Alongside the war between the two factions of gods there were countless other things for your average immortal to worry about. The god beasts rampaged more and more. The destruction of the land had disturbed primal spirits that were responsible for maintaining the consistency of the heavenly plane. Divine power for the gods of this section of the super space grew increasingly volatile, as mortal worlds were erased as part of, and as a consequence of, the war, and worshipers were lost.
More and more, the heavens were becoming a dangerous place to live. It was bad enough that those gods with the power to do so were closing off their territories, deciding to isolate themselves till things calmed down.
As if things weren’t bad enough for the Eight Million Gods who were trying to spark a revolution and the Twelve Throned Deities who were trying to keep the status quo, three new threats loomed in the horizon. The first was a new group of outlaws. Bandits who’d gradually taken over the various territories, quietly killing and converting their rivals till finally almost as if by magic they held a stranglehold over roads and the seaways.
There were rumors that the group had ties a certain new Celestial run Trade Company but the Thousand Ghosts Gang’s tendency to leave most merchants and civilian travelers unmolested and only assault the armies meant that very few could be bothered to do anything. Those who could be bothered lacked the strength to actually stop. After all, the group was already fighting two separate armies and every time a force large enough to defeat them was gathered the group would disappear, vanishing like smoke. Either that or those creatures would come at just worst time allowing the bandits to escape.
The same creatures would then flatten entire towns and run roughshod on battlefields. They were a headache for the myriad divine and demonic lords and an out and out nightmare for the generals and commanders of either faction. There were mysterious creatures all over the heavens, and sudden three way battles involving divine flora and fauna weren’t something unheard of but this was something else.
Destroying fortifications and installations, ruining countless plans and formations. They attacked without mercy, and without warning. Seeming to have an appetite that made them focus on soldier. The creatures presence on any battlefield turned strategic games of military chess were turned into desperate scrambles. Where on the very worst days both sides would have to weigh the very real likelihood of losing all their forces at once against whatever missions they’d been given.
Finally as if that were not enough to weary of the souls of the immortal leaders of both factions, it seemed that heavens themselves had gone awry. Sprouting from nothing and casting its long shadow of the land was a tree.
A black tree with snow white leaves and an unapproachable fantastical aura. No one knew what it was, or where it came from, all that was known was that as its roots spread out they caused the plates of the heavenly firmament to shift, causing terrible earthquakes. As the tree grew taller, and broader it knocked down very floating isles and floating continents. Worst of all, the thing seemed to be carnivorous. It dark branches wrapping around any who wandered too see. Its trunk serving as a home or possible a hive, to countless mysterious beasts which lead to the disappearances of countless heroes of the heavenly realm.
If that was the extent of the tree’s threat perhaps it would just be thought of as yet another place that only those who were suicidal or very foolish ventured towards. Unfortunately the demon tree’s uncanny ways didn’t stop there.
It was calamitous regardless of whether one ventured towards it or not, for this was a walking tree. Inching through the firmament while one watched it, jumping leagues away each time one blinked. Sometimes it even seemed that there was more more than one.
And even if it were to stay in one place, its aura was so thick and violent that it affected the flow of the heavens and earth causing storms all over the sector. Creating yet more worries for the military men and leaders of that sector heavenly plane.
******
“So....I’ve got to say after five thousand years of doing this shit, I’m kind of getting used to eating these MREs.” said Alphonse.
Ophelia yawned as she willed the dying flames back to life. She and Alphonse sat around a campfire, keeping watch while the rest of their team slept. A small field of isolation and calm was set up around both them and the tents to keep anyone who might have woken up from overhearing their conversation. As well as to encourage those who were sleeping to keep sleeping.
“That’s what you want to start your night with?....Lies? Terrible, terrible lies at that.” said Ophelia glumly staring into the flames.
“Lies?...Would a primus of the Unified Church lie? Especially about something so...so trivial.” said Alphonse.
“Especially...about something so trivial.” said Ophelia giving the white haired man a sidelong look.
Alphonse spat, his expression one of grumpy self-satisfaction.
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“Alright, you’ve caught me. Our comrades the gods either can’t or choose not to, give us tasty field rations.” said Alphonse.
“Mhm...technically I think it’s more that they’ve been cheaping out because the battle’s gone on longer than their bosses thought it would.” said Ophelia.
Her sea of eyes saw all, not only saw, they heard and felt, smelled, as well. It was like having a much expanded upon, infinitely more efficient little Ministry all of her own. All she had to do was visit a place once, or send something with her power attached to it, to visit a place, and she’d be able to place as many eyes there as she pleased. As a consequence the Winter Legion and their various allies and clients no longer held any secrets for her. What they knew, she knew. What they didn’t know...she also knew. For Ophelia it almost a point of pride that this was so.
The steady promotions that she’d gotten over the last five thousand and creative use of the more mobile shades allowed her to expand the breadth of her observations to most sector.
“Oh...that’s right, the first set of rations we got were fairly delicious...This new stuff just barely counts as food.” said Alphonse.
“Hush…It’s not like we don’t know whose fault that is.” said Ophelia.
It was their fault, as was the case for most of what was going wrong with the war efforts for both factions. As things wound on and the conflict continued the BTC and the many, many companies that they’d either absorbed or hollowed out were now feeling the pressure, or at least feigning that they were. Prices for their goods were skyrocketing and goods were getting more scarce.
There was no such thing as mandated acquisition of goods in the heavenly planes, the gods of commerce and the immortal merchants would never allow it. If either of the two factions’ armies needed goods they could only pay the exorbitant prices or rob by force ruining their good names.
The scarcity market not also meant increased prices, it also meant lower quality goods. While the gods, demons and immortals didn’t necessarily need to eat, they did need weapons and army, and medicines and all the other accoutrements required for one to keep an army on its feet.
Sure this was an immortal, borderline, omnipotent army, but most of its members lacked the skill if not the ability, to function as perfectly self-sufficient existences. As was the case for most of the world of immortal. Apparently being powerful didn’t mean being completely competent, or particularly skilled. Ditto for the hyper intelligence.
Meaning the two armies had to pay ever skyrocketing prices for increasingly meagre, low quality supplies. A situation that combined with the earlier buying frenzy, culminating in a scenario where both armies had tons of shiny new gear and loads of new soldiers but not enough to maintain or arm them with. With this failure to acquire what was needed, combining with the continual setbacks and accidents, resulting in an increasingly bitter blow to both armies’ overall morale.
Alphonse made a face and spat to the side some more, rubbing his hands over the fire as if the temperature was of any consequence for him.
“Aye...I know girl, but damn. If that's the case then we could have at least purchased a few decent meals for ourselves.” said Alphonse.
Ophelia snorted, slightly peeved because the suggestion was a reasonable one. Reasonable enough that it should have been the most obvious thing to do.
“Quiet you.”
“Kehehe….My, my, isn’t someone tetchy today.” said Alphonse.
She grumbled, aware of her own foul mood. The last few decades had been filled with her least favorite part of any infiltration mission.
“Hey,....Alphonse?” said Ophelia. Looking up at the moonless sky.
“Yeah?”
“Does it ever get to you?”
“What?” said Alphonse.
“You came up hear to see, the true face of the heavens. And now you’re up here and all you’ve learned is that up here’s more less just like down there, except with a bigger special effects budget.”
Alphonse smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and then he sighed, scratching a brambly cheek.
“Hm...you’ve always asked the most uncomfortable questions, sis.” said Alphonse.
Ophelia just stared at him.
“...Well, on the one hand it’s not like I’ve earnestly kept the faith, or at least if I did, it was after taking a few precautions to keep from losing perspective. On the other hand...as a man of the cloth, I’ve got to say, seeing the same ugly ‘human-ness’ we see down there, up here, was and is, both comforting and disappointing.”
“Nh….” Ophelia passed no comment, simply thinking about her friend's words.
“How about you, little girl? Does knowing all and seeing all, give you that feeling of control you’ve always craved?” asked the Primus.
Ophelia chuckled.
“No….but I kind of figured that’d be so. Even down there, knowing that there’s a fire to put out doesn’t necessarily mean having the ability to put out that fire. Honestly, sometimes all it does is make me anxious.” said Ophelia. Sporting a look of chagrin as she rested her chin on her knuckles.
“Ah…is that so?” said the former Primus, nodding sagaciously.
“It’s so.” said Ophelia. Rolling her eyes.
Hundreds of miles away, high above them in the overcast sky came the sound of soft wings. Magnified and multiplied till they sounded like the tied crashing on a rocky shore. The two heard it and rose to their feet.
“Well, I guess our job is done.” said Alphonse peering up at the jet black bodies of the flock of flying shades. Staring up at the approaching sea of glowing eyes, that flickered and burned like falling stars.
“...The Winter Legion and their friends in the faction are probably going to be feeling this for a few centuries, at the least.”said Ophelia. Nodding as she summoned one of the shades for the two of them ride away on.
Alphonse chuckled. Ophelia didn’t. Having selfishly used the company for their own purposes, they were now destroying it. Wiping them and several other companies just like them out, as part of their plan to further weaken the two factions. Like any good spy, she’d gotten in just deep enough, that she actually felt a little guilty about it all.