Hope stalked the woods that were once part of a particular god temple complex north of the capital. She felt a pull to the temple there and after consulting with Lucrezia and Arthur, she decided it was best to investigate.

With her was Vivienne, the mysterious daughter of the Arch-Duke, who ended up being not so mysterious, just a little shy and quiet at first, likely sizing up Hope and getting the measure of her character.

"He never lacked suitors you know? all over the new world princes and princesses would try to woo Arthur" Vivienne said after a while "I wonder, what did you see in him, and him in you?"

Hope smiled at the memories and began regaling them to Vivienne, whose face lit up in joy hearing about her relationship with Arthur, from what Kaine told Hope earlier, they were thick as thieves, and as the oldest, Vivienne was essentially an older sister to young Arthur, even if he had one already.

"Ah to hear Kaine talk about it was kinda stranger, such emotions were very odd to see in him, I mostly know him as being the serious one of our little group, always preparing, learning, noting things down. But when the topic came up he soften up considerably, it was quite a shock" Hope said as Vivienne laughed and responded "He always was an intense person, his emotions boiling under the lid of stoicism and his love for the arcane, his sister was more outgoing when it came to such matters but once you get to know Kaine you can see he's just as emotional as anyone, he just has a very good cover for it"

Both girls shared a burst of laughter, Hope had seen that "lid" peel off once or twice and it was always a treat "You know for a while many thought he was involved with Lucrezia, given their recent ties after the battle for Wulfgrem, but those rumors went away after a while. That man sure loves the arcane" Hope smiled.

Vivienne got silent for a while "I still don't know how to feel about her, everything she did for me, the length she went through to help dispel the curses on my body and soul...you don't do that willy nilly for anyway" the young woman sighed "for a while, I thought she was in love with me, but I've seen how she acts with you, Arthur and Richard" more silence.

"It is certainly something strange, isn't it? I have the same blessing as her and thanks to it I can gauge her feelings, Arthur has more than once taken a peek inside her mind to see what was up with her regarding this situation" Hope explained and Vivienne nodded "She has done so much, so much for me it would be extremely naive of me to not think there were ulterior motives even if her behavior has been nothing short of respectful"

"And? what did you two find?" Vivienne asked.

"There is something, deep beneath her mind, maybe she loves us all? maybe something more sinister? we couldn't conclude...and when I asked she avoided the topic, saying she didn't have time for romance and such, and that she didn't feel comfortable with an open relationship, even if I and Arthur were willing..." Hope stopped herself "Oh gods I am oversharing? surely you know about Arthur's uhh...Tastes right?"

Vivienne laughed "Yes you silly goose, we were raised together after all! but, curiously, you mention it, maybe she's one of those more conservative followers of Saal'Xhir? or perhaps she wants only Richard?" Vivienne shook her head "Anyway we would need to grill her over some strong booze to get the truth out, northern folk like her have an innate resistant to our weaker stuff heh"

The girls kept moving and talking, furthering their bond as Hope told Vivienne about her recent trials to master the Rage, together with Arthur they had finally managed to tap into the final tier of its power, it took grueling effort but they could do it now, it was their ace in the hole should the Queen make her move.

Which according to Lucrezia, was all but certain.

Vivienne was silent again, the topic of the queen had hit a nerve, knowing someone who had raised her sided with the man who ruined her body and mind was still a shock she had yet to overcome.

"I will fight too, I have a special oath to all major healing gods that bless the country" Vivienne spoke with conviction "Even if we are in the Fields, none shall fall once me and my men enter the fray"

Hope stepped into the inner sanctum of the temple complex, in it a dull gold light pulsed as she and Vivienne came closer, her blessing was oddly quiet, as if something or someone made sure it didn't interfere.

Very few Gods were capable of that, but she knew, deep within her heart she already knew who was the one calling for her, after all the dull gold meant one thing and one thing only.

"Augurios the Mad" Vivienne's soft voice pierced the empty halls like an arrow. Yes, Hope said in her mind, firstborn of the All-Father, once the leader of his legions and to this day the strongest War God the known universe had seen, even his younger sister couldn't measure up to him, in her own words.

"I know Lucrezia's methods are unorthodox at best and Heretical at worse but..." Vivienne began but Hope raised her hand and cut her off.

"This wasn't her idea, it was mine, He approached me first after all" Hope said her voice deadly serious as she stepped into the threshold and spoke as the Gods did "And I have come, Reveal yourself Augurios, Lord of Absolute Order, Firstborn of All-Father Faal"

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It was...easy learning how to empower her words, after seeing the gods doing it after Lucrezia told her they used their sphere to do it so and all Hope needed was to make her own.

"Apotheosis" Lucrezia smiled in Hope's mind "All-Father's blessing has made you a demigod the second you accepted, to form your sphere is but a small step into the realm of the divine" The woman taught Hope a secret only the Gods were privy to and that still rung inside Hope's head even after the fact.

Divine Avatars, new powerful combinations of Blessings that fed from each other, how to swap them in the middle of combat, Hope knew she was being trained to be something more, something greater.

But Hope knew it wouldn't be enough, Malphas was on a whole other level, she was a demigod! she was the strongest being alive in the new world! and so for once in her life Hope committed the grave sin of Heresy, for deep within her heart she knew Lucrezia would die in battle and she would need every single edge to make sure that grim future didn't come to fruition.

In private Richard had told her Lucrezia had already made peace with her death, and the mood the woman had these last few days all but prove it. Gone was the cheerful and energetic attitude, she was now the Fury of the North, Commander of the Wulfgrem Knights, and the Last Duchess of her line.

From the dull light, a form made itself manifest, with the features of the elusive Nihrium, the race created by Augurious for his at the time eternal duty of increasing the domain of the All-Father.

"Ah, so you did come after all, and I thought my calls would be rejected, given the blessing you have, but as always that woman surprises me, in teaching you how to use it to its utmost potential, she has also taught you how to not be shackled down by blind faith" Augurious spoke with a smile in its face, he spoke in a low and calm tone as if he was talking with an old friend.

"For someone with the Mad moniker, you are quite reasonable" Vivienne spoke "I am-"

The god raised his hand "Oh I know who you are, young Vivienne, the catalyst for all of...this, great change is coming, and thanks to you, and the fell deeds committed against you we will finally see it, I would thank you Lady Vivienne, but the trials you endured I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy, no one deserves such a fate and I am glad She managed to heal you" Augurious said, his voice warm "But let us talk about the real reason you two are here, come" he bode them deeper into the sanctum and the girls followed.

They arrived inside a war room, torn banners and old maps littering the place, rusted weapons in racks, and suits of armor placed haphazardly as well. Augurious sat down at the head of the main table and beckoned the two to sit at his left side.

"It is good that you have come Lady Vivienne, powerful as you are in the healing arts, I am afraid it won't be enough in the coming battle, but we shall fix that soon enough. But first! you have questions Lady Hope, please ask them, in here we won't be bothered by would-be Paladins and such" he finished with a smile and waved his hand towards Hope.

"Why help me? Help Lucrezia?" Hope asked the question that had been burning inside her brain for a while now.

"Didn't I tell you? great change comes, with her at the forefront, surely you have seen it in your war camp, on the hidden ship beneath the waves of your city? that change, that power will make certain individuals reconsider their positions, giving me some leeway for my agenda"

"And that would be?" Vivienne asked "I am afraid to help the leader of a mutiny against the being that made me my Lord, powerful as you may be you are still Fallen, still out of the grace bestowed by your progenitor"

"I seek not conflict with Father, I've made my vows to renounce war and I shall keep them, my previous actions were...I am afraid you would not understand Lady Vivienne so I shall not waste your time with semantics, but let me be very clear on this, I do not wish to fight Father anymore, on that you can believe me"

The girls couldn't check to see if he was indeed telling the truth, but something told Hope that the God was being honest, Augurious was many things, but a liar was not one of them.

"For her death to be avoided I had originally planned on bestowing you my own Greater Blessing, alas that would not work and to be honest with you I was in dire straits once I learned about Lucrezia teaching you how to mantle the divine, and then heard it you were a natural at it! good tidings that, it will serve you well when you face Malphas"

Turning to Vivienne he spoke "As for you Lady Vivienne, I bestow you this scepter, forged in a dying star by a race whose name none shall hear it is a powerful healing tool, with it you will become a bulwark against the wrath of the Royal Knights and their Queen"

"Hope, this is for you" His tone shifted, from his person he conjured a Warhammer clad in runes, and with dull gold inlays in the head of the weapon, the two sucked in air as their brains told them what the God had just gifted.

The Hammer of Order, Augurious personal weapon and one of the strongest divine artifacts in the known universe, bathed in the blood of countless gods and goddesses, entities from the cosmos, and all in between, it was once used to split an entire planet in two and legend said it could do that to whole star systems should Augurious pour enough of his power in it.

Hope took the weapon and closed her eyes, flashes of war, endless and pointless ran through her mind, the blood was enough to fill an ocean, the bones enough to make a throne the size of this temple complex, and the sorrow enough to make a man end his life.

The weight of Augurious old duty made Hope tremble, for a split second she understood why, why he did what he did and it terrified her. The mad moniker made sense now, for who could do all of that and remain sane?

"Gods, how does she..." Hope began saying but Augurious cut her off.

"Sister always was more focused, determined, and stronger than me when it came to dealing with the gruesome reality of war and conquest, she had none of my idealism and fantasy, nay for her, it was a job to be done and she does it to surgical precision" Augurious explained "With the weapon in hand call my name and I shall be there in the witching hour when all hope is lost and you are broken down, your allies dead and the enemy standing an inch from your face, together we will end her and save Lucrezia, Arthur and most importantly, you"