"Boring"

The last words of the Goddess that once ruled over Yrithuan, When asked to elaborate on said words by the All-Father and his hosts, the native Spirits did not, for it was too painful.

"That's quite the thing to ask," Lucrezia said as the Goddess beamed her a smile, her face shifting to match Lucrezia's taste in beauty and pleasure, it was quite the power even if her Greater Blessing did its job of mitigating the brunt of the assault.

"I know dear, I know, it's no small thing I am asking, and the fact you even came here to give me the time of your day is already good enough for me to be honest with you" Saal'Xhir smiled "Still you did come, so I am guessing I will be hearing good news today yes?"

Lucrezia sighed, for someone such as her to beat around the bush like this... then again she was asking for something dangerous.

"This military build-up of yours is bad for the narrative you know? Gods will start talking about revolution or worse, a second attempt at the All-Father's throne, are you sure you want this Saal'Xhir?" Lucrezia asked seriously and the Goddess nodded.

"Yes child, I am fully aware of the consequences and I have made preparations in case anything bad happens, you can believe me on this, after all, I was the first to defect from our friend's side when he got exiled" she waved her hand "The old folk won't mind it, as a matter of fact, I expect the All-Mother to agree with this, given I am poised to take her daughter in law's place in this country." The goddess finished and Lucrezia got up.

"Right then" Lucrezia clapped her hands and images flashed "As you can see here and here, my duchy's army is capable of striking in all theaters of war, be it via air, sea, or land" pointing to the many Magi-Tech machines of war she and her people had built. "In particular as you saw are my suits, a personal project of mine that can turn the tide of any combat encounter"

Saal'Xhir nodded "I saw those yes, against both the Arch-Mage and the Dragon" Lucrezia nodded and said, "The ones that fought the Dragon are experimental Units, meant for high-speed combat, still in trial phase I am afraid..."

"We are also due to a major technological shift, I can't go into details yet but it will revolutionize Magi-Tech as a whole" Lucrezia smiled at the thought of being able to bend space and time with her Magi-Tech. "My terms are these, I can train, field, and maintain a medium size military force for you with the best of my facilities and personnel, but it has to be in my Duchy"

"Of course, if need be we can also house your paladin order, but if memory serves me right they have their own lands..." Lucrezia finished as the Goddess nodded, the woman was quiet, mulling over the details.

"The Order won't take well from being uprooted like that, but some of mine there did show an interest for the Suits of Armor of yours" Saal'Xhir smiled "Then again who didn't? to be able to stand toe to toe against such magicks, and an adult dragon like that...but I digress, yes these are more than perfect conditions, build me that army Little Lu, and I shall give you pleasure even Gods crave!"

The Goddess got up, walked to Lucrezia, and placed her hand on her shoulder "A good luck charm, I sense your feelings are still churning like an angry ocean, may this calm them and let you see what is plain to everyone else around you, and remember, if you need my help on such affairs, I am listening, always"

And she was gone, such earnest words, kind and warm as the divine power radiated from Lucrezia's blessing to further cement the emotion of the Goddess, who loved every one of her followers.

Her better half left this sense of wonder, of being amazed when the divine did their part of the deal, which made her chuckle even as the feeling washed over her.

"In a world without Gods, one must seek within himself the meaning of it all" words from the past echoed as Lucrezia made her way to her maid, today was to be an interesting day after all, she had group training with Hope's parents.

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The enormous shade slammed its arms into the platform up in the skies as Hope leaped to the side and ran with all her might towards Kaine, who was doing his best to cast spells while also running.

Hope knew the training well and had seen it many times in her childhood, a favorite method of her mother to establish strong communication and teamwork skills. What did surprise her was the fact Lucrezia could effortlessly control the flow of combat, gifted as she was in the martial arts it still was a hard fight! mercenaries twice her age and experience had issues with it.

"Dodge, dodge, jump" Lucrezia's calm voice rang inside Hope's ears as she looked up, Richard and Arthur holding down the spectral tail of the shade with magic and steel, the two of them were being aided by Kaine's...girlfriend.

"It's still weird," Arthur told her when he found out the news "He never cared for companionship before, I wanna say it's Lucrezia's fault but who knows? maybe he didn't have the right mindset? I don't know, weird"

Hope smiled, while her beloved was a bit taken back by the sudden news, she could see he was happy, happy for his childhood friend finding someone he could trust...

"Swords, dodge to the side then duck, defensive spells around the arena in 5...4..." Hope snapped back to reality as she readied her small wand, when she heard the call she cast the spell and her shield overlapped the others.

Richard was running now, the arena getting smaller as he slammed staves into the ground in a controlled hurry, the formation flared up one of Hope's blessings as Lucrezia came out of her trance and stood in the middle.

Time Magic, once again showing how powerful it was, Kaine cast a glance towards Hope and she nodded, her Greater Blessing kicking into full power with gusto, wind flared and sparks flew from the magical staves as she felt the river of time slow down to a crawl.

A slam from up high and one from below broke the spell, and Hope saw Lucrezia kick the ground in impotent rage "Fucking fuck, asshole ass mechanic I hate you" Hope made a face, what was that about mechanics?

"Don't mind her, we have been at this for what, an hour?" Richard said as he called for a timeout and the shade went away, her mother showing up with a grin on her face.

"My my. it seems the Duchess does have issues with combat" Hope's mom was rubbing in, trying to get under Lucrezia's skin to test her leadership skills further, Lucrezia closed her eyes, centered herself, and said nothing.

Perfect, even in defeat, truly something else as Arthur used to say

"Again" Lucrezia said as she opened her eyes and the group positioned themselves, it was going to be a long afternoon. Hope smiled as she felt the surge of divine energy pass through her limbs, washing away fatigue and sharpening her mind, with a snap of her fingers that incredible sensation flew to the rest of the party and they were back on their feet.

Hope switched to a combination of Blessings that would make her faster, and the game was on, dodging and weaving through the attacks from her Mother's monster was easier this time and she could see the others were also getting the hang of the encounter.

From the ground she heard cheers, taking a glance she spotted familiar faces down in the Castle's courtyard, Richard's trio of aides, the orc prince...Lucrezia's terrifyingly good ZENOS pilot Andromeda...

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Acquaintances, Friends, Hope wondered how her parents saw her progress in this social game, something to ask once they get a free day.

A ping from her blessing notified her Arthur was about to fall from the skies, too much Ki flew into him and he went out cold! before she could even scream Richard was already there, leaping through the air and slamming into solid platforms of mana Kaine had cast in a flash.

Grabbing her beloved in the air, Richard dodged another slash but failed to see the second arm winding up "Richard!" Hope screamed with divine energy empowering her vocal cords, he gritted his teeth and grabbed another staff from his back, slamming it into the ground as a shield of blue mana formed around him and Arthur.

Hope felt another ping as Lucrezia's eyes widened in terror than fury, ah Hope smiled when she saw that face, the face when the Duchess decided to cut loose for once and a familiar wave of fell energy blasted through her.

The Rage sang in Hope's ears, even if Lucrezia was a Shallow-Walker, her control and usage of her powers were according to Arthur, nearly on the same level as his Mother. Lucrezia leaped in the air and with a blast of...Crimson Lighting she flew towards Richard.

Hope felt goosebumps in her arms, the memories of that day still fresh in the young woman's mind as Lucrezia's form slammed against the second arm, a scream of pure power echoed as her image appeared, clad in ice, raising her arms and balling her fists to cast a spell.

Chains of deep blue ice appeared from thin air to halt the arm! Lucrezia pointed her right hand to the shade and screamed, the air around the arena smelled as if a great storm was about to descend into the vicinity as thunderbolts fell into the shade.

Hope dashed forward and reached Richard's barrier, placing her palm into the construct she channeled healing miracles into her beloved, hearing Lucrezia's grunts of power in the skies as Kaine and Kaede struggled to keep the ritual going, with wild gestures from their hands the spell flared and silence blanketed the arena.

Yet it wasn't enough, the shade grew in size and swatted both mages out of the skies, landing near Richard as Hope pulled them with magic, Kaine was shaken and so was Kaede but they didn't black out, nodding to Hope as they went back tot he skies and resumed the assault on the shade.

A thunderbolt the size of a small building slammed against the shade as both mages together with Lucrezia converged their mana and spell-shaping skills, it roared but it still stood, Hope pumped more Miracles into the shield as her eyes remained glued on Lucrezia.

A third ping came, and Hope screamed "Lucrezia, tail coming from behind targeting Kaine!" her friend didn't even blink as she leaped into the air and positioned behind the mage, with a scream of sheer power she summoned a wall of blue ice as the tail slammed into it, Kaede followed suit with multiple thunderbolts to peel the shade's tail out of their position.

A crack, then a snap echoed across the arena, the second arm of the shade flew across the skies and slammed right into Lucrezia, worse still she went inside the shade! Hope held a scream of panic in her lips before the sound of flesh being chopped off came from inside the shade's arm.

The arm fell into the arena, its sound echoing across the fields as Lucrezia's body emerged with a blade in her right hand, her face and body covered in bright red blood, Hope was taken by the sight, she felt her heart beat faster and smiled.

If I wasn't in love already hehe the girl said to herself with mirth, no wonder Richard fell for her, seeing someone fight like this had a certain charm no one could resist after all, it stoked the fires of bitter fighting, to resist until the very end.

Her mother clapped her hands and the entire thing vanished "Wow, almost had it there kids! Sadly you ran outta time! Come back next week for a retry you hear me" The group all fell into the soft grass, Arthur finally coming back to his senses.

"Ugh, I hate when Ki knocks me out, even after years of training too much of the stuff still can slam me out cold" Hope hugged him and said "Worry not, we can fix that I am sure of it"

"Gods" Arthur sighed with wonder "She looks incredibly cool right now, doesn't she? a pity Richard won't share..." Hope smacked him in the head and said "Don't you start, the two of them must first get their shit together before any of that is on the table you hear me? now get moving, Mother will want to debrief us"

Hope and Arthur made their way to the debriefing room, as soon as the platform was lowered into the Castle grounds a wave of cheers washed over them, it felt good she could not lie, Lucrezia, on the other hand, was having none of it, clearly unhappy with how the fight panned out.

"Sit down everyone. Sit down" Hope's mother spoke with kindness in her voice "Now I can see that teamwork-wise, you people have it in spades, and that's excluding your friends who had to sit this little bout out" she pointed to a few who were mingling around the castle.

"Yet teamwork alone isn't enough as you surely saw today and when you fought against the Queen...but that particular fight will be reviewed and lectured another day! now first let's start with Kaine!..."

The afternoon went on as Hope's friends each spoke about the fight and what they did wrong, her mother was in full teacher mode now and Hope couldn't help but smile, it had been a long while last she had a chance to train troops.

Her father wasn't around, likely doing physical training with the others, day after day more students of the academy joined them and the atmosphere was lively! and yet...a certain someone kept a scowl on her face...

The lecture was done, and everyone went their separate ways as Arthur held her hand and both walked towards the Castle's dining hall "The inter-class competitions are getting closer Hope..." he said with a heavy look on his face, both sitting down after getting a plate to eat.

Hope sighed "And the ones who kidnapped me have your Mother's shadowy protection to act against us, yes we had this talk yesterday Arthur, why are you bringing it up again?"

The young man sighed "My own people told me it gets worse, some ancient law that nobody remembers will be used by them to overturn our engagement, tie me to the ones who raised their hand against you, what's worse is that Mother dearest made the right preparations to stonewall my people and we can't take this to the law bringers that deal with legal matters of Royals and High nobles"

Hope grinded her teeth, it was just as Lucrezia said after all, they would move there with enough legal bullshit to take Arthur away, and damn Hope to prison as well, with the Queen now acting in the shadows...

Worse was the fact the King could do nothing, Lucrezia had already told the couple she asked the man for help but his hands were tied, not by bureaucracy but by love, he would turn a blind eye to his wife now just as he did before.

"Danger at every turn indeed," Hope said as she dug into the food "So what's the plan?"

Arthur's face lit up "As we talked with Lucrezia earlier, you must learn more spells, more Blessings, and become a powerhouse that can surpass Mother, the Arch-Mages, and the Gods themselves, thankfully we have her bottomless well of knowledge and enough gold to quicken the process, even my own unique brand of Necromancy you managed to learn in days"

"Still, I fear something...bad will happen again, the fact they got you once means they must have something else up their sleeve..." Hope held Arthur's hand, the nerves were getting to him again "Peace my love, worry not for what is to come, we do not fight alone, nor are we weak to weather the storm, we have the Rage, allies who are masters of the craft, the power of the Gods themselves"

The prince's worried look melted away as he spoke "Gods, when did I become such a worrywart? Thank you Hope, truly" he smiled "Then I suggest we start digging into the Fallen and their Blessings, if what Lucrezia said was true, then the All-Father's pull should work on them"

"And the Demons and Devils" Hope finished her beloved "Which while spurned are still his children, his creation, they will heed the call as will the Fallen this I am sure of it" She smiled at the thought, itching to pick a fight with the Infernal hordes for some unknown reason.

Arthur shook his head "No fighting, please we don't wanna sour the deal before it even happens" he sighed again "Fell powers are always a double-edged sword, if we do need to call upon them, we must have the proper countermeasures in place"

"Magi-Tech" Hope said and Arthur nodded.

"Yes, once again Lucrezia's wonder weapons will shore us up, and gives us the edge needed" Arthur tapped his finger on the table "Have you seen the new armor? casters and battlemages around the new world are begging her for a single piece of it, never mind the wands, staves, and other magi-focus devices she has tucked away...but I digress, with her Magi-Tech we can have an edge when dealing with the Infernals..."

They ate in silence for a while until Hope raised a question "The inter-class event is months away, why are you losing sleep over it, Arthur?"

"I had a feeling, a hunch even, something fell and an omen comes and it's been nagging me for days now, I talked with Kaine already and both he nor his girlfriend haven't found anything in the River of Time, but something will happen soon Hope, and that will dictate what happens in the Inter Class event..."

Hope poked his nose "Dummy, even after Kaine told you nothing will happen you still worry? you have been around Lucrezia a bit too much these past days, getting all paranoid about what-ifs and such, I'll have to ask Richard for a good pub so we can unwind later"

Arthur smiled, agreeing to Hope's suggestion, the girl looked around and felt calm, with her power and allies, anything that came knocking would surely get a good ass whooping!

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fA shadowy figure muttered half-crazy ramblings inside a dilapidated building, cloaked in Uumaries's symbols the small person screamed as dark red flames sprouted from a cauldron.

"Yes! It is ready! soon they will burn! invisible fire will burn them from within!" the person laughed as they filled vials of the foul liquid and bottled them, storing the vials inside a small bag.

"My revenge! our revenge! If I can not have you, my love..."

"Then none shall!"