There in the forest of the foothills a group of soldiers walked along a wide dirt road. The mountains of Henjuk towered above in the distance to touch the sky, the clouds from the midday rain just now clearing up and leaving the ground muddy. This group of twenty men carried on through the trees, each to their own thoughts on the task that lied before them. A goddess cult had sprung up in the small village of Doovlin and they had been sent to deal with it, slaying all the villagers if needed. While most believed that the goddesses of old were mere fabrications the danger the cults posed that sprung up to venerate them was a real and present danger to modern society.

Leading this group of soldiers was a man on one of the few horses named Geffeld, a rough man that stood tall with short black hair. His blue eyes pierced into others with intensity. As a captain of the lord's army he had seen many battles, and though the thought of slaughtering defenseless villagers wasn't new to him, dealing with a goddess cult was something new to him. What had truly troubled him however was the seeming frequency of earth tremors this close to the mountains. Were they likely to explode with smoke and fire? They had already been traveling from Vinedenne for several days, having been dispatched by Lord Quarely due to a letter he had received.

"Captain!"

One of the armored men at the head of the small group had run up beside the horse.

"What is it?" Geffeld asked sharply.

"There's someone coming down the road up ahead" the man replied pointing. "Should I go pull him aside for questioning?"

Looking to where the man was pointing Geffeld could see a middle aged man with a donkey led wagon coming through the forested path towards them. They would be a trader that went between the mountain villages and the towns in the valley, someone who certainly would have useful information.

"Do you think I'm blind?" Geffeld demanded. "Yes go pull him aside!"

"Of course sir!"

The soldier ran up ahead alongside a second man to head off the trader. The man with the cart had seen the group of soldiers and was prepared to be stopped, making no attempts to flee as that would only cause him more trouble. With no resistance he allowed the two soldiers to bring him before the captain. The column came to a halt in the middle of the road with Geffeld's order.

"You there" Geffeld ordered. "Who are you and what business do you have in these woods?"

The man bowed with his head and stood up tall once again. His eyes were blue and his hair was as well, drooping to his shoulders.

"With respect sir my name is Ned Gander. I had just come from the village of Doovlin and am now on my way to take my wares elsewhere in the kingdom."

Geffeld looked the man up and down. He didn't seem like a cultist, but then again he hadn't ever seen one before.

"My name is Geffeld Turnhatch, captain in the lord Quarely Mettlelin's army. There are rumors of a goddess cult springing up in the village of Doovlin. Do you have any information that would aid our investigation Ned?" He placed his right hand on his sword hilt. "I don't need to remind you the punishment for colluding with cultists."

Ned raised his hands and waved them about. "Oh no captain sir. I know full well the punishment. I actually do have some information for you about that goddess if you so demand it."

"I demand it" Geffeld replied.

"Of course captain" Ned said bowing once again. "The goddess's name is Jenna and the people of Doovlin worship her quite fervently. She is unlike any of the stories, or so the villagers tell me. I of course can bear no eyewitness to things that don't exist in reality."

The way this man was acting was strangely suspicious to Geffeld. He knew when a man was lying to him and this man wasn't telling the whole truth. He was certain that this trader was trying to save his own skin, though this was specific information so it couldn't be lies.

"And what of these earthquakes that seem so common in these parts?"

"Caused by the goddess of course" Ned replied.

Geffeld leaned over the side of his horse and gave a harsh glare to the man before him. "I can tell you're not telling me everything you know. Tell me what you're hiding. You worship this goddess Jenna as well do you?"

Ned shook his head and took a step backwards clearly nervous for his safety. "No captain! You have to understand that these villagers are extremely devout! I have to pretend to worship this goddess just in order to trade with them and make it out of that village alive!"

This was enough to satisfy Geffeld. He could tell that this Ned man wasn't lying at all, but in back of his mind was the nagging feeling that he was missing something critically important. This trader was acting as if he had seem something in that village to fill his heart with fear of this goddess. Were these villagers already committing human sacrifices to their deity?

"Very well Ned" Geffeld said finally after some thought. "You are free to go. Thank you for this information."

With a nod from their captain the men let Ned go back to his donkey. The trader quickly collected the lead of his animal and hurried past the group of men and down the road into the forest. One of the soldiers then approached Geffeld's horse.

"Well sir it sounds like the worst case."

Geffeld turned his horse to address his men. "You heard the trader. We will first confirm his information, and in the case it holds true." He paused for a moment. "If this goddess cult has affected the entire village then we'll have to burn it all to the ground. Put everyone to the sword; man, woman, and child. I suggest you prepare yourselves. Forward march!"

With that the group of men continued their march along the forest road. It was still a half days march to the village and he wanted to make it there before dark. The thought of fighting even villagers in the dead of night on their home turf was a dangerous proposition. If they kept up this pace they would make it there by evening easily.

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Finally as the sun was dipping in the sky the column of men reached the village of Doovlin. They had been marching for many hours at this point, only taking short breaks along the way. As the village came into view through the trees everything seemed normal at first, though the corruption of a cult was rarely obvious from the outside. It was the manner in which the people conducted themselves and the contents of their homes that showed the influence.

As Geffeld and his men walked out of the trees into the clearing around the village several things immediately stood out to him as bizarre and confusing. There was a large pile of boulders further west on the edge of the forest. How on earth did the villagers collect all of those and why? There were also massive stone slabs to the east, all stacked up like wooden planks. Most disturbing of all however was the ground itself. It was filled with uneven craters as if the very earth had been through upheaval and settled over a bed of wrinkles. Whatever was going on in this village was far from natural, that he could see for certain.

As they approached the village a group of worried looking villagers could be seen watching them. Women ushered their children into their homes as men looked tentatively onward as the armored men marched up to the village proper.

Geffeld rode up to a man standing and holding a bundle of firewood. "You there! I am captain Geffeld Turnhatch. Who is in charge of this village? Where is Jenson Butterhorn?"

The man nervously pointed in a north eastern direction. "He lives in his home by the sawmill sir."

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"And what of those stone slabs and boulders outside the village?"

This brought out murmuring in the various villagers and the man was clearly sweating.

"T-They were brought here by the g-goddess sir" he stammered. "Mr B-Butterhorn can explain it for you better than I."

Geffeld glared down at the man. Even goddess worshipers were smart enough to hide their cult activity in front of royal soldiers. These villagers would know why they were here, yet here was this man openly admitted it as a matter of fact. Did they not fear death? From the fear on their faces clearly they did.

"You had better pray this Jenson has a good explanation for all of this."

With that Geffeld turned his horse in the indicated direction and headed off towards the sawmill, his soldiers following closely behind. These villagers seemed peaceful and the village in fine shape. Yes many of their faces were painted in fear, but more troubling some of them were stalwart with determination. It was if their devotion to their goddess was so intense that every single person in this village believed it as their reality. Yet most disturbing of all none of them tried to flee, none begged for their lives. They just stood in their doors or on the street and watched the men with swords walk through their village.

"I don't like the feel of this" one of the men said.

Another chimed in. "This feels all wrong. Like I've got worms crawlin up my clothes."

"Quiet all of you!" Geffeld barked.

His own nerves were on edge walking through this place, he didn't need his men's babble to make the mood any more creepy. He was certain that when it came to cut these people down they would stand there and stare at them in silence just as they were doing now. If this is what cults were like he hoped he never had to address another one as long as he lived.

After several minutes of this oppressive march the sawmill came into view. As they approached the massive pile of unprocessed logs was hard to miss. This was the shipment of lumber that was supposed to be already in route to the city. What could this merchant Jenson possibly want with it that he would start a goddess cult of all things to cover for it? Perhaps some dealing with an enemy kingdom, though that seemed just as foolish.

Geffeld dismounted his horse and walked up to the door of the house flanked by two men. It was a few moments before footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door and it opened. Standing there was a scrawny looking man who looked quite shocked to see armed men at his door.

"Hello sir. May I help you?"

"Are you Jenson Butterhorn?" Geffeld asked.

"Yes I am" the man replied. "And who are- urk!"

With one swift movement Geffeld grabbed Jenson by the neck and dragged him out of the house, the sound of a screaming woman coming from inside.

"Secure the woman" Geffeld ordered.

The two soldiers ran inside to grab the wife as Geffeld grabbed his captive on the back with his other hand, marching him away from the door. He then tossed the man roughly to the ground and drew his sword with a metallic shrill.

"I am captain Geffeld of the lord Quarely's army. You Jenson Butterhorn are charged with starting a goddess cult and withholding critical supplies from his lordship's needs."

Jenson began panicking as the glinting sword was pointed down at him, a spot of wetness on his pants giving away that he had wet himself. He was babbling and begging for mercy, begging not for Geffeld to spare him, but for his goddess to save him.

"Please you damn goddess! If you save me I'll do anything you want! I'll be your devoted worshiper!"

Geffeld fumed and shouted in rage. "Silence scum! I'll slit your throat right where-"

Just as he took his first step over the prone man to slice open his throat he was knocked off balance by a terrible earth tremor. A thundering boom could be heard in the distance to the north followed by another and then another. The ground began to shake more violently with each boom, this was the sound of something getting closer.

Both Geffeld and his men were dazed and confused, left stumbling around to keep their balance as the blubbering man on the ground continued begging his goddess for salvation. The worst was yet to come however, as the screams of panic from his men caused Geffeld to look up to the sky and see what the commotion was about.

"By the gods!"

Over the roofs of the houses and even above the trees of the forest stood a little girl who looked no older than eight or nine. Her skin was pale and her hair was a dull gold that went down to the nape of her back. But worst of all her eyes were a brilliant violet that made one marvel with their intensity. She was in a simple grey dress that went down past her knees, the fabric fluttering in the wind as her massive feet thundered into the ground with the force of a falling tower, which was exactly what one might describe her legs as.

"We're all gunna die!"

"Run for your lives!"

Geffeld could only stand in shock as his men fled around him, his own terror gripping his heart like an icy vice. He could smell as his men shat their pants in fear, their bowels emptying as most of them fled into the woods. A few men of course were too stunned to move at all, left standing in awe alongside their captain as others collapsed to the ground.

The look on the massive girl's face was one of anger, her eyes narrowed into a glare as she approached. She stopped her approach no more than a single step away from the men were standing.

"Woah woah woah! What the hell's going on here?"

Her voice was booming and commanding, shaking the soldiers to their very souls. Her eyes darting around and taking in the scene with what seemed like a cold calculation. She made no attempt to stop the fleeing men or make any move to attack those that remained. No one said a word, her presence too overwhelming as her expression turned to a smirk.

"What's this Jenson?" she said in a mocking tone. "I thought you didn't pray to me little man. What's with all this desperation in your prayers?"

Jenson scrambled backwards away from the sword using his arms and feet, sitting up and pointing at Geffeld. "He's here to kill me goddess! These men came to kill us all because of we're a goddess cult!"

There was a small crowd of villagers forming behind the goddess at this point, all of them seemingly without fear of the immense little girl standing over them like the tallest pine of the mountain.

The massive girl put her hands on her hips and leaned over to loom above the scene. "Is that so?" She looked around at the men in armor. "Well? Who's in charge here?"

Geffeld was still shaking in fear, his sword dropping from his hand as he sputtered and stammered. "I- I-"

The gaze of this young goddess immediately snapped to him and her gaze locked on to his shaking body. Those violet eyes were like pools of vibrant color and deep darkness at the same time. There was anger in those eyes, yet strangely he couldn't feel any malice.

She stood up straight and crossed her arms over her chest, taking a deep breath and letting out a long and disappointed sounding sigh.

"I am the goddess Jenna. So long as you remain peaceful and answer my questions no harm shall come to you. Those that flee will not be chased so if you feel the need I suggest you do so."

A few more of Geffeld's men dropped their weapons and fled into the forest, apparently having collected themselves enough for their survival instincts to kick in again. Its not like they could even be blamed for their actions. Standing before those that remained was an actual living goddess. Nothing in their lives could have prepared them for this, and the eight of so of them left were on their knees, bowing their faces to the ground to beg for mercy.

Geffeld himself fell to his knees and looked up at her in awe and terror. "I- I- I beg for m-mercy."

"Oh please spare me goddess" the girl said raising her hands in mock surprise as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah I kinda expected that." She then looked down at Geffeld again. "You're in charge here? Mind telling me who you are and what you're doing here?"

This was not at all what Geffeld expected from hearing the old stories of goddesses. He tried to calm himself as best as he could to prepare to answer this towering deity.

"M-My name is Geffeld T-Turnhatch of the lord's a-army" he stammered.

"And you're here to wipe this village out because its a goddess cult?" Jenna interrupted. "Seems kinda extreme. Obviously that's not going to happen."

She paused as if awaiting a response, though when none came she continued.

"You must be talking about that lord Quarely. What does he want enough to send a small army out here for?"

Geffeld swallowed the fear in his throat. "T-There was a letter, about the l-lumber for the war e-effort."

The expression on Jenna's face turned to one of surprise and then embarrassment. Her gaze turned to Jenson as her face flushed pink. Jenson's own expression turned to one of panic again as he scooted back on the ground a few more feet. Then after a few moments of awkward silence the goddess took a few deep breaths and collected herself. She cleared her throat and turned back to Geffeld.

"Ahem. About that..." she paused. "I suppose it was a bit rash of me to just take all those logs without thinking. I suppose we can ship those off to the city and I'll just collect my own lumber. I was gunna use rocks now anyway."

Jenson's panicked expression faded as he could be seen visibly relaxing. Geffeld had no idea what he had walked into but it was clearly above his pay grade. This gigantic little girl was most definitely a goddess and her behavior was something he couldn't begin to understand.

"Well sorry you had to take the trip all the way out here over that" Jenna continued. "Anyway please head on back and tell Mr Quarely he'll get his lumber. Scurry off now." She waved her hand dismissively.

Geffeld stood to his feet and looked around, his mind still not processing everything. He had been given a way to escape this terrifying place and he was taking it. He scooped up his sword and shouted to his soldiers.

"Come on men! Back to the city."

Geffeld then turned and gave one final look at Jenson, the man looked just as relived as he felt. Then without another word he quickly jogged directly towards the forest, his remaining men following right behind him. He wanted away from this place as fast as possible, his horse forgotten as escape was the only thing on his mind. The men that had already fled would just have to find their own way back to Vinedenne.

The goddess just stood there watching, not making a single move to make chase which only filled his overwhelmed mind with more questions and fear. Once he was past the treeline he broke into a full on sprint, running as fast as he could for as long as he could. Even as his lungs burned he kept running. He would survive.