“En, can you cover my forces’ retreat from Bvaldin? Your worshippers are hunting my death knights and their armies down,” Kel’rk’ath said.
En’gem’ia ‘closed’ her ‘eyes’ and nodded, “Doing so now,” she said, “I’ve sent a message to the leaders of the armies. They are… not happy.”
“Understandable,” Sa’ar’kik replied, “I’ve already had some unrest from my worship worlds since we started. There have been pleas to kill you, funnily enough, no matter how many times I tell the church leaders that such a thing is, one, impossible, and two, fratricide.”
The other two gods sighed and nodded, “I have nothing against mortals, but they can become quite fervent,” En’gem’ia remarked, “I once had to send an angel to stop a crowd from killing a young man for studying necromancy. It can become quite tiring.”
Sa’ar’kik raised one of many eyebrows at that, “You let them run amok like that? I would have smitten that whole crowd for doing something like that. We don’t let people chase down mechanics around our worlds, after all.”
“We are in a different position, Sa,” Kel replied, “For any semblance of comfort in our worlds, we need the mainstays of civilization, like invention. Necromancy and chimerism are not as important to normal life as mathematics and statistics.”
“And probability,” En’gem’ia added, “But those are only half of your domains. In every one of my worlds, sailing is important, as is the entire concept of growth. Since my worshippers are all, you know, alive. Even then, some of them could get something out of soul manipulation. Like, say, giving a person a peaceful death.”
The two gods nodded, then tapped on their floating blue screens again. With a deep breath, they turned to En’gem’ia, “And we’re done. No more fighting,” Sa’ar’kik said with a sigh, “Now all we need to do is send out the invitations.” The other two winced at that, “What? We need to do this if any of it is going to end properly.”
Kel’rk’ath sighed sadly, “I am just wondering how we can do this without intensifying the war. It has been over a thousand years and we need to gather everyone if this is to work.”
“That’s easy then,” Sa’ar’kik replied, “Put everyone into a list and go through them individually. Here, I’ll do it right now,” she said, tapping at her screen quickly before turning it around for the other two to see. The list was long, with every one of their siblings. They were Kel’rk’ath, Sa’ar’kik, En’gem’ia, Ei’vit’net, Bi’lug’nath, Kel’vi’rt, Hel’ga’thra, Bi’er’luk, Vek’ful’rt, Vek’thra’ein, Vek’bec’ful, Vel’lav’eck, Ei’van’an, Ei’nat’ish, Vul’cel’rk, and Dy’jul’ia.
“Looking at it like this, it feels like there should be more of us. And fewer. There are three gods of fire in there, for goodness’ sake,” En’gem’ia joked, “Anyway, we can send simple invitations to Hel’ga’thra, Bi’er’luk, Vul’cel’rk, and Dy’jul’ia since they’re all neutral in this war.”
Kel’rk’ath rubbed his chin for a moment, “Then that is almost half of everyone right there if they all accept. I suggest making an Oath on Mother’s memory to show sincerity. No one will betray an Oath on Mother’s memory.”
The other two nodded, Sa’ar’kik writing the methods into the list, “From there, let’s go down the list, then. Next is Ei’vit’net. How are we going to convince him to attend the meeting?”
There was a moment of thought between them, “Offer him the opportunity to furnish the venue?” En’gem’ia suggested. They all nodded at that. Ei’vit’net was a connoisseur of art, artifacts, and everything in between. Not only would he attend if he was given such an opportunity, he would also make the venue look beautiful, “In the same vein, let’s offer the right to construct the venue to Ei’van’an.”
“I think it’s the right call, but we should ask him to dumb down the size a bit. We don’t want him turning an entire island into a massive temple or something like that,” Sa’ar’kik added, writing the two offers into the list.
“We have nine, now. Next is Bi’lug’nath. How are we going to ask him to join?” Kel’rk’ath asked.
“The best idea I can think of is to appeal to his desire for this to end more than the perceived awfulness of En’s supposed betrayal or whatnot,” Sa’ar’kik replied. The other two nodded at that, so she wrote it into Bi’lug’nath’s spot, “Next is… the Ves. Not even touching on Vel’lav’eck’s history with you, En, this will be tricky.”
En’gem’ia thought for a moment before nodding to herself, “How about this: you two say that you’re trying to negotiate my measures down and say that you’re bringing together a summit to discuss what I predicted.”
The two lovers raised eyebrows at that, “Isn’t that basically what we’re doing, plus or minus a few semantics?” Sa’ar’kik asked.
“It’s all about the branding. Besides that, do you want to try to convince her that I stopped ascertaining the absolute essence of the universe and ignored the statistically likely in favor of believing in ignorance?” En’gem’ia asked. Sa’ar’kik and Kel’rk’ath sat there, trying to parse her words for a moment before she shrugged it off, “I really need X52 here… she would have explained that so much better than I could have. Anyway, are we in agreement with the Ves?”
The other two nodded, Sa’ar’kik writing it into her list, “Ei’nat’ish is next… She isn’t fighting this war to do anything more than get laid, isn’t she?” Sa’ar’kik asked, the other two nodding in response, “Then… what are we supposed to do?”
A few minutes of thinking later, Kel’rk’ath snapped his watery, skeletal fingers, “Let her try to woo any of our angels. If she does, then that just means that we are brought together closer from that.”
The two goddess chuckled at that, “Maybe have her try to woo any of us. En, your children could use another loving parent figure in their lives, right?” En’gem’ia sighed as Sa’ar’kik giggled, “And, Kel, if she goes after you, remember what we promised. You do remember, right?”
“Of course I remember, Sa. Consent from every party involved, including you,” Kel’rk’ath recited, “Then that just leaves…”
“Kel’vi’rt…” the other two replied at the same time.
Kel’rk’ath took a deep, primarily calming breath, and gave a determined look, “We need her to show up as well, if only to make the summit complete. So… Do either of you have any ideas?”
For a moment, neither of them replied, until Sa’ar’kik nodded, “I can do it, Kel. Just… trust me. Alright?” Kel’rk’ath nodded, “Thanks. Alright, we’ve got everyone. Let’s get these invitations written.”
*=====*
Ei’vit’net stood in his temple-fortress Oliva, wracking his brain of ways to make the statue in front of him a better masterpiece than the one he finished the hour before. As he rubbed his chin of finely-carved stone, a bird made of stone, a product of his workshops of angels sculpting, flew through the open window and landed on his desk, a letter oozing multiple gods’ mana from within.
Oddly enough, it was not from the Ve siblings, the largest alliance between them all, but instead came from three names he never thought he would see on the same paper again. Kel’rk’ath, Sa’ar’kik-- those two were to be expected-- and En’gem’ia. He could not have predicted that they would band together in such a way and wasted no time in opening the letter.
After a few minutes of reading and rereading the letter, he turned to the door of his studio, “Angels! Everyone, here, now!” he shouted. He was a bit on the fence about the whole ceasefire and summit, but then they offered him the opportunity to furnish the summit itself, along with the fact that the building was being made by Ei’van’an. How could he turn down such a thoughtful opportunity?
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
*=====*
In a massive forest that extended between islands in the Rift, a massive humanoid tree gazed at an equally massive flower in rapt attention. Somehow, En’gem’ia had lost control of her legion of death machines and they were, for whatever reason, more effective without her there. He also found it interesting that Zhanuk was colluding with a follower of Hel’ga’thra, but it was not bad. He was, after all, neutral in the war and would not fight anyone despite being antagonized.
At that moment, one of the flowers around him began to rapidly bloom, growing until it was as wide as his head was tall. With a disinterested motion, Bi’lug’nath grabbed whatever had been sent to him, then stopped. “Speak of the devil. Devil of the Clock, that is,” he chuckled to himself, “And… Oh?” He found the letter in his wooden palm, radiating mana from the three gods he least expected to get along. Apart from En’gem’ia and Vel’lav’eck. He read the letter through and put it down, holding his head. He finally had a way to end the war, and he would take it with every ounce of strength he could muster. He began his preparations to attend the summit.
*=====*
Hel’ga’thra sat behind his mahogany desk, with his decorative reading glasses on, while writing with his telekinesis. Going in the background. He stared out of the window, thinking and pondering, when a quiet knock came from his door, “Come in,” he said, watching his angel, a young-- appearing; he was over two hundred years old at that point-- man walk in with a single letter in his hands. It reeked of godly magic, something he found unsettling, “Garvy, what is that?” he asked.
The man, startled, looked down at the letter, then back to Hel’ga’thra, “Dunno. It came in the mail from… well, I believe that you are much better at discerning your siblings’ auras than I am, sir. I must be going now. I have to finish the yearly report.” Garvy left the room right after placing the letter on Hel’ga’thra’s desk. In an instant, Hel’ga’thra tore the letter open and read through it speedily. A moment later, he placed the letter down on his desk and wished he had opposable thumbs. He could easily morph into a human form, but that would leave him feeling uncomfortable in his own skin.
He moved the letter to the side and finished his last task for the day, then cleared his whiteboard. He had a bit of planning to do.
*=====*
Bi’er’luk woke up with a start and looked around. She was in a massive pile of people, in a massive bed in the center of the capital’s town square, naked. She recalled, vaguely, that she pulled the old ‘goddess of madness’ stunt to get the local king killed and the kingdom into a massive polyamory relationship. It was a wonderful time.
She untangled herself from the woman and man she had been cuddling with and stood atop the massive bed, stretching her temporarily-mortal body just so she could feel the wonderful pull of physical muscles. It was then that she felt a tug on her hip flask. Rolling her eyes, she popped the top open and smelled the concoction inside. En’gem’ia, Kel’rk’ath, and Sa’ar’kik.
She recoiled and nearly dropped the flask on the pile of her followers. That was as unexpected as someone putting sugar water in her glass rather than rum. She tentatively sniffed the drink again, then downed the whole thing in an instant. The invitation then flowed into her mind and she smiled. Looking around at her soon-to-wake followers, she wondered if she could court the little brat with so many followers.
*=====*
Vel’lav’eck stood in her favorite observatory, watching islands in the rift thousands of miles away. Normally, such a thing was impossible, since the density of mana made seeing beyond two hundred miles impossible, but she was a goddess of exploration. It was far from difficult for her. Just as she spotted a small group of wandering Riftborn ambling across the island, the door to her observatory opened, “Sister, we’ve gotten an invitation,” Vek’bec’ful said as he entered.
Vel turned to her Vek sibling and gave a questioning head-tilt to her brother. His flaming body flickered as he walked towards her, handing her the paper letter that had not been so much as singed by the flaming god. She opened the letter and, in a moment, read the entire thing. A wide smile grew on her cloudy body, “This is… amazing! We can finally end this war and-”
“Mistress,” her most trusted angel said, “Might I ask what happened?”
She turned to the angel, who had served her since before the war started, and took in his humanoid, metallic body. He was the one who had tipped her off onto En’gem’ia’s scheme, and for that she had come to trust him more than she did some of her own siblings, “Oh, there’s a summit being held to end the war and negotiate En’s ‘measures’ down. They even said that she’s already backed away from her more violent measures! This could be the end of the war!” she laughed, putting the letter down and going towards her wardrobe, “What should I pack…?”
Her angel, who never had a name, stepped forward, “Mistress… could this not be a trap? What if you are wounded there? What if-”
“Stop,” she said, silencing him, “They made vows on Mother’s memory that this was not a trick. If they were to break it, then there would be no peace with them. Ever. Now then, please begin getting yourself ready; it might take a while, but I won’t be going out of style. Vek, you should tell the others to start getting ready as well; do you want to be the dullest there?” she teased. Vek’bec’ful chuckled at that, gave Vel a big hug, and left as she went back to her outfit selection. She noticed the hard look her angel was giving her, but she just assumed that it was his concern for her safety.
*=====*
A man of stone and steel peered over the edge of his now-greatest work. A tower seventy miles tall, reaching outer space of the planet he had used for his project. Ei’van’an smiled as he looked down at the planet that seemed so small. It was one of his greatest joys in life, creating things.
That was when a rift in space opened up and a letter fell through. He did not bother with being surprised by the mana coming from it and tore it open, quickly reading it and putting it in his pocket. He smiled with his steel face. He had another project to do, and there was no time to waste. He left his tower and went back to his home to begin planning.
*=====*
Ei’nat’ish sat in her lush apartment, her body much smaller and much more human than every other god, cuddling with two of her favorite victims. They were not, by any means, bad people like she always targeted, nor were they greedy. They were normal people who got a taste of her temptation and vowed to win her heart. And the pair, the man and woman, did exactly that. She loved them, so much so that she planned to make them Riftborn and angels-- her first pair of them.
That was when she felt a tug on her old pack that could only mean one thing, “I have to get up, you two,” she said softly.
“I can get it, madam. What do you need?” the man asked. She pointed to the bag across the room and, without hesitation, the man stood, grabbed the bag, and cuddled back up against her.
“Thank you, Donny,” she said, taking the bag and finding the peculiar letter within. She was torn for a moment, but soon opened the letter and read through it. Once she was finished, she sighed and placed the letter down, “Hmm… the offer would have been tempting… but now I have you two,” she said, kissing them both on the foreheads.
The woman, Crystal, snuggled up closer, “What was it, madam?” Ei’nat’ish explained the offer that let her try to seduce any of the angels between the three gods, “Why not attend? They’re your siblings, right? And besides, that was just what they thought you would want. It doesn’t mean that there aren’t good things happening there. Right Donny?”
Donny nodded and her two lovers eventually convinced Ei’nat’ish to attend the summit. The only problem would come when Bi’er’luk would inevitably try to seduce her, but that was par for the course.
*=====*
Vul’cel’rk and Dy’jul’ia sat in their humble little temple far from everywhere else in the Rift, meditating. At that moment, a disturbance erupted in between them, and two letters fell in between them. Vel’cel’rk, with his hand of pure light, picked them up and tore them open, recoiling slightly, then reading them. Dy’jul’ia, her body of indestructible steel, tilted her head, “I can smell that from here. What do they want?” she asked.
Vul’cel’rk put the letters down and stood, “There’s a summit. I’m planning on attending.”
“Fair enough,” Dy’jul’ia replied, standing to follow. She would need few things, which was nice. Especially since she had no doubt that some of the gods would bring armies as assurance.
*=====*
In deep darkness, devoid of any light, Kel’vi’rt laid on a bed of shadows, interpreting what her shadowy army was doing. They had taken a detour to a world full of truly awful people and began to try and right the wrongs of the powerful, from slavery to genocide. It would have been easier if Kel’rk’ath was with her, but he decided to side with En. He would make him see the errors of his ways. Eventually. Probably. And make him end his farcical war with En. That was also on her list of things to do.
Then a letter fell onto her chest. She knew it was there, but she did not touch it. It reeked of Sa’ar’kik’s mana, the woman who had let Kel’vi’rt’s brother side with En. She laid there for a while, trying her best to ignore the letter, until she finally gave in and tore it open.
As she read, she read slower and slower, trying to find any trick or lie, but there was none. Eventually, she was on the brink of tears, and put the letter down and sobbed. She had been fighting with her brother, pushing both him and her sisters away, all because of a misunderstanding, and the whole story showed it so well. She pondered for a long while how it got to that point, and how any of them let the misunderstanding lead to war.
Memories rushed to her and, while not complete, they gave her some insight on that day. From the arguments to the snide comments to the people storming out. And to an angel who convinced her that Kel and En were on the same side. She tore the letter in half in anger and began to get her affairs in order. She would attend the meeting, and she would stop them from fighting.