The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]

The issue of replicability comes along all too often when dealing with the soul as a subject. It is difficult enough when we try to use souls we can communicate with, such as those of elves, dwarves and humans. Animals have souls, or at least, certain animals do. There is no consensus on whether the soul is inheritance, whether it is providence in the form of being the universe’s chosen. Or whether it is the theory regarding soul formation under observation: Animals which spend enough time around people, or which are known to the population at large, eventually grow their soul.

Nevertheless, whereas the study of those with souls proves difficult. The study of those without is almost insultingly easy. Monsters do not possess souls, there has never been a case of a monster generating a soul. Not once, not ever.

And the various races of Man: Dwarfman, Elfman and Human. Souls are universal amongst them. Even those who are cursed or who have their spirit ripped out of them are able to eventually recover. As said before, that is almost all we know of the soul. It is a slippery creature that is difficult to view in the first place.

Monsters swallowed human souls. There is no greater crime, nor greater danger than one which targets the spirit. I am not saying we reward Malam and Helenna for their organisation of extermination, but I am saying that we must aware of the extermination, and we musth be sure it was the right thing to do.

-“Discussions Regarding Monsters”, written shortly after the Age of Monsters, but before the signing of the Concordats, where the Divines discuss the future of Arda. This section is said to belong to God Saranael, of Knowledge.

The battle was over. Asmodeus was dead, Irinika, Arascus and Olephia had arrived as reinforcements, along with four more ICDT towers. It was a wholly Imperial response, it was the sort of things that Fortia had gotten used to during the Great War, and it still made her feel absolutely incredible that the Empire, which she had seen operate this way, still operated this way. The White Pantheon rarely responded with this amount of overwhelming firepower. There would be meetings and split second decisions could never be made for someone.

And here, it was definitely Arascus or Kassandora or both who had gotten the news, and then quickly made a plan on how to deal with the arrival of Asmodeus onto the battlefield. If this level of support would be in every battle, then Fortia would be happy to stay here for the long haul.

That was, stay for the long haul if Arascus was not currently staring at her, at Fer and Maisara with the exasperated look of a man who didn’t know what to say because there was nothing he could say which would be nice. The God of Pride’s blades littered the ground, during the battle, he had singlehandedly put a stop to the Tartarian Legion that was trying to cross the landbridge. When Irinika and Olephia kicked into action, they went straight over the sea and towards the south. Arascus had stayed high, shelling with rains of blades as if they were artillery. Irinika had ripped through the enemy lines, her journey punctuated by silent spheres of darkness so black it hurt to look at. Asmodeus’ arrows were at least small. The worst they were was a highlight or a tear in reality. Irinika’s magic was a missing piece.

And Olephia’s suns, of course, although by the time Of Chaos had floated across the landbridge on her hum, red lightning cascading around her, Fer had torn Asmodeus to pieces and scattered the demon prince’s body. That finally set them in the mood for a retreat. The single-instant suns that Olephia opened with her speech were just the punctuation, the full stop at the end of the battle.

Tartarus was not coming back over the landbridge.

Yet none of that seemed to matter for Arascus as he stared down at the Big Three. He was just slightly taller than, maybe their eyes went to the level of his nose, but it was enough. That made him the only Divine that Fortia actually had to look up at when she was stood on the ground. “You have all survived.” Arascus said.

“You’re not getting rid of us that easily dad.” Fer replied with a testing laughter. For once, Fortia was actually nervous about Arascus’ mood. If Fer was testing the waters, then that was not good news.

“Did you know it would work?” Arascus asked.

“I was certain enough.” Certain enough. Fortia was sure that certain enough was precisely the last thing that a worried father, who had just almost lost his daughter to a mistake of his own making, wanted to hear. Arascus sighed and shook his head.

“Very well Fer, very well. All is well that ends well.” He looked at Maisara. “I have nothing to say to you either. It was a risk.”

“It was a risk we were willing to take.”

“Indeed.” Arascus said. “And the risk paid off, and if the risk was a gamble with the life of someone that wasn’t my daughter, then I would be rewarding you for bravery right now.” He looked back at Fer and Of Beasthood smiled sheepishly. Her messy golden hair now bow highlights of silver, and it was considerably cleaner than it had been before. Her tail was undecided on which colour it wanted to be, half the fur was gold, half silver and all of them were mixed together.

“Sorry.” She said. “But you…” She sighed. “I thought it was the best option.” Fortia had never thought Fer could speak so quietly, or with so much reservation in her. She actually sounded as if she was searching for words. “I didn’t really know when you would arrive, and I didn’t want Mai to die, so I decided to take the risk but I knew I could handle it.”

“How did you know exactly?” Arascus asked. Fer blushed and made a sheepish expression at Maisara.

“Do you want to? Or should I?” She asked quietly and Fortia narrowed her eyes. Maisara could have her own friends, of course, the woman had every right to do so, but what was this exactly? This talking to each other as if Fortia was not part of the group?

“You do.” Maisara whispered quietly and Fortia shifted position. Fer better say something terribly intelligent now, or Fortia would have her own talk with the pair of them later.

“I firmly do not believe that Maisara’s honesty is a code of honour and instead that it is a part of who she is.” Fer said. “That her honesty is in her blood, so to say. She told me she would not kill me, I believed her. Her blood is safe to me because Maisara cannot lie and because her honesty flows through her veins, rather than just being her.”

“What?” Fortia had to step in. How long had it been since Maisara said she would not take a vow again? And now? What was this exactly?

“I did say it.” Maisara said. “That I will not kill Fer. I can still incapacitate or hurt her, but yes, I am unable to truly defeat her in combat.”

“There are many ways to defeat someone without taking their life.” Arascus said dryly as he stared at the pair of them. “Nevertheless…” He trailed off and sighed. “Maisara, killing and hurting are wildly different concepts.” He opened his mouth, then closed it. “It worked out, you made a vow.” He pointed to Fer. “You have silver in your hair now.” He pointed to Fortia. “You should have kept better control of them through the battle.”

“WHAT?!” Fortia raised her voice. “Don’t blame me! Do you think it’s so easy to be pinned down by Asmodeus of all people?”

“You should have been there close to them to make sure they wouldn’t go through an idea like this.” Arascus trapped the side of his head. “This is needed more than your spear.” He sighed. “But as said, I have nothing to say to you. None of your will be punished for it, Asmodeus is dead, you killed him without support. Well done. Celebrations will be soon.” Arascus turned as the trio said the goodbyes. Of Pride went to talk with a human knight, then another, then Olephia. The Goddess of Chaos was sitting on a rock, facing and ICDT tower and very obviously sketching it.

The fact that four towers had conglomerated an area where one could see all them meant there was enough of their energies in the air that Ashen Skies had been pushed back so rapidly from this area Fortia couldn’t even find diamonds in the air anymore. They had all long since fallen down by now, sending rays of light upwards that dazzled in a display of fractured luminescence. Arascus shook his head, simply left them. “He’s not happy.” Fortia said.

“He’s just worried about us.” Fer said. “I’d be worried in his position too.” Maisara gave Fer a doubtful look. “What? I would!”

“I believe you.” Maisara said. “On this at the very least, I believe you.”

“We….” Fer trailed off.

“She doesn’t look all too happy either.” Fortia said as the trio who had just been told off by a parent were now about to be told off by the oldest sibling.

“She doesn’t.” Maisara confirmed and Fer made some squawk of a moan. Fortiia waited with anticipation, both Fer and Irinika acted stupid, but she was sure that it was just an act. Frankly, she considered this pair to be wiser than the rest of them, definitely wiser than Kassandora.

Irinika came to a theatrical stop. She made a theatrical series of eyes roll, as she looked from Fer to Maisara to Fortia. “I have arrived.” Of those, that tone was fit for a movie or the theatre. Most of the army would have heard her.

Irinika theatrically stuffed the tobacco into her pipe, pressing it down tightly and giving the pipe a few taps. She lit up, black eyes focused entirely on the flame, took a deep inhale and then released a cloud of grey. Fortia watched the woman smoke with fascination. There were Divines out there who had grand and terrible addictions to the most immoral of vices, or trained behaviours that had habituated into problems. There were everything out there, but smoking?

It had baffled Fortia back in Esberia, it baffled Fortia now to see the woman light up and puff on her pipe. “So.” Irinika began her declaration. “I have been filled in by our father, it is apparent you have misbehaved.” She took another deep inhale of her pipe, those black eyes narrowed at Fer but her tone was caring in its entirety. “Are you fine?”

“I’m fine Iri.” Fer replied. She was still looking at the silver locks of hair and her tail. “I’ve changed colours, haven’t I?”

“You are substantially less gold than before.” Irinika replied she walked around Fer, sometimes extending her finger to poke her sister in the back, the chest, the stomach and side. Fer chuckled each time.

“That tickles.” She purred.

“Then you at least retain sense.” Irinika said, turning to Maisara. “Pray do tell girl, are you ticklish?” Maisara’s gaze shot daggers at Irinika, as if Of Darkness was the physical embodiment of everything she hated on this world. A slow twisting of Maisara’s head, from side to side, confirmed she wasn’t ticklish.

“She is.” Fer immediately made the correct.

“Not like you are.” Maisara said.

“Well either way, I still feel like myself.” Fer said. “There’s no difference.” She gave a twirl on the ground and jumped up. “The highlights are cute though, aren’t they Iri?”

Irinika put the pipe to her mouth, took a deep inhale as she walked around Fer once again. “They are cute.” She said eventually. “I will give credit where credit is due, it did work out.” Fortia released her deep breath. Arascus had said the same thing. They had made a mistake, it was never to be repeated, of course, but at the end of the day, everything had worked out.

“No point looking for problems where there are none.” Fer yipped, she gave a spin. Then yawned. “But that is one thing, Maisara is lazy.” Maisara turned a scarlet red as every set of eyes landed on her.

“I am not lazy.” She said.

“You are.” Fer said. “I can feel it, I’m just lazier myself, now that I have your power in me. I’m not lazy.” Maisara met Fortia’s eyes, then Irinika’s, then Fer’s.

“Are the rest of us expected to pretend they didn’t just hear that?” Maisara said. “You’re the laziest person I know Fer.”

“Ah-ah-ah.” Fer cooed. “No, I just my work done very quickly and effectively so that I can rest as I want to.” Fortia sighed and took a step away. Arascus had walked and was talking quietly with Olephia, Of Chaos was nodding along, making basic hand-signs for some answers and then writing in her notebook for others. Fortia rolled her eyes as those two talked, then froze when she saw Irinika looking directly at her.

“That wouldn’t have happened if Kassie was there.” Irinika said.

“What wouldn’t?” Fortia didn’t even know why she asked. It was obvious that Irinika was referring to Maisara sharing her vitality.

“The blood-scare.” Irinika said. “Frankly, I’m disappointed in you Forti.”

“What?”

“You proved you can command in Esberia, then in Ainai.” She looked at the landbridge. “All’s well that end’s well, as the saying goes, but I’ll be watching.” Irinika tapped her nose. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”