I “created” Anassa only insofar as I explained, in detail, the rules Divines have worked out about themselves. I did not give her a guide, I did not even think what she did was possible. Even though Anassa has done what she has done, I still refuse to believe it can be repeated.
So would call her insane, others would call her pure evil. Character-wise, I have to admit she is troubleso, however she needs to be. These are not her flaws, these are the reasons for her existence. But then if she was not, if she had even an inch of leeway within herself, she would have not managed to accomplish the feat of ascension to Godhood. Many think it is possible to accomplish what she did, to sohow copy Anassa.
If all it took was confidence, then every great hero of the past would have beco a Divine at so certain point. No. Anassa was so stubborn and so delusional that she took a failed art, a lost principle of magic and turned it into Sorcery. Where every civilization has adopted agriculture to feed its population, Anassa is the lone tribe still living off hunting wild ga. The people who call her insane and delusional are correct, but they vastly undershoot just how mad Anassa actually is. Even I, Elassa, Goddess of Magic, Archivist of Arda, do not have the words to explain it, so I will simply say what happened.
Anassa, as a human, was so delusional that she genuinely believed she was so much stronger than , the Goddess of Magic, in the magical arts that she could defeat without a supporting catalyst to channel her flows.
- Excerpt from “Divine Ascension”, written by Goddess Elassa, of Magic. Kept within Elassa’s private chambers in Arcadia.
“So one last ti.” Kavaa listened to Kassandora as the woman ran through the plan. “Torches on everyone…” She looked at Fer as the woman fastening torches to her arms in the sa fashion she did as the ti they had entered with the Nationals. She was humming happily, ears jumping up and down, and smiling wide as she wrapped tape around her arms. “What are you doing?” Kassandora asked flatly.
Fer patted the down and swung her arm around. “I like my hands free.” She said. Kassandora blinked in shock, looked down at her own hands, and moved them around in a circle at the wrist.
“Excuse ?” She said in disbelief. “But you lose so much range of movent…” The Goddess of War moved her hand back as Fer extended her own. The Goddess of Beasthood held her breath for a mont and her nails enlarged themselves into massive claws.
“I need to be able to do this.” Fer said and Kassandora sighed.
“You should have said that sooner.” Kassandora said as Fer did not reply. “Anassa, are you taking one?”
“I can make my own light.” Anassa said. Kavaa supposed the woman could, Anassa carrying a torch would be as farcical as making Allasaria bring one. There simply wasn’t any point.
“Alright. Kavaa and Iniri, you stay close to . Fer, you’re the vanguard. Anassa, you cover us from behind.” Anassa shrugged as she took a step backwards. The Goddess of Sorcery blinked from the dirt to hovering in the centre of that pit she had just carved out.
“I’ll keep watch.” Anassa said as she looked down. Kavaa leaned over the edge and saw a dozen red orbs appear in a line below Anassa, they fell down, casting pale red lights over the walls. Those were perfectly smooth. It was obviously a pit made by a Divine, although Kavaa had only Allasaria and Elassa manage to create sothing like that in the past.
“Iniri, you’re our highest risk mber.” Kassandora said as she started patting her black coat down. Kavaa wore a similar HAUPT design, it was comfortable, and it protected from the blasts of red Kirinyaan dust that plagued the western half of the country. “Don’t feel bad, it just is how it is.” Kavaa gave Iniri a supportive smile. This was her own favourite thing about Kassandora, the woman did not judge, she analysed the situation and simply voice her conclusions. Usually, they were correct. Fortia or Maisara, or Elassa, would have thrown in so snarky comnt if they were to assign roles like this. Iniri nodded to Kassandora, her large green eyes settled on Kavaa and she gave the Goddess od Health a thumbs up. “Iniri?”
“I understand Kass.” Iniri said and Kassandora took a step to be directly in front of Iniri.
“Iniri, if you feel the call, if you hear it, if you even for a mont feel yourself slipping, give us a sign, alright?” Kassandora said. “Fer is here. Ana is here. Kavaa and I am here. We will catch you.”
“I get it Kass.” Iniri said, her tone slightly more definite this ti.
“I hope you do.” Kassandora said as she pointed to Kavaa. “As usual, healing. There is no order or anything. I assu you know your desne better than I do.” The Goddess of Health smiled, that level of trust to simply be tasked with the general prospect of healing, but to let Kavaa herself handle the specifics was a complint she rarely received back then. Fortia always set countless priority orders, it was worse with Maisara though. That Goddess would actually rember them and get sulky when Kavaa took things as they ca.
“I have your backs.” Kavaa said.
“I’m quivering already.” Anassa said in that terrible fashion that made Kavaa feel dirty every ti she heard it. She didn’t like that her healing hurt others, but the fact Anassa sohow enjoyed it made her stomach want to empty itself. The woman, as strong as she was, was disgusting.
Kavaa was rarely one to keep her words to herself. “You’re disgusting.” She said. Fer laughed and Anassa chuckled horribly. Just disgusting. Kavaa had nothing else to say.
Kassandora had already turned around and was looking to Of Beasthood. “Fer, you’re on vanguard duty. If you sll or hear anything, tell us. If not, lead the way. We’re looking to avoid Tartarus if they’re here. If we can’t pass then it’s you and Anassa. No survivors. They can’t know that we know of them.” Kavaa nodded, she agreed with that sentint. The status quo with Tartarus was terrible, but it was better than any situation in which they got involved.
“That’s why it’s just us?” Kavaa asked. She generally realised it already, she just wanted to show off the fact she could think herself.
“That is why.” Kassandora said. “If we bring an army in then we can only hope to not co across them. If it’s us five, we can be in and out easily. No luck required, only our own skill.” Fer and Anassa both chuckled.
“That’s the Leona paranoia kicking in.” Anassa said smugly.
Kassandora gave her sister a dirty look. “Don’t pretend you don’t have it.”
“I’m not afraid of anything.” Anassa said as she looked down into that tunnel. “Frankly, I’m excited about it.”
“If it’s strong Ana, you retreat.” Kassandora said. “If you feel yourself going, then tell us. We’ll get you out.”
“I’ll get myself out.” Anassa said. “And besides, they say it drives n mad.”
“I tested it with soldiers, they get amnesia.” Kassandora said.
“When it dragged in, I can’t rember that either.” Iniri said. “It’s just looking at Helenna’s face and then straight to when Fer found . Nothing in between.” Kassandora let the Goddess of Nature finish and nodded along.
“So it’s serious. It can affect even a Divine’s mind Ana.”
“It can’t affect mine.” Anassa said and Kassandora sighed. She shot Kavaa an annoying look that begged for support. Kavaa was about to co in with assistance, but Fer beat her to it.
“If you get caught Ana, I’m not going to be gentle.”
“Are you ever gentle?” Anassa asked, she turned to Fer, the Goddess of Beasthood didn’t even look up at her, she rely sniffed the air and looked down into that pitch black abyss of a pit Anassa had excavated. “And what will you even do?”
“I’ll make sure you’ll be too disorientated to use sorcery.” Fer said. “It’s the best to make sure you don’t get caught, or that it doesn’t trick you to go against us.”
“I’m shocked you would even suggest that.” Anassa said.
“You’re the only one I would suggest it to.” Fer said “If Kassie gets caught, or Kav, or Ini, I can carry them out. Not you.”
“I won’t need carrying out in the first place Fer.” Anassa said confidently. If it was Elassa, the words would have been filled with spite. If it was Kavaa, she would have only been annoyed at such comnts. But Anassa didn’t sound annoyed or doubtful, she only spoke as if she was confident of herself.
“Let’s hope not.” Fer said. She turned around to look at Kavaa. “Are we going in? I’ll dive first. Ana will take the rest of you down.” The funny, smiling and joking kitten had been put back into its house, and the cold hunter of a sabretooth had co to replace it. Kavaa didn’t know which of those were the real Fer, honestly, it was one of the few things she was afraid to ask of the woman.
“Ready when you are Fer.” Kassandora said, the Goddess of Beasthood took a deep breath as her skin started to cover in thick fur. Her nails expanded into claws, her ears beca taller, her eyes sharper. Her posture got more crooked, as if she was ready to pounce.
“How do you even think you’ll stop ?” Anassa shouted at the woman from behind. Fer rolled those cold eyes of hers and answered.
“Most people can’t think straight without arms.” She replied coldly. Kavaa looked up with satisfaction at Anassa’s concerned expression. It was the first ti the Goddess of Health had seen Of Sorcery be stumped for a reply. Kavaa supposed that if anyone made a threat like that, then it would be most believable from Fer. Before Anassa could say anything, Fer took a step back and sorsaulted backwards into the pit. Kavaa looked down into the hole, to see Fer switch on her torches mid-fall.
“We’re not capable of that.” Kassandora said.
“I know.” Anassa replied as Kavaa lost track of Fer in the darkness, but her torches were like two bright beacons that revealed the Goddesses’ position. Of Health felt sothing grab her like a child. She looked down to see a massive hand of red sorcery, opaque and casting a faint glow, wrap around her chest.
“I hate you.” Kassandora said flatly. She was being handled in the sa way, as was Iniri. Anassa chuckled as she started to lower her altitude, down into the into. Kavaa, Iniri and Kassandora all followed her, each one being carried by a huge hand of Anassa’s creation.
The air beca colder, the wind disappeared, to be replaced by nothing but silence. The daylight Sun was quickly obscured and the darkness ca on with such a heavy blanket that it swallowed them whole. Fer was looking around, sniffing, her sharp intakes of air were the only thing Kavaa could hear. And she heard the cool whisper of the Jungle. She pushed it away, she always did. It was strong, but she had been inside several tis, the last ti, to save Iniri, had rely galvanized everything she already knew on how to avoid it. “I hear it.” Kassandora said.
“I do too.” Kavaa said and turned to the Goddess of Nature. “Iniri? Are you fine?”
“I’m…” Iniri said quietly. “It’s a bit odd. Bit different.”
“You have to push it away.” Fer said. “Be rude to it. Tell it to fuck off.” She took a few steps and shone the torch around as Kavaa inspected the stones. It was a dwarven tunnel, that was certain. The stones were smoothed, then carved with thin lines, every angle sharp without even a single curve. There was no rail running here though, and the tunnel was nowhere near as grand as it had been back in Epa. Still more than large enough for all of them a dozen tis over, but that only ant it was a third of the size as back there.
“I…” Iniri said quietly. “No, that does work.” More confidently this ti. “I do just have to be rude.” The opaque red let go of them.
“I’ll catch you.” Fer said. “But you do. It doesn’t try and drag whatsoever, it just tells to take you girls and leave.”
“It’s just silent with .” Kassandora said, almost disappointed. “It was there for a mont at the start but then went away, I feel it watching but that’s it.” Kavaa blinked and realised that the whispers had gone away from her too. Fer sniffed the air as Iniri took a tentative step.
“I still hear it.” Iniri said. “But it’s… I don’t know.” Kavaa took steps, her flashlight illuminating the walls. There were vines and roots growing along them, but nothing that looked too terrible. No moving woods or razor leaves.
“Ladies.” Anassa said from behind them. Her voice was breaking, as if she was either writhing in pleasure or fleeing in terror. Kassandora turned imdiately, she shone her torch to Anassa.
“Oh no.” Kassandora said as Kavaa turned to Anassa and felt her grip squeeze the torch harder. The Goddess of Sorcery was standing in the air, in her perfect red velvet and silk dress, in those perfect black boots, with the heels, all as if she was standing on an invisible platform of air. It wasn’t the Goddess herself that bothered Kavaa though. It was Anassa’s expressions. Her hands were quivering. Her knees were shaking. Her smile split her face from side to side as her eyes burned with a glow that Kavaa had only seen in those who were experience pure ecstasy.
Anassa saw them looking at her and whispered a tiny explanation, barely controlled. Now that she spoke again, Kavaa realised there wasn’t a hint of fear in her voice, it was all pure bliss. “It’s afraid of .”
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