The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]
Chapter 343 – First Time For Everything

How many thousands of men did we lose? How many lives were sacrificed? How many cities were razed to the ground? How many fires raged? How much blood was spilled? Has Arda not paid enough of a price?

We can not and will not pretend to be grateful when the stipulations for Peace are so severe. Arascus’ entire Empire was founded on the notion and belief that this is how Arda would be treated. We ask you not to prove him right.

- Excerpt of a letter of protest sent to the United Front Council by members of the White Pantheon. Dated to mid-way through the Great War. Not on Arda.

Anassa took a step forwards into the tent that was swarming with guards outside. Two rows of men in military uniforms. Some where sat down, some where smoking, a few were sitting on logs. But all them were armed with guns and all of them were wide-awake. Anassa stepped from the air and straight inside. There were another dozen men here, a few were crowded around a table. Another man was sat reading a book. Two were talking quietly amongst themselves. It was rather homely here, with a fireplace and a table and couches and tables and rugs.

The men took a moment to notice that Anassa had suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, but they responded quickly enough. In less seconds than fingers on one hand, the men immediately stood up and saluted. And a set of golden ears bundled in hair appeared from behind the couch. “You can leave now, I am here.” Anassa declared. The soldiers shared looks between each other and Anassa hurried them along. “I am here to protect Fer! Are you going to be better than me at it? Out!”

And they immediately started to leave. One man even jogged out as Anassa watched that set of ears walk around the couch and into view. Anassa looked at the little girl in front of her. It was… it should have been impossible. The girl was short, in a shirt and a skirt. A long trailing silhouette of golden hair trailed behind her, a tail whisked out from under her skirt. Two vulpine eyes, the colour of molten gold, staired out at Anassa from behind those messy tufts of hair. Two ears burst out from the top of the girl’s head.

Anassa would have not given the little beast-girl more than a second thought if she had simply passed the woman by. But this little beast-girl was staying in a military base under Iliyal’s command. She had a whole platoon of soldiers assigned to her as guards. And yet even though the girl barely reached to the size of a young child, the tent she was staying in was fashioned for Divines. The girl’s bed could fit… Well, it was large enough for Fer to comfortably lie in.

Anassa looked around the girl’s tent as the soldiers started to file out. They had all been here, playing card games and simply waiting for the Goddess of Sorcery to arrive. Everyone had been tasked with protecting this little girl. Anassa turned her attention from the tent and to the person less than a quarter her height. The hair and ears were similar, the fangs were reminiscent, but the it was the girl’s eyes and posture and face that gave it away. They had all changed to younger, smaller, more youthful versions. There was nothing in them that was physically the same, but they had the exact same sort of energy in them. The eyes especially, those eyes Anassa had seen taunt her a thousand times and now they were taunting her once again. “Fer.” Anassa said and the little girl took a deep sigh.

“Yes.” She said. “I am Fer. You can laugh now.”

Anassa saw Fer sigh heavily and felt a smile creep up on her mouth. When Malam had asked her if she wanted to become a mother, she had been merely annoyed. Then when she discovered that something had happened to Fer, she had been shocked. And now? Anassa smiled in satisfaction to know that even though her sister wasn’t safe, and even though the Goddess of Beasthood had… whatever this was happen to her, Fer was still alive. “Aren’t you just adorable?” Anassa cooed as she ruffled Fer’s mane.

Fer sighed heavily but didn’t pull away. “Enjoy it while it lasts Ana because you’re never going to do this again when I get everything back.”

“Oh I am!” Anassa said. It was Fer after all! The intonation in the words was the exact same even if the voice was of a higher pitch. Fer still bit off every word as if she had to force the vocabulary to come out. “Wow.” Anassa stared at Fer in disbelief. “What happened to you?” Anassa’s mood went from shock to awe and then to shock again. “You’re…”

“Go on.” Fer said. “What? Small?”

“Tiny.” Anassa said and Fer rolled those golden eyes.

“Great, haven’t heard that one today. I’ll tell you that.” She replied sarcastically.

“How?” Anassa asked as she looked down at the girl. Fer like this? Anassa almost struggled to believe it. This was the sort of thing she would joke about. It would have never been something she would have expected to actually happen in reality though.

“How what?” Fer asked and Anassa crossed her arms.

“Good to see you haven’t changed.” Anassa said and Fer cast her arms into the air.

“Oh have I not?”

“You’re still argumentative.”

“I’m never argumentative! You’re the argumentative one!” Fer shouted and Anassa raised an eyebrow. “Don’t smile at me like that!” Anassa felt her smile creep even higher. “Go on then! Say something.”

“So this is Fer when she’s not strong.” Anassa said in a tone that was musing and annoying. “Who could have ever expected this?” Fer opened her mouth to say something to her sister and then closed it without a word.

“I hate that you’re taking it so normally.” Fer said flatly as she turned around and walked off to the table. Anassa noticed the girl’s steps being somewhat off. As if the tiny Goddess had legs made of stilts powered by a machine rather than muscle. Fer had no sway in her movement either, although at the same time, her arms were so loose that they may as well have been fastened onto well-oiled door-hinges rather than bone sockets. Anassa quizzically watched Fer walked back to a small, human-sized couch in the tent and clamber up.

“Should I not be?” Anassa asked. “I’ve seen crazier things than Goddesses shrinking.” Anassa had seen ascension into Godhood. There was little that compared against that, but she wasn’t about to have that discussion with Fer. “We had a continent crack, am I supposed to be surprised because you got shrunk?”

Fer laughed and kicked her legs into the air. “I suppose.”

“And we thought Waeh who controlled through speech.” Anassa said. “So what? Am I supposed to be surprised that you got shrunk? Compared to that, this…” Anassa waved in Fer’s general direction. “It’s tame, isn’t it?”

Fer rolled her eyes as she leaned back onto the couch. And there too, the woman moved as if she was testing the air for resistance. “Why are you moving like that?” Anassa asked.

“Like what?”

“Like that.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Jump down and walk about then.”

“Walk about yourself.”

“Just do it Fer.” Anassa said. She didn’t want to use sorcery to force her sister to do anything when Fer had been reduced to this state, but if Fer wasn’t going to be cooperative then Anassa would gladly beat some cooperation into her. Fer would do the exact same after all. Those vulpine eyes stared up at Anassa and the Goddess of Sorcery realised Fer wouldn’t play along. The woman in crimson and black snapped her fingers.

A red band appeared around Fer’s waist and hefted her into the air. “I will kill you when I get back. You know this Ana.”

“I’ve thrown you about before.”

“But I’ve never been this gentle, have I?” Fer asked and Anassa supposed her sister had not. She made to give Fer a good amount of slack.

“Can you regenerate?”

“No.” Fer said and Anassa gently lowered the girl onto the ground.

“Move about.” Fer sighed and started walking up to the couch. Now that Anassa knew what she was looking for, she saw it immediately. Fer’s movements were start-stop motions, her boots looked as if they were afraid to touch the ground. Her arms were as loose as jelly and yet core was set in stone. It didn’t have even the tiniest of motion to it.

“Look!” Anassa exclaimed. “Look at how you’re moving!”

“I’m moving norm-“ Fer cut off as she looked down at herself walk. The Goddess of Beasthood took another step that looked to be tentative. Then another. Then she made a high-pitched roar and slammed her foot onto the ground. “I am not moving normally, am I?” Fer said. She took another step as she still looked down. The confused expression on her face made it seem like she didn’t trust her own body. “Wow.” Fer said. “I am moving normally though.”

“Are you?” Anassa crossed her arms as she saw Fer take another step. This one was more natural. So it wasn’t an illness then? “I thought you were losing control or something.” Anassa said as Fer shook her head.

“No, this is how I always move.” She took a quick step and then flinched. “I should have jumped then.”

“Excuse me?” Anassa said.

“Normally I’m more…” The tiny Goddess of Beasthood sighed. “Stronger? I can’t…” Fer the armrest of the couch. “That should have torn through. And the walking…” Fer pushed off and took a few more steps. “I mean, you know me. I’m strong.” Anassa nodded as she realised what Fer was trying to say.

“You mean you’re always controlling yourself.”

“I’m not used to operating like this.” Fer said as she hopped onto the bed. “It’s just odd. I’m too weak.” The tiny Goddess of Beasthood stared up at the Goddess of Sorcery. Anassa’s red eyes met Fer’s golden vulpine ones. They silently asked each other a question that they could ask without needing to utter a single word. “I don’t have any wine.”

“What do you have then?”

“Vodka. I’ve not drank any yet though.” Fer said.

“Do you want some.”

“You bet.” Fer pointed to a small cabinet near the cloth wall of the tent. “It’s there, only vodka though.”

“Good to see that you’re still as unrefined as ever.” Anassa said as a copy of her picked out the bottle, two glasses and brought them over. She herself got a glass, she poured Fer… “Are you having the usual?” Anassa asked.

“Should I not?”

“Well you’re older than me.” Anassa poured Fer the exact same amount the woman always drank, a full glass of vodka. They had joked that it was enough to knock out a human man quickly. The two women clinked glasses. Anassa drank hers. Fer drank hers. Anassa felt the slight burn. Fer immediately started to close her eyes. Anassa could do another glass. Fer dropped hers on the ground. The Goddess of Beasthood got destroyed by a single glass of vodka in ten minutes.

“Ana…” Fer said, swaying from side-to-side. Her cheeks had gone red, her eyes were half open and she dropped the glass of whiskey. Anassa snapped her fingers and a band of sorcery caught it before the glass shattered. A sheet of the red magic appeared in the air and quickly collected all the liquid before it spilled.

“Yes Fer?” Anassa stared at her sister in horror. Did she just kill her sister? Impossible. No. A copy of Anassa appeared and stepped into the air outside. She scanned for healers and clerics and doctors and everyone and anyone that looked as if they knew even the slightest amount about medicine.

“I…” Fer fell onto her side, her eyes closing. “Sick. Need. Bu…” The Goddess of Beasthood threw up. Anassa snapped her fingers and sorcery caught the woman’s vomit, then moved her finger as her sorcery shot it through the air and into the outside. No! Stop! What was it like to drink before ascension? Anassa tried to remember.

And she remembered how she had never been much of a drinker. When she did drink, it was just wines and those… Anassa looked at Fer as the Goddess of Beasthood moaned. Wine only from now on, no more vodka. Fer’s tiny body obviously couldn’t take it.

The Anassa outside found the medical tent of the camp. Another two copies of her walked off in separate directions as they tried to find Clerical auxiliaries, although none had been sent to Epa from what Anassa knew. One Anassa crouched by Fer, the other stepped into the white tent with a blue cross. The air was cooler, it had a coppery taste. Six men were laying in beds, theirs chests without shirts but covered in bandages. One man had it around his shirt. A soldier in a bloody uniform was leaning back in a desk and smoking. “Are you the medic?” Anassa from behind the man.

The medic jumped, his cigarette almost fell out of his fingers as he spun, saw a Goddess who was so tall she had to crane her neck to not scrape her hair against the cloth ceiling, and he saluted immediately. “Goddess!” The man said the first word on pure instinct, then he trailed off. “Anassa?” Who was he asking the question? Himself or Anassa? Any other time, she would have made a scene.

“I have a person who has drank too much.” Anassa said. “What do I do?”

The man blinked for a moment, his mouth opened, he closed it, then it opened again. “How much?”

“To the point of throwing up.” Anassa said and the man scratched his head.

“We don’t have anything here for filtering blood like that.” He said as if Anassa knew what that meant. “You can go to Kaczaw to the hospital there if it’s serious but if they’re throwing up.” The man made a stupid face. “Drink water, I would suggest eating something too, although it won’t be pleasant.”

“Just that?” Anassa asked and the man nodded.

“The Lubskans have a chicken broth soup. I’ve heard the men say that helps. Is it a soldier you’re helping out?” He asked. Anassa nodded, she didn’t particularly want to admit what state she had reduced Fer to after Arascus had told to look after the girl. The medic sighed heavily. “Then honestly Goddess, it’s water, food and sleep. Nothing else.”

“That’s it?”

“It’s all mixed with suffering.” The medic said. Anassa disappeared from the tent as she looked refocused on Fer. The little girl had finished throwing up. She breathed heavily, she looked at Anassa and she burst out in laughter.

“Well there’s a first time for fucking everything, isn’t there?” Fer squeaked as she collapsed onto her side. “Have you ever…”

“The medic said you needed water, food and sleep.”

“S…s…sick…” Fer said as she once again threw up. Anassa caught all the vomit with her sorcery once again, and then threw it outside again. Fer collapsed, breathing heavily. “There is lemonade. Give that.” She said, pointing off towards the corner of the tent. “And food, bring.”

Another incarnation of Anassa appeared and brought the food and drink as the first Anassa kept on watching Fer. For fifteen minutes, Fer was unable to drink more than a single mouthful. But then she started to calm down, the waves of sickness started to come with larger gaps in between them. Fer’s breathing slowed she even smiled as she rolled herself onto the side. “Wow.” Fer whispered.

“You’re going to be fine, right?” Anassa asked and Fer shook her head without opening her eyes.

“I’ve seen this before.” She said.

“You have?”

“I…” Fer covered her mouth, waited for a moment and then took a deep breath. “Almost went again. But I meant, I’ve drank people to the ground before.”

“You’ve drank me to the ground before.”

“You’re a Divine Ana.” Fer said. “You recover quickly.”

“You’re a Divine too.” Anassa said and Fer sighed.

“Oh it’s going to be a bad night.”

“I’m here for you.” Anassa said.

“I know you are sister. I know you are.” Fer extended her hand out and grabbed at the air. It took Anassa a moment to realise what her sister was indicating. But the moment she did, she passed her hand to the girl. Fer took a deep breath and smiled as she relaxed. “You know…” Fer trailed off, her breathing slowing.

“What? I know what Fer?” Anassa asked.

“I love you sister. Goodnight.” And just like that, Fer fell asleep. She smiled comfortably, her breathing became deep and she murmured a wordless-sound. Anassa squeezed her sister’s hand and knew she wouldn’t pull away until her sister woke up.