The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]

The greatest truth and the greatest lie Divines spout is that they understand themselves and each other. There is maybe a dozen I would even classify as bordering on honesty and even then, there is no comparison between them and the average human. It is sad to say but it is true, when it comes to self-awareness, humanity has us undoubtedly beat.

I could wax poetic about each Divine I have come across and discuss their weaknesses openly here. As much as each Divine will argue against sweeping generalizations, generalizations serve a point and a purpose. Most Divines suffer from what I will refer to as a syndrome of unglamorous demesne. Generally this is more apt with inventions and minor forces where innate bitterness at being the incarnation of a triviality consumes a psyche fully. The worst aspect of this is that this bitterness can rarely be overcome and instead simply gets buried.

Then comes the second issue, which I have coined as the syndrome of malicious demesne. Kassandora, Malam and Irinika all are extreme cases of this. Unable to separate the person within from the position they hold, they have all grown to find solace and comfort in the negativity of their demesnes. In a certain way, these are the simplest to get along with as instead of being people, they play into the caricature that exists of them.

Opposite the syndrome of malicious demesne is the syndrome of perfect demesne. Kavaa, Fortia and Allasaria all fall victim to this. Whereas the previous group paints over any positivity with negative prejudices of their demesne, this group simply fails up to the ridiculous standards of what they represent. A Goddess of Health who cannot heal the world, a Goddess of Peace who can only enforce Peace and a Goddess of all light in a world of greys. Each hold other Divines to a standard that they themselves fail to measure up to, yet it is not hypocrisy, it is that all they know is failure.

Others are just straight up liars. I gave up on Maisara precisely because of the fact I have never known a woman who has been in so much denial and filled with so many excuses.

- Excerpt from God Arascus’, of Pride, writings: Untitled.

“STOP!” Kassandora shouted when the massive light from the Torchbearers finally stopped lighting up a tunnel but instead started to touch the crevices of a wall. The Underground Expeditionary Legion’s vanguard, or what remained of it, came to a stop. Several thousand men without food or drink, with minds that were starting to shatter and without the modern weapons that they had come here for. Slowly, over the past five days, the UEL had been pushed to its sheer limits.

At first, it had been a Lynx tank that broke down. As the combat engineers had said, something had utterly fucked the engines and there was no absolutely no chance for them to repair without a garage. Two of them said that the chance of getting the same piece working was beyond nil and that up above, all that would happen would be a call for a spare part. Down here, there were no spare parts.

Kassandora had watched Iniri crush the tank into a ball of solid steel to make sure that there was nothing salvageable for Tartarus, and then continued. Then another Lynx had broken. A truck. An APC. A light tank. Whether it was the relentless pace or the constant battle or the fact that even several days later, shining insect carcasses were being dug out of fuel tanks and filters, the UEL’s vanguard had been attritioned down to less than a quarter of its starting vehicles.

Only a few token guns were still being carried, more as personal mementos rather than because of any use. The ammunition was a simple matter: it had ran out utterly. There was no grand sabotage nor any amazing tale to tell of its finishing. A man had reached for his next magazine and found it empty. A man had gone to check the ammunition crates and found them collecting dust. Someone inspected the ammo trucks and found a new place to lay down in.

The food and water? It was the same as the ammunition. Kassandora would have turned back with Neneria if she had not taken Iniri, but then she took Iniri for this very purpose. The supply lines were crucial, but there was a safety rail to grab for when the bridge of supply lines collapsed. Iniri had not taken a single step in the past four days, instead, she had been carried endlessly by her vines and roots. She had become the Legion’s granary, with the vines flourishing off her dark green dress constantly being overladen with heavy fruit that satisfied hunger and an appetite.

Kassandora stopped as she turned away from that huge wall and to Kavaa. The single most important player in this army, who everyone else relied on. Iniri could only open her endless granary down here because of Kavaa’s endless well of life, the men only marched because of Kavaa’s endless well of life and the demons could not even get a scratch into the Legion’s men was because any scratch was immediately patched up, any broken limb was immediately fixed, any organ crushed was regrown.

Discipline was maintained with Kassandora’s rulings, but the most important rule was enforced by Kavaa; no one was allowed to die.

The Legion had been ground to dust, all its belongings had been destroyed, yet it had more than enough life to carry on. Any normal person would have turned back to rendezvous with the rest of the Legion. But Kassandora knew that half the reason the Legion was still continuing was due to the sheer inertia of its victorious momentum. The moment that momentum was lost, half the army would collapse on the spot. The moment Kavaa released her curse of immortality on the men, she herself would collapse too. It was obvious that the Goddess of Health was starting to operate on scraps and fumes at this point. Kassandora extended her arm to bring the Legion to a stop as she turned to look at the men.

On one hand, it wasn’t an army. It was a ragtag mass of men that looked as if they were brimming with life whilst being at wit’s end. Most were shirtless, with only scraps of cloth covering up their groins for modesty. Those who still had them carried backpacks filled with their belongings and equipment, others had empty rifles. Some had fixed straps around their shoulders to act as sheathes for the massive cleavers scavenged from demons, others walked with a pike on their back, most simply carried their weapons in their hands though.

Iin the centre, Kassandora could see her from here, was Iniri. The Goddess was a moving garden, a set of trees that violently dragged themselves forward as they left a trail of fruit bursting with juice behind them. And then there was Kavaa. In grey clothes, with grey hair, she still carried that rifle of hers, the blade on her shoulder and her backpack. She walked with her eyes half closed, steering on her feet as if on autopilot than because of any conscious effort.

But when Kassandora stopped, so did Kavaa, and when Kassandora smiled, so did Kavaa. And then the Goddess of Health saw the huge fortress behind them as the Torchbearer tanks slowly came to a stop. Their huge spotlights illuminated the structure ahead of them. “Is that it?” Kavaa asked.

“That’s it.” Kassandora said. “Fazba.” She took a breath and raised her hand to issue the men to stop. It was the feeling in her gut that said it and she understood why as she stared up at that hold. Fazba’s outer wall stretched from the floor of the Highway to the very ceiling. Its grand gate, tall enough a dragon to comfortably pass through, was closed although smaller doors by its sides were open. Ancient bronze ballista were still mounted on parapets, statues still lined the walls. Gargoyles were still on every crevice in the wall. It was pristine. Were it not for the lack of movement in the walls, then Kassandora would have said that Fazba was exactly the same as when she last saw it.

But that was the issue, wasn’t it? Even Kassandora’s sixth sense wasn’t kicking in. There was nothing watch her from the walls. The hold was utterly untouched. “Kavaa, do you have the map?”

“I do.”  Kavaa said as she reached for her side and then realised she was going to the wrong pocket. “Why have we stopped?” She asked as she passed Kassandora the map. Kassandora immediately found the location on the spiderweb of text. Fazba had a dash. It was lost. And there was some text too but Kavaa interrupted Kassandora before she could translate the characters. “Kassie. Why have we stopped?” More definite this time.

“I need to make a plan.” Kassandora said. She had expected a hold abandoned and looted. Certainly a hold reclaimed would have been a pleasant surprise, but a hold untouched? What sort of hold was left untouched? Who left a hold untouched? Why would a hold be untouched in the first place? What was this exactly?

“Why?” Kavaa said deliberately as the ground tore underneath them. Iniri had increased her speed to catch up and the now the Goddess was hanging in the air, held up by branches, as wood pierced into the stone around them and fruit started to flower from the bark. A few of the soldier came to eat.

“Why have we stopped?” Iniri asked.

“Because I need to think.” Kassandora said again and Kavaa sighed.

“No Kassie, you’re thinking already.” Kavaa said and Kassandora turned.

“What?” The woman certainly wasn’t wrong, but what was this tone?

“You’re going to think of a plan and then give it to us?” Kavaa asked.

“That’s how I operate.” Kassandora replied.

“Then I will not go on.” Kavaa said flatly as Kassandora blinked, her mouth falling open but for once in her life, no sound came out. What was Kavaa even saying? Had the constant exertion made her go mad? Iniri slowly pulled away from the two Goddesses.

“Excuse me?” Kassandora said. “What are you talking about?”

“You’ve done this once to me Kassie and I’m too tired to be polite.” Kavaa said.

“When!?”

“When you strung us along until we happened to be sitting in a table by Arascus.” Kavaa said, her tone getting annoyed. “Iniri! Don’t run away now! You know it’s true!” Kassandora blinked as she recalled the time when Olephia had killed the Caretaker and how Arascus had… well, the God had quite literally dropped in.

“I…” Iniri said. “Well, I’ve forgiven Kassie for that already.” Kassandora blinked as her cheeks went red. There was something to forgive!? What?!

“What do you mean?” Kassandora asked.

“I mean I’m not going to be strung along again.” Kavaa said it flatly and directly. “And you are too quick to forgive, Iniri.” Kassandora blinked as her mind went through the problem. And she realised what the issue. Kavaa had gotten too close and too comfortable. A personal relation had entered the chain of command and shattered it. She heard her sister’s cooing whisper in her mind.

Neneria had been right.

She had in fact bitten off too much and the cycle was repeating. Kassandora took a deep breath as she felt her mind slowly figure a way out of the situation. They weren’t going to argue like children here, that was certain. Just because she took it personally did not mean that Kassandora had to throw a tantrum. That could be done for later, now was the time to buckle in and buckle down. “Kavaa, I did not mean to string you along.”

…

..

.

Why did she say that?

“I know you didn’t, but you did. So what are we facing?” Kavaa asked and Kassandora blinked. The Goddess of War did not know why her crimson eyes were starting to glimmer with wetness. There was no reason for her to cry now whatsoever. She didn’t even… What was she even doing? Kassandora took a deep breath as Kavaa’s tired grey passed over her and the Goddess of Health tilted her head in confusion.

“You’re the most miserable person I know.” Kavaa said and shook her head as she came close to give Kassandora a hug. “Tell me what we are facing, because I have maybe three or four days left in me and that’s it.”

Kassandora lowered her chin down to Kavaa’s shoulder and took a deep breath. Why this woman was the lone oasis in the desert, or the single to wait out the snowstorm, or the cabin by the scenic lake, Kassandora did not know. How Kavaa had managed to clamber up the castle walls was a mystery, but Kavaa had done more than that. Kavaa had somehow managed to enter the keep and was staring down the King on the throne.

Kassandora took another deep breath and regained her composure. Now that it had been explained, she could control it. Kavaa was a force to contend with, an actor to manage and a piece to play. A piece adored greatly, but a piece nonetheless.

Kassandora pulled away from Kavaa.

“My apologies.” Kassandora said as she pointed to the grand gates ahead of them. A massive set of solid bronze blocks that Kassandora remembered seeing from this side and the outside. “That is Fazba, the dwarves call it the gateway into Epa. Geographically, we’re in western Karaina right now, up above it’s Epa but down here, there’s an ancient fault line they use to mark the delineation.”

Kassandora took a breath as she continued. “It’s not some great forge complex or a massive mine complex. This hold is relatively new compared to the central Epan holds. It was just a frontline bulwark. Extremely well defended with all the newest technologies. Even up until its evacuation, the dwarves were sending experimental designs here to test. We used to launch offensives through the Highways and Fazba was one of the staging points. Past it, we’re looking at a straight line to the Erdely roads and the main East-West line.” Kassandora finished with a deep breath.

“Kassie…” Kavaa said heavily and then shook her head. “You don’t have to try this hard.” And this time, Kassandora simply did not understand. She took there, pointing at the fortress ahead of them and unable to look at the woman by her side.

“I just said all I knew on it.” Kassandora explained herself. Why? She didn’t even know. But she explained herself like a little girl. It wasn’t even a good reason. Why?

“Do you remember when you told you just ignored being scared?” Kavaa asked.

“In the Jungle’s stomach?” Kassandora asked.

“Mmh.” Kavaa confirmed. “What you’re feeling right now, just ignore it.”

“That’s…” Kassandora tried to sequester her feelings away in the same way she did when she felt scared. In her mind, a soldier slashed a through thin air. She simply did not get scared though. She got nervous. She got uncomfortable. But fear? Fear was just… Well, it wasn’t in her field. Giant monsters and enemy Divines weren’t scary. At the end of the day, they either killed you or they did not. “That’s easier said than done.”

Kavaa sighed and shook her head and Kassandora felt a freezing wave of disappointment chill her from her neck down to her feet. “Me and you, we discuss this later. You have a Legion to manage right now and you’ll do it better than me.” Kavaa said flatly and pointed to the gates. “This hold is empty?”

“It is.” Kassandora said. “But it’s still standing. From outside, the only oddity is that there’s no movements or lights.” Kassandora pointed to the almost pristine Hold of Fazba. “It looks almost undamaged, doesn’t?”

“Then…” Kavaa turned slowly and took a deep breath. “I don’t really get it, if I’m honest.”

Iniri did not walk, the branches that sprouted off her dress carried her closer to Kassandora. “But you said it was evacuated.”

“I did.” Kassandora replied grimly. “Year eighty-five. Fifteen years before the end, Fazba was evacuated.” The Goddess of War leaned over to Kavaa who was holding the map. Even hidden within that spiderweb of lines, this hold stood out. There wasn’t a lot of spare space to note down any of the words, even most of the remaining holds were simply drawn as hexagons. Yet they chose to mark this: Fazba Deadzone.

“So why have they not conquered it?” Iniri asked as Kavaa breathed heavily and fell onto Kassandora.

“Why have they not indeed?” Kassandora asked as she put her arm around the Goddess of Health and stroked her head.

On one hand, she wanted to break down and cry here. To throw in the towel run back. But on the other, she was the damn Goddess of War and some child. She tensed at Kavaa’s arm wrapping around her. Whereas Kassie wanted to flee from this girl, the Goddess of War had to stay and see the Legion through.

Kassandora took a deep breath and realised that she had not damn clue on how to siege Fazba and that there was only one way through it. They could not stop now. She could not stop now. “All units! Advance!”