The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]

General Damian Sokolowski took a long drag of his cigarette as he looked over the Arikan Ashlands. Fitting that the place looked nightmarish, all different shades of greys and whites and blacks throughout the ground. Bulldozers were working on pushing ash away, it was shallow here, a team of a dozen men were bringing some bandits they had captured and the party was only submerged to just below their knees. Each of the soldiers had a huge stick, easily twice their height, fixed to their backpack with a small red flag fixed to it. In the distance, a digger with tracks had a rope attached to its scoop and was pulling an offroad car out of a hole that had been hidden in the ash.

More men were smoking around a campfire as they roasted meat on a grill. It was good for morale, and General Sokolowski pretended not to see or smell the alcohol flasks all of them had brought. Spirits did have to be kept up, and spirits were an excellent way to achieve that. In the west an ashstorm was blowing north, led by a strong wind. Sometimes, storms like that passed them by, sometimes they would catch a squad of men. Rarely did anyone actually manage to claw themselves out whereas trying to dig them out was akin to winning the lottery. It was the fear of that which made the men lug the banners around. This storm was going to pass them by though, they rarely changed directions suddenly.

None of that bothered him though. What bothered him were the clouds in the south.

It was the first time he had seen them, although now he was on third cigarette as he stared at those dark clouds. He should have prepared for this earlier. Just because it had not happened did not mean it would continue not to happen. The crashing of thunder came from those clouds, but that wasn’t the terrible part. What was terrible was the constant high-pitched pitter barely audible under that thunder.

Rain.

Fer stretched as she woke up. A ray of sunlight was coming in from through the window. Father had said she could stay in Lubska or Doschia or Allia or wherever, as long as Anassa was with her. So she stayed in one of the skyscrapers of Lubska’s capital of Zawitz. The room had been provided courtesy of Olonia, who was more than happy to start paying back some moral debt she felt she incurred. Fer didn’t mind, or care, or really have any opinion on it. Helenna would have secured a room if Olonia hadn’t been so forwards.

But so Fer had ended up in the penthouse of skyscraper, specifically fitted out for Divines. The bed would have made a fully grown feel small, with Fer, she felt like a tiny bedbug when she jumped onto the silken sheets. She liked the huge pillows for a Divine’s head, each one as large as her. She liked the bedsheets that felt like a wind unfurling itself around her. She liked the height of the bed and the fact it was as if she was in a tower. And she knew that everything that had just been said was a lie.

Lies so utterly shameless that it they had physical weight to them which made it hard to breath.

Fer blew her golden hair out of her eyes and lay under the covers with her arms and legs spread wide. When she had her power, she would have been barely able to fit on the bed like this. Her very breathing would have caused it to move and creak. She wouldn’t feel cold the moment she got out of her covers. She would have the energy to go up and do something today. She would have the power to go up and do something today. What could be done now after all?

The clock by her bedside ticked and tocked.

Fer staired up at the ceiling as she done yesterday. She had told herself she wouldn’t waste an hour in the morning today. She told herself she wouldn’t waste the hour tomorrow. Without moving her head, her eyes slowly travelled over to Anassa. The Goddess of Sorcery was sat close to her bed on a chair. Of course she was. Fer took care of her sister like this whenever Ana ended up injured, why wouldn’t Ana return the favour. Fer took a sharp breath and Ana immediately sat up.

The Goddess of Sorcery immediately turned to look at Fer. Anassa’s face lit up in a smile, her red eyes, same colour as the shirt she was wearing, beamed pure joy at the fact Fer had awoken and she clapped her hands. “Do you want your clothes?”

Fer sighed internally. She knew Anassa was trying to help, she knew Anassa only asked because Fer had complained about the lack of her clothes and she knew that the moment she would say yes, she would feel better. But she didn’t want to feel better, she wanted to snap at her sister and be angry and shout and break something. “Throw them.”

Anassa snapped her fingers, a blast of red light threw a collection of Fer’s clothes onto the bed. Shirts and skirts and jumpers and trousers and shorts and socks. Fer chose the closest, living with Anassa had slowly devolved the two of them. At first, she had made sure to always dress formally and respectfully, now, she grabbed the closest shorts and shirt and quickly stuffed herself into them. Anassa had done the same thing, she had started off on the usual gaudy dresses that she always wore, now, the Goddess of Sorcery sat on a chair in nothing but a red shirt she had half unbuttoned. Oh well, neither of them particularly cared in private.

“What are you looking at?” Fer asked as she slid her legs off the side off the bed. She felt herself go on the smooth silk, and then her feet planted on the stool she used to get up.

“I went shopping.” Anassa said. “Out and about in town.”

“Did you buy a drink?” Fer asked.

“I’m not having you die again.” Anassa scowled as Fer walked to the table. What a humiliation, she could stand on her tip-toes, and her head would still have some clearance before it touched the hard wood.

“You could get wine at least.” Fer said glumly. Last time, she drank a quarter of a bottle of Rancais Purple and had been unable to get out of bed for the entire next day. Spirits were simply out of the question at this point.

“I have juice.” Anassa replied and Fer rolled her eyes. She didn’t even know why, the juice in Zawitz was fresh from nearby farms and the first set of fruit had come in. Now was the time of year to drink juice.

“Cherry?”

“Of course.” Anassa disappeared. Fer already knew that the woman went to the living room of their penthouse. The tiny Goddess of Beasthood scampered to brush her teeth first. Again, there had to be a stool here, thankfully the room had been designed in mind for a Divine the size of Olonia and not of old-Fer. If it had been the latter, then new-Fer would have needed ladders instead of stools. She spat the minty paste out, licked her lips, checked her teeth and glumly left for the living room. A huge expanse of modern decadence, with sharp colours and punctuated by shades of pure white or black.

Fer stepped through the door and stopped as she stared at Anassa on the couch staring at some container filled with dirt on the coffee table. It was a table for a king’s hall, but amongst Gods and Goddesses, it was a coffee table. “I’m in a bad mood.” Fer declared as she stood in the door.

“I’ve made breakfast.” Anassa said and Fer felt herself be lifted into the air by a band of Anassa’s red sorcery.

“I hated this before and I hate it now.” Fer said grumpily. It wasn’t even because of her mood, she always hated when Anassa carried her like that.

“I like doing it to you.” Anassa replied idly as a large omelette on a plate moved through the air and settled on Fer’s lap.

“I’m baffled you can cook.” Fer said as she stared down at the meal. It had bits of meat within it with green herbs and spots of red pepper.

“You say this every day.” Anassa replied idly.

“I have to remind myself it’s real.”

“Don’t get used to it.” Anassa said as leaned down.

“I cook better than you.”

“Where? In dreams?” Anassa chuckled and Fer rolled her eyes as she gave up. The omelette shut her up as her eyes went to the glass box Anassa was staring at.

“What is that?”

“I bought it today.” Anassa said.

“You bought a box of dirt?”

“It’s an ant colony.”

“Oh.” Fer blinked and focused her eyes. Now that Anassa had told her what to look for, she could actually see the tiny critters scurrying around in tunnels. The Goddess of Beasthood and the Goddess of Sorcery both sat in silence and watched the ants as the former ate.

“What do you think?” Anassa asked.

“Look at them go.”

“I know.” Anassa replied. “Look at them go.” Another copy of Anassa appeared by her side. This one was dressed formally, in Ana’s standard clothes for venturing out into Zawitz: that red dress that made it seem like the Goddess was always ready for a ball and a party. She disappeared in the next moment as the Anassa by Fer’s side held out her hand.

Suddenly, an apple appeared in Ana’s hand. “Do you want any fruit?” Anassa asked before explaining. “I’m at the farmer’s market. Zawitz has a good one.”

“I’ve seen it.” Fer said. “Watermelon.” Anassa nodded as she leaned forwards, the apple was cut into chunks by her sorcery, and then she threw them into the glass box. Almost immediately, the ants started scurrying over the chunks of apple. Look at them go!

A few moment later, a watermelon blinked into existence in Anassa’s hand. A pair of spoons shot through the air as a blast of red shot split the watermelon perfectly in half, and Fer received her half of watermelon. She dug her spoon in and drank the juice. And so, the two sisters sat and ate fruit. And so, the two sisters watched the little ants go. They dug tunnels and nibbled pieces off the apple and carried the fruit back into their lair. “Can they get fat?” Anassa asked and Fer looked at her sister with bewilderment.

“Can ants get fat?” She had to repeat the question.

“I assume you’d know. It’s your demesne.”

“Bugs aren’t my demesne.” Fer replied and Anassa shook her head.

“You told Iniri that you evolved from the sabretooth which killed one man a month to the mosquito that sentences a village in a night.” Fer smiled in satisfaction. Those were her words exactly indeed. “So bugs are your demesne.”

“Ants don’t get fat in the way you mean.” Fer said.

“Mmh.” Anassa said. “So I don’t have to worry about overfeeding them.”

“You’ll need to watch out for mould and you’ll need a bigger box.” Fer replied and Anassa nodded.

“Do you want a drink?” She asked. “I want wine.”

“I don’t want to spend a day dying again.”

“Do you mind if I drink then?” Fer smiled as she leaned to herself. When Anassa tried, she really could be lovely, couldn’t she?

“Aren’t you the sweetest?” Fer asked teasingly.

“I’m getting one.” A glass of red wine appeared in Anassa’s hand and she sipped. A bottle red juice then materialized in her other hand and she passed it to Fer. “Cherry. Fresh apparently.” Fer took a sip.

“It is.” And so, the two sisters ate fruit and drank juice and wine and watched the little ants go.

“Can they eat oranges?” Anassa suddenly broke the silence.

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“Oranges are acidic. They won’t melt, will they?”

“They can eat oranges Ana.” Fer said. “Any fruit they’ll eat.”

“Mmh.” Anassa said as she leaned down and sipped her wine. They sat like that for an hour. Maybe two. It didn’t really matter. Companionship was real when you could sit in silence and appreciate the other. The doorbell ringing broke their blessed silence.

“I’ll get it.” Fer said quickly scampered across the living room, through the kitchen and jumped to catch the door handle. It should be Ana, Fer knew she should let Ana do it because Ana still had power. Because Fer did not. But Fer had to do it, precisely to show off that there were still things she could be doing. The door swung open and Fer’s smile dropped.

A man stood there. In plain clothes, although that was the only thing that was plain about him. His arms bulged with muscles and underneath his white shirt, he had blue spandex. Fer’s strength was gone, but her instincts kicked in. In one instant, her eyes scanned his body, from the top of his youthful, long-haired head with those light eyes to his huge arms and shoulders, his narrow waist, his thin legs. Where his trousers cut off by his ankles, Fer saw blue spandex come out under his fabric and disappear into his shoes.

Fer felt her mind race as her instincts kicked in. She had to physically stop herself from grabbing the man’s neck and instead took a step back. The back of her slipper fell onto one of Anassa’s heeled shoes and Fer fell backwards onto her rear. She tried to scurry away, she pushed away.

“Anarchia sends her regards.” The man said, Fer tried to shout for her sister, but the woman was already here. Anassa blinked into existence by Fer’s side. The Goddess of Sorcery towered over the man, whose grin disappeared as he sized up the opponent that had suddenly appeared.

“Goddess Anassa sends hers.” Anassa’s tone was so cold that it should have started snowing in that room.

Anassa snapped her fingers. A flash of red filled the room. The man’s arms fell loose, they swung by the sides of his chest like loose strings being blown by the wind. The fellow collapsed, his legs sprawled out under in odd angles. He blinked, his eyes raced about the room.

And Fer finally stood up as she looked to her sister. It wasn’t fear at the woman’s power, there was no way that Anassa would ever hurt. It wasn’t horrification at the fact Ana had just severed all the man’s nerves, Fer had done far worse in the past. It wasn’t even envy of Anassa’s power. It was shame that she couldn’t protect herself.