Razark was on guard duty, while the other two rested. He didn’t really need all that much sleep, one of the perks that immortality brought him, and he only did so for pleasure or if he was pushed to extreme exhaustion. The other two didn’t actually require all that much sleep either due to their heritages and level of power, but Dee had a meeting with a deity and Noyala had taken the chance to get some rest as well. For her that meant meditation and it only lasted for a few hours. After that she slipped out of the small tent she had used and walked towards the place where Razark was sitting on a log, letting his mind and eyes roam the forest around them.

“How’s your body?” Razark asked without even looking at Noyala, mostly asking just to acknowledge her presence.

“Better, but still sore. Dee’s ministrations helped, but something like this is a bit beyond simple healing and massage.” Noyala replied sitting down with a rather undignified grunt due to her still sore muscles.

A weird silence reigned between the two for a while. They had very little in common as they had only been brought together by Dee’s presence. Neither of them had much interest in getting closer either. Noyala realized that Razark might be a powerful ally in theory, but also knew that the only reason he would help was because of Dee. He was not the type to help out of charity, especially since helping Noyala might lead to a lot of future strife for many people. Noyala wasn’t some innocent victim in all this, and her goals and ideas were far from what could be considered peaceful and just. They were for the good of her race in theory, but few people even among her race would see it that way. Many people were content with the current situation. Change often had to be forced.

“Why are you here?” Noyala suddenly asked.

“What do you mean? I’m pretty sure you’re aware of our mission by now.” Razark replied, taking his eyes off the surroundings and looking at Noyala properly. His mind and senses still kept watch.

“That’s not what I meant. You don’t actually have to do this mission, do you? Any oaths you might have sworn should have been fulfilled a long time ago, or at the very least you could’ve had them released by now. You could disappear any time you wanted. I get that you want to protect the other scouts, but there are other ways. It’s not all that likely that the order would take their ire out on the scouts just to avoid retaliation from you, and there are plenty of ways to eliminate even that minor chance. With your skills and power, you could join some second circle community easily, and get them to put pressure on the order. Yet here you are.” Noyala pointed out.

Razark considered his answer for a moment. “Two reasons. I want to provide the other scouts a clean break as well and I’m not about to get out from under one group just to end up serving another. The scouts are my family and we Alpyrans take care of our family. Then there’s Dee. She’s strong, but she still needs someone to watch over her for now. I suppose you could say I have some unfinished business with the order as well.”

Noyala focused her attention on the part of the explanation about Dee, as that was truly the only part she really cared about. The rest was just curiosity. “You’re talking about her personality? She acts like a person that needs someone to give her orders. It’s weird. There’s something very dominating lurking beneath the surface, but she keeps that part of her repressed.”

Razark nodded. “I truly don’t know what she would do if she suddenly found herself free from other people holding power over her. But then she has never really been free. At first, she was under the complete domination of her masters in the assassin group, and then she transferred that obedience over to the Radiant Sun. She didn’t really have to, but she did so anyway. Then there was a succession of masters, and she could focus on doing as she was told in training. I think she might be able to break that part of her nature, but it will still take some time. Until then I’m trying to offer her an easy target for her dependence. One that doesn’t take advantage of her.”

“Is it just that? I doubt you’re that noble.” Noyala pointed out.

“Well, she is my disciple. I want to see how far she can go. If she helps me achieve a few goals in the meantime, then all the better. She’s the type that needs something to do anyway. I’ve judged this to be the best way to make our break from the order, so here we are. Besides, a conflict like this can provide many opportunities, both for me and for her. I’m pretty sure you’ve already noticed she can gain a lot from death.” Razark shrugged his shoulders. Of course, there would be some give and take in all relationships, even that of the master and a disciple.

“So what will you do now?” Noyala asked.

“I think I’ll spend some time monitoring the situation developing between the order and the freelancers. The other communities aren’t really fully committed to this debacle yet, so the actions of the two communities will make a large difference. I’ll also see if I can find an alternative way of entering the groves. Someone must enter them on occasion, so I might spend some time monitoring them. How about you? What’s your master plan?” Razark turned the question around.

Noyala had an answer ready. “We’ll have to enter the court for a while. I’m not sure what the current political landscape is. If we really end up making a bid for something more than revenge, then I’ll need up-to-date information. Even if we end up doing nothing but cutting a swathe through my enemies, then at least we have to know what we’re up against and who to target exactly.”

“Sounds like we both have our work cut out for us. She might get a little bored though.” Razark pointed out towards where Dee was sleeping.

Noyala grinned. “Oh, I doubt that. The courts can be all sorts of fun, even if we don’t consider all the stabbing that is involved. That reminds me. You said you might have unfinished business with the order. What kind? I only ask in case it affects her.”

Razark sighed. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to talk about this with Noyala, but it might turn useful in the long run. He decided not to talk about the origin of the rift between him and the order, the moment that also drove a wedge between him and Commander Wolfhart. That was too private and didn’t need to be shared. He didn’t need to go into much detail with the other incident either, just the implications.

“A squad under my command performed a mission that was very dangerous. The previous grandmaster had sent a handful of the other Blades to make sure I couldn’t rush to save them when they got into trouble. I wouldn’t put it past him to have caused the squad to run into trouble in the first place just to teach me a lesson, but that is somewhat irrelevant since he is dead. Those other Blades are not, however. Also, incidentally, the people who killed my squad were the freelancers. They only did what they have to, but let’s just say I wouldn’t grieve too much if they got a bloody nose from all this as well.” Razark’s expression darkened while he thought about the cries for help by his people while they died.

“So. You have a revenge plan of your own.” Noyala stated simply. “One that preferably won’t leave you implicated. Something where they get involved in this struggle and end up dead? Getting immortals mixed up might end up destroying the whole forest.” She pointed out.

“Ah, but if the freelancers and the order truly get hostile with each other, then the fight would not be confined to the forest. Besides, that revenge doesn’t have to be fulfilled now. I can wait. Centuries if necessary. There will be opportunities and this struggle is simply one of them.” Razark had already waited this long, so patience was not new to him.

The two remained silent after that.

----------

Dee blinked her eyes as she awakened. The damn goddesses really did as they pleased! They said what they wanted to say and then sent her off like a servant. Which she in a weird way was. Not a very compliant one, nor one that would acknowledge such a relation, but the fact did remain that the deities had granted her power and wanted something in return. She could choose not to do it, but those favors were not really all that different from some of her own goals and the power would help her reach those. So maybe not a servant, but a hired hand instead? A mercenary paid with power?

She tried infusing Lumen’s power into the process while changing shapes. She went straight for the things she’d had some trouble with before. Her halo disappeared, both of her wings changed color as a test to a golden color, while her angel form assumed a look close to an elf. There was no resistance at all. She felt like she could stay in this form for years. Lumen had been right, the wings and halo being partly influenced by the goddess had made them difficult to change without her power, and now it was almost too easy.

Dee mumbled curses. “Could’ve really used this little trick before. Well, at least we are here now. I’ll have to explore the limits at a later time.”

Next, she tried sending Umbra’s power to the shadows. She’d used a bit of the dark goddess’ power to control those shadows before, but now she really delved into them. As she went deeper, she immediately noticed that the shadows weren’t just that. There was life in the shadows. Not like normal living beings, but something like spirits without form, just waiting for someone to give them a form and commands. She wondered if all shadows were like this, or was it just around her due to her blessing.

As she tried confirming that, she noticed that the shadows were connected. Her owns shadow was connected with the shadows outside. She noticed she could look out of those shadows and noticed Razark and Noyala quietly sitting outside. “Those two don’t really get along do they?” She wondered.

She tried spreading her awareness over larger distances and into several places at the same time. She noted that theoretically there was no limit, but her own mind was a limiting factor. She could observe things from the shadows, and as a psion she could handle a lot of information at once, but there was a limit. She could passively observe a very large area but she could focus on a limited number of things at once. It was like the guards protecting a place. A lazy guard would stare outside, but wouldn’t really see anyone truly trying to hide. That guard would only notice things if something drew his attention. A truly focused guard, on the other hand, would notice even minute changes in the atmosphere, sensing danger approaching. Even the lazy guard had his uses though, as he could notice things that were not trying to hide and raise the alarm. Perhaps she could order those spirits or whatever they were to keep watch, or spy for her?

The shadows seemed pliable for her to control, and she practiced forming simple attacks in the distance. Those shadows suddenly turned into sharp spikes and slashed at the nearby tree. The damage was feeble at best, but so was the amount of power she had put into that attack. She considered for a moment whether she should try for more, but decided against it for now. Razark would notice a commotion like that if he had not already spotted something going on. While she didn’t feel the need to hide this, she didn’t want to draw attention to it either, and she should at least warn him before making a ruckus.

A thought occurred to her. If she could send commands and receive information through the shadows, could she send items? Could she travel between shadows herself? After several failed attempts, she managed to send a pebble through the shadows. She knew she would be able to send something bigger and more dangerous, but that would require some practice. As an experiment, she tried sending a fresh leaf through as well and was disappointed to find out the leaf had shriveled and died during the short trip. Apparently, such things were not without dangers. Maybe she could find a way with some testing.

While considering this she came out of the tent and immediately drew curious looks from the other two. ‘You’re still shapeshifted.’ Croestia pointed out.

“Oh right.” Dee voiced her thought and allowed her form to slip back to normal.

“So what was that?” Noyala asked. Both of them had known it was Dee due to the aura she exuded, but it was still weird.

“Let’s just say the discussion with the deities was productive. I have much easier time with shapeshifting now. Toss me some of that.” Dee pointed at the breakfast Razark was pulling out. It was simple rations for camping since they didn’t want to risk lighting another fire, but Dee was hungry. She could pull out her own food, but lately, Croestia’s stores were actually running low. She’d have to restock soon.

Razark made a small grin and put quite a bit of strength into his throw, resulting in the small bundle shooting off like an arrow from a bow. As she had just undone the transformation, Dee’s body was still filled with Lumen’s power, and that included her eyes and head. Suddenly the world seemed to slow to a crawl, and the previously fast bundle seemed to be almost floating in place. Dee could clearly see the bundle was made up of some smoked ham and simple bread. She easily picked the almost motionless bundle from the air, and the world suddenly returned to the normal pace. The other two had only seen Dee’s hand move in a blur of light.

“Bloody hell.” Dee suddenly cursed. She had felt this same slowing effect when training with the old bastard on the volcano, but it had never really been this blatant or easy to use. “So this is what Umbra meant with cheating. I guess this is what the ‘body and mind of light’ part truly meant.”

-----

Near the now familiar camping fire surrounded by nothing but gray, the four deities were watching what was happening. Lumen laughed. “Still nope, but you’re getting closer. Keep this up and you’ll get there eventually.”

“You really skirted the rules there.” Eternity said with a neutral tone. “I allowed you to advise her with only one of her abilities.”

Lumen continued grinning. “I can’t help it if the same advice happens to be broad enough to apply to more than just what I was advising her for. It’s not exactly my fault that her abilities all work on the same trigger, just more power involved.”

Umbra scoffed. “You just made your little gifts too one dimensional. That said, I hope she figures out the possibilities with the shadows. There’s so much more there, and all she needs to do is grasp it.”

Death shook her head in resignation. The two goddesses didn’t even realize they were rehashing the age old argument about choosing to focus on a narrow strip of abilities to take into the extreme versus spreading your expertise wider. “You both know that she won’t be able to specialize in your little parlor tricks without making them part of her totem. And you both know that her totem is already forming without your powers being a part of it.”

The two deities realized she was right and quieted down. There was only so much Dee could do with their blessings without dedicating her totem to the job, and that seemed very unlikely at this point. They were trying to influence Dee’s totem into the desired direction, but with limited success. Either Death had gotten there first, or Dee naturally leaned that way. That all said, the battle was not lost. While Dee’s totem was formed from skulls and by extension souls, the form of the totem was not decided just yet. It could become a temple for either of them, just with a theme for Death.

Eternity spoke again. “You too Death. You’re not advising her, but dabbling with her totem like that will lead to a disaster.”

Death once again shook her head, this time in denial. The three others didn’t understand. “You’re mistaken. All I did was to give her a push and allow her to start early. I didn’t influence her totem. I didn’t have to. Why would I force someone down a path they would travel anyway? I’m only speeding her along.”

Eternity narrowed his eyes. “I’ll believe you, for now. But hear this; if her totem turns into a shrine dedicated to you then I will tear it down. I’ll personally make sure she gets the chance to rebuild it from scratch and I will use my power to smooth her way, but I will not allow that level of tampering from you or anyone else.”

Death only shrugged her shoulders and chose to ignore the threat. The others still didn’t get it. They saw a temple in the making, but it was something else. The only being that was able to see what was coming was her. That was the benefit of being the one to set things in motion.

At least that’s what she thought. Even her sight was limited in the face of Fate interfering in things as time would prove.