The Greatest Sin

Fortia stared up at a hundred of monitor in Nulmdorf’s Stock Market. There wasn’t even a single sliver of green among the sea of red.

Edmonton to a knock on his door. Wait… He grimaced, closed his eyes, the light hurt his head and shook himself to open them again. There was something soft in his hand. He squeezed and Fleur purred in her sleep. The knock came again. Louder this time, impatient and aggressive. Edmonton looked around and sat up.

This was Fleur’s room. Tidy and clean, with a picture of Lyca, Eliza, himself and Fleur on the desk, next to it the framed photograph Douglas had given her of Operation Misfortune. Then the usual stack of books. Empty water bottles, a half-eaten slice of cake. Some fruit. Clothes on the floor. Edmonton’s and Fleur’s. A white flower was on the desk. Memories of last night came flooding back. The feast, the drinks, the speeches, the sorcery match against Neneria’s magic. Fleur and Edmonton deciding it was time to retire. Them stopping at her door. Them deciding it wasn’t time to sleep yet. Everything that came after that.

Edmonton squeezed again and looked down as Fleur purred again. Who thought icy Fleur could purr like that? He sat against the cold bed and flinched. His back was scratched. More memories, the feast was pleasant, these were even better. “Wakey wakey sleepyheads!” A woman called from outside. “I’m coming in! There’s a meeting you’ve been called to!”

Alee, her dark hair tied back and in her usual black dress, opened the door and stepped in. She took one glance at Edmonton before he pulled the bedsheets above himself. Fleur sat up instantly, Edmonton brought her close before the covers fell from her too. “WHAT?” She shouted. Her hair flung around in a panic as Alee stepped in. Was the maid immune to alcohol? Edmonton had seen how she was drinking last night as she tortured Iliyal with her tempting jokes. How did she have the energy to stand? Edmonton tried to speak, then saw Fleur look at him, then at Alee, then back at him. This time, her cheeks were scarlet. “We-we-we-we-It’s not what it seems like!” Her mouth scrambled some words out.

“Oh I’m sure.” Alee said. She strutted in with two fizzing glasses. “This will help.”

“What is that?” Edmonton asked, words were hard to speak today.

“Medicine.” Alee put the two glasses on the desk, then proceeded to think for a moment and handed them directly to the two on the bed. “Drink. It’s good for you.” She nudged them forwards. “Go on, I squeezed lemons in them for taste.” Edmonton took it.

It did indeed taste like lemonade. “Do you want clothes?” Alee asked.

“You’re not my mother.” Edmonton replied after he drank the glass. Fleur watched him for a moment, then carefully drank her own.

“Do you want to run through the corridors naked then?” Alee took his and Fleur’s glass and set them on the table as she started folding up the clothes on the floor.

“I’d rather have my clothes.”

“Thought so.” Alee said with a smile. “Arascus called a meeting, I let you sleep in, it’s in the usual meeting room in fifteen minutes.” She turned to the door and shouted. “Raika! Bring the clothes!”

“This isn’t a circus for you to come in!” Fleur pulled the bedsheets up further around herself until only her head was exposed. Alee did not reply as golden-haired Raika stepped in with her arms full of clothes. There was a dagger on her belt, she saw the two on them bed and started to smile that wicked smile of hers. Edmonton had thought her a pretty girl at first, but he decided to start avoiding her after the first they talked.

“I knew it.” She said devilishly.

“You knew nothing!”

“I made a bet on you two.” She giggled smugly, an absolutely horrible he-he-he, and looked at Alee. “Tasha owes me the big bucks now.” The two maids burst out in laughter.

“Don’t tell anyone about this!” Fleur shouted.

Raika responded with that sneaky voice of hers that made every word she said sound distrusting. “Of course I won’t.” Edmonton sighed, if that voice said grass was green, he would bet on it being red.

“Maids never talk.” Alee said as she grabbed Raika’s hand. “Now I’d suggest getting to the toilet before you make a mess over the carpets!” She disappeared out the door before Edmonton could ask why. He felt it almost immediately after the door slam shut. His stomach gurgled as whatever she had made him drink started doing its work.

He barely made it to the toilet in Fleur’s bathroom. Before he even finished, Fleur was throwing up into the bath.

Maisara stepped through the Rancais Police Barricade, her armour appeared her, her axe carved a line into the tarmac. There was a protest behind her, a protest against her. She cared for it about as much as she cared for the Anarchians located inside the building.

They had been blessed by their cursed Goddess somehow, powered up to a level standard men could not compete with.

Unfortunately for them. They weren’t facing mortals today, their opponent was Divine.

Arascus, Ilwin, Iliyal, Sara, Fer and Neneria were already in the meeting room by the time Edmonton and Fleur arrived. They were on time, just. It had been a quick dress, Edmonton had barely managed to brush his teeth, Fleur had her hair tangled and out of place. Everyone looked at them as they entered the room. Arascus in his suit, Iliyal dressed like a general, Ilwin and Sara dressed as if they were heading for a business meeting. Sara smiled that leering smile at Edmonton he knew Fleur hated. Fer was in a simple shirt, yawning and playing with her fingers. Her golden hair cascaded down the back of her chair like a water. Neneria was cold and dressed in black as always, although she gave them a small smile. Last night’s show of sorcery had warmed her up to them.

Arascus broke the silence. “Told you.” He leaned towards Sara and the woman shrugged. Two months ago, Edmonton would have never thought of questioning the God of Pride, but after spending so much time with him, he had grown confident enough to ask.

“Told you what?”

“We were betting on whether you’d be late or not.” Arascus leaned forwards, arms on the table. “Now this is a light meeting. It’s just setting plans for things to come.” He extended his arm for them to take chairs at the end of the table. “It’s about Anassa.”

“Anassa?” Fleur instantly spoke up, her hands dropped and she stopped fixing her hair. Fer sat up, a bright smile painted on her face.

“Anassa.” Arascus confirmed. “That’s the next target. You can probably see why you were invited.” The two sorcerers nodded quickly. Arascus gestured to Iliyal and the elf brought out a folder. How did the man manage to organize a stack of papers that thick after last night? Was he superhuman? Super-elven? Ilwin at least looked groggy.

“Indeed. Today marks the third day after Operation Misfortune and the third day Allasaria has not been seen. Not in Olympiada. Not even in Southern Arika. We don’t know what happened to the woman.”

“She’s not dead.” Fer said.

“Leona blessed her at the battle and stalled me.” Neneria added quietly. She looked down and started playing with her fingers.

“It was Leona.” Arascus said and waved his hand. “Don’t beat yourself over it.”

“Indeed. We were there during the Great War. She was untouchable back then.” Iliyal said. “I have a theory about it.”

“And that is?” Arascus asked.

“With the information Ilwin provided, she’s been using her own energy to keep Olephia imprisoned.” He looked at the three Divines at the table. “Now we know Olephia isn’t easy to handle. Even for her, after a millennia, it could start to drain her.”

“It makes sense.” Arascus agreed.

“In the Great War, even air-cavalry would not get close to her.” Neneria said.

“Better to overprepare than to be caught lacking.” Arascus said. “Leona has trained us well.”

“That’s one way to put it.” Iliyal said as he turned a page in the folder. “The plans change entirely on whether Allasaria is present or not. Elassa we account for in every situation.” Edmonton looked at Fleur. With these ageless beings talking, it seemed like there was nothing for them to add.

“And if Elassa is not there?” Edmonton asked. Fer flashed that laughing smile of hers at him. Her fangs exposed and her ears quivered.

“If we prepare for Elassa, then we prepare for everything her mages can throw at us.” Fer said. Edmonton nodded slowly. He felt stupid for even asking the question, but he supposed it was better to ask than not do anything.

“And if more Divines are there?” Edmonton asked, he tried not to shrink in his posture. Arascus noticed it immediately.

“If there’s more than one Divine present, we retreat immediately. Time right now is on our side, there is no pressure to free her immediately.” Edmonton nodded as Arascus continued. “We brought you in because you’re familiar with the terrain of Arcadia. Don’t beat yourself over asking questions.”

“Everyone does it at the start.” Ilwin added. “You get used to it quickly.” Edmonton nodded. It was so odd after the schooling of Arcadia. There, they roleplayed meetings with everyone being forced to ask some trite. Then when it came to actual planning during group activities, everyone shut up.

“The presence of more than a million mages forces a quiet approach.” Iliyal said as he flipped a page. He finally looked away from the paper and looked to the two young sorcerers. “You wouldn’t happen to know what is keeping Anassa trapped?” Edmonton looked to Fleur, then shook his head.

“We don’t.” Fleur spoke up. “She never shared that with us, but we think it’s on the second floor.”

“She’s never allowed us to go up there.”

“Then it’s dangerous.” Arascus said. The two sorcerers looked at each other again, then at Arascus.

“We… ahhh….” Fleur began. “We never got that impression.”

“Anassa is like that.” Arascus said. “She rarely says why, but if she thought you could handle it, you would have freed her already.”

“Really?”

“She’s the Goddess of Sorcery. She outmatches Elassa, only a few Divines are a danger to her and Anassa is fast. She would take the first chance at escape she can.” Arascus followed up.

“I see.” Edmonton had never thought Anassa had their interests at heart.

“Is there anything you can tell us about the Library?” Edmonton looked to Fleur, the girl brimmed with a smile as she launched into an explanation of the building’s history and how she worked it out. Everyone in the room listened carefully, even Fer and Neneria.

“So it was built around 25 years after the Great War.” Iliyal wrote it down. “It’s going to be one of the ancient capture methods then, not any of the modern ones.” He pointed the pen at Fleur. “That’s a good catch.”

“Thank you.” Fleur played with her hair at the attention.

“It could have been updated.” Ilwin said and the table nodded.

“The defences yes, but not the capture method.” Arascus said. “Although that is a consideration, Anassa may not be break the traps around her by herself.” He looked to Fer.

“I could.” Fer said.

“We can’t field the Legion in Arcadia. The mages would wipe it out.” Neneria said quietly.

“Indeed.” Iliyal wrote something else down. “Beastmen then.” He looked to Arascus. “It’s a stretch, but should we reveal the gun?” The table fell silent as Arascus thought.

The God of Pride eventually replied. “We will settle the matter of guns later when we get into operation specifics. Make a note though, have Alash design knew rifles for beastmen to use.”

“Make a big one!” Fer shouted immediately. “For the minotaurs! Make it big!”

“Noted.” Iliyal said. “Alash will probably like it, he didn’t like the plane job.”

“It’s not his field of expertise.” Arascus said. “There is one thing more I wish to discuss.” Iliyal closed the folder and set it on the table. “Kassandora, we should contact her immediately.” Fleur and Edmonton looked at each other and the God laughed a low rumble. “Not you two, Daganhoff, you’ll contact them.”

“I want to raise a proposition.” Iliyal raised his hand. “I want to go, rather than Sara.”

“Your presence could raise a problem with Kavaa, Iniri and Helenna about.” Arascus said, then he leaned back. “Although… You three.” Arascus pointed to Ilwin, Iliyal and Sara. “You three go. No one is allowed to stay in Kirinyaa. This is to you Iliyal. I know she blessed you, but you are to return.”

“I will.” Iliyal collapsed into the back of his seat with a smile. Edmonton had seen the elf smile before, smile and laugh, he had even apparently cried when Ilwin returned from Operation SkyStealer, although Edmonton had not seen that, but he had never seen a man carry such a face of bliss as Iliyal did just then. “Thank you.” He stood up and saluted Arascus.

“Sit down and don’t embarrass yourself.” Arascus waved his hand towards Fleur and Edmonton. “Look, these two will laugh at you.” Neither of them were laughing.

“You mean Kassandora? Goddess of War?” Fleur asked.

“I mean Kassandora, Goddess of War.” Arascus confirmed, he leaned back to speak to the whole table. “Now I have a question I don’t know, can we get a direct line set up to her?”

“You mean a phone?” Fleur asked.

“I’ve heard phones can be intercepted. We did it with the Artica transmission.” The elves looked at each other. Fer raised her hands defensively and shook her head.

“Not my domain to talk in.” She said loudly. Edmonton thought for a moment as Sara shrugged. Did none of them know? They were ageless Gods after all, they wouldn’t be up to date with technology. But Sara? Shouldn’t she know?

“What about a VPN?” Edmonton asked. The table turned to him again.

“I apologize for the lack of knowledge.” Arascus said and moved his hand as if to hurry Edmonton along. “But explain.”

“Lyca knows about them.”

“Of course he would.” Fleur muttered quietly.

“He’s told me, it encrypts data. I don’t really know but he pays for one.” Fleur shook her head and spoke over Edmonton.

“He pays for one to illegally download movies and games, it’s not… at least I don’t think it can…” Arascus shook his head.

“Iliyal, Ilwin, Sara, the two of you set off to Arika in two days. Before then, I want a report from each of you on this.” Arascus turned to Fleur and Edmonton. “You two, I’d appreciate a report from as well. Although you have longer.” Edmonton felt Fleur’s elbow hit him in the side as Arascus leaned back and clapped his hands. “Very well. Meeting over.” Iliyal started to get up immediately. Fer rolled her eyes.

“Finally.” She said.

“First Leona, now the World.” Ilwin said as he stood up.

“I have a question.” Edmonton stopped the procedure. “In regards to us. Are we going back to Arcadia?” Arascus raised an eyebrow.

“Do you want to?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then no. I graduate you two from the school. What sort of title would you receive?”

“A novice.” Edmonton replied.

“Don’t demean yourselves. You’re both sorcerers. Do you want certificates?”

“Really?” Edmonton asked.

“Iliyal, write them up.” The elf chuckled and immediately started writing in his folder. A minute later, Arascus was signing them. He even pulled out a stamp and made sure to slam it hard on the paper before handing them to Edmonton and Fleur.

Edmonton stared at the piece of paper. Iliyal’s handwriting wasn’t simply neat, it was a masterpiece of calligraphy. There it was:

Certificate of Graduation: For Edmonton Weaver.

Bestowed rank of Sorcerer.

Signed. Arascus, God of Pride.