The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]
Chapter 337 – The Cutest

The first magical enchantments came from Dwarven runes. Whereas it has always been relatively simple to conjure and bend the powers of the elements, magic like this requires a constant connection to a mortal’s soul. It is through the advent of enchantery that the first magical revolution began. Suddenly, mages were no longer simply practitioners of individual power that was utterly incongruent with mundane society. The careers of artisan, mercenary and tyrant fell away as the only career paths that a magician could take without giving up their art.

The first enchantments were simple Surge-stones, their design and name based off the simplest of Dwarven runes: the Surge-Runes that transferred power from the World-Core to their holds. In the practical sense, the streetlights of Tourai and Arcadia became the first place to use Surge stones to for a purpose beyond mere research and vanity.

- Excerpt from “The History of Magic: Pre-Elassa Era.” Written by Goddess Elassa, of Magic.

Fer looked stepped off Raptor Two as she walked by Arascus. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. She knew there were people looking at her. She knew that people would be questioning why there was a child next to the God of Pride, but all she could do was ignore it. That was it. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. Fer blinked as she realised Arascus was veering to the right and she was walking straight. It was actually Elassa who had awoken her.

The Goddess of Magic had come with them at Arascus’ behest. Apparently, the God wanted to discuss battle plans in dealing with Anarchia, as well as wrap things up with Epa. He wanted Helenna and Malam to be transferred to Arika in order to assist with the diplomatic trouble brewing around the Ausan Independence referendums. Maybe the Arikans were using Rancais as an example of what not to do, but there was no way for generals Zalewski and Sokolowski to ingratiate themselves in the situation without making it obvious that they were overstepping their boundaries.

Fer blinked as she felt Elassa’s hand on her shoulder gently guide her behind Arascus. She pulled away from the Goddess of Magic and kept on walking. On the gravel path carved out from the airstrip near Kaczaw. Olonia had taken control of Lubska and the White Pantheon was in full retreat, but, rather in-character for him, Iliyal had chosen to remain in tents and amongst the troops rather than in hotels.

Fer kept her eyes on Arascus’ massive back as she kept on walking, Elassa by her side. She doubted that anyone would notice her, but she didn’t want to look anyone in the eyes in case they did recognize the Goddess of Beasthood. So she blocked out all her senses, they had grown dull enough to where words only became whispers and faint traces of language. That was somehow worse frankly, because now her mind filled in the gaps with its own delusional paranoias. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. Fer kept going with the mantra as she focused on Arascus’ black coat lined with silver fur. He had a blade on his hip. His belt was brown leather. His boots were black. His trousers were some exotic material. Fer scanned her father, picking out every detail and every strand of her to focus on so that she didn’t have to focus on herself.

And eventually, Fer realised she was staring at a red cloth instead of a black uniform. A huge pavilion of a tent. Round, obviously Iliyal’s base camp. Fer looked up at the huge thing and then saw Elassa standing by her side. The Goddess of Magic looked down at her with those blue eyes framed by black hair. Her uniform matched that, black with blue with outlines. “Are you going in?” Elassa asked.

Fer blinked in surprise, her eyebrows darted downwards in anger. “Of course I am. You don’t have to make me sound scared.” Elassa obviously wasn’t impressed with Fer’s argument.

“You’ve been stood here half a minute.” Fer stared at Elassa as the tiny Goddess of Beasthood cooked in her own rage. It wasn’t directed at Elassa, it was directed at herself. Arascus had maintained her sanity, but she knew why she didn’t want to go in. Malam and Helenna and Iliyal were in there. Elassa had seen her already and knew the situation, but she didn’t want to have to explain herself to those three. To Malam especially. “Well?” Elassa asked. “Are you going in? You just zoned out again Fer.”

“Elassa?” Fer said quietly.

“What?” Elassa asked.

“What do you think of me?” Fer didn’t know why she asked the question, she didn’t even know what sort of answer she wanted in return.

“I’m not particularly fond of you.” Elassa replied bluntly and Fer blinked in surprise.

“What?” Fer asked.

“You attacked Arcadia, you led incursions I was brought in for and we fought wars against each other.” Elassa said and then shrugged. “The last two are moot, but you still attacked Arcadia.”

“I meant… my character.”

“I don’t care Fer.” Elassa said. “You’re being annoying.”

“You’re acting as if you wouldn’t cry if you lost your magic.”

“You broke my staff in half Fer.” Elassa said. “That staff was with me for entire Ages. I didn’t create it and I can’t re-create it. You at least have the chance to regain your power if Anarchia dies.”

Fer sighed. Elassa simply didn’t get it. What was some object compared to innate power? She sighed, shook her head and went in. And immediately, she wished she didn’t. Arascus was stood over a table and explaining something, but he stopped when he saw everyone turn to look at her. Helenna was first, the Goddess of Love turned to look at Elassa, then those eyes spotted Fer. Helenna’s hair turned into the light green hinted with orange as the woman’s eyebrows shot so high they almost disappeared underneath her locks. Fer’s eyes saw Iliyal, Kassandora’s general stood taller than her now. Fer didn’t even reach up to his belt. And yet, Iliyal looked at her, sighed, and then looked back at the map as if he didn’t care. How very much like Kassandora.

“Fucking impossible.” Malam whispered to herself as she stepped around the table, sidestepping Elassa and close to Fer. The Goddess of Hatred knelt down and grabbed Fer by the shoulders. “Oh sweet sister.” She whispered. Fer felt her feet leave the ground as Malam hoisted her up into the air.

This was the first time in history Malam could even move her. Physically, how many Divines were there that could actually do this? Even Kassie would have trouble. Fer kicked her legs in the air as she looked into Malam’s pitch-black eyes. Framed by white-hair and with that skin of porcelain, Malam was a Goddess coloured entirely in whites and blacks: the woman herself the former colour, her clothes the latter. “Put me down.” Fer whispered, but she didn’t have the strength in it.

“You are so cute!!!” Malam squealed and brought Fer close into a hug. Fer felt herself pressed into the woman’s chest and kicked Malam’s stomach. The Goddess of Hatred didn’t even react, although why should she? Malam wasn’t a strong Divine, but she was a Divine. Fer was little more than a human child.

“I hate you sister.” Fer said.

“I love you!” Malam squeezed tighter until Fer groaned from the pressure.

“Malam!” Arascus’ calling of the Goddess’ name immediately cooled the atmosphere. “Put her down.”

“She is so cute!” Malam said happily as she gently knelt and placed Fer back down on the ground. Fer groaned as she stretched her arms out. She had forgotten just how strong Divines could be. “Wow Fer.” Malam said with a beaming smile. “You are lovely. Adorable in fact.” Fer bared her teeth and Malam giggled. “The cutest.”

“I hate you Malam.” Fer growled. She saw Helenna, Elassa, Iliyal and Arascus share a look. She knew Malam was getting her annoyed on purpose, but she still gave in.

“I could just eat you up.” Malam said. “You’re as cute as a button.”

“I hope you die.”

“Like a strawberry shortcake.”

“Fuck you.”

“Just a bundle of joy.”

Elassa asked a question as Fer replied with an answer even more crass. “Arascus?”

“What?” The God said.

“Can I shut them both up?” Arascus chuckled and shook his head.

“Malam. Fer.” Arascus said. “Control yourselves, both of you. And we were discussing the situation in Epa.” Fer actually had to stand on her tip-toes to look at the table. Iliyal noticed it and passed the Goddess a stool. “Allia will join.” Arascus said as Fer clambered onto the stool and pretended not to be embarrassed. The entire table was looking at her with amusement, apart from Arascus. “Rilia will then have no choice but to follow along, the rest of Epa will march with the Empire once the Coalition Nations have formally declared allegiance.”

“Allia will take bit of work to make join.” Malam said as her fingers tapped the table. Fer focused on the woman’s rhythmic tapping for a moment before she realised she was staring. The Goddess of Hatred turned and smiled. “You are just adorable.” She cooed and Fer bared her teeth. Malam chuckled in response.

“Helenna.” Arascus said and the Goddess of Love immediately straightened her posture. Her hair turned into a serious black, her cheeks became slightly rosy. Fer bared her teeth at her too, she shouldn’t be looking at Fer’s dad like that. Not at all. “You will go to Richard and tell him the day he joins is the day we end the Allian blockade.” The God of Pride turned to his daughter. “Malam, you will publicize that we know how to stop the Alanktydan blockade. I don’t won’t any lies or anything, it is simple fact. We are capable of stopping it.”

Iliyal raised his hand, Arascus nodded and gave the elf permission to speak. “If I may, how exactly are we going to stop the Alanktydan blockade?” Iliyal asked. “If we’re going by conventional means…” He trailed off when Arascus raised his hand.

“That is my area Iliyal. You just focus on stopping the chaos in Rancais from spreading into Doschia.” The elf leaned back and made a graceful nod.

“And the Uriamel issue?”

Fer watched her father. He usually was the great, gentle giant around her, now more so than ever. Fer knew she behaved herself well enough not to need to be told off, and she didn’t like making Arascus angry either. But she remembered when the man had first approached her.

Fer launched through the air and felt a blade pierce her leg and drag her back down onto the ground. She twisted, her stomach turning as hard as iron as her claw shot backwards and smashed the blade into pieces. A hammer slammed into her back and flung her into the ground. Fer could just about put one arm forwards to absorb the blow when she smelled the God of Pride’s scent over her. She roared, flung herself up, and swung at the man’s throat.

Arascus caught her wrist and stared at her with those terrible eyes. Terrible not because they were cold or because they wanted to hurt her, but because they were like the respectful bear staring down a wolf. There wasn’t an inkling of doubt in them, instead it was pity. Pity and sorrow at the state of Fer. “Goddess of Beasthood, I will speak in a language you will understand.” Arascus squeezed her wrist and lifted her off the ground. They were almost the same height, he had half only a head over her.

“I have not come to insult you and rent you, nor will I besmirch your honour and say that you need to join me to survive. You will do perfectly fine on your own.” Fer knew she would, and she knew exactly why the man stared at her with pity. There was no triumph or gloating in his voice. It was a simple, terrible telling of the facts as the man saw them. “There exists no other Divine who will offer you this Fer, but I will.”

“Join my pack.” Fer stared up at the man and her world shattered. He was correct. Every Divine who would voice those words would do so because they were so weak that they needed Fer’s protection. Every Divine that Fer could stand side-by-side with hated her. No other Divine would offer it. None that Fer respected at least.

Fer hung there, suspended in the air by one arm as the God of Pride met her gaze with his own. Fer had faced Kassandora and Elassa. She had faced Irinika and Allasaria. She had been hunted by Atis and by Fortia and by Maisara. She had even fled from Olephia and Neneria. Not once in her life did she feel as she felt when the God of Pride looked at her: A common dog approaching a wolf.

Fer’s answer to that demand changed her life forever.

Fer would believe anything Arascus said, because he said it and he would never lie to her. But sometimes, he simply carried an air about him that made it seem like he was able to lift the moon on one shoulder and the sun on the other. This was one of those times. “Alanktyda and Uriamel are both a mere half-day from bending the knee. You are not delaying for me. I am delaying for you.”

Fer was proud this was the man who had invited her to be part of his pack.

Her greatest regret in life was that she knew of Arascus and never tried to meet him sooner.