The Greatest Sin

Elassa watched her mages train. It was the first day of training, they were awkward, they were slow, and they couldn’t quite bring themselves to truly try hurt one another. She remembered the training of the past, when live beastmen would be used for these purposes and was glad that she had doubled the time. Three months would not cut it. Frankly, six months seemed like too little.

How did Kassandora build armies in times of peace? How did Maisara and Fortia do it? She should ask. She knew she should. But then Arcadia had always fended for itself, it would be beyond humiliating to bring Of Peace and Of Order here.

“A squad will be twelve men then.” Kavaa watched Kassandora circle Option F. It was the Goddess of War, Of Health and the God of Pride in the command tent. The military bill had passed and volunteers were starting to flow in. They had not been caught unawares, but there were still tiny little things to sort out. “A platoon will be three squads. Regiment three platoons, into brigades, into regiments, into divisions, corps then army at the top. Twelve men to a squad, then grouping is a set of three making a pyramid.” Arascus and Kavaa nodded.

It was a small tent, in the heart of Kassandora’s camp. Plain, unadorned, Kassandora’s bed was merely wooden struts with a flimsy mattress. The linen walls were lined with locked cabinets and chests, and the middle was dominated by a table. Today, that table was filled with training sheets. The past week since Anassa arrived had been brutal, classes replaced the training regimen and from what Helenna heard, Kassandora’s soldiers wanted to go back to digging holes than being forced into another of her leadership seminars. Kavaa had sent a team of Clerics to make sure Kassandora wouldn’t be killing her own soldiers with the punishments for wrong answers. “And my Orders?” Kavaa asked.

“Are we agreed they will follow my commands then?” Kassandora asked. “I don’t want them on the battlefield if they don’t.” Kavaa sighed. It was only natural she’d be protective of men blessed by herself, but in the Great Wars, in the wars before it, it wasn’t unheard of to follow another’s command. Fortia had been the primary leader for the armies back then.

“No suicidal missions.” Kavaa said. “But other than that…” She shrugged. “We’re sailing to war, if you sink the ship, it doesn’t matter what I’ve done, I’m still on a sinking ship, aren’t I?” Arascus nodded and Kassandora smiled as she brought out another paper.

“I’m keeping the Orders as they are. They’ll become either battalions through to brigades.”

“Why not Corps?” The largest blocks of the army.

“Because you have no single Order than can fill out a Corp by itself. Do you want inter-order rivalry in the army?” Kassandora raised an eyebrow and Kavaa shook her head. “The plan for the Clerics is medical units. Back-liners. Is there an issue?” Kassandora saw the expression in Kavaa’s head.

Kavaa wished she could contain herself. Kassandora noticed now though, it was too late to take it back. “It feels like I’m support again.” Kassandora looked at Arascus and then at Kavaa.

“You are.” Arascus said as he leaned forwards. “I and Kassandora have discussed this already. Frontline units with modern weaponry will be sent into a meatgrinder. We’re expecting the first battles to be dealing with a mass air assault from Arcadia followed by a ground invasion lead by Fortia and Maisara. That’s if we’re on the defensive.” He looked at Kavaa and smiled. Kavaa still didn’t know why he smiled at her like that, she wasn’t worthy to be looked at in any fashion even resembling the fond gazes he gave his daughters. “Anyone can be trained to shoot a gun, only your men can heal. Ten men and one healer is worth more than fifty men alone. It is as simple as that.”

Kavaa nodded. She didn’t know why that made her feel better. Kassandora came in with her encouragement. “In regards to that, artillery will also be classified support companies. The Corps themselves are just boots on the ground. Even Fer’s beastmen will be specialized auxiliary troops. You don’t want to be the frontlines from now on.” Kavaa nodded. She’d have to see it to believe it.

“And if we’re on the offensive?”

“We head south then and claim all sub-Sassaran Arika. Then we turn north to Epa. Iliyal will command the southern theatre, I will take the northern.” Kassandora said as she brought out a piece of paper. “From yesterday, we already have fourty thousand volunteers who have signed onto the Reclamation War from Nanbasa. The whole country has a hundred and fifty thousand in a week.” She looked at Arascus. “You were right that they’d sign up even on measly wages.”

The God of Pride bowed his head and raised his hands, palms facing them. “Everyone wants to help write history. It was obvious.”

“We also have thirty thousand signatures from abroad. Ausa is discussing its own armed forces after seeing Elassa back down from Kirinyaa.”

“We’ve set a precedent for them now.” Arascus said. “But Ausa is moving too fast, if we split our forces then we’ll give Elassa the initiative. She’ll be able to pick and choose where to strike. I want mass guns first.”

“In regards to that, we have confirmation of two old factories being retooled to produce Alash’s M2.” Kassandora said. “First shipment will arrive in a month on schedule, realistically in two months.” Kavaa blinked at that stark difference again. Even back during the Great War, the moment something wasn’t on schedule was the moment arguments started to flare up and fingers were pointed. And here Kass was talking about the schedule as if it was best possible outcome.

“And if we’re ahead of schedule?” She asked.

“That doesn’t exist.” Kassandora said quickly as her finger made its way down the paper. “Lemur?” She asked inquisitively.

Arascus answered. “Alash’s medium artillery design. The Binturong I’ve designated as siege artillery, this is for battles.” He leaned over the table and pulled a series of papers out of Kassandora’s binder. “These are the schematics, I’ve withheld the green light until you saw it.” He said.

Kavaa circled the table and stood by Kassandora as the two of them looked down. “Why the fuck does he like animals so much?” Kassandora stabbed the little photo of the lemur attached to the schematic with her thumb.

“Big gun, long tail.” Arascus said as she bit the cap of a red pen off and started making annotations. Kavaa looked at that pretty handwriting, the woman in the black suit making it, and the words themselves. That was certainly a mismatch in tone, the cursing prose did not fit such flowing calligraphy.

“Aren’t you too harsh?” Kavaa asked.

“I’m not sending men out in garbage that reverses at walking speeds.” Kassandora said. “Good thing you didn’t give the green light on this.” Arascus leaned to stare at her words and smirked.

“Isn’t there a fix to this?” Kavaa asked. “It doesn’t look too bad.”

“The gun looks fine but what is this shit?” Kassandora almost shouted as she started circling more or less everything that made up the chassis.

“You see a fix?” Arascus asked.

“Can’t it be mounted on a truck?” Kavaa asked. “If the speed and fuel range is too low then we should just remove the tra…” She saw Arascus and Kassandora both stare at her in half-shock, half-surprise. “I mean, I jus-“

“Kavaa!” Kassandora grabbed the woman’s shoulders and forcefully turned her so they were face to face. Face to neck, Kassandora was much taller. “Why are you not the Goddess of Engineering?” Kavaa let out a mirthless giggle.

“It was just a suggestion.” She took a step back from Kassandora’s grip.

“Excellent! Excellent! And we don’t have to rely on Alash for vehicles! Take the gun, mount it on a truck.” Kassandora crossed out her suggestions. “Skip Alash, have him stick to what he knows.”

“I was about to say the same thing. Kirinyaa already has some domestic heavy vehicle industry.” He smiled at Kavaa and the woman felt that silly little warm feeling in herself again. Pride? Was that it? Pride at the fact she got recognized? She wished it wasn’t so uncommon. “Good job Kavaa.” If Allasaria or Maisara or Fortia or Zerus or Elassa had said that, it would have been forced or filled with snark. Kavaa smiled back, Arascus honestly sounded as if he meant it.

“And don’t call if a fucking Lemur. S-P-G-M-A dash W-V dash Zero-One.” Kassandora said the letter salad with too much satisfaction.

“We’re not doing acronyms.” Arascus said.

“Self-Propelled-Gun-Medium-Artillery-Dash-Wheeled-Vehicle-Dash-Zero-One.” Kassandora explained it.

“Don’t care, three letters at the most.” Arascus shut her down. “We got rid of your acronyms six months into the war, we’re not restarting them now.” Kassandora rolled her eyes.

“You choose a name then, or give it to-“ Kassandora fell silent as the curtains that made up to the door to her tent started to bend. Flutter in some unnatural, soundless wind. Anassa appeared in between them, looked around the room and smiled at three inside.

She stood in that ridiculous red crimson dress like a viper, it exposed enough skin to make a harlot blush. It was nothing like Fer’s innocent lack of decorum, it was made to tantalize and be hard to look away from and… Kavaa pulled her eyes away as Anassa spoke. “I am here!” She sounded triumphant for no reason at all.

“You are here.” Kassandora said flatly. “What for?”

“Two things.” Anassa appeared on the other side of the table. “Firstly, I saw the men you picked out. Out of three hundred, sixty have potential.”

“More than I expected.” Kassandora said sourly. “When can you awaken them?”

“They’re already awake.” Anassa said and Kassandora nodded.

“The rest?”

“Don’t worry about them.” Anassa chipped in as she looked at the maps.

“So they’re dead.” It should have been a question, but Kassandora said it as a statement.

“Almost, they’re not important though, tomorrow morning I start exercises, I want a beating field.” Kavaa’s eyes bulged. A beating field? What in all the heavens was that?

“Excuse me?” She couldn’t stop herself from asking. “What?”

“Don’t.” Kassandora cut Kavaa off and went back to Anassa. “You’ll have your field.”

“By tomorrow?” Anassa quipped with a smile.

“By tonight.” Kassandora said. “And the other? Baalka I assume?” Anassa’s nodded, her face going cold and serious. Those red eyes losing their sparkle of humour and her tone becoming cold.

“She’s cursed. I’ve done what I can, but I’ll need to work on her more.”

“Cursed how?” Kassandora asked and Anassa snapped back, angry now.

“If I knew, she’d be awake by now, wouldn’t she?”

Arascus stepped in just as Kassandora opened her mouth. “Try harder then, Baalka can take damage.”

“If it was anyone but her, they’d be dead by now.” Anassa said. “Her body has shut down entirely, her soul has been enclosed in…” Anassa shrugged. “I can honestly say I have no idea what in.” Arascus nodded.

“That’s what Kavaa said too, she’s alive but unresponsive.” Kavaa nodded. All want to speak had fled when Anassa stepped into the room. Kassandora and Arascus had some pull about them, they were wolves, but they were wolves that didn’t bark at her. Anassa though… After that fight between the two, that was exactly how Kavaa had imagined to be. The only surprise had been her reaction to healing…

Kavaa wiped her hands on the back of her dress as she recalled the memory. Even thinking about that made her feel dirty. Anassa was about to say something when they had another guest. Neneria this time. Kassandora tutted this time when she saw another person enter but remained polite. “What is it?”

Neneria stood there, in her black dress and looking at the four of them. She shrugged. “I wanted to know the details of the plan and what’s going to my Legion.” She spoke softly, she always did. In a cool tone that seemed to meander between apathy and indifference.

Kassandora readjusted her skull cap and sighed. “You’re going to be held back for the Elassa part of the war until her non-magical reinforcements alive. Until then, you’re going to be harvesting souls for the Legion.” Neneria nodded and then winced as Fer came in, the Goddess of Beasthood half pushed, half lifted the Goddess out of the way.

“I have news!” Fer shouted happily. She made a pose as Kavaa looked Of Beasthood up and down. Her uniform had arrived. She was wearing the same black, cut in a similar style as to Kassandora and Arascus and Kavaa. Longer, bigger too, with more room to move in. The most striking difference was the cut-outs in her cap for her ears and the goat’s skull emblem on it.

“Does my tent say ’Come in everyone!?’” Kassandora said tiredly. “What? Your uniform?”

Fer nodded happily as she did a spin to show it off. “Not that.” She began. “Ilwin has found a way to get the Beastmen here, through an eastern port in cargo containers.”

“I know already.” Kassandora said dimly.

“Well I wanted to tell you I know now too.” Fer tutted and wagged her finger. “You should have told me.”

“I got the news an hour ago.” Kassandora said. “Is that all?” Fer nodded as she took a step to look at the table. Kavaa once again took a step back as the huge Goddesses conglomerated around the table. It was nothing like the White Pantheon, not whatsoever. Kassandora managed to get through one paragraph of notes when the door opened again. “This better be the most important fucking news I’ve heard all year-“ She cooled her tone when she it was Helenna. “Enter, excuse my mood but what is it?” Kassandora said.

Kavaa looked to Helenna as the Goddess looked to Fer, then Anassa and then Arascus. “I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important.” She put a letter on the table. There was a seal at the bottom, with a set of scales. Kavaa recognised it immediately, but none of the others did. “Ciria of Civilization sent a letter, she wants to hold peace talks. Waeh will be there too.” Kassandora blinked and sighed.

“Oh.”