Chapter 59: Dawn and Dusk

Sammy took another sip of her mai tai and raised an eyebrow. “Really? I know he is some sort of wizard and not low-level.”

“He is, but he’s never discussed such details with me. As far as I could ever tell, he did not summon demons much through his native land conquests. At the very least, this is a new development from a high-level invention of spellcraft. Or something he’s kept clandestine for a period. This is on top of the oddity of a portal he can move through…”

“I didn’t think those were very common.”

“It goes beyond that. They are exceptionally rare, not even the Dominion using them much for… many centuries. Sparingly. It requires great energy to send anyone or anything material through, and something temporary or unstable keeps them from being used more domestically. I destroyed one in the war. They were not able to hide it from me for long. And never did massive numbers come through. It isn’t feasible.”

“So this is something really high level, then.”

Redberry had a little wan smile. “Or he secretly took a clever domain. Not Honor or the like, as I suggested.”

“Oh.” Samantha set her drink down and knitted her hands together, contemplating that possibility and feeling dread about it. “I feel like that could be super, duper bad.”

“Quite. Demon Summoning. Demon Gates. Could be something like that. Hmm. I’d guess infernal blood gets some sort of discount for portal traversal… and the rune circle could’ve been a further aid he leveraged. All conjecture, though.”

“It would be dangerous, but… I could try spying around his church members. There must be plenty of others aware of what he can do.” She shook her head and sighed. “Azure did say the Naugites venerate him like some founder reborn. Connections back to their supposed origin, or even something he could pretend is, would only cement that.”

“An unfortunately salient point.” She took her drink back up in two hands and soon all but finished it off, then looked slightly disappointed.

Sammy immediately filled it back up. “So, to him, you’re scolding me right now, right?”

“Ah. Yes, something like that, if you want. I did finally answer him and chat. He was very slow to the point, prying, trying to sift for the truth. Honestly, it annoyed me, so I made him get to the point and come out with what he wanted or he could fuck off. To summarize, I subtly confirmed it but refused to discuss you at all.” She paused, looking at her drink and taking a sip, then shrugging. “He would not harm you now, I don’t believe, assuming that you’re under my protection.”

Sammy smirked suddenly. “Am I, though?”

Redberry’s gaze met hers for a long, unblinking moment, as one hand fell to the table to drum it with unpainted but perfect fingernails. Finally, her lips twisted slightly and she replied, “In regards to him… maybe. For the principle of things. If the Dominion gets its roots in you, though, don’t expect my help. I will not fight them again.”

“I understand. I wouldn’t expect you to.” Then her grin returned, bigger than ever. She didn’t say anything, though.

Immediately annoyed, Redberry scowled. “Wipe that self-satisfied look off your face! I said maybe. It’s nothing. As I said, it would be the principle of things.” She didn’t bother elaborating though.

Sammy dutifully smoothed her face to coolness by sheer will, then nodded respectfully. “Of course, Goddess. Thank you for the hypothetical maybe support.”

Redberry rolled her eyes and looked away, muttering something about ‘youths.’

At this point, Sammy retrieved her mai tai and held it up. “Let’s toast! Chink the glass. To a… healthier ecosystem, for all of Calrenazzod’s creatures. Hmm?”

The glasses chinked as Redberry agreed and toasted. “To just so, dear.”

They drank, then Sammy asked, “Any suggestions for my next domain?”

“Impertinence.”

“I’ll consider it, queen! Anything else? Also, what’s the cost of the fourth?”

“I don’t remember the cost, I’m afraid.”

“Oh. Damn.”

“As for your third, it depends on your strategy. You could focus on the world more tangibly, bridge into the physical and material, or focus on an expansion of your support and utility capabilities… or get more conceptual and philosophical, focusing on what your existence actually means…”

“Feel like that’s easier for spirits than a human that tripped into this. I do want to help people, though. And a world where that’s easier, where it doesn’t endanger them to help them. It’s a Catch-22 right now.”

“A what?”

“I mean that it’s impossible to be a goddess helping Followers when being connected to me could bring a terrible punishment. Can’t exactly call myself benevolent, right?”

Redberry snorted derisively. “Humans obtaining benefits that are illegal? Since when do they break the rules? Who’d have ever guessed they’d take risks for supernatural blessings, for the favor of a powerful deity… who through them, might grow even more powerful? A religion where they’d be exalted as founders? What sacrificial lambs, what idiots!”

“I might be detecting a note of sarcasm there.”

“It’s a rare soul that would run away from power, Samantha. Power is purpose. Relevancy. Power is the core motive of all sapients — whether altruistic to community or nation, or selfish for the individual. The people have never stopped seeking supernatural favor. To change their fate. It has simply been stomped out — again and again — to point them to the worship of the mind and will and personal knowledge. Wisdom as they call it.”

Redberry put down her drink and pointed her finger right between Samantha’s eyes. Her own seemed to flare with a sudden passion. “You are the restoration of the ashes on their tongues; tastes of this past, tastes of others. Their freedom to believe in meanings and concepts and abstracts beyond staid logic and unwavering definitions! Things they long for under the tyranny of systems.”

Her hand dropped into her lap. “They built a tower to the heavens and it cracked and toppled under its own weight. They failed, Samantha. This is the age of their deterioration. In the next — sooner or later — the gods will have their will over this land again. You might lead the charge. If you are snuffed out, perhaps instead Zadkiel.” A bitter chortle. “You the dawn…”

Her eyes still gleamed and held Sammy’s own, augers of Nature. “…him the dusk.”

Sammy looked away, breaking the spell of sorts that was hearing the powerful oration of a deity. There had to be truth within it, she felt.

If Zadkiel actually succeeded… the world might end up worse. And I would have helped him. My payment to the piper. If I’m ever strong enough to not hide on the sidelines of his conflict, should I still do nothing?

“I should go…”

When Sammy turned back to her guest, she seemed weaker, tired, and she was rubbing right where her wound was, eyes vague. Pained.

“Of course.” Sammy stood and offered her hand. It was probably silly, but…

Redberry looked at the offered hand, up to Sammy’s face, then back to it, slightly bewildered. Then she took it to ‘assist’ her rise, however unnecessary it truly was.

Sammy hooked her arm to lead her out, also feeling silly but all too right just the same. Red’s wound might cause her to trip or something! It didn’t feel regal to escort her like a queen. Not at all.

Redberry lucid, she’s like a different person… I wish I could help…

The escort was all the way back out past the front door to the cherry blossom trees. Redberry’s face was like a distracted grimace, her mind elsewhere. Sammy had to pat her hand.

Clearing her throat, Sammy said softly, “This is you, I think.”

“Hmm?” So close, her breath was felt on Sammy’s face as she turned. It was like a fresh breeze carrying hints of pine. Shortly after noticing, Redberry disentangled slowly, though without real apparent concern over personal space, per se. She held onto Sammy’s hand, looking down as though inspecting it, then turning it over palm upward, tracing her pale green fingers over it.

Sammy’s eyes widened from the sensation and the act itself, her hand twitching, her breath catching. “Uhh-”

“I could never get the little intricate details of the human hand right by my own artifice… the fine ridges on the fingers… so unique, so chaotic and orderly at once…”

The touch of her fingers finally made Sammy pull her hand away, mostly out of ticklish sensitivity. “Er, too bad about that, I guess, hehe…”

Redberry’s eyes looked up once more into Sammy’s, and then awareness and understanding bloomed. “Ah… forgive me, Samantha. I didn’t mean to-”

Sammy waved her hands in embarrassment. “No, no, it’s fine! Perfectly fine! I understand. You’re a spirit! And-and your head and all…”

The nature goddess nodded with a bit of a wince, blinking, then squaring her shoulders and facing out to the path of the exit. “My headache is coming on strong again… thank you for your hospitality, Samantha. It was… interesting being here.”

She began walking away down the path.

“We’ll have to do it again sometime!” Samantha called. “Really. Floofa didn’t get to say bye, after all.”

“I never liked goodbyes.” She began to fade away slowly as she walked. “We’ll say hello again.” With that, she was gone.

Sammy noticed she was subconsciously rubbing her own hand.

It’s not a big deal… She’s not someone that thinks much about personal space! Nymphs probably wouldn’t. Seems more natural for them to be super communal and casually intimate as friends. Family. I bet we could’ve hugged! Oh well. We’ll get there.

No sooner than she was trying to continue reading, she felt a ‘ping’ at Greenleaf.

Zadkiel. His presence was simple — a peaceful battlefield of the slain and his flag planted there: a banner flowing in the wind. A devil’s eyes seemed to look down from the distant horizon. “Mysterious Allurer. I believe it is time that we touch base.”

Sammy teleported to her forest and even changed her appearance. Mood and ambiance were important. Alright, game face, game face! Like walking up to the volleyball net… god, I sucked at volleyball…

In response to the mental presence, that ‘meeting of the minds,’ Sammy created a forest spawning at the edge of the battlefield, making use of some of the corpses as if absorbing nutrients, but not encroaching all the way in. Shy hints of her shadowy presence among the trees, the eyes often visible. This time, though, they looked angry, and the forest seemed to creak and groan like it would uproot and ‘treant some ass’ in a heartbeat.

Sammy gave the slightest micro-tell — a little gleam of eyes that might be watery, but such a momentary flash, it gave nothing by itself. Something to let him add up later.

“I’m not very inclined to talk to you right now!” Greenleaf barked. “I’m very cross indeed with you, Zadkiel.”

Amusement, curiosity. “Oh? Why is that, my princess of the woods?”

“Don’t play dumb, devil! You went to Redberry! Why was it necessary to rub in my discovery?! Couldn’t we have just kept it between us?”

“Apologies. I didn’t realize the intricacies of your relationship with her. I did want to pry about you, out of both interest and desire for confirmation. She wasn’t exactly forthcoming… in any case, suffice to say all of the rest of our dealings will be confidential from her. Our business.”

Yeah, I bet. Horndog!

Greenleaf was quiet and contemplative for a spell, though still annoyed. “Good. Because she doesn’t need to be in all of my business. You didn’t tell her about the deal, right?”

“Absolutely not. I trust you didn’t let on, either?”

“I most certainly didn’t. The less she knows about us the better.”

“Excellent. Now that that is out of the way… you must have an idea of what I intend already. How much do you know? And just what do you think your reach is to assist me? What are your plans in the lands of Oldaster and nearby?”

Sammy internally took a moment right then, because she knew it was a big tell no matter what she said. If she lowballed him on her capabilities and made herself incompetent to help, it could be dangerous again for the borderlands and the whole lot of Followers he knew the identities of.

Once more, she would have to dig down and summon up the fine arts of pure bullshittery. Not too little, not too much, not too hot, not too cold.

Just call me Goldilocks of the Incredibly Sufficient Porridge. Er, Brunettilocks.

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