He explained the general situation with the current hostilities with Assembly. The war had not really in full swing yet, so Mneventh was pretty sure the war was not the reason he was forced to attend this meeting. Besides, they had been in a war for a long time. Just that it had become more heated lately. Finally the old dragon seemed to be getting to the point. ¡°So as you see, the world of Io is now open for a large-scale attack, which would open a path to the heartlands of Assembly controlled worlds. If we strike with enough force, we can inflict heavy damage before the Assembly forces manage to push us back.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap.¡± Mneventh stated simply, not bothering to explain further despite some of the other Aspects asking for his reasoning.


    The old Platinum Dragon just looked at Mneventh and considered his words before continuing. ¡°This is why I wanted you here. You know the Assembly the best, and you have always had sharp senses about such things. I would still want to hear your reasoning though.¡± Mneventh¡¯s ties to certain parts of the Assembly were well known, even if that relationship had soured pretty badly after the fiasco with Selvaria.


    Mneventh grunted. He thought it would be easier in the long run if he just explained himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know how much more obvious a trap needs to get. They had enough defenses to hold a strategically important world, and now those defenses are suddenly gone? I don¡¯t think so. The Assembly is many things, but stupid is not one of them. One of the advantages of smashing so many races together is that some of them come out less stupid than the general populace. One of them would have noticed the obvious problem. Granted the world is a little remote, but it¡¯s not so out of the way that we can¡¯t simply surge through, which is what they are expecting. I would assume the Assembly is prepared to close the breach behind our forces, thus trapping any forces we send within a prearranged encirclement.¡±


    ¡°So you think we should avoid attacking?¡± The Azure Dragon asked with slight disappointment in her voice. She had been rather eager about the whole thing.


    ¡°No, I mean we should attack with enough force to smash this trap. A trap is only dangerous if you step in unprepared and unawares. Once we know of the trap, we can make sure they bite off more than they can chew. Really though, I have no idea why I was even called. I might have had more interactions with some members of the Assembly than most, but you should have already figured this out Qazarass.¡± He used the old Platinum Dragon¡¯s name for emphasis. Few others even knew the old dragon¡¯s name. Before now of course. Now the word would spread. For old dragons, the Aspects were terrible gossips sometimes. But this was Mneventh¡¯s revenge for bothering him.


    The smile the old platinum dragon gave let Mneventh know that the old bastard knew something he didn¡¯t and was savoring the knowledge. ¡°I guessed, but it¡¯s always nice to have a second opinion. The reason I called for you is that I got news of the beings defending Io previously. Two in particular are of great interest to us. A particularly foolish Gold Dragon got into a fight with one of the two on a different world they were supposedly sent to reinforce. According to that Gold Dragon, while the being was dressed like one of the Assembly Lords, she also revealed her true form when the Gold Dragon was cornered. Mostly due to luck, the Gold Dragon managed to escape and bring the news to us.¡±


    ¡°And why should I care?¡± Mneventh asked without interest. This seemed unimportant after all.


    ¡°The true form of that being was a hybrid between an Abyssal and an Astral Dragon. She was young but extremely powerful, and there was no way the Gold Dragon could mistake her appearance.¡± The Platinum Dragon was clearly savoring the moment. ¡°Also, that young hybrid was accompanied by an apparently self-aware mountain surrounded by a halo.¡±


    Mneventh started cursing silently. ¡®Selvaria that bitch! You would keep this from me and rely on Xinglong of all dragons instead?! I¡¯ll have my revenge for this.¡¯ Outwardly he remained calm but the look in the Platinum Dragon¡¯s eyes showed that the old bastard knew it was a facade. ¡°This could be a great asset for us. Don¡¯t touch that young hybrid. She could be extremely useful to us. I think we can bring her around to our side, and having a spy among the top ranks of the Assembly could be a great asset. And if what you say about her strength is correct, then it is inevitable that she will reach those top ranks at some point.¡±


    Mneventh had a good idea concerning the young dragon¡¯s identity, and he had good reasons for his assumptions. Even though Selvaria had not advertised her new prot¨¦g¨¦ to most people, Mneventh had naturally found out as he too was part of why the demons were in their current situation. Selvaria had been rather proud of her new ¡®child¡¯ even though she was not sure how to deal with her. He had assumed that child had been trapped inside Selvaria¡¯s pocket dimension as well, but now that seemed less likely. The combination of an Abyssal and Astral was unlikely enough that it didn¡¯t take much for Mneventh to make the connection. Unfortunately he was too agitated to notice that his words had suddenly caused a previously uninterested Bronze Dragon to suddenly become very interested.


    All of them were interrupted by the arrival of a messenger. Dragonkin were very rarely tolerated in this place, so the Aspects were less than pleased. Still, the messenger was in a hurry and went to whisper to a Silver Dragon that had kept quiet so far. After listening to the whispers for a while the Silver Dragon exclaimed. ¡°What?! How many? Forty and still counting? Are you sure? And there have been no dragons among the losses so far?¡±


    While the Silver Dragon was loud due to lost composure, the Dragonkin was not. And the one-sided conversation was getting on everyone¡¯s nerves. Mneventh was already surly by nature, and the current situation was not making him any less so. He was the first to snap. ¡°What is so damn important that it can¡¯t wait?¡±


    The Silver Dragon was among those that rightly feared the black-scaled Aspect of Anti-Magic, so she rushed to answer. ¡°Well, many here might not be aware that Champions of the gods get informed when another Champion falls under certain conditions. In this case, over forty Champions have fallen in a very short period of time, and all at the hands of the Champions of Umbra and Lumen.¡±


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    The dragons didn¡¯t like being servile even to the deities so they didn¡¯t have that many Champions or even blessed individuals among their number. However, there were certain draconic deities of course, and the Champions of those deities almost always came from among the Silver Dragons. Their lack of blessings didn¡¯t mean that the dragons paid no attention to divine politics though. ¡°You mean to say that the Champions of Lumen and Umbra joined hands and have started a massacre of some sort?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re now fairly certain that the two Goddesses have picked the same individual as a Champion. Otherwise there would be some difference in who killed which enemy. One of our priests prayed for an explanation, and one of the deities we serve explained that there¡¯s a power struggle happening between the strongest deities. And Lumen and Umbra are cleaning the nest so to speak. As an interesting side note, apparently the Champion killing all the others happens to be a hybrid between an Abyssal and an Astral. I doubt there¡¯s two of her ilk around.¡±


    Mneventh growled in anger. Perhaps it was time he started taking a more active hand in matters after all. Selvaria might be an asshole for trusting the prissy Astral over him, but he was not about to stand by and watch this disaster go further. And if he managed to help this young dragon, then it would be all the more sweet to watch Selvaria grovel in apology as she realized all this could have been avoided if she had simply trusted Mneventh instead of the prissy Astral. Perhaps it was time to lean on some deities and make them remember who they owed and just how badly. Then he could throw that favor in Selvaria¡¯s face as well and mock her fiercely for the next three decades. Centuries. Centuries sounded much better.


    ------


    Despite her string of victories, Dee looked ragged. The fights that followed the first challenge had not been as easy. Part of that was because she couldn¡¯t go all out, a problem that her enemies did not share. The enemies waged a war of attrition, and it was having a certain amount of success. Her experiences in the elemental planes had taught her a lot about fighting endless battles, which helped a lot. The problem was that the Champions all came with weird abilities that required a different level of concentration and effort to deal with. A powerful elemental might be a worthy foe, but Dee had usually gathered enough resistance at that point to have a large advantage. The elementals had usually fought in a very straightforward fashion as well. These Champions were very different. And they were all dangerous in their own ways even if many of them didn¡¯t even qualify as proper enemies against her. They were still Champions of the gods and could stake their all in a single attack if given a proper opening. Cornered animals and all that.


    Order had apparently given many of his subordinates high-ranking angels as temporary Champions, so the deities were not careful at all about throwing them away. That said, a large number of deities also used their own Champions as a matter of honor. Or they had other reasons that Dee was unaware of. Be that as it may, the end result was that Dee was slowly being cornered. On the other hand, she had also gained a lot of power during the whole ordeal. It would have been even more if she had the time to properly meditate between the battles and make that power her own, but the current situation forced her to waste some of it.


    Her weapons and armor had mostly been destroyed or at least damaged at this point. She had used all of the weapons stored in her shadows and was now forced into using just her fists or weapons made of psionic energy. The latter suited her just fine. The problem was that she had also lost several of the dark beads she so liked using. A couple had been outright destroyed while others had simply been damaged. The things were sturdy but not indestructible. She lost them in a fight against the only deity that had stepped forward after the forty-fifth Champion had fallen. And now another deity was stepping on the arena again. Luckily it seemed that the gods willing to throw their Champions away seemed to be coming to an end.


    The situation had taken a turn as soon as the deities realized that she was not only the Champion of Lumen but Umbra¡¯s as well. Many of the deities felt that while taking on a fading deity like Lumen was alright, picking a fight with Umbra was not. The two might be allies for now, but with the Champion of Umbra being involved it became much more serious. The original group of gods willing to participate had shrunk significantly. On the other hand, those that were still willing to pick a fight were willing to risk their own lives to do so, as they feared the inevitable retaliation if they failed. That¡¯s why the current deity was willing to face Dee personally.


    Dee raised her hand and signaled for Lumen to approach. The deity refereeing the proceedings might have been biased, but not to the extent of completely throwing away his role as a deity of fairness. Dee had not called for any halts in the proceedings so far despite the enemies clearly trying to wear her down, and if he didn¡¯t allow this small reprieve, the neutral deities would make sure he suffered the consequences.


    ¡°What is it? Can you not go on further?¡± Lumen asked a little worried as soon as she approached. To her, it looked like Dee still had enough leeway to deal with several fights, but she couldn¡¯t be sure, especially if the enemies would be mostly gods from now on. She hoped the opposing gods would give up once a few of them died.


    ¡°I can, but I¡¯m not sure I should. So far I¡¯ve only killed the Champions of deities hostile to you and a single deity, but if I start killing several gods the situation will change drastically. I don¡¯t think there has ever been someone who killed dozens of gods without being branded the enemy of the entire universe, and even the neutral gods will carry a grudge against one that has killed so many of their kind. Fighting one or two gods is one thing. Even becoming the enemy of Paradisia I can deal with. Becoming the enemy of the forces of Order is something I¡¯ve come to terms with. This is something very different however. It¡¯s time for you to step up and do your part. I will not carry the ire of everyone for you. You¡¯re a top-ranked deity, so act like one. Use your own influence. If Order can pull strings, then so can you. Besides, if I do have to fight these gods, I will have to do so by using extreme methods and I¡¯m not sure I can stop. This whole endeavor is also reaching a point where it¡¯s no longer worth it to me. I¡¯m your Champion, but I¡¯m not a fanatic willing to throw away everything for your glory.¡± Dee was pushed to the point that she considered using the Authority Selvaria had left her. That would help her gain victory, but the Authority had come with a rather stern warning. Using it against the deities might not be the best solution.


    Lumen realized that Dee was correct. The gods had been spooked by Dee killing just one of their own, and she had already killed another deity, albeit a minor one. If she killed more, even the gods that were not supportive of Order would start to turn against Dee. And she was also right about another thing. There had been immortals strong enough to kill several gods before, in fact, there were several immortals currently that had the power and just didn¡¯t use it. Those that had used that power had been viciously hunted down as common enemies of everyone.


    As she stepped up to face the opposition, Lumen was surprised to find out she wasn¡¯t alone. She was less surprised to see Umbra step up but having Death join her was a bit more surprising. Death seemed to be grumbling about her plan being delayed after all, but she had joined nonetheless. What really surprised her was that several other gods had also dropped to the arena to stand behind her. Notably, many of those gods were draconic in nature, although some gods of magic also joined in. Some of those deities even had strained relations with Lumen, which is why it made little sense for them to rise up in support.


    ¡°Enough of this.¡± Umbra stated, stealing the limelight from the stunned Lumen. ¡°This farce has gone long enough. My Champion has already proven her superiority and defended the honor and position of Lumen. From now on, if you want to gang up on someone, expect that you will also face multiple enemies.¡±


    ¡°Are you interfering with the age-old tradition of challenge Umbra?¡± Order asked with a smile. This course of action suited him as well. It was not as good as Dee and Lumen being killed, but it was the next best thing. In fact, he had expected this as Lumen was unlikely to just roll over and die. He was surprised at the number and identity of gods that stepped up, but his side was still at a numerical advantage. Death¡¯s presence made those numbers meaningless if it came to a battle, but that seemed unlikely. This coming to a vote was a much more likely scenario, and in votes, his side had an advantage in. Death may sway a large number of voters with her mere presence, but clear lines like this would go a long way towards reducing that effect.


    Unfortunately for Order, Umbra was not about to let events progress as he had planned. ¡°I think you¡¯ve already made a mockery of the system by now. You may say that it was Lumen who changed the rules first, but we all know you have been abusing the system long before that. Everything after has been an answer to your misuse of the system you helped set up.¡± Umbra countered.


    ¡°You can say what you want, but the rules and laws are what they are.¡± Order countered. As a God of Order, his faith in law and order was obvious.


    ¡°Perhaps, but unlike you, I¡¯m not a deity of order. Laws and rules are meaningless to me. They become especially so when someone like you abuses them. We all know you are a hypocrite hiding behind those rules. I think it¡¯s about time we institute a little more chaos. You are welcome to come to the arena to defend your opinions, but we all know you won¡¯t.¡± Umbra was well aware of the methods Order used and abused and was not about to allow that to go on any longer. Besides, all these rules had been vexing her for a while now. If those rules were such a problem for Lumen, why bother abiding by them any longer?


    ¡°Are you trying to break the ties that bind us together and keep the peace Umbra?¡± Order asked, not liking the direction where this was headed.


    ¡°And why shouldn¡¯t I? Those ties have felt more and more like shackles lately. I feel it¡¯s time we try something different for a change.¡± Umbra grinned at her own play on words.


    She had chafed under the rules set in place for a long time, and those same rules gave Order more power. She would have tried rebelling against those rules long before if she¡¯d had any hope of success, but now with Lumen and Death on her side, things were about to change. This was going exactly as she wanted. In fact, this is why she loved chaos so much. Things couldn¡¯t have gone any better even if she had tried planning for it. Plans and plots were all nice and everything, but as a goddess in charge of chaos, she knew the best method was to just stir the pot and seize any opportunities that bubbled to the surface.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about a return to the times of chaos. Return to the wars between gods.¡± Order was getting really grim. He had been too focused on Lumen and had not considered that Umbra would strike at the heart of his power at this moment. He could see many of the gods that had joined in the arena just now looked a bit uneasy, but for them, it was too late to back out now. They had already thrown in their lot with the other side so it was too late to back out.


    ¡°I kind of liked those times.¡± Umbra laughed. This was just perfect. She turned towards the gathered deities. ¡°Listen to me gods that suffer under the current status quos! For too long the likes of Order have hidden behind the rules while gaining from our loss! This is not our way! The current situation has been forced on us, but no longer! It¡¯s time to rise and show what we stand for! I call for the dissolution of this twisted system! Let the gods of order seek their own laws and rules in a universe where we are not so accommodating! It¡¯s time to have the stagnant universe start feeling the breeze of something fresh! Let chaos rule for a change!¡± The play on words was deliberate. Change and chaos were her forte and now was the time.


    Umbra¡¯s timing was masterful. Eons of peace had dulled the senses of the light gods while the darker gods had suffered losses under the rules set in place. Such rules were against their nature, and why should the dark gods accept rules put in place against their will? The recent troubles had also shattered old alliances between the gods of light and the gods of order, and the neutral gods had been forced into picking sides for a while now, mostly against their will. With Lumen and Death joining her camp, Umbra¡¯s words gained a whole new weight, and the blatant abuses of Order had made a mockery of the current system. Even the God of Fairness that had refereed the fights was forced to admit the twistedness of the situation.


    What started as a grab for power had developed into a call for a divine revolution.

 Chapter 180

    ¡±What happened to you?¡± The white-sashed Lord asked Dee as soon as she flew back to the protection of the flying fortress. The same pillar of light that had taken Dee away had brought her back just outside the bastion only seconds before. The question was a natural one, as Dee had disappeared for several hours and the Assembly forces had eventually been forced into retreating in her absence. You could say they had achieved a victory of sorts, but they were still the weaker party on this world until Dee returned.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions you don¡¯t want answers to.¡± Dee replied in a tired voice. As soon as Umbra had instigated her little rebellion, Lumen had sent Dee away without even a word. They all knew it was better if she was gone as otherwise she might become the focus of the events as the only ¡®mortal¡¯ present. It wasn¡¯t really even about Dee specifically, just that the gods were about to have a serious conflict on their hands and they didn¡¯t want anyone besides other gods present to see their disgraceful actions and forms. Dee agreed with Lumen¡¯s choice, and also considered the whole mess none of her business. She might fight for Lumen or Umbra on occasion, but matters between gods were generally better left to the divines. The less she had to deal with the matter, the better. Besides, with the gods otherwise busy, she might actually be left alone for a fairly long time.


    As a fellow psion, Moirai could sense the tiredness and fluctuating level of power that practically oozed off Dee. She could recognize the signs of a difficult battle when she saw them. ¡°Do you need anything? You look exhausted.¡± This made the other Lords present pay more attention to Dee¡¯s appearance and they realized a few other things that Moirai had not paid as much attention to. The first thing they noted was that aside from wearing the robes customary to Lords of the Assembly, Dee was wearing very little else. Although the robes theoretically covered everything, they also failed to adequately hide many details. In particular, they emphasized certain areas in very interesting ways.


    ¡°Clothes and food, please.¡± Dee replied, and noticed the other Lords looking the other way rather studiously. ¡°Oh please, I¡¯m perfectly covered. I¡¯m pretty sure you have all seen more indecent forms of dress before.¡±


    The fact was that Dee had realized her clothing would be damaged during the battles against the Champions, so she had not used the Lord¡¯s robes even after changing shapes away from her dragon form. That said, she didn¡¯t lug around a lot of clothing, so the robes were pretty much the only intact piece of clothing she had. She could always use the shadows to cover herself if necessary, and she had during the previous battles, but she had assumed that to be unnecessary here. Apparently that was not the case.


    Araqiel also confirmed this after a demure cough. ¡°Eh, while that¡¯s true, you do realize that sometimes barely covering something can be more enticing than leaving it bare, right? Especially if that something keeps moving around so freely.¡±


    ¡°Well find me those clothes then.¡± Dee snapped back a little annoyed. She had never been the type to feel stressed about her clothing, but apparently the Lords were a lot more prudish than what she was used to. Unknown to Dee, that little trait was one of the results of everyone wearing similar robes. Another result was that the Lords had become much more aware of what was under the robes, and to them, Dee was flagrantly flaunting at the moment.


    After Dee had been properly clothed and fed, the white-sashed Lord, Sareash, tried to broach the original subject again. ¡°I really need to insist on asking where you disappeared to. The plan was not exactly a failure, but your disappearance did throw a wrench into our plans.¡± If Dee had returned immediately, they could have pushed the wounded dragons back, but with her gone, the Assembly had to pull back instead. Now any damage to the dragons would have been healed already.


    Dee gave a deep sigh. She didn¡¯t want to reveal everything when the woman was present, but it seemed she had to give something. ¡°I¡¯m guessing there aren¡¯t high ranking holy casters present at the bastion?¡±


    ¡°We have some healers but aside from that no.¡± Sareash replied with a small shake of her head.


    ¡°Well, I think you¡¯ll get more information when you come in contact with high ranking priests, or better yet a Champion. To make a long story short, I was summoned by a deity and forced to engage in battle. There are some big developments brewing among the gods at the moment.¡± Dee gave a very curt summary of the situation.


    ¡°Can you be any more specific?¡± The woman asked with her eyes narrowing. She now realized that the holy presence that Dee gave off was the result of being a Champion of some high ranking deity. Seeing as they had seen the symbol of Lumen twice now, it was not exactly difficult to guess which deity Dee was the Champion of. She had not pegged Dee as a servant of the primary Goddess of Light. Dee didn¡¯t keep her wings out when wearing the robes, so there was little reason to believe she had anything to do with angels either. Araqiel, sure, Dee not so much.


    ¡°It appears that there¡¯s a civil war of sorts brewing. There was a full-blown rebellion starting just as I was sent back. It seems many of the gods were not too pleased with the current situation and rose up in revolt.¡± Dee was trying to be sparse with details for now, even though beings like the Lords would find out soon anyway. Still, even Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure of what happened after she was sent off, so it was better not to speculate too much. She didn¡¯t know how much the others would find out after all.


    Sareash frowned in thought as she tried to work through the news that might make a large difference even to the Assembly. Perhaps especially to the Assembly. The dragons barely even worshipped gods, although the other subordinate species like the Dragonkin did, so it was unlikely that a war between gods would be a big problem for them. Angels were fairly united in their service to the gods of light and order, and it was unlikely those two factions would end up on separate sides of an internal struggle between the gods.


    The same was not true for the Assembly. The Assembly had more races under their ¡®protection¡¯ than anyone cared to count, and they all served different deities. Even members of the same races born on different worlds had different faiths. If the gods were drawing battle lines, then it seemed likely that the believers would eventually do the same. And in a varied society like the Assembly, that meant trouble. ¡°I have difficulty believing the top gods would allow something like this. Not that I don¡¯t believe your words, but are you sure? I would think they would stamp out such rebellions pretty harshly.¡±


    ¡°The problem is that this time the rebellion was led by those very same gods. At least three among the ten most powerful deities were a part of it.¡± Dee replied with a small grimace.


    ¡°In that case, this is much more serious than I thought. I will have to try to reach the Assembly for further instructions. You said you were in a battle? Are you fit to act again soon? The dragons seem satisfied to lick their wounds for now, but you never know.¡± Sareash asked a little worried. Dee¡¯s participation was important for resolving the current situation this world was facing.


    ¡°I will need some rest and time to deal with the aftermath of what happened. The more time the better. That said, if you can give me a day or two, I will be able to participate, even if I¡¯m not at my best.¡± Dee replied, deliberately obfuscating the fact that her main concern was dealing with the gains from all those slain Champions. She could be ready to battle in a few hours if needed, but she didn¡¯t want to use her full power until she was done with that process.


    As they watched Sareash and the other two Lords go back to report and request for instructions, Moirai turned to Dee. ¡°So what really happened?¡±


    ¡°Order tried to force Lumen into a battle of attrition by sending several opponents against me first. There are now a lot of free spots among the Champions of the gods that work with him, and several high-ranking angels are also dead.¡± Dee noticed the distressed look on Araqiel¡¯s face and continued. ¡°No Archangels were involved. Mostly Cherubim and Seraph.¡±


    ¡°Still, this sounds a bit iffy.¡± Araqiel stated, calming down a little. ¡°I don¡¯t think something like that is even allowed.¡±


    Dee gave a mirthless chuckle. ¡°I got the feeling that a lot of rules were bent and broken today. Don¡¯t ask me for the details since I was never that ardent of a believer or stickler for rules. In any case, Umbra led a large number of gods into an open rebellion, citing the fact that the rules that had been set were really constricting the darker gods and that both sides were already mostly ignoring the spirit of those rules. A surprising number of other deities joined her, Lumen and Death among them. I think many of them just wanted to protest the challenge I was involved in, but they also got pulled in when Umbra started her little rebellion.¡±


    ¡°So the gods of light and order are officially on the opposing sides of a possible war between gods? That sounds like trouble for angels.¡± Moirai pointed out, not really feeling sorry about the whole thing. Even with Araqiel present to soften things, Dee¡¯s opinion towards angels was rubbing off on Moirai. One of the problems with psions spending a lot of time together.


    ¡°Trouble doesn¡¯t even scratch the surface.¡± Araqiel stated with a sigh. ¡°If this really turns into a war, then it might take a bit of time before the war spills over to the angels, dividing them against each other, but it will happen eventually.¡± She also knew that Rahmiel was one of the most important figures on the side of Lumen, so she would almost certainly be involved.


    ¡°In that case, you need to contact Rahmiel and hurry our meeting. The timing with this might turn out to be very important.¡± Moirai suddenly realized. ¡°Once she gets mixed up in that struggle, there¡¯s no way she can leave to meet with us.¡±


    Araqiel grimaced in frustration. She realized this was important to Dee and by extension Moirai, but to her it was a minor consideration. She had just heard that her race might become embroiled in a civil war after all. ¡°I¡¯ll try but I doubt it will be that easy.¡±


    ¡°Well, try to emphasize that my involvement might end up swinging the results of that civil war. A short visit will be a small price to pay.¡± Dee pointed out. Besides, division among the angels would make it less likely that Rahmiel might betray her. It also meant that anyone trying to feed Dee false information through Rahmiel would be too busy to really prepare a proper trap. ¡°I don¡¯t like making threats to people I¡¯m friendly with, but I will in this case. Remember, I have no fondness for your kind in general and there are many ways I can approach my mission. Some of those ways result in many more dead angels. Some priorities might be in order here.¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ------


    It took two days before Dee finally found herself back in the familiar ¡®landscape¡¯ of being surrounded by grey fog and the feeling of being surrounded by something so ancient that even the air itself felt old. She had made a prayer to the four gods every evening, but it seemed the deities had been busy. Still were judging by the fact that she found herself almost right next to the familiar campsite, as she could clearly see the campfire through the fog. It only took her a few seconds and less than five steps to reach the area clear of the fog, where the four familiar deities were sitting.


    ¡°This is an odd feeling.¡± Umbra stated without preamble. ¡°It¡¯s rather uncommon for you to try and reach us so fervently.¡±


    ¡®Fervently¡¯ was a definite exaggeration, but Dee had been slightly less rude in her prayers than usual. ¡°Well, as much as I¡¯d like to say that the mess you created is none of my business, that¡¯s not exactly true. I was still present and whatever happened after I was so rudely sent off will have far-reaching effects that I most likely have to deal with. And it¡¯s not likely the other gods will forget what happened just before your rebellion. Besides...¡± Dee pointed at Lumen ¡°she kind of owes me.¡±


    Lumen looked a bit embarrassed, and Umbra didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to rub it in with a dirty laugh. ¡°You did gain a fair bit of power from those you defeated. And you fulfilled most of the conditions towards becoming the focus.¡± While the Goddess of Darkness didn¡¯t mind mocking her sister, she still came to her defense.


    ¡±Well, much of that power was wasted because of the constant fights, but you are right. That¡¯s why I said that Lumen owes me with a smile on my face. I did lose a large part of my equipment due to the fights. Especially the black pearls were a pretty bad loss.¡± Those were Dee¡¯s favorite weapon after all. She didn¡¯t lose them all of course, but still more than she was willing to give up.


    ¡°Can you materialize what¡¯s left of them?¡± Lumen asked with a frown. ¡°Preferably the ones that are still intact as well. I may be able to do something with them, even if repairs are impossible.¡±


    Dee tried and succeeded in bringing the weapons out. She also realized that it was only possible due to Eternity allowing her to do that. Lumen received them gently and studied them. ¡°I may actually have an idea. It would mean that you¡¯d lose the ones that are still intact as well, but I think the result will be worth it.¡± She finally said.


    ¡°Go for it.¡± Dee encouraged the goddess. The utility of those dark pearls and diamonds went down when some of them were missing. Not that they became useless, but that they lost some of their use. If Lumen managed to create something new to replace them, then it was worth the loss. The Goddess of Light vanished, returning to her own realm to work. ¡°She forgot to mention how long it would take.¡± Dee grumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯d say several weeks if she¡¯s planning on doing what I think she has in mind. Creating holy artifacts can be a long process. I think I¡¯ll go help her once we¡¯re done here. Hah! Imagine that! The Goddess of Darkness setting foot in the realm of the Goddess of Light.¡± Umbra laughed. She had a lot to be happy about.


    ¡°So about what happened¡­¡± Dee less than subtly prodded the goddess back towards the reason why she was here in the first place.


    ¡°Right, so I¡¯d love to tell you all the intricate details of what happened, but the truth is that the situation is still volatile, to say the least. Most of the old rules have been shattered and pushed aside, and at least a third of the gods are in open rebellion. Another third are staying relatively neutral, though they have indicated that they could be persuaded. Unsurprisingly, some gods decided to stay with the stuck-up bastard, but they can¡¯t maintain the old system if the others refuse to cooperate. Most gods retreated to their realms for now. At least those that actually have one. Some of the weaker deities are hiding, though that is understandable. They might have mattered when voting was important, but they don¡¯t have enough power to make a difference at the moment.¡± Umbra explained.


    ¡°So how likely will this little quarrel turn into an actual war that will include us as well?¡± Dee asked. By us, she was of course referring to beings other than gods.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s an interesting question. I made the most important move, but what happens now depends on Order. His reaction to the whole situation will determine what happens next. Odds are that at least he will go after Lumen, as he is rather dogged when it comes to that matter. If he managed to force Lumen out, then he might theoretically have a chance to stand against me, and that chance might draw many to his side. Of course, if he thinks I¡¯ll just stand by and allow that to happen, then he is sorely mistaken. He must have some plan to deal with me in the meantime, but I can¡¯t say what that might be. Ironically, the destruction of the hells has left me with very little to occupy my time with.¡± Umbra explained with a disdainful shrug. She wasn¡¯t taking Order lightly, she was too smart for that, but she didn¡¯t know how Order could deal with the current situation.


    ¡°Speaking of, you mentioned me fulfilling most of the conditions towards becoming the focus.¡± After absorbing most of the power she had gained, and a large number of souls from those that Selvaria had left her, Dee felt that she wasn¡¯t all that far from reaching the thirteenth rank. She also felt that reaching that rank would need some sort of special push. Becoming the focus was the most obvious option.


    ¡°I did, didn¡¯t I? Well, I think we can both agree that you¡¯ve dealt with enough Champions and even gods to qualify. In fact, you did much more than was required, so I¡¯ll let you off easier when it comes to the last part. That is, dealing with your competition. I¡¯d say dealing with one of your three main rivals should be enough, while normally you¡¯d have to deal with at least two. Though I said three, I suspect you¡¯ll only have one viable choice.¡± Umbra had a rather mean grin on her face. Just because she preferred Dee as the focus, that didn¡¯t mean she could not enjoy the less pleasant parts of the process in her own twisted way. Less pleasant for Dee that is.


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be the goddess representing chaos without throwing a small dilemma your way. You have three options like I said. Option one, and the one I personally ask you don¡¯t take, is the current Morningstar of Paradisia. Besides being the absolutely most difficult option, I would actually prefer if you left the Morningstar alone. Still, I¡¯m somewhat obliged to mention the possibility at least.¡± Umbra grimaced. There was a possibility that Dee would go after this option out of spite.


    ¡°Wait, the Morningstar is a Fallen?¡± Dee asked a little shocked. She had wanted news on what happened to the Fallen, so this one was a surprise, and not necessarily a pleasant one.


    ¡°Not exactly. The Morningstar is a person with a foot in both camps. He¡¯s the type that wants to have their cake and eat it too. He hasn¡¯t actually become a Fallen, but he is toying with the idea, trying to gain power in exchange from me, hoping I won¡¯t notice that he hasn¡¯t made any promises. Truth be told, if he did become truly Fallen, then he might become the focus very quickly, but as long as he doesn¡¯t commit¡­¡± Umbra explained with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Alright, I can still see how someone in his position might be useful for you. Or at least fun to toy with. What are the other options?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°Well, the second choice, and the one I expect you to actually go for, is one of the few surviving arch-devils. He is trying to gather enough power and influence to create a new hell. I actually wouldn¡¯t mind it if he succeeded, but I know you¡¯ll go for him in the end. By the way, one of the deals I¡¯ve made with him is that I can¡¯t reveal his position to anyone, including you. So you¡¯re on your own there. You¡¯re resourceful, I¡¯m sure you can handle it.¡± Umbra gave a knowing grin. She was extremely confident Dee would pick this option.


    ¡°And the third choice?¡± Dee asked carefully.


    ¡°Well, here¡¯s the thing; I did mention to you that while you¡¯re my first choice, you¡¯re not my only choice. I actually had¡­what I would call a spare to replace you in case you happened to die early on. That spare has done pretty well, but killing her would not be all that difficult. She¡¯s even easy to find. I want you to keep this option in mind. You could always go with the easy option if the situation calls for it.¡± Umbra offered.


    ¡°Just tell me.¡± Dee said with a sigh.


    ¡°You know that new ¡®sister¡¯ you just gained, Aurelie? Yeah, she¡¯s also an option.¡± Umbra knew enough about Dee to know that she would not take the easy way out in this case. Not that Dee had trouble with taking the easy way out, not at all. Just that Aurelie happened to be the right type to appeal to Dee. Even though the two barely even knew each other, Dee would still not kill her because of that. An unexpected blind spot for someone of Dee¡¯s past and nature, but everybody had one. Still, offering the chance to gain quick power by killing someone close was something of a staple that Umbra often used to entice people. It was a clich¨¦ for a reason. If she had a way of making the third option Moirai, she would, but unfortunately, Moirai was not an option.


    ¡°Such a nasty goddess.¡± Dee stated with a sigh. She knew the goddess had her pegged. The worst part was that even if she did decide to go with the last option, Umbra would still be delighted. There was no winning this one. She even suspected that the goddess had thrown the Morningstar out as bait, just because the option of spiting the goddess would appeal to Dee. In truth, the goddess most likely would be glad if the Morningstar was killed by Dee, but she would pretend otherwise just to manipulate her. Such a nasty deity.

 Chapter 181

    As the discussion with Umbra was winding down, Dee looked towards Death instead. ¡°We need to have a word as well.¡±


    Death showed no outward reaction, but Dee still got the impression the goddess seemed almost a little resigned. ¡°We¡¯ll meet after you leave here. The others need not hear what I¡¯m about to say.¡±


    Dee nodded her assent and as soon as she turned around, she found herself once again in the place that looked just like her Domain. She got the feeling that this was not her real Domain, but instead a representation of it. Part of it was because this place had a sort of hazy and unreal feel to it. The Living Mountain and Croestia also weren¡¯t present. The goddess was standing next to a large depression in the otherwise fairly dull and uniform scenery. For reasons unknown to Dee, the depression was rather far from Dee¡¯s totem. Still, she felt that there was an actual reason. A large number of souls seemed to be congregating above the depression.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing this is what you wanted to talk about.¡± Death gestured at the slowly growing bowl-shaped basin.


    ¡°Well that, and those souls seem to be gathering here for a reason.¡± Dee pointed out. The number of souls inside her Domain had been growing, and before this, they had been wandering around fairly aimlessly. The recent influx from the battle against the numerous Champions and the souls from the hells she had absorbed to push herself towards the thirteenth rank had changed things somehow. ¡°I gave you some leeway on this when you told me this would not be harmful to me, and would even be to my benefit. Still, my patience is wearing thin. Time to explain.¡±


    ¡°This is why I would have preferred if you had killed a few more gods before Umbra took over, but I suppose this will have to be enough.¡± Death muttered, seemingly not caring that Dee could hear quite clearly. Then she directed a question towards Dee. ¡°How much do you know about what happens after death?¡±


    The question took Dee by surprise, but she recovered quickly. This was not the first time she had been asked this question. ¡°I¡¯m under the impression that depends a bit. Some reincarnate, some go to an afterlife of some kind. The religions differ on the subject.¡± She had received a certain amount of clerical training, so Dee was not completely out of the loop.


    ¡°Eventually yes, that is what happens to most. That¡¯s not what I was asking though. Do you know what happens to the souls of the dead? Let¡¯s think of those that you devour for example. What happens to them immediately after you devour them?¡± Death pressed the question.


    ¡°You said you help them pass on to wherever they go.¡± Dee pointed out with a frown.


    ¡°Mmh, yes, I suppose that is correct, even if not the answer I was looking for. Still, I suppose I¡¯m asking for something that you should not be aware of. The reason I ask is to put the question in your mind as we go forward. Strictly speaking, I¡¯m only gathering the souls and bringing them to the next stop on their journey. I don¡¯t decide which soul goes to an afterlife and which gets reincarnated or anything like that. The souls come to me and I help them move on to what is known as the River of Souls. Little known fact; there¡¯s only one River of Souls despite there being a multitude of different universes, so a person that dies in our universe might get reincarnated in another universe. That¡¯s not very common though, as there are rules governing the process that are myriad and complicated, and truthfully not relevant to the current discussion.¡± Death skipped over a rather large number of important details.


    ¡°And what does any of that have to do with this?¡± Dee pointed out at the gathering souls.


    ¡°Have a bit of patience. It¡¯s hard to explain some things without context. The next bit of context you should know is that Eternity and I are a little different as far as gods are concerned. That¡¯s because there needs to be three elements present at the creation of a universe. One is someone like Eternity. Interesting fact: although you seem to think time is the only thing he governs, that is not even remotely correct. He also rules over space and about a dozen other such minor details. So, the first thing that a universe needs in order to come into being is someone to govern and maintain time and space. The second thing required is someone to help souls pass back to the River of Souls. That would be me obviously. So he was the first, and I was the second.¡± Death made a self-deprecating gesture.


    ¡°You mentioned three things?¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the third, not unless you plan on leading a campaign to take over other universes. Let¡¯s just say there are certain¡­safeguards in place. Otherwise, the universes would have gone to war with each other a long time ago. Even if travel in-between is a little challenging, you are already aware of at least one method by which such travel can be achieved. In any case, three ingredients are necessary to start the creation of a universe. Each universe then uses various means to go from there, means that we don¡¯t need to get into. I¡¯m sure you already noticed that if those three things need to be present at the start, they need to come from the outside. Again, something you need not worry about for now, but something to be aware of.


    ¡°What you do need to be aware of is that those three elements are not necessary only at the beginning. They are also necessary for the universe to maintain itself. As such, those three elements are for all intents and purposes indestructible, as the universe itself protects them.¡± Death pointed at the black sun above them. ¡°Even if you dropped that little thing on my head, I would not be hurt even if I didn¡¯t resist. Unlike the other gods, the two of us cannot be killed. Lumen or Umbra could die and someone else would eventually take their place rather easily. Not so with us.¡±


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t¡­¡± Dee started saying before her eyes narrowed dangerously.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re getting there already, even without further help. Such a pleasure dealing with a psion. I said those three elements are necessary, not that I am. Nor Eternity I suppose, but he¡¯s patient enough to stick with it to the end. I¡¯m starting to have my fill of it though. I¡¯ve been around for so long¡­so dreadfully long. I¡¯ve watched eons pass, generations of gods come and go, great empires much larger than the Assembly and Paradisia rise and fall. I think I¡¯ve had enough. And here you are with such a pleasant death filled Domain. A great place for a small project I¡¯ve been working on.¡± The goddess seemed like a large weight was falling off her shoulders.


    ¡°So this is supposed to be a replacement for the element you talked about? Some sort of way to help souls pass along?¡± Dee asked with her eyes narrowed. She was not fond of where this was going. The problem was that she wasn¡¯t sure what to do about it and getting angry would not help. Further information on the other hand¡­


    ¡°The Well of Souls. The souls of the dead will pass through you and go on to the River of Souls. Or at least it offers an alternate path. Most of them will still go through me, but I wonder. Will the universe feel obliged to shield me when there¡¯s an alternative present? I¡¯m not sure, but I¡¯m eager to find out.¡± Death smiled with a content expression.


    ¡°And you think I will just allow this to happen? Did you forget that I can still forcefully consume these souls to force them to move on?¡± Dee pointed out in an angry tone. On one level she felt betrayed by Death, but the goddess had not lied strictly speaking. True, Dee would not have gone along with it if she had known what would happen, but it¡¯s not like she had not done similar things herself.


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t forget. You are simply too late. I would have preferred more souls to empower the Well a bit before forming it, but this is enough. The more souls pass through, the larger it will grow and the problem will fix itself.¡± Death slowly lifted her hand and gave a small snap.


    Suddenly all the souls seemed to form a cyclone inside the depression. It looked as if the souls had turned into some grey substance, akin to liquid smoke, and ornate stonework rose to surround the cyclone within the depression. Every millimel of the stonework was covered in symbols representing death and souls, as well as runic writing in tiny but tight script. The black stone formed into the shape of a large and delicate spring. The soul vortex within suddenly seemed to extend downwards towards some distant destination through a darkness deeper than even the one Umbra controlled. It seemed as if a something like a black hole was placed at the bottom as even the endless darkness seemed to be sucked and devoured the deeper it went. The weird liquid smoke was drained towards the bottom, and the vortex was instead now made of that same darkness that seemed to occupy the bottom.


    ¡°And the deed is done. What happens next, nobody knows. But at least I¡¯m eager to find out.¡± Death stated with a pleased tone. The entire ¡®Well¡¯ wasn''t exactly huge, much smaller than her totem for example, but Dee knew instinctively that it would grow. She already felt some souls entering the well, most likely those that had died in battle around the bastion where Dee¡¯s body was currently sleeping, and the well grew larger ever so slightly. While the Well was smaller now, it might overtake the totem given enough time and souls.


    ¡°And what happens if I don¡¯t go along with this plan of yours. I can see several ways this could still go bad for you. I¡¯m likely to die way before you, and even if you¡¯re no longer protected by the universe, you don¡¯t seem exactly suicidal. I doubt there are many that would attack Death.¡± Dee felt rage bubbling inside her, but she knew lashing out at the goddess would be useless.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see. However, I know you¡¯re not the type to kill yourself. You have too much to do after all! Killing you is not that easy, especially thanks to the blessing of dear old Eternity. And you¡¯re right; I¡¯m not in a rush. That¡¯s because even if the universe will no longer prevent me from dying, that doesn¡¯t mean the protection is entirely gone. It would be bad for the both of us to die at the same time after all. I think it will require something special to kill me even with this. Still, just the possibility excites me.¡± Death laughed. ¡°It might even turn out that you will have to be the one to kill me. Still, I¡¯m sure I can find a way. And now it¡¯s time for you to go. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re less than pleased, but frankly, I don¡¯t care and I¡¯m not willing to listen to your remonstrations. With some time and perspective, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to see the benefits.¡±


    The goddess was not making an empty assumption. Having the Well would be extremely beneficial to Dee if she learned to utilize it instead of trying to fight it. She also knew that Dee was much too young and inexperienced to understand the problem with living as long as Death had. To Dee, living replacing Death as an eternal being would not be such a bad thing. It wouldn¡¯t be until you watched everything turn to ashes around you for multiple times while you went on that the downsides of such longevity became obvious. It would take eons until the weight of sheer existence would become too heavy to bear. Dee was not yet aware that the most painful thing in life was to continue living and watch as those close to you died one by one. So no, Death was not too worried. Dee would see things her way once she got over the fact that Death had tricked her.


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    -----


    As she woke up, Dee confirmed the existence of the Well of Souls inside her Domain. With a snarl, she made a punching motion towards the wall and the power released blew a path straight through the bastion walls, creating a hole through a dozen walls, one of them being the outer wall of the bastion. The release of power shook the entire fortress. Despite her anger, she had made sure that no one actually got caught in the burst of emotion, not even the constructs that made up a large portion of the defensive strength of the bastion.


    The damn goddess had tricked her! She knew there was a trick involved when she agreed to the whole thing, but she had assumed that she would be able to work her way out of the situation. After all, it was obvious the goddess wanted something from Dee. She had tolerated the danger because so far everything the goddess had done had been to her benefit, even if it also served other purposes. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the goddess this time. Or to be exact, she had overestimated the time and effort needed to finish whatever had been brewing inside her Domain. She had assumed that she had plenty of time to figure out what the trap was, but that had turned out to be a false assumption.


    ¡°Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups.¡± She reminded herself of the old saying. A saying that once again proved to be true. She had made several false assumptions when it came to this whole thing, and now it came back to haunt her.


    Idly she noted that her burst of anger had created quite a bit of activity, as alarms were raised and defensive measures sprung to life. Dee¡¯s nostrils flared a bit as she tried calming herself. Annoyingly, she could already think of the possible benefits of the Well, she was a psion after all, but that didn¡¯t mean she was taking this well. The damn goddess had tricked her! That irked her more than any possible repercussion that might come out of the whole affair. ¡°I will pay this back. I might have no method to do so right at this moment, but I will.¡±


    Her mind was already working quickly, coming up with possible solutions. She was parsing through all the things the goddess had mentioned and came up with some possibilities. Something like the well needed to be present in the universe. That¡¯s what the goddess had said. What if she left this universe before Death was able to have her way? Death had likely considered leaving herself, but something must have stopped her. The universe? But would the universe stop Dee from leaving? Especially if Death was still around?


    And what about the Well? Did it actually have to be inside her Domain? Maybe she could remove the damn thing somehow? She didn¡¯t know the rules that governed such things, but it did seem that the creation of the Well required some specific conditions. Could they be replicated? Could they be replicated enough to create a new one, maybe somewhere that didn¡¯t require the presence of a person?


    Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Moirai. The small woman took a single look at the hole that seemed to stretch out from Dee¡¯s position and knew that Dee was the cause. ¡°What happened?¡± She could see Dee was alright so dealing with whatever was causing the situation took priority over worrying.


    Dee growled menacingly. ¡°The gods and their messes again. I¡¯ve really been jerked around in the last few days. I need to kill something, and then I need a vacation. The gods can go fuck themselves for all I care.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me. Your little display probably drew the attention of the dragons below. You did just create a rather big hole in the side of the fortress after all. A question though. I¡¯ve been curious for a while; do the gods do that?¡± Moirai tried cheering Dee up with a nonsensical question.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Dee had to ask, just to confirm Moirai truly was asking what she thought.


    ¡°You know, have some solo fun?¡± Moirai was already regretting this switch in topic. It was having the intended effect though.


    ¡°Well now, Moirai, that¡¯s an interesting question to pose, especially coming from you. You said you have been curious for a while. Do you often think about ¡®solo fun¡¯ as you called it? Is that why you seem disinterested in finding a partner? You have enough fun by yourself?¡± Moirai¡¯s question had been extremely effective in changing Dee¡¯s mood. Which was more important anyway, some minor deity of Death betraying you and possibly turning you into an eternal existence or your friend¡¯s sex habits? The answer was obvious.


    ¡°Well if you must know¡­get the hells out of here! You know damn well I¡¯m not going to reply to that! Now let¡¯s go and kill some dragons. You can have your vacation after that.¡± Moirai retorted embarrassed, but her blush was already kind of an answer to the question.


    ¡°Have it your way. But that¡¯s a topic that will most certainly revisit during our vacation.¡± Dee threatened before she vanished through the opening.


    While the Assembly forces were thrown off by the sudden damage to the fort, that didn¡¯t stop the following battle from becoming fairly one-sided. The dragons present could not resist the revitalized Dee and the other high-ranking Lords that now outnumbered the high-ranking dragons. Dee hurled thousands of exploding psionic blades at the gathered enemies, and her holy spells were extremely effective against the massed ranks of the enemies. In fact, even though Dee didn¡¯t want to admit it, the presence of the Well of Souls made her already scary death spells stupendously effective. Who could have imagined? Having a conduit for the souls of the dead to pass through had a positive effect on your death spells.


    What made Dee decidedly less pleased was the fact that all those dead enemies had their souls absorbed by the Well, even though she tried avoiding that very thing. Still, it also seemed that no one could sense that fact. Before this, someone observant could have noticed Dee devouring the souls of the dead, but now it seemed like a natural passing for the souls. Mainly because it was. Dee still gained the benefits of all those souls, as if she had purposefully devoured them. It also seemed her ability to gain power from those that were killed was much improved. Again, being the conduit of dead souls came with certain benefits.


    For some reason, that ticked her off even more. The goddess had clearly betrayed her trust, but yet again those actions benefitted Dee. It was annoying in a way that was hard to explain. On some level, it even felt that the anger was a little unreasonable, and that, of course, made her even angrier.


    Dee had stopped giving quarter to her enemies and now aimed to cause maximum casualties, something she was exceedingly efficient at. If she was saddled with the Well, then at least she might get as much benefit out of it as possible. The Dragonflight¡¯s forces were unable to stand against the sudden push, and even though Sareash was greatly vexed by the sudden attack, she couldn¡¯t really complain about the results.


    The only thing that didn¡¯t quite work out was the fact that the Dragonkin mages had finally managed to get the inbound gate to allow travel back to the world that they had attacked from, so a large portion of the Dragonflight¡¯s forces started retreating through the gate as soon as it became obvious that they were losing. Their forces managed to pull back a sizeable portion of their troops, mostly because Dee and the other Lords didn¡¯t really care about them. The ground forces had been useless when deployed to this world thanks to their fortress being in flight the entire time, so the tactical value of those troops was low. And while Dee was pissed, she wasn¡¯t genocidal. Killing tens of thousands of low ranking troops didn¡¯t appeal to her in any way.


    After the battle, Dee, Moirai, and Araqiel joined Sareash and the two green-sashed rank twelve Lords for a final tactical meeting. ¡°There¡¯s always a risk that the enemies will return, but I doubt they will do so very soon.¡± One of the generals stated. ¡°They would need reinforcements and most of those are otherwise engaged. By the time they do return, we should have received our own reinforcements and fixed any damage the dragons caused to the defenses.¡± He was smart enough to not mention the hole Dee had made in the bastion.


    ¡°Especially since I just received word that the enemy took the bait at Io.¡± Sareash stated. She had received the message in the middle of the battle, but there wasn¡¯t really anything they could or should do about it. Thus this was the first time mentioning the message became viable.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Moirai emphatically stated. ¡°I was worried we¡¯d have to do this again.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem pleased though.¡± Dee pointed out while looking at Sareash.


    ¡°Well, the bait most certainly drew in the enemy. The problem is that if the report I received is correct, then we might have caught more prey than we planned for. The report was only initial and not extremely reliable. The numbers will change. Still, the report mentioned the presence of several Aspects. The original plan was aiming for a few ancient dragons that make up the elite of the Dragonflight¡¯s forces. We did not expect the Aspects to get involved.¡± The white-sashed woman explained with a grimace. It was rare for the elites of any party to take an active part in the fight, as they were both the leaders of the faction as well as the reserves saved for the direst of circumstances. If one party in the war lost a huge portion of their forces, then that would be bad but something that could be recovered with some time. Losing the elites could mean the elimination of your entire race, which is essentially the situation facing the demons.


    ¡°So they realized it¡¯s a trap. Instead of avoiding it, they jumped in with force. This should be interesting if nothing else.¡± Moirai stated with a tone that only barely managed to hide her pleasure. This was bad news for Assembly, but good news for the trio.


    ¡°Well, that means our job here is done.¡± Dee stated. ¡°It¡¯s time for us to leave. I¡¯m sure you can handle the rest. You have your orders.¡±


    The trio immediately moved towards the outbound gate inside the bastion, just so there was no chance for anything to prevent their departure. They had learned that if they gave fate time to throw problems their way, those problems would inevitably surface. ¡°So you mentioned a vacation. Did you already decide on a destination? At least we have maps now.¡± Moirai asked Dee.


    ¡±We¡¯ll see. For now, we¡¯ll need to get Araqiel to a place where she can contact Rahmiel. After that? Well, I believe you were telling me about your solo-fun proclivities.¡± Dee decided to return to the earlier topic just to tease Moirai.

 Chapter 182

    Mit-Amen watched with anticipation as the other members of the council filed into the round marbled hall. All the members of the administrative council sat together with the other members of their faction, something Mit-Amen had always thought to be a wasted opportunity. It was natural for like-minded individuals to congregate. However, the way the chairs they used were arrayed in a fan-like shape forming a full circle, usually with the most senior councilor sitting close to the center, gave the unconscious idea of being arrayed against enemies. It didn¡¯t help that the seats of the different factions were separated by gaps, though for perfectly practical reasons. It also was a fact that the factions that least got along with each other sat on the opposite sides, which only reinforced this impression of hostile sides meeting. Maybe if they sat more mixed and mingled a bit more, then the factions might end up working together more willingly. Or it might be an empty hope on her part, but such little things tended to make a difference.


    She looked at what remained of the pro-demon black faction arrayed on the opposite side of her with a critical eye. There was no love lost between the two factions. Still, it was not inconceivable that the two factions might see eye to eye on some issues if they weren¡¯t so wrapped up in mutual hostility. But now? The black faction had lost its original reason for existence. Now they only existed to resist any motion set forth by the white faction on pure principle. As the number of councilors was directly tied to the number of the members within a faction, the black faction had pretty much lost even that purpose as they no longer had the numbers or the pull to even resist the white faction effectively. The white faction wasn¡¯t among the most powerful factions either, and part of the reason that was that they had no members at rank thirteen or even close to becoming one.


    ¡®That might end up changing rather soon though.¡¯ Mit-Amen thought to herself with a small smile. Funny how fate worked sometimes. She herself was one of the few faction leaders that were also part of the council, and as such was one of the most powerful members of her faction. Yet she knew she would never reach that rank herself. The wall in between was just too high, and her talents were not enough, no matter how much time passed. ¡®Talent truly is a wonderful thing.¡¯


    The council was finally in full attendance and the whole session had been declared closed, so no outsiders were present. Usually topics like these would have drawn a large number of observers if the session was open. There was a large amount of space set aside to account for such observers, but now that space around the councilors was empty. That had become an increasingly frequent sight lately as the plan they had set in motion came to fruition.


    ¡®If you can call that coming to fruition.¡¯ Mit-Amen scoffed. The secrecy was unusual and was causing a lot of murmurs among the Assembly lately. The Lords were not used to being kept in the dark and were not taking it well. There had lately been calls about bringing the matter to be handled by the entire gathered Assembly, something usually reserved for only the most important decisions.


    It was the grey faction¡¯s turn to lead the proceedings, so their senior councilor got up to lead the ceremonies. Despite being a practical administrative council in theory, there was a fair bit of ritual and pomp that had been piling up in their proceedings over the years. Another thing Mit-Amen was not fond of. Such ceremonies only delayed getting to the matters at hand. Everyone knew why they were here today and was eager to get to the point. Luckily the greys were ever practical and cut the whole procedure short. Then everyone turned towards the greens and the reds. All of the councilors knew what the priority was, even if the second topic was interesting and possibly vitally important as well.


    The junior green councilor got up and cleared his throat. It seemed he got stuck with the shit job again. ¡°To cut to the heart of the matter we have all gathered here to talk about, the plan brought results, sort of. The Eternal Dragonflight has sent a large number of forces through the gap we left open at Io. However, the investment of forces is much larger than we anticipated. In fact, they are pushing so hard that two nearby fortress worlds have also fallen.¡±


    This time the council members were much more ordered and restrained than in most meetings where a certain amount of theatrics was involved. It was one thing to show emotion and react wildly when the matter at hand was not dire, but this time things required a measured and serious approach. Some whispered among their friends and colleagues, but there were no exclamations or bursts of feigned disbelief. Instead, one of the greys calmly asked a question. ¡°How and why? The plan was for the enemy to push through Io. The forts connected to Io were fake, but the other forts should have been able to stand even if we feigned weakness on that front.¡± The seriousness of the matter was reflected in the fact that he did not get up to ask his question, which was very much against the customs.


    ¡°To explain succinctly, we grossly underestimated the seriousness of the Dragonflight. We expected them to seize on the opportunity with a large force and were in fact hoping for that. We most certainly were prepared for that as well, as you all know, but the strength of the enemy attack is beyond anything we ever imagined.¡± The green-sashed man tried to explain.


    The same grey-sashed man cut him off. ¡°We know that much. We all provided forces to support the trap and we have also heard reports of defeats and dead Lords. What we are asking is, how are we being pushed so badly and why is this happening? We have faced attacks from the dragons before, yet now we are getting pushed back heavily despite this being a trap we laid. For weeks now, all I¡¯ve heard is more worlds lost.¡±


    While the battle focused faction had a much better picture of what exactly was going on, some of the other factions only got reports that some of the Lords they had sent to support the battle had perished. They also heard about worlds being lost, but they wanted details. The White City was far from the frontlines and not all of them had the information gathering abilities of the reds. The greys, for example, drew in people interested in material wealth and worldly power, so they were mostly administrators and diplomats.


    ¡°Well, there is some good news on that front. We have managed to stop their advance for now.¡± The green-sashed councilor stated with some relief. ¡°However, the situation is still dire. We chose this area because the worlds there are of low strategic and economic value. The problem is that the enemy advance has brought the dragons in contact with worlds we can¡¯t afford to lose.¡±


    ¡°They took one of the worlds where we allowed some of the refugee demons to resettle on.¡± One of the remaining black-sashed councilors suddenly interjected.


    ¡°I get why that would rile you up, but that¡¯s hardly more important than all those worlds filled with our own people that are now under Dragonflight control.¡± One of the yellows, ever quick to defend those downtrodden, stated in a slightly dismissive tone. Of course, the yellows were more interested in the wellbeing of the races that had been part of the Assembly for centuries or millennia. Not that the do-gooders didn¡¯t want to help refugee demons, but their own came first.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you quite get it.¡± One of the reds interfered. ¡°While I¡¯m sure that the fact that he is a member of the black faction is part of why he spoke up, that¡¯s not the point. The point is, we gave the demons our guarantee of protection. We promised to keep them safe, not just against the angels, but in general. That¡¯s why their strongest members are helping us. Now personally I don¡¯t care about demons over any other race, but this is about something bigger. It¡¯s about the worth of the promises the Assembly makes. What do you think will happen when the other worlds inhabited by refugee demons get a word? They¡¯ll have a legitimate reason to draw back their support and declare their separation as long as we are unable to hold up our end of the bargain. We settled them on those worlds for a reason. They are filled with strategic resources that other races are not well suited to exploit.¡± The Assembly had not taken in all that many demon refugees that were fleeing the purge, but they had taken some.


    Another red-sashed councilor interjected. ¡°And even assuming we had the time, we can¡¯t just force them to stay in line either. How would that look? We take in refugees and then crack down on them after we fail to protect them? Yeah, we¡¯ll have much bigger trouble on our hands in that case.¡±


    The grey representative in charge of the proceedings cleared his throat to bring back order. ¡°Which brings us back to how and why. Just saying they brought more forces than expected is not good enough. We were supposed to have an overwhelming advantage. Then why are we losing worlds and Lords?¡±


    The senior green councilor finally opened her mouth. ¡°Because the dragons didn¡¯t just send a lot of forces our way. The generals on the ground have reported sightings of several Aspects.¡± While the people involved and the combat factions were already aware of the rumors weeks ago, the more peaceful factions were still unaware. ¡°We hoped to catch one of the ancient dragons that make their elite, but instead we¡¯ve sighted dozens of ancients and at least five Aspects. We also have a reason to believe that their conventional forces number over a billion, including all of the usual suspects. Heck, we even have reports of a pack of Faerie Dragons being involved.¡±


    This brought genuine hisses and exclamations from everyone before the senior red councilor spoke. ¡°You know the drill with those nasty creatures. Pull back any nearby forces and hope they get bored enough killing our civilians to attack their own or the other Dragonflight forces instead.¡± The standard Dragonflight forces were unlikely to massacre civilians, though a certain amount of looting and death was expected. Faerie Dragons were very different. They also had the attention span of a baby and no compunction of killing everything that moved, including their allies.


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    ¡°I think the involvement of Aspects is much more worrying.¡± A yellow councilor pointed out.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t fought a Faerie Dragon then.¡± One of the greens muttered loud enough to be heard but was hushed by the others. That comment was promptly ignored.


    ¡°What could have possibly prompted the Aspects to move?¡± The yellow councilor continued despite the interruption. Despite the nasty reputation of the Faerie Dragons, they were still just another type of dragons. The presence of Aspects was a much more serious matter.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± The senior green admitted. ¡°But whatever it is, they are present and most likely had a hand in the fall of the two forts. The only reason why we haven¡¯t been pushed back harder and faster is because the dragons are slowed down by the gateways.¡± It was a sad bit of irony that the largest and most powerful dragons had the most trouble using the gates. In the time it took for an entire army of Assembly Lords to pass through a gate, only a small handful of dragons could do the same. The problem would go away if all those dragons used their humanoid forms, but they were too proud to do so.


    The senior red councilor gave a deep sigh of resolution. ¡°Whatever brings them here, the fact is that only our faction leaders are powerful enough to fight the Aspects. Additionally, our immortals might outnumber their immortal dragons in general, but the sad fact is that one on one we tend to lose and half of our immortals are not dedicated to combat. So we have to send reinforcements with our faction leaders to strengthen the front and hope we can outnumber them locally. We must also be prepared to send our mortal armies to face the dragons. The constructs are having trouble holding the lines. This might have started as a trap we laid, but we are in a real fight now.¡±


    ¡°I heard an interesting rumor.¡± Mit-Amen suddenly interjected, surprising everyone. ¡°According to that rumor, the dragons are catching members of the red faction alive as prisoners. Especially the powerful ones. Care to comment as to why that might be?¡± She had a hunch. It was still just a thought, and she wanted to probe a bit to see if the red faction might have come to the same conclusion.


    To the surprise of no one, the reds denied any knowledge and for once Mit-Amen believed them. The reds probably didn¡¯t know. ¡®Good for me, less good for them.¡¯ Mit-Amen thought with a small grin that she quickly hid. For a faction that prized information, the red faction was out of the loop for once. How interesting! Or they were very good at hiding their knowledge, which would have normally been more likely. Unfortunately for the reds, skill and experience was sometimes no substitute for pure luck.


    As the council proceeded to make plans for sending more Lords and troops with their faction leaders to resist the dragons, Mit-Amen made another innocent-seeming probe. She slipped in a question about the whereabouts of the individuals that had defended Io before, and the only answer was general confusion. No one was aware of where those individuals might be, and they seemed to be confused about why she even asked.


    ¡®Oh, have to be more careful. The red councilors seem to have realized something.¡¯ Mit-Amen suddenly thought to herself, as the reds gave her long looks. In fact, the reds had indeed realized something. They realized that Mit-Amen would not ask something like that if it wasn¡¯t important. So if the leader of the white faction thought it was important, then maybe so should they. They had already been interested in the individuals Mit-Amen mentioned, but now they were even more so.


    ¡°Moving on to the other matter that might make our dilemma even more difficult, or it might end up helping us with our current predicament. It seems that there¡¯s internal unrest among the angels.¡± The grey leading the proceedings said, moving on to the other topic after the plans to deal with the dragons had been made. Everyone looked towards Mit-Amen for details. She was the leader of the pro-angel faction after all.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve long heard rumors that things are not well between the main two deities of the angels, Lumen the Goddess of Light and Nasir-Sin the God of Order. We all heard the reports of several Champions associated with gods allied with Nasir-Sin being killed a few weeks ago, and the killer was identified as the Champion of Lumen and Umbra, the Goddess of Darkness, Shadows, and Chaos. An odd alliance to be sure. Anyway, this seems to be associated with a larger rift that has divided the gods into opposing camps, and the rift between Lumen and Nasir-Sin is unsurprisingly affecting the angels. The angels have always been divided between serving the two deities, and now that is becoming a problem. Strictly speaking, the situation has not turned into open hostilities just yet, but we believe that is only a matter of time. Oddly, the usually neutral draconic deities joined Umbra in her revolution against Nasir-Sin, so it seems the dragons might get mixed up in the struggle. An outside enemy is a way to combine a divided people after all.¡± Mit-Amen explained the general outline of what she had managed to piece together. Of course, she personally knew more thanks to her connections to certain divine beings, but there was no need to share everything. Let the others find out on their own time. If she had to play the game of divided factions, she might as well play to win.


    The senior green councilor made a small grunt of exasperation. ¡°In a strange twist of fate, the hostilities between the gods have not spilled over to us just yet. Normally we would be the hardest hit by a civil war between gods, but with the current war against the dragons, most of the people have other matters on their mind. Ironically, this last offensive from the Dragonflight might become just the thing to stop the battle of the gods from dividing the Assembly. The priests and Champions will likely get pulled in, but at least we won¡¯t see armies of fanatic believers marching to war against other such armies for now. Eventually we will also face trouble, but hopefully we can stave that off for the time being.¡±


    Mit-Amen smiled amused at the admission of the green-sashed man, but couldn¡¯t really disagree. The situation was likely to change before things got too bad for the Assembly. Whether that change was positive was another matter entirely. ¡°In any case, the internal situation of the angels has become extremely precarious. They were already at each other¡¯s throats after the hells were destroyed and they found time for internal enemies instead of external, but the recent change has made things worse. The most prominent supporter of Lumen, the Archangel of Mercy has also gone missing. That¡¯s a really recent piece of news, so we have not seen the effects yet, but I suspect those will be significant. I assume the Morningstar or the leader of their armies will have to step in the prevent things getting out of hand. Not that they won¡¯t get out of hand at some point anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, as much as we¡¯d like to see the dragons and angels killing each other, we can¡¯t rely on that fact.¡± The black-sashed man commented. ¡°However, we might want to spread the news among our people that the Assembly is staying neutral in the fight between the gods until we find out more details.¡±


    Mit-Amen decided to use this opportunity to make a play of her own. ¡°Speaking of angels, I happen to be aware that a few angels can be found among the Assembly Lords. I¡¯m thinking of two in particular that identify as members of the red faction. I wonder if I could gain the council¡¯s approval to try and poach them? While most of the Lords will be dealing with the dragon threat, I think it might be useful if we as the white faction tried to see what we can do on the angel front. As such, we¡¯d like to pull in these two angels to help us in our efforts. Not against their will of course. I just think it might be beneficial for everyone involved.¡±


    The senior red councilor looked suspicious but was not prepared to deal with the sudden suggestion. Instead, one of the grey¡¯s voiced a question. ¡°Would that make a difference? Two angels seem like a minor drop in the ocean, and I¡¯m loathe to approve poaching between factions on frivolous grounds.¡± Poaching always happened, whether approved or not, but it was frowned upon.


    ¡°I think it might make a large difference in this case.¡± Mit-Amen replied with a small smile. Of course it would. One of those angels was the Champion of Lumen. And if she got an official permission for her poaching, then the reds would have less opportunity to try and claim that person as their own after her involvement and strength became public knowledge. They would most certainly put up a fight if Mit-Amen did the poaching in secret.


    ¡°In that case, the council gives you the grudging approval to try.¡± The same grey gave their assent. Most other factions liked to poke at the reds when given the chance, the secretive bastards. And this seemed innocent enough.


    The red councilors were whispering together in a heated argument, trying to figure out what Mit-Amen was trying to do. They would quickly realize who she was aiming for, but it would likely be too late. At least if they had not found out about the person¡¯s past on Pantheon. Ironically, the reds had thought they had already received the most information thanks to Aurelie making contact with Dee and had not had the reason to seek out more information, but Aurelie had not passed everything on. The survivors of the experiments played their own game among the Assembly, and Aurelie had not felt the need to reveal too much information about her new ¡®sister¡¯.


    ¡®Sareash really came through this time. It was much easier to find out information when you knew what to look for. Someone who killed the Celestial Emperor can hardly hope to stay hidden for long, and those tails of hers are a rather good identifier. She might have hidden her wings lately, but not when on Pantheon.¡¯ Still, it was better to assume that the reds either knew more than they let on or would soon find out. They usually did.

 Chapter 183

    ¡±Every day? Really?¡± Araqiel asked, looking at Moirai meaningfully.


    ¡°You¡¯re still on about that? Is this really the time to get into this topic?¡± Moirai shot back a little exasperated. At the same time, she slammed the head of a nearby Archon through the table.


    ¡°It¡¯s always time to talk about that particular subject.¡± Dee stated gleefully while lifting another up by his neck. ¡°Besides, it wasn¡¯t my idea for the two of you to start drinking heavily last night. You¡¯re the one that blurted that little morsel out after eight drinks. Which remind me, really? Every day? Isn¡¯t that a bit¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from someone who wore out a succubus!¡± Moirai defended herself. The fact that her hair and tail were currently flaming red might or might not be due to embarrassment, but at least it was hiding any other visible signs.


    ¡°Wait, you outlasted a succubus? At sex? I didn¡¯t think that was even possible.¡± Araqiel now turned her judging look towards Dee while at the same time blasting away a human man that had wandered too close. For an upscale inn, the patrons sure were eager to participate in the ongoing bar fight. And not all of them had figured out that the three women on the balcony were not to be messed with. Being drunk gave some people strange bravery, even if every sense they had should¡¯ve been screaming that attacking Dee especially was a really bad idea.


    Dee tossed her previous victim off the balcony just in time to catch another one by the neck. ¡°Well to be fair, she was much lower ranked than me. Stamina was still an issue for her, while it wasn¡¯t really for me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s how it works.¡± Araqiel stated. The surroundings were clearing up as the fracas was focused on the lower level. Partially because the three of them kept tossing people down, which landed them in the middle of the fight. ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident that succubi actually gain more stamina during the act.¡±


    ¡°When I walked into the room, the stench of sex was thick enough to cut with one of your psionic knives. And I¡¯m pretty sure she was delirious not too tired. I seem to recall she was still twitching.¡± Moirai pointed out rather acerbically.


    ¡°Well, look, there might have been some denial play at work at that time. Besides, recovering stamina during sex helps only so much if you keep spending more than you recover.¡± Dee found herself on the defensive for once. Not what she had in mind when the discussion started.


    ¡°And what about the orgy in the Coven den? You¡¯re not going to claim that all of those fainted women I had to step over had also run out of stamina, are you? I¡¯m pretty sure there were at least a few immortals mixed in. And that path of destruction took up most two rooms and a fairly long hallway.¡± Moirai continued her attack, mostly because she knew that she would be on the receiving end again if she did not.


    ¡°That was Nyx¡¯s fault, not mine.¡± Dee stated a little coyly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare bring my mother into this!¡± Moirai argued back.


    A fourth voice interjected. ¡°You slept with her mother? Not cool, girl, not cool.¡±


    Dee gave the man she was holding a scathing look. ¡°No one asked for your opinion.¡± Then she proceeded to toss the man over the balcony with a bit of more strength than was necessary. ¡°What I meant was that when two psions get it on, there are certain¡­side effects. You saw the results. You know how we psions leak emotions on occasion. Well, have two psions mirroring each other¡¯s emotions in a passionate situation and the problem can escalate. Anyway, stop changing the subject. We all know about my past¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I find it fascinating frankly.¡± Araqiel interjected.


    ¡°¡­and what we were talking about was you, Moirai.¡± Dee continued as if the angel had not said anything. ¡°I¡¯m more surprised that you¡¯ve managed to hide it this long. You¡¯d think I would have noticed with the close proximity we¡¯ve kept during the last years.¡±


    ¡°What? Have you been spying on me?¡± Moirai tried another avenue of attack.


    ¡°Another attempt at dodging the subject.¡± Dee stated firmly parried the feeble attempt.


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re not the only one who can use telekinesis here. Besides, I¡¯ve got a lot more experience in hiding my emotions than you. Age does bring certain benefits.¡± Moirai finally half whispered.


    ¡°Oh, you dirty girl!¡± Dee exclaimed with fake outrage. In truth, she was delighted beyond measure. Moirai had been such a stickler all this time, and now Dee finally had something she could use against the older woman. Moirai¡¯s admission also gave her some ideas of her own.


    ¡°Ok, that subject is now closed. Are you sure Rahmiel will meet us in a place like this?¡± Moirai directed her attention back to Araqiel, who in turn dealt with the last person stupid enough to encroach on the space that had opened around the trio.


    ¡°Well not in this inn, no. I actually just got word that they are waiting outside the city. Her presence within the city would draw too much attention.¡± Araqiel replied.


    ¡°They?¡± Moirai asked, suddenly cautious.


    Dee got a slightly vacant look for just a moment. ¡°I sense thirty angels. They are all rather powerful by normal standards but mostly they are not a real danger to us. Two Archangels though, one of whom is Rahmiel?¡± She looked at Araqiel with question.


    Araqiel shook her head. ¡°I have no idea about that. She didn¡¯t tell me any details, but I expect there to be a reason. You said thirty? And all relatively powerful?¡± She looked thoughtful as well. There were certain formations that required a certain number of powerful angels, but most of the really dangerous ones required more than thirty.


    ¡°Will the two Archangels be a threat? Let me rephrase that. If it becomes a battle, can you deal with them?¡± Moirai asked Dee. Dee was the one who would have to face them if this became a fight, hence she would have to decide.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s hard to judge without knowing their exact abilities, I think it depends on any extra abilities they might have. I get the feeling that these two are the weakest Archangels when it comes to combat, but two Archangels is still a force to be reckoned with. They¡¯re always a threat.¡± Dee replied thoughtfully. From this distance it was a little difficult to be sure of their strength. That said, being an Archangel didn¡¯t mean they were the most powerful of angels. There were other considerations for becoming an Archangel besides power, though there were no weak Archangels.


    ¡°The other one would most likely be the Archangel of Hope then. She and Rahmiel are the two with the least amount of pure power. They are also both believers of Lumen. Maybe that¡¯s why they¡¯re here.¡± Araqiel suggested.


    ¡°Well, we won¡¯t find out anything sitting around here. The fight kind of ruined what¡¯s left of our meal anyway.¡± Moirai stated. Many of their plates and glasses were now scattered on the floor thanks to the fight, though Dee had made sure those plates were empty beforehand. Otherwise, she would have protected their dinner much more closely.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss this place though. They had great wines. Nice and powerful. Got even us buzzed.¡± Moirai stated a little wistfully. It took quite a bit to affect an immortal when it came to alcohol and it was much harder to keep the taste pleasant at the same time.


    ¡°We noticed.¡± Dee and Araqiel stated at the same time. Moirai had really drowned herself the previous evening, hence the intriguing topic of discussion for today.


    -----


    Rahmiel watched carefully as the trio approached. Araqiel was no danger of course. Her daughter would side with the other angels if this turned into a fight, though that was relatively unlikely. They were not here to fight. In fact, their purpose here was pretty close to being the opposite of fighting. Still, Rahmiel had become a lot more careful in the last week or so, and Dee most certainly was dangerous if provoked. She could sense the young woman had already become stronger than her, and in fact felt like someone at the very peak of the twelfth rank.


    ¡°Is that her?¡± Theliel asked, looking pointedly at the approaching Dee. Dee had revealed her two wings as they approached, and the Archangel of Hope still found it odd that Lumen would choose a Fallen for a mission, not to mention becoming her Champion.


    ¡°Yes, and don¡¯t allow her youth to fool you. You heard about all the Champions she faced the day of the rebellion. She has already killed two deities as well. She can fight Empyrean if needs be. And she¡¯s still growing stronger.¡± Rahmiel replied.


    The trio landed near the large group of angels, seemingly without any concern about their safety. If Rahmiel had been in Dee¡¯s shoes, she would have been at least a little worried to approach such a large group of powerful potential enemies. But she wasn¡¯t and Dee at least appeared not to be concerned in the least. ¡°Good to see you again.¡± Rahmiel greeted politely. ¡°You¡¯ve been busy since our last meeting.¡±


    ¡°Well, the boring life seems to be avoiding me rather carefully for now. So what¡¯s with the entourage? I can think of a dozen reasons for you to keep around bodyguards with the current climate between Lumen and Order, but another Archangel? That¡¯s a bit surprising.¡± Dee replied seemingly without concern.


    ¡°This is Theliel, the Archangel of Hope. Theliel, these are Haydee and Moirai, as well as my daughter Araqiel who is working as a liaison.¡± Rahmiel made the introductions.


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    ¡°Pleasure.¡± Theliel greeted with a tone of voice that made it clear that the pleasure was indeed still very questionable.


    Dee gave a small nod as a greeting, much less than an Archangel was used to. The nod had made it clear that Dee considered herself at least an equal. Something the Archangel was not used to but had to learn to deal with. ¡°You still didn¡¯t answer my question.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°I did not. However, first things first.¡± Rahmiel tossed a small map crystal to Dee. ¡°This has the location you wanted marked. Theliel is the one who got the information, straight from Empyrean before the troubles started.¡±


    Dee gave the crystal for Moirai to check, who soon nodded in confirmation. The location was indeed marked and seemed plausible considering their earlier theories. That didn¡¯t make it completely reliable of course. ¡°So this is where we get to the real point I assume? You look like you have a request.¡± Dee gave Rahmiel credit for giving the information before making her request. The Archangel could¡¯ve tried to negotiate while holding the information back, but that could¡¯ve angered Dee. Instead, the Archangel decided to show good will instead. Giving a bit of good faith at the beginning of negotiations was always a better way to start things off.


    ¡°Yes. Partially thanks to whatever happened when Umbra declared her rebellion and you faced all those challenges, the situation within Paradisia has soured. Badly. Not that it wasn¡¯t bad before, but at least the problems were mostly hidden. Unfortunately, Nasir-Sin has long since become a dominant force within Paradisia, and the true servants of Lumen are growing fewer by the year. If a real split were to happen, then the servants of Nasir-Sin would outnumber us ten-to-one. And that split is growing more likely by the day.¡± Rahmiel explained.


    ¡°We are aware. Do excuse me if I¡¯m not mourning the fact that angels might be killing each other instead of demons for a change.¡± Dee pointed out rather flatly.


    Theliel made a frustrated sound, but Rahmiel waved her down. ¡°And I at least can understand your point of view even if I do not agree with it. Even if the purge was the result of overzealous angels getting drunk on victory, the fact remains that Fallen have very little love for us for a good reason. Yet, I¡¯m still here with a request. Empyrean and the other zealous worshippers of Nasir-Sin will not start hunting the normal believers or low ranking priests of Lumen if the high ranking clergy is gone. They have no desire to kill so many of our own. Instead, they will try to turn those worshippers towards Nasir-Sin instead. While we would prefer our fellow believers did not convert, we would take that over a civil war. So we have come to you in search of an asylum. Asylum that we hope you can arrange either with the Assembly or within Pantheon. Either way, we need the protection of someone powerful, or Empyrean will chase after us.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Dee stated and took a clearer look at the gathered angels. They all radiated the feeling of light and she could feel the blessing of Lumen inside them thanks to her own status as the Champion of Lumen. ¡°So these are the highest ranking clerics? Not a large number.¡±


    ¡°We are just the most important ones. The symbols of the faith if you will. There will be more if you accept. We might even get up to tens of millions of refugees if Empyrean and his ilk do not prevent the followers of Lumen from leaving. But with us gone, the clergy of Lumen is basically conceding the fight inside Paradisia before the first blows are exchanged.¡± Rahmiel stated sadly. ¡°We cannot win this fight, and fighting would only be a feeble gesture that ends in the deaths of many. There are times where it is worthy to die for your principles, but sometimes running away is the best option in the long run.¡±


    Dee really had to consider this one. It would actually benefit her if the angels fell into a civil war, as it would keep them busy for a time at least. Though apparently a lot shorter time than she had hoped. Just the low number of angels here and their relative power made it clear how sad of a state Lumen had fallen to in the battle over the hearts of the angels. While the goddess herself could still match Order, the same could not be said for the angels that served her. Lumen was a popular goddess among other races, especially races that served the angels such as the archons, but angels were still the race she was most known for and losing them would be a huge symbolic blow. Even if the servants of Lumen tried to fight, that fight would be very short. Even discounting those angels that most likely served both deities, Lumen¡¯s fervent servants only covered less than one percent of all angels. Tens of millions out of a billion plus angels. And Lumen had hoped Dee would help as many of them as possible. The goddess had not asked for it and said that it would be a secondary goal, but the hope was still there.


    ¡°Before that, I have a question I have been wondering for a while now. What happened to all the Fallen? There¡¯s very little in the way of rumors of them being killed during the purge and many of them were outside the hells.¡± Dee suddenly asked.


    Theliel replied with a small grimace. ¡°This is something we don¡¯t¡¯ like to talk about, but I suppose you deserve to know. The Fallen were caught in the purge, but they were targeted in a different way. The ties between us and the Fallen are¡­complicated. Theoretically, any angel has the chance to fall due to their actions, but there¡¯s a balance of sorts that is maintained by how far that angel must go before falling. Both the Fallen and us angels can procreate normally to increase their number, though we tend to be more civilized about it. However, we can also add to our number in other ways. Paradisia itself gives life to new angels if our numbers dwindle too much. However, if the balance between angels and Fallen becomes too lopsided, then those angels that are born artificially tend to be born as Fallen, and adult angels can be tempted to become Fallen much more easily.¡±


    ¡°I think I see where this is headed. You¡¯ve imprisoned the Fallen so that they can still exist and keep their numbers without the rest of you being affected too badly.¡± Dee realized the implications immediately.


    ¡°Exactly. During the purge, we focused on catching the Fallen alive instead of killing them. What happened to them later was handled by Empyrean and the Morningstar, but from what I heard the Fallen were all sent to a world which drains the power from them instead of replenishing it. They are able to grow their numbers but not grow stronger without great difficulty. That¡¯s the theory anyway. However, I¡¯m fairly confident we only caught a part of the Fallen and I don¡¯t know what happened to the rest.¡± Theliel admitted.


    Dee considered the news for a while. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m not exactly welcome at Pantheon at the moment, but I think I might be able to manage something with the Assembly. I¡¯m not so sure they want to get involved in the internal struggle between angels either, but I will put in a good w¡­


    Dee¡¯s words were cut off and her eyes grew large and her breath a little labored. At first, the others had no idea what was going on, but suddenly they all sensed a tsunami of dead souls rushing towards Dee. Normally the souls that went through the Well of Souls would be undetectable by others, as evidenced by the fact that they had not noticed the few dozen or so dead souls that had vanished during the conversation. This was different. This time the influx of souls was so large that they became visible to everyone, and the vortex of souls was a chilling sight.


    In the last few weeks the range from which the souls came to Dee instead of Death had been growing. It mostly just covered the world she was on, and barely even that, but for some odd reason the range also extended through the gates even when those gates were not active. As a result, the worlds that were connected to the world Dee was on also fell under her influence. That meant that there was a limited but constant stream of souls passing through the Well.


    ¡°Dee! What¡¯s going on? DEE?!¡± Moirai screamed with worry.


    This was something that had never happened before, millions upon millions of souls rushing at Dee at once. And she was pretty sure they did not come from this world or even those that were connected to this one. They were simply coming to the Well because there was already much more going towards Death. From the souls Dee could tell that there had been a battle. A large portion of the souls belonged to the races under protection by the Assembly, and others to the Dragonflight forces. The souls included adult dragons and several Lords of the Assembly as well. But a battle did not explain the sudden rush of souls all coming at once. There was only one real explanation for something like this.


    ¡°An entire world was just destroyed.¡± Dee managed to pant out as she fell down on one knee. And not a small world either judging by the number of souls. There was something else. Dee felt like a barrier that had been holding her back shatter once again as a new tail started to take a form behind her, a tail that looked to be made of the same grey smoke the souls passing through her were seemingly made of. She had thought that she needed a push to get over that obstacle between her and the thirteenth rank. She just got pushed. Hard.

 Chapter 184

    The birth of a rank thirteen being could be a rather showy event, and the waves of power that started radiating from Dee gave everyone around her a clear impression that being in her vicinity right now might be unhealthy. The thirteenth tail that had just appeared let everyone with even a bit of knowledge know what was going on. As a result, even though the situation looked a little sketchy, everyone knew Dee wasn¡¯t being attacked, but the sudden rush of souls that was still going on worried them nonetheless. As they pulled away from Dee, they realized the wisdom of their decision as small eruptions of power emitted outwards from Dee.


    The eruptions were not large, just some stray power that momentarily escaped Dee¡¯s control, but they also felt that while those eruptions were small in size, they were rather dangerous. The waves of power that started radiating from Dee could be felt a fair distance away, and it didn¡¯t take long for the Lords stationed in the nearby gate-city to start arriving at the scene. The presence of over thirty angels, including two archangels that were currently not doing anything to hide their wings, was already alarming enough but the vortex of souls that was centered on Dee had not disappeared entirely either. The Lords that had arrived were not the most powerful or even battle-focused, as this was a peaceful world meant for diplomatic purposes with the angels. Combine that with the fact that the warriors were currently busy elsewhere, and the Lords immediately realized that if the situation turned into a fight, they would be in a really bad situation.


    The grey-sashed Lord that seemed to be leading this group noticed Moirai and Araqiel and decided that approaching them might be the safest idea, despite the fact that the two Archangels were standing nearby as well. ¡°What in the bloody hells is going on here?!¡± The Avian man asked in a loud whisper.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know that as well.¡± Theliel stated in a calm voice that was still loud enough to be heard by the gathered people. She had been just as shocked moments before but was now getting her emotions back under control.


    Moirai ignored the angel and looked towards the Assembly Lord instead. ¡°You mean with that?¡± She pointed at Dee. ¡°That?¡± She pointed at the slowly diminishing vortex of souls. ¡°Or them.¡± She thumbed towards the angels.


    ¡°All three!¡± The distressed man almost yelled out.


    ¡°Well, she is ranking up to become rank thirteen.¡± Moirai pointed at Dee. There were now visible streamers of psionic energy lashing outwards from Dee, who in turn was surrounded by a glowing aura of the same energy.


    ¡°What?!¡± The man now actually yelled out his question. If he had bothered paying any attention, he would¡¯ve figured that one out himself.


    Moirai completely ignored his outburst. ¡°Their presence is a secret for now and frankly none of your business.¡± She stated while nodding towards the angels. ¡°As for the third thing, I don¡¯t know. My friend there managed to say something about a world nearby being destroyed, and I¡¯m guessing those souls are the unfortunate result. Why they are coming here, is a really good question, but one I don¡¯t have an answer to. And I¡¯m pretty sure I wouldn¡¯t tell you even if I did.¡±


    ¡°Rank thirteen?! Who is she?¡± The man demanded, clearly too agitated to understand his own lack when it came to the right of demanding answers. His discomposure was understandable though, as the whole of Assembly didn¡¯t have all that many beings of the thirteenth rank, and one of them was already a member of the red faction. If the reds got a second one, then the balance of power would shift radically. As a member of the grey faction, such power plays and factional implications were more important to him than the destruction of an entire world.


    Moirai gave a small sigh. ¡°So you got stuck on that part. That¡¯s Haydee, we are part of the red faction, and that¡¯s all you get to know. Now shoo! Go make sure the surroundings aren¡¯t damaged or something.¡± She proceeded to make shooing motions until the shocked man got the message. Even Araqiel had more power than the man, so of course Moirai would be above him in the seniority, so he had to comply against his wishes. Not that the gathered Lords would be able to do much to protect anything if Dee got serious, but they could contain accidental bursts of power. Hopefully.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s alright to let him just leave?¡± Rahmiel asked once the man was gone.


    ¡°With you here? Yeah. We¡¯ll need to make contact with the Assembly for this to work anyway, and we can¡¯t really go around killing every Lord we come across before then. People will find out soon anyway, and if what Dee said about a world being destroyed was true, then they have other things to worry about. Besides, a handful of them already saw Dee¡¯s tails, and I¡¯m sure they¡¯re smart enough to put two and two together once they calm down. We¡¯d have to kill all of them if we wanted to keep this quiet, and I don¡¯t think that would do much to help with your asylum.¡± Incidentally, Moirai wasn¡¯t too excited about the whole asylum thing, but Dee seemed to have been willing to accept the idea before she was interrupted. Likely she had some thought behind agreeing, although even that agreement seemed to have been kind of conditional, judging by Dee¡¯s tone. Just that Dee was interrupted before those conditions could be stated.


    Suddenly Dee¡¯s wings extended to their maximum length, which was rather impressive, and another pair of wings appeared on her back. While the old wings had been mostly extending to the sides, the new pair that appeared between the old ones pointed almost straight upwards. The color of the wings was the same as the old ones, with two black-feathered wings on one side and the two lavender wings were on the other. ¡°Yeesh, Dee¡¯s not going to like that.¡± Moirai grimaced.


    Rahmiel cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±


    Moirai replied with a shrug. ¡°She¡¯s not a big fan of her wings, and now there are two more to get in the way. Is that normal by the way?¡±


    ¡°Having extra wings? It¡¯s not common, but it happens. Some angels like Seraphim are more prone to it. Usually, it only happens upon reaching the twelfth rank or thirteenth. There aren¡¯t enough rank thirteen angels to really say for sure how common they are, but most of the angels that do reach that rank gain an extra pair. It¡¯s more of a symbol than anything else. Any angel with four wings should not be messed with. I heard it¡¯s more common among Fallen, though you¡¯d have to ask them for details.¡± Rahmiel explained.


    Dee was finally getting a hold of herself and standing back up. She looked back at her new wings and let out an exasperated sound. She was unaware of it, but her eyes also changed when she used her power, which was almost constantly. Her more wolf-like eyes shifted to ones that looked like two lakes of light blue glowing power, as if the eyes were made of some weird energy. The change in her aura or the way she looked was not large. Not unless you tried to feel the amount of power she had, in which case you really felt the difference. She felt different as well, though she couldn¡¯t quite explain how. Less solid and lighter was the best that she could come up with. It was as if her insides were slowly turning to pure power instead of a normal body.


    She also tried to figure out what she could from the souls about the world that had been destroyed, but the souls were not really sharing information. That wasn¡¯t unusual though, and she preferred it that way honestly. It would be a pain if every soul that passed through the Well was talkative and complaining about everything. Still, she got a snippet here and an errant thought there, but that was it. Apparently, there really had been a battle, but she didn¡¯t find out any details.


    ¡°So?¡± Moirai asked as Dee slowly walked towards them.


    ¡°Not what I expected. I suppose I won¡¯t really feel the difference until I actually start using my power properly.¡± Dee replied.


    Moirai scoffed. ¡°Not that. Well, that too now that you mentioned it, but we can discuss that part in private. The souls. Explain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know too. As the Archangel of Mercy, this is something I should be aware of.¡± Rahmiel stated, although the others didn¡¯t quite understand how her title figured into it. They would find out rather soon.


    Dee gave a sigh. ¡°Alright, the short version. Death, yes the goddess, apparently wants me to take her place at some point in the future.¡±


    Moirai made a bit of a choking sound. ¡°That was a really bloody short version. Now expand on it a bit. Also, you keep doing that. It wasn¡¯t funny the first time, and the humor value hasn¡¯t grown over time.¡±


    Dee gave a faint smile. She liked to yank Moirai¡¯s chains. ¡°Well, apparently the universe requires the presence of someone that can guide souls on to what comes after. As long as there is no one else like that around, Death is for all intents and purposes immortal. And she¡¯d like to fix that. Enter me, her hapless victim.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so is that why Death joined in Umbra¡¯s revolution? Because you are both Lumen¡¯s and Umbra¡¯s Champion.¡± Theliel suddenly interjected. They had all wondered why the elusive goddess was taking such an active part in things. Her presence was one of the reasons the other gods had been so willing to rise up in revolt.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say what plots the gods weave, but I would assume that was one of the factors.¡± Dee replied with a dismissive wave of a hand.


    ¡°So let me get this straight, you are being groomed for the spot of the new Goddess of Death? By the current holder of that title?¡± Rahmiel asked with her voice straining a bit.


    ¡°That¡¯s not it exactly. I¡¯m simply a pathway for the souls, as you just witnessed. It does come with certain benefits though. Again, as you just witnessed.¡± Dee decided to reveal this much mainly because she had to explain the souls somehow, and the Archangels might turn out useful in coming up with ways to foil Death¡¯s plans. Was it a risk? Absolutely. It was also a test. There was nothing the angels could do about the Well. In fact, Dee actually thought it might be nice if they could, but if the information was spread, then she¡¯d know these two could not be trusted. Even if none of that came to pass, it was less likely for them to do something stupid if they understood just how bad of an idea going against her would be.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Wait. If you¡¯re supposed to be the replacement for Death, then how about¡­¡± Moirai asked, her voice suddenly turning a little fragile and hopeful.


    ¡°Her as well. I know what you¡¯re thinking, and I don¡¯t think I can do anything to bring her back. Her soul was around until a few weeks ago at least, but I¡¯m not the Goddess of Death. I can¡¯t bring people back. Even though I technically can cast the spell of resurrection, it¡¯s not that simple if the soul gets damaged and time passes. Believe me, I considered it as well.¡± Dee replied with a sympathetic voice. She hated crushing Moirai¡¯s budding hope but¡­


    Rahmiel suddenly interjected. ¡°Umm, I might be able to do something. I am the Archangel of Mercy after all. My whole existence revolves around the concept. I can do certain things that others cannot. Assuming the soul is still around that is. There are some limits but I¡¯ve brought back someone several months after their soul moved on. It wouldn¡¯t be easy, but a favor for a favor¡­¡± The Archangel allowed her voice to hang in the air.


    Her totem was all about helping people, saving them and ultimately bringing them back if the worst happened. She didn¡¯t even need a corpse if the soul was still around, assuming the soul wasn¡¯t damaged beyond all hope. She could even help repair some of that damage as long as the soul wasn¡¯t too far gone. She could also bring someone long dead back if the body was available. Her combat power was not enormous, but there was a reason she was one of the most important Archangels. She had other, softer power. Even the goddess she served wasn¡¯t entirely aware of the extent of her abilities, which is why Lumen had not mentioned anything to Dee before.


    A sudden burst of hope ignited in Moirai¡¯s eyes as she looked towards Dee. Her ears and tail were quivering with hope, and the look in her eyes reminded Dee of a wet puppy. Dee had not seen this sort of look on Moirai ever before, and most certainly nothing like it since Nyx had died. She would do almost anything to help that hope come to reality, but could it be done?


    Dee, in turn, was a bit less hopeful. Trading favors was alright, but would Nyx¡¯s soul still be around? Rahmiel would need that with no access to a body. She looked towards the Archangel. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. If you manage to bring her back, then I¡¯ll get that asylum for you, even if I have to build it myself.¡± Dee stated and settled down for a prayer. If that bloody Goddess of Death wanted something from her, then she damn well had to chip in as well.


    -----


    Death and the other two goddesses were watching what was happening to Dee, something that might become harder now that Dee had reached her new rank. She would likely be able to sense their observation and perhaps even block them if she wanted. Knowing Dee, she would probably want to do that. For once Eternity was not around, despite the fact that the three goddesses were in his realm. Even he had things that he had to take care of personally. If she had to make a guess, Death would assume some other universe was making trouble and Eternity¡¯s presence was required to repair the damage to space and time caused by the battle that annihilated the troublemakers.


    Once she saw how things proceeded, Death couldn¡¯t help but make a small mental dance as plans came together. It was always nice when one of the plans you weren¡¯t actually relying on but were hoping would work, actually came to fruition. There were only one or two ways this particular plan could¡¯ve worked and the odds were rather low, but Dee never failed to do the unlikely. The girl really was such an appropriate Champion for Umbra.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the girl appeared before them, as all three of the goddesses had actually been waiting for her. ¡°Here, catch!¡± Lumen yelled as soon as Dee came close enough to see them clearly through the mist.


    Dee caught the rather long and thin object and was surprised by its weight. Even with her enormous strength, she had to brace a bit to keep the object from falling, although as soon as her power touched it, the thing became as light as a feather. Dee could recognize the material that used to make up the black gems and pearls, even though it was now completely covered in runes and glyphs that she had no way of recognizing. ¡°You made me a cane now that I¡¯m getting older?¡± Dee asked a little confused.


    Calling the item a cane was a little mean, as it looked more like the shaft of a spear without the metal spearhead. Except that both ends of the ¡®cane¡¯ had what looked slightly like a handguard and a spot where the spearhead should go, but was now missing. ¡°That¡¯s not a cane.¡± Lumen stated with a scoff. ¡°At least call it a shaft or handle.¡±


    ¡°O...K?¡± Dee swung it around a bit and was rather impressed as it seemed to be creating a field of gravity of its own. If she was anywhere else, the ground around her would have been torn asunder from the competing gravitational forces that were created with a simple swing. ¡°You made me a stick to smack people with? Isn¡¯t it a bit short for a quarterstaff? I mean, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a great smacking-stick, but still.¡±


    Umbra was laughing her ass off, while Lumen was nearing apoplexy. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that¡¯s one of my greatest creations! Just put some power into it. You can use both your psionic power and holy power.¡±


    Dee obliged the ticked off goddess and suddenly she was holding the handle of an enormous weapon much like those she created with her psionic power. Her psionic weapons had started having some mass to them, but this one blew them out of the water. It was significantly larger with a much smaller input of power. She also sensed that the weapon¡¯s cutting power was much improved. ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± She managed to state.


    Lumen gave a deep sigh. ¡°Just play around with it when you go back. You¡¯ll see the good sides rather quickly. It¡¯s mainly supposed to be moved with your telekinesis, not actually swung around with your hands. A word of warning though. I would be careful about throwing it when you put some real power into it. The mass and the gravity it creates increase exponentially with the amount of power you use. You know how worlds usually spin around? Yes, well, toss that thing at a world with anything close to a full power and you¡¯ll both crack the worlds surface pretty badly, a bad thing, and possibly mess up the spin of that world, a very, very bad thing. Now we¡¯d like to stay and listen, but I¡¯m pretty sure Death will kick us out if we try.¡± Both Lumen and Umbra disappeared without waiting for an answer. They really wanted to stay and listen but knew that would not happen.


    For now, Dee decided to just store the ¡®cane¡¯ and she looked at Death with a rather unfriendly glare. ¡°You know why I¡¯m here.¡± She stated.


    ¡°I do.¡± Death replied and made a small mental cheer. ¡°What you want isn¡¯t impossible, as the Archangel probably can achieve what she promised. There¡¯s a problem though.¡±


    ¡°There always is.¡± Dee stated firmly. She knew there would be something, but for Moirai¡¯s happiness, she was willing to pay the price. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, the souls used when materializing the Well of Souls are still around. They will pass on eventually, but it will take some years. However, as they are a central part of forming the Well, removing one will damage the well. That¡¯s not a problem in itself as the Well will rather quickly fix itself with more souls passing through. The problem is¡­well to be blunt, you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Dee asked with a questioning look.


    ¡°Yes. Currently you can¡¯t do anything to damage the Well as it is inside your Domain and considered part of it. That¡¯s partly why I wanted the souls to stay there for a bit of time. Nyx¡¯s soul is the one the cornerstones of that protection, as it is the one that spent the most time inside your Domain and you also personally want to protect it. It¡¯s an unconscious thing. If her soul is removed, then you will be able to damage the Well until it repairs itself. You can see how that might be a problem for me.¡± Death secretly grinned in the shadows of her hood.


    ¡°So. You want me to not attack the Well while it repairs itself.¡± Dee stated calmly.


    ¡°Essentially. I want you to make a promise and actually mean it. I will trust an honest promise but I will be able to feel it if you don¡¯t do it with sincerity.¡± Death knew Dee couldn¡¯t actually destroy the Well even if she broke the promise, but that wasn¡¯t the point. If Dee made the promise, it would still affect her mentality even after the Well had fixed itself. The important part was to get Dee used to the idea of not attacking the Well, and this would go a long way towards setting the right idea in her head. Besides, Nyx¡¯s resurrection would also go a long way towards repairing the damage that had been done to the trust and relations between the two by the Well¡¯s creation.


    If Dee was willing to work together with Death, then it would make things so much easier, and the revival of Nyx would go a long way towards making Dee more positive in the future. That¡¯s partially why Death had started the collection of souls with Nyx¡¯s soul. She had known it was a long shot for Dee to actually find a way to revive Nyx, and the worst part was the Death could not give any hints or the whole thing would not have the same impact. But the girl of chaos came through again. Death had other plans to normalize their relationship, but it was always better when plan A worked. Even if it did go against her principles as a Goddess of Death a bit.


    Dee, of course, wasn¡¯t stupid enough to not know she was being manipulated, but that didn¡¯t change the situation. ¡°Fine. I promise. Now get to it.¡±

 Chapter 185

    As she was standing there observing the activity in the city, Dee could sense some of what was happening behind her inside the temple. She had done her part. Death had removed Nyx¡¯s soul from the Well, and Dee had delivered it to Rahmiel. The Archangel was performing the ceremony within a large cathedral of the light gods, claiming that the holy power gathered within the building would help her perform the ritual. The others were not about to argue to point as they had no idea what would or wouldn¡¯t help. Due to this being a world rather commonly visited by angels, the gate city naturally had a large sanctum dedicated to the light gods. The worlds close to the border with the angels were naturally more inclined towards worshipping the light gods and Lumen and the God of Order Nasir-Sin naturally had a prominent place within the various temples. The reverse also held true near the old border with demons.


    While Rahmiel was someone who radiated life, Dee was most definitely a being of death instead, despite the power of life she had gained from the Tree of Life many years ago. As such, both the Archangel and the Goddess of Death herself had advised her not to be present during the ceremony. Apparently her mere presence might cause the whole endeavor to fail. She felt a little bad about not being there for her friend, but a bad feeling like that was not important in the grand scheme of things. At least Moirai and Araqiel were inside the temple, helping with the ritual. Apparently having their memories of Nyx helped in recreating her body.


    With how long Nyx had been dead, and the fact that there was no body for the soul to reattach to, the ritual was supposed to take a full ten days to complete. Most of that was spent forming a new body for Nyx. The soul was affixed to a place and the new body slowly grew around that soul, with Moirai¡¯s memories providing some help when the soul¡¯s own memories were too weak to suffice. The other angels were inside providing extra power for Rahmiel since apparently the power consumption of creating a new body for an immortal from scratch was rather steep. Ironically, Dee probably had the most detailed and recent information about Nyx¡¯s body, as well as enough power to share, but her powerful death element made participation impossible.


    So she was guarding the temple instead, as she had done for the last nine days. Not that it needed much guarding though she did have to keep the crowds out. Many believers had seen the angels enter the large temple and could sense something large being worked on inside. This brought many reverent believers to pray outside the temple, and the local priests even conducted ceremonies and services in the open. Of course, most of the believers worshipped other light gods as well as Lumen and Nasir-Sin, as they were a lot more varied in their faith than the angels. Still, the presence of the Archangels had inspired new faith in even those that served other deities.


    The problem was that there were also a lot of rumors. The angels that were here were all fervent believers in Lumen as well as also being clergy. That¡¯s why they needed asylum in the first place. So they couldn¡¯t help themselves and interacted with the gathered faithful every chance they got. Even Theliel had spent some time with the gathered people. Some of the angels were also unable to stop themselves from revealing certain things that might have been better left unsaid, like the fact that the stern looking woman guarding the temple¡¯s doors was the Champion of both Lumen and Umbra. The news about two Archangels being here had naturally already spread as well. Soon both the higher ups in the Assembly and the angels serving Order would hear about the rumors, assuming they hadn¡¯t already. That was also the main reason Dee was so vigilantly guarding the temple.


    Dee gave a small sigh as the local high priest approached her, while the local faithful seemed to be gathering in her direction. She had suspected this might come; she just wasn¡¯t sure how long it would take for them to gather their courage. ¡°Esteemed Champion.¡± The priest approached while giving a deferent bow. ¡°If it isn¡¯t too much trouble, I would like you to lead us in a service dedicated to Lumen. It would honor our temple greatly to have her Champion do the honors.¡±


    ¡®Just as expected.¡¯ Dee thought to herself. Dee felt slightly obliged to go along with it. After all, they had been taking over the city¡¯s main temple for over a week and while she wasn¡¯t exactly a fervent servant of the gods, doing something like this was sort of a part of the job. Then a sudden idea occurred to her. The two goddesses had been decidedly less annoying lately, but she still had a few bones to pick with them for everything that had happened before. She hid the grin that was about to form and instead gave a formal nod of agreement.


    This of course brought a great deal of joy among the gathered faithful. For the most part, Dee led a very standard ceremony, though the holiness and sheer presence that radiated from her gave the whole thing a bit of extra grandiosity despite the outdoors setting. Despite her irreverence to the deities, Dee was well aware of how to conduct a proper ceremony. She just hadn¡¯t had a reason or inclination to so before now. It wasn¡¯t until later that the whole thing started to take a bit of an odd turn.


    Dee started off by telling the gathered people that she understood their confusion about the fact a Champion of Lumen could also be the Champion of Umbra, but that the unique position offered her a perspective and access to certain secrets that other were not privileged to. She slowly started weaving a tragic tale of how the fateful circumstances of their opposing elements and divine politics were tearing apart two sisters that otherwise loved each other greatly. She embellished the whole thing with several completely fabricated stories and anecdotes of how in truth the two sisters were extremely close, and that light and darkness need not be such hostile forces after all. In fact, they could be complementary forces. She also very subtly implied that the love between the two might even have some very un-sisterly qualities to it, but never outright stated it. She wove that detail into the story in such a way that made the listeners believe it but think that it was just something they alone had figured out. That it was actually something hidden from the others because only they could pick up on the subtle hints.


    At first the faithful felt a little weird about it, but Dee¡¯s holy and clearly dominating presence was lending her words gravitas that others could not emulate. Besides, she was the Champion of the two goddesses. Surely she had no reason to lie? Surely the two deities would take back their blessing if she told complete untruths about the two goddesses? Surely they would at least send a sign if they were displeased with her words? She was also a rather proficient storyteller. While she didn¡¯t have all that much practice, she had a very captive audience and she had read enough stories herself to know what appealed to people. It also helped that her psionic nature gently influenced everyone present as they could feel her sincerity. And the emotional pathos of her stories tugged at the heartstrings of everyone present, finally ending in the heartfelt crescendo of how the two were tired of being torn apart by the cruel circumstance and how their mutual love had finally lead to the current turmoil between the deities. There wasn¡¯t a dry eye among the faithful as they secretly swore to spread the news and help the two deities fulfill their love.


    Dee smirked a bit as she returned back to her post after the whole thing. Time to make the rumors work for her for a change. Rumors had three qualities that Dee was relying on making the situation even juicier. Firstly, the more fantastical or scandalous a rumor was, the quicker it spread. Secondly, the harder someone tried to suppress a particular rumor, the more everyone believed it to be true. And thirdly, the rumors would always grow with each telling. This rumor would enjoy the benefits of all three things nicely, and would likely spread far and wide. As others tried to suppress the rumors, as some surely would, the more people would believe it. She would probably have to conduct another similar ceremony at some point in the future, just to give the rumors that extra push it needed.


    She only smirked harder as she noted the horrified look on Theliel¡¯s face as the Archangel stood at the door of the temple. She had obviously been listening for a while. ¡°Well, how was my performance?¡± Dee asked with a cheery tone.


    ¡°YOU!? WHAT?! WHY?! Why would you do something like that?!¡± The Archangel asked in a voice that somehow managed to be both shrill and quiet at the same time.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t trust the word of the Champion of both gods?¡± Dee asked a little sarcastically.


    ¡°You practically accused the two sister goddesses of having an illicit affair!¡± Theliel claimed, her tone becoming even more heated and scandalous. Interestingly the Archangel seemed to be blushing just a bit.


    ¡°That¡¯s such a negative way of putting it. I¡¯d rather call it the fated, if slightly forbidden, romance that spanned over eons.¡± Dee actually made a grand sweeping gesture just for emphasis, showing just how much fun she was having with her little act.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad to see some things haven¡¯t changed.¡± Suddenly an amused but slightly feeble sounding voice came from the door of the temple. A voice that Dee recognized.


    ¡°Nyx!¡± She exclaimed with a happy voice. She would have rushed to squeeze the tiny woman, but Nyx looked a bit too frail to withstand that at the moment.


    Moirai was helping her mother walk and keeping her standing, as Nyx rather obviously still had difficulties with that part. ¡°Ah, yes, that¡¯s why I was coming to get you. The ritual is finished.¡± Theliel suddenly stated before she regained her irate demeanor. ¡°And don¡¯t think we¡¯re finished here!¡± Yet she was considerate enough to note that Dee had no interest in continuing the discussion as she withdrew back inside the temple to plan how to undo the damage Dee had just done. Being impolite in such a situation would have gone against her role as the Archangel of Hope


    Rahmiel looked exhausted as she too followed Nyx and Moirai out the door. ¡°How is she?¡± Dee asked the Archangel.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here you know? You could just ask me instead.¡± Nyx pointed out rather snappishly, and was promptly ignored by everyone.


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    ¡°She¡¯s extremely weak at the moment. While we managed to restore her body to roughly what it used to be and she managed to retain her status as an immortal, her body is completely drained of power. Usually, an immortal¡¯s body is constantly suffused with power over the years, strengthening it immensely. As a result, while her body is theoretically the same now as before, it will take a long time to truly regain her old strength as her whole body needs to soak in that power once more. And when I say a long time, I mean it. It might take years. On the short term, she will at best be able to exhibit the strength of a fresh immortal, though for the next few weeks at least she will be as weak as a kitten, as you can see. I¡¯d recommend full rest, though with the current situation being what it is, that might be a little challenging.¡± Rahmiel explained rather directly.


    ¡°I sense an ¡®and¡¯.¡± Dee stated a bit grimly.


    ¡°While I retained my status as an immortal, I likely regressed at least back to rank eleven. My memory is also a little shaky.¡± Nyx was the one to reply with an exasperated tone. ¡°I barely remember the last ten or so years, and anything before that is almost blank. I''m told it will slowly return, but it might never do so entirely. I also don¡¯t remember my death or anything after that at all.¡±


    She gave Dee a judgmental glance. ¡°Though it seems that being near you like this is giving me the shivers. From what I hear, I¡¯ve been a resident at your Domain since I died so that¡¯s probably why. Or it might be a whole different type of shivers altogether.¡± Her judgmental glance turned into a slightly playful smile that quickly faded and was replaced by a thoughtful one.


    Moirai rolled her eyes and Rahmiel gave a demure cough before continuing. ¡°Well, I should probably also add that while I fixed any damage to her soul, the repairs might not be entirely perfect. You might note some changes. Some of the effects might only show after some time. It is also likely that spending so much time inside your Domain might have some effects that only appear with time, though I can¡¯t comment on what those effects might end up being.¡± She made another, more careful cough this time. ¡°There¡¯s also another thing. As her soul was just joined with a new body, it might be better if the two of you spend some time separated, as I understand you draw souls to yourself. Just enough time for the soul and the body to combine properly. Say, a few months perhaps?¡±


    Dee wasn¡¯t happy about it, not at all. First she couldn¡¯t take part in the ceremony, and now she was a danger to Nyx? But she tried to hide her unhappiness. After all, her friend had just come back to life! That trumped any momentary concerns. ¡°Well, we have to deal with the issue of getting you an Asylum anyway. It might be better if we traveled to the White City. Once we get there all of you can be safe while I try to finagle my part of the deal. I can also give you some distance while that is going on.¡±


    ¡°Can we manage it though? From what I hear, the dragons have pushed in pretty far and the battles might have come between the Assembly capital world and us already. Besides, with us spending such a long time here, it seems likely that Empyrean has sent some forces after us. We can¡¯t travel too hard with Nyx¡¯s condition. ¡± Rahmiel pointed out a little wary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, we have a rank thirteen, two Archangels and a gaggle of high ranking angels that the dragons most likely don¡¯t want to attack. Yeah, I think we can manage even with Moirai and Araqiel focused on protecting Nyx. If push comes to shove, I might be able to provide an alternative route.¡± Dee shrugged. She almost wished some angels were stupid enough to attack her. She needed to de-stress. Starting the rumors about Lumen and Umbra had been a nice start, but she really needed to kill something.


    --------


    The group did eventually run into the Dragonflight forces while traveling, although the enemy resistance was rather minor all things considered. According to the news they managed to gather, the Assembly had managed to mostly contain the enemy attack and only scattered raiding parties had managed to slip through gates that were not guarded by forts. Those raiding parties were not even attempting to cause large-scale damage and were mostly just trying to force the Assembly into sending an oversized response to properly contain them. None of the raiding parties actually got to the core worlds surrounding the White City, and while Dee¡¯s group was closer to the hostilities than they were comfortable with, they were still closer to the border with the angels and only ran into one raiding party.


    As Dee dealt with the Dragonflight forces, Moirai was filling Nyx in on everything that had happened after her death and during the times where Nyx¡¯s memory was spotty. ¡°I want to ask you a question.¡± Nyx suddenly interrupted as they got to the point where Dee had agreed to help the angels get asylum.


    ¡°Ask away. I¡¯ll be happy to clarify anything you¡¯d like.¡± Moirai replied.


    ¡°Well, first I¡¯d like to make a slight confession. When I said I don¡¯t remember anything from the time I was dead, I wasn¡¯t entirely honest. I don¡¯t actually remember anything concrete, but I do remember some impressions and emotions. To say that Dee¡¯s Domain is dominating would be an understatement. I got a firsthand feel of that during my time. Yet Dee seems oddly susceptible to being pushed into some things. I get that she promised the angels asylum in exchange for my return, and I appreciate that. Yet according to what you said, she seemed likely to agree even before that possibility came up. That seems contradictory with her Domain.¡± Nyx had actually pushed Dee into certain things herself, although she¡¯d had the best interest of the Five Winds in mind at the time.


    Moirai was quiet for a fairly long time, considering Nyx¡¯s words. ¡°In the end, I think it¡¯s due to two facts. One of them is that while yes, Dee tends to be somewhat dominating and doesn¡¯t want to bend to the wills of others, her Domain and totem are more of an indication of her ultimate desires than her current personality. Her personality is not unyielding as one would assume at first glance. She can make compromises that will help her toward that ultimate goal.¡±


    ¡°And the other thing?¡± Nyx asked. The first point made sense in her mind. She had her own thoughts on the subject but wanted to hear what Moirai had in mind.


    ¡°The second thing is that Dee is capable of losing.¡± Moirai said with a slight smile.


    ¡°That¡­doesn¡¯t sound right. From what I know and from what you¡¯ve told me, she hasn¡¯t done much losing lately.¡± Nyx pointed out with a frown.


    Moirai let out a small giggle. ¡°Not in battle certainly. Though even in battle she has the mentality that allows her to retreat and return stronger to take revenge. No, what I mean is that she doesn¡¯t have the mentality that would make it intolerable for her to lose in a social context. It¡¯s a flaw in temperament that many powerful people have, especially in battle, but I suppose that particular flaw was something that was beaten out of her when she was at the mercy of the assassins. Many people would do anything just to avoid losing and become angry or agitated if that seems to be likely to become a reality. They will take extreme and even foolish measures to avoid losing, often unknowingly conceding the war just to win a single battle. This is not a fault that Dee shares. While she is unwilling to submit to the will of others, she will give up a metaphorical arm to win the larger war.¡±


    Moirai thought for a bit further and Nyx didn¡¯t rush her either. ¡°From what I understand her dominating personality does make it hard for her to just give in, but she will often acquiesce to a trade of favors or a later revenge. She will even swallow a one-sided trade if it serves her ultimate goals. Or if a friend asks her. That¡¯s what I mean when I said she knows how to lose. To her, a single lost battle is not a big deal, as only the end goal is what matters.¡±


    Nyx considered the answer and finally nodded. ¡°I think you¡¯re right. Since we are on the subject of her nature, I hope you do realize that she is not a good person.¡±


    Moirai gave her mother an incredulous stare. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one that said that sometimes the abstract notions of goodness have to give way to practical considerations? I seem to recall several occasions where you tried to¡­shall we say push me towards becoming less ¡®good¡¯ as others would call it.¡±


    This time it was Nyx¡¯s turn to chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s fair, and not what I meant. None of us is perfect. It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve left the Five Winds behind and thrown your lot with her, so I want you to have no illusions about who she is. I¡¯ve been privy to some of her nature lately, and I can tell you that it can be somewhat darker than you might think. Now I don¡¯t want you to think I¡¯m judging her. She is what she is, and I realized that almost as soon as we got acquainted. People who can get things done no matter what are highly useful. It¡¯s just that her actions towards her friends are a lot different than how she acts with others and that might give you the wrong picture.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that something that applies to everyone?¡± Moirai asked a little confused.


    ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s a difference here. It might be better if I approached this another way. If you haven¡¯t spent time within her Domain, it¡¯s hard to understand just how little she cares for those that are not close to her. Now that is not uncommon with demons, and with her upbringing, I wouldn¡¯t expect anything else. But you need to realize that pretty much the only thing limiting her actions is what you and maybe Faylen might think of her if she did something horrible. She¡¯s not evil by any means, or at least I don¡¯t think so, but there¡¯s a fundamental coldness inside her. She wouldn¡¯t kill a large number of innocent people, partly because you would frown on that, but she wouldn¡¯t feel all that bad watching it happen either. Not like you or I would. I just want you to be aware of that.¡± Nyx was quiet for a while before continuing with a small frown. ¡°And I think that same might now apply to me to an extent as well. I think that¡¯s one of the effects Rahmiel mentioned. I just can¡¯t think of others in quite the same way as I used to.¡±


    The two were once again quiet for a while. ¡°That seems to make you sad though. So those feelings are not entirely lost.¡± Moirai finally pointed out.


    ¡°True, I¡¯ve not reached the level she has. I¡¯m just slightly afraid of what else might have changed.¡± Nyx finally replied with a sigh.

 Chapter 186

    Mit-Amen made a small frustrated sound as she reached the inbound gate of Orion. The sound was echoed with other sounds of annoyance as the people already present at the gate noticed her approach. Obviously, the other Lords were equally displeased to see the white-sashed councilor as she was seeing them. There was a group of greys, a pair of reds, half a dozen greens and a single gold-sashed Lord present. Mit-Amen had assumed, or rather hoped, that the turnout would be smaller. Or that she would at least be the senior Lord present. That would¡¯ve have worked too. No such luck with the faction leader of the reds making a personal appearance.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to say it¡¯s a surprise to see you here Mit-Amen, but it¡¯s not.¡± Fawwaz al-Bashir stated with a wry grimace. The faction leader of the reds knew she had been given an official permission to poach the target they were here for, so he was naturally less than pleased to see her arrive. ¡°The only surprise is that it took this long for you to arrive.¡± The blue-skinned man subconsciously fingered the pommel of his sword.


    ¡®It might actually not be subconscious. I wouldn¡¯t put it past him to make an implicit threat like this and he has too much control to do it accidentally.¡¯ Mit-Amen thought to herself. ¡°Fawwaz.¡± She gave the man a polite nod in greeting. There was no need to antagonize one of the most powerful and certainly the most dangerous men in the entire Assembly. Besides, while they couldn¡¯t be called old friends, old acquaintances and friendly rivals was a fair description. Well, mostly friendly rivals. ¡°Seeing your group here is not unexpected, but what bad wind brought the others here?¡±


    Fawwaz made an exasperated sigh and gestured towards the young demon woman standing next to him, clearly signaling for her to explain. ¡°The greys were the ones to originally start the rumors. Apparently they were present when the target became rank thirteen. Unfortunately for them and us, the greys are terrible gossips. They hoped to meet our target here before others got the opportunity, inspired by your call for an officially sanctioned poaching no doubt. The presence of the greens is not surprising, as any rank thirteen being will inspire the competitive spirit of the greens, and they will naturally want to either compete or recruit strong people for the war effort. I suppose the goody-two-shoes is here because their faction leader got injured in that battle against the Red Dragon Aspect that destroyed one of our farming worlds. They¡¯re hoping for a quickie replacement at least until their faction leader recovers, as their portion of the front is now having serious issues.¡±


    The faction wearing the gold sashes roused many feelings in the other factions. The golds were often holy power users, though not exclusively, and tended towards the ideals of a stereotypical paladin. They protected the weak and some vague concept of justice, which somewhat overlapped with the purpose of the yellow faction. Most people thought the similarity in colors was not an accident, and they would be correct, although only the oldest and the most knowledgeable Lords still remembered why that was the case.


    While the yellows tended more towards healing, protecting and economic aid, the golds were much more militaristic and willing to smite whatever they considered evil. The yellows sought out the weak in need of protection, as opposed to the golds who actively sought for the strong people that might unjustly suppress others. The yellows were less of a combat-focused faction, while the golds lived for combat, almost as much as the greens. The differences between the yellow and gold factions were not enormous, but they were important enough to fracture the once singular faction into two. To everyone else¡¯s relief.


    ¡°Huh. Even with that being the case, I wouldn¡¯t have pegged the golds as the poaching type.¡± Mit-Amen stated with genuine surprise. The golds were known for avoiding such ¡®dirty¡¯ tactics after all.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t.¡± Fawwaz grumbled. ¡°The poor honorable sod is here just to ask for help and not recruit. That makes her pretty much the only one. Aurelie, how long are we supposed to wait here anyway? The longer I¡¯m here the bigger chance the cursed Black Dragon Aspect has the opportunity to do real damage.¡±


    ¡°They should be here any moment now. I already got the signal from Seleus. Besides, isn¡¯t Mneventh the friendliest out of all the dragon Aspects? At least to us, I mean. He doesn¡¯t seem likely to go for an all-out attack just because you¡¯re gone.¡± The young demon woman stated, to the incredulous stares of the two senior Lords. ¡°What?¡± She asked a little confused.


    ¡°You¡¯ve obviously never met Mneventh in person.¡± Mit-Amen stated emphatically.


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t had the pleasure, but according to all the reports and statements I¡¯ve read, he¡¯s been a friend and an ally to us for a long time. He helped with the destruction of the hells after all, and I¡¯ve heard he has spent a fair bit of time with us for various other projects. Besides, hasn¡¯t he been capturing some of our faction members alive just for that reason?¡± The young woman named Aurelie argued. Mostly from ignorance.


    ¡°Bah! Mneventh doesn¡¯t have a friendly bone in his enormous death-machine of a body. He¡¯s a cranky bastard that at best tolerates others. Besides, he¡¯s not a friend of the Assembly in general. He¡¯s a friend of one Lord in particular, mostly because she annoyed him less than most others. A marvelous accomplishment just by itself.¡± Fawwaz stated with the kind of certainty that comes from personal experience. His impressions were naturally also colored by those experiences.


    ¡°I think he also found her amusing.¡± Mit-Amen interjected. ¡°Selvaria can be a bit¡­special on occasion. Besides, once the Assembly decided not to go to war with the angels over Selvaria¡¯s imprisonment, the old dragon hasn¡¯t really had much in the way of positive thoughts about the rest of us. I told you that decision might come back to haunt us, and it set a bad precedent. It¡¯s one thing for us to imprison our own or fight each other, but having the angels detain one of our brightest without any repercussions is another thing entirely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit rich coming from the white faction. I seem to remember most of your Lords voting against sanctions in the Assembly. I didn¡¯t see you guys standing with the blues.¡± Fawwaz argued with facts on his side, which annoyed Mit-Amen immensely. The man could be vexing even when he didn¡¯t have good arguments.


    Mit-Amen wasn¡¯t proud of the rest of her faction when it came to that particular decision. She had tried to argue her point but the Lords were free to vote according to their own will in the Assembly. Most of the whites had unsurprisingly sided against sanctioning the angels. ¡°Unfortunately some of my compatriots think being part of the so-called ¡®pro-angel¡¯ faction means unconditional support for any decision they make. I happen to disagree.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a weird one. Should¡¯ve been a grey honestly.¡± Fawwaz rehashed an old point of contention between them. This wasn¡¯t the first time he made the point, and would likely not be the last.


    ¡°You know my opinion. Just because I think the angels are a necessary force of good in the universe, that doesn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t like to see them do better. Anyway, this isn¡¯t just about the angels, but you already know that. That¡¯s why you voted as I did.¡± Mit-Amen argued back. Despite their differences, the two of them did often see eye to eye, even if they did so for totally different reasons.


    Fawwaz only grunted, whether in agreement or otherwise was not clear. At the same time the gate started activating, which brought all of them to focus. ¡°Showtime.¡± The red faction leader stated, as if preparing for battle.


    Battle was of course not what they were here for. In fact, doing battle here against the people they were expecting would be a really bad idea. Orion was an important transportation and trade nexus, which is why they knew their targets would pass through here. Having two rank thirteen beings fight on such a world would be a disaster, not to even mention all the other powerful beings present. This was the first time Mit-Amen got a look of the young woman she was hoping to recruit and she was impressed. Dee really had a presence about her that demanded respect.


    As soon as the first members of their group were through and Dee¡¯s senses detected the gathering of powerful people, she seemed to instantly go on alert. That was the downside of traveling through the gates. You couldn¡¯t say for sure what waited for you on the other side. Mit-Amen noted that the girl had pulled out a weird spear-like object out of thin air faster than she could follow, and the eyes of Fawwaz and the other dedicated fighters focused on the object as it almost screamed danger. The gravity was twisting in weird ways and it almost felt like space itself was bending for a fraction of a second. The feeling vanished immediately though as the owner of the weapon recognized the ¡®danger¡¯ as members of the Assembly and seemed to relax somewhat.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡®Not entirely relaxed though. So she is still slightly worried this might turn into a fight. Interesting. And smart. Just because the other side is nominally an ally, that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no danger in a gathering like this. Unfortunately.¡¯ Mit-Amen thought to herself. Traitors were always a thing and even without traitors, a situation might turn dangerous. She also noted the presence of two Archangels. The report had been right, as incredible as that sounded.


    Dee, on the other hand, was feeling a little miffed. She had been expecting a welcome for a while now, as the Lords they had encountered while traveling had almost certainly sent reports. It was a little difficult to hide the presence of a gaggle of pigeons and the angels didn¡¯t like hiding their wings. Not that it did much good. Even without the wings and halos they looked and acted like angels. Didn¡¯t help that the whole group was made up of high priests. She¡¯d been forced into having three more services decrying the tragedy of the star-crossed lover goddesses just to de-stress herself. It was quite fun observing the apoplexy she was causing to the angels.


    No, what made Dee miffed about meeting the gathered Lords here was the timing. She¡¯d just been reliving the last time she had visited the gods that had blessed her. Lumen had screamed at her for hours and had tried to order her to stop the rumors. Which of course only made her spread more. Umbra on the other hand had gone between laughing uncontrollably and making exaggerated passes at her supposed lover, which in turn annoyed Lumen even more and made her scream longer and louder. Definitely worth it. Even Eternity had broken into a small smile at the whole thing. After that, he had proceeded to chew out Death for the whole Well of Souls business. Too bad Dee had been sent away before that sermon truly got going. And now these gathered Lords had interrupted her ¡®happy fun times¡¯ moment of reliving the whole episode.


    ¡°Well, this is certainly a gathering.¡± Dee stated loudly enough for everyone to hear. She paid special attention to the red-sashed man with extra fringes on his robe to denote a higher station. ¡®So a faction leader or a councilor. And another one with a white sash. The red-sashed guy is almost certainly rank thirteen as well.¡¯ Those of the fabled rank thirteen had a different feel to them when compared to others. Just like Dee herself, they felt a bit more like gatherings of power surrounded by a body instead of just living beings with a lot of power. That said, she had seen only three beings of the rank aside from herself. Not enough to make any concrete conclusions.


    ¡°Dee!¡± Aurelie stepped forward in a friendly greeting. She wanted to make sure Dee didn¡¯t¡¯ feel threatened. Things might end badly otherwise.


    ¡°I have some guesses, but suppose it¡¯s safer to ask. What brings the esteemed Lords here? Taking a stroll?¡± Dee asked, adopting a stance of light humor that might make matters proceed a bit more smoothly. Her words brought a scoff out of the powerful red-sashed man and a relieved smile from the white-sashed woman. Was the man a genie of some sort? The blue skin seemed to indicate as much, but Dee had never seen someone of his kind. The power inside him seemed to hint at something like a naga, but that didn¡¯t seem right either. ¡®And the woman is¡­wow. Now, this is interesting. And she seems to be hiding it from the others somehow?¡¯


    Mit-Amen suddenly realized something was wrong as the spells she had laid on herself seemed to become non-existent in front of the young woman¡¯s gaze. All the elites of the Assembly were trained to see the power inside people and recognize the different races based on what they saw. Naturally, some in the Assembly had also developed certain ways to counter that special sight, mostly because even if they didn¡¯t, others would. Only two other people had been able to see through her defensive measures before, and one of them was now imprisoned on a pocket plane by the angels. The other one was a cranky dragon immune to all magic. Yet she now saw the recognition in the young woman¡¯s eyes. She placed her finger on her lips in a shushing gesture to signal for the young woman to keep the knowledge to herself, at least for now. ¡®Let¡¯s just hope she can be discreet. And judging by everything I was able to find out about her time on Pantheon, she can indeed.¡¯


    Unaware of the small byplay between Mit-Amen and Dee, Aurelie proceeded with some introduction. Of course she completely ignored the greys and the single member of the gold faction and only introduced two people. ¡°This is Fawwaz al-Bashir, our faction leader. And this is Mit-Amen the senior councilor and the faction leader of the white faction.¡±


    ¡°Lords.¡± Dee greeted with a nod and in turn gestured behind her towards the angels. ¡°There you can see the Archangels of Mercy and Hope Rahmiel and Theliel, as well as the most important high priests of Lumen in Paradisia. They are here to seek asylum. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to explain why.¡± The two Archangels approached to also greet the two clearly most important people present.


    ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary. We can all see the implications their presence will have towards avoiding a civil war amongst the angels.¡± Mit-Amen stated. Actually many of the greens and the lone gold had no idea but they were not about to reveal their ignorance. ¡°If we do provide you with an asylum, should we expect a large number of refugees to follow in your footsteps?¡±


    ¡°I would assume there to be a number of refugees yes.¡± Rahmiel replied. ¡°But the number might be smaller than you might think. The faith of Lumen has unfortunately been sidelined within Paradisia for a long time, and the majority of those that still worship her also worship Nasir-Sin and can thus stay within Paradisia without running into too much trouble. Still, we are talking about perhaps tens of millions of angels and members of related races if they are granted free passage.¡±


    ¡°And the possibility of angering the order side of the angels.¡± Fawwaz pointed out the obvious problem. Not without a good reason though. ¡°We are already at war with the Dragonflight and we can¡¯t afford a war on two fronts.¡± The downfall of demons had broken a delicate balance that had kept each party in check. Now with only three sides left, two of them could ally to deal with the third.


    ¡°As to that, I have a reason to believe that Paradisia will have other things to worry about in the near future.¡± Dee explained. ¡°Besides, they might actually consider this a positive development. They know that a civil war, no matter how one-sided in the beginning, is not in their best interest. And that¡¯s even without all the complications that are bound to rise as revenge and other interests step into the picture. Having the fervent believers of Lumen leave peacefully would be much easier.¡±


    It was an unfortunate fact that there were no simple civil wars. Even if in the beginning it looked like an overwhelming victory for one side, the conflict would always extend further than anticipated. Even if some angels were not believers in Lumen, if their relatives were and happened to suffer as a consequence, those angels would feel inclined to join the fight to defend their friends and loved ones. With financial interests and outside influences stirring the pot further, a simple civil war could turn into a quagmire of endless struggle, constantly just on the edge of victory for one side without ever completely resolving. And all the casualties would be from your own people.


    ¡°While we bring this to the attention of the council, I¡¯d like to formally extend you an invitation to join our faction.¡± Mit-Amen took this opportunity to strike, addressing Dee directly.


    This brought about a stunned silence from Dee¡¯s side, which surprised Mit-Amen a bit. ¡°So let me see if I figured this one right. You want me to join the so-called pro-angel faction?¡± Dee asked slightly incredulously.


    Suddenly everyone in Dee¡¯s group exploded in laughter. Even Rahmiel and Theliel were showing their amusement openly. Dee¡¯s antipathy towards the angels was no secret even to the high priests she was helping. Moirai on the other hand was wheezing with laughter. ¡°Oh wow, I really needed that.¡± The teary-eyed Nyx stated from her seated position on the ground. She had fallen down as Moirai collapsed in her fit of laughter as she had been supported by the latter.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you might be barking at the wrong tree.¡± Rahmiel stated, the calmest of the whole group, aside from Dee whose eyebrows were doing a good job trying to climb up to her hairline. ¡°Despite her helping us, I¡¯m afraid that Dee here has some rather understandable racial animosity toward my kind.¡±


    At her words, Dee and Mit-Amen shared a small glance sharing a small private joke of their own. ¡°I have been advised of Miss Haydee¡¯s racial background. Or at least enough of it to understand the resentment. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re working under a slight misconception though, just like many of my fellow faction members unfortunately. Just because we are pro-angel, doesn¡¯t mean we support you unconditionally and¡­¡± Mit-Amen was about to launch into her explanation before she was interrupted by the red faction leader.


    ¡°She¡¯s a member of our faction, so would you kindly stop trying to poach her, Mit-Amen. She doesn¡¯t seem interested, and I consider that to be a sign of good judgment on her part. Of course, she¡¯s already a member of the correct faction so why would she want to change?¡± Fawwaz stated with a rather gloating tone. He had a reasonable amount of trust that the other factions were not able to recruit Dee away, but Mit-Amen was dangerous in that sense. And with Dee seeming reticent, that danger was now lessened.


    ¡°Councilor Mit-Amen, I will take your proposal under advisement, but this is neither the time nor the place. We were on the way towards the White City. We can discuss all these matters further once we arrive.¡± Dee replied a fair bit more politely than everyone else expected.


    ¡°Once we get there, you and your group can stay in my tower.¡± Aurelie got closer to murmur in Dee¡¯s ear.


    ¡®Your tower?¡¯ Dee wondered quietly but simply nodded in reply. Before they could move on, the greens and the gold-sashed woman lost their patience and moved forward to make their own case.


    As that was going on Fawwaz signaled Aurelie to step aside for a moment for a private word. ¡°Now that it seems Mit-Amen is unlikely to succeed, I can leave this matter to you to deal with. You told me earlier that you had some reasons to believe you can sway her decision, and I¡¯ll trust you on that. I¡¯m needed back at the front. Before I go though, there¡¯s a matter I¡¯d like you to deal with.¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡± Aurelie assured the leader of her faction. They both knew she would have to deal with Dee and her group, so she didn¡¯t have time to personally go on missions, but all the contacts and informants of the red faction were easier to reach from the White City.


    ¡°Good. I need you to send as many agents as possible to Pantheon to locate someone. He is an old asset of ours that we lost contact with. I¡¯d like you to make contact and if possible bring him back to the fold. He was always good at gathering just the right kind of information and utilizing it in subtle ways, and we need that now. We have also ignored Pantheon for too long.¡± He was a little leery about the matter as the asset was dangerous, but this might be necessary. Besides, something tickled at the edge of his mind. Something about the way Dee carried herself roused suspicions that he wasn¡¯t sure he liked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need more details. Pantheon is a really big world with countless people.¡± Aurelie pointed out. If the man had been an asset, then she would be able to get some information from the old records of her faction, but there were problems relying on old information.


    ¡°The asset we are talking about is very skilled and intelligent, albeit he lacked some power back then. We lost contact with him almost a century ago when he lost certain people close to him, and he became focused on revenge. I¡¯d like to provide you with a lot of clues, but unfortunately, that is not possible so this one might take a while. I simply can¡¯t give information that I don¡¯t have. He has used many names in the past but I heard he has used his latest name for a while now.¡± Fawwaz reluctantly mentioned the last point because throwing the name around might have bad consequences.


    ¡°And what would that name be?¡± Aurelie asked quietly noticing his hesitation.


    Fawwaz grimaced a bit before answering. ¡°Hassan-i-Sabbah. The last I heard his name was Hassan-i-Sabbah.¡±

 Chapter 187

    Dee¡¯s first thought on seeing the White City was that the name didn¡¯t quite fit. First of all, the name applied to the entire capital world of the Assembly, thus making the term ¡®city¡¯ invalid. To compound the issue, the actual primary capital city of the world in question had the same problem that the two grand cities of Pantheon and the shining city of Paradisia had, in that they were really too large to be called a simple city anymore. In some ways, all of them were actually multiple cities joined together, though that was much more pronounced with the Day and Night cities of Pantheon that dwarfed the White City completely. A more accurate term for all of them would be a megalopolis.


    Secondly, the city wasn¡¯t entirely white either. Dee could see that the original intent had been for all the buildings to be made of the same white stone magically formed into beautiful and intricate buildings. The central areas of the city did follow the motif for the most part, but the wide streets were dotted with colorful vendor stalls and hastily erected shops that could be quickly moved as the authorities shooed them away. Many of the permanent buildings had entire walls made of nothing but colorful glass, and the additions to many of the buildings also broke the norm. Even a rich merchant would think of it as a waste of money and an inefficient use of materials to have their garden shed made of the white stone. The disparity only grew larger the further away from the central mountain one traveled. There were no slums or hovels in the White City, as even the poorest inhabitants would be relatively wealthy compared to most worlds, but at some point aesthetics gave way to more practical concerns and materials. Besides, almost every building was decorated with a hundred different colors other than white anyway, so the impression was already ruined.


    The entire city was built to accommodate the Lords of the Assembly, and the tall white towers dotted the central areas of the city like an endless forest of spikes stabbing at the clouds. Most of the towers were in fact tall enough to reach the same cloud cover, that even now was releasing a slight drizzle of rain, that was just enough to get everything wet. Even if some of the Lords spent most of their time on other worlds, each Lord was still supposed to have a private tower of their own to function as their official residence. That alone accounted for millions upon millions of towers focused on the central parts of the city. All the other buildings and people in the White City were there to serve the Lords and their wants and needs.


    For some reason, the Lords had decided to turn most of their official buildings into towers as well, and those towers tended to be much larger and taller than the private towers of the Lords. That decision wasn¡¯t a bad one either since the bureaucracy of the Assembly that ruled over countless worlds and races was stupendous, to say the least. If all those buildings had been built wide instead of tall, the city would have been even larger and more cramped. Nearly all the inhabitants of this world were powerful mages or warriors, and thus capable of flying so even official buildings could easily have a hundred floors. Many of the towers had additional entrances along their length and not just at their base. This gave the city an odd three-dimensional feel.


    While most of the traffic still happened on the ground, an impressive number of people and various flying mounts and vehicles dotted the skies above. Many entrepreneuring individuals also had small flying vessels that functioned as restaurants and shops as they traveled either between the towers or stopped at busy aerial thoroughfares to hawk their wares. The most desired customers were, of course, the Lords themselves, but the density of people here rivaled anything Dee had ever seen before, and despite the presence of millions of Lords, most of the people moving around didn¡¯t wear the robes of a Lord or even a trainee.


    In a city dedicated to the Lords, one would at first assume most of the people would be either the Lords or their students, but that assumption would be very much in error. Most Lords had dozens if not hundreds of servants taking care of their towers. Many of them also had families that were not Lords themselves, and many Lords also brought their relatives and friends to the White City, partially to be safe and partially to have a better life and easier time growing stronger in the mana-rich environment.


    Then there were all the merchants that provided the Lords and the associated people with wares, food, and entertainment. Countless artisans created magical items, potions, and weapons, and then there was a need to keep some security. While the Lords easily had enough strength to do that, they didn¡¯t want to bother personally, and it was a waste of their time to deal with pickpockets and rabble-rousers anyway. And all of these additional people needed services too. This created the endless snowball that had slowly turned into an avalanche of epic proportions and one of the most population rich worlds in the universe was born. That was with the exceptions of Pantheon and Paradisia of course, both of which were several times larger but also had less population density than the White City.


    The ambient mana here was comparable to the first circle on Pantheon as well, so many people moved here just to advance their own growth, perhaps in the hopes of joining the ranks of the Lords in the future. Dee had noted that even the servants and hawkers were relatively powerful, and that was mostly because it was much more beneficial to be a servant for a Lord in the White City than try to advance your own growth on some other world with much less ambient mana. Besides, the Lords usually compensated their servants extremely well, and those servants were almost never mistreated.


    If a Lord wanted to mistreat or abuse someone¡­well, there were discreet shops for that too. While no one would punish a Lord for simple abuse, word got around fast and those Lords would find themselves without anyone willing to serve them really quickly. Competent and discreet servants were worth their weight in gold and there were several agencies dedicated to finding such people and facilitating their employment. The abusive Lords really didn¡¯t want to be forced into cleaning their own tower. The risk was simply not worth it, especially since there were already specialized shops that catered to all their deepest and darkest desires.


    At the center of the city was a large mountain that almost rivaled the Living Mountain in size. Dee quickly estimated that the Living Mountain was taller but thinner at the base. Maybe the Living Mountain¡¯s diet had worked? Aurelie had mentioned that this mountain had a consciousness as well, and the Living Mountain was already sending hopeful images and emotions to Dee, clearly looking forward to this meeting. Unfortunately, the surroundings of the mountain were full of the white towers and there was no way for the Living Mountain to go out full-sized. Naturally, the Living Mountain was not feeling right about showing up in a miniature form either, so the whole thing was put on hold for now.


    While the surroundings of the mountain held most of the administrative and public-facing buildings of the Assembly, the mountain itself held most of the really important official facilities, ranging from the schools for the future hopeful Lords and elite subordinates, headquarters of every faction, the hall of the council, the grand hall of the Assembly and a hundred more. Those hundred more also included the gateway their group used to come to this world. The gateway was situated almost at the base of the mountain, but still providing a grand view over the city.


    Dee was slightly surprised to find that the gates of the White City were not even guarded, but she realized that there was little need for that because all of the worlds that allowed entry to the White City already had almost excessive precautions, checks, fortifications, and security. Besides, any would-be attacker would find themselves surrounded by every Lord of the Assembly staying in the White City within a minute of arrival. If the city faced a danger that could avoid such focused attention, then some slight security would not be much help and would only complicate matters. Much like Pantheon, the White City also had thousands of gates scattered all over the planet, though only a handful of them facilitated travel to other worlds. Considering the large number of people, ease of mobility was valued higher than security that could be delegated to several other worlds instead.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice place.¡± Moirai commented in a rather neutral tone.


    ¡°I think I like it.¡± Dee replied. ¡°It¡¯s not Pantheon, but we might find this to be the next best thing for the time being. We¡¯ll have to snoop around to see if we really like it here or not.¡±


    ¡°Before you do that, there are some matters we¡¯ll need to handle. Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t dive straight into the heaviest stuff, but we need to get you registered as Lords at least. We also need to report our presence and willingness to attend the grand Assembly should one be called on a short notice. There are certain boring procedures to go through every time one of our kind arrives here, but it is the price we pay. Like I said, you¡¯ll be staying in my tower for the time being, which is luckily not that far.¡± Aurelie explained.


    ¡°Once you officially become part of the Assembly and choose a faction, you can consider building your own tower, although there¡¯s no rush with that.¡± Mit-Amen also helpfully supplied. ¡°The different factions also have a habit of grouping their towers together, and you¡¯ll get a spot assigned based on your seniority. With Dee¡¯s strength, she¡¯ll get a spot right by the mountain.¡±


    Moirai lifted her eyebrow a bit while looking at the forest of towers right next to the mountain. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s space for that.¡±


    Mit-Amen chuckled a bit. ¡°Space will be created by our spatial mages once a location has been assigned. There are certain guidelines about the whole process, but I¡¯m sure the officials will be more than happy to spend a few weeks going over them with you. I would advise paying at least a little bit of attention just so they won¡¯t make your life difficult. There are a hundred small annoyances that they can inflict on you even if they don¡¯t have real power. That said, I think Dee at least is scary enough that they might go with the short version.¡± She gave Aurelie an amused glance before continuing. ¡°When it comes time to hire servants, I¡¯d advise against asking a red for help. The servants they can recommend can be skilled and discreet for the most part, but they will also all be spies.¡±


    Aurelie gave a look of faux indignation. ¡°I resent that implication! We would never have all of them be spies. That¡¯s a waste of good manpower. We¡¯d have at most a third of them be spies, and the rest can be informants and collaborators.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Mit-Amen turned back to Dee¡¯s group with a clear ¡®I told you so¡¯ expression. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll leave you to it. While I would love to stay and make sure the red one won¡¯t poison your mind with all sorts of biased information, I do have some work to do. This war won¡¯t wage itself, and although the more militant factions handle most of the actual fighting, we need to handle support to the best of our ability. Besides, us whites are considered to be half-way between a militant faction and a peaceful one. I¡¯d advise you to take a few days to familiarize yourselves with what the city has to offer. I think you¡¯ll enjoy it. It¡¯s not quite the same as Pantheon, but you can find almost anything here.¡±


    The next few hours were spent dealing with the bureaucracy of the Assembly. Dee noted with interest that most of the officials seemed to come from a set of very particular races known for their long lives and attention to detail like dwarves and certain kinds of fay. It made sense that such positions would benefit from the continuity of diligent workers that were able to become experts at their work over centuries of practice. The downside was that they became a little too dedicated and matters were somewhat dragged down by the minutiae, hence the time everything took.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the first time is a little painful but after that, it becomes much easier.¡± Aurelie joked.


    ¡°Are we still talking about bureaucracy?¡± Nyx asked with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. She had recovered enough for playful jokes, though on second consideration Nyx had cracked dirty jokes almost immediately after being resurrected.


    ¡°Well, I was.¡± Aurelie smiled in slight delight at her joke being played along with. ¡°The first session is all about gathering information on new people. In the future, you only need to report yourself present and answer one or two questions instead of this veiled interrogation.¡±


    ¡°Oi! This is important work!¡± The dwarven official handling their affairs protested.


    ¡°Really? What exactly were you planning on using the knowledge of my bust size for?¡± Dee asked a little amused. Some of the questions had been a little probing.


    ¡°We have lists and rankings.¡± The dwarven official replied shamelessly. ¡°Some of the more gossipy news outlets pay well for such tidbits. For instance, there¡¯s a yearly ranking for the bustiest female Lords as well as the most eligible bachelorettes. Of course the males have their own as well. Not that they reach anywhere near the same popularity.¡±


    ¡°Perversion and corruption. Delightful.¡± Moirai commented primly. She was however delighted that unlike Dee, she had not answered those questions.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse them.¡± Aurelie laughed. ¡°The Lords are the focus of everything that happens in the White City, so it¡¯s only natural that such things pop up. Some of the Lords are extremely popular and even have dedicated fan-bases. The Assembly turns a blind eye towards such activities as they are ultimately beneficial for us and morale.¡±


    ¡°Incidentally, she always does well on most rankings.¡± The dwarven official stated pointing at Aurelie. ¡°I believe that¡¯s the main reason she doesn¡¯t mind.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t hard to imagine. Despite her dangerous-looking tail and almost insectoid looking chitin protections on her arms, Aurelie was a beautiful woman. Her extra parts mostly added to the allure and mystique, and Dee guessed the placement of those extras was not accidental. If they had looked grotesque, Aurelie would most likely have done something about them. At least that was the impressions Dee got. She might have judged the other woman wrong though.


    ¡°Still though, you didn¡¯t need to be quite that open about some of the details.¡± Aurelie commented as they finally walked out of the administrative building. ¡°I mean really? Cat Panties?¡±


    ¡°I happen to think they are cute.¡± Dee replied without missing a beat. ¡°Also they were standard issue for the facility that trained me in my holy power skills.¡±


    ¡°I find that seriously doubtful.¡± Aurelie¡¯s suspicions were clear from the tone of her voice. No holy institution would have such scandalous apparel as standard issue.


    ¡°I keep telling you Dee, that¡¯s just a joke they play on new recruits.¡± Moirai also stated with a sigh. They¡¯d had this discussion before, but it was not about being right or wrong. Dee liked the things and her mistaken beliefs provided a good enough excuse.


    ¡°Anyway, I was only open about certain things. I kept most of my history and abilities secret.¡± Dee pointed out. The questionnaire conducted by the dwarven official had been extremely thorough, but nobody expected anyone to actually answer honestly to all the questions. Incidentally, even the angels had been forced to answer certain questions, although they got off easier since it was assumed they were only visiting.


    Even among the extremely varied display of races, eccentric clothing, and powerful beings, their group managed to draw a fair bit of attention when walking the streets. Angels were a rare sight in the White City after all. Fortunately, Aurelie had been truthful about her tower being relatively close, so they didn¡¯t have to suffer the prying eyes for too long. Most of the people around this area were also officials or Lords so there were no problems.


    Aurelie¡¯s tower looked identical to many others from the outside. Just a simple square building that with each side being a few hundred mel wide and the tower reaching endlessly towards the skies. Aurelie explained that the outsides of the towers rarely differed all that much, but much like with the clothing the Lords wore, it was the insides that mattered. As soon as they entered the large doors it became obvious that the insides of the tower were much larger than the outside. This wasn¡¯t a surprise as this was a city filled with skilled mages, but the extent of it was still quite glaring.


    The first floor seemed to have a large forest that seemed to extend in all directions and Dee could sense live animals and beasts in the forest. There were also blue skies and a sun where the ceiling of this floor should¡¯ve been. The central path from the door quickly led to a well-tended garden surrounding a series of teleportation formations. Aurelie explained that all of the formations had different purposes and could reach different destinations. One was dedicated to servants and lead to their living areas, another nearby one led to the facilities the servants used and storage facilities for everyday goods that took care of the deliveries left at the door, mostly in the form of supplies. One led to the guest accommodations with separate themes and surroundings for different tastes and races. One led to areas suitable for official functions, one to Aurelie¡¯s own quarters and so on. And apparently, nearly every floor had a separate climate and weather. Some might be clad in an eternal night, while others were battered by constant and never-ending storms.


    ¡°And those formations there are in order: crafting facilities, bestiary, sex dungeon, dungeon dungeon, training facilities, torture facilities, more training facilities that can double as torture facilities, landing areas for aerial mounts and flying ships, and miscellaneous.¡± Aurelie said pointing to one side, with no one being certain just how serious her words were.


    As they looked at Aurelie, she cracked a smile. ¡°What? Don¡¯t believe I have skill in crafting? I mean, I am a psion so I can see how you would be skeptical.¡±


    Dee walked straight towards the formation Aurelie had labeled as ¡®sex dungeon¡¯ and vanished. After being gone for a few minutes, she returned with a slightly confused expression. ¡°Well?¡± Nyx asked brimming with anticipation.


    ¡°I mean¡­I suppose all that could be used for sex. I¡¯m not sure I would call it a dungeon though.¡± Dee answered, hedging her words.


    ¡°You just have to be a little imaginative!¡± Aurelie stated with a wide grin. ¡°Incidentally, most of this is just stuff that comes as standard. Like I said, I¡¯m a psion so I really can¡¯t construct anything like this tower. There are mages dedicated to such things, and you can make requests for additional features. I never said I actively used much of this stuff, but it¡¯s nice to know you have a dirty enough imagination to state that all that stuff has some use for sex. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t entirely sure myself. I just ordered the thing as a joke.¡±


    ¡°A little imagination goes a long way.¡± Dee stated with a faintest of blushes on her face.


    ¡°Ooh, now I have to see this. Moirai, help me get there.¡± Nyx laughed while prodding Moirai who was still helping her move around. Nyx was already mostly strong enough by herself, she could even contribute to battle to a small extent, but couldn¡¯t keep it up for the entire day.


    Aurelie laughed before stopping them. ¡°I think we should get you situated and fed before any of that. You have time to explore later. Incidentally, my servants were not made aware of our arrival so we have to handle our food today in a different way. Follow me.¡±


    She led the group through one of the teleportation formations, and the group found themselves in a rather cozy lounge with tables set up for both dining and entertainment. Many of the tables had various games set up, and there was an open door leading to a large room with what looked like heated pools for both exercise and pleasure. The most obvious feature of the room was that one side of it was currently opening a view of the city, with only a small railing for safety. There were obvious spots were a flying vessel could dock as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent a signal and three restaurant boats will come to us shortly. I tried to aim for a varied selection, and I¡¯m buying so feel free to eat whatever and however much you¡¯d like.¡± Aurelie explained, and the first of the boats she mentioned was already pulling over next to the tower.


    The flying boat was barely larger than a standard street stall serving food, and the human man piloting the boat suited the appearance of an enthusiast cook to a tee. The varied menus made it clear that the boat also had much more varied materials and facilities than it seemed. Another, much larger vessel was also approaching in the vicinity.


    ¡°That was probably a mistake. Promising whatever and however much.¡± Moirai muttered, getting an agreeing nod from Nyx. They were both aware of Dee¡¯s eating habits.


    ¡°You mean you can just send a signal and they deliver any sort of food and an actual restaurant right to your doorstep?! I love this place!¡± Dee exclaimed, already drawing a list of foods in her mind. The first of many.

 Chapter 188

    ¡±Oh gods, now there¡¯s two of them!¡± Moirai said with a deep sigh as they watched Dee and Aurelie duel over the last bowl of something they could not recognize. Some sort of local specialty. The two were literally dueling, using their forks and knives to fence for the last bowl. They both also had one foot on the table as they were leaning closer to reach over the table. They had to lean over the table because the floor around them was filled with empty dishes and bowls, and that was with the servers from the restaurant ships making several trips to get their dishes back. The flashing of utensils reinforced with psionic power was almost blinding, yet also oddly subdued as neither wanted to damage their ¡®weapons¡¯.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a chimera thing? Where does all that food even go¡± Nyx asked, watching the duo with morbid curiosity. Dee had mentioned to Moirai before that Aurelie was a being of similar nature to her own weird heritage, and Moirai had shared that information with Nyx.


    ¡°Well, we have a sample size of two so it¡¯s not exactly representative, but so far I¡¯d say yes. I¡¯ve never seen such gluttons outside some very specialized beings, and those beings tend to be grotesque in size. Those two seem to have some sort of dimensional storage in their stomach.¡± Moirai speculated, only half joking.


    ¡°Speaking of, I think I saw Dee slipping a couple of dishes into storage.¡± Nyx pointed out. They¡¯d long known Dee had some sort of dimensional storage, but that wasn¡¯t all that odd. They both had one too. Or to be exact, Nyx used to have one. Her new body naturally didn¡¯t come with any of her old stuff.


    ¡°Should that be called foul play in this case?¡± Araqiel wondered, joining the discussion. The trio was sitting together with the two Archangels, who incidentally had been rushing to get their own share of the food. Apparently, the restaurants had been prepared for Aurelie and a large party when they were called, but the combination of Dee and Aurelie had stretched their abilities to the limit.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They don¡¯t seem to be competing. Well, except over that last bowl of course, and they seem to have no trouble with using foul play there.¡± Nyx argued as the duel seemed to be escalating. Aurelie had tried to stealthily grab the bowl with her tail covered in chitin plates. Dee, in turn, used one of her black wings to pin that tail to the table, while at the same time using her telekinesis to try and get the bowl.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to end well.¡± Moirai commented, getting nods of agreement from everyone.


    The two had a rather epic duel over the food. It was also extremely controlled as neither wanted to break the bowl, the utensils, the table, the rest of the dishes, the tower, or half of the city. In the end though, the two had to declare a truce as the bowl finally cracked despite their attempts to avoid just that outcome, and they ended up sharing it. The others just thought they should¡¯ve done that in the first place.


    ¡°So how exactly are you paying for all of this?¡± Dee asked, waving at the surroundings.


    ¡°Oh, I keep forgetting you¡¯re not aware of some of the most basic things as you¡¯re not a proper Lord yet. We need to get that fixed as soon as possible. In your case the whole process should not take too long. The first test might take a while since your heritage is just as checkered as mine, but luckily with a few of our kind already in the Assembly, there¡¯s precedent. They know we aren¡¯t the typical demons or typical anything really. They will most likely just skip the second test, seeing as you¡¯re already rank thirteen. The oaths take only a minute as well. Your current situation is a bit murky, so it would make things much easier if you just get it done.¡± Aurelie got a little lost on a tangent, though on purpose. She had been encouraged to bring the matter up quickly, for several reasons.


    ¡°We can get that done as soon as you¡¯re ready.¡± Dee replied easily. With Umbra¡¯s guarantee that no oath would be able to hold her and that she would be able to remove any binding oaths Moirai or Araqiel made, there was little reason to delay. If the Assembly were to get demanding later on, Dee could simply decide not to comply. None of the oaths even demanded obedience, and with her strength, she was guaranteed the seniority in most situations. Having the Assembly lending their weight behind her might make certain matters she had to deal with easier, even if the Assembly ended up doing nothing for her.


    As if reading her mind, Aurelie continued. ¡°Although, seeing as you¡¯re the Champion of the primary dark deity, I would not be surprised if oaths had no effect on you. Doesn¡¯t matter, you¡¯re not the only one, though definitely in the minority. There are some others, and they tend to all end up in the red faction. Something you should keep in mind. What the Assembly really needs is at least a vague guarantee that you¡¯re one of us. I¡¯d still advise you to act as if the oaths were binding, just to keep up appearances.¡±


    Dee decided to not show any reaction. ¡°You were about to tell me how you can afford to feed yourself.¡±


    Aurelie waved Dee¡¯s small jibe away. ¡°Says the one who is even worse. Anyway, most Lords get their income in two ways, a stipend given by the Assembly and contributions. In both cases the money comes from the Assembly. The Assembly gathers funds from the worlds under our protection either as taxes or by selling certain goods. In certain situations, the services or the expertise of a Lord is required by the worlds we control and usually those services cost a nominal fee as well. In turn, every Lord is given a stipend according to their strength. Additional funds and resources can be requested based on your contribution, which can take many forms.


    ¡°Certain factions also pay extra to their members as a way of attracting people, though this is usually only done by four factions, the yellows, the blues, the browns and the greys. The greys are just greedy bastards, while the browns are the main source of crafters, enchanters, smiths, alchemists and just about anything that has to do with creation. Their faction helps their members since such pursuits can be expensive, but in turn the browns are expected to provide a certain quota of items or products to the faction. A similar thing is going on with the blues. The difference is that they are the innovators and scientists instead of the creators. The yellows simply try to attract more people as simply helping others isn¡¯t a sufficient motivation to attract enough Lords, and material wealth is one way to draw in more.¡± Aurelie finished her explanation with a harrumph. She slightly disdained such greedy practices, but people had different priorities.


    ¡°So I¡¯m guessing these contributions can be pretty much anything like lending your strength in battle or bringing in materials?¡± Dee clarified.


    ¡°Yes, those are the most common ways. If you find something you don¡¯t need, just give it to the Assembly, and we will find someone who can make a proper use of whatever it is. You¡¯ll get something nice in return. The greedy greys do a double service by administering major worlds where they can gather personal wealth and contribute at the same time. Still, they are good at what they do. In the end though, we are often problem solvers. Once the locals run into something they can¡¯t deal with, the Assembly sends someone appropriate to deal with the problem. Some Lords think it¡¯s a bit beneath them, but that¡¯s how the universe works. If you don¡¯t want to simply exploit those weaker than you, then it becomes all about what we can do for each other. Those with power and knowledge provide those things, and those without provide wealth, materials and their efforts.¡± Aurelie herself was something of a pragmatist.


    ¡°Well, I do have extensive experience in smacking things, making things dead and causing general mayhem and destruction. So I suppose my option will be a bit limited.¡± Dee grimaces a bit. She had some ability with alchemy, but she had not trained in that field so her skills couldn¡¯t rival the experts of the Assembly.


    ¡°Those are actually talents in relatively high demand. Almost half the requests that reach the Assembly have to do with making things dead. More than that if you include killing something really mean and dangerous for materials. Incidentally, that¡¯s one of the main things that keep the greys from getting too greedy. If they start neglecting their subjects too much, those subjects will put a bounty on that Lord''s head, available to the rest of us to collect.¡± Aurelie gave a wicked grin at the thought.


    ¡°I doubt hunting other Lords will make you very popular in the long term, and I suspect there are some rules about the whole thing?¡± Dee asked, receiving a nod of approval from the other woman.


    ¡°There is that. Still, I wouldn¡¯t worry if I were you. Rank thirteen beings get an absolutely disgusting stipend just to keep them happy. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need to do anything if you don¡¯t really want to. The main purpose of someone of your rank is to keep others in line and to function as a deterrent against the dragons and angels. Or in the current situation, holding back the most powerful dragon Aspects from rampaging through our worlds. It¡¯s actually pretty rare for rank thirteen beings to take part in battle, simply because that would quickly end up with several worlds in ruins. Just having you around in an area will make sure the dragon Aspect on the other side will have to keep in check as well or risk getting attacked by you while they are spent.¡± Aurelie explained with a shrug.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The recent battle between the leader of the gold faction and the Red Dragon Aspect was actually extremely rare. Both sides just happened to be exceptionally battle hungry. Red Dragons were fierce and battle-hungry in general, and the leader of the gold faction was overzealous to a fault. With the two of them in such close proximity, a battle was almost inevitable.


    ¡°Well, while it¡¯s good to know I won¡¯t be starving to death, you keep dodging the real question. How do you make your money? You listed all these possibilities but didn¡¯t tell me what you do specifically.¡± Dee pointed out.


    Aurelie tsked a bit before relenting. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s only fair to let you know. Who knows, you might even be able to help. Follow me.¡± As the others saw the two get up, they also prepared to leave but she waved them back down. ¡°This won¡¯t take long. Get dessert. If there¡¯s any left. If not, get exploring but be back in half an hour.¡±


    Aurelie led Dee through a teleportation array and they found themselves in a room filled with crates and a pair of mages sorting through some plants. The mages looked up for a moment as the two of them entered but went back to work after giving Aurelie a small greeting. The room was fully walled in, aside from a single large door opposite of the teleportation formation. There were no windows and the only light came from magical lamps placed near the table. As they walked to the large door, Dee could see that the other side held a garden of sorts. They were not gardening for food though, as the plants all seemed to be for medicinal and alchemy uses.


    ¡°Gardening?¡± Dee asked a little surprised.


    ¡°You could say that.¡± Aurelie replied with a laugh, eliciting a chuckle from the two mages as well. She made a sweeping gesture just to point out how large the garden was. And it was fairly extensive for something inside a tower, despite spatial magic being involved. That wasn¡¯t new to Dee though, as the gardens on Pantheon were several times larger and they also included spatial magic to facilitate easier transportation for when a community either rose or fell in rank. Then Aurelie made a gesture in the air and the view on the other side of the door changed. In fact, as Aurelie¡¯s gesture kept on, the view on the other side of the door kept changing. It was like she was rapidly flipping the pages of a book. Each garden seemed to not only have different plants, but they also seemed to have different conditions and climates ranging from permafrost to the insides of a volcano. And some of them gave the impression of being extremely old.


    ¡°So quite a bit of gardening. How many are there?¡± Dee asked with her curiosity piqued.


    ¡°Tens of thousands. Sorted by age and climate. There are several systems like this in this city. In fact, I¡¯m pretty sure every faction maintains their own. We plant new ones every year and harvest the older ones. Or to be exact, we harvest those that are old enough to fulfill the orders we are given. The oldest plants that are in the ancient section are over a hundred thousand years old.¡± Aurelie explained.


    ¡°So this isn¡¯t something created by you. You¡¯re just maintaining it for now. Why you though? You don¡¯t strike me as the gardening type.¡± Dee pointed out. Psions were not creators.


    ¡°Funny thing that. You know how our power is manifest in every cell in our body? Well, apparently if released correctly and gently enough, we can instill that power into other living things in the same way. It¡¯s very effective in various ways. Does great things to plants especially. Now granted, a life or nature type mage can do even better, but the two can be combined for even better effect. We have several druids working here actually doing the planting and¡­well whatever the hells they do. I just provide power. Any time I¡¯m inside the tower, a little bit of my power is continually siphoned away and passed on to the gardens.¡± Aurelie flicked a pendant on her neck for emphasis.


    Dee had noticed Aurelie putting the necklace on as they entered the tower, and she had even noted the small drain of power, but she had assumed it was done to maintain the spells in the tower. ¡®I suppose that¡¯s not wrong, just more focused than I thought.¡¯ She thought to herself. ¡°If you hoped I could help then I¡¯m sorry to disappoint. My power has a very heavy element of death. I¡¯d just kill all the plants.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Aurelie hedged her words and slowly and flipped the gardens to a very particular one. The whole garden was filled with the energy of death and there seemed to be some sort of ghastly beings working the garden. These plants most certainly were not for medicinal use. ¡°Not all plants like life energy. But don¡¯t think this is why I brought you here. I¡¯m just throwing the possibility out there as an easy way to earn some fairly valuable contributions. Despite the warlike nature of the red faction, it¡¯s rare to find a Lord with as pure energy of death as you. It could be fairly valuable in certain circumstances. Just food for thought.¡±


    -----


    ¡°The damn rumors keep spreading!¡± Lumen cursed as she seemed to be observing something unseen with her mind. ¡°Even some of my more loyal followers are starting to buy into it! Apparently our previously weird alliance somehow makes much more sense if we are secret lovers. Are you listening?¡±


    ¡°Nope. Believe it or not, I have something more important on my mind.¡± Umbra brushed Lumen¡¯s concerns away.


    ¡°What could be so important?¡± Lumen scoffed. These rumors were quite a big deal. It seems Order had totally embraced the rumors and was also spreading them just so he could condemn the two goddesses. He knew better, but it served his purposes. An originally innocent rumor might end up having an effect in the politics of the gods following the recent dissolution of the old ways.


    ¡°One of my subordinate gods tried to claim the old realm and position of the now dead Spider Goddess. She failed despite my help and despite being eminently qualified.¡± Umbra explained while pursing her lips.


    ¡°Why would you want to do something like that? Even if she had succeeded, she would¡¯ve inherited only a part of the Spider Goddess¡¯ power and she would have become an instant target.¡± Lumen pointed out. There would eventually be a new primary deity in charge of poison and undeath, but it was better to let something like that happen naturally. Taking the position forcefully was less effective and mostly done just to get rid of the previous occupant of the position. That was partially why Order had been pushing others to challenge Lumen.


    ¡°I wanted to check if it could be done. Incidentally, you remember the deity Dee killed during her rampage through the Champions Order was throwing at her? Yeah, someone tried to inherit that realm as well. Didn¡¯t work. One time is an anomaly; two is a coincidence bordering on a pattern.¡± Umbra explained.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re trying to say is that any realm whose owner is killed by Dee is lost for good? Why?¡± Lumen asked, suddenly paying a lot more attention. Realms were extremely important to deities and taking over the realms of dead or forgotten gods was standard practice to gain power quickly.


    ¡°Well, have you seen her totem? I don¡¯t want to exaggerate, but the totem is not exactly giving reverence to any of our holy symbols. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s something along the lines of ¡®anything she conquers, she keeps¡¯, at least when it comes to deities.¡± Umbra speculated.


    ¡°That might become a problem.¡± Eternity suddenly interjected. He had been so quiet after his sermon to Death that the goddesses had somewhat forgotten his presence. ¡°Especially if she kills more gods. The two she has killed so far might also become a problem at some point, but if Dee kills someone like Sol Invictus or Order, the whole balance of the universe could be broken.¡±


    Umbra frowned a bit. ¡°Why?¡± She had an idea but wanted it confirmed.


    Eternity had to give a small sigh. The younger gods could be so stupid at times. ¡°Think. If she has the power to prevent anyone from absorbing those realms, that means she has power over the realms. That means she can draw on the power of those realms once she figures out how. Now I don¡¯t know about you, but a mortal being able to draw on the power of multiple realms sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, even discounting the power from our blessings. I have a certain amount of trust in little Dee, but power corrupts. And your title as prime gods of your chosen field is not an empty one. If Dee were to, for example, kill Order as things seem to be headed, then there would be no way for a new god of order to assume the position of the primary god of order without growing their realm to match the one controlled by Dee. That means there would be no primary god of order for ages. ¡±


    Umbra grinned. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but having no primary god of order sounds like a great plan to me. The existing weaker gods of order would have to lay low or risk incurring my wrath without protection from Order. Finally a victory in the eternal struggle between the two sides.¡±


    Eternity scoffed. ¡°And that doesn¡¯t sound like trouble to you? You aren¡¯t meant to win. Having one side be dominant for a time is fine, but a final victory would break the balance holding things together.¡±


    Umbra shook her head. These two didn¡¯t understand. She didn¡¯t care about balance. Pushing the boundaries and bringing about change was what she existed for. She wasn¡¯t worried about what would happen after. Even if the universe were to collapse, a highly unlikely scenario, that would still be just another form of change. While others might abhor such change, for her it was almost exciting. The others might try to prevent Dee from killing more gods, but she for one embraced the possibilities fully. While others might be worried about their place in the changing universe, she had no such concerns.


    ¡°But what can we do?¡± Lumen asked with resignation. ¡°It¡¯s not like we can control her, and even if we wanted to, we can¡¯t pull back our support at this point. And just for the record, I don¡¯t want to pull back my support. Aside from the recent rumors, she¡¯s doing fine. She¡¯s even helping the angels still loyal to me escape.¡±


    That gave even Eternity pause. He had one method. He had been considering it after the stunt Death had pulled, but hoped it didn¡¯t come to that. The Guardian would not be happy, and punishing Dee for something Death had done or a potential danger she represented was questionable at best. ¡°I¡¯ll think on it. For now, just don¡¯t try to push her to fight against Order. His servants are fine, just leave him alone. And if the challenges do come back in one form or another, or if this recent struggle turns into a battle between gods, stop using her as your pawn and fight your own battles. She seems to be reaching the limit of giving favors to you anyway. In return, I will make sure Order is not allowed to use any of his pawns to attack you either.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but I doubt that will become relevant for a while. The struggle between the gods is only starting to heat up. We are still pretty far from open battle between us.¡± Lumen acquiesced. She knew better than anyone that Dee had limited patience for such things, so basically she wasn¡¯t giving up anything in exchange for limits being placed on Order.


    Suddenly Death interjected with a new topic entirely. ¡°While this is all very interesting and all, why is it that we can even see Dee at this point? I can¡¯t be the only one questioning this. I¡¯m pretty sure she can already sense our observation, yet she hasn¡¯t done anything about it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she doesn¡¯t know how to prevent it?¡± Lumen threw out a guess.


    ¡°There are about a hundred ways she could use to stop us from observing, and you think she couldn¡¯t come up with even one?¡± Death¡¯s voice made it clear how stupid that had sounded.


    ¡°The only possibility is that we can see her because she is choosing to not do anything about it for some reason.¡± Umbra stated with a shrug. ¡°Why worry when we can just ask her the next time she comes here.¡±

 Chapter 189

    Dee gave Aurelie a grateful smile as the latter handed her a cold drink. She really needed this after the grilling she had just gone through. Aurelie had mentioned that Dee would likely be let off easily during the process of becoming a Lord of the Assembly, and she had been partially right. Normally an applicant had to go through a rigorous process of interviews during which they had to show a sufficient amount of knowledge and aptitude. These interviews and additional tasks were actually done before the three main tests that Aurelie had talked about, and this part of the process was indeed waived in Dee¡¯s case thanks to her level of power. Moirai and Araqiel had to put in a little more effort, but they got off easier during the first actual test.


    For Dee, the problem came at the first actual test, where the scientists of the Assembly tested your blood to determine your race in order to weed out spies sent by the other participants of the War in Heavens. Normally this was a formality unless you were either an angel, a demon, or a dragon. If you were part of these three races, then additional questions would be asked. Aurelie had assured Dee that they had experience with chimera like the two of them, and that was indeed true. The questioning could have been even more thorough and rude. Dee wasn¡¯t even forced into equivocating about her past as much as she had expected. Still, it had been several long hours of choosing your words carefully.


    ¡°That took a lot longer than you said.¡± Dee stated with admonishment clear in her tone.


    ¡°Well, you weren¡¯t exactly advertising to everyone that you had all three of demon, dragon, and angel inside you. Of course they would ask questions.¡± Aurelie defended herself.


    ¡°I assumed you had included that in your estimate since you knew. Still, I¡¯m glad that part is over. Are we skipping straight to the third portion like you said?¡± Dee looked at Aurelie¡¯s pinched expression. ¡°I¡¯m assuming that¡¯s a no. You¡¯re horrible at guessing these kinds of things, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well, to be fair, this one was completely out of my expectations. They haven¡¯t really seen much of how you fight. Normal trainees spend years in the academy under the guidance of their teachers and we get to slowly learn their style. You¡¯re something new. Naturally, they¡¯d like to find out more. If it¡¯s any consolation, I volunteered to be one of your testing partners so you get the opportunity to express your displeasure at my horrible estimates.¡± Aurelie smiled at the last part, showing that she was playing around.


    However, Dee¡¯s nod in reply had no playfulness. Of course she was joking, but she wanted to take a small revenge on Aurelie at least. The two of them flew to the testing facilities that were situated along the bluffs of the central mountain. As it was a testing facility, it was more sturdily built than most buildings, eschewing the prevalent tower design. The facility seemed like a square block of metal instead, and it stood starkly separated from any other facilities, as if expecting to be blown up.


    As they entered the facilities, the halls were filled with blue- and brown-sashed Lords. They passed many laboratories and testing areas ranging from testing small items to large flying ships. The two went up to the top southern corner of the building that was directly facing the mountain itself. As they got to their destination it became clear this whole segment of the facility had been built and enchanted with the express purpose of stopping anything inside from doing damage to the rest of the facility, or more importantly the city. Every wall was made of enchanted stone and much thicker than anywhere else. Every doorway was covered with heavy armored slabs of metal in several layers.


    Aurelie finally led Dee to an observation platform overlooking a flat and open room filled with measuring spells. The observation platform was filled with representatives from every faction. They weren¡¯t numerous enough to call a proper audience but it wasn¡¯t far short of it either. A blue-sashed scientist approached the two. ¡°Lord Aurelie, Miss Haydee. Welcome to our new testing facilities. We¡¯ve never had the pleasure of measuring the power of a fresh rank thirteen being so I¡¯m eagerly expecting this. Miss Haydee, would you kindly go down to the testing room and follow the instructions given. We¡¯ll start with some simple measurements, and then proceed into a couple of fights. Do remember though that this is mostly just to get a handle on your abilities and not a life or death battle.¡±


    Dee gave a small nod. ¡°I¡¯m actually slightly surprised you haven¡¯t set up something that would allow us to battle freely without worry of hurting each other.¡±


    The blue-sashed man smiled a bit before replying. ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯m familiar with such training facilities and have built some myself. They have their place as they are good for sparring, but the problem with altering reality or doing imaginary battles is that it¡¯s hard to get exact measurements and such altered states aren¡¯t always perfect representations of reality. For scientific work, actual combat is much more useful.¡± He waved towards the room below. ¡°If you would, please.¡±


    Dee nimbly jumped over the railing and used her telekinesis to make a soft and silent landing in the middle of the large room. A dome of protective energy sprung around the observation platform, powered not only by a spell formation but also everyone present on the platform. The voice of the male scientist, obviously enhanced by a spell, sounded in the room. ¡°Now, if you would kindly pick the first target and utilize your most commonly used attack on it. No need to use full strength but be at least a little bit serious.¡±


    As soon as the man had finished speaking and before most people on the platform could even register what had transpired, a psionic weapon impacted on one of the provided targets, annihilating it completely in the subsequent explosion. After a second of silence the man spoke again. ¡°Um, I think I mentioned that there was no need to use full strength.¡±


    Dee smiled sardonically as she replied. ¡°That wasn¡¯t full strength. I wasn¡¯t even serious. I¡¯d say that was maybe 30% of the power I can put into it without turning the attack into multiple projectiles.¡± She hadn¡¯t even put a spin on the attack.


    ¡°Did we get a measurement?¡± The scientist asked another blue-sashed man standing at the side, observing some magical measuring devices. The other man nodded. ¡°Yes, though it¡¯s far from exact. I¡¯d say the attack has a good chance of taking out a fresh immortal, and would certainly take out a rank nine being. The psionic power used by her is extremely thick and seems to have a rather unique quality that is impossible to quantify that makes the attack more potent. If I were to speculate, this might have something to do with her recent rank up. We have some reports of other rank thirteen beings and their powers also becoming more potent.¡±


    The scientist leading the proceedings turned back to the wider room. ¡°Would you be so kind as to scale that attack as far as you can without compromising accuracy?¡±


    Dee looked around her. ¡°I don¡¯t think the room is large enough but sure.¡± Suddenly thousands upon thousands of such psionic weapons appeared. They covered the ceiling of the room and were close enough together to be touching.


    ¡®Huh, it seems that becoming rank thirteen is doing wonders for my control. The power is much easier to use.¡¯ She commented to Croestia.


    ¡®You did mention to me earlier that this seemed to be the case. Do you still think it has something to do with that weird feeling you¡¯ve been having?¡¯ Croestia asked. The two had discussed this matter on their trip towards the White City.


    ¡®Yes. It feels a little bit like I¡¯m becoming energy and my body is just a shell I inhabit. Using that power is more like using my own arm than spending some abstract power inside me. The more my power grows, the more obvious the feeling becomes.¡¯ Although her powers had grown only very marginally since becoming rank thirteen, it was still enough to notice some trends.


    ¡°Ok, good. You can let the attack dissipate now.¡± The scientist announced. Afterwards, they proceeded to do a hundred small tests ranging from her holy attacks to her various defensive abilities.


    ¡°Chief, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s impossible to scratch that protective layer with a power under the rank of thirteen.¡± The other blue-sashed scientist announced as they finished their test with Dee¡¯s armor of light. Unsurprisingly Dee hadn¡¯t shown all her abilities, but the armor of light was such an obvious defensive measure that there was no point in hiding it. She would be using it all the time anyway.


    ¡°Ok, we can get to the fights now. Remember, these aren¡¯t really fights to the death. They¡¯re just something to get a handle on your style for the time you¡¯ll eventually have to fight alongside with other Lords in battle.¡± The scientist announced.


    It was obvious Dee had the abilities to fight as a long ranged mage-type, but now they wanted to see her in close combat. The first one was supposed to be an armed fight. A single rank eleven defensive-focused fighter from the green faction stepped into the room. Despite being a more defensive type, the man was armed with a pair of light swords. Speed was an important part of defense after all. ¡°You may begin when ready. Also, Miss Haydee, you¡¯ll need to be armed.¡±


    With a small shrug, Dee pulled out her ¡®smacking stick¡¯ as she had started calling the weapon she had gotten from Lumen. Gravity was already starting to act funny around the thing. As the green-sashed fighter started approaching Dee, she made a slight gesture with her stick. She wanted to use her invisible hands to disrupt the man¡¯s approach and the gesture with the stick was more of a theatric move than anything else. To Dee¡¯s surprise, not just her psionic power but also a bit of her holy power was channeled into the attack, and it came out with twice the strength she had planned on using. The green-sashed warrior was flung to the side as if run over by a giant dragon, finally bouncing off the wall and floor with enough strength to break many things. Some of those things were probably important.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Uuh, oops. I think I accidentally broke him.¡± Dee stated to the benefit of the tester, genuinely sorry.


    ¡®Who would have known that the damn stick can function as a wand of sorts as well?¡¯ Croestia laughed inside Dee¡¯s head. The two had gone over many possible uses for the weapon, but using it like this had not come up in any of their theories. Apparently, the thing allowed Dee to combine her two powers in weird ways.


    ¡°Miss Dee, we¡¯ve gone over this several times. No need to get so serious. Healers, please!¡± The man sounded a little exasperated. Despite Dee¡¯s continuous protestations, the man thought Dee was just taking this too seriously to show off.


    ¡°Meh, this isn¡¯t going anywhere. Just let me do it and we can get this done. You¡¯ve indulged yourself enough.¡± Aurelie stated and jumped down to the testing room as the green-sashed man was being carried off by healers. As an immortal, the man would recover quickly anyway and was in no real danger, but healers could get him up to full strength sooner.


    ¡°Will this go any different?¡± One of the grey-sashed observers asked a little confused. He was also one of the grey faction¡¯s councilors. Aurelie was not well known, but those that did have some knowledge of her knew her to be capable. Still, even they weren¡¯t entirely sure of her complete abilities. Aurelie was one of those people that defied standard evaluations, and normally she was very hard to judge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her.¡± Mit-Amen stated. She was here to represent her faction of course. It was also likely that she¡¯d get a chance to talk with Dee after these tests. In fact, that particular opportunity had already been scheduled. The downside was that all the factions would get the chance to make their case. The chance to snap up a rank thirteen being that had no significant ties to any faction was just too attractive to pass without giving a shot at least.


    ¡°But is she even rank twelve? I can¡¯t sense her properly and she doesn¡¯t carry any identifiers. This will be a waste of time if she ends the exact same as that rank eleven green warrior.¡± The grey councilor insisted. They were mostly busy people after all.


    Mit-Amen shook her head in consternation. Just because one became a councilor in one of the larger factions, that didn¡¯t guarantee your intelligence. ¡°Like I said, don¡¯t worry about it. Aurelie is one of those hard to rank people. Against armies she¡¯s not all that proficient, but against individuals she¡¯s a real monster.¡± In fact, Aurelie didn¡¯t have a proper official ranking just for this reason. She was too hard to judge. Usually, she acted under direct orders of the leader of the red faction so she didn¡¯t have to mind seniority.


    ¡°Well, is the fun part beginning?¡± Dee asked as she saw Aurelie drop down to the testing area.


    ¡°Oh yes. This should be interesting. It¡¯s been a while since I fought one of our siblings.¡± Aurelie replied while shedding her robe. The standard robe of a Lord was not the best attire for close combat. Instead, she was clad in skintight dark leather that barely covered her modesty, if that. Dee finally got a real eyeful and appreciated what she saw.


    Her appreciation might have been slightly narcissistic as Aurelie¡¯s body type was very similar to her own, very athletic without being overly muscular. Aurelie still filled out certain strategic sections of the armor very nicely. The chitin plates Dee had noticed earlier ran down her spine from the neck and all the way down to the tail that seemed to be formed from layers of those plates. The only other chitin plates seemed to be on her arms and seemed more like long gauntlets that came almost to her shoulders. The silvery white hair ran down her back had a tingle of purple in, and actually reminded Dee of Noyala a bit. Even with the devilish horns, the woman was a head shorter than Dee, which still left her taller than most women.


    ¡°Liking what you see?¡± Aurelie asked playfully.


    ¡°Very much.¡± Dee replied honestly and made a small wave with her hand. Her robes were also swallowed by the shadows, and now she too was clad in nothing but the shadows. Well, almost nothing but. There was no need to advertise that one piece of clothing still hidden by the shadows. She had decided to match Aurelie¡¯s attire, so the shadows had formed into a similar armor. ¡°So, shall we go unarmed?¡±


    ¡°We can start that way, though I doubt either of us will end up that way.¡± Aurelie replied while also giving Dee and appreciative look that bordered on leering. Her look changed a little to a more thoughtful one as Dee materialized another pair of arms.


    The robes Dee had been wearing had not been designed for four arms, and while she hadn¡¯t hidden her extra arms, she had felt uncomfortable using them. The upper pair of arms was suddenly covered in draconic scales while the lower pair was covered in the familiar white fur. Both had wicked looking claws on them. ¡°And neither of us is really unarmed.¡± Dee pointed out, as they both flexed their long and sharp claws a bit.


    Then they both seemed to vanish and an enormous impact shook the building as their attack started colliding in rapid progression. The unleashed energy from the impacts was creating large grooves in the floor and walls around them and even slight accidental misses in their attacks left deep claw marks on everything close-by. Hundreds of blows were exchanged in seconds, and the attacks were taking a rapid toll on the area.


    ¡°Rupert, I seem to remember you guaranteed that the protections of this room would be enough. I think your direct quote was that ¡®the room would be able to withstand two dragon Aspects in heat going at it during mating season¡¯. A rather vivid imagery I must say. I hope you were not exaggerating.¡± Mit-Amen looked towards the scientist in charge.


    The man was sweating a bit. ¡°It should hold! It¡¯s just the surface that¡¯s getting damaged.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and those two seem to be only beginning. We might want to ask anyone in the immediate vicinity to evacuate just in case.¡± Mit-Amen¡¯s voice brook no argument.


    In the meantime, Dee was finding that Aurelie was much more appropriate as an opponent than she had thought. The other woman seemed to have focused all her efforts on the physical enhancement side of psionics. As a result, her strength and speed were boosted to a phenomenal degree. If Dee didn¡¯t have the blessing of Lumen, then Aurelie would probably be slightly faster than her, despite the fact that she had become rank thirteen. Dee was still a bit stronger, but not enough for it to make a difference.


    Aurelie¡¯s body seemed to be surrounded in a weird field of power that seemed to somehow make Dee¡¯s attacks ineffective, and it took Dee a while to figure out how. The field didn¡¯t actually reduce the power of her attack, but instead evenly distributed it around Aurelie¡¯s whole body, rendering those attacks ineffective. Aurelie was also extremely sturdy thanks to her enhancements, so that small damage was almost negligible, even if it happened to her whole body at once. She also had the regenerative ability to stop the damage from slowly mounting and becoming a problem.


    Another factor was that all of Aurelie¡¯s attacks seemed to carry a weird sort of energy that seemed to pass into Dee¡¯s body even when she blocked the attacks coming at her. That weird energy seemed to vibrate with every subsequent attack and seemed to be slowly getting worse. This gathering power meant that Aurelie¡¯s enemy would have to start using some of their power to suppress that energy inside them, and eventually the vibration would become too much to deal with.


    ¡°So. You either overwhelm your opponents with speed and power, or you win the slow battle of attrition. Not bad.¡± Dee said in slight admiration. ¡°Normally that might be a little difficult to deal with.¡±


    Aurelie cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Normally?¡± She was rather confident in her usual tactic. It was not all she could do of course, but it was usually enough. There were some people that could counter the tactic of course. The easiest way was to keep Aurelie at a distance until the vibrating energy subsided, but that was not an option in this case.


    Suddenly Dee was surrounded by black flames that didn¡¯t seem to do any damage to her or the surroundings, and Aurelie felt the power she had pushed inside Dee being consumed. ¡®I see, that¡¯s another way to do it.¡¯ There were ways of purifying foreign energies inside your body, and Aurelie had expected Dee to have some way of doing so with her holy powers. Cleansing Aurelie¡¯s energy was not easy, but not impossible. This black flame was new though. Something to do with the kitsune tails perhaps?


    The two went back at it with even bigger enthusiasm and quickly discovered that their opponent was extremely skilled in unarmed combat. Their styles were vastly different, partly because they had different abilities and even a different number of limbs, but they were rather complementary. Aurelie¡¯s style emphasized sheer power and speed focused on breaking through all opposition, but it wasn¡¯t without its grace and fluidity as she smoothly moved from one aggressive attack to another. In the meantime Dee kept leading her in circles, redirecting her attacks and trying to trap her. Aurelie couldn¡¯t get in any clean attacks while Dee¡¯s attacks were largely ineffective thanks to Aurelie¡¯s protective field. All in all, it was good training for the both of them, though the room was starting to slowly break down.


    ¡°I think we aren¡¯t getting anywhere like this.¡± Aurelie finally said and backed up. ¡°Phase two?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Dee agreed with a smile. She rather enjoyed having a worthy opponent, even though she was keenly aware that she could win rather easily if she stacked both Croestia¡¯s supportive abilities with all the supportive holy spells she could cast. But that wasn¡¯t the point. If all she wanted was a victory, then she could just use her black flames or death spells. But that wouldn¡¯t be any fun.


    Both of them materialized very similar looking psionic weapons before diving back in.

 Chapter 190

    ¡±Unnngghh, that feels so good.¡± Dee made a sound of pleasure and contentment. ¡°I¡¯ve decided. We can keep this world around.¡± Her voice sounded almost sleepy.


    ¡°Was there doubt at some point?¡± Aurelie asked in a slightly weirded out voice.


    ¡°There¡¯s always some doubt. But I happen to agree. This world definitely has its upsides. We can keep it.¡± Moirai gave her own opinion.


    ¡°Hmmmmm.¡± Araqiel also let out a very pleased high-pitched sound. ¡°I¡¯m still not quite sure why the two of us are here. I mean, we didn¡¯t even participate in the tests.¡±


    Moirai gave a mirthless chuckle. ¡°That because some people here, I won¡¯t name any names, trashed the testing center in their ardor for battle. I think I¡¯ve earned a massage just from not killing certain someone for all the headache she gives me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t get to stretch my wings in such a controlled environment very often. Besides, who knew the building was so fragile?¡± Dee said defensively, while Araqiel mouthed an incredulous ¡®Stretching her wings?¡¯ while feeling the sting off inadequacy. Dee considered that fight simple stretching?


    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to literally stretch your wing through an entire wall though.¡± Aurelie pointed out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to start as well. I saw the hole you made just below the observation platform.¡± Dee deflected. ¡°You did almost as much damage to that place as I did.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no. With all due respect, that¡¯s just plain untrue.¡± Moirai pointed out rather acerbically. ¡°And because of that, the two of us didn¡¯t get to do the whole process of becoming a Lord. Only you did.¡±


    They suddenly sensed a magical message reaching Aurelie. ¡°Oops, I have a meeting to attend.¡± She got up, clad in just a towel and addressed the masseuse taking care of her. ¡°Thank you, Min. Send the bill for all four of us to me once you¡¯re done here.¡± She turned back to the trio still enjoying their own massage. ¡°I¡¯d say you have about twenty minutes before the representatives from various factions arrive, so I¡¯d make the best of it unless you plan on meeting them naked.¡±


    ¡°That sound like a fine idea to me.¡± Dee stated in a half-sleepy voice. She really enjoyed the massage. Another thing to add to her list.


    ¡®Get more massages. Noted. Updated the list accordingly. It now includes Travel, food, fun-times, food, seeing the universe, food, and massages.¡¯ Croestia commented with silent amusement.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to make a pitch?¡± Moirai asked Aurelie with some amusement.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to.¡± Aurelie replied lightly. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing that for the entire time you¡¯ve been here. You¡¯ll either join the red faction or you won¡¯t. It¡¯s up to you. I can¡¯t and won¡¯t force you.¡± She then went to the dressing room without another word.


    Dee suddenly perked up a little. ¡°That reminds me. Moirai, you have some decisions to make. You followed me when I left Pantheon in order to find strength and take revenge on the Solarians. With Nyx back, the reason for your revenge has somewhat diminished. Now, I¡¯d love to have you around, but you do have to decide if you really want to follow me and risk losing her again or even dying yourself. In the short term, you¡¯ll have to decide if you¡¯ll stay here and look after Nyx while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    Moirai got very quiet. The thought had occurred to her of course, but she had not decided. Dee was right. She still wanted to take revenge on the Solarians, but with Nyx back, did she really need to do it personally? Especially considering the time and effort it would take to grow strong enough to do it. It wasn¡¯t¡¯ even certain she was capable of reaching the level of strength required, and that¡¯s even without considering the risks involved. She could leave the whole thing to Dee who would be happy to do it and already had the required strength. Or she could try to let go. ¡°What about you? You¡¯ve been sent off from Pantheon, but you¡¯re pretty close to being strong enough to return no matter who tries to bar your way. Or you could stay here with us and help with Nyx¡¯s recovery.¡±


    ¡°Rahmiel already said that I should keep some distance from Nyx for a while. Besides, I still have my goals, and those goals remain unfulfilled. I can¡¯t stop midway. Taking a short rest like this is alright, but I can¡¯t stop for too long. I want you to know that you could just ask me to take revenge in your stead if you feel like personal revenge is unnecessary or unrealistic. I¡¯ll even leave them be if you want me to. Judging by your words and tone, you¡¯ve decided to at least stay here for the time being.¡± Dee pointed out a little sadly.


    Moirai chewed her lip a bit replying. ¡°I think I should. The matter about Solarians can wait until later.¡± She also got up. ¡°Come on Araqiel. If she wants to meet the representatives while naked, that¡¯s her business. This doesn¡¯t concern us just yet anyway. We¡¯ll probably just end up following her anyway.¡±


    Dee watched them go from the corner of her eye, before finally voicing her thoughts for Croestia and a very confused masseuse to hear. ¡°I hope you¡¯re right Moirai. But I¡¯m afraid the universe won¡¯t wait until you¡¯re ready. Delaying on making a choice is in itself a choice, and it might be that there won¡¯t be a chance to revise that choice. I sense a crossroads coming and you might have already chosen your path today. The opportunity might come again, but that might be far in the future.¡± She stretched a little while motioning the masseuse to continue.


    ¡®Or I might be wrong and everything will be alright. That¡¯s been such a common occurrence in my life so far.¡¯ She thought sarcastically.


    -----


    The next two hours were spent with the slightly confused representatives of every faction making their pitch to the half-naked Dee still lying on the massaging table. Getting her wings massaged was an especially surreal experience. As a result, Dee enjoyed the ministrations of the masseuse so much that she had her continue through the whole affair. Despite her garb and seemingly disrespectful behavior, Dee treated every representative with respect and politeness. She made no commitments and simply allowed them to make their case. After their pitch, she asked them several smart questions before telling them she¡¯d think about it. The last one to make her case was of course Mit-Amen.


    The white councilor burst out laughing as soon as she saw Dee lying on the table with her backside bare. ¡°Have you really been meeting with everyone while naked?¡± She asked incredulously, yet clearly amused.


    ¡°Why, yes I have. It¡¯s alright, they can¡¯t really see anything important. The table covers my front and my tails cover everything critical on my back.¡± Dee replied while waving her tails for emphasis. She had never been too concerned about showing her body and that had not changed even when her form did.


    ¡°Well, the table covers most of your front.¡± Mit-Amen corrected while taking a look at Dee¡¯s chest meaningfully. Pushing against the table had a very obvious effect on certain parts of Dee¡¯s body after all.


    Dee waved the masseuse away finally and placed a holy spell around them to prevent eavesdropping. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a fellow Fallen.¡± She commented as soon as the spell was in place.


    Mit-Amen¡¯s smiled turned into a slight grimace. ¡°There are many ways for one to become a Fallen, and not all of the reasons are selfish. I still don¡¯t know how you can see through my defenses by the way. You¡¯re only the third to be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably because I was taught how to do it by one of the other two.¡± Dee replied with a rather obvious observation. She had figured out that her eyes were a little special a long time ago. While the other powerful Lords could see a lot, they didn¡¯t see as much as she did.


    ¡°So how is Selvaria? I thought she was imprisoned by the angels.¡± Mit-Amen made the obvious connection.


    ¡°As you probably know, I haven¡¯t seen her for a long time. You¡¯ve already made it clear that you¡¯ve been looking into my past, and it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult of a path to follow.¡± Dee tossed the question back.


    ¡°I suppose this explains your sudden appearance at Pantheon.¡± Mit-Amen nodded, another piece of the puzzle falling into place. Her puzzle was looking rather complete by now.


    ¡°You¡¯re well informed.¡± Dee stated, her tone showing her feelings of being impressed.


    ¡°The reds are known as the faction most interested in the secrets and information, but you of all people understand the need for our kind to have good sources of information.¡± Mit-Amen smiled, rather pleased with herself. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m also stealing from the best. Why gather all your information yourself, when you can have the reds do most of the work for you, allowing you to just get the information from them instead.¡±


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    ¡°Are they aware of this free sharing of information?¡± Dee asked with amusement.


    ¡°To an extent. They allow some of it just so they can feed me false information when necessary. A known spy is better than an unknown one. They just don¡¯t realize how much I have access to. I¡¯d tell them if they bothered to ask, but they never do for some reason. It¡¯s like a game for them. Speaking of, I¡¯m going to go ahead and assume the reds are my biggest competition for your future faction?¡± Mit-Amen knew that she was right, she was just making sure just in case she had missed something.


    Dee replied with amusement and sarcasm clear in her tone. ¡°I don¡¯t know, the grey representative did just make a rather lucrative offer. And the gold representative was making a rather impassioned plea to my sense of justice and order.¡±


    ¡°Bah! I¡¯m sometimes ashamed of the other factions. Why would someone think that money would sway you? And appealing to the sense of justice and order of the Champion of Umbra? That¡¯s a joke!¡± Mit-Amen was genuinely upset over the stupidity of the other representatives.


    ¡°Well, I got the distinct impression that most of them knew they had no real chance and made the effort mostly because it would be negligent to give up without at least trying.¡± Dee replied with a certain amount of seriousness. ¡°So. Why would I want to join a pro-angel faction led by a Fallen Angel of all people? And a rather powerful one at that if my sight isn¡¯t failing me. You weren¡¯t just a random Fallen were you?¡±


    Mit-Amen nodded. ¡°Good eyes. I suppose some explanations are in order. Truth be told, the Fallen have long had their fingers in the affairs of the Assembly. We never quite felt at home with the demons and the hells, even though we were essentially both aiming for some mutual goals. However, the Eternal Dragonflight and Paradisia naturally were not viable options, and the Assembly has its own downsides. So we had a foot in both camps while on the surface being part of the hells. There is also another factor, which has to do with the reason why some of us fall in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess. Some of the Fallen actually didn¡¯t want to oppose Paradisia, even though they became Fallen due to their actions?¡± Dee threw out her theory.


    ¡°That¡¯s the basic gist of it. Sometimes we have to do things we are not proud of to protect things that are important to us. Yet, that doesn¡¯t spare us from the fate of a Fallen. To make things worse, it extends to our children, as we increase our number the old fashioned way and those children start out as Fallen as well. As a result, these Fallen that don¡¯t actually aim for the downfall of the angels became a secret part of the Assembly, and those that did want to take revenge or right some perceived injustice went to the demons. No matter if we are talking about the Assembly or the Fallen, some people can only see a violent solution to any problem and only death can right any grievance. Now things are a little different though. After the hells had their ignoble end, many of our kind were left alive but hunted by our angelic brothers, who decided to thank us for our peaceful and non-peaceful efforts by imprisoning every Fallen they could get their hands on. Some were caught, some came under my wings. Some found their own way.¡± Mit-Amen explained. The divisions between the different Fallen had also dissolved as the peaceful people had seen the consequences of inaction, and the warlike Fallen no longer had the strength to oppose the angels.


    ¡°So the obvious question is, how big of a part of the white faction do the Fallen constitute?¡± Dee posed the question she had been considering since she first saw Mit-Amen. She knew the whites weren¡¯t all Fallen as she had spent time with another member of the faction not long ago, Sareash. That woman was not an angel of any kind.


    ¡°Not all. I¡¯d say about half. And not all Fallen are part of the white faction either. Some other races in the Assembly genuinely support the angels, hence why their members choose our faction. Some of the Fallen in turn are either too young, too weak, or just don¡¯t want to have anything to do with the angels anymore, even in name. Understandable, as many of our race are simply tired. Many of the towers owned by the white faction house other Fallen that are in hiding. We have some of our number in other factions as well, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose I am glad that at least some Fallen have found at least a temporary safe haven. Still, that¡¯s not going to draw me into the white faction. Despite the fact that I helped two archangels, I¡¯m pretty far from a person who favors their kind. To add to that fact, I¡¯m not exactly going to consider all Fallen my kin either. Despite the affinity I share with your kind, the hells created me and those like me for their own purposes, mostly as a weapon. That does not make me see you as family. I don¡¯t carry a grudge either, but that¡¯s not enough to draw me in. Just in case I should mention that I¡¯m also the type that likes to solve things with death, in case it wasn¡¯t obvious already. So we might not be a match when it comes down to it.¡± Dee explained clearly.


    ¡°Hmm, I suppose it would have been too much to ask for my earlier words to be enough. Still, your ties with the reds are not exactly unbreakable either. There are two ways to convince someone. Either making your own case strong or by weakening the competing offer. I was hoping to avoid this since I¡¯d rather see the factions come together rather than drive them apart, but we are where we are. Besides, I think it¡¯s better if you find out now rather than later. This way at least you won¡¯t hold a grudge against the entire Assembly.¡± Mit-Amen was visibly not pleased with the path she was about to take.


    ¡°Alright, you have my attention.¡± Dee looked sharply at the other woman.


    ¡°Did Aurelie tell you why she had to suddenly leave?¡± Mit-Amen asked carefully.


    ¡°She did not, besides mentioning a meeting, but I sense you¡¯re about to tell me.¡± Dee narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°I believe the name Hassan-i-Sabbah is familiar to you.¡± As she posed the question, Mit-Amen felt as a very heavy and dominating air pressed down on her. Even she was almost forced to her knees, and the air became extremely sharp. Then the pressure suddenly vanished.


    ¡°I would ask how much do you know, but it is quite apparent that you know a lot. Your sources are very good indeed. Yes, that name is familiar, and yes that does give me pause. However, there are many reasons why such a meeting could be taking place. And I think you might be overestimating my hostility towards him just a bit.¡± Dee slowly opened the fist that she had suddenly made with her hand.


    ¡®Not that you wouldn¡¯t kill him given half a chance.¡¯ Croestia commented to the silent agreement of Dee. She tolerated the existence of that man just enough to not hunt him down, but that didn¡¯t mean she wouldn¡¯t kill him if they ever met. Or at least make him suffer.


    ¡°True. And I must confess that even I¡¯m not entirely clear on the nature of their affiliation. I got the distinct impression it was not hostile, but that¡¯s not much to go on by itself. However, I have given my warning and you can do with it as you choose. Now that I found out that you¡¯re related to Selvaria though, I can sweeten the deal a bit. If you join us, I can help you in freeing her.¡± Mit-Amen had saved the best for last.


    ¡°How?¡± Dee asked with her eyes narrowed.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that I wasn¡¯t always a Fallen. And I happen to have very detailed information on the methods that Paradisia uses in these kinds of cases. You could try to break that seal with power, or even with the help of your new Archangel friends. Even so, it would be beneficial to have someone along that make the process easier. I can assure you that there are very few that can rival my skill in the field. Even the two Archangels can¡¯t compare to me.¡± The leader of the white faction had made an intriguing offer.


    ¡°I will take what you¡¯ve said under advisement.¡± Even with all that, Dee gave her the same answer as all the others. She did not dismiss the possibility entirely, but she didn¡¯t make any promises either. The reds had some explaining to do first. After all, if the reds truly were connected with her old tormentor, then this might be an opportunity to draw the man out.

 Chapter 191

    Aurelie rushed back to the primary tower of the red faction. Her goal was not the official headquarters of their faction, that one was mostly there just as a symbol. Instead, it was the place where all their covert actions and secret training grounds were coordinated from. It was the hub where most of their activities were decided, controlled, and planned. The public knew the place as the tower of a particularly sociable, if a little old, member of the red faction. It was not odd for her to have visitors, though even she couldn¡¯t mask the goings of so many people and agents without extra measures. That¡¯s why many members of the red faction had other ways of getting there.


    Aurelie often used a teleportation array located in the side room of a particular restaurant known for its affordable but relatively high-quality cuisine. Her gluttonous nature was well known by anyone that paid attention to her, so it would not seem strange for her to visit this restaurant. Still, it would be suspicious if she frequented the restaurant too often. As a result, she had similar coded arrays in other establishments around the city. She was also aware that other factions used some of those same locations for very similar purposes. The members of the red faction weren¡¯t the only ones to respect their privacy.


    As soon as she passed through the array, she was met by one of the extremely competent assistants that kept things running in the absence of their bosses. ¡°Lord Aurelie. We have managed to establish contact with the specified operative. Here is his dossier.¡± The woman handed her a folder with all the gathered information on the individual known as Hassan-i-Sabbah.


    Aurelie was familiar with much of the information as she had been briefed on the man before, but their operatives had managed to add more detail and confirm several things that had been mere assumptions before. The man¡¯s list of old aliases was as long as her arm, and the list of skills and areas of expertise the man possessed was many times longer. Even she had to silently admit to being impressed. ¡®Genetic engineering, Authority manipulation, grandmaster level expertise in body modification, similar level of expertise in military training and intelligence gathering, what the hell? Who is this guy?¡¯


    She didn¡¯t show any of her thoughts on the outside of course. The odds were the man had been someone important in the past despite their faction leader¡¯s words, but there was no need to advertise her guess just yet. ¡°Have we managed to make contact with the leader? He wanted to be patched in as soon as we managed to contact the operative.¡±


    ¡°We reached master Fawwaz just an hour ago and he has just finished a battle with the dragons. Apparently there was some sort of internal struggle between the dragons which allowed him to ignore the presence of the Black Dragon Aspect and he managed to push the Dragonflight¡¯s forces from the world he was protecting. It is advised to keep the conversation brief.¡± The assistant showed her professionalism by providing added details that would allow the meeting to go well. Little details like knowing that Fawwaz was likely tired would not give her a huge advantage, but every bit helped. Assuming they had a correct read on the other participants of course, and they usually did.


    ¡°What about the operative?¡± Aurelie asked as they approached the specially constructed communications array.


    ¡°Attending the meeting willingly. He displayed no outward hostility towards those that we sent to make contact, but he showed no deference either. It is assumed that while he carries a certain amount of good will towards the Assembly, he does not consider himself subordinate anymore. His behavior has implied that while he is posing no danger at this moment, that may change if the situation turns hostile.¡± The woman¡¯s report was abstracted to the conclusions and included none of the true reasoning, but it was enough for now.


    ¡°That is within the assumed parameters for this negotiation. Not optimal, but tolerable.¡± Aurelie stated as she reached the magical array. ¡°No observation of this meeting due to the unknown factors. You are dismissed.¡± The assistants were often allowed to be present during these kinds of meetings so that they may react accordingly to emerging situations, but Aurelie decided against that this time. There was no way of knowing what kind of information might surface during the discussion, and while she had a degree of confidence with the loyalty of the assistant, she was not about to take chances for the sake of convenience.


    The magical array showed that all three parties were present and ready, and when the signal was given, the array brought their minds together in an illusionary room where they could all observe and communicate with each other freely. Dee would¡¯ve recognized the room from the communication device Hassan-i-Sabbah had given her so many years ago, although there were some differences. The three participants silently observed each other for a few breaths of time, before Aurelie moved forward to make introductions.


    Before she had the opportunity to do so though, the red faction¡¯s leader waved her back. ¡°There is no need for introductions Aurelie. Hassan and I are old acquaintances.¡±


    The shadowy figure that had assumed the form of a young elven female, something the two others knew to be a deliberate illusion, gave a small but strained smile. ¡°That is¡­one way of describing things. Aurelie was it? Now why does that sound familiar. Aurelie¡­Aurelie¡­ah! Another one of the chimeras created by the hells.¡± Hassan¡¯s tone made it clear that his moment of recollection was entirely faked. He knew exactly who she was. The question was how?


    ¡°As usual, you¡¯re well informed.¡± Fawwaz stated, not bothering to hide anything or even ask questions.


    ¡°Of course. Knowing such things is only obvious considering the most likely reason you¡¯re trying to contact me is because you made contact with her.¡± Hassan¡¯s emphasis on the last word was not missed by either of the two red lords.


    ¡°So, you even know one of the reasons why we are contacting you.¡± Fawwaz stated with a sigh. He had been afraid of this. This would make things both easier and infinitely harder. They didn¡¯t need to do the dance where he and Aurelie tried to ask questions without actually asking questions and or tried to probe for information without revealing anything. At the same time, he knew they were dancing on Hassan¡¯s palm the whole time.


    ¡°What¡¯s your connection with Lord Haydee?¡± Aurelie asked curiously. Unlike Fawwaz, she didn¡¯t truly know this man hiding behind the illusion of a small woman. She was more interested in his connection with Dee.


    ¡°Lord Haydee? Little Dee already became a Lord? But of course she did. She always works fast and it only makes sense. Before I answer your question, you can in return answer one of mine. Is the red faction trying to recruit her?¡± A small smile was tugging at the side of Hassan¡¯s lips. He knew the reds and Dee were a good match so it only made sense.


    ¡°You know we are.¡± Fawwaz replied. ¡°Everyone would try to recruit a rank thirteen being that young.¡±


    Hassan shook his head. ¡°I would advise against that. Once she finds out you¡¯ve had anything to do with me, she is more likely to kill all of you than join you. Incidentally, she¡¯s very good at that.¡±


    Neither Aurelie nor Fawwaz were pleased by his words. ¡°Why? What¡¯s your connection to her? If you say she is good at killing, then that means she¡¯s very good at that. I heard the reports on her tests, and as impressive as they are, that¡¯s not enough for your endorsement.¡± The red faction leader demanded.


    This time Hassan had real trouble keeping his expression neutral. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure she didn¡¯t show more than a fraction of her true power. After all, that¡¯s what I trained her to do. She has become a bit more open since then, but there¡¯s only so much you can do to change habits that are deeply conditioned into your being.¡±


    ¡°You trained?¡± Fawwaz¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. She¡¯s the result of one of those plans you had for training children? What level? How hard did you go on her? How much damage did you do? You know those ideas were rejected for a reason!¡±


    ¡°Now now, no need to get so agitated. I learned a lot since I broached the subject with you. Admittedly it required the lives of countless children, but I became very good at what I do, and she was the perfect seed for a weapon, just waiting to be cultivated. I subjected her to a level harder than the ones I proposed to you before. Think of the omega level training I proposed, only amplified. But, and this is the important part, little Dee was subjected to the training only for the amount of time and severity she could take. She was never broken mentally. Not completely. After that, I let her go and allowed her to grow on her own. She has mostly recovered, only much stronger than before.¡± The pride in Hassan¡¯s voice was clear.


    Fawwaz hissed in anger. ¡°Now we¡¯ll never gain her allegiance. I¡¯m surprised she hasn¡¯t hunted you down already.¡±


    ¡°Omega level training? Could you explain?¡± Aurelie asked the faction leader quietly. She had a bad feeling about the whole thing.


    Angrily Fawwaz gave a simple rundown of the planned training, including the bone engravings on a non-sedated child, who was then subjected to training that would make a grown man insane and homicidal with rage. ¡°The plan was rejected as we knew no child could maintain their sanity long enough for the training to bear fruit. Even if the children would become strong, they would be useless if they were broken or resented us. Our longest projections estimated even the most mentally strong children would turn catatonic within two years.¡±


    Aurelie felt like throwing up. She had thought the training that the chimera had been subjected to was cruel, but this was much worse. ¡°How long?¡± She asked in a hollow voice.


    ¡°Oh, roughly five years. But like I said, your information is a little old. I learned how far someone could be pushed. Still, I have to admit that little Dee is a unique success story. She was more skilled as an assassin before reaching the age of ten than most red faction agents are when they become veteran operatives. And that was while she was a second or third rank weakling. I¡¯ve actually been in contact with her after I let her go, and we have reached an understanding of sorts.¡± Hassan stated, obfuscating the facts just a little. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean she¡¯ll be happy to know you had anything to do with me of course.¡±


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Dammit, Hassan! We need her! I just found out that even the Dragonflight forces are looking for her!¡± Fawwaz exclaimed angrily.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Aurelie asked as her revulsion towards Hassan was replaced by confusion.


    ¡°That¡¯s why they have been catching the red Lords alive.¡± He explained quickly. ¡°Apparently one of the Aspects wants to kill her, while Mneventh wants her alive for some reason. That¡¯s why the Aspects are now having internal issues. Apparently, there was a fight and Mneventh won easily. It seems the dragons are planning on even opening negotiations because of her!¡± Fawwaz had just learned some of this so he wasn¡¯t yet sure what to make of it.


    Hassan cracked a small smile. ¡°It seems little Dee has become extremely popular. No wonder. She is in many ways wholly unique as an existence. Still, this won¡¯t matter soon. Everyone involved will have other things to worry about soon enough.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Fawwaz demanded. Now he was becoming genuinely worried. The matters concerning Dee were annoying, but Hassan¡¯s words promised something much worse.


    ¡°Old friend, you know why I must make a move, and you know why I haven¡¯t done so before. Now that I¡¯ve helped forge the perfect weapon, why would I bother holding back anymore? It is time for me to get my revenge. It¡¯s a wonder what you can find on Pantheon if you look in the right places.¡± Hassan stated and the relief at finally starting on what he had desired for so long was like a heavy cloak falling off his shoulders.


    ¡°No! Hassan, we can¡¯t afford a second war! Now that the demons are gone there¡¯s very little stopping the dragons and the angels from crushing us together. They don¡¯t need a reason handed to them on a silver platter. We can still stop whatever you have set in motion!¡± Fawwaz knew Hassan¡¯s revenge would not be light, and the response from the angels would be even heavier.


    ¡°You misunderstand. It¡¯s already done. I gave the order before this meeting. You should start getting reports any moment now. Besides, I think you misunderstand. It¡¯s not the Assembly who will get ganged upon. You can thank me later.¡± Hassan¡¯s form suddenly disappeared and both Aurelie and Fawwaz knew that the agent they had sent to make contact would most likely not be returning. Hassan would not be found as easily in the future.


    Fawwaz turned to Aurelie. ¡°Send all our operatives and agents to find out what¡¯s going on. You are free to command every Lord as well. We need information and we need it now! Let me know as soon as you hear something. I¡¯m returning as quickly as possible.¡± Then he too disappeared.


    Aurelie had a feeling she had just been run over by a dragon. ¡°That¡¯s why I hate negotiations. They all go to shit at the worst possible time.¡± She mumbled to herself as the array shut down. She could already see several assistants waiting with urgent reports.


    ---------


    One of the Seraphim guarding the entrance gates to Paradisia received a signal that another caravan was about to arrive at the platform he was in charge of. This was the hundredth caravan just today, and he was genuinely getting bored. Still, he was not going to allow his vigilance to slip. He and his kind were the frontline keeping the home of the angels safe and protected. True servants of Order would never allow simple boredom to give their enemies the opportunity to strike. Still, the report stated that the caravan coming through was one that had made the same trip for decades, and was transporting food. They would be inspected nonetheless.


    The magical formation controlling the gateway powered up and complex glyphs danced around the platform. Suddenly the guard noticed something wrong. The glyphs were starting to twist in odd ways, and the first ones were already changing color in ominous ways. ¡°Call for the mages! Something is wrong! Signal the other gates as well! We have trouble!¡± Suddenly the magic powering the gate started collapsing completely. The guard noticed a weird build-up of energy gathering at the center of the collapsing formation. ¡°Everyone run!¡± He yelled and started flying away from the platform.


    He had moved just in time. Many of the veteran guards had obeyed his command without a thought and that saved them. However, the less experienced guards and the nearby civilians turned to stare at the gate with stupid looks instead and suffered for their mistake. The gateway collapsed in a storm of spatial energy that shredded anything and everything that it came to contact with. As the guard turned back to observe the damage, the whole gateway and everything in the immediate vicinity was simply gone.


    ¡°What the hells was that?¡± The guard asked with a curse.


    One of the mages that were stationed nearby flew closer. She had been close enough to see some of what had happened but not close enough to do anything about it. Not that she had the ability even if she had been close enough. ¡°The transit was interrupted. Something disturbed the spell mid-transit, and all the gathered power required for the spell to succeed exploded outwards. Or that¡¯s what I¡¯m assuming.¡± She didn¡¯t sound very certain.


    ¡°Natural or sabotage? What about the caravan being transported? Also less assuming and more making sure!¡± The guard yelled in a heated voice, preparing to send a magical communique to his superior.


    ¡°Definitely intentional sabotage. There¡¯s no way the spell would fail like that accidentally. The caravan was likely lost in transit.¡± The mage stated after a moment of consideration.


    ¡°Try to contact the other end just in case. Make a new portal manually if you have to!¡± He started sending the report but was interrupted by the mage.


    ¡°Sir! I can¡¯t contact the other side! The whole pathway has collapsed!¡± The mage yelled with an obvious look of distress.


    ¡°What pathway?¡± The guard demanded. Despite his post, he was far from being a spatial mage. He was here for security, not to make gates.


    ¡°The teleportation spells form a natural pathway after repeated use. Without a pathway, we¡¯ll have to form a new connection manually. Sir, it¡¯s like there¡¯s no connection between our two worlds anymore. It might take weeks to even calculate the spatial coordinates needed for a manual gateway, not to mention actually casting the spells required!¡± The mage had never seen anything quite like this.


    As he listened to the reports flooding in, the captain of the guard in charge of the gates turned from worried to panicked. It seemed that all their gates had been attacked at the same time. That meant hundreds of attacks carried out almost simultaneously and seemingly by groups and caravans they had worked with for decades or even centuries. If what the reports were saying was true, then Paradisia had just lost all contact with the other worlds. Even their communication spells had trouble connecting due to the magical disturbance created by the collapsing gates and pathways.


    That wasn¡¯t the worst of it either. The last communications they had received told a grim tale of other worlds facing the same problem. Apparently few worlds simply had their gates destroyed, likely due to lack of traffic, and a couple of worlds had been hit before Paradisia. However, the information didn¡¯t get to them in time. ¡°This is a disaster.¡± He looked towards the lieutenant serving under him. ¡°Contact the Archangels. I¡¯m fairly sure we are under attack. I just don¡¯t know by whom just yet!¡±


    -------


    Hassan listened to the reports given by Asahim with a rare pleased smile on his face. Their agents had performed admirably. Many of them had died to accomplish their mission, but even those that died had done so in a way that would not leave behind evidence. ¡°And what¡¯s the extent of the destruction?¡±


    ¡°Master, we estimate that 60% of the gateways used by the angels have been completely destroyed and another 20% have been disabled. We left the outer world alone as you instructed. We also have confirmation that every pathway to Paradisia itself was completely shattered.¡± Asahim reported dutifully. Paradisia had been their primary goal and the most important part of the plan. They had lost many people, but it was worth the price. They had planted the spells they used over several years, so mostly it was just a matter of triggering them. That still left a few of their agents stranded, but those left behind were also the most loyal people who knew what to do if they were at risk of being discovered.


    ¡°Good. Both the Assembly and the Dragonflight should soon discover that the border worlds of the angel are now stranded and dangerously undersupplied. I doubt they can resist this opportunity. Did our agents succeed in planting the evidence?¡± Hassan asked in confirmation.


    ¡°Yes. We planted evidence implicating everyone from the Assembly and the Dragonflight right down to demon communities on Pantheon and even the Solarians. We also made it looked like several internal factions within Paradisia might have taken part. That should eliminate the risk to us in case some evidence was left behind.¡± Asahim replied. In fact, they had planted some evidence implicating them just in case. That would not seem odd in the sea of other evidence.


    ¡°And the casualties to the angels?¡± Hassan asked.


    ¡°Around a hundred thousand lost during the immediate aftermath, either during transit or as the gates exploded. We estimate that at least four million will starve or die to other causes due to being cut off the gate network during the first two weeks. The losses on the borders are hard to estimate as we can¡¯t be sure how aggressively Assembly and the dragons will react. There¡¯s even a possibility they might help, as unlikely as that seems. Further casualties depend on how long it will take for the angels to start making new stable connections.¡± Asahim read off a list he had prepared beforehand.


    ¡°Hmm, not as much as we hoped, but good enough for now. The rest is up to others. We might have to prod them further, but at least Dee should take this opportunity to make her move. Well done.¡± Hassan gestured for Asahim to leave. They had just shown that immortals were not the only ones that mattered during a war. As the servant left, Hassan idly caressed his pendant again. This was not enough, but it was a start.

 Chapter 192

    After her meeting with the representatives of the various factions of the Assembly, Dee had a lot to consider. Especially Mit-Amen had given her a lot to think about. The two significant revelations about the Fallen and the connection between the red faction and Hassan-i-Sabbah had helped to put her in a certain mindset of distrust. This mindset, in turn, helped her in verbalizing certain vague feelings she¡¯d had during her experiences with the Assembly.


    The issue in front of her seemed pretty clear from the outset. Join a faction. Which faction? It would be either the red or the white. The problem was that neither of the options really felt right to her. The red faction¡¯s connection with Hassan-i-Sabbah was simply the most obvious hang-up she had with joining them. The faction was also clearly focused on manipulation and secrets, in addition to more direct covert actions of course. She had no real issue with that being important to the faction, information should be important to everyone, but in truth, she wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to return to that world. The older and the more powerful she got, the less she felt like the secretive ways of the assassins and covert operatives were for her. For one, staying secretive was becoming increasingly difficult for her for obvious reasons.


    Then there was the fact that the reds were also the faction that actively wanted to grow the influence that the Assembly wielded in the universe, and they weren¡¯t too particular about the methods they employed. Dee wasn¡¯t squeamish about the methods, but she wasn¡¯t so sure she wanted the Assembly to grow stronger. Sure they were a convenient shelter for her for now, but she wasn¡¯t a true member of the organization. The Assembly was simply the best option for the time being. All the factions of the Assembly had some inclination towards expansion, with the possible exception of the yellow, but the red faction was the one dedicated to the idea.


    Then there were the whites. Like she had told Mit-Amen, she felt a certain amount of sympathy towards and kinship with the Fallen, but she didn¡¯t feel like she was truly one of them. If one thing had become clear over her life, then it was the fact that she wasn¡¯t truly a member of any single race or group. Even the original Four Winds, she had no idea how many Winds it was currently with the empress in charge, was more of an ally. A good ally that she enjoyed working with, but still not a true family or home for her. When compared to them, the Fallen had done nothing for Dee besides donating some of the blood that was used in her creation. No, joining the white faction simply because of that kinship would be an error.


    Then what about what the faction stood for? That was even more of a joke. Dee had no interest in being pro-angel, not even if it was in the idealistic way that Mit-Amen saw the faction. Even if the white faction tried to make the angels a better force for good and light, that was not a goal that Dee shared. All that she wanted to do was make a large number of angels sorry they ever crossed her. And complete Lumen¡¯s mission for good measure. She was somewhat glad that there was a group that tried to make the angels better, and she wished Mit-Amen luck in her endeavors, but she didn¡¯t feel right in joining the faction. Someone should take on that job, but that someone wasn¡¯t her.


    But she did need to join a faction, right? Or did she? She didn¡¯t feel like taking orders from some faction leader, even Mit-Amen.


    While she considered these thoughts, Dee had been walking among the inhabitants of the White City. She had also left a trail of devastation through the food carts and street restaurants that got on her path, but that was not what suddenly made her become more alert. No, what grabbed her attention was that the mood around her had suddenly seemed to shift. Even with someone like Dee drawing everyone¡¯s looks and focus, the mood around her had still been the general din of a city going about its business normally.


    What interrupted her thoughts at a critical juncture was a sudden shift in that general mood. As her senses had been trained and honed to watch for just such things, she was immediately on alert. A mood change like this could be a sign of approaching danger after all, and she focused her hearing on the people around her. Apparently, there were rumors flying all over the city about something extremely important happening to the angels. The rumors were wildly exaggerated and couldn¡¯t agree on anything, but there were two things that kept popping up. Angels and something bad happening to them.


    Dee decided that if the general public had heard rumors to this extent, then the Lords would know a lot more. Anything that concerned the angels also concerned her to an extent. Thus she took wing and flew towards Aurelie¡¯s tower. Who better to ask for information than a member of the red faction? She didn¡¯t quite reach the tower before getting intercepted by several messengers, all sent by either Aurelie or Mit-Amen. It seemed they were looking for her as well. Luckily the two were in the same place and Dee took flight towards the central mountain.


    As she reached one of the large non-descript white stone buildings, she noted that the whole place was filled with messengers running back and forth with stacks of reports. One of the messengers that had led Dee here showed her to a room near the center of the building. The circular room was filled with maps, and a large number of powerful Lords had gathered around one of the larger maps depicting the border between the Assembly and the worlds controlled by the angels. The Lords seemed to be in a disagreement about what action to take, which intrigued Dee, but her attention was drawn away by the two Lords that had called for her. The room got eerily quiet as everyone sensed Dee¡¯s presence. Before she got the chance to ask any questions, Aurelie pulled her through another door into a side room that seemed to normally function as a conference room of sorts.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that they found you quick. The situation has changed.¡± Aurelie stated without preamble.


    ¡°So it seems. We need to discuss a few things by the way.¡± Dee replied, planning on bringing up the topic of Hassan-i-Sabbah.


    Aurelie cut her off though. ¡°Whatever it is, that will have to wait. Take a seat, both of you.¡± Aurelie noted that she had been acting rather impolitely by leading the discussion with Mit-Amen also being present and senior to her. In fact, Aurelie had not noticed the leader of the white faction following them into the room until just this moment. Very careless of her.


    As if noticing the change in Aurelie¡¯s demeanor, Mit-Amen picked up the discussion. ¡°It seems that the angels are the target of a very coordinated attack that has rendered their gate network inoperable for the time being. We can¡¯t say for sure how long this will last, but we estimate it will take at least a few weeks before the first connections can be reformed, and even then the travel will be extremely taxing and limited. It should take at least a few months for their gate network to reach back towards their border worlds, and that¡¯s a conservative estimate. Some think it might take years.¡± She turned towards Aurelie. ¡°Now as it happens, we don¡¯t know exactly who is behind the attack, but I personally think our friends in the red faction know more than the rest of us. They acted too quickly, as if they had some forewarning. Care to elaborate?¡±


    Aurelie kept her stoic expression despite her moment of panic. She had known their quick action might have been noticed, but everything had happened much too quickly to take measures against such things. ¡°Not fully just yet. I can say we have a pretty good idea, but we need more information.¡±


    Mit-Amen turned back towards Dee. ¡°Want to know what I think? I already mentioned that dear Aurelie here was having a discussion with a certain party earlier. As far as I know, this discussion coincided with the attack on the angels and the reds sprang into action immediately. Now, this seems like a bit too much to be a complete coincidence to me.¡±


    Dee¡¯s eyes narrowed. If Mit-Amen¡¯s words about Hassan-i-Sabbah were correct, then she could connect the dots. The leaders of the assassin organization did seem like the type to be able to pull off something like this, just that the scale seemed beyond anything Dee had assumed the man capable. Or to be more exact, beyond anything Dee had assumed the man¡¯s organization to be capable of doing. Perhaps she was simply unaware? It still seemed a bit fishy.


    That all said, there was a much more personal matter that concerned Dee more than such trivial details. ¡°You said that the worlds controlled by the angels were affected. How extensively exactly? And was a particular world, I think you know which one I¡¯m referring to, affected? I¡¯m fairly sure you¡¯ve already figured out the exact world that I need. You wouldn¡¯t have made your earlier suggestion about helping with her freedom otherwise.¡±


    Mit-Amen suddenly smiled. She liked where this was headed. ¡°I do know, though I¡¯m not certain if my information is correct. To answer your question though, all worlds in that sector were affected, aside from a couple of border worlds.¡±


    ¡°Well then, this is the perfect opportunity. I happen to be able to travel to the world in question even if the normal paths are blocked. I have a proposition for you.¡± Dee looked straight at Mit-Amen, and both of them were ignoring Aurelie who was looking at the two with some growing concern. The two seemed too much in-sync with each other.


    ¡°Do tell.¡± Mit-Amen prompted her to continue.


    ¡°I did a little thinking and I feel like joining either of your factions seems problematic. So a thought occurred to me. I¡¯ve been informed that starting a faction within the Assembly is not that difficult. Most simply won¡¯t do it because they lose access to the help and resources of the older factions. New factions also wouldn¡¯t have a say in the council until they reach certain levels of influence. Now, as it happens, I¡¯m not overly concerned about resources, and I have a feeling that I¡¯ll have enough influence even if it¡¯s a faction of one. So I¡¯m planning on starting my own faction. I assume this would not be a problem with the backing of a rank thirteen Lord? Especially if a certain faction leader happened to smooth the way for me.¡± Dee had hatched her plan while flying over, though she hadn¡¯t planned on implementing it quite so quickly.


    ¡°I can see how that would work. There are certain procedures you¡¯ll have to deal with, but I doubt that will be an issue. I can even help you with all that. I have two questions though. I don¡¯t see an upside for me just yet, so why would I help? Secondly, there is the issue of your tower. Usually, a new Lord will receive help from the faction they join and pay that help back over time. Such towers are not cheap. Even if we assume that you¡¯ll get a generous stipend from the Assembly, your plan doesn¡¯t quite account for a tower fit for a Lord being built, not to mention towers for any new members of your faction.¡± Mit-Amen wasn¡¯t as fond of this idea as Dee joining up with her faction, but she could see that this was much better than Dee joining the reds.


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    ¡°Well, to answer the second question first, I actually have something akin to a tower already. I¡¯ll just need enough space to place her. As for why you would help me, well my new faction could easily be allied with the white faction. I was planning on basing the faction on the idea of freedom from the control of others. I¡¯m sure there are Lords that might value their freedom beyond just myself. The faction would exert no control over its members, would not demand the Lords to vote certain ways, or even demand their services. In essence, every Lord of the faction would function as a freelancer. Very little support, but also very little in the way of responsibilities. But if the rank thirteen head of the faction happened to be allied with your faction¡­well that would be almost as good as having her in your faction.¡± Dee explained her plan.


    ¡°That¡­might be good enough actually. I¡¯d rather have a willing ally than a member of our faction that didn¡¯t want to be there. I¡¯m assuming this alliance comes with the condition that I¡¯ll help you free Selvaria?¡± The white faction leader actually liked this plan. It wasn¡¯t completely according to her wishes, but it was rather close and she was experienced enough to see the merits of a good compromise.


    Dee got up, already preparing the leave. ¡°Of course, and the sooner we leave, the better.¡±


    At this point, Aurelie raised her hands to stop the two from leaving. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to put a damper on your fresh minted plans, but there¡¯s more. The situation isn¡¯t quite that simple. Sit back down and I¡¯ll explain.¡± As much as she wanted to interfere with the alliance emerging in front of her, she realized Dee had made up her mind. Thus she decided to move on to other things and hope that they could also forge an alliance with Dee¡¯s upcoming new faction in the near future. Like Dee said, it was almost as good as having Dee in their faction.


    Dee looked at Aurelie a bit exasperated but finally complied. Aurelie then weighed her words for a bit before she started explaining. ¡°As you might imagine, the plight of the angels has been met with general glee by both the Assembly and the Dragonflight. With the current situation being what it is, our two factions could roll up most of the border worlds of the angels and even start pushing towards the central worlds of the angels while they start establishing new connections from their side. We could snap up large swathes of their territory without even facing real resistance, and the new connections made by the angels would not be very useful in trying to retake those worlds as they would be harder to use due to being new. Moving troops and supplies would be much harder for them. In addition, if we do manage to pull this off, then the angels would be facing a two-front war. As you saw in the other room, the Lords are already making attack plans. The problem is, we are currently embroiled in a war with the dragons.¡±


    Dee looked at Aurelie with an odd expression. ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, and I wish you luck in your endeavors. However, what does that have to do with me? Make a temporary peace with the dragons. I don¡¯t care, I have nothing against them. And no, despite my heritage, I can¡¯t help you with that.¡±


    Aurelie coughed up a bit at those words. ¡°Well, as it turns out, yes you can. The dragons seem amenable to the idea, but there¡¯s a catch. It seems one of the most powerful Aspects wishes you to be present during the talks.¡±


    ¡°Who and why?¡± Dee asked with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°The Black Dragon Aspect of Anti-Magic, Mneventh. I don¡¯t know the exact reason, but he has a connection with Selvaria, so there¡¯s that.¡± Aurelie speculated.


    Dee¡¯s suspicious expression was immediately replaced by a befuddled one. ¡°Oh. Well, that might be alright. I actually want to meet him too. There¡¯s a slight condition though. You already know I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry, so I need this to happen fast. I have places to be, and only so much time.¡±


    ---------


    The Assembly could move quickly when they wanted to. It took less than a day to set up negotiations with the Eternal Dragonflight, and it took only two days for Dee and the other negotiators to arrive at the agreed upon location. As the supposed diplomats the grey faction had the nominal lead of the delegation. Nevertheless, they felt a little left out as two rank thirteen Lords and three faction leaders were also part of the delegation. The presence of the pro-angel white faction leader was a little odd and even a little provocative considering the situation, but the presence of the red faction leader was expected. He was the only one capable of matching the Black Dragon Aspect in battle. So if the negotiations went badly, then his presence might be required.


    The odd one out was the leader of the newly created faction that didn¡¯t even have a color just yet. Still, the dragons had asked for her presence so the head negotiator had little choice in the matter. At least Dee seemed to be strong enough to stand against an Aspect, or so the rumors went. They would need that strength if the list of attending Aspects was right. Why would there be four Aspects in attendance? And two of them being the black and platinum ones famed for their strength!


    In contrast to the panic gripping the grey Lords, Dee, Aurelie, and Mit-Amen were almost too relaxed. ¡°I still think the color of your faction should be the same as your wings.¡± Aurelie declared. She and Dee had cleared the air between them. She had explained everything she knew of Hassan-i-Sabbah, and Dee in turn gave her the benefit of the doubt. Dee still didn¡¯t trust the reds in general, but she tolerated Aurelie at least for now.


    ¡°Unfortunately black is already taken.¡± Dee decided to play stupid, even though she knew it was pointless.


    ¡°The other wings dummy!¡± Aurelie sighed with exasperation. They¡¯d had this argument several times in the last two days.


    ¡°I mean, she has a point. The color is kind of a mix of red and white, so it would be a nice symbol of our alliance.¡± Mit-Amen interjected. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you plopped down another mountain just as large as the central mountain as your tower.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad the spatial mages managed to make enough room in time.¡± Aurelie muttered with a shudder. The spatial mages had been skeptical when Dee had mentioned how much space she wanted right next to the central mountain. Once Dee had gotten annoyed enough she had simply materialized the Living Mountain in the sky, allowing it to slowly fall towards the ground, and told the spatial mages to do their best and to hurry. Those mages were still being treated for mana exhaustion. Incidentally, the Living Mountain had landed gently on the ground, not quite rivaling a feather but not much harder either.


    ¡°The damn mountain was showing off. I hope she isn¡¯t constantly flirting with your mountain as we speak.¡± Dee grumbled in turn.


    ¡°A mountain flirting? What?¡± Mit-Amen just looked confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask when you don¡¯t want to know the answer.¡± Dee countered just as the dragon representatives swooped down from the sky to land in the designated area.


    As the Aspects were some of the largest dragons in existence, they needed a lot of space to land. Thus the negotiations had been set on a large empty stretch of grassland on a world currently controlled by the dragons. By necessity, the Assembly delegation was rather spread out over the area. The spot had also been selected with a possible battle in mind. There was nothing in the immediate vicinity that couldn¡¯t be lost. Still, with several rank thirteen beings present in the same place, the whole world would be destroyed if things ended in a fight. That too had been considered, and the world they were on was a minor one. Some local population but no significant resources.


    The number of Lords present was rather large, so it was only natural that the dragon Aspects didn¡¯t¡¯ arrive alone either. It seemed that almost every dragon clan was represented. Weirdly it seemed the other dragons were keeping their distance from the smallest dragon present. That dragon was barely twenty mel long and bright purple. It also had four colorful dragonfly wings that suddenly shifted to the wings of a butterfly and back again. Even from a distance, Dee could feel that the rather adorable looking dragon smelled of blood and death.


    Suddenly that small dragon looked straight at Dee and it seemed to become surprised for some reason. It suddenly started hopping towards them in a way that seemed like she was playing a rabbit. ¡°Hyacinth, stay back.¡± The large platinum dragon leading the other delegation commanded with an authoritative tone.


    The small purple dragon didn¡¯t even bother slowing down. ¡°Fuck off Qazarass!¡± It shouted over its shoulder, barely even acknowledging the Aspect of War. It got really close to Dee, and for some reason, Dee didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit threatened. ¡°You!¡± The small dragon declared with a chipper tone. ¡°You smell of delicious death! You¡¯ve consumed more souls than even the big mean black one! I like you!¡± The purple dragon suddenly got even closer and started sniffing Dee, obviously enjoying itself immensely.


    ¡°A Faerie Dragon likes someone and doesn¡¯t try to kill them?¡± The platinum dragon muttered in confusion. He had expected the tiny dragon to ignore him, they always did, but he didn¡¯t expect this. No one got along with Faerie Dragons. A good thing too. The tiny buggers were lunatics. Powerful lunatics. They were by far the most magical of all dragon species, and some of their powers were impossible to explain or contain. The only positive thing was that the damn lunatics were just as eager to kill each other as anyone else.


    The large black dragon suddenly made a small gesture with his snout and the dragon delegation started dividing into two groups. Most of them approached the main Assembly delegation, but two of the Aspects present, namely Mneventh and the Silver Dragon Aspect approached Dee¡¯s group instead. Most of those present didn¡¯t notice the Bronze Dragon Aspect glowering towards the smaller group, with two exceptions. Both Dee and Aurelie could sense the hostility in the dragon¡¯s eyes, and decided to keep an eye on him. Still, it seemed clear that there were two separate meetings to be had, something that the Assembly Lords didn¡¯t miss.

 Chapter 193

    Zacharael shook his head in consternation as he and the other Archangels filed into the room. This was not going to end up well. With both Hope and Mercy missing, the voice of Lumen was almost completely lost in the council. The faction that favored the God of Order was present in full strength, while even the moderate presences seemed to be trapped outside Paradisia. Of the eight Archangels, only five were present. Justice, Glory, and Order would use this opportunity to their advantage without a doubt, and there was little he could do to stop it. The opportunity was just too good for Empyrean to pass. The Archangel of Order would most likely push for the leadership over the armies during the Morningstar¡¯s absence at the very least.


    As if on cue, the effeminate looking Archangel of Order stepped forward to start the emergency proceedings. The council had taken some time to assess the damage caused by the recent attack, to hunt for possible culprits, and to come up with possible actions that needed to be taken in the current situation. They had all handled many of the day to day decision that had to be made but now they were prepared to make some larger decisions. Unfortunately. ¡°Brothers and sisters. We have suffered a grievous blow. We are facing an unprecedented situation and we must make some harsh choices.¡±


    Zacharael tuned out Empyrean¡¯s posturing. The Champion of Nasir-Sin was prone to such things, not unlike the god he served. Empyrean would have done it even if the other Archangels were his only audience, even though they at least were wise to his tricks, but in this case, the posturing did serve a further purpose. As the inhabitants of Paradisia needed to be reassured that their leaders were not standing idle during this crisis, the entire council meeting was magically shown in many government buildings and plazas of Paradisia. This time Empyrean was posturing for a greater audience than usual, so he went further in his histrionics than he normally did. Such theatrics had their use, even though Empyrean would turn those theatrics to less noble uses later on.


    Zacharael paid more attention once the discussion turned in his direction. He had been asked about the whereabouts of the missing Archangels and the positioning of the armies of Paradisia. He would have to explain things more clearly because the audience was not necessarily aware of all the recent developments, nor should they be as they were not privy to the council¡¯s decisions or deliberations. How bothersome. This is why he disliked allowing others to observe the meetings of the Council of Archangels.


    ¡°The majority of our forces were pulling towards the core worlds due to the recent division among the gods. We wanted to make sure that there would be no opportunity for the armies to get fractured by divided loyalties between deities, thus falling to internal struggle. It would not serve the best interests of Paradisia to have our armies mixed up in a civil war between the gods. As a result, most of our forces are either trapped within Paradisia or the neighboring major worlds. We could not pull back all our forces of course, which is why some of those forces are now trapped further away or even on the borders. The lacking strength of the scattered forces is slightly worrisome.¡± Zacharael was silent for a moment, not entirely sure how much he should reveal. Finally, he decided to just go for it.


    ¡°The Archangels of Hope and Mercy are currently missing, and we have reports that they were seen entering Assembly controlled areas few weeks ago. We can¡¯t determine the purpose of their trip at this time. The whereabouts of the Archangel of Death are currently completely unknown as well. The Morningstar was last located on a particular garrison world training a relatively large contingent of our Seraphim and Cherubim warriors. We have not managed to make contact, but we assume he is fine. The world in question is almost self-sufficient and can support our forces for years if necessary, so the only question is how long it will take for us to connect with the Morningstar to receive his instructions.¡± Zacharael gave Empyrean exactly what the other Archangel needed with his words about the Morningstar. Empyrean would find other ways of getting there even if he didn¡¯t, and this way Zacharael could have the other Archangel owe him one.


    ¡°According to your estimation, are any of our armies or the missing Archangels in immediate danger?¡± Empyrean posed a question. Asking such questions from the Archangel of Wisdom was common as he could calculate complex odds fairly easily. He usually also had the best sources of information and could view situations from multiple angles.


    ¡°The armies within Paradisia and on nearby worlds are not. The worlds in question can all support themselves and even though the presence of our armies will put a strain on their logistics, we angels can go through long periods of time with little to no provisions. As I mentioned before, the Morningstar should be safe unless something completely outside our expectations happens. The situation with the missing Archangels can¡¯t be determined. If Hope and Mercy have been captured by the Assembly, then they might be at risk, but I suspect they are fine. I¡¯d place their odds of survival at 95%. The Archangel of Death is an expert at surviving almost any conditions, so she should be fine no matter where she is.¡± Zacharael gave a short estimation. If he was speaking just to the council, then he would¡¯ve gone to details and more exact numbers, but now it was a bit inappropriate.


    At that, Empyrean turned back to theatrics and started a pathos-filled speech about the need for unity and strong leadership during such a dire situation. Naturally he didn¡¯t personally get to see the excitement building up among the gathered angels observing the proceedings all around Paradisia, but the building emotions were not hard to imagine. Empyrean of course emphasized the temporary nature of the new position of leadership, just until the Morningstar could take his rightful place.


    Naturally Empyrean didn¡¯t mention that the spatial mages of the angels would for some unexplained reason have so many other worlds to connect to first, and when the time came to connect with the sector the Morningstar was in, some odd difficulties with the process would be discovered. Of course those difficulties would be entirely temporary, but would still last a surprisingly long time. Empyrean would make sure of that. In fact, it would be great if the issue persisted until either the dragons or the Assembly attacked that sector and dealt with the problem. Even if the Morningstar did return, Empyrean would use all the time until then for solidifying his leadership. After that, there would be less resistance if an ¡®accident¡¯ were to happen. Maybe another attack on a gate just as the Morningstar was passing through?


    With the hidden audience worked up into a frenzy, Empyrean called for the council to vote on a temporary leader. The whole thing was a sham of course. They all knew how the vote would end. Even if Zacharael and the Archangel of Destiny tried to go against the others, Empyrean had the votes he needed. As a result, they all elected Empyrean unanimously to show their unity during these trying times. Part of wisdom was knowing when and where to pick your battles. Empyrean was officially granted the temporary title of Executor, a war leader usually selected during times of war if the Morningstar was unable to handle or unsuitable for that role.


    As Zacharael had feared, Empyrean was not satisfied with just this victory. ¡°Have we found any evidence about the perpetrator of this unprecedented attack that has crippled us?¡± The new Executor asked Zacharael.


    ¡°We have actually found too much evidence.¡± He could sense where this was headed, how could he not, but this was not the time for resistance. Not yet.


    ¡°Too much evidence? That seems unlikely. How can that be possible?¡± Empyrean feigned ignorance. He knew what Zacharael had found; he was just playing for the crowd.


    ¡°We have managed to contact some of the nearby worlds and they have confirmed our findings. We have evidence implicating pretty much every possible party you could imagine. This includes the Assembly, the Dragonflight, the Pantheon, the gods, some small dissident groups, and even some of the Archangels present in the council at the moment. Among countless others. It is likely that whoever is behind the attacks planted all the evidence just in case they left something that might implicate them behind. Such things would be lost in the sea of evidence. There is also a possibility that the one responsible wanted to sow discord with the evidence.¡± Zacharael replied, trying to soften what was coming.


    Empyrean turned towards the Archangel of Destiny. ¡°Can the fates provide us with answers about the guilty party?¡±


    The old Archangel considered the question for a while. ¡°Focusing on the culprit would be in error. The danger doesn¡¯t come from them, but from parties that stand to take advantage of the situation.¡± As usual, the old man didn¡¯t answer the question straight, but he also dropped an unexpected nugget of information that could be interpreted in many ways. It could be a hint of prophecy. Or it could be a tacit approval of Empyrean¡¯s planned actions.


    Empyrean naturally interpreted it as the latter and turned back towards Zacharael. ¡°I disagree with not focusing on someone that has attacked us in such a heinous way, but I take my fellow Archangel¡¯s point. Knowing who can benefit from the current situation can help us find the culprit as well. Zacharael, who would benefit from this situation the most?¡±


    ¡°The obvious answer is the Assembly and the Dragonflight. The two are likely to take advantage of the situation to put aside their differences and attack us instead.¡± He answered. He had hoped that the Archangel of Destiny would be able to save them from this situation by pointing in another direction, but no such luck.


    Empyrean put on an exaggerated look of confusion. ¡°The Assembly? Do correct me if I¡¯m mistaken, but I believe you mentioned earlier that the Archangels of Mercy and Hope had escaped that way. Just before the attacks happened I might add. This seems a bit much for a mere coincidence. Tell me, what are the odds of this attack being perpetrated with the help of angels?¡± He even used the provocative word ¡®escaped¡¯ just to implicate the two Archangels without actually coming out and saying it.


    Zacharael didn¡¯t see or hear the audience gasping in sudden realization, but he could imagine it. ¡°Very high. An attack of this magnitude and precision requires either decades of meticulous planning and careful execution, or quite a bit of inside help from some parties that would not be a suspected before the attack.¡±


    He knew that Rahmiel and Theliel were not involved, but that was based on his personal experience with the two individuals and not on evidence or reason. The situation truly didn¡¯t look good. Of course, the inside help could¡¯ve also come from Empyrean and his cohorts, and he certainly stood to gain even more than the Assembly. It was just that you didn¡¯t lob such accusations at the Archangels of Order and Justice without some really solid proof.


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    ¡°So let me see if I understand this correctly. It is very likely that the terrible attack on Paradisia and all the angels outside of it was helped by someone on the inside that would not be suspect in a normal situation. And just before the attack happens, the Archangels of Hope and Mercy lead the prominent clergy of Lumen to seek shelter with the Assembly, one of the parties most likely to benefit from the attack. This also happens after a schism forms between Lumen and Nasir-Sin. The two Archangels in question also happen to be the most prominent servants of Lumen, along with the clergy they so conveniently took with them. Have I got this right?¡± Empyrean had a solemn look as he questioned the Archangel of Wisdom, but his tone was filled with honey, as if this was the best moment of his life. Even Empyrean couldn¡¯t quite mask his enjoyment of the situation despite his gift for acting.


    ¡°You are not mistaken.¡± Zacharael was forced to admit grudgingly, something that he was careful to keep from his tone.


    The rest of the meeting went down a path Zacharael had expected. Empyrean called for the capture of Rahmiel and Theliel and started inciting all the people observing into capturing and even purging the followers of Lumen as the most likely perpetrators of the attack. The observers were already primed by his earlier rhetoric and had been searching for someone to blame after the attack. Empyrean had just provided them with the perfect target. This was one of the most effective ways of turning the populace at large against the servants of Lumen without being mired in an endless internal struggle. Painting the servants of Lumen as responsible for the attack removed lot of the sympathies they would have otherwise enjoyed. Instead of fighting against this new purge, the relatives and loved ones of those serving Lumen would turn into hiding those unfortunate people away from the people out for their blood.


    --------


    Dee watched with trepidation as the enormous black scaled dragon approached her. She had heard some things of the fairly elusive Black Dragon Aspect and was also aware that he was the dragon who had helped Selvaria destroy the hells. Suddenly she turned towards the purple dragon that had been sniffing her. ¡°No. Licking. Understand?¡± To emphasize her words, Dee¡¯s Domain pushed down on the dragon and she released a fair bit of bloodlust just to make things clear.


    The purple dragon was frozen in the licking motion, just about to touch Dee, and finally backed off with a small protesting sound in its throat. ¡°Hyacinth, go bother someone else.¡± The large black dragon commanded. As everyone present already expected, the command had absolutely no effect on the Faerie Dragon.


    Suddenly a large and thick black tail slammed down on the spot where the purple dragon had been just a moment before. With a cackle, the small dragon flew around the tail and shot a bolt of arcane energy towards the black dragon that fizzled away before even getting close to the shining scales. Apparently the title of the Aspect of Anti-Magic was not just for show. The small purple dragon looked somewhat miffed at that, but there was little it could do about that. The dragon once again landed close to Dee and continued sniffing. The nearby Silver Dragon Aspect seemed extremely amused for some reason.


    With a deep grumble, the black dragon turned back towards Dee and ignored the Faerie Dragon. ¡°I¡¯m known as Mneventh. I was a¡­friend of Selvaria¡¯s.¡± He seemed to quietly grumble a bit more to himself. ¡°You could say I¡¯m something like an unofficial uncle of yours. In fact, I¡¯m somewhat surprised Selvaria didn¡¯t send you to me when her problems with the angels started. For some reason, she sent you to that useless Xinglong instead.¡±


    He also looked at Dee¡¯s horns where Croestia was staying and sent a silent message that only Croestia and Dee heard. ¡°Pendant. It¡¯s good to see you again, even if you don¡¯t remember me. Hopefully Selvaria hasn¡¯t gotten into more trouble now that you¡¯re no longer around keeping her in line.¡± Croestia either didn¡¯t reply or Dee didn¡¯t hear the reply. Croestia had inherited a large portion of Dee¡¯s personality, and her response to an unknown situation like this was to either stay silent or to get uppity. Dee wasn¡¯t entirely sure which path Croestia took.


    The silver dragon sitting on her haunches just behind the black dragon seemed to have a very exaggerated expression filled with astonishment and twisted enjoyment at the black dragon¡¯s words. In fact, she couldn¡¯t imagine old Mneventh acting so nicely towards anyone. Just the mere fact that he had not already squashed Hyacinth was what she would call a positive development worthy of praise. Usually the cranky Black Dragon had no patience with the mercurial Faerie Dragons and he was perhaps the only one that didn¡¯t have anything to fear from the almost purely magical beings.


    ¡°Well if it makes you feel any better, Xinglong is no longer alive.¡± Dee replied, a little weirded out by the situation.


    ¡°WHAT?! I suspected that something had gone wrong since the Living Mountain was following you around, but who dares to attack Xinglong?¡± Mneventh was suddenly angry. He disliked the Astral Dragon immensely, but also considered it something akin to blasphemy that someone other than him had killed the rival dragon.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. Vengeance has already been taken. Not that I even saw Xinglong that much, but still.¡± Dee said in a tone that wasn¡¯t consoling, but rather firm in her own actions instead.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t spend much time? Never mind, that sounds like a long story and this is not the time or place. We can swap stories later. I heard that your dragon form is a mix of an Abyssal and an Astral Dragon. I assume this is Xinglong¡¯s doing to counter your Abyssal side? Can you show me?¡± Mneventh still found it bothersome to speak so softly and carefully, but what else were you supposed to do when dealing with a young girl that was practically your niece?


    ¡°Can I ask why?¡± Dee felt the situation was a little suspicious.


    Mneventh released a small sound that seemed a little like a cough. ¡°The form has something of a special place in the minds of many dragons. I¡¯ve seen the combination only twice before, and it would actually go a long way towards making these talks go more smoothly.¡± Mneventh wasn¡¯t explaining everything and made it clear that he wouldn¡¯t just yet.


    Dee decided to oblige him for now. She noticed how difficult it seemed for the dragon to stay polite, and appreciated the effort even if it was somewhat pointless. Despite her rank, Dee¡¯s dragon form wasn¡¯t exactly enormous by the standards of ancient dragons. The size of a dragon was somewhat affected by the power of the dragon, but mostly it was just a factor of age and the type of dragon you were. The light shining from beneath her scales had become even clearer though and her form was rather impressive even if it was completely dwarfed by the surrounding dragons. She had drawn the attention of all the dragons present after changing shapes.


    ¡°It truly is the real thing.¡± The Silver Dragon stated in a slight daze. She was here for two things. She wanted to confirm Dee¡¯s draconic form and she also wanted to gauge the Champion that had a part in throwing the gods into such turmoil.


    ¡°Alright, I think you should tell me what the significance is now that I¡¯ve obliged you.¡± Dee stated, noticing the odd reaction from the dragons.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really the form itself, but the other two dragons before you that had the same combination or races were rather important for the Dragonflight. You might not be aware but you are not the first of your kind when it comes to being a combination of the two dragon clans.¡± Mneventh started, but his explanation was cut short by a derisive laughter.


    A large Bronze Dragon was walking towards them with the mocking tone of his laughter rather clear. ¡°Such a tiny wyrm. Why would we be bothered by something barely larger and older than a hatchling? Does she even count as an adult dragon with that size?¡±


    For some reason, Dee hated this new dragon instantly. Well, she had a couple of obvious reasons to hate him right off the bat due to the way he acted, but her hatred seemed deeper than that for some reason. Something about the Bronze Dragon just irked her in the worst possible way. She reacted accordingly. ¡°That¡¯s funny coming from someone like you. I would¡¯ve thought your mommy has told you several times that size doesn¡¯t matter. Maybe it¡¯s because others don¡¯t say with the same tone of pity that you¡¯re used to hearing. I¡¯d say that derision might work too since you¡¯ve probably heard that from any female dragon you¡¯ve failed to impress.¡±


    The Bronze Dragon growled a bit in anger and was about to retort but was suddenly blown away by a torrent of arcane energy from the Faerie Dragon. Dee could sense that the protective field surrounding the Bronze Dragon had been extremely effective and had stopped the majority of the attack, but a portion of the power sent by the tiny dragon had simply gone through the field. ¡°Stay away soft-scale!¡± The purple dragon stated in a menacing tone before making a dismissive sniff. ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone smelling of rust standing so close to me.¡±


    The Bronze Dragon roared a bit before speaking again. ¡°It seems you¡¯re finally showing the lunacy of your kind Hyacinth. Another tiny wyrm defending her compatriot while attacking an Aspect. I should¡¯ve expected such idiocy from you, and I¡¯ll have your skull for this.¡± Clearly he was picking a fight on purpose, though the purpose eluded Dee a bit. She had too little information.


    She turned towards Mneventh. ¡°Is that feeble idiot really an Aspect? Somehow I expected better from dragons, but I suppose that was too much to ask.¡±


    Mneventh grinned in mutual distaste of the Bronze Dragon. This was more to his liking. No more politeness. ¡°I think you¡¯ve humiliated yourself enough whelp. State your business and once you¡¯re done, you can leave. We don¡¯t need incompetent dragons here, as all you¡¯re doing is ruining our reputation.¡± He looked towards Dee slyly. A sudden thought occurred to him. Maybe he could use the idiot to his advantage. ¡°Or maybe you should act like a dragon instead of barking like a cat. If you think she is lesser than you because of her size, maybe you should put that to a test.¡±


    Dee didn¡¯t bother correcting Mneventh about cats and barking. That would mean nothing to the dragon anyway. She realized some of what the large dragon was trying to do though. It seemed power was an important factor to the dragons and if her showing off a little bit of her power helped, then why not? The Bronze Dragon was one of the rank twelve Aspects and obviously had not realized the difference between them, blinded by his disdain and odd hatred. She wouldn¡¯t need to go all out. Besides, she would enjoy killing him.


    ¡°Unless you¡¯re afraid that is.¡± She goaded the Bronze Dragon. After that, there was no way for the poor dragon to back away. The negotiations between the two groups were about to get some extra entertainment. The only problem was that Hyacinth wanted to take part as well.

 Chapter 194

    Some of the Assembly negotiators were less than enthused about the prospect of Dee fighting against one of the Aspects, but the leader of the red faction silenced them. They all knew the dragons appreciated strength more than anything; it¡¯s just that some of the Lords didn¡¯t like to admit it. There was a balance of sorts among the Lords of the Assembly that liked to use diplomacy and negotiations to further their aims and those that liked to solve problems with a healthy dose of violence. Using violence to win the respect of the dragons diminished the role of the more diplomatic Lords, leaving them feeling like their role had been usurped by the violent type. They weren¡¯t stupid though, and they realized that sometimes it was necessary to yield to the culture of the group they were negotiating with. It was usually just the last choice.


    Dee was not surprised to receive a silent message from the leader of the red faction just as she squared against the Bronze Dragon. Fawwaz knew she was going to win the fight; he just wanted her to really make a show of her strength. That would aid them in the negotiations later on. Such a showing would have even more meaning coming from Dee as she was a dragon of sorts as well. Another silent implication of the message was that it would be preferable if Dee stayed in her dragon form through the fight.


    At first, everyone was a little confused about whether or not Hyacinth would be taking part in the fight in one way or another. It was very unlike the Faerie Dragon to just stand by when there was violence to be wrought. Surprisingly the small dragon flopped down on the ground looking pleased with the whole thing. Apparently she was looking forward to Dee letting her deadly side out. Just smelling the death around Dee was pleasurable, so getting to experience it personally would be even better.


    The fight started without a proper signal as the others gave the two ample room to fight. Dee took to the air immediately, while the Bronze Dragon stuck to the ground, staring up at the flying serpentine dragon. A thick shield of brown energy started growing around the dragon, and it seemed to Dee that the shield kept growing thicker as time passed. It seemed he was all too pleased to stay on the defensive for now. As a pure experiment, Dee threw a few psionic weapons at the shield, just to gauge it a bit. The attacks had no effect. It did reveal something though. It seemed the Bronze Dragon was drawing power from the ground to power his protective bubble. The Bronze Dragon made a cursory attack back with similar strength, simply sending some thick spears of earth in her direction almost as an afterthought.


    ¡°She¡¯s making a mistake.¡± The Platinum Dragon Qarazass commented as he drew closer to Mneventh.


    ¡°I disagree.¡± Mneventh replied confidently.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear why. As long as Tendai can stay on the ground, he can keep drawing power from the planet to defend himself. The longer she waits, the harder it will be to pierce his defenses. Soon he will have the power of an entire world under his command. I know you could deal with it, but Tendai is known as the Aspect of the Earth for a reason. And she doesn¡¯t have your anti-magic abilities. He might not be the most offensively powerful dragon, but even I would have trouble killing him without taking the whole planet with him once his shield is at full strength.¡± Qarazass was not happy about such an uppity and young dragon being an Aspect either, but Tendai had earned his place through combat. The Bronze Dragons had not birthed a rank thirteen dragon for ages, but now they had some prospects at least. And truthfully Qarazass was too old to really care.


    Mneventh shook his head. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. For once your experience is a disadvantage. You¡¯re spending too much time reasoning things out instead of feeling. Just watch.¡± It was difficult to explain the almost instinctive feeling of pressure that Dee gave off without even trying to. Mneventh was quite sure that even if Dee wasn¡¯t capable of fighting him equally just yet, it was only a matter of time. And not a lot of time either considering her pace of growth.


    ¡®Well, you were supposed to make a show of it. Want to go for something really flashy?¡¯ Croestia asked Dee silently.


    ¡®Might as well. If the turtle is content with hiding in his shell, then all we have to do is to break the shell. He doesn¡¯t seem to quite realize how many ways there are to get around such protections. Still, it would be even flashier to break the shell rather than go around it.¡¯ Dee replied.


    Suddenly the entire weight of Dee¡¯s Domain pressed down on the Bronze Dragon, causing his shield to flicker for a short moment. The ghostly outlines of Dee¡¯s rather oppressive totem appeared behind her and the weapon the gods crafted for her floated out by her side. She started pumping more and more power into the weapon, and a psionic blade extended outwards from the handle. At first, the blade was barely the size of a small building but it quickly grew to a size rivaling the Living Mountain. Instead of growing larger, Dee started to make the blade denser instead. The blade had started out as something formed of blueish energy, but it started to glow brighter and brighter. The gravity in the air started acting weird and the space around the weapon started twisting and being rent open in places. The nearby skies were suddenly covered in dark clouds that seemed to be rotating around Dee, like the eye of a storm.


    ¡°Oh, it seems this will be resolved in a single attack. It¡¯s a simple check of whether Tendai¡¯s defense is stronger than the hatchling¡¯s offense.¡± Qazarass remarked rather pleasantly. He preferred a good show of force over an extended battle of attrition.


    So far Dee had channeled mostly her psionic power into the blade, but the item was fully capable of combining both her psionic and her holy powers, as it had already done before. She started instilling a large helping of holy power into the blade as well. Almost immediately the blade tripled in size and power, now covering most of the sky in the area. Dee actually had to fly higher to have enough room to throw the weapon. Now everything not attached to the ground started being drawn towards the blade instead of the ground.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t look too good.¡± Mit-Amen suddenly stated, drawing the attention of the Assembly Lords. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of what can happen when that attack hits. I don¡¯t like that at all. I think we might need to take some measures to protect the surrounding area.¡±


    Suddenly Dee really started pumping her full strength behind the attack, including utilizing the power of her totem and Domain to really dominate her opponent. After Dee had applied holy power to the weapon, the thing had felt like a judgement from the gods, ready to descend on the planet. Now it felt like the gods themselves had descended to swing the weapon. Streamers of spatial energy radiated outwards from the blade, rending everything they hit in a radius of several hundred kilomels. And that was just the errant power leaking from the blade. She would¡¯ve used even more power, except she was feeling that the whole attack was hitting a limit of some sorts. Likely she had to understand the weapon better to use more power in a single attack.


    Mit-Amen approached the nearby dragons. ¡°We will have to intervene. That¡¯s a full-fledged attack from a rank thirteen being capable of destroying a world. I don¡¯t think we want to be on the world in question when that happens.¡± Even Qazarass was starting to feel like it might be a good idea to interrupt the whole thing. Incidentally, Hyacinth was jumping around in expectant glee.


    ¡®Well, we¡¯ve come this far. Might as well go all out.¡¯ Croestia pointed out, adding her own support to Dee¡¯s powers. That wasn¡¯t what she meant though.


    Dee looked at the weapon next to her with some judgement. Suddenly the whole thing was engulfed in black flames, causing the space around her to scream in protest. It had been a while since the reality around her had such a visceral reaction to the black flames. After her time spent in the elemental plane of fire, the black flames had lost much of the unnatural feeling they¡¯d had before. Now it once again felt like the reality was trying to revolt against the flames. With a shrug, she drew her clawed front leg back in a futile but theatric throwing motion. She wasn¡¯t even holding the weapon, so the whole move was just for show.


    ¡°Oh, fuck me sideways!¡± Mneventh suddenly declared. He was one of the few beings around that knew the significance of the black flames. ¡°Help me right now!¡± He roared and many of the dragons and even some of the Lords complied, sending their own power to Mneventh in order to try and stop the attack that suddenly flashed towards the Bronze Dragon that suddenly looked a lot less sure of himself.


    Everyone thought that Mneventh would try to prevent the attack from hitting his fellow Aspect, but he knew there was no point. Some of the Assembly Lords had erected their own shields above the place, but the psionic blade cleaved through them as if they were made of paper. In fact, the black flames only seemed to grow stronger. The same fate befell the shield generated by the Bronze Dragon, though with a very important difference. The black flames flew through the shield unhindered, straight at the cowering Bronze Dragon, but the psionic blade collided with the shield and the two energies collided directly. The resulting explosion was bright enough to render everyone blind for a short time and they could feel the space collapsing near the place where the powers had collided.


    The damage would have extended much further but Mneventh had used the combined power of those that had listened to him to counter some of the rampaging energy, containing the damage in a small area. He had known trying to stop the attack was a fool¡¯s errand. If he had time to prepare, stopping the attack might have worked, but not with a hasty move like this. It was better to confine the damage to a small area instead. This was made obvious by the failed attempt by some of the Lords to stop the attack. Something worthy of note was that Fawwaz was one of the Lords that had given his strength to stop the attack, so Dee¡¯s attack had been strong enough to go through a defense that was powered by a rank thirteen Lord and several rank twelve Lords, which was significant even though their full power wasn¡¯t behind the hasty defense.


    As the dust settled, the Bronze Dragon Aspect was simply gone. There was some grey ash faintly floating in the wind, but that too disintegrated rather quickly. The entire area where the two powers had collided was just gone. Not just the dragon, but the air, the ground, and everything living had turned into nothing but a void filled with spatial storms and everyone looking in had the distinct impression that time didn¡¯t work quite correctly in the close proximity of the impact site. A single enormous psionic blade was still standing tall, penetrating deep into the planet''s crust and twisting the gravity around in horrible ways.


    ¡®Didn¡¯t the gods warn you that throwing that thing at planets might be a bad idea?¡¯ Croestia suddenly commented.


    ¡®Yup.¡¯ Dee replied with a chipper tone. She had actually wanted to try it as soon as she had heard the warning.


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    ¡®I¡¯m also pretty sure I can feel the entire planet being affected already.¡¯ Croestia continued. It didn¡¯t take sharp senses to notice everything wasn¡¯t quite right with the planet.


    ¡®Yup.¡¯ Dee replied again. This time she continued though. ¡®They wanted a show of force. Well, they got one.¡¯ She waved her hand and the blade disappeared once the hilt that was the focus of the entire weapon floated back to Dee¡¯s outstretched hand.


    Mneventh flew up to Dee. ¡°How are you feeling? This was your first right?¡±


    Dee looked at the Black Dragon with a slightly odd expression. Was he really not aware of the double entendre? ¡°I¡¯m feeling fine. I could easily do that again.¡± In fact she could. She used quite a lot of power but it was rather evenly distributed over all of her abilities, so the used power was already quickly recovering. She felt that she had to do some testing before she could make the attack more effective though. ¡°And first what?¡±


    ¡°First world you fucked up. I¡¯m pretty sure that if the world wasn¡¯t already practically uninhabited, it will be soon for sure. The bloody thing isn¡¯t spinning anymore, and I have the feeling you altered its trajectory as well. And you can do that again? Really? Usually someone new to the thirteenth rank is categorized by being able to destroy a planet, but they can¡¯t do it several times in a row. Not at first anyway. Now, I contained most of the damage, but you would¡¯ve properly wrecked the place if I hadn¡¯t.¡± As he was getting more comfortable, Mneventh forgot to use more polite language. His true nature was starting to come through. He was still notably less cranky than usual though.


    Dee wasn¡¯t sure she wanted to continue this discussion, so she decided to change the subject. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you save Selvaria? I¡¯m under the impression you were friends, and you even called yourself my uncle. That implies a certain close connection. I¡¯m sure you could¡¯ve done it if you really wanted to. You didn¡¯t even try from what I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    Mneventh was quiet for a while before answering. He had expected the question at some point, but the suddenness still caught him by surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t save her for two reasons. The less important reason is that I was strictly forbidden from doing so.¡±


    ¡°I get the impression you¡¯re not the type to care about such things.¡± Dee pointed out.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re already getting it. However, there are many ways to force someone to comply. They didn¡¯t threaten me with anything like violence. They threatened me with a promotion.¡±


    Dee¡¯s look of utter confusion forced Mneventh to laugh. ¡°Yeah, that about sums up my reaction as well. You are likely not aware but the current Dragon Queen is pretty much gone already. She has been in a long slumber for a long time and isn¡¯t expected to wake up again. And even if she does, it will be the last time. Well, the other Aspects threatened to vote me as the next ruler of the Dragonflight if I didn¡¯t comply. Still, I wouldn¡¯t have cared if it wasn¡¯t for the other reason.¡±


    ¡°Which was?¡± Dee naturally asked.


    ¡°I think this imprisonment was good for her in many ways. She blamed herself for what happened to the demons during the purge. She could¡¯ve done more, arguably should¡¯ve done more, but it would¡¯ve forced her into killing the relatively innocent pawns of the angels. She wasn¡¯t willing to fight the angels either. She was tearing herself up trying to stop the purge without fighting, trying to save anyone she could. You being around helped a lot, but she still didn¡¯t want to just stop to deal with her own ghosts. She was wracked with guilt but was also unwilling to face that guilt. This imprisonment would¡¯ve forced her to deal with her issues. She could no longer hide behind raising you or running around feebly trying to save people. She only has time and her own guilt now, thus forcing her to deal with it.¡± Mneventh explained. ¡°Besides, she wasn¡¯t really being harmed by the whole thing. I would¡¯ve helped her eventually.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s about time to save her though, don¡¯t you?¡± Dee suggested.


    The large dragon gave a deep sigh, strong enough to create some gale winds. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. What about the negotiations? Not that I personally care. And how would we get there? The gates being cut might¡¯ve fucked the angels, but it doesn¡¯t exactly make things easier for us either.¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about that. I have a way for us to get there. I also have some help with the seal imprisoning her, as well as my own position as Lumen¡¯s Champion. The others can take care of the boring diplomacy. That¡¯s not my job. I did my part already.¡± Dee replied, already sending a message to Aurelie and Mit-Amen.


    ¡°By way of getting us there, you don¡¯t mean¡­¡± Mneventh¡¯s eyes narrowed. He was aware of the way Astral Dragons traveled and wanted nothing to do with it. An Aspect of Anti-Magic on a plane filled with weird magic was a bad combination.


    --------


    ¡°Stop complaining already!¡± Dee roared at the enormous Black Dragon. ¡°We¡¯re almost there already! It can¡¯t be that bad!¡±


    Dee was forced into taking some extreme measures to get her group to their destination. Usually she wouldn¡¯t let anyone ride on her, but her clawed feet were currently busy and if she wanted to make the trip as short as possible, then everyone had to be in contact with her the entire time. Thus Mit-Amen and Aurelie got a very rare and exclusive ride on her back while Hyacinth had shrunk down even further and was standing on top of Dee''s head. The reason her feet were busy was because she had to drag Mneventh by his tail the entire way. The Black Dragon had finally acquiesced to using Dee¡¯s method of travel, but he had become violently ill almost immediately after entering the Astral Sea. Apparently his nature really didn¡¯t fit the place. The only reason Dee could even drag the enormous dragon along was because there was no resistance in the Astral Sea.


    All in all though, the trip had been a lot shorter than she had assumed. It seemed the one ability that had benefitted the most after she became rank thirteen was her ability to travel the Astral Plane. It seemed like that particular ability constantly surprised her, as the same thing had happened as she had become rank twelve. And interestingly the ability¡¯s growth had nothing to do with her rank strictly speaking. Dee speculated it had more to do with the growing feeling of leaving her body behind as a shell that she¡¯d had. It seemed the Astral Plane was something especially suited for energy beings. And the stronger her feeling of separation got, the faster her travel speed would become. Even now though, it only took them three days to reach their destination. At least something was going well.


    That small pleasure vanished immediately after exiting the portal. Upon surveying her surroundings she realized that something was terribly wrong. The area around them was swarming with angels. This didn¡¯t seem like a trap though, as the angels seemed just as confused. Apparently, the portal had appeared right above an army of angels, and it didn¡¯t take much for the angels to detect a pair of rank thirteen dragons and two Lords of considerable strength. Not to mention the cackling Faerie Dragon. To be fair, their entrance wasn¡¯t exactly a stealthy one as Mneventh managed to vomit over a large number of the angels before getting his bearings back. Hyacinth had already attacked the nearest angels before anyone was paying attention, and the first Seraphim were already torn to pieces or burnt to a crisp.


    ¡°Fucking perfect! Someone to take my anger out on! Remind me never to take your portals again.¡± Mneventh declared as he dashed towards the army of angels that were already managing to gather into large units led by immortals. It seemed like this wasn¡¯t just some random gathering of warriors but a large group of well-trained Seraph and Cherubim. It was hard to estimate their number from such close proximity, but Dee felt that terms like heaps, loads, and fuckton were appropriate. She changed shapes to her normal form, just so that she would draw less attention.


    ¡°Well, we always knew there would be some defenders, we just didn¡¯t know how many.¡± Mit-Amen commented as she and Aurelie went their own way, intent on hunting some of the stronger immortals among the enemy ranks. The leader of the white faction would likely leave them alive but unable to continue fighting. Or not. Both seemed possible.


    Suddenly Dee felt a strong pressure that was immediately countered by her own Domain. It seemed that someone here had a Domain of their own, somewhat different from the one Dee had. She didn¡¯t have to look for the person, as the particular angel almost casually floated towards her. The strikingly handsome male angel had two pairs of golden wings that matched his short and unruly hair. Oddly enough, his breastplate and clothing were divided in the middle into two equal sized but differently colored halves. One side was red and gold, while the other side was white and silver.


    ¡°I get the feeling you¡¯re the leader of this little charade. I¡¯m not entirely sure why, but I have the impression it might have something to do with why Mneventh is so out of it. I almost feel insulted that he completely ignored my presence.¡± The man seemed to be talking almost without any rush or worry.


    Dee could feel the power the man had, even though it was less obvious and more hidden than one might assume. ¡°Leader is a strong word. Shouldn¡¯t you be trying to stop him from ravaging your forces?¡±


    ¡°This is good training for them. Perhaps a bit extreme, but they should be able to delay him at least. I was specifically training them in combining their powers to fight a singular powerful enemy after all. In some ways, Mneventh is the perfect target to test their abilities against. Besides, even as I am, I would find it difficult to fight the Black Dragon Aspect while you¡¯re skulking in the sidelines. For some reason, I feel that dealing with you first is much more important.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you c¡­!¡± Dee¡¯s words were interrupted by a casual swing of the man¡¯s thin blade.


    The distance between the two was much too far for the blade to reach, but a sudden sense of danger made Dee use her highest speed to dodge to the side. Even with all the speed from Lumen¡¯s blessing, she was too slow. The attack seemed to go straight through her armor of light, even though she didn¡¯t even see the attack. She managed to avoid most of the attack, but it still hit her lower left arm as she had materialized the second pair of hands just in case. The arm was severed neatly just below the elbow. For some reason her regeneration didn¡¯t seem to be reacting either, leaving the wound bleeding rather badly.


    ¡°I think I can, yes. It is my role as the Morningstar after all. All enemies of Paradisia will fall before my blade. You will not be the first and you will not be the last rank thirteen being my blade has tasted.¡± The reason for the man¡¯s calm demeanor became obvious. He was simply supremely confident in his own strength, which is why he didn¡¯t need to rush.


    Dee squinted her eyes dangerously. She had no idea what had just happened. Obviously she wasn¡¯t the only one capable of invisible attacks. She couldn¡¯t read any power from the attack either. For the first time her sight was failing her so completely. This was trouble.

 Chapter 195

    Although the Morningstar hadn¡¯t performed an immediate follow-up attack, he wasn¡¯t about to give Dee the chance to come up with countermeasures. It seemed he was simply surprised that Dee had managed to survive the first attack. Usually, one attack was all that was needed. That caused him to delay the next attack just a little. Luckily for Dee, she was a psion and could quickly come up to a handful of conclusions in very little time. If she wanted to survive this fight, she had to figure out how that weird attack worked. Two possibilities came to mind. Either the blade was simply undetectable and could pass through defenses like the armor of light, or the attack had some sort of spatial property that skipped the space in between the sword and the target, allowing it to reach the target instantly.


    Dee saw the angel start making another casual swing, slightly more serious this time, and knew she had no more time. Two hasty plans immediately sprang to action. A million invisible hands surrounded Dee from all sides, forming a forest of psionic energy. If the attack was simply invisible and undetectable, then it would cut through those hands, giving her some warning. The two were also suddenly completely covered in thick darkness, rendering both of them invisible to even magical sight. If the attack was entirely spatial, then at the very least it had to be aimed very precisely. The darkness would make such aiming at least a little harder.


    As the attack closed on Dee, only barely missing her, several things became clear. First of all, several of the invisible hands between the two beings had been cut, making it clear that the attack did actually have to cross that distance. The attack was so fast though that it obviously had a certain amount of spatial element mixed in, as even with the small warning from the invisible hands being cut she only barely managed to dodge the deadly blow. Notably, only some of the invisible hands in between them had been cut, so the strike did skip some of the space in between. Anyone slower than Dee would have no opportunity to avoid it.


    It was also clear that the Morningstar could still track Dee to a certain extent through the darkness. That didn¡¯t come as a huge surprise as Dee no longer had the gift of stealth she used to have. If it was the Dee of the past, she would be able to stand right in front of the Morningstar and not be detected. The Dee of today was much stronger, but that power came with a price. There were now multiple ways of detecting her presence, the heavy oppression of her Domain being just the most obvious sign of her location. She could use the Authority to hide herself for a short time, but even that wasn¡¯t a full guarantee of keeping her location a secret.


    Speaking of Domains, as she avoided the third attack, this time with slightly more margin as she got used to it and because the enemy couldn¡¯t track her perfectly, she sensed that the enemy¡¯s attack had something to do with his totem and Domain. She had expected as much, as an immortal¡¯s most powerful abilities usually had something to do with their totem. Still, it did make things a little simpler as it placed certain limits on the usage of that ability. For example, the Morningstar didn¡¯t seem to be a spatial mage so Dee didn¡¯t have to watch out for spells of that type. Not that she would discount the possibility completely, as he could just be trapping her. Her concentration was shaken a bit as a bright light suddenly flared up, pushing away the darkness surrounding the two.


    The Morningstar was the highest ranking angel after all, and nominally quite high in the hierarchy of Lumen¡¯s servants, even if his faith wasn¡¯t very strong. Thus it wasn¡¯t shocking that he had the ability to push back the darkness created from Umbra¡¯s power. Two things happened simultaneously as the darkness was pushed back. The first thing was that Dee faced the fourth attack that came just as her cover of darkness went away. Luckily for her, the Morningstar had judged her position slightly wrong. He might be able to tell where she was, but he couldn¡¯t tell which way her body was moving. In this case, she was almost parallel to the ground, leaping over the attack that harmlessly whizzed by under her. Considering the fact that they were both in the air, the maneuver looked a little silly.


    The Morningstar wasn¡¯t in a position to judge though as the second thing that happened was Dee launching her own attack. She had judged that a frontal attack would either be blocked or dodged, so she tossed a pair of psionic daggers into her own shadow, and the two daggers exited from his shadow, hitting him in both legs. To her chagrin, Dee noted that the attacks had no effect, not that she had expected much, but it did cause him to get distracted for a second.


    She certainly wasn¡¯t going to allow such an opportunity to go to waste, and a man-sized ball of black flames rushed at the angel immediately. While her black flames were an almost unstoppable force, they were not a perfect form of attack. Almost everyone tried to block the flames either with their own power or with some kind of protective shields, both of which would result in a miserable failure as the flames simply absorbed those defenses. The Morningstar wasn¡¯t like almost everyone. His first instinct wasn¡¯t to block the attack but to avoid it entirely. Befitting for someone with clear spatial talent, his ability to dodge was equally impressive when compared to his attacks and the black flames harmlessly passed by.


    ¡°Well then. Now that we¡¯ve both shown our impressive ability to make lethal attacks and to dodge them as well, I think it¡¯s about time we got serious.¡± The Morningstar declared, lifting his sword in something resembling a salute in front of his face. Some sort of boosting abilities seemed to spring to life around him, and Dee responded in kind. Croestia especially focused all her power into boosting Dee¡¯s speed.


    Immediately Dee felt the invisible hands in her surroundings being shredded as hundreds of invisible blades curved towards her from all sides. Dodging was entirely impossible. It would also take too much time to slip into the shadows personally as the process was far from instant. In the end, Dee had to rely on something much more direct. She dashed straight towards the Morningstar and the thickest storm of attacks. A pair of lavender wings cradled around her front, trying to form an impenetrable wall to clear her path as she moved out of the way of the other attacks. She felt the heavy impact of the attacks hitting on her wings, but the defensive power of those wings surprised both of them. She emerged from the storm of deadly energy with only slight scratches on her clothing, her wings fully intact.


    ¡®I see. The wings of someone on a mission from Lumen should not be underestimated.¡¯ The Morningstar thought to himself, just as he also avoided the counter-attack.


    A large psionic blade extended from a ¡®cane¡¯ in Dee¡¯s hand, the sheer size of the blade leaving little chance to dodge. Yet the attack seemed to pass harmlessly, as if the Morningstar had somehow phased out just as the attack went through his previous position. Dee had not expected this, not exactly, but she had suspected that the enemy had some way of avoiding her attack. Thus she followed that attack with another, a more innocent looking one as her black wings slashed at the Morningstar that returned to reality. In haste, he used his own wings to defend against the attack, but unfortunately for him, his wings didn¡¯t quite have the defensive power of Dee¡¯s lavender wings.


    That was also the point at which he made the mistake that would decide the entire fight. It was a natural reaction for someone to try and back off and take distance to re-evaluate the changed circumstances. It was also the normal reaction when getting injured, no matter how lightly. Dee had tried the same thing when faced with his first attack, the difference being that she didn¡¯t get very far. The Morningstar on the other hand seemed to disappear and appear several hundred mel away while invisible chains seemed to hold Dee back. He looked at the mangled pair of wings on his right with a slight grimace. He had been careless and paid for it.


    However, this short moment of reprieve allowed Dee to cast a spell she had never used before, while she used the pressure from her own Domain to shatter the chains that had already done their job in holding Dee back for a second. The main reason she had never used the spell, was because Death had taught the spell to her after she had left Pantheon. She had been taught a lower ranked version, which she had even used once, but this one was much more effective. Apparently, it was the most dangerous death-element holy spell there was, and it had several conditions that needed to be fulfilled before it could be cast.


    One of those conditions was enough time to focus on casting the spell, something rarely found in a fast-paced combat but also something the Morningstar had just granted her. Another condition was the availability of life-force. The spell required a lot of life-force to be used in addition to a large amount of holy power. The required life-force could come from the spell¡¯s caster, but that kind of drain would take a long time for even an immortal to recover from. Luckily for Dee, she had ample sources life-force nearby, just waiting to donate to the cause.


    The Morningstar of course felt the gathering holy power but could do little about it. Such large-scale holy spells were hard to disrupt once set in motion. He wasn¡¯t too worried about it though, as he still had his ways of avoiding pretty much anything that came his way. His expression did twist a little as a large dark portal appeared in the sky, as if someone had opened a black hole in the sky. This dark portal wasn¡¯t a force of gravity though. Instead, it was something more sinister. A large skeletal hand reached out from the gate and anyone observing could see a reaper-like being inside.


    ¡°Did you think something like this would be able to hit me?¡± The Morningstar asked with slight derision as the slow-moving skeletal hand moved towards him.


    ¡°You misunderstand.¡± Dee replied with a small smile. ¡°That¡¯s not for you. Not yet anyway.¡±


    Suddenly the gathered angels started screaming in pain as green streams of light were sucked out of them. The light went towards the skeletal hand that gathered all that life-force into a large orb of power floating above the palm of its hand. The weaker angels died outright while the stronger ones seemed to wither and age in the span of seconds. ¡°You bastard!¡± The Morningstar cursed Dee.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand the hypocritical attitude that you people have against death spells. Your blades kill people as well and a mage dropping a meteor on an army causes just as many casualties. The death spells are simply slightly more effective and leave less of a mess.¡± Dee was honestly a little confused about this. In truth, a major part of the hatred against such spells came from an almost animal-like instinct that wanted to rebel against death.


    That was another reason Dee had never used the spell before. Such spells would not make you very popular once word got out. It was one thing to use a death spell that attacked a handful of people, but to use one against an entire army caused a visceral reaction in people. Such spells could be resisted, perhaps even negated, but that required enough warning to prepare the specific countermeasures or very skilled and powerful clerics of the light side deities. And with many of the high ranking clerics of Lumen gone¡­


    In a desperate attempt to stop the spell, the Morningstar closed the distance between them and fiercely tried to attack Dee. She had to admit that the angel was much better than her with the sword, and she was being pushed back constantly. However, that was the extent of it. She was simply pushed back as she was playing for time. The large spell came to the end of the first phase. Suddenly the Morningstar felt like there was something squeezing his heart. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I cast the spell just to get rid of your subordinates, did you?¡± Dee stated and backed off. The Morningstar was unable to follow as the pain in his chest grew more intense.


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    If one looked closely, they could see that the green orb of energy the skeletal hand had gathered had turned sickly greenish-black. It had also taken the form of the Morningstar and the skeletal hand was squeezing on that energy, attempting to close its fist. The Morningstar suddenly vanished, trying to escape the effects of the spell in a fold of space where he should be safe. No such luck though. Once Dee¡¯s spell had locked on to him, there was no avoiding the effects. That¡¯s why she had used the spell. Any other of her powerful attacks could be avoided with the Morningstar¡¯s spatial tricks. The Morningstar could¡¯ve tried attacking the portal and that would¡¯ve had more of an effect, but that was not his first instinct.


    Still, it became a struggle. All that life-force was used to attack the Morningstar, but he wasn¡¯t just any angel. Dee also supplemented the spell with her own power. Even with the blessing of the Goddess of Death and the nature of her totem and Domain, it was hard to snuff out the life inside the powerful angel. Dee was sweating profusely and the spell had almost entirely run out of power by the time the spatial pocket around the Morningstar collapsed and he fell back down to the ground.


    Dee slowly and carefully approached the almost dead angel. She could sense that the Morningstar was holding on to a thread of life even now. Otherwise she would¡¯ve absorbed his soul already. She was careful of a last desperate attack. Yet the attack didn¡¯t come. ¡°Why?¡± The Morningstar managed to wheeze out.


    ¡°Why what? You¡¯ll have to be more precise. Why am I here? To save Selvaria. You¡¯re just in the way. You even attacked me first. Why am I opposing the angels? I think you should know. And you don¡¯t get to complain after the purge.¡± Dee obliged.


    ¡°Why would¡­Lumen pick¡­someone like you?¡± The Morningstar squeezed out slowly.


    ¡°Ah. That. Because you have lost the way. Most of your kind has turned away from her grace and support Nasir-Sin instead. She was the one who created you, and this is how you repay her. Even you are flirting with Umbra. Imagine that, the Morningstar almost becoming a Fallen. Did you know Umbra actually asked me not to kill you? Incidentally, I think she did that just because she knew I would do the opposite. She was wise to your little games.¡± For some reason, Dee was feeling talkative.


    The Morningstar gave a wheezing and strained laugh. ¡°Sorry¡­about your arm. Could you allow the rest of my troops live? They only followed orders.¡± His voice faded away before she could answer. She could also feel the soul leaving the man and entering her Domain. Dee looked at her severed arm and realized that it was still not showing any signs or regenerating. It seemed that she¡¯d have to come up with another way, or learn to live her life with only three arms. The battle had been short but dangerous. Most of her fights tended to be that way for some reason. She¡¯d heard about grand fights that lasted for hours on end, but that just didn¡¯t apply to her.


    Dee looked around her. Only about ten percent of the angels were still in a condition to fight and even those had suffered the effects of her spell. The surviving angels were going through the bodies and the injured, figuring out if anyone could be saved. Her companions had stopped fighting as soon as the spell hit and were gathering around her. ¡°Yeah, I suppose I could grant you that much.¡± She said to the empty air. She had enmity with the angels, but she wasn¡¯t genocidal. The fight had also helped her solidify that fact in her mind. She didn¡¯t desire the death of all the angels. She never really did. They had a lesson to learn, but she didn¡¯t want to perform a purge of her own. Even Hyacinth seemed to be willing to oblige when she told them to leave the surviving angels to be.


    ¡®So how does this focus thing work?¡¯ Dee threw a question towards Croestia. Not that she expected the pendant to have an answer.


    ¡®Do you feel anything?¡¯ Croestia asked back.


    ¡®Something has changed. I¡¯m not sure what. I think this is one of those things that will take some time. I¡¯d hate to find out that the whole thing failed because Umbra didn¡¯t give me proper instructions though.¡¯ As there was very little to do on the battlefield anymore, the group went ahead towards the large seal located nearby. A magical formation of that strength and size was hard to miss.


    Mit-Amen went ahead to study the formation. She had expertise in the subject, something she refused to explain, but she wanted to make sure nothing had changed. It took the Fallen a better part of the day to go through the whole thing. Both Mneventh and Hyacinth had gone to sleep, while Dee and Aurelie had pulled out something to snack on. A lot of something. Finally Mit-Amen approached the rest of them. She gave an amused side glance to Hyacinth sleeping on top on Mneventh¡¯s head. The large black dragon had finally decided to just stop bothering with the annoying Faerie Dragon.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡± Dee asked as Mit-Amen got close. The leader of the angel faction had expressed her appreciation at the fact that Dee had spared some of the angels, even though she didn¡¯t really have a reason to do so.


    ¡°Yes. We need either enough pull in the hierarchy of Paradisia to cancel the seal, or enough sheer power. I think we could go with either now that both you and Mneventh are here, but simply opening the seal would be much faster.¡± She was quiet for a moment. ¡°Strictly speaking, you could be considered the new Morningstar for now. That¡¯s not how the title is usually passed on and no one would actually agree, but the option is there and the spell will recognize the claim until a new one is officially chosen. Truthfully I¡¯m not sure how, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s get to it. We have left Selvaria waiting for long enough.¡± Dee followed Mit-Amen¡¯s instructions in placing some of her power into the seal in very particular ways and places while announcing her position in the hierarchy. The leader of the white faction turned out to be useful as there was no way Dee would¡¯ve figured out the workings of such a complex sealing spell. Breaking it on the other hand would¡¯ve taken time. The seal gave off oddly mechanical sounds as it slowly opened and vanished, revealing the presence of a simple portal.


    ¡°I think I should probably go in first.¡± Mneventh growled. The noise had woken him up ¡°She¡¯ll recognize me and won¡¯t attack. Within her own spatial pocket, she is extremely powerful so we don¡¯t want to fight her.¡±


    Dee nodded her agreement and watched with interest as the enormous dragon seemed to get sucked into a tiny portal without any difficulty. Dee realized that Selvaria likely wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize her current appearance, so she made some small changes. The halo and wings vanished, and she stored the cloak she usually wore, allowing her tails to be clearly visible. After a small moment of consideration, she also returned back to her old appearance, covered in white fur and had Croestia materialize on her chest in a pendant form. Aurelie and Mit-Amen watched Dee grooming herself without being sure how they should react.


    -----


    To say that Selvaria was shocked to see Mneventh appear on the arrival platform of her pocket dimension would be a severe understatement. She had happened to be in the garden near the platform maintaining some of the decorative flowers, so she was close by when the portal activated. She had held a certain amount of hope that the Aspect would come for her eventually, they were friends after all, but she had somewhat lost hope as the years passed. There was obviously a reason he had not done so earlier, so what had changed? She was both blissfully and woefully unaware of everything going on outside of her little corner of the universe.


    Still, she was glad to see him. ¡°Mneventh old friend!¡± She got close enough to pat the huge dragon on the snout. The grouchy dragon let out a disdainful snort but didn¡¯t move away. In some ways he was just a big softy. The tiny Faerie Dragon currently sun tanning on top of his head was something new though. ¡°A new friend?¡± She asked carefully.


    ¡°What?¡± Mneventh looked genuinely confused for a moment. He had completely forgotten the presence of Hyacinth. ¡°Oh, that little bastard. Don¡¯t mind her, and don¡¯t provoke her either. She¡¯s relatively stable for a Faerie Dragon, but I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s at least partly because we just witnessed the deaths of an entire legion of high ranking angels and the Morningstar himself. It¡¯ll wear off.¡±


    Selvaria raised an eyebrow at that. Just the death of a legion of angels was huge news, not to mention the Morningstar. What happened? ¡°Did the Dragonflight go to war with the angels? Has it already become so bad that you would fight the Morningstar to the death?¡± During the eternal War in Heavens, it was rare to see the real big shots going all out, and it was even rarer for one of them to die.


    Mneventh realized that his friend was getting a weird impression. ¡°Hurmm, well, yes the Dragonflight is about to go to war with the angels, but that¡¯s not really¡­look it¡¯s complicated. Anyway, your daughter is here, and she¡¯s the one who killed the Morningstar.¡±


    Selvaria looked completely stumped. ¡°My daughter? Little Dee? Did time flow differently outside this spatial pocket? She¡¯s here?¡± She suddenly brushed off the dirt on her clothes. Suddenly she felt that it would¡¯ve been so much better if she had worn her robes today instead of working clothes.


    Her eyes were drawn to the portal as three people stepped through. Her eyes could see through them and she could recognize two chimeras and one Fallen, all very powerful. The one in the center especially radiated dominance and death. This was a person you really didn¡¯t want to anger. She also looked familiar enough for Selvaria to connect the dots. The two cute little tails had turned into thirteen and the small girl had become a tall woman of impressive stature.


    There was very little of the old Haydee left. The precocious little girl had turned into a weary and dangerous woman that could snap a dragon in two with a frown. She could see from the way Dee carried herself that the life she had led had not been easy or pleasant. Nor could it have been considering the amount of strength she had accumulated in such a short time. Clearly, something had gone awry. Still. There was something about the way the now adult woman carried herself that hinted at certain things that might not have changed. There was an air of curiosity and competence that had been there even as she was small.


    Selvaria¡¯s eyes filled with tears as she gingerly and slowly drew closer to Dee as the others gave them some space. ¡°Dee.¡± She managed to squeeze out with a voice filled with emotions and gently lifted her fingers to touch Dee¡¯s face. She actually had to go up on her toes to reach.


    Suddenly a fist smashed into her stomach and drove all the air out of her lungs. ¡°That¡¯s for not making sure Xinglong was there to meet me when you sent me off.¡± The voice sounded bitter and pained.


    Then she was enveloped by a pair of hands in a soft but insistent hug, soothing away the pain from the previous blow. This time the voice broke with a small sob. ¡°This is for caring enough to try. Mother, I¡¯m home.¡±


    The others left the two crying women alone.

 Chapter 196

    The rest of the day was spent mostly catching up. Mneventh explained the recent situation between the participants in the War in Heaven, while Dee told Selvaria stories of her past. At first, she wanted to keep some of the worse things a secret but Selvaria caught on to that pretty fast. After that, Dee was forced into recounting the worst things that happened to her first. Selvaria was understandably sad and regretful about what happened when Dee arrived on Pantheon, but in the end that was all in the past. There was nothing that could be done to change things. She also grieved over Xinglong¡¯s death. She had somewhat expected the news almost as soon as she had seen Dee, but the news still left a bitter feeling inside her.


    Selvaria for her part explained her life while being trapped, although there was surprisingly little to tell. She had been doing some research most of the time. The rest was spent helping the women she had saved before being trapped, and who had been trapped with her inside her pocket dimension. Although Selvaria could manage almost everything, there were some things that they simply didn¡¯t have access to. The lack of certain medicines and simple aging had taken a toll on the number of people over the years. Many of the women had already been either subjected to violence or disease that left them weak before being saved by Selvaria, so some of them died young despite all the help she could provide. And with no men, no new children were born. The number of people inside the pocket dimension had dropped by almost ten percent over the few decades. For a group being cared for by an immortal mage and a scientist, that was quite a few deaths.


    There were still plenty of stories to tell and Dee had only managed to scratch the surface by telling only the shortest version of things, but some things stood clear to Selvaria. ¡°So in the end, you are still planning on taking revenge on the angels? The years have not brought forgiveness.¡± Her tone was not judging, simply a little sad. The two happened to be alone at the moment, as the others had gone to prepare for their journey back.


    ¡°I intend to move against them, but I¡¯m not sure if it could be called taking revenge any longer. I mean, that¡¯s a part of it, but mostly I¡¯m seeking closure and fulfilling my promise to Lumen. I want this business with the angels to come to an end. I don¡¯t think I will be able to have a very peaceful life if I do not, as there will always be a nagging feeling of leaving things unfinished. Once I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll be reaching a point where no one can make demands to me anymore. Perhaps then I can find my own path.¡± Dee explained.


    She had too much of her fate and goals tied with the angels. Even if she left them alone now, they would come after her because of what she was and because of what she had done. Killing the Morningstar did not help in that respect. Even if she was strong enough to not be in danger personally, the angels might target those close to her when she wasn¡¯t around. Better to bring the matters to an end once and for all. If she made an example impressive enough, that would serve as a warning to all those that would harbor ill will in the future.


    ¡°And what is your path?¡± Selvaria asked, genuinely curious. She felt like a true parent wondering about her child¡¯s future.


    Dee knew Selvaria asked about things beyond just the list of things she¡¯d like to do. Saying that she¡¯d like to eat everything nice was an answer, but not what Selvaria was truly asking. Even though that truly was one of her major future plans. ¡°Maybe I could find something peaceful to do. I always enjoyed alchemy when I was young, but that too fell by the wayside at some point. I could perhaps pick up an instrument.¡± She suddenly smiled. ¡°I happen to know a painter. She¡¯ll likely want me to model for her again. I¡¯m not entirely sure, to be honest. I haven¡¯t had much reason to think about it.¡±


    Selvaria nodded knowingly. ¡°I get that. I used to be like that too. So focused on short-term problems and goals that I didn¡¯t know what I wanted to do once it was all over. And that¡¯s not wrong. Focus is important. You¡¯re certainly not alone in this. I just think you should spare the question some thought. I ended up with focusing on research and haven¡¯t regretted it. Well, aside from what happened with the hells and the purge of course. But I have seen people who have turned their ¡®mission¡¯ into their sole purpose in life. Once that purpose has been fulfilled, they become adrift. Instead of celebrating their victory, they feel hollow as their life no longer has the all-consuming meaning that has been driving them for all those years. Some end up even taking their own life as nothing makes sense in their life anymore. In their mind, they have peaked and there¡¯s no point in going further. That¡¯s why I want you to have some purpose for what comes after. It doesn¡¯t need to be something you¡¯ll stick with forever, but just something to keep you going until you do find your new purpose.¡±


    That gave Dee pause. The words about people going adrift hit a bit too close home. Those times she¡¯d had time to herself, she had felt just like what Selvaria described, or at least eerily close. ¡°I shall take that under advisement.¡± She decided a change in subject was in order. ¡°So are you sure you can move this dimensional pocket once we leave? The Astral Sea works in ways that I do not pretend to understand.¡±


    Selvaria chuckled a bit. ¡°This dimension goes where I want it to go. Others might have trouble moving it against my will, but I do not suffer from that problem. You promised me I could move the entrance to your mountain, and it seems time for me to return anyway. I¡¯ve been cooped up here for long enough. If you¡¯re going to make a move against the angels, then as your mother it is my duty to help. Besides, you¡¯re never going to get Mneventh to go back to the Astral Sea. He can stay here while we go back to the White City.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, I¡¯m not so sure the Assembly will be too thrilled to have him in the White City either.¡± Dee grumbled.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s just going to become a hermit again now that he achieved his goal with you and me. He won¡¯t take part in the war unless we¡¯re in danger. Might as well have him become a hermit right here where we can have him come out if necessary. Besides, he seems to be getting along with that Hyacinth fairly well. At the very least they haven¡¯t killed each other just yet.¡± Selvaria said while tapping her cheek in thought.


    ¡°Not for lack of trying¡­¡± Croestia commented. The pendant still wasn¡¯t quite used to speaking with others besides Dee, but knowing that Selvaria was her previous owner helped.


    ¡°That reminds me! Pendant, do you want the memories of your old life back? I mean, they would be from my perspective and not yours, but we were together for so long that the difference isn¡¯t major. I don¡¯t want to push; I¡¯m just saying the option is there. I would mention though that the sheer amount of memories would have an impact on your personality, but it might help you recover some of your old abilities as well.¡± Selvaria stated, looking straight at Croestia.


    Croestia, in turn, was quiet for a long time. She was a little tempted, but also worried. ¡°Dee?¡± She finally asked the opinion of her current owner.


    ¡°That¡¯s entirely up to you. I will not weigh in one way or another. The old you was my friend as are you now. Do not accept or reject it for my sake. Only if you want to do it yourself. By the way, did you never name Croestia when you had her? I just remember calling her pendant.¡± The last question was for Selvaria.


    Selvaria smiled a little secretively. ¡°That¡¯s between me and the old pendant I¡¯m afraid. Let¡¯s just say that whether I named her or not, there was a reason that will stay between us. Anyway, you do not have to decide right now. As I said, I was just making you aware of the possibility.¡±


    As the day had been heavy both physically and emotionally, Dee was rather glad to retreat back to her childhood room to rest. As she said her night prayers though, she was immediately whisked away to the realm of the gods, this time Lumen¡¯s realm. She had actually been trying to reach Umbra to talk about becoming the focus, but this seemed important. Last time she had been here, the goddess had given her the opportunity to admire the resplendent realm filled with light, but now she was placed right in front of the distraught goddess.


    She didn¡¯t even get the chance to talk before Lumen launched off on her tirade. ¡°The bloody God of Order has finally done it! He¡¯s blaming my people for the destruction of the gateways and now anyone still faithful to me gets hunted down like a criminal! I need your help, Dee. I know you have little reason to care about the death of angels, but I¡¯m begging you. Please help me save the few that are still loyal.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a plan or are we just panicking?¡± Dee asked a little stunned. She wasn¡¯t prepared to say yes or no, just trying to gauge the situation.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t have a plan! I¡¯d love to have one, but my remaining children are dying. That makes planning a little hard. The best I can come up with is to have you enter Paradisia from my realm and put a stop to it. That¡¯s not exactly a refined plan, but it¡¯s the best I¡¯ve got for now.¡± The goddess was clearly panicking.


    Dee tapped her chin in thought for a moment. ¡°We need time. I have some ideas about how I can accomplish the original mission you gave me, and they can probably be used to resolve your current dilemma, but I can¡¯t pull something like this off hastily. Your idea about using your realm for me to enter Paradisia is something that I can work with though. I assume you have a way of contacting Nasir-Sin?¡±


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    ¡°Why? To answer, yes I do, but I¡¯ll need a reason.¡± Lumen replied. Making plans was not outside her expertise but gods usually didn¡¯t have to work on a timescale of days. Especially gods that focused on stability and light like her. She knew her Champion was much better at it. She could come up with the same ideas, it would just take several precious days or weeks to do so.


    ¡°Have him put a leash on his servants for a short time. Use a bit of carrot and a stick for good measure. Threaten him that I¡¯ll kill him if he doesn¡¯t give you time, or something. For the carrot, you can promise to reveal the identity of the real culprit behind the attack. Of course, you won¡¯t do so until after all this is over.¡± Dee told the goddess.


    ¡°I should probably mention that Eternity told us to keep you away from Nasir-Sin. If you kill the God of Order, Eternity will have to take measures against you to keep the universe in a relatively balanced state. He¡¯s not thrilled about the idea either, but he made the threat anyway.¡± Lumen didn¡¯t want to hide that from Dee. It was only fair that Dee was told.


    ¡±I kind of expected something like that might come sooner or later. Me killing gods was bound to have consequences. Anyway, does the God of Order know about Eternity¡¯s threat?¡± Dee focused on the important part.


    ¡°As far as I know, no. There¡¯s no real reason to tell him because that would embolden him to push you, and that¡¯s against Eternity¡¯s whole purpose in making the demand.¡± Lumen replied slightly unsure. She didn¡¯t mention the possibility that either Umbra or Death might have told him if there was a good enough reason.


    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re not really moving against the god, you¡¯re just buying some time. Once he agrees, start pulling all the angels loyal to you inside this realm of yours. You told me angels are not usually allowed inside this palace. Well, it¡¯s time to change that. They will be safe here for a time I think, and I need that time. The more time you can provide me the better. I have a plan. Well, I have several actually. I think I just found a way to move your people somewhere safe once I can come here physically.¡± Dee gave a curt outline.


    ¡°I could arrange something like that, but I can¡¯t completely eliminate the possibility of some angels worshipping Nasir-Sin from entering. Not the important ones, but those that still worship us both. If that happens, it is only a matter of time before more of them can enter. I can only buy a few months with this plan. After that, my realm will be compromised and Nasir-Sin might be able to attack directly.¡± Lumen agreed after a moment of consideration.


    ¡°That should be enough. Now send me to Umbra. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we will be able to solve your problem.¡± Dee found herself in the garden of darkness before her words were even fully out. Apparently the Goddess of Light was quite eager.


    ¡°There you are.¡± Umbra¡¯s voice came from the side. ¡°I see my sister informed you on the latest developments.¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re not all that phased.¡± Dee countered.


    ¡°Why would I be? Everything is going perfectly as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡± Umbra shot back with a smile.


    ¡°So you really did want me to deal with the Morningstar. I knew it.¡± Dee gave a dejected sigh.


    ¡°Well, any of the options would¡¯ve been fine with me. It¡¯s the old dilemma. Will you take the easy way out by killing someone close to you? Or will you take the harder road by killing the Morningstar? Or, and this would have been the really interesting choice, will you condemn the demons currently trying to rebuild by killing the only one currently alive capable of creating a new hell, thus condemning a whole people for your own benefit? I¡¯m actually a little disappointed you didn¡¯t go with the last one, but this works too.¡± Umbra had an infuriating smile on her face.


    ¡°Would it have mattered in the long run?¡± Dee asked.


    ¡°For you? Not really. I mean, the choice would reflect your future development as the focus more than anything. Killing your friend would¡¯ve been a sign of your fall into something even I would call evil and condemning others for your own benefit would have been the height of narcissism, but I don¡¯t judge. Those are examples of change and development of sorts as well. Your choice will naturally have some consequences. What those will ultimately be, remains to be seen of course.¡± Umbra simply shrugged. She wouldn¡¯t have presented Dee with the choice if any of the three choices would¡¯ve been bad for the goddess.


    ¡°So what happens now?¡± Dee questioned.


    ¡°Now you get to decide the direction the forces of chaos and change will take. The power will slowly start to gather within you over the next few weeks, and once it has gathered you will start channeling it to the path you pick. Like I said in the beginning, you can choose to be an active leader or a passive one, but the direction you set tonight will carry to the untapped power of change regardless. Before you ask, you can still change that direction later on, but it will not be easy. Especially in the beginning.¡± Umbra explained.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Dee asked a little skeptically.


    ¡°Well, the power of change has been gathering for a long time now. Not just because there is no focus, but also because the old focus took a very passive stance in things. With very little outlet, the power of change has been gathering, and these last few decades have just made sure that the dam is filled to bursting. Once you poke a hole in that dam, the power will come flooding out. Once the flood has passed, then you can direct the current more easily.¡± Umbra gave a wide smile. There was more of course.


    ¡°So let me see if I¡¯m getting this right. There¡¯s a ton of power just waiting to be unleashed, which I assume will empower you to no end. This while Lumen is especially weak and the gods are divided. And I¡¯m guessing that if I do complete the mission Lumen has been asking from me that will also be playing into your hands. Am I missing something?¡± Dee asked with a slight headache.


    ¡°Plenty actually, but you¡¯re on the right track. I wouldn¡¯t bother trying to come up with counter plans as once tonight is over I have already reached my goal. Besides, it¡¯s to your benefit as well. As my Champion and the focus, my benefit is your benefit.¡± Umbra stated with a small smirk.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling this has all been going according to your plans?¡± Dee asked with suspicion clear in her tone.


    ¡°Now that sounds like a very convoluted plan with too many moving parts for any sort of reliability. Which makes it a pretty bad plan. Do I seem like the type to make such bad plans?¡± Umbra threw the question back.


    ¡°No, but you do seem like the type who could stack the board in such a way that no matter how this played out you would benefit. It just so happens we ended up with the reality where you seem to be winning everything. Assuming you had enough time to set things up. And I have a growing feeling that this whole thing has been building up for a long time now. No one is in real control, but someone has been nudging things this way and that just so things collapse in just the right direction.¡± Dee narrowed her eyes.


    Umbra didn¡¯t bother replying. Her Champion wasn¡¯t entirely wrong and this was partly why she enjoyed working with smart people. Of course, Dee was also slightly wrong. Umbra was good at planning, but more than that, she was great at taking advantage of the opportunities that were presented. She was the Goddess of Darkness and Chaos after all. She could also see some patterns in the chaos, and certain ways to guide things. This wasn¡¯t some master plan of hers, but it was the result of her persistent meddling and prodding things in the right ways. Her work was now coming to fruition. In a very short time, she would be the most dominant deity alongside Eternity and Death. If Dee wanted to play along, then the two of them might even be able to rival those two ancient deities. But she was satisfied even if that didn¡¯t come to pass. She wasn¡¯t really interested in defeating them, she just wanted to see if she could reach a point where it was possible. And now she knew it could be done.


    ¡°Well. If that is how this will be played, I might as well play along. Let the power of change be channeled through the deep shadows and dark places everywhere. Not malicious and seeking destruction, but neutral, cold and unfeeling.¡± Since she had already thrown in her lot with the dark goddess by becoming the focus, might as well go all in. Allowing the deity to combine her two facets would make them both stronger.


    ¡°I¡¯m so pleased with your decision.¡± Umbra said, her words broken by a truly happy laughter. She knew they would get along. Soon the shadows on every world would grow longer and deeper, and beings of darkness would start to stir and grow stronger. A whole array of new dangers would move about in that darkness, and the people of light would once again learn to fear the night. As a Goddess of Chaos, she had gone along with the domination of demons and the passion of the malicious beings, but the cold and calculating shadows were truly where her heart belonged.

 Chapter 197

    ¡±Alright everyone, it¡¯s time to get a move on. Our leisurely trip back just turned into something quite a bit more urgent.¡± Dee declared as soon as the morning came. Morning was a bit relative in this case considering where they were.


    ¡°It seems your meeting was interesting. Weren¡¯t you supposed to try and ask the gods for help with that?¡± Mit-Amen asked, pointing at Dee¡¯s missing arm. At least it wasn¡¯t bleeding anymore. It wasn¡¯t regenerating either though. The big problem was that none of them knew why. Dee still considered the option of trying to burn the stump off and regenerating a new one from scratch, but if that didn¡¯t work, then she¡¯d be even worse off. Besides, while she was able to shut off her feeling of pain, just the mere suggestion had unnerved both Selvaria and Mit-Amen.


    ¡°The opportunity didn¡¯t really present itself. Lumen was a tad too busy worrying about the fact that her believers are currently being hunted down like criminals, and Umbra isn¡¯t really the healing type. Also, she was on a megalomaniacal bender, so there¡¯s that.¡± Dee replied with a grimace. Truth be told she had forgotten her missing arm as well due to being distracted by the two goddesses.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­two very worrisome pieces of news.¡± Aurelie noted a bit pensively. ¡°I¡¯m not sure which sounds worse. The Goddess of Darkness getting megalomaniacal does have a pretty bad ring to it though. That¡¯s likely not a promising sign to others. Any particular reason or is it just something usual for her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m confident it¡¯s for a particular reason. Not that she isn¡¯t the type, but I think this time it might be earned. At least her plans might benefit us in the short term.¡± Dee replied with a shrug. She could already feel the power of chaos and change building inside her. The increase in strength wasn¡¯t minor, and it would only grow. Which was good because she would need that power pretty soon. She was fairly new to the rank thirteen, but her position as the focus was already pushing her much further.


    ¡°Personally I find the other piece of news much worse. What do you mean Lumen¡¯s believers are being hunted?¡± Mit-Amen focused on the other piece of news for obvious reasons.


    ¡°Exactly what I said. As it happens, it seems that the servants of Order have decided to pin the attack that destroyed the gates on Lumen¡¯s servants. I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s mostly due to mundane political reasons but there a good chance the complex situation of divine politics is coming to a head too. I¡¯m fairly sure the relationship between Lumen and Nasir-Sin is headed straight for a violent resolution. Though whether Nasir-Sin¡¯s final enemy ends up being Lumen or Umbra is another matter entirely. Lumen is doing her best, but I¡¯ll need to hasten my plans in order to help. If she loses all her followers, then I¡¯m afraid Lumen will do something stupid and rash.¡± Dee explained curtly.


    ¡°And those plans are?¡± Mit-Amen asked in a worried tone. She knew Dee had bigger plans for the angels; Dee was the Champion of both Lumen and Umbra after all. She simply wasn¡¯t sure what those plans were and that made her apprehensive.


    ¡°Something you might actually like as the pro-angel faction leader. When I was first blessed by Lumen, she gave me a mission. The angels need to be reminded of their original purpose as her creation. At first, I was planning on burning down Paradisia, but lately, I¡¯ve considered other options. And I think I have a way to complete my mission without killing a huge swathe of them. If all goes well, we might end up saving many of Lumen¡¯s followers at the same time. It should also help the Assembly when it comes to dealing with Paradisia. For a time at least.¡± Dee prefaced her point a bit.


    ¡°That sounds too good to be true, but you¡¯ve made me curious.¡± Mit-Amen felt carefully optimistic.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to lead a group of powerful beings into Lumen¡¯s realm, which happens to be connected to Paradisia, and then I¡¯m going to separate the two. Then, Selvaria here is going to use this fancy dimension of hers to give refuge to the angels loyal to Lumen and we¡¯re all going to use my portal to get the heck out of there and watch the fireworks.¡± Dee outlined her plan in all its simplicity.


    She wasn¡¯t too worried about any of them leaking the plan, partly because ultimately it wouldn¡¯t matter. The angels would realize she was up to something bad almost as soon as she started. Thus the element of surprise wouldn¡¯t be an important factor during this attack. Not in that sense at least. There was plenty of room for other types of surprises of course. She also had some trust towards the people here. And besides, even though the plan sounded simple, in reality, it was anything but. Knowing the outline would not be enough to sway the result in any direction. First of all, she had to find enough allies to pull this off.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing I¡¯m part of this group you¡¯re planning?¡± Mneventh asked almost rhetorically. He was already resigned to helping Dee and Selvaria, so the question was mostly perfunctory.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident you wouldn¡¯t miss this even if I hadn¡¯t planned on bringing you along. Besides, it would make things easier if you could rope in a few powerful dragons to smooth the way. In return for allowing you to take the return trip inside this dimension, I¡¯ll drop you off at the place where the negotiations between the dragons and the Assembly were being held before, and you can make your case. I¡¯d be surprised if the negotiations had already finished.¡± Dee grinned at her little playful blackmail that was there just to give Mneventh an excuse to go along with things.


    Mneventh simply groaned in acceptance. He wasn¡¯t all that positive about recruiting any other dragons though. He wasn¡¯t very popular and this wasn¡¯t the sort of thing you bullied others into, not unless you wanted to risk traitors. On the other hand, this would be a good opportunity to strike at the angels, so that might get at least one or two Aspects interested. Dee¡¯s unique heritage might also pull in the Silver Dragon Aspect. The draconic deities seemed to be supporting Lumen and Dee anyway, so as the designated representative of the gods the Silver Dragon might go along. Still, that was the hopeful estimate.


    ¡°Do you know what this will do to the angels?¡± Mit-Amen suddenly demanded a little heatedly.


    ¡°Exactly? No. But I have a pretty good guess. The other method of completing my mission would involve a lot more dead angels though, so I think you should be relatively pleased.¡± Dee countered with a light tone.


    Suddenly Mit-Amen grinned. ¡°Pleased? I¡¯m ecstatic! You do realize that separating Lumen¡¯s realm will essentially retract her grace from the race and condemn all of them? Most people might not realize what that means, but I do. Lumen is still their creator and a direct and open condemnation like this will have a very specific effect. It means there will be a ton more Fallen in this universe pretty soon! And to get back into her graces, they¡¯ll have to personally strive for redemption through action and renewed faith in her. Renewed faith in Lumen just might help pull them back towards a better path. Or they could remain Fallen. It¡¯s not so bad once you get used to it. In that case, they can¡¯t really complain about other Fallen. Count me in!¡±


    ¡°Well then, could you and Aurelie approach the leader of the red faction and maybe some of the other powerful Lords? I¡¯m pretty sure you can make a good case about all the potential benefits and the more strength I can get behind me, the easier the whole thing will be.¡± Dee proposed. Once again she wasn¡¯t too hopeful about getting that many Lords to join, but it was worth a shot at least. And the two could be persuasive when they wanted to be.


    ¡°It would go down much more easily if you were to join us.¡± Aurelie pointed out.


    ¡°I might join you later. Before that though, I have some other things I¡¯ll need to deal with. Selvaria, would you like to join me?¡± Dee looked towards the person that had helped start this so long ago.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing we''re going to Pantheon then?¡± Selvaria asked with a complicated look.


    ¡°Indeed. I still have a few friends there that might help. I will also have to collect on a debt. Before that though, I need to find a significant place of power. I¡¯ll have to spend some time making sure I¡¯ll be as strong as possible personally. Allies are great, but I¡¯ll most likely have to face the biggest opposition myself. If I can¡¯t handle it, then the whole thing is doomed to failure.¡± Dee argued.


    She still had to absorb the power from the Morningstar¡¯s soul, the last remaining souls from the hells that Selvaria had left her, as well as finish absorbing all the benefits she could from becoming the focus. She¡¯d also noticed a weird connection that she seemed to have formed with the realms of the gods she had killed. Maybe that connection was worth exploring? Maybe she should ask Umbra? The Goddess of Darkness seemed more likely to give a straight answer to such a question. Lumen would¡¯ve most likely already told her if she was going to. She approved of the fact that Lumen volunteered some information at least, but it was easier to get Umbra to talk about some subjects that seemed forbidden. Or perhaps Death might be willing to help? She might even direct more souls Dee¡¯s way if asked.


    ¡°I think I know just the place.¡± Selvaria stated with a grin. When she had created this pocket dimension, she had needed power from multiple different elements just to balance the small world and the star in the pocket dimension correctly. The place was a little off the beaten path, but it was filled with power.


    ---------


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe we¡¯re back so soon.¡± Moirai blurted out. ¡°We were supposed to return after we had the ability to take revenge on the Solarians for Nyx¡¯s death, and it felt like something that would take years.¡± The group of four had just used Dee¡¯s portals to return to Pantheon. With her upgrade in strength, Dee¡¯s portals were now a faster method of travel than the normal gates. Moirai was bringing Nyx back to the Five Winds. On the other hand, Araqiel has stayed in the White City to take care of Rahmiel. The news about the deaths of so many of Lumen¡¯s worshippers had caused the Archangel to collapse with misplaced guilt.


    ¡°Well to be fair, we were supposed to return when YOU had the ability to take revenge. You still can¡¯t. And won¡¯t for some time. We both knew it would take a much shorter time for me to gain the required level of power. Arguably I was already on the border when we left. If we waited for you, it would still take years.¡± Dee shot back.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, rub it in, won¡¯t you. We can¡¯t all be such gross monsters as you. I think my progress has been just fine.¡± Moirai said defensively. She was correct of course. She was growing in strength relatively quickly. Dee was just a bad person to compare to.


    ¡°I think the more important question is, what happened to you Dee? It¡¯s barely been eight weeks since we met and you feel completely different. To be more precise, you don¡¯t feel of anything at all, besides a bit holy.¡± Nyx pointed out. Dee had been radiating an oppressive feeling when she had left the White City to negotiate with the dragons, and now that oppressive feeling was gone almost entirely. That was a humongous change in such a short time.


    ¡°And what happened to your tails? I liked your tails!¡± Moirai pointed out a little desperate. She really did enjoy Dee¡¯s fluffy tails, even though she rarely got to touch them.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Dee¡¯s now single longer tail suddenly split into usual thirteen. ¡°They¡¯re still here. See?¡± The fan of tails returned to a single tail again. ¡°It seems there are certain changes when one becomes stronger at rank thirteen. I think some monk would yammer something incomprehensible about returning to the origin. Personally, I think it¡¯s just a result of turning into some sort of energy being internally. Since my body seems less and less like an actual body and more like a shell, my power is manifesting in different ways. I can bring all of that back if you want.¡± Dee suggested playfully. The oppressive feeling returned just for a fraction of a second and then vanished again.


    In fact, the intensity of her aura had started declining rapidly after becoming the focus. Mneventh had explained that the phenomenon was actually quite common, though not universal. Powerful rank thirteen immortals like him and the Morningstar didn¡¯t have a very prominent aura. To be exact, Mneventh was still a giant dragon so he naturally had a large presence because of that, but he wasn¡¯t as oppressive as one would assume based on his level of power and size. Dee remembered that the leader of the red faction also had a subdued aura. Some rank thirteen beings retained their powerful aura, but apparently, that was due to a personal choice.


    Dee¡¯s tails seemed to follow the same pattern, although they were still there, just out of sight. She actually manifested them most of the time, but a single long tail drew less attention than an enormous fan of thirteen tails. It was also easier to manage. She was still far from stealthy thanks to giving off the aura of a holy saint, but that drew much less attention. In fact, it seemed to help counter some of the feeling of danger Dee would still usually give off.


    Dee was also still missing one of her hands, which was why she only showed two. Even Lumen had been unable to tell why the hand was refusing to regenerate. All the gods seemed equally stumped. Apparently the problem was somehow tied to the Morningstar¡¯s personal techniques, and unfortunately, none of them were clear on how those techniques worked. The sad fact was that the only ones that might be able to help were the Archangels related to Order, and Dee was not going to even bother asking. She was simply coming to terms with the loss. She had endless invisible hands anyway.


    ¡°So where are we exactly?¡± Nyx asked. The area was full of mana so they knew they were in the first circle, but there was very little in the way of buildings around. In fact, there was only a single rather moderate fortification a short distance away.


    ¡°That should be one of the entrances to the headquarters of the Crimson Witches.¡± Dee pointed out. ¡°At least that¡¯s where it used to be.¡±


    Dee estimation was proven correct as they approached. They were quickly surrounded by a large group of crimson-clad warriors, but luckily there was a familiar face among them. ¡°Dee? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be wreaking havoc somewhere around the universe?¡±


    ¡°Anastasia. It¡¯s good to see you. I come bearing gifts.¡± Dee pulled out a rather ornate gift basket she had procured in the White City. ¡°I need to have a word with Teresa.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s doing a good job on the havoc thing by the way.¡± Moirai commented and promptly got ignored by everyone.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re in luck. She¡¯s here and getting bored to tears. Your little fight with the Celestial Emperor left the whole Day city way too quiet. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯ll jump at any proposition you¡¯re here to make. I¡¯m assuming it¡¯s something that involves fighting.¡±


    ¡°I was somewhat counting on that.¡± Dee stated with a grin, her words having a dual meaning.


    Anastasia was proven correct. As soon as their group entered Teresa¡¯s office the blonde warrior yelled to her assistant. ¡°I don¡¯t care what paperwork you want filled next, you¡¯ll have to do it yourself. You¡¯re better at it than me anyway. Duty calls.¡± She then got her sword down from its holder on the wall and grabbed Dee¡¯s gift basket. ¡°Well, whatever it is, please take me away from here right now before my assistant can stop us. I don¡¯t care who I have to kill, just no more paperwork. Anything you¡¯ve cooked up is bound to be better than this.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll keep it a surprise.¡± Dee just turned on her heels and walked out to the amusement of everyone present. By the time they got outside, every numbered Crimson Witch was following them, along with Anastasia. Nobody asked any questions as Dee formed a portal that might take them anywhere. They were just as bored as Teresa.


    -----


    ¡°So I was hoping you were taking us to battle, but I¡¯m not sure if I should be happy or disappointed that you led us straight to the Solarians. On one hand, it¡¯s bound to be a good fight, but I was hoping for something a little fancier. Like five headed ancient dragons or maybe some completely unknown entities.¡± Anastasia stated as the group appeared above a large glowing palace made of flames. The heat around the area was almost high enough to match the elemental plane of fire.


    All the stars orbiting Pantheon seemed to be focusing their rays on the place. The large building could be called a palace, but it wasn¡¯t really all that fancy aside from seemingly being made of solidified fire. Instead, it was more like a large group of buildings joined together into one incoherent whole. A relatively limited number of beings were rushing about below them. The weakest of them were rank seven humanoids that looked more like well-tanned elves or humans. They were accompanied by stronger beings seemingly covered partly in blue flames that looked up at Dee¡¯s group with clear worry. Finally a handful of beings made purely of solar flames approached their group.


    ¡°I heard that the Solarians evolved while they grew in age and power but we see them so rarely that I wasn¡¯t sure.¡± One of the Crimson Witches stated in slight surprise.


    Dee recognized the male figure leading the group of powerful Solarians as the Young King. He wasn¡¯t the strongest of the group but he was leading them nonetheless. Likely because he had the most experience in dealing with other races. Dee could clearly feel the differences in power between the Solarians, something she would have been unable to do just a few weeks ago. All of the others were stronger than the Young King, who in turn was stronger than Teresa, but all of them were also weaker than her. Significantly weaker. ¡®Huh, the power of being the focus really shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.¡¯


    ¡°Dee. I¡¯m fairly sure we had an agreement. You would stay away and we would look after your old community.¡± The Young King stated. ¡°And yet here you are, breaking that agreement.¡±


    ¡°An agreement forcefully made under duress and with hostages is not a very good agreement. Now things are different since the power balance has shifted. You owe us a debt and I¡¯m here to collect.¡± Dee stated, purposefully making sure not a bit of her power leaked out. The complete lack of pressure unnerved the Solarians more than the old pressure she used to radiate would have. That¡¯s because they knew the significance.


    ¡°And what debt would that be?¡± One of the other Solarians appearing as nothing but flame asked a little acidly. He wasn¡¯t used to being on the weaker side. Even with six rank thirteen Solarians present they were unsure of their victory. Truthfully he also didn¡¯t know what Dee was talking about. He had not taken part in the attack against the Celestial Palace and hadn¡¯t been consulted.


    ¡°The debt of making a sneak attack during our struggle against the Celestial Emperor. Your act of cowardice cost the lives of several good people, including one of my dearest friends.¡± She neglected to mention that the friend was now back to life. ¡°An act truly befitting the number one community of the Day city. Then you decided to make me into a scapegoat to appease the angels, just because it was politically expedient. Well, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard but the angels are currently in a very bad situation. And I happen to be a faction leader among the Assembly and popular with several of the Dragon Aspects.¡± Again, not entirely true, but no need to go into detail. ¡°So how did that act of political cowardice work out for you?¡±


    The angry Solarian was about to retort but suddenly a large pillar of flames shot down from the sky. The beam of light held the form of a woman, and the woman radiated the kind of holy power only Dee had felt before. All the Solarians knelt down in the air and on the ground while Dee¡¯s companions took some distance. ¡°Sol-Invictus.¡± Dee stated, looking at the woman inside the pillar of flames. ¡°I did not expect you to make a personal appearance.¡±


    ¡°What do you want with my people Godslayer?¡± The sun god asked, emphasizing the title just so everyone was aware of the danger Dee presented. ¡°Can you really afford to make another enemy at this time?¡±


    ¡°Make an enemy? You misunderstand me. I¡¯m actually here to make an ally. At least a temporary one. But now that you are here, you might as well make your own choice known. It¡¯s time to pick a side. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already felt the chaos and the shadows stirring. Umbra will make her move and anyone standing in her way will have a really short future. Many of the other gods can afford to stay neutral, but I doubt you will be able to. I¡¯m not a fan of the phrase ¡®you¡¯re either with us or against us¡¯ as the world isn¡¯t so black and white, but in this case it seems to apply.¡±


    The goddess decided to avoid answering but knew Dee had a point. How could she not sense the danger from the shadows? She also knew that without her, Nasir-Sin had little chance of victory. The God of Order had many light side gods under his thrall, but the most powerful deities all knew which way the wind was blowing, and the alliance between Umbra, Lumen, and Death seemed unstoppable, so if she joined in then Order was doomed to failure. On the other hand, making the opposite choice might not help and would put her in danger as well. ¡°So what do you want from my children?¡±


    ¡°I want the debt they owe me repaid. They can repay with the head of the Solarians responsible for the cowardly attack and my banishment.¡± They all knew this demand was impossible.


    ¡°Or?¡± The Young King asked. He was one of those on the chopping block.


    ¡°Or, you can help me finish this. Since your debt is due to an unexpected surprise attack, you¡¯re going to help me by making another one. This time on my behalf. Seems fitting does it not?¡± Dee made her proposal.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to attack Paradisia.¡± Sol-Invictus realized. It made a certain amount of sense. Now was the perfect opportunity to strike at the angels.


    ¡°In a way. Do not worry; I¡¯m not trying to start a genocide against the angels, even though some would argue them deserving. But I will make sure this fight comes to a conclusion. Who knows? You might even be able to resolve the schism between the gods as well. Likely because one of them will be dead, but still.¡± If the Solarians agreed, it would also firmly place Sol-Invictus in the camp opposing Order. Two birds with one stone. Or a countless number of pigeons as it were.


    ¡°Fine. Have it your way.¡± Sol-Invictus agreed. In truth, she had little choice. What she decreed, the Solarians would follow. Now Dee had most of the allies she needed. Even though their reliability was questionable, they would at least make one attack and work as a distraction. And that¡¯s all she needed from them. She would make that one attack count.

 Chapter 198

    Nasir-Sin stared out from his realm at the surrounding darkness. The realms of the gods were partially real places while partially existing as pure concepts. Each god had a realm of their own, although some of the minor gods only had a small plot of land staked on some minor world. The highest ranking gods like him could have realms that didn¡¯t really even have a fixed shape or size. The realm was as small or as large as he needed and had whatever was required inside of it. Most of the realms of the gods drifted in the space between reality and dreams, between the material plane and the other planes, ranging from elemental to places so bizarre that even the gods didn¡¯t understand them. Usually, the realms of the gods didn¡¯t come into contact, but there were exceptions. If one of the gods involved wanted to draw closer to the realm of another deity, then the two would slowly draw closer. Reasons for such approach were numerous, ranging from alliances to all-out wars.


    Nasir-Sin had been planning on making a move on Lumen. With the recent hunt for the remaining servants of Lumen, the realm of the Goddess of Light had become vulnerable. As expected, Lumen had forced a short truce between them to pull her own followers into her realm. A foolish choice. Many of those followers served Nasir-Sin as well, and now Lumen¡¯s realm was vulnerable to attack because he now had power inside her realm as well. In a normal situation, a deity didn¡¯t allow servants of other gods into their realm just for these kinds of reasons.


    If he couldn¡¯t replace her with a more pliable goddess, then maybe he could attack her realm and gain the victory that way. A god was extremely powerful inside their own realm. The more power the realm held, the more difficult it was to attack. The realms could hold all sorts of defenses from spells to guardian creatures and familiars. When two realms came into contact, gaining victory in a battle between the two realms was possible, but the defending side usually held an advantage that bordered on unbeatable. That¡¯s why battles between realms were so rare. Unless something happened to make the other realm especially vulnerable to attack.


    His plan had been a good one. Lumen had even promised to reveal the identity of the party responsible for disrupting the gateways of the angels. Nasir-Sin would have allowed the truce even without that promise, after pretending to be unwilling of course, but Lumen had even sweetened the deal without asking. She was a bit too eager to jump to her own defeat. That made Nasir-Sin suspicious. Obviously she had a plan, but what could she do? He had considered the possibility of the whole thing being a trap, but the servants he had sent to Lumen¡¯s realm truly were making it vulnerable to attack and there seemed to be no extra defensive measures taken. Lumen could be subtle when she wanted, but only to an extent.


    Things should¡¯ve been fine. He had even gathered dozens of gods that had promised to help him in the upcoming attack. Yet the darkness around his realm made him wary. There was something unnatural about it. It was as if there was something hiding in the darkness, just waiting for an opportunity to attack. Many of the worlds his servants lived on had already suffered from attacks by shadow creatures. Surely the same couldn¡¯t happen to his realm? His servants and spirit warriors could fend off any such attack, but surely his own realm couldn¡¯t be vulnerable to such things? It was obvious that a certain Goddess of Darkness was up to no good, but his realm was just as difficult to attack as any other. She shouldn¡¯t have the strength to threaten him.


    Suddenly the hairs at the back of his neck stood and he heard an eerie laughter that seemed to be coming from all around his realm. Yet only he seemed to be able to hear it as none of his allies reacted. ¡°Umbra!¡± He scoffed angrily. ¡°How bold of you to approach my realm so openly. And I can¡¯t even sense your realm, which means you have come here with just your own power to back you up. Have you come to surrender?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t see the goddess but her voice sounded from all around once again. ¡°Surrender? I don¡¯t think so. Why would I surrender on the eve of my victory? And why shouldn¡¯t I be here? Surely you¡¯re not thinking that you are the only one able to launch attacks on the realms of other gods? As for my realm, I don¡¯t need it. My realm is wherever there is darkness, and in case you missed it, you¡¯re surrounded by nothing but darkness. However, I¡¯ll be merciful and let you in on a little secret. I won¡¯t even need my realm for what¡¯s to come.¡±


    ¡°You chose the wrong time to attack.¡± Nasir-Sin stated. Umbra¡¯s confidence was unsettling, to say the least. As was the fact that she was boasting. Umbra wasn¡¯t the type to volunteer information that could be used against her. Thus she had to be certain that he wouldn¡¯t be able to use that information. ¡°Brothers and sisters, prepare for battle!¡± He gave the signal and the allied gods and all their gathered servants appeared from the various buildings in his realm that they had used for preparation. He looked towards the darkness once again. ¡°So you see Umbra, even if you are powerful, even you can¡¯t fight all of us.¡±


    ¡°Who said I came alone?¡± Umbra¡¯s laughter once again sounded, mocking all of them. The darkness parted in various places just for a second, revealing the presence of hundreds of dark gods, all of whom had gathered to feast on the remains of one of their most powerful enemies. Even the draconic deities were present, though they were here just to witness what was about to happen. Was that Sol-Invictus among the enemies?


    For the first time, Nasir-Sin felt a little worried. Umbra had come prepared. How did she manage to rope in the Sun God? More importantly, was Death here as well? Still, his realm was powerful and within it, he would be able to stand strong. Assuming Death and Eternity weren¡¯t taking part. Something he fervently hoped to be true. ¡°Come then! Let¡¯s make this the day when your little rebellion is crushed!¡± He was blustering mostly to increase the morale of those fighting alongside him. He wanted to show his confidence so that they could fight to their fullest as well. If they gave into fear, then morale might break and they would all be cut down attempting to escape.


    ¡°There¡¯s no rush. The moment of your fall is close, but it¡¯s not here just yet. Just give it a bit of time and use the last few hours of your life well. Use the time to arrange your affairs and to come to terms with your inevitable passing.¡± Umbra stated and was content waiting. The right moment would come soon enough.


    -------


    Dee exited the Astral Sea in her dragon form and found herself physically within Lumen¡¯s realm. The trip had been relatively long considering the speed at which she had traveled lately, and she got the sense that the whole thing was possible only because Lumen allowed it. The realm seemed to have expanded since her last visit in her dreams, but the reason was also obvious. Hundreds of thousands of angels were now taking refuge within the realm. Perhaps even millions, considering the possibility of people hiding inside buildings that might be much bigger on the inside than on the outside. The previously pristine and magnificent realm had turned into a refugee camp. Not a squalid place, these were still angels after all, but some of the pomp and splendor was wearing thin.


    Most of the palaces and temples were filled to the brim with angels of different ages, mostly children and angels that were showing visible signs of age. The younger adult angels all seemed to be hard at work at building more shelters for the refugees that kept on arriving and providing food for everyone gathered. Angels generally didn¡¯t require a large amount of sustenance and some of the mages and light spirits could conjure most of what was needed. Still, it seemed like the offerings were a bit slim. Paradisia in general was starting to suffer from a lack of food due to the gates not working properly and they certainly weren¡¯t providing the refugees here any help.


    ¡°This might be a slight issue.¡± Selvaria commented. She was the only one riding on Dee as the others were all gathered inside her pocket dimension. Dee had emphatically refused to carry anyone else. ¡°My dimension is large enough to house all these angels for a while but there¡¯s no shelter and certainly not enough food. Good thing we left all the women I saved with the Five Winds.¡±


    The two had negotiated this point at length. Selvaria had wanted to keep the women she had saved close at hand to continue protecting them, but Dee had pointed out that some of the angels might end up turning hostile. They had been paying a short visit to the Five Winds at the time, so they had ended up leaving the women in the care of the all-female Jun race. That was a softer way of handling things than dumping them in the White City, even though Selvaria could get them a safe place thanks to her role as a highly regarded Lord. Nyx and Moirai had also promised to look after the women.


    Moirai had actually wanted to come along for the attack, but Dee had vetoed the idea. The help Moirai would be able to provide would be limited, and there was a rather high chance of death during this attack. Moirai would actually be more useful staying safe than causing Dee worries during the battle. Incidentally, Dee had chosen not to visit any of her other acquaintances of Pantheon. She would have time to do so properly after gaining victory.


    Dee released a deep sigh. ¡°Fine.¡± She stated in a voice that made it seem like she had just made the hardest decision in her life. ¡°Bloody pigeon refugees eating all my food.¡± She then handed a mountain¡¯s worth of food from Croestia¡¯s storage to Selvaria. ¡°I want to stress that I¡¯m only doing this under duress and expect to be compensated once this is all over! Some of those dishes were hard to find.¡±


    Selvaria was laughing silently but decided not to prod her daughter. Dee¡¯s gluttonous streak had already become obvious to her. Their appearance caused a disturbance amongst the angles that had not expected anyone from another race to arrive in the holiest part of Paradisia. The thought was unthinkable under the best of circumstances and gate travel should¡¯ve been impossible. The disturbance became even clearer as Dee flew to the sanctum of Lumen without any obstruction. Any angel trying to get close to the most sacred area in the realm was turned away by the light spirits, but those same spirits made no move to stop Dee.


    ¡°You came just in time.¡± Lumen stated as soon as the two entered. ¡°Nasir-Sin was only a week away from being able to launch an attack on my realm. I¡¯m not entirely sure I would¡¯ve been able to repel that attack. Umbra did something though, and now they are both unreachable.¡± She looked at the two judgmentally. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s just you two. I have faith in your abilities Dee, but this seems like a bit much for just you to handle.¡± The goddess already knew that Selvaria was in charge of taking care of the refugees. Paradisia was the home of all the angels so its military might shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    ¡°No, we have some additional help. I¡¯d simply like to keep their exact number and nature a secret as long as possible. I¡¯m sure someone is already informing the enemies that a dragon just entered your realm without obstruction. Selvaria will let the others out while I draw everyone¡¯s attention, and she¡¯ll start taking in the refugees right after. The sooner we start the better. You¡¯re the one who originally suggested detaching your realm from Paradisia, but you didn¡¯t actually explain what that will entail. So spit it out. What do we have to do?¡± Dee asked.


    She was in contact with the forces she had gathered and would relay the plan to them as soon as they had the details. She already had a pretty good idea of what it would take thanks to her previous visits; she just wanted to make sure. She would¡¯ve asked the goddess earlier, but that would¡¯ve come at the price of listening to the goddess complain and moan about the current situation, so she had pushed the whole thing off. She¡¯d rather improvise the whole operation than sit through the complaints of the goddess.


    Lumen sighed at the realization that things had come to this point. Separating would be an irreversible step and would basically make sure that the ancient connection between her and the angels would be broken. That bond had soured but it had lasted for such a long time that it was hard to let go. ¡°The realm and Paradisia aren¡¯t actually that strongly tied as my realm isn¡¯t usually a physical place. You will need to sever the connection at five points that work as sort of anchors. The problem is that the connection was made by my power and built into the very fabric of Paradisia, so I can¡¯t do the separation, and the anchors are on the Paradisia side and not inside my realm. You will need to handle that part of the process, and it will require a very powerful attack.¡±


    The goddess was quiet for a moment before continuing. ¡°You might have an easier time as my Champion but for anyone else, it will require something on the level of a rank thirteen being making a serious blow. The attack has to be a very focused one though, so no large-scale attacks wiping away half of Paradisia. In addition to causing collateral damage, the power of the attack will be too spread out. You might get one anchor easily, but the angels are aware of the possibility and will try to stop you once they realize what you¡¯re doing. The worst part is that you can¡¯t cut them at the same time. They have to be severed one at a time with at least ten minutes between each anchor. Otherwise, the connection might be able to reform.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°That is as expected. Well, prepare your familiars and minions for battle. And prepare any defensive spells you might have in place. It will be your duty to keep the low ranking angels out of our hair. You can be just as merciful or brutal as you want. Just keep in mind that if I have to deal with them because you won¡¯t, I will not spare anyone. Also, I have it on good authority that Nasir-Sin will not be able to take part in the battle in any way, so you¡¯re free to go all out in supporting your forces.¡± Dee explained.


    Umbra had heavily hinted at her own plan, so Dee knew that Lumen was free to act. The goddess would not personally attack the angels that she had created, but she could spawn countless light spirits to keep the normal angels busy. That left only the most powerful angels for Dee and her allies to deal with. Lumen¡¯s realm was well protected as well and could help against the magical defenses that Paradisia might have. It was also a fact that the angels that had designed the defenses of Paradisia did not expect to defend their home against Lumen, so all those defenses were directed towards the gates instead. That didn¡¯t mean that none of those defenses could be re-directed though.


    Dee had hatched several possible plans with the others beforehand and simply let them know which plan they were going to go with. Selvaria went to release the others while Dee took the most obvious and prominent position above Lumen¡¯s sanctum. She was the decoy, and she was going to do her best to draw everyone¡¯s attention. It was time to start the battle before the angels managed to make their move. Dee had enough allies behind her to make this work even if the angels were all ready and waiting, but making the first move was a slight advantage at least.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Croestia asked as Dee reached for the Authority hidden within the pendant.


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s possible we might be able to pull this off even without the Authority, but I won¡¯t take any chances. And I¡¯m rather confident we will bring about enough death today to allow me to remove the Authority after I¡¯m done. This is the first time I¡¯m using it after all. Besides, the Assembly will probably want it back once they see me using it. I¡¯ll be happy to oblige. I won¡¯t need it after this.¡± Dee replied. The Authority in question could only be removed once enough death had been meted out and the amount of death required grew on each use. There was a reason Dee had refused to use the Authority before now. She didn¡¯t want to end up stuck with it.


    With determination, Dee grabbed the weapon and armor inside Croestia and activated them. Suddenly her form was surrounded by a blinding energy. The Authority got familiar with Dee and started adjusting for her use. She seemed to melt and a giant mix of something demonic and something forged by the furnaces of some crazed but brilliant craftsman was standing in her place. The giant was over twenty mel tall and seemed to be formed of super-heated metal with a core of some molten power that radiated the same dark purple light that Dee¡¯s dragon form radiated. The giant gave the impression of a suit of weird armor walking around, except the armor was covered all over by runic symbols, and the demonic visage on the helmeted face seemed to be screaming from grief and loss. Two wing-like shapes protruded from the sides of the elongated helmet, along with a plume of dark purple hair seemingly made of fire. Her angel wings still appeared behind her back, appropriately sized, though she had no idea how they got through the armor.


    The whole form was wreathed in flames. At first, the flames were bright red but soon adjusted to the dark Flames of the End that Dee usually wielded. In her hand was a wicked looking serrated claymore that was just as covered in runes as the armor itself, and the handguard of the blade had a mouth that seemed locked in a silent scream. Then the scream was no longer silent. Everyone in the radius of a thousand kilomels heard a scream of psionic energy in their minds that seemed to render them incapacitated for a short time. There was something inhuman about the scream, as if it was coming from the bottom of some endless pit and bouncing and echoing off the walls in a futile attempt to reach the light.


    With a single step Dee reached the border between Lumen¡¯s realm and Paradisia and made a measured slow swing with her blade. Everything the sword pointed towards was turned to ash as the black flames fanned away from the blade like a dragon¡¯s breath. There had likely been tens of thousands of angels in the area that was just removed in a single swing. Some of them had likely been refugees escaping for safety, but everyone in the area would have been caught up in the coming battle anyway. Besides, many of the angels had been spies and soldiers that would attack them anyway. Now the battlefield was cleared. She could feel the life-energy of all those that died rushing towards her and replenishing any power she might have expended.


    She then drove the blade into the ground, striking at the first of the five anchors. It would take a bit of time to break the connection, but she would try to do so quickly. Not too quickly though. She was the distraction after all and wanted to draw everyone¡¯s attention. Not that her current form could be missed, especially in combination of the earlier scream of psionic energy. The light spirits and Lumen¡¯s familiars also rushed out to meet the forces that would soon be incoming to meet them and the defenses of Lumen¡¯s realm sprang to life, already eliminating some of the defensive formations that might attack the realm given the opportunity.


    Her actions had of course alarmed the angels and countless warriors would approach as soon as they recovered from the stunned state the psionic scream had left them in. The Archangels had also been alerted and were already moving towards the area. They had been preparing for an attack anyway, just that they had assumed they were attacking Lumen¡¯s realm and not the other way around. The devastation was also a signal for Dee¡¯s allies. She had told Selvaria that the latter would know when it was appropriate to let the others loose, and she had been right.


    Dee¡¯s allies divided into groups, and each group had someone with them capable of detecting the anchor they needed to break. They had four groups, but realistically all groups would not be able to reach an anchor by themselves. Either that or they would be pushed away before they could sever that connection. That¡¯s why they had a contingency plan. In fact, they had several contingency plans just in case, as most likely they would need more than one. In any case, one of the groups wasn¡¯t even aiming for an anchor and had a different goal altogether, so Dee would have to deal with a second anchor personally. Normally she would¡¯ve aimed at the anchor most distant from Lumen¡¯s realm, but that one was heavily guarded. Even if those guards would not be able to defeat Dee, they would be able to delay her.


    The first group of Dee¡¯s allies was made up of dragons of various clans, led by the Aspect of War Qazarass. The Platinum Dragon was flanked by the female Azure Dragon Aspect as well. Their presence had been a surprise for everyone, but as a result, this was the group they had the strongest faith in. Just as the large group of dragons reached their destination, they were met by the Archangel of Glory leading a full army of powerful Cherubim warriors.


    The female Archangel clad in a full golden armor stood firm in the face of the two Aspects. Empyrean might be the leader of the angels for the time being, but everyone knew Glory was the shining spear that took to the field when the hour seemed the darkest for the angels. ¡°Well, well. If it isn¡¯t the Aspect of War and the Aspect of Strength. I should be surprised to see you here but I¡¯m not. I expected the Dragonflight to take advantage of the situation, though you did so in a manner I did not anticipate. I¡¯m curious to know how you got here but that is irrelevant. Just know that you have come just to fail.¡±


    Her boast seemed out of place considering that she was facing two of the three most powerful Aspects, but she was not making an empty threat. Surrounded by all the motivated angel warriors within the heart of their homeland she was close to being invincible. The golden light that covered all those fighting with her also turned them into a weapon capable of fighting anything. As long as the angels had faith in her victory, she would never fall, and in the homeland of their kind that faith was unshakeable.


    The second group of Dee¡¯s allies was mostly made up of Lords of the Assembly. Fawwaz was the only rank thirteen Lord present, but the red faction had brought several of their most powerful members here because they realized that this was an opportunity for them to aggressively push the advantage the Assembly held over the angels currently. If they could deal a large enough blow, then the Assembly might be able to remove the angels as a credible threat to them for a long time to come, and the red faction was always looking for ways to make the Assembly¡¯s influence stronger. This was the reason they existed as a faction, so obviously they would help.


    The second group was successful in pushing to their objective as well, but Fawwaz was chagrined to realize that his opponent was the elusive Archangel of Destiny. Destiny might be old and at least slightly insane, but he was an impossible opponent to pin down. This would be a battle without end. Unless he tried to attack the anchor, in which case the old Archangel would strike without hesitation and with enough power to stop him. This would be annoying. Sooner or later the sheer press of the angels defending their home would push them back, so they had limited time.


    The third group was made mostly of Dee¡¯s personal friends and allies. Notably, Mneventh and Teresa both pushed along with this group. They had the unfortunate fate of running into the Archangel of Death who had recently made it back to Paradisia through the few gates that had been fixed. She was accompanied by the Archangel of Wisdom Zacharael, who wasn¡¯t all that enthusiastic about the whole situation. Still, he too was a formidable opponent. This group didn¡¯t even make it all the way to the anchor before being stopped.


    Dee¡¯s distraction worked well in the sense that their fourth stealthy group managed to pass unnoticed. The small group held Mit-Amen and Aurelie. The stealthy group actually didn¡¯t have the strength to sever one of the anchors by themselves. Instead, they were a distraction of another sort. They were meant to slip behind the lines to release the Fallen Angels imprisoned during the purge.


    The Fallen were imprisoned on a purgatory world of sorts, only accessible from Paradisia, so freeing them wasn¡¯t exactly simple. How those Fallen would react to being freed was another question entirely, but they were sure to mix things up. They would likely be in a weakened state after the long imprisonment, but the sheer number of them would make a difference. As a fellow Fallen, Mit-Amen was the most likely candidate to get along with the imprisoned Fallen and could also pass off as a normal angel during the chaos. Aurelie went along as protection that was hard to detect.


    To their shock, they were not the first group to arrive at the gateway. A group of dark-clad figures following a man Aurelie recognized as Hassan-i-Sabbah were already at work breaking the spell sealing the gateway leading to the purgatory world. The man was masked, but he was still easy to identify thanks to the fact that his voice was extremely recognizable while he gave instructions to the other assassins who were still busy clearing out the angel guards that kept rushing in almost as quickly as the last ones were killed. It also helped that the others used his name.


    ¡°How did YOU get here?¡± Aurelie demanded. The man had been on Pantheon during the attack on the gates and he didn¡¯t have Dee¡¯s ability to move through the Astral Sea.


    The masked man turned towards the duo and stared at them for a moment before replying. ¡°You¡¯re assuming I wasn¡¯t here the entire time. Well, I can give you a hint I guess. Everything can be bought for the right price and while our little Dee has the best method to get around, that doesn¡¯t mean there are no other ways. Especially if you have advance knowledge when it comes to needing such methods of travel. That¡¯s not what you really want to know though, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± Mit-Amen stated firmly. ¡°What¡¯s your plan here?¡±


    ¡°For now, we have the same goal. The release of the Fallen. Ironic is it not? The only gateway that I didn¡¯t manage to destroy is the one that leads to the place the angels least want to go to. Not that I tried, mind you. The angels might not be careful in most things, but they are excessively careful when it comes to the Fallen. I had to wait for most of the guards to rush towards Dee¡¯s position before making my move.¡± He looked at the gateway that was quickly coming unsealed. ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t promise you our goals will still align after we are done here. If you find that unsatisfactory, then you¡¯re welcome to try and do something about it. Though I would advise against it personally. I might not be as strong as someone that used to occupy a position rivaling an Archangel, but I still have my ways.¡±

 Chapter 199

    Dee suddenly felt the approach of powerful enemies and accelerated the destruction of the anchor she had been taking her time with so far. There were several powerful angels moving in her general vicinity, but two in particular drew her attention. The two had also increased their size to match the currently gigantic Dee, most likely because Empyrean couldn¡¯t really deal with looking up to someone, so the three of them dominated the area with their stature. For most immortals, changing your size was not exactly difficult, as long as the change wasn¡¯t too big. In this case the change was rather major, so the two had likely been forced into using a high-ranked spell to do so.


    Empyrean had not changed all that much since the last time Dee saw him. The effeminate and delicate looking angel was still more beautiful than most women and gave the mistaken impression of weakness and fragility. Now that Dee had the ability to see his true power, it was clear that the man was the opposite of both. He was clearly one of the most powerful beings she had seen, which was saying something considering the company she had been keeping lately. The Morningstar had probably been stronger, but that estimate was hard to make without actually fighting Empyrean. Something she would likely get to do very soon. In any case, the difference was small enough to be overshadowed by how well their respective abilities were suited to fight against Dee.


    The other angel on the other hand looked quite unassuming and stoic. He did not carry the power or the charisma that Empyrean had, but he was someone with seriousness and presence. He gave the impression of being a very direct and diligent person. Most of his body was covered by a simple white robe that seemed to shine with internal light and seemed like something that could not be tarnished by the stains of the common life. What little showed of his face showed someone who had lived a long and hard life. That life had not come without its scars and his face was appropriately cragged, but time had not turned the man weak. Instead, it had made him strong and sturdy. He did not have the power of a rank thirteen immortal, but there was something about the man that made Dee wary even so.


    ¡°And what sort of demon has invaded Paradisia this time?¡± Empyrean asked. His tone was serious but also held a certain amount of confidence. ¡°I told the others we should¡¯ve finished all of you off during the purge, but some of my compatriots are too soft. Of course you would try to take advantage of our moment of weakness.¡±


    The wings behind Dee made a small flapping motion, drawing everyone¡¯s eyes to them. ¡°I think you know the significance of both colors. I¡¯m not here as a demon, but as someone on a mission from a goddess who all of you have abandoned. But you are not entirely mistaken. The purge is part of what eventually led me here.¡±


    Suddenly a small golden feather fell between them. It was one of the two feathers Dee had managed to knock loose from Empyrean¡¯s wings as a child. Selvaria had kept the feather all this time. Both of them were still confused about how she had managed that, even considering that the man had been caught by surprise. ¡°I should return that. It¡¯s from your wing after all. Back then that was all I could do, but now things are different. Now I will be able to pluck all of them, one by one, and then I¡¯ll feed them to you.¡±


    For a fraction of a second Empyrean seemed confused, but then a realization hit him. His expression turned exceedingly dark and the twisted face lost much of its beauty. ¡°YOU! I shall take great pleasure skinning you alive. A soon to be dead bitch of a soon to be dead goddess.¡±


    ¡°A declaration I would expect from the Archangel and Champion of Order. A foolish god taking a foolish Champion. And what about you Justice? How do you justify your betrayal towards the goddess that created you and supported your kind all these millennia?¡± Dee didn¡¯t really care, though she was just a tad bit curious. Besides, she wanted more angels to draw close to her while they talked. Those angels that aimed for her would be the first to die, and wouldn¡¯t be bothering the other groups. She was playing for time to allow the other groups to do their thing. Every minute she managed to keep the angels talking was a minute she didn¡¯t have to spend fighting.


    The stoic angel didn¡¯t even blink at Dee¡¯s question. His reply was also firm and certain. ¡°And how long are we supposed to be beholden to the goddess that created us? She helped us and we served her fatefully for longer than we perhaps should have. Then our aims became different. Are we angels supposed to be the only race not allowed to choose the deities we serve? Well, we choose Order. And she feels betrayed. While I understand her feelings, that feeling is misplaced and unjust. Her recent alliance with Umbra only proves my point. Do not try to sway me demon. You will be wasting your breath.¡±


    At the same time, the stoic angel made a small gesture, and Dee felt something happen. She knew that whatever it was, it was the totem of the Archangel at work, so it was likely his most powerful ability. Yet she didn¡¯t know what that something was. It did not seem to affect her, which was something she would¡¯ve noticed. The two Archangels seemed a little different, but she couldn¡¯t tell how. It stood to reason that the Archangel of Justice might have a totem that had something to do with the concept of justice, but this justice at the very least was not openly displayed.


    Empyrean also made a move, and Dee found a third figure standing beside the two Archangels. The problem was that the third figure looked just like her, and radiated the exact same kind of strength that she did. Even the Authority Dee was using was copied exactly by the armored form. Both Dee and the copy moved at the same time, sending a blast of psionic energy at the other, and the two attacks collided in midair, causing an explosion. At the same time, the two Archangels moved to attack Dee from the sides.


    It became immediately apparent that the copy seemed to be a mirror image of her, moving just as fast and having just as much power. The copy also seemed equally adept at using her abilities. It tended to mirror her actions, effectively canceling them out, but wasn¡¯t a slave to them. When Dee made a move that threatened the two Archangels for example, the copy didn¡¯t do the same and attempted to defend the angels instead. That made the copy an annoyance, to say the least.


    Luckily for Dee, the two Archangels were slightly less of a problem. The Archangel of Justice simply didn¡¯t have the speed to keep up with the two copies of Dee flashing around, and Empyrean mostly relied on magic to fight her. Unfortunately for the Archangel and thanks to Croestia¡¯s help, Dee was able to shrug off the attacks due to her resistances. Not that the Archangel was completely unable to get past those resistances, just that anything that did affect Dee was completely negated by the armor portion of the Authority she was wearing. If it wasn¡¯t for the annoying copy that got in her way in every turn, the battle would have seemed much simpler.


    The change in the fight came as Dee decided to work around her copy. If the copy was happy using similar attacks than her to counter anything she tried to do, then all she needed was to use an attack that benefitted from being copied. If she was unable to strike at the copy due to them having the same abilities, then she had to strike at the person who created the copy. Suddenly both she and the copy stopped and raised their serrated blades into the air in a rather flamboyant gesture. A nova of dark flames rushed out from the two, consuming everything in the immediate vicinity.


    The flames of the copy were not the Flames of the End, though they were pretty close in effectiveness. Still, the flames the copy created were consumed and empowered the nova Dee had created. As a result, the explosion of fiery energy Dee had created seemed to gain power and all the angels that had tried sneaking closer earlier were consumed by the inferno. Dee was not surprised to see that the two Archangels had managed to avoid the effects by utilizing the defensive powers of Paradisia that they naturally had control over, but she didn¡¯t mind. Those defenses had a limit and that wasn¡¯t her main attack anyway.


    Suddenly a cane-like weapon appeared from the shadows of the Archangel of Justice and a blade of energy penetrated his torso. He had managed to turn just in time to change a lethal attack into something that was merely severe. At that same time though, a piercing pain tore through Dee¡¯s own abdomen. ¡®How? The armor should have been able to stop any attacks, and I didn¡¯t sense anything. Even the Morningstar didn¡¯t manage this.¡¯ A quick sweep of her power confirmed that she had the exact same injury in her abdomen as the Archangel had, and there was no damage in her armor. How could there be? It would take a full power attack from a rank thirteen immortal to even put a dent in the armor.


    The similarity of the injury made her connect the dots. The power the Archangel of Justice had used at the start! Any injury Dee dealt to the two Archangels would be reflected back. Eye for an eye, or in this case abdomen for an abdomen. That too was a certain kind of justice. Empyrean and the copy of Dee were not about to allow the opportunity to pass and rushed in to attack Dee. Their approach was immediately halted by an extremely oppressive pressure created by the fact that Dee¡¯s Domain had just materialized around them.


    ¡°Try copying that! I refuse to believe the totem of an angel weaker than me can copy my Domain and totem enhanced by four gods and the souls of countless dead! Let me see if that trick of yours works as well when suppressed by my power.¡± Dee growled. Her injury was already healing thanks to the power her Authority had just absorbed from the dead angels around them.


    Dee¡¯s specialty was the suppression of the powers of other people. There was no way the abilities of the two Archangel would work perfectly when faced with that pressure. Even now the copy seemed to be growing weaker. ¡°Time for round two.¡± She declared.


    ¡°Indeed, it is time to get serious.¡± A voice sounded from behind Dee. A voice she recognized. Another Empyrean was standing behind her, and a third one was just now flying down to join in on the fun. She could also sense several more identical angels in the surroundings. ¡°If one of me isn¡¯t enough, then let¡¯s see what happens with more than one.¡±


    Dee quickly realized why the original Empyrean had not managed to contribute to the fight effectively. He had been using only a part of his power and had contributed mostly by providing the copy of Dee. It made sense too. Someone who could copy the power of other people was bound to be able to copy his own powers at some point. She could sense the power from the Archangel of justice extending to the copies made by Empyrean as well. This was going to be annoying.


    -----


    The bleak and forsaken terrain they were staring at was a stark contrast to the power abundant and resource-filled Paradisia on the other side of the gate. The gateway had brought them from a lush paradise to a desolate wasteland where even the air was filled with noxious fumes and a mix of dry red dust and soot. The ground was cracked and the sky was permanently overcast by a gloomy light that barely illuminated anything. Even the gravity on this world was higher than in most other places.


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    Despite that, Aurelie and Mit-Amen could see that the Fallen, who were already crowding around the gate and drawing in even more people, were not looking malnourished or weak. They were lean but they also seemed toned and muscled as if trying to reach some physical perfection. The look in the eyes of every Fallen was firm and ferocious, ready to fight anyone that came through the gate. The angels might have placed the Fallen in a place where there was very little mana to absorb and train with, but that didn¡¯t mean there was no power at all. No place was a complete void. And absorbing power in the surroundings wasn¡¯t the only way to train. These Fallen had honed their bodies over the decades of imprisonment, and they all gathered around the weaker members of their race, protecting them with practiced ease.


    This purgatory world wasn¡¯t empty. Many dangerous creatures stalked the lands, and the hazardous surroundings with the dangerous enemies had managed to unify the Fallen in a way that no cause or idea could. And while it was difficult to gain much power by simple meditation, there was also the old-fashioned way. You could kill others to gain more power. The Fallen had banded together and killed the beasts that would hunt them down individually. In a twist of irony, the Fallen on this purgatory world had turned away from selfish individual power because of the need to protect each other. Instead, they had grown strong together as a people. They were a clear example of the old saying: ¡®Hard life creates hardy people, while soft surroundings create weak and morally questionable people.¡¯ For a race supposedly dedicated to the individuality of chaos and darkness, they certainly embodied the principles of light and community more at the moment.


    Mit-Amen allowed her own wings to materialize freely. Only a small group had passed through the gateway, and Hassan-i-Sabbah seemed content to allow Mit-Amen to take the lead. ¡°My name is Mit-Amen, the leader of the Fallen that escaped the purge to the Assembly.¡± She declared her identity to the obviously hostile and wary reception.


    There was a slight commotion among the gathered Fallen, until a small group of older and more powerful Fallen cleared their way to the front. ¡°Azazel, you¡¯ve changed your name. Why pretend to be someone you¡¯re not? What brings one of the Dark Consuls to our humble abode? Has our exile come to an end?¡± One of the older men asked with a small smile before approaching Mit-Amen for an affectionate hug shared between old friends. The other Fallen also smiled with welcoming faces once they saw the man¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Forneous you old goat!¡± Mit-Amen eagerly returned the bone-breaking hug. ¡°You should be aware, I left my old name and rank behind when I went to the Assembly. We¡¯ve been through this.¡±


    The man shook his head a bit. ¡°You always were one to seek reconciliation and hoped our kind could live with the unsullied.¡± Unsullied was a half-derogatory name the Fallen used for their Angel cousins. Mostly it was used by the Fallen that had once been Angels before falling themselves. ¡°And look where they threw us the moment they got the opportunity to act all high and mighty. Just because you want to throw away your responsibilities, that doesn¡¯t mean they are gone.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the time or place for that discussion old fool.¡± Mit-Amen cut him off as she knew the man would rant for hours if given the opportunity. ¡°I¡¯ve come to take you away.¡±


    ¡°Take us away? While I appreciate the sentiment and was joking about it before, the entire Paradisia is on the other side of that gate. Don¡¯t try to pretend that the home of the Unsullied has been conquered. We will be attacked as soon as we leave. We have grown strong thanks to this crucible they have given us, but it has also exhausted our fighting strength. We can¡¯t stand against the full might of the Paradisia. Not without time and resources to recuperate.¡± Forneous countered.


    ¡°You might not believe me, but the ¡®full might¡¯ of the Paradisia is a little busy at the moment. The Morningstar is already dead and Mercy and Hope have defected. Lumen is finally acting against the children she created so long ago and the Champion she has chosen, who also happens to be the focus of Chaos at the moment, is currently busy thinning the ranks of the Archangels further. The Goddess of Light is separating her realm from Paradisia! Nasir-Sin finally pushed her too far.¡± Mit-Amen explained in haste.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I don¡¯t quite believe you. How can the Champion of Lumen become the focus of chaos? Not to mention that other nonsense about the Morningstar.¡± Forneous insisted.


    ¡°I was doubtful at first as well, but that¡¯s just how far Nasir-Sin has driven the Goddess of Light. She and the Goddess of Darkness have picked the same Champion. I¡¯m quite certain that the God of Order will be dead before this week is over. It¡¯s been a very long time since I felt the power of darkness this lively and eager and the gods are already coming to blows. Anyway, the majority of our cousins will not be Unsullied much longer. That said, it¡¯s not exactly safe outside either, so I need you to be careful. Most of the angels are focused on the attack, but we will inevitably run into some resistance. If we can make it back to Lumen¡¯s realm, we can get away with the remaining loyal believers in Lumen.¡± Mit-Amen tried to reassure the other Fallen.


    Forneous gave a small chortle of disbelief. ¡°If anyone but you was saying these things, I¡¯d smack them until they become sane again, but with you, I feel I can have some faith. Still, having us run away to the waiting arms of Lumen feels wrong on so many levels.¡±


    Mit-Amen couldn¡¯t help a snort of her own. ¡°It does, but weird times call for weird alliances. Besides, that¡¯s the only way out of Paradisia at the moment. The gates connecting Paradisia with the other worlds are disabled. Gather your things and our people. We leave as soon as we are ready. We don¡¯t have too much time. The whole thing might be over within an hour.¡± They had already spent several precious minutes talking.


    Suddenly a calm male voice interrupted them. ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone. Before anyone leaves this place, I will have someone brought to me, and that person will be killed.¡±


    The gathered Fallen didn¡¯t take kindly to Hassan-i-Sabbah¡¯s threat. ¡°And why should we listen to anything you say? Despite my imprisonment, I still have the strength to take out someone like you.¡± Forneous replied. Although this world had sapped his strength, he was still pushing on the boundary between the ranks twelve and thirteen. He was one of the oldest and most powerful Fallen alive.


    ¡°You might find it more difficult than you think, but that¡¯s not the point. There are two things you should know. First. I am the person responsible for cutting off all the gateways connected to Paradisia, except this one, so don¡¯t think I don¡¯t have the ability to cut away this connection as well. Secondly, I have nothing to lose. I will gladly walk into my own death to reach my goal. I only want one thing from your people. If you give me what I want, you will have no trouble from me. I will even help you escape Paradisia. I want the individual known as Tarshishim.¡± Hassan-i-Sabbah explained calmly. In a straight-up battle, he would lose to the old Fallen, but he wasn¡¯t planning on a fair fight.


    ¡°Who?¡± Forneus asked with a confused expression, looking towards the other Fallen for information.


    The other Fallen conferred for a short while before a young Fallen girl stepped forward. She was young by Fallen standards and looked like a teenager, but she was still several decades old. She too was strongly built and seemed to possess an iron will to live. ¡°I remember the man you are talking about. He was one of the traitor angels that were tossed here along with some of our kind that were found later during the purge. He and his cronies were in the process of Falling. I remember him because he had a penchant for young girls and he attacked my little sister and killed her. He did not live long after. That was during the time we were starting to find our unity. He was one of those lost to their base desires. I know for certain that his body was tossed to the beasts along with others of his kind. I took great pleasure in watching him get devoured.¡± The girl¡¯s voice took a heated tone towards the end, and there was no question about her honestly. She had clearly relished in seeing the death of the man she spoke about.


    Forneus turned back towards Hassan-i-Sabbah. ¡°Does this satisfy you?¡±


    Hassan closed his eyes and turned his masked face towards the gloomy sky. ¡°Another one escapes my retribution only to find it elsewhere.¡± He mumbled. He had killed several angels he held animosity towards during the last few hours. Their deaths would not be noticed among the chaos and all the other lives lost during Dee¡¯s attack. The only one who held these particular people in any significance was him. He had made sure anyone else with enough knowledge was long dead. ¡°He was the second to last. And still, revenge escapes me.¡± He continued to mumble.


    He was quiet for about ten seconds before turning towards the Fallen. ¡°Yes, this is satisfactory, though not exactly what I desired. I will not hinder you, but I will not help you either. You are on your own. For what it¡¯s worth, I wish you luck.¡±


    Slowly Hassan walked back to Paradisia as the chaos among the Fallen ignited into a frenzied rush to gather everything. Once he reached Paradisia he walked outside to a nearby park to stare at the golden sky. He pulled out the necklace that he always kept on his person and he idly fingered the locket in a mess of conflicted feelings. He had found justice of sorts. Those responsible were dead, and some had been for a lot longer than he had known. He was good at finding information but there were limits. Only one person remained and the blade he helped forge would take care of that problem soon enough.


    Still, he felt empty. Now that he had reached his goal, was there any point anymore? Could he even claim that he had achieved his revenge when most of those that he had sworn to kill had died at the hands of others? He ignored the explosions of black fire and even the tremors that caused the entire Paradisia to shudder. That wasn¡¯t his battle. All his minions had already been sent to hide and eventually escape. Asahim would take over in his stead. Now he only waited for the inevitable. His battle was over. His family was gone, his purpose was gone, and soon he too would be gone.


    Had it all been worth it? All those lives he sacrificed and used and abused? That wasn¡¯t for him to decide. What was done was done, and if given the opportunity he would do so all over again. Perhaps as an atonement, he should seek out Dee and give her the satisfaction of a revenge as well. Perhaps she might gain something from wielding the blade herself instead of losing the kill to someone else.

 Chapter 200

    Zacharael watched as the Archangel of Death and the crimson-armored woman seemed to be locked in an endless struggle. One of the Archangel¡¯s main abilities was to drain the life-force of her opponents. The drain could be really severe and would rather quickly weaken her enemies while healing her for any wounds she might have gained. On the other hand, the woman in crimson armor seemed to have an endless supply of life-force. She was also able to predict the Archangel¡¯s attacks and spells and avoid them with relative ease. On the other hand, any wounds she managed to inflict on the Archangel were healed by the drained life-force. It seemed that the battle would never end.


    A crazed Faerie Dragon and a group of female warriors also clad in crimson armor seemed to be dealing with the gathered angels rather well. Or rather, the female warriors were doing well and the Faerie Dragon was cutting a bloody swath through the ordered ranks of angels. Zacharael had fought a couple of the murderous bastards before and they were a difficult enemy. They were natural mages and extremely difficult to catch to boot. Their weird magic also had a nasty habit of working differently from what you expected. For example, sometimes their fire spells ended up randomly freezing instead of burning. As such, countering their spells became difficult.


    Zacharael¡¯s own fight, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t really going anywhere. He was facing off against Mneventh and the large dragon seemed to sense his reluctance concerning the whole affair. As the Archangel of Wisdom he was the consummate mage, and as the Aspect of Anti-Magic Mneventh was possibly the worst opponent he could face. If the dragon truly wanted to kill him, the battle would be over quickly. Instead, the two seemed satisfied to stare at each other over a short distance. The only time Mneventh had made a move was when Zacharael had shown signs of interfering in the other battles around them.


    Suddenly the large dragon spoke. ¡°The Archangel of Mercy mentioned that you might be unwilling to fight. It seems she was correct. You realize she¡¯s blaming herself for Lumen¡¯s servants being hunted? By some twisted logic, she thinks it¡¯s her fault.¡±


    Zacharael sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised. In fact, I¡¯d be surprised if she didn¡¯t think that way. It¡¯s simply in her nature to try and carry the burdens of the universe. The whole thing is just Empyrean and his flunkies taking advantage of the situation and the rest of us being unable to stop them. I was hoping the Morningstar¡¯s return would rein them in, but there¡¯s been no word of him. I¡¯m afraid that no matter the result of this battle, Lumen¡¯s servants will end up suffering.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re hoping for the Morningstar to put things right, then I¡¯ve got some bad news for you. The Morningstar is dead. You know the one at the center of all those explosion and fire where so many of your angels are rushing to die? Yeah, she¡¯s the one who killed him. I watched her do it too.¡± Mneventh suddenly said.


    The voice of the old dragon held no gloating, which Zacharael appreciated. While he didn¡¯t always see eye to eye with the Morningstar, he still respected the leader of the angels. Hearing of his death was a blow. ¡°Then that hope has died as well. It seems Empyrean is bound to become the next leader, which means Lumen¡¯s side is lost. Even if you find success today, it is only a matter of time before Empyrean hunts them down.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re seriously underestimating the situation.¡± Mneventh looked at the Archangel of Wisdom with slight amusement. ¡°I just told you that the person Empyrean is fighting already killed the Morningstar. I¡¯m pretty sure Empyrean will not survive this day either, and if I¡¯m guessing correctly, then neither will Nasir-Sin. How about it? Why don¡¯t you change allegiance to the winning side? You could help save all the servants of Lumen, and most importantly live to see another day.¡±


    ¡°You seem confident.¡± Zacharael¡¯s mind started connecting the dots. He considered the implications of the attack and the most likely result if the Morningstar and Empyrean both ended up dead. He doubted the God of Order could actually perish, but even if Nasir-Sin was only pushed back, then he would still be severely weakened. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure if that option is great either. Instead of Nasir-Sin dominating Lumen, it would be the alliance of Lumen and Umbra dominating him instead. Will that make things much better? It might help for now, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I have spent limited time with Dee, but I¡¯ve already learned to expect great things from her. With her involved, I¡¯m certain of victory. The only question is how that victory is achieved. And you are thinking of this as if you could find a perfect solution. The sad fact is that you¡¯re likely right. Losing Nasir-Sin might not be bad on the short term, but it might come back to haunt everyone in the long term. But that¡¯s exactly when the angels will need someone with wisdom around to lead them. And I don¡¯t see too many of the Archangels surviving this fight, aside from the two who aren¡¯t here. Except if you change sides. This is one of those situations where you have to choose. Either you will choose to stand with the side that will eventually win and help guide your people or I will have to start taking this seriously.¡± Mneventh emphasized his words by starting to gather his significant power for a serious attack.


    Zacharael realized that the dragon was right in at least one thing. He would have to choose between two bad choices. Either he would have to bet on this weird group of unlikely allies and hope to guide his people in the future, or he would have to watch Empyrean become a tyrant. Eventually, the Archangel of Order would decide Zacharael was no longer necessary, and then it would be his time to go. He would always choose a faint hope over a slow demise.


    Zacharael turned towards his fellow Archangel. She would never go along with it. Ithuriel was nominally a member of the neutral group of Archangels, but she had always leaned towards Empyrean¡¯s group and had been a fervent supporter of the Morningstar. It was rumored that the two were lovers, and she would not take his death lightly, especially if his killer was close-by. In actual fact, Zacharael was surprised the two of them hadn¡¯t become Fallen a long time ago. She was too much of a killer and immersed in her element and role as the Archangel of Death. More importantly, she liked it a tad bit too much.


    With a deep sigh, he prepared the two spells he had developed a long time ago. Attacking his fellow Archangels was almost unthinkable to him, but he was a realist as well as the Archangel of Wisdom. Coming up with ways to counter their powers was almost expected of him. It took a few moments of chanting but soon a complex sigil appeared in front of him, and suddenly the Archangel of Death coughed up blood and turned towards Zacharael with a disbelieving look. He didn¡¯t give her the chance to make any accusations. The first spell had soured the mix of life-force and Ithuriel¡¯s own power, turning it rancid and poisonous to her. It stopped her from healing herself and turned her weak and vulnerable. The second spell saw an orange beam of destructive energy taking her head off her shoulders.


    The crimson-clad warrior looked at her dead opponent in shock. ¡®She likely realized that I could use the same spell to severely weaken her as well, even though she didn¡¯t have the same death element to turn the life-force into outright poison.¡¯ Zacharael thought.


    He was surprised to hear her next words though. ¡°Gods dammit! I finally found an opponent that could keep up with me long enough and you went and killed her! Now I need to find someone else to entertain myself with. I damn sure won¡¯t be going back home this quickly. My vacation just started!¡±


    ¡®Vacation?¡¯ Zacharael thought incredulously. Suddenly he felt a great pressure from Mneventh as the enormous dragon released his almost unstoppable breath. Not towards him, although he was worried just for a fraction of a second. The dragon attacked against the conduit anchoring Lumen¡¯s realm to Paradisia. ¡®Ah, right, that was their plan. That¡¯s the second anchor already. Maybe they can pull this off. I wonder. Will I be judged along with the rest of our kind once the separation happens? And will I be found wanting?¡¯


    The battle in their immediate surroundings seemed to subside for a moment. The entire Paradisia seemed to lose some of its light with the second anchor being broken. Many of the magical formations around the entire shining city seemed to lose their power and collapse. Many shadows suddenly invaded the less illuminated places and those shadows didn¡¯t come alone. Many dark beings walked, flew, slithered or galloped out of the darkness. Many of the beings were simple shadows, but there were much more powerful beings ranging from nameless horrors to mighty Shadow Dragons that suddenly seemed to come to life. And all of them seemed to think the angels were just the sort of thing they wanted to eat today.


    Suddenly the rush of angelic warriors charging towards the battlefield, threatening to overwhelm the attackers with sheer numbers, found something else to do. Mneventh turned towards Zachariel. ¡°The two of us will move on to help our allies. I¡¯d suggest you try and save what can be saved. Rally your people to fight the shadows and not against the goddess they have abandoned.¡±


    As the enemies moved on, the angels around Zacharael seemed unsure how to react. They had just watched him kill a fellow Archangel in cold blood, yet they had known and trusted him for a long time. He was much more liked than the eerie Archangel of Death that seemed to walk a thin line between her duties and becoming Fallen. And now the chaos around them seemed complete. All that was needed was for the damn Fallen to break out from the Purgatory world. ¡°We can discuss my actions later. For now, go save whoever can be saved. I¡¯m done sacrificing for Empyrean¡¯s ambitions, and I suspect many of you feel the same. Go save your loved ones instead. Let the ambitious beings fight their own fight.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    -----


    Even Dee was slightly shocked to see the number of shadow creatures rushing to invade Paradisia. Then again, she was the focus of chaos and it was somewhat natural for the shadows to teem with life when she was around. That had been true even before she became the focus. Now those spirits had found an outlet. That did give her an idea though. She started pushing a lot of her powers into a nearby shadow.


    The clone of her that Empyrean had created could sense all this of course, but despite having access to most of her abilities, power over the shadows was not one of them. It was an ability gained from Umbra after all. It would be weird if the Champion of the God of Order was able to copy those abilities. The clone had also lost some of its effect under Dee¡¯s suppression. It could still keep her busy and would strike when given the opportunity, but it was no longer something she had to fight with tooth and nail.


    On the other hand, Empyrean had personally become much more of a problem once his own copies had started arriving. There were already a dozen of them and the spells they used had started having an effect. Instead of a single copy flinging spells at her in futility, the twelve angels were now making formations and casting large-scale spells that ignored some of her resistances. Empyrean was already doing well figuring out which elements she was the most resistant against and avoided those. He had not been wasting the first moments of the battle when the seemingly useless spells had done nothing to Dee. Instead, he had probed Dee¡¯s weaknesses. Luckily her armor prevented any real damage, and the Authority also helped counter any wounds she did take from the spells that managed to bypass the armor.


    One of the problematic parts about Dee¡¯s clone was that it could allow Empyrean to find out about all the abilities it had copied. Thus it became exceedingly hard for Dee to surprise her enemies. Then again, the clone wasn¡¯t exactly in a position to give a several minute long presentation about all her abilities, so there was still a slight possibility of surprise. Dee had also just figured out that the clone couldn¡¯t copy everything. With a powerful blast of psionic energy, she sent the clone flying away from her, buying her time. Time she utilized by using one of the benefits the Authority granted her.


    Suddenly a rune along her sword lit up and everyone in the vicinity of Dee was shouting in pain as their own powers had suddenly burst into flames. The stronger the person, the more intense the flames. Dee herself was not an exception, but she also happened to be entirely immune to the effects of the dark flames. These flames didn¡¯t really have the power of the Flames of the End, but they were difficult to deal with nonetheless. And because it was their own powers attacking everyone, Dee didn¡¯t suffer any feedback from the Archangel of Justice.


    Speaking of, Dee suddenly vanished and appeared next to the Archangel. The wounded man had taken some distance earlier, in an attempt to recover from the wound Dee had dealt to him. Dee realized the wounded angel¡¯s ability to reflect damage was the lynchpin of this battle and without his involvement, Dee could finally fight without holding back. As soon as she arrived, she grabbed the already suffering and stunned Archangel by his robe and shoved his hooded head right next to the large shadow she had been channeling power into. The maw of an enormous Shadow Dragon appeared from the shadows and bit down on the exposed angel.


    Normally the Archangel was capable of defending himself easily, but Dee made damn sure he was unable to mount an effective defense by channeling her own power into his body. As the large jaws slammed shut, only half of the upper torso of the angel was left. Dee wisely pulled some distance by utilizing Lumen¡¯s blessing to the maximum, and was rather gratified that her senses had been right. The corpse of the Archangel exploded immediately, actually hurting Dee¡¯s clone that had tried slashing down on Dee¡¯s exposed back despite still being afflicted by the combustion of its powers.


    As she had not been the one to actually kill the Archangel, she once again didn¡¯t suffer any of the consequences. The power holding the shadow spirit together collapsed and the Shadow Dragon perished, but Dee didn¡¯t care. The spirit had achieved exactly what Dee needed. There was a price though. Together the clones of Empyrean had quickly managed to deal with their own power going haywire, and had used the extra time well. The twelve clones of Empyrean had been left to their own devices for too long and they finished a rather complicated and powerful spell. Thousands of floating magical glyphs appeared around Dee and every glyph shot out chains made of golden energy, binding around Dee and holding her in place. Her earlier dodge of the explosion had been seen through and now she was caught. The golden chains also rapidly siphoned at her powers and made her unable to use the majority of her abilities.


    Dee tugged on the chains as a test, and while they creaked under the pressure, they held for now. They would not hold forever, but they didn¡¯t need to. Even though Dee¡¯s clone was mostly spent, Empyrean still had his full strength and would be able to do what was necessary if Dee wasn¡¯t able to fight back. The armor from the Authority was a great protection but it wasn¡¯t absolute. It still relied on Dee supplying it with power. The power that was being pulled away at an alarming speed.


    ¡°Ready to say your last words demon?¡± The enraged Archangel of Order demanded.


    ¡°In a way. Now pay attention so you don¡¯t miss them. I¡¯ve got you right where I want you. Fire away.¡± Dee said in almost a whisper, and suddenly everyone on the entire battlefield had to turn away as a beam of extremely bright and superheated light crashed on the area.


    Dee had originally planned on allowing the Solarians to deal with the last anchor with their attack while she distracted the enemy, but if she managed to get rid of Empyrean, then the whole thing became a moot point. A single Solarian would not be able to kill Empyrean even with a surprise attack, but with all of them together? Well, that was another matter entirely. As the home of the Goddess of Light, Paradisia naturally had a rather large and powerful star providing what felt like a permanent day without night. The Sun Authorities of the Solarians didn¡¯t work perfectly on this star, but they had enough control.


    Dee mirthfully giggled as the beam of bright flames descended and she felt the chains holding her break as all the angels, including Empyrean, directed their power upwards in a useless attempt to stop the descending cataclysm. The Solarians didn¡¯t hold anything back as they secretly hoped that the attack would manage to deal with Dee as well. A hope that would be dashed as soon as the attack was over, but they tried at least. Then she started feeling her powers returning as the angels around her started dying. The Solarians would limit the damage in order to avoid collateral damage, but they could not prevent it entirely.


    ------


    Fawwaz was less than amused as the tsunami of white-hot flames swept through a large portion of the battlefield. He felt much better though after cursing a bit and seeing some new allies approaching. Mneventh and the Crimson-clad warrior woman were a sight for sore eyes. The sheer number of angels and the defensive spells they had managed to turn against Fawwaz and his subordinates had tired them out. Mneventh had clearly managed to accomplish his part of the whole endeavor before him. How disappointing.


    ¡°Reddie.¡± Mneventh greeted his old enemy with a nickname.


    ¡°Blackie.¡± Fawwaz returned the greeting with a nickname of his own. ¡°How much time until the next anchor? I¡¯ve lost track with the recent chaos.¡± He pointed towards the area that was now just gone thanks to the Solarians.


    ¡°Two minutes. Give or take a handful of seconds.¡± One of the crimson-clad women replied in Mneventh¡¯s place.


    ¡°What she said.¡± Mneventh confirmed. He was an ancient dragon used to dealing with centuries, so keeping track of minutes was just not his thing.


    ¡°I wonder if it will make a difference if we go a bit early. This is starting to get annoying and the longer this takes, the more likely it is that something goes badly wrong.¡± Fawwaz suggested.


    ¡°We better not. I don¡¯t want to be forced into doing the whole thing again. I doubt the angels would like us overstaying our welcome either. You¡¯re always in too much of a rush Reddie. That¡¯s why you guys keep losing. No patience.¡± Mneventh replied with a grin.


    ¡°Bah! I¡¯m just not a slow-moving geriatric dragon like you. I think outside the box. Still, maybe it¡¯s better to stay inside the box with this thing. Not exactly my show. Besides, I don¡¯t need Dee dropping another attack like that on my head this time.¡± Fawwaz countered. He was aware of the Solarians being behind the previous attack, but he also suspected Dee could manage something similar.


    ¡°Well, at least you¡¯re capable of learning. That¡¯s good. Maybe you¡¯ll make a proper adult yet.¡± Mneventh laughed. As they turned back to the battle they noted that the Archangel of Destiny was gone.


    ¡°Yeah, he ran away as soon as we showed up.¡± Teresa stated. She had actually tried chasing a bit but realized the futility and gave up. She might be fast in battle, but she wasn¡¯t going to outfly an Archangel.


    ¡°What the fuck are we supposed to do for the next minute and a half?¡± Fawwaz asked a little miffed. He had spent so much effort fighting the Archangel and now his enemy just escaped without a word. Mneventh likely had killed his enemy. Another bloody thing the dragon had over him.


    ¡°No patience like I said.¡± Mneventh commented again.

 Chapter 201

    As the torrent of fire subsided, Dee also felt that she was able to dismiss the Authority she had been using. Enough death had been wrought to feed it for now. In fact, it seemed that the Authority had reached the critical point much earlier, but the timing had been bad. Now she could feel that her surroundings were mostly cleared of enemies, so she could afford to return to her usual state. Well, there was one enemy, though he wasn¡¯t really in a condition to fight at the moment.


    Dee¡¯s size shrunk to normal as the armor and blade disappeared. She felt that she had not been able to utilize them to their fullest, but they had been useful. In fact, the armor had been more useful than the sword during the attack, allowing her to shrug off most attacks. She allowed her now freed tails to spread out behind her as she slowly walked to the badly burnt body of Empyrean. The beautiful angel had lost most of his face and skin, and he had severe burns all over what was left of his body. The other clones had also all turned to ashes. Even though the clones were almost as powerful as the original, and they all grew in power when together, they were still just a tad bit more vulnerable as they didn¡¯t have the strong desire to live that the original possessed. They were expendable.


    ¡°You look like shit.¡± Dee commented with a relaxed tone as she stopped right next to Empyrean, who in turn was lying prone on the ground. The Solarians could be thorough in their attack, even though they could no longer do the same to Dee.


    Empyrean¡¯s cracked lips twisted a bit, either in a grimace or a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll recover.¡± He croaked out. In a way he was right. If he managed to survive, the resiliency of an immortal would make sure he would return to normal with enough time, even without healing spells. That all relied on him being able to survive, which didn¡¯t seem likely for many reasons.


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t. Just in case you were planning on relying on that one clone you have stashed away under the Grand Temple of Order, you¡¯re quite out of luck. Not a bad plan, in theory, trying to tie your soul to a clone. Two problems though. First of all, you really shouldn¡¯t have placed the portal to the Purgatory world right next to the temple. The Fallen we set free really did a number on that place out of spite. Secondly, your soul has no chance of escaping my grasp.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Empyrean managed to croak again. His unwillingness was not without reason. Even the Archangel of Death had little power over souls. And the defenses around the Grand Temple were extremely solid. Or they would have been, except many of the defenses had lost power as the light in Paradisia started dimming. Most of the guards had also joined the battle and Nasir-Sin had other things to worry about. That was another factor as well. Empyrean was relying on the god to intervene if things got too bad, but he wasn¡¯t aware of the trouble Nasir-Sin was in currently.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I¡¯ve read that some people enjoy causing despair in people they intend to kill, but I never really had that particular predilection. I only told you to inform you, and because you happened to make an erroneous statement. Incidentally, did you know that the Goddess of Death had been trying to groom me into her replacement? Your soul will actually pass through my Domain and I don¡¯t even have to do a thing.¡± Dee was almost making small talk while Empyrean was dying at her feet.


    ¡°Kill..me..then.¡± The Archangel sputtered, blood flowing out of his mouth. His condition was getting worse instead of healing. Although the power of the Solarians didn¡¯t carry the same corrupting power that Dee¡¯s attacks had, they still had the nasty habit of becoming worse over time. Something about massive radiation poisoning and internal injuries with organs slowly turning to mush. Dee wasn¡¯t entirely clear on the exact details, she could simply see the effects.


    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m still debating that a bit. Although I¡¯m not the type to prolong someone¡¯s suffering, you are something of a special exception. Besides, I¡¯m debating whether I should wait until Lumen¡¯s realm fully separates and I get to watch you turn into a Fallen before killing you. I did promise to feed you your wings, but with most of the section of your organs that deals with digesting food already being gone, I guess I¡¯ll have to skip that.¡± Dee wasn¡¯t actually seriously considering something silly like keeping Empyrean alive that long; she was just saying things for effect. Leaving a dangerous enemy like Empyrean alive for that long for a simple taunt was silly and potentially dangerous. In fact, her senses and upbringing were already screaming at her to deliver the finishing blow, just to avoid any chance of a comeback.


    Dee wasn¡¯t the only one to think that way either. ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure you were trained better than that. What if I tried saving him while you dithered?¡± A strangely familiar male voice sounded in Dee¡¯s ears. She spun around in genuine surprise. She had not felt the man approach. Still couldn¡¯t feel him even though he was standing right there. Being the supreme assassin wasn¡¯t just for show it seemed. It also seemed that the previous times when they had communicated, the other party had allowed Dee to sense his presence on purpose.


    ¡°Hassan-i-Sabbah.¡± Dee almost spat out. Somehow his presence felt appropriate, so that didn¡¯t surprise her. Something about him being here just felt like she should have expected it.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to deal the killing blow, do you mind if I do it? I actually have some old grudges against him, and the reason you were trained by Zabaniya was to kill him. Well, him and a few others like the Morningstar, but mainly him.¡± The assassin suggested in a relaxed tone as if asking for a simple favor. Which, in a way, it was. Empyrean was powerful so Dee would gain quite a bit from killing him, but she didn¡¯t really care about those gains anymore. Beyond that, it didn¡¯t really matter to her who finished the Archangel off. Except for one tiny little thing. She didn¡¯t feel like obliging the assassin.


    ¡°Just for that, no.¡± Dee stated firmly and a weapon suddenly appeared in her hand. The roughly cane shaped object suddenly extended a large psionic blade, which Dee plunged straight into Empyrean¡¯s head. She didn¡¯t stop twisting until the Archangel¡¯s soul had been completely consumed by the Well of Souls.


    ¡°Well that was unnecessarily brutal, but I kind of liked it considering who the recipient was.¡± Hassan stated with a tone just as calm as before. If someone listened to just the tone of their voice, they might think they were discussing a cooking recipe or some sort of trivial gossip. Death was simply something mundane for the two, and taking a life was nothing to them.


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡± Dee asked pointedly. The two really weren¡¯t really on terms that allowed for small talk.


    ¡°I come with an offer.¡± Hassan said. ¡°I¡­have reached the end of my road. My life no longer has a meaning. You are one of the people that have a justifiable grudge against me, so I thought I might as well offer you a chance for revenge. I can¡¯t really think of anyone I¡¯d rather have the pleasure of killing me. Besides, I think you¡¯ll make it quick, unlike some others.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Dee asked with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Just like that.¡± He spread his hands to the sides, showing that he was completely open to attack and had no plans to defend himself. ¡°Incidentally, you¡¯ll find a small present inside my spatial ring as well. I think you¡¯ll appreciate it. I made it personally at the time you were rescued by the templars as a kid.¡±


    ¡°No. Just because you asked, I¡¯m going to refuse. Besides, I think it would be worse for you to live.¡± Dee stated stubbornly.


    Now it was Hassan¡¯s turn to raise an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re really forgoing revenge and letting me live? After all I put you through?¡±


    Suddenly a dark hand made of pure shadows and darkness plunged into his back and pulled out his still beating heart. He offered no resistance. ¡°Nope. On a second thought, I changed my mind. You know me better than that. You are one of the few people who truly know better. If someone wants to die, I¡¯m happy to oblige. I simply wanted you to feel, just for a moment, the feeling of having your wishes rejected.¡±


    She gave a small sigh. ¡°With today I have closed the circle. Today is the last time I¡¯ll play along to the wishes of others, while tomorrow I¡¯m following my own path, wherever it might lead.¡± Dee felt the need to explain herself just a little, although she was mostly talking to herself. The man had died almost instantly, and the only one present to hear her musings was Croestia, who decided to remain quiet.


    Her rejection had been somewhat symbolic. Now she had the power to make her own choices without acquiescing to the wishes of those more powerful, and she had also repaid those favors she had been given while still weak. She had killed Hassan because she wanted to, not because he had asked. The difference was small but important to her. She looked around at the devastated ruins left behind by the attack of the Solarians. She also looked beyond, towards the devastation she and others had wrought to the holiest part of Paradisia. So much death in one day. She didn¡¯t bother asking why. The reasons didn¡¯t matter. What was done was done. And after the last anchors were destroyed, the whole thing would be over.


    -----


    Lumen and Selvaria were watching over the battle together. Lumen was also handling the defense of her realm and a dozen other things, but she was a goddess capable of multitasking. Selvaria had just finished helping the last angels inside her personal dimension and the portal was currently seeing the Fallen rushing to safety as well. Mit-Amen was now overseeing things and had laid down the law to prevent the Fallen and Lumen¡¯s servants from fighting. Apparently, the threat of being thrown back outside and into the battlefield was a sufficient threat to keep the peace. For now at least. Later on, there would be others helping keep the peace.


    ¡°That was the third anchor.¡± Lumen commented.


    Selvaria couldn¡¯t really see what was going on, but that wasn¡¯t truly why she was here. She felt it was her duty to stay here and wait for the triumphant return of her daughter and some of her friends like Mneventh. ¡°How is she?¡± There was no need to specify who.


    ¡°She just killed Empyrean and surprisingly the assassin who was responsible for her childhood suffering. Incidentally, the latter one she didn¡¯t have to fight. The assassin apparently wanted to die. Couldn¡¯t tell you why.¡± Lumen never understood giving up like that. Things could always get better. If not for you, then at least you could help things getting better for someone else.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    They were quiet for several minutes before Selvaria spoke again. ¡°Incidentally, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wondering.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lumen prompted the woman. For some reason, the two felt a certain amount of kinship.


    ¡°So I know Dee became the focus of chaos. Chaos and darkness are all about the individual and it makes thematic sense to have a single person be a focus of all that. But as I understand it, you¡¯ve been channeling the power of light to all angels rather equally through the connection with Paradisia.¡± Selvaria started off.


    ¡°That is roughly correct, yes.¡± Lumen replied, now suddenly curious about where this was going.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m guessing the connections we¡¯re now breaking have a lot to do with that. You are pulling your gift back so to speak. So where does that power go now? If this was a very organized recall of power, I¡¯m guessing it would go back to you fully, but this is more like a forced separation. I¡¯ve got a feeling things won¡¯t go so smoothly.¡± Selvaria voiced her concern. She was a scientist and matters like this were her forte. She could see the potential implications better than almost anyone.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­actually a very good question. I hadn¡¯t thought of that. I can make a guess though. My sister described it rather well once. I¡¯m essentially building a dam to hold back that stream of power, but there¡¯s already a crack in that dam. So if I had to guess, the power would rush towards that crack.¡± The goddess made a guess.


    ¡°So, Dee?¡± Selvaria suggested a little wearily. Dee always seemed to end up involved with these kinds of things. Selvaria wasn¡¯t sure she was thrilled about the whole thing.


    ¡°That¡¯s my best guess. Eh, she won¡¯t mind. She already has more power than she knows what to do with, so she won¡¯t mind a small bit more.¡± Lumen dismissed the worry.


    ¡°Just how much would that ¡®small bit more¡¯ be?¡± Selvaria had a bad hunch.


    ¡°Well¡­quite a bit actually. See, my power has been instilled to the very being of Paradisia. Yes, some of it goes to the angels and will help maintain the light of Paradisia for a few more centuries, but the power has been building within Paradisia for¡­well since the time I created the angels. The place itself is special, and all that power will come rushing back once the connection is cut. Some of it will come to me, but¡­¡± Lumen shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a ¡®small bit more¡¯,¡± Selvaria stated with some actual worry in her voice. ¡°Dee¡¯s going to be pissed you didn¡¯t tell her.¡±


    ¡°Err, I think I¡¯ll be busy for the next eon or two. It¡¯s going to take me at least that long to rebuild something worthy. You can handle it.¡± Lumen decided escape was the best option. Still, she mentioned a real worry. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure what she should do if she was being honest. That was a problem for the future though.


    -----


    Qazarass was extremely annoyed. The Aspect of War had led the group with the most power behind it, but they were the last group to sever their anchor. The Archangel of Glory had managed to push them back, and although both the Archangel and her elite troops looked to be on the edge of defeat, they were still holding on. Most of the light protecting them had faded away and more than half of them lay dead on the field. On the other hand, several of the dragons the two Aspects had brought along had died as well, though their losses were significantly less severe than their counterpart. The presence of the Archangel of Glory was a powerful force, but even she could not stop two of the most powerful Aspects completely. She had been forced to focus on defending the anchor and her subordinates had borne the brunt of that choice.


    All the efforts of the Archangel were turning out to be for naught, as the people from the other groups started gathering at this anchor. Glory was still standing tall, but even she was starting to feel resigned as she saw Mneventh, Fawwaz and Dee approach. Defying the odds and fighting the impossible fights was what she stood for, but standing alone against five rank thirteen immortals, all equal or stronger than her was too much even for her abilities. And the worst part was that the light of Paradisia was fading and the people were losing hope. Their desire to win and the will to fight was what sustained her power and made her strong enough to fight the two Aspects for so long. And now that willingness to fight was fading fast.


    The Archangel didn¡¯t actually know much about Dee, but she was slightly shocked to see that the others obeyed her as she waved them to stop attacking. The half-demon half-angel spoke. ¡°I think there has been enough death today. Paradisia has already lost Order, Justice, Death and the Morningstar. In addition, Mercy and Hope have been forced into exile by your own actions. As a reward for doing your duty so well, I¡¯ll allow you to live. As long as you stand down and allow us to sever the last anchor, you can help your people fight against the shadows still running amok. Or you can choose to throw your life away in a futile gesture that everyone will forget as soon as it happens.¡±


    ¡°My people would not forget the best of us standing against evil!¡± Glory declared in defiance. Defiance in the face of defeat was pretty much the only thing she had left.


    ¡°Any other day, you might be right. But not today. There will be things that will be remembered from this day, but your death would not be one of them. What they will remember is that the cronies of Order tried to slaughter the refugee believers of Lumen and tried to stop the goddess from leaving a race that had rejected her. What they will remember is that today the mad God of Order died at the hands of the ascendant Goddess of Darkness leading a coalition of hundreds if not thousands of other deities, among them such gods as Death and Sol Invictus. You might think otherwise, but the history will remember this as a justified crusade. Why? Because history is written by the winners. And this day will be remembered as the day when the Paradisia became Fallen and the last faithful angels went to seek refuge elsewhere. Now tell me. Do you think the sacrifice of a single Archangel will matter compared to such momentous events?¡± Dee was doing a bit of theatrics. She was feeling unusually melodramatic.


    ¡°Even if they don¡¯t remember, I will die knowing I did the right thing.¡± Glory stated, now less sure of herself.


    ¡°Will you though? Self-sacrifice is often glorified, but I think that¡¯s taking the easy way out. The hard thing, the right thing, is to live and stay behind to rebuild something from the wreckage. But what do I know? I¡¯m just the Champion of the Goddess of Light sent on a mission to save what can be saved. And the Champion of the Goddess of Darkness, who joined hands with her sister because she couldn¡¯t watch the injustice that was happening.¡± Now Dee was straight out lying about the motivations about the deities. But it sounded nice. It sounded like the sort of platitude she should spout in a situation like this.


    The Archangel of Glory wasn¡¯t convinced, not by a long shot, but Dee had made one good point. Dying was easy. Living with responsibility instead was as heavy as a mountain. And heavy duties were something she was meant to carry. Perhaps she could help turn the narrative of the so-called winners of this history. So she lowered her spear. Lowering her spear went against everything she stood for, but it was what she had to do. Even while lost, her people still needed protection.


    Qazarass finally got to sever the final anchor and the effects were immediate. The light and power started draining from Paradisia and all the angels left behind became stunned. The reason they became stunned wasn¡¯t because of the disappearing light, but the fact that they were all Falling. Almost ninety percent of the angels still within Paradisia watched in horror as their wings turned black and the grace of Lumen was withdrawn from them. Even some of the angels inside the pocket dimension experienced this, as they were not true believers of Lumen but spies and infiltrators.


    There were some exceptions. Glory and her closest guards retained their pristine wings. They may have not been fervent servants of Lumen, but they had chosen the side of Order for good and principled reasons. Glory was foremost a soldier and a warrior. She honestly thought that the more militant side of Order brought the best chance of victory for her people. For someone on the side of Order, she wasn¡¯t someone who enjoyed plotting and power plays. She was honest in her convictions.


    On the other hand, Zacharael was one of the first to Fall. The Archangel of Wisdom might have been a neutral force, even leaning towards Lumen¡¯s side most of the time, but he was above all a realist. He knew what had to be done and had the moral flexibility to do it. That clarity allowed him to make the choice to betray the Archangel of Death for the good of his race. It was also the reason he accepted his Fall quickly. He had hoped otherwise, but inside he knew this would come.


    ¡°Have all the original Fallen been recovered?¡± Dee messaged Mit-Amen.


    ¡°Just about. We¡¯ll be finished in a couple of minutes. The Fallen travel light and fast it seems.¡± The leader of the white faction replied. She was already planning for the future. Perhaps the pro-angel faction would turn into a faction of actual angels and Fallen? Maybe they could get the Goddess of Light to support their faction? Wouldn¡¯t that be a real coup.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get moving. We¡¯re done here.¡± Dee voiced her order for everyone to hear.


    ¡°What will happen with the shadows?¡± Teresa asked with curiosity.


    ¡°The attack should theoretically subside a bit after I¡¯m gone. Though that said, it might grow larger if Umbra truly starts attacking Nasir-Sin. Our battle may be over, but the day isn¡¯t. A lot can still happen. That¡¯s none of our business for now though.¡± Dee declared and turned to lead her little coalition away. A coalition that would likely crumble as soon as they had reached safety. She could try holding it together, but she didn¡¯t honestly care enough to do so. A coalition like that might help bring a tentative peace between the dragons, angels and the Assembly, but that wasn¡¯t her problem. Let others deal with that issue by themselves. She didn¡¯t want to set herself up as some kind of peacekeeper.

 Chapter 202

    Umbra had been waiting patiently for the right time to launch the attack and her patience was now being rewarded. The realm of the primary God of Order was not looking good. As partially conceptual places, the realms of the deities could be affected by the weirdest of things. Usually, that was a positive for the deity involved but not in this case. In this case, the results were quite bad and Umbra was quite gleefully waiting for the last blow to land. She was keeping an eye on Dee¡¯s battle and knew what was coming.


    The first blow had been the destruction of the Grand Temple of Nasir-Sin at the hands of the Fallen. An enormous temple was a testament to the magnificence of a deity and could instill faith and fervor in believers. In some cases, even those that served other deities were affected. These kinds of temples were also very effective focal points for gathering the power of faith before channeling it forwards to the deity the temple was dedicated to. The downside was, of course, that should such a temple be defiled or worse destroyed, the effects would be rather dire. That¡¯s why such temples were usually well protected.


    Some of the Fallen were aware of this connection and they were all too happy to destroy the woefully under-protected temple while they were passing by. These Fallen happened to mostly be those that carried a grudge against the angels even before the purge and the following imprisonment, and their recent suffering had not exactly endeared them to their cousins either. An opportunity to strike at the god that was the symbol of their oppression was simply too good to pass up on. The temple had been destroyed almost on pure principle.


    The destruction of the temple had rocked Nasir-Sin¡¯s realm. Some cracks had formed in the spells and fields protecting it, but it was not enough to give the advantage definitively to Umbra¡¯s side. The act made the realm somewhat vulnerable and Umbra could¡¯ve lead her side to victory, but it would have been a costly victory. So Umbra let the opportunity pass and waited. She knew there was more to come. And she was right. The next blow was the death of Nasir-Sin¡¯s Champion.


    Some Champions were more important than others. The gods that had thrown the angels they had taken as temporary Champions at Dee during the repeated challenges didn¡¯t really lose much. Empyrean was different, however. Nasir-Sin had invested quite a lot of power in this Champion expecting great things. Empyrean had also been the Champion for a long time. A bond of sorts formed between a god and their Champion when enough time passed, growing stronger over time. It allowed a closer connection between the two and allowed for the deity''s interference in things more strongly, but it also meant that the deity would face certain repercussions once that bond was broken.


    The gathered gods all knew about the death of Empyrean as soon as it happened, and they also knew it had been at the hands of the Champion of Umbra and Lumen. Some of them had already been aware of the attack on Paradisia, though most methods of communication had been cut by Umbra once they surrounded Nasir-Sin¡¯s realm. By now even the slowest gods were realizing something big was going on in Paradisia. In addition to being a blow to Nasir-Sin¡¯s realm, it also invigorated his opposition. Finally they knew Umbra had an actual plan. They had been guessing as much, but assaulting a realm of a deity of this level was still a dangerous proposal. It was nice to get some confirmation that they would not be pushed into the role of cannon fodder. That''s why they followed Umbra though. She always had a plan.


    Umbra¡¯s grin grew wider as the cracks in the realm grew larger. ¡°Can you feel it Order? That¡¯s the bell tolling the demise of you and your people.¡±


    Nasir-Sin elected to stay silent. Normally he would be happy to engage his old enemy in a battle of words, but he knew the situation wasn¡¯t looking good. In fact, it looked downright rotten the more he thought about it. With the second blow, the defenses around his realm had weakened to a point where Umbra already had a clear advantage. Yet she was still waiting, which meant that there was more to come. Likely something worse. How much worse could it get? They had already done pretty much everything aside from actually killing all his servants. Even if the crisis within Paradisia turned really bad, destroying the home of the angels would only remove a large portion of his servants. A severe blow for sure, but still not enough to cripple him entirely.


    Unfortunately his lack of imagination became his undoing. He had considered the possibility of Lumen taking her realm away, that¡¯s why he wanted Lumen replaced, and had even speculated on what would happen if that came to pass. He just didn¡¯t realize all the implications in the moment. The gods operated as concepts and followed certain rules that didn¡¯t always make perfect sense. Still, the laws of the universe were what they were, imperfections and all. Luckily the universe had ways of correcting for any mistakes and problems that crept up with such rules, but such corrections didn¡¯t always happen instantly. It sometimes took a bit of time and certain actions on the part of the gods to correct for any such problems. And in this case, that time was the problem and made all the difference.


    Once the separation of Lumen¡¯s realm happened and nearly all angels not following Lumen became Fallen, something rather unexpected also happened. Something that had been anticipated by one particular goddess and no one else. While angels were beings of light and order, Fallen were not. They could theoretically serve Lumen or Nasir-Sin, but nearly none of them did before now. They had a natural aversion towards light and order. Fallen in general were considered to be beings of darkness and chaos, at least in theory and concept, and as such came under the purview of Umbra. So, in the eyes of the universe, the newly Fallen that used to be faithful angels were not servants of Nasir-Sin or Lumen anymore. Instead, they were servants of Umbra, at least until they re-established their worship of Nasir-Sin, usually with a prayer and a small, almost unconscious action on the part of the deity himself, accepting them as his followers.


    As a people who had just faced and were currently facing a dire crisis, they were bound to seek the assistance of their chosen deity rather quickly. As such, it would take a few days at most to establish the connection again. Most of the lost followers would be reclaimed in less than a day. But for a very short time, Nasir-Sin had lost almost ninety percent of all angels that served him, and those same angels were now counted as followers of Umbra. And the timing could not have been worse.


    As the shift happened, Nasir-Sin collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed by the sudden blow. He looked in horror as the realm around him shattered almost completely and he felt weaker than he had ever been since becoming the primary God of Order. Alone any of the previous blows would have been bad but could have been handled. Even the last one could have been dealt with since he had plenty of other servants beyond just the angels, even though the angels did form the majority of his power base. But the combination of the three blows had literally brought him to his knees, and the darkness and chaos chose this moment to waltz right in.


    ¡°Well, wasn¡¯t that exciting.¡± Umbra stated as she stood over the kneeling Nasir-Sin, looking extremely smug and pleased with herself. Any and all defenses of the realm had deactivated and most of the familiars and protectors were severely weakened and confused. ¡°Burn everything to the ground! Leave nothing standing! Let the next prime God of Order inherit the ruined remains of a once glorious realm, now turned to nothing but ashes and dust!¡± Umbra commanded the gods following her.


    She didn¡¯t need to tell the gathered gods twice. One would think a battle between deities would be a grand showing of powers and skill, but unfortunately they usually degenerated into a simple measuring contest between the powers of the gods involved. There were strategies and tactics involved before and sometimes even during smaller fights, but large fights usually just became a contest of pure power. And with a disparity this large between the two sides, even that contest became mostly a quick defeat, followed by a frenzied rout. Many of the gods that had followed Nasir-Sin tried to escape if they survived the first contact. Some might even succeed as many of the dark gods chased them in an effort to hunt them down. Most were cut down as they ran.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the importance of picking the right people to support.¡± Umbra stated in a self-satisfied tone. She loved it when a plan came together.


    ¡°You say that as if I didn¡¯t come close to succeeding.¡± Nasir-Sin stated defensively. He knew he had lost and would not survive. That didn¡¯t mean he had to grovel.


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t come as close as you think. Had I not picked the right seedling, I would¡¯ve found another way. Though I have to admit that my Champion performed above even my most hopeful expectations. Still, it was only a matter of time. The reason you did so well against Lumen is because we were playing the waiting game while our Champion grew up. Had we not found such a great Champion, we would have taken a more active stance. You might have had a chance against just her, but you never had a chance against me.¡± Umbra countered Nasir-Sin¡¯s thinking.


    ¡°Bah, as if the two of you would have become allies in the first place! I may not be familiar with all of your schemes, but I do know it was mostly your little Champion that brought the two of you together.¡± Nasir-Sin shot down Umbra¡¯s reasoning. Not entirely without merit.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard? We are the fated pair of star-crossed lovers. The rumors are spreading everywhere. The pair of sisters that have been kept apart by cruel fate and circumstance!¡± Umbra was quite happy to play along with Dee¡¯s little revenge. She found the thought rather amusing in fact. ¡°But I digress. We are where we are. I¡¯m simply savoring my victory just a bit. That¡¯s one of the problems with my Champion. She doesn¡¯t know how to appreciate the moment of victory. So quick to finish things off. Still, she does have a point. Wouldn¡¯t want to slip up and give you the chance to recover. For instance, it would be rather unfortunate if some deity, say the Goddess of the Sun for example tried to take advantage of the situation and attack me.¡±


    At her words, Umbra turned to watch as a particular deity that had been watching the two of them made a small bow and moved on. Sol-Invictus had been contemplating just what Umbra had suggested, though she had judged that the odds of success were not good enough to take the risk. Now having been seen through, the odds turned decisively against such an attempt, so she abandoned the idea. It had been a fleeting thought anyway. With Nasir-Sin gone she would become the number five deity. And with Lumen¡¯s current weakness she could make an argument about being number four. Still, she knew her limits. The current Umbra was beyond her reach and had joined Death and Eternity on the list of deities not to make an enemy of.


    ¡°Well then. It is time to finish this.¡± Umbra turned back to the God of Order. A sudden string of words came from her mouth and the universe moved to accommodate her words of power. ¡°The God of Order Nasir-Sin is dead and beyond any recovery, and his realm will be ruined beyond recovery with his passing.¡±


    Her method was rather inefficient, taking much more power than a simple attack would have, but she could afford the expenditure and it was better to be sure. Thus the God of Order disappeared in a cloud of rapidly dispersing dust, and his realm gave its last death throes. Umbra, in turn, gave a small shiver of pleasure. Her victory was complete. Unlike her Champion, she could appreciate victory. There would be other battles, but that didn¡¯t diminish the joy from such a grand victory.


    --------


    Dee stared at the painting while her allies finished their last preparations. She had fished the painting out of Hassan-i-Sabbah¡¯s spatial ring, and it had been the only thing inside aside from the device the two had used to communicate a couple of times. The painting depicted a fox-eared knight with nine flaming tails plunging a lance into the chest of a golden-winged Archangel that bore a close resemblance to Empyrean. The ground below the two figures was littered with the corpses of other angels. As a magical painting, the figures were moving ever so slightly.


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather gruesome painting. Well done though. When did you have time to have that made?¡± Aurelie spoke from behind Dee.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Apparently, Hassan-i-Sabbah painted it while I was just a child.¡± Dee had to admire the man¡¯s foresight. He wasn¡¯t a seer, so all this was something he had to orchestrate personally. And while the number of tails and her choice of weapon were inaccurate, the rest were not that far off.


    ¡°Huh. Didn¡¯t know he had that kind of talent. Doesn¡¯t surprise me though. Most high ranking immortals pick up a hobby or two. I personally play a dozen or so musical instruments. How about you?¡± Aurelie found the timing of the painting curious, but that¡¯s all.


    Dee perked up at the thought of Aurelie having musical talent. She still quite admired those that had the ability to play music, despite the fact that she had managed to learn a bit as well. She was planning on spending several years doing nothing but listening to music and learning to play better now that she didn¡¯t have to care about other things. ¡°Oh, you play music? I dabble a bit as well, though I haven¡¯t really had the time to truly dedicate to learning. Something I hope to rectify. I wonder if you have the time to give me some pointers?¡±


    Dee was rather honest in her request, though Aurelie read something a bit more into the words. She wasn¡¯t averse to the idea. Not at all. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can arrange somethiiiiing?!¡± Her tone started off as a bit saucy, but got a bit high-pitched at the end and turned to an alarmed question. ¡°Why the hells are you suddenly glowing?¡±


    ¡°Son of a¡­¡± Dee cursed as the power of light from Paradisia started rushing into her. She was familiar with the sensation as she had already experienced something similar when becoming the focus of chaos. This time the power was rushing at her all at once instead of building up over weeks. The amount of power also seemed larger. Much larger. It seemed that the power of light had been building up for much longer.


    ¡°Dee? I don¡¯t want to alarm you, but you¡¯re turning translucent! Nope, scratch that, you¡¯re turning fully transparent!¡± Aurelie was actually starting to panic.


    Dee was less worried. This was just the ultimate expression of what she had been feeling for a while. She had been feeling like she was turning into energy and leaving behind her body. The more power she gained, the more obvious the feeling became. It seemed the moment of truth had come. She actually wasn¡¯t sure what would happen once she crossed the threshold. It was possible that the energy that she was turning into simply scattered with nothing holding it together. Well, too late to worry now. It did strike her as somewhat slightly annoying that the change came right after she reached her goal, but didn¡¯t have the time to enjoy the fruits of her labor.


    Aurelie ran out of the room, yelling for help but she didn¡¯t get far before she felt an enormous explosion of power. Not the kind of explosion that destroyed things, but the kind of explosion that shook one to their very core and could be felt everywhere. In this case the explosion of power was felt literally everywhere all over the universe. The explosion felt almost omnipresent and wasn¡¯t any stronger closer to the source. Everyone with enough power to be counted as an immortal felt a wave of power pass by and they knew something had happened. They also got the feeling of something new being born. Something new, and at the same time something extremely old.


    Umbra was the only one of the younger gods that realized the significance. This was something she had considered when she had suggested the use of Tiamat¡¯s blood when making Dee. Lumen had a hunch as well but didn¡¯t know enough to be sure. Death and Eternity knew of course. The goddess grimaced. Dee was early. Her plans were not yet finished. ¡°Do you need to act?¡± She asked Eternity.


    ¡°I do. I don¡¯t want to, but you know I have to. The Old Ones were imprisoned for a reason. She is not a threat by herself, but where there is one, there will eventually be more.¡± Eternity stated and disappeared from his campsite.


    He appeared again within Lumen¡¯s realm where everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. Everything except a faint form of a woman slowly regaining her old shape, though made of pure power. For a small moment, Dee had felt that she would be scattered all over the universe and lose herself, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult to hold on to the energy that was part of her. She had no body though and the feeling was decidedly odd, to say the least. ¡®Huh, this reminds me of the Solarians. I wonder if this is why they are so strong? They are already by nature beings of energy.¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Eternity suddenly spoke, answering Dee¡¯s unspoken question. Her mere thoughts were affecting the surroundings and could be felt and understood. ¡°But they also pay a price of sorts. The energy within them is less pure. It is a power of a single element, whereas you are now a being of pure power of all sorts. A slight difference, but very important. They are closer to being a very refined elemental, while you are now something else entirely.¡±


    Only now Dee noticed the presence of the god and her changed surroundings. Her senses seemed to have changed quite a bit, not having a body anymore and all. She could at the same time sense everything within Lumen¡¯s realm and far beyond, yet it was a little difficult to focus on single things. That said, she was a psion and she was used to dealing with floods of information. She was adjusting rather quickly. ¡°Eternity. I¡¯m guessing this isn¡¯t just a social call.¡± At the same time, she was observing space and time. It was weird being able to ¡®see¡¯ them. Perhaps sensing them would be more accurate? Tasting them? What did time taste like? Incidentally, space seemed to taste like neon purple strawberry. Colors also had a taste for some reason.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid not. Your new status is¡­inconvenient.¡± He explained slowly. The universe around them was still crawling at the pace of a particularly slow and lazy snail.


    ¡°My new status. Speaking of, what is my new status?¡± Dee asked. She hadn¡¯t heard anything about this before now. Her focus was finally starting to return. She wasn¡¯t entirely sure if they had spent only seconds in this moment between seconds or if they had spent a thousand years here.


    ¡°You are now what some call Nakshatra. Most know your kind as the Old Ones. You can imagine it as being rank fourteen if that makes things easier.¡± Eternity told her without rushing things.


    ¡°Old Ones? I have a distinct impression that they are all imprisoned. Is that what this visit is about? Is that why we don¡¯t see any rank fourteen beings around?¡± Dee was full of questions while also dreading the answers. If the god wanted to imprison her, she would not go quietly. She wasn¡¯t used to her new existence, far from it, but she had a feeling it would be a rather even fight.


    ¡°In part. We have placed some limitations that stop most from reaching the rank. Without help that is. Unfortunately my daughters and Death provided you with a bit too much help. I¡¯m not here to imprison you. Unlike the Old Ones, you have not done anything to earn that imprisonment. However, your new status is still a problem. A problem that needs to be solved.¡± Eternity stated.


    ¡°Solved, huh? And how did you intend to go about solving this problem? I should warn you that I do not intend to go down quietly if that was your plan. Besides, you contributed to the problem with your blessing.¡± Dee pointed out a bit accusingly.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware. The good thing is that the problem really comes from the existence of more of your kind. I¡¯m aware of your aversion towards being forced into anything by others. Your Domain is a rather clear hint after all. So I¡¯ll make you a deal. I was planning on sending you to another universe better equipped to deal with someone of your level. Do not worry, even there you will be a rather singular existence. However, I¡¯m not in a rush. We both know you¡¯re the type who will get bored of the quiet life eventually, so I can give you time. Provided some conditions are followed.¡± Eternity also wasn¡¯t happy about the prospect of trying to convince the Guardian of this universe and the destination universe to go along with things.


    ¡°So what kind of timeframe are we talking about? As far as I know, there haven¡¯t been more of my kind in¡­well forever. And what kind of conditions?¡± Dee questioned.


    ¡°Three conditions. You have to agree not to try and train more of your kind. You also have to agree not to go along with any of Umbra¡¯s harebrained ideas about overthrowing me and Death. These I think you would go along with anyway, but I must insist. The last thing is that you have to agree to not go close to where the Old Ones are imprisoned. Be assured that I would be able to banish you faster than you would be able to free them. As for a time frame? Well, as you said, there haven¡¯t been new beings of your kind in a long time. I¡¯d say I could easily give you a nice cushion of five thousand years. For beings like me it will be a blink of an eye, but for you, that should be a long time. We can negotiate a few thousand years either way if the situation calls for it. I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll get bored much earlier than that though.¡± Eternity didn¡¯t mention that five thousand years would be a blink of an eye for the future Dee as well. That was something she had to find out herself.


    ¡°You can always leave at your own time through the Astral Plane before the time is up. Who knows, it could be a new adventure. You know how to reach me if you want to renegotiate some part of this deal.¡± Eternity added after a moment.


    He had some insight into Dee¡¯s character and was correct. Dee was not the type to hang around doing nothing. She would get bored of the peace and quiet sooner or later. The odds were that Dee would leave long before the five thousand years was up. Dee also knew that. Still, simply agreeing would go against her newfound freedom, so she hedged things a bit, even though she would likely go along with it when the time came. ¡°We shall see, though I suspect you are correct. Now help me form a new body. This whole vacation will be worth nothing if I can¡¯t enjoy it properly. And for that, I need taste buds. And ears that don¡¯t think music sounds like the space-time is having a sneezing fit.¡±

 Chapter 203

    As everyone staying inside Lumen¡¯s realm felt the sudden explosion of power, they were suddenly on high alert. They had just finished a dangerous battle after all, and it could be argued they weren¡¯t quite clear of the danger just yet. Even the people inside Selvaria¡¯s pocket dimension felt the wave of power, though they had no idea what the reason could¡¯ve been. It still alarmed everyone greatly. Still, there was something about the phenomenon that made everyone think it wasn¡¯t an attack. Those that had not entered the pocket dimension heard Aurelie¡¯s cries for help and rushed towards her. As she summarized what she had seen, the others could make the connection between Aurelie¡¯s words and the explosion of power, and they rushed towards the place Dee had been waiting for them to finish preparations for departure.


    Whether by accident or design, the people still staying outside the pocket dimension were mostly the dragons. Qazarass and Mneventh were the first to arrive alongside Aurelie, and they arrived just in time to see Dee slowly regaining a physical form. The process looked like a tiny star the size of a fist slowly sending out small trickles of energy that solidified into a living body. Dee looked generally the same, but there were some differences. The most obvious one was that she glowed. It was like every cell in her body was a small magical lamp, though instead of a warm and gentle light, this blueish-lavender tone felt more violent and untamed despite the otherwise gentle colors. She was also very naked, but that had never really bothered her before. It certainly wasn¡¯t going to start bothering her now that the body she was forming was just a simple shell for convenience.


    ¡°Well, that was an interesting experience.¡± Dee stated, pre-empting some of the questions that were about to rush in with a wave of her hand. She was owlishly blinking her eyes, getting adjusted to her new body that didn¡¯t quite work like her old one. The fact that walls did nothing to block her sight, for instance, required some getting used to.


    Mneventh was the first one to speak. ¡°I¡¯m going to go ahead and guess that the explosion of power everyone just felt was your doing.¡± He also made a small gesture to indicate that she might want to put some clothing on.


    Dee tilted her head a bit and placed a finger on her chin, not in thought but to test her sense of touch. At the same time, shadows around her crept up and formed into a simple dress. Ironically they also dimmed down her glow a bit. She had already checked that Croestia was still around, though something seemed to have changed between the two as if they had become one. It required further study and she wasn¡¯t sure if Croestia¡¯s storage function was still there. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a bit hard to say since I don¡¯t know what you felt, but yes I suppose.¡±


    What followed was a barrage of questions, which were repeated as later arrivals like Selvaria rushed in to check if everything was alright. Dee was purposefully vague on the details, though she did admit to her new status as what some would call a rank fourteen being. She was tempted to spill everything to spite Eternity just because she didn¡¯t like having limits placed on her, but it would serve no purpose other than to make the god mad. While she didn¡¯t like limits on her actions, she didn¡¯t categorically think all rules were bad. And the three conditions Eternity had laid for her weren¡¯t actually something she opposed. She had been asked not to do something and she decided to oblige.


    She did do one thing that Eternity might be less wild about though. It wasn¡¯t just against Eternity, but it was a clear statement about her future stance nonetheless. One of the first things she did after gaining her bearing was to cut the gods off from being able to observe her. She had allowed that observation because she had a mission to fulfill and sometimes it was useful if the gods were aware of what was happening. However, her cooperation with the deities was now over. Any further issues they faced were for them to solve on their own. If Eternity wanted to make sure she didn¡¯t break his little rules, then he¡¯d have to do it some other way.


    The news about her elevation to become the sole rank fourteen being was met with stunned silence, followed by shrugs and statements that could be summed up with ¡°That¡¯s Dee for you.¡± At least, that was the extent of it in public. Some of those gathered had further ideas of course. Being the only rank fourteen being not imprisoned by the gods, a detail Dee did not share, meant that she was a rather large consideration when it came to the power balance of the universe. No one knew the extent of her abilities, although she had already been able to kill the Morningstar and lead an attack on Paradisia before her elevation.


    As most people scattered back to finalize their preparations for returning, some of those more interested in power politics hung back. As the dragons were the most numerous ones present, they were the first to approach Dee. ¡°So have we mentioned the fact that the Dragon Queen is about to pass away and that we need to select a new one? I can¡¯t help but note that you¡¯re also partially a dragon and a rare combination of an Astral and an Abyssal no less.¡± Qazarass broached the subject right away, his implication clear.


    Dee¡¯s response was rather direct and clear as well. ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    The old dragon was about to make another attempt but was silenced by a stern gaze from Dee. She had just finished her part in this mess and she wasn¡¯t about to become involved in another one straight after. The leader of the red faction of the Assembly was nearby and had a rather amused grin on his face. Dee was a Lord of the Assembly. She might not be willing to take a leading role in things, but she was still a Lord. That meant that they already had a connection with her. There was no point in pushing things. Just her presence could be used to influence others.


    Dee could read his thoughts from that small grin and decided to prevent any bright ideas from forming. ¡°Incidentally, I should mention that since I¡¯m the faction leader of a new Assembly faction dedicated to the freedom from the commands of everyone who might want to try and control us, I will not be supporting any aggressive action taken by the Assembly. In fact, unless my home within the White City is threatened, I might decide to ignore everything. As the faction of freedom, any member of my faction is free to act as they please, but they will also carry the consequences of their action on their own and I will not be making up for their mistakes.¡± She decided to make her stance clear. She knew the other would sooner or later try to implicate a member of her faction just to pull her in as the one responsible. She knew enough about politics to realize that much.


    Now it was Fawwaz¡¯s turn to frown while the Dragon Aspect of War grinned. Dee¡¯s declaration was rather clear in that she would not involve herself in the matters between the two parties unless things got completely out of hand. Besides, the two groups had a third target, so there was no need for things between them to get messy at this point. Dee was also connected to some members in both groups, so she had ties to them both. Considering that, the fact that she was officially a Lord of the Assembly didn¡¯t really mean that much. Both groups realized that the best path forward was to just tread carefully and avoid involving Dee¡¯s acquaintances.


    Without anyone noticing, Lumen¡¯s realm had already drifted away from Paradisia. Even though the realm wasn¡¯t moving quickly when it came to its physical location, on a conceptual level the two places had already drifted apart completely. In fact, no one besides Lumen was aware of where they were currently. That didn¡¯t worry Dee though. As soon as the preparations were complete, she simply gave a wave of her hand and a portal between Lumen¡¯s realm and the world they had designated as their destination formed. The portal still went through the Astral Sea, but the distance between the two portals was so small that they looked like a single gate. Dee had gained a much better understanding of space, although it still tasted weird in her opinion, and a trip like this had become trivial.


    Selvaria rubbed her forehead in a frustrated but silent gesture for a moment. ¡°You know, I didn¡¯t actually need to get everyone inside my pocket dimension. You could¡¯ve just waved your hand and everyone could¡¯ve stepped through. You wouldn¡¯t have needed to carry anyone. Hells, you¡¯re not even in your dragon form!¡±


    Dee was actually a little unsure of how long it would take to assume her dragon form currently. Forming a new body had taken quite a bit of effort, and doing it again didn¡¯t quite appeal to her. She would do it eventually, but why do something today when you can push it off to tomorrow? The old Dee had a mission! The old Dee did everything as fast as possible and as effectively as possible to avoid problems! The current Dee wasn¡¯t the old Dee though. This was the vacation Dee. ¡°Yeah, but that would¡¯ve been less amusing. Imagine their faces when you order them out only minutes after you got them all inside.¡±


    ¡°I am imagining it, and while it might be amusing to you, I assure you that it will be much less amusing to me.¡± Selvaria continued to grumble as she passed through the gate and prepared to face the ire of all the powerful beings that was sure to follow.


    Meanwhile, Dee turned around to look behind her. She had sensed the presence of the Goddess of Light. The goddess didn¡¯t say anything as she stood there watching Dee leave. Eternity had already informed her and Umbra about the deal that had been made. As such, both Dee and Lumen knew there was a good chance this was the last time they met. Dee was still the Champion of Lumen, but she had clearly signaled her desire to be left alone. As people found out about Lumen¡¯s Champion being rank fourteen, it was unlikely the goddess would have any need for her services. Dee was already something like a testament to Lumen¡¯s glory just by existing. There would likely be stories, songs, and legends written about her. Not all positive of course, but in all of them, she would be powerful. And her victory could not be denied. No one would want to pick a fight with the goddess who had a Champion like that.


    Lumen could use Dee¡¯s help with the current situation being what it was, but she knew better than to ask. They had already asked enough. Dee wasn¡¯t a magical solution to all the problems ailing the universe. She could be a solution to many things if she so desired, but that would mean sacrificing her life to such pursuits. And despite everything Dee had done until now, she wasn¡¯t the sacrificing type. Not when she didn¡¯t need to be.


    ¡°Thank you for everything. Maybe we will see each other again before you leave. Just to catch up and talk this time. Remember, I¡¯m only a prayer away, and we all know how sincere your prayers are.¡± The goddess finally spoke.


    Dee slowly released a deep exhale. Apparently, she didn¡¯t need to breathe either but did so out of habit. ¡°I should thank you as well. Despite the way I spoke on many occasions, your help was important. I¡¯ve left you a rather grand mess, and I wish you luck in cleaning it.¡± She gave a small grin. ¡°I¡¯m not going to help, but I do wish you luck. And don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll meet again. I¡¯ll be sure to keep spreading the rumors about you and Umbra. That should bring us in contact sooner or later.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    She then stepped through the gate and let it close in front of the cursing goddess.


    --------


    ¡°So? What actually happened once you returned?¡± Moirai asked. She was having a cup of tea with Aurelie and Faylen while Dee and Selvaria played around with Viansola. It seemed that Selvaria considered Viansola something like a grandchild or a niece.


    ¡°Well, the Fallen and the angels that we rescued were given a safe place with the Assembly for the time being. The angels quite happily joined the Archangels of Hope and Mercy in exile, and they have been given a rather nice world to inhabit near the White City. They actually expressed interest in staying inside Selvaria¡¯s pocket dimension but were booted out. According to what I heard, Lumen is aiding them in getting settled, though no new Paradisia this time. The Fallen have joined Mit-Amen as part of the white faction, and the white faction has finally come out as the haven of the Fallen in general. I heard Mit-Amen used to have a different name and she used to be a rather big shot among the Fallen a long time ago. She ran into some differences of opinion and brought those that thought like her to Assembly. While the Fallen are currently thankful to her, it¡¯s likely that those opinions have not disappeared.¡± Aurelie shared some of the news. Notably, her sash had changed color to the same lavender Dee¡¯s faction used.


    Moirai looked thoughtful for a moment and ran some likely scenarios in her head. She didn¡¯t have enough information to make any firm guesses, but she was still a psion and could estimate the most likely outcomes. ¡°Why do I have a feeling that the black faction will soon see an influx of new members from among the Fallen you rescued? It would make sense. They used to be part of the hells before, and while they aren¡¯t all that pro-demon anymore, I would assume they still get along. It would be somewhat symbolic if the white and black factions were both made up mostly of Fallen that simply had a different opinion when it came to angels.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but aren¡¯t the angels somewhat different now as well?¡± Faylen pointed out. She was somewhat out of the loop but found the topic fascinating. ¡°I mean, didn¡¯t the majority of the still remaining angels just become refugees? And Paradisia is now filled with Fallen, although Fallen that are likely hostile to those within the Assembly.¡±


    Aurelie grimaced. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a huge mess alright. There are still angels in Paradisia as well as they didn¡¯t all Fall. There¡¯s at least one Archangel remaining as well. Yet it¡¯s not like those Fallen in Paradisia suddenly became friendly to the old Fallen either. This will take a lot of time to work out.¡±


    ¡°How are the dragons and the rest of the Lords taking things?¡± Moirai asked.


    ¡°The Dragonflight launched a renewed offensive against the old angel controlled worlds. Despite their advantage, the progress is slow as they need to establish new gateways everywhere they go. They aren¡¯t facing much in the way of resistance though. All defending forces are completely demoralized as they have lost both of the gods they used to serve and most of them have become Fallen for reasons they are unaware of. Nearly all of the defenders surrender immediately. Incidentally, the Assembly has taken a more humanitarian approach. They are claiming to be taking over the worlds just to help them. They provide a very one-sided story of everything that occurred and encourage all of the angels to join the refugees led by Rahmiel and the Fallen to join Mit-Amen in the white faction. The rescue effort approach is working wonders. Some of them actually need rescuing.¡± Selvaria stated as she got back to the table. She wasn¡¯t able to keep up with Dee and Viansola horsing around and needed some refreshments.


    ¡°I notice the use of the word ¡®they¡¯. You aren¡¯t using your robes anymore either.¡± Aurelie pointed out. Selvaria had officially left the blue faction and joined Dee¡¯s faction along with Aurelie, though neither of them actually wore the robes all that often outside the White City. Aurelie simply did so this time as she was visiting and thought she needed to be presentable.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really carry much of a grudge, but they did leave me imprisoned for several decades. I¡¯m still angry at Mneventh too, although I accepted his explanation and non-apology. Although I won¡¯t say much against them, I still feel a little bad wearing the robes or counting myself among them. Incidentally, what do people wear these days? I¡¯ve used the robes for as long as I can remember.¡± Selvaria asked with curiosity. Currently she was wearing something rather revealing Dee had pulled out of her storage that was confirmed to still work. It was a rather fancy dress but didn¡¯t really suit the occasion or fit all that well, mainly because Dee was so much taller.


    ¡°You barely remember yesterday most of the time!¡± Dee yelped from the side as a slight barb.


    ¡°Her hearing has become annoyingly good too.¡± Selvaria grumbled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she actually hears the way others do. I asked about it and the explanation gave me a headache. Something about sounds tasting magenta.¡± Moirai gave a small shudder. ¡°Anyway, I think we can manage a shopping trip. Pantheon has everything.¡±


    ¡°You look a little weird.¡± Aurelie pointed out looking at Faylen.


    Faylen on the other hand was looking at Dee playing around with Viansola. ¡°Well, I mean, it¡¯s a little bit odd thinking that the most powerful being in the universe is currently horsing around with my daughter. She¡¯s glowing again too.¡± Dee still didn¡¯t have complete control over the glow, although she was getting better.


    ¡°She managed to change forms quite quickly despite her earlier protestations.¡± Aurelie pointed out. Currently, Dee was in her kitsune form, though she had shrunk herself to the size of a large-ish cat. A cat with fourteen tails the size of its body.


    ¡°That¡¯s because Viansola was rather angry at her due to her favorite aunty staying away for so long.¡± Moirai laughed. ¡°The form change was to placate the girl. Which worked I should probably add.¡±


    ¡°Where are you staying by the way?¡± Faylen asked innocently. Now that Dee had finished with her duties, her acquaintances were almost certain that she would find someone to settle down with. Settle down, in this case, meant designating a home and moving around all over testing all kinds of foods and fun, but that wasn¡¯t the reason Faylen raised the question.


    There were betting pools popping up everywhere on who Dee was going to settle down with and when. Many had bet on Aurelie as the most obvious candidate, though there were many other candidates. The Sidhe woman Eilian had gotten several bets, and some wild ones like Mneventh had actually suggested Mit-Amen. Someone had floated the idea about Selvaria, but that had been shot down as an option as it was likely that Selvaria would live in close proximity with Dee, but just as family. Nessera was a fairly popular pick although the succubus had not been seen for a while which reduced her chances.


    Oddly the ¡®someone else¡¯ option got almost zero popularity. Partly that was because everyone knew Dee was more likely to settle up with someone who knew her before she had reached her current lofty position. There were several reasons ranging from avoiding gold-diggers to many people hating Dee for everything she had done. Trying to find someone new in the circumstances would be fairly difficult, to say the least.


    Faylen and a few others like Razark had placed their bets on Moirai. The two had been close for a long time and there was a sort of tension between the two. It had all been pushed back because the two used to be a master and a student and because they had been rushing from one danger to another, but it was undeniable that the two were close and had helped each other through many difficulties. Moirai was pointedly very quiet as she heard the question.


    Suddenly Dee appeared next to the table carrying Vinasola on her entirely humanoid shoulders again. ¡°I¡¯m going to keep my home in the White City. I really enjoy the place and the Living Mountain wants to stay there. The mountain also threatened to blow up any other home I try to build, so the mountain is my home for now. Apparently, others will be living on the mountain with me. Aurelie already moved her tower there, as did Selvaria here with her pocket dimension. You¡¯re welcome to join us Moirai. You too Faylen, although I suspect your husband will want to stay here. Oh, that reminds me!¡±


    Dee led the others outside. The nearby garden stones suddenly lifted into the air and formed a simple arch in front of Dee. With a wave of her hand, a portal appeared inside the arch, showing the insides of a rather large room on the other side. Some of them recognized the room as being the entrance chamber inside the Living Mountain. ¡°So this should make travel a little easier so you can visit anytime.¡± Dee stated. She didn¡¯t mention that she would be visiting Viansola a lot as well. That was implied even without words.


    ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Aurelie asked with a little weirded out voice.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a stable portal between the two places. Incidentally, the endpoint will move around if the mountain does.¡± Dee stated. ¡°It¡¯ll stay open until I decide otherwise and it draws power from the Astral Plane. Very little power. It¡¯s surprisingly simple once you know the trick. I set a couple defenses around the area as well so none of the denizens of that plane will approach either.¡±


    ¡°You can do that now?¡± Aurelie asked as her eye twitched a bit. Forming connections like this would be a revolution of rather epic proportions if revealed and correctly applied.


    ¡°I just did.¡± Dee stated simply and pointed to the portal. Then she pointed upwards. ¡°And we seem to have company.¡±


    As she spoke, a figure some of them recognized landed in the garden. The Young King had led the other Solarians away as soon as Dee had allowed them to leave. As such, his visit was a little unexpected. After exchanging greetings he went straight to business. ¡°Dee. I¡¯m here as the official representative of the first circle communities. We have decided that there¡¯s no point in having any community you join battle for ranks, so any community you join will be declared as the number one ranked community in the Day city.¡± The Solarians were honestly trying to avoid confrontation.


    However, Dee realized that this offer had some hidden parts that were not there out of any maliciousness on the part of the Solarians. They were just the natural result of a high rank. For instance, the first ranked community was expected to help defend Pantheon. The position also carried a whole host of responsibilities and would be the target of envy and many attempts at manipulation.


    Dee had no such plans and had her response ready. A response she would have to use quite often in the coming years. ¡°Fuck off.¡±

 Chapter 204

    Dee laid her hand on the gravestone while countless invisible hands cleaned the area of any debris and trash. The gravestone itself was pristine due to the immortal level magic laid on it, but every once in a while someone who had ill will towards Dee took their frustration out on the surroundings of the grave. ¡°I¡¯m back Nessera. Perhaps for the last time. I came to say goodbye.¡±


    Dee of all people knew that saying goodbyes over a grave was merely a symbolic gesture, but she did it anyway. There was no grief in her voice and in fact she had felt no grief over Nessera¡¯s death for a long time. Nowadays thinking about the succubus brought nostalgic memories. It was true in a way that a woman never forgot their first lover, or at least it was true in Dee¡¯s case. They had rekindled the relationship a few times over the ten years after the events after the fall of Paradisia, though it had never been serious. Now the succubus had been dead for over twenty years.


    Nessera¡¯s death had been a pure case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She often spent time in the Night city¡¯s demon communities and had been caught in the crossfire between two groups of less than reputable organizations. The culprits were dead of course. The people of Night city still got shivers thinking about the event that was less than fondly titled as the ¡®Calamity of a Dead Succubus¡¯ as Dee rather forcefully searched and punished those responsible. There may have been some collateral damage. In the end, Nessera had received a funeral fit for emperors with many immortals present just to appease Dee.


    ¡°Moirai and Aurelie send their regards. I said goodbyes to them before coming here. They were not happy with me leaving of course, but they were aware that this was coming. Perhaps even more aware than I was.¡± Dee continued her monologue at the gravestone.


    It had taken a year but the delicate dance of emotions that the three had formed had finally blossomed into a relationship. At first, it was just Moirai and Aurelie having feelings for Dee, but over the decades that had turned into a genuine three-way relationship. The two had tolerated each other and Nessera¡¯s occasional visit at first partly because they knew Dee¡¯s free-spirited ways. Dee didn¡¯t want to be constrained and she had never understood the strict adherence to a single monogamous pairing that other people were so fond of. Ironically, the thing that brought Moirai and Aurelie together had been an alliance to keep some control over Dee.


    The relationship between the trio had started off carefully, flamed into a burning passion and then petered out to a comfortable warm glow with occasional bouts of white-hot passion, or even cold anger over some issue they disagreed on. Moirai, for example, wanted Dee to do more to help the universe since Dee had the power to do so. Despite being affected by the presence of Dee, Moirai had always been a bit of a softie. Aurelie on the other hand often pushed Dee to help the other chimera like them, while Dee didn¡¯t really care. Neither made any demands of course. They just tried to get her to be more active in things. In the end though, they all knew Dee would leave eventually, so they had as much fun as they could. And for almost three decades they had plenty of fun and happiness. That¡¯s what eventually solidified the alliance and the feelings between Aurelie and Moirai. The two wanted to keep Dee from leaving.


    ¡°They could see it was no help though. I enjoyed myself immensely just exploring the universe with them, but after I had visited every world that sparked my interest and tasted every food I could get my hands on, I was just drifting. Getting more and more bored. According to them, they could see the spark of life and passion slowly draining from my eyes. I think that¡¯s why they tried to engage me in their little projects truth be told. Ironically, it was the two of them that finally said it was time for me to go. They couldn¡¯t bear to watch me waste away anymore. In their words, it¡¯s part of loving someone to know when to let go. They were right of course. Apparently vacation Dee can eventually become an unhappy Dee. Well, at least they¡¯ll have each other. And I already feel invigorated at the thought of seeing something new. Maybe I can find something that can actually put up a fight.¡± Her explanations to the gravestone were a little jagged and disjointed as sometimes she was telling complete stories and sometimes she was lost in thought and simply thinking things through without speaking a word. It wasn¡¯t like the grave was going to complain about an incomplete story.


    Dee had spent three decades indulging herself. Despite enjoying most of that time, there was a limit to living without a goal and a dedicated source of motivation. Especially since her first three decades were spent in a frantic flurry of training and fighting with a distant and impossible goal. Being inactive like this was simply bad for Dee in the long term. She wasn¡¯t meant for the comfortable pace of just existing, but taking on forced responsibilities wouldn¡¯t work in her case either. Those would just cause her to become jaded and would go against her nature. She needed new things to see and try, and new sources of excitement. She needed a new purpose.


    Being the peacekeeper of this universe didn¡¯t appeal to her, but in some ways that¡¯s exactly what she had become. ¡°I find it interesting that my presence has largely been responsible for the longest stretch of peace this universe has seen in a while. We keep traveling around the universe and no one wants to accidentally attack a world I might like or have friends at.¡± Dee gave a small chuckle.


    That was only part of the reason. Her words, even those spoken casually, carried a great deal of weight. That was one of the other things that bothered her. Because of her actions, she had to be extremely careful about what she said to most people. The problem was, despite her unwillingness to meddle in things, she wasn¡¯t shy about offering her opinion when something bothered her. It had been her words that had finally put an end to the Dragonflight and Assembly taking all the angel controlled worlds, and it had been her words that had kept the three groups at bay for almost thirty years. Not that she got much credit for that as everyone had other things to worry about.


    Instead of the hells and demons, the shadows on every world had taken the role of being the catalyst of chaos and change. Those shadows had been extremely active thanks to the gathered power of chaos and the ascension of Umbra as one of the three top deities. Many people blamed Dee as she was the most obvious target for their ire, whether fairly or unfairly. They didn¡¯t blame her to her face of course, but it did predispose them to dislike her. That¡¯s why very few people credited her for the peace she had brought, although unwittingly. People only saw the downside and not the good things her presence meant. Not that she really cared, but it did have some downsides. Being too well known was a problem on occasion.


    ¡°The damn mountain is coming along of course, and so is Croestia. I was hoping we might actually be able to create a body for Croestia in some other universe. This one doesn¡¯t really have the means. You could do it theoretically, but the body would be kind of shitty, so I¡¯m saving that for the future. As for the other one, apparently the mountain that we met in the White City is too snooty, so the Living Mountain is coming along to see if we can find her a better mate in some other universe. Personally, I think the bloody mountain is just too loyal and doesn¡¯t want me to go alone. I don¡¯t mind the company, though the mountain is still driving me insane.¡± Some things didn¡¯t change. Even with the new perspective on things her ascension had given her, the Living Mountain could still make Dee question her sanity.


    The idea about giving Croestia a body had taken a life after Dee had become rank fourteen. Croestia had become a more well-rounded personality with her own perspective as it shared in the sensations of Dee¡¯s new body. Dee had tried getting help from skilled mages to create some sort of a homunculus body for Croestia, but there was something about the magical systems that didn¡¯t quite work correctly with the intelligent magical item. They¡¯d tried a more mechanical golem and that had worked better, but a golem body had no feeling to it, so the project had been shelved for now. Maybe other universes had better options.


    ¡°It might have taken a long time for me to finally decide to leave, but Death seems insistent on trying to force my hand. Apparently whatever she needed to happen with the Well of Souls inside me is now ready. Now all she needs to do is to die. Luckily it¡¯s not quite that easy for her. There are only a handful of beings capable of killing her even if she doesn¡¯t defend herself.¡± Dee grimaced a bit.


    Just a week ago Death had attacked Umbra in the hopes of the Goddess of Darkness being drawn into giving her the deathblow. The idea was that Umbra would be tempted by becoming the second-ranked deity behind Eternity. Unfortunately for Death, Umbra wasn¡¯t willing to play that game. For such a powerful goddess, she was surprisingly uninterested in the idea of going up one more rank. Death didn¡¯t quite understand the other goddess. Yes, Umbra had aimed for greater power and position with her earlier planning, but she had done it more to become equal to Death and Eternity and to see if it could be done. She wasn¡¯t really interested in rank per se. That, and Umbra wasn¡¯t interested in becoming enemies with Dee. The two still had a cordial, sometimes even a friendly relationship.


    With Umbra out of the consideration, that left just Dee and Eternity and neither of them was willing to oblige. Death had actually considered going after the Old Ones, either to get them to kill her or to provoke Eternity, but Eternity had already informed her that the Old Ones were not the only ones who could be imprisoned, should things come to that. ¡°Still, Eternity has been dropping hints that if I want to leave, then it might be a good idea to go soon. The bastard actually spoke to Moirai in her dreams.¡± Dee wasn¡¯t happy about that at all, but what was done was done.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°I still feel bad leaving some of my friends behind. Moirai and Aurelie of course, but Faylen, Razark, and Viansola as well. Vian just got over her anger towards me too. Now she¡¯s mad again.¡± Dee had a fond smile on her face. She was quite proud of the little girl.


    Most of her friends had done well in fact. Notably, Razark had found peace and Faylen had become even happier. She had blossomed as a mother and had added two more kids after Viansola. The two little disasters were also close to Dee, but she didn¡¯t feel the same kind of connection as she did when she had played with little Vian. Of course, Viansola wasn¡¯t so little anymore. The kid was over thirty now, older than Dee was when she had attacked Paradisia. That said, elves matured more slowly and Vian was still considered a teenager at best, and she often acted like one. Sometimes she did have a reason though.


    It wasn¡¯t simple to live in the shadow of an aunt like Dee. Little Vian¡¯s life had been perfect while she had been at home, but once she joined schools and academies her peers eventually found out that the dreaded rank fourteen being often spent time with Vian. Some people were afraid and lashed out, while some tried to suck up to Vian to get closer to Dee. Most just kept their distance though. It was hard for Vian to make true friends, although she did eventually manage to find some.


    Unfortunately, at one point things had become bad enough where Viansola had faced rather nasty treatment from some other kids, and the little girl had blamed Dee for her situation. A little unfair, but not entirely without reason. As a result, the two had hit a rough patch. Dee had to stop herself from killing the bullies, but it was something Viansola had to learn to deal with. This wasn¡¯t a nice and kind universe. Dee did offer her support and gave advice. The situation had been resolved eventually before she had to personally step in, though perhaps not in the best of ways. The parents of the bullies had found out their kids had harassed the niece of the most powerful being in the universe and had rather wisely decided to make a run for it. Eventually the relationship between Dee and Vian had recovered and grown even stronger as the girl¡¯s own personality had developed.


    ¡°Selvaria was of course devastated once she found out I was leaving. I think she was the saddest to see me leave. Truth be told, she will most likely be the one I¡¯ll miss the most out of everyone.¡± Dee teared up a little thinking about her mother. They had actually managed to create something like a parental relationship over the years. Selvaria was a frequent companion on Dee¡¯s little adventures, and any time not spent with Moirai and Aurelie was spent with her. Selvaria was also a frequent visitor with Faylen and Viansola, so at least she would have ¡®grandchildren¡¯ of sorts to look after once Dee was gone. Still, it wasn¡¯t the same thing. It was always sad to see your child leave without knowing if you¡¯d ever see them again, and Selvaria had been forced to go through that twice. One of the few things that didn¡¯t become easier with experience.


    ¡°This is the moment to say goodbye. I can¡¯t say I will never return, but I seriously doubt it. I suspect Eternity will not make it easy, and I don¡¯t even know if time works normally when it comes to travel between universes. It would be sad to return, only to find ten thousand years have passed here and everything I love had died a long time ago.¡± With the last sweep of the immaculate gravestone Dee turned and walked away. She wasn¡¯t really saying goodbye to Nessera, more like putting her own thoughts in order.


    Slowly a portal to the Astral Plane formed in front of her and she stepped through. Before she let the portal close, she gave the universe of her birth a last look and a small wave goodbye. ¡°I will miss this place and everyone in it.¡±


    She turned towards the distance within the Astral Sea. Thanks to her new senses, she could tell which directions she could take to get away from this universe. She could detect a place full of life in the distance, something different from everything else she could feel in other directions and decided that was a good place to start her journey.


    --------


    ¡°So she¡¯s gone?¡± Lumen asked with complex emotions. She had kept in contact with Dee, although their contact had been fairly infrequent.


    ¡°Not entirely, although she will be in a few weeks. It takes time to travel to other universes, even for her.¡± Eternity replied. The four deities had once again gathered around Eternity¡¯s fake campsite. They couldn¡¯t observe Dee anymore, but Eternity could roughly locate her thanks to his mastery over space. Dee left small ripples in her wake as she passed, something others would be unable to detect.


    ¡°Sad to see her go.¡± Lumen muttered.


    ¡°We always knew she would. She¡¯s not the type to just hang around. She is rather adventurous despite her protestations otherwise. Once it became clear she had a grander adventure just waiting for her somewhere else, it became only a matter of time. Still, I¡¯m rather pleased to have had her as my Champion.¡± Umbra nodded along with her sister.


    ¡°Maybe now we can get rid of the rumors finally.¡± Lumen stated with a sigh of relief. Dee had been rather active in spreading the rumors about Lumen and Umbra, and the legend was now accepted as a fact by almost everyone. Lumen had actually made an appearance to try and quash the rumors, but her fervent denials had only made the rumors more believable. Lumen could feel the power of faith starting to affect her already. The change would be slow and gradual, but it would come. It didn¡¯t help that Umbra was completely playing along.


    ¡°Yeah, I doubt that. I think you¡¯ll only make it worse again honey. Not that I mind.¡± Umbra grinned. For her, it had started out as a joke, but now she found herself rather liking the idea. It had a certain something that was hard to quantify but made her more inclined to agree.


    ¡°So, what will happen now that she¡¯s gone? Was it worth letting her leave?¡± Death asked a little peevishly. She was referring to her own plans of course, though not just those. If Dee had become her replacement, then the peaceful effect she¡¯d had on the universe would have become more permanent as well.


    ¡°Yes, it was. You know your duty. We were the first, and we will be the last. That was what you signed up for.¡± Eternity shut down the goddess¡¯ argument.


    ¡°Still, she does make one good point. How long will it be until the hostilities return?¡± Lumen posed the question that had been on her mind for a long time. ¡°I¡¯m not saying we should¡¯ve forced her to stay, mind you. I¡¯m just pointing out that her presence was highly useful. Ironically, the less she acted the more her presence kept things quiet.¡±


    ¡°That depends.¡± Umbra mused. ¡°How long will it take before everyone figures out she¡¯s gone? The hostilities will begin very carefully at first and will stay that way until they are convinced she isn¡¯t returning. Still, the War in Heavens might have hit a lull, but it isn¡¯t over. And as long as there is power to be had in this struggle, it never will end. The demons and Paradisia have both had decades to recover. The first new hell is about to be born. The two groups will be the minor participants in the war behind the Dragonflight and the Assembly, but the battles will return. As much as some things change, many others will stay the same. Now there¡¯s room for new players as well. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Pantheon took a more active role for example. They may have started out as refugees running away from the war, but that was a really long time ago. Now they¡¯re in a position of relative power, and their neutrality is already being questioned.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me of something. Will we be able to pick a new Champion now that Dee is gone?¡± Lumen suddenly realized a potential issue.


    ¡°Eventually yes. The connection between you and her will dissipate over time once she is fully gone. You won¡¯t get your powers back, those you gifted her and she gets to keep. But eventually, you can pick someone new. Not that anyone will be able to match her for a very long time.¡± Eternity explained.


    ¡°You do realize that you¡¯ve simply delayed the inevitable, right?¡± Death pointed out as if she hadn¡¯t heard any of the previous words. ¡°I did it once, I will be able to do it again, now that I know it works.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Eternity admitted. ¡°But I will make sure my wayward daughters will not be helping you this time. Good luck in finding someone who can match Dee without that help. I¡¯m the God of Time and even I won¡¯t bother holding my breath while waiting. No, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re quite stuck with you for a while still.¡±


    Umbra gave a small sigh. ¡°She might be gone, but the universe will keep on moving along. What remains to be seen, are the exact consequences of her life here. Some will last for a long time, like the fall of Paradisia, while other will be forgotten as soon as her presence disappears. In the end, it will all become nothing but memories as legends.¡±


    Lumen gave a small smile. ¡°I wonder, will there be an Authority born out the legends that have already been written about her, and will most certainly be written in the centuries to come?¡±


    ¡°Almost certainly, though will it be just one? She will be the subject of countless legends.¡± Umbra nodded her agreement. ¡°The other question is, will most of those legends speak of her as a hero or a villain?¡±

 Epilogue

    It took Dee about three months of travel through the Astral Sea to reach her destination. The good thing about the Astral Plane was that you didn¡¯t actually grow hungry or bored while traveling. She couldn¡¯t quite explain it, but the whole plane functioned a bit odd and had a strange effect on the mind. She was also pretty sure there was no aging within the Astral Plane, but that one she was less certain about. Not that she aged anyway. She had become immortal a long time ago, and now that she was essentially a being of pure power she could make her body any age she desired.


    As she reached the feeling of life that she had taken as her destination, the first thing she noticed was that she had arrived in something like a spatial bubble of enormous size. It bore some resemblance to Selvaria¡¯s pocket dimension, but only superficially. Whoever or whatever created this bubble was much more skilled and advanced compared to Selvaria¡¯s meager abilities. This space was not part of the Astral Plane, yet at the same time it was. Some of the effects of the Astral Plane seemed to extend here, like a weird flow of time, but most did not. Dee also felt strangely close to a trillion other places, as if the distances in this place had less meaning.


    The second thing of note was an enormous building floating inside the bubble. Calling it a building was grossly inaccurate, as it seemed to be partially artificially created from stone and metal and a hundred other materials, while also partially seeming like some giant had torn huge chunks from a hundred different planets and then smashed all of it together. The construct, for a lack of a better term, seemed to go on forever. It was at least the size of Pantheon and most likely much larger, though it was hard to tell. It seemed like the space around the place bent in weird ways, so the thing was likely much larger than it looked as it kept folding in on itself. It was roughly spiral-ish in shape, but that impression was vague at best.


    There were several places that Dee could only describe as docks along the edges of the thing. Many ships, ranging from simple small sailboats to large hulking metal constructs that seemed to be more suited to the vacuum of space than the Astral Sea, dotted the docks. The first ones seemed to be constructs of magic, while the latter ones seemed to be forged with some weird techniques and technologies Dee was completely unfamiliar with. Then there were things that seemed to be a bit of both. It all intrigued Dee. The universe she came from had a lot of powerful beings, but the level of technique, both arcane and mundane, as well as technology was apparently not that high.


    Dee slowly found her way towards a large door shaped thing at what seemed like the tip of the spiral-ish construct. Finding a single door in a stupendously large mass like this would have usually been impossible even for Dee, but she had a bit of help. There was a literal magical arrow in front of her, pointing the way and guiding her. The door itself seemed to be large enough to accommodate something the size of an ancient dragon, though Dee could sense that the insides of the place beyond the door rather quickly narrowed to more practical levels. Apparently those that entered either had the ability to change shapes or were helped in doing so by the staff.


    The door was guarded by a group of extremely varied looking beings. There was something that looked like the lovechild of a flying whale and a behemoth, an enormous fishlike being that seemed to be able to swallow anything. In this case that might be quite literally anything as Dee could sense it had a dimensional pocket inside its body instead of a belly. There were roughly humanoid-shaped beings in garbs that varied from shadowy leathers of some type made from some magical being, to people clad in some kind of weird hybrid materials and gadgets that had strange energy flowing through them. The latter ones seemed to be using weapons Dee was unfamiliar with. They looked a bit like the firearms that the dwarves and gnomes used, except they were only superficially similar. There was also an angel looking being and a demon looking thing. And then there were a dozen others Dee could not identify. Some were magical, some were not. One of them even seemed to be mostly mechanical.


    The large behemoth-whale seemed the most powerful as Dee could sense it was an immortal, but she had no idea how dangerous those people were that seemed to have little power but weird weapons. Seeing as Dee had elected to travel in her normal form with her wings out in the open, the angel looking guard approached her. It spoke a language Dee didn¡¯t understand, yet the meaning of the words was passed along. Apparently, there was some magic at play here that allowed the crossing of language barriers. Dee was already absorbing a hundred languages from the guards, just by standing near them. A nifty new ability she wasn¡¯t even aware of before, seemingly tied to her new status as a rank fourteen being.


    ¡°Welcome to the Crossroads. Judging by your method of arrival, this is your first time here, so we¡¯ll have to insist you go through a small briefing where we give some instructions and explain the rules. We¡¯ll also ask you a few questions, just to be safe.¡± The angel that Dee recognized as male stated. The being was somehow similar to the angels Dee had met before, yet in many ways it was also different.


    The whale-being floated closer and ¡°spoke¡± in a voice made up of growls and beeps. ¡°We don¡¯t often get arrivals this way. Thanks for making our day a little less boring. Most arrive by ship or the Doors.¡± The way the whale thingy emphasized the word ¡®doors¡¯ made it clear that the word had a special meaning here.


    Another guard, the female demon this time, also floated closer and started gossiping. ¡°The last time we had someone come in through the front it was an old as fuck Astral Dragon. Those beings are pretty much the only ones that can travel the Astral Sea with enough speed without the aid of ships.¡±


    The angel guard cleared his throat to draw Dee¡¯s attention back to him. ¡°Anyway, the rules. There aren¡¯t actually that many rules within the Crossroads. The use of a Door is controlled by the being that set it up, so if you want to use a Door to get somewhere, you have to get their permission. That said, we don¡¯t stop fights between idiots once you¡¯re inside, so if you want to set up a Door then make sure you can keep a hold of it. That brings us to rule two. Don¡¯t damage the Crossroads. We don¡¯t¡¯ really care if you kill one or a dozen beings here or there, but damage to the surroundings should be avoided.¡±


    ¡°That means extensive damage. No one cares if you break a wall or a city or two, but if you fuck up a whole section of the place, then the mucky mucks will get cross with you.¡± The demon stated with a small laugh.


    ¡°Well, some people care if you kill too many people. There are both just and unjust people around. If you get genocidal, then you¡¯ll piss a lot of people off.¡± The angel pointed out with a righteous tone. It seemed some things didn¡¯t change from one universe to another.


    ¡°This is where we¡¯d usually warn you about the fact that you might have been a hotshot where you came from buuuut¡­.¡± The whale looking thing looked Dee up and down. ¡°The fact that I can¡¯t feel how strong you are means that either you¡¯re much stronger than me, or you have no power at all. Seeing as you arrived at the front gate, that means the first option is much more likely. I¡¯d still be careful if I were you. Immortals are the big players in most universes, but here we have enough immortals that it doesn¡¯t mean anything. Assume that everyone you might piss off here has the backing of at least one immortal.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Dee gave a rather dangerous grin. ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯ll manage.¡±


    ¡°Word of warning. That¡¯s what everyone says when they arrive. But then they end up enslaved or at the bottom of a waste tank growing mold and mushrooms out of your corpse. Not a nice way to end up for a glorious immortal.¡± The angel stated. He had seen too many cocksure immortals end up dead.


    ¡°Now, the place has a common currency, but your gold or bits or whatever you use back home doesn¡¯t work here. You¡¯ll likely have to barter for some of the currency we use, either by selling something you own or by working for the money. Some of the higher class items and materials still only change hands via barter as materials from other universes can be worth more than any amount of common currency. That said, the value of everything is in the eye of the beholder. And, no I don¡¯t mean the actual Beholders. Fuck those freaks. Anyway, a magical item that might have been extremely valuable where you come from might be worthless to others here. A sword that has an enchantment for cutting power means nothing when you can buy a plasma cutter from one of the techie universes. Also, some universes are just better with such things. My advice? Any unique materials or plants are worth a lot. Magical materials are worth a lot when sold to the techies, while techie synthetic shit is worth a lot when sold to the mages.¡± The demon explained rather helpfully.


    ¡°In case you were unaware, and judging by your fluctuations when I mentioned it you were unaware, Crossroads has a countless number of what we call Doors. Those are a way of getting to another universe rather quickly and easily. The downside is that doors take effort to create and maintain, and as such are not cheap to use. They also take you to a pre-determined place, and you have no way of knowing what awaits you before you step through, except the word of the owner. You might find yourself in a paradise or ambushed in hell. And that¡¯s after you paid for the privilege to step through, so potentially a double insult. Bloody Beholders. The safer but slower way to travel is to use a ship, though ships are also pricey and you need maps of the spatial pathways to get anywhere interesting. Proper maps are rare and not in wide circulation. I think you¡¯d find those among the techies as they like such things and are more organized.¡± The whale whistled and chirped.


    Dee tilted her head a bit. Fluctuations? She gave off fluctuations? Anyway, she could sense those spatial pathways, all of them. The privilege of her rank most likely. She just had no idea where they went. And she traveled faster than most ships judging by what she could sense of the ships anchored in the immediate surroundings. There might have been faster ships elsewhere though. ¡°Understood.¡± She stated simply.


    ¡°Now, the first time entry procedure is fairly standard. We ask a few questions from everyone, mostly out of morbid curiosity. Also partially so we can determine what happened when something inevitably goes to shit.¡± The demon stated.


    ¡°First, we¡¯d like you to tell us your name, race and origin universe, if it has a name. An idea of your level of power and type of abilities would be nice, but it isn¡¯t mandatory.¡± The angel guard listed.


    One of the technically inclined guards floated closer. ¡°Also, some idea about a tech level would be nice. These magic types always forget to ask but it¡¯s rather useful information.¡±


    Dee was rather amused by the guards and decided to oblige. ¡°My name is Haydee, most just call me Dee.¡±


    ¡°Callsign: Dee. Got it.¡± The techie guard muttered.


    ¡°My race¡­that¡¯s a little complicated, but I suppose you could put down Nakshatra. As for my universe, if it does have a name, I¡¯m not aware. Technological level¡­hard to say without comparison, but lower than what you seem to call a techie. As for my powers¡­well, let¡¯s just say I¡¯m a psion and a powerful one.¡± Dee smiled at the last bit.


    ¡°Got it. Temporary designation B375-8997654898 for now then. Ooh, a psion. We always have a use for those. The term Nakshatra sounds like something I¡¯ve heard but it doesn¡¯t ring a bell right now.¡± The techie guard was logging the information.


    The other guards showed no reaction, aside from some curiosity. ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, you can get the naming rights to your universe if you¡¯re the first one to arrive here. Just visit the naming offices. Any official facilities can guide you the right way.¡± The angel helpfully provided.


    The whale creature seemed rather agitated though. ¡°My apologies great one!¡± It suddenly squeaked and whistles. ¡°We had no idea! Quick, open the gates! We are done here! Unless the great one needs anything?¡±


    Dee watched in amusement as the way opened for her rather quickly. As soon as she was through the gates, the other guards swarmed the whale. ¡°What the heck was that?!¡± The demons asked. ¡°We still had a lot of questions!¡±


    ¡°Do not ask! Do not try to find out more about her and forget this ever happened! This is your only warning. Nothing good comes from looking into this.¡± The whale stated firmly.


    ¡°You have to give us more than that.¡± The techie pointed out. ¡°You know that with you saying that, half of the guards here will try to find out more as soon as they¡¯re off-duty despite your words. We¡¯re all curious bunch. Otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t be here in the first place.¡±


    The whale growled a frustrated sound. ¡°Fine then. You have heard the term Nakshatra before. You just don¡¯t remember because you¡¯ve never run into it since basic training. The term is at the top of the code omega list.¡± The whale¡¯s voice got real quiet. ¡°It is whispered that the being in charge of creating the entire Crossroads is a Nakshatra.¡±


    Now the others physically recoiled away. The founder of the Crossroads was surrounded by countless legends and mysteries, and the being had mostly disappeared into such legends as the Crossroads had existed for longer than many universes. And now there was another such being here? That did not sound good.


    ¡°I have some vacation time I haven¡¯t used.¡± The angel suddenly stated mostly to himself, though he was giving the others a hint as well. ¡°I think it¡¯s about time I visited my family back at my home universe.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I heard the Paradune universe has recently come out with a new nano-fabricator. I think I should go out and check. It might be better than my current one¡± The techie guard muttered and decided to spread the hint to all members of his universe present in Crossroads. The information would spread beyond them of course, and that¡¯s how panics usually started.


    It seemed that the Crossroads was in for some wild times, and at least Dee was already excited.

 The promised AMA

    Righty, so as I promised, I will be answering any questions you might have about the story. I know the story left many things unanswered or with little explanation so now''s your chance. At least at this point I don''t have to worry about spoilers anymore. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Also, I know from experience that you can cook up some really good questions from all sorts of subjects. So fire away. I''ll leave this thing up so the questions don''t need to be asked today. Just post a question in the comments and I''ll reply with an answer. I don''t promise good answers, as sometimes the answer will be ''because I could'', but I''ll try.

 New story up

    As the title says, the new story has come out with the prologue. The prologue has some Protoss influences from SC2, as that is partially where I got the idea, but I can assure you that those similarities will not continue for much longer. I promised to post a link to the new story, so here we are: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/21979/song-of-the-void</a>The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The new story will start releasing chapter regularly as get into the swing of things. I might not be able to hit the every four days schedule right out of the gate, but I''ll get once a week at least. I hope you''ll enjoy!


    Oh, and I picked the sci-fi story idea in case someone was confused.