“Don’t mention it,” Sammy replied, raising an eyebrow between them but saying nothing more.

Ba Ra seemed to sober up as she gazed at Samantha. She straightened her glasses and detached herself from Zadkiel, to walk over and fall to her knees at Samantha’s feet. She bowed her head and placed her ringed, well-manicured hands on the sand. “I owe you my very life, and more importantly, you saved the life of my master. I am eternally grateful for the new chance you’ve given us all to thrive with you. Please allow me to serve the desires of your heart as you see fit.”

Taken aback by such a decree from a Servitor, Sammy looked up from the still-bowed figure to Zadkiel, but he just smirked and shrugged.

Bastard. You made her this way!

Sammy looked back down, noticing the precision and novelty in her fingernail designs. Hmm. That’s individuality for sure. “I like your nails.”

Ba Ra’s striking blue-green eyes looked up at her in confusion. She glanced at her fingernails. “Oh.” She leaned up and held up a hand uncertainly to Sammy, who took it and inspected the designs. It was abstract, but each was in different splashes of color, like individual intricate art pieces in a series. “Thank you. Not many ever see them or notice.”

“Azure would love these, too,” Sammy added.

“Azure?”

“My girlfriend and lover across many lives. Something short of a goddess herself in the literal sense, but close.”

“I see.” Ba Ra smiled pleasantly, though with a subtle flirtatiousness. “That sounds very beautiful.”

Sammy nodded. “It is. And exclusive.”

“I see. I understand, Madam.”

Sammy smiled and lifted with gentle pressure from her hand, bidding the woman to stand. They were nearly eye-to-eye in height and built of a similar frame. “Lest you think I’m rude, you’re very welcome, Ba Ra — for the whole ‘saving you and yours’ thing. Much as Zadkiel often vexes me, I couldn’t just stand by and let King Bitch Sage annihilate him. He still had a part to play in the Fate of things.”

Ba Ra grinned and giggled slightly at her term for the Sage. “Fate, you say?”

“She is the Goddess of Fate,” Zadkiel answered as he walked up close, his eyes inspecting the beach house nearby. “Which isn’t something to spread around, by the way, dear.”

Ba Ra nodded, then followed Zadkiel’s gaze. “Where you’ll be staying for a while, Master? It’s nice. How long will you have to be here?”

“Five days or so.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “That will be troublesome. Things are falling apart, despite that we continuously communicate to allies that you must yet live for us to even exist. Your clergy are not depowered, but your approval for all Faith Energy expenditures is blocked even on things you’ve delegated to us. Servitors are hobbled in-world and rationing what energy they have left.”

Zadkiel grimaced. “At least we’ll save up a surplus. In any case, we need an angle, we need a story, preferably one that involves a mutual heroic effort between myself and the other deity present.”

“In this case, you mean Puck, right?” Sammy asked.

“Yes. It’ll be easier that way when we present a mutual front. Be ready.”

“Hmm,” Ba Ra mused with a finger twirling her hair. “Why not say the Sage ripped out your soul and tried to harvest it along with your mind, greedy for his own ends to enslave you? But to his surprise, you resisted and did not succumb! By the efforts of your mighty will against torturous malice, you persevered! When the entity behind Greenleaf found out, she came to your aid and together you broke free and fought off the Sage to escape!”

“Hey, that’s not bad,” Sammy replied, nodding.

Zadkiel frowned in thought. “I broke free, but I was still weakened, our battle of wills uncertain, and this mysterious figure ambushed the Sage at a key moment. That helps preserve a stronger image of me. Also… it’s more believable if Redberry is involved. You really did restore her completely, Samantha?”

Sammy nodded. “That I did. There is no corruption left, not a dot. She is as strong as she’s ever been, her powers in full force.”

Zadkiel smiled, nodding slowly.

Ba Ra gasped open-mouthed, looking between them and growing her own smile. Unable to handle the excitement, she gave a squee and threw her arms around Samantha in a firm hug. “Thank you! This means everything — it could turn the tides, it could change everything! And he cares for her so much!”

“That’s enough, Ba Ra,” Zadkiel muttered, almost a growl. He was annoyed, shaking his head slightly.

Ba Ra broke from the embrace, eyes cast downward in embarrassment. “Sorry, Master; sorry, Madam.”

Grinning, Sammy kept an arm around Ba Ra and patted her back comfortingly. “It’s totally fine. Trust me, I was elated that it all worked out myself. Maybe the greatest thing I’ve ever done.”

Meeting her eyes, Ba Ra smiled faintly and nodded. Then wonderment seemed to enter her features. “How was it even possible? What the Sage can do is deemed irreparable. Glae had only that last ditch preventative measure.”

Sammy opened her mouth to answer then hesitated, glancing between them. Hmm. Should I give the details? One way or another, we’re close allies now. Eh, I can be vague on this. “I have very special capabilities through the domain of [Light]. It requires special preparation and resources, but yes, I can cleanse any corruption, including from [Entropy]. Unfortunately, Biggun Sage is powerful enough to wipe nearly anyone instantly, but for lesser effects or someone that somehow resists for a while, I can remove it.”

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

“That is fascinating. Incredible. You are incredible, Madam. A one-of-a-kind, lovely treasure of Calrenazzod.”

For some reason, Ba Ra’s praise felt super good. “Well, you know…heh. I have my moments!”

“Indeed! You’re going to have so” — and she swept her free hand out with her eyes wide in emphasis — “many more, I know it!”

“Eh, well, maybe… probably! Haha!”

Sammy laughed, and Ba Ra burst out in very infectious laughter, which made Sammy laugh even more in general silliness.

“I’m so glad we’re going to be friends, Samantha! You’re so fun, it’s ridiculous!” Her emphasis was goofy, which made them both snicker and laugh once more.

“Me?! You!”

“Guilty as charged, Goddess of Judgment! Tehahaha!”

“Pfft! Tehehe!” Sammy sputtered and giggled in a fit again. “Oh, gosh… you have got to come to the swimsuit party!”

“Swimming?! Ooh, I couldn’t miss it — not even for the Bi-Monthly Servitor Sex Party!”

“Bi-Monthly Servitor what?! You have those?”

“No! Pffff!” She burst into laughter again, and Sammy joined her, almost falling over.

Zadkiel watched them with his arms crossed, a small smile on his lips. “It’s wonderful you’re getting along.”

Sammy looked at him as she tried to compose herself. “Zaddy, Zaddy… hey, hehe! Hey… what did you call, um, pfff!” She couldn’t get it out, so she just pointed at Ba Ra emphatically, who made an emotive, dumb face in response which set Sammy off yet again.

Zadkiel raised an eyebrow. “Ba Ra? What do you mean?”

This is so stupid! Why am I-?! But it feels so good. Reminds me of goofy Earth days.

Sammy chortled into her hand a few times, avoiding looking at Ba Ra long enough to gain control and speak correctly. “Stigmata or something? H-her type.”

Zadkiel smirked. “Schismatist.” His eyes held hers with some sort of special significance. What is he…?

“We perform,” Ba Ra began, then cast an arm out dramatically, “Shitmatizzies!”

Sammy shook her head, snickering but keeping it together for once. “Hrrn, don’t, Ba Ra!” she insisted in a strangled voice. “What are they? She seems more like a-... a Unifier to me. Or a damn comedian!”

Despite knowing her for only minutes, she felt like a long-lost friend, which all things considered, kinda made her wonder about her even being created.

Ba Ra smirked at Sammy with a playful expression, and as familiar as anyone, reached her free hand over and tickled Sammy in the ribs of all things. “Laughter is good for the soul!” she teased.

Sammy fended her off while still giggling, shocked by the gesture.

Meanwhile, Zadkiel had kept eye contact with her the whole time, still smirking to himself. “They insinuate, ingratiate, and infiltrate, with zero qualms or mercy. They’re social empaths and manipulators. I’ve used them to win hearts and drive divides in clans, start wars, and make friends high and low. Ruthless tools that ferret out the best skin to wear to serve their master’s will.”

“Uh… what?” Sammy didn’t fully absorb it, couldn’t quite accept it. Her eyes shifted from him to Ba Ra, who was rolling her eyes like ‘This guy, am I right? Come on!’ She was entirely authentic! “No way, Zadkiel. Y-you’re fucking with me, right?”

Zadkiel’s grin widened, but it wasn’t a pleasant one at all. “Did you forget the origin of my first domain?” He shook his head slightly, then turned his eyes to Ba Ra. The smile vanished. “Ba Ra, cut the act, wear no skins. Now.”

Ba Ra’s face went flat as she pulled away from Sammy forcibly and took a long step away from her. Her hands went behind her back as she performed something like a military ‘at attention’ style stance. “Yes, Master.”

Sammy stared at Ba Ra for a long moment, as it dawned on her what happened. She felt like a jackass. Her face grew red hot. “Are you fucking serious? Are you fucking serious, Ba Ra? You’re a complete fake from the beginning?”

Ba Ra’s eyes flickered coldly to Samantha, then to Zadkiel’s more questioningly. He inclined his head as if to give her leave to speak, at which point she turned back to Samantha and replied, “I exude a more palatable persona as default, but I was adapting to you from the moment you sent your first message. I presented something harmless for you to bite into. With you being so soft, it was more to hug and pet, as it turned out. I was hoping to turn it sexual, but with your initial rejection, I went for a friendship. You have a naive, youthful, inexperienced soul, so I went with something similar.”

Sammy, hurt by the words, shook her head for a long while as she glared, crossing her arms and opening her mouth several times to say something, but unable to summon words. Finally, she opted for her default tactic. “Nice, Ba Ra. Real nice. You’re such a cool, cool, fucking awesome cool person. I so wish I was as smooth as you!” Passive aggression. Always a winner.

Ba Ra had as much emotional reaction as a rock would. “If it’s any consolation, you truthfully did need the silliness, and I would’ve preferred continuing to happily dupe you. This wasn’t a smart play by my master.”

“It’s not. It’s not at all, Ba Ra — one hundred fucking percent not any consolation!” At the continued cool stare back at her, Sammy made a frustrated noise. “You’re a monster.” She turned to Zadkiel. “You’re an even bigger monster for creating her, you piece of shit!”

Zadkiel shrugged, but Ba Ra shook her head as if at a child and chided, “Don’t be such a sore loser, Samantha. You were played. Learn from it. Understand the potential you now have in our Line.”

“Fuck your Line! You can shove yourselves up your precious master’s ass!” She didn’t really know if her convictions would hold, but it felt good to say. Still, it did not seem to reach Ba Ra, who only raised a haughty eyebrow. “What about the fingernails? Huh? Did you fake those for me, too? That’s fucking dumb.”

To this, surprisingly, Ba Ra dropped her head and her gaze to the sand. She said nothing.

Zadkiel sighed and held his hands out. “She likes art, yes. An affectation. Now, if we could-”

“What about the reaction? Huh? Was that fake?” Ba Ra did not respond. “You said no one saw or cared about them. Well? A lie? Does it matter to you?” Nothing. “Pff. Whatever. This was such bullshit! I’m outta here. I’ll let you two chat and conspire and fuck and whatever else scumbag demons do.” She flew upward a few meters into the air. “And full disclosure — my realm will be watching and listening so we’re kept informed on your plans.”

Zadkiel managed to wave and say, “Thanks!” before a huge sonic boom went off as Sammy flew away, causing them to both cover their ears. A last, petty parting note from an angry goddess who’d gained and then lost a friend.