ALL NOVEL Advent – Chapter 41: Burning Anger
Laelia stared at the tip of her spear. The fact that the being that was now her Goddess had shrugged her attempted attack off with nothing but a tiny scratch to show for it, while the spear itself was now slightly bent and chipped from the effort, still gave her pause. She knew that the Gods were far beyond what a normal mortal could achieve but had never quite believed it until she saw it. How can she even move if her skin is harder than my armour?
The idle thought was quickly pushed from her mind, and she adjusted her stance as she squinted in the direction of the approaching knights. The armour of Vigils’ followers still managed to gleam despite the relative dark the high-storied buildings surrounding the street created. In contrast, the almost-black of Natio’s knights seemed to let them melt into the shadows, letting their forms slip from her view whenever she did not pay close attention.
The grey-furred Beastkin – Joref – had not told the rest of the staff of their approach, which had started when Aperio had arrived to heal Em and Kaam. When asked why he kept silent, Joref merely smiled, giving a line about the world not tolerating such attempts.
As quiet as Joref was, he was without a doubt one of the best scryers she knew. Why the man was working with no pay for the tiny house of healing she did not know, but neither did she care. He had been there when she was welcomed into their care, and he would likely still be there when she was no more. The grey-furred Beastkin had a strange timeless quality to him that made Laelia believe there was definitely more to him that met the eye.
With a sigh, Laelia closed her eyes and prepared to send another prayer to her Goddess. She was unsure if Aperio would even be able to understand the ones she sent her, as she seemingly did not speak Common. Did thoughts have a language associated with them? There was a tiny thought that told her that maybe, just maybe, her new Goddess liked to annoy people, but she squashed that as soon as it appeared. Such thoughts were most unbecoming of a paladin.
Before she found the correct words for her next prayer, the air in front of her distorted and a heavy but familiar presence settled on the world. A moment later her Goddess, and her daughter, appeared where the distortion had been, looking very displeased. For a moment Laelia thought the anger she saw in Aperio's silvery eyes was directed at her, but that was quickly proven wrong as she turned to face the approaching knights.
Aperio regarded the group for a moment, slightly tilting her head at something only she could see. Laelia felt a wave of mana spread out from her Goddess and wash over the knights, causing them to briefly stagger but still continue their march.
In the next moment she was gone, the ground where she had stood riddled with fissures. A fraction of a second later the world was filled with shards of glass and an ear-splitting noise that caused the knights to stop in their tracks.
"Leave. Now."
A few of them did turn to leave but were stopped by an angry shout – one of Vigil's knights. She did not know the man personally, but she had seen him in the church before. That they had sent the leader of the local detachment of holy-knights had given Laelia pause, but now that she was within the oddly reassuring touch of Aperio's magic she no longer felt that twist in her gut that told her she would not survive.
The leader did not try to argue or even ask Aperio to move aside, he simply motioned for a footman to give him his spear. The action caused a small smile to tug at the paladin's lips; it was the same make of spear she had. An orichalcum core with an adamantite edge that had been enchanted to be armour-piercing, more durable, and possibly also poisoned.
That spear would end up more damaged than hers. Laelia did not know exactly what was happening to Aperio, but every time she saw the Goddess her movements had gotten a tiny bit smoother, the mana surrounding her a bit richer, and the definition of her muscles a bit more pronounced.
With a practiced motion the knight threw the spear, sending it racing through the air towards its intended target. Laelia had assumed that her Goddess would just let the projectile hit her like she had done in her fight but, instead, Aperio simply plucked it out of the air. The motion did not look practiced, but was still executed with an unnatural grace that made Laelia question her own abilities before she remembered that the woman was a Goddess. I should expect things like this.
Aperio twirled the weapon in her hand before ramming the butt of it into the stone. "Leave!" she yelled again.
This time a few of the knights turned and ran, not stopped by the shouts of their superiors. Laelia could not blame them. The air surrounding the knights had grown heavier, and for her own part a familiar heat rose in her chest. Her Goddess was angry, and she felt her own blessing being strengthened by the wild mana streaming off of Aperio. Every bit of it that she took in brought with it a hint of seething rage that almost caused Laelia to pity the other Gods’ followers.
Seeing that the rest would not follow her instructions, Aperio pulled the spear free and, with one swift motion, threw it at the man that had tried to skewer her with it. The spear darted through the air, leaving a trail of silver behind. It slammed into the knight with a jarring crash, with a speed that left him no time with which to react to the projectile. His armour proved useless against the weapon as it simply passed through him, as well as a number of knights who were standing behind the man.
It continued flying, long past the point of finding further targets to skewer, but much to Laelia's surprise the spear stopped before it hit the building at the end of the street. Instead, it briefly hung in the air before it returned to the waiting hand of her Goddess. Aperio did not throw it again; she simply let it vanish from her hand before she dashed into the frozen group. Only after she had punched another knight, leaving a fist-sized hole in their torso, did the others react. They tried to regain a semblance of order by creating a circle around the angry Goddess, but she fully spread her wings. The action caught some of the knights unaware, causing them to be thrown back by the feathered limbs. With a sweep and a rush of air, she leapt skywards.
A few of the knights were toppled over as they did not anticipate the Goddess to fly, let alone displace enough air to move them. The ones that remained standing were not granted a reprieve as a circle of silver-blue flames came to life around them. They tightened around the knights, forcing them to regroup closer together. One of them, in an attempt to part the wall of fire, stabbed at the flames with his sword.
Much to Laelia's surprise and his shock, the flame latched onto the metal and quickly spread over his entire form. What followed was one of the most agonising screams Laelia had ever heard.
The rest of the knights took nervous steps back from the burning man, their actions made all the more difficult to maneuver as the ring of fire tightened once more. In only a few more seconds, the screams finally ceased and the lifeless body of what was once a knight fell onto the ground. For a brief moment Laelia thought she saw a small light hover above his corpse, but a blink later it had disappeared.
Aperio watched the soul vanish shortly after she had burned it out of the man's body. She knew it would return to her Void, to wait its turn at rebirth. The fact that the source of all life resided within her Dominion was still not something she found very pleasing, but it also gave her an idea on how she would be able to actually kill Vigil and Inanis, as well as anyone else who had thought it a great idea to turn mortals into their playthings.
Currently, though, she wanted nothing more than to kill the scum below her. They weren't being controlled like Laelia had been. No – they came here to murder children of their own free will. They all could have refused the orders they had received. None of them were truly forced to be here.
A few of them had run when she told them to, but the rest would die here as, in the end, was their choice. Why did Natio and Vigil tell them to go and kill children in the first place? Just so nobody can claim that the Rage is curable? She looked back at the knights below. Once I am done here, I will remove their Gods from this city.
She did not like imposing her will on others, but this issue forced her hand. And while senseless killing brought her little joy, she would not back away and let those who had attempted to murder her go free to force their twisted view on the world. But then, aren't I also just imposing my will on the world? One I might have made.
An arc of golden light that impacted one of her wings caused Aperio to refocus on the people below. The attack had not hurt or damaged any of her feathers in the slightest. A mild annoyance at best. How were those trees able to damage me, then? Maybe I was not as ...durable? She shelved the thought as for now she had to deal with the followers of a self-righteous fuck, not to mention a new God that seemed to have missed the memo that souls were not to be toyed with. Aperio had no desire to find out what someone could make if they actually did more than simply touch a soul.
A thought later and the fire washed over the remaining knights, forcing their souls back to the river. May they live a better life next time. Fighting them normally, like she had with the first few, might have been more enjoyable, but she had little time. Vigil and Natio needed to be evicted at the earliest opportunity. For a moment she thought about forcing out all the ones that had appeared on the System notification, but decided against it. Merely trying to access something was vastly different to having one's followers kill defenseless people. And only Natio and Vigil tried to have me killed.
With a heavy thud, Aperio set down next to the corpses and let them vanish into her Void. Far away from their souls. She had no idea how large her Dominion actually was, but wanting to deposit the bodies somewhere unreachable for the tiny orbs should be possible. At least, her instincts seemed to indicate that it was feasible, and thus far her feelings on these matters had been pretty spot on.
"What are you going to do now, mother?" Ferio asked, unmoved by what her mother had just done. Aperio thought it slightly strange, but as she considered the people around her more, it seemed that none who had watched the spectacle of burning knights seemed to be giving off any sign of disgust with her actions. Curious. Are they just scared or is this something that happens regularly?
But then, the people who were outside all looked like they had seen their fair share of death. The younger ones that had tried to keep her aura at bay when she had first visited the house of healing might be the exception, but even they seemed to have only minimal pity for the knights.
"Where is Natio's temple?" Aperio did not bother to hide the hostility in her voice. She wanted the two Gods gone and she would no longer postpone the inevitable confrontation. She doubted either of them would show up personally anyway. Ferio had said that both Vigil and Inanis were scared to descend because of her, and Aperio had a feeling that a God that was much younger, would also be a lot weaker.
Much to her surprise it was not Ferio that replied, but a new voice coming from behind the Goddess of Light and Life. "I can guide you, my Lady."
She had seen the grey-furred Beastkin approach through her aura, but had dismissed him as a simple bystander. It would seem that she had been wrong. "Who are you?"
The man did not answer. Instead he took a step back and shrunk under her gaze, obviously not prepared to have the attention of Aperio on him despite having spoken up. She narrowed her eyes as he remained silent, his ears twitching slightly.
For a brief moment the thought of killing the man where he stood flickered across her mind, something within her demanding she smite the insolent mortal that would dare to not answer her question. The thought was quickly squashed.
"Joref," he heaved in reply, his voice strained under the burden of her attention. "Joref Dryggis of the tribes. I was send here on behalf of the chiefs, to help those in need and aid the lost Goddess should she return."
"Lost Goddess?" Aperio tilted her head at his words. "I assume you mean me?"
He gave a small nod in reply. "Your name might have been forgotten by most, but a few still remember. It is not widespread outside of Lerenal, the people having long abandoned the belief in a Goddess that does not answer despite the claims of some that she exists." He gave a long look at Ferio with his last words, seemingly recognising her.
Aperio had an inkling as to why she had been forgotten, and why, when someone of repute gave their word that she was alive, the general response would be disbelief. "What happens to those who still express their belief in me?"
"They disappear," Ferio said. "Most did not believe me when I told them, anyway. Even my own followers. So I stopped."
Aperio was not sure if it was shame or anger she heard in the voice of her daughter. Perhaps both. The knowledge that people did not know of her bothered something deep within her, but also gave her a bit of hope. If nobody truly knew of her, once she had dealt with those that wanted her gone she could make an attempt to live the more normal life she had always wanted.
"While regrettable, there are more pressing concerns. You may enlighten me about what people think of me while you guide me to Natio's house of worship." While she would love to know what exactly people thought she was, dealing with Natio and Vigil took precedence. Afterwards, maybe.
"Ferio, please stay with Laelia and deal with anyone that thinks they can bring harm to those I healed." While Aperio did not expect Natio to actually come to fight her, she did not want to risk her daughter's life. Not when she did not know if she could bring her back.
Only after Aperio had answered the questioning magical nudge of her daughter with a reassuring one of her own did Ferio physically nod and moved towards the building. It was obvious that she did not want to leave her mother after she had only just been reunited with her, but neither did she want to hinder her plans.
The Beastkin seemed to pick up on her intention to leave and gestured towards a small cobblestone road. "This way, my Lady."
Aperio just shook her head and quickly closed the distance between the two. "You will only show me where it is, not walk me there."
He was about to speak when she picked him up and took to the air. Joref went stiff at the rapid acceleration but otherwise remained strangely calm. Once they were high enough to see every island, the Beastkin started to look around, rapidly scanning each small landmass.
"Do you see that big, grey building over there?" he asked, pointing towards a small isle that somehow appeared to be darker than the others.
"That is Natio's temple?"
"Yes, it is," he replied, hesitating briefly before continuing. "It is known that Natio himself sometimes resides there."
He wanted her to be careful, something that she should appreciate, but the words only managed to irritate something within her. Wordlessly, Aperio descended and carefully set the man down.
Once Joref had joined the others inside the house of healing, Aperio took to the skies again. She few as fast as she could, pushing past the small resistance in the air she felt and ignoring the sound it made. At such speeds, it only took a moment for her to reach her destination. Briefly, she considered simply crashing into the building as a way of stopping her flight, but ultimately she decided against it. She was after whoever had given the order against the children at the house of healing, not potential innocents who remained unknowing of what their God had done.
With a mighty beat of her wings, Aperio slowed herself enough to only crack the street slightly. Her rather violent landing attracted the attention of two Humans in dark grey robes, both of them warily approaching her before they simply halted in their tracks and turned back. A moment later a silver-framed window appeared in front of Aperio.
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Entity designated 'Natio' has attempted to transport the Creator. Action converted to transportation request due to insufficient permissions. Would the Creator like to accept the transportation request and enter area designated 'Natio's Dominion'? |