Aperio, seated at the edge of the bed, squinted slightly at the maid that stood in front of the door. The Human could of course not see, or even hear her, but the All-Mother still found her presence a little weird. Sure, she had memories of performing the same task herself, but this maid looked like she was dying to burst into the room.
"Just ignore her," Caethya said, poking her head out of the bathroom, hair still wet from the shower she had taken. "She is just waiting to be called on. It's almost time for breakfast, after all."
"Oh, right," Aperio said, letting herself fall onto the bed properly and eliciting a small giggle from her love as she returned to the bath. "Eating." Did I really forget that?
Ever since the bit of fruit and bread she had consumed shortly after her return, Aperio had not really thought about food. Or any other bodily need for that matter… She had not even wanted for a shower again, a thought all that she needed to remove anything she did not like. Caethya, on the other hand, had denied her request to magic her clean, saying that a shower was something that helped her start the day. Aperio had even pointed out that this particular bathroom did not enjoy the privacy features of the one in the temple — she would see everything — but Caethya had not been swayed.
So, the All-Mother had tried her best to distract herself. Something that mostly ended up with looking at the maid outside their room and the System itself. Caethya had only laughed at her reaction, something Aperio did not quite understand. Perhaps neither of them had a problem with any of it, but in the All-Mother's mind, privacy was something that ranked highly; even if the party observed did not mind. It was a matter of principle, something she would need a lot more of in the future.
The only thing keeping her from doing what she wanted was herself; the rules and principles she made. Aperio sighed as she rubbed her temples, flapping her wings slightly as a thought turned her around, causing her to lie in bed with her face buried in pillows. She relaxed her feathered appendages, letting them hang over the bed and spill onto the floor. Maybe I should have her make some food?
Aperio disliked the idea of commanding the maid to do something, even though she knew that it was her job. One that paid well, if she had correctly guessed the value of the bits of jewellery the woman wore.
"How much is a maid paid?" Aperio asked, removing her head from the pillows and looking into the bathroom.
Caethya offered a small shrug as she ran a small crystal brush through her hair, causing the last bit of wetness to vanish. "Depends on the house they serve." She put the brush away, a dress appearing on her as if it had always been there. "The Terenyks seem to look after their servants. Their uniforms are also of remarkably high quality, not to mention the weapons they have on them at all times.
"But why do you ask?" The Demigoddess stepped out of the bathroom and turned her back towards Aperio. She pulled her hair over her shoulder, gesturing at her exposed back. "Would you mind?"
The All-Mother appeared behind Caethya, carefully running her hand over the runes that had been woven into the fabric of the dress. A touch of her mana caused the enchantment to come alive, knitting the garment together, creating the illusion that was a single piece. That enchantment design is ancient; hasn't changed at all since… then.
She shook her head, brushing her hand over Caethya's back instead. "All done," Aperio said, carefully combing her love's hair back into place with her other hand.
"Thank you," Caethya replied as she turned around, letting her dress flutter perhaps a bit more than it needed to. She held out her hand for the All-Mother to take. "It's always a pain to wrangle that yourself."
Aperio tilted her head slightly as she took the hand. "But you could just let your mana run through it? There is no need to actually touch the runes."
"Not all of us can use magic as if it was another hand," Caethya replied, giving Aperio a light nudge. "It doesn't help that I have a lot more mana now and that it's seemingly not quite settled into my body yet."
"Which also changed," Aperio added. Caethya might look the same as she did before, but Aperio was well aware of the changes her Class had brought. The Demigoddess was a lot stronger than before, more durable too. Something that would require some getting used to. Just like me. Though in hindsight, she had almost taken no time at all to get used to a body so drastically different from her own.
"Yes," her love said with a nod, reaching out to open a door. A thought from the All-Mother made the movement unnecessary, the heavy wooden door swinging open to reveal the maid that was now bowing a little too deeply for Aperio's tastes.
"Should you not take a day off after getting your Class?" Aperio asked, gently pushing the Human upwards with one of her wings so she would stand straight. "I doubt it was pleasant."
"I-I… uhm," the maid began, her eyes wandering from the All-Mother to Caethya and finally to the floor. "I did not get one."
Aperio withdrew her wing, letting go of Caethya's hand as she took a step towards the maid. "May I?" she asked, a small ball of mana appearing in her hand. It was not needed, of course, but she hoped that her intent would be better understood this way.
The maid gave a small nod and not a moment later, the All-Mother let the mana she had held in her hand flow into her. It did not take long for her to find the runes on the Human's Soul. A thought caused a tiny part of the River of Souls to flow around the glowing orb, causing the maid to shift slightly.
"Did you follow one of the Gods that I… removed?" Aperio asked, lowering herself to eye level with the Human.
"N-No," the woman stammered in reply, taking a step backwards, stumbling over her own feet.
Aperio let out a sigh as she stepped next to Caethya again, a touch of her magic stopping the maid from falling over. "I am not angry with you," she said, retreating slightly behind her love. "I merely wish to know so I can help you."
"Did she do something wrong?" The voice of Amelia echoed from further down the hallway.
"No," Caethya replied. "Aperio inquired about her Class and, as she did not have one, asked if she had followed one of the now-dead deities."
"She did not," Aperio said, tilting her head slightly as she let more information from her aura enter her mind. Maria was waiting just out of sight behind the corner with yet another maid, something that did not quite make sense to the All-Mother. Why do they still fear me? A thought bent reality ever-so-slightly, causing a very happy Maria to wrap her arms around Aperio as best she could and the accompanying maid to take a few steps back. "But her Soul has still been marred."
"Marred?" Amelia asked, only giving Maria a brief look before focusing back on the maid, who had acquired a slight, full-bodied tremor. "What do you mean by marred?"
"That it has been damaged and needs to be healed," the All-Mother replied, barely catching herself from saying repaired. Being repaired was reserved for things, not people. "It should only take a few days, after which she should get a Class." I should've told the System to make me a list of the people it did not give a Class to…
It was an oversight, one she would have to fix somehow. A part of Aperio's mind devoted itself to looking over the System yet again, trying to see if she had maybe already done something similar in the past. The only problem was that there was only so much she knew about the infinite complex that made up the System. Her knowledge of most everything had grown, yes, but a good part of her creation still escaped her conscious mind. A feeling that told her what she needed to do was there, but it felt a little more distant than usual; a little more… uncertain. Quiet enough that Aperio was not willing to trust it.
"Okay…" Amelia said, taking the shaking maid by one hand and wrapping the other around her shoulders. "Come with me, okay?" she asked, pulling the woman along after she gave a brief nod. Amelia set her eyes on the All-Mother once more before moving along further. "Lord Terenyk is expecting you. I will leave Maria in your care."
Her last sentence had been spoken in a calm, measured voice. Each word perfectly enunciated. "Of course," Aperio replied, picking the girl up with one arm while taking hold of Caethya's hand with the other. "I apologise," she continued, offering a small nod towards the maid that Amelia held. "I did not mean to scare her."
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Before any of the maids had a chance to say anything, Aperio forced reality to twist itself apart once more, causing Maria, Caethya, and herself to appear in the dining room that held Lord Terenyk. The man only coughed once at their entry, swallowing the bit of bread he had been trying to eat before standing and offering a bow.
"Welcome," he said, his voice a little more coarse than usual. "I hope the accommodations were to your liking."
"They were perfect," Caethya replied, giving Aperio's hand a small squeeze. "Though, should we stay here again, you can tell the maids that we will not need their service."
The All-Mother tuned out the pleasantries Caethya and Lord Terenyk exchanged fairly quickly. She had heard them all before and held no interest in them. What did interest her was the fact that nobody was showing much of a reaction to having received a Class. It should have, quite literally, changed the world. People who had little to no power before might now have more than they had ever thought while the people who enjoyed power before might now find themselves at the mercy of those they ruled. Kings and Queens don't tend to do much.
"What class did you get?" Aperio asked Maria, her voice barely a whisper as she tried not to interrupt her love's diplomacy.
"I'm a mage!" the girl replied in an excited whisper, a small ball of golden and silver mana forming in her hand. "It gave my mana funny colours!"
"I can see that," Aperio replied with a small smile. The mana of her youngest follower had most definitely changed more than Maria seemed to know. Its purity had gone through the roof when she compared it to what the girl had used before. "Looks a little like mine."
The golden part belonged to Maria — it felt like her and seemed to mold to her will a little easier — while the silver mana always took a little longer to follow the girl's guidance. It also felt a lot like Aperio's own mana, so much so that she had to make a conscious effort to not take control of it.
Before Maria could reply, Lord Terenyk and Caethya had come to the end of their unnecessarily long greeting and the Demigoddess offered a seat to Aperio. The All-Mother frowned slightly at the gesture but sat herself down nonetheless, a touch of her magic pulling out the chair next to her so Caethya might sit as well.
The Demigoddess smiled, placing a quick kiss on the All-Mother's cheek before sitting down. Some of the servants present began to whisper at the action, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Aperio could hear every single one of them. Just not understand all of them…
She shook her head, shifting Maria slightly in her arms and setting her gaze on Lord Terenyk. "There are a few things I would like to discuss." Once the man had given her a nod, Aperio spoke again. "Firstly, I would like to know if there is a bigger gathering you could call for the leaders of Ebenlowe. I have business with all of them.
"Secondly," she continued, "I want to know why nobody seems surprised by the Classes they received. I had wanted this to be a distraction that calms people down, yes, but this seems a little much."
"And you think I am qualified to answer that?" Lord Terenyk asked, his voice a little higher than usual. "Why?"
The All-Mother offered a small shrug, her wings almost knocking over the neighbouring chair. "You are mortal like they are, and yet you show a great lack of surprise at what you got. Instead, it looks like this is just another day for you. For everyone."
"What did you expect to happen?" he asked. "We talked about what happened, yes, but there is nothing we can change about it. No mortal has the power to just give someone another Class, so we simply move on." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's also not the weirdest thing that happened lately and most people — at least those I know of — want to return to normality."
"So all the mortals collectively chose to just… move on?" How does that make any sense?
"We are simply more worried about the deities that no longer are," Lord Terenyk replied. "Which brings me to your first question. Yes, I can call for the Council of Ebenlowe to gather, but that won't be needed. A gathering has already been called for tomorrow. You could attend if you like, but, if you allow me the question, why would you want that?"
Aperio hesitated for a moment, only speaking after a touch of her magic ensured that Maria would not hear. "Because I wish to know what you plan to do about Geshwen. What they are doing cannot be allowed to continue, but I have been… informed that my solution would only fix it in the interim, not the long term."
"Ah, yes," Geshton said, "Geshwen. I am sure that topic will come up, even if it is only to discuss what little information we have left now." The man obviously did not seem thrilled to discuss the slavers, even less so that the All-Mother wanted to listen in on the conversation. And force the issue.
If the mortals just bickered around like Aperio thought they would, she would go to Geshwen herself and do what she had initially thought of. Cut off the head and hope two don't grow back. If Caethya was right — which she probably was — whatever empire called Geshwen home would simply come back, worse than it was now. Probably going to be one that calls itself Hydra, too. She had not seen that particular creature yet, but what she had heard about it was not good. Not that it would be an issue now.
"If you have a plan to deal with the Eternal Empire of Zeltar, I would be happy to hear it," Lord Terenyk said. "Maybe it could be a long term solution."
"It couldn't," Caethya said, placing her hand on Aperio's to stop the All-Mother from speaking. "Her view of this problem is a little… skewed, and her solution reflects that."
A wave of Lord Terenyk's hand cleared the servants out of the room, none of them hesitating for even a moment. He, on the other hand, did hesitate, his eyes wandering from Maria to Aperio before Caethya beckoned him to say what he obviously wanted.
"What is your plan, Lady Aperio?" he finally asked. "Just… kill them?"
"Yes," Aperio replied, directing a thought at the girl in her arms as Maria wanted to know why she could not hear. "They do not deserve to live." She let a bit of her own mana dance around Maria, mimicking the flow of the girl's own. "What they do is almost as bad as the actions of the deities they followed, and what they planned for the rest of the world is not better.
"Luckily," Aperio continued, letting the 'New World Report' appear in front of Lord Terenyk with the correct page open. "They can no longer lean on those Gods for help, but that only means they will drive the people they already enslave even harder. I have let this happen for too long, and either you mortals end it yourselves, or I will."
The Human let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what you experienced to have such a view," he said, "but I agree with Lady Caethya. Merely removing the ones in power will not work. Changing the way an entire empire operates is not easy, nor is it quick."
"Time is not an issue." Aperio shrugged. "I have no problem watching over them for the next millennium if that is what it takes for them to not be slaving despots." She shifted slightly in her chair, the wood creaking under her weight. "I do not have many rules, but slavery is one of the few things I will not tolerate." And once I figure out how, I will have the System forbid it.
She would likely never be able to erase all forms of slavery, but she could at least stop the magical means of enabling that vile practice. For the rest, Aperio would have to accept that she could not prevent it if she did not watch over her creation at all times. Something that was quite difficult for her to even think of attempting. Why can't people just be nice?
Whatever it was, it seemed that mortals never wanted to be good to one another if they did not get something out of it. And if they found someone that could give them something they wanted or needed, they would rather spend their time begging that person than figure out another way to get what they require. Probably because Epemirial and her ilk trained them to do that…
"I understand," Lord Terenyk said, taking Aperio from her thoughts. "But I am unsure what you want us to do. We are hardly equipped to wage a war, nor do we want to do that. Ebenlowe is a peaceful nation.
"I could probably convince the Council to organise relief missions once the empire has fallen," he continued, scratching his chin, "but then it would still be up to you to face them."
"That is not an issue," Aperio said, gently rocking Maria back and forth. How the girl had managed to fall back asleep so quickly after rising was not something the All-Mother understood, but she did not mind it either. "I can deal with whatever army they have."
Keeping her aura from showing the rage she felt was not an easy task, but Aperio was fairly sure she was doing a decent job. Maria should be more sensitive to her emotions than most, and she didn't seem to mind. And neither does Caethya.
"Of course," Geshton said, his gaze lingering on Aperio a moment longer. "I simply forget just what you are sometimes. My apologies."
"No," Aperio replied, spreading her wings ever-so-slightly. "That is good! You should treat me like any other person. Respect is earned, not given."
"Your mere presence demands respect," Caethya said, offering a small smile as she looked at Aperio. "The very air changes when you are close; feels almost electric. But that might just be me."
"It is not just you," Geshton said. "But for me it feels more like… Like I should do something. It's weird."
Aperio tilted her head in reply. "Do you intend to do something?"
"I do," Lord Terenyk said, nodding. "I do."