"I didn't even know evil gods could be sacrificed." The god of war said.

The god of knowledge adjusted his glasses. "As if we need more proof that you're an idiot. When they're possessing a part of the wyrm they're incarnate beings, are they not?"

"What did you call me?"

"Guys! Can we focus? Dither is... different."

The goddess of love was different. All five aspects of indulgence had been swallowed up by the sacrificial ritual, and it had colored the essence of her being.

A necklace of five beads sat on her collarbone, and a beauty mark just above her lip. She was fuller of figure.

"Honey, I'm fine. I'm stellar." She put her hand through her hair and giggled at some internal pleasure. "I haven't felt this alive since I was... alive"

Guth threw up her hands and stepped away. "She just called me honey."

"Some minor changes to personality are to be expected." Vreem took off his glasses completely now to fiddle with the arms. "You just took on a whole new domain, Dither, you embody more context now."

"Oooh, yes!" She she shook her hair free and let it hang over her face. "Pleasure, lust."

"No." Guth said. "None of those things. Indulgence. A piece of Malsidious' old domain."

"Whatever it is, it's compatible baby." She held on to the god of war's strong forearms. "How could I embody beauty and love before this, I don't know. I'm complete now."

Dronk gently tried to peel her off. Walgis straightened himself, turned around, and left.

"Where's he going?" She wanted to know.

"He'll come around." Vreem put his glasses back on. "And so will you. You're drunk with power now because one of the evil god's heads had stored it up from a contract with succubi."

Guth wrapped her arms around herself. "Maybe this was a bad idea..."

Dither pouted. "You just wanted it for yourself. I saw you, shining inside with your moonlight. I wouldn't have gotten in the cave first if they hadn't kissed."

"My moon follows a set orbit you bimbo!"

"See! You're already back to your regular infighting." Dronk said with a forced positivity, but then he became serious, "But... seriously? Let's not do that too often. If you change too much, you won't be able to connect to your places of worship anymore."

"That goes for all of us." Vreem said.

"Or not, have we gone soft in the head?" Dither spoke, suddenly much more articulate, "There's a roaming god about to invade Earth and we're trying to play it safe, preserving our religions, worrying about PR."

"But in the long term-"

"There won't be a long term, unless we act now. Forget the story lines, forget the church."

"So? What do we do?"

She licked her lips. "We pick and choose our own allies. Whoever serves us the best."

"Like Papa Scratch."

"If he continues to be of use..."

----------------------------------------

The atmosphere was thick with anticipation.

The satin drapes surrounding the devil altar rolled and swayed by some unseen force.

The lich sat in.

His cow skull of a head shook and the ring in his horn clanged. "There has been movement on a sensitive issue."

"On what sensitive issue?" Scratch poured himself a cup of tea. The dark sorcerer's aura was threatening, but he managed to ignore it. For once he could thank his subhuman fearless nature for helping him steel his nerve and not let the deception shine through.

"The most sensitive."

He sat down. "Not the shards, is it? I've kept track of mine."

There was a hint of something, a flicker in the lights deep inside the lich's eye sockets. An emotion, possibly. "A number of fragments of the dead god have disappeared. It seems."

"Ah. That."

"You know about it?"

"My familiar has been throwing a fit all month. Did they just up and leave?" He leaned in. "Did someone kill them?"

"That is what I am tasked with finding out. There has been no activity among the second segment? Dungeons claimed by kishin?"

"Ah- Well, you know, I have been looking for them."

"It will occur, in the fullness of time."

"In the fullness of time, I'm certain."

"But currently, none?"

"None."

Scratch suddenly became very interested in the paperwork he had laid out for the visit.

It was the ruling theory within the Promise that their lich patron was in no hurry to house all evil gods and bring about the resurrection himself, but Pinchin, the evil god of death and undeath saw and heard everything he did.

"But while we're on the subject," Scratch quickly tried, "I wouldn't want to displease you by keeping this a secret."

He tapped the circled parts on a map, and the lich took it from him.

"What is this?"

"Arlette's new vassal cities. She supplies the capital, we supply the manpower and trade contracts." He grinned. "And, honestly, she's really bad at price negotiation."

"I did not approve this."

"I thought you'd be pleased!"

The skeletal minotaur uprighted himself, his enormous form looming darkly in the small sanctum. "You were mistaken! Though we strive for ressurection, the power of Pinchin must be greater than that of Zajjit when that occurs. If not, the Water Witch will gain the status of Champion of Evil."

"Look again," Scratch said patiently. "These cities, they're on the land, aren't they?"

The lich held the paper up again. "Yes, and so?"

"I find that it usually doesn't pay trying to force people to do things your way. What you do is set the conditions so that your interests naturally align. If Arlette invests in these projects enough, she'll have to think twice about flooding the surface world."

"She will still do it."

"Maybe... eventually. But it'll slow her down. In any case, I thought we had agreed Abyss is your most threatening rival? With Arlette's cooperation we can have significant operations there, completely clean of his spy network."

"I see now... so you still believe gold can conquer this world."

"Well, maybe not gold, but money, yes."

Slowly, the lich sat down, moving the air with bulk of his skeletal body. "Will it save you from the western war machine?"

"It has to, right? Otherwise you'll step in and turn this all into an undead wasteland."

"...Will it?" He said again, now more forcefully.

Now Scratch did feel a twinge of fright, normally reserved for a goblin only once a threat has been made good on. "It will."

----------------------------------------

"So I need a solution for this Blurich problem." Scratch said.

Yes. You will command a great army, the orcs obey my command and will slaughter the Blurichans like pigs. Said Manshuu, evil god of bloodshed.

He wasn't as strong as the evil god of indulgence had been, and Scratch needed his hookah to hear his voice.

"Now I know you've got a hand in this sort of thing, and I figure... you know, you could stop them from claiming this spot." He said, waiving the mouthpiece around.

I shall. Simply spill the blood of this sacrifice and the contract is sealed.

"Just as a favor to me, to keep our good thing going."

Are... are you talking to me?

The sacrificial ritual sprung into action like a bear trap and clamped the evil god's essence, sacrificing it to the god of war.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

A statue had invited the god's presence into the room, and it became animated to speak. "I shall convene with the pantheon over your protection. Benesant's branding of your person should be counteracted, yes, but divine action requires divine deliberation."

"Dronk! Hi there! First time. You don't need to talk godly with me, I'm up to speed."

"There is a need."

At this point the girl he had recruited as fake sacrifice broke out of her bindings and lifted up her blindfold. "Stars above, it is the god of war!" She was one of Laurus' girls that lived in the hot spring.

"Come on, Dronk, war is your domain." Scratch insisted, all too familiarly in tone, "isn't it really your call at the end of the day?"

"Suppose you believe these sacrifices could be a quid pro quo." He huffed.

"Want me to say a prayer?"

The statue sighed. "The source of Blurich's strength in this conflict is a protoge of mine. Dietrich Stahl, the royal weaponsmith. His destiny were to realize the folly of the Blurichan way of life, and learn strive for true justice over military glory.... But his story has already become weaponized against you. Reach out to the duke's daughter, who touches the lives of all carriers of great destiny. Then you may find him."

Having felt that he'd said enough, Dronk retreated, and the statue returned to lifeless stone once more.

"Wow!" Said the girl. "What does that mean?"

Scratch massaged his temple. "Gods often speak in riddles."

His body still under the influence of blue grass, he could hear the voice of Cyclophan very clearly telling him what it meant.

As if there could be any doubt.

----------------------------------------

The Duke's Daughter was Beatrice Dichtershire.

By the time she got the baronet's correspondence it was a full six weeks later.

She had dropped by her father's estate briefly to receive healing for a poisoned party member, and her father's servants had all but physically taken hold of her and forced her into the second story study, where the various clerical responsibilities of a highborn noble had been waiting for her.

The animal-hide parchment envelope sat somewhere on the bottom of a huge pile of paperwork. She picked it out immediately.

The maid, stationed on the duke's orders to make sure his daughter wouldn't shirk her noble duties, could only raise an eyebrow at the young lady's sudden eagerness. She couldn't guess at her thoughts, watching her quickly scan over its contents and retrieve her own writing paper.

Possibly the young Dichtershire had developed a sudden sense of responsibility and passion for her family's position as leaders. More likely, the minor noble's communication related somehow to her love of adventure.

"Young miss? Would you like me to proofread your response for grammatical errors again?" She offered helpfully.

"Sure- wait, no." She quickly shielded her writing with her arm. "This is of, uhm, sensitive nature. I'll need you to leave the room and-"

But she saw the address. "You're addressing it to a Blurichan city!?"

Beatrice quickly pivoted and took on a nonchalant manner. "Yes. What of it? I am a highborn noble, it is perfectly natural for me to engage in manners of diplomacy."

"Ma'am. Letters across battle-lines are intercepted. Diplomatic missions during wartime are made in person and announced ahead of time."

"Oh... I didn't know that."

"Even I know that." The servant suddenly remembered her position and withdrew. "If it is your wish, we can make arrangements for you to join the diplomatic envoy... your ladyship, madam."

Beatrice threw up her hands. "No! Please. It's not that kind of diplomacy. There's someone specific I need to get a hold of..."

"Someone specific...? A friend?"

"Yes. Someone I hope to get on friendlier terms with. A possible ally."

"...A boy?"

Beatrice nodded seriously. "A boy my age whom I believe is a driving force behind the Blurichan success."

The maid's head spun and her chest swelled, what a wonderful dramatic twist! "I see! No wonder you had broken off your engagement. And now you two are separated by this horrible conflict! Star-crossed! Don't worry miss, not a word of this will go to your father."

"Good. Uh... star-?"

"We must find a way to reach out to him quickly! I am certain there is a way to slip you past the battlefield, I shall talk to Higgins, the butler. He knows some people that know some people." The excitement elevated her pace and pitch and she made a deliberate effort to keep herself in the intelligible range.

Beatrice stammered a bit trying to keep up. "O-okay! That'd be great, thank you!"

"The maid grasped her hands. "The two of you will be reunited, I'm sure of it!" Then she dashed out of the room.

There was much to do, bringing the young lady and her secret lover back together.

----------------------------------------

While all of this was playing out, Scratch had almost forgotten about his letter.

He had gotten himself in a whole different conflict. One that could by itself tear the Promise and its guarantee of protection apart.

"It says 5 gold!"

He forced a smile. "It just says the number 5, if you'll read it."

The brood mother waved the piece of cloth at him. Too angry now to even speak. "You- This- It's theft, is what it is."

She was one of the more prominent brood mothers in the favored territory. Normally, she would have taken her grievance up with Barbara. However...

"You know, Barb would've never let this happen. She looked out for the rest of us. But as soon as she's gone you go ahead and pull this. You think you're invulnerable!?"

The words were vaguely threatening enough that it made Felix put his hand on his weapon and Ada put away her pocketbook.

The brood mother showed the palms of her hands and backed off.

"As far as you're concerned, nothing will change." Scratch explained. "Lumber costs the same, textile costs the same, you're not losing out on this."

"Then what's the point, huh?" She said, still agitated. "We can't have gold metal in our homes, but we could be sure we had gold to spend via these promissory notes. What'sit mean they can't be exchanged for gold anymore, huh? You decided to keep the whole hoard to yourself? Just you wait if the adventurers' guild find out how much booty-"

"They CAN still be exchanged for gold, you mad cow!"

Scratch didn't often get mad. She was slightly stunned.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and then held up a hand in a gesture of insincere half-apology. "They're just not pegged to a set amount of gold."

"So they're worthless."

"No it's-..." He tried to come up with an analogy. "You're buying limestone from one of our bandit cities in the north, right?"

"Right."

"So how many promissory notes did you agree to pay for it, for how much were they willing to part with it?"

"120 or thereabouts?"

"Well there you go. That means the value of a note is 1/120th of a limestone shipment."

"The market value in gold is 120 you obtuse bastard."

He nodded. "And if you visit our currency exchange, you'll see that the rate is still roughly 1 gold for 1 note. For now."

"But eventually, you'll be skimming from the top. Is that it?"

Scratch sighed. He had the prospect of having to suss the suspicions of every broodmother in the entire goblin territory. "Eventually, the gold price of limestone may change. It happens all the time. Someone claims a dragon's hoard, and all of a sudden the whole county is flush with cash and they won't get out of bed anymore unless it's for a big sum. It's chaotic! Gold backed currency is a stress tornado of fluctuating prices. Fiat currency is controlled. You can expect to be paying 120 notes or thereabouts for that amount of limestone for a long time in the future."

"...This is some sort of trick. What are you really trying to do?"

"How about we let this one sit for a while, and if it comes out that you're losing out you come to me then, alright? I'll be right here, I can't go anywhere."

Eventually she was pacified by the promise that she could come back to complain later.

"Why didn't you tell her what's going to happen to the value of gold?" Ada asked, after she had gone.

"That's state secret."

----------------------------------------

One the break of day, midsummer, a peaceful village in the south of Reddington was hit by a devastating earthquake.

One of the titans holding up the world above the abyss had flinched, and the slight slip in his grasp had shifted miles of rock and stone.

The reason for the being's mistake was a sudden gathering on the Inverse Mountain.

The jagged piece of rock hung beside his face, as tall as the tallest peak the Overworld had pointing up at the stars, but pointing down towards Hell instead.

That day, the stalagtite was tittering with demons.

Succubi, incubi, gold devils, and all other demons from the family of temptation hissed and screamed and beared their claws. As Youthere descended towards the peak.

The enormous rolling eyeball of the titan filled the sky before him, and below him the distant fires of hell burned.

But he were not afraid.

He were proud of his depravity, and he were proud of the duplicity of his master.

Yet, he was there to hear judgment.

-

"Servant of Evil," the succubus spoke his true name, "you stand accused of-" she almost couldn't say the word. "Benefaction...ugh. What do you plead?"

She hung upside down, harpy claws digging into the tip of stone to prevent her from falling into the abyss and losing her physical form, so that she could look down on him. That is to say, up at him.

He secured himself with his feet as well. The bangs that covered his face most of the time fell upwards, and they could look one another in the eye.

"Guilty, your wretchness."

The swarm of demons recoiled as one, retracting on the mountain like the hairs on a catterpillar.

"That is, if it is benefaction to lie, to betray, and to kill those who trust one. Then yes, I have been unforgivably virtuous."

"Is that what you shall report to the Prime Evil? That you saw fit to destroy a thousand years of cruelty for a few seconds of betrayal?"

"That is right, and I make no apology!"

The demons hissed and stamped and flapped their wings and almost drowned out his speaking.

"If you- Friends! Friends! If you disagreed with me, you would not be demons of Temptation! Friends! What value is cruelty if not begot by the hands of mortals? A thousand years of cruelty, indeed, but by whom!?"

He pointed accusingly at his accuser.

"By your beloved Golgos, who would feed my master's empire to the Gluttonous Goblin King. I say nay!"

"The five heads of temptation were our greatest ally in tempting humanity towards evil, your summoner has broken that strength!" She argued.

"Each age that a champion of any of the five heads hath reigned as demon king, evil itself did not proliferate. Indulgence did, yes, by the demon king, and suffering, yes, by the subjects. But not sin in the minds of men." He held up his arms, that is to say, held them down, to call up support from among the crowd. "Do I lie!?"

"Your words are as empty as your appetite for evil, traitor. We could have been feasting on the cries of despair, that mankind let out against the lash of a goblin flood. Yet your master stays his hand."

"Cries of defiance!" He said. "My master has tempted countless into evil. Even now, they eagerly hold out their hands for his alms, they lie and beg and steal for his Sweet Crimson, and they abandon service of their lord to join his outlaw cities. Friends, we together can make new ideal for humanity to aspire to. One of greed and ruthlessness and domination. A hero of evil!"

This was his crowd. He could not have won so many supporters if he had not been given this chance to speak at Inverse Mountain.

The demons of temptation were certainly amenable to it. They knew of the sway heroes had among humanity, they had to navigate around it every day.

Mortals were loathe to resort to sin that betrayed their ideals, their examples.

But for sin itself to become the ideal... it was almost too good to be true.

The accusing succubus made one last plea to win back the crowd. "The stolen power of Eriad now lies with Dither, who is our enemy. You do not deny that we have lost our strength?"

"..." Youthere fell silent. He had known that he would have to address it eventually.

They had not introduced Scratch to the evil god expecting him to betray it and harvest its vital essence.

But now there was nothing to do other than own it.

"Dither herself will be patron to the succubi." He boldly pronounced. "If she will not, let my light be extinguished and cast into Hell, never to return."

It was a powerful oath, and not something a demon could make lightly. An incubus didn't have the strength to survive among fire demons.

That just meant he had to make it true.

"How?" She demanded.

"The same as mortals become our masters. She will be seduced."

By some greater instinct, the demons felt that this was the end of the argument and fell upon the two.

Inverse Mountain became a brawl of claws, wings, and magic, with demons fighting for whoever they believed had made the stronger case.

In the end, it was the accuser that was overpowered and cast down into the black.

The familiar to their hero of evil had won.

----------------------------------------

Heart Flutter

Class: Bard

Rank: C

As this spell has no combat functionality, it may be taught outside of the adventurers' guild.

Where the pacify spell can keep an enemy from attacking, and the enrage spell can set a monster or beast on a nearby target, the arouse spell only arouses the brief sensation of being in love.

The bard's song induces excitement and euphoria while it plays. This will cause the subject to seriously consider their feelings towards those in their life, but can not induce a lasting fondness for a specific person. True love can only be brought to the forefront of one's mind if it was already sleeping inside.

This is a bard spell, and can only be cast via magical instrument. The goddess of love, Dither, bestowed this song upon the great Madeline hero during the Blurich/Grienice war, to make the generals realize their love for each other and bring about peace.

Addendum: guildmembers are hereby forbidden from using Heart Flutter anywhere in hearing range from the guildhouse. Your party members are NOT secretely in love with each other, stop trying to turn real life into your romance novels!!!!