Helenna is obviously intelligent in the realm of wordplay, although I am certain stating that fact is news to precisely no one at all. Helenna also is obviously talented in audience work, likewise, I refuse to believe that any who have a mind capable of basic information filtering will find that to be news. Finally, Helenna is obviously a manipulator. This truth should be self-evident from reading her style of prose and speech, and how deft she has forever been at weaving public opinion. It is a truth as self-evident as saying that dogs can walk, or that humans must eat. That the ground is solid, or that water is wet.
I did not make my comnts to be “personal” attacks upon her character, I wrote them because of the fact that the whimsical musings of certain Divines have begun to seep over into the real world. Theories on the soul should stay contained to being theories of the soul for when they start to seep over into the real world, n start seeing ghosts in the air.
My claim was simple, Helenna is miserable because she fashions herself a Queen. She rules a court like no one else, and she cannot manage a nation to save her life. I did not take it personally, I simply pointed this out the flaw. She wishes to threaten , because she knows shall call miserable and lonely as if everyone who does not co across does not realise this on the first conversation. I do not wear a smile, nor do I attend parties. To call my mood dour is to undershoot by degrees of magnitude.
But if that is all that Helenna can lay at my feet, then let her lay it at my feet. For I am the Goddess of War, and War is what I do and it is what I am good at. As long as two people on this world disagree, then they are in a state of war. It is a universal constant, I would go as far as saying that War does not need even humanity to function. Ants go to war against each other. It is the ultimate trade and in humanity, it has found its ultimate practitioner.
Love, and Helenna’s Love specifically, is what though? Every Divine knows, or should know, what it represents. Allasaria is light that guides. Fortia is the absence of war. Maisara is order and its efficiency. Arascus is dominion. Irinika is unrepenting darkness. Malam is internal hatred propelled outwards. Helenna calls herself Love and she fails at it. She has been courted endlessly but she does not Love. She cannot Love. Her Love is obsession. And it is an obsession internal. Not for the good of mankind, for Helenna spits upon humanity that gives its love freely, but for the Love of herself. She has to be a Goddess-Queen because it is the highest rank of being imaginable. Anything else tarnishes her image of course. She could be a master diplomat, she could be a resolver of problems, she could be sitting in a temple, trading her information and eating her grapes, and she would be loved. But then Helenna would be just a Goddess, and being just a Goddess is not grand enough for a being who coasts off the achievents of thousands of years past.
Of course the woman will like to discuss the rits of her own soul. It is only through the fact that she has not gotten most Divines to agree with her that the soul exists that we do not here endless soliloquy about how her soul is perfect and should be obsessed over.
- “Nothing to Debate”, written by Goddess Kassandora, of War, in response to “A Higher Form of Combat”, written by Goddess Helenna, of Love.
“Why are you taking us up here?” Fer’s ears twisted around to listen to Fortia pose the question. Maisara had that fresh sweet-sour sll of curiosity, sothing close to ripe lemon juice.
“Iliyal told you girls needed to be tested. Dad confird it, so we’re going jumping.” Fortia said as she stepped onto a rock, the stone cracked in two under her weight. “I hope you’re not scared of heights.” They were in Rilia, although far from the front at the country’s very north where it bordered Doschia.
“I’m not.” Fortia replied, the trio of Goddesses continued their trek. A small team of assistants had been brought along by the two ex-Pantheon Goddesses but Fer didn’t mind. It was useful to have a full team of humans carrying food, even if she was on an empty stomach right now. Jumping was always better before eating.
“You?” Fer tilted her head left, towards where Maisara walked behind her.
“No.” Maisara replied dryly. Fer smiled to herself as she crushed another rock underneath her weight. The mountain was starting to beco treacherous. The three Goddesses had stepped off the path so thirty minutes ago and now, they were finally coming up to the massive boulders that rendered such paths utterly impassable for any but trained humans.
Fer, of course, had not problem. Neither did Fortia or Maisara. The three of them could just step onto what an adult would have to clamber on. “I’m not either.” Fer said.
“Who could have predicted that?” Maisara said sarcastically and Fer chuckled. The woman did have a sense of humour, even if it was terribly unfunny. She laughed more to tell the Goddess of Order that she was part of the team rather than at the fact she was a trained comic. The trio stopped before a short cliff. Fer looked up at it, her tail swaying from side to side.
“I assu you don’t need help?” Fer asked as she pointed to the top. It was twice as tall as Fer. She didn’t bother to look at the two behind her. The humans, at this rate, may as well give up. This path they had taken would take an entire day, maybe two, to follow. Climbing this face would be a few hours’ worth of hard work.
“Who do you think we are?” Fortia asked and Fer let out her hur-hur-hur of a laugh.
“You don’t want to answer that.” Fer replied, without waiting for Maisara’s answer, she crouched down. Her core tightened, her legs dug into the ground, her arms went low, as did her tail. And then every strand of tension in her body released at the sa ti. The world shot past her for a mont, and she flew up, and onto that rock.
The stone cracked under the impact of Fer’s weight settling upon it. The crack beca several when Fortia landed. Then a spiderweb as Maisara caught up. “Not hard Fer.” Maisara said. Fortia took the lead this ti.
“Quick, before it starts sliding.” Fortia said. Fer trotted along, content to let the woman lead again for a few monts before she retook the lead. Fortia, like Maisara, was dressed in simple hiking clothes today. No capes, no skirts, the sleeves of her shirt were loose. They whipped out about in the wind, as did Fer’s golden mane, Fortia’s bronze-hair and Maisara’s silver.
“It’s close.” Fer said as she got to the spot that the locals had picked out for her. She trotted towards the edge of the cliff. The wind was biting at this point, they had to shout to be heard over it. Although the view was worth it. Three towns were visible, in the distance, all three curling over the horizon. A few with tall new buildings that were obviously built in the Imperial style. Cars and trucks and buses rolled on the highway in the distance, villages were hard at work in the busy day. Railways were visible, now that the planes could not fly, those rails saw trains transporting live n as often as they saw heavy cargo being pulled towards a location.
Fer stopped at the edge of the cliff, her ears flapped down to protect them from the wind. She looked down, there was a small pond so distance away, maybe she could take these two swimming later. And then there was just grass, a pasture, although the local farr had been told to keep his cattle away from the mountain today. “I’ve not rang Clerics or anything.” Fer said. “I hope you won’t need them.” Then she finally revealed the reason for coming here. “We’re going to jump!”
Fortia and Maisara both shared an exasperated look. Both of them stepped towards the edge of the cliff and leaned over the edge. Fer resisted the urge to play and joke and push them both off. It would be funny though. “Why?” Maisara asked.
“I have to confirm you can survive the fall.” Fer asked. “Can you?” She knew she could. The simple fact was that her bones were stronger than gravity, or sothing like that.
“Of course.” Fortia said, she leaned away and straightened her back. “That’s it?”
“That’s it.” Fer said, her made large eyes and tried to look concerned for their safety. “You won’t get hurt? Will you?” Hopefully it looked cute, although Maisara was always annoyed by the expression. The woman had a heart of stone! So did the wind apparently, it turned suddenly and everyone’s hair started blowing the other way. Mages in the most likely, it felt like wind being moved by magic.
“I can survive terminal velocity.” Maisara said.
“Sa.” Fortia said. Fer pretended to not know what terminal velocity was. She just squinted at them and smiled.
“I see.” It was feigned tone. Kassie and Malam and Dad would catch. Iri too, probably, the rest would not though.
Maisara took the bait. “It ans after I get to the fastest speed I get to whilst free-falling, I can stand up after it. Don’t pretend you don’t know what that ans, I know you do.” Oops. Fer was caught!
She laughed at the fact that Maisara had managed to get that read on her. “Well I can too. This terminal velocity you speak of.” Iliyal would get his reports after this, and then they would probably be assigned to a battlefield temporarily. Hopefully not though. Fer didn’t like the field rations soldiers got and under Ashen Skies, there weren’t even civilian shops to requisition fresh at from. Of Beasthood turned around, her eyes t Maisara’s silver ones. Then Fortia’s gold-bronze. Both just stared at her without an impressed look. “Both of you will jump, but don’t go together. I’m here to analyse the hurt.” That was the truthful reason.
“What does that an?”
“It ans that Iliyal worries very much and if you break a leg, he’ll assign you a parachute.” Fer said. “But parachutes for type like us are expensive and clumsy, so first, we’re seeing if we can cut costs where possible.”
“How economical.” Maisara said.
“The Empire’s not made out of money!” Fer said. And free-jumping had been her idea. She always preferred crashing into the ground to start a battle. The dirt kicked up always gave good cover. “Right! Here I go!” She took a few quick steps, jumped off and away from the cliff.
And suddenly, Fer was in free-fall as she hurtled down towards the ground. She dropped less like a rock and more like a bus, hair whipping about her. The wind dragged her tail up as the ground raced at her. Falling was fun, there was no doubt about it. This is what falcons and eagles felt like when they spotted a tasty rabbit on the ground. From the grass and a few trees, now withered in their preparation for winter, being so far to suddenly…
Fer crashed into the ground like a cannonball. Instinctively, as always, her feet touched it first, imdiately, she felt the resistance in her legs as she worked with the motion. Her knees twisted, her legs went forward, she dropped down into a roll. Dirt was kicked up as her feet went over her head and she lost even more speed. And then, she jumped back onto her legs, her arms spun, she jumped up. And landed back onto her feet. What a smooth landing!
Fer turned to watch Fortia crashed into the ground, the explosion of dirt around her twice as large as Fer’s. When the dust settled, Fortia was standing there, her clothes and legs and arms, even her face and hair, were covered in mud. She took a step forwards and shrugged. “Not hard Fer, not hard at all.”
Maisara fell a mont later. Fortia had been an artillery shell compared to Fer’s cannonball, and Maisara was just a direct bomb. By the ti the ground, the soil and the grass fell around her, Maisara left a crater. She just stared at Fer and raised an eyebrow in satisfaction. “See? I told you.” She took a step forward, jumped and swung her arms. “Everything works, as said. We are simply too strong for gravity.”
Fer raised an eyebrow at both of them. She had expected… Well, she had expected sothing smoother from both of them. Not just falling down like anvils. “That was terrible. You have no form.”
“I don’t need to.” Fortia said, she stretched her arms, then kicked a leg into the air. Her shoes had exploded leaving her feet bare. Maisara’s had too. Fer looked down at her own boots. Still there.
“That was the worst!” Fer said. “Look! I still have mine on!”
“It’s not hard.” Maisara said as she brushed dirt off herself. “You just fall.”
“Could you do it in your armour?” Fer asked. Maisara leaned down to brush the dirt off her knees.
“Why shouldn’t I?”
No. She could do. Her armour would exploded if she tried to. Fer thought about the pond where she had wanted to swim for the day. Iliyal’s caution had been correct, it was a good thing that they had gone for the pre-emptive tests. Fer found both of them lacking. All plans related to taking a soak left her mind for now. “We’re doing it again. I’ll show you how this ti.”
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