Chapter 657 – Pairkeeping
The issue faced when recording the transition from the Age of Gaia to the Age of Monsters is that there are no set dates for either. We know that the flora was pacified, and we know that eventually, monsters began to appear on Arda. The utter lack of answers provided by Divines who lived during that time has been called infuriating by scholars, especially since it is a trait unique only to Gaian-Breed Divinity.
Malam and Helenna, both key-figures within the Age of Monsters, are more than willing to speak of their past. Both love to boast of their achievements in aiding humanity survive and equipping it with the tools needed to found the first realms and civilizations. Nevertheless, both Malam and Helenna can be dated to appearing at least mid-way through that era, for they both speak of humanity desperate and on the brink of extinction.
Yet to peel away from the sources that do not wish to share, we have to consider the sources that can reveal information. Archaeological sites of those times are rare and sparse, yet a few exist. They can give us a time-line to some extent. Malam’s travels can be traced almost perfectly due to the sheer amount of devastation and mass graves she left in her wake. Those mass graves of monsters reveal one more, rather insidious quality about the era, which has no answer.
The oldest sets of bones were ever found still date to at least four hundred years before my hypothesized Year X. The Age of Monsters raises a question many have asked before and that is of their origin. What exactly made these creatures? When were they made? Why? Or did the spawn into existence? Are monsters actually examples of proto-Divinity? If so, why do we have Divines that claim to be older than them.
It seemingly as if Arda suddenly decided to try and expel humanity from its surface.
- Excerpt from “Archive of Arda”, written by Goddess Elassa, of Magic.
Fer walked through the lines of men that Maisara was currently blessing. Kavaa’s power, maybe to others, had almost no tell bar the addiction to youthfulness it enabled within the body. Wrinkles would smooth themselves out, men would take off their glasses, they would flex and strain joints that no longer creaked. Kavaa’s touch made hair thicker and cheeks fuller, although one had to see it in action to truly be able to see the change in real time. It was simply a case of giving men the sheer peak health that they were always capable of.
Fer took a step across the grass, Kavaa by her side. Maisara ahead of them. To the right of the Goddesses was the camp of freshly blessed Paladins. To their left were the eighty thousand Clerics of the Silver Sword. The lights in the distance were Ordeaux. Great cranes still spun as they relentlessly built up the city, working at double pace now. Ordeaux had received even more resources to build even though it could theoretically become a frontline city. Fer smiled, Maisara missed it no doubt, Kavaa wouldn’t care enough to put two and two together, but Fer could feel her instincts being pleased at the sheer acceleration in construction.
If the current frontline was breached, then they had the mountains on the Esberian-Rancais border. If those were breached, then Ordeaux was the first major city in the way. The situation was much the same as when animals made their nests. Two rivers were not enough for a fox to feel safe and claim a grand cave when wolves were in the area. The Empire had not removed the wolves, Tartarus and Ashen Skies were still there, static now, but still there, and yet Ordeaux was still being expanded. That meant the situation had fundamentally changed, foxes fled from caves that wolves may want to claim. Bears however did not care.
This city would house the million and a half refugees from Arseille, it was simply a matter of building the structures. And those structures were going up marvellously quickly. A sparse few magicians had been returned after Project Super-Circle was cancelled. Fer had not sniffed out what her father was doing yet, but she would eventually, she always did.
Her eyes went from the Goddess of Order marching ahead in her uniform to the Paladins on the right. Imperial Paladins now, although no one would ever use that name. Maisara herself certainly would not. Arascus had shown his generosity and goodwill by not issuing the command and Fer’s authority was only tactical and immediate, rather than strategic and grand.
Those men were obviously blessed. There was no doubt about it. Even a naked eye from a human who had never seen Divinity would be able to tell that there was something off and wrong with this quarter of a million men. They stood perfectly straight, in perfect silence, even their breathing was synchronized. Fer could hear their thumping heartbeats, made all the louder by the fact they were synced up on a slow metronome, the pace matching Maisara’s. Their arms were slightly bulkier than normal, their legs too. The leanness wasn’t true, it was the leanness of a body filled to bursting yet barely holding on. Even within the grey uniforms that had been provided, the tone of muscle still shown through on them.
And there was the smell. Kavaa’s men smelled fresh. They were aged, the Goddess of Health rarely blessed anyone younger than forty, younger than thirty was almost unheard of. One would need to have marched through hell as in their steps for Kavaa to even consider such an offer. Even though they had the perfect health she brought on was shaved a few years off, none of them looked younger than thirty. Maisara’s men all looked ahead with the exact same gaze: that of a man too old, with too little accomplished, driven not by energy but by determination to try and make up for lost time. They smelled like it too, Maisara’s natural smell, that of a pile of clothes not dirty, but not clean either. Used, rugged, and maybe a day or two before they truly needed to be washed.
Fer bounced her elbow against Kavaa’s. “You smell of roses.”
“I don’t.” Kavaa replied immediately.
Fer bit the inside of her cheek, her tail swishing from side to side as they walked. What sort of response was that exactly? She doesn’t? Well of course she didn’t. “I can smell you.”
“I’d be surprised if you didn’t.” Kavaa replied dryly. Her voice a murmur, her grey eyes open and fixed straight ahead.
“My nose is better than yours.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“You smell of roses.”
“I don’t.” Kavaa repeated herself, there wasn’t a hint of annoyance in her tone. Fer’s ears jumped as she smelled the air. Fer took a deep breath. Her job here, unbeknownst to either Kavaa or Maisara, was to make sure the two didn’t forget this was the Empire and not the White Pantheon. She had managed to thoroughly get through Maisara’s patience, Kavaa was proving a different beast altogether.
“You do.”
“What do I smell of?” Kavaa asked. Fer’s ears jumped. Oh? A game was it? Then the little lady think that Fer would be stunned. “And don’t say roses again.”
“You smell of freshness and mint.” Fer said. That was only half true. Kavaa’s natural scent was cool and minty, but there was a certain bitterness there, as if she was mint mixed with the bark of a pine tree. The smell was good, but it was the sort of smell that one got quickly tired off.
Kavaa didn’t say anything for a few moments. “That surprisingly nice.” She said.
“Surprisingly!?” Fer barked, her tail standing up. “Who do you think I am? I’m the nicest person you know!”
“You are.” Kavaa said. “But I don’t know a lot of people.” Maisara turned to look at them from ahead, her silver eyes, slightly darker than the hair of the same colour, once again looked as if they were questioning whether she was on Arda or in a dream. She did not say anything.
“You smell of roses though.” Fer said.
“I don’t.” Kavaa replied, it had to be instinctual at this point.
“Not you.”
“I smell of roses?” Maisara said from ahead. She turned around to look at Fer, her eyes and face utterly questioning the madness that in her vision. “How? Why?”
“Because you’re a sweetiepie.” Fer said. This was the best way to join a group together. She simply had to be direct and competitive, she couldn’t crush though. Things like asking Kavaa about Kassie or Maisara about Fortia were off limits. One did not poke wolf cubs in front of the mother either.
“Hu-wha…?” Maisara exhaled, then dropped her head and shook it. “How? Why? Kavaa, how do you deal with this?”
“She’s not that bad.” Kavaa said.
“What?”
“Anassa is worse.” Kavaa said and Fer smiled. She had rang Anassa to ask about Maisara. Somehow, the Goddess of Sorcery actually respected the woman and was, or rather felt, respected in turn. That was only good news. These two could bond over the fact that they had completely opposite opinions on Fer’s sister.
“Anassa is worse?” Maisara asked. “How? Anassa is fine.”
Kavaa missed a step, then tilted her head as she looked at Maisara. “I know you have shit for brains Maisara but don’t pretend to me that Anassa is fine.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Maisara said, Fer just smiled at the interaction. The anger there was feigned, it was two wolves playfighting with each other. “Anassa is fine. You just deal with her.”
“Deal?” Kavaa asked, her tone utterly incredulous. “Deal? Are we talking about the same Anassa?”
“One and only Anassa we could be talking about.” Maisara said. “What’s wrong with her?”
“What’s wrong with Anassa?” Kavaa asked. “What? What sort of question is that even?” Fer’s ears bounced and she kept her smile down. This was perfect. Now, they were having a full conversation with each other. It may not be polite, but it was a start. As Dad how once said, you needed to learn to walk before you could run.
“I’m serious Kavaa.” Maisara argued back. “Anassa is fine, you just don’t back down and she’s not particularly argumentative.”
“How you seen how she reacts to healing?” Kavaa asked.
“How does she react?”
“She…” Kavaa went a furious red. Her scent became the embarrassed spice of a chilli pepper. Fer’s tail kept on waving from side to side. That was cute. “Enjoys it.”
“To each their own.” Maisara replied.
“You’re not Maisara.” Kavaa said. “To each their own? What sort of comment is that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Maisara would never say that.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I spent a thousand years with you.” Kavaa said. “To each their own? Have you ever said that in a Pantheon meeting?”
“That was real.” Maisara said. “That was politics and business, what does what Anassa enjoys affect me? Malam drinks, doesn’t she? Irinika smokes.”
“I don’t like that.” Fer said. The rank smell of tobacco usually hid what Iri was feeling. Maybe of Darkness didn’t realise it, she probably didn’t… Fer thought on it. No, Irinika probably did. Irinika was intelligent too, far more intelligent than she made herself out to be in fact. They both ignored her.
“What are you talking about? Have some decency for fucks sake!” Kavaa said.
“You’re acting indecent right now.” Maisara said. “This is a public display.”
“Everyone knows I swear.”
“But not everyone knows Anassa enjoys your healing.” Maisara said. “Keep it that way.”
“So what? It’s not disgusting?”
“Does it affect me?” Maisara replied. “Does it affect the world at large?”
“It affects ME!” Kavaa said.
“Like I said, to each their own. I’m not here to defend Anassa’s honour.” She turned back to Fer. There was a testing glint in her eye. “Isn’t that your job?”
Do you think that Anassa needs me to protect you from someone like you? Fer caught herself before she spoke. No, no. She could not be too harsh right now. These girls needs to be opened up slowly. One did not dive straight into caves for there could be bears inside. “Neither of you have insulted her yet.” Fer said.
Kavaa took a deep breath and shook her head. “So be it.” She shut the topic down with those words. They took another few steps in asilence, Fer quickly realised that Maisara was in no plan to fix that silence. “What about me?” She asked. That was a long-shot, but it had to get them talking. And it would be good to not push too far, no one confident in themselves would ever ask such a question. Kavaa remained silent, as did Maisara. “Hello? Hello?” Fer called out.
“You’re too good natured to be annoying.” Kavaa said and Maisara turned back around.
“Excuse me?” She asked. “This Fer? Of Beasthood Fer?”
“There’s only one Fer, isn’t here?” Kavaa asked.
“I’m a sweetheart.” Fer said. Maisara sighed from ahead, Kavaa chuckled from the side.
“That you are.” Kavaa said. Fer was about to comment when her buzzing phone suddenly rang. The tune was of a funny song Malam had sent to her once.
“Oh oh ladies.” She said. “Stop, inspection paused.”
“Paused?” Fer’s tail dove into the pocket of her shorts and threw her phone into the air, she caught it and checked… Oh. The same person who recommended the music. “Hello, hello? What do you want.”
“Fer, bring Kavaa and Maisara to us.” Malam said. “Helenna was supposed to call but apparently you’re my sister and you’re the boss over there.”
“Hey!” Helenna shout was caught as Fer put it on loudspeaker. She held the phone between the three.
“Sorry Mal, I missed you there.” Fer said. “Could you repeat that? There’s static.”
“You’re the boss over there.” Malam said, Fer smiled smugly to Kavaa and Maisara. The shorter Goddess rolled her eyes, the other returned with a flat glare that was obviously trying to pretend it was not furious right now.
“So…” Fer stretched the words out to savour the taste of them and the annoyed sickly sweetness of annoyance that was wafting from the pair in front of her. “I’m the boss over here. And what does the boss need to do?”
“We’ll fill you in when you get here.” Malam said. “Kavaa apparently withstood the Jungle, didn’t she?”
“She did.”
“Would Maisara?” Fer stared at Maisara for a moment. Would she? The woman was bitter, that was true, but Fer doubted whether she was actually all that cold. The woman hid her emotionality too well for someone unaware of it. Exhaustion and exasperation were one thing, but glee? Anger? Jealousy? Those had been missing this entire time.
“We’d have to see.”
“Then bring Maisara too and I’ll explain here.” Malam said.
“Can we get a taster?”
“We have a rat infestation, you’re pest control. That’s all I’ll say for now.” Fer turned her phone off and stared at both Maisara and Kavaa with a bright smile.
“Here that ladies? We have some pest control to do.”
Better pest control and hunting succubi than returning to Ashen Skies, that was for sure.