The Greatest Sin

Raymond stared at the screen. It was the first time he had ever seen it go so low. 20.1% 20% 19.9%

Arascus entered Fer’s room. It, for once, was not a mess, although that was because she had been away for two days. Fer was sitting in a shirt on the floor, Alee was standing behind her, brushing the golden hair. Fer was obviously enjoying the attention, eyes closed and rocking rhythmically as her locks destroyed yet another brush. Her ears bounced when Arascus entered, she sniffed the air, and she went back to rocking. Alee gave her three mores furious strokes and then the brush snapped. She muttered a quiet curse, turned and saw Arascus. “Ah… I didn’t…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Arascus interrupted her. “Fer.”

“Yeah?”

“Here’s your clothes.” Arascus put them on the ground next to her. To put the woman in a dress was an impossibility, but she should look presentable at the very least. Fer’s mood went from sailing on clouds to drowning in the ocean.

“Really?”

“Really.” Arascus said.

“Why?” Arascus sighed at the sheer stupidity of the question. He loved Fer, she was funny and warm and empathetic and caring, but sometimes she began to grate on his nerves.

“There’s a dress code. I already bent it for you. You’re wearing this.” He pushed the clothes towards her with his boot.

“Really?” Fer asked again. Arascus looked at Alee, who was obviously trying not to laugh. The maid began playing her dark hair and readjusting her black dress.

“Really. It’s an order.”

“Ugh.” Ugh indeed. But if Arascus had not ordered her himself, she would either turn up in animal skins or naked.

“I’ll see you at the feast. Bring some beastmen to fill a table.” Arascus said then realised he made a mistake. “Bring ten, no more than that.” Fer nodded, then leaned back to look at Alee, her golden eyes wide as she shook her hair to demand more brushing.

“I hate parties.”

“Really?”

“No.”

“Thought so.” Arascus said, then turned to leave. “It’s going to be fun, Sara organised.”

Fer forced yet another brush into Alee’s hands and returned to sitting cross-legged in front of the mirror. “Mmh. I like her.” She said idly as Alee pulled the brush through her mane. It got stuck on the second stroke. “Love you Dad.”

“I love you too.”

Red screen, white numbers. Raymond stared at it as he grabbed another bottle: 18.8% 18.7% 18.6%

Arascus walked through the room when Sara, Ilwin and Iliyal stopped him. Sara was in a magnificent red dress dashed with lines of royal purple, the contrast of that and her dark hair made the woman seem paler than she was, Ilwin and Iliyal both wore pristine suits. Iliyal’s had a short red cape to mark his station as a general of Kassandora. “Sir.” He said, bringing out a phone. Even after eight months of being in the modern world, Arascus was still amazed at the device. “A situation has arisen.”

“Is it urgent?” Arascus asked as he towered over them.

Iliyal took the initiative. “It’s better that you know about it.” He thrust the phone towards Arascus, it was a live broadcast of EIE, Everything In Epa. One of the news channels that covered the continent. Arascus took it from his hands without a word as he watched the video. The two hosts were speaking about… he was saw the image behind them.

“…-ivine has still been unidentified but we have received reports from the White Pantheon. From Divine Elassa, Goddess of Magic, herself. She has said that the situation is under control and it is an internal Pantheon matter but…” The hosts looked at each other, then at the image on the screen behind. “Who that is, we still don’t know. There are conspiracies that the White Pantheon has had a coup with the recent movements of Clerical Orders, although they have all left the Divine Mountain at this time.” The first host finished and the other began, Arascus only heard the words half-heartedly, his attention was entirely on the image on that screen.

“We have a panel of experts scheduled for nine o’clock tonight to discuss this further, but let’s look at the image again. If you think you know what caused this, we would love to hear your opinions from it at….” Arascus paid no attention to the words as the image came to the forefront.

A thick oak, leafless and burned, grew out of the ground, it’s top wide as the if it was holding up a plate. Kavaa was there, Arascus would never forget the people who had fought against him in the Great War, her, but she wasn’t the main figure of the image. A woman stood there, arms up in the air as she held up a giant ball of fire. Her arms burning, her armour black, her back exposed as Kavaa healed, her hair a vivid crimson it could have been dyed with blood. There was no need to confirm, no need to ask. It was Kassandora. Divine Kassandora. Another Goddess he had adopted and given a chance to when the world had rejected her.

There she was.

Arascus’ arms trembled as he slid against the wall. There she was. Alkom was cut off in the image, but it was obvious it was him. Thin legs like that, the armour, it was obviously him. Arascus wiped his eyes of their wetness with a huge finger stared at the image. How much had precious Kass been through? Why? With Kavaa? Kavaa wasn’t exceptional among the White Pantheon, but there she was, healing his daughter, as his daughter held up a Sun.

Arascus looked to Iliyal, the general was smiling. “It’s her.” Iliyal finally said as Arascus handed him his phone back.

“It’s her.” Arascus replied.

“She’s most likely in Kirinyaa, in Arika, all the Clerical Orders are being called to there.” Iliyal finally dropped the question. “Should we contact her?”

“Of course we should.” Arascus answered, he looked down at his own suit and smoothed the creases. “There’s more than one reason to celebrate today now.” Iliyal laughed.

“That there is.” Arascus replied slowly. Two out of eight were found. Kassandora was free. Anassa, they knew the location of. Olephia would escape without Leona’s help. That was five out of eight. And there was no Leona.

He could feel the pieces coming together.

Raymond drunkenly reached for another bottle. He knocked it over and the glass shattered on the tiled floor. It was empty anyway. He leaned back, his head spinning, and watched the red monitor. 12.2% 12.1% 12%

Arascus took his place in the biggest hall the underground headquarters had. Sara Daganhoff had done a good job indeed, there were rows of grand wooden tables, furnished with clothes and plates already. Drinks prepared, smells were coming from the kitchens. The only curiosity was a new painting on the wall. Sara had asked for permission to hang it and Fer had vouched for her, but neither of them said what exactly was being hung up.

The God of Pride sat at the head of the largest table as he watched people filter in. Neneria came first, that was no surprise, Death was always punctual. There had been no need to pester her about the dress code either, Arascus had overheard maids gossiping about how picky she was with her clothes. Back then, he had thought it merely amusing, now, he understand them entirely. It was a black gown, with loose sleeves and a collar of raven feathers which spiralled to form a short cloak that ruffled with every step. She saw there was no in the hall, then allowed herself a smile. Her walk changed immediately, from that slow saunter to a giggling pace as she sat down next to Arascus. “We’ve done it!” She said, giggling.

“We have.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“I can’t either.” Arascus replied as Neneria burst out in giggles. Those giggles stopped immediately when Iliyal and Ilwin arrived, along with a retinue of the other elves who served in the headquarters. Tall, in suits, with hair either golden or pitch black, and with stern faces. Iliyal wore his general’s coat, his sword, Ilwin came in with a blade at his belt too. Arascus had bestowed one upon him after the escape from Olympiada. That had been the nail that sealed Leona’s coffin.

They took their seats, Ilwin and Iliyal at the head table, the elves scattered about to the other places. Then the other people started to slowly flow in a trickle that became a raging river. Daganhoff was all smiles when she Arascus was enjoying himself.

The God of Pride saw the two sorcerers enter, they were easily the youngest guests, and they took seats directly at his table. The maids had dressed them, from the local gossip, Edmonton had been rather fun to tease, Fleur was the complete opposite. She wore a dress of dark blue and with dashes of red and had a white flower in her hair. Arascus would have never thought her for one to dress like that, but somehow, it was so predictable. He had never met a single sorcerer who did not try to show off.

Fer came near the end, a band of ten beastmen behind her. The room fell silent, everyone had seen the beastmen about every now and then, but they kept to themselves. Fer had managed to dress them in suits somehow, a wolfman in a bowtie, a minotaur in a bowler hat. Arascus chuckled as Fer came to a stop, legs wide and hands on her hips. She stared everyone down in the hall, a smile on her head. Arascus had given her clothes, a white shirt and a skirt. She had made some changes, the top two buttons of her shirt were undone, she had a thick bearskin on her back as a cape, and tall black boots. “I have entered!” She shouted. “You may continue!” The room remained silent until Iliyal stood up and gave her a clap.

“To the Goddess of Beasthood!” Applause flooded the room as Fer smugly nodded to herself. She gave some hand signals for her men to sit down and took her seat by Neneria. Iliyal indicated for Arascus to get Of Death to stand. Arascus had to poke her twice before she gingerly stood up, her neck low as she took a deep breath and looked nowhere in particular. “And to the Goddess of Death! Who killed Leona!” Cheers and applause pounded throughout the room long after Iliyal sat down. Neneria’s cheeks had already gone red and she returned to her seat and stared at her empty plate. Even with all that though, Arascus could see a small smile on her lips.

Then came the rest of applause. For Edmonton and Fleur, who stood up together. For the pilots, Douglas and Erik. For the ground crew. For the support teams in the air. For Ilwin and Iliyal who organised the operation. For everyone here for believing in them. Arascus was the only one not mentioned, there was no need, their pride was his pride. Finally Fer stood up and the room went silent. “I would also like to thank Sara for helping me with this!” She shouted loudly and indicated to the hidden painting on the wall.

A maid was on standby and immediately pulled the red cloth down to a chorus of oohs and aahs. It was a picture of Fer, Neneria, the planes, everyone who participated in the mission. ‘Operation Misfortune’ was written in the corner in Fer’s scratchy handwriting. Arascus stood up first, it was an amazing photo! He clapped and the whole room joined in, only Neneria buried her face in her hands as she went red as a beetroot.

With all that done. It was time for Arascus’ speech. He never planned them, it was always to improvise them on the spot and follow the mood of the crowd. This was going to be a short one anyway, people were starting to get hungry. “Ladies and Gentlemen.” He stood up and spoke loudly, the hall immediately fell silent. Man and elf and beast and Goddess turned their heads to listen. “It has been more than a thousand years since we began the Great War.”

He took a pause. Pauses were always good at the start, to get the ball rolling. “The Great War raged for a century. Throughout the century, we had tried to Leona an uncountable amount of times. With blade and dagger and poison, we caught her out in the open, we caught her in her sleep. Ladies and gentlemen.” Arascus raised his cup. “Today! We have done the impossible! We have burned down the casino! We have out gambled Lady Luck! Ladies and Gentlemen! Yesterday, we took Leona! Tomorrow, we take the World!”

There was no need to drag it on, yet still a chant started. The World, The World, The World! It raged on for a minute before it finally died down. “And now, while the White Pantheon recoils, we drink and feast and make merry! Ladies and Gentlemen, this is our first feast here and it will be the last! Next time, we’ll be feasting in a palace!” More cheers, more song. Arascus sat down as people brought out food and drink.

Raymond blinked as the screen sobered him up. 10.1% 10% 9.9%

Arascus watched and drank and ate his fill as the feast raged on around him. Alee was pestering Iliyal after they both had a few too many drinks, she was planting more than a few kisses on his face. Ilwin watched his grandfather fight a losing a battle as a maid set upon him. Behind them, Fer was drinking men into the ground. There had been an arm-wrestling contest with the Goddess of Beasthood that ended in one round and several broken fingers. Two men had already collapsed on the table, mumbling about how they should have never tried to outdrink a God.

The beastmen, especially after every had a few drinks in them, became immensely popular. A minotaur was lifting a giggling girl with one hand. Here, the arm wrestling continued, not with the minotaur. No one was drunk or stupid enough to take on that mass of rippling muscle, but the wolfman still stood undefeated. The sorcerers were close by, they were entertaining a group of guards and soldiers with showcases of magic and sorcery. Water danced in between Edmonton’s fingers and Fleur had folded the metal cutlery into various figurines with nothing but the air itself. The raptor pilots were drinking their fill and telling tales to others about how they had to manoeuvre their aircrafts, Arascus was sure no rolls were done, but he let them talk. Even Neneria had find some people who were brave enough to face Death. She was showing off some ghostly fairies who were bringing her cake throughout the night.

Arascus leaned back and sighed as Sara tested her luck with him. She was always like that, but for once, he enjoyed the company.

It was a good feast.

Raymond blinked as a message appeared on the screen. He had never thought that thing was programmed to do anything more than say how much energy was left. The 8% moved up and below new text appeared: Warning: Chaos Crisis in 6 hours.