The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]

Baron Morrheim’s expansion of the Sudraine copper quarry is simply the next in the long list of tunnels that have dug too deep. The ground itself now screams, the quarry has been declared effectively unusable and requires the intervention of Elassa to terraform the local area and close the gap to whatever lies underneath Arda’s surface. Whereas it is a shock for the local people, Morrheim’s Sudraine expedition is not unique. In fact, I daresay it is not even uncommon. We can look at the Aliczka Salt Mines, at the Grunn Coal Pit, the Deeping Holes in Karaina, and we can declare that these situations are becoming more and more common.

What happened is that Morrheim hit the Dwarven Highway network. That is certain. He hit a section of the Highway network that is entirely unmapped, not by us, not by the information we recovered from the defeated Empire. He hit tunnels lost to times of pre-Worldbreaking, maybe even to pre-Heroism. Whatever is buried there at this point has adapted to the darkness to such an extent that light is anathema to it. Morrheim’s expedition was lost entirely, I doubt Elassa will be in a mood to recover the bodies, but I also doubt there will be bodies to recover. There has not been in any other situation when civilians have dug too deep.

Thus, a problem is raised for the White Pantheon. The world has been demilitarized for three centuries at this point. The only armies that exist are the White Pantheon sanctioned Holy Orders. Were we to fight a remnant of Dwarven Civilization, we would start another Surface War. This time, with a Kassandora that would most likely betray us for them. There is only one solution that can be had.

Whereas mining can obviously not be banned, we can no longer allow the populace to dig to shut depths. Mountains can be stripped mined, surface ores may be excavated, but the age of tunnelling for riches and creating ant-nests in the ground will only lead to those ant-nests eventually burrowing to chambers long abandoned.

I do not care whether those chambers are inhabited or empty. Sleeping dogs should be left to lie.

- Excerpt from the private diary of Goddess Allasaria, of Light. Dated to year 353 of the Pantheon Peace era.

Paida guided Helenna and Malam through the national library of Rancais. It was a grand place, made grander by the Empire. The Imperial Bureau of Culture had refurbished it entirely, they had not touched the collection either, only expanded it. They had not even come in to ruin the style, it was still all fashioned out of the golden Aris-Stone and timber, but now instead of measuring five floors up and down, it was ten, and twice as wide. The library was not even filled yet. It was not even half full. Maybe a third even. There was plenty of space available, every month, the universities would hold competitions for books that would end in the Rancais National Literature section. They had everything save for the design books to fighter jets in here.

And things written by the other Epan countries of course, but Saksma nor Olonia nor Agrita included Rancais works in their libraries, so Paida did not know why she needed to house theirs either.

The three Goddesses skipped past the guards and the attendants, the clerks and the few students and researchers that were busy reading and walked through the hushed library. Towering shelves stood on either side as Paida led them deeper into the history section, then the Aris section, and finally onto the books detailing the Catacombs under the city. A whole row was there. “It’s here.” Paida said and readjusted her coat. The building had no windows, sunlight ruined books, but there was still a warm glow from the artificial lamps that were installed up above.

Malam turned to the clerk that was silently following them. A young man, obviously out of his depth. It was obvious from the concerned gazes he kept shooting at the three Goddesses. “You’re dismissed.” She said. The man looked at the Imperial Princess, her snow-white hair framing a porcelain face, the only discolouring on it being the black eyes, and then glanced at Paida. Of Rancais silently gave him a nod, she would tell him what books they took later, but there was no reason to give him a hard time. The man, in his black shawl that covered him from shoulder to calf, bowed and stepped away, disappearing from the section. From the upper levels, a pair of younger people, most likely students, pretended not to be interested in what was happening below them.

Malam and Helenna both stared at the row of books in the almost-silence of the library, broken only by the turning of pages and the irregular footsteps in the distance. “When was the last expedition into the Catacombs?” Malam asked, at least she didn’t feel the need to shout in this place.

“One hundred and twenty years ago.” Paida replied. This, at least, she was an expert in. She could confidently say that she knew her country better than Malam or Helenna.

“What happened to it?” Malam asked as Helenna picked out a book: The Tales Surrounding Aris Underground.

“A group of archaeologists went down and never returned. They just disappeared, we sent a police expedition and mapped out ten miles of tunnel, with lamps and everything, but there wasn’t a trace of them.” Paida answered, then leaned to Helenna. “That’s one of the books about mythology and folk tales.”

“Have you read it?”

“I have.” Paida said proudly, there wasn’t a book in here that she had not read. Helenna raised an eyebrow, her lips mouthing a wordless sound and flicked open to the content’s page.

“Do you have one on conspiracies?” Malam asked.

“There’s this.” Paida said as she plucked a small, leatherbound copy of Unsolved Mysteries of Aris. “There’s a section on the Catacombs in it.”

“This is why we had you come along.” Helenna murmured as she finger went down the content’s page. “Why is there no section on the Aris Beast?”

“That has its own books.” Paida answered, looking up and down. “It will be in the mythology section, not here.” She could lead them to it as well. The Imperial Bureau of Culture had worked with her to design the new library, she had taken great care to make sure it was easily accessible and organised.

“Alright.” Helenna said.

“What’s that?”

“A monster we found some… what…” Helenna looked at Paida. “Four hundred? Years ago. It hunted in the night and then Allasaria descended down to kill it. She brought the corpse back.” Paida nodded.

“It was a scandal.” Paida said.

“Because it killed people?”

“Because the bones weren’t aged.” Helenna said. “It fit our own bestiaries but it wasn’t an adult. There was a leak from the Olympiada scholars about it. A panic that the Age of Monsters was returning.” Helenna’s tone was absent-minded as she began flipping through the pages, apparently having found something.

“How much of them is mapped out?” Malam asked.

“We don’t know.” Paida said. “Most of the expansion was done illegally and under wraps. Never reported.”

“Why?” Paida pursed her lips and looked to Helenna.

“Maisara and Fortia needed to put down an Arascan cult in the area, we theorize its from that.” Again, the tone indicated her mind was elsewhere, Helenna must have felt Paida’s gaze upon her. “What?”

“I didn’t think you’d admit it.” Paida said.

“She knows already. I worked for the Pantheon a thousand years, I’ve killed my fair share of Imperials. She’s done the same of my men.” Helenna answered. Malam chuckled.

“So they were driven underground?”

“We don’t know how far or how long they were there. They were only discovered in the fifth century. Beastmen were amongst them, somehow.” Helenna said. “I’d have assumed you would know because they were yours.”

“I was underground for the past millennia.” Malam answered. “Maps Paida, maps. Where are they?”

“The best collection would be here.” Paida reached for Catacombs Illustrated. “It’s a new book, twenty years old.”

“New indeed.” Helenna murmured as she read a work that dated more than a century old. Malam immediately took it and began flipping through the pages, until she got the pictures she wanted. Paida stood there and stared at them. Was this work? Were they actually absorbing information? They had to be. But with how quickly Helenna was flipping the pages, Paida guessed she had to be skimming the work. No one, not even her, could read that fast. She stopped, her eyes darted over the page, then they went back. “Mal, listen to this:” And she began to read:

“The full moon gazes over Aris and the city goes silent. For ten years now, I have documented this underreported phenomena. I have bred dogs and taken in even the most the rabid of spaniels and I can, with the fullest of certainty, state that animals refuse to make a sound when Luna reveals herself to us.” She chuckled. “Do you know what that is Paida?”

“The silent night?” Paida asked. “It still happens?” It had always happened, it would always happen. No one really knew, most people didn’t even make the connection. Paida had not, until she read the very book that Helenna was currently holding.

“I can guess.” Malam said.

Helenna flipped back a few pages. “Then hear this: The 754 solstice over Aris, was done in total silence. The sightings recorded throughout it, and the diaries I have researched, state that the dead spoke in dreams and within mirrors.” Helenna made a purring sound. “Now what does that sound like?” Malam actually looked up from her book to at Of Love. Paida just stood there, not making the connection. The silent night and the 754 solstice?

“Does it mention the river?” Malam asked.

Helenna purred with delight. “Oh it does: For a few minutes, the waters ran red.” She looked up at Paida. “Did they?”

Paida nodded. “They did.” Paida had been there, the waters had changed colours, then changed back again. The effect had been studied for a few months after, but it was assumed to be something to do with magic running wild in a solstice. There were no deaths, no cases of long-term madness from it. Eventually, she had eventually dismissed it as a mass-hallucination event.

Helenna kept on reading: “Upon investigation, no contamination from metal nor from magic was detected. Not even excess filth could explain one of Aris’ most documented, yet most mysterious nights.”

“We dumped sewage in the river back then.” Paida said. She was ignored by both of the Goddesses who just stared at each other. A wry smile on Helenna’s lips, a glare on Malam’s.

“There’s too many to name that do that.”

“I’m thinking of one.”

“From the isles?”

“That one.” Helenna said with a nod. Paida had no damn clue what they were talking about. She turned back to Paida. “How you ever found eggs in the river?” She asked. “Or around the general area? This area doesn’t have caves, does it.”

“No.”

“That would explain the Catacombs then.” She said.

“Hallucinations can be caused by any amount of monsters though.”

“Was there a sound?” Helenna asked Paida. The Goddess of Rancais tried to recall that night. Had there been a sound? There had to be. The city had fallen silent but… But now she was imagining things.

“I can’t remember.” Paida said and Helenna’s smile became downright satisfied. Now even Malam was looking at Paida.

“And Divine Amnesia?” Helenna asked. “What explains that?”

“You actually can’t remember?” Malam asked. “Really?”

“What do you mean?” Paida asked. “It’s just, of course I can’t, my memory isn’t…” As Paida spoke, she tried to recall everything from her past. She could redraw her apotheosis, she could remember her journey into Aris. All the changes of government, down to the day. Even down to the minute, as long as her eyes were looking at the clock. She could picture president Artois declaring Epan Separation as if it was yesterday, and Anarchia, and the fight between Fer and Anarchia and… “I can’t remember that night.”

“A Corthanach then.” Helenna said. “Because what else does that?”

“During a breeding cycle.” Malam said. “A solstice would trigger it, the death scream would explain the event.”

“And the river turning colour.” Helenna confirmed, she glanced at Paida again. “Aren’t you glad you have the two Goddesses here who can actually help you?”

“What do you mean?”

“They lived in our times.” Malam said. “Corthanachs, not here, but when was that? More than three thousand years ago.”

“Long enough and the Isles aren’t that far away.” Helenna added but Paida did not care.

“What is that?”

“It’s a slivering serpent that goes into your mind and pretends its something else.” Helenna said. “Is it dangerous?” She asked Malam.

“Depends who you ask.”

“Well not to us I suppose.” Helenna said. “No, it’s not an aggressive creature. Animals can sense it though. I’m surprised Fer hasn’t.”

“It could be travelling.”

“Has she ever been here during a full-moon?” Helenna asked Paida.

“I don’t… No?” Paida practically lived here. Fer travelled around and generally avoided cities unless she was told to do something. And why would she even visit Arseille?

“She will tell us for sure.” Helenna said. “Well, add it to the list. If you have one, you have a lot.”

“What?” Paida asked.

“They’re snakes, snakes don’t survive on stone alone and everything starves eventually.” Helenna said. And after dropping that bombshell, both the Goddess of Love and of Hatred went back to reading their books. Paida just stared at them, unable to speak. There was a monster living under her capital? There was a whole host of monsters? She was living above a prehistoric nest is what they were saying? There were actual monsters. She looked down at the wooden beams they stood on and expected them to suddenly open up and reveal teeth. And these two? These two treated it like what? Like this? Where was the panic? Wasn’t this serious?

“It doesn’t explain the travel though.” Malam said. “We don’t have a migratory route and you can’t say they travelled above ground.”

“No, that is the question, isn’t it?” Helenna said. “It fits, but it doesn’t. There’s spirits in Ihon and Guguo that do the same thing.” And now this? Paida just stared at them. Monsters weren’t enough? Now the Aris Catacombs were an international breeding ground? Is that what they were saying? Malam closed her book.

“You have mapped nothing.” She said. “You’ve mapped a maze with no end.” Paida couldn’t even talk.

“How deep do they go?” Helenna asked and Malam shook her head. “The deepest point is eight hundred feet, what is that in metres?”

“About two-sixty. And it’s a dead-end?”

“It’s where the expedition turned back around.”

“So it could go deeper.”

“It does go deeper.” Malam said as Paida stared at them. “Why have you not used ground-sonar to scan them?” Paida blinked at the sheer technicality of the question. Here they were going from discussing monsters to ground scanners? Why? What? What sort of question was that? Shouldn’t there be panic right now? Shouldn’t they do something? Call in Kassandora. Malam snapped her fingers in front of Paida. “Princess, sweetheart, why have you not used ground sonar?”

“The cars, city.” Paida mumbled. “Vibrations, doesn’t work.” Malam looked to Helenna then rolled her eyes.

“And you can’t declare a day of exploration and get everyone to stop fucking moving for a few hours?” Paida wanted to take a step away from the pair terrifying creatures in front of her. How did she ever feel comfortable talking with them? How were they handling this calmly?

“Paida.” Helenna said. “Monsters die to fire and silver. Or just enough steel. It’s not a threat, we can deal with it. We’ve dealt with it when the greatest technology was a spear. We have guns now.” She shook her head. “As Kassandora puts it, all it takes to kill something is to separate the head from its body. The only difficult is in how. You’re not in danger.” She looked to Malam.

“Yet.”

“I knew you’d say that.” Helenna said, rolling her eyes. “Not yet, not now, not then. This is in our hands.” She sighed and went back to her book of nightmares. Malam stood there for a while, just thinking.

“Do you think they hit the two mile mark?”

“Why wouldn’t they?” Helenna asked as the Goddess of Hatred. That got white-haired Malam moving again. Paida saw the utter focus and realised that white wasn’t the purity of snow, it was the white found in flecks of pristine ash. It had to be. Olonia’s white-hair was warm and inviting and it did not frame a face that talked like this. Malam brought out her phone and started tapping away, then extended it down so that Helenna could see. A moment later, she seemed to realise Paida was here and lowered her hand so that the Goddess of Rancais could watch too.

The modern dwarven Empire, official Imperial maps. The war maps that Paida did not have access to. The grand Hold of Klavdiv was labelled there, along with the highway network. Imperial checkpoints were marked, Levhen was held. The World-Core had a special seed symbol. Malam centred in not on the front line underground but the ring-road around Klavdiv.

“Helenna…” Malam said slowly, peering away from the map. “Do you see it?”

“See what?” Paida leaned in with Helenna. The Goddess of Hatred tapped one marker at the ring-road highway, it circled Klavdiv, there was a marker there.

“I can’t read that, you idiot.”

“It’s the rune for a closed highway.”

“I don’t see it.” Helenna said, then tutted. “You have no tell on where that leads to.”

“I do.” Malam said. She brought out another map. “You do too, we were both there to see it.” Helenna rolled her eyes.

“You’re going to have be more specific than that.”

“I have to make sure first.” Malam said. “I’ve seen it though, when I was down there, they had these maps.”

“Did you now?” Helenna asked. “Then say.”

“Do you have any books on the Dwarven Surface War?” Malam asked. “Do you have Kass’ Lessons From?”

“O-of c-course.” Paida said, her trembling, extending an arm to the history section. “It’s going to be there, that’s a famous work.” She watched Malam follow her arm and roll her eyes.

“It’s sorted alphabetically I assume?”

“It is, it’ll be in the Ancient History section.” Paida confirmed.

“Give me a minute then.” Malam excused herself and disappeared towards the direction she had indicated. Now, left alone with Helenna, she could finally take a breath.

“Are you…” Paida asked. “Are you serious?”

“Paida, me and Malam lived through that age, we came around because of that age. It was my Love that held humanity together, it was Malam’s Hatred that scoured the lands and chased them away. We are the best suited Goddesses for this problem. A Corthanach is not some great beast, it is a snake, it talks to you, and you can just…” Helenna made a stabbing motion with her hand. “That’s it.”

“And what does it do?” Paida asked. “In… when it talks?”

“It convinces you to kill everyone around you and then yourself.” Helenna said dryly. “Just hold it together and it that’s it.” Paida stared, wide-eyed, at what she just heard. She felt the blood drain from her face, then decided that some questions did not need to be asked. No. She did not want to know. This was the Empire. If she had to know, she would be told, if she didn’t have to know.

Malam returned fifteen minutes later, ten of those minutes were spent with Helenna chuckling to herself as she read the book on mythology. Every single time, Paida wanted to ask, every single time, she held her tongue. Lessons from the Dwarven Surface War, By Goddess Kassandora, of War, was already open in Malam’s hand. She held it with one hand. “You should have translated this better.” Malam said, browsing something else with her phone.

“We don’t have any speakers of Ancient Nital.” Paida said.

“Helenna’s fluent, I am too.”

“I charge.” Helenna said.

“As do I.” Malam added. Paida stared at the maps Kassandora had hand-drawn more than fifteen hundred years ago. They were more than twice as old as Paida herself was. And they were what? Half the age of Malam and Paida. Of Rancais felt like a damn child listening in on adults.

“What is that?” Paida asked. She had no clue how to read that sort of map in the first place.

“That is the tactical section where Kassandora describes the Ocean Drains she used to end the war.” Everyone knew the history. The Dwarves were unstoppable, their machines could not be killed by anything less than a magician or a Divine. The surface called upon Kassandora to defend them, Kassandora had not fought a single defensive battle. Instead, she ended the war by using Divinity to drill holes through the ocean and flood countless Holds.

The War ended there and then. The Dwarves had come expecting battle, they got a Kassandora style extermination campaign, and they vowed never to return. Not until Arascus managed to break their silence and get them to join his Empire for the Great War.

“Drain Four. The Grand Continental East-West Line.” Malam said, she laid the book on the ground and squatted down. It led to Klavdiv, that was known, it was theorized to lead to the continent where the UNN is now, although we just don’t know. Finally there was something these two did not know. Paida didn’t know if that made her more or less nervous. And it passed through central Epa, then underneath Allia, then towards where Kassandora had made her hole in the Alanktydan Ocean. The picture itself was brutal though, Kassandora drew nothing but the bare necessities, not a single place on that map was labelled, even the coastline was unfinished.

“Oh.” Helenna said. “That explains the migratory route.”

“What?” Paida asked. Malam laid her phone down on the paper, next to that black and white diagram. It was jarring to see the drawn picture next to the modern map of the world. Malam zoomed out from her current location until the geography was recognizable and…

Paida made the connection. Her entire body felt as if it was suddenly submerged into ice. She wished she hadn’t come with these two.

The Grand Continental East-West crossed straight under Aris.