The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]
Chapter 332 – Into The World Below

Anarchia stopped trying the pursuit of the retreating army and stayed still. This was how Fer usually operated? It was insanity. It was a level of power that Anarchia would have never even thought possible in day-to-day life. If the woman was the size of a mountain, Anarchia could believe it, but the woman was only half again Anarchia’s original size. Or had been before she had shrunk at least.

She maintained this much at all times? How? Anarchia gingerly took a step forwards. When her boot touched the huge stone blocks that made up the pavement, the block cracked and ruptured. Anarchia flinched and fell over as her legs sent her into a backwards somersault. She went as high as the third floor of a nearby building, and then slammed her back onto the concrete. No, this was impossible strength.

All thoughts of giving chase to Paida and Fer left her mind, the only chase that needed to be accomplished was the chase for Fer’s power. Anarchia was afraid to even move a muscle, she turned her head and her eyes scanned the street. A group of her followers were in the distance, watching her from the end of the ruined Arisian street. That was good, she didn’t want them to be close by when she couldn’t control herself.

She saw a lamp post and reached to grab it. That at least could be used to maintain her balance. Her fingers closed around the steel and… And they made a fist. Anarchia pulled her hand back and opened her palm. Pieces of metal feel from her grip as if she had just shredded paper in her hand. Anarchia’s hand collapsed onto the ground as the Goddess sighed, her eyes going up to the blue sky tainted with black smudges of smoke.

At least there was no need to worry about this power being used against her, but she would have to share it out soon.

Neneria stuffed her hands in her coat pockets as she approached Kassandora. Her crimson-haired sister saw the movement, smiled at her and laughed. “Cold too?” She asked, breath misting from her lips. Neneria rolled her eyes.

“You can see your breath, of course I’m cold.” She said and Kassandora laughed. The Goddess of War kept on her march in that great thick coat. Ahead of them, the two tanks that had been rebuilt with giant spotlight, nicknamed the Torchbearer Models, slowly trundled along on the smooth ground. Behind them drove APC after APC, tank after tank, with men sitting on the vehicles or within them as they went deeper into the underground.

It had taken a week and only now where they approaching a hold that Kassandora said should be here. Apparently, this was where Malam had been found. Neneria didn’t disbelief Kassandora, it was… it was simply a slog that they were going this slowly. Before, Iniri had apparently carried them most of the way. Now? As the vanguard team of fifty tanks and twice that in infantry transports advanced behind the two Torchbearers, their engines sending dull, rolling echoing vibrations through the dwarven highway, behind them, the tunnel returned with screams and shouts.

The vanguard was less than a tenth of the entire expedition, and more than half of it was just engineers and logistics teams, and more were being brought in. The hum of these engines was nothing compared to the roar of heavy construction machinery. Neneria, out of curiosity, had fallen back a few days ago to see the men at work.

There had been a machine that looked to be a massive digger, but instead of a scoop, it had a drill that it was using to carve out small holes in the stone. Then men would lay railway track, and another machine would slowly trundle along, it had what looked to be a giant gun that it was using to bolt the tracks into the ground. All in all, Neneria watched the repetitive motion for thirty minutes. One machine would drive, a truck would advance, men would measure and lay rail, the second machine would follow up, and by the time it was done, the next set of tracks had been laid.

Neneria had once watched grass grow, simply to see whether it was as boring as people said it was. This endless motion of these engineers, with their shouts and orders and curses at each other, was just slightly more interesting than that. Better than grass growing, but worse than paint drying. “Have you talked to Maisara yet?” Kassandora asked.

“I have.” Neneria replied as she huddled into her thick coat, she tried to lower her neck so that her chin was hidden within the white fur stitched onto it. It had was the one that Fer had given to her so longer ago, with a tremendous coat of feathers. Kassandora was wearing something similar, but without any décor. Her red hair spilled out onto the back of her coat from underneath her black cap.

Kassandora took a few more steps. “And?” She asked.

“And what?” Neneria said. Kassandora sighed as she looked over the convoy.

“You are impossible.” Kassandora said.

“Am I?”

“Anyone else would be offended.” Kassandora said lightly.

“I don’t care enough about it.” Neneria said.

“I know.” Kassandora said. “So what do you think of Maisara?”

“I’m not fond of her.” Neneria replied honestly.

“Colour me surprised.” Kassandora said.

“Maisara said that to me too.” Neneria said. “She proved to me that surprise has a colour, because I told her that statement is stupid and surprise doesn’t have a colour.” Kassandora thought for a moment, she took a step and shrugged.

“Helenna’s hair?”

“That’s what Maisara said.” Neneria answered. “Exactly the same thing. That Helenna’s hair proves surprise has a colour.”

“She sounds like me.”

“You’re…” Neneria thought for a moment. Was Kassie different? Kassie was different. How was she though? She didn’t really know. Well... she did actually. “I know how you are different.”

“How?”

“Father chose you and he didn’t choose her.” Neneria said, that was the ultimate difference, wasn’t it? Father saw something in Kassandora and saw something in Maisara, and he decided for her. And ultimately, he did make the right choice, didn’t he? He had chosen Kassandora, and Neneria had no particular issue with her sister. The Goddess of Death saw her sister smile to herself and kept on walking.

“That’s a good answer.” Kassandora said. “I like that.”

“I’m glad you do.” Neneria said. She honestly was, rarely was there a time when she actually could make any of her sisters saying they like something about her that wasn’t her strength. The two Torchbearer tanks kept on trundling forwards as Neneria asked her sister a question. “What do you think of Kavaa?” Kassandora turned to look at Neneria for a moment, eyes questioning.

“What do I think of Kavaa?” Kassandora asked. “I don’t know, why do you ask? I like her, if you men my opinion of her.”

“You asked what I think of Maisara, so I wanted to get even.” Neneria said. It made sense. Kassandora had asked a member of the White Pantheon that Neneria had personal access to, Neneria should at least check up on Kavaa in the same degree.

“Kavaa is fine. She’s loyal and you don’t have to worry about her willingness with us. I like her.” Neneria nodded, it wasn’t that she didn’t trust Kavaa, but she generally didn’t trust anyone. Most people appreciated her help because she was the Goddess of Death, and none of the older Gods had ever been particularly rude to her. How many times did people actually appreciate Neneria for Neneria? But then how many people did Neneria actually appreciate for themselves? Father and her sisters. And who? It was that reasoning precisely why she needed to have a sister confirm whether a relationship was good before she decided for herself.

“I think you’re close to her.” Neneria said and Kassandora snorted with some humour as they kept on marching. Nearby, one of the APCs opened its cabin and some people shouted from inside.

“Close that shit before we freeze to fucking death!” The man quickly shut the door, then climbed down so he could lean against the turret before bringing out a cigarette to smoke.

“I’m not going to try and lie to you that I don’t like her.” Kassandora said. “I do, but she isn’t us.”

“I don’t think so.” Neneria said. She knew she was awkward and direct, but sometimes people needed others to be awkward and direct, and if it wasn’t going to be Neneria, then who would it be? “I’ve seen the way you two talk to each other.”

“Are you jealous?” Kassandora asked quickly then caught herself. “I know…” Kassandora sighed and shook her head.

“Exactly.” Neneria said. “You wouldn’t be so defensive if you weren’t.”

“Mmh.” Kassandora answered. “I suppose that’s true. She’s a friend.”

“I’m not your mother, you don’t have to ask me for permission on who you associate with.” Neneria said. “But I do want you to be aware of one thing though.”

“What?”

“I don’t think it will be fair for her if you string her along for nothing.” Neneria said. Sometimes, people simply needed to be told directly. And whereas Maisara was certainly more intelligent when it came to quick thinking, Neneria was confident in her role as the elder amongst the sisters. Someone needed to bring the bad news after. “And you’ve cut people off before.” Kassandora kept on walking without saying a word. Neneria turned to look at her sister, then got annoyed after a second. “Kass?”

“I heard you.” Kassandora said, Neneria rolled her eyes.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. I heard you.” Kassandora said, even more annoyed.

“I’m telling you because this is a pattern in you.” Neneria said and Kassandora sighed.

“Neneria, you should be helping yourself than giving advice to me.”

Neneria took a deep breath and answered as honestly as she could. “I’m helping you because it’s easier for me to try and fix your problems rather than fix mine.” There was no shame in the statement, it was simply fact. Kassandora sighed and shook her head.

“I don’t tell you that you should be friendlier, do I?”

“I’m not saying you won’t cut Kavaa off. I simply want you to know what you do, and to make an effort not to do it.”

“I didn’t think you cared about Kavaa that much.”

“Like I said, it’s for you, not her.” Neneria said. “And if you don’t do it for her or for yourself, then do it for us. For the family.”

“Neneria.” Kassandora said as Neneria watched her sister. “I wish you didn’t worry about me.”

“I wish I didn’t have to.”

“Sometimes, you just know how to put a person down.”

“I don’t mean to.”

“I’ll try.” Kassandora said eventually. “I’ll see how long I can manage, alright?”

“If you ever need someone to mediate, you have us.” Neneria said and Kassandora shook her head.

“You are treating me as if I’m being married off. I have simply made a friend.”

“Some people marry easier than others make friends. I think we both know this.” Neneria had to beat the point into her sister. For Kassie’s own good. “I just don’t want you to hurt yourself because of it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Kassandora replied as she lifted her arm up, finger extended, to point straight ahead. “Do you see that?”

“See what?” Neneria asked. “Oh.” Before them, the Torchbearer models had come to a stop. A few of the soldiers had taken point on top of the turrets, and the tanks were starting to lower their cannons as they took aim. Ahead of them of was the great wall that marked the beginning of a dwarven underground hold. There was no lead up, no change in the tunnel, no rounding of corners. It was just a wall. A few columns adorned it, it had a few balconies too, but the closest comparison would simply be a sheer cliff. The massive gates of dwarf-bronze were open.

Within them, there lay an underground city. A massive underground hive were the half-men conglomerated within their protective walls. It had endless bridges and pipes and gears, Neneria could see forges and statues and the dwarves’ own railway. Kassandora had said it would be all still and unmoving.

It wasn’t still, it wasn’t unmoving, and it wasn’t cold.

It was on fire.

It was on fire and figures that were too tall to be dwarves were cackling as they ran around.

Neneria called upon the Legion.