The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]
Chapter 278 – Dark Sorcery

“Hello Hello…” Helenna picked her head up from her own propaganda pieces which were discussing Arikan Federation. These were simply to lay the groundwork for the idea, not to actually change views. She turned around and saw Malam peeking through the door. “Hello Hello…” Malam cooed as if she was trying to be seductive, but it was obvious that the Goddess had drank too much. In the past millennium, Helenna could count a dozen times when she had seen a Divine hungover. Three of those were Malam in the past few days.

“I’m working.”

“I’m fi-finished.” Malam said.

“I can see that.” Helenna replied quickly.

“He…lenna…” Malam stretched the words out as she came into the room. “We op..erate on su…” Malam took a deep breath and trailed off. Helenna snapped her fingers next to the woman’s ears.

“Hello, Hello?! Arda to Malam? Is anything working in there?” Malam shook awake.

“Operate on such different levels that…” Malam trailed off again. And again she had to shake herself awake. “that I am… better drunk so much more than you.” Helenna stared flatly at the woman as she tried to figure out whatever the fuck that auditory garbage she just heard actually meant. Malam, eyes closed, somehow still smiling smugly, lifted her hand, dropped a piece of paper on the table, then proceeded to drop herself and somehow immediately fall asleep on the floor. Helenna stared with pure disgust at the woman. What a filthy creature.

And frankly, Helenna would not have it any other way. Malam was the best co-worker she ever had. The woman was funny, was competent, and she never asked too much for help, but neither was she so distant and cold that Helenna felt as if she was working alone. She looked at piece of paper Malam had dropped. It was actually a stack of sheets stapled together. There wasn’t a title page, it was straight to the content page:

Initial Sabotage.

Continuous Setback.

Loss of Confidence.

Cascading Failure.

Failure Spiral.

Total Demoralization.

Neneria stared at Fer as she rolled her arm. They were in the back of the cabin of Raptor One, flying over Kirinyaa. Raptor Two was providing an escort, as it always did in case of the fact that Raptor One broke down mid-flight. Kassandora would not risk the lives of Goddesses on whether machinery was faulty on not. The planes had been parked near Kilifi already waiting for them, so it had only taken two of Fer’s jumps to get there from the city centre where Neneria had previously been. Fer had practically thrown Neneria on the plane, then leapt in herself, and they had set off. There wasn’t as much time to even go and pack bags.

“What are we going to do?” Neneria asked her sister. Fer was reclining back, her golden mane of hair scrunched up behind her head to serve as a pillow. Bright golden eyes and a smile beamed at Neneria.

“I’ll say it how Kassie said it.” Fer said and then adopted a gruff tone. “Millions have died. Millions must be recruited.”

“Oh.” Neneria said, now that it was said like that, it was obvious why they were moving so quickly and why Kassie had been so mad. Souls would have a few days, then they would get bored and pass onto the next world. “With the flood?” Fer nodded.

“After Elassa cracked Arika.” Fer said with a nod. “We’re to pick up Ana too, she’ll meet us in the air, we’re not landing for her.” And Fer shrugged. “Her and me are only there in case we face resistance.”

Neneria could handle a lot. Being told she was cold, that she was hard to deal with, that she was boring were all things that frankly, she didn’t even majorly disagree with. But if there was one thing that people should not ever doubt, it was whether she was capable of protecting herself or not. There was a reason that she was an old breed even amongst the old breed of Divines. “I’ll need protection.” Neneria said flatly and sarcastically. Fer chuckled that horrendous hur-hur-hur of a laugh.

“Kassie said it, not me.”

“Who is there even? Etala? Ciria? Halkus?” Neneria asked. “I’ll need a bodyguard of two just for that?”

“Apparently half the Pantheon is there. Maisara, Fortia and Allasaria are confirmed one hundred percent.” Fer’s tone gave little room for disagreement. She didn’t even have a follow up comment, she simply left it at that, eyeing Neneria as the Goddess of Death grumbled and crossed her arms.

“Alright then.” Neneria said and Fer smiled to herself.

“I knew you’d be fine with it.” Fer said. Raptor One was a fast plane and Neneria only had to listen to Fer for thirty minutes before the pilot’s voice over the speakers interrupted the Goddess of Beasthood. It wasn’t that Neneria disliked her sister, she loved Fer greatly in fact. But…

Neneria took a deep breath and let the issue go. “Goddesses, I will be opening the side door for Goddess Anassa to enter.” The voice was Captain Douglas, Neneria recognised him from Operation Misfortune. He finished and for a few pleasant moments, there was finally some blessed silence. And suddenly the whine of steel sounded, and Neneria slid, or rather, was pulled out by the air, towards the door.

“Oh no you don’t.” Fer said as her claw wrapped around Neneria’s arm, and her tail curled around her stomach. Neneria grunted as the air pressure started to stabilize itself. Wind whipped her dress and hair, both pitch black, as it tried to force Neneria into the low-pressure air of the sky. Neneria closed her eyes as she grit her teeth against the pain of Fer holding onto her.

“You can close it now.” Anassa’s voice sounded throughout the darkness, no doubt that the woman had simply teleported into the back once the door had opened. Neneria didn’t particularly care, her hands wrapped around Fer’s arm and she held onto her much stronger sister for comfort. The screaming wind died down as locking mechanism slid the door back and turned itself. Neneria opened her eyes and saw her sister. Anassa stood there, embodying that perfect air of nobility she always tried to maintained. In that striking crimson dress, and with black hair just slightly lighter than Neneria’s utter absence of colour.

And yet, Anassa was different. Neneria cracked a stupid smile as she felt Fer relax and let her go. She saw Fer, Fer saw her, and they both turned to look at their much younger sister.

Fer stared at Anassa.

Neneria stared at Anassa.

Somehow had to say it right? Neneria cracked a nervous smile and looked to Fer. The woman was smiling wide, her fangs exposed. “What?” Anassa hissed an accusing question that demanded an answer. “What? Why are you two looking at me like that?”

“How?” Fer asked, whether it was terror or awe in her voice, Neneria could not tell.

“How what?”

“How did you turn brown?” Fer said, the flashlight on her phone turned on, where the red light of the cargo bay was barely holding a final defensive line against the darkness of the cabin, Fer’s phone launched a glorious crusade that pushed the darkness back only to the few sparse shadows around the seats.

“What do you mean?” Anassa looked down at her hands, twisting them forwards and backwards. “I’ve turned brown?”

“Compare to me.” Neneria said and held out her arm.

“You’re always bone white!” Anassa said as she held out her arm. Now that their arms were pressed together though, it was undeniable. Neneria may have been deathly pale for all eternity, but Anassa had always prided herself on having the fair skin of nobility that didn’t have to work outside either. And now, Anassa was as tanned as a farmer’s wife who worked the fields. Fer put her arm forwards. That proved it, Of Sorcery was usually a piece of paper compared to Fer, and now the roles were reversed.

“No.” Fer said in disappointment. “Why do you get to tan and I don’t?”

“I’ve just tanned!” Anassa said.

“Yes but how?”

“What do you mean how?” Anassa said in exasperation.

“I think she means what did you do? Did you use some magic or is this a demonstration of the fact your mental faculties are gone, where you’re going crazy and your body is changing.” Neneria said. Both Anassa and Fer looked at Of Death as if she was stupid.

“I’ve just tanned!” Anassa said loudly. “The people on the helicopter didn’t say anything!”

“Why should they? You’re Anassa.” Fer crossed her arms unhappily, although she kept on shining the light with her phone. “I wouldn’t have said anything if I was them either.”

“What does that mean?” Anassa shouted.

“It means you kill people for no reason at all.” Neneria said dryly. She hated when her sisters tried to act innocent. They were all as bad as each other, it simply was a matter of how funny and charismatic each one was. Both Fer and Anassa once again gave Neneria flat looks as if she had said something stupid.

“If you were Kassie, I’d have been baited.” Anassa replied.

“Never mind that! How did you tan?” Fer said. “I want to tan too!” She practically cried those words out like a little girl.

“I did not even notice I tanned when I woke up.”

“So where did you wake up?” Fer asked excitedly.

“On the head of a giant snake.” Anassa replied so dryly Neneria had to burst out in laughter.

“Where though?” Fer asked.

“I don’t know.” Anassa replied. “It was in the middle of the ocean. Just after I battled with the Jungle, but I don’t know where, I think I fell asleep.”

“You think you fell asleep?” Neneria asked doubtfully. How did someone not know whether they were asleep or awake? It was one or the other.

Anassa rolled her eyes as if Neneria had just asked a stupid question. “I was battling in the Jungle’s soul. In the same way I awaken sorcerers, I travelled into it. Elassa can do it too.” Anassa explained quickly. Neneria had heard of this, she supposed that the endless field her Legion rested in was a similar place. It simply wasn’t impressive to her, maybe to Fer, or to somehow else, but not to her.

“And?” Fer asked.

“And I won, obviously.” Anassa answered. “And I won, and I woke up.”

“You woke up on a giant snake?” Neneria asked and Anassa nodded.

“In the middle of a sea. About two or three days ago. Two and half. Two nights I spent on it.” Both Neneria and Fer now looked at Anassa as if she was being the stupid one. The Goddess of Sorcery blushed and quickly put her hands up to explain. “WELL I was on a giant snake in the middle of the ocean! What was I supposed to do?”

“Fly somewhere?” Neneria asked and Fer nodded vigorously, hair shaking about as she made a hmm-hmm sound.

“I meant how was I supposed to know what reality I’m in? Whether I’m in the snake’s soul or the Jungle’s or wherever?” Anassa said. “You just don’t feel these things if you fall asleep in there.”

“Then how do you do it?” Neneria asked.

“It’s different if you just go in and know you’re in an imaginary land. If you fall asleep in there, how do you know where you awake?” Neneria shrugged, she didn’t have a reply to that, it just didn’t feel like a good answer to her either.

“So how did you work out you where here eventually?” Fer asked and Anassa slouched.

“I saw a helicopter. That was six hours ago maybe.” She replied dryly.

“You saw a helicopter?” Fer asked, with just as much emotion as Anassa. She clearly wasn’t impressed by such a trivial answer.

“It picked me up, it was Kassie’s men scouting the new sea in Arika. Elassa apparently…” Anassa went quiet, then had to restart. “Well not apparently, she did crack Arika in half.”

“That she did.” Fer said. “That’s why were going to the UNN now. For Nene to collect souls.” Neneria sighed. She wasn’t particularly excited about it, frankly, she had enjoyed being in the city on home turf. That sort of easy combat was something that relaxed her.

“I’m just surprised Elassa did it.” Anassa said as she sat down and looked down at her hands. “I thought she was more…” Anassa struggled for a word. “Reserved with power.”

“I’m not.” Neneria said. “She’s Worldbreaking breed. If anyone can, she is the one to do it.” And once again, Anassa was looking at her as if she said something stupid. “What?”

“You don’t have to say it in a tone like that.”

Neneria rolled her eyes. She was far too old to be apologizing to girls like this because they happened to kill a few people here and there. “I said it how I said it.” Of Death said. “What’s more interesting is that you’ve proven one fundamental law of Divinity wrong, one I’ve not seen broken more or less ever.”

“What law?” Anassa asked.

“You tanned.” Neneria replied. “How, I do not know, but here it is.” She sighed. “As the children say, every day is indeed a school day.”

“I’ve just tanned!” Anassa shouted. “Why is that so crazy!?”

“Have you ever seen a Goddess tan?” Fer asked, her wicked smile showed off her teeth. “You may be the most human of us all Ana.”

Anassa turned to Fer in rage. She had to look up to meet those golden eyes head on, but crimson met gold and both burned with an intense, concentrated, rage. “You have a fucking tail and ears on the top of your head.” Neneria leaned back as Anassa extended her arm to indicate the Goddess of Death. “Neneria speaks for herself, you can tell she’s inhuman just by one conversation! Of course I’m the one with the most humanity in me!”

Neneria got slightly annoyed, but frankly Anassa was right. Of Death smiled to herself, maybe such an accusation would annoy a human, and maybe she just proved Anassa correct by not responding. Fer did not either though, she just laughed. Hur-hur-hur. That laugh sent chill’s down Neneria’s spine, even when it wasn’t directed at her. “It seems I’ve hit a nerve.”

Anassa’s cheeks flushed with crimson and the Goddess actually shouted like a petulant little child. “SHUT UP!” They continued on like that for a little while. Not too long, because the speaker cracking shut both up.

“Goddesses.” Douglas said over the speakers, rather slowly as well, as if he was being careful. “I would advise you to strap in and hold on. We…” The plane turned suddenly, swerving to the side. Naturally, Anassa stayed glued to the floor as if gravity did not affect her. Naturally, Fer reacted immediately and grabbed onto the beams that went from the floor to the ceiling with one arm to catch herself.

And naturally, Neneria fell forwards, she would have slammed her face directly onto the side-wall of the rear cabin if not for the fact Fer caught her by the scruff of her dress’ neck. And Douglas shouted over the speakers again as the jet sharply pulled up. “HOLD ON! WE HAVE CONTACT!”

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