"The ban on the weaponization of healing magic was lifted only once when the then-nascent Imperium was forced to fight against the biggest demon-devil invasion from their hellish realms, how they breached the blockades it's still unknown to this day but the first 3 months were a desperate and brutal struggle to the Imperium. The first emperor in a bid to save important port cities along the coast begged the Gods and they gave the go-ahead, to this day the hellish survivors of that conflict dare not speak a word of the terror unleashed by the mortals, their minds scarred for eternity"
On the demonic-devil realms, a primer for first-time tourists: 2nd edition.
Hope felt the winter chill prickle at her naked backside, she grimaced blaming someone for leaving the godsdamned window open. Ahh Arthur and his need to jump out of windows, a quirk she thought was a jest, Kaine being cheeky for once in his life.
Turns out, the mage was being anything but deadly seriously about it.
Casting her gaze towards the ceiling, Hope wondered what to do, the Academy was closed for the week as the many workers and professors worked towards the winter season, according to Lucrezia there were tons of rituals, manual labor, and no small amount of talking with Spirits and Gods in their schedule.
Hope curled her toes, thinking about Lucrezia's eyes made her feel in a way only Arthur did, this obsession with the Duchess was causing no small amount of mental anguish to Hope, even after Arthur confided that he also was attracted to her, wanting to invite both Lucrezia and Richard to a "Royal Vacation"
"And I can choose my blessings, I can't imagine how she feels given her prude ways" Hope spoke to herself as she shook her head, clearing the lust away, a curious aspect that she even asked Saal'Xhir about it, why would the Goddess of Lust bless someone that much of a prude?
If one didn't count Battle Lust, as some of the more Hardliners of Saal'Xhir told Hope once.
Cleaning her mind and soul out of the lust with magic Hope went back to the talk she had with the Goddess, as a Pillar of influence that Lucrezia herself had ties now she figured the Goddess would give some nugget of wisdom, a revelation to Lucrezia's often hidden thoughts.
"I am afraid dear, that you will need to ask her yourself! The lass is private with her inner thoughts, and I won't be the one to breach that trust I am sure you understand, but to not leave you hanging I will give you a tip, seek her hmm how should I put this..., seek Richard out and learn from him, I have a feeling you will understand Lucrezia better via him"
Her good friend, well everyone's good friend, was the key to Lucrezia's heart, but would he share it? questions and more questions flew by Hope's mind, a common occurrence whenever her thoughts went down that particular road.
"What to do..." the girl said to herself, wondering which of the many activities and duties she had to do were worth doing at this early in the morning, training was always an option she guessed, but honestly she was getting a bit tired with it.
what truly boggled her mind on the other hand was how intimate Lucrezia was getting with her parents, managing to conquer her mom's goodwill in a short week like it was nothing, often when she had lunch with her parents they talked about the woman and it was praise after praise.
"Didn't know I would be getting a sister this late in the year" Hope joked about with her parents, too much blushing by the two, it was funny seeing two grown adults get so flustered she could not lie.
"A walk around the city then" and Hope was off.
The grand capital of Vermilion was cold and unwelcoming to most as the young woman walked, without no clear aim as to where to go. Yet, despite the windy and cold day people walked, talked, and lived as if summer had never ended, dressed in heavy cloaks and winter clothing, she didn't know how much she missed these walks, especially around the area she grew up.
Turning a corner she started smelling something incredibly good in the distance, looking up at the skies told her it was nearly high noon, huh did she walk around that much? granted she had to stop a few times to window shop here and there but still...
Her belly rumbled loudly, the protest demanded nutrients and the smell went from good to outright divine, she looked towards the direction of the scent when a couple of city guards appeared as if from thin air "Oi, lady, the bakery is just up the street then turn right, you will see the sign, one of them fancy new Magi-Tech ones, tell Clarina sent you for a discount haha!"
And they were off, both guards laughing at each other jokes.
A Magi-Tech store sign huh, was Lucrezia's church going that far with their push to integrate with the capital? smart thinking on her part, or maybe Richard, the man who had a mind for good marketing after all.
Following the path given by the guard Hope arrived at the bakery "Constanza's Fresh and Sweet" what she wasn't expecting was a line! and it was big, with at least 15 or so people waiting in it.
Standing at the tail end of the line, Hope tuned her ears towards the patrons "Can you believe George managed to score a deal with those priests? I knew the dwarf had connections but holy moly" a positively ancient elf spoke to the Beast-kin to his side, a large bird-like woman who nodded in deep respect "Indeed, a good baker he is but these new...machines he got, they elevate his goods to a realm only the very gifted can reach"
As they waited, others joined this bizarre debate the duo had started, an Orc woman spoke in a hushed tone "Aye, word on the wire is that the south enclave is not happy with this new technology, they have specific bakers blessed by Gods solely for the making of good bread, if this becomes the new standard we could be watching the start of another wave of Food magic bans"
One man, young and with slick black hair butted in "Impossible, Magi-Tech sidesteps nearly every requirement for such a ban" The rest of the group started debating on the theme, Hope felt a bit awkward, after all, she knew how to summon food from mana.
It tasted horribly bland sadly, Lucrezia told her she would need to essentially summon demons who had the last remaining knowledge of good-tasting mana food and that was a pipedream at best.
"We can always declare war on them and march on a crusade, the right paperwork only needs to be filled for it even" the mad woman said without a hint of irony, Warring for food...
Hope tuned back into the group debate, they had moved from food to weapons of war and the nature of mana, of course, Magi-Tech was a constant in their talks but Hope didn't feel like intruding to correct them, today she just wanted to be a girl waiting in line after all.
"...Mana Cores are harvested from dying realities? I thought they had to be fully dead" the young man said out loud, the Orc woman shook her head "Not necessarily, the All-Father does that due to ethical concerns but deities on his level rarely act like that, most of his divine host that isn't of his blood are refugees and survivors of those realities, a rather grim existence if you read up on their theology"
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The ancient elf nodded "Indeed, The Iron Spear, God of War of the Dynasty is said to be from such a grim place, and you can see it if you ever find yourself against his Warrior-Monks" the Bird-Like woman laughed "Not like we will ever see it, those people haven't been in combat for decades-old man, but who knows, last night I heard on the radio that there's been military activity in their border"
"Ah yes, those things" the elf nodded "My eldest great-grandchild gifted me one the other day, for such a warmongering fiend, the woman of the north is positively a cultured one, tales, and stories for the young ones, dramas, and liturgy for the old, music for the rest...It is a small wonder no Culturally inclined divinity blessed her"
A curious image Lucrezia had with the many diverse folks of the city, Hope eventually got into the bakery proper and purchased some bread, a pizza slice with pineapple on it which was fast becoming her favorite topping, and coffee sweets, another new food invention of her friend.
Sitting down to eat alone was...nostalgic for her, once she was all alone but nowadays she couldn't take 5 steps without someone tagging along with her, the warmth of the bakery made her smile as old memories played out...
"Lady Hope, may I join?" A strange being sat upon Hope's table, its form shifting like living flesh.
"Gods above, a partition of the Hivemind" Hope spoke, in sheer surprise, even after all she had gone through, this was...
"Miraculous" the partition smiled, its face shifting into a smile, it sent chills down her spine, this was the real deal Hope thought, a being on part with the All-Father in power, living in his core planet after eons of consuming entire...
Hope shut that line of thinking fast "A pleasure to meet you, It is an honor" She extended her hand, and the thing slowly did the same with the creepy smile growing wilder "Look at you, powerful but humble, a rare combination for those blessed by my old friend, one must wonder if it is a farce, a convenient mask"
There was no ill intent in its voice, it was a question and Hope gave it an answer "We are all capable of good, evil, and morally gray acts, but I always strive to do right by my people"
The partition smiled "A good answer! Once again I-we-are reminded why taking this vacation was such a good idea" It giggled and Hope thought she was having a stroke, there was something fundamentally wrong with this entity.
"Lady Hope, as now the bearer of Faal's blessing I wish to charge you with a duty" the partition spoke, its tone shifting to a far more serious one "First it is imperative you know I will not force you in any shape or form, I believe in free will as much as our friend up in his golden city so if you want to leave, I will not insist, be it now or after you heard my proposition"
Hope tapped into a particular blessing Lucrezia had taught her, it flooded her body and she confirmed the entity was being honest, the reaction she was getting was something more primal rather than a God or Goddess being spooked. Not that the Divine wasn't afraid but she wasn't gonna be the one to say that out loud.
"I'd like to hear it, I may be not able to help but I do have friends and acquaintances that could" Hope spoke and the Partition nodded.
"This duty is a simple one but will require time and strength of will" it made a gesture with its hand "Deep in the mountain ranges of the north, realm of your friend. lies a part of me-us- who decided to go against itself, a great battle ensured and now it remains there, waiting to die"
Not fighting the Partition's leftover was a good sign Hope thought to herself seeing where this was going "You wish me to bring it back to the fold, stop it from killing itself via words and reason?"
The alien nodded "Yes, sharp as a knife you are, it will not fight, not after the battle we had" It smiled again, this time not as creepy "Thank you, Hope others tried but they all failed, may your name grant me strength to see one of us back into the fold again"
And then it was gone, and no one in the bakery even noticed, powerful stealth magicks at work no doubt. She could use those for something Hope thought to herself and cranked the valve to the max in her All-Father Blessing, caughting the spell the entity used nearly made her black out but it was there! Hope smiled to herself as the wave of pleasure rode her body.
As good as a passionate night with her beloved.
----------------------------------------
"You need to drill through the range? for a wayward Partition of the Hivemind?" Lucrezia asked from her study, neck deep in paperwork, her maid appeared from the back of the room carrying food and tea, cold slices of meat and cheese.
"Ohh I'll be having that" the Duchess spoke as soon as she saw the food and began feasting, Hope laughed as she sipped on the tea, the food from the bakery still keeping her hungerless for the moment.
"Right, the Hivemind asked for me in particular and tracked me down to a bakery in the city proper a few hours ago" Hope explained and her friend nodded "Surprised it took it that long to talk with you, but then again..." Lucrezia's gaze went over a few papers, that had her personal seal on them.
"The drill and staff can be deployed in 2 days, the staff needs to hall it back to the south edge of the range" Lucrezia tapped her fingers and a rendition of the mountains appeared from thin air, a red dot flashing at the base "This is the drill and you, now we haven't found any abnormal readings in the entire region so it's likely that the Partition is in some sort of hibernation state"
Hope nodded "You coming with me?"
"I can't dear, I am positively swamped with work that binds me to this hellish table and chair" Lucrezia smiled, it felt warm in the oddly cold room "Here, catch" she threw a disc in a smooth arc towards Hope, catching it mid-air wasn't hard as she flipped the disc and saw House Wulfgren's sigil on it "A friend of the duchy, this oughta smooth anything with locals, my people are hardy but take their time to trust outsiders" there was fondness in her voice and longing.
Saa'Ryu piped in "I'll send a message to Idun and the Council, they will want to welcome Lady Hope personally and deal with preparations for the operation" Lucrezia nodded as the maid left the room.
"I'd advice packing heavy winter gear, the cold up there is brutal" Lucrezia smiled "Unlike this breeze down here in the south" The wind picked up as if the Spirits themselves had heard her, and knowing what Hope knew, maybe they did.
Hope sat down in one of the chairs around the study "Wish you could go you know" She was testing the waters, seeing how Lucrezia would react to a not-so-subtle display of affection.
"Christ First Richard, now you? Is everyone trying to get into my pants?" Hope barely caught that first word, it sounded incredibly alien "Look I got to deal with some personal stuff first Hope, then well, then we'll talk ok?"
Hope's face flushed red "H-how did you know?" before realizing the obvious.
"Yes dear, Lady Saal'Xhir also blessed me in case you forgot" Lucrezia laughed "Anything else? Or if you wanna just hang out in comfortable silence you can stay" to which Saa'ryu said from the back "Silence? you talk to yourself too much for that you lunatic, at least someone else will reply to you today" Hope laughed as Lucrezia did a pinching hand gesture, likely meaning she was not pleased with her maid.
"It's true" she whispered to Hope "Bad habit sadly, it won't go away"
----------------------------------------
A small forward operating base bustled with vigor and shouts, as the winds howled fiercely around them, upwards a great mountain range that led all the way to the neighboring countries unfolded itself to Hope.
She saw great eagles up in the clouds, wolves made out of pure ice in the ground and every once in a while the whispers of Winter Spirits delighting themselves in what was to her one of the worst blizzards she had ever seen in her entire life.
"...You get used to it..." Hope spoke as the cold made her bones shiver, even after being under layers of cloth and wool "Bloody lie that was" as she walked towards the big group of workers who were hammering nails, casting spells, and all around doing Magi-Tech stuff.
Getting this small army was so easy Hope was wondering if there was a plan to drill through this range before she asked, and they were eager too, smiles, jests, and cheers could be seen and heard all around, once she started helping them with the effort (to starve off the cold) they grew bolder, often singing or just humming as every hand on the proverbial deck was put to work.
Forgemaster Idun approached her, the dwarf had taken a liking to Hope in the short time they had spent together, teaching her many intricate Magi-Tech spells and miracles, a veritable trove of knowledge.
"Chief, How can I help?" Hope asked and he smiled "I am glad you asked miss, we have a few outside Winter Spirits mucking around the tracks, can you talk with em, and see if they can scamper off somewhere else? Also, are we expecting a fight to break out with the Partition?"
Hope sighed "Nope, much as I want to fight something that strong I won't risk it, and from what I was told, this is a self-imposed exile by the Entity" She nodded her head "I reckon Lu wouldn't want me to level a chunk of her mountain range haha" a part of her knew Lucrezia would probably make open pit mines if that happened, the woman had a knack to getting profits outta thin air!
Idun rubbed his beard "Would upset the druids, they have projects for wildlife up in these parts" he pointed to a particular peak "The Fair Lady scored Thunderbird pairs for those peaks you see" Hope turned around and saw a distinct azure cloud in one of the peaks "Emperium gave em, as a gesture of goodwill for the fighting you lot did"
Hope smiled, she had seen a carcass of an elder thunderbird once, the size of a small villa, her father had spent 3 weeks tracking the thing and the fight lasted nearly 3 hours!
"Amazing" Hope whistled "Well I'm off to deal with those spirits, if anything happens call me via the radio!"