Between the three worlds, Arda is the poorest. We are not here to question the fact you request payment, that is only natural. We would wish that Arda would receive mercy, and that we have bled enough, however we understand the want for compensation.

Nevertheless, the stipulations involved in the Post-War treaty are far too severe. Demilitarization is understandable, noble even. The permanent sealing of the World-Core is not and the effective sentencing of the dwarves to extinction is not.

– 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.

“When do you think she’ll get out?” Neneria listened to Kavaa ask and shrugged.

“It’s not my place to ask.” Neneria replied as she looked up from inspecting her black boots and at Kavaa and Iniri stood looking down at her. Neneria raised an eyebrow as Kavaa’s grey eyes stared a demand to answer at her, was she supposed to be intimidated? She was the Goddess of Death. The amount of people she would stand for could be counted on one hand. Most of her sisters weren’t even on that list. Kavaa and Iniri certainly weren’t.

“We thought you knew.” Iniri said from Kavaa’s side. The Goddess of Nature had come in a black coat adorned with edges of light and dark green. A few branches of living were wrapped about her limbs, they twisted and moved as if they were extensions of the Goddess they clung to.

“I don’t.” Neneria said flatly and Kavaa made a grim face. For a moment, Neneria’s eyes went past them to the tanks driving into the fortress. The short dwarves, the ones that still had souls and weren’t just animated skeletons watch the huge hulking pieces of steel with awe. The runemasters especially, they had begged Kassandora in order to be given one to take apart so they could learn how it works. Neneria didn’t really care what Kassandora had told them in reply, it wasn’t her business or her demesne.

The air was warmer here, but only slightly. Neneria could still see her own breath, but now it was simple mist instead of a strong morning fog every time she exhaled. Still, that meant soldiers who had spent more than a week riding in APCs, with only a few hours of rest everyday from the trundling wagons for exercise and rest were all leaving and stretching. A few had lit up cigarettes, a few had popped open bottles. One group started to sing and another was bartering with dwarves to buy the local moonshine here.

Neneria didn’t think the humans knew what they were getting into. The spirit broomed from some underground fungi here was strong enough to even make Gods tipsy after a few glasses. A group of Kavaa’s Clerics were inspecting the dwarves who had just fought those demons. From the faces, Neneria could tell the Clerics were disappointed in that they had nothing to heal.

And then Neneria looked to the line of armoured suits. Each one with a skeleton. She didn’t even want to think about them. Neneria stared bitterly at that line of suits and felt her heart start to beat faster. Kavaa and Iniri both curiously looked to where Neneria herself was looking, and then back at the Goddess of Death. “Why the sour face?” Kavaa asked.

“It’s the skeletons, isn’t it?” Iniri was more gentle as Neneria blinked in surprise and then sighed. She hadn’t realised her annoyance was showing.

“I have gotten excited this many times in the past century. All of them were recent.” Neneria held up six fingers. “Do you know what they are?”

Kavaa and Iniri shared a curious look with each other and then back at Neneria. “One time was when you discovered Arascus was free.” Kavaa said and Neneria lowered the third finger.

“When your other sisters were free too.” Iniri said and Neneria nodded.

“When I discovered a guide to Fer’s location.” Neneria said. “And when I discovered I would see Kassie again.” Neneria dropped her second and fourth finger. Number five is still ongoing, because Irinika is down here, and number one was when I discovered Atis had been killed. Do you know number six?” Kavaa actually smiled and Iniri made some annoying face that looked as if she had sympathy. Neneria didn’t want any sympathy. “Number six is here. Right now. When I saw that the dwarves had discovered a new method of necromancy.”

Kavaa and Iniri turned to look at the tremendously armoured suits of steel. Each one wrapped in skirts of steel that were like overlapping cloaks of metal. “Six times. Forget this century. This entire millennia. Since the end of the Great War. Six times. This was number six.” Iniri looked at Neneria as if she had gone mad or was talking nonsense, whereas Kavaa looked simply unamused.

The Goddess of Health answered in a tone that was as flat as her expression. “We were worried about you because you looked as if you were about to break down.” Neneria weighed Kavaa with a heavy gaze. She respected the Goddess of Health to some extent, Kassandora liked her, so Neneria would be nice. But Kavaa was Kavaa at the end of the day, a meagre doctor that handed out blessings for her Clerics and did little more than that. She wasn’t some tactical genius, she wasn’t some great strategist. She had grit and tenacity, but the same could be said to everyone who fought in the Great War. Kavaa’s claim to fame was that Kassandora liked her.

Neneria was the damn Goddess of Death.

Neneria didn’t demand respect, she got it. “Kavaa.” Neneria said coldly. “In your field, this is as if you found a new cure-all. Necromancy is life after death. I thought I came across a new form of it.” Neneria stared at Kavaa for a moment, and then continued after she realised what she wanted to say. “I thought I came across a new form of the pinnacle of my demesne and instead it is just runes moving bones. Kavaa, I have found honey for a sore throat masquerading as a cure for cancer. Don’t patronize and don’t forget that your Pantheon was afraid of me. Who was afraid of you?”

Kavaa’s eyes widened and she took a step back. Immediately, her posture shrunk as Iniri froze in place at Neneria’s raspy voice. She hadn’t wanted to be threatening or scary, but it was the same as when Saksma had tested her. Sometimes, the Goddess of Death just needed to remind those around her why she was the Goddess of Death. “I didn’t…” Kavaa’s voice trailed off and then the grey-haired woman steeled herself. “I didn’t mean it badly.” She replied, her tone somewhat diminutive. “We just…” She looked to Iniri for support.

The Goddess of Nature, put on the spot, stepped forwards to save her friend. “We just thought you needed cheering up and didn’t think, well, we didn’t know it was that important for you.”

Neneria shook her head as another squad of APCs streamed into the underground hold, all with their huge beaming headlights turned on, and released another batch of men for a break from their tight confines. The two Torchbearer tanks were parked in the deepest parts of the hold, and men were warming their hands and themselves by standing in front of the massive light-arrays. Neneria sighed and shook her head as her eyes once again returned to the suits that housed those skeletal warriors. “It’s not important to me. I simply don’t like wasting my emotions for nothing.”

And once again, the two ex-White Pantheon Goddesses shared a questioning look between each other as if they weren’t sure of Neneria’s sanity. “I can’t help with that.” Kavaa replied flatly.

“I wouldn’t want you to and I don’t need the help.” Neneria kept the disappointment out of her voice. She liked when people tried to cheer her up. Father and Fer always did. She knew she pushed people away, but if she begged for help, then was that even real help? Everyone could receive flowers if they asked for them, it was flowers out of nowhere that really mattered.

Neneria looked at the two Goddesses and supposed they weren’t that bad. She had over-reacted to some extent. She was right in that, these smarmy children weren’t going to talk down to her, but she could have phrased it more… tactfully Neneria supposed. In some ways, she should make it up for them. How? Neneria had no damn clue. Kavaa and Iniri both shifted awkwardly as the moment went on.

Iniri broke the silence. That was unexpected. Neneria had expected Kavaa to take the initiative between the two of them. “You said you’re excited because…” The Goddess of Nature trailed off as she touched her own brown hair and whisked a few locks around her finger. “Irinika…” The name had to be forced out, Iniri said it as if was some great incantation. As if the very mention of Neneria’s sister would bring the Goddess of Darkness here. “Is here.”

Neneria smiled and pulled her hands out of her pocket. She realised the air was colder than she thought, but she didn’t care. If there was one thing that always excited her, it was Iri. “She’s my favourite.” Kavaa and Iniri and both looked at Neneria in surprise.

“Excuse me?” Iniri asked.

“That’s blunt.” Kavaa commented.

Neneria shook her head. “It is what it is. Everyone knows that Iri is my favourite.”

“I didn’t.” Kavaa said and Neneria rolled her eyes.

“But you’re not a sister.” And Kavaa once seemed to shrink at that as Neneria talked on. “Iri is the only person that I don’t need to look after. She’s not an older sister, but she’s not a younger sister either. That’s why.” She didn’t know why she explained it to these girls, but frankly, she wanted to share the joy.

Kavaa and Iniri, seemingly, did not get the joy. Although they wouldn’t most likely. Irinika had her own terrible reputation, just as Neneria did, and they were most likely scared of- “Have you talked with Maisara yet?” Kavaa asked as she tilted her head and readjusted her tone. The woman always had an unimpressed voice, although Neneria supposed that a doctor who had lived through several ages of this world would be a sour person, however now, there was something else there too. Some easiness, as if Kavaa had just worked out a puzzle.

“I have.” Neneria replied, her tone dismal once again and Kavaa smiled. “What of it?”

“You remind me of her.” Kavaa said.

“Excuse me?”

“You’re like Maisara. You’re both very direct. That’s how I’d say it.”

“Kassandora is direct too.” Neneria said. She was like Maisara? Maybe? She didn’t really care. Maisara had embarrassed her to herself and she simply didn’t want to talk to the Goddess of Order again.

Kavaa shook her head. “Not like you Neneria. Kass makes an effort not to be rude. She’s direct too, but you’re just…” Kavaa shrugged. “I don’t know, you’re just blunt.”

“I have nothing to hide.” Neneria lied through her teeth. She knew she was a digging a hole, but she knew that the Goddess of Death was a title that was impossible to surpass. That was another reason she had been drawn to Irinika. Death and Darkness made a fantastic pair simply because both of them drew a similar style of sycophant.

“No, that’s good.” Kavaa said. “If you’re… I don’t know. I took your advice to heart though. I want you to know that.” Kavaa said and Neneria shrugged.

“It wasn’t advice, it was warning.” Kavaa and Iniri both returned that awkward stare. Neneria didn’t know if she cared or not. Frankly, she knew she was right and she knew that Kavaa had absolutely nothing she could to protect her relationship with Kassandra. The ball was in Kassandora’s park entirely and it would be up to the Goddess of War to decide whether they would stay friends or grow apart or grow closer.

Kavaa took a deep breath and shook her head. “I just wanted you to know that I heard you Neneria. And I’ll try.” Neneria blinked in surprise. In fact, she sat there utterly stunned. Kavaa didn’t even know what she had said, but she… well, it was a pleasant feeling, wasn’t it? Neneria would ask Kavaa to say it again, if only she didn’t feel dirty. The two ex-White Pantheon Goddesses stared at Neneria, one of them was about to speak, but they were interrupted.

Kassandora appeared through the doorway she had appeared into. It was like everything here, a simple block of stone and steel with no wood whatsoever. The entire Hold was like an underground fortress frankly, each building defended. She gave them two thumbs up, in her hand was an old scroll that had been rolled up and tied off with a bow. The twelve councillors slowly filed out behind her. Each of them was looking like a man rejuvenated, as if Kassandora had just given them a solution for every crisis known to man. The Goddess of War stepped to Neneria, Kavaa and Iniri and beamed them a triumphant smile.

She held the scroll by its edge in one hand and held it up for them. Inside, it revealed a terrible, almost unintelligible web of criss-crossing and overlapping lines, as if a whole host of spiders had tried to battle for which one could get the most lines onto the paper. Neneria understood it though. She understood it all too well, because she had seen this exact map before. A few lines had been added, a few removed, but it was easy to read.

A map of the Underempire. “We have the map.” Kassandora said. “Kavaa, Iniri, send word to the troops. We are moving out immediately.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep