Chapter 7

“Aly! where’s Peace at?”

The usually fearless Grigor jumped as her smooth, emotionless voice filled the room. “The Goddess of Peace is currently in the North-West habitation sector of the city. I will supply directions.”

While Grigor looked around in wonder, I rejected Aly’s offer of directions. “It’s alright. I can sense her easily enough and I should be using this increased awareness all of the time.”

“You should,” Destruction agreed, walking lazily past me to the transport room’s exit. “You are a true god now. More than any of us with your Creator bloodline and your army of followers.”

“Yeah,” I said, drawing the word out slowly. “We can portal to her as well. No need to fly.” I opened a portal up to Peace’s location and saw a brief look of disappointment on Destruction’s face. I suspected it was her wanting to delay the inevitable of going back outside where not only Hakan lurked, but where she would have to face her followers too.

Unfortunately for her, we had no time to dally. “Come on,” I said as upbeat as I could manage. “It’s a hard road ahead of us and it’s only gonna get harder the longer we delay.”

She grimaced at my words, but they both followed after me quickly enough.

“Clive! Destruction! This place is amazing. But I am happy to see you both.”

“Flying visit I’m afraid. We need to go get the rest of Destruction’s people settled in here. But…” I paused wondering how best to broach the subject.

Destruction had no such consideration. “You need to build your new temple in Far Reach. We can merge our Spheres and that way we can create a huge, protected space away from this planet.”

“I… Combine Spheres? On Falritas? Will it still hold Hakan out?”

“It should,” I said, casting a glare for Destruction’s benefit. “ Between you and the Goddess of Tact over here, you have access to all of the Neumas apart from Void and Earth. Earth’s not a problem but I’m going to look at a different ways to supply Void Neuma to the Sphere to keep it at the same strength and complexity that it is now. We can try it and if it doesn’t work we can pull them back down again. Also, you’re not trapped in this. After Hakan is dealt with, or there’s a compelling reason to split them again, we will. I’m not looking to hold you prisoner there.”

Peace was clearly flustered by my words. Her eyes darted between each of us and it took a long moment for her to reply. “This is a lot,”

“Yeah. It really is. I’m sorry that it has to come to this. But this should mean we can offer Dawnsinger, and all of her people refuge in Far Reach too. I’ll be honest I don’t want to hang about doing it.”

“A whole country? Do you think it will support them all?”

“Only one way to find out. If you have a Sphere manager, have them work with Joel to get new housing up. The Sphere should reach deep into Knuntang once you’ve both joined.”

Again she took a long time to answer, but finally we got a firm nod. “I will do this, Clive. As you say. What choice do we have?” Not waiting for a reply from me she turned to Destruction. “Have you shed your followers?”

“From the Secondary planes, yes. From Onnekus, not yet, but once they’re safe and sound here I’m going to free them. And myself.”

Peace replied with a sour expression and fell into a contemplative silence. I looked over at Grigor who’d been keeping a low profile in the conversation between the two Goddesses and myself. “Grigor, you shadow Peace until I get back. Learn what you can of the place. In fact, Aly!”

Yes Clive?

“Can you give Grigor access to the system as well?”

I can provide you with the means to do so yourself Clive.

Her snarky reply was followed by the same Personnel Assignment notification I’d received for Peace and Destruction. With a few confirmations, a truly bewildered Grigor was now an Administrator. “He’ll need a transport totems to, Aly, Can’t keep ferrying people in the void storage.

Affirmative, Clive.

As Peace led Grigor off to the receptacle, Destruction spoke quietly. “Your man Grigor looked completely out of his depths. Are you sure he’s the right choice to be made up to our top rank of fighters?”

“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life, Destruction. He’s a top bloke and he’ll fight to the bitter end for us. I didn’t make him the leader of my armies because I like him.”

“No. You did that because Danivra was already busy elsewhere. Now she is a worthy addition!”

“So is Grigor,” I promised. “Now speaking of people being thrust into unexpected and uncomfortable situations, shall we go?”

She smirked, but I could sense the worry in her all the same. “I’ll have to go inside the Void Storage again. I havent set an anchor point for the totem outside yet.”

“We’ll do it this time. Somewhere desolate.”

“Where’s yours?” Just above the actual exit. A few feet above the ocean where I first surfaced. I should probably change it in case Hakan thinks to snoop around the exits.

“And he will,” she agreed, stepping into the storage.

Once I appeared above Onnekus’ major ocean, I cast out Spirit Sense across the entire surface to find the most secluded spot and teleported us there.

I appeared deep within a rainforest and was instantly assaulted by the din of natural noises that filled the place.

As beautiful, and intense as the place was, I brought out Destruction immediately and cast out my senses again.

The amount of information for a full planet was far too much to take in, so I focused on any pockets of fear. There was some, but I mainly sensed despair. That was to be expected after recent events and that could also keep until I could get there to rescue them. For now, as long as Hakan wasn’t attacking I was satisfied.

A brief glance at Destruction told me she was focusing on something too.

“Can you sense any of your people?”

“I can yes. They’re mostly in the oubliette.”

“The oobi what?”

“The dungeon for my temple,” she said with a dismissive snort.

“Then why not just call it a dungeon?”

“Because it’s a specific type of dungeon, Clive, and the name offers clarity of meaning. At least when I’m not speaking to a Dwarf’s arse.”

I chuckled at the insult as she continued. “It’s protected with a stealth-protection barrier and has only one entrance so while Hakan could easily open it up, he’s obviously missed its presence. Beyond that, I can sense a few scattered followers hiding around the land that surrounded my Sphere.”

“Shall we pick them up first, then? They seem most Likely to be picked off by Hakan.”

She nodded and then created a portal for us to go through. Out of the oppressive heat and noise and into the cold and barren, volcanic lands of Destruction. We appeared right next to a family of imps and lesser demons huddled together under an outcropping of rock and boy where they happy to see Destruction.

She didn’t waste much time with idle chit-chat, ushering them into the dark of her Void Storage almost as soon as their exhausted but excited chatter died down.

It was at that point I realized she still had a few hundred followers in there that she’d managed to collect last time we were here.

“You seriously just left them in there?”

“Of course. If I’m safe, they’re safe.”

“You could have let them out in the Admin Hub!”

“My mind was on other things.”

I shook my head in disbelief, then created a Light Everlasting for her to put inside.

We made twenty-two more jumps before we picked up the last of the stragglers with me creating most of the portals as Destruction’s own had a few minutes recharge each time. Though she made the portal to her oubliette. While she did that, I cast out my Spirit Sight again before we went underground. The same dull thrum of despair filled each of the souls I came across. But for one area. Fear, panic and immense sorrow that hadn’t been there last time. Far to the south.

“Go to the oubliette, Destruction. Get your people and explain the situation. I need to go. There’s trouble to the south.”

“No!” Destruction snapped. Hands on hips like she was scolding a naughty school child. “You told me we would stay together.”

“You’ll be fine in the dungeon, and don’t forget. You’ve got your get out of jail free card now.”

“Oubliette. And my what?”

“The totem. You activate that, you go back to the admin hub. Simples. Hakan can’t block it. To my knowledge nothing can.”

“Oh,” she said with a genuine look of intrigue. It appeared in her hand a moment later. “You didn’t say it was so powerful.”

“Yep. If I’m not back before you get all of your followers into your Void Storage then just head back anyway.”

“You better believe I will,” she said delighted, then without another word hurried through her portal.

I refocused on the trouble to the south and honing in on the worst of it I was presented with a mental image. A growl snuck out, unintended by what I saw. “War was leading a ferocious army of demons and dragons across the land, sweeping Devotion’s followers ahead of them and slaughtering those they caught like defenceless lambs. It looked like a mass cull as they drove them south towards Life’s lands. I knew where this was going, and it wasn’t good. I didn’t give a fuck if it was enforced by a slave bond or not, either. War was going to suffer for this.