The next month was suspiciously quiet. They dropped off the soldiers at the fort Alexis had been talking about, then resumed their journey east. There were no more ambushes, no having to flee town in a hurry, nothing. And yet, by the time they met up with Corina and her crew, that nothing felt like an attack of its own.
Everyone agreed that this silence meant that something big was coming, and Maia found herself jumping at shadows, paranoid right up until the moment they landed on the Isle of Advent. But, the moment she stepped onto the island’s dock, she could feel the holy energy radiating from the place, bringing with it a sense of comfort and security she hadn’t felt since that shrine in the Deepwood.
They walked with reverent steps towards the small temple not far from the shore, and soon Maia was kneeling within and offering her prayer. “Aira, Nia, we have come as you instructed.” She said. “Please, grant us your guidance.”
A warm light filled the space in front of Maia as the goddesses appeared. “You’ve done well, Maia.” Aira said.
“We’re truly proud of you and your companions.” Nia added. “It wasn’t easy, but you didn’t give up.”
“We are forever grateful for that, and we’re sorry that all of you have to go through this.” Aira continued. “This isn’t fair, and every day we wish that this didn’t have to happen. Galiena, we’d like to extend our thanks to you once again; it means the world to us that you were willing to go through this war a second time for us.”
“Of course.” Galiena said fervently. “If I can prevent what happened then from happening now, then I will do whatever it takes.”
“We know you miss your old strength, and while we cannot put you at the peak of your power again, we can bring you a great deal closer.” Nia offered. “Would you accept?”
“I would be honored.” Galiena replied.
“This is touching and all, but why don’t we talk about how this is actually going to go?” An oddly familiar voice called out, positively dripping with malice.
Maia turned and was shocked to find herself looking at a near-perfect copy of her, at least as far as the body went. Everything else, though, couldn’t be more different. Where Maia preferred modest clothes, this woman wore a highly revealing dress that hugged her figure and accentuated her curves. Where Maia still felt uncertain of herself, the woman practically radiated confidence. And, where Maia attempted to be respectful to those around her, the woman’s gaze held undisguised disdain as she looked around the hall.
Yet, despite the malice, there was also a sense of giddy excitement about the woman, like a child at a festival. “Now that you losers are all here, we can start to really explain the rules of our little game. Aira, Nia, heel.” She said, pointing at her feet and giving the goddesses a mocking look. “Well? I’m waiting.”
To Maia’s shock and horror, the goddesses stood and sullenly walked past Maia to the side of the unknown woman, staring at her with gazes full of hatred. “Good doggies.” The woman crooned. “Why don’t you sit and explain to these fools who I am?”
Aira and Nia sighed, then sat. “This is Katrina.” Nia said. “She is our tormenter, and, if you want to get technical, our boss.”
Katrina smiled widely, leaning down and scratching Nia’s chin. “Good girl.” She drawled condescendingly. “Yes, I’m Katrina, and if these two are ‘gods’, then I’m the one true god. I make the rules, and what I say goes. Have you enjoyed the little game I’ve set up for you all?”
Katrina looked around at the assembled women, a grin growing on her face. “No? Good. I like watching you squirm. I’m the one Galiena has been calling your enemy, and as these two put it, an ‘ancient evil’. Aira, why don’t you tell them what I did to deserve that moniker?”
Aira glared up at Katrina before turning back to Maia and her companions, a look of sorrow on her face. “She…she took over our universe, then made us watch as she killed everyone and everything in it.” She said. “And she laughed the whole time.”
“In my defense,” Katrina said, a nostalgic look on her face, “it was really funny. You should have seen the looks on their faces, heard their cries as I systematically destroyed everything they had ever known and loved. They amused me so much that I decided to spare them, just so I could relive that moment again and again.
“Which brings us to where we are now.” Katrina said, clapping her hands together like someone trying to get the attention of children. “Yes, Aira’s Fervor is, of course, my doing, and it’s the central theme of the little game we’re playing. The rules are simple; if I eradicate you all before you can spread your ‘cure’ to the world, then I win.
“If you do manage to win, then I will lay off them for a time, just as I did for the last Maia. Now, I’m sure you’re all wondering if you even have a chance against an omniscient and omnipotent being such as myself, and I’m pleased to tell you that you do! I’m purposefully limiting myself to a fraction of a fraction of my power, because a game isn’t any fun if victory is a foregone conclusion.
“I won’t bore you with the specifics of how my power and the power of these ‘goddesses’ are allowed to be used, that’s not important for you peons, but I’m in a good mood, so I’ll give you a little exposition instead!”
The more Katrina spoke, the more Maia’s skin crawled. The way she was seemingly treating the lives of millions as nothing more than toys for her amusement made Maia’s blood boil, and it seemed like every new thing she said had some way of making Maia more disgusted.
“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I look like your oh so precious Maia, but you have it all wrong.” Katrina continued, locking eyes with Maia. “She looks like me. Do you know how much fun it is to watch these two hold back their revulsion every time they look at you? Oh, it’s nothing against you, of course, they love you dearly, but you wear the face of their greatest enemy, the one who’s been their tormentor since before this measly plane came into existence.
“And you know what the best part is? They feel terrible about it. Did you know that after they transformed you, they cried the entire rest of the night? The way they looked at me through their sobs, the hatred and malice in those stares…it was exquisite.”
Aira and Nia looked away, faces full of shame, but Katrina grabbed their faces and forced them to look at Maia’s group. “No, bad doggies. You can’t be looking away right now; I need you to show them your pathetic side, it’s the least you could do after ruining their lives.”
Katrina turned her attention back to Maia’s group, ecstasy lighting up her face. “Fun fact, this ‘cure’ isn’t what you think it is! It’s actually their barely disguised fetishes, forced on an unwilling populace! My ‘curse’ shifts people towards the objectively correct mindset, my mindset, and these two choose to warp their bodies and minds just to ‘cleanse’ them of something that isn’t even an issue in the first place!
“Just think, if they hadn’t insisted on this ‘cure’, then you would all be living lives of bliss, unshackled from all the unimportant things and free to be your true selves. But they think the world should be a certain way, and they’re going to force the world into that little box, even if no one asked them to.
“They don’t care for you, or for anyone on this miserable excuse for a plane. They care only to stop me for whatever little time they can. They know it’s temporary, they know I’ll always be back, but they still persist, even though it hurts you.”
“You’re a sick woman.” Alexis growled. “Does the fact that you’re killing millions just to torment these two women not bother you in the slightest?”
Katrina smiled. “Ooh, a feisty one, I like that. And, no, I don’t care, and why should I? You’re all Lesser Beings, mere insects compared to me. You live in my universe, and as such I have full right to do whatever I want with you. I could destroy everything on this plane, Aira and Nia included, with but a wave of my hand, and there’s nothing any of you could do about it. You should be grateful I’m even allowing you a life at all.”
Katrina paused, smiling wickedly as she turned to Galiena. “Oh, and Galiena, thank you so much for your tireless work for me. Please, keep up the good work, and I might consider allowing you into an afterlife.”
“I would rather my soul be obliterated than work for you.” Galiena spat.
Katrina laughed, then turned back to Aira and Nia. “Now little doggies, I’m getting thirsty, so I’m going to give you time to make your pathetic excuses, then we’re going to have a skirmish, okay? Don’t keep me waiting.”
She disappeared, leaving the twin goddesses looking absolutely wretched in her wake. “Sorry.” Aira said hollowly. “These are going to sound like excuses, and that’s because they are, but we didn’t have a choice. If we didn’t build up a world, didn’t get attached to it, Katrina would start taking it out on random people in other worlds.
“And while we technically had a choice for how the cure works, it wasn’t a viable one. The other option was to just remove the curse directly, but in exchange Katrina would get to use an enormous amount of power for each person cured that way. And we didn’t choose for the transformations to be this way, either; Katrina read our minds and knew our preferences, and she thought it would be funny to watch as people were changed to fit those preferences, because she knew we’d feel bad about it.”
Tears streamed down Aira’s face as she continued. “She said if we wanted to avoid giving her extra power with each cure we’d have to transform them into monster girls. Girls because I’m only attracted to women, and part monster because Nia prefers nonhumans over humans. She even made humans the only sapient species on this plane, just to make that more of a factor.”
Aira turned to Maia, a look of immense guilt on her face. “And she’s right about us and you. We do feel a little shock of hatred each time we see Maia with her face, but that’s the furthest thing from how we actually feel. It’s just…it…”
“She’s been tormenting us for so long that it’s practically ingrained in us at this point.” Nia finished. “We can’t even slip into despair or insanity for a reprieve, because if we do, she just resets our mental states and we’re right back into it. At this point we just…we just hope that, if we win, we can build a happy world for at least a few centuries more.
“We know that, eventually, it’ll all crumble, that Katrina will find some new way to make us miserable, but as long as the people suffer as little as possible, then it’s fine. I know she said you could be living happily, but…I hope you agree when we say that we don’t think that’s true happiness. Maybe a few amoral and wicked people would enjoy it, but for the average person, they’ll just be exploited.”
Maia hesitantly walked up to them, then pulled them into a hug. “It’s not your fault.” She said soothingly. “It’s Katrina’s fault, and Katrina’s fault alone. Many of us said that if Aira’s Fervor really was Aira’s will, and we were certain it wasn’t, that we’d fight against it regardless.
“The world it creates isn’t the kind of world I’d want to live in, and it certainly isn’t the kind of world I would want to raise kids in. Restoring it to how it was before has only become more important now that I know the truth. If people have to change a little in the process, that’s fine, but we can’t let Katrina win like this.”
Nia’s breath hitched as she returned the hug. “Thank you, Maia.” She said. “It means a lot to us. A-and, if any of you want to leave, to live the rest of your lives in as much peace and solitude as we can give you, feel free. We won’t force you into fighting this war for us.”
“Are you kidding?” Elise said. “Every one of us has seen how much worse life gets when Katrina has her way. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re staying, and we’re fighting.”
“I have not changed my stance.” Galiena said. “I will fight to my dying breath, just as I did before.”
“And I.” Alexis added. “I had my doubts before, but they have been crushed in a manner so thorough that I can scarcely believe it. I swore to protect the people, and protect is what I’ll do. This curse has been going on for far too long.”
“I have my duties as well.” Minerva said. “I may only be fifth in line to the throne, but I need to ensure my people can live in peace, and for that, I’ll be fighting.”
“My conviction has only grown firmer.” Sylvie said. “And remember, you can’t be held responsible for Katrina’s actions, even if she tries to twist the truth to make it seem like it’s your fault.”
“You’re victims in this as much as we are, if not more.” Emily added. “Thank you, thank you for sticking up for us. I’ll be there for you wherever and whenever you need me.”
“Yeah.” Violet said. “I don’t get angry easy, but knowing that this Katrina is doing these things has me seeing red. Say the word, and I’ll step up to the fight.”
“Aye.” Corina said. “My crew and I have seen a lot and heard of even more, but this is worse than anything I coulda imagined. We’ll be with ya all the way.”
“And I feel nothing but immense relief knowing that not only was this curse the last thing you would ever have wanted, but that you have been struggling for the sake of the people for longer than we can even imagine.” Lily said. “I will remain your faithful servant, as always.”
“You did your best for us, now it’s our turn to do our best for you.” Steph agreed. “We’ll fight.”
“I as well.” Amy said. “Knowing the truth like I do now, I can’t bring myself to remain even the slightest bit detached. If I go back to just being a merchant after seeing this, I could never live with myself.”
Aira reached up and wiped her tears, but her face was so wet it hardly seemed to matter. “You all…thank you, it’s…that means so much to us. And, now that Katrina has played some of her hand, the rules dictate that we get to play ours a little as well.”
She ducked out of Maia’s embrace and looked over the assembled people. “We will grant all of you a portion of our power, but I hope you can understand when we give Maia and Galiena the lion’s share. We will be giving you your justly earned rewards and will grant each of you more blessings in the future, but the moment we finish here, we will be beset by fierce opposition, and we wish to grant you the best chance we can. That means restoring a great deal of Galiena’s old strength, and boosting Maia’s to new levels. That is not to say you won’t be getting noticeable improvements, but, well…”
“It’s fine.” Elise said. “We all understand, and I think having those two strengthened is our best bet right now. In fact, if it would help restore Galiena to her old strength, I’d be willing to not get anything right now. She would use that power better than me.”
“An excellent idea.” Sylvie said. “Me too.”
“You can take however much you need from what you would be giving me to get Galiena back to full strength.” Maia offered.
“You must never offer that again, Queen Maia.” Galiena said. “Due to your position, you receive more benefit per piece of power than anyone else. Furthermore, if you fall, everything ends; it is vital that you are as strong as possible. And for the rest of you, patience. I do not need to be at full strength immediately, and I believe the power would show more results if each of you received the original amount the goddesses planned to give you.”
Nia nodded, finally letting go of the hug with Maia. “We agree.” She said. “There are diminishing returns when it comes to us granting power. Now, we can’t keep Katrina waiting any longer. We will grant you power, then we will need to go before Katrina gets bored. We owe all of you a great debt, and know that we will support you however we can.”
At that, a holy light filled the room, and Maia felt a surge of power within her. And, with that power came the knowledge of the exact benefits she had received. The power and precision of her spells, spear, and transformative ability had dramatically increased, and her spear had gained the ability to transform into other weapons and tools. It had also gained the ability to be in multiple parts at once, allowing it to provide its own ammunition if it became something like a bow. Her tomeless casting skills had improved to the point where she simply needed to use a spell a few times to forevermore forgo the need for a tome, and she became able to combine properties of spells she had learned to cast tomeless.
But, impressive as that was, the thing that excited her the most was the ability to fly. She knew now that she’d be able to soar through the air with incredible speed and maneuverability, allowing her to finally use her wings to their fullest potential.
The holy light faded, and the goddesses gave the assembled women one last look. “We wish you luck, and upon your victory, we will speak with you again. And, once again…thank you, for everything.” And with that, they were gone, the holy feeling in the air quickly fading before being replaced by a dark and suffocating atmosphere.
Maia turned to scan the rest of the island for the enemy, spear held firmly in hand. Though she may be powerless to truly stop Katrina, she could make her lose this sick “game”, and that began with winning this battle. “Everyone, be ready.” She ordered. “They’re coming.”