”Every day? Really?” Araqiel asked, looking at Moirai meaningfully.
“You’re still on about that? Is this really the time to get into this topic?” Moirai shot back a little exasperated. At the same time, she slammed the head of a nearby Archon through the table.
“It’s always time to talk about that particular subject.” Dee stated gleefully while lifting another up by his neck. “Besides, it wasn’t my idea for the two of you to start drinking heavily last night. You’re the one that blurted that little morsel out after eight drinks. Which remind me, really? Every day? Isn’t that a bit…”
“I don’t want to hear that from someone who wore out a succubus!” Moirai defended herself. The fact that her hair and tail were currently flaming red might or might not be due to embarrassment, but at least it was hiding any other visible signs.
“Wait, you outlasted a succubus? At sex? I didn’t think that was even possible.” Araqiel now turned her judging look towards Dee while at the same time blasting away a human man that had wandered too close. For an upscale inn, the patrons sure were eager to participate in the ongoing bar fight. And not all of them had figured out that the three women on the balcony were not to be messed with. Being drunk gave some people strange bravery, even if every sense they had should’ve been screaming that attacking Dee especially was a really bad idea.
Dee tossed her previous victim off the balcony just in time to catch another one by the neck. “Well to be fair, she was much lower ranked than me. Stamina was still an issue for her, while it wasn’t really for me.”
“I’m not sure that’s how it works.” Araqiel stated. The surroundings were clearing up as the fracas was focused on the lower level. Partially because the three of them kept tossing people down, which landed them in the middle of the fight. “I’m pretty confident that succubi actually gain more stamina during the act.”
“When I walked into the room, the stench of sex was thick enough to cut with one of your psionic knives. And I’m pretty sure she was delirious not too tired. I seem to recall she was still twitching.” Moirai pointed out rather acerbically.
“Well, look, there might have been some denial play at work at that time. Besides, recovering stamina during sex helps only so much if you keep spending more than you recover.” Dee found herself on the defensive for once. Not what she had in mind when the discussion started.
“And what about the orgy in the Coven den? You’re not going to claim that all of those fainted women I had to step over had also run out of stamina, are you? I’m pretty sure there were at least a few immortals mixed in. And that path of destruction took up most two rooms and a fairly long hallway.” Moirai continued her attack, mostly because she knew that she would be on the receiving end again if she did not.
“That was Nyx’s fault, not mine.” Dee stated a little coyly.
“Don’t you dare bring my mother into this!” Moirai argued back.
A fourth voice interjected. “You slept with her mother? Not cool, girl, not cool.”
Dee gave the man she was holding a scathing look. “No one asked for your opinion.” Then she proceeded to toss the man over the balcony with a bit of more strength than was necessary. “What I meant was that when two psions get it on, there are certain…side effects. You saw the results. You know how we psions leak emotions on occasion. Well, have two psions mirroring each other’s emotions in a passionate situation and the problem can escalate. Anyway, stop changing the subject. We all know about my past…”
“I didn’t. I find it fascinating frankly.” Araqiel interjected.
“…and what we were talking about was you, Moirai.” Dee continued as if the angel had not said anything. “I’m more surprised that you’ve managed to hide it this long. You’d think I would have noticed with the close proximity we’ve kept during the last years.”
“What? Have you been spying on me?” Moirai tried another avenue of attack.
“Another attempt at dodging the subject.” Dee stated firmly parried the feeble attempt.
“…you’re not the only one who can use telekinesis here. Besides, I’ve got a lot more experience in hiding my emotions than you. Age does bring certain benefits.” Moirai finally half whispered.
“Oh, you dirty girl!” Dee exclaimed with fake outrage. In truth, she was delighted beyond measure. Moirai had been such a stickler all this time, and now Dee finally had something she could use against the older woman. Moirai’s admission also gave her some ideas of her own.
“Ok, that subject is now closed. Are you sure Rahmiel will meet us in a place like this?” Moirai directed her attention back to Araqiel, who in turn dealt with the last person stupid enough to encroach on the space that had opened around the trio.
“Well not in this inn, no. I actually just got word that they are waiting outside the city. Her presence within the city would draw too much attention.” Araqiel replied.
“They?” Moirai asked, suddenly cautious.
Dee got a slightly vacant look for just a moment. “I sense thirty angels. They are all rather powerful by normal standards but mostly they are not a real danger to us. Two Archangels though, one of whom is Rahmiel?” She looked at Araqiel with question.
Araqiel shook her head. “I have no idea about that. She didn’t tell me any details, but I expect there to be a reason. You said thirty? And all relatively powerful?” She looked thoughtful as well. There were certain formations that required a certain number of powerful angels, but most of the really dangerous ones required more than thirty.
“Will the two Archangels be a threat? Let me rephrase that. If it becomes a battle, can you deal with them?” Moirai asked Dee. Dee was the one who would have to face them if this became a fight, hence she would have to decide.
“Well, it’s hard to judge without knowing their exact abilities, I think it depends on any extra abilities they might have. I get the feeling that these two are the weakest Archangels when it comes to combat, but two Archangels is still a force to be reckoned with. They’re always a threat.” Dee replied thoughtfully. From this distance it was a little difficult to be sure of their strength. That said, being an Archangel didn’t mean they were the most powerful of angels. There were other considerations for becoming an Archangel besides power, though there were no weak Archangels.
“The other one would most likely be the Archangel of Hope then. She and Rahmiel are the two with the least amount of pure power. They are also both believers of Lumen. Maybe that’s why they’re here.” Araqiel suggested.
“Well, we won’t find out anything sitting around here. The fight kind of ruined what’s left of our meal anyway.” Moirai stated. Many of their plates and glasses were now scattered on the floor thanks to the fight, though Dee had made sure those plates were empty beforehand. Otherwise, she would have protected their dinner much more closely.
“I’m going to miss this place though. They had great wines. Nice and powerful. Got even us buzzed.” Moirai stated a little wistfully. It took quite a bit to affect an immortal when it came to alcohol and it was much harder to keep the taste pleasant at the same time.
“We noticed.” Dee and Araqiel stated at the same time. Moirai had really drowned herself the previous evening, hence the intriguing topic of discussion for today.
-----
Rahmiel watched carefully as the trio approached. Araqiel was no danger of course. Her daughter would side with the other angels if this turned into a fight, though that was relatively unlikely. They were not here to fight. In fact, their purpose here was pretty close to being the opposite of fighting. Still, Rahmiel had become a lot more careful in the last week or so, and Dee most certainly was dangerous if provoked. She could sense the young woman had already become stronger than her, and in fact felt like someone at the very peak of the twelfth rank.
“Is that her?” Theliel asked, looking pointedly at the approaching Dee. Dee had revealed her two wings as they approached, and the Archangel of Hope still found it odd that Lumen would choose a Fallen for a mission, not to mention becoming her Champion.
“Yes, and don’t allow her youth to fool you. You heard about all the Champions she faced the day of the rebellion. She has already killed two deities as well. She can fight Empyrean if needs be. And she’s still growing stronger.” Rahmiel replied.
The trio landed near the large group of angels, seemingly without any concern about their safety. If Rahmiel had been in Dee’s shoes, she would have been at least a little worried to approach such a large group of powerful potential enemies. But she wasn’t and Dee at least appeared not to be concerned in the least. “Good to see you again.” Rahmiel greeted politely. “You’ve been busy since our last meeting.”
“Well, the boring life seems to be avoiding me rather carefully for now. So what’s with the entourage? I can think of a dozen reasons for you to keep around bodyguards with the current climate between Lumen and Order, but another Archangel? That’s a bit surprising.” Dee replied seemingly without concern.
“This is Theliel, the Archangel of Hope. Theliel, these are Haydee and Moirai, as well as my daughter Araqiel who is working as a liaison.” Rahmiel made the introductions.
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“Pleasure.” Theliel greeted with a tone of voice that made it clear that the pleasure was indeed still very questionable.
Dee gave a small nod as a greeting, much less than an Archangel was used to. The nod had made it clear that Dee considered herself at least an equal. Something the Archangel was not used to but had to learn to deal with. “You still didn’t answer my question.” Dee pointed out.
“I did not. However, first things first.” Rahmiel tossed a small map crystal to Dee. “This has the location you wanted marked. Theliel is the one who got the information, straight from Empyrean before the troubles started.”
Dee gave the crystal for Moirai to check, who soon nodded in confirmation. The location was indeed marked and seemed plausible considering their earlier theories. That didn’t make it completely reliable of course. “So this is where we get to the real point I assume? You look like you have a request.” Dee gave Rahmiel credit for giving the information before making her request. The Archangel could’ve tried to negotiate while holding the information back, but that could’ve angered Dee. Instead, the Archangel decided to show good will instead. Giving a bit of good faith at the beginning of negotiations was always a better way to start things off.
“Yes. Partially thanks to whatever happened when Umbra declared her rebellion and you faced all those challenges, the situation within Paradisia has soured. Badly. Not that it wasn’t bad before, but at least the problems were mostly hidden. Unfortunately, Nasir-Sin has long since become a dominant force within Paradisia, and the true servants of Lumen are growing fewer by the year. If a real split were to happen, then the servants of Nasir-Sin would outnumber us ten-to-one. And that split is growing more likely by the day.” Rahmiel explained.
“We are aware. Do excuse me if I’m not mourning the fact that angels might be killing each other instead of demons for a change.” Dee pointed out rather flatly.
Theliel made a frustrated sound, but Rahmiel waved her down. “And I at least can understand your point of view even if I do not agree with it. Even if the purge was the result of overzealous angels getting drunk on victory, the fact remains that Fallen have very little love for us for a good reason. Yet, I’m still here with a request. Empyrean and the other zealous worshippers of Nasir-Sin will not start hunting the normal believers or low ranking priests of Lumen if the high ranking clergy is gone. They have no desire to kill so many of our own. Instead, they will try to turn those worshippers towards Nasir-Sin instead. While we would prefer our fellow believers did not convert, we would take that over a civil war. So we have come to you in search of an asylum. Asylum that we hope you can arrange either with the Assembly or within Pantheon. Either way, we need the protection of someone powerful, or Empyrean will chase after us.”
“I see.” Dee stated and took a clearer look at the gathered angels. They all radiated the feeling of light and she could feel the blessing of Lumen inside them thanks to her own status as the Champion of Lumen. “So these are the highest ranking clerics? Not a large number.”
“We are just the most important ones. The symbols of the faith if you will. There will be more if you accept. We might even get up to tens of millions of refugees if Empyrean and his ilk do not prevent the followers of Lumen from leaving. But with us gone, the clergy of Lumen is basically conceding the fight inside Paradisia before the first blows are exchanged.” Rahmiel stated sadly. “We cannot win this fight, and fighting would only be a feeble gesture that ends in the deaths of many. There are times where it is worthy to die for your principles, but sometimes running away is the best option in the long run.”
Dee really had to consider this one. It would actually benefit her if the angels fell into a civil war, as it would keep them busy for a time at least. Though apparently a lot shorter time than she had hoped. Just the low number of angels here and their relative power made it clear how sad of a state Lumen had fallen to in the battle over the hearts of the angels. While the goddess herself could still match Order, the same could not be said for the angels that served her. Lumen was a popular goddess among other races, especially races that served the angels such as the archons, but angels were still the race she was most known for and losing them would be a huge symbolic blow. Even if the servants of Lumen tried to fight, that fight would be very short. Even discounting those angels that most likely served both deities, Lumen’s fervent servants only covered less than one percent of all angels. Tens of millions out of a billion plus angels. And Lumen had hoped Dee would help as many of them as possible. The goddess had not asked for it and said that it would be a secondary goal, but the hope was still there.
“Before that, I have a question I have been wondering for a while now. What happened to all the Fallen? There’s very little in the way of rumors of them being killed during the purge and many of them were outside the hells.” Dee suddenly asked.
Theliel replied with a small grimace. “This is something we don’t’ like to talk about, but I suppose you deserve to know. The Fallen were caught in the purge, but they were targeted in a different way. The ties between us and the Fallen are…complicated. Theoretically, any angel has the chance to fall due to their actions, but there’s a balance of sorts that is maintained by how far that angel must go before falling. Both the Fallen and us angels can procreate normally to increase their number, though we tend to be more civilized about it. However, we can also add to our number in other ways. Paradisia itself gives life to new angels if our numbers dwindle too much. However, if the balance between angels and Fallen becomes too lopsided, then those angels that are born artificially tend to be born as Fallen, and adult angels can be tempted to become Fallen much more easily.”
“I think I see where this is headed. You’ve imprisoned the Fallen so that they can still exist and keep their numbers without the rest of you being affected too badly.” Dee realized the implications immediately.
“Exactly. During the purge, we focused on catching the Fallen alive instead of killing them. What happened to them later was handled by Empyrean and the Morningstar, but from what I heard the Fallen were all sent to a world which drains the power from them instead of replenishing it. They are able to grow their numbers but not grow stronger without great difficulty. That’s the theory anyway. However, I’m fairly confident we only caught a part of the Fallen and I don’t know what happened to the rest.” Theliel admitted.
Dee considered the news for a while. “Alright. I’m not exactly welcome at Pantheon at the moment, but I think I might be able to manage something with the Assembly. I’m not so sure they want to get involved in the internal struggle between angels either, but I will put in a good w…
Dee’s words were cut off and her eyes grew large and her breath a little labored. At first, the others had no idea what was going on, but suddenly they all sensed a tsunami of dead souls rushing towards Dee. Normally the souls that went through the Well of Souls would be undetectable by others, as evidenced by the fact that they had not noticed the few dozen or so dead souls that had vanished during the conversation. This was different. This time the influx of souls was so large that they became visible to everyone, and the vortex of souls was a chilling sight.
In the last few weeks the range from which the souls came to Dee instead of Death had been growing. It mostly just covered the world she was on, and barely even that, but for some odd reason the range also extended through the gates even when those gates were not active. As a result, the worlds that were connected to the world Dee was on also fell under her influence. That meant that there was a limited but constant stream of souls passing through the Well.
“Dee! What’s going on? DEE?!” Moirai screamed with worry.
This was something that had never happened before, millions upon millions of souls rushing at Dee at once. And she was pretty sure they did not come from this world or even those that were connected to this one. They were simply coming to the Well because there was already much more going towards Death. From the souls Dee could tell that there had been a battle. A large portion of the souls belonged to the races under protection by the Assembly, and others to the Dragonflight forces. The souls included adult dragons and several Lords of the Assembly as well. But a battle did not explain the sudden rush of souls all coming at once. There was only one real explanation for something like this.
“An entire world was just destroyed.” Dee managed to pant out as she fell down on one knee. And not a small world either judging by the number of souls. There was something else. Dee felt like a barrier that had been holding her back shatter once again as a new tail started to take a form behind her, a tail that looked to be made of the same grey smoke the souls passing through her were seemingly made of. She had thought that she needed a push to get over that obstacle between her and the thirteenth rank. She just got pushed. Hard.