The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]
Chapter 404 – In The Presence of a Goddess

There exist Divines that are force multipliers. Kavaa and Kassandora serve as the most foremost examples of Divine that does not fight themselves, but rather amplifies the power of a force exponentially. Due to the existence of such figures, there are people who think that humanity deserves a seat at the table of power. That if all the individuals in this world coalesced into one great force, under one inspiring banner, then mankind would be able to stand against Divinity.

We already have such things. Great beings that are amalgamations of thousands walk this world. They are Divines. To theorize about what would happen if all humanity moved as one is to what would happen if things weren’t the same. The answer is obvious, is things weren’t the same, they would be different. If all humanity moved as one, they would be a single being that is Divine.

Yet humanity does not move as one. It will never move as one. It cannot move as one. It is composed of individuals with ideals and dreams. It is not some great collective. Before one tries to unite humanity, they should consider trying to force all the ants in an anthill to share a single mindset. Maybe they will have more success with that.

Kavaa and Kassandora are exceptions to the rule. Divinity is not a force multiplier. Divinity is the force itself. If this were mathematics, then mankind adds one or two whereas a Divine adds a dozen at the least. Major Divines, like myself, like Maisara, like Irinika or Allasaria, add hundreds. Kassandora’s Doctrine of Steel and Sorcery has forced evolution, yet it does make the ideas of Might and Magic redundant.

She thinks that because lesser deities can be overwhelmed, suddenly all deities can be overwhelmed. It is projection, pure and simple. Kassandora herself can be endangered by ten thousand soldiers, so she thinks that someone like Allasaria will be endangered by ten thousand soldiers. The simple truth of it is that this is not the case.

Kassandora is intelligent, but in this matter she is wrong. Eventually, her wrongness will become a brick wall that she charges at with full speed and cracks her head against.

Something needs to be added to the mix. It can be magic, it can be technology, it can be luck, it can be circumstance, it could be outside force, it can be anything but it has to be something. Time has proven again and again, humanity cannot kill a God.

Excerpt from “Might and Magic Doctrine Modernized.” Written by Goddess Fortia, of Peace, during the Great War. The book is a response to Goddess Kassandora’s, of War’s, Doctrine of Steel and Sorcery.

Lyca listened to the entire world rumble above him as he waited. He had witnessed artillery fire in Kirinyaa, but he had never been shelled whilst needing to avoid his using sorcery. From another there was a huge crash followed by a scream and the ceiling cracked. It would have toppled were it not for the thin layer of water Edmonton was conjuring to keep the structure stable and in place. A cloud of dust entered from the ramp which led to the streets and several of the civilians moved away.

More explosions came from above as Lyca gently set knelt by Eliza’s side and stroked her forehead. The girl rested in her white shirt and skirt, breathing gently with the slow and deep rhythm of sleep. It had to be total exhaustion. Each of the four sorcerers had been forced to develop their endurance. Lyca knew all of them could easily pull a forty-eight awake without any preparation. Likewise, Kirinyaa and Anassa had trained the ability to sleep deep out of them.

Yet both Eliza and Fleur lay next to each, both asleep. Lyca had seen Fortia throw her spear faster than sound. He had seen Elassa exterminate entire divisions with blasts of red light. He had seen Anassa wipe objects away from reality. And somehow, all of those seemed easier to deal with than this. They were less torturous, that was for sure. Anassa would break your arm or kill you, but at least she wouldn’t steal your strength and your magic.

A crash sounded from above, then an explosion. Men shouted in Rancais, Lyca couldn’t understand the words, but there was a lull in the cacophony. “Do you think we should move out?” Edmonton took the chance to speak. The man was stood, arm outstretched, the underside of his watch glowing blue as he focused his magic.

“And carry them out?” Lyca replied.

“Well we’re not going to leave them here, are we?” Edmonton asked.

“Of course we’re not.” Lyca replied angrily and then took a breath to calm down. “Can you fly?”

“Not long distance.” Edmonton replied flatly and then twisted his hand. “If you don’t use it you lose it.”

“Same.” Lyca replied. That flight across the city square had been far more exhausting than Lyca had thought it would be. Yet when was the last time he had flown purely with magic? In fact, when was the last time he used magic for anything more than a smokescreen and a decoration for the sorcery? He snapped his fingers and a faint beam of orb appeared around him.

“Are you sure you should be showing that off?” Edmonton asked.

“I’ve lost power.” Lyca replied. “I’m just seeing how much.”

“Mmh.” Edmonton said. “Same.”

“Crazy.” Lyca replied flatly as he tried to channel more of his will into the red ball that settled in front of him. It started to glow brighter. The opacity was still so strong that it was more as if he discoloured an area rather than painted over it in the way Anassa explained sorcery worked. “I know I can go harder.”

“It’s exhaustion.” Edmonton said. “That’s what it feels like.”

“Do you have the pills?” Lyca asked.

“Eliza has them in her bag. Don’t pop one now.”

“You sure?”

“I won’t be able to keep up and we don’t know if it will work in the first place.” Edmonton said dryly. “I’m not going to look after you whilst you’re high.”

“I can handle myself.” Lyca replied.

“I’m sure you can.” Edmonton said. “But like I said, did she steal energy or did she steal willpower or just steal the ability to do sorcery? MisseMs will only fix the first one.”

“You can’t steal willpower.” Lyca replied although he didn’t trust himself. Could you not steal willpower? He had heard Kassandora play her Orchestra. That gave out willpower, why couldn’t Anarchia take it away.

“Leave the theory to the classroom Lyca.” Edmonton said, his voice quiet. “Holding up the roof is hard enough, I’ll need a break after this.” Lyca looked at the man again. He should have noticed it before, Ed’s cheeks were pale and sweat was running down his face. And he turned to the civilians.

“I hope Fleur taught you some Rancais.” Lyca said as he picked out people from the crowd. The trio of children, a girl who could be no older than fifteen holding her brother and sister, both who looked to be in their single digits, was ignored. The old man who looked decrepit was too. He looked as if the sheer stress of bombing would kill him. A lone man who crouched by the wall? Something in Lyca’s gut said to avoid that. Lone men had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

“I know help is…” Edmonton trailed off. “I know Fleur taught me help.”

“HELP!” Lyca shouted across the garage. Shouldn’t it be the same in Allian? Weren’t there some words everyone just understood? “HELP!” He pointed to Eliza and Fleur. One man from a group of a five stood up. Tall, in dirty clothes and with a splash of blood over his stomach. From the fact he moved so easily, it obviously couldn’t be him.

“Magicien! Je suis medecin!” He shouted and came close. Lyca turned to Edmonton. The man had a blank expression and shrugged.

“That first word was magician.” Lyca rolled his eyes. That wasn’t the word he needed help with. “I think he said doctor.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well he’s obviously not medicine is he?” Edmonton snapped back. With his free arm he pointed to the man then to the two girls on the floor. “Help! Aid! Assist!”

“Aider!” Lyca watched the doctor come close. The man knelt next to Fleur. He checked the breathing, her pulse, her temperature. Lyca didn’t know what he expected. What was a doctor supposed to do with no tools or medicines? At the end, he ended rolling Fleur into the recovery position. On her side, her head resting on her arm, the other pulled forwards to stop her rolling back. He said something so quickly that Lyca didn’t catch a single damn syllable. He did the same to Eliza, checking her breathing, her temperature and her pulse. And he rolled her onto her side. Smart enough Lyca supposed. The man stood up and faced the two men. “Ils se sont evanouis.”

“That means what exactly?”

“Do I look like I fucking know?!” Edmonton snapped back. The doctor immediately started miming. He drew a fist slowly moved it to his head, role-played getting punch in the temple in slow motion and then pretend to sleep. Holding both hands to his cheek and with his eyes closed. “They got knocked out.”

“Mmh.” Lyca said. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

“Danger?” Edmonton asked. “Le danger? Le risque?” The pronunciation was horribly butchered but the Rancais doctor seemed to understand. He shook his head, pointed to the girls, mimed sleeping again, opened his eyes and gave a thumbs up. “Sleep it off.”

“Fucking Hell.” Lyca said. “So we’re stuck.”

“It looks like it.” Edmonton said and gave the doctor a thumbs up. “Merci. Merci.” The man nodded and scurried back to his group.

“We’re getting out of Ordeaux tonight though.” Lyca said.

“Of course.” Edmonton replied. “There’ll be refugee convoys. We’ll just tag along. They won’t inspect everyone.”

“We just have to get away from the city.” Lyca replied.

“Fleur will wake up and we’ll have a translator again. But for now, we just hold.”

Lyca pointed up to the ceiling, where Edmonton’s sheet of water was very obviously holding up stone. “Can you hold that?”

“I’m not that old and pathetic that I can’t yet.” Edmonton replied.

“Just asking.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Edmonton replied with a smile. And then, Edmonton’s smile dropped, he took a step in front of Fleur and Eliza. Lyca’s stomach felt as if it was suddenly as heavy as an anvil. He knew what that expression was. He knew exactly who he would be looking at if he turned around. The shocked gasps gave it away. As did Edmonton snapping his fingers and nothing happening. So his sorcery had just been stolen.

Lyca turned to see a woman who was far too tall to be considered human. She stood almost twice his height. In a red shirt and with a black skirt. Black hair that framed a pretty face and terrible dark eyes. And not a single piece of dirt or dust on her. Didn’t the whole just get bombed in an attempt to kill her? Wasn’t this part of the plan? Weren’t… The answer to all of those questions came in the form of another: did it even matter? He was in the presence of a Goddess. Each of her footsteps was so loud and heavy that it sent an echo resonating through the underground car park the men had taken shelter in.

And whereas before Lyca thought of escape, now, his mind shut down. At least when he faced Fortia in Melukal, there had been a clear tactic to deal with the Goddess. There, he just needed to run away and make sure that she would not get clear line of sight to throw her spear. But Fortia, whilst strong, was simply a fighter. Anarchia? Lyca tried lifting his hand and realised the fatigue from her sapping his energies had already set in. The Goddess smiled triumphantly as she looked around. Lyca snapped his fingers as he tried to slam her with sorcery. Nothing happened. He didn’t feel even a single surge of strength come from within him. So his power had been removed too.

Anarchia eye’s darted around the room like a proper soldier’s, they were fast and they scanned every location quickly one way, before coming back in a slower fashion to pick out all the details. She raised an eyebrow at all the civilians then turned to the two mages. “I’m holding the ceiling up!” Edmonton shouted to the Goddess as a team of six heroes entered behind her. Some of the civilians down here cast dirty looks at the intruders, others looked as if they waited to be saved. Anarchia looked up at the ceiling.

Edmonton fell to his knees, the sheet of water he had been casting to hold the building above them up came down in a splash. One child started to cry. And Edmonton’s water was immediately replaced by a thin sheet of red sorcery that sprouted from Anarchia. The Goddess looked up at the ceiling and smiled to herself. “Not anymore.”

“We didn’t kill anyone!” Lyca shouted as he drew on his magic. The ruby on the chain around his neck flashed for a moment and then went out as Lyca lost the energy to channel magic.

“You would say that.” Anarchia replied, then pointed her finger at Lyca. “You were not hard to find.” Edmonton fell from his knees to the ground. Lyca went second. In that last moment of clarity before the dullness of whatever Anarchia was casting on him overcame him. Was it over? Lyca collapsed onto the ground. Edmonton was already asleep.