Monsters can be sniffed out through, in the easiest manner, through pure instinct or montum.
In regards to this, personal recomndations exist: Fer should lead, for her nose will be able to detect traces of inhumanity within creatures. Kavaa and Maisara need to be prepared to walk through their hallucinations, although both have strong emotional connections to other living figures. It must be noted, stressed, and drilled into the mind, that Kavaa will most likely see Kassandora and that Maisara will most likely see Fortia down there. And it must be utterly ingrained into the mind that there is no way possible that Kassandora or Fortia would be down there. Both will need to be ready to plunge their blades into their respective delusions.
Granted, if we were speaking to Neneria, or maybe to Elassa, We would not even take the risk in sending you down there. Yet we am not sending them, we are sending Kavaa and Maisara, and both Goddesses should act in the predictable fashion of their reputations. Those things down there will be re parodies of friendly Divinity, they do not truly possess power. Fortia will most likely be missing her spear, Kassandora will not be able to start the tune of War’s Orchestra. It is sothing that everyone must be aware of.
Healing will most likely be required, the monsters have now existed in the caves for thousands of years. Large populations are expected, although to Fer or Maisara or to modern rifles, the creatures should pose no threat. These are re beasts, and these re beasts will operate with the mindset of carnivore animals. They will skulk in the darkness, they will attack when cornered, they will hunt and stalk and follow, but they will not approach organized Mankind if they can. During the end of the Age of Monsters, they were broken utterly.
Just as man is afraid of shapeshifters on so instinctual level left behind by blood mories, monsters perished in such amounts that their offspring now carry the sa sort of fear. The Age of Monsters established the food chain when it ended, and Mankind stood as the apex predator on that food chain. The fact that they have no decided to turn Aris into a hunting ground shows precisely that whatever blood-trauma was inflicted onto them, they still rember it.
In regards to the troops, there is little to say. They shall command themselves and they will most likely not listen to Divinity once battle starts. It is a price to pay, not even a small one, but it should be noted and prepared for. Especially for Kavaa and Maisara.
Additionally, if it turns out that Fer, Maisara or Kavaa are unable to keep on matching in the darkness, the operation shall be halted and transitioned into the Divine-less plan. Helenna has imbued them with a national connection to each other, that sort of blessing cannot be replicated, nor will nightmares flowing their minds be able to fight back against the utterly delusional confidence, judgent and strength when one has to protect their family.
The Aris Expedition shall be led by Far, for she is most aware of pack dynamics and how to fan the flas of mutual camaraderie.
- Excerpt from Aris Expedition, Preparatory Report, co-written by Goddess Helenna, of Love & Goddess Malam, of Love.
Kavaa skulked and wistfully looked down at the tombstones around her. The morning shadows of the city blocks around the graveyard still covered everything in darkness, even if the sky was rapidly turning blue. Helenna was off on the phone, ignoring the thousand n to who had been given her blessing, Malam had supposedly been called off to go and handle so situation, what situation it was, Kavaa did not know. She also did not particularly care either. Frankly. She didn’t want to spend another mont talking to the damn woman.
The blessing had been done, armour and weaponry was organised. The n had one final sleep in Aris’ fine hotels, and now they stood towards one of the entrances of the crypts. “Through that.” Paida said. “There’s a door, you just keep walking down. There’s signs about up here, you’ll know once you’re in.” The Goddess of Rancais said. She brushed her blonde hair, purple eyes swept over the strike team.
Fer standing with a shirt, shorts and an oversized carrier vest. The sa that soldiers used to strap spare magazines onto themselves, save for the fact that Fer’s was filled with vials of blood. Most of them were Kavaa’s own, although a few were Helenna’s and Malam’s in case it was required to break out of so ntal trap. Maisara stood in that her scalemail skirt and cuirass. It would be cold no doubt, but Kavaa would have a preferred a uniform like that. Of Order had full flexibility of movent compared to Kavaa’s thick plate armour, but then Maisara did not need a rifle strapped to her back or a sword sheathed on her hip. Nor the pistol and the spare knife.
Kavaa was just as armoured as the n. New suits of platemail, not yet having the various inscriptions of Paladins, although very obviously designed for those n. They had small bucklers and swords, along with rifles onto which a knife could easily be strapped on to make them into short-range spears. “Do you have the map prepared?” Maisara asked.
“Of course.” Paida brought out a set of folded sheets. “The n have already been issued them twenty minutes ago. It’s a compiled map, everything we know from every source.” Kavaa stared at the little piece of paper. Helenna was on the phone with soone, Fer’s ears bounced with almost every word as the Goddesses waited in front of huge steel doors leading into a crypt, then underground from there. The thousand n had conglorated here fit in with more than enough space for another three tis their number.
“I’ve seen this before.” Fer said.
“It’s just a guide, we never had private expeditions down there either.” Paida answered, on the woman’s other side, Kavaa just flicked through the booklets. It was a beastiary of sours, with every monster that Malam and Helenna serving as the sources of information. A few sections were written on mapping procedure, how if lifts were going to be set up, they always needed to be on the right hand side of tunnels and so on.
Eventually, a rather grumpy Helenna returned back to the party of Goddesses waiting for her. Paida was not going, but the planning had not brought her up once. She smoothed her black coat down, fists landed on hips and gave news that was almost relieving. “You’re not going in.” Helenna said. Almost, because everyone knew how the Empire operated. If they weren’t going in, then they had sothing worse to fight rather than this.
“We’re not going in?” Kavaa had to repeat it. “What? Why?” After all the presentations and all the talks? And she wasn’t being sent in? She didn’t want to go in, but what was this?
“Kassandora requested the three of you to help. I have no clue what she is doing. She didn’t say.” Helenna pre-emptively shut down any questions, Kavaa wouldn’t have asked any. If Kassie was asking for them, then that ant there was a serious plan happening.
“So there’s going to be a battle then.” Fer said, she whistled in the morning light of Aris. Cars were driving past, buses too, n going to work if they worked so non-essential job. And n going in to replace the night-shift teams if they were working on anything relating to the war.
“Most likely.” Maisara said. “Kassandora doesn’t strike as the type that would do things needlessly.”
“No.” Fer confird. She bounced her arms against her sides and looked at the n who had assembled and waited in almost perfect silence. That was new, at least, although any man would most likely have trouble trying to talk when they had been assembled in a graveyard and stood waiting outside of a small crypt.
Helenna had been correct when she said that the n would be harder to command. Even from her own Clerics, those that had been recipient’s of Love’s blessing at least, there had been a shift. Gazes now strayed wherever they wanted to, to Kavaa as much as to the city around her. They seem more focused on trying to find the little rats in the alleys, or lost in thought due to the slls of the city than at her commands. The slls were good of course, Aris had a distinct scent of perfu and baked goods, of wine underneath the fus of cars, but it wasn’t that good. “What about the soldiers then?” Maisara asked. Good, it seed like they were on the sa wavelength at least.
“They will go in alone.” Helenna said. Kavaa and Maisara imdiately looked at each other. The woman didn’t even have to say anything. Those weren’t Helenna’s n, they were Of Health’s and Of Order’s. The blessing, just as Helenna had said, did not overwrite their own. And Helenna herself seed to think nothing of the n either.
“Will they handle it?” Kavaa asked.
“Why wouldn’t they handle it?” Fer ca in to defend Helenna. And whose side was on now? Surely that adoption had been a joke. Surely did not need to act so protective.
“They will handle it.” Helenna said. “Sending in you three is overkill. For the start at least, if they co across that can’t be done by humans, I’ve talked with Kass already. She’ll hand you back and you’ll just catch up.”
Maisara just grunted. Of course she did, the woman had a loyalty to her n only insofar that she thought them better than humans. So old people, a grandma and grandad, stopping at the black gates of the graveyard and looked at what was very obviously Imperial soldiers conglorated around the inside. So of the n seed to feel the gaze, they turned back to see who was inspecting them.
That, at the very least, kept the old folks out. “Won’t they need a Divine for guidance?” Kavaa asked.
“They’ll handle themselves, it’s a scouting and mapping mission.” Helenna said. “Besides, what guidance can you provide in this field?” Maisara and Helenna looked at each other again. Wasn’t it obvious? What guidance could their natural boss, the sa person who had equipped them with the strength and endurance of Order or the endless bounty of good health, provide? Was she being serious right now.
“Tactical advice for when they get into a fight.” Maisara said. “That is enough. I thought you were coming with us and we were just going to be guards.”
“I could sll targets out before they get into visual range.” Fer said. “One Divine should be sent in.”
“The only Divines who could realistically help are those older than.” Helenna gave her rejection in the dryest tone her throat could produce. “That is Iniri, Neneria and Irinika for us. Or myself and Malam, and everyone is to important to waste on a wild goose-chase.”
“What do you even have to do right now?” Maisara asked.
The roots of Helenna’s hair changed to an annoyed red colour. “I have the IBI to start and two million refugees to sift through and track. And I have a succubus infestation in the Empire. I do not have ti for spelunking in the deeps.”
“How busy.” Fer said.
Malam ignored Fer entirely. “What about Malam?”
“Malam’s been sent off to deal with an incursion.” Helenna said. “By the bullet-train, she’ll be there…” Helenna checked her watch. “She should be making the trek by now.”
“Malam is being deployed for battle?” Maisara asked. Kavaa saw it. Helenna must have as well. All three Goddesses turned to look at Fer.
Of Beasthood made a stupid grin. She raised her hands, palms up to the air as if to show off how she wasn’t holding anything, her ears jumped and bounced, her tail swayed from side to side in the gentle breeze of Arisian streets. “Well?” She asked. “Shouldn’t she?”
“Isn’t she your spymaster?” Maisara asked. “Isn’t she not a battlefield Goddess?”
Fer just chuckled and shrugged again. “She’s Malam. Are you worried Maisara?”
“I would not risk it personally. We could go to assist”
“Malam will handle it.” Fer said. “Do not worry, my sister is good at the things she does.” Kavaa stood there for a mont and decided to remain silent. She had been there for when Malam had organised the operation that removed Anarchia’s blessed from Rancais. And she had a duel with the woman. Maybe this war, she would have thought that Malam was like Helenna and inept in combat.
Not anymore.
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