For we exist in a state tarnished, and we sit below the throne of Divine majesty.
Under Divine rule, to hold back the darkness that has been thrown upon Arda.
To cast away the haunts which lurk within nightmare and within nightmare.
The spirit cast away shall be returned to us once again, reborn from its ashes.
Cut down and burned into annihilation, in a folly of our creation.
To rise once again, the phoenix through whose light we sail into the future.
Return, almighty God, return, almighty Arda, and bring us shelter once again.
- Inscribing found by Goddess Paida, of Rancais, during the Aris Expedition.
Arascus looked at the rebuilt city of New Alkai in the distance. There were still ruins about in the countryside but the UNN had not been sleeping about. They were a grand nation, already, small buildings were rising. The foundations of skyscrapers were laid out too, cranes were working, swinging heavy beams back and forth as they built the great steel monoliths that would reach up to try and catch the clouds. Trains were bringing supplies in, massive ones, far larger than the ones which operated in Epa. They were absolutely filled with cargo. And, most important, a port was operational. Ships were even anchored there, massive trawlers and smaller boats, all with cranes and huge decks for cargo. The UNN’s clean-up fleet for the devastation of the coastal cities. A constant stream of the vessels was present along the coast. Ships that were empty either sailing off, or ships coming back, pieces of steel, rubbles, cars, parts of crashed vessels, the long sleek cylinders that once would have been streetlamps, loaded onto them.
The UNN was moving, that was good. Arascus stood at the head of the INS Tremali, already, he could see the trace elents of the chaos that Etala and Ciria enjoyed so much. Crowds were starting to form on the beach of white sand, they climbed into the trees to see. Caras were being taken out and stood up on tripods. It was the exact sa sad state of affairs that the UNN had been in when Arascus had left. Nothing had changed whatsoever.
Arascus held up his hand, the crew knew what to do. The INS Tremali ca to a slow stop in the shallows and dropped anchor. The rest of the vessels did as much too. They weren’t going to be causing a fuss here, Ciria would not even be able to claim that they were interfering with the fixing works. Back in Imperial Epa, a transport fleet should be being loaded, and yesterday, Imperial troops had reached Ainai. The pieces that were needed on the board were here, Arascus had co to negotiate of Civilization’s assistance.
Slowly, the God of Pride lifted off deck of the massive aircraft carrier, its top bare from planes as there was no need to fly any. Even over here, on the other side of the world, the sky was clear. The only things that tried to reclaim the sky were the flocks of birds in the distance and a few small drones which hovered around the construction site. The waters here were clear though, nothing like Epan waters, nothing like the filthy Eparika. It was a perfect bath of tranquil, clear turquoise.
Arascus left the floated fortress and started to pick out people in the crowd. News reporters and so on, he would not even bother with them. His eyes scanned the town, the buildings, the crowded streets with all the colourful cars here, the… And then he saw a figure that was too tall to be a human. Etala stood on top of one of the massive city blocks in a…
Well, a black suit did certainly have a charm to it. Against the flat grey concrete and the blue stained glass, she was easily visible. Her golden hair blew in the wind that always lurked around city blocks, even if the one wasn’t so tall as to be skyscraper. Arascus felt her blue eyes press into him as he slowly floated through the air. Flight was a grand power, it was simply miserable that the universe had given him the most dismal form of it. “Etala.” Arascus said as he touched down on the roof.
“Arascus.” Etala replied with the sa downwards nod he gave her.
“How did you know I would be here.”
“You’re predictable.” Etala said dryly. She looked him over, her eyes focused on the ceremonial sword on his hip, then at the Imperial fleet in the distance. “I hope this isn’t a call for conquest or invasion.” She said.
“It’s not.” Arascus said.
“Then what is it?”
“We need Ciria’s assistance to save the world.” Well, that was an overstatent, but who didn’t like an overstatent every now and then? Etala stared at Arascus dryly, he turned to look at the INS Tremali. A floating airfield, the crew was coming out to have their breakti smokes on the deck.
“You’re terribly predictable and yet you manage to surprise over and over again.” Etala said. “Ciria? Really?”
“Of Civilization has the power to build. We need to build quickly.” Etala sighed and cast her gaze at the other ships.
“You know what she will think of this?”
“I assu she won’t like it.” Arascus said. “But if I ca in dinghy, she would not like that either. And I cannot co by plane.”
“No.” Etala said, looking at Arascus. He just turned his gaze back at her. “About that…” She trailed off. Arascus knew what she was referencing already. The last ti he had flown back from this country, there had been an interception attempt on him. And considering Etala was here… Arascus shook his head.
“I know it wasn’t you.” Etala visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Do you know who it was?”
“No.” So either they did their own investigations and buried the event, or it was the done by soone who could drag a plane out of the ground. The latter left only a pair of suspects, that was probably it.
“Then what is done is done.” Arascus said. “I will not hold the interception attempt over you.” Etala blinked, her eyebrows darted downwards in pure confusion and she looked stunned.
“What?” She asked. “Just like that?”
“Shouldn’t you be happy?” Arascus asked.
“I an…” The wind blew Etala’s hair like a cloak. “I am.” She trailed off. “I think? Just like that though? You forgive us?”
“Forgiveness is letting go of a grudge.” Arascus said. “It’s not forgetting. There is a difference.”
“Is there?”
“You may stop hating the man who broke your favourite vase but that doesn’t an you let him hold your second-favourite vase.” Arascus said and looked down at her. This topic was pointless, ti to change it. “What’s with the clothes?” She wore as close to Imperial black as one could reasonably get to without outright copying the uniform.
“It’s for you.” Etala said dryly. “Because we will have photos taken of us here and I’m very obviously aligning myself to you.” Oh. That did throw a wrench in things. Or rather, it was the spinning of gears that Arascus didn’t know were freshly greased up.
“Aligning to ?” Arascus asked. Truly a surprise he had not expected. He would not look a gift horse in the mouth though, if she wanted to, then she was more than welco to. Frankly, it made his job easier.
“Ciria has made you persona-non-grata in the UNN. You need a cover right now, I am that cover. That is why you’ve t first. She’s in New Alkai too, expecting your ship to dock and waiting in the mayoral office.” Etala took a deep breath. “And effectively, the governnt is against you, begrudgingly, the general populace is split. You’re more popular in the west, obviously.” Well of course, the wave had no hit there. “The Clerics are a permanent political problem that has paralyzed Kochinski’s governnt, no one knows what to do with them exactly.”
“No one wants to be the man to kick out those who heal with a touch.”
“Mmh.” Etala said. “And Kochinski’s far enough into his term that re-election is starting to rear its scent. It may happen if he’s desperate, most likely not.” She looked at the ships in the distance once again. “Have you brought anything?”
“Nothing save the fleet.” Arascus said.
“You should have brought magicians.” Etala replied. “And just stick them on constructing so that we can raise cities like how you do in Epa.” Arascus silently filed the tip away. He had not brought mages because it would be presumptuous and because there was no greater humiliation than another power swooping in and effortlessly raising cities. If it were asked though… If it were public…
Arascus realised he was getting off track. For once, good news had actually side-tracked him. They had a war to fight in Epa, they needed ICDT towers, Ciria and Halkus could assist in their construction. The UNN was rely a side-objective as things went right now. He looked down at Etala, she finally cracked under the silence of his gaze and took a nervous step from side to side. “How much do you like Ciria?” Arascus asked.
“I am not fond of her whatsoever.” Etala said. “She’s not a bad soul, but she is consud by the fact she hates you.”
Arascus sighed. So here they were. It wasn’t the case of hatred that was the actual problem. The White Pantheon hated itself and held together for a thousand years. Every of Arascus’ daughters had fought every of Arascus’ daughters bar Olephia, for she had never participated in warfare. The fact that they had gotten to a point where Fortia and Kassandora were on the sa side showed exactly how petty and how trivial what Divinity considered hatred was. Malam’s slithering tongue could inspire it in humans, but in Divines? They simply lived far too long. “Then she will have to learn to let go of her grudges.” Arascus said.
Etala looked around at the coastline. Towards the north, there was a ruined town. The grey foundations which were all that remained when Continent Cracking’s wave had washed this land away. “That is easier said than done.” Where so of the basents had been washed away, perfectly rectangular or square pools sat covered in algae. “I am not fond you either, you’re great in the sa fashion that a mountain is large. It’s…”
“I understand Etala.” Arascus said. There was no need to explain whatsoever. The Goddess of Democracy was simply going through that age where she was realising her ideals were one thing, and reality another.
“I will help you.” Etala said. “With whatever you need but in exchange, you will help my people. And we will share the burden.” Arascus should have brought those damn magicians.
“Another fleet can be here in three weeks’ ti, with magicians and machinery. And our own engineers. The carrier stays here, the other ships can be removed if you want.”
“The carrier is a bad look Arascus.” Etala said.
“The carrier is my transport ship.” Arascus said. He turned to look at the INS Tremali. “We can send it away, so it’s behind the horizon. It’s a minor issue though.” And he was getting side-tracked once again. “Do you want to take Ciria off you?”
“You an kill her?”
“Extradite her and Halkus to Epa.” Arascus said.
“Kidnap her? That’s even worse.”
Arascus rolled his eyes. No, he was not talking about killing or kidnapping here. Surely his reputation wasn’t that bad. “You said she is here.” Arascus slowly went on. “How much do you trust ?”
Etala had to think on the answer. “I don’t trust the individual but I trust the idea.” Well, good enough. The idea was what held the Empire together.
“And you want magicians here?”
“That would exponentially speed up the reconstruction. We’d be looking at a tiline asured in years, not decades.”
“We want ICDT towers.” Arascus said. “It was what was raised in Rilia to push back the Ashfront. That’s why I’m here in the first place.”
“Ah.” Etala said. This was the first ti she seed to shrink. Arascus realised the mistake he made, he had just declared her irrelevance. Everything she had said was for her UNN and not for his war.
“But your assistance is noted too.” Arascus said. “The Ciria problem first, I will remove her, you will stabilize your country.”
That got so of her spirit back. “When you put it like that, it sounds like I’m being malicious.”
Excuse ? Was Ciria in the UNN and her rabid hatred of him not part of the issue? This nation’s political deadlock would not be even a quarter what it was now where it not for Ciria’s presence. “Is that not what you want to do?”
“That is…” Etala said. “That is what I want to happen. We… you remove Ciria from the UNN.”
“When she is gone, we can talk of help and discuss but I don’t see the point if she is what you say she is. Any discussion will be sabotaged or beco a compromise.”
“I know you said mages.” Etala said. “What else did you have in mind?” What else did he have in mind? He could co in and have Elassa and Iniri rebuild their entire nation if she wanted to! He could have a cleric in every town within a year if Kavaa made one round trip around the country! What did he have in mind? The black-red-white raised over this land! That’s what he had in mind!
“Iniri, Elassa, Kavaa can all co to assist. We can send minor Epan Divines too. Once the war is finished against Tartarus, the troops will demobilize but those that don’t can be brought over to serve as manpower.”
Etala smiled and took a deep breath. “I understand that.” She said. “But those are…”
Arascus found the word for her. “Temporary assistance.”
“I was hoping for sothing more… permanent. A UNN magical college for our own mages for example.”
Well, there was charity, and then there was simply stepping off a cliff to try and catch soone already on their way down. Etala was not a daughter, the UNN was not Imperial. Gift-giving did not include weaponry. “The UNN would have to join the Empire for that.”
He had expected Etala to scowl, to throw her arms up into the air or roll eyes or give up. And instead, she stood straight and t Arascus’ gaze. “That depends entirely on one factor.”
Now they were getting sowhere. “What factor?”
“How comfortable are you with an Imperial Republic?” She asked. “Because the more I think on it, the more comfortable I am with an Imperial Province.”
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