"...Can the Divine be punished? Oh yes my dear reader, in this book you will learn how the All-Father does the policing of his lackeys, how my own people and our cousins ended up where we are, and much more! But first Introductions are in order! I am Cornileal the Unsundered, Devil, and Storyteller for my diabolical brethren and now you!"
Secrets and Tribute, a guide on the Underworld second edition revised for human consumption.
Hope sat together with her parents in her home, finally having the time to talk with the duo but one thing took that away as her father fiddled with a shiny silvery contraption, the ones she used in the battle were far smaller, and more utilitarian in their form factor as Lucrezia called it.
"How kind of your "friend" to gift this to us" Hope's mom spoke with a hint of irony in her voice "My it's almost enough to forgive her given she threw you in a fight the Gods themselves would be hard-pressed to win!" Worried and Angry emotions Hope could detect well nowadays due to her training with Arthur on his particular brand of Mind Magic.
"Love please, we all need an against-all-odds battle once in our lives, it pushes the body to its apex, the mind to its peak and shows how much the Gods truly care, and lo and behold they really do care when it comes to our little one here!" Her father had a big dumb grin on his face "I also got a particular piece of good news you gonna love it my dear, and forgive O' Lucrezia even!"
"Hmph" Hope's mom shook her head in disbelief.
The static noise filled the room as the broadcast started "It wasn't this loud on the field" Hope spoke out loud but her parents shushed her, a slow song started playing and it filled the room in the place of the static, methodic and sad in nature, a common theme with the music Lucrezia often share with the group when they gathered, be it via singing or humming, or via her myriad of instruments when she had those on hand.
"For someone not blessed by the divines of song, she really is a fan isn't she?" Hope's mom spoke "But I find this to be a bit too sad for my liking if I may be honest" A voice broke the music, it had presence and gusto as it spoke into the speakers of the radio "Good Morning fair people of Vermilion! this is your Host Mister Kayle, coming from the very first radio broadcast station in the world!" the sound of clapping echoed and cheers could be heard in the background "That's the many folks working with me today to make this happen friends! and for our very first public broadcast, we have a very special set of guests! music! and news! so stick around for today will be one hell of a ride"
"For our first guest of the day, please a round of applause for our beautiful icy Duchess Lucrezia! Who if rumors are to be believed is a master cook as well!" the radio station staff clapped for a while "Thank you Kayle, and the crew for having me on this very special day indeed" Lucrezia's voice sounded sharper somehow, Hope switched to her Magi-Tech blessing and her eyes glowed for a second.
Ahh, now it made sense, the entire machine sang when she spoke as if it was alive even, so big was the command she had over her creations that the magic innate to them resonated with Lucrezia in deeper levels Hope could only pierce due to her blessing of the All-Father.
She kinda tuned out of the interview, Lucrezia going through the Battle and her daily life in the Academy, how she dealt with the duties of being a Duchess and such, all things Hope already knew from being friends with her.
"...I hope your boyfriend will also visit us one day my dear, it's not every day we receive an envoy from the palace you know" Hope's mom spoke "For a second we thought we were being drafted, but thankfully the man they sent was an old friend of ours" the woman smiled when Hope's father laughed and said "You should've seen his face, Hope the man was aghast haha"
It was a comfortable afternoon in her parent's household, Lucrezia's voice filled the room as they talked about the goings and happenings, how the new diplomatic relationships might appease the flames of war for a good while, and how many mercs will turn to monster slaying, regular adventuring or even dungeon-delving now that the knowledge of the missing tear of the All-Father was found there.
"So onto the good news," Hope's father smiled "Our company received an offer from a certain institution of knowledge here in the city, they need staff to train a huge number of their alumni in the art of warfare, mercenary work, and such" he stopped and looked towards Hope "That's right dear, we will be teaching in the Academy! paid in full by a certain Silverbrand lady I am sure you know"
"Makes sense" Hope spoke "Richard has been getting swamped with requests for the training of late, but wow I wasn't expecting the entire company to be hired! Does that mean you two will also train me?" she looked to her mom who grinned.
"You and a certain friend of yours, I will make sure the Lady will be treated fairly of course but...she's in for a rough time" Hope laughed at the idea of Lucrezia having an honest to gods fight with her mom, the woman was fierce but Lucrezia...she had way too many aces hidden up her sleeve.
"I am sure she will enjoy it" Hope smiled and nodded.
The house got hectic after this, her father wanted to know more about the Academy, and her mother more about Lucrezia and her other friends, maybe she had taken a such keen interest in Hope's life due to the open secret that her daughter was a loner before...something to think about later as to not spoil the mood Hope thought to herself as they kept going throughout the night.
Going up to her room the young woman sat down watching the city down from her window, the house felt comfy and warm, Hope felt she was missing someone here with her, Arthur, Lucrezia, Richard...
Friends, comrades, love, and feelings she thought she would never have, are now a daily part of her life.
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Richard Silverbrand walked through the building that served as the center of orcish culture in the entire kingdom, people of all walks of life slightly bowing to him as he made his way to the inner temple of the place.
Finding the place was easy enough, he had made deliveries to it before long ago, he had asked his mother to come with him today but the woman declined "That's your job now little man, go and show the world that you can handle a few diplomatic meetings on your own, trust me it will do good in the future" she laughed with gusto as she nearly kicked him out of their home.
Breaching the inner sanctum, Richard met with the Ancient One, who if his intel was right, was an honest to gods immortal who acted as a spiritual and when needed, war chief to the entire race of orcs.
Tired eyes greeted him with a smile, it was just as Lucrezia had told him the night before "Immense melancholy and sense of duty, he is a man who gave it all for the rest of the orcs and it shows in his face and demeanor...but I have a feeling he will like you" were her words as Richard bowed in the style royals did when greeting dignitaries from other countries.
"Raise your head, my son, formalities are not needed in this place" the man spoke with a smile "Ah but I see your little golden bird already explained a few things about me to you, huh the rumors are true she is truly someone with a keen insight on people"
Richard smiled back, Golden Birds were seen as love gifts in orcish culture, it was a very old symbol that only the older generation remembered, but in his case, it wouldn't be as old, the man probably saw it being invented!
"It is an honor to meet you Ancient One, no doubt you already know my name but as a final formality: I am Richard Silverbrand, of the Silverbrand clan" Richard felt something was missing when he finished speaking, a puzzled look breaking through his formal demeanor.
"...And Field Commander of the Reclaimers, aye boy that was what was missing from your little introduction, notice how it feels right to hear it, even when the army was disbanded and the battle won, for you command not their bodies and lives, but something greater" the Ancient One paused and waited for Richard to respond.
"Loyalty" felt right to him.
"Yes! Oh, it makes me happy I get to witness her choosing another one worthy of power again, the ancient enemy stirs in their murky abyss, and with you and your golden bird I know they won't come back for a third round at the most honorable of fields" the orc got up and motioned for Richard to come closer, he did so and found himself staring at a map that looked well, ancient.
"The reports tell us much, within 30 years we will see battle again, what was once a source of great woe to me and the others is now a chance of vengeance, tell me Richard, you who at the heat of a battle you couldn't win, facing down the strongest person in this world with only your bare hands and then winning said battle, do you want to stand with us in this? I ask you the same question I asked your predecessor, for I will not nor will she force anyone into a battle that they don't want to fight"
Slavery, even after being given such powers he nor the Goddess would dare to trick him into a life of servitude, but Richard's heart burned bright to honor the allies of Vermilion, for the orcs he led and befriended in the field, for the ones he knew over the years and the duty that in his opinion every Vermilion citizen should uphold, to defend liberty, stand fast against those who would do evil and make the life of others miserable.
It felt right, honorable even.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"I will stand against the Sea Elven menace Ancient one, not just me, but Hope, Arthur, Lucrezia, and all others" Richard spoke and his voice was brimming with power "And when they leave their darkened abyss the skies and beaches will be full of Lucrezia's war machines, ready for the final battle against them"
The Ancient One clapped his hands and pointed to the map saying "Here's what we are going to do then..."
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Castra-Cam watched as Lucrezia performed necromantic rituals at a pace few novices would be able to match, something was off with the woman ever since the battle, her soul felt denser whenever Castra was near.
"I don't know why you need me here sister, it's clear you got this in the bag," Castra said with a smirk, dodging tedious paperwork while babysitting a noble was a dream come true this time of the week after all it wasn't like she was hunting down rogue necromancers every day.
"Paperwork is that good this week? maybe I should do this alone then" Lucrezia spoke with that eerie "I know the future" voice she liked doing every once in a while, had Castra not been told thrice by the prince that Lucrezia wasn't in fact reading memories she would've been with a triple layer defensive ward on her person.
Two layered ones worked best so that was her pick for today "Don't you start, now I have a question for you" Castra flexed her body to shake off the clouds in her mind "Those fast-moving suits of armors you deployed in the battle, what do I need to do to get one for me?"
Finishing yet another rite Lucrezia smiled "The Knightmares? Those were still testbed units, but I can get a more stable prototype for you within...2 months" Castra nodded and said, "Good enough for me, such speed and power will do good..."
The undead girl stared in silence as the rituals kept going thinking about her rematch against a certain someone, in this lapse of judgment she failed to notice what sort of ritual Lucrezia was trying to make and the unforeseen consequences of such an experiment.
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Lucrezia sat alone in the empty part of her soul where once a river of blood ran with the red liquid, the empty basin in the middle a sight of her bargain with the powers from beyond before she retreated to her usual soul space.
In there she readied the final piece of the ritual, a blank space that would shut off all outside interference except for the ones she selected, a particular duo of Divines who were at the back of William's mind before their souls became one.
"They did have guns, or at least weaponry similar to Earth's before everything happened after all" Lucrezia spoke as she conjured a table and chairs "Best to get this done now at any rate, Can't miss Uumaries's punishment talks in the Golden City after all"
A smirk appeared on her lips as two hooded figures walked inside the blank space.
"Finally, the final piece of the puzzle reveals itself, a pair of them at that" Lucrezia spoke "One I already know, but who's the other?"
Lucrezia spoke, "One I already know, but who's the other?" Lucrezia asked and the figures unmasked themselves, Ra'Tyrius showing his clean shaved face with an odd look, and the second...
Of course, who else would be able to get past the many blockages and defenses set up by All-Father and his Allies, only someone with an innate knowledge of how space and time worked, but outside of Gwenarius's sphere of power, an obscure Goddess hidden from the many spies and plants of the higher powers.
"Lady Wynnur, Goddess of Planes, Scout of the All-Father, out of everyone to drag my better half of what has to be the most protected planet in the cosmos, you would be the one to do the deed wouldn't you? your bias towards the more Tech inclined civilizations is a dead giveaway for those that are in the know, which luckily for us, is a very small number"
"And yet, something went terribly wrong, and we had to pay a most horrible price for that particular fuck-up, so If you do have an excuse or explanation, I would be very keen on hearing it" Lucrezia finished as both deities sat down.
"Is that a threat?" Wynnur asked "It is not, if she wanted to make a threat we would know" Ra'Tyrius spoke, "The fuck-up was due to William's then unknown blessing by his patron God, we did not know the divines on Terra were protective, at least on that scale of their souls, the plan worked in every simulation we ran, including with others from his family, yet the boy had a stronger tie to his faith and that well..."
"Our intention was to steal his memories, not the entire soul, but these things rarely go as planned, even after we ran those simulations," Wynnur said with a sigh "From feeding the information of this reality to that one, seeing who's the best fit to the transfer of knowledge, tapping into the river of time of two realities without getting Gwenarius on my case..." she was winding up for a rant but Ra'Tyrius placed his hand on her shoulder "I am sure the intricacies of the deed can remain just between us, and that our friend here has questions and demands"
She had indeed "Demands is such a strong word, especially when dealing with powerful Divines such as you two, I suppose the first question would be why, but with the evidence right in front of me it would be a waste of a question, A God was forsaken by the people who would raise him up, a favor from a lover, the dwarves having weapons akin to the ones from Terra, it all fits doesn't it?"
"What doesn't fit my role in this, was the fact my parents had their heretical display hidden it would be made it easier for you to sneak his memories into me. how would you stop my death by the assassination attempt?"
Wynnur smiled "I had countermeasures in place had the process gone smoothly, they did save you, but with William's soul in charge..." she sighed "Not my finest work and I apologize for it"
Lucrezia raised her eyebrow and Ra'Tyrius spoke "Yes, you, or rather the pre-merger Lucrezia was fated to die on that day, the events of the game were set in stone in many realities we managed to gleam from the river of time, you die, the duchy falls to the evil of your parents, the rest happens, a grim fate and I am sure you agree with me on this"
"I may have been more silent than the others who blessed you but we still have a connection, I understand that that fate in particular was one you would avoid at all costs, and you did, paid in blood at that"
Lucrezia smiled, indeed he was more silent than the others but always close, be it in the machines she designed with her forge master, or simply working along on the Academy Forge. A constant presence there to soothe her nerves and improve the realm via science and the arcane.
"It's hard getting mad at you two you know? given how much progress we brought, how many people we saved" Lucrezia said with a sad smile "He had a big savior complex as well, always wanting to take full responsibility for his actions, until the bitter end"
"The All-Father said he wants to talk with you two, didn't demand it, it was an open invitation, I'd beware of him at any rate, he didn't look pleased, and knowing what I know from the dealings in Terra he probably had a big headache dealing with that trash fire, but there was a sense of pride in him when we spoke, being left unchallenged at a personal level for this long must've made the man bored and now he has a bone to gnaw at it"
"Grandfather would be proud if he knew" Ra'Tyrius smiled "Worry not, he will never know, we upset many many players when we did this, it best that we keep this meeting and the next ones just between us"
Wynnur spoke "The merging has influenced you a great deal, while Lucrezia's soul won the bigger slice, William's has shaped the current you more than you can imagine, this is plain to see, so I have a question for you"
Lucrezia made a gesture with her hands "Ask and I shall answer it"
"What do you plan to do now? about us I mean? the river of time told us and you what will happen in the Academy and Hope, no doubt you will muddle that to achieve a better outcome, but what about us?"
"Power, I need more power" Lucrezia said with hunger in her eyes "Power only you can bestow and something that would put me near the level of the enemies we will face in the future"
Wynnur made a face "But my powers can't be weapo-" Ra'Tyrius cut her off "It can be done oh you sly devil, of course, a Terran would be able to come up with this kind of weapon!"
Weaponized plane shifting, going around barriers set by Gods like Uumaries and the Fallen who would no doubt attack her one of these days, much could be done if Wynnur gave her a Greater Blessing.
"Her soul can't handle it! she's at her limit!" Wynnur spoke, "...Oh..." Realization dawned on the Goddess as Ra'Tyrius smiled "Yes, his soul became one under the All-Father's domain, one final gift from William to Lucrezia"
A sigil of power flared in Lucrezia's right breast, knowledge of arcane magicks and rituals popping off and interfacing with her Magi-Tech blessing at speeds hitherto known to the young woman.
Power, ah how intoxicating it was, the rush of energy flowing, making itself mesh with the rest of her being, it was no wonder her better half meditated as much as he did in the start, it was easy to lose oneself to the pleasure.
"I hope we can have a mutually agreeable relationship, Miss Wynnur, your partner already has benefited much from my influence in the mortal coil" Lucrezia spoke "If you wish I can do the same, but I imagine that's not to your liking? maybe tributes from faraway civilizations?"
Wynnur's eyes widened "Yes, the next frontier, instead of using All-Father's frankly slow network that takes ages to get the right permits we will go to those worlds under his rule on the physical plane! space faring the right proper way, with hulks of metal and crystal floating in deep space" Lucrezia said with a crazed look in her eyes "Your power, and Ra'Tyrius will take us there, bureaucracy free hahaha!
They continued chatting as the time went by, Lucrezia was happy her dream of space travel via more conventional means was shared by the pair, even if All-Father's teleporting network did have its perks such as near-instant travel time...
She ended the ritual and went back to the real world, bid Castra-Cam goodbye, and went back to the Academy, the main show of the day was about to start after all.
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Saal'Xhir breathed in the perfect controlled air of the city the All-Father and All-Mother had built for their many many children and friends from all over the cosmos and beyond, it was a bright sunny day and the Goddess of Love was smiling ear to ear as she neared the great forum built for the judgment of her Divine kin.
"...To think this age's blessed had the balls to summon him Faal was right it would be a good decade, the mortals are right proper..." One god spoke another as she walked past them in the streets she once led dozen of divines against the forces that guarded the city, a few guards she even recognized as they gave her the old stinky eye.
How times change the Goddess thought to herself, wondering if a little girl from the northern reaches of a certain country had planned to this extent, if she was paranoid as some of her peers she would totally believe that silly thought.
"Lady Saal'Xhir" A stern-looking woman bowed as she spoke, Ah yes, out of all the things Lucrezia manage to do, an alliance with the one who hated nobles as much as the All-Father hated his enemies, Goddess Friede patron of the downtrodden and those abused by nobles and others in power.
Saal'Xhir had a particular relationship with the woman, Friede was once a believer of change among the divines ages past, but her time in the war for the All-Father changed her a great deal, deployed to what is now known as the Tendrons of UIO was one of the bloodiest campaigns the All-Father waged, but not for ill-begotten reasons.
The ruling divine of the region begged for the aid of All-Father in fighting off enemies from the further reaches of the cosmos, said forces had already established a strong foothold in the greater region of the system and every battle was a slaughterhouse that left countless dragons and divines scarred for the rest of their lives.
Chief among them was the woman in front of Saal'Xhir who looked troubled being out in the open.
"Welcome Lady Friede, it's an honor to have you accompanying me for today's event" Saal'Xhir bowed formally "I am to assume you are representing the girl as well?"
Friede nodded "Out of all the women that Monster tortured, she was the one he toyed with the most, scarred the most" The Goddess took a sharp breath " I wish I was there in that battle, to lay low the one responsible for allowing such a monster to live"
"Well my friend, today we get to strike at one of the evil ones who allowed such a thing to happen, even if the end is already set in stone..." Friede nodded and both women walked to the grand doors of the Forum, ready for the final enemy to be destroyed, Hopefully, that is.