Tempest snarled in anger. Slamming her two scimitars down onto what seemed like a perfect globe of defensive magic that Trillia had mustered. The pesky mortal had turned all her grief and anguish over the loss of Meridia into determination, and it was paying off.

"What sort of infernal fucking magic is that?" Tempest had hopped back a few feet, lowering her scimitars. Trillia had asked her and Titan to attack her defensive barriers until they broke.

Again and again and again.

The first week, they shattered in one or two hits. It was now the third month in, and Tempest could no longer damage them without some rather extreme magic and effort of her own. Titan still shattered them easily enough, but Trillia seemed capable of throwing up another in an instant.

Despite her apparent victory, Trillia didn't have her old customary smirk. Instead, a book appeared in her hand, no doubt from a storage item she wore. Tempest had seen the little orc reading the book constantly as of late. "What sort of magic lets you fend off a deity?"

Trillia didn't respond, only kept reading.

A new barrier appeared. "Careful hitting this one, I am trying something, but it might be dangerous. Maybe hit it lightly to start?"

Tempest was a bit annoyed at being ignored. Slowly, she walked up to the barrier and smacked it with a scimitar. She let out a startled yelp as a deep gash appeared on her hand. "What the fuck?"

Trillia fell to her knees, the book falling next to her. "Oh... oh, by the gods, that was all of my mana." The healing magic of the realm took over and restored them both to proper fighting form in short order.

Trillia sat on the ground and still seemed woozy.

"It's a type of enchantment. I can create...uhhh... what does he call it?" She lifted the book and flipped through the pages again. "I can create a blueprint of the enchantment I want. It stops me from having to weave it from scratch every time. I just have to feed it mana. There's a bunch of stuff in here about efficiency as well. I am trying to get it all to work together, but... well, honestly enchanting isn't really my strongest trait. It's really complicated."

"Seems you are doing just fine at enchanting if it can stop my blades."

Trillia shook her head. "No. I am starting to get a feel for how much mana the Professor gave us. It is a hundred times the amount of mana I have access to back in my realm. These enchantments wouldn't be possible by a regular mortal. I need to get them low enough before our training is over that I can utilize it as an emergency defensive barrier."

Tempest thought about Trillia's words for a moment. "You're at the mortal limit for mana? How at such a young age?"

"I feed off my realm. It took a bunch of us and basically tortured and experimented on us to create soldiers that can tap into its mana reserves." The way Trillia said it so nonchalantly bothered Tempest. Just what has this little orc had to endure?

"I see." Tempest stared down at the mortal. Pity formed in her stomach. "Is it possible to keep the barrier up by feeding it a trickle of mana? Instead of just rapidly reforming it over and over again?"

Trillia paused and looked up at Tempest. "Huh... the book doesn't mention it. But maybe that could work? Treat it like a persistent buff that needs upkeep."

A small chime went off. "Oh. Well I can practice that tomorrow. Thank you for all your time today, Tempest." Trillia stood and dusted herself off from the arena sand, the book vanished back into her storage item. "I'm going to go get dinner, have a good night."

Tempest nodded her head slightly. "You as well, Fairtrade." As Tempest watched Trillia leave, she wore a little frown. "She needs to talk to someone about all of this."

"What makes you think she hasn't?" DuMont's voice cause Tempest to spin around and lift her weapons, she hadn't felt the other deity's presence at all.

"Don't sneak up on people like that! Creepy bastard."

DuMont raised one of his perfectly nondescript eyebrows. "Maybe get better senses? For a combat-focused deity, you are lacking. I admit the little orc has a shocking grasp on magic theory for her age. I wish her realm wasn't in danger."

So he was the source of her little book, that made a lot more sense. "You gave her a copy of your magic? What the fuck were you thinking? The rules are there to-"

DuMont snapped his fingers at her, and a sharp pain hit her head first, silencing her. "I hail from the [2nd Axle]. I grew up on the same cradle world. A copy of that very book exists on her realm, she would just have to dig it up. Quit your whinging."

Tempest hated the man. DuMont had a deep love and respect for mortals but cared little for the finer points of diplomacy amongst gods. "Whatever. She already has a pact-bound. He's a Darktone and a god of knowledge. I'd be wary about poking your nose where it doesn't belong."

DuMont chuckled faintly. "Yes, yes. Young Arlyss. Another gloriously capable mage who has learned much from me."

That shocked Tempest. She wanted to admonish him about the rules yet again. But there was no point - DuMont was a clever bastard and seemed to know how to circumvent the rules nearly as well as her Father and Uncles did. "Why are you trying so damn hard to help her? You barely know her?"

DuMont stared hard at the deity of conflict for a solid sixty seconds. Then, he simply vanished as he let the enchantments of the Professor's realm warp him out of her view. Tempest cursed and spit at the spot he had been standing on. "Pompous asshole!"

-=====-

Trillia was no longer sure how much time she had been here. She knew the effects of the place greatly warped her perception of time, but it still felt odd to so easily lose track of it all.

She pulled herself out of the Aether, sweat dripping from her forehead. She was close enough to touch the shard now.

Despite it being safely locked away behind enchantments, its mental attacks were still crippling.

"By all that is good in the realm. How did Blossom survive touching and attacking those things?"

The Professor smiled, her magic flooded through Trillia, bringing her back up to fighting form. "She was truly a gifted young student. I can see why she was chosen to learn my ways." The Professor wouldn't outwardly admit it, but she was happy that Trillia was at least talking about Blossom again. In the days immediately following Blossom's death, the Professor worried that Trillia wouldn't be able to snap herself out of the funk she had been in.

"Your time here is coming to a close. I've taught you all that I am allowed to teach you about the eldritch. Is there anything else you wish to know or learn before I send you back?"

In addition to fighting the Eldritch, Trillia had also learned how to control small strands of the Aether. It was, perhaps, the most simple thing she had learned. It didn't take a great deal of effort. That made Trillia believe all the more that Storm had lied about the reasons to get her to come here. It also solidified the idea that her realm was on the verge of an Eldritch attack as well.

"Unless you can teach me how to teleport around places like Uncle Stas, I think I am good." Trillia turned to look at the Professor with a smile on her face. "Thank you for your patience and for giving me all the tools I need to help my realm survive."

The Professor stepped in and pulled her into a hug. "Despite being forced to take you as a student by that silly lizard. I am truly grateful to have met you. I hope you will pray to me sometimes so that I can keep up with how you're doing."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Trillia returned the hug with a chuckle. "Seems like I will be doing lots of praying when I get back. There are so many of you to keep up with now. How long do I have left here? There are a few books I'd still like to read if that's ok."

The Professor pulled back and nodded. "You still have a few months of time from the perspective of the realm. I'd suggest we still touch up on getting close to the shard. Extra practice won't hurt. You should head to the arena. I think Titan and Tempest have something for you."

Trillia hugged the Professor again before heading towards the Arena. She knew there would be more goodbyes on the day she actually left. But it felt good to know that she had completed her goal of coming here.

As she stepped into the arena, the place was positively abuzz with cheers and clapping. Titan and Tempest stood in the arena, but not against each other. Instead, DuMont stood across from them.

For the first time, she saw something other than the non-descript human she always did. Two dark grey feathered wings sprouted from skin that looked like obsidian. A brilliant golden toga that was glowing with heavy enchantments covered his frame. In one hand was a small wand - the other held a large axe that seemed nearly as big as Trillia.

She walked up closer to the arena to watch the fight.

Tempest already seemed exhausted. Titan was holding up a little better. The two dashed apart and started to close in on their obsidian opponent.

As DuMont spoke, Trillia's head pounded. It felt as if he had said a dozen words a second, like a loud buzz. Only one word was clear to her.

"[Shatter]" Loud snaps resounded in the arena as one of Tempests's arms twisted and bent at odd angles. DuMont's wand whipped around toward Titan, and the barrier around the arena snapped and crackled under the pressure of the attack. Titan's legs gave out under him, but the deity of endurance rolled back to his feet, his healing working faster than the spell.

Trillia held her breath as Titan closed in, only to watch DuMont effortlessly swing the axe and swat Titan to the side. Tempest had closed the distance behind him, poised to strike. DuMont's wings flourished, and a thousand sharp needle-like crystals flew out of them, hitting her hundreds of times and robbing her of her momentum.

A quick twist found his axe slammed into her side and sent her flying as well. DuMont slammed the head of the axe into the arena floor as the Professor's healing took over and healed DuMont's opponents. "Neither of you are doing bad. You need to incorporate more attacks in the Aether to really push an opponent of a higher caliber. It will also help to confuse and confound the Eldritch. Get up, we go again."

Three more matches and neither Tempest nor Titan had landed a single good hit on DuMont. The deity's weapons vanished at the end of the third match. As his enchantments fell, he once more looked like a non-descript human. "We'll go again in three days time. I expect both of you to have learned to channel magic in the Aether as well as the physical realm by then. The end goal here is to let your soul operate independently of your physical manifestations. It's one of the barriers of entry to ascend to Greater deities that you will need to know."

The two didn't stand despite being healed... they still wanted a rest. "That said, your progress these past few months has been excellent. I have no doubt you'll ascend from Minor deities very soon. Do either of you have good portfolios available?"

Both shook their heads. DuMont clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You bring shame on the Darktone clan. You should be more prepared. It's not like you haven't been given every opportunity possible."

The Arena had mostly cleared out, at least to Trillia's eyes, by the time DuMont was done scolding his peers. As he left the enclosed fighting area, he offered her a rare smile. "The Professor said you'd be done with your studies soon. I hope you will continue your journey into enchantment and magic after you've saved your realm."

Trillia was happy to hear that he had no doubt in his voice she would succeed. Someone having that much faith in her did her a lot of good. "I absolutely will. I know it's not much, but I wrote this out for you. As I studied your book, I remembered some of the enchantments from my realm. I don't know if any of them are new to you, but I figured it's a start." She pulled a notebook from her ring and extended it to him.

The deity lifted the book and flipped through the pages. "Huh. The realm heavily leans on intent-based mana nowadays. When you return, remember to think very, very carefully before you commit to a blueprint. The intent will matter a lot more there than here." As he flipped through more pages, he raised an eyebrow. "This enchantment, where did you see it?"

As he turned the book to Trillia, her smile widened. "That's from my friend, Malor! He is the enchanter I told you about."

DuMont nodded as he looked at the enchantment again. "Do you know if he is pact-bound?"

That caught Trillia off guard. Blinking a few times to regain her composure, she shrugged. "I haven't talked to them in nearly a year. I don't think he does. Should I tell him to pray to you?"

DuMont nodded. "If the two of you are ok with that, yes. I'd love to offer him a pact. If his enchantments are this in depth at such a young age he can become something truly unique with a little help. Thank you for this, it's good to know that people haven't stopped studying good enchantments. I'll see you later, Lady Fairtrade. I look forward to tales of your success." With that the deity vanished.

Trillia turned to look at Titan and Tempest, who were stepping out of the arena. "There really is just a crazy amount of difference between deities, huh?"

Tempest nodded. "I didn't realize he was a Greater Deity. He doesn't carry himself like any of the ones I've met."

Titan spoke up as he took a seat outside the arena. "The only one close to him I've seen is Uncle Kain. It's the same disdain for immortals and deities. My guess is that Lord DuMont used to be a mortal and ascended the hard way."

Trillia wondered at what sort of past would make someone like that. She still didn't know all that much about the [2nd Axle] other than deities had basically killed someone he loved. "The Professor told me to come see the two of you. I'll be leaving soon, but there are a few more books I want to read. I think my training is officially done."

Tempest wore a big grin. A flash of mana from her hand produced a huge kite shield. It was made of a dark blue metal, bands of glowing pearl were deeply embedded into it's edge. The thing shimmered with a dozen different enchantments that Trillia could only guess at. "What is this?" In response, Tempest shoved it into her hands and let go. The thing slammed into the ground and nearly yanked Trillia with it.

Tempest and Titan both laughed at her. "It's enchanted so that once you bind it to yourself. It will float around you and have basically no weight. We worked together with the Professor and Lord DuMont on a parting gift." Titan's voice faltered at the end. As she looked down at the shield, she saw faint etchings of the group and of leaves and trees. "It was meant to be a pair."

Trillia realized that they had intended to give one to Blossom as well. Trillia let the thing sit on the ground and walked over to hug both of them. "I'm sorry for all the mean things I've said about deities. I know you both cared. I just... I just get so angry at the rules sometimes, I don't think about hurting you guys."

Titan returned the hug with a smile. "It's ok, Trillia. We're deities. It is our purpose to shoulder the burdens of mortals. We only wish we could have done more. I hope you'll accept our gift. I hope you survive your own fight."

Trillia smiled wide as she pulled back from the two of them. She didn't mention it, but she noticed Tempest turning slightly and wiping an eye. "I will do everything I can to survive the fight. I'll pray to you both sometimes to keep in touch. Thank you both so much for everything.

-=====-

The last month came and went without any fanfare. The final goodbyes were teary, mostly from Trillia being a bit of a sobbing mess, but she was confident in her abilities and skills. "Anything I should expect on return?"

The Professor nodded. "Yes. You're going to be bed ridden for a couple of days as the system functionally cripples you while rewriting what is basically your entire status. I've already spoken to Storm about it."

Trillia paused at that. "Why didn't Blossom suffer the same?"

The Professor looked away. "Uhh... well... well, you see."

Zymeth's voice cut through the stuttering. Once more, the deities were startled and kneeled. "Wouldn't you know it? The system forgot to perform the safety checks. Strangest thing, really. It's normally so consistent. Darnedest things can happen like that, you know? We're just glad the system was able to fully fix her stats in short order since she had to fight on her return."

Trillia couldn't help but smile. As much as she hated the rules, she was happy to see so many of the deities would bend them to their limits to help mortals. "Is something wrong?" Trillia asked of Zymeth's sudden appearance.

"No. I knew you were heading off. I figured everyone would give you a gift. It's customary for mortals to give deities gifts, but we like to return the favor. Here. I spoke to her people at length." A sheath appeared in his hand, and he tossed it at her.

The sheath was a rich brown with what looked like golden veins twisting and twirling around it. Bright green emeralds that seemed to be holding mana were embedded to look like leaves. It felt familiar to Trillia.

"It was Lady Everflow's sword. Once spatial distortion ends, it will be a two-handed great sword in your hands. Since she was considerably larger than you. But I think she would have wanted you to have it. By her own words, she wasn't much of a physical fighter either."

Trillia grabbed the sheath and pulled it close to her. "Thank you, Lord Zymeth. Won't her people want it to remain on her world, though?"

Zymeth shook his head. "No. The thing is a sentient artifact. As a deity, I can grab it and use it. Not that the artifact will be happy with me doing so. But the artifact is refusing to let anyone on Gaia wield it. I think it blames the realm and its inhabitants for her death. Unlike us, it can't grieve or talk to anyone since she has passed on. I think it will be willing to bond with you, though."

Trillia looked down at the blade, she wasn't sure if it would work, but she tried to push her emotions about Blossom into it. So that it could feel her own remorse and loss over her friend. "I understand. I hope I get to meet you all again some day."

With that, the Professor cast a spell, and Trillia found herself standing in front of the warming crystal in Storm's citadel. The shield and sword clanged against the ground as Trillia promptly seized up and fell over.