Aperio stood up, stretching her wings as far as she could before folding them behind her back and placing one of the funny little green pieces of paper the people of Earth used to pay for things on the table. Adam had tried to explain to her why they prescribed worth to something that was inherently useless, but she could only raise a brow at it. She understood the base idea of it all, but still thought a piece of gold or a trade for something you might need was more worthwhile. Or you just get strong enough so you don't have to rely on others.
"Now, where are we going?" Aperio asked, her eyes fixed on her daughter. "I am sure there is a world that is perfectly suited to showing us why you dislike mortals so much."
Ferio only stared at the All-Mother, seemingly not quite sure what she was supposed to say. Luckily for her, she would not have to endure the awkward silence for too long, as Eleanor was on her way to them.
"You don't have to pay," the mortal said as she looked at the money Aperio had placed on the table. "Especially if you are just going to create it."
"I enjoyed the tea you made greatly." The All-Mother shrugged. "Besides, it is simply paper. Quite a few mortals are bound to figure out how to make it themselves soon enough."
"So, you are saying that we are also going to get an economic apocalypse combined with all the monsters that are popping up? Great."
"Perhaps you should have based your trading currency on something more substantial than paper, then."
"I think what it's made of has little influence on the collapse that is to come," Caethya said as she also stood up. "But I do agree with Aperio, you should be paid for your time and the money she makes is as valid as any other. If anything, what she made is better."
The All-Mother gave a nod at the words. Most things she created were, in fact, better.
"I'm just not gonna think about it." Eleanor picked up the money, the cups vanishing in turn when she glanced at them. "And who is the new guest? Should I get you anything?"
"That is my daughter, Ferio," the All-Mother said. "And we were about to leave."
Eleanor looked between Aperio and Ferio before she shook her head. "I don't think I want to know how that dynamic works. Best of luck."
"Is it that weird that I have a daughter?"
"Oh, no it's not that," Eleanor said. "I meant that there seems to be some animosity between the two of you. And I don't want to be anywhere close to either of you when you choose to resolve said animosity in ways other than talking."
"Not to worry, we are leaving Earth for a little while," Aperio replied, giving Eleanor a smile before she looked at her daughter. "Ferio simply has to tell me where she wishes to take us to prove her point."
"Ah, yes, Goddess stuff," Eleanor said and nodded to herself. "It's shocking that I don't find this weird." She looked at her other customers who were blissfully unaware of their conversation. "Or question the fact that none of the other people can hear us."
"I told you," Caethya said, stepping next to Aperio and wrapping an arm around her waist. "She just grows on you and suddenly all her magic is not so scary anymore."
"Still plenty scary," the mortal replied as she looked the All-Mother up and down. "Especially the slightly glowing eyes. It’s unsettling how she seems to just look right past you and at your Soul or something."
"That is probably exactly what she is doing," Ferio said. "Mother is quite beyond you or anyone else."
"Oh, most definitely," Eleanor agreed. "But she seems pretty keen on being just another person, and that is fine with me. Now, if you will excuse me, I do have other guests to attend to."
Aperio offered the mortal a wave before she set her attention back on her daughter. "So?" the All-Mother asked, a slight tinge of annoyance tainting her words. "Where are we going to observe some annoying mortals?"
"Kulso," Ferio replied after a moment of hesitation. A small orb appeared in her hand and she offered it to her mother. "This should be enough for you to figure out where it is."
The All-Mother took the sphere from her daughter's hand. She tilted her head as she felt countless threads of her own creation connect to it, all of which lead to places beyond their current reality. One of them shone a bit brighter, the mana of Ferio clearly visible on it. Aperio followed that one, a small part of her mind racing along the thread as her daughter ever-so-slowly stood up from her chair.
It didn't take her long to find the world of "Kulso" on the other side. A planet like so many others, nestled in the comforting embrace of its sun's gravity. The one thing that stood out the most was the fact that the areas that would normally sport a shade of green were instead a deep red. The trees, the grass, the vines — most of it was various shades of red.
A thought caused the three of them to vanish from Earth, appearing in space above the world her daughter likely ruled.
"Was it always like that or did they change the colour to appease you?" Caethya asked as she looked at the red swaths covering most of Kulso.
Ferio huffed and gestured towards her hair. "Of course they did it to 'appease' me."
"She likes it," Aperio said, looking at her daughter. "Do not lie."
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"Fine." Goddess of Life and Light folded her arms in front of her chest. "I do. It just looks good."
"It does," Caethya agreed. "Bit excessive though."
"Perhaps, but I do not see why this would be bad. The world itself still functions just fine, after all. This was a purely cosmetic change."
Of course, Aperio could already see the various temples and churches that had been built in her daughter’s name, but she had yet to see why any of this could be construed as a negative. Mortals liked to not only blame parts of their problems on someone else but also have some choices made for them. She understood the first part, but the second one just felt fundamentally wrong. Sure, some choices were hard, but those were the most important ones.
"Shall we pay them a visit, then?" Aperio asked. "I am sure they will be delighted to have their Goddess descend on their world. It must have been years since that last happened."
"Centuries, more like," Ferio mumbled under her breath. "The last time I came here a duke tried to bribe me with a harem so I would excommunicate his king. In what world did he think that would work?"
"In this one, apparently," Caethya said with a mischievous smile on her face. "Did it work, though?"
"No."
"Did you consider it?"
"No!"
"Is she lying, Aperio?"
"Not as far as I can tell," the All-Mother replied with a shrug. "It is a rather unappealing offer, especially for her, so I am not surprised. Why would the Goddess that dislikes mortals want to share a bed with them?"
"I also don't like being bribed," Ferio said. "So I killed the duke." She gave a small laugh. "Ironically, that started a war that saw the king deposed. It was for the better, honestly. He was very corrupt."
Aperio only raised a brow, not commenting on the fact that her daughter had killed someone simply because they slighted her. Instead, she picked a rather empty area on the biggest continent and brought the three of them there. It was a quick enough journey from there to one of the nice little villages these 'very bad' mortals had built, and Aperio thought that it would be good to check the local flavour before, say, arriving with great fanfare in their capital city or something of the like.
At least they would blend in, as only Elves lived on this world; walking into a village would not draw that much attention. Besides the fact that they have fairly accurate depictions of Ferio and she does resemble me. But then, mortals weren't all that bright when confronted with the obvious. Unless of course, these ones were smarter than the ones she had encountered on Verenier time and time again.
A though also gifted Caethya with the [Translation] skill so she could understand the people while Aperio perused all the libraries the world had to offer until she found a dictionary that, for one reason or another, actually translated between something very close to the Ancient Common she knew and one of the languages of this world. From that point onwards it was only a moment of annoying busywork to go through all the other language books to get a decent grasp on what words the mortals used in this day and age.
"A bit of a warning would be nice," Caethya said, lightly patting Aperio's back to get her attention. "Suddenly changing location in the middle of a conversation is a bit much."
The All-Mother shrugged, her wings spreading to their full length with the motion. "I do not see the problem, we had to come down anyway." And it's not like teleporting us interrupts conversation or anything.
She took pride in her fact that most of her magic was expertly weaved into the fabric of her creation and created no noticeable disruption in anything. The only reason one would know they teleported was because the surroundings had changed.
Caethya let out a sigh and shook her head. "Where are we going? I assume we won't just stand around on a field until someone finds us."
"There is a village nearby," Aperio said, gesturing towards it with a wing. "I brought us here because it is far enough away for them to not notice our sudden arrival, but close enough that a leisurely walk will get us there. We should savour nature before we are confronted with the most heinous of mortals, after all."
Ferio rubbed her temples at her mother's words. "Just go," she said and started walking in the direction the All-Mother had indicated. "The sooner we are done here, the better."
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Eriha knew today would be a good day. After his wife had fallen ill over a year ago, and the priest of their village had chosen their family to receive the Goddess' blessing for this year's Renewal Festival, his beloved had finally taken her first steps out of her sick bed. We have truly been blessed.
No matter how he turned it, the Red Sun must have heard his prayers and taken pity on his wife and healed her. The way her wounds had healed could have only been done through the power of the Goddess. A true miracle.
He stopped as he reached the top of the small hill that separated their village from most of the fields, taking in the fast expanse of red and orange that stretched all the way until the horizon. Eriha squinted, his eyes catching a few bits of green in the otherwise perfect sea of crops. Luckily, the ritual today would fix nature's mistake and grant them another year of bountiful harvests thanks to the glory of the Red Sun.
With a grunt, he picked his bag back up and began the journey downwards. He had to deliver the tools he had repaired back to Villhiem so the man could start his harvest tomorrow. It was of utmost importance that everything went well, otherwise they would not be able to both pay the tax and have enough left for the extra offerings they wanted to do. But it looks like She smiles upon us today, Eriha mused to himself as he directed his gaze towards the red orb in the sky. Praise be.
Eriha hummed to himself as he continued down the hill, stopping every now and then to pick a few Sun-Kissed Roses that bloomed at the sides of the road for his wife. She loved the flowers and was by far the best in the village when it came to turning them into a nice tea. The fact that they gave you a small boost to all your stats when prepared right was just a bonus to the taste and smell. The Red Sun always provides.
His musings stopped when he saw a group of three exit the small patch of forest that separated the fertile fields from the open plains of the Carnal Wastes. The woman in the centre drew his attention first, the wings on her back and the black, blue, and silver of her clothes marking her quite clearly as a servant of the Star's Mother. Judging by her build, she was also an enforcer; not a good sign.
The woman to her left seemed like any other adventurer that passed through every now and then .The same simple clothing that hid whatever weapons they might use. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was the fact that the enforcer had a wing and an arm wrapped around her. Perhaps it was not that bad, then. Maybe just an enforcer on vacation with her wife?
That thought vanished from Eriha's mind as soon as his eyes settled on the last person in the group. For one reason or another, he could not truly notice her until he consciously looked. The reason for this effect was as clear as the Red Sun's rays when his mind finally caught up.
He fell to his knees and pressed his head to the ground. An Emissary of their Sun had come to bless this glorious day. His prayers had truly been answered; his pleadings heard. Villhiem would have to wait, for Eriha had been chosen by the Red Sun herself.