The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]
Chapter 314 – A Chat with Death

“Ahh…” Rancais turned around on his swivelling chair as he looked at the report. Out of all the Epan Coalition nations, Rancais was in the best situation. A year ago, Doschia’s economy had been imploding and shrinking, now, it was spiralling out of control. The stock market was at an all-time high, unemployment did not exist and the Doschian Mark was at an all-time low. Previously, the Doschian economy had been a pile of wood left to sit and slowly rot away. Now, it had been slathered in petrol and set alight.

And it wasn’t as bad as Lubska or Rilia, both countries were under invasion. The early days had galvanized the populations against the White Pantheon however the tide was turning. The war had not even been going on for a long time. This wasn’t to say that people wanted the White Pantheon to win, however to Artois at least, it was more that they were losing faith in the ability of their governments to win the war.

And Allia? Allia was on the brink of civil war. They had sent a whole team of diplomats to Arcadia in an attempt to recruit floromancers for food production, but Allia had been sieged to oblivion. That ocean everyone thought would be such a boon in terms of defence had proven to be the Allians’ very own prison. Hopefully Elassa would take mercy on them because that was all Allia could hope to bargain with.

And now, a situation had begun in Artois’ own country of Rancais. It was bound to happen eventually; in fact, a certain part of Artois was surprised it had taken this long in the first place. Maisara must have been thorough during her extermination campaign but once again, like weeds bursting out from under stone after they had been cut down, there was a police report of Anarchian activity in the south of Rancais.

So that was another issue to solve.

There were times when Kavaa had felt tired before. When they returned from the Jungle with Iniri and Baalka was one. Kavaa had drank herself to sleep during that celebration, and barely moved during the party. Yet now, under Kassandora’s guidance, she felt ready to collapse. The Goddess of War had such a cunning fashion of increasing the workload that Kavaa had not even noticed it day-by-day. Yet looking back to the start of the week, she realised she was doing ten times as much work easily.

From making sure the men were training to reviewing the new weapons that were arriving to running tests on the huge spotlights that were being mounted on the turrets of tanks. The Lynx was still here, although a smaller cousin in the Leopard had appeared too. Smaller was still large enough to house four men inside and be almost as tall as Kavaa, but the Lynx was a behemoth. The leopard was much faster too and it had a smaller calibre of cannon. Several had the main replaced for a rapid-fire autocannon, and a few had been specially equipped with napalm throwers. They were lighter and they could scale far rougher terrain. They had winches on the front and rear, and two would be able to pull a Lynx up a rocky incline.

Those Leopards were taking up the most time, Kassandora and Kavaa were both training men in their use. The former was talking about a new doctrine of mechanized warfare with infantry being phased out gradually. The first few engagements underground would put it to the test, but Kassandora was talking about an unmoving wall of steel that would mow down anything and secure key positions as Neneria led the way with her Legion.

And as Kavaa’s mind crossed Neneria, Neneria seemingly turned a corner. She wore a new coat, long and an off-grey and straight, with lots of grey fur around the neck. It had buttons running down the front and it covered the woman from her shoulders to her calves. The Goddess of Death was walking around with a smile too, that was rare. Kavaa walked down the road of beaten down red soil towards the woman, her tent was this way anyway.

And before Kavaa could say anything, Neneria stepped forwards to block her path, extended her arms out to either side, and waved them down herself to bring attention to her new outfit. “What do you think?” Neneria practically beamed as she said the words.

“It’s very nice.” Kavaa said. When she had first met the Goddess of Death, the woman honestly scared her. The odd mannerisms were off-putting and the woman’s bluntness made every conversation an exercise in patience. Yet now? Well, Neneria was still odd, but Helenna had said good words about her and Kavaa gave her a chance. “It’s professional is what I’d say.”

“Mmh!” Neneria agreed, she looked upon herself and practically radiated happiness as she looked at her new coat. “I like that. Professional is good.”

“Isn’t it warm?” Kavaa was in her HAUPT uniform and she felt herself sweating.

“It is.” Neneria said. “But apparently, it’s going to be cold underground.”

Kavaa remembered when she had entered the tunnels in Epa with Iliyal and Fer. “You can see the mist from your breath down there.”

“I agree.” Neneria answered and Kavaa ignored the statement. Frankly, she had no clue what to say to something like that. Great! Neneria agreed it was cold! What was Kavaa supposed to say to that?

“Did you make it?” Kavaa asked.

“Fer sent it to me as a present.” Neneria said with a smile so wide that Kavaa wasn’t even jealous. Fer and Neneria were sisters after all, and someone had to look after Neneria. And Of Death’s eyes shone so brightly they may as well have been twinkling obsidian, that smile was too wide to feign too. Kavaa found herself smiling at the woman’s joy. It was like a child who had just been given ice-cream.

“Honestly Neneria.” Kavaa said it bluntly so that the woman would understand. “I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you!” Neneria said. “Fer always sends the best gifts.”

“You have a good sister.” Kavaa said.

“She’s the best!” Neneria said and put her hands in her pockets. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Did you show it off to Kass?” Kavaa asked and Neneria shook her head.

“I did you first because I know Kassie is always positive to me.” Neneria said. “I suspect she feels sorry for me. I found you because you’re neutral.”

“I’m neutral?” Kavaa asked, half-shocked, half-questioning. Was she? She supposed she liked Neneria. The Goddess of Death was odd, but she was easier to get along with than most people in the Pantheon. And, most importantly, it was Neneria, Fer and Olephia that Kavaa felt some sort of… Kavaa didn’t know how to describe the emotion, was it just honesty? Maybe something more raw than that? But it wasn’t entirely positive either, there was a certain indifference to them. Those three were simply so powerful that Kavaa’s healing was of about as much worth to them as Iniri’s growing of trees. Nonetheless, there was something in Kavaa that appreciated that perspective. “I like you Neneria, you know?”

Neneria blinked, smiled quizzically, her cheeks went slightly red and she raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Kavaa had to take a deep breath. The woman was obviously happy with that statement, and yet instead of accepting it, she had to go ahead and ask why. Who asked why? What the fuck was this? Why did Kavaa like her? “Why shouldn’t I like you?” Kavaa said.

“Mmh.” Neneria said. “You say that but you’re not the type to be positively inclined towards people as a whole.”

“I’m not a misanthrope!” Kavaa exclaimed and Neneria raised an eyebrow.

“Are you not?”

“I help people all the time! I’m a doctor!” Kavaa said.

“That’s precisely why you wouldn’t like people.” Neneria said and shrugged. “Alas, you are you and I am me. That is what I thought of you.” Kavaa shook her head, again Neneria killed the conversation. The Goddess of Health had no damn clue as to how to follow up on that.

“Did you talk to Maisara yet?” Kavaa switched topics. She was she, and Neneria was Neneria, that Kavaa could accept and agree with.

“I have.” Neneria answered. Kavaa raised an eyebrow.

“So?” She asked after realising that Neneria explaining something out of her own volition simply would not happen.

“I don’t dislike her.” Neneria said. “She is taking it very well, considering what happened. I assumed there would have been a breakdown or something along those lines. That she’d be more emotional, she isn’t though. That is all I have to say about her.”

“Oh.” Kavaa said.

“Is that not enough?” Neneria asked.

“I assumed you’d be more negative.”

Neneria shook her head. “You don’t badmouth my sisters, I won’t badmouth your compatriots Kavaa.” And once again, the Goddess of Health had to raise an inquisitive eyebrow. Maisara was a compatriot?

“On what world are you living in?” Kavaa asked dryly.

“On the planet of Arda.” Neneria replied so seriously that Kavaa was sure the woman was not being sarcastic and actually answered sincerely.

“I…” Kavaa trailed off. “She’s not a compatriot to me. Not even a friend.”

“You spent a thousand years together.” Neneria said. “I assume there’ll be some fondness in there.” The taller woman pointed to Kavaa’s heart. “Even if it is only nostalgia for the Great War.” Kavaa was honestly taken aback. Was there? She supposed she respected Maisara to some degree. The woman did have a work ethic that almost rivalled Kassandora, and Maisara certainly wasn’t stupid. But…

But Maisara was Maisara. Whereas Neneria was hard to get along with because she was odd, Maisara was hard to get along with because things either went Maisara’s way or no way at all. “I don’t know.” Kavaa answered honestly.

“Then I won’t badmouth her.” Neneria said. She looked at Kavaa for a few more moments, smiled and took a deep breath. “There is someone I do need to badmouth though.”

“Who is it?”

“Little Kassie.” Neneria replied.

“You need to badmouth Kass?” Kavaa had to say the question to make sure she heard it correctly.

“I do.” Neneria said. “I’ve known of her and I’ve known her for far longer than you and I’ve seen others go down the route you’re going down.”

“Oh?” Kavaa asked. She knew exactly what Neneria was referring to, but she was simply unable to say the words out loud. Of course she liked Kass.

“I am telling you this as a warning, it makes me happy to see Kass happy, so I will not tell you to stop, however you need to be aware of something. Kass will say it to you too eventually, when she feels that the situation is growing out of control for her rationality to process.”

“Excuse me?” Kavaa asked.

“You’ll know what I mean when you hear it from her. However Kavaa, I want you to know this. Kassandora burns almost everyone she attaches herself to. I know I am direct and difficult, Fer is mischievous and annoying, Anassa is delusional and proud. None of us are easy to deal with, but that’s why we don’t burn people. We don’t grow reliant on others.”

“I…” Kavaa opened her mouth, then closed it. “Are you saying she’ll wish me harm in some way?” That was the easiest way to phrase it, but Kavaa trusted… nay, she knew that Kass would not betray her.

“Kassandora has never been a part of a Pantheon, she has never settled to make a kingdom, she has never treated herself as anymore more than a mercenary.” Neneria said. “Why do you think that is? When the whole world rejects a person, is the whole world wrong? Or is it that person?”

“But she is…” Kavaa had to restart. She had never thought that Neneria of all people could be saying something like this. But then, who would be able to say it but ever-blunt Neneria? “She’s a genius Neneria.” Kavaa had nothing else to say. What Neneria said was true, in that example, it was the individual… yet Kass? How could Kass be wrong?

“I know.” Neneria said. “I said this as badmouthing at the start but I was lying. Kassie is too smart for her own good. She over considers and over thinks everything. I say this to you Kavaa, because I’ve seen it happen with every single person who allies with Kassandora. Allasaria was the first, you are merely the latest.”

Kavaa was stunned. She stood there and… “I’m the latest?”

“Kassie grows fond of people, she realises she grows fond of people, and then she cuts them off.” Neneria made her palm flat and made a cutting motion through the air. “Like this, every time without fail. It’s not a slow falling out, it is always a harsh break.”

“I…” Kavaa said and Neneria shook her head.

“We, as in the other daughters, are the first people to ever get along with her. Fer, Anassa and Malam especially, I have to admit jealously in this regard.” Kavaa stared at Neneria’s utter bluntness. The woman had nothing of that innocent joy she had when she was showing off her coat. But she wasn’t cold either.

Kavaa realised how easily Neneria admitted her jealousy, and she stared at Neneria in awe. She was jealous of that openness from the woman, and she was jealous of Arascus’ family too. Although that wasn’t news, every Divine that wasn’t part of it was. “Are you saying I should keep a distance?”

“I am scaring you Kavaa.” Neneria said. “Because Anassa is too self-centred to say it. Fer is too optimistic; Malam is too closed off. Because Kassandora herself won’t say it until it’s too late, so it falls on me, as the eldest sister to say it. I need to scare you.” Kavaa kept her mouth shut and let the woman continue. “Because if what I say scares you and you give up, then you aren’t cut out for what you wish to accomplish in the first place. Kassandora will hurt you and hurt herself in the process. That is what you have to be aware of.”

Kavaa had to blink the wetness from her eyes away. She nodded slowly. “Neneria…”

“However, I will say this.” Neneria said. “Arascus has done something for Kassandora that I didn’t think possible. In the same way that Elassa proved a continent can be cracked, Arascus proved that there exists a Kassandora within the Goddess of War. I don’t want to dissuade you, understand this Kavaa. I wish to see Kassie happy, but I don’t want to see you put her in a position where she is forced to choose between victory and you.”

“Will she choose victory?” Kavaa asked slowly.

“She will choose it every day of the week.” Neneria said definitively. “I know that Kass loves us. I don’t think even you will deny that the relationship we have with Kassie is stronger than the one you have with Kassie.”

Kavaa felt her mouth go dry. It was something she simply did not think about. Frankly, it was because the answer hurt either way. A Kassandora that favoured her was a Kassandora that gave her feelings away freely. Kavaa had known the Kass much shorter than the woman’s sisters after all, she shouldn’t expect to be anywhere close to the top. Kassandora was special precisely because she was so selective with her friends.

But then, it did hurt to think about, didn’t it? Kavaa didn’t think she would be able to compare to Arascus, but to Neneria? To Olephia? Was that just arrogance speaking? Most likely. And Neneria continued. “And even with the relationship we have, I would not give her this choice. I would avoid it every step of the way in fact. I know Father would too, because this is how he operates. It is because of him that we work in teams or pairs and not alone. When the Great War started, Kass would have killed us without a second-glance. She would cry of course; she wouldn’t feel good about it. I’d say she would even hate herself for it, but ask anyone, and everyone will tell you the same thing. The Kassandora in that first decade would not even cast a second glance at the sacrifice of a sister.”

Neneria took a deep breath. “All that has changed about her is her priorities. Now, annihilation is not enough, we, as in the sisters, have to survive. In that, I feel terribly guilty because each sister is another stone that Kassandora carries.”

“But you can’t let her…” Kavaa said. “If you get scared off, she’ll just end up alone.”

Neneria smiled, made a slow nod and put her hand on Kavaa’s shoulder. “And in this, we agree. I am telling you because you need to be aware, but you have to go through with it anyway. You will be another stone on her back, you will weigh her down, she will try to push you away to maintain some veneer of control over herself, however when she wants to throw you away, you will have to latch onto her so hard you break her ribs. Because Kassandora is the type to need people around to tether her to reality, for her own good and for ours.”

Kavaa blinked at what Neneria just said, she smiled. She felt tears of joy sparkle in her eyes and she had to wipe them away. “Thank you Neneria.”

“I am simply looking out for my little sister.” Neneria said. “That is all.” She took a step back, turned and stopped. “Kavaa.”

“What?”

“I am glad that Kassie met you.” Neneria said and turned.

And as Kavaa stood there, she realised she couldn’t let Neneria leave just like that. Not after what the woman had just said. “Neneria!” The Goddess of Death stopped in her prim new coat and turned.

“What?”

“I…” Kavaa didn’t know how to say it. She supposed that if anyone would appreciate the bluntness though, it would be Neneria. “Thank you Neneria. Thank you, really. And…” Neneria raised an eyebrow and Kavaa supposed she just had to say it. “I want to apologize.”

“I am too old to be apologized to. You’ve not done anything wrong anyway. Whatever you’re apologizing for, just don’t do it again.” Kavaa shook her head.

“No, I want to apologize for thinking you were inept. I never thought you were stupid, but I never thought you would be so warm.” Neneria smiled, sniffed with humour and shook her head.

“No matter how strong the paint has stuck, the paint can’t see the painting. You need an audience to be able to discuss the picture presented.” She smiled at Kavaa, it really was a lovely smile. “But I accept your apology, even though I wasn’t offended in the first place. Thank you.”

And with that, Neneria did actually turn and leave. Kavaa watched her go and Kavaa felt her eyes go drowsy. That rollercoaster of emotion Neneria had just put her through was something else. A new level of respect flowered in Kavaa’s heart for the Goddess of Death. There had always been something there, Neneria was overpowering but was cold and distant too. But then… Arascus had chosen her, didn’t he? Kavaa was glad to see a side of Neneria that she could see only the family seeing. Slowly, the Goddess of Health made her way over to her tent, her mind running that conversation over and over again.

And, quite honestly, Kavaa was exhausted. She had assumed herself a diligent worker long ago, but working with Kass was jumping from a pool and into the middle of a storm. The woman didn’t choose anything impossible for her, but even Kavaa had started to flag. And Kass, ever aware of everything, had sent her to rest just before the encounter with Neneria. Now, that conversation had made sure to crack whatever tiny bricks of energy remained with Kavaa. She wanted to laugh and cry and drink at the same time, but most of all, she wanted to close her eyes and lie in bed and think about what happened.

Inside, it was almost exactly as the Goddess of Health had left it. A small table, a bed to sit on, a chair, a glass and a bottle of herby gin that Kavaa had been sipping on in the evenings. It was all a veneer at pretending to be mortal though. Kavaa only did it because everyone else did it. At least Kassandora was honest enough about her own Divinity as to not pretend that her tent was something other than a place for work. The Goddess of War had a table, a set of chairs and some chests to store her papers. Kavaa pushed the thought of how Kass organised her tent away as her eyes sharpened when she smelled the air. Her nose wasn’t Fer’s, although it was in the upper echelons of Divinity. It had to be, half the poisons and medicines she made were brewed by smell. And she smelled wood sap from Epan conifers the moment that she had entered the tent.

She stopped moving, she dropped her coat as her hand instinctively reached for her blade and she took a step back. Outside, the two guards that were ever on duty both looked curiously at the Goddess of Health as Kavaa looked around. “Has someone been inside?” Kavaa asked.

“Actually, there was a delivery for you, my Goddess.” The guard said, a cleric in light green clothes and with the new style of armour that Kassandora was testing. Not plate, but durable fabric instead that was less than a tenth of the weight whilst being almost as durable against slashes and stabs. Kavaa stared at the man for a second and then realised she had simply walked past them when she entered.

“And it was placed inside my tent why?”

“It’s from Epa, Goddess.” The Cleric said. “We got told it was from another Divine.”

“Ah.” Kavaa said. “My apologies then. Good job.” She went in and gave the room more than a single glance. There was a box positioned at the foot of her bed, hidden under a dark cloak that blended into the unlit dirt which made up the floor of the tent. Kavaa pulled the cloak off and opened the cardboard box underneath. Inside was a bundle of light-grey cloth and a letter on the top. The seal was broken and the Goddess unfurled the paper curiously. She had not received a letter in a long time. Arascus did most things by encrypted phone and in the White Pantheon… Well, it was only Helenna and Iniri that Kavaa liked enough to send letters to and if something needed to be communicated, it was simply easier to do it face-to-face rather than leave a paper trail. It was written in a scrawl, as if someone had dipped a claw into ink and used it to scratch letters onto the sheet:

‘I am bored, so I am sending out presents. Naturally, I send out very good presents. This is for you, it should be good for underground colds. I saw you had goosebumps the last time we went in. I have also packed something for Kassie, say it’s from you. She doesn’t usually get gifts and she’ll like it. – Lots of good luck and plenty of fortune: The Fer.’

Kavaa sniffed in humour at that signature, then dug deeper into the box. She pulled out one scarf that was very warm, it looked to be fashioned of silver fur and pale wool stitched together. The craftsmanship was one of a kind, it was so smooth that the fabric felt frictionless as it slid through Kavaa’s pale fingers. Kavaa sighed and smiled at the cloth. She didn’t know how Fer knew, but the woman really did give excellent gifts. She could tell that thought had gone into it, and craftsmanship. Kavaa tested the scarf out by wrapping it around her neck. And it was so warm that wearing it here almost made her feel hot.

Kavaa snuggled into the scarf and took a deep breath. It even smelled good. Honestly, it was the same with the cloak back then. Kavaa had left it in CR because it was too precious to risk taking underground. She looked down into the box again.

Her smile dropped. Her eyes went wide in shock. She pulled the next piece of cloth that Fer had said to pretend was a gift from Kavaa herself. There was another scarf and it was exactly the same. Kavaa blinked and stared at it for a moment. It was a matching set.

Fer had given her and Kass a matching set of scarves.

What was the woman even doing!?

How!?

She?

No way!

She couldn’t!

But…

Kavaa felt her cheeks go red and quickly hid the scarves into the box so that she didn’t have to look at them. Impossible. She couldn’t give Kass a matching scarf. That was the sort of sappy, embarrassing thing that happened in Helenna’s books. Not in real life.

But then…

Could she not?

Kavaa turned red again and buried her face in her hands at the downright devilishness of that thought. And then the excitement faded away and was washed over by Neneria’s words of wisdom about the woman’s sister. It was a cold shower that washed away the warm summer heat, although it was one that Kavaa didn’t know she needed until she had heard it.

And as she stared at that scarf, she made her decision. When Kass herself had said on the rock that she appreciated Arascus because the man tempered her, Kavaa had not realised the severity of the illness plaguing the woman. This conversation with Neneria though had reframed those words.

Kavaa swore to herself that if she could not beat Arascus, she would at least match him.

If she could not do it alone, then maybe together, they’d be able to heal whatever malady plagued Kassandora’s soul.

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