Chapter 714 – Babysitting
Does Divinity feel joy?
The answer to that question is yes. Divinity does feel joy. The most joyful, gregarious, boisterous Divines were the ones who had the most enemies, and they were the ones killed off during the great cleansing that was the Age of Heroism. The question should be rephrased.
Does today’s Divinity feel joy?
The question sounds farcical, however it is deadly serious. Do we merely act out joy because we know how it is supposed to look like from our individual studies of humanity, or do we truly feel joy? Maisara is one example who very obviously does not know how to experience joy. The woman has an aura of cold misery around her. Kassandora is another, although supposedly Allasaria has said that when her and Kassandora still made up the aspects of victory, Kassandora was joyful. Fortia is a dour one, I do not know if she has ever felt the open joy of laughter, although the feeling of contentness, I am certain we have shared together. At least during the signing of the Concordats, if no other time. Do I feel joy?
Of that, I am uncertain.
- Excerpt from the private writings of God Arascus, of Pride.
Another tower rose from the ground, Arascus knew he was beaming with pride as he watched it, he didn’t care. It was amazing. The Empire was grand, the Empire was magnificent but sometimes, the Empire needed to be shown that there was a mountain they had not even began to fathom yet. Ciria was that mountain, her husband too, but it was largely her.
The God of Industry worked on the steel smelters that had been brought here, his power fixed the trucks, repaired their tires, kept the gears greased. The engineers were practically humming at their new favourite Divine. Whole convoys from every quarry in the region, and from the neighbouring ones, were coming here and dumping their materials straight onto fields of ground. Those didn’t even need to be concreted over, Halkus was simply so excellent in his power that dirt, grass, everything could be thrown into the furnaces by massive diggers. Sludge and ash would come pouring out of one end, fine glittering steel out of the other.
Then it would be moved a short distance, simply to give space for the smelteries to keep working. And then there would be Ciria. Whereas Halkus stood in a blue uniform, something not quite Imperial and not quite aligned, the Goddess of Civilization had stayed in her white dress of white and gold. Arascus had been trying to work out what sort of messaging she was aiming to get across. Surely it couldn’t be White Pantheon nostalgia, surely? What the case though, she was working.
Next to Ciria lay the steel from Halkus’ smelteries, and more materials that had been brought over from the rest of the Empire. Everything that the ICDT towers needed bar the rocket fuel and the crystals that Elassa was manufacturing. The Goddess could not do chemistry, nor could she do magic. They had narrowed it down to a structure. She could do wiring but the fine control was exhausting. Ciria could three of the massive structures complete a day, ready for the engineers to make the finishing touches, or she could work at one finished tower that only needed to be loaded and fuelled.
Arascus looked over at the field, where twenty of the ICDT towers now stood, casting long shadows at the men working in between them. An army of fuel-trucks, along with the Imperial Knights in their newly fashioned armour. Those would glow as they practiced disembarking, jumping from their seats that were hidden half-way within the tower. It was a matter of time at this point.
“Ugh!” If only Ciria didn’t need to take breaks. She was an independent Goddess, and she didn’t have the character of Maisara and Fortia, not that they had been left unsupervised in the first place. Arascus steeled himself for yet another session of listening to her complain about the Empire, about morality and, most commonly, about him. “WHY!?”
She knew why, her question wasn’t worth answering. Halkus noticed his little wife start to complain and left his station, that was fine though. Ciria was the bottleneck. Arascus assumed that these were her breaks to recharge her power. It was more bearable to assume that she needed a break than the fact she was a child. “WHY ARASCUS! WHAT FOR!?”
Arascus stood on his grassy hill, overlooking the entire rocket site, and just sighed as he saw her take steps that were more akin to horse trots. The army of humans and elves had long since stopped doing anything but casting curious glances. Arascus assumed they had started taking bets on how many hours she would last. He sighed and thought of better things to take his mind off the golden-haired woman, Halkus had to jog to catch up to her. “Divinity should not be building weapons!”
The ICDT towers weren’t weapons, but they had this conversation already. Arascus wasn’t going to repeat himself. Ciria stopped, huffing, arms on her hips. The tower behind was finished, men were already marking a spot in white paint further down the line for another of the structures. “What this time?” Arascus asked, he looked over to Halkus. The God of Industry just shrugged. Of course he did, his wife’s poor behaviour wasn’t aimed at him after all. Did Ciria act like this all the time? Or just in front of grander Divinity?
“Why are they here?” What? Who? Arascus turned to where she pointing and took a deep breath. Why where they here exactly? Shouldn’t they be in Ainai? Fortia and Maisara were walking up. Both in fresh suits of armour, or maybe they had been cleaned off. Arascus didn’t know, he wasn’t the reports although both fought to not get hit in the first place. Scalemail skirts, cuirasses that revealed the shoulders, Fortia had a short black Imperial cape flowing under her bronze hair. Maisara lacked it, although save for the difference in colour and slightly different hair styles, they may as well have been copies of each other.
Copies that did not even pretend to look at Ciria. “Arascus.” Fortia said, completely ignoring Of Civilization. “We have to talk. We’ve brought Fer too but she’s gone for drinks.” Fortia pursed her lips sheepishly although loosened up when she saw he didn’t care. Fer was one of his daughters, she could drink all she wanted to. To hell with the budget.
“What about?”
“Oh.” Ciria said. “You’ve come to talk have you? With Arascus? With the God you fought against?” Maisara and Fortia both had an identical reaction. A pair of smirks, they quickly glanced at each other. Then at Ciria.
“We have something to discuss.” Fortia restarted as if she didn’t hear anything. Arascus felt Ciria begin to stir behind him. The Goddess of Civilization was shorter than all of them, Arascus stood almost twice her height. “It’s important.” He knew what that meant, it meant without these two behind him.
“I did not believe it at first.” Ciria said and Arascus took a deep breath. He kept his back towards Of Civilization, from the footsteps, her husband was coming here too. “But you two have really joined?”
“As have you.” Fortia said.
“I am not Imperial.” Fortia and Maisara both leaned and looked at the
“Uh-huh.” Fortia said. “I can see that.”
“I am building the atmospheric cleansers, it is not for the Empire, it is for Arda.”
“Ciria.” Fortia said quickly. “I am far too old a Goddess to bother debating forms of government with you.”
“It’s not a debate on a government, it’s a matter of principal.”
“The principal stands that we are saving the world, and we are doing it under the Imperial red-white-black.” Fortia said.
“So will you leave when the Surface War is over?” Fortia and Maisara both looked at each other with doubtful expressions, as if they could not believe what they were saying. “And what about you Maisara? Did you not swear to the Pantheon?”
“I died and was resurrected, that fulfils the vow.” Maisara said, she looked to Arascus. “That makes it eighth Divine to ask me that.”
Arascus only shrugged a reply. Now that these two were here, he could talk to someone normal, frankly, he had enough of Ciria for a while. “Is it important?”
“It’s very important.”
“How?”
“It’s what happens after the Surface War.” Fortia said. “Or maybe during it, if it drags on.”
“Oh.” Arascus said. “Then we should discuss it now.”
“You two disgust me.” Ciria said and Halkus merely sighed. Arascus wanted to slap the little Goddess, to just put her down already. He had assumed this behaviour would pass when she got a job. It did, somewhat, she shut up when she was working, but every time the stone ran out or she took a break, the little lady was insufferable.
“Noted.” Maisara said. “You’re not the first person to say that.” His eyes turned to Maisara and he raised an eyebrow. Maisara ignored him entirely, taking a step forward. “Come on Ciria, hit me with something better than just being disgusting.”
“So it begins.” Fortia whispered, she nodded to a patch of grass slightly further away.
“So it begins.” Arascus replied back. He began to walk off.
Maisara seemed to forget she had come here, or maybe she just wasn’t needed. Fortia did most of the thinking in the pair, Of Order just backed her up. And right now, that backing up was making Ciria take the bait. “Come on Ciria! Go on little Goddess, disgusting is weak. I have been called far far worse than that.”
“Shut up Maisara!” Ciria shouted. “I’m not here to lecture you.”
“Oh?” Maisara said. “I think you wanted to debate government with Fortia over there?”
“It’s not about the Empire! It’s about you.” Arascus supposed Ciria was correct, he knew how it looked. And frankly, he did not care. If the old breed held every grudge they had, then the world would have been cracked open long ago.
“What about me Ciria? Go on?” Maisara practically licked her lips and crossed her arms. “What? Go on. Traitor? Snake? Scoundrel? Which one?”
“TRAITOR!” Ciria shouted. “How could you abandon the Pantheon like that?” Maisara burst out in laughter. That finally got Ciria’s attention entirely. Of Civilization stopped trying to follow Fortia and Arascus and instead rounded on Maisara. “Why are you laughing even? Is it that funny?”
“What loyalty did I have to the Pantheon? A vow?” Maisara said. “What else?”
“To the Peace it made!”
Maisara returned with a blow so low that Arascus had to glance at Fortia when he heard it. “I know, I’m looking at a product of Pantheon Peace right now.”
“Maisa-“ Halkus tried to interject.
“What is it Halkus? Will you need me to rearrange your screws after I tear down your wife?” Maisara chuckled. “Well Ciria? Go on. What issue do you have with the black-red-white? Is it the colour scheme?”
“MAISARA!” Ciria screamed. Arascus finally stopped, they were far enough. He crossed his arms and turned around with Fortia to watch the scene on the hill. “NO! IT’S NOT THE COLOUR SCHEME! MAYBE IT’S THE WARS?!”
“Welcome to the White Pantheon.” Fortia whispered dryly.
“I can imagine what it was like.” Arascus said as he watched Maisara circle Ciria with long strikes. She leaned down, hands behind her back, to put her face level with Of Civilization.
“Now what issue do we have with warfare? Oh creation of Pantheon Peace.” She cooed.
“She deserves it at this point.” Arascus said. “I’ve been with this for the past week.” Arascus pointed to the towers. “Three a day, an hour break in between each one. An hour for her to share her wisdoms.”
Fortia laughed lightly to herself. “You have my sympathies.”
“DON’T CALL ME THAT MAISARA! YES! I DID INCARNATE DURING PANTHEON PEACE! SO WHAT?!” Ciria screamed back.
“So?” Arascus asked. “What is it about?”
Fortia was just about to open her mouth when the screaming properly started. “It means you lack perspective Ciria.”
“PERSPECTIVE!?!” Ciria was taken aback, almost aghast. “What sort of perspective do I even need? That war is bad? That we shouldn’t kill people?”
Arascus sighed. “How lon-“ Maisara interrupted him from the hill.
“What other great lesson did we learn at the nursery Ciria? That you should not kick stray puppies maybe? Share some of your wisdom, I am but an ancient Goddess after all.”
“How long will they argue?” Arascus asked.
“I do not need your condescension Maisara!”
“But it is what you deserve!” Maisara burst out with laughter.
“That depends on Ciria, Maisara can go all day.” Fortia answered.
“Two years and how many wars are we talking? How many ruined families? How many lives lost! And I’ve not even mentioned Continent Cracking!”
“Indeed.” Maisara said. “What a terrible thing that happened. If only there were people to do something about it.”
“YOU WERE ON THE WHITE PANTHEON!”
“I am but a Goddess with an axe, do you expect me to cut down the Jungle myself?” Maisara asked.
“You could have at least tried!
“Then what did you want to speak about?” Arascus asked.
“We fired nukes at them.” Fortia said. “It is don-“
“That’s my problem Maisara! You didn’t even try! You didn’t put up a fight!”
“I was in Kirinyaa and I was in Epa, I faced the Soulstorm of Neneria and died for it Ciria. If there is anyone who did not try, then it is not me.” She looked down smugly at Ciria. “I will refrain from the cheap shot at you now.”
“So what? You lost and now you’ve joined Arascus?” Ciria clapped her hands. “That’s it, hands clean, doesn’t matter anymore? Is that how great the Empire is?”
“I simply don’t see why you have a problem with it.” Maisara said. “So I’m picking your brain to try and work it out.”
“It is done now, we can’t put the genie back in the bottle. The world knows nuclear weapons can be used in the way we use them.” Fortia spoke quickly through the small lull in the argument.
“THE EMPIRE IS MY PROBLEM! THE WHOLE THING!”
“What when the UNN or Guguo develop a nuclear missile. Or Tartarus, although I doubt it. They may try something crazy, like igniting our atmosphere.” Arascus took a pause and stared at the argument happening before them. That, he had not thought of.
Maisara took another step. Of Order was enjoying this. She had to be, Arascus had known her to be argumentative, she had always been in the past, but… He stared at Maisara for a moment as she taunted back. “Well Ciria? What of the Empire? What if the Empire is good for Arda?”
Arascus kept his voice low and steady. “Do you think they’re capable of that?”
Ciria screamed at the top of her lungs. “Oh! So the Empire is good for Arda now! After you spent a thousand years fighting against it? Is that what you’re saying!?”
“Which ones?” Fortia asked.
Maisara was quick on the draw. “Excellent that you see it now Ciria, because how exactly do you think Pantheon Peace was maintained? Did we all just hold hands and sing around a circle of daisies like you think so?”
“I know about your purges!” Ciria shouted back. “Do you think I don’t! Of course I do! Kavaa said it in front of everyone!”
“Tartarus.” Arascus replied.
Maisara kept her voice cool. “How does the moral cowardice taste then?” She chuckled to herself, practically making a twirl in delight. “It’s only good if people get killed before you exist, is it Ciria? So you don’t have to see how the cow is slaughtered? But you like the taste of the meat, don’t you?”
“It’s a possibility.” Fortia said. “I don’t know Tartarian capabilities in the magics they use.”
“It was done before I incarnated! It was a different time! You just came out of the Great War!” Ciria shouted back. Arascus watched Halkus sigh, Of Industry had long since shut up with the arguments, he had got the job and he had just been doing to get it over with.
“No one does truly.” Arascus said. “What we know is in the handbook but that’s from the Great War.” So outdated, although that didn’t need to be said. Fortia already knew.
“Oh please Ciria! I thank you!” Maisara made a parody of bow. She dropped to one knee. “What benevolence, thank you for excusing my slaughter. You almost wiped the blood off my axe!” If sarcasm could be concentrated into physical form, Of Order would have vomited it.
“Well atmospheric ignition is something we should consider and be aware of.” Fortia said. “It is what Kassandora would do. It is what you would do. It is what I would do.”
Arascus took the stunned befuddlement that had washed over Ciria to finally get a word in. “Is there anything we can do?”
“End the war as quickly as possible.” Fortia replied quickly.
“I wipe nothing Maisara!” Ciria said. “You have done crimes in the past, I do not hold them against you or try to make you face punishment even though it can be argued you deserve it.”
“But they were not crimes Ciria.” Maisara said slowly.
“Oh what were they then?” Ciria asked back.
“A crime is a breach of the law. A kill is not a murder.” Maisara said dryly. “I am disappointed in you, you come to debate ethics and yet you don’t even know this.”
“Oh is it not? A kill is not a murder? What is it then?”
“A murder is an undeserved violation of the sanctity of life.” Maisara said. “You may as well call every executioner a murderer then.” Arascus took a deep breath.
“That’s cheap bait.” He said quietly.
“She’ll take it though.” Fortia replied.
Ciria did take the bait and doubled down on her point. “Are they not?”
Maisara chuckled. “No, because an execution is deserved. It is very simple.”
“Life is life, you can’t put a value on it.”
“Are you going to say that to the parents of those left behind in the desert? Maybe go to Khmet and say the same thing?” Maisara chuckled. “Even better, say it in court in the defence of a man who has killed and swears he will kill again. What then?”
“That’s different and we both know it.” Ciria said. “I am obviously not talking about common serial killers here.”
Maisara stood up straight. “I have never once unjustly broken the law.” Arascus looked at Fortia when he heard that.
“Don’t comment.” She said.
“No comment needed.” What Fortia said technically wasn’t a lie, but to qualify a law break as just or unjust was the woman giving herself an excuse. Ciria should catch it. Arascus would certainly.
Ciria did not catch it. “I was not saying you did. They were crimes against humanity.”
Maisara chuckled. “Oh thank you great arbiter of justice. If you were the Goddess of it, I would your words marginally more weight than what they hold now.”
“It’s a crime against humanity!”
“What you are now is a crime against Divinity.” Arascus sighed.
“Don’t comment.” Fortia said again. “I know you want to.”
“I can control myself.” Arascus reminded her.
“I AM A CRIME AGAINST DIVINITY!?”
“I’m teaching you a lesson in baseless claims Ciria. Even I can make them and I don’t lie.” Ciria finally took a pause. She opened her mouth, she closed it. Arascus managed to sneak his question in.
“I actually have my own question Fortia.”
“Hit me with it.” Fortia said.
“Then I am claiming that your Empire here is terrible for this world.”
“And I am claiming that my Empire here is only entity that can not only protect it, but propel it towards the future.”
“Because the White Pantheon could not?!?”
“The Empire has broken Epa in a year’s time, the White Pantheon could not do it in a thousand.”
“AND WHY DOES EPA NEED TO BROKEN IN THE FIRST PLACE?”
“Because the Epans will start killing each other, as will everyone else, the moment that the they feel even some slack in the leash.” Arascus looked at Fortia.
“Well, she’s not wrong.”
“It could be phrased better.” Arascus said. Fortia merely shrugged.
“And you know that how exactly Maisara? How exactly? What? Is that the destiny of this world then? To just bathe in flames?”
“If left alone, that is what it will do.”
“Great! Fantastic! Amazing Maisara!”
“Maisara.” Fortia said. “Famous for her tact and diplomatic ability.”
Ciria kept on going. “And don’t give me that shit that you’re old and you’ve seen it already. I know that’s what you’re going to say.”
Maisara threw her head back in laughter. “Now you’re cooking Ciria! Swearing are we?” It wasn’t a serious argument. Arascus stared at them, Maisara wasn’t taking Ciria seriously in the slightest. The shorter Goddess however was fully engaged in the conversation. She had lost before it started.
“Did you two set this up?” Arascus said. “It’s good planning to keep her busy for a conversation.” He pointed at Ciria and Maisara who were busy arguing. Halkus saw Arascus pointing and just shook his head in embarrassment.
“I could claim credit for it but no.” Fortia said dryly. “She just enjoys herself like this. Do you want me to grab her?”
“Let Maisara handle it then. My ears hurt from listening to Ciria for the past week.” Frankly, Arascus was amazed. He had thought that argumentation was something all the Divines of his age had long since left behind. Apparently not. “Are you busy right now? Ainai is secure after the nuking for the immediate time.”
Fortia blinked, then turned to Arascus, cocking her head to one side, a wry knowing smile spreading across her face. “There are many things I will do Arascus. Babysitting is not on that list.”
Arascus chuckled, she had seen right through him.
It had been worth a shot.